By Usama & Walter
ARSENAL vs. SOUTHAMPTON
- COMPETITION: English Premier League
- MATCH NO. 24
- DATE: 2nd February 2016
- VENUE: Emirates Stadium (London, England)
MATCH OFFICIALS:
| REFEREE: Lee Mason | |
| 1st LINESMAN: Andy Halliday | |
| 2nd LINESMAN: Matthew Wilkes | |
| 4th OFFICIAL: Craig Pawson |
First Half
Fouls, Advantages, Cards, and Penalties
| Time | Foul by | Foul For | Description & Decision | Points | |
| 01:57 | Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) | Dusan Tadic (Southampton) | Bellerin missed the ball and tripped Tadic by from behind inside the Arsenal’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 07:31 | Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) | Sadio Mane (Southampton) | Flamini tripped Mane first and later made contact with the ball inside the Arsenal’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR SOUTHAMTPON. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 09:29 | Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) | Jose Fonte (Southampton) | Monreal jumped in the back of Fonte inside the Arsenal’s half. This should have been a foul for Southampton but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 09:31 | Jose Fonte (Southampton) | Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) | Monreal tried to get forward towards the ball when Fonte dragged and pulled Monreal from behind to the ground inside the Arsenal’s half. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 11:07 | Joel Campbell (Arsenal) | Dusan Tadic (Southampton) | Campbell was chasing Tadic from behind inside the Southampton’s half when Tadic slightly looked back and went down to the ground with any contact from Campbell. Campbell did not push, kick, trip, charge, or made any foul contact. This should not have been a foul against Arsenal but the referee gave a foul.
This also should have been a yellow card against Tadic for committing an act of simulation by pretending to be fouled. But no card was given
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 127 Persistent Infringement Referees should be alert at all times to players who persistently infringe the Laws. In particular, they must be aware that, even if a player commits a number of different offences, he must still be cautioned for persistently infringing the Laws.
There is no specific number of infringements which constitutes “persistence” or the presence of a pattern – this is entirely a matter of judgement and must be determined in the context of effective game management.
WRONG FOUL AGAINST ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST TADIC FOR DIVING. |
-1 (FOUL)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 12:04 | James Ward Prowse (Southampton) | Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) | Ward Prowse charged into Monreal quite carelessly inside the Arsenal’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 13:05 | Oriol Romeu (Southampton) | Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) | Bellerin was trying for a 1v1 with Romeu inside the Southampton’s half when Romeu missed the ball and took Bellerin out by charging and tripping him. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL, |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 17:41 | Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) | Oriol Romeu (Southampton) | Romeu was running forward with the ball and tried to shield it from Ozil who was behind. Romeu started to lose his balance while shielding the ball from Ozil and fell down before Ozil made any foul contact. This should not have been a foul against Arsenal but the referee gave a foul.
WRONG FOUL AGAINST ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 17:44 | Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) | Ozil protested and showed dissent against the referee both verbally and non-verbally. This should have been a yellow card against Ozil but no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 126 Showing Dissent by Word or Action A player who is guilty of dissent by protesting (verbally or non-verbally) against a referee’s decision must be cautioned. The captain of a team has no special status or privileges under the Laws of the Game but he has a degree of responsibility for the behaviour of his team.
NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST OZIL FOR DISSENT. |
-2 (YELLOW CARD)
|
||
| 18:43 | Joel Campbell (Arsenal) | Sadio Mane (Southampton) | Campbell was chasing Mane inside the Arsenal’s half when Campbell made a late scissors like sliding tackle and took out Mane with it. The referee correctly gave a foul.
But this also should have been a yellow card against Campbell for committing a reckless foul, but no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 119 “Reckless” means that the player has acted with complete disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, his opponent. • A player who plays in a reckless manner must be cautioned
CORRECT FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST CAMPBELL. |
1 (FOUL)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 21:11 | Virgil Van Dijk (Southampton) | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Sanchez was chasing after the open ball inside the Southampton’s half when Van Dijk came from behind, stretched out his right hand and pushed Sanchez in the back. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 22:19 | Shane Long (Southampton) | Laurent Koscienly (Arsenal) | Koscienly was shielding the ball going out for a goal kick within playing distance when Long came from and charged in to the back of Koscienly with an elbow. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 24:10 | Shane Long (Southampton) | Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) | Long used both of his hands to push Gabriel in the back inside the Arsenal’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 24:45 | Ryan Bertrand (Southampton) | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Bertrand tripped Sanchez from behind without getting the ball inside the Southampton’s half. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given.
Soon after that Sanchez was trying to stand up when Bertrand ran into Sanchez and tripped himself. This should not have been a foul against Arsenal but the referee gave a foul. NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. WRONG FOUL AGAINST ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL)
-1 (FOUL) |
|
| 26:16 | Dusan Tadic (Southampton) | Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) | Tadic was running forward alongside Ramsey inside the center of the field after passing the ball to a fellow Southampton player. But then Tadic continuously pulled Ramsey back and prevented him from running back to defend. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 28:25 | Cedric Soares (Southampton) | Joel Campbell (Arsenal) | Campbell was trying to stop a ball in the air when Cedric continuously pushed him forward and then jumped on Campbell with a leading arm. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 29:36 | Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) | Victor Wanyama (Southampton) | Giroud slightly tripped Wanyama from behind inside the Southampton’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 34:26 | Sadio Mane (Southampton) | Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) | Mane tripped Gabriel inside the Arsenal’s half but Gabriel kept moving forward.
CORRECT ADVANTAGE PLAYED FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (ADVANTAGE) | |
| 36:01 | Shane Long (Southampton) | Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) | Long jumped in the back of Gabriel ducking him in the process inside the Arsenal’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 36:41 | James Ward Prowse (Southampton) | Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) | Just as Monreal tried jump in the air inside the Arsenal’s half to head the ball Ward Prowse pushed him in the back. This caused Monreal lose the direction of the header and made him land awkwardly. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 36:55 | Shane Long (Southampton) | Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) | Just after Bellerin passed the ball inside the Arsenal’s half, Long came in and charged and shoved down Bellerin. The referee correctly gave a foul.
But this also should have been a yellow card against Long for committing the 4th foul of the match. This was an act of persistent fouling. But no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 127 Persistent Infringement Referees should be alert at all times to players who persistently infringe the Laws. In particular, they must be aware that, even if a player commits a number of different offences, he must still be cautioned for persistently infringing the Laws.
There is no specific number of infringements which constitutes “persistence” or the presence of a pattern – this is entirely a matter of judgement and must be determined in the context of effective game management.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST SHANE LONG FOR PERSISTENT FOULING |
1 (FOUL)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 37:38 | Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) | Sadio Mane (Southampton) | Flamini pulled Mane from behind before kicking the ball inside the Southampton’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 40:37 | Sadio Mane (Southampton) | Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) | Mane pulled and tripped Gabriel from behind inside the Arsenal’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (FOUL)
|
|
| 44:10 | Shane Long (Southampton) | Laurent Koscienly (Arsenal) | Long tripped Koscienly inside the Arsenal’s half. The referee correctly gave a foul.
But this also should have been a yellow card against Long for committing the 5th foul of the match. This was an act of persistent fouling. But no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 127 Persistent Infringement Referees should be alert at all times to players who persistently infringe the Laws. In particular, they must be aware that, even if a player commits a number of different offences, he must still be cautioned for persistently infringing the Laws.
There is no specific number of infringements which constitutes “persistence” or the presence of a pattern – this is entirely a matter of judgement and must be determined in the context of effective game management
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST SHANE LONG FOR PERSISTENT FOULING |
1 (FOUL)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 45:44 | Dusan Tadic (Southampton) | Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) | Just as Flamini was trying to head the ball inside the Arsenal’s half, Tadic came from behind and pushed and tripped Flamini down. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| Number of Correct Fouls for Arsenal – 6
Number of Correct Fouls for Southampton – 5 Total Number of Correct Fouls – 11 [11 points]
|
Number of Incorrect Fouls against Arsenal – 12
Number of Incorrect Fouls against Southampton – 1 Total Number of Incorrect Fouls – 13 [13 points]
|
||||
| Number of Correct Advantages for Arsenal – 1
Number of Correct Advantages for Southampton – 0 Total Number of Correct Advantages – 1 [1 points] |
Number of Incorrect Advantages against Arsenal – 0
Number of Incorrect Advantages against Southampton – 0 Total Number of Incorrect Advantages – 0 |
||||
| Number of Correct Yellow Cards for Arsenal – 0
Number of Correct Yellow Cards for Southampton – 0 Total Number of Correct Yellow Cards – 0 |
Number of Incorrect Yellow Cards against Arsenal – 3
Number of Incorrect Yellow Cards against Southampton – 2 Total Number of Incorrect Yellow Cards – 5 [10 points] |
||||
Offsides
| Time | Player Offside | Defending Player | Description & Decision | Points | |
| 02:52 | Virgil Van Dijk (Southampton) | Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) | Just as the free kick was delivered Van Dijk was in an offside position. Assistant Ref Matthew Wilkes failed to make the call.
NO OFFSIDE FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (OFFSIDE) | |
| 09:54 | Sadio Mane (Southampton) | Laurent Koscienly (Arsenal) | Mane was in an offside position. Assistant Ref Matthew Wilkes made the call.
CORRECT OFFSIDE FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (OFFSIDE) | |
| 20:37 | Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) | Virgil Van Dijk (Southampton) | Ozil was in an offside position. Assistant Ref Andy Halliday failed to make the call.
NO OFFSIDE FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
-1 (OFFSIDE) | |
| Number of Correct Offsides for Arsenal – 1
Number of Correct Offsides for Southampton – 0 Total Number of Correct Offsides – 1 [1 points] |
Number of Incorrect Offsides against Arsenal – 1
Number of Incorrect Offsides against Southampton – 1 Total Number of Incorrect Offsides – 2 [2 points] |
||||
First Half Referee Report
| Total Number of Correct Decisions for Arsenal – 6+1+1 = 8
Total Number of Correct Decisions for Southampton – 5 Total Number of Correct Decisions = 8 + 5 = 13
AFTER POINTS HAVE BEEN WEIGHTED
Total Number of Correct Decisions (Weighted) for Arsenal – 6+1+1 = 8 Total Number of Correct Decisions (Weighted) for Southampton – 5 Total Number of Correct Decisions (Weighted) = 8 + 5 = 13
|
| Total Number of Incorrect Decisions against Arsenal – 12+3+1 = 16
Total Number of Incorrect Decisions against Southampton – 1+2+1 = 4 Total Number of Incorrect Decisions = 16 + 4 = 20
AFTER POINTS HAVE BEEN WEIGHTED
Total Number of Incorrect Decisions (Weighted) against Arsenal – 12+6+1 = 19 Total Number of Incorrect Decisions (Weighted) against Southampton – 1+4+1 = 6 Total Number of Incorrect Decisions (Weighted) = 19 + 6 = 25
|
|
First Half Correct Decision Percentage = Total Correct Decisions / Total Decisions (Correct + Incorrect) = 13/(13+20) = 39.3%
|
|
First Half Correct Decision Percentage (WEIGHTED) = Total Correct Decisions / Total Decisions (Correct + Incorrect) = 13/(13+25) = 34.2%
|
Second Half
Fouls, Advantages, Cards, and Penalties
| Time | Foul by | Foul For | Description & Decision | Points | |
| 46:06 | Ryan Bertrand (Southampton) | Joel Campbell (Arsenal) | Just as Campbell received the pass inside the Southampton’s half Bertrand came from behind and pushed him down without playing the ball. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 46:30 | James Ward Prowse (Southampton) | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Ward Prowse tripped Sanchez inside the center of the field but Sanchez recovered and the referee correctly played an advantage.
Just a second later Southampton recovered the ball from Sanchez when the referee played on from the advantage and gave a foul. CORRECT ADVANTAGE PLAYED FOR ARSENAL. CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (ADVANTAGE)
1 (FOUL) |
|
| 46:50 | Oriol Romeu (Southampton) | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Romeu was late in his challenge inside the centre of the field and tripped down Sanchez.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 48:23 | Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) | Shane Long (Southampton) | Bellerin headed the ball inside the Arsenal’s half by holding down Long. This should have been a foul for Southampton but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 49:08 | Victor Wanyama (Southampton) | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Sanchez tried to control the bouncing ball inside the Southampton’s half when Wanyama kicked underneath the leg of Sanchez. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 49:38 | Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) | Shane Long (Southampton) | Gabriel mistimed his tackle and brought down Long from behind inside the Southampton’s half. This should have been a foul for Southampton but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
-1 (FOUL)
|
|
| 50:13 | Oriol Romeu (Southampton) | Ramsey tried to chip the ball over Romeu when the ball hits the head of Romeu. But the referee gave a foul against Southampton for a handball. This should not have been a foul against Southampton.
WRONG FOUL AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON |
-1 (FOUL) | ||
| 52:26 | James Ward Prowse (Southampton) | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Ward Prowse tripped and pushed Sanchez slightly inside the Southampton’s half. The referee correctly gave a foul.
But this also should have been a yellow card against Ward Prowse for committing the 4th foul of the match. This was an act of persistent fouling. But no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 127 Persistent Infringement Referees should be alert at all times to players who persistently infringe the Laws. In particular, they must be aware that, even if a player commits a number of different offences, he must still be cautioned for persistently infringing the Laws.
There is no specific number of infringements which constitutes “persistence” or the presence of a pattern – this is entirely a matter of judgement and must be determined in the context of effective game management
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST WARD PROWSE FOR PERSISTENT FOULING. |
1 (FOUL)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 53:06 | James Ward Prowse (Southampton) | Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) | Ozil tried to shield the ball inside the center of the field when Ward Prowse charged into him from behind and dragged Ozil down. The referee correctly gave a foul
But this also should have been a yellow card against Ward Prowse for committing the 5th foul of the match. This was an act of persistent fouling. But no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 127 Persistent Infringement Referees should be alert at all times to players who persistently infringe the Laws. In particular, they must be aware that, even if a player commits a number of different offences, he must still be cautioned for persistently infringing the Laws.
There is no specific number of infringements which constitutes “persistence” or the presence of a pattern – this is entirely a matter of judgement and must be determined in the context of effective game management
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST WARD PROWSE FOR PERSISTENT FOULING. |
1 (FOUL)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 54:19 | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Cedric Soares (Southampton) | Sanchez jumped on the back of Soares to head the ball at goal. This should have been a foul for Southampton but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 55:02 | Oriol Romeu (Southampton) | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Romeu tripped Sanchez from behind inside the Arsenal’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 55:49 | Dusan Tadic (Southampton) | Joel Campbell (Arsenal) | Just as the corner kick was taken Giroud took a slow header on target. While the ball was in mid-air Tadic grabbed and held Campbell who was trying to attack the ball and held him for a longer period until throwing Campbell down. This should have been a penalty for Arsenal but was not given.
This also should have been a second yellow card against Tadic for deliberately pulling and holding the opponent back, which means that by now he should have been sent off.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 125 Cautions for Unsporting Behaviour There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour, e.g. if a player: • Commits in a reckless manner one of the seven offences that incur a direct free kick • Commits a foul for the tactical purpose of interfering with or breaking up a promising attack • Holds an opponent for the tactical purpose of pulling the opponent away from the ball or preventing the opponent from getting to the ball
NO PENALTY FOR ARSENAL. NO SECOND YELLOW CARD AGAINST TADIC. NO RED CARD AGAINST TADIC. |
-3 (PENALTY)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) -3 (RED CARD) |
|
| 58:07 | The Assistant Ref Andy Halliday made a correct offside call for Arsenal, but in the meantime Arsenal had recovered the ball and quickly moved forward to build up an attack. The main referee Lee Mason should have played an offside advantage for Arsenal but instead he stopped Arsenal’s build up.
NO OFFSIDE ADVANTAGE PLAYED FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (ADVANTAGE) | |||
| 59:26 | Ryan Bertrand (Southampton) | Joel Campbell (Arsenal) | Campbell tried to stop the long ball on his foot inside the Southampton’s half when Bertrand came from behind and kicked the back of Campbell’s leg. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 59:47 | Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) | Dusan Tadic (Southampton) | Tadic received the ball deep inside the Arsenal’s half, when Bellerin continuously grabbed, held and tried to pull Tadic back for quite some time. Tadic stood his ground and moved forward to continue the attack. The referee correctly played an advantage.
But this also should have been a yellow card against Bellerin for deliberate holding and pulling an opponent from attacking, but no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 125 Cautions for Unsporting Behaviour There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour, e.g. if a player: • Commits in a reckless manner one of the seven offences that incur a direct free kick • Commits a foul for the tactical purpose of interfering with or breaking up a promising attack • Holds an opponent for the tactical purpose of pulling the opponent away from the ball or preventing the opponent from getting to the ball
CORRECT ADVANTAGE PLAYED FOR SOUTHAMPTON. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST BELLERIN. |
1 (ADVANTAGE)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 59:59 | Cedric Soares (Southampton) | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Sanchez was sprinting forward on the counter attack inside the Arsenal’s half when Soares pulled Sanchez’s arm from behind and slowed him down.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 125 Cautions for Unsporting Behaviour There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour, e.g. if a player: • Commits in a reckless manner one of the seven offences that incur a direct free kick • Commits a foul for the tactical purpose of interfering with or breaking up a promising attack • Holds an opponent for the tactical purpose of pulling the opponent away from the ball or preventing the opponent from getting to the ball
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. CORRECT YELLOW CARD AGAINST SOARES. |
1 (FOUL)
2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 65:15 | Dusan Tadic (Southampton) | Theo Walcott (Arsenal) | Tadic dragged down Walcott inside the center of the field. The referee correct gave a foul.
But just after the foul Tadic deliberately kicked the ball far away. This was a clear act of delaying the restart of play. Tadic should have his third yellow card of the match, which means that by now he should have been sent off. But no cards were given by the ref.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 127 Delaying the Restart of Play Referees must caution players who delay the restart of play by tactics such as: • Taking a free kick from the wrong position with the sole intention of forcing the referee to order a retake • Appearing to take a throw-in but suddenly leaving it to one of his team-mates to take • Kicking the ball away or carrying it away with the hands after the referee has stopped play • Excessively delaying the taking of a throw-in or free kick • Delaying leaving the field of play when being substituted • Provoking a confrontation by deliberately touching the ball after the referee has stopped play
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. NO THIRD YELLOW CARD AGAINST TADIC FOR DELAYING TACTICS. NO RED CARD AGAINST TADIC. |
1 (FOUL)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) -3 (RED CARD) |
|
| 66:05 | James Ward Prowse (Southampton) | Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) | Ward Prowse tripped Ozil inside the Southampton’s half but Ozil recovered and moved forward. The referee correctly played an advantage.
But this also should have been a yellow card against Ward Prowse for committing the 6th foul of the match. This was an act of persistent fouling. But no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 127 Persistent Infringement Referees should be alert at all times to players who persistently infringe the Laws. In particular, they must be aware that, even if a player commits a number of different offences, he must still be cautioned for persistently infringing the Laws.
There is no specific number of infringements which constitutes “persistence” or the presence of a pattern – this is entirely a matter of judgement and must be determined in the context of effective game management
CORRECT ADVANTAGE PLAYED FOR ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST WARD PROWSE. |
1 (ADVANTAGE)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 67:19 | Jose Fonte (Southampton) | Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) | Ozil delivered a corner, Giroud was right under the path of the ball and tried to jump up to head it when Fonte used both of his hands to grab Giroud the arm and pull him down with force. This prevented Giroud jumping successfully. This should have been a penalty for Arsenal but was not given.
This also should have been a yellow card against Fonte for deliberately pulling Giroud down without going for the ball. But no card was given by the ref.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 125 Cautions for Unsporting Behaviour There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour, e.g. if a player: • Commits in a reckless manner one of the seven offences that incur a direct free kick • Commits a foul for the tactical purpose of interfering with or breaking up a promising attack • Holds an opponent for the tactical purpose of pulling the opponent away from the ball or preventing the opponent from getting to the ball
NO PENALTY FOR ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST FONTE. |
-3 (PENALTY)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 69:46
|
Jose Fonte (Southampton) | Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) | Giroud was trying outrun his man marker Fonte inside the penalty box. Giroud got to the ball first and just when he was about head it Fonte pulled Giroud from the collar of the shirt which resulted in Giroud heading the ball out of play. This should have been a penalty for Arsenal but was not given.
NO PENALTY FOR ARSENAL. |
-3 (PENALTY) | |
| 70:04 | Ryan Bertrand (Southampton) | Laurent Koscienly (Arsenal) | Koscienly was trying outrun his man marker Wanyama at speed when Bertrand blocked Koscienly off the ball by charging into him inside the Southampton’s penalty box. This should have been a penalty for Arsenal but was not given.
NO PENALTY FOR ARSENAL. |
-3 (PENALTY)
|
|
| 70:56 | Laurent Koscienly (Arsenal) | Shane Long (Southampton) | Koscienly charges down Long carelessly inside the Arsenal’s half. This should have been a foul for Southampton but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 72:21 | James Ward Prowse (Southampton) | Flamini and Ward Prowse were challenging for a header inside the center of the field. Ward Prowse jumped up and used his arm to win the ball. The referee correctly gave a foul.
But this also should have been a yellow card against Ward Prowse for committing the 7th foul of the match. This was an act of persistent fouling. But no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 127 Persistent Infringement Referees should be alert at all times to players who persistently infringe the Laws. In particular, they must be aware that, even if a player commits a number of different offences, he must still be cautioned for persistently infringing the Laws.
There is no specific number of infringements which constitutes “persistence” or the presence of a pattern – this is entirely a matter of judgement and must be determined in the context of effective game management
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST WARD PROWSE FOR PERSISTENT FOULING. |
1 (FOUL)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
||
| 77:59 | Victor Wanyama (Southampton) | Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) | Wanyama kicked Sanchez from behind inside the Southampton’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 78:55 | James Ward Prowse (Southampton) | Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) | Monreal tried to chase the ball inside the Southampton’s half when Ward Prowse tried to pull and drag him from behind. The referee correctly gave a foul.
But this also should have been a yellow card against Ward Prowse for committing the 8th foul of the match. This was an act of persistent fouling. But no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 127 Persistent Infringement Referees should be alert at all times to players who persistently infringe the Laws. In particular, they must be aware that, even if a player commits a number of different offences, he must still be cautioned for persistently infringing the Laws.
There is no specific number of infringements which constitutes “persistence” or the presence of a pattern – this is entirely a matter of judgement and must be determined in the context of effective game management
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST WARD PROWSE FOR PERSISTENT FOULING. |
1 (FOUL)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 80:02 | Sadio Mane (Southampton) | Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) | Mane tripped Monreal from behind inside the Arsenal’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (FOUL) | |
| 80:27 | Virgil Van Dijk (Southampton) | Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) | Before heading the ball Van Dijk’s elbow hits the face of Giroud. This should have been a foul for Arsenal but no foul was given.
NO FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
-1 (FOUL) | |
| 82:30 | Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) | Cedric Soares (Southampton) | Flamini pushed down Soares from behind inside the Arsenal’s half.
CORRECT FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. |
1 (FOUL)
|
|
| 83:14 | Virgil Van Dijk (Southampton) | Petr Cech (Arsenal) | Just as Cech caught the cross Van Dijk charges into him.
CORRECT FOUL FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (FOUL)
|
|
| 86:24 | Francis Coquelin (Arsenal) | Shane Long (Southampton) | Coquelin made a very late scissors like sliding tackle on Long inside the Southampton’s half. This was a clear act of recklessness.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 125 Cautions for Unsporting Behaviour There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour, e.g. if a player: • Commits in a reckless manner one of the seven offences that incur a direct free kick • Commits a foul for the tactical purpose of interfering with or breaking up a promising attack • Holds an opponent for the tactical purpose of pulling the opponent away from the ball or preventing the opponent from getting to the ball
CORRECT FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. CORRECT YELLOW CARD AGAINST COQUELIN. |
1 (FOUL)
2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 88:17 | Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) | Matt Targett (Southampton) | Gabriel made a very late like sliding tackle on Targett inside the Arsenal’s half. This was a clear act of recklessness.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 125 Cautions for Unsporting Behaviour There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour, e.g. if a player: • Commits in a reckless manner one of the seven offences that incur a direct free kick • Commits a foul for the tactical purpose of interfering with or breaking up a promising attack • Holds an opponent for the tactical purpose of pulling the opponent away from the ball or preventing the opponent from getting to the ball
CORRECT FOUL FOR SOUTHAMPTON. CORRECT YELLOW CARD AGAINST GABRIEL. |
1 (FOUL)
2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| 93:53 | Juanmi (Southampton) | Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) | Just as Ozil passed inside the Southampton’s half Juanmi jumped in with a very late sliding tackle and took out Ozil. The referee correctly played an advantage.
But this also should have been a yellow card against Juanmi for committing a reckless tackle, but no card was given.
LAW 12 FOULS AND MISCONDUCT PAGE 125 Cautions for Unsporting Behaviour There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour, e.g. if a player: • Commits in a reckless manner one of the seven offences that incur a direct free kick • Commits a foul for the tactical purpose of interfering with or breaking up a promising attack • Holds an opponent for the tactical purpose of pulling the opponent away from the ball or preventing the opponent from getting to the ball
CORRECT ADVANTAGE PLAYED FOR ARSENAL. NO YELLOW CARD AGAINST JUANMI. |
1 (ADVANTAGE)
-2 (YELLOW CARD) |
|
| Number of Correct Fouls for Arsenal – 12
Number of Correct Fouls for Southampton – 3 Total Number of Correct Fouls – 15 [15 points]
|
Number of Incorrect Fouls against Arsenal – 4
Number of Incorrect Fouls against Southampton – 5 Total Number of Incorrect Fouls – 9 [9 points] |
||||
| Number of Correct Advantages for Arsenal – 3
Number of Correct Advantages for Southampton – 1 Total Number of Correct Advantages – 4 [4 points]
|
Number of Incorrect Advantages against Arsenal – 1
Number of Incorrect Advantages against Southampton – 0 Total Number of Incorrect Advantages – 1 [1 points] |
||||
| Number of Correct Yellow Cards for Arsenal – 1
Number of Correct Yellow Cards for Southampton – 2 Total Number of Correct Yellow Cards – 3 [6 points]
|
Number of Incorrect Yellow Cards against Arsenal – 9
Number of Incorrect Yellow Cards against Southampton – 1 Total Number of Incorrect Yellow Cards – 10 [20 points] |
||||
| Number of Correct Red Cards for Arsenal – 0
Number of Correct Red Cards for Southampton – 0 Total Number of Correct Red Cards – 0
|
Number of Incorrect Red Cards against Arsenal – 2
Number of Incorrect Red Cards against Southampton – 0 Total Number of Incorrect Red Cards – 2 [6 points] |
||||
| Number of Correct Penalties for Arsenal – 0
Number of Correct Penalties for Southampton – 0 Total Number of Correct Penalties – 0
|
Number of Incorrect Penalties against Arsenal – 4
Number of Incorrect Penalties against Southampton – 0 Total Number of Incorrect Penalties – 4 [12 points] |
||||
Offsides
| Time | Player Offside | Defending Player | Description & Decision | Points | |
| 58:07 | Sadio Mane (Southampton) | Laurent Koscienly (Arsenal) | Mane was in an offside position. Assistant Ref Andy Halliday made the call.
CORRECT OFFSIDE FOR ARSENAL. |
1 (OFFSIDE) | |
| Number of Correct Offsides for Arsenal – 1
Number of Correct Offsides for Southampton – 0 Total Number of Correct Offsides – 1 [1 points] |
Number of Incorrect Offsides against Arsenal – 0
Number of Incorrect Offsides against Southampton – 0 Total Number of Incorrect Offsides – 0 |
||||
Goal Kicks, Corners, and Throw-ins
| Time | Type | Last Touch OFF | Description & Decision |
| 59:29 | Throw-in | Victor Wanyama (Southampton) | The ball last touched Wanyama not Ramsey.
WRONG THROW-IN AGAINST ARSENAL. |
| Number of Incorrect Throw-ins against Arsenal – 1
Number of Incorrect Throw-ins against Southampton – 0 Total Number of Incorrect Throw-ins – 1 |
|||
Other
| Time | Type | Description & Decision | Points | |
| 73:33 | Head injury | Giroud accidentally collided in to the head of Fonte while heading for the ball which resulted in Fonte bleeding heavily. At the same moment the game was stopped for a goal kick for Southampton. The referee allowed the medics to enter the field to check Fonte’s injury. This is where the referee failed to control the injury situation in accordance to the laws of the game.
1. Fonte should have been made to leave the pitch within 15 seconds, as it was clear the player was not unconscious and was fit to walk and stand. Instead the referee made Fonte sit up on pitch for 3 minutes and watched him getting treated.
2. Fonte should not have allowed to be treated on the field of play. But the referee did allow him to get treated on the field of play for 3 minutes.
LAW 5 THE REFEREE PAGE 74 Injured Players The referee must adhere to the following procedure when dealing with injured players: • Play is allowed to continue until the ball is out of play if a player is, in the opinion of the referee, only slightly injured • Play is stopped if, in the opinion of the referee, a player is seriously injured • After questioning the injured player, the referee may authorize one, or at most two doctors, to enter the field of play to assess the injury and arrange the player’s safe and swift removal from the field of play • Stretcher-bearers should only enter the field of play with a stretcher following a signal from the referee • The referee must ensure an injured player is safely removed from the field of play • A player is not allowed to receive treatment on the field of play • Any player bleeding from a wound must leave the field of play. He may not return until the referee is satisfied that the bleeding has stopped. A player is not permitted to wear clothing with blood on it
• As soon as the referee has authorized the doctors to enter the field of play, the player must leave the field of play, either on a stretcher or on foot. If a player does not comply, he must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour • An injured player may only return to the field of play after the match has restarted
WRONG DECISION TO ALLOW TREATMENT OF FONTE ON THE PITCH. WRONG DECISION TO LET FONTE STAY ON FIELD WHILE INJURED. |
-1 (FAILURE TO REMOVE PLAYER FROM PITCH)
-1 (ALLOWING TREATMENT ON THE PITCH FOR LONG TIME) |
|
| 95:58 | Additional Time | Arsenal were attacking forward and had crossed the ball in to Southampton’s box when the referee stopped the match. The time at that moment was 95:58. The additional time appointed was 6 minutes, which means that 6 minutes was the minimum amount to be added. The law below clearly mentions that “it may be increased but can never be reduced”
LAW 7 THE DURATION OF THE MATCH PAGE 106 Allowance for time lost “Many stoppages in play are entirely natural (e.g. throw-ins, goal kicks). An allowance is to be made only when these delays are excessive. The fourth official indicates the minimum additional time decided by the referee at the end of the final minute of each period of play.
The announcement of the additional time does not indicate the exact amount of time left in the match. The time may be increased if the referee considers it appropriate but never reduced.
The referee must not compensate for a timekeeping error during the first half by increasing or reducing the length of the second half.”
WRONG DECISION TO STOP THE MATCH AT INCORRECT TIME. |
-1 (WRONG STOPPAGE OF MATCH) | |
| Number of Other Correct Decision for Arsenal – 0
Number of Other Correct Decision for Southampton – 0 Total Number of Other Correct Decision – 0 |
Number of Other Incorrect Decisions against Arsenal – 3
Number of Other Incorrect Decisions against Southampton – 0 Total Number of Other Incorrect Decisions – 3 [3 points] |
|||
Second Half Referee Report
| Total Number of Correct Decisions for Arsenal – 12+3+1+1 = 17
Total Number of Correct Decisions for Southampton – 3+1+2+1 = 7 Total Number of Correct Decisions = 17 + 7 = 24
AFTER POINTS HAVE BEEN WEIGHTED
Total Number of Correct Decisions (Weighted) for Arsenal – 12+3+2+1 = 18 Total Number of Correct Decisions (Weighted) for Southampton – 3+1+4+1 = 9 Total Number of Correct Decisions (Weighted) = 18 + 9 = 27
|
| Total Number of Incorrect Decisions against Arsenal – 4+1+9+2+4+1+3 = 24
Total Number of Incorrect Decisions against Southampton – 5+1 = 6 Total Number of Incorrect Decisions = 24 + 6 = 30
AFTER POINTS HAVE BEEN WEIGHTED
Total Number of Incorrect Decisions (Weighted) against Arsenal – 4+1+18+6+12+1+3 = 45 Total Number of Incorrect Decisions (Weighted) against Southampton – 5+2 = 7 Total Number of Incorrect Decisions (Weighted) = 45 + 7 = 52
|
|
Second Half Correct Decision Percentage = Total Correct Decisions / Total Decisions (Correct + Incorrect) = 24/(24+30) = 44.4%
|
|
Second Half Correct Decision Percentage (WEIGHTED) = Total Correct Decisions / Total Decisions (Correct + Incorrect) = 27/(27+52) = 34.1% |
Full Time (1st Half + 2nd Half) Referee Report
| Total Number of Correct Decisions for Arsenal – 8+17 = 25
Total Number of Correct Decisions for Southampton – 5+7 = 12 Total Number of Correct Decisions = 25 + 12 = 37
AFTER POINTS HAVE BEEN WEIGHTED
Total Number of Correct Decisions (Weighted) for Arsenal – 8+18 = 26 Total Number of Correct Decisions (Weighted) for Southampton – 5+9 = 14 Total Number of Correct Decisions (Weighted) = 26 + 14 = 40
|
| Total Number of Incorrect Decisions against Arsenal – 16+24 = 40
Total Number of Incorrect Decisions against Southampton – 4+6 = 10 Total Number of Incorrect Decisions = 40 + 10 = 50
AFTER POINTS HAVE BEEN WEIGHTED
Total Number of Incorrect Decisions (Weighted) against Arsenal – 19+45 = 64 Total Number of Incorrect Decisions (Weighted) against Southampton – 6+7= 13 Total Number of Incorrect Decisions (Weighted) = 64 + 13 = 77
|
|
Full Match Correct Decision Percentage = Total Correct Decisions / Total Decisions (Correct + Incorrect) = 37/(37+50) = 42.5%
|
|
Full Match Correct Decision Percentage (WEIGHTED) = Total Correct Decisions / Total Decisions (Correct + Incorrect) = 40/(40+77) = 34.1% |
APPENDIX
| Key Decisions in the Match | Points |
| Advantage | 1 |
| Foul | 1 |
| Incorrect Corner | 1 |
| Incorrect Goal Kick | 1 |
| Incorrect Throw-in | 1 |
| Other (Ref Positioning, Injuries, Time Wasting, etc.) | 1 |
| Offside | 1 |
| Yellow Card | 2 |
| Red Card | 3 |
| Goal | 3 |
| Penalty | 3 |
NOTE: FOR ANY WRONG DECISION MADE THERE WILL BE NEGATIVE POINTS AWARDED FOR THAT SPECIFIC KIND OF EVENT.
NOTE: ANY INCORRECT OR WRONG DECISION/NON-DECISION WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED WITH A RED COLOUR.
NOTE: ANY DECISION THAT INVOLVES DOUBT IS HIGHLIGHTED AS BLUE IN COLOR.
NOTE: The word ‘FOR’ is used to show IN FAVOUR OF.
BELOW IS THE LINK FOR THE “FIFA LAWS OF THE GAME 2015/2016”. ANY LAW OF THE GAME IS DIRECTLY REFERENCED FROM THIS DOCUMENT.
Where to start? Well to be honest I don’t really know where I should begin. Maybe I should go back to my initial match report. I had to look on a bad stream that stopped, was blurred but I remember being upset about some things I could see. Now when looking at it again in good conditions my initial feelings were more than correct: this was bad. Correct myself : this was terrible.
I am not going to run over every incident again as this would take us too far but the fact that there is more red than black to be seen in this report shows how bad he was.
The first half score was 39.3%. And if we put weight on the decisions we get to a score of only 34.2%. Completely unacceptable. The ref seemed to be on a mission to not call fouls at all. An enormous amount of fouls were not called. And by doing this he gave the fouling team a very big advantage of course. When we look at the bias numbers we see that he made a total of 20 wrong decisions in the first half. 16 against Arsenal and 4 against Southampton. Is this acceptable? Of course not. But he sure was doing his best to absolute ignore the handbook for referees also known as the laws of the game.
Letting fouls go and not giving yellow cards…. that was what he mostly did in the first half. Mind you he also didn’t give a yellow card against Campbell so apart from being biased in his foul calling he also was completely incompetent.
But if you think it couldn’t get any worse in the second half… well it actually did.
Not in % as the high number of fouls he couldn’t ignore saved his numbers a bit. The final score in the second half was 44.4% and when we put weight on the decisions it went down again to 34.1%. But in the second half he made 30 incorrect decisions (only 20 in the first half) and the bias again being very much in favour of Southampton. 24 wrong decisions going against Arsenal and 6 against Southampton.
We counted a total of 50 (fifty!) wrong decisions over the whole 90 minutes + added time.
But what made things worse is that he completely ignored each and every thing that happened in the Southampton penalty area. The defenders could make foul after foul in the penalty area and the ref did nothing. Holding, pulling, grabbing, barging …. but nothing given. Arsenal could and should have had 4 penalties if the ref had been any good. Now I know of course that if he had given the first one the Southampton players would have stopped their dark arts but they just fell they could do anything they wanted and the ref would close his eyes. Campbell was held and couldn’t get on to a ball that was headed on, Giroud was simply held down by being grabbed by the arm with both hands by a defender, Giroud his collar was pulled when he was trying to head a ball, Koscielny was deliberately being barged down… Mason saw nothing.
Also the fact that one player Ward Prowse could commit 8 fouls without being booked is simply unbelievable. I am speechless about this. This ref simply wasn’t doing the job he is supposed to do: make sure that the laws of the game are being applied in a fair way. I don’t know what job he was actually doing (I can imagine it though) and I think his paymasters will have been very happy with what he did. If the football world should be happy is another thing as this was a referee travesty.
More comedy capers refereeing came with the head injury of Fonte. Fonte was bleeding but he was completely ok for the rest. He talked, he was conscious, he sat up… and yet Mason completely ignored the instructions what should be done with injured players. Injured players should not be treated on the field if they can leave the field. Fonte was sitting 2-3 meters away from the goal line and he could have gone off within 5 seconds and the match could have continued. But Mason knew that he needed stitches to be able to carry on and therefore would leave Southampton with a man down for 3-5 minutes. And to avoid that situation Mason allowed treatment on the field. This was for me a deliberate act from the ref to influence the match.
Arsenal was pressing Southampton back in the minutes before and was looking dangerous. Missing Fonte would have been a big handicap and then Mason didn’t do his job but did the PGMO job. Another side effect that he probably couldn’t have foreseen (but maybe hoped for) was that because of the long delay Arsenal lost it fluency and the attacking waves somehow dried up.
I could go on about the ref also stopping the match before the 6 minutes of added time were even gone and stopping the match with the ball going in to the penalty box… come on tell me how many times do you see this happening in a match? Almost never. I can’t remember it to be honest. But this is another proof that this ref was not just abiding the laws of the game in this match.
A disgraceful performance from the ref in the end. Unacceptable competence numbers and unacceptable bias numbers. But I think the PGMO will have been very happy with his result. And I think Mason will not have to be scared to spend some times in the lower leagues after his match at Crystal Palace when the media decided he had let Coquelin off the hook. And was punished with having no matches in the PL for several weeks and in the knowledge that there are not enough PL referees this season that sure looked strange.
The Untold Books
The latest Untold book is Arsenal: The Long Sleep 1953-1970 with a Foreword by Bob Wilson, available both as a paperback and as a Kindle book from Amazon. Details of this and our previously published titles can be found at Arsenal Books on this site.
Recent Posts
- European Super League now a real possibility thanks to declining TV numbers and the rise of China
- Linekar: the perfect font of media drivel, but he shouldn’t expect us to believe any of it.
Anniversaries
- 11 February 1950: Arsenal 2 Burnley 0 in the Fifth round of the FA Cup en route to winning the competition. Dennis Compton and Reg Lewis scored.
- 11 February 1961: Last game for Len Wills v Cardiff. He played 195 times for Arsenal; his only league club. Reports suggest he later ran a sports shop in Southgate, Middlesex, and also worked in the hardware and DIY business. He lives now in retirement in Epping.
While doing this review we saw large number of incidents, poor refereeing, even large amounts of reviewing alongside, but writing the word “Southampton” again and again was for me the most frustrating part of all. While typing at speed shorts words helps your momentum, but thanks to Lee Mason I have mastered the “Southampton” word. 🙂
O Ni agbára. This is beyond disgrace, this is an eye opener – the league will not be handed over to Arsenal in a platter. We shall see
Great work Usama. I’m of the same opinion regarding the advantage rule. The refs seem to be using it not to punish Arsenal opponents. I went back to see the ratio of cards to fouls over a number of matches as I thought that Arsenal were getting a bum deal. My thoughts were not correct. Referees seemed to be even handed with their ratios. I know Tony/Walter have mentioned the giving of yellows toward the end of a match so to keep there numbers right. It would certainly be interesting to add the number of times the referee gives advantage added to the number of fouls before getting the foul to card ratio. I’m certain Arsenal’s scores would be lower.
Following Flaminis incident the weekend the media are in uproar.
Following this disgraceful excuse of a performance the media was silent.
And some people think there’s nothing wrong with how we are treated. There is no bias? There is no agenda?
Or worse, they think Walter and co are biased and make all this up.
Even worse, a lot of the people that accuse Walter and co of being biased, paranoid, deluded or whatever other term they chose to use to undermine there brilliant work, frequent this site under the guise of Arsenal fans.
I cant wait to hear what they have to say about this little lot.
Actually I know what they’ll say.
‘It all evens out, as Falmini’s incident proved the weekend.’
I guarantee one somebody will come out with that or something similar.
Quite sad to contrast it to the youth team game i watched this week.
In that, Anderlecht committed a lot of fouls and the ref called them pretty much every time. Crowd and players went through motions of complaining as the free kicks racked up- probably about 8-0 after the first 15-20 minutes- but the ref was unmoved.
It really sucked to think that I was watching the simple justice we are denied nearly every week. In that game you saw the trade off there should be- if you want the advantage of extra aggression, always closing a player down and more often than not giving a little kick or push, never letting a player go without trying to initiate contact, even if you can’t get there…then you will concede lots and lots of free kicks.
That youth game worked exactly as it should have. Anderlecht gained from their aggressive approach, but could have easily lost out from the half dozen free kicks conceded around their box. Ref was good, or, in comparison to the Mason’s of the world, he was astonishingly brilliant, a ref from another planet, where competence and justice exist.
It’s as simple a truth as any you’ll see, but it is poorly acknowledged here by the media, or, where we are concerned, aggressively denied; and, of course, the truth is rejected, deliberately, by the referees who manage our games.
Sad stuff. That Saints game persuaded me I have to watch football differently, fully expecting the worst all the time. I’m going to try put that into action before the weekend’s game. Gotta be worth a try, because i sure don’t want to keep on feeling the way the Southampton game made me feel.
In all the years we have been doing reviews we have never recorded scores as poor as this year. It is now beyond a joke. Another two points robbed by the PGMO.
Andrew Crawshaw
And despite this, outside of this site I have not heard a single voice in accord with Untolds findings, not one.
Nobody gives a shit and that I’m afraid is the sad truth of the matter.
Correction, it’s actually worse than that. It’s not that they don’t give a shit, they don’t even think there’s anything much wrong, and even if there is, it’s there team on the end of it.
But as I said early, it’s heads against the wall, but we must keep bashing away non the less.
This is getting worse and the media boes not notice it?
Is Claudio Ranieri as good as Leicester is showing him to be? Or is there someone else behind him? Or is it his hand signals?
Whatever, Arsenal need to go into this next game(Leicester, Sunday again?) as if we are playing Manc, ManU or Tottenham and not Leicester, else we will come away with egg on our faces.
No doubt we will soon hear who the ref is going to be. No doubt our players need to be ref aware and not get anyone of us sent off.
@para,
It’s already announced, the ref will be shAtkinson against Leicester on Sunday.
@Walter & Usama, excellent work as usual! There has to be some way to stop the PGMOB!
This referee is weak, inadequate, incompetent, completely unfit, and scared of his bosses. This is surely his last season, he is a complete embarrassment, and it is not only Arsenal fans who will be thinking that.
He was clearly told to make life as difficult as possible for Arsenal.
Sadly, we will be seeing this until the end of the season, or as long as Arsenal are a threat…..and we will see more of the same on Sunday.
The PGMO deliberate tilting of the field seems to be a more and more blatant feature of our matches this season – and a total disgrace. It looks as if a very major pressure has been exerted on or by Riley to do everything possible to prevent Arsenal winning the league.
This was a totally disgraceful performance by Mason – almost in the unacceptable Dean class.
It was also a disgraceful performance by Southampton – who degenerated into thuggish rugby to prevent us winning.
I agree with Mandy – Atkinson will be out to screw us on Sunday – the fans need to get on his case quickly and loudly!
Andrew et al, I was about to say the same thing. We weren’t getting screwed this badly and this often since I’ve started reading UA reviews, and we got screwed pretty bad in the past. Were previous reviews not as nitpicky, or has the situation actually gotten worse (didn’t think that was possible)?
Reading this post made me remember (with great sadness) Game 50, and how much we got screwed that day. Has the review of Game 50 ever been done, and if not, do you think it would be possible to do it?
Cheers and love your work
Far enough along for OT?
No place else really. Sorry.
Corruption
The president of Dynamo Zagreb has apparently resigned, but still wants to “consult”. Wonderful, change but no change. And he is thought to be as innocent as the septic one, at best.
Adam Johnson has been sacked. And really, no football club should pick him up. Take whatever money you have, and buy a business. Work there the rest of your life. You probably will never be hired as an employee (hence the advice to buy a business).
Was he the only one? Not likely.
@Crovax
http://www.blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/4213
Watching starsports in India – lots of bollocks being spoken by Steve Bates about Arsenal v Leicester. Bob Tanner local hack also on show but a little more reasonable.
Amazing how little these shows see when it comes to officials cheating. They will jump on the bandwagon as soo as a major expose occurs.
Jambug – I know exactly what you mean when you say ‘I get angry’. It is such an evil set of occurances that seem to be collated against Arsenal. How Arsenal does not respond is beyond norms. There is a level that they have to stomach because of the volume of financial penalties they can be ‘punished’ with.
Thanks for the report lads.
During this match (before the the Flam incident) which was not far into the game…I had the thought – we need to score quick. Those two quick in succession jabs proved to be what saved us. Had this game gone into half time at 0-0 we may have been well and truly stitched by Mason come 90 minutes.
I said at the very beginning of the season that the PIGMOB will be the one distributing the points this season and have referred to it a few occasions since. There is no way – NO WAY – they (Pigmob/media) will give us a FAIR crack at the whip to win the title.
Sad…but its coming to the point where I know watching games so blatantly FIXED will be too hard to watch.
ohhh and of course as Mandy and bjtgooner have said and…Atkinson will make sure we get kicked to hell, and godown to 10 maybe even 9 men.
My apologies re the ref/game. Got mixed up and posted re Bournmouth game/ref.
I am sure the review of the Ref performance in the Bournmouth game will not be as bad as Mason. But what I am sure about is the same serial fouling/pushing/shoving without cards to feature.
It’s clear that pushing a player in the back – especially when the player is jumping to head or control the ball – is no longer a foul. Yet we have suffered at least 2 serious injuries (Debuchy and Sanchez) from pushes in the back.
For the game this Sunday we should bring back Coquelin in place of Flam, and I’d consider playing Walcott instead of Giroud – to use his speed and movement to beat Morgan and Huth, we need to start fast as per the Man U game!!
Gabriel should keep his place and I’d bring Campbell back, because of his tackle-back capability.
Will be interesting see if Atkinson awards Leicester a penalty (Mahrez seems to fall over quite easily) ‘cos we will surely not get one
COYG
Barry L
To underline your point, I’ve a feeling the horrible Zouma injury may have been partly the result of a little nudge from Fellaini as Zouma was jumping.
Don’t think a ref could call a foul for it, but technically it probably was. Just suggested to me the danger of making contact when someone is in the air or not expecting it.
Zouma obviously didn’t think anything was wrong with it as he seemed pals with Fellaini at the games end, but I think it would explain him being fractionally out as he went to kick the ball, leading to what happened next.
Don’t watch after the landing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkodSJX9cuo
Thanks above for the review and the commentators account of the youth game and the undeniable unavoidable contrast in the officials application of the laws of the sport. Not one person on this earth can watch a game of ass. Football and then an average Arsenal league match and ignore the difference.
pgMOB Rules Football. If it crows like a crow, then it is what it is. We can rest easy in the knowledge that Riley’s Carefully bred flock* are no Dickie Birds.
*explains why there are so few of them and even why we see so few of the likes of Mr.Friend compared to the loudest screechers
I trained as an accountant and later on as an Internal Auditor early on in my career and worked in several Chartered Accountancy and Auditing firms. Post Enron and WorldCom accounting scandals, the major accounting firms underwent a period of soul searching and improved governance standards especially on auditor independence. The one key message which stood out for me in the aftermath was:
Independence of mind and independence in appearance
I thought the latter part of the message was very important. It was no longer sufficient to claim that you acted correctly and in an unbiased manner. It was also important to appear independent in your behaviour and arrange your affairs in a way to eliminate any appearance of conflict of interest long before it arises!
As has been highlighted several times by others on this website, the PGMOL have no such qualms about at least trying to appear independent. We have complained how the one criteria for being a PGMOB referee is to be White, bald headed and from up North. I looked at some data provided on http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/referees.html and analysed some figures (for current season plus past 3 completed seasons as that is the only information available on the website).
The triumvirate of Yorkshire, North East and North West dominate the appointment of EPL referees accounting for, on average, 13 out of 19 EPL referees in the past four seasons (including the current season), i.e. 68% of referees though the region accounts for only 22% of the England population. In contrast, South East, South West and London, which account for 42% of the England population had only 15% of the EPL refereeing positions.
The figure used to be 73% for the triumvariate, but has declined slightly to 68% with the appointment of 2 referees from the South-East from 2014/15 season (they had none in the previous two seasons).
Moreover, although the diversity mix of the referees have improved slightly (although far from being acceptable in my opinion), the number of games refereed by the triumvirate referees have increased from 74% in 2012-14 to 77% in 2014-16.
Given the deep-seated north-south divide seen in this country, I am worried about the objectivity of refereeing appointments and how it impacts refereeing of the big teams in the South who could compete for titles and honours against the big teams in the North. The repeatedly abysmal performance in Arsenal games by the likes of Martin Atkinson, Mike Dean and Lee Mason (incidentally all from Yorkshire and North West) would show that my fears are not unfounded. Given that these appointments are made by Mike Riley (who could forget his awful refereeing in the Arsenal invincibles 50th game vs Man Utd) as the head of PGMOL, who himself is a Yorkshireman like is two predecessors, makes me even more queasy!
And, guess what?
No official reaction from the club, as expected.
Being silent about another robbery is like feeding the PGMO-shaped crocodile hoping that it will eat Stan Kroenke’s wig at the very end.
Kudos for Untold reviewers but it looks to me nobody else related with Arsenal wants these articles to be the starting point, not the final one.
Josif
I know from reading your posts you are very frustrated at the way Arsenal FC as a Club, seem to just take this shit on the chin without a murmur.
You may of gathered that I have similar misgivings.
But even though I feel like I do, I’m not sure what they can do?
Are they already making there feelings known in private?
We don’t know. Perhaps we will never know. If they are it certainly isn’t getting better, and who knows, that may be why it is in fact getting worse?
Would overtly bringing this situation to light just make it worse?
Do you really think Arsenal would be afforded the time and space to put there case forward? Don’t forget, just saying ‘we are being screwed’ would have them laughing in our faces.
Arsenal FC would need a stage, or other public forum, to expose the vast amounts of statistical evidence available. Evidence that has been acquired over years, showing just how insidious, long term and widespread this problem is.
But there’s the rub. Surely Arsenal would need the media to provide the forum, and that just will not happen.
The media would just mock everything they said, despite the validity and quantity of evidence available.
So as much as I think they are remiss in there apparent apathy to all this, it is not as simple as just raging in public. It’s a tricky one, so I do have some sympathy with them.
As you probably know I am convinced that it is the Media who are the ‘enablers’ in all this. It is there complicity that allows, no, encourages the kind if lop sided refereeing we see on an almost weekly basis, and it is with them that the fight back should start.
Just stop being so bloody nice to them.
Our players will give Cross an exclusive one day, only for him to be questioning there character the very next.
Adrian Clarke from Arsenal Player will be on TalkSport in the Morning. Durham will be insulting the manager, the players and us, the fans, in the afternoon.
Wenger will do a lovely piece to camera for BTSport that is aired before the game. After the game they will treat him with zero respect and slag him off to the rafters.
It would at be a start if the Club showed how they can see the complicity of the media in all this, and at least let them know they are not just going to stand impotently by and let it continue unchallenged.
But all that being said, how to deal with this without being mocked is not straight forward.
NB To test the water Josif try telling your football mates how we get screwed every week and see how much sympathy you get. Better still, try showing all the stats you have to back yourself, and I guarantee there eyes will of glazed over by the end of the first paragraph.
The truth is josif, as I have said many times, nobody gives a shit, except us.
Sam Sayyed
Excellent post. I’ve tried to make a similar point a few times : if PGMOL were well run by good people, the drive would come from within to create an organisation which did the utmost to ensure best practices at every turn.
It’s hard to imagine myself building something on a similar scale with similar responsibilities, but if I did it would be built with human weakness and fallibility in mind. Bias is a big one. Science is unanimous on the power of bias and the fact it is insurmountable in individuals; all that can be done is to be aware of it and decrease some of it’s power through that awareness.
If your intentions were good, how could you go wrong with designing your organisation in the way which would ensure the highest standards of practice and behaviour by making it as difficult as possible to behave badly?
Pgmol actually seems designed the complete opposite way. If they were up to no good, it would look precisely as it does. Small, incredibly secretive, subject to no outside monitoring, ridiculously unrepresentative of the geographical regions it covers, etc.
My knowledge of politics is average and so’s my memory, but I’m sure i once read an excellent argument that the US constitution was a great example of powerful people building a system, which was essentially for people like themselves to run, but which instead of saying ‘hey, trust us’, said ‘trust us; here’s a system which should make it harder for the powerful to get away with misdeeds’.