REF REVIEW ARSENAL – NORWICH: interesting observations or just coincidence

15 Replies to “REF REVIEW ARSENAL – NORWICH: interesting observations or just coincidence”

1. Thanks for the review. Yes, the PGMOL had done their worst by Arsenal…and their best by another club by then…so no need for any Mike Dean type spectaculars against Wengers boys.
   Like others, Have often wondered if they are quite happy to do their best to ensure we dont win the title, but stop at trying to take us out of the ECL places…so far at least, though next year may be different, there are a lot of media darlings at chequebook clubs fighting for a top four place…well four such managers anyway, five if Leicester stay up there, Bilic could have joined their ranks. It is just possible the PGMOL/EPL/FA are as influenced by the media as some of our own so called supporters.
   2016/2017 Wenger vs the media darlings…..bring it on!

2. I remember Andrew writing in the comments in March, I think, that we might get to see slightly clean refereeing, less major errors and better scores near the 70% percentages in last 5 or 6 games. And now looking back 2 months later, it looks Andrew and Walter had the crystal ball of PGMO. 😀

3. I remember Andrew writing in the comments in March, I think, that we might get to see slightly clean refereeing, less major errors and better scores near the 70% percentages in last 5 or 6 games. And now looking back 2 months later, it looks Andrew and Walter had the crystal ball of PGMO. 😀

   ***used the wrong id in the previous comment 🙂

4. Excellent and thorough report as always. Thanks.

   Norwich, whilst you’re in division 2, this time, learn to play the football. Don’t come back until you eliminate your thuggery.

5. Great work . Well done and Thanks.

6. Well Untold is not totally alone…..

   https://positivelyarsenal.com/2016/06/01/arsenal-fans-are-being-fooled/

7. i hope the FA takes these reports seriously.

8. Another valuable review, thanks guys.

9. james – the FA are financially focused elsewhere. They do not really care what happens in football matches unless there is hue & cry. Then they just fine the protagonists.

10. Usama,
    when you have looked at the referees for so many years as I have done, the pattern is there to see… if one wants to see of course 😉
    As long as we could win the league the errors are there but when we are out of the title race then we suddenly go to what I would call the normal refereeing: no more blatant errors that cost us points.
    This could be coincidence one season….but all seasons…. yeah… right…

11. Walter, Tony,

    the issue that bothers me with all this is why ?
    I mean, for years you have been giving proof of irregularities.
    That the press behave they do is no surprise, they have their own agenda which is show-business not information for quite a few or most of them (that is my opinion).
    Hoewever, who benefits from the crime ? I mean why are the refs not only acting like this, but obviously acting in concert, and keep doing it. Who benefits ? Obviously it is not like the same team always gets it.
    The issue here is that we are talking about quite a few people involved in this scheme. And so why are they doing it and who actually benefits ?
    The North-South divide does not make sense there, or how do you then explain Chelsea ?

    Is there some secret auction at the beginning of the year in some dark office at PGMO where some owners attend and the winner gets a 13rd man on the field for the season ?
    I just cannot understand the reasons, the rationale behind all this.

    When AW started at Arsenal, I imagine that most refs presently active in the PL were still in school. So it cannot be like he insulted or hurts by some comments all these people at the time.

    In the end, the question is just : why ?

12. Chris, it’s a big money making ‘soap opera’ where the refs work as the PL/FA ringmasters. They ease/nudge certain teams in certain directions to keep the TV ratings high and the money rolling in.
    No matter what we know or believe about our team, we aren’t the biggest attraction in the PL for TV. A couple of teams have a larger following globally and the PL would also like to increase the following of the smaller teams as well. It’s a flexible script where us managing to get into the top 4(+) so consistently is firmly not ‘on script’.
    With the PLs big 2 (global fanbase wise) of Dis-Utd and Liverpoo! nowhere near challenging the script had many re-writes this season with the ultimate David Vs Goliaths result. One day it may become our turn to benefit from the officials but the club and the fan will have zero effect on when that happens.

13. Menace

    “the FA are financially focused elsewhere. They do not really care what happens in football matches unless there is hue & cry. Then they just fine the protagonists”.

    Fair point, but I would go further and say more accurately:

    “…unless there is a hue & cry IN THE MEDIA”

    and

    “…they just fine the protagonist, which will be who the media TELL them it is”

    Walter

    “As long as we could win the league the errors are there but when we are out of the title race then we suddenly go to what I would call the normal refereeing: no more blatant errors that cost us points.”

    I’ve noticed this kind of behaviour happen on a match to match basis. For example, if we have got ourselves a good lead, and the game is drawing to a close, we are much more likely to start getting decisions, such as penalties, that we would have no chance of getting, either early in a match, or if one is going to the wire.

    Although to be fair we didn’t even get those this year. One in particular I seem to remember was against Sunderland in the FA Cup. I’m sure we where already 3-1 up and cruising with not too long to go and Giroud was assaulted in the box. Still nothing.

    Similarly, if we are out of a game we get decisions we wouldn’t get in a tight affair.

    All goes to give the illusion of a more balanced Refereeing performance, when in reality it was anything but.

14. The more I think about it, the more I believe that we are being “punished” for the “Invincibles” season.

    Why else would the PGMOL, FA, Media, Bookies, etc., be SO silent of the treatment handed out to us by members of that cartel?

    Even referees, sending off the wrong player; sending off a player who is later cleared, not sending off an opposition player who is later given a retrospective ban; referees deliberately winding up our supporters pre-game; ALL without punishment; getting the SAME referee 4 or 6 times in a season – has to reek of Calciopoli.

    If this was happening to Moan Utd, Liverpool or Etihad Citeh, there would be hell to pay.

    What I can’t understand is WHY our club also appears to be so complacent in all of this?

    Time for another, carefully worded petition – and this time, get it presented to parliament!

15. Andy, clearly Usama and Walter have dedicated enormous amounts of time (years) in building up the data.This and their indelible integrity is making me take the idea of dodgy refs more seriously than I have before. But, like Chris, I remain deeply puzzled by the motive behind it all and the notion that there is an ongoing organised conspiracy against Arsenal. You offer the explanation that there is a “big money soap opera” but in keeping with the ethos of this site, don’t you need to provide evidence of this cause? Indeed, it seems to me, this is exactly where the emphasis of further investigation needs to focus. At the moment, we have lots of evidence that something unfair is happening on the pitch (the effect) with no evidence of why (the cause).

    On the one hand, I can see that continuing to collect the data via ref performance assessments will add more data points and thereby build up the confidence level in the data itself but unless the data is integrated into an holistic investigation that also interrogates what’s happening behind the scenes, the ref assessments alone will still leave the critical question “Why” unanswered. Proving the motive is critical, otherwise many people will continue to see this as just a conspiracy theory created by people who have a motive of their own. Not easy to do I grant you but surely the onus is on those who believe this is happening to pursue the evidence to the logical end. Or collaborate with somebody who has the experience of unmasking corruption. For instance, now that he’s done FIFA, is Andrew Jennings available?