- 10 issues that show there is something seriously wrong with refereeing in the PL
- Arsenal v Uefa: the most ludicrous league table you’ll ever see
By Tony Attwood
The Sun doesnt really go in for statistics much but when it does you can be sure they are negative. Take for example, “It was the 18th red card Arsenal have been shown in the league since Mikel Arteta took over on December 26, 2019 – SIX more than any other side.”
And they don’t leave it at that. They also say, “Should they pick up another this term, it will be Arsenal’s 108th red card in the Prem era – a joint-record alongside Everton.”
Of course the media love to jump on this – it is an anti-Arsenal story, it suggests referees are doing a good job (and we know the media will never criticise PGMO) and it is a story that argue, wich needs to writing. Arsenal need exposing. Besides supporters of every other club will love it.
But as with most easy stories to be found in the popular press, there is a hitch. But it requires a little bit of digging before one sees it.
The problem is the number of red cards is low each season. Arsenal got two last season, getting two more than that this season will give headlines about ARSENAL DOUBLE THEIR CARD TOTALS FOR THE YEAR, when in fact they have only got two more.
Many fouls are of a type that could be red or could be yellow and referees tend to err on the side of yellow. But if a couple get the message that Arsenal need to be taught a lesson, then a couple more cards and you have a headline.
And of course headlines feed headlines. The word gets out that Arsenal are dirty, and if the ref is unsure if a foul is a red or yellow offence will move toward red because everyone tells him Arsenal need teaching a lesson.
So it is worth considering not just the three reds that Arsenal have this season but asking how come Arsenal are top of the league for reds (total 3) but only 13th for yellows.
Certainly we can see at once why the media will not cite Arsenal’s number of yellow cards, and that is because it is the same as Liverpool who are generally beyond criticism. And in fact the same as Manchester City who no one dares criticise for fear of legal action. It is fewer than Tottenham, Newcastle, Manchester United and Chelsea.
Indeed we might note that Chelsea has had 30 yellows this season – 40% more than Arsenal. I am not sure I have read any articles mentioning that. But perhaps that is not news because last season Chelsea broke the 100 barrier with 105 yellow cards compared to Arsenal’s 62.
But then the media don’t do much criticising of Chelsea so them being top of the yellow card list again this year, like last year, really isn’t news. After all no one is interested in Chelsea are they? But an Arsenal story….
And there is a second reason why the media won’t touch yellow cards at the moment and that is because when it comes to giving out yellows there is something a bit odd going on. It appears that yellow cards can be given for fouls, unprofessional conduct, diving and “other”. (Read the Sun and you’d think they were all for fouls, but then, that’s the Sun.)
Were they deliberately hiding the reality behind simplicity, or are they just so utterly lazy they didn’t notice there was a bit more behind this story. It doesn’t really matter. The fact is they couldn’t care less.
And this primarily was because last season Arsenal were 16th in the yellow card table. Which isn’t news. This season they are 13th. Which also isn’t news. And since yellow cards are much more common than reds that is a fair indication of where Arsenal are. A little bit worse than last season but nothing that would normally be noticed (in fact nothing that is noticed). Arsenal are in fact below half way down the league in yellow cards. Below Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle…
Last season Arsenal were 19th in the table measuring yellow cards. This season they are the 16th most yellowed club. And yet the entire media is hammering the club for its dirty tactics.
But even this doesn’t clear everything up, because when it comes to yellow cards there are four categories of offence for which cards are given. Fouls, unprofessional conduct, diving and “other”. And this season the level at which Arsenal are picking up cards for “other” reasons has more than doubled.
So what is this mysterious category of “more”? We are not told. The media are not interested and the PGMO won’t speak.
But let’s turn back to the bit we do know. Arsenal are heading for more fouls than last season if they carry on that the same rate, but even now, and with this new manipulation of the figures by introducing the undefined category of “other” Arsenal will still end up 7th in the league for fouls. A lot worse than last season, but still not top as the media seem to be suggesting.
And this is not all because if we turn back to yellow cards and look at the reason why Arsenal are getting more, the biggest rise of all will be in cards for “other” reasons which rise from 22 to over double. And “other” reasons are never defined!
According to referees, Arsenal are now fouling at double the rate as last season which is odd, but it is still not as much as Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham, Tottenham Ho etc etc, but more. Quite why is this? Again we don’t know.
And here’s another thing.
Only one player last season got nine or more yellow cards and that was Kai Havertz who got 11 cards in league matches. This season he has none.
So let’s stay with Havertz going from 11 cards last season to none this season. And there’s one more oddity. Out of the 22 yellows Arsenal have this season 10 are classified as for “other” reasons which are not defined. No one else has anything like this number (Tottenham have two “others”). Measure cards from fouls and Arsenal are 16th this season around half the level of Manchester United.
Strangely PGMO don’t give us details. Weirdly the media don’t ask. There is something very fishy going on here..
Nothing fishy to the rest.However plain to see in our eyes.There is without a doubt an Anti Arsenal NW ,lets say “ unconscious bias”- a phrase those who prefer to label Arsenal fans as ‘conspiracy theorists ‘don’t like ,as they can’t readily mock it & it’s certainly open to examination .Definitely something Opposition fans,media & PGMOL don’t want.
The one thing I can say is that we should be smarter and not give the refs the chance to give us cards. I know this is very difficult because you see and know the double standards but we just have to give them no chance to employ their dark arts.
Walter, you are correct, but I still believe that there is a clear bias against Arsenal, so that our players have to be much smarter and more careful than those of other teams.
That wonderfully successful manager and coach Shearer criticised Saliba for his foul, saying that he had every chance of catching the Bournemouth player, because of the distance from goal. On that point, I am inclined to agree. However, that demolishes his other argument that it was a clear GSO and justification for a red. Plus, the predictable shite then being talked by Dermot Gallagher, trying to invent key differences between Saliba’s incident and the identical Chelsea foul the next day. Right or wrong, he might have said that one of the decisions was correct, but how can he seriously justify agreeing with both? Proof in my view that referees are biased against Arsenal – that’s even without factoring in the Webb involvement at the time of the incident.
Pete, I agree with you, except that I don’t think that there is anything “unconscious” about the bias.