- Arsenal v Brighton: past results and future prospects
- Anyone for Arsenal? (as the transfer window tinkles into broken fragments)
A luncthime match means the Untold team leaving their base in the East Mindland early in the morning without time for writing, so this is the expected team as per yesterday. But to distract us here is a nice reminder from the BBC
“Arsenal are aiming to win nine successive Premier League matches for the first time since January to March 2004 during their ‘Invincibles’ title-winning season.” (See below for details).
And if that were not enough they follow up with “Bukayo Saka could become the first Arsenal player since Thierry Henry in 2004-05 to assist a goal in the first three games of a top-flight season.”
And I don’t normally include three quotes from one publication, but I must include this one… “In 2024, only Cole Palmer (15 goals, 10 assists) and Erling Haaland (17 goals, one assist) have been directly involved in as many Premier League goals as Kai Havertz (10 goals, seven assists).”
Which is perhaps a little something for those who never wanted Havertz in and still want him out.
Arsenal have four players out of contention for the match – Takehiro Tomiyasu who might return at the end of September, Gabriel Jesus who is out but we don’t know how long for, Kieran Tierney who is injured but could be also back mid-month, and Mikel Merino who has no return date after a shoulder injury.
Brighton have two players out: Solomon March and Matthew O’Riley while Brajan Gruda and Mats Wieffer have injuries that require a late fitness test.
Paddy Power are now giving us more of a rundown on referees than I remember from before and they confirm that the referee is Chris Kavanagh.and the assistants are Lee Betts, Richard West.
Fourth official is John Busby, VAR make-believe is under Andy Madley. assisted by Steve Meredith.
For the referee preview we are still taking figures from last season, as the referees have not had enough games this season to get meaningful average statistics.
Kavanagh is at the low end of seeing fouls. Last season on average David Coote saw 14% more fouls per game – and that is across every game, not just one particular match.
But for every 10 tackles that go in, Kavanagh sees just 5.3 fouls, while Tim Robinson sees seven fouls. So Robnson sees just about a third more of the tackles that he witnesses as fouls, than Kavanagh does. That is an enormous difference, and is as if the two men are reading different sets of rules.
Kavange sees fewer fouls in a game than any other referee handling 15+ games last season, and this is reflected in the yellow cards – he gives only around 75% yellow cards that David Coote does.
Thus once again we are seeing huge discrepancies between the ways different referees see different games.
| Referee | Games | Fouls pg | Tackles per foul | Yel pg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Kavanagh | 20 | 21.65 | 1.89 | 3.90 |
| David Coote | 16 | 24.69 | 1.45 | 5.19 |
| Robert Jones | 22 | 23.18 | 1.45 | 4.32 |
| Tim Robinson | 21 | 23.05 | 1.42 | 4.24 |
However last season both Arsenal and Brighton were close to the bottom of the tackling table so neither is going to be particularly advantaged by this referee.
As for his results Kavanagh with 40% home wins he is nowhere near the home-banker referee like Simon Hooper (52% home wins last season) and Robert Jones, the man all home teams want (63.6% home wins) but for away teams he is one of the top referees, being one of four regular Premier League referees who were awarding 40% or more of their games to the away team. This compares with Robert Jones who saw just 13.6% away wins. These are ludicrous averages across a range of 20 games or more – and this is why we have this referee..
So yes Brighton would have been even happier with Jarred Gillet (47.6% away wins) but I am sure they will be smiling as the referee was announced.
So far this season nine games have finished as home wins (45%), eight have been away wins (40%) and three have been draws (15%)
Last season there were 175 home wins out of 380 games, so 46% were home wins. These early figures suggest the pattern is probably going to be maintained this season.
As for the line up the Metro offer
Raya
White Saliba Gabriel Calafiori
Odegaard Partey Rice
Saka Hazard Trossard
Sports Mole do have a variation however…
Raya;
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber;
Odegaard, Partey, Rice;
Saka, Havertz, Trossard
They give us a 2-0 win. The Standard go with 1-0. Pain in the Arsenal make it 3-1 to Arsenal.
Personally I think Arsenal are flying and growing in confidence by the second, so I think it will actually be 3-0, meaning not only that Arsenal will have won all three opening games, but done so without conceding. Mind you that would be achieved with a 1-0 too, but 3-0 is more fun. Especially from where I sit.
Meanwhile here’s that 2004 winning streak – all matches were Premier League,
| 10 Jan 2004 | Arsenal v Middlesbrough | W | 4-1 |
| 18 Jan 2004 | Aston Villa v Arsenal | W | 0-2 |
| 01 Feb 2004 | Arsenal v Manchester City | W | 2-1 |
| 07 Feb 2004 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal | W | 1-3 |
| 10 Feb 2004 | Arsenal v Southampton | W | 2-0 |
| 21 Feb 2004 | Chelsea v Arsenal | W | 1-2 |
| 28 Feb 2004 | Arsenal v Charlton Athletic | W | 2-1 |
| 13 Mar 2004 | Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal | W | 0-2 |
| 20 Mar 2004 | Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers | W | 2-1 |
.
Ah – memories
I expect a big improvement in Havertz today from last week’s game and the Fans will no doubt be hopeful that he scores or assists our goals and help Arsenal briefly go top of the league today. I expect he will.
Nketiah has now gone and Arteta has not brought in any new striker to help Hazard in the next 50 or so games, so the burden is there and we will be relying on Havertz to lead the line in his best position and remain injury free and step up and contribute in the bigger games this year.
As Jesus is unreliable with form and injuries, perhaps Trossard will be able to contribute more in the false number 9 position, when Havertz is needing to be rested at some point.
Stamina, consistency and avoiding injuries is key to Havertz and Arsenal’s success, with a little bit more demanded this year, especially in Europe if we want to go further in that competition.
I would imagine that the Fans would gladly sacrifice Europe for a league Trophy, so as long as he performs well in the league and helps the team win more points with our forward line and set pieces all contributing goals as we did last year in addition to some fractional inprovements.
All the Fans are behind you Havertz praying you do well, with the rest of the team also remaining settled and consistent and showing fractional improvements from last year’s incredible run.
Up the gunners, come on, let’s show theses Seagulls how it’s done today.
And as they say in the blues songs…
Well I woke up this morning and still couldn’t believe we have sign Stirling, even if it is just on loan. I guess it is a way to take the pressure off Martinelli for a season
Well, once again the referee has made a difference. Seems to me earlier on a Brighton player kicked the ball 40 yards down field after the ball went out and ….nothing.
The referee was not incompetent. He was clearly biased and determined to succeed where Oliver failed last week, in preventing an Arsenal win. Apart from the outrageous red card, he gave imaginary fouls against us throughout the game, whilst ignoring fouls by Brighton.
How much more blatant cheating before the Club lodge a formal complaint?
CHEATING WITHOUT CHEATING
Absolute disgrace.
Just about every 50/50 went their way.
The second yellow for Rice being the prime example.
Yes, by the letter of the law tapping the ball 2 feet away is ‘kicking the ball away’. Fine.
But lets look at what happened here.
The first thing to say is the Brighton player kicked the ball towards Rice 3 yards away from the point of the foul. That is a fact. Now the ball is under Declans feet and nowhere near the correct place for the free kick to be taken, so he didn’t stop a quick free kicck because he was trying to take it from the wrong place. Even if he had took it it would of had to be retaken.
In other words how can you be stopping Brighton from taking a quick free kick, which is apparently the reason for the yellow, when it would not been a legal free kick in the first place?
So all the ref had to do was say to the Brighton player. You was attempting to take it from the wrong place, now take it from the right place. And to Declan, Now move back 10 yards please. Simple. But he couldn’t wait to send him off.
But as GoingGoingGooner said, early in the game a Brighton player kicked the ball 40 yards away and nothing.
This is where a post match interview with the referee, somebody asking him to explain why one was a yellow and one wasn’t can become not only interesting, but if he knew he had to explain himself perhaps he wouldn’t of done what he did.
“If I yellow him for this how do I explain that first one” But the point is he doesn’t have to does he?
At least Keown is asking the right questions.
But later and tomorrow all we will get is Dermot Gallagher telling us how well the officials did. SKY and MOTD telling us how the ref got it right, when clearly he applied double standards, not only then but throughout the match.
Even Arsenal.com are getting on my nerves keep saying the ref had no choice, by the letter of the law, blah blah blah. WTF
It’s not about apply the rules by the letter of the law then, it’s about being consistent, which includes making them take the free kick from the correct place and booking a player for kicking the ball 40 yards away, which he clearly did not do.
Joke.
Nitram, I agree. The “letter of the law” doesn’t count when Arsenal might benefit. I was surprised that Kavanagh didn’t invent a furthet pretext for a second yellow for Partey.
it seems the ref was giving yellows to the Brighton players for mouthing off to him.
Made a difference? That’s an understatement. The referee ruined this game through a stupid tendency to interpret rules literally as if the players are programmed robots rather than human beings. And that interpretation only applied to Arsenal not to Brighton. Why wasn’t pedro booked when he kicked the ball away in the first half. A player given a second yellow for tapping the ball sideways is highly dubious and leads to immediate concerns about bias or corruption.
There is no way at all that Declan Rice deserved to be sent off o for his actions- dangerous play, time wasting or for any other reason .This is not about a marginal decision which did not go our way. It changed the game.
I have to say that I have never seen such an injustice inflicted by an English referee on any of our rivals – ever.
Losing Rice for the NLD for this is a massive gift to THFC .
Nitram was spot on with his assessment. Ditto to every word.
daveg
Thank you I appreciate it.
Out of all that, I think the fact the Brighton player was trying to take the freekick from the wrong place (3 metres from where the foul occurred) negates entirely the reason for the yellow card, ergo for stopping a quick free kick. By the pedantic laws of the game that he was suddenly applying the ref would of had to order a retake.
So if they start on this ‘by the laws of the game’ they had to yellow card him crap, they have to first concede that ‘by the laws of the game’ he was trying to take the free kick from the wrong place.
Or is it only Arsenal that have to play to ‘the laws of the game”???
Also, what about the handball by Dunk which deflected White’s on-target shot in the first half?
Very clear bias, following the PGMOL agenda in favour of Man City (or anyone except Arsenal). Yes, we can wait for Dermot Galllagher and co. saying that the ref was correct according to the “letter of the law”. Premier League is corrupt and the media are complicit.
And if anyone wants to argue about the validity of where the Brighton player attempted to take the free kick from, this is what Law 13 of The laws of The Game States:
“All free kicks are taken from the place where the offence occurred, except: indirect free kicks to the attacking team for an offence inside the opponents’ goal area are taken from the nearest point on the goal area line which runs parallel to the goal line”
FROM THE PLACE WHERE THE OFFENCE OCCURED.
Not from a foot away. Not from 3 feet away. And certainly not from 3 metres away. There is no ambiguity in the rules.
So, if anyone starts on about The Laws Of The Game, just ask them why the referee wasn’t so keen to apply The laws Of The Game regarding where the kick was attempted to be taken from?
Saka was pulled back early on – no caution
Partey committed an identical offence just before half time – immediate caution
I am even more glad I no longer go when there is obvious bias from incompetent referees
We now wait to see what disasters followed Coote today
Although a bit of a stretch, it is in fact arguable that the Brighton player could of been cautioned as per:
“If the ball is moving, or in the wrong place, the kick is retaken. A player who takes a free kick from the wrong position in order to force a retake,…….. is cautioned.”
It is irrefutable that:
a) The Brighton player was trying to take the kick from the wrong place.
And possible that:
b) The Brighton player was trying to hit it against Rice. In order to what? Get Rice in trouble? To indeed force a re take?
My point in all this is that once you go down the rabbit hole of trying to justify a decision on the basis that the referee was just going by ‘The letter of the law’ then you have to look at EVERY letter of the law.
And the first letter in this case is the Brighton player attempting to gain an advantage by taking the freekick from the wrong place.
Technically, and by the letter of the law, after the award of the freekick, that is the first offence. The second offence is an attempt to kick the ball at the retreating player.
By the letter of the Law, Rice kicking the ball away is only the third offence, and arguable that it isn’t even an offence because it would of had to be retaken from the correct place anyway.
Those are the Laws of the game. I am not making this stuff up.
It took me 20 minutes to research that.
When MOTD SKY Gallagher etc. analyse it, will they even mention that the attempt to take the kick from the incorrect place? I doubt it very much.
Nitram, in addition to the ball being in the wrong place, it looked like the ball was moving when Veltman tried to take the free-kick.
Kavanagh (a referee from Manchester, btw) seemed very eager to show cards to the Arsenal players, but completely disinclined to give Arsenal free-kicks for the numerous fouls committed by Brighton players.
Kavanagh has been in the PL for 7 years, and there has been no improvement. Referees are supposed to apply the same rules to both teams.
This doesn’t look like incompetence to me.
Howard Webb’s statements before the beginning of the season are just empty words.
The PL had a vote on whether to abolish VAR in the summer. The vote should have been on whether to abolish PGMOL.
seismic
I know. There are so many things wrong with the decision.
The Brighton player rolled the ball towards Rice as he was walking away. Rice was retreating.
The Ball was then under Rice’s feet, who was by then actually 3 metres away from where the offence took place. So again, although slowly, Rice was moving away.
The ball caught Rice up!!!
Now, the argument is that the Brighton player kicked Rice accidently because the ball was there to be kicked. He only made contact with Rice because Rice knocked the ball away. Fine.
That means the Brighton player rolled the ball at Rice then tried to kick the ball whilst it was effectively under his feet!!!
It’s an absolute stitch up.
If you read Arteta, Rice and Saka on Arsenal.com you can tell they know we’ve been stitched up, but they have to be so careful what they say.
They are all rightly proud of how they played with 10 and basically just want to move on.
Which is again, all they can do. As for me, I will call the referee out for the cheating ******** he is as much as I want.
A lot of pundits have questioned the Rice decision, too. No doubt they will be getting an official slap on the wrists from the FA. Maybe Starmer will have them thrown in jail for spreading misinformation.
Anyone fancy a laugh
Anyone fancy a laugh
You couldn’t make it up (unless you are the Manchester FA).
seismic
Yeah, I was surprised that Keown and the other guy in TNT’s post match analysis expressed their doubts. They even challenged the Brighton manager who just kept banging on about time wasting.
I haven’t and wont watch/read any more because as much as there may well be a tad of doubt being expressed I doubt it will last.
The absolutely massive part of the whole thing is that the Brighton player tried to take the kick from the wrong place, which means it would of been illegal, which means it would of had to of been retaken, which means Rice didn’t prevent a quick free kick from being taken, which means Rice couldn’t of been booked for something he didn’t do.
Sounds complicated but it’s really quite simple, but I don’t anyone out there in media land will pick upon that. Someone may tell me different but I won’t hold my breath.
Sorry, I know I’m banging on a bit but I’m so f****** annoyed.
seismic
Don’t know if you are aware but Starmer is an Arsenal fan.
Yeah, he has a season-ticket
Well said Nitram and all.
So Lineker agreed, saying ‘this is an example of where football has lost it’s mind’. He questions how can Pedro not get a yellow for booting the ball 50 yards when Rice gets one for tapping it 12 inches. And with the ball moving. Good for him! So, letter of the law could say Rice possibly gets both yellows, whoever hauled Saka down gets a yellow, to go with Partey’s yellow for the same offence, but most of all, Pedro gets a yellow and Veltman gets a red (anyone remember Becham receiving a red and years of hate for a similar offence after the whistle, whilst laying for England ??). Most rational people agree, Rice did nothing wrong cos the ball was moving, so it couldn’t be a free kick. At worst, both teams down to 10, at best a couple of yellows but no red, except arguably for Veltman, but that might have been just a yellow itself.
Everyone who loves football livid, when do they start the lawsuit against the PGMOL for bringing the game into disrepute?
Regarding Coote yesterday he cautioned 9 players and was described in a radio report of “losing control”. Do doubt he will be allocated a match next
week hopefully in the West of Scotland league
Thank you Sally. Not seen you for a while?
“So, letter of the law could say Rice possibly gets both yellows”
On the face of it that is correct, except as you (and others it appears) point out, that cannot be correct because:
“Most rational people agree, Rice did nothing wrong cos the ball was moving, so it couldn’t be a free kick”.
Or more accurately it couldn’t be taken legally because it was moving.
But as I have been at pains to point out, the exact same is true because Veltman is also attempting to take the freekick from the wrong place.
There is so much wrong with that decision it is mad.
-The free kick was awarded.
-Rice, as per the rules, immediately started to walk away from the incident. IMMEDIATELY.
-Rice did not attempt to stop the taking of the free kick.
-Veltman tapped the ball towards Rice. It hit the back of his heel and he instinctively tapped the ball away, no more than a metre.
-Veltman attempted to take the free kick within 3 seconds of the whistle being being blown, whilst it was moving (illegal), and in the wrong place (illegal). 3 seconds!!
It was moving because Veltman moved it. It was in the wrong place because Veltman kicked it there.
And when you watch the replays it is clear beyond any reasonable doubt that Veltman deliberately kicked Rice. Subjective I know, but I have no doubts.
The bottom line is. Ball moving. Wrong place. It would of had to be re taken in any case, so Rice did not prevent a quick free kick being taken.
It is so obvious the referee just couldn’t wait to yellow card Rice, and got over excited leading him to ignore 2, blatant breaches of the rules by Veltman
Personally I think it’s even worse than that, it could easily be 3, because having watched the replay a dozen times there is absolutely no doubt in my mind Veltman deliberately kicked Rice.
There is so much wrong with that decision it is laughable.
2 final points:
1 – Why didn’t VAR inform the referee the ball was moving and in the wrong place, meaning Rice could not be deemed to of delayed what would of been an illegal freekick?
2 – I would lay my last penny on the fact that tomorrow Dermot Gallagher will try to justify everything the referee did. I may be wrong, but somehow I doubt it.
As you can tell Sally, I’m pretty p!$$£d about this.
–
Mick,
You said it. The refs are not incompetent, they are biased.
Nitram
I read and agree with all your arguments including that Veltman deliberately kicked Rice. We are many of us livid with this blatant tossing away of refereeing in the spirit of the game and of reason itself. Tossing!
Either apply the letter of the law or use it with discretion in the interests of improving the game but how could he apply it very strictly to one team and not at all against the other on so many occasions and in so many ways?
Looking back at it, I think Dunk’s handball was a penalty, as well. How could it not be, weren’t we told that such handballs would be penalties. The ball travelled a long way before hitting his arm. We all know full well that that would be given as a penalty for any other team across all the leagues.
Overall, it was yet another slimy anti-Arsenal performance by the undeniably biased team of VAR and this time referee Kavanagh. They without any shadow of a doubt conspired to screw us over. and the club should make a statement to expose what they did. They have a bulletproof case of injustice for about 5 decisions. It’s happened many times before, as we know, but we thought things might be improving. Maybe that was a one-off but I doubt it. I really do hope so!
I’ve been around, just not inspired to try to add to what you lovely people have written.
Sally Pally
“Either apply the letter of the law or use it with discretion in the interests of improving the game but how could he apply it very strictly to one team and not at all against the other on so many occasions and in so many ways?”
Perfectly put.