By Tony Attwood
This article continues from the previous piece Did Arsenal really have an inferiority complex? which looked at the putdowns that have been thrown Arsenal’s way. As we said at the end of that piece
These put-downs of Arsenal (as in “not a North London team” because over 100 years ago the club moved from Plumstead to Highbury) beset football. A similar thing happens when Arsenal are constantly criticised for being too soft and then, when they have a player sent off, respond by putting in an excellent 10-man defensive display and are accursed of being too aggressive.
That was how it was on 22 September in the 2-2 draw away to Manchester C. Arsenal were no longer too soft (for which they were criticised) but were now too vigorous (for which they were criticised).
Of course, what other teams don’t like is the fact, and what journalists don’t like (because it undermines the stereotypes that they portray) is that Arsenal can adjust their playing style to deal with whatever they are up against.
Now I have to add that when I hear tales of referees being biased against Arsenal, I really don’t think that’s the case. And indeed I rather wish Arsenal supporters would stop dealing with that notion, because each time it comes up, the media repeat it and use it as a way of laughing at Arsenal.
The statistical fact is that referees are not particularly biased against Arsenal, but rather there are some referees who are persistently biased in favour of the home team, while others, the statistics show, are clearly biased in favour of the away team. Where there is bias it is in the way PGMO pick their referee for a match, knowing the referee’s bias and wanting to favour a home or away team.
I’ve presented the statistics on this over and over again, but you don’t have to take my word for any of this: just click here. That link takes you to the official chart of results of games analysed by which referee was in control and you can see that the percentage of home wins among the most-used referees ranges from around 64% down to 36%. To be clear that is to say, for one referee around two-thirds of the games he oversees in the Premier League end up as home wins. Meanwhile, there is a referee for whom only 13% of his games end as home wins. But there is another referee for whom almost half of his games end up as away wins.
Now those figures come just from the ten referees who have overseen 20+ PL games this season. If we include figures from the 17 other referees who undertake PL games but have not so far handled 10+ games the results can be even more extreme. Josh Smith has a 75% home win record and no away wins.
And now with these figures ignored, we seem to have given carte blanche to journalists to make up anything they want, such as the notion that Arsenal can never beat Chelsea, whereas in the 11 games between the two this decade in the league and FA Cup Arsenal have lost just once to Chelsea. Likewise, we have the notion that Arsenal are constantly defeated by Liverpool. Except that in the last six League and FA Cup games between the two, Liverpool have won just once.
Now of course, it is true that Arsenal had an awful run between 2017 and 2023 against Manchester City, and no one denies that. I was there for the home games and they were painful. But surely that is even more reason for us to celebrate three wins and two draws in the last five games between the two clubs. And why shouldn’t we? Why should we be respectful of ManC when they have all the money they ever need and more, and they haven’t beaten Arsenal in the last five meetings?
So all this chatter about Arsenal and Arsenal fans not being respectful of opponents is for me, just mindless journalistic gibberish. True, Arsenal have not won a trophy since the FA Cup in 2020 and Community Shield in 2023, but we still hold the record number of FA Cup wins. And yes I know that since 2020 Chelsea, ManU, ManC, Liverpool and even West Ham have won a trophy (although I am not really sure the Conference League actually counts) a couple of runners’ up spots in the league for the last two years is still great progress.
.I am not arguing that Arsenal have some natural right to win something, of course not. For goodness sake I am currently writing a history of Herbert Chapman to commemorate the fact that next season is 100 years since he came to Arsenal and turned the club from having relegation near-misses to being FA Cup winners and Champions. I do know Arsenal’s history.
But I am celebrating Arsenal’s return to form, and yes I know that the old “fourth is not a trophy” jibe against Wenger is now becoming “Second is not a trophy” against Arteta; but I do see progress. And if that progress is achieved by setting about clubs like ManC as we did in the last match, I’m all for that.
But I certainly reject the notion that somehow Arsenal had an inferiority complex, through the early years of Arteta being at the club. That is mindless journalistic gibberish. Arteta spent two seasons rebuilding Arsenal, which meant a total restructuring of the club.
Indeed one of the great successes under Arteta has been Arsenal’s ability to shake off that psychological block; something I think some supports have not been able to do. Lewis-Skelly, in the last couple of months, has become a major player in this regard. He seems to have no fear, and I am all for that.
But perhaps most of all I love the fact that we don’t lose to the other big clubs any more. That is surely one of the biggest break-throughs of all. Yes of course I want a trophy, but my goodness, I do also love not being beaten in the League by ManC, Liverpool and the rest.
