Untold Arsenal on Twitter @UntoldArsenal
- Referee: Howard Webb
- Assistant 1: Peter Kirkup
- Assistant 2: Simon Long
- 4th Official: Michael Jones
Good morning stat-fans and welcome to the regular RefWatch… it’s a tough one to call for me today – not only because, as I write this, it’s Monday morning and I’m never very good on Monday mornings but also because the game is dangling out on the limb that is Monday night. I’ve never been a fan of the highly exposed games – I’ve blogged this before, there is a certain safety in numbers when it comes to these things in terms of evading the predatory nature of the Asian black markets.
The other thing that concerns me slightly is the recent spat between Wenger and Damir Skomina in which it is alleged that he [Wenger] addressed Damir as a “fucking disgrace” as he [Damir] flounced off down the tunnel [allegedly] squealing:
“Don’t touch me, don’t touch me – I don’t like to be touched!”
This performance from Damir Skomina, which seemed a bizarre cross between Rain man and Liberace, was in my view a clumsy attempt from Skomina to avoid discussing his second half performance with Wenger and washing his hands of the issue by creating a new issue; it would seem that Damir’s reaction implies that he was aware that an ‘issue’ existed and he was uncomfortable discussing it i.e. he was either repressing an immediate sense of guilt that triggered his psychological ‘flight’ response or he really is a hapless haphephobic, socially crippled retard who can’t bear the thought of eye contact and is psychologically unable to fulfil the requirements of professional courtesy expected of him?
UEFA sure know how to pick em eh!?
But surely, I hear you cry [or not] – this is just par for the course from UEFA and poor little Damir was just reacting within the parameters of the standard UEFA template with regards to issue avoidance and diversionary incredulity?
To speculate further (and explain what I mean), this is all a bit rich as if, indeed, Wenger’s comments are to be considered a ‘crime’ in the eyes of UEFA – then surely (if UEFA is to be considered a responsible organisation) it would openly examine the cause of the crime rather than just taking the rather draconian approach to hit all non-conformist ‘perpetrators’ with a large stick?
It seems to me that the cause of Wenger’s ‘crime’ was a pattern of crimes in the form of repeated muggings from UEFA itself at the hands their appointed representatives on the field of play – in this a punishment, of sorts, has actually preceded the crime?
Alas this is not in the focus of the multi-billion euro industry that is UEFA as it relies on the perceived integrity of the competition, in the eyes of the consumer [you], in order to sell advertising space directly or by proxy via television networks.
And hence, in the interests of the business model, the crime becomes the complaint itself and the complaint therefore needs to be punished to give credence in terms of public confidence in the aforementioned ‘perceived integrity’ of the UEFA brand i.e. the underlying message is: to question UEFA’s integrity is a crime in itself and it will be punished – or in layman’s terms: “Respect My Authoritah!”.
Now, to get back to the point, the reason that all this concerns me is that Damir Skomina has his FIFA badge; he is a ‘made man’ in referee circles and is part of a select lodge of untouchables which includes the likes of Mike Dean and, of course, FIFA’s golden boy Howard Webb…
…Has Wenger poked the hornets’ nest with his uncomfortable truths – we shall, no doubt, see in good time.
Asian Handicap (betting line) market:
| Home | Handicap | Away |
|---|---|---|
| 1.950 | 0 – 1 1/4 | 1.950 |
The Under/Over market:
| Over | Handicap | Under |
|---|---|---|
| 2.000 | 3 | 1.900 |
Let’s have a look at the Referee:
- Full name: Howard Melton Webb
- Date of birth: 14-Jul-1971 (Age 41)
- Place of birth: Rotherham
- Resides: South Yorkshire
- EPL/ECH Referee Since: 2002/2003
- EPL/ECH Games to date: 257
Howard Webb – “Ahh… Mr. Wenger, I’ve been expecting you”
It’s Howard Webb again… you remember him from the excellent, ever improving and scientific Ref Review series:
| Season | Score | Match |
|---|---|---|
| 2010/2011 | 45.000% | Manchester United 1 – 0 Arsenal |
| 2010/2011 | 66.130% | Manchester United 2 – 1 Chelsea |
| 2011/2012 | 78.720% | Manchester United 8 – 2 Arsenal |
| 2011/2012 | 69.230% | Fulham 1 – 1 Blackburn Rovers |
| 2011/2012 | 75.610% | Manchester City 2 – 0 Everton |
| 2011/2012 | 63.380% | Arsenal 2 – 1 Sunderland |
| 2011/2012 | 77.780% | Tottenham Hotspur 3 – 1 Queens Park Rangers |
| 2011/2012 | 80.390% | Manchester City 5 – 1 Norwich City |
| 2011/2012 | 70.830% | Arsenal 1 – 0 Everton |
| 2011/2012 | 68.000% | Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 1 Chelsea |
| 2011/2012 | 64.000% | Newcastle United 3 – 0 Manchester United |
| 2011/2012 | 76.470% | Liverpool 0 – 0 Stoke City |
| 2011/2012 | 72.730% | Manchester City 3 – 2 Tottenham Hotspur |
| Average Score: | 69.867% |
Let’s check out his stats!
Howard Webb has had 24 games for Arsenal consisting of 10 wins, 8 draws and 6 losses.
Arsenal are currently in 8th in Howard Webb’s personal Points Per Game League (for teams with a minimum of 5 matches played), for matches in the EPL/ECH, with an average of 1.58 PPG.
In Howard Webb’s personal Handicap Swing League (for teams with a minimum of 5 matches played), for matches in the EPL/ECH, Arsenal come 17th with an average negative swing of -0.16.
Arsenal are currently in 27th in Howard Webb’s personal Booking’s Per Match League (for teams with a minimum of 5 matches played), for matches in the EPL/ECH, with an overall average of 2.46 BPM.
In Howard Webb’s personal Fouls Per Booking League (for teams with a minimum of 5 matches played), for matches in the EPL/ECH, Arsenal come 28th with an overall average of 5.00 FPB.
We can see from the blue line in the graph above that we are showing a slight underperformance under Howard Webb – the overall average is very slight at -0.16 of a goal. This season we can see a heavy dive in performance under Webb, but this is mainly down to the game at Old Trafford earlier this season in which Arsenal lost 8-2. The orange and red lines indicate that Arsenal get booked a lot more in the challenge than our opposition under Howard Webb – the fat low red line shows that we get booked often and for less fouls in comparison to the high thin orange line which indicates more fouls and less bookings.
Above is a seasonal breakdown on how, when and where Arsenal took all their bookings under Howard Webb.
As you can see Arsenal’s Defence and Midfield are the main focus for bookings although there is an unusual consistency for Arsenal strikers getting booked under Howard Webb right from the 2006/2007 season to the present day.
Above is a seasonal breakdown on how, when and where Arsenal’s opposition took all their bookings under Howard Webb.
Let’s move on now and see how Newcastle United fares under the whistle of Howard Webb:
Howard Webb has had 28 games for Newcastle United consisting of 8 wins, 9 draws and 11 losses.
Newcastle United are currently in 20th in Howard Webb’s personal Points Per Game League (for teams with a minimum of 5 matches played), for matches in the EPL/ECH, with an average of 1.18 PPG.
In Howard Webb’s personal Handicap Swing League (for teams with a minimum of 5 matches played), for matches in the EPL/ECH, Newcastle United come 13th with an average positive swing of 0.03.
Newcastle United are currently in 16th in Howard Webb’s personal Booking’s Per Match League (for teams with a minimum of 5 matches played), for matches in the EPL/ECH, with an overall average of 1.71 BPM.
In Howard Webb’s personal Fouls Per Booking League (for teams with a minimum of 5 matches played), for matches in the EPL/ECH, Newcastle United come 14th with an overall average of 7.54 FPB.
Newcastle also seem to have been treated fairly punitively in the challenge under Howard Webb of late (since the 2008/2009 season) and this has been reflected in the results… that is up until this season where Newcastle United have shown a massive over-performance under Howard Webb by beating Manchester United at home 3-0 and Sunderland away 0-1.
Above is a seasonal breakdown on how, when and where Newcastle United took all their bookings under Howard Webb.
As you can seem, Newcastle United have consistently taken the majority of their bookings in the Midfield and all bookings are trending towards coming later in the game.
Above is a seasonal breakdown on how, when and where Newcastle United’s opposition took all their bookings under Howard Webb.
Newcastle United’s opposition, under Howard Webb, Have taken the majority of their bookings in the Defence and this too is trending towards later in the match.
Let’s move on now to check out how Howard Webb performs against selected teams in the EPL:
As you can see – the standout performers under Howard Webb are Manchester City and Manchester United. Liverpool appears to be in on a distinct downward trend and Chelsea are showing a fairly consistent underperformance across all seasons.
This season Arsenal and Newcastle couldn’t be further apart under Howard Webb in terms of relative performance i.e. Newcastle have averaged a performance of just over 4 goals per game better than Arsenal against the expected result (as derived from bookmaker data).
To be honest, I don’t know what to expect tonight – this is a ‘must win’ fixture in my eyes and this game is one that we need to target for all three points. We have shown that when we have our game heads on we can win at home regardless of the tilt in the pitch – but this is not just a team effort – the fans and the crowd need to be up for it tonight in terms of securing what they can in terms of home advantage.
Be noisy people, be organised and give ‘em hell!
Untold Index
History Index
Making the Arsenal
i don’t like this referee BIAS and always show his muscles psycho referee and i have a feeling he really hates Arsenal 🙁
I have this Good news to all ya gunners outta there… arsenal is winning this match… Arsenal….2, Newcastle….0
hahah thank u kenneth i hope it happens today we need the 3 pts COME ON GOOOONERS
Players come, players go. Fans come, fans go…but The Arsenal , the institution, shall remain. FORWARD YOU MIGHTY GUNNERS OF LONDON!4 nil to us.
true fan never go no matter what
COME’ON
This is just the sort of game that Arsenal is expected to win in order to get within one point of the team immediately above them. We are at home, we are confident, on a winning run and our wounded are slowly returning to duty. Things on paper look good.
Historically, just the sort of game that we will dominate and do everything right expect score….and lose to a freak breakaway goal totally against the run of play.
I hope I’m wrong but that sort of scenario has happened so often over the years that to be tipped to win a game makes me wary of displaying confidence as to the outcome.
I won’t be at the Emirates and trust that home support will be 100% from start to finish.
i hope one day i can be certain of what arsenal will turn up. thankfully if we continue present form, webb might get front row seats to a magpie spanking. if we play smart hopefully we wont give him opportunity to give birth to slightly miffed gooners on youtube having a mental breakdown.
lads put your disciplined hats on. lock and load.
@ Dogface, thanks for this. In a match like this one, Howard Webb can be an enigma. Who side will he be on? Will he let the game flow? Will he wave play on if a player in red and white is laying down in a heap? Will he just go out there and officiate the match as he is supposed to? Man U are sitting pretty on top. We are not a threat to them right now.
I would love it if he turns does his job and then goes home.
This ref again, oh dear. This has controversy written all over it.
Webb is doing all he can to protect the Toon. Allowing them to be physical, getting in the way of Arteta, then blowing up when Rosicky makes a great tackle to put RvP in space.
“Will he wave play on if a player in red and white is laying down in a heap?”
To quote the nodding dog – Oh Yes!
What about the time wasting ???
Nicked it again 😀
HAHAHA TIM KRUL, beaten by their time wasting!
THOMAS VERMAELEN!!!!! The man next to me 🙂 🙂
3 golden points
And again 2 assists from “”””useless” Theo Walcott
AFC – Doing it the hard way. First team to come from behind and win 4 PL games in a row.
Plus, we’ve scored it stoppage time in 4 of our last 5 PL matches.
We’re getting that mentality right.
Great win guys. A very tough match against a good but very physical team, who were aided by a poor ref; but a very well deserved win!!!!
With apologies to those who do not drink, I am having a wee dram after that performance!
bjtgooner, I don’t drink but you can have my portion of whatever you want to drink 😉
Thank you Belgium! Up against a physical team , dangerous on the rare counter, but essentially, who parked the bus. We are not supposed to win against such teams! Out team really put in a shift, some never say die performances, theo, vermaelen, rvp, sagna, Gibbs, kos,all of them really. The ref made a few strange decisions, but my first impressions, I have seen worse against us, but maybe not saying much there. As ever, will be interested in the ref review. But the main thing, our run continues, we set an epl record coming back to win…..maybe some mental strength there for critics to chew over…….only one point in it now…..and equal gd now St Arry!
2-1. I predicted 3-1, as the age of TR7 signing a new contract. 😉
What a game and TV5 is our hero today!
Just wondering why it was not a freekick when Ba jumped and put his foot when LK6 was about to kick the ball. It looked very dangerous. But again, I am not a ref, so just will wait what our refs will say about it. 🙂
RvP has scored more goals than the entire Lfc squad.
@Walter – cheers!
Also, I think playing tough matches and winning through does a lot for developing mental strength as well as confidence. An easy win is great, but after an easy win you don’t have that extra sensation that you were tested but still deservedly won.
Edward Young once said “procrastination is the thief of time” . Actually, I would venture that time wasting is the thief of time, mr krul, as I am sure rvp reminded you. Hope you did not take this valuable lesson personally!
On my still running TV they now show a summary of Everton-Tottenham 😉 double fun 😉
@walter they showed that here too..what a fantastic night
mr krul got bitch slapped by irony. im still floating. this fairy tale has to end sometime.
but not today.
after the misses i thought our run had come to an end. then up steps the verminator.
wenger had me in tears when the interviewer asked him ‘was there a point where you thought you wasnt gonna score?’ and wenger answered faster than the question had time to even reach his ears ‘NO’. with the classic ‘trying my best not to smile’ grin through out.
he wanted to do back flips like the rest of us im sure.
dam what a night-again. thanx lads-again. dam.
So well put AK47! Wonder if arry’s mood has improved since his tetchy performance on motd?
thanx mandy, he’s probably done his back in with all the twitching. 🙂
He will not be in a good place, not helped by all this England stuff. Chelsea have their ….erm….problems, LIverpool have their trophy but showing relegation form since the new year despite their spending and the much vaunted return of their messiah. And we beat another rival tonight. Our next game is I think in nine days, we just have to continue this momentum, after recent results, I would imagine the players cannot wait to get back on the pitch. Some tough games to comebut we can still own London and stand us in good stead for next season. This will not be enough for some should it happen…..but all things considering at the start of this season…….
Why was so much extra time played today? I looked in the “As it happened” at the BBC, and the minute by minute, and I don’t see why so much extra time was played.
Nice win though.
@Gord:
I find myself asking that question more and more lately. Can’t say that Arsenal didn’t deserve the victory, though. In fact, I’m still feeling quite euphoric 🙂
@Dogface:
Great Refwatch. I was trying to come up with something intelligent to say about it, but like I said before, I’m feeling kind of euphoric. Can I think about this later? 🙂
Although I suppose I should give you credit for teaching me a new word today:
“haphephobia” the fear of being touched (?)
Really, I think you might possibly be being a bit too harsh on the whole “mental disorder” crowd in this article
Surely, you must know that, in this day and age, mental disorders are widely attributed to anyone who displays the ability to think for themselves? 🙂
It’s just possible the 5 mins. extra time was because a certain 12th man thought that’d be enough time for Newc to get the winner.
This would be in line with what Dogface describes as the ’tilt of the pitch’. I’ve written down 14 decisions that went against Arsenal, unfairly, in my opinion. That doesn’t include RvP offsides, for which the TV director has the whole thing off-pat – no replays. Mystery fouls were committed by Arsenal players. I’m eager to compare notes with the ref reviewer on this one. Especially incidents in the following minutes (and that’s just the half of it),: 7, 10, 24, 28,32, 35, 39. 2nd half: 53, 57, 64, 71, 72, 79, 82.
These were approx minutes due to my incredulity at the Webbmeister’s decisions. I stand there gawping – Did he really let that go – Jeezum, that was so blatant – Oh, another phantom free kick awarded within 30 yards of Arsenal’s goal – He’s taking the piss.
And by the time I’ve written down the incident, I may have the time wrong. (There was the customary ‘trademarked’ kung fu kick/non foul, seeing it’s done to an Ars player, and “studs into calves”- didn’t ****ing happen, did it refshite!
The crowd jeered Krul plenty. There was no doubt he was wasting time, as many teams do in order to ‘break our rhythm’, as commentators often plead, and as Pardew (the ****), pretty much admitted in his post-match presser. (I was surprised at the reasonableness of the match commentator, for a change. Well done that man. It wasn’t the commentary with MacManaman as sidekick).
Dogface, this is a very good preview, and I want to particularly laud you on the Tottenham/Dean/Dowd preview:
“easy platitudes, with a grain of truth, are comfortable for the slave mentality of those who have given up all hope for what they once loved…”
“this match is important but not as important as how we, as fans, react to the aftermath and, indeed, the path we choose for our revolution.”
“it also represents a chain of events that could not have possibly have gone unnoticed by the PGMOL and the FA without assuming them to be fundamentally incompetent in what they do…”
“I will attend to offer my support and face the music, as it were, for this will be indeed a pivotal moment… and I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
I must say, Dogface, this was a quite magnificent preview. And I too was at that match. It was all I could do to not bear-hug the people around me. As it was I shouted and carried on, which I usually only do ‘on the inside’. It took me 90 mins. to get to transport as I savoured every step out of the stadium and onto Holloway Rd (and a congratulatory visit to the 99p store) (and Poundland – they’re quite close, you know).
Well done the players. You took the kicks and the licks. You kept fighting, by playing. KTSOOA didn’t work for Newcastle tonight.
Webb casts Web:
http://arsenalist.com/video/?id=xpemg9
Robin was Captain-olliciously sparkly and sparkling despite missing a few chances through the game, and despite whatever the beef was with Krul. (Even gaining kudos from G Neville, of whom I remain; un-fond(le)…? (Old Toilet 2004… anyone? By the way, I’m still looking for a 9 min. plus file called “Manchester Utd kicking Arsenal off the park”, starring Mike Riley (Micky R), which appears on youtube once in a while, and gets taken off fast. This video is a testament to refshite.
Well done the supporters at the Em’s tonight. I could hear you. Positive. Encouraging. Together. Beautiful.
Gunners/Gooners: stay positive. Let The Arsenal feel your love, wherever you may be.
@rantetta:
I love that dogface phrase the “tilt of the pitch.” Really, I can’t even watch an EPL match anymore without thinking about it.
I look for which way the pitch is tilted, and how well the manager is reading it 🙂
Kings of London…
Comeback Kings of the world!
Woo Hoo !Woke up at 6am (overslept) to look for the score but was surprised to the game still being played . 1-1 at the 91st min , see Newcastle on the attack and think, ” Oh dear here we go again “.Suddenly defence turns to attack and lo and behold TV5 scores !
I’d forgotten that this is the new Arsenal – the one that does not give up ! The one that believes in itself . The one that is gung ho !
The fans were awesome for this match, constant noise and supporting the team, giving them the lift when they needed it.
Some of Webb’s decisions were so weird, even the Sky commentary team were surprised by his decisions. He gave Newcastle every benefit he could but it wasn’t enough 😀
And there was me thinking that Mr Plod, the baldy yorky had just about his best game ever when reffing us. Look forward to the review.
@rantetta
I couldnt find the “Manchester Utd kicking Arsenal off the park” as its been deleted due to copyright claims [Odd that other clips arent?]. So you can have this instead… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isj77IJNZ2g
@ Anne
Yes, Tilting the pitch is one of many phrases that have entered me – as a result of reading from the tales of the Untold.
As I’ve just awoken, after frankly – little sleep, following “euphoria-rama” following last night’s match, I guess I could have written the above – differently. But I see there’s a new post up! And damn, I was half way thro my morning pages – which I haven’t done for years. #distraction# – effing brilliant distraction
Theo was the MOtM. A well deserved award. What struk me most about him today was his calmness with the ball. He hardly lost the ball due to excessive adrelalin or rushed moves. Though he was double teamed most of the time, he still managed to keep the ball and use it intelligently by passing it; running with it and crossing it intelligently. hardly did the double-teaming create problems for him. Except for once when he tried a quick deflection at the goal (which result in a handball shout against a NCFC defender – which was correctly not given) what I didn’t see Walcott do all 95mins was try to kick the ball at the goal inside or outside the 18 – perhaps it was part of his current instructions or emotionally, he doesn’t frrl up for it in the goals departmet?
Hi guys – what a match eh!? Thanks rantetta for quoting stuff back at me that I forgot I wrote. Thanks Anne for the support.
I’m going to wait for the Ref Review to see how Webb did – he let is degenerate into a bit of a wrestling match I think and it got a bit out of control.
@ None
Thanks so much for that. I’d forgotten about McClair’s missed penalty. I love Brian Moore’s commentary, RIP.
The thing is, re: Youtube files like the one I want – when they’re up, and you wanna keep ’em, you have to download the ****er and get it onto your hard-drive. I curse myself for not doing so, but again, I thank you for this wonderful memory.
Hey, Dogface, you’re welcome. Your articles are brilliant and I look forward to them so much. I was clicking like mad for 48 hrs prior to you posting this article. I was just about to send you a desperate plea when I saw that someone on your Twitter had posted a similar “complaint”, to which you replied, “Mrs. DogFace had me working in the garden all w/e”. lol, as they say.
And you’ve led me to all sorts of places via your Tweeting. I’ve just listened to the “Wogan is street” file, and I’ve also seen that it’s Mason for Everton. That’s another Kick the shit out of Arsenal (KTSOOA) ref, although ‘to be fair’ (which means “to not be fair)”, Mason allows any of his favoured teams (invariably, Northerners), to kick their way through players legs. Wasn’t he the ref who encouraged Ramsey to get Shawcrossed? What a ****!
“The cocks won’t be crowing in the morning!” Love it.
No doubt and massive kudos to dogface’s genius and unsurpassed work. (but ’tilt of the pitch’ was not his original, in these parts)
None, rantetta,
That McTravesty is brilliant! The best on record antidote for (in rantetta’s great phrasing,) Old Toilet 2004.
The difference between Oil Toilet’s mendacious swill gurgling forth after the refshite tsunami robbed us; and our crowd’s sheer joy after McClair’s miss – read, the karmic plunger hath unclogged the facility – is a tale of two crowds for the ages. The two videos – Crime and Punishment – ought to be part of Up the Arse 101 for every generation. Essential bookends to the present moment.
Shakabula Gooner,
Theo Walcott, all of 23, has grown up before our eyes. An essential talent. And Arsene did not substitute for him. An essential decision. Exhibit A in what Arsene means by “belief” He walks his talk.
Ah, apologies. Bob. That phrase certainly has your DNA.
Here’s another of your delicious quotes:
“Micky R is The Midwife to the re-birth of Don Fergus as Lord Football”.
Now there’s perception and incite, to go along with your catalogue of classy phraseology. Thanks.
Rich_Fryer,
Yes, our crowd became the real 12th man – vocal, focused, targeting Krul (isn’t that the name of a sci-fi villain?) doing the Dean-time no-step.
As for the Webbmeister, do you recall any specific expressions of incredulity by the Skyminders? If any of us start to document these “in-house” comments and date them by who said it and when, we could then have/start another layer of Correlations of these (few, but therefore important) telecast statements that (intended or not) do expose the refshite with UA’s brilliant Ref Reviews herein. Add in some footage of the dastardly deeds (calls and non-calls) and we have our own visual J’Accuse of the customary crap that passes for refereeing in the EPL and Exhibit A in the necessary and coming call for full video replay. This visual counter-package is achievable.
AND: Rednose XX, Bob.
Articuliscious, yeah.
@bob – Out of interest, I just looked through all the post logs and comments and I was the first to utter it on these pages… although – you are correct, this is a phrase that I have used among my peers for a long time – I can document this back to 2008. I have no idea how it emerged originally… I would guess it’s a Slingish phrase.
None, rantetta,
We know that Mickey R was the plumber in charge at Old Toilet 2004; but who presided the McTravesty? Oh, and the way that our lads were relentless in taking the mickey to that cretin both before and after he MISSED the penalty shot – over the freakin’ bar – oh what a display – they freaked him out. Imo, their exemplary behavior could/should be part of our boys’ video package, for viewing each season when training starts; or, during the season, anytime we’ve been hard done by the usual calls/non-calls we’ve been hard done by.
dogface,
Try searching the words tilt and pitch in my past comments on refshite and we may well have a 1-1 🙂
Rantetta, dogface,
The most delicious point is these – our turns of phrase – are part of our arsenal. Over time they do work. Witness: Louis XVI and the Bourbons were as much brought down by the salacious, razor-sharp well-aimed agit-prop of their day as by the crowds at the PGMOL (er sorry,), the Bastille. Avante!
“Off the top of my head”, it might be Keith Hackett.
Wait, here’s something:
“Mike Riley was appointed manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMO) in June 2009, replacing Keith Hackett. This effectively ends his career in refereeing matches”.
No, I don’t think it ended his career in refereeing matches, actually!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Riley_(referee)
More from the same Wiki file:
“Riley was accused of major refereeing errors in an Arsenal–Manchester United game in 2004, including a controversial penalty when Wayne Rooney went down under a clumsy tackle from Sol Campbell with replays showing a little contact had been made. The match, which ended Arsenal’s long running unbeaten run at the time, led to immense criticism from Arsenal fans, including an article in the Daily Mail paper using the headline “The Life of Riley”.”
rantetta,
yes, full disclosure: thus, the current northern-gang are the lives of Riley, making PGMOL-HQ the Hives of Riley.
Brawl?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2114084/Late-Arsenal-win-marred-mass-brawl-final-whistle.html
Dalgliesh (KKKK – King Kenny Klanny K*nty) stirs it up:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2114126/Kenny-Dalglish-calls-FA-action-Arsene-Wengers-cheat-claims.html
@bob – I did, you’re first utterance was: 2011/05/20 and mine was: 2010/08/23 😉
The Hives/Lives of Riley:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1195780/Life-Riley–Leeds-official-Mike-hangs-whistle-Hackett-refs-chief.html
dogface,
but ‘mine’ was spewed in injury time! 🙂
(being johnny foreigner meself, I didn’t even know of UA in 2008!)
p.s. sorry! yours was 2010 (not 2008). (what do they say, plagiarism is the highest form of flattery?)
rantetta,
wow, good catch. Methinks that the Daily Mail is campaigning here to stir up a move by the FA to impose a 2-match ban on RvP for participating in a “Brawl” And Daiglish’s defense of El Diver they call the “Wenger Cheat Fury.” The lenscrafters try to establish their hype as fact in order to impact or provide cover for a move by the “authorities” to stop us by any means necessary. First, UEFA against Arsene; now FA against RvP? Time will shortly tell us.
bob,
lol – no, that was when I was writing a different blog and running a facebook group which discussed such things. I only found the Untold pages in 2010 and lurked around in the comments section for some months being slightly subversive (under a different name) before I started the RefWatch series…
rantetta, all,
A bow if not Massive retrospective kudos to David Moyes, who then publicly called out Micky R for his deep knee-bend to Don Fergus. Says your article:
“The FA were forced to defend him [Riley\ after Everton manager David Moyes questioned his appointment as the replacement referee for his side’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.
Moyes called for an FA investigation into whether the official had any allegiance towards United.
Moyes said: “A member of the press asked me if Mike Riley was a Manchester United supporter and I think that’s something you would need to bring up with the FA.”
dogface,
(not to push my luck or anything, : ) but sometime) check out for a certain voice lobbying UA for a Dowd watch etc. around that 2010 time (if my, Ok, selective memory serves me well, well…?)
rantetta,
And just this week, Arsene praised David Moyes for having been around for 10 years, a near miracle in their profession. Little did we/I know that Arsene and Moyes have this shared clarity on the fix and a demonstrated willingness to go public with it.
Bob, yes. That’s what it’s all about. I can imagine a reporter going to KKKK and coaching/goading him into getting the one or two lines that’ll fill the agenda. Bearing in mind that the bottom line is to destabilise Arsene and Arsenal, which has been going on for years, this all fits the bill. Similar articles are in the Telegraph and the Sun.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/9140190/Liverpool-manager-Kenny-Dalglish-urges-FA-to-charge-Arsene-Wenger-over-Luis-Suarez-dive-claim.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4190476/Kenny-Dalglish-Charge-Wenger-for-Suarez-diver-claim.html
I can’t look for any more. The intention is obvious, and the execution, typical.
There’s a video of Ian Wright in the body of this article:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4191468/Ian-Wright-Arsenal-must-give-Theo-Walcott-a-new-contract-now.html
http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/eye-witness-footage-of-robin-van-persie-tim-krul-stepping-off-the-emirates-pitch/
“Shouldn’t the captain be more gracious”
http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/gary-neville-analysis-of-the-robin-van-persie-v-tim-krul-spat/
I don’t know which files you’ll be able to see, but good luck.
@bob – sorry to burst your bubble but your first comment is registered on 2010/12/15 which was over a month after the first RefWatch was published on 2010/10/23.
But that’s not to take anything away from you as you have always been very supportive of this site and taken certain subjects to heart, made them your own and run with them – in that your input to Untold Arsenal is massive and totals 116 pages of article comments in total!
That’s almost a books worth!
dogface,
yes, geesh: (my) selective memory reporting for duty, suh! Good catch. (At least now even I can know/remember what I’ve done with my misspent youth!)
Now, further about that book, I think that a UA anthology of the best (and worst) postings in the life of the club in the seven years of “drought,” or the last two seasons of “doubt,” would be phenomenal. You know, Keeping Le Faith. There’s been some serious talent in these parts, to spout the very obvious, and if only 10 per cent of Gooners worldwide would spring for it, it would become a best seller. (Tony, Tony, Tony…!)
Anne,
Perhaps something big upcoming for UM, if this get-RVP moment (along with the RvP-leaving mantra) magically mushrooms into FA action (?)
For me, Bob, Arsene is being typically generous when speaking about Moyes decade in charge. Arsene is a genuinely generous human being. I think Moyes will say whatever he wants, when he wants.
My view of him isn’t generous. Moyes practises KTSOOA, and following the game at the Em’s, where the linesman insisted an obviously offside goal should stand, there was another “tunnel-gate” – which Moyes went on camera to say something like: Fabregas asked the ref how much he’s being paid, at half time. (My memory isn’t great but I remember Moyes anti Wenger rant being given big time and space on TV (a further ode to destabilisation).
It appears that Fabregas made the comments to the assistant, and thus Mr Wenger was able to say to the camera that “Fabregas didn’t speak to the ref at half time”. AW also spoke about ‘things that happen in the tunnel should stay in the tunnel’, which was his way of slagging Moyes off.
Mr Wenger always laments the sacking of managers, publicly, when asked. (Generousity, humanity). I saw AW on film hugging Mark Halsey – when the ref returned from cancer treatment. It was spontaneous and of course, generous.
So you are absolutely correct to highlight Moyes speaking out Riley, but I personally lack the generosity to praise him – following years of watching Moyes aim bile at Arsenal in post-match intwvs.
On another note: Everton were in real danger of relegation around the turn of the century. It just so happened that they didn’t seem to like having Black players. It just so happened that when they were in the most danger, they bought Arsenal’s striker, Kevin Campbell, who, in my opinion, kept them up with his goals.
A slow trickle of Black players followed (but, if I remember correctly, not without some Ire from the supporters). So I guess Moyes may have had something to do with that. (And on the other hand it may simply have been desperation from Walter Smith or his predecessor).
Scroll down the page for Pardew’s intwv:
http://www.footballorgin.com/2012/03/arsenal-2-1-newcastle-united-extended.html
dogface, Walter,
In honor of AW’s recent remark about El Diver (and given sore-lose Daiglish’s current remarks to zap AW for telling the truth on this), is it possible to dredge out of the catacombs enough data/stats to surface an occasional “Untold Dive Watch” Some divers, of course, would be conspicuous by their absence because their dives are, well, untold (as in Wayne’s World).
rantetta,
Cheers, for all the links, if it comes to a nasty boil (FA action) those keystrokes will be the opening salvos.
Also, I’m sure you’re right on Moyes: as I didn’t recall that nasty bit you rightly bring up. And your evidence of AW’s generousity, enduring generousity, is so welcome in toxic times.
Bob
From memory, the two incidents when Sky doubted the Webb that stand out were:
– The block on Theo when he looked to race clear that they felt should have been a foul.
– There was also incredulity at the call for the ‘foul’ by Rosicky when he passed the ball to RVP in space just outside the box.
More links on Moyes/Fabregas:
written:
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/9388001.stm?ad=1
video (prob not avail outside UK):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/9388001.stm
Bob & Dogface
Sorry to break into your heated debate but wouldn’t tilt & pitch be aircraft terminology (tilt, pitch & yaw)? just asking… 😉
Stevie E,
For this, we’ll surely, call a “truce” and agree to appoint you honorary Tail Gunner for Life. Set your sights on our top 3 finish!
Rich_Fryer,
Cheers for that. Did you catch the name of the doubters? I’d like to start documenting such comments as catch can.
@ Rantetta, I am loving the links you provided to day. Keep them coming.
@rantetta
Have a look at the ‘Gary Neville analysis of the Robin van Persie v Tim Krul spat’ clip again. About 20secs or so, what do you see? 😉
None,
In my reading of it, to his credit, Gary Neville actually refuses the Sky-Man’s pushy invitation to pour gasoline on the fire. Neville says he’s the wrong guy to ask and that both RvP and Krul were doing what fans of each side would want to see. That kind of restraint when presented with an opportunity to bash Arsenal is as welcome as it is unusual.
@bob neville is increasingly becoming tough to hate as a pundit he really does his homework unlike the likes of souness,redknap the lesser and ofcourse alan hansen