by Andrew Crawshaw
Here is the Table of Shame updated following the Stoke referee review
| Wrong Important Decisions | Favouring Arsenal | Favouring Opponents |
| 2nd Yellow Cards | 1 | 30 |
| Red Cards | 1 | 10 |
| Penalties | 2 | 18 |
| Goals | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 4 | 66 |
| Possible Cost in Points | 0 | 15 |
The lowest weighted score ever recorded by our reviewers (and we have had some abysmal scores in the past) 34% and a bias of 5% against Stoke and 95% against Arsenal. Mr Pawson (and the voice in his ear) made 42 errors in 90 minutes – one every two minutes. Two were in favour of Arsenal and 40 in favour of Stoke.
There were a record high eight wrong Important Decisions (second yellow, red cards, penalties and goals), two penalties not given to Arsenal and 6 not given second yellow cards: Wollsheid in Min 52, Shawcross in Min 58 and four times for Pieters (in Min 62, 71, 80 and 90+1). Not one yellow card was issued at any time in the match – unbelievable!
I always maintain that you can tell within the first 5 or 6 decisions if the game is being refereed in an unbiased manner. In this game these were the first 7 incidents that the referee had to deal with.
| Time | Decision | Correct/Not |
| 1:10 | Foul by Wollscheid on Theo | Foul correct but a professional foul deserving a yellow card which wasn’t given |
| 2:38 | Foul by Flamini on Joselu | Correct |
| 3:36 | Foul by Shawcross on Giroud | Not given/Not Correct |
| 4:57 | Foul by Pieters on Campbell | Not Given/Not Correct |
| 7:25 | Foul by Ramsey on Joselu | Correct |
| 8:06 | Foul by Pieters on Campbell | Not given/Not Correct |
| 8:25 | Foul by Monreal on Walters | Correct |
Three fouls by Arsenal players – all quite correctly called and no complaints there.
Four fouls by Stoke players only one called correctly, but even that one wasn’t satisfactory as a ‘professional foul’ deserves a yellow card in the second minute just as much as at any other time of the game. Not to give one tells the players that they can get away with it which Stoke did all game. Neither Referee or Fourth Official should ever be allowed near a football stadium again.
On to Tuesday Night and our officials are:-
- Referee – Lee Mason
- Assistants – A Halliday and M Wilkes
- Fourth Official – C Pawson
Here’s hoping that Mr Pawson keeps his new-found ‘wisdom’ to himself and doesn’t try to influence things again.
I have no flags against either Mr Halliday or Mr Wilkes.
This will be our third visit this year from Mr Mason
Crystal Palace v Arsenal (1 – 2) His scores that day were 66% weighted overall, bias against the two teams 10/90 and two wrong Important Decisions – both penalties.
Min 7 Puncheon fouled Alexis by pulling his arm and shirt and in Min 84 Delaney barged Giroud in the back. Neither were given. As we won the game no points lost but the denied penalties could be costly at the end of the season if goal difference becomes important.
Arsenal v Everton (2 – 1) His scores on the day were 58% with bias figures of 72/28 and there were two wrong Important Decisions . In Minute 77 Deulofeu should have had a second yellow card for diving (his second of the match) and in Min 82 Mirallas should have conceded a penalty for a foul on Bellerin. As we won the game despite these errors no points were lost.
In neither game was Mr Mason particularly good, in fact he failed to achieve the minimum 70% acceptable score in both. Fortunately we did enough in both games to win despite him.
Last Year 2014-15 we only had him once when we beat Newcastle 4 – 1 at home in December
His scores that day were 76% overall with a 100% bias against Arsenal and again there were two wrong Important Decisions. Min 8 Tiote with a dreadful challenge on Alexis where his studs went into Alexis’ chest, straight red card not given and in Min 15 a perfectly good Wellbeck goal was ruled out for a ‘phantom foul”.
Conclusions
- Whilst he may not record the record low scores that we have been seeing recently, Mr Mason is still a piss poor referee, usually failing to achieve the minimum acceptable 70% score.
- He is particularly bad at recognising penalties having failed three times this season alone. Don’t put money on one on Tueaday would be my suggestion.
- His bias figures are also typical and usually run at 90% or more against Arsenal.
- He is not above the old ‘phantom foul’ trick when needed to balance the play a bit so our players will have to be alive to that one.
- Whilst better than some, he will allow Southampton to get away with more in challenges than Arsenal, their players being excused cards where ours aren’t.
- Like a number of PGMO employees he seems to take an opportunity for a cheap card or sending off at Arsenal’s expense.
- Despite the above, we do have a decent record with him in charge so I hope that will continue and we will get out title challenge back on track.
COYG
The Untold Books
The latest Untold book is Arsenal: The Long Sleep 1953-1970 with an introduction by Bob Wilson. Details of this and our other titles can be found in Arsenal Books on this site.
More anniversaries
1 February 1913 Arsenal 1 Liverpool 4. Crowd 8655 for this FA Cup match. Arsenal had drawn with Liverpool at home in the league in late December, but there was little hope by February of anything against the twice League winners.
1 February 1921: Following a successful appeal to have his lifetime ban from football (handed down as part of the Leeds City scandal) rescinded, Huddersfield gave Herbert Chapman a job as assistant manager.
Now if it all evens out we will win this match after having been given 3 goals that shouldn’t have been given.
But just as no Chelsea player was send off for nothing, it will not happen like that. Because…well it doesn’t even out. Not even against the same team.
What an intelligent job you have done there. I will keeeep this site in mind
Just for the record.
Lee Mason comes from Bolton, Greater Manchester. He is one of the 6 North West referees from the select group list of 16.
Make of that what you will.
I wish Lee Mason and colleagues an excellent game.
Thought he was sensible with Coq in the Palace game last summer, but the subsequent media outrage at Coq not being sent off (compare and contrast to msm reaction….or lack of it at other serial rotational foulers)….I also believe the PGMOL suspended him for a few weeks after that game…………….there is the worry he might be out to please his bosses this time.
Lets just win it, I can chew your arm off if you offered 1-0 to the Arsenal.
I remember the home crowd calling out Mason for attempting to tilt towards the visiting Everton a few seasons ago.
It’s beyond the absurd how many of these shameless bunglers brazenly favour the Away team in N5. But they do. It’s remarkable phenomenon completely in contradiction and contrast to the history of the sport of Ass. Football (that understanding dear gentleman and ladies is enshrined in the sport that we have the Away Goals rules these past fifty odd years) and so we remark upon it.
pgMOB Rules Football.
It’s (a) football (code) Jim but not as you know it.
OT
“Someone can knock on your door and if Messi knocks on my door 5.50pm tonight, I will not say, ‘Please go back to Barcelona!’” Arsene Wenger speaking on transfer.
Don’t you just like the way he put things in perspective.
E.g.:
Gervais was once sent off for laying less hands on Barton then Barton used upon Arteta at the end of the game on Saturday (neither were sending off offences!)
Fortnately the self-declared “Game Mangament” techniques of the pgMOB representatives* are so cunning and subtle the average football fan would never be able to pick up upon such consistent irregularities not observable elsewhere. Um.
*almost as if they don’t like Ass.Football?
One of the journalists asked “what went wrong against Southampton earlier this season”
Arsene Wenger didn’t hesitate to remind the press that Arsenal were unlucky on first 3 goals due to the decisions of the referee. He said the first goal had a offside, the second was a foul on koscienly and the third was a goal kick not a corner.
Jon Moss was the ref that day. I am sure that Arsenal are keeping track of biased ref decisions against us and are trying to act against this mess of the highest order… PGMOB
“It’s beyond the absurd how many of these shameless bunglers brazenly favour the away team in N5.” Exactly. Most teams, despite how poor their form, will at least hope they will get 18 games (home games) per season where they have a chance of pulling something off due to the home crowd factor combined with the fact most refs wouldn’t ‘dare’ penalise the home team unless they really have to. With Arsenal its zero (0), all 38 games have an away feel to them. No home advantage whatsoever, not that we need it but at least you don’t expect to get screwed on your own patch.
Every time I see this table of shame my blood boils; we should be 12-15 points ahead today if these men did their job properly. That’s a massive 5 games we would need to lose in order for our rivals to catch up. Surely the title would be our to lose? Anyway, keep up the good work Kenneth, blood bowling or not 🙂
Should read most teams hope they get 19 games…fingers too big for my phone’s keyboard 🙂
Finsbury,
Sure you meant Gervinho, but autocorrect must have gone Gervinho who? 🙂
Here’s the next set of referee appointments. We get Keven Friend on Sunday away to Bournemouth.
Saturday 6 February 2016
K.O. _MATCHES _ _ _ _ REFEREE _ _ _ ASST. REF. 1 _ _ASST. REF. 2 _ _4TH OFFICIAL
15:00 Aston Villa – Norwich _ _Martin Atkinson _M Mullarkey S Child _ C Pawson
15:00 Liverpool – Sunderland _ Robert Madley _ _S Ledger _ _D Cann _ _C Sarginson
12:45 Man City – Leicester _ _ Anthony Taylor _ J Collin _ _S Long _ _J Moss
15:00 Newcastle – West Brom _ _Lee Mason _ _ _ _A Halliday _H Lennard P Tierney
17:30 Southampton – West Ham _ Mark Clattenburg S Beck _ _ _R West _ _N Swarbrick
15:00 Spurs – Watford _ _ _ _ _Roger East _ _ _ D Eaton _ _ M Scholes J Linington
15:00 Stoke – Everton _ _ _ _ _Andre Marriner _ M Perry _ _ A Garratt N Miller
15:00 Swansea – Crystal Palace Mike Dean _ _ _ _S Bennett _ E Smart _ G Horwood
Sunday 7 February 2016
K.O. _ _MATCHES _ _ _ _ REFEREE _ _ ASST. REF. 1 _ _ASST. REF. 2 _ _4TH OFFICIAL
13:30 Bournemouth – Arsenal _ _Kevin Friend _ _ D Bryan _ _ P Kirkup _N Swarbrick
16:00 Chelsea – Man Utd _ _ _ _Michael Oliver _ S Burt _ _ _G Beswick C Pawson
Anthony Taylor ?!?! For a match in Manchester, in the home stadium of Manchester City, against the league leaders Leicester the PGMO have appointed a referee from Manchester. What a coincidence, poetry in motion !
He may face a bit of a dilemma – how does he favour the home side while adding to the ten penalties the away team have ALREADY been awarded this season (including 2 in the same match at Goodison Park)?
The lads will want revenge now and play proper tomorrow night no doubt.
Plus we have players back who are raring to get started.
Things are starting to look up, and soon we will take off on our run.
COYG
What chance Austin does a Costa and dives to get one of our defenders sent off?
Mason is a PGMO official. ’nuff said!!
Yes its Southampton in town, they really know how to play against us though this time around it will depend on Le Prof selection of his team. In our last game shane long was a menace,he is faster and tricky so if mertesacker is in defence expect a torrid time, long balls for shane and we might be in trouble. I’m not a coach and probably i will never be one but if Le Prof watches all our replays and i know he does as i do, then Per needs a breather and let Kos and Gab handle the Saints.
Then we will have all three points in bag but its not going to be easy.
Jon Moss is from Sunderland.
He was given our game at Southampton, a 650 mile round trip of around 10 hours. (Unless he was allow to fly on expenses?)
Perhaps he was tired?
This is the problem with having virtually every referee from the North.
Iwobi would be the best of our strikers to do the Saints. He is quick and can attack the long ball down the middle. It is a tactic that teams seem to use against us because of our quality midfield & the reported slowness of our defenders. Theo seems to be careful & has lost some aggression. Giroud gets fouled in the air & on the ground but is invisible to the officials.
Whatever happens I want Arsenal to win & start a winning run to the end of season.
COYG
Listening on the radio whilst at work.
Hillier won’t make excuses for anyone but the two commentators any help but comment upon the non-called fouls. Hard to ignore the irate crowd irate.
pgMOB Rules Football = a shambles.
“Getting nothing out of Mason is Alexis”
Comes as a total surprise. Hillier not impressed though he Halle toy tries to be balanced.
I had to give up my ticket tonight but it makes you think when you pays your monies and you can predict that the officials are so blatantly tilting. All the time. Is this how horse racing fans feel?
Hmmmm Walcott, he is a top striker but you don’t expect another chance like that, we have to win this If we don’t surely we won’t be championship material, hope im wrong.
The rest of the guys are winning, Leicester are winning 2-0,manure 3-0,spunks, 2-0,Mancini 1-0 we have to keep up.