Ref Review: Arsenal – Bournemouth

17 Replies to “Ref Review: Arsenal – Bournemouth”

1. Very nicely explained Walter. Also good job putting a decisive image showing the incident.

   Earlier this week I was watching the Valencia vs. Barcelona Spanish Cup Semi Final Second Leg. Valencia’s stadium is more 55,000 in capacity, but that day it was near to empty, much thanks to the Super Neville Bros.

   In the second half of the match something caught my eye, when Munir El Haddadi (20Yrs) of Barcelona made a lunging tackle from the front, two footed, with his feet down and cleanly the tackled but his follow through caught the player slightly, the referee (Carlos Velasco) immediately called it a foul and gave a yellow card. Of course the player asked why a yellow card, he kept pointing out the he got the ball, and by the actions of the ref it looked like he said that you cant slide in from the front with like that.

   This immediately reminded me Flamini, and how badly the media, papers, Tv, aaa and all others kept spouting that Flamini should have been sent off.

2. Found a the clip for that.
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ZVpTaw-34

3. Walter/Usama – I asked a question earlier. I will ask it again. When Ozil scored, there were 2 Bournemouth players with 2 footed off the ground lunges at Ozil. Look at the footage. I would appreciate a view of what your opinion is. Why does something so nasty not get picked up by TV & by most of those who watch a game?

4. Flamini was a yellow card. On another day or a split second later and it could have been a red.

   It was a bit brainless tbh. He was giving the ref a chance to make a decision. It could have cost us dearly

5. This footage shows it but there was a better side on footage that showed it better. Can’t find it on u tube.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9TFtKasOTc

6. It show s how far refereeing standards have slipped this year whe n a score barely above the minimum acceptable 70% level can be regarded as quite good. The photo of the contact for Flamini on the ball should knock on the head any talk of him being lucky not to get a red. As you say, a foul and a yellow the right decisions but with that separation never a red.

   I still wish he would’nt use that style of tackle though, it gives a clear opportunity for a ref with a full on agenda to send him off.

7. Nice one Walter.
   In general, two teams that try and play the right way, so not the hardest to referee.
   We all know why there is a witch hunt on our players in the media . We all know why they don’t even mention when other players do far worse and avoid red. We all know why a Southampton player can commit 9 fouls against Arsenal players without being carded., or mentioned in the media….and at the Emirates!
   Not the worst performance Mr Friend, but if your bully boy bosses are upset with you over Flamini, I hope you have the courage and integrity to carry on doing your job the the best of your ability, unlike the spineless, useless, and unfit Mr Mason.

8. The way Arsenal players are vilified in this country for honest mistakes or error of judgement, and the keenness to throw the book on the part of officials when that happens, while thugs like Costa(only because he plays for Chelsea), Barton, etc,. are allowed to get away with murder on a weekly basis borders on the xenophobic and is sickening. Flamini makes one mistimed tackle and the whole country bays for blood, when scholes and Gerrard used to make such tackles on a daily basis they were called meaty tackles.

   When one looks at the foul Coq made that led to the massive witch hunt, I think it was a little pull or something like that,when he was on a yellow already. Yet we saw some horrific fouls against our players go unpunished. Rosicky had his nose broken by Agbonlahor from a swinging elbow, and it was called an accident. Wasnt mentioned in the media at all. Arteta lost a tooth and it was called an accident. Debuchy’s Arsenal career was literally ended by a cowardly push by a Stoke thug (foreign player but OK because he plays for Stoke) who wasn’t even booked. Sanchez was shoved into a pit by another English thug. I just mentioned four horrific assaults on our players from the last 12 months or so that were not even deemed worthy of a booking, or mention in the media. Yet when Coquelin pulls a player in the centre of the pitch there’s a national outcry. Flamini mistimed a tackle which he was duly booked for but they were not satisfied with that, they wanted blood.

   It’s this kind of arrogance that holds England back from success at the international level. And that is what makes people the world over celebrate whenever England fails at the international stage. When Spain won the world cup most people outside of Holland were genuinely happy for them. I very much doubt that would be the case were it England. And don’t ask me why. And don’t mistake this for a rant, just stating a few facts.

9. Just update the Table of Shame following the two ref reviews. 5 wrong Important Decisions favouring Arsenal, 72 favouring our opponents, and by my reckoning 17 points robbed to date. We aren’t going to be allowed to win the league and I have a horrible feeling that Dean is lined up for the Cup match.

10. Well said, Al

11. Well, the reaction to Flamini’s tackle is now complete. Commentators, pundits, former refs, journalists, pgmol.

    Seems pgmol rung up Howe to tell him it should have been red. Wonder if Wenger got a similar call after game 50, or on any of the dozen occasions apologies were due over 20 years? Really doubt it.

    http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/cherries/clubnews/14274431.AFC_Bournemouth_boss_Eddie_Howe_told__Mathieu_Flamini_should_have_been_sent_off/?

    The dislike, bias, or whatever the hell it is, is real and so entrenched now.

12. Andrew Crawshaw is there any chance of a table of these decisions just so I can use it against the many Arsenal fans who tell me day in and day out “it evens itself up over a season” and “we get just as many dubious decisions as other teams we are playing, look at……”

    Or should I just look through the ref reviews myself?

13. Andrew, Dean may well be lined up for a cup match, but I am also convinced he is lined up for WHL, whatever he does there, it will meet the approval of the media…..and a section of our own …so called fans…

    Dean at WHL
    Taylor at OT, unless they let Oliver redeem himself
    Atkinson at City
    Mason at Everton

14. Why even bother with appointing minions? Riley the master cheat should just award walkovers. It is unbelievable that such blatant cheating is going unhindered. Media are chicken or complicit in the fraud.

15. Thanks for the review. And for clarifying the Flamini call, beyond any doubt. Sure no one would’ve been groaning too hard, like some kind of trolling Groaner or sad pigMOB employee (?) if he’d have been sent off but it was a good call or judgment on that play from from the official.

    He might’ve had a hiccup here or there on occasion and there but overall when the people who sit near me ask me for the Refwatch Preview summary when pgMOB representative Mr.Friend is in N5 I have been able to say in the past:

    “Mr. Friend is more friendly then the average craven crow that we get, we can focus on the footy.” and I’m not a soothsayer or a prophet I simply read these Untold reviews and previews. Marvellous innit?

    Indeed Mr.Friend appears to be one of the few, one or two, on Riley’s roster who can be addressed as: ‘Referee’.
    I suppose that explains why The Arsenal haven’t and won’t be seeing him for more then two league games in a season, ever!

    What are the odds we’ll be seeing the like of fast rising superstar Apprentice Taylor for three or more matches? Deano *gollum gollum* ? What odds would I on officials’ appointments on the Thai betting (black) market?

16. Usama and Walter

    Thanks again for all the hard work.

    I, like many I think, was waiting eagerly to see your analysis of the Flamini incident. You possibly read my conclusion that I thought it was a red, and gave my reasons, but I did add the caveat that I would like to see how you evaluated it against the ‘Laws of the Game’, which is what the Referee should do. And if you do that then it seems a Yellow was correct.

    You quote the relevant law:

    “Reckless” means that the player has acted with complete disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, his opponent.

    • A player who plays in a reckless manner must be cautioned.

    I must admit I thought ‘Reckless’ was a red. I was mistaken, and although I hate to see challenges like that it does appear that in this case a Yellow card was the correct decision, not that you would believe that given what Rich relays. (see bellow).

    Al

    Fantastic post.

    “It’s this kind of arrogance that holds England back from success at the international level. And that is what makes people the world over celebrate whenever England fails at the international stage.”

    Exactly. It’s what makes ME celebrate whenever England fail !!

    Andrew

    “Just update the Table of Shame following the two ref reviews. 5 wrong Important Decisions favouring Arsenal, 72 favouring our opponents, and by my reckoning 17 points robbed to date. We aren’t going to be allowed to win the league and I have a horrible feeling that Dean is lined up for the Cup match”

    It is incomprehensible that this level of bias/cheating can be allowed, but it is, hence I have to agree with your conclusion that we will simply not be allowed to win the PL.

    PS. I think they will save Dean for either United or Spurs.

    @Swales1968

    “Andrew Crawshaw is there any chance of a table of these decisions just so I can use it against the many Arsenal fans who tell me day in and day out “it evens itself up over a season” and “we get just as many dubious decisions as other teams we are playing, look at……”

    I have done this many times. They shake there heads, mumble something about how bad the refs are, then get back to signing there next fantasy player.

    Worse, the very next time we’re in the mess room talking football they all continue with the same old same old. ‘It all evens out in the end’ (Oh, except for there team of course who always get a rum deal), and of course there’s always the ‘big teams get all the decisions’ (which definitely includes us by the way), which is still endlessly repeated, no matter what.

    But please try it and let us know what happens. It will be interesting to see if you get the same reactions I get.

    Rich

    “Seems pgmol rung up Howe to tell him it should have been red.”

    If that is true it just goes to show how bad it is, as if we didn’t already know.

17. Jambug

    Howe really seems one of the more decent managers around, so I can only think what he says is true.

    “Questioned on Wenger’s view, Howe told the Daily Echo: “The only thing I need to say is that I got a call from the assessor who looked at the game and discussed the incident.

    “They all believe in retrospect that it should have been a red card so I think that puts an end to it.””

    Who is the ‘they’?

    It seems yet another area where pgmol run things poorly. I’m guessing managers (let alone the public) have no access to these assessors reports, so it is yet another lever they can pull behind the scenes with no formal processes (other than whatever the hell their internal ones are) in place.

    If one manager gets a call when assessors believe a mistake has been made, it needs to happen every time. Anything else is wrong, so of course that’s how they do it.

    Thing is, we don’t know 100% whether or not Wenger got a call for, say, Mcnair or Cahill’s challenge, Atkinson giving 4 mins injury time at West Ham when ten was the true figure (explain that!), Smith not being sent off on Diaby, Mason allowing the injured player to stay on the pitch, etc,etc, back to game 50.

    I’d guess no, never. Remember reading in Poll’s book that after a performance the club were extremely unhappy about, Poll offered to come to the club and talk things over, he was told, ‘no thanks, just do your job right’. Maybe that hints at where some of the dislke comes from.

    Interestingly, if we don’t get those calls- how clear must that make it to Wenger that things are not right at Pgmol and that he is actively disliked.