The way Blackburn approached the game against Arsenal was, in my opinion, an utter disgrace. The Blackburn players clearly went into the match with every desire to cheat and maim. The fact that they got away with much of it, suffering only 4 yellow cards and no red suggests that the ref was for some reason, willing to accept that this approach to football was ok. It is worth wondering how he reached such a conclusion.
The attack on Almunia which could easily have broken his ankle was enough to have the player sent off and banned for 20 matches. The tackles from behind which went on through the game should all have led to reds. The dive (I think it was by Pederson) when Sagna did nothing was so outrageous that there must be an absolute questions as to how the ref and linesman could fail to have seen it. If they saw no challenge from such a fall, the player should have gone for diving. If they wrongly through Sagna had done something it should have been a penalty.
What we have to ask is: why did the players act in this way? Why did they all go about their business in a manner that has everything to do with a viscious disregard for everything worthwhile and reasonable about football, and a desparate wish to win by cheating, while causing maximum pain and injury to footballers, far better than themselves? Why did they approach the game is this way?
There is only one logical answer: they were told to by their manager.
This is not hard to believe since where ever he has gone in football Allerdyce has behaved in this self-same manner.
The fact that rotational fouling and cheating has been taken to this level shows that the likes of Allerdyce will stop at absolutely nothing in their use of these tactics. I begin to wonder just how dreadful the injuries have to be before something is done. Had Almunia suffered not just a badly bruised ankle, but instead had been injured in such a way that he never played again, would the EPL and FA have acted?
Given that they will do nothing about Allerdyce despite all the evidence against him, I doubt it. He will be allowed to continue to plough his disgraceful trade, instructing players to break the rules, to hurt, and to destroy both the game itself, and others with talent who play it. To cheat at every turn, that is the Allerdyce way.
Quite what Mr Dowd was thinking about through this game, if it wasn’t the money he was making, I have no idea. If he had any thoughts of what football is about and the rules of the game, then he would have sent off at least four players – one for diving, and three for gross tackles from behind.
Of course the result was wonderful, and so was the display of many players – including most notably for me, Song and Denilson in the middle.
So if we can survive the disgraceful approach of clubs like Blackburn and managers like Allerdyce, this team and this club will thrive. After all this game was won without our first three strikers on the pitch, and without Cesc and Tomas in midfield – plus with Theo still learning his way back after such a long lay off. The only thing that can stop us now is peoplelike Allerdyce, the players who agree to play is this disgraceful manner, and the referees andFA / EPL officials who connive with them by allowing it to continue.
(c) Tony Attwood 2009
I agree, Blackburn’s game plan was disgraceful, which is why I’m so glad they did not succeed. This is a different Arsenal team to the one Allardyce built his template against. They refused to buckle under the intimidation and punished the culprits in the best way possible. As for the ref, how he could fail to punish that disgraceful cheating by MGP is beyond me. It was only the lenient ref that allowed Blackburn to finish the game with 11 players.
Does anyone else think that if the Diouf challenge had been on Gerrard, Rooney or even David James that the outcome would have been very different? If so this clearly smacks of racism. I am seriously begining to think that the club needs to take legal action against the FA to stop this. If we do not we are going to see another Eduardo type injury very soon (Obviously I hope that I am wrong). All we can hope now is that Blackburn are relegated and sink with out trace taking all hands with them.
There should be Red Card for Diouf, no doubt about it. I’d say Dowd wasnt that bad, but thats only my opinion. Song and Denilson were brilliant. I guess they just have to play, they’re getting better with every minute on the pitch.
Nic was pretty bad, but I still think that he ain’t that bad(for 20 years old boy).
..and it is 1:2 for Totts, it is kind of sad, but i do support them tonite 🙂
Big Fat Sam is the unacceptable face of football. An utter, utter disgrace.
Loved by the media, tolerated by the FA who were not stupid enough to fall for his own promotional campaign to be the next England Manager.
He, and his ilk, and they are many, should have no place in the self styled ‘greatest league in the world’.
I would not miss these teams come the European league. Compare their approach to that of Roma, for example. One played football, the other had no interest in that game at all.
The FA are an absolute disgrace. Shame.
i wonder if fat SAM played football in his life. He should be deported from England. He is there only to tell his players to break someone’s leg. That is unbelievable.
It was a real hack-fest yesterday. I’m sure that Arshavin learnt a thing or two about premier league teams from the north east. Two footed tackles seemed to be the order of the day, but Arsenal are wise to these tactics now. The lads seemed to soak it up really well and continued to press on unfazed.
Their penalty shout was laughable (the real one, not the pedersen dive), I distictly recall one of their players avoiding a red after a few minutes for what seemed like repeated kicks to clichy as he lay on the ground.
Almunia stayed strong after being assaulted, played the rest of the game and kept a clean sheet. I think that this young team is maturing quickly in the seedy world of Premier League footy.
I still have the image fat sam at newcastle with the home fans next to the dugout screaming at him. I am sure the slogan is still ringing in his ears today. – “you dont know what youre doing you dont know what youre doing”
It should be a red card for Diouf, then a police car should take him to the nearest prison immediately and let him out when Wilshere retires from his football career. Does anyone know how to contact with a sniper? I have a head to shoot.
And MGP. What a talent! He should be recruited by a circus where he can use that kind of talent to entertain people around when he puts on a red nose and a clown suit. Or he can do that in the next game.