by Andrew Crawshaw
If you thought that the PGMO would relax a bit now that we are 12 points behind Chelsea then think again. Our Officials for Saturday are :-
Referee – Mark Clattenburg 41 years old from Durham FIFA Accredited
Assistant Referee 1 – Jake Collin FIFA Accredited
Assistant Referee 2 – Adrian Holmes from West Yorkshire
Fourth Official – Roger East 51 years old from Wiltshire
The only surprise (to me and indicates that I haven’t always checked the Assistant Referees as thoroughly as I should have) is Adrian Holmes who isn’t on the list of 27 Assistant Referees announced pre-season. He has been a regular this season though, particularly with Mike Jones. In fact this will be his third appearance in an Arsenal game, we had him for our 3 – 1 home win against Bournemouth and our 1 – 0 away win at Burnley. So far he is ‘flag free’.
Jake Collin is also ‘flag’ free – he has partnered Mr Clattenburg in both of the Spurs and Leicester games this season.
This will be the fourth time this year that we will have had the pleasure of Mr Clattenburg’s company. We still haven’t seen Anthony Taylor, Stuart Attwell, Paul Tierney or Graham Scott – I guess they aren’t trusted by the PGMO to deliver a decent refereeing performance.
Other teams with four or more visits from referees are :-
Chelsea – Martin Atkinson (4)
Hull – Lee Mason (4)
Liverpool – Anthony Taylor (4) and Michael Oliver (5) – over a third of their games by these two referees!
Man City – Andre Marriner (4)
Man United – Anthony Taylor (4)
Swansea – Jonathan Moss (4)
Watford – Michael Oliver (4)
Southampton have had visits from 16 of the 17 Select Group referees – only Andre Marriner hasn’t done one of their games. All other teams have not been visited by two or more officials this year.
Chelsea have yet to see six of the Select Group this season – Craig Pawson, Lee Mason, Roger East, Stuart Attwell, Paul Tierney and Graham Scott
There are a number of clubs who are yet to see 5 of the 17 Select Group Referees
Liverpool – Mike Jones, Roger East, Stuart Attwell, Paul Tierney and Graham Scott
Man City – Mike Jones, Roger East, Stuart Attwell, Paul Tierney and Graham Scott
Man United – Mike Jones, Roger East, Stuart Attwell, Paul Tierney and Graham Scott
Spurs – Neil Swarbrick, Mike Jones, Roger East, Stuart Attwell, and Paul Tierney
Swansea – Anthony Taylor, Robert Madley, Mark Clattenburg, Lee Mason and Graham Scott
Our previous matches this season under Mr Clattenburg haven’t ended well. As I have already done three referee reviews for Mr Clattenburg this year, I’m not going to repeat myself. Here in tabular form are the principal points and links to both my referee previews and Walter’s minute by minute referee reviews.
Mr Clattenburg is held by some to be the best referee in the world – these numbers should put paid to that notion. In any other walk of life an employee getting less than 60% of decisions correct wouldn’t be in his job for very long without retraining.
| Game | Result | Link to referee review | Weighted Performance % | Bias against both teams | Link to referee preview | Number of wrong Important Decisions | |
| For Arsenal | Against Arsenal | ||||||
| Leicester v Arsenal | 0 – 0 | Ref Review : Leicester – Arsenal | 58.9 | 3/97 | Leicester v Arsenal Sat 20 August – The Match Officials and what we know of them. | 0 | 3 |
| Arsenal v Spurs | 1 – 1 | Ref Review: Arsenal – Tottenham: 25 fouls and one yellow card | 59.5 | 82/18 | Arsenal v Spurs Sunday 6 November 2016 – The Match Officials | 0 | 2 |
| Everton v Arsenal | 2 – 1 | Ref review Everton – Arsenal : the Clattenburg-Dean combination, a lethal one | 55.9 | 16/84 | Everton v Arsenal Tuesday 13 December 2016. The Match Officials | 0 | 5 |
By my reckoning we have been denied wins in all three games so Mr Clattenburg is single handedly responsible for 7 of our 12 point deficit to Chelsea.
Mr Clattenburg’s recent history in our matches is covered in depth in all of the previous referee previews. He was decent in 2014-15 but has been getting steadily worse since then – this has coincided by his rising prominence both in this country and internationally – strange but true.
In conclusion
- Mr Clattenburg is a piss poor referee in Arsenal matches
- We will be screwed yet again this weekend
- The Press will have a field-day at our expense with quotes about lack of mental strength, Wenger being past it etc.
- Should any of our players be prepared to stand up to the kicking etc we are likely to receive then they will, of course, be carded at the first opportunity.
- Hull players will have carte blanche for any kind of assault and will only be carded if they bring weapons onto the pitch (even then I’m not entirely sure).
COYG
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Irrespective of whatever referring against Arsenal which Mr Clattenburg may refereed in the PL game between the visiting Hull City team and us on Saturday at the Ems, Arsenal will prevail on any insinuation by the Pgmol to continue to punish us for the altercation Le Prof had a fortnight ago at the Ems with Anthony Taylor, the fourth official in our Burnley PL match.
Despite Mr Clattenburg’s sudden change from been a home referee in Arsenal’s home games at the Ems to an away referee against Arsenal irrespective wherever the game is played in recent times, I believe the Gunners who Le Prof will select to start and be on the bench for our Hull City game can and will deal successfully with any danger Mr Clattenburg may pose to Arsenal getting all points from this game.
Arsenal will beat Hull City because Arsenal are beaters of Hull City. They’ve beaten them before and they can still beat them again on Saturday at the Ems this time by a whooping 4-0 to put salts to their relegation injury fight.
Some years ago Clattenburg was a ref that when I saw his appointment would make me feel comfortable. Yes he wouldn’t give us much but he didn’t seem out to get us.
But then came the Ed Sheeran incident. Clattenburg broke the PGMO rules and his career looked to find an end… but after a few weeks he came back….a different person.
As if someone had spoken to him and gave him some “advice”.
And suddenly Clattenburg turned from a fair referee in to one of the most brilliantly hidden referees against us. (A trademark of a potential good referee in fact).
Suddenly our players got send off, he gave penalties against us and refused to give us penalties when our players was fouled. The bias numbers increased and increased against us….
And his reward? All the finals in the world. Because well potentially he is a good ref.
But when doing an Arsenal match… he turns in the strange biased ref we now have seen since the Sheeran incident.
I really wonder what he had to give up in order to get all those lovely matches… I think I know. I think I have noticed it. I think I have seen it by now.
Get yourself ready for more screwing up this Saturday.
If the words “at the end it evens up” mean anything we should get a few ridiculous penalties and some undeserved sending offs from Hull players. Somehow I doubt I will see this….
This is the sort of game where we might have expected to see Scott, Tierney or Atwell, but not ever now. I guess Riley needs to keep our crap run going and who better to bow to the evil goblin, than Clattenburg. His ‘international’ performances are nothing like what he dishes out here to Arsenal. The non-penalty against Everton for Sanchez and the weak penalty against Spuds, demonstrate all we need to fear.
These referees are mega-ambitious, celebrities in their own mirrors. We may well be shafted by this man again.
I wouldn’t get too pumped up and bent out of shape about Clattenberg…..he might actually have a decent game, as in the past BUT regardless, it is Arsenal’s game to win!
The thing is, if Arsenal are on form and play to their ability and concentration the ref will have difficulty covering up his wrong decisions.
We know the ref, if Untold can tell about him i’m sure Arsenal knows about him and will/should extend their tactics to deal with that ref.
Plays must realise they have to control their ego/anger as the sacrifice to win. Don’t stop playing(a serious mistake by us) until the whistle is heard.
The little things like this need fixing and are seemingly being ignored.
//
How about UNTOLD co-organise a petition from all football blogs, channels, pages to flood the TV with a petition to stop molly coddling the refs, and to critisise them when warranted.
OT http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-38933817
Arsenal & all truth loving people should also follow suit.
Everything being set up for what the WOB/media/thick Ex players want to see, the end of Wenger.
Clatts will do his best, expect us to get nearer the magic ten penalties conceded of need be
Assuming the majority of players want to play under Wenger, they are really going to have to stand up and be counted until,the end of the season, the knives are out for Wenger like never before
How about UNTOLD co-organise a petition from all football blogs, channels, pages to flood the TV with a petition to stop molly coddling the refs, and to critisise them when warranted.”
I think you are on to something here para. I just wish I had the time to follow through with this idea.
Menace,
The astonishing thing is that it has taken the club 28 years to do it.
Expect to see fewer gushing Liverpool documentaries and generally less favourable Murdoch media focus on Liverpool.
To your point, we ought yo ban idiots like Merson, Smith, Wright and Henry from the ground and training ground as well as picking on individual scum journalists when they publish egregious rubbish.
@Mandy
I find it a bit weird that last four games for Arsenal this season are Tottenham (A), United (H), Stoke (A) and Everton (H). Two Arsene’s unpleasant rivals at home and two tough trips. It almost looks like a prepared final barrier for Arsene in case we are too close to the top.
Oh, yes, about Howe… Judging by ref reviews, Bournemouth have been hard done by the refs this season. I’d add two points from the game against Arsenal as Mustafi should have been booked before Xhaka’s penalty and he made a few fouls later on so he should have walked away before we completed our come-back.
Maybe PGMO took rumours about Howe being Arsene’s heir too literally.
Oh dear, a gloomy prospect. Walter’s life history of Clattenburg rings all too true. All I can say is, I’m glad I never had to sell my soul in my working life.
Maybe Josif, tho if reports are correct, the PGMOL should be getting in touch with any remaining calciopolli counterparts in Italy to get at Max A if they want to damage future Arsenal managers……not that I really believe a word of those reports.
ClockEnd Rider – agreed. There are to many lost souls out there & Arsenal should ensure the stay lost.
Classic bit of spin on Ian Wrights idiocy. http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/38939129
If you were told then why does the whole pile of shit spin on body language. Wrighty you are a thick pundit being screwed by the media.
There’s a trump feel to the whole AW out thing; idiotic fans just clamouring for change regardless of direction that’ll take the club in. Sad.
Menace
That’s just a segment from 30 minutes of quite interesting studio chat between Wright & two others (didn’t pay much attention to who they were TBH) about Wenger.
I heard the full broadcast. Ian spoke respectfully and highly about Arsene He told an anecdote about himself and Arsene. He shared how well Arsene treats players in stark contrast to GG.
He then made his mistake in sharing his meeting with Arsene and giving as these highly paid spoofers do their slant on what some one says.
This has been taken up as ‘gospel’ making sure that the wrong doing, the wrong information is not the publisher’s doing (in this case the BBC) but Ian Wright is the sinner.
So of course in the report of what Ian said. His praise of Arsene is not mentioned.
For BBC read donald trump.
The most interesting line I feel is ” the players have let him down badly ” wish he would have expanded on that
There’s a link on today’s Arseblog to an interesting reveal of Wenger’s opinion of Wright. This is as reported Wright it, but I have no reason to disbelieve him on this issue. Check it out.
http://news.arseblog.com/2017/02/wright-winded-wenger-could-walk-in-the-summer/
This is as Wright reported it
Another reveal on LG this morning that bloggers, ex players & journos are “paid off with access etc…..
As if we didn’t already know.
That purveyor of false news, Neil Ashton, who moved from The Mail to The Sun, must be spitting chips. No doubt pre-warned over Wikipedia’s banning of The Mail from making updates (apparently because of “Fake News” updates), he moved to The Sun and is now working for another proven Fake News media outlet. Add to this, his “in charge” role at Sky, I’d suggest he’ll be a forgotten man in the not too distant future.
The main problem with so called “Fake News” is that it’s insidious, and if delivered properly, actually has the majority of receivers believing it. That is why it is such a great tool for people, who wish to undermine or change public opinion, by getting into the heads of the masses. And, football fans are one of the biggest “masses” there is on earth, making us collectively manipulable.
Unfortunately, there is a massive difference between what happened to Liverpool, and what we perceive to be happening to Arsenal. Lives lost is a powerful and emotional tool of persuasion, and I’m not sure if our collective could be the same as the one borne of the 96 campaign.
Sadly, I think that the one non participant for us would be Arsenal Football Club – I don’t think the Board has the balls to take on the powers that be!
The problem with Wright saying the players let Wenger down after meeting with AW suggests AW might have complained to Wright some players let him down. Doubt AW would do that, even if he felt he was let down by some players, and certainly wouldn’t tell it to Wright of all people.