By Bulldog Drummond
So now we see the PGMO fighting back against VAR – undoubtedly the first assault of many. An article has appeared in the Guardian including these lines
Refereeing decisions are not the real problem here. The real problem is the ludicrously disproportionate attention devoted to discussing refereeing decisions. The number of actual injustices, as opposed to disagreements, is minuscule next to this overwhelming fog of rage.
I think they have been reading the PGMO view that the refs can now deliver over 100% accuracy, and have taken it to be true. This is why Untold doesn’t donate a cup of coffee to you each week (as you requested) to keep the paper going. It’s no good having brilliant reportage of the Prime Minister if you can’t also get the basics right with the footie.
Meanwhile Everton are supposedly in talks to sign Walcott (still), Mr Wenger isn’t worried about Lacazette’s lack of goal scoring, and Alexis is or is not going to Manchester City or United (unless he already has between the time I wrote this and you reading it).
But the best bloggetta match preview of all is from the guy who said he was trying to write one, but had to go down the shops. That is the sort of honesty we need more of in football.
Ah well, let’s wrap up today’s game.
As we know, Arsenal are in drawing mode, having drawn five of the last seven PL games. And here’s a stat I missed before: Arsenal could go four games without a win at the start of a calendar year for the first time since 1995. Actually that is not one of mine, but comes from the BBC’s negativity vault.
Here is another
- Alexandre Lacazette hasn’t scored in seven Premier League appearances, his longest run without a goal in league competition since a 10-match streak between February and May 2013.
And one that we knew: Arsene Wenger and Eddie Howe are the Premier League’s two current longest-serving managers, although Eddie’s job might be up for grabs if Bournemouth go down and have to pay that big fine for spending too much of players.
Aaron Ramsey is back ready to join the team, so even if Jack is fit I would expect Ramsey to play, so as not to put extra pressure on Jack immediately; Jack could go on the bench and the two could share the game between them.
But of course the alternative to this would be to play both Jack and Aaron in front of Xhaka, and that could be something Mr Wenger has in mind, but with both players just coming back from injury I think this is a jump too far. Better to give them more time to practice the new formation first.
Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac won’t play. Mesut Ozil will also have a late fitness test after missing the League Cup match against Chelsea. Alexis is of course available.
So what sort of line up does that gives us? Well actually we have a multiplicity of choices…
Lacazette
Alexis Ozil Welbeck
Ramsey Xhaka
Maitland-Niles Mustafi Holding Bellerin
Cech
Playing both Ramsey and Jack together would give us
Lacazette
Alexis Ozil
Wilshere Ramsey
Xhaka
Maitland-Niles Mustafi Holding Bellerin
Cech
Although if you really wanted something a little different and unexpected one might try
Lacazette
Ramsey Alexis
Xhaka Wilshere
Maitland-Niles Holding Mustafi Chambers Bellerin
Cech
This is quite interesting, in that it would totally take the opposition by surprise and it would give a chance to change the style of play around depending on how the game was going.
Certainly whichever way we look at it, if we want the back three it would be Holding, Mustafi, Chambers with obviously Bellerin and Maitland-Niles either side, but that then doesn’t allow for any obvious route for playing both Ramsey and Wilshere together other than that format suggested above.
The rest of the squad who would then one way or another make up the beach, and would then give us a selection from (depending on exactly who is picked) Chambers, Welbeck, Iwobi, Mertesacker, Ooooospina, Nelson, Elneny.
As for the issue about Lacazette scoring or not scoring, you might want to be wary of the Give Me Sport bloggetta headline that reads, “Arsene Wenger reveals the cause of Alexandre Lacazette’s recent goal drought” because curiously the article doesn’t tell us the cause at all. Well! I’ve never come across anything like that before.
That’s it. We are into our 11th year.
A reminder that our Women are in cup action this afternoon against Reading. The game is at Wycombe Wanderers ground with kick-off at 14:00. Im just about to leave Home to go to that game. Ticket price for an old-timer was £3 and I’m sure will be available on the gate. If you are in the area do come along. The winner will play either Chelsea or City in the final.
COYG
Alexis is not in the match day squad.He is as good as gone. So sad for the image of Arsenal that top players keep leaving and some not so top players also leave e.g Ox going to a less rich team in Liverpool.
actually if you really wanted to surprise the opposition we could go with:
Lagavulin (a 16 year old single malt from the Scottish island of Islay)
Ramachandra (a Hindu deity who, as ‘supreme being’ would surely be able to unlock the tightest of defences) Alexis Bledel (who famously appeared in the Golden Girls and who would distract Bournemouth defenders in quite different ways than our ‘want-away’ Chilean.
Shaka Zulu (the renowned 19th century warrior chief) Wiltshire (the English county famous for for its ancient monuments like Stonehenge and Avebury)
Niles Crane (brother of Frasier) who is known to be fiercely competitive (as many younger brothers are) Micheal Holding (the West Indian fast bowler, one of the fastest men in sport over a few yards) Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) the founding father of the modern Turkish state, Dorothea Chambers (a proven ‘winner’ winning Wimbledon no less than SEVEN times) and making up the back five the Kray twins (google it if you want to know why).
In goal I’d go with all the great keepers from Arsenal’s past, starting with Jack Kelsey, through Bob Wilson, Jennings, Seaman, the mad German, the mad Pole, and Petr (the cap) Cech. All at once – that way there is no chance that the Cherries attack will get through and we have an even chance of saving a penalty.
there you go Tony, that’l surprise Mr Howe
Regardless of the result, we are the laughing stock of the Premier league.It is down to AW, end of.At the moment it is a gamble that has not paid off.How can we allow two World class players go for 30million to our rivals.
I am a Wenger fan, however he is coming to the end of his time.Too much control.I hate to agree with some pundits, but it is too easy for the players at Arsenal.A clear out is needed.
On a positive note, it was good to see Jack made captain on Wednesday.Make him the Captain for the rest of the season.
One other positive note, we clearly are making moves to when Wnger goes.Bringing in the two guys from Barcelona and Dortmund is a sound move.
pigmob in denial again. The blatant handballs in the Newcastle and Southampton which were not given with so-called officials well placed to see them must be there way of showing us how little need of VAR there is. The BBC also have a story regarding complaints about championship refereeing. Obviously everyone else is suffering from mass hallucinations. They make themselves more ridiculous with every game and every post match comment they do issue. Bring on Mr. Robespierre.
We sign a player at his peak for £35 mil, 4 years later after only paying him (in relative terms) £140,000 a week we nearly claim all the transfer fee back..
Man U spend £30 million on the 30 year old and pay him £350,000 a week and we are perceived as a laughing stock.
Fantastic business Arsene.
Yes, its only business….dont worry about challenging for the league.
Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary Tony, thanks for all the hard work that you and the Untold team do to produce regular quality posts and make this a nice place to visit.
RVP went to manure and won the title….
Sure am interested to see whose coming in to replace Alexis-looks like there will be a few changes in the summer too, hopefully the yellow kit will be back and the creepy curse of the blue kit gone for ever.
If Sanchez goes will Wengerball be back?
I hope Lacca breaks is lean period with a hat-trick today.
COYG!
People seem to forget that it was AW who convinced Alexis and Özil to join Arsenal. It’s the players who wanted to leave not the manager wanting them to leave. If AW can get players like Alexis and Özil in the past, he can do it again.
Exactly, Arsene should be praised for bringing these players in at their peak and not beaten with a stick when he sells them on.
You cannot force players to sign a contract when they know (or the agents know) they can double the wages and keep the transfer fee for themselves.
@ Knobby, some people want AW out so badly that it affect their logic. Let’s enjoy the game. Come on Arsenal.
Mr Wenger stated that he would only sell Sanchez if and when he’d have a replacement lined-up.
So this would mean he’s got a replacement and AFC are negotiating, which is a good news.
Then should he sell to City$$$$ or to Manure… I don’t really know.
I’d say to the higest bidder. And as City$$$$ need him more, maybe Manure…
Did Kevin Friend NOT give a penalty against Arsenal with that arm ?
The handball could have been given (let’s be honest, we have seen a lot of worse handballs not given), but that should have not been a free kick in the first place. Obviously the media will “forget” to mention it
gouresh – i’m surprised you haven’t followed RVP to Manure.
In this Bournemouth game Townsend is showing himself up big time. They claim a penalty for Bournemouth when Iwobi elbowed the ball. Iwobi tucked his elbows in and the ball bounced off it. The 2 minions in the stdio agreeing with Townsend.
The number of fouls that Arsenal players have had to cope with is incredible. It is a kick fest for Bournemouth. The grabbing of players when a corner is being taken is another area that PGMOL have a special Arsenal law.
Our playing style(?) just seems ineffective to me a.t.m, don’t know what is going on with the players, much hesitation in front of goal, always trying to find a particular player(usually surrounded) when others are free and in space, i’ve seen them play much better so i wonder where their minds are?
No wonder with all that’s going on at the club, but still, come on lads, wake up and try to win the game, we need points.
Friend is anti Arsenal just like his select team mates. He knew it was a tucked in elbow and broken nose Townsend can’t get over his looks & lack of intelligence.
The hand ball was a 50/50.
Sure it could of been given because the ball travelled a long way.
But was his arm in in in natural position? No. You do not have to have your hands by your side and any movement of your forearms up wards for balance or protection automatically makes the elbows stick out.
Was it arm to ball ? Debatable.
All in all, as I say it could of been given, I’m not sure.
One thing I am sure of is we wouldn’t of got it if it had been at the other end, and it would of been deemed by one and all as the correct decision.
But of course a 50/50 going our way? Well that just wont do will it.
Problem Townsend has is he can’t see a straight line as his nose gets in the way.
Bellerin. Difference between the two sides.
Elbow in the first half. Left foot in the second.
Finally a goal, well done Bellerin and the team.
Or even right foot.
Friend books Xhaka …. who would have guessed.
now the cnuts see the Cook elbow in Danny’s face.
That was an elbow in danny face or not?
Cook fouls again & is still on the field!!!
Paul the gooner- fighting with 1 arm tied behind ur back is tough, arsene is fighting with his hands & arms tied. The pl ref have ganged up against him, no matter what even if he gets the best 11, the ref will find a way against arsene. Hope there is some hungry jorno out in england who can do a scoop on the pgmo. Just enjoy the time of arsene, there will none like him out there.
Not even booked yet.
Come on lads, defend in their half not in ours
Thats worth a card regardless if he has been booked before
Well well, i say it again defend in their half please.
Both goals offside.
If we stay in our half we will lose this.
Why Walcott?
Changing formations during a game, Bellerin and Niles less effective and we concede a goal where Chambers was.
If we dont buck up it will be 3-1
Bournemouth are working hard, closing down.
Taking the ball at every chance
Now will wait for how the ref screwed us over. Nothing about for bloody rubbish we were.
gouresh
We are mental and strategy weak
Team getting worse or are we doing favours?
Para. Who made us this weak?
burn the referees. It’s not wenger’s fault
Another average (to say the least) performance that would still have been a win if the referee gave the obvious red cards to Cook and Gosling in the second half.
Stoke, Watford, City, United, WBA, Chelsea, Bournemouth, that is now 7 matchs this season Arsenal were blatantly stolen points from by referees decisions. 15 points at least, which would have easily put Arsenal in second place.
And the only talking point you will see in the media is Iwobi handball on an inexistant free kick
If AW has any decency left, he should step down.
well played Arsenal. Lots of mistakes but you cannot play against the grain.
The press will have a field day as they stir the shit (with the AAA).
If Cech leaves his line for the first goal his got to win the ball , Sky actually showed a replay of there second goal we’ve been shafted again clear offside goal
Both Bournemouth goals offside, handball in build up to first and foul in build up to second
It also heard today from an article that in Chile that Sánchez has been guaranteed five penalties a season if he signs for one year of the Manchester clubs.
gouresh
We all know the answer don’t we?
We’ve seen the degradation over the last 10 years or not even though some try to ignore it(even i sometimes did in the past).
Offside or not, we are just not playing football, we are rubbish, we are not frightening other teams, in fact they love to play us, they know they(especially lower teams) have a very good chance of getting something, that cannot be denied.
The difference is some still choose to support the club and some turn on there own.
Arsenals success has always been in waves and we are in a dip atm
It’s very quiet here, those with heads in the sand thinking they are invisible have probably died due to lack of fresh air? 🙂
Sorry i just could not resist that.
@knobby: you have raised a very important point. Support the club…which UA has long forgotten. People are genuinely delusional here and you see rubbish getting sprouted as “Arsenal would have been in second place, but for the referees.” Tony, Walter and co. publish 2-3 articles per day about referees, corruption, this, that…but one person is untouchable, perfect, divine. This club is on course to a free fall, which pains me as a supporter; but this was expected. No amount of deflection will hide Wenger’s incompetencies. He’s burning the club down to the ground, while earning millions.
Thank you for what u have done for Arsenal football club Arsene! But today is the day i change to the Wenger Out brigade. I will not flame him or call him names, but today for the first time really dont believe that he is the right man anymore. Its sad because in hindsight he should have left in the summer after winning 3 fa-cups in 4 years, it would be a good exit, but now its gonna be a farce i am afraid. The keeping Alexis for another year have backfired really hard, and to not include him in the team today feels like a blantant lie from the manager. He has stated always that Alexis will give his 100% while beeing here at Arsenal from what we experienced today he did already leave in the summer… It was very clear to see today that without Alexis and Øzil we are a mid-table team at best. Lets hope we finnish below 6th so we dont have to play in the Thursday-League next year too!
para
How do you not realize that the main reason that they are not frightened if because they know that the referees will give them that opportunity. If Arsenal manage to get at least 2 goals margin in the first half, then the referee will likely just do this job, and the second half will be a cruise.
But if the game is tied, or a one-goal margin game, then you can be sure that the referee will take any chance to help that lower team, and the lower team also knows it, and start to do things on the field they wouldn’t otherwise because they know they will get away with it.
I mean, just watch Cook elbow on Welbeck, that is 2 red cards offences (the elbow and the goal scoring opportunity denying) in the same foul, yet Friend don’t even gave a free kick. And the pundits don’t even question it…
For some of us it hurts when we lose. So fcuk of para with your heads in the sand shit. The team that was put out today is unusual but there must be some things that need to be done that we don’t know.
Arsenal_62 – you are on the wrong soap box.
Vince – not everyone sees the fouls they are too busy looking at Wenger zip his jacket.
This is going to be hard… I need to support the Ox..
@menace: why don’t you sod off?
How many kicks did Jack have to take & how many were called foul? & there are those who expect us to win with such blind officiating.
Arsenal_62
14/01/2018 at 3:59 pm
@menace: why don’t you sod off?
Because of ignorant dickheads like you. Who are you supporting when Arsenal lose a game?
Mr Wenger not happy at all with both goals
Most of us do not rely on the ref getting every decision right to win a game!
As always, Menace, blame anyone else.
Without Sanchez and Ozil, we don’t have the raw talent to just overpower lower level opposition.
Bloody hell Ox scores a screamer.. Invincibles hashtag and all that.
At Wycombe our Women have got to the final of the Continental Tyres cup by beating Reading three two. Jordan Nobbs clinching the win in the 82nd minute.
Collectively our play was far from good, I may be wrong but our players seemed scared of reprisals from the match officials and played often with the ‘hand-brakes on’. Could have been other reasons why we didn’t play well but this team selection was quite good and had a decent chance of winning, yet didn’t. None of them was, individually, a pushover yet as a team it just didn’t work for them.
Another thing I noticed was that lack of “fire in the belly” Bournemouth players showed more of it. Of course you would if you knew the ref was not going to call you out even if you stamped on Wilshere’s foot (twice) and the ref calls a foul but only does a talking to (the culprit was already on a yellow card). I think the odds are deliberately being stacked against AFC and the players are playing with that affecting them subconsciously.
Top 4 this season? It doesn’t look likely. Arsène walks? Perhaps.
U A does support the club, it just had another perspective, and its a relative world, so it has every right and grasp on “truth” as any other.In the football sphere some think its Wenger, some dont.
Yet when we look,the thing is that all causes,ebb and flows,aspects rising and falling, are long term, and never a single point or thing. If Wengers made things go sour then he was the one who made things sweet. These are both flase statements, as nobody can act alone or independantly.
Why is it the team were responding in previous season, and not this one? Would it have been better to have sold Sanchez in the summer? How much of the transfer problem with Sanchez/Özil has caused disruption in the dressing room?
We do have many players injured, so the team that was out there today isnt the full force,it isnt evidence of decline, it was more evidence of squad not playing as a team, and manay players not on form and how much we are missing many players. Why is our away form so bad?
Everyones got their scapegoat, perhaps everyones right, and everyones wrong?
Bournemouth knew they could exploit the hyterical pre-match reaction to Sanchez not playing today, they know we get out heads down away from home if we go behind-Forest knew this. And the next club will exploit the post match hysterical reaction.
I care about the club more than anything, but the club is a stream of things, and now having to deal with the endless meltdown seems an unhealthy part of the club, one which wont go away when AW does leave. Tonys proved this time and time again, at least through his historical analysis.
As football becomes more and more about the orgasm of winning, the less people will have that chance to fulfill their lives with it,as more and more teams will compete with more and more money? Imagine if it was ten or more teams fighting for the top four? And theres a good chance of this starting to happen…
Much of our problems are self made.And other clubs know this…but we live in a world of sensationalism and we bet our emotions on the back of a game that wont ever give us what we want, or if it deos it will only last a short time.
It will be a tough job for Ancelotti or whoever comes in?
Charlie Wyett today on Alexis Sanchez:
“He used to make it clear to Wenger that he did not like being substituted and on the occasions he was replaced he just wouldn’t talk to Wenger on the training ground for a couple of days.
Sanchez would blank Wenger after being substituted. He had such a hump that he would just blank his manager, which is quite unusual. Sometimes, as a result, he wasn’t being taken off when he should have been and there have been injuries he has sustained when he was playing matches he shouldn’t have been.”
We don’t need a player like that at Arsenal. I simply don’t care how good he is, we should never have bought him in the first place. Headlines this afternoon are saying ‘Arsenal lose without Sanchez’ which means one thing: a single player has become bigger than the club. Can you imagine what that does for the morale of the team? That niggling doubt in the players’ minds they can’t win without him, the divisions in the dressing room between players who want him to stay and those who want him out. The board and Wenger must take responsibility for allowing this petulant, childish little man to draw such negative publicity onto the team and the club.
Sell him to whoever will pay the most. Just get him out and let’s move on.
Please go back to the 4-2-3-1 formation. Bournemouth was poor and we couldn’t beat them, I’m very disappointed. Theo must have the record for the most offside in the league, how he keeps on getting offside and never learn to fix it is beyond me.
Bobome
‘lack of ‘fire in the belly’ is just another way of expressing ‘no cojones’
Actually, I don’t think that’s the problem at all, but more that we do not have good enough players to compete at this level, and with the only world class ones due to leave any time soon we’ll be even worse off.
I do not quite understand the criticism of TW,
He was on the pitch for 10 minutes or so, for the first time in a league march for yonks.
One of the offsides was marginal.
A player like him needs the correct pass at the correct time, which did not happen.
I think it is best to look for reasons and not excuses.
Missing 5 shoo-in first teamers is not a bad reason, especially as 2 of the them are the ones who produce most of the crucial passes in the opposing goal area.
Missing our 2 better centre backs is another good reason,
We lost, not for the first time, because the defence were not concentrating. Another good reason.
Can they improve, possibly, but with our 2 main strikers not in the goals for ages, that would be another reason why not.
The ref could have given a penalty against us, and in my view, most probably should have.
He should also have sent cook off, but we have seen it many times that a ref is lenient like that, with our players as well.
My only complaint is that it looks like their 2nd goal was offside.
Reason, not excuse.
Mansour City capitulating, 4-1 down…
Hang on Liverpool!
Interesting to read about all the fouling against us. And red cards not given. And off side goals. We got a result when VAR was used in the League Cup. Implement VAR everywhere!
If anybody cannot see the abysmal way we are refereed then I suggest it is you that are deluded and not us.
That being said I am not suggesting that had we been refereed with a balanced hand we would be challenging for the title. I’m not even suggesting we would be 2nd or 3rd. I truly believe both Spurs and Liverpool are better than us this season.
NB: But even that has to be taken into context with the way being systematically robbed of points can affect the confidence. They must truly wonder why they bother at times. Blatantly robbed at WBA, Watford and Stoke.
The non penalty awards against United were beyond a joke.
I believe beyond doubt that we are better than both Man Utd and Chelsea.
If we were refereed in a fair and balanced way we would be sitting in a comfortable top 4 spot, but not only that our confidence and the mood around the Emirates would be nothing like it is now.
Oh well, on a disappointing day at least the we can still say:
THE INVINCIBLES RIEGN
Hurray hurray! The Invincibles still reign supreme! And Liverpool, another rival, nearly gave away a four one lead. Come on Arsenal!
I will say one thing.
The endless running and closing down to the very last minute, from both Liverpool and City is something I don’t see enough of from us at times.
Again, just to qualify this, it could be a confidence thing.
It could be a ‘why do we bother’ thing.
It might just be me. Maybe we do.
I am a stats man and would be interested to see some stats on our running and closing down and how we compare, not only with Liverpool and City, but with Spurs and United.
I’m sure someone knows these stats.
Excuses, excuses.I am a total AW supporter.He should have gone at the end of last season.What is going to happen this time next year, will he stay or go!
I do not think he can motivate the team anymore.
3 at the back, I am not sure.
How long does anybody stay in any job for 10yrs, let alone 20yrs.
Lets just think back.Lost to Notts F and now Bournemouth.Yes, Sanchez has to go, but to say he may go, or I do not know is poor, especially after he has continued to say he fights for the Club.
Please do not blame the ref for this performance.
Please do no pretend you cannot see the bias that goes on in every match.
See, we can all do that.
A penalty should have been awarded against Arsenal, and Cook could have been sent off. I didnt see a bias from the ref in this game.If he wanted to cheat Arsenal, the penalty was an opportunity bcos he was right in front of iwobi. The question is why did iwobi move his elbow towards the ball?It was stupid. The ball travelled a long distance before Iwobi hand connected with the ball.
The question is why you can do foul after foul and not get the 2 yellow cards you deserve ?
See, we can all do that as well.
Menace
We all hurt when we lose, some of us hurt when the club is going backwards, some hurt so much that they even resort to expletives against others who are feeling the same hurt and pain at the demise of our club.
Refs always make mistakes, some refs make deliberate mistakes, but for a manager to not coach his team to be better and offset the ref’s “mistakes” is a disastrous performance as manager.
As time goes on, it is becoming increasingly clear that AW has lost it. His many years of being in football and his experience is just not paying off anymore, quite the contrary, it is making the club worse rather than better. His training methods have become very suspect today.
Of course some still prefer to hide behind the refs mistakes rather than see the reality of the situation as it is.
Agreed about Iwobi. That was a stonewall penalty against Arsenal. To deny it is to revel in one’s own hypocrisy. I do not believe the defence was the prime issue today. The inability of the team to capitilise on the opening goal was crucial. Rather than sitting back and allowing Bournemouth to come on and attack, we should have upped the tempo even further seeking the second goal which I feel would have sealed the result. I read an interesting article about how Iwobi and Welbeck in the side is good for ball retention and bringing midfield players into the game, but lack the creativity of Ozil and Sanchez to create clear goalscoring chances, often from nothing. A difficult balancing act for Wenger, but one I’m not sure he’s got the hang of.
@PTO,
No sir, I disagree with you – ‘lacking cojones’ is being cowardly, while my idiom – lacking fire in the belly – speaks of desire for that which you seek. In the first you are hiding from the challenge, in the second one you are not hiding but you are not putting in the required effort to secure victory. Are they one and the same? No!!
UA speaks of backing up our point of view with hard evidence/logically argued points of view. I have no problem with that. What AFC is facing and that is causing their continuing failings cannot all be supported with hard evidence or facts. They are ‘soft’ and therefore cannot be measured or tracked with scientific instruments of measurement but they are ‘hard’ in a way that cannot be tracked.
All those non-given penalties, the rotational foulings, the wrongly called play advantages, the time delays that are never penalized – Begovic was at it all of the 90 minutes of play today – The non-given 2nd yellow cards where talking to take preference. All teams suffer these but you see AFC appears to have more than a fair share of them hence the outcry on this forum for fair officiating. We are not getting through but here we keep making scapegoats of innocents by what we say.
Then look at the unending sniping from the English Press and Blogs and blogettas – if AFC were an individual I am sure he would have upped sticks and taken leave from all the battering. You can therefore understand the support for Monsieur Wenger by UA and those of us who see things the same way.
When success in an endervour is measured you do so against your expectations and what is actually attained. Are we evaluating AFC in such a manner? Again it is a resounding no. There is no even playing field in the EPL as I thought the call for spending caps was supposed to help achieve. We get very emotional when our Club falls to these nefarious activities and refuse to measure what is happening in an objective way thereby losing the opportunity to put the PigMob on their toes.
My conclusion on this matter is that the EPL and the English F.A and their people are the ultimate loosers – no World Cup places for their referees is a start, more will follow sure as the day follows the night.
To be fair we did have a referee going to Russia, Clattenburg but he decided to head to the middle east.
The refs for the WC were chosen 2 years ago so we cannot just send the great Mike Dean over.
Here’s a question of consistency. When Maitland Niles shoulder charges an opponent it is deemed a foul yet when Flamino does the same thing to Stones, it is considered as bullying for the ball. It must be the Arsenal Law.
I was a bit down with our result and our performance ; then had a couple of glasses of wine ; watched the later part of the Liverpool Vs Man City game , and had a laughing fit !
Oh , and I felt a lot better after that. Thanks for asking ! Now I understand why some people feel so elated at others’ misfortunes . The changing expressions on both those managers’ faces were priceless .
And Arsenal still remain the ONLY club to remain unbeaten over an EPL season !
Refereeing shenanigans started well over 2 years ago so it is not a recent phenomenon, or how long has it is been since UA started banging on about unfair officiating from the PigMob?
I feel much better after reading this .
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/features/are-you-still-pissed-from-last-night-20180114142154
Which club do you guys feel AFC should ‘sell’ Sanchez to ?
As far as I am concerned, I’d say City$$$. They are not unbeaten anymore, they’ve pretty much won the league and we can’t catch them.
Manure on the other hand will be a contender for CL places. Not sure strengthening them is such a good idea….
Nothing wrong with three at the back its a flexible formation that allows pressing higher up the pitch and an attacking game.
The problem is the players. Chambers, Holding & Mustafi is not a great 3 for me & that isn’t our first choice.
First thing I would do is go and buy a top quality CB, Koscielny has a problem that will keep flaring up. I would also buy a proper DM. I like Xhaka, he is underrated but for me he isn’t a natural DM. We need someone who is defensively minded and will sit in front of the three.
Menace
14/01/2018 at 4:02 pm
Arsenal_62
14/01/2018 at 3:59 pm
@menace: why don’t you sod off?
Because of ignorant dickheads like you. Who are you supporting when Arsenal lose a game?
UA doesn’t seem much bothered when abuses are hurled by certain sections of the posters.