by Andrew Crawshaw
Our Officials for this match are :-
- Referee – Chris Kavanagh Age 42 born in Manchester
- Assistant Referee 1 – Peter Kirkup from Northamptonshire
- Assistant Referee 2 – Adam Nunn from Wiltshire and FIFA accredited
- Fourth Official – Andre Marriner Age 46 from the West Midlands
This will be Mr Kavanagh’s ninth match in the Premier League this season after a trial match between West Brom and Southampton (0 – 1) on 8 April last season. So far this season his games have been
| Match | Res | Assistant 1 | Assistant 2 | 4th Official |
| Brighton v West Brom | 3 – 1 | Peter Kirkup | Sian Massey-Ellis | Andre Marriner |
| Burnley v Huddersfield | 0 – 0 | Peter Kirkup | Sian Massey-Ellis | Graham Scott |
| Newcastle v Watford | 0 – 3 | Stuart Burt | Andy Halliday | Anthony Taylor |
| Everton v Huddersfield | 2 – 0 | Gary Beswick | Mick McDonough | Mike Dean |
| Southampton v Leicester | 1 – 4 | Gary Beswick | Sian Massey-Ellis | Roger East |
| Brighton v Burnley | 0 – 0 | Constantine Hatzidakis | Mick McDonough | Andre Marriner |
| Watford v Leicester | 2 – 1 | Lee Betts | Sian Massey-Ellis | Andre Marriner |
| Stoke v Newcastle | 0 – 1 | Peter Kirkup | Sian Massey-Ellis | Craig Pawson |
We can see that he has had experienced PGMO officials ‘whispering in his ear’ for all of his games this year. This will be the 4th time that Andre Marriner has acted as fourth official so we shouldn’t expect Mr Kavanagh to break the mould of PGMO officials.
This will be the first time, as far as I can see, that Mr Kavanagh has been allowed to blow a whistle in an Arsenal Game. He has been fourth official once this season with Mike Dean in charge – our 1 – 1 draw away at West Brom and we all know how that game turned out.
Needless to say Mr Kavanagh’s testimony along with both assistant referees, Stephen Child and Adam Nunn, was word for word the same as that of Mike Dean as Arsène got banned for three games. Cynics will probably say this match is his reward especially with Andre Marriner on hand to ensure that he sticks to the script.
I am disappointed that Sian Massey-Ellis won’t be running the line as I have always been impressed with her but we are still denied her presence in a league game.
Conclusions
- This is a fairly skimpy preview as there are absolutely no prior matches from which to draw inferences.
- The available evidence is that Mr Kavanagh is unlikely to offer any change in the current hard-line stance of the PGMO against Arsenal.
- He is paired with Andre Marriner who has engineered losses for Arsenal in both of the games he has refereed – 6 not given penalties, 1 wrongly awarded goal and three players not being sent off.
- I think we can expect to see the usual refereeing tricks employed on Saturday – phantom fouls, inappropriate advantages, probably an offside goal and certainly there will be a good probability of another dodgy penalty.
- As ever though if we get a quick start and a couple of early goals then the refereeing will probably be perfectly acceptable.
COYG
- Revealed: how most of the Arsenal transfer stories will conclude at the end of January.
- The deal is done. Oh yes it is. Oh no it isn’t. You’re making it up. Oh no I’m not.
- Arsenal’s transfers only confused by the needy media seeking to be at the centre
From the History Society
- Defeat to Rotherham and Millwall, four games without a goal, beating Man C
- Arsenal establish themselves in the Division 1 amidst scandal, profiteering and strikes.
How the fuck can they put someone in directly involved in that incident? So blatant.
Markyb…..What incident? The Sweet FA ,the PIGMOB and as far as anyone can see the media, other clubs, the EPL, and the entire universe have relegated Wenger’s concerns to the dustbin faster than Dean can award a penalty against us.
Only last week the whole cast of Muppets parroted the exact same story about Arsene ‘ leaning aggressively’ at That Cunt Dean. He’s going to be as impartial as a good old Manc lad can be. He’s volunteered to go over the top with the Whistle for Mike Melchiot King and Country for his first foray in Frenchie country.
When was the last time we started quickly?
We seem regularly to have to wait until the 2nd half before we get going, so any goals against in the first half and we are chasing the game again.
I wonder if the PGMO will do their best to sabotage the implementation of VAR?
Talksport are saying Chelsea are after Peter Crouch..
And they are serious.
WALTER,
That’s a certainty, the issues in the Chelsea cup game were the opening salvo.
NO! The VAR will come to stay in the PL when it comes next season. And no amount of sabotage by the PGMO to take it off the table will see the VAR that has come to stay disappeared from the PL. But is Antonio Conte not making a ruse for making sake? Because I think he was happy with Chelsea beating Norwich on Penalty shootout to qualify for the 4th round of the FA Cup to escaped the wroth of Abram Abramovic and resort to making blah blah blah to contest the referee’s decision for given Morata a 2nd booking for decent after been earlier booked for fouling before he appealed to be given a penalty which was turned down for his easy stimulation after been slightly hand pulled on his shoulder by the opponent in the box which was rightly adjudged by the referee not to be a sufficient pull to make him go down but he aided the pull by diving to deceive. I watched the match live and the slow motion replays of that incident. I give it to the match referee on the night as a correct decision taken by him. But I am not a referee.
As Giroud is not fit to go for a medical at Dortmund now due to the injury he has sustained and as a result of this his injury, he can’t go to Dortmund now who reportedly want him as part of the deal that will see Aubameyang transfered to Arsenal. Can Arsenal then offer Welbeck to Dortmund in exchange for Giroud as time is of the essence in the transfer market for Arsenal who is looking to get this deal over the line with the minimum delays?
As regard to the appointment of referee Kavanagh by the PGMO to be the centre referee for our home match against Crystal Palace in the PL on Saturday. But irrespective of whatever be the anti-Arsenal referring referee Kavanagh and his 2 match assistants including the forth official have been instructed by the PGMO to do against the Gunners in the game against the Eagles, Arsenal will prevail on both the Crystal Palace team and the PGMO match officials in the mat h with all 3 points collection victory over them. For, to be bitten once is to be twice shy. In this regard, Arsenal will not allow themselves to be bitten twice within a fortnight by the PGMO match officiating officials who have conspired at WBA game against Le Boss to latter give an evil reports against him before an FA disciplinary panel which made the FA to slammed a 3 match touchline ban on him.
I’m just hoping that the PIGMOB infuriate ‘Mad’ Jens enough into reacting , and he lashes out at them.
Any case taken against him would be challenged in the courts and that will probably be a barrel of fun !
Funnily enough Walter, I said exactly that yesterday, VAR is to refs as Xmas is to turkeys, all that power will slowly ebb away as honest decisions will need to be made without the obusifcution of ‘it all evens itself out’
Due to the last results of Arsenal, i go into this match with a sense of apprehension at what else will go wrong now.
Yet with the hope that Arsenal as usual now start to wake up for the end slog and create a magnificent run towards the end, even though 1st place seems to be long gone and out of sight.
Hoping that Alexis goes today so that he can take no part(according to AW, if he is still here he may play) so that the rest(if the stories of unrest in the changing room is true) can start to breathe again and fire their bodies up for the challenges to come.
They must know now that performance is going to determine who is playing for Arsenal next season?
180 million ? hahaaaa
Koz vs Alexis ? My Kos all the day
Incredible how the press can turn things… Now Sanchez and AFC are really really really bad guys and they did poor City wrong….
http://www.football365.com/news/how-tractor-fan-alexis-sanchez-betrayed-gentleman-pep
With Benjamin Mendy still absent, Guardiola will be forced to play someone out of position at left-back.
“We have a problem [at left-back] for the next few weeks,” he said. “We have had a problem since the start of the season because we decided to start the season with just one full-back. We hadn’t options to buy because we spent enough money.
Oops there it is, 1!
Mental aggression, they should have learned something so let’s get at them 2-0 first half quick salvo.
Alexis to start if AW is true to his word. If he is still here, he plays Saturday was the essence of it.
Minor knock, Giroud back early, makeweight.
Lets go boys!
Attending, sing at 0-0 show Alexis some love and the gaffer, Mexican wave at the start of the second half!
COYG!
Imagine I was talking to the former head of London Housing an hour or so ago!
Wonderful lady, age brings something with it, 80+ and the most sane conversation I’ve had since……