By Dr Billy “the dog” McGraw. Head of psychology at the University Hospital of the North Circular Road.
As you will know, if you have followed our coverage of PGMO, the high secretive organisation that makes the Masons look at a come-all-ye at the local pub, the refereeing control body does not talk to outsiders.
Absolute secrecy and control are their watchwords – except it seems where Manchester City are concerned. For most other teams they hand down their rulings, will brook no suggestion that they might be wrong about anything, and persuade the press to follow the line, even when their statements are so barmy that they go around claiming an accuracy level for referees in league matches of over 100%. (This latter masterstroke occurring when they claimed accuracy ratings for decisions of 98% before the introduction of VAR, and then expressed the view that VAR would make them 2.5% more accurate than before.)
So the rule is clear: neither the clubs nor the media is allowed to question PGMO. Except that now along has come Manchester City FC and they have been granted their own private (and of course ultra-secret) meeting with PGMO. The subject matter is the accusation that referees are being soft of players who have the absolute audacity to tackle Manchester City players.
The meeting will occur in about three weeks time and of course immediately we might think that if there is to be a meeting why there should be such a delay. After all it is not as if the referees are particularly busy, apart from handling matches – of which there are more in March than there are in February. So why not meet now?
And then we look at the fixture list and find in quick succession two games between Arsenal and Manchester City.
Quite clearly when the PGMO officials meet Manchester City they will be discussing recent decisions – which means decisions affecting Manchester City. And the PGMO will want to show that it is not being unfair to Manchester City by looking at… well… a couple of recent matches such as those against… Arsenal. Which of course means the order goes out: just remember next week’s meeting lads.
Of course I will be accused of paranoia here, as normal, but consider the facts. PGMO does not ever hold meetings with individual clubs about the way referees treat the clubs. Except now. There is no reason why the meeting should not be held immediately – but it is being put back a little. And which club is certainly not the friend of PGMO? The results are clear. Arsenal.
Better still from everyone’s point of view except Arsenal’s, the referees will go into the meeting with a cover story. Man City are asking for questionable challenges to be subject to retrospective reviews. PGMO will say no, and point to recent games – that is to say the two games against Arsenal, and show just how “balanced” their decisions are.
Man City will push their point that nine decisions against Man City were wrong. If any other team did that they would be severely sanctioned for questioning the integrity and ability of the refs. But Man City? No, they get a meeting, because of the wonderful opportunity that this meeting gives the refs to show the world what they are really up to.
What Guardiola wants is mass sendings off. For him it is not enough that Man City, through its access to the sovereign wealth fund of a repressive regime, can effectively win the League before Christmas. He still wants, he still demands, more. And who better to give it to him than… Mike Riley.
Worse there will be no retrospective sanctions on Man City players or officials for expressing the view that the referees are not doing their job. De Bruyne, for example, recently said, “I don’t know what they are thinking – you can also pull a shirt, that’s more effective than a tackle. Sometimes it gets frustrating. A lot of teams are making a lot of fouls against us. We make a foul, we get a yellow card, I don’t know how it’s possible sometimes.”
Anyone from Arsenal saying that would themselves be hauled up before the PGMO and sanctioned.
So it goes.
You stink of rotten bitter hatred for Manchester City, so much so that you’ll deny opposition players have gone out of their way to injure Manchester City players, in fact 2 were injured by opposition players who were protected by yellow cards, yet Manchester City’s players have injured zero, absolutely none.
My so called Arsenal supporting Step Brother seems to worship you lot here at Untold Arsenal but, all I see is some stuck up little Arsenal fan spouting rubbish because he’s upset liccle old City have pushed over his apple cart.
You are quite right you get injuries but somehow you seem to have forgotten that happens to ALL other clubs. For us Diaby, Ramsey, Eduardo,Sagna suffered serious injuries and we couldn’t get a meeting. We are just known as whiners. Amazing the double standards. All Wenger asked for was protection and just got hammered for it! But obviously it’s us who are biased.
Tony,
I’m back to the content of my previous post on the Rumour mongering thread.
What are the club, its owner, its management doing ? Why are they not up in arms, officially, and screaming : WTF is that ? Why are other clubs NOT reacting ?
Why are they not asking for the same thing ? Why not try to get the same meeting, and just saying it out loud ?
@cityblue Eduardo,Ramsey,RVP,Diaby all had been serioulsy hurt while playing for Arsenal in d epl…did they grant Arsenal an audience? U r the frustrated one.
@CiTyBlUe
not denying anything. Where were the meetings when Aaron Ramsey was mowed down ? When Debuchy was thrown into the pit ? When Diaby was half killed ? When Wilshere was hurt ?
Were were you screaming for them ?
I am – and Untold is from what I know a place where this is shared – opposed to ANY form of agression on any player. Full stop. But when a club cann just call the PL and request a closed door meeting because it thinks the refs are not ok, this is not a level playing field anymore. Why don0’t clubs ask for the same type of meetings about offsides, about added time or whatever they feel aggrieved about.
This just stinks like money can buy anything. How would you have reacted if Mr Wenger had obtained such a meeting to complain about rotational fouling ?
What a clown city blue is. If what you want is to win everything, fine, I concede that man city are great. But if you want the bases loaded to win everything then you have actually won nothing. If you bother to look at arsenals first dozen games of the season the refs were not negligent they were actually controlling the result. I,m not saying Arsenal are the only team affected here but they are the only team I take a lot of notice of. If refs are skewing the results and I strongly believe they are all football fans are being taken for a ride. If ever the fan base work out that football is becoming like Saturday afternoon wrestling on the telly footballs gravy train will come crashing to a halt.
Pep’s behaviour was disgraceful against Wigan, screaming at the ref, pushing arguing with Wigan staff.
Did the FA do anything?
The media silence is pretty deafening regarding the PIGMOB. Not even Football Daily, an entirely independent Youtube-based football news source, says anything about them.
I can only surmise that most of the footballing fraternity just don’t know anything about how referees operate in the UK and are willing to accept horrendous officiating in exchange for banter-laden transfer windows and Monday morning bragging rights.
The fact of the matter is that the system is at best incompetent, and at worst utterly corrupt. And with the fans at large — even the ones with platforms — simply ignoring it, nothing will ever change.
Whether you’re an AKB or AAA or WOB… Whether Wenger stays or goes. Whether the new backroom staff get it right or not. None of that will ever matter because bias will forever go unchecked as long as the PGMO remain.
@CITYBLUE
Do you remember when Yaya Toure made two dangerous tackles in two games of 2013-14 and got away with it? Firstly he made one on Giroud in that 6:3 victory of yours at 3:1 for your team. He wasn’t booked. It could have ended with a serious injury for Giroud. A few games later, Toure did the same thing against Norwich and again, it was deemed he didn’t make a dangerous tackle even if it was a clear red card offence.
Don’t get me wrong – I completely support the idea of protecting all players from dangerous tackles by the butchers of Premiership. The problem is, why didn’t Guardiola –
one of rare managers I actually respect and rate highly – raise his voice when the linesman gave his side the most blatant offside goal ever against Arsenal this season? Or when Sterling dived to win the penalty in the same game?
Why he didn’t suggest an open meeting at which all managers would discuss the poor standard of refereeing with PGMO leader who has stated that 98 percent of decisions his henchmen make are correct?
@Billy McGraw – the good question is, why Arsenal haven’t made a similar initiative that would include all managers of all clubs? Or, a meeting with Riley at which evidence of abnormal refereeing in the Arsenal games would be shown? Not Arsene but Arsenal Football Club should have suggested it.
Cityblue
Elsewhere on here myself and others have expressed our sympathies with City.
I believe teams have got away with some very poor tackles on your players.
I think it is a disgrace.
But where was the sympathy from the media when we were having limbs broken and careers ended.
Where was the private hearing when Eduardos leg was broken in 2? When Diaby had his ankle shattered. Ramsey? The list goes on.
Despite the poor challanges nothing nearing what happened to those guys has happened to any of yours, yet sympathy you get and an audience with the until now ultra secretive PGMOL you get.
As already said, can everyone now have there own little pow wow every time they have a little grievance?
Get off your high horse and see this for the disgrace it is.
Bollocks.
PGMOL always meets with clubs who request talks, so it was a matter of course that they would agree, at a date yet to be set.
For me this is about money and exposure.
1 Mancs have the money to undertake the most expensive legal case against the PMGOL
2 Then through their country sponsors who have a number clubs around the world, mancs owners are in position to expose the corruption in English football.
So talk before going to court and hopefully shut mancs up before mancs sets about them.
I predict a compromise and cover up in order to keep the gravy train running smoothly.
Levenshulme… where do you get your evidence from?
Q & A –
A private audience with the mighty recluse Mike Riley himself ?
YIPPEE !
The PIGMOB are now opening up and hoping to engage us , aren’t they ?
Of course they are ! What else could it be ?
It is of course muay kosher and all above board , right ?
They would hardly shoot themselves in the foot would they ?
It is for everyone and anyone who asks nicely , isn’t it ?
And we at the Arsenal did not know about this?
Where to or to whom to do we apply for this privilege ?
…………………(Fill in the blanks .)
There must be some written rule or provision somewhere , shouldn’t there ?
Logical dictates that it be so .
Or is this a precedence ?
GASPS !
What does this mean to you personally ?
………………………………………………………..
( Again, fill in your answer -use as much space as you need !)
As for me , I would love to know how the f*ck was Silva not offside for their goal ?
And how the fu@k was Sterling not booked for that dive , but instead a penalty given ?
I do hope that Pep reads this and asks the above on my behalf .
Ta , very much !
It is heartening to have these citeh folk on here . Just a shame they are just snipers , unable to engage in meaningful debate. Back to the trough boys.
All teams can and do request meetings with PGMOL and indeed the meetings happen. But for some season only the ones with Manchester City are made public knowledge.
Mr-Ed
If the meetings take place and are not made public how is it you are privy to this information, especially given the secrecy surrounding PGMOL?
Levenshulme Blue
So come on. Where’s your evidence ?
One question.
How, under any circumstances are the referees for either of the Man City V Arsenal matches supposed to remain impartial following the announcement of this meeting ?
For that matter how are they supposed to remain impartial for ANY match involving Man City between now and the hearing ?
These referees are now going in to these matches knowing THEIR EMPLOYERS will shortly be meeting with Man City to face accusations of refereeing bias against them.
How much pressure do you think that that is going to put on these referees to bend over backwards in order to appease Pep and co at Man City ?
I mean, these referees might be f***ing useless, but they’re not stupid.
They know the last thing THEIR EMPLOYERS need now like a hole in the head is any controversial decisions going against Man City.
Conversely, they also know a few decisions in Man City’s favour will do very nicely, thank you very much.
It wont do there careers any harm will it, you know, firing a few bullets back on behalf of there bosses prior to a few laser guided ones coming there way in the not too distant ?
Yes that Xhaka red card will do very nicely thank you very much.
A couple of spot kicks. Nice.
What’s a yard or 2 off side between friends ?
You see Pep, it all evens out in the end.
Blah blah blah !!!!
Look, I think our referees stink. There incompetence knows no bounds, and they are a bunch of cheating b******s.
But even if they where the most honest and saintly bunch of human beings on planet earth, given the position they’ve been put in, I think they have been given very little option other than to curry favour with Man City during ANY match on the run up to this meeting.
It’s a completely unacceptable situation.
I cant believe even the most one eyed City fan cannot see that.
Crazy how most people here seem to think that Arsenal’s problems only revolve around the officiating
City Blue and Levenshulme Blue……
……must be having a good old look around for there evidence cos they sure are taking there time.
well, i don’t think PIGMOB will feed lies to City
if there is a case for a mutually beneficial deal they will happily take it
after all, it’s been some time since the one with United
but i agree the games with Arsenal will take the central place on their slide decks
Now here’s a recipe for corruption to show itself in daylight. Riley the corrupt meeting with Man City the honest. Pep the magnificent & Riley the omnipotent.
They will meet after the Arsenal have put City to bed at Wembley yet again. They will wonder why the dives were not rewarded, why the off sides were called & why only Wenger is sent to the stands to join the prawn sandwich brigade.
The corrupt have such control over football that sewage seeps in their veins. I wish them all a joyous time in hell. I also hope Wembley has a roast pig complete with apple stuck in its face on the buffet table so that all can enjoy a close up look at their cousin.
Dennis 30: not quite as crazy as finding that some people believe that there those out there who think that Arsenal’s problems only revolve around the officiating. Where on earth do you get these ideas from?
Lets get some facts straight here:
You’re only all whining because it’s Manchester City
Another fact,
You’re all only whining because it’s Manchester City
So now we have that out of the way, here’s another fact,
You’re all acting like Manchester City are out only for themselves and acting like we’re getting some kind of preferential privilege and treatment from the PGMOL.
You can’t see past your own idiocy to realise Pep Guardiola is speaking out for all clubs, to stop the dirty and nasty consistant repeat offenders.
Name one single player in Manchester City’s current side who have deliberately gone out of their way to injure an opposing player in the last 5 seasons and succeeded, name one single player?
I’ll answer it for you ZERO. Yes we make tactical fouls but none have resulted in an opposing player being injured, not a single one. Prove me wrong, go on.
In fact one of your players have just come out and demanded more support from your coaching team, I’m guessing that includes the mighty pedestal held Wenger whom I told my step brother 3 years ago you should have got rid of. You’re clubs problems are not just from Match Officiating errors, you’ve all pretended your club was the best run club in England, I’ve always said that’s total and utter bulls**t and now I’m being proven correct.
2010 was the last time a City player ever injured an opposing player, the one exception was Dejong but look what happened there, his career at Manchester City ended a season later. Other than that no other Manchester City player has injured an opposing player since 2010 to my knowledge.
There’s a huge difference between a tackle that could have injured and a tackle that did injure. I can catergorically down right tell you this. Manchester City do not get preferential treatment from Referee’s ever, EVER.
We’ve had two players injured this season and the guilty parties we’re only given yellow cards, last season against Chelsea, David Luiz feigned injury and did his trademark curl up in a ball like he’d been murdered and got Aguero sent off, then Fabregas slapped Fernandinho around the face and the forth official witnessed it, Fernandinho reacted angry and pushed Fabregas away by the neck, Fabregas deliberately walked backwards into the advertisement hoarding and threw himself over it and got Fernandinho banned, for the entire 90 minutes the Referee allowed Chelsea to kick s**t out of City players. Against Tottenham Hotspur this season we suffered nasty tackles, they got so frustrated that we were running rings around them that they started launching in with studs up and the referee did again f**k all. We were targeted this season and last, just like you have been in the past so you should be f**king supportive of us because we are fighting your corner too.
I don’t think I have ever pretended Arsenal was the best run club in England.