RefWatch – Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal (10/11/2010 – 20:00)

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RefWatch – Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal (10/11/2010 – 20:00)

By DogFace

• Referee:          Mark Halsey
• Assistant 1:     Dean Mohareb
• Assistant 2:     Ceri Richards
• 4th Official:      Kevin Friend

On Wednesday we travel up to the West Midlands to face Mick McCarthy’s Wolverhampton Wanderers in what, baring an early goal from the Arsenal, promises to be a fest unattractive football, rule bending, time wasting and bruised ankles.  I hear, from my sources in Amsterdam, that Karl Henry has ordered a special golden pair of Nike clogs especially for this fixture and he’s right keen on exposing our ‘soft underbelly’ (as the apologists and exponents of the ‘English game’ like to call it).

But stop – will the referee let this bad behaviour slide and ignore the rough and tumble?  Maybe – maybe not – either way I think he will attempt to be consistent in his interpretation of the rules be it benefit Wolves [physical game] or Arsenal [technical game].  Let’s check him out:

• Full name:                   Mark R Halsey
• Date of birth:               8 July 1961 (age 49)
• Place of birth:              Welwyn Garden City, England
• Favourite Colour:        Reebok Blue

So he likes Bolton does he!?  Scurrilous allegations from the DogFace there… but wait – this conflict of interest is on the table and Mark, consequently, does not officiate in games involving Bolton either as a referee or fourth official – the only involvement he currently has with the team is when he trains with them on a regular basis.

In fact I’ve got no real bombs to drop or bile to vent this match as, on the whole, Mark Halsey seems to be something of a journeyman referee, trying to do his job and not make too much of a name for himself.

The main controversy surrounding Mark was when he sent off the shimmering deity (in the eyes of the FA) John Terry for a rugby tackle on Jo in the Chelsea V Manchester City fixture (2008-09-13).

I’ll learn these bloody foreigners for ruining our game!

Even though this seemed perfectly fair to me the FA, in their wisdom, decided to make an example (of Halsey) and remind the PGMOB that there are certain players, laws of the game or no, that should be allowed to do what they jolly well like… as, QED, an environment where English players have no comprehension of the laws of the game and can just cheat a bit when they make a mistake or need a result will definitely improve our chances of winning a world cup… or not as the case may be.

John Terry’s red card was unsurprisingly overturned and Halsey was subsequently demoted to league 2 for a feisty encounter between Chester and Shrewsbury… so take note all ye who wear black and blow whistles – stick to the script or you will find yourself booting up in a room with an buzzing electric heater and mildew up the walls!

Despite this admirable episode, Halsey of course is no angel himself and has made the odd cock-up and done his bit of ‘sticking to the script’ in terms of the interpretation of the rules – this is par for the course with the PGMOB and the FA – but in his defence he has never, as far as I know, mugged a team blind by degenerating the game into a ‘surreal farce’ in the way that, say, Mike ‘Coupon Buster’ Dean can… so this is good – although, as I mentioned above, it will be ‘advantage Wolves’ if the script demands that the line is set at a place where the tackles start flying in.

In his personal life Mark Halsey has recently had a battle with an extremely aggressive form of throat cancer; he is now in remission although, in a cruel twist of fate, his wife is battling with Leukaemia.  So this speaks something of the determination of Mark to return to his duties as a referee in the EPL.  Arséne Wenger has spoken publicly about this and his ‘delight’ to see him back and running around considering the seriousness of his disease and his battle to return to fitness.

We at ‘Untold Towers’ wish Mark and his family all the best through these difficult times – we should remind ourselves every now and then that some things transcend football.

OK – for all you number crunchers out there, onto the data:

Arsenal at Home with Halsey as the whistle

Season	Competition	Home Win	Draw	Away Win
2001/2002	English Premier	2	0	1
2002/2003	English Premier	0	1	0
2003/2004	English Premier	2	0	0
2005/2006	English Premier	0	0	1
2006/2007	English Premier	1	0	0
2007/2008	English Premier	1	1	0
2008/2009	English FA Cup	1	0	0

Arsenal away with Halsey at the whistle:

Season	Competition	Home Win	Draw	Away Win
2001/2002	English FA Cup	0	1	0
2001/2002	English Premier	0	1	0
2002/2003	English Premier	0	1	0
2003/2004	English Premier	0	1	1
2004/2005	English League Cup	1	0	0
2004/2005	English Premier	0	0	2
2008/2009	English Premier	0	0	1
2009/2010	English Premier	0	0	1

So, of late, it seems that we do ok – and I think this is reflective of the degree of consistency that Mark Halsey provides on the pitch as a professional referee.  I just hope that the script demands that we can see a game where Mark can interpret the laws to encourage technical ability and creativity rather than, what is becoming pejoratively known as, ‘the English game’.

Arsenal’s past as described in Making the Arsenal

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