Ref Review: Mark Clattenburg – Arsenal Vs Swansea City (0 – 2) [01/12/2012]

Match Review: Mark Clattenburg – Arsenal Vs Swansea City (0 – 2) [01/12/2012] If you are new to this site and this is your first visit then please: Read this to fully understand our reviews. Today’s referee is Mark Clattenburg MATCH REVIEW DETAILS – Mark Clattenburg (2012-12-01) Period 1 Min Type From On C/NC Reviewer …

Do we really need to buy anyone in January?

By Tony Attwood Chuba Akpom is a forward who is seen as one of the new sensational stars at Arsenal, and is being spoken of as having the class and ability level of Jack Wilshere. So far this season he has played nine games in the under 21 league and scored three, and six in …

The mysterious and secret 5th official: an Untold exclusive

By Walter Broeckx If you think the FA only sends a ref, 2 assistants and a 4th official to the games you are wrong. In fact there is another person from the FA around: the match delegate. Since 2003-2004 the match delegate has been around but he is a rather invisible person for the public. …

Transfer fees and FFP: a revolution in the making.

By Richard Bedwell Tony’s excellent piece on wages the other day prompts (on the eve of a new window opening) some thoughts on the other major part of player costs namely transfer fees. If FFP is fundamentally designed to remove, or at least ameliorate, inflation in player costs then surely such fees will need to …

Ref Review: Anthony Taylor – Reading Vs Arsenal (2 – 5) [17/12/2012]

Match Review: Anthony Taylor – Reading Vs Arsenal (2 – 5) [17/12/2012] If you are new to this site and this is your first visit then please: Read this to fully understand our reviews. Today’s referee is Anthony Taylor MATCH REVIEW DETAILS – Anthony Taylor (2012-12-17) Period 1 Min Type From On C/NC Reviewer Comment …

At last: football. Arsenal v the men the Sir F-word hates

By Billy the dog McGraw There was a time when predicting the Arsenal team was a complex affair, with multiple injuries and men swapping positions trying to fill the gaps. Now that’s not the case, and the manager even helps us a bit by giving out clues.  So here is the line-up Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, …

Bowing for the mighty and powerful

By Walter Broeckx   So Mike Dean has once again shown his true colours. The one that shows he is a person who will do what is the wisest thing for his career. And only his career.   If tomorrow he knows that giving Arsenal a few penalties so they win a game, he will …

Ref Review: Lee Mason – Aston Villa Vs Arsenal (0 – 0) [24/11/2012]

Match Review: Lee Mason – Aston Villa Vs Arsenal (0 – 0) [24/11/2012] If you are new to this site and this is your first visit then please: Read this to fully understand our reviews. Today’s referee is Lee Mason MATCH REVIEW DETAILS – Lee Mason (2012-11-24) Period 1 Min Type From On C/NC Reviewer …

Ref Review: Howard Webb – Arsenal Vs Tottenham Hotspur (5 – 2) [17/11/2012]

Match Review: Howard Webb – Arsenal Vs Tottenham Hotspur (5 – 2) [17/11/2012] If you are new to this site and this is your first visit then please: Read this to fully understand our reviews. Today’s referee is Howard Webb MATCH REVIEW DETAILS – Howard Webb (2012-11-17) Period 1 Min Type From On C/NC Reviewer …

Referees in the PL: How are they doing their job? – Part 2

By Walter Broeckx Part one of this serie can be found over here I just wanted to give my view on a few things that I noticed while reviewing the referees this season. And on some misunderstandings that are being told during games by match commentators or pundits after the games. 3. Referee or game …

Referees in the PL: How are they doing (and time for MOTD commentators to learn the rules)

By Walter Broeckx If the time allows me to work on this I thought the moment appropriate to give you a small update on a few things I have remarked during the reviewing of the referees this season. First of all those who are following our reviews on referee decisions and the Arsenal games also …

“Robin Van Persie could’ve died out there today”

Arsenal through the eyes of ESPN (North America). The best or worst comments from the weekend. All depends on how you view them. By Cameron Wolfe. I’ve wrote in the last few weeks about how I feel Arsenal are given a rough deal in the media in particular by ESPN. Or at least their commentators. …

The link between the Zenit manifesto, and the notion of the “English spine”

By Tony Attwood When the largest fan club of  Zenit St Petersburg (champions of Russia) demanded the club not buy black or gay players there was a shudder throughout a lot of football.  What wasn’t mentioned (as far as I could see) however was that Arsenal got a mention in the manifesto. And when I …

Man City and Chelsea – serious about FFP or just having a laugh? And Arsenal’s youth ready to step up.

By Tony Attwood There were two utterly contradictory stories in the British press this Sunday.  In the Sunday Times there was the tale of Manchester City deciding that they were going to sort financial matters out and try and get themselves within the requirements of Financial Fair Play. The other papers ran with the story …

Málaga banned from Europe for four years under FFP regulations

Málaga are currently fourth in the Spanish League, as you can see from the table below.  That is quite some achievement given the turmoil of last summer. But now Uefa has said that the Qatar owned club is to be banned from European football for one season.  This ban could be extended for a second …

3 wins in a row, 3rd in the league; Wigan Pier 0 Arsenal 1

By Tony Attwood In the week when a prominent member of the AAA announced that real supporters of Arsenal should be hoping that Arsenal drop out of the top four this season, we’ve actually moved in the opposite direction. Of course the position is false in that most clubs (at the moment I am writing …

Match Review: Phil Dowd – Arsenal Vs Fulham (3 – 3) [10/11/2012]

Match Review: Phil Dowd – Arsenal Vs Fulham (3 – 3) [10/11/2012] If you are new to this site and this is your first visit then please: Read this to fully understand our reviews. Today’s referee is Phil Dowd MATCH REVIEW DETAILS – Phil Dowd (2012-11-10) Period 1 Min Type From On C/NC Reviewer Comment …

The road to Wigan pier, and other tales

By Billy the Dog McGraw Ahoy there ship mates.  We’re off to the pier. OK if you don’t get that then you haven’t read your George Orwell, which is fair enough because it is only us old timers who still rate Mr O as one of the greatest writers in the language in the 20th …

Wir ziehen die Bayern die Lederhosen aus…

By Walter Broeckx So the draw has been made and well I guess we all know by now we will face Bayern Munich in the next round of the CL. I think it is fair to say, well the media in my country did anyway, that this fixture together with Real Madrid – Manchester United …

How the AAA support Untold Arsenal, and why the financial solution is in peril

By Tony Attwood “Arsene will be larging it bigtime tomorrow on his blog, Untold !” So wrote one of the Anti-Arsenal Arsenal tweets after the latest victory for the club.  I must say I do personally like it when this sort of stuff comes out, for the notion that the club manager actually has anything …

The Profile of a Pessimistic Gooner

The Profile of a Pessimistic Gooner (aka Gonner) Don McMahon Following on numerous dismal and disillusioned posts by Gooners across cyberspace in the wake of our poor performances  (except at Reading) in the last few weeks, I was struck by the exaggerated and desperate negativism and pessimism on display from self-described fans. This made me …

The impact over the years of one wrong decision from the ref

By Walter Broeckx People sometimes wonder if all the fuss about wrong referee decisions is that much needed. After all it is just about one decision in a game. Well one such a decision can make a lot of difference, not just in that particular game but also for the next decade. I remembered this …