By Walter Broeckx, the untold ref who is fed up with refs in the EPL by now
The person executing the orders of whoever is doing the calls was Mike Jones. (Oh if you wonder: I wrote this line after I found out what he has done and after the review).
| Min | Type | Decision | correct | points | weight | on |
| 2 | OTHER | Foul on Nasri who is being held not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | OTHER | Foul from Muamba on song | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | PENALTY | Foul on Walcott. The assistant gives a corner. The ref gives no foul. The defender clearly didn’t touch the ball, he tackled Walcott from behind. A stone wall penalty | NC | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | OTHER | Foul on Wilshere not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | OTHER | Foul from Koscielny not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | OTHER | Foul from Djourou given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | OTHER | Foul from Muamba on Wilshere | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | CARD | A late tackle it was and also without any chance of playing the ball. Wilshere was starting a promising move so all the ingredienst to give a card | C | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | OTHER | Strong and late tackle on Song | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | CARD | This was again late and reckless but no card shown this time? Totally wrong ref. | NC | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | OTHER | Foul from Song not given advantage given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | OFFSIDE | Offside against Bolton given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | OTHER | Foul against Nasri not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | OTHER | Foul given against Wilshere who does nothing? | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | OTHER | Foul from Djourou not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | OTHER | Foul from Koscielny on Sturridige not given but the ref gives the throw to Bolton which is also wrong as it came of Sturridge heel to go out | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | OTHER | Dangerous tackle from Taylor. And outstretched leg well off the floor | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | CARD | A yellow card is given. Dangerous, dangerous | C | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 22 | OTHER | High foot against Clichy not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | OTHER | Foul on Cesc not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | OTHER | Foul from Song given? He just took control of the ball because Sturridge turned the wrong way | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 | OTHER | Foul from Koscielny who pushed the defender at a corner for Arsenal | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 33 | OTHER | Foul from Song given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 35 | OFFSIDE | Offside against Sturridge | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 38 | GOAL | Nothing wrong with the goal. Unless I want to be a bit biased and ask why the ref didn’t punish the push/holding on Koscielny by Davies? | C | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 45 | OTHER | Foul from Koscielny not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 45 | OTHER | Flying tackle from behind from Muamba on Cesc | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 45 | CARD | Such a tackle should be punished with a yellow card. It would have been his second. It should have been his second and a red card. | NC | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 46 | PENALTY | Sturridge dives when he is in fron of Djourou and the refs gets fooled by this dive. There was a foul from Djourou outside the box but not inside the penalty area. Wrong from the ref. When Szczesny saved our match reporter said: justice has been done! | NC | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 46 | CARD | For a dive you must give a yellow card. Sturridge escapes a yellow card | NC | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 48 | GOAL | Nothing wrong the Arsenal goal | C | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 50 | OTHER | Foul on Wilshere not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 53 | OTHER | Foul from Song | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 53 | CARD | Song gets a yellow card and it is correct | C | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 56 | OTHER | Foul on Nasri given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 57 | OTHER | Foul from Sturridge on Wilshere given. He held him for a moment. Correct | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 57 | CARD | Sturridge , the cheating diver is furious and shows this in an open way. So much that the ref calls Davies to calm him down? WTF ref, if you want to show you are the boss on the field you just show the yellow card. So with a good ref who had seen the dive it would have been his second yellow card | NC | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 58 | OTHER | Foul on Davies advantage given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 58 | OTHER | Foul on Nasri not given. This was a scissor tackel ref. It doesn’t matter if he got the ball at the end. It is a foul | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 60 | OTHER | Foul not given against Djourou. Elmander made a nice dive. The ref didn’t get fooled this time | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 | OTHER | Foul from Djourou | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 63 | OTHER | Foul on Clichy given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 63 | OTHER | Foul from Wilshere | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 63 | CARD | Card given and I can understand this but this was not as bad as the Davies tackle on Song which wasn’t punished with a card | C | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 66 | OTHER | Foul on Nasri given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 66 | PENALTY | Koscielny is being held when a corner is taken and is brought down. The ball lands in the area where Koscielny was trying to get. The ref gives nothing. This should have been another penalty. Remember how quick the ref was to blow a little push from Kosielny in the first half. | NC | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 69 | OTHER | Foul on Chamakh not given | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 70 | OTHER | Foul from Wilshere given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 74 | OTHER | Foul given against Arshavin. Wrong it was Arshavin who tripped the Bolton player | NC | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 76 | OTHER | Foul given against Djourou for holding Sturridge. Not every holding is the same for this ref | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 78 | OTHER | Foul given against Arsenal. Don’t know why because of the replays shown. | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 79 | OTHER | Chamakh slips and hits Robinson. The ref gives no foul let play continue and then after seconds he changes his mind. He even didn’t give the advantage signal. So he did see nothing wrong. But then he gives the foul? Why? But itself the decision is correct | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 79 | CARD | He also gives a yellow card against Chamakh. A bit hars as Chamakh was slipping after a challenge from another Bolton player | NC | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 88 | OTHER | Foul on Van Persie given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 88 | OTHER | Davies comes in wild again and the ref gives the foul | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 88 | CARD | Finally Davies gets his yellow card. | C | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 88 | CARD | It should have been Davies his second yellow card. | NC | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 89 | GOAL | Nothing against the rules with the goal | C | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 89 | CARD | Cohen pull his shirt out and gets a card | C | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 90 | OTHER | Foul on Cesc given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 94 | OTHER | Foul from Clichy given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 94 | OTHER | Foul on chamakh given | C | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 35 | 50 | 89 | |||
| % | 55,56% | 56,18% | ||||
| CARDS | 4 | 12 | 33,33 | |||
| PENALTY | 0 | 3 | 0,00 | |||
| GOAL | 3 | 3 | 100,00 | |||
| OTHER | 8 | 9 | 88,89 | |||
| OFFSIDE | 2 | 2 | 100,00 | |||
| 15 | 27 | 55,56 | ||||
| Wrong calls | Arsenal | 19 | 80% | |||
| Bolton | 5 | 20% |
The final score of the ref doesn’t lie. His score overall, on the major decisions and the weighted score all are below par. Very low. Another poor performance of a ref that has done a reasonable job until this game. I really don’t know what to say any more. I cannot find any logical explanation. Maybe that Mike Riley from the PGMOL will be happy. His refs have done the job once again. SAF will be happy as he now can hope for a team that is demoralized after this defeat helped by once again the refs.
The amount of dangerous tackles allowed by Bolton was funny for those who like to see violence on a football field. Davies and Muamba got away with two yellow cards each as the ref was very friendly for their fouls.
Again two penalties not given for Arsenal. And again a non penalty given against us. We now are leading the table in penalties given against us. And if you think about some penalties (Newcastle, Liverpool, Bolton) then this is really getting a bit ridiculous. On the other hand we don’t get penalties that easy from the refs. Today again two that should have been given. But nothing was given.
Is it any coincidence that in this important week we had so many (penalty decisions going against us?? You better, you better, you bet…..
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Dont think Man Utd fans could ever have the same gripes about refs that we do Bexxy, nor could their playing staff. They were let off the hook yet again this weekend
@ Mandy Dodd
Agreed. I did suggest half the league, and guess they wouldn’t be included
Fair enough Bexxy,
A good analysis once again Walter. I’m glad you picked up the incident where Koscielny was held in the opposition box, I missed it first time round.
The match result was tough for the fans to take, but it must be shattering for the players. Wenger also looked shattered afterwards. As your correspondent Mr Venger posted earlier, all fans need to get behind our guys and help them get through the remaining matches.
I still believe we are close to having a championship side and with a few tweaks we will be there!
Not only have we been the victims of too many wrong penalty decisions over the season and especially since we became title contenders, but we have suffered from an accumulation of over aggressive tackles with the other teams not being punished. These can be as game changing as a penalty.
The work you are doing Walter is invaluable and the hope must be that the continued highlighting of biased refereeing must eventually change the set up. Mind you, the partiality in refereeing within the EPL seems well entrenched.
As an Arsenal fan I would still like the team to be able to beat the likes of Bolton despite the partiality of the ref!
@Walter:
Correct me if wrong, but just before the corner that led to Bolton’s 2nd goal, wasn’t there a push in the back of Djourou, as we about to win a header? He then missed this header, and we all know what followed.
Also, I think EPL teams have picked up on the fact that there’s a lot more leeway in what constitutes a foul when playing against Arsenal. However, if we commit the same fouls which the refs allow to happen to us, we get booked. Almost every late challenge we make is a card, and almost every late challenge we suffer is at most just a foul. It shows in the wrong calls and non-calls against us, we usually get about 80% of the bad calls against. But I guess that’s just probability at work, eh Bexxy?
And a fair percantage of tackles we make in the area, or attempted tackles end up as pens against us.
And does anyone else notice, when the refs want to do us, they first book Song early on, hugely reducing his effectiveness. Funny how this rarely happens to say Fletcher when fit, or Essien, or even the master of the centre circle foul, Van Der Vaart.
I think the players are conscious they are walking a fine line, after recent weeks.
We have to get much more streetwise at dealing with these refs, and opponents spurred on with them but not easy.
But the extent they feel they have to knobble us to me shows how close we are getting, maybe closer than many of our fans realise.
Just wonder how these refs live with themselves, I would be embarrassed to have to stoop to that cos some whisky nose told me I had too.
I accept some are bent / weak willed but surely there must be one of them with some professional pride? I would rather walk away and tell the world what I know than do what some of them do.
C4, I had doubt about that challenge on Djourou. But as no other angle was shown of the incident I really could not see if it was a fair challenge or a foul. So as I could not be 100% sure about the call I didn’t want to talk about it. But it looked close to a foul from the angle they showed. But looking close is not the same as being a foul.
I agree with btjgooner. The referee obviously did make many ‘wrong’ decisions, big and small. But yesterday was one match, where I did not feel we were cheated as such. Of course the penalties, and the yellow cards etc. But we lost that game because we couldn’t defend on set pieces, and we couldn’t be clinical enough in our shooting. As bob would say, more a factor of the inside problem, than the external one.
Sorry, I meant bjtgooner of course..
Walter, you need to create a video. It needs to have a comical element, maybe one of those pieces of music that suggests the absurdity of life.
Then you need to visually annotate every penalty we’ve been denied since Eduardo was nobbled the second time, by the FA inner circle.
You can also record every penalty denied opponents of Man U, in the same period. (or every freebie penalty given man u)
I suspect we have had over 100 clear penalties denied us in 2 years…go check…
the video needs a catchy title…hmmm….you’ll think of one….and then of course it needs to go viral.
All these things need to be worked on, but the only way to fight the media assassination of Arsenal and AW, is fire with fire.
There are many videos to be made, but the penalty campaign against us is the worst….”how do you stop a really good attacking side?”…”don’t give them their penalties, dummy….right it on your forehead, Smithers, now go get your whistle”, “yes sir”
@Shard
I agree that looking at the hard facts with hindsight, we lost due to poor defending of set pieces, and for not taking our chances (Nasri, what the hell?).
I really doubt we would have lost to ten men though, if blatantly yellow card fouls had simply been handed to Bolton like they were handed to us.
@c4
But this is where your argument comes in. Would they have gone in for those tackles if they knew that the referee would actually do his duty? Of course not. But they know Arsenal are fair game ever since the Newcastle draw. All opposition teams saw to what level referees will go to stop us and decided they could use that too.
@Walter
OK thanks, wasn’t sure why you skipped that incident, but I guess it’s for the same reason I had to ask. Lack of replays and angles. Nothing new there…
I’ve noticed our guys get hammered in the box when we have a corner, especially of late. Refs just ignore it, and instead give a penalty for sissy dives in our box. Funny how the media just ignores such things. Why no talk of Sturridge diving? What if Cesc had done it?
How do these guys sleep at night?
@Shard
Spot on, that’s exactly what I’ve seen too. After the Newcastle game, a message was sent out. Subsequent games confirmed that message, and I think Mr Riley and Co (short for COrrupt) are cracking open whiskey bottles, and passing round brown envelopes and congratulations.
Next season, we need to shore up defense a bit, as well get more clinical. We create enough chances to almost always score 3 – 5 goals. That will negate their efforts. It will be tough though, because everyone now just parks the bus against us.
C4, I try to be sure when I try to make my point. When not sure I dont contest it. I do it like the challenge in American football: if the replay shows no evidence that the call was wrong, the ruling on the field stands. As I had not other replay I could not but agree with the ruling.
I really do wonder why no media has started an investigation after the Sturridge dive. I was thinking of all the media gathering and asking Sturridgde to be banned for a few weeks. Maybe the media would ask Uefa to intervene in some way and ban him from international football for a few games.
But non of that. The media swept it under the table as if nothing has happened.
It could have nothing to do with the fact he is English? No, it couldn’t…
@Marcus
‘I suspect we have had over 100 clear penalties denied us in 2 years…go check…’
Given that no team has had more than 9 penalties awarded this season in the Premier League, to suggest that Arsenal have been denied 50 per year is laughable – as is the invention of some deep-rooted conspiracy at the heart of the English game, with absolutely no evidence or proof to support it whatsoever.
Far easier to stick with the tin-foil hats rather than face the obvious weaknesses in selection, lack of experience, set-piece defending, mental strength etc though…
What are the odds for having Webb as a ref on sunday? The right man to finish the job for Utd? Or is he kept for the MU-Chelsea game the week after?
Then I fear it will be Dean or … Dowd. Well, they have plenty to chose from to finish the job.
I have to ask Walter the question, given the refs views of the incidents, and only the briefest of time to make a decisison.
what would he have done on the penalty shouts? We Refs all know what sort of decisions are giveable and what are not. My first inclination was that Stuuridge was fouled, it was only the second view that showed he dived, and vice versa with Theo.
I suspect that my decisions may have been as in the game.
Is the real reason for no video replays being used the fact that outcomes are much easier to control.
Who knows!!
@BobbyP
The two are not mutually exclusive. Did anyone ever say Arsenal are a perfect outfit? Certainly not me.
For sure, smelling a rat, and smoking it out are 2 different things, but since this site is dedicated to producing hard evidence, in the form of match analyses of the referee performance, (a form of hard evidence the football authorities are loathe to produce themselves), then I think your remarks smack of desperation.
@Marcus
While Walter’s efforts are admirable, this is nothing that any neutral observer would consider ‘hard evidence’, given his clear (and admitted) bias. Would you honestly consider a similar analysis from a United/Chelsea/Tottenham fan detailing decisions against them as hard evidence?
For an impartial, unbiased account which would be taken seriously by a neutral observer, this type of analysis would need to be performed for ALL teams by an impartial referee.
As an example, noting instances of holding/shirt pulling in the box not being given as penalties for Arsenal while not mentioning occurences of this against other teams is clear bias, given that it’s accepted in the game that this happens in all games for/against all teams, without penalties being awarded.
Strange that you accuse me of desperation after your ludicrous 50 penalties a season comment though… Interesting to note that Barcelona have received 1 league penalty this season, but Arsenal have somehow had 50 legitimate penalties turned down?
@Bobby P
It may not be ‘hard evidence’ to people who want to turn away from it. But at least walter puts his bias, and the reasoning for his decisions out there to be debated, agreed with, or criticised. As you say he’s biased and as such his ‘decisions’ could be wrong. What about the bias of the actual referees? Do they declare it? Do they put forth their reasoning on why they made certain calls? No. They live in their own world, and we are just to accept what they say. They show no sense of responsibility or accountability. In the end, that is all this site is demanding. And NO club should have a problem with that. (except ManU I guess)
@Shard
The rules in England require every referee to declare if they support a team, have a family connection with a team, or ever had a season ticket – and they are then banned from officiating games involving that club. So they DO declare any bias they may have (as opposed to tin-foil hat conspiracy theories with no shred of evidence to support it).
Walter does provide detailed reasoning – but with such obvious bias that unfortunately it discredits the analysis completely to any non-Arsenal supporting reader. Once again, would anyone here take a similar analysis from a Sp*rs fan seriously if it consistently claimed that 80% of decisions went against them?
I personally agree that we have had the rough end of decisions this season, but the complete over-exaggeration present in each of these reviews prevents any such claim from being taken seriously – and the paranoic claims of a vast anti-Arsenal conspiracy are beneath this otherwise excellent site
@Bobby P
Do WE hear what bias the referee has? Do WE hear their explanations after the game as to why they gave some decision? If they made a mistake they can say so. If mistakes keep repeating themselves then they should be accountable for it. y your contention, we should all just shut up and deal with the ‘cards’ that fate or in this case the referee deals us. Life is unfair, so what’s the big deal if football also is?
And actually, I don’t think we have had rough end of season decisions. We have had horrible refereeing performances consistently throughout the season. Partly it’s because the referees are useless, but mostly, it’s because they have a clear agenda. You can doubt it if you like, but tell me. What reason is there to say that the referees cannot be corrupt?
laughable game
@Bobby
Your remarks make no sense Bobby.
When a lawyer stands up in court in defence of his client, what does he present?
Is it not ‘the evidence’?
The fact that evidence is open to interpretation is clearly understood by legal minds.
Walter has stood up and presented his evidence….whether he is an Arsenal supporter or not does not invalidate his evidence.
Whether his evidence becomes conclusive on the other hand is a different matter. So let’s keep our apples and pears separate here.
Walter’s declaration actually is not that he is biased, but that he strives to remain publically impartial in spite of his personal convictions…again, a perfectly tenable position
Regarding the 50 penalties a season remark….your response has no scientific rigour.
Let Walter show all the clear violations first.
—–
The bottom line for me is that, as many concur, we are watching The Groundhog Truman Show not the Premiership.
Arsenal play well, in spite of diabolical refereeing, and get kicked off the park, literally and metaphorically. Small wonder that half way though the season players are demoralized and tweeting about official corruption – think about that for a moment….
and by the final strait have the collective hang-dog expression of a team who know their card is marked.
Man U of course continue their starring role in the Theatre of Dreams….
and that is all it amounts to….pre-scripted wish fulfilment.
@Marcus
When a lawyer stands up in court in defence of his client, he is not presenting impartial facts, but twisting things to show his client in the best possible light. That clearly contradicts your following assertion that Walter is striving to remain impartial. Maybe it’s you who is making no sense…
‘Regarding the 50 penalties a season remark….your response has no scientific rigour. ‘
My response has clear scientific rigour, in that no team in English top division history has EVER been awarded more than 20 penalties a season. That is clear evidence over a massive sample size. No one has even been awarded 10 this season so far. To claim that Arsenal should have been awarded over 50 this season compared to that (and to the 1 Barcelona penalty for the world’s best team this season) is laughable, and I’m amazed that you can’t realize that.
@Bobby
wrong…lawyers present evidence….
@Marcus
Current penalty table:
Man City 9
Chelsea 8
Arsenal, Liverpool 7
Tottenham, Man Utd 4
In your world, would the table read:
Arsenal 57
Man City 9
Chelsea 8
Liverpool 7
Tottenham, Man Utd 4
Do you realize just how stupid that looks? Honestly?
@marcus
Exactly. And it is that evidence which is impartially scrutinised, rather than pointing out the lawyer’s bias in the compiling of that evidence. So Bobby P, please tell us where Walter’s evidence is wrong.
@Shard
See my comment above – do you really think it’s realistic that Arsenal should get 50 penalties a season more than anyone else? Honestly? Or is it more likely that every team has lots of potential penalties that aren’t given; there is no great conspiracy, just a reluctance of referees to make game-changing decisions unless they are completely sure (not that this guarantees they are always correct…).
An example would be Walter’s comment after 66 minutes above:
‘Koscielny is being held when a corner is taken and is brought down. The ball lands in the area where Koscielny was trying to get. The ref gives nothing. This should have been another penalty. Remember how quick the ref was to blow a little push from Koscielny in the first half.’
These happen repeatedly in EVERY Premier League game, and the ref always favours the defensive team, and penalties are virtually never given, regardless of the teams involved. It is well known, and commentators often mention it. To include this as part of a great anti-Arsenal agenda is way off the mark.
@Bobby P
Firstly, I highly doubt that Marcus meant that number be taken literally. I know I didn’t take it to be so. Secondly, Walter pointing that foul on koscielny out, is not a part of some anti-Arsenal conspiracy, it is simply a statement on the referees performance based on the instances in the particular match. If you say it happens all the time, in all games, then it should be a penalty then too, according to the rules.. You are criticising what you assume will be the conclusion of the evidence.(ie the conspiracy) Not the evidence itself.
Penalties I remember against us this year
Clichy At Man Utd, Joke
Wigan away, Dive , joke
2 at Newcastle both confusing and joke decisions
Liverpool at Home, Dive
Bolton away, Dive
6 out of 8 were poor decisions, I remember Almunia V WBA was a good call and Chesny last week was also a good shout.
so Refs have cost us 6 pens against this season.
How many have they cost Man Utd. None they award Pens to Man Utd, Clichy at OT. The ridiculous decision at West Ham, The sad decsion V Liverpool. take away the loading in Man Utds favour, would they win the league time after time?
I am not Paranoid, just looking at facts!!!!!
BobbyP,
About the Koscielny incident: the rules are clear. The instructions are clear. Holding an attacker when a corner is given = penalty.
Now the fact that there are not much given is because the refs are weak, poor, afraid, biased, …. Whatever reason you can find they just don’t do their job as it should be.
If the refs would have the balls for one month to tell the players before the game that they will punish those holding fouls with penalties it will be over for a long time. But for some reasons the refs don’t take their responsability on this. I do on my playing field. When I see it (which is not always easy I admit) I give a penalty. But I do warn each team when they get their first corner against them that I will blow for penalty when they hold attackers or bring them down. And when it happens I give the penalty.
So yes I do follow the instructions and I think this is something that refs should be doing more and not back out of it. If you are affraid of making difficult decisions: don’t become a ref.
I do try to look at the games with the laws of the game as my guidance and nothing else.
About being biased and with possibly driving a few people away as they say here he goes again: My son once played in his youth team and became champions. The only game they lost that season was when I had to do the game as the official ref didn’t turn up. When I did games with my different sons involved they mostly ended up losing. So I think (dare I say I know) that I can even forget my own blood bond with a player and a team in a game when my children are playing so maybe I could be not as biased as someone else.
I think I got more criticised over here for not killing the ref completey most of the times.
But even then I can admit that at times I can make a wrong call. But then it is up to the readers to point at it and tell me why I misinterpreted the rules.
Laundryender, your question earlier which I missed.
yes it could be that I would have made the same mistake as the ref with the penalties. Depending on the position of the field you can have the wrong angle.
But as these reviews work with looking at: was the decision right or wrong I had to declare them wrong. Just as a video ref would and should have done if there was a review system in football.
@Walter
I totally agree with you – holding an attacker at a corner/free-kick is a penalty, and should be given as such. My point is that it is virtually NEVER given as a penalty, regardless of the teams involved – i.e. it is not part of some great anti-Arsenal conspiracy, but just the way refs seem to choose to officate. As long as they are consistent, any complaints are purely a question of interpretation, rather than bias.
I also agree with your point that if they had the balls to give the decisions for a month (or even 2 weeks), then the holding would disappear completely – if only more refs would take that approach… Appreciate the effort you put in to the reviews, don’t want to appear overly critical
@Laundryender
My assessment would mostly concur with yours – the United and Wigan pens were complete jokes, while the Bolton and 2nd Newcastle pen were both weak, wrong decisions. Personally I thought the 1st Newcastle pen and the Liverpool pen were correct, but I may be in the minority here…
100 is obviously a loud figure, but from what I have seen , scarcely a game goes by without us being awarded a cast iron penalty.
Against Liverpool Walter identified 3 penalties. I called a fourth, the first clip showed Diaby going up and as he heads it Carragher pushes him deliberately and effectively with his hand in the upper back. Diaby consequently skews his header wide.
Sorry. Penalty…its really simple
That is 1 game where 4 penalties were denied us.
And here’s the rub, our game is built around skilful attacking interplay.
That means super skilful players like Nasri dancing into the box….
end result, we get a lot of trips.
Whether other clubs get denied many penalties is part of the equation. A really thorough anaylsis would break down percetiles and so on.
But the simple fact is we have been denied time and time again certain and real penalties, a scenario that developped or seemed to escalate after the Eduardo incident.
What was the Eduardo incident?
I’ll remind you. A player went down in the box after getting an slight nudge, and the press went demented with accusations of cheating – you know the type, dirty foreigner sort of accusations..
the whole thing was totally manufactured and utterly vile, a complete out and out assault on Eduardo’s character
Never ever have we seen another player demonized in this way over this type of alleged behaviour
Since that time Arsenal have been denied penalties on a consistent basis. ( so yes , i am definitely imputing an anti-Arsenal agenda here)
If Walter cares to do the visual maths, it will make an interesting case study
Its true ( re the pens ) Its been like a recurring nightmare ever since Eduardo. We werent given a lot of deserved pens before, But it was manageable. From the beginning of last season its been a complete joke. In europe at times too ( braga away ? I’m sure there’s been others can’t remember off hand ) I thought it was improving early on this season ( wishfull thinking I’m afraid), but its gradually reached the same ridiculousness as last season IF NOT WORSE, especially as the season reaches crunch time.
Something is so obviously wrong with the officiating in our games, the fixture list is skewed out of our favour, aswell as kick off times, and our media coverage is a disgrace WHAT THE FUCK HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS SHIT
Bobby P I sympathise with your argument. Conspiracies are hard to prove, my missus still believes Diana was assassinated, try telling her otherwise at your peril!!
However what every football fan, and even the hardest Man U Fan would find difficult to argue with is the following
Every game has key moments
Every game has key incidents that influence the outcome
man Uts have a huge bias of those incidents fall in there favour where referees do not apply the laws accordingly
I admit to the following.
I am an Arsenal season ticket holder.
I have been attending football since 1969
I love all things football, the game is bigger than any team
I am a qualified referee
When we loose (Arsenal)I am the first to admit our shortcomings
No team has a divine right to win a game
Despite the above I became really suspicious when our 49 games unbeaten run came to an end at Old Trafford. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUgP96XjEpY . The refereeing was shocking, had it been third world we would have been outraged. Yet no mention in the press, none at all of the abysmal performance of the ref whom allowed, the Neville brothers to assault Jose Reyes the entire game. Van Nistleroy to Punch Freddie Ljunberg in the face in front of him. Rooney to dive blatantly for a penalty, Rio to commit a last man foul and allow play to continue, and much more. It was a sad day for the EPL.
Since that day at OT, Arsenal have not had one decision go there way when playing Man Utd not one but! We have had players sent off, valid penalties turned down, and two further non penalties given. The one on Clichy this year was pathetic. Additionally we have had Arsene Wenger sent off for nothing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4lMbSr2ZYk This season in addition to The Clichy penalty Scholes should have been sent off, he tried to injure Nasri twice. I mean tried to injure him!! What was the refs reaction, after the 2nd one a little chat and a yellow, again a sad day for referees everywhere and the EPL in particular. We wonder why when we go to the world Cup we cant pass the ball for toffee. It is because this approached is vindicated.
In 2008 Arsenal were well clear and on target to win the league. From the moment it became probable, decisions started going against us. Birmingham away was famous not only for Eduardo’s broken leg but, poor decisions that led to 2 Birmingham goals, again a non penalty, and a blatant Arsenal penalty not given. It made great press that Gallas sat on the floor, a bad loosing Frenchman always makes good press but! Gallas was appalled because he knew we had been cheated! And there is really no other word for the sort of errors that occurred.
This was Followed by weeks of decisions not going our way, Middlesborough at home, Adebayer recieves the ball from a Boro back pass, scores and is judged offside!! No outcry in the media Yet the Boro goal scored by Alliadiere was clearly offside. time and time again, as soon as we became probable, those big moments went against us.
That is exactly what has happened this year, is it coincidence, is it just we lack bottle, Are northern refs against us, English refs favouring English players (Rooney, Nevilles, Scholes) are refs really shit scared of Alex, does Alex get his mates players to injure us, you know Pullis, McCleish, or is it more sinister!!! I don’t know but!!!
I, like Arsene Wenger, dont believe in coincidence. something happening occassionally yes, but not like this. Patterns are patterns, and they don’t occur by accident.
Is it also coincidental that the last three matches have witnessed PK awarded against Arsenal? I doubt. Why they continually break the hearts of these young athletes is what I cannot fathom. Something inside of me keeps telling me that the FA is close to the kind of scandal that rocked Italy a few years ago. Just one disclosure and half of these ill-gotten premiership titles would be gone.
I really need to aplogise for the grammar in my above post, that is what happens when you post early in the morning, and after a few glasses of Rioja.
Humble apologies
I shall endeavour not to do it again but cannot promise