By Tony Attwood
Football via a time machine.
So, after Walter publishes my preview after the match I suppose in future I shall have to put up my post-match reports before the game starts. Fortunately my great grand-father was a good mate of HG Wells and was bequeathed all his sketches upon the death of one of our great writers (sadly now only remembered for a handful of books), and thus I can indeed accomplish this feat.
But for now I write of yesterday. Tomorrow I shall do a review of our second unbeaten season.
In the first minute the WBA goal keeper (the pantomime horse that is Myhill) started time wasting, taking over a minute to take a goal kick. By the 5th minute the time was up to 90 seconds and the crowd was howling and booing.
Now normally when this happens and a ref is trotting away from the goal area to get ready for the upfield action, the ref turns around to see what the crowd is making so much noise about. But this ref? Not a chance. Head down he ran away, leaving the keeper to start his run up, stop, wave, start it again etc etc.
Strangely no matter how many times he did this, and no matter how many times he placed the ball in odd places, moved it, stopped, started and everything else, the ball always curved to the left and ended up on the WBA left wing. After a few times Arsenal got the hang of this, and we all knew where the ball was going.
Then after 7 minutes Ridgewell was injured and so how to go off. Having wasted the usual 90 seconds in not taking the kick keeper Myhill, on hearing the whistle quickly ran up and kicked the ball right up field. The substitution was made, and the ball then retrieved.
My point is that Myhill should have had a yellow for his time wasting from the start, and then had a second for kicking the ball away. So he would have gone off, WBA played with 10 men and the 3rd keeper would have been in goal.
In that regard the false penalty we were awarded in the first half would not have mattered since we would have been playing 10.
Thus I argue, if you are going to suggest that the penalty was not a penalty, fair enough. But you also have to look at other referee mistakes and consider the consequence of those, too. Otherwise the debate is lopsided; one of those crazy “we’ll only include wrong decisions if they benefit Arsenal” type articles that now dominate the press reports.
As it was we got 59% of possession, which is a bit more like it, had 19 goal attempts, and reduced WBA to just one goal attempt on target. Our forward line was having a day when they missed when it was easier to score, but still, the effort and forward passing, so missing in previous games, was there again.
WBA did not look like a top 10 team, let alone a top 5 team, and I suspect they will now sink without trace by the end of the season. Not to relegation perhaps, but certainly not a top half side. The ref ought to be put on a training course, and Arsenal will be doing all this forward passing stuff on auto pilot within a match or two.
And one more thing. Jack Wilshere. He was both a defensive midfielder and a classic number 10. Not a perfect performance from him, but some of the forward passes were in the mould that Bergkamp is remembered for. What an amazing player, and one still very much in the making. If we could have Diaby back and play Jack as a number 10…. oh what a joy that would be to watch.
(Incidentally Jack squared up to one of the WBA players at one time. The top of Jack’s head come up to the guy’s neck. Most amusing).
Alex O-C disappointed at moments – I thought he would have been further on by now, but like Jack, he is young and has plenty of time. But he is willing and if we look at his performances overall he is improving.
Next up, the report on the league cup game, followed by the preview. But to ponder for a further second the issue of Myhill – why waste time from the first second of the game? OK, if you are 1-0 up away with injury time left, yes maybe you do this. But not from the very first goal kick of the game. At the end, rushing to and fro to get the ball and take instant goal kicks, he three times kicked a moving ball as a goal kick. Linesman and ref did and said nothing. But then, that’s how they played the whole game.
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Lately we can only beat if we are being helped by the referees. The way the team is playing is disgraceful.
How is it that we have so meekly accepted the sale of Robin to Man U? If anybody needed proof of the lack of ambition of the wretched regime it must surely be Ivan’s cash-in on a ‘declining asset’. I said at the time (when it seemed he was going to City) that it was as good as giving them the title on a plate. Instead Ivan gifted it to Man U. Robin (with a little help from Clichy and Nasri) made the difference in the game today. AND WHAT A GULF IN CLASS TO WHAT WE SAW YESTERDAY! (Jack excepted)
I am curiously heartened by the number of people saying they don’t care about the dive/non-dive of Cazorla. We are starting to support the Arsenal and starting to be grateful for the victories earned or not instead of just assuming we are going to win. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want Arsenal to be in 7th position. And, my idea of a good game is to be up 5-nil at the half and then to gradually pull away. But, my take on the rancour and confusion that surround the club is that we are still experiencing a hang-over from the invincibles when things seemed so easy. Now, more supporters are coming down to earth and supporting the club and cheering our lesser accomplishments, too.
Derek,
I think RVP gifted himself to MU. He was in the driving seat. Not Arsenal. He wanted out and apart from not playing him we could only accept the money. Player power. Good or bad, it is how things are for the moment.
i cant believe there are people taking the side of that prick and attack their club for him being a total twat. He is the one who wanted to go, not Ivan not PHW and certainly not Wenger. He acted like an utter prick and disrespected not only the management of the club and his team mates but also stabbed the man who made him who he is today in the back. I know there are reports saying he changed his mind toward the end but im sure its nothing but PR.
Attacking the club just because of that twat is highly idiotic
Unlike many i blatantly refuse to self harm myself and go into depression mode no matter how many he scores because honestly he is not worth it and he can take his goals along with that statement of his up where the sun doesn’t shine.
@ Derek, wretched regime? People who want to make sure Arsenal are around for the long term, and are waiting to see what happens with such a potential ( yes, I don’t know if it will happen either) game changer as FFP? I thought wretched was more Rangers and PR’s Leeds, Portsmouth, Blackburn etc, but hay, never let facts get in the way of a good soundbite.
@Mahdain & robl
Well said. I think the derek is rewriting history, he has conveniently forgotten that the traitor would not sign his contract – and then used that “forgetfulness” as the basis for an attack on the club, what a plonker.
@Madain
I agree, except…
A quick look at the papers suggests that the sun DOES shine…
The WBA game was a half leap forward with much better movements than what we have seen lately, but, the passing pace is still much too slow and there are too many simple and unforced errors. The team gives an impression of being unfocused so despite the win, we have to do much better than this.
@ Derek
What an unhappy sad person you are.
Like Rupert why are you here?
Only skimmed the comments but how does a post about AFC vs WBA decend into discussion about RVP/ board ambition blah blah blah. Seems there are some people that just constantly want to have a pop. For the record – a bad dive but I don’t care because Arsenal won. We all know how to stop diving its just the authorities who are too chicken shit to do anything about it.
I love the way Untold tries to be positive and get behind the club – yes things are bad but the constant negativity in the ground and online is doing more harm to Arsenal than the preceived shortcomings of the board/manager/players
Keep it up.
@Woody, you’re bizarre.
@bjtgooner, you probably think this AAA phantom menace is lurking under your bed, you probably check every night.
Conspiracy theorists can’t wait for someone to create an imaginary threat so they can use it to feed their paranoia.
@Adam, I agree about your stance on diving. I was a bit flippant in regarding Cazorla’s suspected dive. I have to say I thought there was minimal contact but it’s really hard to tell.
If Cazorla did dive then it saved him from a broken leg for the intended tackle had that intent, that is why the penalty was given.