Of course I’m going to have a biased view with Arsenal and refs but as I posted before I’ve posted a list of all the for and against definitive decisions as I see it this season. If people think I’m overly biased then I’d welcome your own list of decisions or reviewing my analysis of the decisions.
What were the tackles where Arsenal players were lucky to not get a red this season? Which Arsenal penalties were borderline very lucky to get? Which Arsenal goals were debatable with a different ref view?
And then look at the rough end decisions I think we’ve had and as I’ve said before I’m sure each of them can be justified in the full letter of the law but equally if the reverse decision was given you could also justify it.

I think the penalty yesterday was soft but he nudged him so you can justify it being given, but when have we been given that? Saka away to palace when Kouyate just strong armed Saka out of the way?
The holding one I can accept is a red for the basic unsubtleness of the same player committing 4 fouls on the same player in 30 mins. But what if Son had got a red card in the first 10 mins for his elbow on Holding…..the narrative would be Son fell in to Holding’s trap and should control himself better as he gave the ref a reason to send him off.

Again this may be bias but the reaction after the spurs loss seems to be general joy from the ‘neutral’ media, I get that in terms of wanting the 4th place race to go to the end but generally I’ve never understood why we our failings are so joyously celebrated by the media and on the flip side how Spurs seem to be such media darlings despite showing nothing other than having the england captain and a charismatic but hard to like manager.

Shameless.
I don’t go to away games but I’m assuming this violence is commonplace for Arsenal fans away at Spurs. Does this happen when Spurs visit Arsenal?

Never heard of the guy, but the last 'unknown' Brazilian teenager we bought turned out to be quite good. All for this.

There is no excuse and I wish the person a successful recovery. Apparently the authorities are disinterested.

Match fixing. Only comes to mind as Conte had been banned from football for a time for it. Hmmm
That doesn't necessarily mean it applies to the NLD on Thursday. Still....there were a few odd and/or unusual incidents.

[attachment=0]download.jpeg.jpg[/attachmen

NLD match fixing...hmmm

Google Klopp and Tierney to see what the Liverpool manager thinks of his refereeing ability.

I went for a drive after the red card. I am a fan of Holding and he has performed in big games but Ben is better by a mile. Maybe there is a reason he didn't play, I haven't checked. Holding is a decent 3rd CB. With the exceptions of the top 3 or 3 clubs, he's better than pretty much any other back up CB out there.

I don't expect us to get 4th. I will be (air quotes) 'happy' if we do, but sperz beating us makes it feel undeserving. In or present incarnation I don't expect us to do well in the CL. I also don't expect this squad to get a CL position next season. If we buy certain players for certain positions....maybe. But I'm not expecting. I am expecting Europa football next season.

If we get 4th it may be a one off. Newcastle will spend like Liverpool and Man City in the summer now that they have money. Chelsea and City did the same when they got uber wealthy owners. Newcastl will be a top 4 side within the next 3-4 years I think. The way they have been playing since they got a sugar daddy, they could be one of the challengers for top 4 and definitely a challenger for a Europa League spot.

With all the issues this season, I feel Arteta has deserved his new contract. He brought the side farther ahead than what was expected this season. We'll be no worse than 5th probably so that is a big accomplishment, especially taking the first month of the season into consideration.

I will only watch games to the point we are going to win. Its not how I or anyone else usually watch games but for the remainder of this season, its what I will do. I will go back to watching the whole game, win, lose or draw next season. For now, I'm burned out on this squad. I may not even watch one of the two games. Yeah, its that bad.

Which proves the point that refereeing decisions are often criticised by managers and fans. All teams rage at decisions they feel are not in their favour. We have the highest number of red cards of any club and one of the highest numbers of penalties conceded according to OPTA. It needs to be rectified. Personally I always believe in the maxim don't give the referee a decision to make.

Rich, let m say I have a deep respect for many of your views and thus posts. But in my view you lose some rationality when it comes to referees. How many people will list the decisions that go our way when a different subjective decision by a referee could or would have been to Arsenal’s disadvantage? Personally I reckon it would reveal an unhealthy obsession with refereeing decisions.

So I can’t name a single one. For me a game finishes and unless something extraordinary has happened in it like a great goal or it’s a crucial result in terms of winning a title, it gets forgotten. I couldn’t tell you the results of games let alone the scorers. Remembering whether a referee’s subjective decision has gone Arsenal’s way or against us is not going to happen.

But what I do believe is that they will exist. Statistically they have to whether or not I’ve forgotten them.

My thoughts too - Mikel is making a good fist of it and carries himself very well. Europa qualification is an achievement to build upon - and lets not forget there are still two games to play for ECL place. It could still happen, but we can't rely on others helping us out. Last time Burnley won a league game at Tottenham was in 1974!

So, not really a supporter then.

Mate your all over the place with this post. You think the teams done well in one paragraph and said your burned out with the squad in the next.

I can't agree with you about it feeling undeserved if we get 4th just because we lost away at Sperz. You know we beat them 3-1 at home and they had 11 players. Does that result not count? Or the fact that our results over the season have put us 2 wins away, despite having a rookie manager, a threadbare squad and the youngest team in the league?

When you say burned out do you mean you've lost interest or you are finding it too stressful? Personally I've found some of the recent games horribly stressful (Man U and the last 20 mins against Leeds). Sperz I didnt find stressful because it was over as a contest pretty quickly once Holding got himself sent off. I stopped watching at that point because it was just an exercise in futile misery, but I admittedly kept tabs on the score by occasionally checking the BBC website!

So, never mind how many points we get, etc., let's judge the season by how well we do away to Spurs?

One senses he is about to put Arsenal on his ignore list. They're obvious trolls.

Whoever gets fourth place will have deserved it in my view. If it’s Tottenham they will have deserved it. If it’s Arsenal we will have deserved it.

Fourth place will go to the side that finished ahead of the fifth placed side over a 38 game season. I don’t see how anyone can say that team won’t have deserved it, whichever way it goes.

Tottenham won’t deserve it. As far as I’m concerned, the first thing they can do for me is chuck all their medals and all their caps and all their pots and all their pans into the biggest f*cking dustbin they can find. Because they've not done anything fairly. Theyve done it all by cheating

Medals?

If that's the standard, then there are maybe half a dozen 'real' supporters then.

Over the years, a litany of SG forumites have said they stopped watching us and take what you guys refer to as a 'flounce'. Babu said he changed to Chelsea and I never heard that said to him but okay...lol (maybe he got a pass because it was assume he was off his meds)

So, just to make sure, not bothered over the next two games BUT a couple decades of watching and watching all games next season isn't a fan? Got it chief.

Luckily for me, my personal standards of being a fan are my own.

Fair question and fair enough Bored. I get too emotionally tied to Arsenal at times and these past few weeks starting with the 3 straight losses where we seemed to have given sperz, Man Utd or even West Ham a chance back, took its emotional toll on me...as a fan. Not straight jacket, Im Napolean, mental institutioin strain but a long arduous season and it caught up to me.

I stopped watching after the red card.

But I'll be fine, just a rant. I have been on this forum...what? a couple decades? Every kit bought, paid subscription to an American site solely for our EPL games, well over 30,000 posts on here, I'm a lifer. Can't stop watching us....rant/brief flounce aside.

Question for the 2 or 3 people (including admins) I haven't blocked.
Okay, bad joke.


We are currently sitting 3rd with the most titles (13). First question, when Fergie passed us, did you notice it or everyone was fully aware when he got Man Utd its 14th title in 2001 I think. I don't recall if a fuss was made about it in the press. Did you feel anything about it at the time?

Everton sits behind us with 9 titles. Not much of a chance of them ever catching us. City and Chelsea are on with 7 and 6 respectively. City being the biggest threat.

Have you thought about them catching us? I have. It worries me. Yes, if it does it won't happen for a while and it also precludes us not winning titles till then. But I worry about having the most FA cups and also titles.

How have they cheated?

I am going to be very, very interested in seeing the season documentary. I hope the season ends well (top 4) so there is a 'happy ending'. But my main curiosity is the behind the scenes look at our ups and downs and hopefully some answers to questions like Saliba, Aubameyang, Xhaka, and several others. I am 'almost' as excited to see it as I am the new Obi Wan Kenobi movie (I'm a hard care Start Wars fan...sue me )

So Cup Final day. Used to be the biggest game in world football - far and away the biggest game in English football. Started with the build up through the week then “Who’ll Win The Cup” on Friday evening. Panels and pundits, the arrival of the teams, communal singing and presentations. I used to absolutely love it.

Not quite the same these days, is it?

I don't think they'll need a very big bin. A wastepaper basket should do it.

But they will deserve it if they get 4th, sadly.

I’ve given up on explaining the footballing aspect of the sport to you. Happy to chat about other stuff though

The kick-off time is terrible. They really should go back to 3pm.

It’s all very well saying the cup final is special which it is. I love the cup myself but if your team isn’t involved these days it’s less interesting as a viewer.

Call me nostalgic but viewing the final without Des Lynam, Hansen and jimmy hill talking for 3 hours before kick off plus the imperious John motson makes it harder viewing. We all used to watch it religiously from 12 till kick off because they were good copy. now honestly not sure

Or perhaps you’ve realised you said something stupid.

Nah

Pépé replacement or one for the future?

https://dailycannon.com/2022/05/arsenal-marquinhos-agree-terms/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEtA5I5IopQ&t=77s

I’ll leave it to you to explain how they cheated then.

I used to watch the whole game, even when Arsenal we weren’t in the final (if we were I went). The first FA Cup final not involving Arsenal that I didn’t bother watching was the Manchester City vs Stoke final in 2011. Since then the only ones I’ve watched in full are those when Arsenal reached the final. So I agree, it’s not the same these days.

I hardly ever watch full games not involving Arsenal now, although I probably will watch the Rangers vs Frankfurt Europa League final next Wednesday.

Mané elbows someone in the head worse than Holding and doesn’t get booked. He does it most games

You’re quite right. It’s all down to individual perspective.

I have never understood people who leave a ground if their team is not doing well. Not at all what I’d call support. I have never left a ground early.

Same really for saying in advance that I’ll watch until the team is not doing well. Far removed from my view of support.

The key issue is in the word ‘support’.

But you have a different view. Fair enough. Each to their own.

You’re quite right. Officiating is inconsistent and capricious. Effing annoying really.

Also Konate did something identical as last man.

Penalty shootout. Been coming for ages.

They’re going to have to be more accurate than the endless succession of almost shots.