Why hasnt our game against Spurs been announced yet???
Surely they know what midweeks are free for the both of us seeing as we are not in any cups or europe.
i think this is sky/bt just waiting for the prime opportunity to maximise the coverage and have us as close in the table as possible so it can be dressed up as a top 4 decider.

https://twitter.com/TikiTakaConnor/stat ... w02pbunH-w

Ref expert Dermot Gallagher being asked why Xhaka was booked. his explanation is 'it was one he had coming, rather than him being picked on'

It is utterly laughable and needs to be questioned very vocally!

Based on the calendar I think this will be played on Wednesday May 11th.
This is after our weekend game v Leeds and after Spurs weekend game v Liverpool. Looking at those fixtures and the others that weekend the Liverpool v Spurs game would be prime for a TV slot, hopefully the late sunday game to give us the extra days rest. Of course we might get bumped to Sunday and Liverpool v Spurs takes the early saturday kick off.

But yes, TV is definitely scheduling the game as late as possible. It was postponed before our liverpool and chelsea games were postponed but both of those got rescheduled in earlier slots.

Hearing former refs talk like that really puzzles me, and makes me question what referees are taught. What does it even mean, 'he had one coming'? Are we to understand that a player is being deliberately judged on things that have happened in previous games? Because Xhaka didn't have a single foul before his yellow card, so it can hardly have been something that had happened in the Villa game.

I just don't understand how they can't see what they're saying is ludicrous, and makes for a completely arbitrary application of the rules. Just judge the situation - is the challenge worthy of a yellow card, then give it. If it's not, it doesn't matter if the player broke someone's leg three weeks prior.

Some good news about refs at least, Mike Dean is retiring at the end of the season.

Excluding the North London derby, as things stand the dates of the two clubs planned fixtures are as follows.

ARSENAL
4th April
9th April
16th April
20th April
23rd April
1st May
7th May
15th May
22nd May

TOTTENHAM
3rd April
9th April
16th April
23rd April
30th April
7th May
15th May
22nd May

Between weekends with games, the Wednesdays (I’m excluding Tuesdays and Thursdays) with no games currently planned in those midweeks for either club are

13th April
27th April
4th May
11th May
18th May

You could well be right that 11th May will be the date selected Rich. But any of the others look equally suitable.

Two things to our advantage. We are playing better than sperz week in, week out per the form table. And with regards to the prior statement, I don't see sperz showing up each week. It remains to be seen if they are taking 4th place as serious as we are.

I saw this news.....but then saw people suggest he could easily end up as the next head of refs taking Mike Riley's job! Anything really is better than Mike bl**dy Riley - he of the most biased ref performance I've ever witnessed - but Mike Dean and his brand of 'look at me' isn't exactly the step in the sweeping change I'd want to see at the head of the PGMOL. Perhaps Mike retires in to anonymity and spends more time on the terraces at Tranmere

I think the first 4 midweek dates on your list clash with Champions League midweeks (QF and SF) and UEFA are quite strict on not having domestic matches on CL midweeks wherever possible. Sky would want the NLD on TV and for it to not clash with a big CL night - so I think that's why it will end up on May 11th

Chelsea and Man Utd are the only games I can see us losing. Chelsea are better than us. Not by a great deal but good enough. And for whatever reason, Man Utd seem to have our number more times than not, too many times more than not. If we come to play (and I doubt we won't) the level that outplayed Liverpool a few times for significant parts of games and played City tough, then we can beat both.

I'm seeing a draw or win against sperz. As for the others, very tough fixtures, toon, Soton, Palace, but we have it in us to win. The problem is playing that intensely week in, week out for the remainder of the campaign.

...forgot about Ramsdale. If he's out for a while, its not good obviously. How bad remainst to be seen but most teams would love to have a quality back up like Leno.

Saliba has received his first call up to the French national team to replace the injured Pavard. We need to extend his contract this summer.

Chelsea away and Spurs away are the toughest. I think Palace away could prove tougher than Man U at home. I just have a feeling that we will be bang up for that Man U game, the home crowd will be right on it and so will the players - we've blitzed Man U a few times at home recently with high press, high tempo, high workrate. Our system is better than theirs but they have those individuals who can pull something out - similar to Spurs.

I expect us to win our 4 remaining home games, but the 6 away games are tough

Only on field retirement. He'll be full on with VAR in a full time role.

These 'ref watch' features are terrible as well. All the likes of Gallagher and Walton do is find some way to justify or agree with the decision on the pitch. How can their bosses at the TV companies be happy with that? I realise not every pundit is picked for their insight on the game, some are personalities and some are just outspoken and controversial because it generates interest, but these ex refs don't even have that to fall back on. What is the point?

Also, what is the point of the journalist/presenter asking the questions. If you've asked Gallagher to clarify in his opinion why Xhaka got a yellow card for persistent fouling for his first foul why is he accepting the answer of 'he had it coming'? Challenge him properly on it. What does that mean?

Analysis of football and interviews of people who's opinions are supposedly expert are absolutely terrible.

If that’s the case I’m sure you’ll be right. There’s arguably not much of an alternative option.

Warrior will you organise the collection for Mike Reilly retirement present.

Is Mike Riley retiring. I see that Mike Dean is but can see no mention of the other ‘expert’.

The scary thing is that it is being suggested that Dean becomes one of two full time VAR officials. Given his self declared arrogance that does not bode well for non contentious decisions.

The City v Liverpool Fa Cup semi final at Wembley has no trains running from the north west to Euston the entire weekend and the planned engineering works were known about ages ago. Fan groups are lobbying for the game to be moved - quite rightly - but it won’t be as cup semis at Wembley bring in huge money to pay off the cost of that stadium

I think someone is already organising something for him.

https://www.change.org/p/the-football-a ... n-the-game

Just come across this observation :

In his last 13 premier league appearances Granit Xhaka has made just 11 fouls. In 10 of these appearances he’s committed 1 foul or less.

In that time he’s been shown 6 yellow cards.

It does rather seem that despite cleaning up his act and cutting out the daft lunges he is still being picked on unfairly.

Hard to take that article seriously when they get his name wrong throughout.

I know Rich has long gone on about bookings for an accumulation of fouls. But when I asked him if there was a rule stating a specific number of fouls when a yellow card should be given, he didn’t think there was.

I’m a bit of a traditionalist in some ways and think players should be booked if the particular offence warrants it, rather than just issuing a yellow card after a set number of fouls, none of which on there own warranted a booking.

I can see the theoretical possibility that Xhaka’s last six bookings in thirteen league games were all worthy of a yellow card. They clearly shouldn’t have been based on an accumulated total per match, despite what Dermot Gallagher is supposed to have said.

Do the maths. If the six yellow cards came from eleven fouls in thirteen matches, on average he commits less than one foul per game. No way can that warrant yellow cards on an accumulated basis, unless they were all packed into one or two games (say 6 + 5), maybe three at the most (4 + 4 + 3). I find that hard to believe. But it would only explain one or two of the six bookings. Three at the very most, and I think three is highly arguable if he only committed 3 fouls in it.

I don’t recall five of the fouls he was booked for. But I do remember the offence at Villa Park on Saturday. No way did that warrant a yellow card. That none of the other five fouls stick in my mind either suggests to me the idea that Xhaka is booked unfairly looks perfectly feasible.

A 9 point deduction would be nice. We would go third.


https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/18008343 ... ng-russia/

It cements in me the growing feeling that refereeing in the Premier league is demonstrably incompetent and biased. Not fit for purpose.

These are the 22 listed Refs:

https://www.transfermarkt.com/premier-league/schiedsrichter/wettbewerb/GB1/saison_id/2021/plus/1

They are drawn overwhelmingly from the NE, the NW and the Midlands. There's one from Wiltshire and one from Oxfordshire. Technically, the only southerner is Jarred Gillet - but only because he's from Australia.

How on earth can there be no representation whatever from London, the Home Counties or southern England? With the exception of the 2 from Oxfordshire and Wiltshire (both hotbeds of footballing fervour), there's nobody from South of Birmingham.

It goes without saying that there are no black or asian refs.

Usmanov in the news again.

Alisher Usmanov claims to have evaded sanctions using a trust

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/7c08 ... 2870b94276

I certainly subscribe to the fact of Xhaka being pretty much the most harshly treated player in the league. I also think that he does get a number of first foul yellow cards because the types of fouls he makes are professional fouls, deliberate trips or pull backs - I’m kind of ok with that even though those aren’t always regularly given as yellows to everyone else. But the incident at the weekend tops it all, to be given a yellow for persistent fouling when only making 1 foul and then letting two opponents get away with 3/4 fouls each does start to scream more than just incompetence.

Or women…..yet

Has it happened lower down the leagues or in the cups? I sort of recall seeing the highlights of some game between male teams and I thought the ref was female. Might be wrong and probably am.

You’re correct. Rebecca Welch.

Also Stephanie Frappart in European games.

He’s obviously being treated differently but let’s be honest here he’s cultivated almost an unparalleled unique reputation over time in the league by getting himself sent off 5 times. Also it’s not like Patrick Vieira getting himself carded for over exuberance all of his stuff is utterly cynical usually committed when his lack of pace is being exposed or he’s been caught too far up the pitch or just totally needlessly. Saturday aside it’s very hard to scream at the injustice

May as well get used to this because until he goes this won’t change now. If he stays another year guarantee more reds to come.

Ukrainian Kateryna Monzul refereed the England v Andorra WC 2022 qualifier last year in Andorra. She was the first woman to referee a senior England men's match. Not the first time she's refereed a men's football match. Both Stephanie and Kateryna ref appointments were complimented by Pierluigi Collina at the time.

With four red cards in the Premier League, Xhaka is the joint 23rd most sent off player in Premier League history. If he has an almost unparalleled reputation, it’s hardly a deserved reputation.

https://howtheyplay.com/team-sports/Top ... ier-League

Old article Bernard he got himself sent off again since that was published

https://youtu.be/sArAQWP5JKI
5 reds for us but only 4 in the league.
This video shows the 5 red cards
The denying a clear goal scoring opportunity you can’t argue with.
Two footer v City id want a red for an opponent for that.
Hand on the throat is a red but plenty get away with this sort of handbags
The other two are joke red cards
He has been harshly treated in this country.

An ex ref trying to explain why Kane wasn’t sent off for his shocking tackle in the Liverpool game said refs study players and will have known that Kane isn’t the sort of player to get sent off so will have got the benefit of any doubt. I find that pretty awful if it’s true because it just exacerbates the problem of those being overly punished and those that continually get away with it.

Xhaka is cynical but there are players who have almost made than an art form and they get away with far more. Look at any Man City defensive mid over the past 5 years

Thing is Fernandinho is more subtle with his tactical fouling. Xhaka is absolutely cynical and obvious committing 2 foot lunges when he gives the ball away that’s why he has the problem.

Also if you don’t think the other 2 are reds I don’t know what to say. It’s one thing dragging a player to the ground and something quite different doing peoples ankles.

So you think the cyclical trip on Swansea’s Mo Barrow 60 yards from goal and by the touchline was deserving of a straight red? The type of red card that has never been repeated since in the premier league

I’m far from Xhaka’s biggest fan but I think I can admit when he’s played well and still forms an important part of our side and would say it is clear that he is treated more strictly than other players as are we as a club. It’s always a case of full force of the laws of the game being applied to Xhaka and Arsenal and others are given the benefit of the doubt.

I think you’re far too entrenched in your views on Xhaka to ever see any other opinion on him though.

Exactly what I’m saying. He’s done the back of the blokes legs as he’s speeding away from him. Drag him back by all means but it looks a spiteful reaction because the player was away. Asking for trouble and plays completely into the refs hands. He’s doing peoples ankles and shins left right and centre, these aren’t shirt pulls. You can have a debate about them but look at the red againest Burnley when he lost it. He’s trying to do the bloke let’s be honest here.

Just because he was finally hard done by Saturday doesn’t mean his poor reputation is unwarranted.

I think that sums it up. I mean, he insists on calling a sending off in the away leg of the League Cup semi-final at Anfield a Premier League sending off to make Xhaka’s Premier League stats look worse. That was even after it was pointed out he’d only been sent off four times in the Premier League which makes him only the joint 23rd most sent off player in Premier League history.