So, we just need to beat Villa to go back to the top of the league .
On the face of it that should not be too difficult. However, as the referees seem to be doing everything possible to help City and Chelsea, I must admit to a certain amount of trepidation.
I might be getting my excuses in first, but the refereeing recently has been woeful. We have not benefited from it very much at all, in fact, we have suffered quite extensively. Recent awful officiating sort of makes me understand why the bookies have City, then Chelsea as favorites.
Villa are poor at home, we are very good on the road, so we should win, but the fear remains that we could be somehow thwarted.
As ever, I wont be predicting the team, or telling Arsene how to set up, but feel free to do so in the comments section.
I hope we win, and win with a flourish. Games like this we simply must not drop points if we are to maintain the challenge.
The pressure is on and we have to triumph . The way things are going it could be like this until the last game of the season.
Up the Arse!
Positively Arsenal 
i dont realy want a revenge today. because there is nothing to revenge. we didnt lose to villa but the referee and his assistants. so how do we revenge the referee except for jack to show him the middle finger when we are 4-0 up.
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Nice one George, but you neglected to utter the immortal words: “it’s a must win game”. You have to say “it’s a must win game”. It’s obligatory, especially now we are off the top and starting an inexorable slide downwards….
“Must not drop points” will have to do I s’pose. I share your trepidation about tonight, just ‘cos that’s the way I roll, but I think we’ll get the job done. Villa will do what they do (play like the away team), but if we keep our passing nice and zippy and play with pace we should have too much for them.
I agree about the referees/officials though, I don’t know who we have been blessed with this occasion (dare not look) but after yesterday’s howlers, I expect the worse and no blunder or monumental f*ck up would surprise any longer.
Anyway, we’ll get the points tonight. Trust me, I’ve never been wrong before (er…)
ARSENAL.
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I must stop checking untold for the ref preview, once again it don’t look good.
However this cheered me up youtube.com/watch?v=ugehIW40zm4&feature=youtube_gdata_player …
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3 – nil to The Arsenal!!! Giroud, Ozil and Koscielney all on the score sheet! Come on you Gunners!!!
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They might say we are conspiracy theorists but our fears are well founded after some of the diabolical refereeing decisions not only yesterday but since the start of the season. Otherwise from that I have absolutely every confidence we will win the points.
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We have good record at Villa Park. Both clubs have had a decent break on the back of our win against Spuds, and Villa’s defeat at home to the mighty Blades. The weather in Birmingham tonight will be cold and dry with light winds.
I sense we will be refreshed. We have Olivier back. I would therefore be quite perturbed if we failed to secure a victory and depart southward with the 3 points.
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The title says it all, PG. The weekend gave us no gifts, so everything crossed. We could do with a win by a big score, but I would take 3 points right now.
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I would take 1-0 right now, I mean. Cah!.
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I dont suppose anyone wants to do the match report?
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Arse or Brain;
I steer well away from Untold. Their Ref reviews are another type of doom mongering!
Shotta; I hope there is absolutely no referee bias, corruption, or cosying up to specific teams, managers etc (cough* Fergie* cough!) and the system is beyond repraoch.
BUT, there is growing doubt about the veracity of the claim it is 100% claen. Therefore, you would think the authorities, you know that great, dynamic, pro-active organisation; the august FA would actually look into it a tiny bit? Then there’s the Premier league and the PGMOL itself.
It wouldnt take much to show catagorically that there is nothing to be concerned about.
But look at recent games and the choosing of refs from the cathment areas of clubs. It cannot be healthy to have so few officials to choose from and those that are available seem to come almost exclusively from the north, with a higher proportion from the north west.
Add the fact the PGMOL seem entirely unaccountable to anyone bar themselves, the refs never allowed to discuss their performances, or explain their decisions and the number of repeat performers for certain teams are all valid talking points at the very least.
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As for tonight’s game, I think if the team perfom like they did vs the spouds, then we should win without much fuss. If we can keep the home team quiet, then the brummie restless will get native!
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spouds = spuds + sprouts
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Im pretty sure that Villa’s game plan tonight will be to sit back, put everyone bat Agbongalor behind the ball and try and do us on the counter. Given that, not sure Gnabry will start the game, although I would have no concerns if he did. He has been brilliant and the more I think of it, I do feel he can replace not only the pact of Theo, but his eye for a goal too. He isnt as good as Theo, yet, but he is fearless and a good stand in.
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Was it just me but was the football shown on tv (in UK, at least) unbelievably dull (with the exception of the Orc v Liverpool game)? The matches felt never-ending, predictable and dull. Manure were workmanlike and although they got 3 points, one can’t imagine their 30 + sponsors being exactly thrilled with the quality of football on display. The only point of interest for me was watching out to see just how bad the refereeing in this league continues to be.
I read somewhere that we should import some continental refs to do the job but I struggle with them, too, to be honest. On the other hand, the consistency with which refereeing errors mostly seem to work in favour of Chelsea and City in particular has to be a cause for concern. (That said, the tackle on Nasri was a horror and yet another instance of an appalling assault failing to earn the appropriate punishment).
Whether World Cup year truly is having an impact on refs hoping to avoid controversy I can’t really say but the game has never been more poorly served by those charged with running it.
Yesterday’s bizarrely disallowed Newcastle equaliser against the blue Mancs merely the latest in a long line of hard to believe decisions. The fear of corruption as a result is a real one even though it’s probably just incompetence on the part of the refs.
Numerous observers await the day technology is embraced rather than feared. For me at least, that day can’t come soon enough.
***
Yes, I expect we’ll get the three points but even if we lose or draw the chances are it’ll be the most watchable game of the weekend, as we so often are.
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Yes, Dexter – there are too few “qualified” refs, virtually none from south of Birmingham and also the PGMOL is too complacent, secretive and autocratic. No formal explanations, an insistence that the refs are all top quality, which they patently are not, and draconian penalties for questioning their competence. A little bit North Korea, methinks. Try getting a more decisions right and being more consistent and the problem of respect for referees would disappear just like that. Yesterday was pretty shocking especially since there has been a rule change in the summer designed to cover that exact situation, of which some refs (presumably including Mike Jones), appear to be unaware. That was a goal.
What would have really annoyed the Newcastle side as well is that the linesman made his call to the ref after Hart appealed for offside. Reminds me a bit of when Gervinho was sent off at Newcastle a couple of seasons ago – after the referee consulted with Newcastle players!
@ shotta
I would say, look at Untold Arsenal’s Ref watch thingummybob if you want, but wait until AFTER the game so your view isn’t coloured.
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FunGunner – am liking your comparison of the PGMOL with little bit North Korea!
Those managers complaining had better watch out their uncles and aunts don’t get bumped off …
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Fun Gunner
Ha! Yeah, the PGMOL is definitely a bit Kim Jung Wrong Un!
You do also have to wonder exactly how much Sky influence things. They are constantly hyping up the PL as the ‘best league in the world’. And trumpeting those fantastic british traits’ over physicality, 1000 miles an hour play. Therefore refs are expected to let games flow, with mininmal interference, meaning horror tackles like yesterday are not viewed as terrible and any questioning of the officials will be viewed as tarnished the multi billion pound product.
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Andrew, Yup the football over the weekend was generally abysmal. Not a great advert for the so-called best league in the world. There’s a certain irony in that if it had not been for the appalling officiating there would be next to nothing to talk about. Chelsea under Maureen continue their bold experiment of slowly boring every opponent they face into eventual submission, Man Utd have turned yet another corner (oh yes), and the Blue Harem Globetrotters, for all their multi-billion dollar attacking flair, got little bit lucky. Again.
Arsenal matches are generally good entertainment value. And I say that with not a hint of bias. oh yes.
I agree with all that about the refs Fungunner. No accountability for their decisions whatsoever (apart from wheeling Dermot Gallagher out on Sly Sports), despite the alarming increase in, er, questionable, and often game changing, decisions. And on it goes…
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Dex/Harry – you do wonder if the protection of the BPL ‘brand’ is not in effect a de facto corruption of the game in this country.
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The woman referee, I think her last name is Massey, is amazing. Where did they uncover her and how can they make twenty more like her?
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Be interesting and help quell any unneccsary conspiracy theory chatter (haha!) to check who those pesky linesmen were who have been so accomodating in striking off all those perfectly legitimate goals for the Oilers.
Well, I am quite interested to find out anyway!
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Being a contrary bastard I thought the two games yesterday afternoon were really good. Toon gave the Mancs a severe rattling but, fair play to Citeh, they hung on for grim death and earned the points. The Stoke v Scousers game was end to end stuff, some bit of good football and individual skills, some bloody awful errors.
Unless I misread my sponsors that is exactly what they want and why EPL is a strong brand.
Clearly I was the only one on the planet who, when I saw Gouffran bob out of the way, who thought ‘he’s going to disallow that’ ( insert inoffensive but banned smiley)
But that is just me – I expect the same controversy would have raged, Pelligrini could have called Pardew a c***, if the Tiote goal was allowed
The one fucking totally unacceptable decision was Mbiwa not getting the straight red card and the 6 month ban his stupid stupid kick across Nasri deserved – Pardew had fuck all to say about it, still bleating about his disallowed goal, wtf is that bloke doing on a football pitch ?
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Some website put up the Tiote goal he scored against Arsenal that Dowd had no desire to rule out!
In isolation, that all look completely down to human werrotr, but when a team get 4 good goals chalked off in their favour after half a season…
Its a bit fishy and I aint referring to george’s soiled girdles here.
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*error…
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anicoll
Next you’ll be saying you can watch games objectively… that you are a realist, blah blah…
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City will be missing Nasri and Agüero for the near future. On top of that, Navas, Yaya and Silva are all nursing knocks. Their squad, deep as it is, is not immune to injuries. The next couple of weeks could decide the title.
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1) world class
world class: a footballer who commands automatic first 11 spot in the top 3-4 teams of the top leagues plus he is automatic first 11 in his national team.
example :
gianluca zambrotta : first 11 for juve, first 11 for barca first 11 for italy, has won it all …verdict world class
gary neville….has won it all with manure , was auto first choice for club and country…would he be auto first choice for any top team in italy / spain ? doubt it…. verdict: not world class.
2) 04 vs 14
in my opinion…the 04’s besides having the best in the world in certain positions they would beat anyone from the current ’14 teams purely on the grounds of having such gigantic characters and dominating personalities. the 05’s were drunk under the nectar of the 04 success that they couldnt be asked/bothered to repeat and because injuries and age started catching up.
3) english f.a and refs and rules
in the mind of the english, football is a contact sport, yet football’s rulebooks are clear and specific in that contacts constitute fouls. the english have taken this rule and twisted in allowing fouls as part of the game thus contact can be made anywhere at all times whether you get the ball or not…however the rule is clear..contact = foul.
Even when there is no contact ref can punish intention according to rulebook…another concept the english refs dont realise or pretend they dont realise so as to promote the “values of the english game” where aggression and assualt with intention anything but the ball is deemed acceptable as even if the ball is missed and contact is made ..its part of the game hurrah hurrah…..”grow up and be a man and let me kick you” …which actually means ” shit…. these guys are better than us, what do we do now? lets kick em”
imo the most decent principle of the game is that…. any player who runs, tackles and generally plays the game with the kind of aggression that puts his fellow professionals in danger has no place on the pitch…… this is conveniently ignored by those who govern the rules in this league…..
you can let tiote kick the shit out of arsenal players and get away with 5 yellows just because the ref and the people here have their own “ideas” of what is foul passion contact…..
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*cant let
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You playing devil’s avocado ‘Coll 😉
Was a perfectly good goal as far as I can see, all day long. On all the replays, from any given angle. I thought the ref then tried to even things out 2nd half out by letting the barcodes get away with some increasingly dubious, er, tackles, which eventually resulted in the disgraceful one on Nasri.
That Pardew didn’t see fit to mention it is hardly surprising. It’s Alan Pardew.
Didn’t see the ‘Pool game, to be fair..
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i think that tiotes goal was correctly cancelled ………. but i struggle to find the correct phraseology to explain why….one for the midnight sessions …
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Hello. I only watched the Chelsea-Hull game and found it unutterably (is that actually a word, does it mean anything) boring. ManYoo Norwich a little more entertainment, and some very snappy play too, mainly from the yellow guys. But Everton, my there is a team that works! Are they trying to be Arsenal circa 2009, sans Cesc; coz it’s working.
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i believe the phrase “interefering with play” was made with regards to passes at half way line and around the box to areas where theres an offside player BUT said pass is actually meant for another runner who is coming from an onside position.
im not sure the above can count for the keepers 6 yard box, especially after a corner kick and particularly when a shot is involved and you could find three or four oppositon players all being offside but all of them also NOT interfering.
there is a reason why defences rush out after corner clearances and thatis to catch opposition players offside even in the case of a shot. in such a tight space/area being in front of goal and offside, whether you interfere with ball or not, you are definitely interfering with the play/phase even when youre avoiding the ball……
such a tricky one ….
i would say tiote is unlucky in the sense that his great shot and goal was cancelled cause his teammate was too laid-back to get back onside…some strikers will do that on purpose to later claim they werent interfering with a goal bound shot….
since its difficult to determine who does it intentionally and who not perhaps its best to cancel all such goals so that next time the strikers dont try to be cheeky and get the fuck back onside (??)
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Last time I physically watched Arsenal was, um, 2009-ish, with Chenka, Zandi and Jen. A Zambian, a Zimbabwean, an American immigrant to Zim and a Zim-Brit Diasporian. We arranged all the travel to London partly to see Arsenal, and otherwise family. I’ve just been with Chenks and Zandi in far-flung Cape Town, and we decided a repeat was in order for this season, for the very last match, Norwich I believe. Now, how does one obtain tickets? Last time we went somehow through the American or maybe overseas friends of Arsenal or some such, who seemed to have an awful lot of tickets to spare, well a few dozen. Not sure it’ll still work. Any ideas please.
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Good grief yes Zim that Hull Chels game was grim – I had wiped that from my memory
As for the Mike Jones/Tiote goal Harry I am being maybe only 50% insincere
After I had seen it a few times it was a goal Jones could have given, probably should have given. Problem is he saw it one time and one time only, he saw Gouffran dodge out of the way, he had a decent view it seemed across a crowded box.
I can understand why he disallowed it
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And that’s part of the problem: it’s as clear as mud.
Nearly did another smiley there. Phew. Two smiley’s in one day might get me red carded.
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Perhaps ‘Coll. I dunno. It’s done now. I still believe there is need for a wider debate on the standard of officiating in the Premier league, the inconsistencies are glaring, and there have been some increasingly costly decisions of late. And whilst I have not an ounce of sympathy for Alan Pardew, I agree with Andrew and Fungunner’s comments earlier.
Anyway.
Here’s to three points tonight and Arsenal returning to the summit (and no need for any discussion of the ref tomorrow…).
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Between flights on a 3 hr layover and will definitely miss our game. Pissed.
In the cold light of day, I partially concur with Anicol that Mike Jones may have good reason to rule out Tiotes’s goal but on what grounds. If he felt Gouffran was interfering with play, he was in a clearer position to make that decision than running over to the linesman for confirmation.
In my opinion he just wimped out, already psychologically inclined to rule in favor of the “big” team whom the media have all but crowned as BPL champions. Not surprisingly he eventually lost control if the game based on his failure to consistently apply the rules, allowing the bar codes to get away with kicking the Oilers culminating with that horror tackle on Nasri.
As for Alain Pardieu, the less said about that “old cunt” the better.
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My best guess for the front 3 as they will sit back Flamini,Jack Ozil,Tomas,Giroud,Santi.
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Association Football law change over the Summer.
“interfering with opponent”, changed to “challeging for the ball”, so Master Jones does not the rules, or he decided to guess that the ball winged a Newqy Brown player on the way through. And it could only be a guess. Goofy was getting out of the way, not challenging, and if the ref thought he hit the ball he should retire ASAP. “Benefit of the doubt goes to the attacker”, except when the ref feels like it. This noticeably strange and inconsistent application of the simple rules of he tgame (that goal wouldn’t even be offside in a school playground….) is just another reason why debating the refs is better left to Untold. I don’t find their previews downers, not when they are so often accurate!
At the end of the day it is so sad to see coverage of so many games for yet another round dominated by the unbelievably crap referees. And we wonder why no English football journalists ever asked Rafa about tactics etc. all this talk about the refs must be so exciting! I think not.
FUFA continue to ignore video decades after other smaller sports, and people spending +£60 on a ticket are entitled to watch a sport where the officials know the rules of the sport (it helps) and are properly assisted (don’t worry ‘Coll, that would obviously include restropective stuff for those who fall over feathers. It will happen.)
–
ARSENAL!
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PG; I agree. I think Gnabry will be utilised a la Theo a few years back; impact sub to run at weary defenders. Villa will most def act like ManU et al and play like the away team. We need guile, art, craft and brass rubbing.
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Fins
I love the way that even now, after all this time, I still only just slightly understand most of your posts!
UTA!
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What do you expect when Mou parks the bus and plays on the conter against the mighty Hull?
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Near but non cigar.Gnarby instead of Tomas.
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fins..the offside incident aside which is of course under dispute .. the fifa rules are pretty clear on what contistutes contact and foul and intention…its just that the view here on football is that you must play the game like a hard bastard and actions which are deemed as fouls in any other league in the world are whistled as “play on” here… if you include the chronic “defence” against the evil foreigner coming to alter their “game” you get this big salad of inconsistent refereeing.
evening standard : jose mourinho excl;usive with photomontage of mou posing …guaranteed to make you throw up
sky sports : city in title winning form..thats how they did it with mancini ..blah blah..
fuck them all santi!!!!!
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Gainsbourg69 January 13, 2014 at 7:31 pm
please find a copy of today’s – tonight’s eveingin standard and please take a close look at the photomontage of jose mourinho …not the scarf and the watch please…that did it for me…and of course the sinatra-esque look in his eyes……..
united in hate amigo …united in hate puahahahaa
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Well Jones has been dropped from the ref’s roster for the coming weekend. Great example of a ref being overawed by the big team but then losing control of the match as a result.
Priceless moment in the Liverpool game when Gerrard appeared to take over the ref’s job, sending him away to book an Orc.
So that’s two refs too star-struck to do their jobs properly …
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What’s up folks!?
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Guy is all over OG like a cheap suit and the commentator says “good defending…”
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2 in less than a minute!
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