Arsenal Thread | 2024/25

[paulchapo]

The sending off yesterday was -I believe- referees cracking down on Arsenal's appalling lack of gamesmanship. What started out last season as sly and underhanded tactics has become a blatant disregard for the spirit of the game, and Arteta sticking two fingers up at the officials. He was never going to get away with it for long.
His ultra-negativity was highlighted to such dramatic effect with us: millions of people saw the time-wasting, the niggly fouls, the constant diving and cheating, every aspect of dark-arts football there is - and more. The Prem were never going to sit back and allow this sort of cheating to prosper in front of such large audiences.

A few years ago most football fans had a distinct 'couldn't-care-less' attitude towards Arsenal, but now most of them have an active and intense dislike for the club - because of Arteta.

He may be a good manager, he may even be a successful manager one day, but until he stops the silly and childish antics of tantrum-throwing and encouraging cheats and time-wasters to get the points on board, he will always be known as a sullen, confrontational, immature and insignificant little man with a chip on his shoulder. And if that's the legacy Arsenal fans will be happy with because it justifies their quest for the Prem trophy, let them go ahead.

Yes, totally agree. The officials are human and even if subconsciously most humans dislike cheating, dark arts and play acting to win at all costs. Add to that Arteta's rants and sarcasm and he's starting to grate on everybody. People also underestimate the influence and power the likes of Neville and the rest of the pundits have in their words. Remember when they started the tactical foul nonsense about Fernandinho? He was then under constant scrutiny and everybody mentioned it in every game. Hopefully more scrutiny will be put on their behaviour at corners and that will nullify them even more.

 

[SebastianBlue]

Really. Was a pretty obvious decision for me, and if it went against us I wouldn't have a problem at all.

Same for me.

Evanilson was clear favourite to get to the ball and, with a good touch, would be 1v1 with Raya. Saliba was behind him, no other Arsenal defender had any hope of covering, and Saliba clearly took him down. Evanilson couldn’t be offside because an Arsenal player passes the ball back.

I was actually frustrated, as I have been with a number of decisions where the referee let VAR effectively make the decisions for them, that only a yellow was initially given, when it was an obvious red to begin with.

 

[Bantamgaz]

The sending off yesterday was -I believe- referees cracking down on Arsenal's appalling lack of gamesmanship. What started out last season as sly and underhanded tactics has become a blatant disregard for the spirit of the game, and Arteta sticking two fingers up at the officials. He was never going to get away with it for long.
His ultra-negativity was highlighted to such dramatic effect with us: millions of people saw the time-wasting, the niggly fouls, the constant diving and cheating, every aspect of dark-arts football there is - and more. The Prem were never going to sit back and allow this sort of cheating to prosper in front of such large audiences.

A few years ago most football fans had a distinct 'couldn't-care-less' attitude towards Arsenal, but now most of them have an active and intense dislike for the club - because of Arteta.

He may be a good manager, he may even be a successful manager one day, but until he stops the silly and childish antics of tantrum-throwing and encouraging cheats and time-wasters to get the points on board, he will always be known as a sullen, confrontational, immature and insignificant little man with a chip on his shoulder. And if that's the legacy Arsenal fans will be happy with because it justifies their quest for the Prem trophy, let them go ahead.

A good manager doesnt go year upon winning nothing do they ..............whats there legacy 20 years down the line ?????
To be runners up to Man City year upon year ?????
Now folk can go on about how its the hardest challenge to pip City for the league but it aint for all the other trophies is it ????
Perhaps the media should point out what a massive advantage the gunners have before a balls been kicked that they only aimis to win the league and give up on everything ..................i mean wouldnt you rather win a cup or become runners up yet again ???,?

 

[jimharri]

I’d be livid if that red card was given against City, tbh.

Care to elaborate? It's a nailed on red card. He would have been away from Saliba without the foul, and Tango man was too far over on the right to get across and cover. Evanilson had a clear run on goal. If that challenge had been done on a City player, and it not be punished with a red card, I'd have been livid. It's a red card every day of the week.

 

[Grassland Blue]

I think it's a southern thing.
They all mince about with them knee length skirts on drinking some daft very expensive wine to then pretend they're a scary hard bunch of football ultras

Is that the Dagenham Girl Pipers...?

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Kaveh Fuckwit on Sty just said that Rice shouldn’t have received a second yellow for kicking the ball away, and he would have been happy with a yellow for Saliba yesterday.

No wonder we call him Fuckwit.

Incredible. It's the bloody rules since the beginning of the season, and it's been clearly instigated!! Any City player doing it (if they're not pushing the ball back to where the kick is due to be taken) is a bloody moron. They should be booked (as should anyone else) and get a good dressing down from Pep in private.
There are a lot of spoiling tactics that have crept into the game over the last ten years, and as a football fan (and not merely a City fan) I truly loathe them. They are making the beautiful game the ugly game. If, for example, keepers get booked for taking far too long over goal kicks I accept it (even when it's Ed). As for the rolling round with cramp when there's still fully twenty minutes to go, it's been suggested that the player should be removed to the touchline, and then not allowed back onto the field for a statutory five minutes. Believe it, It would stop Arsenal's antics dead in their tracks. But there must be some way of stopping that. (A player getting a bash to the head is, it hardly needs saying, an entirely different story).
By the way, I emphatically do not include taking the ball over towards the corner flag in the long list of anti-football shithousery that I would stamp out with warnings, then yellow cards, then finally red — you're playing the ball, which is your right, it's in play, all you're saying is “Ok then, you need a goal, come and take the ball — if you can”. Loved it when Bernardo did that to the rags years back. One of several gestures of his that I would mould a statue around (the other one would be of him holding a coffee cup casually).

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

The sending off yesterday was -I believe- referees cracking down on Arsenal's appalling lack of gamesmanship.

Not trying to be pedantic, but don't you mean “sportsmanship”? Gamesmanship is exactly what they do, and they've honed it to a fine art.

 

[Betterdeedthan red]

Incredible. It's the bloody rules since the beginning of the season, and it's been clearly instigated!! Any City player doing it (if they're not pushing the ball back to where the kick is due to be taken) is a bloody moron. They should be booked (as should anyone else) and get a good dressing down from Pep in private.
There are a lot of spoiling tactics that have crept into the game over the last ten years, and as a football fan (and not merely a City fan) I truly loathe them. They are making the beautiful game the ugly game. If, for example, keepers get booked for taking far too long over goal kicks I accept it (even when it's Ed). As for the rolling round with cramp when there's still fully twenty minutes to go, it's been suggested that the player should be removed to the touchline, and then not allowed back onto the field for a statutory five minutes. Believe it, It would stop Arsenal's antics dead in their tracks. But there must be some way of stopping that. (A player getting a bash to the head is, it hardly needs saying, an entirely different story).
By the way, I emphatically do not include taking the ball over towards the corner flag in the long list of anti-football shithousery that I would stamp out with warnings, then yellow cards, then finally red — you're playing the ball, which is your right, it's in play, all you're saying is “Ok then, you need a goal, come and take the ball — if you can”. Loved it when Bernardo did that to the rags years back. One of several gestures of his that I would mould a statue around (the other one would be of him holding a coffee cup casually).

Really puts me off watching football now the play acting and general cheating.
I tend to watch our games and that's literally it.
I just watched match of the day for the first time in years.
Gots as far as half way through Southampton game and turned it off

 

[BlueTG]

Fair enough, I thought it looked soft, was miles away from the goal and hard to determine the GSO.

I’ll hold my hands up and retract this one.