Champions League Night, at Home. Beautiful.
We are playing Real Madrid at home in about 30 min in Champions League quarter finals. This is THE biggest game of the season, considering PL trophy is out of sight. Madrid is probably the toughest opponent you can get in Champions League over two legs. They will be 3-0 down on aggregate with 10 minutes on clock, and go on to win 4-3. With the likes of Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicious up front, and a midfield of Modric, Camavinga and Bellingham, they are one of the best attacking sides in the world and they have got a very good defence as well.
We, on the other hand, are going into the game with Merino as a CF. Jakub Kiwior in defence is another problem for me, as Gabriel M has picked up an injury and will be out for the rest of the season. We have a 17 year old at LB and a new CB partnership. That’s a bit concerning but you know, going into a game as under-dogs has it’s own benefits. The good thing is, Madrid will play an attacking game and we have been relatively good against the likes of Liverpool and City who tries to play their way. It’s the low blocks we suffer against.
And we are at home, so the crowd will be behind us. Boys have dreamt of this, to play against the best teams in the world, at the grandest stage, and I’m sure they are going to prove today that they deserve to be here. I don’t care about the second leg, we win today with 2 goal margin and we can play with 6 defenders in the away game.
Talking about the strategy Mikel would have put up …. well I don’t care. Lets go, play our game with freedom, give our 100% and see where it ends.
A very short one today, but I will be alive during the game today.
#COYG
Wicksy
Your latest offering is laden with implications. Attwoodian if I may associate you with that formidable footballing brain.
If Arsenal are being persecuted by PL referees, then which team(s) is/are benefitting? There has to be a winner if you’re whining about us being losers right? Or do they just hate us?
I’m looking forward to an empirical, evidence-based reply…
On brighter matters, less to go with conspiracy theories, anyone watching Les Pommes de Terre tonight? I’m boldly expecting it’ll be Postecoglu’s last appearance in North London and that he’ll return to Scotland to manage Cowdenbeath.
KP
“I’m looking forward to an empirical, evidence-based reply…”
Here is the evidence ..decisions heavily weighted against Arsenal.
Pens conceded premier league since season 2010/11
Arsenal………82
Liverpool …..56
Chelsea……..49
Spurs…………67
Man utd……..48
Man city …….42
Red cards against since 2010/11 premier league
Arsenal …….53
Liverpool…..27
Chelsea ……36
Spurs………..34
Man utd…….30
City …………..35
KP—I know you wanted some stats regarding penalties conceded and red cards during the last 5 seasons, so here goes:
Red Cards
Arsenal-16
Wolves-15
Brighton-13
Everton-13
Chelsea-12
West Ham-12
Aston Villa-11
Palace-11
Spurs-11
Fulham-10
Pool-9
United-9
Penalties conceded
Wolves-38
Brighton-33
West Ham-30
Fulham-25
Spurs-25
Chelsea-24
United-24
Newcastle-23
Villa-22
City-21
Arsenal-20
just thought it might be prudent to provide those requested stats (during MA’s time here) before some joke show troll jobbing cherry-picking fuck tried to present them in a manner that would best support his tin foil hat wearing Arteta-slurping agenda…let’s not forget we had Xhaka for 3 of those years, so that likely accounts for at least a handful or so of “deserved” red cards…context matters…hardly worthy of an investigation, unless you’re a Wolves or Brighton supporter…Cheers
TRVL.
Have a day off from making yourself look a prick , here is my original comment, I said the last 20 years and the last 20 years is what I have shown.
My comment.
“I’ve said for years that Arsenal will never be allowed to win the league by the pgmol, all the data over the last 20 years points to a bias against Arsenal from red/yellow cards to penalties”
It’s actually you that is “cherry picking” to in a manner that would best support your “tin foil hat” wearing Arteta hate agenda, I never mentioned Arteta because my comment was about Arsenal football club not the manager.
Nice one lads. Very entertaining.
It was Groucho Marx who once said, ’90 percent of all statistics are made up.’ And Tony Attwood who also said, ‘my desire to externalise all of Wenger’s weaknesses as a manager remains 100 percent resolute.’
Wicksy. Mate, take the bacofoil chapeau off. You didn’t answer the rather important question of who might be the benefactor(s) from this claimed bias. A range of northern referees sticking up for northern clubs? If so, which ones and most importantly why?
PL refs are just shit at their jobs. Like Liz Truss or Elon Skum. And no, they don’t turn into Pierluigi Collina in games not involving Arsenal. Ask Wolves fans about refereeing – they’ve had a much more torrid time than any other club recently if you’re asking me for an unempirical (is that even a word?) opinion.
If we were winning the trophies we should be with this expensively assembled squad, this absurd argument would cease. But it’s easier for you to blame a hapless Michael Oliver character than it is to point your finger closer to home. Is there not a nagging doubt in your mind that having improved everywhere else at the club, it might be the manager that’s the weak link? Just like Monsieur Tête de Chihuahua used to be?
Pasg Hapus 🏴 by the way.
Maybe Arteta’s managerial reputation can rise from the dead by delivering a Champions League trophy…
before some smart Alec like TRVL tries to pull me up , i will just point out that there was no data I could find for pens conceded 20 years ago , hence it was easier to go from 15 years ago for both categories, also it was easier to check the top 6 clubs as they all have retained their premier league status since 2010/11, though I’m sure Arsenal would clearly be at the top of the league in both categories using all teams that have retained their prem status for those 15 years.
Wicksy it’s rather eye popping statistics that you have provided to back you claims over the last 20 yes. For years I have asked these questions. Could you hypothise and answer the below questions.
1. Why would there be a systemic bais against Arsenal?
2. If the data supports such a bias and you state that it does why doesn’t AFC take these and make an official complaint? Liverpool did it , so why AFC didn’t do this in the last 20 yrs
3. If the systemic bias is true then AFC adn it’s hierarchy should be held accountable for deriliction of duty as they have undermined the very club that they are supposed to run and take to heights.
Honestly i will support you in this endeavour if we see any kind of official pushback from AFC. In the absence of that we are forced to look elsewhere. Atwood and his blog Untold Arsenal from the last 25 yes of my supporting Arsenal has had this narrative. But where it falls is the absence of any official AFC complaints. Also why last 20 yes which is just after our invincible season. Wasn’t the baos there earlier. It would be great if anybody can enlighten me on this.
KP
“PL refs are just shit at their jobs. Like Liz Truss or Elon Skum. ”
Has anyone ever been more shit at their job than Kier Starmer, very doubtful.
Better not say too much or I’ll have 20 coppers knocking on my door, sad but true .
I am with Wicksy on this one without even going into the stats. We have been fsr too often on the wrong side of the sticks, and we have seen some of the lamest decisions go against us – 2 yellow to Martinelli in the same passage of play, yellows for time wasting, yellows for kicking the ball away, yellows for surrounding the refs – which has not been done to any other team.
–
I will turn into a prime statistician next season, we will keep count of the wrong decisions for and against Arsenal. Purely on a yes/no from you guys, so you won’t refute it later.
I have no idea why, may be because we brought a foreign manager, or that foreign manager had a team full of black people in early 2000s. I was too young, but you would surely have an answer to that.
Madhu
” Also why last 20 years which is just after our invincible season. Wasn’t the bias there earlier. It would be great if anybody can enlighten me on this.”
The answer is Mike Riley .
All you need to do is watch a youtube video of our match against United 2004/05 season when referee Riley did everything in his power to stop Arsenal reaching 50 games unbeaten.
Of course Riley then became head of the pgmol and the rest is history.
It is no coincidence that we lost Eduardo, Ramsey and Diaby to broken legs due to horrific tackles , it was the great Arsene Wenger who said ” to beat Arsenal you have to kick Arsenal ” and unfortunately that was very true and yet we still managed to have the most red cards when we never a dirty/physical side..
Unfortunately Howard Webb is not much better , VAR had done us no favours whatsoever.
As for “making a official complaint “, there is no point, we made a complaint of some sort early last season after seriously dodgy decisions away to villa and Newcastle and unfortunately we are paying the price for that this season with numerous red cards, pens conceded, goals disallowed whilst at the same time awarding Liverpool 9 pens (Arsenal 2) and allowing van djke to commit numerous red/yellow card offences without punishment.
We get some stupid decisions go against us but so do other teams – you just remember those that affect you. There was definitely a period where ref’s allowed some shockingly aggressive tactics against us (I’m talking Allardyce @ Bolton) but that was a quarter of a century ago.
The only genuine referring bias I’ve seen in the PL was in favour of ManU under Fergie but that went against all the other teams not just Arsenal.
This feels like a seance. I’m in the room with the dead putrefying corpse of Tony Attwood.
And here’s a 2 minute off the top of my head list of worse prime ministers than Starmer by any yardstick.
Truss (again)
Sunak
Bojo
Blair (but they run each other pretty cuntily close)
Cameron
Thatcher (who started it all).
Here comes the balance ‘Prick’sy …May was hopeless and weak and as much of a failure as Starmer but in different ways. Brown would have done a slightly better job than Blair had he been given a proper go. But I know you hate politics and would just prefer to be led by a pig in a blue rosette.
Your football takes are mediocre and lacking truth – your political thoughts, on the other hand, are execrable. Worse than Marc’s!
Marc
I’d agree with that. I watch Cardiff City a lot as you know and there’s far more of a case to be made for bias (conscious or unconscious) by English refs against Cardiff and Swansea. And they each play 44 league games a year against English opposition which are in effect internationals.
It’s not quite the same of course Ambarish but imagine an Indian Team playing in a Pakistani League and you’ll get the picture.
Kroenkephobe
TRVL
This has been just hilarious 😂
KP toyed with the Mousy like my GSDs do with any vermin too inanimate to loiter in our yards.
Vermin then gather it’s wits and scurry back into the safety of their LG hole.
Wicksy – objectively if it’s Mike Riley and if he allowed to single handedly torpedo the might AFC and the PL allows that to happen degrading the so called best league in the world then there is not much to say. Also I don’t buy that AFC has complained and nothing has happened. On the other end I speak to a Wolves fan and every match he complains about the bais. If AfC genuinely feels let down by the PGMOL then they better do something about that else we can keep moaning and win artificial PLs counting points in our favour where referee bias is perceived.
Look I have followed this club from late 1990s and have been scarred by multiple games. Prime being the 50 game unbeaten attempt, the broken legs of Eduardo, Ramsey, Wilshere , Diaby and Van Persie. I have spent a whole raft of emotionally drained seasons in mid 2000s only to realise in my maturing age that it’s all my loss. If AFC really bothers about it they would have done something about it long time ago. They don’t care as they make enough money to make up for the lack of trophies that we emotional fools attached to a club crave for. All other debates are just that an effort to score points against each other as fans.
I will believe that refereeing bias exists when the mighty AFC does something about it. Otherwise its just a case of sour grapes.
Spare a thought for poor little old me.
I feel like I’m being crucified ✝️ watching Sheffield United and Cardiff City. Rob Holding playing for the Blades (that stick on Barnet thing is still sticking by the look of it) against Callum Chambers getting done for pace by the linesman.
How the fuck did we have these bozos at Arsenal for so long when we now have Gabriel and Saliba? Painful watching after the fun at the Bernabeu.
Think I’ll add to the pain and put my hair shirt on.
KP
“How the fuck did we have these bozos at Arsenal for so long when we now have Gabriel and Saliba? ”
Very true , but those “bozos” have winners medals.
Maybe we had a better manager back then who didn’t need to spend £800 million to win a trophy every other season on average in the 20 years he was in charge whilst playing football that was way more pleasing on the eye.
The sooner Arteta wins a trophy(any trophy) the better as it will get the monkey off his back as patience is wearing thin for the entitled ones in our fan base.
KP
“Your football takes are mediocre and lacking truth –”
You obviously chose to ignore my post prior to the madrid 2nd leg, heresa little reminder, which i suppose exposes your take on me as “mediocre and lacking truth”.
My comment
“I suppose you can’t bear a team managed by someone you obviously hate destroying Madrid again to set up a semi final against the flavour of the month Enrique and PSG, who almost blew a 4 goal lead against a 7th placed Premier league side but survived thanks to a man of the match performance by their keeper .
There will be a few red faces on here tonight after we outplay Madrid and destroy them with counter attacking football, I can’t see any other result than a comfortable Arsenal victory “