Mails: Is Alexis just an expensive Townsend?
This is a large Mailbox. It is also an excellent Mailbox. Keep it going, and send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com
The Arsenal mails in a nutshell
Wenger in! Welbeck like a new signing! Mental toughness! Ozil! Martin Atkinson!
…and other comments that wilfully ignore all of Arsenal’s flaws and somehow paint them as underdogs against Leicester City.
Stu (Giroud is rubbish most of the time), London
The old dog learns a new trick
Im sure you will get a lot of these (not really), but I would like to give credit to Arsene for his tactical substitution and for his ability to read the match and tinkering with the squad in game.
Granted that is given when you are chasing a goal, to substitute in your attacking talent doesn’t require a Ph.D in Applied Physics, but who you subs out count as much and will influence the match. After the red card, seeing the trend of Leicester hoofing the ball up and Vardy chasing shadows, shows that he do not require Coquelin anymore, then he subs him out for Walcott. Notice the “fear” of the supporters when Coqs number pops out wondering if Arsene lost his mind. It could have been easily one of the misfiring attackers Ox or Giroud, and we would have a different result.
I guess the old dog can learn a new trick after all.
Syfq Amr, a bias Gooner.
Officially rubbish
As an Arsenal fan I am pleased with the result, albeit the process to get there was a lot harder than it should have been. Nonetheless, I have two major gripes to share (ignoring the appalling MOTD2 coverage of what was an excellent game).
First, refereeing. You will no doubt get a lot of emails on this subject. Where to start?
– Kante’s handball after 5 minutes is probably a penalty (when compared with the ridiculous Sterling decision later in the afternoon). But importantly, where is the consistency? Some clear guidance needs to be issued on the subject. I don’t think anyone knows what handball is anymore, as the letter of the law is applied so inconsistently
– For the Vardy penalty, there was a clear foul on Ozil in the build up (although that doesn’t excuse calamitous defending thereafter). However, that is never a penalty. If you have to deviate materially from your natural path in order to make contact with a defender, it cannot be a penalty
– The Mahrez penalty incident looked like a better shout in real time, but it was a poor dive. The referee acknowledged this, but no booking. Again, where is the consistency? If you acknowledge a dive, is it a booking or not?
– Danny Drinkwater – the referee could not have been in a better position to see that tackle. A straight red card. Instead, no booking (he was already on a yellow). No foul even. Wow. He will probably be cited by the FA, but that shouldn’t be necessary
– Systematic fouling and Danny Simpson – in the first half Sanchez was ‘wiped out’ off the ball 5 or 6 times, most of the time by Danny Simpson. Ozil and Ramsey were both subject to a number of cynical fouls to break the game up when we were on the breakaway. The referee was extremely lenient. He then proceeded to book three arsenal players in short order for cynical fouls (all of which were clear bookings in my eyes, but not in the context of a game in which at that point he hadn’t issued a yellow to a man in blue). Eventually the pressure told and Simpson got two quick yellows. Both were cynical fouls. Two yellows for that in isolation was very harsh, but they should not be viewed in isolation give the fouls he had earlier committed, and the systematic fouling on display.
The standard of refereeing in the Premier League is currently an absolute joke and something drastic needs to be done. Disbanding the PGMOL and starting over would be a good place to start.
Second, timewasting. Amid all of the talk of extortionate ticket prices, fan protests, etc, it seems odd to me that no one is also mentioning the biggest scourge of the Premier League – timewasting. As a fan of a club who in the main dominates games and in the main play against teams with limited ambition to win, I spend more time watching the opposition goalkeeper walk from side to side pondering where to place the ball for his next goal kick than I do watching football. How do referees deal with this? They ask the goalkeeper to hurry up (yesterday he had to do it with every virtually every goal kick bar taken in the game) and then add 4 minutes of injury time no matter what has gone before. There is no recrimination for timewasting. In the Premier League, we play with one ball in play at all times. Again, this supports timewasting. The Champions League is played with multiple balls, and the speed of the game is so much better as a result. Has anyone ever challenged why only one ball is in play and why referees are not clamping down on timewasting? It is also barely covered on TV, because the 45 seconds it takes for a goal kick is a convenient amount of time for a replay or three. A cynical view would be that it is a result of instructions from the higher echelons of power to keep the League as tight as possible?
Also, Kante truly is an excellent player. Unbelievably dynamic.
Greg, North London
More Gooner conclusions
So now that I have recovered after the Arsenal v Leicester game and watched as City faltered again I have my own conclusions. (MC – Daniel Storey’s are better)
Arsenal are favourites to win the league but they shouldn’t be, too many players are not willing to put in the hard yards to do what it takes. Why run 20 yards after a guy and not tackle him when you could have sprinted 5 and gotten the ball. No clue
The late winner should be a great springboard to go on and win it…it wont be tho!
There are about 3-4 players who deserve their place on the Arsenal squad, the others are just not good enough
If Barca will pay €50M for Ramsey…yes please!!.
Footballers are stupid, see reactions of Giroud and Coquelin..
Footballers are stupid, how many times did Arsenal go down the left wing and get nothing..
Leicester can definitely win the league, they have already worked hard enough to get to where they are and if they keep doing what they have been there is no reason they cannot not win. Also potentially have the easiest run in. Biggest enemy will be themselves.
Spurs can win the league, with all eyes really on Leicester they may not feel as much pressure as they might have done in other years.
One issue…Europa league…they would be better off out of it.
City made a mistake announcing Pep with 1/2 a season to go. Players already starting to look like they are waiting for him.
That’s 9…I’m off to watch MOTD to see what Wenger has to say.!
Liam. gooner
Them bliddy forrins
I was glad to see it highlighted by benchwarmers on facebook but noticed it barely mentioned by the pundits. The miraculous healing powers of Aaron Ramsey on show in the 70th minute were something to behold. Terrible tackle? Yes. Caught him? Yes. Previous serious injury to the player? Yes. But he rolled 4 times, screamed, writhed in pain and instantly stood up and had a go at the ref for not getting the decision. How he wasn’t booked for such disgraceful behaviour I do not know.
Had that been ‘a’ Luis Suarez, ‘a’ Cristiano Ronaldo or ‘a’ Riyad Mahrez, the PFMs would have gone to town on ‘them foreigns’ ruining our game. Alas, the home nation’s player can go unscathed, apparently as he did with the tackle too.
Adam, LFC, Belfast
MFÖ
Daniel Storey’s 16 conclusions on Arsenal–Leicester hasn’t appeared yet, but I hope he spends some time on one of the true wonders of the football world: Mesut F***ing Özil.
He was poor, desperately poor, for an hour, and even 11 on 10, Arsenal were going to lose. You could see the media comments coming a mile away: he’s soft, he disappears in the big games, etc. etc. until the end of time.
And then, slowly, he began to find some rhythm – the passes were finding their mark, he was seeing the play develop in front of him. He sent in a perfect cross for Mertesacker, who should have notched the winner but missed. Never mind. As the clock ticked toward a seemingly inevitable draw, he just kept on smoothly directing the attack.
And at the very end Arsenal got a break, a free kick in a good position. Now ask yourself: with your game, and probably your season, on the line, which one player in the entire world would you want making the delivery? MFÖ, that’s who. And it was perfect. End of story.
Peter G, Pennsylvania, USA
Will Alexis turn out to be an expensive Townsend?
After the match, I think Alexis gameplay has been found out, he needs to evolve as a player now. Otherwise he’ll end up as an expensive Townsend.
Syfq Amr, a bias Gooner.
Leicester are Pulis’ Stoke
1.Leicester have a back 4 that looks like those fireman that you see on calendars (and they are about as good at football).
2. they appear trained to kick anything that moves
3. all men behind the ball except the quick bloke up front
4. boot it to him and he will chase it like a whippet
5. Oh, and one of their players basically tried to break Ramseys leg.
6. Points 1-5 made me realize how much they reminded me of Pulis’ Stoke. I half expected Ranieri to be wearing a baseball cap and box-fresh trainers.
7. Leicester aren’t a fairytale-they are a nightmare. This season reminds me of when the Watford and Villa teams of Graham Taylor got in the top 4 in the years when English Football was crap.They looked the same (well organized with 2-3 decent players) and occasionally played quite well, but ultimately were just a bit dull and uninspiring . If you like them doing well – then you like english football being rubbish. The media need to have a head shake. “You have to feel for them” said Townsend at the end- really???? They kicked Arsenal all over the park, never put 4 passes together- had 28 pct possession, were outshot 24-7, dived every time they got near the Arsenal box (apparently thats no longer a booking btw), wasted time whenever they could, had zero ambition and their thuggery and stupidity ultimately cost them. They were a disgrace and thoroughly outplayed.
Stop making a Disney film out of them.
8. Having made points 1-7 – I have to say that I’ve watched the foxes a few times this season and they’ve actually been decent on the eye at times. This may be the first time (that I’ve witnessed) that they’ve played how you would expect to play from the names on the sheet.
9. i.e. …Basically – big game- one up- 10 men -short strokes of the season – and they bottled it.
10. Their attitude after losing a man was so unpleasant they actually forced Arsenal in to playing one of the best games they have in a while. A team like Arsenal often seems to need to get p.ssed off to play well and Leicester duly provided the necessary motivation by being thoroughly irritating. Thanks Ranieri for doing what Wenger clearly cannot..
11. While I’m dishing out thanks- a special grazia must go to Kasper Schmeichel. All that time wasting gave us the minute we needed to get the winner we needed. I’m sure his dad was pleased……
12. Despite the win- Arsenal’s finishing really has to improve. You can just see it costing them in the long run.
13. Atkinson really is a very bad referee.
14 With that drag back, Petr Cech showed better tekkers than the whole Leicester team( bar Mahrez).
15. The NLD is shaping up to be a bit tasty.
Johnno
The Wimmer takes it all
“He made seven clearances and three interceptions, but didn’t even attempt a tackle, preferring to rely on positioning.”
A simple sentence that maybe other supporters had already realised but it’s this kind of analysis that makes Storey’s reports must-reads for me and leaves me admiring Wimmer more than I did already. I, like most Spurs fans I’ve spoken to, feared the worst when Vertonghen got injured but Wimmer has slotted in seamlessly and has performed fantastically.
More of the same please (from Storey and Tottenham)
Thanks,
Andy Sime
Pochball
Just finished watching moneyball, and it reminded me of an interview that Sir Alex did in the States. He explained how certain football clubs are obsessed with the whole moneyball concept. For those of you who haven’t watched the movie, a team that doesn’t have a big budget sells what everyone considers their best players and they use statistical information to get cheap players to fill the hole left by the “good players.”
When Sir Alex about moneyball he made it sound like its an issue and I feel he was talking about Tottenham. The rumour that he said Poch was the best coach undermines not only the coach’s brilliance but the people behind the scenes.
Daniel Levy and to a weird extent Franco Baldini helped create this behemoth. A well oiled, sum of all its parts team. The managerial decisions also follow that policy, AVB and Pochettino have that mentality of a solid team.
Pochettino will be heavily lauded but the planning and “disastrous” transfer makes Levy seem unstoppable. Glazers sign him up.
NELSON MUFC
A delirious Spurs fan
Not even Redknapp’s Spurs in their prime seemed to go to the big stadiums feeling like they belonged at the top table. Poch’s did it yesterday.
If Pep was watching, which side do you think he’d want to take over in the summer?
We won’t win the league. But we could. And even that is amazing. I love this team.
Will Donovan, Holloway.
Divock = Martial
oh how they laughed
last season Origi was voted in the worst 11 players in the french league, while Martial was patted on the back even though there stats were not miles apart
martial scored 11 goals for monaco
Origi scored 8 goals for lille
it goes to show how a player is hyped up so much while another is slapped down
but it goes to show either Martial was a rip off or Origi was a massive bargain . there is no inbetween
andy mitch
Considering I’m a Man United fan and considering what happened in the title race on Sunday, this is a random mail.
I quite like Divock Origi, he looks like a baller and it’s hard to see how he was voted the worst player in Ligue Unnnnn last year.
There was also something wonderfully pleasurable about Kolo Toure’s goal.
Paddy(kudos on the two 16 conclusions Mr Storey) Kildare
Van Gaal way worse than Moyes
1. Once again, any semblance of progression (convincing wins against Derby and Stoke) is immediately tempered by a swift return to the utter predictability of the van Gaal standard. Snatching a draw from the clutches of victory at Chelsea and being thoroughly outplayed by a Sunderland side battling relegation. Normal service resumed, then.
2. A measure of how far we’ve fallen is the frighteningly accurate statement from van Gaal, in which he claimed he feels no extra pressure following the defeat. I genuinely think he’s right, which shows just how truly lost this incarnation of United is. No quality, no ruthlessness, no determination to win – on or off the pitch; it’s like the incredible success of the Ferguson era has been completely obliterated in just under two years.
3. Those numbers provided by Seth, Birmingham are shocking; 3 wins in 13 and he’s neither sacked nor under pressure. Woodward, van Gaal, Giggs and half the playing staff all have to go. The sad fact is that while profits are rolling in then nothing will change, despite literally everything pointing towards the fact that it simply has to.
4. The pure arrogance of van Gaal and Rooney in suggesting that the Europa League is our best chance of making the Champions League next season is unbelievable. If we can’t beat teams struggling to survive in the Premier League, how on earth do they expect us to be able to win a notoriously difficult competition?
5. He can bemoan the injuries until he’s blue in the face, but van Gaal has no one to blame but himself. A team with genuine (if completely misguided) aspirations of challenging for the title has to have the squad to cope with injuries, yet ours is a million miles from this. And what did he do to address it? Absolutely nothing, despite having two chances to do so.
6. Van Gaal is now way worse than Moyes, so on what basis is he still in employment? Moyes got less than a season and, for about five times the price we’ve gone even further backwards. Ridiculous doesn’t even come close.
I think the biggest indictment of United is that I can barely be bothered to rant any more (“Hurrah!”, I hear you say). They’ve lowered expectations so far down that I can’t even bring myself to get angry about the pathetic performances and terrible way the club is being run. I guess I’m just coming to terms with the fact that we’re (at best) an upper-mid-table team now, so my expectations are subconsciously being adjusted accordingly.
Ted, Manchester
Deja Lou
I really don’t get all the fuss and anger about Louis van Gaal. It’s all so predictable.
Here’s what’s happened in a nutshell:
1) He arrived with great fanfare based on questionable past achievements;
2) his tactics are Michels/Cruyff total football, but only the possession bit. There’s not much sign of the attacking full-backs, a dynamic midfielder and a lethal front three;
3) everyone gets annoyed, results are steady but not fantastic;
4) he refuses to change tactics no matter what; and
5) he uses press conferences to essentially blame the media for everything.
No, I’m not talking about his stint at Old Trafford – I’m on about both of his spells at Barcelona and his time at Bayern.
At one stage he told the Catalan press (in his thick Dutch accent) that they “were always negatiff, never positiff”. That became a catchphrase which the press used to describe his Barcelona side and his Spitting Image-type puppet (ask your folks about that, kids) depicted his renowned flexibility by portraying his head as a brick wall! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5–kANsjgA
So what will happen next? Well, if history is to carry on repeating itself, he’ll get the ‘mutual consent’ in the rear (since Ajax, he’s normally lasted 2 years, never more than 3), sarcastically congratulate the press for getting rid of him, walk away with a nice cheque, become Holland manager again, fall out with the suits and then join a new club, whose fans will be full of hope at landing such a star manager ad nauseam.
As for ManYoo… if they get Mourinho next, their fans should have a think where José got his obsession with negative tactics and the ‘transition’ from; not to mention his amiable press-conference patter. No prizes for guessing who was manager when he was assistant at Barcelona.
Still, there’s one consolation. In the months left of his tenure, the rest of us get to have a good laugh at all those ManYoo fans bemoaning their injury-ravaged, threadbare squad that only cost 200 gazillion quid.
Simon (Thailand)
What if…
What if Ed Woodward had done the *right* thing and fired LVG in December?
What if the new manager has got them playing well and winning games like Hiddink at Chelsea?
What if ManCity’s reaction to Pep coming in the summer doesn’t go well and they (the supposed favorite to win the EPL) fail to make next season’s UCL?
Who knows what this sequence of events might have done for the red half of Manchester…..
Only if wishes were horses……
Tayo Olaniyan, Nigeria.
He said it, not us
I heard the tired old adage the other day of “form is temporary, class is permanent” said yet again about Rooney. He seems to have it said about him more than any other player in history.
Do you think as you look back at his career that actually the opposite could be said about him? As in “class is temporary, inconsistent form is permanent”.
Bradley Kirrage
United thoughts
-Feels like Groundhog day. One step forward and two steps back. City losing to Spurs effectively puts Spurs out of reach (they probably were anyway) and City have too many match winners to give up 6 points to Utd.
– I saw a debate in the comments about Rooney & the quality of United’s squad. Granted the players should take some of the blame but there is a lot of quality in that side, on paper I think it’s better than both Leicester & Spur’s teams but their managers have the teams playing well and Utd’s does not. On current form I would say De Gea and Martial would be the only players to get in either team.
-Rooney was dreadful again at the weekend, the only defence people can offer for him is a lack of service. I don’t understand how he expects to get chances when he constantly drops into midfield. He simply doesn’t have the discipline to stay high and perform a lone strikers role. He never runs the channels, he never goes in behind and he constantly drops off. It’s as much van Gaal’s fault for constantly playing him there.
-I believe there is a very good squad there. Another centre half, a right sided attacker and a centre forward is all that is really needed….and a new manager.
-I think that Woodward would consider sacking van Gaal if it wasn’t for the Europa league. If there was nothing to play for then he could give Giggs 1/3 of a season to prove he can do the job.
-I think Mourinho is the best candidate to replace van Gaal but I understand people’s concerns about him. An alternative would Koeman. He only finished 10 points worse than Utd last year and they are 1 point off them now. And that’s with a fraction of the budget and having lost a lot of players. His teams can defend and play nice attacking football.
-Carragher made a great observation of Sturridge, he turns an average team into a good one. If only he could stay fit. Liverpool were very good yesterday. Villa looked like a pub team. Carragher went to town on them post game, can’t say I disagreed with a word of it.
-Spurs look the real deal, Eriksens was the most Pochettino team goal ever.
-Nice to see Welbeck score. I think Simpsons red was harsh but Drinkwater was lucky not to see red for that tackle on Ramsey.
-City can still win it, but they probably need 9 or 10 wins from their last 12 which will be hard.
Dan, Ireland MUFC
Have City f**ked it?
So Man City hired Pep Guardiola to take them into the promised land of winning the Champions League.
Their decision to announce his arrival might just have unsettled this group of players previously challenging for the title.
Since then, they have lost twice.
To their direct title rivals.
At home.
In order for Guardiola to win the Champions League with City.. they first need to remain in it.
Stijn (PSV & Ajax becoming the Eredivisie’ Barca & Real) Amsterdam
Weekend thoughts
It’s Monday morning here, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.
*Well done to Watford for their win. They got the rub of the green with a couple of decisions, but also took advantage of poor defending by the home side. That isn’t the first time Joel Ward has been caught out like that, although any time three defenders go for the ball and none of them get there, you’re a bit screwed.
*A Crystal Palace striker scored. A Crystal Palace striker actually scored. When something that unlikely happens, usually one of only two possible options follow: Armageddon, or a Palace victory. Given the Hornets won, prepare for the end of days.
*This was a weekend for well-taken, understated goals. Emmanuel Adebayor’s header and Diego Costa’s sliding finish won’t get the plaudits of more visually spectacular goals, but the skill required in placing such goals into unsaveable places should not be overlooked.
*The Watford penalty was football’s equivalent of being caught by a mobile speed camera – annoying that so many people get away with it but when you get caught you still haven’t got a leg to stand on. Chris Sutton on 5 Live used the “10 penalties a game” line, but the truth is that this would require a degree of consistency largely lacking from Premier League referees.
Palace were, in a way, hoist by their own petard when it came to refereeing decisions. Having made a lot of noise about tackles by Stephen Ireland and Harry Arter in recent weeks, both of which escaped red cards, it was inevitable that eventually one Palace player would leap into a tackle like that and end up being sent off. Pape Soare can have no complaints about that, but there was clearly an element of frustration about it.
In a similar vein, a picture doing the rounds on Twitter shows a Glaziers corner from the third minute. Someone has helpfully pointed out two instances of Palace players being held by Watford defenders. It’s likely Palace complained to the referee, and then shot themselves in the foot by failing to be squeaky clean when they were in the spotlight.
Pretty much every goal scored from a corner comes as a result of a bit of the dark arts – whether a subtle hold of arm or shirt, or blocking off defenders – all of which are fouls, but few of which ever get called, making it all the more galling when the referee does decide he’s seen something.
*Yannick Bolasie and Bakary Sako should be back next week.
*Strong work from the MotD commentator on the Norwich game. “That’s exactly what John Ruddy was brought into the side to do”, he said, after Ruddy had made a save. Well done, Captain Obvious.
*With Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur leading the table, now is probably a pretty good time to be Gary Lineker (for football reasons anyway). Just as shame his other former clubs – Everton, Barcelona, Nagoya Grampus Eight – can’t also force their way into the Premier League title picture.
The literary Ed Quoththeraven
Nobody from Sunderland wrote in yesterday, seemingly, so I thought I’d do it for them…
If Bungle’s Boys stay up this season, which I reckon they will be doing, it will in no small part be down to the transfer of Whabi Khazri. Well spotted as a potentially decisive signing in an article on this website recently, before which I had never even ‘eard of ‘im, Jeff.
There is a video on youtube of pretty much everything he did around and on the ball in the game against Liverpool, which makes for an interesting watch. It’s obvious the damage he did against Man Utd from set pieces, but his general will to win, defensive commitment and enthusiasm against Liverpool was infectious, to go along with his lightning quick skill to set up the second goal.
New favourite of mine, that’s for sure. Deadly, and sets an example for the rest of the team. Cracking player.
Best,
Ben (you know, Bungle, from Rainbow… Sam Allardyce…) MCFC
What’s happening at Norwich? They have one of the top scorers in European Qualifying (Lafferty), have had current and former England U21 internationals (Bamford & Hooper) and persist with Cameron Jerome up front. In his last 100 Premier League games he has averaged just over a goal every ten games. I actually think ‘Arry’s wife could do better.
Can all pundits stop adding the extra letter in Berahin(i)o?
When Arsene goes to the club shop for a new jacket, exactly what does he ask for?
Speaking of Wenger, he took a massive risk in praising Arsenal’s mental strength after yesterday’s victory. How many consecutive games will they now fall to pieces in?
Has there ever been a less suitable candidate for punditry than Tim Sherwood? Both in managerial experience and ability to use words correctly in sentences. It’s ‘those’ Tim, not ‘them’ – wipe that smug grin off your mug until you can speak English.
Seriously though, Wenger’s coat. Some days you can’t even see the bottom of it.
Willian’s afro – is it’s size directly related to how well Chelsea play?
Is Jack Wilshere still a thing? He’s been gone a while.
Remember the job that Defoe had available at the start of the season to promote his brand? Does Guy Shrimpton have that job for Rooney? Any time someone mails in saying something nasty about ol’ potato-head there’s Guy below the line, defending his honour like a school girl with a crush. Calm yourself mate, it’s embarrassing.
Should John Terry fail to secure that new deal he’s quite clearly angling for – and Leicester go to the Bridge on the final day as champions – will JT be reprising his most famous role in a Leicester kit?
Danny (Hang on, is Wilshere under Wenger’s coat?) Scotland
I’m a Spurs fan.. But I’m not writing in to say how great we were today, im writing because it is so important for a top team to have a top goalkeeper.
Since Frazier forsters return Southampton have been unbeaten. Always commanding
Cech turns Arsenal from 3-4th place to potentially first. Great save from vardy, then skins him later!
Hugo lloris, finger tips to keep Spurs 3 points in tact in the last minute.
De gea, stupidly good save with his feet when the ball was going in the far corner, Michael Owen reckons he should of went near post… Benefit of hindsight an all ..
Just when it seems we have few world class strikers, we have plenty of top goalkeepers.
JoeKen
GOOD:
Kevin Wimmer, Christian Eriksen, Dimitri Payet, Hector Bellerin, The Ox, Olivier Giroud, Khaled Whazri (MC – Wahbi Khazri?), West Brom woodwork, Saido Berahino (crazy workrate), Willian, Resident ar*ehole (Diego Costa), Gianneli Imbula, Roberto Firmino, Emre Can, James Ward-Prowse, Michail Antonio, Arsene Wenger substitutions (for once).
BAD:
Morgan Wasilewski for the freekick conceded, Laurent Koscielny for everything, LVG for sh*tty personnel choices, Alan Pardew, Danny Simpson for naivety, Neil Swabrick for the penalty awarded to Spurs, Swansea for that sh*t formation they keep persisting with, Steve McClaren, Joel Robles, Pablo Zabaleta.
ABSOLUTE SH*TE:
Martin Atkinson. How on God’s green earth is this geezer still a Premier League referee?? Sure he had a decent second half but it was because of the fact that it was defense vs. attack for pretty much the whole of the second half. That red card was also quite harsh and this is coming from an Arsenal supporter. The first half from Atkinson has to be one of the worst refereeing displays I have ever seen.
Greg Tric, Nairobi.
Love for Motty
Big shout out to Motty for his commentary on Match of the Days Arsenal v Leicester coverage. It was thoroughly refreshing to hear his excitable tones for a big match instead of his usual relegation to a glaziers borefest (sorry ed). Considering the dreary, undistinguished commentary of whatever lemon the beeb gave Man. City v Spurs to, he’ll be sorely missed when he hangs up his mic.
Baz, Dublin
Stop the w*nkfest
Before the inevitable w*nkfest begins over the Messi / Suarez penalty last night – I’m sure I’m not the only one to see how that goal should not have been allowed as Messi is quite clearly offside? Far be it from me to give footballing advice to the World’s greatest footballer ™ , but if you’re going to lay off a penalty like that, then at least stop your run before your team mate strikes the ball.
Equally, If the linesman can’t spot an offside at set play when standing still, then I’m really not sure what the role of a linesman is anymore…..
David Aina. Croydon
