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Monday 19 December 2011

Man City 1 - 0 Arsenal match review - it's a matter of time now

Phil Dowd - at best this man is a cheat


I'm writing this having just got in from my work Christmas do, but this is not the ranting of someone who's had one too many bottles of pop. I didn't write this review last night as I wanted time to calm down before going in to print. I didn't get around to writing it this morning as I was too busy. As a result I am typing in a slightly drunken state, but fully cognisant of what I want to say to you this evening.
I have stated on here before that I believe English football is in the grip of corruption. It has been proven in cricket and in rugby, so why should football be any different? Football is the richest, most popular sport in the Country, with high stakes involved. The only difference between football and the other sports is that footballers at the top level are too well paid to be nobbled. The same does not apply to match officials. If the News of the World had wanted to expose something big then they should have gone after football and its referee's and linesmen.
What we saw yesterday was a great game of football. However, if you are an Arsenal fan, then you did not enjoy it. The reason you didn't enjoy it is because we lost the game. The reason we lost the game was because of the officiating. Even if you give the benefit of the doubt for offside to Silva, in the scramble that became the winning goal, you can not excuse the decision to flag Robin Van Persie offside for what would have been a deserved equaliser, or for the offside that wasn't given against Micah Richards. Worst of all is the handball decision. Richards saw the ball come all the way across from the wing and he let it hit him on the arm. The referee, Phil Dowd, was no more than ten yards away with a clear view. He deliberately chose to not give the decision. He then had the audacity to laugh in the face of Aaron Ramsey when he questioned him. It is utterly abhorrent.
It is now a matter of time, in my opinion, before English football finally becomes embroiled in a fixing row. There is too much money involved for there to be no corruption. At the heart of it will be those who officiate. Games like yesterday do nothing to dissuade me. I don't doubt that I will get some stick from those who believe me to be a whingeing Gooner, bitter in defeat. However, when the richest Club in the World has a must-win game, and gets decisions like that in their favour throughout the match, you can surely see why I am writing in these terms. Football is corrupt, and it is costing Arsenal.
Just to illustrate something before I sign off I would like to draw attention to Mr Dowd's last three games in charge of Arsenal, away from home - Newcastle and Sunderland from last season, and yesterday - either the man is a cheat or there is something even more sinister, as it is surely not possible for one man to be so inept with the same team suffering the consequences at all times. In each of those games he and his colleagues have been more responsible for the end result than any of the players. There is something wrong, is there not?

9 comments:

  1. I'll tell you what is wrong, you are a complete and utter half bake that's what. Richards arms were by his SIDE when the ball hit him from ten yards away, Van Persie was CLEARLY offside as seen in the replays. The referee laughed at Ramsey because he was obviously as stupid as you to suggest a speeding ball hitting a player with his hands by his sides should be a penalty. Bitter little man.

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  2. The ball hit Van Persie and changed direction before hitting Richards' arm, which was down by his side and only a few yards away.

    Silva was quite clearly onside.

    Van Persie was quite clearly offside, even if you want to be pedantic about it, you could claim as his head was in front of the last man, then as a goal scoring part of his body, he is in turn offside.

    Richards wasn't flagged offside and that confused everyone. If it had gone it would he have been flagged? Who knows, so there's no point crying about it and SPECULATING about it seeing as it didn't go in.

    Stop being bitter and move on, you were beaten by the better team.

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  3. Van Persie was so clearly offside that Match Of The Day proved he was onside. Fuckwits.

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  4. brisG MOTD said it was 'close' actually get your facts right! Being close to being onside is still offside just it was close which it was. Silva was onside completely in every stage, and for a penalty to be awarded it has to be a deliberate handball according to FIFA's rule book which it wasn't and you know that. The Richards off side that wasn't looked pretty much like Walcott's when Hart made the save as not only was he between the keeper and striker who took the shot (interfering with play) it also looked like he touched it. Maybe you should have wrote last night pal because even being pxssed up there is no excuse for the total bxllxcks you have wrote here, of which 99% of people do not agree with who ever they support.

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  5. If Dowd was so biased why after booking Song did he let him off 2 mins later after another bookable challenge in the first half, and likewise Arteta in the second half? I was at the match so didn't get the TV replays as far as Micah is concerned but i did see the linesmans flag go up about 3 seconds before Van Persie scored, and so did Joe Hart!

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  6. Ah, so it seems I imagined the bit in Match of the Day where they showed Van Persie being played on by Kompany. As for any idea that Joe Hart knew RVP was offside, do me a favour.
    Micah Richards knew he had handled the ball, hence his pathetic "I've hurt my hamstring routine" after he cleared it.
    Song and Arteta should have been sent off? Because Barry and co. threw themselves on the floor? If we're talking of red cards, then how about Aguero for persistent fouling after he was booked?
    I may have been a bit drunk last night, but everything I said about the game was accurate. Everything I said about the officials is an honest held belief with regards to the corruption in English football.

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  7. How's the bitter taste? You're clearly grasping at straws as you are upset about being beaten. I've watched more than one replay of that hand ball and heard more than one anti-city pundit agree with the referees decision. Same with the offside call on Van Piersie.

    The only thing you mentioned that is spot on is that Richards was offside and the referee blew it. Don't know why. It wasn't even close. Inconsequential as it was, it still should have been given. But that wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game one bit. Time to come down off the ledge and get on with it. Best that can be hoped for is a top 4 finish now. And I DO think that is possible.

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  8. DvbrisG yes you did imagine it or more like it heard what you wanted to! What you heard was Lee Dixon and Lee Dixon only, saying he thought RVP could be level in one breathe and that it was a 'split decision' and that 'he just goes offside' in the another contradicting comment. Dixon said 'see his feet they are level' but that doesn’t make it onside as RVP's body was not level with Kompany's feet, he was forward of him hence the correct offside decision being gave. The commentator on the MOTD highlights said 'isn’t that tight that was close' but that doesn’t make it onside!
    Dixon also said ‘for me it was a penalty' but then says on what Dowd must have thought ‘is he to close? Is it accidental?‘ which is as we all know it was (except the most bias it seems). Richards has to deliberately handle the ball which he clearly didn't do even to the most bias eyes. Yes the ball hit Richards arm which the ref saw as accidental the same happened the week before to Lescott and was given it shouldn’t have been as it was accidental but his arms were out and that’s the risk you run, Ricards arms were in what he suposed to do? NO MOANING from RVP or any Arsenal players regarding an offside or much conviction regarding the none penalty, that should tell you it all!
    You cannot take the word of a pundit who describes Arsenal as ‘WE’ and ‘OUR’ as an unbiased opinion, and I'm aware he was a child hood City fan. Not one of SKY’s people said that it was offside or a penalty! So what does that also tell you?
    Now you may want to wash your ears out and stop hearing what you want especially when your Manager (known for moaning about decisions) doesn’t moan at all! Arsenal played well in fact the best team we have played this season by far but that still wasn’t enough to take the points, City shaded it yes it could have been 1-1 but it could have been 3-0 to City just the same. Now go and get some grace that many of your fellow Arsenal bloggers seem to have.

    P.S Dowd didn’t give the offside that’s the liners job and he did well before RVP put the ball in the net. So he must be a cheat to are you not getting sick of calling all officials cheats when you lose? Mate your clutching at straws that aren't even there!

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  9. complete bitter drivel.

    the better team won, again.

    nasri proved to all he has made the right decision to leave, along with cesc and clichy.

    arse will be lucky to finish top 10 if van pussie is injured

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