[Locke.]

Blackpool have only managed to do so well because they have Charlie Adam, they would be in the relegation zone without him, and they're only 4 points out of it now (and Birmingham have 2 games in hand)

[30stone]

Originally Posted by alc09

You are forgetting that the Prem is on the decline in terms of quality - look at Blackpool going up and coping fine. Promoted sides will have no problem.


Mr Wenger must be regretting not signing a couple of centre backs in January - that is going to cost them.

I dont think today was any problem with centre backs, we just didnt play as well after diaby done what he did.

It was wierd how it changed the game we usually cope fine with 10 men.




Nolans a wanker..

[30stone]

I blame merson lol!


Watching sky sports this morning, was the first person to say Arsenal could win the title this season, i cringed i thought something bad was gunna happen today... tho i thought it would be an injury to Fabregas or Van Persie..


I think we have a problem without song in the team.. and once diaby was gone no holding midfielder.

Draw isnt the end to our season, but it makes us look vunerable to lower opposition.. and its the way we lost.
Bet one of the two pens wasnt, we always concede 'cheap' goals.

[Locke.]

Can all be forgot about if Utd don't be Wolves.. 1-1 at the minute

[Kerry]

*Enters thread for a rant*

SHEFFIELD UNITED YOU EFFING CRAP FECKWITS! I'M ASHAMED OF YOU THIS SEASON!!!!!!!!

*Breathes and exits*

[Locke.]

Off to League 1 they go

[Kerry]

Originally Posted by Locke.

Off to League 1 they go

We'll swap places with Wednesday at this rate

[Locke.]

Why are they doing so bad, they're usually challenging for a play off spot?

[Kerry]

Originally Posted by Locke.

Why are they doing so bad, they're usually challenging for a play off spot?

Have absolutely no idea. It just suddenly went to pot. Can only imagine it's all the manager stuff. We've always been a team to have long term managers. These last two or three years have been really unsettled but I honestly can't excuse it. They're playing sh!t and like they don't care

[30stone]

Originally Posted by Locke.

Can all be forgot about if Utd don't be Wolves.. 1-1 at the minute

No because then you look at it that we would have been 2 points behind united and 3 above man city with a game in hand.

[alc09]

Originally Posted by Locke.

Blackpool have only managed to do so well because they have Charlie Adam, they would be in the relegation zone without him, and they're only 4 points out of it now (and Birmingham have 2 games in hand)

The point still remains - the standard is in decline. Promoted championship clubs have more than held their own this season.

[alc09]

Originally Posted by 30stone

I dont think today was any problem with centre backs, we just didnt play as well after diaby done what he did.

Lets be honest here, any side who concedes four goals needs to take a look at their defence.

[30stone]

It is hard to be angry with the team today because they deserved the three points for an excellent overall performance, in the end they were undone largely by an absolutely terrible refereeing performance from Phil Dowd. Arsene has been pretty coy following the match but he knows this too, I am impressed that he has controlled his words so well, he was 'surprised' with the penalty decisions, a cleverly worded response.

We killed Newcastle in the first half and this should not be forgotten. Some outstanding play and some truly excellent goals. It could have been more than the four. Walcott's tidy opener, Djourou's powerful header, RVP's powerful finish from Theo's cutback and the best of the bunch for me, RVP's thumping header from Sagna's delicious curling cross.

Then came Dowd. Joey Barton was lucky to be on the field after just the first half, a shocking tackle on Diaby missed by Dowd, then another reckless one through the back of Arshavin, not a free kick and not even a card. Then early in the second half Barton went through the ball in a way that was designed to break Diaby's legs, Diaby was then sent off for a rather tame shove in the back of Barton's lower neck. Barton escaped completely unpunished. Diaby deserved a yellow and Barton a red, instead down got it hopelessly wrong and leg breaking was again encouraged by our incompetent officials.

It is easy for some to have a go at Diaby and judge him. He was stupid to a degree but he has almost lost his career to tackles like this, he is bound to get angry, it's instinctive, and his reaction was pretty mild, certainly not enough to justify a red card, especially in the context of Nolan doing worse to Szczesny late in the game. Unfortunately Dowd didn't stop there.

He handed Newcastle the initiative with an incredibly soft penalty, Koscielny barely made contact and the contact that was made was minimal, Best played for it and the incompetent Dowd provided, even though he was in a poor position to see the lack of contact made. This changed the game as the sending off had done earlier, Newcastle had been gifted a man advantage and a goal.

The second goal was probably the only one where our defending can be blamed. Best was slightly lucky with the way the ball broke and he finished well, Clichy dived in a bit and the centre backs didn't cover well enough.

The second penalty was even more of a joke than the first and that is saying something. There just wasn't a foul, the players went up and Dowd simply donated Newcastle their second goal of the day from the spot. I was watching on foreign TV and the commentators burst out into laughter, that says it all really. The fourth was academic, Dowd had been the primary driver behind Newcastle's comeback, although it was a fantastic hit from Tiote, Newcastle would have been nowhere near this goal being meaningful if it had not been for Dowd's shocking partisan decisions. Interestingly the fourth Newcastle goal came following yet another non free kick when Barton dived over after shoulder to shouldet contact with the powerhouse Tomas Rosicky!

It is so hard for us to win the league when we are up against incompetent decision making like this from officials on such a regular basis. It is easy to try to deflect attention elsewhere, Diaby was silly, our defending was not perfect, I know these things, but it is undeniable that the main reason for our demise today was the recurrent incompetent decision making of a terrible terrible referee. Phil Dowd is either useless or corrupt, I do not say this lightly. The only decision that went our way all day was when Newcastle incorrectly had a goal given for offside.

Manu simply do not have to climb these kind of mountains, in fact the reverse is often true. We have thrown some games away this season, but this was not one of them, Phil Dowd wrestled it from us and handed it to Newcastle on a plate, there is only so much one can look to blame ourselves when we are up against this kind of rank bias. In fact I am *****ing proud of the lads today, I would have been tempted to walk off the pitch today had I been playing, RVP played on and scored an excellent goal which was chalked off by the linesman despite him being level.

It was just one of those days when we were beaten by the referee, shame on you Phil Dowd, you were beneath a disgrace today, if the game had any credibility there would be a formal investigation into your performance today, it was so bad that it has left me questioning the honesty of the Premier League. A sad sad day for football indeed

[30stone]

Originally Posted by alc09

Lets be honest here, any side who concedes four goals needs to take a look at their defence.

4th goal was a 26 yard unstoppable shot, one was a penalty from rosicky, who done actually nothing

One was koscielny with minimal contact (happens)

Bests goal was the only one really luckily beating clichy.

[Locke.]

The unbeaten run is over

Wolves 2-1 Man Utd

[30stone]

Wolves done it

Ended their unbeaten run

and kept arsenal within 4 points..

[alc09]

Originally Posted by 30stone

4th goal was a 26 yard unstoppable shot, one was a penalty from rosicky, who done actually nothing

One was koscielny with minimal contact (happens)

Bests goal was the only one really luckily beating clichy.

I don't know how they went in, but at the end of the day you've just shipped four goals at Newcastle.

Wengers decision not to bring in a centre half or two with cost you.

[Locke.]

Some Arsenal fan on Your On Sky Sports ringing in.. "Arsene Wenger needs to get the sack."

[30stone]

THIS is why diaby pushed barton.. (not in the face so why red)

But its a leg breaking and for diaby who has already had massive problems, career threatening..

DIsgrace that its not even a foul according to dowd!



http://vodpod.com/watch/5512782-joey...castle-arsenal

[30stone]

Originally Posted by Locke.

Some Arsenal fan on Your On Sky Sports ringing in.. "Arsene Wenger needs to get the sack."

I hate ones like that, its the team, once they are on the pitch they have to take majority of the blame..

Well the ref should be taking most of it.. lol

[Locke.]

One of his reasons was "he is french and french mangers always come out with loads of rubbish excuses"

[alc09]

I do wonder how long it will take for Arsenal fans to lose patience with Wenger. Not any time soon I don't think.

More likely to walk away than be sacked I would have thought, not at this time anyway thats for sure.

[30stone]

In the opening minutes, although we were already two to the good, van Persie was the meat in a Williamson and Barton sandwich and astonishingly the free-kick was awarded to the home side. Barton scythed through Arshavin from behind, but in the eyes of Phil Dowd that wasn’t even worth a free-kick. A string of questionable decisions were allowed to pass because they were not affecting the course of the game. That would change.

The loss of Johan Djourou at the start of the second-half was the starter for what would follow. Shortly afterwards came the incident that began the transformation. How on earth Dowd missed the uncontrolled lunge by Barton on Diaby is a complete mystery. Just as absurd was Abou’s reaction. I understand he has not appreciated that sort of challenge since Dan Smith smashed his ankle to pieces up at Sunderland, but frankly he has to understand that his responsibility to his team-mates is not to leave them a man short for nearly half of an away game. Both players deserved to be off. Diaby was shown red, Barton wasn’t. I know I don’t need to tell you how baffling that was.

The debatable decisions continued. Best flew to earth in the box with little, if any, contact from Koscielny who also appeared to play the ball. Barton scored from the controversial spot-kick, and as Szczesny held on to the ball he was thrown to the ground by Nolan in identical fashion to Diaby’s retribution on Barton. Red card for Nolan? No, yellow for Szczesny. Incredible. Best himself had a goal wrongly chalked out for offside but his next attempt found the target and counted. Arsenal’s defence was contributing to their own downfall.

Even so, at 2-4, with less than ten minutes remaining, it would take something remarkable to deny the visitors the points. In a bid to stiffen his defence Arsene removed Walcott and sent on Eboue, promptly booked for kicking the ball away with his first touch. Then a hopeful ball to the far post drifted out and as the players turned for the goal-kick the most dangerous man in black shorts and socks pointed to the spot for a second time. Barton applied the finish and the only question now is whether Dowd will have to crack the inevitable equaliser in himself

[30stone]

That challenege was a bit like the one on Eduardo..

[30stone]

Wilshere hits out at Dowd
Arsenal midfielder angered by referee after Newcastle thriller


Wilshere feels that referee Dowd should have taken firmer action against Nolan, who appeared to tangle with Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny after Barton's first penalty, only for the visiting shot-stopper to be cautioned.

The midfielder wrote on Twitter: "Inconsistent refereeing needs to stop. It's killing the game.

"If Diaby goes, what's the difference between that and Nolan on our keeper!?? Joke."

The young England international could now find himself in hot water with the Football Association for his comments about the match official.