Check out the forum! There are 17 members viewing right now and 204 visitors today.... Click here to join in!

How Is This Allowed?

I`ll begin with a few disclaimers. Firstly, I know refereeing decisions go against every club at one time or another, and I am not even going to begin to exorcise any sort of persecution complex by insisting that Arsenal are any harder done by than any other team. Secondly, I accept away from the heat and tension of a game that referees are human beings and make mistakes. They have a difficult job blah, blah, blah etc. (So do teachers and doctors yet they do not seem to be permitted to extract the same sympathy). Anyway, now the mealy mouthed platitudes are concluded, let`s get to the meat of this short article.

Several bad decisions were awarded in the midst of Arsenal`s 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough this weekend. The corner from which we eventually equalised should probably have not been given. The free kick which led to Middlesbrough`s equaliser should also have not been given. I don`t think anybody has any idea whether Aliadiere`s goal should have stood or not. I have poured over Page 11 of the rule book where this much fangled, Blatter approved offside rule is articulated and the language is that irksome, political jargon designed to sound incredibly authoritative, but really just says nothing. (George Orwell once said, "Political language is designed to make lies sound true, murder sound respectful and give an appearance of solidarity to pure wind." Apt). The decisions above are perhaps forgivable, we still had a decent chance to defend Boro`s long punt downfield and we did it poorly (though the fact that Aliadiere is apparently allowed to run several yards ahead of the last line of defence gives him a distinct advantage). Likewise, Boro had a chance to defend the corner we were unfairly awarded and didn`t. Those two decisions were pretty small fry, the decision to give Boro`s goal just stems from laughable confusion at the top levels of the game. What I absolutely, 100% cannot accept is Adebayor`s wrongly chalked off effort.

It is not so much the decision itself, the linesman was some distance from the action and could have been forgiven for thinking that van Persie had played Adebayor through, not George Boateng. Halsey was mere inches from the incident and should have seen it, but like I said, mistakes can happen. But it is Halsey`s explanation that bears scrutiny. Arsene Wenger explained after the game that when he had questioned Halsey about the decision, he was told, "The intention of our player was to play the ball to one of our players, who was offside, so the deflection of the ball doesn't count anymore." According to Page 11 of the rulebook, where the offside law is relayed in full,
"A player in an offside position is only penalised if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play."

If we are to believe what Wenger has said, Halsey has admitted that he was fully aware that it was Boateng who played the ball. According to the rule above, so long as the ball is not played by an Arsenal player, Adebayor is NOT offside. It is not only that Halsey has got this costly decision ridiculously wrong, but the fact that he has been allowed to manufacture or massage the rule to his own end. Surely the Football Association needs to look at this? Halsey either does not comprehend one of the fundamentals of the offside law, in which case what is he doing officiating at this level? Or else he has simply invented a rule to suit his own incompetence, which also bears F.A. consideration. In what other profession in the world would you be allowed to so brazenly to invent the rules to suit yourself without being questioned? I currently work in the Civil Service; as such I have to sign the Official Secrets Act. If I violate this trust, I am sacked without question. I understand this fully. I would not be allowed to maneuver my way out of disciplinary proceedings by making up the rules for myself, so why is Halsey afforded this privilege? (I am sure you can all think of dozens of examples in your own places of work or colleges or universities).

Halsey even had other opt outs, he could have explained that he thought van Persie had played the ball, that ball would only have had to graze a hair on his leg for the offside call to be correct. Or, even more admirably, he could have held his hands up and admitted that he had made a mistake. The fact that he has so confidently misappropriated legislation to his own end reveals a fundamental flaw that is developing in the officiating of football. It is absolutely correct that we campaign for players to grant greater respect for referees, but respect is a two way street. I paid a lot of money to watch a game on Saturday, the Arsenal players are involved in a tight title race, it is time for referees to likewise comply and show players and fans greater respect than Mr. Halsey has shown this weekend.LD.

Seconds Out! Vital Boxing is here!

Vital F1 Prediction League - Join now for Monaco

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.

Join the Vital Fantasy Football League - its Free!

Writer: Tim Stillman

Date:Tuesday March 18 2008

Time: 2:07PM

Your Comments

To my mind Adebayor was offside. I know a Boro player got the final touch but the fact is you cannot say Adebayor was not seeking or trying to gain an advantage by standing a distance behind the last defender. We all know the offside rule is a farce, but Halsey has done us favours in the past (eg the penalty at Fulham which he then reversed) & he has cost us before. He is not the only ref to do so, you could probably find controversial incidents from every top flight referee in our matches. Its also quite possible Wenger has misunderstood what Halsey was saying to him, but regardless of whether thats true or not the one certain point is that Arsenal haven't been good enough to beat the likes of Boro or Villa at the emirates for the past two years & if you really want to win titles then that needs to change. Everyone seems to be talking about the chelski game like its a foregone conclusion that we'll go to the bridge & win, yet should we lose which there is probably a higher chance of happening then we are seriously in a fight for 3rd/4th place with Liverpool & possible even Everton.

Ashburton Gooner

I sort of know what you mean. ade was standing in an offside position which is what made the wrong decision easier to take. I mean had RVP got the ball, how could he have played it to Ade anyway? fact is we were given the chance by a mistake from Boateng NOT by good play from us. at soon as the lino's flag went up there was not an ounce of doubt in my mind that the offside decision would stand as it would do on 99% of similar cases. I agree with the article that Halsey's reason to wenger is very suspect, but that cannot change the result now so there is little point wasting energy thinking about it. we all know refs are crap. Get on with it. as you say, it was our fault that we did not defend the badly awarded free kick properly. there are 2 or 3 wrong free kicks in every game. you still have to defend them properly.

gazzap

But that's all irrelevant AG, it's there in black and white, it doesn't matter what Adebayor was trying to do or whether he was trying to gain an advantage, because he is NOT offside. It's the same as if he had received the ball from a throw in, his intentions count for nothing because he is NOT offside and cannot even begin to be ajudged as such, which Halsey has acknowledged. The points you make about Halsey are already made in the article, this isn't about our title credentials (though United have lost to West Ham, Bolton, Man City twice and drawn with Spurs, so we are not alone in having dodgy results), nor do I entertain any conspiarcy, the article is solely about the fact that a referee has been allowed to fabricate a rule. That's the bottom line and it's not acceptable.

Little Dutch

The rules are clear Ashburton. The ball was not deflected by Boateng, but kicked with intent to tackle. The fact it has gone through to our player makes no difference. In the past when a defender has done a blind pass back to the keeper and not seen the striker who has gone on to score it stands (henry Vs Liverpool). Rules are rules and if we are to believe what Wenger has said then Halsey is either Guilty of not knowing the rules, or no enforcing them.

paul_ownz

Yes, I acknowledge the result is gone, some of you are misunderstanding my intentions. This isn't really an Arsenal article at all, it happens to involve us. Remove the red specs, stop thinking about our title chances/ stupid results blah, blah, blah. The referee has got a decision wrong because a) he does not know the rules or b) he did not enforce them correctly so changed them to suit himself. There IS something that can be done about that, the F.A. simply have to insist that all refs either know the rules or enforce them correctly. That is not a whinge or a moan based on current form, that its not even close to asking too much. That is the absolute 100% bottom line, minimum expectation of the legal body and its subjects and it is not being enforced. That is entirely unacceptable and I have to question anybody who doesn't feel that is the case.

Little Dutch

My understanding is that Halsey said that there was "intention to play the ball to a player in an offside position".. which is rubbish.. Van Persie played a square ball which Boateng stuck a toe out to. Whether Ade was offside or not is irrelevant. I believe that the goal should have stood and frankly it was a terrible decision by Halsey.

arsenalrulz4ever

Irrespective of whether the decision was against us or not there is a clear matter of footballing law to clarify. It is accepted that if a defender plays a ball back to his keeper and it is intercepted by a player whether offside at the time or not that any resulting goal would stand. This is a clear case of the referee inventing his own interpretation of a law. There is absloutely nothing in the rule book that justifies Halseys interpretation and the explanation he gave to Wenger hasn't been denied. Beyond that there is confusion as to what 'gaining an advantage' really means. Blackburn scored a goal at the weekend where Cruz was clearly offside when the ball was played but because it was not played directly to him he was onside by what has now become known as the second phase of play. This means that a forward can 'goal hang', the very practice the law was designed to prohibit, provided that he is behind the ball by the time the rest of the play catches up with him. In which case I don't know what else that can be other than seeking to gain an advantage.

Amos.

I meant whether Ade was offside or not at that moment**!

arsenalrulz4ever

Amos - the point is that the rules are ambiguous and the only clear law is that if the opposition player gets a touch and even if a player is offside and the ball gets to him, he is onside. I dont know what is open to interpretation in that.

arsenalrulz4ever

Well, for those with a degree is psychobabble, here is the law that is causing confusion (which has just been posted on F365 in relation to this incident) The definitions of elements of involvement in active play are as follows: Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate. Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent. Gaining an advantage by being in that position means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a post or the crossbar having been in an offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position. So, if the Tuncay shoots, it hits the post and comes to Aliadiere, he is offside, but by passing it straight to him, that makes him onside apparently? And, as F365 point out, the question is did Aliadiere make a gesture or movement which deceives or ditsracts an opponent? Some would say running full pelt towards a gaping net would distract an opponent, some wouldn't. Anyways, there is no ambiguity with Ade's chalked off goal, that was a stick on goal and the ref has been allowed to fabricate his responsibilities.

Little Dutch

its about foreign refs was introduced..they seem to get it right in CL games

ajwb

LD, you don't know what was said by Halsey so you're just guessing. Nearly every time a decision goes against a team the manger of that team comes out & says he was told something by the ref or by the fourth official. The fact is NOBODY knows the offside law as it stands & for every part of the law you post to back-up your article, you would be able to find another part which contradicts it. Adebayor was interfering with play because he was stood just a few yards from the goalkeeper, therefore he is offside.

Ashburton Gooner

I will Ask Halsey Junior on Thursday training what his dad made of it and what he said.

paul_ownz

Again AG, I point out in the article that we have to take what AW said for granted, it hasn't been denied though (if there is cause to deny it, the F.A. are again in jurasdiction of duty). Again, it does not matter where Ade is standing, he is not offside because the ball is played to him by a Boro player. There is nothing in the law that contradicts this or even goes back over it, that IS the rule, simple as, it's not up for debate. The part of the law I talk about in my last post is ambiguous and up for interpretation, I have printed it, it's there for all to see, if an Arsenal player does not pass him the ball, he is NOT offside. If Ade stands next to the keeper and he receives the ball from a throw in, by your logic he is offisde, even though the rule clearly states you cannot be offisde from a throw in. Just like you cannot be offside when an opposition player plays the ball. It really is quite simple to understand.

Little Dutch

I guess Halsey could have argued that the ball 'rebounded' off Boateng with a little more justification than the explanation he gave. The fact that he didn't (and hasn't attempted to deny the explanation Wenger claims to have been given) suggests he didn't see it as a rebound and therefore the goal should have stood. The fabricated explanation was possibly to cover an error in which case he would have gained more credit if he had just said it was an honest mistake.

Amos.

this decision and the one with Clichy's penalty at Birmingham have cost us four points. it's high time we eradicate these refreeing decisions from our game, cuz in the end, the destination of the title should not be decided by refreeing blunders..

luckys_10

I was pretty wound up by Halsey by the end of the match, but when he blew the whistle before we could take the corner, that really tipped it over the edge for me. Out of order!

flv

shall i tell u whats even more crazy the fact that the fa ignored the fact adebayor head butted someone annd didnt get a ban! and that gallas kicked someone in retaliation and got nothing when both shold have got 3 match bans

MrDax

And for our next game we get Clattenburg. Expect some new rules made up. Jesus wept!! Ow, and manu won with Derby from an offside assisting rooney. Its a shame that refs and their officiating partners have to have so much influence on the premier league. Its a double shame there are no powers that can evaluate the FA.

Paulo Gun

The only way to 'eradicate' refereeing mistakes is to end up with a stop-start game like American football. Halsey made a mistake that chalked off Adebayor's goal ... and then made a mistake that allowed you a corner from which you equalised.

Bran Mak Morn

if u guys ever want to win the league or CL again u need to sack arsene *****er who again said he wont buy any one for next season....what a joke....keep playing pretty football and winning nothing

MrDax

oh yea u fail to also mention your goal should never have stood when boetang got fouled.....pathetic arsenal fans crying coz they know there season is over

MrDax

Actually they did mention that MrDax, so clearly you are the moron who has limited reading ability and the attention span of a goldfish. No run along and play with your crayons in the corner with the other "special little" boys! You pathetic little weed!

LondonGooner

londongooner stop crying and realise that ARSEne *****er needs to go

MrDax

No one is crying here it seems to me your the one running around with your arms in the air making the fuss..............perhaps you should stick to your own board or is it too boring there? Don't forget Wenger has won nearly as many cups on his own as Chelsea have in their entire history, thats very sad statistic for a Chavvy club who claim to be a big team...............! Maybe you didn't kno that as you only became a ChelskiSibneftDynamo fan about 4 years ago???

LondonGooner

wel how many cups has wenger won?

MrDax

i can only think 5 trophies while jose in 3 years won 5

MrDax

LD, getting a bit touchy are we?? I don't recall saying anything about throw-in's, so obviously you're trying to twist words. Adebayor was standing in an offside position (if he had been standing in that position from a throw in thats a completely different situation because he's allowed to be there), standing behind all the defenders & in front of the keeper whilst the ball is in play is clearly trying to gain an advantage & therefore he IS interfering in play, that also is not up for debate!! Besides which as you keep saying this article is regarding Halsey making up his own rules, although funnily enough I don't recall you writing an article & slating him as a liar & demanding action be taken against him when he changed the penalty decision at Fulham having already awarded it. I can therefore only assume this whole thing is based purely on sour grapes because arsenal couldn't beat a s*** boro team. You say its not about Arsenal, but nobody forces you to buy a ticket to watch Arsenal & you are fully aware before the season kicks off that refs are going to make bad decisions & yes it was you who mentioned that it costs you a lot to watch Arsenal so this is relevant. As for Wenger, well I seem to recall him slating a linesman after the CC final last year & telling the world how he would fight to the end to prove it & show us all the evidence. Well over a year on & he has not only accepted his punishment but he is yet to show the world his evidence, so when it comes to incidents like this as with all managers you should take what he says with a pinch of salt!! If you want to blame Halsey for something it should be the fact he won't revoke the sending off of Mido, meaning that one of Boro's more dangerous players (well on his day anyway), is now going to miss both the Chelski & Man Utd games.

Ashburton Gooner

Who should replace Arsene DAX? dead Grant? Our season is over yet even if you win against the spuds you are still behind us and are in the same round of the champions league? All that after spunking another £50 million this season on Malouda, Anelka, ivanovic and co. Chelsea are the Heather mccartney of English football, money grabbing whores, supported by plastic.

iceman10

Wenger has won 3 titles (same as you in your entire history enit?) and 4 fa cups.

iceman10

And if you look at what weve spent to win those trophies it wouldnt cover Shevchenkos wages for a year. Now sod off heather.

iceman10

thats why i see arsenal fans mopping about how they would rather play ugly and win trophies then play pretty football.....what im saying the palyers have lost the confidance and gallas clearly see's that aswell....while adebayor is back to his best which is doing sh it all.....1 thing is for shore arsenal aint winning sh it again.

MrDax

well name me one player in your current 11 that you didnt not buy?

MrDax

feck me thats rich, so you forget eboue's assault on terry which could have ended his career,and gallas fouling ben haim for your lucky goal!! usual double standards from the most unsporting,ungracious fecking football club and fans!!

springy

wel said springy....these arsewipes are the bigest sore losers! next season the spuds wil b the biggest club in north london

MrDax

"Well over a year on & he has not only accepted his punishment but he is yet to show the world his evidence, so when it comes to incidents like this as with all managers you should take what he says with a pinch of salt!!" -- I've been lurking on this thread and couldn't let this one go by. In the aftermath of the handbags at the CC final last season, AW said it was a "lie" that Ade had punched a Chelsea player (I forget who). The FA then retracted the linesman's statement, saying that what he actually meant was that Ade had "aimed" a punch -- which AW again strenuously denied and said it was a lie. AW never called anyone a liar, he said the accusation was a "lie." Given that the video clearly showed that Ade aimed no punch at anyone (and got punished) while--as verified by the Independent after they viewed the extended video that the FA did--Essien and Drogba DID strike two Arsenal players (and went unpunished), AW was understandably angry. And have you seen AW's press conference in which he explains what Halsey said to him? He's pretty precise about Halsey's explanation and ironically ends with "I didn't know that, at least I learned something new." He's responding to a reporter who asks him why the goal was called offside, because the reporter doesn't understand the decision either. Watch the press conference on arsenal.com, AW's reply is pretty credible.

jaelle

"feck me thats rich, so you forget eboue's assault on terry which could have ended his career" - just like Chelsea fans always forget Terry's sliding lunge assault on Cesc (who was on the ground) and that was a clear red card offense - Terry shouldn've even have been on the pitch by the time Eboue tackled him. Chelsea fans NEVER recognize the antics of their thuggish captain. And what the hell do those two incidents have to do with a wrongly disallowed goal and a ref who invents bizarre excuses to justify it? In the Spurs-City game on Sunday, it was Spurs who were hard done by when they got a legit goal wrongly disallowed and the first City goal was offside. These crap decisions every week just show how retrograde football is when compared to other sports that have moved on to embrace technology.

jaelle

"next season the spuds wil b the biggest club in north london" -- it's always next season with you little spuddies, isn't it?

jaelle

Yes DAX we buy and sell as a normal club, balancing the books etc. What were your losses again this year??! Whoring out your club in the quest for trophies.

iceman10

Whinge whinge, moan moan, starting to worry now that the wheels are coming off? feckin ninnies.

Blue is the colour

BITC, I don't think that the purpose of this article was to moan about the result, but rather to complain about the 'superiority' of the refs in the PL and how untouchable they are. Halsey assumes he can make his own rules (as his reason for giving the offside isn't actually justified by the rule book). He admits that it went off Boateng's leg, so its a matter of him bending the rules to suit his decision. That, whether against Ade and Arsenal, or any other team or player, shouldn't be allowed. As LD so rightly said, if he didn't see it hit Boateng's leg, fair enough, but he admitted to seeing it, and stood by his decision, even though what he said and what the rule book says, contradict each other.

Cheese.

BITC, you are like a broke record. You must of used the cliche " wheels coming off" at least 20 times on different posts. Come up with something a little more original. Whats next, "you cant win the league with kids".

paul_ownz

you cant win the league with kids.

k_chelski

They should improve the referee's wage. And put a lower age cap. Make their cloth a bit more stylish too. Or do as they do here in Brazzie. Get Female refs!

k_chelski

One of my fav matches i have been to was in Brazil last september. I also remember a female ref in Brazil allowed a goal to be scored after it had gone of for a goal kick, the ball boy then kicked it in to the net and she allowed it.

paul_ownz

k_chelski, sou brasileira tambem -- como que um brasileiro se tornou um torcedor do cheslea??? (I just identified myself as a fellow Brazilian to k_chelski and asked him how a brazilian became a Chelsea fan???)

jaelle

Well.....it happens...seldomly....

k_chelski

lol, como que uma brasileira se tornou torcedora do arsenal?

k_chelski

Because Arsenal play sexy football like the brazilians probably. Also it was the Rio derby i went to see in the Maracana. Great atmosphere

paul_ownz

I think you are missing the point entirely AG. A player can be in an offside position and intercept a pass, whether mi***** or intended, from an opposing player and score without being given offside. He is clearly interfering with play because he intercepted the pass and as he scores he is obviously gaining an advantage so your assertion is incorrect. The offside rule can be complicated but it isn't made any less so if referees create greater confusion by introducing subjective assessments in trying to measure and judge intent. An aspect that doesn't appear anywhere in the rules of the game.

Amos.

'mi*****' should read 'mis hit'

Amos.

Agreed Amos, if refs were allowed to make decisions on intentions and assessing each case differently etc., then it would be far too complicated.

Cheese.

Amos and LD are right, "being in an offside position" doesn't mean the player gets punished. "Being in an offside position" and "goal disallowed for offside" are 2 different things. Guess that's where AG got confused with what LD's actually saying, because there're 2 possibilities: (a) if the ref did not understand the offside rule, he wasn't qualified; (b) if he did understand it but deliberately provided that "explanation" to Wenger, he was imposing his own interpretation on it by adding the "intention" element, which is simply unacceptable. I would personally (of course it's not down to my interpretation, but just a thought anyway) think that it should apply to "dangerous play" just as well. Nobody knows what's in a player's head, the intention can never be proved in many cases. If someone goes studs up, over the top, or raises his foot too high (above the ball at Eduardo's shin is too high, and at Clichy's face is definitely too high), that is dangerous play. The purpose of the rule is not for punishing the "malice", but for punishing the lack of care due in the game, and for protecting players. If there's any experts in the rule book (about which David Moyes and Arsene Wenger learnt new things this season) here, feel free to disagree, correct me if I'm wrong.

Lou the Gunneress

Wow, some people here need some basic comprehension lessons. Firstly, to the Chavs here, if you read the article I'm not saying referees are the reason we're getting bad results, we haven't deserved to win any of the last four games. In fact, we've got more than we deserved because Villa deserved to win. I explicitly state in the article that that is not my intention. But asking a Chelsea fan to understand the intracacies of the English language is like asking a dog to use lysterine after an afternoon of licking its bum. AG, firstly it doesn't matter if Ade's intention was to slap Schwarzer around the face with his flacid cock, the ball was played to him by a Boro player so the offside rule does not even come into contention, just like it doesn't for a throw in or for a backpass (remember Gerrard to Henry at Highbury two years ago). Secondly, the reason I didn't write an article on here in the wake of that Fulham game is because a) I didn't write for this site then and b) this site did not exist then, so you can see my difficulty. Read the match reports AG, I didn't blame the ref for the result in any of the last four games, even the penalty decision at St. Andrews is one I refuse to criticise because a) I myself thought it was a pen at the time and b) Clichy shouldn't have been so stupid as to get himself in that situation. My gripe here is not that a bad call has been made, it happens. My gripe is that the ref has subsequently invented a rule in the wake of the bad call. AG, I find it difficult to understand your intentions at times, you don't make bad comments, but if I went through the archives, I bet I'd be hard pushed to find three comments from you in the wake of Arsenal victories. Last time you were here you were dismissing G4L's opinions because he does not go to home games, now you're telling me not to go because I don't like incompetent officiating? It's hard to believe you come on this site for any other reason than to agitate people in the wake of bad results/ performances, it's a regular pattern (hence the entirely unneccesary "oooh, getting touchy" comment, ask yourself why you felt that was conducive to the discussion). You're right about Mido, Halsey should overturn that sending off. In fact, if you read stuff I've produced over the last few weeks, I've slated the FA for their treatment of Blackburn and Middlesbrough (regularly for Middlesbrough in fact). As for the evidence surrounding the CC Final, Adebayor did not punch anyone, that's all the evidence that's required.

Little Dutch

Its the difference with between people who understand football, and people who dont LD. Thats why i dont always put across my views or take the time to write because you cant teach and old dog new tricks

paul_ownz

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/03/19/arsenal-s-alexander-hleb-alleged-to-have-met-inter-milan-fixers-before-ac-milan-clash-89520-20355771/

luckys_10

wt a funny story that is. have a look..

luckys_10

The team doesn't need these kind of stories right now. Why can't the media just leave the Arsenal alone for a little while? No wonder we've been losing focus in recent weeks... they need to stop messing with our heads.

Cheese.

I don't think that Midos red card should be overturned. His was a reckless challenge. The fact that he wasn't looking at the player when his foot, at head height, made contact with Clichys head doesn't excuse its recklessness. Maybe he should have taken a look first. I seem to remember RvP getting sent off against Thun in the CL a short time ago for much the same thing. I don't remember too many pleading it's injustice then.

Amos.

k_chelski, e' uma longa estoria.

jaelle

oops, k_chelski, quis dizer "e' uma longa historia"

jaelle

According to the letter of the law, Mido should have been red carded as it's dangerous play. But I think a three match ban is harsh, one match would do.

Little Dutch

they need to introduce what they do in rugby, different punishments for different crimes. a little red for raised hand can be 1 match, mido's high foot 1 match, dangeros tackles like taylor's 5+ matches. you cant have the same punishment for every crime.
on another note, well done u spuds!

ian7

Do you guys remeber Steven Gerrards pass to his goalkeeper that Henry intercepted and scored. hat was not ruled as offside cos it came from Gerrard. So also Ade's goal since it came off Boateng.

phreddy

I think you guys were very hard done by against Boro and unfortuanatley its decisions like that which can win or lose you trophies.As a Spurs fan after watching our game with the Chavs i too am bewildered with some of the decisions that were awarded,particularly the challenge by Ashley Cole which could have ended the same way as it did for Eduardo.It was only 3 weeks ago that you guys lost Eduardo and you think referees would be trying to erradicate those tackles from the game.Anyway the Chavs got there comeuppence in the end.Good article LD.

cockaduddle

cockaduddle - You are spot on mate (unusual, a sensible spud) RCan anyone explain to me how that obnmoxious little sh**bag stayed on the pitch after cutting Hutton in half then screaming and waving his arms at the ref and then turning his back on him. Aliadierre gets 4 games for slapping someone, Cole gets a yellow! Some one explain how such injustices happen. Incompetent referee's and a spineless governing body can't be used as its always been like that, hasn't it?

LondonGooner

Cashley apologised to Hutton and Riley today, of course he would! You bet he's so relieved he can play us next week now, that thug.

Lou the Gunneress

Good article LD. The ref cannot be allowed to fabricate rules in this manner. There is no reason to disbelieve that the ref actually told Wenger this. Shocking stuff indeed.

prits

Daily Mail (I know) has revealed the Riley-Cole conversation, actually more like Riley talking to Cole's back. The title of this article's right: How is this allowed? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/columnists/columnists.html?in_article_id=541768&in_page_id=1951&ct=5

Lou the Gunneress

Some ref supremo's reportedly coming out to explain Aliadiere's goal. I wonder if they could, while we're at it, also explain the rule once and for all and why Ade's goal was disallowed? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=542379&in_page_id=1779&ct=5

Lou the Gunneress

This is supposedly the final word from the ref supremo: http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2267604,00.html

Lou the Gunneress

Have Your Say

Recent Articles

Women's F.A. Cup Final Preview (Saturday May 25 2013)

Wilshere - More Points Needed From Big Teams (Thursday May 23 2013)

Who Is Your Vital Arsenal Player of the Season? (Tuesday May 21 2013)

Newcastle United 0 Arsenal 1 (Monday May 20 2013)

VIDEO: Wenger Praises 'Exceptional' Attitude (Monday May 20 2013)

Arsene Wenger, Now Is The Time (Monday May 20 2013)

The Moment That Made It All Worthwhile (Sunday May 19 2013)

Happy St Totteringham's Day To Gooners Everwhere (Sunday May 19 2013)

Team News: Last Game Of The Season (Sunday May 19 2013)

The Squeaky Bum Preview (Friday May 17 2013)

Archived Articles

Vital Arsenal Articles from 2005
Vital Arsenal Articles from 2006
Vital Arsenal Articles from 2007
Vital Arsenal Articles from 2008
Vital Arsenal Articles from 2009
Vital Arsenal Articles from 2010
Vital Arsenal Articles from 2011
Vital Arsenal Articles from 2012
Vital Arsenal Articles from 2013

1.	nikolaijns	60
2.	Rocky7	53
3.	Naijagunner	48
4.	Wyn Mills	34
5.	prits	22
6.	flv	21
7.	Nwankwo25	20
8.	gunnerkid107	19
9.	No 10	16
10.	julieloveshenry4ever	16

Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1. Man Utd	38	28	5	5	43	89
2. Man City	38	23	9	6	32	78
3. Chelsea	38	22	9	7	36	75
4. Arsenal	38	21	10	7	35	73
5. Spurs	38	21	9	8	20	72
6. Everton	38	16	15	7	15	63
7. Liverpool	38	16	13	9	28	61

Choose your club

Other Sites

Network Navigation

Vital Partners

How Is This Allowed?

Writer: Tim Stillman

Your Comments

Have Your Say

Recent Articles

Archived Articles

Vital Members League (view all)

League Results (view all)

League Table (view table)

Breaking League News

Current Site Poll (view all polls)

Latest Results
Newcastle	0	-	1	Arsenal
Arsenal	4	-	1	Wigan
Q.P.R.	0	-	1	Arsenal
Arsenal	1	-	1	Man Utd
Fulham	0	-	1	Arsenal
Arsenal	0	-	0	Everton