Can you ref us every week, Mr Webb?
With an hour gone and Manu Adebayor sent off, all of a sudden Arsenal started to look like a team.
There were glimpses when we went ahead against the Scousers and also for a period up at Middlesbrough that when the confidence is flowing, so is our ability to play football.
But down to ten men against a Liverpool side who should have been capable of giving us a pounding at the very least, we saw a different side to Arsenal and one that made me proud.
Lee Dixon got it right when he said on Match of the Day losing Manu Adebayor meant we had to defend much deeper, holding our line and maintaining our discipline.
While the Scousers had their chances, we did enough to draw the game and with a bit more invention, could have snatched all three points.
A draw was not a disaster – defeat would have been the end, or near enough.
While the personnel issues are well documented, the problem for Wenger, at the moment at least, is psychological. He needs to get the balance between humility and confidence – against Hull we were cocky and paid for it – against Boro and many other sides in spells, we have doubted ourselves and played with Wenger’s famous handbrake.
Between them, Johann Djourou and Gael |Clichy seemed to have forgotten what offside meant or that you play to the whistle – and R*bbi* K*@n*’s equaliser was predictable in its directness.
Some blogs have suggested that both Adabayor’s tackles deserved yellow cards – in which case, every game in the Premiership would end up with about four a side...
The decision to send him off was just one of many ridiculous decisions by Howard Webb who acted as if he was being intimidated by the Kop – and forgetting he was in London, not Scouseland.
So many of the bookings he gave out to both sides were soft, so many decisions questionable.
But his poverty of judgement turned Gooner frustration into a positive.
The noise was deafening. It should be like that EVERY week....rather than a few of us, splattered all over the ground, failing to raise the vocal chords of our neighbours.
With Adebayor out against Villa, Abou Diaby will have to fill in behind Robin van Persie, who was quiet apart from his goal (well taken as it was) and Denilson will have to control the midfield against a side flying with confidence.
I fear Cesc’s injury could be much longer than three weeks....hopefully time will prove me wrong.
But more of Villa later on.
For now, I am proud. Proud that us Gooners provided the 12th man the team ALWAYS needs. Proud that the team fought as they should have all game and showed what passion can do to nullify numerical disadvantage.
Emirates should be a cauldron like that every week. Somehow, I doubt many fans will realise how much it helps the team.
So Mr Webb, you may be a woeful referee, but please come back for the Pompey game and make some early questionable decisions against us. It really does wake up the natives.
DA
Reader Comments (3)
its true,is that what it takes for our crowd to get going?
if we did that everyweek we would be the loudest ground in the country.
it felt like the real passion was back at the grove,no hating for our players but pure abuse for the ref and for our opponents.
come on goons show this passion week in week out and teams will be scared to come here.
UP THE ARSENAL!!!!!!
Mark Clattenberg dared send Fergie off, and he has now joined the choir oblivion; someone found out his small business was not managed well enough just on the day he was to referee the community shield this year!!!
This is the same Howard Webb who did not give a yellow to Rooney for a blatant deliberate violent tackle on Walcott. Webb is a political ref who knows who to punish and who to not, and hence progress well in his career.
Fergie lectured him on how to progress in his future last season when he did not invent penalties against Arsenal in the first match; which he kindly responded to by inventing a penalty and a free kick in the return match!
The Polish Prime Minister famously said he never wished to see anyone dead, except Howard Webb, when he invented a last-minute penalty for Austria in the European championships; it is good for the career to be good to the hosts!
I would have preferred Ade stay on the pitch but maybe this can jump start a new attitude with both the players and fans. We as Arsenal need to realize that we usually have to beat the ref also so since the other teams usually have a twelth man on the feild the supporters need to show up evey week. That guy is a disgrace!