Morning all.
We’d as effectively begin Friday with an excellent chuckle. As I’m certain you’ve seen already, Arsenal have been charged with improper conduct by The FA after the gamers confronted referee Michael Oliver following the crimson card issued to Myles Lewis-Skelly through the 1-0 win over Wolves.
They are saying:
“Arsenal FC has been charged after its gamers surrounded a match official throughout their Premier League fixture in opposition to Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on Saturday, 25 January.
“The membership failed to make sure that its gamers didn’t behave in an improper method across the forty third minute. Arsenal FC has till Monday, 3 February, to offer a response.”
What are you able to even say?! The gamers objected to a horrible resolution, one which has since ‘formally’ been deemed fallacious by the impartial panel that overturned the crimson card, so if the choice wasn’t fallacious within the first place they wouldn’t have had something to say to the referee. The truth that the cost got here after Lewis-Skelly had been cleared feels pointed, however at this stage it’s simply kinda humorous.
I’ve seen it mentioned we must always combat it or refuse to pay the positive, however it’s one we must always in all probability simply get out of the way in which as shortly as attainable. Let’s put it behind us, transfer on, and never drag this out any longer. We’ve got much more necessary issues to cope with, an enormous recreation on Sunday for instance, so ridding ourselves of as many exterior distractions as attainable – even when they’re a load of steaming horseshit – looks as if one of the best method to me.
Possibly The FA use a kind of ‘Pay in three simple installments’ companions, and we will unfold out the associated fee in order to not impression all of the enterprise we’re going to get performed earlier than the switch window closes on Monday evening [you may insert your emoticon of choice here].
Hopefully, that is the final time we’ve got to speak a couple of ref or a choice or PGMOL to this extent once more, however I wouldn’t maintain my breath. Leaving these points of it apart, I feel we’ve additionally seen how – as a result of reality main broadcasters and a few very excessive profile pundits have cosied-up to Howard Webb – the protection of this incident has been skewed by these relationships.
On the very least, I might count on folks like Gary Neville to have the info at their disposal once they discuss it, however they both haven’t bothered to do this, or they’ve intentionally ignored them. Possibly it is a drawback simply solved by turning off, not watching or paying consideration and many others, however it doesn’t take away them from their excessive profile positions on Sky the place they’re pressed for his or her opinions on each incident and each massive speaking level.
Their ‘narrative’ can then be bolstered once they do their numerous podcasts and it will get clipped up in snippets for social media and many others. Neville’s assertion that Michael Oliver had been taken off Sunday’s recreation in opposition to Man Metropolis was simply plain fallacious, he was by no means on it within the first place, so we’ve got a excessive profile pundit (maybe the very best paid in England) bleating on about one thing he noticed throughout a cursory take a look at some headlines or a random Tweet. We are able to discuss refs or PGMOL being not adequate, however neither is that.
Tim made an excellent level the opposite day too:
It’s nice when people who work for broadcasting shops which have exhibits like ‘Ref Watch’ and who focus so, a lot of their match protection on refereeing choices begin questioning why there’s a lot concentrate on referees and conclude that it’s due to Mikel Arteta.
— Tim Stillman (@tim-stillman.bsky.social) January 30, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Anyway, as I mentioned I hope we’ve got a PGMOL free weekend – and the main focus is totally on what occurs on the pitch. Our recreation on Sunday is large, clearly, and we’ll hear a bit from Mikel Arteta forward of that later as we speak when he holds his pre-game press convention. There’s unlikely to be something new within the squad by then, and it stays to be seen how Arsenal would possibly pivot within the final couple of days now that it seems like Ollie Watkins goes to remain at Aston Villa.
We’ll have all of the press convention tales over on Arseblog Information, and as ever we’ll have a preview podcast for you over on Patreon later this afternoon.
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In the meantime, the WSL switch deadline was final evening, and there have been a few strikes involving Arsenal. First, the arrival on mortgage of Chloe Kelly from Man Metropolis, a participant who has been frozen on the market and who will hopefully be an excellent addition to the staff from an attacking perspective. We additionally noticed right-back Laura Wienroither go the opposite means, however in a separate deal. All going effectively, there needs to be some podcast evaluation of that for you at some stage as we speak.
Proper, I’ll go away it there for now. Have an incredible Friday wherever you’re. If you happen to haven’t had an opportunity to hear but, there’s a post-Girona Arsecast under. Completely happy listening.
