Aston Villa-v-Manchester United, 28/02/10, K.O. 3pm
And so, to the first trophy of the season. And, within five minutes, to a refereeing controversy. Nemanja Vidic indulged in a bit of shirt-pulling in the box, Agbonlahor went down, and ref Phil Dowd awarded a penalty. All nice and straightforward so far - but should Vidic have been sent off? He was, after all, the last defender. But was Vidic denying Agbonlahor a clear goalscoring opportunity? Was it a professional foul? He'd already got in front of Agbonlahor, so it wasn't as if it was a malicious tackle from behind. And it was the fourth minute of a cup final. Personally, I think Phil Dowd made the right decision. Graham Poll said after the match that a referee in that situation will be looking for any excuse not to send the player off. Villa got their penalty and they got their goal - I don't think there was any need to send Vidic off as well. I was surprised that he didn't get a yellow card, mind you.
Apart from that, it was a good game - very open, very evenly matched, and United won it through a couple of moments of brilliance. You could say that the equaliser came about thanks to some poor defending from Villa, but Michael Owen was in exactly the right place at the right time to pounce and ping a shot past Friedel. It's a shame (although not entirely surprising given his track record) that Owen limped off with a hamstring problem, but fingers crossed he'll be fit again soon. And then there was Rooney. Apparently suffering from (depending on who you talk to) either flu symptoms, a sore knee or a bit of a stomach bug, it didn't matter - once he came on he was strong, he was all over the pitch and he scored yet another header - his ninth so far this season - to win the game for United. He's got to be the best player in the Premier League with the form he's in at the moment - I'm just praying nothing untoward happens before the World Cup!
Honourable mentions also go to Dimitar Berbatov (helping out in defence? Contributing vital crosses? Working hard? Seriously?) and Valencia, who deservedly got the Man of the Match award. Dishonourable mentions go to Mark Lawrenson, who once again spent 90 minutes talking a load of complete rubbish ('And that's a free kick for intent...' - no, Lawro, it isn't) and - bless him - the linesman who got his reds and whites mixed up in the second half and flagged for offside when Villa weren't anywhere near it. Although he did make me feel better - I'm running the line at a cup semi-final in a few weeks' time, and it's nice to know that even Level 1 referees make silly mistakes!
Final score: Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester United
Monday, 1 March 2010
Introducing myself!
Hello! Hedgie very kindly asked if I'd like to contribute to Brew from the Terraces, and I agreed, so here I am!
First things first - I'm a Manchester United fan. So you can all take bets on how long it'll be before we have our first disagreement! I'm also a qualified Level 7 referee, in my first season as a ref, so I'll be trying to comment on refereeing matters (and ranting whenever commentators get it wrong).
First things first - I'm a Manchester United fan. So you can all take bets on how long it'll be before we have our first disagreement! I'm also a qualified Level 7 referee, in my first season as a ref, so I'll be trying to comment on refereeing matters (and ranting whenever commentators get it wrong).
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Back after the break
Ok, ok, that is a DREADFUL pun, but I couldn't think of anything else. *hangs head in shame*
Stoke-v-Arsenal 27/02/2010 (K.O. 5.30pm)
What can I say? I was watching the match at home, but (as is my habit) doing other things at the same time. As such I missed THAT tackle during the live game. Hearsay immediately afterwards wasn't good, and the reactions of the other players spoke volumes about the severity of the injury. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see it though (I've never been able to watch the Eduardo incident), and wondered how much I could trust the reports given by others.
In the end though I watched it on MotD, saw the tackle for myself, and having heard Wenger's reaction post-match (and seen some of the comments made by other Gooners on message boards) I'm wondering if I was watching the same thing as they were. The Boss has said it was a horrendous tackle, but from what I saw it was just really, really unfortunate. Shawcross didn't go in studs up, he didn't just try and scythe Ramsey down, he was going for the ball. It was a little clumsy, but I really don't believe there was any malice there. We've seen nasty, vicious tackles before - this wasn't one of them.
I'm actually really disappointed with Wenger's comments. It's a real b*stard shame that we've had three similar injuries now in the space of five years, but he should have held his tongue until he had a chance to watch a replay of the incident. If he still thinks it's a 'horrendous' tackle after watching it again then I'd be surprised.
Final score: Stoke 1 - 3 Arsenal
The latest update on Ramsey is that he's sustained fractures to the tibia and fibula in his right leg. He's undergone surgery to reduce the fractures, and although he'll be out of action for some considerable time he should make a full recovery.
Stoke-v-Arsenal 27/02/2010 (K.O. 5.30pm)
What can I say? I was watching the match at home, but (as is my habit) doing other things at the same time. As such I missed THAT tackle during the live game. Hearsay immediately afterwards wasn't good, and the reactions of the other players spoke volumes about the severity of the injury. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see it though (I've never been able to watch the Eduardo incident), and wondered how much I could trust the reports given by others.
In the end though I watched it on MotD, saw the tackle for myself, and having heard Wenger's reaction post-match (and seen some of the comments made by other Gooners on message boards) I'm wondering if I was watching the same thing as they were. The Boss has said it was a horrendous tackle, but from what I saw it was just really, really unfortunate. Shawcross didn't go in studs up, he didn't just try and scythe Ramsey down, he was going for the ball. It was a little clumsy, but I really don't believe there was any malice there. We've seen nasty, vicious tackles before - this wasn't one of them.
I'm actually really disappointed with Wenger's comments. It's a real b*stard shame that we've had three similar injuries now in the space of five years, but he should have held his tongue until he had a chance to watch a replay of the incident. If he still thinks it's a 'horrendous' tackle after watching it again then I'd be surprised.
Final score: Stoke 1 - 3 Arsenal
The latest update on Ramsey is that he's sustained fractures to the tibia and fibula in his right leg. He's undergone surgery to reduce the fractures, and although he'll be out of action for some considerable time he should make a full recovery.
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Sun is in the sky...
...oh why oh why would I want to be anywhere else?
Welcome back to my footie blog, which I have shamefully neglected for far too long, and which I'm hoping to revive with some help from co-bloggers. Ok, it's almost the end of the season - but better late than never (in football as in life)!
Arsenal-v-Middlesbrough 26/04/2009 (KO: 1.30pm)
Anyone watching this match on the television could be forgiven for thinking that it was a gloriously sunny day in north London; and in fact the BBC sports page used the phrase "sun-bathed Emirates stadium" in their post-match report. It was sunny on the pitch, but half the ground was sitting in the shade and my gods it was cold. Seriously, my mate Pete (who sits to my left, and who I will be inviting to join this blog) bemoaned the fact that my hair wasn't slightly longer so he could use it as a shawl.
So, what happened in the game itself? Cesc had a corker, scoring both our goals, and our hobbit (er, Arshavin - he's teeny and makes Theo look tall!) had a bit of a WTF moment.
That has to be the briefest match report ever, but sadly I've remembered that I need to catch up on work e-mails before the morning so that's all for now folks!
Final score: Arsenal 2 - 0 Middlesbrough
Welcome back to my footie blog, which I have shamefully neglected for far too long, and which I'm hoping to revive with some help from co-bloggers. Ok, it's almost the end of the season - but better late than never (in football as in life)!
Arsenal-v-Middlesbrough 26/04/2009 (KO: 1.30pm)
Anyone watching this match on the television could be forgiven for thinking that it was a gloriously sunny day in north London; and in fact the BBC sports page used the phrase "sun-bathed Emirates stadium" in their post-match report. It was sunny on the pitch, but half the ground was sitting in the shade and my gods it was cold. Seriously, my mate Pete (who sits to my left, and who I will be inviting to join this blog) bemoaned the fact that my hair wasn't slightly longer so he could use it as a shawl.
So, what happened in the game itself? Cesc had a corker, scoring both our goals, and our hobbit (er, Arshavin - he's teeny and makes Theo look tall!) had a bit of a WTF moment.
That has to be the briefest match report ever, but sadly I've remembered that I need to catch up on work e-mails before the morning so that's all for now folks!
Final score: Arsenal 2 - 0 Middlesbrough
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Magnificent seven.
Arsenal-v-Slavia Prague 23/10/2007 (KO: 7.45pm)
There simply aren’t enough superlatives to describe our performance tonight, but the scoreline is an accurate reflection of just how well Arsenal played tonight.
Five minutes in, Cesc Fabregas made a stunning strike which set the tone of tonight’s match. An own goal from David Hubacek gave the Czech’s their only real interaction with the net at 25 minutes, after which Arsenal truly dominated the game and the goals started flowing freely.
Walcott finally got his first goal at the Emirates, scoring five minutes before the break. Hleb danced past the Prague defence five minutes into the second half, bringing the score up to 4-0 – the crowd was elated, and there aren’t words to describe the atmosphere when five minutes after that Hleb set up Walcott who scored his second goal. See, told you I’d run out of superlatives.
Which leaves me in a bit of a bind considering that Fabregas then scored a sixth, and substitute Nicklas Bendtner poked a seventh home two minutes from time.
A positively scintillating performance from the Gooners, and a wonderful late birthday present for the Boss (Wenger turned 58 yesterday).
Final score: Arsenal 7-0 Slavia Prague
Unmanaged and unsuccessful
Arsenal-v-Bolton 20/10/2007 (KO: 3pm)
Managerless Bolton came to the Emirates and looked every bit like a class whose teacher had stepped out of the room. Unruly and rowdy, they sought to thwart Arsenal’s usual flowing play with bruising tackles. They succeeded to a certain extent, and it wasn’t until Toure shot home a free kick in the 67th minute that the fans breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the visitor’s tactics were semi-successful, the home team still managed to put in some superb moves, and young Walcott went on a marvellous mazy run at one point, neatly bypassing two defenders but sadly there was no one in the box to take advantage of his well aimed cross. This ceased to matter nine minutes from time when Walcott placed another low cross into the path of Rosicky, who clipped it in to bring the final score to 2-0.
Final score: Arsenal 2-0 Bolton
Managerless Bolton came to the Emirates and looked every bit like a class whose teacher had stepped out of the room. Unruly and rowdy, they sought to thwart Arsenal’s usual flowing play with bruising tackles. They succeeded to a certain extent, and it wasn’t until Toure shot home a free kick in the 67th minute that the fans breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the visitor’s tactics were semi-successful, the home team still managed to put in some superb moves, and young Walcott went on a marvellous mazy run at one point, neatly bypassing two defenders but sadly there was no one in the box to take advantage of his well aimed cross. This ceased to matter nine minutes from time when Walcott placed another low cross into the path of Rosicky, who clipped it in to bring the final score to 2-0.
Final score: Arsenal 2-0 Bolton
Sunday, 7 October 2007
That almost came a bit Keane…
Arsenal-v-Sunderland 07/10/2007 (KO: 12pm)
Let me say now that this match was an absolute belter.
Arsenal got off to a cracking start, going two goals up (a gorgeous free kick from Van Persie, and a somewhat scrappy goal from Phillipe Senderos) within the first fifteen minutes. The play was consistently excellent, and passes were conducted immaculately. It was like watching the 2001-2002 season Arsenal, and it was a thing of beauty. Another five minutes later and Diaby shot home a third goal which, as far as I could see, was disallowed just because the referee felt like it.
Rob Styles, you are a cock.
Typically, whilst playing so well we got a little too overconfident, and some really shonky defending allowed Sunderland to pull one back after 25 mins. This defensive cock up was a crucial mistake on our part, and the goal saw a resurgence in Sunderland’s joie de vivre. They started to put up a fight.
Five minutes after half time, Sunderland scored another to bring the score level. Things heated up even more and play was fast and furious. The last twenty minutes of the game were tense, nail biting stuff – the fans were screaming their fury at the Sunderland goal keeper’s time wasting antics, and at the referee for failing to punish Gordon’s blatant dawdling.
I’ve said it once already, but it bears repeating: Rob Styles, you are a cock.
It was intense action on the pitch: Toure sent a driving shot towards goal around the sixtieth minute, which rebounded hard off the post, Theo Walcott unfortunately wasted a fine cross from Hleb, mis-kicking horribly. Finally with just ten minutes of normal time to play, Van Persie managed to get his second goal of the match (following a lovely pass from Walcott) to take Arsenal back into the lead. The home crowd roared their approval and play continued. Sunderland were now paying for their previous time wasting antics as they scrambled desperately to get another equaliser – but there were simply not enough minutes left on the clock.
Sunderland’s Paul McShane was sent off in the dying minutes of the game for a frankly hideous tackle on Hleb. In the five minutes of added time Arsenal were still determinedly trying for another goal, with young Walcott’s final effort just sliding against the post.
Keane’s side played well, despite their rather slow start, and forced Arsenal to battle hard. We came through though, and fought well to remain undefeated and (for the moment) at the top o’ the league.
Final score: Arsenal 3-2 Sunderland
Let me say now that this match was an absolute belter.
Arsenal got off to a cracking start, going two goals up (a gorgeous free kick from Van Persie, and a somewhat scrappy goal from Phillipe Senderos) within the first fifteen minutes. The play was consistently excellent, and passes were conducted immaculately. It was like watching the 2001-2002 season Arsenal, and it was a thing of beauty. Another five minutes later and Diaby shot home a third goal which, as far as I could see, was disallowed just because the referee felt like it.
Rob Styles, you are a cock.
Typically, whilst playing so well we got a little too overconfident, and some really shonky defending allowed Sunderland to pull one back after 25 mins. This defensive cock up was a crucial mistake on our part, and the goal saw a resurgence in Sunderland’s joie de vivre. They started to put up a fight.
Five minutes after half time, Sunderland scored another to bring the score level. Things heated up even more and play was fast and furious. The last twenty minutes of the game were tense, nail biting stuff – the fans were screaming their fury at the Sunderland goal keeper’s time wasting antics, and at the referee for failing to punish Gordon’s blatant dawdling.
I’ve said it once already, but it bears repeating: Rob Styles, you are a cock.
It was intense action on the pitch: Toure sent a driving shot towards goal around the sixtieth minute, which rebounded hard off the post, Theo Walcott unfortunately wasted a fine cross from Hleb, mis-kicking horribly. Finally with just ten minutes of normal time to play, Van Persie managed to get his second goal of the match (following a lovely pass from Walcott) to take Arsenal back into the lead. The home crowd roared their approval and play continued. Sunderland were now paying for their previous time wasting antics as they scrambled desperately to get another equaliser – but there were simply not enough minutes left on the clock.
Sunderland’s Paul McShane was sent off in the dying minutes of the game for a frankly hideous tackle on Hleb. In the five minutes of added time Arsenal were still determinedly trying for another goal, with young Walcott’s final effort just sliding against the post.
Keane’s side played well, despite their rather slow start, and forced Arsenal to battle hard. We came through though, and fought well to remain undefeated and (for the moment) at the top o’ the league.
Final score: Arsenal 3-2 Sunderland
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