Third time this season in just 8 games we have seen a player sent off in the first 50 minutes of a game. A terrible mistake by Trossard put Saliba in a hole and that was pretty much game over for us.
Sadly injuries have caught up with us. A tired performance with a number of players missing and a number in the team nursing injuries - including a first start for Merino while Ben White returned. It meant no Saka and Martinelli not judged to be fit enough to start after both picked up injuries representing their country.
No-one really stood-out for having a good game and Raya was very nervy for some reason.
On the red, it was a subjective call with as much in favour of a yellow as to a red. Why didn't the ref give a red straight away? He had a clear view of the incident, he can see everyone relevant to the decision.
We were told pre-season VAR would not re-ref games and there was a high bar set. The ref had a clear view of the incident and there was nothing out of the ordinary in the situation to mean the VAR should intervene. We were told the on-field decision is "critical" and that:
"The referee’s call should stand unless the VAR, based on readily available evidence, can see without doubt the on-pitch official has made a clear mistake. In the absence of that clear evidence, the referee’s call will stand."
Howard Webb has gone to great lengths to impose this idea in his many celebrity appearances. How can there be clear evidence the yellow was not sufficient? No matter how many replays there will still be arguments either way based on law 12 and the training refs receive.
Webbs love for the limelight will lead to many conspiracy theories after he was shown with an earpiece and talking to someone as the VAR call was being made.
It wouldn't be an Arsenal title winning season without discipline issues.
First half red = dropped points... again.
posted on 20/10/24
comment by Gunnerthru (U6675)
posted 10 minutes ago
The game was done after Saliba were shown red. That is the incident that influenced the game.
Reviewing the Saliba incident again I think the decision was disgraceful. We had a similar situation in our favour against Villa where Martinelli run alone onto the Villa goal. No red card was the decision that time. After we learnt that the distance between the incidence and the goal was far.
Same was yesterday. White could have recovered and stop the B´mouth striker from scoring.
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Not sure White was getting back in time. For me the correct decision was made, I was just surprised the ref didn't show a red first off.
posted on 20/10/24
comment by Barefoot (U19770)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Gunnerthru (U6675)
posted 10 minutes ago
The game was done after Saliba were shown red. That is the incident that influenced the game.
Reviewing the Saliba incident again I think the decision was disgraceful. We had a similar situation in our favour against Villa where Martinelli run alone onto the Villa goal. No red card was the decision that time. After we learnt that the distance between the incidence and the goal was far.
Same was yesterday. White could have recovered and stop the B´mouth striker from scoring.
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Not sure White was getting back in time. For me the correct decision was made, I was just surprised the ref didn't show a red first off.
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That would have been another story. Had the ref given the red card straight away there were little arguments.
He decided to show the yellow and there are arguments that would be enough. Why VAR interfere there I dont know.
posted on 20/10/24
comment by Gunnerthru (U6675)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by Barefoot (U19770)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Gunnerthru (U6675)
posted 10 minutes ago
The game was done after Saliba were shown red. That is the incident that influenced the game.
Reviewing the Saliba incident again I think the decision was disgraceful. We had a similar situation in our favour against Villa where Martinelli run alone onto the Villa goal. No red card was the decision that time. After we learnt that the distance between the incidence and the goal was far.
Same was yesterday. White could have recovered and stop the B´mouth striker from scoring.
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Not sure White was getting back in time. For me the correct decision was made, I was just surprised the ref didn't show a red first off.
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That would have been another story. Had the ref given the red card straight away there were little arguments.
He decided to show the yellow and there are arguments that would be enough. Why VAR interfere there I dont know.
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That's what VAR is there for. I hate VAR and wish it would pee off but like with the Hammers sending off yesterday, it does come to the correct decisions now and again.
posted on 20/10/24
English refs are rubbish all across the board
It doesnt excuse the disgusting performance
On the other hand I feel that if Rice, Trossard and Saliba were not playing for Arsenal then they would not have been sent off
posted on 20/10/24
comment by Peter O'Hanraha-hanrahan (U1217)
posted 1 hour, 38 minutes ago
I don't think the game was done, it was still Bournemouth and you still could have won it. It could have been a yellow though.
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Debatable one. Distance from the goal is a factor but I don’t believe White would have recovered the situation and the Striker had a clear run at goal.
Whether is was a clear and obvious error is another question? Was it really a howler by the referee to give a yellow?
Red was probably correct in the end.
posted on 20/10/24
comment by Ras Clar Teta (U22980)
posted 42 minutes ago
English refs are rubbish all across the board
It doesnt excuse the disgusting performance
On the other hand I feel that if Rice, Trossard and Saliba were not playing for Arsenal then they would not have been sent off
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I agree, if they weren't playing they wouldn't have been sent off
posted on 20/10/24
comment by FishMCFC (U16301)
posted 14 minutes ago
comment by Peter O'Hanraha-hanrahan (U1217)
posted 1 hour, 38 minutes ago
I don't think the game was done, it was still Bournemouth and you still could have won it. It could have been a yellow though.
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Debatable one. Distance from the goal is a factor but I don’t believe White would have recovered the situation and the Striker had a clear run at goal.
Whether is was a clear and obvious error is another question? Was it really a howler by the referee to give a yellow?
Red was probably correct in the end.
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I'm not sure, at the moment played stopped it looked to me like White was in a decent position to get back and at least put pressure on Evanilson. I don't think it was a guaranteed one on one with the keeper. The most surprising thing was VAR overturning it. For me it looked like one of those that VAR wouldn't have overturned whichever card was shown.
posted on 20/10/24
This is the point, imo. There is doubt, yet at the start of the season they introduced "referees call":
“Referee’s Call” really is just an introduction of a terminology to make it clear that the initial decision by the on-pitch official is critical. It’s similar to what exists in other sports like cricket and “Umpire’s Call”. The referee’s call should stand unless the VAR, based on readily available evidence, can see without doubt the on-pitch official has made a clear mistake. In the absence of that clear evidence, the referee’s call will stand.
"
For me yesterday went against that directive, something Howard Webb has emphasised wouldn't happen on his TV show.
When the foul happened I feared a red, there is justification for a red without doubt. However, once the yellow was given, with the ref having a very clear view of the incident and the pitch, that decision has to stand. There are more than enough mitigating circumstances to make it a yellow - it is very much a subjective call.
Predictably the "more transparent" PGMOL are over decisions the more contradiction comes. Personally find the likes of Webb, Gallagher and Dean being on TV explaining things has made me lose even more trust in refs and the processes they follow.
posted on 20/10/24
Also, on a slightly different note, I am questioning if his colleagues rate Rob Jones. I don't think Anthony Taylor would have intervened in the Forest game if it were Oliver in the middle, and I have doubts Gillett would have jumped in yesterday if Oliver was the ref. Although one could argue Oliver would have made different calls anyway.
Not sure if there is any trend in VAR interventions per ref.
posted on 20/10/24
Good points, DJ.
What really irks me to death is that decisions are not consistent. Unfortunately we were always at the end of bad decisions and that cost us points.
Take nothing away from B´mouth who at the end deserved the win because we made too many individual errors but dont think we would have lost the game with 11 men.