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He actually got booked for holding his face and diving like a fanny having been hit on the shoulder.Quote:
Originally Posted by GP
Actually quite refereeing, what's pathetic is footballers doing this sort of thing and referees not dealing with it more consistently.
I mean, he posted this on social media after the gameQuote:
Originally Posted by Letters
http://i.imgur.com/WnJVCQL.jpg
Indicating he was hit in the face
He got booked for trying to delay a throw-in, which was bullshit given he'd been kicked around the pitch all night and the ref had done fuck all about it. Very selective was our ref. Some will say he had a bad night and made some errors but I'll call him what he is, a cheat. Like most of the refs if we are going to be fair about it and not "reasonable" as defined by the pundits and media.Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters
Shakespeare, who is certainly no poet, set the tone by sending his players out to kick, punch and rake their way to a 0-0. What is being overlooked is that Leicester were as violent as they were shitty and unambitious. A joke performance from them which the media is trying to spin into an unfortunate loss. It was a well deserved loss because they put in a pathetic performance that focused on stopping us playing, by any means including blatant violence. There were several occasions where, right under the nose of the ref, they played the man with an intent to harm and harass, rather than the ball. The ref let 90% of it go, including one outrageous challenge that saw a defender leap at Giroud, boot raised and raking studs down his back. An obvious red for what was common assault.
So this was the environment in which Alexis decided to try his hand at his own bit of cheating. He'd spent the whole night asking the cheating ref to do something about the violence that had been directed at him. The ref declined. So Alexis adapted to the rules set down by the cheating ref. No luck though, the ref was so one-eyed he completely ignored the automatic booking that should have come from throwing a ball directly at an opponent's face, which was clearly the target. Because Alexis got his shoulder in the way makes no difference, the ball was aimed, with force, at his head.
But yes, Alexis contributed to perhaps 1% of the cheating going on last night by going down clutching his face. A rather standard move that you'll see multiple times a week in the PL. And you won't hear a comment about it from the pundits or media, especially if the player is a Barkley or Alli or Rooney or, basically, English. Today, of course, Alexis is branded on the front pages of the media, having cheated plucky and (ahem) "industrious" Leicester out of back-to-back title wins.
Question for Arsenal is this. If the refs are going to continue to buy into the tired old "Don't like it up 'em" and "Arsenal have a terrible disciplinary record" bullshit, and change the rules accordingly, should we just accept that and try to work past the disadvantage, or should we play the game that's obviously being played? Ref bias costs us points every season. Not as many points as bullshit management or complacent performances, but some points nonetheless. And we get a lot of injuries, not just because the refs allow our players to be kicked around the place, but that will still account for some of the time on the sidelines.
Cheating is part and parcel of the modern game. Everyone knows it's unpleasant, some say as much and those who have more to lose turn a blind eye. But it's there every week and we all know the names of the usual suspects and habitual offenders. If we are going to condone cheating, then let's condone it all. If we are going to call it out then let's name everyone and not be selective about it. You won't get that from the media though, they'd rather report the game with both their faces.
That would have been from one of the other punches, kicks or knife assaults he suffered during the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by GP
Wow, looks really bad. Poor guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z_cwQmP99kQuote:
Originally Posted by GP
Interesting. So it DID hit him in the face. Well that makes the ref's decision even more ludicrous.Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters
Pretty clearly hit him on the shoulder. Maybe it hit his face too but if it did he certainly took his time deciding it hurt and he needed to roll around on the ground like a Ronaldo.
It hit him in the shoulder and he's being a massive pussy
Does it change the atavistic behaviour of the Leicester players no, but it's Rivaldo in the World Cup all over again
Who gives a fuck. Sanchez tried to con the ref a little. Happens to us all the time.