Match Reaction vs Swansea (home).

[Power n Glory]

Sigh.

That's a trip, not a tackle. You won't see a red given for a challenge like that again this season. Unless it's Moss reffing us perhaps. Yes, cynical. Yes, a trip. Yes, yellow.

But when it's a red it means the ref has created a new rule and as I understand it he's not permitted to do that. So either he's utterly incompetent or he's a cheat. I would say both in this instance.

I'll have to watch that again, but he jumps in and lunges at the player to try get contact on the player and not the ball.

[Niall_Quinn]

I'll have to watch that again, but he jumps in and lunges at the player to try get contact on the player and not the ball.

There's no lunge. It would be impossible for him to lunge in that body position. It was a stretch and a clip, the sort of stuff Swansea were doing to Alexis and Theo all match and getting away with because they were sly about it. Xhaka was idiotically blatant about it and had two bites at the trip, the first one maybe accidental. So a yellow, no doubt. A red? Fantasy island plot.

[Goonermerree]

I'll have to watch that again, but he jumps in and lunges at the player to try get contact on the player and not the ball.

I don't think he did jump, he cynically tripped him. Yellow and FK yes, red, I don't think so. It will be interesting to hear what the pundits say who know about the game. (Taking the whotsit with the last bit) And what about that foul on Ozil as he was about to run into the box, no card at all for that. Shocking! Plus at least two on Theo that went without fouls given. Just shows the refs bias to me.

[Power n Glory]

I don't think he did jump, he cynically tripped him. Yellow and FK yes, red, I don't think so. It will be interesting to hear what the pundits say who know about the game. (Taking the whotsit with the last bit) And what about that foul on Ozil as he was about to run into the box, no card at all for that. Shocking! Plus at least two on Theo that went without fouls given. Just shows the refs bias to me.

It looked like a lunge to me. If he were running along side him, pulled him back or stepped on his heels he'd have picked up a yellow but it's the fact that he was outpaced and knew it so he dived in. I think the ref has a case if he thinks that foul had enough force to cause an injury. It looked like a kick and not a trip.

[Penguin]

It looked like a lunge to me. If he were running along side him, pulled him back or stepped on his heels he'd have picked up a yellow but it's the fact that he was outpaced and knew it so he dived in. I think the ref has a case if he thinks that foul had enough force to cause an injury. It looked like a kick and not a trip.

It was cynical but It wasn't dangerous. Watch it again, Xhaka kicks the side of Barrow's boot with his laces. It's a tactical foul on the halfway line with plenty of Arsenal players behind the ball... book him, give Swansea a free kick and carry on. Barrow tried to con the ref by rolling around on the floor and the ref fell for it.

It was stupid by Xhaka to give him the opportunity but it's harsh to give a red for that.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

This season, it's a red say Goals on Sunday.

It'll be deemed a deliberate foul with no chance of getting the ball.

[Niall_Quinn]

If that's the case, I expect to see 6 or 7 reds per team, every game. We won't see that though, will we? Such silly words have been used to describe such a minor incident. "Lunge, dangerous", ludicrous. Deliberate is the word that applies here. So if it's now red for deliberate fouls then have at it. Or else do what Moss did yesterday, pick your team and then hand them an advantage in order to try to influence the result.

[Gooner23]

If that's the case, I expect to see 6 or 7 reds per team, every game. We won't see that though, will we? Such silly words have been used to describe such a minor incident. "Lunge, dangerous", ludicrous. Deliberate is the word that applies here. So if it's now red for deliberate fouls then have at it. Or else do what Moss did yesterday, pick your team and then hand them an advantage in order to try to influence the result.

I have no issues with it becoming a red card if applied fairly and consistently, we would actually benefit because we're often on the end of cynical and deliberate fouling. However I have no confidence this will be the case.

[Penguin]

This season, it's a red say Goals on Sunday.

It'll be deemed a deliberate foul with no chance of getting the ball.

First I've heard of it but that's right, I just googled the official rules:

"The sending-off (RC) remains for: handball holding, pulling and pushing (as these offences are not an attempt to play the ball) making no attempt to play the ball e.g. a deliberate trip an offence when there was no chance/possibility of the ball being played"
http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-...afMYp0gPrFq.99

They hid that quite well in the Q&A section at the bottom of the page.

It will be interesting to see if that rule is consistently applied because that kind of cynical challenge happens in almost every game. Not always as obviously as Xhaka's, but when do we NOT see someone being pulled back or fouled to stop a counter? If you go by the letter of the law that's now a red card offence. I could probably even find at least one example in last nights MOTD... what a ridiculous rule

[Kano]

First I've heard of it but that's right, I just googled the official rules:

"The sending-off (RC) remains for: handball holding, pulling and pushing (as these offences are not an attempt to play the ball) making no attempt to play the ball e.g. a deliberate trip an offence when there was no chance/possibility of the ball being played"
http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-...afMYp0gPrFq.99

They hid that quite well in the Q&A section at the bottom of the page.

It will be interesting to see if that rule is consistently applied because that kind of cynical challenge happens in almost every game. Not always as obviously as Xhaka's, but when do we NOT see someone being pulled back or fouled to stop a counter? If you go by the letter of the law that's now a red card offence. I could probably even find at least one example in last nights MOTD... what a ridiculous rule

The idea of consistency can only ever be that, because these are humans trying to apply rules through their own interpretations of the laws and using their own sense of logic. Add in their own emotional confusion at times, whether they are aware or can fully control it or not, fitness and bias - again acutely aware or not - and it's impossible to get uniform decisions on everything. The only possible way is too apply the absolute letter of the law in every situation, which would lead to us fans shouting and screaming about how the laws are being applied too rigidly. The pace of the game over here would probably drop off over a few seasons and they'd be multiple games abandoned because they aren't enough players left on the pitch to finish the games.