The Premier League thread

Yeah, a couple of the early games were a bit unlucky but the last 2 games it's looked like noone can be bothered. I was thinking it would have been harsh to let him go at the end of last season due to our horrendous injuries but there looks to be some real damage that I don't think can be turned around now.

But that just shows they’ve won by letting it go



Surprisingly Daily Mail of all rags have chimed in

Chris Kavanagh same ref.

Those 2 fucks like every other media outlet just want the insane number of clicks it will bring.

No.

Same with Prem refs every season, told to focus on an issue, so do it to a stupid degree (see handballs last season) clip board merchants

That was fun to watch with my Man United supporting dad.

Spurs were good, but United were so, so bad. They were playing like a team that already knew the boss was getting sacked. At half time I was a little cross that we were only 1 up, and feared we'd Spurs it up even though United were dreadful. 

Werner, for all his running, is a man with zero confidence. I'm not even sure that's correct any more. Is it a confidence issue or a skill issue?
Johnson and Kulu are playing some of the best football I've seen them play. VDV is world class. Lots of reasons to feel better about ourselves after that one. 

ETH IN!

I appreciate that the sound of Arsenal fans complaining is annoying but every fan base would be reacting similarly if their club had been on the wrong end of consequential marginal decisions on what feels like a regular basis for years.

Stats wise (not my work) for the VAR era (since 2019) Arsenal are an outlier. So either our players are uniquely idiotic or get the benefit of doubt less often, or perhaps it's both.

In our matches we have had double the number of players sent off than our opponents (18 vs 9) and ours are far more game changing. Our sending offs come earlier (54mins on average) and when we are either ahead (8) or drawing (6). Whereas our opponents tend to pick up late reds (76mins - and that's brought down a lot by Ayling on 27min) and in each case they were already losing (all 9).

Arsenal fans have a perception that they are on the receiving end of unusually high amount of game changing sending offs, because of the games they mostly watch, they actually are.

Every other big six side over the same period has seen more reds shown to their opposition than they have received themselves (Chelsea +4, Pool & Spurs +2, City and Utd +1). Arsenal are -9.

I don't think there is any conspiracy, but I do think there is Freakanomics style evidence which suggests unconscious bias. There are so many marginal, highly subjective decisions in football it seems probable and I'm sure they exist for & against other clubs too in other regards.

One more: no opposition player has been sent off for violent conduct in over 5 years.

22% of those cards are Xhaka. Makes sense.

So Arsenal fans are the new Liverpool fans then.

New?

ETH getting two more games apparently. Hopefully while they line up the replacement for the international break.

Have yourself some lovely Southgate footie, bet Maguire  is praying for it

Me too - assumed that was very deliberate!

I appreciate this is funny for everyone, but this is just mean...