West Brom’s Third Goal Shouldn’t Have Been Allowed

by imothyt

The third goal West Brom scored against Arsenal is being marketed by the papers as a testament to Arsenal’s failures: the players didn’t try, they weren’t tough enough, and the manager didn’t organize them well enough. All of that is true AND the goal should have been disallowed.

In the first clip we see how Arsenal are set up. This is a huge problem in the making because you have three of Arsenal’s least powerful players (Bellerin, Ox, and Ramsey) guarding three of West Brom’s most direct aerial threats. Meanwhile a clump of Arsenal defenders (Mustafi, Welbeck, Koscielny, and Nacho) are busy guarding nothing and someone is tussling with a West Brom player behind Ospina.

Here we see the three West Brom players who will eventually make a move for the header. The space has opened in front of Bellerin. Note that Ospina is struggling with a West Brom blocker.

Ramsey stops his run, effectively not marking anyone. Ox is shoved out of the way (note that the referee is looking right at that) by Dawson. And Bellerin actually takes a step BACK out of the fray. All the other Arsenal defenders have been pulled out of position. Ramsey and Bellerin in the zonal system are supposed to attack that zone. They don’t. They have given up on this defensive play. Note also that Ospina is now completely blocked off by a West Brom player. The only guy who could get to the ball, can’t.

And when the ball arrives, Ospina is trapped (illegally) and the ref should have called the play dead. But also notice that there are zero Arsenal players attacking the zone where the ball arrives.

For me, the English game needs to be better at recognizing this cheat tactic that Pulis and his team deploy of shielding the opposition goalkeeper from getting into the play and also the Arsenal players should all be docked a week’s wages for not even attempting to challenge for this ball.

Qq

 

129 comments

  1. Whah whah whah. Just like a big crybaby becuase they were smarter and tactically more aware than the big money London club.

  2. Total rubbish. Arsenal were out gunned at set pieces. Wenger must go, and rubbish like this is just sour grapes. Arsenal were second best on the day, and deserved to lose.

    Get over it.

  3. and your point is ????????????? ok so it shouldn’t have been allowed because of
    “cheat tactic that Pulis and his team deploy of shielding the opposition goalkeeper from getting into the play” Have you ever played football???? The words sour and grapes comes to mind. Your team lost get over it please

  4. Could you point me to the blog where you analyze all Arsenal goals from corners to ensure there was no contact made by Arsenal players on the opposition?

    Thanks!

  5. Some English teams have been using the goalkeeper blocking tactic for years and it is never called as a foul by our refs who work to a different set of rules than refs in other countries. The refs, controlled by the incompetent Mike Riley (he was in charge of the game 50 refereeing debacle) are complicit in this illegal activity by turning a blind eye to it allowing managers like Pulis to get away with foul play season after season. Unsurprisingly West Brom have scored more goals from corners than any other team this season.
    Incidentally their first goal should have been denied for the same reason and their second disallowed for a blatant push in the back of Bellerin who was dumped on to the ground and out of the play just before Kanu slotted the ball into the goal.
    We played poorly of course but cheating is cheating and we were absolutely cheated with the full compliance of the referee.

    1. You were cheated !!! Really that is the best you can come up with as an Arsenal fan when you were outplayed, outfought and out thought.
      You truly are the most arrogant cry baby fans in the country.
      Albion have a fraction of your budget and talent and you were cheated. Oh my God grow up and put your big boy pants on.

    2. Stupid comments from people who know nothing about how football is played in England or should i say soccer

  6. The last time I checked, football was a contact sport. It isn’t Ballet Dancing.

    Get over it – you lost.

  7. Let me guess… school holiday? Pre-adolescent West Brom fans drawn in by Newsnow? Or is it one fan posting under different screen names.

    I guess we’ll never know.

    1. Whiniest fans of the whiniest club with the whiniest manager, whiniest players, and whiniest bloggers.

      Or your theory. Whichever works for you.

      1. Shiiiit… no one moans like Pubis. No one.

        Anyway, I guess you missed the part where I also called Arsenal players out for not stepping up.

        1. You should have just ended it there. This blog is an embarrassment.

          Why can’t Arsenal ever lose without some great injustice being involved?

          1. Thanks for the clicks. I was just talking to a sales rep about advertising and your continued use of the site will help drive the prices up!

          3. Also, you may want to get a new salesperson. Your ad revenue is looking thinner than Arsenal’s excuses.

          5. Why can’t Arsenal ever lose without some great injustice being involved?

            ===

            I think because there’s a greater injustice at work here, which is that our players actually receive wages for playing football.

            Ba-dum ching!

  8. The point of the article is to not bail out our players. If you read the article, he clearly blames the entire defense for not doing their jobs. The point of the article is to show that the refereeing this season has been completely and utterly incompetent. We have been terrible this season, and probably won’t get in the top 4 (deservedly, I might add), but that doesn’t mean that the awareness of league wide awful refereeing shouldn’t be raised.

    Yes we were second best on the day, and yes, we deserved to lose, and yes, the refereeing in the PL this year has been shite.

    2. It’s a mans game, and a working class game.

      If you don’t want contact then go and watch basketball.

      Funny, I didn’t see too many complaints of physical footballl when McDonald, George, O’Leary,Smith, Keown & Adams were dishing it out in Arsenal’s favour.

      You are just poor losers.

      1. It’s a mans game, and a working class game.

        ===

        Those are its origins, yes, but times have changed.

        I agree that this article does look like sour grapes. You have to understand where it’s coming from, though. Arsenal fans have a special loathing for Pubis, so we tend to go after him when we get the chance! Don’t take it personally.

        We would have lost even if the ref had awarded a foul instead of a goal. Personally, I could care less whether we lost by two or three. Our season blew up ages ago, and picking apart the detritus after the fact no longer interests me all that much.

  9. For years, I was under the impression that Tim had incurred the ire of Stoke City supporters, given the comments that would inevitably appear after every match against the Potters. But they seem to have gone quiet of late. Now, I’m beginning to suspect that it’s actually a small cadre of pro-Pulis trolls, flowing from team to team, leaping at every chance to flail-out when their champion’s tactics are brought up for questioning. Wonder who pays for them all?

    1. It’s actually just Tony Pulis. He is as thin-skinned as Trump and reacts poorly to any online criticism.

    2. Don’t flatter yourself. Nobody gives a toss about Arsenal. You are just bad losers – worst than Man Utd.

  10. Is there any argument from Baggies fans that doesn’t include the “bigger dicks” theory?

    I guess what I’m asking is “why do West Brom supporters love it up em?”

    1. Not a Baggies fan, but have you ever blogged about an Arsenal corner that shouldn’t have counted due to contact with an opponent?

          1. If you aren’t a Baggies fan, and aren’t an Arsenal fan, then why in the world are you reading this article?

          2. was it published so I wouldn’t read it?

            Who put a gun to this mope’s head saying he needed to publish garbage blogs and ask for comment? Wasn’t me.

          3. I think you must have misunderstood what I wrote, because your response makes no sense.

    2. was it published so I wouldn’t read it?

      ===

      In fact it was. I feel now is the time to tell you that you are the sole subject of a rather involved social experiment wherein we determine how long it will take you to read work whose sole purpose is that you do not read it.

  11. If you watch closely the Keeper and the defender arn`t strong enough against Fletcher and ther were no complaints from Arsenal so get back under your rock and stop moaning you lost to the better side on the day

    1. I didn’t know there was a line in the rulebook that said “a foul is a foul unless the fouled players arn’t [sic] strong enough, or unless ther [sic] are no complaints from the fouled team, in which case it’s not a foul.”

      The only people living under rocks on here are the Pulis-loving trolls who never show up regularly and so don’t know that Tim often criticizes the Arsenal manager and team and freely admits we sucked when we suck (like on Saturday).

      1. I’ve been a season ticket holder since 1978 at West Brom. I’ve seen them in the third tear (No Arse fan can claim that), and I’ve supported through thick and thin.

        This is the most homes and exciting team i’ve seen in decades. It’s no coincidence that we keep winning -it’s because we are good.

        Boo hoo Arsenal, you lost fair and square.

        1. We lost because we were abject, and have been for a while now. WBA won because they knew how to exploit our weakness. It hardly requires much in the way of cleverness to know where Arsenal are weak. Sad to say.

        2. There is a lot of trauma in that life. A lot of tears and suffering. I don’t begrudge you a home win against Arsenal. Not at all.

          1. They were more exciting than Arsenal – who left in their majority before the final whistle. Actually the planes were more exciting than Arsenal. You were more exciting under “1-0 George Graham”, and that really is saying something.

            Arsenal are at a crossroads now. Spurs are a bigger club, as are Chelsea. Even Watford are running you close now.

            #yesterdays men

  12. Ospina should have just grabbed the guys balls. Mind you, the WBA players are probably used to that sort of behavior. I gather Pubis still showers with his players.

    1. Mens Lemann used to stomp their toes and flop theatrically into the old onion bag to get refs attention when these tactics were employed against him.

  13. The entire soccer-watching world laughs at Arsenal and its fans for exactly this reason. Please do keep it up, as your tears are as nourishing as mother’s milk.

    Cheers!

    1. So when we’re not crying, you like to drink your mother’s milk, do you?

      Well, I guess knowing your age does explain a few things here.

    2. Yeah mother’s milk wasn’t your finest choice of words. How about sweetest manna from heaven? A most excellent ambrosia? A dish straight from the still-beating heart of Herbert Chapman?

      I help the downtrodden. You’re welcome.

    3. You sound a little dumb. Orc-ish, even. Are you sure you’re a Baggie or did you just follow Pulis from Mordor?

  14. This is why Arsenal are the new Man united. Expecting to turn up and win every week, and when they dont, they whine about being roughed up, or the ref, or any other excuse but they were the second best team on the day.

    Also, the allegation that Pulis ia a one dimensional manager is quite simply wrong. He played a certain way at Stoke, with limited means. When he went to Palace, he played very attacking football, cause he had the players. Ask any Albion fan and they will tell you…he started with being defensive, and as he has improved the squad, he has played more and more attractive football. WBA cannot compete with the resources and the skill of the players that Arsenal have, so they play to their strengths. When they play less talented teams, they attack more with free flowing football. Its called tactics, and Pulis out through Wenger, who insists on playing the same football, whoever Arsenal are playing. You cannot do that in this league. You have to take each game as it comes, and change your tactics for each team. That is why Chelsea are top and Arsenal is struggling. Dont be bad losers. It isn’t becoming.

    1. WBA cannot compete with the resources and the skill of the players that Arsenal have…

      ===

      There’s where you’re wrong!

        1. “Smart” hmm…

          I suppose that cap and tracksuit is rather smart on Tony. I don’t understand Arsene’s choice of puffer overcoats when he really does wear a three-piece suit very well. If it were me judging on the runway though, I’d still give Arsene the benefit of the doubt despite his questionable choice of outerwear.

          Serious question though, Monkeyboy: Why do Britons like to boo players who may have been seriously injured before you even know if they were seriously injured? It seems rather barbaric. And it seems to happen to fans of clubs who are managed by Tony Pulis, as if that habit follows him around like an affliction.

          2. Aww, shucks, you’re all such classy blokes after all. What don’t you have? A smart, tactically flexible manager; a fantastic clutch of undervalued BRITISH players who are about as hardnosed as noses get; fans who not only understand football in a way that we here can hardly dream of but are also morally righteous and incredibly good at spotting cheaters… I mean, I’m halfway convinced to become a Baggie myself! Where do I sign up? And can I meet Tony in person if I’m a good lad?

        2. Oh gosh, thanks Monkeyboy for that link. And here I was the whole time thinking WBA were on par with Arsenal in terms of resources!

          The point of my tongue-in-cheek response above is to say that WBA, in winning, showed that you CAN compete with Arsenal on the pitch despite having fewer resources as a club. Sorry to have to spell it out. And I agree with your response entirely, except for the part about Pubis being “smart.” A mildly sentient turnip would have little trouble figuring out how to beat Arsenal these days. Set pieces. Get in their faces. Done.

    2. I wouldn’t call Pulis an one dimentional manager. After all he did invent the thirty yard long throw in, which is almost as ground breaking as Cruyff’s total football.

  15. The English Premier League has built its house (mansion?) on the mantra that any team can beat anyone else. The refs, as full time employees, are merely bringing you the product that they are instructed to. Leveling up technical deficiencies through physical play. Which then the big clubs are expected to redress by massive spending on talent.

    Arsenal somehow do get the worst of it though. I can only conclude that it has something to do with how we go about our business.

    By the way, corruption isn’t just about money (directly). When refs see what they get pulled up for by the PGMO and by the media, and which refs get promoted or have long careers, that’s enough of a signal to do what is expected of them. It is corruption, but no one is going to call it for what it is, because no brown paper bags full of banknotes are changing hands.

    Arsenal have generally been ok at set pieces for the past couple of seasons I think. But were really horrible at defending these ones. It didn’t help that WBA could foul, nor that we also were without the height (and composure) of Cech for the two later goals. But there is no excuse for not tracking/blocking runs. None. And I hope there are consequences for those players who abandoned their post.

    1. Consequences! Yes, we need more consequences. May I suggest a public stoning? Too barbaric? Perhaps we should turn to a historical example for precedent. The Roman legions were deadly and efficient. Do you know why? Because if they deserted or didn’t follow orders, then their century could be “decimated.” This means that every 10 soldiers in each affected century in the legion drew lots and the one who drew the shortest straw would be bludgeoned to death by his 9 mates. So, for each century, 10 men would be bludgeoned to death. Sure as hell kept them in line! I’d say a similar tactic will whip these globs right into shape.

      1. I was thinking more along the lines of extra training and loss of certain little privileges. Anything to snap them out of it and maybe give them smaller goals to focus on than the seemingly huge task of turning around the team’s form.

        But sure, decimation might work. Not sure the board will sanction a tenth of their investment being wiped off the books though. Maybe if we had Usmanov we could at least send them to the gulag. More’s the pity.

        1. Sorry Shard, this blog is all about hyperbole for me. I can’t do subtlety. A gulag is a good shout but it’s too anonymous. We need a more public example. That’s why I thought of decimation.

  16. There there now, we’ve gone and upset some people over some modest partiality. This is an Arsenal blog. We are massive homers, at least I am, and I’m not afraid to own it. Arsenal rules, everyone else drools 😀

    I quite enjoyed David Squires’ interpretation of the weekend’s events as a reenactment of the Battle of Britain over the Hawthrones. Why get upset when you can laugh about something? Especially when you have no control over that something? Let’s all laugh at David’s hilarious panels.

    https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2017/mar/21/david-squires-germany-v-england-international-fortnight-sherwood-wenger

    1. I absolutely loved the frame of Arsenal’s players looking up at the planes while Dawson heads in the goal. And Squires absolutely nailed Pubis’ reaction on the sidelines.

      1. Wenger should hire more planes to fly over stadia on match days with directives to his players.
        It seams that’s how you get their attention these days.

      1. Yes, modest. I can show you excessive partiality as a counter-example if you are interested.

  18. Nothing illegal about it. As a coach I can tell you I teach what Pulis clearly teaches his players knowing that a ball played from so far away can only be scored with proper timing. If I teach my players to block off the space they disrupt the timing…the other team never scores. This is basic tactics developed on the training ground and at Arsenal they clearly have no idea or they simply choose to ignore it which would be even more criminal. Here is the thing, there is a legal and illegal way to do it obviously, so let’s not miss the larger point here. I am not talking about wrapping players up, that should be whistled, but in England often times isn’t because the refs just aren’t consistent enough and managers like Pulis know this and take advantage. However, there is a positive way to teach this. You simply teach the correct slanted and half turned body shape so with a head on a swivel the defender can see ball and man at the same time. Then you teach them to block off the run with the forearm so that they can then go make a play on the ball themselves to clear it out. This is basic. The defender and the attacker BOTH have a right to that space. Chipping the timing of the run legally is a good tactic and it is not cheating. What should be talked about at length is how we show no fight whatsoever. Arsenal themselves are criminal in how unorganized; the commitment level and the lack of desire to make a play are embarrassing. The age old criticism of Arsenal not wanting to get stuck in is so easy for all to see. Now however, it is not just apparent on set pieces, we are getting overrun in open play as well.

    1. So your argument boils down to, this is not illegal because
      1. you coach it, and
      2. it’s not “wrapping players up,” which would be whistled (implying…)
      3. it’s not whistled

      This is a bad argument. I’m not saying it’s legal or illegal, I’m just saying your reasons are poor.

      Arsenal showing no fight whatsoever IS talked about at length, on this very blog, as well as many other places on the internet. But our continued failings, as galling as they are, are irrelevant to the question of whether West Brom’s corner tactics violate the laws of the game.

  19. I go the opposite way in my view of the third goal – all good. I think it’s our fault for not employing more of these trapping/picking tactics on our own free kicks and corner kicks. For all of Wenger’s aspirations of European glory he has failed to acknowledge and incorporate some of the most basic set-piece tactics that are used regularly on the continent.

    http://worldsoccertalk.com/2009/01/14/man-utds-pick-and-roll-play/

    I have an Italian tactics book that has two chapters on how to coach picks on throw-ins and corner kicks. Is it illegal? Sure, but it’s a reality of the game.

    Wenger likes to moan time to time about the naivety of his players, but reality is it’s naïve coaching not to prepare your players for the opposition plays on set pieces. It looked to me like our players were mystified on what was happening in the moment. That’s inexcusable.

    I was sanguine like you about West Brom winning because I thought it was an unfortunate necessity to prove that Wenger’s time has come. But that turned to anger when I read that the new deal is imminent. Wenger cannot fix this, he would have done so already if he could. We are only going to sink further.

    1. “Is it illegal? Sure, but it’s a reality of the game.”

      This is not in any way a defense of Wenger or an excuse for the team’s poor performances, but if winning requires cynically coaching your team in how to do illegal things on the pitch in order to gain an advantage (purposely doing something illegal in order to gain an advantage is pretty much the definition of cheating, no?), then I for one want nothing more to do with the game in such a state.

      Blaming Wenger for being too “naive” to coach breaking the rules, rather than the authorities for allowing rampant breaking of the rules to go unpunished, is also a bit rich (note: I’m not saying Wenger isn’t naive in any number of other ways for which he deserves criticism!). And the “everyone else is doing it, so it’s your fault if you’re naive enough not to” argument is pretty much what made cycling the dirtiest sport in the world for two decades.

      1. I agree with this. Maybe I’m naive too, but I feel proud to have a manager who very clearly has stated and practices, that winning is never at all costs.

        1. Who says at all cost?
          Don’t you want your players pleading for corners and throw- ins , knowing full well they got the last touch?
          Surrounding refs when their teammates get kicked to pieces?
          Standing on the ball to prevent quick retakes?
          Pull players back by the shirt or trip them up to prevent counters ?
          Going down under contact when they could possibly make an effort to stay on their feet if they really , really wanted to?
          And so on and so on?

          Half of these are illegal while the other half are morally wrong, but if you want to play at any proffesional level and be successful at it, you better damn do it.

          Fabregas was the last Arsenal player who notoriously did all those things and Arsene Wenger called him a “born winner”, before he stabbed him in the back and left for Barca that is.

          1. Yes, players have to do some less than perfect things at times if they are to play. When I started playing college basketball people would stand on your feet so you couldn’t jump for a rebound and exaggerate contact if you pushed them off to draw a foul. (Kind of like Lehmann vs Spurs) The only way to deal with it was to keep feet moving and as a bonus to scrape their shins while at it so they’d stay the hell away. The other thing they did is put their foot under you as you were about to land after a jump, leading to a twisted ankle. So I protected myself by kicking them/falling on their leg if I felt they were trying to injure me, because the refs weren’t doing their job of spotting and punishing these things. BY all means, players need to do what they must to protect themselves, their teammates, and to try to win too.

            But the idea that it is naive to not specifically teach professional players how to cheat is what PFo disagreed with and I seconded. Sorry if that offends you.

            By the way, I don’t think we’re poorly coached on set pieces. There was a time we were terrible at them. That’s not true anymore. This season I’ve even seen some interesting variations on attacking set pieces. The WBA set pieces were fouls, but we were terrible. That doesn’t mean we ARE terrible.

          2. As PFo hinted at with cycling, the cheating as a slippery slope starts getting out of hand specifically when the attitude of everybody, authorities and fans alike, is that it is just one of those things. If the refs overlook minor forms of cheating, it only encourages the players to push the rules further and further. As an example, the tackle on Alexis this past game. The ref made it clear he wasn’t going to give Arsenal the calls when being kicked and pushed. The result was the potential ankle breaker by Mclean.

            Eduardo’s leg break also came about because of the belief that it is important to set the tone of the game for both the opponent and the ref.

            Which is why the discussion (also) needs to be about the officiating and just how terrible it has gotten.

  20. I didn’t see the game but it’s stuff like this that got me to the point where I just can’t take football seriously any more.

    You’ve got obstruction and man handling like this on a keeper and it’s ‘a man’s game, not ballet’ as one of new guys put it. Fair enough. I can get behind that. But at the same time the merest contact on a forward who goes down in the box is enough is enough reason to award a penalty. Cough…Suarez…cough.

  21. With my 10 years supporting ars I its a good goal
    AW is under fire and cannot punish his team
    He is happy making us sad
    Please help me beg him to leave
    Enough is enough

  22. How about discussing the penalty Santi Cazorla “won” v West Brom when he dived after Stephen Reid swung a leg at him and replays showed he missed by about a foot!!!’ No complaints from Arsenal fans then was there!!!!!!!

    1. Two wrongs make a right
      when the Pulis boys fight
      their fancy takes them for a flight…
      When Caz0rla TAKES A DIVE
      the gooners feel alive
      we love a fake penalty
      like Sean Spicer loves fake news
      it gives Baggies fans the blues
      when Reid’s boot
      touches Santi’s foot
      and the refereeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
      blows his whistle with gleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
      OH how happy it makes meeeeeeeeeeeee
      to see your faces cringe
      and thats when I will binge
      on the tears of Brummies
      like Sunday funnies
      because the best part of the game
      is the misery and blame
      we heap on other fans
      when their shite don’t go to plans
      they’ve made in their big heads

      This haiku was brought to you by the head of Tony Pulis and the boot of Stephen Reid, often may they meet.

    2. 1. Bringing up something that happened four seasons ago is irrelevant to the question at hand, which is whether the corner tactics of your team on Saturday were illegal or not.
      2. Santi dived.
      3. It would be strange to expect Arsenal fans to complain when they profited from that, just as I don’t expect West Brom fans to complain when they profit from their team’s tactics from corners.
      4. What I expect is that Arsenal fans would admit (see above) when their team clearly broke the rules. It’s just intellectual honesty. While I don’t think the cheating from the corners is 100% clear cut (but you’ve not offered any argument to rebut Tim’s claims in the article), it would be nice if a Baggies fan would admit that it’s at least a gray area. But judging by the classy responses on this thread, I’m not holding by breath.

      1. 1. Cheating is cheating -doesn’t matter when it was.

        2. He dived before he missed the penalty last year as well. Oh how we laughed……….

        3. Arsenal fans never complain. You have a god given right to be in the premiership. Aston Villa thought the same…

        4. it’s not a “gray area” but a “grey area”. We’ve cheated nearly 20 times like that all season, yet the refs let it go. That’s because it is within the laws of the game. It’s also worth pointing out that we have only been awarded 1 penalty all season. Is that because we are being victimised by refs who favour the so called bigger clubs?

        Only 7 points now between our respective teams in the Premier League. I reckon West Brom will finish above Arsenal, who won’t even qualify for the Mickey Mouse cup.

        1. Yeah, Santi Cazorla is a filthy cheater! Send that f***er to a Gulag! He doesn’t belong with the morally pure and righteous players of West Bromwich Albion who would NEVER try to game a referee!

          2. Taking you at your word, you have my deepest sympathies then, Crunchie. Your life must truly be a living hell for that to qualify as the best laugh you’ve had in decades.

        2. Dear Crunchie,
          1. I’m from the US. Where we spell ‘grey’ ‘gray’. But nice attempt to seem sophisticated (look at me, I know how to spell the words for colors (or is that colours?) and I like to correct others!).
          2. It wasn’t a dive last year. It wasn’t even Santi who was fouled for the penalty, it was Alexis, if memory serves. If you think that’s a dive, you’re blind or an idiot or blindly biased (potentially more than one of these).
          3. If you finish above us, I will laugh. But it’s not going to happen. But do come back to the blog to say hi after the last game of the season, either way.
          4. No one is denying that we deserved nothing from the game on Saturday, so stop being so precious (poor little club fans, getting all upset when big club fans don’t give them credit for a win against big club). It can both be the case that we were awful so deserved to lose, AND the case that a goal or two involved fouls in the buildup (AND the case that your team is largely composed of a bunch of ogres with little skill and zero creativity, and so is mostly eye-bleedingly ugly to watch–but hey if you like watching them every week, better you than me).

  23. To win and win consistently in the PL the best teams are good enough, monied enough and mentally tough enough to beat the opposition AND possibly the possibly the worst officiating in world tier 1 football.

    That’s just the way it is and unless there is multi camera video replay and an in-game pstairs adjudication official like the NFL that is the way it’s going to be.

    It may be argued that we have it worse than sides but I think All teams have to beat the officiating as well as the opposition not, just Arsenal. And right now we are not nearly good enough to do that.

    What kills me is the lack of fight, commitment and resilience. At least Alexis shows up for each and every game.

    1. I agree about the fight. Alexis won’t show up next week though – I think you have seen the last of him.

      1. Yeah, Sanchez actually hates Arsenal, always has. It was actually him that commissioned the #Wexit plane, I have it on good information. His entire continued tenure at Arsenal, including the goals he’s scored, is part of an elaborate hoax to make us feel horrible when he inevitably departs to leave us crying into Ivan Gazidis’ lapel, abandoned by our best player, by our endorsements, by our fans and by our sense of peace and justice in the universe, which of course was already inevitably derailed by that filthy little cheater Cazorla. It’s a stain on our soul which can never be washed clean.

        1. “he going home, he’s going home, he’s going. Sanchez going home”.

          “He’s going to leave in a minute”.

          “He’ll leave when he wants”

          So much fun.

          1. The Midlands must be damn boring if that is your idea of so much fun. By the way, do you eat oatcake?

  24. Without a shadow of doubt, Ospina was not fouled or impeded for the goal. He has even said that himself in an interview and more telling is that Wenger himself has never questioned the legitimacy of either of the two corner goals (and boy does he like to whinge).
    Fact is we were outplayed by a squad of 18 players assembled for I’m guessing.,, 40 million?
    Stupid articles like this written by a c**t of a so called Arsenal fan, who clearly wasn’t at the game just make us look even more stupid than we already do right now.

    1. Even though some may agree with some of the things you mention you’re not going to win any hearts and minds here with insults and name calling.

      Unless you just want to display how much of an idiot you are, in which case you’re doing a great job.

      If you want to make a point or disagree with someone I think you’ll find people here are more than willing to debate and accommodate if you’re willing to show a basic level of respect.

    2. No, what makes you look stupid is leveling a reasonable rebuttal to a point then crawling down into Trump’s gutter with your final sentence. Hell, you sound like a Chelsea or United fan. If you’re a fan and Tim is a fan, then quite possibly you could extend him the respect he deserves as a fellow Arsenal supporter.

    3. “Wenger himself has never questioned the legitimacy of either of the two corner goals.” You like alternative facts! Off the club’s website, Wenger said: “I think on the first goal they blocked the keeper as well, and the third. It’s not easy for the keeper to intervene in that kind of situation.”

    5. i know you’re new, kid, but we don’t do that name-calling around here; strictly grown-ups. sorry, but you have to go elsewhere for that stuff. good thing is that there’s plenty of places for you to go.

    6. The team cost under £55M, over a 10 year period. We’ve wasted more than that though on poor players. Good news that Sparky signed Bellendinhio for £15M to help us balance the books.

      Just a few snippets – Ben Foster £3M, Jonny Evans £6M (you didn’t want him), Darren Fletcher Free, Craig Dawson £1M, Gareth McAuley free, Allen Nyom £4M, Chris Brunt £2.5M, Claudio Yacob – free.

      In the meantime you spunked almost £60M on rubbish last summer.

      Don’t blame Pulis or West Brom for your problems – your club needs a ground up re-build; and that doesn’t involve spending money.

      1. Doesn’t take much to get you up on your high horse does it? I remember West Ham fans doing the same thing after they beat us convincingly away one year. I think Sam Allardyce was in charge then. Same thing with Stokies when they were on the up and up. You’re clearly enjoying your victory over a much better, much more expensive team and so you should. I would too. If that means trolling gooners on the internet, so be it. But permit me to laugh in your face for touting that squad as an example of good spending.

        1. And Pulis and Big Sam have never been relegated – their target.

          How many times have failed to achieve your lofty and ridiculous ambitions?

          Premier League – You’re having a laugh. Lincoln City gave you a game, and Walsall would beat you.

          1. Right, just so we’re all clear what you’re saying: viz. that you’re a little club whose managers set little targets that they might actually hope to achieve, and we’re an awesome, big, rich, elite club, whose manager obviously wouldn’t get any credit for your pathetic little targets like never having been relegated (which he hasn’t) but only for setting and reaching prestigious targets like winning the league (which he has).

            So, to recap:
            Arsenal – big, important, sets lofty goals
            West Brom – small, unimportant, sets very modest goals, and sometimes even manages to achieve them

            Glad to be on the same page.

  25. there was no foul on ospina. the commotion going on around him was meant to be a distraction to him, which it clearly was, but it’s not illegal. the defender, also, didn’t initiate contact with, impede, or otherwise illegally restrict ospina’s movement so that’s not a foul either. ospina simply got it wrong because he wasn’t focused; or maybe he’s not very good. he certainly had a bad day.

    1. understand, it’s not a violation of the laws of the game to “block a keeper” if you do it legally. for instance, with my youth team, some of our corner kicks are to a spot that players will attack. knowing the spot, one player will position himself between the keeper and the spot, not necessarily to block the keeper but to be an obstacle for the keeper to negotiate. if the keeper can successfully negotiate the one-man obstacle and get to the spot, good for him. my guy at the keeper knows he must not move to block the keeper’s movement to the ball. that movement would be illegal.

      there are quite a number of techniques for a keeper to defeat this approach. i simply force keepers to prove they’re smart enough to solve this problem during a game. most don’t even recognize there’s a problem until it’s too late. for the ones that do, many struggle to figure it out during the game. what’s troubling is that ospina, a professional, didn’t seem to know how to solve a similar problem.

      1. “What’s troubling is that ospina, a professional, didn’t seem to know how to solve a similar problem.” Cech didn’t know either for the first goal, although he’s taller and stronger than Ospina.
        “My guy at the keeper knows he must not move to block the keeper’s movement to the ball. that movement would be illegal.” There’s a grey zone here and Pulis took advantage of it. For me, in the spirit of the laws of the game, it’s a foul because Fletcher, the guy blocking Cech and then Ospina, is not making any genuine attempt to play the ball. Also, Fletcher is clearly initiating contact and impeding the goalkeeper’s movement by pushing him against the net with his back (it’s more obvious on the first goal). And finally, it’s an obstruction because Fletcher is blocking the keeper’s path to the ball. Referees tend to be more lenient in the Premier League with those bullying tactics. In my view, the only option for the keeper is to push Fletcher and make the ref aware that Fletcher is impeding him. But with a referee having no clue about what’s going on or a blocker diving, there could be a penalty too.

        1. Bob Wilson and David Seaman would have cleared out the complete back line and forwards to claim the ball from the corner.

          Arsene plays a “European” way that everyone has worked out (apart from him).

          1. David Seaman once headbutted an opposition CB so squarely in the nuts that he required surgery on his brain. True story. A true British hero, that lad. Not like these continental softies, amirite?

          2. Yeah, those dirty foreners are weak and their football is easily “worked out”. I hear they “don’t like it up em”. Not like our brave British lads.

            It’s like you’re reading straight from The Pub Boor’s Big Book of British Football Cliches.

            Someone give this guy his own talk show!

  26. Clear indicator that there was no foul play was that there were no complaints from cech or Ospina or any derenders.
    Wenger barely mentions it and only does that because he’s having a dig at his keepers for not stepping out of the way.
    I watched it on tv and was amazed how lame we were all over the pitch. Albion could have won 6-1 and there would have been no complaints. They had 8 shots on target to our 2, that’s pathetic and the guy who wrote this article should be addressing this and not trying to be clever. Just about every corner we take we put a man infront or right by the keeper to impede his movement and vision. By the way, so do every club in every league.
    So lets focus on why we were anhilated and not clutch at straws. I can actually see why westbrom are 8th now, great team spirit and organisation, but like we had years ago.

  27. Football is a contact sport
    We played to our strengths and completely bullied arsenal into submission were we supposed just let you dance round us play your pretty football and nail us
    TP wouldnt let that happen
    Deal with it learn from it and be grateful it wasnt 6 1 like it should have been
    Come on you baggies

    1. Ok, sorry, I was wrong above: THIS GUY is reading from The Pub Boor’s Big Book of British Football Cliches!! I wonder if he’s ever had an original thought run through his head before…

  28. Tim, the outrage meter this blog is garnering is truly hilarious. You should do this more often just to wind people up. There’s nothing more funny than the skewed sense of justice on display here.

    1. I do like a good laugh!

      What’s funny is that if I posted more articles like this I would get more unique views, which would raise the amount I can charge for advertising. I think I’m starting to understand how the British press works.

        1. Change it to Le 7.

          Click bait articles all the way to the bank!

          But I think you took it a step further. That site does not draw Baggies fans over. 🙂

  29. I agree, Gr Gooner. We have been mullered by many a good team, including Arsenal on a number of occasions. I was at the Emirates last year, and we were terrible.

    Don’t start threads though and advertise them on “Newsnow” saying it was an injustice; because it wasn’t. Arsenal will probably beat West Brom next year, and fair play. You won’t hear us moaning about the ref/rules though; we will acknowledge the better team.

    If you were true football fans, you would do the same.

    Until next season, stay safe and I genuinely wish you well in the FA Cup.

  30. ‘Garnering’..,.,well you’re not a twat then.
    Well beaten by them baggies, let’s move on and not publish silly articles about how it was an injustice, it makes us look daft and sound like Manu fans

  31. The keeper thing is easy- just bring back Lehmann or Seaman to teach Szcz to hammer anyone in front of him. Just go back and watch some clips of their games and the box was theirs, I mean all 18 yards-card or not.

  32. Yes. And when was our defense better than the sum of its parts? That one season when Keown was coaching them and flamini at right back a good part of it.
    Wenger has this strange thing about not getting back some good people who can improve the players.
    The corporation is a pretty bad mess- weak board, no succession plan in view, and employees who seem totally demotivated. That business side Primorac mentioned? It’s a shambles.

  33. It’s not illegal to block the keeper. A player can stand anywhere on the pitch that he wants, even right in front of the goalie at corners. It becomes illegal if he impedes the player ie jumping up & down in front of or moving in such a way that prevents the keeper from moving. By standing where he was he was holding his ground. Perfectly legal.
    That idiot Walter on Untold tried the same argument (well he would wouldn’t he?) Tim, and they all put him in his place.

  34. So it was Newsnow that attracted the mouthbreathing swarm? Fascinating. I’m guessing they’re here because they don’t have enough fans to support their own blogs, but maybe I have it wrong. From the level of the comments it seems like there aren’t enough people in the Midlands who can string three coherent points together to craft a paragraph, let alone a blog. (Right now there’s a troll moving his lips as he reads this with outrage.)

    Their commentary says everything about why England will be humbled again and again in international play. A league that permits fouling to overcome technical superiority in order to level the playing field and then rationalizes it as physicality will not produce players who thrive under international refereeing. That’s fine, it’s a valid commercial and philosophical choice, but I find it amusing that when the Three Lions inevitably flame out, it’s always ascribed to lack of bottle or lack of fight as if being more unsuited to international play would nake them perform better.

    Engkand really should just give in and make Toby Pulis their coach. It would be hysterical watching his face if he were forced to complete games with nine men.

  35. Engkand..Toby Pulis??
    Oh dear, those wine gums were going to your head at the end weren’t they.
    Hope you had a lie down after writing all that.

Comments are closed.

Related articles

Read more stories on our homepage