A BIG STATEMENT
Newcastle’s win at St James’ Park wasn’t the only Big Statement made by a Premier League football club this weekend. The day after the game, the club they’d beaten issued a Big Statement of their own, backing their manager who had gone on an impassioned and slightly unhinged post-match rant after seeing Anthony Gordon’s winner survive three separate VAR checks before being allowed to stand and calling for an end to the kind of “retrospective analysis” to which most of their statement was devoted. As entitled and pompous as it was pitiful, it was obviously lapped up by Gooners on various Social Media Disgraces but greeted with a mixture of rolled eyes, bemused bafflement and ridicule by folk who don’t sleep in Gunnersaurus-branded jimmy-jams.
Less than a month ago, after the video assistant referee of a game between Liverpool and Tottenham had made what was later acknowledged to be a glaring error due to a lapse in concentration, Mikel Arteta had graciously acknowledged the fallibility of match officials. “They are trying to make the best decisions,” he said when quizzed about the incident. “We need to give support and understand that mistakes happen, and that that pressure is very difficult to manage.” On Saturday, a man who bears a close physical resemblance to Arteta but is clearly in no way related to the Arsenal manager, spat his dummy out and went off on one in his post-match interviews because the curtain-twitchers in Stockley Park had arrived at a conclusion that wasn’t necessarily wrong but just happened to be one with which he disagreed.
Some housekeeping. Did the ball go out of play before Joe Willock chased it down and crossed it? Nobody knows for sure. Did Joelinton push Gabriel in the back as the hapless Arsenal defender tried to deal with the cross? Maybe but it’s an entirely subjective decision and the only people whose opinion matters decided he did not. Was Gordon onside when the ball rolled his way for the tap-in. Nobody knows for sure and on this occasion for reasons beyond Football Daily’s ken the computer was not in a position to say no.
What we do know with a fair amount of certainty, is that if Arsenal scored an identical goal and it had been chalked off by the officials for any one of the three reasons Newcastle’s wasn’t, their manager, players and fans would have completely lost their minds and insisted it should have stood. “It is embarrassing, it is a disgrace, that’s what it is, a disgrace,” seethed Arteta in what could prove an expensive post-match interview. “We’ve been taking it up [with the PGMOL] for months. There is too much at stake, we put in so many hours. I’m here to represent the football club and to get my team to compete at the highest level; the margins are so small, it’s a disgrace, embarrassing.” Etc, and so on.
While Football Daily is wholeheartedly in favour of the kind of entertainment generated by the Spaniard’s post-match meltdown, his tantrum and the endorsement of it by a weird club statement will only serve to legitimise and further fuel the paranoia of the disturbing number of Tinfoil hat-wearing dingbats among the club’s support who appear to genuinely believe referees are conspiring against their team. While there is no question that a number of bad decisions led to Newcastle’s winner, Arteta must know deep down that all the most egregious ones were made by various players on Arsenal’s team.
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Join John Brewin at 8pm GMT for red-hot minute-by-minute updates on Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea in the Premier League.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“What’s better? La Liga or the Premier League? How about something like a Ryder Cup of football to find out? In the summer, play the champions of the Premier League against the champions of La Liga, second in Premier League against second in La Liga, third against third … promoted teams against promoted teams. Maybe go to the US, play there. Three points for a win, two for a win on penalties, one for a loss” – former Leeds sporting director and current Sevilla director of football, Víctor Orta, gets his mischievous chat on with Sid Lowe and starts throwing out the kind of crazy ideas that someone will now probably try to make a reality.
Fluminense won the Copa Libertadores on Saturday in dramatic fashion, edging out Argentina’s Boca Juniors in extra time thanks to a belter of a goal by a player named John Kennedy. Don’t ask what football can do for you, ask what you can do for football. This game had it all. A legendary venue (the Maracanã), a seething crowd, fans in tears, players in tears, three cracking goals, two red cards, at least one clear penalty shout, eye-popping tussles, and a slap to the face. But what I found most exhilarating of all was the ages of the bulk of the Fluminense starting XI: Goalkeeper Fabio (43 years old), left back Marcelo (35) of Real Madrid fame, centre-back Felipe Melo (40), right back Samuel Xavier (33), attacking midfielder Ganso (34), winger Keno (34), and centre forward German Cano (35). Age before beauty!” – Peter Oh.
Saturday’s winning goal for Newcastle wasn’t the first time they have scored a dodgy one against Arsenal. Their equaliser in the 1932 Cup final was converted from a cross delivered from behind the line. Sounds like a conspiracy to me” – Gordon Glassford.
I don’t know exactly how many players, like, say, Kevin Lokko of Maidenhead, had the unacceptable gall to have a birthday this same weekend as a loss in an important game, but I do hope not one of them had the unacceptable brass neck to perhaps have some friends down to the local pool and play on the inflatables and have cake and crisps in the party room after or something. I hope they were made to do Spanish homework in their bedroom and didn’t even get chips with their tea like the unacceptably wayward children they are. This, I think it seems, is fair to deem acceptable. Happy Birthday, Kevin, by the way” – Jon Millard.
Thanks for instantly heeding my call to restart letter prizes while Noble Francis hits the North Atlantic beaches. Since that worked, might you also flip back on the TV & Radio listings section? And increase the gratuitous José Mourinho coverage? And since I’m on a run of form—could you give Sid Lowe a raise?” – Conor Williams.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Prizes are back! Today’s lettter o’ the day winner is … Jon Millard, who gets a copy of Tinseltown: Hollywood and the Beautiful Game – a Match Made in Wrexham. You can buy a copy here.
ROAD TO WEMBLEY
It might not have been on the box but Horsham almost pulled off the shock of the round against League One Barnsley. The Hornets were thoroughly irked that their match was not selected to go on ITV4 and they had to travel from West Sussex to face the Tykes on a cold Friday night, based on police advice, without the added reward of some extra TV cash. Goalscorers Shamir Fenelon, NatWest Regional Relationship Manager James Hammond and Tom Richards wrote their names into the history books to earn a 3-3 draw and a return match at the fiery pit – or at least a portable gas stove – that is The Camping World Community Stadium, which surely must be in front of the TV cameras. Sort it out ITV suits! We can avoid another night of James Bond films.
“I would argue that this is the best performance in the club’s history,” chirped Horsham boss Dominic Di Paola. “To come away to a team who are in the play-offs in League One and play like we have, I think it’s the best in the club’s history.” Some might think he is overegging it a bit but for the seventh-tier side, whose best-ever finish is seventh in the Isthmian League Premier Division, it really was an historic occasion, one that should be celebrated and rewarded with some lovely moolah. “It was only probably in the last 10 minutes, when we were level pegging at that stage of the game, that it starts to click in your head of what could be potentially down the line,” Di Paola said. If they do manage to see off Neill Collins’s side at the second time of asking, then Sutton United await in the next round at the VBS Community Stadium. The fairytale continues – and it must be televised!
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
It’s Max Rushden and the pod squad on that Mikel Arteta rant, Luton 1-1 Liverpool, Emma Hayes’ long Chelsea goodbye and more.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Luis Díaz begged for the release of his father, who was kidnapped at gunpoint last month, after scoring the equaliser in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Luton. “Every second, every minute our anxiety grows,” he said. “My mother, my brothers and I are desperate, anxious and have no words to describe what we are feeling. This suffering will only end when we have him home with us.”
The brain injury charity Headway have questioned the decision to allow Harry Maguire to play on against Fulham on Saturday after clashing heads with Rodrigo Muniz in the first minute. “After a brief on-pitch assessment – again highlighting the nonsensical lack of temporary concussion substitutes in football – he was allowed to continue,” said chief executive Luke Griggs. “The sight of the referee then having to intervene in the second half when the player continued to look in difficulty was deeply concerning. But again, after another brief assessment with medics, he was again allowed to play on.”
Mauricio Pochettino has not ruled out managing Spurs again in the future. “If I’m not working, [and] maybe if they want me one day … why not?” blabbed the Chelsea boss, who is clearly not feeling so bullish about future employment opportunities.
Pep Guardiola has eased fears from Fantasy Football managers that Erling Haaland might be knacked for a while. “He trains this afternoon so I don’t know,” blabbed Pep. “If he says I am ready and I don’t have pain I will consider to let him play.”
Chesterfield began their charge to the FA Cup semi-finals by knocking out League One Portsmouth in the first round. Meanwhile, the wonderfully named Cray Valley Paper Mills drew away to Charlton to earn a replay.
Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor accused his Arsenal counterpart Jonas Eidevall of “bullying” the fourth official during the Gunners’ 2-1 WSL win. Taylor had a number of heated exchanges with the Swede on the touchline. “That is always the same with him because he is constantly at the fourth official and I think it is bullying,” said Taylor. “I am protecting the fourth official but that’s not my job.”
Dan [Ashworth] has a plan to make Newcastle into a permanent fixture in the top six. We can only assume it involves a lot of money and questionable moral stances.
And England will play Euro 2024 warm-up matches against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley in March. Nope, we have nothing more to add.
STILL WANT MORE?
From veterans impressing to ranting managers, we have 10 talking points from the weekend’s Premier League matches.
Over in the WSL there were some angry exchanges and some threadbare Toffees.
Is Emma Hayes off to manage USA USA USA? Beau Dure looks at the issues she could face the departing Chelsea boss.
It turns out Harry Kane has moved to Germany (who knew?) and he is doing really well (who knew?). Andy Brassell looks back at the weekend’s Klassiker.
Lewis Ferguson is leading Thiago Motta’s Bologna revolution, writes Nicky Bandini.
“I thought the game was up”: Chris Kamara gets his chat on with Simon Hattenstone about losing his voice – and finding himself.
Football’s memory keeper: the man with more than 5,000 shirts. This is great.
Manchester United are repeating a familiar pattern. Sacking Erik ten Hag won’t change that, says Jonathan Wilson.
And clownish populist Gianni Infantino is complicit in Saudi Arabia’s colonisation of football, sighs Jonathan Wilson.
MEMORY LANE
Spurs v Chelsea this evening is the only tenuous link we needed to get former player and manager of both clubs, Glenn Hoddle, in the email today. Here he is posing with his wife, Anne, in front of their fancy detached house and back-garden pool (which looks like it needs a good clean – Football Daily Ed) back in 1982.
SCARLETT’S DRIVING SCHOOL – 8.30pm
Credit: Source link
