Having moved to woo the US market with a new stadium geared to American football, Tottenham invited legendary ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky to see them take on Arsenal in the League Cup.Sports Category
Sports news, commentary and scores with wit and added value. We compare and contrast the best and worst sports reporting in the mainstream press, blogs, TV and online. We love the English Premier League (Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City) and all things football but we cover cricket, rugby, the Olympics, tennis, golf, F1 and highlights of the sporting year.
Liverpool: Rodgers senses ‘hysteria’, 33 new players and Manchester United move miles ahead
The Sunday Times says “Liverpool as far from the top as they’ve ever been”. Is Brendan Rodgers’ side that bad?
Jonathan Northcroft:
Rodgers surely also knew, from last year, that when you churn playing staff in the summer it is hard to find consistency. His latest spree, featuring eight arrivals, was lauded by supporters seeking change — but after 33 signings, for £292m, in three years, is it not stability that Liverpool need?
Recruitment defines most reigns. It is likely to do so with Rodgers. The 33 have been an unbalanced crew, including five No 10s, 10 strikers and only two wingers…
There is another five-year anniversary approaching, of John W Henry’s takeover in 2010. The pledge was “to first focus on stability rather than change”. Can Rodgers weather trouble and finally get a restless club to settle?
Another noble Henry 2010 objective was to “return Liverpool FC to its rightful place in English and European football, successfully competing for and winning trophies”. But look through the squad. How many would get in the first teams of Liverpool’s rivals in England — let alone Europe?
Look at the economics: in 2010, Liverpool’s wage bill topped Arsenal’s and was just £10m behind United’s and £12m behind Manchester City’s. Now it’s £71.5m behind United’s, £62.5m behind City’s, £23m behind Arsenal’s. Liverpool have never seemed further from Henry’s goal and for reasons neither he nor Rodgers fully control.
Says Rodgers:
“There’s a hysteria around the club. We’ve lost fewer games than Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in all competitions – two. It’s a huge club, a worldwide, iconic club, so the scrutiny on it is huge. It doesn’t affect us. We’re working hard and trying to integrate players back into the team….There is a group of people that don’t want me here. Myself and the players stay very calm and work very hard.”
But it’s about belief. City and Arsenal have lost in the Champions’ League. Can Liverpool even get there?
Posted: 27th, September 2015 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer Balls: Chelsea will lose Eden to Real Madrid and Barcelona want Coutinho from Liverpool
The Premier League bloats whilst La Liga gloats. News via the Sunday Times is that Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho are “wanted in Spain”. That pretty much means Real Madrid and Barcelona are eyeing the players.
Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid president, says Hazard is the man to ignite Real. The 24-year-old is the current Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year. He’s the best the PL has to offer. But the feeling is that should Real come knocking Hazard will want out of Stamford Bridge.
Coutinho, Liverpool’s club’s sole representative in the PFA Team of the Year, is being watched by Barcelona. Surely the Nou Camp holds more attraction than being the brightest light in a Brendan Rodger’s team that seems to make it up as it goes along.
Posted: 27th, September 2015 | In: Chelsea, Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Liverpool: since March Rodgers’ Reds haven’t beaten a team higher than 16th in the Premier League
Liverpool are not all that good. For a club that has spent vast sums of cash, Brendan Rodgers team are pretty dire. The current league positions of the past five team Liverpool FC have defeated since mid-March are:
Bournemouth – 16th (and they were very, very lucky to beat them)
Stoke – 17th
Aston Villa – 18th
Newcastle – 19th
QPR – relegated.
Surely Brendan Rodgers is doomed.
Posted: 26th, September 2015 | In: Liverpool, Reviews, Sports | Comments (4)
Arsenal balls: FA fine Gabriel for agreeing with them
Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista should not have been sent off against Chelsea last weekend. The FA rescinded the red card. When he was wrongly sent off, the Brazilian complained bitterly, as all he might have. So the FA have now him £10,000 for “improper conduct” in failing to accept a decision they say was wrong.
Ker-ching!
Mike Dean, the referee who made the errors, has not been fined.
Posted: 26th, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comment
Liverpool balls: Rodgers gets the ‘axe’ and refuses to ‘quit’
Is Brendan Rodgers heading out of Liverpool FC? The Sun and the Daily Mirror each have a take on the story.
David Maddock, the Daily Mirror, September 25:
The Liverpool manager retains the support of his club’s American owners, for now. The 42-year-old is pragmatic enough to know the backing that came – surprisingly strongly – from the other side of the Atlantic this week will not endure unless there is a seismic shift in performance
Ken Lawrence, The Sun, September 25:
His [Rodgers] language — in terms of what he says as well as his body — suggests he now thinks it inevitable Fenway Sports Group will get rid of him. Rodgers might have been referring to a statement prepared AFTER the American owners had ended his three–year tenure when he declared: “I know I’ve given it everything.”
And in a second story also from September 25 by Ken Lawrence:
BRENDAN RODGERS’ biggest fight is against the enemy within — not the critics determined to see him sacked. They say you never walk alone at Anfield but the Liverpool boss is becoming isolated from his Fenway Sports Group employers. Ahead of tomorrow’s must–win clash at home to struggling Aston Villa, the sound of silence from principle owner John W. Henry and chairman Tom Werner is deafening.
Have Fenway Sports Group backed him or not? The Mirror says ‘yes’ the Sun says ‘no’.
One day on and the Mirror declares that “defiant” Rodgers “shrugs off critics”:
Or as the Sun puts it – Rodgers “looks resigned to the Liverpool axe”:
Rodgers is defiant and resigned?
Such are the facts.
Posted: 26th, September 2015 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comments (2)
Manchester United balls: a critis at Old Trafford Sunderland can only dream of
Manchester United are in “crisis“. Well, that’s what the Daily Mirror says in its report on United’s build up to a home match against Sunderland. Man United are second in the Premier League. Sunderland are bottom.
The “crisis” at Old Trafford is that Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo are both injured, leaving United with “one fit left-footed defender” in the shape of Danny Blind.
If that’s a crisis, what are Sunderland suffering?
Sunderland head coach Dick Advocaat sets the tone:
“If you have a draw there [Old Trafford], you have a great result… Normally United would beat us but we can give them a really tough time. That will happen, you will see.”
Crisis? No. This is normal service.
Posted: 26th, September 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Arsenal balls: Daily Mail uses Arsene Wenger’s divorce to explain his mood over the last 19 years
The Daily Mail was keen to reveal that Arsene Wenger has split from his wife, the lovely Annie. According to the paper, the divorce explains why Wenger looked a tad pained watching Arsenal take on Tottenham.
Showing the strain: Arsene Wenger looks serious as Arsenal boss takes to the bench for the first time since separation from his wife was revealed
You might suppose his serious expression was down to concerns that defeat against Arsenal’s local rivals would mean a third-straight defeat for his side. You might also supposes – rightly – that the Mail had selected images to support the headline.
They could have chosen these images instead:
And this one from the day before the game:
Here’s Wenger today:
Oh, and here’s Arsene Wenger not longer after he arrived at Arenal:
He’s not changed a bit.
PS: What does the Daily Mail have against football?
‘Rampaging’ Arsenal balls: The Sun and Mail’s story on Spurs ‘shame’ show how much they hate football fans
The Press love to present any rowdiness at the football as a terrible thing. Last night Arsenal fans in the ‘away’ section were kept behind at Tottenham’s ground. These police-induced lock-ins are not supposed to be cause for merriment. They are moments when the police lock innocent people in/up for crimes not yet committed. A few Arsenal fans thought it a fun idea to reach over the barriers and peel off the sad mottos that puncture the Spurs concrete, messages like ‘Come On you Spurs’, ‘The Game Is About Glory’ and ‘To Dare Is to Do’.
The Sun says the “yobs” have “shamed” football.
ARSENAL face another FA charge after their supporters ripped up perimeter stadium signs and HURLED them at Spurs fans.
No. The signs were not hurled. No Spurs fans were injured because the signs were hanging over the heads of other Arsenal fans, who were cheering. And most Spurs fans had already left the ground.
Arsenal got 3,000 tickets for the match – the same allocation they always get. This is the lay-out:
ESPN saw the came thing:
Kept behind after the game, some away fans pulled away parts of the “This Is Our Club” boards on the first tier of the Park Lane stand at Spurs.
Although it too slips into hyperbole. Miguel Delaney rebrands the Spurs ground White Hart Lane as ‘White Hate Lane’:
Undaunted by facts, the Sun ploughs on:
The disgraceful scenes marred the double of hero Mathieu Flamini which sunk their bitter rivals.
No. They didn’t.
These were “shocking incidents”.
No. They were not.
But the Mail demands more.
‘Rampaging‘ fans?
Sami Mokbel at least gets one fact right:
The signs hurtled down towards the lower tier where other fellow Arsenal supporters were located.
What utter balls.
Posted: 24th, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Reviews, Sports | Comments (2)
Tottenham: Spurs invite Wayne Gretzky to Arsenal match, spell his name wrong on shirt
Having moved to woo the US market with a new stadium geared to American football, Tottenham invited legendary ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky to see them take on Arsenal in the League Cup.
Transfer Balls: Manchester United make inflated Muller bid on Metro’s bullshit.com template
Transfer Balls: Anorak’s search for the most clickbait football news story takes us, as ever, to the Metro, where Will Giles has news for Manchester United fans:
Manchester United made £120million worth of transfer bids to sign Thomas Muller – report
What Giles does it tot up the bids United apparently made for Bayern Munich’s German star Muller – £55m and £65m, according to Bild – and came up with a new story.
It’s a marvellously contrived story that SEOs must admire.
And, accordingly, we can expect more of the same vein. Look out for:
* Chelsea made £76million worth of transfer bids to sign John Stones – report
* Spurs made £62million worth of transfer bids to sign Saido Berahino – report
* *** made *** worth of transfer bids to sign **** **** – report
Easy.
Posted: 24th, September 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Benzema Joins Arsenal Again But For More Money
Transfer balls: the Metro days Arsenal have been “told” to increase their “bid” for Karim Benzema bid.
Told by whom? Sean Kearns writes:
They failed to get him in the summer but Arsene Wenger’s side has been told a significant increase in their bid for Benzema will see the Frenchman ending up at the Emirates.
Kearns links to a second Metro story. So we click. And there we learn:
Gunners could land Benzema if a significant offer is lodged, according to Spanish news outlet Fichajes.
We click again. And on that site we’re told:
The club’s intention is not to leave, but it depends on the offers
The story is, then. that Real Madrid COULD sell Benzema should any club offer them massive sum of money.
Posted: 24th, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comment
Chelsea v Dr Carnerio: Mourinho refused to apologise
As you’re no doubt aware, it was announced yesterday that Dr Eva Carneiro has decided to leave Chelsea some six weeks after being publicly barracked by Jose Mourinho for having the temerity to run onto the pitch to treat an injured (in the most tenuous sense of the word) Eden Hazard.
For her crimes, Dr Carneiro saw her role as club doctor downgraded by Mourinho, as she was told to not attend training sessions, competitive games and/or the Chelsea team hotel in the immediate aftermath.
In the intervening period, Chelsea asked Dr Carniero to return to work but she decided not to while she considered her legal position. Indeed, theGuardian are reporting that she is currently preparing to sue her former employers over her “public humiliation”.
Not that it needed to get to this point. In fact, according to the Evening Standard, Dr Carniero would have been perfectly willing to return to her post had she received a “simple apology” from Mourinho.
The Standard also have word from Anna Kessel, co-founder and chair of the Women in Football, an organisation that has been offering Carniero support and guidance for the past few weeks.
Kessel states that she backed Carniero’s decision to quit and feels that the entire mess surrounding the incident is entirely of Mourinho’s own making.
Doctor Carneiro did nothing wrong. She should have been straight back at work, with an apology from Mourinho and the whole thing would have blown over very quickly.
It’s quite obvious. Doctor Carneiro fulfilled her duties that day. Had she followed Mourinho’s advice and not treated Eden Hazard, she would have been in breach of general medical guidelines. She did the right thing.
She was subsequently demoted by the club and her position became untenable.
How many of us could go back to a lesser job with hugely reduced duties having done nothing wrong and with no apology from the club, no retraction or acknowledgement that a huge error had been made by Mr Mourinho?
Quite so. What a ridiculously unnecessary nonsense this has become, and all due entirely to Mourinho’s unapologetic, nigh-on messianic ego.
Posted: 23rd, September 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Chelsea: Dr Eva Carneiro leaves the club to be with her media career
Farewell, then, Dr Eva Carneiro, who has reportedly left Chelsea. Carneiro was the highest-profile woman in the backroom staff at any Premier League club, joining Chelsea in 2009 and promoted to first-team duties by André Villas-Boas. She is also the only club doctor to have had her name chanted from the stands.
Readers will recall that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was upset when Dr Eva and Jon Fearn, the physiotherapist, ran on the pitch to treat Blues’ winger Eden Hazard, leaving the team with just nine players to defend after Thibaut Courtois’ sending off in the draw with Swansea on August 8.
Mourinho stopped Dr Eva and Fearn’s first-team duties, and banned her from the bench, training sessions and the team hotel.
Carneiro was scheduled to return to work last Friday, but hasn’t yet arrived.
The Gibraltar-born doctor has not worked for the club for six weeks. But Cheslea should hear form her soon because the Times says she’s preparing to take legal action against the club.
Carneiro could yet agree to a severance package that would spare both herself and Chelsea the public glare of a court case, but has been advised that she has a strong case for constructive dismissal as a result of her treatment by José Mourinho… Fearn was also demoted from the first team, but Mourinho has been accused of singling out Carneiro for personal criticism by referring to her gender after the Swansea game. “Even if you are a kit man, doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand the game,” Mourinho said. “You have to know you have one player less and when you go to the pitch to assist a player, you have to make sure your player has a serious injury.”
Fearn has continued to work at Chelsea’s training ground throughout the past six weeks.
Posted: 23rd, September 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Football pundit Jamie Redknapp picks Watford and Norwich to go down and stay up
Jamie Redknapp is the chirping football pundit
Jamie Redknapp, September 20, Daily Mail:
Normally at least one or two of the promoted sides look like relegation candidates. This year I’d hate to pick one out. Watford, Norwich and Bournemouth have all played good football and scored some superb goals…
Jamie Redknapp, August 5, Sky:
Relegation: Sunderland, Norwich and Watford
Why pick one when you’ve already picked two of them?
Posted: 23rd, September 2015 | In: Reviews, Sports | Comment
Liverpool balls: Ings and Coutinho in a Daily Mail hit and glum
You know the routine: the Daily Mail buys some paparazzi photos and then creates a story around them. It’s got some photos of Liverpool footballers driving into the club’s training complex. The man with the long lens gives the Mail a scoop:
Glum-looking Liverpool players check in for training ahead of Carlisle clash as pressure continues to mount on Brendan Rodgers
Photos are captioned:
Liverpool striker Danny Ings, who scored against Norwich, doesn’t look too pleased as he turns up for training
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 23rd, September 2015 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Arsenal balls: Gabriel has red card rescinded, Chelsea docked points?
The Football Association has released the following statement on the Chelsea v Arsenal game that saw the Blues’ whining striker Diego Costa sneak away from a red card and work to get an opponents sent off.:
Arsenal’s claim of wrongful dismissal in relation to Gabriel has been upheld following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing.
The player’s three-match suspension has, therefore, been withdrawn with immediate effect.
Gabriel was dismissed for violent conduct during the game against Chelsea on Saturday [19 September 2015].The player is currently subject to a separate FA charge of improper conduct in relation to Saturday’s game and has until 6pm on Thursday [24 September 2015] to reply.
The game saw Diego Costa get away with it. Chelsea went on to win 2-0. The pivotal moment was Gabriel’s sending off. Surely Chelsea should be docked points?
Posted: 22nd, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Chelsea balls: sneaky Diego Costa’s cheating is all matter of timing
Chelsea’s sneaky striker Diego Costa faces a three-match ban. the FA have charged the snide one with “an alleged act of violent conduct”.
He’s guilty as hello, of course, of shoving his hands and an elbow in Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny’s face? He then scratched the neck of Arsenal’s Gabriel, who reacted badly and got sent off. A three-match ban seems light for Costa, whose antics ruined the game. It’s also lamentable that his club manger, Jose Mourinho, thinks Costa’s antics are worthy of praise.
Writing in the Times, Oliver Kay focuses on Costa’s modus operandi:
Mike Dean, the referee, has been condemned in some quarters for failing to spot what was clear to everyone watching at home, but Costa, when he knows what he is doing, commits his offences so far off the ball that the officials are none the wiser. His attack on Koscielny happened almost as soon as a cross left César Azpilicueta’s boot. Had it gone as planned — and had the cross been better — Koscielny would have been out of the game, or would have taken mistimed retaliatory action, by the time that the officials caught up with play a second later.
He gets away with a lot, not because of the nature of his offences, but because of the way he times them.
Of course , when it comes to being sneaky, Mourinho shows the way:
Posted: 22nd, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Chelsea Balls: Diego Costa charged with violent conduct, Arsenal charged with failing to control players, FA triggers a small forest to die
The FA have slapped their danglies down on the desk this afternoon by chucking disciplinary charges at absolutely everybody involved in Saturday’s ding-dong between Chelsea and Arsenal.
Both Diego Costa and Gabriel Paulista have been charged with violent conduct, while both Chelsea and Arsenal have been charged with a failure to control their players.
Link to the FA statement is here…
All parties have until Thursday, 24th September to respond.
The FA statement in full:
Following the game between Chelsea and Arsenal on Saturday [19 September 2015], The FA has taken the following disciplinary action.
Diego Costa has been charged for an alleged act of violent conduct which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video. The Chelsea forward was involved in an incident with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny in the 43rd minute of the game. He has until 6pm tomorrow [Tuesday 22 September 2015] to reply.
Off the ball incidents which are not seen at the time by the match officials are referred to a panel of three former elite referees. Each referee panel member will review the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they consider it a sending-off offence. For retrospective action to be taken, and an FA charge to follow, the decision by the panel must be unanimous.
Arsenal defender Gabriel has been charged with improper conduct for his behaviour following his dismissal, whilst team-mate Santi Cazorla has been warned for his behaviour following his sending off.
Finally, both clubs have been charged for failing to control their players under FA Rule E20.
Both clubs and Gabriel have until 6pm on Thursday [24 September 2015] to reply.
The amount of paperworks should signal the end of small forest. And it should keep the bloated FA nice and busy.
Posted: 21st, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Chelsea Balls: Diego costa ‘likes to cheat’ says Kut Zouma
Kurt Zouma has come out in support of his much-maligned Chelsea teammate Diego Costa as the fallout from the striker’s contentious performance in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Arsenal continues to…well, fall out.
Althought, when we say “comes out in support”, what we actually mean is “inadvertently admonish as a cheat”.
Footage of Zouma’s post-match interview with BeIN Sport is currently being stripped from Youtube like wanno, but thankfully Eurosport were quick off the mark in the transcribing stakes.
It begins with BeIN Sports reporter Carrie Brown asking Zouma: “Of course Arsenal will feel hard done-by, they will claim you should have had a player sent-off in Diego Costa but this is a player that’s famed for riling other players isn’t it? Are you surprised that they reacted in this way?”
To which the Chelsea defender duly replies:
No, we’re not surprised because we know Diego. Everyone knows Diego and this guy likes to cheat a lot and put the opponent out of his game.
That happened in the (Arsenal) game but he’s a really nice guy. We’re proud to have him, like the other players, and we’re happy to win this game today.
Costa is currently waiting to hear from the FA disciplinary commission as to whether he will face retrospective punishment for his conduct against Arsenal.
We’d advise Kurt Zouma to keep his character reference to himself in the mean time.
Posted: 21st, September 2015 | In: Chelsea, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Arsenal Balls: photos prove Chelsea’s Diego Costa scratched Gabriel
Diego Costa was not sent off during Chelsea’s game against Arsenal. But he should have been.
Posted: 20th, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Liverpool pay Balotelli £60,000 a week, Manchester United want Pep, Benzema wanted Arsenal who want Konate
Transfer balls: a look at football transfer news in the media.
The Star on Sunday says Chelsea will bid £20m bid Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama, 24, this January.
The Sunday Mirror says Manchester United are looking at Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola as a replacement for Louis van Gaal.
The Sun says Man United are considering a £15million move for West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell.
Chelsea and Arsenal are both chasing Senegal striker Moussa Konate, 22, who plays for Sion in Switzerland, says The People. That takes the number of striker’s linked to Arsenal to the 100 mark. Make that 101 because the Star on Sunday says Arsenal also want Marseille’s Belgium international Michy Batshuayi, 21. And add Jonathan Calleri to the list because the Metro say Arsenal are “monitoring” him.
Anyone else?
The Metro says Karim Benzema wanted to join Arsenal but was prevented from doing so.
The People says Mario Balotelli, 25, could cost Liverpool £30m. He’s on loan at AC Milan:
Sources in Italy have suggested Liverpool are coughing up over £60,000-a-week to service the cost of a player who has been little short of a disaster at Anfield, scoring just once for them in the Premier League.
Along with writing off a £16m transfer fee, the club has also failed to elicit any loan payment for a player who is playing for the Rossoneri under the penalty of severe punishment if he steps out of line. That has left them footing a huge chunk of the bill for a player who was asked to take a salary cut to leave.
Madness.
Back Pages: Mourinho to PSG, Chelsea cheat and prosper, Arsenal cry foul
Can it be that Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho is leaving the club? The Express leads with news that PSG want Mourinho at Paris. There is no sign that he will go but the paper says interest from the French champions offers the aggravating Portuguese an “escape“.
The Telegraph leads with Mourinho “goading” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger following yesterday’s match, which ended 2-0 in Chelsea’s favour, thanks in no small part to the “disgusting” antics of Blues striker Diego Costa, of whom the Sun asks, “Is Costa dirtiest player in the Prem“.
The Express also zooms in on Costa, showing the player apparently dragging his nails and fist over the face of Laurent Koscielny. The news is that Wenger has called for Costa to be “banned“, which he hasn’t done.
What he said was:
“I wouldn’t like to be [referee] Mike Dean tonight because I cannot understand the situations. Twice he [Costa] should have been sent off.
“Look at the situation well before the cross comes in, he hits him [Laurent Koscielny] in the face on purpose. He makes a fuss of it. In every game there is aggravation but he gets away with it because of the weakness of the referee.
“We are guilty because we gave in on that and responded to it. We knew before the game that he was only looking for that and when he touches him he goes down like he has been killed.”
As for Mourinho goading Wenger, well not really. Sure the Chelsea manager issues his usual sleights and bitchy remarks but anyone still wound up by him needs to get over it and just wonder at how a 52-year-old can be petulant:
“I played my first derby as manager in September 2000 and I remember my words to my players. To win the derby – emotional control. I always repeat the same words before derbies. For me it was a fantastic performance [from Costa]. He played the game like the game has to be played. He’s fast, he’s aggressive and he’s good to recover the ball and offers us different qualities.”
The Guardian sums up:
… there is not a great deal to admire about Costa’s behaviour when he resorts to these levels of snideness and, unless Mourinho can tell us otherwise, there seems to be absolutely no desire within the club for him to change.
Blame Mourinho for Costa’s gamesmanship? Or just blame the referee for allowing it to go on?
Posted: 20th, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Chelsea v Arsenal Balls: French TV viewers and Garth Crooks vote Mike Dean man of the match
Mike Dean man of the match arsenal
Premier League referee Mike Dean was voted Man of The Match for his performance officiating the Chelsea v Arsenal match. Dean became star of the show for sending off Arsenal’s for what is technically termed ‘something of nothing’.
Canal+ viewers named Dean their man of the match.
And Garth Crooks agreed:
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho opted for Diego Costa, the player Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger called “disgusting”.
Posted: 19th, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Pravda Blues: Chelsea website report ignores Diego Costa’s snide skulduggery
Chelsea striker Diego Costa should have been sent off before Arsenal lost Gabriel for reacting during the Premier League today.
Let’s see what the infamously monocular official Chelsea website says about Costa. But first a few other source to provide context:
The most squalid part of the little exchange that ended Gabriel’s involvement is that we know enough about Costa’s skulduggery to say for sure that he will probably reflect on what happened as good play. Costa spends so long trying to pick arguments with opponents his credo seems to be that eventually someone will take the bait. More fool Gabriel that he was the one. Yet there is not a great deal to admire about Costa’s behaviour when he resorts to these levels of snideness and, unless Mourinho can tell us otherwise, there seems to be absolutely no desire within the club for him to change.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 19th, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Video: Watch Chelsea’s ‘cheating’ Diego Costa elbow Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny and get away with it
Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0 thanks in no small part to dire refereeing that saw Diego Costa some how escape a red card.
Costa was shown a yellow by referee Mike Dean for clambering and slapping Laurent Koscielny. He then whined to Dein that Gabriel – whom he appeared to scratch – had trodden on his toe. So Gabriel was sent off.
Pathetic.
.
Posted: 19th, September 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Reviews, Sports | Comment
