Midweek musings

For the first time in a long time, European football kicks off in earnest with no Arsenal involvement. So with nothing Arsenal-centric to discuss, here are some of my thoughts on other topics in the world of football at the moment:

Rough justice

I found myself watching the second half of Everton v Burnley last night. From what I could gather the first half hadn't been up to much and the second half hadn't started much better. But then, on 50 minutes, with  the game deadlocked at 0-0, James Tarkowski came steaming over to the left hand corner and ploughed straight through Richarlison, taking a little of the ball and all of the man. He escaped with no punishment. Not so much as a free kick.  Even Andy Hinchcliffe, the notorious old schooler, on commentary said that even though Tarkowski got the ball, that doesn't mean it is a good tackle.

A couple of things irked me about the challenge. The first thing , and the same point that many an Arsenal fan jumped to on social media, was "if Xhaka did that it's a guaranteed red card", and it's hard not to think that. I know as Arsenal fans we will have a certain amount of bias, but it does seem that with these sorts of challenges we are judged much more harshly. Maybe it's just my perception, I don't know, but these season alone we have seen Burnley get away with the tackle from Tarkowski last night, several Rugby tackles against Liverpool (which Klopp was criticised for complaining about), and a ludicrous flying lunge from Ashley Barnes against Leeds just one day after Xhaka was sent off against Man City. You can't help but feel that with the Swiss international his reputation, deserved or not, proceeds him, but with the Burnley boys it is just a case of "good honest English lads playing old school football". There really is no consistency.

The second issue I have is how the player on the receiving end is addressed in the media. As luck would have it, we travel to Burnley on Saturday, and you can guarantee that if that tackle was to be put in on Nicolas Pepe for example, then it would be a case of "typical soft Arsenal, don't like it up 'em", rather than criticising the tackler. Now, I realise that I'm complaining about a hypothetical that hasn't even happened yet, but you can all but guarantee that it will. It's Burnley. It's Turf Moor. It's Sean Dyche. But the media narrative that Arsenal are soft and can't handle a tackle is ludicrous and frankly dangerous. There's no doubt in my mind that this seeps through in to referees psyche and impacts the decisions referees make towards us. It's even more frustrating when we get what we perceive to be harsh red cards for seemingly innocuous, or certainly not red card worthy, challenges. Again, all we want to see is a bit of consistency. In this VAR ridden world we now live in, is that too much to ask?

Tell me what makes a fan

Following the win over Norwich on Saturday, a video cropped up on Twitter of a fan visiting the Emirates for the first time and getting emotional as he stepped out from the concourse and saw the green of the carpet in person for the first time. Good wholesome content you might think, and so did Arsenal, who retweeted the video from the official account.

You would think such harmless content as this the day after a win would unite the fanbase somewhat. Unfortunately, this is no ordinary fanbase, and what started off as a nice video of someone fulfilling their dream of seeing a game at the home of the club they love managed to turn in to a debate about what constitutes a fan, and even who has the right to blog or record a podcast about Arsenal (spoiler alert: if you haven't been to a game, it's not you).

I find it hard to believe that in 2021, when the game is bigger than it has ever been and reaches more people than it has ever reached, someone living in London still feels the need to tell someone living in Singapore, or Seattle, or Sao Paolo, or wherever, that they are less of a fan because they aren't from there, or that they aren't as committed to the club as they are, because they've never got up at 4am to travel to an away game.

I'm not from Islington. But I have supported Arsenal since I was a child. I never got to go to Highbury, and I can't go to as many games as I would like because you know what, it's bloody expensive! Am I jealous of fans who are season ticket holders, who can afford to go to ever away game, every trip abroad when we are in Europe? You bet I am. But I don't think I am less of a fan. Here's the thing: everyone has a different situation, be it living, financial, social. Some people are more fortunate than others. It's just a fact. But in my humble opinion, that does not give them the right to insult a fan from the other side of the world who gets up in the middle of the night every week not knowing what they are going to get from Arsenal. That is a special kind of loyalty all on its own, add to that the money they spend on merchandise and numerous other ways they support the club, then as far as I am concerned they are just as much of, if not more than a fan, than those who were hoping we would lose to Norwich on the off chance Mikel Arteta might get sacked.

Vieira. Wooaahh

Final bit from me is an extra shout out to Arsenal Invincible Patrick Vieira, who got his first win as a Premier League manager on Saturday lunchtime against Sp*rs. I'm sure all Gooners, myself included, were keeping tabs on the Palace game before our own, knowing that the expected win for them lot down the lane would put them 12 points ahead of Arsenal, and heap even more pressure on ahead of our own game.

But there is one thing that Patrick doesn't do, and that is lose to Sp*rs!. He orchestrated a 3-0 drubbing that triggered a plummet down the table for Totnum over the weekend. The effects of that win were felt all through the win over Norwich, with the crowd regularly bursting in to rounds of the Vieira chant. It helped contributed to a fantastic atmosphere and that in turn contributed to our first victory.

Palace come to the Emirates in a couple of weeks time on a Monday night. I'm sure the crowd will be in full voice for the club legend again.