(19-10-2026, 08:45 AM)optimistic_red Wrote: My biggest feeling from the ground is all to do with the bias the big teams seem to get. Not sure if it was enough yesterday to change the outcome, but we are already at a big disadvantage the officials don't need to help them more.

I haven't watched the game back or the highlights, so these are memories from the ground.
Williams yellow card (Gives Saka option to go at Williams all game - good job he bottled it)
Fouls 14 - 8 (it was a very even game on all the stats, same challenge appears to result in no foul for us but foul for them)
Ndoye offside (sitting in a good position in ground and it looked very close)
2nd half Injury time (3 sub breaks, goal, stoppage for Ndoye/Gabriel heads injury)
Made up foul on last corner

So, if I forget all of that, it was a good performance from the team. We have to fix the goalscoring problem, and if we do I think we'll be alright.

(19-10-2026, 11:03 AM)Sniffer Dog (Admin) Wrote: Very disappointing corners yesterday.

Their keeper claimed everything.

Did it not cross anyones mind to put a man in front of the keeper to block him or at least make it more difficult for him.

Teams do it to us all the time.

(19-10-2026, 11:04 AM)JohnG Wrote: The way I have referred to it in the past is a "big 6 tax". It's not necessarily big decisions and conscious, but it's the soft ones that are given one way but not so much the other. The yellow on Williams looked soft, and as always players go down with minimal contact, it becomes hard to get a flow going in attack sometimes. The fact that Arsenal had two fouls equal or worse than Williams given, but no card just adds more weight to it.

There was a moment late on when Arsenal had an attacking free kick, went to take it quickly and hit it straight to one of our players. And the ref took it back, so they took it properly and crossed it into the box, thankfully nothing came of it.

As said, 3 minutes of added time was just a joke, doesn't cover all the subs and their goal let alone anything else.

(19-10-2026, 12:45 PM)Paplane Wrote:

(19-10-2026, 11:04 AM)JohnG Wrote: The way I have referred to it in the past is a "big 6 tax". It's not necessarily big decisions and conscious, but it's the soft ones that are given one way but not so much the other. The yellow on Williams looked soft, and as always players go down with minimal contact, it becomes hard to get a flow going in attack sometimes. The fact that Arsenal had two fouls equal or worse than Williams given, but no card just adds more weight to it.

There was a moment late on when Arsenal had an attacking free kick, went to take it quickly and hit it straight to one of our players. And the ref took it back, so they took it properly and crossed it into the box, thankfully nothing came of it.

As said, 3 minutes of added time was just a joke, doesn't cover all the subs and their goal let alone anything else.

You're absolutely right. There were countless little fouls and situations that were going Arsenal's way yesterday and you've mentioned a few there. It was very noticeable as I was watching it at home on TV. I was also getting a little frustrated with the sky co-commentator Alan Smith brushing off a few incidents as 'obviously no malice intended' when these were committed by Arsenal players. One was a wild fling of the elbow into Ndoy's head (think it was). I'm pretty sure the VAR would have had a look in any other game other that v a big 6 opponent. Then there was the Ndoye 'offside' which was flagged mid play. When does anything get flagged these days and play stopped? Hardly ever. 

I'm not sure this bias is applied deliberately, it's just a mindset thing. It's like they're conditioned to believe that they're there to officiate/commentate on Arsenal primarily and every decision / comment made is done through an Arsenal lens.  It's the worst thing about the premier league and four years in it's still there and I hate it.