Arsenal players going after Ruud -- lots of pushing and bumping. Lip readers can see "*#*#*#*#*#" among other things being said. Unbelievable. Tim may have had one save? Don't really remember him having to do much of anything.
Full time whistle goes, and Keown among others get right into RVN's face. As RVN is trying to get away, pushing and shoving, and both Keown and I believe Parlour landed "blows" (punches, not exactly) on RVN.
Celebrating right in the face of the person who missed a penalty 2 minutes earlier. Bush league. Will likely be repurcussions. And Aresenal wonder why they have a bad reputation with the refs.
No saves for Tim, Arsenal had no shots on goal whatsoever, Lehmann definetly the busy man. Something is missing from the Man U side and i'm not sure what that is, maybe Beckham ? or Scholes...i'm just happy for TiHo
Arsenal never threatened this game. ManU should have done better but they never quite got the good shot in the end. RVN did not seem to have a good game. Even before the missed penalty he had a few bad touches that set him back or created problems with a shot. That said, Arsenal need to step up and show some class or they will continue to see cards. This needs to start from the top and Wenger needs to establish some control over his players. Though I'm sure he didn't see anything.
I think they miss Scholes more than Beckham. Ruud also needs to get back on his game. Normally it wouldn't be so vital that a single striker play well but ManU really has nobody else up front. Say what you will about Ronaldo's potential, he's 18, hasn't scored yet, and will not take the pressure off Ruud. When the transfer market opens up, they need to get at least 1 striker (maybe 2) as Bellion is not the answer anytime soon.
Bellion played in mop up time during the Wolverampton game but that may be it. Since he hasn't made other appearances, but has featured in the reserves, I'm assuming that means he's not up to the challenge of first team play right now. He also played during the preseason tour and while he played well in one game (Celtic maybe?) he didn't impress terribly. Comments attributed to him are: fast but marginal talent
I don't know what the precendence is for things like what happened at the end of the match. I'm assuming some video will come into play. Irregardless of what the FA does the behaviour by Keown, Cole, and Lauren (or was it Toure; sorry, I'm used to their names not faces) was beyond lacking class. I really do not have any respect for them or Viera. And it has nothing to do with the team they are on, just the way they behaved. If a player does that same stuff during the match after scoring a goal, technically he gets a yellow. And surely the FA would fine or suspend him for that. I hope they take that into consideration. I can understand their frustration but not their reaction. More so, I don't agree with their frustration. Viera attampted to kick a player (RVN) which could be a straight red in itself. Ya, he got fouled in a clumsy way. But so did Ljungberg when Ronaldo took a late crack at him. RC got his just caution and they shook hands. If Viera does nothing, RVN gets his deserved yellow and the game goes on. INstead not only does Viera get his 2nd yellow of the match but he takes a crack at RVN after the failed kick and likely says some silly things to the ref that will likely all go into the match report. Arse needs Viera more than any other player. Henry can put them in it but w/out Viera they struggle.
It's not too early to discuss precedents, speculate, etc. Nor is it too early for a poster who lives to make fun of others and rarely comments on the sport (hey, Mike, did you know you can't use your hands in soccer?) to be a jackass.
Reporter: "Arsene, the television pictures suggest that atleast two of your players pushed RVD after the final whistle, did you see that?" Can you guess the answer? http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/audio/39363000/rm/_39363850_sport_wenger.ram
As an American, it strikes me as very, very, very strange that most-game press conferences revolve so much around the referee's decision. What the hell difference does it make what Wenger thought about some call or other? Is the referee going to change his mind if Wenger makes a good argument? Same with this. The FA is gonna decide what they're gonna decide. One of the things I like about Wenger is that he doesn't play that silly game. It's also weird that people criticize Wenger for not playing the game. And it's not just Tree, it's the vast majority of posters I see here comment on it. I wish Championship Manager was a real game; I'd answer the questions even better than Arsene. "What difference does it make whether I thought the PK was justified or not?"
When the hell did I ever say ANYTHING about Wenger "not playing the game" ?? If anything, I am STOKED about Arsenal's draw. Anytime ManUre doesnt win, my day is much better off. Lay off the crack pipe Dave. It's bad for you.