Don't know much about this guy Mark Halsey. See what the rest have to say. Should be a great match no matter what though. I would love to see the kids take it to SAF in OT! http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=316655&cc=5901
When I saw this last night it made me a little sick to my stomach. It could have been worse (Mike Riley), but Halsey doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
Halsey is not a good ref for us. After Riley it's Halsey,Bennett and D'urso who we don't want reffing any Arsenal games - all Manu biased. Halsey reffed the Fulham v Arsenal game earlier in the season when he gave a dodgy penalty to Fulham only to change his mind when the Refs assistant put him straight (he probably thought that he couldn't get away with yet another dodgy decision against us). He then denied us two clear cut penalties before ruling a Fulham goal out for a push (I suppose even he has to give us at least one decision a season). He also sent Sol off against Manu the season before last for an apparent 'elbow'. The worst decision of the lot though was against Spu*s a few years ago when he gave a penalty against us for a Spu*s player running into Seamen in the penalty area when the ball had already gone out of play. He also reffed the glorious Championship clincher at Shite Hart Lane last year (another dodgy penalty). There is more but that will do for now.
What is wrong with the FA that they can't recognize the pitiful state of refereeing in the EPL and do something about it? All these ManU fans in black shirts just brings the league more and more trouble.
ohhhhh MR. MANYOO.... we have to complain about something right, we are the arsenal.. lol halsey, ehhh... i think i remember him sending off vieira erroneously (sp?) a time before.. i like that newbie ref actually, wish i could remember his name tho....
Its this whole thing you guys have gotten into... its never your fault when you lose a match, its always the ref. I respect coach and thought that he would not have been one to fan the flames because that kind of thinking is not healthy.
Hey, I'm not pinning blame for a loss on the ref. Far from it. I'd just like to see someone of higher quality put in for any ManU/Arsenal match (and, yes, Motter, I know it's the CC. In the grand scheme of things it's not a huge prize). I'm sure all the ManU fans would want the absolute best official as well. Before the season started there was some talk about bringing in some top foreign officials (Colina was mentioned as he has turned 45, manual retirement in Italy, and could still ref in the Prem for another 3 years). With as many internationals as both clubs have they all respect Colina, but he's still a "new" official and, as the saying goes, "Familiarity breeds contempt". Why do you think Arsenal and ManU hate each other so much? Because they normally see each other at least 3 times a year with the League and the FA Cup. Now, we're drawn together in the Carling Cup. That's at least 4 matches between the clubs this year, and should we meet in the FA Cup and along the road in the CL, Arsenal will have played ManU 6 times this year, and should this come to pass then the ManU/Arsenal rivalry will hit heights we've never seen before.
and whether you mean it or not, that's exactly what I was refering to. I understand wanting the best possible ref for each match. However, unless you really think that we actually bribe these refs, or that they wear Cantona, Giggs, Keane and Best shirts when they are not working then you cant expect the game to be called poorly. The fact is that in football as in life you see mostly what you are looking for. If you concentrate on the ref then that's all you are going to see, mistakes or mishaps and construe them as malicious or whatever - poor Reyes is either a complete @sshole or has been wound up too tightly by Wenger as it appears he honestly thinks we are villains...
just expect it to go both ways... i rarely if ever even think about the official until i see poor calls, OR CALLS THAT JUST DONT GO ARSENAL'S WAY.. .LOL~~
I'd settle for a reasonable ref for any match. Say what you will, the last match was tainted by poor officiating. Would ManU have won anyway? Perhaps, but because of the overriding influence of a few poor decisions we will never know. Did they win. Yes, and you don't see many people whining about it anymore. The point as I see it is that when you have two very fast, very talented, and very agressive teams you need a ref that can handle the situation. Riley didn't handle it well, those of us who folow the EPL officials don't believe Halsey is up to the task either. My point in my post above is that the general state of officiating in the EPL is poor. The development of referees has not kept up with the development of the players. Perhaps it would help to have ex-players as officials. Perhaps it would help to have video review with a time limit on possible game-changing calls like PKs where the referee is shielded. Perhaps a second on-the-field official is needed. I don't claim to have the perfect answer, but I do know that a lot of games, particularly between the elite clubs, seem to be victimized by officiating errors.
Yeah, don't hear any of you complaining about the officiating after the spurs game though... not a whole new thread neway. Everyone wants a reasonable ref... everyone. If you would rather win dirty than lose then you suck, and I don't think there are that many people like that on these boards. The fact is that any mistakes in games between elite teams get magnified, who complains about that Crystal Palace v Norwich game and how poorly it was called? The point I was trying to make is that if you get caught complaining too often you get into the habit of blaming your losses on the ref instead of what the team did wrong.
Not sure what you're going on about here. Are you talking about the most recent match against Spurs or the title-clinching match last year? Umm, okay. I distinctly recall at some point last year, YOU indulging acronym in one of his "the FA is biased for Arsenal and screws United" threads. When I asked you about it you said it was just "venting" and supporters should be able to vent in their own forums. So what's different about this? Also, as others have said....one can complain that a match was poorly officiated without saying it's the reason one's team lost....or at least most of us can make such a distinction.
I've seen that game twice and I saw no egregious or game-changing missed calls, nor did the announcers comment on it, unlike in some other games I could name. What are you referring to?
Its NO different from your lot citing that the FA is biased against you... we all do it dont we now...
Heck now that i think about it the only ppl who aren't baised against ManU are ManU fans and Spurs fans, and thats just because they hate us more!
By your reasoning, mtkill, every official in the Prem is just as competent as any other, and we know that not to be true. Some officials are simply better officials, and the ref for any ManU/Arsenal match needs to be one who can take control of the game right at the get go and not sit back and let the clubs "play their game". Everytime that happens, the tackles get rougher and by the time the ref has shown the first yellow the tone is already set and there is no going back. Also, if every official was the same, why do they have a ranking system for officials? Color me the same as topcatcole: A reasonably competent official shouldn't be too much to ask.
Bribe the Refs - yes that thought has crossed my mind. I think Mike Riley definitely has the full set of MU shirts. Still as it's only a CC match with both sets of teams playing reserves I'm sure Halsey will ref it quite fairly. I would however be really worried if he was to again ref the League match at Highbury in February.
Can't say I'm excited by the thought of Halsey as the referee of this match, but I guess at least it's only a Carling Cup match. Hopefully we'll get somebody better for big FA Cup and such games. But I've been saying that for years and we often seem to get the poorer end of the lot, so I'm not confident.