1 hour ago, Scott Harris said:

I've seen the Chelsea Twitter account, and trust me, it's heading down the same road. All of these social media accounts are a bit cringe.

Yea, they’re definitely edging closer, suppose we will know for sure when/if we get into winning positions like this again.

Arse fans are their own worst PR, their official channels went from handing cease and desist letters to arsenal fan tv, to actually just becoming a polished version of them.

45 minutes ago, OneTommyLangley said:

Every chance with Spuds

On an artificial pitch too. Mind you it did not bother us.

If they can fc uk up they will

17 hours ago, 2211 said:

Arteta said Arsenal was the best team in the Champions League this season.

The man is delusional and insufferable.

And long may it continue. Last thing we'd need Arsenal to have is a manager upgrade !

I decided to watch Fiorentina v Real Betis tonight. Didn't see anything particularly special from either team to be honest. Going into extra time as I write this.

Funny how even big Ange abandoned his much vaunted style to take just 31% possession tonight and counter attacked his way to a final.feeling the heat there much?

Would be horrendous if that blow hard Big Ange can say to everyone "I told you so" about always winning a trophy in his second season.

5 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Would be horrendous if that blow hard Big Ange can say to everyone "I told you so" about always winning a trophy in his second season.

Can see that happening to be honest.

And as much as I hate Spurs, I would be kinda pleased for him. He has been a comical figure at times and hasn't done himself favours with some of the stuff he's said, but he also does talk a lot of sense and is a very honest and passionate bloke. Would be fitting if he wins it and then walks away.

Mason Mount take a bow for last night, though hope he has an off-day when we play them.

4 hours ago, Nibs said:

Can see that happening to be honest.

And as much as I hate Spurs, I would be kinda pleased for him. He has been a comical figure at times and hasn't done himself favours with some of the stuff he's said, but he also does talk a lot of sense and is a very honest and passionate bloke. Would be fitting if he wins it and then walks away.

Aye it would be... but it would rob us of the joy of laughing at Spurs...for a little while.

5 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Aye it would be... but it would rob us of the joy of laughing at Spurs...for a little while.

Can just laugh at Arsenal then.

A London club winning the FA Cup, Europa League, and Conference League.

They can't take one step out of their homes.

1 hour ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Can just laugh at Arsenal then.

A London club winning the FA Cup, Europa League, and Conference League.

They can't take one step out of their homes.

That does require Palace beating City. Tough ask.

On 07/05/2025 at 01:19, axman2526 said:

Random stat.

Apparently Arsenal have never lost a match in France on a Wednesday....

Very random stat that thankfully didn't survive more than a few hours.

On 07/05/2025 at 21:26, Scott Harris said:

I hate Arsenal, but that's an absurd decision. It doesn't have any impact on the direction of the ball at all.

It was harsh but I don't see how your second sentence bears any relation to the wording of the current handball law.

I also don't get why refs based in mainland Europe seem to follow different guidelines on what constitutes handball.

1 minute ago, Backbiter said:

It was harsh but I don't see how your second sentence bears any relation to the wording of the current handball law.

I also don't get why refs based in mainland Europe seem to follow different guidelines on what constitutes handball.

UEFA has a different law I believe in what constitutes a player’s natural silhouette.

Europe's handball laws are the worst I have seen. It can touch your hand, have zero impact on the trajectory of ball, be zero threat to actually stopping a shot on goal or even reaching a player with a pass, and they will still give a penalty.

I really don't understand why the handball rule is so hard to get right. If it's intentional, give a penalty. If you take a shot that is going to either end up in the net or force a keeper into a save and it's stopped by somebody's hand, then give a penalty. If you attempt a pass to a teammate in a goal scoring position and it's stopped by a defenders hand, give a penalty.

All of this natural or unnatural body position stuff is rubbish. People that say that haven't actually played a lot of football. We've been seeing players put their hands behind their back when trying to block a shot or cross because they are afraid of giving away a penalty, but how can that be classed as a natural body position? Also, stop the slow-mo replays. Everything looks worse when slowed down.

3 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

UEFA has a different law I believe in what constitutes a player’s natural silhouette.

I looked up the guidelines for both UEFA and the FA

Here's the UEFA wording:

Unnatural Body Size:

A player's hand/arm is considered to be in an unnatural position if it's not a natural consequence of their body movement in the specific situation.

If a player has their arm out of the way of the ball, but it still makes contact, it can be considered a penalty if the referee deems their body shape was unnaturally large.

here's the FA handball rule regarding 'body size':

A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised

While the wording is slightly different, there is no real difference at all. They both say an outstretched arm can be penalised if the ref considers it not a natural consequence of their body movement.

Both UEFA and the FA give room for the ref's discretion (UEFA: If it still makes contact, it can be considered a penalty. FA: the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised.

Having read both guidelines, I still do not understand why there is any divergence in interpretation between FA refs and UEFA refs.

Regarding the Arsenal pen, the arm was away from his body so I can understand why it was given. I would never argue that it was intentional, and under the old guidelines (was it deliberate or accidental?) it would never have been penalised, but with the law as it stands it was not really a wrong decision. I've seen worse.

Edited May 9, 20251 yr by Backbiter

15 hours ago, Backbiter said:

I looked up the guidelines for both UEFA and the FA

Here's the UEFA wording:

here's the FA handball rule regarding 'body size':

While the wording is slightly different, there is no real difference at all. They both say an outstretched arm can be penalised if the ref considers it not a natural consequence of their body movement.

Both UEFA and the FA give room for the ref's discretion (UEFA: If it still makes contact, it can be considered a penalty. FA: the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised.

Having read both guidelines, I still do not understand why there is any divergence in interpretation between FA refs and UEFA refs.

Regarding the Arsenal pen, the arm was away from his body so I can understand why it was given. I would never argue that it was intentional, and under the old guidelines (was it deliberate or accidental?) it would never have been penalised, but with the law as it stands it was not really a wrong decision. I've seen worse.

Nor me. But clearly UEFA refs are directed to overlook the "can" aspect of the discretion advice. Hand = penalty. The FA, on the other hand, applies a common sense approach. The disparity is ridiculous.

Tuned in late, but a suspicious amount of extra time for City given here, to make sure they get their goal.

Just now, Term_X said:

Tuned in late, but a suspicious amount of extra time for City given here, to make sure they get their goal.

I've been biting my tongue for about half an hour over the worry of jinxing it. If City score, I'm blaming you for mentioning it.

Edit: Okay, so it wouldn't technically be a jinx if City do score because it's what you expect but still.

Edited May 10, 20251 yr by AlexTommo

Ok you're off the hook.

Crazy result that, actually embarrassing for City to not be winning that. Southampton are f**king awful.

Win tomorrow and we're 3rd.

And the Saints go marching on !

Southampton officially not the worst team in PL history LOL