Arsenal buying a defender, diving bias, and more on twitter

I’m working on a larger piece for tomorrow which details Howard Webb’s complete record when refereeing a top four team so, just some quick thoughts on today’s news stories and some follow up on yesterday’s piece about players using twitter.

Buy buy buy

Wenger did the thing that he always does in the transfer window and has everyone thinking that he might buy owing to injury to Squillaci and Vermaelen.

The usual names are cropping up at the moment (Metersaker, Cahill, and Jagielka) and any of those will fit technically into Arsenal’s system.

I’ve changed my mind after watching several games and Cahill is the player I’d prefer as he is good with the ball, English, and a rock for Bolton, often winning all the aerial battles over 6’6″ teammate Zat Knight. If Cahill comes to Arsenal and does what everyone thinks he can, he could find himself with a nice pay raise, Champions League football, and a guaranteed place on the National team.

David Moyes confirmed that Arsenal bid on Jagielka this Summer so I don’t see us getting him unless we are willing to pay more now than we were a few months ago. Knowing Wenger, that will never happen.

Also knowing Wenger, I’m sure he’s looking around for a good deal but I wouldn’t be at all surprised is he didn’t buy anything. Remember when he said we might buy a center forward and then played Arshavin there instead?

Good times.

Welcome back, Titi

It’s being widely misreported that Theirry Henry is either signing for Arsenal or stepping in to be Arsenal’s “striker coach.” I’m going to trust Young Guns on this one: Henry has been given permission to use our facilities, like Pires and Campbell before him. Still, having him around can’t be anything but positive for our young players like Walcott.

Diving Bias

Remember when Eduardo won a penalty in a game against Celtic and the Daily Mail started their “anti-diving” campaign? Remember when the Daily Mail then got out the pitchforks and torches for Berbatov’s dive against Liverpool?

Oh wait, no they didn’t. In fact, searching their football front page only turns up one article using the word “dive” and, predictably, it’s about Theo Walcott. I don’t know if their bias could be any clearer.

In fact, Berbatov is a serial diver who has been shamed by them before, so you’d think that they would just trot out their old articles and really lay into him but they don’t.

If you need further proof that the Daily Mail are sanitizing the incident, one of their regular columnists, Graham Poll, says the penalty shouldn’t have been given but not because it was a dive (he claims there was contact) but because he thinks he saw some hesitation in Howard Webb and as such the benefit of the doubt should go to the defender. Incredible stuff.

Meanwhile, the FA have taken action against all videos of the incident on YouTube in their effort to wipe out any record of anything that makes their referees or players look bad. Don’t worry, I have a source and I’ll be making an animated gif of the dive for tomorrow.

More on (moron?) twitter

Tick tock. Only matter of time before PFA/clubs issue edict on what players can say on Twitter. Pity. Babel OTT but most tweets enlightening. — Henry Winter via his twitter.

I just want to make something very clear. I’m not on some personal vendetta to put these players back into their bubble. I love twitters from Jack Wilshere, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, and even Kevin Davies. These players are using this social media to connect with their fans in ways that are reminiscent of the good old days when you could meet a player at the local pub.

I also understand that when Szczesny rips into Howard Webb it validates a lot of fans view of the game and makes you feel more connected to them. But there’s a lot of really negative things that can happen by doing this publicly.

Referees like Webb are human and could bear a grudge against Szczesny. Next time he referees Arsenal v. Stoke and Szczesny’s in the goal do you think he’s going to give the Arsenal keeper a break from the Huth and Shawcross argy-bargy? Judging by his record, I don’t.

What about the other referees in the League, will they back their fellow professional and start calling games against Arsenal? I would like to think that none of that would happen, but I’ve seen it against the Dallas Mavericks. There are too many subtle things a referee can do to influence a game, an “advantage” here, a free kick there that it’s just not worth the risk.

That said, it’s a moot point because as Henry Winter points out and I have confirmed via Arsenal director of communications, new rules are coming and players will probably not be allowed to talk about refereeing decisions and the like. They’ll have to talk about something else, like how they can’t work a toaster which I rather enjoy.

Call me old fashioned I guess.

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