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Arsenal behind Chelsea on cards
Written by Sawyer | 16th July 2006 | 3 Comment(s)
Chelsea normally comes out on top in most things these days, but the club won't be too proud of the fact that their players attracted the most bookings of the Premiership clubs involved during Germany 2006.
There were an unprecedented 323 yellow cards dished out in total and 27 reds with Premiership players responsible for 47 and just the one ‘infamous' red, which by-and-large isn't too bad considering the regularity of a card's production.
Evidently the referees were under instructions from Sepp Blatter and FIFA, but their ideas of eradicating diving and cheating only confused most of the officials as the tournament progressed.
None were more confused than England's Graham Poll, but considering the amount of petty yellows delivered for fouls when similar incidents went unpunished only a few minutes later, maybe the much ridiculed ref has stumbled across a solution that may keep all eleven players on the pitch during the present climate?
Arsenal was the second most offensive team with eight cautions, but it should be remembered that both The Gunners and Chelsea were the two clubs that provided the most players for the tournament from all the clubs over the World.
Only one of Arsenal's sixteen representatives (Theo Walcott) didn't see any action while Wayne Bridge was the only Chelsea star from their fifteen not to make an appearance.
The antics of some of the players at the World Cup has only gone to prove how difficult it is for referees to differentiate between simulation and a player genuinely losing his balance.
Cristiano Ronaldo's theatrics in the semi-final with France were laughable, but even the normally sporting Thierry Henry managed to damage his face when elbowed in the chest in an earlier match.
There is no point England fans thinking all the cheating is the fault of the foreigners, as Michael Owen clearly went to ground too easily to win penalties against Argentina during the previous two tournaments.
The World Cup is watched by millions, many of whom are young and some of those will one day grow to be footballers. What exactly will this World Cup teach them?
With only a booking as punishment it seems to be worth the risk, but if FIFA want to be strong on this they need to stand up and not pass the buck to the poor old referee.
Using video evidence after the match to review diving and cheating, whether the officials have seen it or not; and issuing at least a five match ban to those found guilty should clean up the game in an instant.
The fact Figo was allowed to face England following his head-butt on Mark van Bommel is a ridiculous situation and that rule needs to be changed.
The following table shows the disciplinary records of the Premiership clubs during the tournament:-
| Club | Yellows | Reds |
|---|---|---|
| CHELSEA | 14 | |
| ARSENAL | 8 | |
| MAN UNITED | 4 | 1 |
| EVERTON | 4 | |
| LIVERPOOL | 4 | |
| BLACKBURN | 3 | |
| BOLTON | 2 | |
| TOTTENHAM | 2 | |
| ASTON VILLA | 1 | |
| FULHAM | 1 | |
| NEWCASTLE | 1 | |
| PORTSMOUTH | 1 |
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Comments
Comment by Sawyer on Wednesday 19 July 2006 @ 11:12pm
Comment by Chopper on Monday 17 July 2006 @ 6:13pm
Andy S,as a Gunner you do yourself no favours by looking to differentiate Henry's playacting than anyone else's ! Don't follow your logic, my friend. So that means it's ok then if he "occasionally" acts like someone has given him a smack in the choppers and wins a free kick or pen when in reality they were nowhere near him (taking evasive action as you like to call it no doubt), unlike that mob at Chelsea who are merely better at disguising it ? ..Tut, tut...at least Drogba came out on tv to admit to it although you ncould hardly give him a Fair Play Award, If you truly want the Premiership to survive and enjoy, get the likes of that cry baby cheating little F***er Ronaldo to watch a re-run of the Germany v Italy Semi where it was possible to watch a match in the spirit and skill level we want without falling over anytime the ball came close to you. Muppet
Comment by Andy S on Monday 17 July 2006 @ 5:52pm
come up with some better stats, we want to know which prem team scored the most goal not recieved the most cards, as an arsenal fan im tired of listening to people saying henry dives, he is one of the most honest players in the game and if it happens occassionally or even worse he gets branded as a diver and he has just pulled out of the challenge to ensure he doesn't injure himself, i cant see how people can put himin the same bracket as the chelsea divers like drogba and robben. Secondly, leave christiano ronaldo alone, he may dive but he has such great skill we need to keep him in the prem, he needs to stop doing it but as time goes on he could become one of the greatest and it would eb a shame to let him leave the country!
To satisfy Andy S, Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid finished top with 8 goals each assuming you still count Zidane as a Real player.