Well that wasn't my intention .. Its just that I'v seen Arsenal play better.

Maybe I'm confusing the rules a bit, but isn't the 'last man foul' thing a bit of a fallacy? It's my understanding that the last man foul is a straight red if and only if the guy with the ball has a clear goalscoring opportunity. Do I have that anywhere near right?

Just asking for clarity on the rule; haven't seen the Villa-Arsenal or any other game for a week.

As far as I'm concerned you're pretty close. But then you have to define "goal-scoring opportunity". Jon Terry got sent off for fouling somebody on the half way line when they played Man City, because he was said to have been the last man. Now as far as I'm concerned, if you're on the half way line, how can you be in a clear goalscoring opportunity.

(IMG:http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/9438/pitchlt4.jpg)

Heres the positions of Agbonlahor, Almunia, Toure and Gallas. If Gabby isn't fouled by Gallas, he gets the ball and is about 10 yards from goal, Toure is on the edge of the box, but there is 0% chance he gets the ball before Gabby. Could Toure get between the goal and Agbonlahor? Again, very, very unlikely and you'd have to assume Gabby takes a long time to take a shot. How this wasn't a sending off just confuses the hell out of me.

what direction was the ball heading?
was Gabby in full control of the ball?
was the ball that close to him or was it moving away and likely to go out for a goal kick?

all these things have to be taken into consideration when deciding if it's a red card and also wasn't Terrys red card rescinded on appeal?

The ball went out just near the 6-yard box line and had he not been fouled. There i absoloutely no question he'd have got their first, there is no question he would have got a shot away while 1-on-1 with Almunia. This is a clear goal-scoring oportunity to me. Gallas had to go.

I did decide to go on a Liverpool forum, since their fans hate both Villa and Arsenal, I went onto the thread with the Villa-Arsenal talk in and they were also under the same impression as me. One poster wrote "What games is Gallas going to miss then?" when he made the foul, as he didn't even consider that he wouldn't have been sent off, it was that blatently obvious.

And yep, Terrys card aws rescinded on appeal. Do you know why? Not because they didn't judge him to be the last man - even though he wasn't, Carvalho was there - but because they thought it was a dive, that Terry didn't foul him.

FT Newcastle 1-5 Liverpool. In the battle of the worst run club in the league, Newcastle win it with flying colours. Mike Ashley also took them off the market as they couldn't find a buyer, strange considering they are a "big" club.

So I think I've found a club who's (at least today) worse at defending set pieces than Milan. That would be Chelsea. FT Fulham 2-2 Chelsea. Fulham's 2 goals were off of set pieces (a free kick and a corner), both scored by Clint Dempsey.

What a bad day for football today. Liverpool winning, Chelsea not winning, Arsenal winning. Though I want to hear no excuses from Wenger today, Tony Adams should be sacked for his actions, he dropped their top scorer in order to aid his former club.. what's all that about? You don't just randomly drop your best player FFS. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Quite strange really, take Terry out of the team, and they conceed twice as many goals away from home in 1 game as they have all season. Who'd have thought it.

This post has been edited by kurtsimonw: Dec 28 2008, 05:31 PM

Who's being paranoid now? Jesus.

I think Defoe is going to a club that's made a 'massive' offer for him, the only club to be stupid enough would be Man City, I mean Defoe it's hardly Zlatan, Lionel, Fernando or Cristiano as all the 'fans' thought it would be.

However, Adams most certainly wouldn't need an excuse against Arsenal!

I was taking the piss, did you not see the smiley at the end? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)


Yeah, we've put a £10m offer in for him apparently. Great. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

I wish Redknapp would shut up though, not sure why he feels the need to comment on every other teams transfers and tell the media about it.

The only manager in London I have any respect for at the moment is Roy Hodson, he's also the best manager in London at the moment when you take the teams into consideration.

Fulham are doing rather well this year, aren't they? All things considered, their game today was a pretty good one at least.

1st rule of survival in a harsh world: Never trust a bearded smiley.

Can we take them off please?? Frickin bearded smileys...they even screwed my ninja up... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

It makes my day whenever you go off on 'Arry. Keep it up. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Yeah, they've been real impressive. I think they've played 9 away games so far this season, conceeding only 6 goals.. that's oustanding.


I really HATE that guy. Though, I could have done with Spurs winning today, damn Albion. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)