Wenger: Stamp out rugby

[CliffyBiro]

Arsene Wenger believes referees have a responsibility to ensure that Premier League matches do not become 'rugby'.

The Arsenal manager takes his side to Blackburn on Saturday, live on Sky Sports HD2 and 2, fully expecting another physical encounter with Sam Allardyce's side.

The Gunners went down 2-1 at Ewood Park last season with Wenger irked by Rovers' tactics of putting goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski under pressure at every opportunity.

And the Frenchman felt that Stoke's approach in their recent defeat by Tottenham at the Britannia Stadium took the physical element to a new and unacceptable level.
Respect

"I believe everybody looks at his squad and tries to find a way where the game is most efficient and we developed one way. It is not the only way, I respect every other way as long as the referees get the rules respected," said Wenger.

"I saw some pictures last Sunday; you cannot say any more it is football, it is rugby on the goalkeepers [more] than football.

"The referees cannot go on and accept that.

"When you see how [Stoke defender Ryan] Shawcross kicked [Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho] Gomes, how [Robert] Huth pushed Gomes in the goal, you cannot say that is football any more.

"If the referees allow that you cannot accept that because that has nothing to do with the game.

"Apart from that, when a team play long ball and head the ball and become physical I accept that completely and I respect that - but it has to be in respect of the rules, that is all."

Would you agree that the likes of Stoke, Birmingham, Blackburn etc. are over-physical in their style of play? Some would say that it's impossible for smaller clubs to be sucessful without imploying such tactics.

I find myself agreeing with Wenger on this very rare occasion. Though I feel, as he does, that it is up to the referrees to stamp it out of the game rather than the Clubs. If they can get away with it, of course they'll do it. They'd be stupid not to.

Reading on through the article though, the reasons behind Wenger's epiphany shine through...

Not protected

Chris Foy is set to take charge of the lunchtime encounter and Wenger maintains the referees must uphold their first duty, to ensure player safety.

"I believe that in some situations the goalkeepers are not protected," the Arsenal manager said.

"You cannot have players whose main role is to stop the goalkeepers from catching the ball and not even go for the ball."

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6340808,00.html

 

[shine]

Wenger likes to moan but he does have a point. Its a contact sport and keepers are over protected these days but some teams can push the limits.

 

[Jokester]

I don't agree with him at all, Wenger wants football to be a non-contact sport as it suits his teams style of play. The likes of Blackburn, Bolton etc know this is their weak spot and close them down and continually press them to disrupt their play. I think the balance the refs have at the moment is spot on as dangerous tackles do almost always result in a red card.

 

[kiwi]

Goalkeepers have enough protection. The amount of freekicks they get for running into a player and missing the catch is silly. The rules are fine: if a player is pushing or holding a keeper down, it's a foul, otherwise standing infront or jumping fairly, no foul.

 

[CliffyBiro]

Goalkeepers have enough protection. The amount of freekicks they get for running into a player and missing the catch is silly. The rules are fine: if a player is pushing or holding a keeper down, it's a foul, otherwise standing infront or jumping fairly, no foul.

This is the thing though, they're not spotting when a Goalkeeper is legitimately being impeded. Surely that should be the number one thing they're looking for in the box from a free kick or corner?

 

[kiwi]

This is the thing though, they're not spotting when a Goalkeeper is legitimately being impeded. Surely that should be the number one thing they're looking for in the box from a free kick or corner?

You could same the same for defenders physically holding attackers back though, I think it's fine as it is and there's more cases of moaning goalkeepers than genuinely missed fouls on them (IMO).

Having said that, I do find teams like Blackburn and Wigan's play attrocious, just disagree with the goalkeeper remarks.

 

[Alpherah]

It does appear to me that 'smaller' teams get away with more when being physical then the bigger teams in the country do. The amount of tackles i see various players for Stoke or Bolton get away without even conceding a free kick, and then similar or even 'better' tackles from a top 8 club end up going punished with a yellow card.

 

[Tummy]

Wanger complaining about other teams being dirty?

Was it not his Arsenal side that picked up 11 red cards ?

I agree, that teams don't need to be or shouldn't be overly physical in their game. Stoke don't really play football, it's route one, it's a side full of 6" brick out houses.

It's not down to the players or managers

Refs need to come down harder when teams try and kick their way to a result.

 

[goonerfan]

Those quotes are fairly easily explained: Arsene Wenger tries to protect his players as most managers do by inventing excuses, very few managers can be successful whilst openly criticising individuals in their own team - SAF being the most notable one I can think of.

It's obvious that we've struggled in the past against these teams because our lack of height throughout the team, and because of our useless, erratic, flappy keepers who are seemingly doomed to stay at the club for eternity.

Physicality and strong defence are part of the game, so I don't like to see Arsene moaning about it. This season we will have plenty of 6+ft-ers, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Song, Diaby and Chamakh will probably all feature against Blackburn, so I don't see us getting bullied. I guess Wenger is still having to make excuses in advance because Almunia or Fabianski will inevitably **** something up and cause us to drop points on Saturday.



On the broader issue of excessively physical teams, I do think referees have an impossible job when they are trying to control games involving them. Their (understandable) inability to get every decision right and be fair/consistent is probably what leads to the most frustration. If teams want to play that way, they are free to do so, but there really ought to be something in place, whether it's more officials or using technology, to ensure the rules are adhered to.

 

[The Running Man]

Goalkeepers have enough protection

goalkeepers often get too much protection.

you seem unable to shoulder challenge a keeper, its like the keeper has some priority rules over other players but this shouldnt be the case he is like any other player, except that he can use his hands.

if an attacker is stood in position X he is under no obligation to move just because the keeper needs to stand in that area to grapple the ball away.

the way the laws are implemented currently is as though there is a moving exclusion zone around the goalie, wherever he goes you must get out of his way, or he recieves a freekick.

maddness.

 

[Jokester]

the way the laws are implemented currently is as though there is a moving exclusion zone around the goalie, wherever he goes you must get out of his way, or he recieves a freekick.

This really ****es me off, ok fair enough if 6 attackers just stand round him so he can't move, but 1 player standing in front of him shouldn't constitute a foul.

 

[The Running Man]

i know its often the goalie fouling the player jumping into him to get the ball. if that was a defender jumping over the back and shoulders of an attacker, thats a penalty.

when its the keeper, super laws that arent really right come into play and turn the situation on its head, insinuating that the goalkeeper has a devine right to unrestricted movement and the choice to go for any ball he wants in the air.

im sure ive seen keepers punch ppl in the face or elblow them when making connection with their hands and its never given as a penalty.

 

[Spunj99]

Embarrasing comments from Whinger, blatantly putting pre-match pressure on Foy with the timing. Football is the least physical its ever been, maybe he should take over Arsenal Ladies instead if its too much for him? Not much difference I suppose.

He should concentrate on fixing his teams own shortcomings and fouling rather than making slanderous comments about other teams and players. First class ****.

Referee's do spot genuine fouls on the keeper though.

 

[The Running Man]

thing is wenger has 2x dodgy keepers who have a tendancy to flap at anything under pressure or not.

if he fixed that it wouldnt be an issue.

fergie whinges about a lot of things, yet he hasnt ever mentioned more protection for keepers...

 

[goonerfan]

thing is wenger has 2x dodgy keepers who have a tendancy to flap at anything under pressure or not.

if he fixed that it wouldnt be an issue.

my point entirely, if he just went out and spent a few million on a keeper that wasn't a retard we'd have nothing to bitch about...

 

[dante6491]

I think the issue is more that football is not a full contact sport, rather a partial one. The two things I cannot stand about football are the constant contact in the box when corners and freekicks are being delivered. It seems hugely wrong not to punish players for wrestling others to the ground.

The second pet peeve has nothing to do with contact and infact I wish football was more like rugby in this respect. It's the surrounding of the referees. In rugby only the captain and the offender are allowed to talk to the ref, why not the same in football. The refs do need to get tough and start yellow carding players who do that. Can they overturn decisions in football, i.e giving a penalty then reversing it to a freekick for the other side?

 

[Pigeon_Killer]

I don't agree with him at all, Wenger wants football to be a non-contact sport as it suits his teams style of play. The likes of Blackburn, Bolton etc know this is their weak spot and close them down and continually press them to disrupt their play. I think the balance the refs have at the moment is spot on as dangerous tackles do almost always result in a red card.

This.

 

[Tunney]

Question: Which team would you rather go see money to play, Arsenal or Stoke?

And anyone who says that referees give goalkeepers too much protection should go read the rules of the game. They clearly state that the goalkeeper cannot be blocked or obstructed within the 6 yard box. And yet teams like Stoke clearly do and often get away with it.

 

[reefoid]

In fairness to Wenger, and if you ignore the details of what he is saying, he's only doing what every manager in the EPL does every week - putting pressure on the ref. If we had the best keeper in the world at Arsenal, he would use another reason to apply that pressure.

As far as the details go, it comes down to the usual thing with refs - consistency. Can't remember which game last week, but that 25 year old ref in charge of his first EPL game gave a penalty for grappling in the box. Yet we see this exact thing go unpunished time and again. That's what irks me most. Not sure what can be done about that though, unless you clone a dozen Howard Webbs so they all would make exactly the same decision.

Question: Which team would you rather go see money to play, Arsenal or Stoke?

And anyone who says that referees give goalkeepers too much protection should go read the rules of the game. They clearly state that the goalkeeper cannot be blocked or obstructed within the 6 yard box. And yet teams like Stoke clearly do and often get away with it.

Exactly. A player doesn't have to move out of the way, but if you impede the goalie while not playing the ball, its obstruction.

 

[m0r94n]

And anyone who says that referees give goalkeepers too much protection should go read the rules of the game. They clearly state that the goalkeeper cannot be blocked or obstructed within the 6 yard box. And yet teams like Stoke clearly do and often get away with it.

Teams like Stoke, also teams like Barca but nobody cares when its them. Its always been common practice to have somebody mark the keeper on a corner or offensive free kick, Blackburn used it to their advantage last season when they beat Arsenal (Wenger cried foul play then too).

As a club, we seem to be living off the reputation from "that Chelsea" game about 5 seasons ago whilst Birmingham and Stoke seem to be living off reputations gained from the Taylor and Shawcross challenges.

Wenger is a good manager but he would never admit that Arsenals current slump is his fault. No, its much easier to blame it on teams who turn up and refuse to let the likes of Arshavin, Van Persie, Fabregas, etc walk all over them.

Exactly. A player doesn't have to move out of the way, but if you impede the goalie while not playing the ball, its obstruction.

If the keeper is stood behind me on a corner, and I refuse to move so that he can get to the ball, am I impeding him? No, however your definition says that I am. If I was to move in to him whilst he is in motion then yes I would be, but this rarely happens in football. Its usually a case of the keeper running in to the back of an opposition player and calling for obstruction (again, look at Blackburn vs Arsenal last season).