Simon Lloyd
Now the dust has settled on the weekend’s events, the question of an official’s ability to influence the outcome of a match is very much on the agenda. Plenty has been written and said by Arsenal fans about Phil Dowd’s performance. Unsurprisingly other fans and most pundits disagree with us, and put it all down to some Churchillian team talk from Alan Pardew at half time. This again is unsurprising, although quite what can be said to a home team 0 - 4 down at half time to turn them into world beaters is beyond me. In truth, the real impetus for Newcastle’s fightback came from one man, and it wasn’t Alan Pardew.
Until the offside Louis Saha goal was allowed to stand on Tuesday night, we had not conceded a league goal in 4 games, or to put it another way the whole of January. This statistic does not sit comfortably with what occurred on Saturday. Surely a team that can collapse and lose a four goal lead in less than one half of football, is incapable of keeping one clean sheet let alone four in a row. This was not even against a good team, so there has to be another reason.
All teams and supporters can point to perceived wrong decisions in any given match. I’ve lost count of the times that a losing manager has quoted a denied/awarded penalty, or an allowed or disallowed goal etc, as the ‘turning point’ in the match. These ‘turning points’ can ultimately mean the difference between winning the league or staying up/relegation. So much for the highly paid manager’s influence, when the game turning moment always seems to come from the ref. For the record Arsene Wenger cited the Diaby sending off as the ‘turning point’ of the game.
If the game had remained 11 v 11 or become 10 v 10, does anyone think Newcastle would have recovered to draw the game? If the ridiculous second penalty was never awarded, does anyone think Newcastle would have recovered to draw the game? Based on the first half showing, the only logical answer to these questions is no. If you answer no to these questions, then the comeback was made possible by a non-footballing factor, namely the referee. His decisions undoubtedly changed the course of the game, and no matter how well you play you simply cannot train, or plan for, the gross incompetence of the man with the whistle.
The sending off of Diaby, the non-sending off of Nolan for a remarkably similar offence, the soft first penalty and the joke second penalty awarded to Newcastle all added impetus to the growing fightback. The equalising goal was undeniably a beauty, and is all that will be remembered. It was the fightback all on its own. It will be spoken about down in the Bigg Market and on the Quayside for years to come. There is no doubt that the beleaguered, shambolic Newcastle players visibly grew with every favourable decision. The crowd now replaced the boos with cheers creating an almost fevered atmosphere, and Phil Dowd bought into it. His influence on the game, turned into the crowd’s influence on him.
Because of the romance of the underdog battling back to give the bullyboys a bloody nose, Phil Dowd’s influence is overlooked. We are accused of sour grapes because we didn’t get our own way. I’ve nothing against Newcastle or their magnificent support, they were just the happy recipients of Phil’s generosity. For me the real ‘turning point’ was not the Diaby sending off but the non-dismissal of Nolan. When Phil Dowd failed to apply the same interpretation of the rules to two identical incidents, everyone in the stadium knew he had become a ‘homer’ and they welcomed him in with open arms.
In the end it’s all about perspective. In the case of Saturday’s game it was, to all but the Gooners, a wonderful fightback that epitomised the Premier League. But what if the game had finished 0 – 0 and Phil had disallowed four perfectly good Arsenal goals? The result would have been the same, two points would still have been dropped and the referee’s influence would still have been the reason for the outcome. The difference this time would be that we would be the victims of an awful display from the ref, and the game would be long remembered for a very different reason.
I am aware that there are 38 games in a season, and at the end of the season the best team wins. Arsenal are right up there with the best teams, and winning or losing the league can be a fine line. The two dropped points against Newcastle may well decide if we win or lose the league. If we do end up as runners up this year, I would like it to be down to our own deficiencies, rather than the game changing influence of someone who is there to only apply the rules.
Ed’s note – we’ve been asked to plug a Carling Cup Final party at Club C2K (above the Silver Spoon Club, on South Way at Wembley, which is a stone’s throw from the stadium at the Arsenal end). It’s open all day from 10am and there will be ‘massive’ screens for those without match tickets. There’s live music from the Away Boys and a live PA from the Riders of the Night. Entry is by ticket only – costing £7. You will not be able to just turn up and get in on the day. Tickets can be bought from the t-shirt stall on Hornsey Road, a few yards south of the Tollington pub (matchdays only). There will be a Gooner seller or two popping in to sell issues at some point in the day. For more info, call 07951 684651. Sounds like the place to be in you want to get to the Wembley area early. Plug over
