Trust me, I thought very carefully about it. I'm serious. It's shocking, I know. But to us "small teams" they are far more magnanimous than you have been in any of the four matches we have played since promotion. I think you were at your worst when we drew 3-3 at yours last year.
Arsenal fans were attacking Wenger and their own team after that game, i hardly remember a word being said about Norwich
I meant on here - we had all manner of WUMmery for ages. Complaints about our tactics of playing deep and tight, for example, were ludicrous - our players are quite substantially less talented (and well paid) so they have no choice. We're not going to deliberately play to make it easy for you. It just felt like you have this presumption of winning as of right. That being said - perhaps I'm being unfair on you this weekend as the principle culprits (and the reason some Norwich fans came to your board after the match) were Zlatan and Santi Classlesszorla - given both are confessed plastics and only came on our board to WUM, I'm prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt Krome. I must admit, I also saw Wenger's comments in which he admitted we played well, were about as gracious as I've ever seen him.
Actually I posted some quite reasonable statements up on your board, up until you started insulting me for no reason. I find it inconceivable that with a club like yours and fans like yours, that you are in a position to call anyone else "classless". But I'll let it rest.
Is there anything more nauseating than fans of 'smaller' clubs pedaling the age old story of their players being of lower ability therefore having to play like they do?
How else do you suggest they should play in order to win? Can I assume that you think our players are of equal ability then?
You do know the ref is in charge? No such thing as a linesman, he is an assistant referee. So the Ref gave the corner, the penalty and the offside goal. He is in charge.
An Arsenal fan trying to tell the rest of the World how football should be played is more vomit inducing. I suspect even most other Arsenal fans are embarrassed when they read that kind of stuff.
Who's been telling other teams how to play football? Are you trying to suggest I have? A moderator trying to insinuate something that hasn't been said is also vomit inducing.
No... there are many teams with lower ability players that have varied and successful methods of beating better teams. But your tactics on Saturday bordered on unsportsmanlike. It failed. And you're still moaning.
To start with, they should try not to delibarately hit our players in the face in their penalty area. You may see it from a different perspective, but apart from some big decisions in favour of "big boys" there are certainly some "small boys" privileges in EPL - all those endless small fouls allowed for a defending "small" side. It came to a point when tugging a player by his shirt and pulling him to the ground "is not a foul, because it happens all the time" (quote from Sky Sport). Or - as Alan Hansen explained on MotD - it was not a foul because it was such a crucial moment for Norwich who nearly won the game... In many European leagues or UEFA games Arsenal would have had two penalties before that one on Giroud. Really, I have recorded those MotD episodes and in each of them we can see a small foul on an Arsenal player. We all know the name of this game that "small boys" are playing - we can not compete with them on even ground so we will "get in their faces" or "make their life difficult" or however you name it this is all about the kind of a physical contact that is not allowed in football. So Norwich parked the bus, got away with several fouls in their penalty area, but was "unfortunate" with that one. I can not see why are they complaining. And I have not heard a single Norwich fan who would admit the obvious - Kamara dived to earn a free kick that led to their goal.... Because this is not a foul, this is bread and butter of "small boys", you know.
Were you not just criticising their play? Yes you were. Me being a moderator has no relevence on your board as I have no power or responsiblity on this board, infact I do very little on our board too
No, I wasn't criticizing their play or tactics... I'm criticising their behaviour during the game. There's a difference. And teams who play like that deserve nothing in my book. Which is why I love beating Stoke. And why I loved beating Newcastle when Tim Krul (and a few others) was being a complete bell-end a year or two ago. And if we beat you unfairly with lucky goals, penalties etc. etc.all the better in my eyes.
Yes, playing football with that type of behaviour... is it that hard to understand a difference between tactics and behaviour? It's like me playing squash by continually 'accidentally' bumping into my opponent. It's pushing the laws of the game and is unsportsmanlike but not hard to pull off and not be penalized for. It's certainly not 'tactical'. There's a fundamental difference between tactics and behaviour. But if you're going to sit there are be pedantic over use of the word 'play' then enjoy yourself.
independent pundits Alan Hansen and David Moyes! Hansen has. Never forgiven us for 1989 having played in that game and Moyes is a current manger who is chasing us! Keown said it was a pen, is his Indepenent view (hrumph) good enough for you?
Also, just to clarify, are you trying to suggest that you're the one who's putting forward and eloquent and logical case and we're the ones steadfastly sticking to our own opinion(s)? Or are you holding your hand up and stating that you're also looking at this from an opposite, but equally biased, viewpoint? Hopefully the latter, but I have my doubts. (EDIT. And anyone who rates the punditry skills of Alan Hansen really loses all credibility.)
Well Keown is obviously not... The vast majority of commentators and pundits have invariably fallen on the same side of the fence as Hansen and Moyes, but I imagine for each one, you will just say "oh, it's because they hate us [due to x event in 198X, they're just wrong" - just like you have just done (and as I said in the original post...) Perhaps they are all just (a) more objective than you and (b) more experienced? But no, I imagine that is not something you can get to grips with.
Arsenal are as bad as any team at committing the small fouls you speak of. It is a contact sport so contact will happen it is not always a foul. Many times I have seen Arsenal players commit cynical fouls/ dive etc as do most teams.
Yes, that's why I said "each". It's also why I have brought up independent view points, but all are naturally rejected by your fans for one spurious reason or another (including a straw man argument as highlighted above). No, I don't rate Hansen's punditry particularly, but with the collective voice of most pundits, I rate their objectivity.
