Premier League 2019/20

[Chris2K]

"Thank you for that Gary, but in the interests of balance we are going live via satellite to KKK leader Thomas Robb for his take on the situation."

 

Meanwhile you don't get much worse than that performance combined with whatever the fan(s) were doing. Utterly embarrassing.

[Colly]

3 hours ago, stokeristmas said:

I've missed Jose post-match interviews. So much bollocks.

I'll be honest, I could happily do without. Absolutely embarrassing Son's crying "banter", but to utterly dismiss someone in Frank Lampard who's won him so many trophies is pathetic.

[Arjen Robben]

 

[Lineker]

Quote

José Mourinho has confirmed Tottenham have appealed against Son Heung-min’s red card against Chelsea.

The South Korean was dismissed in the second half of Sunday’s 2-0 loss to their London rivals after VAR ruled he kicked out at Antonio Rüdiger - an incident that led to the alleged racist abuse of the Germany international.

Referee Anthony Taylor did not punish Son, but VAR checked it and deemed he was guilty of violent conduct, ending up with a red card. Mourinho was aghast when a replay of the incident was shown in the stadium and confirmed the club are fighting the decision – the second time this season they have appealed a red card for Son. They are waiting for news from the Football Association to see whether he will be available for Boxing Day’s clash with Brighton.

“I hope Son is not punished five times,” Mourinho said. “One time was the foul that Rüdiger did on him. The second is to be sent off. The third would be not to play against Brighton. The fourth not to play against Norwich and the fifth not to play against Southampton. So I hope to be punished twice is enough, he doesn’t deserve for the third the fourth or the fifth.”

Mourinho went on a lengthy anti-VAR rant, suggesting that it was not being implemented correctly and that the VAR official – in this instance Paul Tierney – was the man refereeing the game.

“Mr Paul Tierney decides yes and Mr Anthony Taylor who was in the game, in real time, five metres from the situation, Mr Taylor decided no,” he said.

“So who was refereeing the game? Not Mr Taylor. It was Mr Tierney. I think not a red card, VAR was to support football, to bring true football, to bring true to the spectacle and they did that with the penalty decision and they killed the game with Son’s decision. The situation with Son, I think Mr Tierney made it wrong. It’s the wrong call.

“This is England, this is the Premier League, this is the best competition in the world, with characteristics that if we change them we are killing the best league in the world. Mr Taylor had the feeling, he was there, he saw it clearly so I think it’s the wrong call.”

If Spurs are not successful in their appeal, the South Korean, who has been one of the stars of Mourinho’s short reign, will be missing for three games. If that is the case, Mourinho says his side will have to fight an “injustice”.

“It would be a big loss,” the Portuguese said. “We don’t have a big squad. We don’t have lots of players.

“This moment is a moment where it is normal to think about rotations and very difficult situations for players to play every game.

“We don’t have [Érik] Lamela and it’s a big loss for us. But if that happens then we have to try to cope with it and to fight against injustice. But the way to fight against injustice is to give our best and the boys that are going to play are going to try and get results in it.”

Lamela is back in training after two months out with a hamstring injury, but Mourinho said he will not be fit enough to be involved against Brighton.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed Freddie Ljungberg will remain part of his coaching staff at Arsenal, with the pair having held positive discussions after Saturday’s match at Everton.

Ljungberg, for whom the goalless draw was a sixth and final game as the interim head coach, will return to a back-room position. While the precise makeup of Arteta’s coaching team is yet to be announced, the experienced former England, Newcastle, Everton and Manchester United assistant Steve Round will also be among its number.

“I spoke to Freddie after the game,” Arteta said. “I told him my idea and the people I wanted to bring to form my coaching staff, their roles and responsibilities of each of them. I wanted to know what he was feeling, I wanted to know what he had in mind, what his expectations were.

“We talked and we made a decision that the best thing was for him to stay with us. I think he can be very available. I think he knows the players, he knows the situation, he knows the history of where we’re coming from and also his knowledge of the game is going to really help us to be better.”

Ljungberg had worked as the club’s under-23 coach until last summer, when he stepped up to work alongside Unai Emery with the first team. Arteta did not reveal the nature of his forthcoming role but confirmation is expected soon.

It looks certain that Round will be involved after the 49-year-old, who worked with Arteta during their time at Goodison Park, told TalkSport he had been recruited. “Mikel called me in the week and asked me if I would join his staff and I jumped at the chance straight away,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity at a magnificent football club and just having brief conversations with Mikel I think he’s going to be a really, really top manager.”

Arteta watched the Everton game from the directors’ box and will make his debut in the technical area in the Boxing Day fixture at Bournemouth. Among his first quandaries is what to do about Mesut Özil, who was unavailable on Saturday owing to a foot injury but would not have been involved in any case. Ljungberg said Özil’s conduct when replaced against Manchester City was “not what I accept from an Arsenal player”. The playmaker is fit again and Arteta emphasised his tenure marks a new start for all the players.

“With me, they have a clean slate,” he said. “I told them that. You’re not going to be judged on things you’ve done in the past, whether they are positive or negative. This is evolving every day and I’m expecting you to perform and be in the right mindset every single day for me. If you do that, you’ll have a chance to play. If you don’t, you won’t.”

[Baddar]

Son is not getting that one overturned. Not a chance.

[Arjen Robben]

I would actually quite like Arteta to be a success. Not arsed about Arsenal and their fanbase is fucking weird but it'd be well good to have another elite manager to come along to be another Guardiola or Klopp.

[Colly]

11 minutes ago, Bad Santa said:

Son is not getting that one overturned. Not a chance.

He certainly shouldn't. VAR is rubbish, but that's a red card.

[Lineker]

Quote

English football’s racism crisis took a new twist after it emerged that a Chelsea supporter was arrested for racially abusing Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min on Sunday afternoon – during the Premier League match that had to be paused because of a monkey chant was aimed at Chelsea’s Antonio Rüdiger by a section of the crowd.

Anthony Taylor, the referee, stopped play after Rüdiger claimed he had heard racist taunts during the second half of Chelsea’s victory over their London rivals. An announcement on the public address system informed the crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that “racist behaviour from spectators is interfering with the game”. The announcement was made on two further occasions in line with Premier League protocols.

Spurs have vowed to take the “strongest possible action” of anyone found guilty of abusing Rüdiger, who is understood to have been left angry following the latest example of the racism blighting the game. The alleged abuse occurred shortly after Rüdiger was involved in the incident that led to Son being sent off.

The Metropolitan Police is investigating the alleged racist chanting and it also confirmed that a supporter was ejected from the ground and arrested after committing a racially aggravated public order offence. It is understood the supporter targeted Son, who did not hear any insults aimed at him, and the incident was reported to the authorities by fellow Chelsea fans.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were made aware of alleged racist chanting during the second half of the Tottenham vs Chelsea match on Sunday, 22 December. Officers will work with the club in an attempt to identify any people responsible.”

[The Lusophone]

Alan Pardew's 8 year Newcastle contract still has 6 months left to run.

[Colly]

1 hour ago, Mad Jack Frost said:

Alan Pardew's 8 year Newcastle contract still has 6 months left to run.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50901742

Also Almiron scored and Sunderland are still in League One.

[Lineker]

Son appeal rejected.

[The Lusophone]

As it should've been.

[Baddar]

A towering header from Webster puts Brighton 1-0 up.

[Kyle]

Just now, Bad Santa said:

A towering header from Webster puts Brighton 1-0 up.

And puts my 20 fold accumulator at a real risk of falling at the first hurdle.  

[Baddar]

1 minute ago, Oh, Christmas Troy said:

And puts my 20 fold accumulator at a real risk of falling at the first hurdle.  

 

[Colly]

Massive Rear View from Debbie Alli there.

[Baddar]

Spurs have turned it around, great goal by Dele tbf. 

[Baddar]

Spurs win it 2-1, Troy's acca lives on, and I get 3 precious prediction points. 

[Kyle]

Someone's let their da off his leash and he's parked up behind the commentators at Goodison. Not a fan of the referee it would seem.

[Naitch]

Southampton earned that win. It's worrying that a team who conceded 9 against Leicester were able to take any points at the Bridge, even if they did play with 10 men behind the ball for 2/3 of the game. More evidence that Lampard desperately needs to do something about that defence next month.