The Rolling Football Thread: Season 2025/26

[DuncinToffee]

"Football is a game of mistakes. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins."

Wrong thread?

Sorry, yes! I’ve asked MNHQ to remove the post.

easily done - intriguing though!!

Haha! It’s in relation to the ongoing saga around the book The Salt Path, after some allegations came out about it in the Observer last month. We’ve got an active thread series on it (now at Thread 15, if anyone wants to join). I don’t want to derail this thread, but thought it might be helpful to give a bit of context!

It was the malingering over everything, particularly throw ins, falling over at strategic times, disproportionate 'jostling' at the corner etc. I didn't watch them last season for the same reason I won't watch Villarreal this season. There are many examples on Twitter by searching for dark arts and arsenal. @MustTryHarderAndHarder

Oh and just the 19(!) fouls which is disproportionate imo

As you say, we all see things through our own glasses. But everything you say was being done as much, if not more, by Utd! Well, apart from the slowing things down, obviously, because they weren't winning. Zubimendi got an elbow to the face in the first few minutes, but it was ignored entirely. There were constant shoves and kicks that were just waved "play on".

because if we were to stop for every infringement and not wave play on @TheNewGaardwe would end up with American football and only half the team on the pitch at any one time
football is by its nature actually quite a physical game so there has to be rather a lot of waving play on if it accidental or both players

I'm not arguing that in the remotest! Do read what I post.

It wasn't a case of just letting the minor ones go - it was that some minor ones were stopped and free kicks given, and some much stronger ones, usually by Utd, were simply ignored. It's the inconsistency that grates. Particularly when it's one-sided.

I did but unless you VAR and stop for everything 3 people monitoring a football match is always going to bring up inconsistency based on what they see. And often did people view and event differently - no one will ever referee a match exactly the same.

And VAR is designed to prevent a clear and obvious error not to come in with a different opinion

Dermot Gallagher was quite interesting on that point about the Leeds penalty - his view was that he would not have given it but that was nothing in it to overrule an on field decision

it is why I wouldn’t and couldn’t be a ref I would be biased all over the place!

Again, exactly not what I'm saying.

I give up, you're wilfully "misunderstanding" for your own agenda...

Yes, the Arsenal commentator was saying exactly this. But again, I think it was just incompetence on behalf of the referee rather than bias especially as he could have awarded a penalty against us and he didn't.

You might well be right, I can't tell and I don't notice it probably because of my red glasses, but I would have thought that it would take a lot of effort to do all those things in addition to playing football in the most competitive league.

But it might explain why we played so badly on Sunday if what you are saying is true.

There is a reason why Newcastle v Arsenal matches have been dubbed "The Dark Arts Derby" 😉

Oh Christ don’t set them off.

My inner 12 year old boy reeeally wants to rechristen them ‘Arsecastle United FC’…

I am wilfully misunderstanding? No just clearly not getting it?

Unless you are saying the ref was biased which seems odd

it is the second time I have been accused of having an agenda!

I don’t unless it is that everyone looks at it from their own skewed perspective - we pick and choose the bits we like and bits we don’t.

The truth is there is no conspiracy no bias just general mistakes/missing of things and people making different decisions

unless it is VAR where I do think people can misunderstand its role - which is not and never is to overrule the onfield decision

It's hardly a three pipe problem...

First league game under the lights for Gillingham last night, a very impressive 4-1 win over Chesterfield. Ok 2 were pens but from a team that averages 1 goal a game I'm not going to complain. Chesterfield's Manager came across as an entitled prick afterwards chatting crap about dark arts and incompetent ref's and moaning that we celebrated like we had won the World Cup! too right I did! They were 2nd best all night but at least their fans had the good grace to admit it.

Well no shit Sherlock 😂

So Havertz gets injured, and now we're after Eze...

(Isak would be funnier!)

Top-flight German football will be shown live on the BBC this season after rights were secured to broadcast one Bundesliga match a week through to 2027.

The coverage will start on Friday, 22 August when defending champions Bayern Munich welcome RB Leipzig to the Allianz Arena.

Other confirmed games include 2023-24 champions Bayer Leverkusen against Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayern v Werder Bremen.

All matches will be available to watch live on the BBC Sport website, app and on BBC iPlayer every Friday, with clips of the biggest in-game moments across BBC Sport's social media channels.

I’m delighted to be able to have more opportunities expected to watch Harry Kane! Shame that we can’t get to watch PL matches though, but I shouldn’t complain too much.