Defying belief, he has refereed them for just short of 152 minutes of football without showing a single card to a Wigan player. Does the Chester-born official have a special soft-spot for The Latics (I don't know what that is either) ? Is, as asked in the title some special rule in the Association Football Rule Book, listed under 'W':
Wigan - If at all possible, overlook their clumsy displays of tackling; ignore them leaving the foot in, play non-existent advantages and wherever possible - despite physical evidence to the contrary - infer the opponents are somehow simulating their injuries whilst avoiding the dismissive 'get up' gesture that gives the game away.
What a shame then, that Tommy, Tommy, Tommy V, Tommy V, Tommy V, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy V, Thomas Vermaelen, spoiled Mr Red-headed Pillock Jones day by opening the scoring with a leaping and perfectly legitimate header to make it One-Nil to the Arsenal. We like that score.
Not that I was counting, but it certainly appeared that every challenge that a Wigan player made was excessively physical. Screaming like a madmen at Mr Jones (via the computer screen) that he was unaware of his specific duties, seemed to have little or no effect on the ginger tossers attitude toward those cheeky scamp Latics' studs-up sliding challenges, body-checks or plain old-fashioned kicking. Until of course Alex Song commits (an agreeably) bookable offence and Hey Presto! There is a yellow card, previously particularly well-hidden in the pocket of the ginger twat, AKA Mike Jones.
Wigan players continued up-ending Arsenal players all over the pitch until half-time, unfettered by the rules of the game or the referee's authority, or lack of it.
The second-half gets under way. More of the same in both senses of the word. The Belgian defender makes it number two. Possession and pressure is almost exclusively one-way and culminates in our Tom spanking one into the top left corner past a beaten Kirkland. About five minutes later Wigan receive their first yellow card and not before time, if my opinion counts for anything. Gomez is the unlucky one as it could have been any of half a dozen to pick up the first booking.
It's almost exclusively Arsenal possession and attacks on the Wigan goal. If they look to break out, almost all attempts to get out of their half end in one of the midfielders or occasionally defenders, taking the ball off of them and redistributing it.
Much to my surprise Wigan have a shot. On target. I'm not certain I remember them having any more.
Martinez subs a couple and they run about a bit.
Eduardo pokes one in, off Eboue's calf and Melchiot's (I think) shin to beat Kirkland again. Three nil. They seem to have given the goal to Eduardo, so Emanuel is, despite appearances, not thanking God, enough.
The commentary, the bit in English, I had trouble following the Arabic, suggested one of the subs was eager to prove himself to Martinez. This was evident by him bringing renewed vigour into the 'Wigan can't out-play so we must out-kick Arsenal' agenda. Scharner, after 'showing his commitment', uncharacteristically gets booked.
Later he slides in in on RVP, just inside the area, delivering another ankle injury for the oft-wounded striker. Scharner stays down, rolling around a little, only natural after kicking someone's ankles, presumably under the 'I'm injured too, so you can't book me' rule.
He needn't have worried. Mike Jones was refereeing.
At the death Cesc makes it four nil with a nice finish. He doesn't look happy though, Commentary says he's carrying an injury. I hope that's it.
Mike Jones has gone on record saying his favourite game of all time was the one he refereed when Wigan played Hull. Wigan won 5-0. Go figure.
On a final-ish note, the Wigan fans started boo-ing Eduardo, or more, I noticed it, toward the end of the game. Like their team, they lack both a clue and class. Why were they not booing when Wigan's approach to the game was stopping Arsenal play by 'letting them know they were there'?
To condemn 'diving' as cheating and tolerate repeated foul-play is rank hypocrisy.
3 points. Four goals.Three Scorers.
Those stats gloss over the performance of the ref and foul-play of the opposition. Suppose it had not all been Arsenal. What then. It might be a game of two halves, but there seems to be a real shortage of fairness.
Welcome to the disappointment.
