can we redress the balance please?, idiots like the one below are cluttering up football365.com mail box thing with this kind of tripe, i think we should steam 'em.

...Graham Poll has certainly gone down from being the top English referee (according to UEFA) to being the worst one (according to last night's match).

His decisions were completely wrong. He cost Arsenal three valuable points and maybe even more in championship terms.

Everyone is talking about Henry's reaction and Wenger's reaction. How about Poll's complete ineptitude?

I've even read people comparing this to the Bowyer and Woodgate trial and saying that Henry and Wenger should have controlled themselves.

Even Bobby Robson said that Arsenal should "learn how to lose". I find that amazing coming from a manager whose team was run ragged and had a mere 30% possession until Parlour was stupidly shown the red card.

It's easy to say those things when you constantly keep muttering "we are not good enough to be challengers" to the press. Is this one of those O'Leary "we are just babies" things?

Poll should be demoted to the first division and Bobby Robson should learn how to accept gifts and keep his mouth shut. Yonatan Politi, Coventry

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001

Answers

ap

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001

To be fair both Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer commented that Arsenal outclassed us before the referee sent Parlour off. Alan said that Poll had spoilt the game. However Arsenal were not the only team that were harshly treated by the ref. Bellamy did nowt and got a red card, and we weren't winning until both teams had ten men. The penalty on the tv highlights looked like a poor decision. but I have seen them given for less. I agree Poll had an appalling game, but sometimes refs do ruin games, and we can't all act like spoilt kids when that happens. Arsene Wenger should learn to control and publically criticise his players if it is justified. Bobby does, he has publically said Bellamy needs to shut up and learn instead of mouthing off all the time

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001

Eh? Obviously incapable of rational thought. Give the man a spade and let him keep digging a hole. A sad case of teamsheet football if you ask me - ie 'how dare they beat us when you look at how good our players are'.

Of course if Poll had disallowed the first goal, and even sent the player off, for deliberate handball, or if he hadn't sent Bellamy off for what was categorically an accidental, innocuous brush of the arm, or if he hadn't given pretty much every little free kick Arsenal's way in the first half...yes the ref was sh@t, but didn't have as much impact on the result as they would like to think.

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001

Just reread that and realise I should have posted that in response to the bugger who wrote it....sorry

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001

If I'd realise I wouldn't have been so polite and calm ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001

What a sour grape eating tart.

The penalty did look like a clean tackle - but it's from behind and there is a clamp down on that.

Referees can't be expected to keep up with Robert who is lightning fast when he wants to be. 40 yards away, Campbell wins the ball but taps it in the same direction as Robert was running - it would be a clear penalty for Poll and he had no choice.

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001

The 'learning to lose' was a reference to the ungratiousness of Arsenal's manager and his players. Of course, there is the maxim 'show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser', but football needs to be a bit more responsible. Robson is the epitomy of everything great about English football. 'Lenny' Henry / Wenger are the epitomy of everything poor about continental football.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001