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It’s Your Papers! It’s Your Papers!!!

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How the press saw the Arsenal v Bolton game and specifically the game changing non free kick and sending off. Oh shut up, you know it was….

Afternoon all. It`s going to be short today as a small asthma attack has left me more breathless than an Arsenal fan seeing SuperKev not getting booked for a 50-50 aerial challenge. We will return tomorrow, hopefully with a better inhaler.

As is usual after the weekend, we have a look at how the papers reported the game. Due to the above time constraint, we will focus on how they saw the mad thirty minutes when the man in yellow who was doing an impersonation of a referee went more Mike Yarwood than Rob Brydon.

They have pretty much summed it up thus: definitely a yellow, probably not a red.

Now, before any Arsenal fans reading this blow their (lager) tops, have a look at what I said yesterday. He went in from behind and with both feet off the ground, so he can have no complaints about the red card and, indeed, didn`t seem to at the time. The former BEN have reported today that there is the possibility that the club will appeal, which the FA have just confirmed. Expect the word “frivolous” to be bandied around soon.

But before anybody blathers on about intent, you are doing Chamakh a disservice. Cahill was outdone by a lovely bit of skill. If he had not flicked the ball through for Arshavin there is the possibility that Cahill would have got the ball and not the man, and we wouldn`t be talking about it. And all this talk about revenge is just plain wrong. Cahill was sixty yards away with his sight obscured of the Song foul on Lee. He couldn`t have seen it so wouldn`t even have known that there should have been a foul.

That is not to say that some papers don`t think that the tackle was dangerous. So we will start in the red corner:

Gary Cahill could have no complaints after being shown a straight red for a wild lunge on Marouane Chamakh.’ The Nazi continue their hatred.

Moments later, the 27-year-old official did reach for his back pocket, this time to show Cahill a straight red card after the England international went through the back of Chamakh right in front of the dugout.’ Dirty Des`s Non Porno.

But so curious was referee Stuart Attwell’s analysis of events he brandished his red for a follow-through by Cahill on Chamakh that was far from the worst offence.’ The Observer don’t say whether or not they think it was a red, so we’ll go that they did.

Davies was lucky to stay on the field when his teammate Gary Cahill was shown a straight red by Stuart Attwell for a foul on Marouane Chamakh that was little worse.’ The Indy have never liked Kevin Daves.


And in the white corner

But the worst part for Bolton was the knowledge that they were pressing for a second equaliser until Attwell’s ludicrous decision ended this match as a competition.’ The Currant.

However, the game was marred by a harsh red card for Bolton defender Gary Cahill.’ The Mirror, for once on Bolton’s side.

He sent off new England recruit Gary Cahill for a late, but hardly venomous, lunge at Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh. Booking ? Probably. Red card ? A joke.’ The Sunday Mirror have a strange sense of humour.

Bolton were unhappy Arsenal had not been punished for a foul by Song on Chung-Young Lee and with the ball still in play, Cahill challenged Marouane Chamakh. It was clumsy but it should have been a yellow card at worst.’ The Tory.

They were swiftly undone, however, by what can only be described as a 30-second demonstration from Stuart Attwell on how not to referee. A clear foul on Lee Chung-yong by Alex Song on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area having been ignored, Attwell then sent off Gary Cahill for upending Chamakh in a manner that demanded a yellow card at most, compounding the misjudgment by stopping play as Andrey Arshavin was breaking clear into an empty Bolton half.’ The Granuaid don’t half talk a lot, but you get the point.

With the score at 2-1, the referee missed a blatant foul on Chung-Yong Lee. When Arsenal broke, Gary Cahill fouled Marouane Chamakh on the touchline and was stunned to be shown a red card. It was worth no more than a yellow. Andrey Arshavin, who was clean through on goal, was almost as disappointed as Cahill when play was called back.’ The Screws have sympathy for everyone involved.

And let`s not forget MOTD2 last night when Lee Dixon, that`s former Arsenal player Lee Dixon, commenting on the foul asked why we just don`t make it a non contact sport. I think it was Lee Dixon, it may have been the guy sitting next to him who knows a thing or two about robust challenges, Mr Stuart Pearce. Or it could have been Colin Murray who doesn`t look like he could tackle anything robustly. Anyway?

The local view goes like this:

Cahill was handed his marching orders in bizarre fashion, with his cumbersome challenge on Chamakh looking no more dangerous than the one attempted almost simultaneously by Gretar Steinsson on Andrey Arshavin.’ Marc Iles in the former BEN there suggesting that if Baby Face had had his wits about him he could have done two Bolton players at the same time.

OK, that`s it. Apologies for the brevity, but life threatening illnesses sometimes get in the way. More death bed reporting tomorrow.

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