Arsene Wenger has seen his Arsenal team lose four away games in a row for the first time ever under his reign, and so this is yet another bad time for the Gunners to go straight away into another away game, this time at Middlesbrough on Monday. In the reverse fixture at the Emirates, Arsenal failed to break down Boro’s defence and they left with a point from a 0-0 draw, so our beleaguered players will know they are in for another tough fight up in the north of England.
Middlesbrough have gone an amazing 15 games without a win in the Premier League, but at home they have managed 4 draws from their last 5 games, and they are desperate for points to take them out of the relegation zone so will be dangerous to any visitors especially with Arsenal in such terrible form as well.
So Wenger and the fans will not be very happy to find out that the nominated referee for this game is Anthony Taylor, who was involved in the banning of Wenger earlier in the season, when Arsenal played Burnley. Taylor was the Fourth Official that day, and he wrote in his report after the match. “Following the award of a penalty kick against his team in approx. 92nd min, Mr Wenger left his technical area to confront me in disagreement at the decision. Before he said anything I said: ‘Think carefully before you say anything.’
“He responded by saying ‘you are dishonest to your federation.’ I considered this to be questioning both mine and the referee, Jon Moss’s integrity and impartiality. I stated to Mr. Wenger that such a comment was not acceptable and he told me to “f*** off” on two separate occasions.”
We all know that referees are supposed to be completely impartial, but we also know that some of them have their favourites and enemies, and I am thinking that Wenger is hardly on Taylor’s Christmas card list. Le Prof may live to regret telling Taylor to f**k off…..
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