This weekend's results were certainly good for the title race.
If Chelsea had beaten Arsenal then they would be odds-on to be champions and people would be saying it's their title. Now all of a sudden there are doubts about them.
What we've seen from Arsenal is that they're more than capable of getting themselves up for the games against the big boys. Now they've got to prove they can do it against the lesser teams. When they beat Manchester United they went on to lose their next two league games and that's why you can't say they're back in the title race just yet.
Arsenal: shock win
It's not over for them, but don't read too much into that result at Stamford Bridge. They got the luck they needed on Sunday, there was no excuse for the assistant not flagging Robin van Persie's first goal offside. I'm sure decisions will go against Arsenal in other games and maybe they haven't had much luck so far this season. Let's wait and see if they can turn things around in their favour.
It really annoys me when over-the-top challenges only get a yellow card and a handball is treated the same. It seems the referee's right to be a human being on the pitch has been taken away.
Chris Kamara
Quotes of the week
Email him at skysportsclub@bskyb.com
The Manchester derby was a good game, but as I'll discuss later I was not impressed by the red card for Cristiano Ronaldo. We want to see players kept on the pitch and it really annoys me when over-the-top challenges only get a yellow card and an inexplicable handball is treated in the same way. It seems the referee's right to be a human being on the pitch has been taken away.
Once they were down to 10 men, Manchester United stopped the flamboyancy and made themselves hard to beat. Under normal circumstances they'd have kept going for more goals, but in a way the red card probably galvanised United to hold onto what they had.
Kammy's picks of the weekend...
GAME - Chelsea 1-2 Arsenal
Chelsea were odds-on to win in the first place and were massive odds-on once they'd scored the first goal and you couldn't have predicted what would happen next. It could have been a different game if Arsenal's equaliser hadn't been given, but that doesn't hide the fact Chelsea didn't create many chances.
TEAM - Bolton
To go to another Premier League side and score four goals is very impressive. They played well and they looked really solid. I know Gary Megson well and he's very good at organising them and making sure they have a strong defence.
GOAL - Jermain Defoe
I'll go for Jermain Defoe's goal for Portmsouth against Blackburn Rovers where he dropped the shoulder and Christopher Samba needed a ticket to get back in! Defoe just totally deceived the Rovers defender and it was a great finish from the Pompey striker.
SAVE - Chris Kirkland
We did a piece on him on Goals on Sunday because his overall performance was outstanding. Although Henri Camara and Emmerson Boyce scored the goals, Kirkland won the match for them with a number of fine stops, especially in the second half.
PLAYER - Johan Elmander
I'm still not 100 per cent convinced about him because he went down very easily and he seems to be high maintenance. People are looking at the price tag and are saying Bolton overspent but he produced two good finishes, one with his right foot and one with his left.
GAFFER - Arsene Wenger
Every time he gets written off he seems to come up with something. This game is all about results and if you come away with the result it doesn't matter how fortunate you are. They have been leaking goals, but they restricted Chelsea to one chance and only conceded through an own goal.
GRIPE - Ronaldo's red
Everybody seems to be talking about the letter of the law, but take this into consideration - why would Cristiano Ronaldo want to handle the ball in that situation? Why on earth would any striker deliberately handle a ball that's in front of his face? Why are they so adamant and definite that the referee did the right thing by issuing an automatic yellow card? That's where some common sense needs to be used. He wasn't trying to stop the ball whacking him in the face - he's one of the best headers of a ball in the world. He clearly thought he'd heard a whistle or he'd been nudged, you saw that from his reaction. The referee should have wagged his finger at him, given a free kick to Man City and kept him on the pitch. Nobody from Man City would have complained. Nobody in the game would have complained apart from people who believe referees have to stick to the letter of the law. And if that's got to be a yellow card then the law's an ass.
Kammy answers your e-mails...
Got a question for Kammy? Email him at skysportsclub@bskyb.com or use the feedback form at the bottom of the page.
IS JOE IN TOON?
Hi Kammy I would like to ask you what your thoughts are on the future of Newcastle. Do you think we will survive, and if yes, on what basis? Despite the encouragement I have received since Kinnear arrived, I am still concerned regarding all the off-field problems we are facing, and the possibility of losing star players. Thank you. Yianni Savva.
KAMMY SAYS: I don't think they'll lose any players. They might lose Michael Owen, but with all his injuries they've not really had him this season anyway. It's not a problem because Mark Viduka is coming back to fitness and he'll form a good partnership with Obafemi Martins and you've got big Shola Ameobi playing out of his skin under Joe Kinnear.
I know they are near the bottom now, but I don't see them being involved in the relegation fight at all. With their home form I can see them getting out of it in the next few weeks. I'm quite confident that Joe will do a decent enough job to get them away from the bottom and he might even get the job on a full-time basis after this season, depending on how well he does.
ROQUE AND A HARD PLACE
Hi Chris, I was just wondering what do you make of Paul Ince's recent results and do you believe he has the determination and drive to turn it around? Also do you believe Blackburn will be able to keep hold of Roque Santa Cruz in January? Ricky G
KAMMY SAYS: Roque Santa Cruz is going to be very disappointed with the position they're in. As someone with the ability to play Champions League football, he'll get itchy feet if the results don't start to pick up. Of course Paul Ince has got the determination and drive as a manager, but sometimes it's not all about that. Football manager is one of the only jobs where you don't get out of it as much as you put into it. It's sometimes not dependant on what you do, but on what your players do and it can go wrong if they don't produce the goods for you.
Having inherited a decent team, Paul will be disappointed. Has he improved the side? At the moment the answer is 'no', but it's still early days and there's bags of time to get them away from the bottom, especially with so many teams involved in the relegation fight. He signed a long-term contract when he went there and he'll want to see it through and be as successful as he possibly can. He'll be desperate to turn things around.
Comments (64)
Stuart Lowman (Chelsea fan) says...
Why is everyone trying to protect Ronaldo, there was no whistle, he was not pushed and he had no excuse. Furthermore he disrespected the referee after he received his first yellow card and players have been sent off before for clapping a ref's decision. So one could say Ronaldo had sealed his fate after that stupid gesture. I think the pressure of being the best is getting to Ronaldo, with supporters on his back at every occassion nd this is where we will see the true character of Ronaldo.
Posted 07:19 4th December 2008
Craig Stevens (Barnsley fan) says...
i cant say i agree with Chris Kamara or the man u fans. was ronaldo pushed, no (as the replays suggest). he was also showing the ref no respect and was as arrogant as always. i dont think ronaldo is at maradonas stage yet so "hand of god" goals will be hard to come by, he needs to be a lot more subtle too. stay on ur feet, respect the ref, stop complaining/whinging constantly and then i will call u the best football player in the world with no trouble.
Posted 04:49 4th December 2008
Kevin Rooney (Newcastle United fan) says...
My team Newcastle will have a far better second half to the season now that Joe has his feet under the rug. I will be happy with mid-table and so should the likes of Tottenham considering how rocky things have been for both clubs. Nothing new there then. Bobby Robson didn't need the boot four years ago and neither did the excellent Martin Jol at Spurs. Ashley wll sell in the summer and I don't think Newcastle's new owners will see Joe Kinnear as the long-term answer. Another Irishman would be a good bet, bring on David O' Leary! The man has been out of the game way too long and if the Toon had stability he could have taken over two years ago when he left Aston Villa. Robson had another two years in him at least. Spurs and Newcastle need the biggest dose of consistency otherwise season after season will be fruitless.
Posted 21:11 3rd December 2008
Homzie D (Manchester United fan) says...
Chelsea lost no Prem game at Stamford Bridge for 41/2 years and lost to Liverpool and Arsenal in the space of 2 months. They were very very very lucky that the ref was on their side against United (with 7 yellows) else, they would have lost that one too by 2-0. It teaches them a lesson. Despite being a Utd fan, I was supporting Arsenal in that match and when I saw Van Persie scoring the winner, I was delighted. 5-0 against Sunderland & Middlesbro and they're suddenly world beaters? They still have to go to Emirates (2-1 to Ars), Anfield (1-0 to Liv) and Old Trafford (3-0 to Utd). Plus Utd will have 2 games in hand (at home vs Ful and Wig) by the time we come from Japan with the World Title. They(Chel) look great away from home, sometimes irresistable but, they still have to go to these places. Lets not forget Villa Park, their bogey ground. I can see a 4 horse race with all of the "big 4" having a chance. It will come down to Utd v Arsenal in May. Regarding the Ronaldo red, Kammy, you are right. Even die-hard City fans would have to admit that it was harsh. The letter of the law says its a yellow (second yellow so red) but, refs must act with common sense at times. Defeats for Chel and Man City in the space of a few hrs teaches a lesson that money cannot and does not buy success.For all those who believe that Ars and Utd are out of the title race, dream on!!! This weekend shows that its still a 4 horse race. The Manchester derby was billed as Robinho v Ronaldo, but, the main "destroyer" was Rooney. But for a great save from Hart, Wazza would have scored the goal of the season. I admit it was great presence of mind by Joe Hart. Where was Robinho? Oh yes, thats right, he was nowhere!!! Delusional City fans, dream on. You'll never be close to the real "Emperors" of Europe and possibly the world after December 21. C'mon Red Devils, win the treble and show those Mancs who is the boss, oh yes, we already did on Sunday!!!
Posted 17:06 3rd December 2008
Dave Hold (Manchester United fan) says...
Ayola Wusu, what are you on about? are you more qualified than Kammy to judge these things? No you are not, so let the experts get on with it. Some of these refs, Phil Dowd the worst, now feel they are untouchable and can do what they like, respect needs to be a two-way thing!
Posted 13:26 3rd December 2008
Scott Purdie (Manchester United fan) says...
SOMEsome fans on this are really thick eh, ronaldo was tryin to do a maradona? he did not punch it to wards the goal did he. also sayin the arsenal goal came of ashley cole. yeah it did but an arsenal player had played it 1st then it came off him, so therefore he was offside. john terry yeah should hae been sent of but lets face it he gets off with what he wants, when defendin he wants 2 pull every 1 about, but when hes attacking he wants a penalty 4 it. lets face it refs get it wrong, am sure no 1 is perfect at there jobs. end of season u finish where u deserve.
Posted 12:15 3rd December 2008
James Sloan (Newcastle United fan) says...
Rob Woods what exactly do you base your comment "Terry is best in world." I have been waiting for a long time for someone to explain to me why John Terry is so highly rated. Granted he will go in for anything, and I am not saying Newcastle have anyone better before you all start with jibes at our defence, but ultimately when England concede goals who is right at the heart of the controversay...Terry of course. That goal against germany, regardless of whether Carson shouted or not was Terry's fault, if in doubt, knock it out. And then the Kazakhstan goal, who pops up with an absolute blunder.. Terry again. There is no escape from the matter, if Lee Bowyer, Robbie Savage, Joey Barton or anyone of that type mentality had put in the same tackle as Terry they would have been sent off, so why is it any different for this carthorse?
Posted 10:10 3rd December 2008
Patrick Murphy (Liverpool fan) says...
Alan Gray (Chelsea) Read my comments again, i said POSSIBLE.............if it was a Gallas doing a tackle on W. Bridge like that IT WOULD BE A STRAIGHT RED, and Alan Gray deep down you know this, John Terry gets away with murder time and time again, and Rooney, he just says whatever he likes to refs (abusive language) and they dont even talk to him much less card him, it will be different in South Africa tho
Posted 05:57 3rd December 2008
Michael Grove (Arsenal fan) says...
im not complaining but why is everyone goin on about the terry tackle sayin he didnt hurt him? so what the rule dont state that if u make a 2 footed challenge and hurt sumone its a red card, its just a plain 2 footed tackle warrents a red card ye got away with that we got away with off side get over it arsenal got some luck but overall deserved to win the game. still not gona win the league tho but its always when u underestimate arsenal they bowl u over aint that right chelsea :D
Posted 19:25 2nd December 2008
Curtis Wells (Bolton Wanderers fan) says...
Despite trashing sunderland 4-1 i think the team still as to improve and pick their heads up againt chelsea if they wanna play with the big boys if we keep this confidence up a uefa cup spot is certain
Posted 19:04 2nd December 2008
Dave The brave (Arsenal fan) says...
My team seemed to have corrected Fergie's recent comment that "Arsenal are in disarray" by winning at the Bridge. It occurred to me as a strange thing to say when you take into account the fact that the previous weekend, our Gunners beat Man United too. If we assume he was correct then I really have to wonder about the amount of disarray there is in the United team! On the other hand, maybe it shows that disarray can be a good thing?
Posted 18:56 2nd December 2008
Liam Smith (Manchester United fan) says...
I bet Ronaldo's red card won't be rescinded like a certain Mr. Terry's was earlier this season, in fact, by the letter of the law can he even have the red card rescinded, as it was 2 bookable offences and not a straight red? the FA and it's rules are a joke sometimes. Ronaldo probably would have got the header on target, if not scored, so he wasn't trying to gain an advantage, but simply tried to catch the ball as he heard micah richards go down shouting followed by a whistle. where's the justice?
Posted 17:13 2nd December 2008
Mark Harrison (Manchester United fan) says...
hmmmmmm Ronaldo was in an attacking position where he could have headed the ball and scored but did city a favour by catching it. Why send him off? If it was at the other end of the pitch and ronaldo did the same then there would be no arguments, but city would have been the only ones to benefit from his actions. Obviously he must have heard something because why would ronaldo want to risk getting sent off when he was in a position to score? Again I think it comes down to referees justifying themselves again. If referees had a post match interview like the managers and players then the referee could say "I didn't send ronaldo off for the handball because X Y and Z". I'm sure mark hughes would have been happy. But saying all that City still couldn't win with an extra man so it makes even more amusing! City might be the richest but not the best! You cant buy history and passion!
Posted 17:08 2nd December 2008
Barry Johnson (Chelsea fan) says...
Typical Arsenal Moaning About A Tackle....Why Do you think you cant win the league?because you cant handle the physical side!...man united fans may feel a bit annoyed about ronaldos sending off but should think themselves lucky they didnt get a penalty given against them last week at villa!
Posted 16:44 2nd December 2008
Dyson Stephenson (Arsenal fan) says...
Cronaldo was looking for an advantage ... he was trying to force the ref to make a decision as soon as he felt the push from a hand in his side ... he was looking for a penalty decision but he realised too late that the two players in between him and the "offender" knocked the offender away from him so that the contact wasn't going to be enough for a penalty. He even pointed at the player as he was walking towards the ref as an excuse for his actions. It is the same when he dives and then scrambles to grab the ball to force the decision from the ref. As to fans not being able to referee "much better than" refs ... I would suggest with the financial benefits associated with refereeing that if any fan could referee anywhere near the standard of current referees that they consider a vocational change. Remember that the decisions aren't made with the benefit of eight replays and three of those in slow motion.
Posted 16:06 2nd December 2008
Jimmey Fahngon (Arsenal fan) says...
I believed that Arsenal deserved to win the game against Chelsea because they created many chances compared to Chelsea. We scored our own goal yet Chelsea could not score. Infact, we scored all of the goals, so we deserved to win. Let no one be fooled that Arsenal will fall as they did after they defeated Manchester. We are back and ready to beat any team that comes our way.The win against Chelsea should serve as a wake up call to other teams especially Liverpool Gunners till life leaves me.
Posted 15:45 2nd December 2008
Tom Mailey (Arsenal fan) says...
He grabbed it so he could slam it into the net. Anyway do you care? He's missing out on a carling cup game.............. OH NO.
Posted 15:27 2nd December 2008
Kevin Chan (Arsenal fan) says...
As an Arsenal supporter i am obviously delighted with the win on sunday and i can accept that the first goal was offside but how can any Chelsea fan say that they deserve to win considering they only had one shot on target throughout the game? Their goal was also an own goal so technically they did not even score their own goal.Also John Terry's two footed tackle should have been more than a yellow and Sagna's non reaction to the tackle prevented that from happening. As for the Ronaldo incident, he should not have been on the pitch to handball it in the first place, his sarcastic applause should have resulted in a 2nd yellow. But fair play to Man Utd as i thought they were the better team. Come on Arsenal!!
Posted 13:29 2nd December 2008
William Mc fadden (Chelsea fan) says...
kammy do u think chelsea will win the league? chelsea lost two times at the bridge but they are brilliant away. they will not win the champions league i dont think what about you?
Posted 13:22 2nd December 2008
Mark Casewell (Arsenal fan) says...
i absolutely agree with neil. ronaldo might be a great player, but hes just not gettin things right...although he had said that his idol was thierry henry, hes not trying to following him, is he? never in my life had i seen thierry henry dive in my whole life. When Henry gets kicked, he does not scream, he does not react. ronaldo is different...by a lot. he just wants free kicks and stuff. thats what makes henry look better than ronaldo. sure...his speed might be faster and he might be more skilful, but overall he does not look that good.
Posted 13:21 2nd December 2008
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