Dermot Gallagher's lack of consistency is as alarming as PGMOLs

Fury and Loathing on title trail: Awful refereeing left Arsenal with 10 players yet Dermot Gallagher still won't admit Kavanagh's mistakes on Sky Sports Ref Watch

Good morning, Happy Monday,

Or it would be, if we’re not still all thinking about Declan Rice’s ridiculously soft second yellow card on Saturday.

Such resentment was further compounded if you watched former referee Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch this morning.

“Commonsense and refereeing don’t actually go hand in hand…” said Gallagher, one of our least favourite former officials, on Sky’s Monday must-watch analysis of the weekend’s contentious decisions made by officials.

The fact there is even such a programme, speaks volumes for the level of performance by English officials.

A lack of consistency: Dermot Gallagher justifying Joao Pedro’s lack of a yellow card for booting the ball away, while also insisting Declan Rice should have been handed a second caution for the same offence.

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The same Gallagher, who, in his time, don’t forget, was handed a match ban (or red card) for his poor refereeing of Arsenal vs Chelsea in 1998 at Highbury.

And who can forget his refusal to accept that referee Anthony Taylor had got it completely and utterly wrong during Arsenal’s controversial 3-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa at the Emirates on the opening day of the 2013-14 season, when awarding two penalties to the visitors and sending off Laurent Koscielny.

Not to mention Gallagher’s stubborn refusal when wheeled out as TV pundit to accept the ball had gone over the line, prior to Anthony Gordon’s controversial goal at St James’s Park, in a damaging defeat for Arsenal last season.

I could go on, as there is a raft of further evidence to suggest that Gallagher, just like PGMOL is not fit for purpose.

Dermot Gallagher on Ref Watch

Not least this Monday morning, when Gallagher attempted to justify why Brighton’s Joao Pedro, an excellent player, but one who should have been carded in the first half of Saturday’s game for, not simply, tapping the ball away after the whistle had blown, but absolutely shellacking it halfway across the pitch, much to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s displeasure at the time.

Speaking on Ref Watch on Monday morning, Gallagher, when asked what the difference was between Pedro and Rice’s actions, said, and I quote verbatim: “Um, the difference being the ball’s gone out of play.

“The referee feels like there’s no Arsenal player there.

“He {Kavanagh] could well have yellow carded him [Pedro] but he chose not to.

“He chose not to because the ball goes straight to the goalkeeper. By the time the ball came back the Arsenal player was ready to take the throw in.

“He felt it didn’t stop Arsenal attacking,” adding, when comparing the two actions, “Veltman had the opportunity to play the ball down the line. And Rice took that opportunity away from him…”

All I could deduce from that, was, that you’re fine to boot the ball 50 yards if you don’t play for Arsenal. If you do play for Arsenal then a tap of the ball warrants a second yellow.

To add further incredulity, Gallagher insisted: “Whatever happened with the player [Veltman] it didn’t exonerate what Rice did.”

So, in that case why wasn’t Pedro handed a yellow card?

Which, coupled with the actual yellow card the Brighton player received (albeit late in the second half) meant that it both sides should have been down to ten men.

Or, if a referee was strong enough to make a decision, Brighton should actually have been down to nine men, after Veltman should have been sent off for violent conduct when booting Rice.

Yet still Gallagher was insistent. “Rice commits the offence - not Veltman.” As if it’s absolutely fine for a player to purposely kick another player.

Of course, what actually happened, as we all know, was that Arsenal went down to ten men, while Brighton got off scott free.

I wonder what the outcome would have been if it had been, say, Granit Xhaka in an Arsenal shirt, booting an opposition player.

All we want is consistency. But it never seems to happen.

Certainly not when The Arsenal are involved. And that’s why Gooners everywhere are really annoyed.

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DAILY LIST:

I - It says something when I am the only one in the household without a hangover, following others’ (who shall not be named) attendance at a music festival on Sunday, while I watched 12 hours of sport on the telly on Sunday, as a rare treat with the house to myself.

Alas, normal procedures return this week, with a trip to Leyton Orient vs Arsenal U21s on Tuesday evening at Brisbane Road (or whatever it is called these days), and then Arsenal Women vs Rangers Women, in the crucial Champions League qualifier at Meadow Park on Wednesday.

International break? What international break…?