• Gunners crowd referee, claims dismissed Wolves
captain
• Arsenal players said to 'roll around getting people sent off'
Flashpoint: Thomas Vermaelen pushes Karl
Henry
Just four days after their artful struggle against
Barcelona and Arsenal were accused of spoiling their beautiful
football with play-acting, moaning and intimidation.
The case was made by Wolves captain Karl Henry, harshly sent off
at the Emirates and who fingered Tomas Rosicky and Thomas Vermaelen
for conning referee Andre
Marriner into the red card.
Even Arsene Wenger admitted his players over-reacted to the
challenge which sent
Rosicky into an exaggerated roll, and the FA will await Marriner’s
report before deciding whether to charge the Gunners with
intimidation.
‘It’s a disgrace, an absolute disgrace,’ said an angry Henry.
‘I’ve nicked the ball and Vermaelen has come flying in and whoever
else trying to get me sent off. It’s not nice to see.
‘That’s what they do here. I don’t think it’s pretty and it’s
not good. Their players moan when they get tackled, when they get
hit hard, and so does Arsene Wenger. It’s part of the game.
Show of support: Mick McCarthy (right) had sympathy
for his player
‘Here in particular, Arsenal moan a lot. Their players
go down like a sack of spuds. They get hit hard like other clubs do
and we’re hearing about it for weeks and weeks. To get sent off is
a disgrace.’
Henry plans to appeal against the dismissal, which carries a
three-match ban but could be extended if his appeal is considered
frivolous.
‘It’s sad to see you can’t tackle any more,’ said the
27-year-old. ‘I grew up watching some of the older games and I’ve
seen tackles flying in. Today it seems you can’t make contact with
anybody.
‘I can understand how he gives a foul. But I’ve seen it again
and I nick the ball. It was never a red card.’
Wenger did not condone the reaction of his players but offered
the horrific injuries suffered by Eduardo and Aaron Ramsey in
explanation.
‘There is still a trauma in the team,’ said the Arsenal manager.
‘But we have to be careful with surrounding the referee. We do not
want that.’
Relief: Wenger admitted his players
over-reacted to the challenge which sent Rosicky into an exaggerated
roll
Wenger’s crusade against what he considers a specific
tactic to kick his players has generated a mob mentality at the
Emirates, where the home crowd bay for red cards whenever their
heroes are tackled aggressively.
The fury was turned on Wolves boss Mick McCarthy as he applauded
Henry off and put an arm around his captain.
‘I felt bad for Karl,’ said McCarthy. ‘I ushered him off and
congratulated him on his performance. The fans may have thought I
was congratulating him on kicking one of their players but I don’t
advocate that. I don’t ask anyone to kick anyone.
‘I became the pantomime villain. They’ve come here, they’ve won
and they boo me off. Am I bothered? I’m bothered we lost. They
booed me off because my team actually gave them a fright.’
Precious points: Nicklas Bendtner shatters 10-man
Wolves
Wolves went within seconds of killing Arsenal’s title
hopes. The visitors could have been four down inside 20
minutes, but rode their luck, grafted and grew in confidence before
substitute Nicklas Bendtner headed another added-time winner — the
Gunners’ third in their last six league games — from Bacary Sagna’s
cross.
‘We kept composed and didn’t hoof the ball,’ said
Bendtner. ‘Wolves like to take three minutes every time they
have a throw-in or a goal-kick and it’s frustrating.
‘They wasted a lot of time and there was a lot added on. We got
what we deserved in the end, which was a victory.’
