Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair

Gunners fans well remember the days when you couldn’t pick up a paper without reading grave comments about Arsenal’s ‘shameful’ disciplinary record highlighting, with ill concealed disgust, precisely how many players had been red carded during Arsene Wenger’s time as manager.

And those fans will also have noticed that for some time now it’s all gone very quiet on the disciplinary front. There’s a reason for that. You can find it tucked modestly away in two tables published in the News of the World. First there’s the ‘Foul Play League’. Arsenal are currently bottom of that league with the lowest aggregate for fouls, yellow and red cards in the entire Premiership. Then there’s the ‘Dirty Dozen’ – a kind of rogue’s gallery of the individual players who have racked up the most disciplinary points. Guess what! Not an Arsenal player in sight.

You might think that was cause for celebration. It is. And worthy of a bit of positive publicity. It is.

Just a bit.