I am not a conspiracy theorist. I call things how see them. And on Saturday I saw a referee making decisions that appeared to be premeditated.

John Brooks made a lot of inconsistent, strange decisions. My only explanation is he was either instructed to keep a special eye on Arsenal “incidents”, or Brooks himself decided to give Arsenal special treatment.

Last season we won the league. Opposing fans and pundits could not cope, so in an attempt to devalue our achievement they harped on about what they saw as “Arsenal getting away with things” that other club were being penalised for. It was all balderdash.

We had pundits on Match of the Day and Sky highlight how long we took over throw ins, despite us being mid table for time taken. The rules were changed over the summer on how long a player can take for a throw in.

The the same pundits also highlighted how long David Raya would keep the ball, even though the stats showed he was amongst the quickest to release it. The authorities again changed the rules to give corners if a goalkeeper held the ball too long.

“Benefiting from foul play” was cried over how we were physical when attacking and defending corners. For the third time, the authorities changed the rules this summer in an attempt to limit contact in the penalty area

Finally we had Mikel Arteta leaving the technical area. Arteta behaves no different to any other manager, and infact the stats show that he is mid table last season for how often he leaves technical area. But it was Arteta who pundits opted to analysis.

Against Sunderland, Brooks was chomping at the bit to make a statement.

Arteta was booked for being about a metre out of his technical area. Now I concede that it is an offence for a manager to leave their area, but this weekend other managers would have left more often, ventured further, and not been booked. I am in no doubt this was a premeditated decision after all the “noise” in the last week.

It took Brooke just 18s before he decided to book Calafiori for taking too long over a throw in. In the same game, Sunderland took 53 seconds to take a throw in. The argument that “it is the ref who decides when to start counting, and they are more lenient for long throws” is nul and void when you realise that the Sunderland throw in take had the ball in his hands after 17s,  and then took more than 30s to take it.

And this was not just a one off…

We then have the penalty decision.

Ashley Williams was spot on in the way he called it. Dan Ballard had hold of Ezri Konsa. The Arsenal man was looking at the ball. Ballard then “judo hip tossed” Konsa, and both men fell to the ground. It was never a penalty, and was a simple case of an attacking player manufacturing a situation that would make him look like he was fouled. This is the sort of thing, I bet, some clubs practise – how to make it look like you’re the one being fouled. The ref fell for Ballard’s actions and VAR agreed with him. Penalty given. Arsenal’s reputation preceded them, and the ref was always going to side against us.

There is also the side story of Arsenal not conceding a penalty last season. I wonder if that came into the refs thinking and he was simply looking for any opportunity to award a penalty against us.

So much has been written about The Arsenal being an overly physical side. Irony is for over 15-years those same pundits criticised us for being “soft” and “naive”.

In a second half flashpoint, Gabriel got in the middle of everyone as peacemaker. He was pulling Arsenal players away from the melee, as well as trying to calm down former teammate Granit Xhaka. Gabriel was booked for doing what the ref was too cowardly to do.

The incident that created the flashpoint was a Sunderland player trying to pick up Bruno Guimaraes, who was rolling about injured. Gary Neville demanding Gabriel Martinelli to be sent off last season for a similar action will all be on our memories. Countless hours dedicated to the incident by Sky. This one won’t be mentioned.

Then we have Kai Havertz. Not really sure why the ref booked him. No one really knows. But he got a yellow card. Only conclusion is either spoke and a bet on Havertz to get a yellow card, or the ref just wanted to book an Arsenal player to show that he was “punishing the champions” and not treating us favourably.

Through a brilliant finish by Bruno and a late Bukayo Saka penalty, we won 2-0. John Brooks didn’t cost us.

Arteta was right to highlight the poor referring decisions and no doubt the league will come down on him hard. All he, and us, ask for us to be reffed fairly. And Saturday the referee was not fair.

Keenos 

There is something very satisfying about watching Martin Ødegaard when everything is clicking.

The little touches. The head-up passes. The effortless movement between the lines. And, increasingly this season, that wonderfully calm ability to decide a game himself.

After a 2025/26 campaign that never quite reached the individual heights we have come to expect from him, Ødegaard has started this season looking like a man with something to prove. And we are absolutely loving it.

The Norwegian has been at the heart of Arsenal’s perfect start to the Premier League campaign, with Mikel Arteta’s side taking nine points from their opening three matches. His contribution against Chelsea was particularly telling. With Arsenal trailing early on, Ødegaard helped turn the game around before scoring the winner shortly after half-time, calmly finishing a move created by Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz.

And then came Napoli.

Under the lights at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Arsenal produced a performance that felt like a statement. They controlled possession, created chance after chance and ultimately left Italy with a 1-0 Champions League victory.

The person to provide the decisive moment? Of course, Ødegaard.

With 15 minutes remaining, Arsenal worked the ball through a lovely attacking move before Ødegaard picked it up on the edge of the box and fired a low shot into the corner. It was the sort of finish that has become increasingly characteristic of his game: composed, technically brilliant and just a little bit cheeky.

More importantly, this isn’t simply about the goals.

What feels different about Ødegaard this season is his presence.

He looks more willing to take responsibility. He is demanding the ball, pressing with greater intensity and taking more risks in the final third. There is a sense that Arsenal’s captain isn’t waiting for the game to come to him anymore – he is actively trying to take control of it.

That matters.

Ødegaard has spent the last few seasons becoming one of the most important players in Arteta’s system, but there has always been a temptation to judge him purely through goals and assists. That misses a huge part of what makes him special. He is the player who can slow a game down when Arsenal need control, speed it up when an opening appears and spot a pass that most players wouldn’t even see.

This season, though, the numbers are beginning to follow the performances.

His strike against Chelsea doubled his Premier League goal tally from the entirety of last season, while his goal in Naples made it four goals in his opening five games across competitions.

For Arsenal, that is a rather exciting development.

They already have Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Eberechi Eze and a growing collection of attacking options. If Ødegaard can add a consistent goal threat to his usual creativity and control, Arsenal suddenly have another player capable of winning matches almost single-handedly.

There is also something lovely about seeing our captain rediscover his swagger.

Ødegaard has never been the loudest footballer on the pitch. His leadership has always been more understated — a gesture, a pass, a quick word, a demand for the ball. But this version feels different. He looks physically sharper, mentally freer and increasingly comfortable with being the player Arsenal turn to when things get difficult.

It is still very early, of course. September does not win you a title. But if this is the beginning of Ødegaard’s response to last season, we should be very excited.

DJ