Max Dowman: some thoughts. A little bit of understanding and support would not go amiss for a targeted teenager who wants to play the game the right way, who doesn’t roll around on the ground when struck by a bad challenge, and he gets hit by a few. Officials take note. Coaches take note. There’s a balance with young talents of toughening them up physically and mentally while protecting them. There's a balance between admonishment for a mistake and encouragement to learn. Everyone wants to see Dowman fulfil his huge potential and develop into a major player for Arsenal and, eventually, England. Dowman is a special young talent, still only 16, still with the ink drying on his GCSE papers. He's still a kid, still learning. There have been (premature) calls for Dowman to be fast-tracked into England Under-21s, even the seniors. A month ago Thomas Tuchel and Lee Carsley conferred on Dowman and sensibly agreed his development would best be served by games with the Under-19s. “Max is always in the conversation because of his talent,” Carsley said. That talent has seen Dowman become the Premier League’s youngest ever goalscorer, become the youngest player in the Champions League, and also get targeted. He gets a kicking, nine times in an Under-19s international against Spain last year. On returning to Arsenal, Dowman was encouraged by his manager Mikel Arteta to learn from Bukayo Saka about the art of dealing with such aggression. It was all about avoiding contact and “to learn when to release the ball”. Arteta also praised Dowman’s “football IQ” with the “super smart” way he makes decisions, praise indeed. It’s impressive in one so young. His two red cards this month, one for England Under-19s against the USA behind closed doors in Marbella and now for Arsenal against Fleetwood Town, need placing in context. Trend or blip? Dowman, who usually has a composed temperament, suffered a number of robust challenges from the USA when he snapped and put in a strong challenge of his own. Some of those present in the game felt it was only a yellow. Dowman's not a petulant player, but his frustration spilled over at the aggression put in on him. Similar to last night. There were some robust League Two challenges going in from Fleetwood players on the English champions' winger, testing his temperament, and after 85 minutes he reacted. The focus was on his silly kick out towards Harrison Neal, a soft red but still a red under the Laws, when the focus should also have been on Neal’s challenge which could have injured Dowman. No card was issued against Neal. Michael Salisbury is an experienced referee, 16 years on the list, including now five years in the Premier League. Like all officials, Salisbury has a duty of care to all players to ensure they are not put at risk by bad challenges. Neal got the ball but the force and pace of his follow-through endangered Dowman, whose standing foot was momentarily trapped. Dowman, any player, deserved some protection from challenges like that. He also deserved some compassion from Arteta. It’s one thing having strong words in passing if a senior player was trooping off, red-carded, down the tunnel. But Dowman is 16, probably still fuming with the tackle on him, and frustration at dismissal and inevitable feeling of letting the team down. Dowman didn’t need the most important person in his professional life, Arteta, to compound his misery with a frosty few words as he headed towards the tunnel. He's 16. He wasn't being petulant. He was reacting to a bad challenge. Maybe Arteta was trying to make the point again about Dowman having to withstand such tackles, and not reacting. Arteta told reporters after the game that he had spoken pre-match to Dowman and the other players of the need for emotional control in such an intense occasion. Fair enough, Dowman will learn. Whatever Arteta's frustration, it felt harsh and small-minded by such a successful, established manager. Officials take note too. It’s worth recalling that Arteta’s club contacted the authorities when they felt Saka was being targeted with bad challenges. Talents - all players - deserve protection. #AFC

Honestly, fuck off back to Newcastle Bruno Guimaraes you fucking Brazilian cunt. How does he even dare start another game for us after tonight? He signed for the league champions and doesn't even command starts. Oh, he plays against Fleetwood and loses us the tie. Fuck off

Manchester United are proof the Red Cartel doesn't exist. They cannot get anything right let alone be part of that - amidst what apparently is a conspiracy against the little underdog clubs. Unless a leading conspirator is truly this incompetent, I don't know what to tell you.

Some thoughts on the mess at Manchester United, including the crisis of leadership throughout. The only blameless people are the fans. #MUFC

❤️‍🩹 Bruno Guimarães: “I never felt so loved like the way I was at Newcastle. I hope I can have the same love here at Arsenal”. “I had so many sleepless nights… it was not easy at all for me to leave Newcastle, the connection there was special”. “I will always be grateful”, says Bruno — via @sr_collings.

Bruno Guimaraes on leaving NUFC: "I lost many, many nights of sleep because it was difficult for me, for my family. "I never felt so loved like the way I was at Newcastle. I hope I can have the same love here at Arsenal, the connection I had was unbelievable."

Como VS Manchester United (Champions League) Penggemar Manchester United berkelahi satu sama lain sebelum pertandingan. 😂

This is an affront to the name of Manchester United.

MNF is such a quality programme on @SkySports . Loved @DavidJonesSky and @Carra23 analysis of Brentford-Liverpool and the Florian Wirtz chances created statistic

If you are on £25,000 salary per year, £700 of your taxes goes to the NHS annually If you are earning £40,000 £1,650 of your taxes goes to the NHS annually If you are earning £75,000 £4,500 goes to the NHS annually Private healthcare would be far cheaper for ALL of us. Imagine not seeing a doctor this year but you’ve paid over £2,000 towards the NHS…. Imagine not getting a doctor’s appointment yet you are paying thousands of your taxes into a service which can’t see you. I think we should scrap the NHS and create a much smaller organisation which ONLY assists 🔹Those above 60 🔹New Mothers 🔹children up to 18 🔹Long term disabled Everyone else can pay for private healthcare Premium private healthcare is cheaper. Those who are on low income can pay a discounted private healthcare which will still be cheaper than what we are throwing at the NHS. Stop worshiping the NHS which is a black hole of wastage.

🚨𝗠𝗔𝗝𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Top European clubs are set to file a petition to UEFA regarding PSG, the club rest their best players in league matches and uses them in champions league to give them double advantage, top clubs in Europe sees it as cheating. Man City, Madrid, Arsenal Barcelona, Manchester united, Napoli and Bayern Munich are amongst the club that support this motion.