When Arsenal face West Brom in their rearranged tie on Thursday, 21st April, they will do so with Jon Moss in charge.
While Arsenal’s record with Moss in charge isn’t too bad at all (he did referee the FA Cup final, remember?) he is widely held to be one of the poorest refs in the country.
That’s really saying something given his competition.
Ahead of the FA Cup final, former ref, Mark Halsey, did not hold back in what he thought of Moss when he said “Greg Dyke has got to take a look at the appointment process for the FA Cup referee because, frankly, it’s become a joke.
“Seriously, Jon Moss at Wembley? I can’t be having that. He’s made too many high profile mistakes this season already.
“Even last weekend he missed two blatant penalties, one for Palace and one for West Brom.”
This season, Moss has refereed 28 games, issued 85 yellows (average just over three per game) and six reds.
The game against West Brom will be his fourth Arsenal game of the season with the Gunners winning 2-0 at home to Stoke, drawing 1-1 at Norwich and losing 4-0 at Southampton.
You might remember that Saints game for the fact that Arsenal were awful and they ruined Christmas or you might recall it for the fact that he let all four goals stand when he could, and perhaps should have ruled most if not all of them out for variety of reasons (or given decisions in Arsenal’s favour in the run-up to the goals).
In his three Arsenal games this season, he’s issued a total of five yellows – three for our opponents and two for Arsene Wenger’s men. The two Arsenal players he booked? Those well-known savages, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil.
As for West Brom, this will be their fifth match of the season with Moss in charge. They’ve won two and lost two of the other four, picking up nine cards along the way to their opponents seven. Cards fly when Tony Pulis and Jon Moss are involved.
You never know what you’re going to get with Jon Moss.
Well, that’s not entirely true. You always know you’re going to get some awful decisions. But that’s about it.