Bolton striker Kevin Davies has accused Arsenal players of cheating referees by "screaming" to con officials into awarding them free-kicks.The Gunners edged to a 1-0 win over Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium, where the visitors' stubborn resistance was finally broken six minutes from time when substitute Nicklas Bendtner volley in a late winner.
While it was not an over-physical encounter, there is certainly little love lost between the two sides.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was left seething following what he saw as an X-rated challenge by forward Davies on full-back Gael Clichy during the encounter at the Reebok Stadium earlier in the season.
Davies, though, maintains several of the Arsenal team play act to get decisions their way.
"Sometimes it feels like they are trying to earn you a booking, which is bit disappointing and in some of the challenges, I felt that I won the ball," the Bolton forward said.
"A few of them let out a big scream, which is a bit embarrassing really because it is a man's game.
"[Kolo] Toure did one, and he is big, strong man. He was screaming 'my leg' which is a bit unnecessary - but they get the free-kicks.
"In my eyes that is cheating the referee, they have conned him, but they are good at than and you just have to get on with the game."
Bolton were only able to name three outfield players on the substitutes' bench, such was the selection problems for manager Gary Megson.
Davies feels the team can take credit from their efforts in difficult circumstances as they prepare for the visit of champions Manchester United.
"We have only got a small squad, then we had a suspensions and a few injuries, so we are all trying to work hard and can take a lot of positives out of the game because we probably deserved a point," he said.
"If we can perform like that against Manchester United next week, then we will give them a game."
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Comment 1 - 18 of 18
Very grown up, Aston. It's always a pleaure to read such well-informed and eloquently put comments.
Perhaps someone will throw you a banana or even rig up a tyre-swing for you.
bolton are @#$% !bolton are @#$% !bolton are @#$% !bolton are bullshibolton are @#$% !t !bolton are @#$% !bolton are bulls bolton are @#$% !hit !bolton arebolton are bobolton are @#$% !lton are @#$% !@#$% ! @#$% !bolton are @#$% !
if i have any money i would help bolton get joey barton so he can help davies play some exciting football!!!
BWFC TILL I DIE!
BOLTON AINT GOING ANYWHERE! We'll dig our heels in and stay im afraid so deal with it!!!! just cause we aint got the money or millionaires supporting us buying big names!
yes because davis is such a clean player and never fakes anythin...... wot bull
o and by the way. boltons performance against arsenal on the weekend was a disgrace to football everywhere. im suprised their fans pay to watch them put 10 men in their penalty box for the whole game...
didn't even get to finish reading this page. its all bull. a second class response from a third class player in a fourth rate team. done with this.
when was the last time anyone said, "what a great ball by davies" or "what a fantastic passage of play by Davies"?
Kevin Davies is a one-trick pony who runs into people then falls over like a @#$% when anyone goes anywhere near him.
Bolton came with zero ambition and got exactly what they deserved. at least when Big Sam was there they occasionally played football as well.
Oh, dear - I seem to have touched a nerve...
Alex F - some facts...
Fouls - Davies is 10 fouls behing Everton's Fellaini.
Yellow cards - Davies is 64th so far this season with 3 (Fabregas is 17th, by the way).
Red cards - none this season, none last season.
'More yellow cards than Joey Barton' - that's your argument? 21 starts against 4 starts and only 2 more yellows. Doesn't really hold water that one, does it?
So, if you'd like to explain how he's the 'dirtiest player in the prem'?
msimsphoto...fair enough about injuries, but they affect every team. If you were at the Emirates on Saturday you'd have noticed that we couldn't even fill our bench.
I have no 'chip on my shoulder' - I am well aware of how poor a team we are under Megson. There are, however, many truths in what Kevin Davies said, and there's a difference between 'dirty' and 'physical'. The fans didn't want the team to play 'anti-football' on Saturday but Arsene made that point for us in terms of Premier League survival being the most important factor for chairmen - but not fans. The sad fact is that under Megson, we play like that at home, too...against West Brom.
Anyway...enjoy the rest of your season, lets hope Utd (or Spurs) don't win the league.
Oh, and calm down a bit - you'll have a 'Connery'.
I'm off now - I've got a 'Megson Out' campaign to organise.
Somebody has a chip on their shoulder! In no way am I jealous of Aston Villa. Of course I have my concerns about our current league spot.... but I'm not jealous! Villa have done a sterling job, agreed. We've had a very unfortunate run of injuries to key players this year and with that, it's no real surprise to see us where we are. Rosicky and Eduardo will probably not play in the prem this season, and we have had long term injuries now to Toure, Diaby, Fabregas, Nasri, Djourou, and Walcott. When all of these players are back to fitness, with a couple of new additions and when a couple of youngsters have a little more experience we have one of the most gifted if not the most gifted squad in the league.... Embarrassed - I think not! Excited about the rest of the season, and next year - Very much so.
Not only that but we also have some very exciting young British talent ourselves thank you very much- Jay Simpson, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Kerrea Gilbert and Gavin Hoyte.
Wenger doesn't moan about physical teams. What he moans about is talentless players kicking ours off the pitch to stop them plying football.... Which after all is what they're ALL supposed to be there to do rather than line 10 players up on the edge of the 18 yard box and just try to desperately hang on to a 0 - 0!!
Oh and by the way, yes we southerners do think people from the midlands are dirty and unfashionable! WTF are you on about!!!?? .... and yes I do get to the Emirates as much as possible to support my club.
Hey plodfather, it's great to see that you're obviously such an expert on both Arsenal fc and their fans. Kindly keep your obviously embittered misconceptions to yourself. Aston Villa, "unfashionable 'oiks' from dirty Birmingham" - in your own interesting words - have earned their position in the PREMIER LEAGUE (as it's now known) table through merit, so don't presume you know us all and our "media-darling" club because your diatribe is more than a little embarassing...
msimsphoto...'jealousy' would suggest that I'd rather be a fan of Arsenal than Bolton. I can assure you that I don't aspire for my team to be fed unrealistic diatribe from the media week in week out. I would suggest that it is the Arsenal fans who are jealous? Of course, not of Bolton, but of Aston Villa. Arsenal are being pushed out of their media-darling spot by a team they see, I'm sure, as unfashionable 'oiks' from dirty Birmingham. Martin O'Neill has done an incredible job building his team around some extremely talented young English players. Arsenal just aren't the team they were, and they are being found out. They just can't handle not being able to steam-roller teams anymore. Can you imagine Keown, Adams, Dixon, Wright etc. moaning about 'physical' teams? Can you imagine them putting up with defeats at Stoke and at home to Hull? I bet they are as embarrassed about the current Arsenal squad as the rest of you secretly are.
Plod father! What are you talking about!? I think there's some serious jealousy in your message.... and a few untruths.
R.J.Hall - Your comments amaze me. It shows your complete lack of knowledge of Premiership football. 'He goes in hard but doesn't like it being done to him.' This quote is a complete joke. Firstly, there is nothing wrong with 'going in hard'. It's called a tackle - something I'm sure Mr Wenger would like to see abolished from the game. Secondly, to suggest that he doesn't like it done to him shows you have no mind of your own and have fallen for the media conspiracy towards the 'big 4'. I don't think I've ever seen Kevin Davies even recieve treatment after a tackle, showing he is not lowering himself to play-acting or 'screaming' after every challenge. If (and I wouldn't be surprised if you don't) you attend Arsenal games, are you not embarrassed by the behaviour of so called 'star' players such as Cesc Fabregas waving imaginary cards at the referee? I expect he then goes home to play with his 'imaginary' friends. grow a pair, and stop whining.
He davies is the dirtist player in the prem he needs to wind his neck in.
He thinks he won the ball in some challenges oh really well what about the others is that why you have more yellow cards that joey barton???
No wonder Davies sounds disappointed when admitting that in only "some of the challenges, I felt that I won the ball," - does that not prove that the rest of the time he was intent on getting the opponent! What a star! It must be very frustrating for a class team like Arsenal to perform against such under-rated opposition.
Davies is a big no talent fouler. He goes in hard but doesn't like it being done to him. Another footballer and I use the word footballer in the loosest of terms who thinks he's great but isn't really. Bye Bye Bolton and your saviour manager Megson...................
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