Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta gets into trouble with referees on PURPOSE… but for a good reason, claims pundit
ALLY MCCOIST has defended Mikel Arteta’s troublesome touchline antics.
The Arsenal manager is in hot water with his behaviour from the sidelines, with pundits Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton criticising him.
During the win over Aston Villa, Arteta was spotted mocking referee Simon Hooper’s signal for ordering a free-kick retake.
The incident caught the attention of former referee Dermot Gallagher, who thought that it was a bad advert for the Premier League.
He told Sky Sports: “I think if the fourth official had felt it was untoward he’d have drawn it to the referee’s attention and probably a yellow card.
“But it’s not a good advert, is it? We don’t want to see that.”
However, Arteta has been defended by McCoist, who believes that his actions will help the fans and players.
The ex-Rangers striker even suggested that the manager gets into trouble “deliberately”.
He told talkSPORT: “I don’t have a problem with it.
“A lot of people have a problem with it, I don’t at all. I think he probably does it deliberately.
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“He gets into a little bit of trouble, to show the supporters [his desire to win].
“That is a completely different stadium nowadays. Totally different.
“If you’re on that pitch [as a player] and you look across and see that [it will help].”
Arteta has led the club to the summit of the Premier League table as they look to win the compeititon for the first time in 20 years.