The only thing more certain in the world of football than a Big Ron cliché is a red card for an Arsenal player at least once a fortnight. This has to do with mismanagement on the part of Arsene Wenger, petulance amongst the squad (and particularly from the French contingency) and the football club's apparent belief that they should not be subject to such ridiculous rules, which are clearly there for the bigger clubs to break anyway. Or so the media would have us believe. The barrage of dismissals that have plagued the Highbury reign of Arsene Wenger has more faces than a room full of strange doctors called Jekyll.

There are any number of explanations currently being echoed around the marble halls, many of them poor excuses along the lines of "I didn't see it guv". However, to repeatedly quote the number of red cards in the past three years is to distort the facts considerably. What better place to start than the last dismissal, that of Oleg Luzhny against Wimbledon. Had this card had no partner in the game, it could have gone down as a genuine mistake by the referee, as it was only clear from the replay that Luzhny had made little or no connection with the onrushing Andreas Lund, or that at least one other defender would have beaten the Wimbledon striker to the ball. However, the referee's decision to consult his linesman following the clear professional foul by Jason Euell on Thierry Henry, before eventually deciding to send him off, highlighted both decisions, and demonstrated the totally random nature of refereeing today.

Call me cynical, but although it is clear that referees anger everybody more than they used to, not just Arsenal fans, I would hazard that we have had more than our fair share of bizarre decisions during Arsene's tenure. The dismissal of Thierry Henry against Bremen was another example of an over-officious referee letting his ego get the better of him, while who can forget Martin Keown's dismissal for that dangerous show of dissent while shrugging his shoulders at Paul Alcock against Sheffield Wednesday. Of course, the majority of the red cards received have been for two bookable offences, but this makes the refereeing no less incredible. At least two of Emmanuel Petit's four red cards for the club have come about through daft bookings.

Patrick Vieira has suffered more than most at the hands of Poll, Barber and the rest, including his ludicrous dismissal by Uriah Rennie (who else?) after the alleged-but-non-existent elbow on Charlton's Neil Redfearn. The feeling that these players are targeted by referees before the game as potential troublemakers is a difficult one to shake off, even if Petit should find a different way to moan about it.

One plain fact that the media choose to overlook is the Gunners' standing in the Fair Play League. During Wenger's time in charge, Arsenal have finished consistently mid-table, and currently lie in 8th. The number of red cards has indeed been excessive, but when certain dubious decisions are removed from the equation, Arsenal are no worse than the majority of sides (with the possible and obvious exception of the halo-wearers of Old Trafford). Of course, Arsenal do occasionally receive a fortunate break from a referee. Steve Dunn's shortsightedness allowed Lee Dixon to get away with his attempted jab at Lee Bowyer during the Leeds encounter. Some may argue that this contradicts the argument that Arsenal are treated more harshly than other Premiership outfits. Of course, how Erik Bakke was still on the field at the end of the game is a mystery, after two horrific, easily booking-worthy challenges, one a terrible follow-through, and the other an 'innocent' tackle which saw Emmanuel Petit stretchered off.

In other words, the Gunners' good fortune on one occasion was balanced out by yet more ridiculous refereeing, and yet had Dixon been sent off, we all know that the headlines would have depicted the game as a bloodthirsty rout by the dirtiest side in England. I mean, they could at least have let those nice Leeds boys win the match.

So, should the FA consider banning Arsenal players for longer as a warning to others, or even docking the team points? Perhaps automatic relegation would suffice, or maybe community service for the worst offenders in the squad. Should they even allow certain high-and-mighty tabloid journalists to choose the punishment that would sell most newspapers? Maybe the rumours are true and football fans really are biased, but maybe the spate of cards has more than a little to do with those dealing them out, rather than those receiving them. And until Mr.Rennie and his kind see fit to accept their fallibility, it would seem as though those screaming headlines may be with us for some time.