Where Is The Director Of Football We So Desperately Need?
Mar 7th, 2008 by 'holic
A fleeting visit today I’m afraid. There was work to do this morning and a meeting to prepare for tonight . Fortunately beer will be involved later which will be more than welcome.
Anyway, I was reading the news that Liam Brady is set to take on a role with the Republic of Ireland side, and it got me thinking. Actually it got me thinking two things, because whenever I see or hear his name mentioned I am transported back to White Hart Lane in December 1978, and that goal and the subsequent celebration.
Then it got me thinking back to the start of the season. Do you remember all of the fuss in the press about how important it would be for Arsenal to find a director of football with whom Arsene Wenger could work following the departure of David Dein.
Liam was the name echoing around the corridors at the Grove at that time. The press tried frantically to put others in the frame. Nicky Hammond from Reading was approached, or so we were told by some. Others insisted it was only a mattter of time before Gilles Grimandi or Remi Garde were given the nod. The only thing they could all agree on was that Arsenal could not move forward until that critical appointee was in place.
The search continues.
Or maybe it doesn’t!
21 Responses to “Where Is The Director Of Football We So Desperately Need?”
Go for it ‘holic.
You’d make a decent fist of it.
There is a new blog!
Nice one.
Two ‘ll’ for Gilles Grimandi though.
Well in Dubs!
Make Arseblogger the Director of Football. Remember his Kanu registration thing with the Nigerian scammer… ;-).. He knows the rules of the game and have the passion for Arsenal.. He will be Fcuking excellent
I am indebted to the sub-editor in chief of Arsenal blogs. Thanks Ollie.
I heard Thuram was suppose to join Arsenal ?
Still shedding a tear for Houllier.
😀
me i’ve studied total football and decided to kick teams up the arsenal is the way to win championships
Who are all these strange people who comment on your blog, ‘holic? That Dubs for one 🙂
I was at that game in 1978 `holic and it certainly made it a great christmas.The Spurs team included Hoodle and Ardilles.It also included a Welsh goalkeeper Mark Kendall and a centre half called John Lacey who could have doubled for Lurch from The Adams Family.
There was always a debate about who was the better player Brady or Hoddle.While Hoddle was a fine player with a great range of passing and a stunning shot he would have been better if he had been born with some bottle.
He would start games playing behind the forwards and after some tackles drop deeper and deeper and end up just in front of the back four.Stewart Robson was particuarly effective against him.
Brady on the other hand was as game as a baigel.I never saw him shirk a tackle or be intimidated by anybody.Not surprising when his mentor was the Leeds Irish international Johnny Giles.You could say Mr Giles was a bit competitive.
Just so you know ‘holic, Ive got Arsenal TV on and I’m not even watching it!
I’ll tell you the funny thing, gonko. Although it was at the Lane my mate, a Tottenham fan, couldn’t get a ticket. We had all of that end so I got a spare and took the poor sod. With ten minutes to go three sides were empty, and poor Liam (yeah, really) is the only Tottenham fan in the ground and can’t open his gob! I’m singing ‘Silent Spurs’ with the rest knowing full well it is like a knife to his heart. We can be horrible sometimes, can’t we?
`holic was there an explosion(a firework) from the Arsenal fans just before Alan Sunderland scored one of his goals.
After the game we dropped one of our friends of in Clapton.His dad was a Spurs fan and had not been to the game.WE obviously went in to wind him up.I remember his exact words.
“You cunts might have had a good time but it`s fucked up my Christmas.”
Did not go down to well when I pointed out it was just as well he was jewish.
You’re not mistaking that game for the following Easter are you? The old petrol bombing of the shelf, heh! We went with half a side because we were in the middle of all those semi-final games with Liverpool and Juventus and dicked ’em 3-1. Paul Davis played, possibly his debut?
What would you do if your favourite daughter was going out with a spud ?
Is this a rhetorical question, xyzzy, or a real-life drama?
Thats the game `holic it was Paul Davis`s debut.Paul Baron had a great game in goal.I think it was 2-1 but I might be wrong.We had
asked Spurs to postpone the game because we had Juventus two days later.They refused so we fielded a weakened side with Brady on the bench and we beat them anyway.
T’was definitely 3-1. Remember singing ‘We beat Spurs, with six reserves, and Alan scored again’ to the tune of ‘Hark now hear the angels sing’.
xyzzy, she’ll dump him this weekend once she realises it’s St Totteringhams Day!
Goonerholic,
Not so sure !
Maybe I should change the locks.
He looks OK but I’m not allowed to talk about football !!
Bon Soir !
OOps, theyy’r in
I was there in 78. My first NLD, travelled up from Sussex. Before the game I remember Brady winding up the Spurs fans during the warm-up. It was a dark and gloomy day and I remember the way the red shirts illuminated the murk. Still got the programme – Father Christmas with a Spurs scarf on the front. Brady managed to ruin a few thousand Christmases with that goal. I was on air for a good long while after the game. Went with a geezer I later saw outside the Stade de France before the Barcelona Final, and he put us up on the floor of his hotel room as me and my mate had nowhere to stay. Gooner family.