From Bust To Boom, Thanks Ken
Apr 18th, 2012 by 'holic
It will come as no surprise to regulars I suspect that I am absolutely delighted that Arsenal have placed the Ken Friar bust in the Directors reception at the Grove. I know it is not popular these days to recognise the Arsenal establishment figures, but those of my era who have seen this club go from attracting just over 4000 supporters to a home game against Leeds in the mid-sixties to one that plays amazing football in an astonishing stadium today, know just how much we owe to Ken.
I was delighted when Darren Epstein asked me to contribute to his interview with Ken, published by the Arsenal Supporters Trust last month. The man has seen such enormous changes in over sixty years as a Gunners servant, and was a key figure in the successful transition from Highbury to the new home of football.
Relatively few are given the honorary title of Mr Arsenal. Of those alive today, it is Ken that title most befits.
Thank you for everything you have done for the club.
Half-Time
I suppose I cannot hit the publish button without reference to our next opponents. Like many of you I would imagine, I have just watched them emulate our victory over Barca in the first-leg tonight. Of course they have taken some stickย for their pragmatic approach tonight, but there were occasions when we watched George Graham’s Arsenal enjoy European triumphs with similar practicality.
Didier Drogba has been rightly slaughtered for his theatrics tonight, but aren’t you just a little pleased he should be rested on Saturday? He was absolutely crucial to their game plan tonight, and will be so again in the return leg. They should wrap him in cotton wool and keep him in a padded room for the next week so he doesn’t really hurt himself.
That result could mean a much-changed Chelsea side turning up on Saturday. Friday’s press conferences will hopefully reveal more in time for the main preview.
Until then, take care ‘holics.
180 Responses to “From Bust To Boom, Thanks Ken”
I think fans from any era can appreciate that..Well said.
In!!!!
2nd.?????
Blimey.
Correct on both halves of your post Guvnor.
3rd????
Blimey…
Chavs had 21% possession and 1 shot on target. We would have been slaughtered for those stats, irrespective of the result.
Nice piece holic. Some monster changes over the years.
Chelsea should celebrate their win over Barcelona and they should use the bus they parked in front of goal for a bus parade tomorrow . lets face it Barcelona should’ve scored 3 or 4 but they were slightly off tonight even the So much better now tactically and better player Fabregas was poor. I don’t know how he can justify his comment about been a better player since leaving Arsenal. As far as I know he is a sub most of the time and tonight he had 2 glorious chances he would have converted in his Arsenal days. Anyway we’d still love to have back if things don’t work out for him.
Had chelsea got beat handsomely tonight they might turn their attention to our game but they will have their mind on next week return leg and us having a nice break we should win. We don’t want to hear excuses any more.
21% possession and one shot on goal would probably have put two past our defence with our luck.
Nice one ‘Holic.
Mr. Friar, we salute you.
Drogba definitely played the lead role in Chel$ea’s performance tonight.
Overall, they deserved the win. Cesc should have buried them, genuinely surpirsed that he didn’t.
Farca, however, were a long way off the team that we beat at The Ems last season.
Top 10?!
If I were a Chelsea fan I wouldn’t worry at all about playing Barcelona on a huge, short-mown super slick surface with a team of over 30’s.
Especially as Barca only missed three open goals, hit the bar and the post and had around 80% posession on ‘my own’ team’s home ground.
Just sayin’ ๐
cfpb – good evening!
And TS!
Nice post ‘holic! Ken is indeed a true icon of the club!
Agree with everyone’s assessments of Fabregas and Droglodyte! Cesc – poor! Drogba – a consistently repulsive cunt!
From the previous drinks’,
Wind @347,
Wouldnโt you better with a large post-match Savloy or two!
KingsVC @348, Steve T @349,
Agree mates! Cescโs biggest weakness, IMHO, is, and will always be his lack of pace over 5 yards and quickness of foot on defender-losing turns! Xavi, Silva and even Mara are better at that, whilst TR7 has it in abundance! Cesc has regressed and not advanced since his transfer!
A wee dram please bar-keep before an early night! Bonne nuit ร tous!
The father in law grew up in Conewood Street as a contempory of Ken Friar.
If only he had grasped the opportunity that Ken did…….
It was my understanding that Ken was criticised for poor commercial/marketing decisions which ultimately resulted in him being replaced by Mr Gazidis!
…..Like she would have then mixed with the likes of me
Indeed neighbour. Ken, and Bob Wall before him. Would probably have been David Miles next but for the change in structure. Not sure we will ever see a real Arsenal servant make the leaps these guys have down the years again.
There’s hope for you yet ‘holic ๐
John, with respect, your understanding is way off.
I wonder whatever happened to Keith Edelman? ๐
Holic, Ken Friar seems to be a real gentleman. Very diplomatic and measured in his answers. Can’t argue with his selection of Pele, either! Thank you Ken. Nervous about Chelsea, but in a good way. Remember, we get Kos back. The real debate is who will get the nod in midfield, with Arteta out. Could be a game changer decision.
Still got a feeling Arteta will be fit for saturday unless Arsene has already said otherwise…..
With Sagna Kos Verm and Gibbs we stand a good chance I do worry about Santos, he makes me nervous. he wonders around in the opposition’s half without any thought.
I assume chelsea will try and do a Mourinho on us like they did against Baecelona. I doubt wether they will have the energy to work as hard 2 games in a row. We need to be patient and not rush things from the go like we did against Wigan.
Guardian going with he is out for the season right now, neighbour. Ligaments fucked, apparently. Opportunity for one of the young ‘uns to shine, or a potential millstone?
Thanks nurse. Pele for me too. Messi may get there one day, but the Brazilian is still the best I’ve seen.
D’OH!
Nice nod to our Ken ‘holic
Apologies for earlier tabs – i rolled that one into the bar re Artetetetaaa! unsubstantiated – then was away from me post all day – so didn’t see the shout-out re sources till a mo ago…No need now i s’pose cos it’s everywhere and sadly it is ankle ligaments an’ all. The little fella’ll be a mighty big loss – i’ve said it here recently i know – but he’s my man of our season (ordinary mortal section i.e. no RVP). Tiny feet but big boots for someone to fill
Any news re the Bevin boy?
UREDS!
here’s to ken friar *raises glass of john l. sullivan irish whisky*, mr. arsenal.
thank you for your service to our great club.
definitely pele. and for us, dennis.
Worst haircut in the group at the Ken Friar unveiling? Apparently Silent Stan was so silent he didn’t give the barber any instructions at all. ๐
That’s no specific jibe at the barber him or herself, mind you. ๐
And who is this gloria bloke, anyway??
I would have like Chelsea to have lost yesterday unlike others who are of the opinion that it would make them more committed to the CL second leg. But it is all about momentum these days. Losing Arteta is a big blow but we fans owe our team our full support to push them for third place. Ramsey needs our support not boos.
Ken Friar has devoted his working life to our club, an expression of loyalty and duty that gets rarer in professional football with the passing of each and every day.
Chelsea parked the bus today, and then some, putting a third line between their two banks of four, but it worked. Just hope that it has given them sufficient hope for the second leg to distract them from the game at the weekend. Barca looked horribly like us today, dominating the game but not sticking away the early chances, then not getting the breaks, and then paying the price when the opposition sticks away it’s one chance.
I’ll join in a toast to Ken Friar. His story is unbelievable, from playing football in front of the Home of Football as a young boy to spending the rest of his life involved with this illustrious club will probably never happen again in our lifetime.
As for the bigoted Chelski rent boys, surely we still have it around us to put them down?
When I find myself in times of trouble,
Arsรจne Wenger comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom, Diaby….
Diaby, Diaby, Diaby, Diaby,
He knocked out John Terry, Diaby….
– it’s
+ its
before the syntax police strike…
One of the drawbacks of working the night shift is not being able to sleep on your nights off. Just some random thoughts. How is it John Terry can play with 3 cracked ribs. Have you ever had a cracked rib? Hurts like you know what and believe me, it hurts more when you take a deep breath. Perhaps he should be swathed in cotton batting as well (LOL).
I must admit to being remiss with my backdrinking the last few days, being occupied with household matters, but in case anybody hasn’t mentioned it the ‘holic bar clock has ticked past 51 years. Glass of whiskey in celebration please barman. ๐
@36: 8ball, join me in a chant of ’61, never again! ’61, never again! and we point our fingers and laugh at those mugs ๐
Btw, I regained my rightful place at the top of the league after some lightning fast wheeling and dealing! Last few matches are going to be hectic…
CoR never has such wheeling and dealing been seen since Harry Redknapp left Portsmouth. Congratulations on your temporary ascension to top of the league. ๐
You aint seen nuffin yet my friend!
If my dastardly plot goes well my webs of influence will touch every team in the league to devastating effect…in layman’s terms, I will fuck shit up come the weekend ๐
Just listened to this week’s Tuesday Club podcast, funny as usual!
I don’t want these renties in a European cup final. UEFA, please do your thing and knock these smug cunts out
Saturday is a massive massive fixture. Win the next game, Arsenal
Sorry folks, I can’t take any Chelsea victory as a positive, just as I didn’t take their qualification against Napoli as a positive.
Let’s not delude ourselves.
We’ll need to beat them fair and square.
I am much aware that an already shit week could turn nightmarish on Saturday.
Barman, a drink please. With Valium.
Spot on Ollie. Time to man up and ensure 3 points at the weekend. Anything less in my opinion will not do.
Great post ‘Holic, Ken’s influence stretched far and wide and became the bridge that allowed many to see the mighty Arsenal Live, fair play and well done to him.
Ollie, while I agree that the best thing would have been if Chelsea had crashed out of everything as long ago as possible, I do think that them winning last night will give us a slightly better chance of winning on Saturday and right now we need all the help we can get – and Drogba not playing on Saturday would be helpful so hopefully he’ll be rested. Last night’s result gave us perhaps a 5% better chance of winning and I’ll take that at this stage.
Having said that, I must confess to already bracing myself for a very disappointing weekend.
However, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we must remember that whatever happens and wherever we finish this season, in the long run it is the summer that will decide where we are headed. True, a CL spot makes it easier to buy players, but Newcastle have shown that it is still possible to find very good players even without that and quite frankly I am beginning to feel that maybe players who will only move to CL clubs aren’t (in most cases, anyway) really players we want? We want players who are ready to put in some effort and not just have everything handed to them on a plate.
According to the Arsenal Online Box Office, it’s still Wednesday.
I’m with you Lars, we need soldiers not primadonnas.
I’m not sure how many players we are looking to sign this summer but the ones we do target who say yes will be coming because we are the Arsenal, not just because we are throwing them silly money and in the CL…
Not too worried about the weekend to be honest. Chelsea only beat Arsenal-lite after all…
Dan C @ 14, when you have back pain, do you lie on a battered sausage? ๐
Win the next game!!!!
Mr T, Nurse,
Have we got any Prozac left over from earlier in the season??
If we have, give the whole lot to Ollie. He’s having a bit of a week.
Only 4 games to go, so we may as well clear out the old stock.
We need to make room for the tranquilisers (Snir’s personal load) for the transfer window.
Must say that I think a CL place is essential if we want to push forward. It is not about buying primadonas at all. It is about attracting better players. Just because players want to play in the CL does not make them primadonas in my book. It just means they want to play at the highest level. AW has already said it would be a disaster and I tend to agree. I think the next 4 games are as important as any in our recent history.
Perusing Tx and the now Online Box Office it has suddenly struck me that booking tickets by 2 3 or 4 will also get harder as you seem to have to select tickets one by one.
Fucking idiotic cunts.
well olllie for me tx doesnt work for me ,it say everytime error. iwas looking to go see play the chav if arenal doesnt sort it out before saturday i will be watching on the net ;(
Local Chippies close to Dan C, close your windows… ๐
Yeah if you look at the stadium map the way it is now, lord, it gives you the impression there are man tickets available, but if you try to click on any of them….no luck.
I think it’s another failed attempt at improvement.
+y
Nice interview with Ken, it’s clear there is a complete absence of ego and pomposity despite his position on the Board. Also an intense loyalty to the club and the the fans. As you say a great servant to the Club.
Well said about Mr Friar ‘holic. Ah, the ‘glorious sixties’, and folks complain about a trophy less spell just now!
I thought Cesc was very poor last night, but Chelski did make things extremely difficult for Barca. Did you all notice the appalling defending for the Chelski goal? Talk about ball watching, if an Arsenal side had defended like that the media would pillory us.
Greetings Holics
Please, please spare us another Oscar winning performance from Drogba on Saturday, we all know what he can do to us when he stays on his feet!
Does anyone think AW will play JD in mid-field ,with Kos back in the side? I am getting anxious, as without Arteta for the final fixtures, we could be struggling to finish 4th, let alone 3rd! Perhaps it’s my age, the nerves aren’t what they used to be.
Hope to be at the Tollie by 11.30hrs!
As always COYRs
I noticed few people on here staring to quake in their boots because Chelsea won last night. I hear them say its ok to miss out on C.league spot. It is not Ok at all. Number one you lose your seeding right and you end up in tough groups., then you have the financial impact since we don’t have a sugar daddy and all the fair play thingy it is vital to play C.league football. FA cup, league cup are things of the past I’m afraid and left for the likes of Birmingham liverpool and others who have no hope of reaching C.league. A trophy is great . if you can do it along side C.league then great if not, I ‘ll take C.league every year. We simply have to win the thing one day to be considered one of the super powers of football and to win it you have to be in it every year.
What West Upper said.
Round of drinks in honour of Ken Friar.
*raises glass*
A toast to Ken Friar! A true gentleman who always had time for a word with the fans, being one himself.
Good Thursday fellas. Hello Delia, love your comment about Drogba. Mr C, I will no longer poke fun at Lars or Ollie since I still have egg on my face from our shocking loss to the Lactics. Guess we all handle our nerves in our own way. I tend to giggle when I’m a bit worried. And Norfolk Dumpling, It’s because Gerard Pique wasn’t in the game, he’s a pretty good defender.
I’d go with The Ox to start ahead of Song and TR7 on Saturday. Like others have said, let’s give him a chance to settle and influence from the centre.
If it’s not working then bring on Aaron. No harm done. Either will come through with flying colours. I have faith.
Onwards…. CL is vital (IMO). 4th may not be enough… *shudder*
Good avo all!
Some very concerned and worrisome beverages being consumed thus far wrt Saturday’s early kick-off with the very expensive, anti-football, Bus-Parking, Stokesque, cunty-cunts purchased with highly questionable financial resources! Fear not G’s, I foresee a performance of immense gravitas absent from the last at the Grove!
Wind @47, 53
Heeheehee! ๐
One very Large “Battered” and dripping Sausage please me old chipmeister! Yummy! ๐
Catalan Gunner, Hi. My sentiments exactly. And I’ll echo what Drona @ 31 said about Ramsey, no booing from the doomers, please.
Shit! A premature double! I thought I had cured that problem! The management won’t be happy! :-/
Dan C, Too funny. Speaking of which, did you all see the look on Pep’s face towards the end of the game. His countenance suggested amusement. Chelsea should be very afraid.
It seems obvious to me that Ramsey will start as he’s the only credible alternative with game time.
Chelsea will sit deeply against us and look to play counter attacking football.
While Its in our nature to play an attacking game – on this occasion, for once, I sincerely hope we sit back and try to draw Chelsea on us.
Remember, Chelsea’s need to get a result is far greater than ours and if we can lure them out – I think we’ll stand a better chance of scoring. Wigan’s tactics, like Chelsea’s last night, were perfect (with a good dollop of luck) and gained them results neither really deserved in terms of possession.
We need to be streetwise and resolute in how we approach this game and play the pressing game high up the field.
Lars @ 44 and Steve T @ 50
I think you are both right. Newcastle have proved that you can get good players without playing CL, BUT if we don’t qualify, we serve up a ready-made excuse to Robin van Persie to pack his bags.
We don’t want to find ourselves where we end up dabbling in the market that gets you players like Charlie Adam and his ilk. Champions League football gets you to the table with ambitious players and we must be in a position to satisfy them on the playing side, especially when we can’t compete on the wages front.
These games are critical in both the short and medium term.
Time to take the advice of GoonerTerry – kick them hard from the get go, especially on Saturday when they will be worrying about their “big” game.
Still disappointed that Terry’s head did not explode on television last night. I was still sat there in expectation when he did his post-match interview, (admittedly with a small blue doll full of pins) but it never happened.
Can anyone lend me the book, “Ju-Ju for Dummies”?
@ Joe
Do you think that the current Arsenal team are capable of playing any way other than the way they do, which is to go for it, from the off?
I agree with you, btw, but Arsene very rarely stoops down low enough to worry about how the opposition will play, much to my frustration (Barcelona away probably an exception).
Good to see you back in the bar, as well. ๐
Dr Z. There is still hope. Imagine Barรงa qualifying through a dodgy penalty awarded for a ‘foul’ by John Terry.
I think the head-exploding scenario is still on.
Even if it will be after our game.
Fair enough Ollie, but I think I should still try and source the book.
The maths says we have to get 11 points out of our final four games, effectively win the lot, to ensure 3rd. So beating the Chavs is a must. End of story. They are going to play defensively and hope for another smash and grab like yesterday. So everyone needs to be behind the team to the final whistle.
Zico,
Yes I do think we’re capable of playing in a defensive role, as we did against Barca, but of course, its a tactic we rarely employ.
And I don’t want to sound like I’m giving Chelsea too much respect either – but I just feel they’ve got players who are a little more savy and streetwise than ours, especially in getting results at the business end of the season.
I didn’t think we were complacent against Wigan. I just thought despite the number of attacking players we had on the pitch, we failed to create enough chances and by putting too much focus on attack – and we got caught on the break.
When we beat Chelsea earlier this season, it was down to playing a pressing game and catching them on the break. If we go all out on a gung ho attacking game – it could prove to be a big mistake.
Over the past few years – we have capitulated when competing for the title. This year – we’re just competing for third and it would be a disaster not to qualify now, especially after all the hard work in turning things around.
Above all else we must not loose, because those self doubts may creep up to haunt us again. In that context – this game could well define out entire season.
Afternoon all.
Great piece ‘holic and a fitting testament (the bust) to a man who has been loyal to our club for sixty years.
Sixty years, wow! Longer then most of us have been breathing and a period of time that spans almost half the clubs history, the longer you think about it the more amazing it becomes.
BTW, we finished top four already this year;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17769654
But now for the important finish…
Oh my God. Look who’s on twitter now.
Nurse Abbs @64,
Heh! Certainly did! The cunts’ misery will be further compounded at the Nou Camp following this Saturday’s exploits! One certainly hopes it’s as glorious as the reverse fixture was!
Holloway @76,
Asia, Africa, North America with TH14, then the merchandising world will be ours! Give us a Messi-like player (one which I feel is not far away now) and world domination is nigh! Hahahahahahhahahahaaaaa! (deep satisfying laugh of a criminal mastermind that has just disposed of 007, at lasting last)
What are these rumours I’m hearing of Song to Juve? If they’re true – he can just feck-off!
Dan C @ 64/66, ‘dripping’ is a bit much mate ๐ ๐
Yep Ned @ 74, exactly that. It has to be a win on Saturday, we can only afford One Draw if we are going to secure 3rd, and that sort of result would be expected if you can say that at our most difficult fixture left in my eyes, Stoke away.
Chelsea & Norwich at home and West Bromich Albion away have to be 3 pointers, even if either Chel$ki and the Barcodes will lost 2 or 3 points, T*ttenham are the unknown variable in terms of their remaining matches. Hopefully they’ll get smashed by the relegation rhreatened teams ๐
Ramsey will come good on Saturday :), I think he and the Ox will start in the midfield since Diaby, Coquelin, Frimpong, Wilshere are out of it & Benayoun can’t legally play leaving only Rosicky in the midfield, not many other viable options to be honest.
Re my post @ 69
I would just like to clarify that I was disappointed that John Terry’s head did not explode live on television last night.
Not GoonerTerry’s.
Anyway, I don’t have a GoonerTerry voodoo doll.
Yet.
Wind @79: If we beat Chelsea, the max points they can get will be 69, and we’ll need three from our last three games to be uncatchable by them. Our max then will be 76, as it is now. Tottenham and Newcastle can both get a max of 74. There is only a five goal goal difference between us and the LWCs (16 with the Barcodes). That easily could be closed over five games. So we need 75 points to control our own fate, i.e. four wins out of our final four games. TINA.
Wind.
I posted directly after the Wigan game that I believe Ramsey is the only viable option to replace Arteta. The Ox is not ready for that role (yet) and the only other midfielders I can think of are Diaby (won’t happen), Aussie Cup and Henderson (maybe one of the two on the bench?)
Time to get behind Aaron.
Dan C.
I’ve seen nothing on Song to Juve, so let’s go easy on him shall we. If there is any truth in it, then it’ll probably have the stink of Darren Double Dickhead Dein all over it, a master of cuntary when it comes to unsettling our players.
Ned. who’s Tina?
(The closist I can work out is- T*****ham something Never Again, please enlighten this poor fool)
H2H @ #82
I’m thinking that a combination of Rosicky, Aaron and Benny (all in good form) can share the load of replacing Arteta. Whisper it, but maybe Diaby will make a return?
This will bring a different balance/dynamic to the team and also gives a chance for others to shine in Arteta’s absence.
Cometh the hour, etc., etc.
Get well soon Mikel and thanks for a splendid first season.
Drinks on the bar for all.
PS: Also stumped by NBN’s ‘TINA’.
Benny cant play Saturday though Professor.
Sloppy. ๐
If we are scratching around for someone to do a job in midfield for the Chelsea game how about TV? He loves a tackle, a header and is a real threat going forward.
The negative is that we have to pair Kos with Djourou but needs must.
I think he was refering to all the remaining games Dr Z.
As for Diaby, I’ll believe it when I see it.
*swipes drink gleefully from the counter.
West Up’.
I hoped Arsene has learned his lesson about playing players out of position, let’s keep TV were he belongs, next to Kos as our prefered/best CB duo.
I know that H2H, but things have got a bit iffy on that guy’s watch lately…..
Some of the punters are starting to ask questions…..think that a comeback is on the horizon ๐
I bought an iffy watch once.
I think it was a Solex. ๐
Heh ๐
Me too – it was a Shag Hooer ๐
H2H@83, TS@84: There Is No Alternative. I guess you have to be of a certain age to remember when it was in common use.
Joe AND Zico, emm, hmm. Many moons ago I ‘yelled’ at Joshua (where are you Josh!) re Arsenal playing a defensive style game. Josh, I owe you an apology, son. A good defense is paramount to not losing a game. But we want to win! So, attack, attack and attack some more. One of the founding principles of Arsenal.
Ah, a Thatcherism, thank Ned.
H2H@87: spot on about not playing players out of position except in extremis. Given the problems we’ve had down the middle against Chelsea in the past our strongest CB pairing is essential. Song, Ramsey, Rosicky isn’t a bad midfield trio by any means. I also suspect that Song, Ramsey, Wilshere is AW’s intended long-term middle three so the sooner Ramsey and Song get used to that double pivot that Song and Arteta have done so well this season, the better.
Did I dream those days of “one-nil to the Arsenal”?
abb, fixed for you
attack, attack, and attack some more. One of the founding principles of Arsene Wenger
90 Heh Zico
94 Indeed Ned.
The “boring boring Arsenal” days are better forgotten.
H2H
I am with Joe on this one – they need to win more than us – I think we should invite them n to us – I just dont think we will.
Boring boring Arsenal would suit me just fine on Saturday 8)
ABB / NBN
I’m all for attacking football – just think we need to play a tighter gameplan and make sure we at least don’t loose the game especially if we don’t manage to win it.
As things stand Chelsea are 7 points away from us with a game in hand.
Its one thing not to pick up 3 points. Its quite another if you give Chelsea a 3 point gain on you, especially with a game in hand.
What about Spuds / Newcastle I hear you say?
Well Newcastle have a very tough run in with games against both citeh and Chelsea – I don’t fear them.
There are two CL spots between ourselves Chelsea and Spuds. The team I fear most is Chelsea. We need to make sure we maintain our points advantage over them and not give them a 6 point swing.
Sigh, so young, so young. Tina’s been gone 20-odd years along with her sponsor but never will ever be forgotten by those (like myself) of “a certain age”.
And flukes another!
H2H@97 There’s a very respectable view that we should never forget the days of “Boring, boring Arsenal” to help us remember how lucky we are.
I’m not sure I agree with that reason – any fool should be able to see that we’re really lucky to have such excellent football presented to us – you don’t need to go back to pre-Wenger days for a comparison, there are plenty of teams around nowadays playing that way.
Before that there were the many trophyless years (17 wasn’t it?) before the Fairs’ Cup win in 1970. 7 years a long time? You’re having a laugh.
Good stuff up there fellas.
Forgot about Benny’s ineligibility on Saturday ๐ณ
For me, a boring 1-0 beats some of the comedy defending we’ve witnessed over the past couple of seasons every time. BUT, I do love the way we play football, specifically Wengerball, when we’re up for it.
I also bought a dodgy aviators watch once, it was a Reisling.
Is Tina available for bar duty on Saturday?
Oxon, Nice technique! Joe, Hello! Not worried about Chelsea too much. More concerned about how we respond again without Arteta, to be quite frank. Zico, I’m no match for you, but I’d like to buy you a drink. Let”s repeat history, 5-3.
Zico, I was agreeing with Ned on the Song, Wilshere, Ramsey axis.
Not too bothered how we play as long as the three points are ours, that’s all that matters for thye last four games, as I’ve said before the mathes are simple; win all our games and we’re third, done and dusted.
Oxon. I saw us win one FA Cup and one League cup during a period of going to every home game over 15 years. I flip my lip and fart in the general direction of our so called drought. ๐
Could it be time to bring in our BSFG* Thomas Eisfeld?
*Barely Seen F’in German. ๐
Joe@99: good post, I pretty much agree with you entirely. What we should also remember, though, is that while Chelsea and Newcastle both have a game in hand on us, that game is against each other at Stamford Bridge which means that at least one of the teams will drop points in that one. But regardless of that I’m with you, we have to avoid defeat on Saturday – the difference between one point and no points is much, much bigger than the difference between three points and one point. And with Arteta in the team, I would have been quite confident that we would take three points, but now? Let’s hope Aaron Ramsey finds some confidence really, really quick.
Reckon AW will send us out to be brave and beautiful, meself. He’s made it our way, and it works much more often than not. Can’t see him changing it too much now and fighting ugly with ugly – so might as well strap ourselves in, roar the boys on and enjoy the ride along this final furlong – just sayin’, as they say.
Psed – i’ve heard Bevin will be at the ground Saturdee
Before I forget, I think it’s only right that we congratulate former Gunner Brian McDermott for managing his side to promotion to the PL.
NBN @ 81, ah yes. I see where I’ve gone wrong, inverse of a point for a draw, did it as 2 points ๐ณ Silly me lol. So, that means that we have no manoeuvring space, 4 wins out of 4 and 13 out of 15 are required, with NO Arteta. Ramsey’s time to shine in the middle of the park I guess ๐
H2H @ 82, I can only agree, makes me worry about some of the Gooners that would abuse him initally, but even more for the next level that would wish Death upon him ๐
I’m behind him all of the way, part of the minority that believes he hasn’t played that badly in these last few games, one of the links that Snir posted of him vs Wolves is perfect proof of that, he was at the heart of the 2nd goal and throughout the game, the little engine that could, and will continue to do well for the mighty Arsenal as he continues to leave the inhibitions placed on him by Ryan Shawcunt’s tackle behind him game by game ๐
Stoke away could be the game where he succumbs to the pressure placed on him or hopefully rises above it.
Oxon @ 100, nice one Geezer ๐
Holl2holl – massive respect for your 15-year streak. I see your flip of the lip and massive fart and raise you a waving of private parts at your Aunties.
Bows in acknowledgement to Wind
Wind @79,
The dripping’s the best part! ๐
I really hope that Ramsey, if he plays, just relaxes and let’s his natural ability shine through! A performance similar to his against the Red Man cunt’s last term would be more than acceptable this session!
Zico @80,
Heh ๐
Holloway @82,
Of course I agree but the 2 things that I have now set-in-stone as cuntish are:
1. ANYONE who wants to use the threat, or sanctions his representatives without retraction to disseminate the threat, of “i want to leave the club” to get a pay-rise can just do that ASAP – feck off!!!
2. Dein jnr is a self-centred greedy cunt and always will be a self-centred greedy cunt!
West upper @86,
Don’t really think the match against Chelsea would be a good game to experiment with that for the first time!
Holloway & Zico @89 & 90 respectively,
Heh ๐
Joe@99,
Good post and I concur; the Bus Stop are the cunts we need to ensure we keep well and clear at arms length! Like I said a few days ago, at least 4 points from the next 2 matches and all will be “as sweet as” for yet another disrupted campaign this season!
Holloway @106,
Certainly a place on the bench wouldn’t do any harm!
Holloway @110,
I second that sentiment! Well done Reading on an incredible final quarter to your season! Welcome, once again, to the big time!
Wind @111,
Good words wrt young Aaron! How quickly many forget! Wonder what they’d all be like if such a major physical injury befell them! Naive feckers!
Dapper DanC – you queried my OU credentials a day or two back. I’m a proud Corpuscle from 1974 (Dennis, that’s a long time ago). Is SPC still known as Pot Hall? Any idea why? Me neither.
Enough Elitism – Chav$ki are a bunch of cunts and don’t get me started about the shower from the nasty end of the Seven Sisters Rd(tm).
Whatever happened to FFF?
Oxon: “Whatever happened to FFF?” – Its Thursday you elitist dickhead..(0;
Bo-Boom!
Dapper DanC is making up for lost time – God help help all the sick and need of help today (0;
Bo-Boomn!
I am off before the stampede starts…laters (0;
* that should be: “the sick and *in need of help” or *needy – if you attended all your English classes…
Woooosh…Wind (y) here today (0;
Oxon and Dan C.
Most call me H2H here (among other things ;))
GT@117 – Bugger. Retires in confusion
H2H, just trying out holl2holl for size. Not really worth the six extra keystrokes.
Good Evening Oxon, my CC chap!
Suddenly I feel very irreverent! ๐
Never doubted your credentials, my dear Don! ๐
Pot hall – yes it still was affectionately referred to as back then but I was enormously duped; there wasn’t as much as I had hoped! ;-(
Wrt the origins, I’m not entirely sure, but it’s previous guise as St Peter’s Hall contributed to the “Hall” fraction whilst the “Pot” was still attributed to a tradition of recreational substances in the 60s-70s. However, my extensive 4 years of research during the late 90’s and turn-of-the-century left me at a loss to get solid proof – and I can assure you, I tried my bloody damnedest to do so!
FFF tomorrow! So many cunts of late!
GT @117-120 & 122!
Heh ๐
Probable early onset dementia from both Don Oxon & GT
Heh ๐
H2H (aka Holloway, amongst other things!) & Don Oxon @123,
๐
I saw a film the other week called Mr Nice. (The story of Howard Marks)
Did he have something to do with the whole Pot Hall thing?
H2H,
I think Howard Marks attended a different college. Balliol if my memory serves me right?! Any ideas Oxon?
Marks is indeed a Balliol man, DDC and OG, although, as he is Welsh and a Welsh speaker, you might have expected him to have been at Jesus.
They put the fans from afar feature on the main website ๐
Have the utmost respect for Ken. A proper Arsenal Legend.
As for AR. I love the guy, but unfortunately I don’t want him to start. Not because I don’t believe in him, but because he’s become the new AA.
For the crowd to be behind him, he needs to have a perfect game (along with Theo, who HAS to have a perfect game to avoid the groans). He is what AA, Diaby, Denilson et al were before him.
I really don’t think the team needs that on Saturday and that’s why it if Ox would play on Saturday. We need that us against them attitude from the kickoff on Saturday and need the crowd on our side.
Knowing that he will get a run of starts for the rest of the season might be just the thing for Ramsey. Might help him relax and get into his natural game. You feel he tries so hard when he does get on now that he just can’t get into the flow.
FIFA is to spend $196m on an underground museum. Are they converting Blatter’s lair? We need a report from our man Shaft…
Ned – You’ve heard the one about the Welshman who went to Oxford to visit his mate?
He walks into the quad at Jesus and calls out “Dai !”. Every window opens. “Dai Evans !” One of the windows closes.
I hope no-one is offended by this joke. If they are, I am truly sorry, apologise and will drop it from my repertoire.
H2H/Oxon @ 105/112, delivers curt nod as he holds his nose ๐
Dan C @ 113, oh you ๐ I remember my old Chippy well, Mr Dandy’s it was called, and Dandy it was :’)
I can only hope so, that performance at home against the Red Mancs last season was immense, more of the same please Aaron! ๐ He’s got that inherent talent, I believe that he’ll come good on Saturday ๐
@ 115, thanks mate, he deserves nothing better when it comes to his current situation, we should all get behind our players and hoist them up because if we don’t, who bloody will? ๐ ๐
GT @ 120, nice pre-emptive strike before FFF ‘John’ ๐
I seem to be on 4.444 tweets so better stop it for the night.
Evening. Watching Arsenal v Wigan again.
Nurse abb @ 104, how kind.
I’ll have 2 Jagerbombs in honour of my good friend, the Late Dr Borda Disorder. 8)
Hi Zico, Halftime now. I”m really worried, Wigan came so close to really making a meal of us. Guess I need a drink too.
NBN @128
Indeed! Would have thought so too but he definitely turned out not to be a saintly gent! ๐
SG @129,
Excellent points wrt Aaron and the crowd!That’s why he has to be subbed-on only when needs really must or, as I hope and expect, the match will be in wind-down mode!
Oxon @132,
Heh! ๐
Wind @133,
Heh! A dripping battered sausage produced by Mr Dandy! Yummy! ๐
And on that delectable note elitist gents and the big Don Oxon, I must bid you all farewell for the evening!
“Before adorning his St Peter’s smoking jacket, he pings a delightfully weighted pass with the lateral aspect of his right foot into the right wing for the Cashley cunt to defend against”..
OG@132: that must have been Owen The Rent.
Evening all,
At some stage of tomorrow you can catch my early optimistic view of our prospects for Saturday on Talking Heads.
Tomorrow night you can come back here for the five or six or seven pint eve of game preview.
Will I change my mind?
…and there is only one OU.
Harold’s finest creation…
Lars @44 – good points but, you may as well be optimistic and enjoy the build up to Saturday. Chavs sort of got the result you wanted so no point wasting two days fretting.
H2H @106 –
got me thinking, Thomas Eisfeld, Amoury Bischoff P(ermanently) I(njured), these and others like Clive Allen could make up The Invisibles team, rather than The Invincibles.
Park, Inamoto and others ?? to join.
http://yfrog.com/oc9z2gqj
I’m really starting to hate Nike.
Why are they experimenting so much???
Black on the sleeve? Too Man U for me.
First attempt (really) at pasting a link, but hope it provides a few laughs.
The father of a girl I was treating today – I have no idea how or why he found the material – said it was worth a look, and apparantly like many others, I have been in tears at some of the reviews for the last 20 minutes. There are 85 reviews, in total, of the Veet for Men product –
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000KKNQBK/ref=cm_cr_pr_top_link_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Well, the link seems to work – Wolfgang Smallballs, This is Your Life!!
Dr Zee: What did I miss – when did you bump off Dr Disorder?!
See, here is the thing.
A man wants to go to the pub. But he has this friend who is never on time, he is the world’s worst timekeeper. A terminable faffer.
Some call him Bob. I call him Dr Disorder, and he’s always fecking late.
And whilst we are on the subject, here I am up at stupid o’clock heading to another airport. Anything but late.
Happy Feisty facking friday you fackers.
Shut up you silly old sod!
Stop complaining!
Trev, I don’t know about you but I died laughing reading the post by Andrew: Being a loose cannon who does not play by the rules the first thing I did was ignore the warning and smear this all over my knob and bollocks. The bollocks I knew and loved are gone now. In their place is a maroon coloured bag of agony which sends stabs of pain up my body every time it grazes against my thigh or an article of clothing. I am suffering so that you don’t have to. Heed my lesson. DO NOT PUT ON KNOB AND BOLLOCKS.
(I am giving this product a 5 because despite the fact that I think my bollocks might fall off, they are now completely hairless.)
To be fair it sounds like the kind of thing I would do as well ๐
Happy FFF you snarky cunnies
@ 144
Yeah right
The father of a girl I was treating……
@ 148
Less of the old…….or I’ll hit you with my frenzied rythym stick. 8)
Holic @140.
I.am sure it will be the same as it ever was……..
๐
@142: Trev and H2H, Squillaci could make the Invisibles but might put the rest to shame with his ability to disappear from the passage of play….
Guvnor@141
Not entirely true, but as an Open University you have my undying respect. I found studying full-time for a degree hard enough. How anyone can manage to combine study with holding down a full-time job – for SIX years – is completely beyond me. My wife managed it – ah how I remember those car journeys with her driving so that I could read out revision flash cards for her. The miles just sped by.
I am now seriously worried about Saturday, having just remembered that a friend has recently become a member of the Royal Society of Botanical Artists and we’re going up to London, with another couple, to see their annual show, where she has a picture. Sadly, both husbands are S***s supporters. May Dennis guide and help our boys at the Bus Stop tomorrow.
COYGs
Oxon, Bus Stop? We’re at home ๐
And I didn’t get the joke@132 ๐
Hey Oxon, I hope you wish the husbands a happy 51st anniversary on Saturday, no matter what happens to us ๐
Wouldn’t want them to forget half a century of mediocrity, now would we?
For fucks sakes Oxon, we’re at home! ๐ฎ
We’re talking about the Home of Football here, not some shitty little bus stop mate ๐
And I didn’t get the joke either Oxon, even after speaking it out loud to myself, maybe you need new source material? ๐
Ahh, 51 years since the LWCs won the league, a thing of beauty that clock is :’)
’61, and never again ๐
Recap: Shaft has been ordered by Command to speed up his pursuit of the head of FIFA, Sepp Blatter. Shaft tries to set up an ambush for Blatter using the Platini body double he installed in UEFA, but inadvertently blows his cover. The Platini imposter has escaped Blatterโs underground lair but is being pursued by Pubis, one of his henchmen through the streets of Zurich.
Pubiscence
Platini is running for his life through the streets of Zurich having narrowly escaped the clutches of Blatter and his sloths. He loses his footing and stumbles to the ground as he negotiates a corner. He takes a quick look over his shoulder and spots Pubis swinging from the telephone wires overhead wearing nothing but a baseball cap and glasses. A chill runs down his spine. Platini picks himself up and runs into the street market in front of him pushing past shoppers indiscriminately. He barely notices the insults being hurled towards him by the enraged people he leaves in his wake. Platini exits the market and turns into an alley. He takes out his cellphone and is about to make a call when he feels the force of Pubis hitting him from the side. They both smash through the front window of a bar and go head over heels into a table where four men were sitting quietly. The four men lie stunned on the floor amidst broken glass and splinters of wood as Pubis gets on top of Platini.
Pubis: Why you run from Blatter?
Platini: Quoi?
Pubis: You come with me!
Platini: Nooo!
Pubis: Keep opinions to yourself!
Pubis headbutts Platini on the nose and there is an explosion of blood. Pubis grins and licks the salty redness off his cheek. He is about to headbutt Platini again when he is smashed over the head with a hookah and his cap goes flying. Pubis screams and he scrambles out of the bar trying to hide his baldhead. Platini looks up and sees Chamakh through watery eyes. Chamakh hands him a handkerchief.
Platini: What are you doing here Marouane? Last I heardโฆyou were put out to pasture, non?
Chamakh: Iโm not on the job mon ami. Was just getting a quick smoke when you and your boyfriend smashed into my table.
Platini: Just help me up you stupid idiot. I have to contact Shaft.
Chamakh: Dโaccord.
Platini is helped outside by Chamakh and they retrieve his cellphone which is lying in the street. He calls Shaft.
Shaft: Who dis?
Platini: Itโs me, Prost. Everything is fucked. Get me out of this hellhole.
Shaft: What happened?
Platini: We got spotted at Cheltenham. I know meeting in public was a bad idea…My cover is completely blown. I need an escort.
Shaft: Whoโs there with you?
Platini: Chamakh.
Shaft: Chamakh? Whatever, just tell him to escort you to our safe house behind Bohemia. Iโll have someone come pick you up after dark.
Platini: Merci.
Shaft: Good luck. Anyway, gotta dash. Meenaโs waiting here to help me get my Veet on. Moustache is outta control.
Platini: Veet? Whatever you do Shaft, donโt put any of it on your shaft. I heard thingsโฆ
* * *
Meanwhile, back at the underground FIFA lair, Sepp is listening to Pubis grunt out recent events.
Blatter: I canโt believe you let Michel get away. At least he didnโt get his hands on my latest plans for the underground mausoleum. Come my pet. Letโs get you ready for the Geordies.
Pubis: Ooo!
Oxon… don’t worry, I got your @132 joke!
Clearly we are of a more subtle humour.. ๐
Happy FFF you tossers, only 4.45 hours to go until G time!
F all y ‘all on this fine feisty f’in’ Friday.
Trev, Dr C.
That sites being doing the rounds on various blogs, I’d seen it last week elsewhere, some painfully funny stuff.
====
I got the joke, just didn’t think it was funny. ๐
If you want to compile a team of “invisibles” from the Wenger era, check this out;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1223932/Where-Sportsmail-takes-look-Young-Guns-failed-make-grade-Arsenal.html
I hate linking to the Daily Fail, but it’s the best list I could find, check out what they have to say about Woj.
FFF, Whoopee! Trev, I read about twenty entries and got quite an education in the process!!! ‘The Talking Heads’ segment has cheered me up considerably, thanks to Holic and Dan, for the much needed pep talk.
Dogbag out on saturday apparently.
Probably good news.
Davis Luiz out too. Probably less good news (he’s really shit, you know)
abb, the only bizarre thing is the barman mentioning Walcott and RvP on Song. Quite a heap but possibly not an efficient formation ;P
Ollie, Hey. Now don’t you try to get me in hot water with the barkeep. Smiling. Hope your car is on the mend.
Dogbreath out is indeed good news, if true, he does enjoy playing against us.
I’m starting to get nervous already.
You know what might be fun for Arsenal, invite Santos over for a ‘friendly’. No parking the bus, just ninety minutes of spectacular futbol. Well one can dream, right?
Good stuff from Woodcock; (easy Wolfie)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17749255
-_- after 200 times trying, few shot of fine wiskey/vodka anything near me really ๐ , tx decide to finally work ….bring on the chav
Ollie – worst CB among the top European teams. So poor. Chelsea are better off (which is funny in itself) with Cahill.
Indeed Snir.
David Luis just needs to curb his enthusiasm , lol. However, I want Arsenal to play with guileless abandon, tomorrow. Give it everything they’ve got, while enjoying themselves in the process.
“Curb his enthusiasm”
Is that a poliye way of saying; stop being so shit and looking like a returning charachter on The Simpsons?
abb, you’re too nice. ๐
*polite
Oxon: Don’t worry I got this. Now listen up you bunch of ignorant cunnies. – you know who you are! Its a known fact that Jesus College, Oxford is a bastion of Welsh scholars. Dai Evans being a common name in Wales…(want me to go on your tossers?)…(0;
Trev / Cor: That the funniest set of comments I have ever read! It took me 10-minutes to read the one CoR pasted above because I could only manage a couple of words at a time before dissolving in laughter… ;D
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
God help us,Gooner Terry is in the house. H2H, I’ll take polite and nice, thank you very much.