Uber Alles
Jun 17th, 2014 by 'holic
I hit the keyboard at ten after the final whistle blows on Brazil’s 0-0 draw with Mexico. It is the second match of the tournament I have seen bits of. The first was Brazil’s opening victory over Croatia. I am on social media sites. Brazil are poor, is the concensus. I am reminded of 1966 when England drew their opening fixture against unfancied Uruguay before taking maximum points off Mexico and France, both poorer sides than they could field today.
In the meantime I have spent a couple of evenings in Cornwall, where the mobile signal is almost non-existent, and the television I could have watched England on was hooked up to an aerial that was knacked in the autumn storms. Who fixes televisions in spare rooms?
Am I missing the greatest show on earth? Frankly, no. I am learning something about myself as the years pass. Do I give a sugarlump about what will happen in this tournament? The answer is a conditional yes. I care that the Arsenal players, current and future, come home in one piece and in good spirits. In the unlikely event that England make it into the latter phases then yes, I will get a little bit excited. Most of all though I care about the players I will want to watch every other week next season.
Really freaky is the the sudden realisation that I would really love Germany to carry out my pre-tournament tip and win the bloody thing. Having a confident and happy Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil, and Lukas Podolski (plus one or two?) pulling on the cannon next season is a happy vision. I can visualise Per lifting silverware as the new skipper. This feeling of course could all change as the competition progresses and Joel Campbell metamorphoses into the one we have sought for so long.
Now back in civilisation I am lured by the sun and the garden in a way that would not have happened when previous World Cups were played out. It dawns on me that these days only one thing matters to me, ‘footballistically’. Would I be in the garden were Arsenal playing, rather than England, or France, or Spain et al? No, I would not. I am watching individuals in a tournament rather than teams.
Does that make me a bad man?
416 Responses to “Uber Alles”
THIRST!!!
THECOND
I will continue to boycott the worlds cup until puma spend our money
THIRD
Ah, bollox…
Not a bad but a sensible man, H. Share your emotions just not the sense to ignore the jamboree.
A bad man, Holic ?
No – it makes you precisely the same as me.
I’ve watched the start of a handful of games but if there is no Arsenal presence I just can’t maintain the interest.
I also didn’t realise quite how early League Two kicks off here, and how international it has become. USA, Ghana, Iran and Nigeria seem to have found their way into it though.
Hope you saw the Thierry put-down of Lily Savage a couple of days ago ?
Priceless. 😉
‘holic there is nary a bad man in the house, or the garden certainly, but most certainly not you!!! I like bath seem to lack the good sense, but I am enjoying the tournament and highly recommend watching the next Costa Rica and Colombia games. Thanks for the post, and I’m glad to hear of your escape from civilization in far away Cornwall. Song for the end of the first round? (not Alex!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOOhfS1hZVo&feature=kp
Anyone actually recognise Park in the South Korea line-up ? 😉
Nice one ‘holic.
During the day I’m in the (beer) garden, but come kick off (18;00 local time) the beamer is fired up and the footy on. Must admit Im enjoying this competition, best in years.
I can confirm that Brazil are not the force many thought they would be, there result tonight won’t do much harm as they still have to face a weak Cameroon, while Mexico go up against Crotia. Brazil will qualify, but may very well struggle in the first knock out game,
Official announcement:
Costa Rica is the new England. I will support them until I die. Or until they are knocked out of the tournament. 😉
You’re all bad men.
Give it a go! You’d enjoy it! It’s not as bad as you think!
If you are a bad man, Guv’nor, then so am I. I’m not sure my give-a-shit-meter is going as far as “meh” at present.
I was very surprised that England almost managed to force a win yesterday after the first three days yielded 1000+ runs and 19 wickets. Hey ho.
COYG
Bar the dour goaless played by Nigeria, this tournament has been pretty good. None of the teams feeling like minnows. Give it a go, you’d actually like it… I think its still early to predict who’d win it but I like the look of Italy and Germany. They look well organised. Early night. Then sort out my own blog tomorrow. I’m jealous holic.
Well, if you’re a bad man then so am I because I submitted a World Cup Finals fantasy team made up entirely of current or former Arsenal players.* Only way I could enter into the spirit of the thing.
*Struggled for goalkeepers so plumped for Schwarzer on the grounds that he was *almost* a Gooner. Shame he’s not actually playing in Brazil.
This is seventh World Cup that I watch and I can’t remember that there was better and more interesting one. Plenty of goals and attacking football, joy to watch.
This is only the second World Cup I seriously followed, so I’m not jaded. I enjoy the Netherlands making mincemeat out of Spain, Germany humiliating Portugal and Ronaldo. Brazil does not live up to the hype. I don’t see them winning.
I am rooting for Germany because they have the most Arsenal players and start them. Giroud has only played 12 minutes for France and Koscielny none.
I would be pleased if the US didn’t die in the group of death. I’d be even more pleased if Portugal did, and Ronaldo never scored.
I haven’t watched Costa Rica yet, but plan to.
Park apparently has a ‘genius’ level IQ…now we know why we threw all of our ethical principles out of the window to sign him so desperately. 🙂
And he is substituted. Not fit enough to last the distance…
Interesting statistics about South Korea, over the last five world cup have the most number of goals scored from direct free-kicks.
And what a howler by Akinfeev…
Feminist @18: The unimpressive prosaic start of the Brazil, and the added bit of refereeing luck, is exactly the kind of start that champions often tend to do in a World Cup. 🙂
They are not that exciting a team, but it is Scolari’s team in Brazil, and I suspect they would find ways to win the crucial moments.
Like you, I would be quite happy to see the German lift the trophy because of the Arsenal connection and also because I think they have the most enjoyable combination play on display.
I generally support the Oranje, and this bombastic start is very typical of them, but I don’t see them winning with Ron Vlaar in central defense. So I very much expect a typical collapse come QF/SF.
‘Holic: As H2H mentioned, I think this WC has been surprisingly good and much better than the last two. Some very good technical quality, good goals, many a comebacks, general good tempo.
This South Korea-Russia match came to so much life in the second half …
What is this? We have more German players than French? It sounds like time for AW to go out and correct the balance by raiding Ligue 1. Aurier is an Ivory Coaster so won’t fit the bill. Nothing against the lad of course, but Allez Allez Allez!!
Don’t Brazilians know Paulinho is shit? Maybe they should check to see who he plays for the rest of the year.
You’re a bad man, ‘holic. I guess you have to be an exile to realise how much it means that England win EVERYTHING. My 26 years in Aussie was blackened by endless cricketing debacles. That England finally won three ashes series in a row was brilliant, if only I’d still been in Aus at the time!
The move to NZ brought further humiliations in something called rugby, a sport (?) I’d been entirely indifferent to all my life. So much so that, to my shame, I honestly believed the All-Blacks were a team of maoris. It’s just a game I’d never previously seen played, or indeed ever known anyone who’d seen it played. In NZ it’s a freaking religion with All-Black trivia leading the sports news 24/7/365, regardless whether they’re actually playing or not.
So come on England and prove everyone wrong in Brazil. REMEMBER 1966. Not that any of our current crop were alive then, nor most of their parents even. 🙁
Öskar
‘Crosseyed and painless’, 8ball? (end of previous drinks). Crosseyed from all the viewing, yes, but pain-FULL, losing to Italy when we deserved at least a draw. T’was ever thus I fear.
So a song back at ya … bemoaning the lost star of Blighty and hoping Dennis will get it back on track… http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Lost+In+The+Stars/3tpc28?src=5
Öskar
Cornwall is high on my dream list, ‘holic. When I return ‘home’ to die (as I plan to do sometime) it will either be to a cottage on the harbour wall of a Cornish fishing village, or to a houseboat on the Thames. More likely the latter as football will be high on the agends and there is much else to do in London, while I can always holiday on the English riviera.
No doubt some unlikely team will pop up and spoil someone’s party, but Germany have easily been the pick so far, with no-one looking nearly as strong all over the park. I agree with Dr F about The Netherlands, but I picked them to win last time and they made it to the final when just as under-rated. If anything they look stronger this time. So my three are still the same, with Brazil surely having improvement in them (which they will need).
That no Euro team has won in South America is irrelevant, imo. All records are made to be broken.
Öskar
Takes a mental note:
The all-blacks are not a team of Maoris.
Oskar, May Blighty shine again. 🙂
“Does that make me a bad man?”
Not exactly bad, but football hating, Arsenal loving, sour, wicked old man.
Keep on rockin’ in the glee world.
I’m on business in New York at the moment and to use a technical term it is bleeding hot.Every time I come to the States I am interested if a proper ‘soccer’ culture has developed especially given the knowledgeable and interesting contributions to this bar from our American friends. My English friends who live here confirm it is a synch to follow the EPL each week and the timings are generally convenient.
I was in Portugal last week and they undoubtedly have a high level of interest there although yesterday may have deflated them a bot .haven’t seen the same thing here though in a very multiple- cultural society a lot of different countries will be followed here. I have watched the first game, the England game, Holland vSpain and watched the German game until news of happenings at lords filtered through and we watched the final few overs.
Frank Beckenbauer once said international club football will take over from national sides in terms of interest and finance. So far I think he is right and judged on the highlights zI think it’s been a generally poor tournament so far with far too many group games that are pretty dire. Just because there have been goals it doesn’t mean there has been good football
Are you a bad man? I wouldn’t say so ‘holic.
I like this World Cup period. I go to bed around now, I wake up, I watch most of 2-3 games of football a day, I go to bed around now…
You get the gist 😉
Cheers H! You’re doing better than me for a bad man, aint watched any part of a single game yet live! Seen a few goals on highlights shows and that and that’s it. Give a fuck? Not on your Nellie. Aint dissing anyone who is enjoying it, but I have better things to do in the summer. Mostly involving cricket.
Nice one, Esso 🙂
Ttg,
If you’ve the time, try a helicopter trip of the city from Pier 16. For a few hundred bucks you’ll get to see all the sites, in a fraction of the time from an entirely different perspective. I used to date a New Yorker in a previous life for some years and it can be hard to impress the natives on the joys of their own city. But when I took a group of her friends on a helicopter tour, even the natives were blown away.
Holic,
Strangely enough, when it comes to tournaments like this, I only ever want to see a team deserve to win it by playing courageous attacking football and by providing entertainment. I don’t particularly mind who it is.
So far, Brazil have been dour. Im not so sure there’s much Scolari can do. Most of the players are simply not good enough and the beat of the samba is now almost completely dependent on Neymar, who despite having a poor season at Barca, is about the only one who’s fronted up so far.
England have taken the courageous route and blooded young talent who provide an attacking edge. Hope the Ox makes it for the next match. Not sure that they got the balance right though. If England qualify from the group and make it the next stage, chances are they’ll be playing a good side. Would you want Baines and Jagielka against players like Ronaldo – or someone like Cole and Terry? I thought it was a mistake not bringing those two.
I still think the Spanish will go along way and would beat Brazil as I think they could be due to meet in the next round should they win their remaining fixtures.
My money is still on Argentina, who did just enough to get over a very underrated Bosnian side.
Surprise of the tournament so far has been Mexico. They’re a serious handful for anyone and are due to meet the Dutch all things staying equal. They’ve outstanding work rate, discipline and no star players. They’re a banana skin for one of the big teams yet.
I’ve only watched England (a bit like watching an autopsy that was) and the game between Germany and Portugal, but not all of that, with bits of the Spain hammering and Iran doing their impression of Chelsea.
It used to be the case that I’d watch for individuals, even if I didn’t know who they were beforehand, who could light the tournament up with genius. People like Rivelino, Nelinho, Cubillas, Haan, Krankl …. Archie Gemmill.
You don’t really get that kind of player so much thesedays. I hear some Dutch fellow scored a better than average header the other day, but he could have glanced it in off the moon and I could not give a shit. Did notice he had something of an Advanced Hair Studio look about him though, as I flicked channels and caught a shot of him. All threadbare at the back and bouffant at the front. Very Shane Warne.
Fixtures!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/fixtures
Darn…Charlie beat me to it!
Palace if first to the sword!!!!
😀
lets hope it does not start like last season hehe, and again pretty early NLD.
Nothing new under the sun… Looks like we’ll be winning the title at Old Toilet again next season. You heard it here first 🙂
COYG
There’s nothing like 3 points to start the season off. 😆
It makes a lot of us bad if not watching world cup is a criteria. I think most of have a fleeting glance on it or even wake up odd hours( in India all games are after 9.30 pm) to watch the game and it does not really matter who wins or who loses. Atleast for me no favourites but watch the world cup because its football afterall.
Fixture list seems to be kind, even the dreaded feb march is not as bad as it may sound. Penultimate game against united- title decider? hopefully we beat them and win the league and in the process crash united”s chance of finishing 4th, now that will be perfect.
Mario fireworks balotelli to Arsenal still making the rounds but then will it be the smokescreen for say a falcao? time shall tell but i wouldnt mind that one bit.
Cent? Saw the news about Damaturu absolutely terrible. Hope you weren’t involved.
Bad man, ‘Holic? There is nothing but 50 shades of good in this bar!
With Chelsea and Man U in the final five league games, the run-in next season could be a bit sticky, especially if we are still in the pointy end of the CL and FA Cup. Liverpool, Chelsea and United have much the same sorts of end of seasons as us, but Man City have a doddle of a run-in. Last tough-looking game is the derby against United in early April. Then six games against middle-of-the-table contenders.
If Citeh have a toddle of a run-in then please let’s win our home fixture against them on September 13!!
Quite right 8 Ball!
In the words of Bruce Forsyth “points make prizes” 😉
Kinder fixture compared to the last season with its multiple runs of consecutive big games. The big away matches are nicely spread out, the Christmas period has not much travel and relatively easier opposition, and April-May is relatively easier to navigate through with both Pool and Chelsea at home.
The evenly spread out big matches should also ensure that the team doesn’t lose focus or become complacent on a series of wins against lower opposition.
And the best of all not any lunch time games , at least not yet in the Calendar. I am sure the TV scheduling ‘conflicts’ will take care of that. Can’t have everything …
Not sure how easy Citeh’s run-in actually is. On May 2 they face Tottenham away, and that club could be facing a relegation scrap. Wounded animal?? 🙂
It would be a near impossibility for the schedulers to bunch together our matches against the big clubs any more than they did last season. Unless they manipulated the whole thing …..
By the way ‘holic it is worth watching the WC if for no other reason than to see FIFA’s laughable adverts claiming “Together we fight match manipulation.” They don’t exactly explain how, though.
I hope the Premier League officials get the Goal Line Technology genie under better control than FIFA, who seem to have mandated its use even after the most obvious of goals, just to show off their new toy. E.G., a 40 yard belter into the back of the net and the entire crowd erupts in wonder. At least in the U.S., then the TV network showsthe replays, followed by another set of Goal Line Technology replays “proving” the ball crossed the white line and went into the net. Spare me, please.
This seems to irk him. Maybe we can arrange for an obstructed view for Van Gaal at the Emirates this season?
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27899455
@ 52 if he’s concerned about the view of his sides goals tonight, all he needs to is look up for the flying Dutchman 😆
*right, what time is it?
*do
…still running*
8 ball@ 49: “near” is the operative word in your assessment. 🙂 And just because we are paranoid doesn’t mean that the FA is not out to get Arsenal, ha ha …
But seriously, once the CL fixtures are confirmed — hopefully nothing unnatural to happen in the qualifiers — we would be better able to judge the fixture list.
The media intimidatory tactics have started already:
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/384489/Arsenal-facing-fixture-nightmare-with-SEVEN-away-games-after-Champions-League-matches
This bar is emptier than the trophy cabinet at the Lane. :0)
No goss? No speculation? Nobody signing for Arsenal? :0)
@57 Goonertown
I thought our away record was quite good, 7 away wins should add some real confidence!
😀
That’s right BB
The more points the better 🙂
Goonertown@57: Is the CL fixture even out yet?
Classic tabloid nonsense about fixture nightmare. Assuming we make it through to the group stage our games after a CL game are: Villa A; Chelsea A; Sunderland A; Swansea A; WBA A and Newcastle H. Contrast this with Chelsea who will have Man City A; Arsenal H; Man U A; Liverpool A; Sunderland A and Hull H. How long before Moaninho starts complaining?
For great investigative reporting I never forget to turn to the Daily Stab, but first I turn my anti-Arsenal speculative transfer story weapon on stun. 😉
News item: Frank Lampard wants an “agenda” against Wayne Rooney to be dropped. (from BBC website, http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27896822)
Response: Fat chance, fat Frank. 😉
Lampard quote is in a caption at the bottom of that story, which is on a completely different subject, *somewhat* inexplicably.
Goonertown. Flying Dutchman. Isn’t that when the brawny Australian dude launches Van Persie into the seats?
well. oz up 2-1 on the dutch. must be quiet in h2h’s bar…though can’t be as quiet a it is here 🙂
2-2 from the skunk. h2h’s bar just exploded.
Memphis Dupay. A stage name, surely?
Poor old Australia didn’t deserve that one.
Easy way to deal with the away games after champions league is to have a squad deep enough that we can rotate. We’ve seen what happens when you play twice a week every week August to January with only 17/18 players. Just stupid to go into another season like that.
I’m enjoying this world cup. It is the only non-Arsenal football I watch really, bar the odd late round European pot glamour tie. No one looks any scratch so far to my eyes. Dutch have been okay, French to. Costa Rica stand out performers so far. Really wide open with the South American big boys not ding much. Next game should be an absolute cracker.
UTA
Unlucky aussies. Dutch defence showing some leaks!
Oh…and BUY SANCHEZ!!!!!!
72 – And Balotelli 🙂
Chile pretty fast from the blocks.
Evening all. How is everyone?
It’s been played at 100MPH! Don’t think they can keep it up at 26’C!
what a GOAL
Diego Costa is one of the worst footballers I’ve seen. No matter the number of goals he scores, he is just trully awful football player.
Come on Chile! Get in!
Well Fok me! Is spain in white… wow!
Methinks the spaniards just lack pace and sharpness probably from fatigue!
Looks like they be going out!
Doesn’t help that every spanish game they play is an away game!
Immense support for Chile!
Okay, Sanchez is really a player we should try to sign if he is available, handful for any defence.
Rumour is that he isn’t wanted by the new coach… and if Chile manages to win, they may not like him too much in spain.
Working in our favour! GET HIM!
😀
Bumping here…
Hup Holland Hup
That’s it.. they’re out!
WOW!
Chile are on fire, get in!
Dear Arsene
Please forget about signing Iker Casillas this summer.
Thanks
x
Are the chileans going to slow down due to the heat and humidity in the 2nd half… or will they play this pressing game purely on adrenalin?!!!
😀
Spain look sluggish.. probably from fatigue .. been a long season for them! Still no excuses!
Going to be a super 2nd half.. many more goals coming… not sure who from though!
😀
cynic, heh, my first thought after the second goal. what a poor punch.
Maybe Mourinho should manage Spain. At least he would pick someone other than Casillas to let in the goals.
Sanchez. He is the missing link for us.
It can’t be more obvious then that I think. I feel like I was feeling last summer when we were after Suarez.
Sanchez is the player who is the closest we can get to Suarez. Just cheaper and less cunt.
Hopefully Costa will be like Torres. 😀
Would prefer to have Chamack then Costa in my team.
Santi on
Well I guess Spain is going home. More rest for carzola then
England next. If only Germany were shit our lads would be home and rested before long 🙂
The hand of Nemesis.
Spain rewarded for despicable behaviour with a Barca shirt at victory celebrations in Madrid.
I love Nemesis.
Buy the Chilean TRAINER!
Impressive running throughout!!!!
Boom!
End of an era for Spain. It was going to come to a full cycle. I just felt like the players didn’t have the energy and hunger anymore. And casilas has to be better, wish it was chile going out so we can start working on getting alexi Sanchez.
Very much enjoyed the Spain game tonight – only saw a bit of the second half but it included shocking misses from Costa-too-much and the ever diving, injury feigning Busquets.
Main courses with dinner tonight, fellas – or just desserts ? 😉
Absolutely gutted for Australia who took it to Netherlands.
If only we knew how to fake injuries and dive around when we hit the lead we would be a chance of top 16 much to the surprise of all.
Not to be, but glad to see Spanish sooks bailed out
Well in BB 🙂
Thanks Wind! And now if we could only get Sanchez in too….! 😀
@101 SAG
The Spain players didn’t have the energy or hunger anymore.
Or maybe they lacked Dr. Fuentes famous recepies. If I remember correctly, before he was caught, Barca and Spain players were running like mad, pressed opponents high and were everywhere on the pitch. Since the famous doctor is gone many things changed.
Maybe it is just a coincidence though and Spain tiki-taka just got found out.
gutted for you, aussie. they looked great out there.
song straight red for cameroon. that was *dumb*.
lurky, i don’t think it is a coinkydink. said the good doctor, according to wikipedia: “If I would talk, the Spanish football team would be stripped of the 2010 World Cup”.
they won euro 2012, but that seems to be where it all ends.
Thanks scruz. The Aussies obviously don’t have the overall class or experience at this level, but to get ahead of Netherlands was such a great effort. Shame we couldn’t hold on.
Lurky – I think the word you are looking for is heart. Spain have been over pampered for too long and their style of play is now old school.
Power, pace and skill is the new way aka – Germany and Netherlands.
Also it seems that Italy are the only team who still know how to defend
Lurky,
I think it is a coincidence.
The Spanish “Tiki-Taka” was some of the most mesmerising football ever played and that Spanish team will go down in the annals of history as one of the truly great teams. They won 2 European Cups, one world Cup, and their primary club teams dominated European football for the last decade.
Its a sad day to see a great team crumble like that. I know that in my years watching football – that Barca team were the greatest I’ve ever seen.
Joe,
Thanks for the very helpful tip. I did NY by helicopter thirty years ago but may well do that if I have time. There is a massive heat wave here and I am with an Irish firm where I am on the Board. They don’t get this weather much in Dublin!
Scruzz, Spain are very talented squad, no doubt, they could have done it without the good doctor I am sure. But then, if it can be done in an easier way, why not?
Aussie, Italy can learn a thing or two from Iran. Mexico not bad defensively either.
Night all.
Trev – Costa-too-much. 🙂
Maybe Fabregas’ biggest mistake at Barcelona was recommending they sign Alex Song?
Ttg,
You won’t need much to persuade a bunch of Paddies to take a trip in a helicopter over a few beers in NY. They’d probably offer to fly it themselves! 🙂 Enjoy the trip.
In fairness 8 Ball,
Watch the Song incident again – Mandzukic actually tries to block him deliberately during the break. He should have seen red too.
Drifting in and out of games,stupid Song just sent off, elbowing an opponent off the ball. I expect he will be back in the PL next season ? Man U.
Sanchez does look tasty but expensive, love Pogba, how come Arsene missed the boat in signing him.
At least Santi is on his way home next Tuesday. Unpatriotic I know but would hope LJW and the Ox follow shortly after. I can see our German contingent being there at the death and not available for our early games or possibly our CL qualifier! Let’s hope everyone comes home safe and injury free, the PL fixtures already wetting my apetite for the real thing.
COYRs
Great to see Eduardo on for the Croats, would love for him to get a goal.
Never mind the Premier League run-in, I’m more concerned about facing Toffees, Spuds, Man$hitty and the Chavs all in our first 7 games. I hope, ffs, that AW gets his transfer business done early this year, in time to sync the team so we’re NOT out of the running for the title in the first month!
Öskar
Agree about Sanchez, exactly the kind of skilful AND hardworking player we need at the Ems. Lurky was spot on saying he was the closest to Suarez, but cheaper and less of a rude word. Even if he did tire a lot in the second half, which I put down to the weather and so did everyone else in the game anyway.
Öskar
Guys, how much do you think Alexi Sanchez will go for? If Barca really wants to get rid of him. I really like him, doubt we can afford him though
The Dutch looked a bit wobbly against the Aussies, but I put it down to expecting an easy ride against the world ranked #62 side (the lowest ranking of any team present in Brazil) and not realising Aussies always believe they can win anything, so play out of their socks in any sport, regardless the opposition’s credentials. Enthusiasm can take you a long way in sport, but the flatlanders eventually did enough to overcome it.
I expect them to be back on their game in the division decider, although the loss of RvP could make it difficult. Not that it will matter whether they finish first or second, the group A qualifiers don’t look that strong to me.
Öskar
If we can afford to pay Balotelli £180,000 a week, as rumoured, we can afford Sanchez, SAG, and I’d much prefer him.
Öskar
“the dutch looked a bit wobbly’ – understatement of the tournament oskar.
we had the orange folk on the ropes, just needed to kick em where it hurts while they were down for the count. lesson learnt by the youngsters, never give a sucker an even break.
there is only one sport we have just about given up on winning Oskar and that is the rugby against those NZ all blacks. cant tell you how many times I have watched Australia lose to the all blacks in Australia.
one question for the keepers out there, what is the rationale nowadays with never actually catching the ball clean as a goalkeeper. it has been disastrous for most keepers at this world cup, and I cannot for the life of me see how palming a ball away is any safer or easier than just catching it.
As a naturalised Aussie, Aussie, I share your pain about losing to the Kiwis, and doubly so when England loses to them cos I’m also English born. Some hope on the horizon though with the current All Blacks (I always call them plain New Zealand) starting to age and the next crop not looking so invincible. A bit like Arsenal a decade ago!
Öskar
Catching the football is not as easy as it used to be, Aussie. The balls they use today tend to veer about more, quite dramatically sometimes, making catching them cleanly a bit of a risk. When in doubt they make sure they get it away an way they can.
Football has changed a lot in the 50 years since I last played in industrial strength boots with huge toecaps and balls that got so heavy when wet that getting one off the ground was a Herculean task, never mind flashing it past a bewildered keeper.
Like with most things young footballers today don’t know how lucky they are. Except keepers, perhaps, whose jobs have become far more athletic. Gone are the days when you simply put the fat boy in goal and everyone else was a striker.
Öskar
Cheers Oskar, glad to hear some hope on the rugby horizon.
I raised the keeping/ lack of catching issue based on watching the Cameron GK try to palm away a ground ball straight into he Croatian striker sitting on him today. Just horrendous.
It seems there will be heaps of TV bloopers running after this World Cup on the poor old GK errors.
Maybe time to bring the fat kids back who can catch.
I had kept the Mexico-Brazil game in the DVR to be able to re-watch parts of it to see Gustavo’s performance more carefully. I thought he was impeccable. Dropping deep whenever needed — the crazy-haired expensive defender dude going off on indisciplined runs all the time — and even acting as Thiago Silva’s partner sometimes. Breaking up play, covering the flanks for the two wing backs, tidy but purposeful passing and towards the end showed glimpses of offensive abilities with a couple of fantastic runs into the box and close control. Clearly has the engine.
We really can do with a player like him as the deep-lying midfielder.
Joe @ 110: A great team, absolutely! Intricate, confident, technically brilliant playing, made all the more unplayable because of the manic pressing.
However, this great Spanish national team was not a very thrilling team to watch. For all their movements, passing, dribbling they scored too few goals — a significant difference with Barca where Messi has been such a force of nature — and the games themselves tended to be too one-paced and tactically too predictable.
My favorite of this era would always be Iniesta. Elusive, master of operating in small space and of remarkably imaginative movements with and off the ball. But even the great “Illusionista” could be highly predictable too. It was simply a matter of not being able to stop him.
It was like a great jazz group made of some fantastic soloists with superb understanding with each other, the music is technically fabulous and there is great interplay between the band members. But after you have heard the third number you lose interest. You don’t really initially even know that you have lost interest. Then you become a little guilty, chastise yourself for your own philistine tendency, but slowly it dawns on you that they are just too fucking neat all the time. No blues in their music, no sex, no hint of madness, no great despair from which leaps on some hitherto strange unheard of harmonic patterns.
There must be a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.
Players I recently realized are huge cunts. In no real order:
1. Muller
2. Costa
3. Mandzukic
Ok I’ve actually known Muller was a cunt was a while. But seriously. These three are dirty, divey and despicable. I don’t want any of them near Arsenal.
Other unrelated notes:
Vidal apparently available? Somebody help me. He’s a midfielder right? Not a winger? But scored a shitload of goals for Juve last season. Not that we need another midfielder. If we get a midfielder at all this summer, other than a defensive mid, having passed up Cesc, I will be livid. Incensed.
Add me to the list of those coveting Alexis Sanchez. Of all the names that have been floated around, he’s the one that would excite me most. Underrated IMO, among all the stars at Barca. Hard-working, unselfish, pacy, a dribbler, excellent finisher, super quality. Perfect for Arsenal. If he’s even remotely available I hope we’re banging down the door.
Spurs shopping Soldado around? I can’t imagine why. And good luck to them.
Alexander Mejia of Colombia looked impressive in his team’s first game against Greece and I’ll be watching to see how he does against Ivory Coast. A defensive midfielder, he plays in Colombia so apparently lacks a work permit but at 25 he could be one of the finds of the World Cup.
Reports in Italy say Balotelli is a done deal, Milan looking for replacements.
Also talk that we are still looking for a winger. LeYuppyGrove waffling about Draxler and Reus, which is exciting. I’d throw Sanchez into that mix. If we could get one of them and Balotelli it would be stunning.
I’m super horny for Aurier. Been saying for ages that we need more production from our right-backs. If we are going to push them forward they should be able to contribute and Sagna declined and declined at this. Looked like a planned tactic for teams to have us shift the ball to him at times last season. He’d stop, stutter, spin about, then golf swing a predictable left-footed pass inside after all 11 men had got behind the ball, organised, and had a spot of afternoon tea. Was even better for them when he did the up and under to Giroud whilst he was marked by 3 defenders, teams loved that and it usually signified we were really struggling to create. Anyway, Aurier in combination and competition with Jenks looks like a really good mix of styles imo.
Happy times. Hopefully these all get sorted now and the announcements and photo-shoots can happen asap after the world cup. As someone said above, between European qualifiers, a testing start to the league season, and as tiring a CL/PL structure as possible we have to be ready to roll from the off.
Two super tasty WC games tonight as well 🙂
UTA
Ps: Spain looked a lot like us when we are off form last night. No athleticism in the final third, no movement off the ball that the passing game demands and far too often a single isolated forward anywhere near the opposition box, even when chasing the game. I hope Arsene was commentating on that and thought about how you fix a side playing that way.
I had Spain to win the thing – bummer – so for my bit coins worth of interest, I blame the manager. Fruits of the Forest looked like he had run out of ideas. For a nation so stocked in super quality attacking midfielders they played a dull brand of negative football that highlighted their weakness and not their strength. 2 holding players was overly negative. With Xavi obviously a spent force, getting someone like Isco in alongside Busquets to tie things together and then have a real go at teams que El Plano Puno. Cazorla to of course. They looked slow and old by choice, with a manager stuck in what worked before rather than looking at how to use what he has now.
130 – takes a nasty piece of work to get head butted by one of football’s nastiest pieces of work. Bit like that Sanchez fella Terry kneed in the back of the ball eh?
Still its lucky that, in his own words, Cesc “got his future sorted out before the start of the World Cup.” There would be nothing worse than having to wait another 6 days.
Just saying like.
😀
So I see Cescs party has been cut short 😆
Nothing to see there!
Sorry DF @ 61 no they are not, although we know the 1st leg play off CL game will be played before we are away to Everton and the 2nd leg play off game will be played before we are away to Leicester (wow big deal). One of those play off fixtures will be at home anyway.
I assume the other CL fixtures being regerred to are based upon provisional dates to be played.
But yes, definitely premature posturing from the Star there. A Blues tabloid perhaps?
@ 135
Indeed Steve! 😆
@ 66 8 Ball – Or it could be the next time he jumps into Van Gaals arms to celebrate a goal! 😆
Is it me, or do Diego Costa and Eduaro da Silva look like they could be brothers?
Both are trying to flee their native Brazil too!
(I could actually be on to something here 🙂 )
Costa is Eduardo’s acromegalic twin brother.
Acromegalic….. had to look it up… ACCURATE! 😀
Today’s rumours doing the rounds:
* £25 Mill transfer fee + £180,000k per week offer made for Balotelli
* Formal offer for Alexi Sanchez made
* Enquiry made on the status of Hugian (I would treat this one with a pinch of salt)
* Vermaelen begs to leave to Utd
@137
*referred not regerred
Wow – acromegalic
Had to look it up also!
I feel educated. Thanks 🙂
Top half of your rumours be true please Goonertown!
I’d have a bit of that me-self BB 🙂
Apparently, as Tommy V has two years remaining on his contract, we are after an adequate replacement before he leaves. Otherwise he goes nowhere!
🙂 Not so fast mate!
Sounds absolutely awesome GT – please be true and even tv5 can go no problems once we have a better option.
Balotelli at arsenal would be unbelievable. Nothing like an arrogant, cocky, egomaniac, skilful, talented, big chip on both shoulders, goal machine loving selfish striker who wants to prove a whole lot of people wrong.
Welcome Mario and hope u also enjoy being hand fed occasionally by Aaron and mesut from inside and Theo. and young Gnabry from outside.
When you are tired lukas will knock a few in for you and then Olivier and Joel can clean up the rest.
C’mon arsene please don’t make me grovel !!!!!
In the department of sex doesn’t help, thank you, we’re British, there’s:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/worldcup/world-cup-2014-which-teams-are-allowed-to-have-sex-9546657.html 🙂
The Independent’s sex article tells us what the ancient Greeks’ policy was on sex and sport but not the 2014 Greek World Cup team’s policy. Maybe there’s an assumption there has been no change in 2000 years, or an assumption of no sex in that time?
Apparently the sticking point at present is a replacement with Campbell being discussed as a make weight.
I don’t know who makes up all of this stuff, but that sounds like a stupid idea 🙂
sorry ^ That was to Aussie
GT@152, I think there’s a reason it sounds like a stupid idea, and I think “makes up” is the operative word.
Yeah I know Pangloss. I had to draw the line somewhere 😆
Do you mean a replacement for Campbell or with Campbell.?
If you mean a replacement for Campbell then, Does the name yaya sanogo come to mind GT.
Give me Campbell any day and he has a perfect arrogant cocky role model scoring machine in balotelli to guide him through any concerns about being a nice guy.
I hope arsenal stop being the pleasant, always doing the right thing at all times team and start just sticking it to some of these other clubs who are all in fucking debt up to their players bentleys windscreen wipers.
Play hard ball arsene, offer vermaelen to them up front as a make shift left footed striker.
Tell them any bullshit, just bring Campbell in and get balotelli.
That was some game yesterday, the first goal of Chile was ala Arsenal at their best, terrific, quick, incisive and stunning. That guy Sanchez will be awesome for us.
BTW the heir xavi on the bench, heir apparent dna whatever on the bench, sign of times?????? I dont care 2 hoots for it but it was a solace to see them like that specially the one who i dont want to name.
Chile will be a team everyone would want to avoid, i hope its Brazil Chile 2nd round and they knock out a poor poor brazilian team.
Rumours of a 180k per week for mario?? no way no chance, i rather have Remy and a DM for that, we need to focus on the DM first and i still think our best chance is to get Schneiderlin on cheap before someone else barges in.
Fixture list is not as bad as many have made it out to be, i just hope the qualifiers are easy and we come through unscathed.
That reminds me, we will have one more trophy added to the cabinet on Aug 10th right, afterall our season starts then.
Just finished watching Spain lose to chile.
Bloody marvellous stuff all round.
Even their diving, whinging, faking and acting couldn’t help them!!!!
Congrats to all Chilean gooners.
Schneiderlin yes!!
bt8b – whaaaa?
Aussie – Sorry mate. I meant they want Money and Campbell for Balotelli?
Can you believe these idiots?…what are they smoking down at the San Siro? 😆
Stick Arsenal, Stick!! 🙂
Disclaimer: I just changed the name of my blog, which is now about feminism, kids, politics. But I am going to start blogging about Arsenal and the World Cup.
I am following the World Cup closely. I am retired, and the games on the US East Coast are on at 12, 3, and 6. Americans usually have DVDR’s, so employed soccer fans can record the games. However, I come from a huge family, and none of my 5 brothers or 11 nieces and nephews are following the World Cup. My daughter in Paris for 2 years is obsessed. Only 1 of my 4 sons-in-law will even read Vanessa’s and my discussions on family google group. My ex-husband of 28 years is interested, but Ronaldo is his favorite player. However, I can walk into any store run by immigrants and have an excellent discussion.
I am so much more knowledgeable than I was four years ago. Realizing that has given me the courage to start commenting on my favorite blogs. I have learned to such from daily reading of Cultured Left Foot, Arseblog, and Goonerholic and following Arsenal tweeters. Thank you so much to you and your excellent commenters.
How many of your commenters are women? Realizing the imbalance is why I changed my ID from New York Arsenal to Arsenal Feminist. Twitter still @newyorkarsenal
Ok GT – now it makes sense and agree time for arsene to be very French…
Wish they wanted sanogo !
At least they have good taste in players…
Contemplating Balotelli in an Arsenal shirt, I realize anew that i am a sexist whose enthusiasm for a player is unduly influenced by his beauty. The New Republic, offering excellent coverage, described the World Cup as being about youth and masculinity in all their exuberance, The beautiful game is more beautiful in more ways than one. Obviously they want to convince women readers and gays to give the World Cup a chance.
Campbell + cash for Balotelli? No way Jose!
Somehow methinks it’s all rumours, so far we’ve been linked with Balo and Sanchez ( LIKE!! ) but probably would just end up with Campbell.
Which in my opinion isn’t too bad a thing… Can’t wait to see his remaining games.
Sagna’s replacement still not confirmed… that is worrying!
Aussie
Yeah, I guess you could look at that as a consolation 🙂
BB
A consolation could be if we end up signing em late as we did in 2011 but all world class this time!!
BB & GT, maybe in broke and in debt Football club speak, cash + Campbell really just means more cash please arsenal as you guys have been holding onto some serious coin over there at the emirates… For some time now.
I’m not sure what all the fuss about Balotelli is. He is good, sure. But during that game, he had one shot that rocketed way over the bar, one skillful chip cleared off the line, and a fairly regulation headed goal.
He doesn’t seem to offer very much in terms of an old-round game. Surely we can get better than him? He looks like a slightly more ruthless striker than Giroud, but Giroud contributes in other areas as well. Is Balotelli different enough?
I still think we need someone tricksy – a foil for Giroud. Suarez would have been great but that boat has sailed now. Campbell has had ONE good game at the WC. He might turn out to be a decent backup for Walcott but that is all. Remember Karol Poborsky?
Draxler by his own admission isn’t going anywhere (but he might be next summer), so that doesn’t leave us with many other options, admittedly. Sanchez perhaps.
If Spain starts Santi and Cesc and the younger players who haven’t appeared yet, I might watch, mainly because I’m intrigued by the Aussies.
@ 169 – A bit like ‘never mind what we’re smoking over here, how about what you guys are smoking down at the Emirates?’
We haven’t even paid off for the stadium. Surely that must count for something?
Well apparently we’re now looking at Mandzukic as an alternative already. Failing that, we’re back to looking at Remy!
Guess it won’t be long before we start looking at Kalou again! 😆
Oskar @126 –
“Football has changed a lot in the 50 years since I last played in industrial strength boots with huge toecaps and balls that got so heavy when wet that getting one off the ground was a Herculean task, never mind flashing it past a bewildered keeper.”
Maybe you should have worn tighter shorts, old chap. 😉
Pangloss @154 – “and I think “makes up” is the operative word.”
I think it’s two words. 😉
Sorry, Pangloss. A large one of your choice is on the bar. 😉
Dr Faustus @129,
I’m not sure how many subjects you’re covering there, but I really liked the last half of that @129. 😉
Feminist, We could use more of you. As far as I know the number of women on here is less than a handful but I suspect that transfer rumors might not be the only topic of interest if more women were involved so please have at it!
8ball,
Are you allowed to use a feminist ?
See, it’s going to cause all sorts of trouble …. 😉
Thank you, Trev. I’m feeling a little fragile today, so just a mineral water thanks. Do have one for yourself (of your preferred size).
Trev @ 175: Thank you.
Nicholas @ 170: But Campbell is more than just a one WC game wonder though, no? A few years back as a teenager he was fantastic in an international friendly against a full strength Spain, giving Puyol the runaround. In each of his three loan stints he always looked technically superb when on the ball, and the physical strength and the psychological maturity has visibly improved. That improvement was reflected in numbers. But the thing you have to like about him most is that he has a sense of occasion, scoring at ManU, a MOtM performance in the opening match of the WC…I could be wrong but based on performance and attitude he has earned at least a chance with Arsenal.
Trev. A feminist who will put up with bad puns? Increasingly unlikely in this day and age. Arsenal Feminist, please prove me wrong. 😉
There should be some tasty hunks of beef running around out there in the Colombia v. Ivory Coast game. Did someone say objectification? 🙂
@ Dr Faustus
I’m not saying Campbell isn’t good. His goalscoring record isn’t stellar. He’s caught the eye a few times.
I am saying that if we only end up with him and Remy at the end of the transfer window I’ll be disappointed.
Last time we got a star midfielder. This time it has to be a star striker. Is there one out there who we actually could sign?
Star defensive midfielder? Arteta and Flamini couldn’t hold up very well after February, and this despite both of them staying relatively healthy.
Star man of some sort at least?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B5zmDz4vR4
Nicholas @ 182: I am of the camp who believes that given our playing style we would be better served by players like Reus/Sanchez/Pedro — goalscoring fast versatile forward players — than a star striker like Benzema/Balotelli.
Campbell has shown his versatility and can be a very good squad player.
And IMHO, the player we need most is in the defensive midfield. Positionally disciplined, great passer, technically strong but also has good engine and fast.
I don’t think any of us have any clue about Arsene’s thinking — unless Arsene actually posts in this site 🙂 — and as always we would be surprised at the end. I think the surprises would be more of the pleasanter variety this time though. 🙂
We didn’t score enough goals last season. Part of the reason for that was losing Theo. But we need a striker who can score 20-25 league goals.
@ Dr Faustus
Yes, I agree with you. No chance for Reus, some chance for Pedro/Sanchez.
Faustus, let me be the first to deny that I am Arsene Wenger. 😉
Hello..
@189
Prove you’re not Wenger 😆
Super horny for this cuadrado fella. Any two of the following, please arsene: Balotelli, Sanchez, Reus, Cuadrado.
UTA
8 ball @ 188: Hello Arsene. How is Brazil treating you?
Dr Faustus @179 – spot on again, methinks.
What any young player has to do to succeed at the highest level is produce their best on a consistent basis.
So far, Campbell has scored some great goals on the biggest occasions he has experienced. If he can do that 70+% of the time, we could have a great player on our hands.
I don’t know anything of his injury record, but he should now be at an age where his most vulnerable days are behind him.
Did I really dare say that ? 😉
Aurier is pretty good going forward… but haven’t seen enough of his defending yet.
Star defensive midfielder, did someone say ?
I will literally jump for joy – yes, on the bad knee too – if we sign Luis Gustavo. The man plays like the ghost of Gilberto Silva.
Nuff said.
Trev @ 195: Exactly! Quite uncanny the similarities are, right?
Here in US ESPN Gilberto is an expert analyst in the studio. The other experts didn’t ask him the question, but if I were there I would have.
I would be extremely pleased we sign Gustavo. He is better than Javi Martinez and precisely the player we are missing at the base of the midfield.
Trev @ 193: With three seasons at top level leagues under his belt, and no serious injury records, dare I share your optimism in that regards as well? 🙂
I will certainly be trying to persuade my chums on the board to make a bid for Luis Gustavo.
I tend to agree with Lady Nina – about anything, really, she being another ardent feminist – and particularly with her liking for a good Brazilian.
She definitely bounces to a Samba beat alright.
Come on Chips – cheque book out, old boy !
GOAL !!!
Sorry chaps – just had to experience the feeling of scoring again !
Oops ! Seems I shot too soon again !
Or not !
For all the excitement around Aurier, he is rather of the Eboue mould. Stronger, faster, more efficient and less theatrical … but a realization of the same “defense, what defense?” archetype. Don’t think he is even bothered that Cuadrado running rampant on the right. 🙂
However, young enough to teach the positional discipline.
I meant Armero above, of course. Cuadrado on the other side.
This game has a Didier Drogba winner written all over it. Second best team, but winner.
Well deserved lead that … some really good football.
Cuadrado will go to Barca! He’s that good!
Won’t be surprised if a south american side that is neither Brazil nor Argentina wins the WC.
That rotten bastard Gervinho has wrecked my Super 6.
Gervais with a moment of magic. If only he could do this consistently …
BB@206: Don’t think Chile or Columbia has enough in them to go all the way. Uruguay I predict will not make it to the second round.
….while playing for us! 😀
@209 Doc
That may well be but it’s the WC and these ‘lesser’ SA sides have been pure adrenalin while the favourites have yet to show any consistency.
Agreed, Uruguay won’t make it… unless England capitulate which doesn’t seem likely at this point.
Aurier certainly looks like a good crosser of the ball.
Have not seen much of him defending though..
kalou so wasteful. glad we were NEVER in for him 😉
BB @ 211: Actually I would go so far as to say Brazil has been so average that they are the likeliest to peak at the right time. 🙂
Would you please all stop blathering on about the WC.
I’ve only just been, and now I’ve got to go again already !
lady nina will be happier that way, mr. hill wood.
@214 Doc
Aye you may be right about Brazil. Be one heck of a cracking knock out stage if they do.
On another note, Aurier is quick and can pass, but his defensive positional sense is a little off, nothing we can’t rectify 😀
England to win tonight, gut feeling, but then most times they never ever match up to the expectations. I honestly dont care but i do hope its a good and a high scoring game.
Aurier i am not really convinced, positional sense is a big concern and knowing our wingers not tracking back, that may be hara-kiri all over again.
If we can convince Coleman somehow and then have jenko as back up, we are well stocked at the now vacant right back position.
Where is the DM????? please that should be our priority, striker yes but DM must, spend the war chest or whatever left of it on a DM please, i never want to see a 6-0 again in my life.
Musical interlude – inspired by bt8b @184.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siiNiX5-zAk
suarez might be a scumbag, but that was a well-worked goal.
He could have been OUR scumbag! 🙁
England have been dire. Hodgson’s revolutionary ‘no central midfield’ system not working. Paper hat for anyone who can figure out a formation/system/structure for the blunt spoon that is Sturridge/Grace Jones/Rooney/Sterling floating about aimlessly. Just 11 blokes thrown together at random, terrible coaching.
Hope they go out and we can get AOC some proper medical, but if they are going to have a hope got to get Wilshere on asap.
Balotelli >>> Suarez NAP
UTA
england completely at sea. without a boat. could easily be 3-0 right now, if uruguay had anyone else besides suarez who could finish.
and bb, no, thanks. i’m glad he stayed at pool.
It was always going to happen… Uruguay sitting back like that!
the grannyshagger with a goal.
Nope can’t agree with you scruz… wish we had got him.
Racist McBitey with second one
england beaten at their own game…route 1 it is.
no worries, bb. we didn’t, and i am glad. i understand why people would want him for his skills, and i would have accepted his bs because i’d’ve had no choice if we’d’ve gotten him. but i am glad i didn’t have to accept it….i don’t want racist mcbitey anywhere near our arsenal.
We probably just end up with Campbell.. which is fine with me!
That boy is gonna be a revelation! 😀
sanchez, campbell, aurier and gustavo and it would be a good summer.
but i don’t see more than two of those happening.
Can’t believe that Uruguay didn’t called Cavani for this WC.
Aurier i certainly hope so. However about the strikers methinks it’s just something to write about to fill the papers.
Don’t see us going after any new strikers especially if we bring back campbell. That’s just wenger’s modus operandi, he likes to give his strikers a chance. Hope Sanogo improves the coming season and we will finally have 3 credible strikers!
Methinks Cavani had a brilliant assist Lurky. But that’s just me.
233 – Cheap imitation of Giroud vs Palace away imo 🙂
England – The Greatest Shower On Earth.
Ingerlund were awful. Manager completely failed to instil a system or attacking style. New faces, same shit. Less individual quality now to, its a scouse jolly ffs.
Bring our boys home Big Ivan.
UTA
Luis Gustavo rumours again?
Just like last summer.
Great player but no ambition – Wolfsburg ffs.
Welcome back home, England. At least the Ox would be able to get some medical care and good rest. Don’t understand how England didn’t beat this team. Apart form Suarez, I really didn’t think they were any good. I doubt England can even beat Costa Rica.
SAGooner. You didn’t think Uruguay were any good because you first saw them playing against mighty Costa Rica. England will now see how much better than Uruguay Costa Rica really are. 🙂
As I said before England should next go for a foreign manager. The FA are therefore certain to appoint Sven Erikson due to his excellent resume and his stint at Leicester City.
Think England will beat Costa Rica, but out boy campbell will at least get one! If england lose, that lot will be crucified when they get home…!
If I know the English press, it’ll be the fault of arsenal players.
Ox, Wilshere and Walcott somehow conspired not to get on the pitch, there’s the problem!
BB knows.
(Sorry, Trev)
Behind 8 ball, I hear you. But these are players plying their trade in the premier league. I mean they can do better than this, losing to Italy maybe,but to Uruguay no,not good enough. At least some of the young guys now have some experience. I think at the long run it might be a good thing for England. I really don’t know who can coach this guys, and make them play attractive efficient game
What happened to claims that Suarez doesn’t score in important games?
You can’t blame Hodgson but you can blame our media who have hyped players like Gerrard throughout his career to a degree that is completely unwarranted. I would conclude from today
Worth persevering with
Cahill
Wilshere
Sturridge
Sterling
Wellbeck
Rooney
Lallana
Barkley
Walcott
Ox
Not worth persevering with
The rest
Uruguay game shows what a difference a top-class striker can make.
My fear for the Costa Rica game is that the Ox and Jack will both get a start and end up crocked. Hope England goes into that game with an outside chance of not being eliminated so Woy starts his strongest XI.
Wellbeck, ttg ?
Not sure what he does at international level.
It would be wonderful to have a fully fit Wilshere, Walcott and Chamberlain all fit for the Arsenal at the same time, never mind England.
This coming season maybe ?
dkgooner@237: I think he had chosen that move knowing very well that he needs to play throughout the season in the World Cup year to be able to stake his claim in the starting line up (Scolari doesn’t care for reputation). Move to a different league and a team where he had to share the starting berth may had led to Willian or Ramires starting in that role, and he is considerably better than both. It was a conservative decision but you can understand why he took it.
I expect him to move this season. Hopefully to us.
Having watched AOC in the first half of England’s last pre-WC game in Miami I can attest to the fact that he was far more dangerous on the attack than any England player in Brazil.
Sorry about the double post above. The first one for some reason disappeared so I reposted.
Foreign manager? Ferguson is foreign, isn’t he? And sure to light a fire under these button-down Englishmen. Whisky please barman.
Trev, What Welbeck does is provide the promise of a good celebratory dance if he were ever to score a goal. Unlike Rooney, I must say, who not only must be an awful dancer but could have acknowledged the English fans after scoring to give everyone a lift, but did not. That was the glummest reaction to scoring a goal that I have ever seen. Is it any wonder England were back in their own half two minutes later failing to keep possession or to put any pressure on the Uruguayans? It is like the chicken and the egg. Which came first, a cohesive team on the pitch or a team with players who joyfully celebrate their successes?
Chilean journalist Rodrigo Norambuena has confirmed the COPE that Alexis Sanchez has an offer from Arsenal.
Gilberto is dead, Trev? (#195) I didn’t know that. Not sure his ghost would be much good, the opposition could run right through him…
Oh, and thanks for the tighter shorts tip! 50 years too late though. 🙁
Öskar
Just as well Suarez wasn’t fully fit today…
Öskar
Why do our strikers always shoot along the ground directly at the keeper? While Suarez gets his strikes into empty space above or either side of the keeper?
Just askin’.
Öskar
For what it’s worth I thought England played well again, better than I was expecting before the WC started anyway. We just don’t have any quality strikers to find space in the box and put away the chances. We had enough today to win two games, but apart from Rooney’s tap-in no-one was in the right position at the right time to profit from them
Then there’s this belief we seem to have that it’s easier to get the ball under a keeper than over him. Only if you dig a tunnel first guys, the top half of the goal isn’t a no-go zone, ffs.
Otherwise, results aside, I thought England looked more promising than for years. Unlikely now to get into the ko stages, but they’ve played better than reigning champs Spain thus far, imo.
Better luck next time…
Öskar
Trev
I might be the worse for drink but I’ve seen some very positive signs from Welbeck. He plays in flashes but in a good side with midfield superiority, not the pathetic midfield that Gerrard and Henderson represent I think he might make a player .
Gerrard never gets stick from the media but he has been pathetic at every major tournament he had played at. He is hugely past his sell- by date now.
Watch that prat in the Times Tony Evans write a paean of praise to him. He has failed England at the top level every time he has faced it
256 – All will bow down before Big Ivan if he makes this happen. Some serious hubba-hubba in Alexi Sanchez. It’s is difficult to remain calm at times like this…
GO ON BIG IVAN!
UTfuckinA
261 – I thought England improved the instant Welbeck went off. No idea what position he was playing, but he wasn’t suited to it. Uruguay appeared totally unruffled by his work-rate.
England single handedly done by Toothy. It’s that simple.
Nothing to see there!
The only question is who will England get to replace Hodgson?
* I feel a twitch coming on 😉
Eng Vs Uru Recap:
http://imgur.com/gallery/OtMqrUB
😀
Thomas Vermaelen has released the following statement:
“I know there has been a lot of talk and a lot of rumours but the only thing I can say is that it’s not true.
“Everybody understands my situation at Arsenal and that I have one year left.
“I understand that people are going to talk but I am here in Brazil and I am enjoying my time and I’m focused on what I am doing.”
So Vermy is leaving too?! 🙁
Balotelli Rumour update:
His agent Mino Raiola met with Milan chief Adriano Galliani yesterday and a transfer fee of 29mill has been agreed!
Apparently any interested club now has to agree to pay this fee to start negotiating terms to complete a transfer.
I think I will leave it there for now!
BB – either that or he leaves on a free next summer
Could be contract run down time again!
Higuain Rumour:
Napoli are ready to cash in on him for a profit of £12 mil
They overpaid for him last summer. Now they want more? Hopeful.
The markets gone crazy Bath
Goonertown, new day, further developments. Exciting times. We are close, so close with what we have. Just need to smash this summer and we can smash the league next year.
In my head I reckon we already have Balotelli and Aurier in the bag. Those two just seem to lively not to happen. (Probably stupid, given the Higuain fiasco last summer, or Mata/Hazard style dithering and haggling until someone else comes in and says, “here, I’ll pay a fair market price” and we are hey-diddle-diddled.)
Now we need to look at the next wave. Be amazed if the keeper isn’t a free transfer. Apparently the Colombian and Mexican national team keepers are both available for free and both look very useful and have played a European league already.
All sorts of chatter about a wide forward. It is obviously a huge need. We sign Sanchez it will be game over for teams across the continent. Him and Balotelli is the great hope. May Big Ivan have mercy on their souls if that happens.
So just the holding player left… All gone a bit quite that one…?
My sums say Balotelli, Aurier, Sanchez and a keeper will se us back £60mil. Vey Arsenal, given that’s 4 players for what people said we drop on Suarez last summer. Have money, will use it wisely, kinda like my tight old nan who never really got over the end of rationing in the 1950’s. More than enough left to have our pick of holding men. These truly are happy days.
UTA
272 – Not sure that’ true, yet. No big moves so far and FFP just took £50mil from two clubs. Might be a while before we see anymore HUGE fees like for Cavani and Falcao. Maybe not, but I hope so and I’m waiting to be proven wrong. (PSG obviously an outlier, even the Chavs are cutting cloth.)
@ 274 El – sorry for the confusion. I was referring to Baths remark regarding Napoli wanting to sell Higuain for £12 mil profit. Provided that is what Bath was referring to. It just shows how much the price of players can inflate. We were looking at paying half of that figure 12 months ago.
Just imagine how much Suarez is worth on the ‘inflated market’ now?
Didn’t think England played that well at all last night. The defending was abysmal. Suarez was clearly unfit and could barely run but was allowed the freedom of the land twice and made two bursts and that was enough. What was Cahill doing for that second goal? You can’t just stop tracking your man like that. And Johnson showing Cavani inside where he could make the cross instead of forcing him to go left? And where was Cahill?
@ 273 – I just hope you are right about those two. I think they would make a good start to strengthening the squad. If we wrap the rest up after the WC but before pre-season ends, I won’t be mad!
Sanchez of course would be a dream signing. Greazyman would be next on the list I would suspect.
In DM there has been a little tittle tattle regarding Luis Gastavo and his release clause, but other than that, no news yet.
That Mexican keeper is a steal as a free transfer and would definitely give Sir Shezney something to think about.
Ttg,
Roy brought the wrong players (Terry and Cole should have travelled), he then selected the wrong team and provided no direction in terms of leadership or game plan. Its an awful pity, because you really really do have some seriously talented players and potential coming through at a national level. But you have to appoint an independent manager with strength and conviction to play to a definite game plan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxGntzAjixA#
.
threw the toys out the pram
don’t like
MICK
used
didn’t want to sully
‘holic’s fine establishment
with my childish grumpy effoffness
.
self imposed cool down exile
agriculltural would be
one description
of
yeah
.
twonk
.
place is too important
regulars too important too
two
.
and
ssshhh
not surprised
my little arrogance trap worked
.
give ’em enough rope
etc
red pen pink jumper
snore
.
anyhoo
.
spent the day just gone
watching dolphins
leppin’ an’ hoppin’
out the water
.
brilliant
just brilliant
had a stout in me hand
whilst
.
(oooooohhhhhh is it while or whilst)
.
(see numpty – he’ll know)
.
i can’t let it go
can i ?
.
or am i being too “pedantic”
inverted commas !
horns !!!!!!!
Horns!!!!!!!!
HORNS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.
if he was a fish
he’d not a swum long
.
‘pologies ‘holic
.
*re-introduces exile*
*got colombia in the draw*
.
what have the colombians ever done for us , eh !
.
🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXWqz5qWYEw#
.
and another thing
she’s my wife
.
yeah !
.
she’s not really
but she
coulda been
.
fuck off
.
it’s nearly true
.
judgmental shower !!!!!!!!!!
.
*suspended exile for twaddle*
.
.
*re-instates*
Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo have the Uruguayan striker on the front for different reasons to most.
They claim that a deal to take Suarez from Liverpool to Barcelona are “very advanced”, and that, by included Chilean attacker Alexis Sanchez in the deal, the Catalans will have to stump up less than the £68m demanded by a release clause in the former Ajax man’s contract.
Bye Sanchez !
Hello Campbell 😀
Here’s hoping he gets a couple against Italy!!
Campbell vs Balotelli
Should be good to see who scores first
If Campbell manages to unlock the Italian defence, methinks that would be impressive enough. Come what may, we should give him a run and see if he’s worth the long haul for next season.
Seems that Costa Rica will play 5-4-1 with Campbell as the lone striker.
Should be a good one!
Re: 273. Puno, “game over for teams across the continent”? Maybe we should sign Sanchez then. 🙂
On the other hand, if these rumors are true about a Suarez / Sanchez swap that’s not the worst thing either. There’s no way Sanchez can have as good a season as Suarez had last season. I hope. Unless he comes to us that is. 🙂
Hats off http://www.myspacehippo.com/files/comments/congratulations/MShippo37915.jpg @279 & 280 for those lovely musical selections. Is that a rhetorical question about what the Colombians have ever done for us? 🙂
Not a bad choice there either. Unless the Costa Ricans outshine them and if they do it’ll give a new meaning to rich coast.
Today should be telling
8 Ball @ 287 – That’s right. Positivity is a must.
Set aside the Spanish press is full of jokers. Their footy info is to sport what the text box on the Sun’s third page is to political commentary. When was the last time a major deal happened with player part exchange? (Football Manager 97/98 doesn’t count.)
To your point, ttg, it is difficult to think of even a half-way decent international side for which Henderson and Gerrard would get a game.
Cole to Chelsea, Gallas to Arsenal plus some pocket change. That was years ago though.
Didn’t we get Baptista in part exchange for Hleb or something like that? Or was it Reyes?
So what do we make of club site bigging up U-21 keeper Matt Macey? Martinez now considered a busted flush after his loan to Sheffield Wednesday? Or no experienced no 2 to Woj coming in?
http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/20140619/-i-can-t-remember-having-a-bad-day-here-
It was Reyes, Nicholas. Both were 1-year loan deals, not sales, though.
Re: Ned @295. Not sure but Macey seems to like the food at the Arsenal training ground and it’s a nice picture with AW. Beyond that it’s hard to say.
The secret player to watch out for in the Costa Rica side is Yeltsin Tejeda. Especially if he sits down on the pitch with a bottle of vodka. 😉
Coming up for air after a brutal week.
Well done Costa Rica. Brian Ruiz is a scum bag, but nice goal. CR are dirty, dirty players and I’d love to see England spank them.
And on that evidence, anyone who actually wants to see Balotelli in a Arsenal shirt … well, no thanks. Not in a million years.
Campbell was anonymous apart from the clear penalty call. Balotelli.. too temperamental for me, sure to get sent off in big games if he’s not too careful. I’ll pass on him.
Did anybody say Eurocentric?
Colombia and Chile have the potential to knock off some top European clubs too.
Clubs = WC teams
And that is why we have Giroud! 😀
that giroud guy is playing out of his skin for france. maybe we should sign him…oh.
he just ran the full length of the pitch after heading away the swiss corner, to assist valbuena on france’s 3d goal. outstanding.
And another assist from Giroud!
Goals aplenty from this WC!
I know we are in search of a “World Class” striker so here is my scouting report: I just saw a French striker score the opening goal for his team, it was quite a nicely headed goal but what impressed me most about him is that his team are already 2:0 up yet he nods out the opposition team’s corner-kick and then sprints the full length of the pitch to set up the third goal for his team.
cent knows. funny ’bout the qualitee of that french striker…top, top, i think.
#FreeAlexiSanchez
Mesut Ozil: Congrats to Olivier Giroud for this great goal and assist! Wonderful Arsenal power!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5dpp2iCRwM
substitute “blues” with “arsenal”, bb.
Excellent Vid Scruz!
Ok.. it’s not funny now… are the swiss even a team?!
Apparently they are.. then again…it’s Lloris! 😀
Scruz @305/309, apparently, he’s gotten 39 goals and 29 assists for his club over the past two seasons. He cost them a whopping £12million Transfer fee.
Benzema won’t be leaving judging by his display!
Joe,
I agree with you about the potential of some of the English players and given outer success at Under 20 level we nay have done more in Russia in 2018.
It’s ironic that the media bigges up the so called Golden Generation which Eriksson was supposed to take to glory. In fact at world level a number like Beckham, Owen and Gerrard were nowhere near as good as had been suggested and we skis employed a succession of poor managers of whom Capello might be the worst.
You use the term independent manager which is an interesting one. We need a strong coach with a vision for what could be a useful side in four years time
By the way Giroud is a good player but not a great player and we do need another top striker. Nice to see him do well tonight but Switzerland were putrid. Whether that striker is Balotelli is a big call especially if Milan want Campbell in exchange
cent, that’s sounding like a hell of a bargain… too bad arsene…oh, wait.
TTG@ 318: Agreed. We do need another goalscoring forward who can complement Giroud.
These ‘good’ and ‘great’ words are used very frequently. IMHO, there is no great striker in the current football. Suarez or Ibra may claim themselves to be, but they are not true greats. After Ronaldo9, the only great striker I can think of is Henry, and maybe Raul.
Giroud is on the verge of becoming a very very good player for us. His improvement in certain areas in just two years with us have been remarkable.
Homer @ 299: I think Costa Rica deserves a lot of credit the way they played such tactically astute football, and use the conditions so well to their advantage. The synchronization of that five man backline was flawless, there were 10+ offsides between the Italian forwards.
Ruiz had an excellent game, just as he had against Uruguay.
Campbell played rather intelligently, always threatening the passing lanes between their CD pairs and Pirlo, and should have had a penalty.
In more sweltering condition in Manaus England could do nothing about Pirlo’s control over the tempo and general orchestration. Today CR kept him quiet very cleverly.
Faustus hits the Ted Rogers drink. Give him three fingers of whisky. Make that two. Ok, one then.
Arsenal power groove moving this way.
Apparently, Gerrard is “revered by his England colleagues” and I would add he has never seemed like an unlikable fellow even though he plays for Liverpool and is therefore a dirty rotten scoundrel by definition.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27946310
On the other hand, I wonder what his colleagues think of Rooney and wouldn’t be at all surprised if they really do think he is a scoundrel.
About England international team I think some progress has been made in this world cup. More importance is being afforded to technical excellence, interchanges, creativity. Those are very good signs.
However there is still too little attention on the ability to read the game, read situations and act accordingly. Not always think that speed and individual brilliance would bail you out.
The WC clearly demonstrated how ordinary a defender Baines actually is. Little understanding of space, a very good attacker down the wing but no understanding about when to stay back and when not to.
And hopefully the myth of Gerrard as some kind of footballing giant is put to bed. An exciting player in his youth, enough know-how to make impressions in the hustle-and-bustle of PL, but poor ability to influence and control the tempo of the game, a good passer but a very poor orchestrator.
Impressed with Sturridge, very good movements with and off-the-ball.
About all the interest in Mario, today was a great example of why he is such a risk.
Not the playing not that well part, that can happen. Even the general uninterestedness can be forgiven (tiredness etc.), but that entirely unprovoked lash out at a CR defender that earned him the yellow is what would concern any manager.
He has been playing at this level for nearly half a decade now. He is in his mid-twenties, this persistent ill-discipline remains a big worry.
Dr.F
Couldn’t agree with you more on both posts. I didn’t see the Italy game but Balotelli was described as disinterested and subdued. In a World Cup for goodness sake? Italy are in grave danger of going out because Uruguay can beat them and he is disinterested ! What can we expect at Stoke or Sunderland then?
As for Gerrard he is the most overrated player of his generation. He has never been good enough to impress at an international tournament. In fact he has always disappointed. Baines was a surprise and we now know that taking Shaw and Cole was a better option. I hope Shaw plays in his stead on Tuesday.
Welcome back cba, it’s irresistible here, aye.
While and Whilst are pretty much interchangeable (like Till and Until as explained previously). Some consider Whilst a bit archaic but it’s still used by many when the period of time referred to is brief, and While is used for longer periods of time.
Mme Hardy would have made an excellent wife back in the day. Personally I had a thing for Charlotte Rampling in that same day. She’s actually worn quite well in the intervening years, although, if French is your thing, Ludivine Sagnier, her co-star in … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r7goEDgcao … would make an ideal mate, imo. 😉
Öskar
BFG plays his 100th game for the national team tomorrow.
Now we have two German centurions amongst us…the Romans are horrified.
Oskar @ 328: Your taste in women is truly eclectic, bravo! 🙂
Rampling is a fantastic actress. Not many so stunningly beautiful women can give you the chills simply by the effects of minor mannerisms and sidewise glances.
If you like Ludivine Sagnier, there is a very interesting movie with her and Kristin Scott Thomas, she also did well in one of the later Chabrol movies…
Let me ponder you on imaginary images of a ménage à 4 with Ludivine, the perfect genetic mix that is Isild Le Besco and forever fantastic Emmanuelle Béart…if French is your thing. 🙂
TTG @ 327: I think both Gerrard and Rooney are overrated. Both had stopped growing football-wise in a very early age. For such an extremely talented player like Rooney he should by now have risen to the level of a Totti or a Figo, those are the kind of players that he should have aspired to become, but he has been stuck for a long long time.
If I may, I think Jack is showing tendencies of that same saturation. He thinks of Scholes and Gerrard as templates … both were mediocre at the world stage. Jack should really focus on growing as a player in the next 3-4 years and not concern himself much with his English career etc.
Among our English contingent, I think Ox has the best combination of talent-intelligence-humility . And I think he would probably go the farthest.
Oskar @ 330: I meant “let me leave you to ponder on” … ha ha! 🙂
I hope AW puts some faith in TH14 as a talent scout on this one.
http://www.squawka.com/news/thierry-henry-i-want-see-joel-campbell-in-an-arsenal-shirt-next-season/128045?
Isild Le Besco looks about 12, Dr F! If I could sub Sophie Marceau for her I think the line-up would perfect, in a French way. Not sure I’d swap for an English 4-way with Gemma Arterton, Emilia Clarke and Kate Beckensale though.
Either way I fear this pensioner might not survive the encounter … but there are worse ways to go! 😉
Öskar
Oskar @ 334: That is as good a way to go as any. And if you can master some of the most esoteric practices of Tantric meditation you can stay in such a perennially penetrative state while going and fully experience the dissolution of your identity into the wonderfully perfect void. At least that is what the literature promises, I haven’t actually met anyone who died that way. 🙂
8 ball @ 333: I don’t know, of course, and I could be wrong but I don’t think Arsene can be persuaded by any of his players, current or former. However I think Campbell will get a chance this season though, unless we use him in some kind of deal-making equation. I really would like him to see in Arsenal shirt. His passing seems to be rather good too.
Finally completed watching the France match…the lung-bursting run by Giroud and then the lovely assist for the third goal was so great to watch. Old school Arsenal counter-attack that. 🙂
I have been a critic of Benzema in Real colors, but have been impressed by him in these two matches. That was the Benzema of the Lyon days, playing on the left, dropping deep, cutting in, not only scoring goals in the penalty box but always making things happen with movement and passing. Some lovely finishing as well. Seems to be fitter and physically sharper as well. If that is the Benzema one would get then I am all for it.
With the lists of players to buy drawn up in this bar, the conflicts of opinion, changes of mind, lunatic personalities under consideration, I am just grateful that no transfers will actually happen on the basis of any of it.
Nothing wrong with any of the above, but I’m not sure I have a claculator powerful enough to work out the cost of my season ticket if we were to buy every ‘must have’ suggestion I have read in here.
Thank goodness for Arsene Wenger and his complete and utter lack of transfer activity, I say. 😉
Please not Balotelli, Arsene, a prima donna and not a team player. I hate to think the damage that would be done in the dressing room, and I don’t mean to the furnishings.
Giroud sprouting wings down the wing was a revelation. Looking forward to seeing our German trio tonight, expecting to see another fine display confirming my view that they will be there in the final.
Agreed Delia.. Balotelli is not for me, sure he may win the odd match but methinks the longer effects are not conducive to the team morale on the whole. Chances of his petulance and getting sent off in crucial matches also intensify when things don’t go his way.
Am happy with Campbell so far, hopefully we secure Sagna’s replacement and another striker too for cover in the event Giroud gets injured or fatigued!
Enjoying the glut of goals so far in the WC. Pity about England and Spain, but it had to happen, so hopefully we will see a revamp in their teams. Time for new blood.
Giroud’s full pitch run yesterday was a thing of beauty….reminded me of the goal against the club formerly known as Barca (TGSTW to Fab, to Nasri to Arsh). Giroud and Benzema looked great yesterday but they were playing against two guys that we recently shipped out…..although they did their best for us.
I hope France and Germany do well given they represent the most Arsenal players. The WC 2006 is how I found Arsenal….knew nothing about the EPL, never watched a game. Saw TH14 galloping for France and wondered “who is this guy”…..found out he played for Arsenal and the rest is history my fellow Holic’s.
Ozil’s been brilliant…. we just need someone who can finish his crosses!!!!!!!
If we don’t get Aurier.. that Harrison chap from Ghana looks promising!
😀
If Ghana make it out of their group and i hope they do, they are going to take some beating.
BB – I don’t know about that, they did lose to a not especially impressive USA side in their first game after all. The only teams so far to put together two great performances have been France and Costa Rica (maybe Colombia too), it’s been a pretty open tournament, hope it stays that way.
Charlie, Chile were impressive too in my opinion. We’ll have to see about Ghana, but i think they’ll beat Portugal.
Methinks the heat, literally, is getting to the European teams. Most of them look sluggish and a touch slow.
Maybe not über alles. Über a few, some, or many?
Maybe Giroud was inspired to run that fast thinking about the quantity and quality of Brazilian beauties in the stadium. Is it ze quantity or ze quality? 😉
I have been fascinated this week in New York how interested Americans are in this World Cup. We have several brethren in this bar who live in USA and write very knowledgeably about the game but what has intrigued me is that they seem to have embraced the global nature of the competition in a way they didn’t in 1994 . I was in a bar merat Ground Zero to see Messi’s goal and the place erupted as Argentinians celebrated and others just appreciated the little man’s genius. Watching the Germany game in another bar I had a pleasant conversation with the bartender who was Mexican and he thinks soccer has really taken hold here. I’d be interested in the views of our Amerucan colleagues. I was intrigued this morning by NBC ‘s concern about how they were going to replace the goals of Jose Altidore ! Not the biggest problem in football!
Good luck to the USA side they are certainly looking stronger than England at present.
ttg,
There are certainly some knowledgeable “soccer” fans here (as an American I still feel weird calling it football, though soccer doesn’t feel right either tbh), and that number is growing. But I think the average American soccer fan is still pretty ignorant about the game in general, particularly the club scene. There are a lot of Americans who get really excited about the World Cup for some reason, even picking (apparently completely arbitrarily) teams to cheer for. I have one coworker who considers himself a die-hard Germany fan. He’s as American as I am. There’s a lot of that kind of thing.
I’d say there’s generally two camps: the Americans who only really follow the international tournaments, and are fairly ignorant about the sport in general, and those who follow club soccer, and who range from ignorant to pretty well-informed. That’s obviously a huge over-generalization. But there’s no doubt the sport is getting a stronger and stronger foothold here. No doubt NBC’s new TV deal with the premier league will contribute to that as well.
Obviously a hugely disappointing WC for England, but I didn’t think they played particularly poorly. I appreciate Hodgson’s commitment to play the likes of Sterling, Sturridge, the Ox (had he been fit), Barkley, Lallana, etc, and I think England’s attack was more adventurous and diverse as a result. They were unlucky to get nothing from the Italy game, and just didn’t have a player in Suarez’s class in the Uruguay game. They are one of the better teams who won’t be advancing.
As for the US, they were very fortunate to beat Ghana. I thought Ghana outplayed them. But that’s how it goes sometimes. Portugal, I think, are a job they can just possibly manage, with a good slice of luck. It won’t be easy. The US have very little in the way of zippy creativity going forward, and their defense is extremely inconsistent. They do have a decent finisher in Clint Dempsey, and they tend to play up in the big games. So we’ll see what happens.
Good post Lincoln.
TTG @ 347: The answer to your question would depend on which America you mean? For all its obvious and proud homogenization of the cultural surface, and the well earned melting pot sobriquet, it truly is a fantastically diverse country of immigrants. At least along the coastal big cities.
I have been living in Boston for fifteen years now, coming to US at my early twenties after growing up in India and Europe. And in this 15 years the demographics of Boston-NYC-San Francisco have changed significantly. As a result the popularity of “soccer” has grown quite noticeably in these areas.
The marketing of PL has definitely added to that. And children growing up in recent times have found a natural connection to this global sport in this interconnected world.
However, beyond the first or second generation immigrants the rising popularity of men’s football is indeed limited along socio-economic boundaries. Children of well-off hipster parents are much more likely to find some connections in the game than their friends who come from the blue-collar families where it is still looked at rather suspiciously as an effeminate foreign sport. That is why lots of boys even though they enjoy playing “soccer” growing up lose interest in the game when they reach the teen-age years and the men they look up to deride “soccer” or show no interest.
There are exceptions, of course. Especially in well-knit communities with persistent connections to their origin. In Boston’s famous “Little Italy” or North End some people still speak in Italian in Cafes, the Serie A games are on, and those whose grand-parents left Naples or Rome fifty or seventy years ago carry within them the connections to Napoli or Roma or Lazio.
Well done to Ghana and Nigeria for getting positive results yesterday. I must say, I didn’t t see those result coming, after the starts they both had last week.
I wonder how our transfer negotiations are going?
Time for a quick scan. I’ll let you know if I see anything interesting.
We have apparently agreed personal terms with Serge Aurier. The only problem with that and as you know , there needs to be an agreement between the clubs before a buying club can negotiate with a potential signing. However , if you recall, it was reported two weeks after the season ended, that Tolouse accepted a fee for the player, around the same time that Sagna reported he was leaving.
The papers are today reporting that we have to still agree a fee with Tolouse. So as usual, there is conflicting information concerning an Arsenal transfer, before an official statement had been released.
There seems to be a lot of consistent reporting regarding a potential transfer however, nothing concrete as yet. This one sounds beyond half baked, mainly due to the players own personal admission to a fan, that he was on his way.
Let’s see how this one unfolds, in particular, after the WC in two weeks.
Papers appear to be reporting that Mario Baloteli’s agent is working between the clubs to negotiate a deal. The last time we left it to an agent, we were humiliated in the papers for misunderstanding a release clause and accused of smoking Marigwana.
However, with the whole Puma link and the positive reporting, it sounds like this is a deal that most of the involved parties seem to want to happen. So with that in mind, I expect to see more developments on this over the next week.
Both serge and Mario are enjoying fairly positive WC campaigns so with that in mind, at least we have something to keep us occupied, rather than getting frustrated and allowing potential signings to sign elsewhere.
Let’s see how this one professes.
Just to add. No accepted fees are being reported for either player. Just firms interests at present. More so than any other players.
Thanks for the update Goonertown!
Good news indeed if we got Aurier, one less spot to worry about. Now let’s get a striker be it Mario or not. Personally i would prefer Sanchez but let’s leave it to the boss!
You’re very welcome BB. Mario and Sanchez are both quality. We appear to be interested some quality names this summer.
I do hope it all comes together.
Yes, thank you Goonertown. I echo BB in preferring to Alexis to Mario, but also in trusting the boss’ judgement. I’ve heard Suarez to Barca rumors – purely speculative of course, but if not that might well free up Sanchez. As we know the boss likes to wait for these little contingencies to play out before making his move. So we’ll see.
Encouraged by the Aurier rumors. Let’s get it done Arsenal! One less thing to worry about.
Quick hello.
Done a big back drink, some nice posts i there, could to see cba popping in like only he can.
I’m with Trev on all the transfer speculation, all these “must have” players we never actualy get to have, gets a bit boring. It seems to get worse every year, I’m constantly reminded of the South Park episode that explained how Family Guy comes up with their jokes, three manitees in a tank randomly picking balls coitaining names and subjects and linking them to make a storyline. transfer Gossip is basically the same principle, random facts intertwined and fobbed off as somekind of inside knowledge.
For example;
Fabianski has left us, A Mexican keeper makes a few saves in a WC game, Wenger is at the WC = Arsenal interested in Mexican keeper.
Or.
Puma sponsers Balotelli, Puma will be Arsenals new kit supplier, ergo…….
Easy this reporting lark.
As for the WC, as I said before, I’m enjoying it. England were poo, but I never really expected that much of them, but that is more because of the coaching staff then any real lack of quality. It’s nice that RH gave the kids a chance and cut adrift the old guard, but you can’t send your players out without a coherent game plan and as far as i could see England didn’t have one. It’s easy enough to blame individuals, but they were naive in both games.
I see posters suggesting that England should of played Jack, I don’t see how he would of made much difference. To be brutaly honest, and I expect to get lambasted for this, but sorry, I don’t really think he’s that good. In the past I mused that I thought Ramsey was the better of the two, I was told that I was wrong. I like Jack, but I feel he is very one diminsional. Head down and run at players until he’s tackled or falls over seems to be his forte. I do however cherish the hope that he will improve, there are signs that he can be a good player, there are the occasional flashes of briliance, but, on a whole, I just feel he hasn’t pushed on far enough seeing the potential he had a few years ago. Englands failure may very well be in Jack’s interests as it will mean a longer rest, he needs it due to past injuries, the same applies to the Ox, who also needs a good pre season and to press on next term.
Cheers ‘holics.
Oh yeah……
Hup Holland Hup.
Agreed H2H. Aaron has surpassed LJW who is still suffering from his injury blight and looked well short of match fitness in his cameo against Italy last week. I expect him to get a run out v Costa Rica as Roy bloods the ‘next next generation’. Hopefully that will help him in regaining his form.
They are of course different kinds of players. When we used to get Arsenal TV on Sky, LJW looked a fantastic prospect as an attacking midfielder in our youth team and before his injury we had glimpses of that potential.
Give Jack a chance though, he’s at the stage of regaining match fitness and confidence that Aaron was at when the ‘bears’ were howling for his blood as the cause of all Arsenal’s ills.
that De Bruyne kid is kinda good eh?
I really don’t understand the negativity surrounding England. For years all I have heard is people saying they want us to be like Spain???? Then they still moan when we achieve it.
Just saying like.
😀
TV5 really has bad luck with those injuries
As long as he’s in an Arsenal shirt I’ll never give up on him, Bath.
He just needs to push on. He’s been hampered by injuries, but some of those could of been avoided, but I can’t fault his eagerness to shine.
Good evening, Gents. I think the problem with Wilshere’s development is that he tries to do way too everytime he gets the ball, he has to learn how to keep things simple when the situation demands it(which is almost always). The very best players are NOT the ones who try to hit an excellent through ball or go on a mazy run everytime they get the ball, the best are the players who mastered the art of choosing the perfect moment to hit that through ball or go on that mazy run and time it to perfection.
Secondly, I also get the feeling that he thinks way too much about been the great saviour of English football and captaining Arsenal simultaneously. He needs to let all that go and focus on improving weak aspects his game first.
very cruel on Russia, Belgium was poor whole game.
Both teams were poor. It was like watching Hull vs Villa. Dire. Neither will progress far. Belgium have good players but no team. Russia are simply pants.
Cent, I am inclined to agree re LJW. He needs to learn how to keep things moving and not to always try to win the game on his own.
Famous South Korean artist, singer and magician, Jungyunkimhonghanleekooparksonki, will now perform, just for your pleasure: “BENTALEB IS A TWAT, HE IS, HE IS, OH, YES, HE IS!”
But not in english, mind you.
Well said cent nail on the head.the lad has plenty of time to recover his form,the goal he scored v Norwich should have us all drooling of what is to come from him.
Algeria now looking like world beaters… lol!
Hey guys and ‘holics, sorry for my lengthy absence but I have a good excuse, as I am planning on moving to a friends house in Germany and hopefully starting a less depressed period of my life.
However in the packing up of things I came across 64 issues of the Arsenal magazine, is there any Arsenal fan who would like them free, you can either pick them up or pay for a courier, its bloody heavy and runs from 2005 to 2011, when I moved here and the local shop did not sell it lol.
Sorry for disrupting the usual gooner activity but throwing them away does not appeal.
Oops just found another 14 issues, so 78 now.
@depressedgooner, why would you want to get rid of them. Those are memories to keep. Hang on a little bit, we re about to win he premier league.
with regards to wilshires development above and keeping the play going, all he needs to do is hang around Mr Ozil at training.
Ozil always maintains possession and makes both the difficult and easy passes consistently as he doesn’t try to finish the move in the first pass or run.
Wilshire loses possession by trying to run through players and always risks injuries at the same time.
Ozil rarely gets touched or clattered as he releases the ball early.
LJW gets clattered all day long cause he tries to complete the impossible far too often and is usually very ineffective
Sadly Jack doesn’t appear to have progressed at all in the past 2 seasons. We can still hope he’ll come good but I have my doubts. Love his attitude though, he’s Arsenal all through like Blackpool in a stick of rock.
Öskar
Saw the United States against Portugal and was quite impressed by the Americans’ response to the adversity of conceding an awful goal just after the start. They were resolute, determined and confident that they could get back in the game which they proceeded to do. Great goal by Jones was first class and will most certainly make the World Cup highlight reel. Cristiano Ronaldo not at his best by any means but at least some of the credit for that must go to the American defense. Now the Americans will face Germany in the last game in the group phase and a draw between those two teams will see both through to the next round. Jurgen Klinsmann the man of the hour and he certainly seems to have earned his salary.
would love to hear the call jurgen is making to joachim…hopefully he has a favor he can call in.
depressedgooner / gedrücktgooner
Good luck in Germany, and may your mood lift. 🙂
scruz 0-0 seems a negotiable score to me. 😉
What are you lads and laddettes doing in here complaining about next season’s fixtures and lack of transfers!! The World Cup’s on, get outside and watch it 😀
I don’t know about everyone else, but this has been the most exciting World Cup I have ever seen.
With a few exceptions, every match has been great to watch, especially as I don’t have to worry about who wins or loses.
I was however, a bit worked up and anxious during the England and Japan matches but in a good way.
I can’t help but wonder if FIFA had a meeting with all of the managers and asked them to play attacking football and give everyone a good show due to the unrest in Brazil about the tournament. Could that have happened, or is that just crazy speculation?
Sorry no new blog all. Take care of those who matter.
Agree COR – thoroughly enjoying the World Cup and especially the diving princesses Spain going home early
I’m also enjoying the World Cup,have to give credit to the refs who are not trigger happy with the whistle or the cards.not as much diving in this tournament either.sad to see the English go out so soon to,USA very unlucky last night put on a great display clint Dempsey is like a fine wine gets better with age thought he was excellent v Portugal
Can’t resist the temptation to put in my 2pworth on the LJW debate.
I agree that he hasn’t made as much progress recently as we would have hoped/ I put this all down to the fact that form mot of the recent past he has been getting over injuries.
I am confident that once he gets a reasonable injury-free run, a prospect that could be helped by referees clamping down on the rotational fouling which he seems prone to, he will start to make that progress. It’s not unreasonable to hope that once he starts to make progress he will improve as fast as, say, Aaron Ramsey.
COYG
I believed.
I believed that we could win.
I believed that we should win.
I believed that we would win.
Still though, the Americans put in a good shift against a typical Portuguese side. Just came up a bit short. Here’s hoping for a result against Mueller and Co.
Cheers all.
Don’t tread on me.
The portugal team is arguably the worse team in that group. Unlucky USA. Going to be tough but if Ghana beats them then i guess it’ll go down to goal difference assuming the germans win. And I just don’t see the germans taking it easy, technically they could still be out!
Well done Yankees
That Ronaldo cross was amazing though 😆
Well done to the African teams over the weekend in particular Algeria.
Iran almost caused an upset too. Cu’mon Reggae Boyz, now’s the time to rebuild! 😆
Wilshere. Top, top quality player. Given what we have seen with Ramsey, Rosicky and others coming back from long injury lay-offs, it seems impossible to me to make a judgement on his progression now. Give him until he end of this year to see how much is injury related in terms of his slower than expected progress. (Which looks that way because expectation are, rightly, sooooo high.)
Big interest for me is whether or not he can form a working partnership with Ramsey at the base of midfield. AW has tried it a few times and it has never really worked. Neither has learnt to control their game to fit the attacking quality in to a tactical team structure. Kids cup against Chavski last year a prime example. Absolutely no reason this can’t work though. Both are mobile, run all day and tenacious. Not necessarily one for big games away, but would be great at home. As it stands, they still seem to be an either/or proposition with someone sitting alongside to do the disciplined duty.
This may be a trick of the memory, but it seemed to me that after Theo went down JW stopped getting games on the wing. Adding another bit of direct attacking and pace to the squad wide might also allow more time on the wing, I guess when Cazorla is not in the side.
JW is a great asset to the squad and the club though, imho.
Transfer tumbleweed 🙁
*Big Ivan. This is El Puno. Do you read me. Over
Loud and clear El Puno. Over.*
UTA
#FreeSanchez
#WhereMeBalotelli
@ SanAntonioGooner
Because a friend is paying for my move and they weigh a lot, so I cannot in all fairness expect them to pay for my magazine obsession lol
@ behind the 8 ball but gunning for glory
Cheers bud, once I have moved, I will be far more active again.
USA were a bit naive, to borrow from Wenger. Had to give the foul instead of allowing Ronaldo to put in that cross. Basically, aside from Cameron’s two brain freezes that Portugal converted, the US bossed the game. Anyway, not too hopeful of getting much on Thursday. But I am hopeful for the future.
On matters Arsenal, I can’t believe people are actually questioning Jack’s quality. This all sounds like the criticism leveled at Ramsay after his assault at Stoke. Jack’s top shelf…end of for me.
We need bodies…nah, I’m not delving into transfer matters. I’ve already expressed my thoughts there.
Don’t tread on me.
Good to see the old ‘too many foreigners’ chestnut being roasted after England flopped, again. Always found that one a bit odd. The quality players make it through and the ones who don’t play slightly lower down, but the best England has play professionally. Problem is not producing enough talent. As long as I can remember, whoever the England coach has been they have tried to put the 11 ‘best’ players on the pitch, not field a team with a style and structure.
After the recent Hodgson omni-shambles, this might be called the “Wellbeck syndrome.” A player with no clear position, function, or purpose shoved onto the pitch to get him on. More famously known as the Gerrard/Lampard “axis of tossers” mess. Ho-hum. If there are problems, look at the people who are organising things in this country. They are responsible. Johnny Foreigner is not to blame, he’s just doing it better than Ingerlund.
UTA.
depressed – You’re in Compton aren’t you? I’d love to take the Arsenal Magazines off your hands, but I think Oxonne would kill me. Sounds like one or two smallish boxes, but magazines/books always weigh a ton.
She might, however, buy “I’m just looking after them on behalf of the wider Arsenal-supporting community until someone else turns up who will give them a good home.”
Whe do you leave? If no better offer turns up, get ‘Holic to pass you my email address, and I’ll pop down from Wantage and pick them up. (On a temporary basis only.)
In case you missed it there’s a great picture caption, Je Suis Kangiroud, on Arseblog if you scroll down to two days ago. 😀
Pace of drinks picking up now. I’m hoping for a Chilean demolition of the Netherlands later to accelerate the pace even further. Sorry, H2H!
@ 390
Transfer Tumbleweed indeed!
🙂
Regarding the foreigner blame game for the failings of the English game, I’ve never bought into that.
Division 1 was FULL of Irish, Northern Irish, Scottish players with a smattering of Welsh players too right? Why no inquest then?
It has nothing to do with it.
The rest of the world and English coaches haven’t.
That’s the problem.
You get these idiotic pundits whose go to answer for being outplayed is “get in their faces.” What the fuck is that???
You get managers like Redknapp who was tipped to be next England manager and the twat can’t read much less come up with a tactical plan of attack!
Beyond a joke.
Playing with good players elevates your game.
Playing a hundred games a season doesn’t.
Scrap the League Cup or make it only for Championship and below, focus on skill building rather than just sprinting and make these young English kids play abroad during their formative years.
This whole Premier League is the best league is detrimental to the education of young English players.
All the skill gets drilled out of them by the average Prem manager…
That should be “The rest of the world has moved on and English coaches haven’t.
@ Pangloss
I do indeedy live in Compton, and I will be leaving in August mid to end of.
Feel free to “look” after them if it appeals to your innate sense of Arsenalness 🙂
Quick Summary of the US Vs. Portugal match :
http://imgur.com/gallery/GVGgS2a
CoR @ 398: To your point, is worth noting that the relative low stature of Ligue 1 had worked in France’s favor as many French players left early for other leagues and learned techniques and tactics. Started with Platini at Juventus, of course, but that trend continues. Giroud’s eye-catching performance in the first match had a lot of Arsene Wenger behind him, and Varane’s imperious defending includes know-how from the Madrid school of secrets.
That is not to say that the PL should be forced to become more low key, but English players should really be encouraged to travel abroad a little bit more.
And Academies really need to improve. As Arsene said, by the time the youngsters arrive at the clubs many of them don’t have their basic techniques correct (“cannot head the ball”) and once you are 16-17 and have been through a coaching that had minimal focus on basic techniques there is not much chance.
This is a big problem in English football, the continuous obsession with speed with the ball on your feet at the expense of technical and tactical soundness. And then players like Sterling and Barkley getting applauded just for that. Barkley was a good example, random fast running and dribbling down the center of the pitch in a match that England is chasing but must win. Without any awareness of who was close to him and which passing lanes were available.
Lonestar @ 392: I wouldn’t question Jack’s quality. However I will question his occasional lapses of game intelligence. Yes he is still very young but he has been playing top level football for five years now (including the loan stint at Bolton) and he makes a lot of poor choices in terms of when to pass and when to run directly at defenses. The injuries didn’t help of course as the intuitive part of those decision makings had not got the chance to be fine tuned but it is an area of his game that is in need of considerable development if he wants to become a great player, which he has all the ingredients of becoming.
And not to slight his English pride or anything but he seems to focus too much on his international career. He needs to become a much better footballer, first, and then the rest would follow.
I think a bit more time of the flanks would help his career. More appreciation of space, learning off the ball movements, learning to choose the right moments to join in an attack and not be a ball-hogger.
404 error message? Well in depressed.
Until the meedja does a better job of exposing “get in their faces” for what it really means, i.e., “play dirty” this will continue to be an accepted form of “coaching” for lesser teams facing more talented ones. The other thing that gets on my nerves is the constant moaning by game announcers that 20 years ago this or that would not have been a foul. For instance, “Yes, yes, yes, he may have broken his leg but 20 years ago that would not even have been a foul.”
Cesc on the bench again today as well as the previous two games. Surprising that he cannot even make the B team against Australia. Santi starts.
What channel is the Spain match on?
Also, Ivanovic to Arsenal? If only that could be true…
Chile all over this muggy holland outfit. Think the Dutch don’t mind getting fresh and having a pop at Brazil, they’re beatable. Now we just need Alexi Sanchez to do te business to boost morale after the Balotelli dud last time out.
UTA
I think Jack is doing the same mistake Aaron used to do before. He holds on to the ball too long or always tries to make that magic pass. He needs to keep it simple for in the end the game is based on its simplicity. He is far too talented to waste it.
Aurier and Balotelli reminds me of what we have heard and seen in every window. They are coming, coming, coming, wait they went to some other team.
I rather want to see a DM first, that needs to be priority than anything else.
406 Joeos
This paragraph from a Sid Lowe article I think explains Cesc’s abscense and maybe Wenger’s reluctance to bring him back.
“During the session, a practice match was played between starters and substitutes that suggested that Del Bosque will give opportunities to those who have hardly played. Juanfran, Juan Mata, Santi Cazorla, Fernando Torres and David Villa appeared in bibs, in line to start. At one point, Del Bosque angrily took the bib from Cesc Fábregas, who was not exactly exerting himself, and handed it to Xabi Alonso instead.”
Whats up with Sanchez pulling his shorts up his thighs, Alex Song used to do that and not only it looks silly but it annoys the hell out of me.
well either a corner or a penalty, in no case this should be awarded as goal kick ffs.
Cescy weaving his magic for Spain. Real quality.
Hi all.
Holic, Thinking of you xx
Brazil shaky in the back.. i expect France or Holland to ship a few past them if they meet.
Still that Neymar is a handful!
Hope Mexico gets through, they play good attacking football!!
Thank you so much abb. I must have been a wicked sod in a former life. I so appreciate you being back again. xx
Further inane ramblings are up, all >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>