Santi, Safe Standing, And Subsidised Madrid Tickets
Apr 19th, 2018 by 'holic
It was good to see a wide range of issues discussed during Arsene Wenger’s pre-West Ham press conference today. It started in familiar fashion with Arsene fielding questions about who is or isn’t fit and who will he rest for next Thursday. We’ll consider those issues on Saturday.
Quite the best question brought up up the fitness and future of Santi Cazorla. Never has Arsene answered so completely, and yet so vaguely, before finally confessing with his latest catchphrase, “honestly, I don’t know”.
It all started with the manager admitting he had not seen Santi since the League Cup Final as he had returned home for more rehab, but he had heard that the outlook was encouraging. The most recent news of his injury is positive and that he is hopeful of having the player back with the squad before the end of the season. I don’t think he meant that he expected the midfield maestro to feature but rather to come back to be assessed.
The result of a positive assessment would result in the offer of a new contract to a player so vital to our midfield until his injury in 2016. The likelihood of him returning was then put into context by the manager’s catchphrase. It deflected attention for a few valuable minutes.
Safe Standing
The boss also happily fielded a question about safe standing which is a topic that not all feel comfortable with addressing. Whilst conceding that he understood the objections of a decreasing minority he opined,
“The atmosphere is much better when people stand. The closer you are to the position of the player, the more supportive you are. It is a tradition of English football to have that. If the safety is right then it has my 100 per cent backing.”
Safe standing sections are now clearly inevitable and being held up only by a stale government on the flimsiest of grounds. That was understandable in the light of Hillsborough, and the decades that have followed. The wishes of the Liverpool supporters were given great weight, and rightly so, during that time. Even they now have given their backing to the campaign to allow rail seating.
For me it is a no brainer. Currently there is chaos in a number of grounds where the majority in certain areas refuse to sit, and not in safe conditions, barring the view of the younger and much older behind them. Let’s have safe standing areas in stadiums and relocate the old and young into still the majority of blocks that will be strictly seated only areas and understand that those areas will be stewarded accordingly.
That will leave the issue of pricing of tickets in the standing areas, but quite clearly people at both ends of the Grove are quite happy to pay full price to stand en masse and defy the stewards. The issue of ticket pricing is a different subject altogether, talking of which…
The Arsenal To Subsidise Atleti Away Tickets
The club were seen as acting a little tardily to the complaints of our supporters being charged double to watch the Gunners in Madrid compared to what we are charging our Spanish visitors next Thursday for the first leg of the Europa League semi-final. The Arsenal are doing a lot wrong at the moment, but I don’t see that they were responsible for this little fire.
Huge praise to them for acting before tomorrow’s (Friday) sale of tickets for the second leg in Madrid. The club will now charge Gooners the same £36.50 that Atleti supporters are paying at our place and will pay the balance to the greedy Spanish club. Around £140,000 I’m told that amounts to. Let’s remember it was Atletico Madrid who are to blame for their pricing, not The Arsenal.
TheArsenalShirts.com
A reminder, as if it were needed, that our new partners stock of classic Arsenal shirts is constantly changing. Recently I’ve wondered if I could perhaps still fit into an XL bruised banana before realising at my age I really couldn’t carry that off. Today a number of player issue shirts were reduced in price, and if you are quick you could also get a favourite Bergkamp shirt of yours, or one from their stock, signed by Dennis himself. Please click on the banner over our header to access the site and enjoy the memories on display.
Have great Friday, ‘holics.
89 Responses to “Santi, Safe Standing, And Subsidised Madrid Tickets”
Evening H
Just wanted to alert the bar to a cracking Documentary ‘ The Feud ‘ on Channel 5 on Monday night 10pm.
It’s an in depth look at the war between Fergie and Arsene when they were at the top of their game.
It includes a forensic examination of the 1999 FA Cup semi final in what many still believe was the best game ever played in English football.
It also makes the salient point that 2 famous Dutch footballers at the peak of their game,both missed defining penalties that could have changed the course of the football history of both Clubs.
Not to be missed.
An excellent cornucopia of Arsenal titbits, Guvna. A most enjoyable read.
THAT semi-final, Clive, still gives me the heebie-jeebies. Had DB10 not missed that penalty, I am convinced we would have done the double that season for the second year in succession and the Mancs’ anno mirabilis would have been just another CL win, if that.
Absolutely agree re 1999. It wasn’t even a bad penalty .
Interesting to see Scholes admit today that United went out of their way to kick the Arsenal players they thought were soft. If we’d had a proper referee and not Mike Riley that day at Old Trafford I’m convinced our run would not have ended at 49.
I shall watch that documentary with interest
Lovely to see the royalty of ‘holics responding at this time of night. Thank you. ?
1999 defeat down to a Sister in law shagging, hairy chested little Welsh prick with a Leek shoved up his hairy Arse.
Those bastards were a mostly unhappy thread woven through those years for us.
TTG
See my post @72 in previous drinks.
There will be better days for Santi, whether on the football pitch or off. I just hope he misses Arsenal as much as Arsenal miss him, which is one helluva lot.
Thanks Guvnor. A wide ranging
post today.
Good to see people speaking up
about ticket rip-offs and good to
see the club taking action.
Same thought on safe standing
really. Good to see people speaking
out about what they want.
The decision should be made by
safety experts not the government.
Next, I hope people speak out about not
wanting be sold crap food and pissy
beer at rip off prices – clubs, not
just us, have been allowed to get
away with that for far too long.
heh ‘holic ?
and
esso – fuckin brilliant – i’ll be gettin all 3
good man yerself
Cheers H! And Cheers CBA!
Thanks for the update Clive.I saw the Ladies result but the U18s had passed me by. It will be a stellar season if we can wrap up that silverware .
I saw a report that Wenger is considering drafting in Smith- Rowe into the first team squad next year but it didn’t ring true . Jeorge Bird gets the inside track on these boys but if Wenger isn’t aware of how good the boy is I would be very surprised indeed . It’s hard to bring them on when they go out on loan because you lose control of them but you have to give them opportunities to play proper football early on. Lots of clubs and agents will be swirling around them trying to get them to move on. Fortunately the two main culprits ( Citeh and Chelsea) give less chance to youngsters than we do and United under Mourinho don’t either.
what’s that big orange ball in the sky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd05Q3hX3T4
safe standing
i can barely keep sat watchin it on tv
indeed in the bar
it’s like a drunken geriatric boyband
we all simultaneously get off our stools for the big bits
uncoordinated coordination at its finest i’m told
anyhoo
cheerio
UP THE ARSENAL
Sky reporting that Arsene is to step down at the end of the season????
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43834283
…it looks confirmed.
It’s true there is a statement on the website.
I hope it can be a glorious end to his tenure and that he will be greeted with great respect and affection as he steps down. I am absolutely certain this will happen.
Although I wanted a change badly I wanted it partly because of the effect on a man many of us have great respect for. He looks spent. Let’s hope he finishes on a high and the team do it for him
holeee fuck
I’ve been a Wenger out man for many years but how it saddens me that he steps out with us in terminal decline and not in glory, maybe this will boost the team to try damn hard in the Europa league now and make sure he gets some credit and not just denigration in the end.
Although its the right thing for the club going forward it still feels wrong and will be rather strange him not being there – Thanks for all the wonderful memories and your loyalty, Lets hope them Buggers on the pitch send you of on the high you deserve,
Up The Arse,
there’s one helluva book in him
he wouldn’t would he though
Thanks Arsene for the memories.
One of a kind. His methods revolutionised the game in England forever.
His team competed with the best united team under fergie while playing some classy football. He did that with much lower resources than fergie.
Did he lose his touch these last few years? did he not get the support he required? was he left standing while others raced forward.
I think a little bit of everything.
he was carrying a lot on his shoulders. now the weight is lifted off, I hope we can see some of the old wenger. hope the boys play well and give him the send off he deserves.
he will undoubtedly get a good farewell from away fans at diff grounds.
I am sure our fans will give him an emotional farewell in every remaining game.
Merci Arsene
Like many here I do feel sad now, however this is life and things move forward and it was going to come sooner or later!
Those memories will stay in hearts forever, at work now I will add more later on!
Haven’t posted here in a long, long time, but felt the need to drop in to the bar today.
Thank you, Arsene.
Thank you for the best Arsenal team(s) I ever had the pleasure to watch. Thank you for the doubles. Thank you for the Invincible season. Thank you for the titles at Old Trafford and that dump up the road.
Thank you for the difficult post-stadium move years. Thank you for your loyalty, and for always remaining a class act, sometimes in the face of dogs’ abuse.
Thank you for your loyalty, your decency and your belief in football being played the right way.
Thank you for “everyone thinks he has the prettiest wife at home”, and for knowing right from the start that Jose Mourinho is a thundercunt.
This is the right moment to go, and I hope that the support will finally unite to give you the send off you deserve, as a proper club legend.
Whatever the ups and downs, it’s been an absolute privilege.
ONE ARSENE WENGER
COYG
Well that was a nice surprise.
I can’t really get my thoughts together. I was trying to leave a voice message to the missus to let her know that Arsene was leaving and as I said it out loud I found myself bursting into tears. Arsenal have had a huge impact on my life and he has been our manager for 22 years. Arsene Wenger has had a huge impact on who I am.
Now he is leaving and the time for current analysis has passed, and the time for ‘legacy evaluation’ is not yet here- all I am feeling is how much I LOVE that man.
One Arsene Wenger.
VCC
sigh.
c’est ça. thank you, so much, mr. wenger. we’ll not see the likes of you again. i’ll miss your class, your humor, and your sartorial elegance. and, most of all, your ability to put teams on the pitch that played some of the most thrilling football any of us have ever seen.
adieu.
Thank you Arsene for the best football of my life. Thank you for making this announcement so the atmosphere at the Grove next Thursday will be rocking. This is the right move for everyone.
‘Terminal decline’? What utter bollocks some people do write.
Thank you Arsene for once again showing us who began to doubt you, that you really are a true fan and love our glorious club as much as we all do. ?
Your contribution to its continuing greatnes, will never ever be forgotten.
You are a legend!!!
Now, let’s all unite behind you and go and win that feckin’ Europa Cup to give you the send off that you do truly do deserve for your 22 years of service!!! ?
“? There’s only one Arsene Wenger! One Arsene Wenger! There’s only one Arsene Wenger ?”
Surprised you would dismiss me as writing utter bollocks, thought you had more class than that, If you call our falling from being a title winning/challenging team to struggling to get Europa league placing not terminal then what would you call it?
As I posted many many times, I have huge respect for everything Mr Wenger achieved with the mighty Arsenal but we have been in decline for over a decade and if he had stayed we would have fallen further.
These are my opinions only and did not deserve to be trashed, I have never trashed anybody else nor insulted their writings nor opinions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsM_VmN6ytk
‘Terminal decline’? What utter bollocks some people do write.
Indeed.
It will only be terminal if they appoint Brendan Rodgers.
I never thought he would go but, regardless of jumping or being pushed, it’s absolutely the right decision, although the chaps at Untold Arsenal may have to be placed on suicide watch, and AFTV is going to go into BLUD FAM meltdown later.
Now let’s win the UEFA Cup and give guy a decent send off.
Thanks for the memories.
@ depressed
‘Terminal’ means ‘incurable’ and ‘ending in death’. So, unless you mean that the decline we are in will inevitably and unpreventably lead to the death and closure of Arsenal Football Club then ‘terminal’ is not the right word. Or, put another way, it’s utter bollocks.
Up The Arsene!
Paddy and Tuchel both as low as 2/1 in the next manager betting, followed by, ahem, Brendan Rogers at 4/1.
This could get interesting quickly.
Just hope that the next man in has as much class and panache as the great man himself. He brought us out of the boring days and into the light, making us the team for the purists for most of his tenure.
This will make you possibly blub…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p064wnll
nice one cynic
Cynic,
Wenger is a unique human-being, and that isn’t going to change. Unfortunately, modern, professional association football has changed for someone who’s that unique.
@Gunnersaurus Stunt Double
Yes and if he stayed that is pretty much where we were heading, I wanted him to leave at various points in the past ten years where he could have gone out in glory but he has instead waited until we are at our lowest ebb in most peoples lifetimes.
I’ve just rearranged my working pattern so I can watch the last remaining Wenger era games.
I may have wanted him to leave but I have never lost respect for him or his achievements during the golden era of Wengerball, I would never have shouted abuse at him or denigrated him in the street, If I’d ever been lucky enough to meet him I would have been dumbstruck because I do still hold him in high regard.
The end of his reign is not to be celebrated unfortunately but it is to be remembered with gratitude and deserved adulation.
to have a decent big lump of a fella like Bob feel like that about you – testament enough
@ depressed.
I’ve got nothing to add.
Today is about Arsene and his contribution to The Arsenal.
UTA
An emotionally charged day and as many have said, it’s the right decision. Here’s hoping the Board can get the next decision right too. On his welcome return, N7 @ 23 pretty much says what I feel, so I won’t repeat it.
This too from Jonathan Liew @ the Indie sums up how I feel about this:
“”Football will carry on without Arsene Wenger. Wenger may even, just about, carry on without football. But already the game feels somehow a little colder, a little less pure, a little less loving, than it did yesterday. And let that be his legacy. The game has lost not just a great mind, but a true believer.”
“
First I have heard of it, bathgooner @42. Momentous and amazing.
Thank you Arsene.
It’s been a privilege and an honor.
COYG!
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/987329190688157698
…
Win the Europa! Do it for him!
Up The Arse!
What a strange day. It feels like the death of a close friend or relative who you knew was going to die at some point but held on longer than anyone imagined so that it came as a massive shock when it finally happened. The man is a true gentleman and if I could be half the man he is then i’ll be very proud. Let’s now remember his legacy in a fitting way over the coming weeks and then bring on next season as a united fanbase.
Come on you rip-roaring reds!
A brief History
If I began to develop interest in European football in 1987, it was because my father had become the coach of Juventus, a second division club side in the Republic of Togo. This club was formed by our priests who obviously were Italians.
When I moved to my motherland, Ghana, to continue formal studies in an anglophone environment two years later, TV sets had become commonplace possessions and so a lot of our people became avid followers of European football. Liverpool and ManU were and still remain the clubs with the largest fan base.
I started to support ManU, taking after my older brother.Then came a day when I came across a fascinating relationship: ARSENAL-ARSENE. It was that little coincidence that transformed me into a follower of Arsenal Football Club and a passionate supporter later.
And now
The brief history above is to tell how emotional I have been ever since I read the news of Arsene Wenger leaving darling Arsenal FC at the end of this season. I knew too well it was going to happen sooner than later but I never dreamed it was to be today. Arsene gave me a club to love and cherish. He and the players gave me moments I can never forget for the right reasons. Yes, I have had heartaches because of Arsenal FC but I have been gifted a source of tremendous pleasure never to depart from.
I wish him well in his post -Arsenal managerial life. It is my fervent hope that that which I craved for as a gunner fan but never got in these past few years will be delivered in the not too distant future under other managers.
Pour les beaux moments et les souvenirs d’hier, merci Arsène. Nous nous reverrons.
You’ve said it all N7 Gooner@27. AW has been the best manager in football anywhere in my opinion.As well as producing teams that played the best football I’ve ever seen in England, he has always demonstrated enormous integrity and dignity. He has consistently shown great strength of character and has stuck to his principles and beliefs, despite ridiculous and often ignorant jibes and criticism from the media, some former players and some supporters, but fortunately not many from this site.
I’m pleased at least that Arsene will no longer have to endure that nonsense. The show will go on however, and whoever we get, they will receive my wholehearted and enduring support. COYG.
Unibet and 888sport both have Brendan Rodgers priced at 5/4 for the post. I would advise everyone to keep a rusty hacksaw blade handy in case they have guessed right. Oh dear.
oooooh
the half ton
.
life appears to go on
?
Recording an Arsecast Special later so hope to write a few drunken words on the big man later.
Thank you GSD.
drunken words are the best words ‘hol
Drunken words do have a certain flow.
ic
ceptin when some daisy comes in and disrupts it
Privileged is the word that comes to mind. Privileged to have been at the right place at the right time to witness Wenger’s time at Arsenal. He would have done better than to stay on as long as he did at the end but all in all his time was a great time. He will be missed and his legacy will only grow from this point.
And apologies for all impertinent remarks, of which I will admit to many.
One of Wenger’s best qualities was always to keep the feelings of others in mind, with the possible exception of the referees in the immediate aftermath of games when Arsenal received unfair treatment. I wish I had half of his qualities in that area.
?
When I heard this morning, I went online and read a few comments like: Good, now fuck of and don’t come back! To all of these people I say, you fuck off down the lane or elsewhere. We don’t need these so-called fans, shame on you.
When I heard the news I have to admit that it made my day, but I made an unscheduled visit to the pub to raise a glass of Oyster Stout to the man who had given me so many moments of sheer euphoria. I can only agree with Perry on Talksport, that the club and the fans give him a proper send-off.
Some great posts tonight and during the day.
I was very sad to hear Bob so upset earlier. Bob has shared with me just how wonderful Arsenal were to him including his old team-mates when Anna died but he was massively supported by Arsene and has enormous affection and respect for him.
Bath’s quotation from Jonathan Liew is spot-on. Goodbye Arsene the stage is left to lesser men
he hasn’t died ya melodramatic queen
? m’lud
when Joey Ramone died
people asked me how I was
herself is giving me the same bullshit look
.
incredibly unhappy,
but
when Johnny died…
first prize kewpie doll to silly
?
chuckles are good
brilliant
i’d like to respond
but seem to lack the capacity
not sure why they are telling me that i’m posting comments too quickly
was it the caffeine?
never tried wet spam, actually.
Thank you for the beautiful football and the memories Arsene.
It’s been an honor and a privilege. Top top top man.
And as TTG (thank you for your wonderful report on the Arsenal youngsters game Sir) put it beautifully @60 – the stage is left to lesser men.
8ball – one of the reasons to drink here
The Daily Hitler reckons Luis Enrique is a done deal.
Hmmm…
ask thunder T
his predictions are GOLDEN
You never know what you have until it’s gone….
Ah, cba… is this genius or rubbish?
Warning – video may cause nightmares
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W1UQhPAWtk
No to any ex gooners like vieira, Henry, or Arteta, who simply don’t have the experience or track record, and no to Rodgers. Not sure about Benitez or Eddie howe. Top of my list would be Simeoni closely followed by Jardim, Low, Allegri and Tuchel, although those ITK say that Julian Nagelsmann (of Hoffenheim?) is a top coach in the making.
I must learn how to spell Simeone, I must learn how to spell Simeone…….I must….
Its like the news of the death of a beloved relative who has suffered through a long, debilitating and undignified illness.
Very sad today.
82
+1
My head is in spin, my feet don’t touch the ground…….
it’s been a long time coming so why do I feel like shite?
Probably beer…..
Thank you, Arsene.
God bless you.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p064wnll
Bob Wilson on Arsene.
Very humbling.
Just had the news on at home and they did a report on AW. Part of that included the spoilt twats and their stupid, embarrassing protests. All looked relatively young. All would have known nothing other than Arsène.
I’m with the vast majority who believed that it was time for change. But Thise who have brought their shite banners and protests should hang their heads in shame.
Just one of many records worth celebrating.
Premier League wins
Arsène Wenger – 473 wins
Spurs – 420 wins
The one I never wanted to write. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>