Silver Lining Follows The Cloud
Feb 5th, 2012 by 'holic
The forecast was grim, the travel plans uncertain, but I just knew it would be a good day when strolling into the pub door at ten on the dot. The ‘holics were first to arrive, and as Ollie has recorded elsewhere, the last to leave.
In between was one of those days that goes some way to explaining why we go through the roller coaster of emotions to follow our side. A veritable swarm of goals and a dearth of dissenting voices made for one of the better days at the Grove.
I was fortunate to view the action from a privileged position. On such a bitter day I am grateful to the good folk at Gunners Gaming for their hospitality. Barely had the game started and we were on our feet cheering the Walcott to van Persie, 1-0, moment. Arsenal were playing with the pace and directness lacking of late. For a fleeting few minutes around the half hour mark we were stunned when Pedersen flighted a free-kick into the top corner. Where did that come from?
Just as we wondered what the reaction might be if the visitors somehow held out until half-time Walcott fed van Persie again, 2-1. Rosicky in the centre, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain out wide, were running the show. Two minutes later van Persie turned provider for Oxlade-Chamberlain and the scoreline at last reflected the chasm in quality between the sides. Any hope Blackburn might have had of salvaging something probably ended with the red card for Givet, a fair award from our vantage point.
A little produce from Scotland warmed the cockles and helped pass the break. Considered opinion was that my punt on 3-1 was heading south, and even unashamed begging would not persuade my hosts to pay out on the half-time scoreline. The floodgates remained wide open in the second-half. Arteta scored via a deflection, and talk turned to Paul Robinson, unable to stem the tide and taking longer and longer over each set piece as if to reduce the number of efforts pouring down on his goal.
I’ve lost count of how many goals we have scored against him now, but it must be around the seventy mark. Another arrived when Walcott set up Oxlade-Chamberlain for his second. The skipper seems to enjoy playing against Blackburn, and his hat-trick was secured when he converted a cross from the very impressive Coquelin. It was time for Henry to make what may be a final farewell appearance at the Grove. With the last kick of the match he finished off the skipper’s unselfish work. What remained of the crowd roared in approval.
Titi seemed to take a very long time to acknowledge the four sides of the ground and stroll off. Almost a teary moment I don’t mind admitting. Back inside we had a last reviver, and studied the stats on the screen. Thirty-one attempts at goal tells a tale. Were we that good, or were Blackburn that bad? In truth, there was a big helping of both. This may or may not be a turning point. Much tougher opposition lies in wait, but it was great to see the side play with pace and swagger after recent frustrations.
Back at the pub friends old and new made for great conversation and fabulous company. Bald was over from the Cape, and Waldorf and Statler were re-united all too briefly. Aussie Arse said hello and goodbye. Steve T made an appearance and forced Guinness down me. Then as I should have been thinking of returning I was introduced to the truly excellent Irish Gooner and his friends. Bushmills flowed like water. Life was good.
For a day at least the Grove was a fun place to be again. Can we keep it up? A great big please from me to that.
463 Responses to “Silver Lining Follows The Cloud”
BOILK
1st?
Woohoo. I guess that counts!!! 🙂
Surely not the first first of my career?
Er, no, it wasn’t. Bugger!
Nice post holic. Good day for The Arsenal yesterday.
And also Carlos Vela (remember him?) scored too. I think people seem to have forgotten about him, I would take him over Park and Chamakh, to throw in as a late sub.
Fantastic result…that should keep some of the
demented folk away for a while!
Now for the long trip to Sunderland and 3 points!
Mine is!!! ReeeeeeeSult!!! ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺
http://youtu.be/VqZWETcCLTo
http://youtu.be/iibpewIA_ik
The match kicked off at midnight here in sydney
so the wine kept me going
why was it even at 4-1 it was squeaky bum time in my house
it was strange watching the match in the 25+degrees at midnight whilst it looked soooo cold in london.
great result, we have a big 3-4 weeks to come , lets hope this is the start
The coq and ox looked so good..the future is red
Nice one ‘Holic,
but I have to say “WENGER AAHHTTT”.
I predicted a scoreline of 3 – 1 pre-match to those around me.
I revised it at half-time to 6 – 1 and smiled with a mixture of pride and smugness on 89 minutes as my revision proved to be spot on.
But oh no, Wenger had only sent on Thierry Henry who goes and scores at the death to ruin everything.
Can’t this so-called manager get anything right ?! 😉
Great to see a very much in-form Tabs, Zico and Lester at The Tollie pre-game – and one new ‘hoic, the very dubious ‘Clean Shaven Leg Rash’. 😉
Hope you all made it home safely fellas, as the snow was pretty heavy in my neck of the woods by mid-evening.
He’s alive!
Welcome back home, ‘holic!
Don’t forget your sign next time. 😉
Camberwell 4 : Epic 😉
Nearly forgot the football !
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain already is – at 18 years of age – not ‘will be’, an amazing, very composed, mature, aware player. Incredible stuff from him yesterday.
Maybe it was the jolt of competition, but Theo Walcott also produced what we know he is capable of, but rarely see. A terrific lat-off to AOC at the end of a long jinking run for The Ox’s second goal.
Coquelin also looks to be capable of becoming a special player.
Arteta does a tremendous job in mid-field. Always looking to move the ball quickly and positively and we retain possession so much better when he is in the side.
Robin van Persie – world class, ’nuff said.
Others deserve mention but these were special performances yesterday from a variety of players, very young, young and not-so-young.
The common factor amongst them is that they are all, of course, talents recognised and recruited, despite whatever financial restrictions, by Arsene Wenger.
I won’t hold my breath waiting for the boo boys to drop in and acknowledge the fact. FACT ! 😉
Regarding Ramsey
I was quite drunk yesterday so I might have missed something, but why are there such hard words being thrown around regarding the discussion about Ramsey? I haven’t read anyone being unfair to him. But as I said, I was (well still am!) quite drunk so I might have missed a post or two. Because I really hope that it’s not a reaction towards what I said.
I said to Olivia that yes, in the recent few games I have been more impressed with Rosicky than Ramsey. I implied that that isn’t always the case and that sometimes it’s the other way around. And that is to Ramsey’s credit. He is much younger and a real talent and will probably surpass Rosicky in most ways if he is allowed to develop without any more serious injuries. I have no early idea on how that can be turned into “criticizing a player that didn’t even play.” Since both players seldom play at the same time comparisons will be made after games when one of them might not have figured.
What it was wasn’t as much criticism of Ramsey as it was a good review of Rosicky’s game. I am very happy we have Ramsey and I am sure he will, over the years, give much to our club, but surely I must be able to say that Rosicky’s skill and experience really add something different than Ramsey can at the moment. Not necessarily better, but for me, something that feels very important to the team at this moment in time.
That is a positive! That is me saying we’ve got a hell of a talent in Ramsey and a hell of an experienced back-up in Rosicky that at the moment provides something on the pitch that I, two years ago, was afraid he wouldn’t provide for us ever again again.
So if anyone feels that “some” find the time to critizise a player that didn’t even play, I just want it to be known that I do not consider myself one of them.
Hopefully that has cleared up any misunderstandings.
Haven’t read any of the previous arguments from last night, but sounds like a very fair post to me there, Toby.
Steve T noticed that we had WIDTH!!!!!!!!!!!
Toby –
can fully understand that.
Ramsey has worked incredibly hard all season and is now probably “lacking a little bit the sharpness” as a result.
This is, after all, his first proper season back after the horrendous injury, and he has done really well, especially when you consider that.
But, Rosicky is in good form at the moment too. He works hard, gets some good challenges in and, at the moment, is a little bit quicker to get the ball forwards than Ramsey, who has tended to over-elaborate a little at times.
I agree with you that, for those reasons, Rosicky, at the moment just edges it for me.
He has a lot of experience and has lately found some real drive in his game.
Now, if he could just rediscover his shooting boots . . . .
Great article once again. I have to say that was one pleasurable game to watch. Walcott absolutely brilliant, Ox is looking the goods, Le Coq is a smashing young player who even in the 90 + minute was still cracking into tackles. RVP was his same godlike self and it was nice to see his persistence in trying to setup TH12 was rewarded at the death. All the rest of the lads had wonderful games and I truly hope that everyone of them continue that form over the next couple of months.
The commentary over here mentioned the bin liner protest and went searching for some to show the success of the protest and came back with a great big donut to show. Interestingly the commentators were still very negative towards our performance which was extremely hard to understand but then again they also blamed foreigners for introducing the two footed studs up tackle…. so I guess anything they state should just be ignored.
I was shattered to see Frimpong limp off for Wolves with what looked like a not so good knee injury.
Anyway everyone have a drink of their choice and enjoy the glow of that right proper demolition of Blackburn.
Zico – Re Feelgood, from yesterday 🙂 🙂 Edwin AAHHTTT !!!
Greeting Holics
The forecast being what it was, the early kick-off enabled me to avail myself of public transport from home, leaving the car in the garage.
I was able to catch an earlier train than intended and found myself at the Ems with time to kill before kick-off. My usual watering hole being on the Victoria line, a spur of the moment decision saw me heading up Hornsey Road to the Tollie.
Arriving at your venerable pub at 11.45am, having secured my pint of Abbott and on the advice of the bar-man headed towards the rear of the bar in the search of Holics! I must have approached at least half a dozen groups of Gooners enquiring of your whereabouts but all to no avail. Even the lady security guard hadn’t seen you but all was not lost!
I was approached by a tall,young, blond, good looking American Gooner, in town for a first ever visit to the Ems . He proved to be excellent company, though not that which I had hoped for. So if any of you saw a female OAP in a red beret , prior to kick-off ,that was probably me! Sadly I was anxious to return to Norfolk at final whistle to beat the snow, which has now turned the County into Siberia. Perhaps I could join you all on another occasion!
The game was a joy with so many plus points. Theo did his best to erase his recent performances with his 3 assists, pity he didn’t manage a goal which really would have boosted his confidence. The Ox was all we hoped he would be . Great pace down the left and a football brain, knowing when to make his runs and showing us composure when in front of goal. Theo please note!
Robin was at his imperial best . His finish for his third goal was a thing of beauty and worth the admission price alone and his spin and through ball for The Ox’s first strike was world class. We cannot let him slip through our fingers come the Summer. Arsene get cracking with those contract negotiations.
Le Coq had another promising game out of position . His assist for Robin was excellent but by that time Blackburn were a demoralised rabble. TR7 was perpetually mobile and for once didn’t fade in the final quarter of the game. Perhaps he is now fully fit and can make a real contribution to the remainder of the season.
I went home happy and with that warm feeling inside in spite of the weather.My travelling companion, Gooner Kevin, gave me a lift home from the station and we made it back before the snow set in .
Onwards and upwards . As always COYRs
Now for the game.
Delia –
We were in the corner of the extension, by the window next to the umbrellas – furthermost bit to Hornsey Road.
Don’t know how you could have missed Wolfgang in his furry Speedoes and eye-liner ! 😉
Watching Henry and RVP embrace yesterday, I wonder if getting him in on loan may have added benefits?
His obviousl love for the club and experience of life elsewhere may give RVP pause for thought if he thinks things are always better elsewhere.
Perhaps Henry can convey to him just how special this club is, and how he has an opportunity to match him as a legend of our club in the next few seasons rather than be just another player for a few years at Barca / Madrid (can’t see him considering anything else).
I am also heartened by his comments when he signed his present deal; that it “just felt right to be here”.
Toby
If you felt that I may have been one of the ones who may have been having a go at you. I wasn’t 🙂 If you felt I was, please have a pint on me to top you up.
Sod it, have a drink either way!
ARSENE KNOWS !
*walks off down the Diamond Level corridor singing quietly to himself – “and here’s to you Misses Robinson . . . . . ” *
Cheers ‘holic good stuff! Sounds like a massive day out, good on ya. I’m looking good for LWC’s now. And we’re looking good for LWC’s now as well. Smash the bastards all the way back to the swamp I hope.
Hey Catalan – good obs. Have one yourself on . . er . . Lars!
Delia, unlucky about not finding the ‘Holics, but the Tollie is a spaceous juicer I have to say 🙂
I wish I went to the game now, if not for the result, but for that embrace between the Captain and the King, but my Hat-Trick of Centuries in the last bar will have to console me 😛
Back at the bar after having donwloaded and watched both MOTD and the Football League Show. Sam Allardyce and Tony Pubis continue to defend their players’ idiotic tackles and quite frankly they don’t even seem to know the rules. Pair or right muppets, those two.
As for our game, not really much to add that hasn’t already been said. Good game, and regardless of the shitness of the opposition we still hammered them. Yes, some argue that they didn’t have Yakubu or Samba but who gives a flying fuck?
Good also to hear that a couple of happy hours were had at the Tollie! Not that I am surprised, but still.
Let’s hope Villa can produce a bit of an upset at Newcastle today, and that ManU can beat Chelsea. Have to say I doubt that Villa can produce a result, but ManU must be seen as fairly firm favourites at the Bridge.
For anyone who may be interested in Kyle Bartley’s progress in Glasgow – he is looking very ordinary in and amongst a lot of ordinary players – his team are currently two down at home.
For the attention of tabs and AL – I stand corrected on Givet having now seen it on TV.
If you’re interested in my account of the day, I spent some of the journey home posting a report @ 283 in the last set of drinks.
Esso @ 24 – I like your thinking 😀
Boo Bleat Brigade Build Brainless Bin Bag Boneheadery on Back of Balefully Bilious Bile (B12)
ESPN flashed frequently to Blackburn’s end. Dads and little lads, clad in blue and white with noses to match in sub-zero London. All doing their absolute best to will a miracle and spirit their team three points closer to safety. My hat is off to them.
And what were the thoughts of the commentators’ on the home fans?
“ Some are disenchanted and have stayed away. Others have been booing the team and chanting that Wenger doesn’t know what he’s doing. Still others plan a black bin bag protest at the end of this game”.
THIS broadcast to a global television of millions who must have thought “What a bunch of losers!” The moronic minority is playing The Sweeper’s favourite Stones number ‘Paint It Black’. And fairer-minded fans are blackened by the brush. Include Me Out. I met you face-to-face in Camp Nou. We have nothing in common.
But what of the game?
Amazingly, despite the non-purchase of magic man Zamora (!), this was the quality of which this brilliant young squad is capable. Even with the real magic man JW missing from the midfield. Quite simply, this was beautiful young men playing the beautiful game with skill and a passion that VERY few can match.
The handbrake was off and, best of all, two of our best players were “tomorrow’s generation” – the Le Magnificent Coq and Alex Chamberlain, the youngster purchased in the “tragically mismanaged window last summer when Wenger got it ALL wrong”. (Passes here on opportunity to mention Gervinho, Arteta, Joel Campbell, Jenkonson and the BFG).
80 seconds : Le Coq, brilliantly simply to Walcott, to Robin. One-nil to The Arsenal.
Thereafter, 92 minutes of excellence in which Arsenal gave a demonstration on how this game should be played. Robin added numbers 27 and 28, the first from a sublime Song pass. The Ox scored a cracker from a superlative RVP through-ball. Then Alex scored again. Arteta hit a belter. Robin passed on his fourth to ensure TiTi tickled the crowd with his first in 5 years.
In between, Kos was penalized for standing his ground and Pedersen scored from a beautifully taken free kick – Blackburn’s sole effort. And a Blackburn defender was red carded, harshly, but in accordance with the laws, for a double-footed studs up.
I didn’t actually see any black bags, but I did hear of a substantial number of incendiary moments on Holloway Road. Ah-Ha, I thought. Holic has heard my wish and caused a few to spontaneously combust with a well-placed match.
And one more gripe from Mr Angry from Oakton. My first ever criticism of AW on Goonerholic. There is NO WAY that Park C.Y. should not have played thirty minutes in the second half. The game was over at half-time. He deserved the chance to show what he can do.
Booooooooooooooo! Wenger out! The club is in crisis!
A black velvet please, barman. Pass on the plastic and give the BBB a good shake.
zico @28 just seen Kyle B full blown tackle – very hard Scottish matc ( can be seen on Skybox or Freeview on BBC Scotland (TP 10803 H 22000 if you have satellite)
And a fine day it was too.
And there was wonderful chilli awaiting my return to our digs.
If my presence had any influence on the result, I am delighted to have been of help!
Is it too early for a glass of Shiraz?
Great stuff BtM!
I do believe you have new crush in Joel Cempbell – poor jilted Denilson! 😉
Add a glass too for Ollie – to whom many thanks.
Width BtM. Width. See what happens when we play with genuine width on both flanks? I don’t know how many times I have to say it…….
🙂 😉 🙂 😉 🙂
Ah, balders! Brilliant to see you again, it was a pleasure to share this match with you.
Thanks.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt less enthusiastic before a home game. I anticipated we would struggle to overcome a dogged away team and come away with a scrappy win. I got that one wrong!
For all Arsene’s genius and our past successes, our current tactical approach does not have the sophistication of Guardiola’s Barcelona or Bielsa’s Chile. Simply, the game plan is make the pitch as big as possible when in possession and compress when defending.
For this to work, we need two fast attacking wide men and fullbacks. This forces the opposition defence back and makes more space for the midfield to operate in.
It is no surprise that Theo, for all his shortcomings, can be devastating if he has an attacking right back behind him. Could we have scored the first goal if Djourou had been playing? I think he would been closer to the half-way line if he had been.
I think I am developing even bigger man-crushes on The Ox (even Robbie Fowler called him this on Sky sports this morning) and Le Coq. Both will become first team regulars very shortly; just not quite sure what positions they will play.
Any chance of Titi making a permanent return? He is 35 in August so he could play for another 18 months for us.
Any chance of Arshavin making a permanent departure? Nothing says more to a former star player, bereft of form and confidence, than not giving him a run out against a ten man opposition who are 6-1 down.
I wonder what Arshavin and Park were thinking as they sat shiverring on the bench.
Adel Taarabt got a game for QPR yesterday. Was Chamakh available for us?
BtM brings brilliant… eeh, fuck it, alliteration is apparently not my strong suit 🙂
1-0 Newcastle by the way, Ba just scored.
Ba just scored? Meh.
Jez, I think you are spot on re: the first goal. Djourou very rarely ventures that far forward, and this is what I and others have been talking about when saying that what we miss most about Sagna and Santos is their attacking play. Coquelin shows a lot more attacking intent than any of our other makeshift full-backs (including Vermaelen) do.
zico: one does wonder when those allegedly dodgy knees that made him fail his medical at Stoke will make him fail to appear for Newcastle. It does seem more and more like Stoke got that one massively wrong. And I still can’t believe I thought he was crap at West Ham, he’s quite frankly a rather brilliant player – well at least he has been for NUFC so far this season.
Jez, re your last 2 lines @ 36, I was thinking the exact same thing about Park, there was no space for Arshavin in my opinion, but the bigger question is, where is Agent Chamakh?
Robbie Keane makes it 1-1 at SJP in the sixth minute of added first-half minutes (two quite major stoppages for injuries). Both teams are fucking awful in defense, it could just as well have been 3-3 by now.
Wind: Chamakh only came back a few days ago and wasn’t considered ready to feature yet – which is of course Wenger-speak for “he’s not good enough”.
Fox didn’t show it over here, fuck it… Still its something to moan about….
1-1 at Newcastle. A draw will do us. A Villa win better, just to take the bar codes out of equation. Big Eck having apoplectic Doodle-Do’s on his heap is funny to watch.
A draw at worst needed at the Bus Stop too today. I cannot will a Manure win I’m afraid.
Funny! Steve.
Excellent post Holic. Made me envious. Built very nicely on Zico’s excellent (and remarkably consistent) account of the day from the depths of Wavereley Station last night. The Oldies tell me it’s “a wee bit chilly” in the Kingdom this morning, Dr Z.
After all of the pre-match crap about bin bags. Did anyone actually see one?
Remarkably consistent?
Drink brings out the worst in me, obviously. 😉
It’s actually mild here today, BtM, compared with The Smoke yesterday.
The powers that be are trying their damnedest to elevate the profile of football (or soccer as they call it) to an entirely level plane here in the US. It’s working. I walked into an elevator, said “Good morning” and the reply was “you sound just like that guy on Fox Soccer”. Minutes later I’d established that 1) he wasn’t a Gooner but his son was and 2) Robin Van Persie is “quite the player”.
IT is Super Bowl Sunday here. The Giants vs New England. Turns out that the Bus Stop at Fulham vs Manure is being held over until this evening as the pre-match warm up for the main event. Good marketing of our game. Every man, woman and their dog will be at a Super Bowl Party tonight. A few more will become converts.
West Upper, Are you from New York? You could have watched it on
ESPN Desportes. Better luck next time.
BtM, you won’t be willing a ManUre win, you’ll be willing a Chelsea loss. Massive difference!
I like that logic, Lars!
It sounds like Irish Gunner was the main culprit then, ‘holic. It sounds like great fun was had by all and the match report is most welcome even if a bit tardy. 🙂 From the last drinks, I think it was Steve T. who pointed out that our effectiveness yesterday came from having ample width on both flanks. Thank god for that!
Delia, Oh my goodness, you almost met Holic and company. Now here’s what you do the next time you visit the Tollie. You catch the eye of the bartender, slip him some dough, and the next thing you know, he’s pointing the way.
Re: BtM @29, Great report and impressive work on the incremental move from B6 to B12. It almost sounds like a couple of motorways. 😉
Cisse scores for Newcastle, a real cracker of a left-footed shot in the top corner. NUFC really should have racked up a cricket score by now, Villa are absolutley awful in defense.
BtM – the road outside my house is the B1040? There’s a challenge!
abb @48 in Tampa FL at the moment… thanks for the advice
West Upper, I’m in St Pete, across the bay. Cheers!
Lars @ 43, in my heart of hearts, I knew 😕 😆
abb @ 52, haha, absolute quality Ms 😀
Three points for Newcastle. Villa should have made it 2-2 near the end, but someone (no idea who) missed a sitter with his head.
abb @ 57 I often catch the games at McDintons in Tampa, any good venues in St. Petes?
Suffice to say that nothing surprises me about my club.
When we are good we are just fucking good. Lets keep it up lads.
Delia… I have also been in the Tollie looking like Billy no-mates, searching for fellow holics. I had no idea that the strange chap with red hair in front of me was Ollie 😀
I believe the tall chap he was talking to was BtM 😀
Not much to ask for some free T shirts from the bar keeper really is it? 😉
Is that the same despicable Ollie who has a Spud on the bench and his score will count tomorrow night because he will replace the absent Gervinho.
If I am knocked out of the cup by the spud there will be a protest!
Ollie???
I thought you were pure!
Clearly I don’t know what I’m talking about. The Chelski game is starting now in Oakton.
(Her Nellieness gave me a dodgy steer earlier, I think).
Didn’t realise that the HT Cup was up and running….
Blimey! Great game Harsha, and sorry that you came up against The Rollers’ best week ever….
Will a pint suffice to commiserate?
Booo Ollie, Boooo!!!
Glad to hear you had such a great day, ‘Holic. May there be many more of them.
BtM: B12 is twice as good as B6.
West Upper: ESPN2 had the game live. Always worth checking it and ESPN Desportes for the early Saturday game, as FSC rarely shows them.
Typical of McLeish not to do us a solid.
Does anybody have a link to some fairly comprehensive stats for Premier League goalkeeper? Orbinho keeps harping on about Szczesny’s saves percentage on Twitter and it really gets my goat since that stat is probabably the most useless stat in the history of the game. It is an ice hockey-inspired stat that works very well in that sport but says fuck-all in football. You just have to consider the fact that De Gea who is an absolut shit keeper has, according to Opta Joe, the fourth-best saves percentage to realize that.
Jaysus ‘holic 63, I do?
Tells you how much attention I have been paying to the transfer window. Or FL things. As you say, I still have Gervinho.
I shall login and change that player then, needless to say I don’t even have the faintest idea who this may be.
Thanks for pointing the mistake to me.
However, I may also change Gervinho then, which might not be to your benefit.
What’s the game tomorrow night though?
Is it Spuds vs ‘pool? In that case, my points for this week are done and dusted.
‘holic, it looks like I am not allowed to make the transfer count for tomorrow.
Should the unthinkable happen and Saha score points (for I now see that it is he), please feel free to deduct them from the total.
Didn’t realise I was playing against you, but when I see my team, I guess I stand no chance.
Having checked the whole thing, I see you’ve got more points, so what are you on about?
You’re through, congratulations.
Ahhh….. but I fear you can not change your team before all of the games are completed, young Ollie.
And if you have automatic sub thing on, then a certain Mr Saha will be representing Les Frites tomorrow night.
As TaBS has pointed out, legally ignorance may give you mitigagtion in sentencing, but it shall not change the verdict.
Tainted 🙂
BtM. There is one major flaw in the current plan to elevate the game in the US. They made the idiotic decision to let Piers Moanagain be part of the studio analysts.
Only kidding Ollie. Easy mistake to make. If he plays tomorrow night his points will count because Gervinho didn’t play. That what subs are for.
Deeply Indebted, Bus Stop game is a typical English Thriller. Run fast. Kick quick. Run fast again. The number of balls that are going astray count in stratospheric proportions. Sweat level high. Passing accuracy low.
Sturridge scored a near replica of Theo’s goal v Villa. Skinned Esra (“Arsenal is just a training school” Evra) with the greatest of ease. Hopeful punt from the line. Off De Gea’s toe. Onto Evans arm. Into the net.
Cahill looks as assured as Per’s great granny. Reo Ferdinand is a total has been.
Sturridge and Welbeck look like, one day, they may be able to give Joel Campbell a run for his money in the golden boot stakes. Neither has his combination of pace, upper body strength and crossing accuracy though.
Hair dryer didn’t work. Slur Alex should warm himself up by sticking it up his back-side. Superb second by Mata.
Is Gervinho still playing in Africa, now on holiday elsewhere, or unable to make our bench?
Still in Africa, 8ball.
Fucking hell, we could have done with Chelsea dropping some points here.
NBN @67 thanks for the advice..
Thank you Lars. I now see it’s Ivory Coast v. Zambia in the semifinals after they each won 3-0 yesterday. I guess the thing to do is hope Zambia win so Gervinho can get back quicker but if he stays longer it might mean AOC gets more time to prove he belongs in the team. It looks like most people are already convinced, but maybe AW could use some extra time to come to the same conclusion?
3-1 now from a rather stupidly conceded penalty. Might be interesting to see what happens if ManU can somehow manage to get another one back within the next ten minutes or so.
8ball, it does not really matter if they reach the final. If they don’t, they’ll play for third place the day before the final so the difference will only be one day at best.
Bt8bGfG – I think the front line for the rest of the season will see Ox, RvP, Gervinho start with Theo rotating and impact-subbing.
Scholes coming on to pep up a very mediocre Manure. Can’t see this being anything other than a Chelski win. But who knows – Gary Cahill may part like the waves.
3-2, another penalty for ManU. Game on!
Would a John Terry own goal be too much to ask for?
Fin: Terry isn’t playing, suspended I think.
On penalty decisions hang titles by the thinnest thread.
1. Arsenal go one up at Fulham. Totally dominate the first half. One goal will seal it. Gervinho tripped. Dead cert penalty not given. Hand ball follows. Not given. We lose 2-1.
2. Fulham go to City. Adam Johnston fools the ref. City go one up. Knocks the guts out of Fulham.
3. Manure down and out at 3-0. Two super-soft penalties and they’re back in it. Makes you wonder.
Delia,
Just reading back. A very ine report. Sorry to hear you didn’t quite make contact. I’m sure that time will come – and will be all the holicer for the delay.
Lars – I should pay a bit more attention, it would be a miraculous OG in that case!
3-3 at the Bridge!
Fuck me: 3-3
Gary Cahill nowhere near Chicarito for the equalizer. I am not surprised.
But it ain’t over yet, ManU also look really shaky in defense.
Watch Cahill at that third goal and tell me we didn’t dodge a bullet 😉
“Must buy Cahill” in the disastrously mismanaged summer was absolutely nowhere. I could have jumped higher there. BFG would have nodded that right down Slur Alex gullet.
Larsene knows 🙂
Chelski BBB leaving early. They’re off to get their bin bags maybe? Like our lot, just can’t take a beating, their personal inadequacies are being exposed.
Chelsea passing is CRAP. PIty we didn’t get Mata though. I think we’d be top of the league by now if he hadn’t taken the ill-gotten dough.
Brilliant save by De Gea Did better there than Wojcieck yesterday.
I met some Chavski fans travelling back from the last game of the 2010/11 season (after we lost at home to Villa) and they were more negative than the Arsenal fans that day !
Yes! Two points for The Arsenal.
3-3, full time. Two points gained on Chelsea then.
That’ll do.
Three points back and the Chavs to come to ours.
Now we just need Pool to stuff the LWCs.
Whoa, I tabsed it without knowing! Well in for that goal, BtM!
A bit funny with three posts at almost the same time about Cahill for the third goal 🙂
The day did not start off as planned. London Underground managed to delay my arrival at the Grove sufficiently to prevent my pre match attendance at the tollie. A swift pint of expensive fizz later and we are in our seats. An early strike left many expecting the flood gates to open. What followed at times was quite breathtaking. The wing wizards were working wonders out wide. But that did not stop all of the B12 mob. “You’re just a bunch of flankers” came the shout from the rear.
Yes Blackburn were shite. But we have played shite teams before and not managed to despatch them as we should have. Marauding runs from both Theo and AOC caused havoc. Their pace and precision pulled Blackburn to pieces creating acres of space for those more central to profit. The icing on the cake came when Henry tucked away the 7th. It brought back memories of Edu scoring that penalty at Highbury just prior to his departure to pastures new.
A quick exit and a hasty retreat to a packed tollie. I am indebted to TaBs for his persistence in guiding me to the corner of the beer garden dedicated to holics. I was then privileged to meet several holic with whom I have shared banter with for several seasons now but had yet to meet. A great time had by all. A pleasure to meet the guvnor of this fine establishment as well
An earlyish departure was needed to ensure I made a pre arranged meet with others. An early departure due to the closing in weather resulted in a tedious journey home. Mrs T managed to meet me at Epping Station and drove me home in the snow. A quick phone call and 20 mins later I am enjoying a lamb balti and various side dishes. Some chilled 6X was to follow as I duly settled down for motd………and then promptly dozed off. I am just glad I had enough sense to record it.
Keep the faith
Fin, what more Balefully, Bileous Bile than the Boo and Bleat Brigade? Can that be possible?
“You’re just a bunch of flankers”. See, Zico – that’s what I mean by ‘controversial’ 🙂
I must say, I like this softening that is becoming apparent in the style of our wide player. He seems to be moving closer to the centre, I’d say?
Epping eh? Virtually a stone’s throw from Stortford. Be back there in January. Any good pubs down your way?
N7 – much as I’d like to see a total, huge big stick, right in there with the boots, studs up smashing of the LWCs – a draw is probably a better outcome.
Great post@104, Steve!
Stortford your permanent place of abode BtM? I am sure there is more than one establishment that would be convenient for the both of us. I will look forward to it.
BtM, great goal 🙂
Well shrouded in glory for the assist Fin 😉
Unlucky Lars 😛
Steve T @ 104, another excellent match-day experience 🙂
Well in, BtM.
Steve T: worth the price of admission for the “B12 mob” and “‘You’re just a bunch of flankers'”.
re the Cahill debate: as I said repeatedly last summer, why we would want to buy the lynchpin (or even a pair of them if you count Samba) of one of the worst defences in the Premiership is beyond me.
Phil Jones might be one who got away, though. Whatever one thinks of Fergie he has an eye for young talent. And Mata would definitely have been a fine addition to our ranks.
If McLeish’s Villa had been able to take a point or three off Newcastle, it would have been a fine weekend, all in all. Three points off fourth with Chelsea and Newcastle to come to the Grove and a beatable Liverpool away isn’t an irredeemable position to be in. Makes the points dropped at Bolton, Swansea and Fulham even more infuriating, though.
Mata especially is the bad feeling of bile in the gut when you think about the circumstances of how we didn’t get ‘im. 🙁
Heh, I left the scoreline when Cuntski were 3-0 up.
Delighted to see this ended in a draw.
Great goal BtM.
Don’t feel bad, Wind.
I hate Mata, he plays for Chelsea. Wouldn’t swap him for any of ours.
Really? Not even for Chamakh or Squillaci?
He’s neither a centre-forward nor a centre-back, is he?
Evening All ,
Well , what can I say that hasn’t already been said before ? A top top day !
My brother took my ticket , and so I was off to meet ‘Holic at 10 15 in the Tollie to pick up a ticket that he had so kindly sorted me out with (many thanks again ‘Holic!) . Getting on the tube at 9 30 , wrapped in 5 layers , hat scarf and gloves (none black) , I couldn’t help allowing myself a small chuckle that the kick off time for these alcoholic binges seemed to be getting earlier and earlier .
Arriving at Finsbury Park at 9 50 , 25 mins before the arranged meet , I thought I’d have a little wander around the Arsenal shop . A text at 10 01 signalled that ‘Holic was already in the vicinity of The Tollie , and saved me from spending any money on some expensive tat . Not wishing to be seen as tardy , I left the shop , lit a cigarette and begun jogging . Always a winning combination .
Entered the pub at 10 09 , where I immediately spied The Guv’nor who already had a welcoming Guinness ready . That caledonian drinking machine , Dr Z , rolled up at a positively tardy 10 20 , and we were off !
‘Holic took himself off at around 11 for some corporate schmoozing , and left the good Doc and I to continue to set The Arsenal world to rights . Dr Z was anxious to show me his last episode of The Feelgood Files , and informed me that Wolfie was undertaking his own eye-liner protest . I immediately took myself off to the Gents to apply a bit of same , and by the time I got back , Trev was in . One instinctively knew that when Trev allowed himself not one but two halves it would be a day where the handbrake would be off , both on and off the pitch . A timely cig in the garden revealed that both Ollie and cfpb had arrived , whilst AL revealed himself and was dragged inside . Always a pleasure to spend time with you Gents . You were all on great form . Delia , I’m very sorry we missed you .
The pub became , very quickly , very full , and was its usual sea of red and white , thankfully no black .
12 40 and it was time to leave for the game . ( thank you Dr Z for reminding me that another pint 20 mins before kick off is not a good idea !)
Now 5 pints before 12 40 , and no breakfast , is often a recipe for disaster , and can make one , how shall I say , a bit “lippy” . On our way out of the Pub , I spied 2 miserable sods in black scarves leaning against the Bar , being interviewed (presumably for Radio) , by one of those huge overhanging microphones . As I walked past , I’m afraid I couldn’t resist a bellowed “C*nts !” Now I’m not proud of myself , but hey , they are . 😉 The resigned voice of the interviewer , “let’s go again” , suggested that this was not the first time their 5 mins of fame had been interrupted in such a manner , so at least I was in good company .
At the ground , I found myself in the 4th row back at the corner flag where north meets west . This made a huge change as most of my football , certainly in the last 15 years has been viewed from up in the Gods . Whilst the view did not perhaps lend itself to the greatest perspective , I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience . We stood throughout , and the crowd were noisier and less detached than what I am used to . A retro afternoon . There were , it has to be said , some empty seats . I did not however see one bin-liner . Not one . Some protest !!
The football ? Exhilarating ! What a player The Ox threatens to be . Coq , though more understated , was no less impressive . RVP his typically brilliant self , Theo was (less typically) devastating , Arteta showed why we have missed him so much , Rosicky busy and penetrative .
The goals flowed . Just time for a cameo for the returning King . TH12 had been warming up in our corner . One exercise had him holding the corner flag whilst he bent over double , affording a rather close up view of his posterior . I loved the fact that we were close enough for the players to be able to hear what we were saying . I’m afraid I couldn’t resist it . Summoning up my best machismo voice I hollered “Nice Arse !!” . Thierry cracked up together with those in the immediate vicinity , but recovered his professional demeanour just in time to sprint off (not to return !!! 🙂 ) take to the field and add his own stamp to the scoreline .
Just time to clap the boys off , and then head back to The Tollie , where everybody was understandably in very good humour . Snowy turned up , remarkably in his Rugby League kit , and we all finally got to meet the esteemed Steve T . Our little group was complete .
I have no idea how much drink was consumed from that point on , but I do know the Holics saw off the Arses , and that a great time was had by all .
Once the Holic victory was assured , I toddled off . Just time for a tumble in the snow before picking up a curry , and rolled in just in time for the MOTD end credits .
As Wolfie might have said at the end of the day – It was all a bit of a Bender !
The pub became , very quickly , very full , and was its usual sea of red and white , thankfully no black .
Tabs, you may want to rephrase that 😉
Heh 🙂
… thankfully no black SCARVES …
This is pretty amusing:
http://twitter.com/#!/Frimpong26AFC/status/166206377004515328
tabs, sound like a long and brilliant day and a massive heh at the “nice arse” bit! And good on you for calling a cunt a cunt.
We left the tab for you to settle on your next visit, Lars 😉
Hi Lars , did feel a bit bad about it for all of 5 minutes 😉
Tabs @ 122, tongue in cheek 😆 Couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I saw Oliie point it out, s’always funnier when its not meant 😛
The ‘”Nice Arse” bit to Thierry cracked me up like the eggs I had for dinner, who woulda known about his sense of humour 😀
And this as well 😆 “One instinctively knew that when Trev allowed himself not one but two halves it would be a day where the handbrake would be off , both on and off the pitch .”
Cheers Wind
Wind @ 59 Oh Wind, thanks. After I posted that I was afraid it sounded a bit tacky. Sometimes what I say gets lost in translation.
West Upper @ 61 You might want to try the Horse and Jockey Pub in Pasadena. The management is Liverpool but he respects Arsenal. Now off to work.
aba @61 thanks for the advice..
Don’t mind me
Nothing more impressive than 50 somethings boasting how much they can drink
Great post holic did not get to see the Chelski manure game,but how the fuck do Manure get so many penalties? none the less did us a favour we needed chelski to drop points,game on tomorow the race for third and fourth is hotting up.we are certainly not out of it but the next four games will certainly tell us just where we are at.
Brilliant stuff by the usual suspects. Tabs “nice arse” story at 120 and BtM’s post at 29 were hilarious! Drinks on me everyone. I am so, so jealous that you holics can meet up so often. I have to save up and get myself back to the Emirates as soon as possible to raise a pint or three in the name of Arsenal with you fellas.
Great game, great win, I enjoyed it immensely. Some people are saying “they didn’t have Yakubu, they didn’t Samba” but fuck that. Why don’t “they” ever say those things when other teams win with huge scores? We’ve seen Arsenal sometimes take it too easy in games we should win easily and either draw or lose, so ruthless finishing and vicious attacking pleased me no end to see. Old Arsenal would have probably decided 3 or 4 was enough and try to kill time but I was urging for more at 6, we needed to make a statement. When key players started coming off, however, I felt that we were unlikely to score again. But then came Henry. He stole the ball, put it out to Robin with a disguised pass, who then reversed it in the direction it came from, and our 12th man (more of a fan than a player at this point) put it away to make it 7 and the icing was on the cake. Loved the flow and the speed of movement throughout. Let’s hope we can continue in this vein till the end of the season. If we can, we should be able to have something to show for our efforts.
Now, as for Steve Kean, who’s been fluking his way through as the helm of Blackburn, seeing him squirm on the sidelines was very satisfying, I wonder if this was part of his “preparation” for the game?
TABs: That TH12 moment was shown on TV! I saw his turn his head around and laughed at something someone had said behind him…it must have been you! (0;
I loved this line so much I am translating it into several languages:
Yes, some argue that they didn’t have Yakubu or Samba but who gives a flying fuck?
Sí, algunos argumentan que ellos no tenían Yakubu o Samba, sino que da un carajo?
Oui, certains soutiennent qu’ils n’ont pas eu Yakubu ou Samba, mais qui donne une baise de vol?
Ja, sommige mensen beweren dat ze geen Yakubu of Samba hebben, maar die geeft een vliegende fuck?
Sì, alcuni sostengono che non avevano Yakubu o Samba ma chi se ne frega volare?
Ja, vissa hävdar att de inte hade Yakubu eller Samba men som ger en flygande fan?
是的,有些人認為他們沒有雅庫布或Samba,但誰給飛他媽的?
…and lasyt but not least: for our Middle Eastern Gooners:
نعم، يقول البعض ان لم يكن لديهم ياكوبو أو سامبا ولكن الذي يعطي يمارس الجنس مع طيران؟
All this talk about the Tollie, Hornsey Road & Finsbury Park made me all nostalgic for my manner! Loved all the personal accounts / stories of the day. Made me think of a funny story of my own:
For Holics entering the Tollie from Hornsey Road, if you look back diagonally across Hornsey Road to the right you will see the Micheal Sobell Sports Centre – well I worked there for many years when it first opened. I also used to be the trainer of a keep-fit class twice a week (Tuesday & Thursday) that culminated in a run – down Tollington Road to the Astoria Finsbury Park; up Seven Sisters Road to Hornsey Road, and; a sprint back down Hornsey Road to the Sobell. Those that know the area will tell you that it used to be hot-bed of Greek Cypriot & Turkish rivalry.
Well on this particular evening we turned the corner at 7-Sisters and Hornsey and off we went for our sprint to the Sobell. But when we got there only the leading group of around five were present! So as we set off with around 30 I became concerned after we waited 5-minutes and no one else arrived..so we started to jog back to see what had happened to the others only to end up in the middle of a big commotion! Apparently one of the guys (a Turk) had accidentally stepped on the tail of a dog (belonging to an old Greek shop keeper) and I got there just in time to hear the Greek say – shaking his fist at the Turk – “what for you kick my Dog and call him fuck off!” (0;
That Japanese looks a bit dodgy, GT. Yakubu’s name should be in katakana, for starters.
Nice reminiscence, GT. The story certainly rings true. I played five-a-side now and then at the Sobell Centre in the 70s. Also saw Bob Marley at the Astoria, though it was the Rainbow by then.
I think that might be Chinese NBN.
I would translate “Yes, some argue that they didn’t have Yakubu or Samba but who gives a flying fuck?” as 何人かが「ヤクブとサンバが居ないから」とか言ってが、それはどうでもいいことでしょう、この野郎?but that’s nowhere near rude enough I think 🙂
You might well be right, CoR. My Japanese is, if not quite a lost language, then certainly endangered. I recognized some characters but now you mention it there are no Japanese verb endings in there.
Back to the Future
January 1993, Finsterwalde Schacksdorf airport. It is a grey, rainy afternoon and we see Shaft holding an umbrella in a futile attempt to remain dry, pacing back and forth near a small private jet on a slick runway. He checks his battered watch for the time before wiping away rainwater from his forehead. He is cold and grumpy, and wondering why on earth he chose to wear his swede Pumas that day. A baggage carrier vehicle drives across him towards a nearby Aeroflot airbus, temporarily blocking his view of the airport exit doors. As the carrier disappears to the right, Command, accompanied by two bodyguards, is already striding purposefully towards Shaft and the jet. He is tall with wavy reddish-brown hair and steely blue eyes that peer out from behind large glasses. His grey suit is too large and hangs off his shoulders in a way that’s reminiscent of a scarecrow in an empty cornfield. The bodyguards both seem to be ex-military, stocky with matching black polyester suits and terrible haircuts. Command is holding a large umbrella while his attachments suffer the rain. Command walks straight up to Shaft and offers his hand in greeting. They enter the jet where waiting attendants take their umbrellas and directs them to their seats and a select choice of alcohol.
Shaft: I hope everything went well.
Command: Better than expected but still not good enough I’m afraid. Here’s the dossier.
Shaft: Do the new samples still result in the same weaknesses when injected in the subjects?
Command: Yes, unfortunately. When played for more than a year, structural deficiencies become apparent leading to temporary breakdown. Seems to be directly correlated to their level of skill. The question is, can we live with such an inherent weakness in our legmen?
Shaft: I’d say yes, but only if we can have a large, steady supply of them.
Command: That’s what I think as well. We’d have to build a farm and ensure a steady production line, but of course, that’s a long way off at this point.
Shaft: So how should we proceed with this one? We’ve never done the injections at birth before…
Command: This one is a long-term prospect so let’s place it on the backburner for now. Maybe upon maturing we’ll be able to pluck it but only when the time is right. Plant a sleeper cell in his neighbourhood to monitor his progress until time for his activation comes close. No one is to know of our intentions before we act. If we got the cocktail right, this one will be a handy asset.
Shaft: Understood. I just have one question though, surely by the time he reaches maturity you won’t still be at Monaco?
Command: Enjoy your drink Shaft. All will become clear…eventually.
I ran it through a Chinese to English machine translator and got back this:
Some people think that they are not Yakub or Samba, but who fly to hell?
Haha, NBN, that made me spit out my coffee!
Thanks CoR..that NED is such a dweeb for now knowing his Cantonese Chinese!
Bob Marley at the Rainbow? The greatest ever concert that place had ever seen? Second bast live album only to Talking Head’s Stop Making Sense? Well you might have rub shoulders with me at that concert…and we might have rubbed shoulders too on the 5-a-side court at the Sobell as I used to play there – when I was home from collage – long before I started working there..
Shaft…Yea Baby..
1:07 AM Jamaica time and Mrs T just came out to find out if I am coming to bed! Nighty Night..
A bit more snow at work than at home.
And very little chance of reaching positive temperatures between now and the end of the week.
*hibernates*
GT, heh, that French translation is funny.
Some serious backstory @ 143 🙂
Even arsenal.com love your write up’s ‘holic. Well done 🙂
Happy back drinking, though it took some time
@ 67 – I am knocked out of the cup? Well played Mr C! That has to be an upset then. As long as you don’t have any spuds in your team (like Ollie 😉 ) , I’ll grab that drink
Tabs, that was you?! I saw it on TV and later read about it on the Arses. I think Lulu it was, who recounted the “Nice Arse” story there. Brilliant!
Some great accounts by all the regulars here, cheers
Morning All
‘Holic, Delia, Dr.z, Btm, tabs, Trev, Steve T, et all thanks for the match reports. Some great stuff up there after a spanking win (easy Clive).
tabs – Edwin received a rather amusing late text on Saturday night declaring that a certain Speedo wearer was on his way to ‘the cross’ and some other things…..Heh! He was wondering if your ‘tumble in the snow’ was what was required to freshen you up pre-cuzza?
Steve T & Delia – I’ll be at The HoF for the LWCs as will quite a few other ‘Holics, no doubt. I’m hoping that we’ll get an opporutnity to share some pre- or post-match banter and a drink or two at that game.
Does anyone here still regret not signing Cahill? I think I heard recently somewhere (possibly a Tuesday Club Podcast) that Martin O’Neill once said of Cahill that is a great footballer who can do everything but defend. His first start for Chel$ki and their defence leaks three goals. I know he needs time to settle into his new team but Bolton’s defence hasn’t exactly been watertight this season either.
Looking at our next seven games all are absolutley massive for us. Every one is a virtual ‘cup final’. If The Ox (sorry Steve T, but the name has stuck) and le Coq can continue to gain confidence and form and if we can keep the injury gremlins away from the rest of the regular first-teamers, then I think we can now go on a decent run now and continue at least one cup run. Fingers crossed that I haven’t just cursed us and that isn’t the seven goals talking.
What’s the consensus of opinion for tonight? Hard to know what to hope for. The great thing is, even if that that lot beat The ‘Smashers, it does us a big favour 🙂
UTA! COYRRRs! FOYS.
Dear Trev @ #19
Is that the two half pints of Guinness talking?
Yours, Edwin
Fabulous.
@ tabs
“nice arse” – ha ha! Calling it like you saw it. Good man.
GT @137
Excellent idiomatic work!
Better translated in Spanish into “no me importa una mierda”…. just so you can swear with confidence.
They are really stumped by the “flying fuck” concept, but I am happily introducing them to it’s usage.
The education of Hurricane continues….
A few posts back Ollie and I were sniggering about you “following through” to score a goal. You couldn’t see why.
FYI ….. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=follow+through
🙂 🙂
@ true storey
Who knows how Cahill would have turned out if he’d signed for us – but I absolutely do not regret AW passing up on him at £18 million and commensurate wages. That would have been madness.
I have a feeling that tonight will be another draw – the Teeny Tinies will score, but Liverpool are at home. I can’t decide what’s best. I think maybe at this stage of the season – almost in the final third, a Pool win is best. It will knock us back, but it stops the Spuds breaking away further and pulls them closer to the pack jostling for fourth at the moment. I feel confident that we have another long winning run in us, and our squad is getting stronger each week, with all the returnees, so I would back us to overhaul Newcastle, Pool and Chelsea and thus put pressure on Spurs, as obviously we’d prefer third to fourth. And then we’ll see where we are for the last six games or so.
That winning run includes progress in both the cups, btw!
Dr.C @ #158 – How fortunate Wind is to have you as a mentor, top man! You’re giving him pearls 😆
FG @ #159 – I really like your style/bravado in terms of wishing for a ‘Pool win and bringing the LWCs closer to us. I’m still harbouring possible thoughts of a St.Totts day too but my head says a draw or even a win for the scum (*washes mouth out with soapy water*) will serve us well right now. I’ll drink to progress in either of the cups.
One more from me, couldn’t resist it:
http://www.torresvshoward.com/
Hahahahahahahahaha!
As The Arsenal gent says, ‘he’s got a very bright future behind him’.
Morning TS
Have to say,Spanking has never aroused me.
Some excellent reporting from the Tollie and the Stadium over the w/end,although i must caution people not to get too carried away with the Result.
I reckon even the Golders Green Ramblers could have put half a dozen past that shower of rubbish.
And let’s not forget how close we were to another crisis on Saturday,without those 6 extra goals we were looking at a 1-1 draw and another 2 points dropped.!!
So let’s be thankful for small mercies.
And on the subject of young OC,
He is still very young,very raw and inexperienced,but as far as i am concerned,he already makes Theo and the G look decidedly average.
I very much doubt whether either of them could have scored OC”s 2nd goal,and they would probably not even have made the run that OC made for his first.
I cannot see how Wenger can leave OC out of the starting lineup,even after G returns from the ANC.
I can’t remember being this excited about a young English attacking player in Red and White since Charlie George.
That same swashbuckling style,imperious self confidence and Chutzpah in spades.
I LIKE HIM.!!
Cheers
The Sweeper.
Excellent points Clive, like when April endeavours to carry on with certain ‘hand’ activities on your person, I cannot disagree with them as you probably could not disagree with her 😉
Mr C @ 158, hahaha 😆
Who woulda known?
So relevant to my early past… 😕 😳
TS @ 160, I’m very lucky having mentors such as Catalan and tabs, but giving me pearls? If its the kind I’m thinking about that a woman may adorn herself with, in the bedroom, on the bed, in the presence of a man, well, I’ll settle for following through anyday 😛
@ True Storey
ha!
I may be barking mad, but this is how I see it – fourth place is not far away. And if Liverpool win, they will only be one point ahead, Newcastle two, Chelsea 3. All those gaps could be bridged in one game, if if we got a three-goal winning margin. So fourth place is unaffected, this game is about reducing the gap between us and third place, a much bigger prize than fourth. A 9 points gap is a very different proposition to a 12 or even 10 points gap. If the Scousers win, we have in effect reduced the gap to third by three points over the weekend. Plus Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea can all start to put pressure on Spurs.
harsha
No Spuds, no Manures, no Scousers, No Chavs, No munsters. About to purge Senor Silva too, then no Citeh.
Ah, to be pure… 🙂
Afternoon All ,
I have to say , very impressed here , at the collective ability of NBN , Canons and GT to be fluent in Chinese/japanese . Blimey !
GT@136 – Heh , sadly it doesn’t appear to have made the edited highlights 🙂
GT@138 – Nice story 🙂 . Our paths have probably crossed , if only in a cursory way . For a short period in the mid nineties , I played squash at the Sobell . Whilst waiting for my partner to turn up , I would often see those jogging groups of yours run past . Would this have coincided with your time there ? It was probably in 95 , maybe 96 .
Shaft@143 – Didn’t understand a word of that , but it still made me laugh 🙂
Harsha @153 – Yep that was me 🙂 In the Tollie afterwards I had a quick chat with a couple of female arseurs who overheard me telling the story to Dr Z and who it turned out had been sitting a couple of rows in front of me . Maybe that was Lulu ? Say hi from me next time you’re on there .
TS @154 – Just checked my phone , as had no recollection of sending text ! All I can say is that you shouldn’t believe everything you read !! The arctic conditions rather militated against a visit to one of Clive’s girls 🙂 My tumble referred to a fall on the way home . I was faced with a couple of miles walk after getting off the tube , as there was no chance of getting a bus or cab . Given both the weather , and my condition , only one fall was , like the football , a result . 🙂
Afternoon Clive and please forgive the presumption. Nice post BTW. Oxlade-Chamberlain, what’s not to like?
FG @ #165 – Love the optimism, your HT season ticket must be fully paid-up. It could happen. I just want us to beat Sunderland on the weekend who are currently on better form than the league leaders, according to Dicko on MoTD.
Wind @ #164 – I have no idea what you’re talking about.
*seeks mentor and searches urban dictionary for ‘pearls’ and ‘neck-borne jewellery’*
Dr.C @ #166 – Is it sparkling water, herbal tea and a colonic for you today then?
tabs – Harsha says you were on TV??? Splendid!
Good stuff, Dr C.
Heh! tabs @ #167. Yes, I figured it was one of those moments. Made me chuckle anyway. Very glad to hear that the aforementioned tumble didn’t do anything to dampen what sounded like a top day out 😉
Predictions for tonight young man???
Don’t think I was TS , I think it was TH’s reaction to my compliment that was on TV 🙂
Tonight ? I think Liverpool will win 2-0 .
Would rather a draw .
On no account do I want the Spuds to win . If they lose tonight , and with games coming up against both ourselves and Manure , St Totts day could suddenly look very achievable .
Yup, have a feeling The ‘Smashers will win tonight too and if they do it keeps the flame of St.Totts Day burning, esp. if we also beat them at The Ems.
Frimpong has got his results from his scan.
Frimpong26AFC “@officialwags: @Frimpong26AFC scan shows frimpong is made of solid metal #frimmyfacts”LOL Leaveit
TABs: No. By the mid 90’s I had already left the Sobell but that was probably the class that I started!
andy: that boy is something else (0;
I love the interaction between Frimmy and Jack and they have brought AOC into the little group when they go out, the future could be bright, very bright indeed.
GT – Ah , understood .
Could somebody explain what st totts day is?
Garsguns ,
St Totts day = St Totteringhams Day .
Celebrated on the day it becomes mathematically impossible for the Spuds to finish above us .
Under AW , it has of course become an annual event .
Last time we didn’t get too celebrate it was in 1995 !!
too = to
Before Ollie is on my case 😉
Garsguns: St. Totteringham’s Day is the day in the season when it is no longer mathematically possible for the Spuds to finish above us in the league. The last season where it didn’t occur was George Graham’s last, 1994/95.
There is a history of the Day at http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~mikepitt/tothistory.html
GT: Small world.
I’m for the draw today. Points lost for both.
TABs: How come Ollie has been letting the multiple cases of “must of” and the like when the writer meant “must have”…he is slacking off or what?
btw I just love to read anything about St Totts day (0;
I shouldn’t have mentioned the injury gremlins earler today.
Frimmy is out for the rest of the season with a ruptured cruciate on his right knee.
Get well soon young man.
So TABs, Ned are you guys from Islington then?
*earlier*
Garsguns
St Totteringham – patron saint of lost causes and fraudulent tax evaders.
Spare a thought for the over-worked.
Thanks tabs and Nbn.
Oh and zico.
NBN @ #182 – Great link, thanks.! Packed-full of St.Totts goodness.
Try this one, of the proposed ‘New Sh*thole’, courtesy of Mr.Esso:
http://twitpic.com/8ghowm
TS @168
There are limits, dear boy! 🙂
Ned @182 – Great link on St Totts day .
TS @184 – Bad news . His earlier tweet seemed to suggest all was well ?
GT @185 – Born in Finsbury Park , but grew up in Palmers Green / Winchmore Hill . Bought my first place in Stroud Green off Ferme Pk Rd in the late eighties , hence the trips to the Sobell .
Dr Z – I take it the bladder survived the trip home on saturday ? 😉
Just to balance things out, Benik Afobe just tweeted this:
Afobe Benik Afobe
Trained today for the first time in 5 months and 23 days! So so happy! I felt great to be with everyone and ready to push on and work hard!
TABs: Yep you are a Gooner born and bred! I was born at Mercers Road off the Holloway Road. My first place on my own was in Burnham Road off the Tollington Way. Lived in Highbury Hill, Sotheby Road (off the Blackstock Road), Milner Square (off the Angel High St)..and finally bought my first flat in Cheverton Road, Hornsey Rise. I could see Highbury from the Cheverton Road flat and if I came out and a 210 bus was there we’d always win (never failed)..
P.S. The first and only time I ever spent the night in the clink was at Hornsey Road Police Station! – you guessed it after a massed brawl in Finsbury Park with some Spurs ingrates…young & foolish (0;
CG: Thinking about Afobe…
My take on the buy or not to buy issue has always been that we have the talent in the young players. Arsene knows this as well and so that why has been reluctant to punt good money on second-rate players (Cahill, Samba, Zamora et. al.)…we can’t under-estimate the importance of the OX pushing on this season, as well as, Jack last season: that will encourage the others that are behind them. Its a shame that young Miquel and Le Coq have had to play out of position so much will come on this season. If Le Boss wasn’t under so much pressure he’d probably come right out and say ‘look I have better players here. I don’t need to buy!’ but that would start a shit storm…We have all seen what can happen when you bring several of the Young Guns in at the same time. George did it. Wenger has been too cautious to do so even though Liam Brady has been urging him to trust the youth more..the thing about a young player is how quickly they come on when they are in the company of good professionals…that has been SAF’s secret over the years – good solid pros and bright young players. Le Boss has been inclined to get rid of the oldies far too soon IMO. Now even he has had to acknowledge his surprise at how fast the OX has come on in just a few months. Hope that this will encourage him.
This is what I would do this Summer: Re-sign RvP / Song for what it will take money-wise. Buy Goatze at any cost, get rid of 6-8 of the obvious dead wood from the squad. Promote from within the Young Guns . Get Joel Campbell back from loan..THATS IT!!
True Story @ 184,
Is that the same Knee as last years ? If so dosent look good for the young lad – Feel so sorry for young players when they have such serious injuries so early on in there carears especially as hes got talent and heart by the bucket full.
Chippy @ #196
Not sure if it’s the same knee. Either way, I agree, it’s quite a setback. I think it’s going to take a fair bit of the old ‘mental strength’ for him to get himself back to match fitness and form so that he can re-join our first team. Like you say, he seems to have the heart fo it.
GT
I’m with you in just about all of that. We have heard for a long time that the present crop of youngsters is truly exceptional, and so it seems that most of them are going to make the grade. Exciting times, as early as next season, I think.
Playing out of position won’t have done any harm for Le Coq or Miquel’s footballing education.
I’m pretty much with you on the summer activity, with the proviso that either Afobe or Campbell come up trumps as reliable goalscorers to back up RVP.
The money saved by getting rid of deadwood and not having to make too many star signings more than pays for whatever RVP wants!
And Song too, for that matter – he’s been off for a couple of games until the last one, but that in a way highlights just how good he has become. Presumably he will continue to improve. He’s just 24.
However, it WOULD be prudent, for many reasons in the current climate to make one big FUCKME signing. Goatze or similar.
Easy this job, isn’t it?! We must be right, I think we have BtM on our side…. 🙂
Lobs it on……
Bullet header by Feelgood….
Eboue would be one hell of a Fuckme signing 🙂
tabs @ 192 – go to the last set of drinks and #283 – all will be revealed 😉
Well in Dr. Zee…first this season?
GT – hardly.
You need to pay more attention 😉
Sorry Zee I have you down as a writer not a scorer! Apologies (0;
Chippy: Eboue would be the wrong kind of FUCK ME signing (0;
TS @ 168, really? No idea 🙂
Catalan, delectable lofted assist, and what neck power that Feelgood has to power it home! *goes to check the urban dictionary in fear of Catalan or Ollie showing up his relative youth* 😛
Heh! That dictionary will be priceless for you Hurricane! Seriously, the yoof of today don’t know what “following through” is?? Tsssk tsssk….
Nicely finished Dr Z. No, it’s okay, no need to mention the assist. It makes me happy to see you happy etc….! 🙂
GT, Chippy; Eboue would be a “fuck me he’s lost it” signing!
Operations Room – Executive Carriage HTMkII
Dr Feelgood is alone, and reflecting on a weekend of great positivity.
The mob with the pitchforks had been left behind on Platform 49, and the Happy Train had negotiated another round trip to the Grove with customers happily sedated. Roxette had witnessed that rare event, Feelgood home by midnight, and wearing only the scent of pubs and chicken-wing meetings.
Feelgood steps out of the room and almost trips over Dr Disorder, who is lying in a heap in the aisle of the train. Startled, he wakes and for no apparent reason, starts speaking in German :
Dr Disorder : “Guten tag, Herr Doktor. Zwei Jagerbombs bitte.”
Dr Feelgood : “What the fuck, Borda, you’re German now?”
Dr Disorder : “Ja, ich bin ein Bin Liner…..”
I would just like to thank my enabler, Dr C. 👿
DR Z
Honestly, if you can’t do it with good grace, don’t bother! 😉 🙂
Very good @209 🙂 🙂
He says grudingly……
grudgingly
Sorry, Ollie!
Zehr gut Hr. zicoimexil!
Dr.C – You know Arsene’s finally lost it when……. (e.g. he resigns Eboue). Get it trending 😉
Catalan, I haven’t even mentioned the cricket 😉
Best not to, Dr Z…. a fair weather supporter, I see.
Typical Brit…. back beyond your wall with you, and leave us Saxons to play our game! 🙂
GT – heh @194 , and good stuff @195 . Am I allowed to ask for Goetze and Hazard , or is that just me being greedy ? 😉
Feeling in my pants is that it will be Hazard , rather than Goetze , that arrives in the summer .
Dr Z – Nice goal Sir . I did read your post first time round , but with your prompt , went off to read it again . Great post 🙂 , even better second time around . Wasn’t really taking in much yesterday . Glad you survived the tube ride to Heathrow . Have to say I didn’t envy you that one at the time !
Chippy – it’s the other knee .
Dr Z @209 , Haha , brilliant 🙂
The Cricket ? I was under the impression this series didn’t count , what with the strange location and all .
Wind at #207
“Lofted assist”….. phnaar
You’re right tabs, it would have been more comprehensive if it hadn’t been played at a neutral venue 😉
*scurries behind the big wall and awaits the snowball attack*
Thanks for the kind words btw – I wouldn’t have survived the round of Mornington Crescent if they had invoked the Archway clause 😉
Double heh Dr Z 🙂
Gutted for young Frimpong, but trying to take the positives out of the situation (small consolation for young Emmanuel, I accept):
1. It’s not the same knee.
2. He’s come back strongly before.
3. He won’t be exposed to McCarthy and his dinosaur philosophies.
A frozen ‘good evening all’.
Good Evening Ollie .
Dr Z – gutting indeed .
TABs: Why Hazard when we already have the OX? Am I the the only one that feels that Hazard will just be like another Na$ri? For me Goatze is more of what we need…but his team is fighting tooth & nail to keep him – I don’t blame them. Maybe its time we all start posting to their sites that he has Arsenal DNA etc…and now we seem to have a German speaker in Dr. Disorder who is dying for something to do..
Hey Dr Zee: Can Doc Disorder type?
Hey Dr C, just checking the HT cup scores
I got 79 points and you 75! How is it that I am knocked out? 🙂
I like your thinking, Dr Z222
Absolutely fantastic blogging….
http://threeandin.com/2012/02/06/spurs-need-to-know-their-place/
But the comedy gold is in the responses – open a bottle and sit down to read…. and marvel at the idiocy of Spuds fans…. 🙂
GT @ 195: About keeping RVP it may not be about money alone, or about money at all.
Arsenal should really do everything to keep Song and Theo. I am of the opinion that a rotating midfield of Arteta-Song-Jack-Ramsey-Frimpong with Götze (hopefully) added and young Eisfield and Ozyakup waiting to join in could become one of the best in the Europe. Arsene may have to make a decision about selling Lansbury.
About the attacking options: have we already given up on Vela? He has craft, and class, and precision, and may yet fulfill the potential with a bit of maturity.
GT @225 – Not really saying one is better than the other . I’ve only seen glimpses of the pair of them so I’m not in a position to judge . Gut instinct that Hazard is more likely would be based on the following :-
– Hazard is definitely on the move this summer . Goetze has given no indication , thus far , that he wishes to leave Germany .
– AW praises Hazard at every opportunity , but has been far more circumspect when it comes to Goetze . Decoy tactics ? Maybe .
– Walcott’s in and out form and failure to sign a new contract . Think Hazard would replace Theo if he came in , not The Ox , and Theo would be sold .
The above is of course probably bollocks . 🙂
As I said above , I would like them both .
GT @ 225
I believe that you have to be conscious to take to the keyboard. A step too far for Borda, I think 😉
Mr C – Thank you for providing that link . Hilarious . Had a fit of the giggles for a good 20 mins . 🙂
Evening folks – and what a delight to have a cheeky back drink and see what a truly splendid time has been had in the Goonerverse over the past couple of days. Top work all the regulars, and get well soon Frimmy’s other knee.
Didn’t really want to spoil an enjoyable weekend by watching the noisy neighbours this evening, but the link in Catalan’s post @ 228 has most definitely changed my mind. Utterly priceless. Thank you good sir, have a tequila slammer on me. Well more accurately, on Lars, but – well – ya know the drill.
In fact, tequila slammers all round. Got quite a taste for them on Friday evening as it turned out, hence my non-arrival at the Tollie until after the game.
I’m expecting to be sober again by about Friday. Next week 😉
I second that Catalan, quality gold. 😀
Evening Snowy , glad you made it home safe and sound on saturday .
Tequila slammer ? Lovely ! 🙂
Right , off to watch that well-known Nigerian , Adebayhor , and all his new mates , take a beating 🙂
Don’t mind if I do, Snowy…. many thanks Lars! 🙂
MASSIVE 😆 @”ich bin ein Bin liner”! I just laughed out so loud that the missus asked what on earth could be so funny…
Catalan@228: I am not a regular threeandin reader, but I have read a few of Lawrence Gray-Hodsons pieces, and how so many can manage to not get that he is a parody of pundits is just hilarious 🙂
Hope that the Frimster can come back again, but it really is alarming that this is the second cruciate he’s done at such a young age. I really hope it doesn’t screw up what looks like it could be a really great career at the top(ish) level. Get well soon, Manu!
Catalan, you’re welcome!
Zicoinexile,
Good news about the knee thanks for the info – Oh and why we are on the lesser sports topic how did the Egg Chasers in Frocks get on at the weekend 😉
I miss Eboue and I’m in full agreement it should be Trending 🙂
Haha scouser humour at it’s best a cats run on the pitch and within a second the chants gone up Acat Acat Acat Acat Acat 🙂 Got to love scousers at times hope they don’t eat it!!
Heh Chippy – good point about the old Rugger….. Zico, care to comment?? 🙂
Frox?
Come over the wall and say that, pal 😉
You call that a wall? I’ve seen bigger Walls in a wendy house 😉 If your down for the Newcastle game the Super Tenants are on me 🙂
Cheers Chippy
I had thought about that one, but think its been changed to a Monday night making it unlikely.
You can give the ST to Snir, that can form part of his medication. 😉
Very, very subdued game so far at Anfield. The crowd is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop. Very low tempo and pretty much no scoring chances that I’ve seen.
Have to say as well that Bale looks quite knackered, but that may of course be just wishful thinking on my part…
Yes it has mate – I got the Tix mainly because it was a 3pm sat Kick off, Two days later they move it to the Monday Typical 🙂
No worries will do !! Watching that first half I could do with one or two myself,
Dr Faustus: I totally agree re Vela – I love the guy but I really don’t think that Le Boss has any faith in him. For me he should be playing on the left side of midfield or as a withdrawn striker in the hole…
TABs: I hear you but the fact that Le Boss ‘actually’ made a couple bids for Goatze last Summer says a lot for me – to my recollection, despite his praising Hazard, I don’t think that we have ever actually put in a bid – or even a serious inquiry!!
Dr. Zee: Why have Dr. Disorder sitting (or rather laying) on the bench (or floor) and not doing anything. Why did Dr F sign him then? Boo, boooo. He don’t know what he’s fucking doing. IMO. FACT!!!
FEELGOOD OUT!!
GT, you REALLY have not been paying attention.
Dr Disorder is a Roxette signing. Feelgood does not know what he’s doing though, that IS a fact. 😀
zico, on the other hand – does Feelgood really know anything at all? 🙂
Lars 😀
Dr Zee: I just can’t take my eyes off you and the happy train crew can I?
Lars: I really love the old guy..really I do…the things he’s done for the happy train will go down in history…but perhaps its time for a change at the top…allowing Roxette to purchase players is perhaps a bridge too far….and although it hurts me to say this: FEELGOOD OUT!
I was going to give Terry both barrels of “FEELGOOD KNOWS!”, but we’ve just established that he doesn’t so that won’t really wash, will it? 😀
An hour played at Anfield, still very low tempo. Liverpool have been slightly more dominant in the second half. And Bale is definitely not 100% fit, it looks very much like he is carrying an injury. He barely makes any runs at all, he walks or jogs at a low pace almost all the time.
I am trying to watch the Liverpool Spuds game…I just can’t watch any other side…really. I think that I just love the Arsenal. Not Football. I always thought I loved football but something has changed…
Lars, are we witnessing the start of the ‘virtual lasagne’, 2012 stylee?
Storey, far too soon to say but one can always hope 🙂
Heh! I don’t wish them any pain just a string of sh*t results.
Bale just missed a sitter ala Theo…(0;
GT
I am a Feelgood fan myself.
Having access to Mrs Dale’s Diaries i am privy to a lot of sensitive information regarding Feelgood’s childhood and i can assure you that it does not make pretty reading.
In fact i am sure it would bring a tear to your eye.
Feelgood does the best he can under very trying circumstances and his medication is under constant review.
It is testament to his current good behaviour, that he was allowed out unchaperoned on Saturday to attend the Emirates.
The fact that he arrived back home unscathed and with no sign of any Police Reports regarding his visit to London,has been duly noted on his Report Card.
Just quietly,the Doctors are very hopeful that further unchaperoned outings could be allowed.
Cheers
The Sweeper.
0-0…good result for us!!
very good result. both teams drop points. we still have a chance to catch Spurs
Downing’s stats this season:
23 games
0 goals
0 assists
Bargain at £17 million!
Clive I hear you…but I can’t help feeling that his number is up. What is it? Is his hands being tied by the board (down Wolfie) or is he just being parsimonious? Mostly I’m just aggrieved that he has allowed poor Dr. Disorder to just vegetate on the bench/floor and he won’t spend the facking money that I know that he has in the transfer kitty! Are the board lining their pockets with OUR money? The paying public needs to know..
@ #261 “little bit”
What a crap game that was. Still, two points gained on Chelsea and we are now ahead of Liverpool by a point.
Well, time to hit the sack. Laters, lovers of the Arse!
0-0 , good result .
Crap game . Seemed to me that both teams were more anxious not to lose , than to go out and win the game .
Bale had a bit of a mare . Caught diving by the cameras , if not by the Ref . Missed golden opportunity to win the game late on .
Top comedy moment – Suarez booting and laying out Scott Parker with a full-blooded kick in the stomach .
As regards Feelgood , I’m in Clive’s corner . He’s come through a lot . On saturday he left early pleading a prior family engagement , but we all knew it was his old offenders tag going off , summoning him home 😉
Roxette, her of the long leash. And lash. 😉
For those of the loathsome neighbours who would have laughed at me and mine last week, for a vile freezing trip to the North West, on a school night, without seeing a single goal…
Enjoy any roadworks on the way home fellas.
😀
Ahh poor Spuds all the injuries.. er no only Van der Vaart and Lennon out of the first choice eleen. Sky spud loving pricks.
Bale I booking for the dive one for the first push on Skirtel then another for a second push (remember Song against Geordies) and the result just a yellow.
F**k the FA.
eleen= eleven. 🙁
GT
You must keep up,
I fear you are not privy to the ‘Inside ‘ info re the ‘Transfer Kitty ‘
You seem to be under the impression the money is to be used to buy Players.
The real truth is that their is a massive shipment of Colombian Gold due on our shores anytime soon,and the TK is the Funds to pay for it.
The HT has has had a very stressful few weeks with results not going our way,this has led to ‘ Inhaling ‘ on a massive scale,particularly by the Board Of Directors and their hangers on.
Hopefully Saturday’s result will have settled them down a bit,although
i am not optimistic about their demeanour staying that way what with the matches we have coming up.
I hope this explains things GT,but i cannot keep bringing you up to date,
you have to KEEP UP.!!
cheers
The Sweeper.
Clive 🙂
Pik’s nowhere to be seen , and Harsha can’t keep up with demand .
The quackery are overworked and underpaid , our great leader is in and out of medical homes , and Prof TES now spends all his time on Twitter (allegedly!) . Crisis !!!
We want our Happy Train back . Rail liner protest anyone ?
Dr Z @267 🙂
Snowy @268 – heh , Revenge is a dish best served cold , and at -3 degrees , it’s bloody cold out there 😉
Tabs, maybe one of those technowizards can make a video of Suarez kicking Bale in the belly in a continuous loop and post it on here for our enjoyment? 😉
Whoops, I guess it was Suarez kicking Parker. The part about him kicking Bale must have been a Freudian slip. 🙂
Evening Tabs
Good to see you in such fine form my friend.
Sounds like a good time was had by all on Saturday.
Re the HT crisis,you may have to take some punitve measures to get things back on track.
Tiffany and April are quite happy to ‘ Come ‘ on Board to make sure everyone is ‘ Pulling ‘ in the right direction.
This may of course precipitate a mad rush of applications for Board places at the next Directors Elections Commitee Meeting in April,
That’s the month of April of course,for those with deviant minds.
As for the Prof,he is easily seduced by new shiny gadgets and their applications,so you may have to prepare yourself for the inevitable.
Cheers
The Sweeper.
Happy with that result.
The LWCs have some tricky games coming up and a first XI that contains some tired looking players.
Get our heads down, go on a little run (starting with a very tricky looking game this weekend) and we could yet find ourselves back within touching distance heading into the final straight.
Re: summer signings, for me it’s the German maestro and a centre forward to replace the outbound Chamakh. Not sure Campbell can play up top solo and would be nice to blood him in slowly.
Agree with what’s been written above re; the kids. The likes of Coquelin, Miquel and Frimpong are top, top prospects and, more importantly, all seem to have their heads screwed on, which has not always been the case with some of our previous “prodigies”.
In terms of new contracts, obviously the skipper is essential, but I actually look more to Alex Song as a bellweather for the club’s future. He’s 24, coming into his peak years and has the potential to be a hell of a player. If he leaves this summer it will only confirm our concerns that we are in danger of becoming a nursery for the big spenders.
No one has talked much about Song so far, but I do hope the club have him near the top of their list of priorities.
A repeat of last year’s fiasco is absolutely essential.
N7 – would prefer that we avoid a repeat of last year’s fiasco. 😉
zico @ 277 – you sure??? No Oenger aart rants? No scurrilous invective? No “Behind the Arse”???
How very dare we… 😉
Zico
On reflection, you make a good point.
So, in summary: large helpings of Goetze and Van Persie, Song on the side, hold the fiasco.
Evening Clive , another top top post 🙂
Saturday was indeed a very good day out , marred only by its denoument . Off I charged to the Cross intent on finding April April and showing her the meaning of “true staying power” . When I found her , I achieved a personal best of 4 minutes and 12 seconds . Unfortunately , given the very cold conditions , it took April April 4 minutes and 9 seconds to find the old chap , so I’m not sure if that counts . Please advise .
8Ball – Let’s hope so 🙂
N7 – usual good sense , apart from last line . Good spot Dr Z 🙂
Snowy – “No Behind the Arse ” ?? Impossible !! 😉
s***s falter and Feelgood nips in with as a good a bilingual trash/protest put-down gag as you’re gonna hear anywhere – what’s not to like about mondays???
UREDS!
N7, I’m in the Feelgood Camp for this one 🙂
I stand corrected Snowman – a summer without BTA does not bear thinking about.
Scurrilous Invective sounds like one of Feelgood’s conoctions 😉
Concoctions even. 🙁
Tabs @281 I was simply trying to encourage recreation of the conditions for genius.
Given we may not see Thierry’s magnificent glutes again in a game, some other inspiration for Arse-based literature must be found, as a priority.
I fear The Sweeper’s otherwise excellent suggestions are not necessarily transferable; despite obvious enthusiasm, even you were forced to admit that there was no swift end product to that particular tippy tappy approach, however easy on the eye it may have been at the time.
Right now, the boo boys are looking like an easy win on this one…
😉
I fear you’re right on this one Snowy .
Certainly wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been booed ! 🙂
Tabs, I never was too good at maths but I believe that leaves 3 seconds?
N7, You mention Frimpong and I unfortunately just saw this. He’s the last person I would’ve hope might get Frimponged and now he’s done it to both his knees. 🙁
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/frimpong-to-see-specialist-for-knee-injury
Re: Clive at 275, I didn’t know there was a wrong direction to be ‘pulling’ 😉
Tabs
given the extreme conditions on Saturday,i must say i am surprised and delighted that it only took April 4 minutes or so to find yours.
It took 15 minutes of searching before mine popped out of it’s hiding place.!!
Clive 🙂
8Ball – Nothing wrong with your maths . 3 seconds is correct . Still a personal best ! 🙂
Tabs @ 287 – did you spend a lot of money moving to a larger stadium and inadvertently became overawed at the larger audience? Or was it just that before then, in the old gaff, most of the supporters generally left at half time, and just booed at the pub instead?
😉
Snowy , you’re right . The move caused many difficulties . Took me ages to adjust to the larger tunnel . 😉
And for those who haven’t seen it …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBz6fVPx7Uk
Tabs
Did you try getting those 2 Books i suggested.??
Got the Norwegian one last week Clive , but haven’t started it yet .
Top clip Tabs.
But Robin van Purry is still my MOTM tonight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGh0AV1eeY4&feature=youtu.be&a
😉
Heh , hadn’t seen that Snowy as I missed the first 15 . Very good turn of pace I thought , but had a propensity to stray offside .
Yet still managed to look more dangerous in the box than Carroll…nuff said 😉
http://newsthump.com/2012/02/06/liverpool-replace-andy-carroll-with-old-fridge-freezer/
😀
Snowy , great link , 🙂 🙂
I reckon the fridge freezer would be better company on a night out as well . Can hold its drink better , and doesn’t have a distracting pony tail 🙂
Tabs I think we can all agree that a night out with a fridge freezer will be almost infinitely more entertaining than a night out with Wor Horse*
Unless it’s this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JX54s6b1Pk
* For ‘holics from overseas this is a really rubbish joke courtesy of the generally accepted dialect in the north east of England.
“Howay the nags”
😉
Nice goal Snowy – a marvellous interchange of one-twos !!
Nice link . Didn’t realise you were a man of the Turf . Don’t know too much about it myself .
Off to get some shut-eye .
Toodle pip old boy .
At this stage to see four points “go south” as a result of a draw is just that little bit better than only three going down the gurgler. So, I think that tonight’s 0-0 is the better result (even though, seeing LWCs thumped 15-0 would have been better for my soul).
I think that Afobe, Aneke, Frimpong and Wilshere have been playing together since they were nine? Uncanny that three (Benik, Manu anfd Jack) will miss virtually all of this season. They WILL be back though, and we may see Arsene give Benik a couple of cameos before the end of the season.
I am 100% in the “Spend 70M. Buy Mario Goetze and one world-class striker. Sell the dead wood and march on with the emerging youngsters to glory” camp. I’m not precious about keeping Theo. I think RVP is a very loyal man. My expectation is that we’ll see a deal being struck that will keep him at The Emirates till he’s 32 – the latter years will see him play much deeper (ideally behind Ox, Campbell, Afobe).
It would be a little churlishh not to mention Parker’s performance tonight. Quite superb. I seem to recall someone rabbiting on that we should buy him. Can’t recall who it was, but it could NOT have been Steve T. He’s only into width.
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Arsenal-boss-Arsene-Wenger-I-like-Eden-Hazard-but-I-need-to-make-a-20m-profit-EVERY-season-article862355.html
I have to say I find this extremely worrying…
Clive, Tabs lots of good work – sorry snowy, and you of course 🙂
Zico – Bin Liner – 🙂
Catalan – great link – the responses are dumb beyond belief, but not surprising.
Why can’t I stop laughing at the Suarez-Parker clip ? 😉
BtM – why would Arsene give Benik a couple of camels before the end of the season ?
Camels, The Ox, Le Coq – a fine menagerie a trois ?
Snir – I fear we have more chance of signing Micky Hazard.
Trev – The fact that the board requires AW to show a profit of 20 million instead of focusing on the footballing side is worrying.
Everybody around us is improving and we’re staying where we are…
AW deserves enormous credit for keeping us competitive if that quote is true…
Don’t know about the transfer profit Snir, but the tour to Soeul at least explains why we were so keen to buy Park.
Right, much too late, I’m off.
Tabs, Propensity to stray offside?? 😀
Snir: I doubt that those words ever came out of Wenger’s mouth. Cross is telling mince pies..
Clive: Colombian? Why was I not informed before? I needn’t have got so irate. I will just await the happy day by cleaning my pipe then. Good old Feelgood. What a man!
Actually I fink that should be Porkies (pork pies = lies)…Been away too long (0;
GT – He told it to Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure
http://www.dhnet.be/sports/football/article/384460/wenger-hazard-je-l-aime-beaucoup.html
Trev @307 – Funny you mention that…
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4110950/Arsenal-transfer-news-Chu-Young-Park-eyes-summer-Gunners-exit.html
@146: Yeah man, Japanese study is fun, you should try to pick up a bit of the “Devil’s Tongue” when you get the chance.
@151 & 167: Hey wind and tabs, glad you liked the latest Shaft. I may have left too much in the typewriter though, was supposed to be the origin of Eisfield. I thought the hints would be enough but it probably was just too vague :/
@209: Brilliant stuff zico! If you say it in my accent it’s almost as if Rammstein is in the room with you too 🙂
@228: Catalan, that was a great share! Still chuckling here man…
We need to shed some spirits for poor Frimmer’s injury. May he come back to us as quickly as he can.
SG@312: what AW said as reported in the Belgian paper seems to be that that Arsenal has to make a profit of £15m-20m each season, which is very different from him having to turn that profit on transfers, as reported by the Mirror. I also can’t imagine AW saying that sort of thing, given how tight lipped he is about the inner workings of the club.
I also think that the Mirror has got the wrong meaning to the second sentence it quotes. ‘a coach’s goal’ would be a more nuanced translation than ‘the purpose of a coach’.
NBN – I didn’t say it was right.
Note that I said @306 “IF that quote is true.”
If it does turn out to be what he’s gotta do, then that is rather worrying.
Time to squeeze in an oldie but goodie?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_AYM5hADHQ&feature=related
Big Heh @ Dr C’s link above
Snir, even if that quote is true, where does it indicate that the board wants him to show that kind of profit? May be Arsene himself likes to buy and sell profitably
Just saying like
I’ll have a real problem with it if the profit needs to be made every season by selling players as it goes directly against his saying of “what is important is for us to keep our players which we have developed from a young age together.”
Snir. The article states that we need to make a profit. It does not say we need to make a profit with transfers. I am not sure exactly how much importance I would place on it at this stage to be honest.
evening all,dont think AW would make the said comments but then,he did once warm up a player for our fourth sub lol.
Steve, I think that’s the reason that the tours to the far east and Nigeria are mentioned in the same article. As if the club is looking for a different source to generate the needed profit.
I also have to say that I’d find it odd that he would bring it up when asked about Hazard who already stated he’ll be playing in England next season if it wasn’t some kind of an obstacle for transfers.
Despite the gloves, my hands are totally frozen.
Snir, given work situation I think I might very well be tempted to go to the Newcastle game, monday or not.
Mr.Waterman @ #275
I resemble that remark and I await with interest Dr.F’s list of ‘shiny new gadgets and their applications’.
However, my allegiance to the HT Mk II and the board of DLL remain unshaken despite recent rhetoric. Delving into new forms of communication is part and parcel of my remit.
Trust that clarifies.
Yours, Edwin
Ollie, I might have to give up on trying to make the Newcastle game..
As of now, Sky fucked me over, but we’ll see.
You know what, beautiful winter sunrise over the Kingdom this morning – help yourselves to free spliff from the CMC.
Mellow……
Edwin,
Ignore the conspiracies – I well remember who flew the helicopter 😉
Clive @ 275
Elections? Have you turned Chinese?
I really think so……
Dear Dr.F
Conspiracy? What conspiracy? Oh…. thatconspiracy
Yours, Edwin
PS: I’ll be purging the lab of no-longer, shiny gadgets today. Excuse the kerfuffle and possible dishevelled appearance whilst this process is completed. Now, where did I put that copy of ‘Flying Helicopters For Dummies’….
😆
Dr.z @ #328 & #329
PS: My breakfast is rubbery.
My doctor reckons elections are good for the heart. In fact, I’m having one right now…
Dear Dr.F
Re: #327. A truly magnanimous gesture which will no doubt be appreciated by all. However, I may have ….er…. neglected my duties “little bit” of late regarding the CMC.
In my defence, your honour, PIK is incredibly hard to reach these days, despite my access to the very latest in commnications gadgets. However, I believe I may have now traced him to a user account called ‘Rosie47’ which I have found in The Cayman Islands which is shared with another account called ‘Used50SovNotes’. Curiouser and curiouser….
Yours faithfully,
Edwin
😆
CoR @ #332
Trev @ 10 that’s irresponsible rumour-mongering of the worse kind – the extra half must’ve sent you a bit bandy
Well-played for posting the Swear’is a right c*nt clip tabs – hadn’t seen it real time. Particularly impressed with the way he lines Nosy up with a shoulder barge before planting his boot firmly in the boy’s bread basket – a touch of class from a quality player – definitely a lot more to come from that lad.
And N7 – Campbell can most definitely play up front on his own. There’s some top-o’-the-shop youtube footage of him giving the the slippery fuks of the spanish/barca back-line the run around for costa rica earlier in the season. It’s a friendly but things soon turn ugly once they realize the quality of our boy JC
http://youtu.be/wa1n9YbyF-M
Fine spot@ 228 Catalan – their manager in court, the abuse they dished out to sir cyclist, the spying allegations and now that. Even when they get a little limelight they remain Classless c*nts. It’s but a question of time afore the entire club manages to locate one of Bale’s (the big S.winger) discarded banana-skins and slips up almightily leaving their season flats on its butt – surely? And i for one might afford myself a wee chuckle or two
Up The Arse!
CoR @ 332 – All those favour – a show of hands – carried!
CoR @ 332 – seconding that motion – ay?
Snir @ 303 – it’s the Mirror, a gossip rag masquerading as a newspaper.
AL @ #335
Bale = King of the S.wingers = Jungle Book-tastic!
Snowy, well in for the cent 🙂
And some excellent link up play between you, tabs and Clive from 290, what a sight 😉
cheers TS been plugging with that one all season – knew it would come good – like one of AW’s prodigies – eventually
Not sure why the article SG highlighted is being dismissed out of hand. They’re direct quotes from AW himself and have been reported elsewhere.
I think it bares looking at – the manager doesn’t say this sort of stuff often,. and he says what he says about profit in the context of talking about transfers – as SG said. I think it’s interesting. And the numbers, i.e. making 15 to 20 million a season, pretty much stack up in relation to transfers in recent times – i think
ahem “away”
CG@228 That article really made my day. Especially liked the part where the author referred to Adebawhore as a Nigerian. LOL
Harsha
How very odd!
First of all congratulations on a good game!
When I checked on Sunday evening I had 69 (down Wolfie) points and you had 62. And I also checked – all our players had scored, so I assumed that was that.
I can only guess that they hadn’t added all players’ scores to the total.
Still – 75 points and I lose. How is that possible??
Harsha for the cup!! 🙂
AL @ 335
Great link, that’s really good to see.
It could save us an absolute packet if Campbell proves to be ready to go next season.
Campbell hasn’t exactly set Ligue 1 on fire, he may just be the new Vela, you know. I remember when Vela was our saviour ;D
Need convincing of Miyaichi’s speed? Somebody just sent me this vid…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b4S-X40nwA
Dr.C @ #228
Splendid link, huge belly laughs. A very clever p*ss-take of the LWCs plus a bunch of retarded, LWC knuckle-draggers taking enormous offence…what’s not to like?
I notice a couple of regulars here also took the opportunity to chuck in a few pence worth. Marvellous.
Good point Ollie @ #346, although I hope you’re wrong 😉
I think we’re still going to need a seasoned, proven striker in the summer. Or maybe re-signing RVP will be another LANS?
It’s really depressing when your 8 yr old Grandaughter knows more about the Applications on your mobile phone than you do.!!
I didn’t even know it had applications on it.!!
Very Very Sad.
To the Board Of Directors,[ HT Mark 2 ]
I trust there will be a Non Inhaling and Alcohol free Carriage provided for the long trip North on Saturday.
Please advise ASAP,otherwise i will have to make alternative arrangements.
I also need to know the schedule for the trip to the San Siro next Tuesday,and whether the Restaurant car will be operational.
Yours in expectation
G2S.
So you are saying your mind is confused and struggling to retain things, Clive? Welcome to my world.
If you take AW’s ” You should know that each season it is imperative” (strong language) “Arsenal make a profit of 15-20 milion pounds” statement/quote at face value – and why wouldn’t you – unless you think either the manager or the journalist is lying – the numbers are interesting.
The club’s income streams are broadly split into TV money, Matchday and merchandising income, sponsorship deals, coins thrown at our corner-takers by moronic away support, property deals and transfer fees – the last one – unlike almost any other top club anywhere else in Europe
The TV money is moreorless fixed over a number of years (obviously the further you go in the CL/higher you finish in the PL etc the more you get), and our sponsorship deals have been fixed for even longer at relatively poor reward in relation to our nearest rivals because of the long-term loans we secured on the stadium blah-blah-blah.
We’ve pretty much flogged off most of the property – which means our only access to extra income, that we ourselves can raise in the short-term, is to wack up the prices our fans pay to get in/buy a burger/shirt etc and/or wheeler-deal in the transfer market and come up smelling of Rosie’s Monaco bank account.
In the last few seasons the club has done exactly that and made around 15 – 20 million quid a season – overall, i think. This policy in turn has seen us fall behind our rivals in the transfer market – despite our fans paying top dollar – an unvirtuous circle – and AW, and the club, rightly or wrongly, are now getting slaughtered for it from all sides.
I know some on here blame our wage-spend on our current stasis – but we’re barely competitive with the top lot there – and still the club needs extra income from elsewhere to cover all its costs
Yes there’s deadwood that we need to get shot of at the club – but that’s true of all the top clubs – who these days speculate on bringing in talented youngsters (a strategy they pretty much nicked off AW) on pretty big wages hoping they’ll turn out to be the next big thing. We still go at this strategy more aggressively than most – probably because the club/AW understands you’re less likely to pay out massive transfer fees when shopping in this particular market. The downside, of course, is that not every talented young’un blossoms into a top-notch pro.
Anyway the only real point i’ve got to make really – is that AW is directly quoted above and rather than take a good look at what a man of integrity and intelligence has said – too many dismiss it out of hand. Why? Is it because it doesn’t fit their “Wenger is an idiot these days and therefore the root of all our current ills” – agenda? – Just askin’. And apologies right off the bat if that’s unfair to anyone.
There are plenty on here who can deconstruct the numbers much better than me or a certain s***s manager can – but what AW is quoted as saying chimes with what is going on at the club currently – imho. It doesn’t offer any answers mind you. That’s a different debate all together…
psed i will of course be offering grovelling apologies, financial recompense and a holiday for two in sunny Rotherhithe to whoever – if it turns out AW was misquoted etc
Up The Arse!
G2S
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
🙂
‘Our’ world, I mean.
Andy Pandy
I have never worked out how to pre set my video recorder,i still press ‘Play’ when i go out,and hope that it will eventually record the programme i want to watch.!!
I haven’t got a clue how to work the machines on the Self Service checkouts in the Supermarket.
I can only send a Text on my phone if someone sends me one first.
I only found out what Skype was for on my Computer, last week.!!
What does that make me.??
Catalan
It seems every man and his dog knows what i getup to,except you.!!
Cheers
A dazed and confused Sweeper.
Dazed and confused. Yes, that’s it 😉
following that rant i thought i ought to come up with a wee gag – ahem
‘Arry looks like he might come out of that court case smelling of Rosie’s – arsehole
thaaaank you – and to all you twitterers on here i’ve banged it up there already under me newishish, but rarely used, LeG Rash moniker – ta!
@#357
You two can speak for yourselves.
AL @ #358. Edwin is now a follower….
I am now officially confused.
I suspect there’s a definite 3rd Andy Goram today.
At least.
Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurse!
2 squared is 4, no?
Feelgood is following you too AL,
Be afraid……..
Afternoon All ,
Some seriously funny stuff up there today . Too many to mention , but hats off to all .
Trev @304 – “why would Arsene give Benik a couple of camels before the end of the season ?”
Because Llamas are thin on the ground of course . Llama farming is a notoriously hazardous enterprise , such that demand outstrips supply , and those Llamas that do make it to market are instantly snaffled by PHW . A camel is a cheaper and less temperamental solution .
Dr Z @329 🙂 🙂 I find an election is much harder to achieve without rubrication . Elections are best ignored unless a female tells you you’ve purred .
Is Andy Goram Squared the uncool one?
Clive – was just getting in a little quote from Stuart Goddard! 🙂
Perhaps uncool in a professorial kind of way, Dr.C?
Edwin and Feelgood – it’s safe to say i’m afraid, i’m afraid
AL – wouldn’t be too concerned, in fact – Feelgood’s idea of trending is Duran Duran 😉
Nice post AL , on the more serious side of things @353 .
I agree that given the quotation marks , there is little doubt that AW said it , tabloid rag or not .
What it doesn’t say is what the question was that provoked that response . Context is key , and without that context , it is impossible to say what he meant . Depending on the context it could be –
1. A message to the Board that he is no longer prepared to take the flak for the Board’s parsimony .
2. That he no longer wants to work under such constraints whereby a bid for the likes of Hazard (Eden not Mickey) is out of the question .
3. That he supports a business model that makes a profit of 15m to 20m after transfers .
It is also open to interpretation , as is what the 15-20m referred to .
Is it the money he needs to generate before entering the market , is it the money he needs to generate in the transfer market each season ( not sure the figures do support that contention . Only last summer , where AW lost 2 players he didn’t want to lose , and the summer we sold Adebaywhore and Kolo have we made that kind of money) , is it the money the Club as a whole needs to make each year , and does it refer to money pre or post transfer dealings ?
Far from clear in my view , as is my post ! 🙂
Aahhhhhh!!! Okay – tha’s one identity sorted!
ooops – came over all Yorkshire then!
Steady, Clive.
Not sure that’s reassuring Dr. Z. Ps – is he hungry like the Wolfie?
AL 😀 😀
You’re all right. Feelgood has a more, err, orthodox appetite 😉
tabs 369. Absolutely spot on.
The interview as published by the Belgian paper (heh, how I laughed when I was asked to do the translation) has a lot of holes in it.
So published are only a few excerpts of a conversation so i suspect we miss a whole lot of the actual exchange.
“Hungry like Wolfie” ?
That’d be Coq au Vin , followed by a bit of Spotted Dick then .
The Andy Goram above is strangely familiar.
Cheers Andy , and thank you Andy as well .
Yuk @ 375.
It’s handy having all these Andy’s, wouldn’t you say?
Tabs @ 369 re context
I would add another level of the context thingy. The one where Arsene almost never goes public with that type of financial information re the club – especially not in relation to transfers.
The fact that he has chosen to would seem to be significant in my opinion.
It may be worth considering that it might also be a message to the fans – as well as the board – in light of the recent flak his transfer spend has been getting.
Of course it’s tricky to assess down to the last detail what AW meant without a fuller answer/follow-up questions etc, but to brush aside Arsene talking about transfers and the club’s finances using the sort of emphatic language i for one haven’t heard him use before doesn’t strike me as all that helpful
Whatever the reasons it looks to me like Arsene is possibly attempting to put a fuller picture of what’s going on at the club out there in the public domain.
Like that bloke off Match Of The Day – i’m all ears
I have to say, I’m still confused as to who Andy Goram actually is?
Is it you Ollie?
Feelgood – orthodox? Gawd ‘elp us it’s the loonies what really do hold sway – heeeeeeelllllllllpppppppp!!!!!
Harsha (slayer of GT Rollers)
We know two of them. I have my suspicions about the third…..! 🙂
Heh. And heh again…
http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/backofthenet/archive/2012/02/07/de-gea-if-i-stare-at-the-floodlights-i-see-angels.aspx
Featuring…. Bobby porn, and Santos discovers a new flavour of pie.! ;;
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/first-team-at-the-training-ground-pictures
True Storey @360 – “Edwin is a follower” – just confirming that he is no longer a leader then, as Feelgood suspected he no longer had the time to be.
Sorry, just being snitchy today, but have to curry a bit of favour as the HT Docs current record not looking great.
Tabs – thanks for the camel / llama explanation. I was beginning to doubt that anyone had taken my question seriously 😉
Arsene finally speaking out. Let’s hope so.
I still don’t believe he deserves the flack he has been getting, and even he will, surely, only stand for it for so long.
Could the interview be carefully timed to coincide with the Real Madrid / French national team rumours ??
Surely by now Harsha you should have worked out that there is NOT only one Andy Goram.
Right, lunch – off to get something tweet. Just for you TS 😉
Trev : boooo! 😀
Hey Trev
Edwin refutes your opinion of course. His lack of time is caused mainly by trying to lead another project away from the Gooniverse.
Now, remind me what number curry flavoured HT Docs are on the Indian takeaway menu down your way. 😉
See you soon….
Ah TS, the Indian menu, and songs therefrom.
George Michael – A different Korma
Paperback Raitha
It’s my chappatti and i’ll cry if I want to
Tears on my pilau
Poppadominique – by The Singing Naan
Now you’ve started something ! 😉
…. and heh! @ #387.
I’m tweet enough thanks 🙂
BTW – Looks like the Twitchy Tax Evasion case is coming to a conclusion in Southwark CC this afternoon. The meedja is holding its breath (don’t stop fellas). I think he’s going to get off (personal opinion only)…. the jammy b’stard. No doubt we’ll see him speaking through the wound down window of his motor to SSN if he does 🙁
Ollie: yay 🙂
TS @391 – do you mean that Bentley he paid cash for ? 😉
No not that one !
Multiple hehs at Trev.
Sentence this afternoon, TS?
Risk of overtwitch.
Trev @ #390
Another 😆
What about….?
Korma Chameleon by Culture Club (a fave of Wolfies, I believe)
Gosht In My House by R Dean Taylor (Steve T will appreciate that one)
http://www.football365.com/mediawatch/7493587/Mediawatch
Loved the Daily Mirror vs Capello bit.
TWITCHCON 10 Ollie!
Chips a perfectly flighted ball into the box, where Park is waiting…..
lays it off
Misses!
Park’s agent immediately gets on the phone to Le Boss asking who the f*ck is this Storey fella to take the glory away from his client?
Contract negotiations commence….
Splendid assist Ollie! You could make a Korea of that 😉
*grabs coat and leaves*
My fave is Pappadom preach
TS – I fear you might be right re Twitchy . From the edited highlights of the trial available , not convinced the Prosecution have covered themselves in glory .
ooo er, misses – well in TS
And in an attempt to curry favour
Daal ing i love you – David Hasselhof!
hmmm; now thanks to the boss, I may have another job offer coming my way, involving less technique more sales, but staying closer to my current domain.
I may have a difficult choice to make in the next few weeks.
For the first time I think there’s no natural choice, but I’m lucky to be kind of enough in demand to actually choose.
I’ve eliminated the option to work in a purely French context as I feel it would be a bit of a waste….
TS, the bookied are investigated why you tried to miss on purpose.
Looks like the ball bounced off your head as you were about to put it in your hands.
bookies
The only benefit tabs is that it might accelerate his twitch, sorry switch, from the LWCs to England, given Capello’s recent ill-advised comments re: JT. Anything that de-stabilises that mob is OK in my book.
Nice one Wolfie @ #403 BTW 🙂
Ollie @ #407
Actually, your honour, and as AL has already spotted, I was perfecting my Howerd Header technique.
Titter ye not, it seems to have worked.
(Dr.C will you explain that one to Hurricane please?)
TS, see my link from Mediawatch though.
Thanks Ollie, good stuff…
Tabs @ 364 Have you ever ridden a camel?! Trust me, they are very temperamental. My advice to you if you ever try it, is don’t wear a skirt and hold on for dear life. Cheers!
This chart from The Swiss Ramble clearly illustrates how net transfer spend affects Arsenal’s profits.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zcqrzXOZAyo/To1YtD_SHuI/AAAAAAAAEFo/UfNSlcHW-QQ/s400/5%2BArsenal%2BImpact%2Bof%2BPlayer%2BSales.jpg
Ollie@396: Loved the how to deal with a mermaid problem even more.
SG@316: I note your caveat, and wouldn’t suggest that you were. Props to you, too, for posting the original interview in DH.
heh yes, that was a great one, NBN.
Traditional Zimbabwean beer for NBN please, barman.
Someone in Spain is losing their rag.
I have received an e-mail completely in Spanish. I don’t quite understand it.
Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arteta are providing a real threat at the moment of scoring from long range. The defenses won’t know how to respond when paired with the complementary threats of RVP and Theo. No reason we shouldn’t go on a run of positive results now. Come on Arsenal!!
abb @413, That sounds like proper advice for Wolfie. 😉
Re: Trev @390 😀 😀 You seem to have found the time to recover your muse. 😀
TS @395, AL @405 🙂
Hey 8ball – 😉
8 Ball @ 419 Yes, Must keep Wolfie happy! BTW, I enjoyed your post from way back about the Beatles. Interesting stuff. Cheers!
My god, Piers Morgan really is an odious little cunt isn’t he? Listen to this from football365’s Mediawatch:
Piers Morgan: ‘@GaryLineker_I currently air in 200 countries/territories – how you getting on? #SmallPondMinnow’
And get Lineker’s response:
Gary Lineker: ‘@piersmorgan I think the 2 world cups I played in probably edged that’
Back in your box Moron, you jumped-up, self-publicising slimebag.
8Ball @418 – We have the ability to go on a good run and go for fourth i reckon, ‘specially with some of our wounded returning to the fray. But unlike s***s, cesspool and nooocassle (the real utd) we’ve got the champs league to contend with.
Teams in that invariably drop points in the league – and what with our still longish injury list and lack of cover in some key spots i fear for us on that front a bit
Oil well, we’ll just have to win the champs league i reckon “R U watchin’ mankchesteeer, R U watchin’ mankchester!”
Up The Arse!
Tikka chance on me. Abba
Ruby. Kaiser Chiefs
Balti love. The supremes.
Land of a thousand dhansaks. Wilson Picket
Davys on the Rojan again. Manned Mann
Night fever. The Bahgis.
Not going to vouch for the spelling mind.
Not forgetting My Pakora by The Knack
*coat, now*
Re: Steve T. Tikka chance on me. 😀
heh at curry songs
AL, If we can avoid cup replays it would be a help too, along with getting a few games out of the returning injured army.
Aye, aye 8ball
jury sent home (after 4 hours deliberating) till tomorrow on Yappyapp’s case. Has to be a unanimous apparently – which means there may be some s***s weasel holding up the inevitable…take ‘im awaaay!
http://youtu.be/zRu3tw9fYxE
CoR @ 347, the strangest thing was, I was at that game, but that burst of pace didn’t make that much of an impact on me. Maybe cos I wasn’t in the West or East Stand you see. When Nico and the Ox combined down the wing, that was more empathic as they were coming right at me! 🙂
Mr C @ 383, indeed, ‘heh’ is in order, especially because of the picture at the top of the article 😆
I see the assist master is at work again 😉
And what a deightful ‘not’ goal by TS, his miss has left many in dumbfounded stupor as the ball spins to a stop in the net 😀
And @ 402/403, heh! 😆 😆 😆
TS @ 410, stop tittering man – yes you! You know who you are!
Have to say I’m quite the fan of that website Mr C directed us all too yesterday .
Found this little gem by the same writers . Pleased to observe that very few Gooners taken in , save for a couple who judging from their monikers , post on Le Grove , so can safely be assumed to have zero brain cells .
Also grinned that one of our regulars , H2H , had made a little contribution , talking of whom , where the devil is he ? His “bit of business” is very protracted . Perhaps he’s sorting out the economic problems that currently bedevil Western Europe ?
Whatever the reason , I miss my afternoon shots from the Netherlands .
http://threeandin.com/2011/09/23/arsenal-need-a-new-owner/
Trev , Steve T , TS – Great work re the curry songs 🙂
Camberwell – I logged on to Piers Morgan’s Twitter page last week when Holic mentioned him in the main post . Every single comment he made was odious . I don’t wish anyone ill-will , but I really do think that I would break into a song and dance routine if I heard that Piers Morgan had been extensively tortured prior to being brutally murdered . To use Steve T’s phrase , the man is an oxygen thief .
Abb – A Camel can indeed be troublesome , but you need to show the beast who’s boss . Don’t spare it the rod . Once the Camel understands the dynamics of the relationship , the fervour of a camel’s love is really quite something . Knocks a dog for six in the loyalty stakes . Once this subservience is achieved , riding a camel is one of the greatest pleasures life can offer . I have , on occasion , worn a skirt , but prefer to go bareback .
too= to 😳
Oh dear, we’ve arrived at Camel love.
I see my offer of free spliff was taken up liberally by some 😉
The curry songs theme seems to have gained a bit of momentum, no doubt powered by its own wind.
Excellent input form Steve T, Dr.z, tabs & AL. Top stuff. Drinks all round funded by The Scandinavian Massive that is Arsenal Sweden.
And talking of Wind (or wind – as in handle – as Mr.T would say), pleased to see that you’re no stranger to your Francis.
UTA & Up Pompeii!
PS: For those interested, ‘Awwy is baack in cawt tamorra. The jury is still deliberating. More column inches and meedja bollix will now be wasted on his saggy chops before he inevitably gets let off for his cheeky cockney charm and a decent defence…. better than the one he’s put together at SHL?
AL, bt8b and others: fourth is achievable. Even third isn’t out of reach. The top seven all have 14 games left, or 42 points max available.
For the top seven clubs to get to our max possible of 82 points for the season, their records from here on in would have to be be:
Man City P14 W8 D1 L5*
Man Utd P14 W9 D0 L5
Spuds P14 W10 D2 L2*
Chelsea P14 W13 D0 L1*
Newcastle P14 W13 D1 L0*
Arsenal P14 W14 D0 L0
Liverpool P14 W14 D0 L0* – and still short a point
We still have to play the clubs marked with a *.
Baring an unlikely collapse Man City and Man Utd would seem to have a plump enough cushion. But from the Spuds on down, it is squeaky bum time. The sides with the best runs-in over the last 14 games will take third and fourth. We don’t have much, if any room for error. Winning the head-to-heads is vital. Those are six-pointers all. One or two of the sides in the top seven will inevitably have an end-of-season melt-down. We are due for it not to be us.
Great curry songs, team. As the old blessing has it, may the wind at your back not be your own.
Heh NBN @ #437 😆
“Where e’er ye be, let yer wind gang free”…. a bit late for Burns night, I know
tabs, I’m with you on Piers Morgan. The less said about that idiot the better.
NBN knows.
Brass Bales here, just went outside and I’ve been turned into ice.
Tabs @ 432 I should have known you could tame the beast. LoL
Ollie
Great great link from football365.. I’ve now followed them on twitter etc – I realise that they need to be read every day!
I, too, think the mermaid solution is ideal….. 🙂
CG @423
True – after reading the media watch I now have some new found respect for Lineker! Excellent put down.
Would love to know if Morgan came back at all, but I won’t be polluting my life by looking at his account….
Nice work @436 NBN – still think though that the pressure put on our squad by the champs league will cost us points in the premiership – as at some point AW may be forced to rest say RVP in one of the 2 big comps when the games start coming along like J. Defoe – thick ‘n’ fast.
Most of our rivals for 3/4th spot don’t got that prob
Definitely like the idea of us avoiding our annual end of season collapse too. Would feel more confident of that though if future cap’n Jack was on his way back to steady the ship
still – onward and upwardish!
I rode a Camel once,
In North Africa,Late 60’s,
Little place called Hammamet.
I think at the time there were only about 4 or 5 Hotels to choose from back then.
Idyllic,beautiful place,unspoilt by the tainted hand of Tourism.
I see now there are over 100 Hotels in that Municipality.!!
That alone was one of the many positives of growing up in the 60’s.
Cheers
The Sweeper
Back drinking complete
TaBS – thanks for that 3andin article – good to see that overall most Gooners have a few more brain cells than that Sp*ds.
Apart from Mr “Groverider” of course.
Scarily, he seemed to get that it was a joke, but then couldn’t help himself from cutting and pasting his normal stuff. In a way that’s even worse than the pig shit thickness shown by the Spuds……
Oh, Clive, I rode my Camel in beautiful Morroco when I was 23 years old. Beautiful landscape and the children were precious, wanted to take them home with me.
All this chat about riding camels is going to bring out the worst in Wolfgang.
Just warning you in advance. 😉
Whoops, ‘Morocco’ is the official spelling, I see. Musn’t get Ollie on my case.
Zico @ 448 Heh!
Comedy half hour time …
http://threeandin.com/2011/01/21/harry-redknapp-is-making-things-small-time-at-spurs/
Comments section every bit as hilarious as last night .
Abb and Clive know !!
Dr Z , Why all this camel hostility ? Where would Lawrence of Arabia have been without his trusty camel ? Getting bashed up by the natives , that’s what . Never underestimate a camel . Beneath that cool , some might say seductive , cud-chewing exterior , lurks a beast of strength , pace and stamina . Add to the pot its unique ethereal beauty , and you have a winner plain and simple .
Ask not what your camel can do for you , ask what you can do for your camel .
Think you need to drom up support for your hump elsewhere, tabs 😉
Mr C @443 , I’m afraid Morgan did , but it was all infantile name calling bollocks . He appears to think he’s funny .
Dr Z heh 🙂
TaBS @451
Thank you. Genius!! 🙂 🙂
Nice sales pitch Tabs, but I’m slightly worried you’ve gone and done your hump, Nurse!
Oh lads, before I call it a night…remember Meat Loaf’s song from ‘Bat Out of Hell’, ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’? Isn’t that just the greatest song ever…
Erm abb, no.
‘Night 🙂
Abb @457 , its a no from me I’m afraid .
I won’t say anything more as I have strong views . For a short period in the eighties , I joined a splinter group who campaigned under the banner –
“Turn Meat Loaf into meat loaf” .
It is a regret that we weren’t successful , and the group split up acrimoniously when some wanted to focus all our attentions on Edwina Currie and Jason Orange .
Mr C @455 – My pleasure Sir .
Wind @456 – No need to worry Grasshopper 😉
*Breathes out a Hurricane of Relief*
Sees collateral damage, gets his coat and disappears 🙂
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Wind, I dedicate Coldplay’s ‘When I Use to Rule the World’ to you. My 2nd fav. Goodnight mate.