Fragile Arsenal Second Best On Last Trip To The Lane
Apr 30th, 2017 by 'holic
Arsene Wenger made changes from a close victory against Leicester City for the North London derby. Out went Hector Bellerin, Francis Coquelin, and Theo Walcott. Back came Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, and Olivier Giroud. The latter was a controversial pick but was surely in with an eye on Tottenham’s aerial threat at set pieces.
Chelsea’s victory earlier at Everton in an early fixture meant our opponents started the game seven points behind Chelsea while the two Manchester clubs drew giving the Gunners a chance to narrow the gap to the top four.
The opening minute showed the challenge that would follow. Harry Kane made a yard of space on the left side of the area and forced Petr Cech to make an early save. After a relatively quiet spell the home team had another attempt but Alderweireld’s header from a corner was both high and wide. A mis-placed looping header from Laurent Koscielny did require Cech to save under the crossbar.
The action switched to the other end in the eleventh minute as Gibbs burst into the box and went down under the challenge of Loris, but replays showed the French goalkeeper had got a firm hand to the ball first. No penalty. Alexis and Ramsey combined to put Giroud in but the latter was adjudged to be offside. Mesut Ozil, who never tracks back according to Matin Tyler, was fouled by Vertonghen in the right-back berth while covering for the Ox. Strange that he failed to mention it.
Midway through the half we had Oxlade-Chamberlain to thank for denying Alli a simple header from point blank range. We had another huge let off when Eriksen volleyed Son’s cross onto the top of the crossbar. When a Ramsey shot from the edge of the box was blocked there was a cavalry charge towards the Gunners goal, but Arsenal’s defenders were swiftly on the retreat and dealt with the danger impressively.
When Granit Xhaka was adjudged to have felled Vertonghen, and replays suggested he had played the ball, Michael Oliver issued a warning to him with skipper Laurent Koscielny summoned to make sure he knew what was being said. A sensible bit of refereeing I have to say as one who gives the men in black a tough time. Alli’s off-the-ball clatter into the back of Xhaka went unseen and therefore unpunished.
An Arsenal break seven minutes from half-time saw Ramsey receive a pass from Ozil and curl an effort towards the fast post that Loris needed to go full length to parry. Moments later Gibbs tried his luck with his swinger, but sent the ball high into the Paxton as the Gunners turned the tide. Alexis hit a curler from wide on the left but sadly missed the far post. The same player screwed another attempt square of the target and the action moved to the other end.
From a partially cleared corner Vertonghen brought a fine save out of Cech with a carefully placed effort to the far post. The Middlesex team were interestingly allowed to take a corner in the fourth of three added minutes but the outstanding Gunners rearguard held firm. The first half had been a true war of attrition with both sides feeding on scraps.
Arsenal’s early pressing created the first chance of the second-half but when Ozil found Alexis Tottenham held firm and broke at pace. That resulted in Cech tipping a Wanyama drive over the bar. Next to draw a comfortable save out of Cech was Kane with a drive from the edge of the box. The second-half was starting in lively fashion and Giroud fired a half-chance over the bar for the Arsenal.
Disaster struck as the clock ticked over 55 minutes Cech denied Eriksen who had wriggled through the left side of the Gunners defence but Alli was first to the rebound and scrambled the opener. That was made worse two minutes later when Oliver adjudged Kane’s tumble a penalty. Kane stayed upright long enough to convert from the spot. Two down, we needed a lift from somewhere, and quickly.
Giroud, then Alexis, both hit tame left-footed efforts straight at Loris. The inevitable substitution followed and midfielder Xhaka made way for Danny Welbeck as Arsene Wenger went for broke. Obviously that left us open to more pressure and Vertonghen’s effort was a whisker away from a third. We survived a shout for a second penalty when Son’s cross hit the elbows of Alexis from point-blank range, so hardly deliberate.
Welbeck’s pursuit of a cross ended with he and Loris contesting 50/50 ball and a gross over-reaction from Alderweireld as tempers flared. Nacho Monreal’s challenge on Kane hardly helped to calm the growing hostility on the pitch. That is the way the derby turns sometimes, and frankly it was late arriving. Cech denied Kane at the near post as they regrouped after the substitution of Bellerin for Gabriel. From the resulting corner he produced another save to deny Alderweireld.
Tottenham surprisingly sent on Dembele for the lively Son, presumably to lock the back door shut. Walcott for Giroud was the Arsenal response. His first effort when teed up by Ramsey was a weak effort into the midriff of Loris.
The closing minutes of the last derby in this incarnation of the Lane was a painful experience. We have to accept that, for the first time in 22 years, the lot up the road were well deserving of clinching a postponement of St Totteringham’s Day. Their new reality will dawn when they have to play at Wembley next season, but for now this was their day, and their season in the Premier League.
All we can do is congratulate them and vow to restore the natural order next season. Here’s hoping that when we meet again it will be as the FA Cup winners returning to Wembley. That doesn’t help the mood tonight, however.
213 Responses to “Fragile Arsenal Second Best On Last Trip To The Lane”
We looked like what we are. An upper mid table side with a pile of very poor players and some who are there just for the wages.
If Mourinho really wants Ozil, let him go. The bloke manages to get more invisible with every game.
It should have been five or six
That was fast, Holic and balanced as usual. Thanks.
Giroud and Ozil went missing. Starting with Giroud fills me with dread as we totally lack pace up front and today that helped Spurs to camp in our half. Things changed after Welbeck and Theo came on but it was too late.
Cynic knows.
I enjoyed that report, Holic. Had we scored, even late, I think we might have managed a draw. Wally’s soft side foot was the greater pity for that. A golden chance. Some great stuff from Cech. Yep, a Cup win would lift the mood.
Completely agree with last two paras Holic. The last 22 years have been real fun, but they deserve it this year. Now all about the Cup Final. Apart from keeping momentum for that I couldn’t give a stuff about top 4.
Thank God Chelsea did their job today (Ugh for having to write that).
We have no chance of winning the Cup if we the finals play as we did today.
Giroud would be nowhere near the first eleven at any other supposedly top club. But you can say that about half the team.
The defence is going to get criticised but they were basically on their own, because the so-called midfield and the attacking players offered nothing.
You can take getting beat, even by them, if you compete but we have far too many players who can’t be arsed.
Cheers H. Much appreciated as I only had arseblog live blog to give me any idea. Sounded like Cech kept the score down.
Well played Spurs. Huge credit to Pochettino.
Agree with Countryman – Cup Final is the big one. If we win a few league games before then then all well and good. But I won’t be surprised if we don’t.
UTA
Martin Tyler’s view of Ozil’s backtracking sounds about the same as Lee Dixon’s. Fragile covers it if non-existent doesn’t quite.
Even a blind swine can find an acorn once in 22 years.
We are a weak team and any side in the PL knows that these days!
We strolled and we’re lucky in the first half as we should have been 2 nil down after half hour mark!
If AW cannot pump this lot for a local derby then he truly has lost the team in my view. No one performed no one apart from Czech!!!!
It’s a sad story but a reality check we have no spine currently we certainly look like our players have been training together for a month!
Nice one trf 🙂 Thanks BtM et al.
Same rules on a bad night. No post numbers please as they will change when the hard of thinking appear. No stick for Dave and cusop if they come calling. They have waited a long time to feel like they do today. We will only feel like this for this season.
We also have a real Cup Final to prepare for. They don’t.
We stuttered and they flowed, Cech saved us from a real thrashing. We were not sharp enough, very disappointing display all round. Ozil once more failed to make any impact in a big game and Giroud was anonymous.
Back to the drawing board Arsene, let’s regroup and send the Mancs home empty handed.
True Holic we do have a cup final to prepare for.
I’m just down at the moment I’m out for some sushi to brighten up my mood!
Come on Sushi Mania ?!
How can anyone enjoy reading about us losing to that lot is beyond me…but many things are these days.
Many.
Fine report maestro. Your last two paras sum things up nicely.
I’m with CM100 – focus on the Cup Final. Drill the MF and defence on how to play this new formation. Win the cup (with a performance like last Sunday rather than today) and replace the passengers with hungry young wannabes.
Major changes are essential in the summer. If they don’t happen I fear our slow decline into mediocrity will continue and harder times will be ahead.
Nice one, try @10.
Henry asked “What comes next?” but he was talking about what Spurs will do and whether they can turn this current season and a half into trophies next year.
As an Arsenal man, he knows what comes next for us. More of the same. No tactics, run of the mill players.
Pretty disappointing today but not a surprise performance I’m afraid.
Arsenal FC are running Soccer training Camps here in the U.S. this summer with the slogan “Play the Arsenal Way”, with a picture of Ozil.
Can’t see too many attending after watching Arsenal play the last few months.
“I was once fined £5,000 for calling Tottenham fans wankers. The best £5,000 I’ve ever spent.” Ian Wright
Excellent report, Holic.
Dave, Cusop, can’t deny the Guvnor’s summing up, you’ve been much better than us this season.
My own thoughts during the match were less balanced than the Guvnor’s and I don’t normally bother to include comments on the match itself as others do them earlier and better.
If anyone’s interested, I did have a few today, summarised as —
The change in formation looks ok but we’re not practised at it.
Too many players not used to their positions – and start positions when they receive the ball.
Ox – great spirit but playing a position he doesn’t know.
Centre backs adapting to new areas across the pitch.
Walcott, Iwobi, Perez, Welbeck all fit to play – who starts wide left ? – Gibbs !
Gibbs got wrong side of his man TWICE in the attack that led to Ali’s goal – absolutely bloody clueless.
Holding fit to play – he’s been brilliant so far. He’s left out so that Monreal, our best full back, plays as a third centre half.
As for Giroud – Get that fucking stupid beard off and stop your Gallic gesticulating and fight you lazy ****.
It’s absolute chaos and looks like it on the pitch.
Who’s that spectator with a number 3 shirt on jogging around on the pitch while Spuds were scoring their second goal ?
Deeply depressing.
The team is in chaos.
The club doesn’t know or is too scared to make an announcement on the manager.
People are taking the piss out of us and how do we argue ?
I can’t even disagree with Jamie bloody Redknapp – that’s how bad it is.
Sorry Holic – hope I haven’t overstepped the mark.
‘their second goal’ was actually their first goal !
So little time between them ……. 🙁
I didn’t think Gibbs was at fault, all I saw was Monreal, Koscielny and Gabriel afraid to challenge for the ball and Xakha fall over, then Ox try to clear the ball with the wrong leg. Gibbs sort of got lost in all that, I hadn’t noticed him.
He may well have been abject, I just didn’;t see him for all the other layers of abjectivity (if that’s a word. If not it will suffice)
Don’t be daft Trev. We’re all feeling like that tonight. Why shouldn’t you have a respectful pop when we play like that. Fair enough in my book.
pops ?
ok
Paul Weller is an originality bereft talentless hilariously haircutted furfnangler !
to some
Thank God Chelsea didn’t have to rely on our sorry asses to do shit for them. Jokers…
I can’t get enough of him cba! ??
Washed Up In France, that was Coventry supporters, sadly. I wish it had been the LWCs.
Cynic,
Gibbs was the wing back on our left. He’s supposed to be marking their winger. The fact that you didn’t notice him says it all. He jogged at something less than half pace and never got in front of his man at all. Have a look st the replay. Pathetic.
Cheers Holic.
I will take your word for it, I can’t watch any of that again..
Good decision Cynic. Nobody of an Arsenal persuasion should have to watch that again. Not pretty.
Agreed bath.
Really disappointed with our play today – our lack of adaptation to the new system showed today. I can’t understand why Welbeck did not start upfront instead of Giroud. The Tottenham defence must have been really happy to have seen his name in the starting line up. The criticism of Ozil is not out of place at all but when you have a playmaker of his Calibre in the team, then you need the forward line to be dynamic and quick for him to release the ball to. With Giroud that doesn’t happen at all. The only obvious pass then is to Sanchez who is tightly marked. Ozil would instantly become a far better player with a top quality front line. That doesn’t mean that he can forego his defensive duties, but right now his strengths aren’t being utilized by the team. Eriksen in their team looked average in seasons gone bye but the pace and movement of Kane, Son, Alli and their fullbacks this season have made him look like a far more accomplished player.
Chamberlain spent more time defending than attacking and that was because of Spurs’ movement and constant threat. It’s not a pleasant thing to type this but they played much better than us and more importantly looked like a team full of confidence and belief. It looks like their best season after many many years will still be just a runner up finish. And their temporary shift to Wembley and eventually a new stadium will pose considerable difficulties. Also they will now have to endure other top clubs coming in to lure some of their promising youngsters for astronomical fees and salaries. They will discover their own Nasris and Adebayors or maybe even worse.
As for us, we face a massive cup final and an even bigger summer. A wind of change is picking up – it remains to be seen how deeply it shakes things up.
Loosing is not a bad thing if you show hear and desire during the game! We are not either the application was not good enough, there was none of that especially in a local derby!
Trev,
A very good point re Gibbo he would never make the team playing 442 so why play him in this formation? Who knows perhaps he’s better then Perez and Theo combined.
Anyway i have had enough of sushi now, time for a doom bar!
hear = heart
Not seen any of the game. I am just on the way home having spent 15 hours at work. I have the game recorded but as usual, will just hit the delete button.
Let’s all be brutally honest. The squad isn’t even close to being good enough. A lot of average players picking up vastly inflated wage packets. I echo Trev’s frustrations above and many more that have been expressed.
The stagnation and subsequent decline have been going on for several years now. Most seem to have been happy to turn a blind eye. Well sadly, there comes the time when you can’t just bluff it anymore.
I wonder if Stanley is actually bothered??
Nice write up H. See you all at the ManUre game. It will be my last for some considerable time.
CBA@26.
Come over here and say that you sheep loving softie.
I don’t know much about coach but if I am going to play Tottenham, whom are under more pressure than me to win I’ll definitely go for 433 with Welbeck, Sanchez and Walcott at the front……Xhaka, Ramsey and El Nani….Then Bellerin, Kolcieny, Monreal, Gibbs….
Giroud and Ozil have no business starting this game…..But the manager knows better
Ozil was playing ?
The criticism of Ozil is not out of place at all but when you have a playmaker of his Calibre in the team, then you need the forward line to be dynamic and quick for him to release the ball to.
He doesn’t release it to them either, he’s turned into Aaron Ramsey. Half a dozen touches when two will do.
I would let him go in the summer and put my eggs (salary wise) in the Sanchez basket.
But it’s not really any help to try to say what we’d do or should do, because we’re going to have Wenger in charge, which means more Giroud, more Ozil, more relying on average quality players like Xhaka to try to pull it all off, with no real tactical thoughts behind any of it.
We certainly won’t sign anyone of any note and who’d take our dead wood? Would any other English club take Giroud? Not a hope. Not even a club like Everton would have him
Our players look like they don’t know their roles, and not just because the system has changed. They look like they are making it all up as they go along
Evening H
Must admit to being mystified at the exclusion of young Holding from the line up at the Lane.
After the win over City at Wembley,i was sure the same line up was nailed on for the Derby.
Nacho played so well in the wing back role that day,i couldn’t believe he was switched to a central role,and the Boss gave a gig to a completely unmotivated player in Gibbs,who has been on the outer most of the season.
It upset the balance of the side,and as a consequence we looked a bit disjointed.
Much like the City game,the neighbors were far better than us in the first half,but we still went in level at half time.
2 poor goals given away in as many minutes early in the 2nd half,summed up our season since the New Year.
42 goals conceded in the league and still 5 games to play.
Very faint pulse over top 4 finish which will likely be extinguished by
“Park the Bus ” Maureen next weekend.
My birthday today,my brother’s next Saturday,so we bookend that wonderful Gunner Rocky,who would have been 50 years young this coming Tuesday.
How we needed some of his never say die spirit,skill and class at the Lane today.
From dot com –
Arsene Wenger asked whether he believes there is a big difference between the two teams –
“Look, whether I believe or not, the gap is there. That is often in the final part of the season, that can go one way or the other without really reflecting the difference between the teams. But I know it’s a good subject for the media.”
Sorry to say it but that is disappointing gobbledygook.
A good subject for the media ?
We are 17 points behind. We have a squad full of players that the manager doesn’t want to put on the pitch, or are injured, leaving players playing out of position in an unpracticed system. Our play looks random and devoid of tactics to counter our best opponents’ strengths.
There were glaring misses today from Alli and Erikson, three world class saves from Cech, and Sanchez should have had a penalty given against him for handball. It could easily have been 8-0.
Yep, that is a good subject for the media.
If we had lost 8-0 it would have made no difference to him being manager next year, that’s the tragic bit (if you can apply that word to a game of football)
Why does Wenger deserve a two year contract extension again????
Still struggling to understand how 3 at the back is better than 4 when conceding goals has been our major problem all season. It makes a player like Theo redundant, and he’s our second highest goalscorer. So who is going to score apart from Alexis? Not Ox or Danny they are both hopeless in front of goal. Not Mesut cos he rarely strays out of a rigid 10 metres either side of halfway. Not Rambo who has forgotten how, or OG who looks rusty after rusting on the bench most of the season. The best we can hope for is an optimistic wallop from the odd defender, or in in-offs a la Huth.
And if we have to play wingbacks why doesn’t Hector get the job? He was a winger in the past and our best FB now. Ox has been enthusiastic in recent games but was back to his traditional mediocrity today.
Sell half the squad, fire the manager and let’s start over next year. Oh, and if there’s a chance we could sink low enough to avoid the Europey League we should go for it. 🙁
No wait, if we win the FA Cup we’re Europied anyway and I want us to win it. Forget that last bit.
In the Netherlands, Vitesse Arnhem have done a Leicester and won the Eredivisie championship for the first time in their 125 year history.
It would be nice to get a report from H2H on the subject but we haven’t heard from our lowlands correspondent in a while now.
Whoops! I read the headline wrong, it was the Dutch Cup not the Eredivisie title. Here’s the story: http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/39766512
It looks like Spurs top-earners are Sissoko (£90,000 a week), Dembele (£85,000 a week), Son (the same) and Lloris (£80,000 a week; Ramsey gets the same). Kane is on £60,000 a week (same wages as Gibbs and Koscielny). Ozil, Sanchez, Walcott, Giroud and Cech are all on six-figures a week. Out total wage bill is estimated at $180 million for this season against Spurs’ 121 million.
Clive: happy birthday.
I didn’t see the posts but wondered what
we’ve ever done to annoy Coventry.
Anyway, it’s a shame but we just weren’t
good enough yesterday. Spuds were well-
organized and we weren’t really.
However, I can’t see them doing a
Leicester this season so at least there’s
that and this punching above their
weight thing won’t last, it never does.
We should offer to double Kane’s salary, Ned.
My only contact with the game here in the US has been a load of mates expressing their frustration at the performance. There is huge uniformity in the analysis of the problems.
Why it is so depressing is that the Arsenal Board are going to give Arsene another contract in the mistaken belief that he can reinvent himself. He can’t and this season is the proof of that. He was the finest manager in the world but a muti- billion industry doesn’t stand still and he has been overtaken by other teams and managers. Poch is a very good manager and has the LWCs playing at a level way beyond ours despite the fact that the wage bill is substantially lower and the transfer budget smaller.
In fact the board may already know he can’t reinvent himself but urged on by an absentee landlord who finds the current set up very conducive to building a stash of cash they can’t be arsed ( apologies to a great man of that name) to do anything about it.
We will go into next season knowing that we can’t challenge for the league yet will pay the highest ticket prices in the league to watch our failing attempts to do it. It is cynical in the extreme and frankly Wenger should not add to the farce by refusing to announce his decision. The world and his wife know what it is and it is going to drag a club that he has built and cherished down at the end of his reign.
This squad is far from good enough to challenge. At the end of the month we will be humiliated by the Chavs in a high profile final. It’s likely that Mourinho will coax at least a draw out of an exhausted United squad next Sunday. It’s also likely that Ozil won’t turn up again, we will be overrun in midfield , our defence will lack organisation and our attack will be toothless or if Giroud plays slow and toothless.
The trouble is that emoting about it will make fuck all difference to Kroenke and most Arsenal supporters realise this. He doesn’t give a shit about the frustration and impotence we feel that’s why he has been such an awful owner for this great club.
I really can’t protest against my club, I’d hate to hurt Wenger and I still have red and white blood in my veins but I am very disillusioned by the situation because I can’t see the loathsome Kroenke leaving. So that leaves us all in a very unhappy limbo.
You can buy a new car, divorce your wife and migrate to another country (twice in my case), but your football club is your club for life and its colours are the only colours you’d be seen dead favouring. Comcomitant to that is suffering these occasional disappointments.
We should just thank Dennis our club is special and that these periodic exigencies are fewer and further between than 99 per cent of football supporters the world over have to live with.
Happy birthday Clive. Apart from that garbage I hope you had a top day.
There are two main reasons for the major dissatisfaction shown by fans. The first is that many have seen this coming for years now. The second is that we not only should have identified it earlier, but we should have dealt with it way back then. I would suggest that there is a massive feeling of “I told you this would happen” amongst many.
One of the main problems with Arsene and the current squad is that I genuinely don’t believe that he knows his best team. I think it really has got to that stage. Playing 3 at the back, despite your opinion of it, just smacked of desperation to me.
The problem now of course is where do we actually go from here? I have been a massive critic of the board for several years now. I have absolutely no faith in any of them. I certainly struggle with the concepts that they have the ability to attract a top class manager or top class players. We have been in steady decline for years now and few at the club have had the foresight to actually look further than the end of their noses and see that.
Of course we have a cup final to look forward to. Hopefully it will be another great day out. But it’s again time to make an honest assessment. Who here is approaching that game without some degree of fear or trepidation? Whilst yesterday was just horrible, I’m sure there is something in all of us that is grateful that the score was only 2-0? For me, that is genuinely a very sad state of affairs.
I accept there is still a lot to play for but plans should already be being made for next season. The question should be asked about how many of this squad do you keep and how many do you let go? We have gone from needing minor treatment to now needing major surgery. All because we were too blinkered to deal with it when we should have done.
two seasons in a row we have had teams will lesser budgets than us finishing ahead of us.
outsmarted last year by an old manager and this year by younger and hungrier managers.
It is truly embarrassing for a club of our stature. to be lead down this path into a downward spiraling dead end.
even an fa cup win (and anything can happen on the day) cannot gloss over the fact that our club is filled with weak physical attributes and weaker personalities. we hardly give anyone a real game anymore.
Cheers H!
TTG @ 55 Every fucking word mate.
We have been a bit shit this season by our normal standards, but before we eulogise too much about this Spurs side we should take the following facts into consideration:
1) We’ve lifted seven FA Cups since they last did so in 1991
2) We’ve lifted six League Winners trophies since they last did so in 1961
3) They’re a bunch of cunts.
Excellent analysis, TTG. Seconded.
Likewise Steve T.
Never a truer word, Dorset Mick.
TTG @55 – Spot. On. ??????
Steve T @57 – familiar but true story.
By the way, plans are already made for next season. Look on dot com.
Shirt selling forays into Australia and China all announced ??
That should help pre-season preparations no end.
Kerching.
Everything’s alright really, pardna.
?
Good read, i know it hurt, as I today feel the joy, this outcome has been coming for quite awhile. but I have to day beating you in the league will be the only real joy for Spurs, but please do not underestimate. How much this result means to us all
C
Tottenham are better than Arsenal now and the gap is widening. The best that can be said is that this is the first time we have had to say that in nearly a quarter of a century.
On the downside, this new reality will not change if the current management of either club stays the same.
Arsenal are now way off the pace in the Premier League and will probably get embarrassed in an FA Cup Final mismatch like Aston Villa did two years ago. I’m not even going to watch.
Trev. What could possibly go wrong? An ideal way to prepare. Just as long as it leaves us two free days at the end of August for our panic buys.
?
Steve T @ 57
Absolutely spot- on, the lack of faith in this board among supporters is mind blowing and totally justified. They are carrying out an awesome deceit hoping to bury bad news that Wenger is staying after the Cup Final. The sentence that really hit home was the one about hoping only to lose 2-0. What a state to be in, yet that is how I was feeling waiting for my phone to beep knowing that the score could have been anything.
Chelsea could embarrass us at Wembley in a terrifying way, I saw us myself humiliated at Palace and Chelsea are several goals better than that.
We are left in the awful situation of wondering whether one terrible humiliation will do the trick and make the board do something or whether we will just lose respectably ! What a way to approach what used to be the biggest day in a fan’s life. Frankly although we beat Citeh their last two games show the form they are in . It’s so sad that our wonderful club is reduced to this.
Mind you Untold Arsenal say it was the referee’s fault!
Hope the birthday went well, Clive.
Good stuff all, thank you.
The emperor has no clothes. Such has been the case for a very long time. Out of necessity for stability through stadium financing [ e.g. there was nearly a wages default during 2003/4 season ], the magnitude of achievements 1997 to 2004 needed to be hyped. Understandable to a point and perhaps quite manageable short term during what was still a fairly unique “custodial” ownership arrangement. Directors could still have an influence and maybe mitigate a tendency to play football in way that leaves you naked at the back and generally off the cuff in midfield , with no real strategy. The director influence did restrain the magnitude of total control by one individual…the emperor. Unfortunately this also coincided with certain directors [ eg Dean ] embarking on a path of self destruct of “The Arsenal Model” of custodial ownership and let in an “outsider” through the back door….the future was set. Hill Wood “did not want his sort…” Perhaps some though that to be snobbery at the time, in hindsight it was prescient. With nothing to restrain the Emperor, Arsenal have gone backward since 2007/2008. By 2011 and one majority owner there is total control [ or mayhem delete as applicable] . The scantily clad emperor has no one to curb his negative aspects of management style. We are now where we are because of many many distractions , the club is a completely different entity to the one existing before 2005.
There was an article written in 2004 that did was not welcomed by Arsenal supporters. I thought it right on the money at the time…link here
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/sep/17/sport.comment1?
Searching for line up and stats for 2007/8 season [ last time an Arsenal team had some credibility, though restrained by very small squad financially ], came across this article written in 2011….link
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/692258-arsenal-fc-5-reasons-they-have-regressed-since-2007-08
Sorry for such a bleak post.
Thanks for those links Three Degrees. Both are good reads, brought back a lot of pain and are very accurate. We have slowly drifted to the place we find ourselves in today. It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.
Belated best wishes Clive. Hope you managed to have a good day.
Belated best wishes here too, Clive.
Sorry i missed it before – blind rage i guess ?
Excellent articles and post, 3 degrees. Not to mention the excellent arguments of the usual suspects. It is high time for a management change at Arsenal.
TTG.
It’s always the ref’s fault. Just ask Holic. He will tell you?????
?
happy birthday just gone clive
.
blow it out yer arse steve 39
fer fucks sake
da sheeps in da streets know
i’m all about the moooooooooooooooooooooo
indeed
this morn just gorn
wee calf of many
slurrrrped into the world
always amazing
Abysmal and abject, that should sum up the Arsenal. We have a bunch of jokers who dont care for the club, the fans or the manager. They just turn up, try whatever they can, put up some tweet and then walk back to their palaces. The manager with utmost respect i say, should leave. He is nowhere close to what he was, cannot kick out players, isnt ruthless and allows passengers and mediocre players to continue to play for the team.
Arsenal and specifically the board need to have a revamp. They cannot continue this crap and say we will do better. We are miles behind challenging for the league, we havent won an away games against the present top 6 in 2 years, we have such poor players that they cannot do even the basics right. Ex- who has told our defenders to keep going back when players come at them? why cant we put a tackle than keep withdrawing? is it because we have been disciplined not to even do that? what is Steve Bould there for? gabriel literally kicked out at kane who doesnt need a second invitation to fall, when will he ever realize? Gibbs ambles around as if he is a wanderer, Kos is waning and less said about Ramsey the better.
We are in a mess, everyone knows it except the board. They need to step up and say to the boss, thank you for everything but its time. Then identify the right person, get him the team he wants and kick out a majority of the current lot.
Alexis, you are good, very good but this non stop ranting and directing people is stupid. You, yourself are having a shocker and you tell others to play better??? oh please get a life will you.
allows passengers and mediocre players to continue to play for the team.
Well he signed them after all.
Every time he claims to have “nearly signed” one of the good players we’re up against, I just think “And you signed this other twat instead?”
It just underlines his lack of judgement when it comes to transfers for me.
I may be pointing out the obvious, but in the first 10 minutes I mentioned to Mrs Cusop a fact my son will have said, they wont be able to keep it up. You closed us down you kept your shape tight you tried to harass Lloris, your team did the its job.
Now for the bad news, you cannot nor can many teams keep this level of pressure up. Your boss can plan and read the game but you cannot coach in that level of fitness with 4 games to go.
The second half was inevitable, your club was asking to much from your players and you risked your midfield in order to get back into the game.
Now look at our summer buys.. Sissoko and Jensen, neither seem to fit in this current Spurs team, they will if they stay or are deemed worth keeping. But by then their fitness will be on a par with the rest of the squad. Yes we have quality, but this ability to keep going to the end is something spurs players have to endure through training and it cannot be bought over night.
Its why a club with half your resources punch way beyond their weight!!
All you keyboard happy Gooners get out on the street and reclaim yer club.
Bitching and moaning will get you nowhere.
How do you know some of us “keyboard happy” lot aren’t doing something?
And what do you suggest anyway?
A bring and buy sale to try to raise the money to buy out Stan?
Sing a few songs?
Many happy returns Clive!
Thnks for the birthday wishes,
Just a shame it had to fall on the day St Totteringham’s day finally tottered and fell in a heap.!!
Interestingly,among my Totts mates,none of them are gloating or giving it large,instead they are trying to come to terms with the fact that despite having lost only 3 league games,despite having the best defensive and nigh on the best attacking record,and despite their Club being on track to accumulate 85+ points,
[ which would win you the title 9 seasons out of 10]they still look highly likely to finish runners up for the 2nd season in a row. !!
Top quality posts from the usual suspects above.
Where we go from here as the Beach Boys were wont to warble,
God Only Knows.
If you’ve not seen the video below then this will make you laugh. I guess I’m not really that grown up but this had me in stitches.
https://instagram.com/p/BTjOp6RgGMw/
Clive, St Totteringham’s day was only postponed for a year, not cancelled! 😉
I truly hope you are right H.
But we would have to see significant changes both on and off the pitch for that to be the case,even allowing for the Totts playing at Wembley next season.
Can’t remember if I posted this, apologies if I did already…
https://twitter.com/daiIyIaughs/status/855922666083102720
‘we would have to see significant changes both on and off the pitch‘ indeed Clive. And I’ll be surprised if we don’t see some minor pursestring-loosening by AW – like offering to make van Dijk the highest paid (currently) player in the club which he apparently turned down in favour of a better deal with the chavs (plus CL football) – without approaching anything ‘significant’ in terms of his conservatism. I bet he’s studying scouting reports of Ligue Deux players as I write this…
Painful morning. Not only is Ian Wright quite correct in saying we don’t offer enough success these days to attract top players – and he is indeed correct in pointing out such targets would prefer Spurs – we have another reason players won’t join. Wenger, far from bringing players on and developing careers as he certainly once did, is now consistently undermining or destroying careers and fairly ruining transfer market valuations. I won’t bore people with 20 + examples from the last few years. We all know the players, careers and transfer valuations that are just dribbling away here. Iwobi is the only exception I can think of here, all other careers and reputations in decline. Why would you join ??
Amid all the talk of “he’s definitely staying” and the club is still a fabulous business and cash cow for our absentee owner, surely this point is being lost ? Our portfolio of players has simply collapsed in value after a £ 200 million investment programme and a wage bill 50% higher than Spurs. Add in no CL money and shirt and merchandising sales that must be falling off a cliff and one wonders could our club really be this complacent ?? I get that season tickets to live entertainment in a city like London will still sell, but the rest of the bottom line is taking a big, serious hit here.
My final thought after yesterday was if Wenger has confirmed now several times that he would have left had we lost the FAC final v Hull in 2014, how can he possibly justify staying now ? After lower, falling Prem points totals each year since then (and no I don’t think we’ll exceed last year’s 71), said £ 200 mill expenditure and the emergence of a completely divided and poisonous atmosphere as yet another squad aquires that familiar “damaged goods” demeanour that is the stamp of all Wenger’s sides. As far as I can see, the only thing that is going to make it easy for him to stay, since there is no shame with this man or his paymasters, is this growing acceptance among the fanbase that he is staying. The club is cynically exploiting this fan complacency and very deliberately dragging this whole thing out since they are sharp enough to know that if they wait long enough nobody will be disappointed or surprised when it’s actually announced. I don’t think fans anywhere else would have tolerated this news vacuum, no way. I also don’t think fans anywhere would allow the manager of an elite European superpower (as we were before Wenger by the way, when we actually won a couple of European competitions) to consistently hide behind a much devalued domestic cup competition and I openly accuse our own fans of doing just that. Enjoy your days out at Wembley by all means but please don’t confuse it with success and let the club off the hook. It’s about as relevant now as the Charity Shield was 20 years ago.
Do we all honestly believe that nothing can be done, simply because Stan Kroenke is the owner ? Come on. As I have asked before, would Kroenke have objected if we had been more successful ? Is our football club not bigger than Stan Kroenke and/or Arsene Wenger ? I believe so. I have to. If it’s not, I wonder can I stomach this much longer and, like many others, will I simply disengage after almost 50 years. Younger fans with their shorter modern-day attention spans must already be turning off in droves. COYG.
The only thing they will sit up and take notice is a drop off in ticket sales, and that ain’t going to happen, because there’s always going to be some mug who will take the place of those who have had enough.
But then, why should someone give up their ticket just to force change that should be par for the course, if those in charge had any knowledge of the sport they’ve bought into?
There’s nothing that can be done apart from protest, and that doesn’t bother anyone least of all the manager. It’s water off a duck’s back. He’s on £9m a year and has taken well over £100m in wages out of the club. Think how fabulously wealthy he is, with the sort of control over his own destiny that he has, and shining a few projections onto a building is not going to change anything for him, or anyone else at Arsenal.
There are three “get out of jail” cards @ Arsenal in recent years
1) Finishing above the Spuds.
2) Top Four finish.
3) FA Cup win.
One has gone – if the other two go south can AW survive ?
Also a point of perspective – one of my best mates supports Nottingham Forest – the former EC winners, once big rivals at our level – are now looking at third tier football if things don’t turn around
quickly for them…sad times.
It seems Kroenke is none too popular in Colorado either
http://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/stan-kroenke-under-fire-colarado-12972900
Mbappe’s uncle has named six clubs who are possible in his nephew’s future, and it will surprise nobody that Arsenal is not one of them.
Not a surprise TTG. We were warned.
Bloke just turned up to paint my outside gates.
Tottenham fan.
Lovely.
97Cynic
Bloke just turned up to paint my outside gates.
Tottenham fan.
Lovely.
just doing my civic duty.. Lily white did you say?
Heh,
swings a lovely cross into the box for…..
Fittingly he painted the gates a sort of shit brown
Quite reassuringly appeared to be worried that they were going to lose their manager in the summer 🙂
Bangs it in with a toe poke!
Too late 🙁
SC @ 91 great post couldn’t agree more! Our club is in shambles and nobody is taking any responsibility!
We have just beaten Man City in the semi final, we are approaching the end of the season and it looks very bad indeed!
Can someone please explain to me why on earth do we still have not established our best 11?
He played Holding against City as a CB who played really well by the way and Nacho as a wing back who scored a really nice goal and then plays Nancho as a CB and plays Gibbs in a wing back position who hardly had any playing time this season?
Why the f….. break something that worked last time against a bigger oppo? Why does he have experiment in every game? Sanchez and Gibbs weren’t on the same level either.
I’m afraid this is one is on the manager!
Personally I think the fan base has to share some of the blame too. until majority of the fans come together ( 90%) nothing will change. You cant have two sets of fan base protesting in support/against the management and Wenger and expect some type of change. Wenger is not going anywhere partly from his arrogance/greediness and because he still feels like most fans want him to stay. Why do we still have banners in the stadium saying “Only one wenger” or ‘ Wenger knows best”. Most fans still have emotional loyalty towards the guy which is fine. I also respect the guy for what he has done in the past but we cant keep holding on to the past when our present is getting fucked up by the same person. He needs to remember that someone had to resign/ fired for this opportunity to open up for him. I don’t care if we win the FA cup or get top four. Its time to go, bye.
Chris, I think we are Europied regardless of the cup final result, as Chelsea (the only other potential winners) are already in the Champions league places. I could be wrong though..
@94. Colorado Rapids were the worst opposition team of the four that have visited Minnesota United so far this season. At the time I thought it was approaching miraculous that the home team won but now having read that article it seems to be all down to Kroenke. How familiar. 🙁
Barack @ 105
I believe we need to win it first and if we are still guaranteed automatic promotion being 6th or 5th in the EPL team in 7th will get the that free spot etc?
Not worried about having already qualified for the Europa league. We must have – last weekend they announced that Everton had already qualified for Europe despite the Chav thrashing. So we must have too.
Play the kids. Great adventure for them. I will not be watching however.
Having to play on a Spursday????
How embarrassing.
Lacazette won’t be coming to Arsenal (not that I care) as he has said he will join a Champions League club in the summer.
Well played, gentlemen. Dave, come and have your moment. You’ve earned it sir. ?
Have to say, if we are in Thursday/Sunday football next season, the ST is gone. Our neighbours may have put up with it, but not me.
Sorry to hear about your gates, Cynic.
I won’t worry about missing Lacazette either. He looks useful, but he’s about 4ft tall and if there’s one thing our squad needs it’s some size and authority about it.
Actually there are several things our squad needs of course.
I hope you’re not thinking of retiring, ‘holic?
It feels like the time of year when you look out the kitchen window and see the mercury in the thermometer has not budged from rock bottom.
The problem is, I can’t foresee anything on the horizon that is going to make that mercury start moving upward.
bt8
We have no direction on the pitch and off the pitch, sadly no one knows anything and no one wants say anything because they can’t be bothered. The stats as some pointed out earlier are shocking and AW thinks we are making progress which quite frankly laughable. The worst thing is this was coming for some time now (Steve T knows) and yet again we get the mental strength melancholy. I feels like we need to hit rock bottom before things will start to improve. Our players look lost, our manager the club itself too!
Sorry to be smug but Cup Final tickets done! Same block as the semi, two rows further forward. £85.
I suppose it’s cheaper than going to see a dominatrix.
Not retiring Chris, but selecting my games on my silver instead. I’m not forking out over a grand for Sundays and Thursdays.
@120. Depends on the dominatrix I suppose but I should leave it tobthe authority.
Why did we sign Lucas Perez if not to make use of him?
The few times we have brought him on he has done little other than look dangerous and score goals.
Watched Ajax – outstanding young side. Get Overmars in as DoF, God as U-23 coach. Let’s rebuild our future.
Got to get rid of the dead wood first, H, and he is going nowhere. We should have sacked him eight or nine years ago.
Fuck me what a team goal from Juve.
Gilberto Silva too.
I imagine Wenger should be getting some calls from European big boys right about now. Can any club out there take him from us please.. 20 years is enough.. Wenger out.. Bye
It must be a great feeling for Alves to be in the Champions League semifinals with Juventus after Barcelona were eliminated. Like Kante with Chelsea, he seems to have taken an already strong team to an even higher level.
34 years old and still a monster player…Alves.
Higuian, another almost Arsenal player.
We are one hundred light years away from top clubs in Europe.
Maybe even two hundred.
It brought a tear to my eye to watch two teams with whom we would once have competed but both playing at a level that we are now well below and knowing that under our present ownership, given the major shareholder’s self-confessed philosophy, we may never reach again.
The way the game played out reminded me of multiple occasions when we took on the reptile’s Chavski with unproductive but elegant huffing and puffing against incisive finishing on the break.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
Higuain????? Glad we couldn’t be arsed to stump up the cash for him. What a total waste of money that would have been.
Dodged a bullet there.
Sanogo anyone????
Never mind, Steve, I’m sure the absolute transfer genius at almost signing players has another shit hot potato to tell us all about almost signing next season, when we’re all waiting for Asano to have his first shot on target after twenty games.
Ah, the shit we have let go through our fingers while signing up the gold dust that was the likes of Park. We have been so lucky.
Did you realise we signed the complete package and world beating talent that is Joel Campbell SIX YEARS ago? In that time he’s made 116 starts. For other clubs.
Our transfer department is a clusterfuck and it’s all down to Wenger.
Higuaín’s transfer fee then was around 37million pounds if am not mistaken and we bulked at that, couple of years later he went for 76million to Juventus. What the hell we were thinking?
Talking of Arsene’s ‘almost’ signings … http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/03/arsene-wenger-went-to-kylian-mbappes-house-to-try-and-push-through-arsenal-transfer-6614293/ … I also read elsewhere that Manure turned him down 4 years ago when he would have cost £17k! Now reputedly around £100m. Why are these managers employed if they’re not omniscient I want to know…
And here’s a link you’ll enjoy Cynic … http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/02/five-reasons-why-arsenal-would-be-mad-to-offer-mesut-ozil-300000-per-week-6610862/
£100 million for an 18 year-old? Is it just me or has the world gone mad?
SAG@ 137.
That me old mucker sums up everything I have been saying for the last 3/4 seasons. For years we always seemed to be the statutory 3 players short. Probably more but that was always the standard. Quality left the team and was never replaced. There were those that thought we had to sell to balance the books???? Really???? The worlds best business brains have worked out a deal that relies on us being able to sell a valuable asset every year??? Please.
For me it was totally obvious what was going to happen to transfer prices and wages when all the nee TV deals kicked in. For me it was imperative that we strengthened whilst the prices were as they were. They were only going to rocket. There were several that fit some bizarre reason suddenly expected ticket prices to be slashed? Again, really? Who honestly believed that the cost of a season ticket would be reduced when the ground sells out every week and the owner only cares about making money.
We failed to act and are very much now paying the price. Higuain would have cost roughly the amount we paid for Mustafi. Where would you have preferred the money went?
Ned. Sadly it will just get worse. ManUre paid £91 million for a player they gave away a few years previously. There can’t be a business brain anywhere in the world that gets that.
Fail to prepare? Prepare to fail. I would suggest that we have been failing to prepare properly for years now. The fact is, you reap what you sow. We are in grave danger of being left massively behind. Stanley needs to wake up, pack his bags and close the door on the way out before it becomes too late. Then revert to Holic’s suggestion of obtaining the services of the two Dutch masters and start building again.
Apologies for the odd typo. Not easy to spellchuck on a crowded Central Line train.
Have a good day people.
Wenger really has been at his cheery, urine-extracting best this week. He hates himself. He called around Mbappe’s gaff only last year to sign him. He thinks it’s funny he said he’d tell us what was happening in March/April but now he won’t in May (we know what’s happening, or not happening). He’d be happy to make up with Mourinho. He’s going to take the Europa League really seriously. We fell away after losing to Man City and Everton and it’s as if there was nothing he could do about it, it was game over then. Is he deliberately winding us all up or what ?
There is an academic paper by Stefan Szymanski and Stephen Hall of Imperial College, London called Making Money Out Of Football that argues that English football clubs maximize their profits at a level of success that is high but short of the very highest levels (ring any bells?).
In a nutshell, the argument is: Success requires hiring the best players and coaches, who tend to command the highest salaries. Thus clubs need to spend heavily to be successful. Growing success brings higher revenues (TV money, ticket income, merchandising sales and sponsorship), generating higher profits. However, there is a certain threshold after which increasing success becomes more and more expensive (e.g. spending £100 million on 18-year-olds or £300,000 a week on Ozil) while the additional revenues generated by that extra success get smaller and smaller. Thus chewing into profits.
If you buy that argument, then fourth is not just a new trophy, it is the Profit-Maximizing Cup.
So in short Ned, basic economics ?????
Some would say Stanley just being the best he could be? Certain on the money front because that’s all he cares about.
Not me of course.
Sounds very interesting NBN, I must dig that out, seriously. Of courrrrrrse….THAT’S why Leicester were allowed win the league. Your Profit-Maximizing Cup is this year developing into the Greatest Slow Bicycle Race of all time, so highly prized has it become ! One thing though – would you mind emailing that paper to the Spanish big 3, a couple of French teams, Bayern and Juve…they’re f*cking up large just now with their operating models. Twits.
I don’t want to get any sub-editors in trouble, but Alexis Sanchez’ name is repeated twice for no apparent reason in the headline of today’s BBC gossip column. Typo, editing problem, or portent of doom?
And finishing 5th or 6th is surely the wrong side of the profit maximising cup. So Stan had better take his dividend this year.
Apologies all, with so much going on I have made a complete bobbins of my schedule, which was to publish tonight, completely missing the fact that I am recording the Bergkamp Wonderland podcast tonight.
Bright and optimistic preview of Yanited Sunday will appear tomorrow night!
More proof that women are better than men at multi-tasking. 😉
Having joined Arsenal from Celta’s derby rivals Deportivo, maybe Lucas Perez has some connections at Celta and can arrange for them to break all of Yanited’s legs in today’s game. It’s called being effective from the bench. 😉
Yanited Sunday sounds ominously like our summer striker target, currently plying his trade in the Sierra Leone Super Championship League.
Even better if Celta can break their legs and turn them into ? pulpo gallego.
Cynic. The SLSCL. Is that where Adebayor is playing now?
won’t watch manure cunts
.
.
never been a footballing genius
tactics
a rudimentary defender growing up
blaaa shite but
never felt so despondent about us like this before
i fuckin can’t stand it
fuckin heart scaldin
There’s a large choice of football on the box tonight and fuck all goals so far.
whole thing has turned de shite
fuckin shite
i fuckin can not imagine what it’s like
the games now
can’t
“yeah an you can fuck up wino”
anyhoo
ALL THIS
not what ‘holic pays me 3.50 an hour for
.
.
he told me not to say how much i got
for fear of jealousy riots
but
.
FUCK IT !!!!
.
WHEN YOU’VE MADE IT
YOU’VE MADE IT
*shines bare feet*
ARSENALHOLIC IS THE MOSTEST !!
.
.
*bats bluebottle away and smiles winningly*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE6QzDrT_x8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PN2hE0lnaw
.
RIP
I see the Arse Ladies had a cracking 4 -4 draw with Liverpool Ladies this evening.
Our girls came back from 3 -1 down at half time,to lead 4 -3,but Pool equalized near the end.
Great entertainment apparently.
Something which we won’t be seeing on Sunday.
With Maureen parking the bus,and us in disarray, we will be lucky to see 1 goal let alone 8.!!
hello clive
sorry
i never intend to annoy people here
.
mmmmmm
intention
.
having a fuckin strange one today
got punched a proper goodun
side of me head
breaking up a fuckin handbags fight
.
.
best staying out of everything
.
.
.
fuckin paddys
noisy
handbaggy
thumpy
cba. GH pays the rest of us 4.50 an hour, just to give you a heads up when you go into contract talks. 😉
as me aunt used to say about the royals
not a bitta fuckin wonder they live so long
sure haven’t they had the best of food
.
.
absolutely
the foie gras fuckers
.
*weaponizes pot noodle*
8ball
he picks on the weak
yeah
the big jessie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIZ2rRHn-SQ
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X74W_CsP2Os
One especially for you CBA.
And for everyone else for that matter.
?
the man with the hair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozr-EItKGu8
now
come on
stand down steve
stand down please
stand down stee-eve
much as i love ye
the haircut in my opinion
i don’t have a resolute opinion on him
but
the jam
a fuckin great band
him
.
moooooooooooooooooooooo
.
.
does he still mince near a punt?
shorts ridiculous for to have
.
.
.
listen to manly music steve !
yer drifting and floating
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfdwwbzl9_M
ye might like this shower
north of Ireland
bit SLFy but
they’ll learn
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMcBlnypozM
The Nolans! Hmmm, they can pulll me together anytime… 🙂
ahhh furthermore
.
i am lonely just now
hillbillies bed
..
.
fuck the lotta ye !
.
chris
dirty boy !
met the dooleys
apparently
no recollection
.
small mercies etc
It’s the song they were singing in #183, cba. I’m as pure as a front row forward’s jock strap after a grand final, me.
https://vimeo.com/157221248
cba – I saw this in a shop today and nearly bought it, just because it reminded me of you
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41FRBUdT6ML._SY355_.jpg
ooooooooo !
shop ?
.
fancy dan
me ear the size of it
fuckin brutal sore
.
never ever intervene between fuckin assholes
let excitable twats handbag one another
.
first pint cease fire soldiers
when they have harrowed
what i have ploughed
.
fuckin cunts
.
(might grow a beard for greater sage appeal)
hand out pamphlets
nod knowingly
*nods knowingly*
ssssssshhhhhhhhhh
nearly there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xqjCkH2hxA
Don’t be a pamphleteer, I made a young lady jump today because of those pamphletting cunts.
She was standing outside a toy shop waving her hand about and I saw her out of the corner of my eye, so I lunged across at the last moment, just as I was about to pass her, to grab a leaflet… and she was wanging her hands around to make soap bubbles.
She clearly thought I was mental as I apologised and said I thought she was handing pamphlets out.
Still, I had worse this morning. I was mistaken for a homeless person by a nurse at the doctors. 🙁
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ZH10XbeSA
without full girl’s blousing cynic
here is hilarious cos of yerself
.
they all try
the
amateur fuckin hour cunts
.
moooooooooooooooooooooo
fuck the lotta yees
?
.
sorry
abundant mirth abounds
here
oh yes
Steve T@144: a more nuanced interpretation than Economics 101, but you are going in the right direction with the notion of always follow the money.
SCG@145: If you Google, “Making Money Out of Football, Szymanski”, you should find it easily enough. Its a pdf with a long URL, otherwise I’d paste the link.
Clubs like Barca and Bayern are member- not millionaire owned. Turns out, fans have different priorities to fat-cat owners. Who ever would have thunk it…
Cynic@151: Robin Friday wasn’t such a bad striker, albeit a talent totally wasted.
Predictions: 1) We will draw this weekend. 2) Mourinho will smirk.
208 / 206
Fairly predictable, really. If you want unpredictable how about Mourinho having an epileptic seizure and being attacked by herds of wild dogs?
Josh Kroenke is apparently handling negotiations with Ozil. Dick Law has been dropped. Josh is ‘ close’ to Ozil – does that have shades of Dein and Rix/ Wright etc in the 80s ? Does it mean The Krankies want to keep Mesut or does it mean fuck all? Do I care? Does anybody care ?
I registered for a Cup Final ticket last night. I honestly had to think if I wanted to. In the past I’ve queued for hours for tickets . How times change.
Evening cba. Having a bad ‘un old friend? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
yes™