Gloss Well And Truly Taken Off By UEFA Madness
May 16th, 2019 by 'holic
CBA implores “write about what hugs yer heart”. A clever way of pointing out I have been lax this week. As I will be out from dawn until well past dusk tomorrow I shall type random phrases accompanied by a very large muscle relaxant. What is in my heart? The Arsenal of course.
This should be the happiest fortnight of the season coming up. Finally we have a European Final to look forward to thirteen years after that Champions League Final when we were thirteen minutes from lifting big ears with only ten men against them, in that despicable European Final graveyard for us. Names that cannot be mentioned have not been.
Yet the shine has been taken off the upcoming completion of Europe’s second competition by and large because it is being held pretty much in Asia. Certainly in Eurasia, as Orwell would confirm. The expense of getting there, the paltry ticket allocation, and by no means least, the requirement of a visa. This has far-reaching consequences for some Gooners.
Azerbaijan is still virtually at war with the ethnic Armenian majority of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by Armenia, although officially the conflict ended 25 years ago. The wounds are fresh and as we discovered when we played Qarabag earlier in the tournament nobody seems willing or able to guarantee the safety of Armenian Henrikh Mkhitaryan. It doesn’t stop there, however. Arsenal, being a worldwide club, have a number of Armenian and Anglo Armenian supporters who will most definitely not be granted visas to travel to the match.
How on earth UEFA could have picked such a venue, inconveniencing (*to say the very least) the supporters of both competing clubs, and to which we probably won’t be able to take a key midfielder in the absence of Aaron Ramsey, is beyond common sense and smells very unsavoury indeed. (* royally pissing off would be more accurate!)
I suggested on Twitter yesterday that once supporters have missed a European Final they might be inclined to miss more and more matches if this is how the governing bodies are going to treat them. UEFA is effectively driving people away from the game they are supposed to promote. That is a grave charge to lay at their door.
I was going to say it’s not all bad news, but for a couple of young footballers the missing of such a high profile fixture must be soul-destroying. Fortunately for us they are Chelsea’s Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek. The latter was crocked playing in a friendly in the States a fortnight before what would have been the biggest night of a fledgling career.
Let’s pray we don’t have anybody getting enthusiastic with their challenges in training as we build up to our last chance to clinch Champions League football next season.
Dear Chelsea, I don’t suppose you’d do us a favour and withdaw that Hazard chap in protest if Mkhitaryan is forced to miss the Final? You are already in the Champions League, after all.
Have a good weekend, ‘holics.
152 Responses to “Gloss Well And Truly Taken Off By UEFA Madness”
Arsenal News 24/7
i got mentioned
?
The extent to which money talks is increasing worryingly in this fine game of ours, Holic.
Final should have been played in a big country. Congrats on the mention, cba. A song for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=657TZDHZqj4
no
i got mentioned
My inspiration, cba.
I didn’t want to let you down for a whole week. ?
Money indeed, BtM. The next two are in Eastern Europe too. Let’s pray we make the Champions League.
“UEFA take risible decision ignoring fans of both clubs shock “
In three years time world football will decamp to a dubious and highly unsuitable desert state to play the World Cup out of season for almost everybody , in extreme conditions in a country with a deplorable human rights record. This one is just a marker on the road .
Friends are trying to get me to go but it is just too much of a hassle to go half way round the world at huge expense to face goodness knows what. It’s a terrible choice of venue I. Where is the Champions League Final next year? I will watch us in that !
Evening H
methinks this is all down to politics,encouraging the smaller Countries to vote in UEFA’s favor for any changes they may put forward in the future,and in return those same Countries get more prestigious matches for their referees,and yes,get to host a major European Cup final.
Didn’t we have a Neville nobody for our CL final. ??
My brother sent me a text to say that there is a 3hr time diff between us and Baku,and that we are actually kicking off at 11pm their time.
Can Ned’s monks or anyone confirm this.??
That would just about put the tin hat on it,with the match finishing in the wee small hours,and god forbid it going to extra time and penalties. !!
Yes, kick off is 11pm local time.
Thnks for confirming Oska
Going to be interesting to see how the players cope with the late kick off.
The backroom staff are going to have to manage sleep patterns,training,
food intake etc,in a completely different manner than normal.
Good luck with that.
13 days to go.
i’m chuffed ‘hol
i got mentioned
i really am
btm
.
i really am
i’m chuffed
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
i got mentioned
?
first too
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pf2DgSJuUHc
.
.
.
you can all fuck off here
i’m Mr unOverlooked
.
Dundee ‘s finest
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zyr8snd9mTA
.
.
.
Yeah
I shoulda played it cool
but have
ye met me
.
I’m over the fuckin bastard moon
.
.www..
ooooooooooooooh
The 11pm kick off is I
suppose an “honest” attempt to
balance the need for TV money
against the need for the votes
of the FAs in the various UEFA
countries.
At least the Gooners of Western
Europe get a reasonable evening
kick off on a Wednesday night.
.
hey there , Japan
see anybody was mentioned
that you should acknowledge
and
just
maybe casually say
stuff
like wow
As you mention, Clive, and Osaka Matt confirms, it is an 11pm kick off Baku time, but that is 8pm in London so the players will be kept on their UK body clocks. When we played Qarabag there, it was a 9pm KO local time.
UEFA picks the venue for the Europa Cup two years in advance. You would think it would be possible to delay the decision until two months in advance. That is when the draw for the quarter finals is made. So there would be only eight clubs left by then and a sensible decision could be made about picking a stadium that would be reasonably convenient for any of them. You would think a stadium big enough to stage a final would be able to put a game on in two months.
Baku is staging one of quarter-finals of the next European Championships, too.
could i be any clearer ?
You are always the One, cba.
https://youtu.be/0wYS0u0s1Wk
ned
could i call on the monks ?
Thanks for the post Guvnor.
Good news for us on Loftus-cheek
I suppose. Though my own recurring
nightmare is an OG scorpion kick.
Derry City v Arsenal
87 odds
our line out
And a very well deserved
mention for the multi posting,
multi talented and handsome
inspiration that is the one and
only cba!!!!!!!
will that do? ?
much like
The Blockheads
playing Derry
79
who gave them grief
NOT THE NATIVES
.
.
.
i believe they were dressed in green
a perpetual row for to have
24 what sorta bastardin weirdo are you ?
.
.
.
honestly
i really dunno Dave
.
.
d’ye know any o these cunts ?
oriental boy fancies himself
don’t worry
(INTIMIDATION Etc)
guns
Yeah
champion
back in there
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WMGvQ2v-ZRM
.
i’ve arms like legs !
Ooooooooooooooh
here’s the first
of
FIFTY
according to
his intellectual delicness s
.
.
.
.
if he had walked a fuckin mile in my shoes !
.
.
Etc
i got the bus
Derry City v Arsenal. Friendly evening match. September 5, 1987.
.
.
.
back home
but did
ANYONE ?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CqrQ-ZI29Pk
God rest ian
I think we’d a got on
We won two-nil.
anaaava
casanaavaaa
.
RIP
no 31 ned
or
are you just not answering
cos the oriental person
made a terrible mistake
said i was handsome
and is not secret serv
what was the line up , ned?
i could ask people
but i’m testing the monks
People say it’s the hope
that gets you. But it’s not
really, it’s the damn ingratitude
When I’d worked my left
thumb to the bone an all.
Not even for the teacher but
the teachers pet 🙁
That’s me learnt.
Disagreeable and negative
from now on.
And that other bloke keeps
calling me Oska 🙁
The other day I was
“the boy OM”. 🙁
the boy!! Old people were
more respectful in my day.
Otherwise it was the short,
sharp shock treatment for
them
Anyways, not to worry about
INTIMIDATION
The boy cba couldn’t find
Japan if his arse was a banjo
That was all heart, no bollocks! Thanks G
Oops.???
Apologies Matt.
Teach me to read properly.?
???
I received my e mail a few days back now asking if I wanted to purchase tickets. I could also purchase day trip flights for a few pence short of a grand. I would also need a visa and god knows what else. All in all, the total cost of a 24 hour trip to Azerbaijan for an 11pm kick off would have been about £1500. For that I can renew my season ticket, renew my two Saracens season tickets and still have enough left over to ensure that both Bath and Holic can still enjoy the odd cheeky double.
If the game goes to extra time and penalties then with the presentations will not be taking place much before 2am???
But no, I’m not having it. There is no way that a final in Azerbaijan and world cups in both Russia and Qatar had anything whatsoever to do with money changing hands. What a truly ridiculous thought.
Those in charge of both FIFA and UEFA share a common fact with MP’s. That is that they are all just like nappies in the fact that they should be changed regularly, and for exactly the same reasons.
I’ve said for some time now that I really don’t like the way that the great game has gone. I fully accept its a business but there has to be a line drawn. I got slaughtered by several here a few years back for saying that I now feel like a customer rather than a supporter. Sadly this just is just one of many that emphasises my point. I think it was by mid October this season that we had actually played a game on every single day in the week.
I’m not sure what genuine thoughts go through UEFA’s heads when they select venues like this if it is not money related. The only reason they have made 6000 tickets available to travelling fans is that their research suggests that this is all that Baku can handle??? Bizarre. The word from the club is that so far we have only sold around 3,000 of them. For a competition that they try and champion as a major European Cup, I think that is quite sad.
Ned @20. Top tube from an awesome album.
cba. Dundee’s real finest…..
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=idz_8QxUJtw
Top TUNE even…….
Bang on the money, Guvna. I also agree with comments by TTG and Steve T.
The gloss has been well and truly taken off this final by the preposterous choice of venue, the desultory ticket allocation and the flagrant disregard of the interests of fans of both clubs who are clearly regarded by those grandees who run the game as mere backing vocals. If it weren’t for the importance of matchday atmosphere to the TV viewing experience, this disregard of fans’ interests, a feature of not only UEFA and FIFA but also PL grandees would happen more frequently.
I too received the laughable offer of the opportunity to apply for a EL Final ticket, a £997 day return flight from an unnamed ‘London airport’ with Thomas Cook (named by Which magazine as the World’s Worst Airline for three consecutive years) and a visa. I will be astonished if the stadium is even half full.
Football may be approaching a watershed as it prioritises the global TV audience over the match-attending fan. The Guvna is bang on the money when he observes:
“I suggested on Twitter yesterday that once supporters have missed a European Final they might be inclined to miss more and more matches if this is how the governing bodies are going to treat them. UEFA is effectively driving people away from the game they are supposed to promote. That is a grave charge to lay at their door.”
For many years I have regularly enjoyed the match day experience at Arsenal and the associated cameraderie with good people but it costs me a lot of money to do so. I also enjoy a nice glass of red wine watching television in the comfort of my living room. I have long since eschewed the aggravation of travelling to away games. Wild horses wouldn’t drag me to Azerbaijan let alone Qatar.
The regular and often quite late displacement of PL matches from their traditional kick off time to serve the interests of broadcasters has become an increasing aggravation and inconvenience. Time will tell if that converts this ST holder into an armchair fan and an occasional match-day tourist. At that point I won’t give a jot about when, where or why a game is scheduled. I’ll just set my Sky box to record the game and I’ll watch it when it suits me. However I’ll be disappointed if the match day atmosphere doesn’t match my memory of the past though (Hint: it already doesn’t!)
Was watching BT Sport the other night (I pay enough for the dubious privilege, so occasionally do this strange thing) and they were showing the 1998 FA Cup Final. Dear old Brian Moore.. that must have been close to the last one he ever did?
A reminder of the days when commentators had accidental catchphrases rather than contrived ones, and when conversation was kept to a minimum between lead and colour commentators.
As for Baku and all that stuff, my inner Corbyn makes it hard to feel sympathy for anyone who has a grand (or finds a grand) to spunk on a flight to watch a game of football. Real fans would have set off in December and walked 😉
Top posts above by, inter alia, TTG, SteveT and bathgooner. You guys said it all. As you know, I’m not averse to an away day, but this is a step (and more than a few quid) too far. In the words of Andy Townsend, not for me Clive.
oska is ma nooo absoloooot favrit
???????????
moooooooooooooooooooooo
???????????
shame ye aren’t going c100
as i’ve said loadsatimes
i fuckin love yer away day reports
i suspect it woulda been the best drink ever
?
selfish of you really
what’s a few grand and risk to life and limb
Been away long but right on cue for the finals, so far been a sham the way it has been handled, believe latest figures indicate only 6000 tickets have been sold kept for the general public, I mean seriously?? What is the use of allotting so less to the fans and more importantly who choose the venue? If this is a case of promoting the game far and wide then what next? Alaska?? Honolulu? This is what we face in cricket matches here in India, general public 20% of tickets, 80 go to “sponsors and Members” who are nowhere to be seen and these tickets are often sold for exorbitant prices.
To football and the usual transfer rumors, Milan want Mustafi and interested in Xhaka? Mustafi we will personally deliver him at your doorstep, Granit, jury is out and I would say one day he plays like our captain and then next like our mascot. We have supposedly bid for the Gremio center-back Walter Kannemann( wow name) and are interested in Zaha, any center back is welcome but from what I gather Walter is injury prone and has hardly played 150 games in about 7 seasons, so good luck with that, Zaha no thank you.
Champions league finals and we all know pool will win, the contrast can be different, they were where we are right now a few seasons back, they have now reached two back to back UCL finals, should have won the league and are definitely in the 2 horse race for the title next season as well, we??? well mid table to say the least but for certain lacazette and Aubameyang.
Quite a distinction, imaginary best drink ever, but c100 you should be honoured.
praise from a drunk wannabe Caesar is no praise at all
though my praise is genuine
i fuckin love the away day reports
fuckin proper gooner heaven
i’m in that car
i’m in those motorway services
i’m in that indian restaurant
i fuckin love them
like young Wind of yesteryear
the attraction for me about here
is it isn’t just Car Coat wearing cunts
playing internet manager
though there’s plenty of those
off whom i’ve learned loads
it’s people saying
they fell over
or
made a shite dinner
Argh. I feel the bosses’ recent pain of watching a perfectly good post get swallowed up by the airwaves. I will try again.
I’m thinking out loud here. Would any UK based holics be interested in arranging to meet up for a game or two away from the stadium? In a pub or at some hospitable holic’s home? The cost and hassle of the matchday experience coupled with the contempt we are treated with is not inspiring me to stump up my hard-earned. My attendance has been steadily declining for a while now and I am tired of being treated like a customer. I’d rather pool our savings and spend them a couple of bottles of top quality single malt.
If the matchday experience is changing I can’t help but feel foolish for not trying to recreate it with a group of gooners that I would genuinely love to watch a game with. Is anyone interested?
This Baku final fiasco is more harbinger than outlier. The game is screwed and I want to eke the most I can out of it before we see the inevitable Hell we are headed towards.
When I have kids I will teach them to play football. But will I take them to games and pass on my mania? No chance.
creepy
mind you
i used to love the carvery at Harbingers
so
thanks for that
that’s something
.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwNwU2U0yVc
.
.
that’s The Arsenal
it’s the north west 200 now
the motorcycle event where increasingly
irresponsible fathers leave bereft children
half orphans
but
hey ho
it’s a predominantly done thing
by the strong Scottish planter community here
hence the almost unintelligible interviews
of the Dunlop family
my own accent is preposterous
but at least i can pick up
every other word
them ?
not a single solitary square sausage !
45
Great points made.
An ordinary girl can make the world alright, cba, as you know, even if she has legs like a Mullingar heifer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et5opRAv_OU
Dundee’s finest indeed by a hair over Steve’s pick.
I was right there then. How did I miss Alliance? Must have been too much playing and not enough listening.
@56 “My attendance has been steadily declining for a while now and I am tired of being treated like a customer.”
Wait till they throw you out on your ear for celebrating a Danny Wellbeck hat trick too enthusiastically, GSD. It will increase your rate of decline fairly dramatically.
awwww man
fuckin love the blue nile
fuckin love them
top stuff fella
fuckin brilliant
got the 12″ of Stay on the turntable now
.
.
i think i scratched it an im gonna fuckin not be happy in the morning . It’s fuckin 35 years old
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
fuckin LOVE the blue nile
aw man
brilliant
time for a walk across the rooftops
herself loves him
i fade into the background
i know my place
.
fortunately
she bought spiral scratch
so
i’m fuckin punching MASSIVELY above my weight
and
I KNOW IT
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AFJ71w_ez6Y
.
.
i got a mention ?
i know it means nothing to you professional gooners
many of you long time more than me
but
*wipes pie and mash liquor off lips*
.
it meant a lot to me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaElQ3pb1GE
cheers dave
ya fuckin adorable oul tart
CBA implores “write about what hugs yer heart”. A clever way of pointing out I have been lax this week
i SO got mentioned
but
i’m keeping it on the DOWN LOW
so
probbly nobody will know
?
i weep
see 71
it’s right up there
after 70
just sayin
CBA. I am touched and honoured by your kind words. I’ll be back next season. Only a few weeks before the fixtures are announced!
Mine’s a chicken dhansak , a tarka dall, a garlic naan and a pint of Cobra.
i don’t wanna make a mouth o meself
but c100
i meant every single word
ye bring the far flungs in
not easy to do
but you do
.
anyway
FUCK OFF
never liked ye
????
kind words c100
indeed in reciprocity
but
we are on two different levels
your reports i send to all my gooner friends
even the Scottish ones
though they’re probably picking their ears with their toes
so takes a while for them
to
“I say….. it takes a …………”
It wasn’t you Holic was referring to CBA, but another CBA of his acquaintance. Chin up mate .
I’m now back from the North after a trip to the Museum outlining the history of the Orange Order near Armagh. Fascinating even if they do look a bit weird in those bowler hats .
but
apologies to fellow drinkers
yer posts are ?
thunder T
i would be non sectarian
im from the old school
of the United IRISHMEN
except in my mind
religion is a loada made up nonsense
Wolfe Tone a TITAN in Irish Republican history
was a protestant
There’s young morons hovering about
who
i really can’t understand their rage
and sectarianism
.
There’s no arseholes in green
pointing guns at you
calling you interesting names
beating you
shooting you
.
.
no
.
this new generation
are just clowns
dangerous clowns
but clowns
and any time i see one of the wee fannys
in the street
my opinion of them is galvanized
.
.
toy soldiers
Santi Cazorla named for Spain 2020 squad.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48306449
and that dino
is why i delight and annoy people
in sometimes unequal measure
deconstruct me again
ya blert
you forgot to take your pills
again?
cba:
Lukic, Adams, Sansom, O’Leary, Davis, Rix, Rocastle, Thomas, Williams, Groves, Smith
Richardson, Quinn, Merson on the bench.
13 years ago
exactly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U09vfmHvr78
fuck off ya inconsequential wee skitter
.
Rocky played , Ned?
Juliano fucking Belletti
Not the full game. He was subbed.
fuck off?
where to, wee wee?
is the list definitive ?
relative of mine was at it
but thinks he’s inventing
who played .
SSY@89: Brilliant. Saw him and Sonny Terry play on Chicago’s South Side more years ago than I care to remember.
is it monk stamped ?
Sad, sad day in Paris.
Sonny and Brownie?
GREAT stuff, man.
i was in that there england at the time
As far as the monks can tell, cba.
transparent twat
Who does your relative think did or did not play?
it was about Rocky and Smudge
didnt or couldn’t remember
if they were there
Alan Sunderland of course
played for Derry City
but that’s a story
for another day
Smudge was also subbed off, for Quinn.
anyhoo
cheers ned
and pat a few monks on their tonsures
top tarts
That’s all they ask for.
Dirty Leeds bottled it again. Derby will probably beat Aston Villa, based only on my premonition, but we don’t need another club finishing as badly as Derby did the last time they were in the top flight (or bottom of the pool plunge as it were).
TTG
It’s an easy mistake, given how many CBA there are…
Christian Brothers Azerbajan…
Chartered Bulgarian Accountants
Charcoal Braised Artichokes…
Easy mistake really…
Clive
Bielik scored a fine header for Charlton in the second minute tonight. I was flicking between that and the cricket( with a smidge of the golf)
We have been linked with Aribo on a Bisman but the lad who 8mpressed me was Charlton’s right back DijkSteel a Dutch boy. Very quick but strong defensively too.
Charlton make it to the League Onexit playoff v Sunderland. Come on Addicks! Bielik to lead them to victory?
TTG
Bielik lasted 110 mins for Charlton,as they won penalty shoot out to reach play off final against Sunderland.
Haven’t seen any of the match,so bow to your impressions of the Dutch lad.
Must admit i know nothing about Aribo,but given he is already 22,and playing at Charlton,doesn’t fill me with confidence personally.
Countryman @50,
Only the mad and those with nothing better to do,will attempt the
journey,and i use that word advisedly,to get to Baku.
But as the inimitable cba points out,it would have the away day report to end all away day reports.
i think wolfy would attend more home games if we had a dutch boy named dijksteele in the squad. he might even risk his fave jimmy choos.
@85
Thanks for the link bt8.
I’m amazed and impressed that
Santi could get back in the
Spanish squad. Happy for him
and I hope he gets to play.
Clive
I was taken to the Valley by my grandfather several times ( saw Eddie Firmani return from Italy) so I have a soft spot for them. In truth they were a bit lucky. Bowyer who was an odious little turd as a player looks a decent coach but some of the players , while skilful , were inclined to showboat and Doncaster were solid and determined. Bielik is decent but might be a classy central defender rather than midfielder. He looked very knackered in extra time. Aribo is, as you say , someone tgatvwe probably don’t need with Willock coming through.
Charlton v Sunderland will repeat their epic play-off final , a level down . I think the Mackems will take it this time .
Are they making another
documentary? A nail biter
for them.
Indeed, OM. Santi Cazorla’s recovery may be a miracle of the saints. 😀
Re: Chris Hughton, I must agree with these comments made by Troy Townsend:
“What are the expectations of Brighton? Surely it is to stay in the league. You are fourth from bottom and you have got to an FA Cup semi-final. I don’t get it. … ( Hughton) has given Brighton another year of Premier League football and he gets repaid like this? Really?”
Hughton was a bit unlucky
I thought but it seems to be
the knee jerk reaction to any
risk of relegation these days.
He did well to get Brighton up
and last 5 years really.
With a comfortable lead Citeh bring on their second string, De Bruyne, Sane and Stones.
Not to be outdone, Watford unleash their heavy artillery and bring on, er……… Cleverly 🙁
Money won’t hide and the Milk Shake of Ably Dhably has enough to burn. Meanwhile we’ve got Stan, so there is that.
Meanwhile, nobody loves you this way, cba
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GVMnDjFKHw
Meanwhile,BtM, Aguero can’t get a game. Or is winning 6-0 while leaving your best striker on the bench just rubbing it in?
Agree with Troy and Bt8 re Brighton. Remember Alan Curbishley had taken Charlton as far as he could – I think it was sixth in the Premier League! Now they are hoping to get back to the Championship.
Today was a sad day for football. Citeh are a wonderful side but they have done it by bending the rules and splashing money they didn’t earn. Their punishment is to watch two inferior teams contesting the Champions League Final. And the chance of a Kroenke owned team competing with them is minimal sorry non-existent .
I think our best chance to succeed is to produce our own top players. Hopefully Emery will promote/loan more in the seasons to come. It would also make any success feel more satisfying. Bit of a naive long shot I know!
It’s called Pep Cool, Ned.
Arsene pioneered ‘Arsene Super Cool’ by giving Giroud the weekend off and playing Sanogo last time we knocked Liverpool out of the Cup 🙂
Yaya Sanogo. There’s a name you don’t hear often. But still banging them in for Toulouse — or not; just 12 goals in 55 games.
Is Pep Cool like Dex Cool, the antifreeze?
Yaya Sanogo. Not a name I will be likely to forget, primarily for morphological reasons. Not to upstage the monks or anything but I see on transfermarkt that in 20 appearances for Toulouse this season he scored 3 goals and they came against Strasbourg, Nimes and Guingamp.
https://www.transfermarkt.us/yaya-sanogo/leistungsdaten/spieler/127194
Anybody heard from Lurky? I always loved it when Lurky chipped in.
There was a lot of mockery for
Sanogo, and for AW for playing
him. I thought he was useless too,
but to be fair he is playing quite
regularly in Ligue 1 it seems from
Ned and bt8.
Not good enough for us but he’s
done much better than some of
the other high potential youngsters
we signed.
AW was right and I was wrong for
about the 10,000th time 🙂
I have exactly the same Premier League goal scoring record as Yaya Sanogo. Yes, he was that good.
Current figures suggest that we have sold only 2,800 of our tickets and CSKA Fulham have sold only 600. UEFA have also confirmed via the BBC that due to the limited infra structure that there was not one scheduled flight due to land in Baku during the week of the final.
Such a relief that it’s a well thought out plan????
Seems to be lots of articles about Arsenal utilising their young players more!
But most of the articles are unrealistic and simplistic… suggesting players like Emile goes straight into the 1st team… I’m sure these same authors will give the young players all the time and patience needed too.
Feeling well and truly defootycated today. And it is raining cats and dogs so gardening duty is miserable. The golf results seem to have been decided on Saturday or Friday. I guess that leaves going to the movies or curling up by the fire with the real cats and dog. Who won’t be happy about the lack of walking opportunities. 🙁
Kompany to Anderlecht as player-manager is a big story though. May he bring them to European glory, unless that club too is now part of the Man City oil empire.
Feeling well and truly defootycated today.
This. But since about October for me.
I have a strange hankering for Bale in an Arsenal shirt. No idea why as he’s one of the most heinous ex Spuds around (still playing) but I sort of have the feels for dumping Ozil and M’kay and having Bale.
I know he’s getting on a bit for a winger but he is younger than Ozil and I think we’d get far more out of him in terms of goals and assits. And effort.
I know… get out of town… 🙂
And Bale wouldn’t be glad handing it with tyrants in his spare time, althogh a club with a commerical deal with Rwanda is hardly to care about Erdogan’s little foibles.
Andelecht is owned by the Belgian pharmaceuticals multimillionaire, Marc Coucke.
https://www.rsca.be/en/media/video/marc-coucke-michael-verschueren-about-vincent-kompany
Bale is a good player but fuck
him and the donkey he rode in
on.
And I have the same scoring
record as Sanogo in the PL too.
But I don’t in several other
football competitions where he
has scored because of course he’s
a professional footballer who is
capable of playing at a certain
level rather than endlessly
complaining.
ooohhh I am drunk and aggressive
🙂
City paid just 8 million euros for Kompany in 2008. Smartest piece of business they ever did.
Ned
City only went for Kompany as we gazumoed their bid for Michael Silvestre! We were linked with Kompany from when he about 16. We definitely got the better deal!
Dexter: Sunday was going quite well here at Castle Ned until your post…
Okay then, Ned. It could be a case of going out of one web of evil into another, but at least it appears to be a new one. Anderlecht seem to have hit bottom last season so it could be good timing to step in with nowhere to go but up, presumably.
Is that conditional enough?
So sorry Ned!
We are resilient folk, Dexter. 🙂
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1129452/Premier-League-rules-changing-changes-full-list-VAR-video-assistant-referee-handball/amp
Rule changes for next season.
Thoughts???
The intent of the new rules seems
good. The handball change is fair,
the free kick rule is clear.
The drop ball rule may lead to
arguments about who had the
ball last but the idea is fair.
The manager dissent rule will create
more complaints about consistency
as it will be almost impossible to
apply consistently and some managers
should be booked every game.
They won’t be though.
I’d prefer to just get rid of the 4th
official altogether.
The sub rule is good but a player
still wearing his kit as he walks
around the pitch has the potential
for confusion.
It is interesting to read the changes, Steve. Disallowing attacking players from forming part of the wall on free kicks seems intended to prevent jostling-related delays and I approve for that reason but reserve judgment about its tactical impact. I definitely approve of the time saving change requiring substituted players to leave the pitch at the nearest spot. VAR will create such delays that some of these overdue time saving measures were finally seen as obligatory I assume.
i think the substitution one is wrongheaded. it should be that when the ref whistles the substitution on, he stops the timekeeping as for an injury. the substituted player can take his time off the pitch, get the applause, whatever, and it doesn’t cost the opposing team game time.
everything else seems reasonable, except i’ll be interested to see which managers get carded…
Our preseason schedule:
6 July v Boreham Wood (Meadow Park) Details
15 July v Colorado Rapids (Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Colorado) Details
17 July v Bayern Munich (Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles) Details
20 July v Roma (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte) Details
23 July v Real Madrid (FedExField, Washington DC) Details
28 July v Olympique Lyonnais (H) Details
10 Aug 2019-20 Premier League season opens
I think there’s a safety issue to making players go off at the nearest point. I can see a scenario where a player is on the opposite side of the pitch and has to run the gauntlet of opposition fans chucking coins and all sorts at him.
I don’t think that law change will last, personally.
ned @148, i’ve already got my tickets for the game in los angeles v. bayern!! can’t wait 🙂
cynic, you too have a point with that. also obviated by having the ref mark the time and add it to the game.
The biggest rule change for next season, to my mind, is that ball will not have to leave the penalty area at goal kicks.
I agree with SCG, stopping the clock for a substitution to take place is more sensible than having the player exit the pitch via the nearest touchline.
bt8b: Will the wall rule change mean the ref will now have to spray two foamy lines at free kicks, one for the attackers and one a metre on for the defenders?
As a point of record, these changes have been made by the International Football Association Board and apply to all senior football. The Premier League has to follow them whether they like them or not.
http://static-3eb8.kxcdn.com/documents/791/171520_110319_IFAB_LoG_changes_and_clarifications.pdf
More bollocks >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>