Same Old Story
Jun 27th, 2017 by 'holic
We’ve seen this film before. England versus Germany goes to penalties. This time it is the U21s denied in the cruellest fashion in the European Championship semi-final. Forgive me overseas ‘holics, but our success in the U20 World Cup had set up (once more, unrealistic) hopes of another tournament triumph.
Calum Chambers did his reputation no harm with a fine performance in what would ultimately turn into an evening of disappointment. To be completely honest though England did well to take the game to extra-time and beyond. Whilst we spurned a number of chances in the opening half the German side appeared fitter and technically superior, and they missed any number of opportunities to wrap the game up in normal and extra-time.
Disappointingly there was no place again for Rob Holding. I’m sure many Gooners will be wondering how he did not get that berth alongside Chambers? The young man’s performances for the Arsenal at the tail end of last season, particularly in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, suggest he is going to be a big game player for club and country.
So Serge Gnabry goes on to the Final and as I type it is finely balanced between Hector Bellerin’s Spain and Italy in the other semi-final. The potential for Bellerin directly up against Gnabry in Friday’s Final is about the only remaining interest in the competition for this hack.
Talking of penalties (well we were a short while back!) it was interesting to see the number of places on social media, and in the drinks too, where much was made of the contribution spot-kicks have made to Alexandre Lacazette’s goalscoring exploits this season. I don’t think it is unfair to say that there is a vacancy for a reliable striker from the twelve yard spot in the Arsenal side at the moment?
Oops, speculation. From me? I’ve been sucked in by the hype. Damnation.
Art of Football
Once again, huge thanks to our old friends at Art of Football (click here for their website) who have provided some raffle/auction prizes to those good people @TheGunnersPub for their Grenfell fundraiser with Hardeep Singh Kohli this coming Saturday.
Tonight’s featured product is Va Va Voom, a tribute to our record goalscorer Thierry Henry. It’s available as a tee or sweat in a variety of colours. It’s summer though, and money is tight, right? There is an answer to that too. They have a summer holiday promotion so for a 20% discount just enter the code HOLIDAY at checkout.
Have a good one, ‘holics.
79 Responses to “Same Old Story”
I haven’t been overimpressed by the U21s in the bits I have seen. But there is a sense that we are developing younger players the right way with the U20s winning the World Cup.
Every weekend for the past few weeks there are tournaments for age groups all over the country. Small sided games but with the emphasis more and more on playing football the right way not as England did at times over the last few years . But you have to wonder why Hokding who is a much better player than Chambers can’t get in our team. There is hope but we need an exceptional generation to come through and this group are definitely not that .
So, do we judge Holding to be better than Chambers because we saw Holding doing impressively well in his Arsenal appearances last season whereas we didn’t see Chambers perform for Middlesboro, though by all accounts he did well there? Or is there some other evidence for saying that Holding is better than Chambers? If so, how do we account for the fact that Chambers is the one who gets picked to start for England as, on the face of it, his greater experience in the Premiership suggests he should?
Good question Ned. I’ve seen Chambers for two seasons before this and I’m certain Holding is a better player. I don’t ratecAidy Bookthroyd very highly nor does a close Watford supporting friend. I do quite rate Masson as a CB however
Interesting footnote to the game H,
Stefan Kuntz the German team coach,was the player who scored the decisive penalty for Germany,in the semi final shootout against England at Euro 96.
And to go even further back,in the studio commentating on the game was Stuart Pearce,who for those with long memories will recall,missed the penalty that cost England a semi final place in the shootout against West Germany at Italia 90.
Semi-Final, Clive? I wish it were just that sir. We were in for the big one…
My apologies H
Those with long memories,obviously not mine then. !!
No problem, maestro. ?
Penalties
Italia 90
David O’Leary
Deep Joy
who said the English are shite at penalties ?
?
Who knew (apart from the monks) that OG has taken 13 penalties in his career, and missed only one?
For us he has taken 5, 2 each in the Prem and the CL (all succesful) and his one career failure against Coventry in the EFL when he might be excused as his pen was held up by a pitch invasion. Worth noting that he had scored his first goal for Arsenal in the same match before the miss.
Who needs Lacazette!
ksn in the last drinks.
Thanks for the info on Laca’s
penalty record. 11/14 on pens
is ok but not great I think…..
Quite agree though, he’s not a
replacement for Giroud. If we have
to sell one to balance the squad
then Perez seems the obvious one.
A bit unfair on Perez but if AW
doesn’t play him then that’s better
for him too. Course that’s a big
‘if’ as I’ve no idea what AW really
thinks of Perez.
Alexis, by the way, has missed four of the six penalties he has taken in his career.
Yes, no more penalties for Alexis
or Mesut !
Can’t be too harsh on the U21s I
think, the German team had much
more top flight experience, and
several players who might have
figured didn’t. Winning the U20s
and getting the SFs of the U 21s
is a successful summer and more
than we’d have expected before
the tournaments. A glimmer of
light in the long dark teatime of
English football?
For those interested,
Our new adventure the Europa league,kicks off tonight with no less than 50,yes you read that correctly,50 first round first leg qualifiers.
Some truly unpronounceable teams in that lot,but the best of them is a team called Odd,which is at home to Ballymena Utd.
A magical mystery tournament indeed,and we are still in June.
Odd entrant that one, Clive.
I won’t intrude on private grief. If only Scotland had the talent to get as far.
On the other hand, I do rate Chambers as well as Holding and I suspect we will see others in our relative surfeit of CBs depart before either of them do.
Paricularly nice schmutter there Guvna.
Odd indeed bt8
I’m waiting for Ned’s Monks to enlighten me on their history.
clive
odd – ballymena ?
quite the match !
it’s the buckle on the north’s bible belt
in the 90s theresa’s new handlers the dup
famously banned known anarchic rabble rousers ELO
for fear their concert would corrupt local god fearing youth
and livestock
https://mobile.twitter.com/iamscassidy/status/875370828082401280/photo/1
?
I got goats
I got sheep
I got a horse
I got cows
I got horses
I got all livestock
I got all livestock
A famous song by Leadbelly starts out that way.
bt8’s riding the “rock island line”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS_Ri76gwY4
Odd, Clive, is an old Norse word meaning a sharp tip, as in an arrow blade or sword point. Team is Norway’s oldest football club and is based in Skein, which is a couple of hours drive south west from Oslo. Its club crest is an arrow.
According to Odd’s website:
The name derives from Viktor Rydberg’s novel Seierssverdet, where one of the main characters was a Norwegian athlete called Orvar Odd.
and
On 25 September 2011, Odd player Jone Samuelsen scored what is claimed to be the longest headed goal ever scored in a match, in a match against Tromsø, when he headed the ball from within his own half of the pitch into Tromsø’s open goal, the goalkeeper having come forward for a late corner in the match. Norwegian Police were invited to measure the distance, and calculated the length as to be 58.13 metres.
Does that not indicate that Samuelsen had metal plates implanted in his forehead, NBN?
And scruzgooner you are right on the rails and ready to ride with Rock Island Line. 🙂
Apparently Odd were called Odd Grenland for 8 years from 1994-2002 but they were Norwegian throughout not Greenlanders as some (well, at least I) might have at first thought.
But the other big match in the first round involves the third placed club in the Andorran league, attempting to stave off the fourth placed club in the Croatian league. All eyes will be on that one, I’m sure.
The monks believe something has been lost in translation in the story of the derivation of the club’s name. Rydberg’s epic was called Segersvärdet (The Sword of Victory) and is a retelling of an Icelandic saga about a mythic hero, Örvar-Oddr.
There is, however, a video clip of the header:
https://youtu.be/trE0bjEO9VI
bt8, “i fool’d ya, i fool’d ya, i got iron, i got all pig iron”…it’s a mighty good road…
cba @18
Now there was a good band.
Jeff Lynne certainly knew how to write a top tune.
Ned
thnks for the insight into Odd.
Not as odd as the Peruvian club Deportivo Wankas, I suggest.
Or the Scottish club Civil Service Strollers. Now there’s a team whose pace I could probably still match.
Chris, While unusual names in themselves both Wankas and Strollers are not participatants in the first round of this season’s Europa League tournament to my knowledge so are not completely germane to the discussion although the monks may uncover some connection.
As for Odd the Icelandic origin of their club name would only increase the nordic intrigue and perhaps not completely leave out an admittedly tenuous possibility of a Greenlander angle after all.
Wikipedia describes the club’s hometown in Norway thusly:
Skien [ˈʃeː’ən] is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county.
Odd players could easily be both Wankas and Strollers, bt8. This is the Europey League we’re talking about after all. It’s a whole new world next season.
Stroller was a fine player and an excellent coach.
He was that Bath
Till the lure of some under the table folding stuff cost him his dignity,and tainted his legacy.
Being the Europa League isn’t so bad. Look at these potential destinations for away games that could also be nice holidays:
Limassol (Cyprus)
Valletta (Malta)
And then there’s the great names: Tre Penne, Progrès Niederkorn, B36 Tórshavn, Torpedo Kutaisi and Zaria Balti to name just five 🙂
Finally, think of the heavyweights: Lazio, Lyon, Locomotiv, FC Koln and more.
What’s not to like?
Well nothing Odd about it.
They flogged Ballymena 3 nil.
@36
What’s not to like?
shades of mediocracy
Porco
I’m not relishing the Thursday / Sunday bit and the massive rotation but if we are in a competition I hope we try to win it. And the idea of a competition where clubs are named after food like pasta or curry is very appealing .
I am away so didn’t take up the invitation I usually have to the Gazidis- a- thon. Frankly he never convinces me he’s telling the truth whatever he says. But I do understand this whole business last season has been a shock for the club and we are setting our cap at some very good and very exciting players. I think we will unload quite a few and give some of the exciting youngsters experience. Let’s hope they take the opportunity.
slop trays – emptied
troughs – pineapple chunked
*sighs*
.
*turns neon sign on*
.
.
“Right , who’s fer a pint ?”
.
.
.
?
*hates new summer job*
Apologies to all for the complete and utter ruination of ten years of work by the corporate blackmailers that are Photobucket.com
They are demanding $400 a year to restore the images on the site. Even if I could afford it I would not pay the bandits.
I have a decision to make about whether the huge amount of work involved in getting rid of every sign of their free advertising is worth it or just shut up shop.
Sorry.
*daydreams*
.
.
“if only”
“if only..”
“if only….”
.
.
.
.
https://mobile.twitter.com/BBCArchive/status/875346581054246912/video/1
*draws two porters*
.
.
.
*pulls up stool by ‘hol*
“sláinte , big man”
*summer job gets better*
Robbing fuckers. How the hell can they justify that????
Jokers. Is there another option?? My knowledge on these things is right up there alongside CBA’s knowledge on sheep, and BTM’s understanding of how to buy a round.
Holic,
I suspect there would be real willingness among the regulars to crowdfund this but there is a principle which I know you don’t want to compromise on. Whatever the decision we will of course back your stance as you do all the work to keep this place running.
Thoughts are with you
*draws two more porters*
“sláinte, fellas”
*gets wee step out for top shelf*
“who’s fer a Redbreast?”
.
.
.
.
*gets 4 glasses*
.
.
.
“… . . aye , always has been”
“aye”
.
.
“great bar”
.
.
“aye”
“always will be”
Thanks cba, Steve, and TTG. No, TTG, I will not pay them under these circumstances. On their website I see they changed their terms and conditions on Monday. Today they added their free advertising to all my images before emailing me to tell me after the event.
That is shoddy business practice at best, corporate blackmail in reality.
Sick to the stomach.
.
.
.
.
*’holic comes out of the toilets*
.
.
.
.
“i’d give it ten minutes, lads”
‘holic
You know we are all with you whatever you do. The blog and its history means so much to so many of us all around the world. You sir are a legend.
Ten minutes????
Ever the optimist.
Paint peels at an alarming rate.
*draws george a pint*
*reminds steve where manners are kept*
.
.
.
.
*mist from bog reaches bar*
*wipes eyes*
.
*apologises to steve*
.
.
*opens side door*
*resigns*
.
.
*hits ground*
.
.
* crawls out under cloud sans first hours wages*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCD7SAzWYwU
Apology accepted.
Drinks all round.
It’s Friday after all.
Have we signed anyone yet??????
Blog hosting thieves ought to be strung up. Can the competition step up with a better deal ‘holic?
I can see it now.
HOLIC. THE RELAUNCH.
We could go right upmarket. Vol au vents, cheese and pineapple on sticks. Sausages. Loads and loads of sausages.
And ale. Bucket loads of ale.
And some deep fried stuff for the Sweaties. Lots of deep fried stuff for the Sweaties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePaHG6g7uFw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePaHG6g7uFw
.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePaHG6g7uFw
.
On the bright side you will now be spared my thoughts on Ivan’s Q&A last night as I have to try and recover ten years worth of images from Photobucket and put them with another host.
Then I have to try and get rid of all the image links in every post I have done in ten years so they cease to get free, albeit bad, advertising.
I may be gone for a very long time.
There will definitely be one post next week of interest to anyone who fancies winning VIP tickets to the Emirates Cup in July.
you said 69
*chuckles*
dave
?
what George A said at 55 , mate
what he said
?
if it helps i will shut my not inconsiderable gob
ye might
perhaps attract delicate GOONERS
PREVIOUSLY put off by my brusque manner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-7VNsmWW0I
https://vimeo.com/157221248
my missus
hard faced cow
eat ye fer breakfast
an spit out the bones
.
.
loves this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fyr0zbaFyE
I love the fact you chose to stay here, ya big bollix. >>>>>>>>>>>>
That’s why I’ll crack on.