Random Arsenal Shit (When it's not worth starting a thread)

[Xhaka Can’t]

Postponed till the 20th.

They've swapped the legs around, so the game on the 13th will just be the first leg now.

I disagree with this.

The first leg should be the first leg and the second leg the second leg - even if the first leg is the second leg and the second leg the first leg.

[Letters]

You don’t have a leg to stand on

[Letters]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7174525/No-advantage-playing-second-fixture-double-legged-football-match-home.html

[dazthegooner]

Auba test positive for Covid https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/players/pierre-emerick-aubameyang-covid-breaking-22662035

[Niall_Quinn]

That'll suit Auba just fine. Another opportunity to get paid while he sleeps.

[LDG]

I disagree with this.

The first leg should be the first leg and the second leg the second leg - even if the first leg is the second leg and the second leg the first leg.

Leggist

Some people identify as no legs

[WMUG]

Off to Forest tomorrow, then Anfield on Thursday. Should be fun.

Unless we lose. Then it'll be shit.

[Letters]

Off to Forest tomorrow, then Anfield on Thursday. Should be fun.

Unless we lose. Then it'll be shit.

We won’t.
And we will.
Respectively

[Letters]

We won’t.
And we will.
Respectively

:doh:

[WMUG]

:doh:

:pal:

Wait, hold on...

Although actually I was wrong about it being shit if we lost.

Was a great evening, fantastic atmosphere from both sets of fans at a proper old school football ground.

Shame about the football though.

[Chippy]

I have been looking the players that are unavailable for the Liverpool and the Spuds games in the next few days.

Thanks to injuries, Covid and the ACON, we are down to the bare bones.

The next few days could be pivotal in our season :(

We should at least be looking at one or two loan players for cover?

[Letters]

Time for Wilshere to come home :cool:

[dazthegooner]

Not enough beds in the treatment room.

[Chippy]

Time for Wilshere to come home :cool:

If we were Liverpool, we could have both games postponed! :censored:

[WMUG]

So apparently our U21s are in the quarter finals of the EFL Pizza cup.

We've been drawn away at Wigan, which isn't far from here. Might go along.

[dazthegooner]

So apparently our U21s are in the quarter finals of the EFL Pizza cup.

We've been drawn away at Wigan, which isn't far from here. Might go along.
Apparently we’re the 1st under 21’s team to reach the quarter finals.

[WMUG]

Apparently we’re the 1st under 21’s team to reach the quarter finals.

You'll never sing that.

[dazthegooner]

Depends on the tune :good:

[Letters]

We won’t.
And we will.
Respectively
I am available to give betting tips :cool:

[Letters]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jan/14/arsenal-tottenham-premier-league-covid

(Spoiler: Obviously they'll make us play)

[I am invisible]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jan/14/arsenal-tottenham-premier-league-covid

(Spoiler: Obviously they'll make us play)
How many more players do we need to loan out before we can’t name a squad?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12515849/tottenham-vs-arsenal-gunners-request-postponement-of-north-london-derby-due-to-covid-and-player-absences

Sky say we have now requested it to be postponed. I guess from that and considering the Guardian link above, it is to suggest it's a reasonable request?

[Marc Overmars]

I’m sorry but if there isn’t a covid outbreak I’m not exactly sure we have a leg to stand on.

Injuries, AFCON and Xhaka being an idiot, we should have to deal with it like everyone else should. Setting a very risky precedent if we’re successful in this.

[dazthegooner]

Wel it has to be postponed the Spuds are angry we've asked :good:

[Chippy]

I’m sorry but if there isn’t a covid outbreak I’m not exactly sure we have a leg to stand on.

Injuries, AFCON and Xhaka being an idiot, we should have to deal with it like everyone else should. Setting a very risky precedent if we’re successful in this.

Spot on!
That is why the game will NOT be postponed.

[Chippy]

I’m sorry but if there isn’t a covid outbreak I’m not exactly sure we have a leg to stand on.

Injuries, AFCON and Xhaka being an idiot, we should have to deal with it like everyone else should. Setting a very risky precedent if we’re successful in this.

Burnley have had their game cancelled due to both Covid AND injuries. Surely we have a case now?

[Letters]

We only have one Covid case though, don’t we?
I don’t think we have much of a case here tbf

[Bumble]

We only have one Covid case though, don’t we?
I don’t think we have much of a case here tbf

I agree unless its 5+ covid cases tipping you over the edge but injuries/xhaka happens and Acon should be planned for. We can beat spurs anyway

[Marc Overmars]

I agree unless its 5+ covid cases tipping you over the edge but injuries/xhaka happens and Acon should be planned for. We can beat spurs anyway

Unlikely at WHL I’d say and Arteta probably knows it hence this request.

Shithouse move from us.

[I am invisible]

I reckon we might actually have a strong case here, you know? The rules on postponement aren’t just about COVID cases - you also have to be able to name a squad of 13 outfield players plus a keeper and I’m not sure if we can right now? Not without calling up youth players who aren’t registered as part of the squad and they may not count.

[I am invisible]

This is who we currently have out…

Partey, Auba, Pepe and Elneny (AFCON), Ødegaard (COVID), ESR, Tomi, Saka, Cedric, Chambers (Injured), Xhaka (Suspended), AMN, Balogun (Loan)
= 13

And this is who we have available from the registered / senior squad…

Ramsdale, Leno, Tierney, Nuno, White, Gabriel, Holding, Mari, Kola, Sambi, Martinelli, Laca, Eddie

= 11 outfield players + 2 keepers

Have I missed anyone?

[Gooner23]

Think Patino counts as he's made a first team appearance this season. Likewise Azeez as he's played for Portsmouth. Assuming that's why the other youngsters didn't get a token cameo the other night as they would then qualify as well.

[Gooner23]

The rules are bollox but that's not Arsenal's fault, and we should be treated fairly. However I'd imagine Sky are piling the pressure on the league to ensure the game goes ahead tomorrow.

[Chippy]

The rules are bollox but that's not Arsenal's fault, and we should be treated fairly. However I'd imagine Sky are piling the pressure on the league to ensure the game goes ahead tomorrow.
Yep. Sky will pull the strings here.

[I am invisible]

Think Patino counts as he's made a first team appearance this season. Likewise Azeez as he's played for Portsmouth. Assuming that's why the other youngsters didn't get a token cameo the other night as they would then qualify as well.
Nah, if our intention was to ensure that those kids couldn’t qualify for selection [for any postponement hearing] then we could have just left them at home and named a 4-man bench to make a point - the fact that we brought them with us and named them on the bench, imo, shows that we’ve genuinely made every attempt to fulfil our fixtures up until this point.

You might be right about Patino and Azeez - I haven’t checked the rules in that much detail - but, practically speaking, I don’t see how they can be looking at anything other than players who have been officially registered as first team squad members for the season? If they’re also looking at youth players who could potentially be called up and loanees that could be recalled then no club would ever have a case that they could make?

(Fwiw, I think all clubs should have been forced to turn to their academies and fulfil their fixtures, but there you go - the authorities opted for postponements instead and now they’re stuck with this current rule until the end of the season. If they change it now, after giving loads of teams an advantage, then the credibility of the competition is in tatters).

[I am invisible]

The rules are bollox but that's not Arsenal's fault, and we should be treated fairly. However I'd imagine Sky are piling the pressure on the league to ensure the game goes ahead tomorrow.
:good:

I know I’ve said we have a strong case based on their own rules and precedents, but I fully expect those rules not to apply to us for no reason whatsoever.

[Gooner23]

Nah, if our intention was to ensure that those kids couldn’t qualify for selection [for any postponement hearing] then we could have just left them at home and named a 4-man bench to make a point - the fact that we brought them with us and named them on the bench, imo, shows that we’ve genuinely made every attempt to fulfil our fixtures up until this point.

You might be right about Patino and Azeez - I haven’t checked the rules in that much detail - but, practically speaking, I don’t see how they can be looking at anything other than players who have been officially registered as first team squad members for the season? If they’re also looking at youth players who could potentially be called up and loanees that could be recalled then no club would ever have a case that they could make?

(Fwiw, I think all clubs should have been forced to turn to their academies and fulfil their fixtures, but there you go - the authorities opted for postponements instead and now they’re stuck with this current rule until the end of the season. If they change it now, after giving loads of teams an advantage, then the credibility of the competition is in tatters).

Think I read somewhere that anyone that's made an appearance this season counts as first team for the league rules. And Azeez has just been recalled from his loan.

[Gooner23]

Sounds like it has been postponed though, genuinely quite shocked.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Had a message from Sky Sports saying the Premier League has agreed to postpone the NLD.

[dazthegooner]

Neville will be pissed off he was very concerned about fans having made travel arragenements but then again who buy's a travelcard days before a match?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Official.

https://www.arsenal.com/news/north-london-derby-postponed

Kinda wanted to play them whilst Son was out to be honest.

[I am invisible]

IT’S A FUCKING OUTRA…

Wait… what?

[I am invisible]

Think I read somewhere that anyone that's made an appearance this season counts as first team for the league rules. And Azeez has just been recalled from his loan.
Would make sense with Patino - at least that would explain why everyone keeps reporting that we have 12 outfield players available and I can only bring it up to 11?

[Letters]

Well. We can’t really say things never go our way :shrug:

I think this is bollox tbh. Most Spurs fans seem to think this would have been a good time to play them anyway so this might not work in our favour

[Chippy]

Well. We can’t really say things never go our way :shrug:

I think this is bollox tbh. Most Spurs fans seem to think this would have been a good time to play them anyway so this might not work in our favour
No way.
We would have been beaten easily. You cannot compete with them with so many players missing.
Xhaka being sent off against Liverpool and additional injuries was the last straw. 90% of the Arsenal supporters wanted this cancelled.

[Letters]

Fine, but we only have one Covid case.
The rest is injuries, suspensions and players being at the ACON.
That’s all our problem, you can’t have teams requesting postponements because of that.
Dangerous precedent they’ve set here, I reckon.

[Chippy]

Fine, but we only have one Covid case.
The rest is injuries, suspensions and players being at the ACON.
That’s all our problem, you can’t have teams requesting postponements because of that.
Dangerous precedent they’ve set here, I reckon.

Oh, I agree with that, however, it really is unprecedented to have so many players unavailable at one time.

[I am invisible]

Well. We can’t really say things never go our way :shrug:

I think this is bollox tbh. Most Spurs fans seem to think this would have been a good time to play them anyway so this might not work in our favour
That’s because I don’t think most spurs fans realise quite how many players we have out, especially after losing Saka, Chambers and Cedric against ‘pool. They’re probably mostly looking at themselves and worrying about being without Son and Dier (yeah I know, but most spurs fans I’ve spoken to insist that Conte’s back 3 is a disaster without him).

Right now we’d have to make a functional XI out of Ramsdale, Tierney, Gabriel, Mari, Holding, White, Tavares, Sambi, Gabriel, Laca and Nketiah, with a bench of Leno. Beyond that we’re looking at 12 year olds like Patino.

[Mac76]

we'd have been beaten no question - this gives us time to rest a bit before the Liverpool return fixture and try to make sure we win that

[I am invisible]

we'd have been beaten no question - this gives us time to rest a bit before the Liverpool return fixture and try to make sure we win that
:good:

Also fuck sp**s! Enjoy your fixture pile-up, arseholes!

[Letters]

:good:

Also fuck sp**s! Enjoy your fixture pile-up, arseholes!

Must say, as much as I think this is nonsense, it’s hilarious watching all the Spurs fans on social media crying :lol:

[I am invisible]

Must say, as much as I think this is nonsense, it’s hilarious watching all the Spurs fans on social media crying :lol:
You know… I didn’t hear any of them complaining when they got a nice winter ‘preseason’ with their new manager out of it, and then deliberately got themselves thrown out of an inconvenient European competition. Justice!

[dazthegooner]

I can see this story running in the media for the next couple of days only thing keeping it off the front page is 'Partygate' :yawn:

[Gooner23]

Wasn't that fussed about the postponement but seeing the Spurs reaction has made this so much better.

[I am invisible]

The only thing that could make this any sweeter is if we get a couple of signings over the line before the rescheduled fixture.

[I am invisible]

Arsenal PR on top form tonight…

https://www.arsenal.com/news/north-london-derby-postponed

“We are disappointed to announce that Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur has been postponed.

We know how much this match means to our fans around the world, but the Premier League has made the decision to postpone the match, due to many players across our squad currently being unavailable as a result of COVID-19, existing and recent injuries, in addition to players away with their countries at AFCON…”

:lol:

[Letters]

The only thing that could make this any sweeter is if we get a couple of signings over the line before the rescheduled fixture.

One of whom then gets the winner when we play then :cloud9:

:d

[Letters]

https://i.ibb.co/Dz12CwF/075-EE745-458-A-4-DC1-B630-293-C9-CE934-B9.jpg

:lol:

[I am invisible]

https://i.ibb.co/Dz12CwF/075-EE745-458-A-4-DC1-B630-293-C9-CE934-B9.jpg

:lol:
Arteta out!

[Letters]

https://mobile.twitter.com/luka_afc/status/1482601121634045954

:d

[dazthegooner]

A spud fan has started a change.org for an investigation wanting full disclosure on who had COVID etc etc :lol:

[WMUG]

Off to Forest tomorrow, then Anfield on Thursday. Should be fun.

Unless we lose. Then it'll be shit.





We won’t.
And we will.
Respectively

:pal:

[Letters]

Yes. As I said...


I am available to give betting tips :cool:

:p

[Chippy]

Ghana out of ACON already.
Can Thomas Partey come back now?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

It can take a couple of days for press nonsense but he could be back for the Burnley game.

Not going to play him against Liverpool two days after playing for Ghana surely.

[Marc Overmars]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-arsenal-betting-yellow-cards-25993200.amp

We’re being investigated because of suspicious betting patterns involving a player who got a yellow card. :popcorn:

Our grasp on the morally superior cup is over.

[Globalgunner]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-arsenal-betting-yellow-cards-25993200.amp

We’re being investigated because of suspicious betting patterns involving a player who got a yellow card. :popcorn:

Our grasp on the morally superior cup is over.

If that player was Xhaka, nothing suspicious about it at all

[I am invisible]

Definitely nothing suspicious about that booking he got against Leeds.

[I am invisible]

Oh shit, has anyone checked on Mac!? I’m not sure his blood pressure is going to be able to take this…

[Mac76]

Oh shit, has anyone checked on Mac!? I’m not sure his blood pressure is going to be able to take this…

:lol:

[Chippy]

Talking of blood pressure....
Does anyone else feel totally inconsolable over those cntus beating Leicester tonight?
How can they be continuously so lucky? Where did the ref get seven minutes from.
Fucking hell.

[I am invisible]

Talking of blood pressure....
Does anyone else feel totally inconsolable over those cntus beating Leicester tonight?
How can they be continuously so lucky? Where did the ref get seven minutes from.
Fucking hell.

Ngl, I did go to bed in bit of a sulk!

I’m still relatively easy about spurs for now, though. We’ve been here before with them, haven’t we? As recently as Mourinho, where they somehow keep churning out results despite never looking particularly convincing on the pitch. In the short term (esp. during the ‘honeymoon’ phase of a new manager’s reign) results and the table can lie, but the "eye test" usually turns out to be a pretty good indicator of where things are going: right now I look at spurs and I see a team who aren’t playing particularly well and are snatching a lot of draws / narrow wins at the death, sometimes with with the last kick of the game. That won’t last. It reminds me very much of when Auba and Laca’s ridiculously high conversion rate was driving Emery’s early unbeaten run - we all knew they couldn't possibly sustain that form and that there was going to be a reckoning at some point.

Who knows? Maybe they'll keep it going - if they do, AND they've started playing good football by the end of the season, THEN I’ll start looking nervously at them. But right now I see a lot of combustable elements there - Conte, Levy, an unhappy Kane, a lot of overpaid, underachieving players who's relationship with the fans is strained and who know they're probably not wanted by the manager - and they haven't really had to deal with any serious adversity yet under Conte. What's going to happen when they stop nicking those last-minute goals? What's going to happen when the other clubs start working out Conte's tactics and he doesn't have the options to change anything? What happens if (when) Conte doesn't get the players he wants in January? Is he going to start chucking players under the bus? Will those same players fight for him or will they down tools and tank him?

They've also got an impending fixture pile-up to deal with in the run-in because of the 4 or 5 games they've had postponed - again, how are they going to handle that? They were an unfit side when Conte took over, and he's a pretty hard task-master - will they be able to sustain these same levels for another 4-5 months (especially if they're having to go to the 97th minute in most games to get a result) or are these players going to burn out at some point?

Again, who knows? Maybe they will keep it going - I just feel like we're a long way from needing to worry yet (and, tbf, I'm sure they feel much the same about us).

[Chippy]

Ngl, I did go to bed in bit of a sulk!

I’m still relatively easy about spurs for now, though. We’ve been here before with them, haven’t we? As recently as Mourinho, where they somehow keep churning out results despite never looking particularly convincing on the pitch. In the short term (esp. during the ‘honeymoon’ phase of a new manager’s reign) results and the table can lie, but the "eye test" usually turns out to be a pretty good indicator of where things are going: right now I look at spurs and I see a team who aren’t playing particularly well and are snatching a lot of draws / narrow wins at the death, sometimes with with the last kick of the game. That won’t last. It reminds me very much of when Auba and Laca’s ridiculously high conversion rate was driving Emery’s early unbeaten run - we all knew they couldn't possibly sustain that form and that there was going to be a reckoning at some point.

Who knows? Maybe they'll keep it going - if they do, AND they've started playing good football by the end of the season, THEN I’ll start looking nervously at them. But right now I see a lot of combustable elements there - Conte, Levy, an unhappy Kane, a lot of overpaid, underachieving players who's relationship with the fans is strained and who know they're probably not wanted by the manager - and they haven't really had to deal with any serious adversity yet under Conte. What's going to happen when they stop nicking those last-minute goals? What's going to happen when the other clubs start working out Conte's tactics and he doesn't have the options to change anything? What happens if (when) Conte doesn't get the players he wants in January? Is he going to start chucking players under the bus? Will those same players fight for him or will they down tools and tank him?

They've also got an impending fixture pile-up to deal with in the run-in because of the 4 or 5 games they've had postponed - again, how are they going to handle that? They were an unfit side when Conte took over, and he's a pretty hard task-master - will they be able to sustain these same levels for another 4-5 months (especially if they're having to go to the 97th minute in most games to get a result) or are these players going to burn out at some point?

Again, who knows? Maybe they will keep it going - I just feel like we're a long way from needing to worry yet (and, tbf, I'm sure they feel much the same about us).
:gp:

[Bumble]

Big IF but win our games in hand and we are level on points as Chelsea, which seems odd. Although i am also staggered we are behind Spurs.

[Chippy]

Big IF but win our games in hand and we are level on points as Chelsea, which seems odd. Although i am also staggered we are behind Spurs.
Staggered is mild 🤣.
I was totally pissed off and literally wanted to kick the shit out my TV 😡

[GP]

Calm down.

We're finishing 3rd anyway.

[Globalgunner]

Calm down.

We're finishing 3rd anyway.

Pass the dutchie on the LHS mate

[Chippy]

Calm down.

We're finishing 3rd anyway.

:haha:

[Letters]

Arsenal under Arteta


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJHUbtR0yI8

[Chippy]

https://shewore.com/2022/01/27/tv-games-and-transfer-speculation-new-year-same-bs/

This is another reason that I am going off our beloved game.

What happend to Saturday afternoon 3.00 kick offs? That is why the game was invented!

The article mentions that by the end of March, out of 26 games, only 4 would have been played at 3.00pm on Saturday.

:rose:

[Niall_Quinn]

https://shewore.com/2022/01/27/tv-games-and-transfer-speculation-new-year-same-bs/

This is another reason that I am going off our beloved game.

What happend to Saturday afternoon 3.00 kick offs? That is why the game was invented!

The article mentions that by the end of March, out of 26 games, only 4 would have been played at 3.00pm on Saturday.

:rose:

Don't know if you are ancient enough to remember the Shoot magazine and the league tables you'd get in the mag at the start of every season. Basically a bit of cardboard with 90 odd slots and 90 odd coloured tabs, one for each team. And you'd move the little tabs up and down according to the 40 odd matches that were all played on Saturday and finished off on Ceefax with it's 7 pages of results and the several minute wait for the roll back to page 1 of 7. 0-1 down, 90 minutes up, but it doesn't say FT yet so there is still hope. There was more anticipation and intensity in those moments than anything I've seen on a pitch in the last decade.

This is what happens when you steal football from eager kids and hand it over to soulless corporations. We'd go out and kick the ball around the street, the match would be temporarily halted if a car had to go past. The driver would tap the horn, not because he was pissed and late for his Yoga combat class but just to say he was there. Might stick his head out the window and ask who was winning. Now the "fun" occurs on XBox with another soulless corporation boasting about how their 2D world is almost like the real thing.

Well we already had the real thing. What we have now is an inferior, ultra-expensive, heartless and mundane knock-off with almost no similarity to the original. Not a football in sight on the streets, because you might hit somebody's expensive car or Mr Health and Safety would get you. You have to wonder how long it can last when there's so little investment at ground level. It's not progress, it's loss replaced by something difference. And it shows each time one of these pampered teams rolls onto the pitch at some weird time that suits the gamblers and fucks the fans.

[Chippy]

Don't know if you are ancient enough to remember the Shoot magazine and the league tables you'd get in the mag at the start of every season. Basically a bit of cardboard with 90 odd slots and 90 odd coloured tabs, one for each team. And you'd move the little tabs up and down according to the 40 odd matches that were all played on Saturday and finished off on Ceefax with it's 7 pages of results and the several minute wait for the roll back to page 1 of 7. 0-1 down, 90 minutes up, but it doesn't say FT yet so there is still hope. There was more anticipation and intensity in those moments than anything I've seen on a pitch in the last decade.

This is what happens when you steal football from eager kids and hand it over to soulless corporations. We'd go out and kick the ball around the street, the match would be temporarily halted if a car had to go past. The driver would tap the horn, not because he was pissed and late for his Yoga combat class but just to say he was there. Might stick his head out the window and ask who was winning. Now the "fun" occurs on XBox with another soulless corporation boasting about how their 2D world is almost like the real thing.

Well we already had the real thing. What we have now is an inferior, ultra-expensive, heartless and mundane knock-off with almost no similarity to the original. Not a football in sight on the streets, because you might hit somebody's expensive car or Mr Health and Safety would get you. You have to wonder how long it can last when there's so little investment at ground level. It's not progress, it's loss replaced by something difference. And it shows each time one of these pampered teams rolls onto the pitch at some weird time that suits the gamblers and fucks the fans.

Oh yes! My Dad used to get us the Shoot magazine with the "League Ladders" from around 1975 onwards :clap:
And yes, page 303 on the Ceefex!
I watch quite a lot of "The Big Match Revisited" on YouTube. Those were the days when Players were real men and the Supporters were ordinary working people (£.70p to get into the School Boys Enclosure or £1.20 for the North Bank).

I occasionally go to watch Southend United to get a taste of the old nostalgia, which thankfully is still around the Lower Leagues.

[Letters]

Is it old in here or is it me? :cold: :oldboy:


;)

:d

[Letters]

I occasionally go to watch Southend United to get a taste of the old nostalgia, which thankfully is still around the Lower Leagues.
Some of the above is you just being old bastards who think everything was better back then (although some things definitely were).
I go to Enfield Town sometimes, that's good fun. It does feel more like football used to feel back when I first started going to games.

[Chippy]

Is it old in here or is it me? :cold: :oldboy:


;)

:d

:lol:

[dazthegooner]

Used to go to the old Dulwich Hamlet (now a Sainsbury's) if you got in after around 30 mins in your were let in for free (well us kids were anyway)

[Niall_Quinn]

Used to go to the old Dulwich Hamlet (now a Sainsbury's) if you got in after around 30 mins in your were let in for free (well us kids were anyway)

To be fair, Sainsbury's let you in for free too.

[dazthegooner]

Well it's Dog Kennel Hill it's expected :good:

[Letters]

So Kronke's lot won a superb owl, or something.
Not sure if this is good for us or bad or irrelevant?

[WMUG]

So Kronke's lot won a superb owl, or something.
Not sure if this is good for us or bad or irrelevant?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Superbowl/

[Mac76]

NFL is BS

[Chippy]

It would have been a tidy lot of results today if those fucking lucky bastard's down the road hadn't have scored ANOTHER 95th minute winner. How the fuck can that keep happening 😡😡

[Mac76]

Auba scored twice for Barca

Arteta :pal:

[WMUG]

Don't think enough gets made of the fact that when WWTL@WHL, the players celebrated with a rubber PL trophy a fan had thrown on the pitch.

[Letters]

4% rise in ticket prices

https://www.arsenal.com/news/season-ticket-prices-202223

[Mac76]

Well we have to pay for Xhaka's brillcream

[Niall_Quinn]

4% rise in ticket prices

https://www.arsenal.com/news/season-ticket-prices-202223

Inflation is officially running around that rate, although in reality it's out of control. So 4% is about right, in terms of the current fantasy. In terms of a football club that's worth watching? Daylight robbery.

[Letters]

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-mesut-ozil-has-been-excluded-by-fenerbahce-with-immediate-effect-20220324

[dazthegooner]

And a few of our fans still believe we should have kept him.

[Mac76]

"This season, he's scored eight goals in 22 league games and provided two assists."

Sounds good to me

[LDG]

Never a doubt about his talent, but when you compare the workrate to that of Isengard, it’s fair to see why we’re lucky to be rid

[McNamara That Ghost...]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11095/12574042/mesut-ozil-former-arsenal-midfielder-excluded-from-fenerbahces-first-team

Notice use of 'hauled off' in that article. :ninja:

[Niall_Quinn]

I watched Arsene Wenger - Invincible. Well worth it.

That's the first (and I believe only time) I heard Arsene admit he was wrong. That's all I ever wanted from the guy. That admission. Not to beat him with it, but to align reality with Wenger's fantasy and allow the club to move on.

The guy speaks a lot of wisdom that was missing during the final, dark years. If he'd have said it at the time I'd have been behind him. Water under the bridge I guess.

As it is, listening to him today, that counts as a reconciliation for me and allows me to better focus on the good rather than the bad.

[Letters]

:hug:

I thought it was great, reminded me of just how bloody good that team he built was and didn’t gloss over the later years too much. I wish he’d gone after that last Cup win. He still got a good send off and remains a club legend but he could have spared us and himself that final last season with all the bad feeling that brought.

[Mac76]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11095/12574042/mesut-ozil-former-arsenal-midfielder-excluded-from-fenerbahces-first-team

Notice use of 'hauled off' in that article. :ninja:

Maccy :bow:

[GP]

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1509848050356744199?t=Q0LLaC1uxqda9MUELb6Ksg&s=19

Arteta OUT!

[Letters]

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1509848050356744199?t=Q0LLaC1uxqda9MUELb6Ksg&s=19

Arteta OUT!

Agreed :angry:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60935406

[I am invisible]

He's history's greatest monster!

[dazthegooner]

Wenger's responds to Mike Dean's comments about him :lol: https://dailycannon.com/2022/04/arsene-wenger-mike-dean/

[Bumble]

Seen bbc article with xhaka moaning about hatred from fans and how he was closed to leaving. No acknowledgement that booing was deserved or he did any wrong.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Seen bbc article with xhaka moaning about hatred from fans and how he was closed to leaving. No acknowledgement that booing was deserved or he did any wrong.

No Surprise there tbh.

Seems an odd time to have an article out about him too - he is still a bang average midfielder that we need to replace asap :shrug:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Final day of the WSL.

West Ham v Arsenal is on BBC Two I think.

Chelsea v Man Utd, presumably is on Sky Sports.

Arsenal need to better Chelsea's result in order to win the title. :pray:

[Chippy]

Final day of the WSL.

West Ham v Arsenal is on BBC Two I think.

Chelsea v Man Utd, presumably is on Sky Sports.

Arsenal need to better Chelsea's result in order to win the title. :pray:

This is all very well, but who will be doing the Sunday roast? :sulk:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

What a shit joke.

Anyway, Chelsea 1-2 Man Utd

West Ham 0-0 Arsenal

It's on. :bow:

[Chippy]

What a shit joke.

Anyway, Chelsea 1-2 Man Utd

West Ham 0-0 Arsenal

It's on. :bow:

What a shit comment.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

What a shit comment.

Ah yes thanks for correcting me, it was a comment not a joke.

If you're not really interested in the content just don't reply to it.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Chelsea 2-2 Man Utd. :doh:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

3-2 Chelsea.

Oh well.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

West Ham 0-1 Arsenal.

Come on Man Utd. :sick:

[LDG]

What a name! Stina Blackstenius!

If I ever decide on a sex change, thats what I’m calling myself

[McNamara That Ghost...]

0-2 Arsenal but 4-2 Chelsea. :rose:

[Mac76]

By the way that new 'anthem' is utter shite - i can't believe so mamy mugs in the stadium actually sang it on Sunday

How pathetic to try to create our own 'Never Walk Alone'

Everyone i know thought it was utter bollocks and will never fucking sing that utter fucking drivel in a million years

[Letters]

What is it?

[Letters]

I remembered that Google was a thing. Is this it?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X3ZDwnGqLY4

Holy shit that’s awful

[Mac76]

Ikr, it's beyond abysmal

[KSE Comedy Club]

I remembered that Google was a thing. Is this it?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X3ZDwnGqLY4

Holy shit that’s awful

It's not as bad as I thought it would be - but yeh, pretty lame tbh

[IBK]

I dunno - I'm not going to knock it. Cheesy maybe but if it helps unite the fans behind what is building at the club I'm all for it.

[Munchies]

New Arsenal shirt released.

Says they'll donate £5 from every shirt to the Arsenal foundation.

Costs £5 more compared to last season. Gone from £65 to £70

:haha:

[Letters]

£70 :lol:

Holy shit our fans are idiots.

[Letters]

Made a meme. No need to thank me

https://i.ibb.co/4KM3vr2/E09-E7612-7-E7-E-4-B2-F-BA9-B-3-BE8911894-D7.jpg

[Niall_Quinn]

The left can't meme. More proof.

[LDG]

Jose Antonio

[Munchies]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD42aOWpC2Y

[McNamara That Ghost...]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62042674

I'm not saying it's an Arsenal player but well, it could be.

[LDG]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62042674

I'm not saying it's an Arsenal player but well, it could be.

Nothing to see here

[GP]

Rumour says it's a certain Ghanaian

[Letters]

There ain’t no party like a Thomas Partey :unsure:

[mandela8]

Rumour says it's a certain Ghanaian

Oh ffs

[mandela8]

Son Meing-Rapey just has that look about him.

29 anaw.

[GP]

Son Meing-Rapey just has that look about him.

29 anaw.

I choose to believe this.

[Marc Overmars]

Love how it’s the black guy that’s alleged to have been involved.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Love how it’s the black guy that’s alleged to have been involved.

Well if it is Partey, we can console ourselves with the fact that the conviction rates for sexual crimes in this country are embarrassingly low

[Letters]

Well if it is Partey, we can console ourselves with the fact that the conviction rates for sexual crimes in this country are embarrassingly low

yay

[Letters]

Love how it’s the black guy that’s alleged to have been involved.

Yes yes, I'm sure that's the only reason the rumours are flying round that it could be him.


:rolleyes:

[GP]

Ronaldo is a rapist and yet no one seems to care.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Thomas Partey is part of Arsenal’s pre season squad travelling to Germany, so either he made bail very quickly or it’s not him

[Chippy]

Love how it’s the black guy that’s alleged to have been involved.

50/50 chance :rolleyes:

[Letters]

Thomas Partey is part of Arsenal’s pre season squad travelling to Germany, so either he made bail very quickly or it’s not him

Is that true? I heard that and then heard a retraction so :shrug:

[mandela8]

Multiple accusations now.

[Letters]

Whoever it is, is it really that hard not to rape people?
:doh:

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Well he's not being a hypocrite and that's the worst part.

[KSE Comedy Club]

No point speculating who it is tbh, any names mentioned have started on twitter from pathetic child fans.

I'm sure there are more PL footballers than just Arsenal & Spurs who have a player that might live in Barnet :doh:

[Letters]

Wilshere :rose:

https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/08/former-arsenal-and-england-star-jack-wilshere-announces-retirement-aged-30-16967093

[Marc Overmars]

Was such an exciting talent but his body just wasn’t up to it. Such a shame.

[Xhaka Can’t]

He wrote checks his body couldn’t cash. He gave his all. And during this, he was mismanaged to the extent he paid for it with his health.

[Mac76]

Partey's in the USA tour squad...

https://www.arsenal.com/news/squad-named-us-tour

[Letters]

Innocent till proven guilty :bow:

[mandela8]

Bissouma seemed to play through similar allegations with non real issues.

Of course, I've no idea if the allegations are in anyway similar.

[mandela8]

Bissouma seemed to play through similar allegations with non real issues.

Of course, I've no idea if the allegations are in anyway similar.

[Mac76]

you can say that again

[GP]

If he's allowed to leave the country it can't be that serious... can it?

[Letters]

:blink:

I just saw a load of articles saying he’d travelled and another load saying he’s been left out.

:shrug:

[GP]

Lets be real, he probably did it, but why is no one asking the important question?

What was she wearing?

[Chippy]

you can say that again

:lol:

[Letters]

Lets be real, he probably did it, but why is no one asking the important question?

What was she wearing?

A yellow ribbon? :unsure:

[GP]

A yellow ribbon? :unsure:

Then it's an open and shut case.

Bake her away, toys.

[Chippy]

Then it's an open and shut case.

Bake her away, toys.

"Sorry Chief? "
"Do what the kid said"!

[mandela8]

Lets be real, he probably did it, but why is no one asking the important question?

What was she wearing?

Did what?

[IBK]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62262148

Ridiculous fee. Glad we pulled ut of this one. Zinchenko far better value for money.

[Globalgunner]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62262148

Ridiculous fee. Glad we pulled ut of this one. Zinchenko far better value for money.

Manchester United are the Barcelona of the near future. Problem is they have so many satellite fans still ready to take out extra mortgages for the privilege of supporting them. Basic business economics do not apply, until eventually it will.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

https://www.arsenal.com/news/martin-odegaard-named-captain

Odegaard is captain.

Hope he enjoys wherever he moves to next season. :wave:

[I am invisible]

Who are the other 10 captains going to be?

[GP]

Granit Xhaka

[I am invisible]

Fair.

[Mac76]

This is basically Arteta trying to pretend he didn't fuck up sending Saliba out on loan

https://www.arsenal.com/news/arteta-saliba-reaping-benefits-marseille-loan

Sorry Mikel, you did fuck up - we know it, you know it, everyone knows it :haha:

[Letters]

“Mikel Arteta has won 50 league matches with Arsenal after 98 games in charge, making him the second-quickest manager to reach 50 top-flight wins for the Gunners, after Arsène Wenger (94th game)”

Arteta :bow:

And, of course, Wenger :bow:

[HCZ_Reborn]

“Mikel Arteta has won 50 league matches with Arsenal after 98 games in charge, making him the second-quickest manager to reach 50 top-flight wins for the Gunners, after Arsène Wenger (94th game)”

Arteta :bow:

And, of course, Wenger :bow:

97 games in charge. The first game Arsenal played after he was appointed Ljungberg was in charge for (0-0 against Everton)

I wonder if he holds the record for the Arsenal coach to rack up 31 defeats in the shortest time possible

[Chippy]

“Mikel Arteta has won 50 league matches with Arsenal after 98 games in charge, making him the second-quickest manager to reach 50 top-flight wins for the Gunners, after Arsène Wenger (94th game)”

Arteta :bow:

And, of course, Wenger :bow:

Arteta out.

[Letters]

Adams joins Strictly...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-62407451

:haha:

[Xhaka Can’t]

He’s got years of experience from choreographing the Arsenal defence offside arm raise move.

[Letters]

Cha cha slide tackle? :unsure:

[WMUG]

Cha cha slide tackle? :unsure:

:getcoat:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

https://www.arsenal.com/news/steve-braddock-1964-2022

This sucks :(

RIP

[GP]

Very sad news.

[Mac76]

RIP :rose:

[HCZ_Reborn]

The one thing about both Highbury and the Emirates is that the pitch was always immaculate

That’s a legacy to be proud of for a groundsman

Sad he died so young though

[Xhaka Can’t]

He was light years ahead of his contemporaries. RIP

[Letters]

https://newsthump.com/2022/09/01/arsenal-reveal-the-secret-to-their-success-is-to-avoid-playing-anyone-good/

:d

[Mac76]

i think it's worth sayign something about Bellerin - i'm still not sure quite how he fell so far from favour but at one point he was our mort exciting player and seemed like a good team man, it's nice that Arsenal have put up this video https://www.arsenal.com/news/goodbye-hector

for me his touch in this goal was superb

https://www.premierleague.com/video/single/1543888

[Letters]

Everton game postponed

https://www.arsenal.com/news/weekends-PL-match-postponed-

Gawd bless 'er! :( (or 'im now, I guess)

[Mac76]

so the PSV game is now on 20 October at 6pm and that means the Man City game is postponed to a date yet to be confirmed (that's one trashing averted for the time being anyway....)

https://www.arsenal.com/news/new-date-psv-fixture-man-city-postponed

[HCZ_Reborn]

so the PSV game is now on 20 October at 6pm and that means the Man City game is postponed to a date yet to be confirmed (that's one trashing averted for the time being anyway....)

https://www.arsenal.com/news/new-date-psv-fixture-man-city-postponed


After how we disgraced ourselves against United, there’s no team we can be guaranteed a result against

The way Liverpool have been playing, would be nice to think we could take them apart but I wouldn’t bet on it

Still though, literally the only day we could move the PSV fixture to

So we play Bodo Gimp twice back to back and then PSV twice back to back within three weeks

[Letters]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62937304

Meh.

[Mac76]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62937304

Meh.

That's not the spirit

More like ...

Spuds :haha:

Mead :bow:

[GP]

Maede :haha:

[Letters]

That's not the spirit

More like ...

Spuds :haha:

Mead :bow:
:gp:

Yeah, fair enough

[GP]

https://www.arsenal.com/news/xhaka-scoops-septembers-player-month

Well deserved

[Mac76]

'Player gets award for doing his job after six seasons of being shite'

[IBK]

https://www.arsenal.com/news/xhaka-scoops-septembers-player-month

Well deserved

:gp:

[mandela8]

https://www.arsenal.com/news/xhaka-scoops-septembers-player-month

Well deserved

It's not deserved at all though, is it?

I mean, apart from his goals his actual performances have been nothing to write home about. He still makes stupid mistakes, still takes too long to transition and still too often does not play his best option.

I mean, his MOM on Saturday, ahead of players like Partey and Martinelli is patently Saka like in how undeserved it was but there's this redemption narrative that is playing out noo. Anyone looking at his performances in isolation really wouldn't be that impressed. Certainly not player of the month material.

[mandela8]

For reference, Saliba is clearly the POTM for Arsenal.

Quite clearly.

[Letters]

https://www.arsenal.com/news/xhaka-scoops-septembers-player-month

Well deserved

:gp:

Xhaka :bow:

[Mac76]

For reference, Saliba is clearly the POTM for Arsenal.

Quite clearly.

The troll is right

[Mac76]

There's talk of Sambi being swapped for Locatelli in January

Whatever the merits of the deal this won't make Sambi feel very confident, I'm never sure about destabilising players this way, especially when we need him to stay focussed with all the matches coming up

[GP]

Who's destablising him?

[Mac76]

Who's destablising him?

by making him think we want to sell him, i.e. he's surplus to requirements, though i guess if he's gauranteed more first team football if it goes ahead whe might welcome it

[Letters]

But is it us doing that or is it just paper talk we don't have much control over?

[GP]

by making him think we want to sell him, i.e. he's surplus to requirements, though i guess if he's gauranteed more first team football if it goes ahead whe might welcome it

Yeah but who's doing that? Sounds like tabloid bollocks.

[Chippy]

https://metro.co.uk/2022/10/05/arsenal-loan-star-charlie-patino-hailed-after-outstanding-performance-17509086/?ito=newsnow-feed

More good reports regarding Charlie Patino :)

[HCZ_Reborn]

https://twitter.com/arsenalharmoni/status/1579096797284564993?s=46&t=NQprxBCHkUOL_XDMmtKf1w

Auba says what we all basically know about Arteta, but of course when I say it’s obvious he lacks people skills I’m just making things up and seeing what I want to see

[WMUG]

Think that says more about Auba than Arteta tbh

[GP]

Of course it does.

"The boss wouldn't let me take the piss and do what I liked" isn't the gotcha he thinks it is.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Think that says more about Auba than Arteta tbh

Nah I don’t think so at all…Auba doesn’t have a reputation of being difficult. Arteta does have a reputation for falling out with players.

[Marc Overmars]

Nah I don’t think so at all…Auba doesn’t have a reputation of being difficult. Arteta does have a reputation for falling out with players.

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/borussia-dortmund/story/3348197/aubameyang-suspended-by-borussia-dortmund-for-disciplinary-reasons-michael-zorc

[Letters]

:lol:

You can prove anything with facts :sulk:

[IBK]

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/borussia-dortmund/story/3348197/aubameyang-suspended-by-borussia-dortmund-for-disciplinary-reasons-michael-zorc

:gp: Indeed he does.

[Letters]

https://twitter.com/arsenalharmoni/status/1579096797284564993?s=46&t=NQprxBCHkUOL_XDMmtKf1w

Auba says what we all basically know about Arteta, but of course when I say it’s obvious he lacks people skills I’m just making things up and seeing what I want to see

Seriously, dude? You're taking testimony from the "bitter ex" as Gospel now because it backs up your narrative? Behave yourself.
As MO has noted, Auba has been trouble elsewhere. He wants to be the "big man"? Well fuck him.
Arteta is trying to build a team, if he doesn't want a "superstar" strutting around the place thinking he can do what he likes then good.

[IBK]

Seriously, dude? You're taking testimony from the "bitter ex" as Gospel now because it backs up your narrative? Behave yourself.
As MO has noted, Auba has been trouble elsewhere. He wants to be the "big man"? Well fuck him.
Arteta is trying to build a team, if he doesn't want a "superstar" strutting around the place thinking he can do what he likes then good.

Indeed - and further if you compare and contrast Auba with his replacement that alone should be sufficient to show that the manager made the right decision in getting shot of him.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Seriously, dude? You're taking testimony from the "bitter ex" as Gospel now because it backs up your narrative? Behave yourself.
As MO has noted, Auba has been trouble elsewhere. He wants to be the "big man"? Well fuck him.
Arteta is trying to build a team, if he doesn't want a "superstar" strutting around the place thinking he can do what he likes then good.

Whilst I was unaware of Auba’s disciplinary record at Dortmund, I can’t see how it negates what Auba has said. Big players on big wages are prone to take the piss and this idea that you can just freeze everyone out who doesn’t always do what their told is great if you’re back in the 1990s and your Alex Ferguson dealing with Paul Ince. But in the real world, what’s he going to do with Saka and Saliba when they get put on big money contracts and they don’t always behave impeccably as a result?

Well we know what he will do, he will do what he’s always done…be passive aggressive and isolate them and then end up selling them for nothing.

Don’t get me wrong you can’t simply let players get away with everything but if you put players on big money that comes with the expectation that they won’t be totally pliant anymore…that’s the football situation. If Auba earns more money than Arteta, what incentive has he got to follow the rules set down by him especially when players respect former players based on their own footballing achievements and Arteta had an average career.
Footballers are human beings not sheep, you need to be able to show that you can handle big players…I can’t see why this is controversial, it’s not…nor is the suggestion that Arteta gives no indication of having the strength of personality to deal with it.
There’s a limit of course, Ozil was obviously a complete cunt…who spent the last year trolling the club on social media.
If Auba runs into similar trouble at Chelsea I’ll admit I was wrong about this, but I don’t think I will…whether you and I like it or not, clubs like Chelsea will give him more freedom to do what he wants

[HCZ_Reborn]

Indeed - and further if you compare and contrast Auba with his replacement that alone should be sufficient to show that the manager made the right decision in getting shot of him.

Auba was gone by the summer of 22, we were going to replace him no matter what (and quite rightly so).

My question is Was it worth leaving Laca as our only striker option for the second half of the season just to prove you’re the generalissimo. Finishing 5th suggests not

[Marc Overmars]

Whilst I was unaware of Auba’s disciplinary record at Dortmund, I can’t see how it negates what Auba has said. Big players on big wages are prone to take the piss and this idea that you can just freeze everyone out who doesn’t always do what their told is great if you’re back in the 1990s and your Alex Ferguson dealing with Paul Ince. But in the real world, what’s he going to do with Saka and Saliba when they get put on big money contracts and they don’t always behave impeccably as a result?

Well we know what he will do, he will do what he’s always done…be passive aggressive and isolate them and then end up selling them for nothing.

Don’t get me wrong you can’t simply let players get away with everything but if you put players on big money that comes with the expectation that they won’t be totally pliant anymore…that’s the football situation. If Auba earns more money than Arteta, what incentive has he got to follow the rules set down by him especially when players respect former players based on their own footballing achievements and Arteta had an average career.
Footballers are human beings not sheep, you need to be able to show that you can handle big players…I can’t see why this is controversial, it’s not…nor is the suggestion that Arteta gives no indication of having the strength of personality to deal with it.
There’s a limit of course, Ozil was obviously a complete cunt…who spent the last year trolling the club on social media.
If Auba runs into similar trouble at Chelsea I’ll admit I was wrong about this, but I don’t think I will…whether you and I like it or not, clubs like Chelsea will give him more freedom to do what he wants

While big players on big wages are more prone to taking the piss, the majority remain professional. City have players on 500k a week if not more but I’d imagine they’re also some of the most professional players in the game. Auba is obviously an eccentric character but not everyone is going to indulge him that’s why he was sent packing. It was essential for Arteta to set his own standards and expectations and for whatever reason Auba decided to not respect that. I don’t see why Saka and Saliba would suddenly act out of line when they’re given new deals, they’re far more likely to fall in line given their age and the fact they owe a lot to Arteta, well Saliba less so but certainly Saka does.

Also, there’s a certain degree of irony if Auba didn’t respect the career Arteta had. Without even checking, I’m sure Auba has never won a league title and only has a couple of domestic cups to show for his honours list? Not too dissimilar to the coach then. :lol:

Anyway, we’ve moved on and while last season was a kick in the balls, long term I don’t think we’ll be regretting that decision to let him go at all. If anything, I’d say the saga with Auba cemented Arteta’s standing as a coach and someone who should be respected.

[HCZ_Reborn]

And all I’m saying is regardless of what one thinks of Auba’s behaviour there is nothing he has said which seems at all out of line with what is obvious to me but I get accused of making stuff up. I don’t say this stuff for nothing, it’s not even that peculiar to Arteta….Emery clearly didn’t have the strength of personality to deal with big egos and that’s why he failed at Arsenal.
At the moment we have a young and hungry team, but when the spotlight falls on these players it inflates the Ego. Saliba is already a very outspoken individual, it seems ridiculous to believe he won’t do or say something that will not put him into conflict with Arteta…it’s really a question of when and not if.

Saka is more shy but he’s not very bright, so all it will take is having things whispered in his ears by Agents for him to start misbehaving

And what does Arteta do then? If he’s smart and adaptable he will find a way of being accommodating whilst not losing his authority. But he doesn’t strike me as being Adaptable (being smart is beyond question, he’s clearly highly intelligent)

[Marc Overmars]

Well when the time comes for those young players we shall see. I’m confident though that a relationship built from a young age is more likely to more fruitful than one thrown together by circumstance.

[Letters]

Whilst I was unaware of Auba’s disciplinary record at Dortmund, I can’t see how it negates what Auba has said.
It negates what you said.
And the thing that negates what Auba said is the fact it's Auba who said it. As I said, he's the "bitter ex", he's not exactly a neutral and impartial observer, commenting on the way Arteta deals with things.
He's the disciplined and eventually expelled pupil moaning about how shit the head master is, not taking a moment to reflect on his own behaviour.
And if Saka starts strutting round like the big man in a couple of years then I expect Arteta to deal with him similarly. And my gut feeling about Saka is he would respond very differently

I do have concerns about the modern game and player discipline. How do you discipline someone on £300k a week? What can you actually do? Especially when you know they'll have a queue of clubs lining up to pay them even more money. It's interesting what you say about Auba earning more than Arteta - I'm reading a book about the modern history of Arsenal right now and Graham had a rule that he always earned more than the players as he was the manager and the buck stopped with him. I think he's right, but that doesn't fly in the modern game. It does somewhat undermine any manager's ability to discipline players.


If Auba runs into similar trouble at Chelsea I’ll admit I was wrong about this
Why do you have to wait for that? MO has already shown you that Auba ran in to trouble at a previous club.

[Marc Overmars]

Also regarding Chelsea, he went there for Tuchel but now his coach is another rookie at this level who had a playing career in the lower leagues. Surely a recipe for disaster then given what happened with Arteta? He will score goals for Chelsea because despite all the baggage he’s a very good striker, but just because they might tolerate it doesn’t mean we weren’t right to get rid.

[HCZ_Reborn]

It negates what you said.
And the thing that negates what Auba said is the fact it's Auba who said it. As I said, he's the "bitter ex", he's not exactly a neutral and impartial observer, commenting on the way Arteta deals with things.
He's the disciplined and eventually expelled pupil moaning about how shit the head master is, not taking a moment to reflect on his own behaviour.
And if Saka starts strutting round like the big man in a couple of years then I expect Arteta to deal with him similarly. And my gut feeling about Saka is he would respond very differently

I do have concerns about the modern game and player discipline. How do you discipline someone on £300k a week? What can you actually do? Especially when you know they'll have a queue of clubs lining up to pay them even more money. It's interesting what you say about Auba earning more than Arteta - I'm reading a book about the modern history of Arsenal right now and Graham had a rule that he always earned more than the players as he was the manager and the buck stopped with him. I think he's right, but that doesn't fly in the modern game. It does somewhat undermine any manager's ability to discipline players.


Why do you have to wait for that? MO has already shown you that Auba ran in to trouble at a previous club.


Because he didn’t leave Barcelona under a cloud, if he has no problems at Chelsea it will suggest far more likely the issue is with clubs like Arsenal and Dortmund having small club mentality. As I’ve said the issue is not being able to accept that we don’t live in the world of what should, if you don’t think being a football star and having loads of money makes you a prima Donna then you understand nothing about human behaviour (which already seems apparent to me given your insistence that quite obvious conclusions drawn about Arteta from his manner and his body language were guess work)

But importantly, this isn’t about Aubemeyang it’s about Arteta. When i say it doesn’t negate what he says I mean it. If Ozil who is one of the worlds biggest cunts had said what Auba had said I’d still look at the content of what was said rather than dismiss it because a) who said it and b) let’s face it because it’s telling you something you probably know deep down is true but don’t want to accept.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Also regarding Chelsea, he went there for Tuchel but now his coach is another rookie at this level who had a playing career in the lower leagues. Surely a recipe for disaster then given what happened with Arteta? He will score goals for Chelsea because despite all the baggage he’s a very good striker, but just because they might tolerate it doesn’t mean we weren’t right to get rid.

The thing you have to ask yourself is what harm would have been done to the club if he’d stayed until the summer? At worst we’d have had to buy out the rest of his contract which is what we did anyway.

There is absolutely zero benefit for us as a club to have let him go when we did. Would we have finished top four had he stayed? You know what I don’t know…possibly not given he wasn’t scoring particularly that much before we parted company. But if all it took to get goals out of him was to make him feel loved (scored quite a few for Barcelona) I think it might have been worth stroking his ego for another few months.

Now inadvertently we are in a position where the guy could seriously come back to bite us in the backside in the chase for 4th

[Marc Overmars]

Thing is I actually agree that he may possibly have difficulty in dealing with big egos but I just don’t believe it’s as bad a trait as you think. The goal last year was EL so maybe the club just felt they could deal with the risk of missing out on CL.

In All or Nothing they mentioned that they didn’t want to have to deal with his contract in the summer, which is what would have happened had he stayed or been loaned. Barca offered the chance for a clean break so financially for us it was good as the termination was mutual. Had he still been on the books how quickly would we have been able to sign the players we did with him hanging around on 300k a week? He didn’t have many suitors in January and got lucky that Barca were going mental, otherwise I’m not sure how easy it would have been to move him on.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Thing is I actually agree that he may possibly have difficulty in dealing with big egos but I just don’t believe it’s as bad a trait as you think. The goal last year was EL so maybe the club just felt they could deal with the risk of missing out on CL.

In All or Nothing they mentioned that they didn’t want to have to deal with his contract in the summer, which is what would have happened had he stayed or been loaned. Barca offered the chance for a clean break so financially for us it was good as the termination was mutual. Had he still been on the books how quickly would we have been able to sign the players we did with him hanging around on 300k a week? He didn’t have many suitors in January and got lucky that Barca were going mental, otherwise I’m not sure how easy it would have been to move him on.

Depends what your ambitions are

If top four is the sum of what we are looking to achieve then possibly not a draw back.

But anything more it’s going to be a problem

We say that Arteta takes the Guardiola stance towards players but ultimately even for Guardiola has his limits. Haaland for example….At this moment in time Haaland could be luring children to rape, murder and eat whilst wearing their remains as jewellery in training sessions…not only that but he could be passing round photographs evidencing what he did whilst laughing about it and you’d think he’d probably get some leeway given a) the amount of money he’s on and b) what he’s producing for the club.
Now obviously this is hyperbole on my part, but probably by less than you’d imagine….Haaland can’t be dropped at the moment which means he can do whatever he likes.

And Auba going in January was far more about players asking why he was training by himself…maybe you’re right that it was best to sell him simply because Arteta wouldn’t have played him, to do that he’d have to admit he was wrong.

[Marc Overmars]

Not exactly a fair comparison! :lol:
Haaland is the worlds best performing player right now, of course Pep would have to do some ego stroking to keep that going. Auba was not deserving of that treatment, his impact was on the slide as soon as he got his big deal.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Not exactly a fair comparison! :lol:
Haaland is the worlds best performing player right now, of course Pep would have to do some ego stroking to keep that going. Auba was not deserving of that treatment, his impact was on the slide as soon as he got his big deal.

I’m not saying we should have indulged him completely

I think stripping him of the captaincy and dropping him for a few games made sense

But you should give a player a way back, Arteta didn’t….

[Letters]

if you don’t think being a football star and having loads of money makes you a prima Donna then you understand nothing about human behaviour
I can see how it would encourage that tendency, but not every top player becomes one. Certain personalities are more likely to succumb.
With Auba you could see from his car he wanted to be the "big man". There were, according to Arteta, a catalogue of misdemeanours.
It sounds like it was routinely late for training - he was the captain FFS, he should be setting the example. I can't believe that ostracising him and eventually getting rid of him was his first option.
You can see from the way he's chatting shit about us what a dick he is, not every ex player does that about us - most don't, in fact.


which already seems apparent to me given your insistence that quite obvious conclusions drawn about Arteta from his manner and his body language were guess work
Not guesswork, but based on a highly edited TV show. You don't know Arteta, you know nothing about how the show was edited, what was shown, what wasn't.
And given you have drawn conclusions about his marriage from fleeting shots we got of his home life, the things you are asserting to be "obvious conclusions" cannot be taken seriously.


If Ozil who is one of the worlds biggest cunts had said what Auba had said I’d still look at the content of what was said rather than dismiss it
Sure, look at what is said. But who said it and the context is not irrelevant.

EDIT: Oh, and this:


b) let’s face it because it’s telling you something you probably know deep down is true but don’t want to accept.

You once again overestimate your ability as the board's psychologist.

[Mac76]

I've been critical of Arteta at times but I accept the evidence in front of me that he is moulding a side that is now able to take on the top six sides and win

I remain unhappy with some of the players he fielded on Thurs but certainly Martinelli didn't look like he was feeling the effects of it, so maybe it was what he needed to stay as sharp as he is

[IBK]

Auba was gone by the summer of 22, we were going to replace him no matter what (and quite rightly so).

My question is Was it worth leaving Laca as our only striker option for the second half of the season just to prove you’re the generalissimo. Finishing 5th suggests not

It depends what your priorities are. If you are building a team, then a 'bad apple' causes damage. It fosters disunity and discontent that other players feel that there is unequal treatment. This translates to the pitch where (as we have seen) players need to play for each other with no pecking order. It also sets a bad example - and this is particularly important when you are dealing with a young team and trying to change the culture at a club.

Dealing with Auba further sent a signal to other players thinking of joining Arsenal. If you come - you need to buy into the culture and the manager's non-negotiables. So you get players like Jesus and Zinchenko rather than Willian. We spent too many years indulging egos who did not return the faith shown in them.

So yes - if you are purely short termist, I can see that ignoring Auba's disciplinary issues may have been regarded as expedient (albeit that in hindsight CL football would IMO been too soon for our team). But longer term, yes it was worth getting rid of Auba while there was an opportunity to do so, and not being rushed into buying a replacement was also the right call.

As for your persisting views about Arteta. I am not buying that he cannot deal with 'big players'. He clearly (and rightly) does not want to deal with the wrong type of 'big players' - and this applies to players whose egos emerge over time as well as those who start off with the wrong attitude. Firstly, you don't persuade Jesus and Zinchenko - who both had years of experience under Arteta as assistant coach at Citeh - to join a team not in the CL if you can't handle top talent. Second, you don't have to be long in the tooth to have attitude. We have in our team 3 or 4 of the best young players in Europe (actually scratch that - some of the best players period) - who have all stated how happy they are at the club and are 100% committed to the cause. This shows good man management skills.

Finally - look at the evidence. Auba was by most accounts popular with his team mates. But what happened when he left? Was there dissention in the ranks? Did it harm our recruitment last Summer (after all players talk to each other)? No - quite the opposite in fact.

[IBK]

I've been critical of Arteta at times but I accept the evidence in front of me that he is moulding a side that is now able to take on the top six sides and win

I remain unhappy with some of the players he fielded on Thurs but certainly Martinelli didn't look like he was feeling the effects of it, so maybe it was what he needed to stay as sharp as he is

In fairness, I was unhappy to see the subs last Thursday. But in hindsight, I can see method in this. We had dropped a level when they were made, and ensuring that we wrap up top place in our Europa League group as early as possible is absolutely vital because it allows us to rest players when they are nearer the red zone in a few weeks. Second, I have no doubt at all that sports science analysis will have shown show that keeping players at optimal performance in terms of match fitness was a factor here. Lastly - and as we saw with Tomiyasu changing to LB on Thursday, the manager clearly had Sunday in mind even making his subs.

[Marc Overmars]

In fairness, I was unhappy to see the subs last Thursday. But in hindsight, I can see method in this. We had dropped a level when they were made, and ensuring that we wrap up top place in our Europa League group as early as possible is absolutely vital because it allows us to rest players when they are nearer the red zone in a few weeks. Second, I have no doubt at all that sports science analysis will have shown show that keeping players at optimal performance in terms of match fitness was a factor here. Lastly - and as we saw with Tomiyasu changing to LB on Thursday, the manager clearly had Sunday in mind even making his subs.

Hopefully the big guns aren’t dragged out to the North Pole this week.

[Mac76]

In fairness, I was unhappy to see the subs last Thursday. But in hindsight, I can see method in this. We had dropped a level when they were made, and ensuring that we wrap up top place in our Europa League group as early as possible is absolutely vital because it allows us to rest players when they are nearer the red zone in a few weeks. Second, I have no doubt at all that sports science analysis will have shown show that keeping players at optimal performance in terms of match fitness was a factor here. Lastly - and as we saw with Tomiyasu changing to LB on Thursday, the manager clearly had Sunday in mind even making his subs.

yes noted re Tomi, i thought so too when i saw he was playing on Sunday, good idea to give him some time there in the EL game

[Mac76]

Hopefully the big guns aren’t dragged out to the North Pole this week.

That would definitely be taking it too far, though i fear Arteta probably will, whatever the defence of last Thursday's subs, i still think he asks too much of (what he thinks is) his best 11

[Letters]

Once you see it, you can't unsee it...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0d5nklg

[HCZ_Reborn]

Once you see it, you can't unsee it...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0d5nklg

Tony Adams is clearly unwell mentally, and shame on Strictly for exploiting this

[Letters]

GW's resident psychiatrist strikes again! ##

[HCZ_Reborn]

GW's resident psychiatrist strikes again! ##

Ah most psychiatrists are just glorified pharmacists

On a serious note, I discovered very few people who are addicts successfully give up alcohol/drugs at the first attempt. So if TA is telling the truth that he’s not had a drink since 1996 he’s done well.

[Letters]

He's obviously been in some dark places. Seems to be doing better now, I think he's doing Strictly for a laugh, from the above he doesn't seem to be taking it or himself too seriously.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I am a qualified counsellor by the way, but as a disclaimer this absolutely gives me no power to diagnose anyone. So when I pass opinion on people it’s done completely non professionally. Any basis for saying Mikel Arteta is on the spectrum would be purely speculative based on how he presents, but equally people can present in a certain way but not be that thing.

He is definitely an introvert, and I say that as someone who is an introvert himself. And yes avoiding eye contact and defensive, protective body language postures are part of that.

And you say compare him to Juergen Klopp who seems a far more gregarious people person and you look again at Arteta’s quixotic team talks and you do think is this guy that great at building Bon homie and will he be able to pick up these players if they experience disappointment (and the empirical evidence of clusters of defeats in the past makes you question that)

Now as for any other suppositions, this is a place of spite and hyperbole….it’s the only reason I come here. On one hand, I think it’s nice to lay the law down to overpaid, recalcitrant players but I also think apart from a total lack of ability as a footballer/coach why I couldn’t manage a team of players.

Arteta gives me the impression of being a my way of the high way type of guy which then feeds into that which Auba spoke about being unable to deal with big personalities

[Letters]

Mikel Arteta on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's comments:

“A strong character is someone who challenges me tactically, challenges himself physically and challenges others mentally and we have plenty of those. Someone who wants extra days off to get a tattoo on his bum is not a strong character.”

:lol:

I hope that’s real!

[WMUG]

https://www.skysports.com/football/lyon-women-vs-arsenal-women/report/478281

Holy crapola! :faint:

Shades of the San Siro.

[GP]

https://www.skysports.com/football/lyon-women-vs-arsenal-women/report/478281

Holy crapola! :faint:

Shades of the San Siro.

"It marks the first time the eight-time European champions have conceded five goals since May 2005"

Arteta out

[mandela8]

Heard Arteta saying that top players should be able to play 70 games a season and make an impact in them and no fitness coach in the world will tell him otherwise. Playing every 3 days should be an expectation.

Probably the greatest statement he's ever made.

I fuckin deplore this notion of resting players cos they can't play twice a week. It's such utter bullshit. Sure, there are some exceptions to this and players, at certain times, will need to be managed for various reasons but, generally, there's absolutely no reason whatsoever a professional athlete can't be playing two games of fitba every week with zero impact to performance.

Common sense prevails. Amazing it came from Arteta.

[Marc Overmars]

I think certain key players need to be managed appropriately especially when you’ve got a thin squad, when there’s a fixture of little importance or a game is already won sometimes there’s no point in them being on the pitch incase of an unnecessary yellow card, injury etc, but otherwise yeah I don’t feel like elite athletes need to be rested for the sake of it.

[Mac76]

I think certain key players need to be managed appropriately especially when you’ve got a thin squad, when there’s a fixture of little importance or a game is already won sometimes there’s no point in them being on the pitch incase of an unnecessary yellow card, injury etc, but otherwise yeah I don’t feel like elite athletes need to be rested for the sake of it.

injuries/cards are my main worry too, although I do think there's some truth in players getting tired, not just through playing games, but travelling, keeping mentally focused etc, especially if they're an international - if you think about how long a season lasts, i know there's now mid-season break but for a big team with loads of cup games etc I do think a squad needs careful managing