When will Arteta be sacked by

[HCZ_Reborn]

Your attitude towards Rice is perhaps the most absurd of all your indefensible positions, literally MotM in both Real games, he also has 34 goal involvements in 100 games for us

Your're literally 100% wrong - he IS strong, he IS quick (enough) and he has more than enough technical ability to play the game we need from him

But unlike you and certain players I don’t allow my biases to affect my judgement. My player ratings show how highly I rated his performance in both legs against Real Madrid. And no I’m sorry but he absolutely doesn’t have the technical ability, pace or strength to play at 8, you need to be extremely athletic, have great acceleration and be a good dribbler and he’s not any of those things. His work rate, his leading by example and his ability to spot danger make him a very good player indeed. I don’t deny that, just not the type of player for me.

Checking the Opta stats he is behind Partey in terms of transition play, passing accuracy etc. He’s also behind Ryan Gravenberch for that matter

Also I find it extremely troubling how he doesn’t cope well with transitions or being pressed. I’m not expecting him to be Ozil on the ball but there’s a certain level

[Letters]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football...s/cz01v8kee24o



I think this is going to be one for the "aged like milk" files.

[Mac76]

But unlike you and certain players I don’t allow my biases to affect my judgement. My player ratings show how highly I rated his performance in both legs against Real Madrid. And no I’m sorry but he absolutely doesn’t have the technical ability, pace or strength to play at 8, you need to be extremely athletic, have great acceleration and be a good dribbler and he’s not any of those things. His work rate, his leading by example and his ability to spot danger make him a very good player indeed. I don’t deny that, just not the type of player for me.

Checking the Opta stats he is behind Partey in terms of transition play, passing accuracy etc. He’s also behind Ryan Gravenberch for that matter

Also I find it extremely troubling how he doesn’t cope well with transitions or being pressed. I’m not expecting him to be Ozil on the ball but there’s a certain level

So why did he play so well at, err, 8 against errrr, Real Madrid??

Your ability to deny the evidence that's in front of you is positively Trumpian

Mid-20s Championship players can't succed at PL level - proved wrong

Managers make no difference - proved wrong

Rice is rubbish - proved wrong

There's a bunch of other examples too where you state things unequivocably and are proved wrong, but instead of admitting it and moving on like an adult, you double down, I just can't be bothered to go back and find them

[HCZ_Reborn]

So why did he play so well at, err, 8 against errrr, Real Madrid??

Your ability to deny the evidence that's in front of you is positively Trumpian

Mid-20s Championship players can't succed at PL level - proved wrong

Managers make no difference - proved wrong

Rice is rubbish - proved wrong

There's a bunch of other examples too where you state things unequivocably and are proved wrong, but instead of admitting it and moving on like an adult, you double down, I just can't be bothered to go back and find them

This feels like it will go back and forth, I’ll accuse you of strawmanning and you’ll say I’m gaslighting you. But yeah I’d say to put it lightly that those are not in anyway fair summations of the positions I’ve taken.

But the fact is I don’t state it unequivocally. With the Gyokeres thing I’ve already shown you that you responded to what you thought I said rather than what I said. Honestly go back and look at what was said.

Same with the whole premier league managers thing, the only thing I can concede is that maybe I’m not coming across as clear as I think I am. But the idea that as a rule, the club with the most money and the best players will win the big prizes isn’t undermined by Leicester City winning it one year.

And to follow on from that it’s not controversial to say that the influence of managers is relatively peripheral. If you want to make out that I am changing the goalposts and that wasn’t my argument to begin with, If it wasn’t then I wouldn’t even bother with the “exception that proves the rule” counter. I make the claims you dismiss based on probability not no exceptions because there’s almost nothing out there that comes without exceptions


Also you give me the impression that you actually ignore things I say when it doesn’t suit your argument. I absolutely accept Rice played well at No8 against Real Madrid, in fact there’s nothing you will see me say to counter that. But to play well at number 8 game in, game out…you need in my view to be able to play through teams that will press you to death and will not give you time and space and you need to be able to be able to play against those who sit deep. In order to do that you need to be able to pick out passes quicker, be better technically and be quicker than Rice is (in my view).

I can say Merino had a good game up front, it doesn’t mean it’s his natural position. Despite my barbed comments at you, you’re obviously not stupid…so you can well understand that distinction.



I honestly give you the respect that you are debating me honestly here, but I do seriously believe that you have like me this pressing need to be right, Letters is the same.

[HCZ_Reborn]

And I tell you what, I’ll go one further. Recently you came back to me and said “I’ve never literally said play the under 18s” and actually I could show that you did in fact say that, but it was clear you meant it as hyperbole

So When I say Rice can’t play at number 8, it means he lacks for me the attributes to play the position in every game, it’s not me saying he literally can’t play there in the same way a feral cat given a replica kit can’t play there because it will lash out at people and run off the pitch.

It means I don’t think his particular talents are best suited to being played there as much as he has. Thus why I’ve constantly every time the team news has come out, lamented that he and Partey haven’t swapped positions

[Mac76]

And I tell you what, I’ll go one further. Recently you came back to me and said “I’ve never literally said play the under 18s” and actually I could show that you did in fact say that, but it was clear you meant it as hyperbole

Well, what i said when i corrected it was I didn't mean literally play the under-18s, I didn't deny saying it

[HCZ_Reborn]

Well, what i said when i corrected it was I didn't mean literally play the under-18s, I didn't deny saying it

Sigh

I’m not denying saying anything. I’m suggesting you have taken a maximalist to use your own words unequivocal interpretation of what I’ve argued for.

And to be fair, I even conceded a few days ago when discussing the manager issue that this is not necessarily the fault of the reader. The whole “pilotless team” suggestion, which was in no way what I was arguing for (or at the very least had no intention of making that argument)

With Gyokeres as I’ve said, there is no room for interpretation. I didn’t state in anyway a player who was playing in the championship in their mid twenties couldn’t perform in the league, I said words to the effect that I had no confidence that he could.

[Niall_Quinn]

But unlike you and certain players I don’t allow my biases to affect my judgement. My player ratings show how highly I rated his performance in both legs against Real Madrid. And no I’m sorry but he absolutely doesn’t have the technical ability, pace or strength to play at 8, you need to be extremely athletic, have great acceleration and be a good dribbler and he’s not any of those things. His work rate, his leading by example and his ability to spot danger make him a very good player indeed. I don’t deny that, just not the type of player for me.

Checking the Opta stats he is behind Partey in terms of transition play, passing accuracy etc. He’s also behind Ryan Gravenberch for that matter

Also I find it extremely troubling how he doesn’t cope well with transitions or being pressed. I’m not expecting him to be Ozil on the ball but there’s a certain level

Knew it. You couldn't resist.

[Niall_Quinn]

This feels like it will go back and forth, I’ll accuse you of strawmanning and you’ll say I’m gaslighting you. But yeah I’d say to put it lightly that those are not in anyway fair summations of the positions I’ve taken.

But the fact is I don’t state it unequivocally. With the Gyokeres thing I’ve already shown you that you responded to what you thought I said rather than what I said. Honestly go back and look at what was said.

Same with the whole premier league managers thing, the only thing I can concede is that maybe I’m not coming across as clear as I think I am. But the idea that as a rule, the club with the most money and the best players will win the big prizes isn’t undermined by Leicester City winning it one year.

And to follow on from that it’s not controversial to say that the influence of managers is relatively peripheral. If you want to make out that I am changing the goalposts and that wasn’t my argument to begin with, If it wasn’t then I wouldn’t even bother with the “exception that proves the rule” counter. I make the claims you dismiss based on probability not no exceptions because there’s almost nothing out there that comes without exceptions


Also you give me the impression that you actually ignore things I say when it doesn’t suit your argument. I absolutely accept Rice played well at No8 against Real Madrid, in fact there’s nothing you will see me say to counter that. But to play well at number 8 game in, game out…you need in my view to be able to play through teams that will press you to death and will not give you time and space and you need to be able to be able to play against those who sit deep. In order to do that you need to be able to pick out passes quicker, be better technically and be quicker than Rice is (in my view).

I can say Merino had a good game up front, it doesn’t mean it’s his natural position. Despite my barbed comments at you, you’re obviously not stupid…so you can well understand that distinction.



I honestly give you the respect that you are debating me honestly here, but I do seriously believe that you have like me this pressing need to be right, Letters is the same.

I'd love to know why you think Rice isn't quick enough against team who pack the defence? How would you know? Our game plan against such teams is to play at 1mph and tap it around in front of them. NONE of them are quick at anything - that's the whole problem. How you have managed to single out Rice when the tactics on every position on the pitch are garbage is a mystery. If the bloke gets told to play like a snail and tap it sideways, then that's what he'll do. He even said it out loud - the manage plans everything down to the last detail, we don't have to think. Partey, the real reason behind your irrational argument, played a blinder against Madrid. Then went back to Partey 1.0 against Palace. That's why I said, after the Madrid matches -- so it IS the manager who fucks Partey's game!

[HCZ_Reborn]

Knew it. You couldn't resist.

Couldn’t resist what exactly?

Not directly comparing Rice and Partey because I think they are different players. I think one has attributes that the other lacks and for many big games the two compliment each other.

What I will say is Rice very rarely puts in what I call a poor performance. Your argument was that Rice should be captain, and I wouldn’t object to that…in fact I’ve argued the same myself

His attitude and professionalism is second to none. Just not necessarily always a fan of his as a footballer