tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83747010014155491832024-03-13T16:37:49.230+00:00ARSENALISM©Victoria Concordia Crescit and thatwellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.comBlogger869125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-22818884335513630392024-02-16T11:32:00.000+00:002024-02-16T11:32:00.181+00:00CONTEXT AND CONTENT<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVlEnMS7UnlqKja0x7Hi4zr1X7rRB8xohgN5HSzK87YuMTSDC0gmM3F8pPZL55NudInL6mvGRFxG1mnzL0mE0dIxFDJ9LkfmN2l2o-V0k4GIZP2KemTBJlAbUxva9nN7M57SQLgwbbODK4VmmOz9NHenJ5z6ED8sVrr2c5YwP5KsRgyU8PsscNK27byU/s620/context.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="620" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVlEnMS7UnlqKja0x7Hi4zr1X7rRB8xohgN5HSzK87YuMTSDC0gmM3F8pPZL55NudInL6mvGRFxG1mnzL0mE0dIxFDJ9LkfmN2l2o-V0k4GIZP2KemTBJlAbUxva9nN7M57SQLgwbbODK4VmmOz9NHenJ5z6ED8sVrr2c5YwP5KsRgyU8PsscNK27byU/w400-h275/context.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Liverpool and Manchester CXV are the ones to beat in this season's chase for the Premier League title. One, a club grown organically, the other created in an Oil State laboratory. Having taken 4 points from Liverpool and 3 points from Manchester CXV so far, you would think that our status in the challenge would be reasonably good. But there is an underdog mentality among many and a defeatist attitude from some. A lot of this is directly influenced by those voices of wisdom, the media pundits. The likes of Chris (Heaven knows I'm miserable now) Sutton, Gary (Man of the people) Neville, Jamie (Sour grapes) Carragher and Robbie (I'm a character I am) Savage set the agenda for many a football fan. The reality that it's all about creating content often gets lost on people, but it shouldn't. It's important to view comments, analysis, think pieces and the like in that context.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Can the Arsenal win the league? Yes. Will the Arsenal win the league? I don't know. It's really that simple and nobody is an expert on these maters, nor is predicting the future (Nostradammus aside) a reality so it's better to go by what you see with your own eyes, it's better to look at outcomes and performances then draw a conclusion...for now. That's the key. We cannot keep making judgements on a game by game basis. A loss is greeted with hysteria and a win is lauded to the roof tops. Context again.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Punditry around the Champions League is different and in a lot of cases less hyperbolic. It seems more based on what is actually happening on the pitch in each tie and less about knee-jerkism, as it should be for club football's elite competition. Can the Arsenal win the Champions League? Yes. Will the Arsenal win the Champions League? I don't know. This tournament being head to head should create a different outlook. Beat what's in front of us needs to be the mantra and you never know. A Champions League final at Wembley is a great incentive.</span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-58107321621876642722024-01-02T11:56:00.007+00:002024-01-04T12:34:57.412+00:00TO LIVE AND DIE IN THE PL<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl2rgqCdShTY22_-m5l4_h99LH4OzRF308AeUEDGTuD-yt4iiDGzWh-MReiE4Tkfw32rYlmcooHVhFJ15r3d9pZ9N6gtOKW8wKXGATTpB5KBC2qFJzXalTBkfUgdzdp2gM3tdGcjGm4_bOGxsVAJbdS7D9Mpox5yuHvxeMbgxo7mfqOVizOt4Hg2JvSY/s400/a7d3c7fa390f300a93ae8008ffe7e704.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="400" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl2rgqCdShTY22_-m5l4_h99LH4OzRF308AeUEDGTuD-yt4iiDGzWh-MReiE4Tkfw32rYlmcooHVhFJ15r3d9pZ9N6gtOKW8wKXGATTpB5KBC2qFJzXalTBkfUgdzdp2gM3tdGcjGm4_bOGxsVAJbdS7D9Mpox5yuHvxeMbgxo7mfqOVizOt4Hg2JvSY/w640-h272/a7d3c7fa390f300a93ae8008ffe7e704.gif" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Football is a simple game really. All you need is a pitch, 22 players and a referee. But of course that is simplistic as football, particularly in the Premier League is a multi million pound industry where fortunes are made and reputations built, however, the game is in the hands of incompetents at best and corrupt individuals at worst. I prefer to view it as incompetence personally.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Yes the referees and match officials of the PGMOL, having been given the power of life or death, much like the Roman Emperors in the gladiatorial stadiums, are holding sway. The upwards or downwards thumb has been replaced by VAR and the vagaries of interpretation. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Apologies have been given for incorrect decisions, cards have been brandished and rescinded and Refs have been banned from officiating against certain teams but it's not good enough. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When, pre VAR, a Ref made an error it was just that; human error and that, to me is acceptable, but when mistakes are still being made despite of technology you have to ask if things have improved. The answer is no.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I'm fed up with it to be honest. "It" being the lack of consistency. It's taking the joy out of watching, it's taking the spontaneity out of the fan experience. All it seems to be doing is creating narratives, agendas and of course content. Controversy creates content. Content lines pockets. It's a cynical view I know, but that's what the game now is; cynical.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I have had enough. I expect nothing from officials. I expect nothing from VAR. I expect nothing from the PGMOL, as it's clear that if you cross them you have a target on your back and I expect nothing to change any time soon. It's a sad state of affairs, but that's what happens when you entrust the beautiful game to a bureaucratic monopoly. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-53897018694339616422023-12-10T14:20:00.003+00:002023-12-10T14:20:59.274+00:00FOOTBALL'S DAWN OF THE DEAD <p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_pNlaz5fhLZ5-2oZBdSNFWe2gRGfJamI39OmnCn9SOrmXE0p8HewIUeEJDMUMmK0abJpplebTjCtua3q1KHUoE7Sx0BcFHA1YoaB92A1RTxcuP74b5Rux17rEbfl-4zP-yGDsNYBEGE6-Jaa3tmYDmRcLF8JhwAj4Ajf_JSzTKLsCZ6g_yN4YUHbx0I/s850/medium-pwl-dawn-of-the-dead-1978-wall-poster-13-19-inches-matte-original-imaek7ny64nyxhfd.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="850" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_pNlaz5fhLZ5-2oZBdSNFWe2gRGfJamI39OmnCn9SOrmXE0p8HewIUeEJDMUMmK0abJpplebTjCtua3q1KHUoE7Sx0BcFHA1YoaB92A1RTxcuP74b5Rux17rEbfl-4zP-yGDsNYBEGE6-Jaa3tmYDmRcLF8JhwAj4Ajf_JSzTKLsCZ6g_yN4YUHbx0I/w438-h300/medium-pwl-dawn-of-the-dead-1978-wall-poster-13-19-inches-matte-original-imaek7ny64nyxhfd.webp" width="438" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Football is barricaded inside a shopping centre with dwindling supplies but lots of product, and is surrounded by zombies hammering at the shuttered shop fronts with malicious intent. The zombies are intent on feeding on the vertebrate organs that have developed axially from the midline dorsal nerve cord as a vesicular enlargement at the rostral end of the neural tube, with centralised control over all body segments. Yes, they want to eat football's brains!</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Zombies are sub divided. There are the VAR zombies, shambling with inevitability towards their intended target, then there are the media content creators looking for perceived structural weaknesses to exploit. The Sky/TNT/Amazon zombies fight amongst themselves for supremacy, to see who will get the first juicy mouthful, while the Oil money zombies have gained the upper hand over the oligarch zombies. The FA zombies are reliant on the Premier League zombies for their leftovers but all of these parts of a whole bow to the alpha zombie.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The alpha zombie is the PGMOL, wielding it's power with impunity and god help any dissenters.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As we all know in most zombie/survivor scenarios there are only really two outcomes; the zombies win or the survivors escape and live to fight another day. But in either scenario there are always survivor casualties.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Football has managed to stay intact but it's taking some heavy hits, football has managed to retain some element of sporting endeavour and integrity, but desperate circumstances can lead to a situation when one turns against the other.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">According to the rules of surviving a zombie apocalypse rule 15 seems the most apposite</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"Rule 15: Keep an exit free"</span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Football needs to remember that it has an exit (and I don't mean the back door of WH Smith on the ground floor) I'm talking about the game itself. It's lasted over 150 years by having the principles that make it the world's greatest game along with a simplicity of laws governing a game of great complexity.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Football maybe needs an Ash from The Evil Dead, to save it, but that's unlikely, therefore it has to save itself and in order to do that, the fans and supporters need to feel connected, we need to feel that we are not on the bottom rung of consideration. The beautiful game is in the hands of ugly, greedy, parasitic individuals and those people are getting closer and closer to infecting it. Advertising zombies, marketing zombies, Tech zombies and radio Talkshow zombies are coming to feed and we could be seeing football's last stand playing out over the course of the 23/24 season.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think these two quotes from zombie movies sum up the position football finds itself in. Lets hope that the second quote rings true</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>“This is the way the world ends; not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door.” ― Amanda Hocking, Hollowland</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>“In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living.” ― Robert Kirkman</i></span></p><br />wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-79716997355231517442023-06-09T15:46:00.002+01:002023-06-09T15:46:27.082+01:00SO WHAT?<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUih5dDxPPn_vwcDe1mpPX7ohrZORQ1TtS4hH7SWtL3mDU7AhXQ_EpFmnqk9eRHqDpAp37Hbn2-SCn8g8Hd7WG4x76qWyV987PmB39jz2SOVNCIC0Jpj71aGQF1OsUusUZaIaHvaG42lHW3Y-uaiRGhwJNI3GChgADpl0kAKR1Oc6PmeCdFlWBr3zb/s480/source.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="480" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUih5dDxPPn_vwcDe1mpPX7ohrZORQ1TtS4hH7SWtL3mDU7AhXQ_EpFmnqk9eRHqDpAp37Hbn2-SCn8g8Hd7WG4x76qWyV987PmB39jz2SOVNCIC0Jpj71aGQF1OsUusUZaIaHvaG42lHW3Y-uaiRGhwJNI3GChgADpl0kAKR1Oc6PmeCdFlWBr3zb/w640-h362/source.gif" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">It looks as if every pundit is assuming that Manchester City* are guaranteed the Champions League before a ball is kicked, thus insuring that they achieve The Treble*. All well and good. In football terms they are pretty much the best team in Europe, and if, as foretold, they do in fact, prove the so called experts right, will anyone really care?</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The inevitability of Manchester City* winning stuff is like the inevitability of that meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs. It was always coming and when it did, the Dinosaurs couldn't do anything about it; nor did they worry about it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Sport is all about jeopardy, expecting the unexpected, drama and, let's be honest, romance. It's all about meeting triumph and disaster and treating those imposters just the same, except when triumph is par for the course. A club whose currency is success at any cost, including fair play is hard to care about. Manchester City* are that club. Producing some of the best teams that most have us have seen, yet no one really gives a monkeys.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Is it because the strategy of this nation state club is to get the best manager in the game because money is no object and then hoover up players because money is no object, thus creating a squad that can field two first elevens because money is no object, while having the advantage of not having a stadium debt? Or is it because of the ten ton elephant in the room that goes by the name of 'Breaking Financial Fair Play Rules Around 100 Times Over A Nine Year Period' particularly in the context of previously receiving a two year ban from European competition and a £26.8m fine (later overturned by their legal team)</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Whatever the reason is, I don't think on this occasion it is the standard currency of jealousy or dislike, it's extraordinary that it is simply apathy. It's a shrug of the shoulders at best.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Whatever this club continue to achieve on the pitch their place in the pantheon of football greatness will be akin to Coldplay's in the Rock 'n Roll Hall Of Fame</span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-8276653801573062472023-05-17T15:02:00.004+01:002023-05-17T15:02:51.684+01:00DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrq-fXN1YVCBO7-OYxtG_gfX5oYekvIzIS4ZYVNiNiUKOczeFBv0saUxxYwg2GoLavXMqBq8a5Sl5L3HMlt6d4zkOBEx1N2JMwpL_WDsZKNX5pgqRlOpi2teF2vQeiy7eLgJGzZKklKKLrI-EBYJyi8aavmUl8_dPMN-Mm1cVRVOVvN_owS92nBWo/s604/AFC%20Fans%2070s.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="604" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrq-fXN1YVCBO7-OYxtG_gfX5oYekvIzIS4ZYVNiNiUKOczeFBv0saUxxYwg2GoLavXMqBq8a5Sl5L3HMlt6d4zkOBEx1N2JMwpL_WDsZKNX5pgqRlOpi2teF2vQeiy7eLgJGzZKklKKLrI-EBYJyi8aavmUl8_dPMN-Mm1cVRVOVvN_owS92nBWo/w400-h371/AFC%20Fans%2070s.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;">Man City are being positioned as the greatest Premier league team of all time. </span><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;">Obviously any sane person knows that there was life before the premier league but let’s look at teams that have won it.</span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Man United and Arsenal had a joie de vivre and intense rivalry that has not been equaled. Blackburn was a rags to riches story. Chelsea at least, were great villains. Liverpool were electric. Leicester was a fairy tale.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Even City’s Aguero moment when reflected upon wasn’t a big deal; at home against a struggling 10 man QPR was hardly Anfield 89.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pepe Guardiola is clearly a great thinker in footballing terms, an innovator to be sure, but he’s ultimately the architect of sterility. His end product is that of a cold winning machine rather than a team clothed in endeavour. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s the intangible that his product struggles with; the glory, and that ultimately defines sporting achievement.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I always say the best team wins the league and that’s fair enough but context is important. Rightly or wrongly Guardiola’s achievements will always be shrouded as every club he has managed has had the most money and the best players which could be looked upon as an advantageous base for his ideas</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">If Man City win the treble or go a season unbeaten the reality is that those achievements will be met with a shrug of the shoulders at best outside of the Etihad.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Greatness transcends, systematic victory doesn’t.</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Manchester City have not gone a season unbeaten...yet</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Manchester City have not done the treble...yet</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Manchester City have not won the Champions League...yet</span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">There’s the real possibility that they could replicate those achievements in the near future and in doing so you have to analyse the credo of Manchester City</span></p><p></p><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Guardiola - let’s get the worlds best manager because money is no object</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Mahrez- let’s by Leicester’s best player because money is no object</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Grealish-let’s buy Villa’s best player because money is no object</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Haaland-let’s buy Europe’s best striker because money is no object</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Let’s assemble 22 top class players because money is no object</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">That’s the City way. </span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">As regards the boringly obvious criticism and rubbing of hands following Arsenal's unsuccesful title bid </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"Oh,Arsenal could only draw with Southampton"-Man City list to Southampton; albeit in a cup competition</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"Oh,Arsenal could only draw at Anfield" -Man City lost at Anfield</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It's also worth pointing out that Arsenal were robbed of victory against Brentford by (self confessed) VAR incompetence-Man City lost to Brentford.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Be that as it may, Man City beat Arsenal home & away so if they go on to win the league there’s no argument.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When looking beyond the obvious fact that Manchester City are a cross between the Terminator and Richie Rich there are a number of factors that contributed to Arsenal's second place finish</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Key Injury combinations</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Dips in form</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Inexperience of squad</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Inexperience of manager</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The pressure of competing with a machine</span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Premier League is unforgiving and in the context of trying to compete with ManCity a team has to basically be close to perfect week in, week out. Only one club in the last six years has finished above ManCity; that’s the landscape and that’s the challenge facing us and every club next season.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here’s another question: why did no other team mount anything approaching a challenge to Manchester City this season?</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ultimately Man City have changed the landscape and, so far, Liverpool have been the only ones to successfully knock them off their perch; and that didn’t come easy.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">As for those with the loudest voices following the 0-3 defeat against a very good Brighton team, they come from our London neighbours </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Tottenham lost twice to us this season are currently 28 points below and are struggling for a Europa League Spot and have had 3 managers in a season</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Chelsea lost twice to us, are Currently 38 points below with no European football and three managers in a season</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">You’d think they’d be too ashamed to pipe up! But here's the reality</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">After a 5th place finish last season this season Arsenal have taken</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">6 points off Tottenham</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">6 points off Chelsea</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">4 points off Liverpool</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">3 points off Man Utd</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Been unbeaten in all the London Derbies</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Secured Champions League Qualification in April</span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Finished above 18 clubs. All with the second youngest squad in the league and a manager in his third ever season</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All this in the context of trying to compete with a club with a £1.2billion squad, a scoring machine that cost a cumulative £324m to secure, who have won 5 out of the last 6 League titles.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> You've got to be in the 90 pts range to compete. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">So if anyone is critical of what we’ve achieved this season, they need to have a word with themselves.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Emotion & mentality i think can be the difference and when you can have a group of players who align with those things at the right time it can transcend ability. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">We didn’t manage those factors this time around. As much as I’m usually a ‘glass half empty’ person when it comes to the Arsenal I genuinely feel that, after the dust has settled I can rationalise this season and see a positive future for the club. A lot of that is based on, what I see as an expected development and progress of players like Saka, Martinelli, Ramsey, Saliba, Ødegaard, White, Ramsey, Gabriel and a couple of good acquisitions to add to the recent purchases of Trossard, Kiwior and Jorghino.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, every club in the league who have serious aspiration; Liverpool, Man Utd, Newcastle and Chelsea will also be looking to enter the mix.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">I think the lesson from this season is that it doesn’t matter how good you are, when you’re competing with the financially doped (allegedly) Manchester City machine there is absolutely categorically no room for errors. You can’t draw games that you are in control of. You can’t lose games against lower opposition. You basically have to be perfect!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">So as we head towards the end of this rollercoaster season, I ask myself "has it been a good season for Arsenal?" Based on expectations at the start of the season that answer has to be a 'Yes'. In terms of how the season progressed as did our expectations, well, it's still a 'yes'. We have no entered that rarefied atmosphere that only Manchester City and Liverpool have been in; competing for the title in the current landscape. I have always said that I want to see Arsenal competing, and now we are.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">It would be nice to end this season with two victories to enjoy before we break for the summer and reflect. Let's see what next season brings</span></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-43559308561885992722022-10-28T13:24:00.004+01:002022-10-28T13:24:44.129+01:00THE REFLEX<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSXPvmDC84AHsgV2JiHCqEEymXnnTFOXsiAxqcumfJJVYp41hDXLFDgY1CTRP0pCVwdfE8zbtGBIPvCgsEEUu_UPaC8fmIibk7jmhOO_Mp0tzOqHrnjVxKVBbUbNrl474hgBNqnCtI0Iq0_tenpbM9ZbfQ-5OONPacOXBDNe27dOfALIFDgJf2MOi/s646/2dED.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="646" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSXPvmDC84AHsgV2JiHCqEEymXnnTFOXsiAxqcumfJJVYp41hDXLFDgY1CTRP0pCVwdfE8zbtGBIPvCgsEEUu_UPaC8fmIibk7jmhOO_Mp0tzOqHrnjVxKVBbUbNrl474hgBNqnCtI0Iq0_tenpbM9ZbfQ-5OONPacOXBDNe27dOfALIFDgJf2MOi/w400-h217/2dED.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The return of Knee-Jerkism. Here we go again, Arsenal have lost a European game, yet still stay on top of our Europa League Group, and the hysterical (over) reactions have started. A bit like they did when Arsenal Drew a league game, yet still stayed on top of the League table.</span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Some are only happy when they are unhappy, only take joy in negativity, thrive with the glass half empty. Social media does provide the soil for perversity to grow in, and some of the comments I've seen about the 2-1 loss to PSV can only be viewed in that context.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Losing is as much about context as winning. If the team plays poorly and loses that provides an explanation but the opposition's performance has to be factored in at all times. PSV deserved the win, Arsenal didn't. It's as simple as that and all the hand wringing in the world won't change that. If we lose another two or three games in a row then it's only reasonable to be critical, but right now it seems fanciful to suggest that there is a crisis.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Sunday gives the team an opportunity to get back to winning ways; not that we will be able to see it as the 2:00 Sunday Kick Off seems to be he new 3:00 Saturday. Hopefully next year that Sunday slot won't be relevant as often. Time will tell because this is going to be a long long season.</span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-74024360369024621922022-10-23T13:12:00.001+01:002022-10-23T13:18:49.381+01:00HIGHER LOVE AT THE EMIRATES<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMT1F1wdX1r3FcrjPIXrwD9HN2zfrtmAq7bln4yUkkv4vbsGjRCott5jgDyBTSwV05VTck45OeiFjMt34FPKKvGMLxtTqe5uWRHyi7KzM2sRgdnshm_LnBVdiSmuaymaiXYOmURbD65_5U_1u5_w8R8qAZ8uD2xSE6DPAx6yo2kzZIO6oxQ8EgDz3/s810/n05054_d.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMT1F1wdX1r3FcrjPIXrwD9HN2zfrtmAq7bln4yUkkv4vbsGjRCott5jgDyBTSwV05VTck45OeiFjMt34FPKKvGMLxtTqe5uWRHyi7KzM2sRgdnshm_LnBVdiSmuaymaiXYOmURbD65_5U_1u5_w8R8qAZ8uD2xSE6DPAx6yo2kzZIO6oxQ8EgDz3/w640-h640/n05054_d.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Football, and the premier League in particular, is on something of a high, and by definition The Arsenal are on a high. I have been fortunate enough to get over to the Emirates this season (courtesy of 'Good friend Ticketmaster') and being there articulates something that is harder to get across via the on line fan base. It's not over egging the pudding to say that love is in the air, because it is. The overwhelming feeling of connection and positivity in and around the ground is palpable and it feels good, very good.</span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Yes the Arsenal are riding high and one would be naive to underestimate this as a factor but its more than that, it's like a new stadium and a new connectivity that you might expect from a club that has just been promoted to the big time, and that's how it feels; that we are taking steps back to the big time and the stadium feels like the right place at the right time.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think it's fair to say that Arsenal supporters don't indulge in repulsive chants about Hillsborough or Munich. don't throw bananas at players, don't make female fans feel uncomfortable, don't do homophobic chanting, don't smash up team coaches or make the stadium uncomfortable for people of colour. I'm not saying we are perfect, no one is, and the chants associated with Tottenham Hotspur and Judaism feel outdated and offensive, but we haven't gone down the road of the recent revival of toxic masculinity.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Nowhere is that more evident than on-line. The Arsenal has the largest on-line presence of any club and this enable some high quality Blogs and Podcasts to thrive, however this also encourages click baiters (I'm thinking Talksport in particular) and opposition fans to give full reign to their innermost Bernard Manning. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Unfortunately many clubs have Qwerty Cowboys and some of the things I've seen written to and about footballers, their families and the clubs they play for is downright immoral not to mention offensive. Hating your rivals is any easy phrase, and I'm pretty sure that when one reflects, it's not really hate in the truest sense, and its part and parcel of being a supporter but boundaries are boundaries and I am glad that we seem more boundaried at the Emirates.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Being the most historied club in the most cosmopolitan city in the country definitely helps with the ambience but that doesn't make us any less passionate than other team's supporters from hotbeds of the beautiful games. What it feels like from my point of view is that the passion and fervour is being channeled into a positivity that has been absent for too long. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our Replica shirts are everywhere, notably at the Notting Hill carnival, our Adidas clothing and kit looks great our stadium is sold out, our media is spot on, from the great programme covers to our support for local businesses campaigns, our ex players and fans in the business are in fine voice across TV and Radio </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(Alex Scott, Ian Wright, Amy Lawrence and Laura Woods </span><span style="font-family: arial;">wear their Arsenal hearts on their sleeves)</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> and we even have a new anthem in Louie Dunsford's emotional and rousing North London Forever, which is belted out, along with individual players songs of striking originality by the self styled Ashburton Army, a group of younger fans who raise the roof of the Clock End each week. Our women's team is doing well and the stadium fills with support, which shows that the connectivity is there across the club, we also have gigs at the Stadium, with The Killers selling the place out, even Tony Adams is brightening up Saturday nights.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Confidence is high.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">How to encapsulate all this, well i'll quote the always excellent Clive Palmer; "it feels like the love is back"</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k9olaIio3l8" width="320" youtube-src-id="k9olaIio3l8"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-81971087941836564442022-09-05T14:28:00.004+01:002022-09-05T14:28:19.866+01:00THIS IS VAR<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTX1z6xyBsP2uPuY2cKsJGDXNVKCAgtVSqSmkKZwbxvEvESUB5J0ITokqtxc-EuymlvmDyeNyXgcpTkZKoytyN0sE1Xag4Nyss8VJ4bDdCHcdDRnqHSq3vYRMRcug1T-Z3f_ohBEcdg16edzWkHTukAckq3Hn5ER1QH1LGRhl5NMTJ_TRwgRkQTMCB/s480/Drippy-Mona-Lisa-Black-Graffiti-Print_large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="343" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTX1z6xyBsP2uPuY2cKsJGDXNVKCAgtVSqSmkKZwbxvEvESUB5J0ITokqtxc-EuymlvmDyeNyXgcpTkZKoytyN0sE1Xag4Nyss8VJ4bDdCHcdDRnqHSq3vYRMRcug1T-Z3f_ohBEcdg16edzWkHTukAckq3Hn5ER1QH1LGRhl5NMTJ_TRwgRkQTMCB/w458-h640/Drippy-Mona-Lisa-Black-Graffiti-Print_large.jpeg" width="458" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>THIS IS VAR</b></span></div><p></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-21578334795960851162022-08-12T15:17:00.001+01:002022-08-12T15:17:46.585+01:00DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK!<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUvO5N2DeBj9170Ov721iE2Hog542uIa65k2Q8kPSB1JtuxKgSssrb_Ck-mlbPCufaSLqTgVGoQWJhBw6LxW4LZO2vg295__-5Z91uzUteF6cy3jQZbFZ2nR1L6SiB353HyF-rtw_YI7rEJzjp-eEXckYDQEANEQh3201_10xPaFA2BL286VI_8z7/s584/Graphic-Lettering-on-Arsenal-Away-Shirt-22-23.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="584" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUvO5N2DeBj9170Ov721iE2Hog542uIa65k2Q8kPSB1JtuxKgSssrb_Ck-mlbPCufaSLqTgVGoQWJhBw6LxW4LZO2vg295__-5Z91uzUteF6cy3jQZbFZ2nR1L6SiB353HyF-rtw_YI7rEJzjp-eEXckYDQEANEQh3201_10xPaFA2BL286VI_8z7/w640-h442/Graphic-Lettering-on-Arsenal-Away-Shirt-22-23.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Back In Black</i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I'm saying it right here and right now and I may, at a later date, be hoist by my own petard, but I predict that The Arsenal will reach 78 points this season. What we lacked last season was the ability to take points from teams that, somehow, some expert or another said that Arsenal "should be beating". The team did not grasp the nettle of games against so called lesser teams and in that respect the final league placing was probably right, and was after all a return to Europe to a tournament that I feel we can win.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">There is an elite of two in this league and the rest. I feel that there are no teams better than Arsenal in the 18 that makes up the rest. That is not to say that Arsenal are better than the other seventeen, it's just that no one is better.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">On a given day Arsenal can beat Manchester United, Chelsea, West Ham and Tottenham: as was proven last season, but so too can be said conversely for those teams just mentioned. The key to success is the ability to take all three points rather than one point when travelling back from fixtures against the bottom half of the league. In this regard I feel the attack is better, the defence is better and the squad is able to absorb key injuries more effectively. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I also can see the development of youth; Saka, with another year under his belt, Martinelli with another years growth, the emergence of Saliba as a high performer, the addition of Zinchenko who already looks like a quality addition, the arrival of Jesus who seems to have energised the final third and the return to fitness of Partey all augur well for volume of games this time around.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">All these factors are tangible but I want to say a few things about the intangibles.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The set of players are likeable, they seem like good guys and while this isn't always a winning formula in itself, a harmonious dressing room is always a good thing. The flash Harry (singular) has long gone as have those that were not fit for purpose. It appears that this current bunch are in it for the long haul; together.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A successful pre-season does not a successful league campaign make but it does give some momentum and that momentum carried the team to a well deserved victory at Selhurst Park. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">So to add to my optimistic opening sentence I am also predicting a trophy. No, not the FA cup that we regularly acquire, nor the League Cup (or whatever it's called) but The Europa League. I genuinely feel that it is winnable and that the Arsenal will be the team that hoists the trophy at the </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> Puskás Aréna in Budapest.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">With my points prediction and my belief in Europa League victory we should be back in the big time of the Champions League for the 23/24 season. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A friend of mine said some time ago that he felt that for the club to fully recover from the end of the Wenger era it would take five years. This is year five so Up The Arsenal!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCGwKU4fCit4Dxj7rwejHEew6TkVXrswJDz83HQ6SgC2doe04L04LITfJc5q9an_BfIbFSn9yzz5e6wXuLDDuqbRQkyvex1VDfxjEhQ2gsUpVVxRikDGwwFhRCMki5ua8TYzvjfroNPFsJVrc3U0jkS0MxwsMailPv1szVJ9z5mojE5rtm8ljP4K4/s676/Picture%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="596" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCGwKU4fCit4Dxj7rwejHEew6TkVXrswJDz83HQ6SgC2doe04L04LITfJc5q9an_BfIbFSn9yzz5e6wXuLDDuqbRQkyvex1VDfxjEhQ2gsUpVVxRikDGwwFhRCMki5ua8TYzvjfroNPFsJVrc3U0jkS0MxwsMailPv1szVJ9z5mojE5rtm8ljP4K4/w353-h400/Picture%201.jpg" width="353" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>In The Pink</i></span></div><p></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-69575160958342300942022-07-04T15:19:00.003+01:002022-07-04T15:19:21.865+01:00"HE COMES FROM NAZARETH, HE'S COME TO PLAY FOR US"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaChrMgXllzbp4ZpFJO7lpGuZ-xcww9ixQn371XmpEA0GbdQwGU4cbgkPFHxCxCAsv0X_RD6erdTHh8kiyikWFzKisq5OM6v4RRcrExvyvkNRu5f_OlG_fTl2a1HX_G4QxgWd1LCrSDcueml3BvkWA44H12ks89nC1vWxq7_ewPwdjUsiwWZRjk-v/s1045/gabriel%20signs%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="1045" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaChrMgXllzbp4ZpFJO7lpGuZ-xcww9ixQn371XmpEA0GbdQwGU4cbgkPFHxCxCAsv0X_RD6erdTHh8kiyikWFzKisq5OM6v4RRcrExvyvkNRu5f_OlG_fTl2a1HX_G4QxgWd1LCrSDcueml3BvkWA44H12ks89nC1vWxq7_ewPwdjUsiwWZRjk-v/w640-h360/gabriel%20signs%203.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">And lo, it came to pass</span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-46570881433327546432022-05-25T17:13:00.000+01:002022-05-25T17:13:21.022+01:00"THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, WE'LL BE TROPHY WINNERS RODNEY"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuVq0sIHJpxFFwIFeRacMqQXfSvb77ugGAHsCDN33Mis4imGTmcHrispQF7RjnOkfFMI17xvYXS5BYgFM9wElHKIf73-_rLJmSySb5dxzEgVi0jC2yhm4EAV4BPGhSXKBWCgrHLpPBTf0Li4d2dLVkACtdt50n2y5745-z_QEpurULlo4ATphoV68/s498/only-fools-del-boy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="498" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuVq0sIHJpxFFwIFeRacMqQXfSvb77ugGAHsCDN33Mis4imGTmcHrispQF7RjnOkfFMI17xvYXS5BYgFM9wElHKIf73-_rLJmSySb5dxzEgVi0jC2yhm4EAV4BPGhSXKBWCgrHLpPBTf0Li4d2dLVkACtdt50n2y5745-z_QEpurULlo4ATphoV68/w640-h360/only-fools-del-boy.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">So this is the last missive from me as the season has now packed it's bags and had it away on its toes. It's all about the future for the Arsenal. A summer with feet well and truly up awaits as there is the debacle in Qatar mid season, so good opportunities for players to get some rest, and several of our young players had to play far too often last season.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">What the future holds, only Elsie Partridge might be able to tell us, but a lot will be dependent on comings and goings over the summer. The Manager isn't going anywhere but there are a number of loanees and current squad members whose destiny is unclear. the same can be said about our potential targets as our club has a habit of being quite long winded when it comes to player purchases.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I would hope that we can start the new campaign with the right changes and a bit of luck with injuries. The injuries to Tomiyasu, Tierney, White and Partey along with ESR's fitness issues had a significant negative effect last time around. Add to that the overplaying of Saka and Gabriel and a reliance of inferior cover and being cream crackered mentally and physically is not a surprise.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">What I would hope is that we don't repeat the calamitous January transfer window. I am hopeful that the manager is able to reflect and not make the same mistakes again.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">should aim for next season is a trophy. Let's face it, we are reasonably good at picking up trophies and this time next year it would be great to sign off with a trophy having been hoisted</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It's about quantifying what achievement and success actually mean. For some clubs it's gaining promotion, for others it's avoiding relegation, securing a European spot of finishing above your local rivals. These aims and there merits are open to debate but what isn't is silverware.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Improvement would be great and to an extent that's an expectation but a trophy, that's what I think we can gain. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Europa League is, in my view, winnable and we have reached a Semi and a Final in recent years. The FA Cup; given our history in this competition I always think it's a realistic target. The League cup has its detractors but it's a change to win a cup relatively early in the season.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">There has been something missing of late and that's not regular Champions League football over two decades, it winning stuff. Some clubs are used to not winning trophies so they perhaps focus elsewhere. for our club we prefer tangible achievement</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I'm looking forward to a shinning cup to add to our trophy cabinet.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Have a great summer dear reader.</span></div><p></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-79523369708498824902022-05-23T14:26:00.001+01:002022-05-23T14:26:33.437+01:00STORIED PAST BRIGHT FUTURE<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN07AZCvJwCv9gHURuZVWQOJFiIzltaxwkJHCMT-R48-bl3Q2WV7_Joj-_JTQb2J9Q4SNEJ8LESHbGZaqImyIp7Sfge8WFnBFuvyb8PId9EHI8_X3ozhG22paHf6BgVa0WNlaLnh7EzmcqaUDQZMSTMAN2JjtkTaVFsRVToc1CilwBVlS8dQt5PGrh/s400/a48b6d91-9ee9-41f3-bafe-9d8da93546bd_text.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="400" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN07AZCvJwCv9gHURuZVWQOJFiIzltaxwkJHCMT-R48-bl3Q2WV7_Joj-_JTQb2J9Q4SNEJ8LESHbGZaqImyIp7Sfge8WFnBFuvyb8PId9EHI8_X3ozhG22paHf6BgVa0WNlaLnh7EzmcqaUDQZMSTMAN2JjtkTaVFsRVToc1CilwBVlS8dQt5PGrh/w640-h360/a48b6d91-9ee9-41f3-bafe-9d8da93546bd_text.gif" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Another one bites the dust. Another season that is, and I spent a very pleasant sunny afternoon at the Emirates watching the Arsenal breeze through a 5-1 destruction of a very poor Everton team. I also spent a a very pleasant time in the pub with friends having an end of season rendezvous where analysis was mixed in with general catching up and friendly conversation.</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">That the atmosphere in and around the ground was upbeat was telling and would indicate that there is a general consensus. What that consensus is, is hard to quantify, but here goes.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think most fans feel that, while it was disappointing to not finish higher in the league, getting back into europe was this season's challenge and that has been achieved.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think most fans feel more connected to this set of players, who are part of the youngest squad in the league.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think that the atmosphere within the ground is markedly upbeat and the moan and groan brigade are less vociferus.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think that while not everyone thinks that Arteta is the perfect solution, there is patience being exhibited.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think that the injustices of the season, perceived and real, alongside the critical backlash (particularly at the start of the campaign) have given fans a feeling of 'us against the'.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think that most fans will be going into the summer break not wanting to fly banners over the stadium with negative messages, but rather, are looking forward to the break and relishing next season.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Something is happening at the Arsenal that much is clear and I fell that perceptions have been realigned which adds to a more objective view of things. Manchester United lost their legacy manager 11 years ago and they are at an all time low. We left the Wenger era behind 4 years ago and we are in good shape (at last) as we have seen the last knockings of Wenger's acquisitions, with the attendant mind sets, leave the club or have one foot in the departure lounge.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Taking a look at that mob up the road, they have been in celebratory mood, which is hardly surprising as a club that have won 1 League Cup this century have no tangible success to celebrate. "This time next year" continues to be their unofficial motto. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">It's always about the next game, that's a football cliche but it's true. The next season is season 5 in the rebuild of Arsenal Football Club and with the right dealings in the transfer window we may see a new era begin in a meaningful way. We've won stuff; 9 trophies this Century so we always have a point of reference as a successful club but it now seems that </span><span style="font-family: arial;">the future looks bright and that is something to be happy about now that the 2021/22 season has been wrapped up and put away.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-59915601544215014022022-05-17T11:55:00.000+01:002022-05-17T11:55:38.821+01:00FOREGONE CONCLUSION<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3-YxVep2H7Y9ROPXa2ebAD8KXeyNvihwLEpY4_PocaqppdRrXHocRM2hYPml6sYOQZhzH0fiBt265aRdfChRTvv1XT0n8oDR2eiqp_8f7EmvE3bYpMRGV82uFeN88_vGEo6Wzx6xTu6DJ2qwe2NFhdq_jUkqTbr5ueJ9tE2OjIyJNBJv6rKpgJ1e/s630/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="630" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3-YxVep2H7Y9ROPXa2ebAD8KXeyNvihwLEpY4_PocaqppdRrXHocRM2hYPml6sYOQZhzH0fiBt265aRdfChRTvv1XT0n8oDR2eiqp_8f7EmvE3bYpMRGV82uFeN88_vGEo6Wzx6xTu6DJ2qwe2NFhdq_jUkqTbr5ueJ9tE2OjIyJNBJv6rKpgJ1e/w400-h300/image.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Newcastle United put in an excellent performance at St James' Park last night. They were thoroughly deserving of the win and should have received all the plaudits in the aftermath of Arsenal's defeat, however, the focus was on Arsenal staying in 5th place in the league. So eager are the great and the good to criticise the Arsenal that scant respect has been shown to Eddie Howe and his team.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The autopsies into Arsenal's performance are far more important for listening and viewing figures, and of course social media clicks.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">While we are on the subject of respect, the glorification of Tottenham Hotspur is being thoroughly relished by pundits and the disrespect being shown toward Norwich City is not only vulgar but, frankly, a bit of a liberty. There's a difference in predicting a Tottenham victory on the final day at Norwich and the arrogant assumption that a win for the visitors is a foregone conclusion.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Bringing things back to the Arsenal, I would have thought that the target at the start of the season was to get back into europe while avoiding the Europa Conference; that mob up the road were in it last season and it really is a tournament that is more trouble than it's worth. Given the disastrous start to the season, is a Europa League spot underachievement or a target reached. Factor in the plethora of diabolical decisions that have gone against us from match officials and the Stockley Park Massive, the injuries to the league's youngest squad and the questionable January transfer window a fifth place finish is pretty, pretty, pretty good.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A summer of rest and recruitment lies ahead and being in four tournaments next season requires some canny acquisitions and the faith that the young players continue on an upward trajectory.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We know that the post Wenger era was going to be tough as it involved a culture change, not just a change of personnel and if you look at Manchester United, it's been 9 years since Alex Ferguson left and their situation has been muddled ever since despite a revolving door of managers. Let's not forget that we are finishing above them this season. Chelsea face an uncertain future and Tottenham? who knows if they will finally win something and say goodbye to the Spursey tag?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">There is no such thing as a dead cert in football, and qualifying for Europe is a good thing in itself. No team has any divine right to anything, so taking the good with the bad is a reality, and hope is a wonderful yet fragile thing.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">On Sunday the Arsenal entertain Everton and it's an opportunity to put on a performance for the supporters who, this season, have been magnificent. A win on the final day can provide good vibes for the summer break, and who knows, Delia may have cooked up a homemade lasagne for the visiting team at Carrow Road.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvCuZDb7qClarHpARgcn4dJ-3YQye2aHgChhIva9tzvunZTGrrsQ1-PrfjI2IlVWqQUI8FQCh4hft-H6_1Hq_Kh6KtXhezrvK5gm1NahaKGZiuZx4pNtpXZUJehrf0k2-YGt2weNAnU9rmhg32MnIXmNjQCY3aRugs3Kof64G3cORxWiwYJRDu3Vt/s930/3463.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="930" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvCuZDb7qClarHpARgcn4dJ-3YQye2aHgChhIva9tzvunZTGrrsQ1-PrfjI2IlVWqQUI8FQCh4hft-H6_1Hq_Kh6KtXhezrvK5gm1NahaKGZiuZx4pNtpXZUJehrf0k2-YGt2weNAnU9rmhg32MnIXmNjQCY3aRugs3Kof64G3cORxWiwYJRDu3Vt/w400-h240/3463.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-84572670125176764912022-05-13T11:08:00.000+01:002022-05-13T11:08:13.171+01:00IT IS WHAT IT IS<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaX0CraJ7-FBf_hDidLh9dj4K_UwyIVC_ZvPZM7AyJOcVhb9zeLepW6-EUWstoD4CTr44GWouPTD4fQzPqtR1mBBgXY4m4s6jw75j0L2Vo830AsqHe1ZUHev8ORLz3_OV1wI9Fv7XLhrDMXfoY4L_Tu5ekPyDM2l-Vd8eT3dApIyf1U1wo1RIfOfj/s620/johnny-depp-cry-baby-1370361474-view-0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="620" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaX0CraJ7-FBf_hDidLh9dj4K_UwyIVC_ZvPZM7AyJOcVhb9zeLepW6-EUWstoD4CTr44GWouPTD4fQzPqtR1mBBgXY4m4s6jw75j0L2Vo830AsqHe1ZUHev8ORLz3_OV1wI9Fv7XLhrDMXfoY4L_Tu5ekPyDM2l-Vd8eT3dApIyf1U1wo1RIfOfj/w400-h296/johnny-depp-cry-baby-1370361474-view-0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Earlier in the season at the Emirates Arsenal secured a 3-1 victory against 11 men Sp*rs, last night was Tottenham's turn to take the spoils from the game at The Armitage Shanks Arena against 10 man Arsenal.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A questionable penalty decision and a red card had an impact on the result and I suppose it's convenient to highlight the Referee, Paul Glen Gary Jimmy Jurgen Gareth Jermaine Tierney's performance, or the fact that the 'not fit for impartiality ' Mike Riley maned the VAR desk, but the end result means that Arsenal retain 4th spot in the league with two games to go.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I saw a lot of talk about anxiety ahead of the game and lots of outrage after. This is good though isn't it? Having something to play for this deep into the season is where we want to be I would have thought.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I am hoping that the sense of injustice has a positive effect on the team ahead of the trip to St James' and that the experience of having to play against an inveterate cheat like Son Heung-Min will have been a learning experience. This player is a con man of the highest order, a cry baby akin to Wade Walker played by Johnny Depp in John waters' Cry Baby who can summon tears at the drop of a hat, who falls at the drop of a light gust of wind yet seems to be immune from censure. Having seen his antics in the Amazon show All Or Nothing it was clear that he is a spoilt brat of a character. maybe next time we come up against this wretch we will readjust how he is dealt with as Holding last night did himself no favours in his tussle with Tottenham's master of deception.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The celebrations at full time were as vigorous and as bombastic as anything criticised in the past few weeks, but I guess that the team weren't wearing a shirt with a cannon on it rather a chicken on a Basketball.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">More grist to the siege mentality mill as far as I'm concerned.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We go again on Monday knowing quite clearly, after this result, what we need to do on that evening and probably on the following Sunday afternoon.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We are in the mix with two games to go. That's a good thing, and nothing that is worth achieving is achieved easily.</span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-36837304498936551772022-05-03T14:02:00.003+01:002022-05-03T14:02:28.746+01:00SAFE EUROPEAN HOME<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ey1C4NNOFOs" width="320" youtube-src-id="Ey1C4NNOFOs"></iframe></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Arsenal are back on the european stage; that's now guaranteed for the 2022/23 season. Which competition we will be in is the question and the next few games will decide that.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The minimum expectation must have been Europa League qualification as we sat down to watch Brentford v Arsenal back on 13th August. That fixture and the following two were, quite frankly, disastrous and at that time I think the focus was on actually scoring a goal and getting some points on the table.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As the season has progressed we've seen a slow ascent into the upper echelons of the league that were exemplified by a great start to 2022 and now following a topsy turvy set of fixtures the Arsenal are now nestled in fourth place daring to dream of a return to Europe's elite contest.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">How the club would fare in that elite tournament is hard to assess, particularly as a summer spend is required, but you have to be in it to win it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If we "only" qualify for the Europa League it will be our fault as fourth is in our hands, but getting back into Europe in general should be seen as a positive step on the road to getting back to where we want to be</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-81851893074239594712022-04-27T17:14:00.000+01:002022-04-27T17:14:08.230+01:00WACKY RACES<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnE18fChuQNNhhoxqcEQJUX0RIl4o3qQyxJXmjeMpkGZuUaDU2uapuDoBgNG1gi7dL97IV26FU-beA8NGv0367D0wHclytC9vhqM4LI9tRpghBFxFCAdZmL3Yi5gA3_IednNK96Gg2Sd10Gbx223ZXQBqqyKhzzChfKaEk6WZML9hPoZQ_idtaI5as/s800/patan.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnE18fChuQNNhhoxqcEQJUX0RIl4o3qQyxJXmjeMpkGZuUaDU2uapuDoBgNG1gi7dL97IV26FU-beA8NGv0367D0wHclytC9vhqM4LI9tRpghBFxFCAdZmL3Yi5gA3_IednNK96Gg2Sd10Gbx223ZXQBqqyKhzzChfKaEk6WZML9hPoZQ_idtaI5as/w400-h300/patan.gif" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have the Arsenal stumbled upon a way in which being risk averse has been consigned to the dustbin? Possibly, but what allows a more offensive style is having some experience and stability where it counts and the return of Elneny typifies that as has Dhaka's Indian summer of behaving himself and generally doing what needs to be done.</span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-vi7ut9urbPIRnrgajHxkXOn8C_PPgG6gHJtvYFgyi4qrO8UGLZYAxivcgkW4lkw7ngCHj5jTVFd0ZnlxlFqTevfKUN7fWr41kmRmt4GrtzLiHZFAXsF4LrKjj3ciLnXeqlM72nW-gpZ5C3wOsqN2gGdHTIqRn4_ifk-YPI-QVZ1srt0qZwwamYA/s800/aut_loc_10.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-vi7ut9urbPIRnrgajHxkXOn8C_PPgG6gHJtvYFgyi4qrO8UGLZYAxivcgkW4lkw7ngCHj5jTVFd0ZnlxlFqTevfKUN7fWr41kmRmt4GrtzLiHZFAXsF4LrKjj3ciLnXeqlM72nW-gpZ5C3wOsqN2gGdHTIqRn4_ifk-YPI-QVZ1srt0qZwwamYA/s320/aut_loc_10.gif" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The young players have needed this support structure to enable them to be proactive in the areas that can cause the most damage.</span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s shit or bust time in the race for that 4<sup>th</sup> spot and this may be perfect opportunity for a bit of jeopardy. What you often get with young players, and don’t forget the Arsenal have the youngest squad in the league, is a lack of fear. By solidifying the midfield Arteta seems to be unleashing the talent as we are now in the serious business of points gathering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqAmGaYX1slNHYsyZAyNta7p0omRYA3HN0jr_k3xNlaOYVRgGKqZ6Vt55I5ECYuSg5DoPlTz5O_I47RcODP6Osyiex3XyQzj97bS7j75VfzAXYmmWQpaGGcVtFkdv2-CRsqbKgbNtcc79QKmqbJ7P4S8dprVG8v0exVM_J-ll2_uaFzKTKcNBpYEL/s800/aut_loc_4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqAmGaYX1slNHYsyZAyNta7p0omRYA3HN0jr_k3xNlaOYVRgGKqZ6Vt55I5ECYuSg5DoPlTz5O_I47RcODP6Osyiex3XyQzj97bS7j75VfzAXYmmWQpaGGcVtFkdv2-CRsqbKgbNtcc79QKmqbJ7P4S8dprVG8v0exVM_J-ll2_uaFzKTKcNBpYEL/s320/aut_loc_4.gif" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The fixtures ahead not only represent an opportunity to secure a return to Europe’s premier competition, with the obvious advantages that brings, but for these players to end a season that started so badly, with a flourish.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think it's not too presumptuous to say that in all probability the Arsenal will be back in Europe in one way or another during the 22/23 season but the Champions League would be a fine place to put the "process" to the test.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuovL0DieTKRMCbB33cZsl3Nq6A1K699l2_C094a6kSW2j_uNoiHgL9DwU6vIOydj3g0zif6znxLryutSJsrdrosMGHJObG4FTao-OycNpDqOZc61uUeZrkM2UAWcDt7Ja3YwohNOvSnYaRPtdzarl52IpEYwcM1gvf9uLaeeOJUxTURsn0NDQFxC/s800/aut_loc_05.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuovL0DieTKRMCbB33cZsl3Nq6A1K699l2_C094a6kSW2j_uNoiHgL9DwU6vIOydj3g0zif6znxLryutSJsrdrosMGHJObG4FTao-OycNpDqOZc61uUeZrkM2UAWcDt7Ja3YwohNOvSnYaRPtdzarl52IpEYwcM1gvf9uLaeeOJUxTURsn0NDQFxC/s320/aut_loc_05.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The race for the number 4 position is resembling an episode of Wacky Races and those teams vying for that coveted fourth place are proving to be as inconsistent as each other, however Manchester United are </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">imploding, West Ham are running out of gas and have the carrot of a Europa League final dangling, Chelsea have enough to secure 3rd, although their future has large question marks attached to it. As for that team from Seven Sisters Road, one thing you can count on with them is their innate ability to be, well, to be, Spursy. The clash on 12th May would, on the face of it, appear to be a fourth place play off, but a lot can happen between now and then.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkbmD2uB7UnrTauDMG9y8ujShCSzx3XIvFdcZxvIfAI3iIgZKTkeHQ3uUMEdM_4XW-G65Mbn84mD0XLfNOmH0tlnQanWXttLMX8kxXAJfCj9zv8-esYViIvUQ4H5SnunoNTLM9IvqEu5y4ZsRM94-9wOpXWfWVVRWsHi_qoB0U2edDw3ta0oqm-zS/s800/aut_loc_09.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkbmD2uB7UnrTauDMG9y8ujShCSzx3XIvFdcZxvIfAI3iIgZKTkeHQ3uUMEdM_4XW-G65Mbn84mD0XLfNOmH0tlnQanWXttLMX8kxXAJfCj9zv8-esYViIvUQ4H5SnunoNTLM9IvqEu5y4ZsRM94-9wOpXWfWVVRWsHi_qoB0U2edDw3ta0oqm-zS/s320/aut_loc_09.gif" width="320" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The mistakes of the January transfer window, the poor performances that followed a good run of form, all those things have introduced a note of negativity but it's inarguable that the two victories over Chelsea and Manchester United have energised the team and the fans.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A season that started in catastrophic fashion may end on a note of optimism and if it does let's hope that a summer of decent recruitment and rest for our youngsters can give us a good season to look forward to.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIeMKgeWR48QHPhRbS9J_hdyVUv5Q4TgyO7UAMu5qqhVEq47bzgJyCPm-L0BlYpVj1quYjh4vGvNnce-kn13XFut9bF2d4YVZq3fsaj9Um2kD4LYF-lmSR4251crJgJE1OzJn6DuCBd5DbRsdBKMtKIgnhwqw3g7KAIUF_UlezGqjQSDw39sg0Gcz/s800/aut_loc_3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIeMKgeWR48QHPhRbS9J_hdyVUv5Q4TgyO7UAMu5qqhVEq47bzgJyCPm-L0BlYpVj1quYjh4vGvNnce-kn13XFut9bF2d4YVZq3fsaj9Um2kD4LYF-lmSR4251crJgJE1OzJn6DuCBd5DbRsdBKMtKIgnhwqw3g7KAIUF_UlezGqjQSDw39sg0Gcz/s320/aut_loc_3.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-53163499045034703772022-04-20T17:46:00.001+01:002022-04-20T17:46:13.095+01:00XENOPHOBIA & A NICE CHIANTI<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aV_tllKX7pf7okXcTQlCe3JjolUW4Rg42NxfSBeKx0mKeRFTH8ugufT7m7YNuW7mL5QA5_UpSdld-76D-0r-qQUstUwRKysxBqEz8HlGM8MJRjqmE5i2r30ksftGTbRSeWYIO34DuaRPwB1wgIC3Me1RJR5kKRMwbLf-llp6Hj0Vit0_qWqi_HF5/s1920/akg218860_low_res-jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aV_tllKX7pf7okXcTQlCe3JjolUW4Rg42NxfSBeKx0mKeRFTH8ugufT7m7YNuW7mL5QA5_UpSdld-76D-0r-qQUstUwRKysxBqEz8HlGM8MJRjqmE5i2r30ksftGTbRSeWYIO34DuaRPwB1wgIC3Me1RJR5kKRMwbLf-llp6Hj0Vit0_qWqi_HF5/w230-h130/akg218860_low_res-jpg.webp" width="230" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMA4rzyl-GYuYSYqZYUFuOebgF5F30NVrHdhcREiyzdyDMT_eFjfnbCSgJ85WBJi1nYqPkGhoy5tbCtlr1GRyi8VN-7wth4wTw6bbcjkGdf5IQd9_FSUnfeF8O2b8IZKUnBayZ5SGnzzbnLa9KOJcZS_hE75IYnUL1qVHNYv4tHbYZectfvkpFnGbq/s1200/rebellious-goods-.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMA4rzyl-GYuYSYqZYUFuOebgF5F30NVrHdhcREiyzdyDMT_eFjfnbCSgJ85WBJi1nYqPkGhoy5tbCtlr1GRyi8VN-7wth4wTw6bbcjkGdf5IQd9_FSUnfeF8O2b8IZKUnBayZ5SGnzzbnLa9KOJcZS_hE75IYnUL1qVHNYv4tHbYZectfvkpFnGbq/w200-h133/rebellious-goods-.webp" width="200" /></a></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stamford bridge is not so much Mos Eisley these days but rather it's a hive of achievement at the cost of personality. I don't like Chelsea FC, never have, I've always thought of them as all mouth and trousers but then they started winning stuff, and winning stuff. Yes, the foundations of the modern Chelsea are questionable and for a while they had the triumvirate of terrible wretches. Their captain; a loathsome piece of work with a rap sheet as long as your arm. Their manager; a narcissist who made Mussolini look like David Attenborough. Their owner; a man whose fortune consists of dirty money, in fact, absolutely filthy money. Add to that the combination of Wine Merchants named Ollie and casual racists and it's no wonder Elvis Costello wrote 'I don't want to go to Chelsea'.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">And tonight the Arsenal have to turn up at the home of the European Champions and get a result. And yes, a result that isn't a defeat is what is needed (by any means necessary). </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This is ostensibly the game in hand that has been loitering in the wings, and with the imploding Manchester United the next visitors to The Emirates, a return of more than 3 points from these fixtures would be a great way to put the last 9 points dropped firmly in the rear view mirror.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I don't like Chelsea FC and the thought of losing to them and thereby seriously derailing a season that is hanging on by it's fingernails, is a vomit inducing one.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Do I think The Arsenal will win tonight? no I don't. Do I think a point can be gained? yes I do. The problem with playing Chelsea these days is that there is such a large gap between the two clubs in terms of ambition, recent achievement, and of course expenditure, that it can be a bit of a non event game. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The thing that, perhaps, may elevate the Arsenal's performance is the idea that possibly Chelsea are heading towards some sort of judgement day now that they have been sanctioned and that a good performance may help us to be well placed for European qualification so as to feel we are going in the right direction next season. A good performance may also lay down a marker that, while we have fallen short against the top two we can compete with the number three.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">That this vital game is at the home of a club who typify new money and have a gloaty and unappealing fanbase is enough to fill one with trepidation, but our away fans have been fantastic this season and tonight I feel that our boys are going to need al the support that they can muster if the good guys are going to prevail.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-69608238255608295172022-04-12T13:13:00.000+01:002022-04-12T13:13:19.881+01:00SOMEHOW I MANAGE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv2y14UsczMK7m1K6dujdQxl2jblM12XXwhensu0stz78JeC1A6uEUBkMMGcN1Ju0Q-CdHeyUFlsEcQrQFd8Lf_OrLnDYgl4dQY5gTVktuWKyAw966Vc7y-MfxaTkGV_Ko1zWZa8w07eN7I6qPMGrk80fTJABgYjm4qnKPaTUL60N-zVLmaNjnIKu/s1052/Some.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv2y14UsczMK7m1K6dujdQxl2jblM12XXwhensu0stz78JeC1A6uEUBkMMGcN1Ju0Q-CdHeyUFlsEcQrQFd8Lf_OrLnDYgl4dQY5gTVktuWKyAw966Vc7y-MfxaTkGV_Ko1zWZa8w07eN7I6qPMGrk80fTJABgYjm4qnKPaTUL60N-zVLmaNjnIKu/s320/Some.jpeg" width="304" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It's easy to pile in on the manager when the team get a couple of poor results at a critical point in the season and, on this most recent occasion, Michael Arteta has left himself open to criticism. The team selection was illogical in that it threw the whole team off balance and the changes made throughout the 90 minutes against Brighton smacked of hubris.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Young players are good, young players bring energy and generally allow the fans to have players to get behind but, young players need to be mentored and taken care of. By placing Xhaka at left back it not only exposed Lokonga but sent a message to Tavares, as did the placing of Martinelli and then Pepe into the left sided defensive position, that the manager has no faith in him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Young players need senior players to step up; something Lacazette is not doing, something that Elneny is not able to do from the bench. Young players need to play and when they play well, retain their place, but when they don't, another young player needs to be given a chance. This is not happening.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Injuries are something that every team has to deal with and when the squad has been thinned out at the start of the year provisions still need to be in place for back ups, but if those back ups aren't trusted to play you have to wonder about decision making in the January transfer window.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Michael Arteta is the least experienced manager operating in the top half of the league so one would hope he is able to reflect and learn. He has to as Arsenal are running out of games. He needs to be prepared to really use his squad, he's kept Holding, Pepe, Tavares, Nketiah therefore he needs to be willing to use them when necessary to achieve the results needed. He needs to be prepared to drop players who aren't functioning, he needs to look at the balance of the team, he needs to refocus and get the players to compartmentalise the last two defeats and push the tempo on saturday at St Marys. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I have been saying for a long time now that I feel he is doing a god job but can only take the club so far, that distance may be determined by other factors as there are three teams who are operating at a different level and a couple of clubs around us on the up, his challenge will not only be reestablishing The Arsenal in the elite but competing for that spot with a set of teams who all want to be big players.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Will Arteta turn out to be a good regional manager or a CEO? only time and squad investment will tell, but one thing I think is clear is that he needs to take this club back into Europe this season or he may be facing an unclear future.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3nzpXZLMMAJ_8zWA6KJAAnGFjxZNyX84JGetVW1nv9ZUUzwE4qoagPZ6LFS9AM6o4ZAX36fdNxHT4vek4ZOYnu6dauCxcnF7g0nllAkJj3AsbkJjSO234mtJDI1UVpIx4zNScVG2aShFP3n6g4vEpOPq0BPH49TzjEfHab3d3422vyhbw-GDwSnJ/s500/anigif_sub-buzz-21795-1469216908-2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="500" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3nzpXZLMMAJ_8zWA6KJAAnGFjxZNyX84JGetVW1nv9ZUUzwE4qoagPZ6LFS9AM6o4ZAX36fdNxHT4vek4ZOYnu6dauCxcnF7g0nllAkJj3AsbkJjSO234mtJDI1UVpIx4zNScVG2aShFP3n6g4vEpOPq0BPH49TzjEfHab3d3422vyhbw-GDwSnJ/w400-h184/anigif_sub-buzz-21795-1469216908-2.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-77849275906677698212022-04-05T14:07:00.000+01:002022-04-05T14:07:06.046+01:00DON'T PANIC <p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEH7uFyTSQZ_3vCFiFRRnpotyrfnq02rHtzIHs2A7mt5IcRbtNxv1Db-7vpxQ50Me8WIv2ZGgnR-sxI9pS_Xcn4e5SnyYMoA4OoWxxFvbJEfImHX77awrRr8faF0OpufcyMDSHEmQm2QKmZ3w3scxUw8gvh_X-ul7UoctClNX29Z3rYB1TQw-uvvmI/s498/dont-panic-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="498" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEH7uFyTSQZ_3vCFiFRRnpotyrfnq02rHtzIHs2A7mt5IcRbtNxv1Db-7vpxQ50Me8WIv2ZGgnR-sxI9pS_Xcn4e5SnyYMoA4OoWxxFvbJEfImHX77awrRr8faF0OpufcyMDSHEmQm2QKmZ3w3scxUw8gvh_X-ul7UoctClNX29Z3rYB1TQw-uvvmI/w400-h225/dont-panic-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Three games played, zero wins, nine goals against, zero goals scored. That was the perilous situation at the start of the current campaign and it was open season on taking the piss out of the Arsenal, memes were flying and pundits were rubbing their hands together with barely concealed glee.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Arsenal now sit fifth in the table on 54 points, fourth place separated by goal difference. The Arsenal have also played one less game than Sp*rs & Man Utd and two less than West Ham and after a pretty successful 2022 (only losing to the two teams that are head and shoulders above everyone else) we crashed and burned at Selhurst Park. Let's get it right; Crystal Palace were much better and thoroughly deserved the win and this victory by the Eagles has unleashed the vultures of opinion.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Optimism turns to doom and gloom over the space of ninety minutes, particularly in this social media age, and I have heard cries of "Fourth place is gone", "Get rid of Arteta", " Player (A) is shite!", "Player (B) should be shot"...</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think my opinion from earlier in the season still stands. I am happy with Arteta and how he has brought about a bit of a culture change and invested in youth to produce a team that are likeable and exciting, but I do feel that Michael has a ceiling and his stewardship will take us only so far. Having said that, we still have a way to travel to become once again a significant player in this league (and Europe) and quite possibly Arteta can get the club back in the Champions League and use that as another significant step in the right direction. At this point we may see a change</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">But for now fortunately there is an opportunity to consign last night's result to the archive and gain three points against Brighton at The Emirates; a ground where we generally do well. We now have injury problems and are being written off (again) and you know what? I love it. I much prefer the Arsenal to be underdogs. I much prefer it when we are unpopular and denagrated, that's when The Arsenal step up.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-37853781061115900552022-01-07T11:54:00.000+00:002022-01-07T11:54:03.281+00:00THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CHALLENGE CUP<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ7LlIMTykwOWUvIXFKC_TecLjCHr8gfTL6fMLD4jK7y_yfWbAaOO6CQw1sI-jyVrUV_EaCfy9H-FD0umU4SlxDGCV8YUH1HHA2B4eUHVqKXQlOF0aIy7tj4JDYoof3cJ7UfxR0ciuF7bkpC-ArEvEj_5RU59TcBjePUEapqjkvTn3j8zDR-go6KUK=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1000" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ7LlIMTykwOWUvIXFKC_TecLjCHr8gfTL6fMLD4jK7y_yfWbAaOO6CQw1sI-jyVrUV_EaCfy9H-FD0umU4SlxDGCV8YUH1HHA2B4eUHVqKXQlOF0aIy7tj4JDYoof3cJ7UfxR0ciuF7bkpC-ArEvEj_5RU59TcBjePUEapqjkvTn3j8zDR-go6KUK=w640-h470" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On Twitter you get all sorts of people with a plethora of views and what I have found is that when it comes to football many seem to leave their common sense and common courtesy in the metaphorical cloakroom.</span></p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Manchester City fans and Chelsea fans have quite vociferous opinions on the platform and I was struck by an assertion that Arsenal have been starved of success for two decades and will therefore celebrate anything. My response was that we have won the premier League twice and the FA Cup seven times in that time; this fact about the FA Cup unleashed hell!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"Little cups don't count"</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"yeah but one of those was against Hull"</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"Big clubs are only interested in the League and UCL"</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"Big Club my Arse!"</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"If you are satisfied with the FA Cup..."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">You get the idea.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I would say that as a club we have been in the doldrums for a while but how many teams that have been struggling to be competitive at the highest level have won stuff while doing so?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">There are certain other clubs defined as being big, that have one League Cup to show for the last two decades.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">What had me perplexed was the perception of these New Money fans that the FA Cup was an irrelevance. The world's oldest cup competition with a show piece final at the home of football. Come the day of the Cup final I would be willing to bet that any fan of any club would love their team to be there.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">There are four trophies available to the top quarter of the Premier League, the rest of the leagues, realistically, are competing for two. The FA Cup is something that, with favourable draws, is within sight for many clubs. The FA Cup has a romance that football fans find unique. The FA Cup represents the adage that every dog has its day.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I would love Arsenal to be competing for the title and European trophies every year, but we haven't been for a while (Its almost forgotten that in the season Leicester uniquely won the league, Arsenal finished second having beaten them home and away; to me that is being competitive at the highest level)</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We are trying to get back to a level of competitiveness that warrants the standing of the club, not to mention the price of tickets, but while this process is taking time we have been accumulating FA Cups. I'm happy winning the FA Cup and that does not automatically correlate to me being happy with not winning the league or a European trophy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I am, naturally cynical about Man City and Chelsea fans on social media as a good deal of them have only the new money version of their clubs to refer to but unfortunately they regularly live up to the perception of having short memories and skewed ideas of what the beautiful game is all about. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If any trophy gives us hope that football still retains its magic then its the FA Cup...and thats something you can't buy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-47248788865503552262022-01-05T13:30:00.000+00:002022-01-05T13:30:24.341+00:00WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT REFING<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDxrnBJViqk4ASi6SevnwTf1QXRAlaXRVZ0Fr6iW0sOYyO5FshZlmzRzE8QzmjL5eNAcBRLNgWD9CzX_oe3-0U1ZCG7KdcnnnFI8KrsZ7VQSkQ8J2uZ0xvyz2D363w6MIqA8Ezp4WLTlIXlU6Dllu7M_N_a78O36Wd_jImp1e69uEQJNbIue1fG_xv=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDxrnBJViqk4ASi6SevnwTf1QXRAlaXRVZ0Fr6iW0sOYyO5FshZlmzRzE8QzmjL5eNAcBRLNgWD9CzX_oe3-0U1ZCG7KdcnnnFI8KrsZ7VQSkQ8J2uZ0xvyz2D363w6MIqA8Ezp4WLTlIXlU6Dllu7M_N_a78O36Wd_jImp1e69uEQJNbIue1fG_xv=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>MIke Riley's Favourite Album</i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Who do you want as a leader? someone with integrity? someone who can set an example? someone respected? Yes. All of these, which is why no one need be surprised at the ever growing evidence that the PGMOL is not working.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Refereeing standards are plummeting and the man in charge of this circus is Mr Mike Riley. Now every Arsenal fan knows Mike Riley, every Arsenal fan loathes Mike Riley.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This is the man responsible for one of the most corrupt and incompetent displays by an official that any of us ever seen in this country. The date, which has lived in infamy, was 24th October 2004, the venue, Old Trafford...you know the rest.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Riley should have faced a ban and an investigation t the time yet here he sits at the top of the refereeing tree and game in game out we are seeing more and more bad decisions. Yes everyone makes mistakes but there's a difference between making mistakes and blatant and consistent terrible decision making. Furthermore, there appears to be no consequences from within the corrupt body that is the PGMOL.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We need only look at our elected politicians to see that corruption and incompetence are bedfellows, and we have learnt that there seems no accountability for these elected officials. Riley's PGMOL seem to have taken a leaf out of Boris' book. The reality is that standards of officiating in English football are at an all time low and decisions are being made that are costly.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">What is it going to take to dismantle this insidious organisation and make it fit for purpose? Maybe a decision that costs a team the title or their place in the league on the last game of the season. Steps need to be taken to keep the beautiful game beautiful and a good start would be removing Mr Riley immediately, after all, how can you trust an organisation built on incompetence and corruption led by a master of incompetence and corruption?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-57830752729007838582021-12-07T15:18:00.000+00:002021-12-07T15:18:02.064+00:00DISORDER<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqYmmC4wm3xK9XeHHNoPK_BItpgtfJY-55zjliiJAVjo47NGJ_dKpYaxeoTMF8H-eHWgcnUNH0BVwiRt8W4S79yxRC7nqgqiTFzR-KYDYU3-ILBlYoVQoT8OtIZp0SJ8tAqu3GttqcxY/s540/joy+.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqYmmC4wm3xK9XeHHNoPK_BItpgtfJY-55zjliiJAVjo47NGJ_dKpYaxeoTMF8H-eHWgcnUNH0BVwiRt8W4S79yxRC7nqgqiTFzR-KYDYU3-ILBlYoVQoT8OtIZp0SJ8tAqu3GttqcxY/w296-h400/joy+.gif" width="296" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Process, what process? Arteta's mantra is "trust the process" and part of that process has been a meritocracy approach to team selection and a commitment to letting youth have it's day. But it seems that these pillars of the process are jettisoned on a whim of tactical fiddling about.</span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Any philosophy that stands scrutiny has to have consistency and a belief in principals and the current Arsenal manager is too easily swayed from the path.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A risk averse approach is something of a default under Arteta and this comes into play when there is a degree of pressure. Last night's game at Goodison Park was on the back of an avoidable defeat at Old Trafford where the selection of Elneny was misjudged and on that basis the team selection had a safety first feel about it. Everton are and have been very poor this season and this game may have been an opportunity to bounce back with a positive performance, but no. The return of Xhaka, a half fit Tierney and the selection of an underperforming Partey meant that we huffed and puffed with little impact on the opposition. I think it's also clear that Saka needs a rest and a game against a poor team would seem an ideal opportunity.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Team selection is very much a hindsight game but honestly, why Nketiah is anywhere near the first team squad is beyond me. Other things are worrying also: w</span><span style="font-family: arial;">hy AMN is marginalised I don't know. What's happened with Pepe I don't know and what the long term plan for Saliba is I don't know.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our current project youth requires the right person to lead it, to nurture and develop the players and to ensure that the senior pros at the club provide a base and leadership platform for them to perform on and in that respect our captain is being found wanting, something Arteta needs to address.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">When Arteta has played Lakonga, Tavares, ESR, Saka, Tomiyasu, Gabriel, Ramsdale and White we have sen their potential and their ability to go against the risk averse grain but it seems that the managerial mind of Arteta feels that he can give trust but when it suits. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I feel that Arteta has a ceiling and that ceiling frankly, will not take this club to where it needs to be. If, with this group of younger players, we cannot achieve more we may see an exodus of sorts, this cannot be allowed to happen. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">We have bought in some very good players with which to support Arteta's vision but that vision has become blurred. Under Arteta there was supposed to be a new order but it's turned into disorder.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Arsenal Board may have given the keys to the Bentley to a learner driver and he may very well crash the motor, and if he does who do you blame, the driver or the owner who gave him the keys?</span></span></p><p><br /></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-21274555831509061072021-08-27T11:57:00.002+01:002021-08-27T11:57:48.452+01:00THE INHUMAN LEAGUE <h1 style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://media.istockphoto.com/videos/euro-blood-money-video-id465334093?s=640x640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://media.istockphoto.com/videos/euro-blood-money-video-id465334093?s=640x640" width="400" /></a></div></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">As someone with no vested interest in this season’s Champions League there was a fixture that caught my eye; Manchester City v PSG. So I thought I’d find out a bit more about them. </span></h1><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">MANCHESTER CITY:majority owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group whose investment, according to Human Rights Watch,is intended to launder the image of the repressive authoritarian regime in Abu Dhabi and construct a public relations image of a progressive, dynamic Gulf state, which deflects attention from what is really going on in the country.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">V</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN : Owned by Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, through state-run shareholding organization Qatar Sports Investments (QSI). Significant human rights issues in Qatar include restrictions on free expression, including criminalization of libel; restrictions on peaceful assembly and freedom of association, including prohibitions on political parties and labor unions; restrictions on migrant workers’ freedom of movement; limits on the ability of citizens to choose their government in free and fair elections; lack of investigation of and accountability for violence against women; criminalization of consensual same-sex sexual conduct; and reports of forced labor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I wonder if Clive Tyledsley will mention any of this in his bombastic commentary?</span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-40606535473105549242021-08-24T11:52:00.005+01:002021-08-24T13:31:05.014+01:00SURSTRÖMMING AT THE EMIRATES<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC28lOUnDAACWr3-k7Q8V8jVmHVdo8KXEYUrOGfWEoJZugY-QR2H5t57FKjzD1-CY93lUP8CCw2BEMxRkmW7T4PUAJlfWqZNvfLlKLXPyQB6SH8EW-HJ56cjD5XsCq_uFcTqTZDyNpDVU/s450/038-She's+Beautiful.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="450" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC28lOUnDAACWr3-k7Q8V8jVmHVdo8KXEYUrOGfWEoJZugY-QR2H5t57FKjzD1-CY93lUP8CCw2BEMxRkmW7T4PUAJlfWqZNvfLlKLXPyQB6SH8EW-HJ56cjD5XsCq_uFcTqTZDyNpDVU/w640-h484/038-She's+Beautiful.gif" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">And lo, there was a weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in North London as the stark reality of how far the Arsenal have fallen from the once giddy heights, finally registered with the optimists and pessimists alike.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I say 'giddy heights', what I mean is the year in year out European qualification, the FA Cup Wins, The European Finals and Semi Finals, the victories over Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea, yes the overachievement of recent years. That's right, over achievement.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I'm not talking about the title challenges, Championships and imperious unbeaten season because that's all pre-Emirates.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The point at which we find ourselves is directly related to our abandoning of one of the great football stadiums in world football for purely fiscal reasons, or should I say greed?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We were told that the intention was to make the Arsenal more competitive by increasing revenue and thus being able to recruit effectively giving us the personnel with which to compete with the oligarch and nation state clubs. And we believed it. We were pitched snake oil and by jingo, we fell for it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">An organisation lives and dies by it's recruitment, recruitment of the right people to do the job, for which they are paid, effectively. Staff retention is also a cornerstone of successful business but when that retention is repeatedly of staff not fit for purpose the smell of rotting fish begins to waft. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I'm talking about recruitment at all levels. Ineffective decision makers, ineffective management ineffective playing staff all of whom are given questionable financial renumeration.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Which brings me back to overachievement. It's fair to say that the club's recruitment has been shambolic at best and financially questionable at worse and within this context what we have managed to do since 2006 is remarkable. And before, dear reader, you reach for the 'acceptance of mediocrity' stick, consider what we as a club, that has been consistently mismanaged and neglected, have managed to do while the very foundations of our great football club have been chiselled away is frankly, unbelievable.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">That we haven't gone into a complete nosedive, haemorrhaged fans, had the tax man nosing around, been subject to a due diligence investigation, had a mass exodus of youth players, or become a club without a trophy of any kind like that mob up the road is nothing short of a miracle. That this season is the first in a quarter of a century that we have not had European football is also remarkable given the neglectful and shambolic leadership.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Naturally we all want more, we want the club to perform, at all levels, to a standard commensurate with the vast amount of money that the fans put into the club. We want to see decision making that stands up to scrutiny. We want to see logic and rationale behind recruitment and not have to worry about who is greasing who's palm when it comes to new players.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I am astounded that the fan base weren't up in arms about the purchases of Cedric Soares and Willian and the nature of the contracts given. I'm surprised that there wasn't a furore about the Martinez situation. I'm amazed that there wasn't a mass protest about the way in which the manager handled last season's Europa League Semi Final. From top to bottom the decision makers at Arsenal Football Club seem incapable of making decisions that are in the interests of the club.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Which brings me to where we now find ourselves. A mid table team who are a long way away from being contenders in the league. It happens, it has happened to plenty of clubs. Some have regained their status some haven't, but the reasons for our current plight (if you discount corruption) seem perverse to just chalk down to incompetence.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The move to the Emirates was indeed an engine of change, but what we didn't realise at the time, because let's face it, there is a level of trust between fan and club, was that the engine of change was solely about reaping the rewards of a captive audience in the biggest club in the greatest city in the world. The income has not been reinvested in any meaningful way on the pitch, it's been placed in the hands of those with scant regard for the Arsenal. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">What can be done? I have absolutely no idea. A change of manager I believe is inevitable as Arteta's inexperience is being exposed, but can a new manager make any meaningful, longer term changes in a dysfunctional organisation? What manager of renown would want to come to the Arsenal under the current regime?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A fish rots from the head, is an old saying, and this aquatic analogy is a fitting one for the club. The Ownership would have us believe that we are being served </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Surströmming, but it's not the Baltic delicacy we are being fed it's a cartoon cat's supper.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The one positive that I can glean is that the Arsenal have a long history of victory in adversity and maybe there is a scattering of people at the club that are still in it for the greater good. Maybe those are the people that may eventually expose the murkiness, maybe our fan base will finally say "enough is enough" and instigate a bit of fan power. Maybe.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In closing I feel that the owner doesn't care about anything other than money. We are stuck with him and his rotten employees, we are stuck with stupidity we are stuck with, neglect and continued stagnation. The only thing that will make any difference is if Kroenke's income is effected negatively and at the moment that seems a pipe dream as the club still makes enough money to bolster the bank balance of the charlatans feasting on the heart and soul of a great British institution.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8374701001415549183.post-42394058119031046182021-08-19T11:03:00.003+01:002021-08-19T11:16:10.160+01:00THE YOUNG ONES<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRea6I6DfcpPNwwtFr55879JXI33pk1a4UX1ycj9rp67JOSGejGfxYsCaZwaM3cn4Od-OkgQ0X2pu1L3LvdJsu1L6wnbcRGNvaNmAe4-8k3JDhIqYH92mVT3Evc0MKvI0ysObJJAPvQM/s512/young.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRea6I6DfcpPNwwtFr55879JXI33pk1a4UX1ycj9rp67JOSGejGfxYsCaZwaM3cn4Od-OkgQ0X2pu1L3LvdJsu1L6wnbcRGNvaNmAe4-8k3JDhIqYH92mVT3Evc0MKvI0ysObJJAPvQM/w640-h360/young.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Dare I be positive? Yes I dare! The Arsenal are actively reducing the age profile of the squad. Tavares 21, Lokonga 21, White 23 and the imminent Ramsdale 23 and Ødegaard 22 are all purchases that have a sell-on factor and regardless of the relative merits, seem to be planned, prudent and sensible acquisitions. Add to these players Saka 19, ESR 21, Tierney 24, Gabriel 23, Martinelli 20 and Balogun 20 and we are looking at an understandable and forward thinking plan.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The caveat is that with a young set of players you need to play in a way that allows them to express themselves, you also need those senior pros at the club to set the standard, lead the way and give them a platform from which to develop.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In my view Arteta is not the man to whom these raw gems should be entrusted as his approach is stifling. Nor do I feel the majority of senior pros at the club are the required role models. Because we have lumbered ourselves with a group of underachievers and those loitering in the departure lounge of their careers we are running the risk of tainting the promise of youth.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We have been here before as regards young players and for every Fabregas there has been a Denilson. We've seen the likes of Walcott and Maitland-Niles </span><span style="font-family: arial;">not fulfil their promise due to a number of factors and I guess that's what you get with youth; they won't all be greats, but I believe the fan base are more inclined to get behind young players and give them a chance than the same jaded over paid over the hill players happily seeing out silly money contracts.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">My hope is that these players are given a chance to shine, preferably under a manager with experience and an understanding of how to galvanise the collective.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm reminded of George Graham's approach when he took over as Arsenal manager in 1986 where he</span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> discarded the journeymen and replaced them with canny new signings and youth team products. He enforced an ethos that reenforced what made The Arsenal The Arsenal. Far from being the boring team that it was labelled George Graham's Arsenal had many exciting swashbuckling performances based on a solid defence. Graham's Arsenal also were the foundations for Arsene Wenger to build upon.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The young players at the core of Arsenal 2021 need a leader and I just hope that Arteta doesn't dishearten them before he inevitably departs.</span></span></p>wellyousaythathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11221557421994809493noreply@blogger.com0