“…men may rise on stepping-stones
Of their dead selves to higher things.”
One of my favourite Tennyson lines and one I’m sure you will all recognise more readily as a favourite of PG Wodehouse, often quoted by the hapless Bertram among many others. I was put in mind of Alfred The Lord T and his immortal words as the contemplation of the novelty of next season’s campaign begins to sink in. Can we as fans truly climb on those stepping stones of all we’ve experienced and learned over the past few seasons? More to the point can the club? In two games time this whole nine and half month’s of madness will be history. Deader than flares, and many of us fully believe it will prove a stepping stone to higher things, after all haven’t there been portents this week?
We’ve been through one of those curious weeks where one can almost feel the wheels of history turning, and the events off the pitch are certain to cause a lot of head scratching throughout the summer. Firstly let’s consider what impact will Arsenal’s new financial muscle have? One unwelcome result of the record breaking shirt deal, reported by John Cross in The Mirror, reared it’s revolting head immediately the news was disseminated. Cross was at pains to point out that none of this has been confirmed and that the story was anything but factual (the only quote in the entire article is from ‘a source close to Nike’ which is of course meaningless) and in any case even if it were true it wouldn’t kick in until the end of next season. This of course didn’t stop the immediate opening of internet floodgates as those who love to indulge in the hideous sport of Transfer Tattle (a pastime separate and entirely distinct from football) went into overdrive. They remind me of a teenage boy twit
ching frantically under the bed covers , the Andrex runway lying on his abdomen, Action Man torch and Rothman’s Football Year Book held awkwardly in one hand, as he gazes feverishly at the statistics of players from any club other than our own . These people must have to wipe the spittle from their computer screens as they drool at the prospect of new ever more expensive and of course utterly fictitious transfer targets. I loathe, with a passion more appropriately reserved for right wing politicians , the whole nonsense of the transfer go round and boy it has started early this season. So called Arsenal fans, with nothing better to do, wanking themselves dry over men and boys who earn their corn at other clubs. I ask you, what on earth has that to do with cheering our players over the line in one of the tightest three way finishes in memory?
The other news certain to occupy our minds over the coming months is the retirement of one of Arsene’s main rivals during his time in England. While it is always a joy to contemplate off the pitch upheaval at any other club, and I know many people will predict a fall from grace with the end of the long serving patriarch, to be honest, now it’s finally happened it all leaves me a little numb. The problem is that we’ve been here so many times before. OK maybe not with that particular club but so many of our rivals change their manager more often than General Melchett changes his shirts. Sometimes they shoot themselves in the foot as Chelsea undoubtedly did and sometimes they get lucky as Spurs unquestionably have with AVB. Make no mistake whatsoever, any manager who can propel a team to challenge us for the hallowed top four place with a midfield duo of Scott Pigeon Parker and Tom Hundredstone Huddlestone is a serious managerial force and one with which to be reckoned. So the changes up in Manchester may or may not work in our favour. As with potential transfers it may be something you enjoy speculating upon to while away the long boring football free summer months, but ultimately nobody knows what will happen until it happens.
The third event this week is the most immediately significant. The fun and games at Stamford Bridge taught us a few things and raised more questions than we can satisfactorily answer. We saw once again that under AVB these Spuds are a more resilient crop than the ones we are used to seeing chipped and fried long before May arrives. The comeback against Oil City and now against a frankly nervous and messy Chelsea side suggests they have learned to play to very end. But eve
n so they’ve used up their games in hand and have failed to catch us. Chelsea had the opportunity to go beyond us in all but mathematics but did not grasp it. While I didn’t cheer the Spurs’ equaliser (a bridge too far) I was quietly happy with Rafa’s bewildering substitutions as it made the result we all needed far more likely. One more slip from Chelsea and we have our destiny wholly in our hands. I don’t expect it to happen but at times on Wednesday night they looked ragged, so you never know. There was a schism between some of us who were persuaded the draw was the precise result required and those who were not so sure. George and I had a hell of a ding dong over this and the character limit of Twitter prevented me from producing a coherent argument so, if the rest of you will indulge me, I’ll pop one in here. Not, you understand, that I’m really offering you much choice because whether you want it or not here comes another one of my great and well thought out theories. Those who wanted a Spuds defeat at any price are in my opinion a bunch of lilly livered lightweights happy to scramble into fourth place, slam the door closed behind us and breathe a massive sigh of relief before toddling up to bed with a cup of cocoa. Those of us who wanted a draw on the other hand are only looking forward. We want the best the season can give us and that appears right now to be overtaking Chelsea at the finish line. Yes a draw meant the Spuds might catch us, but so what? Let’s not gaze nervously over our shoulders. Let us rather look to the future with a steely glint in our eye and throw the dice just twice more before the dust settles and the battlefield falls silent.
All of which leaves us contemplating a football free weekend. Or put more accurately an Arsenal free weekend. I’m sure many of you will be glued to the lunchtime fixtures on Saturday and Sunday hoping for yet more dropped points. It’s quite good fun this end of the season neck and neck business isn’t it? You find yourself rooting for the most unlikely teams. We’ve been Man U fans, Chelsea fans and now we will be hollering and whooping at every Stoke and Villa goal. Crazy end of term baloney which for me is the perfect finale to a fascinating season. Just remember whatever the outcome all that is past is prologue and come August we’ll be rising on Tennyson’s stepping stones, and maybe, just maybe well be starting out ten matches into a record breaking unbeaten run.
Positively Arsenal 
Nice theory my good man and as far as starting next season on ten game unbeaten to follow the run we are currently in. Well, from your mouth to gods ears.
So neither ARSENAL nor puma have confirmed any deal deal yet??
Bloody typical. Make us sweat it out a bit more. Part of me wants nike to match our valuation and staying on as sponsors.. Kay sera sera…
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Nice writeup by the way. S18.
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A bird in the hand Stew……
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Fantastic mate,but your number 10 not 18.
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“The Scorpion is as black as soot,
He dearly loves to bite;
He is a most unpleasant brute
To find in bed at night.”
Beware the scorpion – Or in our particular case a final day trip to the barcodes.
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I said to Liz last night people wouldn’t like today’s piece. Looks I was correct,. I was especially certain Mel would object to the picture of my mug! It was a present on my birthday which falls on the 18th. What can I say?
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I’ll just rehash ASrsene’s press conference tomorrow. That might be less contentious.
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Who doesn’t like it?
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Bloody Marvellous Steww!
Wodehouse, Tennyson and, er, wanking. Three things we should all cherish in these tough times.
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Stew ,are there some post I cant see?
Why do you say its contentious?
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In some ways I’m relieved that its your birthday rather than your age; the idea of an 18 year old masquerading as a grumpy 50+ doesn’t bear thinking about.
Great article by the way; the cautious side of me agrees with George, the romantic side agrees with your swashbuckling approach. But it’s a marginal thing, either way.
Doesn’t look like the Red Nose fuss is going to die down anytime soon, yawn.
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Nice Steww. Have to side with you on the thinking regarding the draw being the preferred result the other night. Swapped a few texts at the time, with a friend, which I assume echoed the tweeting between George and your goodself.
Loving the fact that masturbation was added to the ‘tags’ for this piece. There will be somewhere in cyberspace, a fetishist who likes wanking while wearing spurs and reading Tennyson who believes for a minute he(or she) has found the site of their dreams only to find, after reading, that they probably have…
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Andrew,I dont think Stew has hit the Bulls-eye yet.He is still a young buck
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Well from what he says George Stew does practice a lot on his own, so he should get there
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another corker, steww
I totally agree with you about the result on Wednesday being the most desirable. To the reasons you give, I would add: both Spurs and Chelsea dropping points takes a little pressure off us, but not so much that we can afford to relax – we still have to maintain the same focus and deliver two wins. We have momentum, and thinking that we had fourth all but sewn up would be as disruptive to that momentum as losing Ramsey or Per or TR7 to injury.
We have hope of third and we will do our utmost to get there, because it is a much bigger prize than fourth. Just think how much tougher it is to bed in any new players and get pre-season prep right when you have the qualifiers coming up.
@ anicoll5
I’m with you on the Newcastle game – very dangerous side. But so are Wigan and we’ve got to win by hook or by crook.
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and steww, massive hear, hear about the premature speculation which afflicts so many fans. Focus, people! The season’s not over yet and it could be a photo finish.
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What is there to unlike about a quality blog?
Yet I am not sure I completely agree about Steww’s Chavscum vs Hotscum theory. I remain conflicted. Is 3rd really in our hands? The Chavscum will have to drop some more points, no.
But Steww is completely spot on about the collective wanking about new signings based solely on rumor and speculation. On Twitter the usual suspects have gone into complete overdrive. Already summer ultimatums are being given to Arsene, Ivan and Stan. Spend big or else. Kinda like counting your chickens before….
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The end of season permutations are fascinating, anything possible for 3, 4 and Europa. It’s the most exciting finale I recall for a long time, after turgid top two placings. Although some prefer safety, I’m glad we are in it. It’s football folks, why we dredge our emotions into every match! None of the 3 has (yet) lost their nerve, Arsenal marginally ahead on overall form going in, Spurs showing uncharacteristic late-season hunger, and Chelsea, or rather Rafa, sloppy decision-making. Chelsea are to my mind in the least enviable place; the extra fixture, tired legs, Everton and Moyes swansong there, Rafa-handicap, fans detest him, and snatching a draw from a sure-fire win close to the death is not good for the spirit. It’s a great test for Arsenal, perfect for next season mental preps, the stamina guts needed for this league, but mainly that mix of concentration and joyful enthusiasm. As for opposition for the 3 teams, looks equal to me, and happy it’s not us playing Stoke away at the tail of hard season, or Everton, although we have a test too. 3 teams, 6 games, one will blink, drop points and take fifth. Bets? I don’t, but Chelsea would be mine if I did. All it takes now for one of the three to take Europa is one long ball into the box (and there will be many, thrown and kicked), slightest error, a lucky head, a deflection, a goal and then those up-North teams defend like they do. Luck. Here’s a bet. It will go down to the last minutes of game 38, where a single goal will change the placings, like a pinball wizard … hey, that’s our song isn’t it, Roger D?
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Fun, I don’t think Steww was talking about premature especulation. Oh, I geddit.
Sorry, terrible joke, badly told too, my wife would cringe (we shan’t tell her then), couldn’t resist! It’s Friday. I’m knackered.
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Great piece Steww
Now I know I will be reprimanded for posting a link to negative ‘Arsenal’ site but my contempt for MP has deepened show much that it has become an abyss…
http://is.gd/i6Thpj
This guy is playing games with Arsenal supporters…his ego knows no bounds… but for me he is simply a w****r!
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Georgaki
The guy who wrote the letter makes perfect sense and Palmer counters it with bollocks born from jealousy.
To quote him “how can he not see that?”
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Shotta: “The Chavscum will have to drop some more points, no.”
Villa away, especially the way they’ve been playing lately, will be no picnic for the Chavs. Then they face Everton on the last day. I can see them dropping at least two points, which will mean we have goal difference to look forward to. If we thump one of Wigan or Newcastle by more than three goals, then we’re golden.
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georgaki. patrick is spot on and that blogger myles is cunt.
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the problem is that these wankers are allowed to piss on the reputation of wenger and talk such shit about the club that normally they should be found and beaten to death ( almost)
two things humans dont ever forget..females never forget a good fucking and males never forget a good beating.
there are bloggers out there who simply want their negative opinion to be the truth about arsenal and the rudeness of their arguements and thoughts is hidden behind the “freedom of expression” bollocks……
someone who has suddenly decided that he doesnt like wenger and the sacrifices arsenal had to go through can present himself as an arsenal fan who is exercising his free right to grossly misinterpret the intentions of the board, the manager and abuse them and also abuse those who point to their wrongs.
in a live discussion what would your reaction be to the behaviour you received by one of these people after you have carefully analysed and objectively explained the position arsenal is in? Would you not kick his arse?
BUt thats the thing..in the presence of others ..where the possibility of being ridiculed and mocked is far more real than behind a keyboard..they wouldnt dare talk like that, or dismiss SOLID argumentation like they do through their blogs.
via the internet they can simply block you and only leave in the open the things that THEY want… yet like myles they have the audacity to lecture patricks about how media present the things they want you to see them.
funny thing is i dont see any media holding a patrick-esque position to justify myles statement that the media are being positive about arsenal while the blogger is the one who isnt afraid to be realistic.
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kill them all.
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when i was saying that a bunhc of peasants who have nothing to do all day or in their lives in general who see themselves fit to comment ( or even have opinions) on the management of wenger…yogi took offence you see…he was offended that i was ultimately right…because he is part of that “opinions” merry go round b/s carusel
hypocrisy at the highest level.
yesterday yogi who has seen i dont know ..40 season of arsenal …50? 60? was wondering why the team showed difficulty in gelling in the early part of this season, and how WE SHOULDNT FORGET AS FANS to ask questions about it… hmmmmm yes yogi lets grill wenger for not making them gel quicker…after all the conditions are so perfect at our home stadium it makes you wonder why the player wouldnt give his all for arsenal….right?
again we see with our very eyes the english referees FUCKING arsenal and wenger and we are told by our eldest supporters that none of that is happening… we are just shit , and should improve. piss off you alzheimer mugs the soner you lot are out of th epicture the better so we dont have to deal with your fucking old bastards who have failled to identify with what the club has evolved into. ….. tony this tony that…graham this graham that..elevating graham and ferguson to a level higher than wenger? just what kind of drugs are they on ?
nah dean aint fucking arsenal..nor dowd …whats next…epl the fairest league? is that what imperial arsenal supporters think? no wonder they get hard ons when they see the “old broittish style ” of toneh and steve and nigel…and dave…
city united and chelsea can correct their squilacci purchases, arsenal cant…and because of this wenger shoudl get EVERY trasfer right and if he dares fucks up WE THE FANS will be there to ask the QUESTIONS!!!!!!! right ?
FUCK OFF…….
george you can ban me if you want..i know i went to far..cant hold it any longer…. i have come to realise that the arsenal fans are the worst in the world. the only ones who undersatand and care are the minority..the majority wants blood.
even in the fucking book ..alex flynn spend s the last 50 pages being a fucking doomer …WONDERING where the money is……WHAT MONEY YOU FUCKING CLOWN REPORTER RESEARCHER ? what money? …….
he spend 10 pages listing tony’s and paul’s and ian’s complaints…fuck off waste of money reading that trash.
graahhhhhhhhh…kill em all arsene..just kill em!!
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talk about epic failure…the idea of the blogs was so that we didnt have to deal with the anti-arsenal shit of the media and we have reached the point where the blogs on arsenal are 10 times worse in their anti-arsenalsim than the fucking media.
solution? – fuck the internet. ….
only youtube videos and poker
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Have you finished Hunter?
I would ban you if I didn’t think the same myself.(Just kidding.I could never ban you)
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lol no i havent finished …i havent even started… but ill give it a break cause seriously i dont want to suffer some brain aneyrysm in my early 30’s arguing with ridiculous people who have ridiculous opinions who ban me when i smack them with logic…
its too easy for them./.they can say whatever the fuck they want and when proved wrong, they ban you or dismiss you as if their blog is the voice of the people….
all i wanted to do is not read the sickening fergie tributes in the general media so i opted for arsenal blogs and all that is there are authors – trolls with their “gimme” behaviour who think they are doing the righrt thing by QUESTIONING and DOUBTING a manager of wenger’s callibre in practically every decission he has had to make in this most difficult of transitions/periods.
” oh 30m puma deal?”
immediate reaction? – No excuses for wenger now …….must spend..must win..!
ayayay how much im gonna laugh in the face of yogises and arsbloggers and the rest cultured wankers of the arsenal fandom when he fucks off to the sunset and arsenal becomes another everton at best.
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@Hunter
Thing is, Wenger has sacrificed his personal success to lay the foundations that, unless we appoint a seriously inept manager, we will be successful even after Wenger. The new stadium, youth system, years of constant CL qualification, all that will mean that when Wenger hangs up his zipper coat (and I hope it will be another good 10 years until that), the new guy will have a dream environment waiting for him. Of course, there will be the fans who will talk about how the new manager did what Wenger couldn’t, but I’ll make sure those kind of people won’t forget that it was Wenger staying loyal to us when other clubs came calling left and right that allowed that kind of success to breed. Arsene could’ve easily gone and won the Champion’s League, and I don’t want to imagine how it must feel to him to still not have that trophy in his cabinet, considering what a fantastic manager it is, but he stayed with us, and that for me alone is worth staying loyal to him until the very end.
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take poor patrick for instance.. the time and effort and thought put into that post of his is close to the methodology and work of a fucking lawyer ….and look how the blogger myles treats him ….
” nah..you dont know shit mate..you are naive…let me tell you how it is…”
those who cant do, teach, and those who cant do either, critisise
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damn right evil, thats why i find it two times insulting that those who were around when arsenal had NO foundations would be so strict towards wenger when he knowingly said “tahnks but no thanks” to madrid, bayern and others so that he builds something for us.
your last sentence is everything.
for 16 years he has carried us….when will the fan carry the team? so far the fan hasnt carried shit..so far the fan only causes trouble and complaints mainly due to the hundreds of “arsenal” blogs scrutinising the club’s decissions as if we are texaco or mobil and had one of our tanker ships cause oil spillage in U.S waters. Not even bush and blair faced such criticism when they staged war crimes ffs…
all of a sudden the arsenal fan decided that the one subject that deserves the most scrutiny is “Arsenal in the years of repaying the stadium”……such idiots….
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Hunter
We will never be Everton.
That is OTT .Arsene has ensured that Arsenal will be a big team long after he has gone.And us too.
The foundations and the first floor are built.The second floor almost complete.It is up the club to make sure the roof goes on.
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you tell them to scrutinise the “off sides” flagged against our match winning goals and see what kind of a responce you get….immediately they will throw the “conspiracy” rock on you
as if we need to prove the presense of a conspiracy against the historical fact that the english hate the french and many of the behaviours towards wenger and his teams is because of his nationality and funny accent…….
as if we dont know if the natioves have a chip on their shoulder when it comes to football and the “right “way it should be played…but what can you expect when you find people excusing the approach of an allerdyce or pulis or even a ferguson
7 am kick oiff hits the nail in a past entry about the context under which arsene made the ” we can go unbeaten statement”…..the southern foreign team stepping inside th ehouse of english football and getting kicked to death yet leaqving with the title…….yep that one! who denies that thats the way they view arsenal? who denies it? who denies that arsenal and wenger get victimised and singled out because of the continental/foreign/interantional approach? WHOOOOOOOOO???????? who can be so stupid??? or blind?????
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george by everton i dont mean the historic stats on titles or anything just the concept of being a team that is in the middle…no forward..but only backwards…
if wenger and the club hadnt stuck to their programming, what would arsenal do? sell what and to who? who would buy arsenal without wenger, stadium, henrys and vieiras and who would be brave enough to come and compete for top4 spot with 17 yearolds at a club repaying its stadium with arabs russians and glazers paying astronomic amounts for quality players ?
Noone, at best some wacko moneyman would have made his bid..fucked it up in three years and then face the malaga directions….
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h13 at 3:07 pm
I love your passion, I agree with your sentiments, you are very entertaining but you are a scary dude, Hunter….its great we’re on the same side….
I wish I new what MP’s game is….I have my theory….he is a twat! Now that one came out of your book, Hunter or also PG….
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Stew, don’t doubt yourself you are a truly brilliant writer I just hope a blog with more money never comes in for you.
As for the was a draw a good result argument I think this goes back to the calm stew enjoying the end of season and the rest of us nervous recks willing to bite your hand of for a definitive result if this makes me Lilly livered butter me up and call me Stacey fourth place thankyou very much
@hunter if you bullet pointed all the points from your posts today I couldn’t disagree with any of them so far from being banned George should give you a new contract
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People on other blogs accuse Hunter of being anti British and even racist.
Ignoring that he would not choose to support an English team with such passion if he were.
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GP
don’t be surprised to here that some ARSENAL blog sites might be on the payroll of you know who to destabalise the current board ,owner and manager.
Get enough fans to follow your train of thought and that will give you the opening for a takeover. Only by punishing arsenal in the pocket book can they achieve this goal and sadly many are willing to be part of this backstabbing. Very sad indeed. WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL. We should have had it all. But its the nature of bussiness and not much one can do about A VOCAL MINORITY of support that choose to undercut their own club…..
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HUNTER 13
Hehe . Easy on the the fireworks mate.
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Holy heck! Why even bother to acknowledge such a blog exists. Never knew there was a ‘myles’ myself ’til that link above. What a complete arse that Myles is… first time I’ve ever read him and that’s as far as it goes.
He clearly believes his in his own brilliance and replied freehand to a well considered post by that patrick chap. Myles really needs to look at himself and then punch himself rather hard for being such a twat, imho. If, of course, he continues to demonstrate his own ignorance by posting such drivel then let him. I say again, he is clearly an arse.
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here lets lighten the mood.
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H13 – Go easy mate. As Wenger would say, passion can only get you so far. Lay the foundations, build the super-structure brick by brick. No use pissing off the contractor, the subs, the bricklayers etc because they have no idea of the magnitude of the building at hand. Wenger is leading this club on a great journey. Sooner or later the “peasants” will comprehend with your help. In the mean time just don’t piss them all off.
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Wise words Shotta.
I would have just said “fuck them all”.
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“It’s quite good fun this end of the season neck and neck business isn’t it?” See, this is what Stew helps me remember. This is supposed to be fun. Remember fun, y’all? Fun. Don’t have a stroke, now, Hunter, you’re too young for that! As we say in the South, being right won’t keep you from being dead.
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Well I just wish Hunter would climb down off the fence and decide ONCE AND FOR ALL who he’s going to support, stop wavering in the breeze.
As for Stew, well, if he were to ever defect I would hunt heem down and keeeeeel him. [in fake Jame’s Bond cliche ‘baddie’ accent).
As for his radio show – Mwah ha ha haaa!!
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@ Evil May 10, 2013 at 4:52 pm
Very well said.
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PG
hahaha, cool vid. Very amusing.
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@ ArsenalAndrew May 10, 2013 at 7:58 pm
ha ha ha
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me i expect the unbeaten run to continue well into next season! leading into the first of many trophies and not just cos fergie is off….tis what annoys me most about his being off… its like we gained an advantage
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