Today the award winning Mel O’Reilly @40shewore. I know ,I know ,we are standing in the shadow of a Giant
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I once went on a boys weekender in Dublin,(i know this is a football blog but stay with me).After throwing our bags in the rooms we decided to go and have a look at the fair city,mostly pubs and betting shops from what I remember and upon returning to our hotel (The Burlington) for a quick spruce up for the upcoming evening ,we were greeted with screaming girls.Not for us of course ,but for the awful manufactured pop group Boyzone ,who would be attending Ireland’s version of The Brit awards at our hotel that very evening.
One of the lads decided it would be hilarious to throw a coat over one of the more gullible members of our group so as to trick said screaming girls into thinking it was a member of shit boyband.
So there I was being frogmarched like a sex offender out of court ,or a member of Boyzone (take your pick) ,towards the hotel with a coat over my head.
As we drew closer the screaming reached new heights and for a short time there was pandemonium until the coat was whipped off and then?….the biggest collective groan you’ve ever heard ,followed by name calling that dockers would have blushed at,and faces drenched in disappointment.
Apart from my mates who were pissing themselves (but then they weren’t getting the abuse I was getting for not being a boyband twat).
What’s that got to do with Arsenal? I hear you say.
Well think back to a couple of summers ago when apparently Juan Mata had said goodbye to his Valencia teammates on a pre-season tour and was on a plane to London.
in the short period between hearing of señor Mata and him being on that plane I had learned he was a boyhood Arsenal fan.That he was better than Cesc.That he would be paid £80k a week .Also he was brilliant on every YouTube clip I’d seen of him.
I rang my brother like I knew what I was talking about,”yep,it’s a done-deal mate”.
Now ,as we all know ,young Juan wasn’t on that Easyjet flight.
There are many differing stories about the whole saga, but I along with many others was a victim of “the silly season”.
If he didn’t play for the club I detest more than any other he would be my favourite non-arsenal player .
I can’t help but being drenched with disappointed every time I watch him.Sometimes I curse him with the language of a docker ,or just let out a loud groan.
Oh I see,”just like those poor girls you duped into thinking you were a pop star? ” I hear you say.
Absolutely not! They can all fuck right off .I was better looking than any member of Boyzone and a better singer(not hard) and dancer(big box little box).
This write ups about the silly season and the disappointment it can bring if you believe all the nonsense.
So don’t start making up songs about players you think we’re gonna sign but end up going somewhere else.
Ignore it all,wait for them holding the red&white shirt on .com.
Take no notice of Sky sources understands.
Disregard Talkshite and its spitful presenters.
Turn a blind eye to the tabloids .
Laugh at the Arsenal insiders on twitter who know someone that’s fixed a photocopier at Highbury House and claim to have inside information.
Follow those guidelines and you’ll enjoy the summer.
Don’t forget the fixtures come out in June !
Now just for the record my song for Juan was “ShaddapYou Face-Joe Dolce”
“what’s the Mata you ?heh?”
Positively Arsenal 
Good advice Mel.
My daughters has all 5 Boyzone dolls if you want to buy them (she can’t stand ’em now). It would bring back some good memories for you.
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I’m sure it’s @40shewore by the way PG
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Yes yes fucking yes
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Top stuff Mel!
Sorry that should of course be Lord Mel of Arsenal.com fame (tugs forelock).
Silly season is upon us. Rejoice. It’s been two whole days and Arsene STILL hasn’t signed anyone. Ffs. Sort it aaat Wenger!!
Wenger (and it’s always “Wenger” never Arsene) get’s paid 20 million a year and gets a 10 million bonus if he get’s us into Europe. Innit. it must be true, I read it on twatter. Zzzzzz..
Arse.
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Thanks Mel, brilliant story. Nothing better than a belly laugh to start the day on an overcast Tuesday morning in May. I’m now off to a small Caribbean island until the end of August.
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The way your profile is rising Mel in Arseland it wont be long before crowds of screaming Arsenal supporters will be crowding round your cab and we will have to smuggle you out under the bale of hay.
I always make a solemn promise to ignore the bollox of the transfer window, reclaim my life from the footballing equivalent of glue sniffing, spend more time on the garden. learn Arabic, get out the water colours again. No more a slave to the inane 24 hour rubbish that I know is rubbish for two to three months
And do I ever stick to this solemn promise ?
Do I fuck
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Brilliant advise Mel, I too was eagerly anticipating the arrival of señor mata only to be left in a state of utter disgust that he could choose chavski over us. Now he’s dead to me.
Harry, I thought “wenger” was on 25 million a year with a 25 million bonus for europe, plus 50% bonus on all player sales!!!
Can’t wait until we win the league next season, hopefully Arsene will hang around for a while after that to reap the benefits of his years of dedication and loyalty to us.
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Calm down lads some of us do have ‘reliable insider’ contacts that work at Highbury house and overhear stuff….The Mata deal was almost signed, sealed and delivered until his agent let out a stentorian fart which turned out to be as poisonous a miasma as it was loud. This upset Ivan so much that the contract was ripped up there and then….I have this on very good authority….
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Thank you for the kind comments, the actual final line is ‘ what’s the mata you heh?’.
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S’true Georgaki. I blame the illuminati meself. Shape shifting bastards.
“reap the benefits of his years of dedication and loyalty to us.”
Yup. If only some fans had shown the same dedication and loyalty eh DownUnderGooner..
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Another deluded AKB twat. Wenger has 70 million under the mattress and another 120 million from Puma. We can afford Cavani, Falcao, and Ronaldo you berk.
Do I sound like Mel, the Boyzone wanna be?
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I do my best and get nothing but grief from the stars.
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Pull out a box of tissues and settle down to watch this sorry tale:
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er…
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There’s always the sequel:
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Yep you are spot on again Mel. Ignore everything about football until it’s on the official site.
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consolbob : Does Arsene know? What will he do about it if he does?
and with that my friends…i give up and go on holidays..fuck you bob and everyother idiot like you who still wonders IF he knows……. does he know? does he?
no bob he dont know shit…you go tell him.
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Well done Mel.
We will have 3 months of this summer silly season to put up with.
And have to read shit about everyone in the world wanting jack, poldi, Kos, Ox, merts.
Good job we only have rubbish overpaid players we can’t offload! Hahahaha.
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As fins already mentioned the box of tissue, don’t put it away just yet. Just make sure you have half an hour to spare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nClbmwn3dBU&feature=player_embedded
You’re welcome!
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Yep Mel Nice one and as Steww says, wait ’til the official site says anything.
While I can’t predict who may or may not be signed for Arsenal I will stick my neck out and take a punt from left field that Steww plays an Arthur Askey tune on his show this evening or at least mentions him…
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Steve_I are you on twitter?
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I am mel but it’s rare that I tweet. Did a lot of reading that astronauts tweets recently, some excellent pictures. tend to just watch the world go by when I visit twitter but feel free to add or whatever. I comment once in a while @Steve_J_I is the thing I think.
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Of far, far, far greater interest to me is the form of and thoughts in the club this off-season surrounding current upcoming players amongst whom are Ryo, Campbell, Bellerin, Miquel, Yennaris, Gnabry, Eisfeld, Frimpong (?), Coq, Aneke and a others.
Wenger has a very solid record of purchases, which until recently stood at 2 and maybe 3 each off-season, which I feel he will revert to. That will also be fascinating and as usual reveal much about football thinking. I don’t give a rats ass about the fortunes or otherwise of players in other clubs who may or may not have been of interest to us, since the context is always to be remembered; Arsenal scouts and follows quite seriously arguably 15 or so (more? less?) players all the time, makes gentle enquiries.
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Brilliant as always, Mel. Well done.
I was in the crowd that day in Dublin and was never so disappointed. It was your funny little walk that convinced us all. Exactly like Stephen Gately’s.
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Nice one Mel.com.
I take it the ‘window’ hasn’t actually opened yet, has it?
Really can’t see us buying huge numbers in for the exact reasons ZimPaul gives, above. I imagine the very last thing Arsene (sorry, Wenger) wants is to spend another half season bedding in a decent number of players into the ways of wengerball. For entertainments sake (ie, the look on the fans of Manure and Spuds) if Rooney (heaven forbid) and Bale joined us then that would truly set the cat among the pigeons …
Half wonder if they might both end up in Chavland though; hard to see either of them abroad tbh.
And that’s the full extent of my transfer speculation for one summer!
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Great advice. Ignore the rubbish.
However, I am a bit ticked off that we have not signed anyone as yet! The boss needs to get moving because according the “experts” we need a Right Back, Left Winger, Defensive Mid, Central Defender, Striker and Goal Keeper, for starters.
These “experts” kill me.
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Ha! You got me number 7!
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Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!! I can just picture a bunch of Irish girls cursing in their cute accents.
I didn’t even want Mata at Arsenal. I don’t think he’s as good as the wages he demands.
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So Tony Pubic has left Stoke. Don’t all cheer at once
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Zimpaul: “Of far, far, far greater interest to me is the form of and thoughts in the club this off-season surrounding current upcoming players amongst whom are Ryo, Campbell, Bellerin, Miquel, Yennaris, Gnabry, Eisfeld, Frimpong (?), Coq, Aneke and a others.”
Out of this group I can see Bellerin, Eisfeld and Gnabry pushing up. The rest will be loaned out or remain in the reserves. If Wenger got rid of Alex Song, I don’t see Coquelin, Frimpong and Yennaris having a future at Arsenal. I hope I’m wrong, though, since I really like all three of these players, especially Yennaris.
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I lost my bet to Shotta. It was a metaphorical bet, but Shotta said Pulis would leave and I didn’t think he would.
Stoke still have the Pulis stench all over them.
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Gains – yes, I’ve got a feeling the likes of Bellerin, Eis and Gnabry will start seeing the light of day in the first team although I’m guessing most likely in the cups in the first instance. Arse_or_Brain will likely have an interesting view on this and how close they really are to breaking through. If this is the case then of course that will have a knock on effect on who AW brings in from other clubs.
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There’s also the precocious young German, Gedion Zelalem. Only 16 years of age but has already been fast-tracked into U21 football, seemingly at Wenger’s behest, and trained with the first team on a few occasions. He could be a permanent member of the squad sooner than we think.
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Taxi for Pulis!
http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/208390.html
yesss. the summer justs get better & better.
that £120,000,000.00 excuse didn’t wash. muppet.
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Dups
He’s Chelsea’s fallback if they don’t get Maureen.
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Andrew,
some of the youth team will have to be promoted to replace some of the ‘homegrown’ players leaving this summer:
.i.e. Djourou. Eastmond.
We need to do this for UEFA rules, and it’s a good rule too.
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Hahaha. Those poor girls. What an anticlimex.
The title for todays post could also apply to them moaners and groaners busy moving the goal posts and saying we knew all along Arsenal would finish in top four but we want to challenge for trophies.
Shoot. Two faced idiots. shut up your face I say. What’s the matter you….
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with the youngsters many of them are ready for the league cup and after 15 departures the core lads who are left are of a high quality. the decision will be how many will play u21 and how many will go on loan, Hayden has already suggested he would like a loan deal somewhere. Eisfield is now at the stage where if he is not involved with the first team he will have to leave. gnarby tends to drift in and out of games but when he does something its usually memorable he needs to improve his decision making about when to pass as he tends to be greedy at u21 level. Bellerin struggled in the last game of the season against an experienced Liverpool side but if he continues his improvement hes not far away. As far as Zelalem is concerned although he is cesc like in the fact he looks like he has a circle round him opposition players cannot enter at the moment he is to lightweight and just needs to get stronger. nico and le coq could both prove useful if not loaned out. chuba will need another season in the u21s at least. so I think depending on who leaves we will buy two players a left midfielder and a striker and that is it
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Andrey has left the building.
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where di you get that from George and where’s he going
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He has Tweeted his goodbyes.His contract is up .He is a free agent.
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Brilliant, Mel. Like Anicoll, I think your high profile on Arsenal.com may mean you have to start doing the coat-over-the-head thing for real, to sneak in and out of the stadium.
I hate transfer season. January almost killed me. Like a moth to a flame, though, I can’t help reading the crap. I need to join Jane on the Carribean island until August.
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😦
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What a damn shame – good luck to him
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I must have missed that on my tl …..its a shame I think he was a real nearly man for us could of been great, I know you have posted the many reasons he never became the legend he was destined to be but I would add timing if he joined now or last jan things may have been very different
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“I got more in life than I was ever supposed to get – family, money, football. None of my teachers, or my parents, ever believed this would happen to me. So how can this perfect life of mine be spoilt because they take our players? It’s better if they stay but I’m not sure we’d be stronger. You need change to make the next step in the team’s development. If all these players had stayed I would have to go because there’d be nothing new. If I say ‘Go left’, they would say: ‘You’ve told us that 200 times – we don’t want to hear your voice any more.’ That’s life – so you need new players. It’s not an easy situation but I can handle it. I am an absolutely normal guy but it’s not so difficult to find a moment to be their friend or, well, [he grins] teacher.”
I am glad I lived football in the era of the GREATEST: Arsene Wenger.
I am now overjoyed. Jurgen Klopp is positively “crazy” and the closest thing to ARSENE if there ever was one.
Arsene was similarly impulsive and emotional (read ‘crazy’ :))nearly 20 years back.
BVB for the CL!!!
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My condolences, George. It is a sad situation. At least there are some brilliant memories of some fantastic and key goals–more critical was his creative passing through a defence–absolute genius. Thanks for posting the goals compilation.
Also, heard you on the Fans’ Forum and thought your comment on JW was very interesting (so was the first such observation a few weeks ago) and thought-provoking. Somehow the midfield balance with him in the mix has been lacking or the team hasn’t performed as well as other times when he was out of the side this season. Whether alongside Arteta and behind Cazorla in AM or playing the AM in place of Rosicky with Cazorla on the left, it hasn’t been as fluid. There could be many unrelated reasons, it could be coincidental, but I thought it was a genuine point to ponder as much as we love JW. Though at this point, the main thing is to hope that the surgery is successful and he can come back to fitness and have a normal season without these ankle or related problems. On your other point about a DM, the possibility of Ramsey developing further alongside or for Arteta seemed equally plausible and you made a really good case, but I would suggest from my perspective the issue is more a replacement of Song and Diaby’s physicality, dynamic movement (Diaby), and height–it is more about balance in the squad that gives more options, not just a “DM” in some restricted or categorical manner. Since Diaby will be out most of the season, JW’s fitness is still a big concern, Rosicky is older and hasn’t been for a full season the past several, Arteta is getting older and could probably do with some rest, there might be room for another midfielder and having some qualities and attributes we currently lack would be useful as long as the player can pass well. If the Boss thinks Coquelin or Frimpong would be ready for to start 15 games and make 25-30 appearances, we wouldn’t need another player perhaps. I thought we’d see much more of Coquelin than we have this season.
Anicoll, I recommend using al-Kitaab, by K. Brustad et. al., as a reasonable textbook for Modern Standard Arabic, as it is in use pretty widely in introductory university courses, at least in North America. But if you are most interested in a particular colloquial dialect for conversation and some popular media (as opposed to more formal programming and published writing that uses MSA), the two most useful ones are Levantine and Egyptian and there are some resources for these. Watching al-Jazeera Sport football feeds is very enjoyable as the commentators are excited and sometimes even poetic in their use of Modern Standard Arabic!
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Yes LG A physical presence and powerful running would be ideal.I just think we have moved beyond a “misfield destroyer”
Imagine a three of Rosicky,Diaby and Arteta/Ramsey
And its great to see you here.
We need some football talk
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Song or Diaby or both when they played together were often adding that balance (height) especially when the Ego was on a sojourn. Though unfortunately that won’t stop the revisionists out there predictably declaring that the defence is amazing now thanks to Per and Bouldy whilst ignoring the even longer run from the 08/09 season, a very similar season to this. It can be amusing watching people try to tap dance on quicksand. Then again, maybe not!
Comparing the 08/09 run to this season, this season is more impressive as others have already said. No doubt about it. Back then the run may have been longer but most of the goals came from a certain source, though given he was Arsenal player at the time most of the hacks were not jumping on banana skins like they have been of late. More points from this seasons run, more goals (haven’t checked but I’m happy to guess). Defence as good it has been at various points in the last few seasons, more consistancy after Nacho arrived ( i guess this must have been a secret, which is why AFC came 3rd last year, whooped Dortmund, that kind of thing: Apparently they couldn’t defend!).
Onwards and upwards.
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The 07/08 midfield wasn’t too tall. And with Giroud in the squad maybe the balance is fine? Who knows? Not me.
I think ‘confidence’ is more valuable then anything else. I can’t for the life of me understand why the early-results against Dortmund, and one or two other obvious factors (I don’t want to so I won’t mention The Ego) made the difference between the stuttering we saw for slightly longer this time around. But again as others have noted: who cares! What a run they just put together. The tinies didn’t collapse this season, no dodgy meals, no ‘Arry.
*applauds The Arsenal*
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