As Arsenal are weathering the early home pressure and I search for ways to cope with the rising anger at the hapless biased negativity of the truly horrible commentary team, my thoughts drift to The Plan. Some people have called it Project Youth some have seen it as a series of decisions based entirely upon financial straight jackets while a frankly silly minority have attempted (unconvincingly) to propagate the belief that there is no plan. Personally I’ve never thought that The Plan was particularly complex, elliptical nor difficult to grasp. Arsène has always been up front and honest when it comes to explaining The Plan. Put simply, he has striven to build a squad of exciting young talent either bought in or home grown and to blend it with experienced players of international renown. He then adds a dash of stardust seasoning in the shape of one or two truly world class footballers. The over riding criteria being that whether callow or seasoned these players should be inventive, intelligent, clean living and good looking and able to adapt themselves to the wonder that is Wengerball. See? Simple isn’t it? Of course high profile defections in search of money and a sickening spate of injuries have often robbed him of both the older and younger players forcing him to promote, buy and borrow in successive rebuilding operations which have disrupted the personnel but never derailed The Plan.
I feel that the current squad may be the most perfect realisation of The Plan that we have seen. Others would disagree but yar boo sucks to them. This is my turn and I’ll paint the blog whatever shade of red and white that I like. If you take the defensive side of our team for example it really is the perfect encapsulation of The Plan in microcosm. I think of our defensive unit as comprising Szczęsny, Bac, Gibbs, Per, Kos and Mikel Arteta. I include Mikel although the Flaminator could just as easily fit the bill. Either way the midfielder most likely to be found protecting the back four is an integral part of our rearguard. So that’s three young players either bought from obscurity or groomed from a very young age in-house and three massively experienced hugely knowledgeable footballers the whole shebang combining grace, speed, enthusiasm, maturity, skill, anticipation, acceleration, pace and power into a big gumbo of footy loveliness. As I say an encapsulation of The Plan.
One element of The Plan has undoubtedly been Project Youth. I don’t deny the existence of The Project. However this has never been, is not and hereafter never shall be the whole plan. Never ever ever no matter what you may have heard or thought, so clear your muddled head of such zany baloney. Any sensible well run responsible club will have a decent youth set up and will give very many young sportsman the best possible start in their sporting life and at Arsenal that’s precisely what happens. Some of those youngsters will gain first team experience and some will go on to become first choice. Not many of course but more than you’d expect to see in most top teams. But Project Youth is only a part of The Plan. The reason I highlight it here and the reason I believe our current squad to be such a fine example and realisation of The Plan is this. Project Youth takes time. Buying a player takes a bit of scouting, negotiating and cheque writing it’s true but this is peanuts to planting and growing your own young players. What age were Jack or Kieron? They were still in red and white nappies when they first started for us and it has taken a very long time to get to where we are today. Similarly Theo and Aaron. They were bought in for sure but before they’d done their GCSE’s. Or thereabouts. My point is it took time for them to bridge that boy to man gap. And now we are here. The vast wealth of experience possessed by the likes of Per, Mikel, Podolski, Tomas, Bacary, Santi, is now combined with youngsters who are now actually no longer boys but professional footballers just entering their best years. Look at Aaron. He is merely a junior member of the team. And he’s the best player in the country right now. By a country mile. And that’s my point. The youth/experience balance is still there but now the young players have enormous experience. Still learning of course but not kids. Not in footballing terms. Not any more.
57.27 seconds. Aaron Ramsay pulls off a tackle on the edge of our area that Bobby Moore would have boggled at. And then he instigates a counter attack that ends with their keeper making a good save at the near post from a Jack Wilshere volley. It just happened. At the moment that I finished writing the last paragraph. Kind of proving my point. There’s really only one ingredient missing as far as The Plan is concerned. The players need to know how it feels to win. Not just matches. They know how to win big and important matches. They need to know how it feels to win competitions. To know that together they can see the job through to the end. I see no reason to suppose they can’t do it and that their time is now. And as I typed that Theo banged it into the net. Like we all knew he could. And he also kind of proved my point. He is ready now, no longer a kid. His misfortune in hitting a keeper in fine form on Saturday counted for nothing when his chance came this evening. He is young, quick and a menace to defenders but he is also sufficiently experienced to have patience and perspective. Those precious commodities so transparently lacking in so many supporters and yet so absolutely essential in the psyche of a top professional sportsman.
Well it’s 71 minutes in and I’ve stopped typing so I can enjoy the last 20 minutes of the game. I wonder when Giroud will score. I wonder what will happen if he doesn’t? Will the ravens flee the tower? I wonder if Sky’s commentary apparatchiks ever lock themselves in a cubicle in the gents with their faces in their hands sobbing quietly at having to repeat such Orwellian doublespeak as “Arsenal have always drawn easy groups” and “Arsenal’s squad is looking thin”. I know they need the money, we all have bills to pay, but I’d like to think that if I was called upon to do something so blatantly immoral and clearly wrong in the course of my working day that I’d have the courage to say no.
I suppose if I told you I was wondering just when Aaron would score as the clock approached 83 minutes you wouldn’t believe me would you?
Still sat here concerned about the ravens though.
Positively Arsenal 
top top top post!
weldone to the boys yesterday.
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at this rate, ramsey will brake lampard’s record of goals of a midfield player. plus ramsey more skilful and handsome.
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Nice article stew, love the picture. Not so much as project youth as more a necessary step in enlarging the football club. Wenger being a believer in the Ajax system always had in mind to create academy for arsenal. So that his football is taught to young players early on. So that the club can have core of players coming from within knowing the way of play inside out. Ajax has won 4 european big ones and has produced in my lifetime at least 3 or 4 generations that have changed european football. They never kept them cause Ajax realised long time ago that its better to develop and sell. It is a business after all. And every now and again they might produce a gen that will go all the way and sell them again and start all over. Wenger is building an Ajax/manchester/barcelona hybrid. A club that takes great care in developing its own football and footballers but also being a protagonist domestic and abroad with huge financial power and marketing ability/potential.
For all that to click though not only does it take time but requires the patience and understanding of the fans and not a bunch of halfwits going around saying “but i thought we moved to emirates to compete with the best”….or even the wisdom to realise that the first crop might get burned from weight of expectations and pressure. Also the fact that to begin with this the club had to rely on foreign youngsters since they were much cheaper and much closer education and culture-wise to the football wenger teaches.
within 8 years wenger has helped arsenal built and repay ( most of) one of europe’s greatest stadiums, instilled a philosophy of play which is ingrained in the club and has solidified arsenals status both in terms of being an elite european club but also a very rich and influential one. Usually clubs that built stadiums and have to compete in a league like the EPL’s and have to go through process of using youngsters for a while might take 10-15 and 20 years to recover. What Wenger has done is simply remarkable and if in the next 5-6 years the club wins significant trophies who is to say it wasnt worth the wait? who is dumb enough to say that?
It is astonishing that arsenal fans still try to seperate arsenal from wenger by calling anyone who respects the prof as a wenger fan and not an arsenal fan. I guess their wits cant come to terms that they are both one and the same thing. The arsenal we see today is 100% wenger’s work. Has nothing to do with norris, chapman, graham or anyone else. Whoever tells you differently is an idiot who is trying to camouflage his lack of faith and support during our biggest and most difficult transitions in our history
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layksite hats off for exposing them mugs! i laughed and laughed and then forced their clown-master to act on it…..
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Perfect post. AW said something fascinating during the transfer, can’t find it but to paraphrase, he said “So what happened to the managerial role of coaching and developing a team? Is it now just about buying a team, consumerism gone mad?”.
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My word Steww, you wrote that whilst watching the game?
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I am often left speechless at some of the wisdom I am treated too. Here’s a comment from a clever person in response to a piece on the Online Gooner (http://is.gd/X1niw0):
“If we didnt put the 2 goals in, the game would have ended with us losing 0 – 1 to the dive that was a dodgy penalty. If we can carry on getting the ball in the back if the net (which is something walcott and ramsey have struggled at for years, but are now suddenly waking up to), we will do just fine”.
PG has discouraged emoticons, can you imagine an appropriate facial expression after reading that?
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God Steww,
But, but, but were entitlement addicts want to be told what ‘the plan’ is.
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Solid piece Stew, as robust and well engineered as our performance in the Stade Velodrome last night.
One slightly unsung, or unnoticed at least, hero these last few games has been Szcz. He handled himself and the ball well last night in a pressured noisy stadium. Shots, crosses all taken with equal aplomb. He has not put a foot wrong for a few games now and has emphasised that he is very much the top pick of our keepers.
Barring calamity it seems we have another solid foundation in the side, the result of patience and hard work.
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Layksite,
There are some extremists out there, well done for upsetting their cage.
I don’t recall any of the self professed Ramsey loving that was going on.
No, I don’t re beer reading that at all a year ago.
Jeez, you must have been a right pest to have been mistaken for Hunter!! Hehe.
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GP
Munch’s The Scream comes to mind.
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Georgaki-pyrovolitis – I did indeed write it during the game. The events happened precisely in the time frame indicated in the piece. It was poetic I thought. The timing of the football I mean not the hastily scribbled post.
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Stew’s ability to multi-task is bordering on scary – check out his radio show sometime if you haven’t already. I’m at risk of sounding like a broken record, I know, but yet another outstanding article. If anything, marginally better than usual.
Our start to the season – indeed, the continuation from last season – must be soul destroying for those who appear to live to crticise the club. Spare a thought also for the ‘professional’ journalists having to wrestle with a changing narrative that threatens to make fools of most of them.
Think too of all those fans of clubs like Chelsea, Citeh, Manure and the Spuds who are already seeing cracks appear in their over-confidence which was borne of misplaced optimism and arrogance fired up by an over-active transfer window and/or blind faith. Although I’m no lover of the scousers, the admirable form of both Liverpool and Arsenal will simply pile the pressure on the four listed above, ALL of whom really HAVE to enjoy major success of one form or other this season. At least two of them will be hugely disappointed. Would be very happy if it ends up being all four of them.
Of last night’s game, possibly the thing I most enjoyed was that though the script for many of us was rooted in anticipation of Ozil’s brilliance, the headlines have actually been dominated by the outstanding contributions of Gibbs and Ramsey who were quite simply awesome on an uneven, unpredictable pitch, a long way from home. Theo’s rocket will most likely launch his season and he’ll go on to sink the hopes of many opponents with a 20+ goal return beckoning given the multiple launch pads offered by Ozil, Ramsey, Jack, Santi et al.
A very, VERY exciting season is now in full flow.
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Haha, very nice write up STEWW. the best Line in it??
” they already know how to win games ,big and small. What they need to learn Is how to win competitions ” .
Absolutely. Coming out of this many years of rebuilding due to the stadium and what not we have been in the position of winning two or three comps . But the mental hurdle has been too high to clear. Even when we had a superior team compared to the opposition. On the bright side i think winning that first competition will be like opening the floodgates. That first one is crucial and i have a strong strong feeling it might come very soon , possibly this year.
After that , watch out. Step out of the way and watch THE RED&WHITES DOMINANT DOMESTICALLY AS WELL AS CONTINENTALLY.
By the way, today’s photo of AARON is sure to give BAMAGOONER a heart attack. That is if she survived watching RAMSEY ‘s heroics from yesterday. Be strong Kelly. lol.
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Steww simply blows away most other bloggers because he is not selfish and egotistical, trying to earn fame and notoriety by slating Wenger, the Youth project or the scapegoat du jour. I am sick and tired of bloggers who are trying to prove they are smarter than Wenger and his coaches, smarter than Ivan, Dick Law and Tom Fox, smarter than the Board, most of whom have been successful businessman for longer than they have lived.
For example: Somebody asked in the Comments section two days ago, why does Bendtner have such a bad rep as a player. The answer in one word is Arseblogger. Does the tagline The Greatest Striker That Ever Lived (TGSTEL) ring a bell? Bendtner is just the most recent in a rogues gallery that includes Adebayor, Denilson and Diaby. The Dane was too easy to resist given his youthful cockiness and penchant for doing dumb things that any 20 year-old with too much money is wont to do. Would Steww have campaigned with such malignant humor to alienate an Arsenal player from supporters? I rest my case.
Hunter13 @ 8:32am: “The arsenal we see today is 100% Wenger’s work.” – I think you are using literary license here. Wenger has had an Owner and Board that supported him. I think that is the point you used to make to rebut the idiots who said Wenger made policy. Excellent post otherwise.
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I have to say the salt and vinegar on the footballing chips last night was the sight of and edgy Jose mumbling his excuses after another disjointed Chelsea display.
And well might he be edgy, with Roman looking on.
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@anicoll
Fair point. I think ever since Szcz has got a kick up the backside by being benched in favour of Fabianski at the end of last season, he has come back and finally managed to play consistently which has eluded him before that. I think it’s too early to say he has cemented his spot as #1, but it seems like he isn’t getting complacent anymore and that’s very good for us. Especially in the second half he was tested by several shots from distance (and I can remember him letting in a few innocuous looking one’s in seasons past) and responded perfectly.
@steww
Brilliant post. Even though some people insist, they can’t change the facts: plan A has been in effect for the whole time and nothing has changed. There were disruptions forcing us back a couple of times, but in essence, the club kept doing what it always planned to do after the stadium project was started. Improve our youth teams so they can produce Arsenal quality players on a regular basis and mix those players with a blend of seasoned pro’s and top, top quality players bought from outside to address problems we can’t solve internally.
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HUNTER
excellent post. Lays out what has been happening at our club In simple and understandable language so that even the hostile halfwits can follow.
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I enjoyed Maureen’s post match performance as well Anicol.
Also enjoying the sound of AVB getting his excuses in early, too.
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Funniest thing I’ve probably read today is how some Arsenal supporters were talking about having supported and bigged up Ramsey ever since the end of last season. Wow, supporting a player from the moment he came good that deserves a proper pat on the back. Wonder where those people were early last season or the year before, when Ramsey was struggling…
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Good comment Anicoll,
Shzy I thought really commanded his box very well, a bit more shouting at his defenders helps too, lets them know that he is in charge.
OM had some very good corner routines, Per was beaten in the air a couple of times, but only because the delivered ball was so good.
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One thing I have noticed about Szcz is he looks leaner than he did 12 months ago. He was never a porker but he has the physique of a whippet these days, alert and about to pounce on some unsuspecting hare.
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Shotta
TGSTEL has made up most of the bad press for himself.
It’s his own moniker for a start,
No driving licence anymore, dropped by Denmark,
Can’t control himself on a night out,
Other interested Clubs pissed off about his wage demands.
I have no problem with strikers being a bit, well, ‘up themselves’ so to speak, they need to have the unbelievable belief in themselves to shoot and score. This can come across as being a bit arrogant.
There was a good article on Arseblog a week or two ago, surprisingly most of the comments were quite mature and supportive, in the terms that as long as Bentner wears the 52 Arsenal shirt and is actually prepared to put a shift in if and when he gets a call up, he will still be supported.
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actually i can still post as layksite over there but i want the ghost of ramsey to haunt them bad guys each time they see that name.
by the time i started reading that blog, it was almost a crime to say anything negative about our players. but nowadays you feel like a mug to dare support the club when things dont go right.
i dont know if they are supporters or detractors.
btw, i went to le grove today and the mood there was positive. we are winning the battle guys 🙂
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NB 52 is still, I believe Arsenal’s current highest goal scorer in the squad.
He can be useful, he knows where the back of the net is.
Tony and Merse and that generation got up to worse antics.
The WBA cup game will be interesting, we will see who AW has in mind as the back-up team. It would be a nice comeback game for a few of the walking wounded too.
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Hunter,
The accusation is that folk here support Arsène Wenger more than the club.
I think you nailed the answer to that in your post.
Not bad for the inbred half-wit the cartoon bear called you.
I suppose half a wit is better than none, hehehe.
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Lovely stuff Stew, the team are playing fantastically at the moment,I think the trick is to enjoy it to its fullest rather than get caught up in squabbles with people that were just ‘plain old wrong’ about the players and the manager,we all make mistakes-some of us are even brave enough to admit it,the important thing is enjoying the Arsenal,I love this group of players-I suspect Arteta & per have an awful lot to do with how their playing & conducting themselves.
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You’re a good man Mel. Some could learn from your approach, and that’s the last I’ll say on the matter.
Just enjoy the ride. Long long way to go, but shaping up to be a hell of a season.
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What I love most about Ramsey’s performances is the added bonus of watching his detractors admit they were complete twats for booing him while he came back from his injury.
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Very good Steww. It is nice to see the club sticking to Plan A despite the setbacks and difficulties.
The past 8 years have been a remarkable achievement despite the near misses on some trophies. The fact that were competing at that level at such a time should not be dismissed lightly.
I agree Mel. Per has become a real leader in the team. This team is amazing.
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The narrative is different now: “We have always been saying that people like Ramsey will improve when they are playing with world class players. That is what we have been asking. Now, after the villa defeat, Wenger has reacted to buy world class talent in Ozil”.
These are the same people who were repeating the mantra of 1GK, 1 CB, 1 Midfield Enforcer, etc throughout the summer. One among these even said that he would cream his pants if we bought Fellaini.
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It is great the other blogs are squirming and are pretending to be positive however enjoy it while you can they are only a 0-0 away from the return of the whinge. The Wba game is very important as it comes when the first 14 could do with a break but the game has to be won. With the injuries to the automatic starters, backups, and the youth players picking a team will be a nightmare and it will be a really hard game. On the positive side nice to see Isaac and Chuba on the bench last night I rate them both, chuba frightens everyone and Issac is one of the calmest youngsters I’ve seen in years almost Adams’esk ….oh and talking of calm how do you write a post that good while there’s a game going on you continue to amaze Stew
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A masterpiece Stew.
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@Sensational
Well done in pointing that out. They have changed the line they peddle publicly, but it won’t make them right and obviously their past mistakes won’t be forgotten. Wenger has stated for many years that if there are players available that are better than what he has and if an agreement can be reached, he will work and try to get those players. Previous seasons, agreements couldn’t be reached because we had strict spending limits, now those limits aren’t so strict anymore and those agreements can be reached. “Fan pressure” simply does not exist, at least at our club, because Wenger won’t be bullied. He will do what he thinks is right and history shows that that has turned out to be the best thing for the club for the last 17 years.
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Mel,Harry is right,you are a good man.BUT………..fuck them.they have it coming.
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I’ve seen displeasure expressed on other sites in regard to the megaphone guy at the Velodrome. What’s the opinion of the folks on here? Personally, I wish we had an atmosphere like that just once at the Emirates. I wouldn’t mind it one bit.
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It is now NB23 DC – 52 was just not a lucky number for Nick
I was amazed to see it is nearly eight years since he made his debut at Sunlun where he came on as a 90th minute sub in a CC 3rd round 3-0 win
Have a look at our side that night though;
Manuel Almunia, Emmanuel Eboue, Pascal Cygan, Sol Campbell, Philippe Senderos, Seb Larsson, Alex Song, Fabrice Muamba, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Arturo Lupoli, Robin Van Persie
Subs – Anthony Stokes for Arturo Lupoli 88, Pat Cregg for Seb Larsson 89, Nicklas Bendtner for Quincy Owusu-Abeyie 90
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Arteta and Per have been immense from day one. The impact they had on the camp in their first season has not been appreciated outside the Arsenalsphere and was overshadowed by the actions of The Ego. Amazing temperaments. For a CB like Per to have so few cards to his name is remarkable. Per is the anti-Bergkamp (marked by the beast*). He reads danger ahead of most if not all.
Still not sure if he makes my top form CB pairing! What a dilemma. Plan? Plan! Did someone mention a plan?
Attempting to keep your football club a football club whilst others loose their heads or have fallen into some deep dark fracking hole. Sounds like a plan to me!
*people like players to be Monsters:
Koscielny is an Animal (needs to chill with the raw venison on match days – he hunts it himself. Possibly my favourite player. Ever. Warts an’ all).
Gibbo – Monster Monster Monster
Sagna – The Lionheart of The Royal Arsenal.
Per – as above, marked by The Beast.
Ramsey: Demon
Wilshere: Saint
Özil: A very naughty boy
Carzola: Angel
….
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Another beautifully written article, steww. Impressive stylistic variety for one man.
I have had the feeling through the last nine months, the feeling that we are making inexorable progress towards glory, inexorable because things seem to be falling into place. There has been hard work, but hard work is not always rewarded. What seems to be on our side, for once, is serendipity. Just like the goals going in at the right moments for your blog article!
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I can’t help feeling that Wenger has let us down badly on the “good-looking” front, though.
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@ shottagunna September 19, 2013 at 10:59 am
Very well said on all points.
I would add, on Bendtner, that there is a character flaw there. Compare his reaction to being played as a wide forward to Ramsey’s reaction, or his reaction to being dropped to the equally cocky Chesney’s reaction. (see anicoll5’s post). That said, there’s no excuse for whipping up hostility towards, or encouraging ridicule of a current Arsenal player, which is my beef with Arseblogger. Or the even worse Piers Morgan.
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@ Evil September 19, 2013 at 2:28 pm
Spot on.
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Anicoll,
I wish the new number reflected his wage value hehe.
Seriously though, I hope he does justice to the wee Russians shirt number.
Maybe a new number and a better attitude.
Good to see you popping in here Harry.
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I’ve heard doomers describe the past five or six years as being a hurricane of torture, abuse and disrespect.
What happened in the world that there’s people this spoiled?
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Evil @ 2:40pm
Yeah, I didn’t like it one bit. I’d go so far as to call it a form of cheating.
It was great to finally hear our supporters singing last night towards the end of the Game.
And I think Dortmund are wankers at the same malarkey too; Pity, because I really give credit to their supporters attitude, I just hate cheerleaders – unless we are talking the American kind.
Give me the Emirates library atmosphere anytime, At least when we do make some noise it’s not fake,
and my God do I not like that bunch of idiots calling themselves the Sheffield Wednesday brass band. Please go and fuck-off away from Ingerlun games forever.
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It seems the youth team is performing well and looking exciting. A 15 year old called Hinds is making his mark (in the u-19s).
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Brilliant, Stew, as always. I’d vote for you to always write while watching the match, but that would interfere with your enjoyment I’m sure.
@goonerkam, I do believe the guys are trying to kill me by inserting these pics of Aaron right in the middle of their blogs. So far I’m keeping my composure, but it’s a challenge!
Speaking of Aaron, I’d like to weigh in on this idea of who is “allowed” to enjoy his re-birth. I am not naturally a confrontational person, and I try very hard to see both sides of a conflict and to try to see where people are coming from. Most of the time I am able to do that. But where Aaron is concerned, I just can’t do it. I have become very emotionally attached to that boy, and some of the things that were said about him physically hurt me. Silly, I know, but true nonetheless. And I’m having trouble letting it go. I’m glad people have changed their minds, or are glad to be proven wrong, or whatever, but I still can’t forget how some of them abused a 21 year old boy. Paid millions or not, he was just a kid, and his mental struggle was written all over his face for anyone who cared to see him as a human being and not just as a millionaire footballer. There were times it left me nearly in tears for him. How one can justify it is just beyond me. And I’m not talking about criticizing his play. I’m talking about beating up on a kid, just to make yourself sound funny or clever or knowledgable or whatever. It’s a testament to his obvious character that he rose above it all, but the argument that it all somehow made him stronger rings hollow to me. I’ll bet he would have liked to have had the opportunity to shine without putting up with all the bullshit. And he would have, too.
Anyway, I’ve gone on too long here, but I’ll say one more thing. If you are a parent, you understand what it’s like when someone bullies your child. The bully may grow up and grow out of it, your child will get through and forgive and move on if you’ve raised them well. But you will ALWAYS hate that bully. No matter what they do to try to make up for it. You’ll learn to hide it, but it will always be there.
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Brilliant, Kelly just brilliant.
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Yes well said Kelly.
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It is truly wonderful to read the perspective of a mother. Alabamagooner that was an exceptional post. Thanks
Will you try and join our ‘virtual stadium’? You need a gmail account and the google hangouts app
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