Top of the league and top of the world.
I used to love cars. Spent a fortune on them over the years.
The one I loved the most was a 1966 MGB Roadster. I bought it in 1990, it had been restored lovingly to concourse condition by an enthusiast who came on hard times during that particular recession.
I saw the pictures of it before the chap had worked his magic. Even then it looked nice and he said it had always been reliable. But afterwards? Oh, it was a thing of beauty. Stainless steel wire wheels, leather upholstery – the whole nine yards.
Of course he might have not bothered and simply sold it and bought a nice new Golf GTi. Thankfully he didn’t. He worked with what he had and in the end he produced a work of art. Can you see where this is going?
Yes? Thought so.
Well our wonderful set of players are quickly turning into a thing of beauty. Just as my MGB was.
Even when, like yesterday, it’s just cruising around in second gear.
I thought yesterday was a very professional job. We started off totally dominant although never getting into top gear. After the Welsh Wizard scored the opener, we dropped back into second. And paid the price. Not that an equalizer had looked on the cards, but we had stopped dominating.
But what happened next?
Well we moved up into third again and wrested control back. And it looked like we could , if need be, move through the gears further if it became necessary. It looked to me that the many games this eleven has played recently meant they were happy to conserve energy and win with as little physical exertion as possible. That’s what we did.
Three points and top of the league.
I don’t want to go over the top in praise of the team, because it could come back to bite me on the bum.
However, I am as happy with this team and squad as I have been since 2004.
I love this bunch of lads and I love what I am seeing.
Happy days.
Positively Arsenal 
More warped journalism of the annual report financial figures:
“Arsenal stays in profit thanks to Robin van Persie sale
Premier League football club Arsenal saw annual profits fall from £36.6m to £6.7m despite making £47m from selling Robin van Persie and Alex Song.
The sale of the two stopped the club from falling into losses for the year to the end of May, encompassing a season without trophies. Arsenal, majority owned by billionaire Stan Kroenke, sold Van Persie to arch-rivals Manchester United.
The club said it planned to spend more on new players this season.
The team finished fourth in the Premier League last season and had been criticised for failing to invest in buying new footballers. However, Arsenal qualified for the money-spinning Champions League and has made a strong start to this season, currently standing joint top of the Premier League.”
This is from the BBC, my only guess is Gary Lineker wrote it.
LikeLike
Don’t get me going, dc.
Having said that…. Did you see MOTD2 last night. For me even worse than Linekar is the tw*t Shearer. In an attempt to mimic Sky (for what? – or, “Christ on a bike”, as was posted above, and made me LOL/ROFLMAO), MOTD2 appear to have adopted a screen/board approach to analysing where a team has gone wrong.
mons. Elbower proceeded to demonstrate how to defend at corners. The trouble was, Martin Keown had done this demonstration on Football Focus a few weeks before. That same pr*t, who like 95% of tw*ts who’re given that easy money job, seem only to get the job provided they slag off Arsenal, after all, that’s all they do. How come they don’t get sacked when they annually predict Arsenal’s failure? How can they lie to everyone all the time? Their coverage of the Villa game was appalling in its bias, and last night I’m not sure if they showed even 2 mins. of the 1st half.
There was a point when they were reviewing Ramsey’s contribution. Aaron had one orc tugging at his shoulder whilst the oncoming orc made sure AR16 couldn’t pass. Ramsey went flying onto what looked like the astroturf. The linesman signalled a throw to the orcs. I mean, FFS!!!!! Do you reckon that Elbower and his colleagues pointed out the dangerous play? Did. They. F**k!
Presenter (whoever you is)/Linaker/Lorrison/Elbower/Hansen et al, **** Right Off.
LikeLike
Except we are not standing joint top of the Premier League.
We ARE top.
LikeLike
if we had kept rvp and won the league would we have made profit? manure only made some few millions more than us for winning the league. in any case, who cares. we have 120m in reserve plus a few more now. so if we didnt make profit next year, there is always the money in the bank.
LikeLike
rantetta at 6:08 pm
You are a stud ramtetta, a star according to Frank. That was an excellent link. I have no doubt that Mikel Arteta will take his rightful place as our field marshal general but knowing that he will have a fighter beside him like Mathieu Flamini makes me feel ever more confident that we have the leaders and the troops to win the BPL war.
UTA.
LikeLike
Funny thing is Rantetta,
Our defending at corners yesterday was superb, and I was originally a hater of zonal marking but hey, it works.
I have given up on MOTD. There used to be a better programme on Irish TV on Saturday evenings, but they cancelled it. Says a lot about the quality of the EPL these days eh?
As for fouls on Arsenal players, can I refer you to some of the lesser known laws of the game I uncovered yesterday?
LikeLike
more comedy gold from Brenda:
“Brendan Rodgers says Luis Suarez is ‘chomping at the bit’ to make his Liverpool return following a 10-match ban for biting.
Rodgers used the unfortunate turn of phrase today ahead of the Reds’ Capital One Cup tie against Manchester United on Wednesday”
London Evening Standard, today.
LikeLike
Everyone knows Shearer is a tactical football genius, he all but invented the science and psychology of modern football strategy in our era; were it not for the players barely understanding a word of his instructions (delivered in lively Scots accent) Liverpool would have walked away with the title. This is an established fact. He also developed a great little song and dance routine every time the ball went ping-pong-ping-pong (exactly as he had foreseen) and Liverpool scored from a deflection off a deflection.
LikeLike
dc, please – I wanna see dem laws.
I check MOTD as I need to know what they’ve shown in order to assert to certain mates exactly what bollux they talk on there.
One mate ( a scouse fan) last night came at me with “Top of the league”. I pretty much ignored him. When he carried on, I asked him if he’d watched the game live. He confirmed he had. I asked him if he saw all the not given fouls on Arsenal’s players.
He actually said, “Yeah but that’s the way Stoke play”. Amidst utter gobsmackery, I spluttered summat about fouls being against the laws of football, and that the likes of Stoke shouldn’t even be ‘playing football’, as it’s otherwise known. I had to switch off from the ‘chat’.
This guy’s an example of those who Buy the narrative. I once mentioned Steeeevie Ggggggg’s beating up of a DJ, which was shown on CCTV in the ****ing court, no less. I questioned him about the incident (assault), and he actually, really, honestly – said summat to the effect that it didn’t really happen. **** you matey.
As you may know, Steeeevie Ggggggg got away with it.
Aw, we don’t want that kind here.
LikeLike
shottagunna, thanks for kind comments, though I’m only a stud in my own bed, when I’m alone in it, and even then I just fall asleep.
You, however, I look out for your comments. They’re incisive, spot on. (I used to see your comments on 7am, some time ago, I think? I’m afraid I’ve had to give up on 7am, Arseblog and a few others. Their lack of seeing and fully reporting that most of our ‘failures’ in recent years have come down to refs and relentless meedjacrap/bettingshite – for me – reads like they’ve been paid off by Britain’s richest man, or they’re not really supporters.
Thanks for being here, PA
LikeLike
Patrick Barclay is a quality football writer, IMO–genuine insight and loves the beautiful game, appeals to the higher sensibilities…
Having noted that, but on the opposite end of the scale, have you all been enjoying as much as I have the report that Flamini threatened Wilson after his tackle on Jack, saying, “Do that again and I’ll blind you!” Apparently the FA cautioned him or something over it. We’ve needed a bit of that aggression and maybe Jack won’t lead the league in being fouled this season!
LikeLike
@LSG
Wow, haven’t heard that yet. Flamini’s leadership has been evident on the pitch, but it’s great to hear that he is standing up for his team mates as well.
LikeLike
Ranetta
The Laws of the Game boil down to 3 rules:
1. It is okay to kick Arsenal.
2. Arsenal must not protect themselves from rule 1.
3. If rules 1 & 2 are ineffectual at stopping Arsenal, award a penalty and send an Arsenal player off.
now, where do I get my FIFA referee badge?
LikeLike
Evil
No one fucks with the Corsicans.
(Squid must have been adopted)
LikeLike
Limestonegunner September 23, 2013 at 8:09 pm
yes flamini had another solid perfromance. my favourite momment is when stoke is breaking from our right side ( 2nd half – gk pov) and flamini is chasing man with the ball , kind of loses his step, recovers, thinks about the tackle but realises he might miss and get carded, so keeps on his feet and stands toe to toe with opponent taking his footsteps ( very basketball like) containing him to a certain path till rest of team gets back……and the joy in sagnas face on his goal..he loves the club.
LikeLike
Good moments, indeed, from Stoke game.
I love the irony of scoring three from set pieces, too! We have greater variety in our play than I’ve seen in some years, which will make it more difficult for teams to set up against us. We can go over the top or cross from wide to Giroud, through behind for Walcott, sit back-defend–strike quick on the counter, keep possession, and break down teams with passing from Ozorla.
Lots of exciting potential from an experienced group that has been playing together a few seasons. Just get Ozil up to speed and injured players back, maybe strengthen up front in Jan, and hopefully it will be a break out season. Even if not this time, all signs are positive and this is a team ready to grow and progress.
LikeLike
This is well worth a read and amazing how much consistency there is with the modern Arsenal
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/read-the-first-ever-highbury-programme
LikeLike
HUNTER
does anyone know if Sanga was given the contract extension he wanted?
What I love now is we have so many players who are becoming leaders-
Verm & Arteta of course, but Merts, Sanga, Flamini, Ramsey(very soon), and of ovbiously Rosicky. Shezzey is growing up too.
LikeLike
DC, I hope he is. He is back to form after the two leg injuries. He’s a leader and could certainly play RB next season and transition to CB. I hope he gets a new three year contract for this year and two more seasons to keep him at Arsenal.
LikeLike
sorry but i forgot to say
Aaron F******g Ramsey…
LikeLike
i dont know dc…. havent read /heard anything…. trust manager to do the right thing …and to tomas…
LikeLike
Love the programme link Passenal – missed that elsewhere
21/- for the season ticket but you could reduce that by purchasing a ‘share’ for a £1
– which I suspect was a shed load of cash back in 1913
Apparently there are a few hundred lost shares still knocking about – bought for a £1 in the early days and hidden in a draw – owner dies and it is not recorded – stays on the share register as owner unknown
And worth around £12k today each
Bugger
LikeLike
Thanks for linking to that, Passenal. I love this quote in particular: “”It is our ambition that the ground and home of the Pioneers of League Football and professionalism in London shall be second to none in the Kingdom.”
Under Wenger, this particular ambition has come true.
LikeLike
Anicoll
Worth having a look around some old furniture shops in Woolwich, eh?
I was reading that David Dein bought his first batch of Arsenal shares for what we would now consider chicken feed money back in the 80’s.
Always the problem, isn’t it? you need money to make money.
LikeLike
Lovely, Passeral,
I haven’t read my members email yet so I will read the programme now.
LikeLike
I like this rantetta fella!
Can’t wait for Mozart, Santi, Poldi, Ox & AD24 to get back.
I don’t see how ANY PL team could compete with us @ full strength.
Szcz – Fabia – Vivi
Sagna – Jenks
Gibbs – Nacho
Per
Kos – Verm
Arteta – Flamini – Frimp
Rambo – Jack – Diaby
Oz – Mozart
Theo – Ox – Ryo
Giroud – Poldi – NickB – Yaya
Santi – Gnabry.
Pires knows….http://www.goal.com/en/news/596/exclusive/2013/09/23/4283410/ozil-can-win-arsenal-the-premier-league-pires?ICID=HP_HN_2
LikeLike
Anicoll/Evil, there were dozens of fantastic quotes in that programme – I particularly liked this one
“We have a keen appreciation for a good honest shoulder charge, but intentional hacking, bashing and smashing do not coincide with our ideas of sportsmanship, and those desiring to witness matches that are won by this class of football (?) must seek elsewhere. We want our visiting teams to look forward to a visit to our ground with feelings of pleasure (even though disappointed in the result of the match), and not with fear and trembling as to the possible effects of rough and unsportsmanlike usage.”
LikeLike
Sweet mother of jays us! Why does the football press treat its customers like dunces? The clubs profits at May 31, 2013 the club’s pretty tax profits had fallen to 6.7 million pounds. Yet they conflate this with the cash position of 119.7 million pounds. The 1st rule of elementary accounting is cash does not equal profits. Even the financial geniuses at EndOfAnEra.com turned the healthy cash balances at year end as a stick to beat Wenger and the Board accusing them of lacking the boldness and financial acumen to leverage the cash and to speculate on big player purchases. They ridiculed Notoverthehill for having the gall to point out, chapter and verse, contrary data in the financial statements.
I am concerned that once again the media and so-called Arsenal blogs will once again fail to educate our fans who will be misguided into thinking we can go toe-to-toe with City or Chelsea who depend on oil and not the money earned from football.
LikeLike
A Guinea for a season ticket!?
Never won a trophy?
Us Edwardian fans won’t put up with tomfoolery and alackadoo, by Jingo not a farthing of it. Mr. Norris out! Mr. Morrell out! If they kindly wouldn’t mind.
It will be a day when the Empire falls when we see one of the Kaiser’s Hun chappies or a Jonny Turk play for the Arsenal before we take the Clapham omnibus tho this new fangled ground, it’s practically on the Middlesex borders.
Ah, the good old 2-3-5 formation, you know some day I’d love us to try it – attack, attack, attack!
LikeLike
@Passenal
I am truly astounded to see that the values the club held dear 100 years ago still resonate with us today. It shows that class is in our DNA.
The bit by our former captain Percy Sands, asking for players to be supported even more when they are having an off day because that support means so much to them is another piece that I feel could easily be adapted for modern times.
LikeLike
A bit more seriously
Percy Sands Captain’s message 6th September 1913.
“You can take it from me that no club have a more enthusiastic or clever lot of players. They are out to do their best and more than that they cannot do. The time may come when a man will have an off-day. Players are not machines, and humanity is a frail sort of structure, so when that day comes, let me ask you to give a word of sympathy to the player who is not doing himself justice. It makes all the difference in the world to a man when he knows that the crowd feel sorry for him, and do not hastily condemn him if he makes a mistake.
You can help restore the Arsenal’s pristine glory almost as much as the players can, for the loyal and whole-hearted support of a crowd means so much to a team. And I feel sure you will give it, wholly and unreservedly. As I have said, you can rest assured that every man is giving of his best, and I have every confidence in my colleagues because I know of their intense earnestness. They are out to win by fair and clean means, and I sincerely hope that the success that the Arsenal deserves will be achieved”
I defy you not to have a tear in your eye.
LikeLike
Folks – send that message out to all and sundry, if you wish to.
LikeLike
Hunter
Arsenal 1886-1913-2013
Class is Permanent.
We had it before Wenger. He has made us a global phenomenon though.
LikeLike
DC,dont get him started FFS.
LikeLike
George, that Percy Sands quote from the programme is amazing.
thanks to Passeal and Evil for mentioning it.
If its too long for twitter, send it out as a link or something – it should be read and absorbed by all Arsenal fans. There isn’t a word of it that’s not relevant today.
LikeLike
Hahaha
Shouldn’t be jellostone park.?
LikeLike
PG @ 1128
HAHAHA…
LikeLike
All jokes aside ,if your ever in the neighborhood stop by the jellostone national park. Lots of wild animal there to be seen. My favorites are the wolves. Not the kind that wear sheep’s clothing though…
LikeLike
Frimmy will start on Wednesday.
You heard it here first.
LikeLike
Goonerkam
Oh no, they did not….!
http://www.campjellystone.com/
Let’s not wind-up PG anymore though, eh? Folks are getting fed up with it.
WTF is Theo out now?
Did we build the Ems on some ancient Native American burial ground and now we are suffering an eternal curse of misfortune?
LikeLike
I think this year we will prioritize the competitions and let the second stringers have the coc. That and the first teamers coming back from injuries and needing some games to get match fit.
We shall see our strongest first eleven and bench in the ECL, EPL AND THE FA CUP. I just hope when the youngsters do make it to the latter stages of the coc that AW keeps faith in them and let them deal with the semi final and the finals on their own.
LikeLike
Hahaha DC. right you are. I stand corrected.
and yes, I hope to see FRIMPONG midweek.
LikeLike
West Brom, away cup game, midweek night, cold and rainy…yadda, yadda ..
The media will have the match report written up by tomorrow morning.
If the team survive this, well and good, it can’t be worse than away at Fenerbahçe.
LikeLike
Did we build the Ems on some ancient Native American burial ground ?
Haha best send for Jeremiah Johnson.
LikeLike
Yes. I hope so. We should enter each ECL AND EPL game with strong eleven and bench. Our ECL group is one of the toughest this year. Maybe only one other comes close. DC you speak French??
LikeLike
Hay GEORGE. overall the emirates has been a good new home for us with lots of great potential for the future.
You found DEXTER’S post in the archives??
LikeLike
George,
Or Scobby Doo and Mystery Inc.
My guess is it is not ghosts, but nasty mr levy and his rival decrepit funfair up the coast trying to put nice uncle Ivan out of business. zoinks.
Scrappy Do should never have happened, and should be removed from history.
LikeLike
GK
I think I do, but the French may not agree.
LikeLike
He has not been here Kam.
LikeLike
lol. Good sense of humor.
LikeLike