Today we have a guest post by@Swales1968
Another international brake so it gives us a chance to look back at the season so far and to where Arsenal are in the grand scheme of the Premier League & Europe.
As we know Arsenal are top by two points, I have read and listened to many who bemoan the fact that Arsenal to get into this position have played nobody of real substance within the PL and that most of the team are in the bottom half of the table. This may be true but, could not the case be that to be in the position of the bottom half of the table is a part result of Arsenal beating these teams?
What has struck me more this season more than most is the hypocrisy of the media, not so much the usual eight years thing and Arsenal must win a trophy but the way they look at Arsenal and judge and then look at other clubs and judge them differently? Arsenal are top of the league but are only there because we have not played any of the top teams but Liverpool beat a Fulham side who are not playing for the manager and all of a sudden they are strong title contenders. Arsenal loses against Manchester United and its “they can’t be called title contenders”.
Steven Howards article in the sun yesterday (sorry can’t get a link) was a whitewash and Ian Herberts “David Moyes’ decision not to sign Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid justified by the German’s invisible show at Old Trafford” both totally overlook and ignore the situation of injuries and the illness that swept through Arsenal before this game. I am not saying it should be used as an excuse but it has a contributing factor in the result and therefore must be mentioned. The hypocrisy continues through Match of the Day (do I need to go over Alan ‘I’m not bitter’ Hanson’s and Alan ‘interesting’ Shearer’s comments) and those on TalkSport again I don’t think I need to go over Durham, Gough, the Chelsea one in the afternoon, Alan ‘I didn’t watch the game but I thought’ Brazil’s comments.
I know what some will say “if you don’t like it turn off or don’t read it” and to a great extent I have but, I do watch MotD as I like to sit down on a Saturday night and watch all the goals from the day. Talksport annoys the **** out of me I drive for a living and in the evenings I like to listen to talk radio programs most of the time I can get LBC in my van and that great but a lot of the time I am in an area that loses LBC and so its Talksport most of the time it is utter garbage they speak but, once in a while they have a guest on who talks like it is, no agenda, no saying stupid things to get you to call in, no shouting and talking over the callers (yes that’s you Stan Collymore) and when this happens it’s great radio. I love sports and especially football, why should I have to limit what I read and listen to because of agenda driven hypocrisy from presenters and writers.
The Sun at the weekend printed a headline about Ozil and what he said he wanted to do to Manchester United, well I read that article and blow me if I could see where he said that headline the same can be said for the Arshavin quote about the Arsenal fans, the media are writing their own headlines to fit an agenda driven by its writers against Arsenal. They have spent so many years criticising Arsenal, Wenger and the board that they are scared of being proved wrong. The other disappointing thing about this media witch hunt is that so many Arsenal fans are eager to lap it up and agree with it without looking into the actual background of what has been happening within the club. Arsenal has now found themselves in a great position one that the media don’t want Arsenal to be in because it goes against everything they write about. Arsenal ARE a club in crisis after one loss against Villa, how’s that then?
Arsenal are a well run club that like any good business has worked hard through a time of austerity to come out the other side and now we are hopefully reaping the benefit of this with signings like that of Ozil. A quick point on the Ozil deal how many other players signed this summer had when discussing their wages bonuses added to them, all I heard was Ozil wages will be two hundred thousand with bonuses. I do not remember any other player’s wages being talked about like this in the media.
Arsenal worked hard and gained a good win out in Dortmund last week and what credit do we receive from the media “Arsenal stole the points” & “Arsenal parked the bus” my favourite was Durham on dive time “Arsenal are just the Stoke of Europe” (had to laugh at that) whereas Manchester United “gain a hard fought point in Spain”.
Arsenal Football Club are top of the league by two points not because they have not played anybody but because they have won and drawn enough games to put them there. Arsenal have played scintillating football and at times Arsenal have had their backs to the wall to get the points or point, yes they have lost two games but is that any worse than the situation Manchester City or Chelsea find themselves in but they are not in crisis they are not ‘not title contenders’. Arsenal has had credit from the media but it’s always tempered with a ‘but’ or a ‘what if’. In the end we will have to wait and see after Arsenal has played every team home and away where they will finish in the league.
Positively Arsenal 
well said swales1968
BUT….
if our fans/bloggers had brains then all these journalists and hacks wouldnt talk as much shit…..they are professional trolls and watching how the arsenal fans react in setbacks encourages them to stick the knife further in…
more importantly if arsenal had a proper supporters club..a proper fans club …a firm if you like …8,000 members who understand what the club went through and are in full support and who are also active and forming an umbrella of protection for managers and players, then the hacks shit wouldnt stick….
however here i will also note that the club itself and particularly those above Wenger did nothing to protect him and the squad from fa and media……
big clubs have big fans and big figures behind the manager and squad so that noone fucks with them…we let the whole nation fuck with us and Wenger and his young players were left in the open to deal with it all and get slaughtered.
whoever voiced support or pointed out the unfairness of the treatment not to mention the vicious assaults on our players legs and manager’s character was termed a ‘wegerite’ or ‘deluded’ ….well fuck them all…..they dont deserve the happiness or the success the club will bring in the future. when the CLUB needed its fans the most, the fans became cynics and critics. spoilt…..
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samuel for instance has won awards like …best sports journalist of the year
(??!! ahaha???!!)
this fat muppet termed Arsenal’s greatest transition period as wengers’ failed project…as if wenger is an idiot and does not know the limitations of his players/squads …or as if wenger is some kid to be as naive as to think he would dominate epl with 21 yearolds vs drogba and vidic.
has it not occured to this footballnews award winner that Arsenal was simply grinding it out and trying to get the 30m guaranteed fm chmapions league entry while spending peanuts in terms of budget? is that a wrong policy for a club that invested 450 million on a new stadium ?
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Nice one swales.
I would join to say that while we shouldnt be blindly gloating, we should enjoy watching this amazing team and support them and believe in them all the way to the title. We should dispel the nervous mood the media will try to build. We shouldnt be nervous or cautious about possible failure. We shouldnt transmit that to the players. We need to believe in the players and help them feel that they are PL champion material and no-one is going to stand in their way.
Thanks Hunter, Zimpaul and Lakysite for yesterday’s comments about Pires. I really appreciate hearing about former players from you guys here on PA.
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Hunter, well said
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FANTASTIC !!! Finally , speaking sense 🙂
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Laurie,are you saying or other articles don’t make sense?
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Nice one Stephen,like you I drive for a living but unlike you I’ve pretty much abandoned Talkshite,most of their presenters when talking about the Arsenal are just plain wrong but spiteful with it,give the iTunes podcasts a go mate,there’s everything in there from Tony Adams on desert island discs to Geoff Boycott on BowlatBoycs,I swerve most of the Arsenal ones now though,the self importance is chronic!
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What a star you are, Swales
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‘We should dispel the nervous mood the media will try to build. We shouldnt be nervous or cautious about possible failure.’
very true but the intrAnet’s gunner blogging community were too thick to see that and since there are more than 100 blogs on arsenal that tend to form fans opinion instead of providing support they are also to blame…
perhaps some of them have learned their lessons but in typical self indulgent fashion refuse to admit they were too quick to jump the gun…..
and the last thing you do as a fan/supporter is to “jump” the CANNON !
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the cesc generation of players was judged when they were nowhere near their prime….and they were judged on the wrong criteria…post highbury arsenal were never given the lenience of being a work in process yet such leniency is given to mou, city, united with the compliments of media, who havent even been through 1/10 of the type of transition we had to go through…….
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* progress
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lets see united chelsea and every other shitty team of the epl how they do when they have to build a stadium and enter a period of severe financial restrictions…..they dont have a wenger… 😉
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will they come as close to winning titles with inexpereinced youth as we did?
will they consistently hit their targets/objectives as well as arsenal did ?
like fuck they will…….
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It would have been amazing if the Cesc generation had succeeded. Hard to tell if that core would have remained now (obviously nasri would have fucked off even for an extra pound). I feel that if those injuries to Eduardo and Diaby had not happened, we would have tasted success despite the other setbacks. If that had happened, those players would have achieved something special. Sad.
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1. ferguson and his ” to beat arsenal you have to kick them” becoming mantra for all our opponents
2. corrosion of league with blaire and brown changing ownership rules as well as opening doors to international criminals to get involved and launder money
3. media and their nationalistic hatred towards a foreign professional owning them in their national sport
4. pressure of stupid fans who couldnt get it critisising their squad worse than spuds
5. lack of protection of players on the pitch by the organisation “ARSENAL” when they were getting ( and still do) butchered by neanderthals cause they were too fucking good on the ball.
i think all the above contributed to some if not most of our youngsters losing confidence, heart and the will to put it right. cesc;s departure was the worse. it took us and arsene two years to recover.
behind the scenes…had Arsenal succeeded to win major trophies under all these difficulties then the chelseas and united should have shut shop and go grow tomatoes……
winning this league the way it changed was a very big ask for our youngsters, however the fact wenger got them at least to the fountain should suggest to all that his managerial credentials are not to be doubted.
shoudl Arsene win another league title between now and the next two years he will have completed a cycle of change at a club that you normally witness in the span of a century of history while he has done it in 17-20 years….and will become again manager of the decade.
doubles…..uefa/cl finals….. stadiums…….he didnt just change Arsenal he redefined us.
wenger and arsenal have set benchmarks in english and european football which are not easy and required immense dedication and hard work to pull them off.
beat that motherfuckers!
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I go away for a few days and there is tumbleweed blowing through the site.
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Well said!!….well, i think their criticism can only acts as a catalyst…As for talksports they can go ahead with arsenal hatred,i can only assure them that football is played on the pitch NEVER in the studio…..the media loves to banter arsenal because it sells (trophy drought, i guess),but i tell you their own title contenders the likes of man city,chelsea,man u which have depth are all loosin’ to weaker sides & yet they are not criticized…pundit my foot,i tell them come May the most consistent side wins the title,if that is arsenal,they can’t change that.
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you make some good points hunter
http://www.eatliver.com/i.php?n=11262
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Good read.
Don’t read the papers or listen to the radio, but I know exactly what you mean.
I was re-watching us beat the spuds from the other day and the commentators were so far up their hole. Any chance to criticize the Arsenal and they were on it. They were like gutted that we beat them, as if it was a freak event.
The more recent Liverpool game was just as bad and I think it was an Arsenal ex-player in the commenting duo as well.
I think I enjoy the games best when they’re shown with Russian audio or just wait for the Arsenal player.
Sad.
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Thanks for the replys 👍
Hunter you make some great points If I get time later I will comment on them.
After I wrote this the other day I was chatting to a few people on twitter and another thing that struck me was that the media, especially the written media are now fighting against a barrage of well written and well thought out blogs, tweets and opinions on the Internet and social media. To compete against this the newspaper headlines have to big, bold and outrageous to grab our attention. The problem with this way of fighting back is that a lot of the time it is mis-use and re-writting of quotes from the players/managers/club etc
I honestly believe that the media are letting football down in England. The writers run scared of some managers, are too friendly with others while somebody like Wenger who gives them great quotes and in depth answers is vilified and mocked. All I want from the media, it’s journalists and the pundits is an honest discussion, honest articles about players/managers and honest reports of games. I think there is a major problem within the game regarding the PGMOL and the standard of officiating within the game, recent games have highlighted this but, where are the investigative reports and articles from the newspapers on subjects like this? Nowhere that’s where it’s glossed over hidden away as quickly as possible and made up quotes and headlines are put up instead.
The written sports media is at a T junction and it’s looking like it’s going to go the wrong way. The hypocrisy surrounding Arsenal is just the tip of the iceberg.
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We haven’t had much good press in the last half dozen years. I barely read English media, and seldom visit any blog except this, so I am little affected. Still any fool can invent so much of what is being said; the Arsenal crisis narrative and its variations has been dragged about publicly for years like a rancid carcass, the stench is uncannily propaganda-like if you know even a few facts. And when I do read it now and then, I am not struck by what is said, which can be infantile in its lack of originality, but by what is missing, which turns the story into the more subtle kind of deception.
How many people are aware that, with the rare exceptions of two seasons out of 17 between 1996-97 and 2012-13, Wenger has produced teams that either out-performed expectation given resources available, or met those expectations; or that in the 17 seasons, Arsenal spent just £103.2m (net) on transfers, and minus agents’ fees and other ‘normal’ costs of deals, and the ‘real’ net spent was just £23.4m – tiny compared to any of Arsenal’s main competitors; and, at most, (including amortization as I recall) Arsenal’s total net spend at 57m is one tenth of Chelsea’s at 570m in the same period. One-tenth! Arguably more important, Wenger has very frequently out-performed Arsenal’s wage spend – and wages are a key determinant of success in elite football.
But here’s another, anecdotal: in 280 minutes of football over 8 exhausting days including 2 away matches, Arsenal, who can hardly defend in the popular myth, facing a half dozen of Europe’s elite strikers: Suarez, Rooney, Lewandowski, van Persie, Reus, Sturridge, amongst others, did not concede a single goal in open play, and just once from a set-piece corner; which by all accounts should not have been a corner.
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If you think the content is crap I am baffled why you listen to it or read it ?
Just say no
Carl enjoying a good run out with the U21s tonight – good game in fact 2-0 at HT
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nice one swales,
if being top of the league and aiming for last 16 in the champions league is a crisis,
I’ll take a crisis any rear!
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“Arsenal HAVE to buy another striker because all they have is Giroud”
Isn’t that the meme?
And let’s pretend that Podolski and Walcott (you could expect 30 goals minimum, between them) exist at all and they should be fit by the end of November.
“Per is slow and useless”.
Isn’t that the meme? and then it’s Arsenal all at sea without their best defender.
“Arteta and Rosicky best days are behind them”
Isn’t that the meme? yada yada – our 2 best players.
The thing about Arsenal in England, as as far as I can see it’s a unique phenomenon compared most european countries, is that we are nearly universally hated by most other English teams, fans and media.
Hunter is probably right as to the reasons, but Arsenal have been hated since the 1930’s as well. We are the only really good team in team south, and that scares the whippet walkers.
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*year!
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Swals &:39pm
I can’t understand the wankfest over Moany_whore’s comeback to England.
His football is so out of date it’s hilarious.
maybe they are building him up for his fall.
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You can use all the statistics in the world to prove Arsene right however the media know the truth that ARSENAL have and will continue to fail, the first game of the season we were smashed by a relegation outfit after a summer of inactivity and then we made our panic buy who did not perform when we went the home of an average team who were rebuilding and have a new average manager which meant we were soundly beaten.These two results and the home defeat in the CL, in which we were given a footballing lesson only goes to highlight the failures of the past 13 years. I think its time we all woke and smelt the coffee we are useless.
Oh do you think I could write for a red top or maybe even be a radio pundit !
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As ever, a great article and many interesting points following.
I think there is merit in the idea that much of the written media – once known as the 4th Estate – is becoming increasingly marginalised by the various mechanisms of social media. It goes some way to explaining their drift from the truth and the attendant loss of integrity.
Perhaps we – writers of blogs, tweets and the like – should consider ourselves erstwhile members of the 5th Estate; free from commercial pressures it’s just possible we may have the opportunity, at least, to find more sense, truth and integrity here.
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Andrew the trouble is that many of the influential bloggers now think they are the voice of the media.And we should remember that an eloquent and articulate twat,is still a twat.
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A or B… you would definitely give the current crop of red top writers a run for their money, i can assure you of that! LOL
I love how this team have chosen to ignore the media expectations over the past few seasons and match on. The cescs, hleb, reyes and rvps of old allowed stuff to get to them i think… As this present crop have grown older and more experienced with recovery from injiries and a few solid and well thought out additions… top top players a s AW has always maintained he would buy when they became available, we are graduation on the cusp of the next decade or so of Arsenal dominance. Those that are willing to see the light and enjoy the ride – their gain…. those that prefer to remain head stuck in the sand shouting lalalala as though that ever changed anything, their loss!
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There is something of a ‘self-referencing’ set of people on the blogs and media.
notice how the media now refer to all arsenal fans as being the moaning WOB gang who were in despair after Villa and told Wenger to spend the fackin money.
Fan pressure got us Ozil, so it goes, and the media have done a winston smith on the story.
Jeez, A_or_B you sound eerily familiar to some of the jerks on the blog i’m now banned from!
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Which blog DC, there are a few of us in that boat.?
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Phil Jones is called up for England.
I can’t think of a more unsuitable player for international football.
This is not the 1970’s.
He can get away with being what he is at Old Trafford, but FIFA refs should see him for the Orc he is. Poor Jack is going to have to carry that team on his back, again.
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After old trafford, Aoron Ramsey is the kind of character Reyes needed to have dragged him up and about… i think Cesc tried to be fair, maybe others did, he did not show enough character… many players let AW down even not his choice of players in the past we always fully talented and capable of archiving more than they did under his guidance… its never about how well known you were in the past or how much you earned… this current crop is showing other how it is done. Great player that Ozil is, they was not doing too badly when he joined! Then again, there was always a Rosicky ( injuries played a fast one on him time and again) and an Arshavin (i don’t just get where it went off wrong cos it started really well) that ought to have have the same type of influence ona nearly complete squad as Ozil is meant to currently have. As like then, when this cross succeeds he certainly cannot claim to have done it all.
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PG
I wear that badge with pride, although I didn’t go out of my way to look like getting kicked out. The jelly spined bear didn’t like the cut of my jib. so be it.
The only thing now that I find shocking is that they have turned the arguments on their head and now WE are the stubborn ostriches who didn’t want anything to change in the club for the last 8 years.
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We were wrong not to have gone bat shit crazy after loosing to the single set piece goal in OT, carrying an exhausted and illness ravaged team into a game where the home side as usual always have all the cards (the yellow and red ones) stacked in their favour.
It’s a Crises – i tells yez a crises.
DOOOMED.
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I have never known a coward yet that didn’t try to justify their actions as being for the greater good.
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PG
Uno Duce, una voce.
here its
Uno Duce, nostra voce.
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One gem I found recently:
Slur Alex has admitted he lied to get JvC up to old trafford.
He told the skunk he was going to stay around for 3 more years.
hahah dutch boy – your contract is with David “this is northern football” Moyes now.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/ferguson-preaches-to-the-converted-at-convention-centre-1.1589190
Health warning – contains extreme sycophantry -just scroll through the puke ’till the second last para.
Off topic, it but me gave a quiver of schadenfreude.
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Two years ago when we got fed up with robsons commentary on ARSENALS live games a petition was started a Robson was history in less than six months. Unfortunately he hooked up with the American network that broadcasts epl around the world so in some games we still have to put up with his drivel or turn the volume down. Well at least ARSENAL is not paying him anymore and that is always a positive. . It would be much more difficult but maybe the same thing can be done with regards the major print media and radio/tv. Otherwise just ignore them and their agenda. Much better for the blood pressure..
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i find the best way to deal with all the media shit is to assume they are going to come out with the same old crap or one of the standard myths that have been trotted out for so long, because when every now and then someone says something with a drop of knowledge or truly understands Wengerism then i’m pleasantly surprised. To be honest its not normally a surprise as you can normally guess the level of appreciation of Arsene by the quality of football person on offer. If its a football dinosaur like the fat drunk brazil then your not going to get much sense, however Cruijff Van basten even the spud king hoddle will sing Arsenes praises all day. This appreciation society is something else the “british” media seem to ignore.
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“The other disappointing thing about this media witch hunt is that so many Arsenal fans are eager to lap it up and agree with it without looking into the actual background of what has been happening within the club.”
This indeed is the saddest part. Also too many of the Arsenal bloggers have delusion of grandeur. Being read (and agreed with) by zillions of visitors to your blogsite does not make you anything more than a blogger. If you are running a fan blog, your job remains primarily to support the team by, IMHO, writing inspirational and uplifting pieces about them. I don’t advocate sycophancy but within boundaries of good taste, fans are supposed to be lifting their teams up.
The most ridiculous lines I have read this season goes thus: “I was one of those who used to criticise Aaron Ramsey but I am happy to see him prove me wrong with his great performances. But that Theo Walcott is (or put another name) is no good”.
I always want to scream: moron, you can’t apologise for doing something wrong in one sentence and then in the next sentence do it again!
Some fans Arsenal have!
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Bootoome at 9:15am – Don’t be surprised this next xfer window with the b.s. our own bloggers and tweeters will come up with as they demand Wenger must sign another striker, no matter the dross that is available. Last summer most were prepared to hang Wenger out to dry when he did the wisest thing, keep his plans for signing Ozil close to his chest. Obviously there were no guarantees of success and thank heavens the club got its man but can you imagine the hysteria if Real Madrid decided to shaft us as they did with Higuain.
These are the fine margins within which we work with several oil rich vultures circling to feast on our failures. How many bloggers and tweeters are willing to tell this truth and support their club through thick and thin?
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I am afraid supporting your club through thick and thin, that sometimes dull role of getting behind and staying behind your club is really what bloggers are about Shotta.
They feel they have something at the very least insightful to contribute, particularly with regard to any little mishap, albeit invariably based upon the solid foundation of 20/20 hindsight.
If that is the very least goal some bloggers set for themselves then there are others who really do feel not just the urge to comment but that they have really a role in directing the club, ie the board, the manager, the coaches and the players.
“Give me the controls of the spaceship now Stan – otherwise we are heading for the heart of the Sun”
Digital prophets drawing an adoring if gullible flock toward getting their Arsenal back and other nonsense
Ba Ba Black Scarf
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Reading that back on screen the word ‘not’ seems to have been left out of in line two
It is a grim day when I cannot produce a denunciation without an error
Back to Basics
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anicoll5
November 15, 2013 at 10:56 am
laughed so hard
“Give me the controls of the spaceship now Stan”
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Anicoll – LMAOF with that spaceship analogy. Ha, Ha, Ha!
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Mel and @swales
“Bowl at Boycs”, good stuff!
Unfortunately in a recent show Geoffrey revealed he is a Yoo fan, h has his flaws! . That show has been running for years, Boycott has a lot of respect ( & listeners ) for being an impartial and honest pundit who knows his game.
–
When we consider that the bleebs coverage of the NHS has been completely censored in 2013 (more then a few disturbing and irrefutable examples) there’s not much point in hoping for better coverage of the national game. Look at how much coverage was given to the problems at the club formerly known as Glasgow Rangers: none! All we had was a dude writing a blog for a few years, who was ignored. And the recent ongoing problems have got little coverage either.
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Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana:
“The best player I’ve played against was easily Santi Cazorla at Arsenal,” said Lallana in an interview with boot manufacturers Puma.
“We played them early last season, and lost 6-1. It was a technical masterclass from him.
“He can turn, he can pivot off either side of the foot, and it was a great learning experience playing against him.”
Game knows game!
It’s going to be another tough game against Southampton. The two England debutants will be on a high. They’re a good team. Hopefully the ref won’t allow them to repetitively elbow Giroud in the face.
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http://isleofholland.com/read/sports/14-classic-johan-cruyff-quotes-explained
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