I was about to rack my brains and come up with an article about yesterdays game, full in the knowledge that most will have seen it and read about it already. However, I saw the post by Zim Paul and thought “that’s what I should be writing” So here it is .
“Sometimes a game is truly decided by a goal, bigger than the game as it were, and so deserves such accolade. This was not one of those. It was of course a goal of the season contender. But it was a defensive performance of heroic proportions against a Spurs side that needed this win, and whatever it took to do it. Make no mistake this was Spurs actual cup final, a do or die affair and they played accordingly; we have a few more, oh 11 more “cup finals” all told, I believe.
The Arsenal team itself (if the Ox interview is any reflection, and he is such a straight talking bloke I think it was) was disappointed with the level they played and mistakes they made, but did not find the result lucky or incongruous. Now that’s worth everything! Because that says more about this team than anything else.
Last time we had a “definitive” run of matches, which was like yesterday (Feb), we started badly, had some outrageous bad luck, then picked ourselves up, then stumbled. This time we have a definitive tricky run, now half way through, we remain unbeaten (H A A and have conjured 6 for and 2 against). As Frank says, everyone and their dog under-estimates our side and its combination of crisp creativity and bloody resilience, and that’s exactly the way we like it. Look at Liverpool! Look at City! And everyone’s money is on Chelsea anyway. This is a very, very good sign. Hope it continues.”
I would just like to add that its beyond annoying that when other teams play as we did yesterday , we are told “when you can play like that and win ,it means you can win the title”
Yet when Arsenal do just that its “you cant play like that and win the title”.
Odd, very odd.
Positively Arsenal 
haha !
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Right. Those guys are completely soulless in pushing the current agenda. Tortuous listening to brainless idiots. I would be ok with a long drawn out execution if there was no other choice. Avoid the buggers if you can.
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although I would normally agree with all those comments about talksport or talkshite as its more commonly known, tonight was an Arsene love in with acknowledgements of his many achievements both on and off the pitch. There was even admission of a fundless ARSENAL for the past few years. they even played a robson clip and derided it.
It was almost a different station to the one that gives us the normal anti Arsene and ARSENAL shit and some of the stories, especially the Kolo one,as Hunter said, was very funny.
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A OR B
Glad you enjoyed the program and the stories and the praise. But as you said yourself ,it was almost like it was a different station. And you can bet a hundred that within a week of the 1000th game they will go back to the sorry, broken record ,agenda driven drivels they usually pedal and be safe that you will win.
this team , this manager and the true unconditional supporters of this club don’t need the regular put downs and negative propaganda these guys push daily for the past ten years just as much as they could care less about an occasional praise and uplifting words. I have come to loath some of these characters through the years for their soul selling and their unholy triad of cohorts to tear down the principles this club is built on while pushing the bankrupted, short sighted and corrupt philosophies of the buy it at all cost false glory of the teams around us in the top five. Instead of picking the shinning light of the primer league and trying to get more clubs and their managers to set our ways as an example and ultimate goal for them to follow they worship at the alter of the golden calf. They can keep their praiseworthy words and accolades. I for one can do without it.
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Top words gk.
I find the press flooded today with stories about Arsenal’s summer war chest exceeding £140 million. Where on earth do these figures come from?
I also read that everyone else will strengthen and that The Arsenal have missed a golden chance this season.
I reckon we are making a pretty good job of not missing that chance.
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They got the figure from the AST, who plucked it from thin air.
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“I went for a change that I knew would be difficult because we had to fight with clubs who could survive losses of £150million a year, and we had to make £30million (to finance the new stadium payments) and on top of that we had people saying ‘you have to beat them’ – if I ask you tomorrow to race with Usain Bolt and win the race, you will realise quickly it is difficult.
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i have been kicked out of several arsenal fans sites/blogs for saying the above. and shitheads who were saying ” we have to beat/outspend them to show ambition and make optimal use of our resources as a club” were allowed access to talk their shit.
There is Only One Arsene Wenger !
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hunter13,
I think that quote should be plastered all over Arsenal blogs.
It is sad that those who claim to be in the know and who would usually call folks like you and me deluded have such disconnect from reality.
There is only one Arsene Wenger indeed and I dread the day that he leaves us.
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I don’t dread the day that Arsene Wenger leaves us (although I will be very sad) because he will leave behind a genetic imprint that will survive healthily for generations. Legacy is all, and we owe him plenty. But we also owe our unfashionable board of old school types gratitude for making the decision (which must have seemed every bit as difficult as leaving Highbury) to employ – and then support – him all those games ago.
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Bootoomee
March 18, 2014 at 10:41 am
what is sadder is that foreign and younger arsenal fans could GET IT while the local and elderly who should have known better chose this period to attack the club or behave like revisionist arseholes and call us plastic, blind followers and newcomers who dont know the club’s history, just cause we had the intelligence and calmness to see the forrest behind the tree….
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and as we were discussing with brilliant andrew a few weeks ago, no we didnt need anyone to tell us so back in 07 08, 09 10, 11…we have eyes and brains and can figure things out ourselves. we follow football all over europe, we have seen players and players, teams and teams and sorry but yeah we know better than the fish and chip brigade who are easily enthused by neanderthals showing passion. Nor did we need Arsene to explain himself like he does today. We trust and know that he knows. Period.
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Oh the revisionists revised narrative since the summer there has been:
“Well there may not have been money in the past but why not spend it all now eh? Eh? Eh?” Too many have invested too much in the Scrooge slur. I lasted five minutes on the 5live AW programme because it was the same old rubbish and snide tripe. Apart from Bob Wilson!
Once you have gone full WOB, once you have ‘asked for change’, for Moyes *shudders* there appears to be little chance of a return to dignity.
On the plus side what some think of as Arsene’s greatest flaw, the one which the Groaners stunningly fail to highlight or to have attacked, will probably keep him for a bit longer: and this is, of course, the respect and consideration he gives to his players. Whilst there are numerous examples of AW being ruthless like all managers have to be I can’t see him signing Özil and retiring the next Summer. Nope. Then there are projects like Rambo, Chambo, all the young Brits in fact. Carzola in the team. The BFG. Clearly he likes working with Arteta. Bouldy knows to get the drool bucket out when discussing Rosicky. Would any of you walk away from this squad?
I don’t think he’s going anywhere. The contract issue is in my opinion being used a metaphorical carrot in front of this squad. That is my best guess. We shall see.
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I wonder if anyone at this AST meeting asked Not So Nice But Dim Tim what if any his associations with R&W Holdings are.
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Once you have gone full WOB, once you have ‘asked for change’, for Moyes *shudders* there appears to be little chance of a return to dignity.
hihihihi
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So:
As we can see in evidence such as that stadium documentary I linked to a few weeks ago during the stadium build one of the financial backers pulled out and delayed the project by a year. A bit of a problem at the time, the club had been at Wembley already. What more could they do? For the builders this was fine, allowed them to order stuff, draw stuff, calculate stuff so that they were not rushing when they started with the diggers. And eventually the club secured the Wonga. But how did they do it?
Well. It appears that the bank lending the club the money asked for the club to give them a guarantee. And that guarantee was a long contract for Arsene Wenger!
Priceless indeed hehehe. You couldn’t make it up could you? A man attacked by his own who are being led by donkeys for not spending is only in that position because the banks know that he does not need to splurge/launder/spend ridiculous amounts of money in order to do his job. El Tel Venebles (who I gather was like ‘Arry but with talent…) he ain’t.
Sometimes reality is far funnier then fiction.
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Fins: this is magnificent. Wonder if you could just develop it a little more as it deserves to stand alone.
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in 2010 hillwood comes out and tells us that we need a 25m surplus per year to pay the banks. money which explains the sales of adebayor and kolo. i was told to provide source for that or else to shut up. equally when i asked source for the ” we have money to spend, wenger wont spend it” i was told none is necessary as we all know wenger has ultimate control….again source? none……
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foreverheady
It’s just speculation really following the confirmation of the obvious by Ray Parlour last night. I don’t know the chronology, when the bank in question asked for those conditions. It could be one of the original lenders asked for those conditions but that seems unlikely. It seems obvious to me that the late lender that was not a hedgy Glazer/Wonga type neo-liberalised sociopathic loan shark, that was brought in to secure the project, would want to secure their own precious wonga with as many feasible and logical conditions as possible. So that’s how it must have been.
Andrew usually writes more legible descriptions of the thoughts hidden within my head.
I’d ask him! 🙂
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The banking syndicate who lent £260 mill in 2003 ti finance the Ashburton Grove project comprised the Royal Bank of Scotland, Espirito Santo Investment, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks, CIT Group Structured Finance and HSH Nordbank AG.
I find it very difficult indeed to believe any bank anywhere would lend money only on the strength of manger’s signature on a contract.
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How about a minor condition admist a number of other items? That’s what I tried and failed to imply above.
Even if that condition did not exist, getting Wembley full, playing so well, was equally as important as anything that came later, maybe more so. AW still or already had a huge role in helping to secure the project.
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Perhaps it was just one of many conditions.
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I believe that a sane sensible person or organisation lending some farking money to a big club understands that, like with Real Mad, it’s not just the baubles that matter (last CL was in…?). It’s the jumping up and down with joy whilst screaming with amazement after a goal like Rosicky’s that gives the big clubs that special appeal that they have. Zidane’s volley in the CL will outlive Terry falling on his Arse, or the inverse, for along time. The income from those infamous replica Ronaldo shirts hehe! Not sure a bout the latter but it’s one big reason why Madrid told Maureen to fark orf! Well that and his arguments with his squad. Capello when still interested in management was known for his dour tactics but for me his reputation was made by that Milan team that destroyed Barcelona with such an inspiring performance.
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The stipulation that Wenger must sign an X year contract might have been a condition of the loan and I can see no reason for Ray Parlour just to make it up.
A manager’s contract in modern football is not the most reliable of commitments on either side. Wenger is more loyal than most but even so …………………
Perhaps it is no coincidence that at least four of the named banks above went bust in the financial crisis.
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AW’s comments this week about reaching a thousand games focused on the loyalty between both club and manager towards each other.
It’s hard to imagine the club having been so successful (CL quali, some finals and tilts at titles with a team that had two teenagers at CM!) with the stadium hopping adventure without this marriage made with Arsene the and joint negotiation of the “austurity measure’s” that they had to go through together.
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Liverpool tearing up Suarez’s contract.
Anelka.
Is this a new phase in the exciting world of football contracts? Not sure I care! But it does seem like a change of sorts.
Can Arsenal just ignore Vermaelan’s contract and keep him at the club. Sagna too? I feel spoiled having three top CBs, four if you include Sagna*. And I don’t want that to change anytime soon!
*So, once upon a time there were these Experts who told us there was “No Plan” and that they wanted “their Arsenal back” (0-1 to the Arsenal? Three top top CBs? Hello? Is there anyone there?) etc…
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a case of the uncivlized wanting to oust the civilized. the savages wanting to kick out the cultured.
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I agree, as more and more information comes out regarding our stadium move and our restricted finances we are reaching the brow of the hill and now would be an excellent time for someone to produce a post listing the timeline as we here see it. Fins/Andrew challenge has been put up there or may be this is finally Hunters time ? ……..
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hehe you sure.??? .im very aggressive when i write about the lack of understanding shown by the arsenal fans and media in the last decade. i have scattered pages of saved docs in my computer which i need to connect and create the anthology titled “fuck you all. wenger wins”
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*chuckles*
–
I think the only way to sort this is out is to have another podcast where George and Ronan use the topic as an excuse to interview Ray Parlour. I was hoping they’d get in there, whilst the other Arsenal podcasters were covering the full spectrum from interviewing A.Lawrence to interviewing A.Lawrence (may the footballing furies above spare my bleedin’ ears from such lame and stupid hackery) before talkshite radio got the scoop, but the Romford Pele is a meedjah luvvie thesedays bless him.
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Although “romford’s” after diner stories are great listening, for a podcast around this topic there are probably better connected and less well known people for the job. Maybe we should all start tracking some characters down. I have a few connections that have connections at the club so I might start asking a few questions myself. If not we could always get Geoff back on.
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– I love him and hate him in the same time
* Then you are the definition of a plastic fan
– Whatever
* Arsene Wenger is the best thing that has happen to Arsenal and he is the best coach in the world. And you don’t like him. Are you dumb?
– From the time when I started to support arsenal (cl final against barcelona ) we didint win anthing . Apparently he is not the best coach in the world . I like him but this season we had a such a big chance to win the league . .. other teams buy a good players … what we get ? Kalstrom . Another year wenger didint want spend money and we gonna suffer for that fans
*That is the dumbest comment I have ever heard. So you have been a fan for 8 years, congrats. You haven’t seen what Arsene did with a team that could actually play like the invincibles. They were the best team in the world and it will remain that way. He never had the transfer funds to make the perfect team and he had to play 16 year olds. Just shut your face and stop embarrassing yourself
– Wow . Why u are so angry mate ? Internet its only place when u can feel like a man ? How the hell u can know if he doesnt have money to spend ? Are u one of the chairman or what ? U think that choice of putting sanogo against bayern munich was best choice he could make yeah ? Sign a kalstrom who IS Iinjured thats even better . Another year same story . Im not saying that he is shit coach or something like that but come on 8 year without any throphy for fuck sake
* I thought long and hard weather or not I should reply to one of the dumbest comments I have ever read. But I decided to go ahead. You don’t have to be a part of the board to know that they have spent all of their transfer funds on a new stadium you fucking dumbass. Yeah the one where we go every matchday at home, its called the Emirates Stadium, you might have heard of it you prick. And Sanogo playing over Giroud was a good decision by Wenger. If you watched the game you would have known that. Giroud was out of form at the time and needed rest. Sanogo put in a brilliant performance until the red card. He had a couple good shots and created opportunities for his teammates. It was better having Sanogo because he actually ran in behind of Bayern with pace and not sit around like Giroud. Arsene Wenger is one of the greatest managers around and he has done somethings that other managers in the world cannot. How he consistently maintained Arsenal in the top 4 with no transfer funds is unheard of when you have the chelseas and citys spending billions. Arsene knew that he will not be able to compete financially for a long time. But now the stadium is almost but paid off for and they have about 175m in the bank. This was Arsene Wenger’s and Arsenal’s vision for 12 years, to make Arsenal football club become a powerhouse in world football. Now they have the funds, watch what happens this summer, you will see a better Arsenal worthy of winning the Champions League and the title. And you will be saying to yourself , wow that guy on youtube was right and I’m a dumbass.
love the asterisk…our kind of guy …. spread out ..find them all and embarass them all… time to take some scalps
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Last night during the excellent two-hour TalkSport tribute to Arsene Wenger, I tweeted Ray Parlour’s revelation regarding the banks and their insistence on a 5 year commitment from AW as being one of the conditions for the loan and I immediately had a couple of people query the veracity of the story on the basis that they hadn’t heard about it previously.
Whilst they were more than within their rights to cast doubt on unexpected news it did strike me as a touch ironic that when the anti-Arsenal/Arsene propaganda kicks off, so many often fail to even hesitate to consider the provenance of the claims being variously made, no matter how wild or wide of the mark they subsequently prove to be.
In respect of AW’s contract forming part of the loan conditions, it’s always worth remembering that the whole move from Highbury to the Emirates was one of the most complex projects undertaken by a non-governmental organisation. I’m wracking my brains to recall who I heard this from – it may have been Peter Hill-Wood or possibly Ivan Gazidis at one of the AGMs – who said there were in excess of 1,000 separate legally enforceable contracts involved. Getting Arsene to sign up for five years could very well have easily been just one of the many pre-conditions for the whole project; certainly at the time his stock could hardly have been higher with the likes of Barca, R Madrid et al virtually camped outside his genteel abode in Totteridge hoping to steal away the man who would later go on to become voted Coach of the Decade by his peers.
That Arsene stayed beyond those five years – that he is currently considering extending his stay this year by a further three – has been self-evidently to Arsenal’s great good fortune. And this is regardless of the opinions of some who might, incredibly, have one think otherwise.
Arsene’s value to the club is today literally incalculable as the echoes of the years he has spent in North London begin to reverberate through the seasons to come.
But it’s not just the construction and payment of the stadium that he – with others – was instrumental in securing.
It’s the opportunity for the future that has been bestowed upon us all. This current year – a double-challenging year – the next and many more in the decades ahead.
When one looks at how rapidly the wheels appear to be falling off the Old Trafford wagon in the immediate post-Ferguson era, that’s some legacy. Consider also how hard our north London neighbours are finding it simply to join and match the top clubs, and what a hash they make of things year after year.
The whole story and achievement of the Wenger era is simply remarkable.
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For starters here is a topical reference on the marriage between Arsenal and Arsene, sent to me by a friend, from someone on twitter: @Goonerkal
“the Woolich Arsenal Club has always enjoyed a deserved reputation for its high standard of football…intentional hacking bashing and smashing do not coincide with our ideas of sportsmanship”
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hmmmm fins ..could one say that gg and his methods essentially pissed all over the club’s ethos and beautiful game manifesto ? ? ?
beep beep…. trrrrrrrrlllll
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Hunter. Behave!
Apparently GG’s first title winning team were awesome (before my time). He then banished Paul Davis to train with the reserves after changing his tika-tactics, after Paul told him that the players wanted to play. And replaced him with Hillier (no offence Dave!). Later came the relatively minor bungs. Perhaps GG’s only mistake was to not move to Bunga Bunga Barcelona like his mate El Telly Venebles before planning his retirement.
Funny how the “We want our arsenal back” bin dippers who never deny being associated with R&W Holdings never mention what happened to Davis. Or the bungs! They just want to, erm, spend some money. Hang on…
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Thanks AA.
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GG was able to win baubles with teams playing different styles. Just like Capello, just like Wenger (e.g. 05!). And that puts him a rung above the cheque book manager Mourinhio (prefarably Mendes’ cheque book, thank you very much said the Portugeezer). Any day of the week. Everyone knows this. Except for the Groaners. And the desperate Hacky Slappers.
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I am incapable of typing whilst I am meant to be working, sorry:
< preferably cheques made out to Mendes,
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FANTASTIC comments today, and I haven’t even read those posted since about 1:30.
LOOKY HERE:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/mar/18/highlander-abou-diaby-arsenal-france-world-cup
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Wah! I’ve one read them.
H13
Love your reply to the fools.
AA
The epitome of eloquence, you Sir. I’ve been trying to access last nights prog. on Talksport website. Does anyone know how I should go about hearing it? I started trawling last night. I wanna here some good things. Bob Wilson, Ray Parlour et al.
Pretty please…
Fins
You’ve been banging it all day! (Smashing?)
When was that article written pls/whose quotes are used?
PG (lazy git)
Get a podcast together, yesterday! Blooming sitting around – twittering an shit.
WHERE ARE YOU?
Let’s be ‘aving youse…
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Cheers Fins, Rantetta – here’s a link to the playback of TalkSports’ tribute to Arsene Wenger. You need to play 8 pm – 10 pm – well worth it.
http://talksport.com/radio/listen-again/1395082800#
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Arsenal Andrew
My eyes are getting wet. Thank you so much.
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Great isn’t it Rantetta!
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“The Understanding of the Making of the Modern Superclub”
Written by Fins Grit & Andrew Arsonist
Special guest star appearance Gamma Ray 69 aka Gainsborough69 : “The journey of the regista in 21st century contemporary soccer ”
Full with photo-montage from the epic battles of Mordor brought to you by our chief photographer war correspondent D fucking C ( happy st patrick’s day btw)
Songs and lyrics from the highest of notes by the Great Maestro Quartet aman goonerkam passenal fungunner
Including fairwell tribute to our brothers and sisters who lost the plot by the reverent Zimpaul
Hilarious behind the scene stories never been told brought by our itk merlot, frank a_or_b, mel, loomer, sensational, sav
And the epic takedown of Piers Morgan and Adrian Durham , the mother of disgraces , from the one and only, the Pope, Anicoll5.
Also available in DVD, BLUE RAY & PS3. directed by George, Produced by Georgaki.
Rantetta and I will be the PR machine…. (im on the phone to book Cara for the premiere shootout, you try jolie…..best not tell olivier though)
Positive Productions- Luckas arts…i am going mad i want that fuckign title…. if we win it in my first year back my god….run and hide…..all of you!!!!!
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new post is up Hunter
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ooops i did it again
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