Today we have a guest post from Seebs @arse_or_brain
The ARSENAL collective has long been able to stretch its tentacles across all terrains of this greatly undulating earth, only now in greatly enhanced numbers. So there is no surprise that opinions will differ from time to time however the vastness of the differences is surprising. I’m not sure whether its nature or nurture, as in many cases, but do know the so called civil war has not just two sides , people are approaching from all angles.
There are many complete aresholes that just like moaning and would moan if we won the league every year, these are just very sad people and some of these even give the youth team shit. To slag off sixteen year olds that are often playing against a sides on average a year older and who are brought from all over Europe on big wages is lunacy. Our hale end graduates should be supported at all cost as their assent to the top is more difficult now than ever.
There are another group of the unsatisfied who been disadvantaged by the PL and sky and how football changed after Hillsborough and its acceptance for corporate rather than your traditional fan. This group are angry with the commercial world but their anger unfortunately is misdirected. The hatred of the ordinary fans by the government of the early eighties meant they could use all crisis and disasters to completely change the face of the working man’s game. The early interpretations of the Taylor report were designed to fade football away but as always the game was ready to fight back. When you are at your lowest you are susceptible to all sorts of evil and the devil that appeared was capitalism and the sale of the games soul. I do have some sympathy with this group until they dig at the manager, if they look at the bigger picture he is actually the salmon swimming upstream. The clubs status has depended on the success of the spawning and fertilization of the great mans ideas.
Then you have the group who have only seen the PL and are comparing Arsene with well….Arsene, obviously forgetting that early Arsene didn’t have to contend with the obstacles recent Arsene has had to climb. They assume money has no bearing on football and often use the old its still 11 v 11 and you still have to get them playing as a team. The trophies round the center of the stadium bear no relation to them, they believe chelski are the most successful London club and have always been in the top division. Apparently Ryan Giggs had played since the beginning of time and BoB Wilson just some ex-player.
Occasionally you will get the good old ARSENAL brigade who believe we were always the biggest club in the world and the gaps between the thirties to 48/53 and then to 71 and then to 89/91 and then to 98 just don’t exist. While Herbert Chapman’s legacy was to make us recognizable to even tribes in darkest Peru ( Patrick Barclays latest book is testament to this and well worth a read) the regular silverware and innovations stopped with the war. “THE ARSENAL” still had massive standing without ever really collecting the glory.
Obviously one of the worst groups, the ones who will believe absolutely anything tv, radio or the red tops tell them. After reading the headline Arsene Wenger ate my hamster you’re not going to think he’s a nice bloke are you. I hear the agenda biased media load the gun only for some lunatic with a red and white label to run around firing it off in all directions. Strange how their ideas always come just after a media suggestion although they think it is completely unique. Maybe there is something in this conception lark after all. Once again I have sympathy for this group but for a completely different reason…. it just worries me they have the vote as recent elections have shown.
As Passenal has previously commented some people will go to the game just to moan and some have literally been brought up this way, in the years since the move fans think this is a natural way to support your club they have been taught it, the more you criticize the more knowledgeable you are about your club and therefore the bigger supporter you are. If you shout out your not fit to wear the shirt it appears you have the knowledge to know what players have worn it in the past and you care so much more than any player ever could. This I believe is an unfortunate by-product of the move and the new entrants to regular ARSENAL whether they had been fans for a day or years. A different dynamic was definitely born with the new stadium.
After years of not going to away games the first day I went back to old Trafford I couldn’t believe they didn’t sing, it was deadly quite until they scored. chelski couldn’t even sell out their ground in Romans first years and so really in a way we shouldn’t be surprised about the discontents at our place however when you managed to acquire tickets to 75% of Wembley and get outsung from the start by a couple of northerners that’s when it gets embarrassing. When I first went to away games it felt like I was amongst a small group of gladiators fighting a massive army and our voice and our songs were weapons, even when the bottles came reigning in. To be outsung by a small group of other supporters was unthinkable. Fights among ARSENAL fans were reported at both final and semi final and although I thought this was a modern phenomena the ARSENAL historians at A.I.S.A have told me different as apparently the gents between the wars were partial to fisticuffs.
One final thought is the sudden change of attitude of those fans who said silverware was more important than fourth place until our defeat to everton and the abyss was being starred in to, amazingly Thursday nights didn’t seem so palatable.
Positively Arsenal 
Villa is free to sign for us until march, no T fee, when he will start the MLS season with that NY team. 🙂
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Maybe not.
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Just watched that montage of Özil magic over breakfast…..absolutely brilliant…..
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In this quiet period, any blog post will be greatly appreciated.
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George, All Quiet on the Western Front eh. Get yer lazy arse off the sofa and write something (banned smiley)
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producing a piece with no mention of the T……. W …….. presents a challenge !
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Northbank, I try to keep my writing to the minimum,. It being pretty shit and all.
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Can you not persuade B7 to return to produce his weekly reviews of things Arsenal George ?
This time of the year with news of the cub a bit thin on the ground day to day that would be just the ticket
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B7 is a lazy bastard. I love him but he is as reliable as an Austin Allegro.
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OK, I will ask, though I think the wise man would hold his peace — that’s peace, NB, in case you are around, and not ‘piece’!
PG, who is B7, the alleged lazy bastard, and why is this bloke Austin Allegro so unreliable?
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Are you taking the piss out of my bad spelling Henry?
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perhaps that should have been, “are you taking the ‘piece’ out of my spelling!
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Not at all, NB, I was concerned in case you thought my morals were slipping and you thought I was making an unfortunate double entendre.
I read somewhere, that after the UK had declared war on Germany at the start of WW2, that a strange interlude occurred known as the ‘phoney war’ and this seemingly never ending interlude we are enduring, which will extend up until the 1st of July, before the Transfer Window reopens seems just as eery a period to me.
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No problem Henry, when it comes to spelling and the English language I’m not the brightest candle in the chandelier.
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Cesc would be a useful acquisition, I hear he’s quite good. Doesn’t have a left foot (like Jack) and not quite the same drive nor defensive play as Aaron but perhaps as fluent, and also not quite the assist maestro and speed (when he motors) as Ozil, and perhaps not the free-kick of Santi, but actually an excellent player, I think, at keeping the ball.
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45 ‘rated’ players were closely linked with Arsenal in the last but one transfer window; no I don’t keep count, I read the list somewhere. Needless to say they were 90% wrong even at guesswork. I bet 75 will be linked to Arsenal this time, every one a first hand account (our sources close to the player will say). On behalf of Maria, of old, it would be good to have Vela back in the fold.
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He has a tricky back heel does Cesc -especially on the edge of his own box.
We’ve been missing that.
(God I am unforgiving – its in my DNA)
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PG, I did not know I had upset Northbank.
I do not like chorizo! Northbank and his two gossips, add spice to the debate, or is it chorizo?
HenryB, is bound to end up as a regular on this site. HenryB, is forage or is it chorizo, for a censor!
Peace in our times, or is it a little piece in Paris, I hope she keeps quiet?
COTG.
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You have to question Hodgson’s decision to no take Gibbs.
Chamberlain obviously England’s best player on his first start since the semi final. Wilshere following up, ok he lost the ball once or twice but he’s been better then the rest. Also on his first start in months.
If you’re playing Lumpy Wilshere and Bartley then you’ve go to switch Wilshere and Bartley? Maybe. But then if you accept that Wilshere is England’s best no.10 (Chambo will always be needed in other places by England I think) then what do you do with Rooney? Roy’s dilemma?
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PG and Northbank
Dateline: July 21, 2012, at 12.49 pm – Steww
“Anyone recommend a good lay by between Hayling Island and Warminster? I daresn’t drive too far on my medication and it’s a late finish tonight. I require toilets, peace and quiet and no rapists/muggers. Nice view when I wake up too please.
God I love ACLF, any question football or otherwise, guaranteed an answer.”
I suspect that Steww, is having health problems. That is most prbably the reason is he is “out of the office”?
Times and people, change..
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I watched the second half from Miami and I enjoyed that – plenty of cut and thrust from both sides and for a ‘friendly’ a week away from the main event they both got stuck in
The Ox’s knock ?
Nah
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NOTH
Lovely chap as you no doubt are wtf is that last quote from Steww in July 2012 about ?
If I have missed something fair enough –
But Football is the thing !
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@ pedantic george June 4, 2014 at 10:36 am
In this quiet period, any blog post will be greatly appreciated.
Hey George, I had an idea for a post about the world cup and fifa – buts its not Arsenal related. If you want something like that, let me know.
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It looks like the Ox may have tweaked his knee a bit. They hacked the shit out of Jack.
Lambert, Lampard, Milner, Smalling and Jones have no business being around that squad. I would have taken Nathaniel Clyne, Garreth Barry, Gaby Abonglahor, Scott Dann and Micah Richards. If Woy wants CBs who can play on the right, he would have been better off taking an RB who can play in the middle. The shitness of Smallings and Jones was so severe that everyone around us would cringe whenever the Ecuadorians passed a ball or made a run through the middle.
Jack had someone like Barry or even Lee Cattermole, who he formed a good partnership with in the U-21s, he would have done much better. Jack passed the ball around, penetrated through the middle a few times, but the rest of his afternoon was spent covering Lampard and waiting for Barkley and Lambert to not play like Donkeys.
Lampard is a spent force. I have no clue why he’s going. If Jordon Henderson gets cacked that will see England playing with Gerrard and Lampard in the middle.
Ox was good as an outlet and getting himself in the box with the ball. One of the play’s before England’s first goal, saw Ox dribble around two Ecuadorian defenders in the closest of quarters. His assist for the first goal came from a similar action. Watching him on tv, he looks a very good player. Seeing what he does live, makes one appreciate how gifted he really is. He was worth the price of admission alone.
I liked what I saw from Luke Shaw. He’s very smart defensively and he has a heft about him which is not visible at first glance. He made Valencia look like a floating piece of papaer on several ocassions.
Everyone else was average.
How do you pick a team with Liverpool in mind and play Luis Suarez out on the left? Rooney has to play in the middle with someone like Barkley or Jack behind him. That’s how Rodgers gets away with having a shit defence and playing Gerrard through the middle. If Woy plays Lambert up top with Rooney out on the left, I predict England doesn’t make it past the first round.
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Sav, that’s good, Do you have my Email?
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We’re all football supporters. We can watch the games and analyze them.
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Hey George I don’t have your email. Could you please email me?
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I’m in the slough of despond what with Ox and Cesc. I hope Ox is ok, it’d be a nightmare
if he’s out for another 6 months. He would need cover. Welcome back Vela or get your running shoes on Gnabs
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Well don’t be in a slough of despond RG
It looked a mild enough collision for the Ox last night and it is difficult to believe that it could have caused serious ligamentous injury – unless there was something seriously sub standard in the knee before in which case better to get it sorted out by a surgeon now rather than have him break down on the opening day of the PL season. Anything serious the MRI scan should reveal later today. Hodgson is bound to be cautious about any injuries as he does not want to go to Brazil with a passenger – too many England managers have taken risks with injured players only for it to bite them on the arse.
As for Cesc I read the terror that some fans have that the boy might return to the Ems in a Chelsea shirt ! If he does he does, an ex Arsenal player and yet another fool who imagined the grass was greener elsewhere. As long as his first visit in blue ends with a resounding defeat for his new employers I could not give a f*** who he plays for.
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RG,
Just spare a thought for those poor folk who live in Slough. Roundabouts here and roundabouts there – tragic! 🙂
Oxo got the worst injury, but Jack took a hell of a beating all through the game, and I fear that unless he changes his style technically, he will continue to get injured.
What do I mean? Well if you watch him carefully, he hesitates on the ball to draw the oppo player in, and then he very often uses the outside of his left foot to flick the ball away.
The result is, that every oppo player knows he only uses his left peg, and can anticipate what he will do, and even if he gets the ball away, the unprotected side of his foot is still there to be hit, and the unnatural angle needed to flick the ball means any contact will be painful.
Just a thought.
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While I’m not happy about the way fabregas left it was better that than staying another year with poor attitude and bugger off in the end still. Still love him thou. Henry that is. At the end I think fabregas stayed one or two years more than he wanted to repay his debt to the manager. Whether that is enough is of course disputable. But referring to nasri as a player of higher morality is quite strange. One gave us his all for eight years as the best midfielder in the league and the other left after one good year for more money.
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I saw a bit of of the friendly between Ivory Coast vs El Salvador and can’t say I was unduly impressed by Serge Aurier. Only one game of course but still saying.
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Also it’s fascinating reading on internet seeing how a narrative have grown, that fabregas hasn’t been same player since leaving us, is injury prone, slower and in general going downhill at the age of 27. This while I remember him have a storming first season at Barcelona. And think past season he was out 2-3 weeks around dec and 1 week by end of season. Also saw some stats that showed he played more minutes than he has done for last five years. As for goal and assist he has consistently landed around double digits in both past three years. Not bad for any midfielder. Anyway for me he would strengthen our team and provided we can do business in other areas he would be a welcome addition. Now, we don’t know what’s going on behind the rumors but Arsene will, and as always I trust him to get it right. But if fabregas is available I would be very surprised if he didn’t give it a very serious thought. He is a player that given more to the club and manager than any current arsenal player.
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I don’t think Cesc has had anything like the success at the Camp Nou that he imagined would come his way when he left AP
With the age of Xavi and Iniesta you would think that even if he has not really slotted into midfield that he would bide his time
Apparently not though !
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Shotta, how was he defensively? I looked him up on tiny toots scouting system but was hard to judge his defensive qualities. Has seen him play as rb, lb, cb, mf and what not. His goal and assist stats is not normal for a regular rb.
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Ap @ 11:17 am
Admittedly, watching a friendly on tv does not a scout make. But my impression of Aurier was: Very athletic, excellent burst going forward and back. Showed decent link up play with the forwards, especially Gervinho and Drogba, on a couple of occasions. But his tackling and crossing was not exceptional. To my unbiased eye he didn’t seem superior Jenks and he is definitetly a notch below our departing Sagna. Overall I was left with a felling of what is the fuss all about. Meh!
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shottagunna,
You want to know what the fuss about Aurier is? Well you are in luck because I’ll tell you.
1. He is not currently playing for Arsenal!
Yeah, I know that that may not sound as a big deal to you but believe me, to many modern day Gooners, it is a big fucking deal. We need new players as much as we need trophies!
2. He is going to cost us money and the more money he will cost us, the better he must be.
Jenkinson on the other hand is a current Arsenal player and as if that is not bad enough, he will cost us nothing. How are we going to spend that £100 million if we keep acting like this?
On a serious note, the lack of faith in Jenkinson and in fact, the outright belittling of the guy shows the pathetic side of our fans. Sagna is one of the most effective signing of Arsene Wenger and indeed any manager in the last decade. Sagna is a rare type of player so naturally, it will not be the same with his replacement. But if such replacement is given the chance and is nurtured by our esteemed manager, he is very likely to come good.
Now, for the last 3 seasons who has been deputising for Sagna? I can’t recall many matches in which we had lost points because of Jenkinson. Why can’t the guy be given the benefit of the doubt by these fans. This doesn’t make sense to me at all.
I am not arguing against signing another right back but I consider it disrespectful and indeed unfair to Jenkinson that rather than let his manager (who knows much more than all of us) to make this judgement, far too many of us are talking the guy down and making comments that will a neutral that is unfamiliar with Jenkinson, to think that he is an incompetent bumbling fool of a player.
If Arsene goes with Jenkinson and he comes good (as I believe and hope he will), expect the kind of mea culpa that we hear all the time concerning Aaron Ramsey.
Some people will never learn.
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