A pleasure to be reminded this morning that the return of domestic football is not too far away with the release of the PL fixtures.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the World Cup, even as an England fan, but international football does not have that total grip of Arsenal and the daily twists and turns of PL football. It does not have the means of inciting the same exquisite pain as following Arsenal.
I thought I’d have a look at the ten opening games and a possible 30 points in the bag. Lets face it by 1st November we will know if it is three more glorious years or back to marching, turquoise snoods and civil war.
We start with a visit from the nutcase with the drum on the 16th August. I am attending a wedding that day so that clears me of any responsibility for murdering the bastard. Assuming Mr Taylor is not handed the whistle we should get our domestic campaign underway with a positive result and some momentum. Next up A trip to Merseyside and the chance to make amends for the recent disappointment at Goodison in April that nearly, nearly, spoiled a good season. Will Lukaku still be there …… or even Coleman ? Who knows –who cares. I think we can assume that the Everton game will be televised.
Leicester, who apparently did not like it up ‘em, or was that us? I have no idea but I suspect of the three promoted teams it is the Foxes who will struggle most. We shall run the fox down and the hounds tear the quivering vermin to pieces.
And then the great blue Satan, at home. A real serious test of our, and Citeh’s, League credentials. No hiding place.
A ticket to the Citeh game somewhere has my name on it, the fixture falling closest to my the 50th anniversary of my first game at Highbury.
Villa away ? Three points, Spuds at home ? Well conceivably they will make a game of it though about six games into the season it seems reasonable to anticipate the N17 faithful will be calling for the head of Pochettino.
And then, the weekend of the 4th October, Chelsea – Stamford Bridge – no hiding place for them, and their new signing, and none for any Arsenal player – no sir – not that day.
Hull, S’nlunn, Burnley ? Ppppppfffffff !
So 30 points in the bag ?
Well that would be a tall, tall order. We do however possess the tools, we must make sure that we do the job.
Right, you can get back to the World Cup now, Lawrenson and all !
Today’s dose of positivity was brought to us courtesy of @anicoll5
Positively Arsenal 
roy has taken fulham to a european final and has coached abroad..i dont think he is the problem…the real issue is that the english footballers level is that of marginally better than irelands and/or scotlands …even those with the pure talent are taught/coached to play a kick and rush game..there is no serenity, no calmness in their play, control, weight of pass and no sense of strategy, even individual strategy as in the footballer knowing when to get clsoe when to sit back, when to pass when to hold etc. etc. just bring to your memmory joe hart’s panicked face and pirlo’s face in last europe penalties. now keep in mind that in penalties its the keeper who should be cool and the one taking it should be in panic…..another problem i feel is the media who manage to alienate players among themselves because of the clubs rivalries and might nost see eye to eye to eachother. hence a succesful national team is based on generations..but the manu generation only played for manu, not for england…here is hoping that the selfless football teachings of wenger will benefit the next generation of core english players…ox theo jack carl kierran and whatever else that is good currently and below 25 are your future and realistically the one generation that can de-attach itself from the traditional kick and rush mentalities the lampards jagielkas etc grew up with.
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Smalling is woeful Fins. And Jones isnt a CB “for me”* more a decent, but injury prone utility player. He is fairly dependable at RB and on occasion, in midfield.
*with nuff respect to Andy Townsend for lending me his punditting nugget.
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The best young English centre back I have seen in a couple of seasons is Caulker – admittedly his Spud heritage tainted him but even Sol had his baggage.
He had a good season on loan learning with Swansea, went back to Spuds, a 4 year contract with the erratic AvB regime and was hardly used for a season, then flogged to Cardiff for buttons.
Played every game for Cardiff and, on the times I saw him, was one of the few who came out with any credit from the Vincent Tan circus
Just 22, seems a waste to leave him at Cardiff
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Just like WC 2010, you can’t blame any Arsenal players for England’s inevitable failures.
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Cheers ani.
I think Caulker is one of the 25,368 players we have been linked with this summer.
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i dont agree on smalling..the first year under fergie he was solid and can play two positions..i remember him dealing with us easily
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Damn – I thought I was ITK
Another young centre back I thought was decent but very very raw was Dan Burn of Fulham – he performed well at the Emirates until eventually the visitors cracked then followed it up with 90 minutes if heading practice at Trafford Park.
One of the few footballers who can peer down on Per
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an unfit wilshere is better than henderson just as i think pato is better than fred.
the fact that jack didnt get play much at arsenal was as a result of the players we have in our midfield. henderson and gerrard wont even have a place on our bench when all our players are fit. or where will anyone fix henderson in our midfield? wenger cant even find a place for cesc!
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anicoll5
June 20, 2014 at 11:49 am
“The best young English centre back I have seen in a couple of seasons…”
how could you forget dawson ? ……. ( kha kha kha)
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wenger cant even find a place for cesc!
ehhhm that isnot neccessarily true but thats what we say… ( shhh dont tell anyone…he fits right in but he is a foolish boy and from now on a fucking enemy)
look at this idiot what hes doing at the fucking bench
http://cache3.asset-cache.net/gc/147535074-spanish-midfielder-cesc-fabregas-kisses-his-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=GkZZ8bf5zL1ZiijUmxa7Qa4AjQFOhrhY5gSwY0QyQe%2FDEPvB%2BGlI9whod39lr7tNSTVLGLB6ORG6aCMSmLDkGA%3D%3D
wrong!
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smalling and jones are in england squad because they play for manure. just like cleverley before them. there are better defenders in england. even shawcross is a better defender despite being an c**t
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@ finsbury June 20, 2014 at 11:41 am
“The best football played by Roy’s England was in the two Brazil friendly games?
Wilshere, Walcott and the Ox the standout performers, and of course none of them were really fit right now.
This meshes what I’ve always said. England need two out of those three at least – not because they are Arsenal players but because of their particular qualities
@ anicoll
“Where I think Hodgson let himself down was in not moving on after Euro 2012 and bringing in and relying on younger defensive and midfield players, quicker, sharper and hungrier who would have had two years to gel and by this tournament have been more of a match for the top teams in the world.”
That’s not too far from what others are saying – Roy’s over-reliance on an older midfielder perhaps because he would face so much criticism for leaving him out, perhaps?
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Like Dex, I wish Jack had the chance to play himself back to form; he needs games. Better with England first than for us! Certainly wouldn’t have been worse than Henderson.
Well, this all turns out to have been a chance for Liverpool players to get some international, big game experience for best season’s CL since it has been a while for them. I’d say Suarez looks like he is ready for the CL. That’s about it.
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Yeah sorry Fins. I should have said I personally do not rate Smalling. He really has regressed I think in the last 2 seasons, culminating in a fair few shockers at RB and CB for club and country.
If Jones hadnt have missed so much playing time injured, I think he would be a top player…. in THREE positions!
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I agree with FG. But I am biased since I’m not an England fan necessarily to want to see Arsenal players in the set up do well. Sterling looks a great talent, but Ox is a more mature and developed player. Part of it is Arsenal coaching and CL experience. Same in Jack v. Henderson or Barkley comparisons. Decision making in creative positions are important and Hodgson did the right thing in putti g Rooney in centrally. He was the best England player on the night.
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But then the question remains, why did they play so much better v. Italy?
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away from hodgson’s england. i’m looking forward to another good performance from my boy today. though i expect a harder game for him today partly because of his performance in his first game. italy will for their own sake try to police him, but he never lets me down. come on joel campbell!!!
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ready for the cl? suarez? ever since he were at ajax hes been ready…i blame that bastard comoli for taking him to liverpool and that bastard ivan for not knowing poker….
i cant wait till he goes to madrid and walks up to ronaldo and smashes his pretty face as the portuguese model is sulking or doing the poser ala cl final…. come on luis..kill em all!!
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Limey; Bloody good question! It was either instruction (to be more cautious, less open) or the nerves/pressure told from the off. Also the ease with which italy got at our defence may have been a factor?
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Intuition?
http://www.ftbpro.com/posts/david.clarke/358542/the-true-face-of-lionel-messi-bullying-teammates-to-the-point-of-tears
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“But then the question remains, why did they play so much better v. Italy?”
my theory is that the italians first of all were not as eager to beat england as the uruguaians, more like making a positive step in their first game…i also think they know england too well and know that england will huff and puff but crucially the italians have the authority experience and attitude to toy with the english players. i feel confident in saying that when prandelli saw the group draw his biggest fear was uruguay.
dont want to cause any sadness but england is not very good at football..they think they are but ultimately they lack the open mindness to approach the game technically and only go with passion and commitment as if that means much in a game of skill intelligence timing and movement. you may have the best “league product” but thats due to investments in stadia, safety and coverage of the sport.
this moto that football is all about opinions is of course horse shit and an excuse for nobodies to pretend the knowledgable. confidence on the ball is absolutely vital…the football is your friend, english players are unfortunately tought to treat the football harshly and with no love…is it a cultural thing? is it stupid pride “our way is the best way”? ..i cant really tell…
watch on the panels how seedorf talks..he is exact without saying much …smart and knowldegable …then listen at rio and dixon..theyre pathetic..full of ifs and stupid comparisons …” if we had a finisher liek suarez we would have won the game”….oh really ?…”if my dad was bill gates id be in ibiza with 20 models”….
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I think Roy would have faced doubts about his sanity if he had picked Sturridge, Sterling, Henderson and Johnson then dropped the player he has chosen as England captain for the biggest game in four years Fun Gunner !
Now if Hodgson had dropped Gerard and England had won it would have been hailed as a stroke of tactical genius, on the other if he had dropped Gerard and lost then he would be currently being fed to the alligators by her majesty’s press corps
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hunter, i adopt your comment.
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Hunter
If your dad was Bill Gates you’d be in rehab on a red bull and special brew mixed drip!
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Smalling definitely has regressed, how could he not under Moysie and “there’s too much short passing” Phil Neville (absolutely shocking comment during his ‘analysis’ from a modern coach! Unbelievable. What a plonker. Hopeless and useless.)
A cheap and simple answer is that as long as you have managers like Moyes and unqualified and retarded coaches like the Neville’s at big clubs like Yoonited then you is well fooked.
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Lugano out with injury was a blessing in disguise for Uruguay.
If Lugano returns for the Italy game after Mad Mario gets his kiss then England could still sneak through. Though it is unlikely.
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rehab is for the weak… a ‘naughty’ lifestyle should be a conscious choice…
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That’s why you’d replace the saline in the drip with Hunter’s Special mix! 🙂
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chkmiaot at 10:01 am
Thanks for that link. I’d also add that Hockey referee’s have to be really good. As in competent. Know the rules. That kind of crazy thing. And yup. They have fully interactive video replays and mikes to the fourth official replayed over the telly so envy one can hear what’s going on…and usually they are proven to be as good as they look.
I’ve been thinking that Hockey is very similar to footy for a while, I guess those old skool pioneering Dutch coaches saw that a long time ago.
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damn im reading an article on luis suarez early life and fuck…the guy is a legend..i will try to translate
‘Sofia changed everything. when i was alone i was out everynightbut with sofia it was different. i had a girl i wanted to be with and i was clamer. she always told me to study and to also stay focused in my football ability so that i have a chance in life’ Luis had changed. The only mischief crossing his mind back then was lying to his team for pre-payments telling them that he wanted to visit his father while he wanted to take Sofia out for dinner. ‘Its different in Uruguay than in Europe. Here (europe) things are a lot easier, i witnessed this in Holland. Kids arrive 17 and 18 years old and they buy them sports car. big sports cars. My house wasnt like that but thats my advantage. You will never give your all on the pitch if you know you have everything outside of it.’
and the mdeia here want to tag him with horrible descriptions because a cunt from france wanted to trashtalk him on the pitch and failed…… .hero luis!
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Dex, here’s my list of English RBs and CBs.
RBs:
Nathaniel Clyne – He was a monster this season. He is pacy and reads the game very well.
Carl Jenkinson – Great at the U-21 level and hopefully will be a starter next season at Arsenal.
Kyle Walker – Even though he’s a Spud, he’s quite good. He has pace for days and is a pretty good defender.
CBs:
Scott Dann, Mike Williamson, James Tomkins, Steven Taylor, Phil Jagielka. All of these players are decent and play for teams with solid back lines. If Ron Vlaar is good for Van Gaal, then these less glamorous CBs should be good enough for England.
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Hunter, I dislike Suarez because he’s a diver and an all around cheat. I could give three shits if he’s a humble guy off the pitch. On the pitch he’s a despicable human being.
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Good call on Caulker, Annicoll. Hull is one of those teams which are easily overshadowed and this leaves players like Caulker out of contention for the NT.
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Marco Van Basten :
” Suarez is an exceptionally important player for us and participates in almost EVERY goal we score as a team, but he is damaging us with the yellow cards he receives (7 in 11 appearances). He is uncontrollable/unpredictable and difficult to influence but that is what makes him so special”
but you know what? fuck marco and the dutch university of football called ajax..we will get our opinion on suarez and characterise him from the various hypocrites in english media who call him a racist and a cheat…
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on the pitch he is a boss gains….unplayable …. as a personal comment i think you take the english media accusations on suarez way too seriously. comment on his game..his dribbling his positions, his runs his movement how he is comfortable in air or deck..the accuracy of his shots..the spirit …
what do you mean he cheats? that he dives? are there no english players that dive? heh…
rooney has dived and cheated us with b/s penalties for a decade mate…lol… english defenders and midfielders cheat all the time ..kicking and not getting punished cause “thats how we play here”……
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i think that if we had him you would have already purchased about 5 or 6 replicas with his name on it and when you heard people call him a cheat and a racist and a cunt or whatever you would laugh your arse off in satisfaction….just my idea…dont mean to offend. .
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and now for a bit of humour….the sensitive one…
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i dont understand these attacks on the england squad…..”england inquest after humiliating defeat” …what humiliating defeat ??? what did they expect? england to beat italy or uruguay 3-0? what planet they on?
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testing
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1,2,3
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Gains
Thanks. I was aware of Clyne (and his team mate who we have also been linked to; Chambers), just didnt have a clue if he was up to the job as a national RB?
You are bang on about there being far too much emphasis on picking players from the “big” clubs. Talking of unglamourous clubs and their players being good enough for the national side, how about Curtis Davies of Hull? I think he is worth a punt.
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Savage seems confused that Costa Rica are actually playing football
Joel’s boys ahead by a nose so far
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Hypocrites in the media? Suarez is a diving, cheating cunt. No one needs the media to know that.
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I’ll see your Curtis Davies and raise you a Jason Puncheon.
I just read that Sideshow Bob cost £50m. That Confeds cup victory sure fooled a lot of people.
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Hypocrites in the media? Suarez is a diving, cheating cunt. No one needs the media to know that.
no denying he is a cunt alright but i dont see the systematic hounding of suarez to say…rooney or ronaldo or messi who are equally diving cheating cunts?
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and yes the media are hypocrites….. they should focus on their neanderthals who break arsenal players legs like dirty cheating scumbags and have the audacity to tell us to play on or to fuck off back to france…..but when luis or patrick fucks them in the same currency they cry wolf….the english media called eduardo a cheat for diving to avoid clash with boruc after coming back from that “committed tackle”……and shawcross aint that kind of guy
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Ooooo
Big chance for Mario. Does he miss too many? He doesn’t have Plodders’ conversion stats! One on one he tries to chip the ‘keeper and missed. Not the easiest chance you’ve seen but he probably should have scored.
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Probably should have scored, instead of scuffing his attempted lob the wrong side of the post. Although Savage the piss poor pundit’s damning verdict on him was, as usual, over the top and wide of the mark too!
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Big chance for Mario. Does he miss too many? He doesn’t have Plodders’ conversion stats! One on one he tries to chip the ‘keeper and missed. Not the easiest chance you’ve seen but he probably should have scored.
should have used his left but lazy pro doesnt work it…
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Clear penalty against Campbell! His only sniff of goal and he does the damage.
That’s in Probert territory.
Shocking decision. Unacceptable even in a five a side kick about.
But Costa Rica get the goal they deserve a minute later!!!! Great attitude.
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Justice for Costa Rica
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That could Costa England…
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