So what is going on with Jack?
His halo has slipped somewhat, in fact its fallen off and has been replaced by some little red horns. Well it has if you listen to many experts in the media and our own less than tolerant fickle fans.
He has been caught smoking, drinking and worse of all, keeping company with players from other clubs. The little scoundrel that he is.
He has gone from being
- PFA Young Player of the Year: 2010–11
- PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2010–11
- Arsenal Player of the Season: 2010–11
To ………….well , that’s the problem, where has he gone?
He was the darling of Arsenal fans in 2011. Being hailed “world class” by all and sundry, and the future of English football.
When he got injured people were moaning like drains , saying stuff like “he’s our second best player” . It was a tragedy to his adoring fans.. I wonder where he would rate now in order of bestness? Mid teens if would hazard a guess at.
Now, here is the thing. He was never that good. He was very good, but world class? Never even close.
People make mad statements like “he dominated Barca when we beat then 2-1 at home” Well, he didn’t. He played very well that night and was as good as any of our players or indeed theirs. But dominate he didn’t. In fact, as I recall, for the most part our midfield was the one being dominated.
Somehow during his unfortunate extended absence he managed to take on a sort of cult status. People seemed to remember him as being a lot better than he had actually been.
Personally I always though Aaron was a cut above him. I always thought we were expecting too much from him. But that’s just me.
The hope is that he can take a Ramsey like leap when he finally has a run of being full fit. His long term injury is blamed for his lack of progress (and rightly so ). But his injury doesn’t make his run into a pack of opponents with no chance of not losing the ball. It doesn’t stop him from completing the simplest of passes. It doesn’t make him smoke, drink and behave like a bit of a yob. And it doesn’t give him a suspect temperament and make him think he can be a hard man enforcer like Roy Keane or Joey Barton.
He is at a crossroad and I’m just not sure he is smart enough to choose the right road to go down.
However, he has tremendous potential still
He is only twenty two and a half years old.
He loves Arsenal.
Arsene loves him. He gave him the number 10 shirt and told him he believes in him.
And look at this 44 seconds in, Andrey Ashavin has a little something to say about his ability and spirit.
My advise to Jack is – Ignore idiots like me, and listen to Arsene and Andrey.
Positively Arsenal 
Who are you talking too Hunter?
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the first two paragraphs are a reply to you , the last paragraph is a general statement.
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“Stop moaning about Hunter, you are sounding like Girls.(see what I did there?)
Its a football blog, not a coffee morning at the vicarage,”
————————————–
“To think if I hadn’t gone back and read all of today’s comments I would have missed that gem: “don’t react like a girl”. I’ll be over here waiting for an apology for that casually sexist remark. Like a girl.”
Don’t hold your breath!”
So you’re cool if I said stop moaning at Hunter, you sound like butt fucking Greeks?
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watch this and focus between 1:09 and 1:16
” come on!”
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I don’t go to Le Grove because it’s full of racism, sexism, homophobia and a host of other nasty behaviors. Just because this is a football blog it doesn’t mean we have to behave like angels, but let’s respect one another.
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ewwww gains youre dirty…but who is that for.. ?
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Hunter: “yeah well im not offended as easily though nor do i ask anyone to apologise for anything they say ? ..hehe…”
Passenal and AG were obviously bothered by what they consider casual racism. And since they’re valued members of this blog, they deserve an apology or, at the very least, you should respect their desire to not have to put up with sexist shit when they read this blog.
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Casual sexism not racism.
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racism, sexism, homophobia
wtf? when have any of those three ever been present or mentioned here? lets not go pc mad.
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It’s not PC mad, Hunter. Saying don’t act like a girl over x or y is as dismissive as saying, “well they’re Jews/Blacks/Mexicans what do you expect?” It’s not on. All I’m saying is choose your words more carefully. You don’t have to put anyone down to make a point.
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thats bad though gain ..terrible subjects , change the tune ….im going for a drink. its friday and life is too short to worry about what i may or may not have meant when throwing a dismissive characterisation when describing luiz aggressive mentality on the pitch in comparison to timid sensitive almost half asleep djourou …. as for the association dont cry like a girl with mexicans im astonished….this is daily mail territory.
as per 1:09-1:16 – honest trailer :war world z ..”come on..” but ok i will check and recheck for potential -grenades- when i post..
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Jack will be fine, he burst on to the scene, he showed the world what he could do, he got injured, he had a puff, he’ll get back in the side in time and he’ll be great again
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George, I think the point is that hunter knows there are females on here, just as there are people from various different backgrounds. Casual sexist remarks that are allowed to go unchallenged are just the thin end of the wedge. I was chased away from a previous blog because I was told to get back to the kitchen, so excuse me if I’m a bit sensitive. I am not some wilting flower, but I expect to be treated as an equal here and feel that I have as much right to express my views as any man. It’s not too much to ask for someone to give a little thought to what they are typing before they post.
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Anyone noticed how Rodgers claims Sanchez made the move to us because he wants to live in London? Laugh riot.
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Hunter13… am not that sensitive either… but i really do take exception to THAT kind of comment… really… Us girls just feel u guys can do better than that…
Of course it doesn’t matter to you as it was a casual statement but you are not the one offended; and even though you did not mean any harm, it just so happen that we are not happy about the comment that makes you the offender so do apologise and be done with it…
better still do better going forward… that is always the best form of apology in my opinion, don’t try to emphasise how causal it was cos it is actually the casualness of it that makes it worse somehow!
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Perhaps its me then .
Up here we say “shut up you girl” to your mates if they a complaining . I never gave it a thought that it was sexist ! I suppose it is really, but its certainly not intended to be. I doubt Hunter intended it to be either.
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PG… he didn’t intend to ofend, but it is usual that many do not even know they have offended until the offended party draws attention..
for me I think its more rude and insulting to girls than sexist… or is that the definition of sexist?
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If he had said “stop acting like a child”. Would that be childist?
I don’t get it. I really don’t.
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George: “I never gave it a thought that it was sexist ! I”
At least we’re calling attention to it, which makes us better than most football blogs on the internet. Apart from our ladies being super cool, they’re also very knowledgeable about football. It would suck if they felt uncomfortable here.
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Why would people chose to take offence ,when none was meant?
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It would indeed suck Gains.
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George, because when you say “don’t react like a girl” it implies girls are naturally weak, erratic, hysterical or not to be trusted to make the right decision on an important topic. It’s the same thing as a woman implying that a guy can’t understand subtlety because men are too impulsive and hyperactive.
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George: “Why would people chose to take offence ,when none was meant?”
Because it’s offensive.
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I’d just try treating everyone else here as grown adults with a better appreciation of how Arsenal is run than the average mob.
We could all do with with being a bit more thick skinned, and I’m not happy with people thinking they are offended over feck all. In fact I’ve been guilty of that myself on occasion, eh Gainsy?
I agree with George, there has been barely a hackle raised to cause a genuine offence to anyone, unless I’ve misread some posts. Let’s not destroy peoples varied attempts at using English language to make reasoned opinions just to crush out the ‘but you might offend someone’ remarks. we loose far more than we gain by going down that path.
It’s the points people make here about football that most other blogs don’t go into depth on that makes it worth reading, as is the wide diversity of people who contribute to the blog.
My only gripe with hunter is his bloody awful paragraph structuring. Fecking unreadable at times!
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I know, I know, I shouldn’t talk about it but bloody hell, is there a person in football more despicable than the Portuguese specialist in failure? He claimed that the two time Barca reject never really wanted to come to us. I guess he is really insecure about having signed a player we openly refused and has to lie about it to make himself feel better. The statement Barca boy released when he moved said it all, the words conveyed how much he would’ve loved to return to us and how much it hurt him that Arsene said “No, thank you, we aren’t going to pay 30 million so you can warm the bench while Aaron and Mesut play”. I gotta hand it to old Jose, he’s got the knack of getting the press to listen to his every word, but in the end such a statement only does one thing: mask that he is wobbling worse than my grandma’s special pudding and the season hasn’t even begun proper yet. Jose knows he has to deliver this season or he is out. And looking how we are strengthening, Man City being up to their usual shenanigans and two wildcards in post-Suarez Liverpool and Van-Gaal-United, he must know that the air is getting thinner at the top. I doubt Chelsea are going to finish anywhere up top (if Jose is going to be forced to play proper football).
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DC: “It’s the points people make here about football that most other blogs don’t go into depth on that makes it worth reading, as is the wide diversity of people who contribute to the blog.”
Precisely. Our ladies have very good opinions on football and I’d like to see them stick around.
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I just got done reading that article, Evil. Mou hates the fact that Cesc is an Arsenal reject. He absolutely can not stand that Arsene got another one over on him. He’s also talking nonsense about his “market” being done. The fact that they didn’t buy anyone to replace David Luiz means Azpilicueta is getting moved over to right back, Filipe Luis is going to take over at left back and they’ll have Ivanovic floating about. Oh, and they’re supposedly following a youth policy as well. Roman demanded that he bring up some youth players and Mou is framing it as if it were his idea.
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Interesting piece George,the bottom line is,it’s up to Jack-this season he could do a Rambo,he’s good enough-I still think the Ox could be better than both of em, now that’s just scary, also -don’t post clips of Andre George, it makes me sad..
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EgNLzbdya8
My top transfer target of the window. The Alsatian Vieira.
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Stupid adolescent flippant sexist remarks are what they are, stupid adolescent sexist remarks. The offense, in part, is talking shit to or about females when there interesting things to say. I too really value the female football bloggers, so try a little respect, OK? Aw, c’mon chaps, it’s not hard. We’re family.
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Think we had a sneaky “gaylord” creep in the other day too and a couple of welsh jibes too, although Aaron is turning Welsh into less of an insult these days.
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I think Welsh is non controversial as long as the s**** word does not appear anywhere in the statement FH
I regard insulting and receiving insults from other island inhabitants as one of the best bits of being a Brit tbh
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I see the Fanshare scheme is winding down – as some might have predicted because of the limited number of the shares and their exorbitant price, though I see it is all apparently Stan’ s fault.
Had Fanshare worked it would have probably been a healthy influence, as the scheme developed it proved ineffectual
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The worst thing to have happened to Jack is Roy Hogdson.
That and the shower of Lancastershire living shits Jack seems to think are a good influence on his football career.
er…of course not including you Blackburn George!!
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I think we should still be allowed use creative abuse for the other 19 clubs in the Prem, the players, rival fans, referees, FA administration, Barcelona, UEFA, Platini, Slepp Bladder and John Terry.
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No need to abuse those for whom self-abuse is their defining activity, DC.
A propos of Jack, he is a stunningly good young footballer. Skill and (especially) vision outstanding. He makes mistakes because he rarely takes the easy option. Maturity should rebalance this – but not, I hope, drive it out of him.
Does anyone really believe that Arsène will not get the best out of him?
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DC, don’t forget other Arsenal fans! Where would we be without all our infighting?!?! More united but with much less to blog about!
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“I think we should still be allowed use creative abuse for the other 19 clubs in the Prem, the players, rival fans, referees, FA administration, Barcelona, UEFA, Platini, Slepp Bladder and John Terry” ….
… now you’re talking DC, this is actually compulsory and hardly qualifies as “abuse”, although just 15 clubs … because 3 or their managers we usually like OK
Aren’t Maureen’s comments about Cesc and 20 mins so funny! Just scratch that spot. Now why would a manager of a huge, wealthy, successful club say such a thing, out of the blue, except to protect himself from an obvious slur that he’s now picking from Wenger’s cast-offs and second-hands. Oh Cesc, back in England and in the muck and grime from the off …
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Rantetta
Thanks.
Next time you dare the pub, wear your Arsenal colours!
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I agree with Merlot.
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&
Passenal.
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I agree with the author .
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I agree with George. It’s his blog.
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Mou is worried about perceptions that Cesc doesn’t fancy Chelsea all that much. He will be a target for disaffection if he doesn’t play that well right away. I’m looking forward to that!
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If I didn’t agree with George I wouldn’t assume that I am in the right.
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I see the Portugese clown is providing his media arselickers with a quote that will attract a million clicks on Cesc
How very very predictable
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Did anyone else think that more then Ozil that it was LJW taking the slowish creative midfield space that may once have been there in the squad for the F Word, if he’d have been happy squatting on the bench as a £30m+ signing?
I’m not alone in thinking that most top players are lucky to sustain a peak of more then a couple of seasons at some point in their career? Ozil is one of the special ones because he’s been hitting those notes since 2010 and he’s only 25!
By the time his career is over will LJW have sustained his peak form through the dips for a longer period in total then he who F’d off (not worrying about the hopeless England). That is an interesting question for which there is no answer, save that Wilshere is at the best club possible.
I think it’s all good. The fun bit is working out where he’ll play. Like Gains I feel that, for a few seasons at least, he’ll be Ozil’s/Rosicky’s deputy. He was very good on the right that night against Marseille. Valbuena? Blew him off the park (if he was playing that day!). But AW does not want him with his “back to goal”. My best guess is he’ll be ready for the kind Modric midfield role we saw in the CL final (once the unfit Khedira came off and he dropped back) in a couple of seasons. Nothing to worry about.
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Fin: “Did anyone else think that more then Ozil that it was LJW taking the slowish creative midfield space that may once have been there in the squad for the F Word, if he’d have been happy squatting on the bench as a £30m+ signing?”
Injuries have slowed down Jack’s progress a bit, but I think he’s going to develop into a lion of a player. I’d also put the Ox as an option in the middle which also made Arsene pass on Cesc. He’s been extremely unlucky with injuries, but I fancy him to explode on the scene this year. And then you have Zelalem. Another youngster who is as promising as Cesc was years ago and a player Arsene really likes.
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I don’t know about this sexism. I thought Hunter apoligised already. I am sure I saw an outright apology.
Hunter is a big boy and I am not one to speak for him, but seriously. Off hand remarks are off hand remarks. I do not hear people screaming that Palestinians are dying. Children are burning. Yet you talk about sexism like the world is on fire. Well….sexism in perspective against all else…
You want to talk about sexism. Then talk about history. Talk about facts. Talk about the bollocks of the world. Don’t say – oh this guy said something oh so offensive…Truth…people have no clue what “SEXISM’ means…equality???
What is equality? I see girls treated like shit day by day – guys treated like shit likewise – where is equality?
If you want to introduce SEXISM into a football blog – explain it. Go on..explain it. Nobody can. Because nobody studied 1700s history. The girls are right to take offense. As well they should. But you high horses – explain it if you can…hint.. you cannot.
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