I have just read Mick Channon’s comments on Talk Sport about how young players like Calum Chambers are wrong to move to a club like Arsenal from Southampton. I can see his point, young players, perhaps should show more loyalty to their clubs, but what I can’t understand is why it’s taken a player who played 20 games last season to make this point. Or as I and a few others seem to think it has little to do with the player, but more to do with the club he has gone too.
Southampton over the past month or two have sold £27m for Shaw, £25m for Lallana, £4m for Lambert and £20m for Lovren. Shaw’s move was hailed as a great move for the future England left back, he goes to Manchester United and learn his trade at a top club. The other 3 to Liverpool was there any questioning of their loyalty to Southampton after they left? Not that I read, they were congratulated for their ambition to go to a club to win trophies. Chambers moves to Arsenal and all of a sudden we have ex players questioning his motives and radio stations questioning his skill and his value.
Yes, you can call me paranoid, I don’t care, but Arsenal do seem (to me anyway) to get a different treatment from other clubs in the media. Season after season Arsenal are held up by the media as having the most expensive season tickets in the PL, which on the face of it is true, but, what is failed to be mentioned is that Arsenal fans get 26 games for their ticket while other team’s fans get 21 or mostly 19 games (and some conditions that they must buy all cup tickets). If these prices are evened out Arsenal tickets, although are probably still the highest are very close to those of other clubs.
Arsenal were criticised for the price of away tickets by Manchester City and the media after fans were asked to pay £63 but again I saw little condemnation of the same club charging Arsenal fans £58 for an away ticket when their home fans are charged much lower for the same game. Also, there seemed to be little mention of Manchester City’s policy of charging home fans more money the closer they are to the away fans. £63 is a lot of money, but at least they have a clear line of sight at The Arsenal not like some tickets at Anfield, at least at The Arsenal they are not stuck miles up at the back of the stadium like Newcastle and the fans are not squeezed into tiny seats like at Manchester United. The media are quick to criticise about the cost of away games at The Arsenal but there was a lack of congratulation when The Emirates Stadium was voted the best away ground in the PL by the football fans survey last season.
You only have to read the Daily Mail, listen to Talk Sport or watch BT sport to see the unevenness of reporting towards Arsenal from “Ozil nicking a living” to “The Daily Arsenal” to Michael Owens yearly “Arsenal to finish outside the top four”. It was nice to see the bitter Alan Hanson apologize for his comments about Theo Walcott the other week, but for an ex professional player to question a 21 year olds footballing brain when he was still young and learning his trade was in my mind disgusting (Chris Waddle was just as stupid for saying the same thing). How many other young players from other clubs are roundly criticised by ex players in the media?
Arsene Wenger is the only manager I know of who has a running red card count, every time an Arsenal player is sent off we have “Wengers 1002 player sent off” (ok slight exaggeration but you know what I mean). The media always say “it’s great talking to Wenger as he will answer any questions put to him” but then moan about him talking about other teams/players when it’s them who have asked the question. Can you imagine how short press conferences would be if the media treated Jose Mo(an)urinho the same.
Let’s do the unthinkable and swap Arsenal’s position, ground, manager and board with that of Spurs. Can you imagine the column inches (perhaps that should be miles) and radio time spent slaughtering The Arsenals playing record, their inability to build a new ground, their transfer policy, their management policy and the motives of their owner (who is happy to stay in the Caribbean and hardly visits the ground). Yes, we do hear and see some, but not to the extent of that of The Arsenal.
Just think, I still haven’t got round to the media’s treatment of that nasty Eduardo (yes him of the broken leg by that “he’s not that type of player” Martin Taylor) diving against Celtic or why The Arsenals use of zonal marking seems to be the only one mentioned when there are plenty of teams that use it.
How come George Graham was the only manager to be found to be taking ‘brown paper bags’ where was the in depth investigations into other managers by the media? Or was it a case of we’ve got one lets sweep the rest under the table.
I in all honesty I could go on for ages at how the media treat The Arsenal but I will finish with a true story.
A few years ago I took my two boys on a tour of the old Arsenal Stadium (Highbury to you & me). It was a legends tour with Bob Wilson, we get to the old home changing room where Bob recalls a couple of stories about his time at the club. He then gives us all time to take pictures with the players shirts etc Bob is left standing by himself so I decide to ask him a few questions. The first was about why he quit so early in him career the second was “why do the media dislike Arsenal so much” now I was expecting a ‘your just seeing things through Arsenal glasses’ type of answer but the answer I received was “it’s down to jealousy, officials from other clubs all wanted their clubs to be like The Arsenal, players from other teams wanted what the Arsenal players had. The media they do not like Arsenal because The Arsenal do things the right way, from the boardroom down to the tea lady. There is no gossip, no leaked stories just things done correctly”.
So when you read the daily mail, listen to Adrian Durham or watch MotD etc. on TV just remember what Bob Wilson told me it’s not because they hate us it’s because they are JEALOUS of THE ARSENAL
Todays post was by @Swales1968
Positively Arsenal 
http://www.gunnerstown.com/arsenal/2014/08/03/summer-induced-stupidity-the-funniest-wisest-most-poetic-review-of-the-transfer-window-to-date/
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@merlot
Usually in the fashion that we get robbed of a couple penaltys and United get gifted some extra.
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“Atkinson and Mason were both poor.”
Just doing their usual job, just like all the PL refs.
The linesman was over a metre behind the play so could not see across the line anyway.
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I thought we were a bit overrun in the first half. I think a rusty Giroud and an Alexis who isn’t quite in synch with those around him contributed to that. Once the Ox came on we looked a completely different team. The threat his pace provides created a bit more room for everyone else to express themselves.
As far as the debutants are concerned, Debuchy looked solid. Maybe not as offensive minded as Bellerin was yesterday, but he looked robust and not at all afraid to go in for a challenge. Alexis, on the other hand, didn’t get to show too much today. I felt like he was good individually, but still too much of a stranger for his teammates.
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Anicoll: “Japanese linos!
I bet Untold have his statistics”
I love your sense of humor.
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Thought Debuchy looked really good and he is an excellent replacement for Sagna, for me. Chambers fitted in extremly well and looks very promising. Sanchez is just a top top top top player! Can’t wait for the real thing to start.
And Akpom must be pretty close to the 1st team, or a decent loan shirley?
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Sorry Georgaki – my reception is pretty crap in the stadium so I could not check in here. I was in block 134 today. I’m glad that you made it to the game despite your domestic issues.
Although we did not win, I thought it was an interesting game. Poor old Giroud was really out of sorts today, so I was not surprised to see him withdrawn at half-time. He just was not up to speed, which unfortunately gives ammunition to the ‘Giroud out’ brigade. Fortunately, the sane amongst us realise that he has only been back in training for a few days and therefore should get better as his fitness improves.
Szczesny was in fine form today. Laurent was okay, but to me seemed to tire towards the end of the game. Chambers did well especially given that he played 90 mins yesterday, but I think it may have been his inexperience/tiredness that contributed to the goal for Falcao. I thought Debuchy had a solid debut performance and will be good for us once fully up to speed. Ramsey was not quite as dynamic as yesterday, unsurprisingly, but he was solid and reliable. Arteta has picked up from where he left off last season as did Flamini (two games, two yellow cards!). I’m also pleased that the Ox did not come off yesterday due to injury. He was looking sharp today.
It’s good to see Jack getting back to his best form, but he needs to cut out the unnecessary fouls that lead to dangerous free kicks around our box, such as the one that led to the Monaco goal. Alexis showed some moments that suggest that he will be very good for us once he settles into the team. You could tell that there was some lack of understanding between him and his team mates with some moves that didn’t quite come off as they were not on the same wavelength. The supply from Ozil, will make a difference.
As much as the win would have been good for confidence, the game was more about fitness and trying out new combinations and tactics. There were some really good moments of Wengerball today and despite the result, I enjoyed the game. I have to give credit to Falcao – he is a good player, but a lot shorter and less muscular in the flesh than I anticipated. That is the quality that tons of money can buy you.
Other observations – Shad Forsythe is already making his presence felt in the team. The warm up was different to usual and I also noticed some bespoke warm ups for individual team members. Let’s hope it make a difference to the season long fitness of some of our key players.
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So, onto Saturday’s game, which I didn’t get a chance to comment on before. I accept that Benfica were poor, but we had a very young, very makeshift team out there. Chambers was impressive at centre back, which gives me hope for Carl coming back at right back. He started a little nervous and tentative, which is to be expected, but he grew as the game went on apart from losing concentration on the Benfica consolation goal. But if you are going to experiment, a pre-season game against quality opposition is the best time to do it. Martinez is also a promising young keeper
Ramsey was on fire and was knitting everything together. I was pleased for Yaya and Joel that they were able to overcome understandable first team nerves and show what they can do, given the chance. Confidence is an amazing thing. I am pleased for both of them.
Lee Mason, did his usual thing as did Atkinson today. The players might as well get used to it!
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Passeral,
Chambers looks like a sure understudy for CB in the long term.
I’m disappointed to read twitters reaction to Wilshere, Giround, Arteta and even Santi’s gamesFFS.
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DC, they are morons. It’s pre-season, different players are at different stages in their fitness levels. If they cannot get that, they are not worth bothering with.
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You may be disappointed with the reaction of Arsenal ‘fans’ to certain players today DC but you almost certainly will not for a second be surprised
I wonder if there is some measure, some means of calculating, the proportion of ‘fans’ of a football club that are shite?
The spoiled, the ignorant, the self publicists, the perverts, the experts and those ITK?
Because if there is …………….
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Passenal
Two outstanding summaries from you again. Thanks.
Yes, it’s a shame we couldn’t meet up. If you are going to Wembley next Sunday then perhaps we can meet up for that?
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“it’s down to jealousy, officials from other clubs all wanted their clubs to be like The Arsenal, players from other teams wanted what the Arsenal players had. The media they do not like Arsenal because The Arsenal do things the right way, from the boardroom down to the tea lady. There is no gossip, no leaked stories just things done correctly”.
Exactly. I’ve said it before – we – the club and the manager – make others feel bad about themselves. As an example, we built a stadium on time and on budget, the FA suffere by comparison with the Wembley fiasco. It’s not fair on us, but it’s just human nature, unfortunately.
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I must say, looking at the highlights of Saturday’s game – that is our League Cup/easier ties in the FA Cup side pretty much sorted.
And I’m still seething about the penalty today. The foul was clearly inside the box. Friendly or not, you have to get these things right. I minded less about the player getting yellow not red but giving way to the linesman, who was in a worse position than the ref to see where it occurred, was just barking.
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“Yes, it’s a shame we couldn’t meet up. If you are going to Wembley next Sunday then perhaps we can meet up for that?”
Sadly I’m away for a couple of weeks so I will miss the first 3 games of the season. Enjoy the Community shield and I look forward to Arsenal being in good position when I get back. Hopefully we will succeed in catching up sooner rather than later!
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“I minded less about the player getting yellow not red but giving way to the linesman, who was in a worse position than the ref to see where it occurred, was just barking.”
FG, it’s just business as usual from Atkinson – any excuse not to give Arsenal the advantage will be snapped up by him!
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FG
I’ve seen the penalty appeal several times from one angle only, the ball might have got away from the attacker first before the keeper tripped him.
All I’ll say is that if it was at the other end the same ref would not for a fraction of a second hesitated to point to the spot and pull out a card.
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Are Arsenal just not paying into the correct ”Xmas hamper’ fund for PGMOL?
Not really joking.
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Superb article, thanks.
I’ve just now seen the match v Monaco. The lino will get promoted, as that’s how it works. But full marks to Atkinson. He’ll screw us every chance he ever gets. And I noticed Mason was still there. Get out those yellow cards for the Arsenal boys, but in the meantime, how many Monaco player was booked for fouls that broke an attack? Or anything? Anyone notice the flying knee on the back of Giruod, early doors? Very similar to the one Neymar got. Obviously, officials did not…. Give a shit.
As said above, the players have to get used to it. Actually, they must surely know, and they’ll still fight. That’s what I love about them.
I wish the youth squad would play the charidee match. The CL qualies and Prem matches will already take some toll, and I know whose side the officials will be on, given the shenanigans at Etihad last season, which in turn followed on from Ars’s thrashing of the same team in Aisa, pre season, last.
I’m not unhappy, indeed, it has been a thrill to see those two games.
And great to see the comments and articles here, too.
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So one of the great clubs in the world put on a pre-season friendly tournament in the capital city. They throw the doors open to their wider fan-base ensuring a full house of 65,000, of whom many are children visiting the ground for the first time. There is a fantastic carnival atmosphere, and although the game does not go entirely to script (it is after all a proper match, albeit one played not quite at full pace) a clear cut foul in the penalty area ensures that a moment of high drama will ensure that the match ends as a draw with the young crowd able to see their heroes parade a trophy. Just about perfect in every way, and the officials don’t even have to massage the rules to achieve the desired result (they have been treated with the utmost respect and looked after all weekend so that they too can get up to match speed). Just about perfect in every way. It is almost as if a script has been written.
Except between them linesman and ref manage to find a way to avoid making the right decision.
I cannot think of any other club in the world that would have its hospitality so cynically abused. And if, given all the peripheral reasons for ensuring that justice was done yesterday afternoon, the officials still choose to disadvantage the home side, what chance is there that a level playing field will exist when we travel to Manchester, to Liverpool, to West London.
We are deluding ourselves if we think that there is any chance whatsoever of finishing in the top four this year. The die is cast.
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Jack sticking his chance away would have helped too.
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If AFC are seen by others to have strengthened this summer then we can all be confident in the referees upping their game to do all they can to impede our progress on the pitch.
I’m anticipating a continuation of northern refereeing bias thinly dressed up in a loose-fitting petticoat of incompetence, in tandem with a ratcheting up of the scale of unpunished violence against us.
Could be a long season.
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Well yes, there is that of course. Think he had reasonable chances at both ends, but a bit hard to tell from where I was sitting. Thought he was the only one trying to do anything much in the middle, but then he also gave away a pretty needless free kick from which they scored. I felt sorry for Monreal, who frequently seemed to be exposed to two on one moments, such was the lack of any midfield support down that side. He die pretty well considering!
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New post is up
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Not being a kid anymore, at least I think I am not a kid, sometimes, then I don’t really care about the score or result in a pre-season game. Would be nice to see Wlshere score but I want the squad to be fit and ready for the Palace game. And letting Monaco hack away whilst poor old Flamini has to play to different rule book (hehe!) doesn’t help on the old injury front.
Here’s a guess: experienced officials like Atkinson know this. It is what it is.
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Thanks for all the replies, I’m glad you liked it.
I see the media are onto Wenger again today, they ask him about Fronk Lumpards deal to MCFC and are now questioning his reply. Wenger is too honest with the media and why are the media not questions the deal why is it up to Wenger to point the FFP side of the deal?
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Spot on mate
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@foreverheady
August 4, 2014 at 6:58 am
The die has indeed been cast. Long ago.
Indeed, one idea was to stop the early season rampages produced by Arsenal. You know, when season after season, the youngsters would come out and overrun the opposition.
We’re not having that! We’ll put a stop to that. We’ll talk them down. We’ll card them. We’ll **** them up.
It just makes Arsenal’s achievements all the more magnificent!
V good post, PG.
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You made my day!
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