I turned to Liz about twenty minutes before kick off and remarked on what a good day I’d had. First decent day in about two months in fact. Those who know me beyond the world of football will be aware things have been, of late, somewhat bumpy Chez Stew. Yesterday however we had seen a glimmer of light pierce the dark clouds and I was basking, just a little bit. It was about then I glanced at the clock and realised what time it was, what was about to happen and what I’d just said. How could I possibly describe Monday as a good day when there was such a potential game changer still to come? I tried to remember the lofty words I’ve often used to others. That old flim-flam about rising above the fray, employing some perspective and realising that in the grand scheme of things an FA Cup quarter final at Old Trafford was not really the most important thing in my life right now. It was merely a side show, a theatrical distraction to our real life drama, and regardless of the result I would still have had a good day. I forget the poet’s name but I think the quote I’m looking for is what a load of old bollocks. A defeat last night and my warm glow would have been swiftly translated into permafrost. Silly really to let the antics of a bunch of millionaire footballers undo all the good I’d worked for but in the end that is precisely what we sign up to isn’t it?
As it happened I need not have worried. Far from the dreaded and frankly unwelcome turd in the swimming pool, last night proved to be icing on an already tasty cake. We all saw it so I’ll spare you a blow by blow but for what it’s worth here are my impressions of the thrills and spills. Firstly, as George observed in the immediate aftermath, what a difference a decent performance from a referee makes. The players may have worked hard, really hard in fact throughout a tough match and eventually got their reward but the man in black was rivalled only by de Gea for his individual quality. We all know that back in the era of Ferguson and his horribly unhealthy relationship with the football establishment none of the yellow cards never mind the red would have happened. So credit where it’s due to Mr Oliver, and in a world of inept and probably corrupt officiating it is quite a joy to be able to say that. I have to add however that the final result had far more to do with resolute defending and a one dimensional approach from the home team than Di Maria’s stupidity. Per was back to his imperious best, Coquelin and Koscielny snuffed out Fellaini’s lumpen threat and the full backs, properly supported by the wide forwards stuck to their task impeccably.
Once again Arsène’s tactics were flawless, and it was good to see the players employ them effectively. Sent out to press and harass defenders who are drilled never to hoof away possession but always pass the ball even if that means going back to square one they did just that. This was surely the reason he opted for raw speed over assured insouciance by starting with Olivier on the bench. Eventually of course it was the pace and poaching skills of Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck which made the difference. Just as the manager must have suspected it would. His substitutions were perfectly timed, even if one was forced, this being the only real blot on Arsenal’s otherwise pristine evening; yet another injury for Chamberlain. I am beginning to worry about that young man. The silver lining however was Aaron’s introduction to the fray. Some people have put forward the frankly ludicrous proposition that being injured for much of the season and not scoring ten goals a game means our Welsh maestro has somehow been a disappointment. Last night his calm assurance on the ball, his defensive work rate and his clever movement were vital in preventing United building a head of steam. I honestly thought they’d give us more of a headache towards the end of the match. I was bracing myself in my lonely room, waiting for the traditional United onslaught, but it never really came.
The pundits, pub bores to a man, all tried to say it was a poor Manchester side that lost the game, but we know they would rather be buggered on live television by Carlton Palmer’s Doberman than give us any credit. The fact is their new manager has spent this entire season drumming into his charges the style in which he wants them to play and, most footballers not being conspicuously over endowed in the cerebrum, they’ve just about got the idea now. The problem was when they needed something different all they came up with was to stick their filthy Belgian fouling machine down the middle, bang it up high in his general direction and when that didn’t work then it was dive, dive dive. Sadly and unusually for the men in red the Das Boot routine failed them last night. What a glorious sight it was to see them finally get their comeuppance after years of cheating impunity. Still, it doesn’t do to gloat does it? Well, perhaps just a little.
So what of the future? The planets seem to be aligning to produce a repeat of the first ever cup final I watched as an Arsenal fan. Back in 1970 when I elected to follow the red and white having dallied with, bizarrely as it seems now, both Celtic and Chelsea, a perfect first season culminated with Bob Wilson in his green cap and Charlie George lying prostrate on the Wembley turf. It may not be so. Blackburn could do everyone a favour and cancel the Stevie G media love in, Reading or Bradford could prevent us getting to the ultimate game of the tournament. Never forget how close Wigan pushed us last year. There is indeed many a slip twixt the FA cup and the lips of our captain upon it. But given the form and stature of the teams left in the hat I bet you’d get great odds for a Villa versus Reading final.
I apologise for the somewhat breathless ill conditioned tone of today’s blog. I am perhaps a little emotional still. Apart from anything else I detest watching us play at Old Trafford. It is literally the only fixture where I subscribe to the mantra of the nonsensical i.e. the only thing that matters is the result. Football is of course about so much more but I’ve become so conditioned to us losing there that I could have happily pressed fast forward to the final minute and just absorbed the score. Last night however things were different. As I said before the game I had a curious presentiment that we were due a change in fortune. I may not have expected it to be so dramatic with them missing from point blank range and their cheating ways telling on them so profoundly, but even though the match lacked free flowing sparkling football it had the right mix of tension and excitement to leave me restlessly unable to get to sleep. In short I’m glad I watched it, and you’ll seldom hear any football lover say that after ninety minutes in the company of Rooney, Fellaini and Young.
My final thoughts go to my mate Steve. You may think that the journey home from Greater Manchester would have been one of unbridled celebration but it wasn’t so for everyone. Steve is a coach driver. He drove all the way from Midsomer Norton to Old Trafford and spent the entire evening in the car park outside of the ground being so close that he could hear the game but not see one kick of the action. That’s not why I felt for him though. It was more the prospect of him then having to endure a four and a half hour drive in the company of fifty six miserable, disgruntled, moaning West Country Man United fans. Actually, thinking about it, that sounds like fun.
Positively Arsenal 
a bit surprised that Gnabry is not in the U21 squad tonight, as he has been in training photos for a few weeks now.
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and away from football their is good news too
Jeremy Clarkson suspended from the BBC
Mar 10, 2015 Fernando Sanchez World News 0
jeremy-clarkson
The famous Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended following a ‘fracas’ with an unnamed BBC producer.
The presenter is no stranger to controversy. Mr. Clarkson was already on his final warning following last year’s well publicized racism row after claims he used the n-word while reciting the nursery rhyme Eeny, Meeny, Miny Moe while filming of the programme.
And in recent years, he has been cleared of breaching the broadcasting code by watchdog Ofcom after Clarkson compared a Japanese car to people with growths on their faces.
A spokesperson for the BBC has confirmed that Top Gear will not be broadcast this Sunday.
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One aspect of our game that has massively improved this season is our reaction to being roughed up.
Where a year ago a player would be knocked off the ball and then lie on the ground waving their arms and shouting at the receding back of the uninterested referee is just does not happen now – we leave that sort of nonsense to the opposition.
Now we just get up and get on with it – the correct response
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A fracas !
Does it take two to fracas ? Or can you fracas solo …..
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Schalke ahead in Madrid
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If you watched the world cup you’d know that his teams are very easy to close down if you press his deep lying play maker. And last night, he not only used this predictable tactic, but he played Fellaini in the hole. I’ll give him credit for his past, but playing Fellaini in the hole is very uninspired, as far as I’m concerned.
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My brother loves Top Gear.
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I don’t think the problem with Fellaini was playing him in the hole Gains
It was giving him the football and expecting him to do something with it.
Fellaini is a good player as long as he does not have the ball.
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal · 2m 2 minutes ago
Goal for Derby Under-21. Calero smashes in from six yards out after @Arsenal fail to clear a corner (71) 0-1
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal · 34s 34 seconds ago
Full-time: Derby County Under-21s 1-0 @Arsenal Under-21s
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Steww, I wasnt saying you hadnt given us credit it was them bastards in the media, in every format it was all about how good the ref was and how manure lost the game at some points it was difficult to even work out we were the opposition. so you can imagine I came to my safe haven and my favorite writer is praising the ref. To be honest you have always been far to level headed and fair.
Finsbury, in the 8-2 game le coq was taken off at 3-1 a big mistake in my book as I thought he was playing well but Arsene wanted to go for it which sometimes has worked but on that day went badly wrong. Youre right been young and not english the wobs targeted him early. I was at the stoke when he made his debut (out of position at right back) and he got belters from certain sections of the away support.
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things going to get interesting for man utd in the league now
Man Utd’s next 6 games:
Spurs (h)
Liverpool (a)
Villa (h)
Man City (h)
Chelsea (a)
Everton (a)
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death threats for Welbeck
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/articleshow/46522668.cms?
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And then they play us again in OT, we can boot them out of the top 4 and ensure we stay in it, Eddy.
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Fellanini in the hole?
It would have to be a very deep hole.
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Falcao played for Utd’s u21 reserves tonight and was subbed of after 71 minutes.
Not very good man management skills in dealing with a very talented player who is out of form.
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the world cup is very recent and i didnt notice so much the dutch system as robben tearing everyone to shreds…making systems redundant…when you have such quality you can do whatever you want heh..
surely tactically he is struggling in england in his first season. he is a stubborn lunatic and he will chop and mix and match . the point is whether united know what theyre in for. i dont think they do. they need to let the united manager ( whoever that is) rip the old apart and work 3-4 years away from spotlight and build the united of the next decade(s)…such schemes take time as we also know from our own experience and the guy did say it will take him abt 3 years to see difference. its just all this classless attacking which reminds me the way they have treated wenger, benitez etc. to put it simply …gary neville is too small to form opinion on luis van gaal managerial abilities and achievements just like ian right and lee dixon are too small to form opinions on wenger’s transfer policies. this used to be the league where the owners would let the managers work , give them time. but now with russians arabs americans indians a lot has changed and they all think that every new manager must do an ancelotti in his first season or else he should be fired.
as fpr the game yesterday think we were too strong and good for them….our players had the eye ….wobbled a bit when they scored but in control all game…i can only guess van gaal recognised he has no chance taking us in our frenentic mobile midfield and opted for flanks ( young, di maria) and then with 10 men went for the alamo system, like most would….they were struggling to pass it 11vs 11 how much more when it was 10v11..hehheh them useless bastards….
monreal …at some point first half before he scores is pressing di maria way in their third….sanchez has joined welbeck i think closing down defenders and keeper and all of a sudden di maria receives ball and there is monreal to deny him the turn, the counter..everything…so proud..proper footballer..alert..switched on brave …confident..in command. took no prisoners naxo .
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Arsenal off to Singapore for pre-season games, could face Stoke
http://news.arseblog.com/2015/03/singapore-to-host-arsenal-in-barclays-asia-trophy/?utm_source=feedburner.com%2Farseblognews&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arseblognews+%28Arseblog+News+-+the+Arsenal+news+site%29
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Arsenal Fixture News @AFCFixtureNews · 13h 13 hours ago
We will be receiving a minimum of 31,000 tickets for the FA Cup Semi-Final, maybe more, dependant on who we play.
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When are the squads for the next round of Internationals being named, would not be surprised to see Coquelin get a call up by France, his form has been so good he deserves to get picked for France.
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jose mourinho is the biggest wanker working in football… not only does he provoke and attack people in the industry who have far more history and golden pages in their careerbook …not only is he a classless hypocrite talking nonsense….but this latest turn of trying to communicate withe the [psyche of the english people and fans and how the game is for men and how english teams to do well in europe or how the french psg was more violent than league 2…. grrrraaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh aaron punish him , you too alexis!!!! defeat him, get above chavsea in the league and send jack to give him his fucking ticket out of london..that vile and rotten subhuman
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how can this country buy that shit from him? where is paxman , clarkson and the myriad of cynics to embarass him and humiliate him?
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a utd’s fan view of the game on Monday – proof that they too have self entitled fans who think they know it all
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACuOmiMpMpw
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They do have a point;
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its obvious papa crouch had adventurous nights in andalucia back in ’85
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eduardo @ 7:20 am:
The foam-flecked over-the-top reaction castigating of players and managers is straight from ArsenalFan TV manual. So after only their 2nd loss at home all season United is now headed for the toilet? Click bait. Plain and simple.
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Hunter. What was our European ranking when Arsene took over and what is it now? I need to tell twitter. Thanks.
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somehwere between 167 and 135 …lol
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god you re taking me back with that…i remember doing the research…checking every year the ranks of uefa…will look again and give exact figures.
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in fact…does this site have….archive? search function? …
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I studied the UEFA ranking systems to give me an idea of what stature Arsenal held in the eyes of the world and to my amazement i saw this “big club” occupying positions between 79 and 36 between late 70’s and late 90’s.
march 20 , 2013 the ignorant vs the arsenal
its me, tesla, da vinci, newton …and then chaos
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puahahah valnetina roth..famous dnacer form chile…. has broken up with alexis sanchez because during the act of love she heard noises coming out the cupboard….alexis covered her ears…but she went and opened the cupboard and found two arsenal players/friends filming her….i bet one was ozil ….eyes popping oout and all…. who can the other one be? olivier not you again….
important news…always
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voyers …puhuhuhaaaaa… eagerly awaiting amy ‘s article on how the classless arsenal players have no manners and how vile it is to film a woman having sex…..
not like valentina would ever look at alexis had he not been an epl footballer.mmmmhhmmm oh no no no….. she always loved him and had a thing for him even when he was a shoeless poor boy running in the jungles of tocopolilpo
youre all welcome
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early team news v west ham
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150311/team-news-ox-jack-flamini-and-gabriel
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What are we now in eufa, 7th or 8th and will be certain top 8 next season as some other clubs can’t progress above us.
If the rules hadn’t been changed to help man city, we’d be a pot 1 team for the CL, assuming we keep our top 4 credentials, of course.
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That’s a great stat to chuck out but we need it definitive. Many youngsters of our club and others don’t understand our massive progression. I was explaining to a plastic chelski fan that chelski only got into the CL because of ARSENALS European coefficient and many young gooners are just as ignorant to our recent history. Where are we rated now? Also what has been our highest and lowest position in under Arsene. It would be interesting to ask mad merse where our lads were rated when he described them as the worst ARSENAL side in 30 years as opposed to the side he played in when we come midtable. Hunter go to work
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knock yourselves out
http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/
go this site and then this page :
http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/data/method4/tcoef2014.html
you will see at the top centre ( below the blue words) in block capital black the heading
UEFA Team Coefficients 2014/2015
to either side of that heading there are options/buttons to move back in years or forward in years
it will look like this
2013
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sorry…shoudl look like this
<>
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for example i went back to 1996 and we are sharing position 99 with about 30 other clubs…
look the company we have
Malmö FF Swe UC 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.0000
Bodø/Glimt Nor UC 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.0000
Arsenal Eng UC 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.0000
malmo and bodo……lol….
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I remember the day Arsene started we lost to Borussia Monchengladbach, and were out of the UEFA Cup. Stefan Effenberg was a class act.
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1997 – 79
1998 – 31
1999 – 4
2000 – 9
2001 – 18
2002 – 17
2003 – 13
2004 – 17
2005 – 2
2006 – 18
2007 – 8
2008 – 10
2009 – 8
2010 – 13
2011 – 11
2012 – 15
2013 – 14
2014 – 12
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Stefan Effenberg was a class act.
boss ..and later on made keane look like the little mouse he was….
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effenberg redondo vieira…those three
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Did there do Third Division clubs in the 1996 UEFA coefficients ??
Look up Citeh
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i dont know to be honest ..the only cities i can find in 1996 are Bangor City and Derry City
have no clue who they are….
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Whoa! Hunter, are you kidding me. When Wenger, joined us in 1996, UEFA ranked us 79th in 1997, 31st in 1998 and never out of the top 20 since then. Lowest position 18th, best was 2nd in 2005; all without financial doping. And it is the end-of-an-era?
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shotta how dare you!!! dont you remember how we owned europe, the world , the galaxy..in the 30’s!!!!
dont you remember them winners in 95 losing the final against mighty zaragoza wiht a lob from the halfway line seconds before end in stoppage time…..the real gunners..the through and through…the gg boys who took no prisoners….
imagine that happening to the recent/current generations…….. would they be allowed back in the country ?
we have ex footballers who were there that night … and they have now taken over panels studios cameras and what else and dare castigate the mentality of the current ones…. its ridiculous.
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wait…you also built a stadium and never dropped below top20 😉 heh…..
‘optimal use of our resources’ …..
puaahahha…fuck aclf
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hence my question that was never answered by the old guard of arsenal fans
‘ what stopped arsenal from being the force we know today before wenger? was it some russian billionaire, arab? did arsenal had to a 450 stadium to repay in 60,70, 80,s ?…oh just plain old uselesness then……no ambition….easy life…..why join adventures with reaching the top etc..and compete with giants? we dont know how. ‘
until wenger came and showed them…….
cunts never answer…. call you anti-arsenal and a wengerite and then tell you to fuck off cause youre a foreigner and you dont understand the part of the community …
(the laugh that shatters glass)
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