I made the mistake of listening to Talk Sport radio immediately after the Liverpool – Villa game last night. It was full of irate scousers demanding that Rogers is sacked.
This is the same man that took their team within a Gerrard slip of winning the PL last season. Now I know their stars aligned with Saurez being on fire, one game a week and few injuries, but still, he took advantage and even with a very poor defence, he almost made a miracle.
Liverpool have the 5th most expensive squad and the 5th largest wages,in all likelihood they will finish 5th, plus they have reached the semi final of both domestic cups. That is at least par or better. What do fans expect ? On top of that they do play, and try to play , expansive entertaining football.
Now I am not saying Rodgers is a great manager, what I am saying is that he is doing a decent job.
There is a proven 85% correlation between money spent and success across all major leagues. Of course that leaves 15% to buck the trend, and teams do. Southampton this year, Everton last. But is just stupid to expect a team to buck the trend every year. It seems though that this is what many fans demand .
The reality is that no team in the history of the PL has won it without having a sustained period of spending more than their rivals. People will point to United and claim they did it , but they didn’t, they just topped up their previous bigger spending on players that were still at the club and in their pomp.
Of course Arsenal did it , and did it three times, but we had Arsene and it was at a time where only United had a clear financial advantage.
People also point to exceptions in other leagues, Like, BVB, Atletico Madrid and Montpellier, but they are not in the PL, and have only one behemoth club (Two in Spain ) to contend with. Also Atletico have won it once in 20 years. That’s 5% of the time, well within the !5% exception rule.
Can managers make the difference? Yes ! But its in the margins.
Until fans accept that money is the overriding factor in modern football they are destined for constant heartbreak.
The “next level” that people want to reach can only follow the next financial level being reached first. That is why Arsene and the board should be praised beyond all others, Their planning and steadfastness have elevated Arsenal to that next level. The squad now reflects that and I believe there are great times ahead,
A final word on Brendan. Its hugely unfair to compare him to previous Liverpool managers who, at the time, were managing the richest club with no financial competitors other than the sleeping United. Look exactly what happened when they woke up.
Pedantic George, AKA @Blackburngeorge
Positively Arsenal 
seeing as some smurfs vandalised our stadium ….. we shoudl return the compliment
1) we can apply alcohol acid to their bench seats so it itches their bums
2) or spray it with horse shit and a scattered bag of rotten fish guts
3) when their bus arrives, keep them in there for 2 hours…say something like ‘ we have a security alert’ and cant let you oput till we search the whole ground’
4) those sitting behind chelsea bench to hold photoshop pictures of miss chelsea ( the russian powerbroker) wearing a strap-on and jose bending
5) someone dressed as putin and holding an ak47 waterpistoll aiming it at jose ( obviously its filled up with piss) and fire everytime he gets up
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steve bould to go for the handshakes..not wenger!
especially to farah ..the brother in law…the spastic….
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http://www.setanta.com/ie/wenger-fabregas-re-signing-not-clean/?
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Grr, forgot 10am deadline for red member tickets.
Now in long queue online,
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Tim Stillman @Stillberto · 2h 2 hours ago
Hearing that Wenger has made no attempt to contact Stefan Malz since he left Arsenal. Wenger also left Tomas Danelivicius’ WhatsApp group.
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Bugger it – got caught by working before 10 – what a fool I am
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I shall skulk about the Exchange with my fingers crossed
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West Brom sold out like hot cakes, so I’ve got the Makem game instead.
Clockend Lower tier.
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Logged on at 1000, got through at 1040. Sold out for WBA. Shame.
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£100 for a hotel on Caledonia Road. walking distance to the George and the Ems.
If anyone is around on the 20th May, I’d gladly join you for a pint.
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I very rarely go to midweek matches DC as it messes up two days. The last time I broke the golden rule was Monaco, and it messed up an entire week !
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I am beginning to get a bit edgy for Sunday – checked the forecast and showers Sunday afternoon, overcast, light winds, the Friday press conferences are out of the way, no injury surprises, Arsene calling for a bit of dignity with Cesc from home fans, Jose playing it cool, waiting ’til tomorrow for a test on Costa, is that a bus I see in the distance ?
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Jose is going to bring the Bus, barbed wire, posts, sandbags and entrenchment tools.
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I think, just for once, I would like to see us park the bus too. Both sides could happily stay within their own halves and wait to see who cracks first. A kind of coach chicken.
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Mutually assured bus parking (MABP) – strategic stalemate or a cunning plan ?
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A must read folks
http://untold-arsenal.com/archives/42800
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At the Berkshire Netball Awards evening. Haven’t felt this outnumbered by women since I read my English degree.
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Comments on Afobe from Wolves manager:
Jackett has admitted that he would have loved to sign Afobe earlier and has revealed why he did not.
“Would we have liked to have taken him earlier? Could we have taken him last summer? Well, yes. Of course we’d have loved to,” Jackett told The Express & Star.
“But he suffered quite a bad injury, and then he went to Sheffield Wednesday and didn’t really tear up any trees there.
“So I think for him, getting over his injury in the first part of the season was something he needed to do.”
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MABP was the 0-0 last season!
Hopefully there’ll be some Arsenal goals this time. And none for the greedy guzzlers.
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Thanks for the link Georgaki – that is proper perspective and very well written.
I wonder how much it cost Darren Dein to get that CF4 puff piece printed in the Telegraph?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11559623/Arsenal-news-How-Arsene-Wenger-has-snubbed-Cesc-Fabregas-since-he-left-the-club.html
It’s so transparent it’s pathetic! He made his choice (to leave Arsenal in the first place) he needs to stand behind where it has taken him, but wants to have his cake and eat it too. Personally I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of booing him, but no doubt he will be booed. I just hope he leaves the Emirates in tears after his team get crushed by the good guys.
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It’s April it’s Saturday and the annual ‘Current Spuds’ manager’ v ‘ the Next Spuds’ manager’ contest about to kick off
C’mon you Saints
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1-o to the saints, so far.
FOYS.
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2:2 Saints v Spurs. Top game this half.
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The maximum finish Tottenham can get is 70 points.
Arsenal have 6 games to get 4+ more points,
St. Totterningham is stirring in his crypt.
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the power shift in North London continues unabated
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Mertesacker trained today
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150425/arsenal-train-ahead-of-chelsea-match
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I agree with Pasenal @ 11:44 pm. Such a pathetic attempt by the Telegraph to spin this as a case of bitter ex-manager rather than a lying, ungrateful player trying to worm his way back into the club
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Darren @dazzyd001 · 20h 20 hours ago
Sad times that @REDactionAFC won’t make a banner for our manager of nearly 20 years because they think it’s ‘too divisive’
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Afobe scores again, this goal could be the one to sink Wigan. Poor Dave Whelen.
Akpom getting good minutes at Forest for a teenager who is a stranger to his squadmates. A couple of goals before the end of the season is all he needs to make that a successful loan. Sanogo at Palace a tiny bit unlicky that Murray completed his rehab shortly after he arrived. Sanogo was insurance for Palace in case Murray was still niggled/struggling? On cue Yaya enters the fray for Glen on 59 minutes. Yup, defintely brought in to compete with Murray, who is a decent enough player, one who’d had a bad injury.
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Stuart MacFarlane, photographer posted pic of miniMesut table topper available in tomorrow’s programme. Think I might get one and take him on holiday for various “mesut on the beach” “mesut having a beer” type pics. Dunno if link will work, not sure how to do such stuff.
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Ah, I think it worked
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Maybe it didn’t. Went to moderation
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Anicoll5.
” October 26, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Considering what we saw at Trafford Park on Sunday lunchtime I think Cahill may well find a buyer in the North West for his questionable talents”
I trust you are correct, on Sunday!
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“Personally, I have the privilege to be in charge of this club for 15 years and I am very grateful that you place such a high confidence in me for such a long time.
I know that I am at a special club. If I have one merit, I think I have been loyal to this club and committed. I do not say I was always right. I knew always it was always a privilege to be at this club because I always had the support of people and the freedom to work the way I want.
I hope as well that in many years, people will look at this period and think that we have put the club on the right track and defended the right values and think that together we were not too stupid.”
We know of simpletons such as Boris Mellor, Tim Payton, Stuart Stratford and Peter Wood. Do we add Redaction? I have never bothered to find out.
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Good grief NOTH – it’s hard enough remembering what I wrote last week, never mind in October 2011 !
Have you been fiddling on the Wayback machine you rogue ?
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I cannot work out whether Villa are playing well, or Citeh are just in holiday mode.
Citeh lucky to be ahead so far.
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The merit of the story Andrew: Never doubt the word as brought by the NOTH..
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Villa lose to city, 3-2, now only 2pts from bottom 3, sunderland have game in hand, leicester and hull one point behind AV also each with a game in hand
city now second 1pt ahead of Arsenal, but AFC have 2 games in hand
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Villa were robbed. That play were Benteke was called offside could have ended up being a penalty. Delph is a beast.
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City have Tottenham, QPR, Swansea and Southampton. If they drop points at Spuds, we’ll be a shoo in for automatic CL qualification. They’ll be missing Yaya.
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Andrew, I check my facts, again and again. We ALL nod off at times?
It would seem that Eden Hazard has been resurrected, to stifle Mr Wenger.
25th September 2012, Mr Wenger was quoted as saying “Arsene Wenger has “no big regrets” over Arsenal’s failure to sign Eden Hazard before his switch to Chelsea, saying: “It was not feasible for us financially.”
As for Toby Alderweireld, on loan from Atletico Madrid to Soton, for a season 2014/2015. Atletico was beating Real Madrid In the Champions League Final, until Aiderweireld entered as a sub, only to lose 1-4. Read into that sub appearance, what you will! Alderweireld was not available for sale, last summer.
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I’m beginning to think NOTH works for MI6 or GCHQ Cheltenham.
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with Watford getting promoted today its worth mentioning that former Gooner Matthew Connolly has now helped 4 clubs gain promotion to the FAPL in his career so far, QPR (10-11), Cardiff (11-12), Cardiff (12-13) all 3 as champions, and now Watford, he has also only managed to play 9 FAPL games.
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