We like to hear things that reinforce our opinions.
We agree with those that have the same opinions as us and argue against those who have opinions that differ. Of course we do. Why would we not? I have yet to meet someone that thinks their opinion is wrong. If they did they would change it. So everyone thinks their opinion is right.
The problem starts when we argue against someone with superior knowledge of a subject and refuse to entertain the idea that they are more likely to be right than we are.
The problem with football is most people believe they have a great knowledge when in fact, in most cases, mine included, it’s nothing more than a basic layman’s knowledge. Then someone comes along – let’s say someone like Gary Neville – and says the same as you. Now Gary clearly has better than a layman’s knowledge so you hold him up as evidence that not only were you right, but you know as much as him, because you have drawn the same conclusions.
To me though, this a a bit like feelling unwell and wanting the opinion of a consultant to confirm your self-diagnosis; instead you speak to a nurse and because he/she confirms your thoughts, you are happy to accept this opinion.
What are pundits though?
As a rule they are either ex-footballers that were good at kicking a ball and not much else, serially failed managers or shock-jock second-rate journalists. They are employed for their entertainment value much more than their football nous.
As a rule they are “paint by numbers” in their thinking. They stick to the formula of how the layman sees the game. How many times do we hear “the United way, the Liverpool way or the Arsenal way” with pundits insisting that managers should stick to a sometimes 40- or 50-year old way of playing, because that once brought that club success. They pick the moment in time where the club had its greatest success with its greatest team and players and insist that is the template.
In the case of Arsenal that’s The Invincibles.
Arsene mixed that formula, it brought unprecedented success and he should stick to it.
Simples.
Well that might well work if the game had not moved on, if pitches had not improved, if the technical excellence of top players had not improved or perhaps if players as good as those from the previous era are now available to be bought and kept.
However, if you attempt to stick to that formula with lesser players, in a different environment, the chances are success will not follow.
If you are playing Dembélé, Schneiderlin and Remy for Vieira, Gilberto and Henry (because they are the nearest you can get or afford) then will it work? I would suggest not.
If you do what many clubs do and follow the formula of buying the best player you can afford, in the accepted mould, you will finish behind clubs that follow the same formula but can buy better players.
A player like Santi would never see the light of day in mid-field.
It might be that we can’t win the league with diminutive technical players like Santi, Jack, Ozil and Rosicky, but I suggest we have a better chance than with second-rate players that fit the accepted mould.
Pedantic George @Blackburngeorge
Positively Arsenal 
I am just after viewing Wenger’s pre newcastle press conference, and was very surprised by his comments on possible transfers, he basically said
nothing close yet
team of people working night and day on getting players in
we have specific targets and also expect that other possible targets will pop up too
window closing at 6 and not 12 means everyone will adjust and focus earlier
european window closing day earlier means less clubs in for same targets – also might mean players available at euro clubs.
http://player.arsenal.com/videos/6687/press-conference
so you may ask why am I surprised at any of that, well cos I had been on a few Arsenal sites before going on Arsenal.com, and there was a whinge fest about what Wenger had said about transfers. His comments totally distorted or a deliberate attempt to misconstrue what he had said. why do fans lose the run of themselves so much during transfer window time.
I really enjoy seeing some of these idiots go into meltdown, I get a real laugh out of comments such as “no players available, why didn’t we sign the CL winners Stoke bought”
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I don’t care what Juventus, Everton, Napoli, PSG, Bayern Munich or Dortmund have been saying about these players not being for sale, they are all available, and there are “no excuses” for AFC not buying some of them, Pogba 70 mil,Stones 40 mil,Higuian 60 mil,Cavani 40 mil,Lewa 50 mil,Aubemayang 50 mil,Reus 50 mil. all on the market, this has been made clear to me by someone who made it up so they could complain about Wenger, so why should I doubt them.
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That will do nicely, the Bavarians and the Athenians as usual, and the Croatians for a little new flavour
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I’ll take our group over City’s any day. I hope the goodwill between us and Dinamo prevails.
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Just want to be at home to either of the pot 3/4 clubs before the chelski game, while I know no CL games are easy we could do without a long away trip or a hard visit from muchun
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David Miles:
“If the exceptional player comes along we’ll be interested, just to buy a player for a change of face, no.”
cue twitter meltdown from the AAA
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Citeh appear a bit agitated
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have city signed de bruyne yet, he has been left out of the wolfsburg squad for their match v Schalke tomorrow.
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Might be a bit slow here, what’s the previous connection with Zagreb?
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Won’t be the same as a knockout tie, but the games against Munchen should be as high quality as the games against Dortmund last season (think it is obvious to state in hindsight that Kloppy was offski the way he and Dortmund were going about things last autumn – all effort into the CL games).
Javi Martinez is fit so that might make a difference but he might not be properly ready for the top top level after so long out, could be a bonus facing them early on in the season.
Crazy as it may seem, and bear with me hear, but many I know are not groaning and are looking forward to the extra intensity when the fixtures pile up.
As well as rotating CFs you might get alternate CM pairings, Ramsey-Arteta, Cazorla-Coquelin, and the rest. At a guess we might already have seen more rotation in those areas if Arteta was fully fit and the CF’s weren’t changed at the weekend.
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It was nice to see Vermaelan playing well. Never pleasant watching a good player hit the lows after injuries, but he has time yet to have another couple of strong seasons.
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Didn’t Eduardo join us from Zagreb Fins ?
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The De Bruyne transfer is warming nicely – they were already at €80 m and then Citeh get the #GroupofDeath and Wolfsburg get a decent chance against the Mancs and PSV
I would guess that added another €10 million to the price
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Hopefully Welbeck and Wilshere will be available for the league cup game with some rotation/resting/tweaking the week before for the trip to Zagreb in between the two league games.
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A team could win their group and still draw PSG or Real Madrid in the next round.
No point staring that far ahead, Newcastle had a good result. Another big PL game coming up.
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B™ @gunnerpunner 2h2 hours ago
Everton rejected £38m for Stones. They don’t want to sell him. Arsenal fan logic says Chelsea should bid £50m.
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http://arseblog.com/2015/08/stone-cold-dead-in-the-market/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
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I thought all teams in the group had some input into agreeing the fixtures. Playing Away on the Wednesday before playing chelski in an early Saturday KO is a major disadvantage. Yet we play at home on the Tuesday before playing manure at home on the Sunday that’s just crazy
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the clubs have no input into the fixtures, it all comes down to which group you get drawn in, also clubs from the same city can not have home matches on the same day.
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anyone know which other English club plays on the same nights as us, last year it was liverpool and here in Ireland they were the TV choice for the live game all six nights of the group
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Per not taking his medicine and Wenger hits back at Neville
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/601259/Arsenal-Per-Mertesacker-miss-Newcastle-trip-leaving-Arsene-Wenger-frustrated-treatment
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Wenger on what Arsenal need to do to increase goals scored
“We have to play quicker, be more incisive, combine quicker in the final third and we work hard on that,” he said.
“We create chances, but at the moment, we analyse well after the game the number of chances and the number of expected goals we should score with the chances we create. At the moment we have a little deficit between the chances we create and the number of chances we score.”
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150827/wenger-coquelin-is-doing-a-great-job?#1jZm3gVpJyEWTdES.99
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Daniel Geey @FootballLaw 1h1 hour ago
£16m & £20m are headline figures but loaning Balotelli & Markovic plus presumably subsidising wages shows the cost of transfers not working.
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Walïd Arsenal @1Walid1 4h4 hours ago
Return flight to Munich: £120.08
Return train to Newcastle: £127.00
It’s not just football clubs that rip us off.
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Fins: “Might be a bit slow here, what’s the previous connection with Zagreb?”
Many Dinamo fans liked the way we treated Eduardo.
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Fin, I think this is the year we nick a win against Bayern.
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Too true with regards to the masses, anicoll. We saw that one go out the window when we held first for a good run. The whole time it was just its not going to last.. Wenger is this… Wenger cant that… Wenger refuses to do this… he’s too stubborn to do that… he won’t sign my guy and play like my FIFA team. Its been non stop and the media has just egged it on until our own fell for it hook line and sinker.Very clever and certainly Freud would be proud. I realize the internet magnifies things a bit but don’t underestimate the internet. These cunts have literally nothing else to do.
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New post is up.
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