Its the new stick used by the malcontent to beat Arsene with. They are turning Leicester’s miracle season from their success to Arsenal’s and Arsene’s failure. “Arsene said we couldn’t compete with oil money” they squeal with glee. “George, this destroyed your argument that we needed oil money to compete” my own personal hoard of following halfwits screech at me on Twitter.
Well they would be right, had I, Arsene or anyone else said that. The problem for them is, we didn’t say that. Or anything remotely like it. In fact here is exactly what I said on this very blog last July.
“There have been studies done that show an 85% direct correlation between spend and success, across all major leagues. This isn’t my opinion, it is fact. It may be a sad fact and one we wish didn’t exist, but a fact it is and being a fact, we have to acknowledge it and until it changes, accept it. In simple terms that leaves you a 15% chance of beating the odds. So yes, it can be done. Again I ask though, not why Arsenal ‘could’ be the team to do it, but why they ‘should’ be the club to do it?
People will point to Atlético Madrid as an example of how it can be done. Yes, but they are the 3rd biggest club in Spain and have done it once in 20 years. That is 5% of the time and within the previously mentioned 15% window.However that simply proves the maths, it does not mean they (or anyone else) should be expected to do it. Just that its possible. No one is saying its impossible.”
So there we have it. A correlation of 85% between spend and success means that 85 times out of 100, money wins. For the slow of learning, it doesn’t mean 100 times out of 100. The debate has never been whether its possible to compete with less money, but rather how much of a disadvantage it puts Arsenal (or any other team for that matter) at.
If Leicester do go on and win the title, it will do nothing more than confirm that it is possible, but as I said, that was never in question.
The fact is that since Roman and Mansour tipped up with their ill-gotten gains, they immediately made it (this is simplistic) 85% more difficult for teams that can’t match their spending, to win the league. No one was making it up. Chelsea, and City have won it with United being the only team that was able to have a squad that matched their’s on cost. Only those three clubs were able to pay the wage bill that allowed them to compete for the League Cup and Champions League. The two exceptions, so far, have been Leicester and Liverpool, coincidentally both teams that had/have no interest in any competitions other than the league itself. I’m not imagining this, it happened. Honestly, its in history book now.
If we glance across The Channel we see that PSG are 21 points clear after 24 games. Is anyone going to tell me this is down to anything other than “oil money” ?
The rarity of what Leicester are doing does not show how easy it is to do, the very opposite in fact, it proves how difficult it must be.
People will say “if Leicester can do it , why not Arsenal ?” Well the truth is there is no reason why it should not be Arsenal. That said, you must accept then that any team can do it. Not just Arsenal. Why should Arsenal be the one club that should have been expected to do it?
So let all the malcontents climb back on their perches and wait until they can find their next stick.
Positively Arsenal 
Three blogs in two days? This is like the Christmas fixture schedule. I can only assume you didn’t read yesterday’s blog (the early edition not the afternoon one) these people aren’t malcontents, they don’t care if you said this or didn’t say that they only want to argue with you and most of all, the most important thing is for you to fight back on twitter and now here.
Unless you enjoy the fight too I have to ask why on earth do you engage?
LikeLiked by 3 people
“Let a thousand flowers bloom, a hundred schools of thought contend”.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I assume Tim and the Scarfist will be arranging some sort of walkout this Sunday to express their outrage about something ? Reading the papers this morning I suspect walkouts will be the new protest of choice, banners being so ‘last season’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spot on George. Leicester doing exactly what nobody gave them a snowballs chance in hell to do, proves that what they’re doing is NOT easy.
Leicester’s remarkable season has removed all, if they had any, sanity from these losers – who loves referring to themselves as winners – who contradict themselves daily. They got 150k signatures on a petition after Mike Dean’s Chelsea game and made memes about Diego Costa’s dive to get BFG sent off, yet last night asked totally puzzled how Chelsea managed to beat Arsenal twice.
Leicester are doing well because are playing with the freedom of a team that got nothing to lose. Pundits and their fans don’t anally over-analyse their play frame by frame.
Well done to them, and may Arsenal put an end to them this coming Sunday.
LikeLiked by 2 people
PG You just reminded me of that lovely story of the guy who asked what his chances were of winning (? title, ?race.?maybe Eddie the ski jumper) and he was told “A million to one against.”
“You mean I have a chance?”
Keep the faith
PS Did you mean lied and not leid?
LikeLiked by 1 person
well surely it can not be claimed that Leicester City are challenging for the title, at this point in time only Man City and maybe Man Utd are challenging for the title, its February 8th, not May 8th, and we know from the last 12 years that it is not challenging for the title for teams like Leicester City or Arsenal when you are at the top at this time of year. Don’t journos, pundits, expert fans, AFC blogs, AFTV etc etc tell us Arsenal have not mounted a title challenge in 12 years, and we’ve been top on March 20th, and been in top two in April, and still been mathematically in title race in May, so it is stupid, even outrageous for anyone to claim Arsenal, Spurs or Leicester City are in this season title race.
Unless of course different rules/criteria are applied to teams other than Arsenal, then of course Leicester City and Spurs are title contenders, and Arsenal are not and have not been for 12 years.
LikeLike
Carl Jenkinson is 24 today, and he has had a successful operation on his knee injury and the lad expects to be in time for pre-season.
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is the same Leicester FC that the plundits so beloved of Georges sparring partners were lampooning because they hired a foreign manager with a dodgy accent who’d been denigrated by their pin up hero?
I have to agree with Steww. These are the same people that complained about a LW being played at CF, about Toure being converted to CB, about Pires being on the pitch. Etc.
I wouldn’t bovver
LikeLike
13 BPL games to go, 7 at home and 6 Away
Home
Leicester
Swansea
West Brom
Watford
Crystal Palace
Norwich
Aston Villa
Away
Man Utd
Spurs
Everton
West Ham
Sunderland
Man City
of the seven we have at home we have this season beaten 5 of them away(Leicester, Swansea, Watford, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa) and drawn one other(Norwich), and one loss (WBA)
And of the six away fixtures we have have beaten four of them at home,(Man Utd, Everton, Sunderland, Man City) drawn with 1(spurs) and lost 1(west ham)
LikeLike
Just a minor point I feel needs to be brought to the attention of the malcontented.
Leicester have won nothing as yet….
LikeLiked by 1 person
and why do the WOBs presume we wont win the league.Puddleglums!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent point GP, and even if they do they will still be the first club with less expenditure to finish above us in twenty years or there about.
At the moment all of the top four are just as likely to finish fourth as first, its going to be close.
LikeLiked by 1 person
First time in along time there was some decent plunditary on MOTD alas not from the usually bearable Keown who gave Chamberlain the kind of grilling that players like Sterling or Lindegaard (at other clubs) never ever seem to receive. Ever. Lindegaard is older then Chambo!* You couldn’t make up such lampoonable bias but there it is. For context at about the same age Keown had to leave afc before returning later on. Utterly uncredible reportage. We know why this great club receives such jaundiced coverage but I digress the former Tottenham player’s description of Ramsey’s deep lying play making was nice to hear when compared to the usual mindless and irrelevant gibberish in football plunditary.
Those clipped passes over the top were delicious and this subtle and direct variation won’t be commented upon by George’s sparring buddies.
*and he’s still done more in an England shirt then any of his peers. In spite of his injury trials which have limited his apps etc. of course were not mentioned during his ‘assessment’. Almost as if they are describing a game or spectacle for consumption and not a sport…I understand Keown needs to keep busy and in with the crew.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fins I seen Keown on Football Focus come out with a load of bull about how disgraceful it is this season for CFC and Man City players performance to drop off, just cos they had success last season or season before, and how it never happened in his time at Arsenal, how he and others did not allow it to happen — all well and good until you realize its the very same Arsenal that never won back to back titles, the same AFC that fell apart once the 49 game run ended. He also came out with some guff about if “leicester win the title Arsenal should be ashamed of themselves”, – yeah just Arsenal, not man utd, not man city, not spurs, not liverpool, not cfc, no just Arsenal should be ashamed of themselves, to think some still wonder why he is not one of our coaches.
LikeLiked by 2 people
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160208/breakdown-bournemouth-a-
LikeLike
Tim Stillman @Stillberto 18h18 hours ago
United haven’t won any of their last 10 games v Chelsea. Mental block?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fins: “we know why this great club receives such jaundiced coverage” but this is exactly the question I keep coming back to. Why do we? Why do so many pundits dismiss us? Why do the refs so often apply different standards in our games (and hats off here to Mr Friend who resisted the temptation to send off Flamini). Because I can’t see who it benefits unless it is to create the conditions for a hostile takeover. Or is it just that Arsenal alone threaten the gravy train….
LikeLiked by 1 person
eddy i pay no mind to those words he’s just playing the game
at least Keown’s put in the hard graft at the grassroots coaching level & had an input into the coahing debate. I guess he’s simply decided on moving forward on the telly and not the dugout and therefore has to toe the editorial line. Having listened to him over the years I guess that he’s making up for having been contrary to their orthodoxy in the past IBSF
LikeLike
FH
Not a mafia club.
Not owned by a betting ‘company’ (see above)
etc.
We are not going to see the club get rational or sane comment after a game from Souness the former manager of the club once known as Rangers *coughs*, who spent Liverpool down into the doldrumns and who made challenges like the one Flamini made on saturday during his pre-match warm ups every week to call that obvious yellow for the obvious yellow that it was. Why would he do that when he could just start banging on mindlessly and incredulously (given who it was doing the talking) to be not disingenious here and say something that we didn’t predict?
LikeLike
When you observe mindless and irrational repetition from a broadcaster that can simply and accurately be defined as propaganda. It works best through fear and that is the mechanism used on football fans too (not just from AFC).
LikeLike
highlights of the U18’s 4-0 win over southampton at the weekend. by the way the U19’s have a big game in the YCL tomorrow away to Anderlecht, a one off knock out game
http://player.arsenal.com/matches/g818331/video/7365/under-18s-v-southampton-h
LikeLike
You’ve been listening to that TalkSport again haven’t you Tim !?!
LikeLiked by 1 person
this might help clear up why Flamini was “only” booked
LikeLiked by 2 people
ha ha ha, PGMOL are taking an interest in the title race, Martin Atkinson has been appointed ref for Arsenal v Leicester City on Sunday.
LikeLike
oh no! Atki kacki!
LikeLike
Marty!
Now there is a man whose return to the top is as surprising in its own way as Leicester’s efforts this season – one of the top three these these days though with Clatters and Mr Oliver.
LikeLike
I’d put the Friendly Mr.Friend above our colour blind non-friendly and fairly obvious and indiscreet bungler – by memory one rickety game out of his last four for mr. friend which is better then I could do- that could explain why we’re lucky to see him twice in a season?
LikeLike
My bad I always get MA and Mariner confused!
LikeLike
Matkinson Mariner, meh
LikeLike
Arsenal’s recent record with Martin Atkinson as referee:
7 games
1 win
1 draw
5 losses
LikeLike
Last seven times Marty has had the whistle 3 wins, 1 draw, 3 defeats
A good record at the Ems although obviously the referee was entirely responsible for our opening day defeat by the Ammers
LikeLike
–
The Arsenal vs. Leicester game last season was a good ‘un. Mahrez impressed coming off the bench, I guess like many and most (but not all: Cazorla, Alexis etc.) he needed a season to adjust to the PL?
LikeLike
But the Leicester Arsenal match this season was better!
In form, unbeaten Leicester against an Arsenal squad that were not considered to be ‘contenders’ at that time. 2-5.
Highest scoring leage game of the season for the Arsenal? Yup.
Keown has been a good plundit and he did make the plausible opinion that few if none if his peers will make (safe beti?), that the BFG is on rotation out of the starting XI at the moment partially in order to give Gabriel a run in the build up to the Leicester game? Who knows. Was always a huge game regardless of the result at City. Can’t wait for KO!
LikeLike
As Ramsey chose to ignore his left foot and Giroud with that late chance I rested easy safe in the hope that they’ve saved their goals for the Leicester game.
LikeLike
V good,piece, PG.
FIF have a consistent take on why Leicester are doing well.
fins,
IBSF?
LikeLike
Thanks George.
Leicester can play with complete freedom.
They have no Cup distractions, they are well past the 40 point mark, and are now 12 points above Man Utd’s challenge for 4th place with 13 games to go – so top 4 looks good and why shouldn’t they consider themselves contenders for the big one?
I bet they won’t have a bunch of cunts calling for Raneri Out if they don’t win the title.
Leicester do have some outlier statistics that make you ponder – the most running club, the most tackles won club, All a bit too energetic.
Hmmmm.
Make’s me wonder.
Magic dust?
LikeLiked by 2 people
George,
An impassioned and perfectly argued Post, and as a bonus an enjoyable put down of those who gloat at the most ridiculously contrived ‘fact’ to try and prove you were wrong about something you did not say.
But I will say it.
1) The Chavs were on the verge of bankruptcy when bought by the oligarch, Abramovich, and after the odd billion pounds sterling, or two, were pumped into the club they assembled a squad of some of the best quality players available, with the attendant humongous salaries – and, hey presto, they started winning trophies.
2) Man City were a perennial mid-table club for more than two decades, bought by the oil rich state of Abou Dhabi, and again with the infusion of a billion pounds sterling, or two, they had assembled a quality squad of some of the best players available, with matching salaries – and hey presto, again — is there a sense of déjà vu here? – they started to win trophies.
3) A variation on that was the acquisition of Manure by the Glazers, who against all perceived wisdom at the time, threw a lot of money into buying quality players with eye watering salaries, won trophies that produced incredible sponsorship deals that paid for the player investments (big money introduced by a different method) as well as funding their initial purchase of the club – clever but highly risky if it had gone wrong – and, yet again, proof that money talks.
4) And what about ‘poor’ Leicester, one of the possible winners of the Premier League this season (not if Arsenal have anything to do with it) – did I say they too have been acquired by a multi-billionaire businessman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, in 2010?
Ah, yes, money has become abundantly available to that club too – inconvenient for those arguing that money does not matter to their success. Am I allowed to say – bollocks?
Finally, in days of yore when all English football clubs were relatively impoverished, prior to the oil-fest acquisition of football clubs by states and oligarchs, the available trophies were spread around more freely among the accepted aristocrats of the football leagues.
Even so, there were surprise winners of the old First Division – OK I had to look this up – when lowly teams such as Ipswich (1962), Derby County (1972), Notts Forest (1978) took on and beat the mighty Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United, Everton teams of the time.
Two things emerge – (a) money definitely oils the way to more riches and trophies. (b) there will always be a rare anomaly where a ‘small’ club will defy the odds, both in the leagues and cups,.
Your Post was spot on George – and I cannot believe anyone has the cheek to argue with you about anything you said.
LikeLiked by 2 people
LikeLike
Good grief Henry !
The interesting thing about money and football is that while it oils the wheels, excessive sums of cash can have a disruptive effect as well. I mean that in the sense that an excess of financial resources destroys any tendency towards patience or developing a team to not just produce immediate results and trophies, but to found a structure that will endure long after that cash-rush has worn off.
I have in mind here particularly the red Manchester club who, despite being the richest in the country from the 60s onwards, spent 26 years trying to recapture the League title, and even longer before gaining a sniff of a second European Cup. Year after year they would spend big money on new players, every three or four seasons they would change manager with the League title as far away as ever. It was not until they appointed AF, accepted several seasons of comparative frustration, before they finally had a football team that could go on and win trophies.
Since the Scotsman’s departure they seem to be on the same slippery slope again – bafflingly expensive purchases of the Di Maria as well as a coach-load of expensive but distinctly average performers. A gradual sliding down the PL hierarchy and about to dispose of the Dutchman and appoint God knows who.
Too much money, no patience.
LikeLike
Hi anicoll,
I totally agree, which is why I said in the Manure paragraph that their system, particularly regarding the Glazer years, was high risk, which in their case has unfortunately paid off until now.
The horrible thought is that if, as rumoured, they appoint Moanihio, he will right the ship and off they will go with all guns blazing, and it may well become a trio of heavily moneyed clubs knocking hells bells out of each other for a few years – fortunately they cannot all win, and hopefully if Moany gets the job, he will also get the boot within a couple of years, if Guardiola spends really big and blows him out of the water.
Trouble is – it won’t make it any easier for us, I suppose.
Excess money is the root of all evil – but we are stuck with it.
LikeLike
Excess money root of all evil? Think its the mind…and from there we have create all systems. Until the mind frame isnt changed we are, as you say stuck with it.
If Pep fails we might well see the end of the mercenary manager type whose flow in to win because the backers say will it. I personally would like to see the end of that.
I liked the way you pointed out the Foxes as not being a poor club this is an important factor that conveniently ignored, and as the years have proven most facts are ignored by the WOBs.
LikeLike
I wonder about the capacity for even the richest owners to go on spending and spending. Why would you do that ? Roman is presumably as politically safe beyond the nominal grasp of Vladimir Putin as any oligarch and his apparent reluctance to go the extra mile on behalf of Stones in the Summer suggested a degree of caution not seen in the old days. And they we have Mansour flogging off 13% of Citeh to the Chinese – why ffs ? what is the strategy ? What do they think they have bought ? Surely not a drain just to pour money into.
Interestesting times
LikeLike
a link for the live stream of this evenings YCL games – Anderlecht v Arsenal – kick off is at 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLiLP5czQiQ&feature=youtu.be
LikeLike
Ben Dinnery @BenDinnery 5h5 hours ago
Wanyama is handed a 5-game ban following following his third sending-off of the season v WHU on Saturday. #SaintsFC
Flamini who gets booked occasionally is a liability, Wanyama who gets sent off 3 times this season already is the exact type of players we need, or so I’m told, I do wonder if Flamini was a BBB would his haters view him completely differently
LikeLike
I see the League of Ireland have used the rant by an Irish Liverpool Fan on liverpool fan tv about the £77 ticket to highlight that the fan could choose to watch his local League of Ireland team in 7 matches for that price
the LFTV fan rant – sorry I don’t have the link to the League of Ireland ad
LikeLike
just seen it claimed that the Asian betting markets have Arsenal at very short odds to have a player sent off v Leicester on Sunday. It must be the Martin Atkinson effect, or is that the PGMOL effect.
LikeLike
Given our recent record on cards I am piling in Eddy – thanks for the tip
LikeLike
giroud off v QPR
LikeLike
Ivanovic got away with this
LikeLike
the goal stood
LikeLike