Annyeong hashimnikka my fellow Positivistas,
A polished performance against Everton yesterday and an entirely deserved win set the weekend rolling forward in a very pleasant fashion. We shall see how it ends by abut 6 p.m. tonight with the final whistle at the Lane and Trafford Park.
Of the game itself I admit even at 2-0 up I was never quite comfortable. Given that we were dominant, and defended well I can only put my edginess down to recent trauma and disappointment. To play as well as we did in Barcelona, to work so hard and yet still to be defeated would surely sap the (mental) strength of Achilles?
Not at all. After 63 hours off we looked the fresher, fitter side. A week after hammering the hated Chelsea it was Everton who struggled to match our energy and initiative.
Loud clapping for Danny and Alex Iwobi whose composed finishing was crucial in deciding the contest. The younger player particularly took his chance with great maturity, pace, balance, accuracy of shot = the holy trinity of finishing. What a week that young man has had!
I think the best moment in the game however was in the 44th minute, edge of the EFC box, Iwobi backheels to Danny, who immediately backheels to Iwobi. The Everton defenders’ heads were spinning, outrageous cheek and sublime skill.
Other plaudits for Ospina who, despite getting a painful bang, soldiered on. It would have been easy, indeed understandable for him to withdraw. I was yelping at the TV screen for a change as our Colombian hobbled about. He stayed in there and did his job. Brave boy. Elneny and Le Coq worked perfectly to see off the Everton midfield, Kosc and Gabriel sniffed out any spark Lukaku or Barkley might have lit. Bellerin and Nacho very sound going forward and disciplined as the home side got a toe-hold late on in the game. Sanchez good and unlucky with his penalty which really would have killed the game. Ozil always a yard ahead and a second faster than the pack of blue dogs chasing him. If I have left anyone out please feel free to add your comments, they all deserve it.
As for our opponents the opening sentence of the match report on the Toffees’ fan website Nil Satis Nisi Optimum ( Only the Best is good Enough) sums up their afternoon “Everton have fallen to their eighth home league defeat of the season after a first half masterclass from Arsenal condemned them to a 2-0 loss”
In line with my opening reference to being a little unsettled the game was just seconds old when the little urchin Coleman managed to clip our woodwork! The early high point however was about as exciting as it got. For the next 94 minutes Everton were, I thought, pretty bloody dire. That they apparently have the second worst home defence of any club in any top flight league in Europe surprises me not at all. Roberto Martinez can thank Mr Clattenburg that they are still only second in that league of Euro defensive infamy. The booing at the end of the game by what sounded like a lot of home supporters is ominous for the smooth Spaniard, especially with a new owner recently aboard and no doubt keen to make a splash. If I owned shares in Martinez I would sell.
We now all have a well earned break over the next few days. Use the down time wisely and enjoy your Sunday.
* for those who do not know the picture is of Speedo Mick, Evertonian and charity fund raiser – a man who laughs at adversity, with very tight trunks on and in all weathers.
Positively Arsenal 
” a first half masterclass from Arsenal condemned them to a 2-0 loss”
That would have been all that was needed. However, thanks for the rest. it was a lovely read.
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The old fart’s thoughts:
Well, well. According to the statistics we had less possession than Everton; committed more fouls; had less corner kicks and ran off-side more frequently. What game was I watching? Why does the thought that many of our players will be carrying bruises the size of soup plates occur? Sod it, I must be getting old.
It was a happy return to the much improved effort shown on Wednesday, with the central defence plus Le Coq blotting out the dangerous Lukaku to the extent that his only real contribution was to give Oosp some aches and pains in an accidental collision.
The game promised a goal fest at the start with both sides testing the woodwork and when we scored a lovely goal early on…a knife through butter type… with Welbz running on to a defence splitting pass from Alexis, thoughts of one of those Goodison hammerings emerged. A 6-1 or 4-0 maybe? It was the second time this week that Alexis had delivered such a pass. I have no problem with that other than it’s Oz that should be delivering them and Alexis scoring them.
Just before half time the glee on young Alex Iwobi’s face was a delight. He ran on to a long pass from Hector and scored his first goal for the club. Our second first time scorer of the week. As Del boy might have put it, “Lovely Jubbly”.
Unfortunately that was that as far as goals were concerned. Apart from a penalty claim (Alexis tried to carry on after a blatant foul and went down a second later…so, at last, a correct decision from Clattenburg in my book. He should have gone down immediately)and a disallowed goal by Olly for somebody else’s foul…how both Alexis and Olly need a goal… the drought is more than somewhat worrying.
Overall a good performance from the side, with both Elneny and Alex Iwobi playing roles that will make them difficult to leave out. Mind you, so was Joel Campbell at one point. One sour note though. Do you remember when Clattenburg was a bloody good referee? Yesterday he was awful especially in the second half when he should have handed out several yellow cards at least. Hopefully all the lads will recover in time for our next game. Fingers crossed that our international players return unscathed.
Keep the faith.
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Everton where woeful, Arsenal didn’t have to get out of second gear to defeat them. I reckon being an Arsenal fan must be a bit like being a Everton fan. One minute we’re screaming for our managers head,then next they do just enough to appease us.
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I was as surprised as you at the possession stats Gf – I think the team of statistical anoraks were daydreaming.
Elneny by the way – box to box midfielder – another top quality contribution and his height and long legs meant we won the majority of 50/50s across the middle. And this was the bloke who ran further than anyone else at the Camp Nou !? Early day I know but he has settled in well.
At risk of sending Kelly over the edge it will be a surprise to see the Egyptian back on the bench when our other midfielders recover their fitness.
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You know how it is Pablo – we take pleasure in the positive – as for Arsenal fans being like Everton fans the last trophy they won was 95, the last time they managed a CL qualifier place was 05 ( only to lose in the play off), the last time they seriously challenge for the title was the mid 80s.
No Pablo I do not think the spoiled brats who sport their black scarfs and wave their toy town banners have much in common with Everton fans, nor the fans of 91 other league clubs
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I agree with Andrew. I suspect Alex will make way when our first choice is fit again. Aaron, Alexis and this new exciting Danny Welbeck would be a heck of an attacking triumvirate. Having said that young Alex is brimming with confidence, sharp and skill-full and surprisingly strong as well. See him hold off the challenge before setting himself and slotting the ball home? A real talent, I just hope he doesn’t suffer as poor Serge Gnabry did and miss his boat.
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Thanks A5 as always, a nice and smooth write up today. Have you noticed the woman checking out the dark side of the moon? Above and to the right? Looking for an escaped Budgie? perhaps a Tottenham fan? Most bizarre photo Ive seen in ages!
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excellent A5, a quick return ball by Alex to Danny in that 44th minute delight would have led to goal of the season, but maybe im wishing for the sky.
One point to note is that if the bannerwankers get their way those fantastic moments, including the first goal, will be consigned to the past and lost in a cloud of defensive efficientcy.
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I’d recognise Peyton anywhere Millsy
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Well done Arsenal from an Evertonian. We do however always give a helping hand to teams which havent won for a while. Our home form has been a disgrace. i would rather have your manager than ours though. Want to swap?? Classy fans and enjoyed seeing Sanchez having a rest with our fans and the Speedo Mick chant. Hope you win the PL instead of Leicester. They are rank.
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LOL!!!!!
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Despite Everton being poor, thought that was quite encouraging. Very impressed by our Egyptian, he seems to work well with Coq, which will hopefully add another tactical dimension to our play…..ie increased solidity where needed as well as all out attack where appropriate with other players when they return.
Everton have some very dangerous players, and at their best are perfectly set up for one of those two shots two goals against us hijackings we have seen so often recently…….but our MF and defence didn’t give them a sniff, even though they were clearly allowed to play quite a physical game.
Good result to go into the inter lull, then, hopefully a good run for the rest of the season, our regulars are going to have a few challenges getting back in and that can only be a good thing.
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Very well done Andy5.
I’d like to give amen toon to the much maligned Gabriel, who had Lukaku in his pocket for much of the game.
That is the same Lukaku who is supposed to be Arsenal’s saviour next season acceding to the Internet numpties.
Was Clatternberg under orders to try to make the game a tight contest? – he denied us a goal and an obvious penalty.
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That is the ‘punishment’ these days for trying to stay on your feet these days DC – season after season of players flinging themselves over in the box with the slightest contact has made a lot of referees paranoid – how clearly Clattenburg could see the first contact with Besic I don’t know, the lino who should have had a good view at the side ignored it.
I am generally for referees avoiding cards as two silly fouls/offences can see a side reduced to 10 men but yesterday MC erred on the side of mercy too much.
“It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer” v “it is better that ten innocent men suffer than one guilty man escape”.
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I have already pounded out my likes in response to the previous comments made but I am saving the biggest for A5. The headline was provocative enough but that picture of the Toffee in the buff is a master-stroke. We at PA are so damned lucky. At least George knows how to get out of the way and trust his bloggers.
While in such a generous mood, I have to add my two cents to those expressing satisfaction with the performances of Iwobi and Elneny. Doesn’t it say something that they were two of the biggest positives from the game vs Barca last Wednesday. Evidently, by excelling when playing against the best club team in the world, it gave them psychological affirmation that they are just as good if not better than other top professionals they come against (Millsy and I are the amateur psycho-analysts on this site). Last Saturday, pre-Watford, some of us on Twitter were arguing this very point with a well-known blogger who wanted us to prioritize the FA cup and chuck-it-in for the Champions League by playing our second string. Could you imagine the psychological damage this would have caused? Would Iwobi and Elneny, just to mention those two, but the entire team for that matter, be so up for the challenge vs Everton? Need I answer my own questions.
Nobody has mentioned the performance of Gabriel yesterday. Both he and Kos were absolutely dominant in central defence, making sure that Lukaku did not have a sniff. I highlight the Brazillian because in his last few games he has had his wobbles but yesterday he was in a no-nonsense mood, refusing to be bullied by the big Belgian, demonstrating a huge dose of controlled aggression in doing his job. If he continues in this vein we may be seeing him finally supersede Per in the pecking order.
Finally what a shocker by Clattenberg yesterday. I must disagree stridently with gf60, (Jim Beglin on my feed and the various Clattenberg apologists in the media) on the penalty call. The fact that Alexis went down on a delayed basis has nothing to do with the fact that he was initially tripped when dribbling with the ball. How often do we see refs call back plays in other parts of the field when the victimized player was fouled but there was no advantage gained seconds after the initial offence. The hypocrisy of the punditry that players must try staying on their feet was exposed in all its shamelessness. When Jamie Vardy goes down under the slightest contact, even tripping over his own legs, he is regaled in the media as being a clever player. How often in Vardy’s defence, the trope is wheeled out that attacking players has the right to go down if there is contact but if a foreigner or Arsenal-player hits the deck the same hypocrites declare it was not sufficient for a penalty. I hope I live to see the day when the video ref is introduced and this abject abuse of referee discretion is ended.
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Don’t think Clatters needed to see the first foul on Alexis as the second foul on Alexis was still a foul. even though he’d started to fall over he was still clattered. I don’t know how Clattenburg missed the infringement (the second one), unfortunately we can’t make an excuse for this official we’ve been happy to praise in the pass missing that foul. that was a very poor and at the top level inexcusable error on the day (because both Lino and ref could see the second foul), one of many.
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Fantastic and enjoyable performance from the archangel for me.
I think we’ll see an incremental improvement with his passing out the back too, not sure if he’ll hit the levels we’ve seen from The BFG or even from our very own super exciting CB of the future Chambers (that’s my best guess), but there’ll be more to come there from Gabriel.
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But most of all I think we all enjoyed the control from the midfield three. All three midfielders doing very different jobs all of them playing with great skill and intelligence and controlled aggression too.
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Shotta
It’s been my sneaky suspicion that Gabriel became the starter after the Gazprom home game. The injury he picked up made it I tricky to guess, but I think with the line up at Everton it’s safe to speculate (haha!) that the BFG is now going to be the back up (and additional player-coach) for the defence.
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No worries, A5, I agree with Stew. It is Alex who will make way when Aaron returns. We already saw glimpses of that plan at the Lane. Of course, he just had to go out right as it was at the point of coming together. But the good news is the indication from Arsene that he (and Cech!) will be back after the break or shortly thereafter. A long way from “his season may be over” and “he might not regain fitness in time for the Euros”. That should be a lesson for me.
Also, I hope we see Aaron and Mo together in midfield at some point. Could be reminiscent of Arteta/Ramsey? We’ll see.
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A Ramsey ELNeny axis could be just the ticket at home.
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Good contribution Andy. Unlike Clattenburg, ordinarily one of only a couple of referees I actually like in the PL. He had a miserable game made worse by the impression his performance left of someone under orders to go easy on Everton. Aside from Clatters, two linesman and a fourth official also had miserable games and jointly contributed to the impression of a decision to favour Everton at every opportunity.
Where’s the accountability, where’s the retribution?
Where’s the pressure on any of them to do their job properly?
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I think howard webb said that alexis was double fouled, a penalty by 2 if you like.
giroud goal disallowed for what
giroud taken out of it on edge or in area too, and not given
giroud shot saved by the keeper, but goal kick given
constant fouls not given, yellows not given
also if lukaku went in to a challenge outfield like he did on Ospina, not only would it have been deemed a foul, it would be a straight red card, as Lukaku was not in control of himself and it would clearly be deemed reckless. the fact he was trying to score does not actually change the rules of the game or of challenges or tackles
Clattenburg and his crew should be suspended from the BPL refs list for yesterdays downright awful performance.
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Everton were shit
Everton were awful
Everton woeful
Everton toothless
Everton defense hopeless
the odd thing about all those statements is that they were made by Arsenal fans, it would not do to praise the Arsenal performance, now would it.
Arsenal got their tactics spot on yesterday.
Gabriel man marked Lukaku, he did not worry himself about other Everton attackers if Lukaku was anywhere near his side of the penalty area. But its dismissed as “Lukaku never plays well against AFC”, odd that, with him being World Class and all that.
Coquelin man marked Barkley, and combine that with Gabriel having Lukaku in his pocket, and Everton’s attacking threat was gone.
Coquelin and Elneny also cut the passing lanes for Everton passing out from the back, and this combined with Owobi and Welbeck and Alexis, chasing and harrying the Everton defenders and it explains why AFC dominated. Clattenburgs performance explains why it was not far more than 2-0
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Positively Arsenal @Blackburngeorge 58m58 minutes ago Blackburn, England
And the suggestion that “big teams” get favoured with penalties is hard to justify when we get NONE.
I seen on MOTD Extra today, that old soundbite being put forward for CFC’s penalty v West Ham yesterday. And my thought was that this has to be another way at saying AFC are not a big club, as we don’t even get the clearest of penalties, and have not for a few years now.
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Ah but where is the assistance for any of them to do their jobs properly AA, or even better ?
Now correct me if I am wrong but has any referee, or an refereeing organisation anywhere, ever said that all their decisions will be correct ? No
So why do we expect, indeed demand, perfection ?
A game played at high speed in which the officials struggle to ensure they cover half a dozen things happening simultaneously on the pitch.
Against that frantic background the referee will make 20 good call in a match but if he makes a single error it will be highlighted from 20 camera angles in slo-mo and torn to shreds. And yet not one of those ‘experts’ has ever refereed a professional football match, or ever intends to. Savage, Owen, Hoddle, Murphy, Shearer half-wittery incarnate yesterday and every Saturday.
Listen to Webb – after watching te replays and slo-mos he says the decision is rigt, te decision is wrong, that is the beginning and end if it.
If every decision a manager was subject to the same forensic scrutiny, not to mention some of the trash that is served up by the so called professional footballers in their play we would never get through a game.
Condemned by managers, the media and a million experts on Twitter with no opportunity to respond.
Diving, cheating players, and very, very rare any ever admonishment or criticism from a manager or the media of their game wrecking misbehaviour.
Send one off and does he give a fuck if he gets a week off ?
No wonder no one can be arsed to get into refereeing.
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anicol the PGMOL claim their refs get 92% of decisions correct, I am waiting for them to shows us their unicorn too.
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“So why do we expect, indeed demand, perfection ? ”
Never once read anyone here demand perfection. You are setting up an argument your opponent isn’t making just so you can rebuff it. Why you feel the need to constantly defend the appalling standard of officiating I do not know. What is it you are seeing the rest of us can’t?
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by the way anicol I agree with you that it is just plain silly that any stock is put to what most pundits have to say about the refs decisions, as more often than not they actually don’t even know the rules, it always amazes me that guys who played the game professionally for 10 to 15 have so little knowledge of the actual rules of the game. also how they advocate the breaking of the rules, with stuff like its ok to dive, refs should not call it cos everyone does it, and if refs called those fouls there would be ten penalties a game or ten sent off a game.
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On penalties, I have a prediction which I want everyone to bookmark:
IF, only if, Arsenal is mathematically out of the title chase, someone from the PGMOL mob, keenly aware of the overwhelmingly incriminatory statistics, will gift us a generous penalty in a game where the result is essentially meaningless. And the awful two-faced media, most likely the Guardian, will write some smarmy, self righteous puff piece as to how difficult a job the referees have and how these decisions even out in the end. Yeah, right.
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This is a great clip from Arsenal Fan TV with Speedo.
This is how all football fans should behave.
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Well what do ‘expect’ of referees Stew ? What would you anticipate as a reasonable error ? What margin would you allow for human fallibility ?
You ask what I see ?
I see a man trying to do his best
I see a man doing a job I would not touch with a bargepole
I see a man do a job I could not do
I see a convenient punch bag, but do not feel the urge to put it to use.
I think that covers it.
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isnt’t this one of the most contradictory things any WOB / kroenke out puts up, Dein brought Kroenke to the club, sold him some shares, and persuaded Fizsman to sell him some shares too, and persuaded the board to sell him shares. Then fizsman on his deathbed sold him all his shares to make him majority shareholder. And Dein cared so little for money and so much for Arsenal he sold all his shares to Usmanov.
by the way memz who is one of the most vocal of WOB, has said today it would be ok for Wenger to stay if Dein was back. Talk about running with the Hares and barking with the Hounds.
Memz Dogi Ⓜ️ @Memz_Dogi 21m21 minutes ago
They cared. It wasn’t about making money. They were also fans who wanted to see Arsenal FC become the very best
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One thing I think is incredible is the abuse that referees put up with from players. No other game in the world as far as I have ever seen allows players or competitors curse officials face to face with nil sanction. Just crazy.
I would not speak to anyone like that – even on Twitter !
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anicol, refs own fault for allowing the abuse, the rules are there for them to deal with it, twice over, they can card them during the game, or failing that they can mention it in their match report and make the FA act. They don’t so only themselves to blame.
as you say refs in other sports don’t get this abuse, and that is simply cos they don’t allow it, they apply the rules on it. Football refs don’t apply the rules. Only they can answer why not.
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They should eddy, I wholeheartedly agree, and if they don’t then the PGMOL, the PL and the FA should bloody enforce it.
And if the referees, PGMOL, PL and the FA find it all too much, then the employers of the foul mouthed cretins should have a word.
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well anicol I see Arsenal being lambasted cos our players don’t cheat enough and partake in the black arts, can you imagine if we took action against our players for arguing with refs, by the way to me it looks like our players give refs a very easy time of it, compared to many other clubs
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Anicol
Always a pleasure to read your articles, and the general tone of this site is a welcome reprieve from much of the noise elsewhere.
On referees though, we disagree.
Not that they are often unfairly targeted and abused. This happens. But because there is an institutional culture of silence and obfuscation. Blame it on the pgmo. even the previous head of that organisation says the fact the league (and by implication their vested monetary interests) controls the referees organisation instead of the FA like everywhere else, means that it has become a more political organisation.
They don’t allow referees to talk about their decisions. Including paying them hush money when they retire. They claim 92% accuracy in decisions without any basis to support it. They enforce rules arbitrarily even post facto (Drinkwater’s tackle was deemed alright even on video) Then there’s the lack of referees from the South of England. The small number of referees, and the specific guys who get the big matches (so even in their tiny list of elite referees, some are treated as more elite) and of course, an observable pattern of bias.
It is not one of those things. It isn’t an accident. It isn’t an acceptable margin of error. No one’s demanding perfection. The referees aren’t helped, yes. But the public can’t affect that change except by complaining. Only the refs can bring in better tools to help them. But are they interested in taking on the establishment that denies them the ability to do their job properly? It would appear that on evidence, they all prefer their 100k job much more, and the guys who run them, control a multi billion pound business venture.
On the abuse the players give referees, I believe we must punish that, but also mic up the refs like in rugby, so we can hear what he says to them and to the other officials.
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you know this whole “Emirates Stadium full of tourists”, is the reason why we have a poor atmosphere soundbite things, does anyone have actual stats for amount of “tourist” fans on match day, as I’ve seen it claimed that its a load of bollocks, and that only 4% of match day fans can be described as tourist fans. I know there are 38000 season ticket holders, and that there are always about 3000 tickets for away fans, so that is 41000 right there, meaning there are only 19000 more tickets to fill, and that goes to members, Red and Silver.
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Noticed nobody has taken me up on my prediction. Hmmm!
Last summer, during the Copa America, I had the privilege of listening to the punditry of Christian Vieri (one of Italy’s highest ever goalscorers in the FIFA World Cup and winner of several honors). Privilege because he was a shining light among the usual gaggle of failed ex-managers or less than elite ex-pros who have no choice but to do media work after hanging up their boots. Bobo, as he is affectionately called, explained the attitude of a top Italian goal scorer to going down in the box. As far as he was concerned once an opponent made contact by making a “clumsy” challenge it was his duty to go down in the box and let the referees decide. He was explicit, the striker has no obligation to stay on his feet because of the opponent’s clumsiness or misjudgement.
I wish the English were as refreshingly non-hypocritical. Maybe they would have more than one World Cup to their name. While I hate Italian gamesmanship about as much as any Brazilian (I was madly in love with the 1982 Brazillian team), there is a reason why they have 3 world cup titles to their names. Meanwhile we have the English media hypocritically moralizing about players staying on their feet but their best strikers like Owen and Rooney have no compunction about going down like a cheap whore once they feel any contact.
Arsene is an Anglophone despite all the scurrilous shit thrown at him by the English media and he evidently believes players shouldn’t dive to earn penalties but in my opinion Alexis had no business trying to stay up once he felt the contact.
And Mitrovic scores!
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I probably agree with 92% of that Shard ( banned smiley)
As you say as fans, us ‘customers’ who pay for the whole damn thing, should demand that officiating is performed at to the very highest standard possible, including use of all available technology.
I would not however mind seeing a few more fans demanding that clubs, i.e, their own clubs stop players cheating and diving and feigning injury as a matter of course.
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Eddy never seen any stats at all on tourists,as I have said before though I have sat in the middle of a few Norwegian stag parties in the Family Enclosure !
There is a difference between the Arsenal fan from overseas who, after saving up for years and stowing away on a cargo ship finally getting to see the mighty Arsenal, and the ‘Tourist. Again as I have said before I have sat among groups who have no idea what is going on or where they are. Leaving at half time is a clue, in my opinion.
The rumour is that most of these Tourist tickets are the residue of the 8-9,000 Islington resident tickets that were handed over by the club at the time of Emirates ‘negotiations’ with Islington Council. They were distributed and registered to local residents who have never been to the Ems in their lives but get a little bung from the agents.
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anicoll
Agree with that. If I thought Wenger was instructing his players to dive I would be appalled. It is one of many reasons I don’t want Mourinho or his ilk to manage ‘my’ club. I don’t want cheats. I’m proud of having a manager who isn’t afraid to say winning is never at all costs.
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#Rafa
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southampton 0-1 Liverpool – why can’t AFC have a manager like Klopp
southampton 0-2 Liverpool – Piers was right, we really missed the boat with Klopp
Southampton 1-2 Liverpool – Koeman might be a good alternative seeing as we missed out on Klopp
southampton 2-2 Liverpool – Koeman is the man alright, get him now
Southampton 3-2 Liverpool – klopp who, Koeman is way better than Wenger, get him in before one of the big teams get him.
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All turning into a bit of a shambles at the Etihad – really flat performance in the derby, no noise, everyone going through the motions
The red Mancs aren’t much better
Surely neither of these can get a CL place ??
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while it seems mean to begrudge pellegrini a good finish… top 4 PL win the CL… it will give too much advantage to pep…
i want pep in the europa league next season…
if not that the carling cup win already put them in it, i would have said no Europe for him… he us too arrogant and full of himself… announcing his new club midway through a season was just too disrespectful… dont think this is his first time either!
lose the final of the CL… COME 8TH IN THE PL would be good for PEP TO PICK UP FROM…
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Eduardo et al,
We can follow Ken Friar’s salary rises, from the time Ken became a director in the 80’s
In the 1991 Financial Accounts, we learn that Mr Dein’s emoluments were £56,000 plus. Proving PHW wrong, as there was money in the Arsenal shares! Mr Dein, held 23,816 shares at that time. Mr Dein, had consolidated his position as “Mr Arsenal”.
During the 90’s Mr Dein also ensured he had the proxies for the Danny Fitzman shares.
With his control being contested, Mr Dein sought, first an American and then a Russian to support his autocracy.
We now know that Herbert Chapman had no Arsenal pedigree, Bruce Rioch had no Arsenal pedigree. Mr Wenger is now Mr Arsenal.
COTG. .
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Samuel Marsden @samuelmarsden 2h2 hours ago
Valencia fans really going for Neville now. Whole ground almost joining in with Gary vete ya(Gary go now) chant as he breaches the touchline.
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Daniel Taylor @DTguardian 3h3 hours ago
Man City have 51 points from 30 games. Last four seasons at the same stage: 61, 67, 62, 70. It’s been woeful considering the £ spent.
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