Good Morning Positivistas,
I thought I would out pen to paper this Sunday morning as it is weeks since I have had anything to write about on the Arsenal theme, and the past few days have rather rocked the Positive++ in me to their foundations.
I had hoped some Arsenal news might emerge to hang a written contribution on, but so far nothing. The best I can come up with is that we start out season in the Avaya Stadium, San Jose on the 28th July, as you all well know. By then we may, or may not, sign a new player or two. By the day no doubt another dozen names will have been in and out of the sorting hat. Those revelations hardly fulfil my mission to inform and to explain though.
Nevertheless there is international football to look forward to today. The opening group round of the Euros were mostly good games, tight contests with a pleasing number of the under-dogs biting the noses of the bigger hounds, most notably group winners Wales and Hungary.
All our AFC lads did well, Aaron, Olivier and Granit, the three most decisive. Tomas departure was a shame, though not unexpected. At least he played his last game in a fighting 2-2 come back against the crazed Croatians, rather than his career being signed off on the treatment table. And Jack ? I suspect if England are to make any genuine impression in the tournament they ( we) desperately need Jack to start, and to be the creative focus of the team. Not one of the starting England midfield appear to have the nous to open a defence up, to play a decisive ball.
Yesterday’s first knock out round, or what I saw, was a bit of let down, and all a bit cruel. A great goal from Shaquiri worthy of wining a tournament was undone by a penalty contest, and the Ulstermen managed to go out to an own goal. The Portuguese and the Croatians both played cautiously I thought, within themselves, and that was a looooooong 120 minutes. Portugal the lucky winners, though the exit of pouting tart superstar is postponed for another night only as they lack quality.
I trust the French and the Irish will release any metaphorical handbrakes and get down to business early today. Mesut follows that and we shall see if the Germans can beat a way through the Slovak lines any more successfully than England ?
That is it – whimsical musing over. Enjoy your Sunday.
Positively Arsenal 
Arsenal loaned Daniel Crowley to Oxford for the coming season, and their manager Michael Appleton has said he hopes its the start of a long term loan deal with AFC, and that a couple more young gooners will be training with Oxford for a week or so during pre-season to see if they can also be taken on a season loan.
Appleton said Oxford have a reputation of playing good football and he hopes AFC are aware of this and will entrust them with more of our young lads, as a stepping stone into our first team.
He said: “I’d like to think they’d be aware of what we’ve been doing over the last 16 months.
“Hopefully they are happy sending players to us as part of their development pathway of trying to break into their first team.
“There are a couple more players who will come and train with us at the back end of July, although there’s no guarantee they will stay with us.
“They will come for a week or so to have a look at us and we’ll have a look at them.”
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Completely agree on the media picking the England team…..can anyone tell me what it is with the media and Tottenham?
I never rated Hodgson at all….the warnings were there with what he did….or didn’t do at Liverpool, but ultimately, the blame lies with those who think the likes of Hodgson, and Maclaren would make England managers….although in fairness, it is reported they at least tried to get a better calibre of manager, including our own, and a certain Scotsman.
But yes, Hodgson did a few things he should be sacked for. Playing two holding MFs against Slovakia….constant tinkering during and just before tournaments, I’ll judged, but ultimately probably not meant as racist comments at Andros Townsend……playing teams with no width….and of course bowing to the media. Those Spurs boys might take a bit of time to recover from this, and their end of season collapse.
The way forward…..learn from the rugby union and cricket teams who both suffered recently under pretty poor home grown managers, they then chose a different direction.
But sadly, our FA will most likely be drawn to someone as spineless and influenced by the media, agents, and god knows who else…. as they are, they might not cope so well with an Eddie Jones type.
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New post up
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