On the eve of this, my mid-season review of AFC’s performance in the Premier League, the prevailing mood in the media and blogsphere is of pessimism and despair. Arsenal had dramatically snatched a draw after falling behind 0-3 down to Bournemouth. Instead of joy and optimism that in 20 minutes the club had turned around a seemingly hopeless situation to salvage a point, the main theme was the Gunners was out of the title race as Chelsea look certain to open a 11 point lead.
After retrieving a three-goal deficit, it’s usual for some euphoria but that’s noticeable by its absence this morning. Anyone who had lingering hopes of the title has surely had them dispelled by now? It’s a draw which feels like a defeat or draw when so often a comeback of that magnitude feels like a victory. – ACLF
All in all a bad night for Arsenal, and a bad night for Arsene Wenger who, despite having the biggest, deepest squad he’s had in years, sees yet another season unfolding in pretty familiar fashion. The position we’re in is the same, the way we drop points is the same, the failings are consistent. – Arseblog
RIP Arsenal’s season. – 7amkickoff
Nothing sums up Wenger more perfectly than the game last night. All the chickens came home to roost as we tapped out of the title race and handed the momentum to proper managers. –le-grove
Based on Chelsea’s subsequent loss to Spurs this Wednesday evening, I can confidently predict that there will be a dramatic u-turn in the in the tone of these blogs by Thursday. Safe to say the euphoria of Chelsea failing to break Arsenal’s record of 14 straight PL wins will convince most of these fine bloggers that the 8 point gap is no longer insurmountable. Within 24-hours an impregnable Chelsea lead on Wednesday morning will become surpass able on Thursday.
Once again readers of PA will get a perfect lesson in how the majority, not all, of Arsenal bloggers, act in a fashion similar to the mainstream media, preying on the emotions of the Arsenal fans by using a short term setback to promote fear that Arsenal and Arsene Wenger have failed in their title bid. Mark you, it still early January with practically half a season to go. Most importantly, these conclusions are being drawn without presenting the unbiased data to support their point of view.
As part of my mission to educate myself and inform my readers about the importance of the unbiased data in making sense of football (as well as of politics and economics), in my very first blog at the start of this season, based on the most recent 8 years of PL data, I predicted the following 2016/17 league positions:
| My Prediction | Club | Time Series Projection |
| 1st | Man United | 2.88 |
| 2nd | Man City | 3.38 |
| 3rd | Arsenal | 3.38 |
| 4th | Chelsea | 3.63 |
| 5th | Tottenham | 5:00 |
| 6th | Liverpool | 5.75 |
Just a reminder, for comparison’s sake, the BBC pundits made the following forecast:
| Prediction | Club |
| 1st | Man City |
| 2nd | Man United |
| 3rd | Chelsea |
| 4th | Arsenal |
| 5th | Tottenham |
| 6th | Liverpool |
| 7th | Leicester |
The ESPN experts were singing from the same hymn book:
| Prediction | Club |
| 1st | Man City |
| 2nd | Man United |
| 3rd | Chelsea |
| 4th | Arsenal |
| 5th | Tottenham |
| 6th | Liverpool |
After exactly 19 games the Premier League table top-6 reads as follows:
| Clubs | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Points |
| Chelsea | 16 | 1 | 2 | 42 | 13 | 29 | 49 |
| Liverpool | 13 | 4 | 2 | 46 | 21 | 25 | 43 |
| Arsenal | 12 | 4 | 3 | 41 | 19 | 22 | 40 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 11 | 6 | 2 | 37 | 14 | 23 | 39 |
| Manchester City | 12 | 3 | 4 | 39 | 21 | 18 | 39 |
| Manchester United | 10 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 19 | 10 | 36 |
| Leicester City* | 5 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 31 | -7 | 20 |
| Crystal Palace* | 4 | 4 | 11 | 29 | 35 | -6 | 16 |
Leicester City and Crystal Palace listed for illustrative purposes only.
Contrary to all prior projections Chelsea and Liverpool are sitting atop the table in 1st and 2nd positions respectively. In contrast, Manchester City, the pundits most favored team because of their spending power and brand new celebrity manager, is sitting 5th instead of their projected 1st. Below them in 6th is United, the second most favored team of both BBC and ESPN journos. Yours truly is similarly off the pace as my prediction was for United and City to be 1st and 2nd respectively. Where I differ from the mainstream pundits is my minimum expectation of Arsenal coming 3rd. Most of the so-called experts have Arsenal at 4th.
Even though half-way through the season and the short-term results may look bleak, I stand by my earlier prediction based on the 20 year history of Arsene Wenger as manager:
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Arsenal has finished an average of 3rd; no other club except Manchester United has a better average.
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No other team has a better absolute deviation from the mean than Arsenal at 0.985, meaning that on the average the club’s position will deviate by less than 1. United is the next best at 1.28.
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All other big -6 team have in 20 years finished lower than Arsenal; City fell away to as low as 47th, way down into the 3rd
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Arsenal has never finished less than 4th.
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Arsenal has never finished below Tottenham.
By comparing the performance of each top-6 club midseason this year to 2015-16, it is evident Arsenal remains the most consistent despite the absence since last October, due to injury, of arguably its most important player, Santi Cazorla. I have provided four years of data to demonstrate that Arsenal averages over 2.09 points per game (ppg) with Santi playing in comparison to a team average of 1.92 ppg. Seven games with Santi this season yielded a ppg of 2.7, nine games without Santi up to early December and the ppg dropped to 1.3, a fall of more than 50%.
Percentage Change in Key Performance Data Mid Season 2016 vs 2015
| Clubs | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Points |
| Chelsea | 220% | -80% | -78% | 83% | -55% | 583% | 145% |
| Liverpool | 63% | -33% | -60% | 109% | -5% | n/a | 43% |
| Arsenal | 0 | 33% | -25% | 24% | 6% | 47% | 3% |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 18% | -33% | 0% | 11% | -7% | 22% | 10% |
| Manchester City | 8% | 0% | -25% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 8% |
| Manchester United | 25% | 0% | -40% | 32% | 19% | 67% | 20% |
| Leicester City* | -55% | -17% | 350% | -35% | 24% | -158% | -49% |
| Crystal Palace* | -56% | 0% | 83% | 26% | 119% | -186% | -48% |
Leicester City and Crystal Palace listed for illustrative purposes only.
Main takeaways from the table on a club by club basis:
Chelsea:
- Have made dramatic changes in all the key data categories resulting in a 145% improvement in their points haul.
- Have significantly improved in their scoring with 83% more Goals For as well as in their defending with 55% less Goals Against, the net result being a fantastic 583% improvement in Goal Difference.
- The challenge for Chelsea is this sort of exponential improvement is almost statistically impossible to sustain. The law of diminishing returns begin to set in after an optimal level has been reached. Furthermore, it is inevitable that over time competing teams will find ways to narrow the differences that have given Chelsea such a dramatic superiority in recent months.
- Long winning streaks are correlated with title-winning teams as evident from the data previously presented of Arsenal’s winning campaigns. There is however one major exception, i.e. Liverpool in 2014-15 who had an 11-game unbeaten run but failed to win the title after 2 grievous losses in the last month of the campaign.
Liverpool
- Apart from a 109% improvement in Goals For, their improvements in the various categories have been relatively less dramatic than Chelsea.
- A 43% year-on-year improvement in Points, while two-thirds less than Chelsea, is still significant. Can this level be sustained statistically?
Arsenal
- Only club whose points haul has remained substantially the same, a mere 3% improvement.
- Measureable improvements have been made in both Goals For and Goals Against. As a result goal difference has improved by 45%, the second highest of the clubs.
- Consistent marginal improvements are more sustainable over time in any physical endeavor. It is well known that Arsenal title challenges have in recent years been shot by mid-season injuries to key players. Should such injuries repeat themselves Arsenal will be struggle to earn more Wins and less Draws/Losses to sustain a serious title challenge.
As the table above illustrates consistency is not easy to sustain in the football, at least not in the Premier League. One year ago Crystal Palace and manager Alan Pardew were the toast of the town. Instead of 5th in the League they now have 48% less in points, fighting relegation at 17th place with Pardew sacked. Similarly, Leicester City, the defending champions were the miracle club, the so-called proof that a non-fashionable club can have sustained success amongst the big boys. Today they are in 16th position, recording a significant decline in all the data categories with 49% less points than last year. And we are told Claudio Ranieri is a genius.
Wenger’s consistency is easily disparaged; bloggers are quick to write him off at the first setback. The recent draw at Bournemouth was evidently due to having to play a team with barely 48-hours recuperation time from a prior demanding physical engagement, at least 24 hours less than the optimum time according to the scientific studies, a fact none of the bloggers quoted above gave any attention to.
It bears repeating. Woe to the pundits and bloggers who write-off Arsene Wenger despite 20 years of unbiased data showing a remarkable consistency by him as manager of the football club.
Positively Arsenal 
Those chickens Shotta – they always find their way home don’t they, every may, on their perch in the Champions League henhouse, the odd additional egg cup notched on the barn door, clever little feathered fellows.
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Positively positive, brilliant again Shotts
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No Santi ,no party. The news on him today is grim.I’m not sure even Arsene can find an answer to his loss.
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Very good Shotta,
My only worry is if Chelsea ‘do a Leicester’ this season, but I think they are too big a juicy target for our rival’s to ignore, so expect Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City etc to go for wins against them.
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The Boss said he is resting Ozil and Alexis vs Preston NE, but otherwise it will be a full strength squad, despite us only having the bare bones of a team right now.
Eddy will post up the full presser soon, no doubt.
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Shotta,
In the recent enough past, Arsenal needed 26 wins to top the league, and as 12 wins are racked-up so far, they still need 14 out of 18 remaining games; unless all other rivals make major boo-boo’s. I can count on 10 potential 3 pointers for us.
Too many draws are the killer for Arsenal’s title hopes.
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As you say no mention of the advantage Bournemouth had over Arsenal except by their manager. In his after match interview he explained that they decided to go at Arsenal from the start knowing Arsenal players would not be as fit as the Bournemouth players who had an extra day to recover from their previous game. Thanks for an interesting review.
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Excellent! thanx for realistic perspective.
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how funny that so many arsenal fans keep talking about bamidele alli when they killed their own better and more skillful version aaron ramsey. i commend dele for what he’s achieved but i doubt if he would have done that well had he been playing for us. our fans would have labelled him selfish, self centred and always looking to be the hero. that would have killed whatever fire he has in him.
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i read the post by wwb in the previous article. it is very unbelievable how giroud has been unrated at arsenal. his stats to that of drogba is remarkable. what is more remarkable is the fact that chelsea always played to drogba’s strenght by puting crosses in and hoofing the ball to him. chelsea had to adapt to his game while at arsenal it is different. only when games are dangerouly slipping away do we start playing to giroud’s strenght and he had to adapt his game to ours.
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Good stuff. Never fails to be daft when a team with a point or two more than us are viewed as doing well, real contenders,etc, while we are at doom’s door.
If it’s Chelsea or Utd over the years, there’s some justification for pointing to pedigree and experience, but that’s hardly the case with Spurs and liverpool.
Six-horse race for me with Chelsea solid favourites at present.
Think pgmol will be falling over themselves about who to favour. Don’t expect City to do great from them, but think the other four will do very well. I expect the pen goldrush of Leicester last time and Liverpool of a few years back for a couple of them.
A good gauge is who do the tv people seem most thrilled about. They’re excited about liverpool for sure, but I think the Spurs love eclipses that.
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George
All our hopes rest on Aaron Ramsey now.
It’s time for him to become the player we’ve always felt he can be.
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I think going by recent favours received by Man U that they are going to try and have a head to head between Maureen’s Old Club and his new one. They like a bit of theatre.
Maybe with Spuds and Scouse in the top four at our expense.
A veritable wankfest would ensue, Bonuses all round at PIGMOB House.
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Apparently, we are supposed to fear the Spuds according to the WOB
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The Totts’s next league fixtures is against West Brom. Let’s see if they can eek out a point against them before labeling them contenders.
Good work, Shotta. It’s incredible how much shit these bloggers chat while ignoring facts.
We have Swansea away, then Burnley and Watford at home before playing Chelsea away in the beginning of February. We can have Le Coq back by then and possibly El-Neny if Egypt gets knocked out early. But that doesn’t look likely because them and Ghana are the toughest teams in their group.
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The WOBs are so afraid of Chelsea. The minute they went one nil down I knew they didn’t have it in them tactically to beat the Spuds. They’re simply a shit team that is playing well collectively. If they drop a bit in confidence or suffer an injury to one of their pillars, they’re fucked. This being said, the fact that they are only playing in two competitions means the latter is going to be less likely.
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TEAM NEWS: COQUELIN, LUCAS, OZIL, SANTI
Arsène Wenger has revealed the latest team news updates ahead of our FA Cup third-round clash against Preston North End at Deepdale.
The boss provided updates on Francis Coquelin, Mesut Ozil, Lucas and Santi Cazorla – and also revealed what squad he will take on Saturday.
This is what he had to say:
on the team news…
Well, we might have a problem with Lucas because he injured his ankle and I have to see how he responds to that but that is the only problem we have from the game. Coming back, the closest is Walcott but he is still not ready, Gibbs will not be ready so I don’t think will be coming back into the squad.
on Coquelin…
He is out for three or four weeks now, it is his hamstring. I say three or four weeks because it is a hamstring and he came off, but maybe we will have good news. He will have a scan today, but I always count three weeks.
on Ozil…
He is coming in today, and will be assessed by the doctor but he has been in bed for two weeks so I cannot imagine I will involve him on Saturday. It is flu, a throat infection – I don’t know exactly.
on the squad he will take…
We will play with 90 per cent of the squad, I will rest Koscielny because he came off with fatigue, of course Ospina will play, maybe Alexis I will rest certainly, but the rest will play.
on Santi’s recovery…
At the moment, he is far [from returning]. It’s not going as quickly as I imagined it, so certainly in January he will not come back.
on whether it’ll now be more than three months before he returns…
It could be a bit longer. At the moment I don’t really know, but I just have a schedule that he is not planned at the moment to go outside and run. I think once a player goes outside and runs without any problems, you come six weeks. At the moment he has not been out so that’s why I say in January he will certainly not play.
on whether that is a frustration for him…
It is because he’s such a great player and as well because he has started the season in such a tremendous way. He was the dominating player in our squad at the start of the season and we suddenly lost him.
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170105/team-news-coquelin-lucas-ozil-santi#aPHEsTy0C8gi5fza.99
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WILL WELBECK PLAY AGAINST PRESTON?
Danny Welbeck has been making good progress since returning to first-team training over the Christmas period – but is he in line to play against Preston North End?
Arsène Wenger has been impressed with what he has seen of the England international, but says that with an under-23s game on Friday, he is still undecided as to his approach.
on Welbeck…
I haven’t decided yet, but he could be [in line to play at Preston] – it depends on Lucas a little bit, it also depends on how he feels. Physically his fitness is at quite a good level, but of course the ideal way is to give him two or three games with the under-23s. But the situation is not always ideal, sometimes you have to hurry up.
on Welbeck’s recovery…
He wants to play. But Danny is as well conscious [of taking his time]. He came back after a long injury and had a setback so he suffered a lot. At the moment, I think he listens well to what people advise him to do, even if he is naturally impatient. After you’ve been out for such a long time you do not want a setback.
on whether it’s more likely we will see Welbeck on the bench at Preston…
Yes, of course. He will not start the game.
on whether Danny would’ve started up front this season if he had been fit…
Yes, it could have happened. That’s the coincidence sometimes of the availability and injuries and it’s true. Danny and Alexis are similar types of players, in the fact that they both love to play on the left. But they can both play through the middle and there is always an uncertainty on where their best position is.
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170105/will-welbeck-play-against-preston-#czahzJ5Fg6SJk7VT.99
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BBC report that Arsenal have completed the signing of Cohen Bramhall for £40K. No confirmation on Arsenal.com, but they are seldom quick with news on this sort of signing.
By they way, can any of you answer, who was the last player Arsenal signed from non league football, that went on to play for our first team.
And second question on non league signings, which arsenal great was signed from a non league team and went on to captain arsenal to league and cup success.
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Positively Arsenal @Blackburngeorge 2h2 hours ago
I wouldn’t mind an Arshavin like injection in January.
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so no Santi, Coq, Kos, BFG, ElNeny, Gibbs, Theo, Ozil, or Alexis in the team vs. Preston North End. With doubts over Bellerin and Lucas. Welbeck will be on the bench if Lucas is unfit. Cech to be rested too. We have gone from being overstocked in CM, to only having Xhaka and Ramsey.
we might see a team like this
Ospina
Gabriel, Holding, Mustafi, Monreal
Xhaka, Ramsey
Maitland-Niles, Iwobi, Oxlade-Chamberlain
Giroud
subs. Martinez, Bielik, Bola, Sheaf, Jeff, Welbeck, Willock,
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Arsenal Fixture News @AFCFixtureNews 3h3 hours ago
Should Saturday’s match at Preston end in a draw, the replay date (Subject to TV selection) is Tuesday 17th January, kick off 7:45 pm.
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Mesut Özil @MesutOzil1088 2h2 hours ago
Returning to @Arsenal training ground after my flu. Not yet at 💯% but I’m back👍😉 #COYGhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/C1aRvOTWQAEAlYW.jpg
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Mesut Özil @MesutOzil1088 2h2 hours ago
Returning to @Arsenal training ground after my flu. Not yet at 💯% but I’m back👍😉 #COY
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Shotta,
You provide a helpful and healthy perspective here.
This piece and Arseblog’s column today got me thinking about previous examples of Arsenal runs like what would be needed to vie for the title this season. Not that our support should depend on a tooth-and-nail title challenge, or that the past is definitive, but I just found the evidence illustrative.
For ease of reference, I looked at total points from the first and second halves of each season under Arsène, including 96-97 even though he was not in charge the whole first half. That’s 40 19-game periods.
In those 40 half-seasons, the team amassed 40 points or more 13 times, 44 or more just six. You never know, but it doesn’t seem likely that this season’s league winner will have fewer than 84 points. So it will take a rare run indeed to get close to what’s needed. Not impossible or unprecedented–the 2007-08 team got 44 points from its first 19 matches–but improbable.
Again, I wouldn’t call the season a failure if we don’t achieve that. Who knows what excitement or memorable moments await between now and May?
I’m simply offering some additional perspective based on what we’ve seen the manager’s teams produce in the past.
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Technical Leadership is a very underrated and under appreciated commodity in team sport.
When your Technical Leader is not available, the Leaders in other necessary commodities need to take a greater burden of responsibility. But this can only be done for so long.
As the Technical Leader dictates the way you want your team to play the game.
It is no wonder, that for those long unbeaten stretches of 2001,2002 2003 and 2004, the teams Technical Leader was available DB10.
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Rocky#7 @AFC_unningham 2h2 hours ago
Alexis Sanchez!!!!! You naughty boy celebrating a late draw against Man united! Have some ambishuuuuuun FFS
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You know the problem with Aaron Ramsey………………………………..
His body keeps letting him down, AW has been very patient with him ,he has had two pre-season and has been eased back twice this season . Now he is scrambling for form. He is a talent of the highest grade, he just needs to let the game come to him.
Relax Aaron let it flow.
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Hmmmm…. I remember a team being behind to the spuds a couple of times recently, and still not losing.
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Feck me dc, for most of the 2nd half of last season we were behind the Scum. They folded in the homestretch, as usual.
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‘(Ozil and Sanchez) tell me they want to stay,’ Wenger told BeIN Sports.
‘Alexis is a committed player and I am certain (we will reach an agreement).’
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I see Simon Francis appeal against his red card was rightly turned down.
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WWWB: Don’t you think that despite being a two-faced cunt, Fraudegras is the technical leader of the Chavs? Like Carick at Man Utd, because he is a litlle slow and is no Roy of the Rovers like Steven Gerrard, he is seriously underestimated in his ability to control the flow of the game. I had no fear that Conte’s 3 midfield donkeys of Matic, Conte and Alonso could do Spurs any damage until the Catalan rat took the field.
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@shotta_gooner 100% correct on all points
I am hoping that Conte will find a reason not to like him and his mind will wander.
As he has learnt some important aspects of that role, when he returned to Barca.
Playing with legends will give you that, if you are a real student of the game which Cesc clearly is.
Cesc (The disappointment) was our Tech Leader and when he left spiritually,mentally and then physically it hurt the team a lot thank heavens for Mikel Arteta,who provided some stability.
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Is it any wonder that Utd have improved since Carrick has been included in the side. Technical Leadership undervalued commodity.
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I’m not surprised Arsenal were frustrated with Olivier Giroud… Thierry Henry would have ran back to the centre circle – TACKLE KEOWN
In the mists of time ,sometimes things get jumbled in your head.This was that ,that was this.
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I see this sort of thing being said a lot recently
Sanchez has worked his ass off for 2-and-a-half years & it’s only brought an FA Cup. He’s seeing his colleagues/manager make same mistakes.
I find it odd, that few are saying if he was to look at his own performances he would see the same mistakes being made on a regular basis, such as poor passing, wayward and overhit, we also see a total refusal from him to use his left foot for shooting or passing, it seems he thinks it only for standing on, we also see him miss very presentable chances, in the last few matches he failed to score some of our best chances, hit the post in one game, hit one straight at the keeper after rounded a defender, we have seen him fall over as he shoots with an easy chance. As for all his hard work, the lazy Ozil has run further, and sprinted more than him this season.
It seems its all about perceptions, and of course parroting the media created negativity and panic.
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⚽ ⚾ 🏈 🏀 🔥 @bajankris 10h10 hours ago
Feghouli’s red card rescinded, means 5 out of the last 6 six Mike Dean red cards have been overturned. Incompetent thundercunt #MikeDean
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3 L’s so far Shotts! (IBSF)
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Is it any surprise Carrick got relatively so few caps for England
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Don’t be mean Eddy he’s just a misunderstood hobbit who got lost in the dark and developed a slight personality disorder
*gollum gollum*
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“For all Alexis hard work, the lazy Ozil has run further, and sprinted more than him this season.”
Stolen
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Ed 9.25……initially, I was beyond astonished at your post about deans reds being overturned, but then, I copped on and realised his boss is Mike Riley.
It seems a couple ex refs, including Keith Hackett have been saying that even if they wanted to rest, or replace incompetent refs like Dean, they couldn’t, not enough refs…..apparently only around 7 trusted for major fixtures.
As UA have posted, Mike Riley and the PGMOL are not living up to their part of the bargain, this article suggests they should be providing up to 24 top level refs
http://untold-arsenal.com/archives/58855
Again, I ask, why is Mike Riley still in post, failing left right and centre…..and who does it suit to keep him there?
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Arsenal new boy Cohen Bramall reveals how family broke down in tears at news of his transfer
The youngster has completed his move to the Gunners
BY ADAM JONES
18:17, 5 JAN 2017UPDATED18:32, 5 JAN 2017
New Arsenal signing Cohen Bramall has revealed that his family were reduced to tears when they learned of his incredible move to the Gunners.
Arsene Wenger confirmed last night that the 20-year-old had signed a contract with the club after impressing during a trial period.
The Gunners boss even likened Bramall to a “young Ashley Cole”.
Arsene Wenger confirms Arsenal Cohen Bramall signing – likening him to a ‘young Ashley Cole’
Speaking on Sky Sports News today, the left-back has revealed how his family reacted to the news of his transfer – and reserved special thanks for the likes of ex-boss Lee McDonald and Arsenal scout Brian McDermott.
“[The family are] Speechless,” Bramall said.
“I’ve just been on the phone to my sister and she was crying her eyes out because she can’t believe what’s happened.
“I’ve already moved out [of my Mum’s]. Again there were tears!
Cohen Bramall in the Sky Sports studio with Lee Payne (Picture via @SkySportsNews)
“But big thanks to Lee Payne, Dan Chapman, Full Contact and, again, Brian McDermott has been class.
“He’s given me the opportunity and I’m so grateful for it.
“Lee McDonald, who was my manager at Hednesford Town and he’s now at Solihull Moors, what a guy. He brought me in, if he didn’t do that, things would be a lot different.
It was revealed to football.london yesterday by Dan Chapman, one of Bramall’s representatives, that the 20-year-old had been on quite the journey to get where he is today.
From losing Bentley factory job to sensational Arsenal transfer: Cohen Bramall’s incredible journey to the Emirates
The left-back will join Arsenal only months after being made redundant from his job in a Bentley factory.
But, Lee Payne, another of Bramall’s representatives, told Sky Sports how the Gunners treated his client with a huge amount of respect and revealed his pride at seeing the 20-year-old make it this far.
He said: “All respect to Arsene Wenger, He was magnificent because he really showed how humble he is.
“He didn’t stick him on another pitch with the U23s, he brought him straight in with the first team. That must be the respect he has for Brian’s [McDermott] judgement.
“To get him in their environment and allow his to do that for a few days was great.
“He was a credit to himself and his family. He conducted himself well and showed confidence and a desire to get what he ended up with.”
And, Cohen Bramall had a message for anyone with ambitions to recreate his amazing journey.
How new Arsenal man Cohen Bramall was transformed in to a left-back by former manager
“Believe all the time,” he said.
“Keep going, never give up, stick to it and be confident in yourself.”
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Mandy if the PGMOL raised their number of refs for BPL they might actually have to employ London and southern based refs, and they can’t be having that, as refs from down south don’t “game manage” they way good old northern boys do, all fucking soft nancy boys, them southerners
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With our luck, if they employed refs from the south east, they would probably be refs with sympathies for a team Mike Dean seems to rather like
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It is amazing that the media are ignoring the Dean red cards being overturned, and when you add in that at least one player got a suspension – 3 games, it was deemed a red card offence – that Dean ignored. it makes it at least 6 Red card mistakes from him. Not only should he not get any big games, he should not be on the bpl ref list at all. But he has long been marked down as one of the guys who will get a management role with the PGMOL when he retires, so no way will they sack him. He is a Mike Riley puppet, or should that be muppet.
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God help Arsenal is Dean gets a management told in the PGMOL
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Fins: Good spot on 3 LS. To have a chance of winning the league we need 13 wins and 3 draws from the next 18. A max 2 Ls in my estimation. That is 42 pts which is a tough ask without Santi. If he was fit I would ride that horse into the ground just as Wenger did in his 1st year.
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Another superb piece Shotta, love it
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