Good morning Positive fans far and near,
The penultimate hurdle of the Premier League season safely skipped over last night. A predictable result for us. The two goal margin hardly reflected our control for long periods of the game and the siege of the Black Cats’ goal. Our performance was as easy on the eye as any home game this season, and a good deal more pleasant than some dour bus parking events. Fair play to Pickford, and all the Sunlun defence, who gave their best and were a good deal more competent than I have seen them in their other diabolical excuses for professional football this season.
Of our lads;
Another very good evening for Xhaka, from ‘zero’ to ‘Arsenal legend’ in just four games. His diagonal, long passing game is exquisite at times. Hector had another impressive match and it is very difficult to see quite where he and the Ox are going to fit onto down that side when both are fit. Both can play at right wing back and do it well. Where their combination leaves Theo I am not sure, sweating presumably? Ozil and Sanchez’s instinctive appreciation of each other’s position and intention sparkled, and Larry battled throughout.
Very disappointing to see Aaron succumb to what looked like another muscular injury. Hopefully the Welshman’s withdrawal was precautionary as he is a man who is made for Wembley.
I suppose the only slight question mark in the course of the evening was whether we really, REALLY, required a three centre back set up against the PL’s weakest team, and who play only Defoe up front ? One advantage the approach had was that, at various times, Rob, Shkodran and Nacho all carried the ball forward and were prominent in attacks. The centre backs were a bit cautious for my taste but the job was done. We will certainly play three at the back against Everton and against Chelsea so it may just be ensuring the players are as used to the system as possible. I suspect that Arsene will have the defence in this morning for an hour of “passing back to the goalkeeper” practice. (Bloody Nacho !)
So the dice are set to roll on at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Top Four or Thursday, Madrid or the Moldovan Post Office team ? We press onward with hope, as ever.
Enjoy Wednesday.
Positively Arsenal 
Footballers eh – most of them shouldn’t be allowed out on their own.
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Very interesting about this retrospective diving thing next year.
IF they enforce it properly, if they chose not to give media darlings an easy ride on this, I confidently predict our beloved neigbours will get significantly less points next season…..especially against us, unless they sell some very high profile players, and replace them with clean honest players not influenced by Pochs desire to pay English football back for Michael Owens dive in an England shirt.
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As A5 pointed out, it was a rearranged fixture, as one of the clubs had an extended cup run!
A mid-week league match, could well be beyond a lot of the fans wished, because of work commitments.
We will know in late September, how the “rent an agitator” has failed to affect the season ticket sales. Apart from Champions League or the Europa League qualification, confirmation on Sunday..
Next door, is Watford in London Colney. Is there a plane flying over or some simpleton, walking his dogs holding a placard “…….. out means out” The British media, are interested only in trivia in order to sell papers to the many unwashed.
The Club Level members, will enter the dining areas, through the basement turnstiles. The same as the players and coaches. At least, well before the standard turnstiles open for the general membership. The press , will also enter through the basement turnstiles. We know the football scribblers, are more than somewhat dense!
Martin Keown, was somewhat economical with the facts, claiming £10 grand a week plus bonuses! From Parlour v Parlour,, the Romford Pele was earning well over £1 million per annum. Was Ray the best paid in the Arsenal dressing-room? Pull the other leg, Martin. Martin, was conveniently forgetting the Employee Benefit Trusts, that the Arsenal used to run. The Arsenal, had to fork out, over £11 millions in underpaid tax and national health contributions, on the “LOANS”.
Brentfor FC for a couple of years, declared the split between the football side and the administration side.
Watford, for the last few years, show the same split in more detail. Players, football related, coaches, scouts etc., commercial, catering (until sub-contracted) and administration. The average number of employees per month, is split between full-time and part-time. With the salaries, also shown for full-time and part-time, we can have a firm grasp of the likely salaries paid?
With the Arsenal, a far larger concern, we are not given the same in-depth explanation.
Watford, or Brentford, cannot be used as a benchmark for “you know who”.
Watford, beat the Arsenal, in January 2017. Can that lot next-door, do the same to Man City?
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1-6 at the King Power
A deserved kick in the bollocks for Leicester – shambolic
Big goals though – let’s do that
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This season has been the perfect storm of happiness for the media/WOB, their two fave teams on top spots, Arsenal not at their best, only Jose has let them down.
they will be beside themselves after tonites result….but won’t always be that way
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had a little laugh today as I was listening to the sports news on irish radio, they said about the retrospective dive ban, then next sentence was leciester v spurs tonight.
it was perfect alignment
anyway on a serious note, the new rule is just eyewash, it will single out players from certain clubs, with the favored clubs players exempt, does anyone think harry kane will get banned, or a utd star, or a liverpool star, big name english players will be untouchable,
you see the panel that looks at the incidents of diving all have to agree its a dive or there will be no ban, so “he is not that sort of player” will come into the decision making, also the “oh he would miss the manchester/liverpool game next week so punishment would be too severe, also the line we have seen used to defend serial English divers, “how can we be sure, we’d have to know what he was thinking, and we can’t know that”.
But we will also see the Xhaka or should that be the Eduardo treatment, – nasty cheating foreign type, might not have dived, but we have to make an example of someone so it might as well be the Arsenal man.
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lets not forget the “there was contact” excuse for the good old boys when it comes to diving.
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Ö @OliPriceBates 5h5 hours ago
Amazing that United have finished below us AGAIN and get way less criticism than Arsenal despite the money they have spent.
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Mohamed ELNenyVerified account @ElNennyM
Enyoing the @AFC_Foundation at the Emirates Stadium with my teammates. #anighttoinspire
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Tony Adams back on the drink?
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Well, haven’t read the article, but give Adams some credit, his record suggests he is a master coach, so we must bow down and adhere to his words, especially as they appear in such an august publication
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TA, those who can do, those who can’t, criticise! I expect the WOB’s will have him up as their poster-boy, but his managerial record suggests that he may have been ‘projecting’.
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So basically, Adams is saying he wasn’t wanted at the club because he’s too big a character, while Pat Rice and Steve Bould aren’t? Boy those statues have really gone to these players’ heads haven’t they? Next we’ll have a spectral Chapman show up and demand the club be called Chapeau FC.
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Notts Forest bought by Olympiakos owner, who dealing with match fixing charges in Greece, passed the FA’s fit and proper person test with flying colours.
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What is flimsier than a paper bag? Adams as manager
Managerial record by team and tenure Team From P W D L Win %
Wycombe 5 November 2003 9 November 2004 53 12 21 20 22.6
Portsmouth 28 October 2008 9 February 2009 22 4 7 11 18.2
Gabala 12 May 2010 16 November 2011 12 4 3 5 33.3
Granada 10 April 2017 Present 6 0 0 6 0.0
Total 93 20 31 42 21.5 —
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Love to know what the parameters actually are for the FAs fit and proper test…..that guy at Notts may of course be innocent, but he has a pretty hefty charge sheet against him, including being involved in burning down a referees bakery. Still, he seems to have friends in high places, seem to remember Infantino being mentioned in despatches in that olympiakos case.
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Mandy
http://www.efl.com/global/appendix3.aspx
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Re TA; at least AW keeps his dignity and integrity, in a world that seems desperate to be rid of his kind( why is beyond me).
I too havent read the article, looks like screaming sensationalist puritan eye bait? A green- eyed exclusive setting the scene straight?
These weary 21st Century blues.
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“Burning down a referee’s bakery” !
Now that sounds a plan.
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TA clearly wants a job with sky or bt, he has seen how TH is doing it and has followed suit
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Hoe else to send a message? All the referees with racing horses were already in his stable.
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Arsene is like a cat playing with a mouse;
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Wenger: “I do not give much importance to what Tony Adams says, honestly.”
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Journo: “Will this be your last game at The Emirates?”
Wenger “Of the season? Yes.”
Journo “Ever?”
Wenger: “I can’t tell you that.”
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Journo “What will happen at the board meeting?”
Wenger “I don’t know. There are many aspects of a football club which has to be discussed at a board meeting. One of those is what happens with the manager.”
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Team News – Oxlade-Chamberlain still out, Koscielny has a fitness test today or tomorrow, and Ramsey is fit
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The thing about Tony Adams comments is that he says he did not get a job at Arsenal cos he is too outspoken, when the fact is he turned down an offer of a coaching job iwth our u18’s, he went to china instead, something that did not last long for him. I’m told he was unhappy that it was only a coaching job and not the u18’s manager’s job, which Kwame Ampadu has. It seem his ego is bigger than his talent.
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Tony Adams coaching how to get out of a paper bag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDl3y8a8_s4
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How does he keep getting hired as a manager with such a poor record?
Fortunately the Board does not choose the manager via the popular vote as we’ve seen how reliable that it lately!
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Yes, Andy Nic, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, regarding damage to refs bakery…having said that, read it in the mirror, so fiction may be the most appropriate word
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/revealed-would-nottingham-forest-owner-8451522
But if its true, Marc Battenberg should be worried
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Interesting link Shard…some of these guys may not have been found guilty of anything, but they are certainly letting in a few suspect characters
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I had my doubts about Roger Yeast on Tuesday Mandy !
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JIt would have never happened in the day of ..The great… FlapJack Taylor….
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AW is a smart man on and off the pitch! last game this season? yes. LOL
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The Tony Adams ‘quotes’ are a rehash of a story by the Sinking Sun from about 100 years ago. Sounds like banter from a different era to me and almost certainly said in jest.
The new ‘banning orders’ I suspect have come from the referees as much as anyone else, plenty of whom have been hoodwinked and badly let down by players. I’d be amazed if they let too many off, regardless of nationality; whilst the xenophobia of the media is one thing, being open to such charges as one of the game’s governing bodies would be quite another thing entirely.
As ever, we’ll see.
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Paddy @VieiraPaddy 16h16 hours ago
Old Arsenal fans are the worst. Call Wenger a cunt all the time but get touchy when anyone goes against Tony Adams, who is a cunt.
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Arsène’s SonVerified account @hughwizzy 8h8 hours ago
De Ligt on Pogba being worth more than the entire Ajax starting XI: “As Cruyff used to say, I have never seen a bag of money score a goal.”
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Wenger – Alexis and Ozil want to be here
The futures of both Alexis and Mesut Ozil has been a hot topic this season as their respective contracts near their final year.
Both have been in fine form of late, and combined brilliantly to score in the recent 4-1 win at Stoke City.
But how does Arsène Wenger rate their performances? This is what he had to say:
on Alexis and Mesut’s recent form underlining their commitment to the club…
Yes, of course. Maybe one day I will be able to speak about that, but I don’t question, at the moment, their focus and their determination because every game they turn up and give strong performances.
on if it could prove tough to keep them if we don’t make the top four…
No, because they are part of the results as well. Like I am. Overall, I think first of all they are under contract and secondly they behave like they want to be in the Champions League and like they want to be at the club. They don’t behave like players who are disinterested in the future of the club.
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170519/wenger-alexis-and-ozil-want-to-be-here#ReL5Opbvrf67Yvqz.99
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Wenger clarifies how he sees the Director of Football role
By
arseblog –
May 19, 2017
10
A couple of weeks ago at his pre-game press conference, Arsene Wenger took umbrage at the idea that the club might appoint a director of football.
He was categorical that as long as he were manager, he would not work under that system.
At the time we speculated on the main blog that his opposition to this was based on the idea that the person in this role would have authority over the manager when it comes to buying players, day to day running of the team etc, rather than viewing it as someone who might help and support him in his work.
The Frenchman was asked about it at today’s press conference, and more or less confirmed that theory.
When it was put to him that he’d already worked with David Dein, who carried out many of the duties a Director of Football might do, he clarified his position.
“Director of Football, when I say that it’s a guy who makes the decisions that normally down to the manager,” he said.
“That means selection of players, buying, all the matters that concern the functioning of the team on a daily basis.
“Of course you can need help to become better, yes of course, and I am always open to that.
“I am always open to things that improve the quality and future of the club.
“After that you have to see if it’s really efficient, because the titles do not always make you better.”
It’s something that I discussed with Amy Lawrence on today’s Arsecast, along with the rest of our season: check it out below.
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From the FT a little while ago;
Alisher Usmanov, the Russian billionaire who owns a minority stake in Arsenal football club, has in recent weeks made a $1.3bn bid to buy out his rival shareholder in the English Premier League team, according to three people close to the situation.
Mr Usmanov, a metals magnate who owns 30 per cent of Arsenal, conveyed the offer in a letter to Stan Kroenke, the US sports mogul, who controls a 67 per cent stake.
The approach, made last month, valued the club at $2bn. Mr Kroenke has yet to formally respond. He is understood not to have dismissed the idea out of hand at first. However, he has since informally indicated he is not interested in selling to Mr Usmanov or anyone else.
“Two weeks ago, I thought something could realistically happen. Now I am not so sure,” a person close to the situation said.
The approach reignites the bitter feud between the two men over the direction of the club. A call seeking comment to the Kroenke Group was not returned.
Arsenal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Red & White, Mr Usmanov’s investment vehicle, declined to comment. The steel magnate has become concerned by a lack of investment by Mr Kroenke. In an interview with Bloomberg last month, he said the blame for the club’s performance should not rest solely with Arsène Wenger, the manager, but also with Mr Kroenke and the board, from which Mr Usmanov is excluded.
Arsenal are sitting in fifth place in the Premier League and face the prospect of failing to qualify for the Uefa Champions League for the first time in two decades as the season comes to an end on Sunday. Arsenal stands to lose out on about £50m in revenue if it misses the European tournament.
Arsenal’s poor performance has generated frustration among supporters and increased the tensions between fans and Mr Wenger. Many, disenchanted with the club’s form in recent seasons, have accused Mr Kroenke of being an absentee owner.
Two people following the process closely said that other bidders were circling.
Mr Usmanov is not planning on disposing of his stake and the offer to buy out Mr Kroenke came from a desire to work co-operatively and strengthen the team, one of these people said.
Mr Usmanov, who hails from what is now Uzbekistan, first acquired shares in Arsenal in 2007, when he teamed up with Farhad Moshiri to buy a 14.6 per cent stake for £75m. Last year, Mr Usmanov increased his stake to 30 per cent, buying out Mr Moshiri, who went on to buy rival club Everton. Mr Kroenke also bought into Arsenal in 2007 and became majority shareholder four years later.
Arsenal Holdings made a pre-tax profit of £2.9m in 2016, on revenue of £353.5m.
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http://www.fsf.org.uk/latest-news/view/wembley-pub-split-league-one-play-off-and-fa-cup-final-2017 for those going to Wembley
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would a formal offer such as that not have to been notified to the stock exchange. when KSE made the offer to buy out the other shareholders the stock exchange was notified.
if usmanov does get kse’s shares then he would be entitled to buy out all shares in the club, would finally see the end to the likes of AST and piles morgan who likes to mention over and over he owns shares in afc.
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by the way what would that reported bid by usmanov actually make an AFC share worth
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Stan owns 41,271 shares. If AU offered $1.3 billion for the lot the price is $31,499 per share or, on this afternoon’s £$ LIBOR, £24,261 per share.
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so that is about £10K a share over kse buying price. If true it might just happen
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and what I will say is true or not, the story will just make the protesters more vocal and larger in numbrer
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That is a big offer to walk away from – it may not come again.
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He’s a real “football’ man is Alisher – Arsenal fru and fru
( as nobody anywhere ever said)
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it will have the – if you can’t beat them (oilgarch clubs) you might as well join them – lining up with the malcontents everytime we don’t win a game
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anicol surely that nigerian prince will top the bid, or at the very least he will say its his aim to top the bid sometime in the future
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