Contrary to all the nonsense we have been fed by the mainstream media and by Arsenal’s uber bloggers, tweeters and podcasters, the recent transfer window was an unquestionable victory for Arsenal Football Club over the agents and speculators who literally have the Premier League by the bollocks.
One well-known Arsenal blogger described it as “shambolic” literally calling out the manager, CEO and owner as incompetent. This is a man who has never managed a professional football club in his life much less an outfit that has a turnover of over £300 million pounds+ annually. Yet he has the temerity to scold the owner who is a billionaire in his own right and not merely from owning sports franchises.
Where has modesty gone to? How about being reserved and conditional in your criticism of professionals in a business you have absolutely no expertise? Can you imagine a general practitioner criticizing a specialist much less a patient who has written a few blogs on alternative medicine? Words fail me.
Yet his cohorts, like obedient “Pavlovian” dogs, simply ran with the same message, only to a slightly a different tune. Yes, he is entitled to his opinion, but how long can he and the gang maintain credibility when they are repeatedly proven to be wrong. “End of an era” anyone?
In today’s blog I will demonstrate their analysis is flawed and so are their conclusions. Let us get back to basics. Arsenal Football Club has never relied on making transfers to become successful. This is exemplified by a 1925 advertisement for the position of football manager, that is nearly 100 years ago:
“Arsenal Football Club is open to receive applications for the position of TEAM MANAGER. He must be experienced and possess the highest qualifications for the post, both as to ability and personal character. Gentlemen whose sole ability to build up a good side depends on the payment of heavy and exhorbitant transfer fees need not apply.”
Every subsequent manager has publicly admitted that this is a fundamental policy of the club even despite years of lagging behind their more spendthrift rivals. The Arsene Wenger era has been no different. The current manager has consistently exceeded his top-4 rivals for the lowest net transfer spend vs league position. This is despite the explosion in transfer spending since the arrival of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea who according to David Dein “’parked Russian tanks on our lawn, firing £50 notes at us.”
This transfer window was no different and despite the honeyed pleas of agents and their mouthpieces in the media, including bloggers and so called legends of the club, Arsenal stood firm and refused to be fleeced by the parasites hanging unto professional football in general and the PL in particular.
We start from the known fact that markets are used for profit extraction. Any professional in the stock market or its facsimile use the selling of inventory as a method of deriving profits from buyers. Similarly the transfer window is an opportunity for selling clubs, and increasingly for agents and 3rd party owners, to extract profit from willing buyers for players they have a tradable interest. Money is flowing into the market from tv rights and from sugar daddy owners. Many clubs are compelled, often by subjective reasons, to use these cash inflows to acquire new players. The Qataris, for example, given their current economic and political confrontation with the Saudis and other Gulf States, are known to have an interest in raising their pr profile internationally. No wonder they were willing to make a big splash by funding the unprecedented $200 million acquisition by PSG of Neymar from Barcelona. The fact that last season PSG was 2nd in Ligue Une and made the last 8 of the champion’s league would suggest a club far from being uncompetitive. Up to the recent past, conventional wisdom would be they need only one or two modestly priced additions to guarantee an improvement in their standing.
Transfermarkt.co.uk provides sufficient data to indicate how much profit is being derived from the underlying value of the players. I focused on the top 100 transfers (ranked either by value or transfer value) at the end of the window. Not surprisingly, given the massive amounts of money sloshing around, the premier league was at the top in Europe for profit extraction.
Profit Extraction from Top 100 Transfers
| No Traded | Market value | Moving to Lge | Transfer fee | Profit (£millions) | Profit (%) |
| 38 | 720.45 | Premier League | 1,075.68 | 355.23 | 49% |
| 7 | 191.25 | Ligue 1 | 288.90 | 97.65 | 51% |
| 11 | 217.80 | La Liga | 264.60 | 46.80 | 21% |
| 15 | 229.50 | Bundesliga | 258.30 | 28.80 | 13% |
| 2 | 13.50 | Championship | 31.50 | 18.00 | 133% |
| 2 | 18.00 | Rusian Premier League | 35.10 | 17.10 | 95% |
| 1 | 18.00 | Chinese Super League | 31.23 | 13.23 | 74% |
| 2 | 26.10 | Portugese Liga Nos | 18.00 | -8.10 | -31% |
| 1 | 14.40 | Turkish Süper Lig | 3.15 | -11.25 | -78% |
| 21 | 370.80 | Serie A | 338.58 | -32.22 | -9% |
| 100 | 1,819.80 | 2,345.04 | 525.24 | 29% |
From a market value of £720.45 million in players traded, selling clubs in combination with agents and other 3rd parties were able to extract £355.23 million in nominal profits from the premier league, nearly 50% return. Which other legitimate market in Britain is generating such a handsome return to traders? No wonder the Raiolas and Mendezes have taken permanent occupation of clubs like United, City and Chelsea who are splashing the cash. Forget the fairytale that the profits generated will circulate and multiply among the lower leagues.
Unlike the English premiership, all other leagues generate substantially less profits for traders. Ligue 1 appears second but this was distorted by the Neymar transfer which generated £109 million in surplus to Barcelona. If it wasn’t for this transaction the French market would have been a negative proposition for selling clubs.
What is most disconcerting is that the top two European leagues in terms of champion’s league dominance, La Liga and the Bundesliga, are not pissing away football money by doing deals way in excess of market value of players traded. Profits were £46.80 and £28.80 respectively. Note how the Germans, the wealthiest country in Europe, are quite stingy, yielding a mere £28.80 million or 13% rate of profit on players traded.
Unlike the Germans, with their sane, sensible approach to transfers, English clubs are pissing away money left, right and center with one notable exception, Arsenal FC.
Profit Extraction from Premier League Clubs
| Club | No Traded | Market value | Transfer fee | Profit (£millions) | Profit (%) |
| Man City | 5 | 126.00 | 205.65 | 79.65 | 63% |
| Chelsea | 5 | 105.75 | 182.61 | 76.86 | 73% |
| Everton | 4 | 68.4 | 120.06 | 51.66 | 76% |
| Man United | 3 | 105.30 | 147.96 | 42.66 | 41% |
| Spurs | 3 | 41.40 | 72.09 | 30.69 | 74% |
| Liverpool | 2 | 51.3 | 72.00 | 20.70 | 40% |
| Southampton | 2 | 17.55 | 30.06 | 12.51 | 71% |
| Crystal Palace | 1 | 13.5 | 25.38 | 11.88 | 88% |
| Leicester | 1 | 13.5 | 24.93 | 11.43 | 85% |
| Stoke | 1 | 6.30 | 17.46 | 11.16 | 177% |
| Bournemouth | 1 | 10.80 | 20.52 | 9.72 | 90% |
| Burnley | 1 | 5.40 | 14.76 | 9.36 | 173% |
| West Ham | 2 | 29.70 | 36.09 | 6.39 | 22% |
| Watford | 1 | 13.50 | 18.36 | 4.86 | 36% |
| Arsenal | 1 | 45.00 | 47.70 | 2.70 | 6% |
| Swansea | 3 | 38.25 | 26.37 | -11.88 | -31% |
| West Brom | 2 | 28.80 | 13.68 | -15.12 | -53% |
| 38 | 720.45 | 1,075.68 | 355.23 |
Not surprisingly, the two sugar-daddy clubs, City and Chelsea are #1 and #2 in handing over substantial profits to selling clubs. Note these figures are for only the top 100 transfers in the window. It is likely that further down the line they and others in the premier league are giving away big money for low value players.
It is striking that the traditional clubs, which compete annually with Arsenal for a position in the top-6 (Chelsea, City, Everton, United, Spurs and Liverpool) have no reservation in forking over excessive money to sellers amounting to nearly 80% of the total profits or £281.46 million that came from the PL. Based on the past 21 years under Arsene Wenger only two, maybe three of these clubs are likely to exceed Arsenal in the final standings. None of these clubs (whether owner, chairman or chief executive) seem able to exercise any discipline or objectivity in player acquisition despite evidence to the contrary.
Conspicuously absent from this excessive consumption is Arsenal which paid a mere £2.7 million surplus for the acquisition of Alexander Lacazette. Arsenal is 3rd only to Swansea and West Brom who through smart pricing and use of the loan system were able to generate value in excess of price from their acquisitions.
This is not to say Arsenal was afraid to pay big money for a special player. It emerged on deadline day the club was willing to pay up to £100 million for Thomas Lemar, a talented midfielder needed to fill a gaping vacancy that currently exists. Arsene Wenger disclosed publicly the deal fell through because the player was not ready for the move but pledged he would, when the opportunity next arise, make another attempt to do the deal.
Meanwhile the financial geniuses who dominate Arsenal twitter, blogs and podcasts post August 31st attacked the club for having the financial discipline and resoluteness to not fall for the agents hyping players of modest value for inflated prices. Adding to the din and hysteria was certain so-called Arsenal legends who seem more interested in giving credence to agent talk than protecting the club’s long term financial strength. It begs the question who is in bed with these agents, whether as friends or business partners. Why would a blogger mock the club for making a £30 million profit on deadline day with the capacity to go back in the market to make a £100 million acquisition in the future?
This smacks of the “voice of Jacob but the hand of Esau.” Trust me, some of the parables of the Old Testament have eternal wisdom.
Positively Arsenal 
In all seriousness it is worth driving by Brightons stadium on match days even if you aren’t a fan, amazing pies!
But I digress, how did Joey Barton get gigs on both the bleeb and murdoch Inc.?
Fucking weird and there ain’t no denying it. Jimmy Hill got a fair amount of jip from Clough and others, i’d welcome him back right now with a hug and a high five. He must be stroking that chin furiously as he looks down upon Alan Partdrige’s bastard Horde.
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The FA are relentless Fins – like the Mounties
Be interesting to see whether the roly poly goalie accepts the punishment or fights on – I seem to recall the Piegate scandal is also being investigated by the Gambling Commision as are Skybet who made the original book.
This one will run and run
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“This one will run and run”
Hehe
I can’t deny it, a picture of Wayne Shaw in full flow is certainly a contender for my new Gravatar.
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Just looked at fixtures as it’s getting close, thank goodness.
Not only are we away 3 out of 4 for the first 4 Europa games, but those matches are against Chelsea, Everton and City. 3 of the 6 hardest away games of year.
Curse that flipping computer eh (though as I understand it a lot of it isn’t done on a computer).
I’m looking forward to packed schedule anyway. Although another cursed round of internationals is here in less than a month.
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–
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/05/theresa-may-challenged-over-azerbaijani-money-laundering-scheme
Who was Tony Adams working for when he was blazing a trail like Johan Cruyff in Azerbaijan?
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Perhaps no one told poor old Tony that if you fly out to a petrogarchy in order to do a Don Revie then you’d only ever get the GG treatment from The Arsenal (at least as it was at the end…)
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but Tony seen the errors of his way and went to China, oh on second thoughts I’m seeing a pattern
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Mbappe says he met Wenger and that Arsenal were a “real option” this summer, but that he had to go home to Paris, with PSG.
If only Arsenal showed ambition by going for top talents like Mbappe and Lemar.
Oh thats right, its only ambition if you actually get them, or so we are told by the ASB
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I wonder will Jamie Vardy ever tell us how he feels about turning down a move to Arsenal
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Arsènic™ @MrArsenicTM
#AFC move for Kanté fell through b/c of the agent’s fee, the club decided to do the right thing IN CASE there were investigations.
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Right now the hacks are heckling the Arsenal manager. Baying hyenas.
Yesterday the president of Sporting Lisbon described Boris Johnson’s best buddies as “The Dildo Brothers” which coming from him, in public, is much funnier then “the Chuckle Bruvvers” (I can admit when I’ve been outdone.).
These same comedians were tweeting the unfortunate followers of the club they are ruining about their intentions to sign the Europa Cup legend Bacca, just before they signed Zaza a player who had just taken one of the funniest pelanties anyone will ever see. beyond satire.
But remember: it’s AFC that are “a shambles”
What’s going on here? Why are these venal idiots so eager to lie and attack the best club in the land? I believe that Shotta has presented a coherent sane and rational understanding.
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Mourinho’s latest jibe is that some managers stay at a club for ten or twenty years and leave that club ready to fail when they leave, while he may only stay for a short while but leave clubs stronger, blah blah.
Normally, I wouldn’t comment on his obvious shite any more, but this one amuses me.
Forget the veracity of his claim, which presumably contains the comical suggestion he deserves some credit for Madrid’s success now.
Is he suggesting we will fail, or fail worse when Wenger goes, and how is that consistent with his claims we/Wenger are failures now, and his constant denigration of what Wenger does and his ability as a manager?
He should be predicting an improvement for us, surely, considering all his attacks on Wenger over the years?
The horrendous little man talks an awful lot of shit, often riddled with inconsistency and contradictions of previous statements, and our chump press never calls him on it.
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These comments by the Sporting president might not be true but the world would be a better place if they are.
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shotta_gooner
Bush tea?
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Well now is time for Jack Wilshere to make himself key.
Will his body hold out?
As a football fan you got to be optimistic (I know it’s the hope that kills,but where would the fun be)
Will he listen to his body?
Jack does not have expressly quick feet but has that old school body movement (Shoulder drop) and ball manipulation combo that is so rare , (There are many more hard change of direction/Hardcutt, stop/start dribblers).
Someone who can see the space beyond the press and ability to use.
Maybe if he could speak to Drogba’s BonesMan
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A fine piece of research Shotta.
I wonder whether, as I think Arsene referred to a couple of weeks back in a press conference, the football industry may be moving to a different business model in relation to contracts and transfers and the whole concept of employment in the game for players.
It does seem that for all the diamond studded agents, the central Bank of Qatar and the hoopla surrounding the transfer windows the while system is the same as it was 100 years ago, with clubs and an individual player signing a ‘contract’ that neither side appears to have an intention of abiding by should it suit them. Understandably with the explosion of funds coming into the game over the past 25 years because of global television revenues then the parasitic agents have taken advantage of this weakness, that there is no core of recognised, enforceable behaviour. If football wants to squeeze out the parasites and restore order to the business then there have to be rules, and all parties have to adhere to those rules, clubs, owners, players and even sovereign government.
What struck me about the recent transfer window was the sheer fucking irresponsibilty of it. There was no tomorrow in some of that spending, there was no yesterday in some of the sales.
There is also the increasingly bizarre notion that fans seem to hang on to, myself included, that when a player joins your club, via the academy or on the strength of a purchase for their existing employer, they are somehow committed to it beyond the obvious and pragmatic ” you pay my wages and I will play football”. I think in the past it may have been a fair estimate, although the opportunities for players to move, clubs and move countries, continents and build their careers and income was just not there until the late 1990s and Bosman.
The reaction to a player leaving and the, as they see it , betrayal by that player moving on is fury, hatred etc. – the spurned lover syndrome.
I do not say that all players are indifferent or incapable of forming an emotional connection. I think that, as Arsene said, we may move to a much more contract oriented arrangement – a player signs for 3-4 seasons, he sees out his contract, he leaves unless there is a very clear reason and mutually agreed why there should be an extension to the arrangement.
Businesses do not stay the same, everything changes. The misty eyed enthusiasm I have for football as it was, and Arsenal football club as it was, Will remain.The mechanism that attaches me to the cub, and the players to the club, will however change.
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Wilshere’s body was fine once upon a time
England’s (but not Wales’) most taleneted midfielder has received zero protection from crooks like Mike Dean
Jack Wilshere: “when you play for the Arsenal you expect to get kicked”
He said it. Why did he say it? Because it is true
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Most of Jack’s body should be in perfect condition, unfortunately it is years since it has been used on any regular basis.
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Anicoll, I thought he had a couple of very fresh children.
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We’ve missed Santi Cazorla. Who wouldn’t?
The injured Spain international hasn’t played since our Champions League win over Ludogorets last October and we’ve had to make do without his playmaking ability for far too long.
But Santi is making progress and Arsene Wenger is hopeful that he could make an appearance this season.
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/when-might-we-see-santi-cazorla-again#WS3vuvZOhV0Dc3gR.99
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/when-might-we-see-santi-cazorla-again#koCBfgb3vRYVCIII.99
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well Rich re jose, it might very well have been a dig at Wenger, but for me it was a clear dig at Sir Alex Ferguson, maybe jose is trying to pave the way for the sack at utd. or just him bigging up his ego that sir alex left utd in a mess and now he is winning stuff for them.
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Wenger’s third answer is a beaut
Here’s the manager’s take on the Alexis/Thomas Lemar deadline day speculation:
on Alexis’ mentality…
I have no doubt about Alexis’ mind and mentality that people question. He needs to come back to full fitness, which he was not at Liverpool. It was his first game. He suffered, he had a negative experience now with Chile but he is strong mentally and hopefully he will be back very quickly to his best.
on how close Alexis was to leaving on deadline day…
I believe that the transfer market is over. There was a lot going on, on that front – so overall it’s very difficult for me to speak about that. The most important for us now is to focus on the next game.
on whether Alexis leaving depended on Thomas Lemar arriving…
That’s what I read everywhere, yes.
on what his opinion on that is…
My view is that it’s very difficult to speak about that because Lemar is now in Monaco and has to focus on Monaco. Alexis is here and focuses here. After that, I believe as well we have to keep a certain confidentiality about the transfer negotiations and the transfer market is part of that. Many things happen in the last second, and I regret that. That’s why I believe it’s important that we change that [transfer window] and close all that stuff before the championship starts.
Even in the games, you sit there before the games and even in players’ minds they have no clarity. Are they in? Are they out? Are they half in? Are they half out? Are they tapped up in the afternoon of the game by people who want to get them out? It’s not the way to work and it’s uncomfortable. Every single manager in the league would agree that it’s time to kick that out before the season starts and not continue to have players in the dressing room who are half out and half in.
on Thomas Lemar…
He decided to stay in Monaco and you have to respect that. The player is under a three-year contract to go so overall you have to respect that.
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/wenger-alexis-lemar-and-transfer-deadline-day#FBkTXTbKk0TwUeZb.99
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/wenger-alexis-lemar-and-transfer-deadline-day#7rjlAZrw9mwH9Zt1.99
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Arsene Wenger was hopeful that Oxlade-Chamberlain would extend his stay with us – but he feels his exit opens the door for other young talents.
“I wish him well and I wish him all the best, you know, and I am thankful for what he has done here,” said the boss.
“At the end of the day, you make decisions that you choose one or the other one. We had to sell somebody and overall I believe that we are today in a strong financial situation as always and we have a good enough squad to compete.
“That doesn’t take away any of the quality of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, I think he is a great player but sometimes it opens the door for some younger players like Reiss Nelson or Joe Willock, or players who are in behind and get an opportunity that they wouldn’t get.”
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/ox-exit-opens-door-nelson-and-willock#oreufXD2ApPrQMce.99
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/ox-exit-opens-door-nelson-and-willock#PK4DyfIsBc4wtqMl.99
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well anicol on the contracts of players you raise some interesting points,
long ago players stayed their whole careers at the same club, but that was because clubs had the whole power and if they wanted to keep a player, they kept him, clubs kept the wages low, this stopped players having the ready cash to be able to afford to up root even from one end of England to the other, let alone move country.
The Chairman of one club would actually do deals with the Chairman of another to stop them bidding for their player. Maximum wage stopped the appeal of moving.
When it was done away with, Clubs still by and large stuck together and still kept wages low, it took ages for wages to go up.
Players out of contract at one point still could not leave if offered an improved contract. Then that was changed but still no free move, an FA panel sat and decided the transfer fee, with things like ability, fees offered by other clubs, wages he would get at new club. This was well before the age of agents, a player moving club with consent of his club would usually have someone from that club advising him on the contract the new club was offering him. That moved on to some players having a solicitor. That of course moved on to the agent model we have now.
Bosman changed everything for the players,
Webster put even more power to the players.
both Bosman and Webster were EU rulings, and the EU have long found fault with football contracts, and have been trying for some time to find a solution to the problem as the see it of the “Transfer Fee”.
football is on the go for 150 years and for the first 75 years of it the Clubs had total power. then came the first break with the maximum wage being scrapped, not a football decision, but one by the Courts. Another 50 or so years seen another Court make the biggest changes of all, the Bosman and Webster rulings. This left the players massively with the upper hand.
The head of the Italian league, the head of the Spanish league, clubs in both leagues, not least of which, Barcelona, are up in arms at how transfer business has utterly changed just this summer, and that without any court ruling, or change to football rules. A few mega rich owners have usurped both, the richest men have the best lawyers it seems.
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Santi Cazorla back in training at London Colney, he did some running today, but will not play till the new year at the earliest.
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this is brilliant from Wenger.
Do you need to start trying to win ugly
Wenger: That’s where I think in England you have come to the wrong conclusions. If England has not won in 50 years at international level it’s maybe time at some stage to come to the right conclusion.
To convince people that to win you have to play ugly, is for me a wrong debate. Take the biggest teams in the world, they play football.
Brazil have won how many World Cups? They play football. Germany, they play football. Real Madrid, Barcelona, they play football.
Yes, we didn’t play well enough, But to come to the conclusion that you have to kick the ball in the stands to win games is the wrong conclusion.
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Ed
Not sure if that crossed my mind. Ultimately he’s such a game player, that I thought he reluctantly recognised Ferguson is untouchable.
You never know though, his ego does soar uncontrollably when he thinks success is on, and Shearer did have a little joke about trying to get the world’s best manager, but Ferguson wasn’t available so he had to get number 2, for the Grefnell charity game.
Wouldn’t put it past the little shit for that to have tweaked a nerve.
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another great reply by Wenger.
But will a performance get the fans off your back
Wenger: You work very hard to get our fans on our back and you do that very well.
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On Ozil’s spat with the Arsenal legends
Wenger: I always had a problem to understand what is a legend and what is not a legend.
All the players that were here had their weaknesses as well and they had their weak games and weak behaviour. Nobody was perfect
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The England football team played some Football under Robson, El Tel shady Venebles and even under the buffoon Hoddle.
For the Arsenal manager to have to make comments about hoofball in 2017 is remarkable when we consider that people stopped playing on mud fourty odd years ago.
The regression recorded under the house that Riley built is now consistent over a prolonged period.
It is what it is.
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The received wisdom is that the players have “all the power” post Bosman. I think it is fairer to say that the players at the very peak of their profession have the power to pick and choose their clubs ad their contracts. Plenty of players are no better off in terms of their choice of club or that their career will continue. If at the end of their contract they are deemed surplus to requirements off they go, same as it ever was.
And for those elite band of powerful players their leverage depends on the attitude of the clubs. As long as there are no rules and contracts are meaningless players and their agents are able to game the system. A plays B off against C, who plays D off against A etcetera. If the clubs abided by an agreed set of regulated processes, particularly regarding players’ contracts, they would see player/agent power melt like snow on a Summer afternoon.
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Rose and Walker’s performances as FBs against Iceland were legendary, no amount of protection from officials could dress up that dross. Right up there with Carlton Palmer. Did I not like that?
Their agent’s must have been sweating.
i’m going to place a SkyBet on England at least reaching the last four in Russia.
Bit like Lcfc, you know. Was the official who ignored the obvious foul the other night:
a) participating and watching afootball match for the first time in their life?
b) warming up/putting his marker down for russia 2018?
c) hopefully none of the above, making a genuine mistake not protecting the £50M braying Mule.
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A most enjoyable lashing of the punditti from today’s Mirror;
I particularly enjoyed
Others, from further back, have an air about them that says “the only facts you need to know in this commentary are the trophies on my CV”.
Take one of the legends Ozil was hitting back at, Paul Merson.
This is how Merson assessed Brighton’s summer transfer business: “I look through the list of signings and I don’t really know any of them.”
So, he had never heard of Australia’s national goalkeeper Mathew Ryan; Tim Krul, who played 160 times for Newcastle; or Chelsea’s former England Under-20 forward Izzy Brown, whose four goals, while on loan, in the second half of last season helped Huddersfield get promoted.
He did not have a clue about Colombian striker Jose Izquierdo, whose 14 league goals helped Club Brugge finish runners-up in Belgium last season; PSV Eindhoven’s midfielder and Dutch international Davy Propper; 20-capped Austrian international Markus Suttner or Sporting’s Ezequiel Schelotto, who once played against England for Italy.
Yet Merson is employed as a football expert – indeed, such an expert Sky paid him to be their star man on their busiest news day of the year, the closing of the summer transfer window.
Would such levels of ignorance be allowed from ex-pros analysing cricket, golf, tennis, athletics or any other sport? It’s doubtful.
Maybe because, in other sports, you have to earn your legendary status as a broadcaster just as you did as a player.
But, in football, the rule is clearly “once a ledge, always a ledge”.
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“Would such levels of ignorance be allowed from ex-pros analysing cricket, golf, tennis, athletics or any other sport?”
He’s copying and pasting from PA!
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I am seriously proud of Ozil for his apology on the Liverpool game day and also that scolding of the legends… it was long overdue and likely given rise to more honest discussion especially Arsenal legends that can be so annoying
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What an awesome take down of football punditry and Merson in particular by @BrianReade. My concern is will he have a job at the The Mirror for much longer. The establishment does take kindly to their mouthpieces being exposed to such ridicule by a truthteller. Look at the current counter-attack being launched at Ozil in the mainstream media.
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Next season’s summer transfer window will close on the Thursday (5pm) before the BPL starts.
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“Next season’s summer transfer window will close on the Thursday (5pm) before the BPL starts”
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Man Utd, Man City, Watford, Swansea and Crystal Palace voted against early transfer window closure. Burnley abstained.
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so the transfer window will be open for 3 weeks after the World Cup final
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Imagine if England actually make the world cup final or even the semi finals which would mean a 3rd/4th place play off, it would mean all the squad missing the start of BPL, as FIFA rules say players must get 4 weeks holidays after tournaments.
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pre-season will be in full swing while the World Cup is still on.
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There have been some quality comments on the blog for the last couple of days. I love that about this place that we are able to have discussions about the football and wider issues in the game without pretending our opinions are fact or descending into abuse. Long may it continue.
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The use of the term legend’ to describe former players seems hardly more than joke.
Yes, Henry could be described as such, but the others,, do me a favour.
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DB10 is certainly a legend… I am biased but certainly, consider Kanu a legend
I think mostly legends is about length of stay and creation / being part of many memorable occasions
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jjgsol: As @BrianReade avers, being a legendary player hardly qualifies you to become a legendary pundit. Just as it has little to do with becoming a decent coach or manager. See Tony Adams for example.
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shotta totally true. it is clear that becoming a pundit is a matter to be built up on its own. being a player is supposed to give a better insight to the game,
I think many just play to the gallery and likely follow a narrative from their employers which seems to make them not overly truthful
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also shotta being regarded a good pundit does not quality them to be good managers, take Gary Neville for example.
Anyone notice how he has altered his views on managers since his own experience of that side of the game.
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As we’ve noticed with the evolution Henry as a pundit, it is the piper who calls the tune. Getting those big bucks means you have to to start talking shit about Arsenal which at least since 1925 has been a club that does not employ managers who rely on “payment of heavy and exorbitant transfer fees”. This policy is contrary to the ethos of the commercial media which needs big transfer stories to splash on their pages (websites) to get punters attention and the attendant increase in advertising revenues. This is despite the mounting evidence that, as English clubs keep paying heavy and exorbitant transfer fees, their national team is falling further and further behind the top-top nations.
In this climate Henry could no longer make safe, rational statements but had to start making incendiary, illogical comments such as, “with Giroud Arsenal will never win a title.” Liverpool never won one with wee Mikey Owen by the way. Wonder if a legendary scouser ever dared making such a pronouncement. Clearly it is not your legendary status which demands notoriety and infamy, it would seem to depend entirely on who and how much is being paid vs the pundit’s personal integrity and respect for the team that made them great.
Now we have agents, 3rd party owners and betting companies getting in the football business because it is so lucrative and unregulated. Seems any ex-player with a decent public profile, especially if they won titles under Wenger or Graham, can now cash-in.
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