Good morning people.
You might note that I said “people”, and I haven’t used the normal “good morning positive people”.
I revisited the ABOUT US on the site and immediately felt glum.
“If you are a fan of the club who needs to vent their frustration by denouncing players who are “Notfittoweartheshirt”, or who delights disparaging the efforts of the club’s former or current coaches then the site is probably not for you. If you are an expert in the football transfer market, in sports medicine, in the mechanics of running a £1.5 billion sports business etcetera then it may be that PA is an insufficient platform for that abundance of your accumulated knowledge. There are many other blogs on which you will be much, much more at home.
To enjoy supporting Arsenal is a choice. Choose wisely.”
I have to ask myself , is that still us?
Now here is the problem for me, I have been as responsible as anyone for the current mood. I certainly can’t be casting the first stone. I have somehow allowed myself to compartmentalise the club and take sides. I have sided with players I like against the other parts that I have imagined are against them.
The rule was that once we were in Positively Arsenal, we were free to say as we liked, to who we liked, as long as it wasn’t aggressive. So I am not telling anyone how to behave , think or act, I’m simply reminding everyone , not least myself, what the essence of the site is.
Miraculously we find ourselves in 4th place this morning, and it’s a reminder that there is still plenty to play for and look forward to. Again, I’m not trying to do anything other than remind myself, what the site is for.
I will try harder, I hope you will too, let’s not become that which we once detested.
Positively Arsenal 
Arsenal have named their updated 25 man BPL squad, of course new signing Suarez is included, but so is Iliev, now third choice goalie and left wing back Bramall
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Thanks for that Eduardo.
If any proof was needed that Unai Emery is a deep thinking and meticulous coach — that summary tells the true story.
Not a flim flam man, just a straight shooter.
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Orbinho, who I think is a reliable statsman, posted earlier we have not won our last 20 away games against top six. Seven draws, thirteen defeats.
Knew it was bad but didn’t realise it was that grim. Ouch.
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Unatharium
I still tend to disagree with your view point. You are of the opinion that the media and the fans got against AW bcos he could not win the league for 14 years.
So he is a faliure.
We at PA believe it is not like this.
AW actually was a successful manager in all kinds of ways. His record is unmatched. For instance
1) 20 years of CL football .No other manager has achieved and will not surely achieve ever.
2) Unbeaten season the jewel in the crown.
3) Finished above spurs for 20 years our most fiercest rivals.
4) seven FA cups and 3 league ttlel 1 CL final .(mind you man city has not played a CL final yet)
5) Average league finish 3rd during his 22 year career.
6) Most wins% with most goals, scored per match under any Arsenal manager.
7) Making of the Emirates, stadium another pot of Gold for the club.
Above all the meagre fact that it was, all achieved on a shoe string budget as compared to our big rivals and against all odds ,the biased Pigmob, the anti Arsenal media, and the idiot fanbase and playing the most attractive football in the clubs history.
Infact with those achievements ask any Spurs or Liverpool fan if they had the option to have any 1 achievement from the above they will take it In a hearbeat.
Infact If I was at the Arsenal board I would have proposed a lifetime managership for AW or till his retirement.
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Unanitharium
You may argue that United & Chelsea have dominated the league since last 2 decades and have won CL title as well but can you compare the amounts of money they have spent as compared to us. City were no where during the last 15 years and just started to win after billions of dollars of petro money injections.
Also to put the record straight Ferguson was heavily favoured by the pigmob and was gifted the title a number of times during those years. Many managers have pointed to this cheating as well. Rafa Benitez Robero ,Martinez etc. are on record to point out that Fergie always got rub of the green.The Pigmob also robbed AW the title in 2015/16 by awarding 13 penalties to Leicester another all time high. Oh and who can forget when Eduardo was intentionally targeted in 2008 to rob us off another League title.
The real comparison can be done with Spurs and Liverpool and AW has comprehensively beaten them over the two decades. Infact spurs and Liverpool can’t even win more than a single league cup during AW era let alone finish above us. (Though Liverpool had a few top 4 finishes and once they came close to winning the league during Luis Suarez days) but we won a record 7 FA cups during those 20 years with 20 top 4 finishes and AW built a multi billion dollar stadium as well single handedly. And if I am not wrong the banks funding the stadium had asked the Arsenal board to keep AW as the manager untill all debts are paid off.
What more you can ask from a man who gave his best years to our club and took us in the top 10 clubs of the world.
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Looking very ominous for Wilshere with talk he could be out for season.
Had operation on left ankle after four games and apparently it’s his right one that is now the problem following a ten minute comeback.
Hate to say it but could be nearing end game for him. Body, ankles rather, just don’t seem to cope with football any more. West Ham may have done him no favours playing him in every one of their first four games, as though he was a normal player and not one who needs to be managed extremely carefully.
Hell of a shame.
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Rich
Having watched the smashing of Wilshere’s ankles over a few seasons I can understand and appreciate why the foul rule was introduced to association football a hundred and fifty years ago.
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< the foul count presented by 7am (don't always agree with his opinions but no one can disagree with his numbers in that recent post, though they are entitled to waste their time trying) on Matteo from last week's game probably didn't count the one or two non-given yellow card fouls on the teenager, as they were played as "advantage". And the writer referred to above highlights that this is a variation that can be observed when compared to the games of rivals.
But we already knew that.
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Rosicky, think a few years ago, the Arsenal board read your mind from your post today on Wengers being given a lifetime job, it this article on an interview with Stan is anything to go by
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/8797931/Arsenal-owner-Stan-Kroenke-Arsene-Wenger-is-one-of-the-greats-he-will-be-in-charge-for-as-long-as-he-wants.html
Whether lifetime contracts are healthy is another debate, but Stan clearly went back on this, assuming he was reported correctly of course. Perhaps he should have said “ Wenger can stay as long as he wants, as long as he keeps us in the top four, gives me the opportunity to sit alongside Brit royalty from time to time, keeps the sponsors happy and profits and wage turnover ratios healthy”
Not a Stan dig btw, think most non money laundering owners, or those who are not tyrants with unlimited cash and out for global prestige would follow sensible business practices.
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Tks Mandy
Infact Arsene Wenger deserves to be at Arsenal for his lifetime. No doubt about that & I am sure he would have continued but departed only to keep the fanbase in harmony.
I have no doubts Wenger would have again made a title winning team as he did in the year 2014/15 with Kos Ozil Cazorla Alexis Cech & Ramsey.
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Wouldn’t be surprised to see Wenger return in some capacity one day, but that will be in the future as the club , and new manager and prob even owners will need breathing space and to learn to stand without him first, as things go through the inevitable teething troubles we see a little of already – perhaps Sven and Ivan though we don’t know full details.
Think Wenger needed a bit of a break as well tbh, he went through a lot of negative pressure at the end, much of it from external factors, though I will always believe that for right or for wrong, some board members did not help him. But ultimately negative pressure can damage your health so I am quite pleased he is out of it and enjoyed a break. Hope he soon pops up somewhere revitalised and ready to go to work.
In the mean time, hope the boys confound everyone and the Arsenal that dismantled Chelsea and Spurs rears it’s head at City.
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There is an interview by Jeremy Wilson with Josh Kroenke in todays Telegraph. Wilson is one of the clubs chosen journalists.
Unfortunately, I don’t subscribe to this publication, prefer the paper, erm, once linked with Manchester but from what I can gather from other comments elsewhere, JK says they are ambitious, the owners are hands on, they are all unified in their aims, and very much behind the manager. Can only see UE getting an extension, possibly this summer, barring disaster. Also says the club are in transition, and that Rome, or in this article, the current Liverpool FC wasn’t built in a day. Apparently Unai and McVey, the Rams coach, have similar energy and qualities and the two are due to meet up in the coming months.
Know JK would say such things, and cliches about proof and pudding etc, may be proven horribly wrong, but I just cannot help but be just a little optimistic.
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Spurs get lucky yet again
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Son’s been their best player this season.
He could help them through Feb. whilst missing the other two goal scorers.
Always helps to put the best footballers at a football club upon the football pitch.
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rumors that Xhaka and Maitland-Niles both out of tomorrows game v Man City.
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
2h2 hours ago
Arsenal or West Brom will host Everton or Brighton in the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals. Game will be at Emirates Stadium if Arsenal progress.
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Was just pondering over Arsenal current season the Wobs are complaining that we are left by Wenger in such a big mess but fail to see that even without starting our best players we are still around 4 th place in the league +-.
Had UE played our best players in easy winable games with Ozil and Ramsey together we could have been in top4 easily.
Wenger has really destroyed us……
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New post is up
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