Please excuse me today as I attempt to put down my thoughts, because honestly they are all over the place. The only thing that is clear in my mind is that I have not got a clear mind. Lets start with last nights game.
For the first 25 minutes we dominated the ball yet failed to have a single attempt on goal. In fact we didn’t have an attempt in the entire first half.
The first goal was a well taken free kick but that kick was a result of a needless foul in a dangerous area. The commentators tried to blame the wall for being weak, but I think it just was over them and a great kick. Sadly, that was basically the end of the game as a contest. For me the next 2 goals were the result of rank bad defending and goalkeeping errors.
The second half was not much better although we did get one back from a wonderful Xhaka delivery from a corner. Truth be told we never threatened to get back into the game.
The question is why were we so ineffective? The answer is quite simple, you all know it because we are all experts in the game and could easily put things right ourselves? Right?
Well no, but that’s the problem. If I was to hazard a guess it would be that Ozil was moving wide to find space and the lack of a midfield runner(namely Ramsey), together with Iwobi and Mkhitaryan being ineffective and also not giving movement in and around the box., meant nothing was created. But really, it’s just a guess.
Anyway, we were soundly beaten by a team that executed their own game plan very well, a huge amount of credit should go to just how good Wolves were.
Once the game was over the fans retreated to their trenches and the attacks began. It was Emery’s fault, it was the players fault or it was Wenger’s fault, depending on which bias you wanted confirmation of.
We were woeful against Everton, dreadful against Palace, poor and lucky against Watford and easy to beat last night. We had a golden opportunity to finish 3rd, let alone 4th, and we have royally ballsed it up. But, this manager and these players also put in decent performances that gave us the golden chance. Yes, it’s all gone wrong, but for a while it was all going well. We tend to forget the good as soon as some bad comes along. It may get worse, then again it might get better.
I long for the attacking jazz play we used to get from Arsene’s teams,but we should also remember the thrashings we got when it didn’t work. There were times when we looked toothless,weak and even clueless.
After the Palace defeat Emery came out and defended Mustafi, that showed class and strength from our head coach. His post match press conference last night was fantastic. He didn’t throw any player under the bus, he knew what had gone wrong and where we could have done better. I think he is too negative and pragmatic, but he seems a very decent man and he has been successful at smaller clubs than us and at a mega club, there is a good chance he can be successful for us.
We had one of the all time great managers for 22 years, if we expect Emery to be as good , let alone better, then we will be hugely disappointed. It doesn’t matter if you thought Arsene was great or rubbish, the comparisons to him are pointless. By all means be critical of Emery, but at least understand the difficulties he has in front of him.
This blog was built on the shoulders of people like Arsenal Andrew,Andy Nic, Zim Paul and Frank, we must remember this:-
“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.”
And I am talking to you Pedantic George(that’s me for any new readers) as well , by the way.
Finally, our friend Mills posted this. This is what the site should be about,have a read.
“It’s always the same, how aftv don’t seem to understand what football is or how it operates. Wolves are having a honeymoon at the moment, the cat shall mew and the wolf have its day, but the woodman( relegation) is always standing next to them waiting. They needed to beat us, it validates them, but for Arsenal, who wants to go to Wolves? Its of little interest, and in a way its a big fault on our part, but I’m sure man yof the other top 6 teams feel the same, in a way its the Problem of the EPL? Don’t get me wrong, its pretty disappointing, how can it not be?
I just don’t think the lads felt inspired and if they play in an uninspired way without parking the bus, bad play and mistakes will happen. Its unlike Leno to make a couple of mistakes, and its unlike Kos to not mark up really well. The whole season has been devoid of getting in a good place mentally and building on it. But we have the potential, we can see it, its all there.
aftv think that Man City and Liverpool and Arsenal of 20 yrs ago just come out of no-where or you can pay. Cash helps but still it needs a geist. Good psychology and getting a unity(or even a general unity) is the key, then all things proceed from there. Of course its not plain sailing, its keeping on the path, reacting to causes and effects and thats easier said than done.It doesn’t come when youre watching either.
For example, the lads now have to get up from these two games and do their best, but if the geist bogs off, how to you get flow and rhythm? How do you keep unity and a good geist in all players?Go on social media and get advice form people who cant kick a ball properly but know everything in hindsight.
It concerns me that people think that going to a game, then slagging the team off afterwards because they didn’t get what they wanted (“im the paying customer!”)because they believe they are the real deal (and a manager) because loud voices and sensationalism get attention, is supporting. No it isn’t. Its only part of the equation. We’ve all spent loads of money going, as did generations before me. Without social media what then for these commentators? Why do they think they are right? If they were in charge what then? What the film the Matrix misunderstood, is that everyone thinks they are the one.
On a petty level they give too much ammunition to other teams to throw at the club. 5th columnists, and its unconscious, which makes it all the more scary.
Of course my opinions are as worthless or worthy as theirs, but I don’t claim to be right, just to try and add another perspective. They doesn’t make me righteous either, more than likely a tool. But the world suffers unnecessarily…
The club imo, should ban the players from looking and interacting with social media,(and people like me) its could also stop playing up to the likes of aftv, what for? Because they proclaim themselves the in crowd? Outside any in-crowd circle are people who are also worthy, all that in-crowd stuff is nonsense anyway. All is fleeting.
Every single player who went out last night is a good player, has proved for years they are good players. It didn’t happen, Liverpool and City, just like ManUre and Chelsea and us will also experience this, its football. Wolves are king of their dung heap, let them have it. Soon enough another will come along crowing all knowing.On another day and with the right flow, they would have lost 3-1. and the season isnt lost yet either.
And the ship sails on.COYG!”
Positively Arsenal 
It’s a hard life.
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TeGeorge listening to some uber Billy Big Blaggers describe a club that just one three fa cups in four years as “bottlers” whilst lauding a club that’s won sweet fa in thirty was and not much more in the last sixty is a fascinating study in anthropology, psycololgy and last but not least Sports Communications (propaganda aka PR to plebs like you and me) on behalf of various corps and agencies.
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‘Scuse the typos, back to my lunch!
It’s the little things that make me happy. Food, good footballers playing good footy once some management consultant allows them to take the football field…etc.
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by no means the only factor, but I think the team have become dependent on Rambo to a degree that is not healthy at this stage, that is despite Emery maybe reducing his appearances earlier in the season, to possibly wean the team off this magnificent player.
Yes I know we have performed poorly in games with Ramsey present, but nobody will ever convince me he wouldnt have been of significant help during recent ultra poor away performances
But, hopefully, injury Gods permitting…like they always smile on this team…Rambo can win us one final trophy, if we can get there that is.
He is a worry though, as a Cazorla fanatic, I know how the team , and quite possibly, manager felt the loss of a player who was wengerball personified, I suspect Rambo may be a similar loss.
A thin squad, without some of our best players, Danny, superb playermentally and physically strong with his immense work ethic, Bellerin, a man so pivotal to our play, Holding, so promising, developing well with Sok, now Rambo. No team would get over losses like that untouched.
Emery has his work cut out this summer in what will be a vital year for him, he needs and deserves our support, even if he does bring in Nzonzi
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Bravo George. You are a brave and honest man. Didn’t get a chance to see the game as I flew from Blighty on my way home from the Palace game. It struck me that after hearing the result I was not as surprised or as sickened as I used to feel. In a way that is partially because am not as emotionally bound to the ups (mostly) and downs of Arsene Wenger but also a realization and expectation that success would be difficult to achieve post Wenger. In a way Wenger’s last 2 years prepared some of us for the difficulties ahead with the exception of those rank opportunists and bitter enemies of his football philosophy who as Fins describes are waging propaganda war against the club using PR techniques pioneered by Edward Bernard (look him up; his techniques were adopted by Goebbels, the US government and big cooperations). I pity those who were fooled into believing that Arsenal can easily succeed vs an array of externally financed clubs, a biased PGMOL and an unfriendly media. Note Wenger was able to over #2 and #3 but #1 is firmly entrenched. As in the history of Arsenal it seems to me it will take another great manager to lead us out of this current rut which was inevitable after 20 great years. Sorry, like George, I have no tips and tactical advice for the manager or any great insights into next season.
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Both parts of this post are excellent. I may have more to say later but wanted to pass my compliments to George & Mills right away.
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You sound clear and mindful in your analysis George and indeed calming. I read Mills’ comment on previous blog entry and too find it a great read. You just have a way of walking us away from the cliff when results attempt to get the better of us. We missed those mental munchies from you Mills. This combined blog from you and PG definitely helps getting over the result and looking forward with renewed ‘geist’ to the next game.
PG: just to touch on the Özil part of your review. I don’t know how many games he started alongside Mkhi and Iwobi this season because usually when he gets dropped to the bench its in place of either Mkhi or Iwobi. Not even gonna get into whether he played ahead of Guendouzi and Elneny before. We are utilizing him.
Seven changes for the Palace game, seven changes last night. Our senior players are being hung out to dry not playing with a settled team. I also feel Emery is missing a trick not doing what he can to maximize Özil and Lacazette’s combined creative and attacking threat.
Mandy: Ramsey is definitely a big miss and we shouldn’t forget that once he started playing more regularly we seem to find a semblance of balance between defense and attack
twitter.com/Orbinho/status/1121152082222952448
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PS: I have no idea what Mills’ “geist” mean yet used it. In afrikaans, my first language, there’s a word “gees”, meaning spirit, so I’m going with that.
Trying to attach the Orbinho stat again
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No matter your choice of pastime, if you are looking for problems, you will find them. If you want to be outraged, you will find outrages. If you’re trying to assert your own intelligence, you’ll find the appearance of cleverness in the obvious.
Only speaking for myself here, I find all three approaches tiresome.
This blog, this particular post, and the balance of comments are distinctive because they don’t resort to those boring shortcuts. Thank you all.
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Reached point now where I almost feel clam and philosophical about it all. Curious even. Wondering what will happen in years to come.
An advantage if you can spread it out to next year, 3 years, 5 years etc is that it leaves more room for generalised hope among the uncertainty of it.
My problem, and I wonder how prevalent it is, is that I kind of need or at least really want the boost- of seeing the team fly, play well, look good in the present and with the promise of more to come; win stuff or thereabouts- now. As soon and as much as possible.
Obvious I guess but, not to get too icky and personal, think the main distinction lies in whether you look forward to the next year, 3 years, 5 years etc, or simply if you are generally content with your lot and life.
May be a foolish move on my behalf getting that personal and particularly would not like to depress anyone else saying it, but no other way to make my point, and i really do think it may be at the heart of a lot of what we talk about here- ie negatively Arsenal ; the stuff the site was largely a response to and an escape from and which has surely grown in the meantime.
I see a link anyway. It’s as though I can see the outlines and contours of what a better, more positive approach to support would be- including humour, perspective, detachment at times, resilience, patience, hope (some detailed, some blank)- but for me too much of it is bound together with- geez- an ok outlook generally, a future – 1 year, 3, 5- that you’re, if not eager to traverse through and inhabit, pretty comfortable with.
Boy, hope it’s not an error on my part, either the theory itself or mentioning it, but it’s probably the most honest thing I’ll write here, and I think it can help explain so many of the reactions to and attitudes around the game now. Think a lot of people need or badly want their hit, right now, and maybe react, often badly, in proportion to the need/want.
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Cheers George and Mills appreciate both your time and comments as you are right there are loads of experts out here but half the fun is talking about the game but i do believe most people take it way to serious.
anyway regarding a couple of sentences Mills wrote regarding how different generations attitude to football was.
“We’ve all spent loads of money going, as did generations before me.”
Football for the few generations before me was not as corporate as it is now and i get the feeling a lot of peoples attitudes towards football today has been influenced by the corporisation of the game. Maybe it was the similar back then but it felt to me that people related to the players more than they do now.
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I agree with you Rich.Im one of the most guilty for what you say, writing about negatively Arsenal.Ive been doing it for years, both at UA and here. Im sure you know all this already so please forgive my ramble.
Unfortunately its the side of the game that interests me most when having a chat, of course theres not quite like anything for being whisked away by something like vintage Wengerball, even our biggest enemies were in awe of it.But how the team/fan base functions mentally fascinates me.
I do it, because I try to choose (foolishly) one side of duality. The way I see it the two (negatively Arsenal and positively Arsenal) are a marriage, they are not a mirror, but a counter support structure. Where any polarity rises in life a counter polarity rises too, and by that they quantify each other otherwise they fade and cannot exist? The sad irony of life is that any ultimate peace would mean being submerged in total relativity, but its a fear for us all as the minds we have seem constructed to see life in a way that creates “other” and suffering. Ive met people who go on about unity at such a level and then I ask them why do they reject the stench of pavement pizza at 8.30am when the are feeling a bit delicate after a night on the grog? Unity cant be selective on an absolute level, and on a relative one.
Yet even if I studied each game and wrote about each fabulous play by our players, everything would be relative to terrible play by our players or another player from another team. Long and short are married to each other, but are relative because to shorter, short is long, and to longer long is short.
Humour is married to lack of humour, perspective to fascism/sightlessness, detachment to attachment resilience to fluidity, patience to lack of patience and hope is linked to fear.
Somebody could equally argue that Im a phony for choosing one side rather than another. For me its a conscious decision. I don’t want to go to Le Grove or any other place, to go and take part in those place would mean that I see their perspective as positive, but I don’t. For years its baffled me that aside from certain forms of ethics that many delude themselves to think what is obviously negative is positive.But they would argue that Im not, that Im negative, as they want win at all costs and that by my meandering pseudo intellectual thought Im holding them back. Maybe theyre right Im not particularly interested in winning at all costs. I want to win and still can be a bad loser. But I would like to think I look at football for more than that. Society is all too obsessed with winners and losers. No loser, no winner.each team needs each other to play to quantify its existence. Its easy to forget but if we can hold onto it for a second we break the total grip of suffering.
But that’s all I can do, if I was smart I wouldn’t look at aftv, I wouldn’t even look at football, as I desire to win to much and football cant exist with win /lose or draw. And where desire rises suffering and pain rises too, as football is made like that, personally in one way its what drives us to follow a team, moments of ecstasy from winning can only be known by moments of fear and hopelessness and loss. But being friends with it isn’t easy. I buggered our dinner up a bit on Sunday evening as I was in such a kasi of a mood so I ended up forcing myself to think outside of suffering so I could be a bit more social. I dont like the way it encroaches on my life too much.
Question is for me why choose positive rather than negative? Because in my own experience I feel better, a bit more rational and a bit more happy,and from there more benevolent, and from there more relative and less “other/enemy”, less anger and fear more relativity and from there more potential.
I dont wish aftv (etc) to not exist, I think it has a place, (unless it becomes really evil etc)and what right do I have to extinguish it until it loses its relative place? But I dont like or mostly agree with their view point, the power they wield and the endless shouting and sensationalism, it poses its amateur and the fair, but its professional and unfair. And mostly I find its criticism a bit off the mark ” Özil is shit”. What do they mean shit? Even worse is Özil is lazy. No such thing as laziness, its poor thinking to say this. Its easy to be deluded by that verb but its hollow and meaning less. Theres a deeper meaning always, one more revealing than the word “lazy”.
Sometimes it all seems a bit too wrapped up in itself( me included) and the lust for winning at all costs and the lure of that seem to take away from the game itself. Look, Im on cloud 9, as a kid I always wanted to win. My bruvs and I played a lot of Subbuteo and I often won,I was the older brother(bother) and I was winning too much but it sort of ruined it as he didnt want to play anymore ( fair enough) so I let him win. Then he got better the more I let him grow and then he got good, so we could play on the level, but it then got really exciting, sometimes losing was a good as winning. Ok it wasnt on the same level as Arsenal, a big corporate form, employing loads of people and an weird ersatz for a happiness machine, but it taught me a tiny bit of graciousness, or sportsmanship and friendship.
But others need to win at all costs, others need a massive identity with Arsenal. But these things are ultimately a delusion, if we pull them apart, we cant find anything that we can identify as the things we are looking for or are just a fleeting feeling that is soon measured by counter support structures again ie the season starts again and off we go, despite winning all. Sisyphus and the big old stone? Hamsters on the wheel? All with various types of “enemies” wrap up in flux.
It all depends what we are looking for. Thing is who can I help? I can write something and people can choose to agree or not, but that’s their disposition, and we are all going at different speeds of growth. Some like it hot, some like it cold. Its just the loud voices don’t offer every analysis of what’s going on (imo).Seems often when we go to try and clear things up it becomes more confusing and slippery like an eel to pin down?
Anyway, sorry to go on, I found it interesting and agree with you, but not sure I can change. The irony is if Arsenal were winning all the time the negatively Arsenal would fade away, well some of it anyway.
Plus theory is one thing and practise another, and that’s what makes football really beautiful/t terrifying , you just don’t know what’s going to happen.
And thanks to everyone for your nice comments, if we are feeling poopy, what are the lads feeling like? The happiness of millions is on their shoulders, and that cant be too much fun. Although it feels like I would like to go up rather than down anymore on the rollercoaster! Aarrrrrgh!
Labo, spot on with the word geist, it does mean spirit.
Cheers, and sorry to be long winded Rich and everyone else. COYG!
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Santi got his 10th assist of the season in Villareal’s 1-0 win at Real Sociedad. Only two players in La Liga have more assists this season — one is some bloke named Messi.
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Rich
On the Home vs Away variations.
I said to Shotta after the Stoke away game, first away game of the season last year, that there’d been a change and I didn’t expect AFC to get top four.
you’ve all read my thoughts on the footy this season, and the looming shadow of Raul’s bungtatstic method over the Arsenal, the need to slowly bring through good quality signings as the club has to budget (Torreira and Papa as late replacements for Coquelin and Gabby) but none of that can supply anyone who can count a satisfactory account of the pelanty stats.
there it is folks.
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Just filled with joy every time I hear a Santi success. Sounds like he is having quite a season
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did you know that a club must exist 3 years before it can play in European competitions
No Europa League Football For Waterford
By
Dave Hooper –
25th April 2019
(Photo by Harold Cunningham – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Waterford have not been awarded a UEFA license to compete in Europe this season, meaning they cannot par-take in next seasons Europa League.
The Independent Club Licensing Committee of the Football Association of Ireland met on April 24 and awarded UEFA Licences to four SSE Airtricity League clubs for the 2019-20 UEFA Club competition season.
Dundalk FC, Cork City FC, Shamrock Rovers FC and St Patrick’s Athletic FC have all been awarded Licences.
Dundalk will enter the Champions League qualifying round as SSE Airtricity League champions.
Waterford had finished fourth and qualified in a Europa League position. However their entry has been awarded to St Patricks Athletic who finished fifth.
A club must be in existence for three-years to compete in Europe, but the Blues’ management company wasn’t formed until late 2016.
Waterford FC owner Lee Power last week released a statement claiming the club had been ‘totally misled by the FAI’.
Power warned that the decision will have a serious financial impact on the future of Waterford FC and claims the club were given assurances by the FAI throughout a five-month process.
The Waterford chairman also said he would seek compensation from the FAI.
He’s called for an investigation into the FAI’s handling of the affair and confirmed that Waterford will appeal UEFA’s decision.
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Mills, good to read your thoughts on it all.
I’m a bit less gloomy today. Hoping the u23 game is available on the website, which is probably a good sign (or is it?).
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Fins
Thing is – on those pen stats and more- I got the sense after the game the other night I have royally fucked football for myself with my beliefs on the subject.
Didn’t watch game, but it’s now case that when I don’t I end up imagining, say, soft free kicks against, breakaways against after fouls, everything from the big to the small, basically.
I’ve no doubt from all I heard we must have played really badly, or at least gone to shit for a crucial period, but I also latch on to mentions of, say, a pen that should have been, a central free kick not given, foul just before goal against, etc. There’s a lot of ‘aye, the ref was bad but it made no difference, we deserved nothing’, etc.
Ah, I won’t do my norm and go on about it further, but safe to say I believe it is hugely influential in our away troubles- and I’m pretty sure I’d be better off if I could erase that belief now.
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a massive weekend for Arsenal FC
The first team play away to Leicester City on Sunday afternoon, and with 2 of our rivals for top 4, Man Utd and Chelsea playing other, a win for us could see us top 4 with only 2 games to go, all back in our own hands.
Our Womens team are away to Brighton and Hove Albion Women on Sunday afternoon too, and a win there will see our Women win the League title for the first time in 7 years, and 15th overall, with a game in hand.
Our U18’s are away to Fulham on Saturday morning, a win will see them win the South League title and get them into a playoff with the North League winners, I think that is Derby County, for a place in next season’s European Youth Champions League.
Tonight our U23’s play their final league game of the season, and after a poor start to the season, a win tonight could see them finish as high as second, they can finish no lower than 4th regardless of result.
so 2 league titles, and 2 top 4 positions are up for grabs for our four teams. Arsenal in Crisis.
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of our injured players only Aubameyang has a chance of being fit for Sunday, after his small sinus procedure
we have had 7 changes in each of our last couple of games, and I expect some, if not as many on Sunday, depending on PEA’s fitness he could come in, I expect Mustafi and Kolasinac and of course Guendouzi all to start, we may even see Jenkinson in contention, not sure what has happened Lichtsteiner as he is not listed as injured and can be seen in the training photos but he has been out of the first team squad for a few weeks now, maybe the rumors of a bust up with Emery have some legs.
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Rich the only people who have fucked football for anyone are those who have destroyed the credibility and integrity of the beautiful game.
We live in a brave new world where even the simple (19th century) concept of having kick off times at the same time to ensure fair play and competition has been thrown into the bin.
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< last three home victories in the league the official has been heckled off the pitch. If they're that bad when you're winning at home then in the opinion of twenty odd thousand football fans then…
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48042234
The 3-3 draw against this then diving team in the CL group stages would not have been possible by for serious tilting by the official, sure it was not a full strength team & the Gunners were also going to qualify from the group but I saw the match and I can’t deny that the UEFA official was awful.
As Shotts succinctly highlights any ostriches willing to bury their heads and ignore the comments about agents from managers and everyone else in the game such as those about Wolves etc (I still think as I said at start of season that they are a good football team) is conducting themselves like a Football Virgin.
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A few weeks ago I predicted the spuds would come third manure fourth chelski fifth and us sixth. The disappointment has come because we actually performed better than expected in some of those games and lost our way again I last few.
The reality now is if we win all of our last three games we stand a very good chance of getting fourth. It would seem at the moment we need manure to beat chelski and then two wins and a draw might do it.
Of course any win at this time of the season is difficult so predicting any results of chelski, manure and us will be extremely hard especially not knowing the state of mind or fitness of the opposition on any given day.
So there you have it I was quite sure of the positions of the top six now I have no idea even of the top two. Unfortunately I am sure there will be no ST tottering this season and they will finish third and I pray for two excellent Ajax displays.
Roll on Sunday and up the Arse.
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Bit random this but stumbled across this player when looking to see how Nico Yennaris getting on in China
Korean Van Dijk? Korean Harry Maguire more by build of him.
Looks like he prob got in national team just after world cup and prob part of team that won Asian championship this year. Recently went to China for 5 million.
Course, if he were the real deal old Son at Spurs would prob give them the heads up on him.
As importantly, reckon you could make a damn good compilation of any of our cb’s, Mustafi included.
Still, not stop me hoping we manage to identify next big thing/s, whoever they may be.
The big Russian kid we were linked with earlier in season, who looked excellent in his own compilation vid, joined a big Russian team, Zenit I think, in January for a million quid.
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Ah, googled him and see we, spurs and liverpool were linked with him this time last year.
Guess it goes to show you have to find someone more obscure than a young South Korean playing in China for someone we haven’t been linked with at some point!
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Not just me who’s no fan of Moss then. Seems a member of our staff charged, after words at some point during Palace game, following referee report.
When you can’t get Xhaka, I guess.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6963129/Arsenal-operations-manager-Ameesh-Manek-charged-tunnel-row.html
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the Arsenal U23 game v Leicester City U23’s is live on Leicester City’s web site, its free to register on it, kick off at 7
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i don’t like that we have selected amaechi, saka and john-jules, there is an u18 league to be won tomorrow, that should be the top priority
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Emiliano Sala’s father dies three months after son is killed
The father of Premier League footballer Emiliano Sala, who was killed in a plane crash earlier this year, has died three months after his son.
Horacio Sala, 58, suffered a heart attack on Friday, his friend and president of his local club confirmed.
Daniel Ribero, from San Martin de Progreso, told C5N TV channel that Mr Sala had passed away before doctors arrived at his home in Progreso.
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I’ve enjoyed the threads here on Arsenal’s form this season, the handicap the club gave itself mid-season and the strong effort from the squad and coaches and predictable calls that had to be made afterwards, all with an appreciation that thos squad missing Holding and Welbeck & Bellerin would struggle in this final fixture crunch.
Best Arsenal blog on the internet, thanks George.
Primarily as it’s the only one where people have been discussing the actual football and not their confirmation bias!
Special mention goes out to the special ones the cretins with their Ozil and Ramsey can’t play together meme which ignored the previous four/five seasons. Lobotomisation has it’s price I suppose. Beware!
Still not over and I remain hopeful the luck falls for the Gunners one way or another, league or Europa.
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24 minutes gone and our u23’s are 3-0 up, and their keeper has brought off 4 great saves to stop it being a rout so far
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Bukayo Saka has already won a penalty that Gilmour opened the scoring with, assisted a goal for John-Jules to make it 2-0 and scored one of his own in the first 10 minutes of the u23s’ game
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half time its 3-0, and really could have been 8 or 9 for our lads, totally in command
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Huddersfield with a GD of -52 now
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I am certainly no expert so my simple reading of the league table is that if The Arsenal are going to take a step forward on the pitch and up the table a little in the seasons ahead they’ll need to score more goals! Heh.
Also an easy observation that getting penalties due would help. I’ve heard talk of a dream or fantasy signing that would be a goalscoring forward who is more of team player then Sanchez! Next season I’m dreaming of AMN to breaking through in CM, more minutes for Eddie, Sako & Nelson to help out as goal scoring forwards, and some more defenders from somewhere. Welbeck signing on for another year. That’s my list, after Rambo returns to score the winning goal in the Europa cup final.
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< Saka
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Taken a risk by not using the three top lads for u18’s, but am trying to admire the ballsiness, and loyalty to the group who have done most of work to be champions.
Think I’m just nervous cos it’s bloody Spurs who’ll win it if it goes tits up tomorrow. That and fact there’s a good chance of Uefa Youth League through it and it’d suck to miss out on that three years in a row. Shame some of those in that time who have not got to take on Europe’s best, though should be a strong set of players again if we make it.
Good luck to them anyway. They should be able to do it, but they’d probably be a lot less tense if they had the front three from today’s game as insurance on the bench. Spot of good news wouldn’t go amiss.
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George, thanks for this wise piece and for reminding us of what this site is all about. I have found this season a strange one: I have enjoyed it when we win, and especially so when we have played well – there have been some sublime moments. But when we play badly and lose, I am not affected in the way that I was under Arsene. It is not that i don’t care, but I no longer feel as is if it is my fault, or that I was somehow responsible for it all, or that I had to defend the selections or tactics or manager. To be honest it has been quite a relief.
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Arsenal U18 v Fulham
T. Smith; Daley-Campbell, McGuinness, Clarke, Swanson; M. Smith, Azeez; Greenwood, Cottrell, Coyle; Balogun.
Subs: Graczyk, Ogungbo, Flaherty, Musah, Matthews.
Ok that’s the team but six minutes in on their possible league winning game and I can’t get any news …. Where’s Ed when I need him
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Half time its Fulahm U18’s 0-0 Arsenal U18’s
spurs are winning so as things stand they would win the league, I was afraid this might happen and it was why I was against us using Saka, Amaechi and John-Jules in the U23 game last night when they should have been playing in this game and winning some silverware
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seemingly our lads much improved in the second half and are creating some good chances, but so far have not taken one, about 30 minutes left
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a surprising scorer for us, our right back Daley-Campbell, come on you gooners
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Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
1m1 minute ago
GOAL FOR #AFCU18! Daley-Campbell storms into the box and finds the bottom corner with a cool finish 👏
⚪️ 0-1 🔴 (76) | #U18PL
Arsenal Academy
Verified account @ArsenalAcademy
1m1 minute ago
AND ANOTHER ONE! IT’S THAT MAN @FBALOGUN67 🔥
⚪️ 0-2 🔴 (81) | #U18PL
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Emery on replacing Ramsey: “We could replace him with a player from outside, or with a player who is already here who can grow like he did himself. There are players coming through from the academy who are producing good performances & who could progress”
Emery on summer transfers: “There could be a lot of movement in terms of signings & departures or there could be a little, but first of all I believe there is a good base for the team already here”
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Fulham 0 Arsenal 3. Coyle scores. Title is ours
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3-0 our scorers Daley-Campbell, Balogun and Coyle, a few minutes left
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
9s9 seconds ago
Ft. Fulham 0 Arsenal 3. ARSENAL U18S ARE CHAMPIONS.
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Following on from the U23S success winning the league last season the U18S have done it this season brilliant for the Academy. Totally looking forward for various youngsters to have a huge impact on the first team Come on you young Gunners.
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