I want to write a positive blog!
I want to describe some beautiful football!
I want to be enthusiastic about Arsenal!
I want to enjoy our football!
Sadly, I’m unable to do any of these things.
That was 95 minutes of tripe. We won the game courtesy of a well executed headed goal from David Luiz and also courtesy of them defending the corner badly.
Two shots on target ,at home, against Bournemouth? That can’t be acceptable, no matter how healthy our league position is.
We have played 8 PL games and not played well in any of them. In fact I would go as far as to say we have played poorly in them all. That we are where we are in the league, is testament to how good our players are despite how they are being forced to play.
We can be very happy at the 3 points gained, content with our league position, but I defy anyone to say we should be happy with the excruciatingly poor football being churned out week after week.
People will say “judge it in May”, well I did, I judged the crap we were served up last May, and if anything it’s gotten worse. If you dare look beyond the points total, what looks back is a football team that lacks the ability to play entertaining attacking football. There are those that don’t want to look beyond, those that would rather not see, to them I say “You‘re a better man than I am, Gunga Din.”
Positively Arsenal 
Firstly, thanks to Labo yesterday, and many thanks to George today for covering them game.
So where can PA go as a blog? And how do we as suporters who come here adapt to the poor football, and all the facts and figures that we are now all going over time and time again?
Its been a long time for most of us, and for many its totally new. Either way its no fun. Its not really anything. It feels like a habit, or something you’ve committed to but would rather be doing something else, but still hoping things might change, and its all great again.
It kind of makes you feel a bit sick in the mind. I dont want that. What use is it me posting and everyone agreeing that this is a load of garbage? How long can we do it without going a bit potty like LG?
I can scream to the heavens that Emery is a sack of kack but what good does it do me? Even if you all agree, what good does it do me? Will mine or your frustration be diminished? 9, it will still be there, growing and festering like the rank reek of the notorious blogs.
But what good does positivity do in this contexts. And the contexts have changed since the Wenger era. This is now pretty different. I don’t know what to do. I come here because I like everyone and what they bring to the party. I see loads of people in the last few years who were regulars don’t come anymore, and that makes me feel sad as they wrote great things. How long before many of us join them? What can we do? Sorry but I cant get positive about the odour of boring kacki negative play. Its rank.
We can clearly see winning or scraping by isn’t enough, that people want to see great football, or even vaguely fluid football? They want to be in love with the Gunners again not making excuses in their minds for the poor set up and performances.
The club PR tells me we are great and Guens better than Ö and we are up the top, flash, bang, wallop, big pics, tweets, socials, hype, pics, PR lies. But my own judgment say this is just hooey. Look at the points we’ve dropped and look how again how teams a making a mess of things around us and making us look good. Our league position shows a different picture of whats going on? Watford have three points and we gave them one. We are nearly ten points behind Liverpool and its early October.
But Im bored of my own boredom, Im a little sick of my own hatred of the way the team plays, Im naffed at Emery waving his arms around as if that constitutes intelligent understanding of the game, I hate the way heroes like Kos (add long list of players) left on a bad notes, I still love the club, after 41 years how can i not? But I dont want a relationship with UE and his way of playing and dealing with things. Im so ashamed for the club over this Ö situation. And if theres nothing wrong outside of personal politiks then UE is a Saboteur in my opinion.
Too many people have made this a negative atmosphere over the club, and now its even in the play. In the end, we are back to boring, boring Arsenal.
The worst thing is if the standard bar gets lowered, and stay as at a lower position which can easily happen, then it will take something out of left field to sort this poop out.
Its just not enjoyable, whatever else it is.
.
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FP, why does everything have to be so intense fgs? Instead of having a light conversation about team motivation I’m racking my brains about old messages on football message boards.
None of this matters a jot and I don’t have an agenda. Anyway, my most recent recollection is this if you don’t mind scrolling:
https://www.aclfarsenal.co.uk/2019/08/09/tierney-luiz-in-iwobi-out-how-was-the-transfer-window-for-you/
That’s been my mindset for a while.
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Mills if I’m allowed to say it without stomping on anyone’s footballs I would like to say I found Emery’s football so unenjoyable that I rented out my season ticket this season.
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BK
I wasn’t being rude above when I was just simply commenting on Chambers form for the Gunners in recent years (objectively: good form!) in a light hearted manner. Because he is a good football player!
So if that offended I don’t care TBH as i can accept different opinions without implying others are crazy etc myself. I take and give no offence on a football blog, unless people say things like “critics of the PgMo are anti English”(not you!).
I am offended by the poverty of the football on display from the Gunners given the decent quality of players available! Not the best but certainly better then they are showing.
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As far as Im concerned you area welcome to write what you want fins, and always have been. Sorry to read that you rented the ST out.
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One season of watching Guendouzi start in midfield ahead of better candidates was enough for me!
Who knows maybe bybthe end of this season he’ll have kicked on? If not this then surely next. I do like the player. And by that time I expect Daddy Raul will be ready to cash in!
I’m going to write an article on the comments from sven the other month.
The one where he clearly articulates the change in model/practice for the club. The change studiously ignored by so many Billy Big Blaggers but so relevant to what we are seeing on the Football pitch.
Not a mystery. I hope to explore it further when I have the time. Back to work for me too!
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Thinking about it for a sec, why would anyone be interested in that link? I felt piqued, and compelled to send it because I don’t enjoy some guy ridiculing me non-stop. I mean, who does?
Anyway, Mandy, I keep saying something similar to a friend who loathes Emery. So if we do badly, he’ll leave and the club will learn from its mistake. And if we do well – that is, get top four and win something, even while playing poorly – then we get to enjoy the success. Hopefully in the meantime no real damage will be done. My fear is for the development of a couple of the youngsters, but they’re getting lots of football for now in EL and the League Cup and look in good shape.
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No offence taken, FP. But man, either I’m being over-sensitive or that was needlessly antagonistic. Anyway, have a good one. I have three hours to salvage something from the day.
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Hah BK probably a bit of both mixed in with classic tone deaf text miscommunications!!!
If you’ve been following the threads here you’ll know I’m more scared of what Raul had lined up to follow Emery then Emery himself! And that’s where I do complexly and entirel disagree with you. The club learning from its mistakes. Like Sir Ed Woodward who is frankly coated in Teflon as he’s doing such a grand job for his owners.
I have no axe to grind & I won’t be throwing myself overboard with the Emery Out bandwagon.
I just think Steve Bruce would be a better coach.
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@ finsburyp
October 7, 2019 at 10:05 am
Agreed AMN is as good or better player than Guenduzi. I dont hate Guen, just think he should not be playing all these games ahead of other youngsters with the same or better potential.
I mean Willock was playing EL, LC, FA cup football over 2 yrs ago and was dropped for Guen for a yr. Same with AMN, was one of the players of the day away to MAN utd in midfield away to UTD.
We lost the game but a few players stood out and we played them of the park but didnt take our chances.
Now who says AMN has progressed since then? stuck at right back!
Not gonna say anymore about emery as it bores me now, but it is very hard now to listen him and those that defend this shit.
I mean even the excuses he is using now are so full of dumb and contradictory!
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What’s up folks!
Fully agree with George at 10:01…plus there is some luck that we are not facing better strikers. If he did something right against Watford, I would prefer him get it wrong! Surely we would have won.
Listen, if he is really that good at digging out results then we would have been in the top 4. That is the biggest collapse I can remember. One win against teams we ought to beat and we flopped monumentality.
Our position is based on the other teams being poorer than us (at present). I get the feeling this will not last if we keep this up.
Anyhow, him doing something right is irrelevant to me. The argument is is it right enough. Is he maximizing the talent at hand?
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Good points fins!
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Our goal difference is only 2 by the way (13 to 11). So we are not scoring and we are allowing too many shots at goal. I cannot see that leading to real success.
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Well, if anyone says anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, don’t like sound of, I will totally destroy and obliterate the economy of Turkey…
Oh oh. Either he’s cracking up or he’s sending distress codes to Moscow or something.
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Anyone else think Klopp’s interview was pretty great on foul play and the English view on tackles/red cards?
No doubt sentiments Wenger voiced in all sorts of ways in his time. I’d particularly liked to have heard same sort of thing, spelled out like that, when Mcnair did Wilshere. Was definitely worse than the one on Salah, where damage was indirect as the lunge pinned ankle under body, whereas McNair just outright mashed his ankle directly with n hope of getting near ball.
No blame on Wenger if he didn’t spell it out like that at time, as any person on earth would have been worn down by the treatment and lack of a single ally speaking out for two decades.
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Klopp aint perfect of course. Can be little doubt now he is, at best, not discouraging his two star divers, and, more likely, activity encourages it. Would be surprised, too if likes of Milner, Henderson, Robertson and Alexander Arnold haven’t ‘tackled’ like that in his tenure.
Also a sign that he isn’t totally above board is that he has, apparently, said he thinks either Gerrard or…Dalglish would be the person to succeed him. That’s playing to his Liverpool crowd, surely, though I’m sure they would be bemused by suggestion of Dalglish.
But anyway, nobody’s perfect, it’s hard not to be a hypocrite in football management if in the job more than a fortnight, and ,as with that interview, sometimes he says the right, heard-too-rarely things well.
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Klopp certainsly set his players up to rotationaly foul Rambo, not bone bruisers or flying kung fu kicks just the standard ankle rake with studs etc. Rambo came off in a couple of these fixtures after having been taken or with no protection but to be fair to Klopp he could walk the next day (& back in the team soon enough).
A bit like Xhaka on Fabinho the other week!
(If you lot won’t tell the Expert Big Blaggers what Xhaka does on the pitch then I promise won’t either!)
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There are levels to this stuff and all we’ve been highlighting all these years is that th untouchable unmentionable still in the job somehow Mike Riley and his clowns take the level of league down to WWF standards.
And that’s not great for “English football”.
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Celebrity Arsenal PR consultants turning against Emery? This one, Hugh Whizzy to be fair to him has never pretended to be anything else, and I can at the least respect that.
I’m just going to repeat I’m surprised by how quickly a large section of the fan base were fed up and had enough within his FIRST season. As in: last season.
Gary Neville comments on Woodward’s “cock ups” – we should correct him as he knows these are not cock ups as no one pays £50M for a non-Footballer like Fred as a mere cock up! Who does he think he is kidding? They’re not “cock ups” but “piss takes”! As in taking the piss out of the football fans.
I’m scared of the “cock ups” to come after Emery. Daddy Raul and Uncle Joshy are not filling me with confidence for the long term future! Though of course the kids from the academy can certainly give any football fan some hope.
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Fins: I watched and listed to that vlog with interest as it is by one of our celebrity youtubers. While he is still hedging his bets Wizzy is definitely not happy with Emery’s offerings. What strikes me is the absolute refusal of him and many of these supposedly knowledgeable fans to recognize that after losing the world-class BFG and Cazorla in 15-16, the club entered into a difficult transition. Most of these celebrity fans were always seeking an excuse to join the anti Wenger mob and losing top-4 by one point was all the excuse they needed. They sare now reaping what they sow.
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Yep Shotta they are.
And Hugh will take in the clicks too! At least he admits it’s his work and always has done to be fair.
Here’s another one:
@jamesbenge
“A look at where Unai Emery stands and why fans are doubting the results they see.”
These people are following up on the vibe.
I’m just going to repeat what I said yesterday:
It surprises me that the support for Emery in spite of copious PR in his favour from the Big Blagging gibberish merchants didn’t even last a season.
Tells you all you need to know!
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I guess some Arsenal fans are going to find it very hard to admit to themselves just how poor our current coach is.
Last season there was a trend comparing result by result with the season before.
Well. No need to check. Is this the data underlying the Emery Degeneracy?
We all knew the quality of the squad here, i don’t need to talk down in sanctimonious manner to anyone here about such things as we all respect different opinions save for when people resort to the petty jingo card to support crap opinions.
and we all here knew how this squad would fare if the club continued to shoot itself right up the Arsenal with players like Ozil and Ramsey.
Fairly simple stuff. Which explains the mildly cryptic mumblings from the blogger and others above. Eventually when they turn their hoses on Emery it isn’t going to be pretty.
All in all it’s a damaging situation for the club, and I don’t get my kicks out of watching people self harm myself.
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What’s happened with AMN is another lowlight.
Overplayed in the wrong position because of idiotic decisions. Starting at LB against City in Emery’s first match he was lucky he got injured that day, after five minutes I was worried what Mahrez was going to do to his confidence.
Emery spends so much time researching his opponents but Sarri knew what to do in the final against Chelsea, with the Gunners quality diminished without Rambo.
This academy player has been poorly managed.
given the treatment of seniors that’s not a surprise.
Chambers too. I actually Can’t believe anyone would want to give Emery credit for Chambers’ form when it’s all down to his own efforts after Emery told him he wasn’t in his plans.
It actually took AMN making a public announcement that he wasn’t happy for the change at RB to happen. Emery is so predictable that Sarri was able to lance his way through the This AFTER we’d seen Mustafi played at RB to good effect as a defensive RB.
What I found odd yesterday was BK saying a blog that was is bemoaning the loss of Rambo and the resultant loss of quality for this squad might be over rating the players in the current squad. Not forgetting Ozil. That was weird. No offence meant. I just found that to be an incorrect supposition. So I corrected it!
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George and Shotta said it first. A few months ago now. Some of the good Blaggers have actually repeated this of late:
Apart from at CB with a two legged Luiz and Chambers back this squad is weaker this season. Perhaps Tierny will be a quality player, but without a midfield…you can’t play Football!
But “I really like Raul” wants to build Raul a statue. Not Unai as he’s already damaged goods, but Daddy Raul.
So no I won’t be jumping in the UE out bandwagon the Blaggers are already prepping.
My question to all fellow Arsenal fans is: what is Raul going to do next? How should we react given that the black scarf wankers appear to be in his pocket (from the beginning?):
should we even care?
Should we just pay up and shut up?
Or Should we just go and watch Brenford instead in the meantime? Just kidding Arsenal Ladies arena great team! Worth following. Might go to a fe matches this season…
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Reasonable news on Nelson’s knee injury. Out till November supposedly.
After the way it played out with Gnabry, I’m now acutely/painfully aware of how vital it is for youngsters, and by extension club, to do ok on injury front in key years of 18-21
All it can take is,say, a couple of months and suddenly 1st half of season gone, player restless, club can’t promise how much football, loan, not play much, etc.
So it’s a blow to chances of establishing himself if Nelson misses even a handful of opportunities to play, but it obviously could be much worse, esp with knee injury. Feels touch and go with him, but at same time possible can earn run of games and kick on.
Fingers crossed Smith-Rowe’s luck changes and get to see decent bit of him before Jan.
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Not heard anything but surprised Saka wasn’t in u21 squad. Might get call now as Greenwood has pulled out. Not watched latter that closely but pretty sure he’s not looked as good as Saka in 1st team outings. Think Solanke got a full cap after doing less in high level 1st team football (pretty good loan at Vitesse + excellent youth career was all he had at time).
Suspect ours will always have to do bit more than Chelsea counterparts to get the call, esp if the former Chelsea coach, Steve Holland, still working with Southgate
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I see big twitter accounts and bloggers have reported quotes from a Wenger interview but have not been accurate in their reports, changing the tone and meaning of what was said.
to paraphrase Eric Morecambe, they are all Wenger’s words but not necessarily in the right order
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Is that the interview where he says MU is a dream job Ed?
Dont do it Weng! Arrrrrgh…
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mills I think he done an interview that was broadcast last night in France.
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cheers Ed. is your radio show coming back soon?
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@Finsp
“My question to all fellow Arsenal fans is: what is Raul going to do next?”
I was thinking this the other day. even though the last owners of the club cashed in to Kronke and the infighting, they were very far sighted in looking out for the future of the club. (maybe that was also wrapped in greed as they had to fatten the cow before slaughter).
Point being it just felt like the previous people in charge had a duty of care regarding Arsenal. Whereas i see Raul and Ventenkahe (whatever his name is ) as mercenaries
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quote from Wenger interview last night: “Look I’m not here to judge the coaches, I’m a supporter of Arsenal Football Club so I just support him (Unai Emery) and hope that he can win the games and specially plays the type of game I like. I think a club like Arsenal is a huge responsibility and one of the responsibilities is to play attractive football, Thats all, After that I think the most important thing is to support the club, the team and win the games”
now that has been misquoted so that it sounds like Wenger says Emery plays the type of game he likes.
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nah Mills, no plans to do the Yorkie show anytime soon
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Ed–thats a shame, it was a damn fine show mate.
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One of the things in this Mustafi interview is Emery asking him to play against Liverpool barely recovered from injury and without training for 3 weeks. He aggravated the injury during the game but played on…
Shades of Ramsey having to play when he needed extra days to recover during that period with PL and midweek Europa games.
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Eurgh. Looking at the comments on Reddit from people justifying Mustafi’s treatment.
The interview matches Mustafi’s persona and attitude, which I’d half forgotten about, towards media in his earlier days with us. Honest, direct, no bullshit, perceptive.
Uncomfortable, painful reading. Hate that he’s had to deal with that crap but even worse is thinking about the permanency of it all, be it Mustafi, Xhaka, or anyone else : there will always be these scapegoats; social media will surely always be what it is today, pretty much; always so much shitty behaviour or so many outright shitty people.
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The man’s talking about his wife trying to help him through it, worrying about effects on his children, about cup games giving him a ‘ray of light’. It’s dark stuff, and the worrying thing is that Mustafi might be one of those better equipped psychologically to deal with it. What about those who aren’t?
Some won’t be able to express themselves as well as Mustafi either, nor have what sounds like a good support system.
And then next time he or others do play, off we go again, any mistake pounced on, people looking and acting as though they have a voracious desire to kick again. And if they get through it unscathed, just carries on into the next game. Oh well, that’s my cheerful thoughts for the day over! Damn.
We must be at point where more clued up footballer’s will think long and hard about whether they want to play in front of such a fanbase.
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Reading through some of the comments online re the Mustafi interview. While there are some idiots, generally many praise him for his honesty and say while criticism against our players are fair, abuse have no place.
I’m left thinking many of these people are the same that frown on even the mildest criticism at Emery. Which is my current gripe on Arsenal twatter. Players are fair game but Emery is hands off.
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I like how the interview ends. I was hoping there would be some sort of redemption after the barrage. In light of how personal it has become, this is totally by-the-by, but CBs are subject to the systems in front of them.
The youtube video is spiteful but also stupid. I know for sure you could make one for Chiellini.
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Labo
Think problem is that even if ratio is something like 10:1 (or 20:1) for ok vs twats on social media it still adds up to so many twatty comments and behaviours when millions of people are involved.
Also that unfortunate psychological quirk whereby negative events/criticism/abuse tend to register differently and more deeply than positive or neutral ones, especially when someone’s vulnerable or already down in dumps.
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Birdkamp
Good insight into how it works this week with Saliba. I watched his game very closely on weekend and it was far from perfect. 4 or 5 key moments where he was close to costing team with fouls in and around box; caught out a couple of times as well by perfect first touches from Auoar who got past him bit too easily.
But on twitter…talking him up to sky, spot of abuse to person who pointed out couple of mistakes, jokes and not jokes about him transforming their defence based on a clean sheet and two good results since he came back in.
Now today I see someone’s put together a two min highlight video from game- labelling him ‘O Monstro’ or similar. So it has basically escaped the reality of the 90 minute performance with its good and bad moments.
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Also saw a darkly amusing tweet from Utd fan. Went something like ‘drop Rashford, Pereira, Lingaard. They’re fucking shit. Play young left back (2 games so far), Gomes (handful of unimpressive games) and Greenwood (handful of games). At least they’re new/ they’ll try their best’
That’s the cycle right there : new players,especially youth team ones, get their short grace period and, if homegrown, carry over some of the enthusiasm from being talked up in youth career; but once that short period is over, it’s over; different standards etc applied, even to those youth players people were so eager to see initially.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49920769
Monaco have spent £360M on new players since gutting their squad that we saw in North London a few years ago.
Sir (for services rendered) Ed Teflon Woodward of the infamous yet perfectly welcome to his bosses “Cock Ups” once spent £70M in three LBs in one transfer window back when £70M was still big Wonga.
This is why the Benfica/Monaco model beloved of the likes of Sanlehhi is terrifying for any club. That the fan base are not being allowed in the media to discuss Sven’s comment on perfectly legitimate and different models existing within the wider sport tells us all how extreme and narrow the coverage on these topics are.
When the sport is narrowed down to being a giant laundry basket in the media presentation, at least for many people that is what it will be as they don’t have the time to look for better coverage In their day to day lives, if people are constantly exposed this extremist binary philosophy that football can only exist when it is a “dirty game” with dirty money, then it doesn’t surprise me that players who are treated by their clubs as meat, seen by the fans as meat, are abused in the way we see some players are being abused today.
For all the progress we have been apparently making abuse on the stands towards players, bigoted abuse, is on the increase.
As Mills says: this isn’t setting the wider social trends outside he sport, but it is reflecting them!
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Dennis Bergkamp on the current state of Arsenal, under Emery of course:
“Sometimes it’s good, but a lot of times you don’t feel that it’s the Arsenal how you know it, with the passion…
“On one hand, there are so many clubs who have improved so quickly to a high level, whereas Arsenal, maybe improved, but not to that level. It hurts sometimes because you feel about Arsenal that they should do better, but I’m still hoping.”
Not long before he gets told to shut up and just be happy that we are 1 point behind Mancity. Because that’s all that matter.
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New post is up
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