In this edition of the Uncensored Arsenal podcast, yours truly and the Arseblagger, Blackburn George, predict what was previously unthinkable; that on current form, under manager Unai Emery, Arsenal is likely to come 10th in the Premier League. In analyzing the club’s poor performance versus Leicester as part of a 19 game trend, we see no light at the end of the tunnel until and unless the club hierarchy make a change in management.
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Got to admit that both George and I are technologically challenged boomers. For weeks we have been trying to sort out out how to cross post the podcast until he finally figured it out. LOLOL. Thank you George, my comrade-in-arms.
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Although our form and our style of play are both poor at the moment we have a hugely talented squad of players and so I think seventh is the worst a manager could take us this season.
There are some very good sides around us at the moment but 38 games is a long time and some sides will struggle to last the pace.
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ian our form over the last 19 EPL games, equal to half a season’s worth of games, is wo 6 drew 6 and lost 7, pts 24, keep that sort of form for the entire season and we are only getting 48pts, enough to see us avoid relegation but not good enough to make even top half of the table.
our last ten league games has seen us win 2 games, draw 5 and lose 3, that is 11pts from 30,
you are correct that we have a talented team and squad, but there is not a single sign that we are likely to get the best out of them.
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Think 10th might be optimistic if the players are not fully united and behind the manager, and with the way the manager seems to be performing
See the club top brass have issued a statement, strongly backing Emery, but at the same time stating things need to improve, possibly a degree of passive threat there
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Sanllehi & Venkatesham in a meeting with staff today: “We are as disappointed as everyone else with both our results and performances at this stage of the season. We share the frustration with our fans, Unai, players and all our staff as they are not at the level we want or expect. Things need to improve to meet our objectives for the season and we firmly believe Unai is the right man for the job, together with the backroom team we have.
We are all working intensively behind the scenes to turn things around and are confident we will. We never take our fantastic support for granted. We hope we can all stick together and get behind the team in this challenging period, as together we are stronger.”
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Reckon that’s code for..his days are numbered unless things pick up very quickly
On another note, reports saying Xhaka off to Milan, if so, bet its just a loan fee rather than a transfer, which means no funds for a replacement. Again, if true, a real, and unnecessary loss of a decent player, a real team man, and a human being
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“We never take our fantastic support for granted. We hope we can all stick together and get behind the team in this challenging period, as together we are stronger.”
y’all make sure you dont tread in their pr bullshit. It comes across like they couldnt give a monkeys uncle about us? The Kronks? Montana?
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I could take this team above tenth especially when you consider our home form. I accept the stats but if we kept failing to win Unai will not the there and our form will improve.
At the moment it looks like we need one or possibly both domestic cups to be won by top five sides.
Anyway apart from form, style, character assassination of the players, non supportive fans and the reputation of the club being dragged through the muddy media everything seems to be going ok, so no worries. (Several banned smileys)
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Arsenal’s business is so messy at the moment:
Emery: Xhaka may have played his last game.
Xhaka: I’m going to comeback stronger.
Arsenal expressed concerns about Auba’s “friendship” with a questionable “supporter”.
Auba: What I do is none of anybody’s business.
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Hi everyone. I’ve just sat through the Leicester game. I have never seen Arsenal players look so dispirited. It was truly shocking to see. Especially as we know how good they actually are. Dreadfully difficult to watch as they went through the motions. Those who came up under Arsene must be wondering what the hell has happened. It’s just all very very sad.
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Latest report, in Times, is that Riley intends to resist club pressure to use pitch-side monitors.
Honestly, how far will he take this? He’s gone against IFAB directives, against what every other VAR league or competition does, now potentially resisting what clubs want, even though clubs are basically in charge of the premier league, who are in turn basically in charge of pgmol.
That’d be some determination on something so very questionable, especially as the only reason proffered has been about slowing the game down, and not using monitors completely contradicts his much stated desire not to re-referee incidents.
I hope it’s a case of him fighting for his pgmol-controlling life, and he loses, but I’m not optimistic enough for that.
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Hello Stew. Very dispiriting stuff indeed.
I’ve lost any sort of confidence in team and players and, of course, completely, the manager. And as for fans to help and galvanise us…
I just hope I’m guilty of losing my bearings or something in terms of potential of the players. At moment, while I certainly don’t see Emery getting us going, I don’t have much belief anyone else will either.
I hope I’m way off, that someone else comes in, things change and I feel foolish for not seeing the proper potential in the squad.
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Wonder it there are a couple clubs, with the greatest influence, or close to it, who Riley looks after who will back this crook in his unique interpretation of VAR?
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Looks like some of the players are killing Emery, whatever the board say, and not killing him softly
He clearly doesn’t have the skills to deal with what he is faced with off the pitch as well as on it, he is just making things worse
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Mandy
My understanding is that if all or nearly all clubs agree on something it gets done; if a majority want it…think it gets done (they vote. I think any majority means it passes).
The unknown is if some clubs have more power than others. In those ref autobiographies I read there was mention of Ferguson not liking the previous heads of pgmol, and them leaving not long after. In truth, the suggestions were not forceful ones, and may even have been half dismissed, but, bloody hell, it fits so well with everything I’ve seen over years.
I believe there’s every possible Fergie had at least four or five managerial pals, maybe more, and their clubs, he could call upon to back him on any issue like that.
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Mandy
So the system as I saw it- majority rules, maybe power is unequal- ensured that if, say, one club does terribly, or a few do poorly and are unhappy, they essentially have no power to change anything (unless of course that unequal power thing).
One extremely unhappy, and even four or five with gripes but nothing extreme, is an easy thing to continue indefinitely. Even more so if it’s the same club doing badly the whole time, and the others aren’t fixed. Sadly, all other clubs even have an extra incentive not to change in that scenario, rivals especially.
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Wouldn’t be at all surprised if there were cartel type situations with clubs in this league Rich.
Believe Liverpool are probably up with the most powerful clubs now, they would be mad to vote against anything Riley is doing, hardly ever see a decision go against them, ditto Spurs and Utd.
Guess City’s treatment these days are where this theory falls down, though they have had their share of rub of the green over the years, especially against Wenger, and can’t be seen to be winning everything, can they?
Everything I read or hear about Riley, and the way he acts, his obsessive secrecy, clear favouring of certain clubs leads me to believe he is corrupt, or loves the powerful, is scared of something, or maybe all of the above . He isn’t kept there because he is good at his job, that’s for certain, he is a disaster, ref pool too small, no geographical diversity, and poor of quality, even before you start on VAR
Riley should not be allowed to hold back something that progresses fairness, but that’s what he seems to do . Someone is allowing that, the only thing that amazes me is that a club as powerful as Arsenal, and our ex CEO just go along with it without the benefits of some.
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I hadn’t thought of City just now. They are certainly an interesting proposition. Clubs tend to be shaped by ownership and fair to say their owners won’t be shy if they feel hard done by, and will respond strongly.
For instance, read somewhere just today that Pep recently met with Riley, and brought along video of 20 instances they felt were wrong decisions (and Riley agreed, supposedly, on all of them).
Maybe too good, and funny, to be true, but I do believe that’s how City would react, and, I’ll admit, conflicted part of me wishes we’d tried similar stuff way back. Remember Jose with his minute x, minute y, minute z, and then the crying hour on tv next day micro analysing wrongs against him.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if old Martin Samuel comes out fighting for City any time now. He’s probably put out a dozen or more articles defending them to hilt against ffp, in manner that makes me feel he’s had many a slap up lunch gratis and then some.
Also think it was him who took near unprecedented step of analysing select (shortish, year or two) period of penalty stats to show how Chelsea had every right to be upset with decisions against them. Didn’t notice our ten times weirder stats while there, but hey.
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So we may finish 10th this year.
Where are those idiot fans who moaned when we finished top4 for 20 years consecutively?
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Rich, we should have tried a lot of things. Ivan Gazidis sat on every EPL, FA, Professional Games board and committee going, but like the consummate politician and social climber he was/is ,it seems he daren’t step out of line to try and get his own club a level playing field, Wenger was eventually silenced as well. IG certainly did nothing to take on Riley, some of the numbers Mike Dean was throwing our way, or the blatant match fixing in Barca, that, unfortunately for Unai Emery, we saw repeated against his PSG. Can you imagine David Dein being so passive?
Actually, perhaps best I don’t get started on Ivan Gazidis
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Makes you wonder why Riley is so keen to mess up VAR? This season its only been mostly a seeming failure. How can that be? Yet for most of the womens world cup, it was pretty good. Quick decisions and stopped a lot of wrong decisions being made or upheld.They were not using it enough in the last games of that competition though, which was odd.Yet in the PL its nothing but a pile of. Funny that isnt it? Three minute decisions.Eh?
Was Olivers view blocked in the Liv/City game? I didnt look at it too closely but he seemed Johnny on the spot, which didnt make sense. The Liverpool goal shouldnt have stood, even if the Kop didnt like it.But who cares about fairness when theres a game to be won? Agendas to be fulfilled.
This is the worst season I can recall in my life, not just Arsenal being poor, but the whole league is dreary and stinks. Whoopie doo, Leicester are the greatest team ever.
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Mills, if VAR is used properly, with monitor involved, in each one of the four or so instances of wild dangerous tackles from Marcos Rojo- all clear reds, all given as yellows- the ref would, if didn’t produce red immediately, have to stand in front of monitor, watch, and make decision. .
They lose the element of plausible deniability that way. A bad decision becomes truly atrocious should they stick with yellow. Using pgmol VAR they can better get away with sticking with bad decision by leaning on ‘clear and obvious’ and the faceless voiceless man in the truck.
It still looks bad, as bad even that way, but is only a big issue if media make it so. Terrible decisions after consulting a monitor- i.e on pitch ref getting it wrong twice, despite seeing real time, getting advice and then watching incident from different, new angles…Riley just can’t afford to let it happen.
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Mandy, saw credible claim on twitter yesterday (haven’t verified it personally) that Mike Dean has been involved at Anfield for five of their six games so far.
Twice Var, three times fourth official. How do you move from not allowed to do their games (presumably in any capacity), with a rationale behind it, for a decade or whatever, to that in a couple of years? With that, you’re not saying we’ve reconsidered the previous stance, you’re saying the previous stance had zero merit.
I mean, he’s a local man – 10 miles from ground- so it works well logistically, saves a few quid and ensures Deano, who has to be involved a much as is feasible in some capacity, doesn’t get too fatigued, but I’m not sure that cuts it.
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Mike Dean- Liverpool, interesting.
I always had him down as a Tottenham fan, maybe that was just when they played us, but it seems this local to Merseyside ref was stopped from doing Liverpool games for a decade, think he ultimately declared some sort of support for Tranmere
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/12/everton-liverpool-mike-dean-referee
Let us not forget Mike Dean was banned for a while for links to a gambling firm, but curiously allowed back, quite incredible, would be like Ben Johnson sitting on a WADA panel, ok , maybe not so far fetched as it should be.
But now, for whatever reasons, Riley has Wirral refs doing Liverpool games, Manchester refs doing Manchester derbies. Dont see many London refs, curious with the size of the place, but with our luck, they would be Spuds!
Almost as if Riley and his organisation are not competent to get new refs coming through, heaven forbid.
If I was the EPL/FA, I would get rid of him, he is getting even less subtle, he is a weak link who could expose them all. Riley seems desperate, I would lay money he has compromised himself in some way
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oh do stop with the “David Dein wouldn’t have stood for it”, who the fuck never said a word about the Ref’s or PGMOL after the 50th game, the man who was one of the big noises at the FA, and was our vice-chairman at the time. Dein was a PR guy, who really only cared about his own position.
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Defender Taylor Foran offered Arsenal scholarship deal
by Jeorge Bird
Defender Taylor Foran has been offered a scholarship deal by Arsenal.
Usually deployed as a centre-back, Foran was an unused substitute for the U18s against Norwich City last season.
Foran becomes the latest youngster to be offered a scholarship deal by Arsenal, following on from striker Khayon Edwards.
Malcolm Ebiowei, who was not offered a deal by the Gunners, is currently training with West Ham United, for whom he featured at U18 level at the weekend.
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Dein also accompanied Vieira to tribunals over some very unfair sendings off, maybe ultimately, to no avail, but he tried, reportedly backed Arsenal in the corridors of power to the point he became a nuisance on some issues.
As far as we know, DD generally backed Wenger, and didnt silence Wenger having a go at refs. Wenger was clearly told to stay out of things controversial in more recent years, until nearer the end when he snapped a few times eg Mike Dean at West Brom
Dein was flawed and got some things wrong, but he bought Wenger.
Wenger reportedly offered his resignation when DD was sacked. Wenger clearly rated him, and on record as saying he missed working with him, we can speculate as to whether he would say the same of Gazidis, if Wenger rated him, good enough for me.
Wenger was highly critical of refereeing in this league for many years, no Dein didnt solve every ref injustice, but after he left, things on the ref front got considerably worse for the club, just see what happens to the negative penalty balance, fouls per card, and virtually any other metric available after 2008, which also coincided roughly with Dein leaving, but clearly,significantly, with Fergie appointing Riley
Selective memory in the mists of time, a very different era, different challenges since then, nostalgia, but Arsenal seemed a more fun, healthier place when Dein and Wenger were working together. seems a long way off at this moment
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18-year-old Colorado Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett is in London to train with our u23s this week (possibly the first team too). He has similar week session with Freiburg last season, and they bid for him but it was turned down.
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Yep David Dean certainly wasn’t passive, he was a prime mover in the superleague idea, he was a businessman who sold to the highest bidder. Everything people hate about modern football and the PL he was in favour of. He preferred money to fans.
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FIFA have announced that Arsene Wenger is their new Chief of Global Football Development
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Dan Critchlow
@afcDW
·
2h
Arsenal u16 forward Billy Vigar has been offered a two-year scholarship deal with the club.
Billy has been top-scorer in his age group the previous two years at the club having previously been scouted from grassroots club Hove Rivervale. #AFC
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imagine there are people out there, who actually claim to be Arsenal fans, who are not pleased to see Arsene Wenger get a big FIFA job, in fact some of them are bitter as fuck that he got the job, I suspect that if George Graham, a man who actually stole from the club, and then went on to manage and win a trophy with spurs, had got this job they would be over joyed. There really are some weird fuck who claim to be Arsenal supporters.
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I’m a little sorry won’t get to see Arsene managing again. Hoped he’d have couple years at mega budget club and smash it.
Hopefully this job is what’s best for him and will make him happy. Some asset they have. Slightly nervous, I’ll admit, about prospect of him lending his name and status to them if they haven’t cleaned up act from mega corruption of so recently.
His job won’t have him anywhere near that side of things, but still uneasy, having read that expose not long ago about how they operated for so long.
Let’s go with optimism and hope this signals real change from them.
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reports that Raul is trying to stop the appointment of David O’Leary onto the Arsenal Board. Its seems Sir Chips Keswick and Loard Peckham want to promote O’Leary from his Club Ambassador role to a fully fledged member of the Board, so he can advise the Board on football matters. Don Raul can’t be having football knowledge on the Board, now can he.
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Very worrying if that report is correct about DOL.
Arsenal through and through, interesting it is some longer serving board members who want him, and i am sure they have their reasons.
Think the Kroenkes really need to get a grip and stop Raul in his tracks, perhaps a little of that ruthlessness billionaires are known for may help.
Raul should be nervous at the moment, appointing the wrong manager, then reportedly, courting two other wrong managers for this club, with or without the support of the owners.
Stan , it is said trusted all to be ok when Wenger was around, I hope he doesnt assume for one moment that will be the same case with Raul
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no surprise to see many of the wecaremorethanyouotherarsenalfansdo lot are siding with Raul on this David O’Leary reports, for them it seems cos Raul don’t want him then he is the wrong man, in fact I’ve seen some suggest O’Leary is not a Gooner, only cares about himself and would be the wrong man, they come up with all sorts of other former players who they say would be better to appoint than DOL. Oddly enough for some of them who love George Graham, they seem to despise O’Leary cos he was manager of Leeds for a few years. Then again maybe it is down to O’Leary replacing GG at Leeds that is their problem with him.
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Well who cares about football, when Raul won the transfer window trophy. It means we are the best. Better than all the rest. Rest in peace.
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https://mobile.twitter.com/squawka/status/1194981727481057281
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Olivier Giroud is now on 39 goals for France, just the 2 behind 2nd placed Platini and 12 behind Thierry Henry in the all time scoring list for France. Giroud has 30 less caps for France than Henry.
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Quite impressive Ed’s!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7690081/Henrikh-Mkhitaryan-slams-Arsenal-boss-Unai-Emery-rigid-tactics.html
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Thierry Henry has been appointed as manager of MLS side Montreal Impact
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Just been looking at pictures of Wenger being treated by the loathsome Infantini into his new job.
Something really does not sit right, my overriding thought, that bunch really are not worthy.
If Wenger is allowed to influence and change things within his role for the better, great, but if it is just Infantini wanting to be seen alongside a legend and the most incorruptible force in football as a PR opportunity, while he carries on his ways, I hope Wenger sees it and gets out of that job at haste. I just cannot equate Wengers stated principles with those of FIFA , and let’s remember Wenger has suffered at the hands of some of the darker aspects of the game and the way it can be manipulated by the likes of Riley , Dean and Busacca. Perhaps in his new role he can improve on these darker aspects, but not holding my breath.
We shall see whether this job is worthy of him, I cannot see this as a lasting marriage unless they give him real influence, and FIFA are a bunch of corrupt scumbags, criminals, human rights abusers, so why would they?
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Wenger > FIFA, they will bow to his will.
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Would be great if they do
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the WOB not at all happy with Wenger getting a big job in Football
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in his article in the Mirror Simon Mullock claims an Arsenal insider told him: “The DNA that made Arsenal the club it was has slowly but surely drained away. Long-serving members of staff have been shocked by what’s happening to the club.”
Is that why Sir Chips and lord Peckham want to bring in David O’Leary as a football consultant on the Board, so that they can wrestle some of the power away from Raul and stop the harm he is doing to the club.
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one thing I will say about David O’Leary is that from what I’ve been told about him down through the years he might not be the best man for the job, purely cos he has a reputation of cosying up to who he sees as the most important or most powerful at the club. Now that might mean if he got on the board he would get pally with Josh, and then maybe he could influence the Kroenke’s into doing things more the Arsenal way, but the fear would be that he’d just be another vote backing what ever Josh suggests, and at the moment it looks like Josh has given Raul free reign to do what he wants.
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Pablo Bentancur (Lucas Torreira’s agent): “Torreira is doing well at Arsenal, although the change of role doesn’t make him happy, but it must be said that this year, the whole team is not doing well. (on how close he came to joining Napoli last summer) It was difficult to take Torreira at the time, now I don’t know how things are, but I think Arsenal wants to retain him. In the new role, he is not at ease, but we respect the coach’s decisions, after that we’ll see what happens. Torreira was upset when he missed the chance to join Napoli. To tell you, he wants to end his career at Boca [Juniors] & Napoli is an environment very similar to that of Boca. [Is] Napoli a future destination? In football, anything can happen”
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There was an excerpt of an interview Thierry Henry did and will be shown on French tv here in Montreal. In trying to describe his plans for the Impact, he said people stopped him in the streets to talk to him not about the trophies he won but of the style of play the teams he played on had. I immediately thought of Arsenal and how we used to play and the stark contrast to what we see now….
I wish TH14 well here, he got a big ovation at the Bell Center last night as he watched the Canadiens play. By the way forget I ever said refereeing was good in the NHL, it was almost at BPL level last night…
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