Morning all.
Today @shotta_gooner and I look briefly at the Brighton game before discussing where were stand, who and why we are standing 8th. What can be done, what might be done, who is best placed to do it? Despite the dire season Arteta looks safe, why?
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
Lots of reports that Roma are in for Xhaka, a bid in the region of £17M-£20M, and it seems Arsenal will be willing to let him go.
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Good tracks lads, I knew the Ramsey Lewis (that guy made some great music imo)number but not any of the others, amazing how much music was made and didnt get big radio airplay. Cheers for putting them up. Is that Mike Post as in Rockford files Mike Post?
Ed- to me we would be nuts as a club to get rid of the Xhak, but lets face it things have been a bit unwell for some time?
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ps-
shame we dont have a PA radio station! George and Ian on Northern soul, Eddies rock show, Stews mixed bag, Shotta on Reggae, Markyb on Jazz funk…
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Mills I’ve been predicting all season that Xhaka and Bellerin would be sold off this summer, not cos they are not good enough, but cos it would go down well with the noisy fans.
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Well I think youre right Ed, the noisy tools certainyl havent like Bellerin for a while and Im not sure if they ever liked Xhaka too much. More decent players harrassed out of the club?
I was thinking that the Ek-y-thump take over might be a major bs hot one this summer, getting the likes of aftv etc all riled up and giving something to report on?
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the problem they have always had with Xhaka is that they have been under the misconception that he is a defensive midfielder, and not a deep lying playmaker. also we had the pundits anti arsenal stance in full force on him from day one, the two sending offs by Jon moss, where the pundits made all sorts of fake claims about new rules and putting the blame on Xhaka for Moss not actually knowing the rules, and then the likes of neville trott out bullshit like the xhaka is a red card waiting to happen nonsense, and it is gobbled up by these muppets in the fan base. As I’ve said many times, the biggest problem at Arsenal is that the likes of the AST, AISA, RedAction and of course AFTV, do not fight Arsenal’s corner, but instead latch on to any media and pgmol attack on Arsenal, with glee. No other big clubs fans would allow the media and the refs to treat their club the way our fans allow it to happen.
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In some ways it never got healed( for want of better words etc) after he was booed off and told everyone where to go.
I like the guy, and I hope he stays.
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but Mills the booing him off was just the culmination of them being constantly on his back, there was never going to be a healing of the rift, these fans never change their opinion of a player, good or bad
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Its sad to see Ed. They love a scapegoat too. Tough to be a footballer these days.
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Arteta is making a serious mistake if Xhaka goes, unless the player is adamant he wants out, , threats and abuse to his family could be a reason for that.
He is surely our player of the season, though I expect Saka to get any popular vote
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Xhaka never had a chance the moment Gary Neville realised that he would make a substantive difference to the Arsenal midfield – and how quickly that info drip fed into Riley’s ear was a thing of wonder. I think it also fair to say that terrific player though he is, he was unlucky to see his few and far between big mistakes always translate into goals.
In other news, George will be pleased to know that his Lemming song had a profound effect on my Border Collie.
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ANNOUNCEMENT: Why did Arsenal Finish 8th? Join the Uncensored Arsenal livestream on YouTube and Twitter on Friday at 4:00pm AST/8:00 pm BST or Saturday 12:00 noon PST. All of PA is invited. I would have loved some of you on as invited guests; you know who you are. It is my first livestream and it should be a blast!
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Hey Shotts all the best for the show!
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Thanks Millsy for posting that link to YouTube. Should be on Twitter as well. Fingers crossed.
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mandy Arsenal.com did not even include Xhaka in the options for our player of the year, its ESR, Pepe, Laccazette, Saka and Tierney.
I think Xhaka has probably had enough of Arsenal, i would say the final straw for him will have been the massive disrespect shown to him by Arteta. the almost total refusal to give him the captain’s armband in the absence of Aubameyang was some kick in the teeth to Xhaka. Arteta gave it to Leno, Bellerin, David Luiz, Holding and Lacazette in the absence of Aubameyang. Xhaka I think only got it for part of a game once. I know if I was Xhaka that would be the finishing touch for me.
I see many want Bissouma as a Xhaka replacement, but just the two things there, the lad does not have Xhaka’s passing range and what will we do in the new year when Bissouma and Partey and Elneny are away at the African Cup of Nations for 6 or 7 weeks
I laughed when I seen one big twitter account say Sander Berge would be an upgrade on Xhaka, as despite how poor Berge has done with Sheffield Utd, its not the lads fault, he was misused by SU. This is much how when Partey plays poorly its not his fault, tis Xhaka’s or Ceballos or who ever is in midfield with him. Not sure who they will blame when both Bissouma and Partey have poor games, maybe it will be Wenger again
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young Arsenal defender Omar Rekik called up to the Tunisian squad, if he gets capped he will be the third member of our /u23’s to be a full international after Ballard and Hein
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Real Betis are in talks to sign Hector Bellerin, his agent has been in talks with them over recent days, Betis want to take him on loan with an option to buy
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Martyn Ziegler
@martynziegler
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3h
NEW: UEFA clubs competitions committee decides to scrap away goals rule in European football. Now needs ExCo approval.
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No Xhaka for player of the year! Shocking, apart from being generally excellent, and a leader, GX has also been close to ever present this season, some on that list, erm, haven’t
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Shit end to a shit season, Stoke win the Champions League
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so how much will city spend this summer to have another go at winning the CL
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Who knows, but think that loss is on Pep, know we don’t know all, but strange starting lineup, looked like he was trying to be too clever, against a very functional team this eve.
Not helped by KDB being taken out, though he wasn’t at his best
Chelsea lucky at times though….luck, something we never really had in the champions league
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I did not see the match, so cannot comment on it.
But, as you know I regard shots on target as an important indication about a tram and I see that Man$ity had one shot on target and Chel$ki 2.
It must have been a truly awful game.
So we now know that Arteta is trying the emulate his teacher and mentor in minimising shots on target as much as possible.
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Certainly wasn’t a classic. City had a few crosses in that they were a bit unlucky with, and KDB cynically taken out , City very nearly scored right at the end, but as poor as I have seen city all season, think pep,picked completely the wrong side. Chelsea very lucky to get them on such a bad night, but then, Chelsea also lucky in their last ECL final
Thought the media will say it’s their winning mentality of course
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Unfortunately, we are no seeing a complete change in the philosophy, if you like, of football.
The essential aspect is to prevent the opponents from playing.
IF you can score by way of counterattack, then that is fine. If you can’t, bearing in mind you will have very few opportunities, then you hold out for a goalless draw.
Those teams with good midfield players and strikers will succeed in scoring from the very few chances they have.
Mediocre ones, like us, will not, because their style (or as Arteta might call it, process) does not give them enough chances.
Man$ity had 60% possession and could only manage 7 shots and one on target.
This philosophy is destroying the game in England and I think we have such superstar managers as Guardiola and Mourinho to thank for that.
Why would anyone want to watch this rubbish?
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I feel like the change in football owes much to Mou and the Portuguese school of thought rising to prominence (large number of their coaches spread across Europe now. All, I think, pretty much defend and counter guys at heart).
Far as English football goes, if the club with best resources in land, world at one point, can use those tactics whenever they like, with approval from all quarters, there can’t be any question about whether the rest can do so.
I think football’s at its best when it has a real flow to it, hence my dismay at Xhaka’s likely exit (when we have it, he’s normally central; when he’s not there not sure we ever have it), and there’s surely a hell of a lot less of it about.
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Been trying for ages to find way to describe it, esp with teams like Brighton and Wolves, and think ‘staccato’ fits well :
‘performed with each note sharply detached or separated from the others.’
There can be nice precision and technique when they nail a counter or construct a good move but I rarely enjoy the tempo or flow of their games.
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Unfortunately, Arteta knows his job will be on the line if he is not performing by Xmas, it may well be this horrible approach to the game fits his true philosophy but even if it doesn’t , he’s sure to get sucked into it and sign accordingly this summer.
Tuchel is now a tactical genius, but still think the biggest element was luck in facing a manager who unaccountably switched things around for a final, with disastrous consequences, and also luck with Rudgier staying on the pitch after cynically taking KDB out when the ball had gone, still Kane gets away with things like that every game , some even more dangerous when players are not grounded
But what I saw last night from Chelsea was as anti football as anything I have seen from Stoke, Burnley, or even sides of the past those two choose to emulate. Well, perhaps not as bad as Stoke with Ramsey, but you get my idea.
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Daniel Ballard helped Blackpool win the League One play off today, he has had an outstanding loan season with them and it got me thinking about all the CB’s we have at the moment, David Luiz is leaving, but that still leaves Arsenal with right sided CB’s Holding, Saliba, Mavropanos, Ballard and Clarke, yet David Ornstein claims Arteta wants a right sided CB signed this summer.
On the left we have Gabriel, Mari, McGuinness and Medley.
Ballard, McGuinness, Clarke, Mavropanos all had fine loan spells this season, Medley had a less than convincing season.
Arsenal had the 3rd best defensive stats this season, yet again according to ornstein, Arsenal want to sign a goalie, right back, left back and right sided central defender. We have had problems scoring all season, yet it seems we are more concerned with bringing in more defenders to block the path of the defenders who so impressed out on loan this season.
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Eddie Nketiah is 22 today, sadly can’t see a future for him at Arsenal
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We have seen time and again over recent years that the club’s transfer policy has been a continuous shambles.
What makes anything think that this summer will be any different?
We are as much a “top 6 side” as Portsmouth.
I am afraid mediocrity and worse is set for us for the immediate future until we can get an experienced manager who knows what he is doing.
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The trouble is what experienced manager is likely to take on a project where there is little money to spend and the squad is bits and pieces of several tries from seasons past.
Obviously dealing with the present incumbents in Edu etc.
With no Europe and the covid hit even if an experienced manager was interested we probably couldn’t afford them.
What we need right now is a young Arsene but unfortunately they only come around once in a blue moon so our best chance seems to be several managers all taking the club a little bit further each time a process that will take time and of which our fickle following will not have time for.
Mikel will start next season and he has set the bar low so his target is eighth and thats without the distraction and injury bear trap of Europe.
Fewer games means less chance for youngsters and the squad in general needs to be trimmed.
I suppose there is a massive opportunity to get rid of players we don’t want for the future and to reduce the wage bill by getting rid of big earners and replace them with young hungry players wanting to earn a future in the game but again unfortunately nothing Mikel has done so far suggest that this will happen.
If the rumours are true that Hector and Granite are both going along with Luiz who has already gone that’s three Captains gone and not really many left who can take up the mantle.
Many will say Keiran can Captain and in the future I’m sure he will but although he is a great player he doesn’t seem to have been very vocal to the players around him so far.
Many of the youngsters have said Laca has helped them alot but once again will he be there next season.
So with a ownership more interested in PR than the squad, their charges in charge who have repeatedly failed, a manager who has taken us backwards and has broken loads of records for the wrong reasons, a very patchy squad and financially losing money it really doesn’t look good for next season.
However like I said with the bar set very low and very few games we might just get seventh or even sixth next season!
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My sauces in this suspiciously un-Spanish omelette are wafting at the rumour that Zinedine Zidane is available.
Says here and I paraphrase that he’d have like his club to have nurtured a squad rebuild process. If he wants “process” I can name a club (at least the PR department!)
When we saw Pep’s great Barcelona team they were beaten in the home leg and only won the tie thanks to some classic uefa antics (surely a red card against Rudiger?!?). & the following season the tie was affected by the F Word
Jupp Heynckes Munich were the best team we saw this past decade in N5? For me yes, better then Pep’s Munich (who were also beaten? In a group game I think) and arguably the best team alongside Zidane’s Madrid?
Might at well put an overly optimistic hopeful punt for the next coach in now after GazpromFC picked up the hipsters choice in (defensive?) Tuchel (I’d bite your hand off for the defensive Rafa Benitez over what we’ve seen these past seasons):
Zidane. Heh.
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To be honest I really like Ricky Chavez. The press conferences would certainly be alot better.
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I’m sure Josh Kronke will have some other good candidates lined up?
Lots of fun evidence to support it. Replacing the most attacking coach in Europe with Emery. Martinez with Runingawaywithhishandinthetillerson. Ozil with William. Ramsey with Guendouzi.
Blimey.
At this stage you’ve got to hope that Arteta was watching Bein sports and the old gaffer explain where Pep lost the CL final (apart from the non-red), that the club keeps xhaka and somehow flukes a midfield combo (keep playing the one that was doing well???) for the season ahead backed up finally (as it should’ve been) by Willock and others.
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Media reporting that Arsenal are signing Ajax goalie, Onana, he has a hearing tomorrow to try and get his drugs ban reduced. Seemingly if its cut in half he will cost us €7M and if its not reduced he will cost us €2M. Its also being reported that Matt Ryan is joining us too, on a free from Brighton.
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The sin of Onan. Let’s hope he doesn’t spill crosses as well.
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For us to buy a player banned for taking drugs would be typical.
I am well and truly fed up with blogging.
I only go to one or 2 sites, apart from this one and the rubbish being spewed out constantly by armchair managers and blow-hard knowalls is unbelievable.
WE play badly, park the bus, have one shot on target, but yet flukely win, all of the players are given 7 or 8 out of ten.
They all have long lists of players we should buy and which players we should sell because these experts say they are useless.
The world’s greatest player seems to be Partey, despite the fact that he has hardly set the world alight with his performances
Yes, keep him, because he is so great, and get rid of Xhaka, because he is so bad, and, of course, so many are delighted that we have removed one of the best passers of the ball from our midst so that he does not contaminate us,
After all, our midfield is so good they can construct as much as one or even 2 shots on target in a game.
I come to this site because so many of the contributions are realists and not dreamers.
I will come back occasionally, even make the odd comment or 2, but I think I am going to take a break until such time as our esteemed leader has been proved right, or, as is more likely, will finally be seen to be the awful manager that I believe he is,
Have a good summer.
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Santos going to Everton, Conte to the spuds by the time we want to sack Mikel in December there will be no senior managers left to try and entice.
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I’ve seen Onana play a few times and the one abiding memory is him fucking up on the very late spurs goal in the CL semi final. Now maybe my memory is skewed due to it being spurs scoring such an important goal, but I’ve not looked at it since
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Arsenal will be playing two games in the Florida cup this summer, we will face Inter Milan on Sunday, July 25 with Everton taking on Millonarios on the same day. The winners will play in the Florida Cup final on Wednesday, July 28, with the other two sides playing each other on the same day.
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here is a report on how the 21 players Arsenal had out on loan this season got on
https://www.arsenal.com/news/loan-watch-202021-season-round?fbclid=IwAR2HP2NxhundcUx68MV-pYIWwO8V7bYfwdf4hOzF-ne5S4pJKOQjwPhNurQ
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JJ I know many feel the same. Some follow Football further down the leagues to avoid the showbiz etc.
like many I was gladly spoilt by the best football coach we’ll ever see and now I’m hooked.
The nutmeg from Saka in the first half of the England game which led to Kane fluffing a cut back to two colleagues.
Fantastic.
Hilarious.
There were riot scenes in parts of London as a result of that play.
Easily a contender for highlight of the season.
After all that happened when Arsene’s babies are scoring debut goals for England for me something still remains because it’s not only funny but poetic too: Saka & others like ESR but we can call it Hale End FC next season heh no black scarves required thank you AW. He doesn’t even have to visit! The season after I dare not think about it. Let’s hope they don’t get flogged down into the ground.
Zidane might come out of that sabbatical in December *coughs*
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Just watching the cricket and a ball turning away from the off stump hit the batsmans pad the Kiwis went up and the umpire immediately signalled out.
England reviewed and after about thirty seconds four checks were done with the off field umpire commentating each check sending it back to the on field umpire telling him he was correct and when the camera was back on him so he could signal the decision although because of the commentary Kiwis in the crowd were already chearing.
Apart from quickness and efficiently of this decision we have to think of an on field umpire getting the decision correct when after the first slow mo angle it looked liked missing off stump and the ball being thrown at over 100 mph.
The brilliance of it all had me absolutely disspondent at the shit that surrounds football officiating.
Even after being brought kicking and screaming to accept technology the standard is still absolutely rank with original decisions, reviews and time taken to get to these decisions still really shit.
The gulf between rugby, cricket and football is amazing with the first two looking very professional and our game decidedly amateur and
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Arsenal offer professional terms to five youngsters including Taylor-Hart and Oyegoke
by jeorge bird
Arsenal have offered professional contracts to five of their second-year scholars ahead of next season.
The most high-profile case is that of winger Kido Taylor-Hart, who produced some impressive displays for the U23s this season.
Daniel Oyegoke, who can play at right-back or centre-back, has also been offered an extended stay. The youngster featured for the first-team in pre-season last year.
Another player who Arsenal intend to keep is Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, a hard-working winger who is also capable of playing up front.
Goalkeeper Ovie Ejeheri, who established himself as the first-choice shot-stopper for the U18s this season, has also been offered a new deal along with left-back Mazeed Ogungbo.
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Schalke have said they are unable to sign Kolasinac from Arsenal, there relegation means they can not afford to keep him
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seems former arsenal goalie Alan Miller has died aged just 52, reported to have suffered a heart attack
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is there any joined up thinking in Arsenal’s recruitment plans
I ask this cos I’ve seen a couple of the journos Arsenal like to feed stories to, say today that although Bissouma is on our list of targets for a CM signing, he is not our first choice and does not have the skill set of the player we want most.
So I ask if he does not have the skill set of the guy we want most, why is he even on the list, surely if we are to “give Arteta his players” then that means more than anything else that said players will have certain skill sets for the position that Arteta wants them for. We have seen the same journos suggest that along with Bissouma on that list is Sander Berge, now apart from being both called CM’s or DM’s they share little else, their games are very different, so again how can they be on the same list for the same position.
I could see us wanting both players, but we know we aint signing £35m/£40m squad men,
We have seen these same journos say AFC are trying for a new right back, again the names the mention as being of interest are so diverse in their skill sets that it does not make sense.
its one thing to have all sorts of skill sets and types of players so you can mix and match, but when you are signing a first choice player then surely to God you have to have a certain type of skill set in mind for any player in that position. Imagine being a manager and asking for a striker like Dominic Calvert-lewin, and having the club sign theo walcott for you.
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