Hello all,
Today we look back at Leeds and forward to Liverpool, while worrying about the difficulty of the run in.
Pedantic George.
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Hello all,
Today we look back at Leeds and forward to Liverpool, while worrying about the difficulty of the run in.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
Restated comment: Hey guys. Am just catching up with the blog. Been busy with lots of personal stuff but I try my best to do the weekly pod with George. In yesterday’s edition we skimmed over the Leeds game and spent a lot of time looking forward to Liverpool. In our view it is a critical game if we are hold off the Man City stretch run. Its a big challenge given we haven’t beaten them at Anfield in 11 years. To get people’s attention I titled the podcast “After Leeds Arsenal Will Need Another Abou Diaby At Liverpool.” Would love to get your views.
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I always love this pod and the lads have done an excellent job once again.
Sometimes football is too serious so the sight of two old guys trying to out forget each over is comic gold.
Quite frankly although Sky put up Merson and Boyd they have nothing on our own top duo.
For the record it’s not seven or four, it’s a maximum of five but on three occasions in the game.
Obviously Europe and games with extra time are different.
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On a serious side Liverpool present a formidable opponent their home record this season matches our own with their only loss there to Leeds in October.
Given that record and the history of our problems up there for the last decade plus own fastest CB out and being covered by a different type of player (a stopper it looks like a massive ask.
We have the ARSENAL, excuse the pun, to score many goals and I think attack may be the best form of attack even though Mikel has gone for the counter in alot of our games against the big clubs away from home.
I think Jesus will probably start giving a sub more impact for a possibly open second half although as in most big games both first goal and injures will play a massive part in the game.
This is such a massive game that the old adage about taking one game at time is absolutely true, we 100% need to concentrate on this game and really not look at what city will do or indeed the rest of our fixtures.
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Ah fuck, Of course it’s 5 in 3 batches. Bollocks.
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So it is 5 subs; not 4, not 7. Further proof me and George are slipping Thanks Ian.
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So it is 5 subs allowed in the EPL, not 7 or even 4 according to my expert. Proof positive me and George are fighting the hands of time. Thanks Ian,
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The thing is you don’t have to be correct just say it with conviction, which you did, and millions will believe you.
The Government does it everyday.
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The main thing is the rest of the pod was excellent discussing all the serious and relevant points of the day.
I totally agree city look frightening and fully expect them to win all their remaining games apart from against us.
If we think we have had a special season then the remaining nine games will have to be extra special. This first game will go along way to see path we take.
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Arsenal U18’s beat man city u18’s to reach the FA Youth cup final, they play the winners of west ham v southampton which is on tonight. the final is to be played at the Emirates stadium by the end of the month. Jack Wilshere is hopeful that we can set an attendance record for FAYC final with a full house
Two of the stars of the u18 side are u16 players, Lewis Myles-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, both look like they have the potential to develop into top class players, several others in the side could go to the top of the game too.
Arsenal U21 game away to Fulham U21 tomorrow, kick off 7pm is being lived streamed on Arsenal.com and the club app
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
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17m
West Ham are confirmed as Arsenal’s opponents in the final of the FA Youth Cup after they beat Southampton 6-1 tonight.
The game will take place at Emirates Stadium before April 29th, with the exact date to be announced soon.
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The youth cup always used to be a two legged affair, pretty strange they have moved it to one and obviously naming the final early means the host stadium team can play at home is strange as well.
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Watched highlights of of the West Ham semi Final and their lot look like a bunch of giants compared with our lads. They are way ahead of anyone else in te U18 league too. Be a good win if the lads can pull it off
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Ed – your story is a remarkable one, and I enjoyed trawling YouTube to learn about Gaelic Football: I doubt play-acting Harry style would be given much truck at Croke Park.
Here’s a little story of a time the Irish definitely got one over the English that might amuse you: I was lucky to play for Sussex against Ireland back in the 70s, a game you won despite the presence of Imran Khan in our side ( I see from the scorecard that I didn’t have too bad a game behind the stumps, although I have no recollection of the game at all – no Mills, that is not an invitation for an extended and Proustian philosophical ramble about the nature of memory!), so when the chance came some twenty years later to go on a short tour with quite a decent amateur side to Ireland I was more than happy to go along. We flew into Dublin, and then straight to Phoenix Park for the first game, the details of which certainly escape me.
But what I do remember is what happened afterwards in the bar. Like most English tourists we were straight onto the black stuff, and again, no doubt like most English tourists were full of comments such as ‘this is the real stuff – so much better than what you get in London – it might as well be a different drink etc’. The guy captaining the Irish side that day (he’d been playing in that earlier Sussex game, but forgive me for not remembering his name) delighted in our comments and insisted we take several pints more. I became increasingly eulogistic and asked him why it tasted so much better, was so very different. ‘Ah well’, he said, ‘it’s all down to the Liffey water. The Guinness Brewery is on the banks of the river, so the water that goes into the brew is taken directly from source.’ This all seemed plausible, and we happily nodded along as he continued the story. ‘Now the thing about the Liffey is its above-average level of rich alluvial deposits, and it’s the heaviness of the water that gives our national drink its unique body and flavour. In fact, it’s so dense that if you’re careful, you can balance a coin on the surface of the pint and see it float.’ More drinks were ordered, and 11 Englishmen were soon busily balancing, or trying to balance, 10, 20 and 50 pence coins on the frothy liquid. It was only as we were running out of small change, change that had now sunk to the bottom of several glasses, that it gradually dawned on us that we’d been most royally had, proving once and for all that it is the English, not the Irish, who are the simple folk.
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Wow, the incompetence by the refs and var for Brighton v spuds borders on serious corruption.
It has been decided well before the game Brighton should not win this game.
They had 2 goals disallowed and at least 2 penalties shouts viewed by var and not given.
Seriously this game should be highlighted for what I believe is corruption in the English game.
Hope this does not affect us in anyway 2morro but we are playing another team that seems to get favourable decisions from the officials and var teams.
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“A yellow card handed out to Arsenal’s Swiss international Granit Xhaka back in December is reportedly being investigated by Britain’s National Crime Agency amid suspicious betting activity. ”
Anyone remember the amount of yellow cards in a game was investigated for suspicion?
What about the amount of poor ref and var decisions made by Pgmol week in week out, its a national scandal.
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Gee please excuse the sarcasm
Apparently such things only happen in undeveloped poor nations. Like Italy.
Used to happen here 100 years ago when some big clubs were caught. and in the US there is some kind of story or myth about the 1919 World Series.
But we are now an enlightened progressive and simply superior specimen of the species. Can’t you tell? mum’s the word if you won’t say anything I won’t either.
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Thank you George and Shotts and Birdkamp.
For the finely detailed reviews of what was a brilliant game of football from the Arsenal. not at their best but still some great plays.
Doesn’t really matter for me and I suspect many here what happens now as this team have done better then we hoped for at the start of the seasons which is why the Gunners are the neutrals favourite in this race. The underdog is often the crowd’s favourites but the “odds” (excuse the cough) are stacking up.
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Gee
I witnessed that the Invincibles could not win a game of football on a tilted pitch.
So it’s not about the baubles or titles it’s the football for me.
I heard many fans from many teams who’d witnessed the fraudulance of Chelsea tilt the market alongside the pgmob tilted pitches say that the league as a contest was over once the Made up Kings were asked to join the former favourite from Siberia and invest in some Mancunian real estate. So obviously a dead league that the LCFC lucky penalty count was a predictable incident.
And that’s because many football fans no matter their background and in spite of the continuing bad press are smart and dare I say it have some understanding of the sport that they follow & play.
COYG
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@finsburyp
Yeah game 50 at Old Trafford was probably the worst bit of pgmol corruption I have experienced in my lifetime, I should be used to it by now but today I turned of the game as soon as Kane scored, left a very very bad taste in the mouth.
I can see pgmol kicking into gear to stop us. I remember the Yr Leicester won the premier with record penalties awarded for Jamie vardys intentional leg entanglements in the box.
instead of booking him thy kept rewarding him with spot kicks. Fooking joke.
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Well the pressure is truly on for tomorrow, were playing a team that have an excellent record at home and where we have a terrible record in the last decade and of course the PIGMOL loving them doesn’t help.
Tomorrow my nerves are going to at high velocity.
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gee when the concerns about the xhaka booking was first mentioned it was said that the player was not under suspicion, and that it was if anything the actions of the ref that was under suspicion. So unless things have changed its our friends at the pgmol that may need to be worried for once
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it’s Easter Sunday & after another revelation in front of the watching and laughing world the PGMOB have decided to come forth and confess their sins. Not for the first time this season. Who could’ve imagined that a bunch of clowns who are too scared to host a website would struggle to operate a video replay button over the internet?
For those of you who say it’s easy to comment in hindsight shotta wrote a whole blog in advance of the boondoggle. And our friend Shotta is not a Prophet or Messiah. Or Messi.
We’ve all seen better efforts at your local sports club involving sleep deprived parents juggling their refereeing roles with a bbq there is no mystery surrounding the full time “pros” who can’t manage a website.
Never mind the Arsenal holes.
COYG
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Liverpool losing Diaz was a turning point in the game earlier in the season.
So many variables the match could turn on a half chance. Last season in this fixture an even contest turned during a touchline spat between the managers which awoke a sleepy home crowd that day.
Fingers crossed the officials don’t ruin the contest.
COYG
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You say Shotta. Isn’t the Messiah but I heard he was born in a stable and is followed by millions.
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C O Y G ! ! !
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There are slightly different accounts. Some stories mention a stable others an olive tree. Could be more.
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There was less doubt & debate about City’s result against bottom team Southampton with the second worst GD in the league.
Even if the Saints had taken the lead in that first half when they had the champions under a spell yesterday the odds were they’d have had a hellish second half like Leeds against Palace!
Mammon City are still as always the favourites. Many neutrals might be praying for the underdog yet Klopp will not be showing any charity today.
I speculate he’s picked Jota ahead of Nunez hoping to get that one chance in behind on the right. Trossard unlucky to be on the bench but he’ll be needed in the absence of Nketiah to freshen it up if nothing else second half.
COYG
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The gold shirt, first worn in the 1950 F.A. Cup win over Liverpool, is synonymous with brilliant victories many over the opposition today 1950, 1971, 1989.
Unfortunately we don’t have the gold shirt this season but the black shirt has been causing havoc with our opponents and so we need to back it today.
Mikel said he wants to take the game to pool and I think in this instance attack is the best form of defense. We do have to be aware of the counter and their quickness around the box.
Our attack, and that includes most of team, is very good and if it’s on form should produce results COYG.
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We’re in business!
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Martinelli starting this game same as the last Liverpool contest.
under a minute on the clock and the first dose of medicine/the Bends for Arnold sees the ball ricochet & bobble about between the Liverpool keeper and one or two defenders the luck on this occasion keeping this half chance clear of a Gunner’s foot.
But Martinelli can’t be denied. This time he picks up the ricochet off van dyke who panicked with Saka playing the pass and move in behind only to gift a chance to the Arsenal and Martinelli feathers it in!
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number two!
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coyg!
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ref letting the scousers get away with endless fouls etc
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The yellow for white and none for Konate on xhaka shows anyone the inbalance.
All can observe note and record at 1-2 with 25 to go how clear and present the bias is no matter the result – I don’t care for the result I’m enjoying watching Klopp resort to his inner Dyche as always to compete when previously up against good Arsenal teams he’d always, every time, send them out to kick Rambo
COYG
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COYG! COYG! COYG!
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Thats one heck of bs card on Saka.
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Come you Gunners, finish this one off.
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Phew.
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Deserved more, but Ramsdale saved our Arsenals time and time again.Eccentric reffing again. Dang! I thought we would do it.But its not over yet.
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No pressure but I am expecting an epic from BK.
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PGMOL once again showing they are not fit for purpose
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Is this how all their home games are reffed? That was nuts.
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five points maximum needed from our remaining 8 games to secure top 4
seven wins and a draw maximum needed to win the title,
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You have not heard from me for sone time as my interest in the team and blogging has been waining.
After today’s game I thought I would have a look at what you were all saying and I am disappointed to see that there was very little comment about the game itself but the same winging about the ref
Do you not think that the time had come to stop blaming the ref for everything and to realise that at this moment there are likely to be any number of Liverpool supporters complaining about the ref on their own blogs.
Let us be truthful. We played well, but not marvellously for the first 30.minutes and Liverpool were poor and the roles were reversed for the rest of the game.
Give credit to Ramsdale for saving the game and be thankful that we did not lose the game as could very well have happened.
If winging about the ref makes you feel better, the fact that it seems to be on the recipe after every game indicates that you really do not think much of your team.
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One of my biggest complaints as a viewer is that the grey socks did little to help the similarity in kits. We should have used our third kit. It might be pink, but it is pale. And since people with colour recognition problems detect contrast more easily I think we’d have had a better time. Can’t speak for everyone though.
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JJ
I thought that you were enjoying events in N17 so much that you’d almost forgotten us. Almost.
Arteta’s error in that game (not bringing on Tierney at 70 odd) was so screamingly obvious that your avoidance of such an easy broadside critique makes me question if & how you watched this match. Cheers.
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Sorry, but I did watch the match and do not presume to know enough about managing a football team or the form of the playets to decide when in a game a substitution should be made and who should replace whom
I did not see any particular problem with the way that zhinchenko was playing. What I saw was that we were being overwhelmed all over the pitch and that an equaliser and even a Liverpool winner were possible.
As you have all decided that Arteta is a magnificent manager, who am I to suggest a change in tactics by such a genius.
As you can tell my view of him has not changed as I am not blinded by the supposed success of the team.
My opinion remains that we have achieved what we have this season and stand where we are in the league due to the abilities of a few players, most of whom Arteta did not want and also due to the terrible form of many teams such as Liverpool, chel&ea and even the scum.
Arteta has ridden the waves created by these facts but has not shown.me any particular ability to make me admire him for his management skills.
This leopard has not changed his spots.
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Whatever waves Arteta has or hasn’t ridden, he is now competing against team who has ridden the wave of state funding, as we know, that is something they are now being investigated for. And it’s not very good for the game either.
Players Arteta did not want? He signed Ramsdale when others wanted Martinez. He signed Ben White when some thought him too expensive. He signed and made MO his captain. The ex City players were obviously his signings, as were the players who arrived in Jan. Martinelli signed an extension under Arteta, as did Xhaka, Gabriel, Elneny, and Nketiah, Saka about to sign one also. That’s a pretty strong core of players that Arteta clearly wanted , who are now forming the backbone of this team. The players he didn’t want, eg Ozil, Auba, Mustafi, Kolasinac, we may have supported them while they were at the club, a couple of them had times of brilliance, but let’s face it, they were hardly pulling up any trees since leaving.
Arsenal will finish 1st or 2nd, a massive over achievement when the stated aim was top four. Arteta deserves and will universally receive huge credit whatever happens, probably to the point whereby other elite teams will try and poach him.
Whinging about refs, think there may be some basis, Manchester ref Lee Mason recently got sacked for his bias/ mistake/ corruption , costing us points, again . As we know, the PGMOL don’t sack refs lightly , whatever they manage to mess up. Ask Brighton after this weekend.
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New post is up
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