Hello and how are you? Sunday the 15th of February sees the Mighty Cannon host Wigan Athletic in the next round of the FA Cup. KO at the Emirates is at 4.30pm, local time. Expected weather is cloudy with temps at 7° ( feels like 4°) and 79% of rain in the first half and 16% in the second.
So, a chance for a few changes and some musical chairs for the squad, what with the next round of the FAC, and its magic (which is code that everyone outside of planet Arsenal will be hoping we lose)and hopefully a victory that we could all do with. The last thing we need is to go to penalties! But I’m sure 22nd place League One Wigan will be aiming for that?
Missing for the Gunners are: Merino, Dowman ( good to see him back in training) and Mr. Havertz. Undoubtedly doubtful are; Saliba! and Odegaard.
Missing for Wigan are: Adeeko, Robinson, McHugh, and doubtful is James Carragher.
I checked in with the heads at statto HQ and they calculated this Arsenal have an 89.4% chance of winning and Wigan a mere 2.9%. Next up a clash with struggling Wolves at theirs and then it’s Them at the Shack. SO COYG!
Mills
This game should be about as easy as it gets. Wigan are not very good, we are at home and everyone that starts will be a good player desperate to impress. There really isn’t much more to say on the subject, should be fun.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
thanks Ian.COYG!
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Sakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal
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Russo has put Arsenal Women 1-0 up in their WCL second leg
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1-1 in the womens game
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the Saka goal
https://x.com/i/status/2024218185013035020
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HT: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Arsenal
Saka with the early goal, we dominated early on but as the half wore on it has become a physical battle and we have not made many chances which is our way it seems.
We badly need the second goal to take the fight out of Wolves.
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The Womens game is level at 1-1 at half time. Arsenal Women well ahead from the first leg
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Hincapieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee makes it 2-0 to the Arsenal, VAR really wanted to rule it out but they couldn’t find a way
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that was Hincapie’s first goal for Arsenal
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ah for fucks sake Wolves score, back to it being a fight
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Jesus and Eze on, Gyokeres and Madueke off
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Mariona from a penalty has put the Women 2-1 ahead
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Trossard off injured, Calafiori on
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There is no title in this Arsenal team, 2-2 in injury time, no more than our shit performance deserved, utter utter rubbish, they can’t handle the pressure of being title favorites, prime arteta ball, boring sterile shite
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Arsenal Women won 3-1, Russon with 2, and Mariona penalty, think they play Chelsea women in the next round
Russo has now scored 50 goals for Arsenal
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FT: Wolves 2-2 Bottlers
a disgraceful performance that now means although its still in our hands the fact is that Man City will win the title if they win all their games,
This has been coming, dull boring negative football, trying to do just enough to win games will never win you the title. Arteta has got so caught up with the small details he has forgot the big picture. He is a coward.
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When did we hire Peter Kay as a coach.
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with 11 games to go we need 10 wins and a draw to win the title.
we’ve dropped 11 points in our last 7 games.
in those last seven league games we have two wins, both against promoted teams, Sunderland and Leeds. We have 4 draws, two 0-0, one 1-1, and one 2-2, and we lost at home to Man Utd 3-2.
we led against man utd and lost
we led against Brentford and drew 1-1
we led 2-0 against bottom club wolves and drew 2-2
Man City will win the Title if they win all 12 games they have left. Which is a far bigger possibility than Arsenal getting the 10 wins and a draw that would guarantee us the title.
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ah God Ian if only we had peter kay, at least he’d put a smile on our faces,
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first time in EPL history that a team top of the table let a 2-0 lead slip against a relegation placed team.
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if anyone had told me at the start of the season that by February 19th we would be top of the table by 5 points, would have a 100% record in the CL, be in the 5th round of the FA Cup with as easy an away draw as we could wish for, and be in the CC final I would foolishly have thought that we were after playing outstanding, even awesome football, that it would have been memorable game after memorable game, goals left right and center, and probably the most enjoyable seasons of my entire life.
But its been nothing short of a chore, its been by and large a bore fest. Of course there has been moments, a fair few moments, some memorable goals, but that is what its been, moments, a few, some. But so so much of it has been tedious, boring, predictable, sterile football. Has there ever been a team on top of the EPL for so long that has played so poorly for so long. Maybe Mourinho’s chelsea. But not having took any keen interest in them I can’t say for sure. I will say that Arsenal have never in my time played such uninspiring football and been top of the league. Not the 1-0 Bertie Mee team, not the George Graham title winning teams, and I probably don’t have to even say certainly not the title winning Arsene Wenger teams.
Our best performances, the best football we have played, has been in the CL this season. We have mostly been more expansive in our style in those games. Some will tell us that the reason for that is CL teams have come to play in all the games, that there has been no deep blocks, but there has been a little of that, but we had opponents camped in their half but we just kept attacking, there was far less of this possession for possessions sake. There was more freedom to our play, especially our attacking play. We scored at least 2 goals in every CL game this season.
Arteta has been given the best squad we have had in decades, we have for me the best amount of attacking talent we have ever had, it doesn’t have the world class level that we had with Bergkamp, Henry and Pires,(but who has) but we have quality, and we have quality in numbers so even when hit by injuries we can call on high level players. But I very much doubt if Bergkamp, Henry and Pires under our current tactics would be the players they were in their day.
Arteta brought in a new coach in the summer, Heinze, another defensive minded coach. We so needed a coach added with an attacking plan. Its all well and good being good at corners, getting half a dozen own goals, but these things should be the icing on the cake, not the cake. Arteta has got so distracted by the small margins that he has forgotten that they are meant to be the way to win the bonus points, not the way to try and win all points.
Gyokeres has gone from a goal a game striker for porto over the last two season to a a 1 in 3 for us, and I’m actually amazed he has a 1 in 3 ratio for us cos he sees so little of the ball, he gets so few chances. Our goal creation tactics are awful. Ask yourself this, when was the last time you seen an opposing goalie have to make save after save, or be clear man of the match, to stop us winning or scoring a hatful. We had 4 shots on target tonight. 10 shots in total. there goalie made 2 saves. These stats are not an outlier.
I do believe that Arteta’s tactics come from the pain he suffered in his playing days here where we would be all out attack, have 20-30 shots, see a goalie be man of the match, and us let in one to lose, and more so when we got the 4, 5 and 6 goal defeats by going for it even when we hadn’t as good a team as our opponents. But there has to be a happy medium.
Arteta has constantly been telling us for 3 or 4 years now that we should only need 1 or 2 good chances to win a game. For me that is a very flawed thinking. And it is why we have not improved our attacking play. Arteta is convinced that it is all we need, and we will almost always create a couple of chances no matter how we have played, so he sees no need to alter the tactics in attack. We are set up for control, but not control with dominating passing game. No its control by possession. Circular play.
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the draws are killing us, we have 7 for far this season with 11 games to play, we have 3 defeats.
we had 14 last season which really killed our title challenge, 4 defeats.
we had 5 the season before and 5 defeats
the season before that we had 6 draws and 6 defeats
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We havent bottled anything. Its not over yet. 14 draws in the Invincibles year. The media well behind City, just type in Arsenal, then news and look at the outlets who are going on about bottling and crumbling and denting the chances of winning…what does that tell you? You think it doesnt affect Arsenal FC of course it does.
Quite simply its not over. In Feb and we’ve bottled it and its over. What will me the next word pulled out , shambles. Football cliche, football cliche oh oh oh oh!
I know you’ll tear me a new one, and say well Mills we were sht. thats relative too. Quite simpyl we didnt win and let in a late goal. The lads werent happy anymore than th efans.
We are still of the top of the pile and the teams that gonig on about second are all hanging around the el bogo end of the league. Id rather be second than that. I agree we arent killing off games. Its not Wenger ball its not gritty 70s with sideburns and Stan Ogden on the tv. and 30 pints of lager and fity oilies dahn the club looking for birds. Maybe City will win it. Maybe they wont. Somehow as football fans we think they dont know what theyre doing at the club. Duh! in the stands its not the same as on the pitch.
I said before the game Wolves might be at the bottom and yet can fight like fury and get draws…but what do I know? Obvioulsy YT pundits thoguht it would be a walk in the park, maybe they aint so smart as the think?
Yes its frustrating but its quite simply isnt the end. We are still in all four comeptitions. If it was a breeze then why would anyone even watch fkn football, I mean its nuts enough everyone getting aggi about people trying to boot a bit of leather into a designated area?
Theres things on the horizon of life that are coming up that will change everything, way beyond the issues fox and cnn scrapping it out over. And they are really serious.
Oh yes its more than that if we dont come second again Ole ole oh fkn le then we are the kings of banter. Big deal guy. My Dads bigger than your Dad? man I used to love football and it had jack to do with bloody banter. Even if we lost I loved it. now there no dignity in that any more. Must win! Must win! Hungry ghists are never satisfied?
Aside of winning a match by a few goals when was the last time you enjoyed awatching Arsenal? It tough doing what they are, hopefully we won’t end up like Crisp in 1973 Grand National, but even so if it happens then, what?Depression, anger then acceptance? Arteta out? Martinelli out? If they are both so bad why do Real want them?
Ok now you can kick the dung out of me for having a Positive attitude on Positively Arsenal. You have to laugh? Personally I feel its important to say it, perhaps even in an narcissistic way to help myself.
My lifes kack enough without there being no outlets to attempt at being positive or what should I do, do one?
Of course you can argue that pos and neg have no affect at all on blogs etc must mostly you’d be right. Sorry i found that searching for perfection and its tyranny just destroys lives. In a way its destroyed mine and at this moment its destroying Arsenal, seems through a certain lens it is to me.
Perhaps footballs passed me by, fair enough, I dont enjoy much about the current climate anyway and next season I would like to not get sucked up int the traps this one has set, which means dont look on the internet for football info anymore.
Ironically its not really aimed at either Ian or Ed but what Ive seen this morning on the internet. And dont get me wrong I felt hurt and angry last night too, its a frustrating time in life in total. But its not over yet, far from it…
COYG!
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Sorry about being MIA. Old age and that. Especially sorry Mills.
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Football is supposed to be a release. An escape from the terrible right wing money chasing world and all the wrong values that entails.
The pots are handed out at the end of the season and so we have to enjoy the weekly fare severed up to us.
If we had won that game yesterday I would of been pleased but would anyone seriously say they enjoyed it.
The world famous 92 football pyramid doesn’t survive because everyone’s team is winning, it’s because the loyal fans want to enjoy the game of football each week and the chance of a successful season every now and then, whatever perspective that is.
If we can have our best squad ever and be top of the league and we’re still not enjoying the games then something majorly wrong.
We can still be positive about winning the league but when can we positive about enjoying the football.
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You might not think I do, but I agree with you.
What I was getting at is people hating Arsenal because they arent getting their eggs (Annie Hall)…Im not going to hate Arsenal or our players, and whatever that makes me I dont care anymore. I dont have it in my, its not just that it was my relative who started the club all those years ago, but something else from when I was a kid. Thats why I wrote about my mate who went to the Coop and we got spanked and he still said it was magic. Eweryone liked it when I wrote that, but perhpas not so much now? But thats how I feel. I not saying anyone hates the team or players on here but there is online in other sites.
I realise Im an anochaorism from the old PA manifesto, but thats how I want to live my life, even that makes me wrong then I can go ( like all those others who have left?) where theres others who are the same?. Thats why I came here. Its over anyway.
Im not wearing rose-tinten glasses either, but swirling around the club is massive negative and people already psychologically handing the league to City, in Feb. Probably (Carragher) handing over the League Cup, that my recollection. To me I find it offensive. But I also dont expect anyone to care or even agree we are in another time, as I already said in my prior post. It took a bit of courage to write it as I knew it would seem like I dont know football. I do though.
I realise its time for me to leave PA, and didnt want to do anything this season writing wise as I have other things on my plate, and blogs are truly dead anyway. A lot of people i know are terminally ill and as I said there are other things on the horizon of all out lives that are much worse than drawing with Wolves. Football often seems absurd to me anyway. Thats why I wrote the Fred in the Shed peices…
I cant help it, even when we lost to York, to Swindon to Wrexham I still loved the Gunners, and even last night I feel the same. I too swore and felt frustrated but today I wanted to write something even for old times sake, but its over, it wasting mine and everyone elses time. It doesnt make me righteous because I love Arsenal so much nor does it mean I love them the most or am the biggest fan, thats other people for sure.
Of course people are allowed their opinion, as I hoped today I would be allowed mine and maybe make a click. But our perpectives and opinions dont make up a singular truth that are just aspects, and anycase dim-witted losers opinions are equally allowed and as important as those who feel their opinions are right and absolute. Im not saying you are like that but more what Ive seen on line.
Wolves had every right to play well, I wrote in the preview they would and we shouldnt come in with a spoilt attitude. Arteta thought we could again contain the game and that just invites team to come onto us,,,as we’ve seen a few times this season. Way to dangerous altough perhaps he felt it was the safest thing to do.
If we dont win the league what can I do about it?
Anyway I didnt write this for a scrap and arent looking for one. I suppose Im just an oddball because even when we’re crepe I still enjoy the games. If I get wound up its when we lose I recall nasty turds who said evil things when I was on zero hours ( or some other oddballs form the past) and had to take it.
But to me the game is in a bad place at the moment (for others not), the CL sucking everything dry as it makes overtures to us for a Euro super league, the FA and League cups no longer of much interest, too much money, as you say, around and other problems like laws that arent strict or clear enough etc. It been to me the first time I havent enjoyed the season ever in my life, not because of the football but just my interpretation of the atmosphere etc. Anyway, that enough from me. Im sure theres plotholes in my lawn. Im just too knackered to cover myself.
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Mills I think positiveness is important, which is why I’ve been on this site since it rose like a phoenix from the cultured left foot flames.
I have seen some very poor ARSENAL sides, when the 71 side was broken up too quickly, the time until 78 was a real struggle.
Again from 82 until 87 bad again. I suppose the difference was from 74 I was actually going to a lot of the games so felt more connected.
The PL and CL has killed the working mans game and killed many people connection with the game. Money always ruins everything and creates a race to the bottom.
The strange thing at the moment is we are top of the table and although I get really excited about every game and go through rituals all day of the game and read as much as I can about it, I still sometimes don’t enjoy games even when we win.
I still jump around the room when we score and still get excited about the youth and women’s game but there is something about the first team that is stale.
Keep the faith Mills I’m sure it will get better.
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Thanks Ian, I didnt start supporting till 77, so the historical bits you mentioned prior to that, ive only read about. But totally agree 82-87, ofte heart breaking, but it was in that period that I became the idiot that loves Arsenal despite all.
I also agree about the PL and CL, and about money ( and peoples greed that is part of all that etc), and its a fair point to say about not always enjoying it even if we win.
Im not so interested in the youth teams, but Im impressed with how you and Ed know so much, but have loved watching the womens game for years, Stew was a big fan of the womens games too. And of course also still jump around and theres nothing like a last minute winner/goal. As Im sure Wolves can tell us.
I wont lose the faith support the team/ club but I feel pretty finished with whats going on outside, even just main stream media you can see the bias in the headlines if you type in Arsenal and the hit news.
To me the 115 drag has also put a dark cloud over things, something that started with other clubs years ago and footballs not been right since, and we seem to be in the apogee of all that now?. It might make me sound like I have the consciousness of a five year old, but I like things be fair as possible, sport, politik, culture.and its not.
Yesterday there was some bad energy going int the game (sorry to sound woo) but team like Wolves seem to thrive on it and we seem to not rise up? But we’ve never really got going this season as a fluid side and broke after the Sunderland first game. Capable but not regular enough, hence I can see why people are naffed off, we should be way out front, so it shows theres much to learn.
The Spuds might smell blood, but I think seeing as things nearly turned into a big baseball fight after the match yesterday, Im sure our lads will also be hurting and will want to win.
But thanks again, sometimes I just like talking football as a chat and not to find any direct answers but kick around lots of questions etc. Everywhere online seems to just be fighting, and my make-up means I cant handle it too well, but others can and that great by me, horses for courses.
The oddest thing is we can smash Real and Bayern etc yet stumble in the shuffle and scrape of not so glamourous fixtures.
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quote Ian
“The strange thing at the moment is we are top of the table and although I get really excited about every game and go through rituals all day of the game and read as much as I can about it, I still sometimes don’t enjoy games even when we win.
I still jump around the room when we score and still get excited about the youth and women’s game but there is something about the first team that is stale”
this is very much me too, but I would go even further and say that our football in the league this season has bored me to tears. It has made me actually consider turning my back on it all. As I said yesterday evening if anyone had told me in the summer we would be top of the league, 100% in the CL, in the CC final and in with a great chance of the QF or the Fa Cup on the 19th of February I would have been delighted and oh so excited for the season and what I would have envisaged that those things would have meant football wise.
But the football in the league is insipid. I’ve never seen the soundbites of “a win is a win is a win”, or “Winning when playing poorly is a sign of champions”, or “grinding out results” used so often to describe an Arsenal win or draw. Those soundbites are meant to be there to describe the once in a blue moon poor performance where the team still managed to win or draw, but it is used where we have 70% possession and our opponents didn’t manage a shot on target, yet we just did enough to win, one or two goals. As I said yesterday I got more enjoyment out of any of our title winning teams – Mee, Graham and Wenger – than I get out of this team.
What really upsets me is that we showed last season and again this season in the CL that we are an incredibly good team and have it in us to play good fast attacking football, go head to head, take risks. Now I don’t know if Arteta sets us up to play that way in the CL or if the higher quality of teams means that is just the way games develops. But he certainly has us playing risk averse football in the EPL, 14 draws last season totally killed our title chances, 7 so far this season has left us in a much harder position than we could have been in. Many claim its the low block in the EPL that we can’t handle, but we faced a couple of teams(Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan) with low blocks in the CL this season and outplayed them, played fast attacking football and won. In the CL when we took the lead in games we kept going for it, going for more goals, but we just don’t see that in the EPL. Our opponents have spotted this and they all know that if they hang in there we let them have a punchers chance.
Time will tell if Arteta’s tactics will win us the League, or the CL, or one or two of the cups, or maybe we will be the first English club to win the quadruple.
If we win any or all of the above I will be jumping for joy each and every time. I will be delighted if we win the league, but unless things change with our football from now till end of the season i will not have many memories of the great football we played, unlike all the other times i’ve seen us with the league.
The odd thing is the way we play in the league is cup football, and they way we’ve played in the CL so far is league football. If we win the CL this year I will have many fond memories of many of the games. And if we win the CL final 1-0 by grinding out the win, or finding a way to win when playing badly I would remember it even more fondly than I do the CWC win over Parma.
Oh and I would just add that I couldn’t care less what fans of other clubs think or say about Arsenal on line, or what the sky mob do or say as I don’t interact much at all with fans of other clubs online, and with those fans I interact with in person I will be as honest about Arsenal with them as I try to be on here. As for the sky cunts i never listen to them as their is nothing honest or unbiased about them. that they are not screaming about the 115 charges on a daily basis tells us all we need to know about them.
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Before we play Man City in the CC final we have 5 games, 4 in the league and Mansfield in the FA Cup.
the league ares are
Spurs away
Chelsea home
Brighton away
Everton home
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Great post Ed. Out of the dreadful draw came a very nice conversation covering a lot of aspects, old skool PA! personally grateful for that, Cheers to you and Ian.
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Mills keep up the good work. As you have alluded to real life can be awful and we shouldn’t get too serious about football, but that is part of the problem, many of us are looking for Arsenal to be something to lift us out of the reality of the shitty bits of real life, illness, death, and all the bad cunts in powerful places in the world. Surely its not too much to ask, ha ha ha
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Thaks Ed. I dint know that you also felt like turning your back on it all.
I wrote pretty much what your saying Ed, to George in the last week, and going over much of what you and Ian were writing. When George wrote back hes basically saying the same as us all.
Weird thing was I thought should we put the covering letter up rather than just the generic preview. Thing is it would have hit the nail on the head with how we all feel! if I would have known it would have maybe been interesting. I thought it was just me stuck in the kasi.
Lifes strange you can feel alienated and yet in the flip of coin find that everyones thinking the same, and youre not on your own?
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Arsenal confirmed today that Saka has signed a new five year deal
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Mills we all want to be positive, we really really do, but Artetaball makes its very hard to do so. And as I said its infuriating cos its clear we can play quality attacking football, but are not set up for it.
As I said I have several times this season considered turning my back on it all, the latest was this morning when out for my early morning walk, there is nothing quite like a walk to clear the mind, maybe it was the sound of a couple of woodpeckers knocking seven bells out of an oak tree that cleared my head this morning, I think it was that the sound they were making was very in line with the sound Arsenal rattling around in my head was making, but in dawned on me that I still really care for Arsenal and its part in my life, or why else was it the first thought in my head when I woke up utter “fuck you’s arsenal ya shower of cunts”, or why was my head filled with all the different things that they have done that have cheered me or infuriated me this season as I walked along a country road through storm damaged forest, with a river on one side and later a lake on the other side of the road, which wad a much prettier view than I held of Arsenal at that time of this morning, but it was Arsenal that had my thoughts. And they as they do every day, come to my mind time and again. So I may walk away from them someday, maybe even tomorrow, but probably not, and probably not for some time. After all I may outlast Arteta and fall in love with the football we play once again under a new man. Managers come and managers go, but we’re stuck supporting Arsenal and that is life.
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I totally understand Ed, because we all had a chat about it, because of the nuanced talk things became clearer, I think sometimes on the interent things can read one way, but its just because more of the narratives not coming out.
Being deeply involved with a club emotionally is a weird thing, I think for everyone, no matter who you are or what country you live in, and no matter the level of involvement. For a lot of people its livelyhood and identity, and thats a tougher relationship.
We have a park thats pretty decent ( Im sure nothing like the amazing landscpae where you live) or it was its less of a wildlife sanctuary now as its been cut back, but we too have the woodys bashing away, I took some film of them last year as it was making its nest.These are Green Woodys but I have had some Great Spotted on the balcony. Over the years we’ve fed the robins, one I could call and it would come and eat out of my hand, such light,delicate intelligent birds. Super intelligent birds.
I think as a kid and in the period Ian spoke of (82-97) I got so used to dissapointment that Arsenal get less in my head than other things. as I wrote yesterday its more memories of racists and buttheads trying to wind me up about Arsenal. But theres plenty of other things that wind me up.And taking a walk does help, also to get away from the darker side of the endless shouting and manipulation on line.
I realise talking about certain things etc on a football blog crosses the line of certain codes ( although I think we should be able to talk about everything as it all connected one way or another), but when I think of some artists and what they make, and even worse their attitude and how they think theyre superior to the rest of humanity, and those who write words to support them it winds me up, I was going crazy last week and walking along I started thinking about my Grandparents and how much they loved gardening, working class people who loved growing things/ having a fish pond etc and how beautiful Primulas are compared to someone who thinks theyre a radical artist because they shove a banana in a dog turd and call everyone as twt. But my ideas of how things could be probably dont fit with market based ideas so that makes me redundant!
I think its crossed all of us who are long time that we might walk away, but you cant and wont. I cant ever see who else to support. As a young kid I liked Oxford for a bit ten seconds along side Arsenal but only because I liked Tolkien. But Arsenal it is, no matter what. Anyway I couldnt imagine supporting City (plastic) or the Spuds (ewww!) If I had to, I probably go with Orient or QPR. But thats all bullsht, anyway I feel like a new boy phony/imposter and would never have a true connection, and would always be looking over my shoulder at Arsenal. I still miss Highbury though, and the Highbury before it was rennovated, despite all its faults, and I realise Ashburton is a beautiful place but Highbury touched me like no other ground, and as an impressionable kid it was a bit holy.
But after the loss in 78 I knew there was no going back. Stuck with it to the end.For better or worse. Next year its half a century for me!
But thanks to you and Ian for sharing your thoughts I really enjoyed reading it all.
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The one guarantee for all true football fans is your club will break your heart.
Yes there will always be good times and just like everything else in life it’s the bad times that make the good times so good.
The fans that wait a long time for a brilliant season hit a higher euphoria than those who experience it consistently.
If we do win the league this season will all the frustration be worth it I’m not sure but the day it happens will be fantastic.
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Vincent Kompany’s statement against racism
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Too true Ian! And we’ve had plenty of those. What interests me is the bad times are all relative and different,sort of spectrum rather than concrete types and the same with the good. Think of the finals we lost they were all different and the cup wins and the league wins too. Each one as strange experience. Game 50 is the only one I cant look at or even think about.
Its true (re you saying about even if we win was it worth all this frustation)I said this to George last week, the journey of this league isnt too exciting, maybe up to the Sunderland game away it was gonig the right way? Of course the CL’s been great, but its like we enjoy playing and facing up to those sides rather than the Alf Tupper midweek scrap- it -outs at Brentford/Wolves etc?
One problem is we as fans feel we should be way out in front, what with the possiblities this squad can muster.
I saw the propaganda spinning around today, Aretas gonig to Barca and we are having Fabgregas as a replacement. I think journos should have to state who the support when they write their articles. But in fairness similar outlets were saying Peps off. I suppose its all click bait! I have no faith in fabgregas, do you and Ed?
Odd thing is I putting my money on us beating the Spuds. Could well be a high octane game, with us getting a red and it will need the blitzkrieg tactics that were deployed against Wigan to make it secure, and make them quiet early on, but Ive had a good feeling about it all day. And now I write it I get the doubt coming over me!Arrgh!
Ims ure they will all have had a dang good look at Wednesday for sure!
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HandofArsenal
@HandofArsenal
EXCL : Arsenal Technical Director James Ellis has now left Arsenal Football Club with immediate effect.
James Ellis was promoted to Technical Director last summer to support Andrea Berta with recruitment but my understanding is that he has now left the club.
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Mills I would not be in favor of Cesc being back at the club, just like Cole and RVP they as far as I’m concerned should not be let set foot inside the club.
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Arsenal striker Daniel Oyetunde has joined Fort Wayne in permanent move
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what was your favourite season ever?
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What a great question. There have been loads of great seasons, firstly 75 not for quality football but although my first game was 74 my first real season going to a lot of home games was 75. Again although the cup final in 79 was great the actual season of 80 was brilliant until the end when the F.A.cup, the cup winners cup and the league was all lost in a very short space of time.
Then the start of the renaissance of 87 and the magic of 89.Not having won the league for so long and the disappointment at the end of the season because of results against Derby and Wimbledon and of course the way we won it at Anfield that was really special.
Thinking we we’re going to go unbeaten in 91 until that snowy day at the bridge when Big Tone was in prison, we had a player sent off and Alan Smith hit the bar in the last minute for a 1-0 defeat.
We won two cups in 93 but it was a terrible season and playing Sheffield Wednesday every week was a joy
Then 97 and the arrival of Arsene, that was a strange season because we had no idea what was going on. All of a sudden the football was getting better and we started to become more dangerous. That continued in 98 but it wasn’t really exciting until the last ten games when we knew we were going to win it. Nobody else did but we did.It was also the first season I took my eldest boy and to show him round Highbury for the first time and pass on the torch was a brilliant feeling until we scored and the North bank erupted and he cried because of the noise.
2002 was the first season I took my youngest lad. We were being sponsored by Sega by then and there was game consoles on the concourse of the North bank and he loved it. He too cried when we scored for the first time, maybe four was too young to go to a game as my Mrs said but again seeing my eight year old son (who was an ARSENAL stalwart by then) show round his younger brother this great institution gave me immense pride. Oh yeah and we won the league.
2004 we had a new back line and again people didn’t think we would get near the title but what a great season that was.
2008 and the amazing Eduardo, a great season until the hackers broke his leg and snatched the title from us.
Yep there has some great seasons over the years and all with some jeopardy within them but great times none the less and almost impossible to pick an outright winner.
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both Chelsea and Aston villa drew their games at home today, 1-1 in both games, chelsea had fofana sent off, their 8th sending off this season, and he will miss the Arsenal game next sunday
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Arsenal U18’s beat Aston Villa U18’s 2-1 away today, with Zecevic John giving us the lead from a penalty he had won in the first half, Villa were put down to 10 in the second half but drew level with about 15 to go, Pedro got the winner in stoppage time.
It was a very young Arsenal team, with 4 schoolboys starting the game, including two debuts at this level, Charlie Purdy and Saurap Sampang.
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Brilliant Ian,utterly fascianting. Coming to the club( like I did) when the chips were down and no glory to be found, but still loving it. And a flirt with relegation.
My personal fav was the first Wenger double, but all those first ten years we were so great. But that first double was fire and skill. I didnt ever have the fear like this season. I did with the other managers, but not the Weng.
I agree with the highlights youve pointed out, utter ectasty and sometimes cool wins too.
What about the 93/94 and 94/5 seasons? The CWC final v Parma? And the follow up, ok we lost and it was awful but there was that second leg v Sampdoria. That was a magical evening. Spunkys face beaming at the end!
93 to 95 is in my heart as the Gunners were my life-line as I was truly in hell, 365 poop, soaking that up at the time affected me for years and year, five bloody jobs, paying two rents and people telling me all day youre a tool, 0 hrs, not much hope. But the Arsenal were there as an anchor, the Wedneday finals I enjoyed but a bit of a slog!
91 was magic too, beating ManUre and winning it, as you say going so close to unbeaten. Of course the Invincibles, but those four draws felt pretty wobbly at the time ( hence me mentioning it the other day). I think Arsenal changed after that, of course it was always changing but we seemed to go truly international as a club after that.
Of course the horror of game 50 and the CL final. That final we should have won. Listening to the replay of the 99 semi, and Greeny or whoever said United are close to capitulation and Paddy passed the ball over to Giggs. Imagine how the kids of todya would have coped with Den missing that penalty or Paddys pass? We were so close to United that season…they might have done the treble but by the skin of their teeth. Bloody Leeds! If only…
But it might be odd but I still have a soft spot for the Don Howe years, not a hope ever. Even the semi v ManUre if you look at it now it seemed we had a chance but at the time I knew we were second best and were gonig to lose. Those days of black and red socks.
79 was briilaint as you said, when we beat Forest I knew it was ours. Poor old 1980. I wept a few that day we lost that frustrating muggy cup final to West Ham, those endless semis v Liverpool, I still have all the programs. Too bloody knackered and bereft of ideas Paul out in Torino, and the silence after he scored, and the Juve fans lighting fires on the terraces. Being stuck in Wales in a youth hostel aged ten and a Spud telling me we had lost to Valenica on pens, and pulling sheet over my head thinking of the lads and Highbury and silently crying, utterly gutted, but loving them even more.
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ah Mills the don howe years, he set the foundations for so much of what GG achieved, it was he who blooded Adams, Keown, Quinn, Rocastle and so many more of our academy players.
For me the biggest mistake Arsenal made in managers was Terry Neill, when you consider we tried to bring in the first foreign manger at the time, we had major talks with a Real Madrid and an Ajax manager, but we some how went for Terry Neill after his less than stellar job at spurs. It really was a case of him getting it cos he was a former captain of the team and a guy who had been smart enough to have made friends with the chairman and board members while at the club.
At that time we really should have maybe gone for a combo of two former Arsenal coaches, Dave Sexton and Don Howe. Dave Sexton almost won the title with QPR soon after. But the man we really should have gone for was Brian Clough, maybe the Clough with Taylor combo that was so good together, or maybe have got Clough with Howe as his assistant. We really let the club drift in the mid 70’s, we did spend lots of money on big signings, but it was always to replace an outgoing, like kidd sold, supermac signed, ball sold hudson bought. Liam Brady did say that one of the big reasons he left when he did was that he felt the club never went that bit further to get a title winning squad together, he did mention the one in one out scenario. As we seen at the end of the 70’s early 80’s we were oh so close, but we always were that couple of quality players away, we needed better than Young and Price, probably better than Sunderland and Rix too. We were unlucky of course to lose Malcolm McDonald to knee injury just when he was at the peak of his powers, he would surely have helped us get more silverware if he had been in rude health.
Charlie Nicholas said that he could never understand the sort of football we played in games during his time, as it bypassed midfield far too much and did not suit him and Tony Woodcock at all. Charlie said that it was not how we were set up to play, and that in training we played the best football he ever saw and that it probably would have won us the title if our players had done it in actual games. But for some unknown reason our defenders would hoof the ball upfield and it wouldn’t take long till the midfielders either lost interest or started doing the same.
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Thats also fascinating Ed, epsecially your thoughts on Terry. Obviously he was the manager when I started so I just thought he was great until it went really wrong. I read that Terry fell out with Hudson and thats why he went awol. Mind you Chippy was a bit sniffy with Hudson in the 78 final. Supermac said Hudson was a superb baller and picked him over Brady for his all time five a side team. We got within an inch of having MM on Shottas podcast. Would have made an interesting chat for sure. MM seem the kind of old skool personification of a number 9?
I didnt know the thoughts of Charlie saying about the set up/ training. Makes you wonder for sure…
Do you think Rix was the same after the CWC final? He was a talented player and it was strong down the left in those days. He was good for a few years after Brady went but semed to fade away. Didnt GG get rid of him? Memorys going a bit.
I liked Dave Sexton, he had a cabinet full of silverware so you are well onto something there. I remember him being a total gentleman when we won in 79…decent guy.
What happened to Fred Street, he seems to be strangley out of the history books..weird one for sure.
I liekd Don, bit gruff but loved Arsenal, loved the game.
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the mistake made with rix was when they tried to have him replace Brady in CM, he didn’t get his game going again till he went back to wide left and had Sansom and Woodcock to play with, that trio was so good it got Rix to the 82 World Cup, but that didn’t work out for Rix through no fault of his own, he got dropped not because of performance but cos media darlings had to be put in the team for the big games.
Rix had a lot of injuries during the GG time and that more than his ability got him moved on. The day before the Littleswood Cup final win over Liverpool(my only time at Wembley) I was at Highbury for the reserves 2-0 win over West Ham reserves, and Rix was head and shoulders above every other player on the pitch and scored a worldie of a freekick. The other goal was from a young and very impressive Paul Merson. We had a guy at right back, Lee Francis if I recall correctly, who I thought was a sure bet to be a first teamer but he never got there. Another standout that day was a midfielder called Russell Milton, he ended up at Dover Athletic among other non league teams and his most successful part of his career was at Cheltenham Town.
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