So here we go again, another season and another sense of springtime in late summer. The year may be on the wane, but for all football fans it’s a time of new beginnings, new hope. Ever since last season ebbed away with those two disappointing away games at Tottenham and Newcastle there has been much debate as to whether Arteta’s side had done well, or whether 2021/2022 should be seen as a disappointment. It was probably a bit of both to be honest: after a shocking start which saw the Arsenal bottom of the table with nil points after the first three games top 6 would have been seen by many as not so much a success but a bit of a miracle – but to have had top 4 in our own hands with three games left to play and to throw that away with two supine performances against that lot down the road and Newcastle left a bitter taste in the mouth. A final match 5-1 romp against Everton only served to remind us that there was more than a bit of the ‘flat-track bully’ about the side. And the disappointment of missing out on a Champions League sport was made all the more acute with the much-repeated warning that top signings would be impossible without the lure of football at the very top level. Any sensible supporter would have turned their back on it all and set out to enjoy the summer. I wish I had been able to! But as it happened, good signings were made, the power of the KSE cash at least equal to a belief in Arteta’s project. There has been whispers about Gabriel Jesus this time last year, but now that has become a reality, and if his pre-season form is anything to go by he looks as if he might be the attacking player we have been looking for for some time, offering as he seems to both goals and work-rate. Saliba has come back into the fold and looks ready to show his quality, his time away on loan giving him both experience and a greater physical presence (he looks a bit of a unit now) while Zinchenko seems to be the canniest of business. I know little about Fabio Vieira and suspect he won’t feature much in the near future, but it will be interesting to see what he is all about, as it will be for another young Brazilian, Marquinhos. It is rumoured that there will be one more important signing, possibly in midfield, with Tielemans name the most often mentioned. Taken all in all, the squad looks better balanced and more experienced than this time last year, and if our young players who at times did do well last year can improve again then there is much to look forward to, even if the hullaboo about Thomas Partey seems as if it has still a fair way to play out. And I guess the first indication of that will be the reception he gets from the Palace fans this evening: I don’t expect it to be a comfortable experience for him, or indeed for us, now linked shamefully as we are with the most unsavoury of alleged behaviour. And what of tonight? I could have wished for a quieter start than Palace away on a Friday evening – something like a Saturday afternoon at home to Southampton would have been easier I guess – but if we are going to be a serious side, a side able to drop the flat-track bully tag, then this is a game we ought to be winning, especially given the strength of our preseason form. Whether we do or not will tell us much.

Tim Head

@foreverheady

Hello everyone,

In this podcast I go mad with excitement for the coming season. I dismiss all negative thoughts as I jump on the sunshine bus.

Pedantic George.

With the recent death of Terry Neill (1942-2022), another part of The Arsenal becomes history. Many who have a presence on the internet probably don’t know him, or if they did he might not have meant as much as he did to those of us who witnessed those years? And that’s fair enough. Carrie Fisher once said “fame is obscurity waiting”, and we ironically saw this when Debbie Reynolds, her mother died, it seemed that most people didn’t know who she was. Names and some moments may surivive, but mostly obscurity beckons?

Terry had been a long term player at Arsenal with 241 appearances (1960-1970), clocking up over a hundred games at Hull afterwards, with 59 caps for  N.Ireland / who he managed between 1971-75. 

Like many others Terry had come to the Arsenal from Tottenham (whom he managed between 1974 and 1976), and after the season that Arsenal flirted with relegation he started to build a new team, getting us back up to 8th. At this time many of the older 70s stalwarts were playing with younger players, new signings( ironically also let go by Tottenham) Pat Jennings, Malcolm Macdonald came in (and was golden boot winner two years running out of his three at Arsenal) but also we started to see the Arsenal Irish wizards come in and Terry formed a new team, or so it seemed to my very young eyes. Of course everyone seemed like a god, and even those with faults were excused immediately.

Sudenly there were many new changes; Alan Ball, Jimmy Rimmer, Wilf Rostron, Peter Simpson, John Radford and Arsenal favourite Geordie Armstrong left, and suddenly seemed as if a new 70s team had arrived, one that would take us on into the 80s?

After the soggy, humid, mishap versus Ipswich in the 1978 final, Arsenal approached the new coming season and all was clicking into place; sadly Supermac was injured against Rotherham in the league cup,and he left and on went the reshuffle, players who looked out of place in the ’78 final now looked in place. And we were a cup force to be reckoned with. Even after Liam left we finished a respectable third in the league.

 Yet later despite getting to semi finals of both cups in 82/83 we didn’t ever seem really like winning…or reaching a cup final again.

Although ’78 was a disappointment, ’79 was a moment of heaven, despite the fact it seemed we had thrown it all away. Then the CWC run in 1980, and the final with West Ham, after the titianc endless semi-final games versus Liverpool,which perhaps in someways was the beginning of then end of the TN era? We recall those games, but there were such magnificent moments on the way to those finals. And we played an extraordinary amount of games in the 79/80 season, something that I wish was more remembered as part of our history, even if we did lose both finals that season.

Sadly came the departures of my original heroes, and very soon there was a new Arsenal before my eyes, trying to find its way. The excellent Paul Davis, Kenny Sansom, Chris Whyte, Raphael Meade, Peter Nicholas, John Hawley, George Wood,Tony Woodcock, Vlad Petrovic, Tommy Caton (rip) and for ten seconds Clive Allen and of course North Bank hero Bonnie Prince Charlie all came in and did their best, a new kit with red trim also seemed new and modern. New mates, new heroes( yes I left a lot out but not out of disrespect, I just don’t have time to list every player) the arrival of Mr Adams, John Lukic who would go onto glory later…

We can’t sometimes see change as its happening? Often these players are forgotten as they didn’t make finals, but even if at times it wasn’t the greatest football ever it was a path onto something coming…and in those days I didn’t care, I loved The Arsenal unconditionally. And there were some moments of great football despite it seeming a barren time. And Terry was of course guiding it with Don Howe,Fred Street and Wilf Dixon trying to get us back as a unit and challenging again. They did try.

When Terry left Arsenal in the  83/84 season he was only 41 and subsequently left football, often only to be seen on documentaries or occasionally interviewed for his view point. To a young kid as I was then, it was a massive blow, he had been the manager when I started supporting, and when things change drastically as a kid, it seems the world is caving in. Will we go down? Quickly I was reassured by older people at my local sides Christmas party that it wouldn’t happened; this gave me my first big world sense of who Arsenal are, a club that has a long and proud history, that we are this tremendous huge force called The Arsenal.

I can still see Terry having a crafty oily outside the old elegant glass mangers hut at Highbury( the original one that was super cramped) during the game, and of course burnt in my mind is the photograph in the 1980/81 Arsenal handbook of Terry hugging Paul Vaessen after we beat Juventus in the CWC semi. What a moment that was.

 Another memory of him turning to John Devine with a look of disbelief after Mr.Sunderland had scored the winner in 1979…

To many Terry was not the best, fair enough, but neither was he the worst, far from it, he did seem a new hope, and was, and some how ushered us into a new time that directly led onto where we are now and of course held the torch in the Arsenal relay with a steady hand during his tenure, and gave us some highlights (“the ball floats over, its there Alan Sunderland, its 3-2 to Arsenal!)and memorable moments (losing to Walsall in the league cup), joy and tears, laughter and frustration but perhaps managers were lesser stars in those days, and as the landscape of the game has changed so much that those older days seem so far away now?

Slowly the lights of Highbury go out, but perhaps we can savour those memories a little while longer? Thank you, softly spoken Terry Neill,  a great servant to our club, both player and manager. And to me a true Arsenal hero. Gone but not yet forgotten.

COYG!

Mills

Good day folks,

In this podcast we look at the huge gulf between what we have to pay and what we get for players after we tank their value.

Pedantic George

Hello all,

Today we look at the Jesus transfer, who might be next and how it will affect our existing players, team set up and all that stuff.

Pedantic George.

Hello one and all,

In this podcast we take a quick look at our two new signings, which quickly descends into a discussion about how Arsenal are able to spend big money that they don’t have. The answer is we are spending Kroenke’s money.

Pedantic George.

Lets just for a moment assume we actually sign all the main players the ITK journos like Ornstein say we are after, and we end up bringing in

Turner
Martinez
Hickey
Tielemans
Vieira
Raphinha
Marquinhos
Jesus

Have I missed out on anyone?

So that lot has a goalie, a CB, a left back, a couple of midfielders, 3 attackers, and of course we are led to believe Saliba is to be part of the squad this coming season too. So all in that is 9 new additions to the panel for the coming season, can’t see it myself, but for the sake of arguments sake lets say all that business is done. Transfer Window Trophy won and all that. How would those 9 change our strongest starting 11.

Well I would like others to tell me how they would see our strongest starting 11 look, but this is how that lot would change it for me, or should I say this is how I think Arteta would select it.

In goals, Ramsdale

Right back, Tomiyasu
Left Back Tierney(when fit)

Central Defense – White and Gabriel

Central Midfield – Partey (when Fit) and probably Tielemans, but only if Xhaka leaves.

Forwards – Saka, Odegaard and this is the one I’m not sure of, maybe Raphinha, or if Xhaka stays, then Tielemans might be wide left, but then what of ESR and Martinelli?

Up front – Jesus

so just to recap it could be

Ramsdale
Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney
Partey, Tielemans
Saka, Odegaard, Raphinha
Jesus

Is that improving the strongest starting 11 at all, how much, will it be enough to change 8 of our 13 defeats into wins, because that is what is required for us to be title challengers, and if signing 8 players is not designed to make us title challengers, then what the hell sort of choices are we making?
Jesus would be the really big signing, but I think we need Mary and Joseph too if we are to be the genuine article.

On a negative note, if the 11 I name above is seen by Arteta as our strongest starting team, then I would suggest Xhaka will go this summer, Saliba would certainly not put his chances of being in the France World Cup squad at risk by being a sub here and a handful of cup games, ESR and Martinelli would also be losing their chances of being at the World Cup too,

All those signings would do is give us a much stronger match day squad, and better strength when injuries hit, which is fantastic in itself, for me if all those come in and we can keep everyone happy, especially Xhaka, as even if he was not first choice anymore, he would certainly be needed when Partey is out for a third of the season like he has been for the last two. Don’t get me wrong, for me Xhaka is a better player than Partey, but I’m just going on how I think Arteta would select the team, and how his signings would influence it.

Outgoings, again if the likes of Ornstein are to be believed, then we will see Leno, Runarsson, Bellerin, AMN, Mari, Tavares, Torreira, Nelson, Pepe all leave, sold or loaned, ah 9 out for the 9 in, but how many of the new guys are an upgrade on the outgoing, and what will the net spend be to the improvement?

Eduardo.

Morning all.

Just out of hospital and got to a suitable laptop, so I’m late to this party.

Anyway, here is the wonderful Byso, doing her best not to get herded into the answers Shotta is angling for. Just my luck, I get benched and my replacement is better than me.

Pedantic George

In this podcast we look at which transfers we have got right in the last 2 years and muse on what we need going forward. I believe this is our most important window in living memory.

Pedantic George