Right, we are out of Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but not everything is lost. We are 11 points clear of Man City in Premier League and we can take that lead to 12 points if we beat Bournemouth today. City do have 2 games in hand, but if they win both, we will still have a 6 point lead with only 6 games left for the season. In Champions League, we have a 1-0 advantage against Sporting and the second leg is at home. If we managed to get at least a draw, we will be playing Atletico (most likely) in the semi finals. I would rather play Atletico than Flick’s Barcelona.
The chance of lifting a trophy is still a possibility. And a win today will improve that possibility even more. Bournemouth are sitting in the bottom half of the table, and I hope we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot today.
Playing XI is out and I still don’t understand what has gotten into Arteta’s mind.
Why is Martinelli in the playing XI when you have Hincapie available. It’s not the time to be concerned about the injuries, because a loss in any of the games could mean a title. I’m OK with rest of the selection, Eze could have played ahead of Havertz but I’m not sure how much of his fitness is back.
I don’t understand the fact that we spend more than 250m on midfielders (Rice, Zubimendi, Norgaard, Havertz, Odegaard) and yet, we always have 2 DM-profile players and an option to choose from a non-performing Odegaard with a out-of-form Havertz. Anyway, that shouldn’t be a problem for a team sitting on 1st, playing against a bottom half team I suppose.
We need to win today. Man City has to visit Chelsea tomorrow and though I don’t have much confidence in Chelsea beating them, anything can happen. In last 3 seasons, we have always been the favorites going into last 7-8 games but have given it away. There are 7 games left, and 7 test of whether we have learned something over the years.
Right, game starts in an hour. See ya.
So I received an email this morning confirming my qualification for “priority ticket Window 2” for the CL final.
Now the ticket prices are set by UEFA so you don’t expect them to be even close to reasonable but what surprised me is for 3 of the 4 ticket categories starting at €950 there are restricted view tickets on sale for a reduced price (€760 for the more expensive cat).
What the fuck is UEFA doing selecting a stadium that has restricted view seats with all the modern top quality stadiums in Europe for such a huge match?
Whilst the most important criteria when selecting a stadium for the final is fan safety surely after that match day experience (which from a personal point of view includes being able to see the whole fucking pitch) should be somewhere on the list?
Marc
The billionaires are taking the piss with those prices.
But they know, cunts will always pay it.
Like fuckin clockwork.
You think our lovely Yankee cunt owners will lobby to get the prices reduced or subsidise them?
Will they fuck, follow the money.
Art
Its not the Kroenke’s profiting from the ticket prices (they’ll love the commercial aspect of being in the final don’t get me wrong) its the UEFA cunts who are just as bad as the FIFA cunts.
We’ve been allocated 16,824 tickets – the actual fans (of both clubs) should not be price gouged for a ticket. Assuming both clubs have the same allocation that means over half the stadium capacity will be going to corporate or “mates” of UEFA. Charge the fans a reasonable fee and let the corporate’s pick up the shortfall – there’ll be plenty willing to chuck a bit of their marketing budget at it.
Marc
You will have soppy cunts paying 5 grand on the day and more for unrestricted view tickets when they get a couple of pints of Hungarian piss down down them.
Is it the fat Chelsea cunt owner that also sells ticket and corporate packages?
They are all in it together, the spinless and gutless FA have allowed these blood sucking tyrants to run amok.
Fuck me Bayern’s attackers had a couple of Havertz and Martinelli moments by fluffing their shots. This has to be one of the more incompetent refs from the Portuguese farm league how he is in charge for such an important game is beyond me. 2 Handball decision gotten totally wrong and no VAR involvement, embarrassing!
Art
The FA are part of it – in a previous role the company I worked at had 8 club level tickets at Wembley that covered England Internationals and the FA Cup semi’s & final (One year I was at our semi one day and took clients to the other – I was seriously hungover Monday).
I can’t remember the cost of the tickets but it was crazy – tens of thousands for a handful of matches a year.
It was however a very useful sales tool – taking clients (and with my client base being in the South East & London it was easy for them to get to matches – clients in Scotland etc not so much) to even piss poor England friendlies used to go down really well. I took a ManU supporter and his colleague to the ManU / Palace final – I was very popular with them afterwards.
Corporate hospitality is part of the game now – what the morons at the FA, UEFA, FIFA forget is without the actual real fans there’s no atmosphere which kills the experience.
Aitcho
Your reply was a little predictable if you don’t mind my saying. I laboriously made the point that Arteta’s behaviour last night wasn’t a one off. In essence he can be counted on to be a charmless bastard every time we take to the field. I’m far from being a pearl clutcher in reality; it was merely to signal that a bit of self mockery does (me) no harm. I think you’re of the same mind.
However, I find his touchline schtick nauseating and unworthy of a club with values. If he were running a kids’ team – and I know he isn’t – he’d be fucked out for setting a bad example. At the very least, I’d hope you could agree with me that he’s difficult if not impossible to like. The money Arsenal have spent on the dog, the hand rubbing, the YNWA hi fi system would have been far better laid out on sending him for psychoanalysis or psychiatry (I have an outline idea of the difference between the two but any port in a storm eh?), leading to treatment and a lasting solution. Electric Shock Therapy might be worth a go?
Every single manager we’ve had since dear old Herbert Chapman (and possibly further back than that) was more mentally rounded and fairer minded than Tetsy. To excuse it away hints at the early blush of a cult where dear leader is excused anything. Kim Jong-Arteta or Mikel J Trump mate…it’ll end in tears.
Seriously, look again at the clip and ask yourself if that’s OK, irrespective of the pressure. He’s out of control mate, and has been for years. As I said, he has manifold weaknesses, this is only one of them.
“However, I find his touchline schtick nauseating and unworthy of a club with values. If he were running a kids’ team – and I know he isn’t – he’d be fucked out for setting a bad example. ”
The fact he’s running a massive PL team where the kids take an example of how to behave is exactly why he should behave better.
If you’ve got me and Kroenke agreeing on something then clearly its an issue.
Marc
The billionaires have infiltrated the game lock stock and fuckin barrel. Started about 20 years ago.
They have it all tied up.
The media, the tournaments, the authorities, the TV rights , the blogs, the merchandise ,the refs, the VAR, the tickets, the marketing, women’s game. They can then control the narrative and money.
If you dont believe me look at the last few world cups.
Russia
Qatar
USA
Saudi in 2034
Football is simply bread and circuses for the plebs cunts.
This geezer who posts non stop is another on the payroll.
Because why would he bother.
Art
I’m not arguing with you but so much of what you’re attacking is UEFA / FIFA who have been corrupt for longer than I can remember.
If it were up to me I’d put them all against a wall.
https://youtu.be/uh5V7DUXgYQ?si=4ev-KhrnWntjoPcl
The timeless wonder of Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket, Aitcho. Proper melodramatic pearl clutching and fake cross dressing falsettos (falsetti?) in an Edwardian chintzy drawing room. Nothing could be finer.
When you decide to depart the Street of Shame, maybe we could combine and go on the road with an H and B tribute act? You can decide which one you’d like to play…
Bayern got fucked over royally by the Refs in the 1st game and now in this one. Hopefully there will be a more competent Ref in Budapest or Cunteta will have a heart attack outside the technical area.
Marc
“Whilst the most important criteria when selecting a stadium for the final is fan safety surely after that match day experience”
Apparently not, 1980 I went to the cup winners cup final v valencia at the heysel stadium in Brussels, what a dump..as for fan safety I’m sure juventus 7 or 8 years later would have something to say about that.
The first and only visit I ever paid to Budapest took place at the end of a long and dreary winter in the mid 90s. I spent the entire morning and afternoon drinking heavily in a bar near the train station imagining myself in a Dostoevsky novel. I ended up drinking some foul tasting pink liqueur that looked like pepto bismol but tasted like paraffin. As twilight crept in through the snow covered windows, I burst into tears.
One for the ages . Don’t think I’ll be going back. Grim fucking place.
It seems the ref got both calls right.
Rules is rules.
Bring on PSG. Never sad to see Kane sad. Although someone should remind PSG they’ve yet to win the thing and deal their celebrations in. Give Enrique his due, he’s a marginally better dancer than Tets
KP, I’ve visited Budapest a couple of times but never in winter, central Europe generally in winter seems like a chore..
I’ve had fun there however. Avoid the hordes of stag nutters and there are still lots of decent places to hang out.
I suspect Hungary’s recent hostility towards the EU has slowed down the flow of EU funds other countries have funneled into regeneration and general home improvements.
Marc
“Think of the children!!”?
Did you really just do that to us? For shame
KP, we’re not excusing ‘anything’, I’m just less worked up about some minor touchline hi jinks.
That’s not to say it’s good just on the list of qualities I want from a manager, “touchline decorum” is way down the list.
Fartso, there’s nothing wrong with World Cups in places that aren’t Europe and South America.
It’s a global game and deserves diverse hosts. The Qatar WC was probably the most diverse one I’d been to and in terms of being open to people that weren’t men from Europe and South America, a success. Probably needed work in respect of the gays, baby steps.
We’ve all spent money we should have known better not to on football, be it World Cups, Finals, random obscure games in random obscure countries, it’s alwsys worth it.
If your view of football and football culture is limted to narrow parameters of 1970/80s angry drunk old geezers in shit stadia with shit food, shit pitches and hoofball after the keeper bounces it 20 times, you’re an enemy of progress.
Even the US World Cup seems to have a market much as I think it’s going to be rubbish for so many reasons. I would have gone to games in MX had I struck lucky in the ballots, it wasn’t to be and I’m not doing resale cobblers.
Why not just enjoy how things develop Fartso and accept things move on, not better or worse, just different?
If it’s only now you’ve worked out the best and circuses element of football you must have spent the last 50 years really sozzled Fartso.
Before it was part of keeping the plebs occupied. Lawrie McMenemy, I remember once saying that there would have been social uprisings in thr North East if not for football.
In other cultures, football can be a catalyst for public dissent. You can see that in how tickets and attendances at games are often more controlled in authoritarian regimes, it’s hard to just rock up to games in places like Morroco, Egypt or Turkey. The Gazi Park protests and Egyptian overthrow of Mubarak were both had Ultras taking the lead. Who can forget Boban drop kicking an policeman and starting off a civil war?
Here we just enjoy. It’s humorous to see sad old drunks making football a proxy for their growing irrelevance when they’re the ones who didn’t have the backbone to say a word when Thatcher was trying to kill the game and used Hillsborough and lies told by the police to clamp down on the working class element of football.
All well and good crying now, your time has gone and you rolled over and let it happen.