Anything that can go wrong will go wrong

Hi Hoopah

That sounds wonderful. I can imagine that being pretty refreshing on a warm day. Does it have a name? A few of those would make for an ideal celebration party if the lads can get us over the line in 10 games time… I guess people will be getting their old Campa Cola cocktail recipes out as well. 🍹

Tony – Those plans sound terrific. We’re definitely going to rent as well. Making a phone call to the landlord if the boiler packs up or the pool starts to leak is infinitely preferable to getting the tools out yourself. Plus no selling headaches when it’s time to move on.

So like a dog returning to eat its own sick, the arseholes that run Palace have decided to sack a young dynamic manager who enjoyed masses of success as a player, with a doddering, barely compus mentis, antediluvian dinosaur who hawked mediocrity at almost every stage of his managerial career except, like Potter, when he had a modicum of limelight in scandiwegia. Fucking ball bags – I hope they get relegated now with Everton, not least so we can swoop for maybe Olise, Eze and that centre half who sprays 60 yard passes everywhere.

Morning all, Just read Tomi is out for the rest of the season being our first major casualty, so let’s hope White can manage a 10 game run at RB. Certainly, White will have to manage his fitness levels more as he usually shares the RB with Tomi during the game give this all until about the 70th minute: this fitness luxury is no more.

If my rant seemed excessive about Edu yesterday ask yourselves why we bought an injury risk at RB. When we bought Tomi I questioned why I hadn’t seen or heard of him before, and now we know: he’s too easily crocked.

Speaking of being injured Haaling has be sent home by Norway doctors citing a groin injury needing further investigation by his club medical staff and some imaging required to fully understand the extent of the injury.

It’s not worth getting excited, about as Pep has a Plan B that was his plan A before Haaland arrived to revert back to. Pep may be only a cheque book manager as the only way he can achieve success, but he will have planned for Haaland’s injury. I would have and I’m not even remotely as knowledgeable about football as Pep.

Arteta & Edu? That’s a different story with many of us seeing what Arteta should do and doesn’t. Rebuilding our MF for starters. That was yesterday’s post that doesn’t need revisiting.

How long with Erling be out for is anyone’s guess; I’m hoping enough to drop points against Pool, Us and BHA. Earling being out will NOT make our game easier against City away.Be in no doubt City will be up for it, as it could well be the decider for the title depending who drops points after the City game at the Etihad.

Our focus should be only on Leeds for our next final, keeping our squad fit, and maintaining our 8 point advantage over City.

Anything else at this stage irrelevant; only the next available 3 points matter!!!!

giving his all*

Tony

I’ll bet you a cold beer on a sunny day that Harrland’s back playing in 10 or so days.

Its an old Fergie ploy get players to pull out of Internationals so they keep fit for the real football.

Just seen Ozil has officially announced his retirement from from football. I say officially because he actually retired from playing football a month or two after he joined us. In cost/value terms, the worst signing this club has made or will ever make.

Imagine him as a coach or TV pundit in future…

Agreed, Marc, and they’ll say Loudes is still THE place to go to get placebo injuries fixed as Haaland dropping in on his way home for a quick splash it all over and then it’s a miracle. It’s a win, win, win for the French to make more money from miracle tourists, the church and City.

I heard they are bringing Billy Graham’s successor to City’s medical staff. Can I get 3 hallelujahs………..

“I say officially because he actually retired from playing football a month or two after he joined us.”

That made me chuckle, KP.

Tony-not to pile on, but I simply must weigh-in on your rather astute commentary regarding some of our bewildering transfer decisions…whenever someone professes to be rewriting our organizational narrative it’s imperative that, above all else, they not repeat the mistakes of the past…far too often our present admisitrative/managerial team has pursued the same nonsensical course as that of their predecessor, which seems to get little to no attention…now maybe this is as a result of our present winning ways, as is commonly the case, or maybe it’s directly related to the fact that this club has gone to great lengths to curtail those who don’t fall in line, visa vie a payola-like scheme involving a variety of high traffic social media outlets, regardless of the reason(s) it’s pertinent that these issues aren’t continually resigned to the periphery…I’ve spoken at length about a variety of similar concerns over the years, which were summarily scoffed at by the prevailing blinders crew of that time, such as properly redressing the midfield, the shoehorning of players, the captaincy narrative, etc…, only to be proven right in the end, yet sadly this continues to be the case when it comes to the Kool-Aiders and those who’ve now conveniently flipped the script on the old “what have you done for me lately” adage…the reality of the situation is this, if we don’t make a clean break from the nonsense of the previous era, this current project will inevitably fail, whereas if the powers that be actually encouraged open and commonsensical dialogue, regarding the more nuanced components of organizational life, we just might find our way back to the top of the footballing food chain for the foreseeable future…Cheers

btw I disagree in part with the prevailing Ozil narrative, as the beginning of the end was largely facilitated by Wenger’s refusal to make tactical adjustments, so as to accomodate our best player, Sanchez, and/or to allow any player to potentially usurp his monopolistic reign…the very fact that this club used the press to intentionally besmirch our Chilean star, by offering up divaesque inside “scoops” in order to turn the fanbase against him, led directly to the absolutely nonsensical re-upping of Ozil…there was no way Ozil was going to have the leverage required to force any such monetary sum if it weren’t for the self-serving actions of our increasingly fragile manager…of course, no one could possibly fathom the notion that this club could somehow, someway lose Sanchez, Ozil and Ramsey in the same off-season, thereby opening the door to the most short-sighted, fiscally irresponsible contract this club has ever offered…just imagine what might have been on offer with a healthy Cazorla and a pacey Striker up top

Latest rumour about Conte’s caretaker replacement (even though he seems not to have left just yet) is comedy gold. Failed midfielder Ryan Mason could be back in the hot seat (presumably because lisping Arry Kane is choosy about who he gives orders to and Mason does a good job shining his gola boots…).

But it gets even more strange because twitching Arry Redknapp has said he could be tempted out of retirement to give the boy a hand, probably for a money grubbing pony and a monkey innit.

What a dream ticket. They’ll be reappointing Christian Gross on a permanent basis in no time.

Kroenke

They’ll go for the Poooooooooooch in the summer. Problem is Kane and Son aren’t the players they were, highly lightly Kane will push for a move while he can still get one and Levy will fuck up spending the money on a replacement.

Whenever I’m having a bad day I just thank the Football God’s that I’m not a Spud (or a lefty!)

Marc
What sort of fee will they get for Kane (29) and Son (30) do you think?

I’m also imagining there’ll be another, better club looking to hire Pochettino come the summer. He surely can’t be mad/greedy enough to go back considering what happened last time, and where the club is now thanks to Levy and Conte. I think their short to medium term future is pretty bleak.

Marc, hope things improve. 🙂

KP
Woke up this morning to stark realisation that there are no PL games to watch over the weekend. I’ve been so wrapped up looking for a new domicile that football has taken 2nd place in my Internet use.

I assume you’ll go to Cardiff for the derby against Swansea next Saturday with junior, KP. April 1st has some cracking PL games, most notably City v Pool at 12:30 KO BST. Hopefully, City drop more points before we take 3 points from Leeds.

Anyway, just skimming through the news I came across a very brief (Mirror) report on our 25 loanees.

Was a good all round update if nothing else.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-loan-transfers-pepe-marquinhos-29523440

Also, happy to read we’ve sent our physio to Ghana with Partey in an attempt to keep him fit and injury free. Shocked we haven’t done the same for Xhaka, is the writing finally on the wall? I can dream, can’t I?

Finally, Saka came through his England game unscathed with a 7/10 rating.

I’ll leave this song, KP, as it seems suitably relevant if only in the title. Ah ,the early 80s had such a distinctive sound.

If you’re reading Almunia, any thoughts for places in the Emerald Isle for a 6 month stay? Been nearly 50 years since I’ve been there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju_a2-Pve4g

Marc—I’m under the belief that Poch will be the next Madrid manager, as he fits the profile for an organization that has a tendency to be reactionary after things haven’t gone exactly how they wished…he’s young, exudes class(rightly or wrongly) and has coached just enough high profile “superstars”…I would imagine the big question surrounding his hiring will have more to do with his ability to attract particular players they covet, which isn’t a given, but certainly not outside the realm of possibility

I likewise wouldn’t be surprised if the Spurs turned their attentions towards Nagelsmann, who appears to be on the verge of being sacked and subsequently replaced by Tuchel…I’m not shocked that his tenure was brief in Munich, as he’s an “outsider” who clearly doesn’t thrive in that sort of too many cooks in the kitchen environment…don’t necessarily agree with the Munich’s hiring and firing practices, but it’s difficult to argue with the results…for whatever reason they seem to believe that their the German equivalent of PSG, who take domestic success for granted and only use Champions League results as the primary measuring stick…not sure if Nags wants this specific appointment, but the PL has become the ultimate managerial dick measuring contest, which must be incredibly enticing to someone with an exceedingly “healthy” ego

Kroenke

God knows Levy is on occasions pretty sharp in getting fees – its how he then spends the proceeds that fucks them.

TRVL

Possibly I’m not sure Madrid worry about the manager being able to attract star names they expect the club name to do that.

Either way it won’t make a difference the Spud’s will always be Spursy!

Marc—I’m fairly confident that this has been a deciding factor when it came to their hiring/firing practices in the more recent past, like with Benitez, Lopetegui, Solari etc…as a general rule, I agree with your assessment regarding their obvious attractiveness to most players, but with this newer generation of players it appears as if the almighty dollar and guarantees regarding playing time have complicated matters even further

as far as the Spurs gig goes, typically whenever Conte leaves town things get much worse before they get better, for some fairly obvious reasons…he never signs on the dotted line if he’s not afforded the luxury of putting his specific stamp on things, which isn’t the end of the world if it comes on the heels of a very successful campaign or two, but if things go a bit pear-shaped, it can be a real shit show, especially considering his preferred choice of tactics and the personnel it requires…so it will be tough, as you’ve sort of implied, but if there was a manager whom I think could reinvent their squad in a relatively short-term, without maximum investment, it just might be Nagelsmann, as he’s already done that twice before landing in Munich…Cheers

keeping in mind, I would love to see them bottom out, lose Kane and Son, then continue to allow the bag of toys Levy to give it another go, as he would almost assuredly wet the bed again

TRVL

Call me a nasty bastard (plenty have) but I’d be more than happy to see Kane finish his career at the Spud’s and not finish closer to a trophy than someone who gets the wooden spoon at a school sports day.

Marc-my thoughts on Kane have shifted dramatically over the years, as initially I felt that we dropped the ball in his regards, which was par for the course considering Wenger’s endless list of “misses”, then he became a rather inspirational figure, considering expectations, but in more recent times he’s become quite a whiner, who’s a bit “dirty” and seems to care infinitely more about his personal victories than those of his club and country…of course, I wasn’t born in England so I naturally have a little different perspective on things

TRVL – I doubt JN will want the Spud’s job unless he wants to try to rewrite 50 years of mediocrity. Levy will have to be one hell of a snake oil salesman or JN too hungry to join any PL club at any costs.

Marc
That’s a dilemma; not the bit about being a nasty bastard, knowing you on LG and here I’d say you’re feisty or fierce and can be both; nasty has a whole different capricious meaning, but whether Kane should leave where in leaving make Spuds potential relegation fodder.

Seeing the Spuds get relegated would be the pinnacle of any decade for me. I will be deliriously happy if City get relegated for financial rule breaking.

Have a good weekend LIRs.

*in leaving make Spuds potential relegation fodder? I think that would be a better solution than Kane staying.*

Souness often makes good sense when talking about players and I admire his honesty in admitting in the press he couldn’t handle today’s untouchable pre-madonnas.

His Rice thinking I thought made sense as the attacking side is the weaker side of his game and would be something Arteta would need to coach. Moyes is not the coach for that.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11899615/GRAEME-SOUNESS-Declan-Rice-not-forward-thinking-showed-win-Italy.html

This shameless about from the fat cats at the FA. Has anyone eve really played the game and been injured? The money the FA has?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11900061/National-League-captains-seek-urgent-talks-FA-controversial-contract-changes.html

Seems not only is Haaland the wonder boy goal scoring machine because he’s not touch and go for the Pool game. Apparently, he went to Barca to a miracle worker with better results than Lourdes. Shocker and looks like you were right on the money, Marc.

A more concerning injury recovering player is Kante now back in training after his hamstring injury has kept him out since August.

Final note today was reading Kenny Samson finally begin to rid himself of his drink demons. A wonderful player who had a record to this day: 86 caps at right back. For our younger gooners here’s a player profile of an earlier Arsenal great.

Thanks to Cannon Fodder for the profile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9keTR102eQ

Tony-my assumptions regarding Nags stems from the fact that he both appeared to be on their radar following Jose’s exodus, which became a moot point once it was determined he was going from Leipzig to Munich, and that he’s previously expressed his desire to manage in the PL…of course, he might want some time away to reflect, considering what has just transpired, but he seems like a get back on the horse right quickly kind of character…I would suspect that Levy will be under considerable pressure to get things right, so Nags might have some significant leverage regarding the terms of his employment…that said, none of this guarantees anything, which could be rather problematic, as their Kane window appears to be closing at a rather accelerated rate…all in all, a retool or a rebuild could be quite beneficial for us, at least in the short-term, which is all that really matters…take care

presumptions rather than assumptions

TRVL – JN came on my radar when he was at Leipzig through LG if I’m honest. I agree with you about JN being the type to jump on his next challenge quickly, but he seems savvy more than Conte and is still making his Nut as an elite manager. 74% win rate at Bayern was decent in a league they mostly dominated, as was league and cup wins in 2 years; him leaving Bayern because the players didn’t like his GF was a Bild reporter.

Ooooh I wonder what there is to hide? His Gf is hardly going to sabotage her BF’s career, is she? Won’t the next dressing room feel their privacy could be invaded? I thought she offered to leave her job or something and Bayern are just upset at recent results. I relate Bayern to 90s Manure. Their players and staff’s derision when getting us in the CL was typical manure. Although that was on Wenger, too.

With your knowledge of the game and ability to understand more than many, what would you do if you were Nagelsmann?

Use his leverage and nail Levy on all of his requirements to successfully manage Spuds or wait to see who else is interested?

I’m still of the belief that JN will find a better managerial solution rather than put his trust in Levy. The club has had no winning history pedigree for 48 years(?) If I were JN, I’d look closely at why such a long time has elapsed losing. The history is there for all to see, so Levy can’t put a snake oil sales spin on it.

Certainly, puts pressure on Potter to deliver, as we know Father Ted loves his big names and stats. Howe is doing ok at Newcastle, but come summer if no Europe, JN’s name will surely be pitched in. A few more clubs will be looking at their results and looking at JN.

Have a good one. 🙂

Tony-the GF factor, if that was truly the proverbial straw, would likely be a non-issue in the PL, as her ties to the media, as a former Bild reporter, aren’t nearly as problematic if he seeks employment abroad…as for his managerial pursuits, I can see him going one of two ways, either he sees the Spurs as a Hoffenheim-like challenge, with an exceedingly higher profile and up-side, or he sits back and waits for another “dream” appointment, where things are semingly more readymade…in the past, the latter would seem far more appealing, as it used to provide considerably more job security, along with the obvious cachet, but nowadays that’s no longer a given, in fact, it might make more sense to find a club willing to pay top dollar for a longer term rebuild of sorts…with this in mind, the Spurs provide him with a rather unique opportunity, due in large part to their location/stadium profile, in that they have the resources to pay him handsomely and if he were able to get the kind of results he’s accustomed to, he would have to be considered one of the best in the game, especially in light of their glaring lack of trophies and the list of esteemed managers who’ve failed to change that narrative in the more recent years…have a good one

seemingly