Just about a month back, we celebrated when Everton managed to draw against Manchester City at their home ground. We celebrated when Brentford beat them 2-1 and then we were more than happy with the result of the last Manchester Derby. All these three games made sure we kept our ‘top of the league’ position till now.
Yesterday, it was the other way round. We lost, against Everton; we could have extended our point difference to 8 points but we didn’t. It wasn’t one of our best days, we played poor and deserved to lose. If you are fighting for the biggest prize in world football, you cannot play so sloppy and hope to end the game with even a point.
Everton showed they wanted the win more than us. Call it a new manager bounce, Sean Dyche’s motivational speech before game, or the absence of Everton’s owners after putting it up for sale giving that extra motivation to players to market themselves for a sell off in near future, but the real reason was we were poor. Every Gooner and their Grandma has been highlighting how lightweight we are in the midfield, and both Xhaka and Partey showed what happens when they aren’t in their best of the form. We lost the midfield battles. Arteta tried to bring in Jorginho and it didn’t help AT ALL.
There is not much to talk about the game except that we were poor, none of our players displayed a 7/10 performance and these things happen. We played 19 games in full form, won 16, drew 2 and lost the only one because of incompetent referee and VAR. Great football, superb performance from our playing XI and some good managerial piece from Mikel.
This loss doesn’t matter if we get back to what we were doing, beat Brentford next weekend and show up for a fight against City. I don’t wanna jinx it but City are losing to Spu*s as of now, and I hate to say it but it would be a great result for us.
Lets keep our chin up, lets go into the next game with confidence and get back to winning ways. We are behind our team in the best and worst of days. Onwards and Upwards! #COYG
agreed Killroy…the very notion that this will amount to anything of consequence is incredibly unlikely…I would suspect that a kangaroo courtish affair, followed by a public hand slapping, is likely in the cards…probably leads to some interesting, albeit rather ineffective, modifications so as to give the impression that this won’t be tolerated in the future…meanwhile, the new owner at Chelsea has spent a gazillion dollars in less than a year and no one seems to give a flying f***
Todd Douchebag has hired the mental skills coach behind the All Blacks’ rugby union team’s “no d—heads” policy to help create the one thing Todd Douchebag’s money can’t buy: a winning culture.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/02/06/chelsea-hire-gilbert-enoka-former-blacks-coach-famed-no-d/
“Head coach Graham Potter’s bloated squad is bursting with different personalities and egos, and there is an acknowledgement that Chelsea’s expensive new signings could flop under the weight of expectation if the right culture is not created.
That is the area Enoka has been hired to help with, and the 57-year-old will stress the importance of the team over the individual at a time when Potter has been left with the unenviable task of trying to help all of his new players settle in, while trying to make sure existing squad members do not become disillusioned.”
Completely agree with you all in abhorring the countries’ ownership of PL football clubs, and hope that the British stiff upper lip hasn’t wilted so much that the FA and FIFA cave and allegedly run off with their filthy lucre, in belief they did the right thing because they could do nothing to stop it.
Let’s hope they at least get docked some points with their public, pseudo embarrassment.
Personally, I think we should let the punishment fit the crime in Abu Dhabi and Arabian law. There must be some whippings owed and possibly the removal of a head or 2, such is the barbarism/severity of the Arabian states laws. A couple of rent boys/girls who are happy to go into the witness protection program or English speaking camels should do the job for the prosecution.
My guess is the owner rulers will be long gone leaving Pep strung over a barrel waiting for the first of 100+ lashes only to get a late reprieve, as his agent takes his place and thus making him his agent for life: post whipping life-long incontinence notwithstanding.
From City’s owners perspective it will all be that infidel’s Peppy Gorgonzola’s fault: they will never trust a hairless headed man with a cheesy sounding name with St Vitus dance at its worst on the touchline and or in front of cameras. The number one shroud looking dressed spokesman will say ‘He MADE them do it.’ ‘They had NO idea of the rules’. After all they are simple Beduin people, are they not?
That doesn’t rub with me because in my book any place that has flushing toilets in an only building for 100s of miles in a desert are not simple people no matter how useful that little miracle maybe. If it’s an illusion, as so often seen in deserts, you’ll know by your arse hitting the shit laden ground with you being convinced there was a porcelain throne when you dropped your trousers and boxers because Y front chaff in deserts.
Try not to use the toilets marked “Infidels” if you find such a place for it could be more explosive than your arse would ever likely to be after a double meat Phaal without a pilau rice and naans of any kind.
My above mutterings are as nonsensical as the FA dealing with City outlining the absurdity of it all.
Maybe we should send our top jockeys to screw with their sport of Arabic kings (there are no queens well not with heads in tact) of camel racing, oh and bar them from horse racing globally. Would hurt them far more than fines with their unlimited wealth.
To be clear I mean no disrespect to people of the middle east or worldwide muslims. My satirical look at all things football bares no racist intent – just another way of dealing with the inevitable soft dealings by the football authorities with the culprits laughing at the western world.
Where will the need for oil and gas be when the world is self sufficient on safe nuclear & green fuels? Our property uses solar for electric and hot water as does many of our friends.
I’ll leave that debate fro Reddit dwellers.
Killroy, back to the sensible I think Tod B getting Chelsea to think like the All blacks harnessing their passion and belief is something we could do with.
When Junior graduates high school and before he goes to Uni, I’m going to take him to the NZ south Islands and mix with the locals’s rugby life as we travel round. He’s really looking forward to it as am I.
Father & son rugby roots road trip.
No idea where he’s going to go Uni wise, it’s changing all the time, but it’ll be abroad. At some stage we’ll get to the Emirates during his Uni days.
It’s something every Gooner has to do at least once in their lives. It’s our holy Mecca.
I was in 2014 in NZ but just visited the South Island didn’t get to go to the Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch where the Crusaders play and that was because Rugby was not on my horizon at that time. Bitterly regret that now. But had a wonderful time at the Milford Sound taking a 1 night cruise staying on the boat overnight. Christchurch and Queenstown are excellent places to visit. Fortress Eden Park is now on my list as I thoroughly enjoyed my NZ visit.
Back to the City mess on ESPN-FC Gabe Marcotti stated that hopefully it is sorted before the next season starts. It is very complex as the UK government is breathing down the PL’s neck with the independent regulator as the PL vigorously opposes that. For me it comes down to the amount of money the UK would loose in its present economic disaster if the UAE uses its economic power as leverage versus the votes that any government would get when having a Football Regulator on their manifesto.
The PL also has to worry about loosing a team like City when it comes to TV contracts that have been negotiated, think about what ESPN would do if La Liga kicks Real down to the 2nd division, El Classico would be gone. Big, Big money is riding on this and personally I do like to see an independent Football Regulator that gives a listening ear to the fans and preserves the structure that has been enjoyed by many for decades. The ESL was doomed the instant Boris hinted at a legislative bomb.
K’phobe, One of my MC brothers’ father was a diplomat, so he lived in many countries like yourself. One very cool dude indeed with many tales to tell. Your mention of going outside the wire at various stations/embassies conjured many visions of impropriety ala John Belushi may he rest in peace.
Could you have passed as a Welsh 007 affiliate dropping the cockney London lilt? Saying you were scouting for film locations and was Daniel Craig’s brother?
Speaking of which, JB’s biography ‘Wired’ is brilliant.
Then I thought knowing your joi de vive from here it might be more One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, with the blind leading the blind countlessly believing that each brothel was a bar. Something easily done in Amsterdam a reliable HA friend told me while he propped me up at the bar nursing an empty glass, as he went in the next room for a spot of horizontal jogging.
Unsurprisingly, the next day I was on life support waiting to be sober and strong enough to have bypass surgery, which took 4 days.
I told my bro that Hells Angels should come with a warning sign when he came to visit, but the truth was I have a rare coronary artery blocking disease where I make cholesterol for fun.
What did my HA bro do? He took a very grateful me to the nearest McDonald’s because food in Dutch hospitals, as such back then, is as bad as in English & Thai healing establishments today. Only positive was you got a bottle of stout each night that I never really found out why other than iron for the blood?
I mean why not single malt? Belvedere? Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1988?
Daughter and Pumpkin are home later today 🙂 so happy days.
Sounds like a wonderful trip, Killroy. Would you go back for a WC year next time it’s in NZ?
I hadn’t planned yet, it’s just at the talking wanting to do stage. Thanks for the insight with the stadiums as it would be good to doo having gone to watch the grass roots games. Junior loves the game so it will be great trip to do.
I still want to take Mrs T up PCH 1 from San Diego to Nappa valley, but sadly not on a Harley Ultra Glide
https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/ultra-limited.html but something cool on 4 wheels.
I agree the FFP is so screwed up they might as well let bullish Boris loose on City and other similar perpetrators; He sorted out Brexit why not FFP’s fiasco? Her also had a big say in stopping the Super League.
if nothing else, he’d match and better the City BS hot air.
We have anew post contribution from Tony. Feel free to check it out.