Carabao Cup Quarter final – Arsenal v Crystal Palace

i can just imagine what Tierney was thinking when MA pushed him back on the pitch and to the ground…right idea, so we had a few extra minutes to get Saka ready to come on, but horrible optics

Jesus is trying his best to keep Havertz on the bench…good for him, too bad he can’t score except when it’s a Cup fixture

not that I care, but that second Jesus tally looked easily offside…even if that were the case it’s always good to see Jesus finsihing well on both goals…or should I say on all 3

he had better start come the weekend, considering it will be a rematch

GOTH – game of two halves

Eddie’s trying to make things interesting…where was that header when he was wearing the home kit???

Eddie Unket…well I never.

I can’t believe Eddie didn’t take that shot, even if it ended up in the 20th row

great day at the office for Jesus, especially after Ode came on, but I just worry about the fact that the semis are a two-legged gig, which could be problematic during an already busy time of year…this ought to complicate things even more come the opening of the window, unless we get much healthier between now and then

Madhu
And the women beat Bayern Munich 3-2 to finish top of their group.

Morning all
Had a quick skim through the game and reading your comments.

Winning is all important but I’m sorry I can’t get excited about this tin pot cup in the scheme of things where the win really just appears over the cracks of where we should be winning but are very poor.

That’s probably it for Jesus until the next cup match.

I’ll only be happy when Ode and Ethan can play together, same as you guys.

Looking at KT and Kiwior and it should be Kiwior who should be behind KT as he looked sharp for his first game back. Would love to see Tierney make the LB his own again.

Tony—definitely agree with your Kiwior comments, especially when it comes to the LB position…I would be interested to see what he could do from a crossing perspective, especially if Marts was on the pitch, as that would ensure that he faced a whole mess of 1 v. 1s out wide…still concerned about his ability to handle the rigours…just look at today, he left the match with another knock of some sort…now some might say that’s down to his lack of playing time, but let’s be honest, we’ve seen that way too often to ever rely on him again…I’m starting to worry that Cala might be similarly prone to injuries, although it’s a bit too early to pin that label on him just yet

as for yesterday’s match, I’m not exactly sure how to assess what I witnessed…in the first half it was a rather disjointed affair, which makes some sense as these 11 players had never been on the pitch together…it was disapponting to see that MA wasn’t interested whatosever in running things through Ethan..instead he was far more concerned about getting Jesus and Sterling touches in areas that Ethan should have been occupying…it wasn’t until Ode came in that Sterling started to make a concerted effort to get out wide so as to create time and space for the attacking midfielder

speaking of which, if it wasn’t for Tierney we wouldn’t of had any real outside presence until the second half, which made things too easy on the Palace defenders…in fact there were times when Sterling, Jesus, Tross and Merino were so tightly compacted that 2 defenders could have easily marked all 4 of them…no wonder we carved out very little in the final third…frankly we were lucky that Palace weren’t interested whatsoever in trying to win the possession battle, as it greatly limited their chances…overall it seemed to me that the only way we were going to score in the first 45 was if we potted another set piece…in that regards, Henderson did a bang-up job from a punching perspective…if you get those wrong you tend to leave yourself exposed

as for the second half, slowly but surely things started to shift in our direction…obviously the substitutions mattered, but to me there were seevral points where Palace seemed both tired and disorganized at the back…Jesus actually won a race from the center stripe, with the ball at his feet, which should never happen against a good side, and on several occasions he actually toyed with them inside the box…although I don’t want to undermine Jesus’s efforts, as it’s about time he earned a fucking paycheque, I do fear that the Kool-Aid crew will use this as a reason why we shouldn’t overhaul our Striker position, which couldn’t be further from the truth…regardless, this was GJ’s double rainbow moment and even though I don’t expect a similar performance anytime soon, I’m happy for the guy, especially considering how he finished each and every tally…maybe he should pull a George Costanza a leave on a high note!!

“and” leave on a high note…how did I fuck that up??

Vieira
Ms K and I were talking about George Costanza the other day and the difficulties of parking in busy cities.

I think Kramer suggested to him that they should use George’s car to go to NJ or a shopping mall and George said, ‘no, I’m not going to take the car because it’s in a really good parking spot’. Only good thing about NYC is the Mets!

Now that cup game is out of the way, we need a much more convincing display on Saturday. Rice, Havertz, Martinelli and yesterday’s subs should all be back. Kiwior has never really convinced me. He did OK except for the howler but he’s not what we need long term in my view.

Who do you want in the semis? My heart says Spurs, head says Manure. The draw is after their game.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/dec/18/premier-league-manager-harder-job-than-prime-minister-ange-postecoglou-claims-carabao-cup

I had to share this with you, just for the headline. Postecoglu is on borrowed time I think.

KP – Yeah i was trying to watch the Women CL game, unfortunately wasnt able to stream it. Impressive win again and topping the group. Hope they reach the CL finals which they missed narrowly couple of seasons back.

TRVL
Thanks for the review it answered some questions for me about Ethan. In his last sub and now this start Ethan has been Artetarised! What’s the point of playing a wild card kid with magic in his boots, who can score falling over? Why not tie his legs together as well and tell him to sprint.

I had to do a quick flick through as we had to get junior a new passport and I badly needed a phone upgrade with the latest tech for global usage. So, really only saw the goals before rushing out. I was expecting more noise from Ethan’s start. Now I know why.

I didn’t know KT took a knock or was it tiredness or both? He can whip in a cross and I’d wager a decent corner, and is the better defender and defending old school than Cala and Kiwior who was very poor for the first Palace goal.

I read Merino was unimpressive and I echo your Jesus thoughts. Let’s see him do that week in week out. You have to feel for him being promised the earth and then discarded and then no one wanted to buy him last summer. Got admire his never say die attitude sadly doesn’t match his goal scoring.

The LB injury frequency is very alarming and would love to know why?

KP
Palace again, and I’d be very surprised if it didn’t go to the wire Saturday, although being a home game we should take all 3 points.

We can’t say we WILL take all 3 points Saturday, can we? Because we just don’t know this season. Has last night’s win revitalized our spirits from the drab draw against bottom dwellers: Everton? Hardly an inspiring performance, but we did score 2 from open play.

Same again Saturday I say crossing fingers and putting Pumpkin on notice.

Although if the unthinkable happens and we drop points again, it’s not going to put my dreams into a tail spin because of the reasons we all talk about here. I’d probably be in a subdued upbeat manner knowing it’s another nail in the El B managerial coffin.

I mean I’d really feel sorry for him…………… nah not a bit, I’d help him pack while reminding him of all his pressers………. playing this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io7_3tlE7h0

I’ve had a couple of Xmases in Spain with Felis Nevidad procession early Jan if memory serves me right. It was 40 odd years ago. Had to look it up, “Important date for gifts: January 6th (Feast of the Epiphany)”

I also remember it being chilly at night and winter hot during the day. The rest is in a music haze…….

Cool link, thanks. Poor Arne on his ‘Poor me’ Xmas cheer. What does he expect he decided to mange the Spuds who can’t win to save their lives.

Personally, I think the Aussi is a sadist because what other reason would you want to go to work in a toilet bowl with a bunch of losers where it’s endemic now.

When you think about it, MA would be right at home managing the Spuds, no? He wouldn’t have to train players how to lose……. Would be a solid fit me thinks……..

What are the odds that Arteta drops Jesus for Saturday’s match?

KP—I’m a Yanks fan, but don’t hold it against me…my adoration for the club started in childhood, before the Blue Jays arrived in Canada…I was a big fan of late great Thurman Munson and Don Mattingly, who was the person I most tried to emulate during my playing days

as for the semis, either will do, but I think a Spurs matchup might be a better watch

Aah Vieira
A Yankee fan in Canada. Now that’s courage. I never saw the Blue Jays at home but saw them playing many times behind enemy lines as it were. I regret never being able to see the Expos in that nutty stadium in Montreal. I wonder if it’s still standing and what it’s being used for?

There was an upside when the franchise moved to DC, initially to play at the RFK stadium as the Nationals. A few miles from Georgetown where I lived but an economic world away. Baseball is a fucking cool sport. The atmosphere in ball parks, the pressure situations, the tactics,the 7th innings stretch. I love it all. Did you play? I’ve got you down as either a snidey knuckle ball pitcher or a wiry short stop with a ridiculously high OBP and a serious addiction to pine tar and sunflower seeds. I was so hooked, I took Ms K on a road trip to Port Lucie in FL to watch some pre season games.

The different leagues almost make the Mets/Yankees thing an irrelevance most of the time. It’s the Phillies and Braves who are the Manure and Spuds of baseball for me.

ManU going to go bonkers – Spuddies go 4 – 2 with a contentious goal (was there a foul on the keeper and no VAR) and then ManU get one on 93 minutes to make it 4 – 3.

KP—Olympic Stadium, with it’s overhanging spinal column, which had an observation deck inside, was a sight to behold in it’s more formative years, sort of like the SkyDome with the adjacent CN Tower…of course, once these massive concrete behemoths fell out of favour, architecturally-speaking, they just seemed to hit the eye differently…I’ve visited the Big O on numerous occasions for sporting events and concerts, most notably for the Metallica/GN’R in the summer of 92(Faith No More and Motorhead were on the undercard)……what a shit show, for all the right reasons…last time I was physically at that location was far tamer, as we took the kids to check out the onsite Velodrome that had been converted into a Biodome, complete with a variety of live animal/mammal/bird exhibits…it’s been awhile, but from what I remember, it was enjoyed by all

on the Expos front, besides the usual suspects, like Andre Dawson, Tim “Rock” Raines, Gary Carter, Vlad Guerrero, Pedro Martinez and my fellow Canadian, Larry Walker, who I went out of my way to watch, there was one individual who, above all else, really intrigued me, Bill “Spaceman” Lee…unlike the others, who were all future HOFers and somewhat interesting/controversial figures in their own rights, this former Lefty was a one of one…have little peek online when you get a minute

as for me personally, during my youth if you were serious about the sport you were a Pitcher and/or Shortstop…I played both early on, but when I started to hit for more power I headed to the outfield, as that was the trend then…I was fortunate enough to have a really powerful arm, so my skillset translated well out there…it wouldn’t be long before I enjoyed throwing someone out from the outfield as much, if not more, than going deep in the hole and throwing a frozen rope to first

I miss those days most, even though I continued to play at a competitive level well into my late 40s, albeit in those later years it was more about slowpitch than hardball…the former became so big that American “travelling” clubs would send scouts up north and offer those with prolific home run numbers a substantial sum of money to join them for the tournament season…at that time, you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting a triple-walled aluminum bat that someone forked up $500 bucks for…it wouldn’t be long before pitchers were required to wear full-cage helmets so they didn’t get knocked out if a ball went back up the box

I could talk baseball until the cows came home, as I have a shitload of memories, both as a player and a spectator…I don’t watch it much anymore, except during the playoffs, although if Ohtani’s on the tube, easpecially when he was hitting and pitching, I would find myself getting some of those old timey feels…Cheers

Morning all
Just watched the comedy of errors that was Spuds v Manure.

No VAR? So, that’s how seriously the FA takes the league cup, then?

Only the PL and CL are legit trophies? Is MA aware of this? I guess he is as he thinks the charity shields are achievements, when both teams are not match fit, and still working out their finalities of their pre-season and best selections……

Then, what else do we expect from a manager with no chance this season of winning the league or CL once again before Xmas? A new negative record?

We have Newcastle home first , and then away is our league cup draw draw.

Once again the Palace game at 00:30am Sunday morning KO is too late for me, so another 7am morning replay for me to watch in my office.

Hope all your Xmas preparations are all done and a happy time with family and loved ones is special for you all.

Another home alone for me this year in my Room with music and entertainment with all things mellow ……… Though, this will be my last Xmas here, so it will have some meaning after all and I have much to look forward to in 2025…….

If anyone is contemplating upgrading their phone the 16 pro max is a very good phone and much more. For me the only better phone on the market is Vertu: http://vertu.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zSnmygV7L0

Not for me but a very good brand many don’t know about…….

Have a good one lads…..

Tony—I was wondering why they didn’t check Jesus’s second goal the other day, which appeared to be a tad offside…I thought that VAR entered the equation in the quarters, but clearly I was wrong…it’s such a wierd hybrid of old and new, as they go directly to kicks in the quarters, yet in the semis it’s a two-legged affair…it’s always nice to grab some hardware, but this one’s the least desirable of the lot, unless you’re foolish enough to believe that the Community Shield is a “real” trophy…after MA was spouting all that CS nonsense I was convinced that he was going to field his best available 11 mid-week…good on him for actually resisting that temptation for once

I’m a fairly simple fuck when it comes to what I require from a phone, so I would never pay upwards of 7 or 8 grand for a Vertu, but I appreciate the craftmanship, especially on that Ironflip Alligator Skin…I had a buddy who was somehow involved with those Hammer phones when they first arrived on the scene, as he was always Glengarry Glen Rossing me whenever our paths would cross…the original premise was that they were functionally indestructible, so they were much more of a blunt instrument than those highly polished Vertus…when he first showed me his, I was taken aback, as they were ugly as fuck, but they offer a far more diverse and attractive lineup nowadays

hope everything goes swimmingly this holiday season, especially for your last Xmas hurrah!!

let’s see if MA has the balls to sit Havertz in back-to-back matches and play Jesus up top again…even if he starts GJ, I would suspect that he will still shoehorn Kai into the midfield, which doesn’t bode well for us, as he’s been piss-poor on most occasions as a true 8…fuck me, I would give my left nut to see the fine print assurances in those summer of 23 contracts…don’t hold me to that, as I’ve grown rather attached to that particular testicle ever since the incident…

TRVL
I’m very impressed with the 16. It’s all I’m going to need for the foreseeable future, and non of us know how the Apple AI is going to work, as it’s not released until next year. The camera and editing are excellent for phone. Can’t fault it, which I can make most pics pop and come to life.

As for Vertu – it’s a business tool, if its AI works well, where 10TB would cover half my music collection, so there’s that. I’m not the Hi So kind of guy, so don’t go to country clubs or the like where people play the status game. I don’t play golf to avoid that side of life as well as having no hand to eye co-ordination.

That’s not me unless it’s a car, then I’m all Mutley & Scooby Doo after snacks gimme, gimme while going all unnecessary. Here is 300% luxury tax, so you soon recover knowing no chance. I’m not against renting for road trips like many HOGs do.

I see Celtic are wanting KT back in their clan again. Celtic will screw us again (selling a crock for £25m++) and buy for nothing claiming MA fully broke him, as he was only half broken when he left them. Then, there was the Artetarisation to take into account that all our defensive left sided players have experienced.

They’ve all become sick notes that began with KT. It’s moving into midfield with Merino slowly picking up knocks and strains.

Lastly, Paul Scoles has said that Martinelli is going backwards under MA. He’s not wrong.

Another has succumbed to the MA sickness that stifles natural talent from expressing themselves, instead of being forced to play regimented by MA numbers that doesn’t suit them.

Back to my armchair then…… lol

Thanks for the good wishes and fully back at you good buddy….

HI NORG

Sue Gray given peerage as Labour seeks to rebalance Lords https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/dec/20/sue-gray-given-peerage-as-labour-seeks-to-rebalance-lords?CMP=share_btn_url

Some background reading on that HoL numbers thing we were discussing a while ago. It clearly gives the lie to that idea that there was already an imbalance in Labour’s favour in the upper chamber. The opposite is true in our duopolistic system.

Whither a flabby unelected and undemocratic body like this but that’s a topic for another day.

Have a peaceful Christmas mate.

Hi KP

I hope you and Mrs KP enjoyed your trip to Southern Spain and the weather wasn’t as forecast. I did read up about the balance of Lords for each party and I was wildly out. Meanwhile in the other chamber things are not going to well for the current party in power – even the Guardian is being critical. I believe Starmer said somewhere recently that he would add 30 odd new Peers – why not do as he said change the set up – an all party committee should be installed with that aim. The surprising thing is the number of Bishops in the Lords- and not a little boy in sight.
Christmas starts tomorrow for us (I am just about to stuff the Turkey). My son is married so this year he is with the in laws for Christmas Day. Tomorrow is our Christmas Day – daytime is a walk along the Norfolk Coastal Path and Dinner in the evening.
Are you at any games this weekend and over Christmas? I may go to the Emirates on Friday. One of the Ipswich Sponsors has invited me.
Have a good Christmas – 2025 should be fun – it will be interesting to see the political world step up to cause as much mess as possible. Fake tan sales will go through the roof. Its a pity ‘Spitting Image’ is no longer on our screens – they will have so much material they would be on the air everyday.

all this talk of Christmas seems a little premature…let’s not put the cart before the horse, or have you all forgotten what the fuck today is…some might even suggest that this has become the most hallowed of dates on the calendar…now I know that Christmas might have a far more storied history, but surely some fat bugger crawling through your chimney can’t compare with the signing of one, Mikel Arteta Amatriain, possibly the greatest manager known to man…the very fact that not a single one of you fucks has paid homage to this tiniest giant of a man makes my stomach turn…shame on all of you

as for me, I’ll be heading to the backyard, after donning my Arteta-inspired outfit, which includes a meticulously coiffed legoland wig, placing a ball two feet from my regulation-sized goal, then staying put until I manage to miss the net 5 times in spectacular fashion…I would hope that after reading this you will do likewise…please note that as this is far more difficult to achieve than you might think, it might be wise to do it in phases…no matter what happens don’t you dare make any fucking adjustments in between misses, as that would be akin to smacking our faithful leader in the fucking face…long may he reign, said no one ever