It has turned out to be such a strange season, that even after we playing at our best, beating teams for fun, winning at shite hart lane, keeping clean sheets more than any other teams, scoring more than anyone else – we are going to end up second! Man City just can’t lose can they?
Fulham can do us a favor, they can restrict Pep to a draw or win against them. I have zero confidence in Tottenham beating City and West Ham can’t go through them on the last day at Etihad. If something can happen, it’s today. Lets hope the gods favors us and Fulham and we get to see for once the sad face of Pep Guardiola. We have one of ours play for Fulham, Bernd Leno, who has promised that he will give his 100% to stop our competition.
There has been some happenings while I was missing. Jorginho signed the contract for another year, Mikel was full of praise for him and it basically confirms it’s time for Thomas Partey to go. I don’t believe Mikel wants to keep two 35 year olds to fight for one place when Declan Rice is a starter. If I was you Mikel, I would sell Thomas for whatever money we can get, and go into the market for a DM understudy to Rice/Jorginho.
Bayern did us dirty in the quarters. Saka was denied a clear penalty. Harry Kane got away with an elbow on Gabriel which should have been red. They weren’t so furious then about refereeing, but when it happened to them against Madrid when the offside whistle was blown a bit too early, all hell broke loose. Mr Tuchel, Karma is a bitch.
Next year’s kit has been leaked, and I am disappointed to say the least. Last season was best of Adidas, both Red and White, and the black ones were great. This season, the third kit was a standout and home one was fine too. I think I might skip the next season’s if the leaks are true.
A belated Happy Birthday to Dennis Bergkamp, you happened when I was playing cricket as 10 year old but looking back, I would have loved to see you play live. A gentlemen, a magician, red through and through.
—
Fabrizio reported that we are monitoring the young 18 year old Ajax centre back Jorrel Hato. He has a deal till 2028 and he will be an investment for the future. We most certainly need a third regular CB to rotate with Saliba and Gabriel without hampering our game play. White/Tomi are CB but we haven’t seen them play there, and we don’t know if they will turn out to be equally good. If it costs us 10 odd million, I would say go for it.
Sacking news have started about Pochettino. He talked about an interview, the content doesn’t really matter but if the manager comes out and talks about it, either he is fearful he will be sacked, or he knows he will. Chelsea has just moved from a billionaire russian who managed to win things to a billionaire american who can’t make things happen. Loving it.
Right, and Ten Hag just can’t stop talking about us can he?
Tony—I really thought I would be the first to fall off the Achole wagon, but you didn’t even last long enough to earn your 1 week chip…when it was first suggested that we should just tune out that little side of his mouth talking bitch, I was reluctant at first, as I really do enjoy messing with these cake and eat it too mfers, but I thought it best to acquiesce for the greater good…now I’m not so sure what my best move is here…maybe it would be best if I thought aloud for a minute, then you could offer up your opinion on the matter
(1) this fuckstick has continually fabricated shit and attributing it to me, like this little word salad gem, “I recall Vera saying Pepe was a winner and Tets wasn’t because “winners win”, Someone’s they do and sometimes they don’t”…now the concern here isn’t the underlying message, as few would argue it’s merits, at least at this juncture, it’s the very fact that this clown constantly has my name in his rudimentary mouth…I wonder what Will Smih would say about that?
(2) the very fact that he’s trying to run some sort of amateur hour Bob-like long con on everyone, by throwing out little “like-minded” Arsenal-related nuggets and anecdotal personal tidbits so as to appear more friend than foe, simply doesn’t wash with me…wherein reality he’s a fraudulent prick who has but one endgame, to divide and conquer by pretending that he, and only he, represents some sort of commonsensical middle ground on all things Arsenal-related…to further cultivate this notion he will feign that he was removed from LG, suggest that he too had some very serious doubts about MA early on and spew farcical anti-Spurs banter, like the other day…fuck me, this joke show actually believes that he’s smarter than the lot of us…what a pretentious twat, which is saying something coming from me
(3) this gaslighting fuck is a hypocrite of epic proportions…he will constantly shit all over what he believes to be lies about what I have or haven’t done, at least as it pertains to my sporting or coaching related ventures, yet he’s constantly planting little seeds about his own personal experiences along the way…in fact, he’s spent considerably more time trying to build his supposed expertise case than myself, as I’ve provided very little detailed information during my time on LIR, but why would that matter to this fact-averse, self-absorbed cnut
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated
Lads
Let’s get through the weekend before the internecine squabbling goes up a gear. This isn’t just me wearing my ex-diplomat’s hat, it’s just keeping our composure. You’re all virtual mates and we’re all Arsenal fans, albeit with wildly differing views about what’s best. I wouldn’t dream of calculating a success percentage figure for Sunday but we’ll beat Everton and who knows, one of the following could happen…
-Dodgy horse meat lasagne
-Jarrod Bowen hattrick
-KdB red card for masturbating in the tunnel
-Like a spinal tap drummer, Pep self combusts
-Moyes picks himself as GK and keeps out 300 City attempts on goal
-Eric Clapton appears at H-T and bores everyone to sleep and the game ends 0-0. Tony – I promise I’ll stop talking about EC now…
By the way, was anyone there at Highbury for that Monday night game against City in the early 90s and the Shamen ‘played’ (mimed!) at half time. I though club culture had arrived that night in the PL.
Es are good
Es are good
He’s Ebeneezer Goode
https://twitter.com/arsenal_vids/status/961328462786105345?t=Gi7EkXtIfEM2dZWJEKLvSA&s=19
Enjoy… I still do.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c2qvqn03z4vo
I know you’re all dying to read this. A potted history of Tets’s footballing life. Utterly vapid. Give the guy a wristwatch.
Vera,
You “thought about” your “best move” and that was it?
Grrrr, you’re not messing about are you Tiger? Your attempts to gatekeep a blog are becoming more amusing if a little bizarre.
Anyway, you said any thoughts would be appreciated. Tony will come and agree with you in a bit here are mine. We’re all fans together.
Utimately that was a long comment about little old me when you could just go back to punching dry walls, perhaps with “2nd is losing” (in a loud voice) Tony. And then talk football. You’ll always have your little David Steel, Tony to endorse your views. he believes in your coaching ability and you both use the same vapid clichés. (“Winners win!”)
My comments aren’t like minded. I’d be concerned if I’d given the appearance of us being of a like mind because when it comes to football, you don’t seem capable of adding anything of value. If I list your nonsense opinions I’ll only upset you more but the receipts exist.
Feel free to explain again why a high points total, most goals, great GD, going into the final weekend in contention, quarters of rhe champions league makes our team badly managed. Perhaps you can make it make sense this time.
Or perhaps you can just continue to litter the blog with more of your waffle, made up scenarios and rage
Tony might have a seal from “Junior” for you too. If like him, you follow Arsenal to feel like a “winner’, I’d suggest you’ve picked the wrong team, the wrong sport and maybe the wrong philosophy on what it means to be a fan.
Marc,
Pay attention to the league and the last 8 years. There are no golden chances to win the Prem.
You were initially right to say that it’s hard to predict how/if teams will improve next season.
Last season, people were having kittens as it might never get so close again because for sure our rivals were all going to improve. It appears we improved the most.
We can do the whole hypothetical, not backed by evidence, exercise of turning wins into draws and being worse off points wise. Maybe West Ham improve the most and we drop 3 more points to them
As it stands, there’s nothing that tells me Liverpool, for example, will be any more of a threat to us next season. Given, Salah’s drop off and a new manager bedding in, there’s more chance they’ll be worse. Let’s turn those 4 points lost you gave us into 2 points gained next year. Hey 91 points right there. Champs! (On GD)
Villa will find it hard to compete on CL and Prem fronts. 6 points!
Spurs have European worries next season and they’re shit. Another 2 points.
Hammers, new manager adjustments. 3 points.
Surely we have a chance with my Mystic Meg turn putting us on 100 points.
Or maybe you’re right, everyone else improves and we drop more points to Spuds, Chelsea, Pool, ManU, that’s like 11 points down. We could be fighting for Europa. Do you think that’s realistic given what you’ve seen over the last two seasons?
What would it take for you to back Tets? Winning the league or CL and that alone? I don’t back managers that have us playing dogshit football and not competitive. We’ve come second two seasons running, if you want to replace Tets it better be with proven quality not some flavour of the month experiment, Tets was our experiment.
Simeone, 14 years at Atleti, two titles and a Europa in all that time. But he’s a good manager, nobody calls him a loser despite the lack of trophies. People who know football get context.
Would two titles in 13 years do it for me? It depends. We accepted less from Wenger in his last 10 years. It took 18 years from 71 to Graham and when he was booted I feared waiting another 18.
I’m not dogmatic. I look at what’s on the pitch, I look at the numbers, if they’re both good, I’m content. It’s that easy.
Aitcho
I can see why Tony & TRVL are not satisfied with the achievements laid out in your post. The reason is it has a great big 2 next to it. The frailties mean that 1st was not achieved ( unless of course Moyes can pull off a master stroke on Sunday). With a very big spend Arteta has been given a fair amount of freedom and has achieved 2nd anything less would have been a major failure- there are other managers in the premiership who have exceeded expectations – they are winners.
I’m intrigued by the David Steel reference Aitcho. Are you talking about the erstwhile Scottish head of the Liberal Party (or the SDP or whatever that bunch of arsehole were called). Another illiberal liberal as it turned out. And who’s the other half of the relationship, Jeremy Thorpe and his infamous armpit nodules?
Maybe it’s all a bit too esoteric for me. Help!
NORG
Agreed. The money (although not mine) is a compelling case against.
My other gripe – and it’s much more petty of course – is that I simply don’t like him.
TRVL
My comments
Aitcho replied to my posts a couple of times, so I felt it rude not to offer a rebuttal. It did think about refraining, and thought, no, maybe after another few 100 times he’ll get the message. That and El B not winning again next season. He tends to doge the what are your views on 2nd again next season?
KP
I’m being good, honest, just sometimes I go all Jim Jeffries on him. I feel for Aitcho having lost LG. Is it really that expensive with what Pedro is doing next? Should we have a whip round for Aitcho?
Hold a grudge much KP, something from the 70s still got you in EC denial? Man did it happen during a bad trip? Flash backs keeps the words in your mind? Get another blotting paper and go back in to free yourself of such anguish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPLw0tdgMfc
For context and our Indian LIR brothers. Ambarish will probably know of JJ, Hoopah might be new for you, and I think you’ll love him. He’s KP on steroids and marching powder, not that he ever did both, just imagine the picture. Then watch the religion link and try not to laugh.
Marc
Good thoughts and I don’t see El B not making the same mistakes with even better new toys. They will just become the new pets and others will get relegated to old pets. Sesko I know TRVL wanted is on our radar the click bait era ids all but upon us again. A BL fullback also being looked at.
LIR
Have to say this sums up why we didn’t win the league any season:
“Man Utd coach Steve McClaren told Mikel Arteta what to do at Arsenal – and it’s worked”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/man-utd-arsenal-mikel-arteta-32823234
The wally with the brolly is El B’s mentor. Says it all really………
Over to you Aitcho you’re on seal watch………..
Life without bars: Eric Clapton’s life. If you can bring yourself to watch it KP it might mend old wounds.
For everyone else it’s a really cool look into Eric’s life.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6498644/
Norg,
Who are these winners you speak of?
Pep, Klopp? No question and with comparable net spends.
Emery, Howe, De Zerbi, Big Ange? Too early to say.
Less than 2nd might have been a failure, context is always important. 2nd might have been considered failure. I don’t think it is this season.
Whether 2nd is next season, again, it all depends.
KP,
Alluding to the old spitting image David Owen and David Steel.
Although, Vera as Jeremy Thorpe has an even funnier ring (oo er missus!) to it.
Big Tone,
Of course you didn’t think about refraining.
Why would you?
I get your message. You don’t have a very good understanding of competitive sport and you’ve decided to demonstrate it on a football blog.
And you don’t like being wrong about Tets, Havertz and whatever other odd football views Vera puts you up to.
Safe to say, McClaren isn’t Tets mentor. That’s yet another “things I made up to be angry”
KP
It isn’t Friday and this is old.
What have Jeremy Thorpe and Captain Kirk got in common – they both asked Scotty for more thrust.
Aitcho
It doesnt take a lot of working out. The big failure this season apart from Erik is Howe. There are a couple of winners in the league who have over achieved.
NORG
The old jokes are the oldest.
I probably sniggered at hearing that in double RE in the mid 70s but laughed a lot harder a few minutes ago. What would Darwin think of me?
Norman Scott, Jeremy T, armpit nodules and a dead dog. And who thought liberals were prudes?
Hi Tony
You’re right mate, sone blotting paper would ease the ptsd. I’ll be positive and agree with NORG by saying that Cream made some wonderful music (if a little before my time). Ginger Baker was a hard left revolutionary socialist so there’s a bit of balance.
Aitcho
I used to take highly classified documents across St James’s Park to Lord David Owen (as was) when he was the EU’s special envoy on the Former Yugoslavia in the early 90s. The first time was pretty intimidating but after that we got on well swapping opinions on the plethora of awful bastards that were running bits of Yug. as it rapidly and violently disintegrated. Tito was underestimated.
DO is a very bright bloke and just the man for a hugely complex conflict in the Balkans. I seem to remember the Steel puppet was ridiculously small and insignificant compared to Owen who is (I think he’s still with us) a mental giant and polyglot. Was that the basic schtick?
I’m feeling laughably upbeat about Sunday and imagine we’ll all be sending each other love and kisses after the game. Nurse! I need my bed pan…
85 years young and wearing a very natty orange shirt on his wiki page. Andwith a fine set of Dennis Healey-esque bushy eyebrows to boot.
KP
The Balkans is still complex. I have a source of my raw material in Bosnia and can use it to clean up Serbia , North Macedonia. Montenegro has some the the same raw material but they are as corrupt as hell.
KP,
Yugo-nostalgia is a real thing. Tito is rated in Serbia, seems less so in the other former Yugo states. Understandable given how things panned out. I think only Belgrade has monuments and shrines to Tito now.
Do you remember Vlad Petrovic? He must have wondered what the hell he’d jumped into when we signed him. I was too young to appreciate whatever quality he was meant to bring and now he’s just characterised as a bit of a softy.
A combined Yugo team today would still be a powerhouse especially given how well Croatia has punched above it’s weight.
Some of the liveliest games I’ve been to have been in Serbia, I feel the rep its supporters have is as unfair as the common representation of the conflicts.