Maybe it’s just because I generally despise later season international breaks, but I feel like this could make our run-up far more problematic. The only tangible benefit to our early Europa exit was that it should have afforded us a considerably less condensed schedule, thus making it more and more likely that we could field our ‘best’ 11 for each and every remaining League fixture. If there were no breaks, I can’t imagine that we would be playing 4 matches in 13 days between April 16 and 29th. I guess the one saving grace, so long as no further setbacks occur during the break, (knock on wood) is that this might allow those with nagging injuries or worse, like Saliba, extra time to mend, as we can’t be relying on Holding to get the job done, regardless of the fact he performed rather admirably in Saliba’s absence.
Of course, I wouldn’t be quite so rattled if it weren’t for the fact that I’m totally convinced that if we look this gift horse in the mouth, we might not be in a similar position again. This certainly doesn’t mean that we won’t be playing meaningful late season matches in the foreseeable future, but to think we could have another sizeable lead so late in the season seems at best wishful thinking or at worst rather delusional. The planets have aligned for us in a way few have ever previously encountered, minus LC, and as such if we don’t stake our claim now I believe we will forever regret it.
Man City – will always be in the hunt, if not the presumptive favourites, so long as the ownership and Pep remain fully committed, unless they’re severely punished for their laundry list of transgressions, which I very much doubt.
Liverpool – with Klopp at the helm and attractive football on offer, they will remain a constant threat for trophies. They’ve made some long-game acquisitions over the last 18 months, who should come good next year and beyond, so if they can shore up their midfield and find a consistent CB partner for VVD, the future looks bright.
Chelsea – regardless of the coach in charge, as I’m not convinced Potter will survive the off-season, they will invariably return to prominence, as they have the financial wherewithal to compete with any and all comers. Although the results have not been forthcoming this season, they have done exactly what I had hoped we had done when Arteta was hired, invest heavily in young blue chippers, then allow them to grow with the bevy of talented in-house up-and-comers. They might be two years away from competing for the title, but with the right tactician they should eventually present serious problems for everyone in the PL for years to come.
United – I’m a big proponent of what ten Hag’s brings to the managerial table and I find it difficult to not see his squad make strides every season, so long as they continue to find creative ways to score goals, which means they can’t afford to lose Rashford unless they find a like-for-like replacement. If they’re able to raise some funds through the selling off of some players in the summer, like Harry, Elanga, McTominay, among others, and a new ownership group emerges, who spends anything like Chelsea, I think Hag will be able to acquire his most preferred targets. If these things transpires, they will undoubtedly complete their transition from pretender to contender.
Newcastle – they’re a rather interesting experiment, in that they have the resources, but not the requisite cachet to lure top, top talent, at least not quite yet. I don’t mind Howe, but they might have to make a big splash in the managerial market in order to change this narrative. In the meantime though, they will continue to play good enough defence to challenge for the top 4-6, but they will struggle to find the required amount of goals to turn the proverbial corner, unless Isak continues to stay healthy and score with the kind of frequency he’s displayed since his return from injury.
Spurs – they could be on the outside looking in, especially if they decide to hold a fire sale and offload the likes of Kane and Son. That said, if they do hire the aforementioned Nagelsmann, their downturn could be relatively short-lived, as he’s proven his ability to turn things around in short order, regardless of whatever transpired prior to his arrival.
Furthermore, every season a team or two emerges who vastly overachieves and negatively impacts the aspirations of those who were considered early season favourites; for a perfect example one needs to look no further than the likes of BHA, who not only survived a managerial change, they actually have thrived in it’s wake. If there isn’t a mass exodus of sorts at Brighton, they could be a real thorn in the sides of those mentioned above.
So, we better make hay before this incredibly fortuitous window closes. Not to mention, if we find a way to hold off the likes of City, it just might allow us to shake our almost two decade long mediocrity-laced narrative thereby allowing us to attract the kind of players needed for us to remain relevant over the long haul.
Cheers!
Hi Tony
I listened to bits of that Schiller collection and was really impressed. As a kid, I used to love immersing myself in trance and techno type stuff with some chemical influences thrown in. DJ Shadow was a favourite.
When I saw that name Schiller, my memory raced back to Peter Schilling and ‘Major Tom’
https://youtu.be/KQRaj1vcnrs
Do you remember that tune? Quite haunting and evocative of the utter madness of the cold war. It had to be good to be considered a valid spin off of something by Bowie, for whom my respect continues to grow after his tragic death.
That suggestion about the drone is very prescient – we actually have a link to one and it really enhances the house and the area.
Glad you liked that Maanum goal. One of the best I’ve seen for ages. And the 5-1 thrashing of Spurs in the NLD was a treat. I sat and watched every minute of it last Saturday.
Sadly the tickets for the SWD against Swansea are all sold out. I was a bit slow off the mark but the games I’ve been to tend to be awful. Still a win would be good. Junior and I do have tickets for Blackpool away on 7 April. A chance to see Patino again (hopefully on a losing team!).
Top 10 recordings (if I could only choose 1 per artist—in no particular order)
Radiohead-Kid A
Reef-Glow
Blind Melon-Soup
Elbow-Seldom Seen Kid
Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti
Pink Floyd-Live at Pompei
Clutch-From Beale Street to Oblivion
Beck-Odelay
Jack White-Blunderbuss
Red Hot Chilli Peppers-Californication
my everyday listening is much more eclectic than this, as I have a rather vast library of offerings, but if I were stranded on an island and I could only take 10 this would be my wishlist…Cheers
KP-I was actually just listening to that Schilling tune…as for Bowie, like yourself, my appreciation for his music as grown in more recent years, as I started to reintegrate his tunes into my daily playlists following the release of his Black Star album…this work’s titular song and Lazarus were both incredible offerings and rather haunting considering the circumstances at the time they were being recorded
TRVL
I don’t know if you were on Le Grove much during the pandemic but Tony, Almunia and I and countless others used pop tunes to make up (largely) anti-Arteta ditties. Most of them sailed over the heads of the usual cabal of sycophants and they kept us amused during an underwhrlming summer transfer window.
Your mention of Odelai by Beck reminded me of one I made up to that track ‘Devils Haircut’. We always jokingly said they merited a greatest hits album (Now that’s what I call bollocks volume 99′).
The only stanza I can remember was
I got Arteta’s haircut in my mind
A piece of black lego that I cannot find
I think it was about the first and last time there was any originality and creativity on there and they spawned the brilliant Almunia satires that followed.
KP-I was only on LG for a cup of coffee, as Positive Pete took immediate offence to my verbal jousting, or should I say bitch slapping sessions, with all of his cronies/aliases/fluffer-mates, such as Nigel and Englands Best…I wish I was there for your musical repartee, as I would have undoubtedly chimed in…the only musical references I made on LG were directly related to my namesake, which I devised as an homage to one of our greatest ever players, Vieira, and a reference to Vera Lynn on Pink Floyd’s The Wall…much like the lyrics of this song, I openly wondered when I might meet again with the Arsenal of the pre-Emirates era
Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn
Remember how she said that
we wouold meet again some sunny day?
Vera, Vera, what has become of you?
Does anybody else in here feel the way I do?
I felt the sentiments were very apropos/analogous considering what had transpired in the years following the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Emirates
Leeds should be a doddle for us as they have 3 of their best players injured or not being able to play. As KP already mentioned Tyler Adams being one of them. To the 11 points ahead of City after 12 noon US EST. Will watch the City game at 7:30am EST on Peacock. To the title we’ll go.
Killroy-Adams missing out definitely will impact them, but more importantly, considering our potential injuries, Gnonto looks to be on the shelf too…this should be a cakewalk, but you just never know when you’re facing a desparate club
desperate
Morning all
Skimming through today’s online papers where I thought this was interesting because only 2 Arsenal players make the top 10s” KT for fastest defender and Gabby Martinelli for 5th fastest forward.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-fastest-players-season-29593784
Saliba is out if reports are correct with a continuing back injury. Ditto Tomi, but no other news which seems definite.
KP, You’ve got me with the Peter Scihilling; I hadn’t heard it although the name seems familiar outside of Bowies gem. I believe Bowie was a Dartford boy born and bred so as I was in the south east his earlier music was heard in the local places he played. Bowie and Jagger were close mates as the stories suggest, so Bowie wasn’t around for long in his pre Lzia Jones single days released under his Davy Jones moniker.
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/rediscover-david-bowie/
Even though I lived the other side of the Dartford tunnel at the time I never met Bowie or good to any of his gigs, something I regret greatly.
Overall my all time favourite had to be Moonage Daydream as Ronson’s guitar was otherworldly.
It’s hard to pick out a time during Bowies forays into the unspeakable at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPUAldgS7Sg
KP I thought you’d like Schiller I thought it would be good painting music so thought you’d appreciate Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5UxQTgS2TU&t=2014s
TRVL – Vera Lynn was still on the radio in my early years; the song that sticks in my mind the most when hearing Vera’s name is There will be Bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover.
Interesting desert island disc collection. I find a person’s music tastes often defines them in their styles and tastes in life. I was a music driven kid, as it compensated for the darker sides I endured. I grew up in the R&B Rhythm & Blues capital of the UK. Not surprisingly my first 9 years of my career was in the music industry, as a live sound engineer, tour manager and personal management.
I’ve just completed building a dream I’ve had for 40+ years in an Elite Sound Audio Visual Room to the highest recording studio quality sound and acoustics. 12 Meyer HMS – 5 for surround, 2 Meyer Amie Subs for rear surround bass. 1 Wisdom Audio Point Source STS Sub with SA-3 and 3 Wisdom audio Sage Point Source L3s for my LCRs. I designed the room that’s 3 rooms inside each other with the last room floating on rubber mounts so less than -20dB is heard outside. Meyers are all active units and I use a Trinnov Altitude 16 (upped to 20 channel using 2 schiit Dacs) and MADvr Envy and a coveted RS7300 Data Sat amp to drive the L3s. £200k+ and counting as the Barco projector will cost £60k+ depending on the model up to £100k.
Having built my dream room, my wife has decided she’d like to move to live in Europe when she retires in the foreseeable future, so if that transpires, I’ll build another room wherever we call home next. I’ll also build a song writing rehearsal room with a digital recording set up. Through my friend I have great relationships with Wisdom’s MD who was Steely Dan’s studio engineer and senior suits in Trinnov, France.
I guessing if you have TBs of music you’ll be listing to high end HiFi. As an aside On my Trinnov I only needed one master sound setting for WAV, AIFF, PCM, DSD – Hi Res. I have a lot of Flac music but I find it’s been stripped back too far so needs a separate sound setting with the necessary tweaks to put emotion back in the sound. I liken it to Bose speakers I find too shrill and lacking in bottom end.
Interesting you chose Live at Pompeii as your Pink Floyd choic,e as Echoes resonated with me when it came out. I got the Floyd box set with the 2-inch master digitized Dark Side of the Moon, so you get to hear how it was in the studio, quality sound wise. It’s just mesmerizing.
Jeff Beck R.I.P gone tooo early is someone I always liked, but didn’t play much; however, it turned out the Wisdom head calibrator was indeed my old friend who worked at an elite Hifi shop in there UK and who I bought all my hifi from from the 70s to 90s where ever I was living. He gave me Beck live in Japan min Japan he used Prince’s bassist and at Ronnie Scots he had Tal Wilkenfeld who was about 16 at the time and literally blew my mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgffDVO2UyA Therefore, Ronnie Scotts is my fav gig of Becks.
On our first zoom to discuss Wisdom we pointed at each other saying: you! It took us 2.5 days to manually calibrate my Room combining our ears to where the room is mind blowing. Small world. Sorry if you’ve read this before.
Jason Bonham is a friend who I was in LA with around 96 recording his album writing in a rehearsal room. I lived a short drive from Zepplin’s manor house with the moat back in the 90s or I should say I had a house there, but worked away. At that time Jason lived in Kidderminster, but was at the manor a lot where there’s a pub a100 meters up the road we’d all congregate in. Jason played at the O2 for the first time properly filling in for his dad; John, and played out fo his skin from the copy I have: I was working in Thailand then.
Always happy to hear song choices when the football traffic is light.
Morning all
I think this is my favourite Bowie tune. It has a real simplicity and it brings out the best of his vocals.
https://youtu.be/jCaMwqtwJTc
I hope we’re all going to be quorate for tomorrow’s game, including the Indian Gooner Army.
Interesting choice, KP, Hunky Dory was around 71/2 when studio vocal techniques were advancing at a phenomenal rate.
Bowie would have used the most experimental at the time, the same way as Floyd were experimenting with oscillators and boxes that made weird sounds; later to become synthesizers, moogs etc. The whisper, speak and sing method boosted vocal tracks when mixed together, in the late 70s and maybe still used today. I met Tony Visconti when I was with Jason in LA in 95/6 (not sure now) and got to talk about Bowie with him, however, this is a cool Q&A with Tony and Roland. Truth is I don’t remember much from a very intoxicating period that studios always are. It was almost 30 years ago. 🙂
https://rolandcorp.com.au/blog/roland-talk-exclusively-with-david-bowie-producer-tony-visconti
I think, KP, our tastes in music are primarily driven differently. I’m guessing for you the lyrics are your first impression from a song, whereas with me it’s melody first, then beat, then vocal sound and then finally the lyrics. We like the same music just with different intensities that drive us the most. Music drives my emotions first, which is probably why I never really liked punk or thrash metal. I think bipolar spectrum fits those genres whereas my ADHD looks for hooks and melodies to catch onto when spinning ferociously in my brain. It sorts out the meaning (lyrics) later.
Obviously, not suggesting only people afflicted would like such genres. Just speaking from people I’ve met over the last 50 years.
You listen to a song and you see the story and its mood the song is telling, I’m seeing what went on in the studio and production values. I’ve always got music in my head when I stop thinking about something. Right now it’s the haunting vocal from Schiller.
Harry’s Game Theme tune blew me away when I first heard it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zHTcxVjX0I
It’s typical that my brain gets lost in the synths to even try to understand the words. That and I don’t speak the Irish Gaelic lilting tones. Speaking of the Irish…………
You going to be at the game Almunia? Can we tempt you to join the LIR Goonerverse tomorrow? 🙂
It’s always a nervy time between the International break and the resumption of the PL, like being in no man’s land. Kick off soon brings reality to the fore, though. I’m expecting our young marauders to be hungry to add Leeds’ scalp to this season’s collection.
Hope the painting is finished.
Tony
That’s really perceptive. Yes, the first period of my musical interest was really about the lyrics. Elvis Costello, The Clash, Squeeze, Ian Dury anything where there was a premium put on the quality, wit and politics of the lyrics. That eventually led onto Gil Scott Heron, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash and the Beastie Boys. My interests changed in the early 90s when the club scene took off, lyrics gave way to bpm and stuff that accompanied ecstasy.
The only thing I’m wary of against Leeds is if the game somehow ends up replicating the match at Elland Rd where we justifiably established a lead and then let them run all over us. If Jesus starts, and is back to his hectoring, energetic best, their back 4 will have a torrid time. I’m also sceptical that Bamford will be able to get on the score sheet. I think we’ll win three-nil.
Tony-although I’m a fan of Jeff Beck’s, especially his Truth album, I was referring to the American artist Beck, who I’m assuming you’re familiar with, but if not, you simply must check him out…Odelay is a more rough and ready production, but if you want something a little more melodic and not so eclectically hard driving, try Morning Phase…he has a a bevy of carefully constructed albums which are meant to be listened to from beginning to end, similar to the “concept” album era of my youth, which I find massively appealing (Guero, The Information, Modern Guilt and Mutations…all are incredibly worthy offerings)
As for my componentry preferences, I was fortunate enough to grow up at a time when stereo systems, of the personal variety, mattered greatly…now I’m no audiophile, in the truest sense of the word, but I was lucky enough to have a few close friends who lived and breathed the shit and who eagerly guided me through every purchase…later I realized that this was all part of a grander plan where I assumed the role of guinea pig investor and they would graciously(wink, wink) buy pieces from me, at a reduced rate, when I felt it was time to upgrade…in retrospect, I should have adopted a far more savvy long game, considering the componentry…so when I bought the newest Nakamichi deck, they would take the old one; when I sold my Nad amp to purchase the latest Creek offering, they would be salivating at the possibilities; and when I was ready to sell my Kef and Paradigm speakers(floors and walls), they were only too willing to “help” me out…eventually I settled on some beefy Cerwin Vega’s(sensurround), which were actually purchased from a local church that was closing it’s doors, Tannoy’s (Arden) and a handful of Yahmaha components, which I felt sounded best together with my ever-growing CD collection( R9 Receiver, M-80 amp, K1000 deck and CD-X1 CD player, which I eventually replaced a few years later with the equivalent 6 banger)…once the kids came into the picture, slowly but surely they found their way into storage and/or sold off, minus a brief return during the emergence of 3D movies…nowadays most of my listening happens with my favoutirte wireless headphones squarely affixed to my ears, Sennheiser Momentum’s…Cheers
as for our fixture tomorrow, my thoughts are similar to those of KP’s, in that if Jesus is in full thirst mode, I believe we will overwhelm and rather depleted Leeds squad, unless our own injury woes negatively impact MA’s preferred tactical plans
btw my musical listening MO was best exemplified by the famous 80s “Blown Away Guy” Maxell poster, except my speakers were 10 times the size of the JBLs shown and instead of a Le Corbusier, I preferred my well-worn armless Barcelona chair
a rather NOT and rather
TRVL
Good stuff mate. That ‘blown away guy’ advertising maxell cassettes was actually Pete Murphy, lead singer of the finest/only band to ever come out of Northampton ie Bauhaus.
Here’s ‘kick in the eye’
https://youtu.be/rb-6ka1y-K8
But also check out Bella Lugosi’s dead.
Just like those old ads TRVL – get the hi fi out of mothballs and ‘break the sound barrier’!
I was always a c90 geezer back in the day. C60s were too short and c120s tended to stick.