I have never seen our fanbase so divided over anything. Was it two important points lost against Liverpool, when we are in a title race against side that has been on the top from like last 5 years? Or was it a point gained at Anfield, where we haven’t won since 2012? We were competing against a team built by Klopp, regularly competing at the top.
It’s tough to decide, but lets talk about the positives first!
We went to Anfield, we dominated them in the first half and scored 2 against the likes of Virjil Van-Dijk. Klopp looked awestruck with our performance; we could have easily scored more, had Jesus managed to keep the ball down of Saka’s cross in 17th minute. Martinelli could have had a better pass in the end, and Saka would have scored. There was another Gabriel header that landed into Allison’s hand but he could have done better. Going to Anfield is never an easy job, not just for us. They have great home-record and if you consider the fact that Manchester City lost there, one points sounds as a good result.
Another positive was Ramsdale. What a business that was, I wasn’t happy with buying a Goal Keeper who was part of team that got relegated. I loved Bernd Leno and why shouldn’t I when he was our best player before his injuries and emergence of Emi Martinez. I wasn’t happy selling Leno for cheap and then spending 24m in cash for a goal keeper. I was proved wrong. Ramsdale is the reason we didn’t lose 4-2. He made some brilliant saves, he keeps the enthusiasm high and he can fu*king celebrate like TH14 whenever he wants. We need passion, he has it in abundance.
Another positive to take from the match was our front 3. Jesus is back and he is looking in his best shape. I doubt he will ever be a prolific 25-goals a season CF but he keeps defences busy. He creates chances, open up spaces for others and is very very good in tight spaces. He has another Brazilian on one side and Saka on the other. This front 3 will grow to be a Salah-Firmino-Mane in coming time and that time isn’t far away.
Negatives? A lot.
One point sounds like a win but if you consider the fact that were 2-0 up, and then blew it away, it’s not good enough. We are not a top 4 battle but fighting for the title and every point dropped is a loss. This loss brought us to just 6 points difference when City has a game in hand, a game against us at their home ground and a better goal difference. From ‘ours to lose’ to ‘theirs’s to lose’ now, just because we didn’t manage to keep our 2-0 lead.
We also ran out of gas in second half. Zinchenko had a bad game, Saka didn’t look like the one we are used to watching, and our midfield didn’t impose on the game. About 20mins before and after half time, Liverpool played in our half and we didn’t have any answer. They missed chances, Ramsdale had to make some brilliant saves, Salah don’t usually miss a penalty but he did, and none of this should have happened. If your best player on the pitch is your Goalkeeper, it ain’t good.
Arteta’s subs were dubious. Tierney should have replaced Zinchenko much earlier, there was no need to give Kiwior his league debut against Pool at Anfield for last 15min when all they will do is attack. Saliba was missed. Odegaard wasn’t having a great game and Trossard should have been brought in the game earlier in my opinion.
I run a poll and majority of the readers were happy with one points. We still have 6 points lead and even if City wins their game in hand, they won’t go on and win all of their remaining games. They have Champions League fixtures, and points will be dropped.
Are you happy with one point considering our past record at Anfield?
— London Is Red (@LondonIsRedCom) April 9, 2023
If you ask me, I wasn’t happy. This has sorted Pep’s life in Manchester. He don’t need to depend on our results & luck anymore, they can win all games and run away with trophy. What we need to do is, to improve our GD, we are 5 short of City and if we manage to make it better than them, we can lose at Etihad and still be crowned.
However, I don’t want to see it. I want us to beat them at their home. I want those 3 points. I’m sure Mikel and company has the same in mind.
Lets keep our hope, we will still make it.
Hi Kilroy – I wasn’t entirely clear and would agree with you whole heartedly that our beloved club doesn’t change our general day-to-day lives – only in football terms.
It’s a good place to draw positivity when we need a pick up, though, or at least it does me. A memory trip to the free kick with one minute left at Anfield where miracle maker Micky Thomas wins us the league. It was a joyous moment that can summon me out of a slipping into a dark mood of depression that can hit me out of nowhere. It mostly pulls me out of an unpleasant deepening funk.
Or Charlie George’s belter from outside the box to win the FA cup against yet again Liverpool at Wembly. Winterburn’s 30+ yard screamer against the Chavs in the dying minutes. RVP’s volley in mid air from outside the box and Bergkamp’s Newcastle gem +++++++
I’d often spend a few minutes before a meeting or even during a meeting that was sending me to sleep or I needed an up mood change. For me illustrious moments for my Arsenal’s past I can vividly remember changes my mood, and ergo improves what I am doing at the time. It’s also good to latch onto when my brain is spinning at silly mph faster than other peoples’ brains who don’t have ADHD.
When I mentioned you being an exception, it’s really me that’s the exception because I do a lot of things arse about face at times that oddly get me results. With me always expect the unexpected becuase often I have no idea what I’m committed to doing, but always find a way often completely unintentionally picking up awards along the way.
I’m in full agreement that life would be boring if we all felt the same. I can be dogmatic when I know I’m right and the same mistakes keep happening. Arteta and Xhaka are habitual repeat offenders, so I feel I become boring laboring the point. On those two I’ll never waiver that they don’t belong at The Arsenal.
Simple analogy what would De Zerbi have done with £500+m managing Arsenal compared to what Arteta has done? You never see Brighton crumble a 2-goal lead under De Zerbi, but that’s what experience offers.
https://www.google.com/searchclient=safari&rls=en&q=brighton+2022%2F2023+season+results&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#sie=t;/m/0j2pg;2;/m/02_tc;mt;fp;1;;;
A quick glance through their results is impressive reading for a manager rarely spoken of in the PL prior to coming to BHA whose team plays very attractive football and cost peanuts.
Arteta’s faults are inherent where he’s too narcissistically myopic to listen to others. Arteta has goo, he has bad, but it’s the ugly that will ultimately be his undoing that and the continual repeating of his mistakes.
Kilroy, we’re similar as we are with TRVL, KP, Marc and Ambarish to a small varying degree. I appreciate your forward thinking regarding our CL route and group we could end up in and enjoy all your posts.
I watched the first episode of Ted Lasso and found the humour a bit silly as in the office. I love Only Fools and Horses , Dad’s Army, Allo allo and similar. Comedians my current top favourite is Jim Jeffries and Snoop Dog gets a laugh from me & junior. It’s hard to find a rip roaring funny comedy these days that or I’m getting old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n_AmhlcgSM
Cheers, Kilroy. 🙂
part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54DWQzxC6e8
Thanks Ambarish re the adds’ reduction
Tony, De Zerbi is just flavour of the month. I’d wait a while before jumping on the bandwagon. Much like I did with Arteta.
It’s not inconceivable for a team he coaches to give up a two goal lead. It’s even happened this season. We need a larger sample before attributing him with magic managerial powers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63017881
Aitcho not disagreeing with that, but that was De Zebi’s debut game and still managed a 3:3 draw and I think a 2:2 draw later in the season. De Zerbi was doing well with Shakhtar Donetsk before Russia intervened and came to the PL hitting the ground running with a meagre budget.
Longer models are much preferable for practical business sense. Sometimes in football it’s worth taking a risk on someone whose career has an upward trajectory as De Zerbi’s has. Tony Bloom is a gambler by nature and a feared one at that.
Arteta was too big a gamble and I wanted Ten Hag. Roll on 4+ years and it’s far from conclusive Arteta is going to take us to the holy land of football trophies. In fact I’ve been advocating the opposite, rightly or wrongly.
Time will tell, Aitcho, whether De Zerbi hits the high notes as an elite manager. I’d wager he will do just that.
I think the football manager landscape is changing to younger managers as the playing side is putting more trust in young players. Young managers connect to young players better than many of the older Dickensian rule by fear merchants which Arteta is one.
Kompany just bringing Burnley up is another such manager who will end up with a top 4 PL club – most likely City if they get relegated and Pep doesn’t fancy the Championship physicality.
Lampard tried, as did Gerard, Mark Hughs and the other Mancunian what’s his face, who lives in a tele tubby style eco house? All failed. Paddy & Henry are still gathering experience although poor Paddy was subject of a knee jerk Jordan, colon unloading decision to fire paddy and get Woy in who looks like death warmed up poor bugger.
Managerial new blood is as essential as grass roots players rising through the ranks. From a quick Internet glance the average of top league managers is 46. What odds would you give of that average age being under 40 in ten years?
Tony-after reading your self-reflective post, it’s increasingly apparent why we tend to agree on a variety of matters, as I’ve lived a somewhat similar exsistence, albeit my struggles were predominantly self-inflicted in nature…I first left my parental abode at the age of 14 and in doing so I have experienced more than my fair share of incredible highs and lows, as one might expect…in many ways I was very fortunate in that my family had the means to protect me from my insanely problematic, youthful predilections; not to mention the fact that my country of origin, Canada, had enacted some rather lenient young offender legislative practices in the 70s and early 80s…the only problem with that development was that it made it increasingly difficult for some, like myself, to change their destructive behavioural habits, as there was no real legal impetus to do so…as such, I ventured down some dark and nefarious paths, some of which even my family were unable to guarantee my safety and freedom
thanks in large part to my early day successes in a variety of sports, eventually I found my way clear of most of my past misdeeds, in sort of a reverse order Breaking Bad manner, but coming out the other side relatively unscathed was certainly never a given…quite the contrary in fact, as many of my former cohorts either passed at a relatively young age or are no longer in control of their respective destinies…on a more positive note, I will say that my tale of two halves life’s journey has afforded me the luxury of easily conversing/hanging with a wide array of characters, as I’m never at a loss for words or stories to tell, which in turn has led to some incredibly cathartic moments and financially beneficial connections…I’m sure we will expound upon our respective trials and tribulations in the future, but until then take care and stay the course
on a side note, I get Killroy’s point regarding the actual “real life” import of Arsenal, but like yourself I’ve had points in my life when The Arsenal was of paramount importance…in 2001 my world was seemingly imploding, in the spring one of my dearest friends and best man committed suicide, come the summer my Father-in-law, whom I had an incredibly close relationship with, passed, then following 911, I lost my seond child, Gwendolyn, 10 days after her birth…now it certainly wasn’t the only thing that got me over the proverbial grieving hump, but our run to a domestic double, which included a sizeable 7 point advantage over United and a FA Cup over Chelsea, was a real godsend during this most tragic of times…I think it’s the reason why I have such a strong affinity towards Sol Campbell, as I’m sure you remember he arrived on a free from our North London rivals that very season…Cheers
TRVL
Hi mate. Very sorry to hear about your daughter. I cannot imagine how awful that must have been.
You and Tony are both stalwarts on here and I really appreciate reading your contributions.
Coming onto more temporal issues, I’m grateful for the sense of community on here. Depending upon how the next few weeks pan out, we’ll either be partying like it’s 1999 (thanks Prince) or we’re going to need to offer consoling words to each other over the summer (and possibly for another 19 odd years til the stars realign for us).
If all is good in N5, I may still be drowning my sorrows if those fucking Bluebirds are relegated.
Cheers KP-greatly appreciated
on a more football-related note, I was dissappointed, albeit not surprised, that the potential United Finnish buyer, Thomas Zilliacus, dropped out of contention…his proposed hybrid ownership model, between himself and the fanbase, could have signalled a significant return to something far more commonsensical…of course whenever common sense enters the equation, it’s typically quashed by those who care infinitely more about the bottom-line…it sounds as if he might float a similar proposal to those in charge at Liverpool, but I so wish that sort of organizational model was adopted here in North London, as Wenger always proclaimed that we were a “big” club with a “small” club familial environment, which tragically became a rather disingenuous narrative once we landed in our new home
Just a quick diversion from all things Arsenal to a little play on names from the Rugby World.
Biden Barrett at number 15 in the All Blacks squad 😆 and he came out with a zinger:
“Hey New Zealand, if you can’t beat Ireland you ain’t All Blacks”
https://i.imgur.com/QTUoIDC.jpg
TRVL – Thanks for sharing the uncanny similarities albeit at different periods during our lives. It must have been tough when you felt you didn’t belong during your adolescent days that are so confusing for so many and when parents need to be well read on whatever they are experiencing. Having a natural academic mind must have been confusing knowing more than your parents and acing tests without thinking.
It’s funny KP and I had our first in depth discussion on LG when I suggested after Guendouzi was in full non -negotiables flow that he has a spectrum issue where filters are missing. KP thought I was Dr Spock giving me both barrels as is expected on LG, so I elaborated about my and Junior’s ADHD, my daughter’s propensity to depression, which Pumpkin, her life cat has sorted out, and my dear wife’s ADHD mix of all sorts. Our’s truly is a mad house. 🙂
I would suggest or even go as far as to say it stronger that you are most definitely one of the spectrum club members as I call it. Whatever alphabet suit is your domain, and I include KP in this and if his son is still trying to gratingly fuck the TV when the opposition scores, that junior is sitting next to KP on the lexicon of nutters, which I use affectionately as the spectrum.
There’s a lot more to KP 007 MKII than we know. 🙂
I thought Almunia had to be a fully paid up member of “you don’t have to be mad to talk to us, but it helps” but I fear it’s the curse of the Guinness club that has taken hold of our resident genius satirist who’s being missed greatly.
On a more very serious note, no parent should bury their children and that would be enough to put me in a very dark place and to be avoided at all costs until I found a way to deal with such tragic loss. One of my MC friends lost a son in a hit and run in Australia and went on a rampage for about 18 months fighting anyone he could; the bigger the better so he could get hurt more than he felt already.
I imagine with your boxing and MMA abilities that was an option for you, my friend. Hope I’m wrong on that, but …………….
I lost my best friend and older father type mentor (32) as I’ve posted before who died in my arms when I was 19. I’m at the age where old friends are dying of old age and I’m fighting the aging process to the extent that I keep as agile as I can; mentally and physically.
I’ve been looking at properties in France while it’s Thai new year here: Song Kran.
https://www.google.com/searchq=thailand+songkran&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&vet=1&fir=6vHzb0L1mkjAIM%252C7_Kr_xMx2KGOnM%252C_%253BOuFpm8N1kWcAaM%252Cpk1XYM6lR4l5AM%252C_%253BkOlCoUBjUVLCeM%252CBpTEH4of4N6pSM%252C_%253BKIB6hbwh35owvM%252CGpP1v3JgCDiUdM%252C_%253Bl1uS6jH7gzi2cM%252CGX68R0TuOd3ZCM%252C_%253BygpIQqIeCLcp4M%252CTMk3m8WkM9eMIM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kQ4_UXxacAdsPGbn7tI5K2V45JZBg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiUl4vy26j-AhVvxDgGHdz2AWYQ_h16BAhvEAE#imgrc=kOlCoUBjUVLCeM
Yup it’s water fighting time where even the police get soaked. While the family are competing to find the iciest water chilled by huge chunks of ice and gung ho. It’s the biggest wet T-shirt party in the world for 4 days.
It’s not my first rodeo so I’m house hunting in a haze of smoke. Found one chateau with 3 gites and a recording studio that was interesting. The more I explore the more I think we could end up with a beautiful property with an income of about 60K euros plus if our daughter opens a French/Thai fusion restaurant.
Could keep the family in a good lifestyle for the rest of their lives.
I was thinking with enough accommodation we could all enjoy a summer together with our families in around 5 years from now. Gratis of course.
Of course Marc & Ambarish you would be invited as well along with Almunia.
so song time and Janis Joplin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn5TNqjuHiU
Hi Tony
You’ve got an impressive memory mate. I think with Gunnerdoozy as I still like to call him we were two of his only and staunchest defenders but were coming at that defence in different ways. I think Arsenal have always thrived and won trophies with a pugnacious character in midfield. The rest of LG were happy to toe whichever line Pedro and his weird Uncle Arteta were peddling and at that stage it was simply that Matteo was a hothead and needed to be purged. I gather he’s potentially being sought by Emery for 35 million so you and I seem to have been proven right.
Glad to report though that Junior no longer tries to fornicate with the Samsung! Although at live games, he still enjoys standing on seats and swallow diving with other kids on the rare occasions Cardiff find the back of the net this season. He’s gone down the practical academic route and is enjoying studying electrical engineering while having a part time job in a twee local pub. Thankfully he’s not massively interested in booze as I used to be before I became a semi-professional boozing diplomat.
I think there’s one defensive mantra the boys need for West Ham. Watch out for Jarrod Bowen. A fast powerful running right winger. I’d give serious thought to starting KT in order to contain him. Otherwise the hammers are not up to snuff this season.
HI KP
It was a good way to kick off what has been and continues to be a good friendship and meeting of minds. Good to hear the Samsung is much safer and that junior has gone on to more technical celebrations that require being airborne and kind of caught. He sounds a real character and chip off the not so old block.
The funniest swallow dive I saw was back in 79 at the Glasgow Apollo with the 14 foot high stage. I was on the desk out front on the 2-tone tour when a skinhead climbed up his mates’ human ladder to get on the stage. Once up next to Suggs he noticed the band’s 120kg solid muscle personal security racing across the stage, so the skin mimicked a swallow dive to his mates below and took off just before the security got to him.
No idea what his mates were on, but they thought it was funny to do a Moses Red Sea leaving a space for the skin to hit the floor hard spread eagled.
TRVL you’re smarter than me and could probably work out the velocity the Skin hit the floor, but there was a lot of blood on the stretcher he was carried out on by the paramedics. His face looked liked he’d run into the back of a reversing bus, so I guessed that took a lot of the brunt force trauma.
It’s only rock & roll but I like it.
Tony
Song Kran.. I remember checking into this posh-ish hotel in BKK for work in the early 90s and the staff were throwing buckets of water at me. Terrific fun and much needed because the weather was baking. I seem to remember people putting tiger balm on their faces as well right?
I know you’ll already have this in mind but if you do go further down the route of eventually buying somewhere in France, supply wildly outstrips demand in the housing market down south so drive a hard bargain.
KP
It’s mayhem and chaos all rolled into a fun 4 days where around 400 will die from drunken motorbike accidents.
The tradition is to dab flour on the cheeks and forehead with a little water sprinkled on the head.
To anyone who has never been, it’s worth the searing heat around 42*C in BKK but feels like 50*C unless wet. Back in the day when I was single me and some mates would fly around the north east finding pick ups full of girls to do battle with then stop to drink together as is the custom.
I’m beginning to notice the volume of properties for sale and it’s always worth finding out how long a property has been on the market and the real reason they are selling. As a tester, I’ve looked at the £1 million and under with most being around 750,000 to 850,000 Euro as I’ve no idea at this stage how long before Mrs T retires. I’ll look at double and treble that in the future when I have an idea of available funds, as I want to keep the property here after building it over 10 years, it’s perfect for us. It will also give us the potential to take advantage of any tax laws if we are non residents taking it in turns to be back in Thailand.
As with making the videos, I’m going in blind to begin with and will build a team of experts as and when I need them starting with a good local lawyer.
It’s an adventure, one I hope will help me live longer and I can’t wait to pick up my French, which is slightly better than Del Boy at the moment. It’ll mean I’ll really have an outside life again though you’ll have to feel sorry for the locals which might take time tom get them adjusted to us raving loonies depending on them singing this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNGXUNjlWbk
Descending*
I’ll come to you, KP, for accounting advice when necessary if I can drag your Barca sat arse out of retirement. Payment in bud, bud?
Tony-as someone who tends to use humour to deflect from the emotionality of a moment, I was able to choose a more pragmatic course of action…this was likewise aided by the fact that I had already experienced two near fatal blood clotting episodes prior to 2001, so the idea of taking my grief out on others with my fists and feet would have been a potentially suicidal option, which seemed nonsensical in light of the fact that I had a 3 year old son at the time…that said, It’s not like it didn’t cross my mind a myriad of times
for example, a couple months following her passing I was driving home with my son after his first swimming lessons; it was a crisp winter day, but the roads were bare; as I approached a major intersection and prepared to turn right, a person came running across the road in order to beat a soon changing light; as such, I needed to stop rather abruptly in order to avoid disaster; unfortunately, the fucking idiot in the old school steel-bumpered magazine van failed to react in kind and ploughed into the back of my vehicle; I immediately shot out of the driver’s seat like a crazed animal looking to beat the living shit out of whomever was in the offending vehicle, with no regards whatsoever what that might entail; I must have looked the part as this much larger individual was so concerned by my fenzied approach that he immediately sought refuge in the back of his van; I proceeded to smash the glass from panel door, so as to access the interior handle, while simultaneously yelling “don’t you know I have my fucking kid in the fucking back seat you fucking cocksucker”; as those words rolled out of my foaming mouth-hole I started to come to my senses; almost immediately my whole emotional script was flipped and I anxiously proceeded to do what I should have done in the first place, check on the safety of my son, who btw was inifnitely more rattled by my actions than the accident itself
I learned a valuable lesson that day and I would go so far as to suggest that I was a better parent and person after surviving a potentially life-changing scenario, as I might have put both that man and myself into a critical care ward or worse…if I had survived such a bloodbath, especially considering that I was already bleeding profusely from my wrist and hand following my window smashing escapade, due to my blood thinning complications, I would have likely faced some serious legal consequences…they would have undoubtedly thrown the book at my ass, as this was by no means my first rodeo, which would have left my son without a father during his formative years and greatly increased the likelihood that my second daughter might never have been born…even the thought of this makes me shudder…take care
frenzied