We have suddenly discovered a new rivals in Aston Villa since Emi Martinez opened his mouth, and Emery returned to Premier League to manage them. It’s one of the game where the emotions will be high, and there is a lot to prove from both the sides and managers.
Emery first, he loves to be the underdog and bully the big guys, and that bitterness of being sacked from the position of Arsenal manager must still be in his mind. He would be out their to prove a point. Arteta on the other hand, has lost 2 games, drew another one in last 3, and have lost the top of the league position to Man City. Confidence is on the low and he would be more than eager to get back on winning tracks. A loss today would derail the title ambitions and put immense criticism and pressure on the players and the manager.
Team sheet is out, and we have Trossard starting his first premier league game for Arsenal in place of Martinelli. I will have to agree with it now, Martinelli needs a rest and Trossard has done well coming off the benches since joining us. Ben White is back at RB and there is no Partey again. A midfield of Jorginho and Xhaka do not give me confidence but Jorginho has an okay-ish game against City, today we can judge him better whether the gamble we have taken will pay off for the remainder of the season. We have a good news in Emile, he has made the bench and we need him. Reiss Nelson is back too, but his contract situation is very confusing, I don’t see any point in giving him any game time if he do not sign. If we are in a winning position, I would also love to see some of the Kiwior in later half of the game.
Here’s the team :
Line up looks good to me, we should, on an ideal day, get away with a win. However, things aren’t going so great and I hope the team shows up which beat Liverpool, United and Spu*s.
Right, short one today. It’s Saturday evening, sun is still visible and I am off to a place where they are playing it on a big screen. Hopefully I will return back happier and top of the league where we belong.
#COYG
Almunia & K’Phobe,
I feel the same Almunia when you and K’Phobe discuss sports and football where I wonder if I lived in some parallel universe and have somehow shifted over. I couldn’t help thinking Liam Brady would have been seriously considered as you discussed. I remember most of the names you discussed above, but would never have come up with them off the top of my head.
Tough one Almunia when it come to music as ,it’s so subjective and why our choices are so eclectic. I’m finding new music all the time and today as friend sent me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrFH0kSmLro A modern day Kraftwerk or Mike Oldfield with interesting beats and melodies touching into deep house and Madonna – very soothing.
I spend about 8 hours a day now I’m retired in my Room with my vast collection and Tidal and Qobuz and finding new music all the time. Music is my life outside my family it’s in my head all the time even when I’m not listening to music: one of the few pleasures of occupying the spectrum.
https://jhaudio.com & https://www.schiit.com buy what you can afford from these 2 companies and you will have an unparalleled sound stage in your ears that would replicate parts of my room. I use 2 Schiit DACs to run my 2 Meyer Aime sub channels with my Trinnov. I think they were about US$200 each. You could keep it all Jhaudio as they have the full range, too.
Just down to individual budgets. It’s immersive sound with decent adjustable bass on the top IEM models.
I spent 9 years in the industry as a sound engineer and later management. I’m a tech audiophile sound engineer still happily drowning in music. The new Rolling Stones Blu-Ray: Grrr is also excellent with Jonathon Meyer and Lady Gaga guesting.
if you’re a Bowie fan then this is a must:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moonage-Daydream-Blu-ray-Region-Free/dp/B0B7SBHFWY
Back to the best of the Irish I’ll stay with Brady as he was a magician on the ball and Arsenal.
I’m in full music mode today, so off to my Room.
Have a good one lads.
Just noticed my post is awaiting moderation, Ambarish? Would you mind telling me why?
If you wish to censor me in any way, Ambarish, I’ll leave the blog and you can delete my presence here or the mention of future help.
I had enough with LG I can live without LIR or any football blog, as i’ll probably start wringing something I’ve been putting off.
Thanks for the platform anyway, Ambarish. Sorry lads but I’m not being moderated by any anyone I’m tapping out.
writing* – not Blog*
just testing…
KP,
Fell asleep last night before I could reply! Your selections are great,real food for thought. Going to do England first. I’m going to exclude the 66 team because they are before my time but for clarity,from all I’ve watched and read,3 of them would be in my top 3,Bobby Charlton,Banks and Bobby Moore. But I’m going to pick from 70’s onwards. Same for Wales and Scotland. England top 5 is
1. Gazza
2. Lineker
3.Barnes
4.Beckham.
5.Shilton.
A real mixed bag there. I wouldn’t have watched a fraction of England’s games that you have so I’d imagine I have made the mistake of picking brilliant club players who didn’t produce for England( Barnes?) But I would level that accusation St the entire golden generation of the noughties,bar Beckham. Keegan is an enigma for me,never really understood the hype. Loved Beardsley too but never seemed to do it in an England shirt. Owen was perhaps more consistent in fairness. Hate Rooney so my bias wins there! Of our boys Adams,Seaman and Wright were probably best. Dixon rarely let them down. Does Platt count as one of ours? Shearer was one of my all time favourite strikers but for me Lineker was the most consistent English striker in the really big games. Rarely went missing,rarely missed big chances.
Bound to have missed a load more ain’t I? Always liked Bryan Robson too,he played with utd before I began to truly detest them! Ince was another you’d rather have with you than against. I’ll shut up now,could go on for hours!
Tony,
Is it possible the site was having problems? If MB is moderating you we’re all in trouble. KP and I will be banned for boring the hole off everyone with our very lengthy strolls down memory lane!! I’d doubt very much you are being censored my friend, blame it on the machines.
Wales is easy.
1.Neville Southall.
2.Kevin Ratcliffe.
3.Gareth Bale.
4.Mark Hughes.
5.Ian Rush.
Rush is the most likely of these to fall into the great club player who didn’t always produce for his country category. Giggs can do one,pushed his country too far behind his club. Bellamy and Speed are probably the best two not to make it. I loved pat van den Hauwe also. John Charles too far before my time. Ramsey just a level below. Did I miss anyone really obvious?
Scotland
1. Dalglish,no doubt.
2. Colin Hendry,braveheart.
3.Alan Hansen,rolls Royce.
4. Gramme Souness,crunch.
5.Ally McCoist,goals.
Much harder.Denis Law and Billy Bremner victims of my pre 70’s ignorance. 3 Celtic midfielders,all equally brilliant,very unlucky not to make it,Paul McStay,John Collins,Paul Lambert. Strikers like Frank Mcavennie and Big Dunc worth a shout. I never saw Fletcher have a bad game in a tartan shirt,nor Gary Macallister for that matter. David Speedie was another gem. Feck I forgot Pat Nevin,he was class also. Scotland have produced some gems haven’t they. Stevie Nicol too. I’ll stop!
Real have almost thrown this away already! Need Benzema to reproduce one of the many Lazarus-type performances that were the hallmark of their winning run last year. Can’t have Liverpool winning this trophy again!!
Nuts game. 2 all and it could have been more easily. Surprised at Allison,incredible keeper. Not so much Courtous,also brilliant but never as comfortable with his feet. Anfield is such an intimidating place to go,particularly on Euro nights,worth a goal to Liverpool every time. We miss that having left Highbury. Such a pity that the move was necessary. No title since then. No surprise really.
It’s not like I have anything personal against Elneny, as he appears to be a positive squad presence, but why exactly are we re-upping him…just doesn’t make much sense to me, especially with all the academy and loaned out pieces we have who need minutes moving forward…not to mention the fact that we need to properly address this particular position come the summer, regardless of the rather premature praise being heaped upon Jorginho, considering his incredibly brief sample size
on a side note,Tony, I would imagine your “moderation” predicament was merely a glitch, especially considering the fact that your post strongly opposing just such a scenario made it onto the site…I know how you feel though, as I’ve experienced a plethora of time in moderation hell over the years, which can be quite a triggering proposition
Almunia
We might have hit on something here that will help alleviate some late winter boredom. I think you’re much more efficient than me at pulling some important names out of your memory archives.
Boring the hole off of someone is a terrific turn of phrase!
Hi Tony
Almunia could well be right. See what Ambarish says but it’s unlike him. But if you were censored, you’ll be in good company – I’ve had a least three pieces not see the light of day. They were all admittedly rather offensive, decidedly anti-Arteta and not altogether relevant so I figured I deserved it. This is a great place to read and exchange thoughts. In the words of KC (and his sunshine band), please don’t go. At the very least, Ambarish doesn’t have loads of fucking alter egos like gloomy Ganesh, vindictive Virat or sarcastic Sachin. No twats called Zaheerarse either. We’re all good on here man.
Almunia
Moderation hell… For me it was blessed relief being disinvited to paranoid Pedro’s dick measuring party! I used to go on the Gooner a lot in the late Wengerian period and switched onto LG when it hit a massive brick wall when Kevin Whitcher left. LG was tolerable til Pedro became a malinche-esque turncoat.
This is one for the ages. How many teams come back on Euro night at Anfield from 2 down? Expect Liverpool onslaught now!
TRVL,
The Elneny extension is very ominous I fear. The idea that it’s a loyalty reward is nonsensical. That’s not how big clubs operate is it? More likely its with an eye on failing to secure top targets over the summer. Many Arsenal fans really haven’t fully analysed just how much money Arteta has been afforded in regenerating this team. He has spent a fortune with much of it wasted. There should be no shock if such financial backing is reduced going forward. Comparisons to City and Chelsea’s spending are lazy. Why not compare his spending to the other 17 prem clubs? People would soon begin to understand why many think top 4 was always too simplistic an aim in his 4th season after such huge investment.
KP–when I was referring to “moderation hell” I wasn’t speaking speficially of LG, which did occur on a couple of occasions, but what I have experienced on several overtly pro-Arteta payola hack sites…Pedro actually tried to oust me under the misplaced notion that I was being homophobic simply because I suggested that Nigel was such a self-absorbed twat that he had hired himself on as his own personal fluffer
So I think we can say no trophies for Liverpool this year. Oh dear, what a shame.
Extending Elneny, irrespective of his fitness is a monumentally stupid idea. It’ll disenfranchise Patino, Azeez and the even younger ones and there are thousands of younger versions of Elneny at clubs the world over. Arteta morphs into a sentimental late Wenger conveniently missing a period of club success. What the fuck are they doing?
Sorry TRVL
In my dotage, I thought it was Almunia that was referring to his own moderation hell. We’ve all been there it seems…
Different case from your but nevertheless an example of Pedro’s arrogance and stupidity. I got thoroughly sick of him using Emery’s relatively limited English as a stick/shtick to beat him with. All that good ebening shite you’ll doubtless remember, which was lapped up by his sycophants. I told him him it was poor behaviour on his part to be exhibiting such discrimatory bigoted rubbish to attack Emery.
His response? How can you say I’m racist when my gf is from Latin America. What a fucking dimwit.
No doubt Almuniasaynomore…the concerns you’ve raised regarding “wasted” monies already spent shouldn’t be overlooked by the fanbase, which is why I’ve exhausted considerable energy discussing our overpayment for the likes of White, Ramsdale, Vieira, among others, plus the “real” financials surrounding the January window (ie both fees and wage bill)…furthermore, Elneny has had some rather significant injury concerns over the past couple of years, which is unacceptable for a bit part player who’s best ability is availability
it was like Pool woke the sleeping dragon…fun affair to watch as a neutral, minus the piss-poor Keeper assisted goals by each side
KP—Pedro suffers from the same afflicition our former manager did, in that he’s surrounded himself with “yes” man types so he’s lost all meaningful perspective…how ironic considering that he made his hay by attacking Wenger for doing some of the very things he himself is now guilty of…the difference being that whereas Arsene had earned some benefit of the doubt due to his tireless efforts, Pedro was simply another talking head trying to carve out a name for himself in an already crowded debate space…his girlfriend comment is so rich, considering the oh so tired cliche about how I can’t be racist because my best friend is…
Yeah,so much for the Liverpool ‘onslaught ‘! Chippy is on irish TV duty here and he reckons that VVD simply never recovered full fitness after his injury. Also reckons Wijnaldum was never properly replaced. Good calls. I see Napoli won. With an 18 point lead in serie A they are a team who can seriously prioritise the champs lge this year A very good bet I would say as most will now be tossing a coin between real and Bayern. Might check that out tomorrow.
As for pool I’d be surprised if Klopp was there next year. Stevie G to return and the club to struggle is my guess. All this less than a year after coming within a hair’s breadth of an astounding quadruple. Proof that football has to be about the now. Arteta and ‘the youngest squad’ brigade take note!!