I should just wrap up the article, this headline is enough.
We are going into the world cup break with a 5-point lead over Manchester City. We managed to win 2-0 against Wolves while City lost against Brentford. It wasn’t easy against the organized Wolves defence and they had their own chances in the first half but couple of goals from Martin Odegaard in the second half made sure that we weren’t dropping any points.
First half was full of mistakes and some hard luck for us. Gabriel Jesus’s goal was ruled offside but what a magnificent first touch he had, and what a goal it was. William Saliba was having a bad day at work, with a sloppy back pass when Gabriel came to the rescue. Xhaka was substituted because he had a bad stomach in 15th minute and that meant we switched to a Partey + Vieira instead of our usual. I am still not sure where Vieira plays, is he a competition to Odegaard or can he play on the wings? Sambi would have been the usual choice to partner Partey in Xhaka’s absence but Vieira didn’t disappoint and earned an assist lately.
Jesus had another one of those shots hitting the woodwork, which would land in the nets most of the time. He is going through a goal drought. He has been brilliant for us and he brings a different positioning play for us. You could see him moving to the wings when Martinelli or Saka move towards the centre. Martinelli specially loves to do it, to put himself in a scoring situation and Jesus provides an overlap to Zinchenko at the left wing. And mind you, this all happens without drop in the quality of our play. Brilliant, innit?
The other day I was having a chat with one of my City mates who was eager to prove Phil Foden is better than Saka. Well, he is not. I agree Saka lacks the cutting edge finishing which Foden has (his goal against Brentford was superb) but if you are telling me Foden is better than Saka because he has scored 7 goals to his 4, I would point out Saka has a better assist numbers (6 to 3 of Foden). I would also point out that Saka brings much more to the play at Arsenal than what Phil does at City.
So where are we after 14 games? Top of the table and it’s lonely here!
A 5 points lead after more than 1/3rd of the season is over is not a fluke. Brentford was an easy game for us but City lost against them. We have beaten Liverpool and Chelsea.
We play West Ham (H), Brighton (A), New Castle (H) before going into the North London Derby on 14th Jan at Shite Hart Lane. Four crucial games, West Ham because players will be World Cup fatigued, Brighton is always a tough game, New Castle are playing some superb football and are sitting ahead of Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United and Spu*s.
But all of them are winnable! A true test to Mikel’s side because we are leading and keeping a lead is always tougher than chasing.
Irrespective of how rest of the season pans out, these 14 games have given us a hope. A hope that we are competitive at the top level. I have been critical of Mikel Arteta and he did take a lot of time while learning on the job, but the results looks brilliant now.
We have a young team, playing some nice football, who believes in themselves and winning against the top 6 home and away. Fans are louder than ever, players celebrate a goal like it matters, no one’s bi*ching and dropping a Ozil-esque performance and we, the fans, and players believe Arsenal can achieve something great this season.
Cheers to that!
Hey K’Phobe
I was a sound engineer and tour manager on the 2-Tone tour. Now there are some stories to tell when you have the Ska boys in a pissing context.
I guess at some stage in life we’ll have to meet up and share war stories if I can still remember them then.
Now our daughter has graduated from RMIT Melbourne with her Aerospace engineer BA and she’s talked to us about a 5 year plan for her to take over the company starting as a first line manager and shadowing my wife to finally become MD with my wife part time CEO. We’ll see what Junior has in mind when he’s at Uni.
Our daughter did a year’s internship during covid so she’s done the basic unskilled work to know what goes on.
Your holiday sounds excellent with perfect temps. If Etna starts coughing might be time to add northern Italy to your travels rapid.
Hope you and Mrs K have the quality time you’re after sans bairns.
KP, I hope Wales heap agony on a poor Southgate team.
Question is can King George slay the Welsh dragon?
I’m rooting for the dragon using my Scottish heritage for once. Gaelic’s have to stick together as the have since the 12th century.
When you’ve witnessed our only world cup win and the shit show England puts on at every tournament, you lose any kinship with England’s football team.
Jesus that was a bad match yesterday. How can a manager have the likes of Kane, Saka, Foden, Mount, Grealish etc etc and be so poor going forward.
Marc
Handbrake football
In other news:
RIP Dodi Weir: one of the Scottish greats at a time Scottish rugby was feared by all.
In the 70s & 80s Wales and Scotland kicked lumps out of the English and Irish. We were cannon fodder to them: warm up games for the French and each other.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/doddie-weir-rugby-dead-mnd-28591440
In the 70s & 80s Wales and Scotland kicked lumps out of the English and Irish. We were cannon fodder to them: warm up games for the French and each other.
Tony
I don’t know what you call it but its bloody awful to watch.
Morocco 1 nil up against Belgium – if they can hold on another major shock result.
Marc
Didn’t see the game but laughed when I saw Belgium lost 2 :0. Martinez like Southgate with their tactics and footballing nous.
Decent player and captain for Palace but nothing of note club football wise. Squeaky clean fits the clueless FL suits.
Who’s next? John Terry? I think Eddie Howe would have the right image or Potter if he ever gets the Chavs firing.
Both would suit England players and vast improvement on Southgate.
Club management football *
Tony
Football management’s the only job where doing a really bad job in public get’s you another job.
Crazy world.
Marc
I’d only add being a fucking Tory puts someone in that category too. You have to wonder why it took so long for people to come to their senses over Bojo. I guess his protection of a sexual predator was the straw that broke the camels back after the persistent lying, racism, homophobia and all round cuntishness failed to do the job. The present incumbent is just a weak kneed wanker.
Kroenke
I’d point out Bliar started an illegal war (one of his many crimes) and has not only done well since leaving office but was all but lined up to be President of the EU.
Morning all watched a few highlights of the England goals. Very happy Saka, White and Ramsdale have yet to put in some decent minutes in. Form a purely selfish stance long may that continue. Can only see injuries to Stones or Maguire and Walker for White to get some minutes.
What a player Jude Bellingham is. His highlights reel is very real. Can’t see Saka unseating Foden, but could play instead of Henderson at RWB.
With Jesus stuck on there bench we’re in good shape thus far for our lad’s engines being replenished while any niggling niggles can heal. The minutes Martinelli has had will be greatly beneficial for the lad.
Essentially, there are 4 games left including the final. England are just as likely to get to the final as go out against Senegal but my feeling is they will get to the semis with France/Spain final. That’s just from the few minutes I’ve seen or what I’ve read.
Thankfully, I’m not really affected by politics other than world wars and pandemics. Even the latter the govt managed to keep control of the pandemic and keep deaths and infections down.
Expat life is like that.
Bird and Fortune did the best political satire with Rory Bremner (serious ADHD sufferer), which is pretty much how I view politics in general. Too many agendas, too much greed for power to see what really needs to be done to really help the populations.
14 of my MC club’s riders came up north to see me and Junior and my wife who they respect greatly for her strength in business and leadership. I met an old member who at 53 had just retired here from Belgium I hadn’t met before. One of the most interesting men I’ve met in ages, but no surprise him being a MIG – Member in Good Standing.
K’phobe this will probably resonate with you, but the guy was the lead detective for the multicultural 9/11 task force in New York because, not only does he speak 8 languages fluently, but he got an aerospace engineering degree when he was in the Belgium air force. At the time he was lead detective in one of Belgium’s special branches.
Junior now has an 18 golf handicap similar to many of the brothers who play golf, so he’s got invites all over the country and Europe now to go and play.
My first night out in 3 years. Let that sink in. Even a low covid dosage could greatly harm my underlying issues.
But a great night for a first night. It was great to see my brothers again after 3 years in the flesh and not FaceTime.
Marc
C’mon mate, that one’s way too easy to rebut. Tory B Liar was and is a massive fucking Conservative poster boy who miraculously ended up running a party with a formerly pro-worker bent as a continuation Tory party. Thatcher fucking loved him which said it all really. The Labour Party was much less sanguine thanks to clause 4, sucking up to Murdoch’s misanthropic greedy bullshit and making up the grounds to invade and destroy foreign countries. He’s a massive cunt and his wife’s a money grubbing shit bag. Do you seriously think he and wankers like Mandelson were ever aligned with genuine Labour values?
You say he’s done well since leaving office… Let this mega irony sink in. He calls himself a middle east peace envoy after all the deaths he caused there. Marc, he ought to be embraced by people with your political views – to me, he’s up there with Thatcher and the likes of Johnson as a serious enemy within. TB a lefty? Don’t make me laugh.
Hi Tony
Nice one. I trust your Belgian mate came up with the same conclusion as Michael Moore (with which I agree), ie it was carried out by the Saudis chief among them Osama BL who were of course protected by the Bush family and the GOP. Letting them all leave on that plane a few days after 9/11 when air routes were otherwise closed was the ultimate betrayal of the victims. I moved to DC about 6 months later and saw up close how every brown person (except members of the Saudi regime) was persecuted and hunted by the USA. There was some shocking institutional racism towards black and brown travellers to the US at that time. I had an absolute fuck load of casework as a result. Some of it was heartbreaking.
Saddam was a clearly bad bastard but I think he had absolutely zero involvement in 9/11. Nevertheless someone, anyone, had to pay.
On the pandemic, it sounds like the Thai govt did a far better job of managing it than fuckwit Bojo who made a huge mess of it of course which resulted in thousands of unnecessary deaths and widescale corruption that his mates benefitted from. You’ll be amazed by how utterly shit ingerland is these days – an erstwhile empire in terminal decline.
Hi K’Phobe
Agree with all you say but my bro said there was too much interference and conspiracy talk always trying to derail, if not a temporary diversion for the task force. It sounded a nightmare to deal with other than the obvious we all felt at the time. I’m looking forward to seeing him again.
Hope the holiday was good with Mrs. K’Phobe.
Intentionally, I have only watched England’s last win highlights and read/seen various reports on Qatar where various sections of the media have reported heavy handed and simply ridiculous officialdom meted to supporters, which has been the ruination of the World Cup’s emotive feelings and traditions for many if not all.
Qatar getting one over their Arabian neighbors to host something they’ve never played in before or care enough about to be a less draconian country for 8 weeks. £200+billion to go out in the group stages playing 3rd division English football (sorry 3rd Div teams), and now adding sour grapes to their intolerant rule adhering and obvious disdain for supporters enjoying themselves.
Talking to junior we discussed the pros and cons for having the next W/C in Thailand:
It’s has the travel infrastructure to handle flights and accommodations both internally and internationally.
The people will embrace all supporters lovingly receiving them of some fo their wealth for services rendered.
Probably need 4 new stadiums to add to Buri Ram or upgrade a couple of potentials. Thais are very good builders where the additional work will be welcomed and safe by the population.
Thailand would be proud to promote and uphold all the W/C traditions.
Lower costs in Thailand means more people in the lower income brackets can come to realise a dream
Usual W/C July August times are the rain season here. Humidity would be high. However, January is winter here with temps from 12*C early morning to 28*C midday and 23/30*C in the evenings. Junior and I think a 6-week break in Jan would be a good thing for the PL teams to regroup and deal with injuries.
We also thought the King Power family, owner’s of Leicester City, would have the understanding and experience in top level football to be advisors for a Thailand held World Cup.
Hi Tony
In a just and sane world – even one that was still wedded to the iniquities and miseries of capitalism – Thailand or India would be optimal hosts of a future World Cup. The sporting side would be terrific but the perceived level of infrastructure development needed to satisfy the crooks in FIFA would divert even more money away from whee it ought to go. I’m in favour of these multi venue tournaments using existing stadia. After all, the vast majority of watchers are on telly who care not a jot whether the games is being played in Chiang Mai, Chennai or Chingford (see what I did there?). Only 17 days to go?
Kroenke
If you think Bliars right wing you’re mad – he’s right wing of Corbyn or Kinnick but most sane people are. Crazy world you think Bliars right wing and most true Tories think the current Government is Blue Labour.
Marc & K’Phobe
Politicians are just power hungry, money grabbing, ex public school or top Grammar schools’ old boys (mostly) people looking for fame and fortune at the country’d expense. Thatcher to old gold squandering Cameron to Major channelling his Errol Flynn silly mustache and doing very little of what he promised.
I mean what’s there to discuss: they are all selfish cnuts out for themselves! Simple.
K’phobe, you’ll be watching the Catalans and Basques looking for civil war with some fascination: maybe Arteta will become the next Che Guevara for northern Spain after football.
Brit politics unless you are governed financially by the country’s rules, you can laugh at good old Blighty’s buffoons running the country singing or humming “One Dolameta” while lazing in the pool with a 30 foot straw in a gallon of fortified Sangria. Although,If you’re going to sing forget Spain’s old tried and tested and go for something like this: God’s Country:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEWGyyLiqY4
Then a slow waltz with Mrs K to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FyouhVf20c&list=RD5FyouhVf20c&index=1
Marc I realised when I was in my 20s that the shit of the 70s I lived through would repeat itself and no doubt will again in another 40 to 50 years after now. Cycles happen from the 2000 year Chinese cycles to more simple ones, such as inflation and the property markets.
Any trust of politicians evaporated and I was hell bent to work outside of the country and one day soon, I’d lead an expat life.
Family is a big tie, but luckily I had very few being adopted late and now all are dead. I have more family in Thailand now.
I don’t recognise England any more by the more I read about the country and see in the press. I guess that’s the price of world growth and weak borders run by incompetents in London.
The world’s getting tougher to find a real quality of life. K’Phobe’s found his. I hope you find yours, Marc.
In other funny news, The Huns have been eliminated from the W/C by a poetic justice goal by giant killers: Japan. I guess vorsprung durch technik is a thing of the past and Ozil will be smirking and Pierre cracking his trusty knuckles to dangle some bait on LG once more.
I say poetic because of the EL Tel W/C? When we scored a goal that had clearly gone over the goal line, but was disallowed ending our hopes again.
Messi is finally finding W/C form where some of the football in the last few games have vastly overshadowed the oppressive fun sapping, Qatari rules.
Last 16 should see a few great games, but it’s the last 8 junior and I will watch, as it looks like it could be far more interesting than the last boring W/C with England ghosting its way to the final hardly scoring en route.
Be well and happy all.
Hi Marc
I sense from reading between the lines that you position Blair to the left of you politically. I’m wondering if most of the rest of us are so positioned as well. And you evidently don’t regard yourself as a centrist. Nor do I. Blair was head of the Labour Party, that’s true, but if you look at his record in office (which is the key to this) you could not help but fail to appreciate just how right-wing/reactionary/neo-liberal/war-mongering/self-seeking and fucking anti-working class he was. I’ve already given three sound examples of how evidently unsuitable he was as Head of the Labour movement. Where’s your evidence to the contrary, ie that he was a solid, red-book carrying internationalist and a working class hero? History matters, not titles or grand words. You should be happy that you’ve had Tory thinking leaders since Jim Callaghan left office. Why rub it in and somehow perpetrate the lie that Blair was not part of that?
Kin ell. Only a few weeks to go til we can stop thinking about right wing cunts like Tony Blair.
Marc and Tony
We’re not going to convince each other on this, but I think I’d have a reasonable case for painting Blair as a traitor of the Labour movement and therefore the people who voted for him.
Tony – your takes on politicians, ie that they’re all shit and corrupt, is fun but a little bit wide of the mark and too easy. Corbyn failed to ring a lot of people’s bells in terms of electability but I’m certain that the guy didn’t have a corrupt bone in that genuinely pacifist scrawny vegetarian badly dressed body of his. His policies scare people like you Marc because they allowed people to think there was a more equal, fairer way of life for Brits which is anathema to Tories who just want it all for themselves. Bojo and Rich-y Sunak on the other hand….
Tony. You’d be appalled if you ever decide to cone back here. England politically is like 70s Italy. Truly fucked and bombed.
Oh and don’t worry about my former teammate Starmer when he wins the next GE, Marc. It’ll be continuity Blair/Cameron/May/Major/Heath/Sunak all the way masquerading as a Labour movement. Notice I didn’t include Thatcher, Truss and Bojo in that roll call of honour. Those three are properly swivel eyed lunatics who hate(d) British people.
Good Times ahead – not! Getting back on message (kinda… ) I’d rather Tets was PM or Gareth horse face Southgate.
K’Phobe corruption isn’t just about power and money, it’s about morals, too. Particularly for people in seats of power.
“An that’s all I gonna say about that” 🙂
Life’s too short for me to get excited or uptight about politics, nor do I have the energy for it. I’ve pretty much always livid in my nomadic world rarely putting down roots for more than a few years tops until I came to S E Asia.
I’m happy chipping into to put a new roof on village schools our club is doing at the moment. Which school is next is political enough for me, guys. 🙂
Enjoy the weekend.
Nice one Tony. You too. There’s space for Marc and me on a football blog – he’d be lined up on the right wing, and I’d be the Marxist Leninist controlling the centre ground in midfield… And the left of course!
OK it’s official ref’s are even bigger cunts (sorry Ambarish I know you’re not a fan of bad language but its warranted here) than even I thought.
Player scores for Cameroon against Brazil in the 92nd minute takes his shirt off in celebration and is shown a 2nd yellow / red.
Any decent person / ref would’ve “got something in their eye” and missed it.
Marc
Common sense is rarely used these days.
Marc
Good point. I’ve never been a fan of automatic bookings, esp for something like that which is pretty mild. Meanwhile, on the other channel Xhaka, Xhaquiri (sp – can’t be arsed to look it up) and the Serbians are making gestures to each other that rake over severe historical conflicts with impunity. That Serbia game sounded like a good one.
I though I’d get some of the real thing last night. I actually went to a thing called a football ground and watched 22 geezers kick a ball around on grass. The stands were constructed by well paid builders, none of whom died in the process. And neither Beckham nor Infantino were there whoring themselves out. All overseen by a Welsh Labour government – not an oil kleptocracy (although the team is part sponsored by a local refinery…) Haverfordwest County 2 Penybont (aka Brigdend) 1.
Thats how you do virtue signalling lads. 😁Have a good one.
“I actually went to a thing called a football ground and watched 22 geezers kick a ball around on grass.”
It’ll never catch on!
Watched Martineli in game for Brasil. Impressive running into players and getting past with a feint. But watching him realised why Martineli is not a starter for Brasil . Wants to score, which is a good thing . But at that level the shot towards the goal has to be more perplexing to the goalkeeper. That way heading down is more result oriented than heading where the goalkeeper clutches your shot cleanly.
It is unfortunate that Martineli could not go on loan to learn , since more sauce is not what he needed.