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!
Kroenke
Hi mate – I’ll do a bit of the world cup. Most of the early matches are just terrible but as it goes further on we should get some proper games and it’s a good excuse to go down the pub and have a couple of beers with mates.
On the cooking front I always enjoy playing around when I have a bit of time – something being at the football half kills off the other half is getting in and thinking fuck it I’m getting a take away. Cooked a pretty good Beef Bourguignon weekend before last (made enough to feed half the Emirates on match day) and I came across an Osso Buco recipe the other day that I have an urge to try out.
Sounds good. Not sure which region of Italy Osso Buco comes from but I reckon I’ll possibly struggle to find some in Sicily. I’ll let you know if we find anything particularly appetising. I think some markets are inked into our itinerary. It’ll be a strange atmosphere in Italy with no WC interest. It’s amazing to think they’re Euro Champions and not at the big one.
Hey Marc/K’Phobe
Osso Buco is is one of my favourite dishes. Being the neck cuts it’s considered a cheap meal for the Italians I believe originating from the North where the best food is, but equally could have started in the poorer south, but when done well, it’s as good a Michelin star dish as you’ll get, especially if eaten with flat Parmesan kind of popadoms.
I’m no cook, but have religiously watched all Master Chef Australia seasons, as well as the original MKR. Junior makes a mean ice cream in our machine.
My daughter and I are foodies with my daughter just coming back from Melbourne studying at RMIT uni and was in food heaven, as Melbourne is now considered the food capital of the world. It’s also Masterchef’s base for the competition.
My wife cooks concoctions that kind taste great about 70% of the time where she doesn’t work to recipes and can never remember how she cooked the dish after. Semi – Savants are like that.
It’s rugby for me and finishing my Reference Room with around 350kg for 4 speakers to join the 14 Meyer speakers for full sound emersion. My mains LCR amp is 75kg. Craxzy weight for tech gear.
I’ve agreed with Junior we’ll watch the quarterfinals onwards if the teams are worth watching in the first place. Junior has mid terms on Xmas day, so has a lot of school work to maintain his decent GPA. My daughter is aerospace engineering job seeking right now, but Covid has created a temporary job void at the moment. The Bangkok job market will open in January when employees have received this year’s Xmas bonus and then leave. Then she’ll get a job to get experience in team working and individual projects in a lab environment.
Agreed, Marc, Toney was dumb, so he’ll have to do the punishment to fit the crime. Stupid is stupid as stupid does.
Winter has arrived in Thailand where the temps are excellent and the humidity reasonably low. It’s also harvest time for my herbs ready for 3 month’s curing whilst Junior and I start the next grow project that will take 30 weeks and is only for my consumption.
Junior is only interested in the botany side. We only grow 6 to 10 plants a time closely following the science required to grow competition level plants. At 67 a few days ago, I’ve hung up my riding boots, sold my heavy pro camera set up and am now a MC version of a pipe & slippers retiree in a house built for a happy retirement.
Same as you, K’Phobe’ with your Catalan adventure for your final years. I envy your location in a healthy way. Northbanker, too, he has a place not too far up the road to you. Certainly drivable.
I have plenty to keep my my retirement busy sans football. 18 riders from my MC club are dropping by for 2 days on their winter ride in 2 weeks, so that will be a messy time for all. Using decarboxylation technique I enfuse Grey Goose with the exact amount of pure THC that makes people happy and not couch potatoes. Simple science guys and less consumption required and almost zero hangover bar a bit of tiredness.
Maybe I should swap monikers with, Herb. 🙂
I actually use it as medication daily to mask the vicious side effects from Prostate meds and other concoctions that are supposed to heal, but the side effects are worse. I also don’t want to be like Cheech or Chong all day, which means scientifically accurate doses are required for my weight and how I react to the herbal meds. Best lower back pain and depression & ADHD meds for me. I choose strains for the properties they give to suit my life’s/body’s needs where I rarely suffer from the above issues. I don’t drink alcohol or smoke tobacco: THC and plant derivatives for healing and pleasure is all I need to be pain free with the occasional dull aching back.
Pierre if you’re reading come and join LG’s brain drain where your posts will be greatly appreciated and not attacked; the banter is cool here and not personal, too. Other topics in quiet days are also welcome, such as your golf endeavors will be well received.
Hi Tony
It sounds like life is as varied for you as ever. Good to hear the kids are doing so well too.
I cook in exactly the same way as your wife, although my success rate is far lower than 70%.
That room is going to be something special when it’s finished. I’ve got this image of you sat in an armchair and switching it to the max straightaway, the effect being like sitting in a wind tunnel of sound energy. Choose the first few things that you play carefully to keep the memory of it.
What’s wrong with being like Cheech and Chong every day? Sounds pretty idyllic if you also throw in some William Burroughs and Hunter Thompson influenced evenings.
The wind tunnel of sound energy is a good analogy because of feeling the bass on the chest when appropriate. When live engineering I’d set the master faders to about 55% depending on the venue for the opening number, and gradually increase the master volume as I sensed the crowds reaction to the bands and sound. By then end of the concert the master faders would be 75%+ with 1000s swept away with their delirium of the whole audiovisual spectacle.
Every song has its sweet spot where the producer, artist, A&R people and management all agree the frequency separation is at its best sound and feel/groove in the final mix. Bridge Over Troubled Water took, I believe, 146 hours to final mix because to the orchestra and Simon and Garfunkel being perfectionists.
I didn’t want cinema chairs because it’s a reference room for Audio Visual experience. I commissioned a huge ‘L’ sofa that would make you look like Ronnie Corbet sitting on it. 4 people can comfortable lay flat in any direction or sit up without encroaching on another’s space.
So many TV series have great sound productions in line with cinema movies.
I’ve gone through hell getting the room built to such high specs in a 3rd world country where it’s taken 4 years from drawing board to sound completion. If you want the best visual projector then Barco is the brand to aspire to. Certainly, got my attention for next year or year after.
As for varied life, I’d say we equally keep busy with our kids and life in general.
I’ve got one of the world’s top calibrators who I recently found out he was my UK HiFi advisor from the 70s, 80’s and mid 90s. Small world. He wants 2 to 3 days to do my calibration for the sound only. That will give you an idea of the complexity of a Trinnov processor. The practical is way above my comprehension, although I understand what’s being done from engineering speak.
The final install and test then calibration has come at a great time while the world cup is on. By the time Boxing Day comes I’ll be in need of my Arsenal fix.
On the WC I thought it’s a case of when you thought things couldn’t get worse, the next big upheaval happened, as in the Armageddon movie with Bruce Willis being blown to pieces with his daughter – the lovely Liv Tylor watching in full colour.
So now the royal family wants to ban alcohol. I shit ye not.
Be well and enjoy Sicily, and be polite to the locals, especially ones with shotguns slung over their shoulders :).
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-11442203/Qatar-want-alcohol-sales-World-Cup-stadiums-BANNED.html
KP I overshot the Chech and Chong levels today and ended up a bit Branstoned, as in pickle. 🙂
Tony
Nice one – that’s the entire point of, erm, horticulture. 🌱
Qatar’s cunty and apparently 11th hour decision (yeah right – I bet it was planned all along in cahoots with the Budweiser people) represents a massive mugging off of all fans attending the WC. I think it’ll cause some tension – exactly how much depends on how arseburningly hot and how boring it is. The entire event gets even more infernal. If it really was last minute, the Qatari regime will be drinking discounted, piss weak bud light for years to come. Rock the Casbah!
Just seen on the dot com that they’re broadcasting live and free the u21s game against Stoke tmrw at 1300 UK time if anyone’s interested.
Honest to God I don’t know whether to laugh or cry about the news from Qatar. If the FA and other countries similar bodies had any balls they’d pull the teams out and tell FIFA to go fuck themselves until those in charge are replaced.
Only 28 days to go and this arse-fuckingly, money grubbingly awful World Cup in the corrupt hellhole that is Quntar will be over!
My kids organised a sweepstake. I drew ‘dead builders’ as the watchword by which this sad, sinister shitshow will be remembered.
Let’s all have a shite beer and go on a massive alcoholic bender to celebrate. Oh no, they’ve fucked that too. Ah well, we can still get those miserable ingerland fans to play the great escape – oh, but they’ve had their trumpets quietened because they didn’t get paid and had to scuttle off home broke and thirsty.
Here’s a message to Fifa and the Qatari regime: FUCK YOU, FUCK YOUR FUCKING BUDWEISER AND FUCK DAVID BECKHAM.
Hi Marc
FIFA aren’t calling the shots, it’s the little guys with the Jimmy Hill beards. Infantino is just there to collect his brown envelope and the promise of sanctuary in Doha when he’s indicted for overseeing the most bent sporting event since Berlin in 1935.
Makes you wonder if the capitalist paradigm is coming off the rails.
1936! Even autocorrect wants to blot out history.
The only way Qatar could play in the WC was to host the event.
The arab nations having such mineral wealth (oil & gas) is akin to the Hillbillies TV show where the Hilbillies struck oil.
Instead of Jed it’s Mohammad.
And there lies the foundations of the cluster fuck the Would Cup is going to be. At least we can be sure that after this fiasco no pother Arabian nation will be considered no matter how much is offered under the table.
I wonder how the Qatari rulers are going to treat the cluster fuck perpetrators?
A rural day out in the dessert, perhaps, feet tied behind a camel or jeep for that authentic brush through nature, scorpions, side winders and cacti et al?
Beheading is all the rage if the DM is to be believed. However, Qatar is seriously lagging or should I say lopping behind the Saudis who had the largest mass execution in its country in years where the kingdom of Saudi Arabia executed 81 men on March 12, 2022.
Probably not on Khartoum’s level way back in Laurence of Arabia’s days, though.
Then, of course, the Qatari have enlisted the help of the infamous French crowd control who specialize in brute force and ignorance as their coup de gras – modus operandi. My guess is they will batter the fcuk out of one countries supporters and the likes of the Headhunters and Ajax’s equivalent etc will get countries banding to gather to batter the fcuk out of the French crowd repressors.
It’s be like an old western or 15th century battle with the late charges by the supporting countries.
That’s when the shooting will begin imho.
I fear this is humor noir at its worst but nothing and I mean nothing would surprise me between now and Boxing Day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8WMGBuNaus
I thought this was apt.
After the battles die down the fans will group round ice buckets listening to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhdFe3evXpk
Have a good weekend lads.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-11445381/World-Cup-FIFA-warned-unusually-HIGH-number-penalties-awarded-Qatar-warm-games.html
Shocker!
Lol Tony
That last one from the Daily Heil. It’ll be like watching peak Manure under old red nose himself. I’d love it if the refs just start awarding pens every time the qataris get it into the box. Imagine them beating Brazil or Argentina…
I fear though for their players – if they fuck up as badly as they should, the decapitation of the squad will be done and dusted before the final is over.
I worked in Iran, Iraq and Syria in my career. None of these namby-pamby capitalist Middle Eastern shit holes like UAE, Dubai and Saudi where they at least pretend they have a functioning society. You knew where you stood on the streets on Damascus or Tehran, ie being followed and harassed with a figurative target on your back.
At the very least, fans are going to have a thoroughly shit time. At worst, there could be lengthy and arbitrary arrests. Check what that wanker Infantino said yesterday about feeling like a migrant worker…
It’s finally starting to make me want to watch it if only as an antidote to the alternative horrors of Ukraine and the self-destruction of the Tory Party.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/englands-115-qatar-world-cup-28529972
Here’s where the Mirror gets it wrong; first by using Kane’s mugshot and secondly; £1 pound an hour for unskilled work represent just under (about12,000 baht a month) where an under graduate has a govt enforced starting pay of £15,000 (£285) a month.
The issue in all this is the West has lost its balls. We are constantly preached to about respecting other cultures beliefs and laws and most people I know when travelling expect to do precisely this – the problem is we don’t demand anyone respects our beliefs when the simple truth is the West is hundreds of years more evolved than the Islamic world.
The money in football comes from European fans – what they want should be respected.
All these dishes and I never ordered one which I’m not familiar with, because I’m a vegetarian 😐
Marc,
Not just the West but everyone. A good percentage of those Migrant workers are from India. The fact that FIFA fucked it up and the resistance started way too late sums up our society.
People have started complaining, because they know it don’t matter now. If the idea was to promote football to countries outside Europe, I guess India would have been a better option and that is a statement and some.
What’s the point of watching a game if you can’t enjoy. What a fuck up.
Ambarish
There have been grumbles about the World Cup since it was awarded but one of the problems is the media sees the World Cup as a good earner – the whole thing is as rotten and corrupt as it gets.
Not only should everyone at FIFA involved be up under corruption charges they should also be charged with corporate manslaughter.
On the food front I’ve bad news for you – as a huge carnivore about the only food that I do that is vegetarian is Gazpacho. If you haven’t tried that check it out – it’s a love or hate thing but in a hot climate its gorgeous.