"Watch you back Arsene! Arsene Wenger today comes face to face with the man who provides possibly the biggest threat to his glittering 13-year career as Arsenal boss... Harry Redknapp. "
What a comedy opening line, I really think Arsene would have been quaking in his boots, if Harry Redknapp is his biggest threat I genuinely think that Arsene's corpse will be able to manage Arsenal adequately when Arsene dies of old age in approximately 2045. Read the rest of Venables' comedy piece for your own amusement, it really is side splitting at times. The Sun really does bring its readers some absolute chestnuts of wisdom, the greatest footballing brains such as Redknapp and Venables are never too far from a cracking column, you are more likely to find a pearl of wisdom fishing in a public toilet.
Speaking of idiots, one well know Arsenal commentator felt the need to big up Craig Eastmond to such an extent that he claimed he was already better than Song, Eboue and Denilson. I've nothing against Craig Eastmond but the lad is only 18 and we should be careful before hyping him up too much, we should also be careful about slagging off our own players who are already looking absolutely top notch such as Alex Song. There was a veiled accusation of racism against Arsene that I found unpleasant as well as out of order:
"Will this 18-year old from Wandsworth be given the same opportunities as a Frenchman or an African? Will Wenger support Eastmond and give him a real chance to make a career at Arsenal? Or will he loan him out and flog him off to QPR or Birmingham?"
I wonder if this author would name any single ex-Arsenal player that has gone on to greater things having left the club, has a single one of these players looked like someone who would have been an asset to our first team? Exactly, there is no evidence to back up this lazy and stupid argument. I will not link up to who wrote this story as he deserves no further coverage of his shoddy work, is is enough to say that the man is a music writer by trade and understands football about as well as Jamie Redknapp. This author is scum of the lowest form, he sensationalises merely to attract readers as he knows that without it no one will read his average run of the mill dross.
Finally you've just got to love this quote from RVP after the spuds humiliation, absolutely priceless words that need to further comment:
"It always feels good to beat Spurs. It even feels good when we don't play them and they get beaten, so it's especially good when we've played them."
8 comments:
I read Myles Palmer's website. I don't agree with everything he writes. But I find his perspective interesting.
He can be infuriatingly eccentric at times, but that is his style. I ignore the stuff that angers me and ponder the insightful or alternative points he makes.
I'm not defending him. He doesn't need defending. I'm just admitting that I read his site. Further evidence for all of you that I am a bit touched.
I will add this though - if Jay Simpson doesn't get a fair crack at Arsenal, I'm going to feel very aggrieved with Mr. Wenger. Especially if Sanchez Watt gets more opportunities. Nothing against Sanchez Watt, I just think Simpson could become a cracking player and should be ahead of Watt when there are chances to play at Arsenal. I know Simpson is on loan right now. I'm speaking in regards to his future with Arsenal though.
Palmer is definitely a francophobe, he always trashes French players until he's proven wrong. He famously predicted Henry wouldn't amount to anything. Recently -- on the basis of ONE game -- he trashed Gourcuff and Chamakh, saying they'd never make it in England. He may be wrong, he may be right, but his entire prediction was based on a knee-jerk viewing of one single game.
His comments re Eastmond were ridiculous. His worship of Arshavin and his belief that Wenger doesn't rate him is another example of his egomania -- he really believes his football judgment is superior to AW's.
I still read his blog, tho, despite myself. Occasionally he comes out with some interesting comments and actually defends Arsenal, tho that's becoming more and more rare.
As for Venables...it's amazing how year after year these pundits always big up Spurs and sneer at Arsenal, predicting our demise and their climb up the table. For every one of our games with the spuds, the commentators continually exaggerate anything good they do while over-criticize us or ignore anything good we do. They're desperate for the spuds to thrash us. It's just further proof that they view Arsenal as an "outsider" club.
Strange... Ferguson is from Scotland, Benitez is from Spain, Wenger is from France... Which of these are "outsiders" to the English media? The one who speaks English the best. Wenger.
It's always an iffy proposition to judge a player based on one game. For example, in that near-disaster in Liege, I was very impressed with Sinan Bolat, their goalkeeper. I used the word "beast" to describe him. (I've also used that word to describe a certain diminutive Russian player for Arsenal.) I became convinced that someone in England would pick him up.
Then, when Arsenal were playing AZ in the CL, Liege were playing Olympiacos on another screen at my local, and I thought he looked good again, and I mentioned it to a few fans (not all but most being Arsenal fans), and nobody agreed with me. I mean nobody. Did I see something no one else did -- because it was something not really there? I don't know.
But there's a difference between me and people like Palmer, Jamie the Red Napper and all the rest: I admit that I still don't know this game well enough. They refuse to admit it.
Wow. Is this turning into a Myles Palmer Anonymous meeting? I like it. "Hi, I'm Ted, and I also have read Myles Palmer's blog". Its shit. Although sometimes so shit its entertaining. Except Myles takes its so, so, seriously. Marcus is spot on - Myles really does rate himself as THE authority.
Anyway, I digress. Some interesting points above. Especially about fringe players. People picked up on Wilshere's talent pretty quickly, but year-in year-out there is a youth team player, who according to the addicts who watch reserve and youth games regularly is the nuts.
But usually these guys look far better in youth games or the reservess than elsewhere. Wenger has made very, very few bad calls on whether to keep fringe players or to let them go. Possibly the only fringe / youth player I like the look of now who Wenger let go is Steve Sidwell, who seems to be playing well under Martin O'Neill.
But frankly, I don't see how Sidwell would get a game for Arsenal and its better for him to be at Villa.
Its very easy to say that a fringe player does not get the chance we think they deserve. Likewise, as soon as one of these players gets into the first XI, the massed ranks will usually demand why yet another kid is playing for Arsenal instead of Wenger buying an experienced player, we'll never win anything like this etc etc.
I once had a lively debate in a pub about Arturo Lupoli. He thought Lupoli was not getting a chance. I said that was probably because he was a bit shit.
The same could probably be said about Simpson. Its a massive difference between getting a game at a premiership club and getting into the Arsenal first team squad, let alone the starting XI. At present, I doubt that Simpson is in that category.
I don't think Sanchez Watt is likely to make it either. Neither is Randall. Probably not Gilbert either.
However, like Uncle Mike, I would love to be proved wrong.
Judging young players is the critical skill for the modern manager. If you look at the "best" players in the world now and consider how much money has been spent on them I think this proves why.
Fabregas, Messi, Pato are three that spring to mind as players who have cost far less than they could have done. Franny Jeffers probably has cost more than them in total transfer fees. So having the ability to know when a player has "it" is both financially liberating and a boon for the team.
Imagine if Arsene had been able to spot Gerrard as an academy player. Or most of the 90's era of Utd players. Equally how many Liverpool, Utd or Arsenal youth players have gone on to do better elsewhere? The only one that springs to mind is Rooney, and the price paid by Utd shows the value of judging a player right.
So Watt will get a chance if he is good enough. He won't if he's not. And to my mind history has proved that to be the case.
Good point obs, except Milan are reported to have paid Euro22m for Pato. Thats probably good value for the player, but its a lot of money.
I agree on MP, if he had a bit of humility and sometimes admitted that he was not an expert then i mate not be such a critic.
As it is he is an arrogant fool who I bet has never run more than twenty yards in his life, he has no clue on football, for example he still doesn't rate song, what planet is he on?
As Ted points out Wenger has such an eye for talent, no one has left and gone on to greater things.
As Ted says, many of us have had players we thought were good enough, we then criticised Arsene when we let them go, they then left and did absolutely fuck all.
For example (there are almost hundreds) crowe, lupoli, marshall, hoyte, clarke(!), hughes and on and on and on.
I have learnt over the years that I know more than Myles Palmer and a lot less than Arsene.
Myles Palmer gets things wrong every week and still thinks he knows more, twat and a stupid one at that.
I used to get riled up by this. Now I just ignore it. Nothing changes what happened on the pitch. If in doubt - you can check the score.
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