tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83281011064945986652012-01-27T15:27:34.198Z1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.comBlogger8561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-44048729598616379512012-01-22T18:23:00.001Z2012-01-22T18:47:33.722Z

This game was so utterly predictable.  The unpredictable part of it was that young Oxlade-Chamberlain started and was arguably our best player, also that Nico Yennaris came on at half time for the hapless Djourou, this also swung the game in our direction.  These two good managerial decisions were then more than negated when the Ox was take off and replaced by our lazy fat Russian. Manu deserved

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-58269774792057396572012-01-21T11:15:00.001Z2012-01-21T11:15:15.729Z

I was not optimistic going into Sunday's game, we have massive injury problems, our squad is down to the barest of bones, our form is poor and consequently confidence is low, and then I heard that the hapless and compliant Mike Dean is to referee the game, I no longer have much room for optimism.  This ACLF article talking about shoddy Mirror journalism and low quality refereeing is well worth a

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-12272595530854988432012-01-19T07:00:00.000Z2012-01-19T10:49:51.785Z

We started the season appallingly, no doubt a big reason for this was the late transfer deals which meant that it took us a fair few weeks to get into gear, and those in the know seem to agree that the board were far more to blame for this than our manager.  We recovered well with an excellent run of results in the league, but the last few weeks have seen this form slip, evidenced by the recent

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-67234952735219925532012-01-15T18:38:00.002Z2012-01-15T19:31:24.066Z

Firstly I have no time for anyone who is so fickle as to suddenly turn on our manager after a short series of poor results, get a grip on reality and try to be objective, I know it's hard sometimes but engage your brain before letting loose with any bitter resentful bile.  Secondly well played Swansea, they played some excellent football and their style deserves praise.  Anyway onto the match. A

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-83212688266582809842012-01-15T10:23:00.000Z2012-01-15T10:24:50.990Z

I have to assume that Per passes his late fitness test as I cannot consider the alternative, to be honest even if Per is still unwell, he is still probably a far better option for us than a fully fit Squillaci.  There are rumours that Arteta is not fit, I hope these are not true. Szczesny Djourou; Per, Kos; Miguel Song, Arteta, Ramsey Walcott, RVP, Ox Obviously if Per fails his test, it

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-15103584953424884402012-01-14T09:33:00.001Z2012-01-14T09:33:16.448Z

So there is at last some good news on the injury front, Carl Jenkinson has had positive scan results and is back in training, TV5 is not far off and may be back for Manu.  Per looks unlikely to beat his flu in time for Swansea, while Johan Djourou is back from suspension.  It still means that our back four this sunday will be rather ropey and may contain Squillaci, not good.  Swansea away is

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-91370791221298569632012-01-09T21:41:00.004Z2012-01-09T21:44:16.731Z

Need I say more?

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-44487020382680810392012-01-07T20:51:00.000Z2012-01-07T20:51:48.791Z

 I will keep this short and I will keep it sweet.  I was wasting a few minuted on Twitter this afternoon when it was pointed out that Robbie Savage is a complete waste of space as a football pundit, I couldn't disagree, I find his unique brand of stupidity and speaking without thinking particularly offensive, in fact I often turn the radio off when he is involved in one of the phone ins. It

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-20866384930030789242012-01-07T07:00:00.000Z2012-01-07T07:00:00.851Z

This is the second part of my analysis of BBC Radio 5 Live's coverage of the interview with PGMO chief Mike Riley.  The BBC's Mark Chapman also talked to Tony Hibbert who is a match delegate and an ex-Wolves player, the delegates are affiliated to the LMA and PFA.  Tony Hibbert felt we have the 'best officials in the world' and that all our referees were 'there on merit'.  When asked about how

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-76289808360811375982012-01-06T07:00:00.000Z2012-01-06T07:00:01.559Z

Apparently refereeing is getting better year on year, according to Mike Riley that is, and that's how he started off his interview with the BBC's Mark Chapman last night on Radio 5 Live.  It's just a shame that no one outside the PGMO gets to see any data that would back these confident claims up. According to Prozone assistant referees allegedly got 99% of their decisions correct last season, 

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-67574496878910876122012-01-04T23:39:00.000Z2012-01-04T23:45:29.315Z

Graham Poll Poll criticised referees chief Mike Riley recently for being "anonymous" and leaving referees to "hang out to dry".  Obviously Graham Poll has his own vested interests, but he does have a point.  Very few people spare this topic much thought but it is a biggie, just who is running the refereeing the the Premier League and how transparent is this process?  There is so much money

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-49024623663954673592012-01-03T18:48:00.000Z2012-01-03T19:28:32.407Z

I spent a significant amount of time reading through the FA's very detailed report on their decision to ban Luis Suarez for eight games.  I would wholeheartedly advise anyone else interesting in this case to do the same, and certainly I would advise anyone to read it before commenting on the case in any forum. Firstly a lot of myths and falsehoods have been perpetuated by certain people with

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-37610480043583202532012-01-03T10:27:00.002Z2012-01-03T10:32:31.587Z

  Firstly this is no attempt to blame the referee for our defeat to Fulham yesterday.  We were largely the architects of our own demise, Fulham were by far the better team in the second half and deserved the win in the end.  This article is designed to look at the way in which the media have covered the performance of Lee Probert and analyse their coverage of Arsene Wenger's post match

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-3259736489812094682012-01-02T20:11:00.001Z2012-01-02T20:13:26.944Z

I'll keep this brief because I'm so gutted that we have thrown three points away against a Fulham side that we really should have beaten.  There were certainly many reasons for our defeat today, some we couldn't do anything about such as Lee Probert's pathetic refereeing performance, but the sad thing was that there were many things we could have done something about, and that is the frustration.

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-10857459267444205482012-01-02T18:49:00.002Z2012-01-02T18:50:11.158Z

Joey Barton was sent off today for an alleged head butt against Norwich and it appears it may have been a rather harsh decision.  Obviously it didn't take long for the learned Barton to vent his spleen on Twitter: "Hopefully referee sees it retrospectively and sees he's been conned. Its no consolation for us right now but at least its something......" Effectively Barton is accusing someone

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-83896043744842026302012-01-01T12:54:00.001Z2012-01-01T12:54:43.386Z

I am reposting this classic Piers Morgan carol after it has been revealed that the lovely man has been given a lifetime achievement award by She Wore, it is obviously to the tune of the 'twelve days of christmas', obviously repeat the lines as in the original version: On the first day of Christmas Piers Morgan gave to me, a call for Arsene's sacking, On the second day of Christmas Piers

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-39906463121859515082011-12-31T20:13:00.003Z2011-12-31T20:14:35.014Z

It wasn't vintage but it was enough to win a vital three points on a day on which many of our main rivals dropped some unexpected points, overall a good end result.  The starting eleven saw Gervinho rested for Arshavin, Ramsey returning to reform our regular midfield trio, Theo also returned after his recent virus. QPR started well and Szczesny had to be smart to come our swiftly in blocking

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-83637342868716325022011-12-30T10:15:00.003Z2011-12-30T13:51:16.507Z

So with Thierry Henry set to return to us on a two month loan deal, I thought it worthwhile to go back into history to see what Myles Palmer thought of our current strike force.  Myles seems to rate himself quite highly but it appears that this confidence is more than a tad misplaced.  Here were his early thoughts on Thierry Henry: "And remember, Thierry Henry is not a striker. He is not a

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-80552466268429125622011-12-29T16:24:00.001Z2011-12-29T16:24:57.544Z

So the FA's independent commission have upheld Stuart Attwell's decision to send off Milijas for his reckless lunge on Mikel Arteta two days ago.  I have had to listen to a lot of guff from people trying to defend the tackle as 'fair' because it won the ball, sadly these people clearly have zero grasp on the laws of football and the use of excessive reckless force in tackling, even if the ball

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-64816463719524489162011-12-27T18:12:00.001Z2011-12-27T19:31:44.983Z

Sometimes one huffs and puffs, one huffs and puffs some more, but the house just won't blow down and that's just what happened against Wolves today.  There may be an element down to slight weaknesses in our squad, Rosicky and Benayoun are very similar to each other and both started today, but I have to say the main problems today were Wayne Hennessey, bad luck and poor finishing (probably in that

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-17078054293377684072011-12-26T12:31:00.003Z2011-12-26T20:46:46.910Z

This is another in my series of classic Christmas carols, it is obviously to the tune of the 'twelve days of christmas', obviously repeat the lines as in the original version: On the first day of Christmas Piers Morgan gave to me, a call for Arsene's sacking, On the second day of Christmas Piers Morgan gave to me, two Beeb self humiliations,  On the third day of Christmas Piers Morgan

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-84764578827536928882011-12-25T06:00:00.000Z2011-12-25T10:11:01.994Z

This one is to the tune of Away in a Manger: New year in a prison, in a cold wet bunk bed, The tax dodging Redknapp, laid down his small head. His cell mate above him, looked down where he lay, The tax dodging Redknapp, oh how he would pay. The prison bells ringing, the poor convict awakes, and wheeler-dealer 'Arry, a shower before porridge he takes. His fellow inmates, they love

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-56957564062869698922011-12-24T16:10:00.002Z2011-12-24T17:30:54.384Z

This is my Arsenal Christmas Carol, to the tune of Good King Wenceslas: Good King Arsene look'd out,     Over the Premier League Season. He saw the fixtures lay crowd'd about,     Over the Christmas Season. Strong though was the Gooner fight,     Though the weather cruel. Then poor 'Arry came in sight,    Searching for winter fuel. "Hither Pat and stand by me,     If thou

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-81170509313780066982011-12-23T13:03:00.001Z2011-12-23T16:24:57.534Z

So Kieran Gibbs has had repeated surgery on this troublesome groin and will be out of action for at least another month, realistically a couple of months is likely.  He had initial 'hernia' surgery in October and was hoped to be back in action this Christmas, unfortunately he suffered a further setback in training recently, had a repeat scan and then the decision was made to go under the knife

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-63246284600325671722011-12-22T19:19:00.003Z2011-12-22T20:45:40.841Z

As you may have gathered I am a stubborn and grumpy individual at times, personally I am not a fan of what Christmas has become over time, I am not remotely religious either, other than a few moments when I believed Dennis Bergkamp to be the messiah (no offence intended to all those of you with a religion other than the Church of Bergkamp). I wanted to annoy everyone with a generally tiresome

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-77624454856991814322011-12-21T21:59:00.001Z2011-12-21T22:39:16.276Z

Our back line had been decimated by numerous injuries, strangely Miguel was another absentee which I have assumed means he must have picked up an injury against City, anyway we had a really makeshift back four with Vermaelen at left back and Coquelin at right back, and the formidable pairing of Mertesacker and Koscielny in the centre.  Coquelin moving to right back meant a start for Frimpong in

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-43519922410977799972011-12-18T18:27:00.003Z2011-12-18T18:29:26.481Z

Firstly that was a great game of football and a credit to the Premiership.  I cannot fault the performance and effort from our lads, despite a plethora of injuries to our full backs, we cobbled together a back four, that despite yet another injury mid-game fought hard for the duration. This was a game decided by small margins and it is arguable that a few little things could easily gone our

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-76736750826123053892011-12-17T16:20:00.005Z2011-12-17T17:20:22.710Z

In this modern day of incessant news, our perpetual access to shiny electronic gadgets and the constant desire to create stories out of nothing that interesting, it is quite nice to minimise one's output and try not to just churn out bland words that say nothing of particular interest. Having said that I am going to drone on for a bit now, so read on and enjoy the irony, or feel free to leave

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-1920395294818433322011-12-12T18:04:00.003Z2011-12-12T18:17:32.542Z

There has been some bad news today, not only is Andre Santos out for around three months as he requires surgery for his ankle injury, but it has been announced that the fat blind walrus who also goes by the name of Phil Dowd is to officiate our game away to Manchester City this weekend.The above video sums up how many of us felt as Dowd threw our game away to Newcastle last season. He was

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-53840274777178619522011-12-11T22:12:00.005Z2011-12-11T22:26:27.094Z

In my humble opinion the governing bodies of football have done very very little to tackle cheating and indiscipline in the game of football. This has been yet again demonstrated this weekend as Luka Modric 'won' Tottenham a penalty with a blatant dive against Stoke City.Modric cheated Spurs a goal and what would the punishment have been if he had been caught? Just a yellow card. There is not

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-73629348123328784432011-12-10T17:28:00.003Z2011-12-10T17:43:01.869Z

Frankly I can't be arsed to do a formal match report, my mind is racing and I keep rewinding, then replaying that utterly sublime winning goal from Robin Van Persie. Although our overall performance deserve a three point bounty, the game could easily have gone on to be a goalless draw, we could so easily have been left to rue the excellent first half chances that had come and gone.We created a

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-4519895215664588112011-12-08T09:08:00.003Z2011-12-08T09:51:27.045Z

It's been an interesting week, from a personal point of view I have been busy welcoming a new mini-Gooner into this world and from an Arsenal point of view we have seen a couple of rather meaningless defeats and a very important away win in the league. Strangely the only result that really mattered was the Wigan game and that means most of us have been largely content.The Wigan game showed how

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-29334271919384860142011-11-30T18:23:00.007Z2011-11-30T19:01:59.413Z

I have to say I was not expecting such a good performance from our second string last night, looking at the two sides on paper it really should have been a whitewash, but Arsene has been overachieving with these kind of elevens for years now, I really should not have doubted his skills.In the end the side that cost about the same as Edin Dzeko was the better of the two in a battle against a side

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-12760031757453722592011-11-27T13:18:00.004Z2011-11-27T13:26:06.056Z

It has been confirmed that Gary Speed was found dead this morning. He was found hung in his own home. He was only 42 years old.Gary Speed was a model professional and one of those rare characters that seemed to be respected by everyone because he conducted himself with such decorum throughout his long and distinguished career.I saw him play a few times live against us and what stood out for me

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-16841865258279441252011-11-26T22:37:00.006Z2011-11-26T23:13:35.383Z

I had mixed emotions after today's trip to the Emirates but if I am honest I was generally pleased with the overall performance and the character shown to come back from a goal down against a well organised and disciplined Fulham side who fought hard throughout.The surprise in the team selection was that Arshavin came in for Gervinho and I have to say that the big negative of the game was the

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-30712897634246227602011-11-23T21:38:00.004Z2011-11-23T21:45:58.770Z

I just wish the media would stand up and be counted at times like these. So many experts thought we would be the only English side struggling to make it through the Champions League group stages. The polar opposite of the mainstream media's predictions has come true and this tells a whole story in itself.Other than the last minute lapse that gave Dortmund their consolation goal, this was a

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-60522480592130520332011-11-19T17:23:00.003Z2011-11-19T17:39:32.648Z

An away win, another three points, job done, as simple as that really. Despite the injuries to two of our full backs, Jenkinson and Gibbs, we adapted and the outstanding Koscielny did very well in the right back slot. The rest of the team was the same first choice side that has been purring of late.We meant business from the off, numerous excellent clear cut chances came and went, and if there

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-72902346835745298632011-11-05T20:40:00.004Z2011-11-05T21:16:48.133Z

It was only just over two months ago that we got spanked 8-2 at Old Trafford, the turnaround since has been rather extraordinary, it has not always been glorious in terms of the ease of victory but over the last month the team has definitely continued to grow in a way that has seen the performances mature and the nature of the wins become more and more convincing."The spirit of the squad was

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-41155481690987396662011-10-29T17:05:00.003+01:002011-10-29T17:29:13.865+01:00

I have to own up to being too nervous to watch today's game, I kept up to date via radio and the web, my plan is to watch the full ninety when the dust has settled, and how I will enjoy that now. This was a monumentally big game for us, we could not afford to lose another game, in fact many would have taken a point, hence Arsene must take immense credit for really going for Chelsea's

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-22423430446321352932011-10-28T17:18:00.003+01:002011-10-28T17:56:00.660+01:00

So the AGM has been and gone, unfortunately I have had to rely upon other peoples' accounts and comments, but it seems pretty clear that there is a bit of a vacuum in our boardroom in certain areas of skill. Arsene was impressive as always, there was a lot of talk of a united front which is reasonable, but certain key failings were avoided in a way that was slightly disrespectful to the

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-20968192642938550032011-10-23T20:23:00.003+01:002011-10-23T21:01:08.150+01:00

There are footballing sides that deserve respect and there are some that quite simply don't, and Stoke fit snugly into the latter category. I have never understood the English media's love of Stoke City and Tony Pulis, they represent all that is dire and negative in the English game. Today they did not disappoint in this regard, there were endless long balls and hoofing, there was plenty of

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-5826204053090259172011-10-19T21:43:00.004+01:002011-10-19T22:04:17.317+01:00

I don't mean to be negative, I am just trying to be realistic and objective, but up until the last few minutes we were really very average in the final third and hadn't created much at all of note despite a hell of a lot of possession. Still the introduction of Gervinho had given us that little bit more spark up front, Djourou's excellent cross was flicked on by Gervinho, Ramsey was in the right

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-43899495217586937212011-10-16T18:25:00.004+01:002011-10-16T18:43:27.373+01:00

Firstly thank you Robin Van Persie, two fantastic goals, almost the goal of the season in the first half when his fantastic turn and chip was denied by the post, a fantastic captain's performance that proved the difference in the end. He is a truly top class talent and would get in most top sides in any league in world football.Secondly well done to all the lads, it was not perfect by any means

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-71891387201572452482011-10-14T08:04:00.003+01:002011-10-14T08:06:28.126+01:00

I am no Wayne Rooney fan first of all, in fact I would go as far as saying he is a rather odious individual, so the fact that even I think he has been harsly punished by UEFA should say a lot to you. Rooney kicked out, yes, but it was a pretty mild act. If that was an Arsenal player then I'd have said it was a very harsh red card and arguably it should have been just a yellow. Rooney wasn't

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-65588408625533395022011-10-13T20:36:00.001+01:002011-10-13T20:36:31.604+01:00

I am sometimes a man of few words and so I shall prove with this short post.  The options at right back with Bacary Sagna out for several months include Jenkinson, Koscielny, Coquelin and Santos. My money is on Kos.  He has played there in the past, thus he has some experience and he seems to have the right attributes for the right back slot.  Young Jenkinson is not yet ready, this has been

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-83689114472592452322011-10-06T09:31:00.005+01:002011-10-06T10:26:29.178+01:00

Watching the Tottenham game again in the cold light of day it was really clear that our performance was far better than in some previous games and that overall we were rather unlucky not to come away with at least a point. We controlled long periods of the first half and cut open Spurs several times, Gervinho and Walcott the most guilty of missing excellent clear cut chances. Spurs looked like

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-62017346607640988622011-10-02T18:26:00.003+01:002011-10-02T18:48:52.079+01:00

I am sure many of you will be feeling the same frustration that I am feeling now, it is hard to take defeat to one's local rivals at the best of times but when it is after such a shambolic start to the season, it becomes rather gloomier for me anyway. The sad fact that is dawning on me now is that we are now not significantly better than Tottenham as a first eleven or as a squad, this is the

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-45233136381035573022011-10-01T08:25:00.006+01:002011-10-02T10:47:46.150+01:00

There has been a lot of chatter in recent days and Stan Kroenke has spoken with the Telegraph. Obviously he has backed Arsene and who would have expected anything else? What has become clear in recent weeks is that Arsene is under pressure and he has had to change his approach, the flurry of signings including several experienced players on deadline day was a sign of this change.I care not too

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-40238766732222104162011-09-28T21:11:00.005+01:002011-09-28T21:46:26.918+01:00

It was not the eleven that many of us had expected, the young Ox getting the nod was a definite bonus though for me, the fact that Arshavin and Rosicky started was not quite the same positive. It was a very very strange first half. We had a fair bit of the ball but Olympiakos repeatedly hit us on the break, looking pretty damn dangerous at times, with some of our defensive play a bit lacking to

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-25052562451175525422011-09-27T19:24:00.002+01:002011-09-27T19:37:00.128+01:00

A solid win was just what was needed at the weekend and clean sheet as well was a welcome bonus, we now need to keep the momentum up in a big week with Olympiakos coming up tomorrow and then the Spuds at the weekend. It should not be forgotten just how fantastic the form our our young Pole in goal has been, another top save in the first half against Bolton was pivotal, going one down could have

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-770616182921221462011-09-21T18:59:00.004+01:002011-09-21T19:27:10.213+01:00

I like to think that we provide a vaguely balanced view of all things Arsenal related here, anyway we try to be fairly objective and not get carried away as certain people do in the mainstream media. The world is not black and white, we live in many shades of grey and many people would do well to realise this.I didn't watch last night's game, I listened online and I don't think one can draw too

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-87868601296044291892011-09-18T07:00:00.001+01:002011-09-18T07:00:01.270+01:00

Our defending has not been good enough for years and it is clearly the manager's responsibility to send out a team that can defend adequately in order to have a good chance of winning trophies and football matches. The manager has had years and millions of pounds to sort this problem out. Nothing seems to have changed, the same mistakes keep on being made and it continues to cost us points and

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-34308622476839025692011-09-17T19:01:00.006+01:002011-09-17T19:48:39.760+01:00

I can no longer reach for excuses, it is a hard and simple fact that we have not defended well enough as a unit for a long time, and it has cost us points time and time and time again. Our shambolic and sloppy defending cost us another three points today against a poor Blackburn side. Amazingly we could still have won the game despite conceding four, we created the lion's share of the chances

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-18539104574754730942011-09-16T18:59:00.003+01:002011-09-16T19:18:29.570+01:00

It was interesting to see the media's contrasting reactions to our excellent point away to the German champions to Manu's draw against a Benfica. There is no doubt that Dortmund are a considerably stronger side than Benfica, but the media did not paint things like this, same old I say.The most encouraging thing was the way in which we defended well as a unit even when he came under a lot of

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-22768712941123980112011-09-13T21:47:00.003+01:002011-09-13T22:04:33.307+01:00

Football can be a strange old game at times and so it proved tonight, we led one nil at half time having been pounded for forty five minutes by Dortmund, then in the second half when we looked solid at one nil up, Dortmund got lucky, the substitute Perisic wildly swung his left peg at a dropping ball from outside the box, he connected perfectly and the ball flew into the top corner leaving the

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-84953029584670232172011-09-10T16:58:00.010+01:002011-09-10T19:18:21.151+01:00

As I had predicted it was not a convincing win, but it was a tremendously important one and getting the full complement of points today means we can go about the process of rebuilding our brittle confidence after out atrocious start to the season. To their credit Swansea are a very tidy footballing side and will be tricky opponents for many other PL sides this season.Arteta and Mertesacker

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-20987949715460590052011-09-10T11:03:00.005+01:002011-09-10T11:46:12.458+01:00

I read Arsene's comments on the close season this morning and one particular quote stood out for me. This is it:“Then we had the fact that we could only complete the transfers very late. It was only possible then, and it was unbelievable how it happened finally."The use of the word 'fact' is of particular importance. Personally I think Arsene is using the word 'fact' to describe that this is

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-49448837436930566682011-09-09T21:36:00.002+01:002011-09-10T10:38:52.674+01:00

Tomorrow we need three points, it would be nice if it was a convincing victory with a big scoreline, but franky I would be happy with any form of three points given our dire start to the season.Swansea are a good capable side, they knock the ball around nicely and have a bit of pace up front. Their performances thus far show they will be no walkover.Meanwhile we will be playing a defence that

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-839808910230762242011-09-07T16:34:00.006+01:002011-09-08T09:26:28.304+01:00

There has been much in the media of late on Thomas Vermaelen's recent injury and subsequent surgery, I intend to explain exactly what is going on to clear up any misunderstanding they may be on the subject. The following is written by a specialist Orthopaedic doctor.Firstly the Achilles tendon is the main tendon that attaches to the back of the heel bone (calcaneus) which bends the foot/ankle

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-50278094689403393712011-09-05T20:00:00.005+01:002011-09-05T20:29:25.354+01:00

So the interlull goes on and we all wait for the Swansea game, the odd thing of interest has happened, UEFA have decided to pin the blame unfairly on Arsene, when it was in fact their inexperienced delegate at fault. No surprise there then, UEFA's kangaroo court nailing the innocent in a way that attempts to stifle anyone daring to challenge their almighty corrupt power.Some of you may have

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-40740014827049936362011-09-05T07:00:00.002+01:002011-09-05T07:00:02.765+01:00

On an planet far far away and obviously far detached from our current earthly reality, there once was a young and highly talented young fire-catcher called Arthur Ox-of-Chamberstone. On this imaginary planet fire-catching was big business, it attracted crowds from all around the solar system and the big fire-catching teams made big money. This meant that for the small number of youth

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-43322970791935025882011-09-04T12:11:00.018+01:002011-09-04T18:08:15.453+01:00

Firstly one cannot ignore the rather low quality story in the Mirror that confidently predicts Jack Wilshere is going to be out of action for three months. Interestingly other sources are already watering down the Mirror's dubious take on events by saying Wilshere 'could' be out for up to three months. When one looks into Steve Stammers' weak excuse for journalism it is clear he is

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-1433088823273564552011-09-01T06:50:00.002+01:002011-09-01T06:50:00.499+01:00

Goalkeepers: Szczesny, Fabianski, MannoneVerdict: Top No1 and reasonable backup.Fullbacks: Santos, Sagna, Gibbs, JenkinsonVerdict: Santos needs to prove he can defend and if Gibbs can stay fit then looking strong at left back, Jenkinson is raw but can be a decent backup to Sagna.Centre Backs: Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Djourou, Miguel, Squillaci (unfortunately)Verdict: Vastly better

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-22558749326423224102011-08-31T23:07:00.005+01:002011-08-31T23:44:59.978+01:00

I have been gripped by the computer, radio and television for the last few hours. It is not normal behaviour and it is certainly not healthy to become so obsessed by football transfers. Honestly though, I just couldn't help myself, it was utterly compulsive stuff. It's not usual for Arsenal to leave things so late and then do so much business so late in the day. this made things all the more

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-28591452595095878612011-08-31T16:53:00.007+01:002011-08-31T17:17:12.084+01:00

I can conclusively tell you that 99.999999% of the transfer rumours you will read today will turn out to be complete fabrications. Essentially there are a lot of journalists and fans who have no real clue on who clubs are actually after. That is my accurate transfer exclusive.One minute a certain player is not leaving, the next minute they have left, then they haven't, then it's on again, then

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-57344319829559852682011-08-29T22:05:00.003+01:002011-08-29T22:20:15.733+01:00

We already knew that Park Chu-Young was on his way, an experienced South Korean international with a decent record for Monaco, also pacey and capable of playing in wide areas if needed. This was a good start.This evening the news is breaking that Andre Santos, a Brazilian left back, is to sign from Fenerbahce, provided the routine is completed tomorrow. He looks a highly gifted player with a

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-35709504296418751062011-08-29T08:11:00.008+01:002011-08-29T08:47:40.359+01:00

The gravity of yesterday's result and performance has struck me this morning when reviewing the game on the TV. That was a bad performance, it was far worse than bad, it was absolutely catastrophic. Our squad is an absolute shambles and the season is underway, we have one point from three games. Injuries and suspensions left us short, but no squad should be so short that it has to throw in so

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-84115636018533500462011-08-28T19:29:00.003+01:002011-08-28T19:38:18.296+01:00

Ignore the opposition, ignore the refereeing, ignore the personnel missing, ignore the away crowd, ignore the lack of confidence, ignore the weakness of our squad for a minute. The defensive organisation and strategy exhibited by the side today was weaker than weak, it was truly depressing to watch and the culmination of years of ignoring a key part of the game of football, keeping the ball out

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-33327936328787107842011-08-28T09:58:00.004+01:002011-08-28T10:32:06.093+01:00

The Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) are the body that employs all referees and they select which particular official referees a particular game:"The PGMO look at the fixtures 6 weeks ahead, pick the right refs for the right games, then review this on a weekly basis. They take all factors into account, other games they have reffed, who they support, distance to travel, and in some cases

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-65829877849385895302011-08-25T22:54:00.006+01:002011-08-25T23:14:32.431+01:00

I can confirm the Modric rumours are true, he has joined the notorious Nasri gang of treacherous little c*nts who care more for money than anything else in life, perhaps he should go to City to make up for Adebayor's departure? Who knows. I seriously feel a little sympathy for some Tottenham fans in this area, players like this are the scum of the earth in my eyes, they should show more respect

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-50406620183274678682011-08-24T21:35:00.007+01:002011-08-24T22:01:39.357+01:00

That was Sterling stuff. We were up against it tonight, the stinking tabloid hacks were sharpening their knives, we had a few injuries, we were away from home against a very strong side. A lot of people wanted us to fail tonight and we didn't, we showed a lot of strength and heart to come back from a goal deficit at the break, and proving worthy winners in the end.Jenkinson remained at right

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-29911598160412528652011-08-21T14:58:00.009+01:002011-08-21T16:57:20.694+01:00

Ignoring the current disaster that is our squad the the manager's failure to strengthen over the course of the summer, our home record has been a cause of concern for many months now and the Liverpool result yesterday was a continuation of this, and not a one off freak result. Last season we only won 11 of 19 home league games, picking up 37 points in the process. Certainly reasonable home form,

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-39029928566752765062011-08-18T10:28:00.003+01:002011-08-18T10:54:47.397+01:00

With a quick look back over the shoulder at the Newcastle and Udinese games, it feels something of a small miracle that we have made a half decent start to the season. However, it is somewhat laughable to see Carl Jenkinson being put forward as the club's spokesman on the two clean sheets earned this season so far. I mean, the poor lad has only just made his debut in the deepest of water and

Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11195190597835036529noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-2425085185835427812011-08-15T21:08:00.005+01:002011-08-15T22:32:40.053+01:00

Right then peeps. 1979Gooner is taking a well earned break to re-charge his angry batteries, so you are getting a rare treat of half-baked nonsense from your Unkle Ted instead. Its been a helluva opening weekend in the Premiership, but maybe not for the reason that most people expected. However, first up is the long awaited news was confirmed today that el Capitano Cesc has re-signed for his

Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11195190597835036529noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-81575251429784815962011-08-12T17:32:00.005+01:002011-08-12T17:52:43.121+01:00

Some of you may have got the wrong impression after my post this morning. All I was saying was that Arsene is never going to give the game away to the media and expecting him to do so is rather naive, that was it. In saying this I was not trying to defend his transfer strategy and the fact that we are only a day away from the league opener at Newcastle with our squad looking very short indeed.

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-30432413048978327972011-08-12T09:35:00.005+01:002011-08-12T10:15:49.950+01:00

I am sure many of you listening or reading about the AW press conference that happened at 9am today will be very frustrated and angry. Personally I am still anxious about the state our squad is in, but the press conference was quite clearly used to give absolutely nothing away to the media. AW's smiling and laughing gave the game away today, he was quite determined not to give the media any

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-34654763783761737192011-08-09T21:36:00.006+01:002011-08-09T22:00:10.541+01:00

Football is not high up most Londoners agenda right now and with good reason. The events of the last few days that have seen gangs of feral chav youths rioting and looting various parts of the country have been truly appalling. Football needs to be put in its place and it fades into insignificance in the context of the events of recent days. The Gooner who writes this blog is out doing his

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-90850208636027784242011-08-07T08:14:00.004+01:002011-08-07T08:37:07.874+01:00

It's hard to add much more than the Arseblogger after last night's defeat to Benfica. There is no need for despair but there if nothing is done, then we are certainly in big trouble for the season ahead. A lot hasn't changed and obviously that's where a lot of the frustration comes from, this is very understandable so in my opinion.Even with a few key men out the first choice eleven did a

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-54757635948931418292011-08-06T10:49:00.008+01:002011-08-06T11:30:13.569+01:00

Something that I have given a lot of though to recently is the reasons for our failure to win anything in the past six years and I feel one large factor has been our lack of a strong British spine in the side. Take Arsene's double winning sides and the invincibles, they all had this British spine in the squad and this is what we have lost in the past few seasons. The reason for the importance

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-5566319430010196142011-08-06T07:30:00.004+01:002011-08-06T07:53:47.455+01:00

It does not surprise me that Barcelona FC are continuing to take the piss with their courting of Cesc Fabregas. Their first offer was reported to be about 25 million pounds, and now after yet more public tapping up and mincing, their second offer has gone up to only 30million pounds which included numerous hypothetical add-ons:“Barcelona are offering extra payments which are dependent on all

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-76051361613331568912011-08-01T17:57:00.004+01:002011-08-01T18:23:41.323+01:00

Another day often gives one just a bit more perspective and after personally I think those that booed the team on Sunday are looking even more stupid that they did yesterday, time and perspective will do these fools no favours. Arseblogger hit the nail very firmly on the head this morning, there simply is no decent justification for such behaviour.Some excellent points were made on the blog

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-25719863505229392132011-08-01T07:00:00.003+01:002011-08-31T22:51:23.147+01:00

Goalkeepers: Szczesny, Fabianski, MannoneVerdict: Top No1 and reasonable backup.Fullbacks: Santos, Sagna, Gibbs, JenkinsonVerdict: Santos needs to prove he can defend and if Gibbs can stay fit then looking strong at left back, Jenkinson is raw but can be a decent backup to Sagna.Centre Backs: Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Djourou, Miguel, Squillaci (unfortunately)Verdict: Vastly better

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-86784072361726261662011-07-31T22:50:00.004+01:002011-07-31T23:17:54.447+01:00

It is not often that I have been ashamed to be an Arsenal fan, but sadly today was one of those days. It wasn't to do with the team, the manager, the result, it was the quite pathetic behaviour and attitude of a group of so called 'Arsenal fans' who booed their players in a pre season friendly match.The behaviour of these fans is already being exploited by various arsenal-hating sections of the

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-71312014060248440952011-07-29T22:56:00.003+01:002011-07-29T23:19:40.978+01:00

It pains me to title such an article but it is now clear to me that Cesc cannot go on any longer as our club captain. It was a strange choice anyway, almost a gift to encourage someone to stay a bit longer when you knew they may not wish to. This was a managerial error in itself in my eyes.Cesc is a good man, a highly talented player but not a leader on the field, as much has been alluded to by

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-56971719131022794802011-07-25T09:55:00.006+01:002011-07-25T11:09:52.066+01:00

For anyone who hasn't encountered Christopher Marlowe's play, Dr Faustus, here is a brief synopsis; Dr Faustus sells his soul to the devil in order to gain power and knowledge, he then becomes consumed by his soul's damnation and all does not end well for him. Well, how on earth is this play relevant to football today? That is something I am going to try to demonstrate to you.Football resemble

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-24668918338662565152011-07-24T09:24:00.003+01:002011-07-24T09:45:10.177+01:00

Some fairly encouraging signs were noted in our away victory against Cologne yesterday, Gervinho's excellent goals and performance in particular. The biggest down was the injury to Conor Henderson, fingers crossed it is not a really serious one and good luck to the lad. The absence of Armand Traore was interesting, it may signal something big or he may have picked up a minor injury, I'm sure

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-65058598837668991232011-07-18T17:59:00.003+01:002011-07-18T18:24:13.662+01:00

There are some signs of promise, Gervinho and Jenkinson have signed, a young pacey striker in the form of Joel Campbell looks to be following close behind. Denilson has been shipped out to Sao Paolo on loan, Nic Bendtner looks to be on the way out too, unfortunately there does not appear to a great deal of other movement in the direction of the exit door.The close season is certainly not a

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-28872422879333928752011-07-10T10:06:00.004+01:002011-07-10T10:26:56.509+01:00

Now is effectively make or break for Arsene Wenger, there is simply no getting around this fact. As things stand we have a squad that is simply not capable of challenging for the title, and he has to change this around before August.Looking through the squad for the Asian tour shows this fact. There is no doubt we have a great first eleven and a hell of a lot of talented kids providing some

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-50115462770018103172011-07-04T15:57:00.005+01:002011-07-04T16:57:15.974+01:00

I don't often highlight particularly low quality pieces of journalism but today's Dail Mail has some of Martin Samuel's excrement within, and it deserves a closer inspection and ridicule. It starts off badly by falsely assuming that Arsenal have made a habit of buying in ready made superstars, in fact nothing could be further from the truth and by starting off from this false premise, Samuel's

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-85937004612941807842011-07-03T16:24:00.005+01:002011-07-03T17:06:36.237+01:00

It may be an immensely well worn cliche, but one discovers very little about oneself during the good times, it is during the harder times that one discovers one's true make up and metal. This is well worth bearing in mind given the current goings on, or apparent lack of them, at Arsenal Football Club.One of my key thoughts from last season was that I do not want to see us fail to win games when

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-86344574382455785322011-06-29T18:59:00.003+01:002011-06-29T19:05:25.455+01:00

I haven't wasted my time in writing on the various pieces of dross that has been peddled in the media in the last few weeks and I don't regret my stance for a minute. The vast majority has been completely made up and has not been worth wasting my pseudo-ink on.In fact things have been so very slow and tiresome that a lot of people have been getting very excited about a certain jilted ex-board

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-41228720899351427962011-06-12T14:12:00.003+01:002011-06-12T14:26:50.100+01:00

It's been interesting reading some of the recent transfer stuff in the last few weeks, not because I believe anything I read in some of the so called 'news' papers, but because so much of it has been either completely contradictory or completely made up. One of the worst things about all this guff is that some rather angry fans have been launching into attacking certain Arsenal players for no

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-23460543213932831362011-06-09T15:06:00.003+01:002011-06-09T16:09:28.191+01:00

I hate to be depressing at a time when our hopes and dreams should be running wild, at that time of year when expectation can be completely disproportionate to the reality of a situation, when everyone thinks their club is going to be the one next season. Frankly it is better to never expect too much, doing so leaves one invariably disappointed, and this is certainly the case for the majority of

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-62953562032777317272011-05-30T09:39:00.004+01:002011-05-30T11:37:38.632+01:00

I wrote briefly on the 'AKB' tag the other day and this was largely inspired by some pretty slack jawed stuff that had been trotted out elsewhere in recent weeks. There were a number of excellent and eloquent responses from readers, certainly others who had been as angered as myself at the way in which some lazily trot out the 'AKB' tag in order to avoid ever listening to the opinions of

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-87283286694386384542011-05-29T12:48:00.005+01:002011-05-29T13:31:03.811+01:00

It was the better result for football in the end, the better footballing side convincingly dispatched their opponents, a justice of sorts on the football field. It was even strange to see Barca play with some integrity, there wasn't anything like the same level of gamesmanship that we have seen in recent games.It seemed to me that Ferguson blundered with his team selection. Although United

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-72753740697848581742011-05-28T11:49:00.003+01:002011-05-28T12:15:39.694+01:00

Well the hype surrounding tonight's Champions League final has been going full blast for hours now and I have a certain feeling nagging inside me concerning the injustice dished out to us by Barcelona and their referee in that tightly contested tie earlier on this season. We were robbed, although I feel Arsene got his tactics wrong in the second leg, Rosicky was poor and Arshavin should have

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-19038357056299351042011-05-26T18:08:00.001+01:002011-05-26T18:10:07.372+01:00

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-70232679657603578582011-05-24T20:09:00.003+01:002011-05-24T20:19:29.107+01:00

I challenge even the biggest Manchester United supporter to defend the above. One has to give credit where credit is due and no one can doubt Fergsuson's incredibly achievements and record as United manager.However as a human he is not someone I have much respect for and his behaviour above is a perfect example of what a deeply unpleasant character the man is. He is a cowardly bully, a man who

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-31051854344425077952011-05-22T18:37:00.004+01:002011-05-22T18:58:55.352+01:00

So I think I can say that our end to the season has been an unmitigated disaster, there have been so few good performances, so many average ones, so many defensive errors and so many poor shows, it is not a surprise that we have picked up only two wins from twelve, a truly terrible record by anyone's standards. Our points total of 68 points puts us on a par with 2005-6 (67) and 2006-7 (68) and

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8328101106494598665.post-55495420170327457052011-05-20T11:52:00.005+01:002011-05-20T14:34:09.622+01:00

So the deeply average Denilson, frankly I can't be arsed with his full Brazilian name, is to leave us and shock horror, he is not going to be joining Chelsea or Manchester United. He has spoken to the Sun and said a few rather silly things, he has also shown us that he is verging on the delusional.Apparently Denilson is a 'winner' in his own words, how he has worked this out is not mentioned,

1979goonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08783799499006052572noreply@blogger.com5