From the off this was never an easy fixture, and also it was not a must win fixture, but in my and many others eyes for any hope of finishing above that lot down the road it was definitely a must not lose fixture.
Fro the start there was an added edge to the play, I thought we did well in possession and moved it well enough through the midfield, in the final third Jack failed to pick passes to Giroud, Cazorla and Walcott unfortunately hardly featured. Spurs were rarely presenting a threat, apart from set pieces from silly free kicks, but they did nothing with them and our defence coped admirably.
A few tackles were flying around and Adebayor was lucky not to see red in consecutive North London Derby’s for an ill timed lunge on Wilshere. The only thing that saved him was that his leading foot was not off the ground, everything else about the challenge was red card worthy, late, out of control, studs up and endangering the safety of others. Clattenberg decided it wasn’t a red and brandished a yellow instead.
0-0 at half time would have been a fair result given the 36 minutes played so far. But then we decided (as we so often have this season) to gift an opening goal to the opposition. Sigurdsson running with the ball had all the time in the world to pick a pass to the through running Bale, who absolutely no one had decided to track. At first glance it looked to me like he was miles offside but to be fair to the linesman he was spot on, BFG had shifted back a couple of yards to track the run of Adebayor, the rest of the defence did not respond and Bale was through with just Szczesny to beat, which he duly did.
1-0 down was not too concerning, yes it had got the home fans up on their feet, but the game was still finely balanced, that was until 2 minutes later and we decided yet again to play a high line when we shouldn’t have, this time Lennon leaving Monreal in his wake and leaving Vermaelen standing still rushed on to a through ball to make it 2-0. To be honest I also felt like Szczesny got caught out of position on this one, but with the defence in front of him parting as regularly as they do I feel sorry for him and can’t be too harsh on the young man.
2-0 down and we had given ourselves a difficult task again.
We started the second half briskly and the deficit was halved by a combination of Mertesacker and Bale, I’d say it was probably a Bale own goal as Mertesacker’s flick was not really going anywhere towards goal. A bit of belief and Arsenal pushed on in search of the equaliser, unfortunately Spurs were ready for the battle and dug in for the following 40 minutes to hold on to victory.
Our players toiled hard, but it is unrealistic to expect the attack and midfield to constantly pull the defensive mistakes round to a positive result on every occasion. Its about time the defence stood up and took some responsibility for the results this season.
I’m sure you all have a lot more to say on the game so i’ll leave it up to you to fill in the blanks, now the big question remains can we qualify for Champions League, but don’t worry its not a trophy so there is no need to get too worked up if we don’t is there?
We can just cruise along to seasons end now, bar performing some miracle in Munich, we have 11 games to go (10 in the league) so we can relax and enjoy them for what they are…meaningless rubbers, and look to build for next season, blood some youngsters and see what improvements are needed throughout the squad.
Ratings
Szczesny – 7 could have done better with his positioning for the second, good handling all afternoon
Jenkinson – 7 solid from the young man, failed to offer too much support going forward because he was pressed back by Siggurdson
Mertesacker – 7 minus one for the goal against plus one for the goal, rest of his play what we have come to expect
Vermaelen – 5 culpable on both goals
Monreal – 6 undergoing a Premier League baptism of fire, he hasn’t quite found the pace yet.
Arteta – 6 went quietly about his business
Wilshere – 7 runs and works and tries to drag the team forward, maybe a case of trying too hard first half and trying to force the final ball
Ramsey – 7 thought he had a very tidy game, battled hard to win control of the midfield.
Walcott – 6 very quiet
Cazorla – 7 quiet first half, came more into the game second
Giroud – 7 led the line willingly but was well marshalled by their defence and had little support.
Subs:
Rosciky – 7 be good to get some more regular game time from the pass and move master
Podolski – 7 got involved, unlucky not to pick his way through on a number of occasions.
Written by Gooner in Exile
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
what are you smoking ?
schez – 5
mertesecker – 5
ramsey – 5
giroud – 4
walcott – 5
Well done, GIE, it’s hard to write a post match report when we have lost, and no doubt going into the post mortem debate, so credit to you! 🙂
I know I always say this, but regardless of my disinclination to do player ratings myself, I cannot argue with your scores, except, possibly, I would knock a mark off everyone.
A very fair summary GiE, thank you.
Panto season it isn’t, but I would have thought a wee cry of “behind you” from Nacho to Verm may have helped for the second.
As for the rest of the season, its very much go out to win every game and see what happens. Amazing what can happen in the modern era with three points for a win 🙂
lance, from memory I think GiE favours Woodbines.
Good work GiE, under horrible circumstances.
Good morning to you all,
At least we gave it a go.
In the first half I thought we were much the better side, until gift presentation time arrived. Second half was more even, but after we scored I thought Spuds got nervous and started the time wasting tactics.
GIE, I do think you have been a little over generous in your player ratings especially in the case of Walcott, his anonymity was astounding given the nature and importance of the fixture.
I think Walcott wasn’t great yesterday, but to be fair to him he made some great runs, and the final pass from Jack or Santi never quite came off. I thought Giroud was far far far worse. Did literally nothing the whole game.
I expect there will be nothing new to add to the subject matter that we have chewed over and regurgitated many times already, but sticking to the match yesterday I think it is important to remind ourselves, yet again, that many games, both in winning and in losing, are decided by very fine margins.
Over the years, I have watched many boxing tournaments where both men have fought well and skilfully round after round, but the contest is frequently decided in just a split second by one or the other losing concentration and getting nailed.
I think that in a nutshell is what happened to Arsenal.
Over the 90 minutes the team played reasonably well, and probably better than the Spuds, although that is a subjective opinion, and open to argument.
Two critical lapses resulted in two preventable goals.
In the first, Vertonghen was able to collect the ball just outside his penalty area, and moved forward without being challenged (Theo where were you, again?) before being partially closed down by Per, while Verm held back and played Bale onside. Easy score.
For the second goal, again, there was no incisive closing down, and with an indecisive high line, Lennon was allowed to pick up speed, with Arteta, as usual, unable to match his pace and giving up, and Nacho trying to claim offside rather than tackling him, or at least bringing him down, while Verm, once again, made no effort to try and see what was going on behind his back. Easy score.
Up front, after we scored our goal, we were dominating the exchanges, and Pod who had come on as a sub, was through on goal, before taking a poor heavy touch and the opportunity to equalise was gone.
Similarly, Ramsey, who had been busting a gut all game, advanced from the right back position and was through on a one on one with the keeper, for a clear shooting chance, only to mis-hit the ball and to see it deflected for a corner.
The goals we gave away will make the defence blush, this morning, and if Pod and Ramsey had those opportunities again, I like to think they would have scored.
Fine margins, as I said, and even giving away two tame goals, on another day we could easily have run out 2:3 winners.
Fanciful? Maybe.
However, an Arsenal team playing with a bit more confidence, especially in the control and shooting skills of Rambo and Pod, could have put that game to bed, or at least managed a creditable draw.
Norfolk Gooner…….On Match of the Day 2 the pundits showed Walcott had made many superb runs, but only received the ball once. I don’t think he should be rated so low.
Reddawn,
I only have my memories of the game, but I accept that Theo made ‘runs’ off the ball, though I don’t recall many while watching live.
It is probably pointless getting drawn into yet another ‘Theo’ discussion, (it seems opinions have been set in stone) but given he made ‘superb runs’ there has to be more to his game.
Why does he not press the opposition, when necessary, why does he not track back and help out the right back, why, with all his pace, does he so often check back inside, and choose to pass 5 yards to someone else, before ‘running off’ again, without the ball, why does he fall over or get dispossessed so often when he comes up against a defender?
I am not opening up the Theo debate, again, as I wrote above, that only leads to castigation and I will never get anyone to change their minds anyway, but why is the “Theo made superb runs” stuff trotted out so often, when once again he has gone missing during a game, and he hasn’t had the nous to go back, grab the ball himself and make something happen?
Not that I mean to heap all that on you, of course! 😀
Vertonghen is named the match’s MotM.
Currently, he is part of an all-star team’s back four, comprising of in-form players in the European leagues (Carvajal of Leverkusen, Ranocchia of Inter and Campagnaro of Napoli) with an average rating of 7.45 in 24 league games.
They also have Bale of course, who other than C.Ronaldo, Ribery and T.Muller, is the most productive winger+attacking midfielder in Europe currently. (Averaging 7.95 rating in 24 league games).
We have Cazorla as our attacking midfielder featuring currently in the same all-star team’s midfield (the others being T.Muller, Ribery and Pirlo), comprising of in-form players in the European leagues. (Averaging 7.81 rating in 28 league games).
Fine margins, unfortunately summing up to a 1-2 loss.
Hello everybody. How have things been since I was last here ? Not too good, I hear. Who’s surprised ? I’m certainly not. It’s all so predictable. Our shortcomings and the lack of action on them make it so. We’ve been seeing them for eight years and counting, and nothing is ever done to address them. So whose fault is this ? And who should be held responsible and accountable for them ?
Then we have the crazy “tactical” decisions. Why is Ramsey continually picked ahead of a more in-form Rosicky ? Answer ; because Wenger has his favourites, and Ramsey ( along with Diaby ),are two of them.Why is Walcott taking set pieces ? Don’t we have anyone better suited to them ? Then he takes Jenkinson, who was one of our better players on the day, off, and puts Ramsey at right back ! W.T.F. ? Ask why we ALWAYS play a high line of defence REGARDLESS of the opposition ? Even when we have slow centre backs who can be exploited by doing this ? It’s madness. Then we had Wenger admitting what we plebs already knew – that ; ( quote ) “We don’t plan for anybody. It is always the same – focus on our strengths and forget about your opponent,”
How does he get away with saying this publicly ? Why aren’t the journalists picking him up on it ? If he said that in Italy or Spain he’d be asked to explain himself. It didn’t occur to him to man mark Gareth Bale – the most in-form player in the E.P.L. at the moment ? Ah, but why bother with such mundane trivialities, Arsene ? Just instruct the players to go out there and play “their normal game” ( which means attack, and hope that we score more than the opposition does. ) That’s your ONLY plan every time.
We’re in decline. It’s even more apparent now. We’re out of all competitions, 24 points behind the leaders United, and lost the one game we absolutely HATE to lose – the derby. Yet STILL he keeps his job. Where else at any big club would this be tolerated ? When we hear the Spurs fans singing to Wenger “We want you to stay.”, as they did on Sunday, then surely we have to put the club’s future ahead of the deluded has-been who’s running it. Bring on that takeover bid ! It’s the best thing that could happen right now – our debts paid off, more money for Wenger to ( not ) spend, but for a NEW manager who WOULD, and an opportunity to genuinely compete with the big boys. Debts paid off ??! Yes, the very excuse the Wenger apologists endlessly repeat – gone. What a relief that that “burden” is lifted. Isn’t that what you’ve always claimed has been “holding us back” ?
Optimism and more importantly, HOPE restored. Come on A.K.B.’s – admit it, you want that as much as us realists do, don’t you ? So therefore, how about this blog showing where its priorities lie, by positively supporting this takeover bid,( even if nothing eventually comes of it ) – and calling for Wenger to resign ?
Somehow I suspect there’s as much chance of that happening as Kroenke agreeing to sell, and us beating Bayern Munich.
“Optimism and more importantly, HOPE restored. Come on A.K.B.’s – admit it, you want that as much as us realists do, don’t you ? So therefore, how about this blog showing where its priorities lie, by positively supporting this takeover bid,( even if nothing eventually comes of it ) – and calling for Wenger to resign ?”
Thanks but no thanks !!!
Hello Spectrum, I suspected you may have been back today and first off it sounds like you are assuming EVERYONE here is an AKB, something which is not only erroneous but a sweeping, and uninformed, generalisation of the readership of AA.
As regards to the so called £1.5bn bid, does not a story put out thew day before the NLD by a rag which is no longer allowed at London Colney, sound like a hatchet job to you ?
It purports that a deal between two different Arab groups collaborating is about to happen, yet the groups are so antagonistic to each other that the thought of those groups doing anything that resembles a joint venture is akin to North and South Korea merging.
When an actual offer backed up with names names is produced by these embittered hacks at the currant bun(and bizarrely the Torygraph) it may be worth thinking about(by some), till then we can safely treat that takeover bid story with the contempt it deserves.
Chary might I Respectfully suggest your very apt and succinct reply to the misguided entity that refers to itself as Spectrum, might have read better if it had finished “we can safely treat the takeover bid story with the same contempt as we normally reserve for reprobates like you”. 🙂
😆
Chary – On the A.K.B.’s, I was speaking generally, not singling out individuals, ( although it’s not difficult to identify them ). Sure the offer is not confirmed as authentic yet, and may not be, but how come given the undeniable state of decline we’re in, so few of you on here are excited at even the HINT of a change for the better ? As I said, the consortium has said they will wipe off our debts. You’ve all been ceaselessly lamenting the fact that we “can’t compete” with the big money clubs, and now we have a possible opportunity to throw off those self imposed shackles. I thought you’d be celebrating that ( he said nievely ). Well here’s a group who are calling your bluff on that. And predictably, you don’t want anything to do with it.
Still prepared to put principles before progress then ? Until that mentality changes A.K.B.’s and the board will never see change for the better. Perhaps that’s because the thought of Wenger being placed under much greater scrutiny and pressure to deliver, could well mean he ( being an honourable man ) would be true to his beliefs and walk away ? Isn’t that what most of you on here are REALLY afraid of ? Or that if he did struggle on under the burden of increased expectations, that he wouldn’t be able to repay the undying faith you have in him ?
I like to pay my own bills. Im nobody’s bitch.
There is no place for sand or oil on a football pitch
Thanks for the write-up, Exile.
To me, it boils down to this: to get three points in matches like yesterday we need either to have some better quality on the pitch (we have plenty of good to very good players but no brilliant/exceptional talents anymore) or we need to have a team that is collectively efficient and tight (i.e. it holds its shape and does everything well). We could have an unreliable defence that can be bailed out by attacking brilliance, or we can have a more workmanlike attacking game in front of a resiliant, focused defensive unit. When we have both, we can be unbeatable. It hurts to say it, but we now have neither.
Yesterday’s defeat was much more about us than it was Spurs. I don’t begrudge Spurs their success and their improvement, good on them. But we gifted them two goals and then didn’t have what it took to make up for it. I don’t think Spurs played especially well but we could quite easily have conceded two more goals, when Bale missed a sitter and Sigurdsson made a hash of it after we were completely opened up.
Our decision-making in the attacking third was rarely right yesterday (Wilshere, Giroud, Walcott all at fault). The quality was missing on other occasions. When we got an opening, Ramsey missed when he should have hit the target, but in truth we just didn’t put enough pressure on the Spurs goal.
The only other thing I’d say is that I didn’t really understand why Jenkinson was substituted. With his pace, he seemed to be making some headway down the flank, and I thought he’d be more dangerous there than Ramsey. Not that I really think that was crucial to the outcome of the game.
Spurs may yet stumble, but the sheananigans at Chelsea must be the main hope for us being able to salvage CL football. And even that looks unlikely to produce the goods.
While we can legitimately point to City, United and Chelsea and say they have superior resources, so finishing above them will always be tough, we can’t say the same thing about Spurs. Their expenditure on transfers and wages over the last five years or so has been broadly similar to ours. So if we do finish below them, there would be some degree of failure in it. Losing the brilliant players has been to some extent out of our control, but the improved team-play that we’ve seen this season just isn’t sustained sufficiently, these lapses of concentration and failures of positional play have been too much for our season to bear. Is it the personnel, or is the training, or is it something else? Whatever it is, it just isn’t working anymore. If it were, we wouldn’t be seven points behind Spurs with ten games to go.
Now it’s time to dig in, and get the most points we can from those remaining games. If we get an opening in the top four, great. But we need to avoid descending below the Merseyside teams, who aren’t that far away from us.
Thanks for the post game, GIE.
I like your attitude regarding the last 10 games: “so we can relax and enjoy them for what they are…meaningless rubbers”, although I am guessing you must be employing some sort of psychological tool when you describe them as “meaningless rubbers”.
In the last several seasons, Arsenal seemed to sputter toward the end. There is still a long way to go this season though. There are 38 games in a season, so 10 games means a bit more than a quarter of a season is still left!
Please Arsenal players, just enjoy the “meaningless rubbers” and play as you are capable of playing. It’ll be okay (better than okay, even) if you do that.
Oh contraire Spectrum, I didn’t say I wanted nothing to do with it, I said until there are actual named sources and firm offers put forward I would be treating the (fake sheikh) STORY with the contempt it deserves.
DD – you are naughty. 🙂
There’s a very bad smell on the site, so I’m going away until the air clears!
Chary – But are YOU excited ? I certainly am. Let’s hope there is something concrete behind it. Agreed ?
Spectrum, interesting that there are 3-4 of your points that I see the same way as you as will a lot of AA regulars. The problem when you post a comment is that any good points you raise are also laced with a lot of assumptions and points that you claim as being facts which in reality are just your opinion, the same as others have opinions. For instance, as mentioned by Chary, how is that you assume every AA poster is an AKB. That immediately for me dilutes any good points you make because it tells me you don’t know who you are posting with.
I also agree with Chary about this so called take-over bid, which you think will be the best thing since sliced bread. I will give you something to think upon. Have all take-overs at other clubs been successful? It seems to me that most of these take-over bids seem to come with great promises about how the new owners will pump in funds and that the club will become the greatest ever under them and inherit the earth. Can you recall any take-over bid where the prospective new owners come in and state, actually we are not quite as rich as we are making out, but just want to take a chance on getting a slice of the action?
I am sure that the Blackburn fans at one point got very excited about how Venky’s would drive them forward, because they promised to do so. I am sure there were also many Liverpool fans that were once excited by all the promises of greatness that Hicks and Gillet sweet-talked them with because they also promised to do so. Is a promise and a nice smile enough?
As you want those that frequent this site to support this take-over bid, in essence to prove our true loyalty as Arsenal fans, then I presume you are privy to certain information. I am not convinced by Kroenke and his ultimate motive myself, so I wouldn’t turn my nose up at different owners that could offer us more, so I am open to being convinced Spectrum. Can you therefore tell me firstly who these people are and what is their combined financial clout? Then I would like to know how they are raising the touted £1.5billion. Do they have this tucked away as loose cash or will this be raised as a loan. If it is the latter then does the loan require some sort of security and if so what, and what guarantees (legally binding ones) have the consortium offered that none of the debt will ever be levied on the club?
I think the smell has something to do with rotten “crumpets”
Well Spectrum, there is no denying a change is needed yet what divides the Gooner community is what the change should be and how it should be enacted..
I would perhaps be favourably inclined towards this bid had it not been for the nature of the bidders.
As this is not a political blog I won’t go into why in any more detail out of respect for the rules of this website.
GunnerN5 – I smell it too. The unmistakeable odour of a decaying club with no direction, nor a plan to do anything about it.
We have a whiff of fresh air with a takeover bid, and the “reprobates” among us want to turn off the life support.
It’s simple, we do not have a defence. If you gift wrap 2 soft goals to the opposition as yesterday you will never win anything. The whole back 5 (yes including the goalkeeper) need to be replaced although I still have hopes for Gibbs. In front them they need some protection eg Alex Song. Have you seen any other PL team this season concede so many goals with virtually none of its defence or midfield in sight as happens regularly to us. I thought Steve Bould could lick them into shape but even he cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
We can all see the deficiencies; sadly our Manager and Board cannot
Speccy’s back…back in town.
Hey dude 🙂
Bit distressed to see you on Le Grove wanting us to loose to Bayern 4-1 and then wanting us to loose to Tottenham. This matey is not acceptable, I hope you come to realise the irony that while you are trying to get rid of the present board and manager because you don’t think they are doing their job, you are not doing yours properly which is supporting your team and going about your agenda in another way.
However today you made a valid point about playing a high line, Per was terrible, he shoud have backed off on the first goal standing side on holding up play not stepping up for a easy ball through… after all he’s too slow to catch up when it goes wrong. The coaching may be fine, trouble is the players cant perform the instructions. We do need strengthening in defence and for this we need to buy better players who can carry out Wenger/Boulds coaching.
I don’t want the takeover. We don’t need any external money. What we need is a driven, young, motivated and new manager. We have the resources to do well. For christs sake we pay out £1 million per week in wages than Tottenscum, who regardless of what anyone says have been closing the gap on us for a while now.
We need a manager who realises it is stupid to play a high line against a team that has Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale.
We need a manager who plays people in their correct position, instead of playing a second striker on the wing, and a central midfielder as a right back (Jenkinson was having a very solid game as well).
We need a manager who doesn’t see defence as a dirty word, not worth any effort on because it corrupts his ideal of aesthetic football. Again see his comments after the match. No comment on defence, simply that we should have taken our chances. Well with a good defence we wouldn’t have been in that situation Arsene!
We need a manager who actually adopts a somewhat reactive approach instead of simply preaching to his team that we need to play our game, forget about the opponents. (read TA’s autobiography Addicted where he talks about preparation for the 98 cup final, Fabregas’s comments when comparing us to Barca and Wenger’s own comments recently)
We need a manager who will get over his attachment to the French league and realise that for the most part there is not that much quality there anymore.
We need a manager who will not sacrifice the good of the team for the sake of his personal projects: see not buying Alonso as it would hold back Denilson, not buying Schwarzer as it would be harsh on Manuel, who would not buy Lloris as it might have hindered Sir Ches, and who persists with Diaby who has cost the club an unbelievable amount of money.
Great Post GIE,
I havent saw full match.. I saw till 30 mins it was 0-0 and arsenal were dominating… We had to shots on goal and 61% possesion compare to spurs 0 shots and 39%… After 20 mins when i saw the score i got shocked it was 2-1.. Neverthless this is what happening to arsenal this season we dominate game and then suddenly we give us foolish goal.. I told other day Giourd is not good still. Why dont arsene try different tatics.. He could have started with poldi in the middle or atleast on left… Wa We h
I’ve been over to ‘JustArsenal’ for a naughty bit of fun winding up the young ‘uns (a bit like what Spectrum’s up to over here), and I’m livid.
This is how they treated me…
snakeoil says:
@Big Al, Koh Samui, Thailand:
I suggest you pick a different sport to follow and to comment on. Clearly you no nothing about football.
Try another sport, please. You are lost in football,
Gunne says:
Big Al, Koh Samui, pls shut your mouth! You an Arsene Wenger’s foot soldier am very sure of that. Therefore, your opinion does not count here.
I’m not going back there again.
They’re the future. Frightening isn’t it.
We had chance to sign verhntgon in summer and emirates was his likely destination given the point that TV was with us but arsene offered him DM role which he was not ready accept and we lost him.. I totally agree with you we dont need takeover we need a young manager… Now i am too loosing hope on arsene his time is over.. All the thing has end this is nothing knew.. He should quit and join Some higher authority work in arsenal….
Manthan,
What is the source of your informaton?
………………………………………………………………………….
“We had chance to sign verhntgon in summer and emirates was his likely destination given the point that TV was with us but arsene offered him DM role which he was not ready accept and we lost him”..
GN5,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2247700/Tottenhams-Jan-Vertonghen-snubbed-Arsenal-Arsene-Wenger-planned-play-midfield.html
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/8330326/Jan-Vertonghen-admits-he-snubbed-Arsenal-in-favour-of-joining-Tottenham
GunnerN5
Vertonghen himself said it.
Gooner B – I’m quite capable of distinguishing the facts from my opinions. But the two seem to sit comfortably with each other, as much of what I have talked about has proven accurate with events as they’ve transpired. This is not due to any special psychic ability on my part, but simply observing the past and current goings on at the club.
And I’m not assuming that EVERYONE on here is an A.K.B. but let’s be honest, this site is not exactly a seething hotbed of rebellion against the establishment, is it ?
You asked “Can you recall any take-over bid where the prospective new owners come in and state, actually we are not quite as rich as we are making out…..” Well we don’t know all the finer details, but from what I’ve read the fact* is ( *oops, there’s that word again ) that this deal would be worth 1.5 billion in total. The biggest EVER. Dwarfing the 800 million the Glazers paid for United. Therefore I can confidently presume that they can put their money where their mouth is ( if given the chance by Kroenke to do so ).To quote the Telegraph ;
“The cash offer, which is more than twice the amount at which Arsenal were valued two years ago, will be for 100 per cent of the club, and if successful would wipe out debts that stand at around £250 million according to the last full year’s financial results.
According to a bid source, there would be substantial transfer funds made available to transform the club into a major force in European and world football. There would also be a pledge to reduce ticket prices at the Emirates Stadium — currently among the highest in the world — as well as an attempt to recreate “some of the feel of the old North Bank” at Highbury.
The bid team has noted the damage caused by Kroenke, who owns two-thirds of the club, refusing to engage with Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who owns 29.96 per cent.
The bidders would like to unite the ownership, putting all the shares together in one fund. The offer will be for the full 62,217 shares which have been issued, but effectively it will be to buy out Kroenke, in the first instance, paying around £830 million for his 66.83 per cent shareholding (41,581). The offer equates to around £20,000 per share. The deal would provide the American with an approximate profit of £400 million given the majority owner is believed to have paid around £430 million to build his stake in the club since he first became involved in 2007. When Kroenke made his mandatory cash offer for Arsenal in April 2011, buying up the stakes owned by Danny Fiszman and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, it valued the club at £731 million” ( end quote ).
The important thing here is that this is “a limited time offer” only, ( as they say on t.v.) The consortium will only invest in this while the club still has a chance of being successful in the future. Arsenal won’t hold its value unless we start to WIN THINGS. They have said they won’t do it if we start to decline. We’re already IN decline, so we should take up this offer while we still can, as it’s the best Kroenke will EVER get from anyone.
Lower ticket prices, pay off our debt, have funds for a new manager to spend, and PERHAPS as a result of this bold initiative, maybe win some silverware at long last. A prospect that looks increasingly more remote the longer we resist accepting this deal. It all sounds good to me. Why shouldn’t it appeal to any success starved Gunner ?
Manthan,
Oh I see, you read something in a newspaper and then consider it to be factual information?
GN5,
I don’t belive if it was published in one newspaper but it was there in all and it was said by verhtgon himself….
Merse,
Put the recording up so we can all hear it for ourselves.
GN5
It’s not the most outrageous possibility in the word. We all know Wenger’s love for playing people out of position. It sometimes comes off, more often than not it doesn’t, but maybe Vertonghen just didn’t want to play at DM. I read an interview of his, he talks about us with great respect but says he opted to go to Tottenscum because of wanting to play at centre back.
So we go 5 games unbeaten then lose and look who pops up. As predictble as our defence.
GN5,
You, me and all of us know Arsene has lost many of target due to two things either money or he don’t want to block any player first team chances and what happens next that same player will become a good player and leave us… Manager should be harsh…
If the Suadis buy Arsenal you can have it spectrum. I’ll be out. I’d find a lower teir team to support.
Gm,
I too follow with you ;-).. We want to win trophies by hardwork not by money….
We have 7 points gap and we have 10 games left we can make it if luck is on our side and not qualifying for CL will be good for us it will be a wake up call for all and hopefully things will get changed after that.. Lets wait and watch,,, I wonder one thing when we win why dont specturm never comment when we loose he comes with is all negative theory….
It’s not just about money Manthan. Saudu Arabia is a fascist state and I don’t want any part of it
#agree….
The spuds are an average team with one World cclass player. monkey man didn’t have much of a game but we gifted them the points. They have difficult fixtures but I’m not confident of winning games like Swansea away. We may get 4th but I think it’s unlikely.
As I said, we don’t need the money. If the club shows a bit of ambition and uses the money we have and gets in a new manager who is tactically aware we could be fighting for the title again within a couple of years.
As goonermichael says, I do not want any middle eastern consortium buying us out. That’s not because I have anything against people from the middle east, but I have a problem with the people who are at the top of the pyramid in a lot of the countries there (especially Saudi Arabia). It’s a repressive country, with an absolute monarchy and a medieval attitude to women. Don’t want anything to do with them and I don’t want their money. Much of the wealth of the arab royal families has come from exploiting the resources and people of their countries for their own benefit without distributing the gains in a fair and equitable manner.
goonermichael – Five games unbeaten ? You see that is what a lack of perspective brings out in people. Try looking at the bigger picture ( which is what the realists like myself do.)
Everything’s just hunky dory with the setup we currently have isn’t it ? We’re really primed for success under this board and loser of a manager. Let’s fight hard to make fourth so we can bomb out to the first classy team we come up against in the Champion’s League ( e.g. Bayern Munich ).
Arsene Wenger likes to boast about Arsenal’s successive seasons of qualifying for the Champions League. It is a measure of our diminished expectations that this line is parroted by his followers amongst the fans and the media, as if it is a success in itself. But look at our record in the CL:
1998/99 – eliminated at the group stage after failing to beat Lens and Dynamo Kiev.
1999/00 – eliminated at the group stage
2000/01 – eliminated in the quarter-finals by Valencia
2001/02 – eliminated at the second group stage
2002/03 – eliminated at the second group stage
2003/04 – eliminated in the quarter-finals by Chelsea (a team we had beaten three times that season)
2004/05 – eliminated in the last 16 by Bayern Munich
2005/06 – runners-up to Barcelona
2006/07 – eliminated in the last 16 by PSV Eindhoven
2007/08 – eliminated in the quarter-finals by Liverpool
2008/09 – eliminated in the semi-finals by Man Utd
2009/10 – eliminated in the quarter-finals by Barcelona
2010/11 – eliminated in the last 16 by Barcelona
2011/12 – eliminated in the last 16 by AC Milan
2012/13 – on the verge of another last 16 exit…..
…….Some roll of honour, huh ?
Can a new ownership consortium and a new, fresher, tactically competent manager not do better than the above ? Well they couldn’t do any worse than win NOTHING could they ? It’s time we as a club grew up, showed some enterprise, and threw off the deadweight that this board and has-been manager have lumped us with.
manthan – ” I wonder one thing when we win why dont specturm never comment when we loose he comes with is all negative theory…”.
Manthan, if it appears negative that’s because it actually believe it or not ( and you evidently don’t ) IS negative. You’re fooling yourselves to deny it. I don’t like it anymore than you, however that is the scenario we find ourselves in after the last eight years of this board and Wenger. Open your eyes, and look around. Start by rolling your eyes upwards and reading my post above at 3.00pm. That’s not theory, it’s on record.
Is it being “negative” ? Well only if you’re content to see positives in banging your head against a wall, and expecting the wall to break before your head does. That’s Arsenal 2005 – 2013. We keep making the same mistakes, because we have a man in charge who is rigid in his thinking and won’t change his belief system even though he’s constantly presented with evidence that it hasn’t worked, and isn’t working.
( Goodnight all, and see you next time ).
Unbelievable – police are searching for the Gooner who threw a banana at monkey boy on Sunday, with AFC saying they’ll ban the fan for life.
To quote the cliche “PC gone mad”. What a waste of time and public money over a little gag.
Spectrum, your just a boring selfish twat who knows nothing about Arsenal, its traditions or the people that go to games
With all your giving it the bigun about possible take overs has it not once crossed your mind that one of the major reasons that this “consortium” would be interested in Arsenal is Arsene Wenger himself? He is the guy thats presided over a move to one of the best stadiums in the world, been at the helm as fan base has grown astronimcly, won 3 titles, qualifed for champions leage consistently, and created a brand of football that is admired.
Yes, he has his faults, and this season is a bit crap. But its certainly not as crap as you.
Wenger is an Arsenal man, you are not and never will be.
goonermichael – Five games unbeaten ? You see that is what a lack of perspective brings out in people. Try looking at the bigger picture ( which is what the realists like myself do.)
Spectrum
WTF has that got to do with anything I said?
I really dislike you even though I agree with a lot of what you say. You are like a little kid arguing in a playground.
Speccy’s back…back in town.
Bit distressed to see you on Le Grove wanting us to loose to Bayern 4-1 and then wanting us to loose to Tottenham. This matey is not acceptable, I hope you come to realise the irony that while you are trying to get rid of the present board and manager because you don’t think they are doing their job, you are not doing yours properly which is supporting your team and going about your agenda in another way.
However today you made a valid point about playing a high line, Per was terrible, he shoud have backed off on the first goal standing side on holding up play not stepping up for a easy ball through… after all he’s too slow to catch up when it goes wrong. The coaching may be fine, trouble is the players cant perform the instructions. We do need strengthening in defence and for this we need to buy better players who can carry out Wenger/Boulds coaching
One last post before I go off to bed over here in Australia……
Terry Mancini – Tut tut. Remember the rules on here. Personal insults for merely stating truths, as unpalatable as they are to people like you ( who we could never accuse of being an A.K.B.now, could we ? ), and here you are jumping to defend him again. Interesting that all your examples you gave of Wenger’s achievements, were all pre 2005. I wonder why that’s always the case ? Because you have little else to vouch for him for.
The “astronomically grown fan base” – that’s the same fan base whose members are leaving their seats empty at the stadium because they either can’t afford to attend, or are bored and disillusioned with the “entertainment” on display, is it ? And if you hadn’t noticed, a lot of Gunners are totally disenchanted with the club, and where its headed, and are feeling a sense of disconnect with the institution they used to admire. But you probably wouldn’t be aware of this would you,as I expect you only frequent blogsites that align to your peculiar way of perceiving “success”.
“Qualified for the C.L. consistently ” ? Great for the balance sheet, which pleases Kroenke no end,but what’s in it for the fans ? ( see the “roll of honour” above. “Created a brand of football to be admired”. Yes, but that was under the old Wenger, and we’re seeing increasingly less of it now, aren’t we ?
On the takeover issue – The good thing if this deal goes ahead is that if Wenger were, unfortunately, to be kept on, it would only be on a strictly probationary basis. A chance for him to prove what ( if anything ) he could do under different circumstances. They wouldn’t plough all their money into the club only for Wenger to continue to underachieve as he has for the last eight years. They’d expect quick success and a return on their investment, and rightly so. Wouldn’t you ?
Wenger would finally be challenged to perform. He’d be under immediate pressure to deliver. He might even get his mojo back in the process, though I doubt it, as he’s stale and not the man he used to be. But his easy ride under the reign of the present board would definitely be over. Ideally though, he’d refuse to work with an administration that didn’t conform with his principles, and he’d exit the club as soon as possible. Something he’s far too comfortable to do at the moment. To the detriment of Arsenal F.C.
GoonerJake, did you not say this at 1.58pm ? Am I seeing double (no I haven’t started on the peroni’s early today) 🙂
Good grief, I come on AA to have a chat and enjoy the craik with you guys, and there you are talking to that anti-Arsenal toe rag SpecBum peddling his deranged juvenile bollocks, again.
He thinks and writes like an addled 8 year old, although I probably need to apologise to 8 year old kids who have more sense than him.
GN5 is right about the cloying stink he brings with him, [I want Arsenal to lose 4:1 against Tottenham he says] not to mention his pathetic delight at Arsenal losing. The bloggers on the other site don’t even like the arsehole.
I’m off until that poisonous oaf pisses off!!!
No chaybdis you are not seeing double, basically im saying spectrum is being hypocritical, and he did not answer me meaning either he did not see it or more hopefully ive bested him with my logic SOOOOOOO repetition for emphasis.
Spectrum, i dont take issue with your points, your entitled to them.
But you and i both know your a Twat and the rules of this site wont change that fact.
Oh right Jake, I often see double anyway.
Afternoon all, apologies GiE for not commenting earlier. Thanks for an honest and somewhat resigned match report. I agree we should maybe look at the rest of this season as an opportunity to try a few vthings different – what have we got to lose?
On another note, I’d like to think that bloggers would only post comments on this site that they would be prepared to place on other sites they frequent …. hopefully everyone will observe the basic rules of AA
Rasp
If we did that it could get out of hand. Have you seen the comments on other sites? 🙂
Rasp @4:28
Well, that let’s the shit stirrer, SpecBum off the hook, however much he infuriates many of us on AA with his vile anti-Arsenal crap, because he specialises in that disgusting nonsense on whichever blog he goes on.
You know I have no problem with people who have totally different opinions to my own. There are those on here who I am fond of who disagree with me occasionally, and that’s all good.
But you cannot domesticate a stinky polecat, and the ant-Arsenal rhetoric, and desire to see us lose, that spews out of the keyboard of that malcontent, is like having acid thrown in the face of any Arsenal loving fan, and is intolerable and unacceptable.
gm and RA, you have both completely misinterpretted the target of my comment. I am not seeking to encourage or endorse spectrum in any way I assure you.
Oh dear, bendy has got suspended from the Danish national side for 6 months after getting nicked for drink driving.
Seems like a promising career could be fast disappearing down the crapper.
Guys,
I fallen into the same trap myself im afraid, we are spending too much time discussing and debating with someone who (in my opinion) likes attention. I think (and I stress that its my opinion) we should not devote any more time focussing on one person.
Just a thought…. hope ive not upset anyone.
All the very best
your fellow gooner
jake
His value on the transfer market must be plummeting chary ….. is he away on a free at the end of the season do you know?
goonerjake, you haven’t upset anyone and absolutely no need to apologise, I hope we have the pleasure of your company on here for many moons to come 😛
cheers
You are spot on Goonerjake, and never offend anyone, unlike that other idiot who is trying to turn AA into a version of another site.
Bendy is out of contract this summer, Rasper.
Good riddance, I suppose – but what a waste of a talent.
I really thought he was going to be the bees knees when I watched him in the youth team. Then so did he, and, sadly, he and I were wrong.
Oh well.
Thanks Redders, I shan’t shed a tear when Bendy is off the books – but who knows how good he could have been were it not for the super ego.
Maybe I should email you to explain the poiint I was trying to make earlier – it had nothing to do with Spectrum. I have decided to take Rocky’s advice and not interact with him.
chary. It is all over the Danish press today.
Nik B remains an Arsenal employee and as such he will surely get a club fine. We shall see.
Transplant,
“You and I both know you’re a twat” ROLF LAMOW
So simple. Some people do over complicate things 🙂
Rasp. I didn’t understand either 😦
Micky. We arrive and leave at the same times. People will start to talk ………
Didn’t you call someone else a twat recently?
Do you know at one point bendy, ebbaway and denalwayspassesssidewaysison was getting so much stick me and two mates were going to get their names on the back of our shirts for the matches we attend.(obviously the correct names and not my nicknames) What a three in a row that would make for those sitting behind 🙂 Glad in retrospect we did not do it 🙂
Hi all
Just so that there is no misunderstanding, Rasp and I felt that the content of the video posted by Glic in one of his disguises was not the sort of content we want on the site.
We have explained before that the site is visited not only by our own children but also younger children of other bloggers and a little more consideration would be appreciated.
I’ve removed the comment now.
Jake. Brilliant idea. Who would you use now?
Peaches. Agree.
Rasp,
it is not like me to let someone make me throw the dummy out of the pram, (is that the right phraseology?) 🙂 but all the crap that guy spouts about Arsenal is almost as bad as someone rubbishing a family member, and face to face they would not repeat any such comments.
Just as well he is in Australia!
Now I have cooled down, I think I understand what you were referring to, especially as there has been a deletion that I have noticed.
I understand redders, if we don’t respond he’ll go away, he is trying to provoke a reaction.
My final para @ 5:28 has been overtaken by events.
Perhaps the same regimen could be applied to Spectrum, or the language on here could deteriorate too?
Rasp
I understood 🙂
Pointless banning people as its easy to sneak in under the radar. Ignoring will work.
😆 Micky
I keep ignoring you Micky and ………….. 😳
To be fair to Glic, i think he was just backing me up. The guys a friend of mine and a top bloke.
As for Spectrum, he and i know what he is…..and so does Micky. hahaha
Hi Peaches, 🙂
I hope you are feeling a bit better.
If Arsenal lose, it doesn’t help to also feel physically unwell to add to the emotional suffering.
Every ounce of my 250 lbs is still quivering in coming to terms with losing a game we could have won, and then reading all this rubbish about a phantom ‘buy out’ which has set the more excitable off on a Treasure Hunt.
The cynic in me, thinks that if you took all the moans of Arsenal fans, the ‘tick list’ leaked to the Press by some anonymous party seems to offer them a remedy for all ills! Bah Humbug!! 🙂
Terry, we’ve had 2 videos from glic in recent days and no constructive Arsenal related comments. The first vid had ping pong balls coming out of a girls private parts covered in sticky secretions and todays featured a man urinating over the head of another man. Both contained foul language – just how was that supporting your battle with Spectrum?
Rasp,not passing judgement on your good self or Peaches. Your entitled to run the site how you feel fit. Its a great site, which is a credit to you both
I just wanted to put on record that Glic is a friend and a top bloke.
Micky — come back — I was only kidding — I love you, really!! 😀
RA
250lbs!
Crikey, if Nature was as clever as some think, it could have made two Americans 🙂
I don’t doubt that TMHT, I’m very happy to have you both on here, but you shouldn’t feel that the only suitable occasions are when it gets a bit feisty and you can do battle with Defoe 😕
Peaches
Hope you are on the mend
Sshh, Micky, Nature may be reading AA — I shaved a couple of lbs of too, but that is our secret!! 😀
Hi Micky
Thank you, I’m feeling much better today 🙂
Must take a call
I dont Rasp. I post when i get a chance, not when things get feisty.
Though, i admit when i see people writing anti Arsenal stuff i get sucked in and have a pop back. Probably what they want, but i cant help myself.
Fair do’s TMHT
TMHT. I would have thought that a man of your undoubted wisdom would know when to turn the other cheek.
These buffoons will be the first to cheer when AFC start winning titles again, and they will say “we supported them through the barren years”.
Nice write-up GiE.
I was much less gutted by yesterday’s performance/result than by the 2-3 defeat to them at our place where we threw away a two goal lead; or the 4-4 at our place where we were 4-2 up in extra time but still managed to blow it.
I felt we performed reasonably well overall without hitting our best.
With hindsight the high defensive line was a mistake against a speedy team (or at least it was a mistake the way we played it).
I’m not throwing in the towel for CL places just yet (or even for us overtaking the Spuds).
As many have said, there is plenty to play for yet.
BR,
Smacking Terry on the right cheek, is one thing, expecting him to offer up the left one for a smack too, is unlikely — unless, of course, he gets a go back with his telescope!! 🙂
Indeed, I was backing up my mate Stretch and let me say he is an even topper bloke than I am !. hahaha
In my defense, I did put a # WARNING # sign up on the two vids .
May I also say I am not offended by the Didits wiff waff training session techniques !. hahaha
I also didn`t know or even give it a second thought that there might be little kiddie gooners on site.
Now listen little church going kiddie gooners, there are more things to be worried about that Uncle Zimmerdines videos, be more wary of Priests bearing chipolata gifts !. Bless you !.
Sorry to have caused you so much trouble, but deep down you know I`m only having a laugh !, well at least it took your mind of the pain of yesterday, so glad I could help in that respect !. hahaha
PS
Rasp, your 5:53pm had me pissing myself….thank you, even though I doubt you intended that response !. hahaha
Keep smiling gooners !. 😆
BR,
I am thinking of having PER on my back. I have my issues with his defending, so its my way of giving him some support. then again No.
Nice to see your on the mend Peaches. Take it easy and take care.
Evening all sorry been working all day and unable to join in. Thanks for comments. I’m still not sure why BFG is taking so much criticism for the first goal, he was the one defender that did the right thing (not play offside when no pressure on the ball). Obviously the alternative view is if he had held his line Bale would have been offside and the whole pressure in ball would have been irrelevant
GiE
I agree with you about BFG for the first goal.
Also, I couldn’t understand why Jenks showed Sirgurdson inside in the run-up to the goal instead of forcing him down the flank.
I have just watched the Gary Neville analysis of the game, and he is frankly brilliant.
He has changed my mind about the hard work of Theo and Giroud who were constantly going into dangerous spaces between the Spuds CBs, and then never received the passes from, Cazzor and Jack that they needed.
They deserved a lot more credit than I and others gave the pair of them.
The guilty parties on the day, frankly, and this I did call correctly, were the Verm and Per. They did get in good positions initially, and then just switched off — with disastrous consequences.
Oddly enough, he also showed that Dawson and Vertonghen were every bit as guilty, despite Vertonghen getting MOTM, but their poor positioning was saved by the aforesaid Cazzor’s and Jack’s inability to find the right pass, or delaying the pass unnecessarily.
I know Neville has the frame by frame analysis machine, but he is very good and spotting and explaining where things go wrong, and where they work. And he opened my eyes.
He also made it clear to those who say Arsene/Bould do not coach the defensive aspects of the team, that they are wrong.
By using freeze framing of the defensive positioning of the back 4, it becomes clear that Arsenal were mostly defensively well organized — until Verm and Per lost their men — and their marbles.
Rocky I don’t think Sigurdsson gave Jenkinson the chance to show him outside as he drove his run towards goal immediately, this is something that Podolski is good at when ball at feet with space to run, and something generally we are poor at, I think too often our wide players get the ball out wide and continue with ball on touch line and then look to junk inside. It’s easy to defend and gives little space for the overlapping full back to take defenders away.
Also thinking about Lennon’s goal, and the runs of Theo, the angle and direction of Theo’s runs in the first half were not dissimilar to Lennon’s for that goal, the difference was timing, Lennon waited for Adebayor to take himself from the space in front of the goal, whereas Theo was already behind Giroud when our midfield took the ball in similar positions in the first half.
Rocky,
Me, and Gary, disagree with you and GIE about Jenks’s involvement in the goal.
He showed that Jenks was not culpable, because when Sigurdson moved inside, Jenks correctly kept his position, and it went wrong when our CBs screwed up who was doing what in terms of pressing or falling back ( the correct option) but one doing the pressing, and the other not was ridiculous. Both should have fallen back.
Don’t argue with me — or I’ll get my mate Gary to sort you out!! 😀
RA so to conclude Neville is of the same opinion as most of us inability to concentrate for 90 minutes and react to situations as they arise in game have cost us again.
Listening to the man from Opta today he had an interesting stat, were all the games in the League to finish at half time we would be 5 points off relegation, were all the games only to be second half we would be two points clear at the top.
So we can take from this that Arsene is very good at putting right problems he has seen in the first half, and that we don’t have a leader on the pitch intelligent enough to recognise the problems or influential enough to encourage others to adapt.
GIE, 🙂
I see you have distanced yourself from that Rocky man, regarding Jenks being at fault for the goal.
So, that’s you, me and Gary v Rocket!! 😀
Phil Neville says I’m right 🙂
GiE, thanks for the fine post. Sorry for not commenting earlier but i was foolishly distracted.
First of all i would say that we are primaraly better in the 2nd half because we are not pressed as high as in the 1st. Teams find it almost impossible to maintain the press for 90 minutes. Then they tend to sit in and rely on deeper counter attacks 2nd period. Fellow regulars at the Grove will probably back this theory up.
We are also a very attacking side. Our midfield is constantly looking for pockets of space to receive the ball. This consequently leads to problems when we lose possesion. in fact, at times we are all over the place and this reults in efforts on our goal
As for our attack, we are not incisive enough. We play to many passes without looking for enough killer ball.
These tactical problems are in my opinion, not a result of the tactics themselves. It is more a question of the personell employed to execute them.
We do not have the players of the past. The required quality to play an expansive game and still finish in the top four. is becoming a more difficult and precarious business.
i can understand Arsenes belief that this philosophy would still be good enough to acheive a champions league place. Unfortunately, results are proving otherwise
If we do not make top four this season, then our approach must be deemed a faliure. People will argue that a more pragmatic approach was nessesary in the circumstances. I mean, you lose RVP, but still play the same way but with lesser quality.
Its not over yet, but this, in my opinion, could be Arsenes first real faliure.
To bad that AA got dragged into the Spectrum world today! You can’t bin him because he will just pop up again and again as another name. Therefore why engage conversation with him? Simply ignore him. He is just some gay Aussie with a hard on for Mr. Wenger. (no offense to any real Aussie bloggers on AA) The moment he makes AKB comments then he has lost all credit anyway so simply ignore the twat as he can’t get his jollies off when you don’t play with him! This is one of the most creditable Arsenal blogs going, don’t let this fool ruin your fine blog.
Rasp
If spectrum posted comments like he does another sites it would be worse. Did misunderstand your comment? I didn’t think you were backing him up. He is so boring. Like a broken 8 track.
Tevez took his goal really well
To ill to post today I’ve peaches flu.
I was sick in the bin and everyone laughed.
Read today’s post catch u all tomorrow and comments.
Bye
No love
Sheepy
Nicole Abbott
I have wednesday free if anyone fancies doing a wee shoot? x
This is off my facebook. Do you think she meant it to sound like that? She must have been inspired by the video Peaches was referring to earlier.
I dont think we can play Arteta and Santi in the same team. Either one or the other. I would rather we play 433 and include Pod, or play 442 and include a diaby or similar Fit player.
As for OG it seems he is a streak player like Southampton’s Beattie used to be, scores at will for 3-4 games and then nothing for 10.
@RA @:59
That would be a great example of taking an instance and declaring a trend.
As a critic of our defending I felt that they had indeed practiced defense this week. And apart from that 5 min spell they defended very well for a change. But that is the exception, not the rule.
Morning All,
Not a lot to talk about is there?
Briefly to discuss our visitor from yesterday, I have no issue with him holding an opinion, it’s not that far from others on here with whom I get I fine with.
Quite simply if we don’t want AA to decline the regulars here will have to learn to bite their tongue (or keyboards).
As I said others hold similar views but instead of repeating them every comment its quite simple to say “you all know my position…..” And then go on to discuss, highlight a new issue of concern. Our visitor likes to spout the same thing over and over again, it’s boring even for those holding a similar position.
We have a good community here and I’d like to think the regulars can turn a blind eye, we know he can’t be swayed in his position and we know he regurgitates the headline negatives, and no matter how much we try an educate him he is not going to change, so just ignore him.
I think one thing some fans don’t realise is how for many of us Arsrnal isn’t just about football, it’s about family and friendship, they are traditions of the club we hold dear, and probably do not sit well in the current football model. But I’ll still enjoy knowing that Vic Akers son has a place in the kit room, that Gary Lewins cousin took over as physio, and there are several other family employees. I bet I could still find Junior Gunners Manager Debbie who we used to be able to contact regarding anything in some role at the club. Above prudence above trophies class in every respect is something I have always been proud of. How does that sit with being owned by Stan? The board chose him because the board wanted to continue those traditions and if we had to be owned by someone different to protect the traditions of the club, they chose him over Usmanov, and no one can doubt they had the best interests of the club and preserving what it stands for at heart when they did so.
Good Morning, 🙂
Beautiful day – let’s hope it shines on the Arsenal!
Morning all.
I really don’t understand why just one poster is taking up such valueable space on AA.
To me it doem’t matter if you live a spit from the ground or Outer Mongolia you support Arsenal as it part of one’s family throughout your life.Critisize by all means, I have, I think given in the past and now my own opinions about the current state of the club, but I would never troll round Arsenal sites posting that I wish that we lose.
It’s just attention seeking and many are falling for the bait.
I implore you if he comes on here again,just ignore him and if the language or content is to disrupt AA just bin the comment.
GIE,
I could not disagree with you more regarding your comments regarding the unwanted visitor.
Why should someone without any real interest in this blog be allowed free reign to spout anti-Arsenal and anti-social comments?
Why do you think allowing him a platform for his disgracefully bilious views,including hoping for Arsenal defeats, and worse, should be tolerated, and the only remedy offered is to ‘ignore him’?
Why do you think standing up to him would lead to the demise of AA?
Because RA as Kelsey says above the blog becomes a one man show and it ends up keeping others away, and other quite reasonable bloggers resort to insults. I have taken up the fight previously but in the end as I say above we end up with no movement in position and really no desire to see anything from the other side. If we just ignored 1 comment would be lost by the end of the day, 5, 6, 7 long posts and it starts to take over the comments.
You can do as you please, but I want a head of hair like Kelsey’s when I’m his age so am not going to pull it out anymore 🙂
GiE – only read your last comment, damn you, have to read all above!
GiE – only read your last comment, damn you have to read it all now!
Morning GiE, that’s a great comment @ 7:44. I’m firmly in the ‘ignore him’ camp for all the reasons you give. He’s not my friend, he’s not part of my Arsenal family, he’s not part of the AA community …. and he makes it quite clear he doesn’t want to be any of those things – so why egage with him?
wordpress!!!
only scrolled up to the point where DidIt says that there is enough of RA to make 2 yanks 🙂 will read more when stop ROLFing
Rasper, GIE, 🙂
I have no intention of falling out with two people I consider friends, and I think you both know that – and I won’t – especially not over someone like that.
What worries me is that AA is pretty unique for the tone, content and quality of its Posts, for which the site is well known – and that stems absolutely from all the efforts of the AA contributors — and I do not want us to risk that ‘special’ quality because of one bad apple.
Enough — it is beautiful out there, and hopefully it will be on here!! 🙂
kelsey. Whilst I see your point of view, it is also healthy to make this discussion open – the site is a co-operative and everyone has a view which should be heard.
In the other and slightly larger AA world there is a handy saying …… “Take what you like and leave the rest”. Great advice in this circumstance
oh dear, it’s all about Spectrum, how disappointing
The reason we put in the time and effort to run the site is explained perfectly in GiE’s last paragraph @ 7:44 …. “I think one thing some fans don’t realise is how for many of us Arsenal isn’t just about football, it’s about family and friendship, they are traditions of the club we hold dear” ….. we can only continue with the support of that ‘community’ and by staying true to those aims.
Morning all
New post …………………..
evonne. No it isn’t. It is about the direction of the blog and the rules we create.
Do we ban some-one because they have a different opinion or a hectoring writing style? Is the aim to have a cosy blog where like-minded “friends” meet for a chat about amongst other things, Arsenal?
Upon reflection, you are right. I will not comment further on the matter.
When the opening lines of the very first post by this guy is,
“Hello everybody. How have things been since I was last here ? Not too good, I hear. Who’s surprised ? I’m certainly not.”
It is purposely promting a reaction which is not in keeping with AA, as it is not the first time .
Healthy debate and a difference of opinion is another thing and I hope the majority of you agree with that.Change a few sentences around and there is some substance in the comment. but a leopard never changes his spots, and I won’t entertain this sort of post.