Usual from me here. You all saw the game.
My thoughts: we have much better shape with Mikhi in the side and Mesut should shoot more.
Ok, the competition itself…………………..
I’ve always believed Arsenal should be dining at the top table alongside the Bayerns and Barcas, but I am having second thoughts. We know from tried and tested experience what happens in the Champions League. Few rubbish group games, then we meet a good team and that’s that. We cannot compete amongst Europe’s finest.
The Europa is, frankly, more our level. I’d say the quality of destinations for the away traveller is on a par, and of course we don’t have to go through that terrible bother of trying to finish in the top four, which is increasingly becoming a bit of a bore. Being a dedicated cup team appeals to me far more, as each and every game of knock-out phase football encapsulates the conclusive drama about it.
Today’s draw.
Madrid, Salzburg, Moscow, Leipzig, Marseille, Rome, Lisbon.
You may have noticed I list as destinations rather than football clubs, because this is the way I view these things. We all know Madrid are the best side (as well as being the top spring time destination), and should be avoided until a more palatable one-legged final.
Of the remaining destinations, my order of priority would be: Lisbon, Salzburg, Rome, Moscow, Marseille, Leipzig.
Written by mickydidit89
Arsenal News 24/7
We will definitely be drawn against Madrid.
I’d rather be in the EL as a fancied team, than in the CL just to make up the numbers.
What’s the point of being in a competition that you have zero chance of winning?
fatginger, Revenue..
I look at those 8 or so years between 2007-2015 of us stressing about CL football and I wonder what was the point? From a financial point of view it was a huge benefit, but from a football and fan point of view, it was pretty pointless! Sure, we had a couple of decent victories, and we got to laud it over the neighbours not being in the CL, but Spurs were in it this season and I don’t really care.
Until we are good enough to be finishing towards the very top of the PL and actually challenging for the CL, then I wouldn’t be fussed if we finished 5th every season, as at least we’d have a good chance of winning a trophy.
I’d like to see what the financial difference is between going out in the last 16 of the CL to getting to the final or winning the EL.
They say CLfootball helps attract players, but is a team going out in the last 16 every year really that attractive?
Apologies about rubbish post. It was a sense of duty effort and it shows.
never mind the post you insane man!! You would actually rather go to Moscow than to Marseille or Leipzig! I rest my case
very good competition, much much more enjoyable than the CL. And yes, we are not CL contenders and frankly apart from Shitty no other English (from the EPL) is. I am not sure the EPL is still the strongest league in the world, perhaps this status should be reviewed too.
I agree with fattie – we will defo get Atletico today. Rome would be my favourite, most magnificent city in the world
no football for 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree fgg
Great atmosphere at the ground last night, love being in a European competition ………hope we avoid Athletico 😉
So far we have two definitely Athleticos, so I may as well cancel all flight searches to Spain 🙂
no, you go to Russia, good luck
Eddie
I’ve been desperate to draw Zenit for so many years to wangle a trip to St P.
Is your issue with Moscow or Russia, and if the latter, is it because of your upbringing or the vogue leftie excuses blame the Russians fake news bollocks 🙂
please don’t start me, it’s too early in the morning, the sun is shining, we won the game…hold on, that’s about it, everything else is shit. I had really bad news on Wednesday, I have a huge heavy stone in my chest..
Ok, Russia. It is a police state ran by a violent self obsessed criminal, Red Vlad. If you watch the news lately you would know how seriously deluded Russians are, completely detached from reality. They believe that Theresa May poisoned Russians to divert attention from tragic Brexit and to tarnish the image of peaceful Russia. I had a Russian friend here. There was no way I could convince her that Russia invaded Poland from the east during WW2. She was shocked saying over and over again ‘we were friends! We saved Poland’.
My grandmother told us that they were not afraid of the Germans, the Russians were the real danger. What they couldn’t eat they would rape.
What they’ve done in Poland is a different matter. That I would never forgive or forget. Did you hear of Katyn?
I would never, ever go there voluntarily.
And World cup in Russia should be scrapped. No EU or NATO country should go there.
did I make my views clear 🙂
I couldn’t hear a word, I’m hiding in a cupboard with cotton wool in my ears
ps sorry you’ve had a shit week
Micky, thanks for standing up with the post. It is not rubbish at all, but it does sadden me on one point.
You see I think if you were to ask Stan his deepest truest thoughts he would probably say he would love all fans to graduate towards accepting mediocrity while still remaining fans and coughing up the dosh.
It seems he has been slowly battering at our defences hoping that we will succumb and become a suppressed nation accepting our fate without a fight.
Micky, therein lies the dark side but, with my apologies Micky, I must make this effort to draw you back to the light side.
We are Arsenal football club, the longest standing club in the top flight of English football and record holder of FA cup wins. We have won many top flight titles and have tasted success in Europe and even graced both the final of this competition and the one we are supposedly not fit for anymore, narrowly losing out. We can defeat any team on our day but we just need to make those days more frequent.
Come back to me Micky, never accept mediocrity at our club. I am taking the fight to Stan.
Ok, as you say, sun shines. I’m done for the week, so Dartmoor walk here we come
Oooo, before I go
GB
We both know, the top table requires massive funds, and that will not happen under Stan
Never fully bought into the we have to accept where we are because of the money argument Micky. I will always pay it some respect as it has to have a certain degree of influence, but I feel we have an excellent squad and can have a complete squad within our financial playing field. I also think that Stan would like us to accept this position as well.
It seems these days that some clubs are paying £150m for a player and others are getting pretty much the same types of players for £50m and under, so I feel we can still dine at the top table but probably just have to be a bit more savvy as to how we get what we need.
There are examples that I think negate the argument that this is our level because of our financial limitations and it would be good to look at those to gain some perspective from the other end of the argument, rather than the standard line of just using the 2 Manchester clubs as an example.
I actually haven’t looked that much into it (figures and stats wise) and am pretty much a numpty at sourcing this type of information, (so maybe one of the other bloggers can do this), but I would be very interested in the net outlay and wage bill of Athletico Madrid over the last 4-5 years compared to ours.
This is the team that we supposedly all fear now beyond all others, and the one to avoid at all costs. They have been in a CL final recently that they narrowly lost, and currently sit 2nd in la Liga with 2 losses, and are ahead of Real, who I imagine outspend them quite dramatically. How does their financial model compare to ours?
Ars v CSKA
Who would have predicted that…………………
Dippers v camel shaggers in the CL
Micky won’t be going to Moscow unless he wears a hazmat suit
Hilarious – but not surprising- that there’s not a single mention by any of the righteous holier than tho Arsenal fans on this blog or anywhere else online about Wellbeck’s dive last night … universally acclaimed by fans of all other clubs and pundits all over TV and radio as one of the worst and most blatant pieces of cheating we’ve seen this season. You point the finger at anyone else who ‘dives’ and label them ‘scum’ and ‘filth’ but are blind to your own shortcomings. That’s why most neutral fans despise Arsenal and will revel in your demise … and it’s coming, believe me, you can’t see it because you still think Arsenal are an elite club. Like I said, hilarious #COYS
Aaah a moany spud, they’re having a bad week, if you want to know more read on ….
pathetic from Peachesgooner … that’s all you people do, deflect attention, what life must be like in a world where your club is perfect and your players are flawless heroes. If anyone else had done what Welbeck had done your pages would be full of angry disgusted Gooners demanding action against the player. I can’t wait for someone to dive and earn the penalty that knocks you out of Europe, defeats you in a cup final or stops you getting a tor four place. Because you’ll all come onto pages like this and scream and shout … and the rest of us will laugh hysterically #COYS
Liam, have a look at the comments in yesterday’s post and you will see a good number of us mocking what happened to Welbeck.
Liam Harper trying to deflect attention from his own team which dives and cheats every week of the season with the blessing of their manager.
Lol
be careful Liam. those who laugh last laugh longest 🙂
All football fans are biased, do not fool yourself. if you are any different than you are not a true scum supporter. What is really bugging you and you losing sleep over is the fact that in spurs best season ever you will still end up without a trophy, whereas Arsenal in their worst season will lift a European cup 🙂 🙂
I can honestly say I didn’t see it 🙂
no goals, father of my grandchildren came home, I jumped in the car, drove home for less than 10minutes, switched the telly on and it was 1 all, how the hell did that happen?? Did Danny really dive?
Good Day,
Micky Mouse has probably out to frighten all the fauna on Dartmoor by now — but thank you Micky for your postal efforts. 😀
I bet I am the only one to predict we will get Moscow in the Qtr Final.
What????? 😀
No he didn’t dive Eddie there was a sudden and inexplicable gust of wind and poor Danny got blown over. The ref considered the gust of wind was from the defender blowing on Danny’s neck, so he very quickly pointed to the spot. He also gave the defender a yellow card for arguing – he said that he was a gentleman and would not blow on Danny.
RA
You, LB and Uncle Tom Cobbly.
Micky
Thanks for the match report.
I love the way your calculated avoidance of talking about the game at all drew an embittered swamp thing on to the blog.
Cheers
What a bitter little Spud Liam is — and bad mannered too. Didn’t even say hello, or introduce himself.
Mind you — he is obviously a famous and popular guy — he apparently thinks he speaks for the whole Universe — “universally acclaimed by fans of all other clubs and pundits all over TV and radio as one of the worst and most blatant pieces of cheating we’ve seen this season.”
Actually it would have made more sense if he had deleted “acclaimed = publicly praised”, and substituted (vilified). From his point of view that would have made more sense. We like to help.
In fact — I do not think our Liam is really a Spud — if he was, and saw Dele Alli doing the biz every game he would know poor old Danny is nowhere near his class as a chronic diver par excellence.
Nice try Liam.
liam is getting ready for St Patrick’s celebrations and is a bit nervous trying not to get pissed the day before. He also knows that any selfrespecting Paddy is a Gunner. His father is probably turning in his grave
Chas,
Are you intimating that my prediction, coming some hours after the draw, was less than useless?
Well I never!! —- well I did —- but it wasn’t really a prediction — it wasn’t really news either —- umm, yeah you are right, it was bollocks.
I thought there had been some marginal contact on Welbz last night, but if it had not been given, I would not have complained. It was marginal.
Candidly, if a penalty had been given against us, in similar circumstances, I would have been bloody annoyed.
Still take it when it comes — we get enough given against us — that’s football. And it’s history – we move on.
By the way — how many years is it since Spurs won the PL? Have they ever won it? Will they ever win it?
1961 RA, we’ve won the league twice at White Hart Lane.
Excellent summary of the penalty call, RA.
Looking at the photo below, there is a clear contact of microfibres from one shirt to the other.
As Harold Kane said, ‘I felt contact, so I went down, that’s football’
Thanks Micky. I’m enjoying the EL. I agree with others, we have a realistic chance of winning it … and in doing so we will have continued our record of outperforming the lillywhite pretenders every season since the EPL started … what’s not to love?
Chas
Your pic @ 4:31 clearly shows Ramsey fouling our Danny.
I would give a red card for that and a penalty!! It is irrelevant that they are team mates. (See UEFA LAWS OF FOOTBALL : Cheating Bastard 22.9)
As for t’other pic – you have conclusively shown a microfibre being exchanged – and as is well known one microfibre on the shoulder can upset a player’s balance almost as much as a chip. Clear penalty.
Good Evening,
It is rare to come across a tool like Liam anywhere, let alone on an Arsenal fansite. Thank you for the entertainment Liam . BTW can you name the player who has been yellow carded the most in PL history for “simulation”? Here’s a clue – he plays with a skinny cock on his shirt.
What a shame we drew Moscow, I really fancied an away trip in Spring. Still, I think we can do them and thus have the opportunity for another away game
Is that our Mary?
is that our Mary in Poland 🙂
OK, here goes GB
Everyone saw the recent Watford game in which we won 3-0. Was anyone really surprised? No. Why? Because Arsenal have a better team. Why do Arsenal have a better team? Because Arsenal have more money to buy better players. This is not rocket science. So I think it is fair to say that if Arsenal played Watford 100 times, Arsenal would win 95 of them.
It then naturally follows that if there were a league of just those two teams that Arsenal would win most of the time. However as the odds suggest Arsenal could have an off day as we did when Watford dumped us out of the FA cup. This is the equivalent of Leicester winning the league, they are the exception that proves the rule that the clubs with greater spending power are more likely to win the league.
Things should be clear now using the Arsenal – Watford example, where it gets complicated is when loyalty gets in the way because that can be the only excuse for not seeing that exactly the same applies to Arsenal and Man City. If they they played us for 100 consecutive games they are more likely than not to win 95 of them for the same reasons I give above.
Winning is quite simply all about money, it is not a case of Stan Kroenke loosening the purse strings; he is not competing against another rich man he is competing against an oil rich country. It cannot be won and should not be expected to be won.
So what does this mean? It means that yes we can still win the league but the odds are against us. What I want is a manager who understands this and accepts the challenge in order to increase the small chance of winning the league to the maximum that it can be. And who do I think is best placed to achieve this? Arsene Wenger and that is why I remain loyal.
That obviously needs explanation but I don’t want to turn this into a book.
^ Looks like a post to me – maybe you could turn it into one rather than a book?
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thank you LB 🙂
Per Mertesacker’s doctor says he is broken? Omg, that is so terrible, poor Per
Eddie
I hope your heavy stone is metaphorical.
While realising even that can hurt like crazy
thanks chas, yes I am hurting. Someone very close to me has been diagnosed with secondary cancer in the lungs. One year max of agonizing pain for him.
Sorry Eddie
Right
We need a new formula for the site. Smut based ideas welcome?
thanks micky
no ideas for new formula.
Naked referees and linos?
Deffo have to get more women doing it.
How would the lino raise his flag?
my friend (a Gunner) told me last night that it was that blond Nazi from Tottenham who invented diving 🙂 He texted me late at night coz he remembered the Nazi’s name – Jurgen Klinsmann. Gosh that made me laugh – blond diving Nazi from Spurs
We need something Eddie. I’ve got the CSKA game (and all further Europa games) and Utd away left and then no Arsenal games until next season
I need to be realistic, alternative entertainment is needed
Ants goes to darts 🙄 what do we have. I can eek out rugger this pm, then I’m going to Twickenham for the first time in May
World Cup is ok but only from knock out stage onwards
Admire how he is holding his head in pain while arcing his body gracefully in a perfect curve.
Where’s Liam?
we could discuss movies, start with films about football and then move on to soft porn or horror
I love Zidane’s film ’21st Century Portrait’
Liam is pissed, St fucking Patrick’s day
There’s a GN5 post which needs some formatting for tomorrow or Monday.
Anyone got anything for today?
Or shall I take LB’s comment down and put it up as a post?
LB’s comment is brill
I was thinking that being called Liam may not mean he’s Oirish, but with the Harper as well, I’d imagine you’re right.
Neither Where Eagles Dare or The Damn Busters featured football on any level, which rules me out of Option I
Morning All,
Superb Klinsmann dive. Thanks chas.
Damn Busters 😆
Do we have a quorum of 4 that we should use LB’s comment as a post?
Chas
I don’t believe in that democratic quorum nonsense. You’re the boss, do whatever you like 🙂
damn was unintentional. I cannot spell
Just been through yesterdays draw
Pool City and Real Juve both very exciting looking fixtures
We have a quorum.
Top film Damn Busters especially the music
raddy – are you going to do a post about your movements over the past 3 weeks or were you in the run?
I have never known anybody of any race, colour or nationality called Liam who was not a Mick
Eddie
I used to work with a chap who called his son Liam because he liked Brady even though he was from Notts.
In fact it would have been my first choice if I’d ever been stupid enough to have children. 🙂
Eddie. I was fleeing persecution, which is of no public interest.
I will be able to get posting again a´in a few days as I am in the midst of taking a group of Asians on a 5 day tour of Dk.
Working beckons. Sayonara
I know Ricky Gervais isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I enjoyed his ‘three reasons why I didn’t have kids’ from his ‘Humanity’ stand up show on Netflix.
I was stupid, I wanted kids, 5. God knew better, I have just 1 son.
I need to go out soon, too, so I’ll whack the post up now if no-one has any objections?
He’s a great son who brings you tulips on Mother’s Day though!
Of course, I was only speaking from a personal perspective in that it would have been stupid for me to have children.
It’s quite clearly the best thing to happen in their lives for others.
Any objections?
LB?
NEW POST
The ladies won. Great work from Aussie Joe as they go on a 7 game winning streak
Chas, The article on Per was really eye opening. It is really true that we never think of the players as human beings with emotions and feelings but more as a shirt number – very sad indeed. It also proved what a class act he really is and how fortunate we are as fans to have had the privilege of watching him play for Arsenal.
Money has always been the main determining factor in a club (in most sports) being able to buy the best players. If at the same time the club are also able to buy the best manager available then they have a clear opportunity to be the best – for a period of time.
Arsenal started the ball rolling in the 30’s but they first bought the best manager Herbert Chapman who in turn bought the best players and Arsenal proceeded to dominate the 30’s.
Occasionally an underdog barks the loudest but that is rare. In the PL it has happened twice – Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City