Good morning Liverpool fans. I know that on Merseyside you probably think that “Hubris” is the new sporty SUV from Fiat, but I’m here to disabuse you of that misconception.
From the Cambridge English dictionary:
Hubris
noun [ U ]
/ˈhju·brɪs/
an extreme and unreasonable feeling of pride and confidence in yourself
Just over a month ago I wrote a Post on Arsenal Arsenal suggesting that only one team could stop you from emulating our mighty Invincibles of 2004. I fancied that it would come down to Arsenal having to beat your lot in North London on May 2nd.
In the Post I was extremely complimentary about your side. And why wouldn’t I be? Liverpool have been terrific this season, easily the best team in the Premier League.
But that did not stop a bunch of you piling in to the comments with various shades of abuse.*
“Deluded… crawl back to your cesspit… dream on… don’t give up your day job… Man City may well beat us but your shower of sh*t certainly won’t… wake up and watch us trounce your 2004 records…”
Turns out I overestimated you.
I thought you were going to be a serious challenger to the claim of best team of the Premier League era and that only Arsenal’s special reasons to be motivated would give us a chance of stopping you.
But I overlooked something. I had completely forgotten that you had to face another mighty challenge. That’s right: an away trip to a ground which is third after only the Camp Nou and the Allianz Arena in the list of most daunting fortresses in world soccer. Not.
I mean, Watford? And to lose 0-3? And to let Troy Deeney score, a man more out of shape than the actual Troy was after the Greeks had razed it to the ground…?
Hahahahaha. We’re having a terrible season and even we managed a draw there. Under Unai Emery, no less.
I’ve heard there were angry scenes in Liverpool after the game, with shops and houses looted and burned, costing pounds worth of damage.
But I’m not just here to poke fun at you and your hubristic dreams of going through a season unbeaten.
I am also inviting you to come on here and comment to the effect that you now understand and appreciate just how good the Arsenal Invincibles were.
To go through a full season unbeaten is almost unimaginably difficult and requires a team with qualities you probably only see once in a lifetime. You can only do it with total commitment, total concentration and total professionalism. You can’t have a single off day. No bad day at the office. No sudden stumble against unfancied opposition.
You know that now, don’t you?
I’m impressed that you went 44 games undefeated. Five more and you would have equalled the Invincibles’ record. But it’s so, so hard.
Come to think of it, your great teams of earlier eras never managed it either, did they? Not when you had Dalglish, or Rush, or Aldridge, or Owen, or Toshack and Keegan. You had brilliant teams, but none of them as brilliant as the Invincibles.
And before you jump on to say how crap Arsenal are right now, I’ll beat you to it: yes, we’re struggling. We’re going through a lean period. But you’d know all about that.
Both our great clubs have bragging rights. You have your European Cups, we have our Invincibles. Last Thursday night, when we had yet another disappointing end to a European campaign, the force was with you. Today, it’s with us.
You’ll still be champions this year. But you won’t make history.
These boys did: Lehman, Cole, Vieira, Pires, Ljungberg, Bergkamp, Lauren, Parlour, Edu, Gilberto, Campbell, Henry, Toure.
And in their prime they’d spank your current crop any day of the week because they were mentally tougher. So mentally tough that they refused to allow anyone to beat them in 2003-4. Unlike your lot.
Happy Invincibles Day!
RockyLives
- Not all the Scouse commenters were impolite. One or two (like C F S 118) made sensible and interesting comments.
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Tin hats on ……………thank you Rocky.
Happy Happy Invincibles Day all …………….
Superb post, Rocky!! I am elated…hahaha spanked by Watford!! They were superb, every bleedin’ one of them!! Anyone to silence that lot are bloody legends… oh I’m looking forward to a nice quiet week at work!!
I saw this earlier – “The favourites for the first 2 players to make the premier league hall of fame are… Demba Ba and Ismaila Sarr… modern day heroes” Hear hear!!!!! 😝
As much as I don’t like Troy, that goal was superb 👌 Just wondering where he was running to after it went in – to renew his weight watchers membership perhaps?!
Did I mention how elated I am?!! Hehehehe!!!
#WeAreInvincible
Bindippers were worried about the Coronavirus when the real threat was Sarr`s…………………….get back to Brookside and start again!
They did well though, 44 games, they wont get a Gold trophy, but they could melt down some hub caps and make something!
Let’s be clear. Only Arsenal fans cared if we went invincible this season.
If we had ended the season with our losing, then great. But it’s all about the title.
So…Yeah. Great write up. Hope you feel better now.
Some Scousers are so depressed that they are close to the point of shaving their moustaches and contemplating using hair straighteners!
By the way, we lost 3 1 at anfiold and did not draw.
Plus back then we didn’t have var or the officials in our back pocket!
jjgsol – I think he mean’t we got a draw at Watford 😉
Well Rocky…..to surpass yourself is truly your legacy!
Happy, happy, there only ever was or will be ONE INVINCIBLES DAY, AAers.
Unrelated to our joyous day, but very important to the mental well being of our leading goalscorers, will all AAers spread the FACT to the World, an especially other Arsenal sites, Aubang was flagged offside in the last minute of last Thursday’s game, and did NOT therefore miss a chance to send us through.
We will always be grateful for his equalizing goal.
Morning All
No harm in having a bit of fun at other teams’ expense once in a while.
Thanks for a classy comment Paddy, but I will take issue with the idea that only Arsenal fans cared about the unbeaten season.
Here’s what Herr Klopp had to say: “From now on we can play free football again, we don’t have to try to get a record, we can just can try to win games.”
So it seems it was in the heads of the Liverpool players at least.
Anyway, thanks for taking this in the right spirit and enjoy the title win which your team undoubtedly deserves.
Wicked Rocky 😆
I now feel a sense of relief. The nostalgia can continue. Our Invincibles side was full of characters, they played with a smile on their faces unlike the intense concentration of this season’s Liverpool side .. who are brilliant by the way.
I said at the start of the season that I thought they could go unbeaten. This was because I could see they had extreme desire and intensity … in the end they underperformed as we did against Olympiacos and I put that down to ‘intensity fatigue’. The difference with the Invincibles was that they were artists. They went through most of that season playing in second gear, only stepping it up when necessary.
Unfortunately had they shown the same intensity as the current pool side when it mattered in Europe they would probably have won the CL …. but hey ho, they were a joy to watch. They didn’t grind out games, they painted beautiful pictures.
All due respect to Liverpool. Your Reds are worthy champions in the EPL as well as being the world’s best club team. But Invincible? You’re not! And we still are: the only English team to go UNDEFEATED in the modern era.
Admittedly, Arsenal are currently a shadow of our past greatness. But I believe in Mikel; he’ll bring us back to our rightful place. It’s only a matter of time….
B
Well that went under the radar LBG but I guess it didn’t fit the narrative from the media, who must be devastated that their traditional favourites failed yesterday at Vicarage Road.
Now if they lose again, like in their next game, then I wonder?
Chatted to some Man City fans yesterday and they said what a great side the Invincible’s were back in the day, much better than the current overhyped Micky Mousers.
Now all we need is a win for Wolves today, then a convincing FA Cup performance from the lads at Pompey tomorrow night and we can put the Europa League defeat well and truly behind us.
Allezkev
I sit directly above the linesman who flagged him offside as he went for goal.
The reason for pointing out this fact is it seems to have gone under the radar for the Club, including Mikel and Aubang himself!! Mikel has said Aubang needs to be picked up after his depression at missing the goal. ( additionally of course the press have used the (non) miss to gloat that Aubang will want to move in the Summer!) I want the Club to openly acknowledge the FACT, and Aubang to go on and win the golden boot and, who knows, get us into the Champions League.
I’m still looking for u guys in the premier League table!!! Where are you?
CJ
We’re keeping your regular spot warm for you.
Nothing more bitter than a Scouser with a lock up full of Invincible T-Shirts!
Here`s Arsene Wenger
Having a drink with all the other Invincible Premiership managers…
Haha – excellent LCM
Nice one le coq
Le coq
Despite your naughty reputation, you have surpassed yourself in recent weeks. One might say you are Coq of the North London!
De Gea with an assist….. for Calvert-Lewin 😂😂
My friend, Le Coq-a-doodle is, with Terry, the funniest pairing on any Arsenal blog (maybe all the blogs, but I don’t read non-Arsenal rubbish). 😁
My biggest beef about the goals we have leaked in the last couple of seasons is the farting around the penalty area giving short passes that are intercepted or given away, and that occasionally results in ridiculous goals against us.
But the same rubbish tactic is employed by other clubs too, and today the Toffees v Manks idiots are demonstrating why we should not keep going with it.
Not bad PL games so far….then the cup final, where we’ll see our future signings – Mings and Grealish 😁…. then Real v Barca….. then Beckham’s Inter Miami play their first game, against LAFC (Vela!!)…. although none of these will be as good as yesterday 😜
The Mancs got away with one!!
Ha – Spuds lost. We’ll level with them on points if we win our game in hand! And we’ll be ahead of them on goal difference if we win 5-0 😀
Meanwhile United drawing is also good for us.
We can catch these teams…
Great they lost although logic dictates a draw would have been a better result for us as Wolves are also above us. Our game in hand is against City so 1 point in that would be a good result …. sorry to be negative ….
Sue u watch MLS and all jeez
Rasp
You’re right of course (a Wolves-Spuds draw would have been the better result for us)… but I’ll take a Spuds loss any day!
Always thought Stuart Pearce talks honest footie. “Rhodri booked for lazy hack at Villa player. I think something should be done to stop that! It’s not a red card, but ten minutes in a sin bin would stop it” Agree, agree, agree, Stuart. Stop the City so called “professional fouls”.
Fred.. I don’t watch all MLS games.. but tonight should be good!!
Anyone fancy writing a pre-match for tomorrow?
Make no mistake the mickey mousers & their media following wanted the record & wanted it bad.regardless of what they say.if they’d done it believe me you’d never have heard the end of it…..
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2020/0229/1119438-arsenal-arteta-coronavirus-concerns/
Peaches.. sent something for you. If it’s ok to use, please feel free to add owt 😁
Thank you Sue