By Tony Attwood
Big teams come and go. Man U ventured into the second division in the 1970s, and Man City have often been there, Leeds seem currently to be run by a root vegetable, Chelsea and Man C are just a change of heart away from collapse.
One could say that in football, stability is very unusual. Portsmouth moving from being FA Cup winners in 2008 to the fourth division in 2014 seems to be the norm. Up one moment down the next.
And in many cases this is what singles Arsenal out – a club that has stayed within the top division since 1919.
But before I get drawn into 1919, which I will deal with in a moment, I want to set out my very simple thesis which is that what Arsenal has done in the 21st century is nothing short of a miracle.
Any club can sell out to a billionaire or a state and then take the money and buy success. But no one else has followed a model which results in the success Arsenal has had. I would cite two doubles, the unbeaten season, the second longest spell in the Champions League of any team in Europe, the building of a magnificent stadium, totally controlled debt, and of late a return to trophy success with the FA Cup – and all without a sugar daddy or vast levels of debts written off as shares.
A significant part in this has been played by the money that is raised through staying in the Champions League throughout. Those who decry the achievement in the Champions League clearly don’t ever like to think about such a tedious subject as money – for it is the Champions League success that in a significant part funded the Emirates, and it is the Emirates and the success that now funds the growth of the club.
As Tottenham attempt to follow suit in building a stadium, but without Champions League football, and with the confidence that no national newspaper journalist is going to ask the question, “where is the money coming from” we will see over time if they are able to copy what Arsenal has done. They might – but it will be tough.
Now of course at this point we should return to the issue I touched upon near the start: 1919. Tottenham supporters do like to suggest that Arsenal somehow connived their way into the first division, upon its expansion in 1919. It’s a point of view, of course, but a point of view that ignores a whole variety of facts, such as the fact that all expansions during this era were arranged by election not promotion, that in order to make the Arsenal corruption story work they have to explain how Chelsea was given a place in the first division without a vote even being taken (while Tottenham and Arsenal were not), why Man U and Liverpool (who had been found guilty of flagrant match fixing) escaped without punishment, and how it was that a few years before Tottenham themselves, having finished seventh in the Southern League immediately managed to get themselves promoted to the second division of the Football League.
All these points can be answered by an analysis of football in the era – and indeed there is an index to issues relating to Arsenal and Tottenham on the Arsenal History Society blog – just scroll down to the indexes, but you might want to see the most detailed analysis of the 1919 scenario written with numerous newspaper extracts.
But the point remains that Arsenal have been in the first division since 1919; 88 seasons played (the war years are excluded). Our nearest rivals are Everton on 60. Man U are on 39. Tottenham come further down on 36.
So Arsenal is odd in keeping its head above water for so long, and it has always been sad for me to see the way in which some supporters of the club have suggested that Arsenal should not only be in the top league forever, but winning the league each season. Yes we could have expanded our squad before these last two years, but to do so would have put Arsenal at financial risk.
And the club knows about risk. After all the club went bust in 1910 and were only saved by the very deep pockets and huge ambition of one man – Henry Norris.
Teams that try and expand, or bring in the “wrong sort of person” can come unstuck very very easily.
One such example is Rangers, once an eternal challenger for the top spot in Scotland, but now in the second division and with many of its supporters turning their back on buying season tickets for the coming campaign. Their fans pledged their season ticket money to the Ibrox 1972 fund – set up by former director Dave King, and former captain Richard Gough. They have been released from the arrangement now that the club’s directors have refused to sign over title to the stadium and Murray Park training base as the fund demanded.
Rangers of course were relegated to the fourth division of the Scottish Football League over various misdemeanours and their plight is one we should all note, because it shows that no matter how large a club, or what its history, if you allow the crooks to take over and the greed to win, disaster can follow.
Now Rangers is of interest to Arsenal since most Arsenal supporters who take note of the club’s history know that Rangers moved to help Arsenal in Arsenal’s darkest hour in 1910, by buying shares in the club. Recognising this Herbert Chapman started regular matches between Arsenal and Rangers, in the 1933/4 season.
Much of the anger has been related to ex-finance director Brian Stockbridge who seemed to run up huge debts while taking bonuses. Now he’s gone, but the club itself has no financial solution. The manager Ally McCoist has taken a 50% pay cut, but the players have rejected a cut. Short term borrowing has been the order of the day, with money being borrowed at massive interest costs just to get through to the moment when season ticket sales start.
But even here there is a problem, since the fans won’t buy season tickets – and anyway so tenuous is the position of the club the credit card companies won’t give them credit card facilities. Meanwhile it appears that Stockbridge recently received shares worth around £215,000 for a payment of £7,000.
The UoF then accused David Somers (the chair of the club) of having misled shareholders at the AGM on the subject of the share options.
From a distance, both geographically and historically, this can look like another club in trouble. But this is Rangers, the club that won the league in 2011 for the 54th time.
The truth is that a total disaster can happen to any club that lets financial maniacs into the boardroom – if you want something closer to Arsenal territory go back and look again at what happened to Leeds. In the early 1970s the two big clubs of the day were Arsenal and Leeds. Compare and contrast.
The fact is that Arsenal can spend money on top players like Ozil and Sanchez now because Arsenal has been careful in the past, and has planned well and yes that planning involved cutting back on buying big time players. But we’ve been through that and come out the other side.
I can’t think of any other club who has managed this in such a way.
It could have gone so wrong for us (in recent times) if the fat Russian had got his feet completely under the boardroom table, and he still must have ambitions in that area. Something we must always be aware of is that we could be sold off at any time our owner fancies it, and we might be then owned by the types we despise so much.
Tony Attwood
Brilliant article.
What I find amazing is that despite all of the above. Despite the very obvious and real dangers that lie in wait with regards to financial capitulation, some people still cant see and appreciate just what a fantastic job Arsene Wenger and AFC have done.
They moan about the last nine years like it’s an eternity.
They suggest non of this austerity we’ve had to endure was even necessary.
They accuse Wenger of just looking after himself.
They accuse our board of simply ‘trousering’ money.
Honestly, when you read articles like this, that put it all into perspective, you really do have to wonder what the hell some people want.
Is what occurred nearly a hundred years ago still relevant (other than as a beating stick) today? How any teams including ourselves attained league one status has been dealt with in the years between and if It hasn’t then it’s a bit late to continue making making issues.
oldgroover
As far as I can see, the reason it is relevant is because people use 1919 as a ‘stick’ to bash any one associated with Arsenal, who, in there opinion, has the audacity to question what City, Chelsea and the like, are doing in the current day.
Effectively they say:
“You cant say anything about what we are doing as you ‘corrupted’ your way into the 1st division in the first place”
Well, I concede it may look like that on the surface, but when put into the perspective of the day, and how the game was run at that time, it was nothing of the sort.
I agree it was all a bit ‘unsavoury’ if you like, but it never the less it WAS the way things where done back then.
Fantastic entry as usual and one of such sense it should be read by every Gooner across the globe.
I have said this for years, when Wenger leaves, it will take years to see what he really did for our club. The man has taken us from being an English giant to being a world giant.
I dread the day he goes as there is no one out there like him.
Tony, The first para of your interesting post says it all.
A warning to those clubs controlled by the precarious whim of a sugar daddie.
You also submit a timely reminder to we Arsenal supporters not to assume that our great Club is entirely immune to danger from a
similar source.
Off subject but of interest:
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/northumberland-development-project-cpo-confirmed-110714/
Does this mean spuds will be able to build the new stadium and play at their present stadium at the same time?
Anyone know who is paying for their new ground?
Anyone fancy shoving this brilliant article under the nose of Talk Sports Adrian Durham, Whoas we all know, has a soft spot for all things anti Arsenal.
With a new stadiu and successful global + on-line branding, the club should be on top for a very long time.
Unless some people are allowed to do crazy things such as allowed to leverage a high amount of debt, make many managers and players angry, or so disliked by fans that they all turn away. All those are far easier to happen with a sugar daddy than any other sort of figure.
Carl M
He knows all this.
He just choses to ignore it, because like so many in the media, he has an anti arsenal agenda.
Plus of course he’s a complete and utter wanker.
True words, Tony.
Just watched the video of the Arsenal / Puma light show on the Thames (for the third time!).
In one way it’s a bit of publicity. But in another it says so much about what Arsene and Arsenal stand for. Developing young players, playing beautiful football, stronger together – a message for the fans.
I feel inspired!
Jambug
Yes, that’s right, but why keep raising it from within (sorry Tony). It’s so negative and should be left in the domain of those creeps from the teams like the ones you’ve just mentioned, because if that’s the worst they can hit us with, then we’re doing Ok.
Excellent article Tony.
Arsenal have endured austere times in connection with the stadium build. They have maintained CL football during that austere period – no mean feat – and now, are starting to reap the benefits of the sustainable income model and are on the up. These should be happy times.
Re Durham – I don’t listen to Talk Spurious but I am interested in the relationship between Durham and the rest of the anti Arsenal media – do others in the media take the anti Arsenal lead from Durham, or does Sky set the agenda?
I stopped listening to talk shite ages ago. I have never heard a more biased media outlet. It is like the Nazi propaganda machine of the 1930’s.
I really wish Gazidis or someone from the club would shut them down with a few timely words.
I have only started following untold in recent weeks but day after day you publish excellent articles all relevant, all well statistically supported and above all about Arsenal.
I never liked history at school but this was some history for me log as although I have heard and read stories on the whole promotion debacle I think I will stick with your version thanks again for some excellent early morning reading
Awesome article. I am forwarding the link to all my gooner mates. I live in South Africa and have viewed and admired the work wenger had done for us. To find someone astute and loyal despite the flack he has received will never be found again. So here’s to looking forward to another successful wenger era. Keep the faith.
We had someone on here the other day suggesting we shouldn’t all get so uppity about pricks such as Durham, because they have as much right to there opinion as we do to ours here on Untold, and basically accused us of double standards for taking issue with what he (and others like him) have to say.
But it’s about more than just the right to a point of view.
The point is with the likes of Durham, and Talksprout in general, is that they can peddle there anti Arsenal bullshit ad infinitum, without fear of contradiction, because, unlike Untold, Talksprout is not an open platform.
It is just not possible to have open discourse and put counter arguments to whatever they say.
Effectively they can spout whatever they want, as fact, without ever having to justify, or verify, anything.
Whereas here on Untold anybody can come and express there view. Everything Untold publishes can be openly challenged. As long as they keep there insults, and or abuse, within acceptable parameters, they can say just about whatever they want to.
There is nothing I would like better than to have Durham come on here and engage in an honest, open debate.
But it would never happen. If he wanted that he could quite easily do so on his Radio show, but he choses not to.
To get an idea of just how few people actually agree with him just read the comments on every article he ever does for The Mail and you will see that, as a rule, at least 80% disagree with him. Yet on his Radio show we are lead to believe his views are unanimously agreed with and he remains totally unchallenged.
Durham is the epitome of all that is wrong with journalism in this Country.
-Smug.
-Self serving.
-Biased.
-Agenda driven.
-Xenophobic.
When you consider how high the pile of shite journalist is in this Country, it is quite an achievement on Durhams part to be well and truly at the very bottom.
Jambug, call Collymore and expose this.
Sadly, think some of our own fans are partly to blame for the likes of Durham , Dogger Colleymore, and sadly, some of Ian Wrights media rantings. Select members of our fanbase are too easily whipped up into an anti club frenzy and so are easy pickings for radio shock jocks, or agenda driven media outlets.
Hard to think of any other teams with a fanbase as divided, or as mentally weak as some of ours.
As for Ivan managing the media, perhaps some merit in that, but likely to fail. I would imagine the likes of Ivan are far too busy doing good work behind the scenes and probably has little desire to be in the same room as some of these bottom feeders.
The best thing we can do to counter this is what we did last May, and last week.
Speaking of behind the scenes, wonder if they can carry on keeping Anthony Talylor away from our games? The other refs are far from fair to us in most cases, I am sure there was club input with Taylor, not that we will ever be told about it
Good article.
And excellent points made by Jambug at 11.55am.
Mandy
Which select members of our fan base can you possibly be referring to, and do we actually have any select members?
Good points Mandy. I think we need to counter Durham and his ilk by leaving concise, intelligent, well thought out responses.
I just wish every single Arsenal fan would stop listening to Talk Shite.
@Will
If only.
There is very little chance of being put through.
If you are, this is how it normally goes:
They will hear your opening gambit.
They will mock your every word.
They will deride you as paranoid.
They will laugh.
They will cut you off without another word.
They will spend the next 30 minutes slagging you off.
They will spend the next 3 hours slagging every other Arsenal fan off.
Many on here have tried and trust me, it isn’t worth it.
@Mandy
What you say about our fans being “Mentally weak” and “easily Whipped up” has some basis but that’s what propaganda does.
If you are told something often enough,(and jeeeeez how long has this anti Arsenal shite been going on?)people can, and often do, end up believing it.
I mean, Mrs Jambug keeps telling me it is ESSENTIAL for her well being that she gets a new pair of shoes and a handbag every other week, and to be fair I think she’s right 🙂
@Jambug, it irritates me that they can say what they like and get away with it.
Magneto & jambug
I think I may be the subject of the 11.55 post, and in my defence doubt that I mentioned Durham specifically but agree that he’s a prick as are most of the others.
Will
Regards not listening to Talk Sport, well you would think so would’t you, but some people get a perverse pleasure from it.
Is it just me or OG sounds like a cross between Andrei and someone whose name I can’t remember for one reason or another 🙂
Don’t take that as an insult, BTW, OG, I do like most of your posts and never skip them, as I do other people’s.
oldgroover
I’m not sure if it was or wasn’t you to be fair. There was a post the other day that I was referring to but I don’t remember who it was.
Even if it was you, no matter, every ones entitled to a point of view and I have put mine.
The whole point of what I’m saying though is not really about TS’s point of view, although I disagree vehemently with it, but the fact it can go totally unchallenged even when it is unfounded, unverifiable, and often as not, untrue.
Al
I’m not all insulted as I don’t know who the two people you’re referencing are, but I’ll assume that they’re upstanding members of the Untold Community, and I’m glad you read my posts as I do yours.
For me, it is Durham blatantly lies and never gets called on it.
@Will
I agree with everything you say, as do so many regulars here. The problem is what to do? What can be done?
Well, nothing much it seems.
I have suggested that it should start with AFC themselves.
A simple boycott of the Station in general, or Durham in particular, by anyone associated with AFC, would be a start.
No exclusives. No interviews. Nothing.
Alas it seems it is not a route that AFC seem keen to follow.
Personally I think AFC are seriously remiss in there attitude, but what can you do?
I like this blog more than any other blog. the reason is positive written. unlike blog like le grove and other blogger.
i have some chelsea collagues at work and when i say that the russian mafia is responsible for the unhealthy upliftment of your club they reply that henry norris did same for us.Was norris really our sugardaddy?What can i say in reply that they will shut up forever?
nepalesegooner
I’m not sure about the ins and outs of the Henry Norris affair but what I understand is that we was in danger of going bankrupt and he bailed us out.
That seems similar to what has happened recently at Liverpool and at other clubs also.
I would suggest that is a far cry from what has happened at Chelsea where by they have effectively been bankrolled to the tune of over ONE BILLION QUID, over a TEN YEAR PERIOD, by a Russian Billionaire who fancied a new toy.
Now whether you agree with what has/did happen at either Club is a matter of opinion, but it seems a bit of a stretch for Chelsea fans to suggest they are one and the same thing.
Any one seen the BT advert arsenal version
The Mirror has drawn first blood .officail Sanchez is a two timing love rat with a pregnant ex fiancé while his got his current miss on the go. Wow it didn’t take long
Ex players like Tony Adams ( I dont’tknow what his agenda is), Ian Wright, Paul Merson and even George Graham are to blame. I have never heard ex Liverpool players slating their manager. Why is Wenger the target?
Jr
Caught a glimpse of the BT advert yesterday, but it was towards the end so didn’t watch all of it. But the little I saw was enough to get my blood boiling; there’s a clip of a diving Sceszney failing to keep a goalbound shot out and the camera zooms in on Wenger throwing his arms up in frustration, then there’s another clip showing Rodgers celebrating with Sturridge and other Liverpool players. Not sure if it’s what you referring to, but going back a number of years now, it’s a tendency of these stations to show Arsenal on the receiving end in their adverts, while others are always portrayed in positive light, like celebration of a goal, trophy etc. They’ve been at it for years now. Terrible. As a result I don’t give any of them my hard earned cash anymore.
I have noticed that for a while, whenever there is a football ad, it is always Arsenal letting in the goals.
@Jambug. I agree, something should come from the club officially. Maybe banning Talksport from the ground and reporting on matches. Also, I would love someone from the club calling Duh-ham on all the lies he has told.
Jr
Read the article about the pregnant girlfriend. They go on to mention he’s had a ‘string’ of beauties…. These rags have no morals at all, the ink hasn’t even dried on his contract and the knives are out. Not sure if it’s pure greed or designed to put other players off from joining us. No wonder Louis Hamilton chose to emigrate abroad, the press here is awful.
AL
A string of beauties. Seems to me the guys pretty good when it comes to scoring the odd beauty !!
Lets hope he can ‘keep it up’ (no pun intended, honest) in an Arsenal shirt 😳
I suppose that’s better than
a string of grannies or
a string of team mates wives or
a string of relatives wives or
a string of prostitutes
that one particular team in Red seem to specialise in.
@Will
Durham gets called out on here on a regular basis. Unfortunately as popular as Untold is we are just a but a small voice.
All we can do is keep calling him out. I know I will continue to do so.
But the bottom line is the guy is a weasel. A coward. He pathetically hides behind the protection that his privileged position as a Radio broadcaster affords him.
He is so aware of the fragility and invalidity of what he says that he NEVER, I repeat NEVER allows anyone to challenge what he says. He simply cuts people off and openly derides and insults anyone who dares to question his warped take on all things Arsenal related.
As I say, the lowest of the low.
What a pathetic excuse of a man.
Jambug
A string of grannies lol
What really gets my goat is the likes of Ray Parlour, supposedly Arsenal through and through, kowtowing to Durham instead of giving it to him back with both barrels and sticking up for Arsene and the club who gave him a fantastic living all those years. The only person I’ve heard really let Durham have it and put him in his place on air is Graham Poll a couple of years ago.
nepalesegooner
Best of luck with your Chelsea colleagues. It might not be a good idea to include the words Mafia & Chelsea in the same sentence as it tends to get people a little irritated. They’ve probably got a good case with their Henry Norris assessment, but it was nearly a hundred years ago so who cares now!
Jambug I don’t care what is said or broadcast about Arsenal. The truth is available on Arsenal.com.
What concerns me more is what happens on the football field. I do not like cheats. Players who cheat; officials who cheat; Associations that cheat are all robbing us of a sporting chance in a beautiful game. Arsenal have been a principled club that has stood by its players and its staff that have lost their way. The club has been an example to all in the way it has adapted its football and its character toward pure sporting football (in spite of bias).
Wenger in his wisdom drove the club into modernisation without compromise of football quality. He is now going to reap the benefits of patience in spending. Here’s to our second phase of Invincibles.
menace
You SHOULD care because it directly effects how we are treated on the pitch by both opponents and Referees.
I think you underestimate the power the media wields over our Referees.
Just heard Gary Lineker say Ozil has created more chances at this world cup than anyone else in the Germany team. Wouldn’t be surprising if it’s everybody else at this WC. But reading from the papers one could be left thinking he’d been worse than the Brazillian no 9, Fred.
Al
Ha Ha,
Nobody has been worse than Fred (other than Jô)
AL
Yep, and then they never mentioned him again.
Khedira injured during the warm up………we must of signed him !!!!
OG
It’s a close call between those two.
Jambug
It feels like they’re forbidden to say his name, even during the commentary. They only go “Ozil” when he gets a touch, and that’s it. Strange.
AL
I thought he played well in the first half. Got one mention. As you say, very strange.
What a thuggery of a match.
@Jambug at 12.40.
You put in a nutshell the difficulty of taking on the media directly in newspapers or broadcasts where anti-Arsenal has control.
Arsenal and Untold can only put the alternative – i.e. the truth – on the bits of media they have control of and hope some of it gets through. And the team can do their talking on the pitch.
Ref was from It-tilt-ly.
Congrats Germany.
I see we have some world cup winners in our team…… 🙂
Well done guys!
Congratulations boys! World cup winners! Don’t they look happy. And Poldi’s got his little boy on the pitch – he’ll have something to remember.
Florian
Ta for comments in a previous thread.
You rightly pointed out that Clattenburg headed the refs in the good reffing stakes. However, when it comes to The Arsenal, he reverts to type.
Argentina certainly made most of the dangerous fouls, yet were awarded a couple of ghosties, and I thought they were lucky to not have at least one player sent off.
I had to suffer the “lauro” commentary. Dripping with sarcasm and regular inaccuracies. How was ITV?
I got to see the last half to two thirds of the final, I thought Ozil had a wonderful game. Schweinsteiger is going to be sore for a month. Nice to see Mertesacker get a little bit of game time in.
Judas gets voted 2nd best goal ahead of Cahills. Yeah right.
Them old Mancs been multi dialing.
Rantetta,
It goes both ways. Clattenburg is one of the more competent refs, and even while he doesn’t do Arsenal any favors, I’d still have him over any other. Maybe only Moss could overtake him, although Moss didn’t get to ref bigger matches so far.
I reverted to listen the Romanian TV commentary, which was probably just as lousy, but at least I knew they were incompetent not biased. They were just as blind as the ref though as far as the rough game went, and were unable to discern a red card offence, like Garay on Kramer, not to mention the haulings of German players in the penalty box.
Congrats to our boys, it was a real good propaganda for positive, attacking football. No wonder we have 3 World champions in our team!
3 World cup winners in our team and it never once got a mention.
Cant imagine that little fact would of slipped under the radar had it been Liverpool or Man Utd.
All they could do was list the exceptional German players and MISS OUT Ozil and congratulate Low for leaving Per out.
What a bunch of tossers.
Congrats to our Arsenal World Cup Heroes: Per(BFG), Poldi and Øzil, gz 3 Arsenal World Cup Champions!!!!
Actually I dont blame Low for leaving out Per, because Its about who can do the better job for the team. And looking at the reaction after winning ?? Do u think Per or Poldi thought about how many minites they played ??? They WON THE WORLD CUP fgs, against MESSI ???? The good thing now is tha the british press have to work overtime to spin this against us 🙂
A huge congratulations to our 3 world cup winners.
To the fucking tossers maligning Ozil: how come the astute Low made him play all of Germany’s 7 games including 119 minutes of the final?
I don’t think that we need to worry about the moronic English media and idiotic pundits. Just remember that the English players that they have always praised to high heavens are a bunch of mediocre losers. I will take Low’s decision to ALWAYS play Ozil over the ignorant whines of the overpaid dumb-fucks who run their mouths on British television, as a better indicator of the player’s ability and contributions.
Now let the pre-season begin!
Fcuk FIFA but well done ozil , per and Poldi. The best team won.
If anyone questions ozil, he has the perfect answer….I am a World Cup winner….what exactly are you?
Now let’s look forward to the proper football
Florian,
Agreed.
I’d love to have zero commentary. I just wanna hear the crowd and the ball being touched.
Jambug, you are right, if those three had been Liverpool or man Utd players.
Is it just me or is it quite amazing how lightly Liverpool have got off in completely screwing up wining a league that was clearly completely set up for them. Let a relatively non money team win on a major anniversary, and keep it in the north west. Thirteen penalties, media cover up of a serial cheat and biter. Won’t get a chance like that again especially if Utd come back.
To Nepalese Gooner: Abramovich DID rescue Chelsea from imminent bankruptcy (as noted on a previous threads). And then threw in another billion or so…
We Arsenal did wait 8 seasons till the wonderful day 17/5/2014.
Wir Die Mannschaft did wait 8 years (since WC 2006) till den wunderschönen Tag 13/7/2014.
So much happiness for our boys Podol, Per and Ozi this year!!
So much happiness for my Basti, Philip, Podol, Per and Miro along with coaches Jürgen, Jogi and all the players who were or are part of the team all those years!!
I believe that Arsene must be very happy at this moment, very happy at heart.
Mandy Dodd,
If it were Arsenal “choking” like Liverpool did last year, we would never end hearing about it. It would be used against us at least 5-10 years against us. But now every media pundit us it as an agrument FOR Liverpoot!!! Now they are gonna do better than us next year because they were 2nd ??? And that even after loosing Suarez!!! There is no sane explanation for this, only crazy journalist wanting it to happen!!!
I bet Mezut, Poldi and BFG are happy, but when we think about our “Project Youth” I bet players like Eisfeld, Gnabry and Zelalem are quite happy as well, and those players will be equally motivated to train and develop into Germany national players… The future is bright!!!
I truly believe Liverpool got second last year not because of Suarez, Gerard or Rodgers. It’s because they had no European games. Rodgers stole tactics from Frank Rijkaard, Guus Hiddink and Arrigo Sacchi. They had the whole country and media behind them. And a c**t of a CEO who cheats and lies. Who knows now which country’s tax money is being used to build the new Liverpool stadium?
OT
Where the clubs fit into World Cup:
> Clubs that released the 736 players taking part in the World Cup will also get their share of FIFA’s revenues.
> FIFA has set aside $70 million to distribute at a rate of $2,800 per player per day that each was on World Cup duty. The money is shared between each player’s current club and; any other, he played for in the two previous years during qualification matches.
Rantetta,
Totally. Now I just got off a flight and I’m watching the replay, flavored with the ESPN’s version of crap. Those who don’t know that some of the pundits played football, never mind professionally, would never guess. I’m still waiting for the day when they’ll be able to decypher a game plan as simple as “kick them to the bones”.
@ Florin.
Its the non stop talking that puts me off the Romanain commentary.
colario,
Shall I take it that you understand what they’re saying? Hehe. If yes, it’s a great irony. If not, it’s better, because you’d be put off by their complete inability to word a phrase grammatically right.
Uneori nu înțeleg ele pot fi prea rapid pentru mine, dar bun ei pentru ajutor cu limba. Ești în România?
Sometimes I don’t understand. They can be too fast for me but it helps with the language. Are you in Romania?
Even Romanian on Untold. A first one I think 😉
@Ranetta
ITV were terrible. They kept going on about the referee and how he should have sent off Neuer when he came out to clear the ball on the edge of the area and collided with Higuain (I think). They were incredulous that a free-kick had actually been awarded to Germany. To me, it was quite clear that the Argentine player had looked over at Neuer first, seen him coming out to clear the ball, and then placed himself in the goalkeeper’s path without any intention of winning/playing the ball. Therefore it was a correct decision by the ref.
Interestingly I thought the ref had a good game in 90 minutes but a bit of a shocker in extra time. I’d be interested to hear what Walter thought.
Micko
Bit brave to stand in the way of a man that size coming at that speed and that high off of the ground.
Not the first German keeper to do this.
He obviously didn’t think it through properly !
colario,
Salut 🙂 I’m in Seattle, left Romania some 8 years ago. Nice to find someone that’s interested in learning Romanian. Untold becomes more awesome by the day 🙂
Walter,
Now I’ll preach Untold to my fellow Romanians too!
Micko,
The level of roughness the players were allowed to get away with was staggering. In line with the way the whole Cup has been officiated, but too much nevertheless. No wonder we saw so many injuries throughout the tournament, culminating with Neymar. I’m repeating myself, I think Garay should have been sent off for that challenge on Kramer, that had nothing to do with the ball and 100% to do with the player. It’s a miracle Schweinsteiger was still alive at the end, and Mascherano still on the pitch.
What about Aguero punching Schweinsteiger in the face? I think he came on and had a number of aggresive challenges.
Florian
From what I remember all the really bad challenges (including the Aguero punch) happened in extra time. I can only presume he was under orders not to send anyone off during that period.
I watched the official FIFA film of the 2010 World Cup the other day and it showed a bit where a FIFA official (maybe head of refs for FIFA, I’m not sure exactly who he was) was having a word with Howard Webb and his assistants before the final. In the clip he tells Webb not to get his cards out too early in the game so as not to spoil it as a spectacle !
We all know what happened next……