By Tony Attwood
Saying stuff without much evidence can be fun, and is of course dead easy. You just say it. Or write it. Although in retrospect it can make the speaker or writer look a little silly at times.
Take for example the guy who wrote that headline for Arsenal Report. His opening line in his argument was, “Ozil was a last minute panic buy by Wenger.”
Unfortunately he doesn’t give any information about how he comes to this viewpoint, a viewpoint which is completely contrary to what Mr Wenger revealed upon completing the Ozil signing – that he had tried to sign Ozil when he went to Real Mad and stayed in touch with the player over the years, just as he did with Thierry Henry in the years before signing him. So the evidence is the other way around, and nothing is written in the “last minute panic” to contradict it.
The point made in the article is that Ozil’s “main strength is through balls to fast runners, like it was with CR7. There are no such players at Arsenal except Walcott, who rarely plays. You can quote stats all you like about his key passes. In this Arsenal team Ramsey, Sanchez, Cazorla would’ve had better stats and a much better overall contribution than Ozil if they played as N10. I can name at least 3 players at Arsenal who would be better as No10.”
And so we are back to my theme recently – “you can quote stats all you like…” – which is to say, I am right and I am not taking any evidence to prove otherwise. In fact I am not taking any evidence. The earth is flat and you can show me all the globes you want, but the earth is flat. Statistics can be used to prove anything. (Except if you use them properly, they can’t).
If you want to read the whole thing it is on Arsenal Reports.
Anyway finding that little piece I thought I would go a-looking for other funny stories. And yes of course I am writing with the benefit of hindsight. I know. But they are still funny. Take for example,
Why Aston Villa could be the surprise package of the Premier League season
The story here was…
“The signings of Idrissa Gueye, Jordan Amavi and Jordan Ayew – who join Micah Richards, Scott Sinclair and Mark Bunn at the club – have given fans cause for excitement. The club will reportedly tie up a deal for another midfielder, and their third Jordan of the summer, in the form of Nantes midfielder Jordan Veretout. With versatile defender José Ángel Crespo also putting pen to paper and controversial frontman Emmanuel Adebayor tipped to sign before the end of the week, it will be interesting to see how Sherwood lines up his team this season.”
That was in the Guardian but they were not alone in surprise packages.
Apparently, “it is the 12 months spent under his tutelage that should see his players ready to play Van Gaal football. If commercial interests were not a factor at all, there would be no elaborate pre-season tour at all. But Van Gaal has at least got the club to compromise between the needs of commerce and the demands of footballing success.
“With a more performance-oriented pre-season under their belts, the team should start the season better than they did last time out.
“A cursory glance at social media platforms reveals fans are getting jumpy about the fact United have not yet signed anyone besides Memphis Depay. However, there is a long way to go until the window shuts.
“By the time it does, United will have added players to their squad, and assuming they do not make any egregious errors, the squad will be better balanced.
“Van Gaal appears to have come to trust Herrera. And as well he might, as the man from the Basque Country should be the central to United’s midfield plans next season. Having him in the side from the start will be a big asset to the Red Devils.”
Then having dealt with four of the reasons the Bleacher goes on to suggest that these were absolute facts and not speculation at all – when it fact that is exactly what it all was. Speculation, speculation, speculation. Yet the article says, “The previous four [developments] seem like relatively sure bets for improving United’s fortunes.”
Meanwhile, I’ve tried to avoid the issues of the Bloggettas until now in this piece, but can’t ignore,
Anyway, moving on we have Trending Now: Wenger changed transfer plans, Young “Messi” on Gunners transfer radar
“Özil was a last minute panic buy by Wenger.” ? NO NO NO!
Seems obvious now that AW knew what he was doing when he did not take back Cesc and signed Özil.
I sometimes wonder if these writers have a raffle going on who can get the most players rightly predicted and signed?
Looks like we will have plenty of players back for the latter half of the season causing good headaches for AW.
There is a rumour now that Pep is coming to Arsenal and not Manc, Manu or Chel$.
Strange that i did think the same thing when i heard he is leaving Bayern, that this move has been planned by Arsenal and AW and Pep. Whatever, everyone thinks he is going to City.
I really want us to win the PL this season, if we get the FA cup too that’s even better, and go as far as we can 🙂 in CL.
Would be a “Perfect Season”.
Totally agree.This is a luxury player we don’t need.
The last Jan signing who ‘hit the ground running’ and made a difference was Paul Mariner.
Hmmmm… Tony, if one believed half of what the sporting papers publish one would definitely grow old without knowing it.
Ozil, a panic buy? Hey! 42 million pounds…no one easily panics when such sum is involved…and definitely not Wenger.
If Arsenal didn’t already have Fabregas, I’m almost certain Ozil would have headed to Arsenal instead of Madrid. Wenger didn’t press hard enough. By the time it became clear Fabregas was DNA-bound, Madrid wouldn’t listen to offers for Ozil. But somehow, they bought Gareth Bale, Mourinho left and the hitherto impossible suddenly became probable and finally possible. And Wenger never hesitated. For Wenger to sanction such enormous sum for a player…that player must be a Messi of a different mold. And in the assist world, Ozil is better than Messi!
At that time when the AAAs were almost forcing Wenger to quit…if Le Prof ever considered quitting, the capture of Ozil probably stopped him. Le Prof had evidently captured a player that more than perfectly replaced the genius he created and built his future Arsenal on – Fabregas.
I’m not using stats here…rather only speculating… Wenger will most likely lift the Champions League with Ozil as fulcrum…together with Cech, Monreal, Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Coquelin, Ramsey, Sanchez…and possibly two ‘world class’ starts that would join after this season. Walcott, Ox, Giroud, Campbell, Wilshere, Welbeck must raise their games to be core members of this future European kings.
But first, let’s successfully navigate this season’s title.
Ozil…….stealing a living…..what has he done for us this week.
Also, notice some articles implying Wenger will move upstairs for Pep this summer ,despite our manager never having broken in any way a contract. Of course all part of a beat Arsenal and Wenger thing when it does not happen
Panic buy!!
Well, if panic buys are of Ozils caliber, do it often I say.
Ozil was never a panic buy. Last minute it was. But it was carefully planned and executed, without any a detail leaked. No one had a hint that Ozil was up for grabs.
If a top quality player is available, we’ll sign. Mr Wenger said. And Ozil is that top quality player. Irrespective of the requirement, irrespective of the price tag. Look at Alexis signing.
I say this again, Ozil is the most underrated player of our times. Its a pleasure watching him play. We have been blessed with players like Bergkamp in the past, but the gooner family is truly honored to have Ozil as one of us. Legendary status awaits.
What many forget is that Arsenal buying both Ozil and Alexis not only strengthened us but also helped Real Madrid and Barcelona buy Bale and Suarez which served to weaken two of our main domestic competitors.
At that level there is a chess match going on within which, thanks to our ‘new’ wealth, we are now major players.
Whether Ozil was a “panic buy” (doubtful) or a purchase of calculated excellence (probable) is irrelevant. He’s become one of the stars of the Premiership and has established himself as an almost indispensable team member.
Nice one Tony.
Look it is all predictable stuff from the Wenger Out Crowd. At the end of the day these guys dug a hole so deep they needed an excavator to get themsleves out of it. Wrong on so many things so they have to look for the discredit option instead of admitting they were wrong.
These bloggers are appealling to a certain demographic, usually the younger fan and certainly the more vocally abusive type. Many are utterly delusional, believing achieving success by spending 8 hours a day on a games console playing FIFA, qualifies them as professional football managers. They judge wenger against what they would do. If he doesnt do what these deluded souls say he should, they go nuts.
Simple really. If Wenger does something good they discredit it. Cant spend most of your life admitting you got something wrong!
The ‘Ozil was a panic buy’ has been recycled and repeated by the WOB’s virtually since he was signed.
A bit like the ‘Wenger injures our players’ line. He is the only manager that never has an unlucky injury.
The funniest thing is their denial about the impact the stadium had. That is the one that really baffles me. Its like they genuine believe money trees exist.
Next up is the ‘Wenger was lucky with Bellerin’ and ‘Coquelin was luck’ and ‘Arsenal cant win anything with Giroud in the team’ and winning the FA Cup is not worth celebrating ‘because even Portsmouth have won it’.
Remember when every victory was being credited to Bould and every defeat to Wenger?
Now I notice Jack is line for the abusive comments.
All these people want to do is slag Wenger off and then any player that they think helps their weird view on what makes a ‘supporter’.
These guys are on their blogs telling us who they would sign and what tactics they would employ and criticise Wenger against those views. because Wenger doesn’t do what some office cleaner, student or bar man would do, he gets slaughtered. Some of the comments are hilarious, deluded with a capital D.
The media
The media are no different. In many ways, they feed these idiots. I watched Sunday Supplement this weekend and Henry Winter was back on his anti-Wenger agenda. Apparently if wenger doesnt win the title this year he has to go because we have the best squad. This is the bloke that was saying Wenger doesnt know what hes doing and that we had a thin squad (Didnt they all say that at the start of the season?. So the thin squad is now the best squad. (Jermemy wilson did point out that in budget terms we are 4th but that cut no ice with Winter). Thsi si what you are up against. To discredit wenger now, you have to set the bar high. So we are now on the ‘if wenger doesnt win the title’ bollocks.
I have no idea what Wenger has done to deserve this dogs abuse he gets. If its not endless loops on him not being able to do up his coat, its his comments that he didnt see anything. All the arrogance and bullying that goes on in football the bloke is a beacon of light. The best manager pound for pound of all time. He gave us players like Henry, Vieira, Pires, Ljungberg and built a back 4 that went a season unbeaten for less than £12m quid. When Fergie was able to financially bully his way to trophies, he didnt go unbeaten. Never outspent anyone and earned success without buying the ‘best’ in most positions. In fact, eraned success when he had no right to. I dont understand the disrespect he gets – can someone please explain this to me.
Max, Arshavin was bought in the Jan window and hit the ground running, so much so that he kept us in 4th (the CL) spot. Without him we would have been playing Thursday night football for a season. The shame is that that’s pretty much all he ever did for us…
This is how a proper supporter behaves:
http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/08/arsenal-fan-trolls-his-own-bride-with-hilarious-mesut-ozil-orientated-wedding-speech-5609964/
This is how a shit one behaves:
http://metro.co.uk/2013/08/30/tottenham-give-arsenal-a-lesson-in-transfers-theyve-lost-gareth-bale-but-built-a-squad-3942406/
i Hope he panics and bring on Messi.
Why are all the pundits say this season will be the best chance arsenal have at winning the title? Can they predict the future? They must think because Arsenal don’t spend huge some of money on big name stars therefore will never have another chance of winning a title. What’s amazing is that a lot of the so called Arsenal fans believe it.
Max, can you really be serious with such a comment?
Do you honestly think he does not contribute to the side and what has been achieved?
Please take your dark glasses off and have a good look at the next match to try and follow what Ozil brings to Arsenal. You may be pleasantly surprised when you realize what he adds to the side…
I’d just like to point out that the person who wrote that post over at Arsenal Report is not affiliated with the site (it’s a forum where anyone can start threads like that). In fact, we make fun of this post on our Twitter account all the time. It’s by far the funniest thing I’ve ever seen on our site.
Legendary status awaits young Bellerin also. He is incredible for a 20 year old.
Joel Campbell is also special & will shine once he is free to do some solos. He always looks to lay off the ball when he gets near the opposition penalty box. He has sufficient strength & technique to go for goal but seems to be tethered.
As Arsenal supporters we are gifted with an amazing set up for the future.
They can say whatever they want. As for me, I have decided that this is the opportune moment to revenge on Liverpool, for their actions in the Suarez story. Just 1-0 to the Arsenal will do for me you Reds!!
How good is Klopp? After all, the AAA were screaming for him to come to Arsenal because he would win us the title. They have gone abit quiet all of a sudden. I think Klopps statements tell that he has found managing in the Premier League is a whole new ball game – pardon the pun. As he says, two leg semi finals in that ridiculous Capital One Cup, what nut case decided that was a god idea?
How good is Pep?
As far as Bayern Munich is concerned, with all due respect I would put money on my Mothers Budgerigar, Bopper Benji, winning the league in that one horse race. He inherited an amazing Bayern team that had won the Champions League but has failed to push on. No denying the job he did at Barca, but again it was a two team league and he had the pick of the best players.
I am a fan of Pep Guardiola. The point I am making is that managing in the Premier League requires a different style of management and has unique demands. I would argue that it is even tougher now, now that the TV money has allowed some of the lesser lights to hold onto their players and import better quality players. We know longer have one or two teams waving the cheque book and scooping up all the best players, usually developed at other clubs.
Managing in the Premier League is totally different to managing in La Liga or the one horse race that is the Bundesliga. The intensity, the physicality, the lack of protection for the players, the ridiculous fixture list and the fact that there are no easy games in which to rest players. The High intensity press game is a lot harder to maintain in the EPl and I suspect Klopp is finding that out.
It seems to me the media and a lot of fans sometimes fail to look beyond trophy’s won and reconcile the level of difficulty or the different demands.
proudkev,
I think Klopp will turn out to be good (not necessarily great) but he needs time (like pretty much all managers) which I’m not sure he’ll get, so it may not be a liverpoo.
As for Pep, he’s never built a team but he is good at adding the final pieces provided money is no object. One day he may need to rebuild and we’ll find out only then if he’s one of the greats.
Andy.
I tend to agree with you.
Klopp is a likeable character and its difficult to work with players that may not suit the way you play. My only concern is the high pressure game he likes to play, in many ways Pep is similar. The Premier League takes no prisoners and that system makes big demands on fitness.
I don’t buy into the expectation that many have; as I mentioned the overseas leagues are less demanding and there is a different requirement froma manager.
Ix Techau – thanks for taking the trouble to get in touch – I do appreciate it. And glad we have the same sense of humour. Tony
Proudkev
I tend to agree with you that Arsene Wenger might be the best manager for Arsenal, but the best in the world ..?
Also, you expose your over the top bias when you unnecessarily begin to tear Guardiola and Klopp down to make your case.
Guardiola took a struggling Barca( third place in Spain and no trophies ) and in his first season won an unprecedented treble, while only spending £28M net in the process, and the only noteworthy signings were Alvez and Keita, while stars like Deco and Ronaldinho were let go.
His “failure to push on” in Europe at Bayern is also a bit problematic for me. He took over at Bayern after the club had just won a treble , and no club has won back to back CL in the modern era, not even Barca.
As for Klopp, he took over a mid- table Liverpool just about mid season, with five starters injured at the time of his appointment . Some of the first team players Klopp hasn’t even seen in action yet. Don’t you think he should be given a bit more time to be judged one way or another?
I like Klopp personally, although his bombastic style and persona wears on you after a while, as opposed to the low key, measured style of Wenger’s, but to pass any judgment on him two months into his tenure is borderline ridiculous.
As for Guardiola in the PL , we will al get to see what he can do next season. No need speculating.
Tai , am on same page wit ur submissions; AW is harried so much by dis AAA bcos he is french, he is stubonly self assured, does tins his own way nd achieve results beyond expectations,a very loyal personage: to his job, players, staff, employer nd football world;like I once said, show me dat manager who wuld hve built Arsenal as a Club nd Family d way Wenger has over those difficult nd trying years nd still maintain d club in d top four for over a decade! I don’t kno of any wit such accumen nd dedication?why do players count demselves lucky to b an Arsenal nd u feel d love nd sincerity in their expressions; wen AW eventually leaves mayb in 5 years tym I pray d board is forward luking enough to start searching for His replacement or an understudy who has a near intelligence capacity like Wenger, odawise we sink into oblivion, Manure, Liverpool nd Chelski current situation will b nominal compared to wat we shall experience; d. Board shuld commence its search now. So we can hve someone close to wat Wenger is bcos He Arsene is unique we can’t get his exact copy bt if a near copy is tracked now nd given d chance to work nd undastudy him b4 his exit, it will serve us In gud stead! 4tunately, AW doesn’t give a hoot abt those unsavory critics nd their pestering criticisms,he is focused on wat he intends to achieve neva allowing distractions 4 self or team, so let d haters continue in their perfidious journey while AW continues to leave dem in disarray wit his successes!Shallom!
Wen Pep Guardiola arrives in EPL he will learn why EPL is d toughest league in d world;Kloop nd Van Gaal are already learning.A 2-3 seasons manager can’t make history in d EPL, so mayb Pep will probably change his style especially if he nids to rebuild his team! Welcome to the EPL Pep,d home of English Football!!!
My like buttons not functioning…
Great comments Proudkev. Austinpaul too.
On Wenger’s shoulders lies the future of football. For average income earners to afford even the lowest season tickets, football must be managed the Wenger way. For the game to continue to be beautiful all ingredients of playing freely and fairly like Wenger must be completely adopted.
For those to happen, Wenger mustn’t retire without winning the CL with Arsenal. He more than deserves it.
Evening Tom.
I didnt ‘tear down’ Klopp and Pep. In fact, I was very complimentary. I said I liked both.
The point I made was that the EPL is not comparible to La Liga on the Bundeliga. Winning the league in Germany is a given, it’s not really a challenge. Any team that has the cheek to finish above Bayern, has their best players bought the next season! So I don’t take winning the German League as a great achievement because it simply isn’t.
As for la Liga, again it’s a different game and managing Barca has huge advantages. As you say he had to make changes but still he had some great players available to him. Loved the way he plays the game but would that be successful in England?
The demands in our game are such that managers have to adapt. I therefore think the assumptions that Pep will repeat what he did in Spain are wide of the mark and that was the jist. Expecting him to rip up the Premier leagus, as some suggest, is based on what he did at Bayern and Barca – where it’s not that difficult imo.
*Bundesliga
Say hello to Pawson at Stoke
Saturday 16 January 2016
K.O. _MATCHES _ _ _ _ REFEREE _ _ _ ASST. REF. 1 _ _ASST. REF. 2 _ _4TH OFFICIAL
17:30 Aston Villa – Leicester _ Roger East _ _ _ D Cann _ _ _G Beswick _ M Oliver
15:00 Bournemouth – Norwich _ _ Robert Madley _ _M Perry _ _ M McDonough G Scott
15:00 Chelsea – Everton _ _ _ _ Mike Jones _ _ _ M Mullarkey P Kirkup _ _A Taylor
15:00 Man City – Crystal Palace Jonathan Moss _ _A Holmes _ _A Garratt _ M Clattenburg
15:00 Newcastle – West Ham _ _ _Neil Swarbrick _ S Ledger _ _J Brooks _ _L Mason
15:00 Southampton – West Brom _ Martin Atkinson _S Burt _ _ _L Betts _ _ S Attwell
12:45 Spurs – Sunderland _ _ _ _Mike Dean _ _ _ _S Bennett _ E Smart _ _ C Pawson
Sunday 17 January 2016
K.O. _MATCHES _ _ _ _ REFEREE _ _ _ _ ASST. REF. 1 _ _ASST. REF. 2 _ _4TH OFFICIAL
14:05 Liverpool – Man Utd _ _ _ Mark Clattenburg S Beck _ _ _R West _ _ _R East
16:15 Stoke – Arsenal _ _ _ _ _ Craig Pawson _ _ D Bryan _ _ S Long _ _ _M Dean
Wenger the TinKer
Arsene the Thinker
He walk with a gentle swagger
Like a Legendary general
making Mincemeats of the obnoxious AAA
making the pundits farts from their mouth
dropping clangers without answers
as the French revolutionaire
mesmerize the moaning media with magic
16 years non-stop
Harvard in waiting for Wengerian curriculum
To tutor the world the meaning of
sport excellence and prudence for prosperity
Bow the knee ye FIFA 15 players
Show respect ye Media without manner
Go to sleep ye aàaa till ye receive revelation
of the true meaning of COACH OF THE DECADE
Proudkev
Evening, although it’s barely noon here.
I don’t disagree with you about the PL being a different animal than other top leagues around Europe, but you are being inconsistent in your statements.
Guardiola doesn’t get any credit for running away with the Bundesliga because it’s a one horse race, but at the same time you deny any credit to Klopp for beating Bayern to the title two years running ,on half the Bayern’s wage bill may I add.
Seems to me you want to have your cake and eat it too 🙂
proudkev, I think Klopp could make his system work here but only if he has 20+ players that are of a good enough standard and that are prepared to be played rotationally. The problem with that as we’ve seen ourselves is that you can only rotate 2 or 3 players per game and expect to keep the winning formula. More than that breaks the understanding of the players and injuries mean we’re forced into rotating those players rather than the players that need it. He may end up with a softened approach to pressing.
Tom, Deco and Ronaldinho were moved on from Barca because they’d lost their edge. The rest of the team was very good and just needed a little reorganising which Pep could do better than most as he’d been in the ‘family’ and seen them training/playing whenever possible anyway. As has been said, he adjusted an excellent squad of players and gave them the ‘cohesion’ that AW speaks about all the time, whilst filling a couple of gaps. His 3 year then move plan means he’s only gone to places where the squad needs a little ‘tweeking’ so he relies on others building the base of the squad.
IMO He can only be considered a real ‘Great’ when he’s build/bought the majority of the 1st team (say 6 starting players) and turned a good team into a winning team. Until then he’s a good (very good) work in progress. Would I be happy for him to take over from AW…. I don’t know but probably if he signed for more than his usual 3 years then yes I would.
Klopp did amazing things at BVB but turning a 1 horse race into a 2 horse race still doesn’t make the Bundesliga into a serious competition. It’s only the few games against the top 4/5 which aren’t forgone conclusions, which almost turns it into a cup competition. It also allows the top teams there to rest player so they’re ready for the big games and CL games. Yes Klopp had some terrible injuries in his last term there but these things happen (wasn’t it 7 left backs in 1 season for us…..)
Same question, would I be happy for him to take over from AW…. Probably not but lets see what he does at Liverpoo before making that decision.
I should add that IMO AW was very good but became great when he built the majority of our team instead of relying on the GG back 5.
proudkev
Great comments as usual.
PS Why debate with someone who would argue our shirts where the wrong shade of Red if you said you liked them?
Andy Mack
If Guardiola needs to meet your requirements of introducing at least six starters to a world beating squad to become a truly great manager, it’s a pretty safe bet he will never be one.
Why would any top manager go to any cub that requires a total overhaul , is beyond me.
None of the European top Six or Seven require that.
So that’s settled then, Guardiola will never be a truly great manager according to your expectations.
My criteria are much simpler.
Forget the trophy haul, the best football seen since The Dutch master introduced the total football in the seventies, is what does it for me.
What’s even more funny is that Arsenal’s current version is based on Guardiola’s model to a certain extent, something any Arsenal fan should recognize and appreciate , or not, if the more direct style of the invincible’s was your thing.
To cut to the chase, there are many criteria great managers have to meet and none meet all of them.
Some have said Arsene Wenger will never be a truly great manager until he wins the CL title, which I also consider a BS.
To each it’s own I guess.
Cheers .
Jambug
So true, about debating different ideas and points of view , when you can just tell someone to ” shut up FFS” , when you are being taken out of your fragile, little comfort zone.
Ha, ha
Tom, Stay at one club longer than 4 years and every manager will have to change his team by somewhere close to 50% so Pep could easily do it. It’s not necessarily about changes on day 1 but if he continues his 3 year and move deal then he’ll never meet the criteria.
Your talking as though he went out and found Iniesta, Xavi, Yaya, Busquets and Messi. They were a top team before he took charge (yes they needed tweeking) and they’re a top team since (OK not always THE top team).
The same goes for Bayern (my 2nd team having lived near the old stadium for a few years), a top team which he’s tweeked very nicely.
As for the Barca style of play, yes he reaffirmed the tiki-taka but that style was a barca style on and off for some years before. I’m not sure he could have tried that style at most other clubs as a) the players need to learn it like they do at Barca and b) The players need to be technically very good.
The fact Bayern aren’t a Tiki-taka team seem to bear that out.
Speaking of rumours , humour and wishes …… apparently he aspires for a ‘higher’ job ! Say it not true …..God help us !
http://newsthump.com/2015/12/24/jose-mourinho-to-replace-god/
There is also a rumour going around ( in my head at least – ESP ?), that Sean Penn has also recently ‘visited’ and interviewed Sepp Blatter , Platini , and a few of the top honcos of S.American football .
Has anyone seen him in England – maybe at the airports , at PL HQ , at the FA or over at Mike Riley’s place ? Just asking as I did not see him at the Golden Globe gala .
In the past he used to be all bugged and smacked the paparazzi all black and blue , now he is apparently wearing a bug and smoking out the news makers ( and law breakers ) for the boys in blue !
Where in the life of me Grandmaster TOM found that Wenger copied Guardiola ?
Unfortunately you haven’t.