By Tony Attwood
The figures from yesterday’s game were something else. Arsenal had 65% of possession, 30 shots to Everton’s eight, 14 on target to their three on target, and seven corners, to their none.
Of course the mainstream media had hyped up Rooney’s goal against us 200 years ago, and that was indeed a remarkable goal. I know because I was there; it was in the days when I used to do lots of away games. I also seem to recall that it was our first away defeat in something like 200 years, although this use of the phrase “200 years” might be somewhat inaccurate – it was a long time ago after all.
But one of the great things about yesterday’s performance not being mentioned is that we can, for the next match (which ludicrously comes tomorrow) put out a wholly different team, and still look forward to seeing them play and hopefully win. Those guys who played against Crvena Zvezda in Serbia will presumably be called forward once again.
The likes of Macey (who was reserve keeper); Debuchy, Holding, Elneny; Nelson, Coquelin, Willock, Maitland-Niles; Walcott, Wilshere; Giroud.
Not a bad line up as I recall. We’ll come back to that later. But first, I wonder what the bloggettas had to say about it all. Did they finally give up their negativity and have a moment of joy at watching a rather jolly Arsenal win?
Well, actually, like the gnarled old grandfather who sits in the corner smoking never saying a word except to complain and grumble, the answer is no. Here’s some of last night’s coverage in the hours after the match…
He’s a winger called Malcom and we have been linked to him “according to reports” and so bad is our current situation we are indeed “desperate” to get him.
Top pundit ‘amazed’ Wenger still has the Arsenal job
Arsenal fans react to Hector Bellerin’s performance against Everton.” The article actually says, “Bellerin got into fine positions time and again but his delivery came under scrutiny by Arsenal fans, even if their side got five on the day.” And how did “Unhappy” get in there?
Arsenal’s back three offers nothing but an illusion of change and security
That statistic of one more shot per game actually isn’t that impressive, without knowing what happened to the shots. After all, if the central back three actually resulted attacking players being pushed out ever wider and so shooting from less favourable positions, it would not matter at all.
And since during the era of the back three last season, we went from a run of poor results to a run where we won every game except one (including beating Manchester City and Chelsea at Wembley) one might conclude everything was a little bit better.
But no, it was an illusion of change and security. And was published in the aftermath of our 5-2 win.
Should Arsenal be looking to replace this senior player?
Emiliano Martinez who is with Getafe on loan. But best not tell the little bloggetta writers.
Did Arsene Wenger only sign this player to appease Arsenal fans?
is week, “former Republic of Ireland international Tony Cascarino pointed out that Arsene Wenger doesn’t yet trust Alexandre Lacazette and it got me thinking: did the manager even want to sign him or was it just to appease the fans?”
You might be excused thinking that this was an odd thing to say just after Lacazette had scored his fifth goal of the season which is not too bad for a player who has just joined a new side.
Arsenal should build their forward line around this under-rated star
It goes on and on, and all that was just from the couple of hours after the game yesterday. There is more and more, like Man U fans suggesting Ozil came good because he knows he is leaving for Man U, another Souness comment in which he says Arsenal fans won’t be satisfied with the win against Everton, and on and on and on.
Does it matter? Well, yes, in the sense that the sheer volume of these outpourings – hundreds of them an hour – are having an effect. Journalists read them, and think “this is what the fans are saying” and so pick up the themes on TV, radio and in the newspapers. And this in addition to the way they are required not to mention certain subjects because of their contracts with the League and PGMO.
But there is a circularity here because quite a few of the bloggettas are now owned by newspapers, and their writers are their journalists.
The world of football commentary is being manipulated like never before.
- Everton – Arsenal 2-5, a walk in the (Goodison) Park
- Why the government can’t reform the FA, and why the FA will (sadly) survive forever
- Bloggettas go into frantic frenzied bonkers meltdown seeking negatives in Arsenal victory
Couldn’t agree more – its really REALLY annoying reading about all these negative twats making comments about everything…
Our club needs POSITIVITY now more than ever.
When I was a child my Dad said ” don’t believe anything you read in the papers. Use your eyes and your brain then work things out for yourself.””
Not bad advice from some 60 odd years ago.
Seems little has changed.
And even if posters come here saying, ‘yes but here are the positive comments in the media/blogettas’ that is hardly the point is it?
Why following a very good performance, resulting in a 5- 2 away win, would anyone even come out with a bunch negative articles like that ?
Yes, when we lose like we did at Liverpool we deserve some stick, if even then it still goes way over the top, I can at least stomach it to a degree. But all that negativity after a win?
That is different. That is an agenda. And it stinks.
porter
Yes, your Dad was quite correct, but these quotes above are not from newspapers, but other Arsenal blogs.
Tony probably spots them on News Now and sorts out the most likely ones.
The Daily Cannon (I believe) is based in the US and recruits ‘writers’ from all over the world. They will take stories from almost anyone who can write reasonably well. You could write for them if you fancy it.
Tony,
forget the blogettas.
Here is the Guardian’s headline :
Ronald Koeman’s lack of vision clear from Everton’s fall to disjointed Arsenal
Disjointed ?!?! ah yes, probably because we were so busy taking shots at the Everton goal that there were not that many players inbetween our goalie and the Everton box ?!?
Anyways, I must have seen another game then the so-called journalist who just keeps putting up opinions as facts.
Jax
But as has been pointed out, these Blogettas are often as not just an extension of the mainstream media.
As I said the other day, for want of a better turn of phrase they are there ‘shit stirring’ arm.
If you can show me similar Blogettas trashing Spurs following there win I’ll agree all’s fair in love and war.
Until then I’m going to stick to my opinion that it’s an agenda against Arsenal.
I’ll await your ‘links’.
Thought the ref was appalling again yesterday must have got 70 per cent of the decisions wrong again sly sports didn,t even mention pickford taking out sanchez in the box when sanchez knocked the ball passed him he just pushed him over the line without touching the ball .
Even more curious was the game announcer. Not John Champion, but his cohort. He was literally contorting himself to put the most negative light towards any Arsenal player based on any event on the pitch. It was so pathetic that I just started laughing after a while.
Does anyone know the name?
I would be interested to see an analysis into the proportion of negative articles over a given time span, for each of the “big 6”. Only then can we really appreciate the level of bias against Arsenal in particular. Not that I’d expect anyone to have the time or motivation for such an endeavour!
Mark Overmoon
That sure would help because it is of course possible that it just ‘seems’ like there is this bias against us because being Arsenal fans we just notice it more and maybe get it all out of proportion.
I don’t believe that for one second given I gave up listening to or reading the media simply because of the biased anti Arsenal shite I had to endure on an hour by hour basis.
And anyway I myself have done something like this once already by posting a multitude of links to Ian Wright articles to show the ongoing anti Arsenal/Wenger agenda he engages in.
Just google Ian Wright criticises Arsenal/Wenger and you’ll have plenty to keep you entertained.
Similar Stewart Robson. Tony Adams. Paul Merson. Thierry Henry.
Chris
“forget the blogettas.
Here is the Guardian’s headline :
Ronald Koeman’s lack of vision clear from Everton’s fall to disjointed Arsenal”
There’s a bit about this on the previous thread.
Nitram
I think Tony made the point that the media is influenced by the blogs and not the reverse (which I believe you’re suggesting), but some journalists are also bloggers or at least contribute to blogs, so yes an extension of sorts.
The one thing that surprised me more than any other yesterday was that the media didn’t make more of Arsenal beating ‘ten men Everton’. I was really expecting that to lead most stories and it was hardly mentioned, but instead we got a sort of reverse ‘Arsenal in chaos’ with their ‘Everton in chaos’ which diluted our win somewhat. MOTD were kind to us though.
I’m not falling for the old Nitram trick of looking on News Now for Spurs Bloggs. Nice try?
Nitram
re that Guardian story that Chris (& Polo) refers to. If you look at the comments section following the article the commenters lay into the writer Jamie Jackson who must be local & probably an Everton supporter. I can’t imagine them paying for their London based match reporter (Amy Lawrence) to go up there.
And yes it was complete bollocks.
Jax
Who Jamie Jackson is is not the point. He was the journalist chosen by a leading national daily to cover a high profile football match featuring Arsenal. And he talked utter garbage. That is the point.
–
Here’s a log of the rigging in AFC matches so far this season:
https://mobile.twitter.com/elspanishgooner/status/922227792045109250
The penalty not called against the Everton keeper early on yesterday.
Truly remarkable! So we remark upon it.
When will the uber blaggers out there muster up the “cojones” to support the club that they say they support?
It takes effort to ignore such rigging: e.g. mOTD of course did not show the penalty not given. Why would they show that! Hilarious, eh?
I read Jamie Jackson’s piece and – indeed – if I didn’t know the result or read it anywhere in the article, I would thought – after reading Jackson’s piece of shit – that Arsenal lost or drew a match. Xhaka is shit (he was fouled before he lost the ball), Kolašinac is an odd choice by Wenger (because FBs/WBs of his quality are soooooo easy to find!) etc.
What all commentators at Untold should know is this: Jamie Jackson is a Guardian columnist who is an ardent Manchester United fan. His articles about Manchester United rivals are so bitter and insane that he has been considered as a laughing stock in the comment section under his articles. His season previews of both Manchester clubs for Guardian were the best non-Arsenal-related examples of how pathetic journalist Jamie Jackson is.
Now, it’s our job to keep things going well. Let’s beat Swansea at the Emirates without a silly red card before the visit to this rampant Manchester City side.
I only mentioned newspapers in my quote because that’s what it was. Bear in mind the idea of a blog , computer , calaculator wasn’t even thought of when the quote was made . We didn’t even have an electic kettle and there was one television in the street for the mums to watch the coronation.
However the point stands that the Bloggosphere and newspapers feed off of each other. It’s all opinion with little fact, anything factual is covered in rolling news and is out of date before things are either posted or printed.
The advice I was given then I would pass on to all now, ignore them, find your own way to form your opinions , for some ( Tony ) it’s spreadsheets for me it’s my eyes and understanding of the game sometimes we reach similar conclusions and other times we don’t and that’s why we are writing here.
You missed one; according to Keown, Ozil only played well because he wants to impress potential suitors. Apparently Ozil can’t do anything right.
Tony Cascarino
Didn’t he used to work for that dodgy geezeah from France who Vengarrrrgggghhh got banged up in the slammer? For, you know, doing the kind of thing that could never happen here in the best league in the world.
He’s not bitter eh?
Jax
I did read the comments, and yes a few criticised Jackson, laid into would hardly be the description I would use, but as I said, and as Pat has reiterated, the comments are not the point, it’s that a leading newspaper published what amounts to a page full of anti Arsenal bullshit masquerading as a legitimate report of a football match.
Also the mirror couldn’t resist a dig at Arsenal in there headline.
My question is why would they do this?
We just won 5-2 away playing really well didn’t we?
So I’m not interested in the comments I want to know why the negative anti Arsenal approach in the first place?
As I said, show me the same negative spurs Blogettas.
And I cant really speak for Tony but I believe his take on it is that many of the blogettas are actually written by the mainstream press, which they use as an outlet for there shit stirring agenda, they then ‘quote’ there own blogettas as a source, as if it is Arsenals ‘fans’ saying it when they’ve actually initiated it.
Effectively they are quoting themselves whilst claiming they are quoting a third party.
If I’m wrong I’m sure Tony will put me right.
@ Gnnr – You mean the commentator that at one point referred to Everton as “we” and “our”? He was one of the most biased commentators that I’ve ever heard in my life; it was like listening to an England vs Argentina game. They even joked between each other how he would have enjoyed being on the pitch and having the opportunity to go around kicking people and blaming it on the wind. What an absolute dickhead he was. I wish I could have found the funny side to it like you did, because I was getting unbelievably annoyed listening to his utter drivel.
What is it about AFC not paying bungs (since before AW and SK came to the club, nice try aaaa!) in the era of the £50M bung that such stand up reputable people like Tony Cascarino and his employers do not like?
I’m struggling to compose a rational answer here but there may, possibly, or literallly, be hundreds and hundreds of millions of reasons (£’s) to explain exactly why it is that they don’t like the Arsenal. People can ignore those (many!) reasons (£!) if they so choose.
I’ve been watching highlights of EPL on StarSports in India, & lo & behold the penalty that wasn’t given when Pickford wiped out Alexis without touching the ball wasn’t to be seen. Selective vision is one thing but deliberate blanking of a controversial incident is the height of poor reporting.
I’m sure that MOTD didn’t show it either. If they did then I’m surprised that the FA are not revisiting the incident as it was a pretty obvious foul & therefore a penalty. Poor officiating cannot be blamed but blatant cheating it certainly was. The assistants both saw it, as did the 4th official. My little ditty on 3 blind mice rings true again. The Riley Coyote has trained his pack well.
Menace
We except as such from the broadcasters. Perhaps it would be unreasonable to ask for more from the spawn of Alan Partdrige? 😉
Do you think the uber blaggers and tiny little aaaa and gallent podcastateers who model themselves upon Partdrige’s will ever be capable of mustering up the “cojones” in order to support the club that they say they support?
“It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening, it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest.”
The late great Harold Pinter.
The Sun (others?) is reporting that Monreal is in trouble for copyright reasons in including a video in some social media thing he posted/shared.
Surely Monreal did not post a video of the entire game. So one would think that some aspect of fair use comes into consideration. How long is the video clip?
The U23 are playing the Tottenspuds today.
At half time, the game was apparently tied at 2 (56 or so minutes ago).
The next entry (47 or so minutes ago), has Arsenal scoring form the penalty spot to again tie the game. No more entries after that. So, I gather the game ended 3-3?
Apparently the game report will be up on Arsenal.com before the end of the business day.
Not long
https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/social/arsenals-nacho-monreal-set-pl-punishment/
Correction, our U23 lost 3-2 to the Tottenspuds.
https://www.arsenal.com/fixture/under-23/2017-Oct-23/tottenham-hotspur-u23-3-2-under-23-match-report
Really petty by the PL
Josif
It seems like Jamie Jackson is The Guardian’s very own Adrian Durham. You should read the Durham takes from the commenters in The Mail (where I’ve not seen him for a while TBH). It’s the first time I’ve come across him (Jackson) and am not impressed with the Guardian for letting a Man U supporter of that type loose on an Arsenal match report. They might just as well have got Robbie Savage to do it.
If that match report is for the online Guardian it probably went straight in from his computer and bypassed any editors.
I see the Sun already has coverage of our game with Norwich going. At the moment the score is 0-0. 🙂
I wonder if any website is already reporting on our home game against Liverpool on or about Dec 23? I think the score in that game is also 0-0 at the moment.
It’s about 3 hours until the FIFA Best awards start. Here’s hoping Giroud wins the Puskas!
Not a mention of a possible penalty, it’s clear he just took out Alexis. Also no footage of an Ozil offside call which looked well dodgy. Not sure how a foul tackle from behind is just called putting him under pressure. Started watching the Arsenal player version and the commentators were nearly as bad as Sky
Congratulations Oliver Giroud, winner 2017 Puskas award. Congratulations to the Arsenal. Please more of match winning spectacular goals.
Am happy my vote counted as well as that of my fellow gunners…
Who cares the negativity that will be on the stands and bloggetters …Am happy.
Yeah! Giroud won the Puskas.
Congratulations ‘Scorpion King’
Gnnr – I watched the same feed as you. The idiot co-commentator was David Prutton. I especially enjoyed his assessment of the foul on Xhaka. I am paraphrasing, but the comment was something akin to – He certainly got the player before he got the slight touch on the ball, but it was a clean tackle for me.
I would like to know how it is possible for a tackle to be clean if the offending player caught the other player before he played the ball? And as it was, I do not think that Gueye got a touch at all, the angle they kept showing was misleading.
Walter, I would like your assessment of the tackle. Everyone blames Xhaka for being careless, but in my opinion it was a clear foul. Especially taking into account that Ramsey was penalised for a near identical foul later in the game.