By Walter Broeckx
So that is 13 in a row now. 13 times Arsenal has qualified in the CL for the knock out stages. You can correct me if you want but NO OTHER ENGLISH TEAM HAS DONE THIS! And I am pretty sure of this. In the last 13 seasons not all the teams even qualified for the CL. Didn’t you Chelsea? Didn’t you Man City? Remember United last season dropping down to the EL? Only Arsenal has been consistent in qualifying for the next round. Thank you Arsenal, thank you Arsène.
Mean while Man $ity needs to fill up with some new petrol after being dumped out of the CL for the second year running. Maybe they could follow the Chel$ea way and sack their manager? Money will be no issue to pay Mancini a nice sum of money to get lost.
In a way $ity could even not make it to the Europa League if Ajax would manage to win their last game. But even Ajax could afford to lose their game at Real Madrid and still beat $ity for the Europa League. $ity must win their own game away at Borrusia Dortmund. And I don’t think the Sudtribune will like to see Dortmund lose that game. Just imagine City out of everything in Europe. What an embarrassment that would be. But a funny one. Well for us. But somehow I think it would be better for us that $ity goes to the Europa league. Otherwise they will have more rest than the rest.
Chelsea still have a chance to go through. But as Shakthar Donetsk proved they are not that afraid to cheat a bit and Juventus well…. Calciopoli remember… we might see a draw in their game and that would mean Chelsea would be out for good in this year’s CL. Somehow this seems a funny thought. Maybe Benitez will get sacked in some 14 days time? But his bank account will win that is for sure.
Spare a minute for old arry. I bet he has been sitting in his car all day long from the moment he heard Di Mateo was sacked. Waiting to drive up to the press and to give a window conference. I think he will have to settle for the QPR job in a few days time. Unless of course $ity would offer him the Mancini job.
It’s all about winning trophies they tell us. And as Wenger didn’t win one he should be sacked. Funny that 2 of the 3 managers that won something last season has been sacked by now. King Kenny at Liverpool and now Di Mateo at Chelsea. So maybe it’s not always about winning.
On to our game. Koscelny hitting the bar early on… would have been a great goal from the Frenchman. I think he was again impressive and back to his form from last season. A good eye for the interception, strong runs forward. I think Wenger will have a big decision to make next Saturday if Gibbs would start at left back again…. But then again rotation is not a bad thing to have.
We had some problems in the first half with the pitch. I think the groundsman has some work to do. The ball didn’t move at the expected speed at times and this made us lose a few balls. Montpellier didn’t really do much with it but it could have gone wrong. Wilshere was struggling most I thought with a few balls that just didn’t get to the Arsenal team mate. Podolski looked very strong and was our most dangerous player. But he couldn’t finish the chances he got.
Did they water the pitch at half time? Because now the ball went as we are used to it most of the time. Vermaelen finally running forward and delivering a cross to Giroud who headed it in the path of the onrushing Wilshere. A little move with the left foot and the ball went over the diving Montpellier keeper. What a sweet finish. And what a happy Jack. And so were all of us.
The icing on the cake came a bit later. The Ox who improved the longer the game went on (just as Jack) ran forward with the ball. He gave the ball to Podolski then went to ground after being touched by something in his face. Podolski gave the ball to Giroud, started his run, Giroud saw the movement and delivered an inch perfect pass back to the German.
What followed was a contender for at least goal of the month. A perfect volley shot from the edge of the penalty area flew in over the keeper just under the crossbar. What a goal. What a strike. 2-0 game won. And Montpellier was trying a bit but not able to produce a lot. Unless a shot in injury time that just went wide.
Arsenal was the better side on the day. Two nice goals, okay one superb goal in fact, a clean sheet. Hell I think even the Ramsey haters have to shut up as I thought Ramsey did very well when he came on the field. It was a very mature performance. And in my part of the world I looked at the different game reports in different countries and well … it was all Arsenal chances and two attacks from Montpellier.
Just what we wanted and now qualification is done. Will it be in first place or second is in the hands of Schalke and Montpellier. We don’t have this in our own hands. And tell you what : I don’t care that much. Results are that even teams that finish first could end up playing Real Madrid or Juventus. So whatever the result will be: we are in the hat for the knock out stages.
Something that Manchester $ity can only dream about. All that money spend…. and yet again no result in the CL. They couldn’t even win one game so far…
What a piece of work you are, no wonder your fans are so despised around the country for their holier-than-thou arrogance.
*giggles*
only arsenal fans view qualifying as a major achievement, come back when you win something
Well done – will you win anything though….. I very much doubt it, either in Europe or England. But never mind your top dogs are raking the money into their bank accounts.
well done you won another trophy – you qualified for something. We will just carry on winning trophies
7 year$$$$ or is it 8 years$$$ ?
come on, wise up. arsenal had the easiest group, as they do most years, in the champions league. and they usually make a meal of it. but dream on under the illusion of beating montpellier, olympiakos and someone else equally unmemorable. aresenal will not get beyond the next round AGAIN.
Another jumped up little scroony arse Pratt! Easy group, they couldn’t put you in easier group and your still Shite! Looks like another trophy less season.
I don’t know how to celebrate a failure! If Chelsea hire and Fire their coaches and still win 3 EPL titles,7 FA titles and 1 champions league title in 8 yrs Arsenal should show us their trophy cabinent in these yrs!
money teams walter ? would that be like arsenil who pay promising teenagers ‘money’ that their home clubs can’t compete with and hope to sell them on for a profit ? or wait for clubs like malaga to teeter on the brink before offering ‘money’ for their players ? or charge their fans more ‘money’ than any other team in europe ( the world maybe? ) whilst delivering nothing but frustration and ultimate disappointment ?
you stick to your sycophantic self congratulatory AKB drivel and let the other teams and their fans enjoy winning the trophies. you can put a big red ribbon on your shoulder chip or your season ticket holder made from unicorn scrotum.
$ity not qualifying for the knock out stages of the Cl is just priceless…. oh wait a minute it did have a price….
Oh look a glory hunting fan….
@blueshy……..but we qualified from our group last time when we had dortmund and they were arguably stronger than they are now and we had a weakened squad, so it makes you wonder!!
Great achievement, thirteen years running, with less resources than most , players poached, and according to some, a shit manager!! Shows what those people know about football. City and Chelsea, very very poor, great to see the Chelsea,fans threatening mutiny over Benitez, all is not well, shame , such a classy club!
Now tell me blueshy with all the money spend each group should be a piece of cake for $ity?
Last year we beat Dortmund in the group stage…You couldn’t and they are not as strong as they were last year
And yep Ajax is really a great team. Their whole squad cost less than your cheapest mercenary
Congrats on winning qualification – it will look great in the trophy cabinet!
@mandy, i have to say i laughed with the Chelsea/Benitez thing because i remember how much they hated each other, and then also think of what state he left Liverpool and Inter in. If he is an interim manager and they are truly after Pep and Pep leaves and goes there i will dislike him and lose all my respect for him…….how can he go to a club that is so dishonourable and unstable and throw away managers we all know it would only be for money because i remember his quote when he was asked about Chelsea when he was considering leaving Barca……….he said “no i wouldn’t go there i want to biuld my career not ruin it” so i await to see his integrity……i bet he has none, but he will suffer for it because he will be another victim!!
What a stunning volley from Poldi! And that pass from Giroud! I could never tire from replaying this. The weird thing is there’s been a Fifa13 video for a few weeks on YouTube where Poldi scores an identical volley against Barca…..
Strange some touchy reactions below in Untold towers. I think I have hit a nerve somewhere. But in my part of the world it is too late to read them all. I leave it to you Tony when you get home late this evening to check them and to have a little laugh about it.
You can be sure it hurts like hell in money land….
And the most amazing thing is that I didn’t name City in the title and yet they came out of nowhere to start shouting at me. 🙂
So they do know they are a money team and that this money is the only reason they won something… And yes we can’t compete with them money wise. But enjoy it while it lasts… Rangers anyone?
@ blueshy: let’s be fair mate,all that matters is cold hard statistics ‘black on white’ and it says Arsenal IN/ City OUT,it’s irrelevant how strong or weak the group was,my personal opinion is that ever since Mancini came to city,or should I say ever since you became a sheikh’s toy,you guys were underperforming,you bought the best players around and so many talents off which a lot were dimly extinguished by not being played(buying them so they don’t play against you,nor did they play for you),which meant that all you managed to do in all these years is only win EPL on goal difference,but like I said all that matters is ‘black on white’ and well done to you for winning EPL last season-whichever way,fact is you are again underperfoming in UCL, I’m just wondering how did Mancini never got sacked,I mean seriously,your subs cost more than Arsenals entire squad…
definition of irony – arsenal are in the CHAMPIONS league without winning anything in recent memory. Do you get a wooden trophy for fourth ?
Sorry, its PES13
A truely wonderful goal by Podolski tonight.
Sublime technique.
As for City and Chelsea. I couldn’t give a toss.
Yes Maverick, rafa and Jose did not get on, and Chelsea’s fans have long memories! Then there was the comment after a Chelsea Liverpool game when rafa said that at least Liverpool do not have to give out flags to their supporters. All very amusing, and can see it ending in tears! Rafa has linked himself so closely to Liverpool , even after he left, no wonder Chelsea fans are not happy!
As mentioned, a great goal from prinz Poldi, almost reminded me of a Dutch player we once had whose name escapes me.
13 times? and jack all to show for it. Not even a kiss. Qualifying is great but selling your 8yr old tub of unused brasso on E-bay is worrying. Its not like your gonna win it is it! Making up the numbers doesn’t get you a trophy, it just errrm makes up the numbers. While your still in a ‘IN A WENGER WE TRUST MODE’ we will pick up a few more trophy’s. Wishing for a top 4 place and making up the numbers in the Champions league makes a great T-Shirt but will end up in them Pound Shops next to the Arsenal ‘Its supposed to polish silver but its not been tested in years’ Brasso. Never mind, lets hope the finishing in 4th bus parade goes down well. “CHIM CHIMNEY CHIM CHIMNEY CHIM CHIM GIROUD! HE’S GONNA LEAVE ARSENAL AND SIGN ON FOR CREW!!!!!’
Ahhh WALTER! So when do you expect that big ‘SPENT NOTHING WON NOTHING’ parade will be held? Its just I’d like to post it on UTUBE for those who like to celebrate an under-achievement or anti-climax!
we r no ramsey haters. i am happy if he delivers but he rarely does!!!!!
@Blueshy
Unfortunately your team like you have no class.
We’re “shite” is that really the best you can up with?
Your Mother must be so proud.
I think that its a brilliant move (not!)- to bring Rafa in as he may inspire Torres to play well again as he did in Liverpool- if he can convince the others to pass to Torres !Reminds me of Mike Brearley /Ian Botham of old , but then this isn’t cricket !
This is a disaster waiting to happen !Its so much fun at the Bridge .Scandals ,shooting of apprentices ,courtroom dramas,
adultry etc – you just cannot make it up !
Maybe the fans can organise a protest to ‘Get their Chelsea back ‘on the 1st of December (as ‘fans’ of other clubs will be doing!).I think jester hats will be appropriate !
People need to get off ramseys back. how can you say he hasnt delivered he only started 7 matches this season which to put that in perspective is one more than sagna and diaby. the rest of the time he has been brought with less than 20 minutes to go. now lets get one thing straight ramsey is no impact sub so exactly what is he supposed to deliver as a sub? for me he does a good job as a squad player. he is not a first x1 player and if rosicky and diaby were fit he wouldnt be a first 18 player either. he reminds me of players gone by like eddie kelly, david price, brian talbot, gilles grimandi, ian selley, kevin richardson, etc etc. He will never be a superstar at least not at arsenal but he will certainly earn his corn unlike some that are happy to sit in the stands or on the treatment table. every squad needs players like ramsey, the kid and lets not forget that is all he is (younger than craig eastmond i will have you know) would play any position asked of him without complaining he wouldnt hold the club to ransom cos he cant play in his true position which is wilshire/diabys position. He simply rolls his sleeves up gets his head down and plays where the manager asks him. last season he was asked to.play the no.10 role cesc/santi this season he has more often than not been asked to.play on the wing come on lads lets give the kid a break. He is the youngest player in the squad of homegrown/non-homegrown with only a few under 21s like wilshire coquelin and chamberlain younger than him. lets not destroy a player who was nearly destroyed by shawcross lets support him give him the benefit of the doubt at least until his 23/24 then compare him to diaby and see who has played the most matches for the club, scored the most goals, and has the most assists. My money will be on the welshman. He is only 50 arsenal appearances and 9 goals behind diaby now who has had 3 more seasons than ramsey and picked up far more in wages. Ramsey already has as many assists as diaby. lets not forget ramsey was just 16/17 when he started his arsenal career so is not even fully developed yet. look at walcott he is only just coming into his own now.
It must be clear to everybody that Man City need to get the cheque book out and buy some big established stars. Their board must change their penny pinching ways to achieve success in CL.
Ooh John. That was nasty. Give him a plate of sardines and a saucer of cream please Walter. 🙂
….and the opposite of an oik award!
@bc
Ramsey is much more than a squad player. He is the one who can operate as a pivot.
Your record in the CL (apart from the winning of it) is one to be proud of for sure, but why feel the need to slag off City? You have benefited hugely over the years from the vast sums of money that flow down from the CL competition and from the group selection system that Uefa use to ensure that the established clubs remain established. I don’t begrudge you this but I would counsel you to remember that have had the benefit of much good fortune yourselves and be a little less condescending.
1. The status quo (from which Arsenal have benefitted greatly) is maintained by Uefa with its distribution of CL generated funds. No club has been able to fight its way into the SKY 4 and remain there in the history of the PL. It takes money to do that, you and the other three annointed ones have had the money, nobody else has.
2. Sure, City have been immensely fortunate in being bought and fully funded, debt free, by an investor with a very long term, sustainable plan and very deep pockets. Without a half a billion or so of investment it would not have been possible and will probably never happen again. If it does Arsenal and Chelsea could become vulnerable to doing a Liverpool. Be careful what you wish for!
3. Due to FFP, the introduction of Uefa’s latest scam to protect their income streams by further enshrining the ‘haves’ at the expense of the ‘have nots,’ great clubs like Everton, Villa, Newcastle for instance will probably never now be able to attract a similar investor and their fans will never have the joy of CL football except just maybe for a single season now and again. These clubs are condemned to remain poor supplicants at the Europa League Soup Kitchen and will hopefully be joined by Liverpool and its deluded, smug fans who deserve to spend time in the real world of football!
4. Arsenal through astute management have a deservedly sustainable model, be grateful not smug and condescending, you personally didn’t create this, you just have the privilege of enjoying it. At least pay City fans the compliment of having supported their club through thick, thin and thinner with (for instance) as many as 8000 turning up in Burslem to play in the third level league against Port Vale just a few years ago. If any club deserves a bit of time in the sun I think it is City.
5. City didn’t do as well as they should have in the CCL but two very good sides were always going out of that group. City ill return next season and do better. if they fail to make the Europa it will probably ensure that they win the PL and return as Champions.
When we actually win the competition I think we can all crow as loud as we like.
13 years in a row. So effin what. The deal is to win it. Until Wenger does that he’s just a good manager.
I don’t think a lot of Chelsea fans care as long as the trophies keep rolling in. Thing is when they’re goading us with “Champions of Europe” and chants of that ilk we’ve got nothing much to respond with except things like we made a profit and we sold all our best players to enable them to win trophies.
I do know a couple of Chelsea fans who have actually deserted their club because the way it’s been run. One now despises the EPL so much he’s started going to Wimbledon games. This seems to be a trend as the big clubs price many fans out of the game. I must admit the times I’ve seen Oxford there’s been a little more passion than I’ve felt at the Emirates.
So we get to see Arsenal playing against the best that Europe has to offer….again! Now what was that about going to City for trophies? Well they’re now competing for one less than us.
Oh and regarding Pep, my money is on him signing for City next season if they dont win the league and a cup, who’d want to go to Chelsea next season with their aged squad?
Stuart, I’m not sure the Chelsea squad is that old. They did buy a few youngsters in the summer. And let’s face it who wouldn’t want to manage Chelsea with all that money to spend and the certainty of making a serious challenge for every trophy.
So we shouldn’t celebrate any win at all till we win something at the end? Is that it Rupert? No wonder the Emirates is a silent place with fans like that….
Anyhow on a shoe string budget we have qualified for the 13th time from the group stages.
On a mega budget the money teams didn’t. So that is failure for me.
Walter,
Just the point I was going to make. It’s like saying you hae to be miserable all year through except in the summer if your club happens to win one of the 4 trophies on offer. Madness. Football is supposed to be about enjoyment, and last night was enjoyable. And most football lovers will also take enjoyment from Chelsea and ManCity’s troubles.
Comment of the day goes to John. Brilliant 🙂
As for where Pep will end up, I’ve always thought he’s going to go to ManU. He’ll get time there, Ferguson’s legacy won’t harm him because he has a reputation himself, (plus the institutional bias in ManU’s favour will remind him of Barcelons 🙂 ) and he won’t be short of money to make purchases.
I also think Mourinho will replace Mancini at City, just as he did at Inter. The oily sheiks are hardly original, and they’ll try and copy the success Mourinho and Chelsea had, by handing him an even bigger transfer budget.
Back in 1976 when Southampton reached the FA Cup final Mick Channon was congratulated on their success . Channon replied ” Its allvery well getting there but it winning the thing that matters”
At you recent AGM Wenger in effect suggest that success at Arsenal was finishing 4th in the league. Now a piece on here suggests that being the only EPL team to qualify for the knock out stage of the CL in all 13 seasons makes Arsenal the most sucessful English team in the competition.In truth its an insult to Chelsea, to Liverpool and above all Man Utd. I accept its an achievemnt but its a bit like losing a game but celebrating hitting the bar!
Success at a football club as measured by supporters is what is in the trophy cabinet not what the balance sheet says. In Arsenals case it seems that everyone is playing by unfair rules hence why they have failed to win anything for so long. Now if you were struggling to balance the books I could have a little sympathy but no far from it Arsenal are building up significant cash reserves and basically refuse to pay for top quality players.You have the resources but refuse to use them.
Being a Chelsea supporter I wonder about our manager roundabout. RDM wasnt the right choice. We move on but for all the bad press bear two facts in mind.1 Even with all the manager changes Chelsea have won more trophies in the RA period than any other club and 2 Real Madrid a very classy and sucessful club have had more managers that Chelsea during the same period.
Walter, the shoestring budget is of our own making. It angers me when I think what we could have spent on some decent players and certain people at Arsenal get nice heavy pay packets.
I didn’t say we shouldn’t celebrate a win but I think it’s a bit pathetic to always trot out this CL qualification every year line and yet we’ve made one final and lost it.
And do you seriously think this team can win the CL? Not without improvement, even Wenger admitted that.
Rupert cook
You really are a bitter little troll aren’t you? I’ve noticed your “contributions” have diminished somewhat now the results have turned in our favour, difficult to get people to join your anti-Wenger campaign when he’s doing well. You’re obviously quite a clever guy but I can’t shake this image I have of you, sat in your grubby little bedsit, in your dirty ManU shirt, trolling the internet all day on your sad little agenda to try to get a man to lose his job. Maybe you lost your job and are looking for revenge? Maybe the boss who fired you was an Arsenal fan? And now things are getting harder for you, your comments are getting nasty… The true sign of a CYBER-BULLY. I’m looking forward to seeing you less and less as the form of the team improves and we climb the league and progress in all the other tournaments. And if we don’t win anything? Never mind, there’s always next year isn’t there? That’s the great thing about sport, you never know what’s going to happen and you always get another crack of the whip.
And it is an achievement to be in the knockout stages 13 years in a row, it’s an achievement just to qualify for the champions league. And I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, you’ve got to be in it to win it. Chelsea & Man City would love to be able to say that this week.
Angry Angry Angry!! I’m Angry when we win, I’m angry when we make fun of other teams who are supposed to be the bees knees don’t win, I’m angry when people criticise referees, I’m angry when we draw, I’m happy when we lose, because then everyone else is angry too.
Arabs tend to take the long view Shard. I doubt Mancini will be replaced unless he chooses to go. He’s won the FAC and the EPL in succesive seasons and by the end of this season will probably have won at least one major trophy. Success in the CL has eluded him so far in a highly successful career. He has created this City side, it is now the most accomplished squad in the EPL which has had two seasons experience in tough leagues in the CL, Mancini now has everything to stay for. Why would he not do so?
Rupert Cook does have a point you know, for most fans and players the Trophy Cabinet at the end of the season matters and whilst the management of Arsenal FC has been (in most regards) very good, you don’t get even a plaque for 13 consecutive years of not winning the CL. I may be wrong, it has been known, but I think is they had to put money on it, most football folk would back City to win a CL final long before Arsenal based on the desire to improve the current squads and the comparative ambition (or lack of it) of the two clubs owners.
Just try to enjoy live rupert. It’s too short to not enjoy every bit you can take joy from.
I enjoy life to the full but thanks for your concern, Walter.
@Stevie E, you have a vivid imagination but I’m afraid it’s way off. I live in a four bedroom house in a salubrious part of London and I wouldn’t do anything to a Manu shirt except wipe my arse on it.
I have not had a boss since I was 21. Too long ago to really worry about revenge as the guy is probably dead now. I don’t think I qualify as a cyber bully and my “nasty” comments shrink in comparison to yours.
I think you’re a little delusional. I do not have the power to force Wenger out of a job. A few comments on a blog will hardly dent the man’s cast iron self-belief.
We obviously have different measures of achievement and Chelsea are still in the CL, albeit only just.
Oh dear …. I wonder if ‘ @Blueshy ‘ is a Man. City supporter ??
rupert cook
How very predictable, of course you do. And you also have a library stacked to the brim with Arsenal history books. And a vast collection of video, obviously now transferred to blue-ray so you can watch your favourite team not win games again and again on your giant screen in your very own private cinema. You’d probably be better off spending your time putting together a hostile takeover of AFC so you can run it the way it should be and we can win trophy again.
I’ve come across sad people like on this site you many times before, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all the same person, you just don’t know in this day and age, people make up all sorts of things for effect. But, I’m pretty confident, just like the rest of them, you’ll eventually get so annoyed at being a laughing stock, you’ll go elsewhere. In the back of your chauffeur driven Rolls Royce Phantom no doubt.
Closer to the truth but I don’t like Roll Royce cars. I love an old Citroen DS, the only car that has any style.
It always amuses me that some people on here start throwing abuse at others and then claim that they’re the ones that are offended. I don’t think I’ve abused anyone and yet I’ve endured insults for simply having a different view. I love democracy.
rupert cook
Brilliant. Not only is your opinion of how a football club should be run the only one worth listening to, your opinion of classic cars now seems to be gospel.
The reason people do that is because you have offended them. You come onto a pro AW site and constantly slate him. Not difficult to understand is it, especially for a man (or woman) of your towering intellect. My comments to you aren’t abusive, they’re mocking. There is difference.
Thing is Rupert, you post remarks and your own gloom to The Arsenal supporters knowing full well that your intending to upset people. If you can’t be happy when we win then don’t try and drag others to your gloom.
It’s great that we are thru to the next phase of ECL. AND I for one fully approve of Arsenal living within its means. Many fans don’t seem to understand how huge our (slowly reducing) net debt still is. My anger and the anger of many others is about the poor management of the financial and player resources that WE HAVE HAD. E.G. Wenger’s disastous flat wage structure (repeat… Wenger’s); various very ordinary players bought and/or backed ; others played out of position ; bad balance between skill and strength / set piece and incessant passing / attack and defence. Over several years we could have done so much better …. and yet the man is paid £7m a year !!
Again I say … great that we are thru to the next phase of ECL. But I have never seen an Arsenal team misplace so many sloppy passes in 45 minutes. Better oppos would have stuffed us.
Oh I see they’re mocking not abusive. Is there that much difference? Be brave my little chickadee and admit that your words are abusive or at least be witty with your mockery.
You’re allowed to disagree with my view on cars. It’s what I think, doesn’t mean it’s right.
When did I say my opinion was right about how a football club should be run? I think we should spend some of the money we have squirreled away on players and stop rewarding CEOs. Seeing as we’ve won zilch in seven years it might be worth trying.
@ Shard, let me guess, you’re Rupert Cook 😉
@Super Singh, are you a super hero? Great name.
I’m not unhappy when we win, I just look at the bigger picture. I’ve got all this fettered joy and I’m desperate to release it when we win something of note and it’s beginning to give me indigestion.
Chris from Cambridge I have to agree with what you say. Expect an avalanche of invective.
@Stuart, poor Shard, how dare you saddle him with such a disability. I’m actually everybody on this blog except for bjtgooner.
rupert cook
The last thing anyone need be on an internet forum is brave.
Rupert! I can understand what your saying and believe me after suffering from a heart attack last year, watching The Mighty Arsenal play tighten’s my chest and I’m not happy about it.
When we lose I get irritated and develop a massive hump and the best I can do is remove myself from the equation (It’s best for everybody).
The point I’m trying to get across is that we can’t compete with the money clubs, they will buy the best players, they will buy your players, they will buy the best referee’s. You get my drift?
Super Singh, you’re gloomier than I am!
Sorry about the heart attack. My wife’s father had one a few weeks ago. His third. He’s still around though. Best of luck and don’t let supporting Arsenal kill you, it’s not worth it.
Arsenal are the longest member of the English top division in football. Since 1919 we have been there and never left. We had good periods, we had bad periods. But we always came back.
All the money we have spend is our money. Or money that we are paying back to the rightful owners (mostly banks in our case)
We weren’t given billions of money to throw around. All the money we spend was on players was money the club generated.
The new rich kids were just average teams and maybe would have been bankrupt if it wasn’t for the money man to come in.
For those saying Arsenal was lucky to get more CL money early one….well that was down to our hard work and our manager. In the first PL years Arsenal was like you. But then we got the best manager we ever had and he made us a strong force once again. And we did this on our own. No rich people throwing money around.
Chelsea and City could have done the same. Hell Leeds was amongst those lucky teams you know…but they began to throw money away in a stupid way. We didn’t. We tried to stay sensible.
We built our own stadium to raise new income with the knowledge that we would have a hard time. Others who did the same went bankrupt or went down to the lower leagues.
We stayed close to the top and stayed in the CL. And that is all down to our own board and management. Not to some rich owner.
and that my friends from other richer teams is the difference and you know it. You win things but deep inside you know you didn’t win it, you just bought it. And not even with your own money…
Holier than you attitude? Yes probable but that is because you know we are 😉
qualifying for the knockout stages for the 13th time consecutive is something only a few clubs can brag about. it might not be glamorous but it still is quite an achievement to be proud of. I think arsenal is the only club to reach such feat without incurring substantial debt, and without subsidised oil money. this arsenal team is pretty much different than last year’s so I think we are upto the challenge. I dont care who we come up against the next round. there is no reason not to believe we can win any team and go all the way. I hope we draw against PSG. that would be interesting. Big Money club VS philosophy/art.
Cheers Rupert! Because I’m an oldish git, I’ve gotta tell you this. The Arsenal of the seventy’s were a good side but not brilliant and as a club we have moved on to such an extent that we are a huge club.
Back then we couldn’t compete with the big European clubs, but now on our day we can beat anybody, and as a club if I’m not mistaken we have been unlucky in European compition finals only winning two out of the six finals. And in recent years after the 2005 FA cup final we have lost three finals out of three.
So with a little bit of luck on our side watch the Arsenal go?
Take care.
For those belittling the achievement of consistent knockout qualification, it is important in terms of UEFA coefficient points so that the Premier League can keep on getting 4 places in the Champions League.
Second, people keep missing the point about ‘hiring and firing’ @ Chelsea; if Arsenal went that route, we would have to pay tens of millions to hire a new manager, spend 50 million plus on players he wants, then sack him, pay out several million more in compensation for him and his coaches, hire a new manager again and pay all those millions once more for his services, spend even more money on new players again, sack the manager, pay compensation ad infinitum. Chelsea have had 9 managers under Abramovich, so that would equate to easily 500 million + in expenditure, so WE WOULD HAVE GONE BUST!!!! That is why we are stable
@Super Singh, I remember the 70’s team. That’s when I started supporting Arsenal. It was a topsy turvy decade, double winners and then a few years later battling at the other end of the table. Football was a bit more fun in those days in the sense that a club the size of Derby or Forest could win the league. Wouldn’t happen now unless there was a billionaire behind it.
@Vikrant, I’m not sure 9 managers have cost Chelsea 500 million+. I think they’ve paid out about 90 million in compensation to those managers. I think your sums are a bit wild and I don’t think anyone on here would advocate going the Chelsea way.
As I’ve said before I believe the CL should be for league winners only. That way we’d have a much more competitive league.
Not really, I also talked about the player expenditure each manager would need each time, say 50 million each, so 50 million x 9 = 450 million, not just the manager payouts
Rupert it is up to Uefa to decides who plays in the CL. So if they let 4 English clubs play you just go.
If Uefa decides to change this, so be it. Then we would play Europa League. Wonder if the other teams in the PL who finish 5 or 6 would like this. But they won’t do it of course. Nobody kills the goose with the golden eggs, not even Uefa.
@Vikrant, fair enough. I think Chelsea would have been even more successful had they stuck to one manager like Mourinho but thankfully they’ve got an a-hole of an owner who sums up several Russians I’ve met who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
I know Walter, it’s all about money. But I think the competition has been diminished since it changed from the European Cup.
I for one wish man shitty to qualify for europa league and lose against the likes of bilbao or athletico or some unknown club with far less money and resources, and get knocked out like their neighbour last year. that would be much more humiliating than sitting happily in the last place.
arsenal getting better seeding is down to our achievements. there is no favorability. and can someone explain how seeding is responsible for man $ity losing and drawing with ajax, getting dominated by self-sustaining Dortmund and losing the match in the final ten minutes against Real.
Well at least rupert loves the Arsenal car sponsor.
THE AMOUNT OF TROPHY HUNTER,GLORY HUNTER COMMENTING IN THIS BLOG POST IS TOO DAMN HIGH.
Please explain your outburst Americangooner?
I mistakenly thought today was International Caps lock Day. and besides there surely are glory hunters commenting here. dont you think so?
I’m not a glory hunter but if Arsenal don’t win me a trophy, then I’m going to stop supporting them and instead I’ll go and support someone who does win me trophies because that is what a true supporter does.
lol @ International Caps-Lock day
I’m a glory hunter American! I want my Arsenal to win every game, want them to win the league cup, FA cup, Premier League, champions league and the World Cup! Include the Nobel peace prise, the booker prise and the Oscars?
Am I greedy that’s all I want?
I think there there is a vast difference between wanting and expecting your team to win every trophies and really being a glory hunter.
Americangooner, you do know I was joking right? Anyway supporting Arsenal is a way of life for me, I don’t expect anything except death and tax’s.
Arsenal win and I’m on top of the world, lose expect to leave me alone for a few days.
Ps I don’t winge and whine about our players who put on the shirts for our cause?
lol @stuart 1:00 pm and @super singh 1:22 pm.
a comment got me thinking(eek it hurts) out of all the various teams that have won the Cl, how many were domestic champs the prior year?(I had a quick think but wouldn’t know were to start looking for that snippet).
happy we are through now and lets see who gets injured agisn’t the greek team every silver cloud has a lead lining i’m an optimist honestly
Jake
Quite a few actually
93-Marseille
95-Ajax
97-Dortmund
98-Real Madrid
01- Bayern
02-Madrid
04-Porto
06-Barcelona (ouch!)
08-Manchester United
10-Inter
11-Barcelona
shard
thanks
No Walter, you wrong, City will not be Rangers, they will be Real Oviedo.
That time, Super Mario will help them like Santi and Juan Mata now.
Arsenal never has sugar daddy, qualifying to knock out means we get more money from match fee, tickets and TV rights.
Every cent we earn is important, because we running our club with our own money.
Can I proud about it?
13 years in a row, you crazy if not proud about it.
Just enjoy this good moment, oiks…
In Arsene we trust.
Everytime United fail to make the knockout stages their fanbase goes into meltdown. Then again, Old Trafford will start looking like a lower league ground if their trophy drought continues (I’m only half taking the piss).
Proud of your club earning its revenue by ripping off the working man with £2,000 season tickets et. al.? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19842397
Yes I am very proud!
No one forced to buy Arsenal season tickets. The waiting list is still long, 30,000 or 40,000?
The waiting lists know, they will watch the good quality football, they know our class is permanent, they know maybe is not good for their heart, but 2,000 is worth it, fact.
Another link to that article that has been proven bad or lazy journalism…
DD,
Arsenal has for that price 19 Pl games and 7 cup/CL games meaning you have 27% more games than at any other club. The most expensive club is Tottenham. It will be no coincidence that they also are a London club. In fact all London clubs are more expensive compared to the clubs outside London.
And if you take in account the comfort and the visibility on each seat that is incomparable to any other ground. And the fact that at least we try to entertain the crowd each game (doesn’t work always of course) and you get to see attacking football all the time.
And Capital one cup tickets are the cheapest in the whole country I think.
And I do think that the expensive tickets are aimed at another audience. Of course nobody can stop a working man to pay that money but it is his own choice and free will.
BTW, DD your question was FAQ, it discussed a few times in this site, Tony, Walter where is the link?
And DD, you must read it carefully, don’t see * in that price?
Read it carefully, and compare with Tottenham, get it mate?
DD or you could opt for the cheaper ticket at £985 then divide it by the 26 games that gets you and come out with £37.88.
Then you could compare it with Spurs in their dump where you pay £730 for the cheaper one but this is for only 19 games which works out at £38.42 per game but then you’d have something less to moan about unless of course you would prefer to pay more to watch at WHL.
Arsenal lowest price ST 26 games £985
Chelsea lowest priced ST
Lower shed £750
add in 7 cup games
3 CL group games £35 each=£105
2 FA cup games £30 each=£60
1 CL last 16 £52= £52
1 CL quarter final £56 =£56
Total £1023(you can take off £26 if they have a extra FA cup game instead of CL QF)
Roughly works out the same if not a little bit more.
MU most expensive 950, Fulham most expensive 959, QPR most expensive 949. Worth it? But they are in London.
The only London team below MU is Westham, 850.
Again, no one forced to buy this tickets, no one forced to watch the game, is up to you.
Maybe DD is actually a Liverpool fan where they pay from £725 for a season ticket covering just 19 games or £38.15 per game. Compared to Arsenal from £985 for 26 games or £37.88 per game.
Now I see it, Why would you be happy to pay £37.88 per game at Arsenal when you can go to Liverpool and pay £38.15 per game??
@DD
Why are you here?????
@Rupert
No matter how you try to argue your points. or talk about whatever. You always come across as an UNHAPPY Arsenal fan on a site filled with Arsenal happiness.
Jog on!
I think this ticket price thing is already debunked by Tony and co. isn’t it?
comparing arsenal’s 60,000 capacity, modern architecture, state of the art stadium with chelsea’s or any other club’s ( besides MANUre’s) is foolish. like neville said arsenal didnt build the stadium for 6 years they built it for 60 years. and consider the fact that there is a waiting line by thousands just goes on to show how much do the fans want to see arsenal play. so all these “hoohoo-hahha” seems to be created out of thin air by people/media who dont understand the demand-supply curve or arithmetic.
if a 40000 seater can command 750 min. why cant a modern 60000 seater command 985 min.
HI untold, slightly off topic. I was wondering if I could ask a favour.
I was trying to explain to my sister why I support arsenal and suggested there was probably an article that she could read that would not only change her perception of football but might even have her start supporting the arsenal. I could go through the archives but wondered if to save time off the tops of your heads if there was any such article that breaks down the way we are to someone not particularly interested in football. but curious as to why we are.
thanks.
I can’t help thinking that all those unhappy fans that pay for tickets and slag the team keep out other fans that might potentially cheer at the match.
@createstrain:
that would be a great post just on it’s own – I’d love to see the answers…very interesting.
Createstrain,
I can’t remember the title of it so am hoping someone else does.
Walter wrote a piece about his local team and bankruptcy I think or was it about the 80/90 year old supporter who lived and breathed his football team.
Yes Stuart I did write about my local football team and how the “rich” owner bankrupted it… Will try to find it back in the history….
indeed it would matt thanx, couldnt tell you when i started reading blogs, but untold was the first of many when i went by ak47. i guess i assumed such an article existed and wasn’t just a collection of various articles over the years. to have all of these in one place chronologically starting with or just before Arsene bullet pointing what he brought, how we treat players and visa versa, invincible’s, stadium move, oil money, corruption etc with links for further reading would to me be priceless. the first word that came out of her mouth when we spoke was(although in jest) ‘ oh so your like one of those proper hooligan pub types’
even friends who support other teams are in it for superficial reasons. the day they mature an article like this could sway them to the promised land. 🙂
there are a lot of things that baffle me about this club in a negative way, that could do with some improvement obviously but bottom line is. if you like football theres no denying were the good guys that try to set a positive example in football and life itself.
stuart i vaguely remember something similar but i read up to at least 5 blogs daily, well try 🙂 and thats just football. I hope someone knows. or gets to writing.
afctid. just dont pull a chelski please thanx.
@createstrain this link is the closest I have come to your query about the article you asked. I dont know if it helps or not. I had bookmarked this particular article since it was very well written but I am not entirely optimistic that its the one you are searching for.
blog.emiratesstadium.info/archives/9105
Walter,11.22,i don’t suppose you were an Arsenal fan in the 90’s,when Fizsman put in 50 mill( the equivalent of at least 200 mill today)This money secured the famous back 4, as they were all going to leave over a wage dispute,bought Bergkamp,Overmars,Petit and others,and meant that when Wenger won his first two titles,Arsenal had by far the biggest wage bill in the league.Sol Campbell was the highest paid player in the league when he joined the club,and Spurs never got a penny for their captain who they had nurtured into one of the best defenders in the world.BTW,Fiszman never got his money back.Before you ask,i do remember all this at the time,but it has since been confirmed by a couple of people,including Tony Adams who was one of those who received a huge pay rise.As he was actually a player at the club,i do believe him.I would suggest that Arsenal fans are a tad hypocritical;it was ok for us to have an owner pumping money in,and it was fine for us to offer a player huge financial benefits to join the club,but when others do the same,it is somehow cheating.
Another point,how come the stadium was half empty last night?Arsenal fans are SO complacent about the CL that a few seasons out of it would focus the minds of ALL at the club,and i include the Board,manager and fans in this.An utter disgrace.There are 16 PL clubs whose fans would have bothered to turn up last night.
Just read this article and some comments, came to the conclusion that Walter was bored. So he went fishing.
And look what he caught. He must of used that special blue bait.
@ Createstrain – ask her to watch ‘Fever Pitch ‘which you can download from youtube .This is the closest thing to a ‘chick flick ‘ you’d get for for us older Gunners.
For many of us , that was our lives and stories too with a few subtle changes .If she doesn’t become a convert after that ,then it’ll be just like us trying to figure out why women need so many shoes ,outfits and generally love shopping.
For me the devils within struggle when that eternal unanswerable question arises .You know ,that, “Does this make my butt look big ?” Many a time in moments of weakness (read ,revenge, or being just pissed off), I ‘ve told the truth and had to spend the night on the sofa !
@ Adam ,aye ,Walter baits his his lines well and they don’t fail to’ reel’ them in with their feigned(?) indignance !
Reminds of a joke ( sounds of groaning from the Untold universe !)- A couble are at the gorilla enclosure at the zoo, and as the wife bends forward to taker a closer look, one of her boobies pop out and this gets the attention of the male gorilla ,who starts to get excited .
Just to goad it on further ,she unbuttons her blouse and exposes both of them while taunting the animal by squeezing and playing with them.
The gorilla is by now well aroused and starts to jump up and down and around the enclosure holding its gorillahood !The wife is enjoying this tormenting of the beast and decides to up it a notch by bending over and exposing her butt and shaking it to and fro .
Smitten by uncontrollable lust the gorilla breaks out of its enclosure and grabs the woman and starts to hump her .She screams to her husband (who has fled!) for help.
He tells her,”Do what you usually do after getting me all excited – tell it that you have a headache !”
LOL Brickfields…LOL
@ americangooner, thanx, ill have a look see in a bit. if its not the one it may lead there maybe.
@ brick, thanx, cant believe i forgot about fever pitch. had no idea you could download it from youtube complete? tried to get it from other sources but an american baseball movie goes by the same name taunting me each click. ill buy it off the bay.
she’s more of a show me seven types of gore, so im not sure it would be up my sisters road.
@7.21. nice 🙂
@americangooner, no need to get incensed, that shouty outburst of yours was heard. Don’t worry, Wenger’s no glory hunter.
@rupert if you carefully read the first few comments and some comments in between there surely are glory hunters. some were putting an argument without coherence. but if you think its directed at you then I can’t help it. I hadn’t named names.
Didn’t think it was actually. I want Arsenal to win every game. If they do they’ll win trophies. Therein lies the paradox.
Wenger 13 years in the Champions league 0 trophies
RDM 6 months 1 trophy.
Walter can you tell what the point of qualifying to the knockout stages if we are not going to win it?
@Linz. I was around in the 90s and I think you’ve got your wires crossed over Danny Fiszman. He didn’t put money into the club he paid Dein to acquire his stake in the club (which he later sold for over £100M). And we were always at least second to ManU in the wage bill table even when Wenger upped the salaries of some of George’s poorly paid defenders.
@asd just laughed at your comments.
by your logic since we probably can’t win champions league we should rather forfeit playing in the competition.
the whole point of entering a competition is that you have a shot at winning it. unless you don’t enter/qualify for any competition you have zero chance of winning.
@Americangooner, I agree but then why do we play a weakened team in the FA Cup nearly every year? There’s always a slight chance we’ll win the CL as it’s now into the knockout phase for us but I seriously doubt we will. The calibre of the squad is merely ok. If we do win it it’ll be Wenger’s greatest achievement I think.