By Billy the Dog McGraw, Head of Things at the University Hospital of the North Circular Road.
It seems only days ago that the World Cup ended [it was, you turnip – Tony] but now its time to start playing football again.
With lots of players on holiday, or only just starting to train, Arsenal have to take whoever’s left to Meadow Park for the traditional pre-season game with Boreham Stiff [Wood] on Saturday.
So who might we see? Basically lots of people who didn’t toddle off to Brazil.
Welcome back…
- Szczesny
- Gibbs
- Rosicky
- Arteta
- Ramsey
- Monreal
- Flamini
- Sanogo
- Diaby
- Jenkinson
- Gnabry
- Zelalem
- Hayden
- Eisfeld
- Ryo
- Akpom
That is enough men to play in their famous Arsenal History Society inspired yellow and blue PUMA kit. The tickets are however on the pricey side: £22 (sitting down), £18 (standing up) and £14 (standing up for older people and younger people).
And if you really want to get out and about here are some other games – although some are behind the doors which are marked “closed” and “keep out” and “no entry allowed” and that sort of thing.
Arsenal v Bournemouth FC
Wednesday, July 16
Kick-off: high noon
Arsenal Training Ground (no entry squire, not even for £22)
Harrow Borough FC v Arsenal XI
Saturday, July 26
Kick-off: 3pm
Earlsmead Stadium. £10, £6 for the old, £2 for the little ones.
New York Red Bulls v Arsenal
Saturday, July 26 Kick off: 10pm; sold out.
Boreham Stiff FC v Arsenal XI
Friday, August 1
Kick-off: 7.30pm
Odd, we seem to be playing them twice!
Emirates Cup
2/3 August – you know about this one. We’re all going there on the Sunday.
Forest Green Rovers FC v Arsenal XI
Tuesday, August 5
Kick-off: 7pm
This is in Nailsworth, which I think is in Gloucestershire, and is the place team that the Leeds manager last managed before joining Leeds, and finding that for his first fixture, the opposition didn’t show (that was a day or two ago in Italy).
Arsenal v Man City
Community Shield, Sunday, August 10
Kick-off: 3pm
Wembley
Did you know that they had to change it from the Charity Shield, because the FA were found guilty of breaking all the Charity Commission rules, and then argued that “those rules don’t apply to us, we’re the FA”? The FA cut the Arsenal ticket level down to 26,000 again. Ludicrous.
Arsenal XI v Colchester United
Tuesday, August 12
Kick-off: Noon
Arsenal Training Ground
No entry!!!
After that we start the serious stuff. Sky have already moved these games…
August:
Arsenal v Crystal Palace, Saturday 16, 5:30pm
Everton v Arsenal, Saturday 23, 5:30pm
Leicester City v Arsenal, Sunday 31, 4pm
September:
Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur, Saturday 27, 5:30pm
October:
Chelsea v Arsenal, Sunday 5, 2:05pm
Swansea City v Arsenal, Sunday 9, 4pm
Arsenal v Manchester United, Saturday 22, 5:30pm
Meanwhile BT Sprout, famously unable to cope with any addition questions at all, and who spent last year’s Emirates Cup laughing at their own total dysfunctionality as commentators, have…
September
Arsenal v Manchester City, Saturday 13, 12:45pm
November
West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal, Saturday 30, 12:45pm
So there we are. All ready to start. Just need a few more players now.
- Weltmeister Özil
- Is Tottenham’s ground re-development a phantom even with planning permission?
- And in the end….
- No club has the right to stay at the top
- Scotland is being naive over match fixing; Fifa less naive over ticket touting
- Arsenal: who next on the transfer roundabout?
- Patience is a virtue, so is seeing further than this second
Hey Doc, been at the ether meth again? Neither Swansea v Arsenal on Sunday, October 9th and Arsenal v Manure on Saturday 22nd October gel in my diary.
It will be good to see an Arsenal team in action again, even if it is a makeshift one. Who will play center back – Jenks & Hayden? If so Flamini at right back?
For clarity here are the TV adjusted times as published on Arsenal.com
Sat 16 Aug
Arsenal v Crystal Palace 5:30pm Sky Sports
Sat 23 Aug
Everton v Arsenal 5.30pm Sky Sports
Sun 31 Aug
Leicester City v Arsenal 4.00pm Sky Sports
Sat 13 Sep
Arsenal v Manchester City 12.45pm BT Sprout
Sat 27 Sep
Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur 5.30pm Sky Sports
Sun 5 Oct
Chelsea v Arsenal 2.05pm Sky Sports
Sun 9 Nov
Swansea City v Arsenal 4.00pm Sky Sports
Sat 22 Nov
Arsenal v Manchester United 5.30pm Sky Sports
Sat 29 Nov
West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal 12.45pm BT Sprout
bjtgooner
Jenks can hardly head the ball in any particular direction, so it would have to be Hayden (who’s worth it anyway).
Hope to see Diaby complete a game also.
Francis Coquelin is listed on Arsenal.com as a first team squad member but without a number.
From the academy we could also include for the weekend
Hector Bellerin
Ignasi Miquel
Jon Toral
Samuel Galindo
Benik Afobe
Damien Martinez
Any others?
Hey Billy:
You have us playing
Harrow Borough FC v Arsenal XI on
Saturday, July 26.
And
New York Red Bulls v Arsenal
Saturday, July 26 Kick off: 10pm.
How are the boys going to manage that?
I can think of some ways. A time machine have been installed at the Ems, for example.
Sorry of subject.I have just complained to BT Sport for showing TWO adverts showing us getting beaten at both Liverpool and chelsea.One maybe,not TWO.Can everyone do the same.Clearly a mandate by this company towards us.
Paul,
I have an even better way of dealing with BTsport: I don’t spend any of my money on their crappy and over-priced products. I have TalkTalk which is excellent value for money and I watch matches online.
Fuck BTsport. Their promos for the coming season already show how they intend to cover it.
Hi Tony
On the subject of BT, I wonder if you have any thoughts on Mourinho signing a 3-year deal to be their ‘ambassador’:
http://sport.bt.com/jose-mourinho-signs-for-bt-sport-S11363918564104
Is this a conflict of interest of some sort? Is there any precedent to this sort of thing?
Obviously we have managers making occasional pundit appearances on MOTD or whatever but I can’t recall any managers who were on 3-year deals with a local broadcaster, maybe I’m wrong though.
On a similar ‘media’ angle, George Caulkin of the Times is reporting about the Sun forming a partnership with Newcastle:
https://twitter.com/CaulkinTheTimes
Mare St G… it is interesting stuff, and I guess the reversal of Sir F Word’s refusal to talk to the BBC because they dared report on his son’s activities.
Also the engagement between Newcastle and the Sun is a bit like the way Leeds regularly threw out members of the press from their ground, while cozying up to others.
As for Mourinho I guess he just hear and see enough of himself in the mirror and so wants more.
Mare St Gooner
“On the subject of BT, I wonder if you have any thoughts on Mourinho signing a 3-year deal to be their ‘ambassador’”
I have. It’s bad news.
Our media already dictates how football matches are refereed.
They do this by slaughtering Referees who do not referee matches in the way they desire, regardless of whether they actually refereed the game well according to the laws of the game or not.
And by praising Referees who Referee according to there wishes despite the fact they may of had a mare, a la Taylor in the opening match debacle last year.
The point being, can you imagine any ref ever being criticised for a biased pro Chelsea performance in a match covered by BT?
Or can you imagine the stick a ref will get if he makes a bad call against them in a match covered by BT?
Obviously referees will know if BT are covering there match and they will know the reaction they will get to there decisions.
Honestly this is really bad news.
The Daily Wail (someone else here called them that) has an article about 11 games that visiting fans will not be able to travel to/from on the same day, because TV scheduling has changed game start times.
Arsenal’s share of those is:
> Sat 23: Everton v Arsenal (5.30pm)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2692911/Premier-League-fixture-changes-make-impossible-fans-travel-train-11-games-Sky-BT-Sport.html
@oldgroover
As far as I know Jenks has played CB in some of the pre-season training – it would be interesting to see how he progresses.
BT seem particularly bad news as far as Arsenal are concerned, but the combination of BT and the vertically challenged git seems especially repulsive.
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The BBC Football page has this:
> Van Gaal will spark revival – Robson
> Manchester United legend Bryan Robson says new boss Louis van Gaal can turn the club into title challengers immediately.
This on the tails of the announcement of their Adidas sponsorship. I think I would rather see them finish out of the Top-10 of the EPL, and for there to be a clause in their Adidas sponsorship that would allow them to walk away in that event. The problem is that ManU still expects they have the RIGHT to always be at the top of the EPL.
—-
Oh Brickfields, congratulations on your windfall.
The marketing manager of bt sport is a spurs fan.And to think they will have the CL from next season.I see Michael Owen is predicting a non top 4 finish for Arsenal again saying we lack quality!