The most disgraceful, appalling, awful, unacceptable performance of all time

57 Replies to “The most disgraceful, appalling, awful, unacceptable performance of all time”

1. I know the match commentator in my country was shouting after the Arshavin lob was cleared just before the line something in the style of: “Oh my God this could have been 4 or 5 goals to Arsenal already who are playing with Partizan”. This was after some 30 minutes and he gave the same impression I had that we were just much better but not scoring enough to show it.

   And believe me we have even written a mail last year to that sport channel to ask for not being so negative when Arsenal is playing.

2. Very good points. I love football. I’m more or less obsessive about the game. Apart from Sam Allardyce, Red Nose & the deluded concept of English honest physicality, nothing makes football a drag for me more than pundits at every pass trying to handicap the league. I hate it when they start with their effusive praise of us, I detest it when they start with the stupid reflexive criticism & overreaction.

   Why do they feel the need to tell us 50 times a day who will and won’t win the league. I mean, we’ll knos soon enough won’t we?

   The new meme is that Chelsea will tell us whether Arsenal is a genuine title contender. Well, in a general sense, yes it will. But the result will tell us nothing more than that the winner would have 3 pts, the loser 0, and each 1 pt in case of a draw. If we win, we could go ahead and lose to Villa and Stoke and fall into near crisis like in Nov. 2008. And if we lose it could be the start of a 16 game winning sequence.

   What makes a team title contenders is the ability to go an win 5,6,7 games in a row and do that 3,4 times a season. If you do that you will be ‘there or thereabouts’ at the end of the season.

3. I have more or less stopped watching the build-up and half- and full-time analysis on Sky, ESPN, etc., for pretty much the reasons outlined here. If I could somehow filter out the commentary during the game as well I would in a heartbeat, because I am fed up listening to the same conventional wisdom over and over and over again. Chris Kamara on Goals on Sunday is the closest to an impartial voice on matters Arsenal related, as far as I can tell, and even that programme seems to specialise in inviting the managers who have faced us the day before and giving them a platform to spout more bollocks.

4. Spot on as the Sky commentary was abysmal ,but what else to expect from people who never played the game,at any level whatsoever?

5. Hi,

   I am so glad i was not the only one the noticed.I believe one of the inept commentators was ex-wolves John goodman.At one point in the game,around 25mins to go,he said”Arsenal are running out of time here”,what a tw*t.Seriously Skysports need to means test these idiots.A game where we totally dominated,the only sight concern was that AFC were missing chances,BUT they never panicked.And YEAH how many first teamers were OUT,Oh THEY never mentioned that!!!!!I will be on TALKSPORT tonight to mention this!!.

6. Yes – I agree. I have come to expect Arsenal getting criticised on various blogs, by commentators and by pundits. Sky sports are shocking. I have heard commentary where someone is clearly offside against arsenal and the pundits claim it is marginal.

   THen there are all the penalties not given when an arsenal player is clearly brought down in the box and the pundits/commentators agree that there is no chance this should be a penalty.

   I tend to like american sports channels better that show the arsenal games. I have sky sports, but would rather stream a match on the internet with american commentators as they actually acknowledge and appreciate the skill and technique when arsenal are playing.

   Then there is match of the day. Need I say anything further about how ridiculous that git is who used to play for liverpool. Alan “no clue about what he is talking about” Hansen.

   Lastly – I tend to watch the full replays of all the arsenal games (save for the west brom match) and then am subjected to some really poor commentary from arsenal tv.com. They tend to be very biased against arsenal too!

   I give up. I think the perfect solution is to stream an eastern european stream, or turn the volume down completely…

   I just want to also add that on saturday, I think Arsenal created 24 attempts on goal and had 16 corners. All the anti arsenal fans, commentators etc seemed to have overlooked this and it seems like bias against arsenal is deep rooted into so many peoples subconscious minds. At least this site and one or 2 others are much more objective and actually SUPPORT arsenal!

7. Walter I think the likes of Sky are pleased when they get mails saying go easier on Arsenal, I wouldnt waste the ink on that lot thank god I am in the USA and listening to Fox Soccer atleast they stick up for us a lot more and call it as they see it.
   There was great praise for Fabianski and Arsenal in general last night, understanding just how difficult it is to win away at places like that.

8. Samuel, well to be fair Merson who was deputy assistant under anchor last night, did play a bit, but he’s now got the role of cheeky chappie with a funny accent who can’t say the names of foreigners properly.

   But then, I’ve never played football professionally, and I can see more than they can.

9. Stewart Robson’s commentary on ArsenalTV doesn’t help either. Everything he said about the defending and goalkeeping in the Partizan game was backhanded and overly critical. Give Lukasz his due!

10. Even the Arabic commentary in my country is anti-Arsenal. It is disgusting I agree, especially when when the other “big” teams play slightly worse than us they get praises… they get praises for winning ugly.

    I’m used to the media being tipped against us at this point… It has been so blatant that I’ve developed thicker skin… but what truly DISGUSTS me is Arsenal fans who believe a word of it and repeat it throughout the summer and well into the season.. and often at the most sensitive times!

    Excellent Article… as usual.

11. It was about the worst commentary I’ve ever heard. Quite apart from the unwarranted anti-Arsenal spin it was just so amateur. The camera work wasn’t that hot either. Almost makes wish you were listening to Jim Beglin! (I said almost!)

12. Tony,

    Great post as usual.

    I wonder why the Media is so biased against Arsenal? There has to be some financial matter involved with this. We all know about what drives these “Truth Seekers” — the rating. So do they score higher when they bash the Gunners cause there are more Non Arsenal viewers tune in to watch the beautiful game they wish [and only wish] their team were capable of producing?

    I mean, Arsenal is as close as it gets to “Jogo Bonito” at the club level. There has been and will [atleast until the Christmas come early for the “Wenger Out” aka AAA wagon] be only one Arsenal carrying the flag of the Beautiful game and the way it was meant to be played.

13. All I can say is that they are all intimidated by arsenal and the work that wenger is doing and its up to the boys this season to make them swallow thier words and hide thier head in shame.Gunners for life.

14. We have the same problem in South Africa. Last night these blokes spent 20mins on the Chelski game (post) and about 30 seconds on the Arsenal match. Then they go on and on about bloody John Terry. I nearly threw up in my mouth when they put his interview on; the sweaty monkey. Seriously, I am so glad when Arsenal win, then our “pundits” have to sit there and and you can see them trying to come up with reasons as to why we won.

    On a side note…why do all footballers have high voices. Last night Terry sounded like he has helium balls or something.

    Up the Arsenal!

15. One thing that especially irritates me is the way ex Arsenal players such as Alan Smith are so negative in their opinions and support of Arsenal. With Smith it is almost as though he goes too far the other way so as to show how unbiased he is. Stuart Robson is another, George Graham sometimes, Wrighty, Merson, Perry Groves, Frank Mclintock, they are all guilty on occasions. How different from the ex Man U players who always seem to support and praise their club to the rafters. Come on guys, stop being such gentlemen, stick up for your old club and let your biased fellow pundits have it up em.

16. they r all idiots who believe winning is the only important thing that is out their….

17. i alwayz support my club and wenger in good and bad times…we have to give the coach times to proof himself…this is arsenal in the making. he has done it before, lets allow him to do his job.it takes times to build youngstars…gooners 4 life.

18. After the Arshavin penalty, the commentators on Fox Soccer Channel (US) were in disbelief that Arsenal couldn’t find a player capable of taking a spot-kick, given Rosicky’s miss last week. They somehow forgot about Cesc, Robin, Nasri, Theo? When Lampard is out and Chelsea lose, it’s written off, but when three first-choice offensive players are out (and one on the bench) and Arsenal wins 3-1, it’s a question of why they didn’t convert their penalty as well.

19. Everything about the coverage last night was terrible. The co-commentator was useless, repetitive and spoke only in cliches. They failed to show replays of key incidents too. I resent paying for sky – they show too many adverts (we PAY to watch adverts!) and they choose ex-footballers whose use of language is more primitive than most teenagers’.

20. haha… finally an article on this… i stay in india, mumbai and here we get espn star sports for epl and this tensports for the champions league but that is via some london studio and british commentary.

    personally i am convinced that media is paid to be biased towards arsenal and talk negative stuff about arsenal… its a bit to obvious. there are countless examples everyweek how the media makes shit up or writes shit.

    example 1 : wenger said after the wba game that we win as a team we lose as a team… no individual should be blamed.
    MEDIA said wenger sticks to almunia despite horror show.

    example 2 : wenger was brutally honest in his post wba comments. he was fair. and honest..
    MEDIA says wenger is loosing it. so if wenger would have said we played well… we got unlucky. then the media would have said wenger “whines”… i mean fuck! you just can’t win with the media.

    this is just from one interview. and from last year i realized this and i was a god fan of this show called “football focus”.. they used to talk shit… then all of a sudden they started talking shit! i stopped watching pre match shit… its just i start watching as the game starts.

    there are some people who pay the media and some people to talk shit about the purity which our club represents.

21. I’ve often wondered how any of these broadcasters can actually speak with what they have in their mouths — and I don’t mean marbles or, in the case of Andy Gray, both a Scottish brogue and his foot. Maybe Arsenal should take some of that massive profit and go see Millwall and purchase their slogan: “No one likes us? We don’t care!”

22. Well guys, maybe if I start developing a list of the sponsors and advertisers on Sky Sports just one or two people might notice, the sponsors might get a little edgy and someone somewhere will say, “Look Mr Sky Sports, just ease up on the negatives eh?”

    I agree totally about the ex-Arsenal players – the one who stands out a mile is Charlie Nic who is always pro-Wenger, and pro-Arsenal.

    The rest I think are trying to defend themselves and their life styles. They were pre-Wenger, they did it in a different way, and somehow subconsciously they feel that to support Wenger they will have to admit to their own shortcomings.

    Smith is slightly different. He works for the Telegraph so takes his orders from the Channel Islands.

23. “one could equally have started this game with the premise that Arsenal were third in the league, equal with the second club on points, and just 3 behind the leaders.”

    Minor point… we’re not level with Man Utd on 12 points? We’re level with Man City (4th) on 11 points, putting us 4 points (not 3) behind Chelsea.

24. Chowdhury – you may have something when you say that it might be commercial. But in what way could the BBC hating Sky regard Arsenal as a threat to their continued holding of the contract to show football – the contract which they allegedly won in the first place thanks to the help of the then Spurs Chairman (and satellite dish manufacturing) Alan Sugar/

25. The amazing thing for me was the inability to describe what they were watching. I know the TV angles were poor and the replays made it difficult but they managed to fudge the issue of whether or not Denilson handled the ball and it should have been a penalty (he did, it was), claim that Chamakh had gone gone down easily for a soft penalty (clear contact against the back of Chamakh’s legs, no real effort to get the ball – so shut up) and then they were unsure if the Gibbs challenge merited a penalty or not (it wasn’t – first contact was with the football and outside the box anyway).

    Afterwards Redknapp fitted in his usual ‘not enough English players’ and someone else well when has ever? [With regards Wenger buying English players].

    It’s overdue that some of the more interesting opinions were given voice Danny Baker, Pete Gill – hell why not start auditioning from the public and do an X-Factor style show for someone knowledgeable who isn’t an ex-player but has a deep understanding of the wider fan based perspective and the issues that so many can see but no one will talk about.

    It could never happen on Sky but the Beeb should be taking forward this moral responsibility – it’s our game how about we had some representation?

26. oh you guys should quit whining, what is there to be positive about, you are not going to win any trophies so of cause nobody will be praising the team, you’ve been failures for the past 5 years so what else do you expect, i am arsenal fan myself, so quit feeling like the whole world is against you and pray to God the team wins something before crying about what others think of the teams failure.
    Oh and i had to laugh, of cause the ex man utd players would be full of praise for their team because they actually win trophies every year, arsenal on the other hand is nothing to be proud about in recent seasons, unlike the early millenium when everyone was proud then, so suck it up and stop crying, arsenal always dissapoints thats why people arent fulled by great one off games performances these days, STOP CRYING!

27. I hate, hate, hate it when they keep repeating: IS IT GONNE ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS?
    I have never heard them use this term for other teams when they’re drawing 1-1. Pathetic.

28. Have to say that Dixon and Keown usually say as they see it on BBC and are mostly positive towards Le Boss and the ‘right way’ to run a football club. In Ireland we have a very definite pro Manu, Liverpool bias in the media, probably due to historical ties. Thankfully Liam Brady often works on the Irish media and as you might expect, chamions the Wenger philosophy.

29. At one point the two jokers were saying that the extra officials were extra people for Arsene to complain about.these guys are pathetic excuses for broadcasters,I believe this was a new all time low for Sky .

30. I was watching the BBC sport commentary on sat afternoon, and thought we were doing well and according to the them we had 25 shots 12 on target but then sky sports completely missed most of any of arsenals play and they say we only had 6 shots on target. I think they truely want us to fail and the more they miss report the more fun media can have.

31. Just one point about Arshavin.Although he does score a few goals his current conversion rate is very very poor and had enough chances to get a double hat trick.Against a strong side where opportunities are at a premier that will ultimately cost us.He is nowhere near the player that played the first 6 months like a total world beater.Lets hope he finds that form for the weekend.

32. Tony

    There’s folks who complain too much, to be sure. But there are also folks who think that guys paid £20k+ a week are too soft to take a good bollocking before getting on with it. Nothing wrong with a bollocking after the Saturday game, so long as Monday morning all starts anew with a focus on the next game.

    Sometimes I think your site takes it too far the other way. Please tell us all if the Arsenal team is actually a sanctuary for unfortunate souls who can’t take a bollocking due to emotional tragedies of childhood beyond their control. Because that’s fair does if it’s true…..

    Arsenal also don’t help their cause by displaying the same traits for 5 years which the pundits highlighted 5 years ago. It makes it difficult for them to say something new……..although hopefully Fabianski’s display required them to by the end……….

    You’ll note that, if all the direct outpouring of frustration caused harm to Arsenal’s players, they didn’t show it on the pitch last night. I don’t think any of the bile at the weekend said that Andrey was shit at taking penalties, did it? Last night he chose to go straight down the middle and the keeper guessed right. Too bad……..

    I note that SAF has won a large number of titles using the occasional hairdryer treatment. Is there something unique about Arsenal players which means that the hairdryer just singes their scalp rather than makes them know what’s required next time? From the rumours in the Press I think Arsene had the blowtorch out in the Dressing Room on Saturday night………

    Is there a rule at Arsenal that the fans are always upbeat 100% of the time, no matter how badly the team plays? Is it only the manager who should be judgemental??

    I think you need to learn to respect that some people, including many Arsenal fans, need a short sharp outburst of emotion to get frustration, disappointment etc out and then they can return to being upbeat for the next game. Perhaps you’re not like that, but that’s your way, not the way of all.

    After all, Wayne Rooney tells the referee to fuck off in the heat of the moment, but generally treats officials with respect. Sir Alex Ferguson has apparently said rather worse to reporters in the tunnel through the years, but he comes back with equanimity to the next Press Conference and no-one seems too much the worse for it.

    Isn’t there a way for people to come to terms with the different routes of emotional closure that different folks need to take, without taking the high moral ground that their way is the best way, the only way, the true fans’ way????

33. brilliant piece, I’m so glad someone else noticed this. the whole time I was watching the game I kept thinking to myself, wow these guys really have it in for us. when we scored it was so incredibly unenthusiastic, “well its gone in..great”. i have to say I couldnt enjoy the goals as much as I usually do because of those wankers. its ridiculous how people really dont like to see arsenal do well

34. `TONY!!!
    Dude seriously! You have to do it!
    Contact Gilette. Make your points. Demonstrate the level of readership the blog has. Start the “Boycott Gillette” campaign now. get other blogs involved.
    Gillette are like any other company. If they are contacted directly in this manner they will be obliged to deal with it. They advertise to increase sales not lose them.

    “BIN YOUR GILLETTE”!!

35. The ironic thing for me is the fact that if they stopped and just thought about it for one minute, surely at least 90% of the people who were watching this one were Arsenal fans. What kind of company decides it wants to intentionally wind up 90% plus of its customers?!

36. The Skysports4 offering tonight is Rangers V Bursaspor. Nice to see that classifications they have us in terms of match grouping.

    I know that there has been a deliberate juggling of matches between channels as a two fingered gesture to Offcom who ruled that SKY had to supply Skysports1 to virgin etc at a lower cost.

    Sky did wholesale it to them cheaper but then shifted some of the football to other channels and adjusted other key elements of their football package.

    It should be noted that Souness( superb player) and Gullit(godlike player) both were very complimentary to Arsenal on the other channel, despite attempts to lead them down the criticism path. The key funny moment from them last night was when Gullit when commenting on the new 25 man rules stated that “you don’t like having the foreign players here so now you want to get rid of them” leading to embarrassed denials from the rest of the studio. Superb!

37. At last commentator at FTV (Bosnia) was decent. Hm I guess because he is member of Arsenal Supporter Club 🙂

38. OMG!!!

    check this out:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1316230/FIFA-introduce-new-player-transfer-stop-clubs-playing-chicken-deadline-day.html?ITO=1490

    I wonder how long it is before football clubs fall victim to identity theft.

    Seriously! You couldn’t make that shit up!!

39. Terence – totally agree about Souness. For all his faults, he seems to be one of the few pundits that sees and interprets things for himself instead of sticking to the “company” line (whatever that may be – whether it is regarding Arsenal or not). And I personally would also put Souness into the godlike player category. One of the best (and toughest) midfielders I ever had the displeasure of seeing play against Arsenal.

40. I am so happy that here (Israel) the EPL commentators LOVE Arsenal (one of the guys [they alternate every week] is actually a fan, the pundit is the former youth coach and idolizes Le Boss). However, for CL football there is a variety of guys, usually they are mostly neutral aside from one that keeps on taking the piss, but that’s ok.

    Most of the time they just say Arsenal and Barca play the best football in Europe, end of story. He he he…

41. Worst. Commentary. Ever.

    It was like listening to a couple of sniggering Man Utd fans. When did this ignorant, irritating bias start making its way into the match commentary? It’s bad enough having to listen to the pundits before and after the match, we should at least be spared those spackers’ opinions during the game!

42. Maybe the commentary was abysmal but I would rather put up with it that AND watch Arsenal on TV…….than not see them at all. You can always turn the sound down….as I always do when Thicko Gray is in the commentary box.

43. It is really mystery to me, how it come? Fallowing Arsenal from outside of England, I often have to watch Arsenal on computer and mostly have commentators from all around globe, and they all say only Barca and Arsenal play this sort of “beautifully game”. Now question is, is whole world blind and not see that Arsenal is “crap”, or people from Sky, BBC and ITV still want to drive on opposite side of road

44. Tony.

    I think you are being overly sensitive here. Many of these issues which you mentioned in your ‘they might have said’ part of the article, they did actually mention.

    Believe me i normally notice when they make snide remarks about us, and i didn’t really get that impression last night.

    Were they supposed to ignore our form for the last game? Or do all teams have their previous match form discussed in the commentary for practically every game?

    You are seeing insults where there aren’t any and have become overly defensive. I cn see why you feel the need to defend the club, i do it myself all the time and i appreciate that we have come under heavy criticism for Saturday’s performance (even from ourselves)

    But seriously, all supporters of all teams feel that it’s their team which is picked on in the media. Sometimes we just aren’t ready to hear the truth and we pick up on anything which is said negatively about our team. Don’t allow yourself to develop a persecution complex.

45. Honest Bill,

    I’m sorry to say this but I don’t think you watched that game on Sky4. It is the worst form of commentary I’ve ever heard. Partizan Belgrade commentators would have done better. You need to scroll up read other commenters’ posts.

    After reading this post, the first thing I did was forward the link to my cousin whom I called yesterday to discuss the hate-fest as I could not take it anymore and I was watching alone. Title of my email to him? “IT WASN’T JUST ME!”

    You are right that all fans feel victimised but this was just plain terrible.

46. Bootoomee.

    Some commentators don’t like us and others do. Have you by any chance recorded the league cup game against Tottenham? If you have i recommend you watch it. Smudger was commentating and was so pro Arsenal that i was laughing thinking about all the outraged Tottenham fans watching at home.

    It is true that some people have biases and that they can influence people watching, but as i said all team’s fans don’t like hearing bout their weaknesses and we only want to hear about how great we are. As i said before, many of those things the post outlines actually had been mentioned by the commentators, and i was watching on SS4

47. One thing I’ve never been able to understand is why is it that the only team ever reminded of how long ago it won a trophy is arsenal? why the insistence on reminding Arsenal fans its been X years since you won something? why not do it for other clubs too? why not remind Blackburn everytime they play how long ago they won the league

48. We are expected to win trophies. Blacburn are not held to such a high standard

49. Honest Bill,

    I have to disagree with you on this. I recorded the match yesterday and it is yet to be deleted. When we scored – a brilliant goal – the commentators response was a meek: It’s Arshavin! Forward to when Partizan scored their equaliser – from a penalty – and it was a cheerful: It’s Cleo and it’s 1-1! Followed by the Cleo love-fest!

    If you are not irritated by this match then, well, you’ve got an elephant skin (meant as a compliment). And a bigger man than myself and most fans I know.

    I also saw the Tottenham game (now deleted unfortunately) but I cannot recall the commentator using the whole game to slag them off. If it happened after 4-1 I think it’s justified. I strongly believe that Tony will not post this article if the negative comments came after we were 3 goals down.

    Nonetheless, I have no recollection of Tottenham being maligned in that game. Lest we confuse issues, I have no problem with commentators singing the praises of one team (which I think is what you are referring to against Tottenham and which I think did not happen), it is unjustified and incessant slagging off of the other team that I have problem with. And for that to come from British commentators commenting on a British team playing in a foreign country is just not acceptable. I have never seen anything like it since I have been watching televised football matches.

50. Honest Bill have to disagree with you again. It is because they are bunch of cliches spouting morons. Saying that Arsenal haven’t won a trophy in 5 years is like saying the square of 4 is 16. But if you repeat this as much as AAAs and the media spout this cliche in maths lessons, you’ll be regarded as a retard. I agree that more is expected from us than from Blackburn and their ilk but is it necessary to sound like a broken record on this?

    The English football punditry is made up of lazy and not very intelligent bunch of divas who thrive on group-think.

51. I too get irritated with it when the commentators are surreptitiously derogatory towards us. But i just didn’t otice it last night.

    I can remember some of the good things they said about us too. but i suppose it’s how you choose to approach it i believe.

52. I don’t have a TV, so I am free of the burden of Sky, but I do manage to see bits and pieces of most games on YouTube. (Or else in the pub, or actually go to games.)

    Last night, searching for the goals, I found clips from a Russian station showing Arshavin’s goal, an Arabic channel showing Chamakh’s, and another one, not Russian but possibly Serbian or Polish, I couldn’t tell, following the trials of Lukasz Fabianski. (The international flavor of Arsenal seems to attract viewers from around the world who feel they have a stake in the team owing to the nationality of a particular player.)

    I know people who watch a lot of Spanish football prefer to listen to the Spanish commentators rather than the British ones, even though they don’t understand what’s being said, since it gives the atmosphere of the game better than watching with the sound off altogether.

    I’m not sure about the success of a boycott of Sky’s advertisers, why not boycott Sky itself?

    Same with 5Live re: Savage, he’s rendered it unlistenable, and there’s nothing to boycott there except the shows themselves.

53. I dont watch any games on sky due to their anti Aresnal Line (as with radio 5 live ) Which in my opinion can border on Racist A great TV chanel for fooball Is R.T.E Johny Giles et Brillant BALANCED comments on football and Nuetral Honest match commentry lets all start complaining to SKY AND 5 live, We are intitiled to Balance honest Commentry

54. Most pundits are irritating former players with very limited analytical abilities. Most are blatantly biased. Interestingly the ESPN commentary I watched was equally grudging- almost like Arsenal winning was not part of the script. The trouble with our sports media is that the facts often get in the way of a good story.

    Is it a condition of commentating on Arsenal that you have to be over- critical- constantly raising weaknesses over strengths maybe we should ask Stewart Robson-an irritating pain in the arse who takes every opportunity to criticise the manager and the team.

55. Just mute the TV and provide your own commentary – even if it’s only in your head. Better that than listen to all the anti-Arsenal drivel.

56. Strange…I’ve tuned my ears to hear compliments but never the crap. Sure I’ve heard Andy Gray frequently say words to the effect “Och that was beautiful. A typical Arsenal goal.” Or am I letting my “facts” spoil a good story?

    Admittedly you don’t have to be paranoid to be a Gooner but it does help. Accept it: They all hate us…and have done since before I was born.

57. Tony your a top man, they can try and run us down,but they will never dampen the spirit. It is my wish that a treble season is not that far away,maybe this year,with the officials Spuds had last night we could win everything.
    there is no doubt in my mind that football is rigged, smaller teams will always be knocked out, by hook or by crook, crooks being the appropriot word.Fifa the FA, know that certain teams can make them money, pack venues, traveling fans, teams with a massive following, tend to make all the finals, and i honestly think they know who’s turn they think should win certain competitions, the reason i think this is when we made the final in the Champions league against Barca, we had our keeper sent off early, which killed off any chance we had to win, i beleive they wanted us out befor the final, but we played to well, not only are comentators anti Arsenal i beleive the federations are as well. keep up the good work son