By Tony Attwood
A couple of weeks ago Drew and I went to see Grantham play FC United of Manchester – the team formed by disgruntled Manchester United fans some years back. We reported on the match and by and large I think it is fair to say we each had some admiration for the people who, through their utter dislike of the Glazers, decided to stand up and do something.
Will those supposedly Arsenal supporters who moan all the time and say that nothing will be right until Wenger, Gazidis and Kronke are gone, ever do anything other than moan?
There’s no sign that they will – moaning seems to be their central occupation – which is very bad for their psyche.
Indeed not only is it bad for the heart, brain and soul, it doesn’t work either, so they do it again and again. Einstein did not (contrary to the AAA’s repeated assertion here) say that seeing something not working and then doing it again and again and again is a sure sign of madness. But it is a neat idea and I wonder why the AAA do it. Moan, moan, moan, complain, complain, complain, and nothing changes.
So why do members of the AAA hordes not go out and support their local club? Or, if they don’t have a local club they like, do as the Manchester United fans did, and set up their own side. Real Arsenal perhaps. Or if not, try Royal Arsenal. It was our club’s name up to 1893. Or if you want to go right back, Dial Square Cricket Club Football Team. Or FC Arsenal of London?
At least most of us who do support Arsenal and Mr Wenger would have a certain admiration for such people if they did set up their own alternative branch of Arsenal. I’d still think they were misguided, but I always admire those who stand by their beliefs, and do something about them.
As for today, I went to see Corby Town play Bashley with Ian and his two sons. It was a Division 7 match (the Calor League Southern, Premier Division) (or Southern League Premier).
I fear the number of people at the game who were there because it was Non-League Weekend was small – the crowd of 261 was more or less what Corby Town regularly get. But I think most of us had a jolly time.
Corby entered the match seven from bottom of the league, and Bashley were at the very foot of the table. For the first 15 minutes you would have thought that Bashley were the smooth operators from the top of the league. But they faded, dispirited perhaps by the fact that it was 0-0 at half time.
It got worse for them in the second half and as a result of the home team’s 3-1 victory Corby are now 11th in the league while Bashley remain where they were.
We were well into the second half at 0-0 when Corby’s number 9, Tom Berwick, scored a hattrick – two penalties, each off the post, and a fine finish from a through ball, all in the space of about eight minutes. We also saw Avelino Vieira come on as a sub and make his 50th appearance for Corby. I opted for a few “Vieira, oh oh” songs but no one seemed to get it. Apart from Ian, who tried to move a few seats away to avoid it being thought that he was in any way associated with this strange person singing about the Manchester City reserve team manager.
I think there were about half a dozen Bashley fans there – and I must admit neither Ian nor I knew anything of the visitors at the start of proceedings. I’ve checked since getting home; poor Bashley, even their very nice and well set out web site is no longer being updated, which suggests hard times for the club.
The Wiki article on the club is quite informative however, and I quote verbatim:
Bashley is a small village in New Milton and the team are based on Bashley Road, the biggest road in Bashley. They are nicknamed “The Bash”. Their ground is colloquially known as “Bashley Road”.
So there we are. It was division 7 football – still far better than most of us could ever play, and it had its moments. There was for example, a fracas near the end and a player went tumbling, but I am sure the ref hadn’t got a clue who did it, so just took a couple of names.
There were some shouts from the crowd of “second ball” which generally means no one knows what they are talking about, and there was one player on the pitch who, by way of encouragement to his comrades, managed to use the word “fuck” as a noun, verb, pronoun, adjective, adverb and preposition. Often all within the same sentence. It made no difference, but he kept on doing it nonetheless.
As for the home team, they are still trying to find a manager, which makes me think: since the AAA supporters know all about football and know how to manage Arsenal much better than Mr Wenger, they could surely manage Corby Town in their spare time.
Why not offer your services and see what happens? Get in now and you’ll be there in time to manage your first FA Cup match next weekend.
Coming up next: How we signed Mesut Özil – the first telling of the full story
Recent posts
- Ref Review 2012/3. Andre Marriner; a good ref but 10% of his goal decisions are wrong!
- What difference will Mesut Özil actually make to Arsenal?
- Untold Arsenal ahead of the rest: Graham Poll actually agrees with what we have been saying
- Untold International review: the world cup qualifiers from an Arsenal perspective
- Ref Review 2012/3: The team bias league table – The horrible truth
The books…
- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
- Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
- The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal FC: crowd behaviour at the early matches
I know this has nothing to do with this blog but I’ve just found it and thought I would share it.
http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefaorg/Clublicensing/01/50/09/12/1500912_DOWNLOAD.pdf
Is this what that player was trying to say, Tony ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D7rWLzloOI
Today, I have found two blogs which are grown up and tired of the moaners, WONDERFUL !
Thank you, you are the second.
Your “light hearted” poke at the prats who are always moaning, will of course be over their heards.
I was begining to dispair, that there were no longer any real Arsenal fans who blogged. It seems the “loud mouths” are in preponderance because with their negativity they get more hits on their blog and so get more income(bad news sells)
I think many of the weirdo`s don`t want to watch the football, they are there perhaps to avoid “her in doors” and moan at somebody, rather than be moaned at themselves
Please keep me sane with your blogs
Thanks again
Me thinks you’d prefer to see Arsenal fail rather than Wenger.
Arsenal were the 2nd most successful club in England by domestic trophies won before Wenger showed up.
Moaning about moaners? Great! I’ve been visiting Untold daily for the past four years and this recent fixation with the so called AAA is worrying.
in related news, the other teams we are following on Untold had mixed results today. FC United lost at home to Rushall, Guernsey FC won 2-1 against Whitstable, Crawley Down Gatwick lost at home 2-1 to Hersham and Grantham lost away at Blyth Spartans. Tomorrow Cambridge City vs Chippenham
by the way Stax, how many domestic trophies has Wenger won? Name a more successful Arsenal manager in the modern era…
Sparton – the page about the AAA was first written 3 years ago, and articles about those who were harming the club by focussing on the “Wenger out” notion, go back five years. We have also been accused of fixation about Tottenham, Chelsea, Harry the Red, Sam Allerdyce, Samir Nasri, being in the Champions League, and about 100 more things. I think it just comes from publishing 3 articles a day with a vision that is different from other sites.
George Graham was more successful with Arsenal than Wenger. Graham won 4 Major Trophies compared to Wenger’s 2.
George Graham achieved a more complete Trophy haul compared to Wenger by picking up all 3 domestic Trophies and an European Trophy to boot.
@Stax. So two doubles count for nothing in your book. Winning the league unbeaten is something you do in your dreams every night so it counts for nothing in reality!
When you can be trusted to be out of nappies come back here and read your posts. If you don’t then realise how stupid your comments were your not ready to be out of nappies. Put one on before you spoil your mummy’s carpet.
Stax. Perhaps you should manage the “Real Arsenal of London”?
Since WW2 to AW 60 seasons, we won 5 league Championships, 4 FA Cups and were runners up in the League twice. We did the double once (clinching the league at WHL … such a pleasure)
Since AW 17 seasons, 3 League Championships, 4 FA cups and league runners up 4. We did the double twice, were unbeaten for a season.
IF we ignore the runners up, pre AW, 9 pots in 60 years = 1 per 6.6 years
AW years 1 per 2.3 years.
8 seasons without a pot is disappointing but don’t knock the achievements.
You conveniently forgot two European Trophies, two League Cups and the George Graham years.
Don’t understand why Stax bothers, as this is a site for positive thinkers with long memories.
Did George Graham lose his job for betraying our club? Just like the knockers of yhe present regimeSuccess isn’t only about winning trophies, its about having principles, beliefs and loyalty.
Arsenal F.C. and Arsene Wenger are beacons in the situation we find ourselves in football.
Clubs having sugar daddies who buy trophies for fun…give me my club with all its positives and negatives any time.
Can we not give Stax a red card and lifetime ban, he is not in the slightest interested in debating, he is only interested in disrupting the flow of the comments. He is a sniper, he doesn’t comment on the thread, he just throws in random negative comments/insults about our esteemed manager. He’s a nasty piece of work, even manages to bring the AAA into disrepute. Give him the boot I say.
Wenger has more than enough money to compete for the title, do a lot better in the Champions League and win a few domestic cups. Wenger implemented a dumb wage structure castrating himself of transfer funds and the ability to offload a high proportion of players. These are the real reasons Arsenal have been unable to compete for trophies. Wenger and the board would never admit to such mistakes preferring to blame stadium debt, rich oligarchs and FFP. The truth of the matter is gullible people like yourself need to be informed on all things Arsenal.
Stax, keep it up mate! Don’t stop. Let the whole world know about your undiluted ignorance and stupidity. You have a right to be heard even when you are saying unresearched, biased words. How many Champions League did we compete in during the days of G.G? Not taking ANYTHING away from the achievements of this great coach but you are wrong. For you to even said in the other article that Wenger could not run the team on a tight budget shows how pitiable you are
George Graham. 6 trophies in 9 years. Arsene Wenger 7 trophies in 17 years. Depends what criteria you use to see who’s more successful.
That dumb wage structure gave us the Invicibles, Doubles, Cups and, unfortunatly, a new kind of supporter.
Never mind the consequencws, just win something!!!
Stax does not even mention the new stadium. Clubs like Liverpool, Everton, Spuds etc are still struggling to even start work on their proposed new homes.
We have got ours, within budget and on time.
Only a fool would not see that the expenditure of such a project would affect our club, but here we are at last competing for world class players.
But here comes the Stax of this world demanding success, calling for the dismissal of everyone who has made this possible and re-gurgitating a disgraced previous manager who fleeced the club and its supporters.
We keep selling our top players he bleats….Van Judas demanded he be sold to Manure, as did Na$$ri to City.
Do we keep them and have the unrest it would have produced?
No, we get rid of players who do not want to wear the famous shirt and carry on being “The Arsenal” with our tradition and history.
Why does he not listen to players like Ozil who came to Arsenal because of Arsene Wenger and his standards, ideas and knowledge?
Every single player who has worked with the great man has nothing but praise for him…but of course Stax knows better!!!!! Wish he wuold go back to playing with his computer and let us real gooners look forward to great things to come.
Tactics, motivation and defensive coaching don’t cost money and Wenger has been found wanting on all of them, especially when you take into account his exorbitant salary. History has proved he is an utterly one-dimensional coach.
I think I’m noticing what might be termed a pattern emerging. We seem to be getting ‘new posters’ who come on here posting dozens of comments in a day in typical AAA style. They spout rubbish after rubbish and then disappear after a few weeks, but round about the same time another new name appears and the same thing happens again. Could it be the same individual/s doing this? Possibly trying to create an impression there are more people against the way the club is run than there actually is? Either way, anyone hiding under multiple identities cannot really believe in what they claim to stand for, and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
AL
I didn’t realise this site was for members with only pro Wenger agenda views.
@soglorious
English clubs were banned from Europe for 5 years of GG reign. Also you had to win the league to get into European cup in those days.
@Stax
You’re just a dirty cut’n’paster!
9:43pm
Complete paragraph from
http://arsenaltruth.squarespace.com/arsenal-truth/2013/5/10/moyes-to-utd-arsenal-blow-it.html?currentPage=2
“Tactics, motivation and defensive coaching don’t cost money and he falls well short on all them, especially when you take into account his exorbitant salary. History has proved he is an utterly one-dimensional coach, and his buys over the past 5 years have been mostly dreadful.”
COYG!
Stax wrote: “I didn’t realise this site was for members with only pro Wenger agenda views.”
You can’t be that slow. Just scroll to the top of the webpage and you’ll see Untold’s position clearly stated.
Terry white are you the one and the same who wrote that post recently on online Gooner about how our finance dept messed up a little on the stadium move and how wenger saved the club despite this huge disadvantage being sent his way? I have heard this from other sources but you expressed it most eloquently…if indeed that was you. If so, great to read some of the stuff you have been posting and great to see you on here!
AAA still hasn’t figured out that Tony is teasing them with articles:)
So Stax I presume you have offered your services to Corby Town today?
So when will you get Corby Town in the PL? Should be a walk in the park with your knowledge about all that involves football.
Stax
September 7, 2013 at 8:49 pm
Cut’n’pasted, with a little editing, from: http://arsenaltruth.squarespace.com/arsenal-truth/2012/9/14/sagna-next-to-leavegazidis-weak-leadership.html
Original
“I prefer to focus on the dumbfoundingly stupid wage structure that Wenger implemented, castrating himself of transfer funds and the ability to offload a high proportion of players, and his appalling defensive tactics. These are the REAL reasons Arsenal have been unable to compete for trophies. But, of course, the board and Wenger will never tell you that. After all, why admit their mistakes when they can blame stadium debt or FFP?”
COYG!
Oh he is an arsenal-truth website man. In Dutch we call this Arsenal trutters website. I will not translate it. But ‘a trut’ in Dutch (dialect) is the same word as in English with as many letters in it and starting with a C and ending wit a T and the middle letters can be sent on a postcard to Untold Towers. Or in the comment section.
Me , me , Walter – is it Cnut ?
Canute’s (Cnut’s) name is known nowadays largely because of the story that he was so proud that he thought his command could hold back the tide.
Cnut
[kuh-noot, -nyoot]
noun
Canute , Cnut or Knut (kəˈnjuːt)
— n
died 1035, Danish king of England (1016–35), Denmark (1018–35), and Norway (1028–35). He defeated Edmund II of England (1016), but divided the kingdom with him until Edmund’s death. An able ruler, he invaded Scotland (1027) and drove Olaf II from Norway (1028).
For those well versed in Latin ( That’s you Nicky!) here’s the full story .
” … Cnut rex cum viginti annis regnasset, vivere destitit apud Scaftesbirh, & sepultus est apud Wincestre in veteri Monasterio. De cuius regis potentia pauca sunt perstringenda. Nec enim tantae magnitudinis rex fuerat in Anglia. Erat enim dominus totius Daniae, totius Angliae, totius Norwagiae, simul & Scotiae.
Enimvero extra numerum bellorum, quibus maxime splenduit, tria gessit eleganter & magnifice:
Primum est, quod filiam suam Imperatori Romano cum ineffabilibus divitiis maritavit.
Secundum, quod Romam pergens omnes malas exactiones in via, quae per Gallias Romam tendit (quae vocantur tolonea vel transversa) data pecunia sua diminui fecit usque ad medietatem.
Tertium, quid cum maximo vigore imperii, sedile suum in littore maris, cum ascenderet, statui iussit. Dixit autem mari ascendenti, tu meae ditionis es, & terra in qua sedeo mea est: nec fuit qui impune meo resisteret imperio. Imperio igitur tibi, ne in terram meam ascendas, nec vestes nec membra dominatoris tui madefacere praesumas. Mare vero de more conscendens pedes regis & crura, since reverentia madefecit. Rex igitur resiliens ait. Sciant omnes habitantes orbem vanam & frivolam regum esse potentiam, nec regis qempiam nomine dignum praeter eum, cuius nutui coelum terra mare legibus obediunt aeternis, [Rex igitur Cnut nunquam postea coronam auream cervici sua imposuit, sed super imaginem Domini, quae cruci affixa erat, posuit eam in aeternum, in laudem Dei regis magni:] Cuius misericordia Cnut regis anima quiete fruatur.
(Henry of Huntingdon, Chronicle)
Or the English translation at…
http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/Canute%20Waves.htm
Terry White @ Sept.7th. 6:36 pm – Welcome to the blog that not only supports Arsenal and Arsene Wenger ,but also a treasure trove of knowledge , information and humour !
Some funny Latin phrases (to me anyway !). It sounds to me like there were AAAA types even back then !
absentem laedit cum ebrio qui litigat
To quarrel with a drunk is to wrong a man who is not even there.
(The same applies to those who are not quite right up there)
dulce bellum inexpertis
War is sweet to those who have never fought.
(Get off your keyboards and walk the talk , dudes !)
dare pondus idonea fumo
Fit only to give weight to smoke (Persius)
( Trying to blow smoke up one’s arse! )
qui audet adipiscitur
He who dares wins (or: He who wins dares)
( Go Arsene !)
perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim
Be patient and tough; some day this pain will be useful to you.
( Grin and bear it ! You’re not getting any anesthesia or
analgesics for this ‘probing’ !)
favete linguis
Favour me with your tongues (be silent)
( My nightly prayers to the AAAAs – God are you listening ?)
aut disce aut discede
Either learn or leave
( Again , the AAAAs !)
tabula rasa
A blank tablet (about a student’s mind)
( Yes , who else ? )
ipsa scientia potestas est
Knowledge itself is power.
( Oh ,yes it is ! Go AKBs !)
non teneas aurum totum quod splendet ut aurum
Do not take as gold everything that shines like gold
( But , but ,Bale was more expensive than gold ! Are you saying that its fool’s gold ? Oh !… OH !)
Guys , whats with the ‘ awaiting moderation ‘ ? My middle name IS moderation ! I didn’t even use phases like ‘cunt’-
ooppsss !
For those who want to learn , quote or cuss in Latin , go to
http://latin-phrases.co.uk/
Doomed ? Really ?
http://www.motifake.com/facebookview.php?id=109486
I’ve just been listening to the online gooner podcast at this link.
http://www.onlinegooner.com/podcast/0120_goonerpodcast.mp3
They make Stax sound intelligent with or without his nappy.
I’ve heard of the AST anti Arsenal mouth but never before had contact with it. This is unbelievable.
Every one of them needs to make a public apology to Arsene or withdraw from the human race.
Stay around Stax at least you provide us with a good laugh can’t say that about the AST.
Where is stax after being outed as a cut n paster?
Owned!!
So stax has been outed as a cut n paste merchant and ‘retreated’ back into his shell(assuming he did so voluntarily). Well, I have a sneaky feeling ‘someone’ behaving in a similar way is going to take his place here soon. Good riddance, for now.
@Stax
When I am feeling fed up with the performances of the current team I think back to some of the performance of the last days of George Graham’s era. Then I feel better.
\i believe Stax was (note in the past) really Adrian Kemp in drag…or even that twat from talksport Adrian Durham!!!
What a real Gooner site this is…carry on rockin and rollin boys!!!!!!!!
The comments from Stax reminded me of the comments that used to come from a poster called Matt – just very short, a little dig and no backup.
Wenger spends all the money he made from the Anelka signing on building a new training complex when he could of spent it all on players for his short term glory.
This move is for Arsenals, and ours as fans, long term benifit, at the expense of his own short term glory.
Wenger decides that if AFC want to compete financialy in the long term with the giants of the game IE Man Utd, Barca, Real, Munich, AC, Inter, Juve etc.(There wasn’t a hint of the imminant arrival of the oil money at this time) we had to commit to the building of a new state of the art mega Stadium.
This move is for Arsenals, and ours as fans, long term benefit, at the expense of his own short term glory.
Arsenal commit £100’s of Millions to a stadium.
Mega rich oil barons pump £100’s of Millions into Chelsea and City.
If you cant see, or quite simply refuse to accept the enormous impact those 2 events would have on our ability to compete for trophies then you are either blind, stupid or both.
And more over, if you can’t see that the board, and Wenger imparticular, have nothing but the best long term interest of the Club we love at heart, then I feel sorry for you.
Stuart.
Don’t worry, Matt is still hovering around like a bad smell !!!
Stax….If I agreed with you then that would make 2 people who are wrong!
In Stax’s case since light travels faster than the internet, he may appear bright–until you read what he posted.
Don’t forget Stax that going to Football matches doesn’t make you an expert any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
Stax proves that you’re never too old to learn something stupid.
Stax,The last thing I want to do is belittle you. But it’s still on my list.
By the way Stax, I didn’t say it was your fault for being a moron, I just said I was blaming you.
@Brickfields Gunners (September 8, 2013 at 6:07 am & 6:12 am)- Hilarious to say the least…!!! Well your comments are always a break from the normal and sometimes they hijack the main point of discussion (that’s why you are sent to the moderation bin at times)…but they are always welcome!
Bale – Fools Gold…
Shocking myopic post- deluded Arsene lovers not even Arsenal supporters. An alternative to Attwood-reality. One signing cannot cover up the years of failed policies and poor judgement. Reality is Wenger makes good decisions and a lot of bad ones- pity yours is not a mature or balanced analysis.
Goonergerry
Explain to me what is ‘myopic’ and not factual about my post?
Explain to me what is not the ‘true reality’ about the Billions of oil money been poured into City and Chelsea.
Explain to me what is not the ‘true reality’ about the minimum £500 Million invested in the New Stadium etc?
Explain to me why my post suggest for one moment I think Wenger is perfect?
Explain to me what policy of Wengers exactly is a failure?
Unless of course you are yourself in denial about the harsh financial ‘reality’ under which wenger had to work and some how have convinced yourself it is all actually a conspiricy theory along the lines of ‘Elvis lives’ and in fact we built the stadium for nothing and in fact Chelsea and city havn’t actually been spending Billions of pound at all and have in fact been donated all there players for free !!
If you can actually set out what ‘Policies’ it is you deem such a failure maybe I can understand your dissapointment.
What would be even better would be if you could lay out your alternative plan that would of kept the titles rolling in.
Hello…
All of them is just talk only, i don’t think the AAA is qualified enough to be the steward, let alone manager..