By Tony Attwood
The media is talking positively about Arsenal and the Untold Editorial Board is in total panic.
This weekend is of course THE BIG ONE. 50 years since the launch of Doctor Who! (OK, so I got thrown out of the editorial meeting this morning for bringing that up, largely on the basis that I started talking about my own passing involvement in the series as a writer and my one innovation for the series… but that’s another story – which has been mentioned here before). (And as I was told when readmitted to the kitchen conference suite, I had been warned before).
So back to Arsenal. The Guardian has a big interview with Santi Cazorla, and there is not a single sarcastic snide alleged aside in sight. Amazing. They also carry the story about the fact that our game against Napoli might be played in a closed stadium. We’re still waiting for hear.
Santi does a great interview, and its worth a read – he’s just such a lovely guy and very knowledgeable too. And he smiles a lot. (That’s official).
The Independent leads with Theo and his return, as does the Telegraph – who highlight no less than four positive Arsenal articles on their football page at the moment.
I mean! What is one to say when the media says it for me?
Anyway, the summary is Theo is back, Ozil is buzzing around, Giroud is firing, Jack was not injured and the FA did not make Wenger angry over playing him (as everyone seemed to report mid-week).
Tomas Rosicky is well again, we know that the large German chap is ok (seems he played a game on Tuesday and scored) and even Lukas Podolski is running around a lot in training. The only long term absentees are Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (a month or more), Diaby (March?) and Sanogo (January).
And yes, everyone is talking up Flamini too. In fact so much is the talk about everyone else it is hard to find anyone mentioning Ramsey. Two weeks ago he was a superstar, now he’s not even news. He’ll have to do something big this weekend to retain his reputation.
So what else came up at the Editorial Conference apart from a row about whether it is permissible to drink an Irish coffee before 5pm?
We’re still all abuzz about Mr Wenger’s comments about “the company” that analyses referee errors, and there were a lot of laughs at my expense about the fact that I am missing the Southampton match on saturday.
To explain that one: I make an annual pilgrimage to see Bob Dylan, and this year we (the Corby Dylan Supporters Gang) are off to Blackpool to see him perform on what is being reported as one hell of a tour – much better than the last one. Tickets went on sale before the season’s football programme was announced, so I am double booked. (Dylan tickets are about twice the price of Ems tickets – thought you might like to know).
The one bit of good news is that Arsenal really seem to have got the ticket exchange functioning well. I only realised my double booking this week, on returning from holiday, put my season ticket for the Southampton game on the Exchange on Tuesday, and it was sold in ten minutes. Whoever gets the seat – say hi to Stefan on your right. He’s the one German at the match who doesn’t rate Mertersacker.
But speaking of holiday – I watched the Man U defeat in a bar in Tenerife. The TV programme was picked up illegally – there was even a big notice that came up on the screen saying which countries it is licensed in – but no one seemed to mind – not even the bar owner. Every 10 minutes the screen got a load of scrambled code across it, he trotted off, flicked a switch, and the match came back on.
The TV pundits include creatures who have been dropped by Sky for being abusive to women – but then perhaps no one worries about such things any more. Certainly no one in the bar I was in was worried.
But the other watchers in the bar were interesting. The bar contained a number of people wearing Manchester shirts – united and city – and they all supported Man U. Even the guy wearing a Chelsea shirt supported Man U. I was the only Arsenal person in the place.
Mind you I was also the only person in the place wearing a licensed shirt I think. You can buy club shirts dead cheap in Tenerife and they must all be illegally produced at those prices. I didn’t see a single Arsenal shirt on sale during my time there, which, on a positive note, means Arsenal is the only major club not being ripped off.
So, in the end the Editorial Conference broke up without any firm decision, except that I could write about my holiday and mention Doctor Who (but only once – ooops), and that after this little piece the serious business starts.
Next up is the preview of the referee, and after Walter’s review of referee bias and Mr Wenger’s comments about us, you won’t want to miss seeing what this ref is up to.
Drew has promised to text me the scores from the ground, and a good win at the Ems followed by a vintage Dylan show at the Opera House in Blackpool, and life will be more or less complete.
Ah, happy days.
Arsenal anniversaries on 22 November…
- 22 November 1899: Alexander Main signed from Hibs
- 22 November 1913: Last senior game for Roddy McEachrane
- 22 November 1913: Last senior game for Joseph Fidler
- 22 November 1919: Programme for Arsenal versus Notts County has the club name as “The Arsenal”, for the last time
- 22 November 1924: Sidney Hoar purchased from Luton for £3000 in the era of “no transfer over “£1000″!
- 22 November 1930: Arsenal 5 Middlesbrough 3. The second five goal games in 3.
- 22 November 1947: The 17th match unbeaten at the start of Tom Whittaker’s reign
- 22 November 1962: Raphael Meade born
- 22 November 1963: James Furnell signed from Liverpool
- 22 November 1977: Arsenal 1 Tottenham 3, Pat Rice Testimonial
- 22 November 1986: League Debut of Paul Merson
- 22 November 1989: Arsenal lose 1-3 to Oldham in league cup.
- 22 November 2000: Spartak Moscow 4 Arsenal 1.
- 22 November 2003: Birmingham 0 Arsenal 3. 13 unbeaten at the start of the season – a new Premier League record.
- 22 November 2005: Arsenal beat Thun 0-1 in Bern to win the group stages with a game spare.
- 22 November 2010: Henri Lansbury goes on loan to Norwich City
- 22 November 2010: Following irate comments after a defeat to Tottenham, we look back at other disasters – with a surprising result.
- 22 November 2011: Chuks Aneke loan to Stevenage
Dr. Who?
😉 I couldn’t let that one go to be honest. But the strange thing is that in my country Dr. Who really is Dr. who? I only know Dr. Who because I follow society in England a bit through Arsenal.
And what a coincidence as the BBC is playing on my TV while I am typing it they just advertised 50 years Dr. Who for tomorrow. Isn’t this very Dr. Who-ish?
Got me there ,Tony , thought you were referring to the 50th anniversary of the assasination of the ‘Great Patsy ‘ – Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby !
Now that’s a real conspiracy !
@Brickfields
I’ve got a different “who” going through my head, that being Who’s on first. Brickfields, did anyone ever adapt that to football?
@Walter
Mourinho is complaining about Riley’s apology.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25052981
And Henry is back training with Arsenal!
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/pictures-thierry-henry-trains
Doublespeak ?
I am as innocent regarding any conspiracy as any of you gentlemen in the room. Jack Ruby.
Does this assuage your doubts or does it fuel it more ? Gets one thinking of who exactly were in that room .Cubans ? CIA ?
FBI ? The Mob ? Fat cats ?
Reminded me of a joke where ,when the big bad wolf was informed by the presiding judge that he will be tried before 12 of his peers ,he laughed to himself ,thinking ,
” Where in tarnation are they going to find 12 MF SOB wolves as bad assed as myself ?”
In his defence – he was provoked by that nosy , politically incorrect bitch ! Shit happens !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSa4CblMzRk
@ Gord – if that a baseball reference , then it 3 strikes to me !
It said , she said…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW7R11Jy59g
I still can’t get over the fact that you’re going to a Dylan concert rather than to a match.
Blasphemy.
Pinocchio: lost in translation …..
Pinocchio was fed up with the recent complaints from his wife. “Every time we make love, I get splinters.”
So, Pinocchio went back to his maker, Gipetto the Carpenter, for advice.
“Sandpaper,” said the carpenter, “that’s what you need.” So, Pinocchio took the sandpaper home. A few weeks later, the carpenter bumped into Pinocchio again. “How are you getting along with the girls now?”
“Who needs girls?” replied Pinocchio.
Snow White & Pinocchio:
Snow White saw Pinocchio walking through the woods so she ran up behind him, knocked him flat on his back, and then sat on his face crying, “Lie to me! Lie to me!”
Goodnight ,guys ; and like Pinocchio , I ‘ve got wood that needs some polishing and TLC !
Who’s Bob Dylan?
Mike riley apologised to west brom for the cheap hazard penalty,did he apologise to us for ending our unbeaten run?
@Tommiegun
….and paying twice the cost of a match day ticket
Where is Rupert tut tutting about your latest paranoid conspiracy?
Kennedy assassination, open and shut case. Noting else going on m’lord.
K7,
That fool of a man will not do that because
1. Sir Alex Fergusson is involved
2. It is just Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.
3. He is a COWARD.
However, we don’t need his apology anymore, the shame and guilty conscience should live with him till he dies.
Ozil Ramsey Giroud Arteta Santi Mathieu ORGASM!!!!
Soglorious,yes we dont need his apology and we are past what he did to us,we are doing great now and long may it continue….i always thought maybe he genuinely made a few mistakes in that game like referees always do but i think this just proves to us he had it in for us that day..im am suprised though how obvious he is making it
To believe or not to believe. Strange are the ways of God; stranger are ways of men….
Bar business and the church
In a small town in America, a person decided to open up his bar business, which was right opposite to a church. The church and its congregation started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayed daily against his business.
Work progressed. However, when it was almost complete and was about to open a few days later, a strong lightning struck the bar and it was burnt to the ground.
The church folk were rather smug in their outlook after that, till the bar owner sued the church authorities for $ 2million on the grounds that the church through its congregation & prayers was ultimately responsible for the demise of his bar shop, either through direct or indirect actions or means.
In its reply to the court, the church denied all responsibility or any connection that their prayers were reasons to the bar shop’s demise. In support of their claim they referred to the Benson study at Harvard that inter-cessionary prayer had no impact !
As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork and at the hearing and commented:
“I don’t know how I am going to decide this case, but it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer and we have an entire church and it’s devotees that doesn’t.”
Try not to be fooled by the media. All these years of “bullying” then suddenly they want to be friends? What do they want? What’s their agenda?
Keep them at arms length for now.