By Tony Attwood
It has been going on so long I wondered if we would have a season of it. All the players Arsenal could have signed if only the board had not been so lazy, the owner and the manager so tight, and the reputation of the club so low because of years of failure.
That’s more or less been the story in the press aided and abetted by their AAA allies and fellow travellers since two weeks after the start of the season. And it has gone on and on and on.
Now the Telegraph has an article headlined, “Seven strikers Liverpool failed to sign post Suarez” and I was a bit surprised. Not so much that the Telegraph was focussed on Liverpool, but because the “Seven strikers” headline (without the Suarez mention of course) was just what they threw at Arsenal a few weeks ago. Lazy journalism or what?
The names they quote will of course be highly familiar. Remy, Alexis Sanchez, Bony, Eto’o, Falcao, Benzema, Cavani… and the one they did get: Balotelli.
My own thought (which of course is just my own thought and not of any particular value) is that Liverpool might have done a bit better in managing its media coverage, with the boasting about lying in terms of Suarez contract and how the Suarez money would be used.
But of course we’re talking of the media – maybe none of it was said. Well, no, the boast about lying to Arsenal was said by owner at a sports conference. But the rest, maybe not.
And anyway given the existence of the January 2008 Court of Arbitration in Sport Webster ruling which says that all players can leave their club after three years, irrespective of what the contract says, I couldn’t help feeling that Arsenal were just winding up Liverpool with their £40,000,001 bid. I think it was a vapour trail occupying the media while we went after Ozil.
However such meanderings by the media always gets bloggers excited, One wrote, in reply to the Telegraph piece, “What a load of cow manure, just a feeble attempt to wind up Liverpool supporters with a list of players they could afford to buy but weren’t willing to pay £20m annual salaries to and the like with an hilarious conclusion to have a chance to laugh at Balotelli. Ha ha ha ho ho etc”.
Then if there is a suspicion that a supporter from another club is laughing at this failure to sign scenario it’s “well look at who you tried to sign” and the newspaper has managed to fill another space with a load of pictures and a headline.
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(And incidentally £20m a year is a weekly salary of about £380,000 a week. Suarez is reportedly being paid £10m a year, with a drop of £3m a year for each player he bites. You think that’s untrue. I read it in the Mirror).
I suppose such articles are now essential because the media has invested so much in the myth of the transfer window and how all these deals are about to happen, and when they don’t happen the journos need to put down the double whiskys and make up a reason. “Oh, sorry it was never on,” is never really going to work. any more than, “Sorry guys, we just make them up to fill up space without having to employ proper investigators.”
But there’s even more strange tales today, for it seems that Kieran Gibbs ISN’T injured and should be able to play against Burnley. And there is a slow, creeping but growing admission that Héctor Bellerín is actually quite good.
Likewise, Mikel Arteta who was kicked around quite a bit at Sunderland should also be ok. Oh yes, and Theo failed to get injured sitting on the beach, so he’s gonna play.
Theo, Danny, Alexis
Quite a tasty forward line that.
How different things are at Chelsea where their manager, the so-called “José Mourinho” says Chelsea are “in trouble” because of injuries. I think he’s talking about Ramires and Loïc Rémy.
Actually he’s also making a fuss about having to play Shrewsbury tonight. Can you imagine the headlines if Mr Wenger made such a statement? You wouldn’t be able to move for the outpouring of black ink. He (the so-called Mourinho) said, according to the highly dubious press, “We are in trouble because we have so many injured players. It is even more difficult for us to go. We have to go. We now have a difficult match.”
And so we are into the world of worrying about Costa. It is hard to take it seriously.
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
LOL poor Chelsea they have 2 injuries according to http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php and Mourinho is crying.
We have 9 players out for the moment but we cannot even think of making that an excuse….
Nice one Tony!!
and yes we must feel for the poor Chelskies with ‘all’ those injuries!!!
The reason Mourinho comes out with such rubbish all relates to your first point – a very poor and lazy press. I just cant help feeling that Mourinho is taking the piss all the time because he cant believe he gets away with it.
I believe Chelskis back 4 has hardly changed since the start of the season.
Compare that to ours.
putting aside any debates as to the whys and wherefores for that, it is hardly a surprising that they’ve been performing pretty well in comparison to us at the back.
Moaning about decisions
Moaning about cards.
Moaning about injuries.
Moaning about a difficult mid week match against Shrewsbury.. SHREWSBURY FFS.
I wonder, are the papers screaming ‘WHINGING JOSES’ as it surely would be if it was Wenger?
I doubt it very much.
Tony
‘I couldn’t help feeling that Arsenal were just winding up Liverpool with their £40,000,001 bid. I think it was a vapour trail occupying the media while we went after Ozil.’
I know I should’ve let this go probably a long time ago, but I’m genuinely curious what makes you hold this position still, even though Arsen Wenger himself said he had tried to get Suarez.
Also, apparently Gonzalo Higuain’s brother and agent has confirmed he was ‘ contacted’ by Arsenal , but by then apparently the deal with Napoli was already done.
I don’t understand why you have dedicated so much energy to deny the fact Arsenal were interested in ,or actively trying to get those two to improve the club.
Would you care to satisfy my curiosity ?
Jambug
Mourinho complaining puts a smile on my face, not because I dislike him or Chelsea for that matter but rather because he is the biggest hypocrite and manipulator in the game today. He gives SAF a run for his money in the arena of gamesmanship.
Some have said Arsen Wenger was a hypocrite because on occasion he pretended not to see certain things to protect his players. All managers do that ,but Mourinho is in the league of his own.
I have complained before how naive Arsenal can be at times to their detriment , but I would never want our club to take the Mourinho approach to football.
Nothing illustrates the difference between the two clubs more than the last few incidents – one in the Chelsea game after Cahill’s tackle on Sanchez, where Mourinho waves his arm as to protest in disgust Sanchez going to ground to easily , or faking injury( as if he has ever done that before), and the other – Arteta’s foul on Rodwell .
Arteta and Flamini both raise their hands to the ref as if to say , sorry ref but we might have a player who needs attention here, my bad.
One foul totally unintentional by Arteta and his and Flamini’s honest reaction, and then we have Cahill and Mourinho reaction ,as well as some other Chelsea players. If you’ve missed it , I encourage you to view this again. Mourinho’s reaction is a disgrace .
I’m surprised no one has picked up on that and asked him what his feelings were during that particular play. Over to you Mike T 🙂
I see reported today (by a usually reliable source) that Bellerin, Hayden and Akpom have been promoted to the first team squad. Be prepared for the outcry based on Arsenal promoting youngsters (two of them English) rather than going out and spending money on ‘proven stars’.
It might be worth reminding (or informing) readers that Ivan Gazidis, at the last Fans Forum in the summer, said that it was the aim of the Club to move to a position where 50% of the first team squad was ‘home grown’.
Was that reported by journalists?
Tom
Good spot Tom.
As for Mike T, I’m sure he’ll find some way of excusing Jose’s antics whilst finding fault in Artetas and Flaminis.
I’ll await with interest for how he manages it.
Of course if he hasn’t got an answer we wont hear a dicky bird from him.
Insideright and the previous post!: it would be great to get to 50% home-grown. I can’t do the sums and don’t know the figures, but that sounds as if it would require a large outlay.
Let’s take Hayden as an example: he has been with us since 2008 (since he was 12 or 13?)and presumably turned pro when he was 17. He has already cost the club a fair amount of money – and it does look that it might be money well-spent, for he is a fine prospect. If he stays injury free the club will be anxious to secure him for the next several years with a decent contract. But for every Hayden there will be many more who don’t make the grade – or at least don’t make the grade to Arsenal’s level. Hayden will have already cost us a lot of money – but you also have to factor in the cost of all the not quite as good as Haydens. I wonder how many 13 year olds you need to sign to ensure one Isaac Hayden: it is ruthless Darwinism at its most heart-breaking, and I am only surprised David Attenborough hasn’t done a programme on it yet.
You can see why most clubs find it easier to purchase ready made players from outside of England, and why it becomes so difficult for English players to breakthrough. I am delighted that my club invests so heavily in its youth programme but am only too aware of how hard it is for youngsters to make their way through the ranks.
What can you say about our gutter press, the following classic garbage from the Express.
Headline says….
‘Alex Song reveals why he snubbed Arsenal for West Ham move’
Text reads….
‘And the former Arsenal ace – who Arsene Wenger decided against re-signing this summer’
Can you believe anything they come out with!
InsideRight,
Welbeck, Giroud, Sonogo, Campbell Podolski and now, Akpom! There is a war on for the no
9 jersey!! My private, long term bet is on Akpom.
Tom,
Cahill’s reaction after that vicious tackle on Alexis is shameful. I recall the reaction of the Chelsea people at the time and I totally agree with you.
Jose Mourhino has no reason to weigh his words to the media. They are his lapdogs; he has nothing to worry about. Had Wenger complained about having to play Shrewsbury, there would have been a media shitstorm of incessant mocking.
I recall Mourhino whinging last season about having no striker after sending one of the best strikers of the season on loan. Wenger would have got hell for that; some from the media but most from our own fans. Jose is living in the best of both worlds: the media love him while Chelsea fans worship him. The lucky SOB is like the anti-Wenger or something.
The press really do have a problem with Arsene Wenger and Arsenal FC.
It is very strange. Arsenal are a club that has tried to stand up and be the good guy and run the club properly.We had a Chelsea owner steal money from the Russian people and wash it through a football club. They were caught tapping up players, fined for this behaviour and artificially increased players wages. We had the Monsours arrive and again damage football by increasing wages that the club did not have to worry about paying. They have been caught and fined for doing what Abramovich had done before, due to the introduction of FFP. So those two clubs are hardly examples of fair play or for that matter how to run a football club.
Instead of receiving praise for good management, building a stadium with their own money, overcoming the property collapse, being forced to sell the best players, playing stylish football that does not involve thuggery and for standing by a manager that put the football club before his own self interests, – Arsenal and their Manager get nothing but ridicule and abuse.
I do not understand it at all. Someone really does have to explain that to me.
Mick
The media are lying scum, nothing more, nothing less.
Mick,
“Headline says….
‘Alex Song reveals why he snubbed Arsenal for West Ham move’
Text reads….
‘And the former Arsenal ace – who Arsene Wenger decided against re-signing this summer’”
The thickos in the press can’t even get their shitty stories straight: How could Song have “snubbed” Arsenal if “Arsene Wenger decided against re-signing” him?
Foreverheady,
Interestingly, today, espn did a piece on “homegrown” wherein Barcelona was ranked best at producing stellar homegrown players, as carefully defined in the piece. ManU was ranked second and Arsenal was out there in the 10th or 11th position.
My point: If you set your mind on it, it is doable without a significant loss of quality. See what Southampton have been doing since they returned to the Premier league.
Many do as you have done, quote the low chances of success. However, the low chance also holds true for every budding 12/13year old hoping to make it in future as a professional footballer (something that I was careful to point out to my enthusiastic but talentless sons in their teens).
The more important observation, in my view is that by recruiting right into the academies (at l2 years or less age grade) culling the young players right at 16/17 and doing supplementary recruitments at 16-19years; by training those recruited right, it is possible, just as with the A-levels results of a good secondary school, it is possible to get graduates from a good football academy that make it as top class footballers in the English/European leagues and the cream of which then feed the Arsenal first team. It is possible to define some pretty high standards for the academy that makes the program worthwhile and profitable.
Bootoomee/proudkev
They know full well those two ‘lines’ do not tally.
They just don’t give a fuck because it’s the big headlines that seep into the public phsyci.
Like ‘whinging Wenger’. But when you read bellow the headline he’s doing nothing of the sort.
It’s all just to create an alternative truth to the real truth which is something more akin to what proudkev so eloquently says in his post of 5:40PM.
But the real truth doesn’t fit into the agenda of the media scum we are so shamefully burdened with.
Shabula Gooner. Academies are fine but the problem today is that we are in the ‘instant success’ era. Nobody has any patience anymore, which is hardly surprising. All we seem to see are multi millionaires switching clubs for the highest bidder, a situation that evolved with the rich oligarchs. For years this was really the sole domain of Manchester United, a club that due to its own success and income level, was able to outbid everybody else. They would regularly buy the ‘star’ they needed. This success also enabled their academy/youth set-up to attract the best players. Ultimately it is all about one thing. Money.
FFP was introduced to try to bring some sanity to football. This would encourage investment into the academies. with the hope that wages could be controlled. Arsenal are a great example of a club that has tried to use this model and are prepared to give young players a chance. I would like to believe that this will be the way foreward but the cynic in me suggests otherwise.
Money corrupts. It also gest in the way of fair competition. I would like to see FFP bite, player wages reduced and the best managers winning – not those with the most money. This isn’t Formula One, it is a sport that used to beleong to the working man.
Oh for sanity. But until clubs like Arsenal are treated as the good guys and clubs like Chelsea and Man City are acknowledged for the damage they have bought to the game, the days of instant success achieved via bank accounts shall remain. Lets face it, Chelsea wipe out £1 billion quid of debt and Man City get fined for ‘cheating’, yet they receive none of the ridicule or abuse directed at this great club we all support.
Jambug. Thanks, yes I too agree that the media are clearly following an agenda. But somebody needs to explain to me why Arsenal appear to be treated as the bad guys and Mr. Wenger treated as some demon from hell. They should look at us and say: “Look at that great club trying to stand up to the bullies and acting with the integrity of the game at its heart”. Instead of ridiculing us for building a stadium with our own money while two rich oil men arrived and destabilised the game by trying to ‘buy’ trophies at any cost.
Did you say 3 players-Bellerin, Hayden and Akpom have all been promoted to the first team sqaud? If true, my congratulations! to them. But have Hayden and Akpom been fully tested at first team games level and have made the grades? Just as Bellerin made the grades after passing the tests. Please what of Semi Ajayi? Why has he not been tested yet to see if he too can make the grades at Arsenal? I can see him being disappointed to see his colleagues been promoted and leaving him behind to be languishing in the youth team. Whereas he is already 21. The boss should please start to consider him for first team action. And see if he will merit an upgrade to the first team.
Did you say 3 players-Bellerin, Hayden and Akpom have all been promoted to the first team sqaud? If true, my congratulations! to them. But have Hayden and Akpom been fully tested at first team games level and have made the grades? before been prmoted as Bellerin is seen meriting his promotion after dully been tested and making the grades. Please what of Semi Ajayi? Why has he not been tested yet to see if he too can make the grades at Arsenal? I can see him been disappointed to see his colleagues getting promoted and leaving him behind to be languishing in the youth team. Whereas he is already 21. The boss should please start considering him for first team action. And see if he too will merit an upgrade to the first team.
Did you say 3 players-Bellerin, Hayden and Akpom have all been promoted to the first team sqaud? If true, my congratulations! to them. But have Hayden and Akpom been fully tested at first team games level and have made the grades? Before been prmoted as Bellerin is seen meriting his promotion after dully been tested and making the grades. Please what of Semi Ajayi? Why has he not been tested yet to see if he too can make the grades at Arsenal? I can see him been disappointed to see his 3 colleagues getting promoted and leaving him behind to be languishing in the youth team. Whereas he is already 21. The boss should please start considering him for first team action. And see if he too will merit an upgrade to the first team.
For goodness sake stop with the righteousness. Chelsea’s and City’s owners put their money into their team. Stan’s and Usmanov’s money went to pay out former shareholders who were all made very rich. David Dein took out over £70m for selling his shares. He was well paid for doing his job, what on earth did he do to deserve that bonus?
Arsenal had to be run properly because, as always, the shareholders were busy lining their own pockets. The new shareholder money could have paid for the stadium outright, the team would not have been starved of investment for years but no, they didn’t care about the club, the supporters or the team. Lets take the money and run – sod everyone else.
Stan
What an absolute crock of shit.
A bit of topic here. I have decided to take AAAs at justarsenal head on this week. So I am hunting down articles on that site using the name The Analyzer. So if you habitually visit that sitr take an opportunity to read my comments and if possible like them to wind the AAAs.
Stan, what on earth are you talking about?
Tony,
As someone who has been denied Untold posts and comments for over a week (due to malicious hacking of Gooner News), all I have to say now is “Thank goodness you’re all back!”.
Jambug, Proudkev.
Prey tell me exactly what I have said that is untrue
All of it you idiot
Kroenke and Usmanov’s shares in Arsenal cost them well over £700m, all of it paid to former shareholders. Why did they deserve £700m? Argue with opinions if you want but don’t ignore facts.
Stan – misapprehension. New shareholders bought out old shareholders. No money entered or left the club. No impact at all on self-sustaining model. You seem to think that the owners should gift the club the money to build the stadium. How does that differ from the Chelsea/Man City models?
The previous owners could argue that their sound management increased the value of the club. But no dividends were paid.
Let’s assume the Russian has funded £1bn of losses. He bought a bankrupt business, invested in it and has probably got an asset worth not a million miles away from his investment. The Sheiks are a bit further behind and have invested more but it’s pocket change to them.
Our old owners ran the business for profit and made a mint for themselves. The shareholders of my golf club run the club and hold a huge piece of valuable land on behalf of the members. They are custodians. If the former Arsenal owners were custodians, they find someone who wants to invest money and get involved (like Matthew Harding at Chelsea) and that investment goes into the club (and builds the stadium) and not into their pockets.
It annoys me that someone wants to put £700m into our club and the former shareholders trouser the lot, sod the fans, sod the club. It therefore annoys me ( which is where this all began) when fans get this holier than thou attitude and say we have some moral high ground. Other owners put money in, ours take it out. Business, I’m there 100%. My football club it stinks, yet we all bow down and deceive ourselves this is the “moral” way to run a club.
I think as football club supporters or paying customers, we don’t have the personal or professional rights to condemn or even instruct them what to do. It’s like your ‘concern’ neighbour scolding and criticizing you for the way you run your family as you see fit. It’s a good example because both cases involve human elements which is intangible and consequencal acts. There is no trial, error and research activities here without drawbacks. Your words and acts are at your own risks and responsibility for you to bear, not others. That’s where professionals come in and Arsenal FC is fully run and conducted by such people. ‘Business’ and ‘Capitalism’ are actually not dirty words. Its made dirty by people who abuse its power and privileges. “When you give money and success to stupid people, they become more stupid sometimes.” Arsene Wenger’s own words, and he is living by the rules and principles he himself preached. In a democracy, we do have freedom and liberal but at a cost, responsibilities. If your leaders are true democrats, then we should do our part for the greater good, not self interest. That’s why you are not just people, but honorable citizens. I’m a Arsenal FC citizen. How about you?
As an overseas Arsenal supporter , my only investment in the club is an emotional one for the last 45 years ; and I ask not ,nor demand for ,any dividends from the club .
My just rewards are the beautiful style of play , the honourable manner by which the club is run and the occasional trophy .
My cup runneth over !
Did the newspaper also mentioned why Barcelona decided to off load two of their great ‘legends’ in Song and Cesc to English clubs ?
Weren’t they truly great there ? Or were they surplus to requirements ?
Did they help Barca win anything of note during their time there ?
Did they light up the place during their brief sojourn there ?
They were a great success there weren’t they ?
They were amazing Brickfields! Not as much as sanchez though! Just enough to lick his boots! 😛
@Stan, it would have been interesting wouldn’t it if Kronke had decided to put money into the club the way Abramovic has or the sheiks. How many people would have moaned about that I wonder. I also find it quite odd to claim we have some moral high ground when we are owned by Kronke who’s wife owns Walmart who treat their workers like dirt. I’m sure he must know about it. And apparently our lowly employees at AFC are not paid a decent London wage. Morals and business, the two are nearly always mutually exclusive.