By Tony Attwood
An Arsenal match is, for journalists, a moment for making stuff up… or if not that then a moment for exaggerating and giving undue emphasis to some events while ignoring others. I’m wondering what we can do to stop it.
For example the David Hytner Guardian piece today says: “An Arsenal supporter was arrested at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday after red wine was thrown at the Manchester United bench.”
Now I don’t sit near the bench at the Emirates – and although I can see the bench clearly at the time of the alleged incident I wasn’t looking that way.
But I can ask a few questions. If it did happen, how on earth did anyone get alcohol into the seating area behind the bench? Was this yet more lackadaisical activity from stewards, as is shown in the allowing of flares in? How do we know it was red wine and not Ribena?
OK, that is a story and it reflects badly on whichever Arsenal fan did it, and on the club itself. But right by me there was a much more serious breach of the rules as a bunch of Man U fans had got seats in among the Arsenal end.
In one sense I don’t condemn this – I have done it myself at a few grounds when the only seat I could get was with the home fans. Other writers on Untold have done it too and I suspect many fans who have followed the club across a lifetime have ended up at some stage being in the wrong place.
However when you do that there is an absolute rule. You sit still and shut up. If your team scores you sit there and look. If the home side scores you stand up with everyone and then sit down with everyone. You don’t have to cheer but you have to keep a very low profile.
What these Man U fans did however was celebrate. It caused an enormous amount of annoyance and tension around the area, and it was only the remarkable restraint by Arsenal season ticket holders, that stopped there being a fight. Worse, it took minutes to get a steward to come over and take the matter seriously. Then the single steward who did turn up stood there texting something on his mobile and grinning like an extraordinary grinning thing that grins a lot. He was utterly totally out of his depth.
Eventually the Man U fans, realising that they had already chanced their luck enough and that at any moment they were going to be in real trouble, decided to leave. No one accompanied them out, no one checked how they got their tickets.
Now this story, which is akin to the “red wine at the bench” story got no coverage. Yet it was just as serious.
Which makes the basic point: if you want to get your story in the press, do it where they can see. So that silly chappie who stands around all the time near Wenger with his “Wenger out” scrawled message can always be guaranteed a place in the press. Idiots going out of their way to try and start a serious disturbance on the north bank don’t.
But of course the Guardian won’t ever leave it at that. No, we have to go back to “Sir Alex Ferguson, the club’s former manager, complained in 2008 about the abuse that he received from supporters close to him, describing it as “nasty”. “It is too open for my liking,” he once said. “It should not happen when you build a modern stadium. You need tin helmets. It is a weakness in the planning that you don’t provide safety for the visiting substitutes and staff.”
And did the Guardian also mention the most disgusting and appalling abuse that Mr Wenger has received from the Man U fans, and still receives from them, from across the whole stadium, every time we play there? Abuse which the press stoked by their action when he first arrived?
No, they don’t. If you want to read about it now you have to go to the Arsenal Anniversaries section of the Arsenal History Society site and look at 1 October 1996
But of course for newspapers today, one article is never enough. The attitude seems to be, “throw as many bits in as you can, and hopefully no one will notice the absence of facts, let alone investigative reporting, So we have Sean Ingle also writing in the Guardian saying. “As abuse daggered from the stands – as it does with uncomfortable regularity nowadays – it was if he was wearing noise-cancelling headphones.”
Except that where I was sitting, although there was a shocked silence after the second goal, and a numb shaking of heads when we found all our outfielders up field and two Man U attackers running half the pitch free for what looked like it was going to be a third, when Giroud’s goal went in there was substantial noise, and a real outpouring of encouragement for the players to play on to the last second of the game. .No mention of that then.
So Ingle says, “One friend [unnamed, unidentified, and we are not sure if he/she ever attends] reckons Wenger’s relationship with supporters resembles a fantastic marriage gone bad.”
Assuming this unnamed source of Ingle’s is a season ticket holder and so attends almost all matches, that gives us a sample of 0.000016% of the people in the stadium. Hmmm… not a very big sample is it?
Ingle says later, “Supporters appear more impatient these days,” and that is where we can see that his grasp of footballing reality is sadly lacking. If he had ever bothered to read up on his football history) and as a journalist for a paper which has a brilliant track record of investigative journalism, such a basic level of competence really ought to be part of the deal, he would know that a number of Arsenal fans booed and jeered Chapman’s teams – Chapman famously called them, the “boo boys” and railed against them in his newspaper column.
The same treatment was handed out to Tom Whittaker and his brilliant sides, and members of the title winning team of 1952/3 spoke publicly of how some Arsenal fans were the worst in the country for the way they treated their own team.
Mr Ingle: a little awareness of the history of your subject matter might not go amiss. The fact is that that AAA (you might want to check the link Mr Ingle if you have no idea what that is) at least since around 1908, and quite possibly before then – there was certainly a lot of disturbance at the Manor Ground in earlier years (see The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal by Mark Andrews for more information).
What is different Mr Ingle is not the level of abuse from a minority, but a thing called the in-ter-net. You might have heard of it. It allows trolls to post abusive and negative commens under a vast variety of names and fake email addresses to try and make it look as if there are a lot of them.
The fact is that yes, as you say, managers are sacked a lot more often than they used to be, but the reason is because a storm is whipped up by people like you and your troll allies, and the chairman (simple souls at the best of times) react. They know it doesn’t help – goodness us Arsenal fans only have to take a peek along Seven Sisters to see a prime example of how sacking managers doesn’t help. Maybe you could write an article comparing and contrasting the effectiveness of Tottenham’s revolving door policy with Arsenal’s consistency policy. We do a list of them each time another manager moves on – I don’t know why, it’s just something we do. There’s one such here, in case you are not familiar with Tottenham Hotspur (an ex-Middlesex club that has attempted in recent years to move east).
Arsene Wenger is by far the most successful manager in Arsenal’s history, in terms of win percentage in league matches – and it is a win percentage that has gone up year by year. There’s a complete analysis of every Arsenal manager from that and other perspectives here if you are interested
But I will give you one thing, Mr Ingle. You did pick up on Professor John Goddard’s analysis. He analysed the working life of all the league managers from 1972 onwards and found that less than a third won more games than they lost.
Clearly you know Mr Wenger’s figures, given the way you write your piece, but for anyone who doesn’t here they are…
- Played 1010 matches
- Won 57.23% of games
- 8 trophies and 17 top four finishes
Now you do seem to know some of this because you quote managers who have had better win ratios – but then fail to mention the number games – another bit of partial information giving. If you do that you could also bring in a few other Arsenal managers who have don’t better than Mr Wenger – but the number of games they managed was a lot smaller. It is all in our table.
And that takes me back to where this started. It is all partial information in the Guardian these days. Red wine from one Arsenal fan and a Sir F Word comment, put it in. Stupid behaviour by two (that is a 100% increase) Man U supporters and appalling behaviour by around 100 journalists when Mr Wenger arrived, no best leave that out.
Balance? Investigative journalism? No, why worry about such things.
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
Thanks for this: enjoyable as ever. What I have never quite understood is the ongoing hostility towards The Arsenal. What are the roots of it? When did it start? What is so wrong with the club?
Because it was the Irish club? Because it was perceived as the posh club? Because it was not Tottenham? Because it was boring? Or lucky? Or too foreign? Too fancy? Too honest? Too prudent?
Something of all of these things perhaps.
I think the basic point is not “if you want to get your story in the press, do it where they can see”, but “if you want to get your story in the press, use threatening and aggressive behaviour whilst breaking the law and approaching the game participants, where they can see.
Also, while the internet has given a voice to fans who wouldn’t normally have one, to blame journalists and the internet as “the reason” for increased managerial dismissals and fan unrest is rather simplistic considering the finances involved in football and our exposure to the sport today compared to yesteryear. While it is likely to be one cause it is not “the reason” and the subject would require a thesis in itself, or at least some basic research or facts to back it up.
It’s the media – It’s the refs – It’s the money – It’s the AAA
Give it a rest Tony even you cant disguise this very poor start to the season by deflecting it elsewhere – we have run out of places to look for the answer because there’s only one common denominator – and no it’s not the ref’s
foreverheady- its never been any different, ever since we became the ‘Bank of England’ club. We were boring for winning 1-0 when other were efficient. Highbury was a library just because it rhymed. They tried to ruin their best young defender by nicknaming him ‘the Donkey”. GG was made the only one made an example of when all managers were taking bungs. And we were robbed by Paul Durkin, Uriah Rennie and referees of his ilk long before Mike Riley and the PGMO. However, IMO, the hatred has intensified under Arsene as a result of his personal 18 year retaliatory tit-for-tat battle with the press. It is difficult to blame him for that if you have read the article from 1 October 1996, but it certainly has not helped the Arsenal cause one bit.
During my 59 years attending and supporting we have always been the “Marmite” club….love us or hate us. AW has taken us to a new level as a club and rightly takes credit for the changes in the approach by all clubs in recruitment, training and diet. His intellectual persona I believe alienates most press people and his single minded ( some say stubborn) approach is a soft target for criticism when things are not going to plan.
I am an Arsenal supporter…the team, the players the club and everything it stands for…hopefully I along with thousands of other supporters will still be around when Arsene is a distant memory…..the press headlines then will be no different only the names will change to make a headline or two.
JohnShafty – All that boring Arsenal , Donkey ,Highbury Library was hatred of Arsenal your right – but why ? It was because we were winning and having followed the club home and away in that period I can only say it was brilliant to stuff it all down their throats – what we see now is something different , we are ridiculed as an easy touch – We have an owner with no sporting ambition for the club just a financial ambition for himself – a manager who as a brilliant man has been left unchecked and as such has imploded into his own philosophy ending up a shadow of the great innovator who took this league by storm – and now sadly he just whinges and moans and excuses sub standard performance and he has a fan base of devotees who are so terrified by the thought of change that they whinge,moan and excuse the inexcusable too – I genuinely believe it would be as good for Mr Wenger to have a fresh start as it would the club .
If having had some Irish players in the past is the reason for hatred, then no one can save England.
Mr Wenger will never be sacked. People hoping to see that happen… Hahahahahahahaha on you.
In the distant future, when we are all old men (provided I last that long), we’ll remember Mr Wenger with pride. Something that we do of Herbert Chapman now.
Oh and you moaning lots can remember this time as to how you ridiculed mocked a great man, with shame ie…
I think it’s a Northern thing, only LFC or MU would be accepted champions prior to the money clubs. Arsenal have always fought against the tide, whereas the money (Chavz) club current manager showing his undying love for SAF even brown noising on live TV post Real Madrid clash at the old toilet. MCFC on the other hand keep the Northern tradition going.
The special one realised some time ago to succeed in the EPL you must give into the dark-side, Wenger has never bowed down to the Dark over-lord Fungus.
@4evered.
Here here……
I dont Think Tony will mind being called a donkey while sitting at home polishing his winners medal will he?
Our worst start in 32 years cant be dressed up any other way than a bad start. Haven’t beaten a team from outside the bottom 7 have defended unbelievably badly in many games.
Cant remember the last time Cazorla,Ramsey or Ozil had a decent game and we still have to persist with Monreal at CB because there is nobody else.
I blame the ref’s,aaa & anybody but the team or Wenger.
You are missing the most likely explanation for press bias. The press need to be managed and given something to write. The Arsenal Press Office are so protective of the staff and players that the press get frustrated and write trash about the club. Disagree if you wish and you may want to believe that there is a conspiracy but what makes more sense, journalists all irrationally ganging up against a club or journalists resenting that Arsenal do not help them to get the stories that their job requires. Fact is that papers need to write regular stories about big clubs and if you don’t give them stories they’ll make them up.
i demand one of you goes and puts nicholson at f365 at his fuckign place…ive been banned….he is talkign tons of shit and encouraging fans to be ungrateful to wenger and basically sack him.
wenger not an elite manager? whats he talking about?
fucking little shit jack wilshere…never again in advanced role..never again. just stay back and frustrate others instead of you getting frustrated..
missing that? and you still wear the number ten on your back? give it back
The seem to have forgotten their main role in sports and that is as a sports “reporter” I hardly see any “reports” just bile, lies and opinions born of little knowledge.
what is it with these fucking english hating wenger as much?? what has he done ? they piss on his records, success, achievements, managerial credentials, attack his caharcter, mock him offend him insult him
i think its a collective failure on teh arsenal fan and specifically the english arsenal fans who have allowed these voices to create this rift.
anywhere else outside england wenger is respected as a top quality football man and here they treat him like he is joe from down the pub managing a sunday team
fuck off you cunts…he has built a stadium for you and yoru children to still watch arsenal, has kept the club at respectable positions amid massive club transition and league distortion….has brought the club in a psotion where it would rule had it not been for dodgy governments allowing dodgy tycoons in the game….yes our players are playign a bit shit lately..lots of reasons for that…mainly lack of balls and psychology but for arsenal fans to reserve such hate for their manager is absolutely shocking and proof in my eyes that the english knwo nothing and thats why im all the way with suarez!!!
im angry ..sorry for swearing
Will, a reporter’s job is to keep their employers happy. In 99% (maybe) of cases ethical standards aren’t the priority, quantity of hits, viewers or readers are the priority with the only thing holding them back being the possibility of having a legal case put against them. That’s why the clubs need to keep the press happy.
True Charlie but I long for the old days where you picked up a paper and read a report on the game.
think one or two of the football journalists I have met would quite enjoy such a form of punishment, one I can think of would probably go as far as paying for it!
hunter13,
the question of why? re the hatred to Wenger; it probably actually isnt Wenger at all if you really dig down.But most people who have issues wont confront them they just project them.Simple as that.And Im not sure that most people are ever really writing or thinking that which they really feel, its quite difficult to articulate(hence the struggle of philosophers and the bullshit of art journalists (any journalism) but more some quick emotional response is what we see.
Also hatred is psychologically linked with fear,so what are they afraid of? It becomes easy to work out doesnt it? Unfortunately its also linked to the heart of football!So its a Catch 22.
I agree with what youre saying and you have every right to be angry and not sorry at all.Theres a lot wrong in the world at the moment.
Wise words as usual Kenneth. I can understand annoyance, frustration, questioning tactics, the players, owner, manager or tea ladies but hatred is not an appropriate response to a manager of a football team you claim to support. Anyone who really feels genuine hatred for Wenger needs to take a look at perhaps their own issues, and if they see nothing in their own issues,they need to question whether they are being whipped up into media…and social media hysteria. do they really want to be pawns for those with an agenda against the club?
The fear angle is interesting, a lot of fear in the world today…thats why clowns like UKIP are doing well at the moment. but suppose it has always been that way
@hunter13
November 24, 2014 at 12:19 pm
Its ok mate…go ahead express yourself…let it out, better your straight comments then some other 🙂
Tony, do you by any chance sit in the lower tier just to the right of the goal. If not then I witnessed a separate but identical incident. Ironically it was some staunch AAA’s who actually wanted to start the violence……..as rational as ever!
Also, as further evidence in support of your argument, once the hndful of painfully annoying AAA’s had stormed off (blaspheming at ridiculous things like Wenger being to blame for the first goal) most fans around me stayed to give a rapturous round of applause to our team. The team that totally outplayed and outfought Man U. I was hugely disappointed by the result but very proud of the team’s efforts and equally pleased with the vast majority of fans that agreed with my take on the game (and the manager).
Nice article. Unfortunately, hacks are a necessary evil. Pinch or fist of salt a must.
Slight tangent, I was saddened to see our ranks dwindling way before the final whistle on Saturday. Had they stayed they could appreciate such a venomous strike by Giroud. Almost Podolski-esque. And on the subject of venom, I was saddened (again) to hear such discord and bile, frothing from the feckless few that left early.
We may have our differences (currently) on the status quo re Arsenal. You are either Wenger in or out or you have splinters in your backside. But my point is this, leaving early doesn’t help Arsenal (yes Arsenal). We are all fans, we share this at least. This is our common ground. The club doesn’t belong to a manager or a CEO or (IMHO) even a major shareholder. It is ours and always will be. Without us, the club is a temple without a flock.
So stay and support (regardless of your liking or dislike for an individual) because real ownership lies with us, everyone else is just a steward/ guardian.
Rant over!
We are all upset when we lose, it is especially hard to take when we really should have won. Unfortunately that is sometimes part of life.
When the team does have a bad result what we witness is not just an ordinary reaction of disappointment – the sort of reaction that will happen at many clubs, football or otherwise, when the hoped for result does not materialize. The reaction has become vicious and orchestrated.
Wenger, while not the owner, is seen by some as a major stumbling block to a aggressive takeover. In consequence, some with vested interests want him removed for that reason and that reason alone. To help achieve that objective elements within the press and indeed a small part of the fan base (the sinister part of the AAAA) have been recruited to vocalize anti Wenger rubbish at every opportunity. When this happens the brain dead section of the AAAA jump on the band wagon; we see all too frequently both types of the AAAA posting nonsense even on this pro Wenger site – why? – they want to maximize their propaganda and damage.
We will get through this bad spell (despite the antics of the PGMO to do us down at every opportunity) – but the main cause of the anti Wenger hatred – the aggressive takeover – will still ferment behind the scene for quite some time.
I hate the way the media treat our great club and our manager. It is endless. We even have a radio show which has a daily Arsenal feature where the clubs gets slagged off. Every day.
How about supporting the club and blaming the players? What I saw Saturday was a Man Utd team totally outplayed and the Managers tactics spot on.
Man utd had 2 shots on target. Two. Rooney had less touches of the ball than De Gea for heavens sake. Jack Wilshire missed a sitter NO professional, let alone an International, should miss. Fellaini shoved Gibbs in the back, into Schesney, for the first goal. We had our highest number of attempts of the season, 22.
None of this suggests the Manager was out done by Van Gaal. He wasn’t.
If I was Wenger I would want to grab some of my players and give them a bloody good hiding for letting him and the supporters down. We cannot keep making excuses but Saturday just epitomised the breaks going against us.
I have never been so gutted. Not just at the result but at the Media’s pathetic attempts to sh+t on our club and our Manager. But worst of all is the so called Arsenal fans who seem to enjoy turning on the club because the media push their buttons.
John Shaft. You only have to go on the anti-Wenger blog to see the type of people that spew the hate. 90% of the content is generated by the main contributors, they all appear to be able to spend all day posting. What they say is repetitive, it is the same thing they said the day before and the day before that. The language and names aimed at the Manager are pretty horrible but the players and fellow supporters also get similar insults. That is why the media can manipulate them. These people enjoy hating and the sounds of their own voices. The fact they can spare hours each day writing the same stuff shows they are obsessed with their own opinions and don’t have much else going on. Perfect individuals for the media to control.
I don’t really think it’s that hard to figure out why one story was written, while the other wasn’t. You write about the wine incident because it’s something people will be interested in reading. How did the wine get there? Who did it hit? What did the fan have to say about it?
Nobody is going to be overly interested in a fight that could have, but didn’t, happen because United fans were sitting too close to Arsenal fans. If a fight had actually broken out, it would have been written about. If the fans had thrown wine, it probably would have been written about. The fact that they irritated some people before quietly slinking out the door isn’t a story people are going to read though, unless it’s accompanied by a claude-like rant about the fans.
Or what type of wine was it? Hopefully not too fine a vintage if aimed at the Utd bench, that would be wasted on them, though perhaps not their ex manager.
Sorry, shocking incident, no place for such things at a football match and I shouldnt be making light of it.
The wine was thrown at the bench because Van Persie was there. It was Turncoat du Rhone.
Mr Attwood
Fan behaviour is a subject which can be debated forever and you will never get to a conclusion. The real issue with Arsenal is different. The real issue with Arsenal is not in the stands but in the pitch and on side lines.
On the side lines we have a manager, who has transformed the club and put is in the global map about a decade ago. but since then he has been firing blank. He doesnt realize that with every single pathetic loss , he is destroying his legacy, reputation and everything he built.
On the pitch we have a bunch of average players, who are so fragile mentally that, they lost hope after we fell behind. Even though there were about 30 mins to play. No body was moving. Giroud goal came at the very end. Players started to run again. but it was too late. our players are too good technically but very very very fragile mentally. This is our wrost start in 32 years.. I am not even that old…
I am sorry to say. but from Current Squad, apart from Ozil and Sanchez everybody is below Average. Jack is good, but he is not consistent.
Wenger knew that our defense is short and fragile. he should have bought a decent CB and DMF. He chose not to. Fans pay a fortune to watch such a pathetic display. We lost to the worst United side I have ever seen. His post match press conference was even more shocking. His time is up. He is a legend for the transformation he has done. but he has to leave now. He cannot be clinging to the power without accountability. 10 years and not PL. No manager, or for that matter no employee of any organization has been given so many chances to succeed.
Thank you Mr Wenger.
But please leave..
The wine incident creates a few clicks and avoids the obvious elephant in the room; Arsene Wenger and his ability or lack of it to push this club forward.
I get the sentimentality of those whom can’t yet wish him farewell. Personally I came to terms with that in 2008 or 09. Know this, you’re club is suffering from a lack leadership and shows no signs of relenting. In fact one could argue the storm is officially reaching hors category and headed towards hurricane strength. All the greats eventually must move on, Arsene apparently needs a whisper in the ear as he’s lost the ability to read the blatant writing on the wall. His days of being a cutting edge or effective are over. It’s damage control with us on half the points of the league leaders, off to our worst start since Chariots of Fire was up for an Academy Award.
Really not good enough for a club that has a higher wage bill than Chelsea.
@ashwin.
Don’t call yourself a Gunner. Reason: you are not one.
What do you mean? Jack and not consistent?? Define consistency. And I guess you don’t know what it is.
To show some consistency, a player should get some games under his belt. And thanks to dummies you call referees, wilsheres been in and out.
And all the worst for you and your fellow ‘please leave brigade’.
Keep hoping….. Not going to happen.
PS: why not support the team when it needs you the most. ie now.
Take the horse blinders off and open the mind… after all we have something in common. Arsenal. Thats more than most.
http://www.football365.com/john-nicholson/9577616/John-Nicholson
Ashwin. Your lack of football knowledge is clearly demonstrated by such tactical observations as:
“No body was moving. Giroud goal came at the very end. Players started to run again. but it was too late”
Fancy a job as a sports journalist?
Now to the actual facts:
Being as Arsenal were so poor, according to you and the Manager is to blame, perhaps you could also offer us your incredible insight and analysis into why we had 22 attempts on goal, 12 on target and 65% of possession while Man Utd only had 2 shots on target, De Gea was man of the Match, Rooney had less touches than De Gea. These facts do not suggest we deserved to lose and ‘players did not run’, do they?
Perhaps you could also use your football expertise to explain why it was Wengers fault that Jack Wilshere missed a sitter and Man Utd scored a goal created by a push by Fellaini on Gibbs.
We smashed Man Utd and did not deserve to lose. I agree Jack Wilshere missed a sitter, as easy a chance as you are going to see. That goal would have changed the game so early in the game. Wenger did not hit it at De Gea, it was Jack. Wenger gave the players the tactical basis to win that game, the proof is in the number of chances we created. Unfortunately, we have some idiot fans who blame the manager when we lose and the other team when we win..!
PS: Here is something to make you smile, it is written by a real football genius:
http://metro.co.uk/2013/08/30/tottenham-give-arsenal-a-lesson-in-transfers-theyve-lost-gareth-bale-but-built-a-squad-3942406/
@Ashwin you have posted much the same comments on both recent posts, regardless of their content. If you continue to do so you will be blocked and banned
Reving… come back to the Grove we miss you!
Dan i think you got it when u said:
“The special one realised some time ago to succeed in the EPL you must give into the dark-side, Wenger has never bowed down to the Dark over-lord Fungus”.
Firstly, I blame he manager for not having addressed issues which wehavw been facing at back, when he sold vermalaen he should have brought in a player, he fid not? Now defence is in shambles . Throwing away three goal lead is not clever management, if you guys don’t want to accept it so be it
I support Arsenal because it’s the team I love, I support the team , last time I checked it was Arsenal football club, not Arsene football club, I call spade a spade, If something is wrong then I say it us earring, wenger of all knew his squad and he blew it off by not buying. Cb and DMf
I respect Arsene for what he has done, but it’s time yo move on. The more he sticks, the more he is going yo look bad
And finally, I know I might get banned here as one of you suggested, but I think this is a blog,I am expressing my opinion, i am neither abusing anybody or taking rude, if you still think you can’t hear what I say, the you can go ahead and ban me,,,, atlest you will have like minded people here
By posting the same thing after each article you are breaking the rules Pedro.
I just read comments from Gary Neville saying that Liverpools problems are that they need a rest. I mean, its fucking laughable really. The treatment they get compared to Arsenal is just staggeringly different.
Also why do people keep using this Pete guy as their profile picture? Do you worship the guy? Its no coincidence that most the people with his picture and usually the ones coming out with the most senseless shit. This is the same clueless idiot who wrote an article about Spurs giving Arsenal a lesson in transfers. The fact that he writes for one of the worst sources of football news should set off alarm bells immediately. Anything that states “according to sources from The Metro” gets closed instantly.
Seriously you people should be embarrassed having his head as your profile picture. It like going on a forum dedicated to comedy and having Harry Hill as your picture. Wait that makes sens.. Your all doing it ironically arnt you?
lol shameless kev will u badmouth this site to0 and leave for new one?
Ha ha ha ha ha i just love the Arsenal,always proves the shitholes wrong but do they repent for their bullocks?? Guys don’t you think we will get Mike dean shit again with either chel$ea or Manure? So Arsenal as a club cannot do any thing about the robbery served with this gangster? I mean the club cannot even talk about it!What a pity being mugged by a thug and you cant fight back!! My kid is asking me a lot of questions of which i don’t have answers. I mean the swansea coach Gary Monk,do you remember the incidence where John Terry admitted of asking Phil shit Dowd to send off Chico Flores! Doesn’t the Emirates have cameras in the refs dressing rooms we might get something from mike shit dean ironing out his plans to one his juniors of how he did a good job for not flagging Felain on the offside and the push on gibbs,really there have to be something.