By Tony Attwood
I have put forward the argument several times that fans can influence a team, and that one of the simplest, easiest ways to bring your team down is to boo them, jeer them and criticise them publicly.
As we know, the jeering of Arsenal by Arsenal fans at Highbury really annoyed Herbert Chapman – indeed in all his writings and comments it is just about the only thing that he ever mentions as really deeply annoying him.
I’ve also mentioned Jack Kelsey before, and how he turned to the crowd at Highbury at one match when they were giving the slow hand clap (something that was common in the dire days of the early 60s) shouting at them to cut it out. Everyone did and those who believed in positive support cheered strongly.
Members of the championship winning team of 1952/3 were openly critical of the Arsenal support, and spoke of Arsenal having the worst support of any team in the country. Players walked from the club because of their treatment, and that was our last league win until 1971.
So clearly players know what is in the fans minds – and indeed if they knew it in the pre-digital age they certainly know it now when everyone can read what everyone else thinks.
And thus it was no surprise that Arsene Wenger said he was thankful to the two forceful renditions of “One Arsene Wenger” near the end of the Newcastle game. We had just won two games in a row 4-1 and put in two fine performances, after all and scored some magnificent goals all round – Podolski, Giroud, Ramsey, Santi – fantastic strikes. And the jibes and attacks from the AAA and their media allies (the latest being against Arsenal’s “primitive” training methods) had continued to rain down on the club.
Mr Wenger however was as always polite on the point (one might say the diametric opposite of Ian Wright of late – and I’ll come to that in a moment), saying, “Our job is to win football games and when we don’t do it I understand when they’re not happy.”
This little graphic traces Arsenal’s finishing in the top division since 1946 and shows the unparalleld consistency that Mr Wenger has brought to the club. We only have to look at some of the dips to see what we have been saved, we only have to look at the stadium to see what we have gained, and we only have to look at the amount of money that Chelsea, Man C and Man U have access to, to see what we are now competing against.
.
Olivier Giroud whose second goal was, I thought, utterly stunning, said, “It’s nice to hear the fans supporting the boss and it’s a fantastic night for us and we’re happy,
“It’s always the same when you’re losing, the first one in front of the criticism is the boss. We will always be all together, keep the faith, keep working hard. I think there’s no thoughts about changing the boss, because he’s still the man for the situation.”
So it all confirms that being negative about the club does harm the club, being positive makes the players feel better and encourages them.
Although quite where that leaves Ian Wright I am not sure.
He, of course, has a history of battling with fans, as when, for example on 13 December 1997 after the 1-3 home defeat by Blackburn he was warned by the police about his abusive behaviour towards a group of Arsenal fans who had been abusing him. That was in Match 18 of the 2nd Double season, and saw Arsenal in a position very similar to the one we are in now. 6th in the league and 13 behind the the leaders. It was (as was mentioned in the last post), the last defeat before the Double was achieved.
Its not just about helping the team or not, its more about a Legend living right now in the Emirates, a Legend with full dignity, honest, who holds high values and has high standards. I fthe fans, after all he has done to the club, cant respect him, then I dont know what ugly time are we living in. Am not asking those AAA to not ask him to leave, am asking to have the same manner as he does to them, and be respectful.
Our fans, in my opinion, love Arsenal more than any other teams, even Dortmund. Its just they are too classy it doesnt show. And when some little stupids make some noise, people will think the whole crowd turned on the man. Thank you fans in the stadium yesterday, who sang for the manager, no matter what your opinion in him was. This is the respect we shall have, this is why I loved Arsenal, and this shall continue tell this man is gone. Yesterday it showed that most of the crowd still love him. And that is enough, lets do it next game, and next…
Anyone who doubts the fickle nature of many of those who claim to support Arsenal, only have to read the comments on this site over a single season.
Support, particularly for the Manager, seems to change, for some, virtually from match to match…..season by season.
Lose a few games and his head is required on a charger. Win a few and he is a magician.
Nicky,
win, lose or draw…he’s always a magician for me
I could say that Ian Wright is either a hypocrite or just acutely lack self-awareness. But that will be a waste of words.
Ian Wright is just a dick.
Walking back to get my train last night I happened upon two fans unfurling the infamous ‘Wenger – time to go’ banner outside a pub in the Holloway Road. To say that they were roundly abused by the majority of passing fans would be an understatement.
Wenger’s assessment that such criticism comes from a tiny minority is probably spot on but it’s also true to say that there are also sheep-like followers (or should they be called lemmings) who seem to be dragged towards such illogical, knee-jerk abuse.
Social media can create a feeling of mass appeal or indeed unity which, when exposed to the cold light of a December, post match evening, can be exposed for what it is – an agenda driven, poorly thought out, publicity seeking rant.
Ian Wright is an Arsenal legend. He speaks his mind and won’t be silenced by the kind of person who tries to suppress others opinions (we know who they are).
He is negative on some aspects of Arsenal and positive on others, which is the only truthful position to take.
As for the booing of Wenger at the stadium it’s not something I would do but it’s also something that I will not criticise the fans for. It’s their right to do so.
Wenger is spot on when he says he is there to win football matches and because it’s Arsenal he should have added trophies. If he wins games, great. If not, get another job.
Firstly, thank you for the nice read, Tony. I follow this blog regularly now & have commented on a few articles in the past. Coming to the point on hand, I doubt there is such a thing as ‘Anti Arsenal Arsenal’ or the AAA as they have become popular. According to me, there are some fans who wear their emotions on their sleeve. And considering the magic AW has woven over the past so many years, their expectations are at the highest. Plus these set of individuals tend to get swayed by the media tidbits. We have a set of groups who are constantly jealous & would like to see our downfall. We should be careful not to get swayed by their words. Of course we don’t realise that a lot happens behind the scenes too and what we get to see is a virtual movie. The end result mostly. During the defeat to Stoke even I was disappointed. Blamed our transfer policy. Still do today. But I’m glad that Wenger has acknowledged that fact and will set to correct it rather than a bandage approach. Arsenal fans are and continue to remain passionate. Lets not break up the fan base into groups. Ultimately we all want Arsenal to flourish and lead the way. COYG… always!
Nicky,
I am proud to echo Walter on this: Arsene Wenger is it for me at all times whatever the result.
Arsene Fucking Knows Best!|
Jayramfootball wrote:
“As for the booing of Wenger at the stadium it’s not something I would do….”
No you wouldn’t. That is too classy and pro-Arsenal for you. You would rather be wishing that Arsenal lose matches badly so that Arsene Wenger can get sacked.
Tony/Walter,
Why would comments like mine @12.17pm go into moderation?
You might want to reset your criteria for sending comments into moderation.
@insideright – that is really good to hear.
You are never quite sure where the majority sit, but if the idiot troublemakers are receiving (verbal) abuse then it is well-deserved. They must not be allowed to drag down our great club.
@Boo – probably because there is something in the site algorithm that puts your comments into moderation within 60 minutes of Jayram posting! But I am looking forward to your usual reminder for the unwary of his less savoury posts elsewhere…
And haven’t heard from Bill from Manhattan recently. Missing him!
And I’ve just gone into moderation as well…
Fuck the AAAAA ! Fuck all those players who have turned against the club .
Ian Wright was a Highbury legend – let us leave our memory of him buried there ! He was someone from the past , let us move on .
Some of the articles in our local newspapers that were penned by him were appalling to say the very least . And I don’t even read the British newspapers .
No statue of him ,please . At Highbury maybe. Or maybe a mural that rotten ( or fresh )tomatoes can be thrown at ?
Very good win yesterday, equally good post today from you Tony. The guys and their manager deserve to be commended for that result.
People who still want Wenger out after yesterday are entitled to their opinion. Yes, of course they do. They will never know the joys we have who always support the team AND the manager, come rain or shine. It is the way it is. I wont waste my time trying to understand why they are that way.
@Jayramfootball,
Wright is an Arsenal legend, byt Wenger is a greater legend! 😉
An old friend sent me this and am sharing it with you , my UA family . This may not really be off topic !
CHINESE ADVICE TO 50-YEAR OLDS & OLDER
Because none of us have many years to live, and we can’t take along anything when we go, so we don’t have to be too thrifty…
Spend the money that should be spent, enjoy what should be enjoyed, donate what you are able to donate, but don’t leave all to your children or grandchildren, for you don’t want them to become parasites who are waiting for the day you will die!!
Don’t worry about what will happen after we are gone, because when we return to dust, we will feel nothing about praises or criticisms. The time to enjoy the worldly life and your hard earned wealth will be over!
Don’t worry too much about your children, for children will have their own destiny and should find their own way. Don’t be your children’s slave. Care for them, love them, give them gifts but also enjoy your money while you can. Life should have more to it than working from the cradle to the grave!!
Don’t expect too much from your children. Caring children, though caring, would be too busy with their jobs and commitments to render much help.
Uncaring children may fight over your assets even when you are still alive, and wish for your early demise so they can inherit your properties and wealth.
Your children take for granted that they are rightful heirs to your wealth; but that you have no claims to their money.
50-year old like you, don’t trade in your health for wealth by working yourself to an early grave anymore… Because your money may not be able to buy back your health…
When to stop making money, and how much is enough (hundred thousands, million, ten million)?
Out of thousand hectares of good farm land, you can consume only three quarts (of rice) daily; out of a thousand mansions, you only need eight square meters of space to rest at night.
So, as long as you have enough food and enough money to spend, that is good enough. You should live happily. Every family has its own problems. Just do not compare with others for fame and social status and see whose children are doing better, etc., but challenge others for happiness, health, enjoyment, quality of life and longevity…
Don’t worry about things that you can’t change because it doesn’t help and it may spoil your health.
You have to create your own well-being and find your own place of happiness. As long as you are in good mood and good health, think about happy things, do happy things daily and have fun in doing, then you will pass your time happily every day.
One day passes without happiness, you will lose one day.
One day passes with happiness, and then you gain one day.
In good spirit, sickness will cure; in a happy spirit, sickness will cure faster; in high and happy spirits; sickness will never come.
With good mood, suitable amount of exercise, always in the sun, variety of foods, reasonable amount of vitamin and mineral intake, hopefully you will live another 20 or 30 years of healthy life of pleasure.
Above all, learn to cherish the goodness around… and FRIENDS… They all make you feel young and “wanted”… without them you may surely feel lost!!
Newcastle rolled over !
http://www.gocomics.com/wumo
I think that some interesting reading material for the bored / retired / curious Arsenal fan would be –
“Social Psychology in Sport” by Jones, Bray & Lavallee, especially chapter 8 “Impact of an Audience on Sports Performers”.
The studies are actually very interesting and not one-sided as one would have thought.
@ insideright December 14, 2014 at 11:35 am – Your lemmings reference reference reminded me of this joke.
When the end comes for the AAAAA ….will they do it voluntarily or would we have to push them ?
http://www.gocomics.com/wumo/2013/10/27
Scary campfire stories – remember those ?
http://www.gocomics.com/wumo/2013/11/09
Khan wrote:
“During the defeat to Stoke even I was disappointed. Blamed our transfer policy. Still do today. But I’m glad that Wenger has acknowledged that fact and will set to correct it rather than a bandage approach.”
There are 2 problems in the quoted lines.
1. How is the Stoke loss the result of our transfer policy? It is easy to throw statements like this out but shouldn’t they make sense or be evidence based? Our first 2 conceded goals came from Gibbs not preventing the crosses. Were you clamouring for Wenger to replace Gobbs as our left back? I am not picking on Gibbs for our loss. Gibbs is one of our most dependable defenders and shit happens in football. We played badly in that first half and no one can deny that but we also played badly in the first 10 minutes of the FA cup final and indeed many games games every season. Each game is different and the problem is not always as simple as “our transfer policy”.
What changed about “our transfer policy” 3 matches before and since last weekend game at the Britannia stadium because we won 3 straight games with clean sheets before and have now won 2 games by 3 goals margin after the 3-2 loss at Stoke?
2. Where did Wenger “acknowledged” that “our transfer policy” policy is responsible for the loss at Stoke and “and will set to correct it rather than a bandage approach.”? I follow Arsenal and Arsene very closely and if I missed the quote from the man himslef, kindly provide a link to the source.
You sound like you mean well Khan, but your comment is no different from those “emotional” fans you described in your comment.
Is it too much to ask that criticisms of the team and manager be fair, honest and fact and reality based?
Pete,
I wonder too because there is nothing in my comment that should warrant moderation. If Tony and Walter are protecting 2-faced traitors like Jayramfootball then that is just sad.
It’s indeed been a long time since we last heard from Bill from Manhattan. I hope he is alright and that life is treating him kindly. It will be nice to hear from him again.
On the issue of Moderation:
It is completely impossible for us to watch the site all the time, since all of us at Untold have jobs, families and friends – and need to sleep sometimes.
So we use do our best and moderate as much as we can, but also use automatic systems. This site is powered by WordPress which is about the most common such program for blogs, and it has a lot of features that can and have been added to this effect, but it comes with glitches and issues, and there is no way we can ever get it right.
One of the problems is that we have a set of words which cause texts to go into moderation – but some of these words can be used quite innocently. Indeed I can think of an English town name which, if you type it in, will put you into moderation. So perfectly decent reasoned texts can indeed go into moderation
So I openly admit we don’t get this right, but at the same time I would ask that no matter what provocation anyone gives that we all reply with decency and good humour.
If you find a post offensive please email Tony.Attwood@aisa.org and I will look, and more than likely, take action. It may not be immediate, but it will happen, and if the individual is particularly offensive that person will be put into permanent moderation or banned – so although I may not solve the issue for today’s discussion I will resolve it for future discussions.
If you spot anyone saying anything which if said face to face would be a criminal offence in England (such as homophobia or a threat of violence next time one is seen at the stadium) then please copy it and post it to me, and I will hand it over to the police, complete with every detail of this person and their address. The authorities have made it easy for all bloggers to do this, and we do make use of the facilities.
But I would urge that if you fundamentally disagree with a person you show your own personal superiority to the people you disagree with by being polite and not using abusive language. Being abusive back doesn’t help, in my personal view.
I’ll add one other thing on moderation – if you look at the next article on the man from row 9 you’ll see that there is a disagreement among those running Untold over the use of the photo of the individual, on the site.
The fact that we are debating the point should show you how seriously we take the running of this site – we really aren’t just letting things run haphazardly. but the site is very popular indeed, and so it is difficult to control.
This Cesc love in by Ian wright or anyone else really annoys me. I have it on good authority that Cesc was never intending to re join us, just clever spin and keeping options open on his part. Chelsea were offering two hundred grand a week and he decided to join them. He is maybe a bit like the aaa, mesmerised by Jose.or maybe he wants to be able to play and have refs protect him.The first option clause means nothing if the player wants something else. Maybe wenger knew these intentions when he bought ozil. Both Jose, and more subtly, wenger have confirmed this assumption, if the diverse entities that are Jose and wenger agree on something, there must be something in it! This may not make comfortable threading for arsenal fans, but I believe it to be true, he did not want to come back to us. Cesc has confirmed that wenger used to be in touch with him all the time, but has not been since he joined Chelsea, what does that say?
Cesc was a wonderful player for us, but I concur with the widely held view that he behaved badly in his last year, after arsenal refused his Barca move the summer before. Some even believe he effectively threatened to go on strike. The club refused him to put a farewell to the fans on the official site.
For all the annoyance over RVP, Bac and to a lesser extent nasri, they put in a hundred percent right to their very last game, can not always say the same for Cesc.
Ian wright and others need to get over Cesc, and concentrate on supporting those who replaced him. Ultimately, Cesc has let the club and manager down, and not just once.
Not all love stories have happy endings, sometimes you just have to move on and find a new love.
@Bootoomee
W.r.t my points, I was highlighting issues regarding our backline.
We were fielding two 19 year olds on the right side(Calum & Hector), with the left side relatively stornger but BFG clearly not comfortable. The inexperience showed and we suffered in the first half. I’m sure AW clearly didn’t have this in mind when the transfer season ended. However, with the loaning of Carl, Bacary on a free & Thomas sold to FCB, we found ourselves wanting & depleted on that end & matters got worse when Debuchy got injured against City. Many a times Wenger has agreed that we will target a defender & maybe a DM in the coming transfer window. This is why I firmly believe that justice wasnt done to the backline during the transfer window. If we did have a stronger & more experienced backline, probably we would have knocked the stuffing out of the home team at Brittania!
As for my second point, I said that I still think we are weak at the back line even today, inspite of our brilliant performance last night(Of course guys like Hector 7 Debuchy have stepped up brilliantly to the task while BFG was a calming influence there) we are still shaky at the backline. And after the match, AW did indeed acknowledge the necessity of an extra CB and that we would be targetting the same, come January.(Check the post match interview)
Once we buy a good experienced CB & a neat DM, we are well on our way to the top 3 or possibly 2!
Of course, Bootoomee, I’m sure, everyone of us in this blog only means well for our team. Just the way we project it is different, bud!
Sound familiar ?
‘Who says we are not exercise fanatics ?
Fitness routine –
We ‘jump’ to conclusions .
We ‘throw’ our weight around.
We ‘twist’ the truth.
We ‘stretch’ the lies.
We ‘bend’ the rules .
We ‘push’ our luck.
We ‘lift’ our egos .
We ‘run’ from tough situations.
We are absolutely fit !
BUT ,we are fat because we eat our words very often !”
(And the AAAAA are fatter still because they are ‘full ‘ of it !
@Mandy Dodd,
Agree entirely with your remarks regarding Cesc’s last season at Arsenal. Very much like Thierry, his mind was elsewhere and I think that most of us were not too unhappy at both the departures.
Mandy Dodd,
I cannot agree with you more on Cesc. I absolutely loved that guy and I must confess that I feel like a jilted lover every time I see him in Chelsea shirt. But he made his decision and we must all live with it. The navel gazing is ridiculous and nothing but another opportunity for people like wright to show their hatred for Arsene Wenger, whether deserved or not.
I am one of those who wanted Cesc back but I blame no one but Cesc himself for ending up at Chelsea, no matter what transpired on his second premiership return. If he hadn’t forced a departure, a return wouldn’t have been necessary and ‘clueless’ Wenger wouldn’t have ‘botched’ it.
Cesc plays for Chelsea now, it is time to let go.
A lot is said about booing and abusing AW. Personally I would not call anyone from my team names, but used to shout and scream at the TV, but I think effing idiot what the maximum I would go. Now that my 7 yr old watches with me, even saying the word stupid is a bit too much. But going to the individual who abused AW, lets put ourselves in his shoes. He like most of the fans here travel home and away, spend a lot of time and money. How would he / they vent their frustration? Does the club get back to their answers? I would really likes to know because if the club ignores issues like this, it boils, boils and then explodes like what happened at Stoke. its bound to happen again. Anyone here has asked questions to the club and have they given an honest proper answer? Not the typical evasive answers.
Think Thierry is a good comparison Nicky. Bootoomee, agree, not great seeing him in a Chelsea shirt…….and this really has unfortunately given the wenger critics a lot of ammunition, but wenger has class, and has not said too much on the subject, when I am sure he could easily have done so and possibly disarmed a few critics.
For those in the area, would thoroughly recommend a tour with a club legend……have done a couple of them, those guys sometimes tell you some interesting off the record stuff….or at least in my experience!
Strange how he gets off a lot easier than RVP, nasri et al though, think Cesc is quite a clever and shrewd guy. I am sure he has find feelings for the club and wenger, but…….
He who pays the piper dictates the tune – comes to mind whenever I listen to Ian Wright and the same applies to all of his media colleagues.
In some ways it is more of a reflection of those that employ them than the tools (some more willing than others) they use to put their message across.
Bootomee I thought it was Arsene that made the decision not to sign Cesc.
Regarding Cesc… I likened his leaving to Henry and stated my disappointment with Henry on Untold. It felt like a betrayal. I could no longer see Cesc or Henry in the same way, especially going to Barca since we have such a history of losing players to them.
I thought this opinion would be understood on Untold, but it surprisingly wasn’t. The common response was in defense of Henry. Not that I blame people for defending him. He was great for us. I just couldn’t see either him it Cesc in the same way again. However, Henry didn’t go to Chelsea as well. He’s a lot easier to forgive.
Correction: him or Cesc in the same way again.
After the singing at the Newcatle game, there’s quite a bit been said about how fickle Arsenal fans are, and I whole-heartedly agree. Not so long ago it was boos and Wenger Out. Maybe it’s not ust Arsenal fans, but people in general, seeing as we live in an instant gratification world.
Why can’t ‘fans’ cheer when the team isn’t doing well; isn’t that the whole idea of *supporting* a team, to lift them with your cheering when things aren’t going well? I’m just sick of Arsenal ‘fans’.
“If you can’t support us when we draw or lose, don’t support us when we win.”
Tony Adams
@TommieGun, that book sounds very interesting, can you give us a summary of what it says, or even write an article for Untold.
Tony nice to see you finally dealt with the regular abuse merchant on this site – The Team yesterday answered all the questions asked of them over the last few weeks lets hope it’s the start of a great run – very sad at the lack of respect for Ian Wright by some misguided fearful fans , he is passionate about the club and entitled to his his opinion .
Would be great to see an Interview from Wrighty here hope he get in touch . !!
Gooneress No1,
I have no of the whole saga. I am only a mere supporter of the club so when it comes to the insider details of what goes on in or how the club is wrong, I am totally clueless.
Having said that, common sense dictates that if Cesc had not forced a move to leave us in the first place, Wenger wouldn’t have been able to ‘decide against’ re-signing him.
I must confess though that it sounds more sexy and fashionable to blame this on Wenger. All the cool kids are doing it!
IRONY ALERT!!!
Ian wright can call Arsenal fans “prized wankers” because “he is passionate about the club and entitled to his his opinion” but Arsenal fans who give it back in kind are “misguided fearful(?) fans who lack respect for Ian wright” and their actions “saddens” the sanctimonious bullshitter who doesn’t give a damn about the fans’ entitlement to their opinions.
Oh, how the hypocrites are exposed!
I’m not bothered that we didn’t get Cesc back because we don’t need him. We have other great players who are doing the job. I care about the players who are playing for us now.
This is one of the features of the genius of Arsene Wenger – that he takes each team of players and makes it into an Arsenal team of his type. A team like the team that has given us these two last great matches and all those fantastic goals.
“misguided fearful” if the cap fits where it
@ Mandy
Very interesting to hear your information “on good authority” re Fabregas not rejoining us. Putting together the comments by Mourinho and by Wenger, I had suspected something of the sort you outline. Although I liked Fabregas as a footballer, I though the “Barca DNA” stuff a fanciful excuse for just wanting a move. Whether he decided not to join Arsenal again, or whether Wenger made the decision not to exercise the option, on balance I’m glad he didn’t come back, irrespective of his current success at Chelsea.
I can understand many posters not wanting Fabregas back because of the way he left for barcelona ,but to say that we dont need him is just sheer stupidity.He is the best centre midfielder in the premier league at the moment and would of made a massive difference to us.With him in the squad ,a top no nonsence dcm and another centre back we could be up there challenging for major honours instead of fighting for the 4th place trophy again.
Q: Why should you not play sports in the jungle?
A: There are too many cheetahs!
Q: What lights up a football stadium?
A: A football match.
Q: What kind of tea do football players drink?
A. PenalTea!
Q. What runs around a football field but doesn’t move?
A: A fence
Q. What do you get if you cross a football player and a mythical puppet?
A: A centaur forward.
A selection from PrettyTough.com, edited to not be North American.
Nick Lee
You don’t agree with a thing this site stands for.
Yesterday you came here saying exactly what you’ve just posted again, and virtually nobody agreed with you.
An analogy:
You are like a jazz fan at a rock concert.
You don’t like the music.
You don’t like the guys playing it.
You jeer at every song played.
You get pelters from the Rock fans that do like it, and who are fed up with your constant heckling.
But you’ve come back.
a)Why would you do that?
b)What do you expect to happen?
c)Do you think you are so wise that we’re all going to somehow cede to your obvious superior wisdom?
Honestly, I just don’t get it.
So please answer me this question.
Why are you here again?
So many positives to take from the game – the same the spirit seen at Galatasary.
We looked cohesive, the two CBs sat deeper yet moved the ball quickly to midfield who constantly sprang attacks. Santi was a demon and it looked as though we had twice as many in midfield with Welbeck and Sanchez constantly dropping back to harass Newcastle.
As noted on Thursday, an absurd amount of enforced rotation seems to focus everyone, a sort of hyper awareness sets in – the players instinctively know they must cover each other and work as a team so contribute their best.
Everyone deserves credit but I want to give a shout out to two.
The last two games Bellerin has done really well after a pressure-filled senior debut which must have sapped confidence. A couple more games under his belt and he could really find his feet in a Chambers-like manner. Kudos for him for showing such character.
Finally, man, I love Danny Welbeck.
Constant work, pulls defenses around, barely ever gives the ball away or puts a foot wrong. His swept pass near the end of the game was sublime (Niall Quinn commentating waxed lyrical). In spite of having a (good) goal disallowed, then later winning the penalty, he gave the penalty to Santi without question. I am sure this is team orders but Danny exudes ‘team first’ every game and the idea he did not demand to take the penalty says it all.
Hemm
Got to agree about both Bellerin and Danny.
Regarding Danny Boy.
I must admit I was not over excited in the Summer when it became clear we was getting him.
As a player I’d not seen anything to suggest he would add much to what we already had.
As an individual somehow I’d got the impression he was just another ‘diving’ ‘cheating’ Manc !!…….But, if he was good enough Wenger, then I was ready willing and able to give him my full support…….after all he was now a GOONER !!
But wow!!! the guy is a revelation.
A grafter, talented, and as you say, a real team player.
And to me, the icing on the cake, he seems like a real real nice guy.
Another Gooner to be proud of.
And yet another case of AKB, and what do I know?
Agree, Danny worked his socks off yesterday, just like every other day. Him and Alexis will wear many a defence off this season, they just don’t stop running. And they were both involved in two goals each, even though Danny had a perfectly legal goal chalked off. I said yesterday was one of the hardest matches to choose a man of the match for me(not sure who sky made motm?); these two’s running and goal contributions, the two goal scorers themselves, Bellerin…, it was difficult.
Bellerin’s mazy run through the middle of the Newcastle defence with the ball was a standout moment for me, that boy is something else. And there were other standout moments too; like Danny’s sweeping pass and Alexis’s looking one way while passing the other way. Anyone who wasn’t pleased by yesterday’s performance will not be happy with anything else.
Surely the people who run football in this country realise they are scaring world class stars from coming to the premiership when they see how the likes of Sanchez and Ozil are kicked and getting career threatening tackles each game. Why would anyone want to come and get hacked like that but thugs such as Charlie Adam when they can go and rub shoulders with the world’s best in la liga or the bundesliga?
Yesterday, after the fourth or fifth brutal tackle on Sanchez that went unpunished, niall quinn laughed it off saying something like he will have heard that the premiership is physical and now he will know what it’s all about. And he sounded very proud to say that. This is legalising thuggery on the pitch hiding under the banner of the league being physical, and why should we be proud of that? This isn’t rugby FFS. Like someone asked earlier, what will it take for someone to get sent off for a bad tackle on Sanchez? And please let’s not get us started on this Wenger should do something about it nonsense.
Lets not forget Quinn has form on this.
He was the studio guest that defended the thug that in all reality ended Diabys career on the fateful day at the Stadium of light.
Listening to the MU commentary on Talkshite on the way home from work I heard the commentator mention how he questioned Wenger about Sanchez waving the imaginary yellow card.
Says it all.
They Could’nt give a shit that a player is constantly being assaulted (and we all know where that can end.) No lets have a moan about those nasty imaginary yellows.
Mind boggling, simply mind boggling.
why is it that when arsenal win convincingly, its always because “the opposition is poor” or “the scoreline is flattering”, blah blah blah! and yet when chelsea or man city beat the same team, by the same scoreline, they are the “best team on the planet”, according to these experts?…..could it not be possible that the reason why newcastle “were too poor” was because arsenal was so good they made their opposition “look poor”?……given that this is the newcastle team that just last week defeated the “invincible” chelsea?,who surely, must be high on confidence, who, according to these same pundits were supposed to “easily trouble our makeshift back four” and walk away with the points because arsenal has “injury crisis”?, which suggests the rest of our players, apart from those injured, are logs of wood?and when this was’nt happening on the pitch, these experts, that were so “disappointed that newcastle was playing so poorly” and not “exposing” our ” inexperienced makeshift defence”……. conveniently forgeting that the reason why they werent “easily troubling our makeshift back four” was because arsenal was playing well and defending as a team, thus shielding the back four?.may i also remind of this “complete” team built by mourinho, chelsea, which,as you will recall, now have a “genius” controlling their midfield. this “genius” who argueably “could be the best midfielder that ever played in the premier league”…according to these stupid “experts”, is no other than cesc fabregas, former arsenal captain, who, when he was doing the same thing, with SEVERAL other fabregasses on the arsenal team, he was seen by these same experts as being just “talented”?Now, i have no issues with cesc, he is a talented player no doubt, else, how could he have played for arsenal or captained the team? the point is he was certainly not the most talented or creative arsenal player and he most certainly can not become “overnight”, the best creative midfielder in the premier league. simply because he changed the colour of his jersey? ……..ridiculous!lesson from all this?…i never take the opinions of these so called experts on arsenal seriously because you can see, they are haters, but i never really could understand how an arsenal fan, could share the same myopic views.
Jampot.
I thought this was a website where we can debate the topics of everything arsenal.We all LOVE THE CLUB but disagree with the direction the club is going and the way its run.That doesn’t always make you right and me wrong and vice verca. There are a dozen other websites like this one but aren’t as totally biassed.I have offered an opinion on the squad and because it differs from yours doesnt make me wrong.More and more fans are seeing our managers massive flaws and realise that he isnt the one to take us to the next level which is challenging for major honours,which is surely what we all want at arsenal.
@ Nick Lee
December 15, 2014 at 1:41 pm
What ‘massive flaws’? Tell us more about the ‘massive flaws’ of our manager, please.
Colario you might not think the best manager on the planet has any weaknesses but i think he has a few.
1.His inability to strengthen parts of the team that need it(a defender and dcm were needed at the beginning of the summer transfer window and we still need one now.
2.Setting his team out to play the same way no matter how the opposition play.
3.He is unable to motivate the team from the dugout and will just sit there and watch the game slip by.
4.He doesnt make substitutions based on the way the game is panning out unless miraculously every game needs a substitution on 69 minutes.
5.He doesnt rotate his players dependant on what team we are playing and runs certain players into the ground.Players like campbell,podolski and rosicky are prime examples.
6.He neglects the defensive side of the game .
7.His biggest flaw of all is unwillingness to spend when its needed,ie in the summer but most importantly last january when we needed to strengthen and push on he brought in a freeby on loan who was already injured.
It is really hard to believe that Ian Wright ‘loves Arsenal’ when you listen to the absolute negative pap he often comes out with.
He is better employed hosting quiz shows or whatever he last did on TV.
@Bootoomee.
I would politely suggest that the reason my comments do not go into moderation – as you seem to think they should – is that I don’t say anything that needs to be moderated. Simple really. I would guess that comments that just attack others are more likely to be moderated.
I think you should let go of your hate campaign – it only looks bad on you.
Jayramfootball
For bootoomee it may be hate, I didn’t read enough of them. For me it is different. If you put on one face to come to Untold, and put on a different face to go elsewhere, I want nothing to do with you. There is no way I can trust anything you write. It is part of what autism has done to me.
Gord
That’s fine, I don’t need you to have anything to do with me, nor do I need your trust.
In terms of faces, anyone who even tries to suggest they don’t put on multiple faces depending on the situation is a liar.
Whether an interview, a wedding, a speech you have to make, a presentation, a party to attend, a dinner , whatever, we all wear a veil and are never ever truly open and transparent. As I have said I will NOT speak my mind fully on here because it is not allowed. I will comment on the articles.
I will maintain that I both love Ian Wright AND disagree with him on his point about the fans booing. I guess that is two faced also.
Or wait, maybe the world just is not as black and white as that. Maybe at least