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By Tony Attwood
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From the P.A. News Agency…
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Press Association Sport understands reports the Poland keeper [Szczesny] was banned and fined following a dressing room bust-up after the 2-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at Southampton on New Year’s Day are incorrect.
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So there we are. One day it was true, now it turns out it was all made up. Just like 99% of the transfer stories printed in our last article. But that didn’t stop the Telegraph publishing this…
The Polish goalkeeper will be punished for allegedly having a cigarette in the showers after Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Southampton
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So is that more true than the last story? Or just as untrue? How do we know?
Well, on the balance of probabilities given what the papers have been publishing thus far this year, both stories are made up.
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The problem of course for the press is that they have an agenda, and stories outside that agenda can’t be used. So they have resolutely ignored the latest twist and turn in the refereeing world, as they ignore the thought that there might be anything wrong with refereeing in this country, or that further exposes on Barcelona might be worthwhile.
So the number of stories they can cover is reduced. But Arsenal knocking is high on the agenda, so if there is a rumour that knocks Arsenal, (possibly spread by the same person who did the rumour that the man who confronted Mr Wenger after the Southampton game being an Arsenal supporter who had snuck into the home end) then spreading it is a good idea.
And the problem for the press is that by and large the news for Arsenal is quite good.
First off, we most certainly can sign players if we want to without worrying about FFP, and our wounded are coming back.
Theo for example played quite well on Sunday – not at his old standard of course (not after a year out) – but still a good contribution that had the Hull defence disorientated, what with Sanchez being on the other side of the pitch, and either of them ready to trot into the middle and let fly.
Now Giroud has finished his self-imposed three match holiday, he’ll be back to take on the Rugby Boys on Sunday – exactly the sort of combative forward you want for such a game. Danny Welbeck might also be available – which is difficult because that means four forwards. One will be on the bench ready for the substitution on the hour.
And here’s a thing, Mesut Ozil is ready to play as well, although whether the first game back should be against the public face of the Naughty Forty I am not sure.
As for midfield, Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey might both be ready. I’d play Flamini against any team of elbows and kicks, but Ramsey, like Theo and Ozil might need a little protection.
And we’ve got Zelalem, Maitland-Niles and Akpom coming through – I can’t remember the last time when we had three youngsters of such talent, trying to push their way in. Not for this match of course, but they are arriving fast.
So those are the good stories – although they are not getting much attention.
What gets all the attention are wild rumours about who we might and might not sign. Latest to join the throng are the tales about signing another keeper, and about us buying Suarez from Barcelona.
Now that last one is interesting because Barce are hardly likely to be selling when a) they are having a Presidential election, and b) they can’t buy any replacements. Given that they are funded by Qatar they don’t have any problems with funding, so why sell Suarez? What’s the point?
But point or no, this doesn’t stop the rumours from churning themselves out to fill more and more blogs. Talking about Arsenal and utilising anything even vaguely reminiscent of a untruth, has become the order of the day.
What disturbs me the most, I guess, is what this says about the way that these blog and newspaper publishers think of their audience. Clearly they think that the readership have the memory of a goldfish and the insight of a lama when they put these stories out. The Telegraph, for example, today have the headline, “Barcelona’s youth teams are scarily good…” which might well be the truth, but surely it is still worth pointing out how they illegally assembled these youth teams.
On the other hand they are getting quite good at picking up the pieces through their recently appointed sports social media editor – a nice title for someone who reads Twitter a lot.
Their latest is on Krystian Bielik whom they tell us is a defensive midfielder, 6ft 2ins tall, but (the Telegraph fears) he is too light for the Premier League. (A bit like Zelalem then).
He is also the youngest player to play in the Europa League this season, playing while 16. He’s played five times for his club and three times for Poland under 17s, and it seems he sits in front of the back four and sets out the pace of play combined with the odd surging run.
So that’s ok. We’ve just signed Patrick Vieira II.
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- After 16 games shouldn’t Arsenal be doing better than this?
Sadly most of the public do believe all of these rumours. You only have to take a look at some of the articles and comments on blogs like JustArsenal to confirm that. I seriously cannot understand how these people are tricked into think we are getting such and such, year after year!
I don’t mind these media muppets throwing names on the table and doing a proper analysis what this or that player could do for Arsenal. I have a managerial mind, attitude and approach to Arsenal and the football world in general. I enjoy the names linked to Arsenal and doing my own little “research” and wondering how certain player would fit in to Arsenal. Financially, considering his squad status and planning for long-term thinking about possible players rising up from the Academy.
I really hate when the media muppets start spreading lies about “linked” players (dozens of players interest Arsenal, shouldn’t be a surprise) and especially writing and talking rubbish about transfer fees and wages. I certainly haven’t seen any player or transfer contract and I’m 100% confident neither have any of these media muppets. Until the finances are completely transparent as in the REAL sports NHL hockey, the numbers should not be mentioned at all in the media. We all know the professional footballers at the high level earn too much money, but any kind of guessing should be removed in the media.
I wish one day the football media corporations would recruit smart, intellectual people with language and business skills and understanding of the football world. People who watch at least 15-20 matches every week from around the world and have desire to study football at all levels: finances, regulations, the laws of the game, crime behind the scenes etc. At the moment most of the football media stories are made for the casual pretending “football fans”. There is a great demand around the world for high quality football stories and publications. There’s a massive niche for some people even earn their living.
Powerslave
“There is a great demand around the world for high quality football stories and publications.”
That may or may not be true, but the sad fact is there’s an even bigger demand for the type of brain dead bollocks we currently get force fed in the media.
For some inexplicable reason it seems to be what people like to read.
Depressing really.
A modern bedtime story…..
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000ZsA.0tDXg30/s/900/720/British-Royalty-Cartoons-Punch-1991-07-10-9-2.jpg
During the last transfer window ,there were bargains galore…
http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article3934673.ece/alternates/s510b/BtyGU4ZIAAEyUxo.jpg
One player who I pressed me as having a terrific potential was Moise Mbende, he is a Cameroon youth international who played for Dirtmund in the Eufa Youth League against Arsenal. A positive giant of a player aged 18 with good speed and the ability to get the ball into the net. Fortunately the twice he did it against our U19s were both from offside positions. A name to keep an eye out for in a year or two.
Oh I hate the way my tablet changes my correct spelling to something totally different! I was impressed by Mbende.
The level of madness in the press is unbelievable; from Sczesney’s dad blaming Per (one wonders where the press located Schez’s dad, did they have to hunt him down all the way to Poland?) to the number of potential signings. It’s crazy. Anyone who believes this nonsense needs their head examined.
I have some concerns over Sunday’s game against Stoke.
At the very time we have the odd returnee from the sick bay, we are confronted by GBH Shawcross and the grotesque Crouch, the use of whose arms resemble a demented octopus. And there are others probably recruited from Rugby League.
In the continuing absence of referee protection and Vieira, Petit, Keown and Co long gone, this is not a game for Walcott, Ozil and the like.
I would start with a fit Flamini and on receipt of his yellow, put Coquelin on. There will be a place for Giroud but no red mist, please.
The home fans also have a part to play….
nicky
How are Stoke refereed? Well depends on who they are playing really. I thought I’d make a comparison with the obvious choice, Manchester United.
This season:
Man Utd V Stoke
STOKE:
13 fouls….4 Yellows
1 Booking every 3 fouls
Arsenal V Stoke (Last Season)
15 fouls….2 Yellows
1 booking every 7.5 fouls
Well over twice as lenient at the Em’s than at OT. No surprise there then. My hopes are not high that they will be treated any more firmly this weekend.
NB: In the interests of balance I will say this. I also looked at how United where treated at Stoke on there last visit, to see how it compared to how we where treated, and it turns out they got as bad a deal as we did. Basically as in our game, Stoke got away with murder:
Stoke committed 18 fouls for 2 bookings, a ridiculous 1 booking for every 9 fouls.
Man Utd Committed just 7 fouls for there 2 bookings.
That is actually worse than we got.
But guess what……yep United lost as well.
It seems even united cant be kicked ruthlessly of the park and win.
And these ‘little’ clubs get picked on.
It seems Stoke where treated with a firm hand at OT, the issue will be, will Stoke try the same at the Em’s as they did at the Britannia and more importantly if they do will they be treated with the same firm hand they where treated with at OT. I fear not.
Giroud, I am sure preferred Paris in the New Year?
I just would like to add that lest we forgot, this was NOT FERGIES United that got a kicking at the Britannia, this was a Moyes United, already out of the title race and being un characteristically mauled in the media.
I doubt very much this ever happened under Fergies tenure.
Jambug are you suggesting that Manu under Fergerson got preferenatial treatment I find that hard to believe.
Gunnerjoe
Nay nay and thrice nay !! Perish the thought 🙂
@Jambug & Others,
Now you can see why I’m concerned.
The game between Stokes and Chelsea may be instructive. Stoke started rough and physical but Chelsea did not give an inch; they returned the favour with their own brand of aggressive physical play. The game soon settled down to a decent level with less of the physical hot-stuff. But, with Arsenal, perhaps the ref will not allow us to hold our own in the area of robust physical play. Yet, the only way forward appears to be not to back down, stand up to Stoke and yet manage to play our game. A tall order but, what else can we do.
Phew! I nearly lost my fate in football results being untainted Jambug
greencardusa
“A tall order but, what else can we do.”
Try to keep 11 players on the park would be the first priority I would of thought.
Well, apart from going 3 nil up after ten minutes that is 🙂
Gunnerjoe
I’m happy to of restored your faith my friend.
Let put in another two footed tackle in stoppage time and keep doing every time we play Stoke.
@greencardusa,
In the Stoke – Chelsea game, Stoke received 3 yellow cards for 11 fouls and Chelsea got 0 yellow cards for 4 fouls. The yellow cards were in the 19′, 52′, and 89′ minute. A booking every 3.66 fouls, where as Jambug pointed out earlier Stoke were allowed to kick Arsenal twice as much (7.5 fouls per booking)
OT: Mourinho has been surprisingly charged by the FA for his ref comments.
http://www.espnfc.com/chelsea/story/2233513/chelsea-boss-jose-mourinho-charged-by-fa-for-comments-on-referees
Jambug
I agree, our priority should always be to see out the game with 11 on the field and yes a few early goals would certainly help all around!
Is wanting to put in two footed late tackles against Stoke very late in our games Wrong.
Greencardusa/Jerry
From G
“Chelsea did not give an inch; they returned the favour with their own brand of aggressive physical play.”
From J
“Stoke received 3 yellow cards for 11 fouls and Chelsea got 0 yellow cards for 4 fouls.”
To be fair Green it doesn’t really sound like Stoke where ‘serving it up’ to Chelsea committing a mere (for them) 11 fouls in the whole game and Chelsea where hardly refusing to ‘give an inch…….with their own brand of aggressive physical play.” ‘ conceding just 4 fouls in the entire match.
Sorry mate, not picking a fight, it just doesn’t stand up as a good example of how to combat Stoke.
NB I do hope you got your stats right Jerry as I’m taking your word on this.
I was wondering if it is “allowed” by Arsenal under the PL rules to, for example, send a compilation of video clips of the last match against Stoke to the PL bosses, showing the unpunished actions of the Stoke players, and voice their concerns, in a nice way of course.
Not worried about Stoke, we will beat them on Sunday.
With players coming back, i think this is where our run may start.
@Jambug,
Used the stats provided on BBC’s match report
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30474063
Not sure how many fouls that were probably missed, but that’s what was reported.
I think we’ll be able to handle Stoke this time though. I hope Theo gets a chance again if fit, because he could be deadly on the counter.
Jerry – how fast do you think Theo is with a choke hold by Charlie Adams deterring him?
The only way to win is pepper spray in the referees face. That will be a start. Now the field gets a little even. Now we can beat them playing fair football or playing mean rugby.
I still think a rugby ball thrown on the pitch will really take the biscuit.
Some people have said that Inter received Podolski on loan, with an option to buy. AW talked about this:
> Wenger revealed that Roberto Mancini’s side do not have an option to buy the forward, but hopes Podolski’s loan spell will be a positive experience.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150109/wenger-why-i-loaned-out-podolski
Podolski will be back.
AW rubbishes 4 transfer rumours out of 5, and mentions the smoking incident was blown out of proportion.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150109/extra-wenger-on-latest-transfer-rumours
What does this say about Arsenal? Beckham has 2 sons in the Arsenal Academy. The 15 year old son of Dennis Wise has signed for Arsenal.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/419250/Henry-Wise-Arsenal-Beckhams
Chuba Akpom’s contract ends this season, so expect AW to try and get him on a new contract.