By Tony Attwood
Anyone who reads the English newspapers and their blogs on a regular basis will be used to the endless attacks on Arsenal. We all know what this summer’s campaign has been, and although the attacks have been different in the past there have always been attacks.
Indeed I can remember when Mr Wenger first came to Arsenal and did quite a bit of transfer activity in his first year he was constantly criticised by the press for buying too many players! Now it is not enough. If only those journalists could run our club, then we’d win trophies every year.
Then there are the issues of buying the wrong players, persisting with players who are not up to it, not buying because we are too dozy… Oh if only the blogetta writers could run our transfer room, then we’d get everyone we wanted.
So it is moan, moan, moan, and all that was before they started making up their constant little tale about Arsenal being the most expensive football club south of the planet Neptune.
And thus it has come as a surprise to me, and indeed must be a surprise to some supporters of other teams, as the media has started to expand the attacks to take in other clubs.
Chelsea has not been on the front foot in media terms since Mr Mourinho’s spat with his club doctor. Indeed the Independent is still running the story that Dr Carneiro is going to sue. Chelsea due to face legal proceedings if they refuse to reinstate doctor demoted last month is the headline.
But this is mild stuff (for no one who wants to come out of it with his press pass intact plays fast and loose with Chelsea or Man C) compared to what some other teams are now suffering. Martial almost the ‘worst player’ on pitch for France ahead of Manchester United debut was a recent gem from the Indy.
They also came up with
Ungrateful’: Casillas is not impressed with Manchester United’s treatment of Valdes
which was a warm up for
Hazard and Benteke displays for Belgium slammed…
Another trick learned from the Arsenal baiting days is never to lay off a player once one has delivered the first punch.
Anthony Martial fails to make impression for France ahead of possible Manchester United debut
This is justified on the basis that “he was statistically the second worst player for France during their 2-1 win over Serbia”.
Rory McIlroy ‘not convinced’ Louis van Gaal is the right man for Manchester United
Moussa Sissoko risks infuriating Newcastle fans by admitting they are not a big club like Manchester United, PSG and Crystal Palace
Victor Valdes latest: Iker Casillas blasts ‘ungrateful’ Manchester United over treatment of goalkeeper
Mind you some papers are now looking to put the boot in, in all sorts of places, as with the Telegraph’s gem… Southampton reluctant to deal with Spurs.
That story continues
Like several other Premier League clubs, Southampton have grown exasperated with Tottenham during various recent dealings
Oh dear!
And then there was Spurs regarded West Ham as a more direct rival and so felt that it was sensible to alter their approach. If that is not a put down I don’t know what is. Next week Leyton Orient will reveal they refused to sell to Tottenham as they see Tottenham as a “direct rival”.
But mostly the Telegraph, like the Indy, are in full blast mode against Man U. I recently reported on Man Utd have wasted more on transfers than any English side since 2013, but just in case you didn’t get the full message they also ran
United ‘dull and functional’ under Van Gaal
Rooney and Carrick ‘complain about Van Gaal’s Manchester United training methods’
While…
McManaman laments ‘lost identity’ of LFC and United
Not to be outdone the Telegraph is quickly on the counter with
Revealed: United players angered by Van Gaal axing Rafael and role of video analyst
and
Forget history – the sad truth for United and Liverpool is they are shunned by top talent
Now the point about this little meander down the backwaters of two newspaper publishing houses is that the headlines all turned up within a couple of days of each other. Bash, bash, bash mostly against Man U but with a bit of Tottenham and Liverpool on the side.
I think this is quite different from me having the occasional go against Liverpool with examples and data, in relation to their transfer policy, their owner’s story telling and boasting and the like. This is just bickering and knocking over and over without any real story to base it all on.
Of course the TV companies who are running the forthcoming Man U v Liverpool kick around are all full of the old make believe about it being the biggest game in the world and all that stuff. But the papers seem seriously unimpressed. They’ve even started running tales about how the police are redoubling their numbers because with a kick off as late as 5.30pm there could be alcohol induced poor behaviour. Haven’t heard that in a while.
Anyway, at least it gives us a bit of a breathing space. But almost certainly anything short of a 7-0 home win on Saturday, and we’ll be back in the firing line. And even at 7-0 you can never be sure what they will say.
————-
From the anniversary files
- 10 September 1947. Arsenal beat Bolton 2-0 to complete six straight wins at the start of the season for the first time ever. Arsenal were not beaten until game 18 on November 29.
- 10 September 1958. David Jack died, aged 60. After retiring from playing, he became manager of Southend United, Middlesbrough and Shelbourne Utd, retiring in 1955
The Untold 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
Agenda driven drivel. Good work sir
Trolls, there are too many now, on chat forums, the newspapers themselves, football websites etc etc. Conflict and Criticism is what they love, leading to Clicks.
So you can be sure of what they will say and it won’t be intelligent or pleasant. They are a bunch of Cs (see above).
Thank you. I’m so tired of the moaning. Support your team and your players. Arsenal needs that more than anything else.
Moaning you ain’t seen anything yet !
Wait till Corbyn wins the Vote it’ll never end !
When Corbyn wins the vote, the media will do all they can to discredit him, it will be personal, very personal. But whether you approve of Corbyn or not, I get the feeling he is not the type to worry too much about the media, a bit like our manager.
But interesting to see other teams, including a media darling or two on the receiving end of this stuff. LVG is really getting it at the moment
Think it is only Crystal Palace and Swansea getting away with it these days
The media may well be having a pop at some of the other clubs on the odd occasion but there is still only one who has its own daily hate spot (The Daily Arsenal on Talk Sport hosted by top Gunners hater Adrian Durham) on national radio and that is us.
I think the answer to your question is this.
There isn’t any actual news and we can’t be bothered to do some research and publish back ground information so we will create some sensationalism.
The ‘mug’ – idiots out on cyber world will click on our sensationalism pages and up will go our advertising income.
Everybody wins.
Except that is any one who sees through this nonsense and also couldn’t careless what ex player….thinks…..of/about whatever.
colario
“…do some research and publish back ground information…” Needs a much bigger budget and real apt journalists – then does sensationalism!!
Ironic how these same hacks question Arsenal lack of spending, and lack of big star purchases – when in actual fact they (Media) spend zero and provide zero!
Arsenal giving £1-00 from ticket sales this Saturday to the
Refugee appeal
Well done Arsenal !
It’s not real anger. Rather it’s the outward manifestation of withdrawal symptoms due to no proper footer for a week.
The remedy?
Try to ignore all international matches.
Forget Rooney and his penalties (the only way he can score goals these days).
Look forward to Saturday at the unusual time of 3 pm.
We meet the rugger players of Stoke! 😉
I also want to place on record that Arsenal has done well to make contributions to the refugee crisis. I am proud to be a fan of this great club. It’s not all doom and gloom as some would want us to believe. Not that it is a cheery piece of news what is happening to the refugees, but that someone cares sends a clear message that there is hope. That, to me is priceless. Coming from Arsenal, some peoples’ favourite punch bag, is heart warming and goes to show that the club is not affected at all by the negativism thrown on its name relentlessly.
Well done Arsenal Football Club. Some people will always be proud of you and I am one of them.
Watch and see Stan The Man; how many other PL sides follow our lead…AGAIN…and donate to this poor people who FLED their homes for safety and keeping their kids intact (whilst risking all their lives getting to where they got to) due to West (Civilized Nations created WARS)!
Got to repackage news 5 or 6 times with different headlines to troll for more clicks. Or, just speculate endlessly about tried and true targets to get the afore-mentioned clicks.
Are we. all going to act like we’re the first club. to help the refugees. Go see what the German teams are doing before you make all the noise.
Now I’m not saying we’re not doing a good deed (it’s actually awesome what we’re doing, these people really need the help, because Western countries have contributed to the war), but please don’t act as if we’re suddenly incredibly kind (London living wage anyone?)
I love the arsenal by the way, and I like that you like to look into refereeing, but please just realise that the world is not made up of only people that support your views on one side, and a bunch of idiots on the other. Try to have a bit of objectivity every now and then.
Jamie
Give it a rest.
Why must you bring a critical slant every time?
Jamie – it would be nice if you volunteered to do something for the refugees. I am sure Untolders will support you.
Jamie
We ARE the FIRST PL club thats for sure!
ENGLISH MEDIA GIVE SINCERE AND UNRESERVED APOLOGY TO ARSENAL FC AFTER WRONGLY REPORTING THAT NO OUTFIELD PLAYER WAS BROUGHT IN THE CLOSE SEASON !
The English press were made to grovel and their nose rubbed in the dirt when they collectively had to admit that they had erred in having wrongly reported that Arsenal FC had not brought in any outfield players during the close season .
They were forced to give this humiliating apology after UEFA and FIFA confirmed that the players brought in by the club this season were in fact bona fide ‘OUTFIELD’ players .
The new players in question are Jeff Reine Adélaïde , Yassin Fortune , Vlad Dragomir ,Jordi Osei-Tutu, Donyell Malen and Ismaël Bennacer . They players were reported to be ‘over the moon ‘ by this recent development , after being in limbo for so long as their ‘outfield’ status was being processed.
Some of the players had undergone counselling as they were upset at their apparent lack of identity . Some were jeered and booed by opposing fans when they played in friendlies . Chants of .” Outcasts !” and ‘ Not outfielder !” were among the kinder barbs that they had to endure.
In their defence , the English press claimed that as these players are not all first teamers and were not known to them ( or their friends at their local pubs) , it was fair game to exclude them . They say that although they grudgingly accept the UEFA and FIFA’s conclusion , they still aren’t considered ‘top , top , players’ , as defined by managers like ‘arry Redknapp . Or Rosie , for that matter .
@ Brickfields
If what your post @6:32 is pasted on a national news blog like Skynews, how you you think they will react?
@ Nonny -September 11, 2015 at 8:29 am – Well I would think that most of them would choke on their bile ! Some may even throw up in shock ! Egad ! Gadzooks !
TV Newscasters would be performing the heimlich maneuver on each other ( at least that’s what it may look like !)
@ Nonny – What got my goat is the fact that even our local newscasters repeated this shit verbatim . What the fuck is this new term ‘outfield ‘player ?
How really stupid are people now a days ? Is the usage of ones brain now passe ?
If Frankenstein and Igor were alive today , their work would be so easy ! Brains , all over the place , fresh and never been used !
And I’m not even talking about politicians !
Brickfields Gunners
I too wondered what an outfield player was.
Some googles:
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball.
An outfielder is a Player that is not a goalkeeper.
NO, they are onfield players not outfield. 🙂
@ para -September 11, 2015 at 11:24 am – I would think that it should be infield player . After all , the opposite of OUT is IN ! Very much like the opposite of right is left . Unless its wrong !