By Tony Attwood
Ten reasons why I remain sweet and serene in relation to Arsenal and don’t want Wenger to leave was published this morning.
And so the other side of the coin. The ten things that make me really, really, totally flaming mad and red faced about football.
1: The personal view leading to the “therefore it is clear and obvious”
Stating a personal view, or a belief, without any clear evidence that can be countered by other clear evidence, doesn’t then naturally lead to conclusions – but that is what people do. Bloggers do it, journalists do it, pundits do it. For goodness sake guys, this is what dictators, rabble rousers and maniacs have done across the ages. Do you really want to follow in their footsteps?
Try this one.
“It is clear that Arsenal have been going backwards over the past five years. Bearing this in mind there can’t be any doubt that it is time for Wenger to go.”
I think I learned not to confuse fact, supposition and wishful thinking in a science class when I was 11 years old. What happened to everyone else’s education?
It is not clear that Arsenal have been going backwards because no incontrovertible evidence has been put forwards to this effect. I can put forward some fairly persuasive evidence to the contrary but ultimately it remains a matter of judgement not fact. Therefore anything that follows is supposition, not a matter on which there can be no doubt.
2: The seeming ignorance of the concept of evidence based reporting, and the genuine belief that opinions and fact are interchangeable and of equal merit.
As in..
It is quite clear that the Caucasian race – the white folk – are aliens from another planet and should therefore be exterminated.
The tragedy is that of course this argument has been used seriously against races and religious creeds. It is dangerous, and needs to be countered.
I don’t know if debate has always been like this, or whether people are no longer taught the difference between fact and opinion in school or at university, but that seems to be where we are. When I venture into the world of comments on this site (which I try not to do too much since I know I have all the chance I need to put forward my views in articles) it is mostly to point out that an opinion is being cast as a fact.
I don’t mind opinions, as long as people make it clear that this is there opinions and don’t try and draw conclusions from the opinion that are then presented as fact.
3: Ignoring the evidence that is out there.
Take the most obvious – that alone among the refereeing bodies in European football, PGMO is closely allied to the League it operates in, rather than being separate. It is also a highly secretive body.
Plus the fact that the organisation employs a limited number of referees so that clubs can often get the same ref six or more times a season.
That is a set of facts and I can present evidence to back that up. Of themselves the facts shouldn’t cause panic or dismay, but they allow us to ask highly reasonable questions such as,
- Why is PGMO, alone among European refereeing organisations, so close to the League it serves?
- Why does it have so few referees?
- Why does it adopt a mode of refereeing that seems different from the rest of Europe?
- Why does it not engage in debate as it once suggested it would do?
- Why does it put out statistics about the accuracy levels of the refs in the PL which seem extraordinarily high, and above the levels in other countries, and then when challenged fail to justify them?
- Why does it pay its referees £50,000 hush money in return for a guarantee that they won’t comment on their work after they retire?
And yet it is very rare for the media to ask such questions, and it is left instead to an independent blog like Untold to ask. No wonder we get over 6 million page views in a year.
4: The assertion that Arsenal is not making progress.
Life is complex, and so are analyses, so saying that because Arsenal won a couple of doubles and had an unbeaten season in the late 20th early 21st century, is simple.
But in all analyses and comparisons you have to compare like with like. I can tell you two things that have changed enormously since those triumphs.
One is that before we had one club that was obviously more affluent than Arsenal – Man U with its fortunes earned through entering worldwide marketing in the 1950s, at a time Arsenal were forgetting how to win anything. Now there are others – Man C and Chelsea for example.
The other point is the stadium. The payments are still continuing on the bank debt – although they are easier to pay because we have more money from the second round of sponsorship deals. But there is no way our sponsorship deals will ever come up to the level of Man U, any more than the input of money will ever meet that of the owners of Man C (Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan and the People’s Republic of China, in case you have forgotten).
To have stayed in touch with Man C, Man U and Chelsea is huge progress, because the ground rules have changed.
5: Yet it remains debatable whether Wenger ever learns from his mistakes.
That was from an article in the Guardian by Paul Wilson “Arsenal fans wanting Arsène Wenger out is no surprise with club treading water”
“It remains debatable” – well yes I suppose it does, but it is not a very good debate, because quite clearly Arsenal have been successful in paying off much of the stadium debt (something several papers predicted at the start of building might be very difficult and could lead Arsenal into a financial graveyard, when the deal was announced). And quite clearly we have won the FA Cup twice in the last two years.
And we have brought in players of the type we would not be able to buy before.
It is debatable but the debate is sterile. More interesting is how much we have closed the gap on the other clubs that launched themselves towards the top of the league after Arsenal via untold wealth – Chelsea and Man City, and how we are doing vis a vis the old enemy Man U.
The fact is that whether any manager learns from his mistakes is debatable. I am not sure it is a very good debate but it is a debate.
A better debate would be, why have the papers that suggested Arsenal might struggle to pay their debts not gone back and analysed why they were so wrong, and perhaps apologised for scare mongering.
6: To stand still in this business is to go backwards, and in the important aspects of competition – ie, not the FA Cup – Arsenal are standing still.
Some problem, same answer – and actually it comes from the same article. Arsenal managed to stand still in trophy terms while paying off the stadium debt and are now moving forwards again. But removing the FA Cup from calculations is silly. Ask Man U fans if they would like to have won the FA Cup in the last two years. Or Tottenham, or Chelsea, or Man C.
Making up rules about what you suddenly don’t include in order to make Arsenal look bad is just silly. In the past two seasons there were six domestic trophies on offer. League, League Cup, FA Cup. Arsenal won two, Chelsea two, Man City two.
So we have gone backwards by building the best ground in the country and winning the FA Cup twice running?
That is so ludicrous in terms of fact and logic I don’t know how to answer it any further.
7. Arsenal are not getting anywhere.
OK, then nor were Tottenham for the last 20 years, nor are Man U now. I might be wrong but since 2010 I think Man U have won two trophies. Two trophies in five years. Yes they were both League titles, and that is jolly good – better than Arsenal if you see the League that way, but if that counts double, let’s do this one. In the last two seasons Man U have won zero. Arsenal have won two. Liverpool have won one trophy since 2006 – they League Cup but they are endlessly talked up.
So we are not talking about standing still, we are talking about going down hill. Liverpool were the dominant force until 1990 and then it all slowed down. They still won things, but slowly it has slowed down.
That should tell people something. No club stays at the top for ever. Liverpool’s run was remarkable, just like Arsenal in the 1930s (our run only interrupted by the war). The issue then is what happens next? How long do clubs take to recover when something gets in the way?
With Liverpool the answer is … we don’t know, we are still waiting. With Chelsea, we don’t know. But what Arsenal has done and what Liverpool and Chelsea utterly failed to do – the first with their enviable trophy record, the latter with their billions of pounds – is sustain a presence near the top throughout the rebuilding. Ask a Liverpool fan about decline, and take a look at their league position. The years of being 6th, 7th and 8th.
Staying in the top four is worth a monument – a trophy is not enough.
8: A simple event becomes an earthquake.
Earthquakes change the world. So do volcanic eruptions. So do solar flares hitting the earth. But losing a match doesn’t. Paul Merson said Wenger should go if Arsenal failed to beat Hull. That is so stupid I don’t know where to begin.
9: Changing times and dates of matches.
I can’t actually read what I am supposed to be doing this weekend, I’ve crossed football matches and dances out of my diary so often. All they have to do is show every league game live on TV and every FA Cup match from the third round onwards, and pay the clubs the money they get. Then we’d know in advance when the games are on and can make arrangements.
10: Changing the subject.
My final bleat; consider this. One of the people who regularly do me the great honour of offering me an article to publish on Untold, spends ages researching and writing, and sends it in. I publish it, and within 15 minutes someone is starting a comment under it about something quite different.
I’ve even had people who I’ve asked not to do this, writing to me and saying, “Why shouldn’t we change the subject if we want?”
I don’t think I can even bring myself to answer that. It must be time for a glass of Merlot.
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Anniversaries
- 10 March 1992: 700th game for David O’Leary. Arsenal 2 Oldham 1 – but only 22,096 turned up. Merson and Wright scored.
- 10 March 1993: Arsenal 2 Crystal Palace 2. League cup semi final 2nd leg. Cup match 13 of Arsenal’s cup double season. Linighan and Wright scored, 28584 in attendance.
- 10 March 2001: Arsenal 3 Blackburn 0, FA Cup 6th round. Wiltord, Adams and Pires scored – all within the first 36 minutes.
Off topic but I wanted to share this here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/03/10/rio-ferdinand-zlatan-ibrahimovic-can-be-the-catalyst-for-arsenal/
I don’t think these people should be called “experts” unless they get a degree in football science. Being a good player doesn’t necessarily make you a good analyst of the game.
Dortmund playing well
Interesting, but is anyone here watching ‘The night manager’?
Sorry.. Could not resist. Another excellent article, thank you Tony.
Once again Tony, you hit the nail on the head…
Spot on about the non-existence of Evidence based reporting
I can’t even read a match report without having a good old laugh. Rarely do I read an accurate report of a game I watched. If its a Man United game it’s all about Wayne Rooney and how super brilliant he was, even though he missed three one on ones and a penalty and if it’s a Spurs game it’s all about Harry Kane being the best thing since sliced bread. It is predictable rubbish.
Journalism is not what it was that is for sure. These guys are too busy hanging around in the bar sharing smug conversations with each other, to bother checking facts. Watch them on Sunday Supplement and it becomes obvious just how clueless and agenda driven they are.
One day someone in the media will take the time to walk down to Highbury Fields and finally realise there are no money trees. Then perhaps they will stop banging on about ten years without a trophy endlessly. You never know, the sheep with their flags may finally realise they’ve been fed a load of old codswallop for ten years. Silly me, you need a brain to do that.
Let’s consider all the negativity Arsenal have had, the count down clock on time without a trophy is a good place to start. How do Arsenal compare to the Premier League teams that the media appear to adore. Is our record really that bad?
THE COUNTDOWN CLOCK(s)
– Liverpool FC
The most over represented team in the media with their ex players is Liverpool.
If any club was living on past memories it is this lot. They had a fantastic period and were the club everyone had to beat. Now they are the club everyone beats. There last trophy was 2011, the League Cup. More about this trophy later.
Liverpool have never won the Premier League. Not once. In fact, their last league title was 1989/90, 26 years ago. For a club with their history this is an absolute disgrace. But you wont read or hear about.
So Liverpool = 26 years since there last league title.
Wheres the annual countdown clock for that then?
– Spurs
What about the medias other darlings, Spurs?
Their last trophy, just as Liverpool, is the League Cup in 2007/8. Imagine if Arsenal only had the League Cup to show, you wouldnt be able to move for flags – and the media would be back calling the trophy names;like the Mickey Mouse Cup. In fact, how would the AAA/WOB’s behave? Well they think the FA Cup is worthless, so heaven forbid we won the League Cup. They would be burning their bras and corsets, while having a good old moan every bloody day on the radio and their anti-respect blogs.
Well they haven’t finsihed top of the league for 55 years. That is more than half a bloody century and yet the media play us off against that bunch of losers. I mean, 55 years is back in the day of black and white TV’s, muddy pitches and footballs with laces.
Where is the Spurs count down clock? Has any one ever seen it written or mentioned that they have gone 55 years without a League Title? Perhaps that’s a bit unfair after all they have seen two league titles won at their place. naughty me, you wont see or hear that anywhere, unless Walter brings it up on Belgium TV.
Bear in mind that while Spurs and Liverpool have proven to be abject failures and embarrassments where the League Title is concerned, neither of these clubs can say they achieved what Arsenal have achieved during their lean spells. During our Rachel Riley era of countdown clocks, we still achieved something monumental and have valid reasons to defend our blip. But sshhh don’t dare mention that because it’s an inconvenient fact that gets conveniently ignored. As Basil Fawlty said: “Don’t mention the war. I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it”. Well if you mention the stadium move and the fact we had to pay for it, you’ll get slaughtered from all sides.
Evidence based reporting? Those days are long gone.
Two excellent artcles today Tony, thank you.
When it comes to the PGMO what I find utterly unfathomable – along with everything else it must be said – is the geographic make-up of the PGMO pool of referees.
4 teans – Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham – will never have a hometown boy as referee. That is, the English southeast chunk of London, Greater London, Essex – how many millions of English population is that? what percentage of the English population does that chunk constitute? – cannot supply a single referee. Why?
From the Guradian blog ‘The Fiver’
“Yes, Liverpool are playing Manchester United in Big Vase. It could be argued that Saturday’s game is in some ways greater – after all, Blackeye Rovers and Nasty Leeds have both won the league more recently than Liverpool”
It is a hard furrow, you plough at times Tony! The odd stone at times, will ruin the straight furrow.
Mr Wenger’s first languages will be French and German. His third language, is possibly English.
How many of his critics can speak, write and think in three different languages?
Certainly not, Amy Lawrence or Jeremy Wilson et al!
Quite obviously, the scribblers hope to catch Mr Wenger out, with a “no ball” question.
I do not waste my time, with those who will not listen. Speak to the hand?
COTG
Now, about evidence…
Will the media claim Pochettino was wise to field a weakened team against Borussia in order to gain advantage in the league?
Or that Spuds had played Arsenal before the match against Borussia?
Well, Borussia are five points off the top in Bundesliga as Spuds are in England. Their opponents last weekend? Bayern.
Instinct tells me proudkev that sports journalism was already changing in the 1980s. Mainstream journalism had already changed before that. Wapping, Eddie Shah up in Warrington – pitched battles 1983, 1984, to strengthen the hand of newspaper owners & compromise unions.
These followed, 1985, 1986, by the Bingo craze – the Daily Mirror using two pages to run a Daily Bingo contest ( the winner, one reporter, one photographer for the 2 page story) took out 40 reporters. By 1986 copy was being transmitted electronically – from screen to screen. From 1987, in topgrade Yorkshire newspapers, the press offices in local councils were sending press releases to newspaper offices, one telephone call was made to verify the sender, it was then sent through electronically.
No checking of the content.
This was mainstream journalism. Sports pages the reporters were disappearing into the pockets of whoever was giving them the tip, or showing favour, or blowing smoke. Far worse – graduates were walking out of university with a degree, going to a school of journalism, coming out with a degree in journalism, going straight onto a newspaper. The only people in that environment who had authority – who could smell the bullshit – were the old professionals who had the status of their repute.
The ex-footballer. The man who knows what he’s on about. The Premiership took off.
Nick – I’m watching ‘The Night Manager.’
About fifteen months back I re-read – after decades – John Le Carre’s ‘The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.’ I had forgotten its quality. After that I found here and there most of his titles.
The Night Manager as a novel is dynamite. It was very difficult for me to get into, could only manage ten pages or so a day, but then after about 300 pages, it started to grip, then for a couple of hundred pages the politics came in like a whirlwind. Stunning.
Their is a reason the so called journalist’s don’t like Arsene Wenger and that’s because this man makes them feel inferior and with very little effort on his part I’m sure.
This man is honest,fair, loyal and his word or handshake when he gives it he mean’s it. Could those of the gutter press said the say the same?
Not if their lives depended on it. Wenger say’s what he mean’s and mean’s what he say’s.
Those people who are calling for him to go don’t seem to have two brain cell’s to rub together because they are a part of the problem.The atmosphere at the Ems at times has been awful, instead of giving full vocal support .
Never getting of the players nor Wenger’s back’s when we hit a bad patch.
Do they really think that what they are doing is going to make top class players want to play for us when they see how the players and the manager is being given such a rough ride.
What will this do the younger generation of Arsenal supporters, will,they be patience and shout and sing their way through a lean spell or will they hurl nasty abuse at the manager and his players. We all no the answer to that and it makes my heart bleed for my club.
When Spurs last won the league:-
Harold McMillan was Prime Minister.
Eisenhower was US President
Kruschev was USSR President
1Decimal currency was 10 years in the future.
Beer was less than a shilling (5p) a pint
The Beatles had not been formed.
Express trains were steam-hauled
Ford Cortinas were 3 years in the future..
Men wore trilby hats or flat caps and smoked Woodbines
Coronation Street was new
Cities suffered from coal-fire induced smog in winter.
Britain was still being kept out of the Common Market by General deGaulle.
etc. etc.
Certainly before most current journalists and pundits were born!
I am sad to see the explanation mark missing from liverpool! and that is deliberate ommission of the capital in the name. I found it quite amusing when highlighted just how absurd some of these revelations of the media are. I hope the right people are reading this article.
@John L.
The Berlin Wall had been built and brought down since their last title.
A man born in Belgrade in the summer 1961 who hasn’t moved anywhere since the day of birth has lived in Socialistic Federative Republic Yugoslavia, Federal Republic Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia since their last title.
Czechoslovakia, USSR and Yugoslavia don’t exist anymore.
@Tony
Arsenal have won a Community Shield twice. I count that one as a trophy in the mould of a Supercup that most of the European countries have.
When Spurs last won the League:
The end of the last world war was sixteen years behind them
It was forbidden to read certain books on the orders of someone you’d never heard of
Your mother was a research trialist for the contraceptive pill
The BBC played one rock’n’roll record every few days
You could stand outside your house and see a car pass and then wait another twenty minutes for the next
TV closed for the night with the National Anthem
TV advertising had been on British television for four years
There was one motorway in Britain – the M1
Pubs had separate bars for women
In cricket, at Lords, Gentlemen (Amateurs) still played Professionals. At cricket grounds, the Gentlemen had a separate gate to open to get onto the pitch. The Professionals came onto the pitch through their gate.
Linda at 9.22 – your first sentence gave me such a laugh! Especially ‘with very little effort on his part’. That’s it in a nutshell!
lovely article as always Mr tony.I think with the very little time av followed My Arsenal n Arsene,its clear that the media and some English hates Wenger.reasons might vary but I have a deep sense dat that’s the reason arsenal is been bashed anyhow by the senseless chicks.but 1 of the reasons I tink was because they always expect him to fail and he always choke their words in their mouth bullishly,beautifully, stylishly n humbly since d dramatic “arsene who?” days. I jst pray the board doesn’t give in to them.nice post Sir!
when more clubs record are put together side by side with arsenal’s, then its obviously clear that we’re in the 10 best football clubs in Europe albeit world.the AAA n WOB are just like spies or the extension of the brainless media.they are saddist and will never be happy with anything concerning arsenal.but I do wonder why they still follow the club if they are not.
OT
BBC commentary on L/Man U game tonight: “Liverpool win the first European meeting of these two giants.” Meanwhile, another gnat lost 3-0 to Borussia Dortmund.
The article ends with point 10: Changing the subject.
Therefore, I pissed myself laughing at the first comment from Saadman
“Off topic but I wanted to share this here…” 😀
@Josif
March 10, 2016 at 10:25 pm
“A man born in Belgrade in the summer 1961 who hasn’t moved anywhere since the day of birth has lived in Socialistic Federative Republic Yugoslavia, Federal Republic Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia since their last title.”
You forgot Federative People’s Republic of Yugoslavia (FNRJ) before that 🙂
Another nice one , Tony . Seems that you have hit a very rich vein of good form and the mother lode has almost been breeched . And some very fine comments from the regular hardcore AKBs ( and some newbies too !) ; comments which I’m not able to LIKE as the buttons seemed to have been all glued up !
A million LIKES for you guys for those comments .
Another ex-united player taking a dig at arsenal. As if arsenal is the only club that fancies finnishimg 4th and winning the fa cup
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/03/10/paul-scholes-man-utd-were-shambolic-against-liverpool/
Good article Tony. One thing that is not open to debt – pundits never learn from mistakes! They don’t even admit them.
Point 11 – Disloyalty from the fan base.
See the Black Flag Movement, and others, have called for a boycott of the Watford game. How on earth is that supposed to help the team? Idiots.
Another good article Tony, well done.
Changing the subject
There’s ten excellent examples of this up to 6.53 am. You just can’t get a quality commenter these days.
Josif if the specialist counts the supercup as a trophy when reeling off a list of his triumphs before his gathered sycophants then I think that it is only fair that we consider the game in which his second term at Gazprom began to unravel as a Special trophy 🙂
Chamberlain has paid a high karmic price for removing that odour from the league and providing much entertainment for the great unwashed (that would be us) that can only dream of being such a Winner like the the Specialist in signing players from Special Agents, Chambo might not agree but it was worth it.
Gazprom allegedly tried to tap up and sign Chambo, probably as a home grown hazard replacement who put in his transfer request last summer thus proving the understanding of most in football save the AAA and business partners in the media of he specialist which is that talented top level players can only stomach the Specialist for a maximum of two seasons. Unfortunately for us Gazprom didn’t keep the Specialist on their books after he’d fleeced them yet again and his sycophants were at it again the other week trying to help him get a new job but it was never going to happen otherwise it already would’ve.
None of the above observations of how highly Chambo is rated will stop the Experts turning on this player who’s had some setbacks in recent seasons due to injury but has still had a better season this year then Sterling!
Anyone pick up on the things paul Scholes said?
The first of his comments was this: “The last thing I want to see is United being happy with finishing fourth and winning the FA Cup. Arsenal do that.”
Nasty snide comment. Unneccesary and surprised nobody picked him up on it. Especially McMananam who’s Liverpool side rarely finish higher than 5th and have never even won a league title. Taking the piss out of Arsenal is celebrated.
However, Manchester United is the biggest club in football, so we are reminded. They have enjoyed a much larger budget than everybody else and recently they’ve invested a third of a million in players. Meanwhile we all know where Arsenal have been in the last ten years and what we have spent compared to Man Utd and our other rivals.
An ignorant comment.
Now Paul Scholes seems to spend a lot of time making snide comments about Arsenal. Well despite being financially disadvantaged to Manchester United, we’ve never failed to finish lower than 4th or failed to qualify for the Champions League. Nor have we played in the Europa League. This despite having far smaller resources.
Last season Man Utd finished 4th, we finished third 5 points ahead of them. We won the FA Cup for the 2nd year in a row. They won didly squib.
In 2013/14 Man Utd finished 7th (7TH) we finished fourth 15 points ahead of them. We won the FA Cup. They won dibbly squibb.
So applying perspective and acknowledging the £300 million plus they have invested, Paul Scholes needs to stop slagging Arsenal off and recognise that every manchester United fan would be happy achieving what Arsenal have.
As for his comments criticising the Manchester United players for not ‘smashing’ Adam Lallana, I don’t know what to say. He’s only following in the footsteps of other former Man United players like the Neville sisters and that thug Roy Keane – it just proves how much they were allowed to get away with while Fergie was intimidating everyone. It also proves what we all know about events like the 50th game. Perhaps that is one of the reasons they are not enjoying so much success?
He’s a nasty, snide character.
The last thing I would want to see is Arsenal happy ‘smashing’ players, Manchester United do that.
These ex United players really are giving away exactly what Uniteds modus operandi was back in the day.
What they are doing is proving beyond any doubt, if indeed there was any, that they had a plan, and the referees where entirely complicit in that plan.
When you put that together with the fact Fergie had a list of referees phone numbers it suggest something nothing short of match fixing.
You can just imagine the pre match phone call for game 50:
Fergie: Hi Mike it’s Alex here.
Riley: Ooooooh, how lovely to hear from you Sir.
Fergie: I know it is. Now as you know we’re playing Arsenal this weekend so we’ve got the usual plan in place, which means we’re going to smash them all over the park. Can I rely on your full support?
Riley: Of course you can Sir Alex sir. Whatever you want. Any special instructions?
Fergie: As it happens we’ve got something tasty lined up for there Spanish guy, so if you can look the other way when the Nevile brothers get ‘Stuck in’ shall we say, that would be a great help.
Riley: Of course Sir Alex Sir.
Fergie: Also we are going to try and do a bit of long term damage if we can, nothing too drastic, just a broken leg here and there. So if you or your pal with the flag spot a slightly high, late, what might seem at first glance, reckless challenge, remember, it’s a mans game.
Riley: Oh yes of course Sir Alex Sir. We all know those Southern Softies don’t like it up.
Fergie: That’s the spirit wee man. Now one last thing. Rooney may well fall over in the box at some stage for what might seem no reason. Don’t be fooled. Whatever it may look like, Rooney NEVER dives, so it has to be a penalty no matter what you see.
Riley: Definitely Sir Alex Sir. If Rooney goes down that’s a foul, everyday of the week. We all know that.
Fergie: See you Sunday then.
Riley: I cant wait, it’s going to be so much fun. A we glass of Red afterwards?
Fergie: You cheeky we Sassenach, remember, you work for me, you’re not me pal, now f**k off, and don’t let me down.
Riley: Sorry Sir, no Sir, of course not Sir.
@AI
I am far from being a fan of Sterling but The Ox had failed to record a goal or an assist in the league throughout 2015 before he scored a goal against B’mouth. Things don’t get much better even if we take all competitions into account. Sterling has already reached double-digits for City. Ox has some issues, hopefully this forced break will help him to solve them.
My CS-comment is based on the fact that media had always counted Mourinho’s victory over Wenger in CS 2005 but it suddenly became a dressed-up friendly once Wenger won it.
I always thought that Scholes was even more over-rated than Gerrard, as well as being a nasty, dirty player. Unbelievable how pundits used to jokingly refer to his inability to tackle fairly, as if that excused his deliberate foul play.
I am no admirer of LVG, but Scholes comments about MUFC are as classless as Stewart Robson, Merson, Smith et al about Arsenal.
Great stuff Jambug. Very lifelike.
Spot on as ever Tony
Arsenal are very easy targets for the media…..they know that whatever they say against the club, a percentage of the club will agree and buy into it.
I dont know why many on here are upset about paul scholes comments.He said-
The last thing I want to see is United being happy with finishing fourth and winning the FA Cup. Arsenal do that.
Were you not all happy with the way the last 2 seasons have ended??And most on here would be happy again if we won the Fa again whilst maintaining 4th.
Most fans you call the AAA wouldnt be happy with that and that a club of this size should be setting their sights higher.
John, I think the problem is that you struggle to understand the approach of some of us on this site, and endlessly make up versions of it that have little to do with how we feel.
You wrote
The last thing I want to see is United being happy with finishing fourth and winning the FA Cup. Arsenal do that.
Were you not all happy with the way the last 2 seasons have ended??
Part one there is no comparison between Man U and Arsenal in this because Arsenal are operating on a fraction of the Man U funding and because Man U have not had to build a new stadium.
Part two, happiness is not a simple concept. I am generally happy, I am a happy person. I would have been happier if we had won eight trophies in those two years.
What you don’t seem in any way to be able to comprehend is the concept of change over time. Man U have had none of the financial investment Arsenal have had to make so no reason why they should have slipped so dramatically from regulars at or near the top to not even being certain of getting into Europe.
Quite why you can’t grasp these simple little facts is quite beyond me, but I fear I am growing tired of explaining them over and over and over again.