I have no idea if anyone who went to Rome ever reads my rambling comments, but if they do, I would like to say a very deep thank-you for last night. I couldn’t go because of work commitments, but to see them there, to hear the noise, and to watch the Arsenal players quite rightly spend a few moment with them at the end of the game, was great.
The fans who were in Rome represented all of us, and did us proud with their commitment. I do hope a few of the late arrivers early leavers at the Ems took note.
It was also great to hear the Lord Wenger’s comments after the game. Let me pass on one bit of what he said, as reported in the Guardian today, just in case you didn’t see it…
“I am delighted and proud because after we conceded an early goal and missed the first kick of the shoot-out, we needed something special.
“We showed tremendous mental strength to come back and win. I am so proud of that because that is a quality that has been questioned this season. You could see that we have improved tremendously in that regard. This result will improve our confidence.
“I was concerned that we could be the one English team to go out and that would have been detrimental to the progress of the team, so winning will certainly help us.”
I was proud too, sitting in my little house watching it on Sky. I was also outraged beyond measure at the Sky presentation. Never have I seen or heard a more lopsided, distorted programme. I was watching on Sky Sports 3 HD (I think it was also on SS Extra, and it may have been different there) and the whole introduction showed just shots of players of KGB Fulham, Manchester B and Liverpool I. Not an Arsenal player in sight.
As for the commentary – I don’t know what has happened to Alan Smith, whom I adored as a player, but I can only guess he has spent so long in the company of other journalists that he is forgetting the realities. I do recall seeing him in the press section at Highbury giving up on a game he was reporting for the Telegraph about 20 minutes into the second half and just nattering away with another reporter (whom I did not recognise) next to him. There were good bits in that game as well as the errors Alan – you should have seen them too.
In the end I had to turn the commentary off it was so lopsided. Maybe it is just me getting old and crotchety, but that whole programme would have taken me into heart attack country were it not for the fact that I exercise so regularly on the dance floor.
Anyway, we did it, we are through, and the momentum continues. The unbeaten series in all competitions has taken a knock, but the unbeaten in the league continues, ready for us to swish aside the Rotational Timewasters. (Watch Blackburn start timewasting 32 minutes before kick off thus creating a new world record).
On the home front I’m sorry that the injury monitor on the home page went up the shoot last week. I get the feed from elsewhere, and it has been quite good until now, so I didn’t want to take it down – but I just pushed it much further down the page on the right side. Anyway it is back working now, and shows, shock horror gasp amazement sighs of incredulity, (Thursday lunchtime) Adebayor and Silvestre 2 days, with Fabregas and Rosicky 1 week. Of course those figures often stretch out because of “match fitness” but still, it is quite something.
Last point – about the plagiarists. After my little shout about a guy lifting the text from one site and then putting it in the comments section here, the Band of Nutters took it on themselves to deluge this site with texts stolen from elsewhere. I went through a deleted all the ones that were obvious – and then went back to remove some more that slipped through.
Unfortunately in the midst of all this I took down one comment from an author of a comment who had published it on another site. Not what I intended – but if you are putting in a comment here which has already appeared elsewhere, perhaps you could start by saying that, so I know.
Goodness knows what the Barmy Squad want to muck about with this site in this way, but as one who primarily earns his living through putting one word after another, I do get a bit shirty about the wholesale copying of others’ work. You can copy quotes of course (the Wenger quotes here are lifted from the Guardian’s site as I acknowledge) and you can develop ideas, but (in my book at least) not word for word for word for word for word for word for word for word for word
Sorry I think I dropped off there.
(c) Tony 2009
Tony – It’s quite strange how some of the most anti Arsenal brigade are ex Arsenal players, Merson, Wright etc. I’m not sure whether this is because of the number of ex Arsenal players now working in the media or if there is something more to it. When you look at ex players from other teams now working in the media they tend to idolise their old clubs – Jamie Redknapp being the worst in my opinion. Maybe the ex Arsenal are jealous of the style and ability of the current team.
Not the best quality, but listen to the Arsenalfans, whom I suppose still were up in the stands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThnAx9okAaI
Couldn’t agree more about Sky, even the wife noticed how negative it all was and she was only half watching. Alan Smith and David Platt are probably those to whom Arsene Wenger was aiming his “I have only been doing this 30 years” jibe at. I mean Mr Platt never set the world on fire as a manager did he? We all know that Arsenal can play better than that but to bemoan every touch and wayward pass is too much! What really really rankles is when Arsenal play Spurs and Sky’s commentary team consists of the Spurs manager’s son and on Arsenal’s side is………..Glenn Hoddle sums it all up really dont it!
Shamefully or worryingly I’ve now had 2 comments in the past 2 days not make it because of faulty maths – is your system on the blink tony?
Its a particualr shame because both comments contained erudite analysis of the current situation, tinged with realism yet retaining a nonethless positive streak too. And I simply cant repeat that kind of quality material!
But to summarise. Good result. Good mental strength. didnt look like heads were entirely in it, but reaction at end showed real determination. Bodes well for future plus returning players (even Rosicky?!) etc…
I’m so happy that we got through. However young and inexperienced they may be (half of the penalty takers were 22, 21, 21, and 19; and it’s Denilson’s first full season), they showed real determination and hunger.
And one more reason to thank AW: he bought Eduardo instead of Baptista!
haha Tony, at least you didnt have to watch the game with Chinese commentary! that was awful, i didnt have a clue what were they talkin about, but i figured out that they dont have a clue what they are talkin about either, so it wasnt that bad 🙂
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/sunderland/3400833/Roy-Keane-savages-brainwashing-media-pundits-in-defence-of-Arsene-Wenger-Football.html Roy keanes comments. this bias has been against arsenal for ages but this season its been ridiculous. Truth speakers out of the game. Roy keane, mike newall, scolari etc. they have spoken about the bull this but are jobless. who else trys to be honest. Arsene.
fair shout to roy, i s’pose. I have never liked him, but like ferg, i have to grudgingly admit that they are good at what they do.
as for the match on telly last night, I started watching on setanta ireland, but the commentators were just dribbling eejits. they didnt follow the game too well, and it seemed to me that they were very critical of our side. plenty of comments about not taking their chances in the first leg, and how wonderful liverpool were. after about 30 mins i switched to sky sports extra to watch the rest of the match.
as bad as the commentary was, it was better than setanta, and sky had at least turned the crowd mics down. on setanta i could hardly hear the commentary through all of the whistling.
i’m quite happy that it took us till penalties to knock them out. even tho we were the better side, their constant whisling and jeering when we were on the ball sickened me a tad. so i’m glad we made them wait 120 mins plus before we finally burst their collective, bad sportsman type bubble.
our fans occasionally jeer an ex player who ran out on us, but even against the spuds we dont whistle etc for the whole time they are on the ball for the whole match.