By Tony Attwood
Arsène Wenger finally told the assembled football media what we have been saying for years – they are tedious, repetitive and unimaginative. OK he didn’t use those words exactly but he did say they lacked creativity, and how utterly, utterly right he was about that.
They agree a theme between them, and then ask about it over and over, knowing they can fill their column either with the polite answer they normally get or with huge headlines such as
Wenger refuses to talk about
finishing off the sentence with whatever takes their fancy. It’s a trick they have been pulling for years and years, it is very tedious, but it is what passes for journalism these days.
Actually the press conference did have another good line in it when Mr Wenger called Manchester Airport “good clients” in reference to the players they have bought at over the top prices, before adding that as the press knew, Mesut and Alexis have 18 months left on their contracts.
Manchester City is not the club “who have done more to feed Arsenal’s insecurities than any other” as Liew proclaims but a team with their own issues, just like Arsenal. As a result, and as we all know Bellerín was not tempted away with tales of the Barcelona DNA being in his blood, nor of Manchester Airport wealth, as some less bright characters have been in the past.
With the Bellerín deal Barcelona offered the player far more money than Arsenal offered, and offered Arsenal a huge transfer fee to have “their” player back. Manchester Airport starting making similar moves and there was a general assumption in the media (because that is all they have these days – general assumptions) that the player would leave and the sneering at Arsenal could begin again. In fact there were stories circulating in the media that the Airport would not be pushed away. Their manager wanted the player and the player was who they would get.
Bellerín remained at Arsenal because he knew what Mr Wenger did for him, giving him a chance in the Borussia Dortmund game in September 2014 and not listening to the droning and moaning from the aaa and their friends in the media.
And – and this is something that I have just seen acknowledged for the first time in a newspaper – it was in the Guardian – “Bellerín considered how a number of former Arsenal players had fared since their departures. He thought about Clichy, Sagna and Nasri – together with Cesc Fàbregas and Alex Song. Has the grass been greener for the first three at City? Did Fàbregas’s dream return to Barcelona really work out? Song also went to Camp Nou, and he did not enjoy regular football.”
At least the Guardian can now admit it. Hopefully Alexis realises that too.
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Football journalism has become a walled wonderland inherently incompatible with reality
Man City may not be abled anymore as they are once were to easily snatched the Gunners they want from Arsenal as they used to do, therefore have considerably reduced being a Gunner transfer target threat to Arsenal. This is good news for us.
However, another unforeseen move away Gunners transfer target threat is looking to have emerged out of no where which needs to be decisively taken care off by Arsenal to stop the threat constituting a stumbling block to Arsenal’s drive to win both the Premier League title and the Uefa Champions League which Arsenal are in good position to win this season.
A Chinese Super League money bag club manage by ex-Gunner snatcher Manuel Pellegrini is reported in the media to be keen at tempting away from us our own dear Alexis with a much higher wages than he’s currently earning at Arsenal. This is an unwarranted intrusion against Arsenal by the Chinese Super League money bag club which Arsenal MUST stop from happening.
You neglect to mention how Fabregas is doing presently at the top of the PL.
I hope Crystal Palace will this afternoon at their Selhurst home ground stop the rampaging Chelsea team from extending their PL winning run this season to 11 on the run. But rather, the Eagles MUST find a way to beat the Blues in the match am about to watch in about 30 minutes time.
The beating of Chelsea today has become necessary for us the Gooners as we are jealously guiding our 13 PL games winning run being breached which we attained in 2001-2002 season. The highest run attained by any club since that time.
The 2 benchmarks we’ve set in the PL by being the only unbeaten team in a PL calendar year and that our 13 in one season winning run MUST jealously be guided against being breached by any PL team ever. Because this is our pride. Even Real Madrid will not attain the Arsenal’s 49 unbeaten run as they’ve been shouting here and there of been unbeaten in all applications of 30 games so far in their campaign.
I want to believe the fog that has engulf Selhurst Park in the ongoing Palace vs Chelsea game which am seeing on my screen now will not be happening or at least reduced to the barest minimum on a foggy playing time at the Ems when Arsenal install their retractable sun track at the Emirates Stadium next season.
It’s not good to miss a sitter which Puncheon missed for Palace as he profligate in front of Chelsea goal early on in the game. But a bully of a header by Diego Costa who didn’t profligate in front of Palace goal has seen Chelsea taking the lead in the game going into the 1st half of the match.
I thought Palace were growing fangs in the game and I’ve been waiting for when they’ll suck before the 1st half ended. My hope is an Eagle, two or even more Eagles will draw some Blues blood to beat Chelsea before this match ends.
On a serious note, it is clubs like Citeh and Chelski (and more particularly their owners) who have introduced a darker side of English football.
The fees they have paid to lure other clubs’ players (plus the ridiculous wages offered) has been nothing short of crazy.
The domino effect is now apparent by the Chinese offers being hawked around the EPL.
The love of money is certainly becoming the root of all evil. 😉
Our all times 13 PL games winning run in a season is under threat by Chelsea. But they haven’t yet equalled it not to talk of them surpassing it.
What is of paramount to us now is a big response by the Gunners to diffuse the Blues attempt to 1st equalled and probably surpassed our 13 PL games winning run in a season and 2ndly to attempt to win the PL title this season too.
Beginning as from tomorrow at the Etihad against Man City, Arsenal SHOULD start a long long winning run of 22 PL games by to 1st beat Man City and keep beating other teams up to the end of their PL campaign.
It’s not a too much ask of the Gunners to do this 22 PL matches winning run job to win the title on 100 points this season( that’s another record that will be set). It’s an ask that I believe the Gunners can successfully executes it to the letter if they foremost have the belief they can do it and believe their beliefs will come to pass. In addition to this, the Gunners MUST 2ndly have the ultra confidence in themselves to do the job and unfailingly attains the regular very high unrelenting & uncompromising performance in their games for these 22 PL winning run games to totally claimed the run.
Do we need the video referees to help the match referee at the Britanniia in the game between Stoke and Leicester to decide if Vardy’s tackle on a Potter was a yellow or red card offence? Hmmn, I think we need this video refs much earlier than they’ve scheduled them to arrive. Was that unintended handling in his own box by a Fox a penalty to the Potters?
Wenger’s right, we’ve done really well out our sales to City. How many of them would be considered a success. Kolo was in decline due to his condition, Nasri never fulfilled his potential (if he ever had one in the first place), Adebayor is a time bomb. You could say Clichy was the most irreplaceable (at the time) although we have better now, and Sanga got himself a really great deal and has played well. But look how much we got for them.
Chelsea manager reported to be concerned at harmful effect on football of China’s vast wealth and ability to inflate fees and wages!
I am sure that he’s right and he should know!
The exodus to City was not just players but they recruited several ex Arsenal personnel to ensure migration of technical know how. They followed many of Wengers processes & infrastructural procedures. That has given them some success but intelligence is rarer than common sense (& that is not so common). The wells that fund City are still pumping the black stuff so they will not want for ability to pay.
Wenger’s project is gradually coming to fruition and will demonstrate the difference between knowledge & assumption.