Amazing shock horror, it seems it is crisis time in football EVERYWHERE. That makes a change

By Billy “the Dog” McGraw.  Head of psychiatry at the University College Hospital of the North Circular Road.

Of course not everyone is engaged in crisis talk.  The Daily Canon has the headline “Arsene Wenger denies trying to bribe midfielder,” but well, it’s the Canon.

However these days they are being rivalled by West Ham’s Karren Brady these days who is quoted as saying “The toughest thing about being a success is you’ve got to keep being one.”

Well, yes.  I guess so.

Meanwhile, the lead headline in the Guardian at the moment is “There is still time for Spurs to repair relations with fans over ticket prices” and the commentary continues…

“The glossy brochure boasting of sumptuous facilities looks decadent now the ticket prices are known….

“Impervious as ever to fan criticism, the club at first denied there were any complaints, then ludicrously claimed prices had not risen because the product was not comparable. After the Supporters’ Trust dug deep into the figures and highlighted the implications for many fans, the club put out a statement containing the claim that there were more tickets at £995 available than there were season tickets at the old ground. That’s supposed to be a good thing. The spirit of Marie Antoinette lives on.”

[I am not sure if they sell cake a Tottenham matches alongside the spuds, but I suppose they do.]

But it would be nice if this little development stopped people writing in as they have done for the last 10 years telling us that Arsenal’s tickets were the most expensive in the world, but I doubt it.  Habits over 10 years die hard.

He also owns Olympiakos who have won the League more times than it has been played (oh the old Paul Merson jokes – love them every time).

As the Guardian says, “In June 2015, he was banned from all football activity after being investigated for match-fixing, fraud, extortion, running a criminal organisation and involvement in blowing up a bakery owned by a referee…. In May, Marinakis passed the Football League’s fit and proper persons test and completed his Forest takeover.”   Well of course he would.

And just in case you missed anything in Greek affairs, here’s some more…

“A crunch match between Paok and Olympiakos in February was abandoned before kick-off after Olympiakos’s coach, Óscar García, was struck by a cashier roll thrown from the stands. García was hospitalised while Paok accused him of faking injuries.

“This month’s match between Paok and AEK was abandoned after Savvidis stormed on the pitch while armed with a holstered gun and attempted to confront the referee, who had disallowed his team a late goal.

“The government responded by suspending the Super League indefinitely.”

At least this type of story is better than the bloggetta headlines such as

“No ambition’, ‘I give up’ – Arsenal fans slam club on Twitter after official announcement”

That is from “This Is Futbol”.   Actually if they did give up it would make life a lot calmer.  We could just focus on Greek footie instead.

Still, if you don’t like all that there is always

“Losing Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere may be therapeutic”

Quite how or why I couldn’t be arsed to find out.  That was from Pain in the Arsenal.

From the Arsenal History Society:

• He scored 20 goals in 26 games and it is still not enough for Arsenal!
• Arsenal and the League 1920/1: the crowds and Arsenal’s team
• May/June 1921: Knighton the fantasist. The fourth allegation.

From Untold 

• Arsenal’s next manager puts his head over the parapet
• How the fearless “Said & Done” in the Observer censors the news that just don’t fit
• Xhaka sublime. But by anyone’s standards, Arsenal have had a poor season.