by Bulldog Drummond
Yes the story that Arsenal players are only allowed fruit juice that has been freshly squeezed has taken the media by storm, with journalists never having heard anything like it before. No beer at breakfast? Are these not men?
However there are a few who are still playing the Ozil card. I think this furore should be remembered as the “one look is all it takes” story – because ultimately the whole notion that Ozil “stormed” out (no one in the world of journalism walks out of a room) came (we have now found out) from a single look. I would say it reminds me of a song by Doris Troy, but that would reveal my age, so I won’t.
Still I’m glad they didn’t just make it up.
Of course being a journalist is hard – as is being an editor, as witness the index page of the Telegraph’s online football section which says (as of noon 1 September)
Champions League group stage draw: What time does it start, what TV channel is it on and who can my team get? (Posted 30 August 8.33am)
Champions League group stage draw: What time does it start, what TV channel is it on and who can my team get? (Posted 29 August 10.12am)
Yes indeed. Using computers rather than people to keep your websites running is all right, but maybe you need the odd person around just to pick up the out of date bits, and the relevations that you are simply posting the same story twice in order to get more readers.
Still at least they have stopped saying “All you need to know.” They don’t read Untold do they?
But enough of this. What of the game?
Top of the injury league this Saturday is Everton with nine men down, followed by the Tiny Totts with six, and then a host of clubs on five including Arsenal. Cardiff are on three while bottom of the table and clearly not really trying is Southampton with one man out.
Physioroom are being a little bit silly I feel (they haven’t hired Sir Hardly Anyone have they?) in that they are now publishing Mesut’s name as M �zil which I find amusing rather than tasteless. But if offered enough dosh I could find it tasteless if you want.
The rest of the list is the standard selection: Jenkinson, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac (player of the month one year ago), and Koscielny.
Mesut is, according to all reports, back and will be tested out in a new position (right back?)
Cardiff are lacking Mendez-Laing, Hoilett who may well be back from a groin injury and Gunnarsson who really sounds as if he ought to be playing for us.
We all know that if Arsenal is going to make an improvement this season over last, it has to be in terms of the away form – our home form is unlikely to get any better than last year. Cardiff however had a good home record last year – although of course in a division lower.
Home matches only…
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 23 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 47 | 18 | 29 | 53 |
| 2 | Cardiff City | 23 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 40 | 16 | 24 | 52 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 42 | 19 | 23 | 49 |
| 4 | Fulham | 23 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 40 | 17 | 23 | 47 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 23 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 33 | 17 | 16 | 45 |
Perhaps not surprisingly one of those home defeats was against Wolverhampton by 0-1. The other two however were consecutive on 26 and 29 December: 2-4 to Fulham and 0-1 to Preston. They also lost 0-2 to Manchester City at home in the Cup, (a much weakened City side as I recall) and 1-2 to Burton Albion in the League Cup at their home ground (imaginatively named the Cardiff City Stadium – it sits on the opposite side of the road from the old ground.)
What is particularly interesting about Cardiff’s progress last season is that they had one of those dead patches that can affect all teams. It came just around Christmas.
| Date | Game | Res | Score | Competition |
| 23 Dec 2017 | Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City | L | 2-0 | League Championship |
| 26 Dec 2017 | Cardiff City v Fulham | L | 2-4 | League Championship |
| 29 Dec 2017 | Cardiff City v Preston North End | L | 0-1 | League Championship |
| 01 Jan 2018 | Queens Park Rangers v Cardiff City | L | 2-1 | League Championship |
| 06 Jan 2018 | Cardiff City v Mansfield Town | D | 0-0 | FA Cup |
Mansfield Town who completed the run came 8th in League Two last season. Cardiff did however win the replay, but that little run in the midst of a triumphant promotion season does show that worries and concerns can set in with this squad. Indeed as we noticed in the earlier report today in the first three games this season Cardiff City scored zero, and then while being beaten at home by Norwich City of the Championship they managed to get their one and only goal of the season.
Perhaps their approach is to have the rocky period at the start of the season and get it out the way.
More anon.
- How journalists knew Özil was not ill, Mkhit’s travel issues and Cardiff v Arsenal
- Premier League Matchweek 4 – The Match Officials, the downfall of Madley and Cardiff v Arsenal
- Arsenal in the Europa League. It’s a long way to go.
Southampton only having a single injury?
Southampton are “top” of the inverse treatments league, having caused 12 opposing players to need treatment so far this season. And they have only received 1 card for all that. Man$ity and ManU are second and third in that league (with 10, and no cards due to inflicting treatments).
Arsenal will unfailingly extend their winning run over Cardiff City to 11 in all competitions at the Cardiff City Stadium tomorrow in the PL match encounter between the duo club sides.
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Even Neil Warnock, the Bluebirds head coach has already known in advance that the Gunners will beat his Bluebirds team to whatever they have on offer in the game in all aspects of playing the match.
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The beating of the Bluebirds by the Gunners which will be comprehensively done will result from the superior quality game the they will play in the match over the low quality game the Bluebirds will tender in the match.
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But let me warn the Gunners not to take beating the Bluebirds for granted to thus become complacent and overconfident. Which if they do, the Bluebirds will be emboldened to seize the control of the match. And if they are allowed to do this, they could be encourage to spring a surprise in the match to embarrass the Gunners by scoring against them.
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Therefore, the Gunners must work hard in the match to contain whatever game playing tactics and ploy the Bluebirds will throw to them in the match and defuse it adequately by having an eagle eye in the game to spot any moves in advance the Bluebirds are attempting to make against them and kill it off from source before it could rear it’s ugly head..
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Cardiff City 0-4 Arsenal @FT +.
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This 0-4 away win to Arsenal tomorrow has to be. More so as Liverpool have beaten Liecester City 1-2 at away today in a PL match that I watched live. And Chelsea are winning 2-0 at home against Bournemouth in another PL match that I am watching live. And with Man City who are yet to play today above us by 4 points in the table, Arsenal cannot afford to slip up again in the table to their 5 PL Title win rival clubs who are above them in the table so far in the campaign.
Allow me please Admini to edit my comment and repost it.
Arsenal will unfailingly extend their winning run over Cardiff City to 11 matches in all competitions at the Cardiff City Stadium tomorrow in the PL match encounter between the duo club sides.
//
Even Neil Warnock, the Bluebirds head coach has already known in advance that the Gunners will beat his Bluebirds team to whatever they have on offer in the game in all aspects of playing the match.
//
The beating of the Bluebirds by the Gunners which will be comprehensively done will result from the superior quality game the they will play in the match against the low quality game the Bluebirds will tender in the match.
//
But let me warn the Gunners not to take beating the Bluebirds for granted to thus become complacent and overconfident. Which if they do, the Bluebirds will be emboldened to seize the control of the match. And if they are allowed to do this, they could be encouraged to spring a surprise in the match to embarrass the Gunners by scoring against them.
//
Therefore, the Gunners must work hard in the match to contain whatever game playing tactics and ploy the Bluebirds will throw to them in the match and defuse them adequately by having an eagle eye watch in the game to spot any moves in advance which the Bluebirds are attempting to make against them, and kill it off from source before they could rear their ugly heads against Arsenal.
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Cardiff City 0-4 Arsenal @FT +. Is my prediction.
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This 0-4 win away to Arsenal tomorrow has to be. More so as Liverpool have beaten Liecester City 1-2 at away today in a PL match that I watched live. And Chelsea are winning 2-0 at home against Bournemouth in another PL match that I am watching live. And with Man City vs Newcastle match result today in the PL yet to come, but who are above us by 4 points in the table, Arsenal cannot afford to slip up again to their 5 PL Title win rival clubs who are above them in the table so far in the campaign.