Untold Arsenal: Supporting the club, the manager and the team
"I believe the target of anything in life should be to do it so well that it becomes an art." A Wenger
By Tony Attwood In the old days – the very very old days – there were myths – stories of giants, gods, magicians, demons and the like. Then in the not quite so old days these stories were codified into more coherent stories which became known as religions. They contained stories of simple changes to …
By Tony Attwood Alex Iwobi appears to have shaken off the illness which (according to the Metro) had him “rushed to hospital” and has chosen to represent Nigeria rather than England in his future international career by coming on as a substitute in the game with Egypt. Most players these days have a choice of which …
By Tony Attwood Imagine the scene. The football journalist has an article to write. The editor has set the deadline. The deadline has almost approached, appeared, past by and gone. No article. In time honoured fashion the journo goes to the pub, has a few with other journos facing the same problem, and looks aghast …
Read More “How to be a top journalist without leaving the pub”
Can Leicester hang on? by Tim Charlesworth One of the (many) things that winds me up when I am listening to people talk about football is the accusation that the team is not ‘motivated’ or ‘trying hard enough’. The observation that players should be trying harder is generally up there with the idea that people …
Read More “Can Leicester hang on, or is the great tiredness about to set in?”
By Walter Broeckx With the passing of Johan Cruyff a football legend has gone away. I do admit that when I was a boy and growing up Cruyff was in his glory days in the seventies. And I didn’t really like him at that moment. But that had all to do with the fact that he played …
Read More “A football legends dies, and it is worth to take note of his wise words”
By Andrew Crawshaw We currently have published the Referee Reviews for the first 28 games of the season and our record is Won 15, Drawn 6 and Lost 7 so we have dropped points in 13 games. Here are three tables highlighting our games to date with some pertinent facts extracted from our referee reviews. …
Read More “Referees’ three-quarter Season Review: referee performance compared to results.”
by Tony Attwood On June 30 2015, Uefa’s then General secretary Gianni Infantino now head of Fifa announced that Olympiakos would be allowed to stay in the Champions League. As we know they went on to play Arsenal. Immediately questions were raised. Uefa was asked whether Infantino had removed his deputy, Theodore Theodoridis, from any discussions or …
by Andrew Crawshaw I know its an Interlul for the Men’s Teams but there is Arsenal Football this evening at Meadow Park when our Ladies take on Reading in their first game of the Women’s Super League (WSL). I’m heading to the game and will welcome a chat with any Untolder’s who will be there. …
By Tony Attwood We blow the starting whistle on transfer stories yesterday with “Arsenal looking to hijack Man Utd move for Mourinho” The new rumour season is off with a plop, and wouldn’t you know it, the next day the newspapers are there joining in. I didn’t mean it seriously guys! And I don’t just …
By Tony Attwood It’s been a little while since I looked at the table we drew up near the season’s start, showing how much money clubs had spent (less the money received) both over five years and over last summer. It became clear very early on that the suggestions made in Untold that buying players …
Read More “The limit beyond which I cannot go in offering Arsenal my support.”
By Walter Broeckx The match against Everton was a match in which a few players proved themselves to be in better form after having been a bit below par over the last weeks. Let us start with Coquelin. Of course he isn’t the most flashy player in the team but his mostly unnoticed work rate …
Read More “When will the glue master be back? Arsenal look forward to Santi’s return.”
By Tony Attwood There is an article in the Daily Telegraph that says, “This is no blip – the Premier League has changed forever” by Jason Burt, the Chief Football Correspondent. It is in fact primarily a report of a natter with Slaven Bilic, and the claim to the portentous title comes down to the …
Read More “The five ways in which the media are treating us like idiots when they debate football.”
by Andrew Crawshaw Ladies News On Friday Arsenal Ladies announced the signing of 21 year old Nigerian International Asisat Oshoala from Liverpool Ladies FC. This was a deal that had been done much earlier, but (as often seems the case with Arsenal) the paperwork and International clearance took its time. Oshoala won the BBC Women’s …
Read More “Birmingham City Ladies v Arsenal Ladies FA Cup Fifth Round – Match Report”
The view of the Untold editorial board has never shifted – we don’t want Mr Wenger to leave. Indeed that is why Untold was set up. However one day he will go. So for when he does, here is THE SHORTLIST by Don McMahon This is a speculative article in response to the whining aaa …
Read More “If Mr Wenger were to leave, who might replace him.”
by Andrew Crawshaw This wasn’t a game I was able to get to so this report is second-hand, thanks to Arsenal.com and Jeorge Bird The Teams Arsenal playing a 4-2-3-1 formation GK Keto Defence Johnson – Bielik – M Bola – Robinson Midfield Base Sheaf – Bennacer Advanced Midfield – Reine-Adelaide – Hinds – C …
Read More “Man City U18 v Arsenal U18 FA Cup Semi-final First Leg Match Report”
I may be nuts but I’m not crazy: Crying foul – the league table that will amaze all Arsenal fans By Proud Kev Whenever we mention referees, there are certain people who roll their eyes and believe we are all conspiracy nut jobs. For what it is worth I may be nuts but I do …
By Tony Attwood For the last two away wins two different banners have been produced at the end of the match saying that it is time for Wenger to leave Arsenal. Seeing these on display I started to ask some simple questions such as a) why would you make such a banner and pay £35 …
Read More “BT Sport implicated in creation & display of anti-Wenger banners at away games.”
By Walter Broeckx Arsenal made only one change in the starting line up compared to the match at Barcelona. Coquelin came in the team in the place of the injured Flamini. So this means that Welbeck kept his place in the starting line up and also Iwobi started again and this for the second match …
By Bulldog Drummond And so now we know. Leicester will win the league and that is jolly good thing. Man City will win the Champions League and Liverpool the Europa because they are English, and the foreign clubs don’t like it up em. (The fact that Man City is a Chinese-Abu Dhabi corporation …
Read More “Everton v Arsenal: a preview, an analysis, a rant, a funny picture.”
by Andrew Crawshaw Following our Referee reviews of the United and Swansea games, here is an updated Wall of Shame and we see an entry in third place for Robert Madley. In his previous game this year he scored 90% and made only two mistakes in the whole game. Clearly he had been given a …
By Walter Broeckx Now let us for the sake of it pretend that time travelling exists and is possible. So if you are with me let us start travelling back to Wednesday’s match at Nou Camp. And let us have a look at the statistics as they are shown on some websites. Like the Uefa website. …
Read More “The Untold time machine: what really happened in Barcelona.”
. During the past few months Arsenal scout Danny Karbassiyoon has contributed an occasional series of articles about being a scout for Arsenal. Now, as publication of Danny’s new book, The Arsenal Yankee, approaches publication, Danny answers some of the questions that have been put to him in the correspondence following each article. (More details …
Read More “Danny Karbassiyoon answers Untold readers’ questions on being a scout for Arsenal”
By Tony Attwood Fifa has lodged a claim in the US courts for tens of millions of dollars for damages and compensation from the former executives who have been found guilty or accused of fraud. The reason is that they have “deeply tarnished the Fifa brand”. I bet the court case is going to …
By Walter Broeckx Arsenal with some unexpected people in the starting line up. Flamini wasn’t really expected in the place of Coquelin and with Elneny as his partner this also wasn’t what one might expect. Per on the bench for Koscielny also not expected but as Wenger talked about speed in defence the choice for …
Read More “Barcelona – Arsenal 3-1 the final score not even with the number of shots”
. By Tony Attwood In 1975/6 we went six matches without a win under Bertie Mee. In 1976/7 we went 11 without a win including seven consecutive defeats under Terry Neill. In 1986/7 we went 10 leagues games without a win in which we scored a total of two goals, with Graham in charge. …
Read More “Barcelona v Arsenal; all the news you never knew you needed and probably didn’t”
