Arsenal 10 men 2, West Porno 14 men 0

West Porno United, named after their owners, threw everything at Arsenal in this game, and then some. We expected rotational fouling – it is what the lesser clubs do, and we got it.   We expected the referee (their 12th man) and his linos (13th and 14th) to do their bit in letter it go – and they did. …

Next season the stadia will be empty, so we’d better enjoy the noise now

. According to the chitter chatter of a million journalists trying to catch up with last year’s stories, up to one in four season ticket holders at EPL clubs  are considering not renewing for next season in a bid to cut costs, according to a survey published today.   And Manchester IOU are going to put …

Arsenal v West Ham. The build up, the teams, the result, the fun

. Phil Gregory on Arsenal v West Ham United . Morning Untold. We’re straight onto the next cup final with the Hammers coming to the Emirates on Saturday, but first a quick word on the Hull game. As a longtime Bendtner fan, life hasn’t always been easy for me. I had a huge argument about …

Next season’s amazing wizard as Arsenal win the quadruple

I know that this is what we should debate in the summer when bugger all happens but it just sprang to my mind as I contemplated in amazement the fact that we have more midfielders than we need for the game against those jolly chappies from the chippy eastern province. Next season we will have …

Liverpool Me and You. The club we all part own sinks deeper into the mire.

. A few weeks ago I put up a list of all the EPL clubs with thoughts on their finances.  Now I’m trying to do some updates club by club. Here’s more on  Liverpool- and this time I want to try and put forward a different idea.  One that says that the way a club …

From Gunners in Arms, to Gooners in Arms

. By Walter Broeckx I recently read a book, written by Bernard Joy, a former Gunner in the 1930-1940’s called Forward Arsenal and in this book Bernard Joy is talking about the players in those days also being more than just Gunners. Players who are ready to set their personal ambitions aside for the benefit …

Arsenal prepare to welcome our friendly friends from the east end

. Billy the Dog explores the happy by-ways of East London Thames Ironworks, whom we play this weekend under their new name of West Porno (the club also known as Wham), have done well over the years, winning the West Ham Charity Cup in 1895 and then becoming Western League Division 1B Champions to the …

We’ve already scored more goals than in the whole of last season

By Walter Broeckx The last time I compared our current season with the last, we were half way the season.  In case you missed it last time around,  I just would like to explain that I just took the games from last season and the corresponding game of this season and compared the results. It’s …

Champions League: who’s having a laugh?

Top Four? by Simon Bailey As the clock ticked round to 90 minutes on Saturday, my friend John grimly declared that if the score stayed as it was we could kiss the league goodbye. My first instinct was to agree. My next thought was that we have been written off twice already this season. My …

Arsenal and Aston Villa: what happened after the battle for fourth

In yesterday afternoon’s article Paul Collins reminded us in passing of the battle between Arsenal and Villa for fourth a year ago. Clearly we all know what happened on the pitch both last year and this (today Villa are 18 points behind us with three games in hand, six points off fourth with two games …

Did Arsenal “come of age” against Hull?

. Did Arsenal “come of age” against Hull? By Paul Collins Looking through the media outlets this weekend there seemed to be a common theme, that of Arsenal “maturing”, “coming of age”, or “growing up” against Hull. Is there any substance to that argument? I personally don’t think so, and believe that those who spout …

Football journalism in England is irretrievably broken

. Football journalism in England is irretrievably broken My argument in this piece is in the title – and the consequence is that we are not only being very badly served by football journalism but we are also being misled by football journalism My view is that the footballing media tend to copy each other.  …

Hull v Arsenal from the ref’s perspective

By Walter Broeckx Another eventful game I must say and once again some very strange things going on, on a football field. Let me start with the actual field of play.  In the Fifa rules, which Mr. Blatters finds so important, there are some clear rules concerning the lines on a football field. When I …

Untold injuries: those hurt in action

Untold Absences updated 14th March Cesc Fabregas: hamstring injury, exacerbated by playing for Spain.  Waiting for news re West Ham Tomas Rosicky: minor groin problem caused by playing for his country within a hectic Arsenal schedule.  Probably ok for WHU Alex Song: has now served his two match ban and will play against WHU Sol …

Hull Spitty v Arsenal: predictions, prognosis, possibilities

By Phil Gregory After an awe-inspiring win against Porto, Hull away is next up on the agenda and with it the end of our recent week-long rest periods. I can empathise with the players, I really can: fixture congestion is a blight on the game extending as far down the footballing pyramid as Intramural League …

It’s one set of rules for Blatter, and another for everyone else

By Walter Broeckx In January Sepp Blatter declared according to various media that he was in favour of goal line technology. This was rather a surprising thing as in the years before he was someone who was against the use of technology. But there was joy among people who have always been in favour of …

This saturday: Spit Brown – the man with more conduct warnings than any other and founder of rotational fouling

Billy The Dog McGraw previews Arsenal at Hull, and our reunion with Spit Brown. Spit Brown is a world-famous fantasist who holds the record for the number of times a manager has been warned about his future conduct in one year.  He manages a football club at Kingston upon Hull – a diminutive village on …

Yesterday the football world received some incredibly good news.

Yesterday the football world received some incredibly good news. By Walter Broeckx And by this good news I don’t mean us sending Porto back home with a 5-0 defeat in their bag. That is some very good news for Arsenal and maybe also for the football world in general but you can’t expect fans of …

Illegal police activity is destroying football in England

In what was (I think) Leicester’s final season in the EPL we drew 1-1 with them away.  Gilberto scored.  I got very angry. I was angry because I found myself being filmed by the police for no reason other than the fact that I was in the Arsenal section of the crowd.    My view was …

Could Man U or Chelsea have won a game like this? No chance!

By Walter Broeckx I have read somewhere over the internet that the pundits in England had a hard night. I can understand that. How can you explain Arsenal beating Porto with 5 -0 when you have been saying a whole season how bad we are. And then to realise we played without Cesc, Gallas and …

Cesc, Van Persie, Gallas could be fit for Champs League final

And why not plan in this way?   The Glorious Double – Champs League and EPL. The fact is that once again with half the team missing we managed to outwit and outsmart the doom and gloom brigade, the media and the opposition. What Arsenal would be like with a full squad would be like, well …

Tonight’s ref: the inside story, plus the journos prepare their excuses

Tonight the ref is the number one ref in Belgium.   Or as Zafod Bebblebrox says in the Hitchhikers’ Guide “Belgium Man!” Here’s the assessment of our resident Belgian Referee: Walter Broeckx…….. ———— I really hope he doesn’t screw up on us. Last season he had the Liverpool – Real Madrid game and before the game …

Tottenham could decide the Championship

Tottenham could decide the Championship Paul Collins The final weeks of the 2009/10 season are shaping up to be fascinating. When was the last time we had 3 teams in serious contention for the Championship at this late a stage in the season AND at the same time saw the battle for 4th, and the …

The ArsenalStar, The Brookes Clan, Hot Chocolate, the Auld Triangle. It’s another home game.

Walter Broeckx comments on Antwerp to the Emirates – and back – in one day Another day at the Emirates for me and some of my family. I must say that I really don’t know how to start this time. It was a day of great emotions once again. We left Brussels right on time …

Arsenal, life, death and play acting.

This is a story of life and death.  And acting.  And celebration. It is the story of a club from the Russian Premier League side FC Moscow which has gone bust just a short while after their oligarch owner, a man in the Roman Abramovich league, pulled out, having decided to switch sports. And it …