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 Walter Broeckx A very very short match report as this match falls right in our new years eve party. Arsenal starting line up: Cech, Chambers, Mustafi, Koscielny, Bellerin, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Wilshere, Iwobi, Alexis, Lacazette. On the beach: Ospina, Mertesacker, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Elneny, Walcott, Welbeck. Kolasinac off with an injury after a foul on him …
By Bulldog Drummond This will be match number 140 between these two teams, the first such game being 23 February 1901, a 0-1 home defeat for Woolwich Arsenal in the FA Cup. Since then Arsenal have won 71 of the games, West Brom 38 and 30 have been drawn. The bulk of the WBA victories …
Read More “WBA v Arsenal. Past events, match overload, present team, have a great party.”
By Bulldog Drummond Today is the day that Mr Wenger takes the record for the number of Premier League games handled by a manager. Of course there are people who wish it were not so, but that’s the sort of thing that always happens and some people will acknowledge a remarkable achievement. There are more …
Read More “West Brom v Arsenal: there are more exotic places to take a record”
By Bulldog Drummond West Brom are in deep trouble at the foot of the table… Pos Club P W D L F A GD Pts 15 Newcastle United 20 5 3 12 19 30 -11 18 16 Crystal Palace 20 4 6 10 18 32 -14 18 17 West Ham United 20 4 6 10 …
Read More “West Bromwich v Arsenal: this could be dangerous”
by Andrew Crawshaw Well the PGMO are certainly ensuring that they do everything in their power to ensure that we remain well out of the Champions League places. After Martin Atkinson on 22 December, Michael Oliver on 28 December we have Mike Dean on the 31st. And in case you thought it couldn’t get any …
Read More “West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal; Sunday 31 Dec 2017 – The Match Officials”
By Sir Hardly Anyone Before I start, I want a name or phrase to describe a really silly transfer rumour. Any ideas? Anyway, here’s a little test for you to try out while you are thinking. Consider this headline. 1: Three centre-backs Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger should sign in the January transfer window Now, what …
Read More “After comments like this, it is amazing any player ever wants to come near Arsenal.”
By Tony Attwood We used to have lots of people writing in saying that the start of one season was the worst start ever for Arsenal. In the end it went on and on so much, and I started to be accused of “not facing facts” and “trying to cover up Wenger’s failings” so much, …
by Tony Attwood Jack’s pass to Alexis last night was a moment to behold; a moment of sublime football which can be viewed over and over again (at least by me, even if by no one else); an utter delight. To my mind (and of course it is just my view) it is the sort …
Read More “Back from the palace and its the same old same old: Knock, knock, knock, kncko, konck”
By Walter Broeckx Arsenal team at the start: Cech, Chambers, Mustafi, Koscielny, Bellerin, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Wilshere, Özil, Alexis, Lacazette. On the beach : Ospina, Walcott, Holding, Iwobi, Welbeck, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin Crystal Palace pulling themselves around their penalty are from the start and speculating on the long high ball. Arsenal trying to pass the ball forward …
by Bulldog Drummond Continuing our review of the stats from games this season, Palace have 38 yellow cards this season (Arsenal have 27) and neither club has had a player sent off yet. But they are third in the table when it comes to tackles – they undertake 18.1 tackles per game – only Chelsea and …
Read More “Palace due for a long wait before beating Arsenal again”
By Bulldog Drummond In the last eight games (all in the League) Palace have pulled themselves together under Roy Hodgson… Date Game Res Score Competition 18 Nov 2017 Crystal Palace v Everton D 2-2 Premier League 25 Nov 2017 Crystal Palace v Stoke City W 2-1 Premier League 28 Nov 2017 Brighton and Hove v …
Read More “Crystal Palace v Arsenal; what the stats of this season predict for the result”
by Andrew Crawshaw We have our first three timer this season for this game. Referee – Michael Oliver Age 32 from Northumberland and FIFA accredited Assistant Referee 1 – Simon Bennett from Staffordshire and FIFA accredited Assistant Referee 2 – Daniel Cook from Hampshire Fourth Official – Graham Scott Age 49 from Oxfordshire Michael Oliver …
By Tony Attwood Very sorry for lack of anything on Untold today, and delay in clearing comments held in moderation. If you’ve followed us for a while you might recall I live in the East Midlands, where not only have we had a tiddly bit of snow but also a total snarl up on the …
by Tony Attwood Rumour mongering used to be a world of shadows – suggestions, ideas, half-hidden notions. But now, not only is everything out in the open but also we have a hierarchy of rumours. All the journalists and bloggetta scribblers know how this works, but they like to keep it quiet from their readership so …
Read More “There are no more shadows: your guide to the ways in which journalists predict transfers”
By Sir Hardly Anyone And what a fabulous night at the Sweet FA it was. As the representative of Oakham and Rutland Football Association, one of the oldest FAs in the country I was delighted to join in the big bash at Wembley Stadium. The speeches, although largely incoherent were spectacular. And the entertainment supplied …
Read More “A report from the FA’s Christmas Eve party at Wembley Stadium”
By Tony Attwood You might know that aside from publishing Untold Arsenal I also publish the website of the AISA Arsenal History Society. That site began in 2009, and it has over time worked to correct some of the errors and omissions that appear in various books and websites that deal with Arsenal’s history. Indeed …
Read More “Perhaps this a moment to pause and contemplate where we have come from”
By Tony Attwood Every few months the media does its thing about which is the most expensive team to support. Arsenal usually come out on top and then for a few months we have readers writing in claiming that Arsenal has the most expensive entrance prices in world football. It’s a favourite filler of the …
Read More “Football is built on a feudal state and we need to be aware of what that means”
by Tony Attwood There is a headline that I saw on Yahoo! Sport today which reads, “Arsenal 3-3 Liverpool: Both sides showcase obvious flaws in a classic” which intrigued me. If, as the writer says, the flaws in each side were “obvious”, the question arises: why don’t the two managers correct these obvious flaws? That …
Read More “Revealed: the secretive group who could build a perfect team, but refuse to do so”
By Tony Attwood Just having a quick scout around the interblogwebnet thing this morning I found this little gem on a Liverpolo site “The shot that led to Granit Xhaka’s goal had a xG of 0.02. Which means that it had a one in 50 chance of going in. One. In. Fifty. And instead of …
Read More “Why being at a football match makes it all so very different”
By Walter Broeckx Arsenal team at the start: Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Monreal, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Wilshere, Özil, Alexis, Iwobi, Lacazette. On the beach: Ospina, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Walcott, Coquelin, Elneny, Welbeck Arsenal having most of the ball in the opening minutes but no real goal chances following. Then Henderson went down injured and he had to come …
By Bulldog Drummond I’ve just been told that my new glasses are available at the opticians, which means if I leave for the match in good time (like 2pm) I can pick them up before driving through the undoubtedly solid motorway system to London for tonight’s game. What a totally stupid night for a football …
Read More “Ox in the box. Arsenal v Liverpool, Arsenal never change except when they change”
By Bulldog Drummond To begin with the Dennis news, as you may have heard, Ajax have sacked Dennis Bergkamp as assistant to Marcel Keizer (who has also been given the shove) after a cup defeat to FC Twente. Dennis had been a coach at Ajax since August 2011. Ajax are second in the Eredivisie and were …
by Andrew Crawshaw Well the PGMO have been saving him for a special occasion this season and this match is it! Referee – Martin Atkinson Age 46 and still FIFA accredited (but that is to lapse in January I believe due to his age). Assistant Referee 1 – Stephen Child From Kent and FIFA accredited …
Read More “Arsenal v Liverpool Friday 22 December – The Match Officials. Arghhhhhh!!!”
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING byDon McMahon What is a referee’s authority and what are his or her checks and balances that ensure he/she will do the job with integrity, firmness and fairness? Law 5 provides the framework for the referee’s limits of authority and gives the restraints concerning the application of the laws …
Read More “Too much of a good thing? Why referees need the final say in any decision, even with VAR”
By Bulldog Drummond. When I speak of “fortune telling” I mean of course my regular attempts to predict what will happen in each Arsenal game as it comes along. And aside from just wanting to win, I think the system we’ve been looking at this season is doing quite well. By this I mean something …
Read More “Arsenal v Liverpool! The fortune telling programme that predicts results quite well.”
