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
“Wigan without the ball are a better team than Arsenal” By Billy “the Dog” McGraw There is a seriously fascinating article in the Telegraph today. Seriously fascinating and seriously long. And for once I would like to give a link to the article, and thus quite possibly give the Telegraph (a media “outlet” with which …
By Tony Attwood I made a prediction a year back that Tottenham would struggle at Wembley this season, on the basis that all teams struggle when they move grounds. And I was completely wrong. They didn’t. So it is with burned fingers that I venture cautiously back into the issue of Tottenham’s new ground. I’ve …
Read More “That pesky business of building a new stadium and the ever rising costs…”
By Tony Attwood I’ve made the point a few times that the media is not very good at asking “why?” questions when it comes to football debate. One might also say that they are not very good at asking “what happens next?” In the immediate aftermath of Mr Wenger’s announcement about his resignation rumours about …
Read More “Why Arsenal will be looking to sign a couple of Italians this summer”
By Walter Broeckx Well what a starting line up from Arsenal : Ospina, Bellerin, Chambers, Mavropanos, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles, Nelson, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Aubamayang. On the beach: Cech, Holding, Monreal, Osei-Tutu, Willock, Welbeck, Nketiah Mavropanos being the 200th player to make his debut for Wenger in the Wenger era and what a place to make it. …
By Bulldog Drummond We’re having real technical problems this weekend chez Untold hence Blacksheep’s message at little earlier, but after helpful hints and whatnot from EE we are back on, although with interruptions to the service. So this is going to be a quick piece on a possible line up. It seems Mr Wenger is …
Read More “Team news for Man U v Arsenal and revelation as to our next manager”
By Bulldog Drummond There’s nothing unexpected on the injury front. Elneny is out for the rest of the season, Santi Cazorla is back running around the pitch at the Emirates, but what his future will be under the new management we don’t know, and it is suggested Mkhitaryan is reported as fit and ready to …
Read More “Man U v Arsenal. The injuries, the head to head and that away record”
By Bulldog Drummond So how have Man U been doing this season? Here’s the ups and downs. Premier League: Hoped to win it but came second. When Arsenal came second in 2015/16 it was the source of much derision, so I imagine it will be the same for Man U. Champions League: Knocked out by …
Read More “Man U v Arsenal. The home and away records and the need for a spot of luck perhaps”
by Andrew Crawshaw A big PL welcome to David Coote who becomes the 22nd referee to be entrusted with a top flight match this season when he takes charge of Newcastle v West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Along with Andy Madley and Simon Hooper he will do just the one match so it will be …
Read More “Manchester United v Arsenal Sunday 29 April – The Match Officials”
By Tony Attwood This is, I guess, what it must be like each year in Germany. And what France is getting used to. And what it’s like in Spain. Only Italy escapes completely among the major leagues. I mean of course knowing who is going to win the League, weeks, months, possibly even a whole …
By Tony Attwood But life goes on, there’s still hope (although less than there would have been had we won 4-0), and there’s a weekend to look forward to. Man U away. No problem. I’ve done so many hundreds journeys back to my home along the M1 after matches, through countless lane closures and at …
Read More “It’s tough to take a blocked M1 when we don’t win 6-0”
By Walter Broeckx Arsenal starting XI : Ospina, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Ramsey, Xhaka, Wilshere, Welbeck, Ozil, Lacazette On the beach: Cech, Holding, Iwobi, Chambers, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac, Nketiah First let me start with a player that is not involved. Santi Cazorla was out on the Emirates pitch to have a run around with a fitness …
by Bulldog Drummond And so, as we get ready to go out to the stadium for the last time on a Thursday this season, we hear the news that Atlético Madrid are ready to play Diego Costa, just to annoy us. He has played 12 league games and scored three this season, and played three European …
Read More “Arsenal vs Atlético Madrid: the team news and a lovely video about Costa”
By Bulldog Drummond. According to the Independent website, “One of the problems with Arsenal for the past few years has been a stagnant flatness.” Ah well. I guess that maybe they were not at the Cup Finals. And while there is a lot of coverage of Mr Wenger, and of violence once again surrounding a …
Read More ““No pollution. Until the press conference starts.” A. Wenger.”
By Bulldog Drummond If we look at the recent matches of Atlético Madrid we find that their three defeats in the last ten games have all been away from home. The other two away games have resulted in one win (against Lokomotiv Moscow) and a draw with Real Madrid. Overall this suggests that they are not …
Read More “Arsenal v Atlético Madrid: how have the teams been doing?”
by Billy “the dog” McGraw With talk from some on what looks to me increasingly like the lunatic fringe of football journalism, about how half the squad need changing, I thought I’d have meander around some of the players who have arrived or emerged in what we now know to be the last couple of …
Read More “The recent arrivals under Wenger should not be cast aside by the new manager”
By Tony Attwood The Guardian is still of course out on its own, insisting that Arsenal’s “demise” is totally Wenger’s fault.But elsewhere in the mainstream media there is movement. As with the headline “Arsene Wenger critics are ‘stupid’… he’s not the real reason they’re struggling – ex-star”. OK that’s the Mirror, not normally a newspaper …
Read More “Supposing the truth is that under Arsene Wenger Arsenal has been over-performing”
Arsenal need not fear Atletico Madrid As the only remaining chance of silverware this season for Arsenal, it goes without saying that the Europa League semi-final tie against Atletico Madrid will be absolutely crucial. For Arsene Wenger and the team, these are two games that might completely change how the 2017-18 campaign is viewed. …
By Sir Hardly Anyone So now we see what we get when the wild and whacky world of journalists, bloggers, pundits the AST and ArsenalTVNews get their way, and the manager goes. Maybe it will all run smoothly. Maybe Arsenal already have a new manager in place. Maybe it is not Brendon Rodgers. Maybe it …
Read More “Has the successful anti-Wenger movement now made Arsenal unmanageable?”
By Tony Attwood One newspaper headline today is “Arsenal need a realist who will get rid of half of the squad”. I am not at all sure that this is the case, but I wonder if those who have called for Mr Wenger’s departure are already evolving their position. The argument I have had tried …
by Tony Attwood There is an article in the Telegraph that runs this headline “Arsene Wenger won three FA Cups in twilight of his Arsenal reign, yet Spurs are lauded for a top-four finish.” It is indeed an interesting perspective, especially if we compare the last five years From 2012/13 to 2015/16 Tottenham entered the …
Read More “What the newspapers and others are saying about Mr Wenger”
By Tony Attwood The opening sequences of Arsenal v West Ham on BBC TV’s “Match of the Day” yesterday evening included a held shot of the Untold Arsenal “Football should be an Art” banner which has been at the Clock End for several years following donations made by a number of supporters of this site. …
Read More “Untold Arsenal’s Emirates banner featured on Match of the Day and record equalled”
by Bulldog Drummond Arsenal have beaten West Ham, many more times than they have beaten us, as you might imagine. We’ve won 64, they’ve won 34 and there have been 39 draws. In the Leslie Knighton era – the time which he reported in his autobiography that he was giving drugs to his Arsenal team …
Read More “Arsenal v West Ham. The past matches, the injuries, the teams and scoring 3+ at home”
By Bulldog Drummond Such is the level of, well not exactly debate but general commentary, on Arsene Wenger’s decision to leave that it is difficult to focus on the West Ham game. One thing I would add personally was that I thought that amidst all the snide remarks and put downs that came pouring out …
Read More “Arsenal v West Ham. Arsenal at home look very solid, WHAM away less so.”
By Tony Attwood It is interesting when following an unexpected event, to see how long it takes for the mainstream media to come in with one of their conspiracy theories – which is to say, an explanation for events for which there is no evidence at all, and which requires quite a stretch of the …
Read More ““He turned football into an art.” Ivan Gazidis notes the Untold banner”
by Andrew Crawshaw Before I go on to look at our match officials, I would like to put on record my personal appreciation for Arsène Wenger. We have been incredibly lucky and priveliged to have had him at our club and I don’t think that we are ever likely to see his equal. Now on …
