By Bulldog Drummond Actually I wanted to call this, “Just how good does a new manager have to be; just how bad does an old manager have to be?” but it was too long to fit in the subject line. And I wanted the long title because it is a relevant question here.  Carvalhal has …

Read More “Swansea v Arsenal: Just how good does a new manager have to be?”

By Sir Hardly Anyone Yes I know it is hard to believe, and yes it has taken years of hard work, but finally scientists have now produced a translator that translates from journalistic gibberish to English. So without ado further here and forthwith are the current top transfer tales, complete with an approximate realisation in …

Read More “UNIQUE! All the latest transfer rumours translated into normal English”

  By Tony Attwood A couple of us were having a little debate about Mr Wenger’s comment concerning teams that had not won anything for 25 years, and this led us into all sorts of funny areas such as: When exactly did Liverpool and Tottenham last win anything? and which clubs have been the most …

Read More “The top six is just an imaginary concept from an overexcited brain”

By Sir Hardly Anyone Could you be a football headline writer or a footie journo?   Here is a little test whether you should aspire to that august line of work.   You then have to consider how you would turn each of the following stories into a bloggetta or Daily Mail / Daily Star headline. Here …

Read More “Do you have what it takes to be a football journalist? Find out here.”

By Tony Attwood Uefa’s report analysing trends in European football, is huge.  Page after page of complex statistics and analyses.   So what does the Guardian give us as the big headline at the top of its review? Arsenal: No 1 in Europe “For ticket prices, that is. The Gunners boast an average “yield” per spectator …

Read More “Arsenal’s new manager, the myth of the new manager & the most expensive seats”

By Sir Hardly Anyone 1: Aubameyang: not all plain sailing Aubameyang CONFIRMS On Twitter He Is Coming To Arsenal says ArsenalInsidernews.com and of course we all know that if it is on Twitter it is true because they have absolutely stopped people putting up fake accounts. But even if suspicious of Twitter we can be …

Read More “The Deconfusion List: exactly where Aub deal has got to and who else is coming”

By Sir Hardly Anyone at the Rutland International Aerodrome, Oakham. So that’s another match done, and another cup final on the way.  And the natter and chatter goes on and on and… there is chatter that Auba is not coming to Arsenal because he is still playing for Dortmund. Arsenal Get Bad Update on Pierre-Emerick …

Read More “Jack injury worries, Aubameyang worries, Santi worries, and a spot at the airport”

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes …

Read More “A fulsome and detailed tactical analysis of the game. Oh yes. Yes. Yes.”

By Bulldog Drummond Some bookies have decided to take a new twist on the issue of Arsenal’s team changes and are talking up the possibility of a huge clear out by Arsenal, and offering all sorts of odds on everyone getting out of the club at once.   Well, not quite everyone but they seem pretty …

Read More “Arsenal v Chelsea, the teams, shirt numbering, and beating Bayern last night”

By Bulldog Drummond Mr Wenger summarised the current position with a combination of metaphorical statements and rhetorical questions when he said to the assembled hacks, “We have been in a few finals – has it changed your mood?  No. I have no illusions at all.” The Mirror, reporting the comments along with several other papers, then …

Read More “Arsenal v Chelsea: Mr Wenger in rhetorical and metaphorical mood.”

By Bulldog Drummond The injury list today seems to be full of slightly doubtful injuries The man How’s he doing? When’s he back For Chelsea? N Monreal Hamstring Injury January 24, 2018 Late Fitness Test A Ramsey Illness January 24, 2018 Late Fitness Test D Welbeck Muscular Injury January 30, 2018 Slight Doubt O Giroud …

Read More “Arsenal v Chelsea, injuries, recent games and “Aubameyang confirmed””

By Tony Attwood The new figures from Deloitte are out concerning the evolution of footballing income, and when one looks at the figures it is the growth in the gap between the Premier League and the rest of the top leagues in terms of income that is so staggering. This table is in millions of …

Read More “The future of football: can the growth go on forever?”

by Sir Hardly Anyone, and some mates down the pub. Here’s a team that we could soon be putting out.  It’s fairly familiar with just a single change up front.  All very straight forward. Petr Cech Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal Bellerin                                  …

Read More “How on earth are we going to fit all these guys in the team at once?”

by Tony Attwood It’s been an Arsenal thing for almost a century: pick one of your own players and get at him.  Herbert Chapman railed against the “boo-boys” in the late 1920s and early 1930s, we had it again in the 1970s, it happened with players under George Graham (I remember Martin Hayes getting booed …

Read More “Why do Arsenal fans criticise Arsenal players so much?”

by Tony AttwoodIn Germany it is being call “the big transfer domino” and of course it refers to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.  The newspaper headlines are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would like to leave Borussia this winter. His transfer depends on several other players in the Premier League. If a deal does not materialize, a whole pack of transfers …

Read More “Giroud to leave as part of Aubameyang deal plus errors and spelling problems”

by Tony Attwood And so Alexis Sánchez who signed for Arsenal in July 2014 for £31.7m has seemingly been swapped for Henrikh Mkhitaryan who we are told is valued at around £35m although Transfer Market has him listed as £31.5m.   Mkhitaryan was allegedly in London on Saturday night with his agent awaiting a medical with Arsenal. Speaking …

Read More “Alexis and the trouble with working out transfer values”

By Bulldog Drummond Crystal Palace are a yellow card team – they have had 45 this season, making them the third most carded team in the league.  Arsenal are mid-table in this regard.  However they are not too bad on shots with 301 this season to Arsenal’s 393. They have kept five clean sheets this …

Read More “Arsenal v Palace: several variations of possible and impossible line ups.”

By Bulldog Drummond Arsenal’s last ten fixtures are not exactly a rallying cry to further greatness, and the team certainly needs to start pulling itself together. Of course this could be the moment when really see what Wilshere and Ramsey can do together on the pitch, which would be a good way of starting a …

Read More “Arsenal v Palace. Recent games, and the very latest on the transfers”

By Bulldog Drummond It’s all happening. Oh no it isn’t Oh yes it… well, who knows.   Here’s a collection of ramblings from people who think they know, but they can’t all be right. Alexis Sanchez arrives at Arsenal training ground as forward is made to wait for Manchester… Mirror.co.uk  . Update from Germany on Aubameyang …

Read More “Arsenal v Crystal Palace; the injuries, the transfers, the form, and player records”

by Andrew Crawshaw Our Officials for this match are :- Referee – Chris Kavanagh  Age 42 born in Manchester Assistant Referee 1 – Peter Kirkup  from Northamptonshire Assistant Referee 2 – Adam Nunn  from Wiltshire and FIFA accredited Fourth Official – Andre Marriner  Age 46 from the West Midlands This will be Mr Kavanagh’s ninth …

Read More “Arsenal v Crystal Palace Saturday 20 January 2018 – The Match Officials”

By Tony Attwood There is a standard approach to transfers which virtually all journalists and their hangers on in the bloggettas  agree to follow runs thus: Arsenal could sign this amazing player Arsenal seriously interested in this amazing player Negotiations ongoing concerning this amazing player This amazing player is not that amazing after all Besides …

Read More “Revealed: how most of the Arsenal transfer stories will conclude at the end of January.”

By Sir Hardly Anyone Oh yes oh yes oh dear. Alexis Sanchez has agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract worth £14million after tax to join Manchester United.  And it must be true because it is in the Telegraph.   All the clubs are doing now is waiting for Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s agent to get out of the bath and let …

Read More “The deal is done. Oh yes it is. Oh no it isn’t. You’re making it up. Oh no I’m not.”

By Tony Attwood Tucked away at the foot of a long article in the Guardian about Arsenal’s transfer of Aubameyang is this notion “It remains unclear if Dortmund are willing to sell this month given the lack of time to secure a replacement.” That is quite a killer in terms of a deal, because if …

Read More “Arsenal’s transfers only confused by the needy media seeking to be at the centre”

By Tony Attwood More from the Fiction Department at Minitrue. So the 10th anniversary has passed and we have posted 7,800 articles over those 10 years.  This is 7,801 and time to move on, perhaps occasionally remembering one or two more things from the past as we go, but thinking more about what we can do …

Read More “Arsenal: The truth is out there, but is hiding under the blanket.”