Great news Darren.
Good to hear you and your Daughter are on the road to full recovery.
Stay safe and the same to everyone on here and your families.

Wow! Really?! What intstrument? What type of music? That's cool.
I tap a man triangle if you need someone.

Oaf - a really good word. We don't read it much on here since the disappearance of Cannon Balls.

When I used to go to The Emirates I aged rapidly over a couple of hours watching our defence. Scientists call it the Fabianski effect.

If he wants too much, let him go. He is good, but not irreplaceable.

I think it goes beyond how much he wants or how good he is. By the way, I do agree with you OMOH that he isn’t irreplaceable. If he still wants away, and him not signing a contract extension suggests he does, then this summer if the last chance Arsenal will have to get a decent transfer fee for him as his value will decline appreciably next January. Don’t forget, the club stated its intention to stop losing top players for nothing.

But we also have to remember this. He is coming up to his 31st birthday in June. He will soon be on his decline. That and it being the last chance of getting a decent transfer fee means this summer is arguably the best time to say goodbye.

That comes as no surprise.

Hi LTG,
If, when the rest of the season is played out, whether behind closed doors, it wouldn't surprise me if players are required to wear face masks. Same for all staff, media, sponsors associated with these games. I suspect at least 2 years before majority of normalcy returns. It took 2 years of waiting out the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.

Ahh that's really nice from someone who carries a bag of pennies around...

Actually without this descending into a love-in I've met a lot of people off here and there's been a ridiculously high number of wonderful people for a niche website about kickaball. Apart from the more local back in the early 2000s after my Dad passed I had a spare ticket that was one of those bonded season tickets and quite a few foreign forumites were able to kind of pre-book it for their trip over. I think my Dad would have really liked that because on the rare occasions he'd been up with a spare ticket he'd always given it to the supporters club and told them to give it to someone who had really travelled for the game. I liked it because the bonded bit meant it would cost (from memory) about half what Arsenal would charge for the same seat. Maybe it was because I'd moved to Newcastle by then and was doing 600 mile round trips to home games but it just seemed right that you should get a discount if you travelled a long way...

Anyway I have a terrible memory but the first three that spring to mind as I type this (and who all don't post anymore) as being wonderful company were Julian, Vasteras and USMartin. I really enjoyed being at the match with all three of them. OK, so one of them may have got a bit wordy on here later but that's no matter to my point.

Jeez I miss the pub.

Racist.

First Central America then Europe.

Always blame the Spanish.

Pah.

I recall a Juliano so have you missed off an ‘o’ or have I forgotten someone called Julian? From memory Juliano was a French guy. Good poster. I’m sure you’re referring to USMartin with the ‘a bit wordy’ observation. Had some contact with him on another social media site. But I haven’t seen any activity by him on it for quite a few years. Hope he’s okay.

Some are predicting that if Covid 19 is used as an excuse to suspend or severely limit access to voting, this may be the only way to change governments in a certain country that shall not be named.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjT2FhubAf0&t=4s

You're right - it was Juliano not Julian.

Stoffle, a hero for our times.

I could be wrong, but my recollection is that his name was Julien, but he used 'Juliano' as his forum name.

A mate of mine just did one of those things on Facebook where you share your best 11 from the time you started to support your club.

He controversially picked Viv Anderson instead of Lee Dixon. What’s the forum consensus on this ? Correct or incorrect ?

Incorrect - Bob McNab!

mcnab was before his time so not an option.

interesting to hear you think he was better though

A former coworker of mine knew him. Everyone at the office knew I was a huge Arsenal fan (mainly because I would be gone noon mid week games to watch it down the street or on a streaming site if I could get it).

We were trying to set up a meeting at some point and it never happened. So sad, I would have loved to have met him and hear some stories.

I had no idea he was living in California. Not sure if he still is as this was many years ago.

My fear is at some point the PL will look like the NFL or NBA and there be so many clubs with deep pockets that there will be a revolving door of promoted teams only to be relegated back down.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52302094
Newcastle United takeover Q&A: Who are the main people involved in the potential deal?

"Newcastle United fans are used to false dawns when it comes to potential new owners replacing the much-maligned Mike Ashley.

But as a group of investors backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund move closer to ending Ashley's 13-year reign, even the most-sceptical supporters are starting to believe in a new future.

Documents revealed on Tuesday show that the group's leader, financier Amanda Staveley, has laid down the legal framework with Ashley's company for a potential £300m takeover."

....

"Amanda Staveley is a powerful figure in Middle Eastern financial circles having helped broker the purchase of Manchester City by current Abu Dhabi-based owner Sheikh Mansour in 2008.

Ashley's opinion of her is not so complimentary having labelled previous talks with her in 2018 a "waste of time".

That has not put her off, though, and this time her firm PCP Capital Partners has the financial backing of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) which, before the coronavirus outbreak, had targeted accruing $400bn (£313.81bn) of assets by the end of 2020."

Bob McNab was a left back. Top Gun, correct in my view. Viv Anderson is the best right back I’ve seen play for the club.

Jennings

Rice
Nelson
O'Leary
Devine

Vieira
Petit
Brady
Limpar

Quinn
Stapelton

And here's me as an 80's Junior Gunner

Cleaned it up a bit

I get how Paddy got in but Petit and Limpar? Did they like Guinness?

Loved this

Henry and Bergkamp slightly peeved at missing out to Quinny

I take it Gilbert O'Silva is on the bench...

My mother would've had McGoldrick for Limpar and Morrow for Petit. She would never leave out a Paddy though.

Wouldn't argue with Viv. I think we saw the best of him and it's a great shame we didn't have a team good enough for him to really shine.

A propos of nothing, when I last asked for his best ever 11 in about 2010, my old man always reckoned that Eddie Hapgood (Left Back) was as good a player as any who ever donned the shirt.

Talking of McNab I was at a supporters do a while back. Eddie Kelly and Frank McLintock were talking about Bob and according to Frank McNab was actually right footed not left footed which is why he often cut inside before playing the ball forward.

I'd never met Eddie Kelly before but he's one funny bugger. He had a hilarious moan about 'bloody George Graham' trying to nick his goal in the 1971 Cup Final that had everyone in stitches. A few minutes later someone asked him about the Fairs Cup Final goal and he turned to Frank and said "Didn't bloody George Graham score that one?"

Actually Bob began on the right before going on the left. He was so good he could play on both sides of the pitch - see this classic action with him on left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoOXpZykhUw

So Silent Stan will be injecting millions into the club to ease financial strains caused by C19. He can afford it.

Just looked him up. McNab’s initial game in the first team was in 1966 and his last was in 1975. I started going in late 1967 and never saw him at right back. The huge majority of his games must have been at left back so I think it’s right to see him as a left back, not a right back. While I never saw him at right back, I’d be astonished if he was anywhere close to Anderson’s level in that position. If he had been I doubt he’d have been moved to left back.

Yes most of his games were at left back, and that is how he will be remembered. However, he started for Arsenal on the right as a replacement for Don Howe, and he would most likely have stayed there if not for the emergence of first Peter Storey, and then Pat Rice as excellent right backs. McNab was so good he could play either side, no problem. An Arsenal great in my view.

No argument from me on that score, although he wouldn’t even get on the bench of my best ever Arsenal team. I do remember towards the end of McNab’s time at Arsenal, the crowd began to turn on him, which was a shame. Not comparable to the stick Sammels got, but McNab didn’t end up a favourite of the fans.

Darwin

https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/shutdown ... 49792.html
Trump Supporters Protest Shutdowns And People Say It Looks Like A Zombie Movie

I love reading when we are tracking central defenders. I just don't think we will turn the corner until we get the back line sorted. In almost all team sports, defense has to be solid. Football is no exception.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -deal.html

Arsenal in talks to sign Axel Disasi from Reims on five-year deal with Gunners eyeing up summer move for £15m-rated centre back

Too young to remember Bob McNabb. I may have seen him play a few times but not enough to make a lasting impression. The best left back for me was Kenny Sansom. He was a joy to watch and just oozed class. So cool and calm. Then it would be Ashley Cole. A fantastic player. Nigel Winterburn was an excellent purchase. I used to go to Plough Lane to watch Wimbledon occasionally as it was quite near me and could see what a good player he was. Maybe not as refined as the former two but a scrapper and always gave 100%.

Couldn’t agree more with your entire post. Sansom would be the left back in my best ever Arsenal team because he had his peak at Arsenal. Cole had his peak at Chelsea. I can understand people arguing that Cole may have been the better left back at his peak, though personally I’m not convinced. But for me, as left backs at Arsenal, Sansom gets my vote.

I liked sansom but not sure I can agree he was a better player. Also I don’t agree Cole peaked at chelsea, with us he played more expansive football and often contributed to attacks. I didn’t really see that from him at Chelsea. He was so consistent he didn’t seem to peak.

I know it irritates but Ashley Cole was one the the best full backs of all time I’m not sure how you could pick Sansom unless you were bitter and I say that as someone whose favourite player was Sansom as a kid. I hate seeing the state he’s got himself into.

The fact Cole is as thick as mince is another matter.

https://youtu.be/99ORphzwLsc

However if you had to pick a left back off goal celebrations alone Nutty wins that by an absolute mile.