....."devastatingly marvellous hair" actually McQ - well, according to him anyway.

While I'm here, 'top tip' for the day:

Don't put your recently acquired iPhone Pro Max on the roof of your car. Just don't.

I was afraid of misquoting the legend himself, DHD, but I went ahead and posted, anyway. Thanks for the correction...

10 year old Mark Noble was on trial at Arsenal but his dad insisted he was West Ham.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QDWFa7Px8Uw

Saka deal supposedly very close for £200k a week

Apparently we can only draw a play off winner in the next round of Europa (apart from Man U if they beat Barca) all the original group winners play play off winners not other group winners in the last 16 draw.

So far the teams we could face are:
Juventus
Sporting
Sevilla

All other ties are in the balance
Barca/Man U
Leverkusen/Monaco
Union Berlin/Ajax
Rennes/Shaktar*
Roma/Salzburg*

The * means that team is leading from the first leg. All other ties are level

It seems strange that by winning your group you’re forced to draw (potentially and quite likely) a team that dropped down from the CL rather than just making it a free draw.

This is the list of teams who are seeded and won the group. You could make a decent argument that the group of play off winners will be a stron he r bunch than this lot. Apart from Sociadad I’d rather play any of those group winners than Juve, Sevilla and sporting who are already through as potential opponents.

Arsenal (ENG)
Fenerbahce (TUR)
Ferencvaros (HUN)
Feyenoord (NED)
SC Freiburg (GER)
Real Sociedad (ESP)
Real Betis (ESP)
Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)

Of course we would start as favourites against virtually any team left in the competition

Saka deal will be until 2028, lots of journalists picking this up now. Still bits to finalise but it’s fantastic to tie down the future of our most important player.

Saka’s stats this year against every other player in the prem
9th for goals
2nd for assists
1st for one v ones attempted
1st for one v one won and a *%^@ taken
2nd for dribbles attempted

Right now he should be a shoe in for PFA young player of the year as a minimum

If Bukayo is about to sign a new deal that is the best news we have had in years. He’s been sensational this season.

I’d quite forgotten that photo. A younger version of me. Poignant to see Fishbar there. Sadly and fondly missed.

Arsenal U18 through to the FA Youth cup semi finals winning 3-2 v Cambridge at the emirates tonight. 92nd minute winner…..learning from the first team.
A few interesting players in that group.
Nwaneri
Lewis-Skelly
Sousa
Cozier-Duberry (dubbed the next Saka)

Unfortunately United through.

At least they’re having to play more games.

It’s a tough one, going through is more games but winning brings massive confidence for them.
Going through probably edges it for me now as their schedule needs to be horrendous.

Losing the league cup final is a must though

Rashford looked like he came off with an injury. That would be a big loss for them.

If Newcastle beat them, it would certainly knock them back.

Exiled is still around DHD he is on Twitter as Just Another Gooner is @N5_1BU, any one know about Niall?

The loss to us notwithstanding, Man Utd are back. They should now be considered outside challengers for the title. Runner up is definitely within their reach. Next season, after a summer spending what they think they need, they'll be title contenders I think.

We may end up playing them again in the Europa League. Some caveats with them are not only inconsistent league results, but having to win games late against sides that their current position would suggest they should win fairly easily.

Can Rashford maintain this form? Or even fairly close to it?

Possible Europa League opponents for last 16. Nothing easy there
Juventus
Sporting Lisbon
Bayer Leverkusen
Sevilla
Union Berlin
Roma
Shakhtar Donetsk

The thing with Man U which will almost certainly change, and I'm surprised it hasn't already is very few opponents seem to go for the 10 man low block against them. Look at the goals they have scored since Christmas and hardly any of them are against 2 banks of 4/5 camped on the edge of their own box. You face this through fear and respect, teams still think they can beat Man U. Im not sure they have enough creativity in tight spaces to consistently unlock a low block.

They've got an interesting run of fixtures coming up that will make or break them.
Newcastle league cup final with only 2 days full rest and Newcastle have had a full week,
Liverpool (a)
Europa league 1st leg (h)
Southampton (h)
Europa league 2nd leg (a)
Brighton (a)
Newcastle (a)

Our run in that same time is:
Leicester (a)
Everton (h)
Bournemouth (h)
Europa League 1st leg (a)
Fulham (a)
Europa League 2nd leg (h)
Palace (h)
Leeds (h)

We play 2 more league games than them in that run and all are winnable wheras they have 3 out of 4 very tricky

When Saka signs this deal to take him to 2028 his value goes up to £150m+ for me (if not more because English clubs are generally the only ones with money and he carries an english premium for any of those clubs)

If we can tie Saliba down next that has to be the priority

Xhaka, Jorginho, Holding all have contracts expiring in June 2024 but all have a club option for another year.
I think the club should get a new deal for Xhaka, wait and see with Jorginho and probably look activate the option on Holding but look to offload him this summer to the highest bidder - you'd hope we could raise £20m there

Players with just 2 years left on their deal this summer (so sell or renew time)
Ødegaard
Partey
Ramsdale (+ 1 year option)
Tomiyasu (+ 1 year option)
Turner (+ 1 year option)

Sot he top 2 are priorities also this summer. I'd say we would want to extend all 5 of those

Thanks Daf.

Odd about Niall. Hope he's ok.

Arsenal v Sporting Lisbon in Europa
Man U v Betis

Surely a great chance of the quarter final

I was hoping to get shakhtar and to utterly batter them because of their embarrassing mudryk behaviour

Nailed on for a Man U semi or final surely. There’s nobody in that competition we can’t beat

I think we have Liverpool away as well towards the end. That may be a title decider like in '89.

We should go through without too much fuss.

That's quite a schedule for Arsenal in March.

Arsenal's March schedule
Everton (H) - Wednesday March 1, 7.45pm
Bournemouth (H) - Saturday March 4, 3pm
Sporting Lisbon (A) - Thursday March 9, 8pm
Fulham (A) - Sunday March 12, 2pm
Sporting Lisbon (H) - Thursday March 16, 8pm
Crystal Palace (H) - Sunday March 19, 2pm

In terms of quantity of matches it is, but if you were to hand pick some games you had to play in and around european games it isn't far off what you'd choose. lots of home games against bottom half teams in the league.

This is where fixtures can really swing favourably towards some teams. You'll always get people saying 'everyone plays everyone twice and we all start and finish on the same day' but that ignores the nuance of it.
For example you don't really want big fixtures clustered together as they take more effort (in theory). And it is much better to play at home to weak teams immediately following or preceding European games because in theory you can rest players or only be at 70% and still win. If you're 70% away to brentford or brighton after having 4 days less rest you'll drop points

If we make the Europa QF it is an away trip to West Ham sandwiched between
if we make the Europa Semi it is a home game with Brighton sandwiched between

Looking at the Saka fouled and cards stats there is definitely an anomaly. The stats obviously don't account for the numerous free kicks he should be given but isn't.

Grealish has been fouled 49 times and his opponents have 10 yellow cards for those fouls
Saka has been fouled 40 times and his opponents have 4 yellow cards for those fouls
Zaha - 57/9

stylistically these are all quite similar players. They face a lot of 1v1's and dribble with pace and trickery at their opponent

Not heard anything about Niall in ages. Messages are unanswered.

Gosh!

Odd that he isn't answering messages, but I think he sort of gradually disengaged, rather than disappearing suddenly, so hopefully he is ok?

Can he do AG's posts next ?

Ouch

Arsenal and Manchester City fined after both sets of players surrounded referee in Premier League match.

Arsenal fined £85,000 (£20,000 a suspended fine from Oxford United FA Cup tie) for events in 56th minute.
Man City fined £75,000 for events in 42nd and 64th minutes.

Should we just set up a direct debit at this point?
If £20k of ours was carried over from another match the FA deemed our single offence worthy of a £65k fine and City's two separate offences worthy of a £75k fine. That's crazy, so £65k for doing it once and then just £10k for doing it again. City had all 11 men around the ref for our penalty.

It seems the fines fall under either
a) failing to control your players - surrounding the ref
b) failing to control your players - a pushing match between players

This must be the 4th or 5th time we've been charged - are we really believing that most other clubs aren't doing this? Arsenal fans have shown coutless examples of other teams doing it and getting no punishment.

Who investigates the investigators?

It would be very difficult to total. Like the plot of interstellar, wondering how much time had elapsed in space and time.

Who watches the Watchmen?

Since we went on a multi game slide, deservedly or not due to bad calls and the like, I'm no longer as confident going into what should otherwise be a relatively easy game.

No 'easy games' from now till the end. Playing first we can win and put pressure on City hopefully. The weekend will be nice if Newcastle wins the league cup. Albeit a big ask of the Toon, but cup finals have often gone differently than what the bookies say.

Fulham’s Palinha has 10 yellow cards meaning he’ll miss the match v us. He’s a very good player so that’s good news for us

Another squeaky bum game. 1am local time.

Potential banana skin today. For some reason not feeling too optimistic. Leicester are in dire need of points

Doesn't matter who the opposition is, all the league games are important obviously but there is a sense of doubt that permeates the air now because we have dropped points surprisingly recently.

Who Mikel starts will be the first thing we look at. Does Martinelli start or does Trossard? Are there any other changes such as left back? Smith Rowe is healthy, isn't he? He won't start I assume but we may see him on the bench.

I tend to focus and worry on specific things and right now its Man Utd. Yes, City is who we have to worry about for the moment but Man Utd are playing extremely well and in touching distance. They could end the season being runner up and winning 3 trophies. Well within their ability given their present form. Likely? No. But many, if not most said the same in '99.

My main worry is also next season. They will buy in the summer, unload dead weight. I hate the feeling that Man Utd are back. As for us, the title won't come easier than this season probably. I hope we play like it.