Ten Hag has to go. My guess he's lost the locker room. The players he has are pretty much internationals. They are big names in their respective countries and the accompanying egos that come along with it. Ten Hag is a build from the ground up type. They don't respect his opinion. He doesn't have a name.

Man Utd is not one of those sides you can bring in a young manager and start over with younger names you can bring up together. And then in 2 or 3 years yield benefits. No, they want trophies now. They want to challenge for the title now.

They have to bring in a big name like Zidane, or entice Klopp to come back. Names the players will respect from the start.

Saka and Willock, not sure why Saka would give him a shirt, they're mates, been on the same team as youngsters.

I think you’re right, with the current crop they need a big name to get them in line and get them giving 100% every game. The best guy for that could be Simeone. But if they want to play progressive, aggressive and attacking football and are looking for their own Arteta then they need to throw out the bad eggs and give the new manager time.
First move for Man U is to become more humble as a club, accept their current standing in the game, accept that their name alone carries far less weight than it did and start a proper clear out. Identify 3 categories of players to move on
1. Bad attitude players
2. Won’t ever be good enough players
3. Players who can generate a decent fee to enable the rebuild

Ferdinand’s comments on Arteta either show his extreme arrogance and naivety to all things Man U, or shows that he’s given up on being taken seriously as a pundit and will just say things that will get a reaction - like a common fan YouTube channel. It keeps you in the conversation, generates hits and presumably makes you more money - but surely you put your credibility a bit higher? It’s very easy to get attention by being an idiot or outspoken but far harder to actually put the work in, do your job better and come up with sensible, well thought out opinion and debate.

Mainstream football media is being taken over by hyperbole trolling to garner reaction rather than say anything worthwhile.

I would remain satisfied if they never won another title in my lifetime. Entitled a bit like those pricks at Liverpool.

I never thought Mourinho was a fit for Man Utd because he starts from the back and is not a manager that attacks. Mourinho prefers a 1-0 game with the opposition getting 1 or 2 shots on goal than a 5-3 game. He even said as much when we beat Tottenham I think by that scoreline.

Man Utd want to play attacking open football and have been that way for a while. I have long heard that from their older fans.

Simeone has a big enough name I think. He's done a lot at Atletico. Whoever comes in may have cut a couple heads in the ranks. Players who are just disruptive and divisive and are not happy no matter what.

There are more rumors than usual of us being linked to this and that since we've become contenders. I hope this one is true though.

Top 7 total annual wage bill, and wages to turnover ratio in brackets.

This is from the 21/22 accounts so 18 months old. So there will be almost certainly some uplift in our total wage bill with new signings and new contracts, but we’re still a long way off the other 4

We’ve had a few decent teams since the invincibles and there is the risk of recency bias but I do think this is the best team we’ve had since the invincibles.

In a few years we’d had title challenged that fell away in the last 8 games or so but never really backed it up beyond a 4th place. This team have gone back to back on title challenges, and the control we exert on games is phenomenal. Right now there aren’t many weaknesses, being utterly clinical in front of goal, stop conceding really silly goals but currently these aren’t debilitating problems.

I’ve realised a reason why I hate the 5:30pm away game kick off for us. The atmosphere is always brilliant for the home team - it’s because the fans have been on the beers all day. I’m not sure there is anything that generates the atmosphere more than a day on the beers. It was noticeable in our 8pm Newcastle game, I expect a lot of fans had been having a good drink all day

https://x.com/_goatnelli/status/1762387 ... -j6VVZXEoA

This is what Arteta said in his first weeks in the job. He’s been steely focussed on delivering just this. He’s built a team that is ready to win trophies and is young enough to keep winning trophies.

There could easily be the situation where Barcelona, Bayern, Liverpool and Man U are all in the market for a new manager this summer. At least 1 of them will get it badly wrong

Noticed this season we haven’t had any of those ‘injuries’ that allow Arteta to get a sideline team talk. Either we haven’t been in many situations in games to require it or more likely Arteta is getting his message across without the need for the huddles

I like to think only one of them will get it right, one will be completely wrong and the other 2 will last a couple of years but not really have great success. That would be good for us.

Haaland with 5 goals tonight. DeBruyne with 4 assists.

Last season when Jesus was out, we dropped points. The new year we are playing very well. Although in hindsight I've heard some say Saliba being out was more crucial than Jesus being out. The fact is it would have been an herculean task to win the league with the injuries we had in the run in.

I think Timber will be huge for us. A proper number 9 and who knows.

The comments section is interesting of the pic I got. Many said Carvalho did the heavy lifting for Terry. It's pretty much agreed had Stam stayed longer he'd be at or near the top of the list. A lot of the comments said Vidic should be higher. He won Player of the Year twice. No other defender can claim that.

Gabriel has been a rock in defense but the irony is that the consensus from pundits and Gooners is Saliba is the best or next to the best defender in the league.

If we had to pick a top 5 defender in the league I'd say both of them would be in the top 3 or 4 without question.

There’s been a lot of fawning over ‘Klopp’s kids’ which is not unexpected from the media who generally latch on to anything Liverpool and the narratives for Liverpool are virtually writing themselves this season…..but are they actually any good? Conor Bradley the right back looks good, I will give them that, but how much game time does he get in the same team as Trent and seemingly not a player who can play CB or Right-mid with any assurance. Quansah the CB has had a fair few games and not let anyone down but in the context of the best U21 CB in world football he’s well down the list. The rest of them have been mostly poached from other academies at age 16 and appear to have done well for the youth levels, as so many players who never make it do, but haven’t shown anything in senior football. These guys are generally age 18-20. Genuine top class talents are already in the first team pretty regularly at 18 (or doing it on loan at a high level) for us it’s Saka, Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe. Other clubs had players like Mainoo, Garnacho, Foden, Rico Lewis, Miley, Udogie, Ferguson, Colwill all performing week in week out at big prem clubs.

I recall in the Wenger era, he sending out kids in the league cup with maybe one senior player or two at most and beating starting the XI of other clubs consistently. I recall commentators saying the average ages were often 19 or 20.

Plus he's got that totally anal Scouse accent that leaves the rest of the English speaking world thinking thank God I was born in New Zealand , Australia , Canada . Ireland , US , Devon , Kent , Surrey , Hampshire ............ [ Singapore ]

Newcastle has the richest owner in EPL if not football. They'll push that wage bill way higher. Technically FFP will slow that down in theory but they'll do some creative accounting and push the line.

Exhibit A
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 626710.stm

It would be great if Leeds could turn over Chelsea in the cup tonight, obviously reasons for it being funny but it would also mean our league game v Chelsea would go ahead in its normal slot whilst Liverpool and city would have a game postponed and some fixture congestion later in the business end of the season

Is there an argument that if we got a premium striker this summer that we don’t necessarily need another wide player as Jesus can also play on both flanks?
Obviously another would be ideal but there will be a budget and do we sacrifice another elite winger to get the absolute top striker possible?

Timber back in training with the first team today. Not full training. I reckon he’d still be a month away from getting on the pitch

Chelsea currently drawing 2-2 with Leeds. If Chelsea win we’ll have 19 games between Porto at home and Man City away due to no game with Chelsea because of the cup QF and the international break.

Watch Man City pull all their players out of international duty, players who have been ever presents for City for years will suddenly pick up a knock

We’re going to get a fixture pile up through bad luck rather than being a team who has gone deep in the cup comps.
Our game v Chelsea will get rearranged and possibly the midweek before the spurs NLD.
And wolves have got an easy FA Cup QF draw, so will likely be in the semis and our game v Wolves is on cup semi final day meaning that will also get postponed.
That’s just bad luck on who were scheduled to face on those random weekends.

The little I saw of him in the Charity Shield (was it there?) I loved everything about him. My big worry is if he will be anywhere near the same player physically. If he is, I think he will be transformative at the back as a fullback.

We may want to write him off for this season or bring in only when we are comfortably up. I am worried about re-injure.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ToGE3lBjk5Q

How did Arteta end up working with Pep anyway? That must have been one of the most sought after positions in the EPL if not football. There were plenty of people with far more experience that Mikel.

I wonder if most neutrals would prefer Arsenal win it over City or Liverpool?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs6eL4jCpgw&t=74s

Afternoon G7

Trawling through the Arse website, I came across details of the various Arsenal Supporters Clubs across the world. In the Asia section, you can find details of the Singapore branch:

https://www.arsenal.com/supportersclubs/asia

All these overseas clubs receive or can apply for ticket allocations. I suggest you contact them and maybe join?

http://www.arsenalsingapore.com

Best of luck

The point he makes about wages is absolutely right and ALWAYS missed by everyone.
Oh Arsenal spent £200m in the summer transfer window which was more than Liverpool ahhh look at how much you spend! Wages account for so much - 50% of turnover, wages are a far greater factor and barometer for where a team should finish in the league table

Viktor Gyokeres is a really interesting player, 25, just bagged his 31st goal of the season for Sporting and Sweden. Last year he was playing for Coventry. That’s some quick rise

Thanks much DHD

Chelsea was the last London side to win the title back in 2017. Five of their 6 titles coming from 2005 t0 2017. I used to fear them getting to our total by 2030. Instead its going to be City. We now look like we have something to say about it

I think Arsenal winning the title, which I think could happen in the next 3-5 years. When City gets their penalty it could be sooner.

I also think a 'perfect storm' for Arsenal could happen. City becomes weakened severely enough to not be able to win the title for a year or two. Then Liverpool not getting it right with a new manager. Look what happened when Ferguson left Man Utd. Haven't had a good sniff of the title since other than a runner up a couple times when they were double digits behind the winner.

Liverpool gets a manager that doesn't get it right, City too weakened to challenge and we have a clear path without too much resistance.

The good thing we have going for us is we are clearly still a work in progress. We have a few positions that need sorting and when it happens, we are scarier. Far scarier. I think Timber at RB will be a revelation, we get LB sorted, a quality holding midfielder and a class number 9 we are Cl final quality. We will also challenge going into May each season.

Arteta said that Partey should be part of the squad v Sheff Utd. Jesus is available but need to manage the minutes. Zinchenko and Tomiyasu are ‘possible’ but need to see in the next 2 training sessions

I would remove Hleb and make Ashley Cole the number one hated. I also don't see how a club that was proven to tap up a player be able to sign for him the next season? Not saying there should be a permanent bad but there should be at least 2 or 3 year wait before he could join Chelsea.

I don't recall Nasri at West Ham for some reason. Adebayor should have been on the list. While I won't argue with Fabregas being on there, I personally understood why he left. I would also add Clichy to the list and certainly Anelka.