I'm going to say it. Yes, I think Wenger is happy Arsenal aren't doing well after he was forced out. I think he is very bitter about how he got forced out and is taking hidden pleasure of it all. I think he feels (in his mind) somewhat vindicated that the reasons for Arsenal's malaise wasn't him but lied elsewhere.

Yes, I said it.

Nothing like getting the PR spin in early from an owner who claims he knows eff-all about football. And the other about being "excited". Too trophies indeed. Do me a favour.
Feel for Arteta being told a sugar-coated line of
Best of luck to Mikel over time to clear out the negatives on/off the pitch.

Good luck Mikel, you've got a job on your hands.
Please get rid of Xhaka and Özil.

Wouldn't have been my first choice but all hail Big Mig. A bit like Brexit, we'll all be fans now that the decision has been confirmed. Won't we?

Having said that, I can't help reflecting that the last manager of that age whom we appointed with great credentials but little or no experience was Billy Wright. That didn't go particularly well.

Interesting comment from Arteta that he will be ejecting players if they aren’t bought into the project and have the wrong personalities.

Sounds like he’s under no illusions he needs to eject certain players out of the club to be successful.

Not my first choice but I'm behind him 100 percent and hope I am proven wrong. It's not so much I think he isn't capable but that we should have gotten someone else. But here we are. The club has acted swiftly and that gives me some semblance of hope for the club. 5 years ago, we'd have languished with bad results. Maybe the club and by the club I mean Kroenke is the losss of the money we are getting from the Europa league.

In any event a historic start. He manages against a club he's seen as a legend. Couldn't write a plot better.

Good luck. And Mikel, its okay not to celebrate too much if you win, out of respect.

In other news, retired Republican congressman Jeff Flake says his unofficial polling of his former colleagues in the legislature says if a secret vote was given, 35 Republicans would vote to convict.

So, Trump stays not because his own party members truly feel he is innocent, but because they fear him and are too cowardly to oppose him.

This Republic is dead. Rotted from the inside, laughed at (rightfully) by its closest allies and at least 45% of its populace more than willing to forego any sense of ethics, morality and legality to support someone who has far more in common with Franco than he does with Benjamin Franklin. And do so with zealotry that will remind those of beer halls in the early 1930s in Germany with brown shirted men.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Outhk9KSnUo&t=5s

Sounds like a new manager trying to set expectations and lets see if he's able to break the likely cliques of dissent. I'm not encouraged by his Özil comment.

No Özil is done for !!!!!

He makes more than treble our new managers weekly wage and puts zero effort in.

That’s a diplomatic answer.

I don't know but only from what I'm told is that Graham was a vocal coach. Get on players if he had to. Wenger wasn't, Emery wasn't. Seems like Arteta will be a bit more vocal.

At the risk of sounding xenophobic, I am surprised his accent is as strong as it is with so many years in the country but I'm attributing part of it to probably speaking constant spanish to Pep.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50873691

But no mention of how much they want from Arsenal to take him..?

This is hard for me. But I think you are correct. Okay now I have hit rock bottom personally. I am starting to agree with AG.

Didn't Ox take a substantial paycut to get the hell away from Wenger's quicksand to Jurgen's verdant braes..?

I'll know if Arteta is the right person if Mustafi is in an Arsenal kit at kick off next season.

Where is the scene where he tells Mustafi the only Arsenal kit he's going to wear with his name again is the one he buys at the club gift shop? Where is the scene he hugs Hodd as well?

Isn't this technically our 4th manager in less than 3 years? I hope we don't become Newcastle, Palace, West Ham, take your pick.

Uncut Gems. Must see movie. Adam Sandler is great in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTfJp2Ts9X8&t=3s

Maybe we could all chip in ?

Speaking of bitter old men ...

Jose Mourinho aims subtle swipe at Arsenal over Mikel Arteta appointment

https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/20/jose-mou ... -11943354/

"New broom sweeps clean"

I wonder how thorough Arteta will sweep. Hopefully, he gives more game time to the younger players. Blood them in properly, instead of chucking them in without a proper coaching plan. Freddie, with hands tied behind his back, had no choice but to mix and match. Unfortunately, it was poorly mixed and badly matched. Emery simply had no support for his plans, if there ever was one. I think the senior players had botched it up for both of them, and amongst them, there was no synergy nor any intent to synergise.

Both experienced tremendous successes in their prime. But both have fallen from their prime. Thus, their bitterness now.
Moral of the story - Never reach your prime

Good to see Sandler venture out of his normal comedy movies. Thanks AG, will catch it when it comes to our shores.

Don't you mean how much they want from us to take him?

I totally disagree ....... just been skyping with my son who lives in Copenhagen , he has been giving me all the good oil , reckons Arteta is the man .
Has already given the team a pep talk on what he expects .

The son's take on things has got me all inspired and enthused .

I think Everton will still beat us with the Ferguson factor trumping Ljungberrg's wet approach but I expect
major changes are a - comiing

No doubt Thofman ...that would make perfect sense

... but my comment was pitched at that lovable litte ret-ard Socrates ..... whose love of the Ox put Bernard's fixation with Mertesacker and Clichy well in the shade .

headless chicken

Piss off troll.

Well, it didn't take long for Mourinho to go back to type.
https://www.givemesport.com/1531563-jos ... utoplay=on

Thanks for posting the Athletic article, interesting read.

I thought Arteta played his press conference and first day at Arsenal very well yesterday. Possibly one of the first people in power at arsenal who you believe really understands what the problem has been for the last 10 years.

Our new goalkeeping coach is inaki Cana from Brentford. All our coaching appointments are from people working within British football already

The team I just saw on my screen is a bit of a joke really. Saka at RB, Chambers again Nelson. No Guendouzi. I’m going to bed & will watch it in the morning.

Super read. Thanks for that Greeny.

Lots of cause for optimism there despite the complete absence of experience as being the main man. Fingers crossed.

Interesting. I didn't know he was musical.

Interesting aside from Ljungberg in his BT Sport pre-match interview as he says Özil is injured but adds: “Mesut wouldn’t have been in the squad anyway given what happened in the last game.”
Suggests he would have dropped Özil for show of dissent after being substituted v City.

It really is time for Özil to *%^@ off

It is

For me it looks like Freddie is sticking 2 fingers up at some of the players who let him down whilst he was in charge

He’s picked Xhaka and Torreira though which never works

Two actual defenders plus Rowe instead of Özil. It should be fun anyway!

Links anyone?

Wow, that's some team Freddies picked.

And toes.