anyone angry at having to curtail their leisure activities because of a national effort to save thousands of lives must be a shitpipe of the highest order

I don’t want our GK to have to make lots of saves but when he does it isn’t lucky it’s good goal keeping. The one that was lucky for us at the weekend was when West Ham messed up that 2 v 1 with a horrid square pass.
I think we have improved from Emery, the results show it and in the most the performance show it, the players are far more behind him. There is still a long way to go with the performances but emery had 2 summer transfer windows and 2 full per seasons. I reckon given the same amount of time Arteta will have us in a much better position

Agreed. I'm alright Jack is not a great attitude to have. Most supporters will be just fine but because you are fine it doesn't mean you can't pass it on to someone who is at risk.

Absolutely. What happened to the Dunkirk spirit. Nobody gets left behind.

We will fight to the bitter end and if this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps in.

However if it costs us watching Xhaka fluff his lines then screw that ....

lol, duh.

To moan?

But you are right. I will stiffen my upper lip! Things are certainly more hopeful under Arteta--although games like that one and the Olympiakos one do test one's faith a bit.

Big, big test for Arteta against City. I hope he plays a mobile and quick team. We must not walk into the match thinking we will be hammered.

Leno
Bellerin Mari Luiz Saka
Pépé Guendozi Willock Xhaka Martinelli
Aubameyang

Although Pépé is not hitting on all cylinders, his speed for any counter will be useful. And it will give City something to think about.

Willock must be psyched to bring on his A+ game. Make him believe what he can do.

Martinelli for his ability and willingness to run at the opposition. And he does come back to defend as well.

Drop Özil because he slows down the team.

Luiz, though suspect at times, is needed for stability in defence.

Aubameyang, obvious choice. Give City something to think about.

Bellerin, preference to Sokratis there.

Here's a interesting interview from channel 4 news regarding the coronavirus threat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcJDpV- ... e=youtu.be

Thanks for that Bored - plenty of food for thought there. I think we're in for some disruption to everyday life, and missing or cancelling a few football matches is pretty insignificant.

You can be such a prat sometimes.

Özil will play or obvious reasons. Willock won't. Martinelli is less likely than Nelson who Arteta seems to like. Luiz and the word stability don't belong in the same sentence.

Cancelling matches I have no problem with. What I am against is stopping fans who want to attend games that are played, especially as it won’t stop the spread of the virus.

Just watched that in its entirety. Extremely scary. Easy to see why there is a trend towards reducing human contact right now.

Very, very scary.

The potential numbers here are mindboggling:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDelUkpFm60

Well that’s just nonsense because it’s a policy to cancel or have closed doors. Not somewhere in between as thousands would still turn up out of personal choice.

As Le Bron said if it’s not safe for the fans then what about the players too. What about the rights of the workers at the ground.

If it’s one or the other I have no problem with cancelling games. My problem is solely with stopping fans who want to attend matches that aren’t cancelled. Staff should have the freedom to work at the games or not. They shouldn’t be made to work.

Well it’s already happening in Italy and France. Likely to be here pdq I would expect.

Awe thanks Bernard. I do what I can.

This whole thing is now starting to have a domino effect. Tip of the iceberg.

Recently on here there was a certain person that indicated that they were glad
Burnley were one nil down to Spurs at the half. It was the opposite until Spurs got level with a penalty second half.
Hmmm maybe AG.

You’ll get yourself blocked at this rate. Welcome to the club.

Great ...... Mrs Kiwi's birthday coming up this Friday , she's booked a motel for three days at a nice little seaside berg ... first outing in about ten years

...she's going to be devastated when I tell her I'm don't want any contact .

The last 6 times we’ve visited City the aggregate score is 17-2! City's opening goals in these 6 games have come in the 19th, 18th, 15th, 14th, first and second minutes.

There are only 2 games a season where I fully expect to lose, Anfield and The Etihad. That’s before a ball is kicked and irrespective of form. There are other games in the season where I get a bad feeling or wouldn’t be surprised at a defeat but these two away trips we never even seem to put up a fight. Time for that to change

Did she actually tell you she was taking you or did you just make that assumption. You might be destroying her plans.

Italy now makes a decision to impose a complete lock down. A complete over reaction for all concerned clearly!

This was always going to happen with modern travel habits (and an ever exploding human population), amidst all the benefits this has brought us we never stopped to think about the fact we are defying millions of years of evolution where we lived in small groups for the most part.

Our arrogance as a species is what will kill us - through virus, climate change or war.

Happy days!.

Cancelling St Pats Day marches in Ireland.

The other thing that can do you in is performances like Olympiocos.

You know it’s got serious then if they have done that !

Watches the entirety of extra time against Olympiacos:

Well I have taken the difficult decision to self isolate for the next two weeks in COVID19-free Barbados. I don’t want thanks. Or sympathy. Really.

of course Zed you do realise Bernard bestowed upon you this mantle of greatness ; as part of the plan to ward off attacks from the evil duo of Socrates / Top Gun and also the odd broadside from Dec .

and arrive back with nothing worse than liver failure , syphilis and chikungunya virus .... wise choice

No. Perish the thought! lol I am always hoping the scum lose unless it helps us for them to win or draw.

There speaks the voice of experience

People need to stop saying it’s just the flu

https://twitter.com/labisbeticah/status ... 30273?s=21

Evil duo ?

We aren’t the one advocating enabling mass death to pursue a leisure activity

At least he'll have fun getting the first two. Beats being sneezed on by someone in the toilet paper queue!

Not sure why we aren't cancelling crowd gatherings of 1,000 people or more as they are doing in other countries. Wouldn't it be better to be ahead of the curve instead of falling behind it?.

Our NHS, particularly A&E, was overstretched and couldn't cope before the outbreak so how are they supposed to cope if thousands start to need hopsital treatment.

Hi Rich,

I'm not even counting this as a game in hand. I don't think we are good enough to get anything, our midfield is weak and will get overrun and our defence is simply not built to cope against really good teams.

The only way I see us getting something is if we score a couple of worldies and City have a really off day. Otherwise I see us with little possession and chasing shadows for most of the game. Damage limitation really.