Arsenal have complained to the Foreign Office because dual British/Macedonian fans can't get visas from Azerbaijan.

What an absolute joke. You don’t even get a that at the World Cup. Whole thing is a farce

The 2 clubs should have pulled out in protest

Just a quick one on this.

It’s being mooted we have been offered 2 million more than the release clause on this to schedule the payments

We did exactly the same for Torreira which leads me to suspect it could be true. It could be the club trying to stretch a minimal budget or just Kroenke paddling the club with back payment debt.

Either way I’m only game for it if he has “filthy pidgeon” on the back of his shirt

This is a Club Statement just released:

“Everyone at Arsenal is delighted to have reached the Uefa Europa League final and we are all very much looking forward to the match against Chelsea on Wednesday, May 29.

"However, we are bitterly disappointed by the fact that due to transport limitations Uefa can only make a maximum of 6,000 tickets available to Arsenal for a stadium with a capacity of well over 60,000. Time will tell if it is even possible for 6,000 Arsenal fans to attend the match, given how extreme the travel challenges are.

"We have 45,000 season-ticket holders and for so many fans to miss out due to Uefa selecting a final venue with such limited transport provision is quite simply not right. The reality is that whoever reached the final would not be able to meet demand from their supporters.

"We have received many complaints from our fans about this and we fully share their concerns.

"On behalf of our fans, we would like to understand the criteria by which venues are selected for finals, and also how supporter requirements are taken into account as part of this.

"Moving forward we would urge Uefa to ensure that supporter logistics and requirements are a key part of any future decisions for final venues as what has happened this season is unacceptable, and cannot be repeated. We would be happy to join any future discussions to avoid this situation happening again."

Interesting to note this bit:
Time will tell if it is even possible for 6,000 Arsenal fans to attend the match, given how extreme the travel challenges are.

Tells me that tickets aren't selling.

It’s all very well trying to justify to the Mrs a 700 quid beano to France or Copenhagen but a 2 grand planes, trains and automobiles remake involving using 3 days holiday ? Totally different kettle of fish

The other point that occurs to me is just where are all the other spectators coming from? If the two teams get 12,000, that leaves over 56,000 tickets to sell. We're told the airport can only handle 15,000 arrivals so how are the rest getting there? Can't see the locals being interested, even if they could afford the ticket prices on an average wage of less than £20k.

I bet the stadium will be filled with civil servants plus off-duty army and police. And schoolkids. All of 'em on freebies.

The whole thing stinks.

Well it's a quality nickname. I say sign him up.

5 caps for Argentina in an era in which they have been so bad at the back that Marcos Rojo is a regular.

Not sure where you are getting the 7% from Rich. It is an actual amount and it was £7m but I think it has increased with the new tv money. However, the key point is that clubs can increase their wages if it is funded by increased commercial revenue or player sales. In Man U's case, they are continously posting record breaking revenue so it's no problem. Our new shirt deal should see us able to increase wages without too much of a problem. Of greater concern is the £70m loss we are rumoured to post.

It's an absurd location for a European final. There will be tiny numbers of English fans at the game.

I'm going. Bought the match ticket (£43, but £49.60 with booking fees and recorded delivery postage), return flight with Thomas Cook as advertised on Arsenal.com (£979), and visa paid for ($24 which equates to about £18.50). So the whole trip is costing nearly £1050.

If we win I'll consider it worth it. If we lose I'll consider it a monumental waste of money, which my wife does whatever the result.

HERO

Fair play Bernard good work

Is that a direct flight with no accommodation?

I think because of flight availability many fans are having to get a 2 stop flight to tiblisi then getting an onward train to Baku. I bet that must burn more cash. Dhd is absolutely right the club must be worried about how many fans even with tickets make the call not to go

Any fan going has my utmost respect

I did the Copenhagen final on a fly-in fly-out basis. Spent most of the day in a gloriously long and pissy lunch - Peder Oxe - with a pre-match sojourn at a bar local to the stadium, singing and reminiscing with the locals about Johnny Jensen, all helped by a bucket or two of aquavit. Brilliant build up.

After the match, we were taken - eventually, after an utterly chaotic transfer process - back to the airport to be packed back onto the planes with a seat pitch that would challenge Tyrion Lanister. I have NEVER been more uncomfortable. We landed at Luton at about 3 am. I could barely walk for days. It was the most unpleasant journey I have ever experienced.

That was a 2 hour flight. Baku is 6 or 7, assuming it’s direct. Twice that if it ain’t. And whilst it was a *%^@ journey back, the build-up was fanpissytastic. That won’t be an option in a Muslim city.

As I say, I am in awe, Bern.

Respect.

For the champions league final we drove to Paris and got a through the night ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. It was stacked full of arsenal fans who had the same idea and spent the night drinking in the ferry’s bar and singing themselves daft.

Halfway through there was a major problem with the plumbing in the toilets and somehow gallons of water and urine from the urinals pumped and poured right through the mid section of the ferry all over the place. It was everywhere you were literally walking through puddles. It poured into the main bar area and the stench was so utterly horrendous you couldn’t barely stop yourself sneezing and wincing. Really me describing it doesnt do it justice. The acidic smell of urine, water and chemicals was too much to bear.

How many of our fans do you think left the floor and bar area to get away from the horrendous poison and stench ? Not a single one

For 3 days after the final I was still blowing my nose and having a feeling in my sinus the smell of urine was still there and wasn’t going to leave me.

Following arsenal in Europe is such a laugh. You see so much, putting a final in Azerbaijan is just frankly horrendous and defeats any element of fun.

Inter want Xhaka

https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/16/inter-mi ... r-9579651/

If we could get our money back it would be awesome

First and final bid - going, going gone.

I admire you and also envy you.

As for cost of travel - because airlines and accomodation people gauge you for finals in Oz; after my local rugby league club made the grandfinal in Sydney ( which is just down the track 1047miles) - airfares + accom + ticket for the final cost me about the equivalent of 800 pound in your money.

I youtubed him. Looks like a couple of red cards per season player.

And Mustafi to AC. Milan clubs doing us some favours?

Not so nice are the Aubameyang to RM and Lacazette to Barcelona rumours.

Speak for yourself .... if I was a Catholic I'd have been cannonised by now .

I'd love to tear those two statements to sheds but nice guy I am I'll desist .

Goddamn elbow giving me a lot of gyp at the moment . Painful , swollen ... thinking maybe bursitis . Not sure what odd ball remedy to try .... comfrey , garlic chillis and dandelions has a nice ring to it

Said to one of my kids the other day "Well me and Mum have been together for about 37 years " ....

Mrs Kiwi overheard .... " Try 48 " next month ........ Instant depression

... but my brother has had one marriage and two de factos .... six kids to the last two . Two of them on P amphetamines with truckloads of problems .

Mine all [ touch wood ] relativity okay .... so I guess it says something for stability .

Gidday Goonie ...when I arrived in England in 1972 I used to avidly read articles in the Sun, Mirror , etc about Cruyff , Neeskins , top Poms all chomping at the bit to sign for Arsenal , sounded great I lapped it up like strawberries and cream
.... but then age sets in , you get wiser and more cynical .

Newspapers have sports pages to fill .... so when nothing is happening .

What to do .... can't just leave that space blank ... invent something

" Harry Kane childhood Arsenal fan wants transfer to Emirates "

Guaranteed to grab the attention of any gullible Arse / Spurs fan ..... papers sold

A monk in Tibet would know we all want Mustafi to please f*** off .... somewhere ... anywhere .

So invent some ficticious destination for departure , decent money ..... to add a nice subtle ring of truth , involve someone with ex Arse connections doing club stuff somewhere else , Gazidis , Vieira , Arteta , Bergkamp , Overmars .......
"make weight in a swap deal plus money with Ajax for Tagliafico " ...... must be true ... we all salivate ... papers sold

On the flip side get someone who is doing well we treasure Lacazette , Aubameyang ..... look around and find a big club who need a striker ... Barcelona , PSV , Man U ...... quote "agents have been seen in the West End" , "sources close to " , ... Voila ..... again all total bll**cks .. papers sold

... too easy I should have been a journalist .

Just watched a video of 19 year old De Ligt giving a post season celebration speech to the Ajax fans after their season. 19! This guy is a proper leader on and off the pitch. Looks like Barcelona are getting an absolute gem

Well you do spin a good yarn from time to time Pete.

And as for the elbow, try rubbing it with liniment. And at your age, you shouldn’t be watching those types of films.

So let me ask this: if Barca come in with a really silly offer for both Lacazette and Aubameyang what do we do? Mind you what Stan does may not accord with common sense.

I suspect if they came calling for Lacazette he might like the idea of CL football and might ask to move. He needs to prove himself at the highest level if he is to break into the french squad. If we beat Chelsea he may want some guarantees that he will be picked for all CL games.

I think Özil will only go to another club if we pay him a big bundle of money to leave. Would you do such a deal to get him off the books? He asks for 20mil to leave - what would you do?

Enjoy.

Santi Cazorla has been called up to the Spanish squad.

This season he scored 7 goals and provided 11 assists.

We still have El Nenny, Iwobi and Xhaka in our squad.

Congratulations to everyone at Arsenal for another job well done.

This is apparently UEFA's response to the clubs complaint about the final.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 18086.html

Blah blah blah but if they really made an assessment of the location, travel, accomodation etc then let them release in full the document to the public. Then we can see how good their assessment process is.

Or have they got something to hide.

At the end of the day if it wasn’t all about money the moment an all English final was announced they would have changed the location to somewhere more logistically better.

Also the response fails to mention the obvious question of Henrik Mhikitaryan more likely having to dodge Kalashnikov fire than incoming tackles whilst in Baku (Jesus Christ it even sounds like somewhere off Star Wars)

Personally I don’t think you can sell either player under any circumstance. We won’t be able to replace their impact on the side.

If we were to sell it would be madness to accept anything lower than 100m+ For each player if Zaha is being touted for 80million.

Surely Barca are going to sign Griezmann anyway. It’s been on the cards for years hasnt it

I wonder how well received City will be if they equal two historic events of the past 20 years if they either get a treble or go unbeaten. When both us and Man Utd did it, it was hailed as possibly, once in a lifetime and both were deemed by some that it wouldn't happen again, if it did, for many years. Especially with the increased money in the league where all the clubs have money.

Yep, if only the powers-that-be had listened to you when you begged for Santi to be given another contract.

Cazorla is probably everyone's favourite non-Invincibles Wenger player.

I'd be surprised if Elneny is still around next season - seems like Emery doesn't rate him as a squaddie. As for Xhaka and Iwobi, they have shown every now and then they are very good players - worthwhile to keep as squad players, especially Iwobi.

My father told me I'd go blind if I kept doing that.

I said 'what if I do it just until I need glasses ?'

The rumour is more to do with Atletico wanting Lacazette to replace Griezmann who is very likely Barca bound, I don't think Barca want him but Atletico will have £90M ish in the bank to buy a replacement with, I can see him going if we don't get CL football next season, both because he is more likely open to the idea and because Kroenke will want to cover the loss we are making.

Baku or bust it really is...

Europa final is in a 68,700 seater stadium, actual official fans of both clubs looks like it will be less than 10,000 due to the cost of getting there. What will the atmosphere be like? Two small pockets of noisy away style fans in amongst 60,000 sponsors, competition winners and corporate types. Bizarre

...or risk one eye?

This is the team and subs (all 12 of them) is play in the Europa final
Čech, AMN, Sokratis, Koscielny, Kolasinac, Xhaka, torreira, Guendouzi, Özil, Lacazette, Aubameyang
Subs: Leno, mustafi, Iwobi, Nketiah, Elneny, Lichtsteiner, Willock, Monreal, Saka, Amaechi, Mavrapanos, iliev

I'd get rid of Özil. Horrible work ethic and disgusts me that he is getting paid so much money to exercise 4 times a week.

I'm not excited about the final. In fact, I have a lot of dread going into it because I have very little confidence we will win it despite Chelsea also playing badly down the stretch.

If we have to lose, I'd much rather in a PK shootout. I don't know why, it's just how I feel about it. If we win it, fine, I'll be happy even though I don't see us getting top 4 next season if we don't make changes.

Just getting to the final has made Emery's first season a success. We are 5th and so not much improvement league wise but unlike what happened when Moyes took over, we didn't lose ground and we ended up slightly ahead point wise. So, by any objective measure we have improved, albeit slightly.

But Arsenal fans are a little spoiled. We feel disappointed as a collective and I understand it as a fellow fan but we shouldn't be as disappointed as we have been. We should be disappointed in Kroenke. That's where our anger should be directed to.