I was recently trying to explain to a young person as to how you added up pounds shillings and pence and I could have been talking swalhili with the look on their face. Yeah just need a calculator or do it on the phone. basic mathematics and the ability for people to do sums in their heads is appalling in this country.

He will do anything to bring up his profile, and also to detract from his impeachment. Wrong person to be in a position of power.

How many fans did you get? You blocked most of them here

https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/03/bayern-m ... wsnow-feed

Interesting offer from Bayern. Arsenal better check if they are taking on-board a troublesome character.

https://arseblog.news/2020/01/report-ar ... khitaryan/

Would he be a better player under Arteta? That said, I prefer he does not come back because it will limit the chances for our younger players.

https://www.thesportreview.com/2020/01/ ... pe-arteta/

Yet another player who is giving Emery a back-handed slap. And rightly so. Emery did mess up the team quite badly.

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/ ... d-17511473

Luiz is gunning to be the next Captain. While I had slated him for his casual nature previously, he had stepped up a couple gears for Arteta. I liked his post match interview. Would be good to see him be Captain should Aubameyang leave.

Non Arsenal fans. I only block the trolling Arsenal fans on here.

In all seriousness though, I assume they are still doing it. And if they are, it should be obvious to the casual observer there is no attempt to discuss even passionately but to insult for the sake of insulting. I am enjoying it as is. Why should I alter the controls to see it? I'm not bothering anyone (except just my mere presence to the trolls). And if they have stopped, so what? Why should they (or anyone) care if I prefer not to engage a few people?

Anyway, up The Arsenal.

Anyway, January transfer news and rumors are upon us.

https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/03/bayern-m ... wsnow-feed
Bayern Munich willing to let Jerome Boateng join Arsenal for no transfer fee

Merih Demiral rumors. I'm happy we are looking at defensive minded targets.

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/ ... r-17269883

May have to watch some of these videos with the sounds muted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrVByIZy7bc&t=26s

With special emphasis on the second of the three G7 ... have a good one yourself this year

Oh that really is brilliant ...what a pity I had to rupture three neck vertebrae to read it .

Very worthwhile Greeny. Those of us of a certain age have never been encouraged to think about our mental health, but rather to put up and get on with it.

I don't think the comparison with cricket works. In cricket you have a 22 yard pitch where the action always happens in the same place going in the same direction. Compared with the vagaries of football it's easy to set a system for cricket and the only comparison that holds for me is with goal-line technology.

VAR is stated to be for clear and obvious errors and a mm isn't clear or obvious. One of the reasons for this is that it is impossible (due to things such as frame rates apparently) for those readings to be accurate, and another was to stop the system being abused like it is in English football. If the only way you can show someone's nose is offside is by spending minutes working with different lines to show it then that is not clear and obvious in any way.

I do like the idea of some of the systems being automated and have long said that maybe the offside rule should be changed to where the player's boots are with a sensor in each one. I remember seeing a Tomorrow's World years ago about tech in football and one point they made was that often it was impossible for a human linesman to be accurate on a tight call by anything other than guess work as they'd have to often watch two players running in opposite directions (def playing striker offside) and at the same time see when the ball was played forward. From memory this could make an unconscious error of up to a yard.

Also, talking about phases, I'd simplify the rules. You're right that it is difficult to judge (or even understand) and as far as interfering with play I'm with Cloughy who said something like what's he doing on the pitch if he's not interfering with play.

I like the idea of VAR but it's no surprise that the refs here are doing everything they can to discredit the system, and even use it in ways they've been told not to.

Oh dear.

I've just noticed that your meaningful quote is actually a made up one. And you've quoted the made up one wrongly. And for the record I know you'll read this, as you do everything on here.

Hi TG,

I really don't see us spending a lot this Jan, partly because I'm not sure FFP will allow us unless we sell someone for a lot of money.

Loans are a definite possibility but the very fact they are allowed on loan suggests there may be issues with them (out of form or a divisive character etc).

Boateng was brilliant a few seasons back but I think injuries etc now mean he's now a long way past his best and would be nothing more than an expensive sticking plaster.

Lemar would be a very expensive gamble unless its a loan with an option to buy. I doubt Rabiot will be allowed to leave on loan.

I'd like to see us sign a top quality CB and CM but realistically it is very unlikely in January.

Greeny, I think it’s a safe bet you’re perhaps genuinely blocked, or if you and Tafkaein (when he used to post as Exiled) and at least one other member who I don’t recall the identity of are right and he pretends to block people without actually doing it, then either way he won’t respond to you.

The point that strikes me about him is that he gets so few responses from other members since allegedly blocking people. Maybe I’m missing something but wouldn’t that make the forum boring for him? One of my reasons for posting is to exchange ideas about the club (and sometimes other issues) with other people whether they agree or disagree with me on various subjects. Without that interaction I’d find the forum tedious. I would have thought he might as well just write his opinions in a Word document and not share them with anyone. Or become just a reader of the forum. By having so few replies to his posts, what’s the point for him?

One other point I’ll make concerns his signature comment, which is about bullying. If he chose that signature because he feels bullied on the forum, I find it disappointing that he would downgrade what is a very real problem in society but most obviously schools. I remember a guy in my year at school called Colin (I won’t state his surname) who was bullied mercilessly, both physically (being beaten up) and emotionally (constantly having personal insults thrown at him). He kept quiet about it, and didn’t report it to teachers (my guess is due to fearing the consequences for himself from other kids). Hence it continued.

I took it upon myself to try and be friendly to him because I found what the poor bloke had to suffer from classmates ultra disturbing. I’ve no idea what became of Colin, but I really hope he’s enjoyed life and achieved whatever ambitions he had. If he wanted money, I hope he’s a multi-millionaire from his job or winning the Euromillions jackpot. If he wanted a happy marriage and children, I hope it happened. If he wanted a rewarding career, I hope he got it (I’ve no idea what line of work he went into). And so on.

I’ve tried to find him on some social media sites in the hope of finding out what happened to him but have had no luck (he had an extremely common surname and there are countless people on Facebook called ‘Colin what his surname was’). What that poor chap suffered was real bullying. What American has experienced here isn’t even remotely close. Could he just take offence when others disagree with him? Whatever the case, I don’t see his signature as appropriate. In fact if he is using it to pretend he’s been bullied, I find it distasteful.

Can anyone help with the name of an Aussie TV show from around 10 years ago?

It was about a dentist who lived in a flat with the ghost of a dead English rocker. I think the leading lady (dentist) is quite a well known actor over there.

Spirited?

I'm sure all of us remember people like your Colin. Well done for supporting him.

You are right that American Gooner playing the victim is baseless and hence distasteful and cringeworthy. Quite sad actually because he is making a spectacle of himself.

While I hope we dispatch Leeds and proceed in the competition, the Europa league is the competition I think we should be vying for. The top 4 is done. Europa is about all we can count in the league.

If the transfer rumors are true and we are really in for these players, would we have provided these players for Emery? In hindsight, getting Arteta was a good move...so far. The change in the club is visible. The players, it seems, needed a spirited manager just as much as someone with tactics, etc.

Perhaps Arteta asked/demanded that we would need to spend in January as a precondition to accepting the job?
Anyway, the fact he has Özil playing well, among other things, is fantastic. The Xhaka is a good player is a head scratcher. I'm missing something obviously. But I'm not alone. I'd say most fans think the same.

All I want for the rest of the season is for Liverpool to lose a league match. If they end up surpassing us, I will have no choice but to tip my hat and a job well done. I was almost certain it would have been City in that position and it may very well be. I can see Pep regrouping after this season. Leicester is the team that I am most impressed by. I can easily see him getting another big job, Man Utd possibly.

Rochdale getting a draw against the Toon is perhaps the only surprise so far. Not as excited about the FA cup as I was in past years, probably due to how badly we are doing. I have new found respect for the gooners of the years we were adrift in the league. It's not easy.

Keep on baiting ........... soon he will bite

I'm just as sure the fish can see the bait

LOL..you are a naughty one. I assure you on a stack of Arsenal cup final programmes I cant nor care. Swear. I assume a torrent of whatever. Also assume the forum is bored about the subject.

My only immediate concerns are Leeds and Liverpool losing a league match and possibly havi g to apologize to Mikel if he keeps getting results.

He almost took his own life a year ago.

Very good Decaf . Covered all the bases succinctly .

giving the crystal ball a quick polish here Greeny ..

I'd say given your honest admission of your past personal problems and "on the money" summing up of American's ... some high paying consultancy in phsychiatry awaits you in 2020 .

Just been reading the Aussie version of "Blokes and their Sheds " the author puts out the view that complete happiness lies in possessing and using a shed .

What is unwritten is getting away from the missus and having some time by yourself. I am not a handy person but my painting time is my shed.

The one thing that Trump may have misdiagnosed is that the American people aren't going into another war unless they are directly attacked and even then it has to beg significant. The young aren't. Anyone under 30 or 35 have grown up since childhood with America continuously at war in Afghanistan and Iraq. No one is going for it I'm guessing. The country is tired of it.

I can't recall where I heard it. I think a pundit on the TV was saying that, at 27, you are not going to improve Mustafi. It is very unlikely he is not going to improve.He's been on good teams and had defensive training by fine coaches. He is what he is. So, its best to get rid of even if you have to take a loss.

Santa asked if I'm naughty or nice during the festive season. There, you found out the truth
No wonder I didn't get my Christmas goodies from Santa

PS: Baited (I'm also urging for a Pool loss )

Hi Kiwi, shouldn't you be out there saving the whales that beached in NZ?

Is Trump diverting attention from his impeachment?

Its that obvious, huh? lol. Two things. That and he is obsessive about Obama. He's spent his administration trying to unravel anything Obama has done, even if he agrees with it. The other reason is Obama got Osama bin Laden and Trump can't top that. So, he's getting as close as he can. Israel wants us to start a war with Iran as well. I think that's three things.

This time around, no one is going for it. Our military age youth have literally lived with two wars for their entire lives. Two unpopular wars and they'll be damned if they are going to be used as cannon fodder for someone who backed out of the war he was supposed to go to.

As far as the impeachment trial he'll not be convicted. He has too many votes. However, its widely said that if the votes were done in secret he'd be out of office easily. Too many Republican senators are from states that support him.

Would have been top of my list if I'd known about it G7 ... I never watch TV .

Pilot whale beaching ; is quite a common ocurrence in NZ , lots of times refloated and shepherded out to sea the dopey bludgers try and re beach themselves .

Ahhh but that is written in there .... blokes saying the house is the wife's domain out here I'm the boss .

I don't need to get away from the wife .... I just like shagging around making things .

got me stumped with that one ... big laughter + Laurel and Hardy ....