We fired our osteopath and travel manager! For some reason that made
me laugh and reminded me of the time when that vigilante group in Portsmouth found the home address of a paediatrician and smashed his windows.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44533207

Bernd Leno

Arsenal have signed 26-year old German goalkeeper Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen for a £19.2m initial fee.
He becomes signing number 2 this season, taking Arsenal's net spend to -£19.2m so far.

Keep them coming ...... a new Arsenal. Very excited about it.

I like the Senegal team, and the way they play. I wish Arsenal would play like that. Fast, strong, purposeful, driven. They pass the ball forward from player to player with one-two touches. Well deserved win against Poland.

Glad to see Japan beating Colombia. Although I don't think they will get through to the next round. They will be physically out muscled by the Senegalese, and bombarded by the Poles.

Jack tried, but is no longer the player he used to be before his injuries. Hope he gets his good days in the new club.

The best of luck Jack. You were one of my favorite players. Loved your passion and skill.

Happy for Senegal. Good match too. They have energy and athleticism and pace. I think they could stand to be a bit more disciplined but I like them.
Japan did well and was glad to see them win as well.
So far, Brazil seems the team that will likely take it. Belgium may get to the semis. A lot of talent there although I think they could be vulnerable at the back.

That's right. Either the ginger or the loose-Cannonball effect.

For all aussies- SBS will broadcast all of the group matches.

It sounds like a Carlsberg advert. "If Carlsberg did a back room clear out..." camera cuts to a bewildered Osteopath and Travel Manager waiting at a bus stop outside Arsenal stadium surrounded by a full size skeleton, fold up massage table, and piles of travel magazines etc.....

That is why I really can't work myself up into a lather about diving by the likes of Ronaldo, Robben and Neymar, irritating though it is. Even if it leg-breakers are properly policed, the constant niggling fouls that player who can beat a man are subjected to eventually take their toll.

On the other hand, the really blatant diving where there is no contact really does need to be addressed. The refs don't seem to be giving yellows for this in this world cup? There was a shocker by one of the Senegalese players (I think Sarr) when they were 2-0 up. There ref clearly saw it as a simulation but did nothing.

Yep, I'm the Ginger Avenger and you'd better look out...

Haha basically a sketch from the Office.

Does a travel manager get to sit on the bench with the coaching team? It’s basically some geezer with a British airways exec club card.

Inflamed by their Trump-like club president ...

best time for England to play poorly and still grab the points. Thought the entire front line, apart from the first 15 mins, were *%^@. Sterling crap, young gave ball away constantly and then followed up with a foul, Lindgard 4 howling misses to my count, Kane - 2 goals but largely anonymous, alli looked like he'd never played with Kane before.

Cheek looked good and think Welbeck should replace Sterling.

Japan beating Columbia and Senegal over Poland great to watch and both deserved it. Overall a very entertaining World Cup so far and expecting even better for round 2.

There hasn't been any 0-0 draws yet in the World Cup.

Feel sorry for Morocco. Played well but just cannot win a match.

Lets be honest, England played well for 15-20 minutes against a poor Tunisian side leaving huge gaps at the back - should have been 3 up at least. Once the Tunisian's tightened up a bit in the second half the game turned into a drab affair with a lack of invention on either side. Africa's highest ranked side can count themselves unlucky with their inability to defend a corner. Nice finish by Kane though with the head.

England definitely should have got 1 or 2 penalties though via VAR.

I expect an easy win for England in the next game with Pickford smoking a Panama cigar in goal.

Having said that, most of the sides have been utter garbage with the exception of Spain who played brilliantly against Portugal but came up against an inspired Ronaldo. Oh and Mexico deserve a plaudit or two for their win over ze germans.

The tournament is clearly suffering from the loss of the Irish side (and maybe Italy and Holland).

Just back from a few weeks in the States....fantastic, wish I was back already.

Yes if ever there were a go-to guy for an honest and impartial assessment on this matter your name would be top of the list.

More importantly what do you make of the Patrol? I have to admit to quite liking it.

Take it back, Niall, I forgot about Mr Nuance over there...hopefully he'll get really angry about something soon and start boycotting it.

Yes well I deserve that for my blatant trolling. Good luck in getting your message through to AG though - maybe you could borrow Hodd's computer.

Spain labouring can only imagine the contempt if they were Ingurlish.

Iran parking their entire fleet of buses vs Spain. And time wasting at every opportunity. They want to be careful they don't upset Ramos with these tactics, god knows what might happen.

Game’s crying out for Jordan Henderson

Come on, Iran, you’re going out somebody get Ramos. Do it for world peace.

*%^@ VAR

That's not a phrase you hear very often.

Edit: if it's actually a phrase. I'm not sure. Daz?

True .... what a slippery sleazy bunch of w***nks the Portuguese are ..... some of their carrying - ons

Ronaldo awful dive in the box then has the balls to want the video ref involved

Pépé collapsed like he'd been hit by a large meteor when a Morrocan patted him on the back . I'd be ashamed if any Kiwi acted like that

I'm not .... as a fresh faced young kid I thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread .

My view would be Wenger cocked up his career by sending him out on loan so often ; early on when he showed such great potential .

If he'd stayed in his own environment he'd have bloomed .

Think on it for a minute ....... shovelled off to the frozen tundra at Bolton , where they don't even speak English at eighteen to make a fresh start couldn't have been much fun .


Then on that fresh face he grew a stubby beard , got a dozen tattoos , went on to held the ball far too long , running up cul de sacs and was for ever collapsing in a big heap when tackled , moaning and gesticulating with a face like a twisted sandshoe .

Gloriously happy to see him f*** off ..... bad management not to get a fee for him though .

1-0 to the Arsenal, is in fashion at this World Cup. The goals are drying up.

I hope we sell Özil. I think he is a stronger negative influence on this core than Alexis was. Alexis was a nuisance to the favourites of our former manager, thus was labelled as such. But he showed so much drive and bravery in his game, that Özil lacks. That's my opinion though. I prefer a team that plays with higher intensity than the art of tiki-taka. Tiki taka was beautiful to watch, provided it yields results. Arsenal's tiki-take under the former manager was toothless beauty. Imagine admiring the beauties on parade in a pageant, and when they smile, they are toothless. Would you still call it a beauty pageant? Thankfully, and hopefully, it is water under the bridge. Please make the team go faster Emery!

I think Banega getting linked to us may be indicative to either Ramsey or Özil leaving. This would be unfortunate

Tika taka is Great to watch but I was watching Spain the another night and their players like Iniesta, Isco and busquets are absolute masters in the art of quick distribution of the football. There’s not many of them about and if you haven’t got players of that quality the approach surely wouldn’t work.

And even they couldn't pass it through the massed fleet of parked busses last night. They mixed it up a bit more at the beginning of the second half, with some nice width and the odd diagonal ball towards Costa. Hence there was a bit more room for Iniesta to thread that pass.

What a pity Iran didn't throw a few more players forward in the last 15 minutes. The Spanish defence looked ready to crack, especially in the air.

Think of it this way. Iran beat Portugal, Spain draw or beat Morrocco & Ronaldo goes home. Would laugh until I felt sick.

It's very hard work not to be drawn into the 'omg, gosh Christiano' hype so I really do hope that Iran do the business to spare me the effort. I fear that if this continues the corks will really come out and the gushing will be overwhelming.

Lol. You'll be happy to know that the boycott is now over and I'll be gracing the forum with my unique, nuanced presence again. Who knows, I might drop you a PM or 2 if you're lucky.

I don't think there was anything beautiful about Arsenal's possession game under Wenger, toothless or not. The keeper rolls it out to a centre half. He gives it to the nearest full back who gives it back to him. He then gives it to the other centre half who gives it to the other full back who is nearest him. That full back gives it back to the keeper and the routine starts again, maybe with the variation of the keeper giving it to a full back or the other centre half.

Look, when the midfielders get the ball there is plenty of sideways passes or passing back. But I don't think Özil can be blamed as the main cause for our possession football being so boring, which if you want him sold I presume you do. His assist stats suggest he is more likely to pass it purposefully forward than many.

Also, selling Özil could be dangerous for another reason. Getting rid of him six months after signing a contract extension could give the next big player we have approaching the end of his contract, or at least his agent, doubts whether Arsenal's contract offer is to keep him longer-term as a player or to avoid losing him on a Bosman. Selling Özil for a hefty transfer fee now will surely cost him a lot of what he could have got as a signing on fee had he joined whoever on a free transfer. Can Arsenal risk that in future negotiations with players nearing the end of their contracts? I doubt it.

I think this is a really interesting point actually.

I quite like the fact that VAR is getting contentious decisions right and I can see its benefits. How boring.

This is hypothetical, but LETS SAY its the final game of the season, we're at The Lane needing 3 points to win the league. Its 1-1, its 90 mins on the clock, and we score that goal that Iran scored against Spain. Mass frenzy, only for it to be chalked off by VAR for the most marginal of offsides that the naked eye couldn't spot. What does that do to the psyche of the average fan, who's just gone spazz about winning the league at white hart lane and now has to come down from that to be denied winning the league at white hart lane? I'm not sure I could cope.

Could I be magnanimous and accept that fair's fair, the right decision has been made, well done everyone else, hard cheese for us? I expect I would be bitter as a bitch and probably give it some "Fergie wouldn't have won *%^@ with VAR". But how does VAR affect the fans in the stadium? Can you celebrate any more when you score or do you now have to wait for VAR? What's the ettiquette here if you've scored, celebrated, had to wait for VAR, and do you then celebrate again if its ok? But its not as good right, the second time?

The salutory lesson from yesterday was that VAR now makes celebrating a goal a pretty fraught experience.

"Kane - 2 goals but largely anonymous". I hope he's as anonymous as that in every match we play in this tournament.

Per Mertesacker departs

Arsenal have released 33-year old German defender Per Mertesacker from the club.
He becomes player number 6 to leave the club this season.