I went with the Thomas Cook flights as advertised on Arsenal.com. Didn't realise at the time that Thomas Cook are in such big financial.trouble. I hope that doesn't explain why I've still not heard which London airport I'll be going from and at what time.

I'll be amazed if Chelsea haven't done something similar to get their fans there and back. Anyone heard what airline they're using?

I read that Thomas Cook are handling both teams' travelling arrangements - presumably in separate planes.

Have you heard yet whether it's a direct flight, Bern?

They should show the match at Wembley. I'd go.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/chelsea/chelsea-struggling-to-sell-thousands-of-europa-league-final-tickets-a4144816.html

This confirms things.

Thanks, I had wondered if Chelsea are also using Thomas Cook. Yes it is a direct flight. I've also asked Thomas Cook if they've arranged coach travel to get people from the airport to the ground and back. Yet again, no reply yet.

You probably don't want to hear this Bern but £979 is an outrageous price for a flights-only day trip, on crammed planes, with no luggage and no other customer benefits. You can bet it'll be a 'dry' flight too.

You could get return tickets on scheduled flights to pretty much anywhere in the world for that.

As I say - respect!

I know you're right DHD but I've seen every cup final we've been in since my first, Leeds in the League Cup in 1968. I had to go, and the only thing that will stop me is Thomas Cook going out of business in the next nine days. Which probably isn't impossible.

I think it's much more to do with City trying to give the impression that they're meeting the FFP rules than admitting that a self-sustaining strategy is correct for them.

The people I know who were Chelsea fans pre Roman were guys at the pub I went to in LA and over a certain age, say 40 or 45, everyone else pretty much became fans when Roman came in. Especially every American I know as well as pretty much ever non Brit.

Steve Bould leaving and Freddie taking his place

Not surprising as he has even stopped celebrating our goals. So dysfunctional

I wonder who would be the better coach Freddie or Wilford

Indeed, I don't see many Arsenal shirts around my area these days, more Liverpool, the odd City and Chavski, less United as well I'd say.

Abramovich might leave the chavs but they'll likely get a better owner than Kroenke, still we can all hail our wonderful self-sustaining model, nothing to do with KSE not wanting to invest a penny, everything to do with "the Arsenal way" and "financial fair play". Give me a break.

https://www.arsenal.com/news/owners-are ... tious-club

Vomitorium. But some nice eye candy (not no neck and corporate Kevin).

You'd have to say Thomas Cook managing to rack up a 1.5 billion pound loss for the first half of this year takes some doing .

If things go tits up after you arrive .... at least the camel trip home will make this the most memorable of your finals no matter what the result .

Best go for a dromedary the two humped job , probably offers more comfort over the 'single' seater model .

If I was the owner "without unlimitless fund", by which I assume you mean limited financial resources, as an Arsenal owner I would spend as much as I could afford to bring success on the pitch. Sod the self-sustaining strategy. If, however, that still wasn't enough to win trophies, I would look to sell to someone with unlimited wealth who would ignore any self-sustaing strategy by spending enough to bring the biggest trophies.

If I owned another club I would pursue a strict self-sustaining strategy so I wouldn't have to put a single penny of my own money into it, particularly if it was a club I didn't like or had zero affinity with. That appears to be what Arsenal have with Kroenke.

I’ve just read that the Emirates Cup has been reduced to a single day. Our women will play Bayern Munich, and our men will play Lyons. Good choice - it could have been embarrassing the other way around.

I would hope Ljunberg is the better coach if he's replacing Bould. Unlike the order they came in as players.

Freddie's a lot shorter so he'll be better suited to setting out the cones.

Match ticket came this morning and received the visa to get into Azerbaijan last week. The only thing I haven't had are the flight tickets from Thomas Cook. Sent them a message asking what London airport I'll be flying from, the times of the flights, and whether there will be coaches to take fans from the airport in Baku to the ground and back again after the game.

Sent that message last week and I've not heard a single bloody thing from Thomas Cook. Probably made all their staff redundant before going out of business.

EDIT: Just had a look on Arsenal.com and it now says Thomas Cook travel for the game is no longer available. In panic I phoned the ticket office, and thankfully they said that's because all the flight tickets are sold and they're not putting on any more planes. It seems Thomas Cook are sending out the itinerary for the trip this Friday. Phew!

Expect the announcement at midnight on Wednesday May 29th.

So according to this if Man City are banned from europe for next season we would take their place. Given the totally unsatisfactory UEFA response to the Mkh issue and the Europa final they had better make this happen.

https://www.football.london/premier-lea ... n-16306590

Fantastic effort, Bernard. Looking forward to hearing how it goes in Baku. At least it can't be as bad as your excursion to Wembley in 1969...

Bernard:I doff my cap to your commitment.
I’ve been to every Arsenal European final from Parma onwards but I have to admit I didn’t ever really consider going to this one. I really hope UEFA see sense after this debacle.

Obviously Freddie

So Čech is joining Chelsea as sporting director after next week.

Im sorry for me there’s too much of a conflict of interest and he shouldn’t play in the final. Leno all the way

Wiltord strikes me as more of a motivator than Freddie who is more placid.

Being linked to a lot of young players.
Saliba tall CB
Palacios all action CM
Hermoso Spanish CB
Claude-Maurice forward from Lorient
Martinelli young forward from Brazil

I haven’t heard or seen any of them play.
Some of the fees are still quite high but it would seem even with champions league and raising money from player sales we will be shopping in the £10-30m range

I agree 100%.

So do you think Kroenke May be a plant working deep undercover.

Me too.

As good as Bale is, I'm surprised about their fans and management thinking he's not trying hard enough or whatever he is accused of. I didn't think he would do well there but he's been great.

They seem spoiled and entitled. If I was a top footballer, I wouldn't consider going there. Really. Barca as well. They just seem to act as if they are bigger than the sport.

I am thinking Freddie will soon be up there with the greats in this coaching lark. No doubt Real will be in for him in a year or two. Meanwhile, last week I thought I saw Sylvain moving the plant pots around at my local B&Q.

Sylvania probably has more job security.

What makes you think that?

Where the plan pots catching him offside?

I think Leno should play, but that’s because he’s our no1 keeper, not because I have any doubts about Čech having a conflict of interest. He strikes me as an honest guy and a consummate professional.

You've got it. There he was hanging about on the wing five yards beyond the Dunelm Ceramic Blue and the Soft Round Flower pots. Henry was giving him one of those looks.

Pictures of Aubameyang and Lacazette in next years kit doing the rounds on Twitter. If they are the final version then I think people will like them. The home kit in particular looks like a retro 1987/88 season kit. The away kit looks a bit more like the shade of yellow/gold we wore in 2002 when we won the title at OT.....but with a hint of the bruised banana kit about it.

Like both but the away kit especially because it’s our yelllllllows heritage


Seems similar to our yellow kit around 85-87 ish if I recall. It’s perfect

More is less

Adidas will play their bruised banana card fully at some point though

Third kit is to be blue. May or may not be this one.