Listen up Decaf ....

I've been on this forum since about 1994 [ I think ] and if you and those other two heartless bully boys Gaz and Socrates keep making an issue of my ocassional rum tipple I'm going to follow Bernard off the forum

.... I've got feelings you know

Home to Leeds Utd in the third round of the FA Cup. Not an easy one. Mind you none of them are this season.

I'd say right now we are second favourites. We should nick Bielsa off them, he strikes me as a man who takes no *%^@ whatsoever, exactly what we need.

Yeah really, really, really sorry. Put your nappy back on and f... harden up.

As a side note I’ve never known how anyone could possibly like rum. Cuba Libre maybe but drinking it straight must be the stuff of insanity.

I am with Kiwi on this. Bundaberg rum & coke the nectar of gods. Downside is you sometimes think you are a god & things get ugly. Fighting nectar.

Ah bundy I’ve always considered that a separate drink in its own right.

Like Guinness not being a beer or stout. Has it’s own category of 1

Bundi now that really is a nice drop .... evokes a few memories .

When I was a nipper ; about 24 ... went to Aussie ... got a job ; barman on South Molle Island ... befriended this old coot who had a fishing boat passing through ... "Ron the Ram " real ladies man .

He was probably in his late 40s ...seemed ancient then .

About six months later I've moved on , got a job driving a forklift down in Mackay .

Buying myself a hamburger one day , this bloke pulls up in a '67 Fairlane .... "Holy smoke it's Ron the Ram " we go for a few beers at some country pub ....... at 10 .30 they close , chuck the blow flies out but Ron knows the publican so we carry on drinking ...

About 1 .30 am about eight of us pile in the Fairlane drive out into the Wop Wops to some rundown donga .... real " Saltbush Bill " outfit .... a few Aboriginals in tow ... they cook up a feed involving octopus .

Jesus it was like trying to eat a couple of Michelin tyres . More booze , sing a bit of Slim Dusty ... then one of my new friends grabs a bottle of Bundaberg Overproof .... says to me " Let's going catch us a couple of Barra " ... we stagger down to a creek ..... he chucks in the line , then upends the bottle takes a hefty guzzle straight .

... " here ya go young fella get this into ya " ..... passes it to me . I don't want to let the side down so I do the same .

Jesus H Christ ...it's like I've ingested about six litres of battery acid . My insides are on fire , hair stands on end , nose running , eyes watering , cough up half a lung

We didn't catch any fish but boy did I get p*ssed .

Anyone who hasn't experienced outback Australia hasn't lived

It's okay. 'Cheeks' is going to save us. Some alarming imagery here from The Guardian's David Squires.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng ... e-sackings

Why does there always have to be a conspiracy theory?

If you believe Trump (I know ...) the Democrats have been after him since before day one. In any case, it is hilarious to suggest that the Democratic "didn't do anything".

A plausible case can be made that the reason why Pelosi decided to proceed this time is that Trump got caught in such a blatant abuse of power that they (the Democrats) were left with no choice. Firstly, Trump is clearly engaged in state capture and an attempt to rig the elections. Secondly, the Democrats would have looked weak if they hadn't gone after him. It seems like a big gamble to impeach when the Republicans hold the Senate, but was there a choice really?

I'm a time-served Grauniad man but I'm afraid I find David Squires the most un-funny cartoonist out there.

This guy on the other hand......

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2019/aug/24/stephen-collins-on-seagulls-cartoon

Trigger warning for Bernard!

Fair enough, DHD, we obviously have a slightly different sense of humour! But don't tell me this Squires cartoon didn't get to you:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng ... er-arsenal

What I was saying the other day

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football ... ochettino/


Kroenke likes a cheap option

And now



According to @David_Ornstein, #Arsenal are unlikely to be able to spend big on a new manager due to financial constraints. As a first port of call, The club are looking for candidates who are available to start immediately.


Exactly what i predicted


#mystic top gun
# I an oracle

The world and his wife was reporting that we hadn't 2 cents to rub together in the summer and we went and smashed our transfer record.

#itsallbullshit

Excellent. Prime Kiwi

It was reported at the time that we gambled on bringing in Pépé by bringing forward a large part of this coming summer's budget assuming we qualified for the CL. The longer we're out of it, the more we will see our ability to spend decrease. Whilst there's no 100% way of knowing the validity of this story, I really wouldn't be surprised if we're going to go for an untested coach due to financial constraints. Hopefully, I'm totally wrong on this. But if we do go for Arteta or similar then, whilst exciting, it may be for more pragmatic reasons.

I think it’s a pretty strong bet that a novice or untested manager comes in.

Rodgers would cost a fortune in compensation and salary
Pochettino similar
Ancellotti under contract
Allegri supposedly expensive but also demanding

They are the 4 that would make sense but I think to get one would be difficult.

The name that keeps cropping up that concerns me is Marcelino from Spain. He looks to be Emery mark 2 after winning a knockout cup, not great with English and managing some middle of the road Spanish sides. I could just see Kroenke doing that and the club concocting a PR story of how he impressed them at interview.

Personally I’d offer Rodgers or Pochettino any amount of money it took. Even if it means selling a player or 2 in January. Sell off smith Rowe or el Nenny to help get cash to fund it.

Raul is running the show it seems though so Arteta and Marcelino must have a good shout because of the Spanish thing.

This season could turn into an absolute disaster, it’s a long time since we have been in free fall like this.

I find the idea that a manager may cost a lot of money a bit strange. Some of these managers were talking about have £12-14m ‘transfer fee’ and would presumably need a yearly wage of £5-10m

A top quality manager is as important if not more so than a top quality striker or centre half. The sums were talking about for managers are tiny compared to what the equivalent quality of player would cost

One failing of our squad and manager was/is that we never seem to be able to obviously adopt a certain game plan. And I mean obvious in a way that is different enough to the norm that it is clearly noticeable to a fan as a chosen tactic rather than a result of what the opponents do.
For instance.
Today we’re going to press them all over the pitch
Today we’re going to sit deep, no full backs over half way, and hit on the counter
Today we’re going to play more direct
Etc etc

Most big teams don’t need to noticeably change their tactics, but we do.

I certainly see lesser teams change tactics against us and it work.

Do we have a bad management team incapable of coaching those tactics, or do we have inherently thick players who are incapable of picking up and sticking to tactical plans, or do we have players who are simply not good enough to carry out those tactics?
A bit from all 3 I’d say

Yes, you've always been something of a delicate flower, lacking in confidence and self-belief. It's one of the reasons why I took you under my wing and encouraged you to post even though I knew they would be the subject of ridicule.

I was hoping against hope that, given time and the benefit of my infinite wisdom, you would eventually begin to make posts that would not be a complete load of bollocks.

Sadly, however, my hopes have been dashed and it is clearly evident that the only time you make any kind of sense is when you are completely sozzled.

Keeps intact your perfect record then ....... .... you've been hopelessly wrong on every other ocassion .

Luiz is another matter, but a player like Sokratis playing as badly as he did against Watford ... most notably suddenly electing to dribble across his penalty area and apparently try to beat a couple of opposing attackers ... I'm sure that is the product of bad coaching blunting what his natural instinct would have been, i.e. to hoof the ball upfield.

Playing in our defense, with highly confusing instructions and sporadic midfield cover, is probably enough to turn all but the most outstanding defenders into gibbering, confused wrecks. And since the decline of Kos we've lacked a leader in the defense.

Its amazing that Leno's confidence has stood up to it so well.

Several points here for us deep thinkers TG ....

why would "Pochettino be similar to Rodgers " ....? he is out of work ...we only have to cough up a salary

You rabbiting on about a cheap solution ... there is no cheap solution

That wage outlay isn't going to be any less whether we get Arteta , Pochettino , Vieira or Big Sam .

Anyone with half a brain isn't going to say at the interview "Oh Gosh I really want this job at this really illustrious club , shucks I'll work for half a million a year "....

Whoever and their agent will know the " going rate "

Stop getting your nuts in a knot about some flaky Continental termite .... take it from me after the " Emery Experiment " the Kroenkes wont be bitten twice in the same manner .
Whatever shortcomings we think they have , they aren't stupid

Next up they'll get someone who knows the Premier League already ....... as a player or manager .

Arteta would be my choice in front of Vieira ....
as a player brilliant at Everton , good at Arsenal and with his Man City credentials , knows how a good side [ disregarding the obvious monetary advantages ] should operate .

Sorry McQ - still does very little for me I'm afraid. I just find his stuff over-worked and leaden.

Leno, AMN, Tierney, Sokratis, Holding, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Özil, Pépé, Saka, Aubamayang

I'd like to see us go out with this all out attack team tomorrow, high tempo, high press
Maybe 5 of these players shouldn't be in Arsenal's first 11 but if we're going to struggle I'd rather we were a bit more exciting and swashbuckling about it - especially at home to Brighton

Bizarrely, it seems that although they have fired him, Spuds still have a say over what he does next:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/20 ... son-would/

Agree. I don’t think it’s going to be easy. In Potter they have a really, really good manager, one who is going places imo.

Can't say I'm too impressed by the idea of Arteta. Seems to me that Man City is Pep's project - 100% - top to bottom. I just don't see Arteta having much influence. What he offers is the fact that he's worked with, watched and maybe learned from an acknowledged master. There's no evidence he'd be able to put what he's seen and learned into practice. Also, as far as I can recall, he won no trophies in his playing career and he never won an international cap - that sort of thing is important when it comes to earning players' respect. Lastly, and lest we forget, he was pretty bloody awful for us in his last few seasons - stunk the place out in fact with no obvious sign whatever of any tactical nous or insight.

Compare all that with Paddy who probably won more as a player than anyone before or since. He's a giant, both physically and in reputation. Instant respect in any company - and - he's been in sole charge of clubs for almost 4 years now; that's a proper grounding. I accept that he's never won anything as a Manager but then neither Nice nor New York City are 'winning' teams. Also, I can't see that he'd be a particularly expensive option. Vieira was the best mifdfielder I have ever seen and as I've said, he'd be my choice. My worry would be that he's apparently in the frame for Beckham's new club in Miami who come into being next February.

And I don't think much of Stephen Collins, I have to say. Well, it's a game of opinions, Clive.

Indeed McQ.

Chacun à son goût.

Ljungbergs comments after the match gave me some encouragement that he knows what to fix and how to fix it. He's had probably 3 or 4 training sessions so expecting to see some signs of improvement even if it's marginal. A 5-2 win will be acceptable.

Yeah or he’s got to go !

Freddie, you are a club legend, but the little I've seen so far, you are out of your depth. Long term, we are better off waiting in the summer for Rodgers if, understandably, he won't leave Leicester mid season.
Arteta may be a great assistant but that doesn't mean he'd be a great manager. Pat Rice was a great assistant.

Freddie has too much handle to turn the ship right now. My personal opinion is work on team defense. I did see some of that. He had everyone tracking back. The way to win right now is more of the 1-0 to the Arsenal way if we can defend as a team. The Kevin Keegan style isn't going to work.

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/ ... e-17362275

Pipe dream but if Simeone is getting itchy feet then is there a better 'available' manager in the world to fix our defence, our attitude, our work-rate, our off the ball positioning?

A manager with bags of personality who crafts teams in his own image. I feel that the Arsenal fans are dying to get on board with a charismatic firey manager, a bit of "us against the world".

One can but dream

Nice idea Rich but as far as I'm aware, Simeone doesn't speak any English at all. Difficult to be a charismatic personality when nobody can understand you.

RIP Bob Willis.

A batsman could read a copy of War and Peace and eat a three course meal and he still wouldn't have finished his run up.

Amazing bowler.