I was reading a piece that said Arsenal are changing their approach at youth level to look to compete against the likes of City and Chelsea for the best young players. City and Chelsea put sizeable budgets to scooping up the best young players from other academies, generally this hasn't led to first team football but more being sold on for a decent profit once those youngsters are 21(ish). It's a viable strategy because you don't need that many successes in terms of player numbers for the programme to be a success. Chelsea and City haven't suddenly got the best academies in the last 10 years (the facilities and coaching are obviously top level) but they've just bought the best players from other academies

yep. As soon as this scheduling was announced i posted my frustration on here about it. Divvy chris chimed up saying why do I care as it only affected the Geordies.

Obviously it doesn’t and match going Arsenal fans are obviously affected with many having to travel. purely down to attracting an audience in North America.

it’s shite and to be honest there should be protests about this nonsense now.

The state of the rail is really a massive factor these days. Gone from being reliable to patchy.

Bad luck or done wrong or both? Did Wrighty get stitched up on major tournaments?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ds98z3j36mQ

Interesting Merson at Portsmouth under Redknapp story. A wee bit before my time as a fan. From what I've heard from a lot of fans, they were a bit taken aback when Wenger sold him. I recall Chocolate Gooner saying that as well, but I've also heard Wenger offered him a contract at the end of '97.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/S2sS46YXJr0

Oi TG are you mixing up your divvies? What are you now 7 or is it 8 and your memories gone to pot already ?

He's shown flashes of ruling the midfield in the past. He was the player I feared when we played them last year . He seems more a liability now and at 31, Man Utd is likely his last big club. Wonder if we'll see him in a Man Utd shirt next season?

We've now kept more clean sheets than any other prem side with 10 so far this season. All the time we weren't in 1st place for this stat felt like only a matter of time. We are the leagues best defensive team. Goals against show that now, but more than that it is the sheer lack of chances we offer up at all to opponents

Agree with this but I cant see it changing. There is too much money on offer. The clubs are happy to take the TV money and in doing so they hand over a certain amount of control to the broadcasters to select these terrible kick off times for the match going fan. If anything it will only get worse, kick off times to suit audiences on the other side of the world, games in different countries - I think the Community Shield will soon be moved to the highest bidding country and the FA will take the money.
As someone who doesn't get to go to live games I don't necessarily mind an 8pm saturday kick off time, kids are in bed and it allows me to settle in and watch the match - a bit like midweek champions league games - but I can understand how this doesn't suit a lot of people

Not exactly a sell out so far for Saturday.

Indeed, Zed. Ticket Exchange isn't available - which means the match isn't yet sold out. It might happen but that's slightly surprising given the way we've been playing recently.

All this as the Club have just announced that STs will increase next season by 6% in the lower tier and 4% in upper.

They're also scrapping the Family Enclosure but increasing the overall number of concessions which will now be available throughout the stadium.

Few other bits & pieces in the changes but the above are the biggies.

I don’t think 8pm kick off suits anyone. Literally anyone, even if you live locally date night is ruined.

I mean to give you an idea of what it’s like getting out of there, with an 8 pm kick off and all the added injury time these days the final whistle could be 10pm or even a bit after. Then if you are upper tier say rows block 133 to 92 and have a seat probably row 20+ or above pretty much middle ish of the row like me you are going to have a 10 -13 minute wait just to get out of the top tier as the lower rows have to empty first and you are stuck (I’ve contemplated moving my seat 10-15 rows forward just to get out a bit earlier however ive grown rather attached to the loons that surround me) so blam 10.15 to 10;25 before you are out the front door. Brisk walk to Highbury and Islington to find a massive queue there. Then you need to reach an overground station etc etc if there are no strikes.

Or drive in and get hit with ULEZ and or congestion charge and shiploads of heavy traffic.

Honestly I think we are all bonkers…. Now imagine what that’s like for the geordies instead. I think there should be more resistance to this.

The kickoff time suits me (Saturday afternoon, summer = braai) but definitely sad when they are catering for the TV audience rather than those going to the game.

https://x.com/adamkeys_/status/17595143 ... -j6VVZXEoA

This is a great video of Raya, catching crosses but even more importantly the quick releases every time, he’s already beaten the first line of the press. It’s the quick turnover when the defending team might not be in their defensive shape. For me he’s improved us

They’ve changed the use it or lose it game utilisation threshold which will increase to 17 games and then 20 games. That’s a biggie. wasn’t mentioned in the email i had but on the website

DHD,
Also some discounts are being scrapped as well.

You don’t half spout a load of tosh to support your agenda. The Newcastle game was sold out months ago following the ballot. The T/X is open but there are simply no available tickets for sale.

Evening Tel

We’ve all missed your cheerful contributions.

I have STs. If the game is sold out, I can post them on the Ticket Exchange. I don’t want to but at the moment, I can’t.

I also have a ST. I have no idea about your specific case but, the game is sold out (same as every other game at the Emirates this season) and the T/X is open. A quick check on the Arsenal website will confirm these basic facts. Are you ever right about anything?

I think you’re a diamond, Tel

Confirmed. Apology accepted.

I'm guessing this Terry character is a former regular poster under another name. Left and returned with a new name. 90 odd posts, rarely posting, new posters never start off vitriolic. They lurk, come on at first being polite. Eventually everyone's true nature comes out.

I can see any post from a blocked person if its quoted. I had long opted out because from the start he was antagonistic.

Anyway....

I was posed a hypothetical from a fellow Gooner who saw the video below.

Would you rather win the CL and finish a close 3rd in the league or win the PL? I said CL abso-effing-lutely. Our present trajectory I can see us challenging for the title and eventually win it. Especially if City gets a harsh sanction.

Hadn't realized the CL was won by an English side, 3 of the last 5 years. The EPL looks far more like a top la Liga side than a traditional English side 20 years ago. The money has attracted the best talent. I think Mbappe will eventually end up here. I'd be surprised if Messi and Neymar hadn't thought seriously about coming to the league. Both are national teammates with players from the EPL and I'm sure they spoke highly of the league, fans, etc.

Anyway, the later rounds favor our style and top EPL sides. We do better when the game is open and end to end. I don't think we are good enough to beat Real Madrid over 2 legs...yet, but we'd give them a run for their money. In a one off, its very doable.

Have not seen Sambi Lokonga play much if at all on loan but I keep hearing good things. Anyone seen him play or been monitoring him?

His positional awareness was a big issue before. I recall Ødegaard having to yell at him on the pitch to fill in certain spaces. Seems like the loan spell is going well. As the old saying goes, he'll be like a new signing if he comes back a more complete player. Ashley Cole went to Palace on loan and came back a much better player.

Arteta must be like the cat that got the cream with the signing of Rice. So many big money transfers fail at a rate at which they really shouldn’t.

His and Edu’s strike rate on transfers is very, very good. Raya is coming good, timber is obviously a wait and see, Rice superb and even Havertz is showing a lot for us, all this on the back of a £60-70m spend to get Jorginho, Kiwior and Trossard last winter.

I still think there is one piece left for the midfield. Ødegaard, Rice and ???. If we want to go up a level. I don't think Kavertz is it. I think he's improving week by week. I think for the price we paid we could have gotten the same or similar for much less. If we win the title or CL and he's starting I won't say a peep. LOL.

What was more dramatic? This final or the '79 one against the Mancs?

Hi guys, need some guidance here. Me and my missus are visiting London in May. We wish to watch our last home match at the Emirates. What are the available avenues to get tickets?

Zubimendi is the name currently, deep lying elite passer - a young Jorginho - that would push Rice in to the left 8, or double pivot which I think has proven to work well in big games.
I also like the idea of Rice staying as the 6 and bringing in a left 8 who can drive forward, dribble and shoot - Eze from Palace is a player I really like who plays this role for Palace and could really go up a level for us. Many will argue Emile Smith Rowe can do this for us, but there is something more powerful about Eze.

I can see that English isn’t your first language but “vitriolic”, seriously?

And sorry to hear that you have blocked me - am I the first?

Try DHD, apparently the club can’t even give tickets away these days.

He is highly rated but is a bit small in stature physically. It's not a deal breaker. Makelele, Caecido aren't giants either. Overall though, he'll be an improvement.

Interesting how Burnley tried to deal with Ben White at corners, they put a man on him and his sole job was to get White away from their gk. The Burnley player is not even looking at the ball he’s just wrestling White out of the way.
I’m sure Jover has a plan for this. You either make White do his best to win the penalty and draw the refs attention to this, or you simply swap the role and put another player on the gk at the last minute.

Apparently Fabio Vieira is with the team in Porto after 13 weeks out with injury.
Partey back training and probably available for the weekend (bench more likely)
Zinchenko, Jesus and Tomiyasu still out.

Hopefully with the team performing well now there isn’t a big need to rush these players back if there’s any doubt

Gabriel and Saliba are for me the best defensive partnership in the league, it’s maybe not spoken about enough that we signed this pair for £50m combined at the ages of 23 and 18.

Individually they are both in the top 5 CB in the league for me, where else in the league has anyone recruited such quality, at such a young age for such a small price?

hmmm, just joking right?

Arsenal’s women’s team have an average attendance this season higher than 9 premier league men’s clubs

Gidday G7 ...why don' t you write directly to the club ; explain you are coming from Singapore , life long Arse supporter , hoping to see the Everton game . See what they say , never know your luck ...?

I wrote to Bertie Mee once ; said I was from NZ could I possibly tour Highbury Stadium .

He wrote back a lovely letter explaining all tours were booked for the next nine months ; but if it suited my goodself he'd arranged for me to join an existing tour in two weeks time .

As luck would have it the goddamn oil rig I was working on in Trinidad at the time called me back a week early so I missed out .

In 18 away games in all competitions this season we’ve scored first in 14 of them. Added on to our away record last year we’ve improved amazingly.

Also we have only lost 3 big 6 games since the start of last season, for years we regularly lost these games every year, barely even a sniff of a win, another huge improvement.

Good advice, Pete

He has been good with the throws recently and clearly they’ve finally watched a Lehmann video or two. I’m surprised at his catching of crosses given that Ramsdale is around 2 inches taller.