After the Newcastle game Calum Wilson was interviewed with Joe Willock and came out and said the squad had supported Joe because he’d been subjected to racist abuse online.

3 black players missed penalties for England and immediately racially abused. Go and see what Tyrone Mings wrote to Priti Patel after that happened after she condemned the taking of the knee

It’s worse in other countries. Football still has a racism problem.

To suggest that in some way, probably unconscious bias, that a young black player is treated differently to a young white player…..or that a player from Arsenal is treated differently from a player from a non big 6 team (for example) or that a player from the most successful London team might be treated differently than a player from a northern team (London in itself being a lightening rod for many working class people from the north) - I don’t think it’s far fetched - or certainly not as far fetched he’d as confidently proclaiming there is no issue with any of these things that may cause bias at all!

I really do think the Arsenal London vs the north thing has a lot of weight to it. People still put a lot of weight in the class system in this country, and it’s ok to punch up but crass to punch down, so many people (particularly in the public eye) fall over themselves to try to persuade people they are in fact working class (our own Prime Minister included) shows the general distaste for those that HAVE, and if there is going to be any club in the prem that represents the gap between the working class north and the elite soft southerners it’s Arsenal. These views percolate so many aspects of society, 90% of refs from northern towns and cities, grown up with these rivalries and bias. It would be naive in the extreme to think their entire being wouldn’t be influenced.

He’s writing for the Daily “hurrah for the black shirts” Mail !

Whilst he may not be intentionally racist he’s planting his flag to make cash off a newspaper that tries to divide and had absolute historical links to facism.

There might be an argument he’s unconsciously racist. Imagine if Myles had done what Giggs or Rooney got up to.

Bad celebration Myles nawty, nawty, nawty . Wot a load of absolute bollocks

Grow up. If you are going back to the 1930s to make a point you haven't got a point.

Nearly all the abuse came from outside the UK.

Well what did you mean when you said "Some of us might need to think about whether you are bristling and reacting rather than weighing up what’s happening" because I presume that was aimed at me?

https://www.kickitout.org/reporting-statistics
And yet the problem is getting worse in the UK

That the denial of racial biases in reporting is an emotional reaction not a considered one. That seems fairly clear.

I give the example of Lewis Hamilton and Raheem Sterling because my own reaction made me reflect. “Well I don’t like him and I’m not a racist” does not mean there is no racial bias in the reporting around him, and forgets the fact that I’ve never met these guys and never will, and my opinion can only be made from “newsworthy” articles about them.

That the denial of racial biases in reporting is an emotional reaction not a considered one. That seems fairly clear.
them.

There has been an increase in reports. Doesn't mean the problem is getting worse. It means people are more likely to report. Which is good obviously but not evidence the problem is growing.

Feels like next summer is going to be us buying the players we wanted to buy last summer.
Joao Garcia as a back up gk for £20m is going to send Arsenal fans in to a spin if he’s signed before we sign a striker!

We will send off/sell off a couple of players but not fill those positions: last year it was Smith Rowe and the striker who I cant recall.

Think of the movie Groundhog Day.

https://www.kickitout.org/reporting-statistics
And yet the problem is getting worse in the UK

Rich I know you have been a supporter for a long time , so you should know that who we may desire and getting them are a totally different proposition. We may of course make some offer, well short of the selling teams valuation, then fiddle around for most of the transfer period while our number 2 priority is purchased by Chelsea. We will probably run a few transfers thru AMerica
that will take forever. The owners just want CL money and they would prefer not to spend. In the meantime Arteta will determine that most of the available strikers do not fit with his criteria. We will send off/sell off a couple of players but not fill those positions: last year it was Smith Rowe and the striker who I cant recall. Think of the movie Groundhog Day.

Some pictures of Saka doing some light training work in Dubai - he's got quite some scar down his hamstring!
if the reports of him being ahead of schedule for early/mid march return are accurate I wonder if the club may not rush him because looking at the fixtures we don't have any games between March 16th and April 1st.
feb 15th Leicester away
feb 22nd west ham home
feb 26th Forest away
mar 4/5th CL round of 16
mar 9th Man U away
mar 11/12th CL round of 16
mar 16th chelsea home
april 1st fulham home

Some huge games in there but we cant afford for him to break down by bringing him back too early

If we have indeed 'kept our powder dry' and we are to expect a blow out summer I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect a £200m spend.
The last few seasons net spend is:
23/24 - £10m (2 players in)
22/23 - £150m (4 players in)
21/22 - £150m (8 players in)
20/21 - £120m (6 players in)
I'm not counting loans in these and Raya has gone in the 22/23 figures as it was an obligation loan

23/24 was the first season we could 'use' the Champions League money. Wages have obviously gone up a fair amount in the past few years after they had come down by a lot when Arteta/Edu cleared the decks.

Due to the last 3 transfer windows leaving us short each time it feels like a make or break summer where we have to tidy up the roll over effect of being inactive.

I would say of all the players we likely see as dispensable we could raise maybe £50-70m at best. So on the basis that we need to do a lot and would have £250m on new signings would you (if he were available) commit half of that budget to signing Isak?

My view is a £250m spend is the difficult sweet spot in whether you'd blow half of that on a striker knowing that we also need a defensive mid, a new winger and some cover in other positions because I can see 7 or so first team players leaving this summer. Isak feels like he would really be a game changer for us but because we haven't even plugged other gaps in the last 3 windows and have more gaps to plug in the summer it may be a case of putting all your eggs in one basket.

Sesko is clearly a player the club like, he's Isak-esque but obviously much more raw and untested in our league - but likely half the cost.

I have a feeling Saliba may depart, especially if its another fruitless season.

That will add more complexity to what will already be a difficult window because you know negotiations with Madrid will drag on and on.

I have a feeling Saliba may depart, especially if its another fruitless season.

That will add more complexity to what will already be a difficult window because you know negotiations with Madrid will drag on and on.

It’s a facet of our growth and being successful that teams will come for our best players. No point getting bent about it. Nobody in their right mind wanted to sign any of the lot that Arteta inherited. “Madrid set to sign Kolasinac” was never going to happen.

Hey if Madrid want to cough up 175 million for saliba that allows us to bring in 3 new attacking players maybe it’s something that should be considered.

The sale of anelka created Henry,
The sale of overmars and Petit brought Pires and Lauren. If that hadn’t happened there wouldn’t have been an invincibles.

However Big Willie is under contract to 2027. Ball is in our court and I wouldn’t rule out Arteta convincing him to stay a bit longer. So far he hasn’t had any issues in convincing our key players to renew their contracts and he does have a pied piper aura to his approach that may convince the player the journey hasn’t yet been completed.

I didn't interpret it that way at all. I took the "bristling" to suggest an inherent racial bias. So apologies for my sharp response.

Maybe the proposal that there is a racial bias is an emotional reaction?

https://x.com/skysportsnews/status/1888690992649269725?s=46&t=fkwaCrtFB5yR-j6VVZXEoA

Found this interview with Ange really interesting. Recently his interviews have been too downbeat, this is a manager protecting his players and people should listen.

Ange isn’t blameless because I do think he has had chance to alter the style and coach some off the ball work and defensive structure but he is right to defend the players and talk about the burnout of having to have exactly the same players play 3 games a week with little rotation.

Havertz injured in Dubai

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... Dubai.html

You’ve gotta laugh

Hamstring issue. He’s been holding the back of his leg at the end of the last two games.

Yep. We are playing players into the red because there isn’t the squad to rest them. Martinelli too. Hammy no rest.

Oh well at least we didn’t over pay for Watkins. That would have been an absolute travesty.