They need a rebuild. Not sure Ange is the person who they will have the patience with. But I never write any team off before the season commences.
I would never want a NLD away in the last couple of games.

Whatever position we need to be in, we better have it sewn up by mid April. Going to WHL and Old Trafford among the last 4 fixtures doesn't bode well.

No point analysing it too much the fixtures all get moved around anyway!

1974/75 was an incredible season. With four or so games left (42 in the season at the time, two points awarded for a win), there were at least six clubs still in contention for the title. Meanwhile, we were a scary two points clear of the relegation zone, despite only having conceded 43 goals in 36 games (more or less our record last season). Sorry the pic is a bit blurry.

Manager Alan Ashman had a lot to do with it.

The Arsenal 1st team squad with the FA Cup at Highbury, August 1979. Back row (left-right): Terry Neill (manager), Don Howe (coach), Liam Brady, Steve Gatting, John Devine, Steve Walford, Pat Jennings, Paul Barron, David O'Leary, Sammy Nelson, Malcolm MacDonald, Fred Street (physiotherapist), Wilf Dixon (assistant coach). Front row: Alan Sunderland, Brian Talbot, Graham Rix, Richie Powling, Frank Stapleton, Pat Rice, Willie Young, David Price, John Hollins.

I love looking at old stuff (old to me, maybe not to some of you) and its always a rabbit hole. I see something interesting and then start looking it up, etc.

C'mon Carlisle!



It's only Chelsea, c'mon.

Seeing the passing of Gordon McQueen took me back to that brilliant Cup Final day at Wembley.

Me and my mates all met up at the Swiss Cottage pub for a couple of swift pints. While there we all chipped in a tenner and had in on AFC to win 2:0

Off we went to Wembley....Bakerloo Line....?..... and were comfortably in control....two up with a few minutes to go ....then McQueen scores....ah well we've done our bet but so what we are going to win the Cup....(it was a much bigger deal back then).....aargh no McIlroy equalizes.....ah bollocks....then the inestimable Chippy drives on knocks it to Rixy who crosses for the (in my opinion) under rated Alan Sunderland at the back post. 3:2 Cup Final Magic

Oh what a day....back up the West End for a proper drink.....I think I finished up in The Cavalier in Russell Lane in Whetstone rather the worse for wear

Brexit update. It’s great !

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... brexit-tax

My recollection and viewing of the Cup were somewhat different.
I was working in Longreach -about 700kms inland from Rockhampton. Small western town but Rugby league followers generally. Saturday got up did the shopping and went to the pub mid afternoon after doing some study for upcoming exams. I had already checked that our only TV channel (ABC) would have the cup on live starting around midnight. Drank with mates thru until closing time 10pm. I mentioned I would be watching the cup so about 5 of them came around with a couple of cartons. Just to spite me they decided to barrack for United. By the time the cup started a few blokes were asleep. By the second half I was the only one awake surrounded by empty tinnies. WE were strolling it and I felt great and then of course the McQueen goal accompanied by my loud swearing. Woke a couple of them up and then United equalised and they gave it to me big time. To be quickly silenced by our winner. I had a last drink to watch us lift the cup and went to bed leaving the sleeping dead for the morning. No one to really talk about it with the next day as they were not really football fans. Still it was a good night.

Surely they can just recover that from the £350 million a week they are saving now ?

Nice one Gaz thanks for sharing…. An interesting comparison!
The Arsenal family as represented on this forum is spread far and wide as well as being multi generational

In other news Happy Fathers Day to all you Arsenal pops

Your ignorance of financial political matters outshines your total ignorance of all things football.

Is there not a Dandy Football forum you could join to get the kicks you obviously desire.

The Guardian sheeeesh what a tossers newspaper......

Great times. Its sad how devalued the FA Cup is now.

Non football but interesting nonetheless. Luc Longley, an Aussie that was part of the MJ era Bulls. I hadn't realized just how much of a cultural and personality difference he was to the team. A gentle giant thrown into a league where most of the players came from very tough, inner city playgrounds and that mentality was used to fuel how they played the sport.

It didn't matter if you didn't grow up in that environment. There was a player on the Detroit team in the '80s and '90s named Bill Laimbeer. At the time it was a joke that he was the only player whose father was richer than he was. His father was a former big company exec worth millions. Bill grew up in the very rich area of LA area called Palos Verdes. Beautiful area overlooking the ocean on cliffs. Laimbeer was known as the dirtiest player in the league and the only player Larry Bird hated and would never ever be friendly with.

Philly was no different growing up. Basketball at the playgrounds was rough and tumble no matter the area of the city. The Black, Italian, Irish, Puerto Rican and Jewish areas of the city played similarly. It was a Philly thing, a gritty city.

I didn't realize at the time watching the Bulls just how tough it was for Luc. I liked him. The European players who come into the league are fully aware of the style and know they have to adapt. And similarly did, they played tougher than they did in Europe.

Are there any factual inaccuracies in the Guardian article? You don't mention any.

Looks like Chelsea are going to be saved by various Saudi deals to purge their squad. I’m sure I read something about the Saudi’s having some form of stake in Chelsea and suddenly Koulibaly who is 31 and who Chelsea signed for £30m odd and on huge wages is now being offloaded to Saudi. Kante and Ziyech off there as well.

Do i take it you're not UK based? The Guardian is as pro Labour as the BBC is anti Conservative.
Take everything they say with a pinch of salt.

The article has direct quotes from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as the Cold Chain Federation, and statistics from the London School of Economics. What aspect of the story do you think the Guardian has made up?

You trying to debate the politics of the day with someone who thought Colonel Gaddafi was the same Colonel that invented fried chicken?

I just thought I'd see how being civilised might work in a political debate on the forum. You never know your luck.

In other news, power prices just went up here (Sydney) - Up 40+%
I'd be curious to see what others are paying per Kwh where they are.



And their profits are doubling.

https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/ag ... 615-p5dgzb

Hi Rich,

Just another example of financial doping.

We end up having to virtually pay players on high wages to leave us whilst Chelsea get big fees for their surplus to requirements.

Very clever on Chelsea's part but totally unethical.

The PL has lost control now, the Govt should step-in and remove nation state owners but they won't for political reasons.

I think the 2nd will be contested, but 3rd and 4th spots will be heavily contested and may come down to the final match. Our match with Man Utd towards the end of the season may determine if either is top 2 to 4.

I think Chelsea are a season away from being a real threat. This is assuming they haven't bought Mbappe or some such transformative player over the summer. lol Tottenham will be in for a Europa spot. If they lose Kane they'll struggle.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1TE3rsmZUx4

I am going to warm up to the Havertz transfer because 1. He was a very good young player in Germany and 2. I'll have to trust Edu and Arteta.

He didn't become a bad player overnight. Chelsea are in disarray and that has to be taken into consideration, same with Mudryk. I think he's a good player and would have been good for us.

If the reports are correct, our plan is to sell Balogun for maybe £30m and buy Havertz for maybe £60m. Why? Is it just me?

It’s not just you DHD, I’m kind of stumped by it.

Selling Balogun should be off the table full stop. I saw someone earlier suggesting that Nketiah could be the one that actually goes. I think this would make more sense as Balogun to me anyway looks are more well rounded than Eddie however I think the coaches are quite emotionally invested in Eddie’s development.

My hunch is that Havertz is actually being signed not really for his prowess up front but to cover Ødegaard and potentially be an option to covers xhakas role in some games. It’s Arsenal right? To spend 60 million quid and pay Havertz 200k a week to offer competition to Eddie and balogun? I just don’t see it. That’s major money for us so you would have to assume he’s coming to take somebody’s place in the first 11. Kind of reminds me of the Ramsdale deal where nobody could understand at the time why we had paid 32m for a backup keeper.

I love Eddie but I would be keeping Balogun at all costs. Sell Eddie and keep Balogun and tell him to fight for his place if he wants it bad enough.
He seems to have more to his game and is 3 years younger.
I'm not convinced Jesus should be assured No 1 status striker.
Let him and Balogun fight it out.
I just think Balogun is ready to explode and we should be doing everything to persuade him to stay.
Whats wrong with playing Jesus off the flanks and Balogun through the middle sometimes??
We will regret it big time if we let Balogun go.
If he insists on going then a buy back clause HAS to be inserted into the sale.

Calling the BBC anti conservative is hilarious when you understand the Chairman of the BBC is a Tory donor to the tune of over £400,000, who literally helped facilitate a loan of £800,000 to Boris Johnson whilst he was PM. The Director General, Tim Davie is a former failed conservative MP candidate and was the deputy chairman of the Hammersmith and Fulham Conservative Association.

But why let facts get in the way of a mentalist licking his balls in public.

Keep Balogun !!!!!!!!!!
I think we will regret it if we sold him. That guy gives us a Plan B. Something we don't have right now. IMO

Thing about Balogun is people seem to consider him as an either or with Nketiah where they are both young players trying to make their name however Nketiah is 24 which is 3 years older than Balogun. Baloguns just tore up the french league on loan and scored his first international goal in his 2nd game. Eddie is 2 years older than Haaland yet our fans seem to think he needs more time to develop. It’s just kind of weird I think some of our fans have real blinkers on and are blinded by love for Eddie because I’m not sure many fans of other clubs would be happy enough arbitrarily selling or a young striker like Balogun who looks like he could be a very special striker. I also think Southgate will find out he’s dropped the ball.

Gary O'Neil sacked at Bournemouth. Very harsh.

Just like a lot of sports rivalries, India vs Pakistan in cricket, England vs Ireland in football, France vs Germany in football, USA vs Mexico in football is really more about countries that have had historical issues up to and including war.

Mexico has obviously had a far better footballing tradition and dominated early contests, however since Covid19, America has been winning. Albeit in America. America hasn't won in Mexico and its always a loss. America has been beating Mexico, albeit in America but got a draw in Mexico last year which is usually unheard of. Especially given the fact it was World Cup qualifier and so a lot at stake.

America has finally gotten some players that can be arguably be called stars at any level: Balogun, Pulisic.

This latest match that America shockingly won 3-0, ended with both sides down to 9 men. At the risk of sounding bias, the Mexicans were cheating and kicking out of frustration, out of seeing their pride beaten by class. The American coach needs to get them to play past that and punish bad behavior with goals.

Pray for rain.

Strange that’s what I said when I woke up over here. England have this test match won.

For some reason they have no resnsibility for the programming of the BBC. Iirc the Chairman has resigned and been replaced by a woman unless it didn't go through. Anyway they appear to have no control over Lineker, Maitliss and other pro Labour reporters.

Saka with a stunning international hat trick pretty much completes life. Anything this boy can’t do or acheive?

14 goals and assists for Saka in 21 international appearances. Quite phenomenal

3 very different finishes for Saka as well.
First one is that finish he’s made with his right foot high at the gk near post.
Second one is lashed across the gk with his left in the top corner from 20 yards
Third one is through 1v1 with the gk and calmly passed it passed him.