No, must be really different from 5 minutes ago.

Young Boys in CL group stage have beaten ManU 2-1.

Try and find, and watch, the original version. Belgian production; way more entertaining than the watered down “English” remake. It aired over here as part of the Walter Presents series on All 4 channel.

But don’t Man Utd now have this superstar that the English press are fawning all over like he is the messiah. How can this be so.

Talking of obscure channels I caught the Big Match Revisited this afternoon featuring a workmanlike game between Arsenal and Stoke from 1975. Title chasing Stoke earning a point at relegation threatened Arsenal. The pitch was a picture. Interesting part of the programme was an interview with Charlie George, out injured, openly telling Brian Moore he was desperate to get out of the Club. Candid would be an understatement.

Really? Thanks, I'll look for it.

I really enjoyed 'Luther' from several years ago. I wish they would have made more.

The documemtary about us would still be fascinating if it stopped here. So much has happened. I am hoping the behind the scenes reasons for things will be explained. Among which is Saliba.

They do indeed. The said superstar was subbed off 2nd half for Lingard, who made an error and so Swissers scored their 2nd goal in extra time. Oh well.

Oh no. Tell me it isn’t true. The sky sports mob and talkSPORT will need some counseling after this. Pandemic a crisis: no this is a real crisis. How can we all help them.

Suggestions that the only way Saliba will ever play for Arsenal is if Arteta goes. Whatever the quality or rationale for the article, I’ve been thinking the same for some while so can believe it. If Arsenal improve and Arteta stays, I wonder if at £27m Saliba will be the most expensive signing in football to have never played a competitive game for that club?

I know Arsenal signed Clive Allen for £1.25m and he was swapped for Kenny Sansom two months later before he ever played a competitive game for the club. I guess in football’s transfer market £1.25m in 1980 may well be worth more than £27m in 2019 (when Saliba joined). But Allen was only with us a a couple of months one summer, whereas Saliba if he goes next summer will have been with the club three years without playing.

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/ ... dium=email

It's my understanding that Israeli clubs play in UEFA because of long standing religiouis/political differences between them and the Arab/Moslem countries in the Middle East.

Now that relations are pretty much normaized with these countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, and I was in the Dubai airport December last year and it was amazing, exciting and surreal seeing Israelis there). I wonder out loud if these clubs will stay in UEFA or join the Asian Champions League in the future? Their chances of doing better are greater in that competition.

It would be historic if they played each other.

At the right wage I don't see why not.

Hi Bernard, I can happily admit that it would be incredibly difficult for me to be completely unbiased when talking about refs in Arsenal games, or generally anything about Arsenal because I (we) are emotionally invested in the game. I'd also admit that some of the in game stuff will come from a single view so can appreciate the tough job that refs have. However, I watch a lot of non-Arsenal football in the premier league and do see things in other games that I believe show a) the level of refereeing in this country is woeful including a shocking lack of consistency and b) I think there are things some players and some teams 'get away' with that we don't. That doesn't just apply to Arsenal. I think Xhaka and Luiz were often treated on reputation. Equally I think a player like Harry Kane (england captain) is given much more of a free ride by refs than other players putting in the same tackles or dark arts. It isn't conscious bias from refs, I honestly don't think they go in to games thinking I'd like to send off X today or I'd like X team to win, but there would be a huge number of subconscious things that build up.

Pay per play only.

Over the years there are statistics that show teams involved in European games collect fewer points on average in the league game immediately following a European match than their normal average points.
This is the first year without European football for 25 years for us. We have to turn in it in to an advantage for our league form. I see Burnley away as a must win.
Top 4 is probably beyond us this year with the strength of the top 4 but with Leicester, Spurs and West Ham all having European football we need to take advantage.

You must be joking and off your heads,

it’s a tragedy because he was great once but his career has been ruined by injury and he struggled at Bournemouth and was released and that’s the 2nd time that’s happened because it also happened at West Ham. It would be total nostalgia and after one failed game Arteta would be getting dogs abuse and getting called clueless for doing it.

Jack unfortunately needs to see out a few years at a lower level club then Seek a career in coaching or sit back on the several millions he made from the game and retire.

I think you are right. We still have that 'fancy dan foreigner diver' aura and players like Kane are mentally associated with the sturdy steak and kidney pudding-fed honest english yeoman stereotype.

No doubt that it influence refs subconsciously and there needs to be a more active policy to stamp it out.

It does seem like a really bizarre idea.

Yes, that's where we might get some return on the English player premium we've paid for Ramsdale and White. If they don't each get at least one dodgy game-changing decision in their favour this season, I'll be fuming.

Germans and Norwegian probably aren't quite as suspect as Mediterranian types in the popular imagination.

Still Ramsdale does look to be an upgrade on Leno on that score. He certainly does look and sound the part. One could easily imagine him sheering sheep on a wild moor somewhere with a pipe clenched between his teeth.

It’s ok folks the editor of the gooner knows Wilshere personally so we should obviously sign him and blame Arteta when it goes wrong or blame him for not signing him anyway


Gooner editor Layth Yousif knows Jack Wilshere personally - read on for why the former Gunners return to Arsenal would be a great idea



https://www.onlinegooner.com/articles/view/5792

Saw a discussion online about Arsenal's best 11 post Invincibles.

Not quite decided what mine would be but to throw a few names out that would have to be in it:
RvP, Fabregas, Cazorla, Sanchez, Koscielny, Sagna

Not sure many of the current team get in (2 8th place finishes and all) but in time some might have a chance

For me, perhaps I'd include Gallas until he imploded after the Eduardo injury. Technically, one could include Henry. Reyes was around in 2007, is that post invincibles? Not sure the criteria for 'post Invincibles'? Strictly after 2004 or after the members were gone (which would not be Fabregas).
Gotta put Ramsey on there for me. Nasri, the effen sellout. Vermaelen possibly. Özil. Čech. Aubameyang is as close to Henry as we've come.

Arshavin didn't do enough and Clichy only did it consistently once he left us, another sell out. I feel badly for leaving Walcott off....hmmm...very tough decision either way.

In time, Tierney and Saka will be on the list as well as I think Gabriel and Martinelli. But still a wee bit too early.

Finally, obviously Mustafi is my captain.

Fabregas made his debut in 2003 so surely can’t be counted as a post-invincible? For the same reason you can’t count Clichy as the left back. Tierney must be the left back.

I don’t think Koscielny can be in it without Mertesacker alongside him. Koscielny was quite ordinary (not that bad but certainly not great) before Per joined and was even worse after Mertesacker retired. I still see him as having much to do with the Baku nightmare without Per beside him. Together they covered each other’s shortcomings so the central defence has to be Mertesacker and Koscielny in my view. As a partnership they were exceptional.

Have we had a better keeper since 2004 than Leno? If we have he’s slipped my mind. Szczesny was good but I’d still have Leno.

Oh well since it's becoming stylish to recall past players to their previous clubs a la Lukaku to Chelsea, Ronaldo to MU, now with Arteta diving into join the party. So a Wilshere return to Arsenal, is on the cards, so to speak.

Isn’t the arrangement going to be Wilshere returning to train in order to help him get fit enough to find a new club, rather than actually to play for Arsenal? Perhaps things have changed, but that’s what the credible reports I’ve read have been saying.

Weren’t Jack’s contracts at West Ham and Bournemouth terminated because he was so rarely fit? If he did return as a player, was it Gaz from Oz who said it would have to be a pay as you play deal? I wouldn’t argue with that.

I did think that about Fabregas. He never played a minute in the league so if I was putting medals round the necks of the Invincible team Fabregas wouldn't get one.

Currently I'd go for Monreal at left-back, but only because we've seen so little of Tierney in comparison, but I think Tierney has the potential to be the best left back post invincibles.
I'd agree on Per and Kos as a CB partnership.

If you went by just individual seasons then you would have Adebayor when he scores 24 odd league goals and Özil when he had 19 or so assists. Nasri also had a very good 6 months.

yes, probably Leno as a GK based on the fact that he seems to have saved us from further embarrassment in a lot of games.

Nkunku scored a hat trick for Leipzig away to Man City tonight……although they lost 6-3. I’m pretty sure Nkunku was a player Emery wanted. Not sure who we got instead, maybe no one. Other Emery wants were Zaha and N’Zonzi and Raul have him Torreira and Pépé.

I don’t watch enough German football but see Nkunku’s name enough to think that was a mistake to not push through with Emery’s plans to sign him. He only cost Leipzig £11m

Down to the bitter end at City, 6-3 over Leipzig. Pep working towards that CL trophy. If it happens.

Most likely Bernard that was the initial arrangement to train to stay fit. Then gradually being reinstated into the team on an as needed basis? Like what Gaz possibly said is pay to, play, which may be on as needed set up. In a way, he is returning, but in a lesser capacity. His injuries did him in at the cluubs you mentioned. Hoping his return to decent fitness aids in Arteta's plans.

There are a few reports that Leno has been guaranteed he will only be stood down for 2 games. This has got to be incorrrct. This is not player management at any level.

I was not saying I wanted him back but Arteta seems to be keen to have him around. I do not want him signed to any contract but if we saw a need for him then no payment other than pay for play. He was part of the old problem not the solution. And we would have to have a real injury problem to register him.

I’d forgotten about Monreal. Yes he’d probably still be my post-invincibles left back although it won’t be long before Tierney takes over.

For me, to qualify for a post-invincibles team you shouldn’t have played a single competitive first team game for the club before the end of the 2003/4 season. So Clichy doesn’t qualify because he not only played cup games, he also played a dozen Premiership games (7 as a starter, 5 as a sub). So he presumably won a title winner’s medal that season. But Fabregas, who as you say didn’t play in the Premiership that season, did play a few cup games that season. So I really don’t think he can count for a post-invincibles team.

Regarding Sagna’s place in a post-invincibles team, I think Bellerin at his peak is worthy of consideration. I probably would go with Sagna. But I can understand arguments for choosing Bellerin at his peak. He was a very good player and always seemed a fine professional.

Despite losing all 3 of their preseason games, the Rams won their opening game by a comfortable margin.

A name to look out for is Karim Adeyemi, he’s a 19 year old German winger for RB Salzburg. He’s got 6 goals in 7 league games for them this season and on his CL debut vs Sevilla last night he won 3 penalties in the first half. Such pace and direct dribbling. He scored on his debut for Germany recently as well.

For as good as Nasri was for half (the initial 50%) of his last season with us (rather than 6 months), he was just as bad for the other half (the latter 50%). His two full seasons were okay but not anything I’d write home about. For that reason I wouldn’t give him a place in a post-invincible side.

The few players who I wished had a longer and more successful stint with us are:
Podolski - not sure why Wenger dropped him down the pecking order
Arshavin - definitely a huge potential to be one of our best, but again, got on the wrong side of Wenger
Alexis - by far, a player I like who would have gone on to drive the team on with his spirit and drive. Alas, Özil was chosen instead