Dortmund, Porto, Leipzig are already dropping down to the Europa. Barcelona, Sevilla and Atalanta set to join them.

That feels quite strong compared to some years

Spurs have had their match with Rennes postponed. I expect the Premier League will follow suit and postpone their game v Brighton at the weekend - and possibly their midweek game at Leicester as that would still fall within the 10 day quarantine period.

I don't think we reported quite as many cases as Spurs when we had our covid outbreak but any request we made (if we even did) wasn't upheld for our game vs Brentford.

I read somewhere there was a 6 person limit and then games could be postponed but not certain on that. If so then it is open to abuse to attempt to get a game postponed when you wouldn't be at full strength.

Spurs apparently have 8 cases, games don't get postponed for 8 injuries, injuries are not infectious, but that is what the quarantine rules are for. Spurs must have a 25 man squad plus 5-8 young players who regularly train with the first team.

Ironic isn’t it? I’ve spend ages wishing that we’d get to Barcelona’s level. Looks like we now have.

Seriously though it should be a strong Europa League this time.

Always felt there was an element of luck to the Europa League because of teams dropping down from the CL. No doubt we should've done better certain years, but we did go out against a strong Atletico Madrid side once, and lost a final to Chelsea. When Man Utd won it they had Fenerbache, Feyenoord and Zorya Luhansk from Ukraine in the group, and in the knockout phase they defeated Saint Etienne, Rostov, Anderlecht, Celta Vigo and Ajax. Hardly any world beaters in that group of teams.

I would want everyone of their tests taken by an independent authority and verified by them. I would want a lot more than their say so. Also every player testing positive must be fit and not injured and have played regularly. Only then should they be considered for any deferral. But then they have a squad so why are they getting special treatment. Did Leyton Orient enjoy the same privileges.

It's safe to assume we will equal if not exceed the number of years between titles as the 1971 to 1989 Arsenal sides.

Does it feel the same? Both eras have won cups. Did it feel as long as it was for those who were around those years as it does now? For me, 2004 doesn't seem that long ago in my mind for some strange reason but its been 17 years!

Man Utd and Liverpool fans went through similar spells. Wonder how their older fans feel? Should I even care? haha

I enjoyed your post, Bernard, despite the sour bit of gratuitous disrespect from Top Gun. So it wasn't a waste of time.

Thanks Decaf. And thanks to LTG for his reaction to it prior to Top Gun’s.

Problem with your post Bernard ....... given your previous history of defending Per on every ocassion in his playing career no matter what transpired ..... it comes across as a fraction fawning .

Top Gun's comment wasn't really that bad , it's just that it burst your 'love bubble ' .

I've got no doubt Merts is a nice guy and seems to be doing a good job with the youth perhaps he could move up when Arteta gets the push
.... I could think of worse appointments .

I never said I didn’t like the post I thought it was very very good and depicts the complex emotional relationship that exists between Bernard and Mertesacker.

2 lost souls finding solace against alienation and disconnection against a backdrop of cultural displacement in London. It was fine.

I just found it very odd to avoid everything I said in the post in order to claim he chickened out of a header at Anfield. Did he? I’ve no idea as I’ve no recollection of it. The Holding one was earlier this year. Hence it’s far fresher in the mind.

There’s no emotional attachment at all. Two lost souls? What makes you think either me or him is a lost soul?

https://twitter.com/TheArsenalog/status ... 34913?s=20

A simple example of how our playing out from the back can be effective but it breaks down when we don't take advantage of the space it creates due to poor play in the attacking half

Have to say I’m quite impressed with the adidas limited edition originals Arsenal clobber the club are flogging.
It’s amazing how sentimental fans can be.

Think adidas really missed the boat by not offering a rebooted bruised banana kit. Would have sold like literal hotcakes

Of all the shirts I still like the lightening blue from 1995, the maroon (only because I have it signed by Henry and Bergkamp) but apart from that it is always the classic 70’s yellow and blue and red and white shirts which are always cool.

The possiblity now recently Pépé's considered dispensible towards financing any future new deals.

I kind of get the impression it might be that. They are aware of a potential suitor and are trying to force his hand a bit.

Can’t help feel it’s unfortunate as despite his bad season I’ve always thought he’s good in the final third if you can get an early ball to him.

That's your response? Good god.

Goes without saying we MUST beat Southampton at the weekend.

After that West Ham at home is huge, win it having beaten Saints and we can start talking about being in the top 4 mix up again. Lose and it seems like another 8th place is on the cards

After that it is:
Leeds away - a team playing poorly and with lots of injuries
Norwich away - you have to pick up 6 points against the likely bottom 3
Wolves home - another test but we must expect to win all our home games against non big 6 teams

Turn in some spurs/villa/leciester performances and we'll win all 5. play like we did v everton and we'll be lucky to pick up 5 points. We're likely to be somewhere in the middle but on the disappointed side, (maybe 2 wins, 2 draws and a defeat) which won't be good enough for top 4.

As mentioned on here, Spurs-Brighton game called off as well, due to Covid.

Kevin Campbell recently stated it's Pépé's attitude that's an issue. Which was mentioned on here was a problem. Says it's why he hasn't played since October.

The mention of those two in the same sentence exemplifies how F&&&^%$ up modern football has become .......... I'd have a fit hey day Kevin Campbell in any Arsenal lineup in front of the 70 million pound Pépé : any day of the work .

I admire your faith in looking for top 4. For me fifth or sixth should be achievable. And I would be satisfied with that as long as we were looking and playing like a team.

I see that hopeless manager, Emery, has taken Villareal into the last 16 of the CL and sunk Atlanta in the process. I am happy for him that after his time with us he has made a place for himself elsewhere.

Floundering in 13th in La Liga though so not all good times for Villareal. :)

They are not exactly a giant of the Spanish league.

I don’t have much faith we’ll finish top 4, just noting what we’d need to do if we want to stay in the mix. 23 games left and 23 points on the board, probably need to average 2 points per game to get to 69 points for top 4.
Even finishing 6th would mean finishing ahead of one of West Ham, spurs or Man U.

.

Just watching the highlights of the Aussies v Poms in the cricket ..... thought it was a nice touch ...... bunch of about fifty Ritchie Bernaud look a likes . Wigs and shades

Nice tribute to in my book the pinnacle of sporting commentators , scrupulously fair , totally unbiased , called a spade a spade , superb understanding of the game and a beautiful easy to listen voice .

I remember Richie Benaud. To this day he’s the best commentator I’ve ever heard. From any sport, not just cricket.

In 11 PL games, Thomas Partey has been dribbled past 17 times. In 12 PL games, Sambi Lokonga has been dribbled past just once. Sambi has also made more tackles & interceptions.

And that doesn’t take account of the number of misplaced passes or times Partey has been caught dawdling on the ball. There’s 3-4 of both every game. At his best he is our best CM but in his career with us I think we’ve only seen his best for 90 minutes in less than 10 games. He still shows moments of quality in games but has under performed.

Based on the present form of Man Utd, West Ham and Tottenham, I think we have a great chance at top 4. West Ham is playing the best of all 4 of us in contention, but they are the weakest in depth. A key injury here or there could derail their hopes.

I am very happy for them though anyway. I think we have a great chance. We are in with a shout and not playing anywhere where we are capable.

Might have bloody guessed it.

Our Cup game v Forest is a 17:15 ko on a Sunday evening. It'll be maybe 19:30 when you get out of the stadium and it's about a 30 min walk to the train station, so the earliest you can get there is probably about 20:00. You certainly won't catch the 19:30 so that leaves just 1 train at 20:44 if you want to get back to London that night. Better get a move on though - currently there's only 1 seat left.

Realistically, the only real choice is to drive. Not for the first time, this shows a shameful and all too familiar contempt for the travelling fans - and for the the planet!

Thanks FA - for FA.

Arsenal.com still has nothing about the Forest game going on sale. How come there’s only one seat left, or do you mean on the train?

Yes I did mean on the train, Bern.

Match tickets aren't available yet but I try to book transport as soon as the match details are confirmed. I prefer trains where possible and I normally buy train tickets via thetrainline.com - that website lists one seat left on the last train back, the 20:44 from Nottingham to St Pancras. I suppose there could be more seats or additional later trains but it doesn't sound promising.

Forest's ground holds about 30,000 and the away club normally gets an allocation of 30% for Cup games. Nobody seems to consider the carbon footprint of maybe 8,000 fans driving 200 miles or more to attend the match.

Same thing happened a few years ago for a Cup game up at Man U which the BBC shifted to a Monday night. Fans couldn't get back to London by train that night, but who cares? Not the FA and not the BBC.

Thanks.

Interesting how another club, Leeds may be owned by US NFL San Francisco 49ers by January 2024

Agree wholeheartedly ....... big statement , but I don't think there will ever be his peer .

Contrast that with the current offering ...... Shane Warne's mumblings and bumblings .... Mama Mia

Spurs Dec 19 game against Liverpool maybe postponed as well.

America ideologically is a slightly left of center country numerically. However, America, in my humble opinion, will be governed fairly far right for the next several years. I can't see how the Republicans won't have control of the Senate and House of Representatives after the 2022 off year elections. They will also win the 2024 Presidential elections.

Biden won't win again. He won't get the same amount of people to vote for him in swing states and he may not even be able to run mentally/physically if even half the rumors are true. The Democrats have no one who can beat any of the 3 or 4 major candidates including Trump. Kamala Harris will lose by a landslide. She'll carry California and New York and other than solidly blue states (and they are fairly inconsequential), she will lose all the swing states.

While it may be historic for an openly gay person to be President, Pete Buttigieg, will lose to any of the GOP candidates. Dems have no one who can win. Bernie Sanders is too old. And the Dems will also rather lose to the Republicans than have Sanders win the nomination or the Presidency. Sanders is not a corportatist. Sanders actually has some ethics and those two things are garlic to the vampirish establishment of both parties.

Trump can win if he runs. The governors of Florida (Desantis) and Texas (Abbott) can both easily win if Trump doesn't run. The Dems have no one.


The Supreme Court has a clear 6-3 Republican majority and Breyer one of the last stalwart liberals will likely not make it for a few more years. Eventually, the Supreme Court will be 7-2 or even 8-1 conservative.

The Republicans will do what they always do when they get ultimate control...go too far. The court will allow the states to ban abortion, violate the 1960s voting rights and civil rights acts, and any other 'sacred cow' laws. They are doing it now. Supreme Court chief justice Roberts, who is ideologically conservative is the only one on the high court that fears what may happen with such an ideologically shift --- that is the Supreme Court will lose legitimacy as a body. The decision of a balanced court 5-4, 4-4 and one neutral, can make a ruling and although it may not be liked by some or most, will seem fair because of the balance. But, say for example, the high court refuses to defend Roe v Wade, the landmark case that legalised abortion in the early 70s, it will be seen as political instead of jurisprudence. Some of the members aren't just conservative, they are far right. One of them is a religious zealot.

The country will go far right and that will motivate the far left. At least till 2028 the country will be run far to the right. I also think this era eerily looks similar to the country 100 years ago. And it will end in a depression as it did nearly 100 years ago.

From 1918 to 1932, the country was run by the Republicans. Republicans have traditionally let the 1% do whatever it wanted. The 'Roaring 20s' was called that because the stock market took off in a post war euphoria. One of the presidents at that time said 'The business of America is business'. For over 100 years anytime the Republicans have run the country for 8 years or more it ended in an economic crisis of some sorts. I'm not a Democrat saying this belittle Republicans. I have more issues with the Dems than I do the Republicans actually. I'm officially an independent voter and of late, I'll mail in my ballot to vote for local and statewide elections and leave the presidential ballot incomplete if both sides are too onerous at times. I didn't care for either Romney or Obama for example.

Anyway, if we tie both the economic history of America with the presidential history, its proven that 8 years of Republican control ends badly, with one exception in over 100 years. They simply overheat the economy without any restrictions that results in a crash of some sorts. And when you are the biggest economy in the world it has global ramifications.

1897 to 1913 Republican control. Panic of 1907. The crash was so bad it created the Federa Reserve system several yars later. JP Morgan and others on Wall Street literally had to make the banking system solvent with their own funds.

1918 to 1932 Republican control. Crash of 1929 which ushered in the Great Depression.

1952 - 1960 Republican control. The only exception and I contend that the reason was Eisenhower was president and he was a general NOT a tradtional, pro business Republican. In fact, he was recruited by both parties in 1952 because traditionally the military high command hid their political parties since they had to serve presidents of either party and needed to be trusted that their voice was not ideological motivated. Unfortunately that tradition has now gone and that is a very dangerous thing. Anyway, Ike as he is nicknamed warned against the military industrial complex. He ran the economy like he did the military. Sober minded, you controlled costs, etc, so, that era of Republican control is the only exception for the aforementioned reasons.