There was this lengthy article in the Guardian about Arsene.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

I can't be bothered to linky it up. (http://www.awimb.com/I can't be bothered to linky it up.)

A little overblown, I thought, but if edited down a little it would be the ideal response to the pig-ignorant amongst us.

[Pokster]

[Luis Anaconda]

it was rather obvious from earlier in the piece that the twist at the end would be that the writer was a Yank

Actually he was called Corey wasn't he

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

He must have had a decent Englishman advising him.

[Berni]

My theory is both more succinct and more accurate imo.

http://www.awimb.com/fudforum/index.php?t=tree&th=583897 &mid=4014699&rid=22&S=3cc8a83244552aecc11c5d22cb 886bcf&rev=&reveal= (http://www.awimb.com/fudforum/index.php?t=tree&th=583897&mid=4014699&rid=22&S=3cc8a83244552aecc11c5d22cb886bcf&rev=&reveal=)

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

I thought he brought together many valid points about our Alsatian mentalist.

Might I also ask you to stop and consider, if fleetingly, the irony of a fan of Joyce objecting to word****ery?

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Overly so.

[Berni]

wasn't a sesquipedelian. Unfortunately, Finnegan's Wake (which is terrible **** and by which time he was either mad, taking the piss or both) has blighted his reputation on that score.

And no, I don't think my assessment is too simplistic. Indeed, all the things pointed to by thon word**** are essentially just manifestations of vanity.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

[Monty91]

which is his chosen method.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Word****ery.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

It is up to each person to take their individual and personal judgement from any such piece.

[Red N White Army]

[Berni]

His decision to choose one and reject others (rather than - as Ferguson did - employ the most appropriate means available on a case-by-case basis or temper one with the other) is based on vanity.

It's not necessarily a criticism, by the way. He wouldn't be who he is without that vanity and I wouldn't have him any other way.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Journalism should be balanced.

Wenger is a very good manager but has flaws like any other manager or human being. The journalist clearly worships at his feet which I don’t.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

more that he is a better human being than any of them. I think he did a rather good job of explaining why, as well.

[Monty91]

or playing defensively.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/03/07/article-2575485-029F3C860000044D-105_634x458.jpg

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

I expect you probably knew that, or at least may have suspected so.


It is his management of Arsenal Football Club which is the only thing I am interested in.

[Monty91]

And I think that would be an article that says something truly original.

The one in the Guardian was all good fun, and nicely written, but it essentially went over ground that we all know already.

[Classic Jorge]

Sralxfrgsn and Mourinho are hugely vain but far, far more pragmatic and would sacrifice any sort of belief system merely to win.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

It is important to me that our manager is a special human being. It underlines the difference between us and other clubs, ethereal as that may be.

You are much more of a pragmatist in these matters. Vive la difference!

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

It's ages since we had a chat. I must look him up again.

[Berni]

considerations can't be anything else. It is vain to the point of monomania.

[Monty91]

where the belief in playing attractive football underpins everything.

[Berni]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

He really was quite charming. Did I mention that?

[Berni]

him in the six yard box.

[Monty91]

pragmatism?

Playing attractive football works :shrug:

[Classic Jorge]

It seeps out into his dealings with players who want to leave, players he sticks by no matter what their injury record, faith in youngsters and sticking with policies like the cup keepers.

The attractive football is just an extension of this type of thinking.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

He favours loyalty, respect and beauty over brute force and ignorance, and wishes to live and work according to such a philosophy - and all the while his employers give him leave to do so, he is serving the football club to the best of his ability.

[Berni]

There are times when a more pragmatic approach would probably have garnered greater success. Not to have adopted that approach is Wenger's chosen way.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

[Classic Jorge]

I don't think Wenger thinks of his beliefs as his own, just the best overall way of achieving his own footballing utopia. If it were all about him it would be different but it's anything but that. as you pointed out he frequently ends up sacrificing his own status for his beliefs.

[Classic Jorge]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

I really have mugged myself off being 24 hours late, haven't I?

[Berni]

The Decent Human Being may pride himself on being so, which is fine, but his decency is still a form of self-regard.

[Monty91]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

He's hardly Hugh Latimer, is he?

[Monty91]

him for the final.

Incidently, by all accounts he was also exceptional in training, despite the fact he was leaving.

[Peter]

Important than success. That winning ugly is failure.

This is *******s and arsene doesnt believe it.

[Berni]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

I'm not entirely convinced by the degree of self-regard inherent in your position.

[Classic Jorge]

[Billy Goat Sverige]

the final though.

Cech playing in the Carling Cup final being one that springs to mind from this season.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

A Man For All Seasons, which addresses the conflict between believe and ideology and vanity. I say 'conflict', when I probably mean 'danger of overlap'.

The difference in Wenger's case is that he isn't going to the stake. Not physically, anyway.

[Classic Jorge]

For Arsene this wouldn't be exceptional, which underlines the difference between them

[Classic Jorge]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Lose his life screaming in the flames, I mean. He was subjected to some (unfair) criticism and continued to do his job and earn his salary and go home to his wife each evening.

[Classic Jorge]

I believe this is also a fairly common rhetorical device for the religiousers

[Ashberto]

imo. He used some big words but not well. Word****, basically. Too f**king long as well, which is why it was obvious that he was going to be an American. Nothing against americans, of course. Just that their articles go on too long for our palette.