And we've turfed Santi out* as well :-(

[redgunamo]

*Agreed to not extend his contract, but you know what I mean. Unpleasant.

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]

*Agreed to not extend his contract, but you know what I mean. Unpleasant.

£90k pw freed up means we can afford to get Jonny Evans in. Priorities, redg.

[IUFG]

*Agreed to not extend his contract, but you know what I mean. Unpleasant.

:brutal:

I'm starting to like this new regime

btw - ty, Santiago Cazorla González :bow:

[Tony C]

that free kick vs Hull :bow:

As Hail Mary as you could get imo

[Pokster]

that free kick vs Hull :bow:

As Hail Mary as you could get imo

Helped that AW said stick it to the keepers left as he always takes a small step to the right...wd AW

[redgunamo]

Helped that AW said stick it to the keepers left as he always takes a small step to the right...wd AW

Santi would've been well aware of that already, imo.

It's like me telling a hound which way to turn a hare; naturally, I take the credit if it works but if the canine wasn't already fully abreast of the hare's priorities and subsequent likely behaviour, it would have had no business calling itself a hound in the first place.

[Ash]

Santi would've been well aware of that already, imo.

It's like me telling a hound which way to turn a hare; naturally, I take the credit if it works but if the canine wasn't already fully abreast of the hare's priorities and subsequent likely behaviour, it would have had no business calling itself a hound in the first place.

Do you train them by throwing USB sticks?

[Sir C]

Do you train them by throwing USB sticks?

Your views on the appointment of the speudo-French/Spanish hybrid underwhelmer, a?

[redgunamo]

Do you train them by throwing USB sticks?

That's my point; one does not train them at all, as they already know what they're supposed to be doing. One merely acquires them and sees as to their health, nutrition and welfare.

[Ash]

Your views on the appointment of the speudo-French/Spanish hybrid underwhelmer, a?

Having geared myself up for the excitement of the daring appointment of our former dashing number eight, a player I admired greatly, I have to admit to being slightly disappoint.

However, this fellow did well with his former clubs, and has the advantage of experience, so I am optimistic that he will be a good appoint.

Perhaps we could hire Mourinho as interpreter.

[IUFG]

Having geared myself up for the excitement of the daring appointment of our former dashing number eight, a player I admired greatly, I have to admit to being slightly disappoint.

However, this fellow did well with his former clubs, and has the advantage of experience, so I am optimistic that he will be a good appoint.

Perhaps we could hire Mourinho as interpreter.

Never mind your disappoint at the manager. Call me a traditionalist but WTF is that abortion of a home shirt for next season?

[Sir C]

Having geared myself up for the excitement of the daring appointment of our former dashing number eight, a player I admired greatly, I have to admit to being slightly disappoint.

However, this fellow did well with his former clubs, and has the advantage of experience, so I am optimistic that he will be a good appoint.

Perhaps we could hire Mourinho as interpreter.

He failed to win the league with PSG one year, a. Now I don't want to be harsh, but surely it's harder to avoid winning the league with PSG than it is to actually win it?

Also, Sevilla went a whole season without winning away. A whole season.

Also, we will be his 7th club in 12 years. He is a butterfly or, to put it another way, a ****.

These things all combine to distress me.

[Burney]

He failed to win the league with PSG one year, a. Now I don't want to be harsh, but surely it's harder to avoid winning the league with PSG than it is to actually win it?

Also, Sevilla went a whole season without winning away. A whole season.

Also, we will be his 7th club in 12 years. He is a butterfly or, to put it another way, a ****.

These things all combine to distress me.

Wait until you see the new strip. It's basically a visual acknowledgement that we are no longer The Arsenal. :cry:

[Ash]

Never mind your disappoint at the manager. Call me a traditionalist but WTF is that abortion of a home shirt for next season?

My word. Worst since the Charlton shirt abomination.

Puma out!

[Sir C]

Wait until you see the new strip. It's basically a visual acknowledgement that we are no longer The Arsenal. :cry:

My word. That really is repulsive. Bleeurgh.

[Burney]

My word. Worst since the Charlton shirt abomination.

Puma out!

We wear red shirts with white sleeves, ffs! How hard is that to remember? We do not wear a red shirt with white shoulders and gay pink bits on the sleeves.

What the fvck is wrong with these people?

[Ash]

He failed to win the league with PSG one year, a. Now I don't want to be harsh, but surely it's harder to avoid winning the league with PSG than it is to actually win it?


These things happen. We let Leicester win it the other year. Jardim in!

Hopefully Mikel is not feeling too snubbed and he'll be ready to take over after getting West Ham into Europe.

[Burney]

My word. That really is repulsive. Bleeurgh.

Gay pink bits, for all love!! :-(

I watched the Thorpe thing last night. Not too grim with the bumming. Huge Grunt tells the fella to get onto all fours, reaches for the pot of Vaseline and then thankfully it cuts to the next scene.

[Ash]

We wear red shirts with white sleeves, ffs! How hard is that to remember? We do not wear a red shirt with white shoulders and gay pink bits on the sleeves.

What the fvck is wrong with these people?

Somewhere in Germany is a 24 year-old design graduate who probably supports Bayern Munich and who was given the assignment of a football kit with the vague theme of red shirt with white sleeves. He took his opportunity to be 'creative' with it. :-(

[redgunamo]

These things happen. We let Leicester win it the other year. Jardim in!

Hopefully Mikel is not feeling too snubbed and he'll be ready to take over after getting West Ham into Europe.

Surely we've not fallen so low that we'd need Manchester City's number 2? Anyway, I gather West Ham United have just got Pellegrini in.

[Ash]

Surely we've not fallen so low that we'd need Manchester City's number 2? Anyway, I gather West Ham United have just got Pellegrini in.

Little Guardiola, they called him at La Masia. :cry:

I bet knows his way round the drugs cabinet and everything.

[Just Trent]

*Agreed to not extend his contract, but you know what I mean. Unpleasant.

Poor Santi. He was never quite the same after that bullying by Spurs. He was also the only player that could genuinely make Arsene’s silly/unbalanced team work properly. Ozil tried for a bit, but it kept making him ill.

[redgunamo]

Little Guardiola, they called him at La Masia. :cry:

I bet knows his way round the drugs cabinet and everything.

There you are then. Let young Mikel go back there and prove himself then.

[Sir C]

Little Guardiola, they called him at La Masia. :cry:

I bet knows his way round the drugs cabinet and everything.

Just a minor point of order, if he was 'Little Guardiola', how come he ended up playting for Rangers and Everton?

[Ash]

Just a minor point of order, if he was 'Little Guardiola', how come he ended up playting for Rangers and Everton?

He ended up playing for The Arsenal imo.

I gather the epithet referred to his understanding of the game. I think I got that from Tim Stillman so it must be true.

[Just Trent]

Little Guardiola, they called him at La Masia. :cry:

I bet knows his way round the drugs cabinet and everything.

It’s just not right. Mikel was the way forward. It’s the old board members, voting against something they don’t understand. They did it to Arsene first time around in 1995. Voted to appoint Bruce Rioch instead. Congratulations Unai Emery, you’re Bruce Rioch!!

[redgunamo]

Just a minor point of order, if he was 'Little Guardiola', how come he ended up playting for Rangers and Everton?

Well, quite. One wonders what nickname they gave to Guardiola himself. I chiefly remember young Pep as having the enviable, even dream, task for a midfielder of playing behind Stoichkov and Romario.

[Burney]

It’s just not right. Mikel was the way forward. It’s the old board members, voting against something they don’t understand. They did it to Arsene first time around in 1995. Voted to appoint Bruce Rioch instead. Congratulations Unai Emery, you’re Bruce Rioch!!

To be fair, appointing a man who's literally never managed a football team in his entire life to manage a club the size of Arsenal would always have been a bit of a leap, wouldn't it? There's a difference between 'bold' and 'utterly foolhardy' at the end of the day.

[Burney]

Well, quite. One wonders what nickname they gave to Guardiola himself. I chiefly remember young Pep as having the enviable, even dream, task for a midfielder of playing behind Stoichkov and Romario.

Presumably, he was 'Big Guardiola'?

[redgunamo]

Presumably, he was 'Big Guardiola'?

lol. Very good.

[Just Trent]

To be fair, appointing a man who's literally never managed a football team in his entire life to manage a club the size of Arsenal would always have been a bit of a leap, wouldn't it? There's a difference between 'bold' and 'utterly foolhardy' at the end of the day.

I know. But, Arteta was interesting and different. This is just a bit bland and all rather Arsenal. Also, that away record in his final season at Sevilla. How is that even possible? Even Gary Neville won an away game in the Spanish league.

[Viva Prat Vegas]

Maybe we can get Arteta in as Emery's No.2
Hashtag Solution

[Burney]

I know. But, Arteta was interesting and different. This is just a bit bland and all rather Arsenal. Also, that away record in his final season at Sevilla. How is that even possible? Even Gary Neville won an away game in the Spanish league.

Interesting and different are things that amateurs and neutrals like (at least in theory), but they aren't things that professional organisations staffed by individuals held responsible for the decisions they make tend to do.

[Ash]

Interesting and different are things that amateurs and neutrals like (at least in theory), but they aren't things that professional organisations staffed by individuals held responsible for the decisions they make tend to do.

Right. A business like Arsenal would never appoint a physio as manager, for example. Or the MD from the board. Or a Millwall manager.

[Burney]

Right. A business like Arsenal would never appoint a physio as manager, for example. Or the MD from the board. Or a Millwall manager.

Slightly different times, a. Arsenal in those days was worth tuppence ha'penny and wasn't really a business in any meaningful sense. Today it's worth nearly 2 billion dollars.

[Ash]

Slightly different times, a. Arsenal in those days was worth tuppence ha'penny and wasn't really a business in any meaningful sense. Today it's worth nearly 2 billion dollars.

The 'Bank of England' club, as we were known in Allison's day.

[Burney]

The 'Bank of England' club, as we were known in Allison's day.

Yes, because it was slightly wealthier than the other poor clubs.

There really is no meaningful comparison between the decisions you refer to and those today - just as there's no meaningful continuity between the club then and the club now. :shrug:

[redgunamo]

The 'Bank of England' club, as we were known in Allison's day.

Slightly different times, a. The Bank of England in those days was worth about fourteen shillings and sixpence and wasn't really a business in any meaningful sense. Today it's worth nearly 300 billion dollars.

[Ash]

Yes, because it was slightly wealthier than the other poor clubs.

There really is no meaningful comparison between the decisions you refer to and those today - just as there's no meaningful continuity between the club then and the club now. :shrug:

Actually the cost of the new stands at Highbury was an immense investment at the time. Of course things have changed but the point is simply that Arsenal have appointed unexpected managers before. If you want to dismiss that by saying that actually, no, football was invented by Sky in 1992 so nothing that happened before is relevant then so be it. :shrug:

[Burney]

Actually the cost of the new stands at Highbury was an immense investment at the time. Of course things have changed but the point is simply that Arsenal have appointed unexpected managers before. If you want to dismiss that by saying that actually, no, football was invented by Sky in 1992 so nothing that happened before is relevant then so be it. :shrug:

The problem is that, in financial terms, football very much did begin in 1992 when the Sky money came rolling in. That is absolutely the watershed moment when the scruffy, parochial game played on mudheaps we all grew up with ended and the gleaming, international game we all now pay Sky a small fortune for started. You could say the 1990 World Cup was the turning point, but in real terms, the Sky deal changed everything. The English game before and after that point are so dissimilar as to not even be worth comparing.

[Ash]

The problem is that, in financial terms, football very much did begin in 1992 when the Sky money came rolling in. That is absolutely the watershed moment when the scruffy, parochial game played on mudheaps we all grew up with ended and the gleaming, international game we all now pay Sky a small fortune for started. You could say the 1990 World Cup was the turning point, but in real terms, the Sky deal changed everything. The English game before and after that point are so dissimilar as to not even be worth comparing.

Nope. Just because there is more money in the game now doesn't mean that back then it was frivolous and amateur.

Anyway, to rewind to the original point; are you suggesting that Arteta was never under serious consideration for the role? Because if he was, and if only missed out because he came second to a better candidate, then the whole argument unravels a bit imo - if this 'professional' board nearly did appoint a bloke with no experience of the job.

[Burney]

Nope. Just because there is more money in the game now doesn't mean that back then it was frivolous and amateur.

Anyway, to rewind to the original point; are you suggesting that Arteta was never under serious consideration for the role? Because if he was, and if only missed out because he came second to a better candidate, then the whole argument unravels a bit imo - if this 'professional' board nearly did appoint a bloke with no experience of the job.

I didn't say it was frivolous and amateur (although in some ways it was both, of course), simply that the difference between then and now is the difference between a corner shop and Tesco.

And no, I don't think he was, really. He was an ex-player, a good chap, well thought-of and he signalled his interest. Out of courtesy we gave him an interview and let the papers talk, while talking seriously to the person we really wanted.

[WES]

I didn't say it was frivolous and amateur (although in some ways it was both, of course), simply that the difference between then and now is the difference between a corner shop and Tesco.

And no, I don't think he was, really. He was an ex-player, a good chap, well thought-of and he signalled his interest. Out of courtesy we gave him an interview and let the papers talk, while talking seriously to the person we really wanted.

The problem with Arteta was that his potential downside was too low. Had he failed quickly the club would have been murdered for taking someone on that had no experience, was too young etc etc.

Unai is 46 and has a track record for trophies and over-achieving in his time at Valencia and Sevilla. PSG selected him on this basis and other than an unlucky CL exit this year he would still be there.

Even if he fails the club can't really be criticized. And that's the key, that the next appointment isn't necessarily that good, but that he isn't that bad. We can wait for the next messiah to arrive when it suits us.

[eastgermanautos]

Santi would've been well aware of that already, imo.

It's like me telling a hound which way to turn a hare; naturally, I take the credit if it works but if the canine wasn't already fully abreast of the hare's priorities and subsequent likely behaviour, it would have had no business calling itself a hound in the first place.

I love the way you say fully abreast. :-)