I mean, it would be impossible NOT to enjoy winning the league, but... a tiny little bit of flair would be nice. Just a gnat's cock. Please?
I mean, it would be impossible NOT to enjoy winning the league, but... a tiny little bit of flair would be nice. Just a gnat's cock. Please?
Must you moan? We're going to be 8 points clear at the top by the end of next weekend, Sir C.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir C
You must remember that for those of us of a certain age, a lifetime of following the Arsenal has generally been a somewhat dry journey.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
Consider the managers/periods I have 'enjoyed':
1. Bertie Mee. The original 1-0 to the Arsenal. It was said that if we scored one the opoosition might as well go home.
2. Terry Neill / Don Howe - other than moments from Brady and then Charlie Nick, this was years and years of dullness!
3. George Graham. Need I say any more?
4. Arsene - all my dreams came true!
5. Thon spaniard :-(
6. Now back to 1-0 to the Arsenal...
I enjoyed the fun times enough to miss them, you see.
Whilst to a certain degree, I'm with you but I can't say I'm not enjoying the piss it's boiling amongst the press and rival fans. It still annoys me that header from Nketiah is being classed as a shot on target.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir C
Inventing new league tables that show where we'd be if set pieces weren't allowed :hehe:
That's true, it is rather amusing. :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
Danny Murphy is on our side though :-(
I noticed Pulis managed to get ina dig at Wenger. Bitter little man.
You come dangerously close to denigrating George there. That should be a red card.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir C
My views on the Graham era, specifically late period, are well known p. And I stand by themQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter
A man who disrespects George disrespects me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir C
It would be like me sitting here and listing all of the Springsteen albums that are utter garbage.... pretty long list....
I read a piece by Pulis on the BBC website. I thought it was one of the saddest pieces of 'journalism' I'd ever read. Riddled with bitterness, idiocy and hugely misplaced self satisfaction.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir C
Nobody hated Stoke because of the throw ins. We hated them because they were despicable thugs. The day Arteta's side break half a dozen opposition bones a season, I'll accept the comparison and the role of Pulis as a great innovator.
We've already had some flair this season. Easy's goal vs Palace. It counts as a set-piece but that volley - I could only have loved it more if our no.10 had done the downing pints celebration like a previous {white, shoulder length blonde-haired} no.10.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir C
His pass and Gabby M's finish for the equaliser vs City. And the fact it took ages to come down and go in off or just inside the post.
MLS's run and Gabby's first time finish. Leo's had several moments of magic, too. And we've still got B to get fully fit and back to his best and Odin before his latest injury looked like several of our all time legends from the pass.
If, Ganpati willing, we can go all season without conceding two or more in a game, then I have no problem with us shutting up shop at 2-0 up.
We defend so well as a team that if the second goal doesn't come, we now back ourselves to hold on to a 1-0 lead. It's nowhere near as nervy as it has been since peak GG or AW.
And Ricky C's been so unlucky to have just one goal so far. He could be our flairiest left-back in history. If that one in the CF position from Leo's first time pass hadn't been offside we'd be talking about that all season.
Our DM volleying it in from 25 yards. Though that doesn't count cos it came from a set-piece, apparently.
Ethan's goal against BHA with MnM's back heel. Timber's run through them for the second.
We have Odin, Kai, Noni and Jeez all out and B's been injured for much of the season.
I'm more than happy with how the season's going. And if we can get everyone back fit, and go to Dubai then we could well go on the sort of run we did 2 seasons ago.
Great defending and set pieces get you through times without flair more than flair gets you through times without great defending and set pieces.
They're not really doing that, are they?Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
Do they count pelanties?
Genuine question, what sort of dig was it? I would have expected him to say "See? I was right all along. And if one of the big clubs had come in for me and allowed me to spend half a billion on a squard full of giants and great set piece takers, I'd have won more than Shankley and Fergie combined. Bow down before the great Antionio Pullisaro."Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir C
{Which manager was it that started the Rory Delap long thrown tactic?}
Yes, the BBC did it the other dayQuote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Dear God, it really is annoying them, isn't it?Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
Which was that amateur team in the 1890s who refused to take penalties because that would imply their opponent had tried to foul them and no gentleman would do that? Do they think every time a team wins a corner, throw in or FK they should just gift it back to the opposition?
Corinthian Casuals. Refused to take them or save them if awarded against them. Penalty kicks introduced to cries of "Game's gone!!".Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult
Cheers. So they want us to pass corners and FKs to their goalie and not defend ones against us?Quote:
Originally Posted by pjlincs
Best stat of the lot. We are bottom of the league for percentage of expected goals that comes from open play.Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
Of course, they don't tell you that is because our expected goals from set pieces is enormous.
Take a meaningless stat and express it as a percentage of something unrelated. Then tell the league leaders they should be bottom of the league :-)
That was a decent side. People have long tried to convince everyone that good defending is synonymous with boring football.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir C
I can't remember ever being as angry as when we chucked (with the considerable help of Phil ****ing Dowd) that 4-0 lead at Newcastle.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
I'd take 0-0 over that....
Statistics for statistics' sake. I blame gamblers and fantasy football league players. And statisticians, of course.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
All so they don't have to perform the tedious, tiresome task of actually watching the Beautiful Game. Not that that would help them, of course.
I once got laughed out of the pub by claiming that you could never understand Dennis Bergkamp by reading his numbers, and compared it to giving a great work of art a mark out of ten.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
Great art cannot be measured on a spreadsheet. Nobody expresses the Mona Lisa in terms of expected viewings....
I would've taken 4-nil, but the whole thing was simply too ridiculous to get upset about. Your dislike for them is noted though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Completely agree. Though it is interesting how so many great players of yore have such ordinary numbers. How do you "account" for that; I mean, it's the same game. Youngsters think we are having them on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
It was a lunchtime discussion on TMS a few years ago, before T20 was a thing, and it was decided that the separation between Test cricket and one-dayers was spurious as pretty much all the best players actually excelled at both.
Even better is a 1-0 down, 2-1 up from set pieces, one after 80-odd mins, the winner in the final minute of injury time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I love the sexy flair of Wengerball as much as anyone but you can't beat that game for excitement and buzz very easily.
That's pathetic. I knew it was riling them, but didn't realise it was to that level. I pray to Ganpati we keep doing it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I love the fact that Zubi and Easy's first league goals were stunning volleys from corners. That is flair.
Remember Eduardo's volley like a bullet into the top, far corner with the outside of his left heel? Don't remember anyone complaining that that came from a set piece.
Only having seen the very tail end of Boycott's career, Cook's by far the best English opener of my lifetime. And Buttler's the best white ball slogger.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
My favourite stat from yesterday is that we've only lost 6 more league home games at the The Emirates than spurs have at their place :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Lovely! I suppose that's why they keep sacking managers despite winning a trophy; home league form is EVERYTHING, especially if you haven't actually finished paying for the "home" yet. The euro-Carling simply doesn't pay the bills.Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
To be fair, it isn't so much the sacking of manager that is the problem. It is appointing the wrong ones. Or rather, ones that dont fit their recruitment strategies.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
They are the worst example of that mismatch. Focus on buying younger players with potential to grow and then appoint the likes of Mourinho and Conte who have built a career on building squads of experienced, ready made players. It is almost as though they don't give any thought as to how you actually run a football club. They seem to think that if you can attract a big name manager it will solve all your problems.
We learned our lesson in the Emery years and we put it right with Edu and Arteta. Spurs just never seem to learn.
Thankfully, they binned Poch. He had them tracking in the right direction.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Very much so. On the rare occasions they actually appointed the right bloke you could always rely on Levy pushing the button at the first whiff of a problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by PSRB
Which is why I am extremely disappointed to see him go. Frank is a decent manager but you'd hope they'll sack him if he doesn't perform miracles.
Didn't Dick fail to win the league with PSG?Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
I reckon my beloved would have done.
The "new" money in the game changed all that though. Now, there's no time for strategies and the only thing that can save a Premier League manager is actually winning games, especially Premier League games, especially at home.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
What difference is your youth policy going to make if you've only got seven or eight months in the job, regardless of who you are.
That's the whole point. If you are going to take a long term approach you have to have a coach who is good with that and you have to be patient.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
If you want instant results you have to pay for them.
Arteta being a notable exception, of course. Though it was clear he was onto something? he instilled a band of brothers / us agaisnt the world mentality. Even when we were languishing in 8th.Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
I'd argue we haven't even BEGUN to be patient yet, bearing in mind the catching up he has had to do just to get us to a place where we could even begin to think about winning the Premier League.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter
Right. Hiring a rookie manager means offering lots of time, not to mention money, is more or less baked into the agreement from the start.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
You mean we took a realistic assessment of where we were as a club and accepted it was a big rebuild?Quote:
Originally Posted by redgunamo
That is patience. And it is beyond clubs like spurs who consistently over estimate their own importance as a club.
Yes, fair assessment. We did well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter