So no football apart from the demise of Alan Shearer last night, so I was forced into watching the Boro game for the third time! However just before that I watched a programme with Tom Watt visiting old Arsenal players, guess who this one was? Captain of the 1988 Youth cup winning team and winner of a championship medal in 91, it got me too, it was none other than David Hillier.
When people refer to the days before Wenger and how they have seen us play boring football, people often bring up the likes of Eddie Mac, you all know I know Eddie and his lovely wife and will hear nothing bad said against him, he was signed from Palace by George Graham as a sweeper, a position he rarely occupied for many reasons, but he often gets unfair stick and I always try and redress the balance, I liked Eddie and had he played in a different era he would have got better publicity than he did.
I always refer to the bad days of Selley, Morrow and David Hillier, last night Tom Watt went to visit him in Bristol, where he now lives. When he left us he went too Portsmouth where he finished his career, that took him to live in Bristol, when his career finished he retrained as a fireman and he took the camera team to his fire station where he became a normal person.
In this day of pampered spoiled brat footballer where a 4 year contract makes you safe for life it was sad to see the players from the past didn’t get it so easy, if you weren’t a drunk or drug addict you never got into football punditry or management, this guy did what the rest of us have to do and got himself a job.
When they got injured, it was a Cortizone injection and a toe up the arse, not three months off in a spa somewhere sunny for 3 months.
The footballers of today should be made to watch this, to show them how lucky they are and to work their nuts off, because they aren’t so special and the real world is tough, David you have now joined Eddie on my list as thoroughly nice blokes and I wish you well with your life, top man.
Kolo is bigging us up for the Manc game and Wenger is saying on our day we can beat anyone, can we beat the Mancs? You bet we can, with that attitude we can go all the way, if we go at them from the off, we can carry the day and get into the final against Barca and have our revenge, remember what I said about revenge being a dish best tasted cold? We’ll find out once we dispose of the lucky Mancs, they won’t have Webb or Riley reffing this game, this time we meet them on a level playing field, we’ll also have a lot of fans going so the noise will be more balanced.
We now know this is our only chance of silverware and it’s up to us if we believe in ourselves, 90 minutes to go in at half time with our tails up and bring them back to the Grove and finish them off.
I would go 4-4-2 but we all know we’ll go 4-5-1, I hope he brings Ade on from the bench, because that’s what he needs, a big French toe up his crack. Maybe surprise them and play Theo up front with Eduardo, but I would stick with Bendtner because I thought against Boro he looked like he has got his touch back and tomorrow could be the day he finally gets his hatrick.
I would also keep Eboue at right back and play Gibbs on the left with Djourou and Kolo in the centre, why? because I think he deserves it and Sagna has looked a little off the mark, I would play Theo, Song, Cesc and Nasri across the middle and only play Diaby if we are going 4-5-1 and then play him in the hole, otherwise I would play Bendnter and Eduardo up top.
No more dress rehearsals boss, it’s time to believe in this team and go for a win. So when you are lacing up your boots boys, think of David Hillier and what he would give to be in the dressing room with you, think hard because he would have been one of the breed that may have cleaned those boots you wear in his day, I expect Arsenal have a dedicated boot cleaner now, so think of David and St Sam, the patron Saint of fireman and think of what he’ll be doing tomorrow.
Show us and him how much you all love the Arsenal, because we all do.
Oh a final word for Didier Zokora who turned us down because he wanted to win things with Tottenham, ha, ha, ha, enjoy your Worthless cup medal, sucker!
Have a great day Grovers, tonight we’ll have a better idea of who we’ll meet in Rome in May!
P.S. Pedro has had a play around with the features in the side bar. If you want to contact us, click the words in the sidebar contact box… we’ve also added a bit so you can see what all the pages are at the top, making navigation round the site easier… remember to check out the gallery and send in some pics if have them… historical or modern… just pics that mean something to you in an Arsenal kind of way. Also make sure you mail in any spares you may have, I have a bundle of people looking to buy. Finally, if you like twitter… follow us here!
nasri is a worry, i can see him tripping someone up. song too with one of his body checks, and diaby with his clumsiness
From where did you find out irish
BBC website Nish and its Rooney and Evra on 2 yellows for the Mancs
vidic and evra are on yellows
Especially if nasri plays in the middle
Great.Theo should have a real go at evra in that case.
hey what do you guys think about this? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1174370/Agent-claims-Arshavin-target-jealousy-Arsenal-lured-Barcelona.html?ITO=1490
hopefully it’s not true!
DK – its rubbish that agent was always trouble
the agent’s a cunt
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2009/04/28/pictures-arsenal-champions-league-training-ahead-of-manchester-united-115875-21315964/
Eduardo’s still alive.
anything from the daily mail should be banned, the sports editor is a spud, and prints a daily anti-arsenal story, based on basically fuck all
Its crap all the way.I really wonder at times why players stick to these kind of crap agents.This report is fabricated but i wouldn’t be surprised if that cunt latcher made up something like this
This is the discipline chart from UEFA.Com
http://www.uefa.com/multimediafiles/download/disciplinarychart/uefa/uefamedia/82/23/94/822394_download.pdf
And the Spud Cunt at the mail, NEVER posts retort comments on Arsenal slating stories…. transparent fuckwit !!!
It’s incredible how they Daily Mail keep doing this.
He’s playing with alot of mediocre players at Zenit as for years as well so surely he can indulge planks like Adebayor and Eboue for a while yet, at least until Wenger buys some players on his level.
So its RvP, Nasri, Song and Diaby from us and Rooney and Evra for them. Vidic only has one yellow
Oaulinho, the difference is that at Zenit, the average players worked their bollocks off and everyone knew eachother.
We dont exactly have a team of workers.
*Paulinho
Jaysus that article is a pile of shite why are people believing it FFS
The Daily Mail are a bunch of sensationalist, middle England, snobby, arrogant, small-minded, stupid racist cunts.
To put it mildly.
well said chipo
I don’t think they are Irish….. I think everyone filling time waiting for Wengers Press Conference…… why do SKy do it…. “coming up next the full press conference with Arsene Wenger”…. that was 3 hours ago……..
And don’t get me started on Arshavin’s agent.
The ignorant money-grabbing little spunkbag.
Nothing wrong with being a Middle Class Tory !!!
I didn’t say middle class I said middle England. Different breed.
Bud – Yeah United have done theirs and not a word from our side….I’m more curious to see if Eduardo is in the squad more than anything
yeah irish – the eduardo situation is confusing, i wonder if he’ll play for the reserves next week
Anyone know why he was not in the squad Sunday. I also noted he was not in the seats behind the dugout with the likes of Rosicky and Ramsey…. he usally is ???
That article from the mail made me feel the same embarrassment I’d feel if my mum came into the pub and told my friends off for taking the piss out of me… claiming they were only jealous because I was special.
I was so totally embarrassed when she did that last week…
He’s not mentioned as injured though or it was never said if he had a setback, he just seemed to have disappeared…
Wankers on Sky have now just said “we’ll here from Arsene Wenger on the Evening Update”… why so late????
i’m surprised the mail havn’t gone so far as to brand everyone at the club politically correct homosexual asylum seeking immigrant gypsies, seeing as they cause every problem in the uk these days….
I would like to put another angle on our striking options.None of us,I believe,know the true extent to Eduardo’s fitness,and it has already been explained that after such a long absence through injury,little niggling injuries are bound to happen.However we have a huge game tomorrow and if Eduardo is not in the squad,perhaps his injury is worse than first thought,because there is no doubt that he is our most clinical striker,and if more or less fit,it wouldn’t be the first time Wenger had played someone for at least part of a game,who could possibly change the result.I think Wenger will decide during the summer that he would be better to offload Ade and bedntner and replace them with one out and out striker,but that again depends on Walcott progressing,and playing more central,and the fitness of Eduardo and even Rosicky.i think vela will be loaned out again,otherwise he would have featured more in the last couple of months.he’s fit,but to the boss obviously not ready yet.Ramsey and Wilshere have already been put to bed for the season,so our options in a depleted squad,at least for the time being are even less than at this time last year.With Gallas missing,Wenger really needs a master plan for tomorrow and the rest of the season.Let’s hope he takes heed.
i don’t think there’s a chance of bendtner going kelsey, wenger rates him very very highly.
vela will be ready by the start of next season and will play a much bigger part in the first team, he’s far too good to be loaned out, the reason he hasn’t featured much is because of the players ahead of him, and with ade gone and his being better adapted to the club and being in england he’ll get more playing time next season.
Racist cunt chipo? You’re not having a go at me now are you!
Why the fuck do Sky have some cunt talking about Wengers Press conference on the blower…… what can they not get a fucking camera up there…. Utd’s was live????
Shit fucking Manc loving station !!!!
although i hate sky bud, to be fair to them it’ll be the fact that they don’t have the rights to press conferences, it’ll be only on arsenal tv online, assuming they broadcast it live??
Really good post today Geoff…
However, I don’t think the refs in europe are necessarily better than the english ones. Man, I was mad last year against Liverpool, Peter Vink and Frojdfelt are the Webbs and Rileys of europe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/8022222.stm
Bastards!!!!!
A – No mate…. it is a UEFA press conference that they are contractually obliged to do….. same as Utd and theirs was live !
The Arsenal Website one will be tomorrow
True High Power but at least he was mugged, Webb and Riley you know will do it, they are cheating cunts.
Albiol has said he is open to a move to the EPL. Liverpool will be front runners because of their soanish influence but they already have 3 defenders for CB and Hyypia.
Hopefully that will swing in our favour. He is a top defender and still only 23. 10-15m is nothing.
ah ok bud – that’s a bit of a pisstake then! though wouldn’t the club still own the british tv rights to it’s own press conference even if they’re contractually obliged to participate in it? though even then if that was the case it’s really irritating that it isn’t on arsenal tv so i guess it wouldn’t be?? very annoying either way!!
Geoff you are neither racist nor a cunt. You may rest easy!
i dunno stu – hyppia will leave in the summer, as will agger, so he could be a like for like replacement for agger. i’m actually really confident that we’ll sign a top centre back in the summer, no idea who though!
Not normally a fan of Claridges but i hope he knows what he’s talking about here. I hope Ayling steps up into the first team in the next few seasons and stays there. I hate getting my hopes up about the youths and ten they just get sold without chances in the fisrt team.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/apr/28/arsenal-luke-ayling-scouting-report-steve-claridge
Arsenal’s young Mexican striker Carlos Vela has travelled to Manchester ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League game after spending a day in quarantine due to fears over the swine flu outbreak.
Vela, 20, was told to stay away from training yesterday after a visit by some Mexican friends last week.
Mexico is the centre of the outbreak of the disease and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: “It looked to be a massive problem because we were asked yesterday to keep him at home and not get him to the training ground.
“Now he has the all-clear and today he was free again to attend training.”
Wenger added: “It was basically down to the fact he had visitors from Mexico, friends who came to visit him last week.”
i’d describe it more as not making it than not getting their chance in the first team stu. I do really hope ayling will make it, and bartley, or maybe it’ll have to be one or the other.
the current kids must be the most talented as a whole group we’ve ever had, really think a fair few of them could make the step up.
hope the attendance on for the emirates leg of the youth cup final is good, annoying it’s the first leg at home though.
A – No. It is all to do with the hordings you see behind them when they do the interview. It is all to do with the advertisers (i.e. Ford, Mastercar etc) and the money they pay, so in essence maximising advertising……. Geoff may correct me as he is the Marketing and Advertising King, but I am pretty certain I am right !
Thanks Chipo!
Correct Bud, UEFA rule there. It’s the same in the ground and ticketing.
So was there a press conference then??
Damn, its quiet on here……. everyone commuting home I suppose???
Yes Irish….. Sky had someone there and they linked up to him on the phone and through a crackly line they told us not alot !!!!!
Anything on Eduardo Bud??
So Arsenal are binning Setanta then and are considering going back to online only…… we’re a big club…… my arse !!!!!!!
Nothing – just about Vela and Swine Flu, how he has now travelled. As he is in the squad, I presume the mystery o the dissapearing Eduardo continues and he is again not in the squad !!!!
really bud???? who said that?! setanta are a load of shite, but i don’t want to lose arsenal tv!
Did you not get the email???
Where did you read that Bud?
nope bud??! not got any email from arse.com today….
They requested you do a survey and it was all VERY TRANSPARENTLY geared towards leaving Setanta and going online only with some amazing questions like..
Q: Would you be upset if we left Setanta
Q: WERE you satisfied with Setanta
Q: Would you pay for an Online Arsenal TV Channel
Q: How much would you be prepared to pay for an Arsenal Online TV chanel a)£3 to £5, b)£5 to £7, c) £7 to £10
Those were actual questions !!!!
Jokers the lot of them !!!!
maybe he’s just taking longer to build up his strength to 100% than expected irish, and as a result at his current level he just can’t make the squad ahead of vela?!
what email?
ah ok bud, yeah i remember that, did think it was weird, i thought it was a setanta survey rather than arsenal one necessarily?? some of the questions were “would you still subscribe to setanta if arsenal tv wasn’t on it”, to which i said no in no uncertain terms!
A- Just strange that he’s not been mentioned at all
yeah irish but the fact that there hasn’t been any mention makes me wonder whether it is just a case of his not making the squad, rather than any set back, as i don’t think they’d come out and say anything if that happened, but would if there was another injury?
They are so fucking greedy, they want to control everything, Arsenal online is just a fucking joke, even more AKB than Setanta Arsenal TV.
Perhaps I’ll approach Setanta and do Le Grove TV and say it as it is!
I expect they think Setanta are going tits up, they may have a point.
Might be right on that “A”
EVENING GOONERS
ANYONE GOING TO THE ROCKET FOR GAME 2MOROW
Geoff – Brother Paul said he has heard it on good authority they are on borrowed time and will be gone soon.
DId anyone see Wengers 20 scond clip from his press confernce…… notice Man U (SKY) TV only took the bit where they asked him about Ferguson !!!
That’s the squad according to BBc and sky.
Arsenal (from): Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Silvestre, Gibbs, Nasri, Song, Denilson, Fabregas, Walcott, Adebayor, Fabianski, Djourou, Eduardo, Bendtner, Diaby, Vela, Ramsey, Eboue.
Eduardo returns.
So Eduardo is in the squad ….
NO TV CHANNEL
what a load of bollocks
how can it be
if we go back to just being online viewing figures will dissapear
i only pay that 12 quid to them cunts for arsenal tv
19 names there, so one will drop out…. Gibbs did not train today?
Suspect as not on Arsenal.com that they have made that list up from the ONLY fit players we have left in our squad….
anyone see arshavins agents quotes in last 2 hours
Read somewhere that Gibbs was very doubtful with an ankle injury but it was a poxy website so didn’t know whether to believe it or not
That poxy place you saw it was probably Sky……. poxhole channel !!!!!
they were a while ago mark, and from the daily mail, so should just be ignored and not spoken about by anyone!
ha ha Bud it was here
http://www.comeonboro.com/matches/080916161.php
Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs is a major doubt for the Champions League semi-final with Manchester United.
Gibbs is struggling with an ankle injury, while his likely replacement Mikael Silvestre is not certain to be involved either as he tries to shake off a back complaint.
didn’t realise puyol isn’t fit to start, that weakens barca a fair bit.
chelsea going even more narrow than usual, three centre mids is nowhere near enough, mikel in for anelka!
A – what are the teams??
Have them:
1843: TEAMS Barcelona v Chelsea
Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Marquez, Abidal, Toure, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Henry, Eto’o. Subs to follow.
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Bosingwa, Lampard, Mikel, Ballack, Essien, Malouda, Drogba. Subs to follow.
I prefer Setanta Sports News Channel – Just nipped accross there and showing Arsenal Training yesterday, Eduardo leading a mild Trot and Rosicky stretching behind Wenger…
yeah sorry irish, was checking on my food! anyone know the subs yet? did puyol even make the bench??
not watched it except for when it was very first released bud, thought it was attrocious then but was a while ago – however their punditry and coverage of games and highlights etc is the worst i’ve ever seen from any channel in any sport, but burley by far the worst commentator on the planet imo!!
1843: TEAMS Barcelona v Chelsea
Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Marquez, Abidal, Toure, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Henry, Eto’o. Subs: Jorquera, Puyol, Gudjohnsen, Bojan, Keita, Silvinho, Hleb.
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Bosingwa, Lampard, Mikel, Ballack, Essien, Malouda, Drogba. Subs: Hilario, Di Santo, Kalou, Belletti, Anelka, Mancienne, Stoch.
cheers irish
gudjohnson to come on and nab barca’s 5th
They have Pat Dolan on Setanta – tells me exactly what I need to know about Sellotanta Sports
mikel, essien and ballack?
Better than Sky ManU
To be honest, I am not that fussed where Arsenal TV ends up. I got it thrown in on Virgin Media for free (although free never means free)
It was pretty shit and was pure propaganda and spin. You used to get the season videos but had most of them anyway. Fuck knows who runs it but I think they fucked up the whole scheduling. There could have been a lot better content.
Was nice to watch the reserves and youths on occaision but then when it came to the big youth game in the Youth Cup Semi, they did not even have it on.
yeah only reserve games are live pat, youths only highlights which is really annoying. it’s better than nothing though, watching old games is awesome at times, and programmes on legends
BARCA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BARCA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BARCA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BARCA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOw shit is the picture on the Barca game….
barca are sick
You know what, I think we would beat Barca !
They give so much time on the ball that it would allow us to play our game…
arsenal v barca in rome is the game football deserves.
the 10v11 in paris 3 years ago was ruined with the sending off.
And why the fuck have ITV got that Curb Cawling Cunt on for…… that cunt has never been near the champions league !!!!
Watching Barca is as frustrating as watching Arsenal though…… SHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT….. oh no, we can get at least another 30 passes and dribbles inbefore we do that !!!
iniesta is just amazing.
chelsea are so so defensive, it’s the best attacking team in the world against total anti-football, please let barca get a couple in the second half!!
it would be just like chelski to nick a precious away goal after doing fuck all for 90 mins.
watching barca is like seeing into the future – iniesta is nasri in a couple of years, xavi cesc, messi wilshere, etoo vela, and henry bendtner!!
henry bendtner?
i would say vela will be more henry and luke freeman eto.
oh for vela to play tommorow
A – Why so negative ???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nah faceman, both of them wrong side!
Steve Ryder really doesn’t enjoy football does he. Bet he was so jealous watching Lineker at the Masters
bendter is nothing like henry, no pace no skils.
anyway……… we forgot about THEEEEEEO
Get off the fence RAAAAYYYYYYYYYY…… you boring skid-stain !!!
Chelsea’s tactics are a disgarace.
Is this how a “supposed big team” plays lol.
I mean I know you have to be cautios but damn they are playing like a team that derserves to be relegated.
they need an away goal for sure, barca WILL score at the bridge.
Sevillier what an ignorant prick that kerb crawling cunt Pleat is, how did he ever go from picking up 15 year old Toms to getting a job on ITV not knowing how to pronounce names.
He also thinks every Barca black player is Henry or Toure.
I’d like to see:
Almunia
Sagna Kolo JD Gibbs
Theo Nasri Song Diaby
Cesc
Ade
tomorrow. Mostly cause Nasri always plays well in that role.
oh yeah faceman, completely forgot about theo!! theo is henry, obviously, vela etoo, wilshere messi, coquelin alves too!!
Yeah but Diaby doesn’t!
GET THE FUCK IN
FEVER PITCH IS ON FILM 4 TONIGHT
who was talking about it the other day, was it you geoff?
fucking marvellous to get in the mood for tommorow night.
rather vela out wide left than diaby.
fucking hell that would be an awesome team to play at OT
wat a cunt drogba is
Yes Faceman, I did a clip on it the day of the Liverpool game, Vela out left yeah, I agree, won’t happen though.
Imaging paying £15mil for Boswinga, what a complete retarded cunt Kenyon is with Abromovich’s money eh! Anyway, I’m off, catch you all later.
Camp Nou fans are pretty much a bunch of ass holes, ah! Whistle all the time but not while their players stay on the ground… Damm i hope we win the CL, clean up these glory seeking suckers of Manure and Barca!
laters geoffrey.
lansbury scores for scunthorpe again.He has been scoring a lot recently
blatant penalty
I assume everyone is watching the Barca match.
So much for Barca coasting it. Some even went as far as predicting a 5-2 win. Oh well…..
Both teams are a bunch of cheating, diving bastards. Neither deserve to play in the final.
Alves and Marquez diving all round the place and the chavs just generally being cunts.
*oh and Malouda diving tons too.
Basically they are all cunts and bastards.
Now Hleb is coming on to dive some more and add to the cuntishness.
Did i mention they are cunts too?
Does Phil ‘The Cunt’ Brown play for this lot???
Dont know if he plays directly for them. But he must be employed by them for something.
hlebs a wanker!!! bastard of a bench warmer
yeah stu – i was absolutely certain that both teams would get a couple of goals minimum! though i never expected the supposed expert tactician hiddink to employ such genius tactics as simply copying the likes of stoke and hull and not caring about attacking at all, kicking and cheating everytime barca started anything!
both teams are cheats, alves is a disgrace, but chelsea just take it to another level! anti-football at it’s very worst
Pique has played the most dangerous passes all night. Suprised by that considering their array of attacking talent.
Alves is at it again. I dont normally wish ill on players but it would serve him right if he broke his leg and everyone ignored him.
He has spent more time rolling around on the ground and screaming that he has with the ball.
Drogba soaking the camera man? Thats a suspension right there.
I wonder what the odds were on 0-0? Must have been a long shot.
lol.. barca.. the best attacking team ?!?
0-0, man that was shite. not really a game of football was it. bloody hell, I’d rather have watched Stoke V WBA. and ITV are peddling it like it was some sort of amazing game. Chelsea played anti football for 90 minutes, and Barca were just very ordinary.
I suppose chelsea have to attack at home so at least maybe a game of football will break out.
Fuck me if i had to watch Chelsea every week i would top myself
For all those who hail BPL as the best in the world should think twice.I know it a result based game and all that matters is the final score and who wins.But it was just pathetic from chelsea.The gulf in class between both the teams was there for all to see.It was like arsenal vs blackburn 4 weeks back Where paul robinson was wasting time inspite of them being a goal down
Fuck that! The second Hiddink realised he was to play Barca he settled for Penalties.
So the chavs watched how manure played barca last season and done the same eh!
guess they got the same result! what a surprise…lets see the second leg would end the same way?!
I think Puyol is suspended and Marquez is innjured for SB. that will make the difference and the chavs will go through. we can beat the chavs as long as wenger doesn’t bottle it like he did at Wembley.
i see hleb’s still shite in front of goal.. no changes there!