“Certainly I will go abroad,”
“In Italy, finished.”
That’s Max Allegri. Get used to the name, because we’ll be cursing it this summer when Arsenal pass on his services.
Arguably, the Italian is the most suitable candidate to take over from Arsene Wenger when he should be told to pack his bags this summer. The suave manager of Juventus has put his club on notice, and apparently, that above line was delivered in English, I guess to make a point that he’s Premier League bound.
He feels very Chelsea-ish to me. I know the London club have been fluttering eyes at Luis Enrique, so it’s not nailed on, but I can’t see anywhere else he’d be heading. Tuchel to PSG, or even Juve? Who knows. But Rapha Honigstein is doubling down on Wenger staying in another news cycle. It’s all starting to feel very familiar.
I mean, we’ve passed on Klopp, Pochettino, Ancelotti and Guardiola. What’s another world class manager to Arsenal?
The joke being that the club will do their pathetic merry dance of, ‘we searched high, then we searched low, then we had a look in the reception bin, then we found the answer… it was right in front of us, the greatest manager ever… iiiiiiit’s Arsene!’
Then the old man will trot out some bullshit about focus, uniting the fanbase, whilst selling us the vomit inducing esoteric ‘Arsenal values’ proposition.
It’s depressing but symptomatic of a club with very little balls. I’d imagine from Stan’s point of view, he’s likely having a heart attack at the investment he has to make on his $4.9b stadium in LA, along with all the costs of the staff… the idea of hiring in a new manager who comes with ambition at Arsenal might not feel too appetising (also, take a moment to let that Reddit link sink in. Stan turned us into a poverty joke for 5 years, not laying out a penny while we were cash poor, now he’s racking up so much debt, he’s having to ask the NFL to extend the debt ceiling).
That said, I can’t think of any logical reason why you wouldn’t want to give both clubs the best chance of being elite? It’s not like we have Pochettino working wonders on a neutral transfer spend, with £120m wage bill. Wenger is operating on a net spend higher than Real Madrid’s, and he’s spunking bad money after bad money on players and exorbitant salaries (the worst one, being his own). He’s also leaving a shed tonne of cash on the table with the Champions League and sponsorship.
I really cannot understand why the club are finding it so hard to say goodbye?
It was a real low on the podcast yesterday when I had to call out that we’d pulled away from Burnley who were chasing us down for 6th place. Our season has been an unmitigated disaster. The football is dross, the players don’t care, and the fans are not bothering to show up for tickets they’ve paid for. The thing no one talks about with the ticket piece is this: most fans can’t give their tickets away. My pals on Whatsapp are always trying to shift spare tickets, often for free, and it’s hard work.
‘I’m pruning a bush’
‘I’m tired from hot yoga’
‘I’d rather put my head in an oven’
We are the least interesting club in world football. We are the stalest disaster in the game. Total drudgery.
Still, maybe Ivan Gazidis grew some balls this year and is about to drop a Robert Mueller like surprise for us this summer. Wouldn’t that be joyful?
Another point… teams announce new managers before the season is out (City / Bayern / Barca), and managers announce they’re leaving early (Enrique, Pep, Allegri). It doesn’t destroy the club. Our players are moaning that they’re unsettled that people are talking about Wenger’s future. The manager will wrap the season in an excuse like that, just like he did last year. Reality is, even when his future is wrapped up, players don’t give a fuck for him, because he’s just an average manager with a reputation bigger than the club.
We are a tragedy of a sporting entity.
I REALLY HOPE I AM PROVEN INCORRECT.
Right, just a big fat rant today.
Why not tune into our podcast from Sunday? It’s pretty good. There’s also a Facebook video for you if you’d like to see what we look like you dirty perverts.
SPOTIFY (SHUT UP SO COOL)
Seville 1 up
Is Kroenke aware that he is in a Catch 22 situation at Arsenal? Will he spend the huge amounts of cash needed to maintain Arsenal revenue, or will he settle for a Club with diminishing revenue? Here is a clue, the huge price paid for a few Arsenal shares sold recently. At their current value, Arsenal is worth in excess of two billion pounds. Not bad for a guy who paid £450 million for 67% of the Club. It’s not public knowledge who bought the recently sold shares. But it’s good news for anybody who owns a lot, and wants… Read more »
You have to give it to Ronaldo, when he gets a chance on these stages he generally sticks it away.
Isco gets better and better.
That finish from Ronaldo was not easy.
Buffon must be sick of Ronaldo by now.
I thought juve played really well after conceding. Pressed the shit out of Real midfield. Should’ve scored.
Kroos did smack the bar tbf.
Not saying Usmanov is the ideal owner for this club, but sadly, based on stans prev record, think if either of them is selling, more likely usmanov selling to stan
Unless this Nigerian guy blows them both out of the water
Shame to say cause I love him as a player but Benzema’s finished at this level.
Little p,
Has become a UTarse obsessive.
2-0 RM, I did call it.
GOAT
Away fans standing ovation.
Ronaldo’s on a mission haha holy fuck what a worldie.
Pretty sure that’s the first bicycle kick he has ever scored, what an occasion to do it in.
Dybala sent off, Juve implosion.
WE and he’s on a possible hat trick.
Samesong
Messi’s clearly the better player but Ronaldo’s UCL exploits are something else, 22 QF goals now, to put that into perspective Juventus the team have scored 21 knockout stage goals in the UCL.
It’s over. Real through to the semis. What a fucking goal though.
If juve had Ronaldo, they would be the one playing in semis. Ronaldo single handedly deciding UCL quarters.
And there’s your boy Marcelo
WE I did say earlier it would be a battering.
Wow, 3-0!!!!
Marcelo!!!
Samesong
You did mate.
I did say that 2.5/1 were obscenely generous odds for Real Madrid to win.
Real Barca final must be??
WE you did.
Do you think Bayern still have a say?
This is only Juventus’ 2nd loss out of 76 matches to put this into perspective.
3-0 in Turin is insane, RM haven’t won here since the 60’s.
*2nd home loss
Juve have a very average midfield, thought as much against Spurs who bossed them, and it’s more apparent tonight.
Chasing shadows.
Modric is world class. The guy goes about his business quietly very underated excellent playmaker.
‘Juve have a very average midfield, thought as much against Spurs who bossed them, and it’s more apparent tonight.’
Agreed, said as much earlier.
Levels apart even putting aside Ronaldo’s brilliance.
Yeah Juventus look legless lacking the quality in the middle of past sides.
No dynamism.
As emphatic a UCL QF win as you’re likely to see, against a domineering Juventus side in Italy.
Mad impressive.
That Ronaldo bicey will be up there with Messi’s boateng homicide or Ronaldinho’s Chelsea goal as one of those UCL moments that you’ll never forget.
Pirlo, Vidal, Pogba to Pjanic, Khedira, Matuidi
That’s quite a different calibre, only Pjanic is worthy imo.
Even Pjanic is a stretch, he may match Pirlo for set-pieces but for nothing else imo.
Tbf Juventus side is actually pretty poor when you look at the individual components.
Bentancur and Khedira in the middle is weak as fuck.
Douglas costa is flashy, but not a very productive player and both centre-backs are past their peak. Even the fullbacks are pretty average.
The only stand out talents is buffon whose ancient, higuain whose a fat fuck and kind of looks like he is past peak mode and Dybala whose quality, but can’t do it all alone.
Would this current Juventus team still beat the Arsenal though?
Weagle
Nah I rate Pjanic big time, he’d slot seamlessly into a technical side. The other two are toilet for this level, good enough for serie A but show their limitations at this stage.
Agree with all that LG barring a few components:
– Higuain for me has outplayed Dybala in these knockout stages, I’ve been very disappointed by Dybala.
– Chiellini barring that blunder for the 2nd goal is still mustard, Barzagli has had it though.
– Alex Sandro is very good, unless you were talking about Asamoah who is shite, agreed.
Charlie
Perhaps, Pjanic hasn’t done much himself vs Spuds or tonight though.
2nd time they’ve smashed the bar, this could have been much more embarrassing for Juventus.
Weagle
Players like Pjanic don’t operate at the far end of the pitch, their work is recycling, advancing play, finding teammates in dangerous positions.
He does that every time he plays, he isn’t an assist machine or goal getter and neither is he going to have tackle stats off the charts. He’s an enabler, which is a tough ask when the players about him are bang average.
Charlie
Yeah that’s fair, give him Pogba and Vidal and I’m sure he’d play a lot better.
WE
Sandro isn’t playing FB tonight? He is quality tho.
Dyabala is quality just isn’t in good form imo.
Either way Juv has tevez, pirlo, pogba (good pog) dani alves in the recent(ish) past
Weagle
I think so. Swap him and Modric tonight for instance and he’d be dancing about finding Benzema, Ronaldo and co whilst Modric was watching Khedira try and trap a bag of cement
Navas has been good tonight.
Fucking hell Ronaldo pulling a Suarez tonight.
Scores two worldies and then misses two sitters.
3-0 fo Real Madrid and they can afford to give wonderboy Asensio 10 minutes of cardio ffs
Lol. Ronaldo and cuadrado missing tap ins from inside the 6 yard boxes. Some finish to the game
LG
Yeah was my bad thought you meant Sandro.
Agree love Dybala, was why I was so disappointed by his efforts tonight and vs Spuds though besides that goal he took so well.
Think Juventus 2015 was their best side with Tevez spearheading and Pogba and Pirlo in CM, prime Italian back 3 and Buffon.
Charlie
Haha Khedira’s awful.
Scary thing is he’s still rated by many.
Ronaldo is the most decisive UCL player of all time.
Discuss.
Wenger Eagle
CR7’s lucky he’s not in the same generation as Eddie Nketiah
Hopefully, not to be one-upped on the world stage by Ronaldo, we’re in for some unbelievable shit from Messi tomorrow night.
Dream
Hahaha.
I’m in two minds about the Semi-Finals providing that Barcelona of course do the business vs Roma.
On the one hand I’d love to see a Clasico SF played out over 2 legs, would be first time in 7 years and only 2nd time in the Messi/Ronaldo era.
On the other hand a Messi v Ronaldo UCL Final has never happened and it’s something that we need to see.
Hahaha Peter Crouch just put up-
‘There is only a few of us who can do that’.
Wenger Eagle
Really hope we dont get a Clasico final. The buildup to the final will be so over the top. There’s enough praise for both teams every week. Let them play in the SFs.
Haha Peter Crouch had a very good bicycle kick goal too. He’s a legend
This is the 3rd time allegrie has lost to madrid and this is why I dont want him anywhere close to Arsenal, he’s an upgraded wenger.
Losing to Madrid is not a barometer. That juve team in all honesty are shit compared to Madrid.
Q: Without the poor refereeing in London [against Arsenal] and Çalhanoglu’s chance in the bar would have Milan’s season changed?
Gattuso: “If my grandfather had three balls he would be a pinball machine.”
🙂 🙂
Depressing read Pedro, but spot on. Allegri to Chelsea whilst we have another 38 games with dr dickhead at the helm, spouting his increasingly mental bullshit. Comes to something when I’m more interested in the championship run in then the utter shite churned out by arsenal. After beating saints and west ham, we will of course lose at Old Trafford and the french cunt can trot out its our first loss in 7 or whatever. Such a disingenuous fraud.
The disinterest in Arsenal is what is killing me now. 6th place at best, a slender lifeline if we manage to beat the second best in Europe. A club with obvious internal turmoil – Ivan’s appointments and Arsene’s stubborn nature. A stadium they claim has 59000 people but realistically 40K at best – how are those matchday revenues looking?
Just watching the highlights of that Juventus – Real Madrid match.
Fuck me – more happened in their first half than in our entire season.
And at a skill and intensity we couldn’t dream about. We compete with Burnley these days.
When is somebody going to turn the lights out on Wenger? Please.
BBC – 2nd page of UK news. Source of agent “not identified”. The precise source of the nerve agent to poison a Russian ex-spy and his daughter has not been verified, say the head of Portland Down. The defense research facility, which identified the substance as Novichok, said it was unlikely to have been deployed by a state actor. The UK said further intelligence led to it’s belief that Russia was responsible. Russia’s president has said he hopes a line can be drawn when the chemical weapons watchdog meets on Wednesday. ————————————- Had the smell of desperation about it from… Read more »
For the record.
The state and the state funded BBC do not represent me or my values and I do not consent.
“defense research facility” – curious definition. I was under the impression it produced chemical weapons/chemicals for the use in weapons. “state actor” – fill in the blanks _ _ _. “unlikely to have been deployed by” – said state actor…How have Portland Down determined that? and shouldn’t we be getting this from information from the police. The Russians have 27 pertinent, unanswered questions regarding this whole affair but it must be rising with this new development. BBC not giving the Telford child abuse scandal – which took place over four decades – the coverage it warrants either. Shameful, but can… Read more »
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/04/operation-hades-a-model-for-the-novichok-case-.html#more
Excellent summary – and some of the comments/links are as good as the article.
So sick of Spain monopolizing European competitions. Fvck you Madrid, Barca, another Madrid, Sevilla
N’Gambo
Good article, I will come back to that. Thanks.
UK look really desperate. Something big behind this imo.
Hearing some crazy stuff…
Reliable Sauce
Are you a rogue reporter or something?
The other day you posted a conspiracy segment on 9/11. Now the nerve agent fiasco.
By the way, the BBC became a joke years ago for many of us over here.
Only watch it for the weather forecast.
Don’t even watch MOTD.
Why not post something on the dipshits at the NRA?
Rambo, am so sick of them too. When will this cycle end? WE Going back to the Modric, Xavi talk yesterday. I would rate Modric as high as Xavi absolutely. Xavi, as metronomic as he has been has needed his teammates (Iniesta, Busquets/Yaya) to exert his supremacy while Modric hasn’t needed all that. When Barca was more individualistic, the Ronaldinho years before tiki taka Xavi didn’t really have a pronounced super role in Barca and was drifting in the more attacking places because that’s where his skills (playing through balls and finishing, he was a very good passer anyway) were… Read more »
If Wenger watches as much football as they say he does, then he must realise, after watching last night’s game in Italy, that we are now light years away from competing at the top table.
Unless he is either stupid or deluded………………………………
WHAT THE FCUK AM SAYING?!?
Of course he is.
Samesong:
“GOAT”
lol
Top reaction!
Looking forward to tonight’s clash between Liverpool and Man City.
No Aguero tonight for City. Could prove pivotal over the two legs.
Actually fancy the scoucers to nick it.
Going back to the Modric, Xavi talk yesterday. I would rate Modric as high as Xavi absolutely. Xavi, as metronomic as he has been has needed his teammates (Iniesta, Busquets/Yaya) to exert his supremacy while Modric hasn’t needed all that.
I would rate Modric up there also.
This is a proper week: Tonight = Juventus v Real Madrid. Tomorrow night = Liverpool v Manchester City. Thursday and Friday = Masters. Saturday = Man City v Man United on MOTD. Sunday = Masters. Gary Lineker
I can watch that bicycle kick over and over again.
That game in Italy last night? Wenger should be sacked this morning.
We won’t be able to compete with that for a decade.
Relieable Sauce
“Just out of interest, how many Gooners are aware that trace amounts of Pulonium(sp) were apparently found at the Emirates after the Litvinyenko (sp) poisoning?”
Actually, it’s been on the menu since 2006.
Look under SIDE ORDERS!
“Ian Wright thinks Arsenal fans have taken a positive step by staying away from the Emirates Stadium in recent months,” writes Sky Sports.
“I was there the other day,” Wright said, “and it’s not good to see but with the prices that they pay, they’ve had to listen to excuses, they’ve watched players leave, they’ve watched really incompetent performances and they’ve still gone in their droves.
They should show that they are not happy. I’m pleased that they’ve done it and hopefully the board will be looking.”
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/11316030/ian-wright-says-stay-away-arsenal-fans-have-taken-positive-step?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral&__twitter_impression=true
B10
Love Ian Wright to bits, but he changes his mind so often that when he does say something that is relevant, I pay little attention.
Far too often his loyalty to Wenger consumes his thought processes.
Everyone who has worked with Wenger is consumed with guilt should they say anything remotely negative towards him.
Except Paul Merson.
Samesong
“This is a proper week: Tonight = Juventus v ……”
No mention of our big game tomorrow? As much as I’m bored of the same ol’ same ol’ with our team, I will be in front of the TV.
The overhead kick was okay. It would have been better if it had cracked in off the crossbar. Aesthetically speaking. A 7/10 goal for me. These goals are scored 1,000 times all over the world every year, we just don’t see them. To say that “it happened against Juventus etc”…so? The defence is completely taken out of the equation during an overhead kick or long range effort so it’s irrelevant how “good” a defence is. An individual dribble or team goal is probably the ‘better’ goal. Having said that, the best goal ever IMO is the Marco Van Basten volley… Read more »
‘An individual dribble or team goal is probably the ‘better’ goal.’
Agree 100 percent.
“This is a proper week: Tonight = Juventus v Real Madrid. Tomorrow night = Liverpool v Manchester City. Thursday and Friday = Masters. Saturday = Man City v Man United on MOTD. Sunday = Masters. Gary Lineker”
Lol, I see what you did they.
GOH
That bicycle kick was awesome. I would say 9/10. The height, the suspension on air and the fact that he didn’t know where the ball was until he got to the ground. It was a proper bicycle kick as, in all honesty, most are scissors kicks.
No, Maradona no.1 MVB no.2.
Honestly, the reactions to Ronaldo’s goal is cringeworthy. Zidane’s was better.
Good goal. Not great.
…and to think, he could have played for Arsenal. Cue Wenger with the “I taught him that move”.
Mystic
If he didn’t know where the ball was…then it must have just been a lucky swing, no?
I do agree that it was a genuine bicycle kick.
Still a 7/10 for me.
…and dare I say it, feet at head height. Foul? Technically speaking.
Yea, that’s what makes a bicycle kick, you don’t know where they end up. That’s why keepers don’t generally follow them.
I didn’t overreact, just loved the goal. And like you said, it’s a skill that is based more on intuition than on know-how or prior knowledge and everyone can score it.
But goals like Ronaldinho against Chelsea, or the Messi/Maradona goals are based on know-how
I would say Andy Carrols bicycle was better.
When Ronaldo leaped for that you just knew it was going to go in.
Mystic
I didn’t say you overreacted. It’s the general consensus around the world.
6/10 now. It’s passé.
By 11.00 it’ll be a 3/10.
No one is overacting Guns just talking about the goal mate.
Bergkamp v Argentina is very underrated. The skill to take that ball down, under pressure and find the top corner, in that game was obscene.
His one against Newcastle was better than Ronaldo’s last night. The ingenuity was staggering.
Fatso pub players can score overhead kicks.
5/10 goal.
Samesong
Not on here! The world is overreacting to it.
Exactly Samesong, as a goal I rate it 9/10. Not on any charts, as a stand alone. It was a beauty.
Mystic
9/10?
MVB, Maradona must be 15/10…which is impossible.
It was good but not great.
Also Juventus’ Defence is full of geriatrics.
4/10 goal. In fact, it was shit!
2/10…and illegal. Juve hard done by. Replay the game! I demand justice.