or SWEET SHIRT, right?
Get in people, we made it to 11 years old! 3,955 posts, 2.1million comments praising my words every day, A TOPPLED DICTATOR, A NEW BEGINNING, new internet friends, new real-life friends (yeah, I went on a man-date last night with a Gooner)… this site has been the absolute best, and I want to say a great big huge thank you to everyone who logs on to read the articles everyday, and I want to thank those who listen to the podcast (and those who come on the show). You make the internet worth living for, you also give me knowledge everyday I can steal and repurpose as my own.
Look at the fancy shirt in the opening picture, that my friends is a birthday present from the very excellent team at FOKOHAELA. It’s given me a new lease of life in the world of football apparel. I can finally wear one outside because this one is about original design with the heart and details I’m lacking from my PUMA shirts. GO HERE if you’d like to see some of the other options which are very awesome.
Onto football news, Mesut Ozil is back in the press, this time it’s Per bloody Mertesacker weighing in on the conversation about whether his ex-teammate said the German team were racist. Apparently, Der Spiegel ran a story in the print edition that basically confirmed the bling bling gang, but they used potatoes as a reference because of some negative connotation it has with immigrants. This is what Big Per said.
“I never heard anything about ‘potatoes’ or ‘kanaken’ during my time in the national team,”
“However I have been called ‘potato’, too.
“It should be understood that it is just a bit of fun, however. There were separate groups within the team during my time, too.
“You simply have to be careful that this does not lead to division, like: ‘you are one team, we are the other’.”
After Per cleared up that he’d been called a potato once or twice, he weighed in on Mesut’s overall accusation that the national setup was a big racist.
“Everything is possible,”
“I am curious as to how the DFB is going to approach the building of a new team.
“I never experienced racism or discrimination during my time, so I was surprised by Mesut’s allegations and that they were so harsh.
I for one was very surprised to hear that a 6ft6 blonde German hadn’t experienced the harshness of racism from his national team. He looks like exactly the sort of person who’d have the right wing throwing potatoes at him. That aside, this really is the neverending story.
What I guess is working in Mesut’s favour is the German players have focused on the fact that they personally are not racist, which is not what he’d claimed. The real story is Ozil stood tall with a wannabe dictator just before a World Cup for propaganda purposes, then kicked out at the way DFB, media and his partners handled the photo/issue afterwards. I’d still say that overall, the lesson for Ozil is don’t stand tall with dictators, because that really has fuck all to do with your ancestry. Just my opinion, of course.
Still, at least he has a pal in Nacho Monreal.
“People have been a bit unfair with him,”
“He is a very famous player and obviously people love talking about him. Recently, it is always bad things. Like last time, he was sick and that’s why he didn’t play.
“People started to invent that he had a problem with the manager. It wasn’t like that. He got a cold, he was sick, that’s it. That’s why he didn’t play.”
You go girlfriend.
Matty G landed Arsenal player of the month at his first attempt, well played that lad. I think he’s a very exciting talent and I pray we develop him, opposed to going down the path of overplaying him, breaking his confidence, injuring him, then sending him out on loan to Cheltenham.
Who said that I’m negative?
Next three games in the Premier League after the break are Newcastle, Everton and Watford. On paper, those should bring home 9 points, but all of those teams are capable of an upset. It’s super tough to come back from an international break and go away to Geordieland – home of the greatest fans ever known in the universe – so that’ll be a big test of Emery’s planning skills. I think out of those three games, the Watford game will pose the greatest threat. They’ve started extremely well this season, and it’s exactly the sort of game we’d lose under Wenger. Let’s see what’s changed.
The manager is also going to have to deal with the complications of a trip to Ukraine before the Everton game which lands three days later on a Sunday. I can’t wait to see what sort of team the manager takes for the Europa League, because really, that’s a great chance for us to make CL through the back door. We then have Brentford, who play some sexy football, 3 days later in the league cup. Does Emery go for all the trophies this year? We’ll find out after the break!
Finally, I know you know that I don’t use the blog to sell anything bar cheap erectile dysfunction meds via SEO backlinks. Today though, I’m selling dreams. The chaps over at Play With a Legend are taking entrants for their next batch of games that are hosted by none other than Nigel Winterburn.
Great news, right? You turn up before a game, get your kit on, and play some football with a legend, then you get to have a lovely chat with them after.
If you want to sign up, go to this link and get the download. It’s £99 per individual, £750 per team if you bring 9 people along.
ALSO LISTEN TO OUR POD:
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Afternoon!
2
JVC!
Tr4phy
Congrats Pedro! And thanks!
Congrats LeGrove. Eleven years and still the best Arsenal site on the net .
top 10?
Yes Receding Bamford likes to be right.
Anyone with a contrary view he will ask
Pedro to ban them
Bamford went away for a while but as all
gardeners know it is difficult to keep the grass down.
It will be interesting to see how many injuries
are incurred in this new format Nations league
Being a more competitive competition managers
will be expecting maximum effort.?
Happy birthday le Grove and thanks for all the effort you put in Pedro.
Nice one Le Grove.
Always great to read the views on here regardless of me agreeing or disagreeing..
11 years dealing with Arsenal. Chapeau!
Please god no more race wars. Yesterday and today was too much.
If anyone deserves a bit of racism, it’s the bulbous eyed, millionaire sicknote, Ozil.
Maybe Ozil will ‘take a knee’ at Arsenal’s next home game…then again, he would probably rick it getting back up.
Pedro
You’ve perfected the art of instigating nasty conversation about race during the international break.
I see you’re up to it again.
I’ll prefer to read Guns of H go off on another Wenger-Emery rant.
Dissenter, no racism today. Just praise for the site
Well played Pedro, and to all the useful contributors who make this place what it is
Pedro,
Thanks for all that you do for the cause of Arsneal FC. I don’t know how you find the juice to keep writing.
It’s been 8 long years for me here.
Bamford went away for a while but as all
gardeners know it is difficult to keep the grass down.
LOL
Play nice James
Hi pedrista im still banned bro
Happy birthday you old slaaag
Pedro
Good job. Thanks for your hard work keeping it going on and on…. hopefully we get through the dark ages soon
we made it to 11 years old!
Well done Pedro!
Thanks le grove for the interesting characters that come here on a daily.
11 YEARS PEDRO
You don’t get that for murder.?
Anyway well done for your patience
and enlightenment.
Sal you see the last vid I put up
Remember this banger
https://youtu.be/T6z9Nb5H0Yw
Pedro
Congratulations!
I’ve only been on here for 18 months (also in the guise of Graham62 ) and it’s been a blast.
Keep up the excellent work.
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1013998/Arsenal-news-Mesut-Ozil-Real-Madrid-transfer-Zinedine-Zidane
bit odd
Happy birthday! This is a great Arsenal fan website – but not a good as Arseblog!
Wengemery.
That’s mine.
This one is just for Dissenter (who I like BTW…it’s just bantz).
Emery simply has to goooooooo!!!!
He’s so far out of his depth, he makes Alardyce look like Marcelo Lippi.
Guns
When he wins his next 10 games will you still want him gone?
GOH
“He’s so far out of his depth”
In what respect?
Goh
Cause I don’t want to see no flip flopping but on the other hand I don’t want to say to you. You were right lol
Samesong
He won’t win the next ten.
I would never rub my victories in anyone’s face. I am as good a loser as I am, winner. Ha ha…I’m kidding. If I lose I kick the cat, wife and child all over the house and go out with my Donald Trump mask on.
M24
Out of his depth as in, he doesn’t have the gravitas to take in the Arsenal job.
Congrats Pedro.. its been a pleasure being one of your avid readers ..
always worth the read every day.
COYG!…onward and upward.
Congrats Pedro, have a Peroni !
Pedro
‘Newcastle, Everton and Watford. On paper, those should bring home 9 points.’
I think 6 or 7 points is more realistic from those games. I’d be happy with that.
Priority number one has to be doing something about our swiss cheese defence.
Let’s go for nothing conceded away at Newcastle as a primary target.
The Everton game will tough. They’re my dark horse tip this season- not for winning it of course, but for possibly pushing into the vicinity of top four.
“‘Newcastle, Everton and Watford. On paper, those should bring home 9 points.’
I’m expecting 5 point in these games; one win and two draws. It’s not inconceivable that we lose all three though. These are game where sloppiness at the back will cost us dearly.
Hi Pedro, the argument around Ozil is very simple and straightforward, he isn’t the only player in the German team, and the entire team sucked in the past world cup game. The fact that he took a picture with a dictator does make him any different from the same idiots who took a picture alongside Vladimir Putin, and are now pelting stones at him because he’s the dictator is Turkish. Firstly they should face the fact that Germany wasn’t good enough, secondly people make mistakes, and attacking Ozil should be on the basis of how he plays, and if they… Read more »
B10 In response to your post in the early hours of the morning. First of all, let me start by re-emphasizing the point that although I can understand some fans frustrations at what has happened thus far, it only goes to show the enormity of task ahead for Emery and the utter shambles Wenger left the club in. That’s right, the absolute shitfest left by Wenger just beggars belief. Not only is Emery trying to change players attitudes,concepts and beliefs, he is also having to alter structures, systems and the “non- effective” training methods that were, whatever way you look… Read more »
the task
Happy 11-th Birthday Pedrito and co! I’ve been here for around 3 years I think. The summer that Wenger had the final chance to leave on a high.
I’ll have a drink for 9 times as many years of LeGrove!
Anyone who thinks that Emery is not up the task have to realise that Arsenal FC are no longer an elite club.
Wenger put an end to that.
The task for Emery is therefore quite simple.
Make us proud once again.
Congrats Pedro, can’t believe it has been eleven years and you were able to keep writing level headed posts about how awful Wenger was without getting too angry. Lots of bloggers have quit over the years, consumed with anger, but you have kept equilibrium.
Happy Birthday LeGrove! Thanks Pedro.
Lots of bloggers have quit over the years, consumed with anger, but you have kept equilibrium.
True that, arsenaltruth comes to mind, got really pissed at the regime and packed it in. think he he has started writing again tho, with the departure of Le Fraud.
Been in here daily, since 2010, when I joined WOB. Through the 8-2 mauling(my worst day yet. I failed to maintain my erection that day, and waa just 19) to Emery. From the levelheadedness of Pedro to the crazy ramblings of Gambon and the really naive postings of Charlie, here’s to another 110 years!
jwl
All those bloggers, who quit, “consumed with anger”.
I know how they feel.
Happy Birthday To le-grove….. Thank God we don’t have wenger to moan about, better days ahead I pray we’ve tasted our own wilderness, I don’t want a moyesesque season please
Happy birthday Legrove! Well-done Pedders,
Quite incredible to find out its 11 years already and the unity in diversity of both ethnicity and in our support of the club is part of what makes this place amazing!
Keep plugging.
Guendouzi bags in player of the month award… utterly deserved for the youngster.
“I know how they feel.”
Me as well, Michael24, that’s why I am impressed with Pedro achievement of writing for years without losing his sanity.
Burt Reynolds dies aged 82 .
Nice one Robinson I think I joined round the same time. Funny how times passes 8 years.
What are some people so called funny memories over the years?
Nasri mouth and Kiyoshi Ito was a fearce battle. Do you remember lurch ? Midwest and all those guys
Pete really is a hero for making time to keep posting content after all these years.
We can forgive him for being in love with Arteta. Keep up the stellar work, Pedro!
Pedro
Best moment in past 11 years?
Worst moment?
So many to choose from.
How about Arshavins winner against Barca?
Arsenal’s humiliation at OT?
Michael
Arshavin’s goal is my favorite moment as well. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Joy, joy, joy. A great, great moment.
Michael,
Best moment:
FA Cup final win against Chelsea for so many reasons
Worst Moment:
Wenger’s new deal last year
The collapse of the season in 08
Everyone, many thanks for the kind words, love you all, thanks for making this a great place to shoot the shit about the mess that is Arsenal!
Congratulations Pedro and Le Grove on your regular posts. Really don’t know how you manage it
Phase 1 has been achieved by outing Le Fraud
Phase2 is a work in progress with rebuilding this great club
11 years? What? Time passed so fast. Congrats Pedro for keeping up after “The Bull” packed it in. Think I started blogging about the year you guys started.
Many more years ahead. Think seriously about monetizing!
Happy Birthday Le Grove! Nice work Pedro!
Line of the day “You go girlfriend”
Pedro,
Thanks, congrats and happy birthday! Hands down the best Arsenal site.
Agreed on the 07/08 season collapse. That, and the summer TW afterwards showed that Arsenal top brass were all full of shit.
Capitulation isn’t just resetved for last 10 years.
The ending of the unbeaten run was a grotesque capitulation too.
Capitulation isn’t just reserved for last 10 years.
The ending of the unbeaten run was a grotesque capitulation too.
I see Rambo scored for Wales, that’ll see the sales of Jergens increase for some on here by my reckoning..
Congrats Pedro, Geoff and all the team at Le Grove.
Thanks for your 11 years of some top posts.
The premier Arsenal fan site/blog, without a doubt.
Hat’s off Pete
You’re biased as hell and at times repetitive but we wouldn’t all come here if it weren’t for your efforts and for that you should be commended. It’s not easy working all day and making time for a gym session let alone something like this so well done.
Best moments Chelsea FA Cup
Beating chavs 5-3 at the bridge
Beating Barca 2-1 at emirates.
So many others from Alexis Sanchez and RvP
Worst moments
Hands down the 2008 capitulation along with every other capitulation and RvP leaving. Was the catalyst of decline.
Great job Pedro- great writings and fantastic posters. Just hope we get back our glory years
happy bday le grove
the voice of reason.
Great job as always Pedro.
Best moment for arsenal, hands down is the day I became a fan. Arsenals win is every other clubs lose.
Happy bday Legrove!!
Here before Legrove 2.0. So its been 10yrs.
Time flies.
Wort moment was 8-2 without a doubt.
Would love to see guest posts from Geoff, gambon.
Also from select staunch akbs to mix it up then and there.
Would make it up for the boring interlulls.
Would be nice to see the return of Keyser and Kwit.
Meant Kwikfit
What with all this furore over the NFL dude and Nike interesting article for those not too familiar with the American patriotism in particular the Pledge Of Alliance. https://bostonreview.net/politics/jack-david-eller-pledge-allegiance Originated in the Civil War. Captured Confederate soldiers were made to make an oath to the Union flag. Feeling that the oath would have died out if not for anti-immigrant anxiety in America in the late 19th century coinciding with the US – Spanish War. The Bellamy salute named after man who composed the oath was undertaken to go along with the pledge up until the early 1940s. The salute is… Read more »
“Pledge Of Allegiance”
lol no coffee yet in the morning.
The whole Kaepernick situation is a bit laughable: he made a ‘statement’ against non-existing systemic racism, did not sit well with his employers, as sports fans don’t really want these dumbass athletes making political statements, as this is not what they came to the stadium or turn the TV on for. So, Nike chucked some money at him in bit of a pity fuck kind of gesture. Thinking how they will appear all virtuous and shit. Let us get this straight: chucked a cool a few millions at a guy who is already a millionaire. Made him the face of… Read more »
Man doesn’t stand up for 30 seconds once a week when a tune is being played and some cloth is waving in the air
*outrage erupts*
I bet if most of those outraged by this saw comparable things happening inside middle eastern Islamic institutions they’d be crying to the high heavens about how controlling and silly those people are and how it’s high time we go and deliver them some freedom
Being a good patriotic citizen is about how you live your life every day, the way you feel in your heart, the actions you take to make your country better, not whether or not you stand up or sit down whilst singing at a bit of waving cloth God knows every bad dictator in history has happily obliged showing their great patriotism by hosting great parades, hoisting giant flags over town squares and blasting out their national anthem… before systematically oppressing their people or destroying institutions that make their country good and free If people need a measure of patriotism… Read more »
Nike has never been as popular in Britain as Adidas in general clothing for the street wear.
There was a time in the 80s when Nike was seen to be serious competition to Adidas in Britain but Adidas saw them off.
Nike was generally associated with black athletes in particular basketball players.
The Brits went for the more european chic Adidas over Nike.
Nike was sporty. Adidas more refined trendy.
China,
It is a part of the show and he was a performer. Went against the script and the employer had rightfully shown him the door as damage limitation exercise. Simple.
It was not a government repression, but disciplinary action taken by the employer. If I pay you to work for me, you do as you are told or leave.
Also, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of one’s own country.
Happy (belated) Birthday to Le Grove! Well done Pedro for writing these great posts everyday!
And I raise my glass to all the posters who make Le Grove such a special (and feisty!) blog!
Being proud of your country doesn’t equate to needing to stand up or sing to the flag. I’m proud of Britain in some ways, but I don’t need a flag or an anthem to prove that. The only reason people made so much fuss about him not following protocol is because fundamentally most people think that not standing = bad person. That brought pressure to the team and NFL and they reacted sure. But when the president of your country is public ally and relentlessly lambasting you in public for not doing something that is actually entirely unimportant, don’t tell… Read more »
After every football match the managers are supposed to shake hands.
Sometimes one is naughty and storms down the tunnel in a huff. Naughty boy is about the extent of how serious breaches of protocol like this are…
There’s literally videos of trump not singing the words correctly to the national anthem. That’s ok
But kneeling? No that’s wrong.
Where shall we draw the line? Why is ok for any of the athletes not to sing along to the anthem anyway? That’s surely disrespecting the flag to stand in silence.
Maybe it will be more patriotic if we make everyone sing the anthem and the start, middle and end of the game. That will be useful.
All of this is just arbitrary nonsense. Stand, don’t stand. Whatever
China,
The thing is that (let’s say) half of the audience are the the ‘Murica fuck yeah flag waving republicans. Are they OK to be like this? Do they have the right to be offended? Of course they are. People fought and died for that piece of cloth, so that Mr Kaepernick could do his ‘protest’. If they did not, he would be picking cotton in German-occupied US. Or worse.
You don’t bite the hand that feeds you and feeds you well. Once you do, you may get slapped by the same hand.
Didn’t England get fined for having a poppy on their shirts this year?
People were outraged about Fifa trying to stop them honoring our war dead with a tiny flower on their shirts
We should be able to honour our fallen heroes but not fallen victims of police brutality
Patriotism in sports is generally quite widespread but not really in Britain.
You will get the national anthems for the cup finals but not as a whole.
In Serbia before every football league match they do some sort of patriotic ritual before kick-off.
In South America the Brazilian clubs will play their national anthem in the Copa Libertadores games but don’t think they do this for general domestic league matches.
People 100% have the right to be offended. I just wanna know how this action upsets them How can a republican be upset that a man kneels but not be upset if said man stands but doesn’t actually sing? What’s the difference, neither are fully showing ‘respect’ I don’t support the royal family so I don’t sing my national anthem. If I stood there in silence people would find it respectful? But I don’t respect them and I’ll say that openly. There’s no difference between me standing in silence because I boycott that song and him kneeling because he is… Read more »
China,
Have you just seriously compared the war dead (mostly fighting a good cause) with some two-bit crooks who played stupid games and won stupid prizes? Most of these BLM highlighted cases ended up being the correct cases of the use of firearms. It is simple: comply, don’t run, don’t try to be a smartass when you are on the wrong side of the barrel of a gun.
Crime statistics don’t lie: if he cared about black lives so much, he should perhaps look at black on black murder rates first and foremost.
Might be some truth in this:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/alisher-usmanov-set-use-600million-13204265
Also having grown up in the 90s and 2000s in Bristol, I never heard anyone describe Nike as being more associated with black athletes. In my school days adiidas and Nike were about equally popular and considered interchangeable at my school. Kids would buy a pair of predators this year and total 90s the next. Just a question of if you preferred a tick or some stripes where I’m from
AH,
There probably is. Duchatelet would bite his hand off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8
…and there is a difference: you are just not singing the anthem, not making gestures. Also, I presume you are not a public persona doing this in your ‘job’
Tackling white on black violence and black on black violence are not mutually exclusive actions. Why would they be? You don’t have to wait until black on black violence is resolved before police brutality towards blacks needs to be stopped. And tackling police brutality should actually be quite achievable if you work on methods to break the blue wall of silence and police always protecting their own There are dozens of social-economic and cultural reasons for high levels of black on black crime which will take generations to solve and need progress from many institutions and areas of society (of… Read more »
Adidas always more popular overall in Britain than Nike.
Nike was at it’s most popular in Britain coinciding with the Michael Jordan phenomena.
Adidas overall saw them off though.
I’d say Puma is/was more street chic than Nike.
As said before Nike was proper sporty.
As far as I’m concerned it’s not just a police vs blacks issue, it’s a police vs people issue There are far too many cases you can literally find videos of of shocking police brutality that has gone unpunished I saw a video where a homeless guy with a mental condition was stopped and questioned by the police. The guy was different due to some kind of autism perhaps. Anyway he was not aggressive or threatening, just really confused and didn’t tell the officer his name. 5 minutes later and without him having been remotely aggressive or confrontational, he was… Read more »
Adidas gazelles killed Nike for street wear.
So many wearing the gazelles when they came on the market.
China, I am sorry, but it is not like everyone needs to wait and adjust for the blacks sorting their shit out. Let’s be serious now, shall we? Equality is equality: equal opportunities, equal responsibilities. The issues stem from stuff like majority of black kids being raised by a single parent and knowing nothing else but being fed by the state or being ‘gangsta’. Hood rats breed more hood rats. Simple. It is the welfare culture that broke the black community. Here is a radical idea: why don’t they sort this out themselves? Police may have some sort of bias.… Read more »
Nobody needs to wait for anything. I support action from black communities and the police to improve things We don’t need to pick sides in this fight because black on black violence and police brutality are both evil. I tolerate neither. If the same was true of white British people I wouldn’t feel satisfied with police being let off for killing my innocent son just because other white people behave badly This idea of police being let off contributed to the feeling of victimization in society and alienates black communities further. Just as police may be wary of black people… Read more »
^^^we’re still doing this…..
targeted to the guy with the odd name ‘Sug or whatever’. Nice points China though.