Mikel Arteta continued to progress his charm offensive on the fan base.
Jack Wilshere is now officially training with us.
“He wants to do his coaching badges again and we are prepared to fulfil all the needs that he wants. That is basically the idea and it is no further than that.
“He is going to be training sometimes with us, he is going to be around the place, he is going to be continuing his coaching badges that he is very interested in, try to get him fit, try to get his experiences across to our players, our young players, our academy and I think it is great influence to have around.”
No two ways about it, this is a very sharp piece of manoeuvring from the backroom team.
- Fans love the player. Being the club that lifts up an exPro when they are at a low is just a feel-good story and it makes us all feel warm and fuzzy inside. Far better than feeling like a toxic demon is living on your gut feasting on good vibes.
- We have the youngest starting 11 in the Premier League. Jack Wilshere is in his late twenties. He has tasted highs like being the best player on the pitch against the best Barcelona team ever. He’s also tasted some pretty dreadful lows. Both of those experiences are extremely relevant to players finding their feet in new careers.
- The Hale-Enders, without doubt, will have had a poster up in the changing rooms and maybe even their bedrooms. Jack was a major, major name when they were plotting their routes to the top. Having him at the training ground will be special.
I suspect Arteta sees a bit of himself in the Jack situation. His injury issues weren’t ever as bad as the one’s Jack has dealt with, but he was a miserable shit during his last season with Arsenal and he’ll know exactly what his mental state is like right now. When Mikel was on the physio table, what was he doing? Plotting coaching moves. It’s interesting that Jack is leaning on the club to help him there.
I love the move. Could there be a fairytale at the end of it? Who knows. But for now. Let’s wish Jack Wilshere the best of luck with his rehab.
Newcastle United are selling out to Saudi Royalty. Slagging off another club just got a little bit riskier. Why is the deal going through? Because they solved for… illegal streaming. Can you believe it? The thing holding up the deal was piracy, not all the other delightful things their rulers get up to. Grim, grim, grim.
Newcastle fans won’t give a shit. They are about to be elevated into the stratosphere when it comes to money. The group running the show will invest in the City, the arts, the schools, they’ll invest in the club facilities, and they’ll spend an absolute shit tonne of money to make the team competitive.
Am I worried? Not really.
The Premier League should be viewed a little like a property market. If you got into New York property in the 70s as a rich man, you’re making a killing. Go there now with a billion and you are not making the same margins.
The first movers were Chelsea and City. Outside that, billionaire owners haven’t really made much of a dent. You need to be smart to succeed in the richest league in the world. Maybe Newcastle United will be that, but there are no guarantees.
Even in the world of petrodollars, Liverpool beat City to the title and still compete at the highest level.
We’ve seen Spurs in a Champions League final.
We’ve seen Lyon and Leipzig make Champions League semis.
There’s a diminishing return on being mega-rich. Just look at the state of Everton to confirm that.
Newcastle can’t stockpile the best players like Chelsea did in the 2000s.
Even when you can stockpile players, it doesn’t mean you’ll succeed.
United has spent as much as City since Ferguson left. What do they have to show for it?
PSG bought every elite free transfer this summer. They spent £80m on a right back. They were beaten by Rennes at the weekend. A club with a wage bill two-thirds of what Lionel Messi earns. They haven’t won the Champions League yet.
Even City, who do things properly, can’t win in Europe.
Mike Skinner, a UK garage/hip hop artist from when I was very young, once said that being around famous people at awards ceremonies took him right back to being bang average… because everyone in the bar equalised out. It was better to seek out ladies in Colchester Hippodrome. That’s how I feel about this move. Standing out in a bar when everyone is wearing a Rolex is tougher.
… but hey, who the fuck knows.
What we do know is the Premier League has absolutely no shame and as fans we’ll soon forget what it all stands for. No one asks how the sausage is made if it tastes nice… a metaphor that could work for bloggers if we’re not careful.
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Yo
Good for Jack
…
Tr4phy
Jack is back.. Love that photo… should be holding a Martini though.. shakin not stirred. If he wants to get his coaching badges good for him.. That’s one thing that always bothered me about Wenger, he wasn’t intertested in bringing back Club legends and giving them the opportunity to coach in the future.. and letting them mentor the youth. Vieira and Henry have spoken about this.
Ready for Belgium v France today… Think France will nick it.
Midi, he looks so sharp. Would love to rock that look. Great feeling to have Jack in the mixer.
It can only be a positive thing about Jack, works for both parties. All the best to him.
The horse has bolted as far as integrity and decency in football goes.
Arseblog stated today how we are living in glass houses and shouldn’t throw stones as regards to ownership, wheras not to the lowest reaches of Newcastle’s new rulers,,we are far from squeaky clean ourselves. Indeed it is hard to find a top level club who is.
Have you not tried that haircut yet? Peds…. think you could pull that one off. If it was me I’d sit Jack down with Odegaard and let him drop some knowledge on him.. Minus the drinks and Cigarettes of course.
Mike Skinner? As in the Streets? And you were very young?
Fuck me, I’m ancient. Cheers Pedro.
Also, give Jack a PAYP contract.
I really hope it works out for Jack and the club. I saw the twitter trailer for his Athletic interview with David Ornestein and he looked so down, so this is really positive news for him. Love the photo of him Pedro.
Picture of Jack was from 2013 he was known to be the best dressed
player at the time.
Can any one help what that car is.?
Really hope Jack cracks it.
Really nice find on the photo Pedro.
Still trying to figure out how Belgium has garnered the number 1 ranking for so long. When they have won nothing. Something seriously wrong with the rankings… Saw England was ranked ahead of Italy, Spain and France as well. Might want to get a better computer nerd to do the rankings.
Chris, taking too much in tax credits is a little different to taking a bone saw to a dissenting voice.
Jack Wilshere maybe adores Arsene Wenger, but to an observer – well, me – the lad needlessly overcommitted himself, took risks he needn’t have, and if Arsene was a caring manager he would have taken the boy aside and told him to be more cautious, take it easy.
Wilshere was far and away our best prospect and, bar the injuries, might have been truly outstanding. He and Theo never reached their potential under Wenger.
https://youtu.be/t3J1fC11CBk
Mike Skinner?
My fear about the Saudis moving into Newcastle is that it will start a petro-dollars war in the transfer market between the Qataris, Russians and Saudis. It’ll take the Saudis a few of years to get their feet under the table – just in time for Arsenal’s new contingent to come of peak age. If KSE’s investment in youth pays off and all the players reach their potential, will KSE be able to refuse the massive profits on offer for their initial investment? The likely targets will be Saka, ESR, Odegaard, White, Gabriel and Ramsdale. How damaging would it be… Read more »
Pedro
Not for one moment suggesting that to be the case, as I said, Arseblog’s post this morning explains why we cannot take much moral high ground. The larger point is, football is irroveccably corrupted and being salt of the earth is not likely to take you to the top of the game for a sustained period
Jack to replace Tets for 2024/25 season
Abramovich is the chief financier of an ethnic cleansing posse in an area of Israel. Add that to his activities in Russia, and it’s clear the league has had no standards when it comes to ownership for a while now.
I don’t think the Saudis top Abra by much.
Sad, but it’s all about the green.
Nations League looks like a better competition than those wretched Euros. You got the 4 best teams in Europe in the semis, and the attractiveness of football thus far tops the Euro semis easily.
“That’s one thing that always bothered me about Wenger, he wasn’t interested in bringing back Club legends and giving them the opportunity to coach in the future.. and letting them mentor the youth.”
Not true, Midwest. Vieira and Henry just had a gripe that THEY weren’t given a chance by Wenger (and we’ll never know the real reason). But plenty of others did. Don’t have to go far with Steve Bould who was Wenger’s assistant for many years. Ljungberg, Mertesacker, and even Lehmann all got their chances as well.
Football Clubs are doing the same as any other business in UK, selling the country’s crown jewels to the highest bidder, no matter who or where they come from. Ironically, most of the buyers derive from bits of the old British Empire. I guess they see UK as a safe refuge in a threatening world. But money counts for little when, say, the food chains break down. A starving billionaire will pay his last penny for a crust of bread. And a stroke of the chancellor’s pen can commandeeer bank accounts. And Boris is a patriot who will anything he… Read more »
I like Karim Benzema’s link up play.
Upstate… Yes but did Wenger ever really push the boat out for his former players and help to mentor and lineup a replacement for himself? I would say no. Especially when it was clear many of his former players wanted a chance. Bould always came across as a personal adviser to Wenger himself a shoulder to lean on and it always felt like Freddie and Mert were more a Club Mandate then anything Wenger lead the charge on. Anyways I was always disappointed by his efforts in that regard.
Surfer, that is elite content.
What the hell? Lloris is losing it.
Bel 1 – 0
Bel 2 – 0
Wow… France is gonna have to rethink their defense.. pretty bad at the Euros and so far pretty bad today. Again though Lloris beaten near post. Hard smash by Lukaku got on him too quick I guess.
Lloris as Spursy as ever
Lloris hasn’t recovered from the first goal yet.
Should’ve come out for the second , Midwest
Yep Tom … he looks dazed and confused today… long may it continue with the Spuds.
Patrick Bamford on good old honest Sean Dyche. “While he was talking to me, he said that he was fascinated by how hard I worked and that he was so impressed, especially as my dad was a billionaire. “I didn’t have the heart to tell him my dad was an architect from Newark. He’s just a regular bloke. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Newark but it’s not the most affluent place in the country.” “There was always that stigma because I went to private school,” “It wasn’t an issue at Burnley until I started asking why I… Read more »
player manager LJW lets go
Sheesh Dyce sounds like he has a serious chip on his shoulder.
Regards to ownership.. I think if you did a deep dive into any sports league and rich owners it would be shockingly bad. I know in North American sports thats true. But you have to draw the line somewhere, murder, genocide, and terrorism … I don’t know. I suppose Sport League officials don’t want to make any moral decisions because then they would have to examine, themselves and their own financial practices.
King Benz! come back on.
Good goal from Benzema.
Things really heating up now.
Var PK.
Belgium playing like spastic in defence since HT. Pure dive to win the pen
Pedro
You’re right regarding Newcastle – nice Rolex analogy.
It won’t be easy for them though even with their petro dollars.
Wow Lukaku might have rescued it.. against the run of play. He looks so much quicker these days. Offside…. nevermind… haha
Really shitty outcome for Belgium
Whoaa Pogba almost bent that freekick in with about 10 feet of whip on it… Oh and France scores. anyways.. 3-2
Great game of football .. can’t say as either side deserve to lose.
Well Spain v France .. final should be good.
Spain the better footballing side for me.
France better individual quality.
2 great semifinals.
I’ve almost given up on international football, but these 2 games were excellent.
Now for qualifiers and 25 shitty games without a single interesting one.
“You’re right regarding Newcastle – nice Rolex analogy.
It won’t be easy for them though even with their petro dollars.“
Newcastle won’t be fishing in the Lukaku, Grealish, Sancho waters…… more like Ramsdale, White, Odegaatd waters, which means another competitor for us re potential signings.
Meanwhile USA play Jamaica….later. not quite the same quality… hahaha I bet the crowd will be pretty chill, though. Well at least the Jamiacan fan side.
Chris/Pedro
I agree that we can’t take the moral high ground as a club. There’s the Rwandan sponsorship deal which looks ver closer to be veering towards a repressive dictatorship. I’m sure we do plenty of business with China, a country currently commiting atrocities to the Uyghurs.
That doesn’t mean that fans shouldn’t speak out against inhumanity whenever it touches their clubs or football in general. It might not make an impact but to remain silent is tantamount to an endorsement of horrific behaviour.
Tom, they’ll be fishing in the Lacazette, Coutinho, Firmino, and Hulk waters.
Almost zero chance they adopt a transfer strategy like the Arsenal one. They’ll be short-term FC, they have no need to be developmental.
Bacary, struggling a bit here… Rwandan sponsorship deals or airing your games in China isn’t quite the same as having an oppressive regime own your club. The same regime that chopped up a journo.
You can pull all sorts of threads to say Arsenal are bad… but let’s be honest, this is a different level of sports washing.
Pedro, don’t disagree there.
My point was no top level player in his prime will look at Newcastle as a viable option no matter how much money they throw at him, not until they make Europa at least.
Tom, agree on that. Their best bet would be an Arsenal strategy… then add when it starts to bang like Liverpool did.
It’ll be the same for their manager. It’ll be Wenger or Carlo… versus Zidane like so many seem to think.
Pedro-of course there are degrees and being owned by an oppressive regime is clearly worse than what Arsenal have been engaged in. The point is that it is hard to take too much of a moral high ground when you have clearly shown that money is more important than values. Our hands might not be as filthy as Newcastle’s will be, but they are definitely not clean. Respected human rights organization Freedom House ranks 210 countries on people’s access to rights and civil liberties. Saudia Arabia comes in 199th, China 194th and Rwanda 170th. Having said that Russia ranked 171st… Read more »
“Bacary, struggling a bit here… Rwandan sponsorship deals or airing your games in China isn’t quite the same as having an oppressive regime own your club. The same regime that chopped up a journo.“
How soon before rival fans start chanting Newcastle manager you’ll get chopped up to pieces in the morning instead you’re getting the sack in the morning after a heavy loss I wonder.
Pedro: Hat tip to Mike Skinner reference
Happy to see the club helping Jack. That story in The Athletic was heartbreaking. He seemed to be in a dark place at the time and no wonder considering the turns his career took. I really hope this will help him get back on his feet. As for the Newcastle situation, what can you say? I had extremely low expectations for the PL people, UEFA and everyone else making the rules. Football has been a place where you can launder money and image for a while now. But even so, this is beyond the pale. Now we just need North… Read more »
I’d expect Newcastle U to spend big early, maybe even in Jan. It took Man C a while to break into the elite but they brought in top players early, like Robinho, Tevez, Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Yaya, Kompany…
Pedro “Bacary, struggling a bit here… Rwandan sponsorship deals or airing your games in China isn’t quite the same as having an oppressive regime own your club.” https://www.politico.eu/article/european-parliament-condemn-conviction-paul-rusesabagina-hotel-rwanda-kagame/amp/ ” the European Parliament said it “strongly condemns” the conviction, which it said was “exemplary of the human rights violations in Rwanda.” “several human rights organizations, as well as the U.S. State Department, have expressed concerns about the trial’s fairness. Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès openly criticized that “Rusesabagina did not receive a fair and impartial trial.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58549303.amp?espv=1 “Dominic Raab urged to block new Rwandan diplomat amid human rights concerns” https://www.channel4.com/news/arsenal-should-stop-taking-money-from-rwandan-government-says-paul-rusesabaginas-daughter You… Read more »
Midwest probably fuming Jamaica still have XI
players on
There are three reasons players choose clubs, history / status, money or an elite manager that can advance a players talent. AFC had all three of those, Newcastle can also get all three of those even though their history / status is not great. The oil money can make up for buying a top manager, will Conte sign if he gets paid enough and has the assurance of mega bucks to spend on players? Maybe. All the Saudi’s need is buy the right hierarchy in club management and put up the resources to build the club. For sure some that… Read more »
Pedro
“Even City, who do things properly, can’t win in Europe.”
You missing the point “Can’t win in Europe” may be the aim, but they made the semis and final, AFC can’t even get into to lobby of European football you should be worried.
Pedrp, Arsenal is sponsored by a Rwandan human rights abuser president which also slagged off Arteta. Your choice, Kagame or Arteta?
Pedro , Arsenal is sponsored by a Rwandan human rights abuser president which also slagged off Arteta. Your choice, Kagame or Arteta?
Pedro; Kagme or Arteta????????
Pedro, just asking for a friend: Regimes that mutilate, or regimes that decimate???????
Pedro, Kagame’s vision for the gunners is that we should rule the world. Asking for a friend, should that be bullets or bombs???????
Pedro, can you protect Arteta from Kagame given that the human rights abuser has massive access to Arsenal as a sponsor. Do you have those skills? Prove it!
Verify
Your
Truth
All the Saudis have to do is get Rangnick, Monchi or Campos in or similar and bankroll their choice to create a vision and identity for the next 5 years. Just like we should have done. Or they can do as Pedro suggests and do like Arsenal has done and solidify a mid table position for the next few years. Somehow I think the Saudis will be fired up to be the alpha football middle eastern country for the PL. Wonder how Wilcox is feeling right now? Could we tempt the Saudis in taking Arteta now he has PL experience.… Read more »
Whatever remnant of a soul football had has now gone.
Allowing those murderous, terrorist bastards in through the door is the final piece. But then it’s just alining with the deals successive governments have struck to line their own pockets.
Football is almost a different sport these days. It would be nice to start supporting a lower league club but that’s really tough from overseas.
Agreed Tony. If you have cash it’s not difficult to get a good side together. We’ve made a hash of it, partly due to the legacy of shit Wenger left and partly due to the poor decisions and weak leadership from the club since. This idea players won’t go to a “smaller” club even if the sure throwing money around is bullshit. A proper tech director and head coach and Newcastle could be competing within a couple of years. It will take longer to get the facilities etc up to scratch but the team building could happen quite quickly. Offer… Read more »
“Bacary, struggling a bit here… Rwandan sponsorship deals or airing your games in China isn’t quite the same as having an oppressive regime own your club.”
This is a straw man, Pedro. Chinese viewers and the CCP are quite different. Rwanda sponsorship is about shining the shit of a nasty regime.
@Tony
What I posted regarding getting players because the club has a manager that is recognized as being generational is vital here. Think what good Shearer would do as an ambassador of the club in convincing talent to come to Newcastle. Then get the preferred DOF and Manager plus elite coaching staff and you have yourself another top 6 competitor.
The only ones that would not sign then would be those who hate the North of England would rather stay in Italy, Germany or Spain, like Locatelli.
In edition I am really spoiled with some superb Rugby matches NZL vs SAF in the final Rugby Championship game was legendary. Starting in October Premiership, URC with 16 teams including 4 South African ones and also the Heineken Champions Cup as well as the European Challenge Cup starting in October throw in also the Autumn Internationals starting Oct 23 and there are some tasty matches ahead to fill any interlulls or dismal performances by AFC.
lol Moray.
I try to keep owners’ past sins away from the football ditto FIFA etc.
Agreed MD post Covid good times are a few years off yet so the market will act accordingly. The PL is a cash cow for lower level Euro leagues even more so now the Saudis are getting started. The vulture agents will be circling Newcastle HQ as the Saudis will be rich pickings and no doubt Raul will be found entrenched offering all his pearls of wisdom. Going to be interesting watching what they do? Will it be Saudi money scorched earth of all the top young talent and a spine of elite experience or a carefully planned approach of… Read more »
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/10/21/kagames-rwanda-is-still-africas-most-inspiring-success-story
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/25/hotel-rwanda-hero-admits-forming-armed-group-behind-attacks
Pedro, I appreciate the attempt to be positive about the effect on Arsenal’s standing of the Saudi Royal family’s take over of Newcastle. But the lesson from Arsenal’s past is that Chelsea and Man City seriously damaged Arsenal in the past. Time and again Chelsea beat us to our transfer targets and we eventually had to accept the reality that if they were in for a player, there was little chance we’d get them. Man City bought our players which reduced the quality of our team and caused enormous disruption season after season.
Newcastle haven’t, bar one or two seasons in the mid 90s, been that competitive a side for 60 yrs or so and they haven’t won the league for almost a century, I suspect their problems go deeper than not having had much money. Let’s be honest, Newcastle isn’t a bad place but it’s a bit of an outpost and location and culture matter more and more to players, especially established foreign players. Can you seriously imagine the likes of Mbappe and Harland moving to the Toon!
The car is a Jensen CV8 (1964) I looked it up. No glory.
With Newcastle being the new rich club in town, it’s just a matter of time before we start ignoring games played against them especially when we lost here on legrove like we keep hearing that Chelsea and Man City games should be ignored
Can another rich country come and buy Arsenal,it’s not funny again
8.32 Dennis B
THANK YOU.
Lovely car great photo.
The downside for Arsenal is another big-spending competitor. The upside for fans is that PL will become even more entertaining, with a flood of incoming exceptional players.
It will take Newcastle United 2-3 years to make an impact at the top. By then Arsenal should be firmly entrenched in the elite again. That’s if you believe Arteta’s the man (as I do). Otherwise we are doomed.
According to Amanda the first Newcastle signing will be a DOF. Their choice will be determine how successful they will be.
I don’t know how anyone can dismiss Newcastle as a threat. Taking aside the gulf in riches, the difference between their owners and ours is that they will want to be competing with Man City, PSG, Real Madrid and they wont want to be waiting 10 years to get there. Nothing can happen overnight, even with all the money in the world, but make no mistake, if Arteta doesn’t get this right and we have to go through another rebuild, then you can soon count Newcastle as yet another club who will be seeing us in their rear view mirror… Read more »
Matt
“””I don’t know how anyone can dismiss Newcastle as a threat”””
Newcastle as of yesterday are talking in terms of PSG and Man City – the harsh reality Arsenal, Spurs and even Man Utd will not now be in their thoughts.
The combined wealth of these ‘Saudi Geordies’ is more than all of the other owners put together.
Silent Stan looks like a pauper in comparison to MBS and Co.
No need to worry about Newcastle just yet because they will have to overturn their current squad to a large extent over time but anyone that dismisses them because of their past history is off. Man City were not exactly glittering in their past history either before their takeover. Newcastle are a big club in terms of fanbase and has the potential to get bigger because of location. They will now become the club in the North-East of England which is a large geographical area and has always been a hotbed for football and passion for the game. Those that… Read more »
James Wood
Think the car is an old Jensen CV8
And just being in the EPL is enough for Newcastle as well for the Saudis because the league itself is where it’s at for these sort of take overs.
You didn’t see the Saudis rushing over to Germany to take over a club like Schalke in the past when they were in the Bundesliga because the league itself is not seen as the place to be and Schalke are another with a very big fanbase and mad for football area in that part of Germany. Just as big of a fanbase as Newcastle if not bigger.
Joe Willock bin Salman!
Willock must be excited by the project over there!
lol Joe Willock may require to seek another club in the not too distant future.
Don’t tell Pierre though.
Matt
Yep, it’s Arteta or nothing.
Any switch from him will be lethargic and ponderous, leaving us in the wake of a resurgent Newcastle. Anybody who has watched a game at St James (is that still the name?) knows the passion and commitment of the populace. Its position make the ground the centre-piece of the city. Nobody desrves success more than the Geordies.
Fortunately under Arteta we are well along the process, two years ahead of them.
“”””Ishola70October 8, 2021 10:44:03
lol Joe Willock may require to seek another club in the not too distant future.””””
Arsenal? 50m, Loooool