Listen, I simply won’t tolerate it on this website. I will not have you laughing at Aston Villa. They are trying to be elite, people. It’s not funny that the team that went to great lengths to extract Emile from us this summer has now lost 5 games on the bounce in the League. I don’t think it’s amusing to point out that the last time they tasted victory was September 18th. Don’t even dare try to trigger me by saying ‘only two teams have conceded more than Villa this season’ (20) because I like Emi Martinez and he’s dealing with separation issues. None of this is funny and I truly hope their ‘elite’ summer signings some of our fans were pointing at come good… especially those that said they’d prefer Danny Ings to Alex Lacazette.
Now we’ve set the ground rules, can talk about what needs to happen tomorrow? Yes we can.
We need a win.
The club has done a lot of very good work in Phase 3. My target was 10 from 12. If we do the business against Watford, we could be on for that exact number. I suspect that a win will put us firmly in the top 4 mixer. West Ham has been one of the standout sides in the Premier League this calendar year, but I think it’ll be very, very tough for them to take 3 points off Liverpool. United were bounced 2-0 by City (lolololol). That’s as far as it goes for top 4 competition right now.
Win the game should be top 4 proper. No post-Christmas tables for us. That is GOOD news. Not that I want to hang on that post-Christmas table, but are we about ready to admit that the form was more predictive than many gave credit for? 5 months of continuous form was always a good sample, amazing that it was a debate. But, we were in a world where people were getting upset by the use of the word project, so there we are.
The Watford game is very winnable, but the focus simply has to be there. We don’t want the players reading too much of their good press and Arteta needs to make sure they know that you have to show up, even in the games that aren’t sexy. You make top 4 by racking up points in the winnable games. This is the sort of game that should start to form bread and butter, but I’m not sure we’re there yet.
The team has had the luxury of a week off again. There will be a full squad to pick from. I’m not sure there’s much reason to change what is working. There is always the challenge of finding balance. A squad is a living being. If you only water part of it, the neglected areas can wither and die. That’s why there might be some rotation at some point. Martin Odegaard might get some minutes and we could see some changes elsewhere.
Or maybe we’re in ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ territory. I don’t know, I’m not the coach, leave me alone.
Arsenal are making a big deal of Arteta’s first 100 games on the .com. It’s been a literal rollercoaster. But finally, it looks like we’re getting some traction as we head back up the table.
Has it been a success so far?
Depends how you want to frame it. On a football level, it hasn’t been… yet. But I think the Arsenal project so far has been bigger than results, it’s involved more people than just the coach, and it’s been harder work than anyone suspected it would be.
We’ve shipped out a lot of bad eggs, about 21 I think.
We’ve weathered the most consequential mitigating circumstance in sporting history.
We’ve brought in a whole batch of new players that are young, vibrant, and full of character
We continue to give chances to an exciting group of Hale-Enders.
We sacked our Football Director.
We pivoted hard on a new, more modern strategy
The culture at the club has taken a huge reboot.
Arteta is talking about ‘unity’ as the identity he has at Arsenal. I’m not quite sure that’s an identity, but it’s certainly the output of a lot of change, and we can see it on the pitch. We can even see it by the deals that are getting signed by players. Last season was about the young players pulling us to higher levels, this season, it’s about everyone doing that. So you have to salute the work and hope it lasts. Whatever happens with Arteta, you can’t deny that he’ll leave the club in a better state than he found it. Could you say the same of Jose Mourinho who joined Spurs at the same time? How about Carlo Ancellotti? How about Ole G at United?
Arsenal took the hard option when they went with Arteta, but the upsides still feel more tantalizing than if we’d moved on Rafa Benitez. We took the hard option on transfers this summer, fans went nuts about the deals, but it’s hard to deny the direction was wrong. We’re still on a long-term path and that will come with some pain, but this sustainable approach, when it finally delivers, will have us competing at the very highest levels for the very biggest trophies.
It’s exciting. There are no victory laps, but if you have a good plan, good ideas, a good culture, and everyone is united around the singular mission… you have a chance of doing great things.
So let’s see where the 100th game goes.
First
Pedro, so was Arteta’s promotion from coach to manager and Edu’s co-equal a good move then………. since as you say the club is on a great path to success?
You just know there has been too much positivity and hope recently, that we will end up dropping points tomorrow
Tr4phy. Is that how it works?
I’m with Dan.. whenever results all go our way the day before our match.. I start getting nervous. It never seems to work out,. Although, it did last week. Or I just might need therapy.. Probably the latter.
Anyhow, therapy aside.. I’m very excited about almost every match now.. So that has to be seen as a sign of progress in my book.
Win tomorrow and we go 6 points from top!
Huge game now.
4 points from the next 2 games and I’m happy
Midwest, I get the same impending dread that we won’t capitalise. Good work from Burnley today, I didn’t see that coming!
Oh and people pimping Villa last summer as the sign of progress and what we should be aspiring to need to hold up their hand and admit they hadn’t a clue what they were talking about. Lots of tears over Buendia and a media driven story about ESR wanting to go there by my recollection.
Pedro, if I may abide by the rules also; Aston Villa in for ESR was a bit like a skid marked and urine scented alcoholic on a 5 day bender in for your mrs.. I’m just not having it.
Tuchel losing his shit on a touch line almost as good as Chelsea dropping points.
Painful viewing Ole explaining United performances in his post match comments when everyone knows he’s completely out of his debth.
Yep Burnley and CP got it done today.. If Newcastle somehow get points off of .. Brighton.. it will be a clean sweep of midtable Clubs faultering and leaving us there to surge ahead. . And that makes me very nervous..
The points average from the first 10 games if replicated across the season would see us finish 7th based on last year’s figures – tomorrow is the type of game we must win if we’re to improve
Our position is easy to explain: 1. We lost 3 games with new players settling, key players missing, and two of those games were against the PL + European Champions, two established + settled teams, and the majority’s of our fans pissed the bed….. 2. Norwich (Home) Burnley (Away) AFC Wimbledon (League Cup) Spurs (Home) (we’ve lost once in the league at home in 23 years) Brighton (Away)Palace (Home) Villa (Home) Leeds (Home) (League Cup) Leicester (Away) We dropped 2 points at home to Palace, but gained them back away to Leicester, things have just balanced out, after a relatively… Read more »
Midwest, I never got the Buendia hype tbh, but Grealish was for me the league’s MVP last season and the difference between Villa being competitive and a relegation candidate.
Their record after his injury last season clearly said so.
One thing we found out from the Manchester Derby. Playing back five against City is not going to work. You won’t have enough players to stop City’s passing game.
Tom true.. what Grealish does is very unique. He only has one speed straight ahead with the dribble drive and he is brilliant at it. I think a lot of the hype was we clearly needed help in our midfield and bascially every half decent midfielder in the Prem League was linked to us. For example, Ill admit I wanted Maddison but not at the price they were asking.
Newcastle concede a softer pen than one United should’ve conceded earlier.
VAR and God work in mysterious ways.
Newcastle look like a relegation side to me.. Struggling to get even a touch on the ball like some of those old Derby county and Fulham sides of old days that got relegated. . Brighton fans Ole’ ing them in the first half! hahaha Emery definintely made the right decision passing on that mess. His team now is in a good position in the CL if not in the La Liga table. I thought he would be a little bit crazy to take on a team who will have to scrap for even 1 point every match and the pressure… Read more »
we go 6 points from top!
Title run incoming!!
3 points is the only acceptable outcome tomorrow. It’s just sad we’re not playing Utd sooner. Wouldn’t mind a trip to OT right about now.
Whatever happens with Arteta, you can’t deny that he’ll leave the club in a better state than he found it. Could you say the same of Jose Mourinho who joined Spurs at the same time? How about Carlo Ancellotti? How about Ole G at United? Arsenal took the hard option when they went with Arteta, but the upsides still feel more tantalizing Good objective post Pedro I’m excited about the rebuild Great vision with immense potential. This vision was KSE instigated so kudos to them Took a lot of courage to move in this direction Last few games have been… Read more »
Midwest
Newcastle also apparently getting Howe, strange appointment.
He’s not the guy I would be handing £200m to for a rebuild and a lot of that needed in January as you are right, as they are they will be relegated.
I agree on Newcastle Mid
It will be an immense pleasure to see them go down
WE
Howe appointment speaks to the appeal of the club
They’re gonna struggle with recruitment and if they’re relegated they’ll be in real trouble lol
What happened with the overmars recruitment 🤣🤣
I think Arteta’s century is worthy of celebration. It’s a signal that his rookie days are over, we now have an experienced manager. And one with a clear vision of the Club’s future, not a mercenary who will move on.
Eagle –
This Januaury will be interesting as hell for them, that’s for sure. I saw Coutinho is on the front burner for them.. not sure how that would work out. Might be a Willian type move for them.. They might not care about money but I wonder how they will feel about being in the Championship? They could set a record in Januaury for spending at this rate if they are going to rescue them this season.
Newcastle are going to be in a dog fight this season, not the favourites for relegation, but certainly 1 of the favourites Howe is a good choice, knows the league inside out and plays good football, his job will be to keep them up, and stabilise them Managers come + go, but the appointment they need to get right is the footballer director, it’s a strange move appointing a new manager, before appointing the guy who’s going to implement the overall vision The should have thrown everything at a top Director Of Football, and then let him oversee the managerial… Read more »
EB
Your arteta adulation is well…commendable
Joe Willy needs his agent Pierre to get in touch with Howe. So he can get into the starting lineup.
Sly
Newcastle were lucky Emery turned them down, Howe is a much better choice. Right now their priority must be to stay in PL, and Howe did that for Bournemouth for years. He’ll be looking for a quick fix in Jan, and save the big deals for the summer.
Newcastle would do well to stay away from big name transfers + big wages
PL teams outside the European places, can pick off players from any clubs they want outside of 12-15 across the entire world
There’s no short term fixes to reach the very top in this division, money could help, but only if they make a lot of very astute decisions on a medium to long term period
Oh nice,, I think I Le Grove jinxed Newcastle.. hahahaa
This might work out in our favor yet. Today.
1-1
Great point EB
Will still be a scrap for them
Epic Brighton Keeper foul? Var check. Incoming.
Fascinating turn of events
Red Card. Newcastle. going for it now. . My job of Reverse jinxing Brighton is done 😀
This is ending in our favor so much it’s scary. All the results setting us up for tomorrow.
Dunk in goal… hahaa wonder when the last time he did that was?
You have to say we’ve been extremely lucky with the results these past few weeks. Looking very good.
Crazy finish… Ok then… Let’s get it done tomorrow !! Come on you Gunners!
Norwich coach sucked
Midwest. What did he suck?. Do tell
Sorry, I meant Lil Mozzie
https://twitter.com/legrove/status/1457051453558775810?s=21
Even goldbridge is in on the project
Haha Global you had me confused.. which happens a lot.. actually… Didn’t Norwich win today? Bizarre timing on sacking a manager.
Maybe Norwich heard a rumour Ole may be available. Going for a sure fire upgrade
Banter FC lost again I see 🙂
Would like to see this tomorrow:
…………Ramsdale
…….White Gabriel
Tomiyasu…….Tierney
……Partey Sambi
Saka Odegaard Smith Rowe
..……Aubameyang
“Joe Willy needs his agent Pierre to get in touch with Howe. So he can get into the starting lineup.”
Howe knows what he’s doing , Willock will save Newcastle’s season again..
Put him behind st Max and wilson and the goals will come, willock’s movement in the box will create space for those 2.
Rich
“Would like to see this tomorrow:………
…Ramsdale
…….White Gabriel
Tomiyasu…….Tierney
……Partey Sambi
Saka Odegaard Smith Rowe
..……Aubameyang”
Why ?
Pedro-nice post but you’re pulling that 21 bad eggs shipped out of somewhere other than factual data.
Pedro, I’m not sure going with Arteta was the hard option given that he was the only candidate. I just don’t see the grand design behind his appointment compared to David Dein’s decision to appoint Arsene Wenger, which was also baffling at the time. I’d also suggest that Don Raul picked a novice he thought he could control. I think you’ll agree that Raul’s vision is about as imaginative as a half-a-pound of mince given his agent’s led approach to player recruitment. But, Raul’s exit, may, in hindsight go down as one of the most significant choices in Arsenal’s history.… Read more »
Rich,
Prefer to have Laca in the false 10 role, going hard at it for 60 minutes or so.
Then he can be replaced by Odegaard.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10172753/Arsenal-director-Josh-Kroenke-vows-club-NOT-sale-wants-win-Champions-League.html
Rich
That is one hell of an interview, a lot to digest, too much for me at this time of night. But a couple of things are clear. The Kroenkes will not be selling the Club to Ek. Another is that Arteta is here to stay, come what may.
And I get a whiff that the idea of European super-leagues run by the Clubs is far from over. I’ve said often before that run properly – not the nutty Liverpool non-competitive version – a two league promotion/relegation version would be great viewing for fans like ourselves.
Pedro,
You should do a crossover with this Goldbridge guy before our Utd game on the podcast. Never heard of him before but he’s pretty good. Like a slightly less tabloid version of AFTV. Would be fun.
Just read that the club have agreed a deal for Vlahovic. Any one know more?
Zimmie,
Seems to be the same situation as with Sassuolo and Locatelli. The club is shopping him around but the player wants Juventus. Apparently the Fiorentina directors met with the Spuds too while they were in town.
Well, I hope things work out, I really like the little bit I’ve seen of him.
A win today will see us 6 points off the top.
I’m not asking or expecting the team to win the league, but the longer we can stay in that sort of distance of the top the better our season will be.
The footballing gods smiled on us yesterday and I hope again today. On paper this is a good win for us, especially if we continue with 442 for a full 45minutes, for the first half instead of 30 the usual minutes. We know what we need to do, so no need to spell it out here and it’s all on Arteta selecting the teams sans handbrake. For some completely unknown and non calculated reason, I see us winning 3:1 in a bruising encounter. However, as many long-term readers will attest I am about as good at predicting scores as I… Read more »
China aim for 1st and settle for 4th.
If we aim for 4th we’ll probably get 6th or 7th.
A win against Watford might not seem like a big thing but for me it will be a subtle a very important SHIFT in mentality. A win against Watford will be proof to me that we are tougher mentally and we mean business. Since the break up of the Invincibles subsequent Arsenal sides have more often than not failed to take advantage when their rivals falter. However if we win versus Watford it will be a huge marker to us that we have climbed that HUGE HUGE mental mountain that every winning side needs to go on and do something… Read more »
My starting side for tomorrow
Ramsdale
Tomiyasu – White – Gabs – Nuno Tavares
Partey – Odegaard
Saka ————— ESR
Lacazette —— Auba
Subs:
Leno, AMN, Martinelli, Pepe, Nketiah, Sambi, Holding, Tierney, Elneny*
*If Patino is available and Arteta feels he’s ready have him on the bench.
Still have a hard time believing we handed our club to a guy with zero managerial experience at all. Zero. Pete is always talking about the behavior of elite organizations, well that isn’t it. That was not the hard choice, it was batshit crazy. Crazy. One of the largest most prestigious clubs in the world. An out and out rookie. Diabolical stuff. Crazier still, maybe it’s working? I mean, we actually look pretty good in fits and starts. If we’re lucky with injuries, keep progressing, top four isn’t totally out of the question right? It’s very odd because on one… Read more »
With everything in disarray at Norwich, is time for us to put an opportunistic bid for Max Aarons? They will need the money, and they will want to get his wages off the books.
Anyone else in Norwich we should be looking at? Osman Foyo apparently is their best youth prospect…
Leedsgunner
Eye test tells me Aarons really isnt all that , the real smart move would be Livramento from Southampton.
RB is already sorted. For a long time too
Re was it worth it taking a pint on arteta and sticking with him. I think the jury is out but there’s much more renewed optimism Winning the FA cup was fantastic. Loved that. This season has been rescued (so far) from the bin. It’s been a really good turnaround. We’re still early days in the season, tho and I’m a little worried about what an injury to Partey would mean for us as Lokonga is the only other senior CM I want anywhere near the starting 11 and he is also young and learning, still inconsistent. I’m also wary… Read more »
Like Ramsdale has looked world class so far, but I don’t yet expect him to be world class. I’m still holding off on that. If he’s on the form of his life we will be disappointed when he reverts to his real level later. I’d rather give him full credit for this current form but not expect it to continue to avoid disappointment
Yeah RB for me is not a high priority. Would much rather we set out our long term plan for CF and long term plan for CM.
If lokonga is the guy at CM, fine, but we still need to upgrade on xhaka as 3rd choice as he’s really not good enough to even be 3rd choice.
Likewise at CF auba and laca’s ages and contract situations have all but confirmed we need to do something there. Waiting to see what that is
We should buy a cheap backup (Ryan type) and sell Leno imo.
His days are numbered. He wants out. He’s not our best keeper. Let’s get some money for him while we still can and get a cheap safe backup to replace him at a good net profit
Bellerin, torreira, presumably Guen, auba/laca/both, Pepe (if we replace him), xhaka, el neny, soares, mari are all sellable imo without major impact to the squad (expect at CF)
We need direct competition at goalkeeper, putting players in the comfort zone is a terrible idea
It’s a difficult position to manage, particularly without European football, but if Leno want out, we need a keeper who’ll snap at Ramsdale’s heels, and also provide adequate cover in case of injury or suspension
We seen what happened to Leno, he went from being only behind Aubameyang as our player of the season in 2019/20 before his injury, when he had Martinez breathing down his neck
To switching off last season when he had Runarrson to compete with
China
Tomiyasu gets injured and we are down to Cedric/Chambers . Why isnt a good backup a priority ?
Rich I see your point. Divine I think Chambers/Soares are passable as backups (nothing more but nothing less) I’d be glad to see them upgraded so we’ve got the same as at LB with two serious looking options, but my main priority is CM and CF. If partey gets injured I suspect we’re fucked in midfield because I really like Sambi but think he needs time to kick on and as well the replacements are CM are inbelievably average in xhaka and el neny. You can say the same about chambers and Soares but CM is the most influential position… Read more »
Midfield should have been seriously addressed in the summer , but I guessed we gambled on Xhaka . But a cheap young option like Livramento shouldnt be passed on .
Janky I am 100% with you on this one. It’s pretty much my stance with Arteta. I am 100% on the fence with him. I 100% agree that he should be nowhere near this job at this stage of his career. He should be building his experience, starting at a smaller club and working his way up (like PV4 has done), just like a High Potential would be doing in the corporate world. The first 2 years with him has pretty much been him learning on the job. Hence is many negative records he broke with us. But the last… Read more »
I am suspecting surprising goalscorer , Tavares fx we need to be energised right from the start
and we might need a goal from Auba ..
Pep has turned Gabriel Jesus into a top class goalscoring and assist making wide player who is now keeping players like sterling, mahrez and Grealish out of the starting line up.. For me, we have have a player in Eddie Nketiah who is more than capable of doing the same job as Jesus…..IF GIVEN THE CHANCE. Eddie has the strenghth , pace , work rate and goalscoring ability to play the wide role. Of course Arteta is holding the contract situation againdt Eddie which is a pity as he welcomed Xhaka back with open arms when he made it obvious… Read more »
Pierre, I like Eddie, I’d like us to keep him and use him as an internal replacement for Lacazette But we’ve got no European football, Eddie isn’t going to start on the left ahead of Smith Rowe, and he’s not going to start on the right ahead of Saka We’ve got a manager under pressure, so I’m not surprised he’s turned to the experience of Lacazette + Aubameyang It’s difficult for a manager to pick players who aren’t committed to the club in the medium to longer term, in favour of ones who are Which is 1 of the reasons… Read more »
The squad depth is fine for this season other than the African Cup weeks, but if we get back into Europe we will need to add more quality. With luck some of the academy players may be able to step up.
Rich “We’ve got a manager under pressure, so I’m not surprised he’s turned to the experience of Lacazette + Aubameyang” Rubbish Lacazette is playing due to Odegaard picking up an injury …he is the only experienced player brought into the side, the rest have been replaced Lakonga is playing due to the more experienced xhaka picking up an injury . Tavares is playing to the more experienced Tierney picking up an injury. Smith Rowe/saka are playing instead of the more experienced Pepe Ramsdale is playing instead of the more experienced Leno. Tomiyasu is playing instead of the more experienced Cedric… Read more »
Pierre
It’s called balance, we need to find the right balance between youth + experience
A balance between tactical nous + exuberance
Arteta was under pressure after the Palace result + performance, and the way football works, he’s only 1 disappointing result from the mood turning sour again
The reality is that when Tierney + Xhaka return to fitness, both will come back into the team
Rich It’s called winning football matches playing football the fans want to see.. Experienced is over rated these days, younger players are more astute and intelligent than previously. They understand and learn the intricacies of the game at a much younger age , they learn how to conduct themselves with the media at a much younger age and can be trusted to conduct themselves well on and off the pitch. It’s no coincidence that experienced players like Lacazette, Aubamayang and xhaka had covid and our younger players didn’t. Personally, i would trust the likes of smith rowe , saka, Lakonga… Read more »
Pierre Why is it that the vast majority of teams that win the PL + CL, have an average age of 27-28? I suppose it’s not a coincidence….. You haven’t got a clue if you don’t think experience, tactical nous, and positional awareness don’t count for anything Or that it’s not easier to blood young players into a settled team that’s already built some cohesion, and know what they’re doing Look at that City team yesterday, the maturity they played with, they had 3 players under 25 Dias 24, Foden 21, Jesus 24 When City + Liverpool drew a few… Read more »
Rich “You haven’t got a clue if you don’t think experience, tactical nous, and positional awareness don’t count for anything” And as i said , our young players understand tactical and positional awareness more than our experienced players… I trust them more on and off the pitch than i trust the more experienced players.. Our young players have more more maturity on and off the pitch than Aubamayang, Lacazette and xhaka….covid is the proof of their immaturity off the pitch. I think it’s telling that Arteta has ditched the experienced experiment that was a disaster and is now putting his… Read more »
Josh Kroenke is reported in this weekend’s press as stating that the Kroenke family are in for the duration and despite receiving “many offers” to buy the club will not be selling. He has also pointed out that KSE have only “owned” the club since 2018 when they bought the shares of Usmanov and other minority interests. He went on to make clear that the club’s strategy is promote young players from the Academy and U23s as well as recruiting from elsewhere young players in positions where required. That plan speaks for itself when you look at the players who… Read more »
Pierre Does your opinion that experience is over-rated in sport extend to the ‘inexperience’ of Arteta? I certainly hope so. The objections to Arteta always puzzled me, after all we had experienced two experienced managers – Wenger and Emery – who had failed to deal with the functional problems at the Club. We needed a younger guy to change the ‘culture’ (as Josh puts it). For me it was a judgement of character as much as anything – and Arteta struck me as honest, forthright, straigtforward. Oh, and by the way, now in his 100th game as manager, Arteta qualifies… Read more »
Emiratestroller I read the Kroenke piece. Low level PR. To my mind it meant precisely nothing. Of course he’s going to say the club aren’t for sale and that he has a plan. The real question is what was the previous plan and why didn’t it work. What the fuck have they been doing since they first bought the club. Precisely fuck all is my take.
PV4 quietly getting things done at CP.
Made for the EPL as a player and now made for the EPL as a manager.
What a legend.
Pierre, what we’re trying to do is build team cohesion, which we’ve lacked for a long time now We’re at the beginning of a new cycle, and are attempting to build a team with players who we can keep together for the medium to longer term This young team isn’t designed to compete for the title in the immediate, it’s designed to compete in 2 years time, providing we keep it together, and add well We’ve fielded 9 out of the 10 youngest starting elevens in the league this season, at times we’ve had 8 players under the age of… Read more »
Englandbest “Does your opinion that experience is over-rated in sport extend to the ‘inexperience’ of Arteta? I certainly hope so.” I don’t look at experience as an age thing. What I’m saying , as you well know, is that young players now have the tools and are much more educated within the system to cope with the pressures as say a george best or Gascoigne who were allowed to fend for themselves. Can also put adams and merson into that category Young players show more maturity now than ever before and consequently can be considered experienced at a much younger… Read more »
Rich Whichever way you look at it , we lòok a better football team with the less experienced players on the pitch , and to me , that’s all that matters. Playing xhaka or whoever because they give you experience is a policy that’s doomed to fail, it’s all about winning football matches and performing on the pitch, and under Arteta , the experienced players have continually let him down, whilst the young players have saved him his job. Because despite what kronke says, we qere going nowhere 10 months ago with an experienced team and now this inexperienced team… Read more »
The Bard Disagree. I know cynicism is the order of the day, but Josh comes across as someone who is – dare I say it – honest, forthright straightforward. And, more to the point, what is happening at the Club mirrors his words. Nobody was more anti-Stan than me – but I always hoped he would come to realise his obligation to the Club as owner. It seems he has – and probably because Josh twisted his arm. Indeed Josh has dated the moment as when KSE became sole owner. None of this should be too surprising. Josh is 41… Read more »
Pierre
How about answering my question???
EB
“but Josh comes across as someone who is – dare I say it – honest, forthright straightforward. And, more to the point, what is happening at the Club mirrors his words.”
He has chosen the right moment to show his face, a nice little unbeaten run and up he pops.
One couldn’t imagine him appearing last christmas, or after emery knocked us out of europe , or after the opening 3 matches of the season.
If that’s your idea of honest then maybe you are a little gullible.
Pierre November 7, 2021 09:44:53 I agree with Pierre. Had we actually planned to go down the youth route, it would have been apparent under Emery or early Arteta. The fact that it was only a few games into the season for Per to tell us what the plan is. Which is where i link up with what Bard said in his post on November 7, 2021 10:47:25. For me the club have been making it up as they go a long due to the fact the remit is just to make top 4. Anyway, I am happy that we… Read more »
Pierre Experience at the very highest level is vital I agree with you about the level of young players coming through is higher than it has been at any point during my lifetime, and that will likely go into overdrive over the next 10-20 years But the idea you can throw 11 young players together, and expect them to compete with experienced teams like Chelsea, City, Liverpool, over 38 games, is unrealistic Listen to the top pundits, they regularly say that the people they learnt from when they started out, where the experienced professionals in the dressing room We have… Read more »
… experienced manager leading the youth.