DAVID DEIN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

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We have a VERY special podcast to share with you. We were lucky enough to have the LEGENDARY David Dein on our latest podcast. He is currently promoting a book named CALLING THE SHOTS – How to Win in Football and in Life.

I want to win in both areas, so we had a lovely chat with one of the most iconic football execs EVER to have graced a boardroom. The man that pioneered the Premier League, the guy that plucked Wenger out of Japan, one of the most successful transfer brokers we’ve ever seen, and an extremely trophied man.

The podcast is wide-ranging, but we talk about all the good bits. How he worked his ideas into the club early on, meeting Wenger, selling the club on him, how he chased down Sol Campbell, and some great bits on the Super League. There are also lots of great threads about being good at business. I loved it. What an absolute gentleman he is.

If you love Arsenal, you will love this podcast.

It is also worth noting that by purchasing the book here, you’ll be giving to charity because all the proceeds are going to causes like the Twinning Project, which connects prisons and football clubs.

ENJOY THE WORK. Buy his book here. It really is a great read.

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WengerEagle

Un

He doesn’t rank higher than Henry as a goalscorer, Thierry literally has a better strike rate in the PL than Kane does.

And he was a much more complete player as you say. I don’t see why Aguero is penalised because he played for City either, seems stupid.

Kane has been indulged at Spurs in a way that he never would have been at City had he have moved there.

WengerEagle

And saying that Van Nistelrooy was a better goalscorer than Henry in the PL is complete nonsense. If it is the CL that we are talking about, sure.

But Henry was the PL King and outscored RVN in every season bar one where he also got 20 PL assists and only finished 1 PL goal behind him.

Tom

“I don’t see why Aguero is penalised because he played for City either, seems stupid.“

WEagle , Haaland scored 22 goals in 1,915 minutes in Bundesliga last season and 15 in 750 minutes with City this term.
Surely it hasn’t been due to his personal growth as a player has it.

LoveSausage

Disappointing game from BHA. They move the ball too slowly in attack, allowing the spuds to put 8-9 players in their own box. That Japanese guy is the only player on their team doing something unpredictable.

GD4

Ughhh come in Brighton

Mr Serge

Un can you stop with the Kane love in please he is a lispy twat

WengerEagle

Tom

I get that but there is the other side of it as well, take Grealish for example.

It is not a given that players go to elite clubs and improve, some players suit being the big fish in the small pond more.

Could literally give you dozens of examples. It is not a given that Kane would go from a 30 goal a season player at Spurs to a 40+ goal a season one at City like Un claims.

We will never know now anyway.

Tom

Haaland had zero involvement in build up play and next to zero involvement in defending vs Copenhagen, and his four touches in first half were all shot on goal, two of which were goals.
I’ve never seen anything like this , ever.
He gets all the credit for his ability to find space and the finishing, but to deny City is probably the only side around able to afford him such luxury would be nuts..

Chris

Bournemouth are 8th on 12 points with a goal difference of -12. Might just be me but not sure I have seen anything like that at this stage of the season!

MidwestGun

Very disappointing result. Brighton didn’t really show up.

WengerEagle

He averages a goal a game regardless of who he plays for Tom or what competition.

For Dortmund in both the league and CL he averaged a goal a game.

For Norway he also averages a goal a game. So it is safe to say he would score goals anywhere and it is not just because he plays for City.

Chris

There’s something darkly poetic about Newcastle thrashing an honest, well run community club like Brentford 5-1, on the anniversary of their Saudi take over. Where the toon will be in another year after another £200-300 million squad investment, only time will tell but it is likely to be in the top 6. When the oil backed City buy a goal scoring for it for a relative pittance, it’s hard not to ignore the futility of it all. We could have our best season in 10 years and it could be the best we hope for is 2nd. There must be… Read more »

Thierry Martinelli

BvB pull it out of the fire. What a match!

WengerEagle

Upamecano is genuinely one of the worst big name CBs I have ever seen.

A mistake machine and so cumbersome.

MD-Gunner

Looks like we dodged the Vlah bullet. With Juve down by 2 goals he was subbed off for M. Kean with 20 min to go who now brought some energy to the game. Giroud with an assist but Vlah was absent which could be because of the players around him, no Di Maria, Pogba and Chiesa to provide service. Anyhow glad he is getting what he deserves being down in the table after treating Arsenal like a club only worthy of using us as leverage to up his salary. Fuck Vlah. BHA were trying to walk the ball into the… Read more »

Tom

WEagle, I’m not arguing Haaland isn’t special, or more exactly, even freakishly good, but I am arguing a clinical finisher , which he is, will have an advantage playing for Pep, with the likes of KDB, Gundogan, or Foden.

Meanwhile you seem to argue KDB is the best playmaker, Foden the best young English player, Mahrez the best winger……..and then say that all this talent around him doesn’t really matter, while he’s on his way to obliterating every PL record.

The PL is tougher than Bundesliga too

Mr Serge

Rp7 never gonna happen mate he will want at least 350k a week as a free agent no way we pay that when we have a good keeper already

WengerEagle

Tom I’m pretty sure I never said that it didn’t matter? The argument was actually revolving around Aguero not being in Kane’s league because he played for a better team in City. My argument is that it is not a guarantee that players can seamlessly step up from very good to elite teams and not miss a beat or improve further. It is fanciful to suggest that Kane would have been a better player and a more lethal goalscorer had he played for City than Spurs. I would argue that Spurs have been built around Kane for years (with good… Read more »

WengerEagle

And KDB is the best all-round player in the league, for sure.

And no amount of headed clearances from Kane on corners will change my mind on that! 😀

WengerEagle

I agree that Mbappe is a better player than Haaland, comfortably so imo.

Haaland is a goalscoring phenom whereas Mbappe is the full package.

Having said that goals win you football matches so Haaland is as valuable a player as anyone if not more so.

Matt B

RP7: Hahaa — I don’t think we’ll be looking for a keeper for a long time mate

Tom

Ramos red carded for dissent lol.

WengerEagle

Ramos has to be the most carded player ever surely?

Tom

Ive only started watching Haaland on the regular this season and even though I don’t like him personally I must admit his game is absolutely elite.
One touch football at its best whether shooting or interchange play.
His judgment is better than Mbappe’s too.

Tom

WEagle, it was a nothing yellow too.
He could’ve walked away having said his piece.
Just had to keep on barking though ha ha

WengerEagle

As good as Mbappe and Haaland are we were truly spoiled with prime Messi/Ronaldo.

Messi was just on a different level in his prime.

WengerEagle

Tom

Ramos the player and leader is all-time great but that has always been his achilles heel the stupid sending offs.

Very unusual for a bonafide leader to be so ill-disciplined.

Un

Eagle

Kane in his prime playing for city now or early wenger arsenal would be out performing his current career trajectory, which is already 3rd highest goal scorer in premier league history in just 8 seasons

I forgot Robbie Fowler too
The greatest finisher of any primer league player

Un

Kane’s career stats say that he has 300 odd games to score 80 odd goals to equal Henry’s goal scoring record Just to be clear, Henry, for me, is the greatest Orem player of all time and I’m not finishing him but he wasn’t an out and our goal scorer. Kane is and that’s why I put him in a league with shearer RvN and Fowler as the best goal scorers of all time on the premier league. Aguerro too but aguerro had the benefit of being elevated by the most potent attacking team in English footballing history, bankrolled by… Read more »