What are you doing Friday? That’s right. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER FINAL DRAW.
Feels sexy, right?
That is a very nice collection of top tier clubs. No Qarabag for us. Just pure heritage clubs that’ll have American gooners crying off sick for sure.
For me, the who do we want and who do we NOT want lists are very simple.
DO NOT WANT:
Manchester City: They are the strongest team in the world and we do not have a particularly great record against them over the last 10 years. Though cup games are not that bad – league games are bad. Very bad.
The counter-point to the fear here is that the one team Pep doesn’t want is Arsenal. We have had their number this season. Arteta puts extra on City games, and they will know the jeopardy involved in losing to Arsenal. Weirdly, I think it would be far worse for City to lose in the QF than for Arsenal. We have nothing to lose because we’ve never won anything major… they carry the bigger rep and when you are the king, you cannot lose a public power struggle to a young princeling because all your power dissipates.
Atleti: No. No. No. No. This is not a peak Atleti side, but it is a technically gifted shit-bag iteration that can turn anyone over with the darkest of dark arts. Inter Milan has been on fire, they defend like monsters, and they were easily beaten by the Spaniards. I want a nice quarter final, not one I’ll need therapy to get over.
DO WANT:
All the teams that will come to play football against us. Bayern, Madrid, and Barca are all weaker teams than Arsenal, but they aren’t going to shut up shop against us. Their fans wouldn’t allow it. Dortmund are decent but 4th in the Bundesliga. If we lose to them, it’s two very, very bad days.
So who will we get? City or Atleti. You just know it.
Still, the Champions League is like Pokemon… you gotta beat em’ all. Right?
Josh Kroenke was in town for the BIG game. No one gets on a PJ for 14 hours to watch 120 minutes of excruciating football in the Champions League. So what was the reason? It would seem like he might have wanted to be around for the BIG re-signing of Benny Blanco and Tomiyasu.
MAYBE MIKEL AS WELL? Who knows. That’s just irresponsible speculation by me.
Back to the full-backs.
Two extraordinary talents that people didn’t quite get when they landed… now we do. Ben White arrived as a centre back and now he dominates the right side of defence with outrageous performances every week. Tomi arrived as a right back and now he plays wherever he’s needed.
Two top talents, though I would put a lot of pennies on one of them not being here in two seasons’ time.
Once again, I find myself saluting the sporting execs who have signed player after player to new deals with minimal fuss. Tim Lewis, Edu and the MIGHTY Richard Garlick find a way every time. If you’re a young person thinking this is normal, please review the history books from 2015 onwards. It wasn’t pretty. We’d lose big players on free transfers (Aaron Ramsey) or we’d panic and sign declining players to deals they couldn’t get anywhere else (Ozil). It was a mess. We live in a much more sensible world these days.
Ok, short post today. We’ll be dropping a lovely Thursday Therapy session a little later this afternoon. So keep your ears PRICKED for that.
Kids are dumb and support the most successful team at the time. Back in the olden days, my school in Highbury was 50/50 with Arsenal fans and Liverpool. No scousers went to the school but Liverpool were the bomb. Ergo, kids want to support the best team. Maybe you’re making your kids support Arsenal, but actually they want to support real or Barca or city. No one is waking up going “daddy, I want to follow a team that doesn’t win anything and has perpetually failed to win”. Not happening.
While the interlull takes place seemingly forever, the u18s beat Palace 8-3
2 things of note – our new signing Braydon Clarke from Wolves straight in and played whole game at CB. Had a decent game by all accounts (although we did concede 3 )
Obi Martin scored 4 (same one who got 10 v Pool)
Two for the near future maybe
Talking shit Guns!
Of course Chelsea and City’s support has gone up in the last 20 years but you’re conflating two issues. Arsenal have a massive fanbase, particularly in N London and there are thousands of kids who will support their family’s team rather than the current Champions.
Bob. I’m not. The split in London is not equal, just like the split up north. More people will support Man City, Liverpool and United than Burnley or Rotherham. Likewise in London, more will support Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham than palace, Leyton orient (who I played for as well as Arsenal) or Watford. Know what I mean. It’s based on success, not what mummy, daddy and great grandad supported.
Guns,
You made the point that from your own schooldays, 50% still supported Arsenal over Liverpool. Now you’re contradicting yourself by suggesting
‘ Likewise in London, more will support Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham than palace, Leyton orient (who I played for as well as Arsenal) or Watford.’
Yet still you argue that there are no new Arsenal fans!
Bob. Builder Bob. My point was, success builds support. When I was at a Highbury based school, I would say there was 50/50 between Liverpool and Arsenal fans. It was a school that was easily 90% London based kids. Probably 40/60 ethnic as in either white/black but the majority was all London born. But we still had a 50/50 split in support. Liverpool were the kings of the 80’s and I was in school in the 80’s so Liverpool was the team. Arsenal was the local team. No one supported anyone else except those two. Maybe a couple of United… Read more »
Changing your tune Guns. From hyperbole to…
‘My point was, success builds support.’ No shit Sherlock!
This is why I’ve left the community. It’s become clear I am so far above everyone on here, I cannot keep doing this.
Sorry Guns but your last post sounds slightly unhinged!
I thought Northbanker claimed he doesnt have kids
Siddeeq. Unless he’s adopted them, North banker has 100% not has sexual contact with a biological female.
Bob. Welcome to the party. I am a drug addict, I have drink problems. I am unhinged but salient and wickedly smart. It’s a paradox.
Hope you can enjoy the ride Guns! Take care.
No Guns you’re just a total twat
What I love about the dinks on this site is the evaluation and discussion. I pose real questions that demand answers and all I get it abuse and swear words. You’re not doing yourself any favours.
GOH be nice and show empathy to Northbanker, Markymark, BobN16, Mr Serge
“”English Longitudinal Study of Ageing identified over-50s as a group particularly at risk of loneliness “”
Siddeeq – I think it’s more like half the site struggling to find empathy with GOH. Be careful, for I feel an analysis based on Object Relations and GOH with his projection of the bad object.
Btw Guns I thought you’d described yourself as an old punk rocker? This would have put you between 16-25 in 1978? Unless of course you were the only sad punk in existence when everyone else was raving.
Something doesn’t add up. Like your age for instance
Get in!!!
95,000 waiting list,Gunz.Incredible.