Morning all.
Easter is upon us which means lots of chocolate. I jest, of course Good Friday means something very different to an overpriced oval shaped hollow chocolate egg but I don’t want to get all religious on you so I won’t. The sun is supposed to shine and families can meet up again so whatever this Bank Holiday brings your way, enjoy it but don’t forget, Covid is still out there.
April fools day tried to catch us out with a headline on NewsNow suggesting Arsenal are going to try and sign Sergio Aguero. Of course not, that would be stupid. A 25 year old Aguero, yes please but not a 33 year old who struggles to stay fit. The days of signing oldies just because they’re free have to be over if Arsenal want to be successful again. Arsenal in my opinion need young, energetic and keen players going forwards. Players who want to play and want to improve. Players like Odegaard, ESR, Saka, Tierney, Martinelli, Gabriel etc, mixed in with one or two more like Partey who is mature, experienced and very good. Although I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet. Mikel Arteta was asked about Aguero in his press conference. “No” was the simple answer to the question about bringing him to Arsenal. Phew!
The Telegraph ran a story yesterday about AMN who according to them, is looking for a move this summer. He’s had a taste of playing regular football and in his favoured midfield position and he likes it. The report suggested a number of Premier League clubs would love to sign him. I fear this might turn out to be another Emi Martinez situation if he goes. Still, that’s for the summer.
Mikel Arteta was also asked if he’s prioritising the Europa Cup over the Premier League fixtures for the remainder of the season. Another “No” was his reply. Good. Unai Emery did that and it backfired in a big way. Not helped by the way the players seemed to down tools I know but in the end, just one point kept us out of the top four. How different things might have been had Arsenal managed to draw or win just one more of the last few matches that season. Perhaps if Emery had been able to sign N’Zonzi and Zaha instead of Torreira and Pepe, Champions League football might have returned. Thank goodness Raul has since departed.
For the first time ever, a female referee will take charge of a League fixture this Bank Holiday weekend as Rebecca Welch officiates the League Two match between Harrogate Town and Port Vale on Monday night. I think it’s brilliant for her personally and for women in the game in general. Football is no longer a male dominated sport and neither should the officiating side of the game be either.
Arsenal face Liverpool tomorrow night in the late game. 8pm on a Saturday night is a daft time to kick off I think. I just hope both ESR and Saka are fit.
See you in the comments.
At least away supporters don’t have to worry about getting home after the game but I fear that once the tv companies have the precedent it’s going to continue to happen after lockdowns are a thing of the past as they need their viewer ratings after most people have switched to binge watching their series on Netflix or Amazon prime.
Never thought that Aguero was a runner but the fact that the papers ran it shows how they view Arsenal’s supporters , gullible , easily wound up and a target as the equivalent of phishing for sales.
AMN could be a Gnabry or just as easily Iwobi , if we get good cash for him , so be it. We can’t keep them all and as much as I feel that our Swiss midfield mainstay needs improving on , I can’t see AMN stepping up .
Out to work again now . Back later .
Me neither re Aguero Potter, nothing about that story made any sense.
I’ve also adopted the ‘so be it’ attitude towards who the club sell. If it means better players coming in and Arsenal playing better football with good results, yes, so be it.
Good morning Rico, Happy Easter to one and all, the hot cross buns are almost ready to go in the oven, better by far than chocolate. 😉
It’s no surprise to me that AMN intends leaving for greener fields in the summer He’s been messed about by all the Arsenal managers he has played under. All of them swapped him from right back, to midfield, to left back and kept the carousel turning throughout his time at the club. Wherever he finishes up I wish him well.
Tierney has been getting rave revues for his performance for Scotland against the Faroe Islands, “Excellent. Marvellous. Brilliant. Unbelievable. Frighteningly good”, just some of the epithets applied to him. Three assists from the left side of a back three, yes playing out of position, is something to be proud of. Time for Arteta/Edu to give the lad a new long term contract and a pay rise, we can’t afford to lose our future club captain
Morning all.
A female referee is no problem, unless she’s been given the gig because of her gender.
Let’s hope that’s not the case, and she’s there on ability.
To be totally honest, she won’t need to be that great to do a better job than her male counterparts 🙂
Happy Easter everyone 🐣
Morning Cicero, happy Easter to you too.
Agree re AMN, not sure how a player who was key to us winning the FA Cup, especially the Man City game, could be so easily cast aside.
It seems that our opponents are not exactly over enamoured with Atkinson either . Should be interesting to see which way his bias falls in this one.
https://tomkinstimes.com/2020/10/martin-atkinsons-bias-against-liverpool-its-in-the-stats-and-anecdotes/
Doesn’t it say a lot about the state of our referees when even before a game kicks off, he’s being talked about. I’ll be glad when Riley and his puppets retire and new officials come in.
Trouble is who is training the next lot.
Is it the training or the manipulating once in the system?
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/12262836/vinai-venkatesham-arsenal-ceo-says-nothing-off-table-over-social-media-boycott
Anyway it seems that Stuart Attwell has got the gig , don’t know if Atkinson is on the naughty step because he he doesn’t appear anywhere this week according to premierleague.com
Attwell is pretty hopeless too isn’t he?
Evening Rico and the House
Its been a very chilly day in kent and its more than a moderate wind.
A 8pm saturday Kick Off is daft Rico infact I think this is a first time.
Evening Rick, it’s been jolly cold in West Berkshire. A biting wind.
Stuart Attwell, a late replacement, has done Arsenal twice this season, one win and one defeat, so I guess a draw is due?
Morning all.
New post up now
https://highbury-house.com/2021/04/03/arsenals-biggest-problem-is-themselves/