Morning all.
Well well, Man Utd dropped another two points at Old Trafford yesterday. Great news. Not just for Arsenal but for all the clubs trying to chase down a Champions League finish in May. Shame Leeds forgot to wake up and be ready for the arrival of the Totts. After losing 6-0 to Liverpool during the week, they let another four goals in.
The big game today is between West Ham and Wolves when one or both will drop points. Hopefully, both. The League table might look favourable for us right now as far as top four goes but there’s a long long way to go yet. Plenty of things could go wrong. Like Conte’s outburst doing his players the world of good, Rangnick suddenly turning things around at Utd or one, both of West Ham and Wolves going unbeaten for the remainder of the season. After today of course.
Later in the day it’s the League Cup Final, a final we came close to reaching. Well, we got to the semi-final anyway. A two legged affair with a sending off for us in both fixtures. Granit Xhaka on 25 minutes at Anfield, Thomas Partey just before the finial whistle at The Emirates. I think the officials and our struggle to score goals will play a big part in how the next three months go.
Yesterday, Roman Abramovich announced he was giving the trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC. You don’t need me to tell you why this might but I liked what Micah Richards had to say:
There’s so many questions which need to be asked, and to come out with a statement just like that; what does it even mean? You read it, it reads like it’s written in a code – we don’t exactly want to tell you what’s happening, but here you go, read this, pick the bones out of it and see exactly what it means. I think it’s poor.
Unless the British government impose sanctions on Abramovich, it’ll be business as usual for Chelsea. I’m sure this story will rumble on.
As does the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga, especially as Gabriel has been quoted as telling the media that Aubameyang fell out with the coaches at Arsenal.
Aubameyang is in my heart, we all wanted him at Arsenal. Something happened between him and the coaching staff, the other players were not in it. I said goodbye to him before he left, I hope he enjoys Barcelona, he is a very nice person with a big heart and I love him very much.
I don’t see what the big deal is though. Players form close friendships during their time at a club so one is bound to be disappointed when the other leaves. The media though, will no doubt drag this on in attempt to unsettle Arsenal. It’s what they do. I’m pretty sure their efforts will fail though because going from what you and I’ve have seen on the pitch in recent weeks, it’ll take more than a nothing story to cause problems within the group of players Mikel Arteta and his coaches work with.
See you in the comments.
Morning Rico. I agree that the Abramovich story is pure BS. Bruce Buck essentially runs the club because the Russian is living abroad. This morning he still runs the club and the term Charitable Foundation is meant to soften the fact that Roman is a major backer of the ghastly Putin. It’s all very well Tuchel uttering weasel words but he knew where the money to pay his salary came from before he took the job as do all the Chelsea players.
Richards too is surely correct. No condemnation of the lunatic aggression against a nation, no criticism of his mate Putin, presumably because he knows what would happen if he did.
Many on here have voiced concern over the footballing authorities willingness to allow some real undesirables to essentially take over the game in this country. How can players be taking the knee against prejudice when the owners of certain clubs are so vehemently anti-women, anti-gay and anti just about everything that doesn’t suit them?
Will anything happen?
Morning Adam, excellent comment.
Totally agree re taking the knee, it’s ridiculous and certain owners of English football clubs. The two don’t go together at all.
Good morning all.
Abramovich has effectively handed over ownership of CFC to a charitable foundation. This is to pre-empt the announcement by our government that plans are being put in place to pass laws allowing the confiscation of Russian owned properties and businesses in Great Britain. Of course once the whole Russia/ Ukraine situation is resolved there will be nothing to stop the CFC foundation from returning the “stewardship” to Putin’s poodle.
I see that Paul Merson has opened his trap this morning, telling Arsenal that they should sell Saka and ESR if they refuse to sign new contracts. I have heard nothing about contract talks between the club and it’s two star players, perhaps Merson has got his ear closer to the ground than I have.
That’s exactly what’ll happen in my opinion Cicero. He’s just playing a game.
Merson really should think before he speaks. What a chump.
I think Merson
knows that the vultures are circling over three of our youngsters , rumours on Tierney too .
I don’t think that he is particularly out of bed in saying that all three should be offered new deals to secure their future with us and that if they turn them down then their hearts are not really in it. After all that’s what the club said a couple of years ago.
The situation with Roman is long and complicated and he has his spiders web closely aligned to our political institutions one of the trutees is an ex MP once the minister for sport.
However footballing decisions, contracts, and the future of head coach Thomas Tuchel will be down to Marina Granovskaia (director) and Petr Cech (technical and performance advisor), however neither are Trustees.
Who is Marina Granovskaia ? It would seem that she is a very close friend of Abramovic and has contacts with Gazprom and other Russian oil and gas companies ( Usmanov ) anyone.
Bruce Buck will be the name on the door but in all intents and purposes it’s business as usual.
Bielsa sacked , Not surprising but Leeds do need someone to stand up for them .
Ballard came off the bench for the final 26 minutes against Sheffield United, and he picked up right where he left off.
The centre-back made four clearances, three interceptions, two tackles, and won eight out of his nine individual duels to secure a clean sheet and a 1-0 win for Millwall. He wasn’t dribbled past once, nor did he concede a free-kick.
Lesson for Gabriel , be careful about comments on the manager , There’s already Saliba in the wings and likebusses here comes another one.
Morning Rico and all
This crap about what Gabriel said in nothing more than the media making something out of nothing, the same of ESR and Saka I can’t see Arteta wanting to sell them and if he was to sell any one of them he would want to have a dam good excuse as both are part of our future at the moment.
A good result for Arsenal Women in the Cup. Liverpool 0 – 4 Arsenal.
Haven’t Saka and ESR got a couple of years left on their contracts though? We know Saka’s agent will draw the process of a new contract out but I bet if ESR had one waved under his nose, he’d sign it before the ink had chance to dry.
Saka and ESR aren’t Ozil or Auba imo. Merse is letting what’s gone on before cloud his judgement.
Hi Geoff
Very good Potter, that made me smile… 😀
0-0 at West Ham. H/T
Good luck to Oleg Luznhy gone home to fight
Twitter –
Oleg Luzhny on Ukraine situation: “The situation is horrific. I want to come to coach in the UK but before anything I will stand firmly & fight for my people, for my country & for democracy”
Horrid situation…
Morning Rico, as many on here have mentioned, we cannot ignore how involved certain members and past members of Her Majesties Government have imbedded themselves with the Russian mafia, also our financial institutions, soft corruption is endemic among the laughably termed ‘elites’ so I don’t expect any sanctions on Chelsea that’ll reverse the 20 years of financial doping we’ve suffered since Abramovitch and his stolen riches arrived on our shores.
In fact the delays in dealing with the highest profile Oligarch in this country tells you all you need to know about the struggles our political and financial classes are having in punishing him without incriminating themselves.
I dare say that the Chinese are watching very closely how the West and it’s institutions are reacting to the Russian aggression in Ukraine and how it’s sanctions are affecting the Russian economy – it’s a kind of litmus test for their own ambitions on the future of Formosa.
Hong Kong as well Kev , we stood back and did nothing there , they will expect the same in Taiwan.
Morning Kev, I’m staying away from politics. 😆
What a dreadful decision it was to bring Kepa on for the penalties yesterday. Why would any manager change a keeper who’s not been involved in the game and will be stone cold, just for the spot kicks? Bonkers imo.
Yeah Potter, it’s interesting to see that Chechnya have aligned themselves alongside Russia, the leader of Chechnya is very close to Putin as is the leader of Belarus.
I’d guess that the sanctions aimed at Russia will be expanded to Vlads acolytes?
As for Hong Kong, well I’m not sure what we could have done Potter?
Who would have supported us if Great Britain had instigated sanctions on China, the US, the EU, unlikely, and gunboat diplomacy wasn’t exactly an option?
Hi Rico.. Well it backfired spectacularly, didn’t it?! I had to laugh (lovely laughing at the Chavs).. until the trophy presentation and then I wanted to cry 🤣
Ugh that scouse fanbase are so entitled..
I’ve just finished ‘Wolf like me’ on Amazon, Rico, have you watched it? It’s very good
Hi Sue, there was never a good winner yesterday was there. ☹️
Not seen Woolf like me, I’ll look that one up, thanks.
With record losses of £107m during 2021 you have to wonder how on Earth Arsenal thought they could possibly afford the guy who joined Juventus instead of us?
Yeah Rico, that’s an idea for today’s post, how much can Arsenal spend in the summer transfer window baring in mind those kin£ of losses and how much more important it is in that regard qualifying for the CL?
Mainland Niles and Mavropanos might both return next summer, Niles because Mourinho has be unimpressed with him during his loan at Roma and Mavropanos because Stuttgart could be relegated and thus can’t sign him…
That’s exactly what you’ve got Kev. 😂
New post up now