Morning all.
Arsenal have announced the players will be wearing an all white kit for tomorrow’s FA Cup fixture against Nottingham Forest. Mikel Arteta wore a white hooded top during yesterday’s pre-match press conference, clearly in support of the “No More Red” anti-knife crime campaign Arsenal are heavily involved in.
Well obviously, we have been really involved as a club over the years with knife crime and we have the capacity to give exposure to that issue in London and everyone at the club has been extremely supportive, especially with the players and our sponsor Adidas who have been exceptionally good to come with some great ideas to support that and I think it’s very beneficial.
I think what Arsenal are doing is great and anyone for that matter who tries to do something good in this world. Arsenal fan Idris Elba, founder of Don’t Stab Your Future and mentor as part of No More Red said:
From the time young people leave school, until the time they’re at home with family, there is often a void, a dangerous spike of nothing to do, where nothing can easily turn to something dangerous. If there continues to be no options for this after-school period, we will always see gangs form. Let’s create options for these young people.
Amen to that.
It’ll be weird watching though as were used to colours. Red, yellow, blue, multi coloured – but not all white. Ironically, Leeds are the club who wear white.
I remember that day, 7th January 2018. Arsene Wenger had not long been handed out a three match ban for criticising referees so had to watch from the stands as his young team were defeated. Willock, Iwobi, AMN, Nelson, Holding, Walcott, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Elneny, Welbeck and Ospina started the game. Akpom and Nketiah were the two substitutes used. (Of course I had to look that up)
2018 was the year Arsene Wenger left the club, the FA Cup being his most successful of all competitions. Barring the PL titles, it was his only Cup success story really, unless you count the seven Charity Shield trophies, but winning the ones Arsenal did, was great for the fans. Just as the one Mikel Arteta won in his first year at Arsenal, especially when we beat City and Chelsea on the journey.
So here we are again, another FA Cup campaign and I think Mikel Arteta will take Notts Forest a lot more seriously than Arsene Wenger did four years ago. He’s already said that he doesn’t prioritise fixtures as they’re all important so I expect we’ll see a strong team line up. Well, the strongest injuries, Covid and suspension allows. Mikel Arteta said he won’t know who’ll be fit until today.
AMN has gone off to Roma on loan. Good luck to him I say as I think he’ll need it but I get impression that Arteta doesn’t want to lose Eddie Nketiah. Not yet anyway:
I already spoke about Eddie, about how I feel about him, the intentions of the club and where we are. He is with us, every day he shows me and the club that he wants to stay with us and I keep having those discussions with him, but he knows that we want him at the club.
There’s a good chance he had his fingers crossed at the time of saying the above because he’s hardly likely to broadcast anything other than positivity about a player who perhaps the club are willing to sell. I’m not sure Arsenal can afford to lose him this month though, not unless they have other plans up their sleeve for this transfer window. I hope he starts tomorrow and scores a hat-trick, sending Forest packing along the way.
I’ve waffled enough, see you in the comments.
https://www.premierleague.com/players/50245/Yves-Bissouma/stats
https://www.premierleague.com/players/12136/Granit-Xhaka/stats
Morning again Rico, that team in 2018 should have been strong enough to win at Forest, so it can only be put down to the players’ attitude on the day and didn’t Walcott hint about theteam preparation earlier in that season – and got immediately banned from the 1st team for doing so.
Tough to compare as Xhaka has played more games.
Morning to you Kev, I reckon you’re right. As was Walcott.
Things had gone a bit sour by then, complacency from all involved at the club. Thank goodness that seems to have changed.
Interesting comparisons Kev .
Just like a few of us , I read around the various Arsenal sites and once I have established their agenda find that I get a cross sesction of ideas and opinions
.
For instance Untold dabbles into subjects which most other sites ignore and can be very informative
.I imagine that their day to day work is involved in analytics but their total addiction to stats often leaves me cold , The main writer Tony derides anyone who believes that opinions derived from seeing things have to be discounted purely because a spread sheet tells you otherwise.
Comparing Xhaka’s stats to Bissouma is interesting but the real appreciation of the two is on the pitch.Bissouma plays further bck than Xhaka he is protective of his back line whereas Xhaka is more inclined to be forward looking.
They play in different quality teams it’s like apples and Oranges , working out their percentages there appears to be little difference except that Xhaka’s rate of fouling although similar collects more cards , but that could be because of who he plays for and referee preconception .
Perhaps there ought to be a section for stupid fouls and brain farts . Xhaka might well come out on top of that.
Yes Potter that did cross my mind especially when comparing red cards, Xhaka has a reputation, he plays for Arsenal and therefore he has a target on his back…
Bissouma shields the back four and thus makes more tackles especially as Brighton probably have to defend more than Arsenal.
I certainly know which of the two I’d prefer to see in this Arsenal team and he’s not Swiss.
I too find stats boring because they only tell half a story, if that.
Morning Rico and all
I don’t like the all white top as it reminds me of Tottenham away shirt, but I strongly support the idea, these kids have to learn respect for life. I would have preferred the top we had with the white shirt with the red marble look.
Morning Geoff, I’d forgotten about that lot wearing white..
Cedric is a chance for A. Madrid to replace Trippier.
It will have as much an effect as taking the knee has for racism . It’s a very noble idea but the problem starts with stability in the home and unfortunately we are reaping the fruits of 30 odd years of little or no discipline as standards have dropped.
I know that I am old but when I was little I walked to school and if I saw a neighbour on my route it was natural to say ” Good morning Mr Pritchard “. and hold a door open for a woman .
The events in Bristol have just summed up the whole problem , vandalism doesn’t count anymore why should a stabbing between friends.
By the way, I don’t know of any further developments, but the last I saw, wasn’t Yves Bissouma out on bail for an alleged sexual assault in October? I saw a picture of him in cuff being led away by the police? Is the case still pending? Couldn’t find anything on it.
Well said Potter.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/16415310/yves-bissouma-brighton-norwich-arrest/
He’s still on bail apparently. He won’t be joining Arsenal then..
https://arseblog.news/2022/01/report-arsenal-interested-in-palmeiras-midfielder-danilo/
Thanks Rico @5:09 pm.
Please Obi.
Good old Cambridge lol
Boreham wood beat AFC Wimbledon two nil at home on the million pound pitch paid for by Arsenal for the benefit of our WSL team who play their “home’ games there.
My niece, who lives near Cambridge is a Man U fan, but her two sons are Cambridge United regulars although they are Arsenal fans in reality. They’ll all be celebrating tonight.
Hi Rico.. I remember that day also – ruined my bloody Birthday 🤣 I was devastated.. we have to batter them tomorrow. Does Jenkinson still play for them?
Couldn’t believe it when I saw Newcastle’s score! They had their first team out there.. the magic of the cup hey?! They’re going down for sure! Hull have just equalised against Everton….
Boreham Wood’s result was great.
Hi Sue, gosh, I didn’t either realise Jenks went there but I doubt it, not heard/read his name in ages.
Jenks is still on their books..
We need to stay well away from any player waiting for a court appearance, knowing our luck they would get locked up and there would be some stupid clause in their contract that we still have to pay them.
Potter the problem with the youth today is all these do Gooders that had the laws changed so we can’t smack our kids, we have the same problems in Australia
Hi Geoff,
Anybody ever dares tell me how to discipline my kid got told exactly where to to stick their opinion!!
The world has gone mad, political correctness has taken over and the lefties are making things a mess.
The worse it gets, the more they tell us we should do things their way.
Go figure.
My wife just tested positive, so I’m rather popular here atm, but that’s nothing new hahahaha
Morning all
New post up now