Morning all.
Not sure about a private jet but it looks like all three are sat in an MRI scanner. Anyway, that’s Arsenal’s new signing Nuno Tavares together with his agents prior to jetting into England to sign a five contract with Arsenal according to respected journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Departing could be William Saliba according to David Ornstein. I’d have thought a season in England would have been better for his career if it’s still set to be with Arsenal but it seems he’s off to Marseille. I’d imagine a deal for Ben White must be done otherwise letting Saliba leave would be a very strange decision I think. Conflicting reports suggest he’s set for a pre season with Arsenal after withdrawing from the French Olympic squad.
Another player who could be on his way to Marseille is Matteo Guendouzi as NN headlines suggest Arsenal have agreed to lower their £17M transfer fee so a deal can be done.
The Sun suggest Reiss Nelson is to be offered a new Arsenal contract before heading out on loan. Again. If true, maybe there is a future for him in north London. Either that or Arsenal are just been smart.
There are a few headlines which mention Ramos and Arsenal in the same sentence. This has to be garbage surely, he is not what Arsenal need.
The Euros fixtures last night saw Granit Xhaka showing his leadership skills as captain for Switzerland. Shame he never really showed them on the pitch whilst wearing the captain’s armband for Arsenal. Switzerland did everything they could to ensure the tie went to penalties but then fluffed their lines. Italy shocked Belgium in the later game. Spain v Italy will be a battle of the actors. Embarrassing stuff by both last night.
Two more fixtures this afternoon and evening but as an English girl writing this, only one matters. England V Ukraine. Bukayo Saka suffered an injury during training the other day so he’s a slight doubt.
Come on England, there’s a place in the semifinals waiting for you.
🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴
See you in the comments.
Morning people , A big day for the country if we get the better of Ukraine the mood of optimism will continue a few days more.
I said earlier that if we seriously went for Ramos we would be treated to an exhibition of dark arts with the main difference that English referees under Riley would not give him the latitude that he gets in his own country.albeit that in close on 600 appearences he has had the early bath 26 times and according to my Catalan amics it should be probably double if not more .
If he does come be prepared for 5 at the back and one up front as we compensate. And chances are he won’t come cheap and the Ozil , Willian circle will repeat itself.
Morning Potter, all.
England have the players to beat the Ukraine that’s for sure.
Ramos wouldn’t last five minutes in the PL.
Morning Rico, Ramos is a big no no from me, in fact it’s not even worth considering.
Yes, we need to keep a lid on it because nothing is coming home just yet!
The English media do this every time, they go well over the top and build up our expectations just so they can bask in our despair if it all goes wrong, as it always does.
So to me Ukraine are a very dangerous opponent who could quite easily ruin our dreams.
But I’m sure that Southgate knows this already.
Gee I reckon you guys are underestimating Ramos.
World class defender for near 2 decades, has won it all and you don’t think he can cope with football in England??
And it’s the media hyping up English football hahahaha
For the record, no, I don’t want the guy but I do believe it’s folly to suggest he’d not be an asset, but as I asked yesterday, at what cost, both financially and to our younger CB’a development.
Good luck tonight, guys.
I hope you win.
‘morning all.
Theoretically Ramos could be a very good signing for Arsenal, massive experience, serial winner and a great example to our younger players. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get the licence allowed him by Spanish referees. Oh! And his wage demands would be astronomical so no thanks Real.
I said earlier this morning that the Ramos rumour was one to believe, of course I was joking….I hope.
Morning Kev, totally agree re the media, they are a fickle bunch…
Don’t know whether he can cope with the football , but I am pretty certain that he won’t cope with English referees and definitely not their mates at Stockley Park scrutinising his every move.
We can’t keep going down this track of getting past it over paid players on long expensive contracts . and giving them 2 maybe 3 years to wind down their careers.
Potter, again, I don’t want him.
It’s a step backwards and would just delay another players progress so no, not for me.
On the England front I’m cautiously optimistic, not because Kane has suddenly become a goal machine (he hasn’t) but because our mostly young squad don’t carry the scars of previous tournament disappointments. Nor are there too many big egos living on their past exploits.
Southgate has got his squad doing what he wants them to do and there doesn’t seem to be any dissidents with ideas of their own willing to throw a spanner in the works.
If we can get a couple of goals, our defence and game management should see us through.
Hi Rico.. tonight’s the night! Bummer about Saka, although I didn’t think KDB would make last night 😉 We’ll have to wait and see…
Hasn’t Ramos signed a 2 yr deal with PSG?
No more the wrong side of 30 please, unless it’s Ronaldo 😄
Hi Sue, I’m hoping the club have learned from William. For what it’s worth, I don’t think we’ll see him at Arsenal, I think he’ll want one last deal with huge wages.
Good afternoon Rico and all
Italy surprised Belgium?? Why. Italy were a lot better than Belgium….especially in midfield.
The refereeing team for the England game??? I heard all of them are Germans. Now that is hilarious. Uefa tricks
Fear not folks, Boris entertained German Chancellor Angela Merkle at Chequers yesterday evening, in gratitude she has promised to have a word with the German officials concerned. 😉
Afternoon Devil, are Belgium not the number one team in Europe going into this competition?
yes they might be Rico. Then again Floriana in Malta are the top club in Europe with regards titles seeing that they won over 95 cups……except they were all in Malta. Does not make them the top team.
Plus….they knew what they were going to expect…and still went out. The top team is the one which wins the honours. Belgium, according to national teams’ classification (virtual) are the top Nation. Does not make them the top team. And Italy won not through the old tricks of stifling the opposition and hitting on the break. They won their games by being creative in the middle of the park, working for each other and dont have egos.
So no, imo Belgium were not surprised by Italy. The rest of the world are surprised seeing the way Italy play a style they can never associate with Italians. I have been telling everyone that as a collective team Italy have the strongest and balanced squad.
Results always show how much the classification methodology is flawed. We all remember who won the Euro 4 years ago, 8 years ago. Does anyone remember who was on top of the classification back than? I dont think there is a cup waiting to be handed out to the team finishing with most points.
But a cup is handed out to the team which wins the Euro or the Fifa.
And we remember the latter
Devil: The best is Sliema and its “air” stadium.
Arsenal: Benfica fans are “crying with joy” at the departure of Nuno Tavares…
Arsenal have accepted a €1m loan with €11m obligation to buy offer from Marseille for Mattéo Guendouzi.
Why can’t we just sell our players?! More and more out on loan!
I’m gutted it ended this way, as I know I’m in the minority, but I liked him. Good Luck, MG..
Sue, he’s still our player but we have got his wages off the books and trousered €1 million to boot. Marseille have an “obligation” to buy for €11 million, but only if we agree to sell. Seems like a good all round deal.
Guendouzi is his own worst enemy, he could have been good for us imo.
Doesn’t Guendouzi’s contract run out next summer?
Then we collect the €11 million in January.
Or lose him for nothing next summer..
Yeah I know, Cicero, all sounds good, but our loan deals seem to last longer than an Eastenders storyline! 😄
Liverpool are interested in Xhaka apparently, City too….
If he’s got a niggle then don’t play him . We need him up and ready for the start of the season. All too often our players come back from international duty injured.
5.27 was a reply to Sue’s 2.34 . the rest miraculously appeared when I posted it.
That happens sometimes when you’re logged out of WordPress Potter, it’s frustrating I know.
So far it looks like England or Ukraine facing Denmark in the semis. I can’t see the Czechs coming back from two down.
2-1 now
WordPress keep shutting the page, they’re a pain in the a**s.
Or even the a**e
Same here, it’s so annoying.
Schick again, Rico. Joint top scorer with Ronaldo 👌
No Saka..
A few clubs will be after him this summer Sue..
Well that was a stress free evening. 4 – 0, no red cards and no injuries.
I thought Ukraine were totally ineffective, they looked as though they knew they were going to get beaten right from the first whistle.
I have a criticism of one of our players, but it would be churlish to voice that at such a time. Let’s all enjoy the moment and look forward to playing Denmark at Wembley on Wednesday.
Well done England.
Very dominant and tradesman like victory which is exactly what you want at this stage of the tournament.
Do not think Denmark will be an easy game though, they look pretty good.
Whoever wins that will be the team I support in the final of the serial cheating that are Italy and Spain.
Filthy, grubby teams fo play the way they are!!!
But then, it is “part of the game” these days lol
Nah, never, not for me.
Act, FIFA.
Well done England a nice comfortable win
Thanks Cobbers…
England seem to have a very safety first approach and that might explain 5 games and no goals conceded balanced by plenty of talent to score the goals we need as 6 shots on target yesterday and 4 goals scored shows which is an enormous 66% strike rate, so as long as we don’t do anything stupid at the back we look ok.
Very impressed with Shaw, he’s had a very productive tournament but the Danes and especially the Italians if we play them, will have a way of nullifying him.
I never doubted the talent of the England squad, technically it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen in an England shirt I just have reservations about Southgate?
So far so good for him, his substitutions and use of the squad has been spot on up till now and hopefully that’ll continue.
As the game drifted into the last half hour with England four nil up an idea crossed my mind about the keepers . Pickford has played every minute and we had substitutions in hand . . Would we have been able to give one of the subs 10 minutes to give them a bit of atmosphere under their belt.
Just for instance what if Pickford gets clattered in the first few minutes and effectively we bring on a keeper that’s cold and has only had training to keep sharp.
Am I on the same track Cicero ?
Morning all.
I agree re Shaw, he’s been superb. Definitely a case of safety first with Southgate which is possibly very similar to other PL clubs. Sancho showed glimpses of why Utd want him too.
Denmark will be a very different opponent than Ukraine though.
Morning all.
You’re alive, so enjoy the ride guys.
They can be conservative when the strike power is there, and maybe that’s why Arsenal copped a little unfair criticism last season.
We failed to take our chances often enough.
It only takes one when you don’t concede.
Denmark could be a cracking game, as they play a very open, attacking game.
You couldn’t be farther from the mark Potter. 😉
Leave Kane alone, Cicero 😉
I will Scott, until the Euros are over.
Hahaha
He’s got all the talent, but can do a lot more imo, Cicero.
As a striker, he’s certainly not alone in that regard.
England are doing well in the cricket too. 😂
But the Brits are struggling in Le Tour.
Can’t be good at everything 😜
Good afternoon Rico and all
England played well yesterday. Possession wise and what they did with the ball they were on top. Even on shots percentage, as Kev pointed out, they were quite good. 4 goals out of 6 on target is a great return.
Denmark play to their strengths. And they use well what they have…..strength and speed. The SF is a different proposition and if England navigate that they have to lock horns with yet another type of style. So they have to be alert and concentrate.
Afternoon Devil. If England make it to the final, they’ll need to watch out for the cheating.
Italy this time around are not the cheats people are claiming them to be. This Italy side do not need gamesmanship and cheating to win. They are a tightly knit group with a lot of tactical and technical skill. They dont need to resort to that. Anyone claiming that the Italians are cheating their way up is simply inventing excuses because unreached grapes are often claimed to be sour.
Even the BBC is praising Italy for the way they are playing….I saw all games bar one of the Euros, Spain vs Sweden, and the commentators (English ones) had all the praise for the Italian team.
Anyway…..the U18 kicked off with a win
https://dailycannon.com/2021/07/arsenal-u18s-pre-season-chelmsford/
DG, if Italy don’t need to use the black arts to win, why do they so readily resort to them?
Don’t listen to the commentators, they have their own agendas, just watch the play. It’s all there plain to see, the sneaky little nudge, the shirt tug, the feigning of injuries, the time wasting, the diving and, most of all, the hounding of the referees.
I’ve watched all of the Italian games at this tournament and whilst they’re not alone in this form of cheating, I think they are very near to the top of the heap.
Yes even England as well Cicero. So please trying to make that england are holier than thou is just using rose tinted glasses. I would understand if you side with your country but English players pull shirts, English players feign injury, English players try to con the referee. Just watch Arsenal games. And you will know.
Grealish never conned the referee doesn’t he? Sherear, lineker, Rooney (ending our beaten run with an invented penalty), Liverpool and Man utd’s English cores never conned the ref.
So please just look at them when they play Arsenal and you will know how much English players hound refs, how much they pull shirts, how much they give sneaky little nudges, how much they feign being fouled etc.
I am half Italian Cicero. But I don’t stoop down low to criticize England negatively. I call a spade a spade….it’s true that Italians used to do it but not this time around. Because this time around everyone can see that Italian players are playing beautiful football.
England are playing good football and I love watching them. And what other countries do the English players are learning fast. Tactics, skills, technique and even dark arts as well.
No doubting Italy play well, but they certainly go over too easily. So does Grealish, but Spain and Italy seem to have more than their fair share of cheats/divers, whatever you want to call them.
Where in my comment did I make any mention of England, for or against? Please don’t accuse me of excusing England in any form. I will call out the cheats whether they be Italian, English or from the planet Galifray.
As a matter of fact, in the recent past I’ve said on more than one occasion that Grealish is a serial diver, it is why I was against the idea of Arsenal signing him.
To deny that the current Italy side are whiter than white and are not cheating is plainly wrong. Perhaps it’s you who is using the rose tinted spectacles.
No whitewash at the Oval today Rico, just a washout. 😉
Yes you are right in everything Cicero Except for one thing….planet Galifray does not exist. 😂😂😂
Such a shame Cicero although Sri Lanka will be pleased…
Wrong again DG, Galifray exists in popular entertainment.
See I told you that you are right in everything
Grealish is half Italian, half Spanish and one third Brazilian so really, it’s in his DNA to dive 🙂 🙂
Forget the finger pointing, as I’ll almost guarantee every professional club is guilty of diving to some extent, FIFA can and should stop this cancer of the game.
Give a years notice, then if a player is caught, 12 months out of the game.
Bang.
Don’t tell me that it’s hard to police, because we all know when someone is taking the piss, and so do the authorities.
These grubs today unitising contact them falling over?
See ya next year!!!
Stop professional fouls as well, especially in set pieces, as well.
It’s easy if people want it to happen.
FIFA don’t want to stop it for fear of insulting entire nations.
Cheating in English football has been there for years. Francis Lee was a serial diver and the dirty Leeds side under Revie didn’t any lessons .
Where most teams bent the rules with physicality now things have moved on to cynicism and ref fooling .
It could be stopped but only if the media chooses to expose it but when some of the largest perpetrators are sitting behind the microphone using acceptance phrases and not calling it cheating it will continue unabated.
Potter, I reckon it must start with FIFA, but you make a great point.
Anyone saying a player “won” a foul is not a football fan!!!
Anyone saying a defender made a “good” foul is not a football fan.
Cheating is cheating, imo.
Yes Scott. It must start with FIFA and enforced throughout all levels. And must be punished with a yellow. and if they are sent off for repeated offence then so be it….even if a match is rendered into a farce and ends in a 6vs 6. The clubs and players will soon come to their senses. It happens in all matches and is abhorrent.
In the ideal world there will be no play acting, no cynical fouls and players just play with their own skill.
Reality is vastly different though.
Good morning everyone.
I know I’ve said this before by Sky Sports having a table for ‘who won the most fouls’ helps no one. In fact it’s disgraceful really.
Morning all.
6 vs 6 ? That won’t happen , even if it should. TV would not allow it
Afterall it’s not about the game in their eyes it’s the spectacle. Players getting away with a dive or manufacturing then exaggerating a foul is good for controversy and as we know that gains clicks and viewers. It inspires discussion in the pubs and keeps their coverage in the public eye.
Unfortunately cheating is an accepted part of the game . Even when I was playing in the days of long hair and mullets we were taught kidology , foul someone and help him up , pat him on the head and grab his hair serrupticiously . How to do a little arm grab and spin the player off the ball , I see it every game and if I can see it so can the officials , but they rarely do anything about it.
You see players playing a one- two but suddenly the return recipient isn’t there he’s on his backside about 2 yards from where he made the first pass..
Referees are told to keep the game flowing and not blow up for every foul and consequently they let things go in the name of the great T.V god .
It doesn’t do the beautiful game any good but who cares when the money is rolling in.
I think it’s good the officials allow the game to flow and to play the advantage when appropriate as long as they go back to the incident and deal with it properly. All it would take to stop the ‘cheating’ imo is a few swift bookings. Send a clear message out to all clubs prior to the season that cheating will be punished, regardless of which club a player plays for.
Morning all.
Throw the book at the bastards hahaha
It really makes me see red and I just can’t help that.
The game must be bugger than the result, the players and the clubs.
Fans deserve better imo and FIFA are letting us all down, imo.
Anyway, it’ll only get worse.
New post up now
I’ve not watched all the games, in fact I’ve only watched four completely, but I’ve seen quite a bit of Italy and I’ve felt that they had finalists written all over them from the start.
Mancini has done a similar job to Southgate in generating a club like togetherness with his players, he’s actually a very good manager.
As far as the play acting is concerned every team does it but some are better than others at and Italy are masters, just check out Chellini he is brilliant at grabbing an opponent, falling over and winning a free kick, he does it all the time he’s a brilliant defender, he must be about 40 but you rarely get past him.
The thing is you have to be switched on and allow for it and Spain can simulate with the best so they’ll both be at it. If England blow it in the semi final and that’s a distinct possibility given our last two meetings with Denmark ended in a draw and a defeat, then I hope that Italy win it.
We lionise Germany, Argentina and Brazil but Italy more often than not find a way to beat them, they are experts at starting slow and gaining momentum as a tournament progresses, in fact England have been quite similar this tournament so it would make a great final.
https://foxhole.news/2021/07/05/primary-schools-viral-video-in-support-of-england-attacked-by-woke-brigade/
Bet the kids really enjoyed themselves , they certainly looked like they did. But then the complaints came in .
Seriously what is it with these people.
Question for Sue , How easy is it to get tickets as a red member , My son and I live in Norfolk and sometimes just can’t make it to london we put our tickets on exchange but if you have membership numbers we could transfer them . There are two north bank lower almost behind the goal near the back.