Morning all.
First up today relates to our fixtures for December, some of which have been moved. This is how we now line up:
Arsenal v Everton
Sunday, December 8 (originally Saturday, December 7)
Kick off: 4pm
Live on: SKY SPORTS
Manchester City v Arsenal
Saturday, December 14 2013
Kick off: 12.45pm (originally 3pm)
Live on: BT SPORT
Arsenal v Chelsea
Monday, December 23 (originally Saturday, December 21)
Kick off: 8pm
Live on: SKY SPORTS
West Ham United v Arsenal
Thursday, December 26
Kick off: 3pm
Now live on: BT SPORT
Newcastle United v Arsenal
Sunday, December 29 (originally Saturday, December 28)
Kick off: 1.30pm
Live on: SKY SPORTS
Five fixtures which in all fairness, should be pretty tasty and for those who aren’t lucky enough to have a ticket, all can now be viewed on television. I am signed up to both BT Sport and Sky Sports so as long as we win, December will be a good month for me.
Talking of BT Sport, yesterday Arsenal FC welcomed BT Sport as an Official Partner.
What does that mean for us and them?
It enables the Barclays Premier League broadcaster to promote its extensive offering of live football through Arsenal’s digital channels in the UK and Ireland and the channel will be able to access our players and Arsene Wenger for interviews and such like. Which, as the official site said:
Will create unique and exclusive content to support and enhance BT Sport’s Barclays Premier League coverage.
Arsenal and BT have a long standing relationship, and earlier this year Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was one of the key athletes featured in the national launch campaign of BT Sport.
Arsenal’s director of global partnerships and business strategy, Vinai Venkatesham, said of the partnership:
We are delighted to welcome BT Sport to the Club as an Official Partner. In a short period of time they have delivered numerous innovations in sports broadcasting and we are very much looking forward to developing our relationship further to help provide an extra dimension to their coverage.
BT’s marketing director David James said:
We are very pleased to become an Official Partner of Arsenal Football Club. We have lots of great ideas about how to make this partnership work for the club, BT Sport and our viewers. There is plenty of excitement around Arsenal this season and we are delighted to be part of that.
I’m personally hoping this is the first move towards us getting our own television channel back which would be great news.
Bit of transfer/player talk.
Stuttgart want young Serge Gnabry back at their club. Having played one season in Stuttgart’s youth academy, Serge left the German club in 2011 and now, as we all know, he’s more than proved himself ready and able to cope with the pressure of the Premier League. Stuttgart, for whatever reason couldn’t keep Serge back then and now’s he’s getting used to being part of our first team and squad, I doubt he would even give a thought about returning to his old club.
Arsenal is fast becoming a ‘little Germany’ and I strongly suspect he wants to remain part of it for a long while….
Stuttgart sporting director Jochen Schneider has told Bild that they were keen to re-sign the midfielder during the summer:
It’s true, he had the chance to return in the summer but he opted to fight for his chance at Arsenal and deserves every respect for this decision.
Schneider and Stuttgart won’t be put off but that though, in fact it seems they are keeping in contact with the players family, possibly in hope to persuade them that a return for their son would be a good thing. Schneider said:
After his goal in Swansea I sent his father a text to congratulate him. We will continue to monitor his progress. But if he continues to go down the path he is currently going and becomes a starter for Arsenal, it will get difficult.
They can monitor Serge all they like, but he’s ours and our days of selling the best are over. Ivan told us that in the summer so Stuttgart can dream on. Or should that be ‘jog on’…..?
There is something on the official site about Nicklas Bendtner saying he’s grown up and now has a lot to offer the game. Well I’ll believe that when I see it….
That’s your lot, have a good day…..
As T.V. gets more of a hold on football the income derived from the traditional attending fan will reduce. The ticket , Food , drink , merchandise income will be under pressure. I think the season ticket uptake will reduce as travelling fans are more likely to sit at home and watch on T.V or P.C. This will free up tickets for many “”Tourist “” fans that will spend in the club shops on things that “regulars ” don’t buy. I am not talking purely of The Arsenal as along with other top teams they will continue to get good crowds but the next echelon , the Villas, Wigans, Palaces of the world will find it harder to get people to go to the average game as the top teams slug it out in their front rooms.
You think so potter, if I lived in London, I’d still want a ticket as there’s nothing like watching a game from the stands….
I have a busy day today so catch up sometime later….
I think a survey of season ticket holders a few years back concluded that a large percentage travelled in excess of 50 miles to each home game and a few a lot further than that. I can see the time when a t.v season ticket will be sold by the clubs.
if I lived in London, I’d still want a ticket as there’s nothing like watching a game from the stands….
BTW as I am on my own here , if my son can’t make it one week I will give you a shout.
Good Afternoon Lady, Sir, Gentlemen and Ladies.
Good post Rico.
!There is something on the official site about Nicklas Bendtner saying he’s grown up…………!”…..yikes. dont tell me he has grown more than he is already. Has his head grown bigger by any chance??? Oh Gawd!!!!!
just a short hop today. soon off to do more profiles. getting there dont worry. still around 150 more to go.
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Afternoon anyone 😉
What a quiet old day, bloomin international breaks…
Best I go and look for a holiday 😉
Thanks Potter, that’s really kind of you but travelling is a tad difficult for me…
Earlier today, the President of Galatasaray stated that by 2018, the Champipns League would be superseded by a European Super League of the top 20 clubs in Europe.
A fixed league of 20 clubs with no promotion or relegation…..
Gala obviously think that they’ll get in…
But who would those 20 clubs be????
What do you lot think?
Whose your 20…???
Arsenal and Arsenal reserves for a start.
Seriously the repurcussions might not be all bad, for a club to enter a super league would either mean leaving their national league or else having a second team to play domestically. A second team in our league would enable all the players that have gone to get experience would be able to train and play under the umbrella of their parent club. Games for Frimpong , Lansbury etc would only be to their benefit and if the F.A are serious about their building an international team they could introduce a system where a certain number of English qualified would have to be in the starting line up.
Incidentally Wales have announced that Ramsey has passed a fitness test and will play ……………………………………….Bugger.
Hi Kev, now that needs some thought…
That’s a big bugger, had hoped he wouldn’t…
I don’t think either Manchester side will be in that super league.. If it happens….
A lot could happen in four seasons Rico/Potter…
Very true Kev, I can see us, along with a very different 3 in the top four…
Just popping off to eat
Just read Kos will sit out tomorrows match through injury…
Today must be a record on HH for the least comments ever 😛
It’s terminal international boredom. Apart from Jack’s ability to get all the wrong publicity beit Smoking or comments on England’s team selection. Sweet F.A is happening.
Rico, it just goes to show how all these endless international breaks, kill the average fans interest in football…
International football is rubbish.
Only the players/agents/FIFA & UEFA are interested….
Zzzzzzzzzzz
Think you are right potter/Kev.
International week sends football fans into hibernation….
Might as well call it a night, soaps are on thank goodness 😉
Night potter & Kev, catch up tomorrow sometime…
To me, the Serge Gnabry story is a non-story…
Send Gnabry back to Stuttgart?!!!
Why would Arsenal do that???
The club has spent the last two years finishing his football education.
He has finally broken into the 1st team squad.
And he is looking like an important addition to the squad…
So now we’re gonna send him back to Germany are we?
Utter bollocks…..
With the likes of Podolski, Cazorla and Walcott coming close to fitness again, the squad should benefit nicely from having some fresh legs and minds around the squad as we build up towards the spectre of November (thunder crashes, a door creaks, someone screams, dramatic music) and the constant reminder from those dullards in the Press of how previous Arsenal teams always struggle in November (yawn)…..
Morning Kev and all..
At last the old Kev is back and not the brainwashed 😉
No way will Gnabry go back to Germany yet imho, maybe in years to come he’ll want to go home but the way Arsene is going, Arsenal will be like Germany 😉
I see SS’s hit a headline story about the young English keeper yesterday from Bristol City. Shame they don’t read HH, that same news was on here about a week ago 😉
Morning all,
I’ve been calling for a super league since Super 15 Rugby.
Morning Bradster..
Forgive me for being thick, if a Superleague does happen, I take it clubs involved will no longer be part of the PL?
New post up