I liked Paul Merson the footballer but if I met Paul Merson the pundit, I’d probably have to ask him if he’d ever really sat and thought about some of the things he says, whether or not he actually believes in what he says or does he just try to cause controversy. Bluntly, some of what comes out of his mouth makes him appear a prize idiot.
Take his latest on Lucas Torreira:
“Liverpool wouldn’t buy him tomorrow morning, I wouldn’t have thought any of the top four would.
He could be playing at Southampton and wouldn’t get a mention, or Burnley. No-one would mention it. It’s just that Arsenal needed it so badly.”
Admittedly, he does go on to say how good he’s been for the team etc and how important his goals have been but then throws in Torreira is not a good passer of the ball. Chump! I’m sure both Burnley and Southampton would love to have Torreira in their team and if he was, I’m 100% sure he would be getting a mention and probably more than he is for Arsenal. Oh, and didn’t his agent tell us that Torreira rejected top clubs around Europe to sign for Arsenal? I certainly recall Dortmund being one. Merse doesn’t know that any of the top four sides wouldn’t want him, no more than you or I do but considering the little guy always seems to be the target for for rough treatment, I’d say they know exactly how good he is.
I really don’t understand why ex Arsenal players seem to have a grudge against their old club and are so keen to knock it whenever they can. Do they lose sight of who it was that made them? In the case of Paul Merson, there’s a lot many back in his day could have said about him.
I enjoy listening to Ian Wright though as he seems as passionate for the club as he was during his playing days but I can’t think of many others like him. Even Alan Smith will always lean towards an Arsenal negative rather than remain, no not that one, impartial.
Still, I guess the likes of the BBC, Bt Sports and Sky Sports wouldnt keep them in a job if they dared to be honest.
I think Torreira is a great little player, one who any top club would love to have in their side. I think Arsenal are on the rise too, despite pundits trying to tell us otherwise. After all, it always easy to highlight ‘shambolic defending’ when we concede a goal, but that same shambolic defending has prevented many goals being scored too.
But then that’s done to shedding finishing isn’t it? In their eyes anyway….
Stay warm and safe guys. It’s cold out there, so cold anyone would think it’s December…
Good morning Rico, pundits eh? They have to be controversial or nobody would pay them to spout their rubbish. The more tripe they can turn out, the more attention they get, hence your piece on Merson. If he hadn’t denigrated our little terrier you wouldn’t have mentioned him. (no offence intended Rico).
Pundits, commentators and summarisers are just talking heads, usually lacking the basic ingredient of a head, i.e. a brain. I tend to watch most televised sport with the sound either very low or off altogether although doing so does occasionally mean that I miss a vital bit of action, by dozing off.
Good morning Rico and everyone, it is actually surprising, I actually tot Paul was an ex spurs player, I for one believe punditry in England is overrated, we have far better football analysts in Nigeria sorry to say.. I understand being bias, but the statement you quoted about credited to Paul Merson is just plain stupid and miopic. I just feel he has a need to have a contrary opinion to others hence the stupid comments from time to time.. I would say we adopt emery’s style, keep quiet as keep proving the overpaid loudmouths wrong on the pitch.. about tomorrow’s game against the saints, we need a win, badly, let’s keep the tempo up through December for once in donkey years.
Morning Cicero, Mexy and all.
I’ve tried turning the sound down too but it always feels like something is missing.
Let’s be honest..the only ex Arsenal players turned pundit who talk any sense are Ian Wright and Alex Scott.. the rest for some reason seem to be suffering from anal discharge when their time comes to discuss all things Arsenal.
Welcome Jim. It’s hard to disagree there although Charlie Nic isn’t too bad.
A pundit is only someone being paid to give an opinion.
Doesn’t mean they know any more about the game than the rest of us, and Merson proves that with his dumb arse comments about Torreira.
There isn’t a club in the League that wouldn’t take him right now.
Morning all.
Good Morning and a very chilly one it is on the south east coast. I’ve thought for years that there ought to be a customer defined option to watch a game with the sound of the crowd but no commentary. There used to be a Fan Zone option on Sky ( is there still) but that was painful.
Say what you really think Scott. 😆
The only good one Billy was Tim Lovejoy and Bradley Walsh… 😀
Rico, there’s always music to fill the void.
How about The March of the Gladiators pre-match. Send in the Clowns as the opposition enter the field.
Ode to Joy, when we score. Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful songs when we give away an injury time equaliser
Morning Rico and all. The sport punditry business is all about viewing numbers and therefore entertainment and there’s plenty of money in it. Those of limited ‘scope’ will always go for the lowest common denominator. Only a couple of weeks ago Merson was predicting that Spurs would destroy Arsenal in the NLD. Another wildly successful manager, Tim Sherwood claimed that not one Arsenal player would get in the Spurs team. A few years ago Merson drove his Merc into the back of a 30 ton lorry on the motorway, claiming that he “Didn’t see it”. Danny Mills is outraged asa pundit when someone commits a bad foul and Jamie Carragher spits at children and rails against defenders dragging strikers to the ground in the penalty box.
Is there a pattern here?
That wouldn’t seem right either Cicero, I guess I’m hooked on poor punditry… Even though a lot is rubbish, I always like to hear their weird views…
Morning Adam. Often makes me smile when footballers known for their dirty tackles back in their day, then go on to knock hard tackles in the game. Idiots.
As for Carragher, I’m surprised he got his job back after his spitting incident.
Is Dennis Suárez any good? I see we’re linked to him to replace Ramsey..
Afternoon Gooner.
Afternoon Rico.
Paul Merson earns a living doing after dinner evenings with Perry Groves and Ray Parlour, telling stories about his time at Arsenal, his punditry is all about earning an income, as irritating as it is we shouldn’t take it seriously.
The more outrageous his comments, the more attention he gets and thus his contract gets renewed at Sky, what else is he going to do other than end up like Kenny Sansom?
The real question to me is the agenda of both Sky and BT who behave like tabloid newspapers.
Parlour is quite good on the radio and Groves is always pro-Arsenal, Frank McLintock was great back in early days at SKY and Charlie Nicholas never hides his love for Arsenal, especially to Phil ‘the hooter’ Thompson.
I see that Arsenal are trying to arrange a 5 game tour of the US next summer, I guess it saves Stan and Josh the trouble of coming to England…
Rico. It’s a well-established strategy. When Ferguson had a team more than capable of brutal, intimidating fouls he would often warn visiting referees to watch out for fouls from opponents. Whatever you are most guilty of, blame and accuse others of the same thing. Trump does it every day.
It always surprises me how effective this stuff still is.
Afternoon Kev, do the words serious and Merson belong in the same sentence when it comes to pundits? Lol
I’d imagine his talks with the old boys are pretty good though. Naughty too.
It certainly is Adam. Wenger tried to use I think but failed…. lol
My son and his mates saw them in Southend in 2017, they said it was brilliant.
I bet, they’ve certainly a few stories to tell…
Afternoon all. Another Saturday without the arsenal playing.
Just heard Merton praising the terrier to the hilt. He’s, “what arsenal have been missing for the last 10 years” and of his goal last week Merton went on to say, “it was a proper goal, a proper goal”. Just saying, he’s obviously had a change of heart since. However, I did not start this comment to defend our former addict!
I think if you consider the current crop of ex-arsenal pundits there seems to me to be a common thread that binds them all, that is they all were rejected by Wenger and not nicely, either. Merton was supported through his admission of human weaknesses by the old chap and then as soon as he was ‘fit’ again he was told his days at arsenal were over. 2006 having reached the Champions league final Wenger sacked his defensive coach Keown! Did he bear a grudge? Of course he did and would I if I were him. Would I take every opportunity to criticise the team’s defensive weaknesses, of course I would! Stewart Robson, same scenario, but have you heard him this season he’s full of praise for little Dick’s team! Smudger, rowed with good old Arsene at the training ground as was banned by the club from ever going there again. I wonder if some of his remarks may be, just ever so soured as a result of his treatment by our former manager? Wright’s for most of last season was extremely outspoken about the manager and what had happened to ‘his’ Arsenal. Not so now though as he like we can see ‘his Arsenal’ making upward progress!
I don’t blame any of the critics being somewhat embittered, in that I think they were all treated very shabbily by the Club and in particular the ex-manager. Equally and as well I think we may well see a softening of their attitudes if and when the arsenal return to the top four or better in the future.
Really cold here, the car was telling me it was 2c but with the wind it felt like sub-zero! Dry so far though.
I used to live in the same village as Merson in the 1980’s , he was good fun in the pub but not the sharpest knife in the box. He ended up with marital problems that were a bit sad . I think the way of his departure from Arsenal enbittered him , he couldn’t get hold of Wenger’s philosophy as I said he is not the most erudite character.
As another top 6 side gets an injury time winner against a team that has defended heriocally for the full 90 . Does anyone else see the correlation between the 4th official coming out and the defensive team switching off for a minute thinking they have done it.
I think some of the ex Arsenal pundits don’t want to admit new players play better than them so they drag them down. I turn the sound off and listen to the Arsenal site live commentary.
Not always great but surprisingly objective without continual negative re-hashing heard from the TV announcers. Definitely a step up and they encourage live comments.
Potter, no question a lot of players switch off a minute or two too soon.
Late goals are scored too often for it to be anything but a lack of concentration, imo.
Reg, you could well be onto something 🙂
I reckon Wavy is right as well though, some ex-players just lives rubbing Wengers nose in things.
And we thought they’re paid to be neutral observers offering honest opinions 🙂
I think ex Arsenal players commentating / commenting are the most biased against their old team than any other.
I hate.
Alan Smith
David O’Leary
I love.
Perry Groves
Tont Adams
Martin Keown.
Morning guys.
Stuart Robson has upped his game since Wenger left.
I too think Wavy makes a very good point about some of the ex Wenger players being bitter. You’d have thought they’d be over it by now…
Vcc, I think Utd fans might disagree right now..lol
New post up now