Morning all.
No surprise really that Ethan Nwaneri’s goal against Manchester City last month is a contender for the Premier League’s Goal of the Month award. It was a stunner. If there was an award for assist of the month, then look no further than the Declan Rice 50 yard pass to our youngster. I think the goal was even sweeter because it was against City and the fifth in our 5-1 thrashing of them.
Arsenal v Utd used to be the biggest clash of a season for both clubs as for a short period of roughly one or the other used to win the league. The battle between the two lasted for around nine years.
The appointment of Arsene Wenger in 1996 saw more overseas players join the club as an overhaul of the squad took place and away from the pitch, the Frenchman focussed on fitness, diet and delivering exciting football. as well as fitness and diet.
Whilst most of our current players are great in their own right, Wenger certainly spoiled us by signing wonderful players over years he was manager. From Anelka, Vieira, Petit, to Bobby, Freddie, Campbell, Gilberto and Henry and even through our barren years the great players kept on coming. Fabregas, Nasri, Hleb, Aubameyang and Ozil. All excellent players although for one or two, their attitude towards playing, didn’t necessarily match their talent. I listed just a few but there has been so many more.
Not only was the battle between both sets of players back then, the Fergie v Wenger banter fed the back pages every week. The media loved it, mind you, I thin’ they loved the post Invincible years more because Arsenal dropped away from bing a really competitive club to one which had to deal with a stadium move and the financial burden which came with it. Instead of signing really good players, Wenger was swooping up old has beens from other clubs.
But those first nine years were special under Arsene Wenger – League and Cup double in 1997–98 followed by another in 2001–02. Two more FA Cup wins came in 2003 and 2005 and there was the incredible 2003/04 unbeaten season too which no Premier League club has been able to repeat. Not even the juggernaut which has been Manchester City. The Champions League final against Barcelona in 2006 was ruined by the officials. No surprise eh.
Since those successful days in the 90’s and 00’s, the club had gone downhill slowly but steadily. As said, our transfer business was mostly average, some of it bad but then a burst of talent joined the club in Alexis Sanchez, Aubameyang, Lacazette and Ozil. Not all together of course but even so, the club couldn’t manage to do better than finish in the top four as far as the league goes but Wenger did ensure three more FA Cup trophies were placed in our trophy cabinet before he left.
Since Fergie left Utd and Arsene Wenger, Arsenal, the rivalry between both clubs hasn’t been as intense. Neither club has really challenged for the league title, not until last season anyway when Mikel Arteta’s players came close but Utd, well they’ve really dropped away from being a top four club let alone a club challenging for the league.
There’s something about Utd I really don’t like which probably stems from Fergie time as well as the man himself. Oh, and a lot of their historical players. Van Nistelrooyd the Neville brothers, Keane, Butt, Giggs, Rooney – actually, I’d be here all day if I listed every one of them. In football there’s confidence and arrogance, Utd were always the latter in my opinion. I think they still are, especially that lump Maguire who thinks he can get away with everything and anything, Martinez too although he’s out injured for Sundays game.
Utd are trying to get back to the top of the game I’m sure, just as we are. Amorim has done little but moan so far about hard hard his job is, whereas Mikel Arteta didn’t moan about what he was left, he just worked hard to make us competitive and to bring the fans and the club back together again. Could the club have got to where it is now quicker? Perhaps but look at the clear out which took place. Should we have a recognised striker or two in the squad? Absolutely, just as the club should have foreseen injuries coming our way bearing in mind how much football these guys play. Saying that, Martin Odegaard had the summer off. Every club has and still are suffering with injuries though and lots of them. We’ve just been hit harder because ours are mainly attacking players.
But back to the Arsenal/Utd rivalry, I wonder if it’ll ever return, or has it really ever gone away?
Hope this all makes sense, I found myself often digressing as I wrote…
Catch up in the comments.
Afternoon Rico.
Two tasty events spring immediately to mind from those times, v Nistlrooy penalty miss and good old Martin Keown blasting in his face and pizzagate.
😂
Nice one Rico, you can feel the pain from In-between the lines, I get it, I share it, all the times they’ve got away with it against us, also there’s no doubt that we have a bit of a complex about Old Toilet.
Yeah we won up there last season but if was a struggle and only 0-1 against an awful United team, well more a United rabble than a team!
This season is the same but the United fans, despite their anti-ownership protests, will be up for a visit of the Gunners.
Apparently Arsenal have won the last 4 Premier League games vs ManYoo, but 3 of them were at the Emirates!
I’d love to see us go up there and do a Sporting or a PSV on them, but we know it’ll be more difficult than those two games, low block, mid block, deep block, block on block, Amorim will try and frustrate us. There will be no space for us to work in, we need an early Arsenal goal (somehow) an early Arsenal goal opens up the game and then we’ll see?
Afternoon Berg, Kev.
The awful night when we had half a team still irks..
I hope we batter them again on Sunday. Or just win…
Thanks Kev, me too. I still can’t believe we lost that cup game…
The 50th game and the FACup semi-final Rico when they kicked Reyes from pillar to post, common theme, that ultra bent bastard Mike Riley, how I still despise him.
We suffered in other games of course but they were usually down to nativity by Arsene Wenger.
Always the idealist even when pragmatism was needed…
Good evening Rico, Kev, Berg.
Wenger certainly signed some good players…some dross too, unfortunately, but I won’t name names let them fade into obscurity.
United will not be an easy game, they are still a Premiership side and their crowd will do all they can to boost their team.
I read today that the guy at M U who has been deciding who stays and who goes has himself agreed to leave the club along with a few others in executive positons, a case of the biter bit! 😉
Short an sweet tonight! Sleep well! 😴
Morning peeps.
As a fan my ultimate devotion is to the club over any player, no matter how great they are when they turn their back on the club, especially if a more lucrative financial offer has been laid on the table I can’t help but loathe that player.
You’ve probably guessed who’s in my sights this weekend, Chido Obi Martin. OK, admittedly his pathway looked a bit bleak but Nwaneri must be a wiser lad as he stuck to his task and is now reaping the rewards, similarly MLS too.
RVP is probably one of the highest on my “list” having spent most of his time in the company of the physios than his team mates and as soon as he strung a few games together fissed off to ManUre.
I detest him to this day
OK, PV4 and TH14 to name but two high profile players also left but for me they spent their best and long term playing days at our great club. I just had a smile remembering Cesc up against Paddy in their first encounter of which Cesc came out on top. Karma Pads.
For me, rather maliciously I hope Obi has a horrow showing and Nwaneri bags a brace at least.
From Riley to Oliver Kev, two big Arsenal stitch up officials..
Hi Cicero, I think by the end of his career at Arsenal, the great players he signed were probably outnumbered by the dreadful ones.
Morning Berg, same here.
If Heaven and Obi feature, I hope they both have stinkers.
I’m off to the seaside, catch up later… 😜
Well it’s 11 deg./feels like 7 deg. here so there’s no chance of the beach for me. 😂
I see that Anthony Taylor in charge of this one with Paul Tierney on VAR….. One from Manchester and the other from Salford .
The fix is in .
@ Potter 🤦♂️
Hopefully Taylor dislikes ManUre due to it’s locality (Arsenal – Spuds) as he is an Altrincham fan.
Tierney similar as he’s a Wigan fan. 🤞
Berg 10 , That maybe those are their declarations but it’s always struck me as strange how referees seem to claim to support lower division teams . However Manchester and Salford doesn’t seem to particularly neutral especially as they have to go home to their families and socialise with their neighbours afterwards.
I think if a top referee, say Taylor or Tierney, are secret United or City fans then I reckon they would have been grassed up by now.
Where I have an issue with their locality is the neighbours, friends and family around them, most probably surrounded by United and City fans, who’ll pile on a bit of emotional pressure before a massive game. They have to live among those people after the game and won’t want to unduly upset them, so it’s a recipe for double standards…
It’ll be interesting to see what we get today, that in mind Oliver is a Newcastle fan and gives us shit anyway, I don’t think it’s a geographical issue, just a straight forward green envy selfishness that seems to be a part of referee training sessions.
I read somewhere neutrality would be more efficient if we had continental refs? OK there may be some Champions league bias occasionally but that could be taken into consideration.
My favourite old Trafford games have to be the 1998 and the 2002 wins,especially 98,I was in a pub with 90% united fans,just a few of us Arsenal fans,when Overmars scored it was a moment of joy.
They usually raise their game,their goalkeeper always plays their game of the season.so it won’t be easy.
Forest beating Man City 1-0 in injury time.
Southampton take the lead at Anfield, Liverpool equalise and within a minute guess what?? You got it they are awarded their regular penalty. What a fix!!
It doesn’t matter what any team does Liverpool are not going to be allowed to fail to win the Premiership.
Good evening Rico and all
Liverpool got two penalties?? who would have believed it or thought so at half time. Amazing really.
I enjoyed raeding your previous and this posts Rico. but was not in a position to write myself.
Yes, the Luckypool penalty, nobody else gets it and nobody escapes a red card either.
It’s all so contrived, manufactured by the Premier League and it’s cronies.
Afternoon Rico and all,
Hopefullea good win against Man u this weekend to help keep a better difference between us and Forest. The ref’s have helped Liverpool all season, nothing new there.
Good morning all.
Thanks Devil.
New post up..