Morning all.
I’ve just been watching ITV’s Big Match Revisited. The game was between Newcastle United and Manchester United with snow on the ground and the players wearing the shortest of shorts and some of the Newcastle players with short sleeved shirts on. Nowadays, the game would be called off I’m sure. Some of the challenges were what I’d call proper, ball first followed by a piece of the player. At the end of the game, the Division One table showed Everton as leading the way with Arsenal fourth. The season, 1984/85.
Football has come a long way since or has it? There’s more money in the game, ridiculous amounts in my opinion, the fans now sit instead of standing, usually behind fencing and the shorts have definitely got longer. There wasn’t a team of pundits back then, just a commentator telling viewers what was going on. As for the so called experts dissecting every game on Sky Sports, well there was none of that thank goodness.
But if you’re old enough to remember those good old days, did you prefer watching football from the stands more than you do today? I used to go to Elm Park on a Saturday afternoon when I could and loved it. My favourite Reading players were Michael Gilkes and Stuart Beavon.
Anyway, back to the here and now…..
That was some England debut for Myles Lewis-Skelly. Given his first start by Thomas Tuchel against Albania, not only did he have a good game but scored England’s opening goal. Jude Bellingham play a lovely through ball from midfield for our young left back to run on to and finish through the keepers legs. No nerves there eh.
Thomas Tuchel:
He is such an open character. He was amazing in camp. Full of confidence, full of humour. You see everything on the pitch, off the pitch. He does it with a natural confidence. That’s how he plays football. Full of courage and quality. He was decisive and opened this game for us.
That’s what younger footballers are like though in my opinion. Fearless and hard working. Not all I know as some get caught up in the fame which playing football for a top club can bring but Lewis-Skelly, and Ethan Nwaneri for that matter, seem sensible young men. Bukayo Saka is another player who we don’t really hear anything about other than for footballing reasons. I don’t think it’ll be long before Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri will be playing together for Arsenal and for the England senior team.
A few of the back page football writers are already having a dig at Tuchel for not singing the national anthem which I think is ridiculous. The man is German so why on earth would anyone expect him to start singing the national anthem? I know there’s the old saying about ‘When in Rome……..’ but for goodness sake, leave the guy alone to do what every England fan hopes he can do which is to make England stronger and successful.
From the bits I saw of the game, he’s got his work cut out. Rashford and Foden? I wonder how long Tuchel will stick with either. Or Kane for that matter because unlike the commentator, I didn’t think his goal was world class at all.
Declan Rice had this to say about his teammate:
He does everything right off the pitch. He prepares himself. He’s only 18. I try to look after him as best I can, but I knew he was going to play like that because of the confidence he has in himself, and the way that he’s trained all week, and what I’ve seen at the club, and how he is around the club. His mum, his dad, everyone, and his brothers, they should be so proud of him because his rise this year has been unreal. And he’s kept his feet on the ground. This is only the start for him so he’s got to keep going.
His rise has been incredible and very soon, he’ll be joined by Ethan Nwaneri I’m sure. If Tuchel really wants to make England an exciting team to watch, he’ll need to ditch a few of the players who Southgate relied on for so long. Tuchel might be able to tweak the tactics but as the old say goes, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
One more international game to go for our players and then it’s home to prepare for the visit of Fulham a week on Tuesday.
Lastly, what a great result for the women yesterday as they dished out a 4-0 thumping to Liverpool. Two own goals – who cares eh…
Catch up in the comments..
Good morning Rico.
England are going to need a couple of wingers so certainly Saka, when he has properly recovered and is match fit. In the meantime Nwaneri can very adequately replace Foden whose time as an England player is most definitely over, Rashford too I should hope.
Have we got a fifteen year old left winger in the Academy? 😉
Morning Cicero.
I think we have a couple of wingers coming through. 😂
Next season should be interesting…
Did you see Mariona Caldentey‘s goal yesterday? Right out the Saka and Nwaneri book. Lol
Walk time to walk around the Welsh countryside. Just hope I don’t get lost 😂
Yes I watched the game Rico, that goal was a beauty.
I thought Katie McCabe was unlucky to get booked, all she did was body check the Liverpool player who had just hacked down one of ours. The wretched girl had been a pest and cheat for the whole time she was on the pitch. Constantly falling over, and feigning injury, at the slightest of touches and moaning to the ref. She got what she deserved.
As to playing in bad conditions, a long long time ago I played for the Ambassador and Paddington telephone exchange team, on a frozen pitch in London’s Regents Park, I got annoyed with an opposing winger so I caught him with a lovely sliding tackle, one foot on the ball the other on his ankle, no foul but he didn’t come near me for the rest of the game. The only problem was the frozen grass, it left me with a long and painful scrape from knee to top of my thigh. Still a couple of after match pints in a Baker Street pub took the edge off the pain. I think the result was a nil nil draw.
Mwynhewch eich cerdded Rico. 😉
You were lucky , Regents Park was notorious for calling games off when it was wet , I suppose being frosty old parky didn’t want to leave his hut .
Parli hill however if you took a corner up the slope the far post used to lean about a foot forward from the near one and if you kicked the ball into the over hanging tree the ball dropped like a stone onto the goal mouth.. A bit of local knowledge always helped.
I used to walk up the road to watch Arsenal when I was a kid in the early 1950s. Some things have
changed a great deal since then. In particular the pitches have changed, apart from the first games in September the goal area and center circle were just mud with no sign of grass.
Supporters from both teams used to mix freely and holding the same rail there might be Spurs supporters, as well as those of the true faith, in a NLD.
Tackles then could be violent.
Dick, I remember an N L D way back when, Dave Mackay tackled our winger Danny Clapton and left him in heap on the track round the pitch. A little later Tommy Docherty body checked Mackay and left him draped over the wall with his head in the crowd. No complaints from any of the three and the ref sensibly didn’t get involved other than to wag his finger at Tommy.
Thanks Cicero. 😂
That’s Liverpool for you, dish it out ok but then make a meal of nothing.
Our games used to get called off frequently because of the weather. Same as many though, parks/private pitches rented out weren’t looked after much. A few wobbly white lines at best. 😂
Oh dear Scotland 😜
Good post Rico. I like what I hear from Tuchel, there is an honesty about his press conferences and the journalists seem surprised by the depth of his answers to their questions. The National Anthem and who sings it is totally irrelevant, most of the players don’t sing it or know it never mind our German manager. The journalists who make an issue of it are just scumbags.
No news on Califiori yet?
Morning Rico. Would any English Manager managing Germany sing their National Anthem? I doubt it very much. Tabloid journalists will never change because If they can stir it up they will!
Onto a brighter note. MLS – what a character! Doesn’t it make you prouder to be a Gooner when we have players like him in our team and representing our country. Hopefully he will do the same tonight.
Looking forward to seeing Saka back and what Arteta has in store for him and Nwaneri and Tuchel putting them into the England Squad .
I heard that Califiori will be out for at least three Premier games, but who knows. Another big loss for Arsenal but the team know how to adapt.
Tuchel said in an interview yesterday that clubs cannot expect him to rest their players during the international breaks. He said it was his job to win games and he would not drop or rest players he deemed to be fit enough, and important enough to play two games in a week. As he said, they do it for their clubs so why can’t they be expected to do it for their country.
Tuchel is on a short contract and his focus is on winning the world cup , however fatuous that sounds . That is his sole interest and playing players is going to happen so we can expect Rice and MLS to play every minute and will only get subbed if they are injured or playing badly.
We can thank the stars that so far he has resisted the chance to call up White and Nwaneri because when Saka comres back we could easily have 5 players in every international.
good afternoon Rico and all.
Interesting post Lady. A feel good factor will always be created when posting on Hale Enders.
Potter…..if England win something with 5 or more Arsenal players in the team then that will really rub it in for the pundits….when it was full of Spuds, Dippers and Manures England won zilch.
bdw….I found this on FB…it made me chuckle…..
Every top side has that achievement they will never forget:
– Man United: 1999 Treble
– Man City: 2023 Treble
– Arsenal: 2004 Invincibles
– Liverpool: 2005 Istanbul
– Spurs: That night Man City beat them so Arsenal couldn’t win the league
I think if you read the full Tuchel quotes that it’s the Press, as per usual, trying to develop an issue between Tuchel and club managers when there really isn’t one.
…..add to the list 1971 Arsenal win first ever League and F A Cup double.
M L S and Rice start for England tonight.
Evening guys.
Seems crazy to give MLS another start. Still, at least we don’t play again until next Tuesday so a week to recover..
England could soon have Rice, White, MLS, Saka and Nwaneri in the squad…
Nwaneri scores on his debut as well
Excellent..
Morning Rico and all,
Hope I haven’t too much,
Thanks for the email, Rico.
it’s been a hard few weeks trying to explain to my 2 disabled son’s why my mum can’t remember sometimes due to her dementia and dad’s cancer has gotten so bad that he is in pain all the time and the slightest fall now he cracks bones and knowing there is nothing you can do to help, and on top of our old dog passed away last week. I will be back soon I just need a good break