Fergie has been talking about the fixture’s and how the so-called ‘top sides’ have theirs moved around just to suit television showing.
It shows itself quite clearly because when you see the fixture lists come out now, they can pick and choose whenever they want the top teams on television.
You get some ridiculous situations when you’re playing on Wednesday night in Europe and then at lunchtime the following Saturday. You ask any manager if they would pick that themselves and there’d be no chance.
Just how many comments have been made on here about our hectic fixture schedule when we are competing in all four competitions?
How many times have we said that the fixtures are all about who plays who and what Sky Sports and ESPN choose to broadcast?
Not only that – how many fixtures are moved just to suit the same broadcasting companies, to ensure they get the most viewing figures?
Is Fergie right?
Look at the Champions League, any side can travel from one country to another and that journey could take many many hours, they could then have to deal with a time zone and severe weather change, let alone pitch conditions! Then, just because Sky Sports want to show that team at the weekend, they could be asked/forced to play on Saturday lunchtime and then, in some circumstances, have had to play again in a Domestic Cup fixture just a few days later!
Also, Fergie mentions how the television channels can ‘pick and choose’ which games they show after the fixtures are released, ‘pick and choose’ being the words that hit home in my opinion.
Why do they assume that Arsenal v’s Liverpool, Manchester United or Tottingham will be a better game than Bolton v’s Blackburn or Stoke, QPR or Swansea for example? Ok, they get to televised on the odd occasion but as much as the ‘top sides’ – I doubt it. Also, with no disrespect meant, those sides are not playing quite so many fixtures.
What gives them the right to think a derby match makes better viewing?
Surely the Premier League viewing should be shared, money going equally to all sides competing – in fact some would say that there are clubs more in need of the money earned from the likes of Sky and ESPN – so why don’t they show them more often?
If they don’t want to do that, then what about just bringing back the Saturday 3pm kick off and show the lot – then every team get’s just what it deserves in the financial cut throat world that BskyB has made sport, in particularly, football….
On top of that, every footballer at every club gets proper rest, they will prolong their healthy career and fans will see them play longer and more often.
After all – isn’t that what football is really about – playing, being a fan and shouting from the rooftops in support of the club you love?
It’s not all about Sky ‘bloody’ Sports is it??
Do you agree with Fergie, or is he just having another moan?
Finally, reports suggest Jack Wilshere is out now until April after having surgery on his ankle, that means he won’t play again this season after our club medics get their hands on him! Didn’t we just know that?
No doubt we will soon hear the same about Thomas Vermaelen……
Moaning all …..
morning, this injury plague is beyond a joke!! Every season, without fail….
Am really petrified! Playing a whole season without wilshere? God help me. Morning HH.
Lee – i think that is why fergie is having a moan, players aren’t getting proper rest between games, i think rooney and chickpea are crocked right now, hence his comments..
goonster – this was always on the cards, as soon as he said he was injured, you just knew the rest. he played last season when ‘in the red’ – he’s too young to be playing every game…
Morning Rico I said the same thing to a couple of gooners back in november and I was almost torn to shreds. Jack wilshere is far too young to be playing 42 games a season. He is a teenager for pete’s sake. You don’t have to look far…see what happened to owen.
Is tomorrow’s game at the EMs or are we away at olympiacos?
exactly goonster – i’m all for playing the young ones when they deserve their chance, if they are good enough they are old enough imho – but to play them week in week out when bones are still growing is just wrong….
having to play him so much just says it all, we lacked depth in our midfield last season and who’s fault was that?
The Emirates… All our fixtures are on the right hand side of the page goonster 😉
should of added to the squad….blame firmly on AW’s head!
Howdy Folks
How is the going so far….work has been a burden lol hope you are all good
Oh you got me there Rico…..was really wondering what we did to the fixture wizard. Are you sure KEV or LEE didn’t steal his muffins?
Apparently walcott won’t be available for tomorrow’s game and maybe the game at shite hart lane. Wrong info mama bear. But if you gotta blame someone….blame it on metro.co.uk. They ran the story which I picked up and broadcasted.
metro = total shite!
media = shite!!
Exactly Lee
Howdy Erick, will all seem a lot better once was mash the spuds at the weekend….
Arsenal Druids makes wrong original diagnosis again! Tells Wilshere he can go back training, then finds out something wrong with him after all…stress fracture serious stuff caused by incompetence. TV was the same, wrong original diagnosis, very costly.
Fergie is right on 3 pm start.
You think we will?
so what is Walcott’s injury?
Yeah lee I have my own reservations too. The spuds have a cracking team now. Filled with youth and experience. Most of all they ve got some really good players in their fold. Dare I say this….for the first time in living memory they have a better squad than we do! Bother.
There I said it…..
I think we’ll get at a point Lee, if we can keep Lardy quiet…
Is this squad better than ours?? Their last fixture
Brad Friedel
Ledley King
Benoit Assou-Ekotto
Kyle Walker
Younes Kaboul
Scott Parker
Luka Modric
Gareth Bale
Jermain Defoe
Emmanuel Adebayor
Niko Kranjcar
Substitutes
Carlo Cudicini
Sebastien Bassong
Jake Livermore
Iago Falque
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Giovani dos Santos
Andros Townsend
how many injuries have they got?
actually who gives a fck about those wankers!!!
We play the mugs on Sunday….come on lads you know what this fixture means…. do us proud
Yeah lee….that’s the spirit. We should go there for the kill. And rico yeah they have a stronger squad than we do.
😆 Lee – certainly not me but i don’t they they have a better squad, they may have got Lardy but they lost a few too….
I hate 4pm Sunday ko’s though….
They better had Erick…
I disagree goonster 😉
Am afraid erick this current team won’t understand what the NLD means to an average arsenal fan. The ones that knows what it means are either on loan or injured. This is the kinda game we need lansbury,wilshere and frimpong. Hope they get it right though. Too many johnny come lately in the team. Gerv,mert,santos etc.
Rico they ve got monkey faced bale and pox ridden modric. Who on our team is better.
I thought it would of been an early kick off…..is vdv out?
modric looks like a rat…
I think overall goonster we have just as good a squad
VdV is fit Lee.. Last i heard, don’t know why he didn’t play against Wolves….
Modric is a Chav in white 😉
Got it wrong, their last game was a 2-1 away win against ten man Wigan, VdV did play….
Still he’s better than what we have now. What I ll give to have wilshere fit for this one. Oh well come on you gunners. Come on.
I wish Lansbury was in for this one, he knows what a NLD is all about, hope Gibbs can spread a bit of the history around the changing room….
yeah the same ten man wigan we couldn’t break down last season.
But we are creating more chances this season goonster, it’s defending the oppo’s chances we struggle with….
So we ll be lining up like this I guess….woijech sagna mert kozzer gibbs song arteta ramsey gervinho van persie ashavin…hmmm I would replace ashavin with the oxbot but hey am not wenger
Rico what chances? Did you see the first half against bolton we struggled to register a single shot on target. RVP was isolated up front. It took a single moment of magic to break bolton’s resolve. They also had to play the last 35 minutes with ten men. Come on rico.
Goonster, there are some things in life that you just don’t do, you never stand on supermans cape, you never try and pinch a slice of desperate dan’s cow pie and you never big up the scum, they will always be our poor relations and always be in our shadow.
Me big up the scum….no way am just pointing out the obvious. They are forever and perpetually in our shadow.
i still disagree goonster, there is no way the scum are better than us on paper – right now all is not ticking but if those first 5/10 minute chances we get go in, the rest will follow..
Did we not fail to convert a couple early on Saturday? They have to go in one day and who says they won’t against the scum…
Hi Micko – they will carry that on sunday too, i honestly believe we will win, or at least get something from the game….
*chances we get in the first 5/10 minutes* i meant
Ok rico….I hope you are right though. Anything less than a point and we ll be 5 points behind those losers and believe me you don’t want to be starring up at a turd!
Saturday:
‘Gervinho broke away but a heavy touch allowed Jussi Jaaskelainen to rush out and smother the ball at the crucial moment. In the 10th minute, Van Persie fired wide from a twice-taken free-kick.
Arsenal were in the ascendancy and starting to dictate.
The burly former England striker was a different type of threat to Arsenal and, as ever, he made his presence felt. But, by now, the home side seemed to have a measure of control.
Gervinho sent a rasping effort inches over the bar and, just before the break, Walcott’s shot deflected into the path of Koscielny who ‘shinned’ a spectacular effort well wide.’
All before the wonder strike from RvP and before they went down to ten men…..
😆 goonster, not a pretty sight…
Off to walk the dog, back in a while…..
Am feeling a wee bit better. Maybe just maybe we could turn them over at their own shit house. Am believing again. COYFGs!
Morning all, ok sorry afternoon,
Had this sent to me yesterday it’s very funny and worth a look…!
i agree 100% wit fergie,,,its nearly october and weve had only two 3 pm kick offs
Goonster, good to have you back !
The lane is a tough place to go, always very hostile but we’ve had some great results down there over the years, the away fans will be singing their hearts out, they deserve a good day out.
that’s funny WATH!
Wath, very funny, some good one liners in there, the picture on the wall towards the end made it for me.
Lee, there are others as well some really funny some average, the one where Hitler is told we don’t need centre backs is piss funny…! Try find it or shout and I’ll put it up…!
Micko, The Arsenal badge and the wenger adolf pic is hilarious…!
In case you can’t find it this is also very funny…!
Afternoon….
Theo, Kos and Gervinho are all out for tomorrow 😮
Greetings Madam House, yep just seen that….. Seems wordpress playing up or my connection is crap…!
Greetings to you too Wath – mine’s playing up a tad, has been for a few days….
Hope Miquel starts tomorrow and not JD…..
pay your Muswells!!
JD injured…….. Play Miguel not Song, stick to ppl playing in their right positions….!
Stop playing with my already shaky nerves rico….
Good Wath, and yes, def not Song at the back…..
😆 Lee – you told me that yesterday, still haven’t paid up….
Guys come on…..am working here. My boss might notice my nerves jangling.
good morning.
I expect this for Whilshere injury. I told you before we need two/three more good midfields.We lost Fabregas,Nasri, Denilson,Eboue and Rosicky,Diaby and Wilshere are intermitent all the season. I don’t understand the staff. The mean problem is not in the back and in the front. It’s in the middle. Of course we must improve our defense and attack; but the big problem is in the midfield.
Spurs? I’m waitng and see. They have, in my opinion, a better squad than us now. Olympiakos is the next one. Dangerous game.
Hi JM, and i agreed with you 😉 Just like we needed one more defender, now we are in the poop…. We needed a M’vila kind of signing….
Tomorrow will be tough with so many out…
Now that’s just mean Rico….am already feeling my nerves yet you scare me some more….God give me strength
That trio should be back for the spuds game goonster, better? 😉
Good read rico.check your mail.
So AA and Oxo might start?
looking forward to seeing the Ox!
you sure about that? Its not tomorrow’s game am worried about…..its the spuds game. We need all the players we can get. We don’t want a repeat of last two seasons when we went there with a depleted squad and lost 2:1.
Hi Kt, will do shortly, thank you….
Did Wenger say Oxo might start?
He was at the reserve game last night, cheering them on – good to see..
wenger said he is hopeful all three recover in time for the scum…
I don’t see wenger starting with the ox….instead he ll play chamakh on the right. He’s so predictable. Doing easy things the hard way.
AA on the right goonster..
Ches
Sagna Miquel Merts Gibbs/Santos
Ramsey Song Arteta
AA RvP Rosicky
Not my choice though….
He ll probably start with chamakh on the right Rico…I don’t rosciky is fit, is he?
Afternoon Gooners.
Good team Rico. I kinda see them in a 4 2 3 1 formation.
Oxo to come on lata in the game.
If we’re comfortable take off Arteta RVP & save em for the Scum.
What about song KEV…right now he’s one of the players we don’t want anything happening to….I ll take out song too.
Stanley…. Did i read you bigging up the Scummers..?
Six of the best for you my lad. Administered by Wath… 🙂
Hiya Kev, tea break ?
I’d personally start Park up front with RvP in a 442 🙂
Let’s see, Sir Alex is either saying he is willing to forego the extra TV money his team receives to regain some regularity in their start times or he is saying he wants the money but only on his own terms.
Just kidding of course, we all know it is the second.
You know me kev…..I ll rather sleep in my fish stew than big up the scummers. And believe me its not a pretty smell.
I hope Frimpong will feature against the spuds, he knows what a NLD means to the fans, he’s been with us long enough…..
You have been warned goonster, no more of this ‘they are better than us’ stuff 😉
There will be NO talk on this blog what so ever of any compliments going in the direction of that shower of shit down the rd pls…. All comments will be binned immediately if anyone gives those swamp dwellers any credit what so ever…!
You have all been warned I am watching………
Afternoon AK 😉
Toilet break.. 🙂
About time Park had a start Rico.
I’d save Frim & Coq for the Slum. Good hard subs to bring on if we’re 3-1 again. [please God].
Yes mama…..point taken. Hey WATH I get it already….sheesh .
Here Here Wath…….
Yep, agree re Park AK, not like he’s a kid, he’s an international captain, he should be playing
Hello Wath. What do you think of our chances Sunday, it’s gonna be a tough assignment that’s for sure.
no bigging up those schlaaags!
Tbh, i’d take a draw if you offered it now
I’d prob take a draw too AK, but I feel a win is due….
I got a feelin we’re gonna just nick it….
Hiya Lee.
The last time i can remember Arsenal being such underdogs going to play at that dump was 1987.
A similar result would have a few journo pigs choking on their free food & booze at the Slum.
Smashed em 2 fuk in 87 AK………… 😉
We won’t lose thats my feeling on the matter….! Will we win depends on a number of our players putting in a shift and thats the difference between winning and drawing for me…!
Righto, can’t spend all afternoon chatting.
The public need a service… C ya. 🙂
I ll take a draw too then murder the pricks when they come to the EMS later in the year. Big up the scummers? No way! Nothing could be worse than that shower of shit down the lane.come on you fucking gunners. Come on.
Like ya style Wath, lata Gooners
And Merts keeping Lardy in his pocket Wath….
14 players and a manager need to put a shift in, for 110 minutes…..
Also worrying is that squillaci can’t be far off a call up either, don’t wanna see him near the first team personally, not good enough.
Can we play with the ladies?
Micko
on Sebastien Squillaci…
Squillaci is not completely fit, he should be back in the group on Friday or Saturday.
Hopefully Monday 😉
You kidding JM, our ladies are winners, they’d beat the men 😉
JM, have you seen some of those ladies…. I’d play with one or two of them… the rest i’d not wanna meet in a dark alley…. 🙂
Haha, make that monday week.
Hi Merkin, sorry for the delay, first comments go into moderation…
Fergie wants more money, i’m sure….
After a night of drink, drugs and wild sex Bill woke up to find himself next to a really ugly woman.That’s when he realised he had made it home safely.
Yellow card on behalf of the ladies Lee 😉
Verbal caution, no?
Cyber verbal 😆 Deal
I def got away with what I said lol…….
off for dinner….
Evening all,
nice one rico,
Got to admit couldn’t give a shit about Uniteds busy schedule no different than any other club, now he’s got a few injuries he may get knocked out of some competitions, my heart bleeds for the old bugger. Can’t honestly understand why he usually gets good press seeing how he never wants to talk to anybody. Us as usual have most of the team out injured, not a great loss to us though Geronimo has struggled to get passed his man, passes seem to go astray and not been as good as i had hoped for, Theo losts of pace but sadly no brain, and also finds it difficult to get a shot on target, Jack, no reason why a guy his age couldn’t run about four times a week, not as if he’s a marathon runner, Thomas Vermaelen never expected to see him till Christmas, dump him and buy Cahill he may last a bit longer than half a dozen games. At the end of the day these guys earn absolute bundles for very little, and if they can’t run and play should be on a quarter wages , then maybe their health would get much better.
CSKA 2 – Inter 2 Wagner Love scores!
Boo! Unfortunately, rico, it seems to be all about Sky ‘bloody’ Sports. 😉
Our injury record is truly horrifying. We do not even have a deep bench to begin with, and now… (helpless shrug)
Loved the vids, WATH; the first one in particular. 🙂
I don’t understand why Fergie gets good press either, steve. Although his refusal to give interviews is no loss. He’s hardly intelligible, anyway. I think Gerv will come good; I’m not so sure about Theo. That boy generally has poor judgment.
Evening Agag, i also think he’ll come good, i was just hoping for a little more from him thats all.
CSKA 2 Inter 3 Mauro Zarate
Hahahahahahaha lee you old goat…..you are killing me! That has to be the best joke I ve ever had. Keep em coming my man.
steve, I guess we are agreed, early days yet for Gervinho. Theo on the other hand…
goonster, rico will hand you a yellow card, too. 🙂
JM, seems like a cracking game.
Hi Steve, thanks – i don’t give a toot about Fergie either but i care about our fixtures, each festive period we are over run with matches and it pays in jan/feb….
Hi agag, 😆 re BsB…
Fergie lack of i’v’s with the BBC cost the club 80K a year, just imagine if Wenger refused to be interviewed, Stan would have nightmares 😉
Wath, that could be a straight red 😉
Hey, rico. The Board would probably dock the amount from AW’s pay. 😀 I wish AW would go on a media ban though.
I just wish he’d stick to all things Arsenal agag – why he needs to talk about every thing else, i’ll never know….
Wenger wouldn’t even notice 80K a year from his 6M a year salary… grrr
Right now agag I wouldn’t mind a red so I could go have a good laugh. OMG that’s a good one lee. Classic. Am definitely sending this to all me pals at work.
Talking about other teams/players is def something AW should avoid, rico. Just focus on ours. Loose change to him, eh?
Goonster, I’m sure there are loads more of those wife jokes online. 🙂
You for real agag? Where ll I get them? Really wanna tear me mum up! Boy is she gonna get it. Give me the link to the cool joked agag.
He sets himself up to often – only to made to look a fool agag – i say shut up and concentrate on all things on the pitch….
Guys, I’m having another early one – catch you all tomorrow…
Be good, stay safe and nighty night….
😛
Night night Rico…..don’t let the bed bugs bite.
Paual Parker http://www.eurosport.com
When you talk about Arsenal these days, Robin Van Persie is the only player of any real note who is worth mentioning. Nobody else at the club comes near him. He is a player that every club in the Premier League would love to have. Obviously, a fair few of the major clubs in Europe would want him if he is looking for a move.
He is a bit of class. Everything has been overtaken with Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri leaving over the past few months, but the player Arsenal missed most when he was out was Van Persie.
If he had been injury-free and they had kept Fabregas, they might have achieved something this season. He has missed large portions of the past few seasons, and he is a major miss when he is absent as his two goals against Bolton illustrated on Saturday.
He is the only player who Arsenal really must keep – critical in so many aspects to their future well-being. I think if he were to go, the board may look at the situation and decide that an overall change is needed, because they will then realise that they cannot keep any real quality at the club.
If potential recruits outside of the club see Van Persie leaving, they will look at matters and decide that there is not enough quality there to attract them to play for Arsenal. That is a fact of life.
You can’t read too much into a player saying he wants to stay or leave, but Van Persie won’t want to tie himself down with two years to run on his contract. Fabregas never came out and said he wanted to leave or stay. Nasri got himself a good move with a lot of money, despite doing little in the second half of last season.
I think if Van Persie gets a good move with a lot of money, you may start to see the decline of Arsene Wenger and what he has tried to build at Arsenal.
Wenger’s future health in the job really depends on keeping Van Persie at the club. The fans need someone to believe in. If Wenger loses Van Persie after losing the other two big names, then I think there is going to be a major problem because the fans will lose faith.There will be no faith among the squad either, about the quality of players he can’t bring in and the quality of players he can’t keep. It will all have an effect on morale. That is not a good combination for a big club. Obviously, everyone is going to be a bit disappointed at such a prospect and there would need to be an immediate change.
Like any good business, if you can’t improve the product or even sustain the product then somebody’s head has to roll and in football it tends to be the manager. It might be Wenger and he might have to do it for the good of the club, because it would become apparent that they can’t move forward with him at the helm.
We have to look at the timing of his summer signings. Those were panic signings at the end of a forgettable close season. Per Mertesacker has been around for years. Nobody else was in for him and he was in a Werder Bremen team that conceded a lot of goals in the German league last season. We know Mikel Arteta is a good player, but perhaps Arsenal should have gone and done that deal a few years ago.
They would have got the best out of him back when Fabregas was still around him. Could he have done any more for Everton, really? I think Everton’s Jack Rodwell would have been more of a signing of intent by Arsenal, because he was outstanding against Manchester City on Saturday in the way he closed down David Silva, while also contributing to the team going forward. I know how difficult a role that is in midfield, because of the space that has to be covered.
If you look at Arsenal, you see that it badly needs restocking. Wenger is still trying to do the same thing with the same personnel, but the players he has now are not nearly as good as the quality he had before.
I think it is going to be very difficult for him to get anywhere near where he wants to be this season. If he wants to win anything, it is not going to be this season. Not with the players he has at the moment
Manure losing….hahahaha. Can’t wait for the excuses from the media.
Manure slips up at old toilet….now for the media love in…..lying cheating bastards.
Good article that JM…… Parker isn’t an Arsenal man and likes to have a dig but 99% of what he says is spot on…!
Good night guys….see y’all tomorrow….
Tevez goes into a sulk & refuses to play.
No sympathy for Cittie from me. They unsettle other teams players with deranged wage offers, so what goes around, comes around.
Notice that Nasri was pants..!
Well the fans at Wastelands had better get used to that little turd failing to perform 80% of the time.As we well know to our cost.
We’re well rid of him.
Thanks to the Super Egos of Madchester. It’ll mean we’ll be off of the back page.
The Tevez saga should run & run for awhile, allowing us all a break from their anti Arsenal/Wenger campaign.
Good old Carlos. 🙂
Sadly, Parker is spot on….
Morning all…
Strange results last night…..
And it’s all egos at Citeh 🙂
I watched most of citeh game….they played well for first 30 mins then ribery started to boss the game…nasri was woeful & clichy booked, very average! Mankini made a weird substitution…then the dissent started!
Morning Lee – good to hear all that 😉
I didn’t watch it and glad I didn’t 🙂
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