Morning all.
Well well, a two year European ban for Man City after their overspending. Good and I hope it stays that way after they appeal. FFP is here to stay and all clubs should abide by its rules regardless of how rich their owners might be. I guess their absence will open the door for whichever club finishes fifth now and the Europa places will extend by one also. Sadly, we’re miles away from both at present.
Football can change though. One minute results are going great, the next things go wrong and down the table they go. I’m still convinced that’ll happen to Sheffield Utd. Wolves and perhaps Everton too. Utd and Toots are hardly consistent so what happens over the next three months really is anyone’s guess. For Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, it’s about turning draws into victories.
Team news from Arsenal.com ahead of tomorrow afternoons fixture against Newcastle Utd.
Pablo Mari – Aiming to be available for selection for Olympiacos (a).
Reiss Nelson, Sead Kolasinac and Bukayo Saka – Available for selection.
Cedric Soares and Kieran Tierney – Aiming to be in full training by the end of February.
Good news re our left back situation having both Kolasinac and Saka back in contention and by the sounds of it, the return Kieran Tierney isn’t far off either. Once both our out and out fullbacks return, perhaps we’ll see more of Saka in his ‘proper’ position. His pace and energy will bring something more to our sometimes lethargic attack. Same goes for Reiss Nelson on the right.
Options are certainly opening up for Mikel Arteta with competition for a starting place in many positions which is healthy. A requirement too as both FA Cup and Europa League fixtures are soon upon us again.
Mikel Arteta held his press conference yesterday:
on whether we achieved what he wanted during the winter break…
I wanted to give them a few days rest because they went through a lot of things in the last few months. After that, we reflected on what we did together in the last five or six weeks since I joined, the things we improved and are very positive and we have to maintain, and also the things we need to improve and develop. We worked really well, we agreed and set some targets and we have started to work on them and hopefully we can see the outcome in the next few weeks.
on whether scoring goals or not conceding goals is more important to him…
It’s winning. Obviously, that game for the crowd [the 7-3 against Newcastle] is great but for the manager it’s not great because balance-wise we suffered. But I love scoring goals for sure. I love attacking football, but I like attacking football where you control what the opponent does to you in your own box.
on whether he’s had to sacrifice attacking flair for defensive solidity…
I don’t think so. I think we have to generate some defensive stability, but not by defending deep. I don’t like that. It’s by defending high and pressing the opponent as much as possible. But the process – together as many times as possible in the most efficient way – has to be done properly from here. If not in two passes when you arrive there, that transition is impossible to control because you are too far from the opponent. So we need to do that well first to after be able to generate and sustain our attacks as many times as possible during the games.
on planning for the summer and if he’s started to plan already…
Absolutely. We have to plan and we need to know the direction we want to head and with that we need to bear in mind different scenarios and with that in mind, I have to tell the club what we need, where we think we can improve and where we want to end. And if we all end with the same thing, we put a plan together to try and execute it and make the process as short as possible.
As said before, early deals are crucial this summer. Chelsea have already completed their first signing and ideally we’ll be doing something similar over the weeks and months to come. Every player in the Arsenal squad prior to next season kicking off needs a pre season, although with the Euros taking place, it’s likely to be a short one.
But of course that’s all a while away. Now it’s about the players we have turning our fortunes around. Much has been discussed over the last couple of weeks, everyone should be well rested and ready for this final three months of 100% commitment to the Arsenal cause.
Unlike Mikel Arteta though, I loved that 7-3 victory over Newcastle Utd. But any kind of victory over Pardew is….
Stay safe out there in the blow guys…..
Goodbye Pep hello Pochetino ?
That seems to be the popular theory.
The FA are apparently going to conduct their own investigation with a points deduction being possible.
It’s a great shame for the game but if you fiddle the books, be prepared to get caught.
Potter, I can’t see Potechino going to City. No European football, half of the best players looking for the exit door and a squad rebuild necessary. There is also the threat of forced relegation from the Premiership as well as a punishment from the FA.
Mind you it looks like an ideal situation for Old ‘Arry.
Rico. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all pans out. Perhaps we could buy De Bruyne. 😃
I can Cicero, there’s still the domestic trophies to go for. It’s not like City are used to winning the CL.
If, and it’s a big if the ban stays and they face a points deduction, they will soon bounce back I’m sure. Really can’t see them being removed from the PL.
Me too Adam. This could go down in history for all the wrong reasons.
I wonder if they’d consider a swap for Ozil… 😆
I am surprised at how badly informed the comments on TV etc are. This has been going on for quite a while and MC’s arrogance and financially-stacked legal threats have hardly helped. Plus of course they’ve been done before and warned over future transgressions. Chelsea next I hope.
All the so called big clubs will be looking at their financial records right now I’d imagine. Bar Arsenal of course because they stick to the rules.
I would say that some of the smaller clubs than arsenal in the pl may be checking there books when you look how much they spent compare to us
Hi Rico did you read the story that arsenal may sell Leno at the end of this season I was reading it but then we got a black out now I can not find the story
I sincerely hope Man City don’t get these punishments reduced on appeal,or even overturned.
They’re as guilty as sin, their reaction tells you that,they are like the adulterous partner,who when found out goes on the offensive, accusing the innocent party.
Enough about my private life.
Nice one, Rico. Been a nightmare season for City, what with all their losses, that huge gap between them and Liverpool and now this! Break the rules though and you have to face the consequences..they don’t fare very well in Europe, so may have to settle for the league cup as the FA cup is ours 😉
Yes, I’d quite happily take KDB off their hands!
Nice clip of the 7-3… loved that game, Theo was superb! I wonder if we’ll ever score 7 in a game again???
Ha ha Limey. Ditto. As the saying goes, commit the crime, do the time.
Hi Geoff, I did. If true it looks like Martinez will be our number one.
Don’t forget that the ‘smaller’ clubs don’t have the kind of overheads we have. No stadium to pay for, or the hundreds of staff, high wages etc. Plus, those who come up from the championship receive a massive amount of money. £100 million plus I think.
We don’t spend money we don’t have. I really do think it’s that simple and anyone expecting Kroenke to invest his own money into the squad should now realise why he can’t.
Thanks Sue. One of Theo’s best games. Boy did he frustrate in between though…
If UEFA don’t go through with the punishment of Man City they may as well shut up shop and leave European club football in the hands of the oil sheiks, the Russian oligarchs, the betting companies and the rest of the crooks and charlatans waiting in the wings.
If that happens the richest dozen clubs will form a closed shop European league which will soak up the best players and the TV money, while leaving an impoverished rump playing in second rate national leagues with no hope of getting a share of the wealth being generated above them.
Agree Cicero. This stuff with City is a big thing and needs to be stuck to. Otherwise everyone might as well just stick their fingers up to FFP and spend what they like.
Afternoon Rico, thanks for the post…
I have no strong feelings either way for Man City, they bent the rules, sure they did, but did they bend the rules anymore than Chelsea or Real Madrid or Barcelona or any of the big clubs in Italy or PSG..? Some of those I mentioned have got away with murder and continue to do so, probably because UEFA need those clubs in the Champions League in order to be able to sell it around the world, Man City aren’t a massive name and are therefore expendable – lets make an example of Man City but let Barca and Real get away with financial doping on a monumental scale.
The whole thing stinks of hypocrisy to me…
But I’m still glad that Man City got a ban, even if it’s a Teflon ban…
I read an article the other day that said that our stadium loan was on fairly poor interest rates and that if we refinanced at current rates despite paying a fee the deal could release about £16 million.
That alone is one thing that KSE could do to release a bit of cash .
The thing is with this Man City farce, to me, is the fact that Wenger was complaining about it years ago, he predicted where it would lead and that’s where we are now.
At the time Arsene was complaining, financial doping was small fry, Chelsea really and they didn’t affect the ability of Real, Barca, Man Utd, Bayern et al dominating the Champions League, which is what UEFA always wants, but now with England dominating again only this time with the lesser lights like City and Tottenham, something now must be done it seems.
As it stands, all those frauds in the media, on radio and in the Press, who are currently outraged with this industrial cheating by Etihad, were also the same frauds who indulged in the industrial piss taking of Arsenal and Wenger as we desperately tried to run our affairs properly and above board. How many of those media wankers ever praised the Gunners for our policy of living within our means?
None!
Kev, haven’t both Barca and Real been hit with transfer bans? The difference between them and City is that they held their hands up and took the punishment, City on the other hand have done everything possible to obstruct the investigation, including refusing to open their books to a forensic examination. Now they are talking appeals to the Court of Arbitration and law suits demanding compensation.
City are bent on frustrating Uefa’s actions in any way possible.
I think that KSE could have done some legal jiggery pokery when they became the owners after Lady Nina and Co sold out to them, but I suspect that Stan’s priority was freezing out Usmanov and keeping the price they had to pay for complete control as low as possible, so that window of opportunity was lost because of boardroom politics…
I know Cicero, but it goes deeper than that with Barca and Real doesn’t it and it has done for years, tax evasion, shady property deals, the kind of stuff that would get Man City relegated but is swept under the carpet because those clubs are so powerful.
Afternoon Kev, I’m sure other clubs are at it too but I guess the laying down of the football laws has to start somewhere. Fines have been dished out but clubs who haven’t learnt their lesson might face stiffer penalties from now on.
Pukki to score in a 1-0 win??!! 😀 I wish!!
I’ve gone for 2-1 on the Pools Sue.. 😂
This will cheer everyone up, Stoke losing 4-0 to QPR 😁
Good.
Nice one, Rico 😀 I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed!!
Ditto Sue. Otherwise it’ll be up to us…
Evening all.
I remember back to I think it was around 2011 when I first started blogging and was convinced by quite a few Arsenal fan accountants that FFP was going to be our saviour and would set us apart from most other clubs as we would be in the best position and that the future was bright, alas nearly 10 years later have UEFA finally got the balls to do something about the finacial doping ?………………..we will see!
I know plenty love to be sceptical about talkSPORT, but it has always been an FFP supporter and questioned the likes of Mansour City and Chavs. I also know that Simon Jordan can come across as a effing know it all, but he talks great sense about the way Mansour City have “bought” trophies and calls them A Frakenstein Club!……………..he has always said that UEFA need to really make an example of their likes for the benefit of the whole of football, the biggest game on the planet.
UEFA should go full steam ahead and not be afraid of the lawyers and their threats.
Jordan makes a great point and cites what has happened to Saracens in Rugby Union.
We(Football) should take the example of Rugby where they dont take any prisoners. They always seem to be ahead of the game and always in front of the bigger game of football, whether it is with TV reffs or the way the players are more respectfull of the Reff`s.
FFP is our only hope, it has been for many years and now is the time to make the statement that enough is enough and if UEFA do not get this right then football is lost to the many of us fans of all clubs who have the hope that it`s a fair game and we(clubs) all have a chance in the pyramid of our game to be succesfull.
From the hope I had all them years ago that FFP would be our saviour it has turned out to be probably my biggest diappointment in the game aside our teams slide to averageness.
A strong and strict UEFA will make a strong Arsenal, this is their chance to put a marker in the sand or for the tide money to wash it away and the best person, the man with principles, the man with the integrity and the man you would trust more than a stadium full of cloned Mother Teresa`s is Arsene Wenger, if only he was head of UEFA……………………..we can only dream!
The problem with football is that the game is overseen by an organisation that hasn’t yet recovered from its corrupt past, namely FIFA. There are still people at the top who were present, and silent, whilst Blatter and his gang were operating their scams. FIFA can have no credibility until every last member of the former regime has been cleared out.
To a certain extent the same can be said for UEFA, the personnel all come from football, all have been indoctrinated in the nefarious practices which have been the norm for so long. Surely it’s time that people from outside the cosy club were brought in to clear the sludge that has accumulated and open up workings so we can all see what is happening behind the closed doors.
I think Arsene Wenger thought the same..
Should have been too.
RIP Caroline Flack.
Shocking news, dreadfully sad too.
I’m totally shocked, Rico….
I am too Sue, she took her own life. Bloody press! They really are bastards.
She must’ve been in such a dark place to feel that was the only way out… so sad 😢
Gutted they scraped a 1-0… argh!! And what a joke their goal being checked by var!!! Like that was going to be chalked off, they’re called Livarpool 😀
Hounded after the lovers tiff and the subsequent loss of her job.
Shame about Norwich, last I looked it was 0-0. Someone has to beat them.
I don’t know anything about her but 40 is way too young.
She’s been in the news a lot Adam. Had a domestic with her chap and the police have pursued the case despite the boyfriend dropping his complaint. An out and out witch-hunt I think.
That’s sad then Rico. Poor girl. Cruel world.
Very cruel Adam.
Hi Riso thanks for that I did not know they get so much money just for going up to the premier league
Hi rico……7:48……It’s about time the police done the job they should be doing….catching real criminals, rapists, thieves, murderers.
Instead of chasing a woman who had a domestic, together with a boyfriend who wanted to drop ALL charges.
She lost her job and now has lost her life. Absolutely disgraceful.
I hope the officers on that case don’t sleep at night now. Shame on them.
Hope our game doesn’t get cancelled today.
Off to the Emirates with my Son,
COYG
Arsene, as always, was ahead of his time imo
FFP should have been enforced years ago, but better late than never.
Morning all.
Morning Vcc. I’m in total agreement. For ordinary Joe Public, a slap on the wrist and a caution would have given at the time. The police/CPS should be ashamed of themselves.
New post up now