Morning all.
Firstly, happy birthday to Granit Xhaka who turns 24 years old today..
His best friend is his brother Taulant who plays for Basel and tomorrow it’s highly likely the two will be up against each other in Arsenal’s second Champions League fixture of the season. Basel are not a team to be underestimated either as Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool can testify having been beaten by the Swiss club in recent years, however, they are a bit like Arsenal really as they don’t get very far in the competition. Only in 2002/03, 2011/12, 2014/15 did they reach the last 16 round.
Not only do the two brothers play for different clubs but countries too as Granit represents Switzerland but Taulant plays for Albania and when the two countries went head to head at the Euros in the summer, it was Granit’s side who came off with a 1-0 victory. Mind you, Albania played the second half with ten men.
It should be a battle worth watching but I doubt they’ll be too many nasty tackles flying in from either, certainly not on each other. Isn’t Taulant a right back? We need one of those…
It must be tough for their family who are in London apparently ahead of tomorrows clash, which of the two brothers do they support? Probably Taulant just edges it as he plays for a Swiss side but regardless of who wins, they all have plenty of reasons to be proud of both.
Looks like it’s good news for Francis Coquelin and Arsenal as it’s rumoured he’s only going to miss a couple of weeks through injury which makes a refreshing change. Usually when our boys get injured it’s three months or an entire season like Wilshere and Welbeck last term, well, almost! Hopefully this is one rumour which will turn out to be factual as the last thing we need is any more injuries, regardless of how deep our squad is but at least he won’t need to be rushed back.
Finally, it looks like the FA’s decision to appoint Big Sam as manager has backfired. He’s in the naughty corner having been ‘stung’ by undercover reporters. Not only was he critical of Gary Neville at the Euros but also took the mickey out of Roy Woy Hodgson and the way he speaks. Telling the reporters how to get round third party player ownership won’t go down with the FA either, neither will telling them they wasted £800 million on the new Wembley Stadium. I’m sure a lot more will come out over the next few days…
I hope the FA do the right thing!
Nice article Rico. Plenty of content. Spoiling us today.
Looking forward to seeing Granit against his brother tomorrow evening.
Thanks Vcc.
I am too, should be a good game.. Just hope the younger brother comes out the winner…
An in depth assessment Rico.
Taulant has had some very solid performances for Basel in the uCL game. He and Schar and Walter Samuels were solid against the dippers in 2014 until Porto thrashed them. I think Taulant was exposed in 2 of the goals…
Morning all.
Good post Rico, but why no mention of Glare?
🙂 Kev, who is he?
I have no idea Rico…. ?
Kev, I thought you might enjoy this…
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/fact-check.html?_r=0
Buon giorno Lovelies and Hunkies.
Rico, Taulant can play as RB, LB and DM. Whether we get him or not remains to be seen but AW does seem to like these players.
Me neither Kev 😉
Yes Devil, I read that about him. Wonder if he’d like to join his brother….
Three weeks for Coquelin confirmed by Wenger.
I started to read it Ginge but was beginning to lose the will to live….
Politician = Lying bastard…
No surprise there then…
Fat Sam can’t even keep his dream job. Lol.
Has he been sacked already then Goonereris?
Morning all
I think we will Brush Basel aside by at least 3 goals.
In other news did anyone else hear the interview with David Dein presumably to mark the 20 years of AW.Dein said he first noticed AW in 1989 when he was at Monaco and the club kept tabs on him all the time even after he went to Japan before Dein got him to be our Manager.Dein must have seen qualities in the man as at the time AW hadn’t set the world alight and most had never heard of him.
https://www.facebook.com/2scousers/photos/a.1165500876810342.1073741829.1164924423534654/1448436121850148/?type=3
That facebook link is funny Kelsey..
Not yet, Rico. Not yet, but you get the feeling he just might if the FA “do the right thing”.
Strange how the blogs go quiet when we have an outstanding display .
They should do Goonereris…
Always the same Kelsey. Lose though and……
Evening all.
Not all LC, just one or two… lol
That’s quite funny LC, Corden is such a chump though…
Night guys.
Buona sera lovelies and Hunkies.
Night night Rico.
Sam has been sacked, quitted, mutual consent termination…..you believe what you want to believe.
however, I feel that 1) the FA acted hastily, and 2) like Hoddle he was sacked over something in which he believes not based on results and performance.
Too much political correctness.
Don’t have too much sympathy for fat Sam but, stories like this, where a reporter deliberately sets up a situation where the patsy is going to pay the ultimate price when he is exposed I find are morally, ethically and demonstrably wrong. They have only one goal, to entrap the patsy into saying or doing something which in the normal course of events they would never consider and, it turns out to cost them their livelihood, reputation and self respect, I have to question who is really in the wrong here? The patsy or the scammer? I should say the latter and the full force of the law should be levied at them, if only because they have come by their information illicitly.there are probably countless other very good legal reasons why ‘falsely’ obtained information should never see the light of,day but…….
End of rant! But I do think it’s wrong. No matter what opinion I have of fat Sam he disentangle deserve this kind of treatment, nor,does,any body else. Reporters? Low lives gutter,scrapers…all! Sorry Adam, had,to be said!
Honestly, didn’t expect such a quick reaction, re Sam, despite my post above. What happened to the right of a fair hearing?
Bordeline Entrapment, Wavy, but Allardyce must be tunnel vision greedy in the first place to be so gullible !……………………will Fat Samgate unravel more underhand doings ?
Just noticed Kelsey`s Basel Brush a side joke !…………….or maybe he didn`t realise it !. 😀
Morning all.
Kelsey, on your 5.06pm, you are so right.
The hypocrisy is incredible, at times.
Plenty of so called fans really seem to thrive when we lose, and it’s disappointing, but that’s how it is.
Long may they be quiet 🙂 🙂
Sam, silly boy.
Yes, he was set up, and there’s no defending the scum in question for that, but really, he should have known better.
Wavy @ 8:29, especially when it is alleged that Sam was chugging down some cold ones…
Kelsey @5:06 and Scott, at 9:39, even when comments are made on wins, its not “good football” then when it’s “good football” its we cant get carried away….lol. I personally ugly or good football just like wins…lol
OK, so Sam Allardyce has gone, another bent bastard disappears, probably off to get a job at SKY.
The FA have to act fast, they need to move heaven and earth to bring in a manager with the right credentials.
Someone who is whiter than white and can proudly lead the team onto the next level…
That man is, imo, Harry Rednapp…
Night All
What big Sam has done might not be illegal but is profoundly unethical and unprofessional.
Showed how greedy a person could be. .he was only few weeks in the job and his priority was how to bend the rules and mock his fellow colleagues and employers to a bunch of fake foreign investors.
Shameful behaviour from a person who supposed to be a leader and a role model for his players, staff, and English fans..treason on my book..
He had to go….good riddance.
Obi, I agree.
Kev, did you have Harry in the cab when you posted that, because I heard a London Cabbie had been hijacked by a seemingly agitated and nervous guy!
Morning all
Yes Cockie I did mean it.
One word to describe Sam, GREED.Quite honestly was he ever the right man for the job, in fact who is when we in England can’t even muster a squad of decent quality numbering 23.
Caretaker manager or not in Southgate I bet they will try for Wenger again.It might suit him as a semi retired job, playing a few games a year and not having to buy or sell anyone.
Morning all,
The latest revelation goes a way to show why AW does not deal with certain agents.
Will the lid come off some referred doings as well?
Referees,*
Greed! And there you have it, football in just one word! The whole fandango is so immersed in the getting of money and as much as any one person can pick up in a supermarket sweep, there is no question that the game is rotten from tip to toe, both in this country and around the world.
I do hope that a few someone’s take the lid off their corrupt and greedy playmates and that the whole house of cards falls completely and totally to the point where we can all start all over again!
Shall we begin with Sky and BT and Murdoch and his vampire like suckers. That would hopefully take the stupid money out and then we could all re trim the cake, perhaps a bit more equitably.
Farewell fat Sam let’s hope your legacy lives to clean up the game. It would be the only positive to come out of this debacle.
Apparently, 8 managers have been accused of ‘taking bungs’ – one of who is supposed to be a long serving PL manager.
It couldn’t be Arsene… could it?
Morning guys..
Morning.
More to come from FatSamgate in the next few days as you hint Rico. Would be gobsmacked if Arsene is not cleaner than a Nun`s Nipples !.
You never knew.he has had a mistress for years before and after he got divorced.I reckon it could be anyone but Pullis would be first on my list.
I meant you never know.
So would I LC, so would I….
Good shout Kelsey…
I wouldn’t be surprised if Fergie’s name appears somewhere either… Or Mourinho.
Morning All
Morning Rico, I feel the vibes of a great post is winging its way to us… ?
Ginge, I make you right re: Arsene and certain Agents…
Maybe the referees as well, as you say Ginge, it’s certainly been a refreshing change to see Arsenal enjoy some fortune in that area this season. Long may it continue…
I see that Ozil is close to signing a new deal.
Apparently he wants his favourite No.10 shirt…!
Jacks shirt…
I did read the other day, that the Bournmouth chairman was talking about how much it would cost the club to sign Jack on a permanent deal, although I suspect that that was probably more for the Bournmouth fans consumption than anyone else.
A bit of PR and all that jazz…
Morning Kev, post, what post? 😉
New post up now…
How would Sam want to compromise all he’s done cause of a ‘mere’ 400,000 (in their world it’s not much) shows how easily he can be bought to tarnish the FA and the ‘English football’ which he is supposed to protect.
I bet lots of other clubs have been involved in underhand deals. Part of the reasons why our transfers seem to ‘drag’ cause I believe Arsene wants to keep his nose as clean as possible.
This will quickly be shoved under the carpet as the FA allegations less than a fortnight ago.