Football Focus

[maxxi]

red devil Wrote:

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> I felt sorry for Maxxi, he had a good week, but so

> did others around him :)

We* are not going to change the way we predict, especially after showing it CAN produce points. The fans want us to predict this way and we're confident, in ourselves, of success playing the long game, going for the coupon buster like a Gooner after a transfer - no matter what the odds, ignoring the home advantage, eschewing any recent form and picking any and all results on a 'why not?' basis going forward.

*Me and my newly arrived 'Tevez-substitute' (who is actually still owned by an Israeli racing-prediction-syndicate but we are talking) whose knowledge of the PL may be non-existent but who loves predicting a 3-4 turnover.

[Jah Lush]

Wahey! Gooners lose to Bradford City in a penalty shootout. Long journey home. That's gonna hurt in the morning. :-)

[maxxi]

Their best chance of a trophy up in smoke - how long before Cazorla dives in front of Vermaelen to demand a transfer?

[Parkdrive]

maxxi Wrote:

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> Their best chance of a trophy up in smoke - how

> long before Cazorla dives in front of Vermaelen to

> demand a transfer?

Vermaelen has been poor since acquiring the armband but even he wouldn't want to go the West 'am! Hats off to Bradford, they showed what it's all about. Gervinho some how managed to put a shot wide from a foot out, as for Chamakh, nuff said. The only player who came away with any pride last night was Wilshere.

[red devil]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Wahey! Gooners lose to Bradford City in a penalty

> shootout. Long journey home. That's gonna hurt in

> the morning. :-)

Indeed it's painful, my sides are splitting with laughter :)

Well done to Bradford, a credit to Div 2, that's Div FOUR in old money.

Before last night's emabarrassment, I had a sneaky feeling Arsenal wouldn't qualify for the Champions League, but would win the League Cup, thus papering over the cracks. Oh dear, I sense yet more revolting Gooners...

[StraferJack]

" Oh dear, I sense yet more revolting Gooners..."

and on the message boards, plenty of them are revolting, in boths senses of the word

Unlike big games going out in the cups normally (where second string/youngster variations on the brand are out) this is a proper Cup Shock (even if lots of people, myself included, aren?t actually shocked at all)

You just can?t take anything away from the fact that a team 3 divisions lower, with problems of their own, costing what is it 7,500 quid? (not millions) beat the strongest team Arsenal could muster. And they did it well ? they played well, pressed hard, moved the ball around

The state of Arsenal is embarrasing. And any debate about Wenger is open to accusations of bias either way, but I?m firmly in the pro Wenger camp. Whatever battles he is facing with the owners/board he is keeping it to himself and punching above our weight. As soon as he goes, trust me, Arsenal will be in proper free fall

He isn?t blameless of course ? purchases, selections are all open to criticism. But he is playing the cards he dealt withy, by and large

And ultimately, it doesn?t really matter. Compared to our history, we are still doing pretty well given the realities of the modern game. Unless this (or a new) owner comes in with genuinely big money ( a war chest of 35 million isn?t a game changer these days) we are going to fumble along. And be subject to ever more criticsm. Which produces a fragile team. Which fumbles even more.. yadda yadda

?Something HAS to change? cry the fans. As if we have a right to win things. Things will change alright..

[Parkdrive]

red devil Wrote:

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> Jah Lush Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Wahey! Gooners lose to Bradford City in a

> penalty

> > shootout. Long journey home. That's gonna hurt

> in

> > the morning. :-)

>

> Indeed it's painful, my sides are splitting with

> laughter :)

> Well done to Bradford, a credit to Div 2, that's

> Div FOUR in old money.

> Before last night's emabarrassment, I had a sneaky

> feeling Arsenal wouldn't qualify for the Champions

> League, but would win the League Cup, thus

> papering over the cracks. Oh dear, I sense yet

> more revolting Gooners...

It'll be interesting to see just how much humour you find in your clubs progression in the Champions League.

As foor revolting Goonners, at least we won't go the route of showing our disatisfaction by forming our version of FC United of Manchester, or wearing Norwich scraves. Nobody has the god given right to win, and I agree with Straferjack on that point. Well done to the travelling fans, who showed more passion and spirit than the 11 on the pitch.

[red devil]

StraferJack Wrote:

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> The state of Arsenal is embarrasing. And any

> debate about Wenger is open to accusations of bias

> either way, but I?m firmly in the pro Wenger camp.

> Whatever battles he is facing with the

> owners/board he is keeping it to himself and

> punching above our weight. As soon as he goes,

> trust me, Arsenal will be in proper free fall

> He isn?t blameless of course ? purchases,

> selections are all open to criticism. But he is

> playing the cards he dealt withy, by and large

We'll probably never know the inner workings of the Wenger/Arsenal board relationship, but fair to say Wenger lost his main ally when Dein left. However it doesn't explain how Arsenal keep losing their best players. It's alright Arsenal fans whinging about them being mercenaries (let's not forget they mostly bought these players from other clubs...once a mercenary?), but most have genuinely left in order to have a better chance of winning something, as Nasri proved last season. With Utd and the financial millstone the Glazers brought with them, they could have easily been in a similar position. But unlike Wenger, Fergie is the glue that keeps the club together and has also continued to bring success despite the financial restrictions. Therefore to an outsider like me, it's not wrong to look at Wenger and say, well maybe his time is up, he's just lost his way. Arsenal is his vision, but it's now like the blind leading the blind. Wenger, like Fergie, has got to go one day, he can't stay forever. I can easily see Arsenal ending up like Liverpool, where they have to virtually start from scratch again...

['bout now]

What I don't understand is the constant battle against contracts that is peculiar (seemingly) to Arsenal. In recent years Viera, Henry, Fabregas, Van Persie and now Walcott are running down contracts to expedite their leaving. Wenger doesn't negotiate contracts, he has a board for that and to my mind something stinks upstairs.

I'm a huge Wenger fan, he changed football not just at Arsenal but for every club through diet and fitness. I'm pretty sure "The Invincibles" are unique in world football allied to that I remember "boring, boring Arsenal", a team I truly despised.

[Ladygooner]

Looks like Henry is coming back again to save us!

[Jah Lush]

Lenny?

[maxxi]

Ladygooner Wrote:

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> Looks like Henry is coming back again to save us!

Oh he's going in goal? Well, he's good with his hands.

[Parkdrive]

maxxi Wrote:

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> Ladygooner Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Looks like Henry is coming back again to save

> us!

>

>

> Oh he's going in goal? Well, he's good with his

> hands.

Move on folks nothing to see here, Yawn.

[Mick Mac]

The truth hurts sometimes PD. Cheating feck....hero to zero ;-)

[Parkdrive]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> The truth hurts sometimes PD. Cheating

> feck....hero to zero ;-)

Only if you take the view of an Irish man who chooses to overlook the fact that in the same tournament, Ireland were given a hugely dubious penalty which, let's face it, should never have been given. Very selective memorys methinks. TH14 will always be a hero in my eyes, just as King Kenny will always be a hero to Liverpool fans, despite being responsible for putting the club through one of the worst periods of their history. It's all subjective.

[El Pibe]

God are we here again?

Bottom line, those who wish to forgive or turn a blind eye will, those who have demonised him have their reasons.

For most of the neutrals it was a moment that took the shine off one of the sport's more cherished representatives.

None of it can ever take away from his undoubted talent at his peak. I mean let's face it, Maradona was an arse but the messi/maradona debate doesn't hinge on who was the nicer more sporting more humble player does it.

[Parkdrive]

El Pibe Wrote:

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> God are we here again?

>

> Bottom line, those who wish to forgive or turn a

> blind eye will, those who have demonised him have

> their reasons.

> For most of the neutrals it was a moment that took

> the shine off one of the sport's more cherished

> representatives.

>

> None of it can ever take away from his undoubted

> talent at his peak. I mean let's face it, Maradona

> was an arse but the messi/maradona debate doesn't

> hinge on who was the nicer more sporting more

> humble player does it.

Agreed, but I did say it's all subjective.

[Laddy Muck]

1 3 ;-) :) :))

[Mick Mac]

In my defence, I did ;-)

[????]

...and West Ham become the first Premiership club to...............?

[????]

...I'll let you know when my flight lands unless someone's got it by then....er, Maxxi

[red devil]

???? Wrote:

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> ...and West Ham become the first Premiership club

> to...............?

Doh!

[red devil]

Week 13 Games:

This week's Coupon Buster is the Black Cats to beat the Red Devils...

Newcastle V Man City

Liverpool V Aston Villa

Man Utd V Sunderland

Norwich V Wigan

QPR V Fulham

Stoke V Everton

Tottenham V Swansea

West Brom V West Ham

Reading V Arsenal

[????]

red devil Wrote:

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> ???? Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > ...and West Ham become the first Premiership

> club

> > to...............?

>

> Doh!

You were my next candidate RD. Correct, West Ham become the first Premiership club to feature in the Simpsons, albeit with the wrong colours. Added to our fame as the only football team mentioned in Harry Potter I am expecting a rousing chorus of Bubbles at some point in the Hobbit. A famous hobbit, Elijah wot sit, also appeared as the least convincing football hooligan ever in Green Street of course...to bring it all nicely squared, circled whatever.

[Otta]

Are you telling me Green Street wasn't a documentary? But it seemed so real!