Football returns tonight with the trip to Sheffield United. It’s not quite a case of getting the flags and buntings out but there’s certainly a lot of relief. The interminableContinue readingSheffield United Preview: Blunting the Blades
Tag: 2019-20
Bad Refs Make Bad VARS plus Eddie on Loan
Off the back of the international break, a Monday night fixture feels like it extends the unwanted interruption by another week. VAR stole the headlines with terrible decisions around theContinue readingBad Refs Make Bad VARS plus Eddie on Loan
Football Without Fans & Emery Sharpens His Blades
Television sometimes gets a raw deal from supporters. Wait, I’ll start again. Clubs sometimes get off lightly with supporters. Throw in a cap on ticket prices for away fans andContinue readingFootball Without Fans & Emery Sharpens His Blades
Of Mice and Men: Arsenal Are Back!
Life is so much simpler in childhood. You’re more accepting of things, innocent. You don’t question, for example, how Fred pulls out a twenty-foot rigid ladder from the back ofContinue readingOf Mice and Men: Arsenal Are Back!
Can We Rediscover Mental Strength As Injury Curse Strikes?
The first casualty of the international break surfaced: Reiss Nelson’s knee injury keeps him out of Monday’s game and the rest of October. I’d say it offers a quick pathContinue readingCan We Rediscover Mental Strength As Injury Curse Strikes?
England’s Defence A Parallel To Arsenal Problems
The sound of glass ankles shattering is yet to reach the red skies of north London. However, nervousness about the international break never subsides until it truly is over. PlayingContinue readingEngland’s Defence A Parallel To Arsenal Problems
Raul Sets Unai Clear Targets
It’s the time of the season when jobs come up thick and fast. For the unemployed manager, the pundit’s sofa becomes a good place to watch the car crashes asContinue readingRaul Sets Unai Clear Targets
Star Power & Healing Hands
It’s nature’s way of saying that you haven’t screwed up the world irretrievably yet. A bit like the first cuckoo of spring, the first injuries of the international break showContinue readingStar Power & Healing Hands
On Mustafi and Building Something New
The international break is well and truly upon us with the local press abuzz. Interviews, frequently more honest and often more indiscreet, fill the back pages. Shkodran Mustafi turned upContinue readingOn Mustafi and Building Something New
Arsenal 2019-20: An Unsettling Third
Third in the Premier League. All but qualified for the knockout phase of the Europa League without a goal conceded. Into the fourth round of the League Cup. Par forContinue readingArsenal 2019-20: An Unsettling Third
Bournemouth Review: The Sideshow Begins
Arsenal 1 – 0 Bournemouth A match which saw many boxes ticked left as many questions unanswered. We’ve reached the heady heights of third and no-one is quite sure how.Continue readingBournemouth Review: The Sideshow Begins
Bournemouth Preview: Sign Off With A Win
Bournemouth pitch up at the Emirates as the season goes into the hibernation of an international break. Since the last unwanted interruption, it’s six unbeaten with a win today sendingContinue readingBournemouth Preview: Sign Off With A Win
Do We Need Another Project Youth?
With the demise of proper football stadiums into soulless concrete bowls, there are few genuine pleasures in the modern game. One remains the emergence of young players into the firstContinue readingDo We Need Another Project Youth?
Liege Review: If Only The PL Was This Easy
Arsenal 4 – 0 Standard Liege Easy victories are built on hard work and last night’s win was no exception. Everything about the opening 25 minutes was measured; the pressureContinue readingLiege Review: If Only The PL Was This Easy
Liege Preview: Pep Talk & Walk the Walk
So much of modern football is a snap judgement. During Monday night’s game, Martin Tyler waffled on about how ludicrous it was that Nicolas Pepe was being written off afterContinue readingLiege Preview: Pep Talk & Walk the Walk
Laughter, The Best Medicine & The Future
Well, if you can’t laugh at Tottenham this morning, you never will. When they went one-up, how many of them were preparing to lay into their work colleagues or matesContinue readingLaughter, The Best Medicine & The Future
United Review: A Missed Opportunity
Manchester United 1 – 1 Arsenal Given our record at Old Trafford, a point is a good outcome. This, however, feels like a glorious opportunity missed. The quality of footballContinue readingUnited Review: A Missed Opportunity
United Preview: Safety First or All Out?
Here we go again. The journey to the graveyard of our dreams with a defence which gives us nightmares. Whatever team we put out at Old Trafford, we struggle toContinue readingUnited Preview: Safety First or All Out?
Defensive B-Movie: Is Holding The Hero To The Rescue?
In years gone by, tomorrow’s tagline was “the title decider”. Now, it’s “who’s left mired in mid-table?” Then again, in years gone by, tomorrow never exists; Arsenal’s trip to ManchesterContinue readingDefensive B-Movie: Is Holding The Hero To The Rescue?
Xhaka’s Challenge, United & The Mustafi Principle
The back page barometer tells us Arsenal are in relatively good shape these days. For the latest scoop, you must scroll a fair way down, negotiating the heap of rustingContinue readingXhaka’s Challenge, United & The Mustafi Principle
Captaincy: Blind Leading The Blind
“Arsenal players hold blind vote…” run the headlines or some variation on the theme. The outcome is that the blind are leading the blind. Five captains? It raises questions aboutContinue readingCaptaincy: Blind Leading The Blind
Holding the Defence Together
The chaos of the television-controlled fixture list continues with Arsenal waiting until Monday for their next game. A decade ago, switching Manchester United vs Arsenal to Monday Night Football wasContinue readingHolding the Defence Together