Morning all, not much happening today, there’s no team news yet and all the press is from Arsenal players who are publicly saying that they feel like they let the boss down or some other such nonsense that sports starts always say after they have a pitiful performance. Irregardless, there are a few good bits of news about tomorrow’s match, Swine Plague among the Chelsea, Bolton, and Blackburn players, and a funny bit about Emirates Lite, aka Spurs’ “Naming Rights” stadium.
First off, I hear that Arshavin and Clichy are in the press publicly talking about the disappointment they feel having let relegation bound West Ham nick a point. Unless I hear something like “I’m buying the away fans who had to endure that performance half of an away ticket to the next away match” it’s just going to sound like platitudes to me. Not that there’s anything wrong with platitudes, all sports stars do it, but it’s not news as much as it’s noise.
Without looking at any of the quotes, let me guess that at least one was something like “Arsenal could send a message that we’re still title contenders by putting in a good performance against Liverpool on Wednesday.” Which is true, sort of… see, the folks who put in the most craven performances won’t likely be playing in the Carling Cup clash (Andrei Arshavin, I’m looking at you) so, I’m not exactly sure what kind of message it sends on behalf of Diaby, Arshavin, and Clichy for Wilshere, Rambo, and Gibbs to play their asses off. Maybe “hey, if you don’t want to play in the next game, we’d LOVE to.”
As far as viewings, 7amkickoff’s Midwestern operative (codenamed “Matt-#1″) tipped us all off to the fact that Stateside viewers don’t need to go to some dodgy JustinTV stream because the match tomorrow will be broadcast live on ESPN 360. You get ESPN 360 free if you’re a Comcast cable internet subscriber so for a lot of folks that’s a good option. If you don’t get it on your home cable, well, you might try a college library — seriously. Most college libraries have public computers and all colleges get ESPN360 for free as well. Or check here tomorrow, I’ll do my best to give an actual match report. UK viewers can go to a pub and watch the game on Sky.
No team news yet, we’ll know more later today, so a full preview will be up in the morning.
Bit of strange news today in that it looks like Blackburn Cloggers are the Swine Flu Mary of the EPL this season having transferred the virus to both Bolton and Chelsea. Normally, I wouldn’t pass on a chance to make fun of Blackburn, Bolton, and Chelsea but this is swine flu and, well, I just hope everyone recovers fully.
Ugh, I need a shower now.
Speaking of needing a shower, Spuds have released photos of their proposed “Naming Rights” stadium, aka Emirates 2: North London Boogaloo.*
Here’s your test for today: remember those pictures when you were a kid where you pick out the things that are wrong with the picture? Good, now, name 10 things that are wrong with the above picture.
That’s it for today, match preview and answer key for the picture tomorrow!
*I apologize for the cheap laugh.
I just hear that the Spuds shithole would be ahead of the Emirates for the World Cup cause it is newer. What do we make of that?
October 27th, 2009 at 8:21 am
@haho, They have to build it first. I suspect it will never get built.
October 27th, 2009 at 8:28 am
@haho, With what they have spent in the last 4 or 5 years on players, they would have already had it built.
i tweeted you, bu heres the story timoo
http://www.caughtoffside.com/2009/10/27/arsenal-starlet-jack-wilshere-targetted-by-middlesbrough/
October 27th, 2009 at 9:59 am
@Sean, I would put money that Wenger lets him go out on loan and ‘boro has a great relationship with Arsenal so they seem like a logical destination. I have no problem with Wilshere getting first team games with Boro, I think he’s ready.
Wilshire and traire out for tomorrow. Nasri Eddy and bendy all playing
Fabianski
Gibbs-senderos-silverstre-gilbert
Nasri-coquelin-ramsey
vela-eduardo-nicky
It wont be televised here in my end so I will be viewing it thru Justin TV. Thanks for the info
October 27th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Also try iraqgoals.net aswell lads,,great site,,i watch all gunners games there
Hey all, here’s a good piece from ESPN on Kroenke. Just posted this morning.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=690116&sec=england&cc=5901
ps. Why in the picture of tottenhams stadium are they celebrating on the jumbotron? From the looks of the picture, they are still playing.. lol, tottenham.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:26 am
@Sean, you have discovered one of the ten items that are wrong with that picture!
October 27th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
@Tim, the sp*ds celebrating?!! HAHA now that’s a laugh.
I think i got one:
its a night time game and spuds couldn’t possibly be playing european football could they?
How galling is this? Barca are tapping up our Benik Afobe, currently on view to the world playing for the England under-17 team and – unfortunately for us – scoring vast numbers of goals. Wenger said of Afobe two or three years ago that he had nothing technically left to learn, aged 13 or 14! Will he, Afobe, be tempted by the huge wages and promise of a place in Barca’s B team straight away? If he’s brave and ambitious he will, sod it.
October 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
The only person reporting that is Young Guns. I read the “report” and it’s so devoid of facts and so obviously a click-whoring article that it’s not even funny. Who’s the source? He doesn’t even mention a source, as if he were there and met the Barcelona officials himself
Many teams have scouts at all internationals and the U-17 tourney is no different, I’m sure they are scouting him, just like we are scouting their players at the same tournament.
All that said, the line I find most comically false is this:
Dude, if there was even a whiff that Barca were doing that they could have the same if not a worse transfer ban put on them that Chelsea is currently under. I hope he has evidence to back that claim up, because what’s he’s saying is possibly libel.
October 27th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
@Mia, ha, he scrubbed my comment… and now others are reporting his dubious reporting.
I mean the kid can’t even sign professional terms until he’s 18 in Spain and Arsenal can sign him at 17. What’s he going to do, ditch Arsenal and play in the Barca academy for a year?
Anyway, that whole site gets on my pecs. Arsenal and Arsene are very closed about stuff like lineups and internal matters and that blogger claims to have insider access. At the very least Arsene would be angry if he found out who was leaking info and at the most would fire the leak.
There was another guy who actually went to youth games and reported on training sessions and the like but I think Young Guns put him out of business. Shame that.
another problem with the spuds stadium,is that there are too many fans
October 27th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
@RichieGooner, AYE!
Didn’t I read that the Spuds stadium was going to be single tier?
October 27th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
@Andy, Just the one stand, which is pictured there.
they even copied our clock, unbelievable
October 27th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
@kidkle, good eye!
Is one that you can’t see the jowls on their manager?
Paint it red and its a copy! Bastards
Copying our stadium design is the sincerest form of flattery
Vela not on the team sheet. Can we take this kid out of the case and polish him up once and a while.
No Almunia on the team sheet either.
Gary Neville: “et tu Alex?”
What the hell is Notts County hiding?
How refreshing that Steve Bruce will not let bygones be bygones w/ Birmingham City after they crapped all over him.
I bet Juande Ramos now regrets not staying at Sevilla.
I bet Manuel Pelligrino will be wishing he was back at Villarreal and vice versa come January.
Right now, you can’t give Huntelaar away.
I quite like that site, at least the concept of it, and I think he does go to games! According to arseblog his source is the players, or one of them, Jay Simpson, who’s a close friend. I’d guess what he’s reporting are rumours current among the kids that Barca want to give us a taste of our own medicine, which is perfectly plausible as they – or the Spanish media – are extremely bitter and twisted about Cesc and Merida. But you’re right about the contract situation – it won’t happen, hence the Spanish annoyance. I had a mixed reaction to the story: I’m in favour of a young English kid having the confidence and ambition to go to another country, learn another language, another way of life, another style of football – they’re so insular and wimpish as a rule – I just don’t want it to happen in this case as we’d be losing a talent.
Why are you so down on him? Because he scrubbed your comment? True, that wasn’t on! Or because he writes sentences like bindweed?
October 28th, 2009 at 5:27 am
@Mia, scrubbing my comment is common and I have no problem with that.
I believe strongly that Arsenal want to keep certain things secret (lineups, etc) and that he violates that.
Also, he writes articles like the one you mention, which is utter crap from every angle and simply implausible, illogical, click-whoring.
I’m not trying to take him down or anything, more power to him, I’m just calling a spade a spade.
Sorry, meant to put that comment above, in reply to Tim’s reply.
Is Vela injured or does his absence from tonight’s squad signal a promotion?
I don’t like Aquilani. He’s a fascist, a real one, with a marble bust of Mussolini in his hall.
Just recovering from a period of living in a no internet wilderness (modem died and it took days to get a new one). No Carlos?! Count me worried and also wanting more information. I’ve got a big personal stake in Carlos Alberto Vela as he helps me relate to my local community of Mexicanos here in the mountains of California and their football concerns (generally Chivas vs Club America and the dramas of La Seleccion in this World Cup year). I have to say that when I see him play I feel that he’s learned A LOT from Cesc and the Carling cup (especially against a better team) is a great opportunity for him so it saddens me that he’s out. I worry for his Arsenal future.
I don’t like fascists either and I can’t imagine Arsene does. The official site is saying that we were watching Aquilani for a couple of years while he was at Roma. Perhaps his political views kept us from moving for him? Or maybe we’re cheap or we have enough in the way of perpetually injured players or it would’ve “killed” our young midfielders (Diaby, Denilson, Song)….
Tim,
Just FYI, but I was overjoyed to discover that Cox (at least here in San Diego) also has ESPN360; simple little plugin install, seems to work like a champ. Now to see if I can listen to the ATVO commentary while watching on ESPN360.
If any San Diego Gooners are looking for where to watch a game on any given weekend, I’d be happy to provide info/directions, etc.
Dirk