Let’s get this out of the way; I’m not too terribly hung over and I don’t know whether that’s a good or a bad thing.
I tried to tie something on last night but somehow managed to escape with just a little bit of blearyness this morning. As you already know, I started the day with a pint of Kroenenburg while writing the blog. From there I went to the St. James in Piccadilly circus and got two pints of London Pride. Now, before you get all critical of me I got in some exercise when I got out of the tube at Covent Garden and walked through Leicester Square to Piccadilly. That’s like almost, uhhh, half a mile or something. I must have easily burned off those first three pints, right?
The St. James has had some kind of facelift and seems pretty popular now, at least judging by last night’s crowd. Normally, I’m not very outgoing but I usually get a conversation going with some stranger when I’m over here, maybe it’s the beer. But last night every place I stopped was packed to the gills and it was impossible to stand much less start talking to strangers. So, after a few tweets (the St. James has free wifi) and the afforementioned pints, I decided to head back to a pub I saw on the way through Leicester Square.
Time for more beer!
It was getting dark out and the crowds outside were thick as thieves. It’s hard to take an ambling gait through the streets of London when you fly solo. Big groups are given a pass if they want to stop and gawk at some 300 year old building but the solo traveler who stops in the middle of the sidewalk is a pest. Not only that, but the passing rules are all backwards. I understand that my job on any escalator is to stand as far right as possible so that the people who are in a hurry can rush past me and catch the same train that I will catch twenty seconds later. But what, exactly, are the fucking rules for walking? No one seems to know. I sort of think you all treat walking like traffic, meaning you walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk, but I don’t think everyone agrees with this because I get loads of frustrated looks no matter which side I stand on or allow people to pass.
So, I headed back to Leicester Square trying not to annoy anyone and as it’s getting dark I immediately notice that the police have been kind enough to post a warning for everyone about the pickpockets who evidently work the streets there. Fair enough, I’ll be sure to keep a hand on my wallet, right after I snap this photo!
From there I basically walk back from pub to pub, stopping and sampling the different ales: there was an IPA of some sort, a Bitter, a Caffreys at some Irish pub, and my favorite, the Timothy Taylor up there. All of these are 20 oz beers (the imperial pint — thanks your Majesty!) and all cost around £3.20. That’s about $5 for a 20 oz pint for my American readers. I can’t beat that price in Tacoma, much less a big city like Seattle and I shudder to think what an imperial pint would cost in New York City.
I stumble around the city a bit more until I notice that the small tread on the stairs is starting to effect my balance (it’s not the beer, it’s the fact that you English have dangerously tiny tread on your stairs) and find my way back to the hotel to upload my photos and crash.
I snap on the television and there on channel number 1 (SkySports) is some “report” on what a horrible assault William Gallas committed and how Arsenal have no right to complain about Ryan Shawcross snapping Aaron Ramsey’s leg in two. Oh for fuck’s sake, I’ll deal with this stupidity in the morning…
And so here I am, the next day. Still a bit jet lagged and peeved that Starbucks doesn’t open until 8 am on a Saturday. I mean, how dare an American company not be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and be prepared to service me? I had to wait, like 15 minutes for a cup of coffee. I can tell you that you wouldn’t find this kind of disservice in the United States of America.
It’s 9am as I type this and I’ve already put in several hours of work you slackers! Waitrose isn’t even open!
Look, all I’m saying is that things like coffee at 6am need to be taken very seriously. VERY SERIOUSLY.
Anyway, I had a look back at yesterday’s blog and Wenger’s presser in light of the fact that SkySports is running non-stop coverage of the Gallas tackle, err, I mean the Shawcross tackle. It’s easy to get the two confused if you watch SkySports, the way I’ve seen it this morning you’d think that William Gallas has basically broken everyone’s ankle in the Premier League over the last two weeks.
Is there a word that means “insanely hypocritical?” Because if there were, I would use it to describe this whole press obsession with the Gallas challenge in relation to the fact that Ryan Shawcross destroyed Aaron Ramsey’s leg. I remember last week when the whole incident went down and Stoke City folks came on here and started talking about William Gallas’ challenge and how he “destroyed” poor Davies from Bolton and I thought “well that’s fucking weird, where are they getting that?”
Now I know, thanks SkySports!
So, I went back to Wenger’s presser and I just want to let the boss speak for us all on this matter.
Personally I wish we would stop talking about “intention” because I think there’s a clearer line that can be drawn when a player like Shawcross or Taylor lunges into the tackle. But Wenger, undaunted by the notion of intention took it on full force.
Asked if there’s a cultural issue, with some managers seeing Shawcross’ tackle as acceptable, Wenger responded
I love the comitment of the English game. I do not want to change that and I think that makes the game even more attractive and I am 100% behind the commitment of the English game. But high commitment demands, as well, fair intention.
The same “reporter” then brought up the William Gallas tackle saying that Gallas committed a tackle which “put the player out for 4-5 weeks…” a claim which I have heard several times on the blog and which we have disproved multiple times. I didn’t know where this bizarre accusation came from, but since my room gets basically the BBC and SkySports News and that’s it, I’m starting to see. Thankfully at that point Wenger stopped this reporter and said
That is not true, what you say here is not true. The player played less than 10 days later. This is exactly what we face on the other side of the fence. There’s always information which is not checked and that you have to stand up for. The tackle itself, I remember it, there was no intention to hurt the player.
As many of us have posted multiple times in multiple places it is actually possible to judge the intent of Gallas in that tackle. First off, having seen it now on constant re-run on SkySports, it’s about the clearest case of a 50-50 ball you will ever see with both players coming together at almost the same moment. But, and this is important, neither player jumped off the ground in order to launch into the challenge. In fact, Gallas leans back and actually pulls out of the challenge at the last.
It’s a committed challenge from both players, a 50-50 ball, and both players pull up at the last. Unfortunately, Gallas was a little bit later and a little bit higher than Davis and the Bolton player was on the wrong end of a one week injury. One week. Not 6 months, with his leg hanging after a desperate swinging lunge that had no chance of winning the ball.
Wenger sums this all up and gives the collected hacks a lesson in how to tackle with commitment but without intent and hopefully this will put the issue to bed for the week.
I admire as much a good technical tackle as a forward pass.A tackle in an art in itself, that means you always have your eye on the ball, you never have a high foot, even in the tackle you can already make a pass to one of your partners. To close your eyes and go in too physically doesn’t mean that there’s intention but it does mean that there is danger.
So, basically, SkySports, go fuck yourself with your 24/7 rotation of anti-Arsenal coverage.
I don’t believe in gods but if there was a just god, she would make sure Arsenal wins the league. If for no other reason than to see the anti-Arsenal brigade’s heads collectively explode because they can’t handle how reality differs from their opinions.
That title push would start today, with a thumping win over a Burnley side who are saying that they are going to kick Arsenal. They are saying that they are going to kick Arsenal on the day that REDaction is unfurling a banner in support of the young Welshman who has had his career put on hold by a team who previously said they were going to kick Arsenal. If there’s a just god, we’ll put on a clinic and dismantle this myth once and for all.
Right, I’m going to go see a man about some beans and toast, then probably head down to the Arsenal store to get my Vermaelen strip. For those of us meeting up later, we might want to think about a change of plans and head to the Rocket to see the Rambo banner up close and march to the stadium with the REDaction boys. Drop me a note in the comments if this sounds like a good plan to you.
Now, if you don’t mind, beans and toast: the perfect hangover cure.
Arsenal News 24/7
I have one extra ticket in North End Upper Tier for today’s game vs. Burnely. 40 Pound ticket.
Please call/text me if interested – Stewart – 07896 86529
Sorry the number is 07896 806529
hello there,
its must be v good for you to be able to watch an Arsenal match every year while you don’t live in england , hope i was there too. well i am n Arsenal fan from India and i also dream to watch a match in London, hope to do it in a couple of years..
so while you are there in england can you please list out the total expense of watching a match from ticket to hotel and food etc. not the air tickets offcourse..so that i can plan my visit , may be it a bit early o plan but that will keep me dreaming about it…mail me if you can at enggankurtyagi@gmail.com
March 6th, 2010 at 6:18 am
@Ankur, Check Tim’s past blogs, as I believe he has touched on this a few months ago
TICKET IS GONE NOW!!! Enjoy the game!
Rooney is injured for the Mancs. Very good for us.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=751274&sec=england&cc=3888
Red Nose had a rage. Ha, that man has no class.
Welcome to London and the Ems, Tim. It will all be worthwhile today when our boys win handsomely.
Can anyone recommend a solid link to watch the match on a stream today? I just switched to Uverse and lost Fox Soccer Plus!! First match I haven’t watched on TV all year!
March 6th, 2010 at 7:30 am
@Kevin, this one’s been coming in and out for me.
http://iraqgoals.net/6660-arsenal-vs-burnley-fc-.html
Young Jack with a goal for Bolton!
awkward lunge from Nasri in the box, might have another long term leg problem….
March 6th, 2010 at 7:34 am
@Kevin, he’s back on, hopefully not too bad…
GOAL!!! Fabregas puts one through the keeper’s legs from a cheeky little over ball from Nasri, brilliant!
Looks like a hamstring twinge takes off Fabregas as Diaby comes in.
Walcott getting feisty over a missed sliding tackle from Fox.
Bendtner needs to get his touch together .
Eboue playing like Dani Alves.
This will be the test of our players, how they come together without Cesc, didn’t he go out early in the last Burnley match after scoring the first goal?? Deja vu…
This is a big chance for Rosicky, Nasri and Diaby to SHOW with Fabregas off.
You can’t make this stuff up: England the birth place of football and they build Wembley Stadium to be the country’s showcase and the pitch absolutely sucks. Everyone says the pitch is shit and now Ferguson blames it for aggravating Rooney’s knee injury and Owens’ season ending hamstring tear. The best irony of all is that James Milner said that they’ve played on better pitches at some lower division sides and that Arsenal’s pitch was the best he has ever played on.
Lehmann gets beat by a ground rocket from Almeda, awesome
March 6th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
@Kevin, so?
Bendtner misses his second sitter of the half, third of the game, questionable
my goodness
Another fucking ball over the top. Shit. Right down the middle for Nugent to score.
Bendtner is missing all kinds of chances.
So the score’s 1-1 when it should be 4-0……..Can we get Chamakh now?
March 6th, 2010 at 8:24 am
@WC, No.
Arsenal have picked up their attack and Arshavin is about to debut a new haircut.
Theo deserved that one, take that critics!
Finally!!!!!!
Now Bendtner needs to score the five that he deserves!!
Walcott IT IS ABOUT TIME!. Absolutely beautiful (L) foot shot into the far corner.
My blind, dead, wheelchair bound 100yo grandmother could have scored the tap in that Bendtner just missed.
Eduardo comes on to put Bendtner out of his misery (and ours).
Glad the crowd didn’t boo Bendy. He deserved a goal, he put the effort in, just his touch deserted him.
Arshavin puts it to bed.
March 6th, 2010 at 8:59 am
@ctpa, Enjoyed the emotion in his and Walcott’s celebrations.
Walcott had an excellent game and is my MOTM.
March 6th, 2010 at 9:03 am
have to agree, Walcott definitely man of the match, he kept his head up through a rollercoaster of a game and it paid off big time
March 6th, 2010 at 11:03 am
@Kevin, walcott had a great 2nd half, and it was fantastic to see him respond to all the criticism but i would have to give my MOTM to nasri who was solid the whole 90 mins and created the first two goals.
Credit to Burnley for trying to play a good game. They did play a clean game that belied the prematch crap from Cort and Lawless.
Even Ramsey could have scored one of Bendy’s chances and Rambo has one leg……
March 6th, 2010 at 11:23 am
@WC, still too early for that joke!
March 6th, 2010 at 11:46 am
@nycgunner, Too early but still makes the point.
March 6th, 2010 at 11:47 am
@ctpa, Even Chamakh could have scored with some of those chances
March 6th, 2010 at 11:48 am
@ctpa, Wenger coulda scored at least one of them right?
March 6th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
@WC, hilarious
United look rubbish without Rooney.
March 6th, 2010 at 11:04 am
@XTG, yet another gifted goal to united.
you can get a 20 oz imperial pint in nyc. it’s called a pitcher and will cost you about 3 times as much.
all you guys from seattle take your coffee way too seriously. have another imperial pint instead.
good win for us today. should have been 7-0, but nic was back to his best today scoring goals for fun. this guy better stick with us through his best years. i can’t think of one club in this planet, let alone the premier league, where you miss about half a dozen sitters and the crowd still gives applauds you when you come off.
March 6th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
@nycgunner, it’s called backing your players in the run in.booing at a tv/computer monitor is brave,bit different at the game mate
March 6th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
@Gareth26GOONER, im utterly confused. i was applauding the crowd.
March 7th, 2010 at 3:44 am
@nycgunner, sory mate it sounded a bit sarcastic. My mistake
goodness gracious. wolves should have pulled level with vokes. lucky utd escape again
March 6th, 2010 at 11:50 am
@nycgunner, United without Rooney is basically a glorified Liverpool with no Torres.
March 6th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
@WC, liverpool wouldnt have won that game. You would take a performance like that every game until may if it won you the league
The crowd applauded Bendtner’s work rate reminds me of Adebayor three years ago. Will we all give him the chance we gave Adebayor?
March 6th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
@Tim, i thought it was great the crowd recognized nic’s talents and appreciated his hard work. he is young and as he gets older, he will get better. the question, as i stated earlier , was will he show us the same faith as he we showed him just as we did ade? i think nic will show a lot more appreciation for us than ade ever did. he is still two years away from the age that arsene calls the critical age and i think we are going to see a lot more from him.
March 7th, 2010 at 3:50 am
Ade never ever missed so much clear cut chances in one game this is 2nd time I have watched Nickybarndoor do this twice. I am quite sure if we hadn’t been in front at the time and the club had not galvanised behind Ramsey, he would have got such a favourable reception.
Nicky adds something to the team that no one else can now that RvP and Adebayor for want of a better phrase are not options for selection.
I make an unpopular point but valid nonetheless that had it been RvP or Adebayor playing in that CF role since the RvP injury we would probably be on top of the league now.
With that said I still believe Bendtner has the potential to be a great striker. I just do not think he shows enough commitment at times, but his physical presence adds an ingredient to the FW line that none of the other options at the moment can better.
Just back from the game – pleasure to meet you Tim and am going to watch the highlights on match of the day. Watch out for the little digs at Arsenal from the so called experts – I’m sure they’ll have something negative to say about us.
Great response by the boys. Envied you being there, Tim, while watching my sopcast feed. Was nice to hear the fans clap Bendtner off — he was smiling, but you know he was smarting.
Didn’t hear enough excuses for the Ramsey injury yet?
How about this asinine opinion, that the “white tape around the blue sock underneath his shin pad … offered a target to a tackler” (and also left exposed his shinbone above the ankle — an interesting point, I guess).
The solution? Well, it would be too simple to enforce the rules of football, so how about this? “At the very least, they should tape up wearing the same colour binding as the sock to avoid presenting a subconscious temptation for a tackler.”
Which I guess amounts to:
“Did you see the way Ramsey was dressed? He was totally asking for it.” Sigh.
Here’s a tough question. Do we want to advance to the last 8 of the UCL or focus on the EPL run in? Me thinks this squad is limping now more than ever and surely cannot reach for both.
March 6th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
@Patrick, I’m actually almost hoping for Porto to hang on to a draw. The results against Chelsea and Man U showed that the team still lacks that extra something to go up against the big boys so i’m not sure they have a legitimate shot at the CL. Escaping the fixture congestion that Chelsea and Man U might find themselves with could make a difference in the end.
March 6th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
@b, that extra something is RvP and he may be back before this is all over so it’s interesting. This season has many turns to take.
I think the rules for walking are the rules for driving. In England and the Commonwealth, the tradition is to walk/drive on the left and keep your right side free so you can duel with passing carriages. In the rest of the world, you drive/walk on the right so you don’t have to get out of your seat when you’re ordering your double mocha-choca-frappe-latte from Starbucks. Of course, London’s different because of all the expats, and no one knows the rules. That’s why they paint “stop” and “go” on the kerb, so you look the wrong way when crossing the road.