General Football Discussion

[busman]

Super League dead, Ed Woodward gone. Now time to run the Glazers and the rest of these franchise-loving American owners out of town.

I hope the government legislates to ensure this thing can never rear its ugly head again.

[capitalomnibus]

European Super League: All six Premier League teams withdraw from competition
All six Premier League teams involved in the European Super League have formally withdrawn from the competition.
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56823501

[Paul]

I knew it was never going to happen but I didn’t expect it to all fall apart THAT quickly!

[vjaska]

Apr 20, 2021 22:40:35 GMT ServerKing said:

Spurs released statement announcing that they are sorry and are withdrawing from the ESL.

In other fleet movements Mourinho AR(u) > Scrap

Might end up at the nearest depot to Celtic if rumours are true so might survive being broken up

[vjaska]

Apr 20, 2021 22:23:53 GMT VMH2537 said:

Apr 20, 2021 21:55:34 GMT vjaska said:

An imminent announcement is expected from the remaining English clubs stating their withdrawal from the ESL - good but this ain’t over, what must now follow is serious reform throughout football especially in regards to ownership.

The governmentand UFEA are lookiong at possible laws that could prevent a breakaway league and a fair ownership for the club's. Most likely to end up with the German Model

UEFA & FIFA can not be trusted either, we have been on the same side in this instance but they are corrupt individuals usually there to serve Real & Barca - the German Model certainly needs adopting for sure but other measures like caps on salaries and transfer fees should be considered.

[greenboy]

Apr 20, 2021 22:40:35 GMT ServerKing said:

Spurs released statement announcing that they are sorry and are withdrawing from the ESL.

In other fleet movements Mourinho AR(u) > Scrap

Rumour has it that Tottenham have also released a DVD of their time in the ESL..........and Harry Kane is claiming the golden boot😂

[MKAY315]

Apr 20, 2021 22:40:35 GMT ServerKing said:

Spurs released statement announcing that they are sorry and are withdrawing from the ESL.

In other fleet movements Mourinho AR(u) > Scrap

Excellent wordplay hahahahaha

[ServerKing]

Apr 21, 2021 7:37:27 GMT MKAY315 said:

Apr 20, 2021 22:40:35 GMT ServerKing said:

Spurs released statement announcing that they are sorry and are withdrawing from the ESL.

In other fleet movements Mourinho AR(u) > Scrap

Excellent wordplay hahahahaha

When it comes to tired and withdrawn coaches, Spurs want to give Ensignbus a run for their money

Talking of buses, Erik Lamela will be seeing plenty of them following his driving ban

[MKAY315]

May 27, 2021 6:33:16 GMT ServerKing said:

Apr 21, 2021 7:37:27 GMT MKAY315 said:

Excellent wordplay hahahahaha

When it comes to tired and withdrawn coaches, Spurs want to give Ensignbus a run for their money

Talking of buses, Erik Lamela will be seeing plenty of them following his driving ban

Hahahaha. Now this is funny 😄

[MKAY315]

This may sound controversial to what I will say but I will still say it. Arsenal can no longer consider themselves the big club in London. As much as I love Arsenal Saturday's result showed just how far behind this club is. As much as we love to talk about how ruthless Chelsea can be with recruitment they get the stuff done.

Football is a results business, if you're given a chance to do something and you're not performing questions will be asked. To be in Europe for 25 plus years and have no trophy to show for it is a disgrace. The fact that Arsenal have been playing in Europe longer than Chelsea and yet they managed to bag two Champions league and Europe league titles is inexcusable.

Then we move onto Unai Emery. As much as he was frustrating to watch with Arsenal constantly getting draws in a match 😂 (draw fc) we really did him dirty when he got dismissed in November 2019. So for him to eliminate Arsenal with his Villareal team was poetic justice and then to win the competition really showed Arsenal up. Until changes happen within the club don't expect to get back to the levels of the late 90s and early 00s again because this club is really on a slippery slope.

This upcoming season there's no European football so if somehow they don't manage to do better this season then there really is no hope for this team. I personally was happy when the boys from N17 beat Leicester on the last day of the season because we didn't deserve to be in the third tier of European football. Maybe this is what is needed to give that team a big kick up the backside.

On a positive note Brentford welcome to the Premier league. It's a shame that we couldn't see Fulham vs Brentford on a top flight fixture this season but hopefully in the future this is possible.

[vjaska]

Jun 1, 2021 12:08:44 GMT MKAY315 said:

This may sound controversial to what I will say but I will still say it. Arsenal can no longer consider themselves the big club in London. As much as I love Arsenal Saturday's result showed just how far behind this club is. As much as we love to talk about how ruthless Chelsea can be with recruitment they get the stuff done.

Football is a results business, if you're given a chance to do something and you're not performing questions will be asked. To be in Europe for 25 plus years and have no trophy to show for it is a disgrace. The fact that Arsenal have been playing in Europe longer than Chelsea and yet they managed to bag two Champions league and Europe league titles is inexcusable.

Then we move onto Unai Emery. As much as he was frustrating to watch with Arsenal constantly getting draws in a match 😂 (draw fc) we really did him dirty when he got dismissed in November 2019. So for him to eliminate Arsenal with his Villareal team was poetic justice and then to win the competition really showed Arsenal up. Until changes happen within the club don't expect to get back to the levels of the late 90s and early 00s again because this club is really on a slippery slope.

This upcoming season there's no European football so if somehow they don't manage to do better this season then there really is no hope for this team. I personally was happy when the boys from N17 beat Leicester on the last day of the season because we didn't deserve to be in the third tier of European football. Maybe this is what is needed to give that team a big kick up the backside.

On a positive note Brentford welcome to the Premier league. It's a shame that we couldn't see Fulham vs Brentford on a top flight fixture this season but hopefully in the future this is possible.

I disagree with the first two paragraph's - Arsenal are still a massive club and arguably, as ex Spurs player Jamie O'Hara argued, are still the biggest in London due to a number of factors including history, fanbase (it dwarfs Chelsea worldwide and is only behind Liverpool & United), overall trophies (Arsenal still 17 in front despite the lack of them outside FA Cups and the odd Shield since 2004), etc. Chelsea is the best club in London and has been for the last decade and a bit but it's not the biggest.

I was one of the few Arsenal fans who was annoyed when we sacked Emery - he wasn't properly backed as indicated when he asked for Zaha and got Pepe (for what it's worth, Pepe is better than what people give him credit for, 16 goals in all comps this season is a pretty good return in a team that struggled for goals and finished 8th), only got £50m to spend first season. We got what we deserved against Villareal and it woke a number of Arsenal fans up very briefly but I can see us doing the same mistake with Arteta - these managers at Arsenal need time because they are working with such idiots above them.

I'm actually a bit more positive about the upcoming season than I should be - most big clubs who end up without European football tend to have a good season the following year as we saw with Chelsea, Liverpool & United previously. It all rests on how much Arteta can spend in the summer.

Very pleased to see Brentford up - Saturday was a good day for London teams with with Chelsea's final win, Brentford's promotion and Bromley making the National League play offs continuing the chance to have two London clubs being promoted into the football league after Sutton clinched the title.

[Eastlondoner62]

Jun 1, 2021 13:26:55 GMT vjaska said:

Jun 1, 2021 12:08:44 GMT MKAY315 said:

This may sound controversial to what I will say but I will still say it. Arsenal can no longer consider themselves the big club in London. As much as I love Arsenal Saturday's result showed just how far behind this club is. As much as we love to talk about how ruthless Chelsea can be with recruitment they get the stuff done.

Football is a results business, if you're given a chance to do something and you're not performing questions will be asked. To be in Europe for 25 plus years and have no trophy to show for it is a disgrace. The fact that Arsenal have been playing in Europe longer than Chelsea and yet they managed to bag two Champions league and Europe league titles is inexcusable.

Then we move onto Unai Emery. As much as he was frustrating to watch with Arsenal constantly getting draws in a match 😂 (draw fc) we really did him dirty when he got dismissed in November 2019. So for him to eliminate Arsenal with his Villareal team was poetic justice and then to win the competition really showed Arsenal up. Until changes happen within the club don't expect to get back to the levels of the late 90s and early 00s again because this club is really on a slippery slope.

This upcoming season there's no European football so if somehow they don't manage to do better this season then there really is no hope for this team. I personally was happy when the boys from N17 beat Leicester on the last day of the season because we didn't deserve to be in the third tier of European football. Maybe this is what is needed to give that team a big kick up the backside.

On a positive note Brentford welcome to the Premier league. It's a shame that we couldn't see Fulham vs Brentford on a top flight fixture this season but hopefully in the future this is possible.

I disagree with the first two paragraph's - Arsenal are still a massive club and arguably, as ex Spurs player Jamie O'Hara argued, are still the biggest in London due to a number of factors including history, fanbase (it dwarfs Chelsea worldwide and is only behind Liverpool & United), overall trophies (Arsenal still 17 in front despite the lack of them outside FA Cups and the odd Shield since 2004), etc. Chelsea is the best club in London and has been for the last decade and a bit but it's not the biggest.

I was one of the few Arsenal fans who was annoyed when we sacked Emery - he wasn't properly backed as indicated when he asked for Zaha and got Pepe (for what it's worth, Pepe is better than what people give him credit for, 16 goals in all comps this season is a pretty good return in a team that struggled for goals and finished 8th), only got £50m to spend first season. We got what we deserved against Villareal and it woke a number of Arsenal fans up very briefly but I can see us doing the same mistake with Arteta - these managers at Arsenal need time because they are working with such idiots above them.

I'm actually a bit more positive about the upcoming season than I should be - most big clubs who end up without European football tend to have a good season the following year as we saw with Chelsea, Liverpool & United previously. It all rests on how much Arteta can spend in the summer.

Very pleased to see Brentford up - Saturday was a good day for London teams with with Chelsea's final win, Brentford's promotion and Bromley making the National League play offs continuing the chance to have two London clubs being promoted into the football league after Sutton clinched the title.

I think Arteta has potential to bring great things for Arsenal, but needs the time to do so. Chelsea and Manchester United seem to have deep pockets where they can afford to sack a manager every Friday but Arsenal needs someone who will bring up the team, and work with what they have. Arteta at the moment is on the odds to be the next Premier League manager to exit and I sincerely hope he does not. This Summer Transfer window is looking big, and while it's a bummer they didn't get into Europe this year, it gives Arteta a lot more time to focus Arsenal on doing well int he Premier League and adapting the team towards that. He won't need to worry about resting good players for Europe to then get a hammering in the Prem for example. 

I do think Arsenal are still the "London" club, Chelsea as you say has a following but nowhere near the scale Arsenal has. Arsenal will be coming back again I'm very sure of it (even if I don't support them myself). 

[george]

Jun 1, 2021 13:26:55 GMT vjaska said:

Jun 1, 2021 12:08:44 GMT MKAY315 said:

This may sound controversial to what I will say but I will still say it. Arsenal can no longer consider themselves the big club in London. As much as I love Arsenal Saturday's result showed just how far behind this club is. As much as we love to talk about how ruthless Chelsea can be with recruitment they get the stuff done.

Football is a results business, if you're given a chance to do something and you're not performing questions will be asked. To be in Europe for 25 plus years and have no trophy to show for it is a disgrace. The fact that Arsenal have been playing in Europe longer than Chelsea and yet they managed to bag two Champions league and Europe league titles is inexcusable.

Then we move onto Unai Emery. As much as he was frustrating to watch with Arsenal constantly getting draws in a match 😂 (draw fc) we really did him dirty when he got dismissed in November 2019. So for him to eliminate Arsenal with his Villareal team was poetic justice and then to win the competition really showed Arsenal up. Until changes happen within the club don't expect to get back to the levels of the late 90s and early 00s again because this club is really on a slippery slope.

This upcoming season there's no European football so if somehow they don't manage to do better this season then there really is no hope for this team. I personally was happy when the boys from N17 beat Leicester on the last day of the season because we didn't deserve to be in the third tier of European football. Maybe this is what is needed to give that team a big kick up the backside.

On a positive note Brentford welcome to the Premier league. It's a shame that we couldn't see Fulham vs Brentford on a top flight fixture this season but hopefully in the future this is possible.

I disagree with the first two paragraph's - Arsenal are still a massive club and arguably, as ex Spurs player Jamie O'Hara argued, are still the biggest in London due to a number of factors including history, fanbase (it dwarfs Chelsea worldwide and is only behind Liverpool & United), overall trophies (Arsenal still 17 in front despite the lack of them outside FA Cups and the odd Shield since 2004), etc. Chelsea is the best club in London and has been for the last decade and a bit but it's not the biggest.

I was one of the few Arsenal fans who was annoyed when we sacked Emery - he wasn't properly backed as indicated when he asked for Zaha and got Pepe (for what it's worth, Pepe is better than what people give him credit for, 16 goals in all comps this season is a pretty good return in a team that struggled for goals and finished 8th), only got £50m to spend first season. We got what we deserved against Villareal and it woke a number of Arsenal fans up very briefly but I can see us doing the same mistake with Arteta - these managers at Arsenal need time because they are working with such idiots above them.

I'm actually a bit more positive about the upcoming season than I should be - most big clubs who end up without European football tend to have a good season the following year as we saw with Chelsea, Liverpool & United previously. It all rests on how much Arteta can spend in the summer.

Very pleased to see Brentford up - Saturday was a good day for London teams with with Chelsea's final win, Brentford's promotion and Bromley making the National League play offs continuing the chance to have two London clubs being promoted into the football league after Sutton clinched the title.

Was so pleased when Brentford got promoted especially after falling just short many times before. Can't wait to visit the new stadium when the new season kicks off.

[MKAY315]

Jun 1, 2021 13:26:55 GMT vjaska said:

Jun 1, 2021 12:08:44 GMT MKAY315 said:

This may sound controversial to what I will say but I will still say it. Arsenal can no longer consider themselves the big club in London. As much as I love Arsenal Saturday's result showed just how far behind this club is. As much as we love to talk about how ruthless Chelsea can be with recruitment they get the stuff done.

Football is a results business, if you're given a chance to do something and you're not performing questions will be asked. To be in Europe for 25 plus years and have no trophy to show for it is a disgrace. The fact that Arsenal have been playing in Europe longer than Chelsea and yet they managed to bag two Champions league and Europe league titles is inexcusable.

Then we move onto Unai Emery. As much as he was frustrating to watch with Arsenal constantly getting draws in a match 😂 (draw fc) we really did him dirty when he got dismissed in November 2019. So for him to eliminate Arsenal with his Villareal team was poetic justice and then to win the competition really showed Arsenal up. Until changes happen within the club don't expect to get back to the levels of the late 90s and early 00s again because this club is really on a slippery slope.

This upcoming season there's no European football so if somehow they don't manage to do better this season then there really is no hope for this team. I personally was happy when the boys from N17 beat Leicester on the last day of the season because we didn't deserve to be in the third tier of European football. Maybe this is what is needed to give that team a big kick up the backside.

On a positive note Brentford welcome to the Premier league. It's a shame that we couldn't see Fulham vs Brentford on a top flight fixture this season but hopefully in the future this is possible.

I disagree with the first two paragraph's - Arsenal are still a massive club and arguably, as ex Spurs player Jamie O'Hara argued, are still the biggest in London due to a number of factors including history, fanbase (it dwarfs Chelsea worldwide and is only behind Liverpool & United), overall trophies (Arsenal still 17 in front despite the lack of them outside FA Cups and the odd Shield since 2004), etc. Chelsea is the best club in London and has been for the last decade and a bit but it's not the biggest.

I was one of the few Arsenal fans who was annoyed when we sacked Emery - he wasn't properly backed as indicated when he asked for Zaha and got Pepe (for what it's worth, Pepe is better than what people give him credit for, 16 goals in all comps this season is a pretty good return in a team that struggled for goals and finished 8th), only got £50m to spend first season. We got what we deserved against Villareal and it woke a number of Arsenal fans up very briefly but I can see us doing the same mistake with Arteta - these managers at Arsenal need time because they are working with such idiots above them.

I'm actually a bit more positive about the upcoming season than I should be - most big clubs who end up without European football tend to have a good season the following year as we saw with Chelsea, Liverpool & United previously. It all rests on how much Arteta can spend in the summer.

Very pleased to see Brentford up - Saturday was a good day for London teams with with Chelsea's final win, Brentford's promotion and Bromley making the National League play offs continuing the chance to have two London clubs being promoted into the football league after Sutton clinched the title.

OK they've been in Europe for 25 plus years with no trophy to show for it. We may have more honours than Chelsea on an overall scale but it's embarrassing that we've been in Europe longer than them but we still didn't claim any titles from them. In 2000 we lost to Galatasaray, 2006 we lost to Barcelona and 2019 to Chelsea. The fact Chelsea have two Champions league trophies under their belt, even if we win it in the future they won it first when we should have been setting the example (this is me talking from a pride point of view).

Again I'm not saying Arsenal is on the scale of say Charlton for example but the champions league trophy is possibly the most sought title that many big clubs aspire to get. You can win domestic titles year in and year out as City has shown but they want that title.

Also do remember in the 2019-20 the only reason why we got into the europa league last season was because of the fa cup win in which I was one of the few Arsenal fans that didn't want Arteta to win that just yet as various fans would have set that benchmark on him too early. We finished 8th that season and this season just gone we also finished 8th.

As for Emery my problem I had was the last few games in the 2018-19 season when we lost against Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leicester and drew against Brighton. Those games were on paper winnable games that could have been achieved for the top four spot and then getting wiped out in Baku against Chelsea. Tactically he messed up on those fixtures during the most crucial part of the season.

Eastlondoner62 as for Arteta. He's on thin ice with me. In a crucial game in a semi final against Villareal he did an experiment by playing a false 9 in that match. That was unforgivable for me and a straight abomination.

So guys I do hope that this season coming up maybe just maybe we'll see whether Arsenal will benefit from this time away from Europe or if they go down a slippery slope. Though very unlikely anything is possible in this life.

[vjaska]

Jun 1, 2021 14:51:24 GMT MKAY315 said:

Jun 1, 2021 13:26:55 GMT vjaska said:

I disagree with the first two paragraph's - Arsenal are still a massive club and arguably, as ex Spurs player Jamie O'Hara argued, are still the biggest in London due to a number of factors including history, fanbase (it dwarfs Chelsea worldwide and is only behind Liverpool & United), overall trophies (Arsenal still 17 in front despite the lack of them outside FA Cups and the odd Shield since 2004), etc. Chelsea is the best club in London and has been for the last decade and a bit but it's not the biggest.

I was one of the few Arsenal fans who was annoyed when we sacked Emery - he wasn't properly backed as indicated when he asked for Zaha and got Pepe (for what it's worth, Pepe is better than what people give him credit for, 16 goals in all comps this season is a pretty good return in a team that struggled for goals and finished 8th), only got £50m to spend first season. We got what we deserved against Villareal and it woke a number of Arsenal fans up very briefly but I can see us doing the same mistake with Arteta - these managers at Arsenal need time because they are working with such idiots above them.

I'm actually a bit more positive about the upcoming season than I should be - most big clubs who end up without European football tend to have a good season the following year as we saw with Chelsea, Liverpool & United previously. It all rests on how much Arteta can spend in the summer.

Very pleased to see Brentford up - Saturday was a good day for London teams with with Chelsea's final win, Brentford's promotion and Bromley making the National League play offs continuing the chance to have two London clubs being promoted into the football league after Sutton clinched the title.

OK they've been in Europe for 25 plus years with no trophy to show for it. We may have more honours than Chelsea on an overall scale but it's embarrassing that we've been in Europe longer than them but we still didn't claim any titles from them. In 2000 we lost to Galatasaray, 2006 we lost to Barcelona and 2019 to Chelsea. The fact Chelsea have two Champions league trophies under their belt, even if we win it in the future they won it first when we should have been setting the example (this is me talking from a pride point of view).

Again I'm not saying Arsenal is on the scale of say Charlton for example but the champions league trophy is possibly the most sought title that many big clubs aspire to get. You can win domestic titles year in and year out as City has shown but they want that title.

Also do remember in the 2019-20 the only reason why we got into the europa league last season was because of the fa cup win in which I was one of the few Arsenal fans that didn't want Arteta to win that just yet as various fans would have set that benchmark on him too early. We finished 8th that season and this season just gone we also finished 8th.

As for Emery my problem I had was the last few games in the 2018-19 season when we lost against Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leicester and drew against Brighton. Those games were on paper winnable games that could have been achieved for the top four spot and then getting wiped out in Baku against Chelsea. Tactically he messed up on those fixtures during the most crucial part of the season.

Eastlondoner62 as for Arteta. He's on thin ice with me. In a crucial game in a semi final against Villareal he did an experiment by playing a false 9 in that match. That was unforgivable for me and a straight abomination.

So guys I do hope that this season coming up maybe just maybe we'll see whether Arsenal will benefit from this time away from Europe or if they go down a slippery slope. Though very unlikely anything is possible in this life.

Embarrassing or not, it doesn't change the fact that being a big club is not just about trophies. Nottingham Forest & Villa are bigger clubs than Man City yet haven't won anything since the 80's. We should of set the example and would of had we not been robbed against Barcelona but nothing we can do about that now - right now, we just need to get back up the table.

I was very pleased to have won the FA Cup, I didn't set any benchmark myself but always take a trophy if one comes up. As for Emery, Arsenal players in recent years are very good at throwing managers under the bus at crucial times so we can't always be blaming the tactics TBH. In the final for example, only Cech & Willock actually played well, everyone else was sub par.

I saw Arteta got criticised for that - I agree he shouldn't of done it but when Guardiola, he gets no vitriol thrown at him at all asking him to be sacked and that was in a final and also not selecting a holding midfielder of any kind. Arsenal fans are very good at asking for managers to get sacked without any idea of who should replace them. Also, the players played like garbage over both legs, they have to take some responsibility as well - Auba doing his best impression of not hitting the target or required performance levels as he has done all season long.