Armin_Tamzarian

There's nothing there to ridicule though is there? Just a ragbag of bitter resentments and tired truisms. Thommo's the only one who believes in anything, has any passion for the game and they mock it because they don't have it themselves and don't understand why others do. They're a collection of nearly men, no wonder they resent someone who actually acheived something special in the game.

O Hara looked good when I saw him but from memory it was only 30 mins or so as a sub.

This one?

I hope it gets called in and permission refused. It might persuade the current parasites to f*** off.

They've already signalled a lean few years ahead with the comments about following the Arsenal model of attracting young talent.

Finnan has to be replaced.

The other way of looking at Bentley or Barry is that their premier league experience would help them settle quickly. The manager will be under great pressure to deliver a title challenge and the likes of Carra and Gerrard won't want potential, they don't have the time to wait for it to develop. The other obvious advantage to a tactician like Rafa are the options they'd give him. Bentley would cover 2 positions, as a right sided attacking player (in either a 4 4 2 or a 4 2 3 1, unlike Pennant who can only really play the former) and also as a second striker. Barry would be even more versatile and allow Rafa far more flexibility, he can play LB, LM, CM and possibly even CB. I don't think he's as good as Alonso but the birth of his child may suggest Xabi would be happy to follow Luis back to Spain. Hope not because he's the best 'classic' midfielder we've had in years. I'm not advocating their signings just trying to give a bit of balance. I think we've a fantastic manager but there's plenty here and elsewhere who were ready to see him depart because our league form was disappointing. He may have to sign players to improve that aspect of our play and that might mean less glamourous signings than some may expect.

I love 'Who the f***ing Hell are you?' Laced with a level of contempt that few could hope to equal. It's a million miles from 'Who are ya'.

In the build up to the game a keen eyed administrator at the FA discovers that due to an avoidable error neither team officially exist and they are therefore unable to compete in any UEFA sanctioned competition. Barcelona and Liverpool automatically advance to the final whilst Arsenal take the opportunity to withdraw from competitive football in favour of exhibition matches as they play such pretty football.

Superb bit of guerilla activism yesterday. A very well judged combination of cheek, humour and a strong message behind the photo-op. Congratulations to all concerned. Good to see DIC engaging with the supporters, the time to establish a new way of going forward is before the ink is dried on whatever new structure emerges.

The other worry is that when we've played there the past 2 occasions we've been under the cosh, certainly in the 07 SB game. If they'd opened up a bit more we might've been overcome but their inherent cautiousness re conceding an away goal probably played into our hands and they didn't administer the killer blow. This time round they'll know exactly what to expect and can either go for it, in which case they'll be difficult to live with or worst case scenario can sit and force us to come on to them. We'll still do'em like cause we're ace.

Hopefully it will be the last match before a European Cup Final and surely we'd want to give the team a good send off?

A few reasons. Primarily that in broadening the target you risk losing focus and dissipating effort. You're relying on people using their intelligence not to target the woman on the RBS counter on the high st, not everyone has that intelligence. You open the Union up to being a hostage to fortune to the one idiot who can't distinguish between an international finance arm of a bank and the local hole in the wall etc. Passions are raised high and I suggest the Union has to be extremely careful in the way they seek to unleash them. I'd guess there may be legal implications as well, worth looking into? In that context the risk / reward doesn't stack up. If you still want to target third parties you should go for customers rather than suppliers. Suppliers are making a profit to set against the hassle, customers may be more inclined to move on rather than deal with aggro. Banks lend to repressive regimes, arms dealers and people that commit acts of torture, they'll swat the bad publicity without a thought. In this case co-investors in Thicks rather than those supplying financing. Sponsors of the Rangers etc maybe?

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I think you're making a mistake in targetting RBS.

So now all we have to decide is if we trust the Daily Mail to provide a fair and balanced account of Voronin's interview. That's a toughie.

Fed up with playing them. I'd suggest they wore grotesque masks to at least provide some sense of uniqueness to the occassion but how would one tell the difference? It's going to be interesting seeing how the dynamics of the game will change with our home leg coming first.

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I'd forgotten about that. He must've applauded that decision last night. hehehe

We should give them each a special 'Better Team' badge and hand it out at the end. They could also have a signed certificate and a commemorative Parker pen if they like.

"All people who come into contact with Torres gain the ability to perform the jedi mind trick." Law 74, from the Book of Torres.

I thought the initial atmosphere was a little forced. For lots of reasons there wasn't the level of intensity and desire that we heard at the 05 or 07 semis. Partly due to the perceived advantage and maybe Arsenal not being so cynical a side. The atmosphere really built due to the exploits of the team on the pitch. As we exerted control and began to dominate the crowd took its lead from the players and responded accordingly. The stands didn't truly shake until after the team got back into the match. The crowd did their bit after the stunning equaliser but to be fair the shock had barely sunk in before Babel's penalty claim. Felt like I'd played 90 minutes by the end. Nothing left in the tank for the final YNWA

I read that as a defensive quote aimed against the likes of Dein, Usmanov and Kroenke who are manoevring to try and do a Hicks and Gillete. One of the lines Dein peddled when he sold out his club was that they needed Usmanov's money in order to compete. Wenger, admirably, hasn't spent the last 10 years building Arsenal to see it ransacked by opportunists in the way that has happened to us, responded to that charge by emphasising his long term strategy and also recently saying the money was there and that it was down to him that it wasn't spent. In doing so he's left himself open to the criticisms of the more impatient amongst his support, again admirably imo. He's taken the hit rather than the board. I've no doubt now the figures are coming in they can spend in the summer but 70m? Until the stadium was up and running and refinanced they couldn't spend anything like that. Even now they have to be careful as some of the banks they've refinanced with are a bit shaky.

If Barca want to cut their losses surely they'll have to do better than 16m? He'll be on mega money whether on the pitch or the treatment bench. If its a choice between a young up and coming Torres typewith everything to prove and a fading Henry whose physical condition is always going to go one way then I know where my 16m would go.

To be fair to him he developed a strategy to cope with a reduced cash flow during construction of the Emirates. During that time he's kept Arsenal in the top 4, reached the Champions League Final and a couple of domestic finals as well. The team have played with a flair that's sold out the new stadium and boosted gate revenues to the highest in the English league. He's largely replaced the unbeaten team and stayed competitive whilst doing so, not withstanding the valid point Rimbeaux makes concerning wages and youth captures. He's the model Liverpool should look towards if the stadium project goes ahead. It's unfortunate that this period has coincided with Abramovich and the re-inflating of a transfer market that had been cooling. If that hadn't have happened I think Wenger might've had at least a lesser domestic trophy to keep the critics off his back until he can access the Ashburton Grove revenues.