‘THE £50M MAN’ When I was young, clubs invested in Academies because they hoped that they could get a small handful break through to help the first team. That has changed somewhat. Now, clubs hope for this but also have the dream that a gem will come along that they can sell for big bucks […]
‘EMERY LEFT NAKED’ I’m jumping straight into this one…. Holding, Tierney and Bellerin should make us better but we didn’t capitulate in the second half because those three weren’t playing. When you’ve allowed more shots (96) than any team in any of the top 5 leagues in Europe this season, it’s the coach. Just FYI… […]
‘Backstage kills the band’ The match was a snapshot of Arsenal over the last 10 years. On the ball, good enough to win. Much like a band they had some rockstars who had the crowd on their feet. Lacazette, Aubameyang and Pepe played some quality back up to the lead singer, Matteo Guendouzi. Unfortunately, […]
‘The Game of 7 Truths’ Sometimes we watch and it’s obvious what went right and wrong. Sometimes we watch and it isn’t because there were so many components to what happened. That was Liverpool vs Arsenal. So much truth and it comes from all directions. 1) Arsenal were dangerous going forward […]
‘The 2 most important qualities in modern football’ I predict that Arsenal will finish 3rd. I also predict that we will finish significantly closer in points to the winner than last season. I have thought hard about this and my confidence is founded in two things…. Firstly, the club didn’t leave us ‘two or three […]
‘HAS SOMEONE LEFT THE INFERIORITY COMPLEX IN BAKU?’ – Positives, Needs and Hopes I am not just trying to be rose tinted. Coaching taught me a while ago that winning matters but the game is often a collection of separate observations. Take the score away as it matters little in […]
THE GAME CHANGERS vs THE SLEEPING PILLS Arsenal have two opposites going on. They have not only reinforced the attack, they have reinvigorated it with top class, youth, athleticism, speed and a new directness. I was fooled in the first half. We looked like we might replicate the big score line the last time we […]
‘…..AND THEN I PUT MY GOGGLES ON’ Do you have anything in your football world that you really don’t understand? I do. I don’t understand fans that think friendlies are pointless or that pre-season is just for fitness. From my vantage point friendlies are for making BIG decisions about the upcoming season and who stays […]
The Charlotte sunshine was almost unbearable. We sat in the top tier fully exposed and routinely purchasing $5 bottles of water from the equally sad looking schoolkid who was lumbering around his grate of drinks in 90 degrees. I think my gullibility was partially down to the warped idea that I was helping this poor […]
‘THE £90M strategy’ Positives, Needs and Hopes by Mike McDonald How much would you pay if you could buy winning mentality? I’d pay at least £50M. How much would you pay for an on ball hi-tempo? I’d pay at least £40M. We don’t talk about these changes pre-season as much as we do new players […]
