Sunday afternoon saw The Arsenal vanquish our old rivals to take what could turn out to be a massive three points. After City beat Newcastle yesterday, they were only two points behind us when the match kicked off and most of the media had the knives out for a team who have faltered in the league recently. The pressure was well and truly on, so to come through the game with a top performance and a thoroughly deserved win feels big. By full-time I was feeling much better about our trajectory. This seemed a game where we turned the mood around. Let us hope so.
I think it is only right to focus on the many things that we did well today, but there were plenty of moments that showed where we can still improve and those should not be swept under the carpet. We were profligate. Frankly, four goals was a poor return from the outright chances we had, to say nothing of the countless situations we should have turned into chances. Gyokeres cut in and lashed a shot wide from an almost perfect chance; Saliba headed wide from six yards after Gyokeres headed down a Saka corner; Trossard ignored Saka’s run and blasted the ball high and handsome after Simons gave it to him on plate playing a risky pass in his own half; Saka went through one on one with Vicario but the keeper saved his shot; a deflected Trossard shot rolled just wide. By half time we could have been out of sight.
Instead, we just had the one goal, scored by Eze (who else?) after Saka squirmed past Sarr and crossed for our number 10 to flick the ball up and snap a quick-fire volley into the back of the net. His first touch wasn’t perfect but he just rolled with it and took the shot stretching his foot to shoulder height – that instinct is such a valuable asset for this team.
No matter how often we concede right after scoring, we just don’t seem to learn our lesson and recognise the danger. We are so vulnerable after we score and better teams than this ramshackle Spuds outfit will punish us at full time, not just half-time. On this occasion it was Declan Rice who intercepted a Spuds through ball and made the poor decision to try to take the ball round Muani instead of passing it. He got dispossessed in our box and the Spurs striker lashed it low past Raya. The crowd went wild. I was fuming.
After battering them all half, to go in level, and with only ourselves to blame (again) was a pisser. We had a big second half ahead.
Fortunately, we responded to that challenge with, well, a big second half. It took Gyokeres all of two minutes to put us in front with his best Arsenal goal (yes, better than Inter). His first touch from a Timber pass was perfect and the finish from outside the box was consummate. That’s the player. Our Dutch right back would have been happy to get an assist from a pretty simple pass, but truth be told he had a tough day. The man is absolutely running on fumes and we need to sit him down. His passing level is dropping, he got a yellow for a foul after the double error of giving the ball away by poorly executing a poorly chosen pass and having to pull Spence down as he broke. After we underplayed White whilst he was available, he was not even on the bench for a game I’d have started him in. Presumably he is injured, but it is very frustrating that we ran Timber into the ground instead of using our brilliant alternative, and now we need him more than ever, he is not available. Arteta made an excellent substitution after a mere 57 minutes to bring Mosquera on and I want to see more of him at right back. Timber is probably the best right back in the league, but he cannot play all the time.
Neither can Eze, but today he made a bid for more minutes than he has been getting recently with that most vital of contributions – end product. He won the ball high up, Gyokeres flicked it back to him, he played in Saka, and Van der Ven’s last-ditch tackle squirted free for Eze to slot home his second goal of the game. Very nice. It could have been his hat-trick goal after he breezed past some Spurs muppet on the wing and slalomed into the box but saw his shot blocked. He also put Saka in, but Vicario saved his right foot shot from eight yards out as we continued to make chances but not finish them. Still, tidy from Eze, who mixed attacking flair with hard running and positional awareness. His productivity dropped from his time at Palace while he adjusted to the off-the-ball work required by Arteta. There were a few games where he was solid defensively but not particularly threatening. I always felt he’d add back the attacking stuff once he was more positionally secure in this system. Today was a template performance. Keep it up young man.
We were lucky when Muani scored a second moments after the ref had blown his whistle for a push in Gabriel’s back. Correct decision, but only just. Gabriel bought it by collapsing after he felt hands in his back. For me, he has to stop doing that. It has cost us already this season (can’t remember the match, maybe someone in the drinks will know) and the percentage play, by a long way, is just to make the headed clearance. Both him and Saliba had a couple of dodgy moments and sloppy passes which they need to cut out. For all we were much, much better in attack today, there were still some very loose balls spread amongst our side that we got away with.
Richarlison came on and bundled a flicked backheel towards goal only for Raya to claw it off the line. Top reaction to get to it and he did well today, dealing with crosses with the habitual assurance that has been somewhat less noticeable in the last couple of games.
Saka turned his ankle when Xavi Simons fell on him and I was seriously worried. He got up and walked off, to be replaced by Noni, but I hope he’s okay.
We had time for one more. Gyokeres, looking fit and strong into injury time, took a pass from Odegaard and held off Archie Gray (good player) to finish convincingly past Vicario. Two really good centre forward goals from the Swede who was fouled all day by the Spurs centre halves yet penalised every time he did exactly what they were doing to him. He responded in the best way possible and is becoming more and more what we all hoped he might be.
Arteta got everything right today and deserves his flowers. The team looked strong. We needed a reminder how good we are, why we are top of the league. We got it. Now to look forward to Chelsea, not back over our shoulders. We’ve got a title to win.
Until next time ‘holics.
“I love the smell of schadenfreude in the evening, it smells like….victory”.
Bugziee in the last drinks – you’re always welcome. Don’t be a stranger.
C100- from the lowest of lows on Wednesday night to very nearly the highest of highs today. “What a difference a day makes”! Who knew Dinah Washington was a Gooner!
Off to read GSD’s no doubt excellent report.
Consummate report, Dino, combining factual reportage with insightful comments. Agree, for what it’s worth, with everything you say.
Now for a week off for the team, in which I hope they get a couple of days away to refresh minds and bodies, before the next odious selection of individuals in blue and white rolls into town next Sunday. I suggest that, much like Kipling, we treat these impostors just the same.
Excellent report GSD. Very pleased for Ebs and Vik, good goals
and a well deserved win – it’s starting to get to the point where
we have look at Vik and say he’s had a decent first season despite
the noise. Hope I am saying that in May 😂
Fair point on the first half, should of been 3-0 but was a WTF 1-1, plus
fair comment on Timber and Gabriel, I thought Leo struggled a bit too.
Great from Bukayo, but all round the team showed the heart that was
called for before the game so drinks on the bar all round,
10 games to go, six at home.
Spot on review.
I wasn’t as optimistic as some that this game would be as comfortable as the scoreline indicates. Spuds tried harder and played slightly better than they do against most visitors to their stadium, remarkable more for the speed of delivery of a beer than the quality of the football. We absolutely should have scored more. We absolutely shouldn’t have lost the goal we did (but, I agree, we were fortunate to lose the goal we didn’t). We recovered magnificently from a woeful Wednesday night in Wolverhampton described very effectively by C100 post match.
Big hats off to Lone Star. Your preview forecast of a rock solid 5-0 away win didn’t exactly have me rushing off to see my bookie (O ye of little faith!) but our play deserved that at least. 10/11 for the team prediction too.
every single word, dino. and lonestar in the preview.
earliest ever st. totts next sunday, anyone?
Excellent write-up, GSD. I wish I had been able to watch live, but just now back from the lad’s match, then trek up north to meet the Arsenal Vision Podcast crew in Plano, then late lunch and match film breakdown with the lad. Cheers to everyone for your generous comments in the last drinks. I know my contributions often stray from the conventional, and you all are generous in your receptivity to my self-indulgence.
Welcome to our new guest Bugizee. Don’t be a stranger.
Can’t wait to watch the highlights, so I’m off to do that now. Looks like I was close on the prediction, cheers, BtM!
Also, many thanks for the well-wishes for Josh. He had a late equalizer chalked-off for a dubious offsides calls…them’s the breaks.
Win the next match!
MCMBD
As sharp-eyed and swiftly written as ever, Dino. And nothing to disagree with, either.
Speedy, spot on match description and succinct observations. Chapeau Dino.
Somewhere, Thomas Frank turns off the tv. walks over to the kitchen, takes out his finest paper cup with an arsenal logo, pours himself some red wine, takes a big sip. Smiles.
Still buzzing and sipping whisky. Have just watched MOTD. Great goals. What a save by Raya.
Some coherent thoughts on a great report tomorrow.
But what a day at the toilet bowl.
“He’s scoring goals with a cannon on his chest.
His name is Viktor. Viktor Gyokeres. “
GSD,
Terrific and very well- balanced report hitting what I think is exactly the right mood and not being frightened to criticise us when we merit it. You mention Gabriel being involved a
in another pushing incident – I think you are referring to Woltemade’s goal at Newcastle . You make a very good point .
I actually thought given their injuries the Spuds played better than I expected . They are in the doodoo and will be drowning in it unless they can get the team working properly. We saw fine performances from a number of players – Eze clearly loves playing against them and Gyokeres scored two crackers . We now need evidence he is not a flat- track bully. I think Hincapie deserves a mention. He is a very solid player and I thought Mosquera looked terrific too .
I hope Zubi , Timber and Rice put their feet up on a club coach trip to Southend and bond over the cockles and whelks this week. I know how to live !
Meanwhile you are very welcome Buglizee. Please call in often
A classic report of a classic match, produced at great speed. Both will be referred to in future reviews of the season. Nice work, GSD.
Viktor Gyokeres (15) now has more goals than Joao Pedro (14), Hugo Ekitike (14), Bryan Mbuemo (10), Nick Woltemade (10), Benjamin Sesko (7) this season.
All other summer signings people claimed were better, including many Arsenal fans, it’s quite disgusting how some treat him.
This is Spurs’ Premier League home record since November 2024.
LDLLDLLWLDWLLLWLDLLDLWLDLDLL
19 points from a possible 84.
(Yes I have had a drink since getting back from the game).
I keep reminding myself of Mike McDonald’s prescient words early in the season that it takes a season for foreign players coming into the PL to settle, and we won’t see full Gyökeres until his second season. Encouragingly, he is starting to show more and more glimpses of the striker he was at Sporting. I thought today’s was his best game for us by far, not just because of his two goals, both of which had a touch of the Malcolm Macdonalds to them, but also because his hold-up play was good. Eze doesn’t score his second goal without Gyökeres’s one-touch lay-off in the build-up.
Cheers GSD! It is much easier to read a report after such a match, and I should imagine it is easier to write too.
If it weren’t for a pesky draw, we might have combined that with St Totteringham’s, in February. As it is, we will have to wait until Sunday, hopefully it will happen even before we play :-).
Glorious morning here, with the sun even making an appearance, and no rain forecast until Friday!
It’s been a great weekend, let’s have more of these!
Big Vik was absolutely superb today, not just the goals (among other things, that touch just mentioned by Ned was beautiful and crucial), hopefully, this will be the new normal.
Let’s hope Eze does it in non Spurs/Palace matches now too!
Red wine in a paper cup, C100? @ 9?
I hope he has a proper set of Arsenal-branded glassware.
Enjoy the sun while you can, Ollie. We’re in the midst of a blizzard here. It’s been snowing foe the past 10 hours and another 10 to come.
Well it’s cloudy already, but still, no rain, and a proper sunny day forecast for Wednesday.
Cheers Ned, and good luck to you and all around that blizzard!
C100@13 – I think it is touching that Sp*rs have decided to pay tribute, through their matchday results, to their twin town just outside Aberystwyth.
Haha CER!
Ned/ C100
I think we are indeed seeing a much more impressive Gyokeres than we were . He is certainly a much better option imo than Sesko or Woltemade who are learning slowly on the job. His performance yesterday was his most complete and confident so far and the ( Malcolm) MacDonald comparison was quite valid on that evidence .
His big challenge is to do it against the better teams in the league . He has scored goals against Atletico , Inter and Chelsea in other competitions but in the league he has notched against Leeds (3), Sunderland (2) , Tottnumb (2) , Forest, Burnley and a penalty at Everton . Yesterday suggested that if he can play with the same confidence and aggression he can be of huge value to us as we get to the pointy end of the season.
I have sobered up, watched the game back and instead of the complete high of yesterday, I now have a warm sense of satisfaction. It was a great report Dino, written with accuracy, colour and warmth. It was a great away day and a fabulous away end to be in. I noticed on Sky that you could hear the noise from the away end. but not the words. Here are some of the chants. The favourite, sung many times was the Eze song. That man is already an Arsenal legend.
We can hear them crying at the Lane, Eberechi he scores again, one chat with Mik Arteta he said ‘wow’, f*ck off Tottenham, I’m a Gooner now!
All the players songs got an outing including of course Viktor. His first goal was an absolute, Roy of the Rovers, banger.
He comes from Sweden, the girls are very nice
He dumped his girlfriend to play in red and white
He’s scoring goals with a cannon on his chest
His name is Viktor, Viktor Gyokeres!
Then we got into bantering Spurs, growing in number as the second half went on
You’re going down, you’re going down, you’re going down!
We’ll never play here again!
Sacked in the morning! You’re getting sacked in the morning!
And in memory of their last manager
The Arsenal boys are on a bender
Thomas Frank is a silver member!
So which players impressed? Eze and Gyokeres of course. I would have made them joint MOTM. Saka. Hincapie. “”Chris” Mosquera was great when he took over from a rare sub par Timber. Raya had a huge game and some of his saves were very important.
Unlike the Spurs fans who were racing each other to get out of the stadium, we all stayed to the end and celebrated with the team. Walking back to our car, through the Council estates and mean streets of N17 (I never wear colours at Spurs) dejected Spurs fans were trudging into their rough looking pubs to drown their sorrows.
Still look on the bright side. They may do well in the Championship next season. 😂😂
Pleased to hear of your upper after Wednesday night’s downer, C100. If they’re relegated should we put in a cheeky bid for Bergval do you think?
Fearing trouble waters yesterday in the boat, I was completely waterproofed. Nary a splash landed on me, however, and I enjoyed at Tot (of rum) and splashed the mainbrace when we sailed into peaceful haven at 4-1. All very Eze toward the end.
Now that Gabriel (Bournemouth), Raya (Wolves), Rice (Totts) and Zubi (ManU) have all made real, completely out of character, defensive howlers, do we think the team has gotten them out of its system for the rest of the season, or are there more to come?
Win the next ten.
C100@ 22: Thanks, as ever, for the on-the-ground reportage. The US broadcasters also muffle crowd noise, partly to avoid violating FCC guidelines on language and partly because TV sports producers increasingly use synthetic crowd sounds as a part of their match-narrative management to increase viewer engagement (and you thought you just turned on the telly and watched the game!). The only chant that came through clearly yesterday was the ‘Arsenal. Arsenal. Arsenal.’ one, and that, maybe, because the rhythm is recognisable. So it’s great to learn the words.
Ollie@18: Cheers. Only one short power outage so far, mercifully brief (a couple of hours). Lots of shovelling to come.
CER@19: 🙂 Good to see you building on your earlier Welsh lesson.
Just a footnote to my @24: US stadiums also use artificial crowd noise to heighten the atmosphere at games. It is so prevalent that both Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association have rules on its use, as does the NCAA, which governs college sports. All coming to a Premier League stadium near you, no doubt…
It’s noticeable that Spurs have no player chants. They made quite a lot of noise until half time, but it was shouts and cheers and boos not songs. They have only two songs, the dirge like “oh when the Spurs go marching in” and the unimaginative “Come on you Spurs” (which we change the words to and sing along with them.
Ned @26, heaven forfend. To me the rude, sweary and humour tinged singing is an essential part of going to football. Still if we put keep putting the prices up the people who can afford to go may not know the words. Spectators not fans.
One of your great away day reports @22, c100, makes me want to have been there with you. The only thing is that maybe Spurs won’t do well next season in the Championship and will be desperately seeking to stay out of third tier tristesse (French for Spursyness).
Remiss of me not to thank GSD for your top notch match report and astute observations on yesterday’s and other recent player performances. I read your report yesterday and enjoyed it immensely but forgot to comment until now after I saw so many others offering you chapeaux and drinks in the drinks. 🍷🎩
C100@27: I agree with your last paragraph. Football grounds have always been great venues for British humour, which can be rude, crude and cruel. I remember years ago hearing the home faithful serenade visiting Stoke fans with a chorus of ‘We pay your benefits’.
I am sure the amended words to ‘Come on, you Spurs’ would be to inspire them to take a new direction.
The most cruel example was probably aimed at Rangers goalkeeper, Andy Goram. He had been diagnosed with mild schizophrenia.
Cue the chant from Celtic supporters
“Two Andy Gorams! There’s only two Andy Gorams!
C100@31: I have no idea which is the right emoji to post in response to that!
Another example, from the Thatcher years, was at the Bus Stop. Chelsea fans, always a classy lot, waved five-pound notes in the air at the visiting Scousers while singing ‘You’ll never work again’.
Cheers Dino – fine and speedy work – although I’ve only just managed to get to read it.
Thought it was noticeable yesterday how much quicker we played the ball forwards for Gyokeres while he still had some space to run at instead of getting it all compressed by our sideways crawl up the pitch. Right sided attacks were mostly aimed towards Eze while Rice and Trossard looked to get Gyokeres away through the left channel so he could cut in on his right foot. By far his best game for us. Hooefully he and the team are getting to understand each other. His hold up play was unrecognisable yesterday.
Christhian Mosquera must be, pound for pound, the signing of the season. Brilliant cover for Saliba, Gabriel and now Timber too.
Good to see Eze prepared to shoot from 18-20 yards out too – quite apart from his goals.
Another great asset with something different who just needs time to adjust to the team’s shape and requirements.
A quick stat for you – on New Year’s Eve Arsenal stood 5 points ahead of Man City and had played one game more. On February 23rd Arsenal stand 5 points ahead of Man Citu and have played one game more.
Can’t understand why I’ve not been hearing how City are bottlers who don’t have the mentality for the fight. I know the “old” City have won it many times but this is not quite the same team now. One game at the time. Play the opposition team, not the occasion.
Two Andy Gorams ! Master of the double save. 🙃
The famous England goalkeeper Peter Shelton was caught out by a newspaper sting setting him up with a woman at an away game. He was a married man.
Opposition fans all over the land delighted in greeting him with
“Does your missus know you’re here? Does your missus know you’re here.”
News item: Igor Tudor has called on relegation-threatened Tottenham to shed their “bad habits” and become “serious”
Comment: I hope they have a good time trying not to laugh. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😅🤣
That’s incorrect, @31. Not just two. Infinite diversity.
Baaaad!
As Marty Feldman once explained in Young Frankenstein, the name is pronounced Eyegor not Eegor. If you’re good at pronouncing names that is.
It’s 24 hours since yesterday’s game ended. Status: still chuffed to bollocks ( as we would say on the North Bank)
Bt8 @ 38, Marty Feldman WOULD know a thing or two about that. 😳
MCMBD
The GHF Predictathon leaderboard for Matchweek 27 has been posted. Some ups, some downs, some no change. Which were you? You know where to find out…
Adam Clery to add further chuff:
Thanks for the link and the update Ned.
An amusing listen as always, and I hope the
lesson of being too passive has been learned
– difficult of course as there are just too many games
and the players are knackered. The week off is very
handy.
It’s amazing how an away win, increased “verticality” and a good performance brightens the lives of all it touches. More of this please Arsenal.
And as for the Horseshoe of Ennui, sideways and backwards passing and unnecessary mistakes, in the words of Father Ted: “ Down with this sort of thing”.
Cheers Ned!
With no midweek game, could there be a half-ton?
*gets ball rolling*
C100
The PeterSjilton incident ( with a lady called Tina ) took place just before we played Forest at Highbury . The North Bank punctuated the game with chants of ‘ Tina, Tina ‘especially as we kicked towards Shilton’s goal in the second half . The chant you mentioned was well in evidence too!
It was a very tight game that ended 1-0 to Arsenal due to an uncharacteristic mistake by Mr. Shilton. I was there. I know he made the error but I can’t remember exactly who benefited ! But it was a memory typical of football humour !
Shilton was not Scandinavian as my initial spelling implies
2025-26 Goal involvements (Goals+Assists) all comps:
17 Gyökeres 15+2
14 Trossard 7+7 Martinelli 11+3
13 Saka 8+5
12 Rice 4+8
12 Eze 7+5
9 Merino Zubimendi Madueke 6+3
8 Gabriel 4+4 Timber 3+5
7 Ødegaard 1+6
6 Jesus 5+1
4 Calafiori 1+3 Lewis-Skelly 0+4 Havertz 2+2
3 White 1+2
2 Hincapie 1+1
Ned @ 26, “US stadiums also use artificial crowd noise to heighten the atmosphere” this is the obvious response to “If you keep putting the ticket prices up no one will go to the games and that will kill the TV atmosphere.”
I’m fully expecting very soon to see the Emptihad full every single week, rocking and rolling, a sea of blue mooners partying and pozmaning, in a frenzy the likes of which has never been seen before. All in place of the usual empty seats up there. Only thing is , it will all be AI generated. They’ll till be sitting at home, watching on the telly and thinking “Wow, I’ve never seen a crowd like that in the stadium before………..I’d better try and get a ticket for the next home game*”
CER, pls note the positive dimension of this future vision 🙂
The internet has jogged an old man’s memory ! The goal in the Forest game was scored by Graham Rix ( a man who had problems of his own on later life with the fairer sex ). He hit a very ordinary shot from the left channel which Shilton could have thrown his cap on but it slipped past him . Arsenal v Forest was a big game in 80/81 and the tabloids made hay !
Gyokeres banger into the net
Foiled by an unaware TTG!
@48 C100, Adrian Clarke’s comments of the rise and rise of Victor in his post-match review of the Spuds game are spot on. I’ve always wanted him to be a massive success. He showed on Sunday that he may yet be that.
You may, quite often, think that TTG is unaware, C100. He never is. Never be fooled.
Well in for the HT, TTG. Unlucky C100!
Well in for the half-ton, TTG.
BtM@49: The only lacuna in your vision is how the clubs will get AIs to pay £7.50 for a pint of beer.
A Spurs blog for your delectation. Be sure to read the comments.
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/tottenham-hotspur-news/69181/tottenham-hotspur-news-igor-tudor-arsenal-nld-press-conference
@57, Ned, however it happens, Bitcoin will be a factor.
C100. Of the Sp**s fans in the blog comments that you cited, most of them seem to be preoccupied with picking a new team to follow but they can’t decide between Middlesbrough and Coventry. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🍷🍷🍷🍷🤣🤣🤣🤣. It seems they think Sp**s are going down, and those two teams will replace them in the Premier League for only next season but as we all know reality could be quite different.
Are we on for the ton? It feels like a Blues Brothers moment:
The run for the ton might be more of a slow march 😂
I hope Kai is fit for the Chav game, it’s always good when he scores.
Also he would be bloody handy for the run-in.
Havertz and Madueke both scoring a hat-trick would do.
Maybe Kepa coming in to save a penalty too.
(With Jorginho watching from the Diamond Club?)
Ollie @65, that certainly has a Gallic piquance to it!
I commend this to the House.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/apr/30/one-big-dream-bodo-glimts-modern-miracle-built-on-history-and-humility
It’s an old article but gives the history of the club which has beaten Manchester City and Inter Milan this season.
Re: the headline, “Scotland fans given all-clear to wear their sporrans at World Cup matches”
Question 1: What does a modern, or an oldtimer Scotsman for that matter, keep in his sporran?
Question 2: Are those same items likely to be of use at a sporting event in Trump’s America?
C100@67: Thanks for the link. A throwback football club. In the community and of the community. Brings a nostalgic tear to the eye.
bt8@69: It is what is under the kilt rather than in the sporran that is probably the question, especially as FIFA confirms that sporran-wearing Scots will still be subject to the standard search and inspection procedures.
Adam Clery/Archie Corbett have done a fascinating piece on Bodo/Glimt.
A number of internet posters are claiming a verdict on C130y is near and speculating it is a 60 point deduction. For some reference Le Grove is suggesting this .
I don’t believe they know this but I do think the punishment that will be meted out will be of that order . If it is that will mean C130y will be relegated and they will obviously appeal. It would also mean we are likely to be champions but it also means we would win in very flat circumstances . So timing is everything in relation to the punishment
Here’s a link to the ACFC video on Bodo, and it is very interesting.
Also, a chart showing how Gyökeres is stacking up against the PL’s other strikers so far this season. Each dot represents a player who has scored in the league this season, with their total goals plotted against goals per 90 mins played. The red dots represent all the players who have scored at least 10 goals. There are just seven, and Big Vik is one of them. If they are not named, they’ve scored fewer league goals than him.
Thanks for the link and the chart Ned.
Vik has been improving steadily through the season
and is doing ok now. Long may his upward trajectory
continue. Too early to tell of course, but if I had to guess I would
put him eventually in Giroud territory in terms of impact, so not
top-class but a decent centre-forward.
And it’s Leverkusen or Atalanta in the CL round of 16.
Atalanta saving a bit of Serie A pride, and Juve
are certainly giving it a go at saving a bit more.
The play-offs are fun if you’re not in them.
Don’t mind either of Atalanta or Leverkeusen.
@73 I am not sure I would feel really flat to be honest.
Satisfied at a visceral level that cheaty gots theirs maybe.
But I have no real expectations of any just ending –
relegation is a slap on the wrist to me and just means
one less promotion place for a championship club the
next season.
Atalanta or Leverkusen. Wish I could name a player on either club. Didn’t Granit play for Leverkusen for a couple of years?
If we play in Atalanta maybe we can stop by and go on luge run used at the Olympics. Just sayin’
Yeah, Granit led them to glory I think.
Kola plays for Atalanta, that’s about it for my knowledge of them.
Neither Atalanta nor Leverkusen should trouble Arsenal. Kolasinac plays for Atalanta so how good can their defence be? Quite how they beat Dortmund is beyond me. Especially as I somewhat precipitately bought flights to Cologne on the assumption we’d play one of the Rhine/Ruhr valley sides.
Bugger.
However nonsensical that would be I would quite like 115 to get their 60 points deduction at the start of next season. So we can enjoy beating them fair and square, while making their participation next season completely nonsensical.
Besides, I wouldn’t want that points penalty to save Spu*s from relegation…
As for Atalanta or Leverkusen, I’d rather have the latter as I like Atalanta so don’t want to kick them out.
Either way, I think those partly-pre-defined draws are nonsense, and also the predifinition of who plays the second leg first/last at home.
Sure, the last day of the ‘league’ stage shenanigans do bring a measure of chaos/fun, but I still think that new format is a lot of bollocks. But then it’s made for money, not sense, so it won’t change.
Hope we just win the thing this year.
Couple of interesting finance pieces from the always excellent Magic Hat
https://x.com/themagic_tophat/status/2026961995858075674?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
https://x.com/themagic_tophat/status/2026965974839071029?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
And another from the same source – this time about Arsenal
https://x.com/themagic_tophat/status/2026661231168192865?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
Chelsea, today’s numbers reveal, reported a £342m pre tax loss last season. No wonder they charged me £55 fora CC semifinal ticket at the Bridge.
More on the Chelsea numbers. If this stuff bores you I apologise, but I used to run a medium sized business ($500m) and it interests me.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7072081/2026/02/26/chelsea-loss-uefa-finances/
It seems that the Commercial Department have responded to the decade long urging of BtM:
“According to analysis by Deloitte, Arsenal have experienced a 104 per cent rise in commercial revenues since 2021. That is the greatest growth of any of the 10 highest revenue generating clubs in world football. By contrast, the other members of the Premier League’s so-called “big six” (Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur) have achieved an average commercial growth of 53 per cent in that time.”
Extracted from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/02/26/arsenal-fashion-clothing-lines-50-millions-culture-adidas/ (£)
Not entirely surprising, bath @ 90, seeing as we seem to be getting a new sponsor nearly at the same rate we get a new piece of kit/training gear.
Just noticed last time in the last minute before FT/HT, we get all of them at once on the ads panel under Club Level. No wonder there’s not even room for a clock there anymore.
Rolls the ball along the 6 yard line in a nonchalant, Raya-esque manner towards….
A sleeping centre back who wakes 49 minutes later and hoofs it wide to
*Heads the ball forward from midfield to left wing*
Having divested myself of the goalkeeper’s jersey and donned a shirt bearing ‘Pires 7’, I run onto the ball haring down the left touch line with his characteristic running style, slipping the ball gently inside to…
It seeming rather difficult to miss Pires streaking down the wing, bt8 decides to stick a toe in.
Brief commercial interlude: re: Bath @90. Could our increased rate of winning have had anything to do with more people buying our merch 🤔
…bounce pass to…
Seeing as Ned bounced it a bit high, pulls it out of the sky with Eze-like skill for …
Boom!!!
Great move, emphatic finish, ecg!
Well in for the ton, ecg.
Bounced it a bit high, bt8? That was a deftly cushioned flick over the back line for ecg to take in his stride…
C100@86, 87 & 89: Thanks for those links, Catnip here at Castle Ned.
It should be clarified that the £200.8 million in ‘other operating costs’ that Magic Hat points to is all operating costs that are not wages or the financial accounting ones of depreciation, amortisation and impairment. They include, for example, the club’s cost of buying the Arsenal-branded merch sold at the ground and online (which accounted for 4% of operating costs in the year to May 31, 2025).
You would expect the matchweek-to-matchweek costs of operating the club to increase as a share of total operating costs as overall revenue (matchday, broadcast and commercial) grows, and remember that there were a record number of games at the Ems in the financial year covered by the most recent accounts because of the new CL format and the women’s team playing all their games there for the first time).
The key metric to watch, I would suggest, is not so much other operating costs as a share of total operating costs, but rather the ratio between the growth of other operating costs and the growth of football revenues. The former are easily outstripping the latter, so they need watching carefully.
Good work C100
Those are interesting enclosures . I’ve been astonished by Chelsea’s strategy since Boehly et al assumed control . They lay some big bets on teenage talents , which is by its nature risky , and some fail lamentably . Their contract length locks them into paying the player throughout ( Bogarde , Sterling) or settling with the player in cancelling his contract , presumably on terms that are highly favourable to the player . Not sure how much of the Sterling/ Mudryk debacles are covered in these figures ? They have about seven goalkeepers – Sanchez is deemed the best !
How easily could a club in this much debt turn down a bid for Palmer or Estevao or Caicedo . They have assets but could they realise them at a realistic market value under the financial pressure they have heaped on themselves ?
I have worked with a Private Equity firm and I think they’d be gobsmacked at the way Clearlake have proceeded over the last few years . They’ve sold all the hotels and ladies teams that they can
A fine ton ecg!
Looking forward to the Chav meltdown,
starting this weekend at a stadium/bar/settee near you.
TTG@104 & OM@105: The Boehley Bus Stop boys aren’t in quite the parlous state you imagine, thanks to FIFA’s $110 million welfare handout in the form of prize money for being world club champions, which they can book in their 2025-26 financial year.
Meanwhile, here’s a chart from the New York Times showing what Chelsea reports as its profit or loss and what UEFA thinks it is. Quite a divergence in 2023-24.
Where will the blue dot (Chelsea’s version) land for 2024-25? We’ll see when Chelsea publishes its financial statements for the year to end-June 2025, likely towards the end of next month.
The club appears to be briefing that there will be significant one-off player and other asset write-offs included in the figures — along with the €31 million fine levied after UEFA found the club had, er, breached two of its financial sustainability rules.
arseblog is 24 today.
Ned @106
The World Club Cup was a godsend but Magic Hat makes a good point about credit status and if they did want to build a new ground who would lend them the money based on these figures!?
Well in for the ton, ecg, and great assist bt8. Do I detect a handball in that assist, though? Pulling has that connotation.
Ollie @107, that is one hell of an achievement. Andrew has built a great blog that then became a business that is an integral part of contemporary Arsenal culture.
We play Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 of the CL. If we win that we play the winner of Bodo/Glimt and Sporting Lisbon in the quarter final.
About as favourable a draw as we could have hoped for.
It’s a great draw and about time, given the poxy CL draws we were given in the latter Wenger years. This is as good a draw as you could ask for, being placed in the ‘blue side’ of the draw with most of the heavy weights on the other side knocking each other out. However, it’s vital that we focus on each game as it comes and don’t fuck this up by thinking too far ahead – we will never get a better chance of lifting Big Ears.
@111, classic “win the next game” mentality required from here on in, in all four competitions.
TTG@108: Fair point. I have no idea how Boehly and Clearlake would finance either a rebuild of Stamford Bridge or a move to a new stadium. Their situation is unusually complicated by not owning the freehold of the ground, fans having a veto of sorts over any move, and suitable alternative sites in London being difficult to find and expensive. Professional sports teams in the US usually separate ownership of the ground from ownership of the club, which can lower borrowing costs, but both the UEFA and PL financial sustainability rules are unfavourable to such a separation.
Another common practice in US professional sports that Boehly might want to import is public financing of stadiums through direct subsidies, tax breaks and municipal bonds. The argument for taxpayers’ financing of billionaires’ sports teams — that it generates local economic growth — is generally bogus, yet cities keep falling for it. However, I doubt London has the money anyway, and you can imagine the electoral ramifications if Sadiq Khan (a Mugsmashers supporter) handed Boehly a barrow-load of spondulix.
I also read that Chelsea has retained Janet Marie Smith, the urban planner who led the refurbishment of Boehly’s Los Angeles Dodgers’ stadium. That might imply a renovation rather than a move, which would ease the financing burden by stretching it out. I also read that Chelsea has made a deal for rights to some adjacent land, so a new stadium next door might also be a possibility.
But, hey, these are the smartest guys in the room, bringing the American way to the backwaters of British sport. What could possibly go wrong?
What BtM said @112.
What Ned said @ 114.
What Ollie said at 115.
Ned @113 hopefully everything.
Heh. Villa!
C100@118: Wolves remaining fixtures:
Liverpool (h), Brentford (a), West Ham (a), Leeds (a), Spurs (h), Sunderland (h), Brighton (a), Fulham (h), Burnley (a).
Helluva lot of six pointers in there. A great escape?
No chance for Wolves but it was funny about Villa.
They are looked done to a turn though unfortunately
they will play Cheaty last game of the season
They are looking I meant.
Let’s hope Leeds can follow Wolves example
Another big weekend is upon us although it does seem that every weekend is big, these days, and every game is a must win. Focus and effort, please.
That is very much the case, baff. Maybe tomorrow is even HUGE.
A
Test test
Ex-Arsenal players practicing thheir pre-assists for Sunderland at Bournemouth: Xhaka-Ballard-x-y—goal. Bournemouth looking disappointed but Sunderland revived bt Granit’s return to the team.
Bournemouth looking disappointing for an 8th placed side, not disappointed. Although they do serm to be coming a bit back into it now that they’ve gone behind.
OM@120: The head says you are right about Wolves, but the heart would love them to open up space on the trapdoor for the neighbours.
Unfortunately, good results for these neighbours so far today. Burnley particularly unlucky.
Another A
>>>>>>>>