Arsenal opened the season with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over promoted Coventry amid a joyous atmosphere as the Champions showed an incredible appetite to expand the range of their play by adding creativity all over the pitch to a gegen press that emphatically put Coventry in their place.
It had been an unusual day for me as a woman had asked to take my picture in the supermarket this morning. I thought my sexual charisma must still be boiling over but she wanted to order the Arsenal champions polo I was wearing. Then I spent part of the day trying to locate a new, young cat who has been introduced to our home but seems to regard most of Kent as his fiefdom. He returned home just before the match and was apparently purring with pleasure, presumably because he was watching the Arsenal interplay from the sofa where he spends most evenings.
Before the match we had the pleasure of welcoming new signing Ezri Konsa, but also learnt that Bruno Guimaraes had tweaked his hamstring and is likely to miss several weeks of the season. The starting line up was similar to the one that began in Cardiff although Saka started on the right of the attack and Declan Rice returned in place of Bruno. MLS had retained his place and the synchronicity of our midfield was immediately in evidence. Ødegaard continued his Cardiff form; he looks fit, sharp and creative. On the left flank, Tzolis took the eye regularly with penetrating runs inside onto his right foot or going outside to combine with Calafiori. He looks a reincarnation of Brian Marwood with a little of Anders Limpar thrown in. He is an assist machine and timed his passes beautifully as well as unleashing some powerful shots. After an early Coventry flurry we began to dominate and took the lead in 15 minutes when Tzolis won the ball back for Calafiori to roll the ball in to Havertz who finished exquisitely with his left foot from around the penalty spot.
Arsenal 1 Coventry 0 – Havertz 15 minutes
Tzolis was continually catching the eye on the left and he was involved with the assist for the second goal after Rice, who was imperious throughout, won the ball back. Tzolis whipped it across the six yard box where Rushworth the Coventry keeper could only palm it out to Saka who replicated his effort in the Champions League semi-final to tap home.
Arsenal 2 Coventry 0 – Saka 23 minutes
Although Simms managed to trouble Gabriel a little with his physicality, Coventry were being outplayed in midfield by an Arsenal side playing high tempo football and varying their play by dinking balls over the Coventry backline or stretching them with their wide men, then looking to cut the ball back. Havertz had a goal bound effort blocked, Saka’s effort rebounded for a corner and Rice curled a left foot shot just wide. Aside from a clever lob, Coventry had never tested Raya in a one sided first half.
Half time: Arsenal 2 Coventry 0
During the interval, I had the pleasure of discourse with one of the 10 greatest Dundonians of all time: the estimable BtM, who was as content with the first half performance as I was. One presumes Frank Lampard would have been telling his lads to keep it tight for the first 20 minutes of the second half but if that was the plan it went up in smoke on 53 minutes when Ben White, overlapping on the right, cut a ball back to Ødegaard whose mishit shot seemed to take an odd deflection that took it over the line.
Arsenal 3 Coventry 0 – Ødegaard 53 mins
Ødegaard had, thereby, equalled his league goal tally for last season within 53 minutes and he looks back to his very best. This version of our Norwegian captain is a very important player for us and he looked free of the injuries that had so handicapped him last term. Coventry gamely tried to contain Arsenal and Rushworth made some excellent saves, notably from Saka and Merino.
Arteta intelligently started to substitute some of our players who have had less preparation for the season. Saka and Rice were replaced by Madueke and Zubimendi, Tzolis and Ødegaard made way for Eze and Merino and Calafiori was taken off near the end for Hincapié.
Rudoni managed one effort on target for Coventry but Arsenal were in complete control despite the raft of substitutions and ran out the most comfortable of comfortable winners.
Full time: Arsenal 3 Coventry 0
Frankly this game panned out almost exactly as Arteta, and indeed most of the Goonerverse, would have planned the match if they had the power to orchestrate it. Arsenal played with a flow and freedom that gave them attacking options and overloads in abundance. Their press was keen and emphatic and the intensity of their play never dropped.
Many of us had worried that there was insufficient time to recover after the World Cup especially when several key men had suffered injuries that might not have fully recovered. However, there was little sign of this. MLS had an admirable game holding in midfield but finding opportunities to get forward while Rice always seemed to be in the right place. Ben While looked back to his best and upfront, Havertz who I had expected would be replaced by Gyökeres midway through the second half gave an object lesson in intelligent hold up play combining this with an ever present goal threat. And awful James Bond puns aside, there was Tzolis in the performance of our new left sided attacker who had a terrific game combining pace, enterprise and deft ball control to suggest that he is more than ready to be our starting preference on the left wing.
We are truly fortunate to get to watch this side at the moment. They looked to have expanded their repertoire significantly from last season, no doubt freed from the pressure of achieving that first title. If this is a taste of things to come it could be a very exciting season.
Excellent report to start the season thanks TTG, delivered in the wee small
hours but summed up a comfortable and classy win very well.
I really liked Ben’s performance too, with the signing of Konsa the
competition on the right-hand side of our defence is going to be fearsome.
Only two small points……
I wondered who the other nine Dundonians were?
And MA said afterwards Bruno was definitely not out for weeks
and would be back very soon.
I must admit I laughed out loud when I read the Coventry captain
Matt Grimes description of the first half as ‘a little cagey’. Er…no.
But it was Coventry’s toughest game of the season out of the
way nice and early and I thought they have half a chance of staying up
personally.
Cheers TTG.
Tzolis looks a bargain already.
I’m sure we can’t take a match vs Coventry as a yardstick, but still, there was some Champion swagger there, and clear hints that maybe the hope that having ground our teeth through the title last season, we can play with more freedom this season, as we know we can, and enjoy a new season with a similarly trophied (add more…) outcome.
There was indeed a joyous atmosphere, in and out of the ground. What a difference being Champions make. Chants are added, and apart from a quick rendition of ‘Are you Tottnumb in disguise?’, the disgusting neighbours didn’t even enter anyone’s mind.
Let’s carry on this way!
One point from the ground last night. Arsenal have made the bar experience in the ground even worse than it was before. They have changed the ordering system so that they now employ next to no staff at the bars, removing nearly all contact with humans. It is a horrible experience. The gap between the image projected about caring for supporters and the community and the reality has just widened further. Appalling.
Now off to read the blog.
A thoroughly entertaining evening resulting in a perfect start to the season and our goal of retaining the title.
Arsenal looked very impressive last night without ever really needing to get close to top gear. Much sterner challenges will lie ahead in the weeks to come, (up north on snowy nights in deep, dark midwinter yada yada), but early indications are that without any further re-strengthening, this squad is capable of overcoming all comers. Midway through the first half two groups of four Arsenal subs began warming up. Each and every one of the eight would have started for Coventry last night, never mind most of the teams in the League.
You summed it all up very nice, and remarkably quickly, TTG and it was to share our first ‘high five’ only 15 minutes after the commencement of this new season. Havertz made a difficult chance look wonderfully easy for that one.
What a glorious way to start the new season! The atmosphere in the ground was super loud and electric as we took our places. Konsa strolled into the middle wearing the de rigeur combo of his team shirt and jeans to a tumultuous welcome. Coventry had packed their end and you could almost hear them thinking “fuck me it’s not like this at Port Vale!” Welcome to the big league guys.
Just like in Cardiff, our football was fast, direct and incisive. The Emirates have a new hero and he is Greek. We came into Holloway via Green Lanes. The Greek and Turkish restaurants there must be looking forward to proving Christos Tzolis with Tarama and Souvlaki. He looks such an intelligent, heads-up hard working winger. The combo of him and the Italian stallion, Calafiori balanced our threat on both wings. He has already exceeded expectations.
Elsewhere Odegaard ran the game. I read a stat on the way home that said that the last time Odegaard, Saka and Havertz started together in a league match was October 2024.
I thought Simms gave big Gabi a hard time in the first half, though he never got in a shot on goal. Otherwise the defence was calm. Raya’s distribution was exemplary. I can’t really comment on his shot stopping because he didn’t have one to stop! The only place we don’t have a quality backup, often two, is goalkeeper. The falloff from Raya to Kepa (ugh) and Messier is immense.
Myles again gave a midfield masterclass. The way he makes space then drives through it is reminiscent of Wilshere and Fabregas. He has an incredibly bright future. His passing is greatly improved – probably the product of Arteta’s coaching.
I am so excited to watch this team. If the injury Gods play nice this could be a highly successful season. Bring it on.
Well played Arsenal in the season opener and well reported TTG. Now win the next one and keep on going.
Nice one, TTG !
I thought there were bigger revelations than Ezri Konsa to come when your second paragraph began “It had been an unusual day for me as a woman ….” but a lack of any punctuation quickly restored your status quo 😉
Nothing to disagree with in your report other than Havertz sublime conversion was from about 20yards rather than 12. Apologies if my eyes deceived me – what a finish though.
Great to see the team flowing again. That old right wing combination of White, Odegaard and Saka had been sorely missed. Tzolis is going to be a star if he keeps this up.
Come on you Reds !
Hull are 2-0 up 😂😂
Ajayi, once, long ago, of this parish got the first.
Hill 2-0 Utd ! Can I get my Predictathon money back ?! 😳
Heh, you and me both, Trev @ 10 !
Excellent report, TTG. Very much the game I saw, and just as enjoyable.
As BtM says, tougher tests lie ahead. Takeaway number one for opposing managers will be not to give Ødegaard and Rice the freedom in the space between the lines that Coventry did. That said, there was much to like about how we went about our business with the look of champions.
And good luck with your new career as a fashion model for photo shoots. The supermodel Jourdan Dunn was discovered at a Primark store in Hammersmith, so you never know…
Trev@10: There will be a long queue. Only one Predictathon player doesn’t have Hull finishing 20th.
Hand-wringing in New York, where the US Open tennis tournament is about to start, over this year’s hike in ticket prices by the organisers, the non-profit United States Tennis Association, and the sky-high prices being asked by resellers such as Ticketmaster. The USTA, which is heavily dependent on the tournament for its annual revenue, is being accused of selling the soul of the people’s tournament to swell its coffers. The Open is played in a public park, where the USTA was allowed to build a private stadium complex in return for keeping the tournament affordable for New Yorkers, at least. I have this feeling I’ve heard something like this before…
Cheers TTG, and to Trev for the preview.
Excellent start for us. The Havertz finish was really good – more of that please. He’s our best striker by miles.
Tzolis is not just a good player but one whose style really suits us. His movement is excellent, and him and Calafiori seem to have a bet on who can get more touches in Saka’s inside right position!
Eze hasn’t had much of a look in at LW, but if we don’t strengthen the position with a signing then he might be our closest analogue for how Tzolis interprets the role.
MLS is brilliant. His attitude and personality are elite, and the kid can play a bit too.
Konsa is a top signing.
I’m really looking forward to this season!
UTA!
Thanks for a swift, accurate and enjoyable report on a fine Arsenal performance, TTG. Coventry were spirited and well organised but ultimately class told all over the field and, while we have to recognise the nagging footnote that we only beat a relegation candidate, we dispatched them efficiently and with not a little style and moreover there was none of the toiling and angst that might have been the accompaniment to an equivalent fixture last season. Onward.
Beating newly promoted sides isn’t as easy as it seems, apparently.
Tzolis has made a promising start. One benefit of his emerging partnership with Calafiori is that we can balance our attacking threat down both wings, rather than being right-side-heavy. That will make it harder for opposition defences to spare defenders to triple-team Saka. When Bukayo can take on full-backs one-on-one, a lot of good things happen.
MLS deserved his flowers. I suspect Arteta does, too, for guiding a potentially elite teenager through the hard yards of apprenticeship to understand what it takes to realise his talent as an elite professional player, the same education, in a different way, he gave Saliba, and I would guess Nwaneri is now getting.
* tumbleweed *
I do not believe it. On a day when ManU lose! On a day when the Tinies lose!!
* tumbleweed *
The last 24 hours have been a pretty good start to the PL season.
Wot ecd said!
I woke up to find the spuds are last 😂
That would be ecg not ecd!
In the last drinks there was a link to an Adam Ckery season preview
where he looked at the question ‘can anyone stop Arsenal?’
(He doesn’t think so). Clery said you could get your house
that one of of new managers for Cheaty, Manure, Chavs, Spuds and
Mugsmasshers would be fired by Xmas…….
Bet your house not get your house
Damn my fingers 🤬
Adam Clery also pointed out that Arsenal signing Guimarães and Konsa
brought two top class players to the club who were 28 years old and
now for the first time in their premier league careers had a chance
to actually win the league – their hunger to win would be very useful
if any of the current squad lost a little motivation after finally scaling
the mountain last time – it’s a good point, the psychological challenges
of going again after a major and exhausting success are well-documented.
As the signs point to Gabi M leaving I’d still rather have another forward
who can play wide left but perhaps Konsa was a better buy than I initially
thought.
Clery also said that the XI in the squad who were not our starting XI would be good enough for a top six finish in their own right under Arteta’s management, which sounds about right, especially after some of today’s extraordinary results. I have often wondered what £300 million would buy, but a 3-0 pasting at the G-Tech hasn’t been on my shopping list.
An away day report from a perspective we rarely get: the away section at the Ems.
Sophie and Matt are Coventry fans with a YouTube channel whose preseason PL predictions I’ve included in the shadow Predictathon Expert League for the past couple of seasons, so give their video a like in return. They are just thrilled to be back in the big time (and in need of some parking tips from C100).
TTG – glad I apologised in advance – you were dead right, Havertz finish was indeed from around the penalty spot.
Tottenham have already spent £230m this window – with reportedly another £100m or so to come. They were dreadful. Lost 0-3 to Brentford and it could have been 0-6 ! De Zerbi was blaming the World Cup for the state of his players. Must have been a different World Cup to the one the Arsenal lads played in 🤷♂️
@25 thanks Ned.
Unless it’s changed a lot my tip would be don’t park in
Hackney but they seem to have got back ok and had a
nice day out so good luck to them. I will go and give
them a like on You Tube Ned 😃
“battered everywhere the go” lol
I’m working on my Tzolis song to the tune of Pulp / “Common People”
He comes from Greece, He’s got football knowledge
Played for Bruges, He used to be at Norwich
But he can really fly
And he caught Mikel’s eye
I want to be like Christos Tzolis
Embarrass full-backs like Christos Tzolis
I want to be like Christos Tzolis
Lay on goals like Christos Tzolis
It needs work / help though!
Now, Trev @ 26, about those opera glasses…(even though it was TTG next to BtM)
No need to apologise Trev.
I wanted to get the first report of the season out as quickly as possible so I wrote it initially at St Pancras over a cup of tea and finished it on the train home where the admirable Bath then posted it after getting back from the match. Inevitably , a report compiled like that will have an error or two. Thankfully I have an excellent view of proceedings from the North Bank Upper – a seat which you know well !
As for the Spuds they bought midfielders who weren’t in the World Cup, defenders who exited early and ‘ exciting’ young tyros upfront who were anything but and Brentford , who are a very well coached side rolled over them . Spud fans must be at the end of their tether . He has sent Vicario away and Kinsky looks a real liability . I saw some comments from Spuds wanting RDZ out already !
U4GN- Lyrical genius! The Holland ( as in Holland-Dizier-Holland) of N5! My pedestrian attempt was to substitute Christis Tzolis for Brian Marwood in the old late 80s paean to that great left winger. The similarity is quite striking. No pun intended.
OM@27- You’d be amazed at how Hackney has changed. Stoke Newington is now very chi-chi ( hard to grasp, I know), and the are around Vicky park is unrecognisable.
I would not recommend parking in, or for that matter so driving through Dalston though. Although The Balls Pond Road at that end has improved since J. Peasemould Gruntfuttock’s time.
Trev@26. It is a pity that the assembled press geniuses had not the wit to reposte the Italian de Zerbi’s assertion that the World Cup was to blame for his players performance by asking how he thought the Italian £100m pound man Tonali had played at said World Cup.
CER.,
It’s hard to imagine the desolate and somewhat dangerous hole that I last visited for
Hackney dogs in the 80s could be chi-chi but I suppose it is a sign that nothing is
truly irredeemable. Well, not Gary Neville but in general I mean
Ned @25. Many thanks for that link. A thoroughly enjoyable vlog from what seemed a very nice couple. I’d take them over AFTV anytime.
CER my regular drive home takes me down the Balls Pond Road, Dalston and Hackney. Never had a problem!
I’m not giving away my parking tips ‘cos someone might nick my space. If you know you know!
Just watching MOTD. Lovely to see Martin lifting the trophy in the credits.
Tell you what, Encisco at Ipswich (£24m from Strasbourg) looks a player.
This is why I support the Arsenal!
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CiSnpLPST/
GUN @36. Lovely link! Enjoyed that!
C100 @35, it struck me that there were a lot more Manure and Scunt sequences in the opening section of MotD than Arsenal moments though the opening did finish with the champions lifting the trophy as has been the norm for many years so that Arsenal appearance was obligatory. You’d never guess that their editorial team was infested with Spudz.
Speaking of the Spuds Bath, this pic is provided as an aid to banter. TTG May send it to his son in law.
Encisco, C100?
Are Ipswich using the new Route R tactics to score goals?
Shall we just call them IP Switch now? 😀
I’m terribly sorry Ollie. I’m an old fella and I don’t get the reference! My fault I’m sure, but can you enlighten me?
I submit Prosecution Exhibit A:
C100@34: Enciso was unearthed by Brighton when a teenager, and there were high expectations for him. He didn’t prosper from the managerial switch from De Zerbi to Hurzeler. He went on loan to Ipswich for six months and then was sold to Strasbourg at the start of last season. A good bit of business by BlueCo. They paid €9 million for him and got €25 million from Ipswich a year later.
As for the parking, wise man. Some secrets are best kept.
OM@27: 👍
CER@31: Great link. Brought back some memories. A YouTube channel by Nanty Riah? Fantabulosa!
Bath@42: And even the basketball isn’t worth nicking.
Ned @43. Oooh! He’s got all the polari!
Bath @42. I see your chickenless basketball and I raise you
C100, sorry, just opportunistic punning stemming from your typo, as this is close enough to my line of work: Cisco are one of the big manufacturers of IP (Internet Protocol) routers and switches.
Re Bath @42 – Tottenham get so battered everywhere they go they might as well stick a lump of KFC on that stupid basketball.
Interesting to see C130y losing at home to Bournemouth and Villa getting creamed at Brighton !
Bang!
Good half century, Sir !
Many thanks Ollie. I had no idea!
You’re welcome, C100. It was a bit niche, to be fair, so wasn’t sure it could register, but it was just perfectly lined up, especially with the concerned club.
As beautifully lined up as TTG’s neat finish after a little dummy following Trev’s flick. Well in!
Well in for the half-ton, TTG.
C100@45: All learned from Julian and Sandy.
Ned @54
A few years ago my wife and I were on a French driving/touring holiday. I was rationed to 30 minutes per day (1 episode) of Round The Horne (on a cassette compilation). I’d be helpless with laughter (Oh it’s Mr Horne! How bona to vada your dolly eek again!). She’d be shaking her head and saying “I don’t get it! A decent lunch soon mollified her though (some things never change).
My favourite comedy show ever. Somewhere out there is a half hour show all about Polari. The language of gypsies and “theatrical” folk. The BBC never got what Williams and Paddick (aka Julian and Sandy) were doing. Sunday lunchtime in my house while my Mum was cooking lunch was The Navy Lark (left hand down a bit sir) followed by Round the Horne on the radio (after two way family favourites). A golden era.
Before I am corrected by all the boomer pedants on here ( and there are many, me included), it is of course dolly OLD eek again.
C100@55: RTH was the last flourish of the golden age of post-WWII radio comedy as TV was taking irredeemable hold.
Ooh, inne bold?!
Hope the link works!
You Tube just proposed me this ( creepy how well they know me…..)
Arsenal vs Coventry 1971 on the Big Match.
My first season going to Highbury.
Was there with the Bro…Had just turned eight.
In the Clock end. Taken there by Rick the (hunchbacked) postman…anyone remember him?
Our parents had recently taken over an Irish pub on the Holloway road, he was a punter (Watney’s red) Always thought he took us coz he fancied our sister….the Bro reckons our dad used to give him cash to do it…..
Our first match was a 1-0 defeat against f*ckin’ Stoke….Hate them and John Ritchie to this day!
This match was just before we signed Alan Ball…whatever anyone says, the start of a downhill slide. Then we signed f*ckin’ Jeff Blockley from Coventry (playing in this match) at some stage….Nearly slid into relegation!
Great stuff JML I will study with interest
I’ve just watched the Guardiola series on Amazon . I dislike the plastic C130 y intently but respect Guardiola’s achievements although he’s always been able to operate with huge financial advantages
But what the film didn’t do ( for me anyway) was to impart any of the reasons why he was so successful. Charismatic possibly but most of the time he’s a tense, blubbering wreck . I wonder what others thought
Spoiler alert it ends unhappily for Pep with these pesky North Londoners taking the title . Cue more blubbing
JML@59: Those were the days. Toilet roll all over the pitch, euphemistically described as streamers by Brian Moore. Hard to believe that game was played in December, given how much grass was still on the pitch.
TTG@60: My two cents on Pep is that he was the first to systemise the total football he learned at Barca under Cruyff. His superpower was probably his ability to make game-changing substitutions when games needed changing, that and always working for people who could afford to buy him two of the best players in the world for every position.
Ned
Very well said ! His Spanglish in this film is as difficult to understand as Unai Emery’s and clearly they haven’t been allowed to dwell too much on the minutiae of his tactics but I took very little from his dressing room discussions with the players
He is clearly very traumatised by his divorce and seems a man in torment
It didn’t beat Round The Horne but I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again was good too.
Trev@63: it was, and was a strong root of Monty Python whereas Round the Horne withered on the vine after the untimely death of Kenneth Horne.
Both programmes were very funny but they didn’t make me laugh as much as Brentford 3 Tottnumb 0. That was a classic !
TTG @60, I watched the first episode and while their self-entitled melt down was amusing, I struggled to finish that episode. Maybe my antipathy to that corrupt organisation is getting in the way. Is it worth persevering with the rest of the series?
On the other hand, thanks to the several people who recommended David Dein’s book which I am very much enjoying.
C100 @55, I too have fond memories of family Sunday lunches listening to Round the Horn. Was it not Forces Family Favourites? I have the code BFPO40 emblazoned in my cortex?
Trev @63, ISIRTA was essential listening in the 60’s. A truly superb show. Lady Constance de Coverly is sorely missed.
Just watched the old Coventry video. I had forgotten about the way of noting the half-time scores from around the country – alphabetically in the corner of the clock end, linked to the matchday programme.
Who needs a mobile phone? Meh.
UTA
Bath at 67. I believe the show was originally called Family favourites. Google tells me it started in 1945 and changed to two way family favourites in 1955. It was certainly very forces focused, hence the BFPO addresses (British Forces Posted Overseas. The show was axed in 1980.
I was extremely concerned to see this.
UAE officials caution that a negative outcome concerning #ManCity’s 115 charges could damage improved relations with the UK, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Flat out political pressure. This must be stamped on.
C100 @69, it’s outrageous and effectively a clear admission of guilt. If this government bows to this pressure, their additional spinelessness will deserve the opprobrium that will follow.
C100@69: Gulf states have previous in this regard. The Saudis made a similar suggestion when PIF was pursuing its acquisition of Newcastle. ‘Friends’ of Boris, who was PM at the time, were said to have had a word in the shell-like of the Premier League not to rock the boat and put a $30 billion UK inward investment agreement at risk. All parties deny there was any untoward pressure applied or received, of course, but the New York Times published an email trail to the contrary.
Wot Bath & C100 said. The matter is no longer sensitive or delicate but blunt force.
If I was the other PL clubs I would be leaking any information like a sieve by now,
all possible media / fan pressure must be brought to bear on the government to grow a pair.
Manchester City is a cesspit of a club. It seems everyone connected to the club is a pathological cheat. There is nothing they will not cheat and lie about – the latest joke valuations of Savinho and Marmoush being just one example, and all to avoid fabulously wealthy people having to pay a few quid to Marmoush’s former club in sell on fees.
Pathetic joke of a club that need relegating or banning from English football asap.
Allegedly 🤣
There should also be scrutiny of how Savinho has been moved through the City Group ecosystem. City Group-owned Troyes bought him from Atletico Mineiro for €6 million in the summer of 2022. Four years later, after being shuffled from Troyes to City Group-owned Girona and then to City Group-owned Man City, he is being sold for just shy of €100 million. Have City Group coaches managed to develop €94 million of value in a forward who has scored just 20 goals in 168 senior games, or has this been a choreographed escalation in his price tag?
Family Favourites, Round the Horn, The Arthur Haynes Show and Jimmy Clitheroe. wonderful stuff.
Family Favourites and Round the Horn have Sunday connotations for me and if I remember correctly I listened to them after I’d been to church and maybe bible class (gulp). The Arthur Haynes Show was on the BBC Light on a Tuesday night I think. I’d inherited my own radio by then (grandad’s old one) and used to love to go to bed early, switch out the lights and laugh along with Arthur.
All of this, the Beatles for my 11th birthday and Dundee vs AC Milan in the semi-final of the European Cup years before Celtic finally won it and Cassius Clay vs Henry Cooper . Heady times.
And now for everything else, there’s Arsenal.
Ned @75.
Or Spurs are just shockingly bad buyers. £95m Tonali was comprehensively outplayed on Saturday by Sangaré who cost Brentford half as much.
C100@75: The old adage of buy the player, not the name certainly applies.
The political pressure from UAE is not a new threat , it was suggested as likely to materialise some months ago. Recent comments by Richard Masters suggest that he is in a real bind . C130y will lawyer up to fight any punishment and several clubs , including Arsenal are preparing legal actions that may claim around £100 million if C130y are found guilty .
I’ve always thought this could blow the league to bits because if really serious action is threatened we may see the European Super League rear its ugly head . C130y could lose sponsorships , prize money, TV deals and advertising and then be hit with colossal law suits and they will find public opinion massively go against them . If UAE try diplomatic pressure on the UK government it will make C130y the pariahs of the league so their best option will be to crash the Premier League .
Answering Bath’s comments re the Guardiola documentary I wouldn’t bother watching. He blubbers away incoherently , is incomprehensible at times and the whole unit is charmless and plastic . Spoiler alert. Arsenal win the league. It’s worth watching that bit !
I find myself deeply saddened by the seemingly inevitable departure of Gabriel Martinelli whose contribution to the Arsenal cause over the last several years has been second to none in terms of effort and critical goals. I haven’t felt like this since Cesc’s defection. I remember Bob Wilson saying when we spoke to him for our ‘71 Anniversary celebration that we need to play him because otherwise we’ll lose him because he’s so good. We will certainly miss his pace as well as his commitment and our transitions will be less threatening as a result. I wish him well if this must happen – he must be even more gutted than I am – but he may make a life transforming fortune in Saudi and return to a top European club after a couple of years in the desert. I sincerely hope we don’t buy Alvarez and become a transient (& half-hearted) stepping stone for his ultimate destination.
Ned/C100 – both could be true, C130y are cheating and the spuds have mastered
gullibility. Happy for them to have Savinho and Marmoush as well as Fernandes,
Tonali and their new Keystone Cops defence. I was a little worried when Levy
finally got the bullet but the spuds are still the gift that keeps on giving.
I’m with you, Bath, regarding Martinelli. Even though he didn’t attend Hales End, I’ve always felt he was one of ours. He’s a nice guy and he seems to be well liked by his teammates. Last season his numbers in the PL fell quite a bit, I think mostly to the system we were playing, but his contribution in the CL was excellent. If we are selling him to raise money, I have to wonder why the club hasn’t sold Jesus, Reiss, and Viera beforehand to see where the financials stand. I don’t have any knowledge but it feels like those three will end up on loans this late in the window. And then if Martinelli does leave, I will be severely disappointed.
@79 TTG
Excellent summary of some possible consequences….
Masters, like the Government, just needs to pin on a pair!
The smelly stuff has to hit the fan sooner or later regardless.
I’m curious to see how Burnham will jump as UK politics is
may be a factor just now if he is thinking of an early election.
Caving on this would be a vote loser? I’m not really following
enough to know if an early election is possible though.
Also £100 million is not enough for our lawsuit! If in doubt
add a zero is the Sue,Grabbit and Runne way 😃
Personally I think C130y owners should be offered the choice
of being booted out or selling the club. Stomping off in supposed high
dudgeon might be a reasonable option for Abu Dhabi if they
can punt C130y out to new owners. However, I still think a weaselly
compromise the likeliest outcome unfortunately.
Bath, ecg,
Would be a great shame to see Gabi M go but it is looking very likely now.
I agree he did ok overall last season too considering all competitions and
I am surprised he isn’t getting offers from better clubs.
I don’t want to buy Alvarez either, over-priced players of questionable commitment
belong at the other end of the Seven Sisters Road.
Still hopeful we can sell Gabi J, Vieira and Nelson though I don’t have any
knowledge either. There have been various suitors mentioned in The Athletic
if something works out it’s best for those players sake as well as ours.
The first leaderboard of the new GHF Predictathon has been posted plus a bonus chart showing the range of players’ predictions. Who is tipped to win the title if not us? Who is seen as a sure-fire bet for the drop? You know where to find the answers…
ecg@82: I’m sure it is not for want of trying that Jesus, Nelson and Vieira haven’t been sold. However, they are on £265,000, £100,000 and £45,000 a week, respectively, and all have one year left on their contracts. No club is going to pay much, if anything, for them in those circumstances, and likely destination clubs are unlikely to be able to afford comparable wages (Nelson’s wage is a third more than that of anyone at Brentford, where he was on loan last season). Any club that wants them will wait for them to run down their contracts, as Hamburg seems to be doing with Vieira. Jesus’s proposed move to Napoli also reportedly broke down over wages. I’m sure you are right that a late loan or a giveaway sale will be their fate.
bath@80 and OM@84: Martinelli’s sale will tug the heartstrings, for sure, but we will have to harden ourselves to the fact that there will be such departures now we are at top table. Arteta gave an interview during pre-season in which he said that every player knows that there will be an end to his time at a club, and when that time approaches, while it is not necessarily easy for the player, it is important that the club and player are honest and transparent with each other and that the player is treated with dignity and respect and that the club does the best thing itself but also for the player and the next stage in his career. He could have had Gabi in mind. Perhaps he did.
TTG@79: The Frankenstein scenario is an unholy alliance of Gulf money and Infantino to make an opportunistic grab to wrest club football and its riches from the clutches of UEFA and the EFC, one motivation that underpins FIFA’s Club World Cup. A global Super League based on Man City, PSG, Newcastle and the rest of the Gulf-owned clubs, plus some other PL renegades who would happily take the sheikhs’ shilling, and the top teams from the FIFA confederations and nations still backing Infantino (Asia, Africa, South America) is not inconceivable. David Dein’s account of how five First Division chairmen broke the Football League’s old Division One and created the Premier League should be required reading at this point.
@88 well inconceivable would be too strong for most scenarios Ned! But highly unlikely would be fair I think, the failed golf breakaway would be a comparison that springs
to mind with Bryson de Chambeau as PSG and Phil Mickelson as C130y 😃
Without the big clubs and their global fan bases it is difficult to see how such a league
would ever be relevant. But I wouldn’t shed a tear if the nation state clubs did bugger off and form their own league, no idea where or who they’d play, or who would actually watch
the matches but very few I suspect
I believe that C130y need the Premier League much more than the Premier League need them IF no other major teams break ranks ( The Barcodes are not major players in this scenario.) Infantino might try a desperate power grab involving them but he might ( please!) be forced out of FIFA and find it hard to corral the big European players who are all horrified by his attempted power grab .
If a sportswashing project starts to create exactly the opposite effect that you intended you might start to reconsider the investment! They are washing the sport in something very messy .
There will be huge negativity in this country and in Europe if C130y are deemed to have cheated ( UEFA found them guilty previously but the charges were time limited and as we can see this is a club who know how to drag things out !) so any alliance is likely to be ramshackle and uneven – LIV might be an appropriate analogy . My sense of LIV’s challenge is that they’ve offered untold riches to people who were already multi- millionaires and haven’t got any credibility in the framework they’ve provided for their players . They can’t compete with the Masters , British Open, Ryder Cup etc for heritage and huge amounts of Wonga in prize money can actually turn off the public.
As for an early election I’m not expecting one. Labour have a large majority and a new shiny leader and one who is a real Everton fan . I think he would appreciate the need to resist diplomatic pressure to excuse the Etihad scumbags .
A fair summary of the Alvarez situation I think.
https://likeanewsletter.substack.com/p/julian-alvarez-130m-quid-pro-quo?r=17skr0&utm_medium=ios
Liam Delap moves for £ FIFTY million to Nottingham Forest !🤮
Edu has lost his senses .
Surely if he fetches that fee Martinelli is worth £70 million ? Or maybe as C100 often claims Chelsea are inflating these fees incredibly . One senses anything to do with Chelsea and C130y is mired in grift and corruption
It is pure creative accounting TTG. One hopes the Premier League and FA are tooled up with forensic accountants.
Our good friend Mike McDonald agrees with me.
https://x.com/mike_mmcdonald/status/2092315495986806835?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
How’s it done? Chelsea or Strasbourg will overpay for a Forest player in the future.
https://x.com/carolandarrell/status/2092302292758225121?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
Bought for £30 million, scores one league goal in a season for which he is paid £5.2 million, and is sold for £50 million. And your point is?
C100, many thanks for the link to Lewis on Alvarez. A fair summary as you say.
However, the acceptance that he doesn’t bring anything we don’t already
have, and then the conclusion that he elevates us doesn’t make sense to me.
Certainly Alvarez is a good player and would strengthen the squad sure, but like Barcola
at PSG he just doesn’t seem worth north of €140m. On the other hand I cannot see any alternatives as we are shopping in a small pool of high level players and we do need reinforcements up front. For me, I think we cannot ignore the motivation factor despite the reasonable points from Lewis Ambrose and if we are going to overpay for someone I would probably go with Barcola.
The PL’s lenient treatment of the Chavs for reporting Abramovich’s previous
corrupt dealings is going to look very gullible when Clearlake are simply
using new ways to cheat.
I suppose the Rogers / Anderson 116/117m deals freed up a whole load
of creative wiggle room.
Anyway, the important point is I have got the ball out wide for our new
LW to run at the defence….
…cuts round the outside, sits down the right back, and fires in a cross…
…and wrong foots the keep by shanking the ball into the upper corner, aka, The Ode.
Congratulations ECG
From one goal hanger to another !
I’m very sad that we appear to be losing Gabi Martinelli
Current Brazil international going for £50m. Could anyone imagine Liam Delap being capped by Brazil if he was qualified to play for them ?
The Chavs and C130y are a stain on the integrity of the Premier League
Try this for size
A beautiful look at May 19th
https://x.com/GazAFC25/status/2092133120262787318/video/1
C100 @91, thanks for that link. I think he summarises the Alvarez situation very well. However, I’m not convinced he’s the man we need at the moment, especially not at the price quoted. Nor do I look forward to the predictable circus in 12 months time and its effect on the team. It’s a big call for MA8.
And well in for the ton ecg! A superb MØ tribute pop.
Some good debate on the Martinelli\Alvarez situation. For what it’s worth, my brief two pennorth
1) I think it’s time for Gabi to leave. He has not been at the level required for this Arsenal for the last two, maybe three years.
2) If he goes, he goes with my profound thanks and admiration. He has given me many great moments, the goal at the Bridge, the goal at Villa, the late equaliser against City last year and many more.
3) If he does go we should replace him with an upgrade.
4) If Arteta thinks that’s Alvarez, so be it. I trust our manager and he’s a great player.
5) If Gabi goes and we don’t get the upgrade over the line, go again in January. Kroupi would be my choice then.
Well-in for the ton, ecg.
C100@105: Well put.
Keenos sums up my feelings about Alvarez:
I’m in agreement with C100 about the wisdom of letting Martinelli go. He has been a wonderful servant and loves our club
As for replacing him I don’t think a feasible upgrade is obtainable. Tzolis is an upgrade on Leo and Gabi and in those wide spots we also have Madueke and Dowman as well as Eze who can start on the left. Not sure I think Alvarez was as good last season as he was previously . He certainly was brilliant in the World Cup . The only real upgrade I can see is Barcola
Keenos pretty much sums up my view on Alvarez and Martinelli:
TTG @107, I’m not convinced that Barcola is an upgrade on Martinelli.
Another way to think about it is, is Alvarez ≥ (Jesus + Martinelli)?
If both Gabis are sold, then the overlap in skills between Alvarez and the remaining forwards becomes considerably smaller.
If we matched Alvarez’s wages at Atletico and sold the other two, we’d save £235,000 a week on the payroll, which would underwrite maybe £40 million of any transfer fee.
The transfer window this year has been a particular hell and I’ll be glad when it’s over. It has us all tying ourselves in knots over how we think things might work out, when none of us know what is going to happen or how it will pan out.
Myself, I’m fine with Gabigol leaving. I love him, but we need to start making sales, and once we’ve sold one player to Saudi it opens the door for the next. Cynical? Massively. But we are the only big club not taking advantage of a new market and it is costing us. I’d rather keep Ethan.
No LW signging? Fine. I thought Eze was that player last year. If we signed him this season for £70m to play left wing then I’d be thrilled. Its just a matter of perception that he’s not seen as anything like as exciting in that position as I think he could be. Especially as Odegaard is back and Nwaneri plays 10 too. We’ve got three 10s, one of whom plays LW, and potentially only one left winger in Tzolis. Just play Eze there. If we can’t get Vini, don’t bother spending for the sake of it.
Alvarez? Who knows? I trust Arteta. But I’m not gonna write loads about how good/bad he is, because my opinion is subject to change depending on what happens. I’ve read loads of people saying they don’t want him. How valuable will those words be if we sign him and he scores 25 goals? Or conversely, how many people who are desperate to sign him will be up in arms if Gyokeres outscores him?
Five days and it will all be over, and then the actual football can take centre stage. I cannot wait.
Interesting article (££) on the price of PremierLeague season tickets. The most expensive? By some distance it’s Fulham.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7534974/2026/08/26/premier-league-season-tickets-prices-frozen/
The hugely gifted Nicholas Jackson moves to Villa from Chelsea . Another dodgy deal between these two very dodgy outfits!
I miswrote in 107 and nobody challenged me. I meant to say Alvarez WASN’T brilliant in the World Cup but my comment suggested he was . I don’t think he is a risk worth taking for £128 m but I suspect we will sign a forward . I think I agree with Keenos substantially but I don’t know enough about Yildiz to have an opinion . If we can sell Jesus and Nelson as well as Martinelli we have scope to bring in a rising star à la Tzolis
TTG. If. We get £5m combined for Jesus and Nelson I’ll be astonished. The wages saved will be useful though.
A belated tip of the hat to ecg for a fine finish @100
and thanks to c100 for the link @112
@114 agree with TTG that Alvarez didn’t have a great World Cup but
it’s mostly Championship level teams and not to be taken
seriously these days, and agree with C100 that getting hard cash
for Jesus and Nelson is going to be a challenge – deadline day deals
I guess.
I’m not certain Barcola is an upgrade on Gabi M as
Barcola has never played in the PL or that
Tzolis is an upgrade on Leo! Like others I trust MA’s judgment but
seeing will be believing.
Tzolis certainly has potential but then Leo had three very productive
seasons and is not so easily replaced. GSD makes a good point
about Eze on the left though MA has seemed very reluctant
to use him there. It’s a big season for Eze and my fingers are
firmly crossed for him as he seems a decent guy really as well as
an excellent player on his day.
It’s Ipswich away in the third round of the league cup. W/b September 14. Date and time to be announced.
Nice little trip to Portman Road incoming.
We also need to keep an eye on the Premier League squad rules. We can have a maximum of 17 non-homegrown senior players in the registered 25-man squad. Nørgaard and Leo’s departures created space for Meslier and Bruno G. Konsa counts as home-grown. However, Mosquera graduates from the U-21 list this season.
We have 26 senior players as things stand. If you take Vieira and Nelson out of the calculation, we would have one open slot, though we could fill that with a non-homegrown player.
Senior players (max 17)
Arrizabalaga
Calafiori
Gabriel
Guimaraes
Gyokeres
Havertz
Hincapie
Jesus
Merino
Meslier
Mosquera
Odegaard
Timber
Tzolis
Vieira
Zubimendi
Home grown
Eze
Konsa
Madueke
Martinelli
Nelson
Raya
Rice
Saka
Saliba
White
U-21s (unlimited)
Dowman
Lewis-Skelly
Nwaneri
Salmon
Setford
Plus all the yoofs.
Looks like a good squad to me 😀
The UEFA/FIFA battle gets spicier, with UEFA looking at taking legal action against Infantino
https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/uefa-asks-us-court-fifa-documents-planned-swiss-case-against-infantino-2026-08-27/
This is by far the strongest squad I’ve ever known at the Arsenal. Before Wenger arrived, we worked with a first team and a few reliable back-ups. The late 90’s team and early 00’s teams had more outstanding individuals in their first choice attack (who can match DB10, TH14 and RP7?) but the drop-off to their back-ups was significantly greater than we see in this squad. It’s a squad that looks great on paper – or listed on a screen but, of course, it’s all about delivering the goods on the field. That’s where adding hungry players like Tzolis, Guimarães and Konsa – and perhaps, A.N. Other to the forward line – is important to gee-up any who are relaxing after last season’s wonderful achievements (not that MA8 is likely to allow anyone to relax!). I far prefer a newbie with hunger to win trophies over one with slighted desire for another club.
That’s encouraging news, Ned @120. I was disappointed at yesterday’s apparent climbdown over a boycott of FIFA competitions which seemed to lose them a lot of leverage.
CL draw looks great. No horrible away days. Proper tie at Bayern. Real Madrid at home (show Vini what he could have won). Leverkusen. And generally, we are just an excellent club and team, so there is no-one who’ll be happy to have drawn us.
Man City probably got the easiest draw among the PL clubs given how their home and away games break, but overall the Swiss draw model that UEFA has switched to seems to be working out pretty well at keeping the competition balanced in the CL league phase. Avoiding a trip to Azerbaijan is a big plus, although the evening in Naples promises to be raucous.
It seems Reiss Nelson will move on after we agreed to terminate his
contract. He has been unlucky with injuries through his last couple
of loans or I think he would have moved on a year or two ago.
The best of luck to him as he is one of our own after all and we will
always have that truly great moment against Bournemouth…..
I wonder what inducement Nelson received to walk away from 12 months with £4.8m salary and wonder if we might be going to do the same with Jesus (at £12m over the same period). Both have served us up magical moments in the past and both have contributed little recently due to injuries. Neither looks likely to contribute significantly this season so a lump sum offer to terminate the contract representing an opportunity to get a signing on fee and game time with a new club would seem a reasonable outcome for both sides. Might be worth doing the same with Vieira too.
Phillip Auclair on BlueSky
“ With Honest Ahanor on his way from Atalanta and Emi Martinez perhaps/probably to come, Chelsea will have spent not far from half-a-billion euro gross and 200m net in this transfer window, with no CL money coming in, debts of well over a billion, and a combined loss of £400m+ since 2022.”
How are they getting away with it?
The club has confirmed Reiss Nelson’s departure.
https://www.arsenal.com/news/reiss-nelson-leaves-arsenal-aK7qJ9T658rj
Terminating his contract makes sense for all parties. At 26, he needs regular playing time to salvage his career, and he is unlikely to get that at the Arsenal. It is better to be a free agent at 26 than out of contract at 27, so it is worth foregoing a year of a generous Arsenal salary. Reports suggest that while there was interest from clubs in taking him on loan for the season, there were no offers to buy him outright, perhaps not surprising given his injury record over the past two seasons. So his sale value was close to zero anyway.
Good luck to him in finding a new club and staying fit. As OM says, we’ll always have Bournemouth.
C100@127: Magic beans. Or at least magic bean counting.
Bath@126: Jesus is a different kettle of fish from Nelson, as the transfer value and salary figures are so much higher. Vieira perhaps not so much.
Champions edition of the Gooner about to hit the streets. Link to subscribe in this letter. GHF writers (including TTG and me) in this edition, others including 20thCG often appear. It’s a good read for £30 per year (six editions).
https://laythstake.substack.com/p/getcha-new-gooner-fanzine-champions?r=17skr0&utm_medium=ios
To answer C100’s question seriously, the magic beans are that when a player is bought, the cost is spread over up to five years in the accounts (and these days payments are increasingly made in instalments, too), whereas any profit from selling a player is recognised in the accounts immediately.
For example, Chelsea buys Morgan Rogers for €138 million but records only €27.6 million as an expense in its books this year (one fifth of the sale price). It sells Liam Delap for €52.5 million and books €52.5 million in revenue, resulting in an €24.9 million accounting profit on the two transactions, although the club’s net transfer spend is minus €85.5 million.
The beans work in reverse. If Chelsea sells a player for less than they paid for him, they have already accounted for a chunk of the cost, so the player’s value on the books is lower than the original purchase price, which reduces the accounting loss.
Chelsea has also been active in its use of player impairment, which allows a club to book a one-off charge to write down a player’s value. Traditionally, this was an accounting practice used rarely, for example when a player suffered a career-ending injury. Chelsea has been using it when a player’s transfer value falls.
The net accounting effect is to offset operating losses by generating player-trading profits. As long as Chelsea continues to sell players from inventory at high prices, its magic beans should keep it within financial fairness rules.
To your point, the bill will still have to be paid someday, and Chelsea is building up a backlog of player acquisitions that it has to account for each year. But, as with any debt, the question is not how big it is, but whether you (or your deep-pocketed owners) can afford to finance it — or whether you can get out before the whole pack of cards collapses.
I know all that Ned. I used to run businesses myself. But Chelsea are pushing that envelope very hard. You rather dismissed my comments about cash flow the other day. But I think it’s highly relevant here.
I share C100’s view on the basic unsoundness of financial management at the Bus Stop Some of the Chelsea accounting costs are non-cash — particularly player amortisation and impairments. And Chelsea remain compliant with the Premier League’s PSR assessment for the latest three-year period because certain expenditure is excluded from the calculation.
But that doesn’t make the underlying economics remotely healthy or the financial strategy at all convincing to me . I was an adviser to a private equity firm in the insurance sector and I was a bit of a curmudgeon !
Their 2024 accounts illustrate the problem at the heart of their management. Chelsea reported a £128.4m profit, but £198.7m came from the disposal of subsidiaries, principally the women’s team being transferred within the ownership structure.
That is perfectly legitimate accounting if properly valued and approved, but it isn’t the same thing as Chelsea’s football operation generating £128m of sustainable profit.
What they do seem able to do is to sell indifferent players for sums of money that seem incredible . The sales of Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson, both players who would be nowhere near our radar as signings , have apparently raised £115 million ! It is interesting that they’ve sold one to another basket case in Villa and another to Forest where presumably Edu has taken leave of his senses- but there may be qpqs on those deals which may see signings go the other way . Creative accounting indeed
Chelsea have effectively made a huge bet that young players bought today will become more valuable tomorrow, while Chelsea’s revenues grow sufficiently to support the squad.
It can work. But it creates a vicious circle if results don’t match the investment.To mix metaphors the club is built on sand and is flying by the seat of their pants
If Chelsea don’t qualify for the Champions League, revenue falls. They then need player sales to satisfy the financial regulations. But selling players can weaken the squad, making Champions League qualification harder.
And Chelsea’s enormous squad makes that particularly relevant. I would suggest that they are under considerable pressure to move players on before the current transfer deadline.
So if this business model was presented to me I’d laugh it out of court . C100’s business fundamentals matter
I share C100’s view on the basic unsoundness of financial management at the Bus Stop Some of the Chelsea accounting costs are non-cash — particularly player amortisation and impairments. And Chelsea remain compliant with the Premier League’s PSR assessment for the latest three-year period because certain expenditure is excluded from the calculation.
But that doesn’t make the underlying economics remotely healthy or the financial strategy at all convincing to me . I was an adviser to a private equity firm in the insurance sector and I was a bit of a curmudgeon !
Their 2024 accounts illustrate the problem at the heart of their management. Chelsea reported a £128.4m profit, but £198.7m came from the disposal of subsidiaries, principally the women’s team being transferred within the ownership structure.
That is perfectly legitimate accounting if properly valued and approved, but it isn’t the same thing as Chelsea’s football operation generating £128m of sustainable profit.
What they do seem able to do is to sell indifferent players for sums of money that seem incredible . The sales of Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson, both players who would be nowhere near our radar as signings , have apparently raised £115 million ! It is interesting that they’ve sold one to another basket case in Villa and another to Forest where presumably Edu has taken leave of his senses- but there may be qpqs on those deals which may see signings go the other way . Creative accounting indeed
Chelsea have effectively made a huge bet that young players bought today will become more valuable tomorrow, while Chelsea’s revenues grow sufficiently to support the squad.
It can work. But it creates a vicious circle if results don’t match the investment.To mix metaphors the club is built on sand and is flying by the seat of their pants
If Chelsea don’t qualify for the Champions League, revenue falls. They then need player sales to satisfy the financial regulations. But selling players can weaken the squad, making Champions League qualification harder.
And Chelsea’s enormous squad makes that particularly relevant. I would suggest that they are under considerable pressure to move players on before the current transfer deadline.
So if this business model was presented to me I’d laugh it out of court . C100’s business fundamentals matter
TTG @134, Edu was sacked in March and therefore has no responsibility for Forest’s recent sales or signings.
As a simple physician who applied Mr McCawber’s principle to his small private practice, I find C100’s finer points on business too esoteric but I can tell corruption when I smell it.
Bath
Edu’s sacking must have slipped my memory . I was not as big a fan of him as others but he was a good foil for Arteta and had a stellar window when we brought in Rice, Timber , Havertz and Raya . That was definitely a springboard for our title push.
The current transfer window hasd seen football go mad and the two most dubious clubs appear to be doing the most deals . The Premier League is being distorted when the likes of Everton are docked points immediately for misdemeanours but C130y can carry on trading with no sanction despite facing a multitude of charges . They are now being linked with Alvarez although he seems even less keen on returning there than joining us!
C100@133: I didn’t mean to be dismissive, and apologies if it came across that way. I only intended to say that I think BlueCo’s group structure makes debt its bigger Achilles’ heel. We spent a lot of pixels on that previously; no need to use up more now.
I agree that their business model is high risk and not sustainable indefinitely. For now, though, its owners appear willing to bankroll it. Once they aren’t or can’t, it will collapse like a pack of cards.
They do, however, appear to have found a niche in loading up on good-but-not-quite-elite players and then getting aspirational clubs just below elite level to overpay for them. I doubt Chelsea’s prospects of qualifying for the CL have been harmed by the sales of Delap and Jackson.
Wot GSD said @123 about the CL draw. Some great games to look forward too,
and big nights both home and away. Lucky to get Dortmund at home but not
so much with Napoli away, swings and roundabouts and all that.
I know it’s not universally popular but I do agree with Ned about the Swiss
draw model making for a more enjoyable qualifying phase.
OUR CL LEAGUE PHASE GAMES
All times UK
Wed, September 9: Napoli (A) 8pm
Tue, October 13: Lille (H) 8pm
Wed, October 21: Bayern Munich (A) 8pm
Wed, November 4: Slavia Prague (A) 8pm
Tue, November 24: Borussia Dortmund (H) 8pm
Wed, December 9: Real Madrid (H) 8pm
Wed, January 20: Real Betis (A) 8pm
Wed, January 27: Sabah (H) 8pm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>