{"id":3833,"date":"2021-08-24T20:50:32","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T19:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3833"},"modified":"2021-08-26T08:07:53","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T07:07:53","slug":"they-werent-always-the-baggies-you-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3833","title":{"rendered":"They Weren\u2019t Always The Baggies, You Know \u2026.."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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On Wednesday 25th August 2021, the mighty Arsenal will play the first of a greatly reduced number of midweek fixtures for this season. No more Champions League, no more Europa League and, thank goodness, we weren\u2019t quite good enough last season to qualify for the newly formed Europa Conference League. This is a competition sponsored by UEFA, where the prize goes to the club who manages to outfox Google Maps, Waze, Tom Tom et al, and declare itself \u201cunlocatable\u201d by the premier satellite navigation systems across Europe. Some early favourites are surely FK \u010cukari\u010dki, FK \u017dalgiris, KF Shkupi, HB T\u00f3rshavn and our very own minnows Tottenham Hotspur, who many have heard of but nobody wants to find them anyway.
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No, we find ourselves facing West Bromwich Albion in the second round of the Carabao Cup. Many Arsenal fans will be surprised to discover that there actually is a second round of the League (Carabao) Cup – we have had loftier ambitions for the last quarter of a century. I am willing to bet there is at least one denizen of this bar who can tell us the last time we were obliged to turn up for such a fixture, but he has more monks at his disposal than I do and I am too depressed to want to find out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

West Bromwich Albion (hereinafter referred to as WBA) was founded in the West Midlands in 1878 and has played at the same ground, The Hawthorns, since 1900. For a club with such strong domestic roots, and having most recently employed Fat Sam Allardyce, it\u2019s perhaps surprising to find them being managed by the exotically named Val\u00e9rian Isma\u00ebl, a 45 year old French-German coach from Strasbourg, some details he shares with one of our own previous managers you might remember. Isma\u00ebl was a 6\u20193\u201d centre back – now hang on a minute\u2026. ah, ok, they both were !
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WBA have had a bit of a thing for Arsenal defenders in recent times, especially it seems those named at least equally flamboyantly as their current manager. Oluwasemilogo Adesewo Ibidapo Ajayi spent his youth career at Charlton Athletic and arrived at the Arsenal in 2013, via Dartford. He moved on in 2015 having not made a senior appearance, and despite having played for the Nigeria U20 and Senior teams, arrived at WBA in 2019 via Cardiff, AFC Wimbledon, Crewe and Rotherham. Dads, if your sons want to be footballers, just tell them how tough this game is, eh? Kieran James Ricardo Gibbs of course played 137 times for the Arsenal, prior to 93 appearances for WBA between 2017-2021. He has now moved on to Inter Miami in the MLS. And Kyle Louis Bartley, who played in the same Arsenal youth team as Jack Andrew Garry Wilshere and his centre back partner, Luke David Ayling (much too boring), also left Arsenal without a senior appearance in 2012 and took the Rangers, Swansea, Birmingham, Leeds route to West Brom, arriving in 2018. He has played for them 98 times now but Dads, please see Ajayi above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Baggies history dates back to 1878. Like the Arsenal of Dial Square, they were founded as a works team from Salter\u2019s Spring Works and the club was renamed to WBA in 1880. They were founder members of the Football League in 1888. Despite five wins in the FA Cup, they have only won the League Cup once, at their first attempt in 1966. But they weren\u2019t always the Baggies, regardless of the picture at the top of the post. Until the 1980s their official nickname was The Throstles, but it then changed to the Baggies which had anyway been in common use for some years. A throstle is an old fashioned name for a song thrush which looks like it is the bird featured on the club badge. It\u2019s amazing that this sort of information comes to you free of charge !<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time we play in the Midlands, which will preclude a repeat of the recent misunderstanding experienced by a Baggies fan, oddly in a fancy dress shop in London. Having decided to attend the game dressed as a 70s hippy, the fella asked the shop assistant for -\u201csome of those flared trowsers and a noice purr of platfoam shoes, a tank top and a luvlay flowry shurrt with a big rownded collar.\u201d\u201cCertainly, Sir\u201d, replied the assistant, \u201cand would you like a nice kipper tie ?\u201d\u201cOoh, that\u2019d be luvlay – with milk and two sugars, please ! \u201c
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WBA currently sit joint top of the Championship, their goal difference is actually inferior to Fulham by one, with 10 points from their opening 4 games. This promises to be no pushover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Arsenal Team News<\/strong>
Sunday: <\/em>The question, I suppose, is will Arteta use these League Cup fixtures to give some young squad players first team experience, or play his strongest eleven in any game that potentially could hand us a pass back into Europe. Those decisions will be influenced by the injury and COVID situations, which makes guessing a lineup very difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monday:<\/em> Ok, so decision made! After the feeble loss to Chelsea on Sunday, this fixture is now a must win<\/strong>. Anything else will result in huge pressure on Arteta, with a trip to the Etihad looming on Saturday. The manager must surely go with the strongest available XI to try and get a win and some semblance of confidence back in the team.
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However, I think we might well see a start for Aaron Ramsdale, who is back from Juventus, albeit this time as a goalkeeper. Despite a lot of negativity from some fans around this signing, he has earned great reviews from fans of his recent clubs, he fits the new player profile, and as an Arsenal player should have our full support.
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Right Back seems to have become a discussion point and as we have four of them there is plenty to talk about. I don\u2019t know why Chambers was dropped for Cedric on Sunday but I will be surprised if he is not recalled for this one.
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Partey, Gabriel and Nketiah are still out injured, while Lacazette and Willian are ruled out with COVID. Martinelli and Tierney are apparently ok and Odegaard now has a valid visa and is available to start. I could see Lakonga rested as he acclimatises to the physical demands of English football, but he looks a very good prospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So as tradition demands I take a guess at the team, I can say with absolutely no certainty that we will see: <\/p>\n\n\n\n


Ramsdale; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chambers, Holding, White, Tierney; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elneny, Xhaka (\ud83d\ude31), ESR; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saka, Aubameyang, Pepe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


It\u2019s not exactly what I would like but knowing Arteta\u2019s cautious nature, I think Odegaard will probably come on as sub in this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holic Pound<\/strong>
Despite WBA\u2019s strong start to their Championship season, we find ourselves favourites to win this one – what have they been watching?! If you hunt around you can get 14\/5 on WBA to win, 13\/5 on the draw, or a miserly (I think – don\u2019t really get betting!) 19\/20 on an Arsenal win. If you like those \u201cspread bet thingies”, Paddy Power are offering, and I quote – 1pt Arsenal to score Over 1.5 Goals in 90 minutes at 11\/10. No, I don\u2019t know – that\u2019s just what it says !<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kick off is at 20:00 hrs, UK time – coverage on Sky Sports Football.
Referee is David Webb to whom I apologise for never having heard of him. Can\u2019t be any worse, right ?
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Enjoy the game, Holics !<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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