@dampatti – as soon as the ref touches it, you can’t give a quick free kick, it has to be done by the whistle… did you hear Arsene’s rant today?

http://worldofarsenal.co.uk/2010/02/19/arsenal-vs-sunderland-preview-and-my-take-on-the-porto-refereeing/

There is HUGE difference between Henry goal against Chelsea and Villa and the way Porto scored. You simply cant give free kick if there is no players around, hence the team have no chance of defending. I agree with Wenger on that. I can’t claim I know what is in referee rule book, but it is obvious that such a goals are just referee’s presents. And that is wrong. Arsenal luckily still have good chance of progressing, but teams like Ireland and Chelsea where permanently damaged buy terrible referee’s mistakes. I hear some folks approve cheating as special skills. Or referee’s mistakes as part of the game. Wrong! Football should be about football and nothing else. Cheating, breaking legs, poor refereeing etc is NOT football. Henry cheated and he should be out of world cup. Full stop. Chelsea were better team (yes, if you are watching as football fan but not as supporter than i think you judge will be better) and should have at least 2-3 penalties. T Arsenal against Porto should have won. I understand referees are human being but if there is technology to eliminate human mistakes than why not use it? it is beyond my belief that such a thing as video technology is not in action. Even corner shops have video technology in use why not football. If there is human life in questions than they would introduce it next minute. I would even use for offsides. Offsides mistakes cripple the teams who play attacking football. I think it is fair that better team goes furthest.

Portugese are cheats look at the UEFA cup final against Celtic a fantastic club with some of the best support in the world robbeed blind by disgusting tactics from Deco etc whilst been lead by Mouriniho. Do we really want that at Arsenal look at there vile cheating in world cup qualifiers againt Bosnia and Herz and now again with Porto. I thought we where intrested in Falcao once over but chuffed because did you see the mug celebrate his tap in. Then there is Ronaldo but to be fair he dosent dive as much as Gerrard and Rooney. I also think Cesc will go it breaks my heart i will have to take down my 40 by 30 inch canvas in my front room of him!!!

1. Er… Sunderland away? Chelsea home? Man City away? Olympiacos away? Figments of my negative imagination, I guess?
2. Your use of this terminology says so much. I normally change this to Premier League in articles that are submitted, but I’ve left it here as it speaks volumes.
3. Er… I actually did state that one of them was out of form!
4. Is Clichy playing with an injury? I missed that one.
5. And er… what is Bendtner’s best position supposed to be then? Do you really think he is best utilized on the right wing?
6. Eh? The man returned from injury over a year ago. How long is this going to take?
7. Well cheerio and best wishes. I sincerely hope your optimism proves justified. In the unlikely event you ever read this, please feel free to submit positive future contributions to balance out those who do not share your outlook.

There is only one MAJOR problem with our squad (which went unbeaten for November and December by the way) (See note 1 below) and that is the goalkeeper.

If we had a strong commanding figure in goal the whole team would be lifted. You could add that our full backs, which were the best in the EPL (See note 2 below) two seasons ago, are out of form (See note 3 below) and the only reason Clichy is playing with an injury (See note 4 below) is that Traore is so bad. And Gibbs is better than Clichy.

The second issue is a centre forward. That is not Bendtner’s best position, (See note 5 below) and with Eduardo still half a season away from full confidence (See note 6 below) and Robin still injured, I was surprised that Arsene Wenger did not bring someone in.

Fabregas gave the ball away as often as any other player last night, yet you don’t slag him off. A good referee would have sent someone off for the number of times he was fouled.

You, rightly, highlight two stupid goalkeeping mistakes, but to slag the whole team for that is very immature.

I would buy their right winger because I thought he was excellent.

With the number of players missing I look at last night’s result as disappointing, but not the end of the world. One day we will have a full strength team and a decent goalkeeper and then we can start to judge.

…Thanks Tekla. Excellent post and indeed good food for thought

Financial stability or ambition? Which do fans want?

Easy to answer that: BOTH. Fans want to know that their club can win something, but they don’t want the club to go bust.

Thing is: for many clubs, it mightn’t be possible. Arsenal seemed to manage it, but now it seems that stability has taken precedence rather than short-term ambition.

But it’s a fine, fine line to tread if you’re a Spurs, a Birmingham City, a Stoke City. Just what IS a reasonable ambition?? And what happens if you chase it and fail??

Those are the questions facing football club Boards each May as they set their budgets for the following season. What does it cost to chase 4th spot from 7th? And what is the consequence of failing?? What does it cost for a promoted club to stay up?? And what happens if they go down again??

Currently my answer is this: you almost certainly need to hock potential Champions League income buying players to get you there in the first place. The wages bill of the Premier League is unsustainable in the Championship and if you fail to reach the Champions League position, then you are in real trouble.

It says to me that there needs to be rules about the nature of player contracts in the Premier League. Contingency clauses for going down. Bonuses contingent on finishing fourth or staying up. And contracts with a 24 month termination clause upon relegation, as parachute payments stop at that time.

And it also says to me: is the success of the EPL hastening the day when a new structure for English football needs to emerge, with about 60 clubs in a Premier/Championship north/Championship south structure emerges?

There’s always space for relegation in that. But I think that there comes a time when stability says forward planning needs a minimum certainty of income, which might come if clubs were sure that no further relegation were possible.

I reckon there’s about 50-60 clubs with fan bases and catchment areas sufficient for 15,000+ crowds.

The Cups could still function as the ‘romance of the pyramid’. But the reality is that smaller clubs than that are probably better competing against those of similar size than trying to harbour unsustainable dreams in the League.

The Championship is now genuinely a competition. I wonder if a 20/18N/18S league structure, with money distributed a bit more widely through the media and financial rules put in place, would radically infuse English football with a greater stability?

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow.

But maybe one day??

MY POLICY: – No single player has a right to go to the media and critisize his team mates. It does not matter who they are. The talk about high school defending is utter rubbish. CESC was on the pitch too and remember its 11 players that play at one given time. In both cases, the goals that we conceived, the ball moved from Porto through our midfield and past Fabianski’s hands. I totally de-taste any single player who faces the media and looks down upon his play-mates. I do not care what CESC thinks or who he believes he is, he is part of a team that needs to win things. When the team does well, he receives credit as Captain – but when the team underperforms, he needs to humble himself and pick the team up. That is what leadership is all about.

—-Lastly and I hope this is the last time am mentioning this. I do not care who leaves Arsenal FC. I have followed this lovely club since the 80′s which is pretty much since I was born. Then, there was no Wenger, no CESC, No Arshavin, No Henry and the list is endless. We did not win trophies, year after year, – but we had a committed bunch of GOONERS who rallied behind the team – in an almost boolish manner. They were die-hards who never let anyone critisize the men in red and white.

MY POINT: – I miss those days. The days when we for some reason lost game, – we shall cheer the team and urge them on. And the players felt like they owed us. Player after player showed up to pay back the fans. I will be honest, I do not see a single player who walks to the Emirates Stadium – with that hunger to warm up the fans. Do I blame them? Not at all. Because we the fans – have not played our role.

—–

I feel that my words in calling the ref utter scum yesterday missed something so i would like to add that Fabianski is a tit!

just read on arsenal website that fabianski is undergoing doping tests, lol maybe he was high!!!!!