Canaries in a coal mine - the other teams thread

I've seen Skrtel outright rugby tackle his mark a good 8-12 times this year on set pieces without any consequence. He has been living a charmed life.

 

Jitty

BUT it all evens out lmao epl is really a joke but the narrative for pimping next season is written im assuming its city v pool now as the marque fixture lol

 

Read in BBC Gossip that UEFA about to punish Citeh and PSG with a heavy fine and transfer embargo for violations of FFP. Could that shoe finally drop?

 

Do I hope so!

 

dudes scrapping at swansea

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/15/swansea-city-confirm-training-clashes-players

 

What are you claiming here though? The officials and FA are colluding to suppress Arsenal?

 

Well, obviously.

 

Its about creating a narritive, that creates ratings and thus money. Is there more money right now in Arsenal locked in at 4th or battling it out against Everton for the remainder of the season? I personally have watched more Everton matches in 2014 than I have in all of 2013.

Historically there has been an anti-Arsenal lean in terms of the "englishness" of the team, looking at the other teams who fielded one or none British players even by teams managed by men who rollicked the club for it. Or lack of ability to take a tough game, when the challenges would be illegal in any other match. **Cough Sam Alladyce, Alan Pardew**

All this goes to creating a poisoned atmosphere where almost anything can be justified to the public because it was allowed before. How do you fight back? Even when we try and join in the physical battle stats say we are more likely to get calls go against us, receive cards, and have players sent off, then clubs who admit before the game has begun they are going to be "tough".

 

I mean, I just don't know. I guess I'm still naive but I see a lot of reasons, including being unlucky with injuries and a gutless transfer policy, that explain Arsenal's profound downward trajectory over the past 10 years. It's hard for me to think back over the past number of years and have a bevy of head-scratching incidents immediately spring to mind. RVP sending off against Barca was a bad one. I guess I'm not paying close enough attention.

I don't have an answer as to their bad luck with officials, I guess the numbers don't lie. Hard to draw a straight line between that and some officiating conspiracy. It's possible though.

 

The reason we get less pens is that we have less people making runs into te box and a lack of a pacey striker, going one on one doesnt help either

 

Thank you, I will look into that.

 

THIS,

We don't have the tricky players other clubs do. No Hazards, No Suarez/Sturridges, No Agueros nor Silvas.

Our attack has become predictable over years and defenders can cease us without worrying about rash challenges.

 

I have never bought a footballer autobiography but I may make an exception on Pirlo's.
Based on the excerpts in the attached link, it may be worth it. Very interesting and
an eye opener on a remarkable player and individual.

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...otelli-hodgson-ferguson-and-more-9261104.html

Hilarious excerpts on Gattusso.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/ed...-andrea?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

was Gattuso a moron? i dont get the thing about hi speaking? is italian not his first language?

 

Amazing excerpts in that Pirlo book.

On taking a penalty against France...

"I lifted my eyes to the heavens and asked for help because if God exists, there’s no way he’s French."

 

The part about Gattuso is so funny. Obviously, despite his talent on the football pitch, Gattuso was not blessed with a very high IQ.

 

this sounds like a good read.

 

More excerpts:

Ferguson set his guard dog on me...
Even Sir Alex Ferguson, the purple-nosed manager who turned Manchester United into a fearsome battleship, couldn't resist (man marking me). He unleashed Park Ji-sung. The midfielder must have been the first nuclear-powered South Korean in history. He rushed about the pitch at the speed of an electron.


Ibrahimovic and Onyewu tried to kill each other at Milan...
I saw them (Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Oguchi Onyewu) laying into each other like two bullyboys from a rough estate. They looked like they were trying to kill each other: there were definitely some broken ribs, despite silence and denials from the king's buglers who said it was just a "lively confrontation".

Gattuso's word was law at Milan...
Anyone new to the club was aware that the first thing they had to do if they made a mistake was explain themselves to Rino. Just having that knowledge drastically reduced the chances of people f*****g up.

Playing for Italy is better than sex...
Being part of a team that belongs to everyone makes me feel good. A lot of the time it's better than sex: it lasts longer and if it falls flat, it can't just be your fault. Take someone like Antonio Cassano. He says he's slept with 700 women but he can't get picked for Italy any more. Can he really be happy? I wouldn't be.

Balotelli is a special kind of medicine...
Mario Balotelli is an antidote to the potentially lethal poison of the racists you find in Italian grounds. They're a horrendous bunch, a herd of frustrated individuals who've taken the worst of history and made it their own.