Sunny and TJ's Football Thread (Part 19)

[Trapper John]

Chelsea have their fingers in lots of pies at the moment!!

However one things for sure, they'll be several new faces at Stamford Bridge by the time the transfer window closes.

No doubt that will be true - it's all Jose Mourinho knows - spend the owners money to achieve success, the more the better. That's why he's only ever managed one club, which wasn't as rich as Croesus - and that's because he never had a choice.

We've already seen how he shit himself and went crying to the owner this season, not being allowed to spend much and his fantastic team crumbled after just three games.

Still, if the owner wants to give him another £150million before Tuesday tea time that's up to him, presumably he's not worried about the £75million Mourinho spent on Diego Costa, Felipe Luis and Juan Cuadrado last season, who have now either been shoved out the door at loss this season or will be gone before it ends.

Arsene Wenger of course will only buy players if they are either as good or better than the ones he already has - otherwise what's the point? - you only have them hanging round your neck for years on end, draining money in wages or have to sell them at a massive loss.

I don't know much about the transfer dealings down south, but i can't help but notice there seems to be a lot of hostility between Arsenal and Chelsea.

Yes Chelsea do seem to spend a lot of money and Arsenal don't seem to splash out in the same, but they still manage to compete with the other teams well and i don't believe they've finished outwith the top four for years.

That's clearly to do with the fact that Arsene Wenger is a good manager who only buys when he needs too and has an eye for putting a good squad together.

That's the most intelligent post you've made for ages - are you feeling ok?

Arsene Wenger could go out tomorrow with the full backing of the board and buy any player or players he wants - he could even buy the Barcelona front three if he wanted - but none of them would be for sale.

You see the problem is, quite seriously - there isn't anyone out there worth a light who is up for sale in the positions we want, so why spend for spendings sake? ......... Arsenal and Wenger are not in the business of spending money just to keep the sporting media and pundits happy.

If say Real Madrid said Ronaldo has decided he wants to leave and said he'd like to go Arsenal because they play his type of football and he'd fit in well - but we want £70million and he wants £300 grand a week - Wenger would probably say OK.

It just ain't gonna happen though - those World Class players just don't come up for sale - so we are left with a transfer market filled with good or half good players - but at 'World Class prices.'

Other managers are prepared to pay through the nose for 'the best of the rest' Wenger won't unless he can see the possibility of making them world class.

[Trapper John]

He's clearly very nervous again.

Still i have a good feeling about the game and i predict a victory for Arsenal!!

I'm nervous before every game - whether it's against bottom of the league Sunderland, a minnow in the FA Cup or Barcelona - the only games I don't get nervous before are Capital One cup games - I couldn't care less about them.

My nerves do go after 10 minutes or so, once I've seen what attitude the players have come out on the pitch with - if it's good they stay gone - if it's bad - I shout at them and the nerves still go - right up to the last ten minutes when, if it's stalemate or we're losing, the space where the 'nerves' go is filled with anger and frustration.

[Vicky]

Chelsea have their fingers in lots of pies at the moment!!

However one things for sure, they'll be several new faces at Stamford Bridge by the time the transfer window closes.

No doubt that will be true - it's all Jose Mourinho knows - spend the owners money to achieve success, the more the better. That's why he's only ever managed one club, which wasn't as rich as Croesus - and that's because he never had a choice.

We've already seen how he shit himself and went crying to the owner this season, not being allowed to spend much and his fantastic team crumbled after just three games.

Still, if the owner wants to give him another £150million before Tuesday tea time that's up to him, presumably he's not worried about the £75million Mourinho spent on Diego Costa, Felipe Luis and Juan Cuadrado last season, who have now either been shoved out the door at loss this season or will be gone before it ends.

Arsene Wenger of course will only buy players if they are either as good or better than the ones he already has - otherwise what's the point? - you only have them hanging round your neck for years on end, draining money in wages or have to sell them at a massive loss.

I don't know much about the transfer dealings down south, but i can't help but notice there seems to be a lot of hostility between Arsenal and Chelsea.

Yes Chelsea do seem to spend a lot of money and Arsenal don't seem to splash out in the same, but they still manage to compete with the other teams well and i don't believe they've finished outwith the top four for years.

That's clearly to do with the fact that Arsene Wenger is a good manager who only buys when he needs too and has an eye for putting a good squad together.

That's the most intelligent post you've made for ages - are you feeling ok?

Arsene Wenger could go out tomorrow with the full backing of the board and buy any player or players he wants - he could even buy the Barcelona front three if he wanted - but none of them would be for sale.

You see the problem is, quite seriously - there isn't anyone out there worth a light who is up for sale in the positions we want, so why spend for spendings sake? ......... Arsenal and Wenger are not in the business of spending money just to keep the sporting media and pundits happy.

If say Real Madrid said Ronaldo has decided he wants to leave and said he'd like to go Arsenal because they play his type of football and he'd fit in well - but we want £70million and he wants £300 grand a week - Wenger would probably say OK.

It just ain't gonna happen though - those World Class players just don't come up for sale - so we are left with a transfer market filled with good or half good players - but at 'World Class prices.'

Other managers are prepared to pay through the nose for 'the best of the rest' Wenger won't unless he can see the possibility of making them world class.

TJ!!

I can make sensible posts about football when i want to, it's just that i don't do it very often, because it's more fun winding you up.

There isn't any point in buying someone for the sake of it, we've several examples in the last few seasons of teams doing that.

Arsene Wenger is a shrewd man and he knows what he's doing.

Even if Arsenal don't sign anyone else, the signing Petr Chec was a great transfer and i don't expect the Gunners recent poor form to continue.

They have a lot of class players in the side and it's only a matter of time before they start playing like they did, for the latter part of last season.

[Trapper John]

Anyway, 45 minutes to go - I better get myself ready and find out what's occurring, might be back later , might not

[Vicky]

He's clearly very nervous again.

Still i have a good feeling about the game and i predict a victory for Arsenal!!

I'm nervous before every game - whether it's against bottom of the league Sunderland, a minnow in the FA Cup or Barcelona - the only games I don't get nervous before are Capital One cup games - I couldn't care less about them.

My nerves do go after 10 minutes or so, once I've seen what attitude the players have come out on the pitch with - if it's good they stay gone - if it's bad - I shout at them and the nerves still go - right up to the last ten minutes when, if it's stalemate or we're losing, the space where the 'nerves' go is filled with anger and frustration.

Yes i know all about nerves!!

I went through it six times when Rangers were playing in those play-offs!!

I don't think think you have any need to be nervous today, i think Arsenal will win.

[Vicky]

Anyway, 45 minutes to go - I better get myself ready and find out what's occurring, might be back later , might not

Good Luck.

I'm off now as well, to make my lunch.

[Vicky]

This Mitrovic that plays for Newcastle seems like a nut-case!!

Two yellows and a red in his first three games.

Newcastle have had three players booked, one sent off and they've got away with a blatant penalty and the games not even reached the half hour mark.

[Trapper John]

Yes, I've gotta come on at half time because I'm gobsmacked at this game.

Arsenal had started well with Newcastle on the back foot. They then commit a blatant penalty which the ref and linesman misses and Arsenal are robbed again by bad poor observation.

Nonetheless, the Gunners were well on top but the Magpies were defending well, then all of a sudden they go into looney assassin mode. Raking studs and stamping on feet and committing dreadful fouls on Arsenal players who've done nothing to prompt it, apart from being the better side.

Newcastle are now down to 10 men after a straight red card and have a host of players on yellows. Arsenal are just playing it easy but need to step it up, 10 men can be difficult to play against.

I think they'll be a change or two at half time and we should get the three points, but we need to score soon, the sooner we do the sooner the flood gates will open.

I reckon Giroud will come on shortly into the second half.

[Vicky]

Arsenal are 1-0 up!!

[Vicky]

It can only be a matter of time before Newcastle have another man sent off.

[Vicky]

Arsenal have had seventeen shots on goal compared to Newcastle's one shot on goal.

The Gunners have also had 76% of the possession.

[Vicky]

The game finished 1-0 to Arsenal and they climb to 5th place in the table.

TJ can fill you in on the details.

[Trapper John]

Well the Arsenal detractors have constantly criticised us for not knowing how to be pragmatic, they can't now.

Pragmatic, which to me means 'boring' is exactly what we were, and although we win the game with a 'fortunate' deflected goal, we were always on top, so far on top we almost stopped playing the game.

But, of course although no-one at Arsenal would admit it, the 3 points was the only thing that mattered today, however it came. It was absolutely vital - with City, Liverpool and Chelsea all likely to get 3 points against poorer opponents.

At the end of the day, like I've said before - had we got the penalty which we should have got the entire dynamic of the game changes. Newcastle has to come out and leave space for our speedy attack to get behind them and I reckon we'd have got a hatful.

Three points though, is all that matters. ..... Stats tell it all - 74% - 26% - 22 shots against 1 - like the commentator said Petr Cech could have brought a book to read.

Just seen Steve McClaren - the blokes delusional.

[Vicky]

[Trapper John]

Welcome to the Premier League - where anyone can beat anyone on any given day.

The first 'anyone' has got to be the fantastic Crystal Palace defeating Jose Mourinho 1-2 in his own back garden on his 100th home anniversary. Wonder what excuses the spiv has got after this? ........ who is going to be to blame for this loss?

The next 'anyone' is West Ham going to Liverpool and thumping those lucky fucking scousers 0-3 ...... I knew they were shit and running on 1000 octane luck and bad ref decisions. They've been found out this time - doesn't make our first day defeat seem so bad now, we took it lightly and paid the price, Liverpool were forewarned and forearmed and still let West Ham makes fools of them and Brendan Rodgers.

All we need to round the weekend off is Manchester United's jammy luck to run out like the scousers has and it will be almost perfect.

Of course Manchester City won and are top, but their luck will run out as soon as they start to play decent teams, the champions league gets going and Aguero has a few of the dozen injuries he gets a season - he's City's talisman, without him they are not the same.

So, all in all a great weekend so far - and shows just how important those 3 lunchtime points we got, better safe than sorry is what I say now.