Thanks for reposting that.

Talk Shite always amazes me with what they can get away with in the name of commercial radio banter.

They occasionally have token ex-Arsenal something – but in truth, it really doesn’t change the inherent prejudice there is for Arsenal at that station from top to bottom.

I got to the stage where I decided not to even try and listen to Talk shite for my own sanity.

I loved Barney’s video so much I actually made it Stone Cold Arsenal’s video of the week.

I was so happy for Abou Diaby as the goal gave him more confidence to stamp his authority in the midfield.

I’ll be blunt about Mascherano vs Song.

If Song was An Argentine, Maradona would have a selection problem. This is what I see as the main difference.

Song’s individual skill with the ball makes him more useful to the team. You can see that his overall contribution to attacking play for example, is much more refined – and remember Song is about 5 or 6 years younger than Mascherano.

The Argentine’s link play and passing range leaves a lot to be desired. I’ll give him credit for his tanacity and defensive nous, but a team sometimes needs more than that.

If a defensive midfield is not defending, then you’re effectively playing with 10 men. Liverpool for example, badly miss a link player in the midfield who can weave the ball from defense to attack. As they are now and without Alonso who did this so well, there’s no wiring system that links up play from defense to attack that could make them more lethal.

In Arsenal’s case, both Diaby and Song can do both the defensive work and the link play.

In recent times, 2 of Arsenal’s most breath-taking goals have been from Assist’s by Diaby and Song.

Song executed a sublime cross field pass against Burnley in the 5th round of last years FA cup for Eduardo’s beach goal.

Even Owen Coyle admitted that if he wasn’t the Burnley manager, he would have run onto the pitch to congratulate Eduardo for that goal.

When we played Everton at Goodison park last season, Diaby’s pin point ball onto Van Persie’s chest was a peach. Straight from Almunia’s throw, to Diaby, onto Van Persie and in the back of Everton’s net in less than 7 secondds flat. And it was literally the last kick of the game.

I submit to you that Javier Mascherano has yet to convince me that he can add that link play to his game.

I confess, I was a little distracted by Diaby on the day.
Thanks to BarneyStinton for the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kPAnk6oCds&feature=player_embedded

A classic example of the anti Arsenal agenda occurred to me today while listening to Talksh**e radio this evening (which is nearly always a mistake). They were discussing the vile chanting directed at Arsene by opposing fans. It has taken 13 years to become a topic of conversation and it was only on air today because Ferguson has spoken out against it. You would think it incumbent on the football authorities, league managers association and the media to do something about this but the fact that it is directed at a Frenchman means that the xenophobic establishment are happy to ignore it. Just look at how they all jump to defend Redknapp, Allardyce, Hughes and all the other British managers – it makes me sick.

You go into this with much deeper thought on all the aspects than I feel qualified for.

Football as a business, since Sky & the PL, has moved into realms that I certainly would not have predicted back in the mid 1980, when live league games were 1st shown. At that time football was a hobby of a size-able minority, now virtually anybody has some sort of opinion.

During this time scale I have thought that the “bubble would burst” but the opposite keeps happening & we have £140m (?) spent on 2 players with wages making it a billion. The 2 players could go out for a drive together & get hit by a truck (not wishful thinking). The bubble keeps getting bigger.

It has become virtually anything goes & all I really care about is am I still enjoying it & can I still feel the same about Arsenal?

I don’t care where the players or the manager come from. How many Londoners have played for or managed our club?

As long as they are committed & reasonably honourable, it matters not a jot.

Talented & determined English players will not improve without the foreign input & they have 92 league clubs, where they can show their worth.

So how English is the EPL……about as truly English as any major English company.

There is no turning back the clock even if you want to, which is another debate of its own.

I am glad we have Wenger in charge and hope that Silent Stan remains silent in the take over front and that other guy just f’s off (excuse the language).

One can only imagine what would happen of someone like Abramovich got fed up of Terry missing spot kicks, gets fed up and packs up.

It’s the brains of Wenger v the brawn (cash) of the others.

The foreign ownerships, in my opinion, has not helped the premiership much. Rather, it has created a myopic view of football administration. Unfortunately, the iZombies have very little brains that they have all become Myopic Larkies.