5 reasons why FIFA’s “Best” Awards is not the “Best”

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  1. Mo Salah made the 3 man shortlist for Player of the Year, but failed to make the Team of the Year. Instead Kylian Mbappe, Eden Hazard & Lionel Messi were in the XI

 

  1. Likewise, Thibaut Courtois won Best Goalkeeper, but it was David de Gea who was in the Team of the Year

  1. Manchester City, Barcelona, Juventus & Bayern Munich won their respective leagues by a combined 58 points. Only Lionel Messi of Barcelona made the Team of the Year.

 

  1. Meanwhile Chelsea, who finished 5th, had two players in the Team of the Year (N’Golo Kante & Hazard) and their goalkeeper was voted Best Goalkeeper (Courtois)

 

  1. Dani Alves started just 23 league games for PSG, and did not go to the World Cup. Can these people not think of any other right back who was better last season?

Keenos

Lazy, Lazy Journalists

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Lazy Journalism I

So there was a now deleted tweet from Charlie Wyett, Football editor of The Sun. The tweet linked to his article after it was announced that Ivan Gazidis was to leave Arsenal for AC Milan.

Now I always think of myself as a fairly level headed fan. I will criticise where there is criticism to be made, and defend and support where things are not as bad as people make out.

There is a lot that Ivan Gazidis can be criticised for. Namely Arsenal’s poor commercial performance since he took over as CEO.

A high tide raises all ships. This is the best quote I have seen with regards to Gazidis’ performance at Arsenal, courtesy of Swiss Ramble. The meaning behind it being that yes, Arsenal have increased commercial revenue to record amounts, but so has every other club. And Arsenal have increased their commercial revenue by a lower percentage than every other top 6 club bar Spurs in the last decade.

But to claim that Arsene Wenger, under Ivan Gazidis, turned the club “into Europa League regulars at rip off prices” is just lazy journalism.

In the 11 years Ivan Gazidis was Arsenal CEO, the club played in the Europa League just twice. Arsenal have been in the competition less than any other “big 6” side in the last 11 years:

Liverpool: 8 times
Spurs: 8
Man U: 4
Chelsea: 3
Man C: 3
Arsenal: 2

The above also includes years when sides failed to qualify for any European competition.

Wyett considers Arsenal to be “Europa League regulars” when we have played in the competition just 3 times this millennium. It really is just lazy journalism.

I imagine the journalists wife complaining that to her friends that her husband thinks they have a regular sex life, despite him being in her just 3 times since the turn of the century.

It’s also shows Wyett has no idea about the pricing structure at Arsenal.

As always when the price of football is discussed, journalists conveniently ignore the fact that Arsenal fans get 26 games for the cost of their ticket price. This means that Arsenal, for the majority of the last decade, have actually had a lower “per game” ticket price than Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Where were the articles about those clubs being Europa League regulars at rip-off prices? They have played in the competition more often, and pay higher for the privilege.

Arsenal charge as low as £15.50 for Europa League football. That is more than a fair price.

Wyett blamed his headline writer, but then deleted the tweet after many fans called him out for it. He knew he was wrong.

Lazy Journalism II

Just as lazy as the print journalists are much of the Sky punditry team.

Firstly we have Geoff Shreeves, who decided to reprimand Alexandre Lacazette for saying the word “balls”. Then you have Graeme Souness, such a bitter man who gives absolutely no insight, whilst just being negative about every situation.

Over the summer, there was a lot of fuss made about female commentators and pundits. I want to be listening to the best people share their view, regardless of sex, race or anything else.

Ali Mitchell and Isa Guha are very good cricket commentators, and have their jobs with Channel 5 and Sky Sports on merit, rather than because they are female.

What football needs to do is promote women because they are good enough, not just because they are female. Alex Scott, for example, gives a very good insight into the game, and her place is justified on the punditry scene.

What we need to see at Sky is fresh pundits given a chance, whether they be male or female – the likes of Alex Scott, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.

Sky need to stop giving a pay cheque to the likes or Souness and Shreeves.

Souness is lazy, he says the same things every game and gives no real insight. Put him next to the likes of Carragher, Neville and Scott and he is clearly inferior. He has no clue.

Soccer Saturday is similar. I watched it for the first time for a year or so at the weekend and it was dull. Irrelevant man just shouting as loud as they can.

If these media outlets want people to watch, read or listen, they need to have pundits who actually have something to say. By trotting out the same old faces like some sort of old boys club will be detrimental as time go’s own.

Keenos

Victoria Concordia Crescit – Arsenal awash with positivity

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An Arsenal win ✓
A first clean sheet ✓
3 points in the bag ✓
FIVE wins in the row ✓

After that tough start to the season which saw us lose the opening two games to Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal are now on a run of 5 wins in a row.

In the league it is 4 wins in a row. Whilst the opposition of West Ham & Everton at home, Newcastle and Cardiff away, might not fill sides with fear, you can only beat what you have in front of you.

To bring things into perspective, Arsenal have not won 4 league games in a row since the back end of 2016/17 when we won the last 5 games of the season.

With Watford (H) and Fulham (A) up next, it is realistic that Arsenal could increase that winning run to 6 Premier League games – the last time we won more than 6 games on the trot was 2014/15.

If you are unable to see the positives in Unai Emery’s Arsenal, I feel sorry for you.

I see people moaning about the poor performance against Everton (we won 2-0!) and about our leaky defence. I see people moaning that Aaron Ramsey had a poor game (he set up both goals) and that Mesut Ozil has been awful (2 goals in his last 3 games).

People are moaning about Petr Cech in goal. Calling him past it. Even though he has actually performed very well this season; and improved on last season under the new coaching regime.

https://twitter.com/KeenosAFC/status/1043908840796934144

People have moaned about Hector Bellerin playing and Lucas Torreira not playing. They have complained about Unai Emery trying to put Ramsey, Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette into the same team.

I am just fed up with the moaning.

Wenger has gone, Gazidis has gone. We have won 5 games in a row in all competitions. There is plenty to be positive about. Plenty to get excited about.

I am all for constructive criticism – it does baffle me that Everton was the first time Torriera started in the Premier League – but we all demanded change, and we got that change. We should be backing the new mans decisions, even if we might not always agree with them.

I think the issue is some fans have the negativity from the Wenger-era ingrained into them.

They are so used to moaning week in week out that they are no longer able to look at the positives. Their response to beating Everton was not to enjoy the 5th win in a row and the clean sheet, but to highlight the poor performance.

Their glass will always be half empty. Nothing will ever be good enough for them.

They demanded the change, they got the change. Now they have nothing to contribute, bar constant moaning. It is almost like they need the club to be in turmoil to make their opinion relevant. That they are just waiting to stand outside the directors entrance with a bed sheet.

The reality is, if you are not able to get behind the team, the new management, The Arsenal. If you are still pretending to boycott the club, then your “support” is no longer really required. Your negativity not needed.

I am glad you do not go. That you keep your bitterness to Twitter rather than scream obscenities from the terraces.

Victoria Concordia Crescit

Sometimes I feel our fans forget this. That they go out of their way to create disharmony within the club. That they thrive off the negative. That it justifies their existence.

There is plenty to be positive at the moment. Bring on Brentford. Let’s make it 6 wins in a row before the visit of Watford.

Up the Arsenal

Keenos