Tag Archives: Arsenal

I LOVE the FA Cup (just a pity foreign managers are trying to destroy it)

4 Replies

I love the FA Cup.

For me it will always be the greatest cup competition on earth.

I grew up in the 90s (was born mid-80s) in a working class family in North-East London. We did not have the money for Sky TV. That meant the only football I got to watch was the FA Cup.

It was actually the FA Cup that made me fall in love with The Arsenal.

Watching the FA Cup semi-final between Arsenal and Tottenham in 1991 as a 6-year-old, I had decided to support whoever loses (I grew up in a family with little interest in football). 6-year-old me’s favourite colour was also red, so I was hoping Arsenal would lose so that I could support them.

I do not remember the game but Arsenal lost, and from that moment I became an Arsenal fan.

My next real memory of Arsenal was the 1993 FA Cup Final.

Back in those days the FA Cup Final was an all day event. The BBC would start off in the teams hotel for breakfast, live broadcast the coaches going into the stadium players on the pitch and so on.

I remember being in my kit, going out to the garden to kick a balloon pretending I played for Arsenal – no player in particular. At this point in my life the only connection I had with Arsenal was the kits I was bought. From memory I had never watched another game on TV since 1991, and did not know the players.

It finished 1-1. I do not remember watching the replay. It was past my bedtime.

The 1994 European Cup Winners Cup followed and that was it, I was hooked. But it all came from the FA Cup.

My love affair with the competition leads me to being extremely offended with the way managers, the media and the FA themselves treat the competition.

For as long as I can remember, people have questioned “the magic of the cup” and talked about its decline. But clubs, TV companies and the authorities are killing it themselves.

Tonight we play Bournemouth away. We will get some obnoxious pundit talking about the demise of the cup, whilst ignoring the fact that playing a game on a Monday night is part of the problem.

In recent years we have seen more games then ever be played on a Friday night, Saturday lunch time and Saturday afternoon.

3rd round FA Cup day used to be a day out. Sit in the pub with a huge accumulator watching the 3o’clock kick offs come in. With them now spread out over 4 days, it just is not the same.

The FA have removed the European place for the runners-up (if the winners had already qualified through the league). No longer will you get Millwall having a favourable run and going on a European tour.

A place in Europe was a well deserved prize for a lesser club if they had made it through to the final only to face and lose to one of the big boys.

The change happened from 2016, which denied Crystal Palace fans a European tour. Likewise Watford last year; thrashed in the final, no European football to help drown their sorrows.

For clubs like Palace and Watford, a cup run was their best chance of European football. Hull City, Stoke City, Cardiff City & Southampton have all qualified for Europe in recent years having finished runners-up in the cup. By removing the chance of getting into Europe as losing finalists, the FA enforce the view that survival in the Premier League is more important.

We then have the clubs themselves.

I have no issues with managers but out changed XIs in the cup. They have a squad of 25 players. It is there job to shuffle the pack and use them how they see fit. And with the top 6 especially, they have a wage bill of hundreds of millions and a squad filled with internationals.

What I can not stand is the (usual foreign) managers moaning about the cup.

We have Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola recently moaning about replays. About how England should scrap either the League Cup or FA Cup.

I am sorry, but these are foreign men who simply do not get English football. They want to come here, be paid millions, but then change the things that the fans love. If they do not want replays, if they do not want 2 domestic cups, maybe stick to managing in Spain?

Klopp yesterday talked about how in the replay against Shrewsbury Town he will be putting out the U23 team and Neil Critchley, the U23 manager will be taking charge.

Liverpool have a squad that is paid £264million. It contains over 20 players capped by their country.

Klopp put out a team that contained experience centre backs Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren; behind them was Adrian in goal. Fabinho, Takumi Minamino & Divock Origi were also in the team.

An experienced team, they were 2-0 up against Shrewsbury Town – 16th in League One. They drew 2-2. Mo Salah, Firminho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were all bought on to try and grab a winner.

Instead of deflecting and moaning about replays, Klopp should be calling out the performance of his own players who let a 2-0 lead slip.

Shrewsbury Town’s wage bill is just £3.5million. That is less than what most Liverpool players earn. The youngsters who started for the Scousers will also be on more money than any Shrewsbury Town player.

Liverpool might have already played 37 games this season; but Shrewsbury Town have played 36.

Whichever way you look at it, Klopp has no excuses over his side drawing against Shrewsbury. And his post-game comments shows that he just does not get the magic of the cup. It is no wonder that Liverpool have never made it past the 5th round under Klopp with his attitude.

And it is an awful attitude.

My problem with the likes of Klopp and Guardiola is these are not men who going to spend decades in the English game. Both will soon move on to their new paymasters. But whilst they are here, they are determined to wreck the greatest cup competition on earth. It just is not right.

If you can not respect the country you are living in, its customs, then maybe you should find another country.

Scrapping replays, letting the U23 manager take change, it is damaging in the long term.

The FA Cup is why I fell in love with football. It builds greater bonds for the children of Shrewsbury, Oxford and Exeter to their local club. Taking them out of the grasp of those super clubs that are hundreds of miles away.

A replay against Liverpool at Anfield will earn Shrewsbury Town in the region of £1million. It will mean a new training ground, or a new stand. It will transform the club. Transform the town.

But Klopp is sitting there in his ivory tower earning himself more money than Shrewsbury’s annual turnover, commenting about English football and English competitions. It shows he just does not understand.

Liverpool fans should call out Klopp. Make it clear that they do not agree with his stance. Likewise if Guardiola, Mikel Arteta or Jose Mourinho make disparaging comments, fans of Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea should make it clear that they disagree.

The FA Cup is the fans competition. From non-league to Premier League. If you do not understand its importance in English football, then you do not understand English football.

Yesterday we were informed that Yogis Warrior had sadly passed away. Stuart wrote A Cultured Left Foot. He was one of the best bloggers out there and inspired many others to “pick up a pen”. He wrote for years because he loved Arsenal. RIP, thoughts with his family.

Keenos

Marriage at Arsenal: Transformation of draws into wins

2 Replies

A great man once famously turned water into wine. An even greater man is charged with the harder task of turning draws into wins.

Arsenal have lost 6 games this season. Only table topping Liverpool, 2nd place Manchester City and Wolves have lost less. It is the same amount of defeats as Leicester City, and less than Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham.

But Arsenal have won just 6 games this season. Only bottom side Norwich City, 2nd bottom Watford have won less. Leicester City have won 15, Chelsea 12, Manchester United 9.

No team has drawn more games than Arsenal this season – 11.

Of our 11 draws in 2019/20, 5 times Arsenal led and failed to win the game.

We led 2-nil at Watford, only to draw 2-2. It was the same story at home to Crystal Palace. 2-0 up only to draw.

1-nil up at home to Wolves, 1-1. Leading 1-nil away to Crystal Palace, another draw. Finally at home to Sheffield United, leading 1-nil. You know the next bit. Draw.

That is 10 points Arsenal have lost from winning positions this season – and does not include leading against Chelsea before losing.

These are not tough games. They are not Liverpool or Man City away where you leave the ground content with a draw even if you were winning. These are games against mid-lower league teams. Sides who you would expect to beat. Especially after taking the lead. Especially at home.

The fact that 3 of the games were at home is even more infuriating.

It does not take much to turn these draws into wins.

Leading by 2 against Watford, we let our opponents back in with one of those silly goal kicks. Sokratis gave the ball away in the area and Watford scored. With 10 minutes to go David Luiz bought down a Watford player needlessly conceding a penalty.

Against Crystal Palace, leading 2-0, the South-London side won a debatable penalty which was originally given as a dive before being overturned by VAR. Arsenal were then denied a late win when VAR ruled out Sokratis’ “winner” late on. An apparent foul by Chambers in the lead up, it is a decision that no referee has been able to explain.

The draw to Wolves came when Arsenal were at their lowest under Unai Emery. A week later he was sacked.

Arsenal were never really on top of the game, despite taking the lead. Wolves had 25 shots on target. Emery had clearly lost the dressing room at this point.

Against Crystal Palace Arsenal went down to 10 men following a VAR decision. Nicolas Pepe nearly won it at the end.

Finally we have Sheffield United. Another game influenced by VAR.

1-nil up, Nicolas Pepe had a penalty appeal waved away that was very similar to the one that Wilfried Zaha won months before in the 2-2 draw with Palace. On one occasion VAR intervened awarding a penalty against Arsenal. On this occasion VAR decided not to award a penalty.

So 5 draws from winning positions. A handful of VAR decisions that went against us. An inability to get that 2nd goal in 3 of the games. A couple of silly penalties given away.

It would not take much to turn those 5 disappointing results into five positive ones. That 10 lost points would see Arsenal move level with Chelsea on 39 points.

Football is a game of fine margins. 5 times Arsenal have led against lower teams. 5 times we have failed to win.

If Arteta can turn draws into wins we will soon start climbing the league table once more.

Keenos

Dial Square FC – Is it not an Arsenal phoenix club

Leave a reply

So The Athletic ran an article this morning about how a fan has set up an “Arsenal phoenix club” with the aim of participating in next season’s Combined Counties Football League – the ninth tier of English football.

In the past we have discussed the possibility of an Arsenal phoenix team similar to that of  FC United of Manchester and AFC Wimbledon.

On the face of it, a phoenix club should be of interest to a few fans. But then you look deeper into the plans of Dial Square FC and you wonder just how it is associated with Arsenal bar the name.

Dial Square FC has been set up by Stuart Morgan.

Morgan told the Athletic  “The club has lost its identity in so many different ways. This Arsenal team, the club, the set-up, the stadium, is nothing like it was in its heyday.” It is a statement that we can all get behind.

He goes on “It’s so commercialised, I sit in club level. It’s soulless, it’s lifeless, it’s not Arsenal Football Club.”

And this is where it starts to fall apart.

He is complained that the club has changed too much, that is too commercialised, soulless, lifeless but then he talks about sitting in Club Level.

For those that don’t know, Club Level is the ring of seats above the bottom tier, and below the boxes. It was created by the club for commercial reasons – allowing richer fans to jump the season ticket waiting list if they were willing to pay double the season ticket cost.

So Morgan is moaning about the club not being what it was, without realising that every time he takes his seat in Club Level, he is part of the problem.

“The reason I wanted to do this project is to go back to beginning, to try and get back to that original Arsenal.”

There is not much green space in Islington. Not many football pitches. And to my knowledge there is no Kingsmeadow size ground (where AFC Wimbledon moved to). A phoenix club was always going to have to move out of the borough. Look at Haringey, Barnet or Camden. A move back down to Woolwich would also make sense.

But Morgan has not picked a borough near Islington, or Woolwich. He has not even decided to start start his phoenix club in London. He has decided to ground share with a side called Abbey Rangers who are based in Addlestone, Surrey.

So here is a Club Level season ticket holder moaning about how the club has lost it’s identity, and yet he is starting his phoenix club outside of London.

The intentions of Morgan need to be questioned.

Back in 2014, he set up Addlestone United FC. Their website shows them playing at the same Abbey Rangers ground that has been picked for Dial Square to play at.

Morgan claims that “we tried to find a suitable ground within our targeted location, but there was no option.” So the only suitable ground he could find was not in London, and one which he has previously hired for the previous club he set up?

Dial Square are not the first club which he has attempted to piggy back off Arsenal for. The Addlestone United crest contain a cannon and the motto “Victory Through Effort”. What has happened to this club? Is he still involved?

Morgan is also trying to raise £50,000 through a Go Fund Me page.

Why is he using Go Fund Me to raise funds? Surely if he is doing this for the love of Arsenal, he should be raising money through an equity release share scheme? Offer 200,000 shares for sale at £1 each, with all revenue raised going into the clubs funds? It would quadruple what he is after and give fans across the globe a share in this new “peoples club”.

When FCUM started, those driving it held public meetings to get fans agreements. The 3 founders of AFC Wimbledon involved the Wimbledon Independent Supporters’ Association before doing anything official. Where is AST, RedAction or ASIA’s involvement? Have they been asked? If so why are they not involved? At the moment it is just one man, using Arsenal’s demise, to raise £50,000 for his starter club.

This is not him going “back to the beginning”, this is an individual who has decided to start a football club near his home in Surrey and decided to piggy back on Arsenal’s problems for publicity.

Dial Square is not an Arsenal phoenix club. It is a team set up by an entitled man that sits in club level, moans about the club becoming too corporate, that it has lost its identity. A team set up outside of London.

Thanks Stuart. Good luck setting up your team. Your vanity project. But do not pretend it is an Arsenal phoenix club.

Just another attention seeker.

Keenos