Tag Archives: Premier League

Fake awards and calendar records

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What is it about all these fake records the media are inventing? It is getting ludicrous.

A few years back we had the “Most points in the calendar year” awarded to Arsenal by those in the media. The majority of us scoffed at this. You do not win trophies for the most points in the calendar year, but the most points over the season.

Then a year ago, you had an award given to Spurs for “most points over the last two seasons”. They finished 2nd and 3rd without a trophy, but they got the most points over 2 seasons. Well done.

Just at the end of last year, Harry Kane broke the “most Premier League goals in a calendar year” record.

Firstly, it highlights how much these records are made up by the media by the fact that it was a Sky-era only record. Secondly, Alan Shearer held the previous record, of which he was unaware of until 20 years after he “broke” the record.

And now Kevin De Bruyne is a record breaker.

Kevin De Bruyne sets assist record.

Was the headline. I wondered what record he had broken. It being January and all, it can not be a calendar year record.

“Kevin De Bruyne became the first player to register 10 assists in Europe’s top five leagues”. That was the record. The first player to register 10 assists in Europe’s top five leagues.

Not the first person ever, not the first person in history, just the first person this season. What a record to hold! What a load of Buzzcocks.

I fully understand why all these records are being created by the media.

In an era of 24 hour news, revenues driven by advertising rather than buyers, media outlets need the clicks, the listeners, the watchers.

This leads to the dumbing down of the media. A picture of Kim Kardashian with her arse hanging out will get more hits than an investigative article into the corruption of unions in the UK. This clickbait thirst has led to the rise of fake news.

Football fans have dealt with fake news for decades.

For years, transfer speculation has been a key income stream for the media. Write an article on XXX joining XXX and the hits will go through the roof. Especially if the club you are trying to link the player with is Arsenal or Manchester United. Fake news gets the hits. The more hits, the more revenue.

And this leads back to fake records and awards.

Young journalists trying to break through in the industry are not KPI’d on the quality of their articles but their quantity. I know someone who works in the field and they have to write 3 news articles a day.

Eventually they get to the point where they are literally making stuff up just to fulfil the 3 articles a day. They create these records to give themselves something to write about.

Then these articles are picked up by other junior journalists who basically rip off the original article to complete their daily quota.

Suddenly every media outlet has picked up on the fake record, and is reporting on it. Then it hits social media (although chances are the originator stole it off someone else) and the record becomes a “thing”.

I watch cricket and they come up with records as tedious as Highest 6th wicket, 2nd innings partnership for England at Melbourne. The difference is cricket is a game for statistic geeks.

The final nail in the coffin for this blog was the award the Daily Mirror gave to Spurs:

Keenos

Crystal Palace Win, Jack Wilshere Contract & Henry v Sanchez

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Crystal Palace Win

Good win. Played well. Can’t tell you much about the second half as I was drinking on the concourse.

Jack Wilshere

Great performance by Jack Wilshere. His talent has never been in question, just his fitness.

The club have taken it slowly with him this season, and have been criticised for doing so, but the fact he is now fully fit and starting for Arsenal shows they got it right.

Hopefully his career has rejuvenated and we secure his new contract.

Thierry Henry

So Thierry Henry on Sky picked up on the fact that two separate groups of players celebrated one of Alexis Sanchez’s goal.

Henry said: “You’re not here for Alexis Sanchez, you’re here for Arsenal. Arsenal scored. Go and celebrate. Whoever does it, we don’t care about that, go and celebrate with your team-mate.”

For a start, it is a complete non-story. It was a great assist that lead to the goal. The players near Jack Wilshere celebrated with him. The players near Alexis Sanchez celebrated with the Chilean.

It is not unusual for some players to celebrate with the assist maker and others the goal scorer.

Secondly, I have to laugh about Henry commenting about players wanting to leave and and the dressing room being split. His behaviour in 2006 when he wanted to be at Barcelona was equally poor.

I remember plenty of times in that year Henry demanding players celebrate with him. He thinks that he is King of the Hill but his behaviour was a disgrace.

Keenos

5 things Arsenal need to change for Crystal Palace

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Before I crack on with this blog, whenever I write this sort of thing, we get a lot of responses on the Facebook page saying The manager or Arsene Wenger. Yes, I want Wenger to leave, but lets be realistic, we will not change manager between you reading this blog and playing Crystal Palace this evening. So lets crack on with things realistically.

Drop Alex Iwobi

I want Alex Iwobi to succeed. He has been with the club since 2004, joining us as an 8 year old when in primary school. Yes, some idiots might point to him being born in Lagos and representing Nigeria, but he is home grown and Arsenal through and through.

But his recent performances have not been up to Arsenal standard.

When he first broke through into the first team squad in 2015, his natural talent was clear to be seen by all, but he needed games. At the end of the 2015/16 season, I felt he could have done with a season on loan at a Premier League club. A chance to get 38 games under his belt at Number 10 in a less pressurised environment.

He did not go on loan for 2016/17 and ended up playing 38 games in all competitions for Arsenal. This year he has appeared 15 times. But has he gone forward since he broke through in 2015? I feel not.

With Arsenal reverting back to 4 at the back, he neither has the ability to play on the wing, nor the enthusiasm to track back and cover his full back. It is stubborn of Wenger to keep playing Alex Iwobi whilst Theo Walcott, who scored 19 goals last season, sits on the bench.

Walcott might not be everyone’s cup of tie, but as a wideman, he is more of a threat than Alex Iwobi.

Alternatively, I would not mind seeing Reiss Nelson get a run out in his proper position as a right winger.

Central Defence

Nacho Monreal has been one of our more consistent performers this season on the left hand side of a defensive 3. But Arsenal have returned to a back four and whilst Wenger’s loyalty to a senior pro is admiral, Monreal needs to be dropped from the centre of the defence.

With Shkdoran Mustafi returning from injury, and Calum Chambers and Rob Holding in the wings, there is no logical reason to play a left back at centre back, bar being loyal to a player who has not really done much wrong this season.

Wenger needs to be clinical, think of the team rather than the individual, and play his strongest central defensive partnership. That means Monreal missing out.

(Note: Since writing this blog, Nacho Monreal has been ruled out with injury. That forces Wenger to make the change)

A left back at left back

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Whilst Monreal should be dropped from the centre, he should get an opportunity back in his natural left back position.

In recent games, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has performed admirably at left back, but he is not a left black.

Time for either Sead Kolasinac to come in from the cold, or Nacho Monreal to play left back.

(Note: Since writing this blog, Nacho Monreal has been ruled out with injury. That means Kolasinac should start)

Drop Hector Bellerin

Against Liverpool, Hector Bellerin did improve as the game went on, but his form this season has been horrible.

Bellerin is brilliant breaking forward from the right back position, but he does not have the ability going forward to play right wing back.

It might only be a slight tactical switch, but in a 3 at the back, the wing backs are the sole source of width. They must be able to beat an opponent like a winger and cross the ball. Bellerin can not beat a man when they have stood him up, and his crossing is poor.

The move back to 4 at the back should suit him, as it allows him to combine with a wide forward and make runs from deeper where his pace is devastating – but since the move to 4 at the back he has been poor.

I would not be too upset to see Ainsley Maitland-Niles move to right back against Crystal Palace.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles at right back, Reiss Nelson on the right wing. They would get instant backing from the fans.

Drop Alexis Sanchez

The Chilean has been awful this season, losing the ball, looking disinterested, unable to beat a man. He has been poor.

Reports are that he will leave us in January. If true, I do not want to see him on the pitch against Crystal Palace, West Brom, or anyone else.

Danny Welbeck might not be a brilliant replacement, but he is adequate and hass often impressed when playing left wing for England. His late runs from wide into the far post make him a threat.

Stick Welbeck on, and with Lacazette and Walcott/Nelson, Arsenal have a pacey front 3 that will make Mesut Ozil lick his lips.

 

Hopefully tonight go’s a lot better than last time we played at Selhurst Park, then it is on to the fun of West Brom on New Years Eve.

Keenos