Tag Archives: She Wore

The Myth of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

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Last night Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his 1st goal in 12 games for club and country.

Since joining Liverpool, he has played less than 50% of the available minutes. Let’s stop pretending that he is anything but an average, inconsistent footballer.

It almost feels with Oxlade-Chamberlain that there are multiple agendas at work.

Firstly you have the media. Every time he has a good game, they bash on about how much he has improved since leaving Arsenal for Liverpool – even though he hasn’t. This suits their duel agenda of bashing Arsenal and praising Liverpool.

Then we have The Arsenal fans, who blamed Oxlade-Chamberlain’s lack of progression on Arsene Wenger.

Now whenever Oxlade-Chamberlain has a good game, they use it as a way to bash the Frenchman. To highlight how much a player can improve under a “proper coach” like Jürgen Klopp. There are plenty of things to criticise Wenger for, but Oxlade-Chamberlain’s lack of drive to improve himself is not one.

The reality is Oxlade-Chamberlain has not improved. He is still the same inconsistent ball of frustration he was at Arsenal.

Capable of moments of brilliance, such as his goal last night against Manchester City, and then weeks and weeks of dross and poor performances and miss placed passes.

He will stick one in the top corner (every 10-15 games) then spend put 4 crosses in a row over the bar. Or over hit half a dozen cross field balls. Or run with his head down until he is suddenly over the by-line.

The only difference now, for Arsenal fans, is we do not notice the average 10 performances in between two great games because we no longer watch him every week.

We see him when he scores a screamer, like against Manchester City, and think “gosh hasn’t he improved”, forgetting that his last decent game – also against Manchester City – was a dozen games ago.

The fact that in a fully fit midfield, he does not start for Liverpool. That he has started less than 50% of the league games under Jürgen Klopp. Averages 46 minutes a game in the Premier League (which drops below 40 minutes when you add Champions League and the cups) shows that even Klopp does not trust him.

He was fantastic last night. As were Liverpool. No one saw them beating Manchester City, and he was key in that. But that is the point.

Sandwiched between his 2 9 out of 10 performances against Manchester City, he went missing against Swansea, WBA and Southampton. And barely got off the bench against Huddersfield, Tottenham and Watford.

Since joining Liverpool, he has played 90 minutes just 8 times. He is often the first man taken off when he starts.

Liverpool fans would agree that he has been a flop, that he has been average. The only reason they do not is because they do not want to admit Arsenal got one over them, that he was not a waste of £40m. Their fans are deluded that everything Jurgen Klopp is great – even though this will be his 3rd season without a trophy.

Last night was his 5th goal of the season. Not exactly Ballon D’or worthy is it? In fact, he has now drawn level with Arsenal left back Nacho Monreal.

He is not exactly doing what Mo Salah is doing for Liverpool, or what Raheen Sterling is doing for Manchester City. He isn’t even out performing Aaron Ramsey at Arsenal.

Let’s call a spade a spade. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still the frustratingly inconsistent player that many fans called “dead wood” and were happy to get £40m for.

And no amount of Nivea will change that.

Keenos

£200m stolen from football by greedy leeches

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Football is awash with greed. We all know that. And nothing highlights the greed more than every time a new increased TV deal is announced, the only ones to really profit are footballers and agents.

I imagine it happens at every club up and down the country. The TV deal is announced, a 20% uplift on the last one, and there is a knock on the managers door. It is an agent. He has a couple of players at the club. He knows the club is about to get 20% more money, and he demands a 20% increase in players wages.

The agent often gets his wish. New deals are signed. And the money for the new TV deal is eaten up. But then the agent wants his slice of the pie. His few hundred thousand pound (or couple of million if you are Mino Raiola dealing with Jose Mourinho). And all these few hundreds of pounds add up.

In 2017, over £200m went into the pockets of “agents/intermediaries”

This is an incredible amount of money.

When lower league teams are threatened with going out of business, at the top end of games, we have agents taking money out of the game. They are leaches. They pray on young players, telling stories of dreams, that usually end up broken. If they sign enough kids, they hope one will turn into the next Jack Wilshere, Dele Alli or even Lionel Messi.

It is like the Twitter accounts who advertise great odds deals if you click on their link. They then profit from your losses for life. Agents get their claws into a young player, than make off him for life, becoming millionaires without ever being able to kick a ball.

It is greed.

In a dream world, every time the TV deal increases, match day tickets prices could reduce. In 2015, when a new deal was announced, I worked out that Arsenal could offer £25 tickets to every fan, for every game, and revenue would stay the same. Instead, all the extra money ended up going to the players and their agents.

When you look at the profit/loss of most football clubs, very few actually make any money. Most just about break even. You would think with a £50m increase in TV revenue, they would show a profit. They do not. It is in one door, out the other.

I do not overly mind players earning big money. If that is what the market dictates, then fair enough. They give back with memories and moments. But agents, they do little, and have just taken over £200m out of the game in the last 12 months.

That is a disgrace. It is money that could go towards cheaper tickets, or towards grass roots football.

£200m gone out of football in 12 months.

Keenos

Alexandre Lacazette, Gooner Fanzine, Stoke City, Liverpool and Safe Standing

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Alexandre Lacazette

Yesterday I discussed the future of Alexandre Lacazette at Arsenal. Some people clearly missed the point of the blog.

At no point was I pretending to have a source or inside knowledge that he is leaving. Now was I saying he was useless. I was merely putting forward the point that it would not surprise me if Atletico Madrid renewed their interest in him, and Arsenal decided to cash in and invest in someone different.

It always baffles me when people read the headline, or two or 2 lines of a blog, and then comment. Learn to read the whole thing.

Gooner Fanzine

Stoke City

I hope they get relegated. And then next season do a Sunderland and get relegated again.

The Aaron Ramsey stuff aside, their fans sum up everything that is wrong with football. They scream and shout and cry when they are criticised by the media or other fans, yet are happy to abuse others themselves.

It is actually hilarious that one of their fanzines now wants them to get relegated:

They are nearly as bad as Liverpool when it comes to playing the victim.

Liverpool and Safe Standing

I see Liverpool fans are attempting to “lead the way” when it comes to exploring the safety of standing. Quite ironic that it was their fans behaviour that lead to standing being banned across the United Kingdom.

Everyone always forgets Heysel. It is maybe this guilt that drives the likes of the Spirit of Shankly group. The knowledge that your fellow fans were directly at fault for others.

No one should go to a game and not come back. Whether it be Bradford, Hillsborough or Heysel.

It feels the rest of football is waiting for Liverpool fans to say “yes” to safe standing. That is like the medical profession waiting for Harold Shipman to OK the use of paracetamol.

Safe standing needs to come in sooner rather than later. It could revitalise the dwindling crowds at football. But Liverpool fans should not be put in the position of king-makers.

Keenos