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Sutton Away loophole, Fans set for refund, Transfer deadline day & Watford

Sutton Away

So we got the tie a lot of fans wanted, an away game against Sutton United of the National League (formerly known as the Conference). As Arsenal fans celebrated a chance to visit a lower league ground, stand on the terraces, it slowly dawned on everyone that we will get next to no tickets.

With Sutton’s Gander Green Lane stadium holding just 5,013, Arsenal will get around in the region of 750 tickets.

When Leeds visited at the weekend, they got a grand total of 750 tickets.

With Arsenal having around 1,200 on the away ticketing scheme (basically an away season ticket), tickets for the game will be put into a ballot as per the terms and conditions of the scheme. This means many of the fans who ‘celebrated’ and were looking forward to an away trip to Sutton will miss out.

dcddd There is some talk that Sutton United could apply to move the game to a bigger venue – likely to be Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park. However, in 2003, after Farnborough switched a 4^th round tie against Arsenal to Highbury, the FA Challenge Cup committee slamed the door on Cup’s rogue venue-switchers.

This would seemingly make it impossible for the game to be switched. However, reading through the 2003 article, there still might be some options open to allow more fans to watch the tie:

No club will be able to benefit financially from such a switch

So as long as no one benefits financially, that the income taking from the move remains the same as the income the clubs would have received had the tie not been moved, then a move could possible still be open.

Those who move for the wrong reasons could be barred from the competition the following year.

What are the wrong reasons? Clearly the wrong reason is financial. So what are the right reasons? The right reasons will always be ‘on health and safety grounds’. Whilst Sutton United have a safety certificate enabling them to have 5,000 at their ground, what would happen if 10,000 fans converge on the area to watch the game locally? Would the police be able to control that? Fans attempting to jib in, force their way into a ground that can not be secured. It could be a massive health and safety risk.

The tie could possibly therefore be moved on police advice.

If a cup tie still had to be switched it would go to the nearest suitable neutral venue, rather than the opponents’ home ground.

So a tie can be switched to the nearest suitable home ground. In this case, it would be Crystal Palace.

If games are still moved, any excess money earned by the participants would go into the central pool.

So to stop people benefiting financially from a change of venue, any extra revenue generated go’s into a central pool and then distributed to all clubs.

The door is clearly open for a venue change. Sutton United and Arsenal will simply have to present to the police that holding such a big game at such a small stadium presents a health and safety and security risk.

Fan set for refund

As part of an Arsenal season ticket, fans automatically get the first 7 FA Cup / Champions League home games – this is why Arsenal always appear to have vastly more expensive season tickets than other clubs; we get 26 games.

If Arsenal do not play 7 home FA Cup / Champions League games, fans are then given a discount off next years season ticket.

With an away draw against Sutton making it 3 away FA Cup ties in a row for the Gunners, it leaves Arsenal fans having had just 4 of their cup tickets. The 3 games in the group stages of the Champions League and Bayern Munich in the first knock out stage.

In total, Arsenal have a possibility of playing another 4 games at home in cup competitions:

6^th round replay if we draw away to Sutton
FA Cup QF / QF replay if we get through the 6^th round
Champions League QF
Champions League SF

Now you make your mind up on the likelihood of any of these happening.

The club bean counters will be getting nervous at this point. The cost of refunding 3 cup games to fans could be as high as £9,000,000.

Of course, the club (and fans) will be hoping we get through to the FA Cup QF and Champions League semi-final. This will also come with a cost, however, as the club are likely to make these games category A, and adding a charge to fans season tickets for next year.

Deadline day Arsenal transfers

Nothing to see here. Move along please.

Watford

So Arsenal enter a defining few days in this years title race. Victory tonight over Watford and a Chelsea defeat at Anfield blows the race right open again, and sets it up nicely for the weekends game at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.

For the 1^st time in a long, long time, Arsene Wenger has almost a fully fit squad to pick from, with only Santi Cazorla out injured, Granit Xhaka suspended and Mohamed Elneny in Africa

Having only just come back from injury, I would be very surprised if Theo Walcott or Danny Welbeck start. The former playing 90 minutes at the weekend against Southampton.

The biggest headache for Wenger will be whether to give Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain another run out in the middle of the park after a Man of the Match performance against Southampton, or revert to what he knows and have a Coquelin, Ramsey, Ozil axis. I think he will play it safe and go for the later. Although he will start Oxlade-Chamberlain on the wing.

Hopefully Stevie Boulds Red & White Army makes it 2 wins from 2.

Have a good day and stay warm and dry later.

Up the Arsenal.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC

Defining 7 days for The Arsenal

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The next week is set to be the most crucial of the season in the Premier League.
By this time next week, Arsenal could be 14 points behind Chelsea. Out of the title race. Goodnight, Vienna. But if results go Arsenal’s way, it could be a 2 point title race. Bring it on!
Tomorrow Chelsea travel to Anfield to play Liverpool. The Scousers are in terrible form. Just a single win this calendar year, against Plymouth. They have just been knocked out of the League Cup and FA Cup. Currently 10 points behind in the Premier League, defeat tomorrow for them is simply not an option. It will mean their season is over in January.

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Liverpool will need to go all out for a win, but in their form, they will struggle. Although Jurgen Klopp, and Liverpool, do have a habit of raising their game against a bigger side, only to then lose the next week against someone like Crystal Palace.

The same day, Arsenal host Watford.

The Premier League is the toughest in the world. We have seen Klopp & Pep Guardiola struggle this season with a competitiveness that they have simply not been used to in their managerial careers. A tough game every weekend, rather than a tough game once a month. And that is why we can not take a game for granted, even a home tie against Watford.

On paper, Arsenal should beat Watford easily. We have not lost in the league to them since 1988 in the Old First Division. Although Wednesday will be just the 8th time the sides have met since then.

Since their return to the Premier League last season, Arsenal have scored 10 goals in 3 games, conceding just once. However this time last year Watford knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup, winning 2-1 at the Emirates. It was the quarter final stage and denied Arsenal 7th visit to Wembley in just over 2 years. That was Watford’s only victory over Arsenal in 9 games.

Then on Saturday Arsenal travel to Stamford Bridge for the game which will define our season.
Even if Arsenal beat Watford and Chelsea lose to Liverpool, the game against Chelsea will still be win or bust.

Arsenal have not won away from home against Chelsea since 2011, and have beaten Chelsea just once, home or away, since that game (I do not count the Community Shield as a competitive game). Arsenal’s record against Chelsea in the last 13 years is nothing short of atrocious.

Pre-Abramovich, Chelsea could not beat Arsenal. During the Abramovich era, the form between the sides has done a 180, and Arsenal have struggled to get the 3 points.

3-0 was the scoreline earlier in the season. A result which had many writing Chelsea off as a threat in the title race. But an incredible run of form of 15 wins in 16 games has seen Chelsea go from 8th to 1st, clear in the league by 8 points. Chelsea are a different side to that which we faced earlier this season.

Arsenal win, the title race is on. Chelsea win, you might as well do the trophy presentation after the game.

14 points or 2 points. The next 7 days will define this years Premier League season.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC

Lucas Perez, Aaron Ramsey, Chris Coleman & Watford Away

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Lucas Perez

So we all know how it works by now:

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So a player gets his move away from the club, or his new contract, and Arsenal simply get used, abused and spat out. At no point were Arsenal actually interested, but the furore caused leads fans to get excited, than disappointed, then attack the club.

I doubt if Arsenal are interested in Lucas Perez (and fully expect this article to be RT’d thousands of times when we do sign him). We have been linked to so many players this summer. Moist is either press speculation, or, like with Riyad Mahrez, an agent using the Arsenal name to gain publicity to get a better deal.

Let’s stop believing everything we read.

Aaron Ramsey

Arsene Wenger was right when, after Liverpool, he said he just can not win (0 wins from 2 games shows that).

He did not player Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil or Olivier Giroud, and was bashed left, right and centre over it. But had they played, and got injured, everyone would have moaned that they were rushed back, not given the correct time off.

Fast forward 10 days, and Aaron Ramsey is out injured for a month after playing in the opening game of the season against Liverpool.

Chris Coleman has gone on to say: “I think we all expected him to [miss the start of the season].

“So I don’t know what happened between then and when he ended up on the pitch.

“Obviously only Arsenal can answer that. I think, to a man, it was a bit of a surprise he started.”

And there we have the catch 22 Arsene Wenger was talking about. He plays a player, that player gets injured, people moan that he should not have played him. He does not play a player, giving him a bit more rest, people then moan he should have played him.

Due to suspension, Aaron Ramsey’s last game for Wales was 1^st July. A week before Laurent Koscileny and Olivier Giroud. In fact, the Frenchmen played 3 more games after Aaron Ramsey’s last game.

Koscielny returned to the Arsenal starting 11 for Leicester. A week after the first game. So Coleman’s talk about Ramsey being treated differently is completely rubbish.

I also laugh at Chris Coleman’s dig at Arsene Wenger “A lot has been said about their injury list, they’re doing the same things now as they’ve always done – they’re not going to change now.”

So he is moaning that we treated Ramsey different to Koscielny, than saying we are doing the same as we have always done? How can both of these be correct?

Chris Coleman is an average manager who got lucky by coming into a Wales team with someone like Gareth Bale in it.

Coleman managed 117 games for Coventry, he had a win percentage of 29.1%. I think he has been listening to former Dutch physio and career critique Raymond “unemployed” Verheijen too much.

Watford Away

So we have a distraction of the transfer window coming up in the shape of Watford away. At least those of us who go have something else to think about / look forward too. A decent trip that is local but still feels like an away game.

At times like this I feel sorry for those who live their footballing lives from behind a keyboard, or on a smart phone. It must be hard sitting their day in day out, not having a game to look forward to, not having the release of 90 minutes.

Enjoy your bitching and moaning online before, during and after the game. I will be in the pub, in the ground, then in the pub again, enjoying the company of my pals.

Up the Arsenal.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC