1. A victory for people who change their tactics.
Yesterday’s pulsating North London Derby told us several things we already knew, but didn’t really mind hearing again anyway. Firstly, AVB can alter his tactics to correctly change a game. Secondly, Arsene Wenger cannot. Thirdly, Gareth Bale is now a brilliant finisher. Fourthly, Oliver Giroud is not. Fifthly, playing a high line with slow defenders against a team with rapier like attackers is really stupid. Sixthly, Aaron Ramsey is all sorts of rubbish. Seventhly (are these even real words now?) Arsene Wenger is making Arsenal football club worse, not better. Given I’m not supposed to be talking about Arsenal let’s just leave it at this. Arsenal are currently in the same situation that Liverpool were during Benitez last year in charge. Their regression has been slower, but it has been coming. Like Liverpool, they are not suddenly going to bounce back and challenge for titles and Champions Leagues based on history and name alone, they are going to wallow around in mediocrity for a long, long time. Getting rid of Wenger at least gives them a shot at getting out of the mire. If I were an Arsenal fan, I would get him out now and get someone else in who can take this young, talented but mentally pathetic squad in a new direction. They may well fail, they may well do even worse than Wenger is doing… but better to have aimed for the stars than not to have bothered aiming at all.
2. Is Michael Owen
the most inane twitter user in the world?
[“What is your favourite soup Michael ?? Mine is Minestrone.” Great question!!! Pea and Ham!]
Apparently, when Michael Owen isn’t eating Pea and Ham soup, he’s playing football for Stoke City. If by playing football he means being injured. Or not bring selected because he doesn’t meet the six foot quota. Or both. Either way, the man spends an unholy amount of time of twitter… and almost none of it is worth reading. I wouldn’t mind so much if Owen concentrated his efforts on providing cut rate football analysis. For example, in yesterday’s North London Derby Owen logged on to let us all know that Spurs had scored “similar goals.” Just in case, you know, we weren’t sure about that. But he doesn’t, Owen also tweets such spectacular junk as “watch Family Fortunes! The Owen Family are on tonight. Can't tell you how we did though!” and “Just done an hour solid of listening to The Beatles on my way to training!” Maybe I misunderstand the point of twitter, is it not to spread worthy news articles, trend breaking stories and add your own, carefully digested soundbite to such events? For most retired footballers like Owen, it seems to be just a sounding board for every banal thought that goes through their head. Still need convincing? In a clearly bored moment this January, Michael Owen invited his followers to send him their snowman pictures, saying he’d pick his top 20 favourite ones. Why? I’ll tell you why. Oh wait I won’t. Because there was no fucking reason in the world.
3. The league needs
Suarez
Whilst it’s almost impossible to look at a picture of Luis Suarez and not recoil, there is little doubting his outrageous talent. His hat-trick on Saturday took him to the top of the Premier League scorers charts and confirmed him as the most in form number 9 in the league. It’s hard not to fall back on things that have been said before about the Uruguayan. His dribbling and close control are phenomenal, his speed of thought above almost anyone he steps onto the pitch with. Having regained his finishing touch following last season’s personal love affair with the post, Suarez looks lethal. In the last 6 seasons for club and country he has now scored 190 goals and created over 70 more. That is a ridiculous record, especially given his troubles last year. The man makes or scores a goal almost every single game on average over a six year period. He plays for Liverpool for Christ sake? Crucially, people like Suarez are the reason why journalist, bloggers and fans have something to talk about. He is the perfect box office entertainer, being both supremely hateable and supremely talented. He scores amazing goals and he does stupid things. In a league that has already lost Mario Balotelli, it can ill afford to lose Luis Suarez as well. He should be cherished for the wonderful footballer he is. And hated like the sewer rat he could have become…
Whilst it’s almost impossible to look at a picture of Luis Suarez and not recoil, there is little doubting his outrageous talent. His hat-trick on Saturday took him to the top of the Premier League scorers charts and confirmed him as the most in form number 9 in the league. It’s hard not to fall back on things that have been said before about the Uruguayan. His dribbling and close control are phenomenal, his speed of thought above almost anyone he steps onto the pitch with. Having regained his finishing touch following last season’s personal love affair with the post, Suarez looks lethal. In the last 6 seasons for club and country he has now scored 190 goals and created over 70 more. That is a ridiculous record, especially given his troubles last year. The man makes or scores a goal almost every single game on average over a six year period. He plays for Liverpool for Christ sake? Crucially, people like Suarez are the reason why journalist, bloggers and fans have something to talk about. He is the perfect box office entertainer, being both supremely hateable and supremely talented. He scores amazing goals and he does stupid things. In a league that has already lost Mario Balotelli, it can ill afford to lose Luis Suarez as well. He should be cherished for the wonderful footballer he is. And hated like the sewer rat he could have become…
4. A quick entry in
the style of how entertaining Stoke v West Ham was
5. Managers in the Wilderness
– Case Two: Tony Adams
After the potential damp squib of O’Leary last week (nobody, literally nobody, cares about him) I’ve gone for a safe appointment this week by casting light on the current career of one Tony Adams. There are few, if any, native English speakers who find it so hard to get across what they’re actually trying to say as Tony Adams. I don’t dislike the man, far from it, on the pitch he was a born leader and was amongst the finest and most fearless centre backs of the past 20 years. But off it… well you have to admire his effort for wanting to give management a go. Adams started off at Wycombe back in 2003, who got relegated in his first season. He then knocked around in a few coaching jobs before joining Harry Redknapp’s staff at Portsmouth. Successful as the number two, Adams was disastrous in the hot seat when ‘Arry left for Spurs. He lasted just 16 games, picking up just 10 points and coming out with the immortal post match quote “I just don’t know what else I can do.” His next move however was straight out of left field, as he accepted the job of managing Galaba FC; that well known club from Azerbaijan. Here, Adams resigned for “personal reasons” a little over a year into the role and boasting the worst win ratio in the clubs history. Bizarrely, Adams returned to the club late last year in an “advisory capacity” – which is surely the worst of all world’s? Either way, it’s high time some demented Billionaire at a far more prominent club than Galaba splashed his cash on allowing Adams to live out his dream as a top flight manager. Adams talks almost relentless shit, is insanely entertaining in a car crash like way and named his first born son Atticus. Hell, I’d give him the Arsenal job.
After the potential damp squib of O’Leary last week (nobody, literally nobody, cares about him) I’ve gone for a safe appointment this week by casting light on the current career of one Tony Adams. There are few, if any, native English speakers who find it so hard to get across what they’re actually trying to say as Tony Adams. I don’t dislike the man, far from it, on the pitch he was a born leader and was amongst the finest and most fearless centre backs of the past 20 years. But off it… well you have to admire his effort for wanting to give management a go. Adams started off at Wycombe back in 2003, who got relegated in his first season. He then knocked around in a few coaching jobs before joining Harry Redknapp’s staff at Portsmouth. Successful as the number two, Adams was disastrous in the hot seat when ‘Arry left for Spurs. He lasted just 16 games, picking up just 10 points and coming out with the immortal post match quote “I just don’t know what else I can do.” His next move however was straight out of left field, as he accepted the job of managing Galaba FC; that well known club from Azerbaijan. Here, Adams resigned for “personal reasons” a little over a year into the role and boasting the worst win ratio in the clubs history. Bizarrely, Adams returned to the club late last year in an “advisory capacity” – which is surely the worst of all world’s? Either way, it’s high time some demented Billionaire at a far more prominent club than Galaba splashed his cash on allowing Adams to live out his dream as a top flight manager. Adams talks almost relentless shit, is insanely entertaining in a car crash like way and named his first born son Atticus. Hell, I’d give him the Arsenal job.
https://twitter.com/HinduMonkey
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