Quote: Renegade Carpark @ April 25 2012, 12:39 AM BST

Except for Man U, I'm very happy to compare Arsenal's Premier League and Champions League records to any other team in the UK. I could mention qualifying for the Champions League for 15 consecutive seasons, winning the double twice, having the longest unbeaten run in the Premiership, the international respect for our manager, our worldwide recognition as one of the most skillful footballing clubs ever, but most importantly, I can proudly state that unlike most of English football, we have 0% chance of going bankrupt.

Only 4 teams have ever won the Premier League in it's 17 year history. Arsenal have won it three times. Yes, we are shit.

View original

That is all history. When did you last win it? And what the f**k good does it have to have international respect if you can't win any trophies? Do you really think RVP will still be there next season?

And Chelsea have won in three times in the last ten years.

Chappers, I thought you were a Sutton Utd fan?

Fair play to Chelsea tonight though. A brilliant rearguard action after JT's so-out-of-character aberration - anyone else think in his post-match apology/damage-limitation exercise he looked like he'd been crying?

Quote: Badge @ April 25 2012, 12:46 AM BST

Chappers, I thought you were a Sutton Utd fan?

Fair play to Chelsea tonight though. A brilliant rearguard action after JT's so-out-of-character aberration - anyone else think in his post-match apology/damage-limitation exercise he looked like he'd been crying?

View original

Yeah, you could see the discarded Jalapeños in the background !

Quote: Chappers @ April 25 2012, 12:43 AM BST

That is all history. When did you last win it? And what the f**k good does it have to have international respect if you can't win any trophies? Do you really think RVP will still be there next season?

And Chelsea have won in three times in the last ten years.

View original

So you admit that Chelsea only won things after Abramovich bought the Premier League?

And that is the difference between Chelsea and Arsenal when it comes to international respect - oh and we were the first London club to reach the Champions League final, even without some dodgy Russian criminal bankrolling the team.

You can have a pop about when we last won something, but you could also ask Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle, Spurs and every other big club you can think of, when have they ever won the Premier League.

Quote: Badge @ April 25 2012, 12:46 AM BST

Chappers, I thought you were a Sutton Utd fan?

Fair play to Chelsea tonight though. A brilliant rearguard action after JT's so-out-of-character aberration - anyone else think in his post-match apology/damage-limitation exercise he looked like he'd been crying?

View original

I'm just like those Manchester United fans who don't come from Manchester - jumping on the bandwagon and being a gloryhunter. Except it looks like they won't win anything this season and I did have a season ticket for Chelsea in 1976 which cost me £30.

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ April 25 2012, 12:51 AM BST

You can have a pop about when we last won something, but you could also ask Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle, Spurs and every other big club you can think of, when have they ever won the Premier League.

View original

Except Blackburn of course, how the hell did that happen?

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ April 25 2012, 12:54 AM BST

Except Blackburn of course, how the hell did that happen?

View original

Money! Just like all the other Premier League winners.

Quote: Chappers @ April 25 2012, 12:58 AM BST

Money! Just like all the other Premier League winners.

View original

Can't really argue with that. Except to say, we probably won it three times with a fraction of the amount paid by Man U, Chelski and possibly Man City this season.

Until we can have the same amount of money to spend as the above mentioned clubs, our lack of recent silverware isn't really that surprising.

We just won a wooden spoon.

And without any great input of Johnny Foreigner money !

Ha! Look at Renegade Carpark - the bitter Gooner up at one in the morning having a hissy fit. Shouldn't you have cried yourself to sleep at that point?

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ April 25 2012, 12:51 AM BST

So you admit that Chelsea only won things after Abramovich bought the Premier League?

View original

That's odd, because I remember us winning six trophies in the ten years before Abramovich alone. That's more than some very decent sides have won in a hundred years.

It might also do you good to remember that both Chelsea and Spurs have won more European trophies than the "mighty" Arsenal.

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ April 25 2012, 12:51 AM BST

And that is the difference between Chelsea and Arsenal when it comes to international respect - oh and we were the first London club to reach the Champions League final, even without some dodgy Russian criminal bankrolling the team.

View original

International respect

You haven't even got the respect of people in your own city. Everyone knows about Sir Henry Norris corruptly getting you into top flight, at the expense of poor old Barnsley and Wolves. Every trophy your club has won since has been off the back of not even 'buying', but CHEATING, and should therefore have an * next to it.

So much for your proud history. At best Arsenal/Woolwich Wanderers are a travelling community who slept their way to the top.

Why don't you worry about when Van Persie leaves for Juventus/Barcelona at the end of the season and your one man team becomes a none man team, and leave us to worry about playing in the Champions League Final (and worry we will because we have no fit, available, central defenders).

I believe these were the scenes in Madrid last night. 22.35 CET.

My dad's a Spurs fan, and has accepted that Arsenal will probably clinch 3rd place, so he believes it's up to Spurs, Chelsea and Newcastle to fight it out for 4th.

But imagine my surprise when, during the Arsenal-Chelsea match the other day I heard him shout "COME ON THE ARSE!!".

I nearly spat out my tea - I thought he'd found my porn collection.

Quote: Lazzard @ April 24 2012, 10:07 PM BST

No, that's Barcelona you're thinking of.

Brilliant match - heroic effort.

View original

Oh yes, don't misunderstand me. It was still football but it was sheer grit and determination as opposed to flair. Both have merit but if I had a choice as a neutral I'd rather watch Barcelona play.

England specialise in the Chelsea type of performance but invariably loose - heroic failure. They play poorly and get a draw or an undeserved win then play one of the big guns and ultimately lose on penalties.

Watched a review of Euro2000 in ESPN Classic the other night where the French came out as champions. It's interesting to compare England and France's records over 90 minutes in major championships since they won that year.

England P18 W8 D7 L3 F24 A15 GD+9
France P20 W6 D7 L7 F18 A21 GD-3

What narks me is that even after chronically underperforming, France still have a World Cup final to shout about and teams like Greece and Turkey have a European championship and two semi-finals to their names.

Greece P12 W4 D2 L6 F9 A14 GD-5
Turkey P11 W4 D3 L4 F13 A12 GD+1

England: Hard to beat, easy to knock-out

Quote: Tuumble @ April 25 2012, 10:24 AM BST

Oh yes, don't misunderstand me. It was still football but it was sheer grit and determination as opposed to flair. Both have merit but if I had a choice as a neutral I'd rather watch Barcelona play.

England specialise in the Chelsea type of performance but invariably loose - heroic failure. They play poorly and get a draw or an undeserved win then play one of the big guns and ultimately lose on penalties.

View original

But on tuesday they had to play more than half the game without a recognised central defender for various reasons. Do you expect them to leave themselves wide open?

Anyway, we don't need any central defenders, as long as the woodwork continues to play for us.
They should paint the posts blue and be done with it.