I've only refereed one match. It was an U-12 game in 1990-something
I only saw the last 15 minutes of the Liverpool vs. Manchester United match yesterday
Players win or lose games but referee decisions matter
Broadcasters should put up some indication of when a team is playing a man short because of a red card. With modern graphics/technology, how difficult would that be? Mind, just from the flow of the match at the point I started watching, it was a little hard to tell that the teams were not even numbers-wise. That is typical of a match where the home team is down, attacking, and playing with more urgency than the team that is trying to “kill off” the game.
Very late into added time, Luis Suarez was fouled near the United penalty area, maybe five meters wide of the box and certainly not close enough to pose a significant threat to the United goal. Nevertheless, he was fouled. Liverpool kept possession but in doing so, the ball was now back farther up-field. Yes, the advantage rule is designed to keep the fouled team from losing momentum, position, and/or the attack potential that may be thwarted if the game is stopped for a free kick – and even for issuing a yellow card since that can be done the next time play is stopped.
When Mark Halsey chose not to blow the whistle for the foul on Suarez, he invoked the advantage rule. Fine! However, when he failed to consider that the ball had been played away from the United goal, he allowed the team already with an advantage to reposition itself and edge closer to the final whistle. When Halsey did not consider that Liverpool were down not just Jonjo Shelvey for the red but also the injured Martin Kelly, he was NOT playing the advantage rule.
Mark Halsey The Twelfth Man!
Unless the ball was heading into United’s net or unless a Liverpool player was in a clear position to put the ball into the net from the next pass after the foul, then what advantage is there in allowing the team with two more players to reshape itself and let more time to pass? Once again a referee failed to make the appropriate decision. Which is common enough, but the beneficiaries are once again the team from the red side of Manchester.
No one can blame the supporters of Arsenal Football Club for being angry, frustrated and feeling let down, this is like an yearly event, players we welcomed with open arms when they were nothing, supported them through their bad times with injuries and bad form only to be cursed out and insulted by them after just one good season, it is getting stale and so very predictable. I am very angry because Arsenal is not only losing a good player but another captain, a leader. I am hurt that leaving Arsenal can be so easy for these young mercenaries, while we sing and cry “I am Arsenal till I die” they plot and plan the time of their exit.
This is the reason why I do not have any players name printed on the back of any of my shirts who has not proven himself. If I had an Arsenal Jersey with Nasri or Van Persie written on the back I would take it into the backyard and burn it.
I am gutted by Robin Van Persie’s decision and the way he went about it, it seemed just when the squad was shaping up, becoming interesting his greed took over. Arsenal has developed some of the best players in the world today, most of these players did not come to Arsenal when they were at the top of their game, their development and achievement was due to the vision of Arsene Wenger and the coaching staff who have the ability to see something in a player and build on that. I am tired of the club being used as a stepping stone, players are treating themselves like stocks on the financial market, selling out when they are on a high.
As soon as these players reached a certain level of development, as soon as the world starts to take notice of them is when we find out the true nature and personality of that player and person. Arsenal FC wasted its time and money on players like Nasri, Clichy, Mathieu Flamini, Alexander Hleb, Emmanuel Adebayor, Captain Cesc Fàbregas and now Captain Robin Van Persie just to name a few, these are the real gold digging, back stabbers and Arsenal should put up a sign in the Stadium toilets titled “Gold Digging, Back Stabbers we should never have signed” and list them all, we should have left them where we found them. If these players want to see a real Arsenal supporter and player, a true legend then look no further than Thierry Henry.
This is a new world order of Football, the age of the Bling where there is no such thing as honour, commitment and love anymore, no one wants to be a part of a squad from the ground up, to be a part of something great, everyone wants an instant trophy winning squad, the finest money can buy, these blingers are not fans or supporters of any club they play for, those days are long gone, there is nothing like the feeling of progressing with a squad, to go through thick and thin and finally to achieve glory, but this is the new world of football, The fu*k you pay me revolution is in full swing.
Van Persie said he does not like the direction the club is going without actually explaining what he means, just when I am beginning to like the direction the strike force was going with Van Persie leading the charge, I had high hopes and expectation for the coming season, we had options upfront.
I understand Arsene Wenger, we all do, we may not like some of the things he does but we know who Arsene Wenger is, we know what he is about. I personally do not want Arsenal to become one of those clubs that change their manager faster than it takes paint to dry. Wenger believes in a balance as well as honour and commitment, yes he is a man that is a bit out of touch with current times but his principles are sound.
Arsene Wenger does not believe a club should be in debt because it spends too much money in the transfer market and on weekly salary, he does not want to leave Arsenal Football Club in financial ruining and I believe he will quit the club before he starts throwing money around Willy Nilly but real Arsenal supporters are not asking the club to throw crazy money around, we are asking the club to fix the holes in the squad and we are amazed sometimes that the Manager does not see what we see. Arsenal have a stand by your man attitude even when that man is totally worthless and costing us trophies but when the Manager works with that man and he comes good then he is off, firing a salvo of insults towards the club and fans on his way out.
Arsenal Supporters wants the club to be a bit more dynamic when it comes to identifying and fixing problems as well as player selection and acquisition, we understand Arsenal may have to spend a bit more in today’s market. We would like to see a bigger squad with more options on the bench, our squad is way too lean compared to most other clubs.
Alisher Usmanov vs Arsenal Board “Arsenal has for years prescribed that the club must live from its income, and no director or owner must put a penny into the club”
This is not a bad principle to have and in any other sector would show an entity with discipline and strong moral character. This concept can only work if everyone concerned buys into it, the problem is Arsenal is the only club playing this game.
“Alisher Usmanov states that the self-financing model is being paid for by the supporters while the shareholders reap the financial benefit”
Now that is just disgusting, if we are all in this together the shareholders must shoulder some of the burden.
“Uefa's "financial fair play" rules, due to be enforced from 2014-15, which view clubs' reliance on individual rich men as unstable, generally inflationary and not what football should be about”.
Simply put the days of the sugar daddy is at an end and the playing field should once again be leveled. However Arsenal FC is enforcing a rule that has not yet been implemented by Uefa, again Arsenal is the only club playing this game and suffering for it.
The news on the street is that Theo Walcott is also considering his future with Arsenal as he enters his final year of his current contract... Seems he gets 60k per week but he wants 100k like the City and Manu boys and instant trophies… I remember when this muppet could not find the back of the net and would trip over his own feet, now he is putting in a few thanks to Arsenal and wants the world.
In Jamaica we call people like these “wagonist” people who jump on the bandwagon, in this case these are people who hijack other people’s successful ride. Some goes to these sure-thing-clubs and celebrate victory even when they did nothing to achieve it but ride out the bench barely making an appearance. There are clubs out there who would purchase a player with no intention of playing him, so long as they deprive the opponents of his services.
The following was written by a Friend, a Mentor and a Diehard Arsenal Supporter, Agent 86:
"Robin van Persie is looking at the next few years when he's 28, 29, 30; he thinks they [Arsenal] can't win trophies. You don't want to say it but you probably have to agree with him.'' Alan Smith
Alan Smith’s statement bothers me. Knowing that the board won’t be swayed by it bothers me more. No, I don’t want to spend irresponsibly or to upset our wage structure. I just want a powerful response to our (second consecutive former) captain’s actions that will send a crystal clear signal to all watching that Arsenal F.C. is nobody’s f*****g muppet.
Ideally, we’d have a long line of players who feel the same way as Arsene about throwing money at a problem, waiting for us to sign them. Sadly, there are far too few players of that ilk than what we need in order to properly address this latest player offensive quickly and painlessly.
Robin van Persie’s situation is an affront to The Manager, to The Club, and let’s be clear, to the fans. Van Persie has had ONE full season with us. Granted, it’s all he’s needed to prove his class. He is a superior talent. But in comparison, Thierry Henry was as durable as they come. If robin’s eight years at the club had not been more absent than present I’d give him a pass. As it stands though the guy has trampled on the fans’ adoration for him. He has shyt on his own legacy. We got a boat load of goals and some happy moments in return but short of automatic CL qualification, what do those goals do for us now?
He looks like one who’s used words conveniently to elevate himself and his image to the fans while knowing the entire time that he was not going to sign a new contract. Some would say to get over it. That it is typical of the loyalty-challenged modern player but regardless, it is unacceptable!
What will our response be? How do we fix this?
Do we force a deal with the highest bidder, minus the two Manchester teams and Chelsea? If he’s set on joining Manchester City, as suspected, he probably will not care if PSG throws silly money at him. If we choose not to sell him to a rival, we’d probably have to keep him for the final year of his contract and accept that the situation would degrade over the course of the season – moreover, how do you trust a player who is not committed to your cause? I also imagine that his agent would fear the worst (and surely not unprecedented scenario) that a serious injury occurs and his value diminishes.
If we play this right we can make a few people look pretty stupid.
A wiser man than I am has suggested selling Van Persie to Real Madrid for Higuain plus £10m. Not the worst idea! I’m really not sure how we handle it but it’s a blessing in disguise if done properly. It’s a chance to send that overdue message to the fans, to the league, to the football community, and to all players and their agents that we will NOT be f****d with.
Europeans seems to accept the worst violence when it is being carried out by other Europeans.
I just finished watching this and it was totally disgusting, I cannot understand why EUFA would reward Poland and Ukraine with holding Euro 2012. If a fraction of this violence was taking place in a country like Jamaica then Western Europe and Britain would have a travel warning against Jamaica, advising their country men to stay away but not so when it comes to white violence. I am at a lost with this, during the regular season supporters in both Poland and Ukraine were allowed to beat any non-white individuals, shout racist chants and perform the Nazi salute while the police just watch and do nothing. It seems in these countries this is the norm, one official then proclaimed that it was not the Nazi salute they were just pointing. You would have to be crazy to attend the Euro 2012 and you would have to be suicidal and crazy if you are not white and decided to travel to Poland, Ukraine or any part of Eastern Europe.
The European media love to show violence in non-white countries but never give violence in European countries and the animals that carry them out the same attention because Eastern Europe is full of Joseph Konys, try dealing with your own dirty laundry for a change.
The Wengerfication” of the English National Squad I am not a big fan of Roy Hodgson but I like what he is doing to the English Squad, I think Hodgson realized that they cannot keep sending the same old tired media built squad to international competition especially when they have not achieved anything. It is time to start rebuilding the English national team, it is time to start exploring other options and opportunities, even if they fail in their first attempt. England cannot keep sending the same old overpaid and over hype players only to watch them crash out of every competition, the time is ripe for the “Wengerfication” of the English National squad. England Euro 2012 Exit England was booted out of the Euro 2012 by an aging Italian squad and rightfully so I might add. It was painful to watch as they were outplayed every step of the way, the English squad tried to win by playing anti-football. This was park the bus at its very best as every player became a defender, yes they had some chances trying to capitalize on the break but just could not finish. England played for penalty shootout and got the penalty shootout, the problem is England have always been terrible at penalties so why were they playing like they wanted to win on penalties is anybody’s guess, I thought they had a plan, an ace in the hole but they had nothing.
The Italian defense did not impress me I thought they were vulnerable and I am sure will get beaten by a team hell bent on taking the fight to them and scoring goals. What was even more shocking is the fact that England does have the potential of being a very fast attacking side but choose instead to play a very defensive match, daring the Italians to “Come and Have a Go If You Think You're Hard Enough”. Milner had no right being in the squad, he is just not good enough and Young is a good player but for some reason was terrible in that match he just kept losing the ball. The time is right to rebuild the English Squad, it is time for the old guard to pack their bags and go and new younger, faster more skillful players added, the time is now.
Crown Thee King of the Hooligans So after making a big deal about racism and football hooliganism in Eastern Europe (and rightly so) it was the English fans at home who now wears the crown of King of the Hooligans. After being beaten by the Italians it was the English fans marched towards celebrating Italians and began to attack Italian supporters and lay waste to several of their cars making it a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black. The British media for the most part was very quiet about the incident and the story was missing from the Daily Whinge and Whine, the same rag that published several pictures from different angles of a fight between Russian and Polish idiots, highlighting Eastern European Hooliganism but turning a blind eye to their own as per usual “It was just lads acting up”. It always amazes me how English officials can easily marginalize and brush aside these things when it involves England but blow it way out of proportion when it involves other countries…
Spain is once again Champions of Europe:
Euro 2012 is over and the champion of the World is once again back to back champions of Europe, congratulation to Spain, they deserve it. Italy did very well to get to the finals but in the end the age of the squad got the better of them especially against a very young and skilful Spanish side. 2012 is truly the year of sports after watching the Euro, English Premiere League, the Champions League, Carling Cup, FA Cup and League football we next have the London Olympics and then it’s the regular Football season again. I wonder if these events were listed on the Mayan Calendar.
The English National Squad The idea that England was a power house of football must have been created by the English themselves, talk about living in an alternate reality. Somebody needs to break out of the matrix they have been living in all this time and start dealing with reality, it is only then that the English FA will start to fix the problems that exist and it makes no sense blaming the foreign players and the Premiere League for the current predicament. The English National squad needs to be more dynamic, so far the managers have been afraid to take chances preferring instead to stick with the muppets they know. It as gotten to the point where certain players and WAGS believe it is their God given right to be in the squad. International tournament have at times been converted into a Festival of WAGs.
Poland, Ukraine and Eastern Europe Much has been made about how dark, disgusting and raciest Eastern European can be and for the most part it is all true. There is no country in Eastern Europe I would ever visit, not one, I do not go to places where most of the people living there hate my guts, that is just suicidal, I can deal with one or two raciest idiots that is my limit.
The fact that I am sitting here in 2012 means that my ancestors knew how to survive and passed that skill down from generations to generations, they survived being captured in Africa, survived the Middle Passage, survived the cruelty and beatings on the plantation, survived anti-slavery rebellions, survived the 1938 strikes and worker’s rights riot, we survived the political violence of the 70s and we survived Hurricane Gilbert and various Gas riots so there is no way in hell, I would throw away hundreds of years of instincts to identify and stay away from danger and take a chance in Eastern Europe, no that place makes my Spidey sense Tingle.
Everyone is going on and on that Sol Campbell was wrong to warn Black people to stay clear of Eastern Europe because the tournament went by and no black person was attacked and killed, yes that might be true but only because the majority of Black people followed Sol Campbell’s advice and stayed the hell out of dodge, there was no black people to beat and kill so Eastern Europe turned on it self as running battles broke out between Russian and Polish supporters. Knowing that the world had them under a hubble like telescope both Poland and Ukraine went all out to prove that their societies are not as raciest as the British made them out to be. "You can fool some people sometime, but you cant fool all the people all the time"
On display before the final match between Spain and Italy was a musical group made up primarily of Black people, which to me is the classic statement, I am not raciest I have a black friend, well we are not raciest we have a black band. Then the many media outlets tried to print pictures of black people attending Euro 2012 but they ended up just taking pictures of the same couple black people, in the end they just gave up. Black people did not come home in coffins simply because Black people paid attention to Sol Campbell's warnings, stayed home and watched the matches on their 60 inch flat screens, in the comfort of their houses and on their comfy couches with friends or down the pub with friends. This just tells me that the Polish and Ukraine officials can control racism if they wanted to but don’t. Eastern Europe can temporarily control their primal dark disgusting urges to beat and kill black people when the world is watching, not to mention Euro 2012 was not like a regular national league match, it was an international event with a very expensive price tag that raciest tugs just could not afford and was probably prevented from attending by the authorities.
The final day of the 2011-2012 Premiere League season was one of the most exciting day of football I have experienced in a long time, this day would have been even more exciting if Arsenal was in Manchester City's position and Sp*urs was in QPR’s position and about to be regulated. It was a tense day filled with nail-biting drama that had everyone on the edge of their seats. The Premiere League Championship was decided by two goals in the last couple minutes of extra time. Growing up we use to say that the worst defeat was a 1-nill defeat but we have a new worst, the worst defeat is thinking you will be champion and to have it snatched away from you in the dying moments by your bitter, hated rival. That must have hurt, many Manchester United supporters must have cried themselves to sleep that night, that was brutal, like having your guts sucked out, gutted like a fish on international Television. The NHS will be handing out anti-depression tablets to Manchester United fans for a long time to come, every time they see the Manchester City colours which should be all over Manchester by now, they will curl up into the foetal position and cry like babies.
I did not want Manchester City to win the League only because of the ungrateful, traitorous ex-Arsenal players (Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor (Now with the scums on loan)) that are now members of that squad, in particular Samir Nasri, I dislike him immensely and did not want him to win anything because of what he said about The Arsenal. Nasri used us as a stepping stone plain and simple and then had nothing good to say about us, after he left he turned around and spat on us, he will be forever hated. But he was right when he said he would lift the Premiere League Cup with Manchester City before Arsenal and he did. After lifting the cup he was quoted as saying that Arsenal should "celebrate their third-place achievement and I will focus on winning titles". … What a Scumbag!!!!
Joey Barton vs. The Demons in his Head
During the Manchester City vs. Queens Park Rangers match Carlos Tevez lashed out against Joey Barton punching him in the back of the head which started the mother of all Brawls, it was truly Joey Barton versus City as he tried to fight anyone who confronted him. I truly believe that if it was not for football Joey Barton would be serving 25 to life in one of the UK’s many prisons alongside his brother Michael Barton who was sentenced to life imprisonment (with a tariff of 17 years) for his involvement in the racially motivated murder of Anthony Walker in 2005.
So After elbowing Carlos Tevez in the face, Barton went on to kick Sergio Aguero and then head butted Vincent Kompany,thus completing a hat-trick of assaults in the space of about 5 minutes and even after that tried to engage the boy child Mario Balotelli. Watching Mario Balotelli race onto the field to confront Joey Barton was a joke, Balotelli is not a bad boy, he is more childlike, a man boy, an immature person who throws tantrums when he does not get his way. As much as I cannot stand a bone in Joey Barton’s body compare to Mario Balotelli, Joey is the real deal, bad to the bone, a first class lunatic who will fight anyone, anywhere anytime, he is borderline insane, a psychopath and as far as I am concern Barton should be in prison or will end up in prison one day.
However he would have wiped the floor with girly boy Mario Balotelli and I would have enjoyed watching that.
His career and life have been marked by numerous controversial incidents and disciplinary problems and he has been convicted twice on charges of violence. On 20 May 2008 he was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for common assault and affray during an incident outside a McDonald's restaurant in Liverpool City Centre. Barton served 77 days of this prison term, being released on 28 July 2008. On 1 July 2008 he was also given a four-month suspended sentence after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm on former teammate Ousmane Dabo during a training ground dispute on 1 May 2007. This incident effectively ended his Manchester City career. Barton has twice been charged with violent conduct by The FA: for the assault on Dabo and for punching Morten Gamst Pedersen in the stomach. He was twice fined by former club Manchester City for stubbing a lit cigar in the eye of young team-mate Jamie Tandy at a Christmas party - and for his involvement in an altercation with a 15-year-old Everton fan at City's team hotel in Bangkok during a pre-season tour.
Demonic Possession of Joey Barton!
In May 2005 he broke a 35-year-old pedestrian's leg while driving his car through Liverpool city centre at 2 am. He was arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage after an alleged argument with a taxi driver in Liverpool while going to his hotel after a match on 13 March 2007. He was cleared of this charge in May 2008.
And while all this was going on I have watched Pundits over the years defended Barton and his crazy ways, whenever the English want to make light of something nasty they prefix it with the words "The Lad" or "The Poor Lad". Make no Mistake Joey Barton is an English creation as they bend over more times than I can count to accommodate him and his crimes.
Diaby however was not having it!
Arsenal vs. the Scumbag, Spuds, Sp*rs
Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham (26th February, 2012) Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham (17th November 2012)
Again Arsenal was locked in bitter battle with their hated, disgusting troll like rivals the scumbags called Sp*rs, for most of the season we were struggling behind these douche bags but again we proved that they are truly the most worthless club in all of England, if not the world. St Totteringham's Day was declared on the last day of the season when Arsenal beat West Bromwich Albion to claim the third spot and regulate The Scums to the fourth position. For now they have a place in next seasons Champions League but if Chelsea wins the Champions League this season then the Spuds will be denied their place and all will be right with the world again.
The Blue energy of hope (Blue Lantern Corps ) has an infallible connection to the universe, let us all concentrate all our energies to keep hope alive and give Chelsea the strength to beat Bayern Munich and knock Sp*rs out of next seasons Champions League, after that happens then let’s hope Chelsea crash and burn for all eternity, never to win another match. The only decent player the Spuds have at the moment is the on-loan Emmanuel Adebayor who belongs to Manchester City and since City clearly do not need this idiot to win anything, Sp*urs would be fools not to splash out and buy the ungrateful, traitorous scumbag, both he and the Spuds are like two peas in a pod.
I was told by a Sp*rs supporter that Arsenal will forever be in their shadows and now I finally understand how he came to that conclusion, if the light source is behind the spuds and The Arsenal is in front of the spuds then this is the only way we could be in their nasty disgusting cold clammy shadows, we need to increase our distance from them and fast.
The Arsenal
I am not happy that we finished in the third position but I am relieved, this is not where a great Club like The Arsenal should be. I am not happy with our 2011-2012 performance, I am not happy with the state of the club, not happy with its direction, I am not happy with the size of the squad, it is way too small and does not provide sufficient cover and I am so not happy with the defense, they are not solid enough and play out of position way too often, too many times they were caught out looking at the scorer as he storms his way towards our goal with no one to stop him, we conceded way too much goals to lesser teams.
I am not too happy with Arsene Wenger at the moment, I do not understand why he seems happy with the current squad, happy that we finished third, happy to make marginal and mediocre gains, I do not understand why he is unable or unwilling to identify weakness in the squad and fix them, regardless of price. The current Arsenal squad is not yet a championship side these Gunners are Gun shy when it comes to consistency and persistency especially against lesser sides and they are unable to defend and preserve their lead.
You cannot win trophies with such a lean squad because the English football season is long and hard, it is an unforgiving season, there is no Christmas break or breaks of any kind like in other countries and as such injuries are bound to happen and we should prepare for that, switching in and out players who are equal in strength and abilities. Instead we have an ideal eleven and if injury occurs then we slap a makeshift squad together, throw them on the field, out of position and watch them run around like chickens without heads.
We have some good players but not great players with the exception of Robin Van Persie who is a great player scoring 37 goals this season, he is in a class by himself and we should do whatever it takes to keep him. Alex Song is a very good player with the ability to pick out Van Persie and deliver a precision like pass, Mikel Arteta shows maturity in midfield and Thomas Vermaelen a good defender but cannot do it alone, all solid players but can and did get injured over the season and we need proper cover.
Yao Gervinho is a good player, who will make most defenders look foolish, Gervinho can pick up the ball in midfield and before you know it beat the defenders all the way into the box, however he cannot shoot for shit and the best thing he should do with the ball is to pass it to a player who can, the man suffers from a Goal Phobia, no other player waste more goal scoring chances like Yao Gervinho, he should spend the entire off season in front of the goal, kicking balls at it…
Instead of going through the list of players I want to keep, it is easier to list players I do not want to see at Arsenal next season:
End of Regular Season, Start of Silly Season I do not think there is a day that goes by when Arsenal is not on my mind, the walls of my office is littered with arsenal posters, my desk top wallpaper is the Arsenal Logo and my screen saver is a series of Arsenal pictures.
When I login to my PC the first thing I do is to check on the status of The Arsenal from various sites while having my cup of coffee. At Home I have all the football channels and during regular season nothing is missed and the DVR is set to record what I cannot watch now for later and I sometime visit various bars showing the match when I need to relax and talk football with friends over a pint.
It is the silly season now and one must acquire the art of identifying and weed out bullshit, rubbish news from real solid facts as the the rumour mill is in full swing. Arsenal is linked to every player under the sun and every Arsenal player is either leaving or being chased by big clubs offering unbelievable amount of funny money. Even though the regular season is over, it is a special year since both the Olympics and Euro 2012 will be in full swing over the summer as such the withdrawal from the very addictive Regular Season football will not be that bad since both Jamaica and England will be in action.
Champion League is over and Chelsea was crowned Champions of Europe beating a Bayern Munich side that totally outplayed Chelsea but was unable to capitalize on their chances, which is a nice way of saying that they could not score for shit, or they could not score in a brothel or their strikers could not hit the broadside of a barn. As much as I dislike Chelsea, I dislike TotScum even more and so I am not too upset that Chelsea won the Champion League and kick the Scums out of next seasons competition, however I try not to watch any of the Chelsea’s celebration, I do wish some other club had reached the finals instead of them but hey…. That’s life.
The topic on the minds of every Arsenal supporter is … will Arsenal ever win the Champion League? It seems like we are moving further away from that goal, in the past we had much better players and still could not win that Championship, so I do not see us winning it with the current squad unless a couple of them come into form next season. Heck! With current squad most Arsenal Supporters are wondering if we will ever win the Premier League again, all is not right in our world.
On the 17 May 2006 Arsenal became the first London club to reach the Champion League final against Barcelona, we had a very good chance of beating Barcelona that year and crowned Champions of Europe, we had a very good determined squad who was up for it, hungry for it and I think we would have won that match if it was not for that crazy lunatic Jens Gerhard Lehmann, aka mad Jens who was sent off in the first half. However we cannot stay mad at Lehman for too long, he is much loved by us, a member of Arsenal’s invincible squad, he is a very good Goal keeper who command is area with authority and force if need be, he does not like opponents to trespass in his 6 yard box which is why he was sent off during the CL finals. However the Referee who issued the red card admitted “he may have acted too quickly in sending off Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann during Barcelona's Champions League triumph”, too little too late. I am getting sick and tired of the chant "you'll never win in Europe".....
