NJS

The thing is from reading about this Man City lot they haven't exactly consulted Hughes about targets - not saying it wouldn't have been fun or better in the long run but a sale to them may have brought the same tensions.

I can't read all of the pages in this thread as some are blocked by the porn filter so apologies if I say what others have said: My positive/clutching at straws take on this is its better for the shit to hit the fan so everybody at least knows the truth and the air is clear. I think everbody now realises that Kev was putting on "an act" when he said he was happy so at least that's over. As for Ashley I seriously don't think he's realised what will happen if he sacks Keegan and appoints the dwarf - He might have been told that we are "Loyal fans" but the timing of this means there will be a hell of a backlash. I almost hope he tries to take his usual place in the stands at West Ham. The best way out of it imo is for him to realise his approach is not worth the hassle he is going to get in the next few weeks and he looks for a buyer quickly - preferably a Man City style one.

I still think we're short of numbers - the benches so far have been too young. I trust people like Edgar to a degree and maybe Geremi will become more of a fringe player but I'd liked to have seen one of the two defenders we were linked with in the last couple of days + maybe the Norwegian bloke come in. If we're very lucky with injuries I think we can finish top 8 - a normal season injury wise and I think it'll be similar to last year unless we can improve things in January.

White claiming text off Barton saying he didn't want to leave as he owes club and fans.

Craig on SSN now reckons Barton was in for player exchange but deal failing because of 4m fee - has to be Diarra surely? I'd still go for it.

Could have been us - representative of the new man city owners said on SSN they looked at Arsenal, City and us.

You can't predict late bids. Who'd be stupid enough to sign someone who's about to get at least a 10 game ban?

Couldn't help thinking the same.. Differnce is that ManU were willing to match what we offered, not sure they'll be willing to match this reported ridculoudly large bid. On the other hand it could be more like us/liverpool with Owen where the other team arrogantly expect the player to refuse to go to the higher bidder.

The youngest scorer thing was a different player with a similar name if what I read last night is correct - that's probably where he got the wrong age from as well.

My cynical side reckons if they'd gone into tomorrow with the alleged 1 year 85k contract on the table his agent would have been touting a deal so this offer just means more time.

As i said in the match thread - Tony Adams is still an Arsenal legend despite an extremely serious drink driving case which imo is worse than what Barton did. You can add Merson in as well. I also saw people carrying trays of beer in the seats yesterday so either it was non-alcoholic or the stewards didn't care too much.

Just something else on the "football is ruined" angle which I was talking about with my mates after the game: The goal celebrations by their fans were quite muted (nothing wrong there - we sometimes have done the same in the past when we've played a lesser team and recognise that a goal will be one of several) but there was a moment after the second goal where it was replayed on the big screens where large sections of their crowd broke out into what could be best described as polite applause for the quality of the goal. It felt to me completely out of place at a football ground and just made me think that they may as well have been watching it at home. I think it was a glimpse of the future and it sickened me.

On Barton: My thoughts on Arsenal fans was that I see a bit of hypocrisy in how they welcomed back Tony Adams. - not so much the fact that he went to prison but that he demolished a wall with his car when he was completely pissed to get there - the wall could easily have been a person and I consider drink driving (getting in a 2 ton chunk of metal with little control) to be a worse crime than throwing a few punches which didn't cause that much damage. In general I think Keegan backing him probably makes him a better man than me but I liked the majority's "fuck you" response of cheering him.

Just got in - huge headache from too much cider, sun and walking too far - threw up in the bushes outside the train station and off to bed to quietly die in a minute. Started well - what looked like a joke of a penalty but at the end glad it was only 3 - could have said that about so many trips to Arsenal - a good team full of cheats. Two hopes - Shola's last game and that its a wake up call to Ashley as to where we are - my mate was sitting quite near him and reckon his lads had to discourage a few people wanting to put their point over a bit forcibly "How man we're shite - I know" supposedly summed it up.

The article just about sums up how I feel - before KK came back I'd just about fallen out of love with football due to all of the shit the bloke described (as well as the best efforts of Messrs Souness, Roeder and Allardyce and a supporting cast of utter, utter twats). As I said about the derby last year which was my only home game, I couldn't believe how many people simply refused to become animated about playing them and instead exhibited all of the "Sky boy" stereotypes instead.

That's the one thing I do have against the man - he wrote off a season in January which I don't think was fair on the fans as well as selling a real hero of mine. Football has changed a bit since then before someone says that all seasons are semi-pointless now.

Can anyone guess why "in for 4 or 5" translates to "see where 2 or 3 go" - does that mean offers are in which are unaccepted but still on the table which we might get a callback for?

12m is a fucking joke with one downside - some of it will be finding its way into Ken Bates' pocket.

I take perverse pride in the number of teams I have rational and semi-rational grudges against and I have to say Mansfield aren't on the list. Having said that I didn't come up for that cup game so you probably had a close escape.

I have done that, its nothing thats going to do damage here, ie its nothing sepculative its actual work on site. It can vary - from the obvious of not contacting or working for competitors to a ban on anything at all - fair enough if you've checked.

Like everything else I think quality is worth paying for up to a certain point - the price difference for gold interconnects is pretty nominal to make not doing it pointless but I'd definitely splash out on speaker cable - try bi-wired.

It might also be worth checking your employment contract to check you aren't prohibited from doing external work.

Anal reckons it was the supposed bid from Villa that prompted milner to say that id he was worth £8m then he should be getting paid more - possibly a fair point but still doesn't let him off in my eyes.

I would also add that theres a lack of an odious agent to blame so you can either assume the PFA are just as slimy or surprise, surprise players are the shitbags we all think they are.

The sad thing is that once you get beyond what is obviously enough to have a damn good lifestyle on (say £10k pw) footballer's salaries simply become ego/cock measurements = see Cole/Lampard as the obvious examples taken to a ridiculous degree.