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Chelsea, Tottenham and the Pistols

No particular reason for this article, other than a bolt of inspiration after flicking through a copy of mojo. Given my love for all things analogous, I thought I would try and define each Premiership side using a band/musician. So here goes, some true, some controversial and some reeled off the top of my head.

ARSENAL- Like the Arctic Monkeys. Young, cocky, brimming with promise. Show all the hallmarks of stadium Gods, but time will tell as to whether they can achieve their obvious promise.

ASTON VILLA- Are A-Ha. Big for a small period in the eighties, hinting at a comeback, though you're not really sure where they've actually been for the last twenty years. You've been vaguely aware of them without ever feeling their presence.

BLACKBURN ROVERS- The Kaiser Chiefs. Typically Northern, stoic, formulaic. A couple of big hitters, but really you suspect they are punching above their weight.

BOLTON WANDERERS- 50 Cent. Seemingly devoid of any talent, completely misrepresent the genre. Yet somehow achieve huge success. Really you just wish they would go away.

CHARLTON ATHLETIC- Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Went up the spout when the talented one left.

CHELSEA- The Sex Pistols. This one sticks in the craw because I love the Pistols. But the comparisons are irrefutable, possessed of a moral arrogance that grates with everyone except their fans. You suspect they are bound to fizzle out as quickly as they arrived. Managed by a pretentious, self absorbed tosser.

EVERTON- Debbie Harry (Blondie). Much more attractive in the eighties. Nevertheless, you have to respect their achievements.

FULHAM- Rod Stewart. Trendy for a time in the seventies, before they became substanceless playboys. Nowadays quite content with where they are with no further ambition.

LIVERPOOL- The Rolling Stones. Huge for about twenty years, but you cannot really tell why they're around anymore. Happy to dine out on their illustrious past but still have a huge fanbase. With the odd exception have produced nothing since 1990.

MANCHESTER CITY- The Foo Fighters. Inoffensive, some talent in evidence, but largely irrelevant. Fronted by a bloody nice bloke who made waves in the early nineties, which kind of prevents them from being annoying.

MANCHESTER UNITED- Oasis. Glorious heyday in the nineties, a few dodgy years thereafter. Ultimately you cannot deny their status amongst the all time greats.

MIDDLESBROUGH- James Blunt. Of absolutely no interest to anybody whatsoever.

NEWCASTLE UNITED- U2. Sickeningly full of their own self importance. Nothing to say yet popular, had a half decent hit in the mid nineties, but why they are considered such a leviathan is a complete mystery. The only difference is that U2 play to sold out stadiums.

PORTSMOUTH- ELO. Criminally under rated. A talented front man who really does not get the credit he deserves.

SHEFFIELD UNITED- Take That. Out of their ten year hiatus and back woth the big boys. You met their return with dread and horror, but really not as bad as you thought they were.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR- Guns 'n' Roses. After a little success in the early nineties, they are now generally a complete laughing stock. Dozens of line up changes, yet nothing approaching success. Strangely still believe that they are great. Have been promising a comeback for years- it's never materialised.

WATFORD- Bruce Springsteen. You feel sympathy for them because they are a little misunderstood, but barring a decent output in the eighties, you feel they're not really up to scratch anymore.

WEST HAM UNITED- Chas 'n' Dave. Unpretentious cockney troubadours, kind of likeable but a little too much Tottenham runs through them.

WIGAN ATHLETIC- Jet. Uninspiring, bland new boys on the block. Thye really bring very little to the party that you haven't seen a thousand times before, but you grudgingly respect their ability to ween success out of limited talent.

There you have it, I'm not sure Hammers fans will appreciate the Chas 'n' Dave analogy. I am certain Man USA fans will not be flattered being compared to Citeh fans Oasis. Finally, if Axl Rose is reading this he'll be thinking, 'Tottenham? Man I really must be an ***hole!' LD.

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Writer: Tim Stillman

Date:Monday December 18 2006

Time: 9:10PM

Your Comments

Liverpool - only the UEFA Cup and Champions League, isn't that two more European Trophies than you lot?

Sir_Harry

Bravo sir, a truly enjoyable read :)

Rocky7

Hence, the 'odd exception' disclaimer Sir Harry. We've won the league four times since they last won it. Their CL win was exceprtonal and I was thrilled for them, but the UEFA Cup just plain doesn't count!

Little Dutch

You know why he's trying to make everyone believe it's a real trophy don't you Tim.......Just in case ;)

Rocky7

Well it's bigger than the Peace Cup I suppose. WHta's that old saying? Starving people will gladly eat dried crusts.

Little Dutch

so you have the choice of silverware or no silverware ... very tough call there ... ! Past recent winners include Sevilla, Valencia, Porto, Inter, CSKA Moscow, Juventus, and Galatasaray who beat Arsenal - didn't hear you complaining when you got to the final. Quite happy to be classed with those sides

Sir_Harry

That was when it used to mean something though SH, it's nothing more than the European Carling Cup these days, only difference being some decent teams actually enter the Carling Cup.

Rocky7

So CSKA who overturned you 4 points to 1 aren't a good team? Oh the arrogance of a side only two points ahead in the premiership to a 'complete laughing stock' and who's manager is probably in trouble yet again

Sir_Harry

But CSKA made it into the Champions League, so they're miles better than you :P

Rocky7

The thing with teams winning trophies of whatever hue is that it inspires confidence and the willingness to move forward for any team. It is rather pathetic that anybody should sniff at silverware. Are you telling me that you won't celebrate the Carling Cup if its the only silverware you get? Would Henry, Fabregas, Silva, Toure, Lehmann say it is worthless? Shocking. In the UEFA Cup are Roma, Selvilla, the Moscow teams, Werder Bremen, all very good sides in Europe ... can't imagine any of them say '********* wish we'd come fourth in our group ...'

Sir_Harry

When you've won as many trophies as we have, you devolp this taste for it, and you want the good stuff, if you've been drinking champagne for years, why would you be happy to drink Lambrini?

Rocky7

When Lambrini is the only drink on offer ..... exactly which European trophies have these been?

Sir_Harry

Liverpool have won more than 10 Trophies since 1990!!

DaddyCool

When Lambrini is the only drink on offer.....I'd rather drink my own p1ss

Rocky7

'I'd rather drink my own *****' .. Story of Arsenal's history in Europe. A team only two points ahead of a 'complete laughing stock' may have aspirations above their station

Sir_Harry

Sir Harry, I fear you have taken the article a little too seriously. I would celebrate a carling cup win yes, but if that was all we won I would not consider it a success. Let's face facts here, you are kind of proving my point with regards to Spurs, taking yourselves far too seriously. A team who went to the CL Final with a load of kids does not really have ideas above its station. In answer to an earlier point, people who read my stuff regularly will know I ALWAYS maintained I would rather go out of Europe altogether than have been demoted to the UEFA, such is the worthlessness of the competition. Winning the Carling Cup with our U-18s would just be funny more than anything.

Little Dutch

sorry Little Dutch but that just demonstrates the arrogance of your club and is an insult against the 32 clubs still in the UEFA Cup. I am also certain that 15 clubs still in the Champions League would disagree with you as well as the 8 team who finished fourth in their group - all teams prefer to be in competitions rather than out of them

Sir_Harry

I'm sure the likes of Galatasaray, Palermo and Spurs are quite happy with the UEFA. Arsenal are a bigger club than all of the aforementioned and the UEFA is an indignity to us. It also wrecks the fixture schedule and I just do not think a club of our stature belong there. I'd rather win the F.A Cup or concentrate on getting higher up the league. It's not arrogance, it is linked with the potential of our club. I'm sure Arsenal would win the St. Johnstone's Paint Trophy or whatever they're calling it nowadays, that doesn't mean I want Arsenal to be in it. That may sound arrogant, but with achievement comes expectation.

Little Dutch

sir harry go away u creep

hazzagooner

Except this season like last you are not achieving it !!! Such a bigger club and only 2pts ahead :)

Sir_Harry

Well, we are a bigger club, surely you cannot deny that? As I've said, going to a CL Final with a bunch of teenagers is an achievement. As and when Arsenal become a dreary mid table side, playing crap football to a half empty arena, I will adjust my expectations. However, the potential of this team, together with having been in the CL for the last nine seasons renders the UEFA Cup an inconvenience at this time. The extent to which we dwarf you as a club can be seen by the fact you say 'only two points behind you' followed by a smile. That's because you consider this defecit a huge result. A bit like when a minnow 'only' loses 3-0 at Old Trafford

Little Dutch

Oh I accept you are currently a bigger club than us, but we are going in one direction and you after a decade of being in the top 2 are heading in the other ... Arsene seems to have lost his magic. And what is all this tosh about teenagers. A teenager is someone in his teens - 13 to 19. The team in Paris was Lehmann (36) Eboue (23) Cole (25) Campbell (32) Toure (25) Pires (33), Hleb (25) Henry (29) Ljungberg (29) and Silva (30). Your team of teenagers consisted of Fabregas + 10 non-teenagers, all internationals. Teams on the up put full effort into every competition. Teams on the way down clutch to fading opportunites.

Sir_Harry

Sir Harry, I'm pretty sure this time last year you had more points than us, which can only mean our kids are getting stronger, and believe me when I tell you there is a lot more to come from our side, unlike a Tottenham team who are playing to their full potential.

Rocky7

Ok so I've been pulling your *****er about this whole thing, but if you seriously think we are on our way down you are in for a rude awakening my friend. Alex Ferguson has spent the last 4 years rebuilding his team, they have finished outside the top two on a number of ocassions and now his patience is reaping the rewards, and I can gurantee you that the team that Arsene is assembling is far superior to anything Fergie has got together. Because you all live in your own little Spurs bubble where every Arsenal defeat to you is better than a Spurs victory, you can not see what is happening right infront of you. The current crop of players we have is beyond words. For instance 20 year old Abou Diaby is BETTER than any central midfielder you have and he has a lot to learn, and we have many many player such as him. I feel sorry for you because you are one of the Spuds that actually talks about football (Although you do need to lighten up) but I can not wait for the day that this team clicks into place because it will blow you away. Mark my words, Arsene has lost nothing.

Rocky7

Spurs have less points now than they did at this point last season. Does that mean they are a team in decline?

Little Dutch

The final side was more experienced, but you conveniently leave out that Flamini, Senderos, Eboue (who was 22), Fabregas, Diaby, Reyes, van Persie were all heavily involved. Most were playing their first year in the CL, getting to the final given that level of inexperience is remarkable.

Little Dutch

Abou Diaby v Tom Huddlestone ...now Rocky7 I think you speak in jest :) This is Huddlestone who was voted top midfielder at the Toulon U20 tournament by his peers ... a tournament France were involved in .. I rest my case

Sir_Harry

Chelsea aren't The Pistols mate...I think a comparison to Hearsay would be more adequate...put together in questionable circumstances, lacking any artistic integrity, not easy to watch, financed by someone rather wealthy, formulaic, contain certain publicity seeking individuals and will ultimately fall apart

Anon 1

What has happened to Diaby?? I remember he got injured but I thought that was ages ago!

Mikeyblue

He's due to return sometime in January...he'll defintely help out the squad. Personally I'm happy with any trophy we win, but the UEFA Cup has sadly seen it's importance diminished to a ridiculous degree, where it's almost the equivalent of winning the losers medal or the third place game.

Shinobi

Sir Harry, Arsene Wenger is responsible for the development of George Weah, Lilian Thuram, Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Petit, Robert Pires and Kolo Toure. The lot we've got coming through have so much talent and are under the stewardship of a man whose record with young players is unrivalled the world over. I rest my case.

Little Dutch

ok, but in the near future, we have the budding Dawson-King partnership, Robinson who is still 5 years off his peak years, Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Jenas, Tom Huddlestone who could easily replace Hargreaves/Carrick as the defensive midfielder in the England team, Berbatov up front who is finally acclimitising and we have some very very decent youngsters crowned by a certain Tomas Pekhart. I expect you all to try to make some derogatory remarks but he is 6ft2 Czech striker signed from Slavia Prague aged 16 fo £3.5m who was the world junior footballer of the year in 2005 beating Freddie Adu and who many experts regard to the heir apparent to Theirry Henry and Wayne Rooney.

Sir_Harry

LD, this seems to have lost the thread a bit, but I like the piece. Surprised that no-one was given the Beatles, though. No sure what I think of us as The Pistols, although Mutu and Bosnich certainly shared some of their habits.

Westl

Excellent read, especially like the Sheff Utd Take That analogy.

sandgroanun

Speaking of competitons which we want and which we don't sir Harry, I remember reading comments from Martin Jol the other day to the effect that getting into the CL is a bit of distruption for you guys, seeing as it's not like you're going to go anywhere. He seemed to imply it's better to stay out of it and concentrate on the stuff you can actually handle, like the prem and domestic cups. Mind, when I say "handle" I do not mean win, or even do well in that regard.
And another thing, do you know why we have a bit of disregard for the Waffer cup? Teams that were otherwise going to be in the CL ate bad lasagne and ended up there. We sure don't want to compare ourselves with a team that cannot even hire a chef properly trained in matters of hygiene!!

Gaga

And Sir Harry, if you ask Ferguson, regarding their CL last season, I'm darn sure he'd prefer the way it went (finishing 4th in the group and thus missing out of even the waffer) to finishing 3rd and into the waffer.
Seriously Sir Harry, how is it you cannot understand that supporters of a team considering itself good enough to win the CL would look down upon the UEFA cup?
As for your team, you guys have had good names there over the years. I haven't been following English football long enough to know all the names that have been there, but recent names such as Campbell, Carrick easily come to mind. Your problem (and it can't be a recent one, I'm told you last won the league in 1964) is that you never seem to do anything with them, so smarter ones leave and join teams where they can win something before they die; ditto Sol, and see how much he won with us. Carrick too has a chance of winning something, whereas the odds with you were a big fat zero. Not that I wish him well (seeing where he is). And so for Huddlestone, who apparently is rated highly, I can assure you this; if, as you allege, he is better than Diaby, and is English, his career at Totteham will be a very short one. If he turns out as well as you seem to think he'll turn out, he'll do a Sol, or a Carrick. Lennon is looking darn good too (but he, like our own Clichy, needs to work on the crosses I think!), but if he turns out topclass, he won't stay. Not with all the money that is pouring into England with all these actual and rumoured takeovers.

Gaga

ooooh it's all got a little heated, for a tongue in cheek article it's ok, but the comments with Reference to liverpool and spurs are just plain arrogant!!

BaldyYid

Arrogant or a comment made because you lot take yourselves so seriously it's so easy to make fun? Mikey Blue, Diaby had his leg ankle broken 3 minutes into injury time in a game we were 3-0 up in at Sunderland. He should be back in the new year. And yes SH, he is better than Huddleston. Just because he was voted player of the tournament in some two bit compotition doesnt mean he['s a better player, just means he played better. I thought a man of your intellect would know better than to try and palm me off with some half arsed argument.

Rocky7

funny when i watched all the gooners faces drop in horror in the stand during a certian uefa cup game.......when some arab scored from the half way line, u guys looked like u cared then. And harry you are correct that they are a team in decline......up until 3 years ago they were always fighting for the title, these days its a 2 horse race and they fight for 4th spot....id say that was a decline

sffsd

Huddlestone appears to be a fine player but you cant say he is better than Diaby based on 1 tournament and few premiership games. lets talk about them both in 2 years time. On what criteria do you include Jenas in ur list of good players Sir Harry? He has been playing premiership football for a number of years and has never had a good season.

iceman10

Erm that was the Cup Winners Cup sffsd. And like I said, it was much more pretiseous back then

Rocky7

oh dear sffsd. It was over ten years ago when the smaller european competitions mattered and were not p!ssed around with (1 legged group stages???? whats the point?). It was also the cup winners cup not the UEFA so before you spout rubbish at least get your facts right. As for our decline, you would love to decline the way we are, declining and still finishing above you? declining and reaching club footballs biggest final? Fabregas, Djouro, Clichy, Eboue, Toure, Walcott etc are only going to get better and better especially with Arsene as their manager. The whole football world acknowledges that only Sp*rs fans disagree...bothered!

iceman10

Sorry Rocky7 and Iceman10 but what is your basis for saying Diaby is great? Between 2004-06 he played a mighty 10 games for Auxerre and has appeared in 12 games for Arsenal. Meanwhile Huddlestone has played 88 games for Derby, 13 games for Wolves and 10 games for Spurs. By my maths, that means the comparison made for Tom is on 5 times the evidence of your hopes for Diaby. Regarding the tin pot Toulon tournament it only happens to be the premier U20 tournament in the world with participants including those minnows of world football, Brazil and France. Obviously nothing special then ........

Sir_Harry

Gaga, I am certain Sir Alex would've wanted to have been in the UEFA Cup. It provides revenue and cash flow both through TV and ticket sales, it allows a team to get greater European experience, and it means you didn't finish bottom of your group. Anyone who says they are glad to be out of a tournament then they are a liar.

Sir_Harry

Gaga, again I shall forgive your lack of knowledge of English Football. You are right in what you say about Campbell. But then we had the idiot Hoddle managing. Regarding the sale of Carrick, I recalled you cashing in on Petit and Overmars for £30m. Sometimes a bid is too big to turn down especially if a player wants to leave and you already know there is a replacement. But your comment about Huddlestone is absolute nonsense. Of course if someone bids £25m, we will consider it as football is a business but thats where the difference ends. You sold Anelka and replaced him with Henry ... did this mean you will automatically now sell Henry .. no of course it doesn't. And you should also be aware that the largest shareholder in Spurs is ENIC which is a vehicle of Joe Lewis making him the third wealthiest individual in English football after the Russian and the Arab. We are getting TV revenue from Europe albeit not the Champions League, have the best kit and sponsorship deals outside of the top4, have not yet renamed our stadium for corporate reasons, could expand and still fill the stadium - please explain why we need to sell and why would a player move to a so-called bigger club and maybe kill his career like SWP stuck on the bench?

Sir_Harry

Read carefully and u will see that I did not state Diaby is better than Huddlestone, I said compare them in 2 years time.

iceman10

And the fact is we are comparing an Arsenal 2nd string player to a sp*rs 1st team player. If we really wanted to win the argument we would just compare Huddlestone to Cesc.

iceman10

Happy to do that, compare notes in 2 years time?

Sir_Harry

but sir harry, even if huddlestone turns out to be the great player that you all think he will be, he will probably leave your team for united or liverpool or chelsea or if any big boys from elsewhere come calling. dun see much of a chance him stayin at spurs if he becomes as good as carrick, spurs won't be able to keep him cuz you're a small club..

luckys_10

STOP WRITING 'DUN' YOU THINK MUPPETT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HATEtheGOONS

Luckys_10, better watch over your shoulder as the Spurs are coming.

Sir_Harry

Um, do you hold a grudge against Reading FC or something? I'd like to know their band/singer equivalent.

MerckZ

lol..oh dear, it's gotten quite....intense here. lol. Anyways, great, fun article, although I must admit, I don't quite know much of the bands in great depth, but I got the gist of it. How about likening clubs to superheroes or villains? Well, I don't know what I'm talking about, but great entertaining read. :D

ducksworth

lol sir harry spurs have been coming since the last 40 odd years, but you'll always be in our shadows, you're just a small and selling club from north london :p..

luckys_10

and sir harry i'm suprised you dun have anything to say about huddlestone leaving spurs if he becomes that great as you all think he will, afterall you set an example in the summers by selling your best player for money and the same will happen with huddlestone, i guess you agree with me on tat :p..

luckys_10

Luckys_10, I have already said its a joke that Hudd will leave us. Of course if someone wants to bid £25m for him and he wants to leave then we'll sell ... like you did with Petit and Overmars. Why would he want to leave? He's in a team who over the last 2 seasons has been playing better than in the last 10 years, a team with cash to spend, a team prepared to give young English players the opportunity. We let Carrick go because we knew we had Hudd though I think even Jol is surprised how quickly he has come along. He's on a long term contract and with no disrespect, after half a season, we are only 2 points away from a Champions League spot despite having to integrate a number of key players. Yes we lost at your place, but you still have to visit us, and Arsenal, Liverpool, Bolton, Portsmouth and Villa are all still in the mix. Yes you may play the best looking football, but you've also lost a key advantage in Highbury and are droping points. You still have to visit Liverpool and us, and welcome Man Utd and Chelsea, - for us its the reverse. Visits to Sheff Utd, Blackburn and Portsmouth could all turn out nasty, so when you are 14 points ahead of us after half a season, tell me what a bigger and better club you are.

Sir_Harry

I'll tell you what a bigger and better club we are. Eleven more league titles than you, finished above you in each of the last eleven seasons, haven't lost to you in over seven years, took your captain on a free, won the league twice on your ground and currently above you in the league. It just cannot be more conclusive than that.

Little Dutch

Woah, woah, woah sweet child o mine!

Little Dutch

And in fitting with the Article Sir Harry.......TAKE THAT!

iceman10

Struggled into the Champions League last season, struggling to get back into the Champions League this season - handicapped by a huge debt mountain on your stadium which required 4 banks to securitize the loan. The thing is despite all this bigger and better club of yesterdyear you are struggling to recover past glories, desperately clinging to the hope that your youngsters might come through. You remind me of the Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony. Your manager is under huge pressure, whats going on with your talismanic captain ... you took our Judas when we were admittedly useless ... but the waffting of fear is becoming tangible .. it may not happen this season, but again you look like have to get through the pre-qualification at best. We have on the other hand, have no debt, cash to spend etc etc

Sir_Harry

lol sir harry, despite all our debts we still have more money to spend than you, and we might struggle to get into europe at the moment, but in the end, we will be there and you won't. and you have spent more money than us in the last 5 years, still your club has been crap, you havent been better than us in anything. you got thumped 3-0 at our home this season when we werent at our best. when a team cannot be up for such a big derby like that, it won't be up for anything. you got so close to the champions league last season, but in the end *****ed your own pants, and this year your going to struggle even to qualify for the uefa cup, and we're still above you in the table despite having 4-5 of our first choice players out almost all the time, and when our talismanic skipper comes back, you're gonna ***** in your pants again when we come to your ground. you consider yourself to be a big club like us, you havent even beaten us once this century, and don't tell me you've come close, coming close is not good enough, you just can't get the job done, and that will always be spurs, i know it hurts when you virtually dun win anything for decades and see your neighbours win double after double, go unbeaten, win the fa cup every other year, reach new heights in europe and you still dun have any silverware. how many managers have you sacked since wenger has been here? our manager has always been under pressure, but he has always come up as the winner, made three different title winning sides and he is well on his way to make a fourth one. so what if it takes him two or three seasons to make them champions again, atleast we won't have to wait for 45 long years LOL..

luckys_10

Your argument does not even begin to match mine. We dwarf you, we're still dwarfing you with a load of kids. By the time this team hits its early twenties, it will leave Tottenham's stratosphere. Spuds are at the height of their potential.

Little Dutch

my only comment would be Oasis as man united, who are City fans hahahahahahaha, that was priceless... very good piece, made me laugh ;)

PUREGOLD

Luckys_10, why are your responses so difficult to read, it is almost worth imagining your computer is covered in spittle. Again you are referring to the past and one game. I am talking about now. You go on about players being injured, we have been trying to integrate at least 4 new players. You go on about our defeat at your place, but you have still to face us at WHL and got beaten at Bolton and ManC. Every team has their ups and downs. You go on about youngsters coming through - in 2-3 years we will have our own strong youngsters and in many ways are an extremely young team. Henry has always struggled against King so I wonder why you think he will make such a difference? Spurs have current sponsorship deals worth in excess of £12m a season on shirt and kit, your Emirates/Nike deals are very big but primarily contribute towards the debt mountain.

Sir_Harry

and but for an outbreak of illness, you'd have been playing in the much maligned UEFA cup this season. Joke and laugh all you want about those circumstances but the facts are you are in 4th place after half the season, on the same points as Bolton, 1pt ahead of Portsmouth and 2pts ahead of Spurs. And to be perfectly honest, after our ***** start to the season, I am amazed we are so close. We don't need Champions League for the financial stability of the club .... but do you?

Sir_Harry

yeah course we do Sir_Harry! We have virtually sold out all the property being built where Highbury once was at a minimum of 285k, we have a £100million deal with Emirates a £55million deal with nike and the highest gate earnings in europe. If you want to talk about the here and now lets do so, You spent nearly £30 million on players in the summer and have less points than a team spent considerably less (Arsenal), you have been taken to extra time by lower league clubs at home twice, been beaten out of sight by your locsl rivals without their injured talisman, have won once away. If you ever finish above us come back and absolutley tear us to bits with ur knowledge until then all your talk is just hot air because you have achieved nothing, nothing, nothing.

iceman10

pound for pound your actually the worst team in premiership history. No team has spent more money and failed to acheive so little, Even the likes of Newcastle and Blackburn have achieved more, Portsmouth have had money for 1 year and are doing what you have taken over 2 decades to do, everton have qualified for champions league, Ipswich have qualified for UEFA via the league, Leicester have won the carling cup, Millwall have reached a cup final. Your a joke.

iceman10

Ooooooooh, that's got to hurt. Sir Harry, I suggest you read Eugene O'Neil's seminal work. Its called 'The Icaman Cometh.' :-)

Little Dutch

Great Fun Article. Spurs are the beatles though, and Arsenal are the pet shop boys. "go west" oh how i laughed when you use to trot out at Highbury to that!

Jacky B

lol sir harry i hope it aint so difficult to read what iceman has said..

luckys_10

where is sir scary? seems like he has no answer to your facts and comments iceman and he's gone from our site for good :p..

luckys_10

Iceman10, you mention you beat us out of sight ... 2 dubious penalties and a goal which on another day might have been ruled outside. We had players injured, still trying to integrate new players and your so called injured Talisman always struggles against King, something he himself has admitted. Yes you have done better than us in the past, but you fail to mention our recent form, your defeat at Man C, all the home draws, the need to play your own brand of anti-football etc etc. Mourinho couldn't believe you'd given up on the Premiership so early, nor could we all. You are expected to win the Premiership, we are not ... yet. We have been taken to extra time v teams playing their cup final of the season and having brought in a number of reserves. And the outcome has still been we've won. Your manager has got fined once this season, is likely to be fined again so something must be up. Yes we've signed players, usually those who have been hits and as they have settled our teams performances have improved. Since we played you our 5 games have been WWWWW, with 12 goals for and 5 against. You have played 4 games and they have been DDWD with 4 games for and 3 against. Your Emirates deal is £100m over 10 years, the Nike deal is £55m over 7. I work that out at £18m a season barely enough to cover your interest repayments. That fact that Arsenal fans are charged more than any other fan is nothing to brag about. Of course we have wasted money whilst you have had stable management. Well we now have stable management so are catching up, something the squeals of concern subconciously recognise. We almost had you last season, and despite a significant overhaul of playing staff we are right on your tails again. Yesterday is another country, of no real interest if only as a point enabling us to measure how far we have come since Levy/Jol got their act together.

Sir_Harry

"We nearly got you", "you're expected to win the league we're not." All screams SMALL CLUB to me. A bit like when Wigan fans sing "you're Gunner win **** all." You conveniently don't mention that two of our draws have been away at the Champions of their respective leagues. I'm more worried about bird flu or the possibility that my living room walls develop vocal chords and disclose to the world the sheer amount of porn I download than the emergence of Tottenham.

Little Dutch

Your performance at our place was the worst by any visiting club so far, Defoes goal the other night was more offside than Adebayor so please get over it. comparing recent form is fine but most of your games have been at home and most of ours away (with 1 in the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE) so its a unfair comparison. you really think the Directors at Arsenal would risk extinction to move ground? I know your more intelligent than that so il guess you left the sale of the Highbury Property out of your interest payment equation on purpose. We are not squealing with concern we are just baffled that a team that has spent so much money and hails itself as a big club have 1 good season (as portsmouth are having) and then think there as good as a team that has established itself as 1 of the big four over the last ten years and are recognised as 1 of the most succesful clubs this country has ever produced! All this talk of your going to catch us is hot air and until you actually achieve the mighty feat of finishing above us I suggest you stop comparing yourselves to us.

iceman10

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