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Posted: 02-09-2013 00:03 Post subject:

Interesting that Arsenal are now in the top four, above Man United...

(I wonder what RvP feels about that? Twisted Evil

)

Posted: 02-09-2013 23:05 Post subject:

Wiki is not hanging about:

Mesut Özil ... (born 15 October 1988) is a German footballer who plays for English Premier League club Arsenal and the German national team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesut_%c3%96zil

Big News! The transfer window has only just closed!

Posted: 04-09-2013 10:20 Post subject:

A couple of tales of multi-lingual football managers:

Mesut Özil's £42m move to Arsenal sealed with one phone call from manager Arsene Wenger
There can be no single occasion during the entire 17 years of Arsène Wenger’s tenure at Arsenal when having a multilingual manager has been more useful.
By Jeremy Wilson
8:45PM BST 03 Sep 2013

After months of on-off negotiations, the club’s chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, was made aware on Saturday that Real Madrid would be willing to sell Mesut Özil for £42 million.
The problem, however, was that Özil himself had always seen his future at Madrid and would need some convincing.

Wenger immediately broke off from his preparations for Sunday’s north London derby, dialled Özil’s phone number and, after a series of lengthy conversations in German, was quietly confident that the deal had been done.

He had outlined his vision for how he wants his team to play, how he saw Özil becoming his creative conductor and, above all, how this would just be the start of Arsenal competing with the superpowers of European football for the world’s best players. Conversations with Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski followed, leaving Özil convinced.

While Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was at the Emirates watching his team lose 1-0 to Arsenal, Gazidis was arriving in Spain to conclude a deal with Madrid. Cool

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/10284922/Mesut-Ozils-42m-move-to-Arsenal-sealed-with-one-phone-call-from-manager-Arsene-Wenger.html

England v Moldova: Theo Walcott vows to repay manager Roy Hodgson for curing him of his self-doubt
Theo Walcott finally believes that he belongs with England after shedding some of his “timid” nature.
By Henry Winter
11:00PM BST 03 Sep 2013

The 24-year-old winger has been excelling for Arsenal over the past two seasons and is now an established part of Roy Hodgson’s attack with England.
“I feel like I should be here,’’ said Walcott, speaking at St George’s Park on Tuesday as England stepped up preparations to face Moldova in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley on Friday.

It will be Walcott’s 35th cap in a slightly stop-start international career. He went to the 2006 World Cup but never played, returned to the under-21s, finally made his senior debut in 2008 and then scored that hat-trick against Croatia in Zagreb.

That should have meant he cemented his position in the side but he was overlooked for the 2010 World Cup.

Walcott featured at Euro 2012 and has begun to feel more involved under Hodgson.
“Maybe a few years ago I was always a bit timid but I feel like this is where I should be,’’ Walcott continued. “I enjoy working with the manager. He has so much faith in me as well.
“I am starting to show that belief in myself as well. I am actually performing like I do for Arsenal. I am enjoying every single minute of it.

“It is great when the manager picks you. You know you deserve to be here as one of the best 23 guys in England. The main thing for me now is staying fit. There was a time that whenever I came away with England I used to get an injury but that hasn’t happened for a while.’’

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/10284927/England-v-Moldova-Theo-Walcott-vows-to-repay-manager-Roy-Hodgson-for-curing-him-of-his-self-doubt.html

It's not reported which language Hodgson uses to speak to Walcott! Wink

Friday 6 September 20:00 England v. Moldova
Tuesday 10 September 19:45 Ukraine v. England

Posted: 05-09-2013 08:04 Post subject:

Alan Hansen to leave Match of the Day next summer after 22 years as leading BBC pundit
Alan Hansen will end his 22-year association with Match of the Day next summer after revealing his intention to retire as the BBC’s leading pundit following the 2014 World Cup.
By Mark Ogden
11:00PM BST 04 Sep 2013

Having been a central figure in the BBC’s football coverage since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, the former Liverpool captain will not pursue a new contract to remain on the programme when his deal expires next July.

After rejecting alternative offers from Sky, ITV and even the chance to become manager of Manchester City during his two decades on Match of the Day, Hansen insists he will be leaving a programme that remains at the heart of football in this country.

But having shelved plans to quit three years ago, the 58-year-old has confirmed to Telegraph Sport that this season will be his last.
“I’m retiring from Match of the Day at the end of the season,” Hansen said. “I will have been there for 22 years and will be 59, so it’s the right time for me.
“The guys at the BBC know me and I said, ‘Look, this is categorical. I’m leaving and nothing will make me change my mind’. I am contracted to do the World Cup and I will do that as it will be a good way to go out, but I have had a great run.

“I’ve been in football for 41 years and I’m going out right at the top, just as I did at Liverpool. The plan was always that I would retire at 55. I kept going, but I finally decided to retire during Euro 2012.
“I had just signed a two-year contract and felt that, by the end of it, I would have had enough. But I have worked for a great organisation with wonderful people on the most fantastic programme.”

With regular viewing figures in excess of four million, and sometimes over five million, Match of the Day remains the most watched football programme in the country.

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/10287266/Alan-Hansen-to-leave-Match-of-the-Day-next-summer-after-22-years-as-leading-BBC-pundit.html

Posted: 08-09-2013 11:28 Post subject:

Here's a novelty - sailing on TV! But it is the big one...

Sailing: America's Cup
BBC2
Sailing: America's Cup, Episode 1
Today on BBC2 from 2:45pm to 3:30pm

Highlights from San Francisco Bay as the 34th America's Cup gets underway with the first two races of the 17 match series. Oracle Team USA are the defending champions after beating Swiss outfit Alinghi the last time the race was held in 2010.

Repeated from Lone Coastguard thread.

Something to switch over to when you get bored with cars going round Monza...! Twisted Evil

Posted: 08-09-2013 16:31 Post subject:

Posted: 09-09-2013 08:39 Post subject:

England must realise it is currently the most they can expect to qualify for World Cups, says Alan Hansen
Much as I would like to see Greg Dyke’s inaugural address as the Football Association’s chairman as the wake-up call English football needs, I fear the situation is going to get much worse for the national team before it can hope to get better.
By Alan Hansen
6:34AM BST 09 Sep 2013

I like Greg and believe he will prove a highly capable appointment, but the problems facing the England team are now so endemic, all you can see in the immediate vicinity are a catalogue of problems and not much in the way of solutions.

From basic lack of numbers – not enough children actually playing football at an early age – through to the career paths being blocked by players from abroad, it is nigh on impossible to see anything changing in the immediate future, and certainly not in the time span that makes winning the World Cup in 2022 achievable.

The greatest reality check English football can give itself is to recognise that culturally – even during more successful periods – this country has never produced the same quantity of talent as Brazil, Argentina and Germany.
It is becoming even more difficult to do so. There is nothing can be done in the near future to change that, so expectations should be fixed accordingly.

If you go back to 2006 when we were all told there was a ‘golden generation’ of English players capable of winning the World Cup, what did it really amount to? About six or seven top-class players who were guaranteed their starting place, but nothing beyond them.

You would look at the Germans and Brazilians and feel they could pick three sides capable of reaching the later stages. They have always had a larger pool of players to choose from, whereas England has always had to rely on a couple of superstars.

On top of this, what we currently have is a clash between the incompatible aspirations of the FA and those of the Premier League and the clubs.
It would require a complete reversal of everything that has happened over the last two decades in order to undo what has made the English league the most entertaining and richest in the world. Why would the clubs want or sanction that?

The overseas players have enhanced the league, attracted sponsorship and subscriptions from every continent and thus enabled the top clubs to spend even more money on the best foreign talent. It is a cycle of success which few of them would want to break.
The consequence, inevitably, has been it is more difficult for home-grown players to get opportunities at the top clubs unless they, too, are extraordinarily talented.

That is not the Premier League’s fault – how can you blame them for being as successful as they can be - but the natural consequence of aspiration where every club, at every opportunity, will also seek to sign the biggest talents regardless of their passport. Unlike 30 years ago, they have the money to do it.

If English players are good enough, they do get a chance but I’m also a firm believer in the view you also need the opportunity in order to get better.
A quota system of some form would be advisable, but I’d presume there would be legal challenges if such limits were imposed and, again, if the Premier League insists on their clubs choosing lesser player simply because they are English, you end up with an inferior, less attractive and less lucrative league. Who’s going to make this happen?

Improving the coaching levels at the Academies will also, inevitably, help, but there’s no point expecting miracles. You can’t make an average player good at the age of 15, regardless of whether you’re the most dynamic, visionary youth coach in the world.

I made my Liverpool debut at the age of 22 and was undoubtedly assisted in my progress by the quality of those around me, but I also had the ability to force my way into such a side due to my development as a youngster, playing football at every opportunity because in those days we didn’t feel as though we had much else to do.
The refining of skills has to start at the ages of six and seven, in my case kicking the ball against a wall and learning how to play two-footed.

British society has changed in the last three decades to the point where schoolchildren have so much more to occupy their time than go for a kickabout with their friends in the park whenever they have a minute spare. It is all computer games and one of thousands of TV channels to watch now.

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/10294981/England-must-realise-it-is-currently-the-most-they-can-expect-to-qualify-for-World-Cups-says-Alan-Hansen.html

I heard a question last night - "How many English managers have won the Premiership title?" Apparently (but I'm not enough of a nerd to check this out) the answer is "None"! Shocked

Posted: 09-09-2013 09:10 Post subject:

Sailing: America's Cup
BBC2
Sailing: America's Cup, Episode 2
Today on BBC2 from 1:30pm to 2:15pm

Continued highlights from San Francisco Bay with action from races three and four of the America's Cup. First contested in 1851 the event boasts the oldest trophy in international sport.

And later on iPlayer.

Posted: 10-09-2013 13:35 Post subject:

Mesut Özil insists Arsenal will win trophies and vows to settle quickly into Arsene Wenger's side
Mesut Özil is confident he will quickly adjust to life at Arsenal and help end their quest for a first trophy in almost a decade.
By Telegraph Sport, and agencies
3:46PM BST 05 Sep 2013

The 24-year-old Germany international completed a club-record transfer from Real Madrid late on deadline day for a fee believed to be £42 million as Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger finally delivered a marquee signing.
The departure of the third-generation Turkish-German playmaker was greeted with shock by some of his former team-mates, so highly is the player rated among his peers.

Özil made his mind up to leave after being told he no longer figured in the first-team plans of Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti following the world-record signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur.

The German is now determined to make a major impact with Arsenal alongside the likes of Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla as the team look to deliver some silverware to finally follow the 2005 FA Cup into the Emirates trophy cabinet.

"I want to improve myself further and I am looking forward to the style of play. Arsenal are well known for the strength of their technical game and their desire to play attacking football. I think I will fit perfectly into that. That is why I chose to sign for the club," Özil said in an interview with Arsenal Player.
"In the last few years, Arsenal haven't been so successful, but we want to become more successful. We want to win trophies. I think the fans are looking forward to that too.
"We have a very strong and a very young team that can improve a lot under the manager. I think we will win trophies because we have the potential."

The influence of Wenger cannot be underestimated in securing a deal which was brokered over the weekend, when Arsenal beat arch-rivals Tottenham in the north London derby.
The French coach - who has come in for severe criticism over recent seasons, but still continued to deliver Champions League qualification - spoke personally to Özil, a player he had tracked since emerging at Werder Bremen, which helped fend off late interest from both Paris St Germain and Manchester United.

Özil believes his style of play will help him settle quickly into a new environment, with his first outing likely to be at Sunderland on September 14

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/10289090/Mesut-Ozil-insists-Arsenal-will-win-trophies-and-vows-to-settle-quickly-into-Arsene-Wengers-side.html

Posted: 10-09-2013 15:54 Post subject:

Posted: 12-09-2013 12:46 Post subject:

Funny and interesting mash-up of old football clips - plenty of flair strikers corpsing when having to speak in front of camera:

Retrospective Punishment: Ep 1. HOW TO SCORE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP6dfdnoWjM

Posted: 13-09-2013 10:03 Post subject:

Mesut Özil admits he joined Arsenal because of the respect shown by manager Arsène Wenger
Mesut Özil has complained that he was not afforded sufficient respect or trust at Real Madrid and said that he would have happily joined Arsenal to play under Arsène Wenger for nothing

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/10305987/Mesut-Ozil-admits-he-joined-Arsenal-because-of-the-respect-shown-by-manager-Arsene-Wenger.html

NOW he tells us! Evil or Very Mad

Posted: 14-09-2013 17:25 Post subject:

Well, what a surprise - Arsenal are top of the premiership! Very Happy

But it seems to be because of alphabetical order, because Spurs have the same points and the same Goal Difference. Wink

And other teams still have games in hand...

Still, it seems a long time since we saw Arsenal on top, and I hope it's a sign of things to come! Our new signing, Mesut Ozil, apparently had a good game - I'll have to check him out on MotD tonight. Cool

EDIT: Arsenal are on top by virtue of goals scored, it seems!

Posted: 21-09-2013 20:11 Post subject:

Interesting Premiership results today. Liverpool, last week's leaders, lost at home today, but still remain a point above Arsenal.

Chelsea won at home, and go top.

But Arsenal have a game in hand over those two. Tomorrow they are at home to Stoke. If they win, they'll go top.

The two Manchester clubs play each other tomorrow - if they kick the stuffing out of each other, and only manage a draw, it'll be a Gooner dream! Very Happy

But it's a long season, better not count chickens before the fat lady sings... Cool

Posted: 22-09-2013 00:52 Post subject:

At least the Baggies won!