1 Nil Down 2 One Up

Arsene’s new shoes, Koz must play and Spurs lose their Arse!

Posted on 19/03/2013 by goonerdave66 Posted in Uncategorized 13 Comments

Today I am delighted to welcome a good pal of mine Jeremy Lebor to 1ND2OU. Jeremy is a frequent blogger for other sites and has been threatening to write for this one in a while. There is more about Jeremy who is a lawyer by profession and a twice published novelist as well. Might explain why finding time to write for me, when not discussing screenplay adaptations or appearing in court has been an issue. Anyway brilliant to have him here and I hope it will be the first of many collaborations. Watch this space….. over to JL for an amusing and insightful review of the past week

Despite the disappointment of exiting the Champions League at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday of last week, the 0-2 win actually had more of an effect on the Arsenal team for the remaining games of the season than perhaps supporters realise or are prepared to accept. Let’s not underestimate that Bayern are supposedly the ‘best’ team in Europe at present with a huge 20 point lead at the top of the Bundesligia, They had the stuffing knocked out of them in their own back yard! – Personally, I still feel Barcelona are at the forefront despite their own wavering’s and are a team you cannot right off at any cost, perhaps along with Real Madrid. Bayern best team in Europe… maybe in time when Pep Guardiola takes over the helm.

Arsenal went into the game with Bayern Munich, low on confidence having lost their previous game to arch rivals Tottenham, and as well as being annihilated at the Emirates by Bayern in the home leg of the Champions League tie. I was there, and like most, if not every Arsenal supporter, witnessed a very poor night for our team! – So with a victory that should not be underestimated, Arsenal had their pride restored – sort of!

With an enforced break upon us due to World Cup qualifiers, it was essential that the trip last Saturday to Swansea was a must win game. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work that one out! Continue reading →

Seaman, Bould Dixon and Winterburn played 50 out of 50 in 1990/91 – Why is it not possible in 2013?

Posted on 05/02/2013 by goonerdave66 Posted in Uncategorized 27 Comments

Idiots on MOTD but the one of best CB pairings in history played 66 and 67 games respectively in 83/84

So what is the subject today chaps? It is something that has bugged me a while and the sort of thing you will all talk about at the ground, down the pub or on social media and none of you will agree on it. Yes today I am looking at why modern day footballers cannot play as many games of footie as their contemporaries have in the past? Why do we continually read that our players need to be rested, or can’t play 2 games in a week? At the same time we hear the pundits on radio and TV who are all ex players questioning the validity of the claim. After all they played more games, so they tell us and on worse pitches but would you bet on sport in 2013 being played on a Wembley surface like the on below

Webley for 1970 Final - Check the surface!!

Wembley for 1970 Final – Check the surface!!

This piece will throw some surprising facts at you and I hope open many debates. It will not however offer any definitive conclusions, mainly because I do not have the knowledge to do so. I am more interested in offering some facts, maybe and opinion but then being educated by you the reader with your comment and feedback. I will however start off by saying that having grown up with the English 1^st Division in the 1970s and 80s and our club’s domination of Europe my sympathies do lie with the old school who don’t really see the issue with playing 2 90 minutes in a week. Continue reading →

Theo Walcott – First testimonial since Dennis Bergkamp?

Posted on 18/01/2013 by goonerdave66 Posted in Uncategorized 10 Comments

He signed da ting!

So it would the deal is finally done and finally a long protracted contract negotiation ends in our favour.

Ironically it has happened at a time when his virtual guarantee of a starting place might be under threat. As Wenger appears to have stumbled upon, or finally been able to play, a team/formation that proved effective this week. A team that operated with a DM, Diaby and Super Jack, moving Santi to a fluid wing role. Interesting then to see who fills final 2 attacking slots with arguably, Theo, Lukas, Olivier and Alex competing.

Anyway I have no intention of spoiling the party and thought I would recycle something I wrote back at the end of November which at that time focused on some of the non-financial or positional reasons why Theo Walcott might chose to stay at Arsenal FC. This was a blog about LOYALTY AND A PLAYERS POTENTIAL FOR A PLACE IN OUR CLUB’S HISTORY.

This was the title back on the 26th Nov: “David O’Leary, Tony Adams, Theo Walcott…. Dear Theo, Legend status waiting so don’t blow it.”

So It is now confirmed that Walcott has not blown it and with hard work, patience and of course good fortune, he might just become part of something special. He may just become the club legend he aspires to be and his new deal will take him into his tenth season in North London. His next extension might just gives us our first 10 years servant since Dennis Bergkamp……. Continue reading →

A Surprise Priority transfer window signing from America Exclusive!!

Posted on 07/01/2013 by goonerdave66 Posted in Uncategorized 26 Comments

Today I am welcoming a new guest to ’1nildown2oneup.’ Delighted to introduce a first ever blog anywhere by my good twitter buddy from the ‘Emerald Isle,’ John ‘Woody’ Woods, better known to many as @woodysirish. If you don’t follow him I sincerely suggest you are missing out and what follows will convince you. He knows his Arsenal and is over for the Liverpool and Stoke games if you wish to catch him for a pint, as I most certainly will. The style and content is quirky and comedic but the message is serious….

In replying to @goonerdave66 ‘s blogs over the past few months, he has started to say that my comments were like blogs in themselves, and that I should try writing one for myself… so here goes. Continue reading →

David O’Leary, Tony Adams, TheoWalcott…. Dear Theo, Legend status waiting so don’t blow it

Posted on 26/11/2012 by goonerdave66 Posted in Uncategorized 33 Comments

The face of a man who loves scoring for Arsenal FC?

There has been much written about Theo Walcott and I am sure much more will be until such time as the England International puts pens to paper on a new contract with Arsenal. The sense I am getting on twitter, other social media and the media in general is one of pessimism and the majority feel resigned him following van Persie, Song and other big name stars out of the Emirates. I sincerely hope this is not the case because I genuinely feel he has taken a step to a new level this season. There has been in increased maturity about him, a clinical coolness in his finishing and most significantly a greater awareness and accuracy about his final pass or cross. For all these reasons and to make a statement I am strongly of the opinion that the club need to all in their power to convince Theo to extend his stay in North London.

As you might expect though I have a slightly alternative perspective on the situation and ongoing contract talks. Different in that it does not involve the only two issues everyone else in concentrating on. So this blog is about Theo Walcott and the possibility of him signing a new deal but I will not be assessing his supposed salary demands or his rumoured positional demands. Partly because we, or certainly not I, don’t actually know if he has demanded £100k a week or insisted on playing through the middle. This is press talk and speculation and I would rather deal with facts and come at this from a different angle. So Ivan/Arsene if you are reading blogs you may wish to listen to this boring statto for some assistance in your negotiations with young Theo and his agent. Continue reading →