Oct 23
Hello all, Rick Liebling here. I’m in Manchester today and will fill you all in on my recent football-related adventures soon, but just a quick word on yesterday’s incident.
If nothing else, trying a stunt like that shows that the team (or at least Henry) is loose. A tight, nervous club wouldn’t try that. Now, you could argue that the poor execution shows they (or at least Pires) were a bit tight. But my point is that I like to see the brashness come back to Arsenal.
Now don’t ever do that again!
51 Responses to ““That” Penalty - An alternate take”
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October 23rd, 2005 at 10:20 am
Pathetic, Daft, Disrespectful, Silly, Pure Stupidity and Un professionalism at work.
Folks let not turn this into a joke because like many other fans, we paid went to watch a football match not some jokers. This is a team trying to catch up with Chelsea on top of the table. I don?t think anyone will have found it funny if that City goal should have stand. We were only a goal up. I can?t take anyone who found this funny serious.
Henry, yes we want entertainment but this is not entertainment but **AYE CARUMBA**(censored) comedy and arrogance.
The symptoms of what are wrong with the Arsenal. Where is the respect for the paying fans? Henry and Pires are two of Arsenal’s most senior players. What kind of example does that set for the young players?
Could you imagine Mourinho or Ferguson letting his players get away with that? Wenger’s reaction is more ridiculous than the penalty.
“Robert was uncertain and scared to miss the penalty and he made a big mistake and a wrong decision. He was not lacking seriousness or respect - he was lacking confidence.”
Now Wenger we know what is wrong with the Arsenal after a silly statement like this. You just proved to have lost the plot. What an excuses.
October 23rd, 2005 at 10:42 am
Love G relax, chill out…it is a form of entertainment - you want reality go help the poor victims of the S. Asian earthquake!! Bottom line Arsenal got three points - now…
What a game I would say….football was very poor from both teams but yet it had lots of talking points….i’ll focus on a couple:
“That” penalty will always be remembered for as long as I live!! Typical Arsenal trying to walk the ball into the net even via a penalty!! Henry shoulders the blame but as senior if Pires did not want to do this risky thing then he should have told Henry….Wenger’s reaction was immediately after the game so it was a mixed confused one and no blame lies there….
Second point that Pires in my view had an absolute shocker of game…horrible….firstly through the miss of the season for Arsenal - last years Pires would have burried that, secondly you can see he is really trying defensively but at his age to learn something that you have not done over the years makes it harder for him….and third was the penalty that never was…Pires should have had the marbles to take it straight up…I believe he will leave come January or the summer so no contract renewal unless he agrees for 1 year extensions….
Henry’s part in the match was also very minimum…but he is just coming back from long lay off….
The whole team had pre-match ceremonial hangover! Plus Arsenal hardly ever performs right after European nights….
Guys let us not complain…win is a win against a very good Man City team who will do well this season…we are closer to the top this morning up next in the EPL Spurs…that will be a very tough game - an absolute cracker coming up!!
October 23rd, 2005 at 10:54 am
I’m not going to get into a fighting game with you here but for your information let not play the silly game of pitness with regards the Earthquake of S. Asian. People lost their life there and more people are still dying there.
You don’t know anything about me or what I do.
If you think what Arsenal did was right fine
October 23rd, 2005 at 10:56 am
If there is one thing Wenger will never learn, it’s the art of being tough. Clough would have kicked the two out of the pitch. Ferguson would’ve ensured the two come out of changing room with more stitches than Beckham’s. Mourinho would’ve sent them both to do some IQ tests.
Surely Wenger couldn’t do all that to the player he publicly admitted he fears to lose. Or that player’s remaining best pal. But he could’ve at least made it clear that he despised what they did. Instead, he stood by them. Typical Wenger.
I agree that this is nowhere near a joke, even if we are now in Chelsea’s position. And when it involves our so-called captain, what would he do when the other players try such antiques? Scold them?
I won’t bother to talk about Pires.
Oh, but they have done so much for us in the past, haven’t they? Our top and 2nd goalscorers? Well.. they deserve the right to be stupid occasionally then. don’t they?
October 23rd, 2005 at 11:08 am
Henry had to shoulder the blame because:
1. it was his idea and
2. he was THE CAPTAIN
There is no denying that we are all glad for the 2 wins in a week. But we seriously need Adams and Keown back to the training ground to drill our Frenchmen. They thought they were entertainers. Forget Chelsea then. Let’s try to score from overhead kicks against Sunderland.
Eh, but this is our all time record goalscorer. Can’t blame him, can we?
October 23rd, 2005 at 11:10 am
I wrote a post in support of Pires after reading Rick latest article after this comment were turned over about Arsenal lacking ambition.
But I can’t even think or bother about it after watching what he did yesterday. He had given all his haters sometime to talk about.
October 23rd, 2005 at 11:22 am
I can never hate him because he is and will always be one of the best and nicest players Wenger has ever bought.
I think some of us are being so critical when it comes to Pires simply because we can’t bear seeing such a fine player playing in such a way lately.
I don’t know if anyone can seriously hate Le Bob. We just hate to see him in such a state.
October 23rd, 2005 at 11:31 am
I found it very strange some of the things written and said about him. I can say he is one of the best if not the second best Arsenal player within the last 5 seasons. Yes he had lost his form but that happens to all good and great players. Some of the things said about him and DB10 proves to me how sad these fans are.
But it also tells you sometime about some so-called football fans. We have lots of them on this site but they will tell you they are positive about the club and I’m very negative.
October 23rd, 2005 at 11:42 am
Love G you just made my case - your seriousness to my one liner about the Earthquake should tell you that this is just a game - let us support the lads instead of constantly criticising them….of course I am against what they tried but look into perspective Arsenal got the win…
If you were personally offended I apologize to you but for your info I have had a personal loss because of this tragedy…
Class is permanent form can be temporary….hope that is the case for Pires although I do fear he will be gone soon…
October 23rd, 2005 at 12:21 pm
The rules have been changed so I found it difficult to defend these 2 clowns. It was and had a very high margin of risk, when we were only 1-0 up is daft to say at least.
It was daft but I think both morons have apologised and have accepted responsibilities. I did not paid ?55.00 to watch Benny Hill (RIP). A bit arrogant guys, let hope they never try this farce again.
October 23rd, 2005 at 12:39 pm
Something to watch after your X’max dinner which will keep the family happy but I guess the most expensive joke of all time. Benny Hill and Mr Bean will be knock off the top 5.
Remember Wenger will always be Wenger, I found it hard to believe he doesn’t even understand the rules. His statement was a typical Wenger Classic.
October 23rd, 2005 at 12:43 pm
We won but that was not professional. City would have gone home with one point if the ref was not on our side. It was clear goal but we also need some luck at times.
October 23rd, 2005 at 1:35 pm
Rick, I agree with you. Things have gotten so deadly serious in football lately, that I wouldn’t blame the guys for going a little bonkers. Its seems that Henry and Ronaldinho are the only two guys left in Europe who apply a joy to their game. Did anyone else see the Brazilian play the ball with his back yesterday into the path of Giuly for their 3rd goal? Granted, they were 2 up and in complete control, but I would have paid five times the ticket price if I thought stuff like that might happen now and again.
As for the penalty, I’m more disappointed that we didn’t get the chance to see it buried. Its a personality thing, I guess. Had we drawn, I’d have been frustrated to say the least. But all moaning Gooners needed was another reason to sh*t themselves, and the chances of something like this being tried again are, in my opinion, sadly slim to none. Of course, I don’t have to absorb the litany of jeers from rival supporters all day on my way to work so my sympathies to all those London based Gooners still trying to win arguments about our club from the summer.
However, I am a Gooner even if I do live in The States, and if any Mancs or Spurts want to have a pop at what could have been a touch of brilliance that loosened up the side, then they can try and explain why they sucked all over the pitch yesterday and dropped points. We played well when we were able to get controlling possession out of the back just to once again not shoot the ball, but I’m surprised that any of these guys play at all well together with the amount of time they’ve consistently taken the pitch together. Injuries and Qualifiers are as real as a scuffed penalty.
That being said, I encourage all of you to check out this article:
http://tinyurl.com/duwvn
Even you, Dad…I mean, l_G.
Before you take Theirry over your knee, even an old school Gooner like yourself who misses the days of grit and men has to say this guy’s got some very good points.
October 23rd, 2005 at 2:31 pm
From the replays I saw, he was slightly off-side.
October 23rd, 2005 at 2:34 pm
tip of the hat to NY/NJ… you’re half way home…
but…
“we played well”…
those words should not be used in any sentence in regard to yesterday’s match.
It was CRAP football from both sides.
We won. 3 points. Onward and Upward. But we were poor.
October 23rd, 2005 at 2:45 pm
Thank you, sir. And what a strike by Guevara! But we both know the reverse tie will be another matter altogether.
And do you hate watching a game over a football grid as much as I do? Its like staring at the instrument panel of an airplane.
Watching yesterday’s game was like watching a team of random players having a pick up in the park. Coming out of the back was a nightmare. Everyone looked exhausted, and it was only when we were able to connect two pass into Citeh’s half that things look Arsenal. They only bungled the ball into our half, where we had some semblance of order into their box when things clicked. Still, not enough time together and Cesc looks incredibly odd on the right.
But you’re right, not good enough. And I only wish Henry’d buried that penalty. I miss the days when we were accused of being arrogant!
October 23rd, 2005 at 3:21 pm
I work with and lived around guys who have lost their loved ones in South Asian so let not bring that into football.
If you have been reading my posts and comments I don’t criticise players at all. I stood up for Pires but what they did yesterday was a bad joke.
October 23rd, 2005 at 3:38 pm
What that article forget to mentioned was that Henry/Pires apologised for their stupidness. Also he forget to mentioned how he and his fans would have crash Pires should City have gone home with a draw after what the same site and people said about him regarding Arsenal ambition. Very hypocritical, and something I have learn from most of these web masters and fans. They like sweets, pick n mix. Change sides each week depending on where the sweets are sweet enough.
Will the Arsenal do that against Chelsea or United? Yes I know the Karl Rowes? of Arsenal will try and spin like politics but forget people paid to watch a match not clowns. Asked those guys on tube if they found that joke funny.
October 23rd, 2005 at 3:40 pm
Off to watch some football. Everton winning the boxing so far. What a game of kicking boxing
October 23rd, 2005 at 3:59 pm
Two sides again: Angry vs laugh it off. Serious game vs Entertainment after all. Is it all ***** and giggles then? At 2-0, 3-0 up, you can show-boat as much as you want. But at 1-0?
From what I knew, penalties were serious matters. But I guess it depends on which side you are on. If Bergkamp’s kick had not been saved in 1999, then well, Man U would not have had their treble. A miss — Man U were happy, we were not. And when Ruud boy missed his kick, well that was hilarious. We went unbeaten that season. Unfortunately, we were not laughing a year later.
When we lost the 2001 F.A Cup final, it felt that Arsenal wanted to pass or walk the ball into the net. Yesterday showed that Arsenal attempted to make a passing move out of something which is normally a straight forward shot. Hmm….
Anyway, don’t want to harp on this any longer (but tv’s and papers will go on for a bit longer). We got 3 points. But what if we hadn’t? Would everyone have been laughing then?
And then there is Mills. Can he ever shut up? A few years ago Henry was pumped up, buried his kick and still Mills kept yapping or maybe he was mumbling more to himself than anything. Wish Henry had taken the kick yesterday and slammed it home. Mills would have been mumbling to himself again.
October 23rd, 2005 at 4:26 pm
Watching “proper” football, being played on the US Football pitch… with the lines on the field… is a freaking insult!
It is pathetic. They can’t take the lines out for a PLAYOFF game?
At Highbury, it was rough out there… we didn’t look comfortable or good… but I agree… Henry brings a swagger, a cheekiness to our side… anything is possible… I ENJOY it.
October 23rd, 2005 at 4:41 pm
A few tasty headbutts in the first half. Leave it to Lamps to land a shot from distance though to get Chelsea back on the board. I must admit, with every goal he scores I smile a little inside. Some wekends he has singlehandedly won me more points than my mate in the fantasy league.
October 23rd, 2005 at 5:11 pm
Apparently it is an art to use your arm and get away without giving away a penalty. Terry showed that today. He raised his arms even before Bent took a shot. Ofcourse, he knew Bent was going to shoot. What else could have Bent’s body language indicated? So Everton got a point but they should have had 2 penalties instead.
And Chelsea also had used the arm successfully to shepard Liverpool’s effort on goal to safety in that champs league game. But Mido and Gardner found out that not disguising your arm against the Blue machine properly can lead to red-cards.
Some call it experience, some call it cheating, some call it incorrect refeering decisions.
October 23rd, 2005 at 5:34 pm
I read that Bobby and Henry had that move perfect on the training ground. Bobby’s leg went dead in the game, though. One to grow on, but not as careless as most are saying if you’ve been burying it time and time again in training. We’ll never know how it would have finished, but chances are, with the element of surprise and Theirry’s laser guided finishing, it was a higher percentage shot than a regular old penalty.
I agree, we’re not shooting enough. Had we had one of these passes into the net work, I’d be more patient. So far, its a bridge too far.
October 23rd, 2005 at 5:41 pm
They apologized probably because all decided it would be best since so many supporters were disappointed with the rest of the game. I ask nothing from them but to play the best they can. If they thought it was a good idea and have to apologize for messing it up, we should have every player apologize for the entire 90.
So the people who paid got a win and something they’ve likely never seen before. File a class action suit. Sheesh, even Stuart Pearce liked it And he lost!!!
Chelsea, ManU and Spurs drop points, we don’t, and we’re even more pissed than before? Medication, people. Medication.
October 23rd, 2005 at 6:29 pm
Well…
these are the rumors that get us all in a lather at the thought…
Chelsea will be in for Henry come Summer…
not freakin’ kidding… they will be able to outbid ANYBODY for Henry… the question is, are we that f’n stupid to sell him? Let alone, to Chelsea?
Roberto Carlos sees ASH as his possible replacment… we all sorta see that Roberto… will it happen? Will we sell off another one of our best players for cash?
and finally… ManU are interested in bringing Paddy to Old Trafford to replace Keane… Paddy doesn’t like Italy, and the pace, and the taunts and incidents… blah blah blah…
If he goes there… I can only imagine the venom that will be directed at him by Arsenal supporters… in reality, the Arsenal management would be to blame… and United would be damned lucky to get him… I PRAY this never occurs… but who knows if football…
I thought I’d never see a player pass a Penalty kick and miss the ball… but that happened~!!!
October 23rd, 2005 at 6:54 pm
If Henry goes, it is most likely to Barcelona. The Nike powers will see to it. Plus Henry’s loyalty to Wenger will ensure he does not go to another EPL team. Same goes for Viera who left on good terms with Arsenal. I don’t think he will go to Manure. Capello wanted him badly in Juve so would not release Viera so easily. Now Cole is a different story altogether.
October 23rd, 2005 at 8:03 pm
All media crap.
Chelsea will probably bid for everyone next season. I see an running open bid for all the best. They should do an Ebay thing, and just keep it out there all the time. Silly, Russian, goal-conceding, wankers.
October 23rd, 2005 at 8:06 pm
Anyone doing manager mode, beating everyone, topping the leader board in every catagory, giving all the best answers, getting lauded left and right, and then getting fired for disappointing results?
I am.
Wasn’t getting any money, either. Where did I go wrong?
October 23rd, 2005 at 8:13 pm
Being serious mate? fired?
October 23rd, 2005 at 8:46 pm
Fired. The newspaper came up and said “its no suprise, blah, blah, blah…”
I DID have a negative budget, which I don’t get. -2,500+.
I reset and am trying again, but if I’m seeing things right, every time I win, the financial feature docks me cash instead. Very weird.
I have Birmingham with T-Mobile as sponsers. Other than those decisions, I haven’t done anything but win and score goals.
Wtf?
October 23rd, 2005 at 11:21 pm
I know football is all about entertainment, but it’s also about the time and the place.
Lost a bit of respect for Henry yesterday. This was obviously planned on the training pitch as a way of celebrating Henry’s record goalscoring feat. Ok, so do it when you’re 2-0/3-0 up with 5 minutes to go, but not 1-0.
As for Wenger, it is obvious that he did not criticise Henry as he should have done after the game, otherwise Henry would not have gone on TV and laughed about it.
Wenger needs to kick some arses, whether they have signed a new contract or not. He is too soft on the players and they end up abusing his trust.
October 23rd, 2005 at 11:43 pm
When today’s players make far more than the manager does… and are roundly adored by most fans… what recourse does the manager have?
One day we have the papers saying Wenger does not want to lose Henry… there is so much speculation on whether he will stay or go…
We have people analyzing his “body language and demeanor” on the pitch and in interviews…
so on and so on and so on…
Add in the fact that Henry CARRIES this team. It is painfully obvious how much BETTER we are with him in the line-up, than without him… and that adds even MORE reason as to why most fans and Wenger are so worried that he might leave the club…
So what the hell do you expect Wenger to do to him over yesterday’s penalty fiasco??
Suspend him and Pires? Publicly criticize or flog him in the media? Seriously? What option if ANY does Wenger have. We can’t afford to lose this guy, PERIOD. Whether you hated seeing the penalty farce, or weren’t so bothered by it… you HAVE to realize we need HENRY to stay … very much.
Wenger’s got no options. We need him on the pitch NOW, and we can’t piss him off while the contract has yet to be signed.
SORRY… no choice here. The player has all the power in this scenario.
Oh… and are you really surprised that a super-star professional football has arrogance and cockiness to try such a thing in a match? REALLY?
You’ve got to be really naive to not realize just HOW arrogant and cocky professional athletes tend to be. They make MILLIONS, are adored by MILLIONS and have the world at their feet. I don’t think they worry to much about the repercutions.
Whats the worst thing that can happen? Henry ends up in Barcelona with Ronaldinho or making GAZILLIONS at Champions Chelsea?
Please, tell me what power we have to fine or suspend him… and why we should/would.
Henry holds all the card and there is no bad outcome for him no matter where he is next season. Our present and near future rest on him. Wenger’s got little choice other than coddle and give the love to TH14, like it, or not…
October 24th, 2005 at 12:02 am
So, I am checking out the Arsenal America Fantasy League… and looking over my team… and how I am slowly climbing the ladder back to respectability…
and I decide to check on my fiercest rivals… and to my SHOCK and HORROR… I find my mates on the list are freaking FRAUDS!!!!!!!!!
Thats right… I am calling you “so-called” Arsenal supporters out… namely:
LOVE G … not one Arsenal player in your line-up?
SCOTTY… not one Arsenal player in your line-up?
CLARKEY… mate… I believe your alter ego hacked into your computer again… you know, that CHELSEA friend… because your team is littered with Chelsea players, but not one Arsenal player.
We have 24 teams in the league.
only 4 have NO ARSENAL PLAYERS in their team.
The 3 frauds above constitute 75% of that slap in the face.
sorry… but I just had to point this little fact out to the other Arsenal Americans… I felt they NEED to KNOW who they are dealing with on this list!!!!!!!
(and the fact that I am way behind 2 of you… trying to win a few points!)
So… please guys…
do me a favor… take a few minutes of your spare time… and see if you can possibly find at least ONE Arsenal player worthy of your line-up… OK?
I think its the least you can do…
October 24th, 2005 at 12:40 am
Haha, I wondered if someone would point that out at some point…
Sorry mate, as much as I’d like to have someone from Arsenal in my side, the numbers don’t lie. Arsenal just did not have one player for a long time who you could reasonably predict would score you some goals. Plus, you have to reason that, with our midfield lacking, Henry would be more starved for service than in past seasons.
Here’s a tip when picking players from Chelsea: Mourinho isn’t exactly a tinkerman, but he is dedicated to a rotation system. Even the best players, like Robben and Duff, will be benched at some point. But you can count on three players who will more likely be played: Cech, Terry, and Lamps. Gallas too to some degree, but most others are hit-and-miss.
Hey, what do I win when I win the league?
October 24th, 2005 at 1:34 am
Yup I agree, Wenger can’t say much. That is how the team is structured. Other teams are setup differently. When Beckham skipped a day in training, Ferguson benched him before the critical game against Leeds. Ferguson ran (still runs I think?) the show and that was how that team was (is?) structured.
If someone in Chelsea spoke against Mourinho’s tactics or did something Mourinho didn’t approve of, Mourinho would set them straight. In one game, he gave Joe Cole a roasting from the sidelines and Cole was doing pretty well. But Mourinho wanted him to do something else.
But at Arsenal players have a bit more freedom and that was a good thing because all the creative football that has occurred over the years. You look at Ronaldinho and his free role at Barca. Rijkaard can’t say anything to him nor he dare.
Just relieved we got the 3 points. Because we made up a 2 point ground today. So it was a step forward…
October 24th, 2005 at 1:43 am
Apparently Johan Cruyff got it right back in 1982. Would love to see how that turned out on video or something. The element of surprize would leave any goal keeper stunned.
And if Pires/Henry had pulled it off, you can imagine this would have been played on tv for a very long time. Another audicious Henry move.
Had a laugh when I read an Arsenal fan repeated the team’s current problem by saying ‘Arsenal won’t even shoot on a penalty shot’. Didn’t laugh when I saw it on tv but laughed when I read that.
As for me, I am surrounded by Liverpool fans at work. And they don’t have too much to laugh at the moment and they have been pretty good regarding Arsenal’s form. They keep saying I should not complain as we have won the league in recent times. But then again, these guys care more for the league than the CL. Sure they were happy when Pool won the Cup last year, but they really want to see the league title there. Safe to say, I can’t see them winning the league for a long time.
Anyway…another dramatic week coming up next sat.
October 24th, 2005 at 3:09 am
right on! ozzy (we miss your show — Sharon’s show sux)
Henry apologized to Arsenal fans. I willing to leave it to his interpretation as he was closer to the play than we where. From the excellent photo in belows thread Henry looks a little miffed at Robert, don’t you think?
Love G, your much to harsh. Henry is a genius and that goal may have worked if Bob hadn’t of scuffed the ball, instead of tapping it. It must of killed Bob to have pouched that creative little goal kick - too bad it didn’t work or they’d be on every cover of the sports papers… oh wait, they all ready are. Henry being the professional he is, is probably not too impressed with Bob’s skill level today.
I’m with ScottyUs on this one “I’m more disappointed that we didn’t get the chance to see it buried.”
Henry at Chelsea. Seriously, I don’t think he’d play there, he seems to have some ethics - SaccineG’ link for an article really displayed Henry’s character outside football (can you post it again?). Were he to go, it would be outside of England. If that did happen I’d stop watching EPL. I kid you not, perish the thought. Okay, I wouldn’t watch for at least 2 weeks.
What if - who cares the reality of it was that they took the 3 points Chelsea drew today and hope springs eternal.
The soccer world has something to speculate on “what if”.
You right though, had they lost - today would have been a dark day throughout Arsenal fan sites.
GP
October 24th, 2005 at 3:20 am
You guys are so right. What kills me is in that photo in belows thread (post) the only face that looks stunned is David James - it’s funny.
October 24th, 2005 at 3:24 am
If it’s going to be Benny Hill out there then we need some more titis and pirass - just a little pun. My dear old dad used to watch that show and it would make him laugh. For that matter it made my loving old mother smile too, sitting next to dad.
I hope I see it but it has to work. Bobby jerked on the trigger so Henry’s bullet was denied.
October 24th, 2005 at 3:30 am
great article thanks for the link
October 24th, 2005 at 3:37 am
I prescribe a good dose of Celexa (Citalopram) 40mg daily.
http://www.celexa.com/
October 24th, 2005 at 3:51 am
I think you’d get a Chelsea kit…
not sure who your favorite is… but probably Lamps, cause he’s your captain.
No faith in the Arsenal? Not even enuf to have a token Gunner on your bench?
Our midfield is lacking? really?
Thats not what I’ve read on this site… seems like its wonderful now that “you know who” is gone.
Get a Gunner on your squad, you freakin’ Chelsea supporter!!!
October 24th, 2005 at 3:57 am
Ian Wright knows the deal… he knows whats going on … here are the facts:
“Ian Wright has warned Arsenal to match the ambition of Thierry Henry or risk seeing him walk out in the summer. (Various)”
January 2006
Wenger either smartens up and brings in the goods… or else.
October 24th, 2005 at 4:17 am
I don’t really like Lampard as he looks alot like the really annoying Croatian kid I knew in elementary school. When he does the business for England he’s great, but otherwise, yeah, gives me the willies. I made him my captain purely for the points, baby!
Just look at the numbers for the whole Arsenal midfield. Gilberto has the most points right now (24), but he costs 7.5. Ljungberg and Fabregas are next, at a cost / points ratio of 9.5 / 22 and 6.6 / 20, respectively. Hleb is injured, and Pires is a pathetic 9.6 / 16. None of those are good value for money.
The same is true of the Arsenal front line. Reyes (10.2/29) and Henry (13.8/26) are not worth it at the moment. While Henry may light it up in a game down the road by scoring a hattrick, he is not giving the consistency required by fantasy managers.
The Arsenal defence is a better investment. Toure and Lauren are not the cheapest defenders you can get, but 41 and 35 points to date aren’t terrible returns.
The only truly good investment would be Lehmann, who at 5.8 is cheaper than Van der Sar and Cech, but is still 12 points back from the best goalkeeper so far, Spurs’ Robinson, who only costs .1 more than Lehmann.
An obvious tactic when deciding between the cheaper players is to pick the one who will is more likely to start games. Thats why I picked Horsfield. While not a 100% starter, he is usually picked ahead of Kanu and Kamara. The numbers show you why. Horsfield is 5.8/31, while Kanu is 5.7/13 and Kamara is 6.0/11. West Brom is not the best of teams (but nor are they the worst in my opinion), and the bulk of their goals will come from the frontline. The midfield might pop in a goal every now and again, but they do not have the kind of quality scoring midfielders that other teams have, like Man United, Chelsea, and (formerly) Arsenal. Charlton has one such midfielder in Danny Murphy. Tottenham are a bit like West Brom in the midfield in that they only have the one player who has netted lately - Jenas. The rest of the Spurs midfield - Carrick, Davids, Tainio - aren’t that prolific. They bring you some decent points, but the investment is too much for so little a return. You cannot have that and expect to be top of the table.
I’ll say this, too, about the Arsenal: I’d love to be bottom of the table at the end of the season because of my omission of any Arsenal players (so far; I used to have Henry, but shifted him quickly once our problems became really apparent). You won’t get a sympathy vote from me, though, when things get competitive; One time I pushed over my 8 and 9 year old cousins at the park and awarded myself penalty kicks. I beat them 3-nil, one penalty kick for each cousin.
October 24th, 2005 at 2:49 pm
Look what happened was stupid - end of…..
October 24th, 2005 at 3:03 pm
Ha!
Its more out of pure laziness, really. We get hurt so often, I really don’t need to be spending tons of points just to field a complete side. I haven’t changed mine much, and even this past week, I forgot to even look at it (longer, drunker Friday night than I though). The funniest thing is, I didn’t check my IKTS and I guess they carry over your predictions. It was my highest week! I suck, admittedly, but it is a funky year.
Beating well deserved otherwise. In fact, Lehmann’s a better bet between the sticks these days. And with Ruud as my captain, I expect no quarter. But as l_G has agreed, this is business, folks. You don’t like it, sue me. ;^O
October 24th, 2005 at 3:06 pm
Ian will be irrelevant in a few year’s time, and I say thank gods. Enjoy your season tix at Stamford Bridge, you poser.
Do they have the equivalent of “The Surreal Life” in the U.K.?
October 24th, 2005 at 3:46 pm
Scotty? Are you serious?
How long have you supported the Arsenal??
Do you have any idea how much Ian Wright is STILL adored and loved by the Highbury Faithful?
He got the loudest cheer THIS SEASON at the pre-match event with Henry… (from what I was told by a season ticket holder)
Ian Wright will NEVER be “irrelevant” to Gooners.
You calling him a “poser” is blaspemy to Gooners.
You might be banned from the site for saying things like that… I am in for voting you OFF!!
Who seconds the motion?
Unless you write an apology to Ian Wright.
GOD
#8
Still the best shirt/name combo I’ve ever seen at Highbury.
Bradley Wright Phillips is coming to Highbury in January when Wenger FINALLY opens the purse strings…
October 25th, 2005 at 4:04 am
I had Cole, but then he got hurt. I also had Henry until he got hurt. I want to pick him again but I’m having trouble raising the cash. Lampard seemed expensive at the time, but so far he’s been the deal of the year.
In my Yahoo Fantasy league, my team is called Fab Five Freddy and I had him down first on my team. And then he got hurt. Had Reyes, he was doing great, then got hurt. I’m not doing so well in that league, and I wonder if it’s my team name.
Noticing a bad trend with my picks, I decided to back off for a couple weeks for the benefit of Gooners everywhere.
I have to say, I didn’t pick Campbell when he came back - he got hurt all by himself.
As for the League itself, I haven’t played this one (Official Premier league) before and I am still learning the scoring, so I’m just lucky to have done so well so far.
Greg
October 25th, 2005 at 4:35 pm
No worries on the pk…Now trying watching the match at Nevada’s on replay muted and afraid to ask any gooner or city fan for that matter what actually had just happened in fear of hearing the result…who wants your champagne football now? i surely do…