Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Which is worse - the supposed new kit or Kuyt?

First up we have pictures of our supposed Third Kit for next season. As we only had our redcurrant shirt for one season, the very nice yellow kit is continuing for another season as our primary away shirt, albeit with the new sponsors logo on it. It appears however that, like the Black kit we were meant to wear in the CL final, the alleged third kit currently doing the rounds on the net is a fake, photoshopped from the new Barca kit. Either way, its hideous, so I sincerely hope it is fake. No more Blue shirts nike! We've told you we don't want them! Have a look.

In troubling news, Arsene also came out and praised Dirk 'where's the barn door' Kuyt. Now, it actually seems that all Arsene's done is come out and said he thinks he's an OK player, but the mill has already spun this into an 'Arsenal ponder bid for Dutch superstar' esque headlines. Given his performances against Argentina and Portugal, and that I could probably score 30+ goals in the Dutch league, I hope he comes no-where near our plush new stadium. Also, given the nature of Arsene's comment - Kuyt's a 'generous' player [to the opposition?] -and that he only admitted he had considered buying him, I don't think much more will come of this. Well, I hope not.

Talking of the Emirates, here's a photo special from the official site. Looking very good. I've been blown away by the quality - well at least the aesthetic quality from the TV pictures - of the stadiums in Germany, and I hope our new pad is in the same league as grounds such as Munich. [I remember Alex Hleb saying our new stadium is better than Munich's new one. Here's hoping.]

Little Cesc has also, hopefully, dismissed rumours that he's going anywhere. I have a real concern with Cesc that we're going to have a Vieira-esque transfer debacle with him every summer because he will become one of the top five midfielders in the world very soon. Especially as Barca and Madrid assume that there's almost nothing in the way aside from their own reticence in getting him. He's looked even more awesome than usual recently, and the club has to step up a gear in its achivements if it wants to keep players of his calibre indefinitely.

World Cup

It seems my decision to take the game off was a wise one, as Switzerland and Ukraine struggled toward a penalty shoot-out in what was, by all accounts, an utterly dire game. Commiserations to the Swiss.

Unfortunately this leaves the door open for the Italians to get to at least the semi-finals, a team I despise more than any other left in the competition.

It's odd in a way, because when i was young, Italian football, and especially Serie A, was the league and style to which others aspired. I remember when AC Milan were seemingly unstoppable. Nowadays their league is in turmoil, and their national team play awful, cynical, almost hateful football, based on little more than a strong defence, the odd bit of flair, and lots and lots of gamesmanship. I know this is a generalisation, and I know that players like Gattuso, Totti and Toni are class, but the Italian team as a whole do approach the game with more cynicism than I can bear, and have played even more boring football than England.

There's been a lot of debate regarding Materazzi's red card, with the consensus emerging that it was harsh. Unless I was very much mistaken, Materazzi flew in with a double-footed challenge, all studs showing. That he missed the Ozzy, and indeed almost impailed his own player, is inconsequential. It was violent, dangerous play and he deserved to go. There have been far too many cards in the competition, but that one was entirely justified.

I watched the game with a bunch of Ozzies, many of whom were just getting into football for the first time. To lose to a last minute penalty must have been a indescribably harsh for them and I hope it hasn't put them off the game. Especially as while Lucas Neill shouldn't have gone to ground, the Italian forward showed world class cheating abilities to win the penalty - purposely falling over Neill, and sticking out his foot to catch him as he went over to make it look like a foul. That Totti then did that ridiculous thumb-sucking celebration afterward made my blood boil. Given their route to final - Ukraine, then one team from today - there's a real chance the Italians could get there. For my faith in football to not be overly shattered, may one of the nations left in the competition please prevent this.

Til later

Gb

11 comments:

ArsenalReview.co.uk said...

Yep you are right...im not sure he is terrible or anything...its just I think Van Persie, Henry, Adebayour and Walcott is good enough without him...of course someone like Torres would improve that list of strikers we have, but Kuyt doesnt look like much better than we already have...

Just to add, I got a little thing going on my blog about our player of the season...Here the link:

http://www.arsenalreview.com

Take it easy mate

Anonymous said...

dont forget manure and chelski going after them too as seems the case with all our players, poss even madrid aswell, who all seem to have the policy...wait andsee what AW does then bid bigger and get him

Anonymous said...

What satisfies me is that all the teams who never deserved to be there in the first place are now out. Basically football is essentially a European and South American game, with an emerging Africa, well represented this time by Ghana. Its only the overblown FIFA ambition to be world inclusive that allows teams from North America, Asia and the middle east to qualify, we would be better off without them and now they are all out, we can get on with the proper business of seeing who is the best football team around - surely not England, although this whole thing has a strange ring of 1966 about it!

All I hope is that Arsene will not sign any of the following:

Australians
Americans
Japanese
Koreans
Crespo
Heinze
Lampard - he'll be on his way soon, mark my words!
Beckham
Kuyt or almost any other Dutch players

He could sign:

SWP
Droghba - don't laugh
Ya Ya
Buffon
Any of those Italian defenders who were brilliant

What do you think

Brazil, Ghana, France, Spain today! Almost too much to contemplate!

Anonymous said...

uhm, sorry to disappoint ... and it wouldn't have been a penalty without it ... but I'm 98% sure that penalty was given for o'neil's petulant elbow out to the lanky get's shin ...

he was already tumbling ... and the guy was down too early yes ... but I think that the ref wouldn't have given it .. plus .. O'Neil didn't complain too much (did he? - I don't mind being wrong there)

beckham got sent off for a petulant flick a couple of tournaments back ... this wasn't too different really ... just (stupidly) in the area

I've recorded the incident if you need proof

They didn't deserve an end like that (though italy were good value at the back) ... but it's hard to argue with the decision ... especially when he does the campest 'I never did nuthin' pose in the world after the challenge

Anonymous said...

i watched the Swiss game though I feel asleep in the first half. Why did Djourou go off?
If ever a game needed a 30mil striker to liven it up it was this game. Woops wasn't Shevchenko playing. Are yes he was the one who looked like a second rate Frank Lampard. Happy days Chavs

Anonymous said...

kuyt is a perfect yid player - totally shit and would fit in perfect there

Given the choice, i would go with the new kit, which i hate more than the name of our new stadium. Hate is a very strong word, but in the context of this conversation, I hate Kuyt, the new shirt and the name of the new stadium, but if i had to choose 2 out of the 3 - Kuty wouldnt be one of them

Anonymous said...

Djourou went off with a groin strain.

Anonymous said...

AWOL once too many), Ronaldinho(world player of the year my arse!), Luca Toni(top striker in the whole of Europe), Shevchenko(1 dive and a goal against weak opposition), Ballack(who??), etc....Kuyt may not have scored any goals, but his work rate and link up play alone is more than the likes of Fat Frank will ever manage at this level...

Anonymous said...

"There's been a lot of debate regarding Materazzi's red card, with the consensus emerging that it was harsh. Unless I was very much mistaken, Materazzi flew in with a double-footed challenge, all studs showing. That he missed the Ozzy, and indeed almost impailed his own player, is inconsequential. It was violent, dangerous play and he deserved to go. There have been far too many cards in the competition, but that one was entirely justified"

That is quite possibly the biggest pile of bullshit I've read... It was synical not dangerous nor violent and he did not deserve to go at all. It was not 2 footed neither for that matter, it was a yellow card you seem to be tryin' to ruin matches just like refs....

Whats wrong with people these days

Goonerboy said...

Sorry. I spose 2 footed challenges are ok nowadays. My bad.

Leaked Kits said...

I think you'll be suprised if you would see Kuyt play for a whole season.
You don't win a few golden,silver and brons boots for best player of the season in holland if you're a crap player..
Van perie never won any of these prices and even he is doing quit ok these days.

One thing is missing on Kuyt though..Elegance..you won't get that with him.
Van persie and Henry play with elegance , Kuyt playes with his heart.

Kuyt is not an Arsenal player though,he's a worker..Liverpool would be better for him

Sven

http://www.footballshirt.blogspot.com/