News From The Grove

Arsenal 6 – 0 Sheffield Utd, Michel Platini Has Lost It

Posted in Arsenal by Our Correspondent on September 24, 2008

First watch the video of Arsenal vs Sheffield United Carling Cup tie that Arsenal’s young team won 6-0. Now some facts. The average age of the Arsenal team that took on Sheffield Utd was 19. The oldest player on the pitch was 23 year old Lukas Fabianski. 19 year old Carlos Alberto Vela scored a hattrick. 16 year old Jack Wilshere became the second youngest goal scorer for Arsenal. Sheffield Utd had such experienced players as Gary Speed and Paddy Kenny.

Fielding a young side in the Carling Cup has been a policy of Arsene Wenger for quite sometime now. And we have been successful in reaching the later stages of this tournament quite consistently. Four out of last five seasons we have reached the semis or beyond. We routed Liverpool 6-2 at Anfield. But never have so many people sat up and taken notice of this young breed of players. They always knew that Arsenal develop young players. But they are now scared of the products that this football factory is churning out. Even the detractors of Arsenal and Arsene Wenger must have noticed that there were a number of English boys in the team who tore Kevin Blackwell’s team apart.

Wenger believes in this team and believes that this bunch of young players can go all the way. He said:

“We want to win the trophy with this team. [I won’t change the team] Tottenham or not Tottenham or anybody else. I believe the only pressure you have is when you go through the rounds and get to the semi-final. Suddenly everybody is starting to say OK, and now you have to change all the players. “You let them play how they played tonight and suddenly you say ‘sorry you don’t play anymore’. For me that is not serious, no matter how far we go we have to stick to our policy.”

With Arsenal sitting on top of the table, the youngsters showing how good they are, Eduardo and Rosicky on their way back to the first team, it looks pretty good for the team at the minute. The way the team plays, the attitude, the team spirit, all instilled in them by Arsene Wenger, as seen by the ‘secret document’ discovered in a hotel. Speaking of which, Wenger declared that we are proud of our Bolton prep-talk. And why wouldn’t we be? There is nothing wrong in what Arsene said/says to the team. And the results are to be seen. We went one down and still managed to wallop them.

We play beautiful football, we play effective football and people like to watch us because we play entertaining football. That is why our club and our manager are respected world over. Because he has contributed a lot for the development of the players and the game of football as a whole. Everybody accepts that, except a certain Michel Platini. The UEFA boss has alleged that Wenger is more concerned about business than developing football. In an interview, Platini was asked about the introduction of video technology in the game. To which he replied:

“I like to talk about football, him (Wenger) about business. We must stop with Wenger and all that. “It would make me happy that Arsene Wenger never sees it.”

Citing the example of the recent victory of Romania’s CFR Cluj over AS Roma, he continued:

“That is what makes football so great. It is what people like Wenger do not want, little clubs beating the big clubs, because they want their business.”

Wenger didn’t like these comments and nor did the League Managers’ Association. LMA Chairman Howard Wilkinson said:

“Platini has made serious and personal comments about one of football’s greatest ever managers, who is also counted among our most respected member.”

Why did Platini say those things? Because, him and Sepp Blatter are two morons that need to wake up to reality. Rather than making and supporting rules that are good for football, for example goal line technology, they go on harping about meaningless ‘home grown’ and ’6+ 5′ rules, which are in direct contrast to the European Union laws. And besides, how is the introduction of goal line technology against small teams like CFR Cluj and how is it good for business? Platini accuses Wenger of doing little for football. Wonder what he has done for football himself? Yes, nothing is the answer. Him and Blatter have somehow got their chair and every once in a while, these two meet in some secret dark hole, get high on some crack and give some ridiculous statements to the press. And the bald one goes to South Africa to do a stupid little jig.

It’s time the national associations wake up and see what these two are really upto and ensure that these maniacs are thrown out. Because they are harming the game of football with their crazy demented ideas.

More tomorrow…

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8 Responses

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  1. Deepak Acharya said, on September 25, 2008 at 4:59 am

    I want to see those guys in senior team. What they played was quite remarkable !

  2. grovenews said, on September 25, 2008 at 5:01 am

    Yes Deepak, we all want to see these players play in the first team. Vela, Wilshere, Ramsey, Merida..they are the real deal. Our future is bright!

  3. Sheffield said, on September 25, 2008 at 7:46 am

    Only in football can complete idiots like Platini be in a position of authority (oh and politics). In a public company they would be voted off in 5 minutes flat after a comment like his…

  4. grovenews said, on September 25, 2008 at 8:32 am

    Thanks for your comment Sheffield. You are absolutely right and that is what we should check, before Platini, Blatter and their likes do permanent damage to the game.

  5. Tasha said, on September 25, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    Thanks for the video link to the goals, it’s difficult to find good quality footage sometimes.

  6. Tasha said, on September 25, 2008 at 4:35 pm

    Nice redesign as well!

  7. grovenews said, on September 25, 2008 at 5:03 pm

    Thankyou Tasha.

  8. [...] start with the same pairing upfront. Nicklas Bendtner, who was one of the older players to play in that match against Sheffield United, says that there is more to come from him. He [...]


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