number37

I think this is absolutely the key. We're not signing players that other clubs couldn't have signed - we're signing smart. You see it with Brighton (if only there were a link...) and they spend money wisely whereas others, say Chelsea and Everton, blow crazy money to regress. Also, Isak's mint.

More stewards than fans there.

Eddie's so mean he makes medicine sick.

Good plan! I might actually lose my shit if there's a goal not given because of broken goal line technology.

Anyone else getting PTSD watching the Aston Villa game? Feels like lockdown.

I think it was after the second goal (it's easy to lose track), the camera panned to the touchline and Jason Tindall is celebrating and he goes over to Eddie Howe who nonchalantly gives him a no-look high five. Maybe my favourite moment of the match.

Need to make sure we win the second half now and not let our heads drop.

I think because it's Tottenham as well, always so satisfying smashing them and London and the Sky teams.

Maybe there are/were scales in the contract with regards to quality, availability, etc and the ever-frugal Mr Ashley characteristically chose the cheapest? So the basic level of quality (the cheapest) is where your gear is put together by blind Vietnamese orphans. For a bit extra you can have it made by partially sighted, mostly fingers in tact Indian surplus children. For a fistful of dollars more, your teamwear is manufactured by Mexican adolescents. Then, for prime merchandise, it can be produced by reasonably remunerated trained Turkish seamstresses. I just think that for teams like the England cricket team (I think some other international sides too, maybe West Indies?), a bunch of English rugby teams and maybe still Andy Murray, and others, to all be keen on being associated with Castore then they can't be all bad and perhaps those different organisations have varying levels of what they contractually define as being acceptable. Even though it doesn't excuse for the lack of quality we've experienced, and also Wolves, I get the impression we're getting what we paid for, which thanks to Ashley and Charnley, isn't great.

It's not goals that Arsenal need, it's the Heimlich.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

I wonder if ten Hag thinks Sevilla are an annoying team?

We play draft fantasy football at work and the guy who had first pick this year wouldn't go for him because "he loves an injury" and so went for Salah instead.

Well, we've had worse days.

New financial year so Targett's good to go.

Toney maybe wanted to make sure it stays 2-0...for some reason.

He'd be a bit of a silly sausage to turn us down. Hopefully he's mature enough not to act like a spoilt brat Wirtz.

It'll wear differently if you buy it outside Ireland.

Is there any chance this is a classic case of misdirection? Otherwise I think it would be naive for us to be so openly detailed with such specific transfer plans unless we hope we can lull Everton into doing a Chelsea and blowing us out of the water with a daft bid. I'm more than half expecting that this is just noise because why would we, or any club, give such a narrative on their transfer plans. If everyone is looking at our left hand as we claim to be after Scott McTominay then all of a sudden we reveal some future legend with our right hand then that's good, isn't it? I don't mind us spinning a narrative that, in relative terms, we don't have a pot to piss in, because otherwise prices are going to be inflated and we'll be held to ransom. As much as I love the man, I don't believe a single word Eddie Howe says in interviews regarding injuries and transfers because why would he reveal such precise information to the public, and other teams, when he can sow doubt if player X might be available or he might not. If we have to endure weapons grade horseshit in the media regarding our transfers whilst behind the scenes we're working on golden nuggets then I'm sure I can handle that. If it means giving our amazing sports journalism a wide berth then so be it, I'm sure I'll cope. Obviously, I reserve my right to lose my shit if/when McTominay rocks up at the MetroCentre needing a lift after buying his weight in dubiously fashionable sportswear.

In Blakes and a bunch of Luton fans have turned up. I thought it was a bit odd and my heart sank because I just assumed there must be some anti-immigration rally happening at Monument but it turns out that Luton are away at Sunderland this afternoon and I can't help but smile. I wonder why Luton fans would rather spend their morning wandering round Grey Street than spend anything longer than the bare minimum with our dear neighbours.

The Findus crispy pancake phenomenon.

I remember a previous West Ham United manager thinking Marlon Harewood and Hayden Mullins were better than Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano so maybe it's just one of those clubs. Ashby will be fine with us.

I do often think they missed a trick by not having a long walk from the changing room out to the pitch at the new Wembley - would have been epic this afternoon.

Bring back away goals.

Fans of the very club he managed made a website packed full of objective, unwelcome statistics as well as derogatory and delusional quotes from the man himself, all with the aim of informing, educating and ultimately getting Pardew sacked or at least taken off our hands. Now that's a legacy. That website just happens to redirect to here, by the way...