Spudulike

Here's Claude, making some interesting points:

Arsenal Fan TV put up 22 (!) videos after yesterday's game. I thought this one interesting as the chap being interviewed explores why the 'Wenger Out' fans are a minority (albeit a vocal one) and the film discusses how easily you can hype a campaign on social media. Some v interesting points about Wenger's teams over the years, too. In another video, Clause says some thing like '...top four again, great...'. Most PL teams would accept a top four finish as being great but the fear of the 'Arsene Out'lot seems to be that Wenger and the club are only aiming for that.

That's dreadful. I can't think of another set of fans who feel so entitled and who can change their mood so quickly when things go badly. It's feast or famine on Arsenal Fan TV, depending on the result. There's not a 'common sense' middling point of view.

Can Pardew and Palace condemn Newcastle to relegation? Pardew took a ton of sh*t from some Newcastle fans and you get the sense that he wouldn't mind showing them how wrong they were.

For what reasons please?

I agree there'd be chaos without a managed change. Wenger can have success but his recent teams lack an attacking edge and 'fight'. I suppose what I mean about inflexibility is might Wenger create a French national side that had the same flaws as the present Arsenal team? It'd be fascinating to see a Wenger team talk; is he as quiet and bookish as he appears on post-match interviews? How does he fire players up?

That's a good point about chasing your losses. You can't keep doing that, as you say. The French national team sounds a logical progression but I wonder if there's a danger that Wenger is seeming inflexible - he's doing the same stuff time after time and it's not working. Could he adapt to using a pool of players he hadn't chosen (in the sense of having to fit gifted 'non-Arsenal' types into a team)?

Good news as even if, in a worse case scenario, he goes to Utd, they'll have to pay his worth. I hope he stays however.

I had a chat with a colleague today about next season and the teams that might be in the frame for the title. We discussed the likely form of Utd, City, CFC, Leicester, Liverpool and Spurs and then realised that neither of us had thought of Arsenal. That may be Arsene's legacy - the Gooners being an afterthought when it comes to trophies.

^ I think we'll have to draw a line under this Youlots. I can't add to my explanation without repeating myself and my view of the issue is unlikely to change. I haven't softened my position - I stand by the view that it feels too soon to issue a claim for compensation.

Heresy is a loaded word as it implies that a statement/question is completely beyond the pale. I don't think that we can say that questioning any aspect of the Hillsborough inquest, or reactions to it, is heresy. I say this because freedom of expression (including to offend) is very important. I would concede that there might be sensible reasons to begin a claim as soon as possible. The question of how long a delay is "seemly" is more open to interpretation. A delay of a few days will have little impact on a case that might last for years unless there are limitation-based reasons to issue by a certain date. Because of that, I agree with SP that issuing only a day after the conclusion 'feels' (emotionally, not rationally) too soon. It's a personal view and not everyone will agree.

Thank you. I can take most abuse but that was undeserved!

I work in the legal system. I have done for the past 16 years. I know how civil claims work, how complex they can be and how long they can take to resolve, etc. I don't think that my knowing that makes your reaction to SP's question any less disproportionate. (?). Unless Tory has a different meaning in your country, I'm not one. I've never voted for them and can't imagine I ever will, fwiw.

Heresy? Calm down. Another poster asked a question. He didn't shoot someone. You post responses written, it appears, in anger and throw words like 'heresy' around. No one is in any doubt as to the conclusion of the inquest and the seriousness of the events at Hillsborough and subsequent cover up. It was a question, that's all.

With respect (and apologies for intruding) the outcome of the inquests and the request for compensation may be seen as separate issues. In hindsight, the conduct of the police, the government at the time, the press and (being honest) the attitude to LFC of some fans - me included - has been wrong. Respect to the campaign for justice for holding out for their cause. However, lodging a claim for financial compensation so soon after the successful resolution of a campaign for justice, does 'feel' a bit inappropriate and fair play to Shedpensioner for being honest. What does justice mean? Is it about money or about punishing the guilty? It might be about both things, in fairness, but, for example, I think the focus should be on getting former senior police officers into court to face charges. Some of the post inquest reaction has been OTT. For example, the insinuation that ALL coppers behaved badly on the day. I'm sure that many rank and file officers did their utmost to help. If the initial post disaster reaction was too simple and wrong, why has the media done a 180 degree turn that's equally simplistic? Lastly, asking a simple question like is it a bit too soon to seek compensation is nothing like a 27 year long conspiracy to hide the truth. It's a question, that's all it is.

If Man Utd beat the Foxes I may come back to this...

If anyone knows how to cancel an unjinx, please let me know. :-)

Just seen 'The Force Awakens'. Despite the plot holes ('why is Luke's light sabre here?' - 'Hey, don't worry about it') and the film being 'A New Hope' recast, I was very impressed. I hope they match this standard with future films.

Happy Birthday! :-)

I didn't realise until this story came to light that side effects of some fat burning drugs include increased energy, alertness and stamina. It sounds obvious now. That is, fat creates energy if used. Why do athletes get banned for years when tested positive for drugs and footballers only for months? (Apart from money!)

It's too stressful to think about :-)

It'll be very interesting to see what Leicester bring to the CL next season. If they play their way, and are not hamstrung by over-cautious European refs, they could shake things up.

I've just looked. That's a nice sentiment Zola.

That's a good point. I don't think anyone in the game, or in the press, saw this coming. Even well into the season, people were expecting Leicester to fall away. I was hoping and part expecting they'd lose form this month!

That's true. It's been a good season - far better than I expected. It's hard to begrudge Leicester the title. I can't see the Foxes being this good again but it's happened before with Forest. When Leicester win, preserving the mindset that won them the title will be a challenge for Ranieri over the summer. He'll have to buy carefully. It's a great story for Ranieri after his near misses in the past.