Bleacher Report - Articles by Kyle Connolly

UEFA: Anti-Arsenal Conspiracy

Kyle Connolly — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:29:22 -0400

Well it's happened again. Another week, another let down in the Arsenal camp.

After a brilliant start and passing every expectation, The Gunners have slipped at the last hurdle. After slip ups against Birmingham, Aston Villa, Boro, and Liverpool, we've all but been eliminated from the title race.

And then on a cold Tuesday night, we were dumped right out of the UEFA Champions League by a tough Liverpool side.

This truly has been a season of ups and downs for the Arsenal. But in my heart of hearts, I think there's something sinister going on.

Is there some sort of conspiracy to stop Arsenal from succeeding?

Look at the decisions against us since Eduardo’s injury:

The free kick that never was v Birmingham
Our penalty denied v Birmingham
The penalty given for Birmingham
Agbonlahor offside in the lead up to Senderos’ OG
Adebayor given offside v Boro
Aliadiere offside for his goal
Drogba offside for the equaliser v Chelsea
Hleb's penalty denied
Cesc’s penalty denied
Liverpool given a penalty that never was

That is 10 decisions. 10. They say it swings on roundabouts, and you get some decisions for, you get some against, and they even themselves out.

How the hell is that going to even out?

All of those could have gone Arsenal's way easily, but all were denied. All have cost us 11 points in total, and being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League.

It’s sad to say this, but our season has been decided by referees. Yes there job is hard, but it is clear that the refs we have had are simply not good enough.

Refs are there to officiate matches, to ensure the rules of the game are followed, and not there to decide a teams’ season. I am afraid this season that is what has happened.

Lets be honest, it has been a disgrace, even if we ignore the league decisions and just concentrate on the Champions League.

Ours was a stone wall penalty. Their decision was not a good one. If playing Liverpool and playing the Anfield crowd is not enough, we were also playing the referee.

With the amount of dodgy decisions given against us, it does make you wonder, do the FA, Premier League, UEFA, FIFA, NATO, and the KKK not want us to win the league?

Is it an upper level conspiracy to ensure we win stuff all?

Yes, our players could have performed better but, when you are at a crucial stage in the season, all you can ask for is a fair and just referee.

I am afraid over the last 10 or so games, we have not had that. If this had of happened in Italy, there would be questions about corruption.

If the decision were made in cricket, they would be talking about the match being fixed, and the umpires being got at by betting rings. It does make you wonder.

So, well done to the men in black, you have royally screwed our season.

I know I sound like a bitter Gooner just pissed off because my team has let this season slip. It's true, I am. We've slipped up. But when you look at it, the referee tripped us.

Juande Ramos: The Biggest Fraud In Football

Kyle Connolly — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:05:32 -0400

After Spurs' fantastic draw in the league against Chelsea,I feel its time to reveal a fact you might not believe. That Juande Ramos is not all he's made up to be.

Spurs fans would have you believe that he is the messiah, the man to take them to the next level. The man who will get them the elusive fourth place (wasn't that man Martin Jol 12 months ago?). However, when you break down his record, he is simply not that good, he is very average.

A bit of background first off. At 53—just five years younger then Wenger—he great Ramos has had 11 jobs in 14 years. Not exactly what you would expect from a top-class manager.

Since he took over Spurs, they have been a revaluation! Spur's Premiership record currently reads:

P - 29
W - 9
D - 8
L - 12

Not exactly a great record for someone who has supposedly had a fantastic start to his managerial career.

And in Spain, he had finishes of 5th and 3rd, then jumping ship when they were mid table is pretty decent. But in my honest opinion, Sevilla in the league was more to do with having a lot of good youngster's, who were already at the club, growing up and coming good, and not as much to do with Ramos being a superb manager. Out of interest, after Ramos left, Sevilla rose from 9th to 5th under the stewardship of Manuel Jimenez (WHO? I hear you all shout)

But one thing is not in doubt, he is a fantastic cup manager. 6 cups in 2 years surely shows how great he is.

But wait a minute, lets look at his 'fantastic' cup victories:

Copa del Rey - A competition taken so seriously in Spain that Barcelona have not won it since 1998 and Real Madrid have not won it since 1989. When you consider that the FA Cup, Arsenal or Man U have won 7 of the last 11, it shows how little respect the Copa del Rey gets in Spain! Well done Ramos, this is the first trophy you have won that no one really cares about

Supercopa de España - AKA the Charity Shield.

His record is starting to sound like Houllier's of the early 00's, were he won truck loads but bar the FA Cup, it was truck loads of garbage! But it must get better?

UEFA Cup - The competition that many teams that are in it dont care about. I remember Parma a few years back playing there youth team in every match and winning it! So he won it twice. Beating Middlesborough (out thinking that legendary England Manager Steve McClaren), and also beating Espanyol (the spurs of Barcelona!). The 3rd trophy won by Ramos that no one gives a toss about

UEFA Super Cup - AKA the Charity Shield of Europe

Wow, his record is looking more and more like houllier's fake '5 trophies in 6 months' record.

Carling Cup - A cup that, like the previous 4 that Ramos has won, no one gives a crap about and, will always be the bottom of every fans wish list. Well done, 5 trophies

So whilst he has won a lot of trophies, if everyone is honest, he has won a load of Mickey Mouse shields that no big team takes seriously.

So Spurs, enjoy your messiah, you have a manager who has never won anything of note, has a very average record, and, quite frankly, is a fraud surrounded by a great media machine. But then again, he suits spurs, an average team surrounded by a great media machine which makes them seem bigger then they are.

Sorry if I seem like a bitter old Gooner—I suppose I am, though. :)

Love Him or Hate Him, Arsene Wenger Is EPL's Best Manager

Kyle Connolly — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:46:46 -0400

At the start of the season 99.9 percent of the football analysts predicted Arsenal falling out of the top four for the first time since Arsene Wenger took over at Arsenal. Writers also predicted they would not make it through to the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Having lost Thierry Henry, Arsenal's most influential player in recent history , and spending only a fraction of what most clubs spent in the transfer market on an unknown Croatian striker and a French right back with a mopey hair style.

The jury was out before a ball was even kicked in the league.

Wenger was guilty of putting too much belief and pressure on his young squad that lacked depth. He was sentenced to a preseason of ridicule and buffoonery.

Wenger and his boys started the league as everyone expected, scraping for a win against Fulham at home and draw to Blackburn away. Arsenal had UEFA cup written all over them.

Seven months later...Arsenal have lost only one game in the Prem and are joint top of the league with the predicted winners, Arsenal are into the quarter finals of the champions league while becoming the first English Club to beat Ac Milan at the San Siro. Writers now think 13 times before canceling Arsenal out of any competition.

Steve Coppell may have won this prize last season for exceeding expectations. If only the same would be done this season, it's obvious who would win the prize. but as we all know, the English don't like Wenger very much. Who can blame them, after all he is the reason England haven't won a major trophy for the past 42 years.

Well they need any reason, don't they?

1. He didn't spend as much as the Big Four, or even Spurs or Man City
2. Despite having so many players out throughout the season with a squad already said to be lacking depth, he still managed to steer them all the way to the top of the table.
3. He proved everyone wrong and exceeded everyone's expectations.

If anyone deserves Manager of the season, it's surely the Professor, Le Boss, Arsene Wenger. However, only time will tell if all his hard work pays off.

One things for sure though: In a few seasons, with the squad Arsenal has now, the future looks very bright.