# Arsenal, You Effing Bastards! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 2, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663 "2003-05-02T17:03:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/21 "2003-05-04T18:16:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > **ruadh: you mustn’t know whether to laugh or cry about the result from Dundee today. I suppose it opens the door a crack, but to get two minutes away from Rangers losing is very frustrating.** Spot on. Before the game if you had offered me a draw I would have bitten your hand off, but it was disappointing after Dundee had gone ahead. Still, we can go top on Wednesday with a 3-0 win over Motherwell, which isn’t outside the realms of possibility. Rangers were given three penalties in this game, btw (Barry Fergushun missed the first two). In fact they’ve been awarded more penalties this season than any other team in Scotland **or** England. And people wonder why we’re desperate to get out of this league :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/22 "2003-05-04T18:58:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*Final score Arsenal **2-3** Leeds United. \*\* **FUCK!** :mad: :mad: :mad: Leeds is quickly becoming my third least favorite side (after Tottenham and Man U, of course). They screwed us over in '99, and again today–if they despise Man U so much, why do they keep giving the goddamn Premiership trophy to them?? Fuck. The truth is that this season, Man U has hit the same kind of form that we had for the title run-in last season. And we just couldn’t cope for whatever reason (inability to finish off games, defensive blunders, etc.). [This analysis](http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=266243&cc=5901) pretty much sums up Arsenal’s season. My only consolation is that at least, unlike '99, Man U will only win one trophy this season, and that Arsenal at least still has the FA cup to play for. Although based on their performance today, who’s to say which Arsenal will turn up against Southampton? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/23 "2003-05-04T19:55:06Z")
Are there no playoffs in Premeirship football? What kind of a league is this? 😃 _Manchester United=New York Yankees_ in terms of absolute hatred for all of y’all completely lost. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/24 "2003-05-05T02:24:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Soup\_du\_jour \* > \*\*_Manchester United=New York Yankees_ in terms of absolute hatred for all of y’all completely lost. \*\* The scary thing is, these two teams already have a joint-marketing deal: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/1157606.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/1157606.stm) > [@](#): > > The teams will share market information, develop sponsorship and joint promotional programs and sell each other’s licensed goods . . . The Yankees will use United’s own vast network in Europe and the Far East to sell their distinctive merchandise. > > Under the deal, David Beckham and Fabien Barthez will be paraded at the Yankee Stadium, with El Duque and outfielder Bernie Williams visiting Old Trafford. > > United will also embark on a pre-season tour of North America in 2003. Talk about your axis of evil. ---
**Author:** ![Zoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@Zoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoff)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/25 "2003-05-05T12:38:52Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Skopo_ > Leeds is quickly becoming my third least favorite side (after Tottenham and Man U, of course). They screwed us over in '99, and again today–if they despise Man U so much, why do they keep giving the goddamn Premiership trophy to them?? Fuck. Well, I like Leeds, so let me stand up in their defense. They didn’t do anything to Arsenal. Arsenal’s wounds are self-inflicted and Leeds was just the final bullet. I don’t like Man U, but I wanted Leeds to get the points. So I sort of had mixed feelings going into the weekend. But, honestly, I don’t think Arsenal would have won the title even if they had beaten Leeds. Their form was pretty bad and not showing signs of improvement. Ferguson seemed to get in their heads. I think the result was inevitable. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/26 "2003-05-05T13:25:21Z")
I have to say it was a very odd feeling partying into the small hours with _Leeds_ fans 😉 I had to keep thanking this Dutch girl for van Nistelrooy. She was very gracious but obviously thought I was barking mad. It was weird though to win the title so unexpectedly, but they all count. And gooners? Tough shit. Let’s hope you win fuck all with Southampton having one of their good days:) Oh, and Gangster Octopus, there was life before the premier league, Division 1, which we won seven times, so it’s _fifteen_ titles in total now, not eight. Oh, and Skopo, you meant only **2** trophies right? We are including the FA Youth Cup aren’t we, LOL!! Can we have a rendition of ‘Who the Fuck are Man Utd?’ please? ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/27 "2003-05-05T13:40:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoff \* > \*\*Well, I like Leeds, so let me stand up in their defense. They didn’t do anything to Arsenal. Arsenal’s wounds are self-inflicted and Leeds was just the final bullet. > > I don’t like Man U, but I wanted Leeds to get the points. So I sort of had mixed feelings going into the weekend. But, honestly, I don’t think Arsenal would have won the title even if they had beaten Leeds. Their form was pretty bad and not showing signs of improvement. Ferguson seemed to get in their heads. I think the result was inevitable. \*\* Sorry, Zoff. My comments were spoken out of anger. I don’t really dislike Leeds that much–i’m really kind of neutral towards them (and even kinda sorta liked them when O’Leary was managing, though that was probably out of respect for O’Leary’s days with the Arse–strange that i didn’t extend that courtesy to Tottenham under George Graham!). Yeah, you’re right: i think Arsenal had thrown it away all on their own, and only have themselves to blame. Leeds, after all, needed the points to stave off relegation. When the pressure was mounting on us in April, we caved in and only got draws against Villa, Man U, and Bolton–basically throwing away six points out of a potential nine. You just can’t do that when Man U is breathing down your neck! I should point out that in all three of those matches, we had the lead at least one point in the match, but (obviously) failed to maintain it. Against Man U, we held a 2-1 lead for almost one entire minute!! and against both Bolton and Villa, we literally did ourselves in with late own-goals. Arsenal can sometimes be their own worst enemy. I think going out of the Champions League really wrecked the team’s morale. I doubt if even Ferguson’s mind-games had as much effect as that (or if they did, it was because of that state of low morale–last season, we were on such a high that he couldn’t say anything to get us down, though he tried his best). It’s like they just lost faith in themselves. In terms of league play, though, it was giving away silly goals and accepting draws in matches we should have won that hurt us in the end. Hopefully, we’ve learned out lesson for next season. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/28 "2003-05-05T13:50:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Andy \* > **Oh, and Skopo, you meant only 2 trophies right? We are including the FA Youth Cup aren’t we, LOL!!** Ah, but then we get to count the “Community Shield” as a trophy, too, meaning that we can still do the double this season after all! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@Zoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoff)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/29 "2003-05-05T21:09:27Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Skopo_ > Sorry, Zoff. My comments were spoken out of anger. Hey, I understand **Skopo**. I was rooting for Arsenal for a long time. But when it came down to it I had to pull for Leeds since it didn’t seem like anything would stop Arsenal’s collapse. I pretty much wrote Arsenal off after the Bolton game. What a disaster. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663/30 "2003-05-06T09:48:47Z")
I really really hate Leeds. A lot. A LOT. I was hoping that they would be relegated. And disappear. Forever. And now they won’t be. Thanks, Arsenal. Thanks for fulfilling your end of the deal. Everyone else in the premier league has done their best to get rid of that festering boil of a team, but not you. Cheers. I hate you forever. pan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arsenal-you-effing-bastards/172663.md?page=1)