Mails: Are you ready for St Arsenholes Day?

Mails: Are you ready for St Arsenholes Day?

In truth, the Mailbox reflects the football. Let’s make the afternoon better – mail theeditor@football365.com

This could catch on
As it could happen this weekend I feel we need a name for the moment (should it come to pass) that Arsenal cannot mathematically finish above Spurs.

I’d like to suggest St Arsenholes Day.

My friend who’s an Arsenal fan is terrified this will take off “because it’s so catchy”.

Any better ideas?
Jon

Sanchez deserves a charge…
I just want to give my considered opinion that a professional footballer pretending to be hit in the face with the ball and going down clutching his face, in a clear attempt to get another player sent off, is doing far more to bring the game into disrepute than, say, a manager going into a press conference after a game and saying ‘well, I thought the ref had a bit of a mare today.’ But who’s going to get the rude letter off the FA?

We shouldn’t boo Sanchez in future, he should be mocked and laughed at, and hopefully, eventually, cheats like this will fade out of the game.

OK as you were, but don’t send me a rude message back, because I might pretend to be hurt, and that wouldn’t do, would it?
Paul Quinton, Wolves

Love for Xhaka
Really loved Xhaka tonight, his range of passing is wonderful and he is quick. If only he could tackle like Kante…
MICHAEL, MUFC (he is the type of player Man United should sign to replace Carrick)

Love for Nacho
I blooming love Nacho Monreal. What a guy.

And what a fantastic end to a really boring match. A lucky goal, controversy, cheating, diving, terrible defending, the ref not knowing the rules, and dirty Leicester getting a taste of their own medicine.

What more could I ask for?
Adonis Stevenson, AFC

Sexy Christian
After *that* goal, Xavi has now changed his mind. Now he’s angling for Christian Eriksen to join Barcelona instead of Dele Alli…
Johniecum

Just call him Dele
Since the start of this season, Dele has had only his abbreviated first name on his shirt due to feeling “no connection” with his last name. Should not commentators, co-coms and journalists respect that and stop using the moniker themselves?

They don’t seem to have a problem with players such as Pedro at Chelsea, pretty much the entire Brazilian player galaxy and numerous others. Why not Dele?

It just seems curious, and disrespectful.
Steve (Palace are not on my Christmas Card list this year), Los Angeles

Poch progression to be lauded
There has been lauding and questioning of Pochettino’s abilities and standing among his peers, some justified. The point that might well have been overlooked is that not everyone gets to coach Juventus in what has been, even for recent Serie A woes, a period of very little competition from any domestic rivals. Not everyone gets to manage the second biggest team in Germany, and do very well at that.

Some coaches get Espanyol, they get Southampton and then they get Spurs, none of which are the elite clubs in their division but each has been a step up, and in Spurs case, quite possibly being turned into one of the very best under his tutelage.

The way Pochettino conducts himself is to his credit, the way players respond to him is reminiscent of early Mourinho at Chelsea or even the old heads at Arsenal under Wenger. It’s a loyalty which has seen Spurs players sign new contracts by the bucket load.

If he can steer Spurs to the title it will be massive, if he has Spurs finishing second that is still hugely impressive.

Perhaps it’s time to just, as with the tiresome comparison of players, let them be their own person, at their own and vastly different clubs.
Dan Mallerman

Glass half-full at Tottenham…
Almost everything in that afternoon mailbox triggered me a bit, and I can’t go through it all. I would just like to point out in general that…

1. Levy doesn’t sell to rivals any more. He doesn’t need to, her refused to sell both Bale and Modric to Premier League teams.

2. Tottenham are rich enough to refuse any bid that comes in.

3. Pochettino has stated explicitly that he won’t ever manage Barca and for the forseeable future, Real Madrid have a manager.

4. While our performance in the Europa League was disgraceful, the fourth seed from our CL group is now in the semi finals. In hindsight while we definitely underperformed, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed at first glance.

I don’t think anyone in the current first team will be leaving this summer, for the reasons mentioned above, unless Real try to break the bank for Dele, but it would have to be an absurd amount.

Spurs-Palace was a bit dull, Eriksen bailed us out at the end though, I think this Palace side will be top half next season and possibly challenging for European spots if they can keep Zaha.
Mario Framcescico

Loving Robbie Keane…
I’m Irish and I love Robbie Keane. I love him more than other man on the planet. 68 international goals, so many of them crucial. These 68 goals are even more impressive when you look at the Irish teams he was playing in – obviously a few greats but mostly complete and utter dross.

I reckon people don’t like him simply because he’s successful. It’s the Irish way (British Isles way?).

We all love McGrath, not just because he was brilliant but because his career was just-not-quite. He had that gammy knee and a problem with the drink, but despite this he was still class and everyone sort of thinks “Poor auld Paul”.

Keano kept himself fit, played all over the world, met Obama, has a beautiful wife, and lives in LA. The reaction is “Who the f**k does he think he is?” Irish people are mad like that. Success brings the suspicion that you’re a bit of a snake and probably a big-head. I think this is the same reason Irish people don’t like Bono.

Anyway, I love Keano and his goal against Germany in Japan was the best moment of life. Plus, he’s related to Morrissey.
CF, LTFC

But he wasn’t that good…
I think the somewhat staid Irish reception towards Robbie Keane is directly related to the fact he was never really that good, just as good as the boys in green were going to get, and they surely respected that. If you consider Robbie never got anywhere near 20 goals in a EPL season and packed in footie for soccer at age thirty, it’s easy to mark himself decent, but far from deadly. Couple this to the fact that his international record is padded out with hat-tricks and braces v Gibraltar, Malta, Faroe Islands, San Marino – you just can’t get totally behind that, this is not the stuff of legends and perhaps Rooney’s own somewhat unimpressive reign as England’s main man led to his sheen laying unpolished.

Now take McGrath, yes as Fern, Cork states he is certainly more a man of the people given his very human struggles, but you also have to add, and I saw him play many times for United, Villa and Eire, he was an absolutely immense defender of the highest quality, who through it all on the line with a fearless class and cultured eye that has people purring to this day. If it wasn’t for the bottle and his knees, who knows what pantheons he’d have ascended to.

So, don’t get me wrong, Keane was a solid and at times excellent striker, but Paul McGrath is and will always remain one of the greatest ever to wear the shirts he did.
Jay Tea, Wallingford

What about the Yak?
Re: the article about Guangzhou R&F:

‘In fact, their biggest name so far was ex-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who managed them between 2013 and 2014.’

…THE YAK! Ex-Portsmouth, Boro, Everton, Leicester, Blackburn striker Yakubu? 24 goals in 43 games? No? Okay.. moving on. As an aside, ex-R&F Spanish midfielder Michel (currently playing for Valladolid) trained with my pub team once, gap between ‘pretty good’ and ‘professional’ was never more apparent.
Jon (Rui Faria = a more tanned, handsome, less annoying Joey Barton) NUFC, GZ

All credit to Steady
Moment of Huth and Boom! Shake, shake, shake, De Roon.

Great work lads.
Cormac, Galway

…’Moment of Huth’ and ‘Boom, Shake Shake Shake De Roon’

Take a long deep bow F365
Martin Ansell