If one wins the double the other wins exactly as much as Arsenal

So there you have it. Not only will Manchester United or Chelsea be winning the English Premiership this season but one of them will be winning the Champions League as well. One word comes to mind: ‘greedy’.

Seriously though, it’s incredible how close either side are to achieving the coveted League-Champions League double given how difficult this task has proven to be in the past. What’s just as incredible is the fact that if one of the sides achieves it then the other will come away from this season with exactly the same amount of silverware as Arsenal. None, if you hadn’t already realised. As has been said a lot over the past few weeks by many people trying to make sense of where it all went wrong for Arsene Wenger’s side, it’s very much a fine line between success and failure at this level of football.

Ballack and Essien mean I’m happier to be a Blue for a day then a Red DevilPersonally I was hoping for a Barcelona-Chelsea final with the Spanish side eventually running out the winners. The team I least wanted to make the final was United – oh, how I despise them! – but I guess one out of two isn’t bad, especially considering the dreaded Liverpool-United final was avoided. And much as I hate to admit it, Barcelona’s toothlessness up front means United are deserved finalisists. The same can be said of Chelsea, who were just too clever and experienced for a previously fortunate Liverpool side that should never have been in the semi-final in the first place.

Who do I want to win? Well, I have to admit I’ll be a one-eyed Blues supporter on May 21. Much as I have disliked them in the past and still do to a certain extent, the burning hatred I have for Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo and the respect I have for both Michael Ballack and Mickael Essien as well as Avram Grant makes it an easy choice.

Having said that, should Chelsea sneak the league then I might have to reconsider my choice. Either way, it should be a cracker of a game and much as I dislike the two teams involved, I do enjoy a good game of football.

As you can guess there’s not much Arsenal news floating around at the moment and virtually all of it focuses on the Mathieu Flamini contract saga. While there is still no official word on whether he is staying or going the suggestion is that he will be playing for the club against Everton on the weekend. Very, very interesting.

Should the Frenchman go then it is, of course, essential that he is replaced. Or is it? GilbertoSilver at Gunnerblog thinks the club may already have a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings. Can you guess who it is? And no, it’s not Philippe Senderos. Or Emmanuel Eboue. Sigh.

Before I go it might be worth pointing out the recent addition of the ‘Twitter’ comment box in right-hand sidebar of the blog. Basically I’m just going to use this little widget to convey my more impulsive thoughts during the course of the day as well as to communicate more directly with the regular readers of the blog. Let me know what you think and if you’re already a Twitter user, be sure to add me. If you’ve no idea what I’m talking about then you can check it all out here. Any feedback would be welcome and appreciated.

While I’m at it I might also add that if you’re a Facebook user (which I’m sure a lot of you are) then be sure to stay in touch with blog via the Arsenal FC Blog Readers group. Cheers, and have a good one!

What do you think?

Have your say on a potential United/Chelsea double or Flamini’s contract by leaving a comment.

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Comments

  1. You know there is something I don’t get. We are rated the third wealthiest club in the world by forbes. Right behind Man U and Madrid but yet we are so restricted by this whole wage bullshit that we are told to accept, I for one don’t accept it and I think we need to start realizing that we are one of the most powerful clubs in he world, otherwise we will slip.

  2. I’ve gotta say that I’d rather have Chelsea win the trophies than Man. Utd. I respect their players, and the way Lampard has carried himself was really pretty inspiring. It was nice to see him stroke the penalty home. It would have made me sick to see Liverpool get to the final, and I like the way Chelsea have quietly gone about their business this season. But I’m still an Arsenal fan until the league is mathematically impossible.

  3. How dumb is that??!! One of them will not necessearily win both prem and champ. Man u could well win the prem and lose in the final or vice versa and tha same applies for chelsea. Wich means both of them would end up with a trophy

  4. I would like to see them win one each, Man u the PL and chelsea the CL. that way they both will have failed in their aim to win the double! their success will be tinged with a feeling that they could have won both.
    I hate Man u more than chelsea as well so if one had to do the double it would be chelsea.

  5. i think its ironic it came down to a penalty! So at least we can say we have had a more successful season than the scousers. It would be hilarious if Man U won nothing. Perhaps both teams will be so focussed on staying fit for the final that they will slip up in the league. I can but dream…..

  6. Mikey Gooner – I never said it wasn’t possible for them both to win a trophy. My point was that if one of them wins the double then the other will end up with nothing.

    Can’t see why you think that is ‘dumb’…

  7. Mickey Gooner – the article said ‘IF one wins the double’. i guess u are rather the dumb person. u should be paying attention to some special words mate.
    now IF that happens, i wish chelsea wins and united finish the season trophyless!!!

  8. I’d rather see anyone, even Spurs, win the title rather than the Chavs! As far as the double is concerned it’s easy for me I’ll be backing Manure. I base this decision on many things. Firstly the behaviour of Chav supporters. In the years that I held a season ticket at Highbury and stood in the North Bank you could take it for granted that the long armed, grazed knuckled, steeped foreheaded blue wearing neanderthals would have managed to somehow get into the family enclosure just to the right of the north bank from where they target there foul mouthed threats to all around them, the North bank especially! Chelsea attract a ‘breed-apart of supporters! They are not alone in having an element of idiots attached to the club, but with Chelsea it does seem to make up the greater part of what distinguishes the club. Secondly, the chavs were and would still be a half decent cup side existing just the right side of bankruptsy and a justifiable claim, along with West Ham, to being London’s third side, if it were not for the Russian zillionaire. Unlike Manure, the Scousers or ourselves, there current position is not built on organic growth and it’s support base and the guile and tenacity of it’s Managers, coaches and players, both current and historic. The chavs current position is clearly not built on any of those things. You may begrudge Manure their position in world football but it is a position built on real support. I for one will feel completely cheated if the chavs become the first London club to win the champions League. To put a final perspective on things, If Barcelona were facing Manure in final I’d be praying for Henry to hammer them. But against the chavs I hope the cheating Portugese prima-donna bangs them in!

  9. Having to choose between these two clubs is like having to choose whether you want someone to poke out you left eye or your right one. If forced to choose one club to win the double, I would say Manure, even though they are the equivalent of the NY Yankees in the football world. Everyone has heard of them, so if asked to pick their “favorite” team, they are the one named. But, as much as I disdain Manure, I would prefer that they win both than have the most boring club in the Premier League win them both. As tired as Manure’s tactics were against Barca, at least they do play a more positive brand of football than Chelsea.

  10. I’ll go for the Chavs just because I hate Morinho. Of course watching Lampard and Terry celebrate would be a bit hard to take. But none of the choices are very good. At very least, if last week’s match was anything to go by, it could be an excellent game.

    BTW, SF, I am still getting some kind of trojan download when I hit your site. My anti-virus is blocking it, but I figure that you should be aware.

  11. I’d have to say I’d prefer Chelsea win the double.

    All clubs have problem fans. While I’ve never had the privilege of going to a Premiership game (and probably never will), I do have to say that the Chelsea fans that pop in this blog have been class (particularly TrueBlueInd) which is more than I can say for most of the United supporters that have a go. That alone was enough for me to pull for Chelski yesterday and my what a game it was.

    Speaking of boring football, I think SAF made a mistake in not putting Tevez and CR7 on the pitch against the Blues this past weekend and then made it worse for me by making the comment that if the game is going to be decided by a penalty it’s not even worth playing. I’d like that decision to come back and bite him a bit. But all the respect to United I still believe they’re going to win the EPL and I think you can say deservedly so.

  12. Oh and just fyi SF I’m in the same boat as vlcgooner. I am also getting a Trojan warning from my antivirus as well. Forgot to put this in the above.

  13. I’ve been thinking about this, too. Here’s my (unimportant) take on the subject:

    I agree that Man U is like the NY Yankees, so I don’t like the “bandwagon” fans. However, I do respect Fergie and all he’s accomplished. And as much as it pains me to admit it, Ronaldo does have amazing skills. But thankfully, there are players I respect on Man U’s side, like Giggsy and Evra.

    As for Chelski, it doesn’t sit well with me that they’ve just gone out and gathered up the most expensive players in the world. I was entertained, though annoyed, by Mourinho’s colossal ego. I expected the side to fall apart under Grant, so I give them a little respect for not doing so. I basically can’t abide the sight of Lamps, but having lost my own mother less than a year ago, I am cutting him some slack. I have a lot of respect for Ballack and am very glad to see him finally settling in.

    OK, with all that said, from a neutral point of view, I’d like Man U to win the double. But from a selfish Arsenal fan point of view, I’d like Chelski to win the double. I am SO tired of reading about how our season fell apart when at the beginning of the season they were predicting that we would finish 5th or 6th. So it would be very nice to read about how Man U fell apart in the end. Let the pundits turn the heat on them for a change. (Who am I kidding? They’ll get heaps of praise while we still get dumped on.)

    Of course, if the “mathematical miracle” comes through and we somehow win the League, then I couldn’t care less who wins the CL. 🙂

  14. I think if united win the league they will do the double….if chelski win the league, united will win the CL…

    So all in all united in my opinion will get a trophie…if i had to chose one id def. chose the CL…its not every year u make the final…u need a bit of luck to get there..

    I seriously hate Terry and dont want to see that cheat winning anything…all terry does is get in referies ears and shouts at them and gets what he wants…chelsea are on a high and someone needs to pull them back to earth..lets hope newcastle can..

    If united beat west ham this weekend Steve Bruce will hand us the title next week.

  15. Also on Arsenal

    Defence wins you trophies…we know arsenal can attack and score but to be honest i dont think they can defend games when they have to…You need a Center Back, a experienced tall strong centre back…Lucio is ur man

    other than that if Flamini goes u need a mid, and maybe a striker maybe…

  16. Man Utd for the Champs League and Chelsea for the EPL. That way Chelsea don’t win the CL before Arsenal and Man Utd don’t win back to back premierships and neither team does the double… Don’t spose an abandoned match due to unforeseen circumstances is out of the question :p?

    on a side note for us aussies has anyone heard any more on the rumour of milligan to Arsenal?

  17. hehehehe.. the only reason for all of u to support Chelsea is simply becos of jealousy. Jealous becos we beat u twice and becos we overtook your place at the summit. I could understand ur feeling. Being dreaming of winning the EPL after 5mths and all of sudden everything falled apart, it must be pretty hard to accept.

    The chances are quite balance between the two, except for league (still in Man Utd hand, if we keep on winning). Looking at two remaining games, I would have to say the task for Chelsea is slightly uphill. Away to Newcastle and home to Bolton at this stage of competition are something u would like to avoid. Newcastle have not lost a game in 7 games (win4, draw3 (all away game)). Hopefully EPl title can be secured by Monday, as we are hoping Chelsea will be beaten by Newcastle resurgence side.

  18. Yeah sounds like typical buildup bs but it was definitely a surprise to hear a link between milligan and arsenal lol

  19. Ronaldo7 is exactly right.. We need a defender, probably a better goalkeeper.. If reports here in Italia are right, we’ll need to find a replacement for Flamini, and accroding to my sources, AC are pretty confident they have Flamini and as much as a verbal agreement has been made between club and player. It would also be nice to see David Villa along side Adebayor. Van Persie will most likely be on the treatment table again next year, since it seems he’s usually injuried, Bendtner is no where near Villa in class, Eduardo will be out a while and hopefully not true, he might not be the same player when he comes back, and i wouldnt mind seeing Walcott on the right wing for another year, he’s become a brillant playmaker at times and can still cut inside to score. So another striker like Villa wouldnt hurt.

  20. Milligan rumours are hilarious, especially consider the always-reliable Tribal Football are the site to have started them. That site is such utter rubbish, it’s a shame that it is Australian because it is just awful. Never believe a thing they say is my advice.

  21. Demetrio – what’s the word on Flamini in Italy? Deal tied up? I know you touch on it but what exactly are your sources? Reliable or not?

    Too many questions, I just really want Flamini to stay…

  22. SF- I konw you haven’t said a thing about Flamini just yet.Let me tell you he is on his way to AC-Milan so I expect you to rip him into shreds once its confirmed. This guy is a very calculating greedy piece of ssssshhhh (well I will finish that word once its confirmed he is leaving). the reason I’m saying this because he did the same to his former clubs Arsenal got him on a free and Marseille told Arsenal what goes around comes around as they knew this guy’s character really well (Greedy). I beleive he decided to run his contract down to grab as much money as possible.Wenger dumped Gilberto and gave him a chance and he goes and throw it in his face. I hope he prooves me wrong and stay. still I’m not concerned if he goes. He is a hard worker and nothing else. Fabregas makes him look good.

  23. To all you fuckers saying they want Chelsea, I have one thing to say to you “THERE’S ONLY ONE TEAM IN LONDON”. Possibly, I you have never sang that in the stands you won’t understand what that truly means. NEVER SUPPORT CHELSEA – NO MATTER WHAT.

  24. Mabel- Apart from the swearing I agree with you.I don’t give a toss who wins what now.If it not Arsenal I’m not interested.I was hoping Barcelona will win it purely for Thierry Henry to get that C.L medal he deserves it.

  25. Le Gunner- why you gonna hate on Flamini?! He has been a great player for Arsenal this season, and waited for his chance to play behind Gilberto without causing trouble for years. I would love to see him stay, he’s one of my favourite players on the team, but i dont hate on him for leaving. You cant play football forever, you have to make the money you can, when you can. He at least stayed the lenght of his contract, its not like hes breaking it to take more money. Players have lives, and they gotta do what they gotta do to make sure their future is set financially for when they cant play football no more.

    Spanish- my resources up North are VERY reliable, i grew up down the street with one of the players in their youth team, and i know Milanese that know their teams (AC and Inter) pretty well and know who’s coming in, and they say that all Flamini is waiting for is the end of the season to make the move to the San Siro. Im with you tho i hope they are wrong or Flamini has a change of heart cuz i really admire the way he plays and want him to stay. The good news is that Inter people are not really talking about Hleb joining. Altho personally i’d rather lose Hleb then Flamini. I think the Hleb rumor is just Inter manager running his mouth to the media.

  26. I think it will be shared , should United win the league then they should forget the champions league , you can trust chelsea to fight back and prove a point …I just hope the 2 of them loss all their remaining matches ( Impossible , well could happen at least it happened to us )…any soccer lover who will like to interact with other fans and dicuss any soccer related issues should check out http://www.Soccerfanbase.com it is free to join.

  27. Yeah.. It came out today that Gattuso said he wants to play in England.. i think he may know that Flamini is coming to take his place..

  28. I enjoyed seeing Flamini come into his own this season. However, I think our play is accredited to our passion to play the game not for money. Gran tit Henry left for trophies…but Arsenal is a rarity in this league and this game. Wenger strides on the game, and the love for the game. We are very fortunate to have such a unique coach on our side.

    The past week I’ve gone from wanting to see Flamini go from being a money pig, back to wanting him to stay because he is a Gunner. The truth is anyone who plays for us I want to see do well, and I want to see grow as a player with Arsenal. Not everyone can be Bergkamp…..an absolute legend to Arsenal. Tired not making sense. Flamini stay. It’s your loss.

    Go Gunners!

  29. newcastle vs chelsea is the decisive moment…. man utd are getting closer mate

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