Clucas doing the presser with Mick this morning... please log in to view this image “We’re in the Premier League now and it's a tough league. I don’t think it’s going to be any tougher than the next few games." But, it’s certainly an exciting few weeks coming up, starting with Arsenal tomorrow.” “With the way we’ve been playing, confidence is the camp is high and we’ll go into tomorrow’s game with plenty of belief.” "Mike Phelan's been brilliant. We still don't really know what's going on with that situation, it's out of our hands. "If you look at the start we've had and the experience he's got, he's got great credentials to keep this club in the Premier League and that's what everyone wants to do. "Hopefully it will be sewn up sooner rather than later." please log in to view this image “There has been more discussions with the owners, but the immediate job that I have to do is pick a team to play Arsenal.” "Nothing has transpired for me to put pen to paper on my future. I'll have more talks next week." “The players are excited about the prospect of facing Arsenal at home. They won’t disappoint anybody who comes to the game.” Dieumerci Mbokani is available for the first time for this weekend. There are no new injury concerns.
Same team as Burnley for me, new lads to come on as subs. Some folk seem to want Jak, Dio and Meyler dropped, well Dio maybe but not Jak and I'd definitely have Meyler start.
Philip Buckingham @PJBuckingham Lovely tribute from Mike Phelan to former #hcafc rookie Dan Wilkinson, whose death will be marked with a minutes applause tomorrow. Philip Buckingham @PJBuckingham #hcafc say limited tickets left for tomorrow's game with Arsenal. Not sold out as yet.
I guess as we haven't sold out yet, apart from the Allam syndrome, means there are less Arsenal plastics locally than Manure.
You certainly don't see people parading around in Arsenal shirts the way you do with Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea or TWS.
Just got a text message out of the blue from #hcafc asking if I want to buy a ticket for tomorrows game, I have a pass for FFS
Very droll, Ben. But I wasn't comparing parading styles. Just the absence of one set of fans parading about in shirts. Just been down to the New Forest. Refreshing to see the lack of people wearing football shirts. In a week I saw one Bournemouth shirt, one Portsmouth one, a Chelsea one on a Londoner looking at the Mary Rose exhibition in Portsmouth and an Asian chap in Bournemouth with a Man Utd top. Oh, and another one whilst having a meal in a very pleasant pub in a small place in the New Forest. My wife asked me if something was wrong. I said no. She replied she thought there must be seeing the look on my face. Seems I can't conceal my thoughts at the sight of a Leeds United shirt. Would loved to have asked him why he supported TWS as he was obviously from down there going by his accent but the wife was adamant I wasn't going to get involved in any discussions in a pub with a Leeds fan knowing my feelings regarding TWS. A lot of rugby union shirts in evidence though.
Glad you saw it as the joke it was. My in-laws are Arsenal & Palace. There's only one proper Surrey supporter amongst them - my father-in-law, United to the bone. He's even been, twice. I sorted some tickets for his first game but the second time he asked me along to join him in hospitality. Lovely meal & drinks all included. We were on a table of 10, London x4, Wolverhampton x2, Australia x2, Surrey X1 & me, the local, from Yorkshire. Turned out I'd been to OT more times than the other 9 combined. I had some fun.They knew jack **** about football, not just the game but the understanding of what it means to be a supporter. Jimmy Greenoff was the guest host & visited all the tables. The typically loud mother of the London lot said she didn't know what to ask him. I suggested she ask him what it felt like beating Arsenal in the cup final in 79, his reaction was great. His face said "you ****", his mouth said "do you mean Liverpool '77?". I said "I support Hull but I was happy your goal stopped the Scousers from winning the treble that year". It was too easy. For too many football started in 1992.
SeeingJimmy Greenhoff's name reminds me of a Leeds fan I had been arguing with in the pub when I first moved to where I now live. Got to know him since. Decent bloke who is from Leeds and has never stopped going through their decline. My first reaction was he was an East Yorkshire White, wrongly as it turned out. Anyway I passed a remark along the lines of what did he know about football. He didn't say anything back but when he had gone someone said to me that he would guess he knew more about football than me as he had played for England schoolboys,keeping Brian Greenhoff out of the team. Got signed on by Barnsley but a horrific injury ended things for him at age 20. Eventually he could play at a lower level, and was apparently outstanding despite being a portly Puskas type figure and then ran a number of local sides. Should have taught me to pause before drawing conclusions and jumping in, but, needless to say, it didn't.
Olivier Giroud picked up an injury in midweek and may not be available for this weekend's trip to Hull, Arsene Wenger has revealed. Hope they play Akpom.
Great insight into the preparation, which seems really detailed from bits players have given us in pre match interviews. They know what time opposition players go to the toilet . Phelan just comes across really well, I do hope the offer of the full time job is concluded shortly. The players couldn't be more united in backing him for the post full time.
Probably going to get laughed off the forum for saying this but if Clucas keeps this level of performance up, does he have a chance of an England call up this season?
Probably not. Whilst he is playing very well, Dier is a better player in the same role and there are a lot of English midfielders pushing for a call (Wilshere, Noble, Drinkwater before last squad etc.)
