Does anyone here read Arseblog?

[LDB]

Quite like Arseblog. Has always seemed to toe the line between being serious and light-hearted better then other blogs. Personally I dont want to read a blog that is just going to rant about the myriad of problems at Arsenal every day; I know all that shit, i can see it for myself tyvm and get enough of it reading this place . Likewise, I cant stand bloggers that have played too much championship manager and think they're educating the rest of us about 'tactics'. Fuck off.

Don't agree with his take on a lot of things but tbh i find it interesting to read a well-articulated opinion that I disagree with. And like g88ner I can't say I've noticed a change in tone or output since doing deals with the club.

This place, the tuesday club podcast and the occasional Arseblog is my Arsenal information stream

[1989]

He thinks he's funny. He's not.

That aside, he's not bad.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

He thinks he's funny. He's not.

That aside, he's not bad.

I disagree, he can be very funny but he does contradict himself on a regular basis

[REB]

fair play to arseblog for coming on, not many would

[arseblog]

As for Arseblog, understandable if you don't want to/can't go into too much detail but any chance you could elaborate on what "did a deal with the club" means re: the book being in the membership pack? Did you pay them to have it in there, vice versa, or neither? Issue being on your end obviously it makes a lot of business sense for a few reasons (fair enough on it's own imo), but where & how the club benefits from the deal is a bit more sketchy. Obviously they've got to fill the packs with some junkets either way (no offence) but what did they want/get in return for it being your book?

I could be wrong but I'm sure I saw it advertised on Pravda earlier in the season too. These are the same people who'd gleefully sue all of our immune systems for trademark infringement for daring to have red & white blood cells, yet there they are happily promoting an unofficial Arsenal product. As much as unfounded outright accusations are unfair, I think a healthy dose of scepticism over the arrangement is at least understandable. Not that you're obliged to explain yourself obviously - it's a personal blog and I'd be surprised if there was any formal request to try & influence your writing anyway - but still, I'm a nosy bastard.

Maybe you've noticed down the years but I've done a fair few competitions with GCR Books who reprint old Arsenal books. For example, biogs of people like Herbert Chapman and Cliff Bastin, The Arsenal Stadium Mystery etc.

Anyway, he had some of his books in the membership pack for a few years so I asked him how he went about it. I got in touch with the marketing department, had a couple of meetings, pitched them the idea of including a condensed copy of So Paddy Got Up and they really liked it. The theme of the membership pack was fans etc, and they thought a book produced by a fan, written by fans, fitted in very well.

So I produced the books for them, I got paid for doing it as you would expect, and that's really it. The club got a nice book for the membership pack. On both sides that's all there was to it. Clearly it's good for Arseblog as it opens up the site to people who might not have known about it, but beyond that there's no expectation of anything from my point of view or theirs.

[bunch]

Appreciate the Arseblogger coming on here to clarify certain issues. No issue with a man making money and I like the book (I bought it before it was given out as part of the membership pack). And like many I have, at times, really enjoyed the blog. However, I guess I wanted to believe that Arseblog could be an authentic as well as intelligible voice of Arsenal fans. But I see close ties with the club, be it directly financial, like the book, or for inside information to feed the blog, and that voice doesn't feel so authentic anymore. At a time when there are lots of areas of grievance between fans and club, the position of the manager being a key one, my perception is that Arseblog pulls its punches to retain the benefit of those close ties with the club.

We call Arsenal.com Pravda. We are the oppressed peons living under a totalitarian regime but being told everything is fine. Again the perception is that the club, dominated by the manager, will truck no criticism from anyone with official connection. Will you get a link when you criticise the manager's selection/substitutions/tactics (huh!)? I doubt it. And I suspect links from Pravda.com will cease altogether if you ever take Kevin Whitcher's position on the fate of the manager.

[the playing mantis]

everyone openly hostile to said blogger, then said blogger slightly in with the club comes on and posts and there are a lot of brown noses about

i have no issue with arseblogger, i dont read blogs apart from peakfans derbyshire cricket blog, cos im sad. but it is reassuraing you are form ireland, rather than some islington, middle class, oh so annoying superfan, who i got the impression of you from here as (purely based on your not apparently crircising the club).

as for why the forum got shut down the 2nd time, well thats an interesting one. it could be linked in with this thread, ie a website owner who doesnt want to damage their relationship with the club and the potential junkets that brings, by spinning a pro club line. the website got shut down at a time of seething disenchantment (whats new) and its not beyond the realms of possiblity to imagine the club had a word (even though this has been denied) and the plug was pulled for a few weeks to quiten it down and make people lose interest/go elsewhere. well it worked quite well, as the forum went from having many many active members who were seething at the club, to a forum although still good, has a lot fewer active members seething even more at the club.

the recent disgraceful undermining of the fanzines editor would also point this way...

oh well. i await my ban!

[rodders999]

everyone openly hostile to said blogger, then said blogger slightly in with the club comes on and posts and there are a lot of brown noses about

Maybe Wenger should post on here so even the likes of Augie and Sid would end up throwing their knickers at him and swooning about the place

[augie]

everyone openly hostile to said blogger, then said blogger slightly in with the club comes on and posts and there are a lot of brown noses about

Maybe Wenger should post on here so even the likes of Augie and Sid would end up throwing their knickers at him and swooning about the place

Pdeople in glasshouses shouldnt throw stones rodders

[Its Up 4 Grabs Now]

Maybe you've noticed down the years but I've done a fair few competitions with GCR Books who reprint old Arsenal books. For example, biogs of people like Herbert Chapman and Cliff Bastin, The Arsenal Stadium Mystery etc.

Anyway, he had some of his books in the membership pack for a few years so I asked him how he went about it. I got in touch with the marketing department, had a couple of meetings, pitched them the idea of including a condensed copy of So Paddy Got Up and they really liked it. The theme of the membership pack was fans etc, and they thought a book produced by a fan, written by fans, fitted in very well.

So I produced the books for them, I got paid for doing it as you would expect, and that's really it. The club got a nice book for the membership pack. On both sides that's all there was to it. Clearly it's good for Arseblog as it opens up the site to people who might not have known about it, but beyond that there's no expectation of anything from my point of view or theirs.

Fair do's mate. To be clear, I rarely read any blogs so I couldn't comment on whether or not your writing's changed pre/post any dealings with the club. I don't see any problem with you striking a deal with them, especially since it's ultimately a personal blog - I think people (readers & writers) sometimes forget they're just vehicles for someone's personal opinion & no-ones obliged to take them as gospel truth or the authoritative voice on any subject.

But even if it was all just a straight-forward business arrangement surely you can see why people might easily perceive it as a threat to the integrity of your writing - e.g. "bunch's" post above. You said yourself that you acknowledged after the invite to the training ground that the club was seeking favourable publicity in doing so. On one side you've got huge exposure for the blog and any future books you write, and got paid for that in the process, on the other side the club got something to put in the member's packs. It's such a brilliant deal on your end I dont think it's that fanciful to feel the club might have at least been hoping to curry favour and keep you on side. Whether they succeeded is another matter. Or maybe this place has just made me too cynical about Arsenal Football Club.

Not really sure what the point of any of the above is, but it's wasted another 5 minutes of my day.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Maybe you've noticed down the years but I've done a fair few competitions with GCR Books who reprint old Arsenal books. For example, biogs of people like Herbert Chapman and Cliff Bastin, The Arsenal Stadium Mystery etc.

Anyway, he had some of his books in the membership pack for a few years so I asked him how he went about it. I got in touch with the marketing department, had a couple of meetings, pitched them the idea of including a condensed copy of So Paddy Got Up and they really liked it. The theme of the membership pack was fans etc, and they thought a book produced by a fan, written by fans, fitted in very well.

So I produced the books for them, I got paid for doing it as you would expect, and that's really it. The club got a nice book for the membership pack. On both sides that's all there was to it. Clearly it's good for Arseblog as it opens up the site to people who might not have known about it, but beyond that there's no expectation of anything from my point of view or theirs.

Fair do's mate. To be clear, I rarely read any blogs so I couldn't comment on whether or not your writing's changed pre/post any dealings with the club. I don't see any problem with you striking a deal with them, especially since it's ultimately a personal blog - I think people (readers & writers) sometimes forget they're just vehicles for someone's personal opinion & no-ones obliged to take them as gospel truth or the authoritative voice on any subject.

But even if it was all just a straight-forward business arrangement surely you can see why people might easily perceive it as a threat to the integrity of your writing - e.g. "bunch's" post above. You said yourself that you acknowledged after the invite to the training ground that the club was seeking favourable publicity in doing so. On one side you've got huge exposure for the blog and any future books you write, and got paid for that in the process, on the other side the club got something to put in the member's packs. It's such a brilliant deal on your end I dont think it's that fanciful to feel the club might have at least been hoping to curry favour and keep you on side. Whether they succeeded is another matter. Or maybe this place has just made me too cynical about Arsenal Football Club.

Not really sure what the point of any of the above is, but it's wasted another 5 minutes of my day.

And mine

[Its Up 4 Grabs Now]

And mine

Happy to help, Lefty!

Maybe I should start a blog of my own!

[rodders999]

everyone openly hostile to said blogger, then said blogger slightly in with the club comes on and posts and there are a lot of brown noses about

Maybe Wenger should post on here so even the likes of Augie and Sid would end up throwing their knickers at him and swooning about the place

Pdeople in glasshouses shouldnt throw stones rodders

Touché!! This place would get the internet closed down if Wenger ever joined!

[arseofacrow]

And mine

Happy to help, Lefty!

Maybe I should start a blog of my own!

or we could co-write a blog with an old friend from here....Could call it the "It's up Swale's Arse Now" blog.

[Its Up 4 Grabs Now]

And mine

Happy to help, Lefty!

Maybe I should start a blog of my own!

or we could co-write a blog with an old friend from here....Could call it the "It's up Swale's Arse Now" blog.

Would the fact it's up Swale's arse not prevent Swale from making a contribution to the blog though? What with his mouth being full and all that.