Husband. Father. Brander. Pug botherer. Not necessarily in that order. Agency founder and brand strategist. Ex @landor_fitch, @SkyUK & @weareHeavenly
Bath via London
Joined January 2009
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Enjoying come back to this from time to time. Journalists absolutely chomping at the bit to celebrate the Abu Dhabi hype machine and to gaslight Arsenal. He’s far too quick to come to conclusions because these sorts of opinions generate engagement.
Never mind the symbolics. Arsenal lit a fire at their training ground as a motivational image. But it was Manchester City who brought the fire to the game. City dared more and deservedly won. Better principles - more attacking. Better team - more leaders. Better manager - more adventurous and experienced. And so it’s advantage a fired-up City in the title race.
Pep Guardiola and his big-game hunters can smell wounded foe, can sense victory will be theirs. City have big players relishing the pressure in the biggest game of the season. Bernardo Silva outstanding, small of frame but huge of heart. He’ll be hugely missed as ball-winning player, creative player, team player and role model. Rodri commanding. Haaland pouncing when opportunity knocked. Cherki dribbling and dazzling. O’Reilly so young but so mature in his positioning and decision-making. Guehi a top defender and leader, such a massively influential signing in January.
Arsenal? Second again? They need more than fire now. They need City to slip up. Guardiola’s side do still have to go Everton and Bournemouth but they have the belief and the momentum. They know the way to the finishing line, it's a muscle memory.
Arsenal tried hard. They were gritty, good pressing first half, some promising counters but they dropped off, invited City on and Pep’s men need no second invitation. Arsenal invested heavily this season, and will doubtless do so again this summer, as the years of hurt lengthens since the Invincibles. Arteta needs more flair as much as fire. He also needs a re-think on his approach.
His subs will come under scrutiny. Arteta inexplicably kept the fading Odegaard on. Odegaard embodies Arsenal’s nice, neat football but doesn’t hurt elite opponents enough. Arteta could have moved Eze central not taken him off.
Arsenal will argue fine lines, Havertz had a huge chance at the death, but were fortunate that Gabriel was not sent off for pushing his forehead into Haaland’s. If/when the fire is fully extinguished, the Arsenal inquest will be long and painful. It sounds like it's already begun amongst their fans, their fire snuffed out by City. #MCIARS
Will Hall retweeted
Emmanuel Petit on Premier League clubs mocking Arsenal after the final defeat:
🗣️ “I have to say, I found it embarrassing.
The second Arsenal lost, some Premier League clubs couldn't wait to jump on social media and remind everyone about their European trophies.
That tells you everything.
Instead of supporting an English club representing the league on the biggest stage in club football, they were busy celebrating Arsenal's pain.
For me, that's not rivalry. That's insecurity.
Arsenal were 90 minutes away from doing something special, and rather than show respect, people were desperately searching through the history books for old trophies to post online.
Why? Because they were terrified of seeing Arsenal join that club.
Let's be honest, some of these clubs spent the entire season watching Arsenal compete at a level they couldn't reach.
The jealousy was obvious.
The moment Arsenal fell short, they treated it like they had won something themselves.
That's the mentality of people who would rather see Arsenal fail than focus on their own success.
The trophy may have slipped away, but the reaction from some rivals showed exactly how much Arsenal still live rent-free in their heads.”
The whole 'Arsenal fans are celebrating like they've won it' thing. For a start, grow tf up, people are allowed to be happy. Secondly, it's not a premature celebration, it's pure catharsis. 20+ years of pain being eroded every game and a season of being told how shit we are.
We have less tolerance in political process than ever before. Labour Party trying to force through policies with negative PR (and getting worse) and without any public goodwill. Dangerous game. Farage licking his weirdly non-existent lips.
No more twitter for me.
Here’s your reminder folks:
open.spotify.com/track/1NeIw…
Love this. My company sponsoring my local childhood football team 🤘⚽️
HAPPY NEW YEAR - It's MATCHDAY!
Get yourself along to the Ray Mac for New Year's Day Football:
Salisbury V Weymouth in the Vanarama National League South.
Bars are open from 12:30, and the ground is open from 1pm.
#COYW
Unintended consequence? Lower margins > higher losses > more market consolidation > fewer, bigger companies > fewer small startups. What's more important? Lower unemployment even in low-paid, unskilled jobs, or innovation and entrepreneurialism? bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp81…
Can't help but think that announcing the UK budget next week rather than last might have been a prudent strategy.
Will Hall retweeted
When you vote today, do it for my cousin Alex, who will never get to vote himself.
Alex was killed in his English classroom in Parkland by a gunman with an AR-15.
Today, vote for a future free of gun violence.
Will Hall retweeted
Just a timely reminder that it was Trump’s deal with OPEC to halt production that doubled the price of oil and kicked off the global inflation crisis.
Will Hall retweeted
New: The FBI is warning about a fabricated video purporting to be an alert issued by the FBI urging Americans to “vote remotely” due to a high terror threat at polling stations. The FBI is also flagging a video containing a fake FBI press release alleging that the management of five prisons in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona rigged inmate voting and colluded with a political party. Disinformation is everywhere.