Highbury House

A Double-Dose this morning, first half is from Allezkev, the second from Steve Palmer…

It’s difficult to write a report on a game, when you haven’t seen it -  So I won’t.

But I’ve seen enough Arsenal games this season already, both live and on television to know where there is a major problem in Wenger’s squad.

Goalscoring!

Yes, Arsenal scored twice in the Liberty Stadium but how many chances were spurned to take that vital 2 goal lead and give us some breathing space?

How many times have Arsenal taken the lead, then failed to get that second goal and kill the opposition off?

It seems that whenever Arsenal score these days, instead of us fans sitting back and waiting for the 2nd and 3rd goal for the Gunners, we instead sit back and wait for a string of wasted chances from our players before the expected equaliser.

Why is this?

Is it a lack of quality? A lack of confidence? A lack of the required coaching during training?

Or a combination of all three?

Even Robin Van Persie missed a very good chance in the first-half but he is beyond criticism this season. 18 EPL goals in 20+1 appearances is a fantastic return from our number one striker and number one player.

Now lets look at the support that Robin has been getting from his attacking team mates this season.

The usual suspects up front have managed so far this season:

Theo Walcott -   3 EPL goals in 18+2 appearances.
Gervinho         -   4 EPL goals in 15+2 appearances.

Over half the season gone and our main alternatives to Robin have got a total of 7 EPL goals between them.

Is that really good enough?

We shouldn’t lump all the blame on them, as there are others in the Arsenal squad who should be contributing more goals…..

Our back-up goalscorers Arshavin and Chamakh have been nothing short of appalling in terms of hitting the net.

Arshavin………… 1 EPL goal in 8+9 appearances.
Chamakh……….. 1 EPL goal in 1+7 appearances.

What of our midfield?

Benayoun – 1 EPL goal in 2+8 appearances.
Ramsey     – 1 EPL goal in 19+1 appearances.
Song           – 1 EPL goal in 17 appearances.
Rosicky     – 0 EPL goals in 4+8 appearances.

Six players who have contributed a pathetic total of 5 EPL goals with over half of the season gone.

Only Mikel Arteta has a respectable return for his efforts this season; 3 EPL goals in 17 appearances.

That brings me to Ju Young Park……

Can somebody out there, please tell me what was the bloody point of signing him???

Four and a half months after his arrival from Monaco, our South Korean ‘striker’ is still waiting for his Premier League debut. Yes, he’s been on the substitutes bench for 7 league fixtures but has remained on his derriere for all those 7 occasions!

Questions have to be asked of the scouts and the coaching staff concerning the signing of Park as up until now, his acquisition has been an unseemly and unacceptable failure.

A quick re-sale, a la Kaba Diawara, is surely on the cards next summer….

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, surely he cannot be held back much longer?

No more procrastination please, no more excuses, play the boy and lets see if he can deliver…

Today showed for certain, that King Henry cannot save the day every game….

A new striker signed this month and not another Park would be welcome.

However, we all know it’s very unlikely!!

So, I think we can all kiss goodbye to 4th, don’t you?

Written by Allezkev

Here is Steve Palmers view:

Swansea V Arsenal and yes, I am sorry but we have to report this catastrophe.

3.2 and we were never going to win this game, I am not going to bore you with what happened in this game  as I’m sure most of you witnessed Swansea teach us a lesson in teamwork and how to pass a football.

How things change in just a short while in football, but likened to your family car, if you give it no attention it will let you down and in our case Arsenal have let all the supporters down.

Arsenal football Club has been known throughout the world of football as one of the best English Clubs in the world but sadly through lack of investment they are loosing that identity.

Many millions have been spent building The Emirates Stadium which is one of the best in England, millions has also been spent on training facilities and medical equipment to aid injured players, very impressive to the lay man and putting that all in place needs careful spending and sadly in the case of our club, it’s been at the expense of our team.

Seven years Arsenal have waited since their last piece of silverware, seven years.

The board have used all the revenue to build Arsenal the business but have sadly forgotten what Arsenal the Football Club stands for, or what it once did.

The high standard of football has deserted Arsenal FC, a lack of investment in players has seen Arsenals season start badly, injuries and suspensions made us non competitive in the first month or so but with what some considered to be astonishing luck, the team moved up from the lower depths, to the top six.

Swansea are a club newly promoted to the premier league, they are led by a man who believes in the philosophy that our own Manager used to share. A good footballing side who play a style of passing and possession.

Maybe at present not many household names are on their team-sheet but players who have been moulded together by teamwork and  good training. They have belief in themselves which has been rewarded with 3 points from a once competitive Arsenal team.

Where they will build and work hard, we will persevere with overrated players who are only interested in receiving a good wage and the shirt they wear appears to mean very little!

Sadly the lack of ambition for the team from the Manager and his Board has seen us go from a good side, known for a scintillating style of passing and possessive football, to what is now, a bumbling rabble without any pizzazz at all.

The manager has stated that there will not be any new players joining in this transfer window and sadly season ticket supporters who have paid for their seat long ago, will see out the rest of the season watching what talent or should I say lack of talent that is on show today.

When I think of the performance our team showed yesterday, gives me a knotted stomach, in truth I felt embarrassed by that performance and my expectations were given a reality check!

Arsene and Ivan and the rest of them seem quite content to carry their business on in the same way, which I find intolerable and I can only see one outcome for this season if their views do not change.

I won’t be rushing down to watch them anytime soon on that performance!

Arsenal has always been my team and will always be but until the Manager and the Board start investing in quality players, I certainly wont feather their nest with my hard-earned cash!!

Speculate to accumulate Stan or its all downhill from now on and we fans deserve better!!