Sometimes in football, as in life, you have to work for what you get and last night we huffed and puffed in the first half but got there in the end through not losing our heads when the going was tough.
From the first whistle we looked laboured and uncomfortable with the shape we set up in. Perhaps in accommodating Mesut Ozil we had upset the balance of our midfield because strong defending and sharp, creative midfield play seems like where we are at at the moment, since we only really have a solitary central striker. If we are going to function and win it will be in part because we make lots of chances by opening teams up with brisk and accurate passing to put running midfielders in behind opponent’s defenders.
Marseille looked superficially good but I think it was a bit of an illusion created largely through our own sloppiness. Theo once again left Sagna exposed far too often and the slightly weird Valbuena needed little invitation to occupy the space between them and cause us a few problems with some creative play and speculative shooting. I thought that, in the first half, we allowed them far too much time and room to pick balls into our box, but they created few real chances. Chesney’s handling was assured and we looked reasonably solid if a little flakey. Against better teams, like our next CL opponents, we are going to need to be a whole lot better
As the first half trickled by I was hoping we would get to half- time unscathed so Wenger could give the midfield the masterful tactical tweak it so obviously needed and get the players to speed up their game so we could stretch their back four more than we had managed in the first half when our build-up was pedestrian – to say the least. When you aren’t playing well, you need to dig in and that’s what this team has learned. It has it’s own perverse beauty.
Fortunately the 0-0 score line gave us a base from which to build and as the second half got underway Giroud’s remarkable quiff, no doubt after a determined half-time teasing, stood to attention and marked a change in our intent. Walcott, who had been having another bummer, actually began to look mildly interested and we got the ball wide quicker and drove at their defence through their midfield with more purpose than had looked likely earlier. Gibbs was playing some great stuff and even though Ramsey’s passing was sometimes less accurate than of late, his energy and willingness to run and work for the team was fantastic and even inspirational to watch. Ozil is clearly a long way from match fit but always gives the impression that something could happen when he gets the ball.
Mind you, Marseille weren’t taking any prisoners and once again the ref was consistently inconsistent and you never knew when he was going to blow for a foul. Nothing new there then.
As we started to compete Marseille looked slightly shocked that they weren’t going to have it as easy in this half and they dropped physically. Jack constantly ran both at and through them and often carried the ball too far but his desire couldn’t be questioned. When he and Ozil gel it could be very interesting.
Eventually Gibbs was freed down the left by a simple but perfect short ball from Jack. He hammered it across the front of their goal and for some inexplicable reason the Marseille player standing directly in line to clear it bowed his head to try and plant his nut on a ball it would have been easier to let hit him in the chest and as a consequence it lobbed high up in the air behind him. For what seemed like an eternity Theo and the entire Arsenal community worldwide watched and wondered as gravity did its thing and then he absolutely creamed it into the back of the net for a great goal and what we all hope will be the start of his season. It was just about the first thing of any meaning he had done in the match but it would have been just as easy to miss.
1-0 to the Arsenal.
The Marseille players couldn’t believe it and neither could most Arsenal supporters. But there it was. The game plodded on and we began to look a lot better. They dropped physically and we found space where before it had looked difficult. Ches was still handling the ball well apart from once, when both him and Per cocked up rather comically, but the excellent Gibbs was on hand with an astute piece of awareness to clear the ball from under the crossbar. The defence tucked in and suddenly, despite a few heart-in-mouth moments, looked more like a unit. Then, all of a sudden, Ramsey ran at them and burst through some half-hearted tackles and struck a shot that took a small but perhaps significant deflection. The net bulged and it was 2-0 to the Arsenal.
Blimey.
The Gods, clad in yellow away shirts, looked down and smiled.
Wenger, for a reason known only to himself, took off the industrious Flamini and bought on, not Vermaelen but Ryo. Interesting I thought and certainly more interesting than most of the Marseille players looked. They had turned it in by that time, but got very lucky when Ramsey, after a loose touch, had to stretch for a ball in our area. Running through was yet another Ashley Young clone who dragged his trailing leg against the limb with which Ramsey had managed to prod the ball away and went arse over tit. The ref, wearing the look of a righteous but gullible man, bought it hook, line and sinker. Penalty? Not really!
It just showed how critical our second goal was as the score became 2-1 to the Arsenal.
Three invaluable points then from an up and down performance that was founded on patience and Wenger’s experience in the CL as much as anything.
As I said, sometimes you have to work for what you get.
That makes it ten away wins on the trot from when we beat Bayern Munich at their place last season and that is a fantastic achievement that deserves our praise and respect. Well done Arsene and the boys – and keep it up.
Written by Adam
I have become increasingly suspicious of referee’s in recent season, and the clot we had last night gives me no reason to feel that things/standards are improving.
Two stand-out penalties for Arsenal waved away.
One very limp penalty for Marseilles awarded with a flourish.
Marseilles have a history of bribery so you have to wonder if our dodgy Portugese referee (i’m looking at you JM) had had his hand crossed with ‘silver’..??
well done indeed. these guys made my night. by the way, what is this boy RAMSEY smoking there at the emirates?
good post Adam – very happy with the points last night, my lad won over 2k on them, he was convinced they had the mettle to get it done – hats off to AR again – thought the ref did ok myself. We seem to have it in our heads we hard done by whatever the result, forgetting all the rather fortunate calls we get. So on we go, wonder if we’ll pay for the lack of depth or Wenger will get lucky like with RVP suddenly lasting a whole season when we needed it the most. The Charlton kid looks ok as well for the longer term.
Good Morning to the lady of the House and all fellow Gooners in residence.
Adam – A concise summation of the game!
Kev – I see having your brain washed hasn’t cured you of your ingrained cynicism with regards to referees. He was about average (i.e. barely competent and inconsistent) for our usual run of officials.
Great start to the campaign ,still look short on numbers though when you look at the bench.Shame about Chelski getting turned over by Basil Brush Eh guys,
Didn’t see the game, but Ryo came on for flamini? Strange sub imo, surely giroud could have done with a breather considering he had s slight knee problem. Wenger confuses me sometimes, but sure a wins a win like you say 🙂
Talking of dodgy refs, I’m sure we will see some funny decisions on Sunday as we have Mike Riley coming down to help the thugs try and get something from Emirates.
I don’t really blame the ref last night as I thought it was a hard one to call in real time.
Where is Scott from Ozil? He should be on here singing the praises for our young Welsh Wizard. A great improvement since this time last year. Let’s hope that Jack can follow his example.
Also, it was good to see that Theo finally found his ‘ON’ button for the second half.
A very interesting tweet from the former Chairman from the wrong end of the Seven Sisters;
Former Tottenham chairman Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) gives us his views: “The special one has lost again to Basel . Roman can’t be happy.He could be first manager in PL to get the chop. Let’s see how they do at WHL. Arsene Wenger best manager in PL. FACT”
Jay – Basil Brush ha! Love it, argh the memories
Morning all, May i just say that this post is just how i saw the game, usually i dissagree with some of it but this was an acurate report, but of course with Adam i didn’t expect anything else.
Theo was shouted at by Sagna a couple of times that i saw, had it had been me, i think he would have got an NCIS Gibbs headslap. Taking nothing away from Theo’s goal which was sublime, but his contribution was and has been for some time been negligable. Theo may not be to close to a benching when Santi and The Ox get fit. Although Theo puts himself in the right positions his inconsitency is frustrating. I feel he lets his team mates down with his lack of effort. This feller has it all in his locker but things seem to get muddled up for him. but i feel that he bottles as soon as a challenge is iminent. Sagna i feel will be rotated with Jenks as he cannot continue full time as a fullback, i believe we will see more of him as a CB he plays the part well. as Adam said, some strange subs but with the injuries we have and the amount of games we have thick and fast players need to be used sparingly. I feel there could be a few left out for the weekend i just hope not to many. Giroud has impressed me with his off the ball running, he puts himself about and makes his presence known, now i wasn’t that keen on him when he first came but i think he has proved me wrong. Ramsey is another that i never expected to actually make it, but he too has shown he has the heart and the determination. Ozil was swamped last night, we have seen Santi in the same boat before so our workrate and our passing needs to be stepped up. Personally the pitch looked very rough i thought, but its the same for both teams and we have to get on with it. I dont know if Wenger was lucky last night or if Adams comment about the Gods looking down on us but we need to up our game and the few who stroll around need to work that much harder. I have to say that our Jack works hard but he has no end game , by that i mean he passes the ball well but usually sideways he doesn’t feed that decisive pass through and he doesn’t posses shooting ability, i feel jack has a lot to do and he needs to sort it out soon as other Mf are getting fit.
fair balanced view stevep1 IMO
Morning all.
That ball did take an eternity to drop. Can still remember watching and waiting for what seemed like an age. Nice post Adam, been thinking when we’ll get to hear/see your words. And yes, a win is a win is a win.
wonder if the ego’s battles (that were inevitable) have already started at the bridge? There is a real cancer in that squad and we all know where it starts so often
Good read adam.in the last 15 games we have conceded 3 goals from open play, 5 from penalties and 2 from freekicks.however you wouldn’t know it if you watched sky’s prematch coverage calling our defence shit.we are remarkably solid nowadays especially with our 1st choice back 5.at least Carragher was man enough to admit he was wrong.
Also Gibbs growth has been remarkable.considering he patrolled the left flank all on his own most of the time he was excellent.he has also got quite the stamina too and like Ramsey i think he has an extra lung or two 😉
CG I have booked an appointment for you at 47 Percy Circus.
Institute of Brainwashing.
They will clear your mind of all kinds of stuff…
Morning all.
I enjoyed reading that Adam. Thank you for bailing me out at very very late notice.
Re their penalty, like oz, I think most refs would have given that, that’s how good the dive was. Only reviewing by video will this kind of cheating behaviour be stamped out and the cheats punished..
The kick to Merts could easily been a penalty for us, as could the shirt pulling on Walcott early in the game, yet there was an extra official nearby but he clearly needs an assistance dog.
Talk about a game of two halves, last night was exactly that.
Gibbs, well what can be said, the once fragile boy has truly become a man…
Super start to our CL campaign….
Hi kt. Having Flamini helps re Gibbs.
hey i think per was excellent twice before we scored. one was an excellent interception and the other was a tackle when he was the the last line of the defence.
Ramseys second goal was very good, not only for the way he scored but Giroud’s movement off the ball, taking players with him, allowed the gap to open up for the shot..
Rico – I think a seeing eye dog for the extra official would be akin to goal line technology for the Luddite UEFA President M. Platinin.
I was just about to post that rico re:Giroud.rico is now a tactician 😉
Somebody should please tell Kos to shape up.Three penalties and one sending off in seven matches
I hope Gibbs stays fit from now on.he is so good when he gets a run of games.Monreal is spain’s 2nd choice LB but can’t oust Gibbs from the team.him along with the #BritishCore have started the season excellently.
akshay – spot on
hi Rico – have to agree, although i thought Ramsey’s shot was deflected to be honest. I did only see it in real time once though. It appeared to be keeper bound initially or was i seeing things? Still very good run by Giroud across the back 4 and good penetration by AR
Good Morning alll!
the performance was very poor and we were lucky. We were bad in physical sense.
Was Ramsey responsability from the penalty. Most of the referees blow it.
Ha ha Cg. It won’t be long before video reviews come in I’m sure…
Kt, me a tactician, never, just comment on what my eyes see 😉
ktr7 – one of Gibbies only issues really has been his wondering. That is not exposed until we play a strong right sided team – But agree with you, right now he looks excellent, just needs to stay fit, although he is not on his own there either. Was a star last night
Hi Oz, it was deflected and tbh, had it not, it probably would have been saved but, it wasn’t and he scored. Credit to Ramsey for getting there and shooting in the first place.
Joaquim – poor a bit harsh mate. The pitch was rough, we’re away from home, with a wafer thin squad. I thought they did very well all things considered?
JM, I too think you are being very harsh. We were quite average in the first half and our passing was all over the place but we didn’t allow them to score and that was extremely important.
We were so much better in the second half, a couple of blips but we got all 3 points at a ground where many other PL sides have failed.
I’m happy with that.
Rosicky
Santi
Ox
Podolski
Sanogo
Diaby
Five first team players missing…. could say six really as Sanogo is going to have a part to play before January. In fact next Wednesday if he’s fit.
I have to go again, back mid afternoon.
Have a good day all….
Morning all,
Good game last night. I thought we found it difficult to settle quickly in the first half because of the tricky condition of the pitch. Passes where going astray and so we had to dig in until we got acclimatise to the pitch. Under such condition a team has to dig in and we did. When we have a full compliment of our defenders, it’s very difficult to break us down
Ramsey: “It was a difficult night. The pitch was sticky and slow. In the end I think we deserved the win”.
As soon as we got going in the 2nd half you just knew it was a matter of time before we find the back of the net.
Unsong hero was Flamini. He covered every blade of grass in the DM position and allowed Ramsey to do his thing. I was critical of him when he was signed because I never liked how he left. But what he brings to the team is experience, intelligence and quick to cover any lose space.
Hope Gibbs continue with his good form and remain fit. Thank Goodness that he doesn’t get called up for the England team. Wilshere is gradually finding his Mojo. I hope we get out of this circle of being dubiously punished with penalties which are not. We could have had 2 pen but were not awarded(kick on Mert and tug on Theo). Enough said about Ramsey. What a Monster!!
Kev – Please cancel my appointment at the Institute of Brainwashing. While I may or may not benefit from or be in need of such treatment, I will not be able to attend anytime in the near future.
I appreciate your efforts on my behalf. However, I have my doubts about efficacy of said treatment. Please cancel the appointment immediately as I have no wish to have any more dealings with your solicitors Messrs. U. Screwem and I. Fleecem for bogus fee for services claims.
@rico and arteta makin it seven and yaaayyy I won my bet last night 🙂
Theo needs to take a page from Olivier’s book. When we didn’t have possession M. Giroud is chasing and harrying for the ball or trying to breakup OM’s play while Theo was generally a spectator.
As someone else has already mentioned Theo seems afraid to dig his heels in and mix it up for the good of the team.
Lee – Unlike you, If I was Sagna, it would have been more than a smack on the back of the head, more like a strong pedal – gluteal interface (i.e. a swift kick in the arse’nal).
Afternoon all.
Just watching the replay for the 2nd time, and straight after Fever Pitch, which finally arrived today, for the first time.
Arsenal FC have had a decent run here today 🙂
Great result, and that is exactly what CL games are about.
We were woeful in the first half, and decent in the second, which was enough.
Remember the players we have coming back over the next few weeks before being too critical, and again, the result is what matters.
Nice post Adam.
CG, i don’t need to praise Aaron much nowadays……he is getting it elsewhere 🙂
Oh, and go Chelski hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Special one…..my arse!!!
Over rated manager…i have always said that….and he has his chance to prove it because he didn’t have 100 million to spend.
http://youtu.be/yM4849CcXFQ
Awesome performance from him Emma.
scott – awesome 😉
Good Afternoon Lady, Sir, Gentlemen and Ladies.
A nice concise match report Adam.
In the match we suffered a bit. Especially in the first half. But in the end what matters most is who scores most goals.
I did not agree with AW on one thing. Why substitute Flamini when he was filling in all the gaps and holes in front of the defence? The same mistake the Bayern coach did in 1999 when he took off Mattheus and we all know how the result turned out. Where did the OM goal originate from??? Yep you guessed it. From the space between the defence and midfield.
Thank God that there was only one minute left when it went in.
BDW….that was NEVER a penalty.
And that is the third penalty this season we have conceded which should not have been given.
Scott – Spot on regarding Ramsey.
As for Maureen Yo, as one wag put it, more The One and much less or none of the Special these days. He had a face like thunder in the shots I saw.
Chelski just goes to show that money doesn’t always buy success. Thev’ve lost a few (four ?) all in a row. Pity!
Devil – What are we at now, zero for six, three given that shouldn’t have been and three for us that weren’t, but should have been?
Let us hope that this doesn’t continue against Stoke R.F.C. this weekend.
Adam,
Congrats on a really well written and accurate match report. I could not disagree with any of it.
Rambo explained after the game that part of the problem that caused our inaccurate passing was the result of a dry and bumpy pitch (not exactly those words, but similar).
The performance was not super slick to be honest, but as you said ‘a win is a win’, and the boys worked hard for it.
Jose Mourinho’s description of his Chelsea players as “beautiful, young eggs” came back to haunt him as English newspapers dredged up a wealth of egg-related puns to mock his team’s defeat to Basel in their Champions League group.
“Mourinho has egg on his face” and “Mourinho shell shocked” appeared in more than one paper, while Thursday’s The Sun went for “Rotten Eggs” as the media heaped blame on the Portuguese manager for Wednesday’s 2-1 home defeat.
It was Chelsea’s first home defeat in the Champions League group stages in 30 matches and followed a loss to Everton in the Premier League last Saturday.
Before the Group E tie, Mourinho, who returned to the London side in June six years after leaving following a fall-out with Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, laughed as he told a news conference his players were “beautiful, young eggs” who needed nurturing.
Mourinho was not smiling, however, as the 2012 European champions were booed off the pitch at Stamford Bridge while Abramovich, according to the Daily Mirror, had “eyes as hard as stone”.
The Mirror lambasted Chelsea for a “lack of cohesion, drive, purpose and imagination” while the Guardian said their performance “lacked drive, spark and anything resembling an attacking plan B”.
Mourinho’s side were missing a “meat-and-potatoes centre-forward”, the Guardian added and “at times this season… have resembled a brilliantly-armoured cavalier riding into battle waving a baguette”.
All the papers criticised Chelsea for sending Belgian Romelu Lukaku on loan to Everton and for not making more use of Spaniard Juan Mata, who came on as a substitute for 30-million-pound ($47.9-million) signing Willian in the 67th minute.
Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, brought in on the wave of new players to fill the lieutenant role occupied by Didier Drogba in Mourinho’s first stint at the club, came in for particular criticism with The Times calling him “a passenger” and The Sun condemning him as “sluggish”.
Chelsea, who unsuccessfully pursued Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney in the transfer window, could not afford to lose to Steaua Bucharest in their next group match on Oct. 1, the Daily Express warned.
Defender Gary Cahill agreed but said there was time for Chelsea to recover.
“It’s not a disaster but it’s not ideal. A club like this wants to win the majority of games it plays, that’s the expectation,” Cahill said on http://www.chelseafc.com. “It’s a blow but it’s not the be all and end all.”
Regarding Ramsey’s deflection , How many times have we seen Lampard get praised for the same . If you don’t buy a ticket , you won’t win the lottery.
Emma @11:38,
Sorry, my 12:31 is pretty much repeating what you said, just not so well!
I must have refreshed the page and missed your comment.
Am I alone in thinking Maureenio has aged 20 years since he was managing Chelski 7 years ago.
HenryB – Maureen Yo certainly looks it.
Devil – A great article. It gave me more than a few chuckles.
Potter – All too true. Ramsey has the confidence to try a shot. Theo and Jack sre still trying to find theirs.
CG, fear not, I have insructed my legal team to stand down.
The Writ is in the bin….
Confidence truly is a wonderful thing, whether it is shooting, in general play, or life itself, and thank goodness our manager showed it in a kid on one leg…….how many managers would have given Ramsey the game time Wenger did??
Theo is definitely a confidence player, and his time will come.
He has spells like this every season, so we might as well accept it.
Good news also on the ‘Institute’ CG…
I explained that you resided in the Colonies and they have a branch quite local to you.
47 Lumber Jack Avenue.
The High St.
Montreal.
I forget the Zip Code, but they assured me that they do home visits, and, the first 5 hour session is free…
Good eh???
So expect a visit any day…
Anyway, it has been long day, though a good one 🙂
Night all.
Kev – Thank you!
As my younger son and his wife are expecting their first child any day now, due date was Sept. 16, the last thing I need is unwarrented legal complications.
Good Night Scott.
Afternoon peeps,
An excellent summary from a GENT who claims not to like tactics… you covered the games tactical incidents better than Jamie Carragher could ever do without squealing like a strangled pig. 😛
Emma- I will disagree with you slightly on Flamini. He was very tactically inept in the first half. He allowed Valbuena to orchestra OM’s game. He improved in the 2nd half when AW dropped Ramsey deeper and moved Ozil to the middle to occupy the area between OM’s 2 DMs.
Ozil positioning as a natural no.10 derailed OM’s fluency and service to Valbuena. Ayew then tried to occupy the area between JW and Gibbs but Ramsey was everywhere covering for Theo’s and JW’s lack of discipline. It was a result of Theo’s defensive awareness that caused Ramsey to commit a foul that led to him getting yellow carded.
BVB scoring one goal has really helped us possibly in the long term if it comes down to goal difference. It will be a hard group.
Night Scott-
Iam shocked by the stick Jack seems to be getting from various sources. He has shown flashes in the last 2 games of getting back to his best. You don’t go from being compared to Liam Brady to being not good enough to start! Add in the fact that most teams seem to target him for a kicking. In my opinion its just a matter of time if he stays injury free before we see the player we all hoped he would be.
Its only at Arsenal that a forward tells a defender who to track or mark during set-pieces. AW or better yet Bould needs to sort that out ASAP… some of our younger players have no humility to obey simple instructions coming from their colleagues.
I have even seen Varane telling Ronaldo Mr Ego off for not marking a player…
Yesterday I saw Gibbs showing his frustration at the lack of cover from JW. It was laughable watching JW tell Gibbs who to mark in the 2nd half whilst Jack did nothing…
I personally won’t write Jose off yet?
Jose is trying something he is not used to i.e try to play football the right way. With both fans and media questioning his ‘relevance’ or ability I suspect he will revert to what he knows best i.e negative football and he will get results no doubt…
On Arsenal’s side we are doing the right thing. i.e picking up points when we can before $hitty and Jose get into their stride…
Fingers crossed we get Poldi and Arteta back soon. We nee to be retaining possession better.
Hamsik, Pierre-Emerick and Reus are better than Payet and Ayew; Lew and Hig are better than Gignac and so they will punish us if we concede possession as badly as we have done in our last 2 games. imho
BJ – Jack has lost more than a year of critical development time due to injury. He needs gametime to regain his confidence, match fitness and rythmn.
Most, if not all, of us recognize his potential. However, in the meantime we are disappointed in, what at times, seems to be him running around like a headless chicken. Running into blind alleys, dribbling into three players and losing the ball when a pass was the best option, mistimed &/or misweighted passes, misplaced shots, etc. Whether this is due to trying to find his mojo, tying to prove his worth or whatever; it is frustrating to watch.
I think it will be some time before we see his best and that he should be eased back into the squad.
With all the Ramsey loving… I may have to watch Rambo first blood this weekend. 😛
Tsgh, I saw Sagna give “instructions” to Theo the swift, and not before time. Some players, good though they are need reminding, from time to time, what their responsibilities actually are, defensively at least. Long may it continue. There is no rule to say on field coaching during games by team members is ‘illegal’!
Good report Adam very accurate, excellent.
Cg- you sum up what is currently frustrating about JW very very well. Then again it is not his fault he has the nations weight of expectations on hims.
Any average football fan who watches other football matches or leagues other than ‘Match of the Day’ will know JW was never ever the best young player in Europe as the media were trying to make him out to be.
Tactically if given a free role a player should be influencing a game more but he seems to run into cul de sacs instead. imho.
He may have lost a year and a bit due to injury which is not impact related so there is no mental barrier to overcome like a player who has seen his leg snapped into 2 imho…; when you compare players like Ayew , Gotze, Reus, El shawaray and Krooos who are just 2 years older than JW you can see that just maybe Jack should learn to play for the team instead of trying to impress .
Again I am not bashing JW honestly….
I love the boy as much as any fan but there have been players like Owusu- Abeyie etc who have ended up on the sidelines of football elite because they failed to adjust their game to suit.
Players like Bale were nearly sold off 3 years ago as they played for themselves until they accepted to play for the team first….
Luckily JW has the patience and excellent guidance of AW to guide his career; and JW is still young enough to learn.
Ginge – Watch it after our game. Otherwise you may be too numb to appreciate the game. Although it is the best of a bad lot.
CG – I think that is to do with getting back to the speed of top class football. At least he is trying and can be excused. Not quite sure the same applies to Theo who’s possession of the ball usually signals the start of an opposition counter attack!
Wavy- I agree with you there… but there is no way a forward player should be telling off a defender on who to mark when the defender is behind the striker/attacker and can see the bigger picture. imho of course.
The incident between CJ25 and Theo during the 8-2 game at Old trafford is an example.
Ginge – I agree with most of what you say.
Your most important point though is the weight of expectations from England coaches, fans, manager, et al. Jack is seen as the latest ‘Great White Hope’ and I think he suffers from trying to live up to those expectations.
As you well know, England’s roads to past World Cups were littered with those players that were similarly lauded and toasted as England’s Hope and were cast aside when they could not deliver on that promise soon enough. The press and the public build them up and all too soon tear them down when they can’t live up to the hype. Jack is lucky in having a manager with the patience to help him attain his full potential.
The FA need to revamp the entire youth player development model, starting from the grass roots. They could start by getting rid of Neanderthals and dinosaurs coaches like Stuart Pierce. Too many players are tossed on the rubbish heap before they have a chance.
Have a great day fellow Gooners. Hopefully we will still be riding the wave come Sunday night.
Keep the Faith!
http://twitpic.com/de5hos
Night Cg… stay safe
Arsenal’s attacking play last night 39% down the right, 43% down the centre, 18% down the left
Ts re Mourinho, i think he is being forced to play football because his players are not good enough to pack the bus… There is no way he is making Schurle,Oscar,Mata and Hazard track back consistently enough. That’s why he went for Willan and Eto. If it was Wenger that spent 30 million on a 12 million pound player, he will be getting lots of stick from Carragher and his ilks.
Night Cg, afternoon all…
Poor old Jack, think he’s getting a lot of unfair criticism….
Bj, 1.04 – so am I.
Hi Rico…
That was, btw, a mightily impressive post by Adam…
Dare I say, Oliver’esque…
Off for the day, lata Gooners
Afternoon Rico and all.
Afternoon Kev and Adam. Miserable old day…
It is Rico. Still, Kev is on his way over to brighten things up. 🙂
18% down the left! No wonder Gibbs looked so good – he had next to nothing to do!!!
Don’t mean it really.
He was very impressive going forward and defensively. He is becoming a very, very good player. The sort of player Wenger likes to buy. Wenger has certainly improved him to the point that he could become a top, top player, imo.
Ah, lucky you Adam, you off out?
Gibbs had to keep Fannie under control Wavy 😉
What a bummer!*
*(US meaning)
tsgh @1:04
I disagree with your assertion that Flamini was tactically inept in the first half. If you watch the match again you will discover that vabuena did not orchestrate OM attack centrally rather from the left occupying the space b/w Sagna and Walcott. Flamini did very well to ensure that Vabuena does not cut in centrally at will closing out any space left b/w Sagna and Mert
Excellent post, Adam. 🙂 I love that our players are churning out results even when they are not playing their best. Aston Villa aside, there is good cause for optimism for the club. Theo has broken his duck (was a loooong time coming!) and I’m quite excited by the prospect that sooner rather than later he would be putting away all those chances presented by Özil!
Hello, all! Busy, rico?
Hi agag, yes, very busy few weeks, one more week to go and it all eases off 🙂
rico, I’m a worrier, I can’t help but think if we carry on with this great run we’re on we won’t see another signing for at least another 5 years !
Stop that right now Micko.. Even AW knows it would be suicidal not to sign a striker in Jan…
That won’t be too long now, at least! 🙂 Rainy there? Again? Weather hasn’t been too good here either!!
I see Madrid is still trying to justify the Özil sale. Quit it already, Perez and Ancelotti; hardly anyone believes you, not your own players or your fans. 😀
It’s all good really agag, member of family is moving so just doing my good duty 😉
Madrid are boring…
Micko, nooooooo!! We definitely need a few more world-class layers, not least a striker!!
And yes agag, it’s raining although summer is coming back this weekend 😛
rico, that’s George’s job not yours !!
Agag, a few more world class layers, I like that.
I’m rather good with packing and moving; when in doubt, I just throw everything away. 😀
I shouldn’t complain since we do get a loooot of sun here. 😛
Ha ha, Micko. You know what I mean. 😛
Guess who’ s 50 today?
It’s ‘Spunky’ the sticky handed goalkeeper of yesteryear
Many happy returns of the day David.
And now a chorus of……….altogether now……”happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ……..”
Ha ha Micko, where is he when I need him …
That’s exactly what I have been doing over the last few weeks agag and can you believe that one of the charity shops were reluctant to take an awful lot of stuff yesterday and it’s all good…
Few choice words from me and they soon changed their minds….
Seriously, rico?? Good you sorted them out. 🙂 Not very grateful are they? Tsk tsk.
Seaman’s a golden boy, now!! Happy birthday, David!!
Happy Birthday Spunky 😉
Yes agag, then today I took some more stuff to a different animal charity, they were the opposite and were very grateful. Lesson learned….
The pitch was the same for both teams. Our performance wasn’t good .It’s my opinion. Of course a win is a win but it’s not all
I’m concern with our physical recovery.
The MoM, for me, was Szesc,
Second half we were much better JM…
In the end, the results were more than good enough, JM.
rico, now you know. 😉
Sure do agag 😉
Off to get dinner now, if you are gone by the time I get back, enjoy the rest of your day/night agag …
Evening….
Great analysis of last nights game, think those 3 points are going to be vital come end of group.we’ll have to give this midfield a little time to gel, I just hope jack and ozil form a good understanding of when to switch positions and keep the shape of the team.i must of of burned about 500 calories just watching Ramsey last night, he must be a pain in the ass to play against,another game another win, role on the weekend. Got to go now and watch one of the biggest games in world football. spurs v tromso ha ha
🙂 Cork, enjoy the footie…
I too am off to watch some television…
Night all….
rico, you know you’ve made it when you get a mention on EastEnders !!!
Might join ya Cork in the Inter toto cup or whatever they call it now.
For anyone interested 2 tickets block 10 lower tier together just gone on Ticket exchange . Due to family problems unable to go to Stoke match.
Morning all.
I see Wengers 1000th game in charge comes up later in the season.
I hope it is in April or May 🙂
Great evening of conversation, food, piping hot tea, music and laughs, it doesn’t get any better…
Thanks mate
Great to see you Kev. We’ll make a guitarist of you yet. Remember those scales!
A, A sharp, B, B sharp, C, D, D sharp, E, E sharp, F, G, G sharp and back to A…???
No sharps or flats between B and C and E and F.
Morning all…
I got onto my scales this morning Adam….
They broke 😉
Nice to see Laudrup doing well in the Europa Cup, guess they haven’t had chance to find him out yet in Europe…
Adam and Kev, you should start a band.
rico, I like what Theo’s been saying about Flamini. And you know how mercenary and disloyal I found the latter when he left. He may turn out to be a great signing after all. 😉
Hi agag, I still struggle with the fact we re-signed the money grabbing old so and so – but he’s back and yes, he’s doing ok…
New post up now..