Morning all.
Ahead of last night’s game, Arsene Wenger expressed how he believed the level of our performances so far this season haven’t earned us the right results. He felt that we should have more victories instead of draws.
Well last night, that view couldn’t be further from the truth. We were awful, absolutely awful, yet right at the end of the game, Calum Chambers crossed an inch perfect ball to Kieran Gibbs who volleyed home a stunning equaliser and then deep in to added time, Lukas Podolski smashed the ball into the roof of the net to secure all three points.
Those three points were far from deserved and Anderlecht must still be in a state of shock as how they lost last night beggars belief.
Just in case you haven’t seen the post match comments fro Paul Merson, HERE it is and he sums things up rather well!
We lacked everything and only Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck can hold their heads high as both were giving their all as usual but sadly, those alongside and around them, just weren’t at the same level.
We had no organisation whatsoever and that’s not all the players fault imo, that comes from their illustrious leader. He’s lost his way and the players appear to have followed suit.
We lack a midfield general, we lack leadership, we lack pretty much everything to be honest but credit where it’s due, two superbly taken goals saved us.
I’m not going to go on as I’d be here all day……
A few years ago, perhaps around ten/twelve, the supermarket chain Tesco hit dizzy heights. They opened their bigger stores for 24 hours, they brought out a ‘value’ range to help families struggling through hard times and they drew in many new customers, customers who turned their backs on the likes of Waitrose, Sainsbury etc…. Tesco were right at the top of their game and they knew it. Those other supermarkets knew they had to up their game in order to compete, perhaps overtake them.
Back then, Arsenal FC were in a similar position. We were winning trophies under Wenger, we had great players and we were playing great football. We too were at the top of our game, so much so, other clubs wanted to go ‘The Arsenal’ way.
Back to the supermarkets.
Lidil and Aldi came alive and they said ‘no’ to the credit card and this alone saved the stores thousands of pounds each year. They didn’t pocket that saving, what they have done is to transfer that saving onto their stock, allowing their prices to be much less than other supermarkets and it’s worked, big time. Sainsbury and Waitrose in the meantime had launched their own budget range, ‘Basics & Essential’ as they looked after both their staff and customers.
Tesco got cocky, knowing they’d ‘made it’, they stood still over the years which followed and only this week they have announced that their profits over the last six months have seen a 91% loss! Their Chairman has stood down because of this failure. Perhaps this move is a little late but it’s a move which the company believe will see Tesco rise again, whether it will remains to be seen but they are doing something as something is better than nothing.
Haven’t we done something similar over the same period of time?
We were at the top of our game but instead of pushing on and improving, we didn’t. I wouldn’t even say we stood still because we haven’t, we have declined and have been doing so for a number of years now. Meanwhile, many other clubs, you know, the Lidils and Aldi have stepped up their game, improved their team and kept their ‘customers’ very happy…..
As said, the Tesco Chairman has paid the price for their failings.
Someone at Arsenal should do the same and theirs plenty to choose from!
That’s it for today, have a good one and be grateful we didn’t sign Super Mario!!
Very poor we smashed and grabbed the 3 points we need to improve sharpish dont see us winning this group the other teams gd is huge 9
Nice write up Rico. Merson sums up the problems last night but, as most of us realise, this is not new by any means. The malaise runs deep and it has been brewing for a long time. The lack of planning and leadership, to say nothing of squad depth, tactics etc, etc are being seen on the pitch week in week out now. This isn’t a personal thing at all but rather stating what we all see. This season’s performances are completely unacceptable from a club of Arsenal’s stature. Is anyone or anything to blame?
Stale just bloody stale.
Tony, there’s still plenty of time for us to blow 2nd too..
Thanks Adam, agree, it’s not an overnight thing, this is the work of 6/7 years of shoddy leadership, transfer windows and the way we play.
The players look as lost as the manager does… Even listening to players during interviews they seem very downhearted…. Gibbs and Ramsey looked like players who had just been beaten…
Interesting analogy Rico and one I concur with . Arsenal have gone stale and run out of new ideas . It’s nothing new in British business , we are littered with companies that were market leaders , that became complacent and virtually disappeared. In my trade I give you famous names that even the non petrol head might remember from adverts on bridges , stickers on garage forecourts . Mintex , Ferodo , Trico , Champion. I am sure every other industry has the same . All of these companies have gone down their respective sales leagues into obscurity . Arsenal is slowly doing the same .
Very much so El Tel…
Thanks Potter. I remember Champion, spark plugs wasn’t it?
Morning all from Cyprus.
Check out Man Utd’s Champions League Final versus Bayern Munich in 1999 and their two last minute goals when Bayern were hammering them.
Check out Liverpool’s two last minute goals versus Arsenal in the 2001 FA Cup Final after Arsenal had absolutely battered them.
In football – things like these happen.
Performance of the team is important, but never more so than the result. The result is what matters. I would have been happy with a 2-1 victory before the game!
—
The team? Wenger set is stall out for a quick-passing type football with Giroud the focal point. He has brought in Sanchez and Welbeck who compliment Alex Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere. Although Sanchez and Chamberlain are extremely good players possessing a great work ethic, they are players that don’t fit in to Wenger’s quick-passing type football as they have a tendency to hold on to the ball to long. Wilshere is not too dissimilar and a type of player that we’ve never really had before – he reminds me a lot of Paul Gascoigne – It is trying to get all these contrasting styles to play to their strengths and as a unit.
As for Welbeck – He’s a 1000% improvement on Sanogo, but he is still finding his feet. I think they all are – Giroud is a big miss at the moment, but I think they will eventually gel, but the style of the players within the team at the moment is a bit all over the place.
The idea that Monreal is a makeshift centre back is a problem which is aided further by Flamini.
There’s no shame in losing away to Dortmund and Chelsea – and even the invincibles had to claw back some games in the dying minutes.
Judge them at the end of the season is a Wenger cliche. But I reckon it will click.
I just thought of another , Harris carpets ,later Queensway , and then Carpet right . Why do I mention this :-
Harris is the chairman of Carpetright plc and has over 50 years’ experience in carpet retailing. He was chairman and chief executive of Harris Carpets. Harris Carpets acquired Queensway in 1977 to become Harris Queensway plc until the company was taken over in 1988. Lord Harris was also a non-executive director of Great Universal Stores plc for 18 years, retiring from the GUS Board in July 2004. Lord Harris became a non-executive director of Matalan in October 2004.
He was appointed to the board of Arsenal Football Club as a non-executive director in November 2005.
So effectively he started out a hungry salesman , built his empire and retired in 2004. Then to give himself a little thing to keep his interest up became a board member at our place.
https://twitter.com/JamesOlley/status/525219485511602176/photo/1
Morning Syg.
I can’t see the defensive side to our game clicking, not until we sign a proper midfielder who will shield and protect our back 5.
I disagree on Sanchez, I think he’s the perfect player for Arsenal – he’s the best player for Arsenal right now with Welbeck close behind him.
This side just lacks 2/3 top players and different coaching imo..
Sums our board up, what on earth is a carpet man doing in a football club? Especially one who is old and past it…
Seems that’s the theme at Arsenal – old and past it….
There’s nothing up with Sanchez, Rico – it is just that Wenger has never had a player like him before – It is a case of trying to accommodate him in the team as opposed to accommodating the team around him – The last thing Wenger or Arsenal needs is another ‘Alan Ball’.
Re: the midfielder and defender. That is a glaring issue.
Morning all.
I am quite happy to win a game in the way we did last night – god knows its happened to us enough times in the past!. However, the bigger worry is that last night was a true indication of our form so far this season despite what Arsene says. You could make a case for us winning against Man City (apart from the last 5 mins), Spuds (Definitely) and against Hull. Apart from that we got away with it against Palace, Besiktas away, Everton and Leicester. And yet another header scored against us! There is so much wrong with the team at the moment I struggled to work out what our formation was supposed to be last night. At times we look like a bunch of schoolboys all chasing after the ball and as soon as we lose it the opposition seem to have half a pitch to themselves as our lot are either all too far forward or all on one side of the pitch. If you are going to try to play intricate passes in small areas you have to make damned sure you are able to win the ball back high up the pitch and we don’t have one player capaple of doing that but we have lots of players who are far too careless in posession! I know some people think that Poldi is a bit of a luxury but as we saw last night he can score important goals and would he really be any less effective than Cazorla who only has one decent game in ten and has never scored in the champions league? I would certainly back Poldi to score at least one of the chances Santi missed last night.
Isn’t that Wenger all over though Syg, he gets a great player and then doesn’t really know what to do with them, same with Ozil.
Build a team around the best ones I say but he doesn’t do that…..
All this current side needs is a spine…..
That is spot on re Ozil, Rico.
I like Bob John’s assessment too.
Fingers x’d
Morning Bob.
The perfect way to describe the way we played – ‘school boys chasing the ball’. Spot on..
I see AW has said Podolski is going nowhere..
Perhaps he’s about to give him more playing time after saying he’s nearly back to being 100% fit…
I think the quality of performances are in many ways equally important as the win. The win last night papers over the cracks that are getting wider and wider. If you are paid nearly £9 million a year then you simply have to deliver. The only upside re the points is that it will possibly earn the club more money through qualification. Where that gets us exactly I am not sure. I can remember once being excited that we had drawn Real Madrid because I knew we could compete with them. We beat them over two legs after playing what was probably the best 0-0 draw I have ever seen, at Highbury. I would dread playing them now. We are the Arsenal and unless we start to think in terms of competing with the best then we will get what we deserve, which is exactly what is happening at the moment. Years of complacency have bought us here and unless the club start to get brutally honest with themselves things are not going to improve.
Rico, i enjoyed that post, a lot more than last nights performance or lack of…
Real Madrid would definitely give us a footballing lesson, saying that the list of teams that would give us a lesson is growing! I thought the Hull game was the start of an easy run?????Arsene it’s been a wonderful 18yrs but football has moved on and you haven’t…… goodbye!
I’d dread us drawing Real too Adam…
Bt, not sure if that was a compliment or not… lol
Adam,i remember that night well, left Highbury hoarse and wandered off into the night full of pride…..We had just done the mighty Real Madrid, what a night, who knew then this is were we would end up…
Morning all.
Given all of our players back from injury, we could give anyone a game.
Given that AND a DM in January, we’d give anyone a hell of a game.
Rico, just to clarify, it is a compliment me Lady….
I know its been said a million times..But last night showed what we have and what we don’t have its glaring us right in the face.
So to save you all from yorning and that old chestnut comment..
I’m not going to mention it to the billions of people who already know.
Morning Scott, you sure about the first bit? lol
Bt, just kidding you… 😉
Rico, i’m bit slow this morning, had to get groggy last night…..lol
Fred, there is one person who needs telling….
Another part of my past gone….. Carfield Juniors 1972. Getting old.
🙂 Bt, not you as well… lol
Got a few things to do today before the rain comes in, catch up later….
R.I.P Alvin….
Didn’t realise until just now that Alvin’s son is Adam F.
BT. I didn’t think you’d be old enough to remember that game. 🙂
Adam, you’re too kind….lol
BT. I try. 🙂
Chamber’s calmness in the cross was remarkable. Sanchez is a winner,it’s written all over him. Where is Diaby? Not yet fit? Pair him in the middle with Jack or Ramsey and the dm problem will be gone.
Gonna be weird tonight. Visiting my usual match day haunts but going to The Garage at Highbury Corner to see the brilliant Haken
That was a scrape alright. Merse was right. We were poor-again.
Something very wrong behind the scenes for sure.
After Campbell ,Ox and Podolski’s introduction we looked like scoring. Prior to that we looked bereft of ideas. IT would get on my tits if they were left on the bench after their input last night. Maybe JW, AR and SC need a little rocket to get them to do their jobs. After all , Sanchez put in more tackles than the 3 of them last night. He was immense.
Defensively, well, wtf. If Bouldy had played like that , Graham would have turfed him out quick time or let him rot in reserves. Its not fair to criticize Monreal, but at whatever salary they re paying him, he could do better. Bould is assistant manager and an ex defender of the legendary back 5. What was that crock of sh@! last night? Acres of space afforded to one of the worst teams in the champions league. We were trying to make them look good.It was astonishing to see the gap between monreal and gibbs-chambers and merts was massive. The gaps between defence and midfield were gaping, and like a previous poster said we were too too narrow. When they counter attacked us they were like a hot knife gliding through butter. it was that easy
Our boss plays players out of. position because of necessity and because he has faith in their footballing ability. Hell, they’re paid enough. I played at very good levels and as circumstances required, although i was an attacking midfielder, I could track my man and defend, jostle the wingers if required and never played anyone on side , when asked to play a less familiar role, due to an injury or Red card . If I could , why can’t these monkeys?
Some serious work needs to be done on the training field, or some big time charlies need a reality check. Mannone will play a blinder this weekend. We need players who are committed to the cause. Another few Sanchez’s.
Afternoon all, although the light is fading fast here and it feels like it’s evening…
RIP Alvin Stardust. 🙁
afternoon Rico
Afternoon George, I liked your rant….
Afternoon Rico and all.
Afternoon Adam, it’s getting dark very early. Clocks go back on Saturday…..
I know Rico. Still mild though.
It’s a bit chilly here in the sticks Adam…
Rico, the guvnor needs to swallow some pride, drop the out of form players and welcome back players like the no9.
I would take a hard fought 1-0 with this bunch. Sunderland are a better team than Anderlecht (the 8-0 was a freak result)
George, I think there’s a lot more he can be doing, there’s a lot more in this team than we are seeing…. A bit of organisation would be a start….
he could start by reverting to a 4-4-2, set piece work, establish who will boss the players about as Mert has been too quiet, get them running and wanting the ball, some long distance shooting for starters.
im offski, as i have a presentation for work..catch you all later
One player I would like to see start on Saturday is Joel Campbell!
Catch you later George
Nevermind, Diaby will be back soon….
And before you can blink.
He’ll be gone again….
😀
Good post Rico…
Yeah, I’d like to see Campbell start this weekend @ Sunderland…
But we know he won’t, so what the Hell…
Off to The Gore Hotel…
Lata
Thanks Kev, hi and bye….
Fame at last :- http://www.thesportreview.com/tsr/2014/10/should-arsenal-follow-tescos-example/. Have a word if you haven’t already.
A word about what Potter?
All that matters is the three points Rico. 🙂
Sometimes Adam, yes. But not when there is a bigger picture to worry about….
Whether they had your permission to print your post on News now .
I was being facetious Rico. I think the bigger picture is nearly always more important. And ours looks worrying to me.
I knew Adam lol
You know, if we had gone to the Etihad, Stamford Brige or Old Trafford and did what we did last night,bid be thrilled to bits, as long as we’d been playing well our other matches but that ‘ain’t been happening…..
Still. It’s only a game. 🙂
Off for the night. Later Rico and all.
Night Adam
I’m off too, it’s been a long and tough day…
Night all….
Back to football , the points were handy but there needs to be an inquest on what’s happening . Wenger has to put on a brave face but he must surely know things are not right . Trouble is that games come thick and fast in this league and even when we have a break the players are scattered all over . We need to work at blending the players and re-evaluating who plays where and with whom . If it means making hard decisions he has to take them but I am not sure he can do it.
Night Rico and Adam…
Potter, agreed.
I look towards our missing players with the realisation we are better than we are showing, but even when they’re all back, we still lack something.
Then there’s the question of why we lose so many to injury.
Where to start……
Hi Scott I think that the injured and recovering players would beat the team we put out last night.
For sure mate, for sure.
Even with them, we lack some quality in defence, but no side could miss the amount of players we have out without being affected.
I thought syg made a very good point this morning how many times have we played teams of the pitch and still lost.
Did we play well last night no but I thought it was the mark of champions that if you play badly and still win.
Off the pitch
http://www.fresharsenal.com/german-international-defender-wants-join-arsenal-despite-chelsea-interest/
Someone is out scouting , doubt if it’s one of our lot though.
Morning folks…..
Wenger says Gibbs is the best left back in England… 😮
Morning Rico…..He would, wouldn’t he..
Morning Bt, yes and only he would I think….
No Theo tomorrow…
Is the sun shinning in your neck of the woods?
Kos should be back for Utd at home…
No, grey, dark and grim. What about with you?
A bit of sunshine on the go but cool..
I just read Kos is out for another month…
Probably thinks he’s the best manager in England…..moron!
Rico, the Utd match is the 22nd of November, i think, lets hope we’ve bucked our ideas by then….
Have you seen that Totts goal from last night? Something else wasn’t it..
Lee, only in his own la la mind….
Morning Lee, yes on both….
Bt, you’d like to think we would have, however…..
Rico, read something about it this morning, couldn’t watch any more than ten minutes of it, they were playing F.C.Plimsole or the someone similar.
🙂 Bt. I only saw it as it’s on SS’s News every minute….
Rico, the Spuds will be selling the match DVDs as we speak….
Perhaps a selection of Lamela’s many spud goals…lol
No Jacky Boy for Sunderland, apparently…
🙂 That wouldn’t last long then Bt…
Rico, apparently all 21,500 that attended, enjoyed the game.
The rest of faithful stayed at home and enjoyed Eastenders…
I think it’s good for us JW is missing, we seem to play better without him. Kiss of death….
You are on form Bt…. lol
Jack suspended I just read…
Perhaps Tomas will finally get a game…..
New post up now…