Daily Bits and Bobs

Arsenal snap up goalkeeper on a long term contract. Is all as bad as it seems?

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

As the Totts crashed out of the Champions League, a competition they are seldom in, Utd managed to pretty much secure a place in the next round of the Europa League, Leicester breezed into the next round just as Arsenal did too. Man City are pretty much through too.

But it’s only ever Arsenal who get the Press writing headlines after headlines slamming the way they performed. The Totts though, who were in a group which contained Monaco, (you know, the club which all and sundry said we should have beaten easily last season) Bayern Leverkusen and CSKA Moscow, couldn’t manage to muster up enough points to even come second! Yet I don’t recall seeing much written about their disastrous campaign, yet this is the club which in the domestic campaign, everyone seems to believe is in with a chance of winning the league. Pochettino is one of the best managers out there some suggest, yet like Arsene, when it comes to European football, he’s not really proved himself, not yet anyway. It’s a good job they played their fixtures at Wembley, otherwise they’d have nothing to blame for their shoddy performance….

Over at Arsenal, we have a crisis, well, that’s what the media would have us believe. It’s another November flop they say, which in reality, it isn’t. It’s not the best so far this month that’s for sure but comparing things to seasons gone by, we have drawn matches that perhaps we would have lost but something isn’t quite right.

From looking like a team which was organised, attacking well with width and speed and defending strongly too, the tippy tappy, ‘don’t know what to do with the ball’ has returned. Going forward, the threat has disappeared, defensively we look shaky and even Arsene Wenger has admitted that something is not quite right.

Of course it’s better to snatch a point in matches when defeat looks very much on the cards but it’s the level of performance which really stands out and not for any good reasons. In the last couple of matches, certain players have gone missing and when that happens, it’s like playing with half a side. Sanchez and Ozil, two world class players and just not showing any kind of the form they are capable of. Ramsey is struggling no matter in which position he plays and that’s just three so already it’s like playing with eight players on the pitch.

Perhaps they are a little jaded after so many fixtures and having to jet off with their respective countries, although Ozil doesn’t have that excuse, perhaps it’s just a November mental block, as again the Media have enjoyed reminding us since the beginning of the season, or perhaps it’s just a blip.

On Sunday Arsene will be up against a younger manager, one who has in the past been seen his ideal replacement and it’s important that the Frenchman wins the battle. But more importantly is that before then, Arsene has to work out what’s been missing in our game and get it back.

Finally, our League cup goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has signed a new long-term contract with the club. He’ll be back in action for Arsenal on the 30th November when we face Southampton…

Have a good Friday guys, don’t spend too much in the big sales…..

rico

56 thoughts on “Arsenal snap up goalkeeper on a long term contract. Is all as bad as it seems?”

  3. Adam says:

    If anyone is looking for patterns developing and/or repeating themselves, there’s plenty of evidence that we’ve been here before. Many times.

  11. allezkev says:

    Morning All

    Morning Rico, another good post…

    The club must see Martinez as a 1st team player of the future, probably next season he’ll get a few more games as I expect to see Ospina and Szczesny leave next summer…

    Besides Matt Macey we have a really good shot-stopping youth goalkeeper called Hugo Keto…
    Every time I read about the youths Keto, who is Finnish, is making great saves, which is just as well as our defence in the youths is, er, questionable…

    Cech had some encouraging things to say about Macey a few months ago, so maybe he’ll step up to be the club’s No.3 goalie if and when Martinez moves into the No.2 spot..?

  12. rico says:

    Morning Kev, thanks…

    I like the look of Martinez and hopefully he’ll only get better. He doesn’t seem to have the arrogance of Szczesny either from the little I’ve seen..

  16. allezkev says:

    Feels cold today…

    Yeah Rico, I’m quite looking forward to the Southampton game. Puel has got them organised and hard to beat so it’s gonna be a tough match up, especially if Wenger makes wholesale changes, I reckon that Martinez could be busy…

    I actually wouldn’t mind a draw and a replay – or do they have penalty shoot-outs, I forget… ?

    Nah, it would give our youngsters and fringe players another game as Wenger will probably change the entire starting XI…

  18. rico says:

    Puel will have to rotate too though Kev. They have an important Europa match to get through…

    Could be two ‘weakened’ sides against each other..

    Goes to penalties…

  19. allezkev says:

    Hope so Rico, could depend on whether Puel thinks he had a better chance of winning the League Cup or not, but I hope you’re right about Southampton rotating as well…

    Ah, penalties, let’s hope not…

  20. allezkev says:

    TUE 29 NOV
    Hull City
    V
    Newcastle United

    Liverpool
    V
    Leeds United

    WED 30 NOV
    Arsenal
    V
    Southampton

    Manchester United
    V
    West Ham United

  21. allezkev says:

    Now if we could get past Southampton and then draw the winners of the Hull vs Newcastle tie in the semi-finals, then we’ve got a day out at Wembley to look forward to…

  26. Alex says:

    Slowly but surely this American Black Friday is getting his feet…..lol ……Maybe the January window will start early sometimes hmmmm,
    I agree with you Rico the team look jaded .Everyone one in the planet will agree with that i guess bar the manager.
    So it is a repetitive same all same mismanagement and under preparation from Wenger.

    Elneni -Ramsey Coq— Elneni
    Coquelin- Xaka Xaka — Ramsey

    Those four are good for You guys that enjoy the statistics and number of silly sideway passes and touches.Good for argument but not for winning games.

    I dont see in one of this four players technical ability to retain the ball comfortably and pass two or three players.They are all fit but cannot do what Santi does.

    Hence the stagnation

  28. kelsey says:

    Black Friday is it.my daughter who is a make up artist in her spare time ordered today a complete set of whatever for 280.00 instead of 410.00 These are basically her working tools. The site crashed every time she tried to place her order and on the third attempr her order went through and she got an e mail to acknowledge the order for one set.,

    I of course paid for it but noticed the money had been taken three times so I went mad.Luckily I found a person as opposed to a robot from the company who said that my daughter had pressed the reset button three times which I disputed as that is fraud having checked with my bank. Phoned the company back who then admitted a mistake and sent me an e mail stating that 2 refundshad been sent to my bank and I then had to phone my bank back to make sure the right 2 had been refunded and the bank should block them.

    That was my day how was yours ?

  30. Wavy says:

    Got £40 off a new mini iPad. I wonder if it can spell correctly? I bet it can’t!!!!

    Bournemouth and Boscombe, kick off 2.15. Is it on the telly machine or have we to listen to the steam radio? Anybody know?

    Afternoon all. …………it’s dark outside and cold!

  31. Le Coq Monster says:

    Thanks Rico and good evening.

    I was out on my usual sightseeing job and on one of my drops near Argal Reservoir I was speaking to the owner of a farm shop……….he`s a Mansour City fan and obviously hates Manshafter, but also hates Rottenham Shitespuds…………….anyway, another driver turns up and the City fan says`….” He`s a football supporter !”………..which I replied……….” You a Gooner as well ? ” and he “No, I`m a Plymouth Argyle fan !”……………..anyway to try and cut it short, he told me that a former Arsenal manager lives near by…………obviously I was intriqued…………”who is it ?”.. I said .

    He replied…….”Bruce Rioch ………he lives near to the Red Lion Pub in Mawnan Smith ”

    He then went on to tell me that Rioch was basically sacked because of the falling out with Ian Wright……..that all the senior players got behind Ian Wright and went to David Dein to moan !…………no idea the truth of that, but all I said to him was that I need to go and find him and shake his hand for signing God !
    One day I will drive into Mawnan Smith as it`s only a couple of miles from my drop and interrogate the locals for Rioch`s abode !.
    Can you imagine me outside the pub asking locals where the bloke lives who signed God 🙂

  35. Le Coq Monster says:

    Something to do with Rioch wanting Wrighty to play on the wing the chap said !………………..bit bizarre if you ask me Rico !……………..can you imagine Wenger asking a player to play out of his position, what next Ramsey on the wing !. 🙂

    I see somewhere on newsnow that the rumour is Ox will play RB against Pornmouth !……….obviously word is spreading about my revolusionary tactic of using 4 wingers !………………..it`s also rumoured that Ox is going out with one of …..Little Mix…………..in my day I would have had the 4 of them !. hahaha

  40. potter says:

    Wan’t to moan about your day , try my life. 1 year ago my mother in law died and my wife and I inherited her house which just happens to be adjoined to ours . Lucky you I hear you cry., but for reasons that my wife’s emotional attachment and it’s close proximity makes it almost impossible to sell we set about preparing to let it. Then the rules kicked in :- first it needed new windows as the old wooden frames were rotten , then we found the roof felt on one side had rotted and the roof was leaking , builders and scaffold discovered more rotten wood in the rafters and the ceiling in two of the bedrooms had to come down . This makes the need for a plasterer then decorating upstairs , a bit of heat would have helped keeping the house dry but the boiler an old AGA which was a conversion from coal to oil was leaking Co2 and was unrepairable as no bits were still being made, New boiler and the consequent plumbing not to mention the downstairs toilet and shower which did not meet the council’s regulations and had to be replaced. We are now the best part of £ 30,000 into it and probably will not be ready to let until April or May . I have spent the last week cutting lead and roof tiles on the other side of the roof and by the way I forgot the wiring was outdated and the fuse box had to be updated and now we have just been told that the smoke alarms and Co2 alarms have to be hard wired and the concrete floor needs to be chased out to run an earth wire. If you told me that at 69 years old I would become a builder’s labourer / handyman / roof tiler I would not have believed you and btw The Arsenal are doing very little to improve my state of mind.
    Black Friday ? the whole bloody year is black.
    Rant over .

  42. Wavy says:

    One positive Potter- 69 is the new 49 so your 20 years younger than you thought! Most labourers are pretty fit too. Win win!
    Hope Arsenal make your day too……win win

  43. potter says:

    At the moment it just leaves me tired. Still tomorrows another day, starting with a trip to the reclamation yard to try and get some matching ridge tiles.
    On the positive side I never got to see the United game and from what I have heard, I haven’t missed much.

  44. Wavy says:

    You were spared!
    No stress or at least not for you however those of us that did watch it have aged ten years at least!
    Another positive for you!

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