Morning all.
Arsenal v Frankfurt or I’m A Celebrity? It’s a tough choice for me because of Wrighty, one of my favourite Arsenal players of all time being in the jungle. Whether you like the programme or not or the man himself even, watching his commitment to the challenges he gets nominated for is to be admired. But that’s why he was such a good footballer. To fail was not an option he considered and when he didn’t get maximum reward last night, he was a real grump. Stroppy too. I reckon by 9.15pm I’ll be tuned into the outback.
Shkodran Mustafi:
‘You noticed from the beginning in Frankfurt that they’re a team with identity. You could see what they were trying to do and how they were trying to play. The players knew what to do, how they were moving and it’s always difficult to play against very organised teams like that and they have the individual quality to hurt you as well.’
Basically, Frankfurt are everything Arsenal are not right now. We have no identity, the players don’t seem to know what they are doing and we’re certainly not organised in any way, shape or form. A sly dig at Unai perhaps…
Unai Emery on if we’ve lost the connection with the supporters…
They are angry and they are now disappointed, but we are as well. Tomorrow we have a very big opportunity to change that and this is my wish. This is also my idea and to create a big atmosphere in Emirates with our supporters. Each match here in the Emirates with our supporters is very important. We need their support. They need it more than me because they’re on the pitch and they need to feel them backing them over 90 minutes.
He’s right, the team do need the fans support and they’d get it if the coach didn’t keep dishing up terrible performances each match day. The Emirates would have an atmosphere like and NLD if the team were playing well. Slight exaggeration perhaps but it would certainly be a much happier place than it has been. What with no away fans permitted for this one and an anticipated no show by many Arsenal fans, the atmosphere tonight could very well be pretty awful. As a friend text to me yesterday, if Freddie had replaced Unai this week, The Emirates would probably be a full house.
Unai Emery was quizzed over his future but other than saying he was focusing on tonight, he said little else. The most unbelievable, almost laughable answer he gave to another question was that the players believe in his ideas – because they show it. Perhaps in training eh…
Other news from our coach is that Granit Xhaka is in squad, or group as he calls it and could make a return tonight. Dani Ceballos is ruled out until next month and both Bellerin and Kolasinac are doubts.
Win or draw tonight and we’re through to the knockout stages, lose and Standard Liege beat Vitoria, all three clubs bar Vitoria could still go further in this competition if my maths is right. Bearing in mind our final fixture is away to Liege, anything could happen.
We’ve already beaten Frankfurt 3-0 away from home. I think it’s fair to say we rode our luck a bit that night but even so, it was a great result. We were hanging on to a 1-0 lead when the home side were reduced to ten men and then two quick goals late in the game made it look like we’d had an easy night. On the contrary. Martinez had been in great form, making a few good saves which helped prevent any of the fourteen shots Frankfurt had in the first half breaking the deadlock. Torreira had a golden opportunity to open the scoring for us but couldn’t keep his shot down. The home team continued to cause us problems at the back after the break but we clung on to our lead until the ten men of Frankfurt buckled at the end. Aubameyang Willock and Saka were our scorers on the night.
A lot has happened since that night in September though and not for the good. Frankfurt will 100% believe they can get their own back against a team more fragile than a bone china tea set on a safari trek in an old jeep without suspension and despite having none of their own fans in the stadium, they’ll be up for this game.
I suppose the the big question is will Arsenal be up for it..?
Enjoy I’m a Celebrity guys the match, with a bit of luck, it might be the Spaniard’s last…
Good morning Rico.
No question, Arsenal Vs Frankfurt for me. I never watch anything with the word “Celebrity” in the title on principal. In any case we have friends round for dinner this evening so I shall record the match and watch it later tonight.
Morning Rico and all. I can’t believe we’re still here really.
If the club are still considering Unai’s future I would suggest they would be better off watching that jungle program because they have no right running a football club. Watching them preside over the decline of a once-great club, where the fans are more ambitious than the board makes even less sense than that moron Corbyn’s spending plans.
I will be watching Groundhog Day, otherwise known as Emery’s Arsenal.
The game day excitement is intoxicating 🙂
Morning all.
What are we hoping for?
A turn around on the shots on goal stat would be a start Scott.
Hahaha
I’ll take that, Cicero!!!!
Remember when Xhaka used to bang them in from 35 out?
Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!
Morning Cicero, Adam and all.
Neither can I Adam.
A win and through to the KO stages Scott. The new manager will need the money…
Leeds are apparently looking for a January replacement for Eddy Nketiah should Arsenal recall him from his loan spell. I cannot believe Leeds are doing so other than with some hint from Arsenal as to their intentions.
He hasn’t played a lot of games for Leeds, and is currently injured, but did score some goals and was very popular with the fans.
We are going to need all the help we can get for the rest of the season, so bringing Eddy back makes sense.
Makes sense Cicero but I doubt it’d make any difference if Emery is still at the club. He wouldn’t play him, just like he seldom goes with Martinelli in the league.
In any case, if the mood is as bad as it appears, nothing will change the way we’re playing. Not Messi, Ronaldo and certainly not Eddie.
My local paper is talking of Arsenal being football royalty in anticipation of the Norwich fixture this Sunday . This is symptomatic of how people view our club for better or worse. We however view it differently , perhaps we are too close.
They find it hard to understand the whining of our fans from a club that celebrates an unbroken run of 100 years in the top division. They see that as a badge of honour.
As said , we see it from a perspective relating only to ourselves , we want not only to be at the top table but to have the best wine and food also. We are demanding but are we unrealistic ?
Despite the fact that we over the years are the third best team in the country in terms of trophies won , we are not blessed with the financial input enjoyed by clubs which have bought their way to the top. The independent United borne from the sympathy following Munich and the highly successful scousers that dominated many years ago are at present those in front of us . Now United are struggling too but the Scouse have sorted their owner problems and are a long way in front of us and ae going away.
Behind us come City ( Arab money ) and Chelsea ( Russian ) perhaps we need to encourage our owners to look at the Fenway template because as sure as eggs are eggs they are not selling up anytime soon.
I bet City, Utd, Chelsea etc wouldn’t say the same though..
Afternoon All, thanks for the post Rico.
Scott, I also feel sorry for Unai sometimes, but he’s earning a fortune so that should ease his discomfort. If it gets too much for him he could always try driving a taxi in Seville.
I don’t feel sorry Raul or Josh, they’re responsible for the mess we’re in and they’re responsible for dragging out the agony.
It took ages for Stan to sack Wenger and his son is cut from the same cloth.
Everything they do is so slow, it’s enough to make you want to scream ‘Will some fecker please make a decision’…..
I mean, what is the fecking point of letting Emery take charge of tonight’s game and maybe the Norwich game?
Do we need two more poor performances for them to realise that he isn’t up to it?
Because if they need further proof then they’re really a bunch of complete cretins.
The whole thing is a fecking mess and that culture comes from the indecision from the top.
The only ones I feel sorry for Kev are the fans. The rest are as bad as each other. Although if the board do have sole responsibility for the club as has been said, then Raul etc should need a boot up the backside.
Apparently before every training session Emery shakes the players’ by the hand, why he does that every day God only knows, seems like an empty gesture to me, just say Good Morning and get on with it ffs…
Only one player avoided shaking his hand, Xhaka!
Rico, if the Board are in charge, then how was it that Raul vetoed O’Leary and why did Sir Chips threaten to resign?
The largesse comes from KSE, it’s a fecking mess.
But yes Rico, I feel sorry for the fans, everyone else at the club are doing ‘I’m alright Jack’ don’t worry about that, I’m not sorry for any of them, just bloody get on with it and do your job…
Thanks Rico , afternoon all.
I can’t add much to what you have all said really.
I just get the feeling that the club is spineless from top to bottom.
How much more proof do we need that Emery isn’t up to the job. We let Southampton have 21, yes twenty one shots against us and they should have demolished us. Not Barcelona ,City or Liverpool but SOUTHAMPTON for crying out loud !! AT HOME.
That’s less shots than other teams have had against us lately too.
I’m desperate for us to get a result tonight, so another manager will have something to play for. But if it means keeping Unai a minute longer I just don’t know.
Bloody Hell It’s so frustrating supporting us these days.
Good question Kev but only if the gossip pages are right about both.
Hi Mike, as Adam said earlier, it’s hard to believe we’re still talking about Emery because he should have been long gone by now.
Just watching the PL 1997/98 review on Sky Sports. Who’d have thought back then that we’d be where we are now…
emery will be at the bench or not?
Assume so Jm..
Utd have suffered a shock defeat..
There are some dangerous sides left in this competition and that’s before the CL clubs join in. Rangers, Celtic, Utd, Wolves – all will cause us problems.
Team………………
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1200122922309959680
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS
Team to face Eintracht Frankfurt: Martinez, Mustafi, Sokratis, Luiz, Chambers, Xhaka, Willock, Tierney, Martinelli, Saka, Aubameyang.
Subs: Leno, Lacazette, Ozil, Torreira, Pepe Nelson, Guendouzi.
Strong bench, Rico ! …………………………….on paper ! 🙂
Starting eleven which won the first leg.
Martinez, Chambers, Mustafi, David Luiz, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Torreira, Smith Rowe, Willock, Saka, Aubameyang
Yes Lc, on paper. Lol
Yes, Rico, a lot of our team selections have looked good on paper ! 😆
Probably because they usually are Lc, they just haven’t a clue what or how they’re meant to be playing. Lol
Wolves fans obviously want to keep their manager…………………………… 😆
https://twitter.com/JamesNursey/status/1200121663976878082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1200121663976878082&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.football.london%2Farsenal-fc%2Fnews%2Fnuno-espirito-santo-arsenal-wolves-17334309
Unless he’s waving goodbye.. lol
Wolves surrender a 3-1, Nuno for Arsenal then. 😂
😆
Painful…
As a lesson in top to bottom footballing ineptitude, that was an Emery masterclass.
As I wrote a few days ago, qualification in the Europa League was far from being achieved. At this time, and before the calendar, we will hardly pass. In addition, a game that could be used to rest players will be a final in the middle of a series of successive games.
There is nothing left to say.
Good atmosphere at The Emptyrates ………………….or is it The Emeryrates ?
He will be sacked within the next 2 hours !…………………….I feel it in my bones !
Just saw the last piece of the match when Frankfurt scored their second goal and the remaining saga of some of the poorest football Arsenal have dished up this season. Truly dire.
A fecking disgrace, actually!!
Pleased to see lots of empty seats and hope Emery disappears from our screens this week, never to return, to appear in Croatia or Saudi Arabia where they might appreciate his limited skills and influence.
Enough is enough!
In the Guardian this evening:
By now it feels like death by a thousand cuts for a club that, despite this defeat, will probably be playing Europa League knock-out football in the new year. The chances of Emery presiding over that look vanishingly slim now and, as the disappointments rack up, the pressure on Arsenal’s hierarchy to make a clean break in the coming days becomes ever greater.
As Keown said earlier, we’re facing a relegation battle if Emery stays..
For goodness sake, wake up Raul and the rest of you!
The craziest thing is how gullible the board were when this Vlad the Impaler look-a-like walks into the interview room with a box of Panini stickers on all the Arsenal players and were impressed with his knowledge !
Keown is only copying me, Rico, I was the first on here to doom about relegation !
😆
I honestly expect to wake up in the morning and see he has been sacked, so I`m going to bed now………………reminds me of Christmas Eve ! 😆
Utterly, utterly disgraceful!
Never mind, it’s Black Friday, get down to the shops and bag yourself a bargain.
I’m after a half price ukulele, a life sized picture of Peter Osgood and a vaporiser.
Don’t have nightmares….
Hi All another bad score then I read that Martin Keown claims there are 2 reasons why Arsenal will not sack Emery ( 1 ) don’t want to be seen as panicking ( 2 ) lack of ready made replacements.
Maybe he should read this site as we have all suggested more than one possible coach
Morning all.
I’m rather chirpy as work for in the way if watching so I’ve had 90 minutes less stress this week than you all have 🙂
If the board don’t give a shit, why should we?
Well, because we are supporters and can’t help but care, while they are not, but I fear if they don’t sack him after this pathetic result, they may just make us endure him until the season ends because if that doesn’t force a call, what will??????
I’ll be utterly astounded if he’s at the club after the weekend.
Ps-i do believe the players are trying their best, but are just lacking any energy and I honestly don’t hold that against them.
Morning all.
New post up now