Morning all.
3-1 to Barca and we’re out of the Champions League again. No great surprise having conceded two away goal in the first leg. But what made the result so frustrating is that Arsenal had a few really good chances to not only go ahead in the game but to cause an upset but yet again, missed opportunities in front of goal was our downfall. Having had twenty shots on goal, twelve of which were on target, only one was scored. A good goal it was too from Elneny.
It’s been a long time since we have a striker who oozes class and scores for fun and I’d have thought this summer that needs to be put right, regardless of who the manager is as we go into the 2016/17 season.
Losing so often at this stage of the Champions League is no big deal say’s Arsene Wenger, after all, each time we’ve been knocked out at this stage of the competition, the team which has beaten us has gone onto win the big trophy. Sorry, but that’s no defence, it’s a defeatist attitude imo. Accepting defeat at the same stage each season isn’t the sign of an ambitious club is it?
But I don’t think Arsenal are that ambitious these days. Top four, the odd FA Cup seems enough to keep the owner and board happy and all the time the squad is ill-equipped to win it, then Arsenal will continue to just make up the numbers in Europe.
But that might not keep players like Petr Cech, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil happy and not just them as young Hector Bellerin might soon begin to wonder if it’s better for him to head back to where he came from, just as Fabregas did. I’m sure it won’t be long before he’s playing for Spain and then the antics we saw with Fabregas, will no doubt start all over again.
As always, few players have spoken out since the loss on Wednesday. Ozil says the boys need to go game by game and work harder. Koscielny says they need to go back to basics and work a lot harder. Iwobi is just thrilled to have played at the Nou Camp and to be honest, he should be as he hardly looked out of place did he?
Work harder seems to be the buzz words so we’ll see tomorrow if that ethic spreads across the entire team and the manager. Everton will be a tough opposition that’s for sure but if the boys can play to the level they did on Wednesday night but find their shooting boots, they can get a win.
Flamini is out for a while with a hamstring injury but the rest from Wednesday are all fighting fit and healthy and ready to perform well says Arsene….
Let’s improve the quality of our game then the strikers will benefit.
We have quality strikers, if we produce the quality of performance we did against Barcelona our strikers will score goals.
Well they haven’t too often this year have they Arsene……
Agreed re the strikers Rico. We’re at the run-in end of the season and the whole striker debate seems rather inappropriate right now. Ours haven’t been good enough all season. Add a porous defence and a mish-mash of a midfield and it’s hardly surprising that we have thrown away the league thus far.
For me, the glaring question that should be asked of Arsene by the board is that, given the resources at his disposal and the general crap quality of the PL this season, why haven’t Arsenal run away with the title? I can probably work out what his reply would be after he had got over the effrontery of actually being asked in the first place.
We could win it yet I suppose so this post is likely premature.
Adam, i think us winning the league is highly unlikely. I can’t see Leicester dropping enough points and I certainly can’t see us winning enough even if they do….
Re the question, I doubt anyone on the board or indeed the owner would dare ask such things…
I see that he is going on about wanting to sign Lukaku before he went to Chelsea now. Why didn’t he sign him when he was for sale to Everton? The price probably.
I cannot understand why he keeps on with this “I almost signed” stuff. Perhaps he thinks it makes him look good. I think it makes him look rather silly and inept.
The whole Arsenal show is becoming more tedious and embarrassing by the day.
Yes, he and the board need to ask themselves the hard question…..but will they?
One things for sure, if we don’t make some big changes, we definitely will not improve next season.
Other clubs have made changes so at least are a chance of improving.
Let’s hope the stalemate doesn’t continue.
Wasn’t Mourinho the Chelsea manager when he went to Everton? I doubt he’d have sold him to Arsenal but yes, probably the money was a question too. Crazy really as it was always clear to see Lukaku was going to be good.
Still, I suspect he’ll struggle against Merts tomorrow… 😉
Agree too, think I’d keep quiet about all the players I’d ‘nearly signed’ if I was him…
Do journos ask, or does he volunteer these comments?
If he does, I am amazed he sets himself up for a fall so constantly.
If they ask, I’m amazed he allows himself to be set up for a fall.
Basically, I’m amazed.
Rico. Everton stumped up about £28 million for him but we could have signed him in the summer with a big offer. Now that Moshiri has stuck his money into the club I doubt they would sell though.
The time to get him was before Chelsea signed him for £14 million which is about £2 million less than Arsenal paid for Chambers a season or so later.
Hindsight is great isn’t it? 🙂
I doubt they will Scott… They jolly well should though…
I think he adds the bit about missing out on players…
Where are these “jewels” Wenger constantly found over the years?
Bellerin.
Who else would we say right now?
Early start tomorrow so catch you later guys….
Chambers came to us 3/4 years after Lukaku went to Chelsea though didn’t he and we all know English players are over priced big time.
But he funny thing is, I don’t recall too many on here who rated Lukaku that highly back when he was at Chelsea… lol
Night Scott.
Everyone at Arsenal bows in awe of the radiant magnificance that is Arsene Wenger. No one will question him, or call him to account, such is his omnipotence!
The Board sack AW? not in this life and not in the next either! He has total control. Remember he built this nouveau tower of Babel and all that is contained therein!
Fans showing dissent by jeering and booing will cut no ice with the owner because the owner is never there to see what’s going on! And the Board only know the difference between Havana and hamlet cigars! They have no understanding of football at all.
Protests I think would be futile, at this time. The brand is still attractive especially to all the football tourists, so if the majority of the customers seem content a few dissenting upstarts, who call themselves fans, can easily be ignored, by Manager and Board alike.
The end of Wenger will be determined by Wenger. No one else. He will be the master of his own destiny. A very nice position to be in. Frankly he has made himself indispensable and as such untouchable.
Sad but true. Imo!?
Morning all. And if you’re wondering, I did get out of the right side of the bed this morning!
Our strikers would score for fun in the Championship that’s about their level this season.
Wenger spending £16m on Chambers was a joke, surely???
Brudder. Curious decision to spend that money on Dolly Daydream but then Southampton have made an absolute killing with their production line of players. How many of them, apart from Bale, have really done the business?
Glaring holes throughout the squad and Stan goes and wastes £16m on Chambers, crazy!
Wavy, you are on a roll these days… 😉
For what it’s worth, I think Chambers will come good eventually but not at right back….
Morning all,
Maybe Arsene is just trying to lull Everton into a false sense of security, there again maybe not !
We were crying out for established quality players and we get Chambers….. bizarre purchase imo.
But then again there’s been some crazy signings by Wenger.
Hi Micko, would he know how too?
That side of the Chambers deal is odd. But that’s so typical of AW and if he wanted a right-back, should have gone for Clyne imo..
Question to Wenger: How do you stop Lukaku?
“Listen, we have just played against Messi, Neymar and Suarez…!”
Err and they each scored a goal against us, he is losing the plot massively!
Think the plot went a long time ago…
What was the plot anyway?
One with vegetables planted in it…
Afternoon, No longer can what this man say stand up, again b*****T spouted, only twice in the last 6 years have the team that put an end to our champions league hopes went on to win it, 2013 Bayern Munich, 2011 Barcalona. So that,s just b****X.
On Lukaku, He says they were keen on Lukaku but he wanted to go to Chelsea. Obviously a 30 million bid would of got him before he went to Everton, but again didn,t think highly enough of im to pay what his market value was, it,s all just rhetoric, Cobblers, Means nothing anymore.
Looking like a Barca, Munich, Madrid, PSG, semi-final, Tasty.
Sorry sometimes 1971 slips into my post name, on that i,m thinking of shortening it to DG,
That ok Rico.
Fine by me Dublin, although some people call Devilgunner Dg…
Ok, best not complicate things, stick with what i have, it was just a thought, no bother.
No probs Dublin, I’m sure some call you Dg anyway… 😉
Off for a while so catch up later..
Later Rico, Dortmund, Liverpool tasty too. you couldn,t write it.
An interesting theory on our Champions league exploits, We effectively knocked ourselves out of the Champions League, This was the fourth year in a row when we lost our last-16 first leg at home, simply because we were too desperate to win a game we could have drawn. In each of the last three years, a 0-0 at the Emirates, combined with their second leg away result, would have sent us through to the quarter-finals. Point is a 0-0 home draw would have been enough if we had the know how to grind one out, when needed most, That’s where Managers like Mourinho come into their own, I feel.
Anyway catch up soon.
Even Lukaku this season went 9 goals without a goal…. I think he’s an upgrade on Giroud and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at arsenal next season…. talk is Kompany might be up for grabs along with Ztalan (free) imagine Kompany next to Kos and Ztalan up top…. cost about 30 Mil for Kompany I think we’d be close to a top class side then? thoughts on improvements for next season? realistic of course ha
The best improvement is Wenger leaving….. talk of this player and that is irrelevant until he goes.
A good manager with this current Arsenal team would be sitting top right now and go on to win the PL.
I’m with you Brudder. Players musical chairs is irrelevant until other things are sorted.
Wenger has had about 3 chances to sign Kompany during his career and never has.
I disagree I think City/Chelsea/spurs are a better team then us with better player… I think we’re a top 4 team and that’s our limit…this same team was sitting pretty at the top 5 points clear in Jan…..I think new all agree Wenger should step down after this season win the league or not…
I disagree that a good manager would win the league with this team… I think Wenger is still a good manager just not a top class manager anymore but how many of those are about… only Pep & Jose imo
I’d only take Diego S for Madrid even Real have Zizou in charge arguably the biggest club in the world…
And Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, Messi, Coman, Lukaku and Umbongo!
Henry’s comments today…
“I have never heard the crowd at the Emirates react as they did against Watford. It doesn’t help when you play and hear the fans having a go at what you do, or a decision from the bench.
“I’ve played in stadiums where the fans are not happy and it doesn’t help. If that negativity comes from the stands, it becomes very difficult for anyone, especially when you haven’t won the title for 12 years.
“Now is the time for everyone to pull in the same direction – players and fans – in order for the team to go all the way. They need to have that togetherness at this crucial time.
I suggested a few weeks back we need to get behind the team and the manager for the rest of the season then air our frustrations… it’s not a shock our home form is brutal and yes the lads aren’t helping matters on the pitch and it’s a build up of quite a number of things but we all need to get behind the club until the end of the season and review at that point
I definitely don’t think Wenger is a good manager any more, there are plenty of managers out there that would get this team performing better…
Henry is right in the fact that I the team were booed but this was after the game. The crowd were behind them during play.
If Wenger was such a good manager he wouldn’t be out thought and out fought by managers with wage bills a fraction of his.
Steven do you go to the Emirates?
I’m not being asshole just curious, the crowd whenever I go are behind the team but it’s the lacklustre performances by the team and manager that piss the crowd off. The repetitiveness of it all is so tedious and nothing changes.
Yeah mostly champions league games (my Father and Brother work for Skysports so when they can get the tickets) and the odd league game haven’t been able to get a season ticket for years on the list mind.
As I said the players are to blame but at the same time I think we should be more behind the team then we are and if anyone’s opinion should be taken on board it’s henry’s he works for the club loves the club and has the media insight as well.
Every time I’ve been the moans and groans from the fans is a disgrace imo wayward pass and the treatment of some our players over years has been a joke… Eboue for example yeah he was shite in the end but stadiums like Stoke, Everton, Liverpool I could go on actually improve the shite player into not as bad and good to great etc the fan support is massive and I don’t think we do enough (I’m saying all this as I think Wenger should be out)
Yeah Adam I wasn’t at the game but watched the match on BT…. every week on Sky sports news listen to the pundit say how they feel the atmosphere at the Emirates is? they always say that the moans and groans have started…
Steven. I understand but let’s remember here that Sky and the media in general have a strong anti-Arsenal bias and it suits their agenda very well to emphasise the negative as they are quite happy to have something bad to report. Yes, there is tension in the crowd but surely nobody could really be surprised given the shocking quality that Arsene and the team have dished up this year. It works both ways. From where I sit I hear very few boos during the game though, to be fair, there is a subdued atmosphere and the actual ‘match-day experience’ has not been very enjoyable for quite a while now.
Things are bad at the club and the mood is bound to reflect that.
Good points Adam
Lee is so right, forget a top class manager, but a good manager with these players doesn’t get the results we got with these teams – Watford, West Ham, Sheffield, Hull, South Hampton, Norwich, United….. It is absolute joke. Some players are guaranteed starters no matter the form or work rate, and some cannot stay in the squad no matter their performance…where is the incentive?
Evening Rico and the House.
This evening the U18’s are away to Shitty in the s/f of the Youth.
Biggest game for over 2 years
Good luck boys cheer us all up
Youth Cup
Evening Rick and all.
Good news re Hayden Rick…
So pleased for him Rico you know my thoughts on him.
GREAT Start for the boys Jeff scores after 4 mins come on boys keep it up.
Hinds has hit a post Jeff has hit the bar Playing great football
Me too Rick, I really like him…
Catch up tomorrow guys…
There won’t be a post in the morning as I’m off for an hour or two in the dentist chair…. ??
Night all…
Although they lost 2-1 to the Strong cup favs it was a very encouraging display by the youth team. The 2nd leg is on 4th April at the Emms and is being shown on ITV 4, It could be good.
Kompany have a serious injury…
Morning all. Apparently Barca are beatable. Says the looser who couldn’t beat them over two matches. Not even his quality strikers managed to nick a goal against this beateble barcelona.
His media interviews are annoying every single time. He embarrases himself and the club. If Giroud and Walcott count as our quality strikers then we know the outcome. Yet nobody out there who’d improve the two.
What happened to playing AS17 as a striker? Joel, Welbz (they keep interchanging) behind him. Is AW that rigid he can’t tweak? Wait he does that when it comes to finding a spot for his beloved Aaron
Morning Marshall and all..
I laughed at the .Barca are beatable stuff and how they aren’t as good as they used to be.
What does that say about Arsenal eh…. Battered 5-1 over two legs..
I hope Walcott is left in London today…
New post up now.
I had a spare ten mins… 😉