Ten points is a huge gap at the top and even at this stage of the season, it’s understandable to start thinking there is no way we can make up those points, not when you consider the depth of squad that Chelsea are able to boast.
Then, add to that the amount of injuries we seem to have accumulated yet again and it looks a tough season ahead doesn’t it, especially Saturdays performance still fresh on our minds. The loss and the performance doesn’t seem to have done wonders for the players either according to the captain vice captain:
We’re really down because we expected to win the game, they raised their game, they made it very difficult for us. I think we controlled the game, mostly, for 90 minutes. But you go a goal down, you start getting anxious, the goal doesn’t come, it makes it really hard.
For the amount of ball we had in the game, we should have done more and created more goal situations. We need more patience sometimes. It’s not the first time we have conceded the first goal, it’s very difficult.
If you go ahead, it gives you a lift, the other team has to take risks, and you can cause mistakes. You can’t get back in the game every time you fall behind. It’s a tough ask and we haven’t done it today.
We have time to come back. But we are down because we know how good we are and how good we can be.
Ok, there is not much point going over and over Saturdays performance, we all agree it was awful!
‘Expected to win the game’!! See, complacent, they all just thought they had to ‘turn up’ to win! Maybe they should start going into a game as if they are 1-0 down, they might have a bit more about them then!?
This team can be good when everyone is signing of the same ‘let’s play football’ hymn sheet and we need that to get back in tune ready for the visit of Schalke 04 tomorrow night. If we don’t, we will have a torrid time against a side who beat Dortmund 2-1 at the weekend.
Jack Wilshere, Bacary Sagna and Emmanuel Frimpong all played the full 90 minutes yesterday in a 2-1 victory over Everton so they won’t be included in tomorrows squad but I strongly suspect to see all three back in the squad at the weekend when we ‘welcome’ Mark Hughes and his delightful QPR side!
Back to the Under 21 fixture, Jack was here there and everywhere according to afc.com and the two goal hero, Thomas Eisfield could easily have grabbed himself a hat-trick, at least he managed two, if only we could have managed that same amount on Saturday eh?
One thing the U21’s did copy the senior team at though was going a goal behind. Oh, and to a moment of defensive sloppiness by Miquel, he was easily robbed of the ball by Vellios, who ran on and slotted past Martinez with ease.
However, unlike their senior counterparts, the under 21’s dusted themselves down and fought back. In fact they could easily have equalised moments after conceding when Eisfeld broke through the middle and let fly with a 25-yard strike which Everton’s keeper Jan Mucha could only parry.
Shortly after, the German did draw Arsenal level, Wilshere fed Meade on the left and the full-back took a touch past Tony Hibbert, cut the ball back and there was Eisfeld to slam home from close range. On 32 minutes, Eisfield grabbed his second and what turned out to be the winner. Wilshere was involved again, after cutting in from the right, he slipped a ball through to Eisfield who ‘drilled’ it past the Everton keeper.
There were chances for both sides, but we held on to take the points.
Why all the low down on the Under 21’s, well why not? They are the present and future of OUR club, in a few years time some will either be joining the current first team squad or they will be replacing players who leave for whatever reason.
And there are a few who are starting to show that their day won’t be too far away…..
That’s it for another day.
Didn’t we all expect to win on the weekend?
I have heard countless players in the past say they got to a point where they expected to win every game….it can be a good thing,as long as that confidence isn’t overtaken by complacency.
I am not sure our guys were complacent,but they were most definitely flat.
Good Morning my Esteemed Fellow Gunners.
Good post Rico. Sure you do not want to become my assistant coach?? you would make a fine motivator……on the lines of Old Red nose himself!!!!! 😆
Confidence is good Scott. But last Saturday there was complacency in the team. they hardly broke sweat did they?
Devil,you surely have seen sides perform way below expectations for no apparent reason,and it doesn’t necessarily mean they were complacent.
I am not saying they weren’t,but how do we really know?
Lst season we saw similar performances,..sometimes it just happens.
We had plenty working hard,and admittedly some who didn’t,o doubt.
Santos was the one who disappointed me the most…..he is either the most unfit footballer in the league or the laziest….or both.
That game was a collection in a comedy of errors Scott. As I said yesterday, there were so many mistakes being done left, right and centre that it is difficult to pinpoint one.
But what irks me is that when Manure play that way they still win whereas we loose. It cannot go on like this.
Regarding Santos I pointed out yesterday that he had a tactical influence on the game, imo a negative one. As you said, he is either unfit or lazy or both. He cuts inside when he should stay outside and more often than not he is out of position.
But the whole team was off vs Norwich.
Yes sometimes shit does happen to everyone. However like many here I still think that we should have got a more solid keeper. Someone who is over 30 so that he can guide the young ones.
Mannone has been between the sticks so far and while I am not his greatest critic I am not his no1 fan either.
The positive thing is they have a very quick chance to revitalise their season.
Lets hope we belt Schalke.
Nice post Countess Rico… 😀
We have to move on asap. We needed to have this lose so early to make the new comers in the team realise this league is dangerous to play in. We have not won in 7 years not because we are not good but because mentally we are not quite there.
I am curious as to why are Manure and the chavs are playing on sunday when they are playing this evening. Am I being paranoid again?
manure played at home after the internationals and we travelled 125 miles to Norwich. we played montpellier away on a wednesday after $hitty away and played the chavs at 12:30 on a saturday when the chavs had played on a tuesday.
Why are united almost always playing at home after the champions league matches? And if they are playing away they get an extra day to recoup.Ok I will stop here, I am beginning to sound like Rafeal Benitez
No you are not tsGH. You are right in pinpointing those issues. Yeah I know only we read them but at least we realise we are not becoming paranoid.
Mate,i uave never,ever suggested Mannone is good enough for us.
On the contrary,when some were suggesting a few weeks back he should be chosen ahead of Szczesny,i disagreed totally.
I stand by my comments that he was not to blame for the goal though,as do most people…except Gooners,go figure lol.
Yep,we definitely need another,older keeper.
Schwarzer,Friedel….these are the type,or else, go the whole hog,give up on Szczesny,and get a world class guy.
Tsgh/Devil,plenty refuse to acknowledge these factors,but they do add up,and must have some sort of influence.
Hi Dev. Santos did not play that way last season. In fact he was the opposite. He even scored the first goal to help us qualify at WBA.This time round ok his first start he seems to be more worried about getting caught up field. On the otherhand, DMs ie MA08 is meant to cover the fullbacks when they push up.
His performance on Saturday- the offside and all was exactly the same as his first appearance for us at Ewood park last september when he was caught napping.
That is why we need to rotate before injury happens. Rednose has rotated Evra and Buttner so that none of them are rusty. Whilst we fans always expect the same players to play every match when fit until they are injured.
Dev, Scott I always thought that the traveling was a factor not an excuse but most will disagree. Would manure have won against Stoke away last week. Hell no. We would have beat Norwich if we had played at home I am confident of that. I mentioned 2 weeks ago that I was worried about the Norwich game away after an international break but most thought if we can not win that match then ….
We travelled 40 miles more than any other team on this Island last weekend. why?
Fatigue must have been a concern for AW, why would they fly or Kevs private jet to Norwich instead of using train or coach.
The problem lies with the attack. With our midfield and forwards we should blast through the opposition instead of trying to play the “Barca” passing game. They have the ability, we don’t. Instead, by using our firepower we can set the tempo and allow the defence to do what they should- defend. If they work, they work. But if they don’t, we need to overpower the opposition to make up for it. We are supposed to be an attacking team. We aren’t an all round outfit. We should play to our strengths instead of imitating someone else’s… and failing miserably.
Morning all, good post Rico….
Wenger’s post match comment says a lot imho… “I am angry. We did not create a lot. It is very disappointing that we were not in the game in the first 20 minutes, without complete focus, and gave an easy game away” EASY game!!!
Schwarzer in Jan would be a massive step in the right direction!
You know what the worst thing is??? We have to turn to blogs like these to vent our frustrations as fans. Our team don’t really care a f##k what we think. You cannot even leave a proper comment on the official website!!!!! And they still expect us to pay good money to watch SH#T!!!!!
Yes mates……….it should have been EASY. But then this is ARSENAL and we do try to make it difficult for ourselves.
I have been telling AllezKev ever since 1998, that teams under AW are not ruthless. We used to see them run up a 4-0 lead inside the first 30 mins and then stay pussyfooting around. We cannot afford to do that. Imagine if we put teams to the sword to the tune of 8 or 9-0 around four times a season. Teams would be scared to come to AFC or play them. However now we go up 2-0 or 3-0 and we ease up, only to end up hanging by the skin of our teeth.
We should be ruthless with team such as Norwich. But we have to work our socks off.
Yes Norwich were an easy game made difficult by the comedy of errors that is AFC.
Tsgh,the trouble is if Wenger had rested Gibbs a few weeks back and put Santos in,allmhellwould have broken loose amongst Gooners…
Vert true Scott but why does AW bring Ox or Ramsey on in the last 10 minutes always when we are winning instead of bringing Santos or even djourou on sometimes.
We all know goalies, strikers and defenders get rusty when they don’t play. Midfielders find it easier to slot in straight away because I believe playing in that position requires a different set of skills and awareness.
what I am saying is sometimes when we are winning we need to get a central defender on in place of a midfielder and change to 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 to keep every one involved. RedNose, Maureenho and Pep do that all the time unless they are chasing games.
We fans cannot expect Djourou or any other 4th choice central defender to play like the BFG straight away when they have not played any games at all
Coach, surely AW shouldn’t have the “easy game” mindset certainly pre or post match….that must filter down to the players!?!?
I’m not disagreeing with you,but plenty would have a dummy spit if Djourou or Chamakh came on.
Tough gig that managing lol.
tsGH………top comment regarding rotation
Our squad is littered fragile players and until this gets rectified we’ll be also rans….when our starting 11 are fit we can beat anyone on the planet!
Exactly right Lee.
Lee……..it was an easy game. However neither AW nor the players should think so. They should have been professional in their mind set. And as you said…..that filters from AW down to the players. Every game should be a cup final. you go there you play well and do your best. AND WIN. Then when you have murdered everyone you should not even begin to boast that games were easy.
Scott, that’s why they get paid big money!! 😉
Regarding the plane trip , I live in sunny Norfolk and if I could fly to home matches I would. On the weekend the trains were stopping halfway and tranferring passengers to a bus and then back to train again due to work on the line. And the M11 /A11 road is subject to a lane widening scheme with constant 3 -5 mile tailbacks , it adds about 45 minutes each way to my trips.
Devil,no doubt i guys do not have the mindset of a winning team yet….let us hope it comes soon.
Devil, by talking to you here I know for a fact that you wouldn’t use the word easy pre or post match for one your teams! So why does AW…..crazy!
Ha ha Scott… 😀
Cheers Dev.
I am more worried about the way AW utilises the squad more than the quality we have. That my friends is a major factor why manure are stronger post february whilst we falter when it counts because we use the same players.
AW use to do the same even during the glory days. It was always Giles Grimandi on for Edu or Pires or Luzhny on for DB10
Lee,i could do it for a season,then retire to the good life lol.
Bring back Jack!!!
Potter, I live near Colchester and have endured the train to Witham bus to Billericay then train to Liverpool St fiasco……real joke!!
On the contrary Lee. If I think that the other team is there for the taking I just dangle in front of my players one of the oppositions’ worst result, like a 0-5 reversal and tell them that we should show the winner of the previous game that we are better than them. So we should go out with the aim of stuffing them with a better amount of goals than they were stuffed before.
If we go out against a team which had lost 2-3 I will point out that we need to concentrate on scoring but also on not conceding.
I never tell my boys that we have an easy game. I have been in the game long enough to realise that.
Colchester use to be a pain for me ages ago when I had to travel to/from Merville Road on Fridays and Mondays mornings
AW is serving his final suspension tomorrow
morning all…. I hope yesterday’s result encourages the senior team.
hi bondex…
Good morning all,
It’s surely only natural that the players look at the league table and think to themselves “Norwich City, newly promoted, bottom three, not won a game yet, walkover!
It’s the coach’s job to dispel that attitude and I don’t think Wenger did that on Saturday.
One other problem is that Arsenal never, ever come out fighting straight from the kick-off. It’s always….get the ball, pass it around the back-four a bit, give it to the ‘keeper who then punts it up-field and gives away possession.
Are our players all on beta blockers? They all need a kick up the a**e on the way out onto the pitch.
tsGH,
Final game of this particular suspension, I wouldn’t bet against him getting another one sometime soon. 🙂
………..So that Bould will get all the experience he needs. 😉
Quite right JW with Monsieur Platini prawling…
Morning guys and gals, just off to catch up….
I agree that we do need to move on from saturday but part of me thinks that is more a statement that the manager and coaches say to players to make sure there is no ongoing negative psychological impact. Us fans can be and maybe should be different. I find it hard to move on purely because this is not a one of incident and the reasons it happened have been in evidence before, so it could be said that lessons are never learned where AW is concerned. There is something about Saturday that keeps me focused on it because, as far as I am concerned, we will all try and put it behind us but will find ourselves discussing exactly the same problems again in the near future.
I agree to some degree about complacency and lack of effort and maybe that all fits into the slight fatigue issue of having had more players away on international duties. As said yesterday though, the other big teams had the same issues and still won. I still feel this is because AW has one style of play that is about sharpness and quick movement and passing. It is a more technical approach but requires the majority of the team to all be sharp to work effectively. The moment you have 7-8 players all playing at 80% of their normal physical level it can start to look ineffective. I feel other teams will rely less on this when the players aren’t up to full capacity physically, and will use more basic ways to overpower their opponents. Again I feel the fault lies with AW always relying on our players being slick in every game rather than the players not being bothered. For him it all seems to be about the players not being sharp enough or moving the ball quick enough when it goes wrong, but maybe other managers accept that you cannot have players being able to play at this speed and intensity every game of a long season. This IMO is more an issue of tactics and our inability to adapt and change for certain games.
Although I agree we are still 1-2 players short in the squad, I still feel our main issues are AW’s rigid tactics and refusal to alter them. I think to a large degree some of you, like Devil, look at it this way also. I won’t go right over it again like yesterday, but in a nut shell when AW’s 4-3-3 system works it is beautiful but when it doesn’t he seems unable or unwilling to change it. You could compare the Norwich and Liverpool games. Both the same set up and tactics. If anything you would feel it would be Liverpool that should have nullified our play more but as it happened AW’s 4-3-3 worked beautifully at Anfield but looked stagnant and ineffective against Norwich.
For me the 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 are much the same set-up and should quickly change from one to the other dependant on whether you are in possession and attacking or not in possession and defending. When it goes wrong for me is when it more or less stays as a 4-5-1 all game and doesn’t effectively and quickly change into an attacking 4-3-3 when we are in possession. It leaves the player up top isolated with the attacking of the 3 central midfielders and the wing forwards not getting close enough to the striker, or if they do get there it is 1-2 seconds too late and the moment where we may have opened up the team is gone. Against Liverpool Santi stayed high up the pitch and Arteta and the other deeper lying players always had a quick release pass to him that took out some of their midfielders, so that he could turn and drive at the heart of their defence before they could effectively reorganise.
For me it almost doesn’t matter why the same set up was failing against Norwich. Was it something they did to nullify it, or was it something more intrinsic to us that day? The fact was it wasn’t working for whatever reason and needed changing, but it wasn’t. You could argue that a manger on £7.5m earns half on the training ground and half on match day. Well AW’s school report would read “very good input on the training ground and works dilligently, showing great intuition and skill to great effect. However, a lot more work is needed on matchday where a lack of attention to detail and adaptability is letting him down. Also needs to pay more attention to how to learn from past mistakes to ensure that the same problems are not repeated”.
Anyway I didn’t intend to write this much when I started typing. Sorry Rico, I know, I should have e-mailed it as a post. I promise, next time!!
Do professional players need motivation to win a game? I thought winning was what being a sportsman was all about.
If Aw is complacent or placid as we claim he is, then why is Bould as an assistant do something. Being all old English CB and all, why was he not doing his best to motivate the team whilst he was out warming up with them.
Maybe they all did. There are certain games that a single goal wins and unfortunately we conceded the first. When you look back on all the 5pm kick-off in the league over the seasons, normally a single goal wins. Its mostly 2-1, 1-1 or 1-0. Its hardly ever a 5-0.
fulham last season with the greedy bugger at 5pm we dropped 5 points as was the infamous QPR win over us.
So in essence we seem to do badly when we play a 12.45 or 17.30 kick off tsGH!!!!
Hi Goonerb,
I agree with your comments above. I dont want to nitpick but we actually played 4-4-2 at liverpool. The analysis below with the aerial shots during the game will confirm that.
http://www.eplindex.com/18465/liverpool-arsenal-analysis-liverpools-tactical-progress.html
This is why I have been going on about lazy management by AW when we start playing 2 games per week.
Against Sunderland we set up 4-3-3 and he confirmed during his post match interview that the 3 strikers strategy did not work.
Against Stoke we went the traditional 4-5-1 formation to nullify stokes height and strength in midfield and their wingers.
He then reverted to 4-2-3-1 for the other matches when post Southampton and after we started the champions league games.
Against Coventry he set the team up as 4-1-3-1-1 (or 4-4-1-1) with AA23 playing in the hole behind OG12.
Against Norwich you are right there he played a very orthodox 4-3-3 without Gev and Poldi interchanging places so we become very predictable. This formation only works when the front 3 interchange positions as we use to do 2 seasons ago. There was no movement and no width so it was easy for Norwich to combat us.
AW unforunately only changed formation to a strange 3-5-2 in the last 10 minutes when serge came on but instead of having Gev as part of the front 2 he moved the BFG upfront.
Apologies to those not keen on formations its a knack taken from RMA Sandhurst.
I am afraid yes Dev but our win ratio according to stats is about 33% compared to 5% when we kick-off at 12:45.
We almost always lose or draw when we play on ESPN as I said earlier Norwich 3-3, Blackburn 17th September 2011, 4-3.
another trivial point we have never won a match with Keown covering us including the match against TH14 Red Bull team in the emirates cup last year.
I am happy to be proven wrong of course. 😀
so we seem to do very badly with 12.45 kick off. just only 5% tells its own story.
and in the late afternoon we only have a 1 in 3 chance of winning.
Koscielny said a while back he hates playing in the 12.30 matches, said they make him feel sick…
Morning Gunnersphere,
tsGH – I agree with your comment (10:30). Chamack was fantastic when he started his arsenal career with the greedy badger injured. He scored 9 in 16 games if i could still remember. But as soon as the greedy badger was fit he was relegated to the bench and gradually lost his confidence. Same thing will happen if we fail to rotate. That’s why I still dont blame Santos for what happened in Norwich, neither kos against chav.
Yes Rico. And I mentioned it before the Chavs game that was why I said I would have been happy with a draw.
Its no excuse guys but it is what it is. We must change the way we approach certain games imho.
Manure never lose when they kick-off at 12 45 and any team has a good chance to beat them on monday nights. Everton this season, Blackburn 2 season ago are typical examples. We on the other hand hardly play on MNf but our win ratio is better than most teams example include Newcastle at home last season apart from the 4-4 against the spuds of course and the lose orchestrated by Phil Dowd and eboue against liverpool 2 seasons ago.
Interesting tsGH. Maybe there is a post in looking at these formations. I have a more simple theory re. formations which could be open to discussion but as you say though, it is maybe not everyones favourite subject. It does seem to be an important part of where we seem to fall down, however, so maybe it should still be addresed as a post. Off for a while now. enjoy your day gooners.
Oh, and thanks re the comments on the post guys…
Just about caught up now..
devil, yes, I would love to be your assistant… and yes Scott, we all expected to win but but that is because we all believed the team would be a lot more professional with their approach…
Lee – Schwarzer would be a great addition, seeing as we missed out on Jussi….
Thanks emma. I know we hate rotation but we have to in order to change this slide.
when RedNose rotates journalist dont ask him why but when AW does he is questioned about that by journalist even before kick-off.
I remember my mate who went to see us play against AW 2 seasons ago texting me before the match to say the vibe in the fans was not good because of the rotation. Negative energy feeding down I would say to cause squid to score on both ends of the pitch..
Adam please don’t shoot me… 😀
GoonerB, you will get 100 lines next time… 😉
Did you guys see that Henry was Muamba’s best man at his wedding?
Forgive me if someone has already posted that….
emma, didn’t his trip to Las Vegas have an impact on Chamakh’s game too? Same with Vela…
Rotation is good…….providing you have good players after the first 11.
Yes I would rotate Kozzer with TommyV and Merte.
Yes I would rotate Gibbs and Santos, to keep them fresh.
Yes I would rotate Sagna and Jenks for the same reason.
Yes I would rotate Theo, Gerv, Giroud, Podolski, Ox to keep them on their toes.
The trick is………when should they be rotated.
Yes I would play Yennaris near Arteta………so that one day Arteta could be rested and Yennaris will continue with the job.
But when you have Squillaci as part of the rotation then I am afraid that it is not quite a good idea.
And as Emma said………Chamack got 9 goals in 16. So he is not so bad is he.
With his confidence shot he is a liability and cannot be used as part of the rotation.
BDW……people who spout this crap about rotation being a contemporary phenomenon should take a long hard look at the line-ups done by HERBERT CHAPMAN. Yes he used to rotate centreforwards in the 1930’s………….and we were first even in that.
Given the stretched nature of his squad owing to injuries and fitness concerns, Arsene Wenger called upon four members of Terry Burton’s U21 side to train with the first-team today ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League fixture with Schalke.
The presence of Serge Gnabry was already expected, with the 17 year old likely to remain in the squad having made his Premier League debut away to Norwich City at the weekend, but he was also joined by Ignasi Miquel, Jernade Meade and Kristoffer Olsson, three players who featured as the U21s dispatched of Everton yesterday.
Jack Wilshere, Bacary Sagna and Emmanuel Frimpong, who also played in that game, weren’t present at today’s session, suggesting that they will not be involved tomorrow, whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hip) also sat out proceedings. There was a slither of good news as Laurent Koscielny returned to training and the Frenchman is likely to be in the squad tomorrow, but Lukasz Fabianski (back), Theo Walcott (lung), Tomas Rosicky (tendon), Kieran Gibbs and Abou Diaby (both thigh) and Wojciech Szczesny (ankle) all remain out.
James Shea will again make the bench as Damian Martinez is suspended for European competition.
Possible team:
Mannone
Jenkinson-Koscielny-Vermaelen-Santos
Arteta-Coquelin
Ramsey-Cazorla-Podolski
Giroud
subs: Shea, Djourou, Gervinho, Gnabry, Arshavin, Chamakh, Mertesacker.
And now I am off fine folk.
Back later on today.
Have a good afternoon my Esteemed Fellow Gunners.
I’m not sure we have a squad deep enough for rotation in every area….
Catch you later devil…
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/260709625278631937
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/260708455168487424
https://twitter.com/JamieRfootball/status/260708654913822721
Good news on TW then emma, and Kos but not so good on Chamberlain but I think we suspected he’d be out. Jack for Qpr I think…
Afternoon all,
Lee 10.10, probably goes a long way to explaining our Cup Final defeat to the brummies, it all comes out in the wash.
Tsgh 12.06, what’s our win ratio like on a full moon, might put a 20 spot on us Wednesday night.
Until we start matching some of these bottom 3 sides with the same hunger, desire and commitment that they show against us we’re always gonna be a soft touch, we don’t seem to be up for a battle anymore.
rico, 12.30, your more likely to get GoonerB’s attention if you mention the slipper or the cane.
Haha Micko… Goonie will have words with you.. 😀
Still no Yennaris?
rico – yes it is. Hopefully Ox should be fit before the QPR match. Like Diaby has disappeared into oblivion.
Hi Micko, i guess the slipper, the cane hurts….
10 points off the top, 9 off the bottom, half full or half empty.
3 weeks in Abu Dhaby’s life is equal to 3 weeks in a life of a giant turtle…
when ever AW says 3 weeks it is a code for not before the new year. 😀
tsGH – Probably AW meant 3 months 🙂
Giant turtle or turd, about as much use as a fart in a space suit.
Do we know the squad for tomorrow yet? Gnabry is surely in it ..
Didn’t we all expect Diaby to disappear emma?
Mine is nearly empty Micko…
Tsgh – Sell him I say, he’s hopeless!
Off to walk the woofa, back shortly….
Lmao micko….
Abu Doha should have gone with the greedy dutch man to see the old lady in Bosnia…. 😀
Afternoon Goonerdom worshippers,
Here a link to highlights of Dortmund vs Schalke from last weekend. Only 3.30 minutes but notice the ‘sturm und drang’ (storm and urgency) when going forward. Ze Germans are quick in transition, creating threat in bombarding numbers. Their switch from defense to attack is organized like predator pack hunting. Warning French commentary lower your sound volume. Off to read the comments.
http://touch.dailymotion.com/video/xuhco9
Hi DG10, your compatriot goonie was here last night. How are you doing?
longer hightlight everton v arsenal u21
Afternoon again all….
Thanks Emma for the link.
sweet pass from JW10 to Meade to set up the first goal for Eisfield.
That long accurate pass is a key attribute missing from the team thus far. something we both agreed him and TR07 will bring when they return.
Afternoon TSGH & Emma
Doing fine Ginge. Good points being raised in the comments today. I wonder if we are playing simultaneous chess instead of taking on a masters tournament. League run management, EPL focus and such.
Nice to see Moyes and Neville watching on the side emma, bet our manager wasn’t there…
I like young Meade
What’s happening, no rows going on…?
Rico, in-box, pronto…. 😛
Hiya Ginge, or should i say Dench…. 😀
Off to read post & comments…
rico – Meade looks good. Future left back.
tsGH – Seeing Jack ping those balls makes me smile. We really need him to comeback as well as rosicky. I wouldn’t mind a fit diaby as well. This three players bring something different to the team in the central area.
Kev, your in-box, pronto 😆
Thought the same there emma, tidy little player with a good first touch and looks quite big and fit, although under tall 😉
Tsgh – I read your Dench comment earlier, made me chuckle as I didn’t have a clue, life is full of nice surprises….
I love me a Diaby BUT we all know Dan Smith messed up his ankle at 21 y.o.watching him against finland for Frances just shows how unlucky we have been without him playing at more than half of his capability. Because it must be in his mind that any match could be his last for a while. That must be a depressing way to live as a footballer.
I thought you knew or guessed especially as I told you it was strange working south of the river… 😉
goonies responds to that was pure goonster. I thought I had a crazy sense of humour but he is a legend in that sense….
Hi Kev- I know you still own those tiger moths and mosquitoes… 😀 should they be in the RAF museum?
Nope no idea Tsgh, must have been another blonde moment of mine 😉
blond moment…:D
stay of Meades height issue…. he is like tattoo as you say…
Simultaneous chess DG
Nah Ginge, but i got me a Sopwith Camel….. 😉
😆 Tsgh, Yes boss….
Now Kev this is a man with a unique taste in flying objects….
next time I spot you near Newall Road- Heathrow aeroplane spotting I shall get goonie on to you. 😀
rico – if only diaby had not suffered such an assault what a player he would have being now. Just a pity when you think he has overcame it, then back to square zero
apologies if this was already posted
short highlights of wilshire against everton, not great but better than nothing:
http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/video-jack-wilshere-continues-his-return-from-injury-with-an-assist-for-arsenal-u21s-at-everton/
afternoon gooners.
let’s hope norwich will be looked back upon as our worst performance of the season. it must, really. a win tomorrow gives us control of our group which will help solve rotation issues that hindered us on saturday.
one point i’ve wanted to make about the match before moving on regards ramsey. i’ve read some rather unflattering comments about the welshman after this latest performance, most of which saying he simply isn’t good enough for arsenal and never will be. regardless of any level of truth in that sentiment, i don’t understand some fans attitude towards aaron as i’ve yet to see him have a substandard outing (relative to the rest of the squad) this season OR last (of course, i’m open to disagreement).
we’ll never truly know how the injury has affected him but i feel as though supporters are harsh on the kid who was responsible for our last victory over the 8-2 brigade. not to say we should live on that but when the team is ticking he has shown he at least has the raw ingredients to make it in this league, however, my feeling for some time now is that he is better suited for a 4-4-2.
1-0 down on the road we need a player who can take defenders out of the play by either beating them 1v1 or with intelligent movement. we also need to counter quickly and efficiently. i don’t think he excels at any of the above, particularly against a 8 defenders. what he does better than anyone in the squad (with the exception of jack maybe) is RUN and RUN often. for this reason i think he, like theo, should come off the bench against tired legs for the most part. and if i’m terribly off here correct me but i really think the two reasons we ‘rely’ on him the way we do is wenger’s obsession with youth and the fact that we are still short in midfield.
none of this to he is a bad player. i’m a fan personally, and people seem to forget he’s still 21. i just think at this stage of his career he is not *quite* good enough for the starting minutes he’s had this season. for someone his age that is far from an insult. a healthy squad will bring about competition for game time and that’s exactly what he needs. i’d also really like to see him take after arteta and develop his passing range. tack on a bit more confidence and we’d have ourselves quite a player.
i know some of this has been mentioned before so sorry for the babble but it’s done with love =P
ps- chavs in ukraine today is a facinating fixture. personally, i don’t think they’re as good or deep as advertised but, hey, i’ve been wrong once or twice before.
ha ha ha Rico.
How was your afternoon tea with tea biscuits? 😀
Ginge, plane spotting, train spotting, not for me mate.
I used to do a few airshows.
But yes, i do like me aeroplanes… 😉
Now i await a comment from me ol’ mucker Mick… 🙂
1727, those are some very well thought through comments.
Like you, i don’t think Aaron is as bad as he is painted.
I know that in many cases it’s a matter of preference, and with that in mind, i never rated Song, but there ya go…
Gotta say, that i totally agree with your point that he is more effective coming off of the bench…
BG1727 I agree with you on the chavs performances. I think if we had won or drawn against them or should I say if Diaby had not come off when he did their season would have turned out very differently.
It comes down to factors such as playing 2 crucial away games in a row and then playing them when they have had an extra day to re-coup.
against the spuddies for instance they were lucky in the sense that Bale’s mrs went into labour right before kick-off. that will mess up any teams balance. Then again we could not even beat Norwich so….
Podolski: “I think in each of the past two or three games I played against #Schalke I’ve scored, so I quite like playing against them.”
John Cross@johncrossmirror
#afc Wenger says Arsenal over Norwich defeat and will focus on Schalke. Koscielny only player back in squad. Wilshere not in squad
Wenger says there’s a chance Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere will make his long-awaited return from injury against QPR
Agree emma, I do wish AW would be more open about players injuries, what exactly is wrong with Diaby, Rosicky and Ches for that matter…
My cuppa was lovely thanks but no biscuits Tsgh…
Twitter rumour;
Arsenal are reportedly deep in talks with Anderlecht as they look to seal a deal to sign Argentine midfielder Lucas Biglia.
Hi b1727..
I must be alone in my view about Chelsea, I think they will win the PL…
ak- i rate aaron, i really do. i think players like him thrive when the team is playing well and when digging deep is the only remedy to an otherwise bland performance ar is not the soltion (again, yet). i don’t want to blame the break but it took its toll and for that reason a win against a strong shalke side can get us back on track.
tsgh – totally agree i think diaby and bale absences hurt both performances. we still deserved at least a point but cant blame our keeper issues on anyone but ourselves. spuds would have lost regardless =P
Silly me though Biglia was a winger, who was that winger we were strongly linked to in the summer?
Biglia is another over rated midfielder in the style of Ramsey. What would he bring to this team? He is neither a DM or an AM nor a winger
hey rico and that is interesting. without drogba they just seem short to me and their back line is suspect. we will certainly have a better idea this time next week. mata has been very impressive..
and rico do you mean the russian kid dzagoev?
Not him b17127, was an older guy though, might have to trawl back… I understand what you mean about Drog, but isn’t it suspect that they will get Falcao in jan…
Kev, I was diagnosed with Anoraknaphobia in my early 20’s, accepted it, no big deal matey.
Agree Tsgh re Biglia, Arsenal would be too big a step up for him, not for me neither.
rico, you thinking of Jesus.
Ah, Navas, could be Micko, thanks….
howdy folks, what’s new?
hey TSGH, how re ya? how’s sorry( i did that on purpose) this afternoon? having fun?
hey mama bear, dreaming about jesus huh? well its all good as long as you don’t keep getting lost in theo’s eyes am all for it. yeaaaah its so great to be alive guys. am thankful!
Isco & Holtby from Malaga and Schalke respectively were mentioned in the transfer as well.
If I read between the lines since Slayerday many are fed up with the many hats Wenger is wearing most predominant the Salesman & Preacher. That causes friction in priorities.
Hi goonie, no, not at all, just couldn’t remember his name..
Hi Dg, didn’t Holtby say he would sign for us at the drop of a hat?
ESPN are showing 2001/02 PL review – those were the days eh…..
tell me about it maam….what a team we had back then. wiltord, henry, kanu, bergy and bobby pires. boy what i ll give to go back in time and see those guys play live. bummer.
Why Bligia? Another midget from Tolkien’s fiction of imagination that has extraordinary talents deemed crucial in Orks battles.
Why not imposing figures like Belhanda or Pastore. Talents that bring Diaby-esque influence to our game and have a good fitness c.v.
hahahahaah very funny DG10 like we can afford pastore! oh please,
They were good goonie…
Agree there Dg
Rico I thought you dropped info recently on Holtby stating he and his family being Evertonians.
rico i do agree if they get falcao in jan it could be a done deal but who knows. if they get him for 30m+ i will have no faith in ffp whatsoever.
Goonie 😛 Quality isn’t expensive, its priceless. 😉
guys even if we get pele maradona and messi it wont work. teams will still park the bus against us. what we really need is a drastic change in tactics. we need to over haul how we play. i still believe we have the personel what is lacking is the tactics…….end of. is carzola, jw, verm,kozzer and verm not class? what about poldi, giroud and in rico’s case theo not up to the task? we need to move the ball faster when we get it from the opposition. this tiki taka thingy only make us look too easy to play against.
we dont have no plan B. teams just set out to defend deep against us and what kills me is that we have pace to burn. we can wrap it up in 30 mins if we unleash them on quick counter attacks. salvo upon salvo will make them think twice about closing us down. we need to change tactics. PERIOD. rant over.
Off to get dinner… Back in a while..
mmmmm what chu having maam? am starved.
Valid points and arguments Goonie. Just too tired of repeating them myself. I’m at a point where I say if there’s no intention of changing approach surely there’s a solution in outsourcing expertise on to the pitch. I want a squad that has community intelligence, self-acting when circumstances diverge from pre-cooked instructions.
hi goonie…
Emma- Thanks for the highlights, nice viewing.
Poor touch from Miquel. Eisfeld looks sharp and is on the brink of a call up. TB said he is an intelligent player,technically good and hardly misses around the penalty area.
JW looks like he is getting into the groove. I would give him one more game, before being drafted into the starting line up.
I do not know which team will turn up tomorrow. Our level of professionalism is poor. The Chavs are always business like, and rarely have problems with complacency.
I agree with you Rico – Chavs are favourites; with Utd and City batlling for runners up. We are in a dog fight with Spurs, Scousers and Everton for 4th place.
The question remains whether AW can motivate and fuel this group????
His belief in them although commendable, has failed us Gooners.
A few more should have been sold rather than constantly getting the benefit of doubt……
A must read for folks keen on stats
http://www.eplindex.com/20469/team-improved-season-points-goals-analysis.html
I am not so sure of the goals conceded section as after 6 matches last year we had conceded 12 more goals instead. The rest is accurate
Holtby is an Everton fan Dg, but back in the summer he said he would sign for us 🙂
b1727 – all depends on the financial state of Falcao’s club I guess…
Evening guys and gals….
a117, if Wenger can’t motivate them, we have to hope Bould can….
Some believe Chelsea aren’t playing very well, maybe they are not but they are winning and that’s what gets points. When they start playing well will be the time to really worry 🙁
See what they do against Citeh and Manure I guess, that will tell us a lot…
What do you think the media will say when we put in a fab performance tomorrow?
I am always positive about our home champions league matches. We haven’t lost since Gibbs lost his footing in that semi-final in 2009. One of the best home records in europe.
COYGs
Rico Holtby supports Arsenal its his dad who is a scouser who supports Everton. 😉
Mick 5.28; God bless you….
Rico, pronto, 😀
Any scores?
I’m listening to my CD’s….
Just checked…… 😆
Hope it lasts….
manure 1 down
chavs 1 down too
Arsenal Appoints Ex-Locog Head As Its New Retail Director
Tue 23rd Oct 2012 | Football Club Management
Arsenal Football Club has appointed Simon Lilley as its new Retail Director.
Lilley joins from his previous role as Head of Licensing and Retail at LOCOG, where he was responsible for running the highly successful licensing programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Prior to joining LOCOG, Lilley spent ten years with adidas, working across their sports apparel and footwear businesses, before joining UEFA as their Senior Manager for Licensing and Retail, helping to negotiate the appointment of adidas as a worldwide sponsor and licensee for EURO 2008 alongside the development of its global product range.
Lilley’s appointment follows the departure of Retail Director Nick Peel, who left in August after spending two years with the Club. During this time, Arsenal relaunched its online and mobile retail arms and opened a new flagship store at Brent Cross Shopping Centre.
Speaking about the appointment, Arsenal Football Club Chief Commercial Officer, Tom Fox, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Simon has decided to join Arsenal. His track record in delivering outstanding commercial revenues for global sports brands and developing multi-channel retail businesses is second to none.”
“Our retail division has made enormous strides recently and we hope that Simon will help us to continue shaping and evolving our retail strategy as we look to identify further opportunities to grow our retail operations both online and internationally.”
Lilley will start his new role with Arsenal on 19 November 2012.
Adidas shirt sponsoring on the horizon???
That is ingenious on IG’s part. Good bargaining chip
manure 2 down yesss
Kev – Pronto 🙂
Tsgh, not according to Wikki 😉
Ginge, we have a hell of a long way to go to catch up the other’s as far as our commercial activities are concerned.
And this guy sounds like he’s the dog’s bollox, in that dept…
That’s commercial activities and not Fido’s testicles, to be clear!
Mick, i’m looking at you…..
You sure its not a new boot deal Kev, from Lilley & Skinner 😆
Ginge, it just gets better and better, finger’s crossed….
Manure home or away??
My Fido is a young lady Kev 🙂
Rico, 😆
Don’t tell Agag, she’s hoping we get boot sponsorship from Jimmy Choo… 🙂
I know Rico, i meant Fido’s in general….. 😉
Barca one down a home to Celtic…..
Morning all.
I know you knew Ak 🙂
Hey, Arsenal fans, Benik Afobe has just scored for Bolton Wanderers! #BWFC #AFC
Ah ok but this is front the horses mouth day…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20035693
……
“It was a great result to win against our biggest rivals,” said Holtby of the win over Dortmund. “And it gave us much confidence to play against Arsenal on Wednesday.
“I think it will be a similar game to the one against Dortmund. Arsenal have a lot of pace, good football quality and of course a great football stadium with a big crowd so it will be difficult. But we are ready for the challenge and happy to play there.
“For me it was always a dream to play in the Premier League and it was always a team like Arsenal that I would like to play for. Now I play for Schalke and I am happy to be here.
“My agent is there to handle the rumours. I want to put all my concentration on football. I’m a Schalke player and I cannot be fussed in my head with other clubs who want to sign me or whatever. That’s not my interest. I want to have a good season with Schalke and give my best each week and if my head is with other clubs or the Premier League or England then I would not be myself.”
Hi Scott, it’ll never last….
Good find allezkev – Lilley may be a good signing.
Barca losing….. 😎
Weird…..
Some funny scores.
Hope they stay weird…
Kev very true on the commercials etc. On the other hand liver-poo will not get that £120m shirt deal again as that deal was signed on the back of their champions league win.
flipping 2-1 to manure
But Everton are like us now Tsgh 😉
I would love us to sign him, if AW had any balls he’d go and offer a sensible price in Jan and not wait for him to be free to leave and go anywhere else….
I see Cleverley is learning his trade……..diving is just becoming more and more common place.
Luckily,the ref was awake.
Haha Rico 😀 I have heard that before recently on my fave radio show 😉 re us being like Everton
I am sure Arsene is on it because Holtby is a poor mans Julian Draxler if you like. The only issue is AW may think he is too similar to JW10.
When asked about him on the far east tour, when rumours claimed he was close to joining Arsenal, AW did his usual fake responds like he did not know him and then said we have not made a bid..
That is normally what he does when he is interested
Hi scott…
Classic….Celtics striker cops a challenge,goes and stays down.
The commentators say “if you want to win a bet,bet this guy will be booked for time wasting during this game,especially if Celtic are still leading”.
Then they show another replay,and the guy rolls his ankle badly…suddenly…..this will be huge if he has to come off,as he he is so,mportant to them!!
No apology,no backdown….arseholes.
Rau Le Creuset@RauLeCreuset
Bet #mufc fans are wishing Webb was on the pitch
Arsenal Appoints Ex-Locog Head As Its New Retail Director
So at board level it’s imperative to select rain makers/ power brokers to strengthen commerce channels. But when it comes to players……… can’t even be bothered to summarize.
At least we appear on Ceefax as top sport topic, blowing its last breath today.
Oh,and He nas now been replaced!!!
By he, mean Samaras.
G’day Ginge.
Enjoy guys….i am off to work,so will drop in later..
Kev-McpurpleNose may knock on your door after that comment…:D
Rico is Webb really from Old Trafford? re your post last week.
Fingers crossed on Holtby then Tsgh, AW thought Sahin was like Jack too, didn’t stop him trying to sign him though and we would have done but for the silly money he wanted… 🙂
Ginge, that old bastard doesn’t worry me.
Mick scares me though….. 😉
😆 – i thought no-one noticed that bit of irony Tsgh …. Lancs somewhere I think…
Wow! What a goal. 2-1 to #crewealex . Chuks Aneke with clever ball and Byron Moore beat his man and chipped the keeper. Love it.
http://twitter.com/KJ_Huntelaar/status/260822629391425536/photo/1
Well said Dg…
Wojciech Szczesny
Keeper
22
30.06.2014
12.500.000 £
14.000.000 €
Stellar Football Ltd
Lukasz Fabianski
Keeper
27
30.06.2013
2.200.000 £
2.500.000 €
MWS Sport-und Musikmarketing
Vito Mannone
Keeper
24
30.06.2014
650.000 £
750.000 €
Familienangehöriger
Per Mertesacker
Centre Back
28
30.06.2015
12.500.000 £
14.000.000 €
Soccer and more
Thomas Vermaelen
Centre Back
26
30.06.2015
16.500.000 £
18.500.000 €
SEG
Laurent Koscielny
Centre Back
27
30.06.2017
16.000.000 £
18.000.000 €
In Überprüfung
Sébastien Squillaci
Centre Back
32
30.06.2013
1.300.000 £
1.500.000 €
Alain Migliaccio
Johan Djourou
Centre Back
25
30.06.2015
5.300.000 £
6.000.000 €
Costa Bonato
André Santos
Fullback, left
29
30.06.2015
6.600.000 £
7.500.000 €
EUROPE SPORTS GROUP
Kieran Gibbs
Fullback, left
23
30.06.2014
4.400.000 £
5.000.000 €
SEM Group plc.
Bacary Sagna
Fullback, right
29
30.06.2014
16.500.000 £
19.000.000 €
GROUPE USM
Carl Jenkinson
Fullback, right
20
30.06.2015
875.000 £
1.000.000 €
Francis Coquelin
Defensive Midfield
21
30.06.2015
2.600.000 £
3.000.000 €
firsteleven ISM
Emmanuel Frimpong
Defensive Midfield
20
30.06.2013
1.300.000 £
1.500.000 €
Ohne Berater
Abou Diaby
Central Midfield
26
30.06.2015
4.400.000 £
5.000.000 €
Ungeklärt
Mikel Arteta
Central Midfield
30
30.06.2015
13.000.000 £
14.500.000 €
Grupo Santos Idub
Jack Wilshere
Central Midfield
20
30.06.2016
19.500.000 £
22.000.000 €
Base Soccer Agency Ltd
Aaron Ramsey
Central Midfield
21
30.06.2016
10.000.000 £
11.500.000 €
Base Soccer Agency Ltd
Tomás Rosicky
Attacking Midfield
32
30.06.2014
3.100.000 £
3.500.000 €
International Sport Management, s.r.o.
Santi Cazorla
Attacking Midfield
27
30.06.2016
17.500.000 £
20.000.000 €
Serge Gnabry
Right Wing
17
–
Lukas Podolski
Left Wing
27
30.06.2016
17.500.000 £
20.000.000 €
PM
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Left Wing
19
30.06.2017
12.000.000 £
13.500.000 €
Mondial Sport Management & Consulting Sarl
Gervinho
Left Wing
25
30.06.2015
12.500.000 £
14.000.000 €
New Star Sport Promotion
Theo Walcott
Right Wing
23
30.06.2013
16.500.000 £
19.000.000 €
Key Sports Managment Ltd.
Andrey Arshavin
Secondary Striker
31
30.06.2013
7.900.000 £
9.000.000 €
Dr. Oliver Wendt & Tomas Zorn
Olivier Giroud
Centre Forward
26
30.06.2017
13.000.000 £
15.000.000 €
PROMOTION SPORT CONSULTING SA
Marouane Chamakh
Centre Forward
28
30.06.2014
4.800.000 £
5.500.000 €
Mondial Promotion
Average age: 25.70 Years
This one is for Ginge;
http://twitter.com/scott_brooks1/status/260829707635924992/photo/1
Very impressive research-Kev
Well micko is a ….. man 😀
Rico- The FA will be writing to you for fooling me…:D
you crazy man Kev. lmao…
what do you guys think of wayanma so far…
I can’t claim the credit Ginge….
Cut and Pasted from;
http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/arsenal-fc/kader/verein_11.html
Wayanma, wasn’t he linked to us in August?
Never seen him tbh, any good Ginge?
Rico don’t get me wrong. It’s important to have such heavyweights battling our marketing/retail advances and needs and wants. While at the same time feels like we build a sales force to sell a product that still is in development cycles to reach maturity.
chavs 2 down..
yesss
He is playing against the marcas tonight…
I dont think he is better than what we have in that position technically but grit-wise similar to Le coq
DG10 well put at 8:58pm. To the board they are playing lets hang in there until 2014 but the fans are having enough…
nite guys i need to get some work ready before tomorrow…
Good Night Ginge.
T-shirt in the post… 🙂
TSGH I have my moments of brilliance. 😉
See we need samba canaries to beat the likes of Chelsea. Donestk have 9 Brazilians as their first 11. 🙂
Are there CL highlights on ITV tonight Rico..?
Nite General Montgomery.
Ha ha Tsgh re the FA… Night to you, have a good evening…
Couldn’t agree more Dg, we need the right people from top to bottom, and certainly on the pitch. Great results will make the rest much easier and we will get better deals…. if we are winning…
Perhaps one of the top brand energy drinks would be tempted to sponsor us. After Saturday it’s clear the players need a dose or two…
I think so Ak, certainly the goals are usually on maybe the 2,3 or 4 itv channels though
Rico what about those PlusPro caffeine pills the 3 lions use? I heard they are taken anally.
I’m heading off for the day too guys, it’s near my bedtime 😉
Have a good evening and catch up tomorrow…
Night all.
Night Rico….
😆 Dg, I heard the England team too them, but not that way …
Right, gone now….
Soldado got a hat-trick….
Rocky, i think you might be right about him mate…
Rico it raises a question though. Did the board acquisition a rain maker as they expect the performances aren’t enough to drive a hard bargain?
Nite madam.
Kev on NN today an article translated from Spanish papers. Saying Falcao is Madrid bound and Benzema being sold to balance the books and thin the strikers overhead. We were mentioned as suitors for the Frenchman.
Bollocks Barfa win in Fergie time. 2-1 by Jordi Alba.
Lucky, Lucky, Lucky, Barcalona
I always rated Benzema, Dutch…
But do you think that the Septic One will allow a quality player to join Arsenal???
I don’t think we’ll get him, not least because of the wages he would require…
But i hope i’m totally wrong…
No I do not re Septic One. Wages? Do you think the new retailer signed for a bag of beans and the provisional bag of crisps as a bonus. No me neither.
And with bombshell, i shall depart, have my cocoa, and watch Champions League Extra…
Adios Dutch….
Btw Benzema is sponsored by Adidas. Could it be…….. nahhhhhh.
‘that’ bombshell…. 🙄
Gone now
Really Dutch…..!
Adidas…..?
Benzema…..???
Nahhhhhhh…..
Night
Nite Kev. Buenos Luna.
Morning all…
Morning all…
New Post up