Morning all.
First up, well done to the Arsenal Checkatrade team, great start to this new competition for them. 3-0 against a Coventry side which fielded a number of senior players is something to be pleased about. The only disappointment was not being able to watch it live on the Arsenal Player or television. I’m not sure who’s up next but I hope it’s available for viewing.
Unai Emery has gone through another Press Conference and there’s little doubt he’s got the gist of what the English media are like. Dogs with bones. They have a question, maybe two or more and they want them answered. Too bad eh because this one wasn’t going to be. Rightly so. If someone from the Mirror, Mail, Sky Sports or wherever want to know what Ivan Gazidis next move is, ask him and don’t waste time asking the Arsenal head coach as Emery practically told them to do. Twice during the same conference which the Spaniard was quick to point out too. Ridiculous, just as the suggestion of Emery telling the ground staff not to water the pitch before the City game is.
This story about Gazidis and AC Milan has been rumbling on for months now but as yet, nothing confirming or denying the reports has come out of the club. No smoke without fire was the immediate reaction I suspect although I thought it was all poppycock because the timing didn’t make sense. Now though, I’m not so sure. In fact I reckon he’s off if the price is right. For Ivan and AC I mean. So what eh? Someone else replaces him, maybe Josh Kroenke, maybe someone different. Ivan Gazidis is no David Dein is he?
Aaron Ramsey might be following Gazidis to Italy apparently, well again, so what? As I wrote the other day, players come and go and if Ramsey thinks the grass is greener elsewhere then good luck to him. Who comes in is more important. Perhaps no one will, not from the outside. Not when Smith-Rowe is knocking on the door. I’m guessing. Because like most of us, I’ve no idea. We’ve Maitland-Niles to come back too.
Nacho Monreal was talked about by Emery too, he wants the leftback to sign a new deal. Funny how things change. Once it was thirty and out, now being thirty two matters not. Nor does being older, as is the case with Lichtsteiner. Experience is required and neither of these two players look past it yet. Far from it. Mesut Ozil was mentioned yesterday too. He often will be I guess but right now it’s for the wrong reasons. His performances, which haven’t been particularly great. Emery maintains he’s working hard, he’s happy and we’ll see the best of him soon. Something along those lines anyway. Newcastle away isn’t his kind of game I’d have thought. We’re going to need a bit of sleeve rolling in an upward direction, a bit of digging in and a bit of fight. Not literally of course, mind you you never know when Shelvey is in the opposing team. Newcastle are another team who like Cardiff City, are yet to win a game. They’ve lost to Man City, Chelsea and the Tiny Totts, 2-1 on each occasion which would suggest they didn’t roll over easily. Joselu Is their danger-man, Diame too but I’m sure Emery will know that. In fact he’ll probably know much about the side we face tomorrow at 3PM but his biggest challenge is to get his players to carry out his game plan. Benitez played five at the back against Chelsea in their last match at St James Park so my guess is we’ll face a similar setup tomorrow although Rafa might fancy his chances against our defence which has looked all at sea so far this season so maybe he’ll be a bit more adventurous.
Will Bernd Leno finally get his chance, will Torreira start for the first time, will someone actually offer some support to Bellerin on the right and Monreal on the left? Will Arsenal for the first time this season keep a clean sheet…? So many questions.
Still, it’s POETS day today and proper football is back tomorrow. What other reason do you need to be cheerful?
I’m packing my bags ready to go home so I’m not cheerful, not one bit.
Morning Rico. It does seem strange that, after years of waiting for Wenger to go, appointing Emery and speaking about the future so positively, that Gazidis should want to move on. There must be something happening at the club that he feels threatened by I imagine. Still, there’s plenty of dodgy money swilling around in Italy and nobody there seems interested in paying tax.
Drive carefully on your way home.
.
.
.
.
Good morning Rico, end of the hols? Never mind there’s always next year.
On Gazidis, I feel that he has fulfilled his mission. Wenger gone, and a decent replacement in, the club hierarchy has been up-graded and a proper management structure put in place. Sooner or later the boy Josh will want a more hands on role so Ivan can see the writing on the wall. Get out now, on his own terms, or wait around for the inevitable axe? AC Milan looks a no brainer.
.
.
.
.
Lovely autumnal morning here in Norfolk, a five mile walk and a pub lunch is today’s programme.
Tough life, Cicero 🙂
Morning all.
Thank goodness Football is back!
What a boring two weeks it’s been.
The Newcastle game could see us beaten, or really touch them up.
I’m hoping for the latter 🙂
.
.
.
.
A tough life for sure Scott, after a very pleasant walk around Ranworth and Malthouse broads, a wherryman’s lunch at the Granary coffee shop, which, luckily enough, sells bottled beers so 500 mls of Adnams Southwold Bitter. Luvvly jubbly.
Evening all and thanks Rico………………………….I hate the international breaks, thank fcuk proper football is back !
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dm5anRrXgAEy0Hh.jpg
And for your information the next Checkatrade Trophy game is Cheltenham Town away on Tuesday 30th October…………………………….we play all our group games away and the top two of a 4 team group qualify……………………..we currently sit second as Forest Green Rovers beat Cheltenham in first game 4-0………………some tough opposition there ! 🙂
Forest Green away ( Wednesday November 7th @ 19:00 ) will be just up the road from you Rico…………………how about an in game commentry ?
🙂
Forest Green is miles from me Lc…
Morning guys..
Morning Rico. Welcome back. 🙂
Morning Adam, thank you. I’m already looking forward to the next time…
Morning guys-it’s match day 🙂
Cicero, I hope you enjoyed those cleansing ales!!
Rico, I’m dying for a holiday!
Of course, the lad is heading to The Netherlands on Monday, and we can only have one jet setter in the family so I’ll have to be happy with a trip to work each day lol
We can roll Newcastle if the defence holds up-fingers crossed!!!
Then take one Scott.. 😜
I’d love to, Rico!!
Nah, I have to take 3 weeks off at Xmas so it’s a little difficult to take any time off during the year.
I’d be happy with a weekend away fishing.
I wonder if the media will be as critical of Totts after their humiliation as they were us against City….
I doubt that Rico. Liverpool were wasteful in the extreme. It could have been 4 or 5.
We really have to win this afternoon I reckon.
Our team for today:
1 Cech (c)
2 Bellerin
20 Mustafi
5 Sokratis
18 Monreal
34 Xhaka
29 Guendouzi
8 Ramsey
10 Ozil
14 Aubameyang
9 Lacazette
Spuds were totally dominated.
I saw Adam, they were awful.
We are struggling too aren’t we?
Awful first half
Awful… at 13th minute 4 corners for Newcastle… at the end 2 shots for Arsenal 0 on target…
I have the idea we always play with 10 or always someone is missing…
JM, has Aubameyang touched the ball yet 🙂 🙂
Aftrenoon all.
I predicted 2-3 to the Arsenal on Soccer Six, so far I seem to have got it wrong, but I’ll settle for a wonder strike from Xhaka making it 1-0 to the arse!
Cloudy here but not cold…..yet!
We do like making things harder than they need to be.
Nelson scored for Hoffenheim.
1-2.
In my opinion, we were always above the game, except for the first 15 minutes.
We always suffer a goal … and I don’t understand why.
We always play with the same team and the replaces are identical. We have more players, haven’t we?
I can not understand why we have so many corners against, but with the ball always passing by Cesc and Cesc kicking it to corner, does not scare.
Wavy, I went for 1-3..
Shame we couldn’t keep a clean sheet but….
Cesc Jm? Lol
Evening all and good to see the two maligned ( not by me as I like them both ) players score and they will be my players of the day just behind Michel Vorm ! 🙂
About time they did something useful Lc.. lol
We had to win and we did. Well done to the team.
Agree there..
Evening all, I’ve been incommunicado all afternoon and have just learnt the good news about the result. How nice to read that two of the most maligned players in the squad did the business. Well done to Granit and Mesut.
But we’re they any good for the rest of the game I wonder.. lol
Should show highlights…………………………..
http://hoofoot.com/?match=Newcastle_United_1_-_2_Arsenal_2018_09_15
Just watched MotD and think Pep will be putting in a big offer for Cech and Mustafi for their building possesion play from the back !………………
😆
Morning all.
Newcastle has two red hot chances, and both were caused by Mustafi’s absolute failiure to read crosses, totally misreading the flight of the ball leaving an open headed from close range.
The first wasn’t a great header but did bring a fine save from Cech and the second ended up in the back of the net.
If you see the replay, I’m surely you’ll all agree but he misreads them so poorly, I honestly wonder if his eyesight is ok.
It was that bad.
Other than that he was pretty decent any can we put this idea Sokratis has no pace to bed-he showed plenty of toe on one or two occasions saving the day.
We should’ve won without incident,but we did have a few heart racing minutes at the end-typical Arsenal lol
Still, we are a work in progress and after 5 games, I reckon 3 wins is very decent return for Emery.
I reckon Torreira on the pitch makes Xhaka much better as the defensive duties are eased on him and his creativity comes to the fore.
Torreira could be the man we’ve been waiting 10-15 years for!!
Some of the sides we’ve had during that period would have been much more potent with this guy.
Better late than never, and one of Arsenes most vivid failings was finding a player like this.
NOT finding a player like this, that should read.
Morning. Sokratis has legs, speedy ones…
Morning Rico and all. I was amazed to see the speed with which Sokratis covered the ground.
Morning Adam, I think he’s starting to find his feet. His recovery for Mustafi was really smart, and very very quick.
New post up now..