Morning all,
Well can you believe it, on such a day too, news breaks that a ‘Middle Eastern Consortium’, who do not want their identity made public yet, are planning to make a £1.5bn bid for our club.
A ‘source’ has Telegraph Sport the intention is to buy out our two major shareholders, although their is suggestion that the group would be prepared to work with Alisher Usmanov should he not wish to take up any offer made to him.
The cash offer, which is more than twice the amount at which Arsenal were valued two years ago and if successful, would wipe out debts that stand at around £250 million according to the last full year’s financial results.
According to a bid source, there would be substantial transfer funds made available to transform the club into a major force in European and world football. There would also be a pledge to reduce ticket prices at the Emirates Stadium — currently among the highest in the world — as well as an attempt to recreate “some of the feel of the old North Bank” at Highbury.
Well well, what do we make of that then?
Stan Kroenke has maintained that he and his family are at Arsenal for a very long time, surely if any offer of such magnitude came along, he take the money and run?
If this news is true, and if any such bid is successful, I guess today will be the last time the Totts have any kind of chance of beating us! 😉
Which takes me nicely into today’s fixture….
It’s North London Derby Day, a day when only Red & White matters. There is only room enough for one great club in this side of London and that’s us!!
You want some statistics?
Well here is one, the only one you are getting:
Bale: 19 goals in 32 appearances
Walcott: 18 goals in 33 appearances
Nothing between them really, so what’s all the fuss about the Welshman?
They have Lennon, Parker and Adebayor – we have Walcott, Arteta and Giroud!
They have Lloris in goal, we have Szczesny – ok they might sneak that one but he’s known to make the odd gaff.
They have Vertonghen, Walker and Dawson – we have Vermaelen, Jenkinson and Monreal!
They have Sigurdsson, Dembele and Holtby – we have Rosicky, Cazorla and Wilshere!
They have Bale – we have Santi Cazorla!!
I could go on, seriously guys, we match them, in fact we better them, we have no need to fear them.
Forget Champions League football, forget what has gone by this season for just one day and focus on PRIDE!!
Pride for the shirt.
Pride for the club.
Pride for the fans.
And Pride for yourself and you team-mates.
Whoever Wenger selects today needs to go out onto the turf at SHL, do all those things and know that the 12th man up in the stands will be right behind you.
They usually are, regardless.
Give them something special today, give us all something very special.
Three points and a double over them this season….
Let’s hope it’s a great day for the good guys…..
boo
Boo hoo!
Morning all…..
Are we playing today??
Keown has struck back at the ‘Jack could leave to win trophies’
He writes, ‘Bale could leave to win trophies’
😆
we’ll be taking to the pitch whether they actually play or not is anyones guess hahah
Morning all,
I read an article that the Asian’s warn there is no better time for Stan to sell as they see Arsenal in a decline from here on in. 400m profit now surely must be better than what Stan can earn from Arsenal over 5 years.
I still believe there’s no such thing as a free lunch, so hopefully we are weiry of these new players in the market promising the world.
I’ll still be happy with a draw today. Tottenham and Bale are on form lately so this will be a tough one to win at their ground.
We better do more than just turn out on the pitch Oz..
I’d take a draw right now too Brad, but we can win this if we show a bit of attitude. Oh, and Wenger gets his tactics right….
Morning Brad – they do have the happy knack of stuffing the big games though and that is long set in their history now so on that note 2-1 to us Walcott and Pod
Morning Rico,
I’m in a very optimistic mood this morning.
Personally, while i can see how a middle east consortium could help propel the club, I do not like the idea of our club being owned by such an outfit. For so many years the club has held itself up as a beacon of austerity while other clubs that we all hate have been bought by billionaires; to sell now would imo cause the club to lose part of its identity. With money already available lets destroy spurs today and take the world by storm over the next few years.
followed quickly by a Wenger press conference telling everybody “today (forgetting the last 8 years and the 21 point gap) we showed the world how good we are. I have been saying it all along”!! haha
Morning Rohan
My philosophy is, if we are to be owned by someone foreign, let’s be owned by someone with money, desire, vision and ambition…
Kroenke is none of those imho….
right with ya rico
Morning all
Good post rico…looks simple when said like that..
anyway
it the arabs are coming,
with the promise of ticket reductions
prehaps we all should wait,
before renewing season and membership costs.
If true and stan can see no one renewing,
surely he will grab the profit and head back across,
the
…POND….
No way should we become another Arab oil rich club like Man City the thought of it is literally repulsive, we have Usamov already, hopefully he will in time gain more influence and work with the current board. I can’t believe some gooners are even up for this, shows how desperate we are.
Yes, a beacon of austerity that charges it’s fans the highest prices and wins nothing. The Arsenal that I grew up with vanished a long time ago. Arsenal don’t exist in some cloud-world vacuum. Chelsea, Man City and Man Utd are our big PL rivals and they won’t be standing still. They have huge financial clout. Others are likely to follow too. The club is already in decline and has been for years now.
Thanks fred, I hope he heads off to find the ducks 😉
watch out bale will not shine today. walcot will hack spurs!
Why Dan, why would anyone want things to stay as there are?
So Falcao might yet be tempted in the summer Adam 😉
As the saying go’s dan..
if you can’t beat um..
join um.
Rico. I would imagine there are many hurdles to overcome yet before that could happen. Anyway I thought we already had enough in the kitty to buy him. 🙂
That’s how football has gone fred, don’t like it much, but that’s tough and I have to agree.
If we stay as we are, we are going to end up a mid-table club…
Morning all. My concern for today is that they’ll be right up for it and we’ll bottle it. My confidence is low but my hopes are sky high. As you said we are better than them in most areas so we are capable of winning, they just need the stones to go out and make us proud!
AFC have denied any takeover bid.
Err, didn’t the group say they are ‘planning a bid’ not made a bid…
Yes Adam, we could afford him now and we would sign him if we had ambition…. 🙁
Surely to get to the point of telling the world they plan to make a bid for us, they must have plans sorted on their side. Now to take the next step…
My fear for today is that we will need to score 3 goals as we will surely gift them at least a couple.
Avb,will approach this game with caution,
he is a defencesive minded coach I think
the two games he has managed teams against us
we scored five.
So lets hope its his arse thats making buttons.
Rico. Surely it will all depend on whether we get in the top 4 as that is as good as a trophy. Better in fact. If we do then it will prove that Arsenal has achieved it’s ambition and we don’t need any more players as we already have too many. If we don’t then we won’t be able to attract the better players and then we can start building with young French and African players.
hey… the arab oil guys should stay away from arsenal. now we’re about to get our acts back they come… next season is ours- without arab oil buyers, of course!
I personally guarantee victory today.
Why, well let us look at the facts.
Fact 1…..i am interstate.
Fact 2…..our room has no Foxtel.
Fact 3…..the kick off, 2.45am my time means nowhere is open on a monday morning to watch it.
Fact 4…..even if there were somewhere to watch, the early flight home my beloved has booked tomorrow means going out and watching it would be very tough indeed anyway.
Fact 5….nope, that’s it.
The facts add up and say one thing….i am going to miss one hell of a football match!!
I can’t remember the last one i missed.
Morning all.
Be confident.
Be brave.
Keep the faith.
I am talking to you, the fans.
Bg, don’t fear, Merse says we won’t lose
Adam 😆
If and when Stan sells, let us all prey it is to a long term Arsenal fan, not someone who wants to brag about his new toy!!
Agree withDan, 10.31. Is this for real? I think it’s a case of premature…….April Fools jokes!
I’ll believe it when I see it!
Today. We can win, we must win, but will we?
Here’s hoping. We need Peter Storey to kick lumps out of Bale, that would slow him down a bit and give us better than half a chance!
I don’t know Adam, some reports suggest the offer will be on the table regardless in a few weeks, but should we slide down the table afterwards, a second offer will not ever be made, it’s a ‘one off’.
kene,
What are the club doing to suggest ‘we are about to get our act back’??
Hi Scott – that’s not good….
We don’t need to be going down to ten men Wavy….
who knows- bale might pull a hamstring or misfire all his shots or help us guide a poorly taken spot kick into their own net. a blend of these will make my day
Signs of desperation their kene, relying on their errors to get victory, you missed them getting a player sent off…
Not happy Rico, not at all.
Still, i will sleep safe on the knowledge of waking up to great news.
Get in there lads!!
Wish I shared your confidence Scott…
AFC has lost its British ownership practically forever; the wealthiest Brit is an Indian…think Blackburn and choks! Argh!
Rather foreign with stars and trophies than SS and Wenger anyday…that’s simpler than common sense.
If the foreign owner(s) are fans that’s a bonus. Don’t care if they’d treat it a toy so long as it’s a longer term toy. Well, Roman still owns Chelsea and still wants to win…
The only question is a) if the bid is true; b) SS will sell??
Usman + new owner would be ideal, at this stage of AFC.
You will see Rico.
3-1 and Aaron to get a hat trick.
One day i will be right haha
Useroz, another who believes Roman gives Chelsea money out of love.
Every cent he has put into that club has been a loan!!
I don’t really care about Kroenke, it’s just that middle eastern billions would make us the same as man city. If we were to start spending hundreds of millions on players what would make us any better than the clubs we regularly slate for spending so much. Agreed a board that is willing to spend money would help the club but now that we are supposed to have money to spend is it worth changing the way that the club is run – which, in my opinion, is the right way.
useroz. I’m not sure we would be treated as a toy, but as a proper business.
We’ll be like Harrods, instead of the current Lidil..
Mind you, that is an insult to Lidil really….
Scott there’s no free lunch but Roman did forgive part of the ‘loan’ and turned some into equity. I suppose the point is, is AFC and fans worse off under a new deal/ regime, compared with the SS + Wenger’s ongoing disaster…footballing and as a club. I think we all want to regain some of Arsenal, with minimal sacrifice of core values.
Adam, yes the ticket prices are the highest in the premiership, but regularly buying football tickets has long been out of my price range and a lot football fans of premiership clubs. A price drop may bring down the prices slightly but in all honesty I won’t be able to afford to go to most games – would that be worth becoming a billionaire plaything – imo no.
Not about Aaron Scott 😉
Rohan, what have the owners of Citeh really done that is so wrong?
They don’t appear to interfere with the onfield stuff, they stand by their manager regardless of being knocked out of the CL group two years in succession and we can’t lose sight of how much investment City needed when they arrived.
We don’t need anywhere near that amount invested in us….
Ideally Usmanov would take over, well that’s my ideal solution, but I wouldn’t bet against him being involved in this ME group…
But that is just my view….
Rohan, what it might do though is get other Arsenal fans back into the stadium, those who could finally afford a ticket. Pushing out all these JCL’s who sit looking on and not caring what the result is because they are there on a freebie with a company…
Get the fans back into the stadium get the noise back on the terraces, that’s what a team needs, we lack a 12th man at times, especially at The Emirates…
And with proper investment in this squad, they’d finally have something to cheer about, we all would surely….
Rohan. Well, at the moment a lot of people who can and have spent money on season tickets don’t bother to go because it is boring to watch and they know the club is in decline.it is painful to see it playing out. Kroenke saw what 43,000 looks like first-hand and it will get worse.
Arsenal are already owned by an American billionaire who, as I heard him described this morning, is an established investor in US sporting mediocrity. We can see what has happened since he took over. Is he there because he loves Arsenal? Do me a favour.
I don’t want Kroenke either, ideally I would see an Arsenal Supporters Group takeover, But I don’t want to see our club turn into hypocrites, for so long we have been arguing against financial doping, to now become an example of it would be clear hypocrisy. I want to see the club go from the hands of billionaires to the fans not switch from billionaire to billionaire who use the club as reputation-enhancers. Yes City’s owners have been good to them so far, but whats to say we wont end up like chelsea.or malaga.
sorry i mean i dont want to see the club swith from billionaire hands
well good to see plenty of action on this subject then, some interesting views as normal – i do like the ‘foreign’ remarks… like Kroneke is one of the lads uumm not – Just imagine an Arsenal manager actually signing a coupe of world class players – come on i am well up for this!!! haha Send the 3 Musketeers packing i say!!
Some real stats for the NLD cuz Rico is lazy or too busy making up stories about mountains of money. Please forgive her, she had plenty of Mattel tainting her early life, Barbie can wreck such young innocent integrity unreserved. LOL
Here we go! COYG!!!
Looking at the current league table there’s little daylight between our rivals. Arsenal are on 47 points, totts on 51, Chavs 52.
The North London horse race hasn’t been a nose length affair this season but that could change this afternoon, the swamps have only won 2 more games, whereas the Arsenal twice settled for stalemate.
As it stands before kick-off today:
Arsenal W13 / totts W15, Arsenal D8 / totts D6, Arsenal L6 / totts L6, Arsenal GD22 /totts GD15
If we loose, totts leapfrog the Chavs to 3rd, finding themselves within smelling distance of Mankini’s Shitty.
Table when we loose: Everton P45 / Arsenal P47 / Chavs P52 / totts P54 / Shitty P56 or 59 depending their result against Villa today.
Win and we are 2 points short of celebratory preparations for St. Totterhamday.
Table when we win: Everton P45 / Arsenal P50 / totts P51 / Chavs P52 / Shitty P56 or 59 depending their result against Villa today.
North London derbies are notoriously high-scoring edge-of-the-seat thrillers, with previous matches ending 4-5, 4-4 and 5-2. However, the derby can also become a cagey affair, with both sides too set on not losing the game rather than winning, though with 53 goals in the past 11 fixtures between these teams, it would appear unlikely to repeat itself.
Arsenal have had the better of the two sides in recent North London derbies, with the previous two results ending in 5-2 victories for the Gunners.
Both sides are on excellent form of late in the league, with both teams unbeaten in their last 5 games.
These fixtures can often be messy affairs, as in the last three North London derbies there have been over 75 fouls with 13 yellow and 2 red cards
In the last three meeting between the sides, the team that has scored first has gone on to lose the match
In the Premier league there have been 121 goals in the North London derby, making it the highest scoring fixture in Premier league history.
Arsenal have finished higher in the league than Spurs in 63 seasons out of 93 (68 per cent)
The last time Arsenal won at White Hart Lane in the league was 3-1 in September 2007. The referee was Mark Clattenburg, who is referee for the fixture this weekend.
Credits to Sam Steele providing extra stats.
Find Barclays EPL table here:
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/league-table.html
cheers Dutch – and it all come down to tonight – so much riding on this for both sides – huge game
Adam – you wrote ‘The club is already in decline and has been for years now’. – again so many of your posts hit the spot with me and again i agree
Not one person has suggested they like Stan though, so though we may be very wary of a new owner coming in, it in no way suggests Stan is what we want.
No simple answer to this one, but Stan out is only going to be a positive step.
Hello everyone …
Myles Palmer says we’ll get hammered today and that he doesn’t know any Arsenal supporters who actually think we will win …
For Adam he then quipped:
“When I became a footballer reporter I saw every derby for 20 years and had fun with the managers and my journalist mates.”
Evening Scott – agree, get rid of the useless lump
evening syg – ok so my bet on 2-1 to us is looking shaky is what you’re saying mate? haha
😆 Dg, you hoot you….
Syg, what does MP know eh….
2-1 to us is do-able, Ozzie.
They’ll get a penalty.
Stan will be chuffed two people interested in buying Arsenal….nice little bidding war!
COYG!
He knows everything, Rico…
He and Rooney are on first name terms, and he even calls Gerrard, Stevie G.
Myles himself admits up to never reading blogs but states that he travels extensively and knows more about music than anyone …..
Adam says he even has dinner with the Cameron’s ….
question – if the deal is offered and Stan rejects, can we expect the fans to let him know, he’s should move on? If so how? Banners? Marches? messages?
Afternoon,
Rico, Rohan, Adam, Oz, Wavy, Scott, SYG, Lee, frednerk, Kene, Useroz, Bradster, Bendtnersgone and all whom I forgot to mention.
Goddamn I’m nervous. Rule the world, start with coffee. Well, WATH pour me a GG, mate. I’m pissing oil-like substances at the moment. I need a faint awareness of reality.
i have three players in my fantasy team as well syg – so realllyyy need them to win tonight lol – kiss of death all this but since when does spurs beat us when they really need to? – COYR
DG – hahaha we’ll be right mate, i got good vibes oh and the small consideration of money and fantasy league pride at stake, they can’t let me down…. eerrrr can they? 🙂
As long as one of the two come out winners Lee.
Wow, dinner with the Camerons Syg, that does it for me…
And Afternoon to you Dg….
Don’t be nervous, it’s only a game….
i should really go get a few hours sleep but yeah right, like thats going to happen – better fire up the PS3 and slay some dragons in preparation for the sacrifice 🙂
OZ love your optimism, does it run on tap down under? LOL
Mate, 2-1 could be the start of their annual meltdown. As SYG says, have a all-in punt on the swamps/Bale stumbling upon a penalty. Go grand, do your mortgage and savings.
hahahah well 2-1 with a Walcott goal might have me swinging off the chandeliers – a loss and i will once again promise myself to never back another Wenger side regardless 🙂 They owe me plenty again this season, i never learn it seems
5-3
OZ go swing that chandelier as if you’re auditioning for Cirque du Solei. Bet you look great in tights.
Afternoon all, Great post Rico.
Wouldn’t you Adam an Eve it, On the day of the North London Derby the sun newspaper comes out with an exclusive story that all Gooners have been waiting to hear, Wealthy buisness consortiam want to perchase Kroenke’s holding , not only that they want to slash season ticket prices, they want to bring back the old North bank feeling where supporters can mingle with their mates and sing a song of sixpence. Well i never. Can you imagine what will happen next week if we lose can you imagine the fans after the game. Can you imagine all the questions to Wenger after the game before the game as well. What a time to announce this load of crap. Our dopey players will have on their minds whether this new consortium will be watching their performance and will they look favourably to any mistakes. Then again this might buck our players up and give them a boost, will it make the struggling spud supporter think Christ, just as we were getting close this is announced. I am a little surprised the papers never announced that the consortium will be looking for welsh players, and to give them massive wages. Our players need no boosting, they know that this fixture is massive for the fans and they also should know that this is a very good time to get the fans in a stupour. Win today and i would think the story will just dissapear, so i think next week will be fairly quiet. COYG’s
9jagun
Given the previous derby results a goal fest is on the cards. Though, when trenches are being digged, I suspect gobsmack errors deciding North London bragging rights.
Whomever puts it in the onion bag first are destined to loose, according to bet-stats.
Afternoon all!
Well, I’ve scored two goals this morning in a football game this morning. Was a wonderful begginninng.
Buenos Dias Amigo,
So you are a goalie? LOL
Thanks Sp, thought you’d like it 😉
Some across the ‘blogworld’ think the story is false….
Afternoon SP,
Got a fresh stream provider waiting in the wings. Crispy HD-connection last time I checked.
Not sure on this nectar consortium either. We’ll learn the details, if there are any, next week I guess.
I saw the story this morning when me and the Mrs were in the cafe having our breakfast, the waitress thought i was a nutter when i started laughing out loud. The Sun’s comic have often written some right shit about us, but this just tops the lot,
Spot on Dutch, your Special mate. 🙂
Off to walk Fido, back shortly….
😆 Dg, I won’t ask where you found that ….
Rico if you’re not asking, I’m not telling. Tbh got tired of the ad-littered streams that ronaldo7 site knocks out. Totally messed up the balance between primary and secondary, football first, the next best deal second. Not the next best deal every second.
COME ON YOU RIP ROARING GUNNERS
Afternoon Ricolicious
Be Positive Adam…
yeah hate those bloody ads – we’re lucky here get 90% of our games live although nothing quite like being there, its ok
OZ I understand ads are part of the freebie package, it comes with providing the service. But common, every blink of my whiskers?
you think its false then Stevep?
Afternoon me old China. Hustling the city on derby day?
yeah i know mate – we have the same on free TV here – watch 60 minutes of actual movie and 65 minutes of those bloody ads – finish the movie and spend all night singing one of those annoying jingles – uumm works i guess haha – Our Foxtel package is bloody expensive but lovely to watch movies and sport uninterrupted
Oz, hail to the torrent syndicates. Uninterrupted downloading. 😛
🙂
Good one, Lady of the House. I honestly don’t know how I feel about mad Arab money. It all sounds dodgy, but if it were true, I hope our club is not treated like a plaything. There are enough cautionary tales about that. I just want a Board that is interested in making us a seriously competitive side again. It’s no fun winning NOTHING. 😉
Hello, all!! Come on you Gunners!! Let’s win this!
Bit of Spud/Bale Photoshop banter. Enjoy.
http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/pics-of-gareth-bale-as-a-monkey-do-the-rounds-on-arsenal-sites-ahead-of-the-nld/
Beware the wounded bear…..come on you Gunners lets give it to these wankers!! 2-3 to the good guys!!!! COYRRGS!
OPTA-Stats screenshot of Bale versus Theo
http://www.101greatgoals.com/wp-content/gallery/gimages/738663470.jpg
Arsenal team: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Monreal, Ramsey, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Walcott, Giroud; Subs: Koscielny, Rosicky, Podolski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Coquelin, Mannone, Gervinho
ramsey-cazorla-wilshere again… not good
Afternoon Agag,
Regarding the nectar consortium, let me spell it out for you. We will become siblings of PSG, Man Shitty and Barfa (Qatar Fund shirt sponsor). Hate to dangle on that family tree.
Not a good team selection..
https://twitter.com/OllieHolt22/status/308208679541436416
Who would you have gone with GDNA?
kos to man mark gareth bale and let the rest figure themselves out.
This is not an ordinary game its blood, sweat and tears type of game.
Afternoon all…
COYR’s
I’m surprised Coquelin isn’t starting alongside Arteta….
well here’s wishing us luck!!
JM, aaaack! I was hoping we’d start Rosicky. 🙁
Dutch, I know!! And may I just say, yuck???
Ramsey……grrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhh
Rosicky to come off the bench and score the winner agag 😉
Tott fans are full of confidence, they reckon Bale is going to batter us….
Boo, rico!! Hiya, Oz, GDNA, Lee. 🙂
Piers Morgan on FSC
ALL NEW LIVE STREAM SERVICE. CRISPY HD-TV CONNECTION. AND BEST OF ALL NO ADS PLASTERED ACROSS YOUR SCREEN. WAIT FOR A FEW SECONDS TO START. CLOSE THE CHAT BOX IF YOUR CONNECTION IS SLOW, HELPS SMOOTHING THE VIEWING. ENJOY! COYG!!!
http://cricfree.tv/sky-sports-1-live.php
I’m be back at half-time. I must be concentrate in the match.Catch you later
Kos should have started and man mark Bale, but i’m not in coaching for 30 yrs, so i might b wrong.
Sky Sports do make me laugh, they are treating this game like the winners will be crowned PL Champions….
That’s the same group of pundits/reporters who bleat on about Arsenal being only interested in the top four!!
W*****S!!
Great news on the new link Dg, thank you…
Off to watch the game, see you at half time…
Piers Morgan… an educated fool.
Good day all. Started well.
Giroud is awful today…. so far
Lardy should have got a second yellow for that fall in the box… cheat!
Ramsey is the weak link for me.
Giroud is very slow.
On top though. Need to convert.
Bloody heck!!
We could have been 2/3 up by now if we had a proper striker….
Oh my goodness!!!
Let’s all stand and watch their players shall we????
Let’s get one before the break, we really really need it….
So poor. On top for 30 mins. No goals, then our wonderful team decide to stop defending.
We are a joke defensively……
Soooo frustrating
No fucking back bone…
Sigh
WTF was that about???
How much longer do we have to put up with this shit?Wenger should just fuck off now.
Europa league he we come….we are a joke of a club!
We have no special plan to stop bale. No shit Arsene, no shit.
Wtf does Bould do at Arsenal?
AW can’t coach defense, it’s a wate of time thinking about winning. What’s the purpose of SB anyone.
In fact wtf does Wenger do at Arsenal?
What a feckin joke we are when we need to defend…
And when we attack, we so lack a finisher. Giroud could easily have had two goals before they scored…
We really need a top class performance in the second half.
Ten mins in, if it’s rubbish, early changes please Wenger, however, I do fear that will mean gervinho will come on to replace Giroud 😮
No surprises there then. Toothless up front, can’t defend.
The sum of five years practice and lack of coaching.
Nothing Lee re Bould, he’s not allowed to..
For the first time we defended well. We are better in the midfield but we lost a ball on the midfield and was a clear fault in the second. The defence must be synchonize for the off-sides.
TW must appear. He wasn’t in the game
wilshere must be more wise
But now we must change thw way hoe we had played.
What Piers Morgan is saying is true, it’s afc not AW fc. Aw needs to step down. Look what he is going to do at halftime.
They were there for the taking.
The shit we keep getting served up by this team of serial under achievers is very tedious…..
Ah, the Europa League. Another competition the arrogant Wenger will find it beneath his dignity to compete in.
jesus what a disheveled mess – was there one half way to decent player out there that half? Three warnings we had has to how they would look to score ffs
ha spurs fans chanting that they want Wenger to stay… says all that needs to be said really.
Not believing a word of this consortium talk until names are given.
The first 30 mins we were the better team BUT the keystone kop’s defending let us down……I seriously don’t think we’ve got the bollox to turn this around. Usual 70 minute substitutions…blah blah blah!
Oh, and Wenger. Can I get back to you Lee….
Theo Walcott has gone missing Jenkinson is on his own, every time i see him his on the other side of the pitch unless it goes down the left then his on the right Giroud has his feet tied together, we need Rosiski on Ramsey is inefective. What is happening with our back line zonal marking is shit.
Absolutely fair result till now.
What was seemed to be one one of our best (quite rare) 1st halves of the season became a disaster in 2 moments of lack of concentration.
AVB’s master gameplan worked. Lennon and Bale converging to the middle and be the targets for diagonical passes.
Giroud is trying but clearly he will be second best always. Not a starting forward for a team considered for “competing” for championship. Bring Podolski early on and not on 60. Ramsey off.
Generally we would be much better than tottenham at all areas had it not been for Bale. This player just makes Spurs look like a top 4 team, like RVP last year. His runs are excellent against our slow CB pairing and the execution was perfect.
Steve, you reckon we will get a Europa place??
Our fixtures in the run in are tough….
This second half better be better…..
Demise of a once great football club…..
As every other gooner, i hate those tossers down the road. But right now I want to congratulate them on the victory. I just cannot see us coming back in to the game. Wenger F off!
stevep its now the usual story – big game and no one turns up, if they focus on their channel running they will win this by 4 or 5 – we are just horrible everywhere at present. Maybe Spurs will slow down a bit – lets prey for a second half revival
Have Sky pundits gone bonkers. Totally missed the ball-gone challenge on Santi for totts second.
Common Gunners!!!!!!!!
Sp, I think that is AW’s game plan re TW….
Poor one…
No changes, AW is the worst coach in the world.
Was it actually a foul Dg, I just thought he went over…
Sweeping that Gdna, there are plenty worse than AW….
there is no excuse for this – not one save did their keeper have to make. Wengers pretty football is pretty ineffective again. 2 goals they virtually walk in. Mind boggling stuff tactically and so many passengers
Game on COYRRR’s …..
Wow, we scored from a cross.
Huge blow for Spuds confidence…
First touch Theo 🙁
really good game now. We must convert every fcking chance. COYGS!!!!
Bale on a hattrick. 😉
What’s the odds of Gervinho coming on and winning the game for us?
Why take off jenks
Rico. Chances are bogger that I win the lottery. and and I don’t even play…
🙂 agag
Two faced Totts!!
this break fucks our momentum. Why Vermaelen went straight to that prick Dawson. Joke of a captain. Play some BALL!!!!
Dawson is a Cnut…
😆 Adk….
Last thing we need to see is Defoe coming on….
You spelt that wrong Adk 😉
COYRR’S ……
That was very very very fortunate, come on you reds, we can at least get a point from this…..
Haha.. yeah.. i know rico. My mistake 😉
Giroud has been fuckin awful.
Time for the Podolski surely 🙂
I know Adk, must have been hard 😉
And some Lewis….
Why leave him on for 74 minutes. Can they not see he’s having a mare?!
Why is it that our players never show up in big games? Is it down to coaching or the player attitude?
Ramsey is a plank sometimes…..
Not sure they turn up for many games DK
Pod on for Arteta, bizarre one….
Pray it pays off….
🙂 Lewis..
Podolski 🙁
Arrrg!!
You’re right Lewis… We have been in steady decline since the move to the Emirates. ..
Fuckin useless is what I’d call Ramsey. I could have finished that.
Ramsey, why oh why did you not bury that…..
COYRRG’S
Shud be quite a bit added time.
I’m sorry rico and everyone else. It’s over… 🙁
One goal Arsenal, just get one bloody goal!!!!
It’s been over long before today Adk……
I thought giroud looked handy early season. Just think he’s very average now.
I’m afraid you’re right rico. This hurts so much. ..
It’s like a knife through my stomach Adk….
Lewis, he’s a really good squad player imho, but he’s no clinical striker…
Bollox!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We didn’t lose 4th place today folks – the truth is we have been rubbish all season.
Poor team selection, poor coaching, no tactics. AW out. No more AW supporting wake up, we are fucked.
Weak defensively but they did put in a shift. Giroud if you’re playing on new boots, remove the box first.
Awwwww. 😥
So… What does it mean for the “top” players at the club that we won’t be playing champions league next season?
We lost that game rather than they won it (if that makes sense), a game we really should have easily won…
But that matters not, we lost…
You watch, the Totts will get 2nd, and us, well we are relying on Rafa mucking everything up at Chelsea….
If the ‘Middle East’ lot take over Adk, who cares 😉 😉
We lost again because we can’t defend – it’s Wenger’s fatal flaw !
Hahaha Rico great minds…… was about to call that one. Rafa going on a stinker run.
Ramsey on a yellow card and AW move him to right back, AW is on hard drugs.
a new era started them today – they were as nervous as hell in that second half and not one player could test their keeper – gutted
Agree on Giroud DG – he is just getting worse and worse
Swamps have the dippers next week. Table not poured in concrete yet.
disconsolate..my beef is with theo walcott.ever since his contract he has switched off.OG was poor too.
really p’d off
Soooo gutted. I have no words. 😥
😉 Dg…
Always has been Steve, but not just at the back, the midfield is so weak.
He concentrates far too much on attack, and yet, in another sense he doesn’t because the likes of Giroud are not clinical enough.
He’s neither Arthur or Martha these days and that’s the real problem imho..
He’s just like Mancini. He signs players, but still lacks the right balance throughout the squad….
Sorry to those that asked me questions, have been banging my head against the
wall for 15 minutes. This team is just not good enough. but we all knew that. This game was lost by bad defending and bad forwards we had chances but the players are just not good enough. Champions League is still in the ballance but i think it was lost in the transfer window. Our tactics are wrong and certain players are just not good enough
Giroud looks poor because afc doesn’t play to his strength, we need midfielders who can score goal, I would leave MA08 out for the remaining games
I’m too used to it agag.. It’s what we have become..
Just why I hope the takeover story is true, and it happens…
You are right Stevep – you read some of Wenger comments on this lot and you’d swear he is on drugs now days
Oz
Horses for different courses jumps to mind. We’re definitely missing a happy feet upfront. Agile and dazzling into the danger area, creating his own if service leaves wanting.
Not many players though Sp, many would come good with a different direction imho.
Gdna, Giroud looked poor today for one reason imho, and that was because he was shocking!
i think we sold one of those mate and brought the cart horse haha – How silly does Wengers “best squad i have had” comments look now – embarrassing
We have been in steady decline since the move to the Emirates. ..
We have declined ever since Gilberto went and we never got a replacement centre midfielder to replace him. Put him in the middle today and neither Bale or lennon would have got the ball to score. Anyone that runs straight at us through the middle has a chance.
Giroud’s confidence is hot. And ramsey keeps making bad decisions. Walcott has faded into obscurity. Just frustrating all around.
the score was bad but we were the best team on the pitch.
However: with Arteta-Ramsey-Wilshere-Cazorla on midfield we lost again. I’ve saying this for a long. I’d like to know how many games we won with this 4 players starting and how many games with lost/draw with those 4 players starting. Who can give me the answer?
Agree there Dg…
Going off to eat, back shortly…
*shot. My team is channeling how our team plays. All rubbishy.
Wenger will say Arsenal played well but defence was caught out 2x in quick succession. All true. Next question: why does it happen so often?
emma – he’s lucky sigursson and Bale of all people, let him off the hook in the second half as well, should have been 2 more
Oz
You know I can’t mention R.I.P. at the risk being suspect of pre-cognitive opinions. 😛 Look on the bright side Wenga does know footy: ” I knew selling RvP was gift wrapping the EPL title ” .
SteveP don’t blame the transfer window, Arsene keeps it shut for heating reasons.
yeah i here ya DG – just so gutted with all this crap now, year after year of him building us up and for what. I mean seriously take a look at this spurs team, they are a millions miles away from the United’s of this world. Can’t Wenger just win one really important game? Just one? Every time its on the line we fluff it. I am tired of the whole setup mate
its really late, better head off to bed – night everyone maybe we can be more positive tomorrow
Wenger will not be able to talk himswlf out of this one, £120 million in the kitty and we lose to those c———————————————————-S
But it’s a big IF rico. Will Stan sell his shares? And even if we were to be taken over, would Wenger stay as coach? And would he spend a penny?
Oz
I used the rubber band analogy a few days back. Our club policy and philosophy has its best practices overstretched. There’s only so much elasticity in any concept. That’s the risk you run with too much imagination determining the logics.
The worst thing is we not depend no more only for ourselves.
I’m agree with Aw. For me, Arsenal played well in defence for the fist time this season. In this game, we were much more stronger at the midfield then Totts on the first 30 minurtes. On the second half, we could scored the second. One of the crucial moment was Adebayor out and Defour in. Totts could play in the only way they could play in this game, because Arsenal, has the control of the midfield and the game
Night Oz. Tnx for the company.
Could we include Vermaelen, mert amongst the list to be sold this summer? Since theo ‘signed da thing’ he has taken 10 steps backward. Why did AW take out Jenks who was doing pretty well. Why did he wait till the 77min to bring in Podolski. I have always said he is the most clinical finisher he deserves to be played upfront instead of Giroud. Giroud is a backup and shouldn’t be the main striker. Why did AW failed to buy a DM in Jan transfer window beats my thinking. We are lightweight. Things has to change this summer
I would only ask one favour, please dont let Walcott near a microphone. thank you.
JM
I believe you’re right. We lost or drawn every game starting Santi, Arteta, Ramsey, Jack in midfield.
Good night, Dutch, SSP, Oz, ADK! 😥 Off to have nightmares now. 🙁 🙁 SSP, I’m never able to catch you these days. Hi and bye, dear emma! Nighty, rico!
Nte Nte Shoegirl miss you as well 🙂
Night nite pint-sized big spender. I dream of you meeting Wenga 😉
Nte Nte all, my phone is electric so i’m shutting off.
SteveP
Boys need toys, men want glory. Regarding Walnut, Theo only wanted his allowance to be raised not erecting a stellar career.
Potter, 6.14…
Spot on,. absolutely spot on!
Night Oz and Sp…
Nite SteveP be well go steady.
emma – things should have changed many a summer ago….
Jenks was one of our better players imho but I guess AW went for broke.
Pod though could have come on in place of Giroud, who I thought was dreadful today, absolutely dreadful….
I actually think we may finish above Spuds given the run in. Not sure we deserve to. Not sure it would do us any good to. If we do we get the same bullshit rammed down our throats about how the squad is good enough, like a trophy, lots of money blah blah blah!!!
If we don’t no one wants to come to us.
Devil/deep blue sea anyone?
rico – i quite agree with you. When will our defensive issues be sorted. This has being going on for years. Don’t think Vermaelen looks interested playing for arsenal anymore. he just can’t organise the defense. Would have prefered the Kos over him today. We seem to be making same mistakes over and over again. I have always said Giroud should be a backup striker. Looks like Montpellier have shafted us another 12million. Could have added a little more quid and get a quality striker. Baffled he had to wait that long before introducing Podi
Rico
Not drafting in all available Germans as starters in a derby match is bad judgement. Mert’s header proofs my point. He never gets on the end of it. Today he has.
Giroud would’ve been less sulking if he came from the bench. Should work on his snap decision making. A turtle would beat him wether to turn left or right.
Dont know who is worst Santos or Vermaelen?
Easy one Emma, Vermantos of course!
Emma
Poldi is the youngest ever player in Europe to reach 100 caps. Wenga just happens to think that’s ignorance on behalf of Jerries-coaches. Germans are supreme tournament players cuz they handle do-or-die situations well.
I though Vermaelen was better than usual emma. I just think we play tactics which hang us out to dry.
Why push up so far and ivite them??
Totally agree Dg, in hindsight, I wish we had started Pod and TW up front together in a 442. Take away the crossing into the box, we seldom get it right anyway.
It’s easy for us to say all this though…
Did any of us not want Giroud to start?
My gripe is watching him play so badly and leaving him on the pitch.
We had options on the bench, Pod, Chamberlain, both of who would have give us more against a tiring Totts side….
Gotze to add to our list I hope Dg… First in during the summer?
Rico 4-4-2 would’ve probably won us the bragging rights. Plenty of energy goes to waste getting flank players chalking their boots at the backline.
Even if we do get a cross in, Giroud has to spend legs to get on the end of it. Never composing himself in advance of the trajectory, arriving early in the box. It might work on cars, ABS, but different speeds is confusing our engine. I blame coaching staff for not synchronizing the difference. Tell the wingers/full backs to reserve their galloping a bit.
Fine tuning is an art in any profession, player or coach.
Ok, that’s me done. Off to watch Casualty from last night.Quite appropriate I thought…..
Don’t lose too much sleep, we knew it would happen…..
Stay safe and catch up tomorrow.
Night all……
Been crying out for 442 in ages Dg, not all games, just some. But the if AW doesn’t watch tapes of the opposition, then he wouldn’t know when to play those tactics…
I don’t want to really slate Giroud, but he really is an ‘off the bench player’ and no more than that…..
Gone now 😉
Night Madam. Adebarndoor was on the stretcher already, what more casualties do you want? 😛
Morning all, but hadly a good one.
From all reports here and over the net it was another case of defensive slips ups.
Shit, i hope some of this cash is spent in the summer by whoever is in charge.
I would not give up on top 4 yet though.
It is still there for the taking, but are we good enough?
I am reading the usual subjects being blamed, and admit to not seeing the game, but where were our game breakers??
How did Santi, Jack and Theo go??
I feel Giroud will come good as a starting striker, only not this season. He got into this pro-footy gig relatively late compared to others. The change of intensity and atmosphere has gazumped his instincts. Speak of overwhelmed, if you will.
I’m off too, need to doctor my battle wounds. Night peeps. Chat 2morrow.
Hiya Scott, morning mate. I’m due for dwelling liquor atm. Safe flight, read ya comments 2morrow.
Wanna see our defence highlights? http://arsenalist.com/
Game was good, can’t take anything away from the effort but concentration lapses pulled the wool over our eyes again.
Two errors in the span of 5 minutes, I might add.
Off now, really.
See you Dutch.
Defensive lapses……two words describing Arsenal this season.
Arsenal 6 Spuds/scum 4 pts 3 each on agg Arsenal win!
Who are the better side this season?
You know Dutch, everywhere I read, on the Web, I see our defence getting the blame for the two Spud goals…
Well, that is a valid point of view.
But what about our midfield???
Why wasn’t the service to Bale and Lennon prevented???
Stop the pass in the first place!!!
Just saying…
First time that I have seen Nacho in a live game…
He did ok, well defensively anyway, but I’m still to be convinced that he is a massive improvement on Gibbs…
Shame Ramsey didn’t score, if anyone needed a goal, it was him.
It would have capped off a good performance, imho…
Giroud was very disappointing, I still would have started with Podolski.
Rosicky was very good when he came on…
Wenger should play him from the start in all our remaining EPL games now.
still a bit shellshocked on many fronts this morning, so many questions that will never receive any answers as usual, the single biggest one has to be…. where the hell do we go from here?
Last years collapses around us really twisted Wengers thinking clearly, the summer showed us that. He was so lucky on so many fronts to be in the ECL this year at all. “We surprised everyone” he claimed. No, the Spuds and Chelsea collapses was the surprise. RVP being there all season saving your ass time and time again was the surprise. In his true salesman fashion, the reality and what came from his mouth were so different.
The season started amid clear untruths from Wenger aimed a securing season ticket sales and transfer targets no doubt. We now know he knew very early RVP was done and yet time and again (as is now very much his form) he denied it. Just like he now denies, this side needs major surgery both in playing staff and mental approach – pictures of Theo in his flash car to be followed by a performance like that, highlights where its all going wrong. 100k a week and he hasn’t fired a shot since. So many show ponies who go missing when the result needs to be delivered and a manger who in truth, does the same thing.
Bould was appointed because he will sit there, not argue with Arsene and tell him he’s right about everything clearly. Another Wenger approved ‘yes man’. If he’s coaching this defense at all, he needs to be shown the door now. We have been just plain terrible in our general pitch defending many times this year.
We have no concept of cutting off the grass to stop the plays, we simply knee jerk react to almost every attack now days.
Maybe if Arsene spent less time complaining to fourth officials and looked at the park, he’d be better at his job but of course it’s always someone else fault.
For years we checked the financials and one of the worlds highest paid managers with his overpaid sidekick declared we don’t have the money to fight and now suddenly like magic we see the truth. We are caught in Wengers ego game of lets spend less and show them i am the man – it failed badly and he must be made accountable.
I really don’t want Wenger to sign another player for this club, they don’t have the bollox for the game at the top. His mental exams of players are well off the pace as in truth is his own. A man over taken by the game, lost in his own importance. “You don’t have the right to question me” he says. I am afraid those people, your fans, the people who actually pay your ridiculous wages and those of your sidekicks, very much do have the right.
Huge wages, highest ticket prices around, you should be ashamed of yourself Sir because as you have told us so many times.. “you make the decisions”.
ozgunner10
“where the hell do we go from here?”
I did not watch the game. I awoke @ 5.00am & prepared to watch the recorded game(from3.00am) but received a text would you believe @ 5.10am. That was it then I knew the outcome, we lost.
As a matter of interest the text said “There goes the champions league???!!!!” It was from a scouser.
I will not watch the game.
So, where to from here then hey?
I did note, but with much sceptcism, that the media reported a big offer was being brokered from the middle-east to buy out the major share holders of The Arsenal, and that in response Stan Kranky said categorically that he is not selling. Figures have been bandied about, we know that, but Stan won’t sell coz for him its not the right price. He doesn’t care about the fact that its more than triple what he paid, & he obviouslywants to milk any deal for as much as possible. I mean he’s leached the fans of their hard earned for years to create a slush fund of sum £128 million. He would reckon that there is a better deal in it for him especially when its coming from the cashed up Arabs. Oh! bugger the fans & their trophys, its the money that matters.
You see, unlike the lot from Middle-Eastlands he needs Arsenal to work financially. Thats why he buys clubs to make money, not to win trophys. Sod the trophys. The well oiled money making operation has been tweeked a bit since his purchase, but there has been no need to make drastic changes, the manager acts like/is an accountant; the board are happy to sit back and get their divs and the operations are milking the fans like cash cows. Not to mention the profits made from selling the best players to help other clubs win trophys. The Arsenal must be one of Stans best deals 😆
A purchase by the suggested consortium would be for pleasure. It would be not as a money making venture as such, it would be to win trophys.
T E Lawrence: “Auda will not come to Aqaba. Not for money… ”
Audu abu Tayi: No
T E Lawrence: “…for Feisal…”
Audu abu Tayi: “No! ”
T E Lawrence: “…nor to drive away the Turks. He will come… because it is his pleasure.”
Please Stan, for the sake of this once gr8 Club that is officially now only above average in world terms, please!!!!!! satisfy the Arabs’ pleasure. Take the money they are offering and go quickly, before you turn The Arsenal into Liverpool 🙁
Toothless up front and inept in defence…..
Good morning all.
I still have not seen the game, so will not pass judgement, but by the sounds of things, it was simply another Arsenal performance.
It was 3 points we really will struggle to claw back.
To be fair Scott we weren’nt that bad JUST if we could iron out these defensive errors, oh and stick the ball in the back of the net!! Not a lot to ask for, eh?
Same old, same old, same old. When will this club ever learn…
They were there for battering yesterday, and we couldn’t manage it.
Morning all…
Morning Rico and Lee.
I did say yesterday morning that we would need to score 3 to win as we would gift them 2.
Interesting times ahead for Arsenal methinks. 🙂
I guy I used to work with had an aneurysm at the weekend and passed away (41 yrs old)….puts things into perspective!
Lee. That is very sad indeed. I am sorry to hear that and it does lend perspective.
Morning Adam & Rico, the Keystone kop defending is beyond a fucking joke!I thought we played ok considering this is one of the worst Arsenal teams I’ve seen…..
They weren’t even in the game when they scored, two muck ups, two goals and that was it Scott….
That’s shocking news Lee – 41 years old!
Morning Adam… Very.
morning Lee – its just the sense of the inevitable about Wengers teams that get me, don’t know about you
Yes Lee, the much praised Spurs Super Team didn’t make an appearance did it and the humiliating hammering predicted by the press also didn’t happen, though to read some of the guff this morning you would have thought we were well beaten. I saw a decent defence hoofing the ball up the field to roll out of play of be picked up by an Arsenal player for most of the game. Our midfield completely dominated in terms of passing and possession but the defence, I thought, played a much too high line and fell asleep twice. At the other end of the pitch we were very poor and didn’t look like a top side. I know some like Giroud but I have always thought he might make a decent back up striker. Yes, the same old, same old. Spurs got lucky yesterday but it did expose the transfer follies and lack of team preparation of Arsene once again.
Watching Arsenal these days is like reading the same book over and over. You always guess the ending.
rico – i thought they clearly threatened twice with exactly the tactic they used to get their goals – we push to far up, they cut straight into the empty channel bingo – defenders look at each other wondering what happened
But if us mere mortals can predict what’s going to happen games why can’t the myopic one?
it could have been far worse had sigurson and bale not cocked up their chances (thank god)
I like the shareholder’s letter on Angry Of Islington this morning.
Very sad news Lee…..it is a year younger than i am!!
Scary stuff mate.
For years we have looked good and not always got the result though.
Just saw the Bale goal….wtf were our boys doing??
Now the second…same thing.
We can blame the coaching, or lack of it, but they are still schoolboy errors!
Ball watching and allowing a guy to run free straight down the corridor is plain inept.
That is terrible.
got a link bud?
Well yesterday was depressing – not so much the result, but the manner of defeat. Total lack of concentration for five minutes – though the warning signs had been there all game, as similar through balls to those that led to both goals were cut out by the last defender two or three times at least before one got through. On every occasion the defence were not in the best positions, not supporting each other properly, not holding the same line, not aware of what each other or the attackers were doing. Anyone still think there’s no problem with the coaching? Overall Arsene Wenger is a more successful manager than George Graham, but he has a blind spot on defending you could hide the Empire State in. GG would have the players out on the training ground every day from now till May after a performance like that. And don’t bother quoting statistics about total numbers of goals conceded or any other crap. Arsenal have talented and expensive players throughout the team, so they should be better than nearly everyone else, and shouldn’t concede as many goals as most teams. It’s not the numbers that are the problem as much as the manner.
Enough of that. My blood pressure is rising. Instead of me writing any more, here’s a rant from Arsenal shareholder and season ticket holder Darren Epstein, who shared all that follows on Twitter, would you believe. He has given me permission to quote him.
The idea that the average fan goes on about 8 years is a nonsense in my opinion. Only those who shoot from the hip do. But the degradation of squad especially in the last 18 months or so, that’s why we’ve become what we’ve become: somewhat uncompetitive.
Twenty-four points behind Man Utd, who we used to compete with for the league, with probably the most average league in years, which makes it even worse. Arsène admits that too many times his defence has been found wanting this season, whether CBs or lack of a DM. Sadly he is the only one at fault for that.
All of a sudden we have a side issue of a ‘mysterious’ consortium to talk about, rather taking something away from the real issues both on and off pitch.
People focus on £123m in the bank, but that number was from last year, we have months of revenues since, which means we have a far higher amount.
The biggest issue for most is not that we were lied to when we moved, but the fact that they’ve known revenues will go through the roof in 2014, so instead of allowing a share dilution of even 5-7%, which would have meant nothing to incumbents but would have brought in £75m+, they decided we don’t need other options, we will make do, we will get by. Only one place would have benefited by offering shares: Arsenal, the club, with lowered debt and allowing cash to be freed to be spent where it was needed. But the Board were so worried about “outsiders” that they didn’t go with it. Did the board vote on whether a share issue should be a source of funding? No answer to that, because I have asked that question to Ivan at three different Q&As and he won’t say either way. Why? Because doing nothing benefits only one person. If new shares are issued incumbents would have the chance to buy proportional to their holding, which means Stan having to actually put his hand in his pocket to put money into the club in order to maintain the same size shareholding. Alisher Usmanov already said he wanted a share issue. So again, those ‘custodians’ made a decision not for the benefit of the club, but for themselves.
We are being buttered up for Stan to put Josh Kroenke on the Board in the summer in my opinion, and a statement that he’s committed to the club. But all decisions are to benefit themselves and majority shareholder Stan Kroenke.
The club continues to be an utterly dysfunctional club in ownership terms, and one that somewhat has been dictated to from beyond the grave, with a feud that in essence had nothing to do with Arsenal, but with a falling out that had consequences, with R&W not getting input to the club.
Instead of a leveraged buy out, we had the opposite: we’ve had a value increase for shareholders, built on the back of fans paying and selling assets.
I understand why a lot of people now have turned on Arsène, but you can’t hide fact that at least six of the last eight years we have been VERY competitive. However, the bottom line in all of this is that the manager has pretty much said what most of us have said: many of the current players not good enough. I believe even two world class players wouldn’t be enough now, I think we need four to turn it around properly. And will we ever get them under Stan Kroenke?”
not sure what the official stat was but i only counted 2 shots from us near the target all game and many of you are right, they really are not that good at all – we seemed to have a lot of possession in one mans land however maybe a AVB game plan, not sure
Something else though…..just watching the minute of highlights says we had some one on ones with their keeper and could not even get a shot away.
Problems are not just in defence, they are up front and even in the midfield.
We can’t defend goals.
We can’t score them.
Some brilliant points there Lee.
Morning Lee, Bould didn’t look happy either did he…
Hi Oz, gg, Scott
thanks Lee – needless to say i agree with all of it
Off to bed guys.
Catch you all tomorrow after i catch up on some kip.
night Scott
A quick question on Bould.
If he is not allowed to sort out our defence, why does he not come out and say so?
Plenty, including em say Wenger has his hands tied, only to be asked a similar question.
If it is true that Wengers ego gets in the way of Bould doing his job, then he is being unprofessional and childish and must go.
Night all.
That’s what we are saying Scott. Rubbish up front and rubbish at the back….
Henry would have had a hat full yesterday if he played, as would David Villa or any other half decent finisher…
Scott – that story about Bould saying to Wenger ‘how many times to i need to tell you’ possibly answers your question…
Good point Oz, maybe it’s just my subconscious trying to erase bad things 😉
i tell you what guys one thing we must United on if there is an offer we have to make sure Kroneke knows he ain’t welcome in this garden with his half hearted approach to this club… our club
New post up now folks…
I sure want him gone Oz…
Scott – Bould to me looks all at sea already – arms folded, very rarely a word, is this the same old CB who used to shout at everyone and everything? He looks like a bird with clipped wings and i wonder who holds the scissors ? He’s paid the price to be one of the now famous Wenger ‘yes men’