Morning all.
The final day of the 2021/22 domestic football football season is here. Arsenal take on Everton at The Emirates Stadium, Totts go to Carrow Road to face already relegated Norwich. As said a couple of days ago, one club from either Leeds Utd and Burnley will be relegated today, one of Man City and Liverpool will be crowned league champions. Please let it be City as the thought of thousands of Liverpool fans boasting about the quadruple would be unbearable, especially when three of them are in my family, more if I include extended family. I dislike Aston Villa these days too so I hope they miss out on the reported extra £12m a victory over City could bring. There’s another little battle going on today as West Ham could still make it into the Europa League Cup at the expense of Man Utd if results go their way. Utd would then be competing in the Europa Conference Cup. Who’d have thought that ten years ago? I’d be tempted to gloat if it wasn’t for the fact that Arsenal have been on a slow but steady decline for the last ten years or more. The FA Cup trophies were great at the time but as far as the league goes, Arsenal’s teams/squads have been unbalanced, as well as mentally and physically weak. Yet somehow, probably due to the fact that other clubs were in a worse state than us, top four was always something Arsene Wenger managed to achieve. Until the 2016/2017 season when Arsenal finished 5th. The following season was his last.
Arsenal could yet finish 4th but will need to beat Everton to have any hope and that in itself is far from being guaranteed and Norwich will have to beat Totts.
Hoping Totts lose and we win on the last day of the season brings back memories of May 2006, Tottenham travelled to Upton Park knowing they only needed to match Arsenal’s result against Wigan and 4th place was theirs. A pre-match meal, reported to be lasagna/spaghetti bolognaise was their downfall. At least that was the suggestion at the time but it wasn’t to blame. Norovirus was. Totts lost, Arsenal won and top four was in the bag.
Lightening doesn’t strike twice does it?
Thomas Partey has been back in training this week so we might get to see him play a few minutes but otherwise, according to the BBC, Arsenal have no new injury concerns. Rob Holding returns to the squad after serving his one match ban.
The one thing we do know today is that next season, Arsenal are back playing in Europe. It might not be the competition some of us hoped for but I think Europa is about where we are as a club. Hopefully the competition will give more playing time to younger players and squad players which will help keep them fit, focused and ready to play in the league should injuries hit the squad again and they will, they always do.
Regardless of what goes on in Norwich, I hope the fans inside The Emirates and all of us around the world get to see a great game of football topped off with a victory for the team in red and white.
See you in the comments.
Hi all,
I doubt lightning striking when it comes to Norwich.
At least Everton will be on holiday mode after surviving by the skin of their teeth.
I hope Burnley go down, never liked the Stoke type teams.
I agree, I would hate hearing anything from Liverpool fans especially the greatest of all to do the quadruple.
United i will be hoping for the worst possible result. Imagine Ronaldo going from never missing champions league to playing Europa conference next season.
Cicero and I have done our bit in Norfolk and petitioned Delia to spike their pre match snacks . We left the petition in the clubs post box on Letsbe Avenue . Hope it works but don’t hold your breath.
All we can do is win and hopefully win well and win early because if we go a couple up before half time and they are still nil nil then it might pressure them into something silly . But don’t stop breathing for that one either.
Bloomin auto spell in the heading!!
Morning all.
I’m going for a Norwich win, but a draw at the Emirates
😂 Potter
Morning all.
The past few weeks have been really disappointing. Even the games we won were hardly convincing. The reasons are fairly obvious, vis, multiple injuries to influential squad members! Partey, Tierney, Tommi, etc, etc. I feel that not much will change unless or until the squad, all of them can be seamlessly replaced, like for like, a la Man Citeh!
I have considerable faith and more than a little hope in Arteta’s ability, vision and ambition. I believe he will be seen as one of the better coaches in the EPL given time. However, if after ‘tweeking’ and adding to the squad this summer there is no change to our position either in terms of performance or position then perhaps the Board may be encouraged to reassess his management role.
I’ve no idea whether this is possible or even probable, but fourth may not be unattainable, after the season ends. If the following scenario should play out, what would the result be:
If Chelsea F C should fold due to takeover failures, would they be expelled from the EPL? And banished to the lower reaches of the Southern P L! As a league club it may cease to exist! Due to lack of cash and massive debts! Oh the irony.
Now, that would be a result😇
Today’s game? God knows🙃
Todays game Wavy? It’ll be hot, that’s all we know for sure. Lol
Hope is for free, but it could often cost our inner peace.
I think we will defeat Everton – they have no motivation to play, we have some, and the game takes place in the Emirates, so a boring game and a narrow win is on the table. The only positive expectation to the game is that we will see DCL play and the decision makers will be disillusioned about him being our savior.
The Norwich-Tottenham games is a fix 2 – unless there is an early red card Conte’s team will prevail. At the end of the day he is a good coach who can fire up his team on the brink of the finish line. Arteta clearly isn’t as of now, but maybe he will be in a few months or years, but I wish we weren’t the club paying for his tuition.
Afternoon Gooners, afternoon Rico, I’ve just returned from being sent to Coventry. 😉
I’m quite relaxed about today’s matches as a part of me would quite like to see the youngsters given game time in the Europa, but yeah, I understand the financials etc…
It’s a beautiful day out here in Docklands, the LCA (London City Airport) looks dazzling in all this sunshine and there goes a plane, off to somewhere exotic. For me exotic is sitting in my garden with a cold beer. 🙂
You’re feeling positive then Pbarany. Lol
Ha ha, afternoon Kev. Coventry is a nice place I heard.
I’d imagine that if it wasn’t Totts sitting in 4th place right now, today wouldn’t mean quite what it does.
Afternoon Rico and all
I am looking more forward to the transfer season and next season than I am tonight’s match, Let’s hope the players can finish with a bang after all Tottenham could still loose.
Good day all, currently sitting in Amsterdam airport waiting for the Norwich flight, take off time 17.00 that’s 16.00 UK time, flight time 50 minutes, by the time we clear the airport and get home the match will be over. C’mon you Glorious Gunners!!!
Afternoon Geoff.
Yep, never say never eh..
Beware, my optimism can be contagious, Rico. 🙂
Ha ha Pbarany.
I believe that Arteta has tried to get Arsenal to play like City despite the obvious fact that not all our players are of the same quality.
Until Kroenke’s pockets have brought in some fine new players I think that a lot of our training should have concentrated on
winning a long ball and winning the second ball.
Tis true tis pity tis pity tis true.
I see that Conte has told Son that he won’t get any penalties to help him get the golden boot.
If I was him I would refuse to dive in protest.
Dick, or play to players we do have, strengths. Arsenal don’t have the kind of money City have or even if they had, they won’t spend it imo.
Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, Soares, Holding, Gabriel, Tavares, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Nketiah
Subs: Leno, White, Lacazette, Smith Rowe, Pépé, Lokonga, Oulad M’hand, Swanson, Patino
Everton XI: Begovic, Branthwaite, Keane, Holgate, Iwobi, Doucoure, Davies, Kenny, Alli, Gray, Calvert-Lewin
Subs: Lonergan, Mykolenko, Coleman, Tosun, Gordon, Van de Beek, Price, Dobbin, Welch
Fiorentina don’t want to sign Torreira apparently so he’ll be heading back to Arsenal… For now.
Potter Totally agree with your statement at 2:51pm about Son Lets hope Kane backs him up and refuses to dive and take penalties, Then again it was probably Kane who suggested it to the coach in the first place.
sounds like Saliba does not want to come back, if it’s true then sell him no use keeping some one who does not want to be at Arsenal
Come on Arsenal !
Nice start lucky VAR decision could have gone either way
2 nil the boys look fired up
City 1-0 down. ☹️
Piss weak defending cost us a goal
VAR looking after us I must be seeing things
Why Pepe, why not one of the younger guys?
Probably because Totts are 5-0 up
One of our best matches this season, great win well it’s 3am I’m off to bed have to be up by 7am
Great game, great performance.
This mentality should have been displayed at Newcastle…
Or at Everton, Southampton, Man Utd…..
I can’t wait ‘til next season now Rico.
I bet Adam. Lol
Penalty was never in doubt , he leant into the ball and his arm was away from is body . No idea why Mason took so long , perhaps he was waiting for instructions from on high.
We all knew that Norwich would be of no use to us , but we lost Champions League football all on our own. I hope the 5 goal scoreline doesn’t cloud any goalscoring issues and that we still get in the market for a decent striker . I am not sure that Calvert -Lewin fits that bill.
Spot on Rico, what point was there with the game sewn up at 4-1 in bringing on Pepe, a player we’re actively looking to get shot of in the summer, a complete lack of imagination by the coaching staff and Arteta.
I wonder if we might have got that extra point needed to get 4th if Arteta had given Nketiah 2 or 3 more starts instead of Lacazette?
Great way to finish the season, It’s now in Edu and Arteta’s hand to fix our weak spots like a striker and some more decent back up players so we can rest our main players when not needed.
Kev, that’s why I can’t buy into the Arteta project. His decision making is odd to say the least.
New post up now