Morning all.
Another game, another win, another really terrible performance from the referee, this time Martin Atkinson. Seriously, how on earth can he be trusted to officiate a non league game let alone a fixture in the top division of English football. It took him nearly half an hour to award Arsenal a free kick, despite Alexis being fouled time and time again and if ever their was a clear call for a penalty, it was after the same player had been pulled down in the box. But no, not given, yet no such problem for Atkinson soon after when he couldn’t get his whistle to his mouth quick enough to award Sunderland a penalty which allowed the home team back into the game.
Technology has to be the way forward imo as costly errors made by officials week in week out could be the difference between clubs winning the league or not. And at the other end of the table, such mistakes could cost certain clubs survival in the Premier League.
Anyway, the game itself wasn’t the best. Arsenal looked a bit too relaxed, expecting the victory to fall in their laps rather than to go and earn it. Once Alexis had opened the scoring with a great header after an inch perfect cross from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, I thought the floodgates would open as Sunderland really were dreadful. But no, casual football and sloppy finishing yet again was on show.
After Defoe fired home their penalty to make it 1-1, Arsene Wenger reacted by bringing on Olivier Giroud for Alex Iwobi and how things quickly change from there on. With his first touch, the big Frenchman made it 2-1, with his second touch, it was 3-1. Alexis popped up with another before the final whistle to make it 4-1 and Arsenal went top of the league. Not for long though.
All I will say is that we need to play with a lot more passion and urgency when the neighbours roll up next weekend, otherwise our good run will come to an end. A few players stood out like Elneny and Alexis and of course Giroud who stole the show really. Not everyone’s favourite striker but he scored two really good goals, important goals which ensured Arsenal came away from Sunderland with maximum points.
November – bring it on….. 😉
I cannot understand the perseverance with Iwobi. He was not much more than a spectator yesterday. I have seen flashes of brilliance from him, running past players effortlessly but for the 2nd or 3rd time this season I have come to the conclusion that he isn’t quite ready yet. I just hope when Theo is fit again we will have Theo and the Ox running the wings…
Bertie, I reckon he’s playing too much. Maybe he just needs a break..
Rico. I agree. Wenger needs to be careful with him because he looks lost at times,
Obviously great potential though.
Bertie, we can leave him on the bench, then see him grow agitated and ask for a transfer, succeed elsewhere and we will blame Wenger for not giving him a chance.
Yep, there is a plan lol.
Rico, if we had decent and honest officials, we’d have very little, if any, need for technology.
Everyone on the planet saw the penalty yet the man paid for his (in)competence missed it?
Who chooses these idiots?
Oh and yes, I think Iwobi playing more than he should be, IMO, but he shouldn’t be cast aside, either.
He does Adam, I’d leave him out for a match or two, or at least keep him on the bench…
No-one is casting Iwobi aside Scott, just use him wisely instead of overplaying him which is what’s happening imo.
You are right about the officials but clearly, this rubbish bunch is the best the country can produce…
If we bought 2 top quality players to compliment Sanchez and Ozil, players like iwobi and Apkom.Jeff,niles and The Ox could all be released.
This may seem harsh but year after years we are there or thereabouts only to fail due to injuries,inexperience and naivity.I know many will disagree with me.
How many players have come through the ranks under AW to become first team regulars.
Football is now business and that means money.
Having said that all 4 goals were quite different and all well executed.
The first reminded me of Denilson’s glancing header from a cross by Song, only a few minutes into the game.it may have been against Wolves.
This really is going to be an interesting season. Look, City hadn’t won any of their last 6 games in any competition,win yesterday and go top of the league.
Morning All
Morning Rico, the excruciatingly slow, painful and enjoyable decline of Jose Mourinho is the highlight of the season for me so far, along with the 3-0 defeat of Chelsea a few weeks ago.
To see that spiteful cnut suffer only makes Arsenal’s success, as it is atm, all the more delicious. Long may it continue.
I’d like to see him hang onto his job for the entirety of this season, as he has a lot more work to do in destroying the crumbling edifice that is ManUtd post-Ferguson.
I saw the highlights on MotD and despite the BBC’s best efforts to sanitise the game there was still enough evidence to show how Riley and his cheating cronies are still ‘at it’…
How Atkinson remains among the so-called elite of English referees is a total mystery to me.
Despite the efforts of Giroud and Ramsey, I’d be very disappointed with Wenger if he allows both of them to waltz back into the team. They have to do, for me, a lot more to displace the players who’ve got us up to the top of the EPL this season…
I know that Arsene has a difficult balancing act to keep everyone happy and give them all enough games, but that’s his job. He has the strong squad we’ve all longed for, now bloody rotate it and keep them all fit…
Right, off to work…
Morning from another blazing sunny day in the Duchy.
Thanks Rico
Ollie rescued our bacon !…..love this guy, not an Aguero, but he offers us something no one else does in the squad, not just a plan B, but the plan A for certain games as every game and team is different so it requires horses for courses and the French hunk is a stallion ! 🙂
Being a University Professor of Mathematics when I`m not a white van driver I have some dismay at your table above for “Points per game under Wenger”………….even if we were to be able to gain the points from our best month of March…..2.18 points per game over 38 games we would only finish with 82.84 points !……….so the title is out of the question unless we can beat out best average under Wenger !
The good news is if we only managed our worst points per month under Wenger……….1.59/Nov…….we will be safe from relegation on 60.42 points ! 🙂
Actually !………how the fcuk did we ever win the league under Wenger with them averages ? 😆
kelsey, a tad harsh on some of our young players imo. As you said though, some of us will disagree with you..
I reckon Iwobi will be a cracking player if handled right, Jeff too.
Morning Kev, agree re Ramsey and Giroud, when everyone is fit, they shouldn’t start just because they are back. Best position for Ollie was proved yesterday…
Pleasure Lc… 😉
Ollie is alright coming off the bench….
PS
The excellant news is that over a season (or the 10 months displayed) our average points under Wenger is 1.983 and this guarentees us at least a 4th place trophy with an average total of 73.354 points !
Long way for Ollie to go before he is as good as Kenny Sansom at falling of the bench !.
PPS
Although currently from the latest EPL table our historic average under Wenger will not get us top 4 !…………….and that`s without the Chav game to be played !……………………luckily for us we are performing above our average ! 😆
What a bottomless pit of trivial boring stats I have become today ! ………where`s my missus with the frying pan ? hahaha
I am in a bit of a mood today so apologies in advance.
No doubt Ollie scored two good goals against a non existent defence but every time he scores,he runs to the crowd, head held high, not to his team mates or whoever set up the goal.Big head 😉
Clocks going back will have no effect on N17……………..it will still be dark there in the mornings…………………..and the rest of the day !.
He ran to the camera, Kelsey !………………………….planted a kiss on the lens just for Rico !. 🙂
And no need to apologise………………..I will send the missus around with the frying pan !.
I see Bale has extended his contract. That must have been a tough decision… lol
🙂 Kelsey/Lc.
He can keep it!
Young players go through peaks and troughs, a good manager will put them in and they’ll look great for a few games, then their form will dip, that’s when you take them out, give them a break, then they’ll come again.
Jack Wilshere was overplayed at too young an age and it’s come back to haunt him.
Wayne Rooney looks burnt out to me, overplayed at 17, 18, 19, now he looks like he’s 38 years old…
Iwobi will be fine, he just needs a breather.
Arsenal have a fine tradition of developing its own players. I wouldn’t like to see that tradition lost through impatience…
Rick, I see that Ben Sheaf has been showing a lot of promise and has been included quite frequently by Wenger in 1st team training…
Another Essex boy off of the conveyor belt?
Kelsey, I don’t see anything wrong with celebrating with the fans when you score, after all, who are you playing for?
Take away the fans and you may as well be performing on the Hackney Marshes…
Charlie George, Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, Tony Adams, to name but a few, always included the fans in their celebrations, and that’s why we loved them…
Of course you could always have the players doing some choreographed dance routine off of the training pitch…
I used to love those, not… ?
Choice ?…………………….score and run to your team mates for a broke back embrace or run to some big busted fit woman in the crowd for a fondle ?………….oops !………..I mean hug !……………………come on kelsey ! 🙂
I love it when players celebrate with the fans….
Rico…………has an Arsenal player ever celebrated with you ? 😀
If I was playing for the Arse` I`d like to play on the wing…………. then I`d be first to celebrate with some gorgeous looking woman I`d been checking out throughout the game !……….even if the other team scored I`d be in ! hahaha
In front of where I was sitting, but not personally LC….. lol
I’d sack you if you were watching the fans whilst playing…..
I’m watching a tv programme and there’s a car in the picture. Number plate is 321 NLD…
Is that a good omen? 😉
That`s not fair Rico !…………………..seeing as I would have been looking for you in the crowd ! 😆
Superstitious Rico ?………………………………Honest truth, yesterday I was delivering through Mousehole and see a football in the roadside and it was an Arsenal one !…………I took that as a good sign and knew we would win !
You’d never spot me LC…. lol
Easy Rico…………………you`ld be the one screaming ………….”get that stupid bastard off ! ” 🙂
I’m not at all superstitious- other than keeping away from ladders but that’s more to do with my fear of heights….
I’d take a 3-1 home win, that’s for sure… Fingers crossed Santi and Theo will be back, not so bothered about Gibbs playing, he did well yesterday…
The players can do both.Maybe I didn’t put it correctly.Of course players kiss the badge and then bugger off the year later 😉 but I meant paricularly Ollie likes to think when he scores all the focus should be on him,as if he was some godlike creature.and superior to his team mates. I know you still don’t understand.Maybe it’s just as I see it and anyway he’s french.henty did it as well but ollie is no henry.
By the way Bob Wilson is 75 today,one of the most charming men one could wish to meet.
Fans first, players second. That’s the best way to keep all pleased. I get what you are saying though Kelsey, he is a cocky chap but having been dumped for so long, I guess he wanted to make a big deal over being back…
I’ve met Bob Wilson, lovely guy…
Yeah !…..love Bob Wilson……………………unless he was playing for the sweatty socks !…………then he was a tight ginger haired skirt wearing drunken trannie ! 🙂
Night guys, catch up tomorrow sometime…..
Yeah, I’ve met Sir Bob twice, outside Wembley, a lovely man and a massive Gooner…
Night Rico…
rico
November tomorrow, so I’m going to buckle up for the ride. Hope its smooth, all the way to December & beyond 🙂
I passed a Nissan Micra being driven by a silver permed lady :- licence number AR53NAL. I doubt she even realised . The plate would fetch more than the car.
That’s funny Potter..
Gg, me too……
Morning all..
Morning Rico and all.
Morning all,
Any of these pommy horses here for the Melbourne Cup much cop or not??
Morning Adam & Scott.
Very foggy here this morning, chilly too…
Foggy here too Rico.
Or is it misty?
Fog.. 🙂
New post up now.