Morning all.
One moment of magic from Mesut Ozil. Nothing fancy or flash, just a wonderful strike with his left foot. A strike which spared Arsene Wenger’s blushes. Aside from that and a few shots fired wide, there was little to be excited about from another uninspired Arsenal performance. This is Arsenal under a French manager who has been at one club for far too long. Actually, I fib as there is something to be cheery about and that’s the progress Ashley Maitland-Niles is making, unlike Alex Iwobi who imo, really shouldn’t be in this Arsenal starting eleven. He should be in the cup squads and Europa but again, that’s just my opinion.
Empty seats were again clear to see and plenty of them. Arsene Wenger is fortunate that it’s the festive season so he has something other than the football we play to blame for the fans absence. Maybe in the New Year the penny will drop. Then again, maybe not as no doubt the January sales will be the reason people don’t want to waste an afternoon or evening watching his insipid style of the game.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Wenger claimed a busy fixture schedule was to blame for an “uncomfortable” end to Saturday’s game.
“It was more uncomfortable than we would have liked. “We created the chances for it to be comfortable and, in the last five minutes, we became a bit edgy, but we didn’t make a mistake at the back.
“Overall, you could see that necessity to win was playing a little bit on the minds of our players. The fact we couldn’t take our chances meant we wanted to force it too much and not play with the freedom to finish what we created, which was a lot.
“Having played three games in six days – Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday – you know you could suffer in the last one, especially because Newcastle produced a very high, physical performance.”
Oh goodie, we didn’t make a mistake at the back. What’s the problem with playing so many fixtures? It’s December and it’s what always happens and I don’t think any other managers are using that as an excuse. It’s not like he’s had the team playing energetic and entertaining football either, certainly in the two matches before yesterday. Passing sideways and backwards with little movement from the players is hardly going to tire them out.
Still, we’re back into the top four so that’ll keep the Frenchman happy. For now anyway.
Next up is West Ham on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup, then it’s Liverpool on Friday evening. The latter should be interesting considering they battered us early this season..
Have a good Sunday guys and stay warm..
Just been looking at the fixtures and wondering about City’s likeliness to become invincible plus.. We are due to play them 2 days after our home match against Ostersunds and the day before the Carabou cup final . Should either team be involved then our home match will get shunted back to the end of the season. What more could TV want than the two invincibles coming together at the end of a dead season where the title looks to be nailed on. Could it be that we are the team to stop them or not.
Or not I’d say..
morning just thought that after Kelsey and I finished playing all our yesterdays , I would talk about something else.
Morning to you too.
I quite like the old stories, I miss Herbs. Certainly better looking back than looking forward these days as the future doesn’t look particularly good..
But I’m not convinced we’ll get into the CC final, although City might..
No I reckon we will come unstuck against West Ham , Moyes will fancy a trip to Wembley and Wenger already making excuses about tiredness will play a weakened team and go out.
Yep, me too re West Ham. That is unless Moyes rotates big time because PL points are more important.
Quite looking forward to seeing the younger players though.
It’s always good to see kids playing as long as it’s an even playing field. Too many and they get hammered and lose confidence.
Morning all.
When AW speaks he forgets 99% of us have memories that go back longer than two weeks.
Ozil scored a great goal but the performance yet again was so flat.I am losing interest rapidly.
He forgot to mention that we played a reserve side in one of the games, Giroud saved us in another and a split offside goal and crossbar saved us in the other.We aren’t playing well and the players in many cases aren’t playing for each other and others aren’t good enough.Yes we were unlucky in the end against United but we gifted them a two goal start and at 2-1 they scored what amounted to yet again schoolboy defending.I blame,Wenger,the coaches and the players.It really isn’t a happy ship and I don’t see things improving.
Agree there Potter.
Afternoon rico and all. The depressing thing is, I think we are just about where most of us thought we would be?
And possibly Gazidis is right we are doing better than we desrve to be.
I think the players are in the same mood as us Kelsey.
Afternoon Andrew. I think you’re right. Most of us were saying the same thing during the summer, and those before.
Nothing is likely to change until Wenger sees the light.
Nothing is likely to change until Wenger sees the light.
Or the door.
The door hopefully.
Thank you Rico.
I dont like Gazidis or any rich men like him who dont have a hair transplant when they can afford to have the hair of not just their own, but any poor homeless man and his dog who are begging on the streets of London, he honestly must think that he doesn`t have pull a fit looking woman with a full head of hair as he`s filthy rich and only engages with women who like the complimenting shine of his wallet to his bonce !……………………..not like Kelsey who is rich and has a magnifiecent hair transplant and undoubtably slipped a begging tramp a fiver for a wad of follicles !……proper rich Gooner with a charitable heart of gold !
🙂
Although I do agree with Gazidis in that we are punching above our weight, because if we are the 4th richest team, then, 4th is our level, cant argue with the maths there, it`s why we need Sheik Mansour`s dad to take over our club and put his upstart little brat of a son in his place and Wenger will be taken to the land of sand and buried up to his neck in it where he will beg bald passers by for water with the lure of the bountifullness of his hair follicles as payment !
Great win yesterday because our bitter rivals Burnley could only manage a draw !.
Afternoon Rico
Very balanced post must say…thank you ,!
Strangely no one notice how :
Matiland is becoming going forward and at defending
Bellerin he is afraid to go pass and attack.He just stops and pass it sideways.Is offering nothing at the minute and the manager he cannot drop him.
And our noisy neighbours got battered Lc. They could have lost by many more and Totts should have been down to nine men.
Matiland Becoming good must say typing err. Sorry
Afternoon Alex.
Maitland-Niles seems to be improving each game. Mind you, I was surprised to see no Kolasinac in the starting eleven.
Actually the depressing thing is that we could have had Guadiorla!
Good post rico shows how deluded and hypocrite arsene has become.
most of the players lack physical fitness..the midfielders ran out of steem early in the 2nd half.
Bellarin continued his bad form and it’s time to bench him ..bring debauchy or play AMN…it’s that desperate. .
Iowbi is only good for 15 mins ..
Sanchez clearly is playing through the motions, don’t want to be there and it’s affecting the rest of the players.
Lacazette had a day to forget and neither giroud or welbz improved things .
Defence not really tested, but showed the usual state of panic in couple of occasions.
Same old same !
Agree Rico.
I rarely watch other teams, but lately I`ve been watching MC to admire their football and as self harm to myself as a Gooner who wants the same as they have.
It was more appetising yesterday as I got to watch the Spuds lose and yes both Alli and Kane should have been sent off for potential leg breakers .
I wonder if Bellerin could do a job in midfield, I know that may sound crazy to some, but I saw him play that role against West Brom (I think) in the League Cup and he was really good, he’s quick (obviously) can tackle, brings the ball out of defence at pace, just because he ain’t 6’ 6” doesn’t mean he can’t play the role? Kanye, Makelele weren’t/aren’t giants!
Kanye ffs, Kante….
Sometimes the spellchecker is really handy but at other times it can make you look an illiterate chump.
Yeah Kanye West, great defensive mid and a total fruitcake…
What a miserable day, dull, raining, cold.
What with Arsenal and the cricket… ☹️
Yeah, if Arsenal or Man City reach the League Cup final then our home game with City will be postponed, and if City carry on unbeaten I’d imagine that the TV companies would love to have that fixture at the end of the season, Arsenal vs the New Invincibles, quite a climax to the season.
Thanks Kk.
I reckon we’ll not see the real players we have until Wenger goes..
I think he needs someone to pull him aside, talk to him and coach him properly . .
He definitely lacking confidence now and the emirrate crowd can be cruel when they get frustrated . ..it’s exactly what happened to jenkinson, chambers, and holding..
Or just buy a midfielder Kev…
@allezkev
Please at least say Peter Check
Bellerin is just a galloper
And not Wenger Kk!
Especially if we beat them Kev.. ??
Hi le coq ,i’m not buying this Ivan the liar’s excuse that because we are the 4th richest club then 4th is where we are .Other clubs such as United,Chelsea and er,Leicester , all won the Prem in recent times and punched above their weight in relation to City’s. Wenger has had the chance to do so but blew it. City look unstoppable this season but that will not always be so and it’s in those seasons when they unperformed that others have to seized their chance to better them . Athleico face a similar scenario in La Liga against Barca and Real Madrid but have had recent success in the league and a couple of CL finals as well .A new manager with more ambition and drive is required at AFC Wenger is well past it and has been now for donkeys years. I can’t see him getting 4th this season if we lose to Liverpool or draw with them . The scousers finished ahead of us last term so it’s not like we have a god given right to win Wenger’s 4th place trophy. It’s fun though watching the spuds keep talking themselves up and getting spanked when they can’t live up to their hype .They never learn though from their mistakes and Wenger’s problem is that neither does he he just keeps on making the same ones … over and yawn over…
Jeffy baby, yeah I know that the poor relations Chavs and Manshafter Std ( dont mention Leicester) have somehow won the league from Mansour City`s bottomless pit of money, but I do normally class them three as ..The Big 3……so not surprised that any of those win the EPL, which has been the case since we last won it !……….dont mention Leicester !
🙂
As from my loads of previous comments you may have a slight twinkling that I`m not Wenger`s greatest admirer nowadays, obviously not in your`s, Lee`s and Goonsters league, but I`m trying to climb the Wenger Out table, but am currently only about mid table on this blog !………………..actually, if Rico could publish a league table of Wenger Outers on here I`m probably only above Scott as he probably still prays to Saint Arsene in secret ! hahaha………………I think you, Lee and Goonster (when he`s about) are The Big 3 in the CL positions with plenty of others vying for 4th !…………………………………..I do shamelessly brag that I`m in top position when it comes to Kroenke Out though……………just in front of Scott again !
😆
Come on Rico, do a fantasy HH Wenger Out league table !
😆
So we just scraped a 1-0 win against the not so mighty toon! I suspect we have sunk to our likely level, bottom half of the table. We’re 4th! Yabbayabbadoo! Our position is, as trump would say, “it’s fake folks, you better believe me it’s a fake position.” I shall be seriously surprised if we finish anywhere above 7th. That’s reality and not fake. We are crap, we are playing crap, ineffectual soccer ball, and nobody seems able to do anything about it. Wenger is incapable, Bould has no voice and as for the rest, what do they know? According to Wenger not as much as he knows after all his ‘experience’!
Rico, the quote you put up of Wenger’s summary tells us all we need to know. He is clueless, mindless and the words he utters make little or no sense, I suspect even he is baffled by what he says!!
He’s long in the tooth and short in the brain, these days. What’s more, I think he knows he is but for some reason he chooses to soldier on in some form of deluded belief that things might change, he might change things. I’ve probably got the last bit right, he may well effect change in the club, but it won’t be for the better. We’re on a slide and he is both the author and the provider of our slow and painful demise.
I’ll say it again……WENGER OUT. Make it his present to the fans. Retire you old curmudgeon for the sake of all our sanity and more especially for the good and progress of the Arsenal Football Club.
Miserable here, I’m sure you’d never have guessed that, eh?
Yeah Wavy even a Spurs hiding did nothing to lift the gloom , I just watched it in a kind of numbed stupor. I couldn’t even summon the energy to laugh. Spurs got taken apart by a better team but we are light years away from them both at the moment. We seem to be able to raise it for a one off but that’s not really the answer. I firmly believe that Wenger has lost the question.
Lc, Scott has gone and for good this time..
You’re right imo Wavy, shame he has no other interest in life than ruining Arsenal.
I wont ask why, Rico, but I will miss him.
I think Wavy has just got into the CL spots in the Fantasy Wenger Out League with that comment !…………………..I`m fighting relegation and all the others are fighting for EL spots !
Think we will do well to get a draw against The Bindippers, we just hate the way they press and bet The Ox will press so much he will a Sketchley poster boy !
I’m not really sure anyway Lc, he just threw a tantrum after a comment of mine and it went downhill from there..
Scott throwing his cot outta the window rico…….sorry I’m not having that !
Honest Micko, it’s true…
Please don’t mention Guadiorla again it makes me cry
Sorry Ras, but I`m going to have to………………………I see Mansour City Women have an 100% start to the season aswell !…………. please dont tell me Pep has a genius sister or is it something to do with money ?………………….bit of a coincidence ?
😉
Ha ha Ras. There’s a man who knows which players he wants and gets them, and a man who knows how to get his team playing well..
I’ll be in the air when we take on the mickey mousers rico, no home games over Christmas, gotta say some-one is definatley looking down on me lol.
Apologies in advance Ras but it does look like Pep’s shiney new Abu Dhabi team are shaping up quite nicely, only consolation……they won’t go the season unbeaten.
rico, he can’t gobble up everyone in January, he’ll surely leave us a couple of stragglers to wallow about !!!
Could be a blessing Micko, they just walked four past Bournemouth….
Never fear Micko, Wenger wouldn’t be interested in the kind of player Pep signs… lol
A long read, but, it shows how we (and possibly eveyone else !) are being left behind by mega money !
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/15/manchester-city-football-group-ferran-soriano
We are all probably in agreement that this Arsenal teams performances are some of the worst in Wenger`s long tenure, but what make`s me laugh is that Tottnumb sit in 7th place behind Burnley when Tottnumbs team is considered their best since 1961 !………………………and I have to listen to a couple of there fans on how great they are !………..oh the pleasure of listening to deluded souls ! hahaha
I dont expect to hear from anyone who is reading the link I put up untill at least the new year as it is a fcuking long read ! hahaha
Just think though Lc. Where might we be had Wenger not wasted so much money? City may spend more than most clubs but they don’t get many wrong, nor do they hang on to those who don’t succeed. Our wage bill is hideous when you compare to the quality of players he’s signed/kept.
In the mean time, hands up those who where not even born when Spuds last won the league !
He keeps them on Rico as he doesn`t want people to think he made a mistake, but he doesn`t realise that he looks an idiot the longer he keeps them !…………………………
Night night .
Probably true Lc.
Night to you, Micko and all.
Nite rico, the snow is late falling on HH this year, hope it’s not a bad omen !
It’s set to fall Micko, but I can’t see it either…
Morning all.
Morning Rico.
Afternoon all , weather in Norfolk is cold , sunny with ice patches on minor roads.
Now there must be people out there with fantastic memories, better than me, so maybe correct me if you can…
Didn’t Wenger say, at the time that:
Anelka wants to stay,
Kanu wants to stay,
Wilford wants to stay,
Edu wants to stay,
Cole wants to stay,
Vieira wants to stay,
Henry wants to stay,
Fabregas wants to stay,
Nasri wants to stay,
Van Persie wants to stay,
Walcott wants to stay,
Oxlade-Chamberlain wants to stay,
Alexis wants to stay,
Wilshere wants to stay,
Ozil wants to stay….
He was right about Walcott…
Morning all
I just read this on another respected site.Anyone else heard this.
Reports last week claimed Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck rejected the opportunity of contract renewal talks. Jack Wilshere bounced Arsenal into talks next month. We’re in a mess. The apathy in the stands John Cross talks about permeates every level of the club.
United have offered Ozil a 7 or 8 million pound signing on fee in the Summer and wages far more than we can offer yet Wenger remains bullish he will stay.
These so called business plan clubs, of which we are the arch-typical type, with Stan’s other clubs in the US of A also meandering along in perpetual mediocrity , just do not work for supporters who want to see their teams competing for trophies rather than celebrating making profits for owners. Wenger’s biggest failure under the rules of engagement that he is employed by is the failure to win the Champions League cash and another failure to do so will in my view see him wishing us au revoir at end of season. Another failure by Wenger is that his current side is not entertaining it’s like watching wet paint dry all of that tippy – tappy yawn inducing tedious passing the parcel football .. Liverpool. another business plan American run outfit , at least provide some fun ,if not trophies, for their supporters .As for that other biz plan one the spuds fffs what is going on there ! No fun – no trophies and embarrassingly, for them,
just the one win out of the last 19 played against top 6 oppo in the Prem. The spuds are not really the great side that they are hyped up to be they are just Tottenham who last won a league title when B/W TV was still in use.
Tottenham must be good , they are the great white hope of England’s world cup bid. At last count there were 6 in England’s squad to say that they are not would be to undermine their great Russian trip.
Under Kroenke we are set for more of the same in perpetuity. Removing Wenger might change things on the pitch and relieve the tedium of the passing game but Le Coq is correct until Stan goes nothing will change in the direction of the club.
The way the media luvie duvie the Spuds anyone would think that they a wash with trophies !…………………………I think they last won a trophy over 10 years ago………………..mind you I wont be happy until they are out of CL and FA Cup.
I use the spuds delusion as a relief from my Arsenal grief…………..they rarely fail to disappoint me.
Been to Plymouth and done all my Xmas shopping………..two presents !……………………..one for the missus and one secret santa for work ! hahaha
My missus does all the kids, grandkids, relatives etc etc presents………….puts up the tree and decorations………….does the Xmas dinner and lets not forget all the other domestic duties !………….well what do you expect, us men have always been told that only women can multi-task and I certainly am not going to argue, I`ll just watch the master at work !…………………………….I`m bloody brilliant though with the TV remote !……so good she is kind enough to fetch it for me whilst I`m in a relaxed position ! ………………………………….bet you`re a good multi-tasker, Rico, all the above and run a blog !………………………or have you servants, being around Royal Berkshire .
😆
I had this thought the other day after Wenger was talking about another lack lustre performance but it’s a bit off the wall!
He has persued old red noses records and achievements tirelessly for years and has failed at every turn, bar the FA Cup wins! However, when Fergie or rather RvP won his last EPL title and declared he’d had enough and he was off, he knew the state he was going leave ManU in, well, the manure really! But he went and as they say the rest is history. 5 or is 6 years of NO SILVERWARE, well not the really shiny trophies. Ropey cup and Milk cup, not much to worry the polisher with.
To the point then………..what if Wenger has decided to go down the same course as Fergie, run the club down so that who ever comes in to replace him hasn’t got a cats hope in hell of achieving anything of any merit as the playing staff have gone from bad to worse or, as seems likely will have all GONE! A new manager would have to start from scratch, an almost impossible job with absolutely no hope of any early success! Oh, you’ll need a reason for this strange behaviour, other than bettering Sralex’s ultimate failures. Imo he has fallen out with the fans as a result of their disloyal behaviour towards him last year and I suspect, Ivan”s manoeuvring behind the scenes to wrest power from King Arsene’s controlling and grasping, greedy little hands. I’ve said before I believe him to be very spiteful and vengeful, well, this is his coup de gras!
Or am I being just too cynical for my own trousers?
I could go further and suggest all sorts of other forms of sabotage that he could exact on the club from within. In truth I don’t think what is happening is deliberate at all, it’s more, because Wenger has no clue as to how to turn around the playing style because he is stuck in his ways. Quite simply he’s past his ‘use by date’ he is only suitable for Land fill, and what’s more he knows it. The busted flush has just been dealt!
Dark and misty here. Not very promising
Evening guys.
Lc, good job you weren’t sat near to me when I read your comment…. ?
Wavy ,Sir Red Nose won the league as you say in his Swan Song last term so that was a marker for any new manager to emulate or better .There is no chance of Wenger winning the league in his last season. So not much really for the new man to better. Putting in a proper title challenge would do for starters – because under Wenger we haven’t seen one since 2004 !
Has Wenger overtaken Fergie now with regards to how many matches he’s managed in the PL?
If so, isn’t it odd that it’s gone by almost unnoticed?
Or maybe not, we probably lost that match..
Hahaha Rico, I can imagine where the TV remote would end up !
🙂
Nice conspiracy theory Wavy almost as dark and misty as your surrounding`s……………………could be right though as running the club into a player contract cesspit and other stuff will definately make it harder for his replacement, maybe Wenger think`s that the fans dont see his ultimate goal of him thinking the fans will turn on the next manager and beg for Arsene to come back, but due to your undercover work we have his card marked !
🙂
You’d be right Lc… lol
Clever man Sir Alkysctrotumnose………………………..he knew that his team where ageing and that his trophy haul empire was under threat from CFG ( you will know who that is if you read my link last night) and Chavs, so he gets one more title in with the help from Wenger selling him our best player and then scarpers leaving the future of Manshafter in the hands of “The Chosen One”, knowing that Moyes was going to fail, then every Manc wanting SAF back !
Wow !………some of these”up for grabs”…………………https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/win-subbuteo-set-honouring-arsenals-astonishing-198889-title-winning-victory-over-liverpool
I used to love playing subbuteo but being young and twisted and ahead of my time I had an Arsenal Womans team and was so infatuated with my center forward that I wrote her fan letters asking for her autograph, never got a reply, so sold her to my mate Gobbers Doncaster Belles team for a then british record fee of a packet of Strawberry Sherberts !.
Interesting point Wavy, I mean Arsene has an ego the size of Kroenke’s bank balance, imagine a new coach winning the EPL with this team, where as he patently failed.
He’s not having that…
I reckon a new manager could Kev. We don’t have a dreadful squad, we just have a disorganised and bored group of players imo.
Wavy
I see your point and agree with part of it.AW has no other interest in life than football and he has become obsessed with it that his judgement has been clouded and the game is quite different from when he arrived at Arsenal.
I think he wants to beat SAF’S record as the longest serving manager of all time.
We still have a waiting list of 30000 for season tickets somehow and every season he remains will put us back years.
In the last three seasons his NET spend has been 65million a season and to be blunt most have been bad buys.
His dithering over when and who to buy has a familiar pattern,so why would it change.
If we finish 7th or lower or even forth or higher he won’t change.
If he had other interests in life he might think more clearly but he hasn’t and is now and has been for years Mr Predictable. he is actually costing the club money by not buying or selling at the right time IMO
Trouble is the way Wenger is letting all the contracts wind down I doubt a new manager will have many of the current squad left, it could be unrecognizable from the current one !……………………………although Wenger seems to be giving more of the youth new contracts, maybe “project youth” is set to return !
Kev said the same the other day Lc. I’d rather he buggers off and leaves the youth to another manager as he’s likely to ruin ours and we have a few goodies coming through I reckon.
Not selling Alexis Kelsey has seriously backfired on him.
Catch up tomorrow guys- nighty all..
£65M net spending per season in last 3 years !!!…………………………………..CFG spent £180+M net in just one summer and we have the January one to come, CFG wont be happy to just rest on their laurels of being 19 points in front of us, they will still buy more players to strengthen their position !……………………………..that`s what happens when you have an owner and manager on the same wavelength of keep pushing and investing in the team !
It`s a beautiful cycle of investing in the team which wins trophies which gets more sponsors and more fans who pay more money to make the club have enough to carry on investing with the safety net of a club owned by a royal family state worth £1 trillion !…………………….
It’s who we bought less who
We sold and wages saved on loan deals and money still
Owed to the club from previous sales
Yes, I agree Rico, a new manager might also enjoy success in europe.
Imagine how Wenger would feel if a new man came in and won the big one after say 3 or 4 years, with basically his team, a team he failed with for over 20 years…
That why I don’t think he’s gonna leave us in as great a state as he could, ego…
I mean, was it his ego that wanked away the summer transfer window why he focused totally on his contract?
A season ticket waiting list of 30,000 Kelsey, really?
Did that info come from club sources because I’m not sure all those 30,000, if they really exist, would fork out for a season ticket if given the opportunity.
I know a few people who’ve be rung up by the club over the last 4 years and offered tickets, even though they weren’t at the front of the queue.
It makes good PR and might be partially true but we all know how Arsenal are great at spinning a yarn.
Morning all.
New post up now.