Morning all.
This season has to have been the most frustrating since we we lost out to Leicester for the title. Just an extra couple of points would have seen us return to the top four, three and we’d have pipped Chelsea and Toots into 3rd. It was that close. The home draw against Brighton and the defeat to Crystal Palace were both matches we should have won. Just winning those two alone would have been enough and that’s without our dreadful away performances and results. But considering we’re the ones going through big changes, to reach a Europa Cup Final and just miss out on a top four place, isn’t bad really. Should we manage one last big performance and beat Chelsea in Baku, our season will have been a darn good one. I know, that’s a big if, or should. That’s for another day.
Yesterday we beat Burnley at Turf Moor. I was surprised, pleased though for many reasons. We won away from home, it was a team assembled by Dyche, Aubameyang scored two goals for a share in the Golden Boot, Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to score our 3rd and Willock got a start. We did suffer an injury to Mavropanos but he can go off and rest now as he’s not in the Europa Cup squad.
I didn’t see the game but it seems Aubameyang could have scored more. The story of his and our season really. Willock came real close scoring too but Burnley had chances of their own. We took ours. They didn’t. Simple. They roughed us up a bit apparently, or at least tried too and it must have been quite an afternoon when The Mail write:
Turf Moor was a pretty lively place to be on Sunday too, despite little riding on the result for Burnley. Sean Dyche’s team came with their customary belligerence, Ashley Barnes riling Bernd Leno by blocking his path for a kick-out. Then when James Tarkowski tackled Aubameyang, Matt Lowton leant in a leg for good measure.
So Arsenal, usually so poor away from home, did well to come through.
Makes a change to the usual ‘soft’ label but then it is the end of the season and they do have Man Utd and their ongoing crisis to keep them busy. Gives us something to laugh about too.
Seriously though, they’re in a mess, they have been since Fergie left back in 2013. Whereas we just one season into our new beginning with a big cup still to play for.
All is not ‘that’ bad is it? And next season should be much better.
See you in the comments guys…
That penalty miss against Spurs!
Good morning Rico, by winning the Europa League final we can turn an average season into an acceptable one. Looking back we, along with Chelsea, Spuds and Man U, all dropped vital points in the final weeks of the season.
The win at Burnley and Aubameyang’s share of the Golden Boot puts a bit of gloss on the season, but barely enough to cover the defensive cracks which have proved so costly.
And those against City and Chelsea bnsb.
Morning Cicero, I think the season will have been a good one should we win Europa. Lots of things need improving but a fully fit Holding, Bellerin, 4/5 new and better/different players might go a long way to solving that problem.
Players with a football brain.
Hi Rico
As you say a frustrating season in the end, bu there was enough to show that with some new defenders and Holdng fit that the team has real potential – when we have our best defence out we can beat anyone, but there are no reserves. The goal difference between us and S****. is exactly the number that Mustafi gave away with pens, silly free kicks and falling over, it could have meant another 4 or 5 points.
At least we know where to start, unlike Man U, I said that they would never do well while Fergy was still in the background, at lease Arsene had the sense to make a clean break when he left.
Brian
Hi Brian. I think so, midfielders too. Xhaka and Mustafi need moving on and replacing.
Don’t put it past Wenger to return one day but not as manager.
Yesterday ? Well I am going to look at the positives , We stood up to a very petulent Burnley side determined to roughhouse us at every turn . Iwobi particularly stood up for himself with Lowton and It was open season on Guendouzi. Barnes was on a mission to make himself look a hard man , he took his game plan straight from the Deeney notebook and was fortunate not to get the same refereeing reaction. However I commented to my son that Adams and Keown would have had him for dinner whilst quaffing a brandy and lighting a cigar……… Hard man ? Don’t make me laugh !
Was this the day that we finally stood up for ourselves ? I hope so . It’s time to put the Arsenal can be bullied out of games to bed.
Now it’s on to Baku , a win there a few additions and I am sure we will go from strength to strength .
Haven’t seen it yet Potter but what you describe sounds very Burnley like. Ghastly team and manager I think but it’s good to hear we stood up to them at last. As you say, hopefully it’s just the beginning of how we’ll play against the more physical sides. With VAR in play next year, managers and players might re think their ways too.
I’m quite positive about where we’re going as a club. Mind you, that might change by the time Christmas arrives…
Morning Rico and all. Yes Dyche is ‘one of those’ managers. Straight out of the Allardyce, Pulis, Hughes school of management and the sooner we see the back of that sort, the better. Pochettino is quite like that too. Horrible cheats, the lot of them as they really don’t care who their players injure.
It was so close at the end and ‘what a marvellous team Spurs are’. “ They’ve had a brilliant season” (to quote the journos) and yet we finished a stupid shove from a stupid player in Xhaka away from them in Emery’s first season. I suppose that, if you look at it with a degree of detachment, he did ok. I’m not at all sure about that as I look at the opportunities missed but at least he did generally alright as the club entered the post-Wenger era. We see what a dog’s dinner ManUtd have made of the post-Fergie era so Arsenal have done much better than that. It’s a kind of holding pattern.
What comes next might be interesting – or it might not. Money spent in the right places will be crucial but, as Wenger left most of us with low financial expectations, sort of supporter/accountants, unable to conceive the fact that the club is well able to compete in the market, who knows?
Afternoon Gooner’s
Afternoon Rico, a fair summary of our season, a season of ifs and buts, although I’d say that overall that Emery has done well.
The job of replacing a manager whose had 22 years and left his imprint over every aspect of the club was always fraught with danger, some clubs never fully recover, Emery has at least kept us competitive until a small squad and an unforgiving schedule saw some of our most reliable players hit the wall at the crucial time.
Maybe a couple more loan signings in January would have helped but that’s down to Raul and the Board.
Regardless of Baku I’ve gotta say that I’m quite happy with Emery’s first season in charge, changing the attitude of a squad bedded in the methods of Wenger was never going to be easy so baby steps I suppose.
The summer is huge, Raul and the Board really need to show some balls, it’s all about perceptions, how we are viewed by other clubs, players, agents, the media, the fan base, therefore we need a Bergkampesque type of signing, a player who’ll make others think ‘ah, Arsenal mean business’ someone like Harry Maguire for example, a player who’ll solve a gaping wound in our defence, will give everyone a lift and make Arsenal a more attractive destination for other players who’ll want a piece of what Arsenal are planning.
Moving on certain players who don’t really fit our New Model Arsenal is also a vital part of this summers business, we need to generate revenue as well as change the squad dynamics.
This summer will also be the first big test of the contracts guys, let’s see if Raul is as good as his words on contracts and that Huss is the man to make it happen…
Roll on the 16th….
Talking of competing financially, our prize money so far this season. TV money £29 million, Place prize £30.9 million. Total £139.3 million. This does not include income from the Europa League, that will require a quite a bit of work to put together the total. It depends on games won, games drawn progress throughout the tournament as well as prize money for the winners and runners up. Back with that later……perhaps. 😉
Our Europa League prize money is based on the following :- •
Base fee for group stage: €2,920,000
• Group match victory: €570,000
• Group match draw: €190,000
• Group winners: €1,000,000
• Group runners-up: €500,000
• Round of 32: €500,000
• Round of 16: €1,100,000
• Quarter-finals: €1,500,000
• Semi-finals: €2,400,000
• Losing finalist: €4,500,000
• Winners €8,500,000
With the final still to come I make it that prize money so far is a total of €68.7 million. An extra €4.5 million to be added if we are runners up or, if we win, €8.5 million.
Add that to the £139.3 million from the Premiership and that’s makes a nice little earner.
Nice figures Cicero. But, what size slice of cake with UE get?
Knowing Kroenke, I fear very little.
Thats a shame as I think if UE had the lot he would transform our team into contenders.
Well VCC, we’re supposed to be living off the revenue generated by the club, so why should Kroenke get his sticky fingers on any of it.
These figures are all readily available on the web. Arsenal supporters should be made aware of them and the A ST should kick up a stink if any of it gets exported to America.
RIP Alan Skirton
RIP Alan. Remember him well LCM.
No7 I believe.
Sorry to see that Alan Skirton just died. I saw him play at Highbury in ’64, just before I left school.
You’re right Rico, “just two points”….so tantalisingly close, we SHOULD have guaranteed the top four without those poor displays and juvenile tackles, easily, and a win on the 29th (no pressure) would be just the icing on the cake.
Nerves jangling now ‘cos which team will turn up and, will we shine and do the club proud or…………………will the word “disintegrate” get a mention iin the Sports sections on the 30th?
Alan Skirton. He was the leading scorer the season before I first went to Highbury with 19 goals! 3 less than Auba, I thought it pretty poor at the time as Law had scored more than 30, I think and Greaves scored more than that, if memory serves me. He was burly and quite quick hardly a tricky winger but quite effective. RIP.
Skirton was a winger that was never accused of being of the tricky style. He was more like a wide playing bludgeon. He was fast and very direct. I seem to remember my thoughts were of him that he broke so quickly that he often arrived at the other end long before the support players and often ran out of room . Kind of like an early day Perry Groves all effort without a lot of culture however he was a 1 in 3 games scorer a good foil for Joe Baker who was more like a goal every 1 1/2 games and Geoff Strong before he went to Liverpool.
Memories of my early teenage.
New post up now