Ok, I am a self-confessed Take That fan and for me the best thing that happened in the music world this year was Robbie swallowing his pride and going back to sing with others and reform the original group.
You listening Arsene??
But yes, this is a football blog, no, not just a football blog, it’s an Arsenal blog and for anyone out there who can share just a tiny percent of ‘like’ for Take That, you will know where this post is going.
In Take That’s latest record, The Flood they sing this chorus:
Although no-one understood
we were holding back the flood
learning how to dance the rain.
There was more of them than us
now they’ll never dance again.
Although no-one understood
there was more of them than us
learning how to dance the rain.
We were holding back the flood
they said we’d never dance again.
Doesn’t that just about sum us up?
We have recently seen many an article from ex Arsenal ‘staff’ who feel that things aren’t quite right with our team.
George Graham suggests we lack an end product, Martin Keown believes that we concede goals because the midfield players aren’t helping out the defence. Then there is the cutting but true report that says we are on a steady decline under Wenger.
Tonight we play what is possibly one of toughest fixtures, not team v’s team but Arsenal v’s themselves mentally. If they can overcome the mental fear and earn three points tonight we are back to second. Lose tonight and the Chavs overtake us, the Tiny Totts won’t be far behind us and Citeh will remain ahead of us too.
January will prove to be a crucial month in the life of Arsenal, one, maybe two players bought in could really give us a chance of being at or around the top of the league in May, none and a few more injuries could see the floodgates open and us fade away rapidly in the challenge. The latter is unbearable to contemplate but maybe it’s at the back of every Arsenal fans mind right now?
Tonight’s match against the chavs is a must win, we are at home, the chavs are not at the top of their game, we need to stay in touch at the top and must get over this mental block when it comes to facing Drogba. The chav players are all having a say on how fragile we are, well tonight that needs to change and it’s about time we started to make The Emirates our home again, make it a place that other sides fear to visit. After all, we have Liverpool and both teams in Manchester to play there yet and they could turn out to have a big say in where the league is won and lost.
Would a win tonight really convince Arsenal fans that all is ok?
Or, if dancing was football, is Arsene Wenger just ‘Holding back The Flood’?
If he is, will we ever will dance again……
Have a good day all…….
There is a Spare ticket going for todays game – North Bank Upper for sale at Face Value.
Text Stew – 07896806529 for more details
Morning all….
Morning rico.
Ho[ping “it’s not holding back the tears” 🙂
morning kelsey, floods of tears 😉
as opposed to Take That this is my take on it.
So tonight we face the biggest game of the season if we are still to aspire to being champions.Results yesterday all went against us,and recent history between Arsenal and Chelsea are definitely not in our favour.The dreaded Drogba is our nemesis and for the umpteenth time our manager is telling us about “mental strength”,well quite frankly let’s hope for a performance,not as at Old Trafford when for the last thirty minutes the team performed as a damp squib.
• Arsenal’s record in their last 11 games in all competitions against Manchester United and Chelsea is one draw and 10 defeats, with five goals scored and 23 conceded does not make pleasant reading and now throw into the mix City and yes our arch rival Spurs who like it or like it not are right in the mix.
I am in the minority I am sure when I do not spend time showing a hatred for Spurs,but would rather concentrate on the team I support and quite frankly it’s time the players stood up and gave a performance tonight that we are proud of.for “mental strength” read “mental block” and the likes of Fabregas and RVP should lead by example.
Our home form has been severely tested this season more than at any other time since the move to The Emirates and it will be interesting to see who is selected.I understand Diaby is fit,yet he has been out for nine weeks,so will he be risked.
The players have had two weeks off so there are simply no excuses for them not to be fully focused as much as the manager himself to be ruthless and demand that they all give their very best as if their lives depended on it.
It maybe wishful thinking on my part,but looking at the league tables a win is imperative for confidence with a very heavy schedule over this coming month.
Sadly the chavs have had the same break kelsey so we have no advantage fitness wise, but, the chavs are weak at the back this season, cech is making errors too. personally i don’t want diaby to play nor do i hope to see denilson start..
song needs to be told to defend at all costs and help out his back four, chesney should start as he’s better, bigger and more confident than fabianski who would be just a target for the drogba to bully…
wenger, well he needs to be on form, if things are not going to plan, change it, do sit there on the bench throwing water bottles…
we are the home side and we need to make it count….
Morning HH,
A win today will keep our hopes for the title.
Read yesterday post too and I agree on most accounts with GG except the tots comment.
Morning Stef, true on both accounts…
Not just the Chavites saying how weak we are, SSN have just done a full 5 minutes of goals going in against Arsenal. I see no other team get this level of abuse and stupid criticism. Nothing said about the amount of goals we score.
While I am in rant mode, we are we being lambasted for not spending more than we make? Instead of being held up as the way football should be we are laughed at for not “spending big”.
I hate the media.
Hi Will, they do it every time we play the chavs or mancs, they hate us…
i can understand why we are getting a slating for not spending, we are two players short of being a winning side, no-one is asking for wenger to put the club in deep debt, just spend some money on a couple of ‘proper’ players….
yes, we’ll probably dance again, some time
The thing that makes me laugh is that veer year the CC is used for developmental purposes everyone says how good it would beif we won it
But when we do, probably this year, everyone will know it’s a tinpot trophy that doesn’t really mean that much.
Still, better than average title for the post imo
morning..
dont get your hopes up guys…chelsea have the hold on us..our home forms been average and as long as we continue to push everyone forward drogba will smash us to bits..
everyone thought senderos was bad..watch what he does to those two muppets today..
it was interesting to here ray wilkins yesterday..he said chelsea have the hold on us because our wings are crap..all our strength is through the middle so they pack the middle and they LET us have the wings and watch us cross it into space..and with the way our defence is we will always concceed..
the big teams no how to beat us, especially chelsea..we will probably have more possession but it will be tippy tappy negative possession with chelsea letting us have the ball and watching us do naff all with it and i have no doubts wenger will go into todays game with the exact same plan..although it dont work..go figure..
we need a bit of luck today..chelsea not to turn up or an early goal to open them up and make them change their plan..
not confident at all
hi jj, i’m not confident at all, in fact i’m dreading it if i’m honest
chris its a start…..
Tears of a clown ; )
I agree chesney should stat in ggoal
hi, Jj long time and all that.
Chesney in goal, JD and Squilli and Song told to defend, we may just have a chance then…
jj, our games are always about possession but we lack the killer finish to make it all worth while…
sneaky feeling Nik will start in place of Chamakh tonight…
hey kelsey hope your well..
rico…thing is i was super confident we’d crush utd..so maybe the reverse will happen today..
one things for sure tho if we dont win today the titles gone..we wont catch utd if they go 5 points clear with a game in hand..we dont have the squad to put a run of wins together..still cant defend so results like west brom and wigan and newcastle and losing two goal leads will happen every now and then..
if we want that trophy they cant happen..but as long as wenger tells his players to push forward all the time and as long as we have passengers in the team (practically the whole back 5, apart from sagna) those results will happen…
i just hope drogba dont play..i can see it being 4 or 5 today..
We have lost the dynamic defend on the halfway line and first pass is forward style of football. I remember Vieira or Edu winning the ball high up and you just knew a shot was coming.
We now play too many sideways passes instead of when the midfield win the ball, the wingers rushing forward, dragging their wide midfield back, our wingers go back to get the ball.
jj, i honestly can’t see us catching them in any case, they always get better in the second half of the season and fergie is oing to buy players in jan..
i fear they will run away with the league and i am starting to believe they will go unbeaten too…
drogba is fit, as is lampard, mind you we have diaby and fabianksi back….
just about sums it up really ….
Will, we haven’t got any wingers, we just have midfielders who play wide, well, try too and thats wengers fault…
spot on re the poncy pass pass pass but with no shot…
Oh, we do defend high but sadly the opposition always seem to leave our defence high and dry….
🙁
ches should play and i dont care if chamakh is suffering we need him uptop today WITH robin..
the last time we beat chelsea we played 442 with ade and rvp uptop and we used ade to ram the defence with rvp picking em off…
No one wants to go forward without the ball. Remember the days of Freddie and Bobby going forward, Dennis looking for space in the middle and their defence in utter panic?
Now every steps back wanting the ball to feet and in front of them, we have no off the ball runners.
Also, who here would say yes to selling the not so great Dane and getting in Benzema?
Bonjour Housers!.. Nicely done piece Rico. But I desperately wanna believe that Wenger’s about to unleash the Great Arsenal Deluge on those blue pond scum
the passy pass pass isnt a tactic…
u only see us do that when teams like chelsea put everyonre behind the ball give us the wings and say come on then..
our strength is thru the middle..so we end up passing it about with no real purpose cos we dont have any other options..
when u see us tippy tappy puffy passy it means wengers been out classed in the tactics department
happens alot in games like these i expect the same today..hope im wrong
that seems a lifetime away jj…
will
love your point
id swap nikki for benz tomorrow but benz wages at real are up in the 150k range..
nikkis probably on 40k
wengers the man who holds the cards..wenger doesnt like parting with money..even if real transfer listed benz wenger wouldnt even try to get him..
he wont pay the top players top wages..but if u pay peanuts u get monkeys..its the difference between 4th and 1st but wenger dont see it that way..
besides, benz will ‘kill’ vela and theo..even though wengers capable of doing that himself
hi rennie, thanks – i’m hoping wenger is going to unleash his cheque book in a few days….
jj – i know you are not a fan of theo, but whilst the chavs defence is a bit suspect, would you not give him a free run in our attack… i know i would..
Will, as it is it would take a bright blue moon for Wenger to shell out 15mill & upwards on a player.. But u could atleast set realistic targets mate
I simply don’t quite understand why us Gunners still keep dreaming about Benzema.. Sure he’s quite good and all, but he clearly said NO to the Premier league before he ended up in Madrid. And now that he has started banging in the goals in Spain, can anyone honestly even imagine that there is a slim choice of him ending up @ the Grove?
wenger always said he hoped that anelka and henry would be our attack force, i’d sell vela and nikki if i thought we would get benzema, him and theo could be our fron two…
we can’t exactly rely on rvp for a whole season….
Theo is not a striker no matter how much people say he is. The only way he can be a striker is if we play long ball over the top style of football. He is not Henry, Henry was 6′ 2″ and 14st, Theo is 5′ 8″ and barely 10.5st. Theo is more Michael Owen and that requires us to play deep and play over the top balls into space. Can anyone see us playing that?
No, we need a top class striker and a mean bastard centre half who clears ball and players when it comes into the box.
Rennie, players like benzema are who we should be buying, yes we know its living in a dream world but….
maybe benzema is playing for his move right now….
one things for sure, song better stay back today cos it dont matter who our cb’s are drogbas guna rape em
feel for kos today..hope he dont play..end up with senderos syndrome
Theo will get blown over like a puff of smoke if he starts.
can rosicky actually shoot anymore,let alone straight.his last goal was last january,35 games ago.
Chamakh,can he shoot.
In fact can anyone shoot,please.
i will be watching cesc’s body language carefully.he is either fit or not and RVP from what i have seen is a shadow of the player he was.maybe bendtner will start and finish up on the wing.
Also, Wenger seems to have a hold over French players so maybe Benzema would lower wages to play for him.
will
totally agree//been saying the same about theo for years
our style dont suit theo..he is a striker but hes not a wengerball striker..
we need to do wat u say to get the best out of him but it wont happen
rico
wheres he guna run to??
terry and co wont play a high line for theo to exploit and he cant dribble so hes pretty much a passenger in games like these..cole will have him in his pocket..
The advice I would give Theo is, when you are faced one on one with a defender, push the ball past him and go, no one can keep up with you and I would tell a striker to get near post and Theo’s crossing is shocking.
kelsey..
i was speaking about rosicky the other day..hes lost all his game..still got good movement but dont ever score and never assists..hes a passenger..dont expect him to play either today..
will
that would be my advice too..
but when teams like chelsea play with two banks of four and a tight line theo has nowhere to go..he cant kick and run cos the space is too tight..
he needs balls over the top into space but we dont do balls over the top..theos games nulified playing wengerball..
jj, thats a good point re kos, drog destroyed any confidence senderos had…. thats why i’d go with JD and Squilli
Morning all
Rico you almost had me crying in my early morning beer, its a must that we keep our chins up. i know that the great man himself has started to take supporters flack and rightly so, he has to realise that his dream way of playing is not winning us enough games specially against the top clubs but not all is lost, he needs to adjust not change the way we play, something he doesn’t likes to mess with, against a team like Chelsea we are not going to penetrate through the middle as we know they will have a solid back line we will be banging our heads against a brick wall we need to change the way we attack them take it down the flanks pull their men out of position and fire the ball behind their back line mix things up a bit i don’t like to mention Gareth Bale but that is the kind of runs and crosses that would unsettle Chelsea we need to stretch Chelsea, make them feel uncomfortable, Walcott is an option on the right with strict instruction from Arsene to stay wide and make Cole work, clicky in Arshavens spot with Kosi covering his normal spot JD back to fill that gap.anything different would unsettle their set up now’s the time
as usual i disagree about theo and do we really play this so called wengerball anymore?? I don’t think so, everyone says we don’t do anything with pace, well, the answer is there in our number 14….
jj, straight through the middle of a defence thats not quite so confident as it used to be but i won’t keep going on about theo, one day you will all eat your words 😉
as for his crossing being poor, isn’t every players crossing dreaful… half the time his crosses go to the back post where there is noone, if we had manager that told his centre forward to be where he should be rather than drifting into no mans land, it might be a start….
it dont matter about individuals rico…
not against chelsea drogba will destroy any defender in the league one on one..
the thing is we like to give strikers like zamora and co 5 one of ones a game cos collectively we cant defend..
thats why drogba has a field day every time he plays us..we need to defend him collectively..song needs to stay back the midfield need to pick up the runners and we need to keep the ball away from drogba..not push 100 players into chelsea half and hope they dont hit a long ball..
its chelsea..they hoof..drogba scores..we need certain players to stay back so they can collectively handle drogba..
morning steve, sorry about your beer 😉
wait and see, eboue will start on the right and theo will be on the bench.
so why don’t we hoof?? we don’t, we would rather play the pass pass game and end up with nowt, been saying for months, i don’t care how we score nowadays, and if it means a route one play, i couldn’t care, pretty football with all the possession in the world isn’t winning us games, a good manager would have changed that by now…
and to be fair, i really don’t enjoy watching us play these days, its painful and sometimes quite boring….
JJ & Kelsey, I think Rico’s gotta point there – Theo could be needed to keep Cashley sucking the grass at the back..
I agree with U both that Theo can NOT dribble through a crowd like Nasri or Arshavin, but if (big IF) he can run his socks off for the team, then that would negate Chl$ki’s attack from the left as he can keep Cashley pegged back & Malouda would be left isolated
The way to stop Drogba is to stop his service.
Rennie, i still believe he could split their defence too, push and go Theo 🙂
I agree Rico, we are boring. I cringe when the media call us great attacking, we need to be far more dynamic.
Will, that’s much easier said than done.. The Ch$ki scum usually tryta hoof one every other minute to Drogba, thats a massive 40 hoofs through the 90mins… Don’t think any team can stop all of that
What we need is a combination of stopping service to him (as U pointed out) as well as have some numbers at the back to crowd him out when a cross does reach him
i would say we are now just to predictable.when i watch us,i know more or less the next move and that’s from 2500 miles away.
I think Kozzer or JD whoever gets picked tonight will have their task cut out for them – mark Drogba outta the game.. How I wish Keown would lace his boots one last time & turn up in Red n White!
Will, spot on and wenger is the only one who can change that but he doesn’t and hasn’t for 3/4 seasons, no wonder so many think he is passed his sell by date….
Rennie, if chesney satrts in goal, he is confident to take the crosses, just need the defensive unit to work but we can’t afford to single him out either, the chavs have many dangerous players…
kelsey, i know what you mean, and its usually backwards….
Spare ticket for todays game – North Bank Upper, sell at Face Value.
Text me – 07896806529
Stew
We play 4-3-3. Tell the attack to defend.
I would have JD as the DM tonight.
Lord knows why we do that Will, we don’t have the players to play that system, it was ok when wenger first tried it but now every other side tears it apart…
i suggest we go back to playing two up top and four in the middle, i don’t dislike the idea of JD in the middle either, play him alongside Song with Cesc and Nasri…..
Stew, I have added that to the post for anyone who reads 🙂
I would play 4-2-2
Midfield of: Nasri JD Fab Theo
Tell JD that when he wins the ball, look either Fab or a forward running Nasri/ Fab and I would start RvP and tell him to drop in the hole to receive the ball and again, look for the forward running wingers.
This would stretch the game out and keep their full-backs on the back foot.
Before I get way too xcited in anticiaption of tonight’s clash, could any Londener here pls confirm the weather’s clear for a change & that it won’t play party pooper?
Will, i’d honestly go with Theo up front with RvP 🙂
Play the ball on the ground for theo to run on to, no point in crssing as terry will win everything in the air, RvP, he can drift out to the right, pick up the ball, cut in and unleash a shot or two to cream passed Cech in goal….
rico, wake up 😉
Rennie, it’s mild here now, the game won’t be cancelled…
Boo! I hope everyone had a happy Christmas! 🙂 JJ, nice to see you back. 🙂
rico, I did a double take at the photo. 😀 Haha. Love it. It’s time we made The Emirates a fortress again. 🙂 And it can be done. The Chavs have had a fair few wobbles, too. Our defense has to get it together (yes, our dear starter LB); and our keeper has to be on top of his game.
cream = scream….
Boo agaga, did you think it was wengers new signings 🙂
hope you have a good feast and a deserved rest over the christmas break?
Every body is agreed that we need change, with JD back Vermaelen a couple of weeks away Diaby back Fringpong wont be long Ramsey back from loan don’t expect changes in the transfer window, Wenger will not be sacked no changes there, so whats left,Pat Rice could be a casualty not quite sure what he does but i don’t think he can be doing it well because we don’t win enough, tactics not our strong point so going on all that, we need a tactical coaching assistant sorted.
Take That are my guilt-free pop pleasure, I have to say. 🙂
Yes, I did, rico. The feeding frenzy hasn’t stopped though and looks to continue until the New Year. 😉 No Songinho or Clichy Walkabout tonight, please. Oh, and I hope Koz has a good one. Over the last few seasons, we tended to fold too easily against the the Chavs. I hope we end that trend tonight.
If we play Theo, I would tell him to stand near Terry and a dead man is faster. Also, Tell Theo to drop off his slightly and run at him, Terry hates any kind of pace.
Steve, PR is reported to be retiring at the end of the season, Grimandi rumoured to replace him, another French connection 🙁
I love them too agag, really good singers and great entertainers, even though Chris who came on earlier obviously didn’t agree 😉
Will, i hope you will become a regular here, many come on and leave a comment but then disappear, its great to read different views put accross well…
agag, if eveyone performs to their best and i include wenger in that then we have a chance but if one cogg fails we are going to struggle…..
i like the sound of the holiday where you are, mind you i would be a barrel by jan 2nd 😉
Will most likely Theo will be kept as a sub.
Wenger would like to play Cesc and RVP, Chamakh maybe, Nasri on the right flank AA on the left plus Song and the maybe 1 more midfielder instead of Chamakh.
How is the weather there Rico?
Some of the matches have been postponed…
But its wrong to do that Stef, how much did we pay for him? Wenger needs to grow some and play him but as a striker…..
I don’t think cesc will start…..
All the snow is thawing Stef, the forecast is to stay above freezing for tonight, the game wont be called off….
Chris is a boy, I think, and does not appreciate. 🙂 And they dance well too, rico… except well, GB, I guess!
I’ll send you photos of the last meal I had if I can find my cam connector.
Hey, Stef! Howdy? I hope you had a good one. If Theo is coming in as a sub, he should be brought on earlier. AW generally makes his substitutions far too late.
Rico, I found here by accident but I can see myself staying.
Please do agag 🙂 how can you say that about GB 🙁 🙁 He and MO are my favs…..
agree re the subs, who can make a difference with 10 mins left??
HD and JO are, hands down, their best dancers, rico. But GB is my favorite, too. 🙂 I never took to RW, he’s a bit of an arse, imho.
But back to footie, Sami is officially on twitter and tweeted “Tonight big game i cant wait come on gooners we will need all your support”.
Welcome, Will. You’ll love it here. 🙂
Just one thing, I am not watching tonight. This season I seem to be bad luck. When I watch, we let in goals and lose, when I don’t watch, we score and win.
Will, sorry about your accident 😉
Glad you found us though and i really hope you stay – HH is quite a new site, only been up and running since August but we are doing ok, its’ not the busiest site but we have a great bunch of regulars and together we talk arsenal and try to have some fun too when things are low….
I hope you enjoy it as much as i do….
glad you said that about RW, he’s a K**B imho, mr big ego……
like you say though back to footie 🙂
Will, switch your television off right now 🙂
I am not watching, have even turned down an invite to a mates house.
I must admit I am quite excited for this game 😀
Maybe because it is the first premiership game that I’ll be able to watch on TV(finally).
If we implement high tempo we need Theo with slow tempo he better stay on the bench. Also when Chelsea has the initiative we need that lightning speed.
Problems is AW doesn’t appreciate him enough don’t know why and it get’s me really frustrated yelling “bring Theo on 4 god sake” or something similar.
Don’t know why but almost every game I curse AA.
“Run god damn it”
sorry for the unsettling thoughts.
good on you Will, that must be hard though….
Stef, i am far from excited unlees it get to 89 mins and we are 5-0 up, then i may believe the game is won…
AA – i think he could go in January, he has yet to sign a new deal and will walk for free in the summer so that could be his downfall….
sorry guys had to tend to my little one..
rico..i here what your saying and i totally agree..
play theo through the middle and give him the balls to run onto..
but herelies our problem..EVERYONE we play against intentionally plays with a tight back four..their CB;s play as sweepers and the midfielders sit and protect..the fb’s come infield to compress the space even more..
we could play hundreds of through balls and theo wouldnt get onto any of them because there is NO space to run..we tippy tappy about in these situations when theo dont play what difference would it make if he played..he wouldnt see the ball playing upfront..
the opponents compress the play in their half and it makes it virtually impossible to play him in cos hes got nowhere to run…unless we start playing like chelsea and defending tightly and hitting balls over the top on the counter…but we cant do that..we play wengerball we dont hoof so theos game is nulified..
its why wenger puts him on the wing…he knows he aint a winger but he cant do what chamakh and rvp can do uptop..our whole offence is based around the front man HOLDING up the ball and playing in the midfielders..Theos cant hold an umbrella so his only option is to come inside from the wing and come round the back of the defence on the slide like freddie used to do but theo tends to run into dead ends or straight towards the corner flag…
its not his game..you never saw liverpool asking owen to play wing did you…
I emailed you, rico. 🙂 will, how could you bear it? stef, good for you. There’s nothing worse than crap streaming which stalls just as someone has scored. 😉
JJ, Theo was excellent at the start of the season, and I fully expect him to be outstanding tonight. (I am sleepy and have started dreaming…) 😀
Thing is, if Theo was clever he could time his runs behind their fullbacks for Fab or a striker to play him in bug he hardly ever does that and how often do you see him using his pace and doing the Bobby P follow in after a shot?
And yes, it is hard to turn down football and beer.
im more worried about nasris contract than AA’s
nasris is up the year after..let AA leave on a free and give his wages to nasri cos i dont wanna lose that lad just yet..
i said this was his third year i expected big things from him and hes delivered..still only 23 and gonna get better..need him tied down to a mega contract or he’ll do a flamini and end up at barca with cesc..
tell AA hes done and give nasri the cash
AGAG
theo was excellent against blackpool at the start of the season..he looked like a faster younger freddie but injuries and lack of form and hes back to theo
blackpool are a different animal than chelsea..theos on the bench for me..so is AA
jj, thing is, we don’t ever know untile we try it, wenger will move Aa from his proper position, move nikki to the right when he is an out and out striker, tell song to roam and when they fail we all whinge…
its not the players fault, its the boss… and when should a striker be asked to hold the ball up, a striker shoul do two things, score and keep the ball in the corner when 93 minutes are on the clock and we are winning 🙂
how is the little one??
will..
agreee with you again..
theo needs to think hes freddie..come round the back and come inside for the slideball..the touchline is not his friend he needs to stop playing by himself by the corner flag and make those darting runs in the box
but he doesnt..he wants the ball in the space..but once again..their is none…
rico..we seen what theo can do we all no he can score for fun..
trust me if GG was manager theo would be the next wrighty..we should try but we cant defend so whats the point..
shes fine rico 😉 been poorly for xmas bless her but she seems to like her arsenal kit.. 😉
agag, i have replied, are you still able to walk 😆
my line up for the chavs.. even though it will still probably lose 😉
———-ches
bac—jd—-squil—clichy(where are you keiran)
—–song—-cesc
—rvp—nasri–jack
———chamakh
good point about nasri jj but i think he will stay, he’s said he’s happy and i bet it jan they will announce his contract extension deal in some kind of compensation for no signings….
thats just my point jj, we have a player who ‘could’ be great, but a manager that sraps him in cotton wool and plays him in the wrong place..
wenger needs to think about who are our best players and play the right game to suit them, not buy players and hope they ‘fit in’….
sorry to hear little one has been poorly over christmas, but i bet she looks great in red. 🙂 (just like me, cough)
😆 😆
My line up would be.
Ches
Bac Squill Kos Clichy
JD
Cesc Jack
Nasri
RvP Cham.
Chesney
Sagna Squilli Kos Clichy (huff for Gibbs)
JD Song
Nasri Cesc
RvP Theo
🙂
JJ, Theo will recover that form. It must be galling not to get a start. He seems to me, like Vela, one to struggle with confidence issues. And Gibbsy will be back sooner than expected; Clichy will be fine, don’t worry about it. (gulps) 😉
Good to know that this early, you’re schooling your wee one in the Arsenal way. 🙂
But, i must add, i dont think cesc will start so jack would come in for him in my team…..
Wenger =
Fab
Sagna Kos Squilli Clichy
Eboue Song Cesc Diaby
RvP Nik
i think wengers got the system spot on..if we had the right personel we would be balanced but all our players wanna push forward all the time..we need some naturally defensive players for song and the position next to him..
if we get those two to sit back the fb’s could work the flanks as much as they like and we’d always have 4 players back to stop the counter..if we include the fb’s thats 6..therefore the front four players wouldnt have to do a thing
with nasri and jack coming along nicely id sell cesc..get mascherano and maybe inler and we’ll clear up
think of how the invincibles played…
——-mad jens
lauren–kolo–sol–cole
—–berti–paddy
—fred-iceman–bob
——–titi
destructive…the front four would all interchange cole and lauren would work the flanks and the foundations was the four monsters at the back..paddy was exceptional cos he was box to box..he was the link man..
we miss that personel..i think song is better than berti was he his the link man like vieria was but we need to find him a partner who will fuck ppl up and we need a fb who can link up play and cross like cole used to..
personelly id put tv in there..like what we did with petit..a defender in a midfield position would hold and not leave a 30 yard gap between the defenders and attackers all the time..
wengerball..just not quite there
absolutley loving everyone putting JD in midfield..
im for that..
its like playing with three cbs..
love it
ok rethink lol
——-ches
bac–squil–kos–clichy
—–jd—song
—rvp–cesc–nasri
——chamakh
oh yes loving that team
im actually thinkin we might win now..
maybe we have got too much for the pensioners..
bring theo on after 70mins when they all knackerd and hit the long ball make em chase the game..
jj – did you know i got lambasted for suggesting JD in midfield somewehre else in the blog world?
if cesc was the cesc of last year i’d keep him but right now he needs to go but will wenger relace him with an equally good player??
One player can change a side, AA did it when he signed, VdV has done it for the spuds, we need that match changing playing to come in in jan….
definately though, we need a player to compliment song, he is so like gilberto but just doesn’t read the game as well as the brazillian did…
JJ, I am close to agreeing with you but I would have TV at the back and JD in the Dm position.
who we guna buy in januray..
if we move one of the cb’s into the holding role with song we could go for cahill to make the numbers up..
or we could could just go buy someone like inler or the sissoko kid from toulose..watched abit of that lad this year hes one of those all action midfielders..only 20 but french and talented and nuts..i reckon a deal could be on..lol are you reading arsene???
i dont agree wenger has got the systen right though, olnly because he doesn’t have the players to play ‘his way’ – in his mind he may have it right but too many of ours are not up to the task…
in an ideal fantasy world, january would be a very active month if i were wenger…..
Squilli is better than kos imho – he and JD are our best defensive pairing – however, wenger doesn’t see it that way and sadly he will never put JD back in midfield either…
strange really, he changes everyone else….
rico..well their wrong and your right on this one.. 😉
agree with vdv as well..
AA’s game has gone to shit..hes still deadly but rather have vdv but i think we all did didnt we..
will..either or for me mate..as long as they defend and not push up im not bothered
If we can buy three players in the sales, I would want
A mean bastard Cb as I said before, a Keown or Adams type. We have enough “ballers” in the squad, we need a no nonsense defender.
A defensive minded DM, someone who can intercept passes and make his own, in American Football terms, a mix of a Free Safety and a Quarterback.
A striker that can actually shoot and score. I am not looking for the new Henry but I think Benzema would fit the bill.
rico the system works hes proved it with the last two champion sides..
problem is we are top heavy with players who want to be number 10 and nobody wants to be the one who does what parlour/grimandi/edu/petit/vieira/berti/flamini used to do..
wenger seems to think he doesnt need that type of player anymore running the engine in midfield but even barca have busquets and masch..
chelsea have essien and mikel
manu have fucking loads theyve got park, feltcher, hargreaves, carrick..just so happens top of the league..
wenger needs to stop pissing about playing technical passers/attacker like jack, denilson, diaby in there..they arent natural defenders so its square pegs in round holes
tell song to stay back and put jd/tv with him..if not go sodding buy one..i was hoping frimpong might make it but hes done..that injury will set him back 2-3 seasons now..
Goodnight, kids. 🙂 Kick-off in my tz is 3am. Pfft; and I must get some beauty sleep. 😉
rico
agree on kos..think hes our worst defender and its no disrespect to him..its wengers fault for buying a player who was playing french league two football not so long ago..
hes a decent player but expecting him to make the step up at arsenal in his first season was too much..tv was different he was ajax and belguim captian with 50 caps when we got him..kos was a nobody..for 10mil or whatever id have rather not bought him and got someone whos played PL like jag or cahill..
night agag, bet you get up for the game 😉
night agag
Will, thats who i would like too, don’t know who is out there but they are the two positions we need strengthened
jj is right, we have a glt of ‘midfielders’ but how many reall are going to make a difference, i would ship out a few and just buy one really good player to support song…
Have to say, the Kos buy was a strange one.
jj, see, i prove that ladies can get their footie right… sometimes 🙂
i think we are ok for strikers will..
i think with almunia now dropped im willing to let fab and ches fight it out for gk..probably cos i think ches is the next schmiecal..
for me we need more defensive players.. a couple of battlers in the midfield..by that i mean defensive battlers not ppl who give away fouls like diaby and jack..proper tacklers..
also need a proper winger when teams park the bus and we cant break them..
a january spree of hazard, cahill and sissoko would do me fine..
but it wont happen 😉
Will, i was one who defended the signing of kos, jj said he was a silly signing (well, something like that) but, as much as he can read a game he hasnt adapted to the PL right now and thats because the league is too fast. kos is also too lightweight right now..
in time he could be really good but not right now, we were lucky that TV just slotted in so well and i expected kos to do the same…
i think squilli is better…
i’d settle for thos three jj, but hazard looks destind for OT sadly…
also, we have this jap kid signed and the old boot to join in the summer so wenger wont get a winger sadly..
me, i’d settle for cahill and essien 🙂
jj, re kos, you called it like that and i didn’t listen, i was wrong….
i remember an interview with wenger a few week back where he was aked about buying players and he said he has too many..
hes right..we wont see any signings cos wenger has too many players..he will need to let 4 or 5 go if he wants to make changes but he wont do it cos their his children..
I would be happy to see the back of Nic B, I really don’t rate him at all.
jj, then its time he told some of his children to go get a real job… he needs to let some go…..
you and me both Will, all mouth and no trousers…
i wouldnt worry about anyone giong to OT rico
fergies broke..lol..hes already been making noises they are having to go with youth..
theirs rumours they’ll give 20mil to liverpool for reina..
lmao they dont have 20 p thats why theyve signed that swedish goalie nobodies ever heard of on a free transfer..
manu are skint il be amazed and pissed off if fergie gets hazard
i dont mind nikki, will..
i prefer him to theo but with chamakh coming good it means we can rest rvp and keep him fit all season..
nikkis not needed and if a 10mil offer came in id take it and promote JET..
the children thing rico..
this is why the youth system fails arsenal…
the idea of a youth system is to keep the best ones and sell the ones we dont need and make a profit..
what wenger does is he keeps them all just in case they come good..
they problem arises then that we have 25 midfielders all within a 4 year age range who will only stay if we give them 30k-40k a week..
we end up with a squad of 22 average players all on 40 a week…id rather sell the ones we dont need and have a squad of 11 players on 80k and make up the numbers with the prospects coming thru
wenger needs to learn to let go with some of these players..we dont need em all we must have about 89 midfielders and they are eating into the wage bill when the money could be used to pay for a superstar or two
Let’s look at Nic B.
No real pace to speak of
No movement in the box
Heading ability is average
Strike rate as far as I can remember is poor
Slows the game down
Vision not as good as RvP
Workrate not as good as Chamakh.
Do we really need him?
I agree about JET, I would like to see him given a run out but we have several “average” prem players and that is too many.
i could think of 5 players we wouldnt miss that id sell tomorrow and use the money to buy a couple of monsters
AA, rosicky, vela, denilson, nikki
that would release the funds and provide space on the wage bill for a hazard and an inler and a cahill and we’d still have enough left over for a bag of chips and bus fiar home.. 😉
wow jj, i read the glazers are about to fund fergies new year dream in a big way…
also j, wenger is like a kid in a sweet shop, he sees a player then buys him, but you are right, we have so so many he needs to let go, then give Lansbury a bloody chance….
j = jj 😉
add diaby to that list jj….
Diaby is a strange one. He wins the ball and strides through tackles like Vieira of old and then his mind fuzzes over and he loses the ball.
it’s not going to happen, a mass clear out,though almunia and vela will go,and in about 3 years he will realise that he should have got shot of denilson and bendtner.
aa will go back to russia as he won’t extend his contract but nasri must be kept at all cost.
i am not anti wenger but increasingly frustrated by him not seeing the bleeding obvious.
even if we win tonight there is no guarantee of beating wigan on wednesday.
ask yourself this, when did we last really play well in just 2 consecutive games and of course not concede ?
Even if we go 2-0 up with 30 minutes to play, I fear for the worst. I remember a time we would go 4-0 up in the first 20 minutes and then coast but still not give the other team a sniff.
the glaziers are the reason they broke..the glaziers are broke..they are riddidle with debts thats why they ‘bought’ manu..so they could plough their bills into the football cashcow of the world..
only problem is manu are the type of team that turnover more than 300-350 mil a year..but they still operate at a 60mil loss..
manu are in trouble..fergie wants to retire but he wont do it until he has steady the ship and gets them through it..that and beating liverpools record of titles 😉
as for diaby hes a world class player with a boys brain..on his day hes untouchable and hes easily one of the most skillfull players in europe if not the world..cant put my finger on it but i think hes a striker and until we play him in a gerrard role behind the target man we wont see the superstar trapped inside..he lacks discipline, he just wants to play..wenger plays him in midfield so he switches off..he doesnt read the game or keep concentration if hes not dribbling round 5 players and shooting..
id let some of the others go and keep him..play him where hes best see what hes got i reckon he’ll shock a few of us
Will, Diaby’s problem is his feet and brain do not work together, if they did he would be as good if not better than paddy for his age….
kesley, you have just said my own thoughts, if we we win tonight, does that mean we all think we will win at wigan….
my answer is no….
give diaby a free role…if he starts getting a few motm’s and a few goals u never know the confidence might go through the roof and his committment might go thru the roof and he might just be better than paddy..
how old is he?? 24?? i say give him til hes 26 and ill be happy to wait that long if he puts in a world class performance for the next 3-4 seasons..
frustrating player..but frustrating cos you know hes better than that..not cos he’s totally shit 😉
jj, what has happened to the ‘diaby is shit’ comment of yours???
You could be right about Diaby JJ.
hello again kelsey..
to be honest it feels pretty good blogging with you all again..weve gone thru alot today wow 😉 well done rico..
you got a point there mate..im not anti wenger either i think the guys got one last trick up his sleeve but at the minute hes pissing me off 😉
what annoys me is that he dismantled the invincibles in the space of 18months and yet its been 6 years and he refuses to sell some of the current players..irritates me like hell..
rico..diaby is shit..but hes dangerous.
at the minute AA is shit..but you know how i really feel about him..you know me il say it like it is at the time 😉
besides i think he might play tonight i want him to do well lol
JJ,
I watched spurs last night and their second goal was straight out of OUR manual.in bale,dawson,van devaart and modric they have some quality players and even allowing for more funds then us,arry has motivated them tremendously in 2 yeras yet we appear to stand still.do you agree.
weve all seen some of diabys best games rico i say hes shit cos he dont do it enough but if he gave me 20-25 of his best games in a row hes the type of player who will put bums on seats and names on shirts..hes got the ability..hes yet to find his place in the team..wenger plays him everywhere..
you know what it is rico..hes in the same prediciment as theo..hes played out of position and expected to do a job..
no kelsey..
dont agree..spurs have a sugar daddy jol spent over 100 mil putting that team together and they sacked him for finishing 5th..
spurs are doing well but the fact remains when your a funded club your expected to do well..we are self funded and we have been top four over ten years..spurs still have along along way to go..they are still in the shadow they just getting alot of attention at the minute..clichy was doing wat bale is doing now two years ago so bale might be shit next year as well.. one season wonders 😉
tel u wat kelsey il be interested to see what the result is at the end of the season if spurs win fuck all and finish outside top four..
i dont think they’ll finish top four this year its citys this year..and can anyone really see em lifting CL??
FA CUP and 5th place at best
would you accept that if your squad cost over 150mil???
when your NL rivals have a squad of 75mil and finish higher than you in the best league in world..
if i was a spurs fan id be pissed
whens the game on??
anyone sticking around?
Thanks jj but its thanks to all that inspired me to satrt HH 🙂
Diaby is dangerous, especially whe he’s defending 😉
8pm ko jj, hoping to be around but, i may very well have fallen asleep by then 🙁
JJ,
obviously funds make a huge difference but i have to say that their new players settle in far quicket than ours,though some are shite.defensively they are poor nd gomes is a clown,but they do have momentum and a drive as a team which appears to be lacking with us.
i am not predicting anything i just think wenger can’t motivate the players as much as he used to, or he is buying a poorer quality of player as he has been priced out by city and even spurs,and as you say he expects some of our players to play in 4 or 5 different positions.
kesley, i see where you are coming from re VdV’s goal…. bale and VdV are waht makes them tick, should they be out at the same time, they have very little….
ah, mr motivator, that is certainly not our boss….
cant argue with that kelsey.
think arrys a better motivator..but hes a crap manager..he’ll spend all your money until it runs out..
spurs are on a roll but i think the best they will do is 5th i dont class them as a threat just yet..
thing is as well that with their players tasting CL footy will they stay at spurs next year..
bale modric vdv all good enough to play at the top level every year at a top club like barca real arsenal 😉
if spurs finish outside top 4 those players just might be tempted and arry wont care cos hes the next england manager..
once that contract is signed he wont give two shits about spurs..
wow, i am exhausted so i will say goodnight to you jj and of course rico until tomorrow.
Diaby is a strange one, as I said, he can tackle and then ride 5 tackles but then lose his mind and stand still looking completely lost while the ball is taken off of him.
As for Spurs, we need to buy players the calibre of VdV but we buy Nic B because he is younger.
jj, re arry, after he’s spent all the money he will leave, go to another club and buy the players on the cheap…. look what he did to pompey?
left them broke them ripped them off…
night night kelsey, catch up tomorrow sometime…
one of regs on here really rates diaby Will, he’s a big fan of euro footie and reckons diaby will be an absolutey world class player – i don’t see it myself but i sure hope he’s right and i am very wrong….
When he clicks and turns his brain on, he is a tall Messi but you know that at the end of every mazy run is him hearing his mum calling him in for dinner and just wondering off.
Will, i just love your last, that’s such a kind way of putting it 🙂
Watch him, his eyes glaze over and he forgets what he is doing.
You don’t have to convince me Will….
But, when on it, he can be amazing.
mmeeeee….
Lukasz Fabianski
Bacary Sagna
Laurent Koscielny
Johan Djourou
Gael Clichy
Jack Wilshere
Alex Song
Cesc Fabregas (c)
Theo Walcott
Samir Nasri
Robin van Persie
Substitutes
Wojciech Szczesny
Sebastien Squillaci
Abou Diaby
Tomas Rosicky
Andrey Arshavin
So, Theo starts as does JD – hoorah…
but no Chesney 🙁
not much of a bench…..
I was thinking that, that is a crap bench.
Rosicky, Arshavin, Diaby, Squillaci, Bendtner, Chamakh, Szczesny
Will, where is Nikki B and Vela??
Are they gone?
go theo
jj, now i know you are taking the mick 😉
does look like nikkis on his way out..see no reason why he isnt on the bench
hes gotta perform tonight rico
or he might as well leave with nikki
jj, i have a feeling he will, he knows he needs a top performance…
nice goal merse 😉
more subs up now jj, chamakh and nikki added
if we lose tonight like we always do the same way year after year wengers got no excuse and no option to wake up and use january to BUY the players we need
strong bench
strong team…nothng less than a win will do
agree with that, a loss tonight and some will really giving him a hard time, then he has little to no choice, but you just know he will bury his head in the sand and say he trusts in this squad…. he might but none of us do….
love the look fabianski just gave terry….
drogba really is mr cocky then 😳
oh dear drogba looks pumped..
time for jd to become big sol and hold that line cos kosser aint got a prayer against that bloke
I can see Nic Be leaving, he is crap and arrogant.
drogba always does, ref needs to be brave tonight….
well done jd…
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti really does like his black trench coat. He looks like an extra from bad 70s movie. We’ve not seen too much of Frank Lampard so far. John Terry loses the ball and deliberately drags down Robin van Persie. Should be booked. Isn’t.
Clumsy, very clumsy, from John Terry, as he tangles with Johan Djourou. The two men are battling to connect with a teasing free-kick from Robin van Persie. It isn’t a penalty – there isn’t enough contact – but Terry needs to be careful.
if rvp would stop trying to hit the sky satelitte in space we’d be 2 up by now..
jd playing well so far
i wish we’d stop fucking crossing but theo coming inside is causeing a few problems….
maybe try playing him on the left..
How are we doing?
thats it nasri
just shoot
we aint doing bad will..
as predicted we have more of the ball..but we do look like scoring
jds played well so far drogba aint had a sniff and theos pegged cole back the service aint there
but we do need to score..weve been on top we need to capilise on the possession
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
weve only got one song
walked it right fucking through em
It is killing me not to watch.
what a half and well done alex 🙂
Have the will Will 😀
smoking a bong singing a Song 😆
I wonder did agag wake up to watch the game.
Van Persie aiming today is not existent.
Fab is looking better thou he had gr8 solo move.
Hope Theo scores today.
Will, you just keep that television switched off…..
Can we keep the lead or will we do our usual second half thing?
Stef, so do i, i wish he’d pressure cole more so he gets a red….
we played well..we need another
but the trio of jd kos and song has been fortress like
need to keep that up and hope cole tires before theo
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssss
how unselfish was that…..
well done theoooooo…good decision making son
lets put this to bed weve got these fuckers
jj, i didnt want to mention the defence, til now they have been first class….
3 -0 theoooooooooooooooo
theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooo
will…u can turn it on we are 3-0 up mate
rico
theo stays 😉
hes destroying chelsea
weve been fucking great tonight
Do you see what happens when I don’t watch?
don’t turn on just yet Will….
jj 😆 but wait til the whistle goes….
bollox
shit…..
fabianski?????????????????
nah jj, kos…
TURN IT BACK OFF WILL
Should I switch it on, if you say yes and we lose, you are to blame and not me.
oh, and fabianski…..
dirty bastard lamps….
maybe should have stayed on his line..
See, I switched on and they scored.
NO!!!!!!!!! LEAVE IT OFF 😉
NO WILL…..
Have they scored again?
momentum has swung make the changes arsene
close it out
GET RVP OFF, HE IS RUBBISH….
See what happens?
3-1 will
jj/Will, this is far from over
I am not happy. How can you be scared at 3-1 up in the second half? How did out team sink this low?
bollox
What is happening?
how stupid is that… taking theo off is madness, take rvp off….
Are we looking like we are going to lose the game?
3-1 still Will, theo off for diaby….
we doin wats needed will
the commentators are shitting themselves thats all
its 3-1 weve got this one we doing well
chamakh on for rvp, smart wenger…
I hate this BBC thing.
chelsea made all their subs after 50mins we making our fesh legs now 77mins its fine chelsea are fucked
jj, we need to take jack off, he is knackered…
swap rvp for vdv and we would be 6 goals up…..
How much longer and how are we looking?
is demilson on the bench
we could do with putting him on last 5 mins
6mins we cruising
no denilson jj
phewwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Please don’t say cruising.
squilaci on for jack?? jd with song???
3-1
we destroyed chelsea..
Wooooooooooooooooooooooo
Woooooooooooooooooooooooooo
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo
Up yours CHAVS 🙂
We won?
3-1 Will and don’t you ever watch a game again 🙂
song cesc and theo…
jd was a rock..kos felt better playing with him but we still need tv back in there and chesney in goal
I am bad luck chuck this season.
song, cescand theo for me too jj and jd was outstanding at the back, i think he settled kos too…
great game, great result and great end to our day…
Cheers GUnners! Song man of the match, Kozzer – Djourou rocky pair at centre and Walcott did really well today. HYGE result. Drogba was shit.. 🙂
guys,i am off now, i will sleep well…
great days blogging too… thanks all 🙂
nighty night and stay safe all….
woop woop…..
gunnernet, song was just outstanding, i hope some realise that, he so often gets such a bashing 🙁
Good night Rico.. We really have missed them.
im gone now
Wenger also picked the right team. Djourou deserved to start and it proved worthy. Let’s have a good run now and we will be in a very strong position. AGAIN, MASSIVE result. Even Rosicky had a shot on target, altough he was offside.. 🙂
See Ya Rico
Theo also impressed me with his defending.. I felt magnificently when he was sprinting backwards and cut all of their counters.. Clichy also deserves credit for his performance tonight. Generally high concetration and right tactics won us the game today. A hard fought balanced team. Well done boys! Well i am off 2. See u tomorrow, the party has just begun.. 🙂
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way; Santa is an Arsenal fan… And at Emirates today- Oh!!
Gunnernet Santa wears Red And White for a reason 😀
I have a crazy idea some1 has to make Arsenal version of a Santa costume would be awesome.
Gr8 win today I am glad I watched this game on telly.
Good night and sleep well all.
I usually take breaks from blogging on weekends and holidays but this is an exception.
COME ON YOU GONNERS 🙂
New post going up 🙂