Today is another day, the media have had their moment, the players and fans have had time to get over the Sunday debacle, forget it!
Now it’s time to re-group and focus on the last few months of the season. Yes, the Carling Cup defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for everyone with Arsenal’s interests at heart but now it’s time to move on, but will they?
What I will suggest to Arsenal though is if they get to another final this season, please leave the shell suits at home and let’s see our players united in suits and boots and please, not an iPod in sight!!
But, and as Oliver included in his match report and which I kept for today, from now it’s all about how we react .
Plenty of our players have been tweeting how “sorry” they are – Sagna and Jack are just two – about what happened on Sunday and Arsene reported that Kos and Szczesny were “destroyed” after the match.
No need for apologies, no need for self-flagellation. These things do happen, but we need to put it right, not feel sorry for ourselves and the supporters. I can think of no better way to remain in perpetual “almost-but-not-quite-there” mode than to bang on and on about how “sorry” we are about losing…It’s done, it cannot be undone, and we have another match ahead which requires our undivided attention…
Wallowing in self-pity will get us exactly nowhere…
So how does our team overcome this and finally fulfil its potential? I have a couple of thoughts: the first is that the we have just visited our abyss – we have failed spectacularly on the most public of stages – so there is no longer a need to be afraid of such failure.
We have just been there, we have just done it, so why don’t we now go out and play without worrying about failure…We have just see the worst that can happen – we lose a match. There have been too many occasions in recent seasons where we have lost matches before a ball has been kicked due to such fear of failure – Cesc stated outright this was the case in December at Old Trafford. So let’s stop psyching ourselves out, going out and playing with the hand brake on.
Our players can also help themselves by going out and refusing to accept defeat. Losing happens, but that does not mean our players need to facilitate the process, either by imploding (as on Martins’ goal today) or tamely surrendering when falling behind (such as at Braga)…
Certainly there have been instances where we have pulled ourselves back from the brink of defeat – the best example I can find is the recent first leg tie versus Barcelona, where we would have been expected to let them finish us off, instead of bouncing back and battering them down the stretch as we did. One problem is that we do not show this consistently enough – and worryingly, it is usually Cesc that drags us back in many of these situations. I think we need more players to step up, lead, and drive the team on in difficult situations…
Another problem is that we do not seem to be able to pull ourselves back in matches we are expected to win – this afternoon, the semi-final first leg at Portman Road and the three home league losses are cases in point. I think this goes back – to an extent, at least – to our tightening up in matches we are not expected to lose. I am sure there are plenty of instances where we have given teams a right pounding, but I will argue that the instances where we had to come back from an early setback are few and far between.
This brings me to my final point, which is that we have yet to regain a winning culture here at Arsenal. That is not to say we are losers – we certainly are not – we win more than our share of matches, but we are always “thereabouts” and never “there” come May. We are over-feted (in my opinion) for our football style and values, yet we have nothing in our cabinet to show for all this love. I am not going to argue that trophies are the be-all-and-end-all, but they are what we compete for. And, going back to my original point, we showed once again on Sunday that we remain unable to take that final step.
Is this because of our emphasis of style over results? Perhaps. Is it because attainment of qualification for Champions League football is always cited as the immediate goal? Possibly.
This is another divisive element and all Arsenal supporters have their respective opinions. I will only say that I think our players lack the collective mentality – read ruthlessness – to put opponents away, take that final step, and finish a campaign by winning trophies….
We’ll have an idea of where we are on Wednesday night. Should the unthinkable happen and Orient turn us over, then our trophy prospects will be halved in the space of four short days, and we will indeed be in crisis mode.
I do not expect that to happen – we should still be way too good for them. So a nice, stress-free confidence building wide margin win will be most welcome. That won’t automatically make us favorites to win the three remaining trophies, but it should restore some confidence and momentum ahead of a critical stretch of matches.
I think we will get there, and sooner rather than later. It may not be this season, but I don’t think our time is far off at all. We just have to keep plugging away at it, and grow more and more determined with each setback. There are still three more prizes to play for, so this is no time to give up on our side.
Oliver
Sorry guys but until the board and the manager see the problem, we will win nothing.
Hi Will,
I don’t actually believe hand on heart that we will win anything again this season either and yes, i blame those at the top for that.
TV has suffered another set back, RvP is out at least for the Barca clash, Walcott too and no-one knows when cesc is back…
Four of our better players out so who is going to step up and score the goals?
Jack and nasri can turn it on in midfield and create the play but……
Unless Nik and Chamakh suddenly start scoring, where will our goals come from?
Prior to Cesc, Theo and Robin picking up injuries, I had great faith….
Morning Rico
Hate to use these as examples but look at teams who have won things:
Man Utd
Chelsea
Barca
Real Madrid
What is the common denominator? Buying top class players in that get the job done.
Mr Wenger – THE EXPERIMENT HASN’T WORKED.
Time to move on from this one old son and get the cheque book out. Time to get a world class central defender and as I have been crying for, for ages A CLINICAL STRIKER.
A player who would rather shoot his granny than pass a chance away.
We are now turning into a second tier club.
He won’t get the cheque book out now Will, not after the club announced losses…
We near a clear out, stop paying average players big money…
We could offload at least 7/8 players in the summer….
I agree with you, we have championship level players, safe on £40k a week. They are the players who are “killing” the youth.
I am sorry but top class players don’t kill the youth, they inspire them and let’s be honest, if teh youth player can’t displace the top class player, he is not worth his place.
Wenger needs to be spoken to.
Morning all, is it the board and the manager see the problem or the board see the problem with the manager? Good post btw!!
Got some chores to get done, back in a bit….
Then look to the youth Will, how much are we paying the likes of Hoyte and Randall etc??
And what are they doing? Sitting on a Championship clubs bench, if they are good enough to get in their side now, how the heck will they ever get into ours??
Morning Lee,
The board seem weak and are happy where we are, they won’t challenge wenger…
All they want is a top four finish for C.L money and if we go on a cup run, that’ll be nice….
I agree Rico. How old are Randall and the like?
I love Wenger and everything he has done for my club but the guy has a blind spot and someoone needs to show him what he is doing is not going to work.
I am happy to have 70% of the squad youth products but we need that sparkle.
Did we produce
Bergkamp?
Henry?
Pires?
Vieira?
These are the best players we have had for over 50 years and all of them were brought in. Wenger really should see that.
Spot on Lee, second best though is not good enough anymore, it’s been too long…..
Morning Gooners.
I said to my son 3 weeks ago, that if we keep Cesc, Walcott, Nasri, RVP, Jack & Djourou fit for the rest of the season, that we can win a couple of trophies, well 50% of that lot are out, and if we aren’t carefull we’ll end up potless again.
Now that the cc final loss has been digested,it’ another day .The next step is to beat Orient which should not be a problem barring bizarre incidents. After that Sunderland. Bruce has been schooled by the red faced and could do a favour for his old mentor by holding the gunners to a draw or even taking three points.
Believe me,Bruce will park the bus.If the gunners pass all day they could be ripe for the sucker punch. Then bingo another setback which is possible.
I want the gunners to show the fight like in the Barcelona game.Then who knows?
Btw it seems many gunners are getting injured. Is it due to the gunners passing marathon? I won’t be surprised if it is the chief reason affecting the injured players.As one fan rightly said,the gunners obsession with the passing syndrome enables defenders to regroup. That’s why the gunners found it hard to core in the cc final.
Wenger’s game plan can be eaily stifled but he couldn’t care less. That’s why the gunners will continue to lose the big games.
We didn’t Will, that’s why we won. They were footballers when they came to us, they just needed wenger to coach them to become better
I respect what wenger has done but you can make a diamond out of an old sit of stone and that is how is see dennilson, nik, squilli, almunia, randall, hoyte and a few more…
and where is Vela??? on loan for west brom doing what our players struggled to do last week, and thats scoring against Stoke!
morning kev…
and the knock on effect will kick in too, others like nasri and jack will have to play more and just wait for them to pick up an injury…
get vela, lansbury, JET and bartley back as soonest….
Having said that, the trophy i actually think we have the best chance of winning is the EPL. Arsenal are not a cup team, our failure in too many finals point to that. To me Arsenal’s strength is in the League, and that’s what i prefer anyway.
Hi Anthony, good to see you here..
Too true Bruce will want to do old red nose a favour, it will be a tough game, especially with the players we have injured….
Bonjour Rico. Considering how crap we still all feel, i gotta say that that’s a damned good post…
But what we all want him to do is, out the dead wood, which would help finance the purchase of a top drawer CB and CF add to that Frimpong, JET etc…not rocket science, no?
I want the league too kev and a trip to OT in the next round of the FA Cup… But, without sounding a pessamist we are only where we are because the others have fluffed up…
Look at the games we should have walked, if we had that winning spirit and determination that wenger goes on about, we would be well clear at the top.
We failed to take advantage of those around us faling, not the sign of ‘determination and mental strength’…
Spanish press reporting a potential swap deal kaka and adebarndoor….denilson for bencezma?
Sorry folks, but things won’t improve until 2014 when our Emirates deal expires and we can get a decent sponsership shirt deal to invest in the team. The board are looking more at expanding oversea revenues at the moment
That olivers handy work, i stole it though from part of his match report, of course i added the little picture, you know me and pictures 🙂
Lee, i keep hearing {from people at the club} that Wenger has this mythical war-chest, be it £40 or £50 million, so we shouldn’t have to sell anyone before buying anyone, surely?
I agree, cull the dead wood, but do we really need to sell to buy..? Because if that IS the case, then that’s just a pile of crapola mate…
Lee, what a joke that would be, Kaka for Lardy??
I like your second one though 😉
Hi adam – what happens with all that as they have the stadium naming rights too?
While all the Arsenal fans moan about the team, no-one has mentioned that the BCFC fans completely outsung us. Our support is just embarrassing at times.
Someone needs to tell Wenger that we need a “superstar” striker. Someone that will score goals no matter the team or the league.
This is not good enough.
Stop your crying just cos you lost the Carling Cup, your still not as shit as us and it’s 50yrs and still counting on us winning the league and we still gonna wait another 50yrs…!
Forever in your shadow !!
Yid Army – get back under your stone!
hi keith, we did yesterday, it was awful wasn’t it…
Its the classic panic stations reaction again.We have the best team we have had since the invincibles.Its getting better all the time.We lost a carling cup final but we will bounce back.I can’t believe people are so quick to jump on the ‘spend some money you idiot wenger’ bandwagon.Part of football is losing and this is the pain of it all but its a big part of winning aswell.If a billionaire buys the club me and my father have loved for 22 years and starts spending millions to win trophies then i cannot be involved anymore and to think it would make some supporters extremely happy to see us turn into chelsea!! Why compete if you 20 times richer? why not just melt down some Gold and make trophies if your so desperate to fill the cabinet, it would save time and more to the point it would stop you having to compete on a level playing field with everyone else.Thats great for football.We will never have to then worry about little teams like Birmingham winning anything again.FANTASTIC
matt – if you read HH regularly you would see that back in the summer and again in jan we said on here that to become a great side we needed a top class CH, Striker and HM – we didn’t get any of them.
if you are happy to be losing finals and winning nothing for six years then good on you, however, most fans would rather we win…..
lol When you put it like that Yid its quite sobering, yep we lost a cup final but as you say we’re nowhere near as shit as you and as you say 50yrs and counting…! piss funny…!
Morning WATH
we’re not talking citeh/chelski expenditure, just prune the under-performers and re-invest..2 quality players would make a huge impact!!
Matt your comment is really rather blinkered fella, noone here is saying get ina sugar daddy at all but if you don’t think we need a few quality players you’ve got your head in the sand. It’s not just that we lost a final its also the way we lost and the attitude of certain players but if you saw what ppl wrote here yesterday you would of seen 95% of comments were trying to be constructive and not slagging anyone off for the sake of it just saying what ppl felt and what needed to be put right. Oh and i ain’t no jcl either…!
back in a bit guys…
Tea plz Rico…………. 😉
Spot on Lee, three max would be us sorted but I been saying that for 4 yrs now….! Pisses me off when someone jumps on the bandwagon and says your just saying that cos we lost………. Hmmmmmm no actually not…!
“We’re by far the greatest team, the world ever seen!”
Ohhhhh…. Arsenal???
The world greatest team don’t lose a final like that…
The world greatest team don’t lose a 4-nil lead…
The world greatest team don’t lose and complain of the pitch condition, the ref, the fans, the congestion of games, injuries… etc
We are not the greatest team YET… so stop delude the players into thinking that they are any close to greatness~
Complacency kills them every time. Even Mr Wenger endlessly reminds them of their “qualities”.
Because of their “qualities”, besides passing left to right when weaker opposition park the bus… our ego-blown average players would attempt countless of high risk, uncalculating passes only to gift the ball back to the opposition. Sometimes it would work out like a charm and net beautiful goals in typical fashion. Compared to the invincibles, this current batch is not fighting hard enough and is not telepathic/calculative in the final quarter. Their through ball is made, in hoping a teammate would,by chance, get to the end of it. Bergkamp is greatly missed here.
Without Complacency, would the Barca beating team lost?
They have certain talents and qualities, no doubt about it… it’s the condition of their mind which comes back to haunt them repeatably…
And yes… I agree… we don’t have to spend.
but we do need integrate more strong minded youth players who cares about the club… Develop the team around Wilshere…
Nice comments Ubin, agree on most of what you say….! We’re nowhere near ruthless enough in the final third we dont shoot enough and we think playing tippy tappy football beats congested defences…! We are far slwoer than the invincibles were and thats also a problem in breaking down teams that park the bus or in fact park it and walk off and leave it.
And am I the only one feel saddened by Arshavin ever likely to leave the squad this summer? I mean he’s quality threat to any opposition. Besides RVP10 and Nasri, I can’t think of anyone who is goal threatening and goal minded.
Oh yes there is B52, but let’s not go there. B52 is goal minded but not goal threatening.
Arshavin when he first came here… he mentioned that he is used to criticism back in his Zenit days. But why the excuses of gooner fans’ criticism, affecting your confidence? Where is your trademark finger to your lips to silent all of your critics?
Ubin, I said AA is likely to leave and I would let him go despite the fact I think he is a great player, I think he is a little wasted at Arsenal, I don’t think we use him properly at all. Just a shame as he has a quick mind skillful feet and great technically.
The problem we have is there is no pressure. The first team know that no top class players are going to be brought in so they can play at their current level without fear. This is not acceptable.
Wenger needs to loosen the purse strings and bring in the final pieces of the puzzle.
Will, think I said it yesterday, they are all in a comfort zone from teh pampered players to the manager who all know that their jobs are safe and no matter what they are not getting booted or sold. It’s all far to cosy and comfy one of our biggest problems.
What idiot cleans their car in 4o and raining!!!
rico 😆
I agree with you Wath.
We need someone strong at the top who will stand up to Wenger.
We also said that won’t happen either Will as they all seem happy with what’s going on, total lack of ambition when finishing top four and not winning things is perceived to be ok !!. Wenger only wants yes men around him and the board are noway going to slap his wrists for under performing simple as that. We in a catch 22…!
You do apparently Rico….. Can I bring mine round as well for ya..? 😛
WATH – no, and i’m not making tea either 😉
Spoil sport…………….! 😛
I am going to see if I can get Gazidas’ email.
All their mails go to the secretary Will, you’ll never actually get through to anyone that actually matters they protected from dealing with us the fans that pay all our money over to see our team etc etc etc….!
😆
I never got an answer from the Fa. This game is not about us anymore.
I always write to Ken Friar, he does actually read his post and i always get a reply. Old school. All round to the Rico car-wash…..lol
morning all…it’s only going to get more difficult. like many of us, i think many of our problems in our players’ heads…i also think accountability and maturity are issues throughout the squad.
if our players can just shake this crippling fear of failure, i think we can take a big step towards getting over the hump. we can expect to be without robin, theo, tv and probably cesc for the immediate future – ok, let’s get on with it. what’s to be afraid of? if we just go out, play to win and not worry about the outcome before it happens, i think we will be better off.
RICO – Shirt deal was for 10yrs and Stadium 15yrs.
£100M in total I think.
Compare that with Barca £25M per year shirt deal
B Munich £23.6M per year shirt deal
ManUtd & Liverpool £20M per year shirt deals
In about five years we should be completely debt free the way the board are going about business and hopefully spending some monies on world class experienced players. It can be frustrating sometimes, but with the business model the club have gone moving to a new stadium, being frugal and not stretching its self like Leeds, Liverpool etc we can become a world class team without having a billionaire backer. With the new rules coming in place too even better.
As for the FA, a waste of a stamp…
kev – no chance 😉
And what is it about sky+ remore controls, is it only me who has trouble getting the back off to change the batteries
When will our own site tell us what is happening with RvP??
All the sport channels are reporting he’s out for a while but nothing from the club….
They are shocking….
If my memory serves me right, during the 1988-89 season, when Liverpool beat Nottm Forest in the FA Cup semi-final, didn’t John Aldridge take the piss out of a Forest player who had scored an own-goal {am i right?}. Then a couple of weeks later we saw him laying distraught on the Anfield pitch {It’s up for grabs now…}. Well maybe what goes around will come around for that tosser Barry Ferguson? Here’s hoping.
Rico, get a wireless….lol
Off out, see ya all a bit later.
or everyone else is jumping the gun (on rvp). if the club do have a status, better to let us know now. but everything i have seen suggesting robin will be out through at the least camp nou is pure speculation.
i hope that this is simply because our diagnosis is not complete.
I’ve only just got rid of my wireless kev 😉
Morning oliver – sorry, i missed you coming on, great read again…
Thanks Adam – that kind of spells trouble if we have to wait another five years before the club buys big players…
only lidil will want to sponsor us then….
they would have scanned robin yesterday, they should know if its ligaments or just bad bruising by now….
AFC.com = fcking joke, relating to injuries!!!
Its always the same Lee, in fact they are the last to ever tell us anything about anything….
In the words of the guy who lives in the railway truck on The Fast Show {Jess}
“Today, i is mostly supporting Chelsea”
Too true kev 🙂
Just watched a U-Tube video highlights of Ryo Miyaichi’s 4 games in the Eredivisie. Early days but he looks the biz. Two=footed, pace to burn, but he can jink and send defenders flying. Not afraid of the physical either.
Kev, you know much about Melo at Juve??
Hi Lee, well we almost signed him before he joined Juve, and for a lot of money {as reported], most un-Wenger… We’ve been linked with him a few times since, probably via his agent. And when i’ve seen him play for Brazil, he strikes me as a Gilberto Silva clone.
Not that being like GS is bad.
What do you think?
What do you think Lee?
Melo is a bit of a hard nut but a tad wreckless sometimes from what i can make out, a few red cards in his days 🙂
kev – ryo does look a bit special doesn’t he, getting good reviews too but don’t like all the ‘next ronaldo’ labels, hopefully he won’t dive all over the place like the winker does 😉
Just looking on NN, and I know, take everything with a shovel of salt but “Arsenal set to swap denilson for melo”….that’s the sort of business we should be looking to do, no?
Could have done with him Sunday… But i kinda think that move may have gone now. We need a striker Rico, and not some herbert from the bargain basement either.
Lee – if there is the slightest bit of truth in that then i would need to log off and go help denilson pack his suitcase 🙂
Lee, that would do for me mate.
I think Rico may rubber-stamp that transaction too…
Rico, would you wash Denilson’s car? And then drive him to the airport, lol
In fact, just drive him there if he’s going or not…
Breaking news from the daily mail…RVP a doubt for barca clash, wow no sh1t sherlock!!
That Daily Mail, that’s the newspaper for the exclusives eh? How on earth do they do it???
zzzz…all of us waiting for credible news on robin.
i have deliberately refrained from commenting on miyachi – nothing against the lad, who is certainly a bright prospect. but he is still just a boy – he is not going to help us this year, perhaps not even next. i would like to let him develop away from the glare of hyperbole and heightened expectations. we have serious and more immediate issues that have little to do with him…
Too right I would Lee and kev, no way, i’d pay for someone to do it then i’d drive him and his one way ticket 🙂
i think he’ll be loaned out in the Championship/PL before he makes it with us oliver
kev, like a long journey on a very short pier 😉
afc.com – Robin is out for a minimum of three weeks….
Cesc could be back for Barca – afc.com
just saw…key word is minimum…who knows how long it will actually be….
it is difficult not to think events are unfolding in an all-too-familiar depressing pattern. our remaining players really need to knuckle down here…
Theo Walcott is out for the Barca tie
they sure are oliver, they sure are and it’s not good….
it does not always have to be like this. if some of our other players would just step up and take responsibility, we can still accomplish much. since the new year, robin has been our only consistent scorer. nik and chamakh will now expect to see far more action and they both need to deliver – chamakh did at the start, and nik has in previous spells, including last season when he returned from injury. so i know both are capable…
we need more leaders in other parts of the pitch. jack and samir have both shown they can take charge of things and drive the team on. song is ideally placed to do so, but hasn’t lately. and we need someone to take charge in defence – sagna is probably the best current player for this…
this is nothing we have not needed even with our full strength squad – but it was really evident on sunday, and now becomes absolutely imperative if we are to prevent our annual collapse on all fronts…
i guess with both Theo and RvP out for at least three weeks, wenger has no choice but to play them, sadly though i don’t see either stepping up to the mark – chamakh has said he is burned out and nik spends too much time talking…
well now he should get the chance to back up his big comments, we’ll see what his really made of now and i hope he proves all his critics wrong….
i wonder who will get the armband now….
i hope sagna or nasri get it….
But tomorrow, i don’t see either starting….
al of course!!
sorry, that was not really funny…
Quick, go and get Denilson back from Heathrow
exactly, he will get the armband and that is very wrong…
no chance kev, he’s boarding right now and the doors are shut 😉
rosicky will probably be the choice tomorrow…his recent dire form, however, has me questioning whether he still merits a squad berth, never mind another start…he has given us nothing all season, and, as much as i hate to say it, on the basis of sunday’s performance and result, giving him a start was a huge mistake on arsene’s part.
that is not to attribute the result solely to him – there were plenty of other below-par performances from red shirts…but many of us felt that rosicky would not contribute if he started, and so it proved…perhaps it is time for someone else to get his squad berth…
Shame about Vermaelen breaking down, but we’ve got Rambo coming back, something to hold onto.
Chamackh needs to find his shooting boots and quick. Diaby owes us some decent performances, starting vs Orient.
Wonder if we will see Chuks and Miquel in tomorrows squad….
Fairwell dear Denilson, we knew him well……
i think rosicky is one of a few out the door in the summer, saddens me but he has really lost what he had before his injury….
why oh why did he not shoot when he had acres of space on sunday, the old tomas would have blasted that into the back of the net….
Rico, that’s a good call. I’d have them on the bench, for God’s sake it’s Orient not AC Milan!
question is, who will wenger go with tomorrow?
we have sunderland and barca waiting…
surely he will put a strong team out to ensure a win?
it is very, very difficult to lead when you are struggling yourself…i wouldn’t even play rosicky tomorrow. that would mean denilson would probably have to start, but so be it…
if arsene heeds my recommendation and overlooks rosicky, then he will probably have to start samir or jack for creativity, with probably diaby and denilson alongside…i would go for samir and give him the armband. if samir does not play, then start sagna and give him the armband.
very few players in the second eleven that i would trust as captain…that means a first eleven regular starting to be captain – which is fine, i never advocate wholesale changes…i continue to maintain that our second choice players will only get better playing alongside some of our first choice. it is up to arsene to rotate responsibly and make sure that the mix is functional, and we can get a result, good performances from our second string, and rest for the first teamers who need it most at the moment. those should be our three priorities – in that order – regarding playing staff and upcoming matches, for the remainder of the season.
This is when we need JET and Afobe too, but Nik and Chamakh will have to play, then just wait and see one of them break down….
What about Squillaci as captain? It may concentrate his mind on the job in hand.
i’m with you on not too many changes oliver, always have and always will be but our squad is starting to look very fragile….
Kos has to start and personally I would start Chesney too, get them straight back into a game….
Good shout kev…. I always like the captain to be in defence…
Wenger is gonna need at least one fit striker vs Sunderland/Barcelona, does he risk them both tomorrow?
If Squlli starts though i hope its not with kos as they just don’t get on well at the back together…
Maybe wenger will go for the same as the away tie – squlli and miquel, which i know contradicts what i just said about kos playing….
And Vela keeps on scoring for WBA…..
Maybe Freeman will get drafted in?
How desperate are we becoming??
kev, good point…and i distinctly remember squil wearing the armband during an earlier season match, where he and kos were our partnership.
the only problem i see is that i think arsene needs to play kos tomorrow, get him back in action quickly and try and stop him from dwelling on sunday. if kos does start, i would prefer squil does not. but on the other hand, jd may need a rest.
regardless, i personally think we will need some first teamers in the side, and at least one to provide the creativity. if samir is selected, he should be captain. if kos plays, perhaps we will not need sagna so much.
regardless, it is important we stay in the fa cup, having whiffed on the carling cup, so the result must be the top priority tomorrow. anything else is not in the clubs best interests…
oliver i see your points about the 2nd XI, but it’s about priorities mate, we really should have enough in the 2nd XI to beat Orient at The Grove. Sunderland is more important to me than the FA Cup or CL, not that i want to go out of either.
rico what about Pat Rice…lol
Yeah Oliver, you are right about a couple of 1st teamers, i totally agree, but i fear we are in danger of building Orient up into some kind of monster opposition. Yes it’s vital for the morale of us all to beat them, but surely none of us really think we could lose???
Or am i tempting fate….ugh
The crowd have a massive part to play tomorrow, the ‘lads’ need us to get behind them big-style. Maybe as it’s the FA Cup, we’ll have less prawn-sandwiches and more vocal fans?
kev, i think one of the cancers still present at our club is an apparent collective mindset that we can half-ass it against certain opposition, take them for granted. perhaps this comes from arsene, perhaps we have too many players who have over-inflated senses of self worth – we know nik does. if the players adopt a sense of urgency regarding this tie, a sense that orient have nothing to lose and we will have to put an honest shift in, then we should be fine. we have seen the other “show up to win” side too many times, and it usually gets us nowhere.
Oliver i am sure you are absolutely right, in fact i know you are. Technically our players are far superior, it’s between the ears that counts buddy.
If they have the correct attitude, then no problem. And after Sunday they surely should have the right mindset, they bloody-well should amigo.
they should, i agree…but real life accountability is more than simply breaking down on the pitch and issuing effusive apologies over twitter…what does it really mean when we go fine for a while, than come a cropper again because the players collective could not be committed to give a solid, professional effort against a team we are expected to beat? this has happened on more than one occasion this season…do our players really live in such an insulated bubble? that they are immune from even constructive criticism? what kind of environment has arsene created for them?
kev, wouldn’t mind a player with his approach to a game, when he palyed 😉
Well there is the Six Million Dollar question, does Arsene prepare them to be mentally tough and driven enough, or are they just a representation of him???
‘i think one of the cancers still present at our club is an apparent collective mindset that we can half-ass it against certain opposition, take them for granted.’
oliver – spot on, our better performances have been against the better opposition….
Right-on Rico, he made the most of what he had and gave it everything in every game he played. A tough cookie and a driven captain.
pampered, they are too pampered, i know what they all need….
Boot Camp!!
Maybe Arsene is a bit arrogant and it transfers itself onto the pitch against inferior opposition? There’s a thin line between confidence and conceit.
Chez
Sagna Kos Jd Gibbs
Jack Song Rambo
Eboue Nasri
AA
Chamakh
Nou Camp!
rico, do you remember – i think it was at the tail end of last season – when we had a lengthy discussion about how arsene almost fawningly praises his players? my point at the time was that i did not think that he needed to publicly criticize – particularly individuals – but that he may be able to help the players (and himself) by cutting back on the lavish praise? i still think he goes overboard, and i suspect some of our players may think they are above certain things – and certain opponents…
everybody needs a pat on the back at certain times – but there are instances where this approach may be counter-productive…life is not easy, things do not always go according to plan…i am not conviced that some of our players – perhaps the squad as a group – are mentally prepared to cope with and overcome certain types of adversity…
sorry – last year’s rant…
bring back ramsey and jet+lansbury.
kev – i don’t men this with any race issue whatsoever but wenger is just ‘french’……
will, is that lineup for tomorrow? if so, aaron is disqualified from playing. he did not feature in the original tie, so he is ineligible for the replay.
mind you, i would love to see him play against the mackems…his return has been delayed too long, in my opinion…
Rambo can’t play in this one Will, sadly…
i do remember that oliver and i have a feeling we agreed – i also get fed up with the same old excuses, the pitch, tiredness, too many fixtures etc etc…. i just wish he would stand up and show respect to the oppo when we are beaten and stop protecting the players so much….
in fact, i am really starting to get fed up with our manager….
Rico. i know, i love the French, but look at their rugby team, brilliant and flakey
Indeed kev and we whooped them on saturday 🙂
rico, i think arsene has improved in the regard of giving the opposition credit. he congratulated birmingham on sunday – although i felt that his comment about the number of games we play was irrelevant deflection (as this is the price of challenging on all fronts, and we added to that number ourselves by not taking care of business versus leeds and orient) – but he (just like any of us) can still do better…but i still think he is an overprotective father – almost more than a coach and leader.
how would our players perform as a group if they understood that their “arsene has our back no matter what” security blanket would not be there after a shoddy, disinterested effort? i’d love to find out…
Yeah, i smell a Grand Slam
Oliver, part of Arsene’s over indulgence manifests itself with his habit of sticking with players who are clearly shown not to be up to the required standard. Result, they let us down on the key games time and time again. But still he persists with them. I give you Silvestre for starters
let me be absolutely clear here – i think arsene has gotten better in this area, and i am in no way calling for him to throw anyone under the bus…i just wish he would scale back the fawning, obsequious praise for our players (“mental strength”, “we gave absolutely everything”) and deflection excuses (“bad pitch”, “tiredness”) in instances where such praise and deflection have not been earned…
it is possible to protect your players and have their backs without shielding them from accountability and reality…
kev, that is certainly a good example…denilson may be considered by many to be another…
Buddy i could have given you a whole XI, with subs. But i’m in the kitchen, so see ya all later
evening y’all
good post..
the news about robin is the one i was waiting for..
its not looking good now 🙁
hi jj…it is what it is, and we need to carry on regardless…this does not have to be the end of our season – provided our remaining players refuse to let this be it…
with chamakh out of form we are in trouble..
id go for a whole formation change and play a 442
chamakh and AA up top nasri and jack on the wings and cesc song in the middle..
i know we havent played that way for a while but the personell for our regular formation are dropping like flies we need to switch it up and not revert back to playing square pegs in round holes…
thats what i mean though about wenger, why the added snippets about too many games, tiredness etc….
we are a prestige club, we should be fighting on all fronts BUT we should also have the squad to compete on all fronts, not just a first team and then a load of average players…..
hi oliver..
if chelsea take a result tonight its a start..
kev, if we beat scotland, i’m smelling the grand slam too 🙂
Evening jj….
jj – we need to start playing plan b – hoof the bloomin ball up field and hope for the best 😆
You never know….
we have been competing all all fronts though so far rico..
the injuries to the first team are going to fuck us over though..
the backups have stuttered so far if we fuck it up now then wenger must act in the summer..the first team is built if the backups cant do the biz when called upon then alot of them need to be shown the door, the kids need to come in and add a couple of quality players to boulster the first team..
Kos is out tomorrow according to the BBC – Hamstring injury????
Song is also ruled out through injury 😮
I pray this is just being over protective…..
yeah jj, i think it is past time we changed formation to accomodate available personnel strengths, if the need arises. and with robin and theo already out, we are looking at nik and/or chamakh up front, so i think we should adjust. arsene has not previously, and i suspect will be unlikely to do so now…
correct, i just saw kos and song are out for tomorrow…hammy and knee, respectively…
for kos, i hope it really is a knock and not a mental block…
looks like we are going to get wholesale changes regardless…
thats what i am saying jj, arsenal SHOULD be where they are but we should also have the right players to provide cover – what happens when cesc gets injured – the heads drop, we should be bigger and better than that, we should not be a one man team….
wenger has know this for ages but still and for the 3/4th summer coming we are taling about a clear out, a clear out that could have happened last summer…
we have a great first 12/13 players but after that we are very average…
song was so anonymous – so useless – on sunday, i wonder if something was wrong with him going in?
oliver – if kos really has a hammy injury, three weeks at least he is out – wenger has no need to fib about this one – but i suspect he is done mentally…
he must know that goal was his fault… how will he recover, i don’t know….. no-one does but he’s not the most experienced is he..
Didn’t someone say, the prospect of Miquel facing Barcelona is not the best……
oliver – song often plays that way against ‘lesser’ oppo (no disrespect meant to brum) just what you were saying earlier…..
where as in my day of playing sport ( 😉 )i’d go all out to batter the oppo – being a boring old fart, i once played cricket against a side who we had never played – i opened the bowling and after three deliveries they were three wickets down with no runs – did i take myself off?? Too darn right i didn’t!!
ffs
look at all the injuries we are picking up..
the entire spine of our first team is out.
6 fukcing players..theres no point being optimistic anymore.. its over..we are done
here we go again..
well…if we find ourselves down to just jd and squil, with only miquel as cb cover, the responsibiity goes squarely on arsene’s account. it’s apparent that he did not make a serious effort to bring anyone else in, and gambled that tommy would return and we would not sustain any more injuries. hopefully kos will be back in the side quickly, otherwise we will be stretched to the breaking point…
regarding tommy and his latest setback, we are now in to march and he still has not had his first rehab assignment. we cannot be all that far – perhaps six weeks or so – from the point where it may no longer make any sense to push him to return this season…
the longer this drags on with him, the more we should prepare ourselves for the prospect that he won’t play competitively for us again until next season.
kos, song, cesc, theo, rvp..
pffft..
tv.
double fucking pfft
it’s difficult to stay optimistic, jj…i agree – but at the same time, i am not going to defeat myself over this…odds are that the squad is too depleted to cope – if it was ever strong enough to, in the first place – and our season unravels from here, just as we have seen in previous seasons…but until we are out of it, i will live in hope that our players will “grow a pair”, that the proverbial light bulb will go on, and we will sweep to victory, probably under the radar…
this kinda goes back to your point about adjusting tactics…if we are going to give ourselves the best chance to cope with the rash of players out, then formation has to be adjusted to accomodate specific player strengths. we give ourselves even less of chance if we jam square pegs into round holes…i’ll go even further and say that tactics and formation should be tailored to give us the best chance of overcoming our respective opponents in each match…
jj – i just hope its wenger reacting after the letter sent out by the FA about ‘rotation’ – he could and i pray he is just resting them and not leaving himself open for a hefty fine….
rico, can you bottle that and give it to our squad?? they – as a group – are in dire need of some killer instinct…
if the squad would have stayed together, especially the key players, we had everychance..
we can cope with a couple of hits but when you take all those players out at the same time we become the team that won 2 out of 11 last season..
i think song and kozz have been playing with injuries for a few weeks rico
song looks obvious for a few games now but koz didnt really show until sunday
i dont give a shit about orient but the team against sunderland must be a strong one..
if we are missing half a team for that then sunderland can do damage.
not necessarily…not if we change some things around to get the best out of what we have available…we likely will not be able to overcome barca or man united with all these players missing, but it does not automatically mean we will have to accept right now that we will finish empty-handed…
for all the flak arsene gets, he can really open some eyes and get people off his back if he can manage a depleted squad to at least one trophy – that would be an accomplishment…i think he will have to compromise some of his principles and beliefs, but if he can do so, the potential payoff would be big…
anyone who didn’t write us off after sunday will surely do so now…i’m not quite ready to do that yet.
i wish i could oliver…..
i’d tell you of more occasions but if i did, i give myself away 😉
no worries rico…it’s not as if i am forthcoming about who i am, either…
jj, but that is just it – we don’t/can’t ever rest them because what is behind them let themselves and arsenal down – this in turn goeas back to our squad…
arsenal brag about our squad being so big and most don’t need to register beacuse they are still in diapers, we didn’t need to spend millions, we just needed a few oldies with two seasons left at the top of their game to come in a buy us time for the young ones to grow…..
and the ones who are very near ready we loan out – get them back wenger….
hi geoff reid – sorry for the delay, spot on, get them back, and now!
oliver..
if all those players are out and wenger changed the system we would have a chance
but
as much as i love AW, he dont change systems, hes a square pegs man he thinks all his players can play anywhere, weve seen it all season in the cups and weve seen it not go to plan either..
oliver – good answer, an anon blog is not the place 🙂 and please don’t think I am Rachael Heyhoe Flint 🙂
i am concerned about tomorrow night because if we should be dumped out two competitions in the space of four days, i think what is likely already fragile confident will take a further blow – and that could well and truly see the rest of our season fall apart…
and i can tell you with absolute certainty that i am not harry markopolos…that is all i will give away about who i am…
phew, i’m safe then 😉
Rico, Oliver, i wish i could tell you more, but i work for MI6…..
i’m not confident either oliver….
My name is Bond……. John Bond……lol
Confidence is down to Wenger Oliver, but sometimes a bollocking can have the right effect. I can only imagine what Tony Adams would be saying to some of our wallflowers…
The thing is if Wenger shouted at some of our ‘heroes’ they would probably burst into tears.
i think we will get a result tomorrow rico…i think barry hearn made a huge mistake by treating his players to vegas at the halfway point of this tie – i would have dangled it depending upon how far they go. i have a suspicion that their players will not bring the same intensity as at brisbane road, and we will be able to win.
i am concerned, however, that many of our squad players will not recognize the opportunity staring them in the face – namely that several of our first team regulars are out and someone has to come in and replace them…
of course, it may not actually be an opportunity. i suspect that there is not nearly as much competition for places as i would prefer…names, repuatations and manager’s personal preference may well trump form in picking teams. this may be a possible explanation for some of the below-par efforts we see from our team…
Rico, Ireland are all that worries me, you can imagine how motivated they’ll if England arrive at Lansdowne Road on the back of 4 wins.
kev, say for argument’s sake that arsene does not want to be the “bad guy”…a strong number two or strong captain can do that job for him…
cesc rightfully called denilson out for the poor, lazy penalty he conceded (was it against leeds?)… granted, the latter is somewhat of an easy target, but it was a start…and i don’t think denilson just shriveled up and died after cesc’s comment…
The thing is Oliver, when the fringe players get a chance you would think they would give every last drop of blood to stay on the team… Well do they??? Maybe some of those fringe players are too well paid and lack….hunger?
Exactley Oliver, when was the last time you saw one of our players bollocking a team mate for some massive cock-up. God forbid they should shake a fist. Can you imagine one of our gentle souls doing what Johnson did for Birmingham on Sunday???
oh, i think they certainly do (lack hunger). you can see it in many of the performances. but if they hypothetically know that they will not be a first team starter in the foreseeable future, and will still be paid as one, perhaps they really don’t have that much incentive? only the individual players can answer that, so i cannot profess to know for sure…
when was the last time we heard any of our squad players talking about breaking into the first team and keeping a place there?
good point oliver – but he wanted the money from the reaply, it will be more than it will cost him to go to the states… he’s got fingers in so many pies….
they won’t – and thats beacsue its all to easy for them….
Easy Street Oliver, some of them are on Easy Street. But look at Jack Wilshere! Nevermind his talent, he’s got into the team and made sure he’s undropable. He has a pride in performance that some of the others could do a lot worse than copy, and he’s a Kid… Maybe he has a bit more pride in the shirt than some of the bargain-basement imports?
i don’t think we can argue that he does…even though he is a stevenage lad, i think this is more than a club – apologies for repeating a certain catalan phrase that rings so hollow – to him…
The best Arsenal teams that i’ve seen in ** years have all had one thing in common, a core of home-made players who have grown up in the Arsenal environment and know what it means to play in the red shirt. This team has one, Wilshere, and he’s a gem. Can you really love a club the same way if you joined at 15 or 16???
Anybody got a link for Chavs vs Mancs?
kev – that’s my point exactly about bartley, lansbury and JET – have i mentioned them before 🙂
And no, you can’t love a club as much, there maybe a few exceptions, TH is one, he wants to ‘come home’….
he says he does…i think he is enjoying life here in the states as well…several hours after lost the cup final, he was in miami, sitting in prime seats for the heat vs knicks nba game…watching his boys carmelo, stat, lebron and d-wade…
Rico, you can repeat that to me as often as you like amigo, because you are only stating facts. I’m desperate to see some of those guys in the team, or at least the squad. People like Rocky, Merse, Adams etc have Arsenal DNA, it does exist, as we know.
i was watching eastenders oliver but i still hurt like heck 😉
I think DB10 genuinely loves the club, he spent 11 years playing alongside Keown, Nigel, Dixon, Razor, Seaman, Adams and Uncle Bouldy, so although he loves Ajax as well, he has Arsenal in his heart as well, i’m sure…
Why do i smile just reading those names, Parlour, Thomas, Keown, Bould… the list is endless, not all b&b in london but they still laid their body on the line…..
and he has a box at the ems, i’m sure he is getting his badges ready to be part of arsenal again…..
now the reserves have lost too, to the ‘Ammers….
what is going on with this club…..
You know Rico, the only thing stopping DB10 being a realistic option, as Wengers successor, is his reluctance to fly.
Come on Chavs, don’t let us down…
bollards, rooney 1-0
Rico, it’s all going Pete Tong. Rooney shouldn’t even be playing! Clattenburg coward. FA gutless.
At least the Stiffs are 3-2, Murphy.
As you said before Kev/ Rico…..spineless arseholes the lot of them!
i second that kev, good to see a few papers printing the wheelan article about the FA being gutless too….
Reading are winning too, 1-0 against the Toffees 🙂
the luck and the fa are with the mancs 🙁
i thought the reserve game had finished, still with a chance then 🙂
seems that way jj, same old….
Ferguson played down the incident after the game at Wigan, but he has admitted Rooney was fortunate to get away with any action being taken against him, while praising Clattenburg for now bowing to pressure to see Rooney face action from The FA.
“Mark Clattenburg dealt with it at the time and he’s the only person who comes out of this incident with any credit at all,” Ferguson told Sky Sports HD2 &2.
“Wayne Rooney is a bit fortunate – it was a clash and it was a silly thing to do, but it’s finished now.”
I take it that ‘credit’ is what the mancs paid Battenburg!!
Vidic off….. of course not, he’s a Manc
come on you Chavs……
off for some dinner, back in a bit….
We always suspected that the FA & RA were in the pocket of the Mancs. Now nobody can deny it.
these last few days are turning into a farce
beaten in a final..
half the team injured
rooney gets off and scores the winner v the chavs
Jamie Oliver scrambled eggs?
JJ, don’t give up mate, the Mancs luck can’t last all season…..can it?
Was that vidic’s 5 th yellow?
u know summat
it wouldnt be a bad thing if manu won their 19th title
then maybe fergie would retire and we wouldnt have to worry about them next season
and yeah we keep saying it but more local lads in our squad all day long
i dont wanna give up kev but with the way its going it aint looking good
Lee, don’t know mate, but the FA will probably let him off!
JJ you know it makes sense.
Good point about Red Nose, but they’ll probably have to carry him out in a box.
We have to keep going JJ, that’s how the Mancs have nicked it off of us at the death.
Maybe one of the lesser teams like Wolves will trip them up.One more slip and it’s squeaky bum time {excuse me Rico lol}.
come on chelsea stick the drog on
Luiz looks a good player…
torres was the biggest waste of dosh ever
but the luiz was worth it..
yeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss
Get in the fucking net…LUIZ!!!!!
Drogba at the player he was JJ, but luiz is my mate, yeaaaaaahhhhhh
JJ…..hahaha!!!
come on now you stinking fucking blues knock a few more passed em
drog drog drog
Now go on Chelsea, stuff those lucky gits
luiz is the mutts
hahahaha
Go on Rooney, get yourself sent-off, that would be hilarious
Nailed the Mexican!!!
Chavs win this???
smallings about to get drogba’d
Chelsea are on the boil now. Come on boys, really get stuck-in, put it about, studs up, forearms, elbows, give some stick boys.
go on luiz injured the lot of em
come on you CHAVS 🙂
i never thought id be supporting the chavs like this but come on
Go on Atkinson, make a name for yourself, yellow+red for those lucky Mancs
JJ, lol, Come On The Pensioners
He’s gotta nail that….
come on you dicks keep it tight and hoof it to the big lad..
just dont conceed… ill take a draw
😆 jj, neither would i…..
its getting fiesty….
I hate Fletcher
Fuck me there,s a few on there that fall into that category Kev!!!!!!
i hate manu..
come on chelsea..your ace
but il hate again you when the final whistle goes.. 😉
Reading still winning…
JJ, you’ll hate CFC until they play at OT…..
haha Lee, that’s it mate, hate, hate, hate………
i was wolves biggest fan fortnight back..
went and bought a wolves scarf and lot 😉
Come on Drog, give it some welly
Come on the drog!!!
haha JJ, not sure i could bring myself to get a CFC scarf
yeah stay down you fucking ugly fuck…
Poor old Wayne!!! I’m liking luiz more and more!!!
he dived lol
Total dive, red nose doing his bollix!!! Pen pen pen!!!!!
Rooney dived…! Nah, i simply don’t believe that. Now put that away…….Please Please
Bollox even
come on lumpy
1-0 Reading still kev 🙂
Come Onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!
Go CHAVIES 🙂
woooooooooooooooop
Get fucking in there!!!!!!!! Come on!!!!!!!!
Rico, we’re back in it, if CFC hold on i’ll wash YOUR car….
come on chavs get that defensive machine in full swing
Come on Reading, 30 seconds 🙂
Sign Mathew Mills Arsene 🙂
Reading win 1-0 🙂
if cfc hold on il wash luiz car
Should of been three!
I’ll do the inside!!!
Mancs keep going to 99th min tho…
Plus 5mins fergie time!!!
I’ll do the exhaust 😳
I’ll clean his house
Great save Cheque 😉
COWARD….
Yipppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it just gets better 🙂
Haha vidic….
i think we should all go to the bridge tomoz..with bucket and mop in hand and clean that shit hole for them..
i’ll polish it and the lot…
with a toothbrush…
IT’S UP FOR GRABS NOW…….Allez Les Rouges…. Allez Les Canonaires……
Two great results in football tonight, i’m very happy… now i have to something worse than cheering on the chavs…
And thats cheering on the dippers at the weekend, that will hurt……
I LOVE CHELSEA….. until tomorrow, get in….
i feel better now
whats their defence for anfield??
is carrol fit??
and the chavs push the yids into 5th…..
he’s near a return jj, poss by the weekend 🙂
This weekend Rico “I is mostly supporting Liverpool”
Over to you, on Saturday boys!!! Lierpool nick a draw against the mancs and it’s firmly back on!!!!!
Dont forget the Reading guys, Brian McDermoot, their manager played for us for six years, started as a junior in 1978 🙂
Curly wigs, false taches and shell suits at the ready!!
Lee – dippers to win for me….
Now if that result doesn’t lift our lads, then nothing will, it’s on again you Gooners, it’s on.
I’m off for the day guys, cracking night of football…
just a shame isn’t wasn’t WBA beating the Mancs 😉
Be good and catch up tomorrow…..
nice day for us… but the reserves and the u18 lost mostly of the matches?
and there aren’t no Ladies for win something…
Tomorrow, the squad will be more or lese the some at Orient ground… I think the best disponible team is for Sunderland match
Off up to London for a few days Rico, see ya next week.
not so good for the reserves and under 18 Joaquim, but half their players are on loan….
not really sure what is happening with the ladies ….
see you kev, – have a good time at the game, hope we get a good result with a top performance….
Lee, JJ, it’s been a pleasure. See you guys next week. Keep The Faith.
Hopefully bump into you at the game!! Lol
Yeah mate, Henderson and Miquel could be in squad…
see ya rico
We’ll hate them in the morning but …well done,chavs!! Night night
see ya guys
New one up folks
Evening guys, how are we doing, just switched on to see the third goal.