Morning all.
What surprised me yesterday was reading the match reports doing the rounds on the back pages of the newspapers. Most of the ones I read were quite full of praise and supportive of Arsene Wengers view that Robert Lewandowski was very lucky to be on the pitch when he scored Dortmund’s winner.
The dust has no doubt settled now and hopefully Arsene Wenger and his players are back to holding their heads up and looking forward to another Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime.
As many fans pointed out, it was a narrow loss to Borussia Dortmund, not a defeat to Bradford, Blackburn, or some other club considered to be a team we should easily beat so all in the Arsenal camp need to dust themselves off, brush themselves down and move on. Fast!
The players are still the same, we are still top of the league and in both domestic cups. One result like Tuesdays, should not and must not change anything within the team, nor should it dent their confidence.
Only one thing matters now and that is a short trip across London…
The bad news ahead of the weekend is Ian Holloway parting company with Palace. If they appoint a new manager between now and then, it will no doubt lift the players They’ll all know that the slate has been wiped clean and those on the fringe of the first team will be out to prove they are worth a try and those already in, will want to prove they should stay.
We could have done without that…
Wonder if it will be ‘Arry? He loves a relegation battle!
Seriously, suggestion this morning is that Tony Pulis might be the man and we don’t want him sending the Palace players out to kick lumps out of us!
Jack Wilshere believes that Saturday’s game won’t be the walkover many fans might be tempted to think it is:
It will be tough away at Palace, it always is, they will fight for every ball and it will be a different game from Dortmund, but we still have to bounce back straight away.
We sure do need to bounce back and I fully expect us to do so…..
Bit of transfer gossip:
According to The Metro:
Arsenal have snapped up Bristol Rovers goalkeeper Matt Macey, beating Everton in the process. The 18-year-old moves to the Emirates Stadium after impressing Arsene Wenger and his coaching staff during a trial spell last month.
According to The Mirror:
‘Fernando Llorente is keen on a January move to Arsenal – to save his World Cup hopes. Juventus striker Llorente is on the Gunners’ hit-list of possible January deals to boost their squad and push for the Premier League title’.
What we need is Arsene Wenger to be keen on him, or someone else who is prepared to put on the red and white shirt and fight for everything our club deserves…..
That’s your lot for Thursday….
Been all over the net this Llorente story and not one word from the player or agent or anyone with the slightest credibility – The Press, amazing beasts ha!
I’d rather Torres in Jan……………….
😀
Two things that will make Llorente’s coming to Arsenal in January transfer window will be his ambitions for 2014 world cup. This will actually bring out the best in him, coming on loan. Moreso as a stop gap till next summer window when Wenger will be able to bring in a world class striker in person of Kareem Benzima whom I know being a Frechman, will be Wenger’s choice. Dont forget that he might not be available until next summer window.
We need to be focused on saturday against palace.
After his hat-trick, me too Wath 😉
Rooney is looking very good these days, playing for a move to another club maybe?
Oz – no smoke without fire… Actually, when it comes to the press, there is, buckets of it…
Morning all..
I see the Star are suggesting that Barcelona are readying an incredible bid for Jack… They can stick that where the sun doesn’t shine!
AA – you know eh? Wow, do tell us more!!
Llorente was played yesterday versus Real Madrid and scored.
He and Tevez are the strikers of Juventus and they can play together. I think Juventus is not interesting in the move and Juventus maybe relegate for the Champoins League because Madrid and Galastasaray are upper in the table.
Thr ChampionsLeague maybe crucial for us: if we not go to the second phase I think we will not fight for another central forward on January.
Dortmund defeat was very hard for us. Now, we have two games away (with the best teams), we loose the chance to have 9 points in our pocket and probably one more winner for be fist or second and we loose 1 million.
Palace game will be hard not so easy like Fulham did on Monday.
Rico, as long as they leave Aaron alone 🙂
Fyi…the Arsenal Australia grop have our national conference this weekend in Sydney.
Unfortunately, it is turning into a fundraiser for a few members who have lost their homes in the bushfires, but hey, Gooners stick together when the gping gets tough!!
Morning all.
I’m not so sure JM, if we can stay at the top of the PL or just a couple of points off the leaders, we still have a lot to aim for.
Especially if we can beat Chelsea in the CO Cup next week…
Most top quality strikers will be cup tied in any case so they wouldn’t be able to play in the CL.
They can leave them all alone Scott 😉
Build on who we have, no more selling…
Hope all goes well with the fundraiser and plenty of money is raised…
We will put 4 past Palace.
Some good donations are coming in Rico……my best was a Charlie George signed ’71 replica shirt.
Only got it a few months ago but hey, i have enough shirts 🙂
Barca….they can get right royally fu**ed as far as i am concerned 🙂
life is challenging and surprising…thats why we are going to win chealsea, napoli and dortmund…..so just calm down and enjoy the greatest of all momentumz…..greetingz from an angel….mwahahahaha
I hope so Scott, but their players will be working hard to prove themselves – but we should, on paper, be too much for them…
Good news re the money… 🙂
Totally agree on Barca too…
What you smoking Angel?? 😉
Got to pop off now, have friends for lunch, catch up later this afternoon….
Morning all, nice one Rico,
Finally got the new computer, windows 8 what a nightmare navigating. Was very disappointed with Arsenals performance in the week, Jack and Aaron looked a shadow of what we have seen from them in the past. Dortman in my opinion was not very good, they won because we gave the game away with very sloppy play. Lewendowski took his chance well, Szezesney goes to ground very early, and in my opinion he should have done better with both goals. Having said that, the players in front of him let him down badly. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE qualification is much sort after by every team in Europe and losing by bad play is very un professional, losing because the other side is better is the only reason you should lose such games. I am afraid we have a Jekal and Hyde.team one minute they play great the next crap, We cannot win trophies with performances like this, consistency is the thing we need. Television and pundits praising players for past performances make players feel they just need to show up, but top players have consistency. Flamony was missed that showed but we are not a one man team and we should be able to cover one man. Apparently we can’t.
Steve, we have lost two games in how long??
Very harsh to say we play well one week and crap the next mate.
We are leading the PL.
Still top of the Group in CL.
If we are so inconsistent, then there mustn’t be a single consistent side in England or our group.
Very harsh.
We were not that bad at all the other day, just a few lapses cost us because a top side will punish your mistakes.
No drama.
We need to get back on the bike this week though, that is for sure.
Calm down Mick
Morning all.
The loss against BD was the first match I must say we really missed the injured players. They would have offered something different.
Steve the problem of not replacing Flamini is that in our squad he is a one off. We have been looking for a disciplined player to sit in front of the back 4 for a few years now and really only got him this time around by accident. Where we have a surfiet of forward looking midfielders he is the only one to do that job so when he’s out we find ourselves wanting. I can’t remember where I heard it but we have lost 2 times this year on both occasions Flamini was not playing.
sorry all, taken me ages to find the refresh. Scott if I haven’t lost you, granted we have not lost for a while, but we are talking Champions league here, and the team should be up for this one. At home with our own fans, and they come out like amatuers. Dortman was there for the taking, you know that as well as me, and we gave the ball away cheaply. Jack and Aaron was replaced says it all really they were bad on the night, but they wasn’t alone. Against a team like Dortman we should have played like we have in the last couple of games, but we go out and hardly venture forward. Giroud was on his own all game and the only chance he got he took. Maybe I was expecting too much to soon but I thought we were going to challenge the best not sit back and gift them games and points.
Sorry Potter your right there he is a player that organises he has that bite and he shouts and hollers, yes he was missed and his driving force was not taken up by anybody else. Your right about the holding midfielder and as you say we are short there. Where Wenger waits for Diaby to get fit for his half a dozen games, we stumble. Arteta does his best and when Flamony is there it clicks in place . Lets hope his bang on the head has cleared his brain for the weekend.
Well at least we ain’t gotta worry about Chamakh coming back to haunt us the weekend, more chance of kev getting a pint in !
Hopefully Flamini will be back, brings out the best in Ozil, the game has 3 nil written all over it.
Afternoon all…
Quiet old day I guess..
Later…
Goodnight….
good night all, always nice to know i have gunnerblood on HH to pump along with me.
this weekend we are back to what we have been doing well since march.
nice read
Where has Yaya Sanogo disappeared too?
Is he still injured?!
Not a very auspicious start by our new, young French striker…
Although those early comments about Sanogo being the ‘new Diaby’ raised a chuckle or two, you have to start to wonder if those comments could well be proved accurate???
Hi Steve, yes, we definitely gifted them points, no doubt and that is the disappointing part.
Hopefully they learn from it.
Morning all.
Apparently Zelalem is fit and has been training with the 1st team for the last 10 days…
The boy looks set to make his senior debut vs Chelski in the League Cup.
Ok, the drinks are on me….
Nobody here, ah well, I did ask, too late now…
Mick’s round next…
Night All…
New post up