Morning all.
Firstly, a big well done to Arsenal young guns who pipped Toots to win the U-18 Premier League South league title yesterday. A great achievement which will help instil a winning mentality into our younger players. Players who could one day be in the first team.
Today it’s the women’s turn to be crowned WSL Champions IF they win at Brighton. A draw would do if Man City drop points later in the day but otherwise, both City and Arsenal will go head to head for the title on the final day of the season. Just win ladies and get the league trophy back in the red side of north London.
As Norwich secured a return to the Premier League yesterday, a great achievement really as no one predicted them to do so, my local club Reading, who looked down and out of the Championship just a few months ago, retained their place in league. One of the reasons they have is Emiliano Martinez, who has been excellent. The Reading fans want him to stay, the best keeper they’ve had for years many have said and without some of his man of the match performances, they could very well be heading for life in League One.
Great for Reading and especially great for Martinez who’ll now hopefully be given the opportunity to challenge Leno for the number one shirt at Arsenal.
For the first team, it’s perhaps the last chance we’ll get to take a slight advantage of results around us. After the Toots lost at home to West Ham yesterday, third place is far from being theirs. Chelsea travel to Old Trafford so points are going to be dropped by one of the teams, if not both. Preferably the latter.
We’ve no additional injuries after the midweek defeat at Wolves and Aubameyang could be in line for a return after undoing a small procedure on his nose. No Ramsey or Suarez again.
Brendan Rodgers seems to have his team organised and playing some good football. Or so the media say but I haven’t seen them in action since the last time we played them which seems an awfully long time ago now.
Vardy, Morgan and Maquire are Leicester’s danger men. Vardy because he seems to love scoring against us, the other two on set pieces. Both are strong in the air. Neither are the quickest though so we’ve got to after them with pace, movement and quick passing. Tippy tappy will be bread and butter for them to deal with. Aubameyang’s pace could come in handy.
Chilwell is having a good season for the home season too and if memory serves me right, he caused us a few problems back in October but then Leicester did as a whole. We’d started slowly which was the norm back then and has been again of late too and during that period, Leicester had a strong penalty shout against Holding turned down. Chillwell opened the scoring, Leno made a really good save to deny Maquire and then just before halftime, Ozil levelled things out. Aubameyang came off the bench to secure the victory with two goals just after the hour mark. We got there in the end.
Jamie Vardy has pace, he’s another player who isn’t afraid to go over with the slightest of touches so we’ve got to be smart, especially in our own box. Michael Oliver is the one we have to hope is fair but if we don’t give him a decision to make, then he can’t make it.
I’ve no idea who Unai Emery will start with today apart from Bernd Leno and I’m not bothering to guess. I just hope there are no weaknesses in the team, the players turn up ready for the challenge and take it on.
With a midday kickoff, we’ll soon see if they are..
Good morning Rico, spoilt for choice today. Away to Leicester on Sky or away to Brighton on BT Sport. Both lunchtime kick offs. I’ll record one and watch the other…..but which way round? Decisions, decisions, decisions! 😉
The Azerbaijan GP and the London marathon too. Plus the Man U/ Chelsea game. Too much, just too much!
I wonder if that Extinction Revolting lot will try to disrupt the marathon.
Morning Cicero, all.
It’s certainly a good day for sport…
Really hope the women get max points..
The women’s game is on BT Sport 2, not the BBC red button.
I realised, just not quick enough with my editing 😆
Nice read rico.
Well done to the youngsters.
Come on the ladies, settle it today and don’t wait until the Man City game.
Our Men need to start with urgency today, get at them from the start, play with high tempo throughout the game. We need at least a draw today so don’t hold back as we will be picked off by the pace of Vardy.
Lets go at em and if it fails then hey ho at least we had a go, but if we stand off and play sideways/pedestrian football (as of late) we may live to regret and say what if?
Hopefully at the Old Toilet today it will be a draw, leaving ManUre on 65 points and Che£sea 68 points, and with a win for us we will be on 69 points.
We need at least a draw today and a win at home to Brighton as I cannot see anything away to Burnley, they will just do a C.P or Wolves on us………overpower our powder puff squad.
Hopefully Mustafa has not travelled and we start with Auba AND Laca.
COYG
Morning all.
I’m not even going to try to predict the Arse v Lcity result. Except to say it was Rodgers, I think who first got his teams to ‘fly’ at us for the first 20 minutes or so. By that point we were several goals down and staring defeat in the face before half time. A bit like Wolves did and were last week!
We have become so unpredictable any kind of forecast is completely imposssible. I really hope we turn on our A game and win comfortably.
A for the Ladies. I’ve watched quite a few of their games and I have say I’ve been really impressed by their power, style and efficiency. They are ruthless! I have to say I thought the season was over for them with Jordon Nobb’s injury, but they seem to have overcome her absence almost seamlessly. A testament perhaps to the squads strength in depth. Somewhat better than the men’s squad!
Brighton are at the wrong end of the table and it should be a win for the Arsenal. But as with the main men, nothing is certain in football.
However, if the Ladies do win the WSL today that will be 2 new shiny silver cups for the polishers to add to the already overfull trophy cabinets. Great😊
Was sunny but has clouded up here and the temperature is not high.
Thanks Vcc.
I’m hoping we see something much better than the last two matches. Shouldn’t be difficult really. A draw wouldn’t be a disaster but three points would be huge if the two sides draw later. Anything but a Chelsea win would help us IF we can sort our own result out.
I did too Wavy re Nobbs, other injuries they’ve suffered too but they’ve coped remarkably well. Credit to them, they deserve this title.
On your headline Rico. Yes let’s get Martinez back, give him a decent long term contract with a pay rise and let him and Leno fight it out for top spot.
I’m not denigrating Leno, but he has had no competition for his place since very early in the season.
Ditto Cicero. I read a few headlines suggesting he’s fed up being out on loan and might move for first team football.
Leno, Mustafi, Sokratis, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Iwobi, Aubameyang, Lacazette.
Ozil not in the squad.
Cech, Koscielny, Mavropanos, Elneny, Guendouzi, Nketiah, Willock.
mustafi 🙈 think I’ll give this one a miss..
good post rico..
Getting a bit of a kicking here Rodgers has set them up to be as physical as Oliver will let them
Thanks Kel. Mustafi is entertainment value.. lol
I thought Oliver was better than this…
I feel for AMN, no way was his first booking justified.
Now we’re royally fooked!
Rico, that was my point earlier:
We give away bullshit fouls and cards without even being physical, have done for years, so imagine we did become physical???
We’d end up with 5 sends offs a game lol
You do have to wonder if there’s an agenda
Potter, no wondering is required 🙂
Having seen it again, the second was not a booking, the first was imo.
Either way, Oliver has been dreadful. So have we.
Iwobi does, again, what he does far too often. Misses a golden opportunity.
Now AMN is sent off.
I knew what you were getting at Scott, but I still think can be rash as Mustafi showed early in the game. It’s not like our players don’t know the officials dislike us. It’s not right but until something changes, we have to do the best we can to avoid giving the refs what they need to suit their own agenda.
The ladies are 2-0 up… 😀
We used to think Wenger’s winging about refs may have been partly responsible for our unfair treatment. Well, Emery is always a gentleman, doesn’t like to criticise, and yet nothing’s changed at all has it? Even a few Leicester players looked sympathetic to AMN. .
Iwobi needs to learn how to kick a ball . He always side foots it and side foot is for passing
Potter…I totally agree. This is why I do not give my money away and watch live football any more. There is definitely a vendetta against Arsenal.
This is rank poor refereeing from this official.
Even Maddison was embarrassed .
I have tried to work out WHY WE always get referees to be against us. We try and play football whilst most other teams go out and deliberately work us over and yet we are the ones that are penalised.
Im sick of our poor inept officials.
Rico, something MUST change.
It’s beyond a joke but I can’t see VAR helping when FIFA could stop it easily but choose not to.
I don’t understand why.
Yes Potter, a low drilled shot and probably 1 up
Well that was a shit first half.
VCC, are they inept, though, or simply enforcing the rules as they’re instructed to?
Of course it must Scott, but how? By who? The officials have been anti Arsenal for so long yet nothing has been done in over ten years…
Andrew like Maddison? Who went down screaming holding an untouched leg
Pathetic defending.
Cicero, 2nd half going to be worse!
tbh I think we’re blaming the officials for are own shortfalls.. yes we’ve had bad decisions over the yrs but so have other clubs were not alone.
we’re a piss poor team away from home with a mental weakness..
I know, Rico, and that is the disgraceful part.
I’d love a totally impartial referee to sit down and work out the points we’ve won and loss due to incorrect calls over the past decade.
Of course, that doesn’t take into account obvious favourites that officials have assisted over that time but it’d be an interesting excercise.
Kel, meanwhile, some clubs rarely get poor calls.
Not sure how it can be justified.
2fouls on the trot worse than amn’s unpunished
Kel, kind of agree there but the officials are rubbish..
Excellent from Leno.
Leno the one positive. Top display today.
Torreira, cause he’s small, arms in face are ok.
Throw on Eddie, we’ve nothing to lose and fresh legs up front might just cause problems…
VAR would have revised that on Torreira and the result would surely have been a penalty…
Heard you rico!
Reckon so Andrew 😜
maybe they make their own luck scott.. im not arguing with ya mate, just saying most other supporters claim the same..
bottom line we’re naive and a very average team.
yes rico the officials are poor, I welcome var..
18/19 season.
With Ramsey 71% wins, 50% clean sheets.
Without Ramsey 48% wins, 4% clean sheets and these stats knowing he’s leaving which makes it even more impressive.
So much he gives goes unnoticed, imo.
Lacazette subbed for Nketiah, it should have been Aubameyang, he’s done nothing.
I should add those stats are when he’s started games.
Koscielny too far forward
It certainly goes unnoticed by me, but that’s just my opinion.
Well I can’t be bothered to watch any more of this carp, I’m off early
we’ve blew up that’s all there is to it…
the fight for 4th was on but we bottled it
to much tinkering from emery imo.
still waiting to see this high press he promised.
Europa league or bust.
And me Cicero.. lol
Me too Kel, roll on next season.
Fingers crossed we can play a lot better on Thursday and for the rest of the Europa because top four has gone imo. We don’t deserve it anyway, mind you, who does out of the three going for the final place.
Ironic that Oliver’s wife is officiating the women’s game and turned down a clear penalty for BHA 😜
I have supported Arsenal since 1966 but am now finished with them until they get a new manager who knows what he’s doing a new owner and 10 new players. Im 69 now so probably wont be in my lifetime. Cant wait to hear Emery’s excuses (maybe the grass was too long). So pissed off, taken to the cleaners by Brendan Rogers.
Kel, we are not good enough and that almost goes without saying.
Poor officiating isn’t an excuse for poor performances, but it’s a factor in some of our terrible results.
It’s very frustrating for us all to watch the same thing year after year and that goes for the rubbish performances and poor officiating lol
Cicero/Rico, as do the statistics, quite obviously lol
Paddy, I said it last year, and for a few years beforehand that we need Stan gone before anything will change and that God could manage us and we’d struggle.
Didn’t see the game, just the Beeb’s texts with the occasional photo so can’t comment on the possible penalty or the sending off.
Fourth place has gone surely and on this performance we won’t go further in the Cup either.
Definite lack of pace in our defence and Koscielny was yet another holding his arm up as Vardy was side-footing the third. Christ, 9 goals in three matches the players should be ashamed of themselves.
What’s the answer to all this….haven’t a clue except, some of the has-beens need to moved on and I include Iwobi in that bunch. When presented with chances he just cannot deliver.
I will console myself with watching some videos of our previous teams who, when presented with a sniff of goal delivered most of the time.
A sad day indeed.
If city don’t win this match they’ll feel mightily aggrieved having not been given a penalty. Clear handball imo.
https://twitter.com/FAWSL/status/1122463943119781888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1122463943119781888&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Farsenalarsenal.net%2F2019%2F04%2F28%2Fwho-wants-it%2F
I saw it too Lc, super strike, as was the other they scored from distance..
Dick may have set a record with most wins in his first 50 games as manager, but he has set a few more aswell ! hahahaha
https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/arsenal-set-a-pair-of-unwanted-club-records-vs-leicester/
To have a good season he needs 4th ! hahaha or win the EL !……………………..they are the only records I`m interested in !
Another absolute shit show.
Quelle Surprise?!!
Emery has had an absolute shocker the last few weeks in the prem. I hope to god he and the team sort it out for Valencia but honestly I’d be shocked if we win that comp.
3 similar mid-table teams have put 9 bloody goals past us in 3 games, Woeful!
Le Coq, It’s genuinely shocking how bad we are defensively.
I understand the players he has to work with are sub standard but we should expect better. Emery has had a full season to work with them now and they seem worse than ever.
I’m on the fence as to whether he is good enough…….
Lewis…………………………………..I think Emery is pissing against a hurricane !…………………….as me and Scott have been going on about for years, Kroenke is the problem with his £0 amount of investment !
Yes teams will challenge over the years like bindippers and Spuds currently, but they will fade at some season only to be replaced by some other teams for a while( maybe us ?), but Mansour City will always be in the mix due to their bottomless pit of money.
I`m afraid it`s going to be them and someone/anyone else from now on in the EPL , only similar investment will make any other teams as competitive………………ManU probably the only exception due to their global fanbase.
The future looks shite for everyone really ! 🙁
Said the other day, our team is full of softies and until that mentality changes, we’ll not improve too much. Just what Kroenke has to do with that I don’t know…
Let me see !………………………………….I take it most on here want to see a few players leave, yes ?
Well then, how do we buy better players suited to Dicks needs if the owner has never invested a penny/dime ?
We have players and not to mention any names MUSTAFI who other clubs will want us to pay them to take ! hahahaha
What has become noticeable to me and maybe some/all HHers is that most teams under us have quite a few players who would get into our team unlike years ago and some of our players wouldn`t get into the bottom 4 teams !……………………..and our best player is considered Marmite!
Wavy said earlier that we had become so unpredictable that it was impossible to forecast, obviously he wasn`t talking about our away form as that was easily predictable ! hahaha
Same way other clubs have to other than City.
I think the only enjoyment recently has been the youth and the women teams……………….interspersed with the EL.
Thursday should be interesting as pre-Palace our home form was great and some what predictable !…………………..now with 3 losses on the trot with 3 goals conceded on each occasion being the worst since mid `60`s we are truly predictably unforecastable ! 🙂
Mind you, if Spuds dont win CL i for one will class it as a great season and can stop the therapy ! hahaha
It seems that Emery doesn’t trust the players. The players don’t trust Emery. They certainly cannot play the desired way. We need to go through a massive overhaul.
I don’t think we have the money to do it, and I’m not sure Emery is the right person to lead it. Especially with Raul pulling the strings.
I’m on the fence with emery if I’m honest.
defensively no improvement
style of play I can’t work out.
and Dennis fuckin Suarez I’m still scratching my head…
but I do think he needs this summer and he needs the board to back him.
he should be honest with himself though if the board offer something like 40 or 50m budget then if i was him i’d walk away.
the utd result has left us with a real possibility of finishing top 4 which is crazy although I’m sure most people on here know right now that Burnley will out work us out fight us and most probably beat us.
we need a few players that are PL ready and we need men not boys…
as much as i don’t like him someone like Troy deeney would give us a completely different option an option imo that would help us.
doucoure also a player who would walk into Arsenals first team.
Boly from wolves or duffy from brighton would certainly do a better job than mustafi..
Tierney or chilwell are all round better players than kolasnac at left back.
an overhaul is required of that there is no doubt, but not every player we need has to cost 50m+
Didn’t see the game……..thank god! Another cock up. I feel we played a leetle with the ‘and brake on’. I can hear him saying it! Crap. We are crap, clueless and presently, classless.
Manager? Coaches? Training method? Or just a squad of largely very ordinary players who have grossly overachieved, yes, overachieved. In truth we should be about twelfth in the EPL not fourth or fifth. We have just been demolished by three poorer teams than us conceding nine goals in the process. Old mother Wenger would be turning in his grave, if he had one! As it is I squirm everytime I’m asked questions by friends about my ‘passion’😞 and how they’ve sunk to the levels of incompetence that they seem to have achieved!
I have no idea what can be done to resurrect the sleeping leviathan that was the mighty arsenal and I’m damned sure the overpaid staff don’t either. Hence our problem. What will the future bring? More of the same I suspect unless of course someone gets a grip and number of new players are drafted in pdq, whether they are bought and paid for or whether they arrive via Hale End I could care less but by god we need a sharp injection of something different, something new and not, I think, a Unei cycle ‘project’ be it with or without ‘confidence’ or ‘playing his game’ if only because the players he has inherited can’t do or perhaps, can’t understand what he’s on about! ( I know I can’t understand a word he says, and I’m sure the players can’t either).
Rant over…….for now. I will be back!
Sadly imo this is going to be the norm for the Arsenal. With the Gutless Parasites
KREONKE CLAN running our beloved club.
We will probably never compete for years and with the noises coming out of the club about a poxy 45m budget only seems to strengthen this. Sad times. KREONKE SCUM OUT.
Will we spend?
Will Emery have a reasonable budget to strengthen?
City will.
Liverpool will.
Utd and Chelski will.
Already better squads than ours and they’ll strengthen further yet what will we do?
Drift further off the pace at this rate, that’s what.
P.S.
Let’s hear it for the Ladies. WSL Champions with one game to spare. Brilliant.
It’s enough to make a supporter joyous😊
Wavy, the ladies have done brilliantly.
As have the U/18’s.
They’ve given us something to smile about.
…..and Vivianne Miedema has won the PFA player of the year award.
🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔 39 goals from 46 appearances in all competitions this season🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔
Yes !………………………..The ladies were magnificent as were the youngsters !
https://twitter.com/ArsenalWFC/status/1122519999975960577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1122519999975960577&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Farsenalarsenal.net%2F2019%2F04%2F29%2Fleicester-arsenal-player-ratings%2F
Nice to see the boys follow my ab workout routines !
https://twitter.com/ArsenalAcademy/status/1122160977389076480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1122160977389076480&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Farsenalarsenal.net%2F2019%2F04%2F29%2Fleicester-arsenal-player-ratings%2F
I Haven´t watch the game yet. Only the goals.
But sure was miserable…
And I must say I agree wholeheartedly with Steveyj22, Wavy and Scott…………………no surprise there !
🙂
Especially Wavy`s…….”I have no idea what can be done to resurrect the sleeping leviathan that was the mighty arsenal”………………………..i`m absolutely stumpped myself mate as the obvious thing of Kroenke spending as much as the Mansour lot and replacing Dick with Pep is just an impossible cuckooland dream !
I guess everyone feels like I do…. ☹️
It’s just another gloomy Monday☹️ A song by the Bungles!
Morning all. Not a lot of good in that.
Great for the littlees and the Ladies but what has gone wrong with the big fry??
Ah well, a couple of months and then we can do it all again………oh joy!
I’m chuffed about those Cicero, really am. I kind of meant that folks simply can’t be bothered. A bit like the men…
That’s funny Wavy. I used to detest that song….
New post up now
C’mon Rico the under eighteens won there league, the women won the WSL and Vivianne Miedema won the PFA Player of the Year.
Surely those three are worth a smile or two. Try to imitate this 😊 or this 😁 or even this 😀.
You know it makes sense. 😉