Daily Bits and Bobs

Massive setback ahead of tonight! The toughest test of the season?

Posted on by rico

Morning all,

There is only one place to start this morning and that’s in America.

Lives have been lost, many are still critically ill and others have lost limbs thanks to some gutless coward(s) who decided to set off two explosions which ripped through the crowd at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected by such a cruel, evil and unnecessary travesty….

Makes talking about tonight somewhat difficult…..

He may not be a favourite of yours but he's stepped in and done well....
He may not be your favourite but he’s sure stepped up and done well….

That massive setback is Fabianski, he’s a doubt for tonight after picking up a rib injury at the weekend. When we look at recent results, he’s been a huge part of our good run and if he doesn’t play tonight – his absence might just rock the defence.

And yes, I never thought I’d be writing that but credit where it’s due, Fabianski has been part of a defensive unit which has looked a lot more solid of late. Not perfect by far but then what defence in the Premier League can brag that they are?

None I’d say.

The only other news in relation to injury relates to Tomas Rosicky and he’s back into the squad which is really good news…

Teams P GD PTS
1 Manchester United 32 40 80
2 Manchester City 31 30 65
3 Arsenal 32 29 59
4 Chelsea 31 28 58
5 Tottenham Hotspur 32 15 58
6 Everton 32 14 55
7 Liverpool 33 19 50
8 West Bromwich Albion 32 -1 44
9 Swansea City 32 1 41
10 Fulham 32 -4 40
11 Southampton 33 -7 38
12 West Ham United 32 -9 38
13 Newcastle United 33 -17 36
14 Norwich City 33 -21 35
15 Sunderland 33 -8 34
16 Stoke City 33 -13 34
17 Aston Villa 33 -24 34
18 Wigan Athletic 31 -20 31
19 Queens Park Rangers 33 -25 24
20 Reading 33 -27 24

There is the league table and for those who think this season has been a good one, just look at that table!

Twenty One points behind the club who looks likely to lift the Premier League Trophy, again.

Does that make a good season?

Dumped out of the domestic cups by clubs way below us in the league tables, does that make a good season?

Of course not, none of them do but right now we need another win. Followed by another and another, right up until this season ends.

This season may have been awful, performances at times have been woeful but somehow and I’m really not sure how but we have ended up back in with a chance of finishing within the top four.

Of course that position is far from being the bee and end all but the reality is, we need top four, we need the money it brings and we need the players that competition attracts.

Kroenke knows that, Wenger knows that and I’m sure the players know that…..

Tonight we will be tested all over the pitch, in fact I’d say tonight will be one of the toughest tests this season in the Premier League. We are at home, the pressure is really on the players to secure that top four place and to do so, a win tonight is vital.

We are 3rd, we need to stay in 3rd and nights like this is when we will really see what this team has in them……..

It better be good…..

COYRS…..

rico

0 thoughts on “Massive setback ahead of tonight! The toughest test of the season?”

  2. Scott from Oz says:

    Morning all.
    Next year, the eprson responsible for the bombings should be allowed a ten second head start with those wishing to run the marathon in close pursuit with machetes.
    The youngest victim was actually running to raise money for the pre school that was attacked by a gunman a few minths back.
    What a lovely world we live in.

  4. Scott from Oz says:

    Ok, onto Arsenal.
    Wenger says he brought Jack back a little early.
    Well, he should know better.
    Actually, Jack should also know better, as should the medical and training staff.
    Capoue to PSG…well, it is just another in a long line of rumours, so who knows?
    Let’s concentrate on Everton.
    How do we rate our season?
    Should we rate it against Arsenal of 8-10 years ago?
    Maybe v Utd of this season?
    Citeh, who have spent hundreds of millions?
    Chelski…likewise.
    Spuds??
    No point, really.
    We just need to improve the squad during the summer, it is that simple.

  8. Adam says:

    Morning Rico. There is a danger that we are bigging Everton up too much here. They are a decent team but hardly stellar. They are a team of grafters who have a very, very spiteful edge. Mirallas is one of the dirtiest players I have seen this year. Moyes will have the, hyped up, probably overly so and I expect a physical battle as he likes his players to leave their foot in. But they were shockingly poor against Wigan at home in the cup recently and beat a rubbish QPR at the weekend. Arsenal must concentrate on their own strengths and play most of the game in the Everton half. Pace and width will be crucial and both were sadly missing from the Norwich borefest. Wenger had better get his tactics and team selection right tonight.

  17. devilgunner says:

    Adam is right. AW needs to get the tactics right, put out the right players for the job, use width and speed. Do that and play to our strengths and games like the one above will come again.

    Hiya OZ

  18. rico says:

    Morning Adam and welcome back Devil, we have all missed you …

    7-0, can’t see that happening again 😉

  28. devilgunner says:

    yes mates….. a long time no see or write.

    but at least I have time off today.

    today I would go for Ox, Podolski and Theo up front. With TR07 Arteta and Aaron behind.

  30. dream-boy says:

    guess if we brign this summer
    HUGUAIN ………………….CF…..22M
    gotze…………………………WINGER..30M
    JOVOTIC………………………..ATM….15M
    WANYAMA………………………DM….10-12M
    HUMMELS / WILAMS………..DC…20/10M
    ASMIR BOVOTICH ………. GK…10M

    If we tak get HUMMELS we spend 117M for all these players
    but we if we take ashley wilams we spend 107 only
    so am sure if we take those playrs and kep our best players we will win every thing

  32. potter says:

    Whatever happens tonight we need to accept that the early matches against Sunderland, Stoke , Norwich, Fulham , Villa , Swansea , and Southampton were the ones that defined and put us in this position . Dropping points against City , United , Chelsea, and other upper teams is not a disgrace and Everton are one of those, We have had problems of both aptitude and attitude the recent results suggest that the attitude has been addressed, tonight is another test that we need to come through.

  33. Adam says:

    They are Lee. After a bottle of Prosecco I find them almost hypnotic. Surely a bevy of beauties have told you that before. Or is it just me? 🙂
    I’m blushing now…..

  34. devilgunner says:

    dream-boy………AW would splutter in his cornflakes and have a fit if he saw that list let alone buy them.

    Gotze? Cavani? Falcao? Casillas? Reina? etc …… all rubbish

    We will buy yes.

    3 players for a combined 25-27 million

    2 more youngsters.

    1 or 2 freebies

    and get a few dead wood out.

  35. Adam says:

    Devil. Isn’t it a shame that we are all so conditioned by Wenger that we don’t even have the expectation of those sort of players anymore?
    It’s his greatest trick.

  38. devilgunner says:

    oui Adam.

    Players like Casillas, Jovetic, Damiao, Gotze, Capoue etc should grace the Emirates Halls in much the same manner that DB10, TH14, BP07, DR07, etc used to grace the marbled halls of Highbury.

    Such a shame.

    But I feel that JW10, Jenks, Aaron, Podolski and CAzorla would one day be talked of in the same breath.

  39. rico says:

    Potter – agree there, half-hearted performances cost us in the first group of fixtures you mention. Think Wenger and his boys thought the the game was won before kick off….

  43. fabulous says:

    They (Everton) will try n pose problems most especially from set-pieces and occasional counter-attacks but, we should get the 3points at stake! After all WE ARE ARSENAL!!!

  49. Scott from Oz says:

    Back with a ROAR devil…good to see, mate.
    Hello everyone.
    Adam, you may well be right that we are over rating Everton.
    They are fighters who are always difficult to beat, but if we play our best, we will have no problems.
    If!!

  52. devilgunner says:

    observing Everton shows that when their lateral spaces are attacked they can do little or nothing about it. we need to attack their flanks with pace and get behind their defence, in as much as the way the OX did against Norwich. Everton are vulnerable there.

    But the midfielders need to advance in a proper way so that it helps the attack and not stay far behind and when we cross there is no one in the box.

  53. Adam says:

    Gawd strewth, would you adam ‘n eve it? Knees up muvver brown and I ain’t a wheeler dealer. Well, see ah’ve bin down at Loftus road for a few months now, earning a nice few quid from good old Tone Fernandino. Yeah, ‘e as bin lobbin’ on nicely ah must say. Ah I told ‘im straight, ah said Tone, my old son ah can keep this mob up in the Premier league wiv the big boys. Ah done it wiv Spurs didn’t I. They only ‘ad 1 point from 20 games wen ah went down the lane didn’t they. Well, ah knew they ‘ad some ‘triffic players. They was always my team. Watched ’em as a boy didn’t I? Triffic club wiv loads a dough. Oh yeah. I fawt “ah’ll ‘ave some o that” but that geezer Ovlomovich dahn at Chelsea. Yeah, triffic geezer, bundles o dough, well ‘e got lucky see and Spurs missed out on Europe. Couldn’t believe it meself but they slung me aht. Anyway I told Tone ah could do the same for ‘is team. Triffic club, ah used to come ‘ere as a boy. They’ve always been mah team. Well, sumfink ain’t gone right. The players ‘ave let me dahn. Triffic geezers but shit players. Anyway, so ah says to Tone. Look, you’re a triffic geezer and you’ve got bundles ain’t ya? Well, if ahm gonna get ya back up ah, gonna need a nice few quid ain’t I? Abaht two ‘ undred million sovs oughta do it. E said ‘ell get back to me. Triffic geezer though, bundles o dough. Perhaps Arsenal might be look in’ for a new manager. They’ve always bin ma team. Triffic club. Plenty o dough dahn there.

  54. devilgunner says:

    Rico……….we got ‘Arry here. disguised as Adam. Can you kindly remove the filth?

    Adam will not stoop down so low surely!!!!

    😆

  60. devilgunner says:

    I wonder what would ‘Arry say if he was treated the same way as the libyan dictator in his last couple of hours.

  61. allezkev says:

    I agree with Adam’s 10.03.
    Having said that, I would rather overestimate Everton, than underestimate them…
    Hopefully Everton will believe all their own hype and come to the Grove and attack us…

  63. southyorkshiregunner says:

    Morning all …. Doing the “Upstairs, Downstairs” and shifting all the stuff out of the loft waiting for the 8m3 skip to arrive …..

    I got a text from Jim Van Wijk of the Press Association ….. He said he will ask Wenger re: Edu at the Emirates on Saturday and the Paulinho angle, but for some reason he can’t do it this morning ….. …….??

  64. Abang atugurik says:

    2 me i tink rosicky shud start instead of jack.games like dis needs rosicky 2 provide experience n confedence 2 de team jack is a great midfielder but he still needs 2 improve during our clashes against man u, city n chelsea if tr was arroud we would hav prove stubon a little bit . I want we arsenal fans 2 forget about rvp as 4 him he would regret 1 day 4 joining man utd 4instance, both nasri n clichy won de epl last season but where are dey dey are now regretting.

  67. SD London says:

    Oh MY GOD

    Thanks Lee , I remember it with smiles still on my face .

    What a team and Fabregas was the inexperienced one .

    That team will crush the present Chelsea, they will confuse the present Man City (making them to forcefully defend the Mancini way)

    And that team will make the present Manure Utd look like Fulham(which is not so bad but we will still beat them comfortably)

    I am sure Wenger doesn’t watch those matches anymore because he will be filled with regret every time he does.

    What a team!

    Th PL doesn’t even have a team like that anymore they were truely invincible (how we didn’t win the Champions League that year is strange )

    WAO!

  72. SD London says:

    Potter i hope we would have wrapped up the 3rd position by then.
    Whatever happens on 10th as long as we win , it can only be good.

  78. potter says:

    You are right Lee , the cup final is on the 11th so Wigan match is moved. At least we will know where we stand when it kicks off.

  79. allezkev says:

    Never thought that I would ever be disappointed at the prospect of Fabianski dropping out of the team…

    It’s a funny old game…

    Rocky, good to see you rocking n’ rolling again…

    Gonna be an interesting selection choice for Wenger tonight?
    Personally I haven’t got a clue who he will pick?!
    Rosicky back would be the only major change, although I can see Monreal & BFG starting….

  80. SD London says:

    Whatever happens at the FA Cup, Wigan will be tired and I only hope they are no more fighting to survive relegation. Thant way they wouldn’t care at all about their game with us.

  82. kel says:

    very tough game tonight, there set pieces will be dangerous Baine’s delivery is pretty good, whoever is playing on the right for us will have to do his defensive duties against him, imo pace is key tonight if we play like we did against Norwich (slow build up) we’ll be lucky to score 1 goal, i personally think Ox and walcott could cause them a lot of problems, then we have the decision of will vermaelen play? or mert? atm in time i think the german should start! Decisions Decisons lets hope wenger gets it right… my heart says Arsenal win 🙂 my betting mind says Draw 🙁

  83. rockyrocastle07 says:

    Hi Kev, cheers mate! Bland food only for me for the next week or 2!!

    Monreal and BFG are a must to start tonoght for me

  84. potter says:

    Spurs v city, man city need the win to help guarantee 2nd
    Wigan v spurs, Wigan need the win to fight off relegation
    Spurs v southampton,
    Chelsea v spurs, Chelsea fighting for a CL place
    Stoke v spurs, stoke need to win to fight relegation(hopefully a lost cause despite a win here lol)
    Spurs v Sunderland, Sunderland a resurgent team!!! Possibly still in the going down fight

    Then

    Arsenal v Everton they are chasing the coveted 4 th place trophy.
    Fulham v Arsenal London derby , we don’t usually find them too easy at their place.
    Arsenal v Man Utd Say no more
    QPR v Arsenal They should have gone but once the pressure is off.
    Wigan v Arsenal Cup final blues or euphoria , annual relegation fight
    Newcastle v Arsenal Hopefully they will be out of it , safe and got their cigars on.

    Not so easy imo. Some one else can do Chelsea including their Basle games.

  85. potter says:

    O.K. here they are :-

    17/4 Chelsea have Fulham away
    21/4 Liverpool away
    25/4 Basle away
    28/4 Swansea home
    2/5 Basle Home
    5/5 Man utd away
    8/5 Spurs away
    12/5 Villa away
    15/5 Potential Europa league final Amsterdam.
    19/5 Everton home

    That could be 10 games in 32 days, don’t be surprised if it’s them that drop out.

    _________________

  86. SD London says:

    It is simple, Chelsea have to decide now whether they want to win the Europa League or qualify for Champions League.

    Because to me qualifying for Champions league is a bigger cup .

    Damn , I hate when Wenger is right.

  89. SD London says:

    They look unmotivated and tired.

    And sacking RVB was a bad mistake.With what he is doing with Spurs in his first season, he would have challenged Man Utd with this Chelsea team.

  90. SD London says:

    RVP hugging Fergie was a pathetic sight

    but then if someone is paying me £200 000 per week, I will hug that person everyday. 😀

  91. ozgunner10 says:

    i agree mate, there is shadow over them since the appointment was made and it has dogged them all the way. I am not sure the fans or the players want Benitez to win anything which kind of makes things tough

  92. rockyrocastle07 says:

    Oz – I think the players do. They want to win it for themselves, so by proxy, they have to win it for Benitez. I agree some of the fans don’t. Does that remind you of anywhere else though?! Anything to get the manager sacked…..

  93. rockyrocastle07 says:

    SD – I’me sure I’d be doing more than that for someone giving me 200k a week for basically doing nothing!

  96. rockyrocastle07 says:

    you still on here Kev? Take it you’re giving central London a swerve until midday tomorrow?!

  99. rockyrocastle07 says:

    I’d pay you 200 mate…. but as I don’t own a team, you’d have to do the cleaning and general repairs of the flat….

  100. ozgunner10 says:

    damn – thought it was my second coming happening there for a minute ha! Oh well back to tiling the bathroom

  101. rockyrocastle07 says:

    need my bathroom doing mate…. Floor tiling in the main bathroom, and in the en-suite I need a new shower tray (including setting it in a new plinth and sealing it to within an inch of its life). I’ll give you 200 to do that if you like!!

  103. Adam says:

    I’ll do that for you Rocky. Having got you poisoned last week, it’s the least I can do mate. 🙂

  106. tsgh says:

    Hi all,

    Does Scez have a witch doctor or an SVR agent on his pay roll or what…

    Whenever Flappy-boy is getting into a routine, he gets sabotaged some how…

    btw good aftertoon all…

  108. tsgh says:

    Emma will be disappointed with Capoue’s link to PSG… I guess it was bound to happen somehow after their failed bid… unless he just wants to force AW’s hand to make a bid asap…

    Camacho it is then… a npoor mans Martinez, cheap unknown from Malaga, no senior Spanisg cap yet, 23 y.o, typical AW written all over it…

    What about Gary Medel… he reminds me of Dennis Wise & Roy Keane…

    Or Victor Perez… or Benat… Rico get your cheque book out…

  110. SD London says:

    With PSG’s money, Wenger will never get a good player from France anymore because PSG will be there first.

    He needs to forget France, Spain is the gold mine now, they are broke.

    Michu , anyone ?

  113. Micko says:

    Afternoon all, not just Boston, 31 people killed by bombs in Iraq yesterday as well, the world is full of nutters !
    Its not all bad news rico, we didn’t even make the quarters of the CL this time around and pocketed a cool 28 million, at least the board will be happy.
    Hopefully we’ll give the scousers ‘summit’ to worry about tonight.
    C’mon Arsenal.

  114. rockyrocastle07 says:

    Oz / Adam…. whoever gets round forst can do it!! I reckon 2-2 tonight.

    How come Chezzer didn’t even make the bench on Saturday? Has he had a full-on breakdown?

  115. tsgh says:

    ”Micko says:
    April 16, 2013 at 3:28 pm

    Afternoon all, not just Boston, 31 people killed by bombs in Iraq yesterday as well, the world is full of nutters !
    Its not all bad news rico, we didn’t even make the quarters of the CL this time around and pocketed a cool 28 million, at least the board will be happy.

    so what is the incentive for the board to spend £50M on 2 or 3 decent players when AW can bring 28M with Gerv when the winners of the CL bring in only 47M whilst spending double that?

    That is always one of my comeback to AW bashers…

  119. Micko says:

    Hi tsgh, would Gerv stand any chance of playing in any of the last 4 teams left in the Champions League, the answer is a Big No, they wouldn’t go near him with a barge-pole.

  123. tsgh says:

    How much do teams have to spend to get the 47M Chelsea made last season for winning the CL Rico?

    Of course I do not know what the board think but common sense tells me the return on spending to win a trophy is not beneficial to the board so far as they flirt with the idea of challenging for a trophy…

    I am not saying I agree with it just trying to look at it from their point of view… what I say may seem stupid to some but the last few years tells me….

  124. SD London says:

    I think Wenger is up to something with this team,just a few additions and we could challenge in all 3 domestic trophies

  126. tsgh says:

    Hi Micko, I do not know the answer to that question… Is Robben much better?? or just a diver ? Is Marvin Bakalorz or Marvin Ducksch better than SC19 or TW14… are BVB better than us or are we better than them because we are the only team to beat them more than 2 times in the last 24 months?

    I was making a joke by saying …. playing with the likes of Gerv btw…

  128. tsgh says:

    ”i hear Bradford and Blackburn singing, “its not about the money money” – after bradford and BB Rovers beat us are they better off than us? The fans may have been happy for a week or two but they still have their financial problems or fighting to stay in their respective leagues…

    Will the BB or Bradford board exchange the cup run for a play-off or promotion place? Just asking… 😉

  129. ozgunner10 says:

    if rosicky plays 3-1 if not i can see us dropping points here – Wenger needs to be brave and get in their face tonight

  131. tsgh says:

    I wasn’t buddy… if it came that way…. I was just adding to it…

    Apologies if it came out that way…

  133. rico says:

    I only said that because you asked what other incentive is there for AW Ts, well is he does love the club the way he says, and he wants us to win as he says, then surely a trophy would prove that.

    Personally though, I don’t really give a toot about winning the CL, I’d much rather we would win the PL, FA Cup, Capital One Cup….

  134. rockyrocastle07 says:

    Oz re your 4pm – Don’t think we’re really a top 4 team anymore!! Just got a bit lucky this season to be 3rd!

  135. ozgunner10 says:

    rocky – haha truth be told none of us other than United are exactly shining are we, lets be honest and what does my head in i am not sure their squad is anything special either. Their spirit is unmatched over the season but their squad, average

  137. ozgunner10 says:

    so many seasons now we have sat here and said “we only need one or two, we only need one or two” When do we admit Wenger is not going to deliver those one or two? Just asking…

  139. tsgh says:

    RM went several years without winning a trophy after Raul and Zidane left…. Mauren ho was meant to be the saviour but after bringing them a trophy in his 2nd year, the players, fans and board are not happy with him… even Casillas Mr RM is crossed…

    My point is that I also want Arsenal to win trophies every season like any other gooner, however, the days of the likes of Jack Walker are gone. The likes of Mansour, Roman, Nasser Al-Khelaifi and potentially AU are few and far in-between…

    On the other hand the likes of Stan, Randy Lerner are the owners of today… with PHW telling us that AU and Roman could be the next Qatari investor Abdullah bin Nasser who will run when they realise owning a football club is like a bottomless pit…

  144. rico says:

    Oz, I think he’ll go the same way as Saturday but may start Rosicky instead of Jack.

    What he does at the back will be interesting….

  156. emma says:

    Hi everyone I am Back!!!
    Have we signed anyone yet 🙂
    Just seen from tsgh post that Capoue is on his way to PSG 🙁

    COYG’s lets get on 3pts

  159. emma says:

    Sad tale of Alex Song: 🙁

    Rigobert Song, Alex Song’s uncle said that “Alex is not happy, at Arsenal he was a leader on and off the field, he doesn’t feel like the protagonist in Spain, it makes him feel bad. He still has a long contract, until 2017, I do not think going away is the right choice. All players want to play all the time, but in Barcelona it is not easy. It ‘s like entering a family… Alex must have patience, his time will come, because he has the qualities to do well.”

    I guess he will be off on loan next season, another Hleb

  162. rico says:

    Poor old Song, just another in a long list that thought the grass was greener… Hey ho I say…

    Ah, you don’t like the sun emma…

    Must get dinner now, not long until ko 😉

  167. emma says:

    Just yesterday Wenger said he rushed Wilshere back. Well as long as he puts in a performance today I have no complain.
    COYG’s !!!

  171. allezkev says:

    Evening Rico…
    That team was a bit of a surprise, I must say…
    Expected Rosicky and Monreal to start…
    Lady Emma, how are things in the Emma household???
    Tense???? 😛

  181. rico says:

    In fact I cannot believe my eyes. So so many empty seats…

    Sort it out in the summer Kroenke/Wenger

  188. rico says:

    Lewis, best they make the most of it, we’ll wake up in a bit 😉

    Agree there Scott, and a good kick out for a change…

  205. Lewis says:

    I wish we’d employ a coach who can teach players how to attack free kicks and corners and defend them! We are utterly clueless in both scenarios.

  212. Scott from Oz says:

    Grubby pricks this mob.
    Next time anyone says they want Moyes at our club, watch a replay of this.

  230. Scott from Oz says:

    Santi should have cut that back.
    Still, a few great moves…we are starting to build, slowly.

  232. Scott from Oz says:

    Solid, if not spectacular first half.
    A few great chances created towards the end, and if we can build on that bit of momentum, we have goals in us.
    I do expect the ref to play a major role in the second half….Gibson is skating in very thin ice.

  234. rico says:

    Kick up the backside from Wenger/Bould and maybe a couple of changes and we really could win this….

  244. Joaquim Moreira says:

    I didn’t like this.
    the midfield not improve the game again. always the same mistake: Cazorla,wilshere,ramsey at the same time.
    Wilshere is not fit.
    We need a change quickly or they doing it first and they will be up the match

  245. emma says:

    Are we playing 10v11. For some reasons TW14 has decided to remain anonymous 🙁
    Everton are have brought in their thuggish game tonight.

  246. tsgh says:

    I guess AW had to choose between TW14 and Oxc and he chose the former… He is trying to protect Gerv by not playing him at home…

  247. emma says:

    Sorry to burst your bubbles wilshere is far from being fit. Midfield looks out of shape 🙁
    COYG’s!!! bring in the Globetrotters in the 2nd half

  249. Scott from Oz says:

    Don’t be negative guys.
    Ox will tear them a new one when he comes on, and we will be v 10 soon enough.

  257. rico says:

    I’m sure JW will make way soon…

    Bugger, a really silly tackle by Arteta…

    We all sit in fear right now…

  267. rico says:

    Anyone want to write this match report, would save me getting up even earlier than i have to… 🙂

    Ok, that will be a no then 😉

  268. tsgh says:

    What the commentator just said about some players not offering an outlet to players on the wings is what I was saying the other day comparing some of these current crop to the Pires and TH14 understanding…

  314. Scott from Oz says:

    Why is this prick pulling out cards now, after letting Everton get away with murder in the first half?

  316. Scott from Oz says:

    Too many players are afraid to shoot.
    Those who did shoot, couldn’t.
    Match report done, Rico 🙂
    Off to work…later guys.

  317. rico says:

    What a great game of football…

    But really cheesed off that we dropped two points…

    That’s me done guys, my bed calls me…

    Night all…

  320. rico says:

    The top four place is now back in the hands of the Totts…

    🙁

    Dream, or have nightmares…

    gone now….

  325. emma says:

    Another MOTM performance by Rambo.
    Wilshere shouldn’t have started. I would have prefered Gerv to TW14

  327. Gunnerdna says:

    The referee should have given himself a card for playing JW10 as a AM when it clearly never works and our best and most creative player is pushed out wide. What a genius the manager is…

  328. emma says:

    Szeszny had an off day. Cant make out why arteta decided not to shoot at the tail end of the match. Clean thru on goal and he simply freeze

  331. emma says:

    On another day we could have lost that match. On another day with a proper striker we could have had 1 goal from the numerical chances we had. Referee was abysmal.

  332. Lewis says:

    We desperately need a world class striker. Defence played well I thought, Ramsey was excellent, the rest pretty average. Not good enough, maybe a bit harsh, but not winning must win home games is a failure any way you slice it.

  333. Micko says:

    We weren’t that bad tonight, just need a striker who knows how to put the ball in the back of the net.
    Tsgh, might be a good time to take up kick boxing me thinks.

  335. Gunnerdna says:

    Giroud didn’t score, but what about the vice captain who is 15 yards from goal with less than 5 mins to go and looking to pass, honestly some of these players don’t deserve to play in the CL.. This group of players don’t deserve to play in the ems it’s a disgrace how average afc has become, challenging Everton for CL football. Officially my football season is over……………..

  336. Scott from Oz says:

    Arteta has no left foot.
    Ox should have taken his shot.
    Giroud should have buried one off the Ramsey pass in the first half…i would have nailed that.
    Either throw Ox up front for a try and see what happens, or we desperately, desperately need a top striker in the summer.
    Maybe both.
    Probably both.
    Definitely….i would try Torres.

  338. Scott from Oz says:

    On Jack……..how many points per game have we won with him playing compared to games without?
    I would bet we come off better without him.
    Early in the season we had a run of results without Jack.
    Recently, we have had a run of results without Jack.
    Now i am not suggesting for one second he is not a sensational player, but does he upset the balance, or does Wenger simply not find the right balance when he plays??
    It is easy to say the latter is the case, but without him, we have accrued a heap of points.
    Do we require different players around him to get the best out of him?
    These are genuine questions, not opinions and aimed at those with a lot more technical and tactical knowledge than me.
    It is also in no way a criticism of Jack.

  339. Scott from Oz says:

    We did not play badly.
    The only part of our game that was shit was the finishing.
    It is, of course, a major part of the game, but overall we were decent.

  341. Scott from Oz says:

    Yep.
    Closely followed by Ramsey.
    Santi was incredible……his ball control is something to enjoy.
    Pity both of these guys creativity was not rewarded by finishes.

  342. potter says:

    Best player tonight was the one behind the bar who kept the London Pride coming. Sadly I had to pay for it.

  343. Scott from Oz says:

    Onya potter.
    Fullers are a brilliant brewer.
    Haven’t tried it on tap, but even in the bottle, it is like mothers milk.
    I will have one with you one day!!

  344. Gunnerdna says:

    Only 1 MF in a big club like afc can score goals, Ramsey, diaby, MA08, JW in the same squad is retarded.

  348. Lee says:

    Have you seen that Geordie prick (that’s on disability benefits) that chinned the horse, said he was acting in self defence! When asked why he had a scarf around his face, he said he had a broken tooth and was protecting it from the cold air…..you cannot make this shit up, can you?

  350. Scott from Oz says:

    Morning all.
    Love the 8.28 Lee 🙂
    Well, after digesting the performance, what are we all thinking?
    I am just watching a replay now.
    The performance was decent, but the finishing was terrible….it is no better second time around!!

  357. allezkev says:

    Morning Gooners.
    Morning Rico, Adam, Lee, Scott.

    Good team performance, awful finishing.

    Did Szczesny have a save to make last night?

  358. Scott from Oz says:

    Why Gibson wasn’t given a second yellow after his “challenge” on Theo is strange, to say the least.

  361. allezkev says:

    It’s great to see Ramsey putting in such an impressive 90 minutes.
    After the doubts that many of us had in him, maybe he is finally recovering mentally from his broken leg.?
    To see him eventually mature into the player we’d all hoped he would become, pre-Shawcross, has to be a good thing?!

  362. Scott from Oz says:

    Same here Oz……tough one to get over.
    Girouds miss off Ramsey cross hurts more and more.
    He should never have missed that one.
    The others could be forgiven, but that was painful.

  363. ozgunner10 says:

    i missed most of the posts last night as forget to charge my ipad so was in another area of the house

  364. ozgunner10 says:

    Please don’t get me started on Giroud again mate – i just kept thinking of RVP all bloody game, in fact i have done that so many times this year its painful

  366. Scott from Oz says:

    I never had doubts Kev 🙂
    Well, i did, but i was confident he’d get back.
    In Aussie Rules, we see more guys get very serious leg injuries at the elite level than in Football.
    It always takes them 12-18 months after getting back on the field to find their best, if they ever do.
    The biggest change i see in Aaron from even a few months back is his error rate….it has ben cut dramatically, and it is showing in his performances.
    For every 5 things he did right, he’d do 3-4 wrong.
    Now it is maybe 10 to 1???
    It is very good for the cub, and for the kid.

  367. Scott from Oz says:

    Oz, what pains me is that Giroud so consistently gets into great position.
    As with Arsenal, the end product is lacking.
    Still, i feel his time will come, but meanwhile, get Torres, Tevez…someone who can find the net.

  370. rico says:

    Well Oz, if what Gazidis has said – we are ready to spend this summer…

    But will old Ebenezer spend what it takes?

    That is something I very much doubt…

Leave your comment.

Discover more from Highbury House

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading