Morning all.
The Steven Gerrard swan song has been halted, hoorah!
I’m so pleased that Liverpool were booted out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa, I really am and I’m not trying to suggest that playing Villa in the final will be an easier opposition as they won’t judging by their performance yesterday but if we are to be deprived of retaining the Cup, then I’m just glad it’s not going to be by the Dippers….
Jammy, fortuitous, call it what you will after Federici’s fumble. It is now not only Chelsea who can find a way to win when they are not playing well.
Those are the words of Darren Lewis in The Mirror but why is it that Arsenal fans can’t always see things the same way? I ask that after reading around the blogshere and some of the comments which either suggest the team was not playing well, Reading were just bullies, or Wenger just got things wrong, he’s always up to be criticised isn’t he?
For many years we’ve been labelled soft, don’t like it rough and all the other stuff journalists have written in order to criticise a bad result but look what’s happening now – those same journalists are being deprived of their damning Arsenal headlines and they’ve had to pick on another club. Liverpool are the flavour of the month now.
Look back on that fantastic Invinsible year, or the ‘double’ years under Arsene Wenger, not every game was perfect but those players knew how to win, or at least how not to lose and that’s what made them so good. Isn’t that what Arsenal are doing right now.
We are always going to face sides who either ‘park the bus’ or ‘get in our faces’ in order to stop us playing football, the Chavs have been doing that for years and no doubt they’ll do it again on Sunday. (strong ref please!)
Utd when they had the Neville brothers, Keane and Scholes were the same and today with Fellani. Then of course there is Stoke and a few other sides who when it comes to playing us, apply the bullish tactics in hope of an upset. That’s what they do and it often works.
Thankfully, Arsenal haven’t resorted to such tactics and long may that remain but what they have done, or certainly appear to be doing is dealing with what/who they face and overcoming it and if that carries on until the end of May, we’d have had a very good season.
So a win like Saturday isn’t always about us playing badly, it’s about how other sides do all they can within the boundaries of footballing rules, to stop us and when we overcome such tactics, just enjoy it….
Gossip:
Arsenal have been given the green light to sign Espanyol defender Hector Moreno. The 27-year-old is also wanted by Tottenham but prefers a move to the Emirates. (Metro)
Finally, there’s a story, and no doubt that’s all it is, in Spain which suggests Mourinho wants to sign Mesut Ozil in the summer. Well he can take a run and jump if it’s true. Well, unless he wants to swap him with Hazard…. 😉
Have a good Monday guys and gals…..
Morning all.
It’s the old story…..we play below average and win, we are lucky.
When others do it, they are grinding out a result.
Love the media lol.
Darren Lewis isn’t saying that today though Scott, he’s saying we are learning how to grind out a result…
Morning Rico and all. We would do well not to view Arsenal through the prism of their media reputation. Football writers are a rather self important lot of dickheads, as anyone who has watched their wretchedness on The Sunday Supplement will have noticed. Ignore them. Let them write what they will. It is of no consequence.
Some are not interested how we play, only that we win. I am not of that opinion.
Morning Adam.
A positive article in the papers for a change I thought.
Rico, he must be an exception 🙂
Guess the point I was trying to make Scott is Arsenal are changing the headlines. We look like a side who can grind out a win on an off day – yet, it’s fans who still appear unhappy.
I read quite a few comments yesterday (not so much on here) about how crap we were etc etc but we were up against a side with nothing to lose and they upped their game level.
We lose the players and manager cop the flack, win, and they still get flack…
I’m happy with Arsenal right now and tbh, there’s not a lot to moan about right now, however… 😉
Morning all.
Fair assessment that, Rico and, you are right.
All the angst, high blood pressure, nail biting and even rocking backwards and forwards on my favourite, (lucky) chair is now forgotten, well nearly. This morning and yesterday I was overcome by feelings of well being! Winning is absolutely everything, performance, whist important, is not the be all and end all. 1-0 to the Arsenal was always music to my ears all those years ago, still is!
The record books will show we won2-1 some will think it must have been a close game, and they would be right, but the book shows we won! And that is everything. Reading’s part in the semi final will be no more than a brief footnote in FA Cup history. Sad but true, I feel.
We are finalists, we have a chance to win again, we have a chance to increase our silver polish bill! Hurrah for that!
Now go and beat the chavs, I dare you! And finish ar least second.
Rico. It’s often a matter of perception. Every victory or loss always throws up questions. Just how big is the ‘bigger picture’?
Wenger has been around long enough that certain patterns have become entrenched in a typical Arsenal season. There might be reasons for them all but they remain annoyingly consistent.
You would pick up hazard instead of Özil? I still wonder what Özil has to do to gain the favour of the Arsenal fans. No doubt the Chelsea fans would be more grateful.
Rico, great comment.
You can only okay as well as your opponent allows, and by stating we were poor does Reading a disservice.
We weren’t great, but Reading made it very difficult for us, no doubt.
It’s another example of a game we possibly, even probably would have lost a. Few season back.
Back when we had Cesc, Song, Van Persie, Clichy, Nasri etc etc etc
Thanks Wavy.
I’m with you re results over performances. Yes it’s great to see us wipe sides apart with fantastic football but sometimes any win will do me..
The Chavs will win the league but they won’t remembered for how they won it, with boring, dirty and even cheating tactics, they’ll just be up there in lights saying ‘PL Champions’…
And drooled over no doubt….
A – no I wouldn’t. I can assure you my comment re Ozil was very tongue in cheek. Ozil is one of my favourites and anyone on here will back me up there….
Adam. I appreciate there will always be questions but I guess I’m just enjoying the fact that we are in the FA Cup final after grinding out a result against what I thought was a strong Reading performance.
We do seem to have a bad start or a bad finish to the season but as Kev said in his post the other day, hopefully Shad will put pay the injury problems we suffer and next season, no excuses…
Exactly Scott.
It’s the same today. Not many people are giving Villa credit, instead just talking about how poor Liverpool were. But Villa were very good imo. Yes Liverpool couldn’t shoot for fly but Sherwood did very well yesterday, as did his players…
As one who pays £3k a year for my wife and myself to attend the home games, performance is really important to me. If we had been managed by a Graham/Mourinho type these last year’s I doubt I would bother to actually go to the matches. Of course the result is important but Wenger has bought style and an attractive way of play to the PL. We are the best pure footballing team in the division and I hope it stays that way. In fact I would suggest it is the very thing that attracted players like Mesut and Alexis. Admiring our best players over the years has been great for me and if he has assembled a team that wins when not playing well then that is a positive for sure.
Watching the way the players moved the ball against Liverpool at home recently was the sort of thing that keeps me coming back.
Not saying it’s not important Adam, just saying that not every game can we play that way. Reading was of those games because of the way they played…
I’m sure most of the players chose Arsenal because of the way we play, otherwise they’d have gone to Chelsea… 😉
There’s little doubt our style attracts certain players, then there’s guys like Hazard (Rico’s favourite) who took the biggest pay packet.
🙂
Rico. I would have to disagree there. I think that Reading played like that because we didn’t turn up properly and not the other way round. The Arsenal that showed up at Wembley on Saturday had a completely different mindset to the one that did for Liverpool a couple of weeks ago. We can’t be that good every week but we can’t afford to be that bad too often if we want to win things. And that has been our problem for a long, long time.
Scott. I think you will find that Hazzard wanted to come for us as Wenger had watched him for years but, at that time, Chelsea just blew us away with the transfer fee. We literally couldn’t or wouldn’t compete.
🙂 Scott..
Adam, you might be right, I might be right re the way Reading played, it’s all a matter of opinion I guess…
Dybala could be another Hazard if the stories are right….
Maybe a bit of both? In a Henry Kissinger kind of way….. 😉
🙂 Lee. Perhaps…
“Liverpool will win the F.A Cup, Arsenal won’t make PL top 4 and Sterling’s better than Ozil”
Michael Owen 4th April 2015. I always knew he was a vertically challenged fucktard!!
He certainly is just that…..
Probably right, Adam, but he’s shown himself to be right pain in the arse since.
Brilliant player though.
Good Morning to The Lady of the House and fellow Gooners in residence.
Rico – “…but if we are to be deprived of retaining the Cup, then I’m just glad it’s not going to be by the Dippers…” Amen Sister Amen! Let us fire up the old pump organ and raise our voices in song and say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
Morning Cg…
🙂
Go Villa!!
Lee – I don’t think the Mental Midget of Merseyside has heard the old adage ‘Best to remain silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and confirm it’. Poor Michael needs a bit of sympathy as his old alma mater has gone down in flames on all fronts (Europe, BPL, League Cup and FA Cup).
Perhaps Islington Council could offer him a position as village idiot.
Not any more Scott..
Scott – That’s fine as long as it only applies to their games prior to the return to Wembley. Also, no falling asleep during the game like you did in the House the other night.
I think it must be down to team preparation prior to matches. There is an attitude problem when we play so called lesser teams, the ones that we are supposed to beat easily.( Anderlecht , Monaco , The style in which we play seems to lean toward the artistic rather than the pragmatic. We shun the opportunity to put teams to the sword , rather than grind them into the dirt we play around them and over elaborate . It is very good to watch when you have a comfortable lead but not when you are only one goal up. When we play the top teams however our attitude is entirely different we play with more intensity . And then there is Chelsea and we really don’t seem to know how to play against them and the problem is that Mourinho knows how to play against us.
Potter, everyone knows how to play against us, it’s just that Joe Say signs thugs and they go about their business better than most.
Adam & Rico – I don’t disagree with anything either of you have said about our team. I think The Arsenal will continue to play free flowing attacking football, but when the opposition wont let them do that, it’s nice to know they can still grind out a result.
Agree there Cg… re Villa’s results..
CG, and I reiterate the fact when we had Cesc, RVP and the like, we couldn’t.
It’s been a long transition, but we are better than we’ve been for a long, long time.
Next season, we should take another step forward.
Potter, lets hope that changes on Sunday…
Better quality thugs maybe Scott , but that’s the world we live in. We know full well that there are certain referees that allow the physical and when they are appointed to our games we should react accordingly. We do suffer from a superiority complex which translates through the media to the referees that a little physicality is to be expected when lesser teams play us. These are the teams that need to be put to the sword early and often . When you allow them to stay in the game they will keep doing what they have to . Remember a dying dog is more likely to bite you than a fit one , best to put it out of it’s misery and and put it down quickly.
Potter, I wish the officials understood that it’s football and not wrestling.
Potter – Do you not think that the team is playing a more pragmatic style? They tend to be more cautious when they are up one, careful not to get caught on the counter attack rather than cavalierly charging forward to score another.
Scott, agree, we are much better, even much better than the first half of the season imo. A few key additions in the summer, no darn injuries and next season might be very good…
I wonder if Arsene has made up his mind about Joel Campbell or is he going to wait till after the preseason?
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/04/19/twitter-reacts-to-arsenal-loanee-joel-campbells-performance-for/
He has some tough decisions to make about some of our Young Guns and returning loanees.
And isn’t that what we all wanted to happen Cg?
We will always get injuries because there will always be Paddy Macnairs about with a sorry I got there as quick as I could. The commentary on Saturday as Cazorla’ s achillies got scraped ” Danny Murphy it wasn’t malicious Cazorla was just a bit quick for him . Whilst that is the way that the media judge things we will still suffer from it. On occasions we are more pragmatic CG but when we go into defence mode our ball retention is parlous , The method seems to be to take off the out ball and bring on another defender. I was surprised to see Coquelin come off against Reading btw but we seem to invite people on to us and lose the ability to keep the ball and play in triangles and starve the opposition of the ball. I just get frustrated by what I see as a lack of logic.
I can’t see any who are out on loan coming back, other than Chuba…
For me the performance showed a mental weakness
again……when playing away from home
that performance if it were a league game
would have cost us 2 points…..as it was a cup
game we got another 1/2 hour to win it.
Squad size and quality won it for us…Lets be fair.
I thought we dropped to deep Saturday and let
them back into it……Tactics again.
Credit to Reading for getting us on the back foot,
Villa will do the same..no doubt,
so lets hope by then the penny drops.
As long as arsenal win consistently I don’t really care how they do it. I think its because we play such attractive football that’s why they tend to command once we win ugly
Frednerk, was it mental weakness or was it tactics?
I mean, if we got so much wrong, how did we win?
Gosmacked, I am lol
Fred – we don’t know that for sure, if that was a league game we’d have peppered their goal in the final few minutes and nicked a winner… 😉
Hi harvey, I don’t get the last bit of your comment…
Comment instead of command, Rico??
I don’t think it was tactics because their keeper fucked up? We just seem to underperform in certain games…Monaco,Anderlecht etc.
Potter – I see a change, but yes there is still room for improvement. I think part of the problem on Saturday was starting Debuchy (just back from injury), Gibbs (hasn’t played for a few games), Szczesny (has only played a few games since January), Ramsey (recently back from injury) and Welbeck (at CF). That is a lot of changes from the lineup that has been doing so well for us. Then the BFG goes off injured to be replaced by Gabriel, but give him his due , he did play well. Finally, Theo comes on for Le Coq.
Many of those players were not fully match fit and had not played many, if any, games with each other recently. However, we needed to get them back into the squad quickly as we near the end of the season and this was the best opportunity to do so. We have some tough games coming up and we need all hands to the pumps.
Ah, that makes sense Scott… thanks
Lee, the tactics couldn’t have been too bad……we had plenty of scoring opportunities.
CG, I reckon we get took a massive risk, and would rather have seen Debuchy and Gibbs come off the bench, but yes, they do need game time.
It’s a catch 22 situation, I guess.
I tend to agree with Fred here. The question as to why we never showed up is interesting. I know some say that Reading played well but to me they showed commitment and some nastiness but had little quality. I can well remember the awful day when we did the same thing against Birmingham in that final a few years back too and we have done it plenty of times since. Team chemistry? It will, I imagine, be an enduring aspect of Wenger’s time. Personally, I cannot see why he didn’t play his best team on Saturday. Injuries notwithstanding, I I just don’t get that at all.
Rico – Of first team players, we currently have the following on loan;
Akpom
Campbell
Jenkinson
Martinez
Miyachi
Podolski
Sanogo
Add to that Wellington Silva.
Jenkinson will probably have his option to buy exercised, but Podolski probably wont. That is a possible eight players, not counting any of the Academy players who may be pushing at the door or aging out.
Oh the joys of having a full squad…. 😉
Lee, we lost v Birmingham and that’s my point…….We are a different animal nowadays.
Not quite all there yet, but still, a much better unit, and one whose winning attitude is much, much better.
If it isn’t broke why try and fix it? He has been guilty of shoe-horning his favourite players in to the team’s detriment, imo.
I watched Wellington recently on the Sky coverage of the Spanish league. He looks a player and I was impressed with how disciplined he was too. Joel Campbell was excellent yesterday as well, according to reports.
I forgot Martinez Cg, he and Akpom. Can’t see where any of the others fit in really.
Jenks has made it clear he wants to play so like you, I think West Ham will sign him up…
Scott – “It’s a catch 22 situation, I guess.” Yes, a calculated risk and look what happened. We lost the BFG. Has there been any information on his condition?
On top of that we still have Arteta and Wilshere to reintegrate.
I agree a few years ago we would of lost to Reading but we really aren’t ruthless enough in certain games….. Monaco was a fucking joke and there’s been more.
Brudder. Monaco was exactly as you describe. Anderlecht was disgraceful really.
I think sanogo will be returning to La Poste…
It’s a tough call. AW is guilty of not rotating players, then when he does like he did on Saturday, he’s criticised..
I personally wanted him to play a very similar team to the one who destroyed Liverpool but perhaps like many fans, AW thought we would have a far easier game than we did.
Lee – Maybe even as recently as last season we would have lost to Reading. I see an evolution of the playing style and tactics, but maybe more importantly, an improvement in team attiude and morale. Their work ethic is improving, in part because of the likes of Alexis.
Still plenty of room for improvement though.
Monaco was woeful.
No question.
Still, we can’t play well every week, and our shockers aren’t as regular as a few years back.
We aren’t a complete unit yet, but we are on the right track, I reckon.
Villa will be massively up for the final, I just hope we are!
Rico, spot on.
I guess most of us are guilty of criticising and yet contradicting ourselves at times.
I have never been in favour of rotation for the sake of it myself. I understand the Debuchy thing if, as Wenger says, Bellerin has been carrying an injury.
There will be a couple of surprises in the summer I believe.
Agree there Cg…
Scott, I know I do… And I’m not too proud to admit it… 😉
Arsene out and Klopp in then Adam? 😉
Adam, good, or bad??
I agree on the rotation in the Gibbs case.
Though I rate him, a week between games means Nacho is hardly being overworked at this stage.
Rico, I am as well….that’s why I posted it lol
Klopp in would be very interesting wouldn’t it?
Adam, whoever our next manager is, it’s going to be interesting I reckon lol
Kev going to sign for us? I have him down as a box to box midfield dynamo…
🙂 Scott, that’s two then.. lol
I wouldn’t be at all surprised although surprised if AW left this summer. If that makes sense…
I’d rather him than Pep…
Wenger won’t break his contract imho.
Klopp and Adam use the same coiffure, I’m led to believe.
I don’t think so either Lee..
Klopp is rumoured to interested in ManUre or the Dippers and not Arsenal or Abu Dhabi Citeh.
Didn’t like the petulance from Pep the other day, but he’d have his chance to show his worth with an improving squad, not a complete one, and in a tough, competitive league.
Dennis is still my dream choice though.
Can’t see LvG going though Cg, Brenda might be close though… 😉
Not flying would be a problem though Scott…
Walk time for me so I’ll bid you all a good afternoon…
Later..
Rico – Klopp is supposed to be willing to wait for the opportunities.
With that I bid you all a Good Day.
Keep The Faith!
I was massively for Pep but not sure now….we’ll be title contenders with a fully fit squad, surplus players moved on and a couple of positions strengthened! COYRRG!
Like I’ve said many times before on here,
the players know the best eleven,
some find it hard to understand why this one
or that one is playing,some like to play in
the same team every game,if it’s winning.
That’s what I call a Mental thing
Tactical awareness when in play,
is something we some times don’t
prepare for.
For example Reading Saturday when one down
pushed up on our fullbacks and we dropped back
that gave them more space.
So for me scott and it’s just my
humble opinion we had a bit of both.
Fred, maybe, but at you must at least admit we are improving.
Rico, I figure the positives he’d bring would outweigh the negative of no flying…..I did hear a few months back he’s actually takend the odd flight of late, though.
I can’t remember where I read it, so obviously can’t say it was accurate, but it was definitely somewhere.
Martinez for me.
I thought you hated him, Adam?
Was that all tongue in cheek, or is this 🙂
Good read Rico..
All I will say is that Jose is quaking in his boots; Jose must be wondering why AW won against one his disciples in Clarke using a copy cat tactic from the back alley school of management.
Drogba is definitely not scoring against us next weekend if that is what Jose is counting on; that old trick is definitely a donkey;
Hazard is a different topic but I can see Sc19 out playing and out thinking Cesc this time around.
Oh and Scott, you are making sense since you got back from your holiday. 😛
Afternoon Rico and the House.
Nice sunny day for the Nike U14 Cup Final being played at Wembly.
At H/T it is Arsenal 0 Reading 0
Its been all Arsenal but they have not taken any of the chances they have had.
Now where have I heared that before.
Ginge, I’ve been hacked lol
Get In!!!.
Winning at Wembly is becom’ing a habit I like.
A tap in by Alfie Mathews in extra time has given our boys a 1-0 win in the Nike Cup Final.
Beat them twice in 48hrs. Lets hope the u21’s win tonight.
Ultracrepidarians everywhere….. 😉
Yes Scott
agree we have improved.
Fred have you spoken to Harry lately.?
Cannot understand why he has not been given pro contract yet
Evening all..
Drogba won’t score, he’s injured apparently… Lol
Downside – Costa could be back for Sunday…
Costa and Gabriel sent off could be interesting. Seems it’s Michael Oliver..for Sunday , we will see how he got on with Mr Riley after his last performance.
Looks like I’m late to the party. Have to agree with the consensus that winning is winning no matter how it happens. Looks like we are finney starting to get some luck along with all the other positives.
I think it’s funny Re: the media.
They keep pushing the bar further back. First it was “no trophies” now it’s ” FA cup isn’t good enough”
It was good enough for SAF and if Brenda won it this year we’d never hear the end…
*finally
Potter, let’s hope Oliver is as fair as he was at OT… Well, ish….
Vegas – trouble is, they’ll be many fans who feel the same way…
Hopefully next season, the PL stuff will be put to bed….
Hopefully. 🙂
As Lee said earlier Vegas, no injuries and a couple of summer additions, we will be there….
Lol yea but we’ve been saying that for the past few summers. I will admit though…it seems like something has finally changed. Wenger sees the light at the end? Stadiums finally paid off? I don’t know but it just feels like this summer he’s gonna get those pieces but I don’t want to get my hopes up too high. :/
Something has changed, And for the better…
Even I don’t want Arsene to leave now… 😉
Night folks….
Any chance of our U21’s gaining promotion went out the window tonight when they lost 3-2
There were 6 change’s from the last weeks team I will leave it at that.
Rick, just read the match report, Illev sent of early on, can’t really see them gaining promotion.
Morning all.
Yes, we are two, maybe three players off having a squad that will be the dominant force in the PL, and even make a full scale attack on the CL.
Stability has played it’s part, no question , and obviously the fact we have finally arrived at the stage where players like Ozil and Sanchez are affordable has helped,
Things are falling into place over the last few years, and the results show that.
There’s still another step to take, but I reckon we will do it.
I hope so too Scott. I want to be optomistic about our chances…but do you think Wenger will really spend?
Hi Vegas, he has the last two seasons, so I can’t see why not.
I’m pretty confident he will and add the final pieces to the puzzle.
Scott I think we’ve already signed Schneiderlin…. just a hunch, and there will be more to follow. I presume a lot hinges on whether or not Theo signs a new contract.
Morning all btw
Hiya Lee.
I’m with on Schneiderlin…..there’s too much been said about it.
Theo frees up decent money, no question.
Morning Lee, Scott and all..
Schneiderlin would be good place to start… 😉
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11551294/Arsenal-transfer-gossip-Club-cool-interest-in-Morgan-Schneiderlin-but-must-move-quickly-for-Petr-Cech.html
Cech would be a terrific acquisition.
Still, Ospina is not a bad first choice keeper 🙂
Cech would a fab Cup keeper Scott… 😉
Cech will be fab…; not sure he is the same keeper though since he has not played much recently.
I think Ospina is good; when he was at Nice Dev and Emma use to talk about him a lot…
My only issue with Ospina is his level of distribution at his age… and that he never seem close to saving any penalty. lol
Morning Scott, Rico and all…
Morning Ts. Wouldn’t take him long to sharpen up…
New post up now..