Morning all.
Youssouf Mulumbu could be on his way to Arsenal according to The Mirror:
I’ve had approaches from Arsenal. I could leave this winter.
This is the right time for me to set my sights higher. I’m ready to join a top-four club.
Not sure what to make of that story.
The Daily Express believe that we are front runners to sign Julian Draxler. That’s after a tweet on twitter from the same person who said Ozil was on his way to us.
All good stuff eh…….
Arsene Wenger has said he wouldn’t sell Aaron Ramsey for £50 million – I should think not either as he’s worth a lot more than that. The Welshman is young, he’s only going to get better and better over the next few seasons and in this mad world of footballing transfer fees, £50 million is way off the mark for his valuation, especially when we consider how much Bale went to Madrid for….
Funny old weekend of results but the good thing of course was us kicking it off with three points which left the other sides around us under pressure to perform. Some did but more importantly, others didn’t.
Liverpool, who were the side closest to us, got battered away at Hull City and our neighbours managed to secure a point at home against everyone’s favourite club from Manchester – just a shame that neither Swansea or Southampton would get anything from their fixtures at Manchester City and Chelsea.
We face both Chelsea (H) and Manchester City (A) later this month and both matches are huge as they sit four and six points behind us respectively.
That gap is tiny, so tiny that all talk of winning the Premier League should be dismissed for now says Arsene:
Let’s go a few more games. It’s still a bit early for me but what is good for us is that we can show consistency and that’s always a very good sign for a team.
Every win makes you a bit stronger. If we can take care of the concentration level and the desire to improve then we will have a good chance.
He is of course right, we have an awful long way to go yet and this month especially, is very very hectic.
Next up is Hull City on Wednesday night and they’ll be buoyant after battering Liverpool.
Then on Sunday we face an in form Everton side at home.
Following that fixture is a tricky and crucial midweek trip to Italy as we need at least a point against Napoli to ensure that we head into the Champions League knock-out stages and then just two days later, we travel to Manchester to face City.
That’s a tough tough eleven days of football. At least after the City game the players have a full week off before playing Chelsea at The Emirates. December is finished off with a trip across London to face The Hammers.
November can be nasty for us but this one just gone was pretty good…
December could be an absolute disastrous month but then again, it could be an absolute delight…….
That’s your lot for another day……
December will be glorious 🙂
Morning all.
I hope it is Scott, really tough month though.
I’d take 4 points from the two games against City and Chelsea 😉
Morning Rico. I don’t like Martinez. But then I don’t like many in football. I especially detest that whining, bleating little creep AVB with his tight little raincoat and ‘holier than thou’ attitude. I remember when they beat us at Shite Hart Lane last season, quite undeservedly. After the game he was in his usual bloated ego, self-congratulatory persona as he announced the “spiral of negativity” he detected we had entered into. Due of course to his brilliance.
Like an elephant, I never forget. 🙂
Morning Adam.
You just don’t like anyone 😉
Have you see the rant by AVB in the newspapers today? Poor old AW has been getting similar abuse from the media for the last 8 years….
Smile Adam 🙂
Rico. Yes, I did see it but thought it to have little substance, rather like the weasel himself.
I do like a few people Rico. I am always smiling Scott. Especially when you’re here. 🙂
AVB…seems to be quite sour of late.
Surely the pressure of sepnding 100 million for little return isn’t weighing him down.
Adam, i reckon top of the league has a little to do with it lol
🙂 Adam, you know I like to tease …
Lee posted this on the old post:
Hail Frank McKeown, the captain of Stranraer in the Scottish 3rd tier.On Saturday he played in a 1-1 draw against Clyde in the Scottish Cup watched by 681 fans, who were all watching a true hero. Because in Frank’s other life he is a firefighter, and his pre match routine involved spending the night trying to save lives from the helicopter crash in Glasgow! Describing it as “not the ideal preparation for a game!”
Morning all btw!
Scott. As for AVB, as the saying goes “The wheel that squeaks the loudest gets the grease”. That’s what he’s hoping anyway.
I know you do Rico. 🙂
You have to admire that man for sure.
Morning people…
Anyone in emergency services should be admired….true heroes.
AVB is in deep, and he knows it.
Tick,tick, tick…..
Brudder Lee. I am meeting you in 2 hours.
Indeed brudder Adam… for some traditional East End fayre!
Morning all, Nice one Rico, Wenger going on the backfoot i was expecting that, Wengers smiles will turn to grimaces very shortly if things go wrong, he knows as well as i have been telling you that tough games are ahead. Chelsea City are games that you need aggression you need power and determination, but what you need most is grit and the power to get in their faces and if i speak the truth we have skillfull players that will back off we have players who will pull out, yes we have Ramsey that will tackle anybody and Flamo will slide all over the park Arteta will try but will end up on his arse and Giroud that will hold the ball up until he loses it but the animal instinct in Arsenals player is simply not there. Arsenal are a great side against lesser teams but struggle against the teams mentioned sorry just my feelings.
Ramsey 50millon or more maybe, will he stay at the club that has made him Paper talk, I’m not so sure, I can remember Welshman Bale saying i love Tottenham and Kissing the chicken but his arse was making buttons when a lucrative offer came in. Ramsey comes from the same place Bale did. As Adam said yesterday Wales is about 200 miles away but culturally a century away Rambo no matter how good he gets will leave when said offer comes in but that’s not yet.
Steve, you are DEFINITELY wrong on Ramsey 🙂
Morning Lee…
Tick tock indeed for AVB…
I hope AVB stays there for ever, fucking it up big time! The ginger Frank Spencer, too small raincoat wearing prick…..
Morning Steve. All good then. 🙂
Thanks Sp, Ramsey won’t leave us. imho of course….
Morning again,
Good read as always.
SP1, I promise that you will catch a big FISH the next time you are out… I want the old SP1 back. lol
AW is hinting at making changes midweek (finally)….
Will Rambo go? I have to check my crystal ball. 😛
After watching Norwich & Fulham this weekend I have given up on this stats hobby… that was not surely football; it was more like kick and hope….
I do too Lee, the further he takes his side down the league the better….
Ha ha i said you didn’t like my comments. 🙂
Scott I know you have stayed patient with Rambo since he came and you wont have a word said against him, all the Welshmen i have ever known that live in England are passionate Welshmen they earn a good living over here but they all go for the biggest shilling Rambo’s no different. They can live in a castle in the English countryside they may have a dozen cars but they will shag there brothers wife without a worry in the world and when they finish they will return to Wales and count sheep and watch Rugby> I know you won’t agree. 🙂
Morning Adam that was a great Quote,
Ginge 🙂
Hahaha Steve.
Granted, i know few Welshman, but the couple i know are sensational gus.
Guess what though, it means nothing….Aaron is an individual, and time will tell.
I have no issue with someone saying something negative about him, but you are generalising here, so the negative is only a hypothetical.
5 years he signed for.
Long time 🙂
Steve. Thank you boyo. There’s lovely.
Steve. After that characterisation, we’ll keep a welcome in the hillside for you. 🙂
I don’t like negative things said about any of our players, Steve lol
Giggs showed his class when he signed for Yanited 🙂
Off Out to find some sheep, you guys be good . Laters.
As an aside.
Excellent article on the hapless, gormless, witless and terminally clueless Neil Ashton on Football 365 this morning.
Haha Steve.
On a roll, mate.
I am off.
Night guys.
Hi all, my god we should all stop paying TV license. Why oh why do we have to listen to Dublin talk like he knows what he’s on about. According to him Manure had a stone cold pen and Spurs are currently over achieving, what a joke, no bias in his opinion then. The commentary team and the guys in the studio failed to mention that Rooney shouldn’t have been on the pitch after his kicking out at a Cardiff player last week and should have had a ban, but I guess the FA have to help their favourite team close the gap on us, who by the way after beating us have done f*uck all else and the gap has opened back up, and considering they shouldn’t have even got two points out of their last two games the gap should be bigger.
Back to us now, why SP do you continue to fill us with negativity after a great weekend of football. We will see where we are at the end of December and then we can judge but I will go back to what I have been saying for well over a month now. If someone told us that after the Villa game we would be top of the league with a 4 point gap, top of the CL group of death, we all would have laughed in their face, so why are you so negative. We have the skill to beat anyone and we are only going to get better the belief is there in the team and all the players and manager have to say is that in 2013 we have beat Bayern and Dortmund at their grounds so we can beat anyone end of, we don’t have any reason to be scared, and we all know what we are capable of, we are getting goals from all over the pitch in our last 5 games we have conceded 1 goal and kept 4 clean sheets, and that includes playing Liverpool, Dortmund, an inform Southampton, and Cardiff who should have beat Manure. So what are you scared of. If we fail to beat Shity and Chelski and and fall off the top then whats the big deal none of us thought we would win the league anyway, but if we still stay top at the end of December then maybe just maybe we will have silenced the doubters and then anything is possible. This is a time now when any real Arsenal fan would be genuinely excited at what could happen, the month ahead will be a massive test but then everyone said that about November and we came out of that quite well, anything can happen and a bit of belief and positivity is what we need.
UP THE GUNNERS!!!!!!
Night Scott….
Mo, Sp is a true Gooner, that doesn’t need to be questioned but he’s just one who is hard to please sometimes 😉
The way i see it to continully critise the players who have played their heart out this year and say they dont have bottle and after coming back from dissapointment after disappointment when everyone wrote them off is just stupid and is a brainless comment and thats why i say a true fan would understand that and would have seen that and by this point got behind the team, i SP is a fan hes probably supported arsenal for longer than me but he really should apply abit of thought into his comments, after readinf his comment after the Cardiff game where he was full of praise i thought the tide had turned but his back to form again.
Night Scott… don’t dream about any sheep… lol
The easiest thing to do if you don’t like/agree with any one person’s view/comment is to just skip it, and move onto the next. I’m sure we all need to do that sometimes/some days…
Right now I really can’t see a reason to be negative about Arsenal and I won’t let any others who choose to be negative bother me….
If AW doesn’t sign a striker in January I might be a bit naffed off though…
I nearly wrote that about sheep too Ts 😉
Morning All
Morning Rico. Stupendous post.. 🙂
Yes December is gonna be difficult. But the wheels were supposed to come off in November, so what happened?
Wenger needs to rotate a bit and the team need to win games early and cruise a bit in order to save energy, if they can…
Both Hull and Napoli are games where I’d rest Giroud…
And rotate the midfield, but leave the defence alone.
Ha ha ha Rico 11:51… it makes a change from should I get a room for you 2 comment. 🙂
Ditto Kev… Giroud and Ramsey need a rest. Theo can start upfront with TR07 coming in for Ramsey.
Personally, I think we can afford to draw both games vs the Northern Oilers and the Southern Oilers. Both of them will drop points in lesser games, both are lacking in consistency. The Southern Oilers have been lucky with favourable refereeing decisions, but that won’t last all season. The Northern Oilers are rubbish away from Wastelands, so as long as we don’t lose to those two artificial franchises then we’ll be fine…
Lata
Afternoon Kev and thanks.
Rest Giroud? I didn’t see that one coming, who plays instead though?
I guess we have both mellowed Ts 😉
I know what SP is saying about physicality and it’s the Chelsea game that concerns me more on that point. We will try to play our passing game but they will try to overpower us as they usually do as we try to thread their defensive needle. City is another thing altogether , if they play their normally open game it can go either way, I fancy a draw here. In my scenario it means that Chelsea will be closer and possibly above us at Christmas, whereas City would be on our coat tails. Either way it would not be a disaster and it would give the powers at The Arsenal the incentive to re-focus on the squad and what to do next.
I want us to beat the Chavs though Kev, big time….
We should be able to match Chelsea physically surely… The referee for that day will be interesting.
Afternoon Rico.
That was a fandamntastic weekend of football for us and yet it shows what a greedy blighter I am because I was ever so slightly disappointed that the Chavs did not lose or at least draw.
Never satisfied. 🙂
Enjoyed the Post too. Thank you.
Afternoon Hb, thanks re the post…
I had high hopes for Southampton 😉
Off for a few hours now. Catch up later..
The rotation or resting of players is a tricky one with such a heavy schedule against other top teams coming up in December.
Still I suppose if Giro needs a break AW could do worse than let Gnabry have a go.
Chelsea’s defence is like knocking on a castles battlements, they just keep absorbing and funneling you into the trap set by the defensive midfielders and then Cahill and Terry. We will need to play with width if we are to change the pattern of results against Mourinho . Wenger’s record against the Portuguese remains dismal: five losses and four draws , no wins. Unless we rethink the style , I can only see more of the same . 65% possession, 2 or 3 shots on goal 1 on target . coupled with a set piece goal against us.
Sorry but that’s what I see every time we play them.
Rico, when you look at the way we play, do we even need a striker?
Ramsey, Ozil, Carzorla, Wilshere even Flamini could all take turns playing thru the middle.
Who would the opposition defence pick-up???
Gotta say, I’ve just had a fabulous lunch…
Great food and great company…
Now I have to do a bit of work… 🙁
In Chelsea’s case whoever the final 3 yard pass was aimed at. They will let you pass in front of them all day but as soon as you play the ball forward they spring the trap and crowd out the forward player. Unlike Barcelona who press you high up the pitch , they draw us in and force us inside a bit like a spider in a web. We have’nt learned how to combat them since Walcott cut in from wide at pace and scored at Wembley.
Afternoon All try as i might i couldn’t find a sheep anywhere so Tesco’s gave me a get out Lamb chops for dinner.
Mo 2, sorry if i have ruffled your feathers mate my Mrs tells me i should be more delicate. Sure i may not be a proper Gooner like some would want me to be, but after years of ill treatment i have a hardened skin when it comes to my beloved Arsenal. Listen mate i don’t say what i say to get under your skin i say it because thats the way i see things, Our heading on this blog is (Where its ok to dissagree) i dont question peoples Loyalty and i very seldom slag anybody off, I use this blog because i love the game of football, I would love to say that my team is the best footballing club in the world but after seeing a number of clubs who i consider better i just can’t bring myself to say it. Some supporters say 8 years is to long to go trophy less, i say i have had a lifetime of disappointments but i have had some great moments as well, this side we have at the moment are not to bad but are a long way off from teams of the past. I hate utd with a vengance but admire their resolve and their fighting spirit when Arsenal can stand toe to toe and compete and overcome them, not with just a win but actually physically out muscle them i will be a happy man. I am sure you are the best Arsenal supporter out there but be prepared to get your arse kicked. of course that’s not a threat just a steadier.
Afternoon all, nice report rico. Trouble is, if Ramsey is worth way in excess of 50m (he needs to keep going in similar vein a little bit longer I think to justify that), then how much is the striker we need (a Suarez etc) to win the Premier? I’m not sure that a striker who is happy to play 2nd fiddle to Giroud will be good enough to get us there. Top 3 certainly, but with Suarez and the current team, I really think we could overtake bookies favourites City and Chels.
I know what your saying Potter, but Wenger has the strongest squad he’s had since 2004-05 to face Mourinho with…
Mourinho doesn’t have his lifesaver Drogba anymore.
I think, if we are at full-strength, that the Southern Oilers will have a very difficult afternoon.
I know it is of little relevance but, didn’t we beat Man shitty during a pre season comp, 3-1?
Why, suddenly are we likely to lose to a team we have already bettered?
To a man there is not one player that I wouldn’t put on the pitch and think they would let the team down, well one, Bentner, but him aside, every Arsenal player has performed really well in most games. Better than well! Look at the improvements. Gibbs, Sagna, Giroud, Mertesaker (outstanding) Koz (outstanding) not to mention Ramsey who has, on occasions been world class and Ozil, who is world class. The keeper almost Seamanesque!
Good haul of exceptional players, why would they fail? How come these men are so poor, potentially?
Let’s have a bit of positive, please. Not criticism of players who are clearly and demonstrably playing at the top of their game, and I see no reason why they should not continue to do so! If that is not the case, what is it that I am not seeing???
Mo and Steve, I think I can understand where you are both coming from. I am not forgetting that I was furious with Wenger before the Ozil transfer, and if that had not happened (which was a possibility with all eggs in one basket with hours to go), we would have been a very deflated team after the comments coming out from players when they thought Higuain or other stars were joining.
But we have been fortunate that we have three new players of quality. I include Ramsey in that list, he’s had a complete transplant if you ask me, I know he was promising before but I don’t think anyone in the country could have predicted he would play like a 50m signing! But he currently is, and lets hope its permanent because no one deserves it more.
I am more optimistic now than I have been for years, since our last Championship winners were ‘supposedly’ going to dominate for a decade. And we know what’s happened since. So we need caution, because it can so quickly go wrong. But lets enjoy what’s happening now and pray it continues.
I think the team should focus on beating Hull first, with injuries and suspensions anything can happen in the games to come. I don’t see CFC coming to the Ems running over us, City have big name players but are not better than Dortmund, so there is not much to worry about. Imo
The games people think is walkover are the ones that’s going to win teams the league. Imo
Seems as if Arsenal had a £6.6m bid for Pato rejected.
Not sure what to think about the Brazillian tbh.
Not the kind of forward I had in mind as back-up to Giroud?!
But Wenger has been interested in him for a long time, so he obviously sees something in him that as yet hasn’t been exploited by any other coach…
Not sure about Mulumbu either?
Anyone got on any views on Pato/Mulumbu, and could they enlighten me…
This morning i was driving down the road where i saw an elderly woman trip over a paving slab she went down like a ton of bricks, i pulled up and rushed over to help her to her feet and make sure she was all right. Cars behind mine got annoyed they started to honk and one or two started to shout, the woman was ok so i went on my way, i had helped one person and pissed off a couple of dozen others i couldn’t give a shit. Had i seen this uneven paving stone before she tripped i would have shouted a warning is that a bad thing.
I think we need a better CF than Giroud, not a back-up. If we get a back-up as people say would AW sell him in the summer to get a top class CF? Is a back up to Giroud going to make the team stronger? If we can’t get a better CF than OG in Jan, I wish AW uses Pold and TW in some games. We need someone better than OG. Imo
Would you believe it just heard Tom Daley the Olympic diver has just come out and said he has a boy friend., i wondered how he got that job on tele Splash, no wonder i can’t get a well paid tele job, I like women and not keen on kids so absolutely no chance.
SP I didnt mean to offend and your probably a bigger fan than me and I didnt mean to question your loyalty as a fan. I just think that a bit more positivity would help and to give the lads and manager credit for what we have done so far, you maybe right it might be a flash in the pan and there is a 50% chance City and the Chavs will kick our butt but there is a chance it could go the other way and the form we in right now, there is every chance it could be the latter recent history tells us you could be right, but what do they say about the head to head record before games a lot of times it means nothing.
SP i didnt mean to cause you any offense and i’m sorry for doubting your loyalty as a fan but I totally agree with you on one thing you have said today and thats what you said about getting a job on tele.
Sorry mate and your right this is a place to disagree if you want.
Really! SP1
Just checked
“Of course I still fancy girls but right now I’m dating a guy and I couldn’t be happier” 😉
Andy H all to our own mate 🙂
Mo2 don’t worry about my feelings mate i didn’t take offence, supporters support in their own way, I;m no more a supporter than you mate but i may have had a little more hurt than you mate, Football teams survive on their supporters i have a lot of respect for all supporters but the ones i care most for are the ones that turn out week after week in all weathers and are proud and loud, i go when i can but these days i am more of an armchair fan but i pay my skysports to watch my Arsenal and the ones not on tele i have a great mate Dutch who keeps me intouch, No probs mate.
Cheers mate and your right all people support in their own way, I myself have at many times vented my anger at the team and manager and about all of the things you talk about. I haven’t been to a game myself since we lost to Shalke at home which by far and away was the worst performance I have seen from Arsenal we were dreadful and everyone in the stands knew. I spent the whole train journey home speaking to fellow gooners and they all felt the same and after that day vowed I wouldn’t be mugged off to pay high prices to watch a bag of shite, but as things have turned I probably will go down and watch, but at least we have taken a step forward this season and even if we lose to the so called big teams and maintain this form then we can hold our heads high and say we played well this season, which is a lot more than can be said about recent seasons. I for one believe that as long as we don’t drop points against teams outside the top three we can still win the league but we will see come May where we are
Didn’t see that one coming re Tom Daley 😉
Evening guys and gals…
Quiet here so off to get dinner..
Boo…
Boo Rico
Hi Sp…
censored at last Rico i should have seen that coming ha ha
Viviano playing for the under 21’s – they are losing 2-0…
Just that comment Sp…
Anyway, it’s very quiet here so I’m off..
Night Sp and all…
Morning all.
We all love The Arsenal, we just have different ways of showing it,
It took me a hell of a long time to realise that, but once i did, i understood better how to take things people say.
We all come from different walks of life and have different perspectives.
It is ok to disagree……just not with Rico 🙂
Hi Scott, now you know that’s not true, we always disagree, well, we used to 😉
Gone now, have a good day Scott…
Rico, that is true.
By, Rico.
Bye, as well 🙂
Here something to make you all laugh check it out if you haven’t already so funny
http://news.arseblog.com/2013/12/arsenal-face-swaps/?utm_source=feedburner.com%2Farseblognews&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arseblognews+%28Arseblog+News+-+the+Arsenal+news+site%29
U21’s lost 1-5 to Sunderland…
Nothing you can really add to that score.
Who knew?
Our current back 4 have never lost a PL game when playing together.
Zelalem was shocking again at u-21 level again.
I am not sure if he has had a good game apart from his debut
At least Toral scored and is consistent.
I am not sold on Hayden as a DM either. He is far better as a CB in my opinion. Kamara is far better in that role imo…
It looks like the u-21’s can’t win without Yennaris to give them that defensive maturity. I wonder why Frimpong did not feature either as he is obviously not going to feature mid week.
Morning all btw…
I did Scott, after I read your comment…. 😉
Morning to you and all…
Only 22 more sleeps…..
Very true Scott. Mert and Per have not lost a match in 24 games.
As I was saying all summer, our back 5 or 6 if you include Arteta and Scez were the meanest in Europe as a pairing amongst the teams always in the CL.
Obviously B04 have the best defensive record with Spahic who was rumoured to be coming our way 2 seasons ago.
Fewest Goals Conceded Average 0.77 Arsenal, Southampton
5 clean sheets in the EPL thus far with Arteta and Mert playing in 4 and 5 games respectively.
New Post up now, see you there shortly…