Daily Bits and Bobs

Olivier Giroud is right to speak out! Arsenal ready to shake off the November curse…?

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

For once, an Arsenal player has said it’s too early to talk about winning the league and that’s Ollie. He’s right too! It’s only October and as much as we in a good place in the league, there’s a long long way to go until May.

Yes we are doing well as far as results go but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Sunderland should have been out of sight before half-time and as much as the score-line came good in the end, they were there to be taken to the cleaners and should have been. At 1-0 up, it looked like the players thought that was enough, game over but it wasn’t and never should be enough. Scoring opportunities went begging with Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all missing good chances and other sides will punish us if we continue to be so laid back in our approach. Tottenham certainly will on Sunday as will Utd in the following league match because we know Mourinho will do all he can to one over Arsene Wenger, regardless of whether he’s banished to the stands or not by then.

november

Arsene Wenger has been quoted in the Mirror as saying:

Maturity is what you want to show. I believe so, yes, but that’s what we want to show over a longer distance, you know, and that’s what is at stake. 

We now have some difficult games coming up, we have a difficult November, so by the end of the November we’ll know more about ourselves, but the desire and the mentality is great in the side.

Good old November eh, a month which so often in the past has caused us problems and the FA have thrown in two tricky fixtures no doubt in hope that we wobble again. It’s a month when players start dropping like flies with injury, we can’t cope and any hope of winning the league is pretty much over. Then of course we usually pick up a bit, only to flop again in New Year before scrambling home into a top four place in May. But we came second last season one might be tempted to shout at me, but come on, we finished how many points behind Leicester? Yes, Leicester!

Arsene also said:

We have a great togetherness and we have quality as well, so they are good ingredients, but we have to show that we can do it week in, week out.

Very true. We do have plenty of quality in this squad and there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t win the Premier League but this team must play a lot better than they have in the last couple of matches. Perhaps when Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott and Xhaka are back, they will.

If Arsene Wenger wants to shake this November ‘monkey off his back’, he’ll never have a better chance to do so, especially as there’s a two week break for international fixtures. Also, apart from the trip to Old Trafford and Bulgaria tomorrow, our remaining fixtures are at home.

But let’s leave all this talk about winning the league until May, that’s if we’re still in with a chance by then….

rico

67 thoughts on “Olivier Giroud is right to speak out! Arsenal ready to shake off the November curse…?”

  1. Malaga gooner says:

    Morning Rico and the house

    Good post

    I’m still not convinced we have the quality in our squad to mount a serious challenge for the league.

    Happy Halloween

  5. Le Coq Monster says:

    Please HHers…………………take the Halloween masks off it`s too early !. 🙂

    Thanks Rico.

    One game at a time for me as I`ve tried the forecasting and it doesn`t work ( I forecast the `Boro and Blunderland wins and came up short !).
    Yes we have astronger squad this season, but the others are playing just as well and even Spudland are only 3 points adrift in 5th, it`s going to be tight and some may fall away and that`s usually us !
    A fine November for a cahnge would be great seeing as we have Spuds and Manshafter………….I`d bite your hand off now for a win and a draw !………………………..actually, I`d take a 10-0 defeat tomorrow night if it guarenteed any win over the Spuds !

    Interesting that number plate potter put up……AR53NAL…………….I can tell you it`s up for offers around the £60,000 mark and is probably the most expensive in Gooner terms, anything with AR5(any number after the 5))NAL is owned and expensive and if I was rich, I would buy it and have it stuck on a nice Morgan Plus 8/Roadster/Speedster with Red roof, white body and red running boards and red leather interior…………..one can dream. 🙂

  6. Le Coq Monster says:

    Spud game is literally a six pointer as a win will put us six points beyond them………………….one can dream again………………nothing compares to beating them !

  7. Le Coq Monster says:

    There`s one thing we have in common with the knuckledragging neanderthals and that is the thought of losing this game makes me/us feel physically sick………even just a Monday and the match is starting to build up already……..excitement/stress/dredd/butterflies/moody any emotion you can think of and only a win will keep you buzzing and floating for weeks !………… a loss is not even worth thinking about if you value your sanity !………………………..I feel pumped up and need to go to the gym !. 🙂

  8. rico says:

    Just hope we don’t suffer any injuries tomorrow night Lc, but we need to win and win the group..

    Beat the Spuds and end their winning run….. That would be nice…

  9. tsgh says:

    Good post Rico.

    If we win more than 2 games this Nov we would have done better than we have done in 5 out of the 7 seasons in November… then again that is stats. lol

    Morning Rico, Mg, Scott and all

  11. kelsey says:

    How will Bale cope on 350K a week clear
    and a buy out clause of a billion.Is there a higher earning Welshman living.:)

    Mental strength and belief always the same words from a man who speaks 8 languages.But he is right let’s judge him at the end of November to see if we are still on track or derailed.

  17. Marshall says:

    Hi all, the derby build up is gathering steam. I hope tomorrow we come unscathed and on the bright side we’ll have more resting days since the Spuds have a thursday fixture (I think)

  19. allezkev says:

    Morning Rico ?

    Personally, and with all due respects to the Cornish Cock, I’m just focusing on the Bulgars.
    Let’s win our CL group for change and put that to bed…

    As for all this November stuff, every month has it’s difficult fixtures, the main difference now is that we have a strong enough squad to cope with injuries…

    Xhaka is back, Ramsey is back, Gibbs is showing great form and confidence and Giroud is simply taking a leaf out of Ranieri’s book by keeping some balance…

    It’s October so ignore all the pundits, they know as much as us and simply bullshit to keep their jobs…

    The Press love to big us up, ‘Will Arsene finally end his title drought’ blah blah blah, ad nuseum, in the hope that we blow it and they can write pages of stuff about Arsenal’s mental weakness and all associated shit like that…

    Ah, I feel better after getting that off of my chest, ? Morning All

  20. kelsey says:

    Remember Spurs are playing Away aswell at Wembley and Leberkausen are a good side.

    We all know AW quite well and I hope he has no intention of resting key players tomorrow.We need to top the group even if that means a little further progression in the CL. PSG are not playing well but Caviani rescues them everytime.

    Spurs will be a test but I have yet to see an impregnable defence this season, despite Spurs being unbeaten.

    City,United,Liverpool and us are guilty of that but Chelsea are suddenlt doing a turnaround and shouldn’t be written off.

  26. Bob John says:

    Hi all.
    Unfortunately having home games is more of a hindrance than help! We give up far too many chances. I just hope its not the Bitter Spuds that punish us.

  27. tsgh says:

    🙂 Kev… Killary does not swing my way.

    Mg- I am good. Yourself?
    I will support Trump if he admits the earth is flat. 😛
    And you know a trump win will be disastrous for most folks…. but the sun will still rise from the east and set in the west for the 10% at least…

  28. Le Coq Monster says:

    Blimey !…………………..Bale is on that much !………………he will be the richest Welshman ever and expect a franchise explosion of Sheep Massage Parlours all over the valleys !

    See that Poncetino was moaning about injuries the other day and with one less days rest I expect us to replicate the 5-0 drubbing from all those years ago !……………I was there for the game of my life in 1978 …………………..last time I went to the shit hole, but still in the memory as the best game I`ve been to…………………….nothing more arousing than seeing a Spud cry !. hahaha

  30. Obi says:

    Hi All:
    Sometimes the opinions here from the same individuals are so inconsistent. When Arsenal was 5 ponts off Man City the season was over. Now when Arsenal is on pace with City it’s a long season. Arsenal has as much chance as anyone. Having watched all City games they are not any better than Arsenal, Liverpool imho is overrated, Spuds – please, they struggled in all their games. And as I have said before, when you watch Chelsea and United their holes are so glaring that they will struggle to make the top 4. So why not Arsenal. Yes chances were wasted on Saturday, but even if ARS was 4-0 at the half and it finished 4-1, it is still 3pts. Football is a result oriented game, atm we are getting results let’s go with it.

  33. rico says:

    Afternoon guys…

    Obi, not sure what you mean really. It is a long season… Another 7 months to be precise, or course it’s always great to win, but there’s always room for improvement…

  34. Obi says:

    Rico, just a thought. Suppose they don’t improve but win the EPL or they improve but win nothing? Obviously we will all take the title. I Just find it ironic that when we are not doing well it’s the end of the world, but when we are it’s “lets not get too excited”. You are suppose to be excited, you’re a fan, and that’s the reason you watch.

  41. Le Coq Monster says:

    Didn`t you play it Rico ?…………………………you need to click on play and mute/volume to hear it .

  47. Le Coq Monster says:

    Mmmm………………………….the injuries are starting to add up ! 🙁

    Walcott/Hamstring……………Cazorla was an achilles problem………………Bellerin hurt in trainning session, but not what it is…………………………Monreal, didn`t even know he was injured, just thought he got dropped for being roasted down the wing in a couple of games !
    Ramsey, Jenks and Giroud have just come back and cant be rushed ! Welbeck and Merts as far as I know the only long term injured players. Still too many imo and who knows who`s next ?…………………..and that Spud Argie ponce moaning because he has just two injuries in Kane and Alderweireld !………….twattenstein !

  48. allezkev says:

    Jenkinson played a full 90 minutes in the League Cup recently Cocker, he’ll be fine…
    I reckon that Wenger could well start Giroud and Xhaka as well.
    Not sure about Ramsey…

    Bellerin, Walcott, Monreal and maybe even Santiago, are all being saved for the Scum… imho…

    Ginge, I talk to a lot of Americans in my job, and whether Republican or Democrat they’re all pretty well exasperated with the choice they have for President…

    Hillary could possibly go to jail for revealing state secrets. And Donald to go to jail for tax evasion and being dodgy around woman…
    Or so that’s how it seems to me…

    Night All

  49. ScottfromOz says:

    Any country of a few hundred millions that can only come up with these two arseholes as options is in real trouble!!!!
    Stan for President!!!!!!

  50. tsgh says:

    Kev, Scott- Unfortunately the game is such that voters are caught between a rock and a hard place. This election has become a war between 2 ‘king making’ families. The same 2 families who have decided who is the president of the so called free world, since the Reagan administration; some may argue it goes further back from that…

    Good morning Rico and all

  54. allezkev says:

    I think some youngsters like Maitland-Niles, Jeff etc have gone Rico.
    I guess with Wenger saying Walcott, Bellerin, Santi and Monreal not travelling that it’s a case of working out whose left.

    We play Ludogorets in a Youth game so a lot of youngsters will have gone anyway…

  56. allezkev says:

    I watched some highlights again, from the 6-0 at the Emirates and Ludogorets were very dangerous, especially in the 1st 45.
    Arsenal led 1-0 but didn’t score again until the 42nd minute.
    During that time the Bulgarians created some excellent chances and could have been leading, even if Arsenal also created some good chances as well.

    For a European game it was very open, almost like a Premier Lge game, end to end, and only a late Ozil hat trick gave it the illusion of a walkover, it certainly wasn’t one of those Rico…

    We don’t want to take them lightly, get too obsessed with the NLD and come a cropper…

    So a strong team for me, get the job done, qualify and then move on…

    The Scum have a CL game 24 hours later and they need a positive result more than we do as they’ve been underwhelming in the CL so far, especially at Wembley. So let’s get this done, put ourselves in a position to win our group, then focus on the mob from Middlesex…

  58. kelsey says:

    Diaby has been recalled just for tonight 🙂 AW has been widely quoted as saying we must win the group and though we beat the Bulgarians easily they maybe a different proposition at Home .4 players out by Granit returns and I wish people would stop talking about Sunday when we play the team who last won the league when trams went up and down their high Street,

  61. allezkev says:

    Yes 1961, trolley buses at Dalston Junction, before the Beatles, Wath in short trousers, pea soup fogs in winter, jumpers for goalposts in your street as hardly anyone had a car, only 2 TV channels, listening to the Light programmes on the radio, ?

  64. gnarleygeorge9 says:

    Good evening to you all,

    Rico, I’m both nervous & excited about the pending November fixtures, or curse as it has been deemed. Gotta beat Spuds & Manure. Draws not accepted 🙂

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