Morning all.
Big news for us yesterday surrounded Lukas Podolski, he’s finally back in training and just a few weeks away from a return which is great news. Finally we’ll get another striker on the bench at least although I strongly suspect that his return will see Olivier Giroud get a bit of a breather if needed. Arsene is clearly thrill at the prospect of his return:
It’s not the first time he’s trained but he is still a few weeks away.
It’s great [to see him back] because he is a quality player. He can score goals, he can play in different positions, like centre forward and on the flanks.
That is vital for us, to get everybody back.
UEFA Champions League Group F 2013/14
Arsenal 9 Points
Napoli 9 Points
Dortmund 6 Points
Marseille 0 Points
Who would have thought after losing at home to Borussia Dortmund a few weeks ago we’d still be sat at the top of the pack?
After that defeat, we went to Germany, did to Dortmund what they did to us and now we have a chance to get our big toe into the knock-out stages. We are of course level on points with Napoli but should they get something from their game against Dortmund, we are through, as long as we win!
Marseille sit bottom of the group without a point to their name but they’ll be confident after winning their last two league fixtures. Tonight they’ll have to play without their winger Andre Ayew and Dimitri Payet. They also have doubts over Mathieu Valbuena and Andre-Pierre Gignac.
Regardless of injuries, I’m sure they’ll still believe they have enough quality in their side to get something from tonight’s match and that would seriously dent our chances of heading of though so they are not to be taken for granted. They were quite good at home and we struggled to get a goal until Walcott took his chance out of the blue. He’d had a stinker that night up until then. Ramsey made it 2-0 with just five minutes on the clock but Marseille gave us a fright by scoring late from the penalty spot. Thankfully it was so late, it was too late and we came home with maximum points.
Theo Walcott returned at the weekend from the bench but the manager is unsure whether to start him tonight:
I haven’t decided on Theo but it’s fantastic to have him back.
I’d start him, this is his kind of game. Everyone who was in the squad on Saturday is fit for tonight and we have the added bonus of Mathieu Flamini returning so we have a strong bunch available for Arsene Wenger to make his selection.
One of the first on his team-sheet will of course be Aaron Ramsey:
We’re back in a strong position so let’s take in the next game and hopefully get the win there and put ourselves in an even stronger position.
Hopefully we can get the three points we need against Marseille.
I hope so too and of course he’s right, we are in a very good position and we need to make it count.
Tonight’s game is a big one, the Champions League is the one Arsene Wenger wants to win, he’ll have his players up for this challenge and I fully expect the boys to do themselves, the club and all Arsenal fans proud….
COYRRG’s…..
i like reading your write ups, but it has become so difficult to do so since you have decided to use the background picture of the ox and wilshere. I think you could apply a simple background which would make your blog more legible to us.
Thank you and ”more grease to your elbows and ink to your pen”
Morning all..
Nik’s been Nicked again…. Another caution I read…
Rico,I hope Nik gets moved soon. He’s so lazy and such an ass. I thought he’s changed when he came back
Morning guys.
Hi Rico.
Your posts are going down an absolute treat here.
Yeah- last saturday, and blow out of proportion by the media as we have come to expect.
I am looking forward to the OM game. Jordan Ayew and Thauvin will probably set-in for Andre and Payet. If we can hit them on the break we could run away with it…
Hopeful Imbula and Mendy will have a bad game so we can rest Ramsey and OG12 with 15 or so minutes to go with us being 3 good goals up….
Morning btw…
blown out*
He will be Xrs – Jan I reckon… I hope…
Hi Scott, good to hear 😛
Do the background pictures annoy everyone, if so I will remove them??
What’s the real story Ts re Nik?
I wish the boys well,Go there and make us proud.
I don’t know which team to choose from BVB and Napoli to qualify alongside us,they are both good.
It would be a problem if BVB won tonight even if we won ours. A draw will be fair for both teams
hallo rico…Good news on the injury list,I think Theo should start as his presence will bring the out of ozil,Big match tonight we need all three points…The tall guy from france Diaby he never gives up,Nic wanted a nights Swim.
Morning all
I just want that sh!t out of the club. Sickening behavior and brings such a bad press to a fantastic week.
which background pics Rico?
B-something posted the ‘reason’ on his instagram page…
Its a bit vague and stupid…
http://www.offthepost.info/blog/2013/11/arsenal-striker-nicklas-bendtner-explains-arrest/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+offthepost%2FTLAa+%28Off+The+Post%29
A draw in Germany of a Napoli win for me…
TT – I have to agree there, he’s letting the club down big time.
The images are present as the blog loads and then the script is superimposed over the top of them. They are obliterated! And the script is on a white background. Sounds like a computer malfunction in the case of DC’s hard/spft ware!
Wonder why the owners of the gym saw it in a different way. Enough to involve to Police, so my guess is Nik is not quite truthing.
Also, I suspect that had the damage occurred as Nik suggests, a simple offer to pay the owners for the damage would have sufficed…
More to this than meets the eye maybe…
Thanks Wavy.
A classy Post, Rico. Love it.
Your mention of the improving injury list makes me think that it is a bit weird that a lot of serious injuries have come from innocuous incidents.
The Ox went to tackle someone, did the splits and has been out for weeks ever since. Poldi’s problem was similar when he pulled after chasing down a ball.
God knows how Diaby and the mystery man Sanogo got their recent injuries but they seemed to be simple training ground injuries.
Weird.
I wonder if other clubs have similar injury problems – and as many?
Rico,
The background pics are fine and do not interfere at all.
Must be a problem on the other blogger’s PC, I would guess.
And while I’m about it, I have a quote from Steve Clark here, it is an oft used one these days but I need someone to help me out here as I haven’t a clue what he’s talking about:
Of Shane Long, ” he is in a good moment right now”.
Will someone please explain to me what a ‘moment’ is? He obviously is using it adjectively, he is using it descriptively! Now I have checked this out but I cannot find any reference to ‘a moment’ does he mean the dressing room and moment’ is really a room, or might he mean it is a box? Or could it be some kind of sexual activity.
What the fcku is happening to the English Language? I think Maureenoh started this phrase during his first reign at chavford bridge, and all the other
SEE RANK
John Nathan-Turner (1947–2002)
Producer | Production Manager | Miscellaneous Crew copyists have a adopted the phrase as being ‘the right thing to say’ well let me tell you that he and every other manager who uses the phrase is talking bollox.
For God’s sake if a manager is going to say anything please let it be coherent? Where will it all end?
Rant over, but I’ll be returning to the use of language again……….sometime!
Thanks Hb. I don’t understand the injuries tbh but I think we seem to think we get more than most as we have a less deep squad compared to other clubs around us. When we lose a play it’s a huge loss but if the Manc sides or Chelsea suffer an injury, they have another 3/4 players who can step in…
Thanks for the picture info, I will leave them put…
🙂 Wavy. I don’t understand half of the proper English language, let alone this new way of speaking…
Perhaps it’s a whole new language!
Shall we call it, “managger speek”? And define it as, a language used by numpties when trying to communicate with the footballing family? Success not always guaranteed!
Morning House. Keep hearing ‘that was pretty ordinary’ action from a player when he has missed an absolute sitter or given a stinker of a pass.
Does ordinary now mean absolute crap? Or are certain commentators, (think one was Stan Collymore), not able to say when something is bad?
Crap…go the whole hog.
That was just shit 🙂
Morning Rico. Hoping for a straightforward win tonight. That’s where it normally goes wrong but I would imagine that the French would rather we went through than the Germans or Italians.
Personally I find ‘Football-Speak’ fascinating, particularly the use of tense when describing an earlier dubious tackle. “The lad’s gone in” is a beauty and is usually followed by a stream of effluence from an ex-player/thug/pervert/wife beater/druggie/chronic gambler/serial Onanist etc..,
Correct use of grammar is not high on the list of a footballers education which is why so many malapropisms, mistakes, made whilst looking for the correct word are commonplace. My bugbear is listening to the number of ex players that have no clue about plurals i.e. is and are in a sentence. That is just bad education. Another source of frustration are phrases that come from foreign imports that are thinking in their own language and translating in their heads , which gets their phraseology wrong . It’s not so bad because I admire people that are prepared to try and use a limited knowledge of another language . When in Rome so to speak , but it’s when these things get accepted as mainstream in the media that the language deteriorates. ( rant over )
Potter. Don’t get me started or Rico will discipline me. 🙂
That in itself is an image of mind blowing proportions.
Morning All.
Morning Rico, nothing wrong with Jack & Ox from where I am…
Gotta say, the first sip from my first cuppa of the day, was a momentous moment…
Can I say momentous moment???
Morning Adam. You and me both, but we do like to sometimes make hard work of things ….
Scott/Ah – you have both lost me…
Potter – it’s true, tied up and thrashed for Adam 😉
Potter. I didn’t say I was against the idea. 🙂
Morning Kev. Thanks re the pics…
Morning Adam/Potter, yes Adam being disciplined almost forced me off the road…
Fortunately the moment passed quickly and I regained my equalibrium….. 😀
Kev. Watch out when you go down the Euston Road. 🙂
Adam, I do suffer from mild paranoia whenever I am in the vicinity of the underpass…
3-0 tonight I reckon mate…
Adam, what has happened to your Gravatar???
🙂 I hope so Kev.
Dunno Kev. The WP intricacies elude me. I am, as you know, a simple soul.
Rico. Where is my Gravatar?
Dodgey around there…
Trying to retrieve that magnificent doggie.
Bloody WP.
I don’t know Adam, have you logged on through WordPress….
Lee, why have you also no Gravatar???
Adam, gotta say, I actually preferred the red leather strides… 🙂
Ergh
Kev/Lee – neither of you have an avatar 🙁
I dunno Rico. I seem to slip into moderation whenever I try to re-establish myself avec Gravatar.
We have been here before though as I recall and you thrashed me into shape. 🙂
How sickening that a waster like B52 has a house with gym and pool paid for out of our hard earned!
🙂 Adam. Try again but make sure you change your used name to Adam rather than with the numbers
Just a moment, just a moment! What is a gravatar?
Agree with you about the foreign managers who have a go at speaking the language, like you don’t mond the errors, good for them, but as youmsay Potter when the errors become ‘norms’ and are used by native speakers then…….well, blood boils.
In the main though they done good!!!
>> Rico: Scott/Ah – you have both lost me…
Talking about language ……
Some commentators say when a player does something crap –
‘that was pretty ordinary’
Now I always thought ordinary was pretty average and ok?
Bentner must have (not ‘of’!!) smashed the swimming pool door down in a moment of madness!
Or should that read, he found himself in a bad moment and kicked the f…ing door in! The nob!
Ah, I get it now – blonde moment….
Nob has a ‘K’ Wavy 😉
Popping off for a couple of hours now, catch up later….
Not where Bentner’s concerned. Think that’s part of his problem no ‘kin’ nob, well his at least! Can I say that?
* k- in
Wavey,
I may have misunderstood the point you were making when you were referring to Clarke’s ‘he is in a good moment right now’ phraseology, so I might be unintentionally muddying the waters.
‘Moment’ is a noun and can refer to a specific point in time (now).
Therefore to say someone ‘is in the moment’ can mean that person is focussed on the present time (now) and is not thinking of the past, or the future.
Of course to use ‘moment’ in the context of ‘the present time’ (now) and then repeat the word ‘now’ at the end of the sentence means he is at least guilty of tautology.
Not that I give a monkeys about Steve Clarke or have any interest in translating his gibberish. Perhaps he was just having a moment, 🙂
Sorry to disagree but, he used it, not as a noun, if he had he should have used an operative verb eg “he is having a good moment, in his career” just about makes sense. But not what he said. Sure I know exactly what he means, the language and its context have become acceptable, a complaint I have, but in that it is spoken and the context is clear it is, sadly, comprehansible. However, it is still wrong and to me, at least, it remains unacceptable.
The builders are here now so I shall have to pop off in a moment to see to them.
Lastly, nothing to fall out about it is just me being pedantic, but I do find it irritating! I can put up with typos and blog speak and txt speak and all the rest but nonsense speak I gave up when I finished all the Edward Lear books and poems and stuff, found it very funny too! But not from native speakers who should know better!
OK Wavy, that’s fine. 🙂
It seems that the poison dwarf of Stamford Bridge, is developing a worrying voyeuristic attraction to all things Arsenal….
Boo!! Fingers crossed, we win tonight. 🙂
I love how EVERYTHING is discussed here.I see, tody, it’s English 101. 🙂
evening All, good post Rico, Just read the some of the comments and seen that the background has caused some alarm, Wilshere and The ox I assumed that their pictures was on there because both have had long spells out injured and this was for us to remember them, no point putting Diabys picture uo people would think its a new signing I’m just happy that your favourite is not up there, mind you i wouldn’t mind a team photograph or even some of our fringe players as this will be the only chance we will see them till they get sold. 🙂 Looking forward to Theo working his socks off tonight, Ozil sliding the killer ball and super cott slotting in. In fact this is just the type of game Theo can show us what we have been missing. I just wondered if Gnabry has been loaned out as i haven’t seen him for ages.
thanks rico, much easier to read now
aga, whiling away the time before the serious stuff starts!
Be interesting to see team tonight. Has there been any rumours who is likely to start?
That’s me finished, Night All…
Evening guys and gals….
Night Kev, enjoy the game….
david chim – I haven’t changed a thing 😉
Thanks Sp, Hi agag….
rico, I was wondering about David Chim’s comment as the page still looks the same. 😀 😀
Hello, AH. 🙂 Won’t be long now.
Hi and bye, Shopping Buddy. 🙂 🙂
I am not sure if it is pure excitement that is gripping me as the KO approaches or perhaps a bit of excitement and a bit of nervous tension.
Whatever it is doesn’t really matter, it is what makes football so fantastic and invigorating. 🙂
I think he was pulling my leg agag 😉
I can’t wait either Hb…
Been trying to work out why NB would be going for a late night swim when we have such an important match today….
Loved this from one of the reports about his antics last night:
‘So Nicklas Bendtner has as much joy unlocking his gym door as he does opposition defences’.
😛
Just wondering as lay in bath having a soak! Will we be ecstatic in three hours time, or frustrated that we didn’t perform. Will Ozil shine again, will Flamini be dominant, will Ramsey score, or … Walcott run up some blind alleys, Giroud get injured, whole team play all through the middle without shooting enough……
Like you say aga, not long!
If we see NB tonight, it will hopefully be because we are coasting 3-0 and have taken off Giroud for a well-deserved rest. That’s If he makes the bench?
You think too much Ah 😉
I’d rather see Akpom of the bench – I think he’s in the squad for the CL…
Nipping off to eat, back very shortly…
hello everyone!
Even we win today we couldn’t be in the next stage.
Strange, because in this case, we reach 12 points.
Come on Arsenal!
Apparently it is Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey, Rosicky, Ozil, Wilshere, Giroud
subs to follow.
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Arteta, Walcott, Cazorla, Bendtner, Gnabry
No Gibbs?
We can JM, IF a draw or an away win happens in Germany
yes, but if not…
Any problema with gibbs?
Bendtner again in the bench…with and without problems
Gibbs has the training ground virus apparently.
Gosh, that’s still doing the rounds…
If not, we will need to beat Napoli, but first off we need to get 3 points tonight…
of course…
but if we win I can’t remember a club not going forward with 12 points. Usually, with 12 points, win the group
Shows how difficult the group is JM…
I think BD will beat Napoli so it could go to the final game…
LIVE STREAM SERVICE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Link1 http://cricfree.tv/live/watch/arsenal_vs_marseille/17634
Link2 http://cricfree.tv/live/watch/arsenal_vs_marseille/17635
Link3 http://cricfree.tv/live/watch/arsenal_vs_marseille/17658
WAIT 30 SECONDS FOR THE ADS TO CLOSE. ADS CAN BE CLOSED CLICKING THE SMALL x-SQUARES.
ENJOY RESPONSIBLY. KEEP THE HIGHBURY HOUSE RESPECTED EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT ON THIS SITE.
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COYG!!!
Thanks Dg…
WOOOOOO Jackie Boy 😛
What a stunning goal, quick, and bang!
Hiya DG, Rico and all
Hi Ts, great start…
Another great move…
You’re welcome madam.
Hiya Gunners & Gunnerrettes 😉
Evening Ginge
Jack will be in a “good moment” then!!
Coygs
Not bad for an injured player who doesn’t score many! Brilliant. We playing well in November? Can’t be.
A draw in Dortmond will be ideal for us…
Dortmund leading, ginge. And our future striker, Lew also missed a really good chance.
Yay to Jack.
Agag- future striker? After he has failed at FC Munchen like Poldi maybe… lol
Howdy?
That’s a shocker! Why not Giroud?
Mind you, it was outside the box….
No run up
The pundits on TS will have something to moan on about an Arsenal player ‘diving’ to win a penalty I am sure tomorrow morning…
Why any player would choose BM over AFC is beyond me. 😀 I mean, honestly. 😉 The mind boggles.
Should be 3-0 now
Always looked like he’d miss..
No dive Ts, dead cert foul but was o/s the box…
Easily Ah…
Should have had an earlier penalty too when Giroud was hauled over…
Ha ha ha Agag.
All roads lead to Bavaria…
Very true Rico was just alluding to what our critics will have to feed on…
Don’t know if anyone else experiences lag but the streaming tonight is horrible.
Sorry peeps.
Ozil is a flop. Let’s sell him. 😛
They are already going down the ‘Marseille are dreadful’ route Ts..
Who cares, let’s just get on and beat them….
Will certainly add fuel to those fans who have already been on Ozil’s back agag…
You knew that would happen. We never beat any team, the team we beat are always poor on that day… 😉
Agag- if you keep saying that my buddy Dna will be waiting for you the next time you fly into the US of A. 😛
I know, rico. 😉 He can redeem himself in the second half though. He has looked average so far.
For sure Ts, let them though, as long as we keep winning, I don’t care what people say…
Wonder where the boy from ‘down under’ is….
As usual Arsenal get an early lead and instead of going for throat , take their foot off the gas and stroll around as if it’s too easy. If we get too complacent it will come back to bite us.
I blame that virus agag….
Do you mean the Welsh man or the real Oz? 😀
I think AW will have something to say at half time about just that potter..
Both…
TShite do not blame Ozil though… they blame AW for not being able to manage good players.lol
I am at work.
Killing me.
rico, I wish we’d close out the game. It’s too slim a margin for our players to just be tippy-tappying around.
Hope your working harder than the team is Scott.
ha ha ha Scott… I suspected you were lurking. 😉
There you are Scott 😉
As do I agag, anything could yet happen unless we pull our socks up…
Been in the office since 5.30.
Word has it i am Australias only salesman that is out of bed before 8 🙂
If we are to lose in Naples, goal difference would be crucial. Too many coasters in the game me think…
Our lads will fire up and bang another in….maybe 2.
Dortmund 2-0 up…
Jackie boy wonder 😛
Phew!
Good to have another goal-scoring mid-fielder!
Five nice through balls from Ozil now
Why is OG12 still on??
Well played Ches and Nacho…
Great save again Ches… and mopping up Kos 😉
2-1 in Germany, come on Napoli….
the chavs are losing.lol
Hahaha, chavs. 😀
Job done, now we mustn’t lose by 3 goals in Italy…
Not impressed with ref, amount of times been brought down, or foot left in after we have passed.
well well well…
A bit wasteful but a win nonetheless…
Could have been 5-1. Great save to keep clean sheet. That’s a few now! On we go.
Another 3 pts but talk about boreing 5 passes backwards to one forward but we are top of the group. Ozil missed penalty but he did try didn’t he, my nan could have scored that. Theo misses sitter but he still aint fit. My life this keep winning is wearing me out
Yay. When was Jack last MotM? 🙂 Nobody came close tonight,
I’m off now for the day, night all….
We’re still top of the group and I’m a happy Gooner 🙂
Poor subs tonight imho… I know we have 4 days until the next match but OG12 and Ramsey need a rest.
We have 5 games coming every 3 or 4 days; squad management is crucial in my view. Still…
SSP, we’re so used to losing “beautifully” that’s why wins like these feel strange. 😀
Night Rico and all
Rubbish defending apparently. Well, I had thought Jacks first was class. If Ronalso scored that would they be talking about defenders. Same with 2nd, shocking defending even from Ian Wright.
evening Agag, That team should have lost ten nil, why do all our players pass backwards is it me or what.
AH, so what’s new? AFC is always belittled.
SSP, largely pointless passing has been a trademark of AFC in recent years. 😕 But as long as we’re winning, I won’t complain. 😛
In the 76th minute Flauvin shoots from the edge of the area as the ball goes towards goal Townsend says “”Get in””. Not biased or anything obviously. After the shot was saved he then spent about 1 minute trying to cover up his comment heaping praise on SCZ.
Honestly, who gives a shit about what the “experts” say?
I don’t.
They consistently show their ignorance by downplaying our chances to go on and with the League.
We may not, of course, but to only say we are a good bet for top 4 is absolute rubbish.
Listening to fools is a sure way to frustration.
Andy Townsend what a prick of Biblical proportions!
Morning Lee. He reminds me of Jason Cundy. 🙂
Morning Adam,swap the d for a t…… Speaking of wastes of internal organs, Joey Barton was in the Marseille end last night!
Gents.
How goes it?
Another wonderful result.
I am watching the replay now….work gets in the way of CL games.
Morning all…
Flamini is playing a dangerous game with his shirt sleeve snipping…
Morning all…
well, Cabaye is being linked to us by Caught offside; That site is coming out of hibernation with the transfer window approaching.lol
Good results indeed Scott, pleased for JW. Its a shame none of AR16’s Riquelme-like dings were not ‘assists’.
Joey Barton’s comments on the crowd at ‘Highbury’ says it all… I am assuming he was joking because if he does not even know where he is then… 😉
That’s funny re Barton Ts.
Potter – glad I had the commentary turned down, what an idiot that man is….
Barton looking for publicity again ? Needs to freshen up his script though.
With 12 points we are in a curious position where we could still not qualify. That late, late lapse of concentration against the Germans could still come back to haunt us.
As for Barton? As my German friend would say “Vot a Vanker”
Morning All…
Yes, Andy Townsend let his disguise slip last night.
Fcuking Chelsea twat…
Great goals by Jackie Boy, Ozil with another assist, shame about the penalty…
A draw in Naples should do the trick…
Wonder if Marseilles will ‘grow a pair’ and suprise Dortmund?
I can’t see us losing by 3 goals or more in Italy Adam.
Dortmund will surely batter them Kev, just like we should have…
New post up now…