Daily Bits and Bobs

Sowing the seeds… Arsene rolls out three excuses for failure against Sutton Utd.

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

Until we drew Sutton Utd in the FA Cup, I didn’t know the club existed. In fact mention Sutton, and all I ever thought about was a packet of seeds I’d bought ready for Spring planting…

The biggest concern ahead of tonight has to be their pitch, not only as it’s artificial but because of it, Arsene Wenger won’t be playing Danny Welbeck as it’s too risky.

The biggest dangers are first of all the pitch, secondly their enthusiasm and thirdly if we are not ready for a big fight and subconsciously think that they are a non-league team and it is no matter. That will not happen. – Arsene Wenger

Good, just because we all think this Arsenal team should easily beat tonight’s opposition, if the players and manager think like that there’ll only be one result and it won’t favour us. The small ground will be packed to the rafters with home support but they’ll be a few of our own in there someone and hopefully they’ll make themselves heard. The boys need them tonight and if the team give a good performance, those fans will be right behind them.

Would Arsene Wenger have preferred the pitch to be different than it is?

Ideally we would like to play on a normal pitch but it has been accepted and the competition is to deal with what you face. We will face an unusual pitch and we will have to deal with it. We will practise inside [ahead of the game] because it is an artificial pitch. It is not the same because it is a dry pitch [at our training ground] and Sutton I have heard have a wet pitch which they water before the game and is quicker.

It is a bit ‘stop’. The weight on the joints is different and you cannot slide to block every time so it makes football a bit different. The ball comes to you suddenly and accelerates and does not slow down like in a normal game, so we have to get used to the different speed.

I don’t know anything about Sutton Utd and I’m not going to pretend otherwise but all I hope is the manager is true to his word and he has this team suitably prepared for the challenge and in the right mindset. One would like to think he’s done his homework on the opposition and we are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Included in the Sutton team will be a few ex Arsenal players, Roarie Deacon, Craig Eastmond and Jeffrey Monakana, all of whom will be out to prove a point. Jack Jebb is there too but he’s illegible for this match.

The 25 year old midfielder Deacon has given his view on the pitch:

The pitch is a passing pitch. We like to get the ball down and pass, Arsenal like to get it down and pass. I think the pitch is spoken about too much by managers and teams who have to play us.  I know Arsenal have a 4G at the training ground, a pitch is a pitch, we like to pass and I don’t think it’s that big a deal.

He also says he owes a lot in his career to Steve Bould who helped the player go from being a boy to a man, someone who made his realise that there’s more to football than just the pretty side. There’s a dirty side, you have to put your foot in and work hard was the advice he received….

And I think that’s exactly what this Arsenal team will need to do tonight. Work hard, get stuck in and don’t get lost in the occasion. No-one other than Arsenal fans will want us to win this fixture tonight so there’s plenty of people to disappoint.

Whoever progresses has a nice home tie against Lincoln City, the only other non-league club left in the competition.

For Arsenal and Arsene Wenger’s sake, I hope that is us….

rico

125 thoughts on “Sowing the seeds… Arsene rolls out three excuses for failure against Sutton Utd.”

  5. gnarleygeorge9 says:

    rico

    Yep, that would be the ideal scenario, but…………….!

    Just checking the aerial shot of the Sutton ground on google map. It shows pre laying of the imitation surface. Must only be new then?

  7. rico says:

    Sky Sporst have been at their ground too GG, looks an odd surface…

    Yes STWS, illegible. Not sure why, maybe he’s banned or something.

  8. Wavy says:

    If this were the third round and we’d been drawn against Sutton no one would have given the game more than a second thought! It would be Arsenal’s to lose but not really seriously. The club have placed themselves in this questionable position due to a gutless performance against Bayern Munich. I think every one would agree that there is some difference in class and ability.
    Should the worse occur and Arsenal lose, I would expect Wenger to clear his desk as soon as he returned to the Emirates and be gone before the end of 21st February 2017! Any other result, including the draw should seem him back at work and plotting the downfall of Lincoln City. A different kettle of fish to Sutton. They have acquired proper coaches and a manager who is cerebral, to say the least. That will be no push over! Unless I’m getting ahead of myself and the team’s progression.

    Morning all. Dull here again today.

  10. Le Coq Monster says:

    Thanks Rico………………………..my comment on the last post was a spoiler for your new post !
    😆

    This is going to be a walk in the park, it`s only the media who are trying their best to make out it`s a possible giant killling…..no chance !……………………………the pitch !……….we have a full size one under cover at Colney !……….I`m sure we train on it quite often and if you`re like me and have played on artificial pitches then you will love it !………seriously, would you rather play on one of them ploughed field pitches that were abundant in the African Nations Cup ?………………..how about Hackney Marshes ?…………………stop the excuses, our superior skill and fitness on a lovely flat pitch, get real people, dont fall into the media and Wengers pre-match excuses !………………………the only excitement I`m looking forward to is the draw for the Semi`s ! hahaha

  13. Le Coq Monster says:

    Hahahaha…………….”Arsenal the luckiest team alive fight like Tigers for the deciding goal !”

    Perry`s uncle Vic Groves scores !

    My year of birth !.

  14. potter says:

    Who is tonight’s ref ? Team selection will be interesting , Coquelin and Xhaka are both prone to sliding in to make blocks which on a 3 G pitch could well be interpreted as dangerous. Elneny and the Ox might be a better pairing as both are more likely to stay on their feet and pass them to death. Mertesacker and Holding are less likely to dive in as well . We should be able to just outplay them but if we go down to 10 it will be much harder.

  18. rico says:

    Stay on their feet and they will George… Mind you, Sutton might dish out a bit of the rough stuff. Think their manager said he’s changed them from being an ‘ after you sir’ kind of team to something very different…

  20. frednerk says:

    Afternoon Rico and All

    How can Arsene even mention the pitch
    we have 3G/4G at the training centre’s
    Most coaches prefer grass to train/play on
    I know,I do but we can’t use that as an excuse.
    On top of that I was on the 3G pitch just round the corner
    (Islington)a little while ago which The Arsenal paid for.
    Perfect for touch and speed.
    I think we need to get a shrink in.Asap.

  21. Obi says:

    @Potter 11:52, very good points. If we go down to 10 our only hope will be the fact that Sutton can’t score.

    If Welbeck is rested becuse of the pitch then Coq should be also given his history of knee injuries. Actually, OX and Elneny should have started at Bayern too.

  24. allezkev says:

    I think this is not a game for Xhaka, as I could see him getting sent off…

    Cool heads and the ability to stand up to the physical game without folding.
    So no Ozil either…

    But I guess that Arsene will probably pick both of them now and they’ll be brilliant…

    The dressing rooms remind me of the Hackney Marshes.
    I think that Bradford had similar stark facilities and Arsenal never did anything up there.

    You have been warned ?

  25. allezkev says:

    Potter, I agree, Elneny and Ox in the middle, I’d start Walcott as well, the pitch might be perfect for him.

    Giroud up front with Alexis as it won’t phase our Chilian, he’d play in a car park.

    Doesn’t look like Wenger is going to risk Reine-Adelaide and/or Maitland-Nilesexcept from the bench.

    Corporal Jenks to get a rare start, again the starkness of the facilities won’t phase him.

  26. Le Coq Monster says:

    Hahaha Kev………….exact definition of Alexis……….” He`d play in a car park “…………..never a truer word spoken !.

    Our only chance of a “true” trophy left this season………no game for ages after tonight………….play strongest team……….no fcuking about !……………………I`m sure that is simple enough for our intelligent manager to grasp and understand !………………..fans want this cup, not money making 4th trophy !

  27. Obi says:

    LC , are you should we want our “strongest team” out there? I dont. We all have seen AW strongest team. It has about 4 passengers. ..lol.

  29. Le Coq Monster says:

    Walk in the park, Obi……….we can play ten passengers and Alexis and still rack up a record score !

    😆

  31. Obi says:

    LC true, Sutton can’t score. Am playing Alexis in every game now, especially in FA cup, we have to try and win it…. I think AW leaves if he wins that or EPL , and realistically FA is more limely.

    Really nice piece about Sutton yesterday on FOX. The 3 Arsenal players had nothing but good things to say about the Arsenal and AW, particularly Eastmond.

  32. Le Coq Monster says:

    It`s all paper talk Rico !……………….plenty on newsnow saying it`s not true !………………I`ll check Orstein for you !

  35. Kel says:

    Nice post Rico…
    5-0 to the Arsenal but tbh I couldn’t care less..

    Interesting read Le coq about kronke imo there is only one way that guy will leave and that’s when the Arsenal fall down the league and the attendance falls with it…

    He should sell now and double his investment imo.. as I said before the share price isn’t gonna get any higher…

  38. Le Coq Monster says:

    Completely agree, Kel, but It`s hard to want that to happen even though it would be for the greater good imo !.

  42. Obi says:

    Stan believes in the NFL and NBA model, according both leagues, they are the only businesses that you are guarantee a profit, not doing anything, because of the TV money. EPL is heading in that direction guarantee profits unless you buy high priced players….. the shares can decrease/ increase but so much look at United ….Stan is here for the long haul.

  43. Obi says:

    LC, Sonogo plays he gets a hat trick. You have seen what he can do in exhibition games….. Emirate cup bro…….lol

  45. Le Coq Monster says:

    Difference is Obi………. unlike NFL, there will always be relegation in the EPL !……………..the pyramid system of our game makes the possibility of dreams to come true for the likes of our opponents tonight !…………….so we cant head in that particular direction !………………………..unless a proper European Super League is formed with an invitation to only the elite clubs and based on history, we would almost certainly be invited !

  46. Le Coq Monster says:

    He would definately make an exhibition of himself, Obi………………………….that`s a cert ! 😆

  48. Le Coq Monster says:

    I`d love their goalie to get injured in the warm up and the sub goalie has to play !……………………seen the size of him ?………………..looks like he`s robbed a timber yard of it`s resources !………………would need a Jewsons fork-lift truck to help catch any crosses !……………..

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5IQkEfWQAAsmpd.jpg

  53. Le Coq Monster says:

    No Ollie on bench either !………………….Ozil on holiday !……………..not taking them serious are we !……………………should still beat the Southern Bastards though ! 🙂

  55. Le Coq Monster says:

    Rico !…………………how do you actually pronounce Pfffff ?…………….how many syllable`s ?

    😆

  58. Le Coq Monster says:

    Been over ruled by the missus !…….so will have to record the game !…………..not scared of her, but I`d rather fight a distraught Adele over the last ten donuts for sale at Greggs the Bakers !

  65. frednerk says:

    Sorry to disagree Kev
    But this game is perfect for Granite
    if he can’t run the game at this level
    he should be sent off early for his summer holiday’s.

    What about this No2 keeper for Sutton
    What did he have…….. for Lunch.

  67. Obi says:

    LC @ 7:08, re Ozil on a holiday; according to Fox Sports New York, so was Sanchez but he called in and ask Wenger can he be on the bench just in case he’s needed. If that’s true, that not an attitude of a player that want to leave.

  81. Wavy says:

    Not seeing a lot of ‘focus’ here. How poor can Arsenal be? It’s like watching rabbits caught in headlights!
    We should be passing this side off the pitch…..and….we’re not. Poor, very poor……so far. Perhaps we’ll score 4 in the second half, just like last week?

  91. allezkev says:

    Bit of trouble on the pitch from some Sutton fans, or are they Chelsea yobs in disguise, it is an area where a lot of those morons come from…

  92. frednerk says:

    Not being funny
    But if I had anything to do with Sutton
    I would have ripped that 3G pitch up and relayed
    that sandy muddy old heap that used to be called
    a pitch..Now that would have evened thing’s up.

    No banana skin’s thank god.

  98. Herb's Army says:

    Morning Rico and HH.

    That was quite painful to watch.
    There was a distinct lack of fluidity, and we often looked nervous and tentative when in possession.
    Despite many pundits saying the 3G pitch would favour Arsenal’s ‘passing game’, Arsenal’s passing game went missing, and they played like the world was weighing them down.
    On the plus side, Sutton didn’t pose too many problems, okay they hit the bar, but Arsenal often turn simple defensive duties into a catastrophy, fortunately Sutton are National League, and can’t afford the level of player to hurt us.
    I don’t get the obsession with shooing in Gabriel at right-back, it just looks awkward.
    And it looks like Iwobi is the new ‘Wilshere’ in that Wenger is rinsing every minute out of him and he looks more undroppable than either Sanchez or Ozil.
    He’s played once in his favourite position – yet another ‘Number 10’ – and it was by far his best game, in the 2-0 win against Crystal Palace. But such is Wenger’s latest obsession, he plays him out of position to the detriment of the whole balance of the team, which is why Arsenal often stutter and look disjointed.
    Youth should always be given a chance to flourish, but give the boy some rest and breathing space. The plain truth is, whilst he has great potential, he isn’t a left-winger, and it has proved to be counter-productive as an attacking threat.
    I’m glad we’re through, and that we’ve been given a virtual ‘bye’ to the semi-finals, but if I compare our laboured performance against non-league opposition against the comfort and ease with which Tottenham dispatched a decent Championship side in Fulham – three divisions above Sutton – there is cause for deep concern.

  100. rico says:

    Morning Herb.

    Very painful and I really wanted to turn it off and go to bed, I was so bored. But I think we just turned up, got the job done and without really getting out of first gear. The passing was woeful at times but that’s been us of late…

    Liverpool will show us whether we have learned from the Bayern game…. However, I and everyone probably already know the answer…

    Iwobi will be burned out soon imo….

  102. Herb's Army says:

    Virtually two weeks rest before Anfield Rico, so there can be no excuses. I’d like to see a front four of Perez, Ozil, Sanchez and Welbeck up top.
    No point being scared or tentative at this time of the season, take it to them all guns blazing.
    It could be a defining game for us, especially with the return game against Bayern just three days later.

  103. Adam says:

    The ongoing Iwobi and Gabriel situation, as Herb points out, is very, very baffling to me. I have come to the conclusion that I know much less about football than I thought because it really doesn’t seem to work to me. Yet, Arsene obviously likes what he sees as Iwobi, in particular, has made himself undroppable, despite fading into anonymity out on the wing to these eyes.
    In fact Arsenal seem to have so many issues that I really wouldn’t know where to start. So I won’t.

  105. rico says:

    I expect they’ll be plenty of excuses Herb, ones which we’ve heard many time before…

    Agree on the attacking unit, that’s surely our strongest…

  106. Bob John says:

    Morning all
    Herb. I think that pitch played a bigger part than people think. On the surface (no pun intended!) you would think it would suit us but the bounce and roll of the ball are so different that they actually disrupt your passing. Through balls in the air are almost impossible because the ball just hits the surface and runs away. Then players compensate by under hitting passes that then get intercepted. The fact that Sutton are used to it was a great leveller as you could see when our players were caught out by the bounce but they knew where the ball was going. I think relief is the overriding feeling though!
    With regards to the Spuds easing past Fulham. Don’t forget how they struggled against Wycombe (at Home too) whilst we dispatched Southampton with ease.

  109. Adam says:

    Rico. I think that we have come so far along the Wenger road that everything has a momentum of its own now. If you take hope away from fans and they are left wondering just what the future holds as they see little or no improvement and might even believe that things are going backwards, then what is left to say? Especially when the club are only a few weeks away from asking them for thousands of pounds to sign up for….what? More of the same?
    Moaning is boring and negative but, personally, I think the club and the fans are screaming for change. Some at the top of their voices. Whether anyone is listening is another matter.

  114. Bob John says:

    The self-anointed legend that is Piers Morgan said on TV this morning that he had hoped we would lose last night. Annoys the crap out of me that he gets so much air time and people think he speaks on our behalf. Probably the only scenario that would make me hope we lose would be if it relegated the Spuds, Dippers, Manc or Chavs!

  115. Bob John says:

    Herb
    Agree with your proposal for Anfield. Sanchez, Lucas and Welbz would offer hard work, pace and movement. Would play the Ox instead of Ozil though for the same reason.

  117. rico says:

    I’d love to see Kroenke gone too Herb but a change of manager is the more urgent in the short term imo and probably the more achievable…

  118. Herb's Army says:

    Hi Bob.
    Maybe Morgan fancies himself doing Wenger’s job. Definitely has far too much to say for himself.
    The Ox has looked a different player in central midfield, I’d be tempted to pair him up with Elneny.
    Iwobi is a more natural Number 10, and could be an option from the bench if Ozil does his usual disappearing act.
    Wenger needs to get it right though, because in the context of where our season stands, it is a far bigger and more significant game than the Bayern one.

  119. Herb's Army says:

    The level of disconnection is taking the club further and further away from their supporters, Adam, and to be quite honest it is shameful.
    The legacy that Chapman built has gone, and looking at Arsenal now, you wouldn’t know it ever existed.

  121. Bob John says:

    Herb. Sadly I don’t expect Arsene to pick the right team and we can’t afford to carry any passengers at Anfield (Walnut/Ozil). My only problem with Iwobi at the moment is his confidence seems to be shot. Not helped by the stick he is getting from the crowd!

  124. Herb's Army says:

    I agree, Bob, as it stands, I fully expect us to lose at Anfield, hope I’m wrong because we really can’t afford any more slips.
    Yes, you’re probably right about Iwobi too, give him a rest and take him out of the first-team picture for a while.
    I bet he’s in the starting XI though!

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