So, same old same old for our side last night, lots of the ball, yet not once could we hit the back of the net.
The first quarter of an hour was all us and we came close when Robin had a header cleared off the line and our striker nearly turned provider when he found Ramsey but his shot went straight to Boltons goal keeper. Robin then had another chance blocked and Chamberlain saw his effort go wide of the post.
Bolton had chances, Ngog held off Koscienly to get his shot in, but couldn’t get passed Szczesny.
David Wheater then caught out our defence with a back-flick to Ngog who again got his shot in, but to our relief, it went wide.
With just over fifteen minutes to go in the first half, Chamberlain set Walcott free, he had just the keeper to beat, he had time on his side but his shot managed to hit the keepers foot and off for a corner. (If only Henry on Robin had that chance)
We put a whole lot of pressure on the Bolton defence, but still managed to get to half time without making any of it count!
Into the second half and we started well again but the same old pattern of play, all ball and no end product in fact it was until on the hour mark that Boltons keeper had much to do.
Ramsey played Walcott through but his passageway was blocked. Sagna whipped in a cross which Robin got his boot to but saw the ball hit the outside of the post and Koscienly too had a chance from a corner which he headed wide.
Oxlade-Chamberlain fired over and Koscielny headed the resulting corner wide of the far post.
Bolton had a couple of half chances but they too couldn’t make them count.
Time for the old boys to grace the pitch – Thierry Henry and Kevin ‘elbows’ Davies.
Ten minutes left and Robin’s class nearly paid off, he spun on the corner of the penalty area and chipped a ball in on goal and over the head of a helpless Bogan, it wasn’t going to happen was it, the ball bounced off the top of the bar and finally found its way to Walcott but he made a right hash of his volley! Another golden chance gone missing!!
With full-time only minutes away, Mark Davies thought he’d earned Bolton a penalty, the referee thankfully was having none of it! Seconds later the same player did nearly win the game for the home side but his shot went inches wide….
So, we still haven’t managed to win a Premier League fixture this year.
Champions League qualifying place in May??
I don’t think so, Europa will be a struggle at this rate……
Scott from Oz says:
February 2, 2012 at 9:24 am (Edit)
Just caught the last half hour of the game……..a few things stood out.
Firstly,great to have Sagna back…..I think we take for granted exactly how good he is,I certainly have done.
The late call for a penalty to Bolton was simply a brilliant call by the ref…..Szczesney got a good touch…enough said.
Ramsey……I think he tries too many “magic” passes.
Sometimes its best to take the easy,safe option and retain the ball.
Aaron,if youre reading this,I really like you as a player,but you are NOT Fabregas,so forget the comparsions,the thoughts of being his replacement and play YOUR game.
Actually,a few players seemed obsessed with winning the game with the perfect,defence splitting pass.
I would push Arteta up the field more and see if his creativity can do the job,and rake some pressure of Ramsey who,plenty seem to forget,is 21 years old.
The game really,really emphasised the fact we need another goalscorer…………striker or attacking midfielder,whatever,but someone with class and skill,and who is confident in front of goal.
Still,we could have won 3-0,and nobody would have thought it was harsh on Bolton.
Forget the defensive lapses,we just do not score enough goals eelative to our chances created!
Morning all…..
Why oh why did we not buy a goal scorer??
Morning Scott 🙂
we didn’t buy a goal scorer because wenger say’s we don’t need anyone.simple.except he aint right is he.
No, he is not right jack…. just how many chances did we have last night?
We could easily have been 2 or 3 up in the first 20 mins…….
Hi Rico.
Hello all.
Why didn’t Merts head that cross from RvP instead of controling it? Or not controlling it as it happens…….
Frustrating game again Scott, if only we could have buried one of our early chances eh….
Certainly great to see Sagna back….
I do agree with Jack that since Mr Wenger did not enter the market for at least a proven goal scorer the chance of ending up fourth is just only a wish.
Perhaps Me Wenger is correct not to spend but in 1946 when Arsenal were threatened with relegation the brought in veterans Joe Mercer and Ronnie Rook.
It seems that history does not repeat itself these days under Mr.Wenger
Is it just me or does anybody else think it’s a bit of a coincidence that the top 3 teams in the League play with 2 strikers? Even the likes of Norwich and QPR have the balls to play with two up top. It’s all well and good playing 4-3-3 when you’re wingers are Ronaldo or Pedro/ Alexis but our wingers are possibly the worst finishers in the League. Just a bit of food for thought drop the 4-3-3, it was made for Cesc and he’s gone now so why not?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2095046/Egypt-riots-Fans-dead-Al-Ahly-lose.html
Horrific…..
Hi Bonaroca & RvP
We have been shouting for 442 on here for a while RVP, why he sticks with the 433 i never know – it’s not working is it. But, our stubborn manager won’t change….
I think it’s a money issue yet again because he knows that in order to play two up front he needs a striker to compliment van Persie and two capable back ups. Gone are the days we had Bergkamp, Henry, Kanu and Wiltord at the same time yeah they might not have been everyones cup of tea but the two back ups were better than what we have now.
It’s catch 22….cant play 442 as we lack a striker…..didn’t buy a striker so we can’t play 442.
Quiet old day, sums up the mood…..
But we could play Henry up with Robin – RVP – or he could actually try Park or Chamakh when he ruturns – same with Gervinho, he’s a striker, play him alongside RvP instead of sticking him on the wings…
The players we have suit a 442 more than 433….
Scott, i honestly don’t think we have the players to play 433 either…
Rico,the situation in Egypt certainly puts Arsenals woes into perspective.
Morning Rico…. morning all…… we’ll all 3 of you lol
Sure does Scott, couldn’t believe that news when i read it….
The only problem I have with that is Gervinho and Chamakh are really poor in front of goal we needed somebody in January anybody. Henry is gone in two weeks aswell so thers no point playing him with Robin.
You think it’s quiet now……………. wait til the yids beat us at home….!
Agreed Rico.
As i said earlier,Ramsey,i think,has it in his head to prove he can do the job Fabregas did,but he’s a different player totally.
I’d much rather see 442…….even throw the Ox up with RVP.
He’s quick,can beat a player and is not afraid to shoot.
Why not???
WATH…..surely not!!!!
Can’t happen.
RVP – they are poor, as is walcott – but for me its about trying to get the best out of what we have – and if we don’t try something different we will continue to struggle…
A change could just bring a change in our fortune, surely right now its worth trying…
Even Park, play him alongside RvP, let RvP be the playmaker/creator and lets see if Park can be the poacher, he does it for his country…
Why not Ox???
Wouldn’t that REALLY piss Theo off lol????
Yeah I agree on Park rico but the poor lads confidence is probably shot to bits he’s started 3 games for us he’s started less games than Chamakh if that doesn’t kill your confidence nothing will. We need a serious overhaul get rid of the dead wood and get 4 to 5 world class players capable of competing at the top.
Just watched Bolton’s penalty shout at the end again – we got lucky there…
Rico,I’ve seen it a few times,and Szczesney gets a good touch,100% definitely.
Apart from that,the striker had already lost control.
No penalty….great call.
Can’t happen Won’t happen………………..
Watch it happen…………….! I’m dreading it…!
442 has long be shouted about on here but alas we ain’t the manager, if you don’t have a striker to play 442 then that answers the question… Go get one…!
We can play in front or behind another forward and surely then it makes us more attacking with two proper wingers, then it also highlights how weak the middle of midfield is so the spine is weak… lets be fair we don’t even play 433 it’s far more like 451….!
Yep, The Ox too, he’s not afraid to have a go on goal…
We needed that last summer RVP, but it has to happen this summer surely?
Agree re Park, we have all been asking on here why the heck did we sign him? Shirts!
And now with Chamakh coming back, he still won’t get a game, what a waste of money and wages if the poor chap isn’t even going to get games, bet he wishes he’d signed for Lille (i think that was where he was going)
Should have emphasised the touch was on the ball!!!!!!
Rico, wasn’t a penalty in a million years not even close, good touch from Chez and even the bolton fella didnt appeal…!
For me Ramsey is a box to box player, gets in brilliant spaces and positions but rarely gets picked out, he isn’t a fabregas for sure and should be more of a lampard (scoring more goals as he gets in the right places)…. sorry for that comparison closest i can think of today with my brain not working properly after watching that last night and then listening to the excuses on the radio this morning and yet more drivel from our manager.
Ramsey really cops a raw deal from fans,i reckon.
He work his arse off every time he plays,but again,just needs to refine his style a little.
Morning all.
One win in 6 games speaks lots on the morale of the TEAM, and Wenger may have lost the dressing room.
The FEAR is that senior players had lost faith in Wenger and they are just being “professional” and lost that commitment and “fire in the belly” to go the extra mile for Arsenal. That thier minds is on summer transfer and their future employer.
Remember 2007/08 season and after BRUM Aftermath where Hleb and Flamini stopped playing or Arsenal?
Remember last season with that “half-season” wonder where Nasri stopped playing for Arsenal…plus Fabregas just can’t motivated himself to buts a gut like in 2009/10 season?
And 2010/11 ended up with a whimper of 2 wins in last 15 league matches.
I doubt very much that this TEAM can pick itself up, with Wenger as clueless as last season on how to motivate this bunch of underperformers to play out of their skins for Arsenal FC.
December Decline;
January Jittery;
February Failures;
March Madness;
April Fools;
Mayhem.
The next 2 weeks are key to the success of our season.
Out of FA Cup, out of CL Cup and winless in February, even Van Persie will do a passionless “2010/11 Fabregas” in preparation for a move to Barca.
Morning all, Nice one Ricoliver.
Well Well what an exciting game i was enthrawled the smile on my face went from ear to ear to start but when i couldn’t find a stream and my radio reception kept disapearing the smile went to a grimace listening to a badly broadcasted radio with Stan Collymore was not my ideal night, what parts of the game i could hear had us in control but as the reception got worse and worse i finally snapped and went to my favorite Blog site only to find we struggled for a no score draw. I was so gutted i switched everything off and waited for the match of my choice. I reckon i chose the wrong match as it was decidedly boring. Theo Walcott is not a center forwarward he struggles as a winger. But to take chamberlain off and leave theo on seemed strange,Do we have to pay anybody money if Oxo completes a whole game or what. What has he done to keep substituting him. Henry comes on and how does that help us, take a lightening fast attacking Roman Candle off and replacing with a slow damp squib is no good to us at all or am i slagging off a legend , i have to say his statue moved faster than he did, or perhaps i just have the hump
Good morning guys and chicks of the Gunners’ faith.
I have been banging the drum for 4-4-1-1 or 4-4-2 since time immemorial right now. The 4-3-3 was designed for Cesc, as RVP said, however now Cesc is gone yet we are still playing 4-3-3 or 4-5-1. Any one wonders why???
The reason is simple……Neither Cesc, nor SONG is designed for 4-4-2. If you watch them carefully you will notice that they do not cover much ground during the match. The last time we played 4-4-2 was when we had the flamster and he more than made up for the lack of ground covered by Cesc. However now we do not have anyone of that calibre, except maybe Coquelin and Frimpong. However they are young and it would not be fair to fleece them now and pay the results later.
The only way to revert to 4-4-2 is by putting Song back in central defence and instead put Tommy or Kozzer in front of him. Or both. It may sound laughable but Imagine a spine of Chesney with Mertesacker and Song as central defence and Tommy and Kozzer as defensive midfielders. The only problem to that is that both Song and Merte are both slow, so I would suggest Tommy with Merte and Kozzer with Song. Arteta would take the advanced midfielder role with RVP up front. I would put Ramsey on the right and the Ox on the left. Sagna and Couelin would be my full backs.
And that is with what we have at the moment. If there was Santos fit I would have him on the left and the Ox on the right. And if I had to change the attack I would find it easy to pick anyone from the midfield and put on Arshavin next to RVP safe in the knowledge that he has a solid spine behind him to protect him.
Thomas Eisfeld will save our season, Arsene knows.
sorry W.A.T.H…..but imo Ramsey is a right sided midfielder like Parlour. He can graft, he can cross, he can cover the right back a lot, he can help with central midfield defensive duties, but is not the creator.
Ramsey is a box to box not an in the hole player he doeas too much running, doesn’t pick enough through balls and isn’t a good enough finisher to play this role. Since Cesc and Nasri left we have no link between midfield and attackM can’t fault Ramseys effort though it’s not his fault the manager plays him week in week out.
Right peeps is time for the russian billionare to be introduced we are getting worst each year… two years and we will be fighting relegation! get rid of dead wood E.g Walcott who is football brain dead, my nan probably dribbles better then him, ashavin should of been giving the boot… to me it seem like the player are to laid back and need a boot across there rare! Even czesny getting a big too cocky now, that because he know he is going to be numero uno regardless and has no one worth of challenging for 1st spot in goal…
As a team we are a shambles and its only going to get worst.. if we cant beat bolton how on earth are we going to do over AC in the coming weeks…
Hurts me to say it but
IN ARSENE WE RUST.
Good morning rico & all,
sorry I just have to pop in and out very quickly,
Dare I say that Wenger shouldn’t have subbed the ox last night, even if the legend himself was to come in, for me he is not fit at all he can’t run or chase the ball as he use to, and we lost all the attack on the left flank, if he had to bring him on, he could have taken one of the definsive midfielders, Ramsy included as we agree he is no Fabrigas. and that takes us back to the elusive 442.
A’rry is happy to swap Pav with Saha, and they already have goal scorers in Dafoe, The Faart, Adi, Bale, Modrich. and that shows ambition to me. we stuck with awful finishers and bring in a german kid who has ingredients.. wenger is having a larrrrgh! and it’s not funny at all.
Hi Wath – i disagree, def penalty for me 🙂
Ramsey is rubbish and overrated, Walcott is woeful and should be
benched for the rest of the season,another sitter missed as with Swansea and only one point from a match that Arsenal could have
won by halftime (3-0) and still the excuses from Wenger keep comi
ng with the South Korean Park and Japanese Miyaichi not even ge
tting onto the Emirates or any other pitch and ben-Ayoun and Rosic
ky used way to sparingly but why bring Thierry Henry back on loan
if he doesn,t get to start a game in tandem with van Persie,strange
decisions by Arsene so maybe a 7 th or 8 th place finish come May
will wake the whole coaching staff and club up to the mediocrity that
Arsenal Football Club has become ,no point in hanging ;in Arsene
we trust; banners all over the Emirates when certain players are lia
bilities and are played week after week ?
Morning M96, Steve, Micko, Rokabox and Devil…
Matt J, not the old ‘Rust’ ending – are you Spectrum in disguise 😉
Samuel…….Ramsey is not rubbish. He is simply played in a position which requires higher intelligence and tactical awareness. He is played there by AW. He is a professional who cannot refuse what the manager tells him to do. Imo put him on the right and he will be better than Theo. When we had the great years between 1998 and 2005 we had wingers who doubled up as midfielders. Can anyone honestly imagine Theo doubling up as a midfielder??? That has got to be the world’s greatest LARF
devil – any chance you could pop over to London and have a word with Wenger about his tactics??
Then again, he wouldn’t listen…
RVP – i agree, Ramsey is in his first season after a horric injury yet being asked to play every week, i actually think he is one of a few who puts in the most effort each week but everyone expects him to be able to do what Cesc could, he can’t….. Who could?
haha Rico no im a reliest and not a nieve fan!! which there are many out there who think were going to win the Prem and champ league any time soon… We not and how long you gonna put faith in way things are going now its be 7? 10 14 years it to long and never should of got to this….
Gotta sniff the air sonny jim and at the moment in north london its smelling of spuds 🙁
I don’t think any of our first 11-13 players are rubbish, I just don’t think our manager has the ability to get the best out of them…
He only seems to motivate them when we are a goal or two down….
Morning Rico.
Good report and exactly what I was feeling yesterday. Just to add that this team is played out. It doesnt have more to offer. It has exceeded by far any wild dreams that anyone might have. The back five were good. However we need a revamp of ideas and tactics in midfield and up front. If it necessitates selling RVP and getting in a different type of attackers who can score then so be it. But then we have the money to have bought them now. Or is he waiting for Afobe to develop as well???
Matt – just teasing you, you won’t find anyone here who is niave, and we haven’t got our heads in the sand either, i can’t see us getting top four in fact now that the dippers and newvastle have nabbed 5th and 6th, i think 7th is where we will stay, if we are lucky….
So many deals we let get away could have won us Leagues. We should have got Ozil and Khedira two years ago for 23 million and we would have won trophies plus Cesc and Nasri might have stayed. It’s all if’s and But’s now though, it has to be done this summer!
Is the team played out though Devil, or is it the manager who has nothing more to give? Is he all out of ideas?
Most of players are good enough imho, they just need something or someone different….
i know mate just annoying… we all know what the issue here is and they dont or do and not give a shit and that is aimed at the board.. i dont blame wenger but he is defo covering something up for them..
I can see protest coming along for the board out mark my word on this 😛
Steve – i totally agree re Chamberlain….
Matt – i blame Wenger for his inabilty to sit and watch all before him and do nothing to change it when he had the chance last month..
The atmosphere at The Ems this Saturday could be horrid…
I wish I could Rico. But there is a snag……..I am not a yes man. And I can be easily roused especially with stubborn people. Once AK and I were talking to each other at Heathrow and he likened my character to Old red Nose. So you can imagine me working with AW and having to be a yes man.
IMO the problem with AW is that which I have pointed out earlier….he has a goal in his mind, that of creating 5 equal defensive players who can shift anywhere during the game and 5 offensive players who can play anywhere in the attacking department. In other words he wants to be credited with a new total football team in the same mould as the Ajax team of the 70’s and the present Barca. This can already be seen…..by Yennaris, OX and Coquelin. Yennaris and Coquelin are defensive midfielders by trade and they already have played RB/LB/DM. Kozzer is another who can shift easily while Tommy V also can adapt. The reason is that they are footballers not players. There is a fundamental difference between the two. Coquelin is a footballer, Djourou is a player. Ramsey is a footballer, Theo is a player. A real footballer can fit anywhere in his department and has a footballing brain. A player fits only in one position and has a distinct lack of tactical brain. They have technique and might have presence and speed but not the abiltiy to discern what is tactically right.
Rico – you dont know what going on behind close doors if you look at wenger his looks drained and eyes are blood shoot… like i commented on his interview after the fulham game he slipped up that there is issue and then told the interviewer not to worry about what he just stated… there is defo something going on!! but i defo want usmanov in now!
We played a bolton team with the worst home defence in the league, yet we blew it again and drop to 7th.
RVP will get the support he so badly deserves next season only he won’t be showing it off in the red and white of Arsenal.
Complete joke with the strikers.
Rico……the team is a mirror reflection of the manager. With another man this team might either flourish or sink faster than a stone in water. At the moment the team is played out…..simply because mentally it is going through the motions. Exactly as AW is doing. He is going through the motions.
You would not find me doing a commentary for a TV station if I had a job to do at my club……that of making my team first in the country.
I wish the board would do the right thing by the club,the fans and the manager,and tell us exactly what they are thinking.
Put us out of our mysery…….is Wenger avoiding splashing the cash under a directive or not????
This one,single answer would tell the fans exactly who is holding the club back.
Matt J you might be right. Personally if I were in place of AW I would walk away. And tell the board that if they ask as much as 1 penny from me I would get all the money back by writing a book………on what has happened. It would sell like icecreams in the tropics.
Thats my point devil, and thats what wenger needs right now, someone who will challenge what his ideas are…
He can try and create all he wants, but it’s not working and if he carrys on with his ‘dream’ then we will become a mid-table side, we are not far off now…
And, why try and make players do something which is not natural for them, i know walcott is pants right now a lot of the time but i still blame wenger for destroying his game… same can be said of a few others too – if he will continue to play in his ideal way, he should have bought the right players in to play such a way, not keep mucking about with those we have…
I beieve that the Americans call today groundhog day, and that’s what it is for us. More of the same , . I really would like to add to the conversation but really what happened differently last night that we haven’t talked to death over the past couple of years.
Gazides says that the money is there.
AW dithers and does not seem to want to spend it.
Someone is telling us a big fat lie.
Matt – agree re the russian, he’d tell wenger in no uncertain terms to change things around, and quickly – we could do with him buying out Stan before the 1st July…..
We may actually enjoy a transfer window then….
I still don’t know how we didn’t score Micko, I really don’t and it was nothing to do with a great goalkeeper or great defending by bolton…
Wenger won’t walk away, not when he’s earning £7Million a year….
But, only when he does go will we hear the truth, especially if he gets the sack…. but then that won’t happen either as the board would be too scared that another manager wouldn’t save them as much money….
DG,I would be amazed if Wenger didn’t want to see the likes of Hazard,Pato,Gotze at the club.
If,and I still say it’s a big if,Wenger HAS in fact got 50,60 million a
nd not used it to strengthen,maybe he should be gone.
If the board are lying,they DEFINITELY should be gone…..moreso for hanging Wenger out to dry than anything else.
I can give you one simple reason for that question why we did not score Rico. There was no cohesion between the trequartisti (advanced midfield/wingers) and the attacker (RVP). The team was not compact enough especially in the second half. Infact there were moments in the last 30 minutes where the distance between the attack and the midfield was so great that a 5 a side pitch could fit in quite easily. In such a situation it is easy to man mark the strikers and since RVP is not that much mobile like Theo or Gervinho we did not have striker/wingers crossing each other and interchanging positions. If the team stays compact and plays short passes and long ones when there is a space behind the opposition’s defence than its more easier to score than the way we were playing yesterday.
hi potter – groundhog day indeed….
Scott…….with me its Devil.
DG refers to DutchGooner10.
Rico,pay me 7 million,and watch the bank account build lol.
He can easily get another club Rico. He is a good coach….but should not be allowed to run a club the way he is running ours. He should not be entrusted with power.
It’s not just that devil, we created plenty of chances, Theo missed a sitter, Ramsey missed a really good chance, Theo hashed at a vollwy which he could have buried, RvP’s header wasn’t powerful enough to cross the line, Chamberlains shot went inches wide, Merts had yet another chance but instead of heading it he tried to control it….
we made the chances, plenty of them – we just didn’t have it in us to take them….
Righto. I am off now. Hope to see you later on today. Evening.
Maybe we can dream of Hleb on a free transfer. 🙁
Geeeez Devil,do I have to apologise again lol???
Pay me £7M Scott, i’d only stay a year then enjoy a lazy life, certainly wouldn’t go through what he is….
For sure Wenger would get another club, by tomorrow morning if he was sacked today….. But his fingers are in too many pies, agree and because of it, the team are suffering….
😛 Scott..
Laters devil, when does the loan window shut or is it shut now??
I know we could get Hleb as he is out of contract and i wouldn’t bet against it….
Scott, only yesterday Gazidas repeated once again in his latest interview that the money is there if Wenger wants it.
Over reliance on youth and refusal to strengthen in the team has resulted in us losing some of our best players over the last few summers, players wanna compete for trophies.
Good evening guys….and girls.
Til next time……
Micko,if thats the case,they are negligent by not ensuring he strengthens the squad.
Night all.
Micko, interesting that Gazidis says that the day after the transfer window shuts….
Call me a cynic 😉
Night Scott…
A cynic, someone who when they smell flowers, looks around for a coffin.
It’s also interesting how we wait until the window closes to say we have a longterm injury ie. Jack this time, Vermaelen last window.
Thats not a cynic Micko thats an undertaker……………
Ok sorry I’ll get me coat and shut the door on the way out….!
Hi all
I see Arse Inc business model failed again. Oh well!
Jack injured himself in training last week wednesday and we only find out a week later its a stress fracture… complete bollox they would of known within 24hrs…!
Wenger knew if he said it before the window closed and didn’t get anybody in we would have wanted his head.
Is Stan holding the money back as he has no intention of staying around beyond the end of the season…????? no investment of his own sells up make a killing and rides off into the sunset……????
Wenger has had money to spend for sure, it’s not rocket science to know that and well noted in the financials maybe though this window he was actually told no spending…?!?!?!?
🙂 Micko & Wath
Ineed alan…
For sure Wath, we knew they wouldn’t tell us until the window shut!
Wath, when I first started following Arsenal, travelling up and down the county to watch them we always finished around 6th, 7th or 8th, looks like we have come full circle, the good old days are back !
The good old days only cost us a couple of quid though Micko…..!
Micko, if they wanna charge us 20quid to watch them with an average team with no expectations and the club not trying to fleece us at every given turn I can handle that no problem but don’t take the piss and treat me like a gullible idiot cos that I am not….!
Wath, i hope stan is going, interesting question re this window, if it means changes ahead then good, just wish we knew….
RVP – we had exactly the same last january with Vermaelen…
Yeah Rico, that’s what I said a few comments back. I remember Wenger saying a few weeks ago we were interested in Gourcuff but not in this window as Jack and Diaby would be back. Here we are a few weeks later no Jack, no Diaby and no Gourcuff!
Sorry RVP, i missed that comment …
Tbh, i’m not sure we are struggling in the midfield, apart from Song needs a hoof up the butt, and we could afford to wait until the summer to make changes, all we needed was a striker and Vertonghen….
Good morning
AW knows what happen with the team since two or more years ago. When Fabregas didn’t play our football was similar “cockroach.”
From the beginning I said that our biggest problem is the connection with the attack. Ramsey is not the solution. Hazard is a good chance but I can arrange more hypotheses economic. The design style of football has remained the same with different players. Huge mistake.
Also stated that we would feel very lack of Gervinho. The results are in and the one that plays to affront and has the goal in sight.
With the market closed, proposed the inclusion of the “devil” immediately to the technical team. 🙂
Off out to face the freezing temperatures 🙂
Back later….
Ha, 20 notes, that wouldn’t even get you your personalised name badge on your seat these days.
The new QPR boss came in and knocked the season ticket prices down last August, that would never happen at Arsenal in a million years, more chance of Kev buying a round in !!!
Hi JM
‘With the market closed, proposed the inclusion of the “devil” immediately to the technical team.’
😛
I feel we need a creative link from midfield to attack as well Rico, we have zero imagination going forward. Van Persies goal aginst United was a typical Arsenal goal ball put around the corner that took out two men and a one touch finish. We don’t often see that type of goal anymore its usually an RVP special.
RVP, stick it on the summer wish list along with a decent striker, stranger things have happened.
And a season ticket for the Championship at this rate
No chance what so ever, of me buying a round.
No chance what so ever, of Arsenal finishing top four.
No chance what so ever, of Walcott totalling 10 goals this season.
No chance what so ever, of Gazides signing a £20+ million striker.
No chance what so ever, of PHW saying something half intelligent.
No chance what so ever, of Absent Stan saying anything at all.
Other than that. I’m fine :-). lata Gooners.
Boo! Boohoo. 😥 How pathetic are we?? Grrr. :grr:
I’m sooo angry, I forgot how to code emoticons. Of course, I meant, 😡
Hi Rico and everyone. Our players are either not good enough, which is possible, or Wenger can’t inspire them any more. As a team Arsenal, like Wenger, are totally reactive in that they cannot lift themselves unless they are staring into the abyss. If we had more depth then Wenger could leave Ramsay or Theo or both out for a couple of weeks to recharge and refocus on those element of their game that are weak. But I imagine he will run them into the ground like he did with Jack. As the season’s run-in progresses the failure to add quality to the squad in January will seem dumber and dumber as the financial implications become very real for the board, the team and the fans alike. Is there a succesful future under Wenger? Yes, he is a well respected and a very decent man. Of that I have no doubt. But, to me, it just ain’t working these days and that isn’t good enough for a team with Arsenal’s reputation, stature and resources. We are going backwards and it is up to the owner to make sure we don’t drop back any further before the re-building begins in earnest. We really don’t want to have to rebuild the whole team as we have the backbones of a very good bunch but we need quality, quality, quality players and a massive injection of energy and ambition to add real competitive weight to the squad and that means money. Quite a bit in fact. But, shift out the underachievers and that will certainly free up a significant contribution to that outlay.
AW:”We need to relax in front of goal” – arsenal website
What? Is exactly what we have done with those superbs scores!
We must be concentrate and with “nervous” in front of the goal. like the others teams doing. When they get a chance they fight for it.
Good mourning….. WTF?!?!?!?!?!? Are you kidding me???? I just want to beat the crap out of something or somebody!!!!!!! Can’t believe I wasted space on my DVR for that POS match.
AFC official site voted the ox man of the match, that tells you Wenger dosn’t know what he is doing any more!
Afternoon – we signed anyone 😉
Kev, until its mathematically impossible we can finish in the top four.
That’s straight from the horse’s mouth, i got no reason to lie.
Adam – good comment and as much as Wenger has his faults, at the end of the day he has a boss, a boss who doesn’t appear to want to do anything about what we are going through….
Rokabox – i think that tells us just how good Chamberlain is and why he shouldn’t be the first one taken off, it seems he has taken Theos place for ‘1st sub…
AW doesn’t seem to take players off who are under performing, he just makes the very predicatable changes rather than game changing ones…
Shaun, I thought the match was a good one, very open etc, just a shame our shocking composure in front of goal let us down and not for the first time this season….
AK 😆
spanish press:
The Barcelona race will be the hiring of Robin van Persie, Arsenal advanced, reveals the newspaper “El Mundo”.
According to the news, the Dutch forward 28 years was indicated by Pep Guardiola as a booster to buy for next season.
To confirm this decision, Barcelona will compete with Real Madrid in an attempt to ensure Robin Van Persie
They can’t afford him JM 😉
Laters rico, keep it real.
7 pts in first 7 matches 8 pts in last 8 matches turning out to be a great season fr us !!
relegation form sandwitching some gud performances
Hi all.. Bye all..
🙂 Micko – but we all know different… Have a good evening…
Hi Stv, Bye Stv – all is doom and gloom isnt it 🙁
rico, I don’t know, I have to disagree with you on the quality of the match. I don’t disagree with you when it comes to the fact that there were some bright spots during the match, however, the overall play lacked any type of urgency in my opinion. But then again, you know what they say about opinions!
Over the last several games, I see a team that looks tired; not physically, but mentally and I think that starts at the top with AW. I think that the team is looking towards their manager and seeing the lack of any type of moves to make the team better. They are starting to become mediocre, and mediocrity breeds content. You now have AW coming out talking about what life would be like outside of the Champions League and the fear that comes from that possibility. If we can’t beat a team teetering on relegation, what makes me think they can beat the likes of Barca? It seems to me as well that AW has become obsessed with taking spotty faced kids no one has ever heard of, paying the equivalent of nice dinner and drinks for them, hope they turn into another Anelka, selling them at a 300% markup and everyone patting him on the back telling him what a football genius he is. Listen, I love the guy, but this is starting to really PISS ME OFF! I care too much about this team to watch them sit behind Spurs. Ok, I am done now…….my head is about to explode!
Hi Shaun – i was talking as an independant viewer…. 😉
The players do look jaded, but thats because there is no plan b, we don’t have a bench that can chage things and make a difference..
Our defenders have played every game nearly because of injuries etc etc……..
Nothing is working and when that happens, and in any walk of life its horrid…
But, in the real life, we don’t get paid what they do, they don’t work every day of the week, they have it easy, as does wenger – things need to change to make things change on the pitch and that is down to wenger…..
Don’t worry about the CL, Milan will batter us, home and away….
Hiya Rico.
Seems as if you are the only one left today. Not much comments today. And its to be expected. Sir AK is at work at the moment and obviously others may have other work to do.
And AFC dont give us much to talk about……..or moan about. Its all been rehashed over and over again to the point of nausea.
Hi devil, i think we are all feeling pretty fed up…..
I hope AK is having a busier time this time up in the big city…..
AFC always give us something to moan about 😉
Tbh even when they where winning I was moaning. Not because I like to moan but I always saw that Manure were always ruthless and never eased off. They are where they are today simply because teams are afraid of them. I remember them killing Ipswich 9-0. Whereas we used to ease up after 4-0. And that is unacceptable for me in top class football. You have to think of the future….and that means destroying teams not for today, but for two or three years and that means that you have six points guaranteed the following season. The thing I hate most about AFC is that we always make it difficult for ourselves even when it is easy. Even when we had the INVINCIBLES there were instances where we could have won games with better margins but instead opted to run down time. There was a game (forgot which) where we won 3-0 with 3 goals in the first 15 minutes and then we toyed with them for the rest of the game instead of hitting them to the point of the team remaining unconscious for the rest of the season.
There were a few seasons when we were feared in the same way devil, under Big Tony and then Paddy – no team wanted to travel to Highbury and face us….
But and for me this is what has gone wrong, we lack backbone, we lack fighters, we lack physical presence on the pitch…
We have gone from being a big, tall, strong group of players, mixed with a few nifty on their feet players – to a side that looks frail and vulnerable…..
And the latter is why we get rolled over….
I’m heading off for the day devil, you go and have a restful evening and look after yourself….
Nighty night devil and all…
Catch you tomorrow….
That is why I would like the dimensions of the pitch at the Ems to be readjusted according to the team we have. I remember Graham adjusting the pitch to the opposition. I remember playing Wimbledon and GG ordered the groundsman to water the pitch. That made the playing pitch unsecure for the heavy wimbledon players and we won the game. Then against liverpool he ordered the groundsman to sand the grass so that the ball would be difficult to control. And we won. Finally in a game against Manure he told the groundsman to allow the grass to be around 1 to 2 cm higher and this prohibited the players from playing their short passing game. And we won.
Now I am not going to advocate these drastic measures but if the game on the Ems requires greater distance I would suggest that the pitch be made according to Highbury measurements thereby allowing us to squeeze the opposition and not run so much. I doubt that the invincibles would have had an unbeaten season at the Ems in the same manner they had at Highbury.
cu Rico. Have a good night.
Devil, you really think pitch dimensions come into play “IF” your good enough….?
hi devil´.
did you read my comments at 1.23 pm ?
I am really mad that previous majority-holders and the board refused to sell to Alisher Usmanov… Why? Because he is Russian??… They wont even allow him to join to board… he owns 27% of the club and they wont let him join… Usmanov had offered £100 million to Kroenke, to be used for transfer funds, in exchange for a position on the board… They denied… 100 million punds
Instead they sold to that pathetic-excuse for an owner Stan Kroenke… Lets face it, Kroenke is not that wealthy… he doesn’t care about Football… Arsenal is just a cash cow for him… he is going to milk us the fans.. and when the club is broke, all the good players have left, and we are fighting for relegation he is going to sell us for whatever he can get…
I suggest a petition to have Alisher Usmanov sit on the board… and bring David Dein back… that is why he left… the current board is corrupt… he knows it… Arsene knows it… I really dont like Gazidis.. something about him makes me distrust him… like a snake-oil salesman
morning….
New post up,,,,
Alexcolcar – i hope AU buys stan out and takes majority control and stan naffs off….