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Twitchy bottom time as Europa fast becoming a reality….

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

With Man City battering Chelsea yesterday, overtaking Arsenal into the automatic Champions League place and Man Utd beating a now relegated Aston Villa 1-0 on Saturday, it really is twitchy bum time for Arsene Wenger, Stan Kroenke and the rest of the Arsenal board.

For one of the few times under Wenger, Arsenal really could end up playing Europa football next season, especially if Liverpool win the competition which plays second fiddle to the Champions League.

A big part of me thinks so what, it’s nothing more than the club deserves after what Arsene Wenger and his players have served up this season but on the other hand, I know the big competition attracts better players as they all want to be participating in Europe, but Europa just doesn’t have the same kind of buzz which the Champions League has. Nor does it reward clubs with the same kind of financial benefits which is probably why Arsenal drive so hard towards the end of the season to be in the big one.

Arsene Wenger has said the team need to be strong at home now and win all our matches but even that might not be enough, especially as we have to play City away and a Sunderland side desperate for points to survive in the top league. Utd are hot on our tails too.

Today sees the return of Adebayor and of course he’ll start, and of course he’ll be out to destroy his old club. Just like Andy Carroll, he’s been rubbish for most of the season but there’s nothing quite like a game against Arsenal to pick him up. There’s talk of Per Mertesacker returning to the defence in order to match the big striker for height, more importantly, Petr Cech should and could return in goal. That’s not me knocking Ospina but Cech is an organiser, a confidence booster and still one of the best goalkeepers in the league.

Crystal Palace look like they’ve seen off a chance to be relegated this season, shame really as Pardew has never been manager I’ve particularly warmed to and you just know he’d love to put a dent in our top four chances as there’s no love lost between him and Wenger but with an FA Cup semi-final to look forward to next weekend, the Palace boss might just have one eye on Wembley when he selects his starting eleven this afternoon.

Dwight Gayle is out injured and Wilfried Zaha has some kind of shoulder injury and faces a late fitness test apparently.

Aaron Ramsey should be back in the squad, but Wilshere, Rosicky and Gnabry are expected to get more playing for the under 21’s before returning to the first team.

 Arsene Wenger:

Crystal Palace should be completely safe even if they may still need one or two points.

They’re a team with a good offensive potential, with strong individuals like (Yannick) Bolasie, (Wilfried) Zaha, (Emmanuel) Adebayor, (Connor) Wickham. So we have to rectify the fact we conceded (three) at West Ham and come back to being strong defensively.

Well that’s a start, the manager knows where the threat is likely to come so let’s hope he has a cunning plan up his sleeve and he sends the boys out onto the pitch knowing just how to nullify the threat. Mind you, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to Pardew’s team bus parked in front of the goal and try to hit us on the break..

Arsenal haven’t won a London derby at home all season, a shocking statistic really.

Maybe that’ll change today….

rico

105 thoughts on “Twitchy bottom time as Europa fast becoming a reality….”

  1. potter says:

    Buying in players should’nt be a problem if we can’t splurge all our cash on superstars I would rather see us get a few that actually want to play for us . It may have to be British from the lower leagues if Brexit comes to fruition. British players are already at a premium just watch the prices if we vote out.

  2. rico says:

    Wenger has already got that excuse out there Potter.. lol

    With you on signing players who want to play for the club. These over paid, over hyped superstars are sometimes more trouble than they are worth – 3/4 with the desire of Coquelin and Elneny wouldn’t be a bad start. Together with a clinical striker of course…

    I smiled at Klopps comment on signing superstars….

  4. madgunnerTT says:

    Morning all

    Regarding players that want to play for us I’ll wager that the current team would be rejuvenated if a new manager came in. Don’t forget this team and those before it all the way back to 2004 were all assembled by Wenger and all failed under Wenger, so I’m at loss what people think will change whether we buy super stars this summer or players from the lower leagues.

    And brexit will have nothing to do with the summer transfers its just a handy excuse for inactivity that presented it self out of the blue and to Wengers delight.

    Part of me will be perversely delighted if we fall out of the CL spot and enter Europa league, it will be nothing less than the owner deserves. Wonder what he will do when he seas the value and revenue stream of his “franchise” drop, they don’t have relegation’s in the states and dropping out of CL spot will be just like that.

  6. rico says:

    We have all been saying a new manager would certainly improve us TT, but until Kroenke gets on board with that idea, looks like we’re stuck with more of the same…

  7. Steve says:

    Ha ha, another scare story from the “remainers.”

    One minute we have clowns like Greg Dyke wanting to ban foreigners to save our national game. Now the same people are claiming that if we leave the EU, foreign players won’t be able to come here and all that Sky money will disappear and the Premier League will collapse.

    All nonsense anyway – if we leave the whole house of cards will tumble within months.

  8. Wavy says:

    All this pessimism is reminiscent of the beginning of Villa’s demise! Club sold out to an absent American realestate punter with no interest in the club, just the cash it generates for his ‘franchise,’ sound familiar? No proper investment in influential players, more an eagerness to sell the quality and take the money! Sound familiar? Further lack of investment, fall outs with a series of managers, blaming them for poor results, not the lack of playing staff. A difference there, we’re stuck with the same old stubborn thin controller!
    Once we start falling down the slippery pole there will be no stopping us as there hasn’t been at Villa. The parallels are scary and to be avoided at all costs. This year we must finish third, at least, if we fall out and find ourselves playing Europa league footie we will have embraced the first rung down the ladder and may not climb back for a generation! Imo.
    Anything less than a win today and I would say we will be on the downward spiral and, what’s more, we will deserve all we get or, rather what we don’t get!

    Happy days. Lovely day here, sunny and bright. I wonder how it will be at four o’clock?

  9. andrewh1313 says:

    Rico, that clinical striker could have been Defoe? I always thought that with a good DM bought in July we would have practically won league by now and that’s my main beef about AW. But looking back to those games we had 20 shots and couldn’t find the net, how about 30 minutes of a substitute like Defoe each game?

  10. scottfromoz says:

    Wavy, the difference between us an Villa may well be that we’ve stuck with Wenger, and not chopped and changed, so your post suggests keeping Wenger is helping.
    I know you don’t believe that, or do you 🙂 🙂

  11. Intolerant Kev says:

    Afternoon All

    Afternoon Rico, just sitting indoors listening to the Old Firm game…
    Doubt if Gedion Zelalem will be involved…

    Ah, the old Brexit red herring and foreign players….
    Well if it keeps the likes of Sanogo out of the EPL, then that’s progress…
    Glasgow Rangers 1-0

  12. Adam says:

    A Europa Place would be a tangible sign of the poor job that Arsene has done this season whereas we know that he regards a CL place as a trophy. It’s an annual event that leads to heated debate and it really needs to be broken. We already know that ‘big’ signings are out of the question and that he thinks the team has moved forwards. My feeling is that the team has been slipping backwards for some time now and that this needs to be stopped before it can move forwards. I can’t say that anything Arsene has said recently suggests to me that things will change.

  15. dublingunner says:

    Afternoon, AW is certainly giving all the signs that it will be more of the same this summer, He says Arsenal’s summer transfer activity will be limited,also quoted as saying “It doesn’t matter if we finish below Tottenham this season”, so If he doesn,t care, why should we I couldn,t care less if we finish europa league, Ive always it will happen eventually, maybe this is the year.
    Failure to invest in the squad has made us stand still, at best, any manager that doesn’t use the resources available to him to genuinely compete for the title. is Inexcusable.
    It,s just sad to see Wenger stuck in a time-warp when the world is changing around him.
    I,m done this season,
    Cheering leicester all the way…..

  16. Intolerant Kev says:

    Cech and BFG back for today I reckon…

    The rest of the team as per usual…

    Walcott to Liverpool?
    What are they smoking???
    I’d take a straight swap for Sturridge or else Liverpool can pay £50m, the price they recently put on Sturridge if I’m correct…

  19. rico says:

    Dublin, shows how out of touch he is with the fans. It matters to us about the neighbours. Well, it does to me… lol

    Kev, I wouldn’t sell them Walcott for love nor money…

  21. dublingunner says:

    I suppose the only shining light for me this season is the fact that AW can no longer use the excuse of not being able to compete with Wealth,

    Interesting comments made by Squillaci last week,
    During his three years at the cub, Squillaci was a much-maligned player as the Gunners’ trophy drought continued through the help of defensive woes. Squillaci insists Arsenal’s age-old problem of letting in goals was beyond his control.
    “It’s true a lot was expected from me when I arrived. But it’s always been difficult for central defenders at Arsenal.” he said
    “I talked about it with coach Wenger. He told me, ‘I know it’s difficult, but I want us to play like this, I want the attacking players to have more freedom and less defensive work
    ’
    Wenger hints at a quiet summer, you,ve got to luv this guy, 11 years and we still stand still,
    Heres to another 3 or 4 years of this madness…….

  22. scottfromoz says:

    So who at the club IS in touch with the fans?
    We keep saying its Arsenal FC, not Arsene FC, so who else at the club matters?
    Who else cares?
    Well, who of those that can actually make changes.

  23. Adam says:

    Squillacci gave me a laugh when I read that DG. He was unmitigated crap when he was with us but seems to have made that Wenger’s fault.
    A lot of stuff is at Wenger’s door but not Squillacci’s awfulness. Mind you, I guess Wenger did sign him. And he was cheap and entirely representative of a lot of that ‘sort” of signing around that time.

  26. dublingunner says:

    The problem with Wenger is by the time he fixes one glaringly obvious problem in the squad, he,s that long rectifying it that another issue arises.
    A keeper took forever for him to admit was a problem area, by that time we were short and much needed Midfield defensive cover was essential, That also took im an age to solve, actually by accident he stumbled on solving that problem, to which meanwhile by then, we had another area that was becoming our achillies heel, i.e scoring goals, by the time he solves that problem, we,ll be short in other departments,
    Swings and Roundabouts, always one step behind. Bad Management.

  28. Wavy says:

    Scott, his time was then not now, his time is over imo. He has reached the age of the old age pension! There was a reason folk retired at 65, it was because they were no longer considered to be effective work units! I rest my case.
    Einstein did very little of any pitch, moment or consequence after the age of 21! Wenger at the age of 66 is way past his effective sell by date, in comparison.
    Time to move on and just hope we don’t follow the Villa model of disaster and failure or re-employing Bruce Rioch!

  29. dublingunner says:

    Leicester gone over 500 mins without conceding in the league. Unstoppable,
    Rate Ranieri or not, no manager wins the premier league by accident, brilliant achievement
    They,ve been a breath of fresh air and a joy to watch.
    Truly Deserve it. What a season for them….

  35. andrewh1313 says:

    Arsenal

    33Cech
    24Bellerín
    5Gabriel
    6Koscielny
    18Monreal
    35Elneny
    34Coquelin
    45Iwobi
    11Özil
    17Sánchez
    23Welbeck

    Substitutes

    4Mertesacker
    12Giroud
    13Ospina
    14Walcott
    16Ramsey
    21Chambers
    28Campbell

  38. Wavy says:

    Andrew1313 , but what else did Rioch do? I mean he diidnt bring us roads or sewers or garlic like the Romans did! Still he did bring us Bergamp and that is someone Wenger would never have bought! So…..?

  42. andrewh1313 says:

    Anyone else think we play so predictable and boring these days? Little flicks with majority going astray, teams just know how to frustrate us. Yawn.

  44. Micko says:

    Andrew, ask the 60 odd thousand at the game today, they’re so quiet you can hear the players shouting at each other…… bloody embarrassing !

  51. rico says:

    Too much sun maybe Andrew…. Lol

    How did Kos not get a penalty?

    Mathematically Micko, yes, realistically, it’s been over for months. Well, for most of us… Lol

  52. potter says:

    Same old Arsenal over elaboration with unnecessary passes. Total domination and not enough to show for it.

  53. dublingunner says:

    I would say so many disappointed fans, Deja vu, who just feel let down by the team and club,
    Fed up with being also rans, and feel that air of, players stepping up when it,s too damn late.
    It,s Nauseating….

    I think i read somewhere although Rioch gets the credit for Bergkamp, it was actually Dein that got the wheels in motion and the deal over the line.
    Deins contribution to Arsenal those days and later were absolutely pivotal to our success.
    Boy we could do with him now.

  54. rico says:

    Yes Potter, tiresome isn’t it. 41 mins before testing the keeper… Odd.

    I read that too Dublin about Dein signing Dennis. Ever since he left the club, it’s dithered far too much over signing players. If only the club had someone like him at the club now, and someone who was given total control over getting deals done…

  56. dublingunner says:

    If only, Rico, although they did get on, can,t help thinking that there was a wry smile on Wengers face when he left, as it left AW with absolute power over the Transfers and club Business.

    God to To be out all but out of the title race with 5 games left, To get within 2 points of Leicester and in the space of 4 weeks to be 13 behind, out of the F.A cup and Champions league, it,s always a sense of what might have been, no wonder the fans are sick of it.

  58. rico says:

    I’m not so sure Dublin. I think Wenger really missed Dein at the club and they remain great friends now.

    For me the problem has always been with the board for getting rid of Dein without someone being ready to replace him. The interim period gifted Wenger control and no one has had the balls to take it back…

    Good old Kroenke….

  62. dublingunner says:

    Ye probably right Rico, Ive always wondered though, why Wenger didn,t fight for Dein to get him back, in some capacity, He surely has the power to do it, no.
    Adeboyer has scored in two of his last three games at the Ems, lets hope hope not today.

  70. rico says:

    Doesn’t that just sum up Arsenal these days. Can’t shoot, can’t score, can’t win…

    Shocking stuff, really shocking…

  72. Marshall says:

    Ain’t we a joke of a club? Another two points dropped when we’d of won 3.

    I hope we don’t make 4th or into the UCL next season. We’re utter shit. What the point of that tippy tappy shit with no end result?

  74. Lewis says:

    Bunch of fucking jokers this Arsenal team and manager.

    Can’t wait for this shit show of a season to be over and I couldn’t care less if we make CL or not.

  75. andrewh1313 says:

    It just gets more depressing. 40 minutes to test their goalie then no urgency till the enivitable equaliser. They are 5th from bottom. Swansea and Watford all over again.

  79. Joaquim Moreira says:

    Again.
    we didn’t shot! We didn’t score! We played with arrogance!
    Sos slowly!
    The first half was incredible!
    In the second half we could score if we had confidence and will.
    TW was in the pitch?

  80. dublingunner says:

    I,m actually not disappointed, the ghosts of this seasons failings have long left me.
    As Wenger puts another nail in the coffin of his fastly diminishing legacy.
    We all know it,s finished for him, it,s up to him now to accept it too and leave in a dignified manner, in which we all hope it should be.
    A dignified and heartfelt admission that he has always tried to do his best for Arsenal and it will always hold a special place in his heart. then exit gracefully.
    Thats the way we all want it to end, and the way it should be.
    But the longer he stays the less respect i have for him, and it sometimes borders on absolute resentment and dislike for the man. sad but true.

  83. Joaquim Moreira says:

    Against Arsenal, all already played the same way because our style of football is always the same and is the only way to counter it.
    The MU not made and after 20 minutes was 3-0.
    No opponent plays like this against the other team; only against Arsenal because it’s the only way to win points.
    The solution is to change the style of play.

  87. Adam says:

    Just got home from the game. No spark in this team, no enthusiasm, thousands of empty seats and mass boos at the end.
    What is happening at our club is painful, upsetting to watch and really scandalous.
    What spin Wenger is going to put on this utterly predictable result and performance I cannot imagine. And all this after his bullshit press conference.

  88. Micko says:

    I’m trying to remember the last time we came out for a game where we looked like our lives depended on it, would probably have to say Bayern at home last October.
    Today should have been one of those days as well, no idea how our last 5 games are gonna pan out !
    Don’t think Utd are good enough to catch us, like us they will drop more points as well so it looks like it’s 4th again then !

  90. Micko says:

    Adam, I’m guessing you and everyone around you had their head in their hands for most of the game.

  93. Adam says:

    Micko. There is an air of utter resignation around the ground these days. Everyone just sits there waiting for the inevitable to happen. This of course gets to the players who go through the motions rather than expressing themselves. In this atmosphere you can just feel the tension on the pitch as a forward pass becomes more and more of a rarity and players go into a weird ‘dormant’ mode. Bellerin lacks the ability to outpace full backs, Ozil’s passing is poor, Alexis’ first touch is heavy and nothing seems to really work out. The confidence leaves the team and the feedback loop is in full action. We are on a slippery slope and something has to happen but, being Arsenal supporters, we think that it probably won’t.
    Sorry Rico, was it that predictable?

  94. Wavy says:

    Really really pleased with today’s unresult. A draw, a palpable draw! We have consolidated 4th place, our heritage. Hurrah! Only manure to rise and replace us. Absolutely marvellous. Wenger must be paid his annual fourth place bonus. He has worked so hard to achieve his only target!

    What a crock of SH 1 T.

    Come on Orient you can make the play offs. I’m looking forward to seeing you at Wembley!

    Another wasted Sunday afternoon! Thursday night, I’m going out!

  95. Micko says:

    Adam, we’ve only conceded 11 goals at home all season, anyone would think we had a great defense, only problem as today showed is we will always give the opposition a sniff and at this level teams usually punish us !
    On the other side of the coin we’re also the lowest scorer’s at home in the top 8.
    A million years away from winning the league.

    Nite rico, no Europa Cup football for me thanks, I heard their trophy is made out of cardboard lol.

  96. scottfromoz says:

    Morning all.
    Is there really and difference in finishing 2nd or 5th?
    To us fans, I mean, not to Stan as we know where his ambition lies.
    We can’t win, and almost certainly can’t finish about Spuds so it jus doesn’t matter what happens in the last few games.
    Clear out-that doesn’t come close to describing what’s needed.
    Arsene must go but somehow, some way he must find a method of also removing Stan.
    Even if we bring in a new manager and on field result improve on the short term, what’ll Stan do?
    He will have us back to selling our best players and limping into 4th spot so what really changes??
    Of course, the flip side is Wenger goes and the fears of some are borne out-we slip down the ladder.
    Either way, until Stan goes, I genuinely can’t see much changing at all as far as the clubs mentality or attitude when it comes to winning titles.
    Of course, I hope I’m wrong, but I can see us having these same conversations in 5 years time.

  97. scottfromoz says:

    On Vardy- what a low grade little piece of shit he is.
    He got exactly what he deserved, and it’s great to see a referee have the balls to make that call as it happens in every bloody game.

  99. Micko says:

    Ade-the-whore, God bless him, brought the emirates crowd outta a deep snooze when he came on today, scored 30 goals for us back in the day, exactly what we need to bring in over the summer, not him but a 30 goal striker, Walcott be scared be very very scared !

    Nite Gooners.

  100. Intolerant Kev says:

    Europa League…

    Yeah, it really is on, because I can see this shambles dropping points against West Brom (h) and Sunderland (a) over the next few days…

    ManUre are only 4 points behind us but fortunately we have a 12 goal advantage on goal difference so make that 5 points…

    ManUre have a few difficult games but could quite easily close the gap on Arsenal, given our crap form…
    It’s gonna be touch and go and will probably go down to the last couple of games…

  102. Lee says:

    The team mirrors the manager, pathetic, powder puff, over paid and under achieving team of wankers!

    The sooner Wenger fucks off the better, I mean blaming a lack of confidence in his post match interview!! He assembled this shower of shit, man up and admit that your time is up!

  103. Adam says:

    Morning Rico, Brudder and all. How much less motivated can this team actually get? Every game seems like a microcosm of where Arsene is now and has been for some time. Having seen, this past week, what motivational skills can do with both Klopp and Simeone, Wenger looks like a dinosaur these days. The first half was so piss poor and so undynamic that it was tortuous just having to sit there and watch the hundredth square pass. Crystal Palace looked like they were enjoying it too as they sat back and politely asked us to play through them. We couldn’t do it and with a couple of exceptions, everyone was awful.
    All In all it was a crap performance from a team that looks like they are already on holiday. After Wenger’s mad statements last week I do despair how far this will be allowed to go before some firm, positive action is taken. It really cannot go on.

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