Morning Gooners,
Two points dropped or one hard-earned??
After the weekend’s shirt-swapping saga at Manchester United, Andre Santos was spared any further abuse from the travelling fans. His bum was firmly parked on the subs bench as Thomas Vermaelen switched to left back, Koscielny coming in alongside Mertesacker. Theo Walcott finally got a start too, shock horror!
Schalke started the game as they finished it at The Emirates and that was with confidence and pace. Three times in as many minutes, our defence called upon.
Arteta blocked a Christian Fuchs shot, Mannone saved from Afellay and Howedes headed over. We were struggling, just as we have been of late.
Just before the twenty-minute mark we were gifted a golden opportunity.
Mertesacker fired a long ball up the field, the Schalke defender misjudged a header and the ball fell nicely for Giroud who was in on goal. However, his lack of pace, and a kick of the turf instead of the ball, allowed Howedes to get back and tackle. Walcott was loitering with intent, he picked up the loose ball, rounded the keeper and slotted home.
Very soon after, we got our second.
After some ‘nice’ football, the ball was played by Giroud out to Podolski, he slipped but managed to get up with the ball still under control. he fired in a super cross to Giroud who blasted home his diving header.
Schalke weren’t letting that two goal deficit get them down, it was simply a case of ‘could we keep them out’?
Farfan fired high from distance go over and then just before half-time Huntelaar got his side back to 2-1.
Lewis Holtby headed onto Huntelaar who was unmarked, he then placed his shot across Mannone and into the far side of the goal!
Half time came and went.
Schalke were battering on our door!
Mannone saved well from Huntelaar, Mertesacker appeared to hand the ball in the penalty area but the ref waved away Schalke’s demands for a penalty. Arteta blocked a shot at the near post and Mannone saved well again from Holtby.
We were hanging on by the skin of our teeth but we couldn’t hang on forever.
Just before the seventy minute mark, Farfan made it 2-2!
We managed to hang on for the draw for the remaining twenty odd minutes of the game, in fact we should have stolen all three points in the dying seconds when Coquelin sent Theo Walcott through.
But couldn’t get his shot either side of the keeper…
That was it for the night and back home we went with just a point.
The way the game went, many would say a draw was probably a fair result, but after withstanding so much early pressure and taking a two goal lead, it’s heartbreaking to see that so easily squandered.
Arsene Wenger is again blaming the referee for our result, insisting that there was a foul on Walcott by Afellay in the build up for their first and Podolski was in a great goal scoring position but the referee stopped play for an ankle injury to a Schalke player preventing him from going onto score.
I’m sure we got away with a few decisions too, like the penalty maybe but that’s the way the game goes. I’m not saying it’s right but when it happens to us, it seems to cost dear.
Little things are going against us but I always believe you build your own luck and it’s about time we started to build ours..
Fulham up next, another test for the team….
That’s it for another day…..
Morning all…
Disappointed…..
Not disappointed…we put in a good shift and got a result against very good opposition…..not sure why we should feel disappointed…..well,maybe in the result after leading,but the effort was great.
The call to stop play when Podolski was through will forever remain the strangest decision ever on a football field.
I wild love to know the refs thinking,i really would.
Evening all.
Oh,and how good was it to see an effective cross??
After todays game,i reckon we need some decent specialist wingers more than anything!!
Maybe not,but it was brilliant to see Giroud finally used the correct way.
Decent point earned and before the game you’d take it but when we go two up only to draw two all very disappointing indeed but not unexpected. We played far to deep second half and gave them all the initiative to just keep on attacking us, the 2nd goal was always going to happen.
Better than the last few games for sure but we could hardly be worse could we. Shame Arsene didn’t have the balls to make changes that were needed after the hour mark. He looked scared to make a change and was banking on somehow holding onto the 2-1 lead..!
TV at left back wasn’t great but miles better than Santos lets just hope Gibbs fit for the weekend to get some balance and pace back into the left hand side.
Morning Rico, it seems that’s how we feel after every game lately. Are we really not good enough or is there a fundamental lack of motivation? I look at the team on paper and think we should be doing very nicely yet we go to OT and Shalke and they look like they’d rather be at home with their feet up. With the exception of a few that is.
I understand what you are saying Scott but we went ahead, we should have been able to keep them out….
Scott, danger comes from the wings mate we been crying out for proper wingers for years, Pod isn’t a wingers arse to me but when in the right position the bloke has the quality to put in a great ball either high or low…! We need Giroud to have decent service and he hasn’t really had it but hey ho such is life.
Good morning Rico and all Gooners,
After the doom and gloom of the past few days the consensus seemed to be that we had no chance against Schalke so definitely two points gained.
It seems the Arsenal faithful got their wish and Santos was dropped to the bench to be replaced at left back by Vermaelen, what a difference that made, or in fact it made no difference because our captain was entirely missing from his appointed area in the build up to Schalke’s equaliser and even managed to deflect the ball past Mannone and into the net.
I’d have taken the point before KO Wath, but it’s not about losing the 2 goal lead in itself it is how we lost them.
Mannone, and credit where its due, had made some really good saves but then all his hard work was undone by lethargic defending…
Bg, i know this is me just guessing but that 11 last night would have given manure a good run for their money, at times last night we were much better but the defence still need to work harder..
TV was definitely better, miles better than Santos yet he too had his moments…
We offer too much space to their players in front of our defence. Arteta can’t defend it all alone. Wilshere pushed further up than Cazorla and Cazorla is not the big, controlling mid we need in the middle. That’s why Holtby had such an influence in that attacking mid role. Thought Jones did well too at being their tough tackling hard man.
Sagna did a good job keeping Afellay quiet but Theo won’t track back so their left back had a field day. Luckily their right back got injured else TV would’ve been even worse off than just handling Farfan.
JW – my own opinion is TV was better but he was far from great.
Why does it seem that ever time he makes an error these days, it cost’s us a goal?
Rico,you underestimate Schalke.
JW,Vermaelen was well behind Vito,so i am not sure how he could have deflected it past him.
To be picky,i don’t reckon Vito should have come off his line.
Wath, Giroud does need service but until Gibbs come back he won’t get too much from the left and if TW goes back to the bench, he won’t get it from the right either…
And judging by last night, there’s no point in playing the ball in front of him to run onto because he’s slower than an old cart horse!
It’s mainly the defence I’m talking about. I get nervous because they are nervous. We were on the ropes for the first fifteen minutes. Credit to Schalke for taking it to us but why did it take so long to fight back? I agree the better parts of last night’s performance would have made more of a game of it at OT which begs the question of why did they go missing instead of stepping up?
Rico,your last questions is relevant……when things are going wrong,everything goes wrong.
Lee posted this earlier
http://angryofislington.com/2012/11/07/which-teams-have-actually-won-trophies-since-arsenal-did-and-why/
Throw Santos on the wing?
Why not…..he CAN cross a ball,and he CAN’T defend….simple.
Or is it 🙂
Go get Capoue… morning all!
Rico,why the set against Giroud and his lack of speed?
Speed doesn’t make a footballer…..that is proven to us every game 🙂
Rico,
The simple answer is that all his errors come in vital areas of the pitch, usually when he has no cover. For the goal last night he had left the whole of the right side of the pitch open by getting sucked into a centre- half’s position.
Morning all…
Nice post Rico. There was less walnut loving in the article than I anticipated. 😀
A very hard fought game I would say. It was a satisfying performance based on our own expectations.
In my opinion we are just a point shot of where we should be at this stage in that we are meant to drawn our away games and win our home games.
I agree with Will on zonal marking issue. Even GG said on talkshite this morning that zonal marking more effective than man-marking. The only issue is that we do not attack the ball well enough. Most importantly, imho we will not be able to do man-marking because of the way most teams line up at the edge of the 18 yard box instead of the 6 yard box during corner kicks. A typical example was last night where you will notice that before the corner is kicked the most advanced of the opponents players are behind the penalty spot with the rest standing in and around the D- section of the 18 yard box.
An interesting stats of our season thus far it is very poor:-
Shots on target
Saved by keeper 37 %
Blocked 41 %
Led to goal 14 %
Disallowed goals 0 %
Shots off target
Wide left 31 %
Wide right 29 %
Over the bar 31 %
Hit woodwork 1 %
Shots on target with
Right foot 66 %
Left foot 27 %
Header 7 %
Other 0 %
Shots off target with
Right foot 59 %
Left foot 24 %
Header 18 %
Other 0 %
Think a tad harsh Rico, Giroud aint a cart horse he is a big unit and takes time to get going… Pitch was also pretty crap but thats not excuse it’s the same for both.
Only thing for Santos Scott is sell him…!
Arteta although doing a decent job is totally wasted in the role he playing, Santi prob has his worst game for us but yet still tried and put in a shift, Jack ran his balls off and Kos looked good bringing the ball out from the back. @nd half summed us up, we looked scared to take the game to them as we lack the confidence and the ambition so we ended up playing deeper and deeper. Cant win if you don’t attack of put pressure on the opponents in their own half and the only one really doing that was Giroud, he cant close down 4 defenders though..! Pod and Walcott drop ten yards off, who tells them to do that..?
JW,strange a defenders mistake happen in dangerous positions 🙂
Hi Scott, I believe Santos would have been turned into the new Edu if we had not bought SC19. That is where he played on the far east tour.His style of play will suit that patch of the pitch very well!
Morning WATH, good observation on Kos. Imo that is what has changed in our game compared to previous seasons. The best teams who play like us Shaktar, Dortmond, and Barca use their CB’s to carry the ball forward. Unfortunately maybe due to the Bould effect we have done that only 3 times this season. The first time was at $hitty. The 2nd was against Reading inthe second half and finally last night in the later part of the 2nd half where Kos decided to take the game to them.
Exactly Lee…
Because he’s slow Scott, nothing more, nothing less…
Tsgh,how goes it mate?
Devil has always advocated playing Santos higher up the pitch as well.
Wath,i am not against selling him at all,but still,we have him for a few more months yet.
We were better v Schalke,and it is another step forward…a little one.
He is still creating plenty of chamces for himself and others,and we already have a quick bloke creating little 🙂
Wath – just being honest, I thought he was slow last night. As for the pitch, it certainly didn’t stop Schalke moving the ball around at great pace last night, and it didn’t slow their players down wither…
I watched Schalke and thought of how we ‘used’ to play…..It seems clubs are playing like we used too and the only ones not doing that are us….
Tsgh, what did you expect, TW scored and that was about it ….
You are right there JW, best he improve soon because no way will AW rest him and give Kos a run.
And Merts needs a rest…
Podolski isn’t that quick Scott..
To be fair Scott, Santos isn’t a left back, he has plenty skill and is typically Brazilian, he may well be ok as a left midfielder who know but I just think he isn’t suited to English football.
Ts, taking the game to them……… that comment is very apt mate the only one who got the ball and went at Schalke was Jack, we still lacked the tempo and drive and still far to much going backwards and sideways BUT as Scott says we have taken a little step forward, we know how fragile these little petals seem to be so lets hope a few little steps means one big step shortly and they realise they need to keep putting in the effort and they need to stick to what they good at and getting at teams is what we bets at not sitting back waiting for things to happen, having more pace in the side will help so of course thats where the injuries are not helping our options.
Get Baines
He looked pretty quick getting into the box for the diving header to score Rico……… He also put in a great shift, the pitch was mean’t that he ran his nuts off and isn’t quick over 5/10 yards…! The more he plays the more he scores the better he will get, we just need to make sure he gets decent service from both wings cos when the service into the box is good the bloke is there or there abouts and been a long time since we have had someone to attack teh ball into the box…!
That ship has already sailed Lee….. Big mistake not getting him..! The Swansea fella pretty consistent and good as well..!
Get any left back and not one who is a winger/left back…
Well maybe when that all happens Wath, he’ll look a lot better but at the moment he’s not floating my boat, mind you, none of them are…
My question is, where is all this sudden ‘right service’ going to come from, Wenger doesn’t believe in it so it seems.
Is that Taylor Wath? He’s only 23 years old, he would ‘kill’ Gibbs 🙄
I rate Giroud and think more goals will come….
Mind you, he wouldn’t right now, he has a broken leg 🙁
Rico,but Podolski DID create someting….cheeky bugger lol.
Capoue,Huntelaar and Affellay.
Done!!
I’m not saying I think Giroud is rubbish but he comes with a reputation of being big, strong and excellent in the air.
We all know he has a good head on him and he works hard etc etc, so why are we not using him the right way and to get the best from him.
Guess my moan is at Wenger rather than the player, although I though he was slow 😉
Nail on the head Rico, “you are moaning!”
Wath,Santos is judged harshly in a way.
His defending is a non event….no secret there.
Going forward though,he always looks good and gets forward quickly.
He is very skilful and can get a ball into the box.
He is judged by most harshly because he neglects his defensive duties and that is asolutely fair,but he isn’t hopeless,as most would suggest.
He is as frustrating as hell though.
Aaahhhh Rico,the truth comes out 🙂
Add Sakho Scott and I think you could be right…
Sakho plays Lb too….
Ok,throw him in Rico…..
Thing is though Scott we can only judge his as he is classed as aleft back but as we can all see he isn’t, he totally lacks discipline yet as an experienced player he should have the nous to know his own positional play and he neglects that as well. I just think he isn’t suited to our game nor the prem lge, wenger needs to hold his hands up and say well he hasn’t quite mad ethe impact i wanted or expected so for both our sakes am going to sell him and get an out and out left back, that’s him Rico, Taylor from Swansea. No more killing players who are always injured, when they fit then the best man wins out untill then we need quality when we know 4/5 are always on the physio’s bench. Shows that we miss a player of Diaby’s size…. when he not there we lack something so why does wenger not address the problems that glare us all in the face week in week out, you can’t run a club on “what if’s” and “when they all fit” get real, they never are all fit.
I know Lee, I’m really fed up with what is going on….
She only moaning Lee cos someone cooked her chips last night to go with her chicken… she still got the hump…!
WHy do we need Huntelaar when we have Podolski…? Pod just as clinical but as usual is being played out of position. We’d get Affellay and Huntelaar and play one left back one left wing…!
Think I’ll go and get on with some housework, maybe I’ll do it the Wenger way and hoover the floor with the iron, or dust with the teapot……
Wath,i am just saying the guy has ability,and strengths.
Yes,i would sell him asap.
Fair call on Pod,Wath…
Yep,get two wingers then.
Play any two of Pod,Theo and Giroud.
Go for the throat.
😀 Rico I expected you to say because of the goal he deserves £200k p/w.
Rico as i have said before when we are not winning I would not want me as my Sergent-major. 😀
Rico… hahahahahahahahahahaha! I hope the phone doesn’t ring while you’re using the iron!
ha ha Tsgh…
Walcott is a gonner, of that I am sure….
I have doing fine as usual scott. 😉
Just enjoying the anger and frustration in Rico’s post this morning. lol.
I have mentioned it before, me being the sad man I am I watch a lot of european teams and in my opinion, no EPL team will make it into the top ten places thus far. Even Shakhtar Donetsk are playing better than Real. 3 german team will make it into the top 5 place Barca and Malaga. What do you thing Scott? I know you watch other games too..
😆 Lee
Lee Lmao at what you said at 11:21 am
The world of football is changing Tsgh…..
The German league is getting stronger by the day,as is the game in Russia.
The PL sides results in Europe are showing that it’s reputation as the best league in the world are debatable,at the very least.
Exactly scott the formation doesn’t allow us to get at teams the emphasis is on defensive tactics rather than attacking the opposition, why is this… simple in my mind, wenger knows we don’t have a dominant defensive midfielder so plays with two there to try and cover our deficiencies which doesnt help and also now hinders our attacking play. Any two from Pod, Theo or Gir up from with at least one proper winget in a 4 man midfield with one being a proper dominant defensive player, Is Capoue that player..?
Rico,i just heard Arsenal have upped the anti…..they have offered Theo 85k a week.
Wath,i don’t know how to respond…you have covered everything there!,
I also heard Rico offered TW a quorn roast dinner too….that’ll clinch it!
Fuck me Lee if anything is gonna make him leave you’ve just done it throwing in the quorn roast…!
Capoue is the man. I like Kevin Strotman too but he is a bit younger than what we need.
During the summer some fans wanted Martinez but he is sitting on the bench at Bayern so £30m …?
This season though Illarramendi (spelling) has been awesome. In AW’s fave shopping market, I like Gana Gueye who has experience in the Champions league too but Lille drive a hard bargain and after the Park saga the relationship must be like the relationship between Cameron and Vince Cable. lol
I will bring back Ryo too
Where did you hear that Scott?
Lee – I will have to ask his brother-in-law if Quorn does it for him, if so I’ll give it a try 😉
Watch it Wath, that’s two digs at my diet!! 😉
On FB Rico.
The guy is usually pretty reliable.
Nothing certain,but he seemed confident.
Theo only has his quorn on the quob,so bugger roasting it!!
Giroud is slow but i suspect he has a great sense of timing , the second goal caught the Shalke’s defenders unawares they didn’t see him coming.
Podoslki is a total footballer , we are lucky to have him, he could have scored the 3rd goal had Walcott used his little football brain and realized he was offside and leave the ball for Podolski who was onside just behind him.
Wenger should offer Walcott £90000 and nothing more , Walcott should sign , if he thinks he could do better in Chelsea, i would say he should go and warm the bench there because he is not going to get a game time.
Afellay is overrated, i now know why Wenger didnt buy him.
Holtby, we can buy though , he really terrorized us throughout.
i say SHALKE were lucky, now thats is something good to say before a game with Fulham.
Interesting on Affellay,SD.
I always wonder who actually makes a player over rated though?
When we use that label,it is almost a sleight on the player,but it isn’t the player who rates himself,is it?
Anyway…just a thought.
Thanks Scott…
SD – I too think we could be in with a chance for Holtby, but with Jack, Ramsey and Cazorla – Wenger would break out in a cold sweat…
Off to walk Fido, back in a bit….
Morning all,
Its painfully obvious Giroud lacks pace, against Sunderland in the opening game I put it down to a lack of match fitness or a full pre-season, against qpr the other week Ryan Nelson had him in his pocket all afternoon and he’s there 35 year old veteran defender.
But we didn’t buy him for his pace, he’s a target man, holds the ball up well, brings others into play and gets on the end of things.
We saw it last night with a diving header, one to the tell grand kids about, but he has to start stepping up now.
I’d disagree and say he has been getting the service but not putting his chances away, 1 goal in the league is a poor return so far, he needs to show us he can take games by the throat and start turning results our way.
Good morning gunners,
This team has the potential to be a great team until that balance is found we will continue to struggle.
Micko,i reckon our shots stat would Disagree with you mate.
Emme…agreed.
The players we bring in must allow all players to play where they play best…no more gap fillers.
I am off guys.
Only a few days til Fulham…bring it on.
Cheers Scott…….!
Scott, how many times this season have we found ourselves saying he’s been really unlucky, that his movement was great and he done well to get into the shooting position in the first place, he’s had plenty of chances.
Just wanna see him start banging them in the back of the net and going on a 4 or 5 game run, someone has to.
AW should find a tactical system that will allow a 2 prong attack. If we are to play Giroud upfront alone. It will take a full season for him to adapt. It took the greedy badger 7 seasons. Giroud doesn’t have pace and we need a speedy attack(Walcott) to compliment him. He missed the chance when he was played on goal yesterday. If Walcott had not followed up we all would have being moaning about it this morning. Manure have done it. Pursering upfront and rooney supporting.
Because we have a fragile defence we tend to play 2 holding midfielders. So the focus is not more on attacking but rather defending. This mentality has to change. The midfielders should have the believe that the defence can stand on their own with little assistance if needed. You could see in the 2nd half that our midfielders were afraid of pushing further upfield b/s of the fragile state of our defence and so leaving a gap b/w the midfielders and attacker.
Like someone mention about the CB being ball carriers. Kos did it on 3/4 occassions yesterday driving the ball from the defence to the attack and we could have scored from it. TV doesn’t do it that often
Cazorla has really dropped a level after returning from the international break. Could it be that teams have found him out or he is tired. He should have being substituted earlier in the 2nd half and not 90min. If wilshere was not suspended this weekend i would have love to give Cazorla a rest and probably bring him in the 2nd half against fulham
At the moment our coach is bereaved of idea. Our starting 11 and tactics is too predictable and that makes teams to find us out. No element of surprise
Im afraid to say its defo 2 dropped for me we were 2-0 up and couldnt hold on that says enough for me we should have been able to see the game out and the two goals were put on a plate for us really and what do we do blow it.
Our defence was awful and I mean the the lot of them I don’t know why even at 2-0 when we are in control of the game we decide to play the ball out of defence instead of just clearing our lines and I saw sagna do that a few times and lose the ball and the rest, like I said awful and anybody who doesn’t say the same must have watched a different game.
Wenger is off his head to say the ref favoured them because he didn’t the first goal yes Walcott didn’t foul Affely but the goal actually was the result of Cazorla losing the ball 20 yards outside our box and for an experinced player like Cazorla to do that just before halftime when he had options to play the ball is digusting to see and that was the result of their first goal not the ref. Then the second was a catalogue of mistakes which involved the whole defence. The only substance Wenger has and even this I am being kind is when Podolski was through on goal and the ref stopped play but then I would say our 1st goal cancels that out because Giroud was offside.
All in all there wasn’t much progess we took the lead but never looked good for it or comfortable at all throughout the game we looked shaky couldn’t move the ball quickly and keep possesion and at no stage were we in control and I don’t care what people say about Schalke but they are medicore at best and if it weren’t for around 2/3 players in their team they would be rubbish but they were far far better than us and even IF we manage to qualify from our relativley easy group we will get knocked out against any sort of medicore opposition based on what we have seen against the two games when we played Schalke and the other two games we played in the CL.
Its time Wenger realised and we all do that our team is not good enough and we don’t have any sort of winning attitude and this is compounded by the fact that our hopes now seem to be with a player who is 20 and was out for 17months we are a joke and Wenger, Garzidis an the rest of the mob that make up our board need to admit it and do something about it quickly or we will all be left counting the cost of selling our best players every summer and replacing them with bargin basement replacements I mean our captain apart from his 1st year with us has been far to error prone and he is OUR CAPTIN FOR GOD SAKE Adams or Veirea wouldn’t let him do their shoe laces. When are the people at the top going to wake up and see that we need change and fast.
I want to point out that I am a huge fan of Wengers and have never said a bad word about him but recent performances and comments, i.e. the ref against Schalke and Man U being against us and forth place is a trophy have made me see that he is far to stubborn and patronising and seems to think us fans are stupid and in his words “live in fear” when we are not stupid and we don’t live in fear we live in a real world and can see the difference in class between us and other teams now when at one stage we had the best time bar none in the UK if not the world now we are no where near close. So Mr Wenger thank you so much for all you have done for our great club and for its history you will never be forgotten but if you are going to continue down the road we have been on for the past 7 years and you are not going to see what most of the people can see then its time to move on.
Anyone else agree?
I prefer us crossing for Giroud, teams don’t expect it from us and our passing around with no penetration never works.
If Giroud gets it, chances are there’s something on for himself or players around him.
Not so sure I’d give up getting Huntelaar for Pod but hey I’ve only ever seen Pod play one game as a striker.
Saw it mentioned we’re set up to defend, not so sure there. Pod got moaned at a few times for not tracking the defender, Walcott never tracks back, Wilshere played attacking mid while Cazorla played behind him and neither really got stuck in. So that leaves Arteta alone to do his job.
Afternoon all. Well, that was a right barrel of shite last night. Why were our players slipping over so much? Why does Cazorla always try and curl the ball into the top corner of the net when shooting? Why was TV so massively out of position for their equaliser? Why don’t we try swapping Cazola and Podolski’s roles for a few matches? Why does Theo think he can play up front when he is shit-scared of even attempting a shot with his wrong foot? Why do professional footballers even still have a “wrong” foot? It’s all bollocks.
Rocky, you are right on the money.
Enjoyed watching last night I take it Rock 😉
Rock, we are set up to defend though mate we just don’t have the players in midfield that are naturally defensive…!
Painful wath!
Arteta gets away with it as he’s such a clever player but he’s hardly big rugged and dominant is he..? JW won’t shirk a tackle and puts himself about but we need him and Santi dictating the tempo not having to look at getting back to be in a defensive mode…!
When your two up we really should be professional enough to get the right result but it shows again where we are lacking..!
How many times are our players going to slip at vital moments though? It’s so frustrating. Use studs! Fuck the blades off once and for all!
Wath…. Yeah course!!
Afternoon guys and gals..
I’d agree, very painful, especially the final second of the game when we missed the chance to steal three points…
Rocky, we are pretty shite at the moment, we have turned into the love child of West Ham and Liverpool !
As much as I hate to admit, tSGH was right in his opinion about Cazorla, in my eyes. That’s not the position for him. Get him on the wings. Podolski runs his arse off anyway, so get him in the AM position. At least that way when a loose ball pops out he will demolish the thing goalwards. Not these wishy-washy attempted placed curled efforts of Cazorla. Ok, he shored one on Saturday, but he was at an angle where only that shot would work. Not directly in front of goal.
I said to my mate that at half time they should all be ordered to put on boot with decent studs so they stop falling arse over tit…!
Hi Rico/Micko. Micko, I was actually thinkng oon the train earlier “so this is what it’s like to be a Liverpool fan….. Once great but now seemingly in decline at the moment”. Not a great thought first thing in the morning.
Thing is wath, it happens all the time. Why do they persist with it? They can’t enjoy being made to look a c**t all the time as they are scrabbling about on the floor trying to get up and chase back. But yet it still happens.
By the way Rocky; if Walcot knew he only had half a leg , he could have used his little football brain to see that there was an Arsenal player on his left.
By his movement, he knew he couldn’t score he was only hoping the keeper was going to miss the ball.
To really know how bad Arsenal has become, is when a player of Walcott ability is holding on a contract decision.
Imagine Wenger offering him £60 000 when Henry,Pires,Sol Cambell, Wiltord,Lumberg , Bergkham was still in the team ?
Walcott will snatch at the £60000 just to be in the team warming the bench with happiness.
Did you notice i didnt mention Fabregas, because this guys were unbelievably good that it prompted Rednose (Fergie) to sell all his players and started spying on Wenger’s scouts, any player that Arsenal is watching , Red nose adds £5mill to the asking price and he buys them.
Very sad that Wenger wasn’t sensitive enough, we have really gone down.
WAO – it was emotional writing this 🙁
Like I said earlier, AW hasnt found the balance in this team until he does we will continue to struggle 🙁
Agree SD. He could have maybe even tried to use the outside of his right boot! Anything would have been better that what ensued.
What chance has Wenger got when the players can’t even stay balanced on the pitch? Seriously, I was so close to losing it when Merts, the umpteenth player to stack it, fell and allowed that through ball to Holtby.
He doesn’t have any such problems balancing his cheque-book.
All of then slipped, even Podolski before he crossed for the second goal.
VM slipps studs or not , he just goes down to the skysports delight it is comical
Wath, maybe you should send your CV into the club 😉
Their could soon be a vacancy….
Even if i last 6 months I’m set for life on the 3.5million I’ll earn 😉
I will only take te position if the board adhere to my demands….!
I want Lee as assistant manager and Dev as my trainer…!
IF they want me that bad those are the terms…. Oh and you can be my PR lady Rico 😀
You just casting me aside already wath?!
I’ll take kit man! I’ll sort out those bloody studs once and for all!
Kev can be the tea lady.
Rock it’s a position with a lot of stress and pressure that I am feleing already I have to get all my people in the right places can’t slag wenger off and then do the same thing, Micko can run the players lounge Bar, Smudge is barred, Ts can do team security, you can indeed be kit man, Scott will be overseas relations manager, Kev can be tea lady and obviously club President as he’s old enough..!
Emma can be press officer and lastly Goonie can be the new club mascot…!
ooooh, I bet Kev LOVES a cuppa!
Like it Wath! Get stan dressed up as Gunnersaurus! See how much “lady-slaying” he can do then!
or even the new Drunkasaurus !
Can you see Stan running about chasing skirt in that get up…?
sex-pestasaurus….
you say that Wath… a girl I know who goes to every home game always says how Gunnersaurus hangs around near he and her mates….!
Rocky, Maybe we have found out exactly who Stan really is……….?
emma – totally agree, we have good players, some even great, but the balance is all wrong.
Hi rocky..
PR Lady, are you sure Wath….. 😮
Alan B’Stard PR officer…
Welcome Mo, have re-posted your comment, sorry for the delay in letting you on….
MO says:
November 7, 2012 at 12:51 pm (Edit)
Im afraid to say its defo 2 dropped for me we were 2-0 up and couldnt hold on that says enough for me we should have been able to see the game out and the two goals were put on a plate for us really and what do we do blow it.
Our defence was awful and I mean the the lot of them I don’t know why even at 2-0 when we are in control of the game we decide to play the ball out of defence instead of just clearing our lines and I saw sagna do that a few times and lose the ball and the rest, like I said awful and anybody who doesn’t say the same must have watched a different game.
Wenger is off his head to say the ref favoured them because he didn’t the first goal yes Walcott didn’t foul Affely but the goal actually was the result of Cazorla losing the ball 20 yards outside our box and for an experinced player like Cazorla to do that just before halftime when he had options to play the ball is digusting to see and that was the result of their first goal not the ref. Then the second was a catalogue of mistakes which involved the whole defence. The only substance Wenger has and even this I am being kind is when Podolski was through on goal and the ref stopped play but then I would say our 1st goal cancels that out because Giroud was offside.
All in all there wasn’t much progess we took the lead but never looked good for it or comfortable at all throughout the game we looked shaky couldn’t move the ball quickly and keep possesion and at no stage were we in control and I don’t care what people say about Schalke but they are medicore at best and if it weren’t for around 2/3 players in their team they would be rubbish but they were far far better than us and even IF we manage to qualify from our relativley easy group we will get knocked out against any sort of medicore opposition based on what we have seen against the two games when we played Schalke and the other two games we played in the CL.
Its time Wenger realised and we all do that our team is not good enough and we don’t have any sort of winning attitude and this is compounded by the fact that our hopes now seem to be with a player who is 20 and was out for 17months we are a joke and Wenger, Garzidis an the rest of the mob that make up our board need to admit it and do something about it quickly or we will all be left counting the cost of selling our best players every summer and replacing them with bargin basement replacements I mean our captain apart from his 1st year with us has been far to error prone and he is OUR CAPTIN FOR GOD SAKE Adams or Veirea wouldn’t let him do their shoe laces. When are the people at the top going to wake up and see that we need change and fast.
I want to point out that I am a huge fan of Wengers and have never said a bad word about him but recent performances and comments, i.e. the ref against Schalke and Man U being against us and forth place is a trophy have made me see that he is far to stubborn and patronising and seems to think us fans are stupid and in his words “live in fear” when we are not stupid and we don’t live in fear we live in a real world and can see the difference in class between us and other teams now when at one stage we had the best time bar none in the UK if not the world now we are no where near close. So Mr Wenger thank you so much for all you have done for our great club and for its history you will never be forgotten but if you are going to continue down the road we have been on for the past 7 years and you are not going to see what most of the people can see then its time to move on.
Anyone else agree?
And we all know who could do the accounts, the accountfont
I feel we are a team with very good players, but an intrenched losing mentality.
Thats a bit of a rant Mo…..
I still think we have the right players, baring 3/4 just not getting the best from them….
Off to take one of the chickens to the vet to clip her wings, if that doesn’t stop her flying over the fence, then she’s off to Kentucky 😉
Back in a bit….
I think if you look at the last few months probably longer you will see that most on here agree with what you have written Mo, our problem is that if only Wenger resigns and moves on the root cause of the problem remains and that is the board? would a new manager get the backing and the funds that he would want or need..? Sadly we’re not going to know until it happens IF it happens.
You know, I used to love watching Arsenal play, but now I don’t. It doesn’t matter who we are playing or in what competition but you just know that something is going to go wrong. Somebody will fall over and gift possession, somebody will have a nightmare of a game, in every match recently somebody has. Last night even at 0 – 2 up you just knew we would cock it up.
It wasn’t that long ago when we were 1-0 up and you felt bloody confident of a win….nowdays, well it’s a fucking joke!
Yes Lee, and the crowd chanted “Boring, boring Arsenal” what wouldn’t we give now for some of that?
Hello eveybody!
what do we want with this team?
We are bad phisically; our football is strange; we have players in the wrong positions; we have players making the same with others; we are unballanced team.
I do not hope anything now in the future
W.A.T.H Re your post at 1:45 pm, I think the Emirates can do with some cheer-leaders NBA-style so you can appoint DNA or Micko as the choir leaders and myself as the one who recruits the lovely ladies for the paying public. I will even get some Theo lookalikes for Rico to admire at half time when your formation is as good as Paul Ince and John Barnes’s as you would not want to mess with lady Rico when you fail to capture a pensioer such as Mark Schwarzer during the transfer window. 😀
And please allow me to take the team to the Brecon Beacons on christmas day to toughing them up. 😉
Ha ha ha JM, Aw is learning. He only had 4 players playing out of position last night. Normally he has 5, so maybe by April it will be like the days of the invincible era when we only had a maximum of 2 players playing out of position.
Having no player playing out of position will not be AW-wise at all. 😀
Hey rocky he paid me a compliment I may have to buy a lotto ticket after all. 😀
tsGH,
There are certain members of the team that you can take to the Brecon Beacons today…and leave the useless sods there.
JW I would not want to take the Siberian warrior AA23 to the Beacons. Considering he wears double pairs of gloves in December he might out last me there in the cold. 😉
No mention of Don Vito’s superb performance last night Rico?lol
A good post on the TW14 situation
http://thepremierleagueowl.com/theo-walcott-doesnt-fit-centrally-or-at-arsenal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=theo-walcott-doesnt-fit-centrally-or-at-arsenal.
Watch it Tsgh, there has to be a fall guy under this new regime, you’d be the posh consultant brought in to do a time and motions study on Diaby, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Who half man half mattress??
JW re your 2.25 – Couldn’t agree more mate. The expectation that it will happen is overwhelming, and it really is a matter of WHEN someone cocks up, rather than if.
😀 I could have made you the manager for the diamond lounge dealing with the snobs instead.
Me the posh consultant?RMA Sandhurst could not even change my Dench-like accent. lol
Hi TsGH – Yeah, it pained me to agree with your Cazorla statement! haha!! And regarding Mannone…. Last night was nearly up there with his Fulham heroics. He was pretty good on Saturday too.
Ah Rocky, I was with you until you brought up that Fulham match performance. lol
What happened to vito after that match well….
At least I can blame you if his performance against Fulham is shite…
Oh don’t worry, it WILL be shite! I can just feel it! I’m very down on Arsenal at the moment.
I know. The balance of the team is very wrong. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was worried about the over reliance on team shape especially when we lose the ball but some thought I was wrong.
I still believe the team is always looking to get into 4-4-1-1 set-up when we lose the ball instead of actually making a tackle. Starts even say we are making much less tackles this season that last season. On the other hand some might say our defensive record is good.
Personally, I felt like Bould should only have been appointed a defensive coach not an assistant manager. Tactically he is worse than John Barnes and that is really saying something.
I really want Boro Primac (spelling) given the sack. He has been with us for 16 years, that is enough. Even a terry burton will be better for tactical awareness.
Rico- 2 points dropped.
We have no self confidence. AW, BOD and the players are all to blame for the current malaise.
I remain bearish, our Nov slump will continue with the Cottagers and Spuds.
Then hopefully AW will start being accountable for playing his squad out of position, and come clean about Diaby and Rosicky fitness.
I have a strong feeling that something will budge this time and there may be a change on the BOD.
This seems to be the first time the “AW knows best brigade” have started to falter, and turn on him.
We Love this club to much to allow it to seep into mediocrity.
Terry Waite would have better tactical awareness.
Ah the ex- Grenadier guardman will be good with his Sadaam connections.lol
Spies dont coach football teams. lol
CRAIG BROWN should replace AW. A poor mans Alex McpurpleNose
Evening guys and gals….
How the heck can Mankini not be punished by UEFA, when Wenger was…
Joke!
I did mention Mannone’s good save’s Tsgh….
Totally agree with those talking about us cocking it all up, it’s not if, it’s always when during 90 mins…
Fulham, well I bet Jol can’t wait to take his team across town….
Off for dinner…
6 points coming up,and all won in Londown town.
Mornng all!!
London even……frikkin’ Ipad!!!!
You reckon Scott?
Evening…
evening Scott.
I am championing Craig Brown or Jim Jefferies as the new manager for arsenal since we can not have the real Scotsman.
Clive Dunn has died, what a funny guy he was…..
When’s Gibbs back?
We are too reliant on a brace of perma-crocks….surely stubborn bollocks can see this??
A pal of mine told me that Podolski was moaning to German newspaper Bild about being played on the left at Arsenal….
A few weeks yet Lee I think…
Are we really surprised about Podolski moaning, we are wasting his ability…
http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/topics/german-journalist-says-lukas-podolski-isn-t-happy-or-comfortable-
Oh well, AW can now play 4-1-5 formation with all the issues he has with his players wanting to play in the strikers role. 😮
Ha ha Tsgh, we still won’t score 😉
That article suggests Germany play Holland next week, but there is no international break is there?
Come on Braga ! 🙂
What’s the score JM?
0-0 at the moment
I hope AW is watching Schaktar!!! What a team!!!! They have a strong midfield, good strikers, ans good full backs. They play like a team.
Celtic 1 – Barcelona 0
As we used to JM…
Good Evening my Esteemed Fellow Gunner Conspirators.
I am heeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!
Good question Rico!!!
Although 2-0 up I think that we did not do bad at all.
We have to remember that the other team did play as well. We were not playing a 3rd division team. We were playing Schalke in the CL. Every point is a point gained.
There were some positives. And also some negatives.
But remember that football is a game of 11 vs 11 with a round ball where the germans always win. Except this time they did not.
I told you last month there was another in November after the fulham game for only 3 -4 days. 😀
Song has already been yellow carded.
Ha Ha Ha Dev- you sound very positive. 😉
That’s what we need: nº7 Fernandinho – Schaktar
Hi devil, but we still surrendered a 2 goal lead 😉
yes JM. I like De Jong of Ajax
I’m stonish with the quality of this team… maybe a quarter of the wages of chelsea
completely amazed…
I must have missed that Tsgh, silly me…
JM that was my comment earlier this morning at 11:24 am. That is one reason why I am worried because on paper if we were playing how we played 2 years ago we would be champions this year. I do not believe any english team will make it into the top 10 teams in europe.
Yes I agree about that Rico. We did surrender a 2-0 lead.
We could have closed up more.
But at least we did not loose.
Dev do you see how discipline Song is? I told you the role he was playing for us was tactical. That role is played exactly like how Rossi and Khedira are asked to play.
Watching Barca playing is like watching paint dry on the wall. We are definitely Barca Annex. 😀
And that is the problem. Many of our players are either undisciplined or else they are told to do something which is different to what is supposed to be done.
The major problem is that of the coach wanting the players to adapt to the system. Yes we are Barca’s annexe.
SAF does not give a shit to what others do. He adapts the team system to the players he has. And that is what should be done not the other way round.
I understand that devil, just I find it hard to accept that we can’t be more disciplined….
But, no point in me keep going on 😉
devil, been saying the same for a long time. Need a winger, sign one, need a striker, sign one, need a left back, sign one.
Don’t sign a few players and make them fit regardless….
Which goes back to Giroud, big lump of a forward who can head the ball, so we pass along the ground 🙄
All this simply points out that AW is just like a bunny caught in the headlights………”Which goes back to Giroud, big lump of a forward who can head the ball, so we pass along the ground (Rico)”
His obsession with little ball players who can interchange positions at will and still win is hindering AFC big time.
Braga!!!! 1-0
Shacktar 2-2 it’s one of the best teams of the champions League
Braga 1-0 up against Manure.
RVP soon to warm up if they do not score.
BDW I was delighted the ladies won. So now its the quarter finals.
Surely the ladies are better than the men.
Vic Akers for AFC manager.
Just added the ladies result to tomorrows post devil, they did well….
I’m off guys, catch up tomorrow…
Night all….
That is why I believe the experiment has gone too far. The type of football he wants to play can tolerate only 2 players playing out of position like Ljunberg and Wiltord example. Barca have a player (Alexis) playing out of position. AW on the other hand has gone to 1987 and 1996 style of play deployed by Cruff and himself where you have up to 5 players playing in un-natural positions.
Some experiments are too much.
Hasn’t Vic retired from the ladies game?
BREAKING NEWS – PLAY SUSPENDED AT BRAGA v MAN UTD
Floodlight failure.
The idea that AW might have is that of 5 defenders and 5 advanced midfielder who can interchange their position. In a certain sense it is a good idea………..it can mesmerise the opposition.
But it is highly flawed and risky.
Good night Lady.
More Breaking news……..SAF caught on tape during the halftime talk slipping a rather large envelope bound by elastic bands into the hand of the tea lady. It is widely known that the lady’s hubby is the stadium electrician.
Lmao Dev
MU are hanging by the dead-skin of the rednose
I am back.
I just dropped our South African Gooner at the airport……she had an absolute whale of a time.
Rico,yes,i reckon we will get 6 points in the next two games.
Devil,i am with you.
To question our performance is to question the quality of Schalke,and they have proven recently to be a side of great quality.
Tsgh,Brown and Jeffries……i don’t really know enough lf them to pass an opinion mate.
Tell us more,please.
As far as Arsenals manager is concerned,this is my dream scenario.
Firstly,Stan would demand Arsene spend 100 million in the next summer transfer window…..give him a chance with a big budget squad.
I believe any manager replacing Wenger is on a hiding to nothing.
Because of this,i think we need a massive name,but one who is happy to do a 1 or 2 season stint.
When this man is hired,i would also employ our manager in waiting…..someone known to Arsenal fans around the world.
Someone respected by footballers and football fans around the world.
A man who simply demands respect,and is gaining management experience by the day.
The two in question…….Guus Hiddink and Dennis Bergkamp!!
I did say it was my dream scenario!!!
Scott the Brown and Jefferies one was just a joke. They are old scottish coaches managing Aberden and hearts etc. 😀
Guus Hiddink Vs Cruyff. Huddink always wins even though the later is far superior. Its like the old Kung-fu movies where shaolin always beats Lama.
Sorry mate…….it has only been the last few years i am able to watch much football,so even some of the old school English guys names go over my head!!
Oh,and it is early here lol.
Hiddink as a mentor for Dennis……what do you think?
Hong Kong Phooey was always top dog Tsgh.
Well done Celtic, out-standing, Fabregas coming on for Song after 70 minutes, how times have changed.
i wish we had that fighting spirit of celtic, imo forester & wanyama, would improve Arsenal..
AW: buy Fernandinho – nº 7 Schaktar
We should sign Tony Watt . Watt a great young prospect and exactly in one of the position’s we need.
Jm
Agreed on Fernandinho what a player . Why not get Arsene to take Willian as well 😉
Wait ɑ̤̥̈̊ munite… Were we told by PHW/IGthat Van Persie was sold purely O̶̲̥̅Ϟ footballl reason??Am only asking???
We nurture such ɑ̤̥̈̊ class Talent & MU there reaping what we should be enjoying. Such ɑ̤̥̈̊ class player
United couldn’t win there match not until he came I̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ for Welbeck & equalised there goal from nothing thereby propelling MU to victory. Indeed he Ȋ̝̊̅§ ɑ̤̥̈̊ great loss to us not after making him †ђξ player he Ȋ̝̊̅§ today… Only FALCAO matches his predatory instinct @ goal & AW should get us HIM.
Don’t torture yourself BigSanty, selling the league’s top scorer to one of our biggest rivals was always gonna come back and bite us in the arse, took him less than 3 minutes to show us up on Saturday, still we got 24 million for him and they got a 29 year old crock who can’t stop scoring goals, something we can’t buy at the moment.
And that is the issue Micko….the money wasn’t used to replace him!!
Scott, I really can’t understand people who say we are better off without him in the side, plain crazy, fantastic striker, even more dumbstruck we never went out and spent that dosh we got for him as you say.
Liam Brady is on the box at the moment saying the so called rift between Wenger and Bould is complete nonsense, made up, no truth in it, he’d better watch his halo don’t slip, dunno whether to believe him or not.
Gonna call it a day, no skiving Scott…..laters.
You muck raking again Mick?
Hi Kev, goodnite Kev, Mertesacker takes two lumps of sugar in his tea.
Micko,i am not sure how to get this out……i think we have a better overall group,if we take that one single position out of the equation.
Giroud should be our Plan B,not our Plan A.
Ok,RVP is gone,but Giroud was never going to be a like for like replacement.
At the very,very least,we sould be playing two up front,because it almost takes two players to replace an RVP.
Any two of Theo,Giroud and Podolski should be tried in my opinion.
Even over the last two seasons, we ALWAYS looked better when chasing a game and having two up front.
I really do not understand Selling RVP,not replacing him,but then not throwing two strikers in…….for all my support of Wenger,these are the decisions even i can’t defend.
See ya Micko.
Morning Kev…how are you champion??
Just read a nice little piece on Jack.
He reckons he felt better v Schalke than three days earlier…coming along nicely.
It might sound strange,but his red card and resultant suspension may just help on the long run.
Little enforced breaks this early in his comeback will be good for him.
Hello Scott, you ok..?
I’m looking for a job that’ll take me home mate.
I am going well Kev…..oooking forward to sticking it to Fulham.
We are on the upward spiral again,i am sure.
I just read Podolski has announced his want to play in a central position.
Him or Theo……..for me,no contest,but what to you think??
Gotta say Scott, that they need to try something different up front, because Podolski is wasted out wide.
Agreed.
Two up front…..attack.
Our defence is better this season,so lets score some!
I’ll tell ya what Scott, I do hope that Gibbs is fit to return this weekend.
We have really missed him.
Could do with AOC coming back as well.
And despite many understandable sceptics on here re: Diaby, we’ve bloody missed him too.
Scott, I kinda agree with you re: Jack.
His suspension prevents Wenger from overplaying him so soon after his return.
If Ramsey isn’t fit, then I suppose that Coquelin is the obvious replacement for Wilshere.
Unless AW really goes ‘Off the Wall’ and picks Arshavin?
As for being a ‘Tea Lady’, Mick, i’ll have you know that i’m very fetching when i’m wearing my pinafore….
Earl Grey anyone???
Nighty night Gooners.
AK,Arshavin would do the job,if chosen….as would Coquelin.
Mate,anyone saying we do not miss Diaby is kidding themselves.
Our form dipped with his injury,no question.
I dont know what position he played at cologne, but for germany lately, pod plays left wing.
But i like ( i think it wss scotts ) idea of flipping pod And santi positions – maybe occasionally, see how it goes.
Nigel,great idea,but i can’t take credit for it.
I want to see 2 up front.
morning all
G’day Bondex.
morning scott…..new post ?
Morning all…
Just had a visit from a very nice BT man…. Hopefully, finally sorted my internet probs…
Morning all…. sad indictment of things at Arsenal, last night I was trying to figure out who of our starting 11 would get in Shaktar’s team! Wonder they annual salary bill is anywhere near £143m???
They play football how we used to…. 🙁
Lee,i would bet their wage billis massive mate.
Bet it’s loads less than ours Scott…..
Who did you come up with Lee, Mannone?? 😉
Didn’t take Sky Sports long to add weight to the Podolski story….
I am not so sure Lee.
Averaged out per player,i wouldn’t be surprised if theirs was higher,but who knows?
Rico, you may laugh their keeper was the weak link…their no7 and willian would do me nicely!
New Post is up….
😆 Lee…
I have heard of Willian, is he the one who Eduardo has told not to join Tottenham?