Yesterday we made sure that West Brom had no chance of repeating their last seasons result, a 3-0 home victory saw us finally move our goal tally into the positive, so a good day’s work and a nice way for the players to head off on International duty!
We lined up: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Andre Santos, Song, Ramsey, Arteta, Walcott, Gervinho, Van Persie (c).
Substitutes: Fabianski, Djourou, Mertesacker, Benayoun, Rosicky, Arshavin, Park.
We knew West Brom would come to The Emirates to play football, keeping the ball on the ground and maybe that was behind the decision to rest the Big German today.
The opening fifteen to twenty minutes were controlled by us despite not creating a chance on goal, West Brom defended well, no doubt in hope of hitting on the break when they could.
With our first ‘proper’ chance, we scored – Ramsey sent Walcott free on the right with a perfect ball, he went for goal himself but Foster saved, the ball fell to Robin who buried it in the back of the net from close range to notch up his 13th goal of the season.
We were well in control but we know too well, one goal is never enough for us. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long for the second.
Just moments before half time, Thomas Vermaelen made it clear he was back, Robin played the perfect ball from the byline for him to smash home. 2-0 and the half time whistle went.
Our second was Vermaelen’s first goal since February 2010 and with it we finally put our goal tally in the black.
According to the stats we had 71% possession in the first half so maybe the only criticism would be that we should have scored more. In fact we should have created far more, we only managed three shots on target!! Still, West Brom hadn’t managed any…
Around the sixty minute mark, Vermaelen had a golden opportunity to double his goals for the day, van Persie whipped in his corner but Vermaelen headed wide.
Brunt had a shot at our goal but it went flying over the bar.
Ramsey was next to spurn a chance, his shot going across the face of the goal.
Roy Hodgson brought on Somen Tchoyi for Zoltan Gera in hope to give them more up front.
We were still well in control, in fact you kind of had the feeling that it was all too easy, the players seemed in third gear, maybe if West Brom had scored we would have seen a bit more determination and creativity but as it went, that didn’t happen.
Foster was forced to make a few good saves from efforts by both Gervinho and Song. Robin had another chance but this one went over the bar.
Wenger made changes, bringing off Ramsey and Gervinho for Rosicky and Benayoun.
On 74 minutes, we got what we were all crying out for, ‘One More’ – and it was Arteta to get his name on the score sheet after finishing well from a Robin van Persie cut back.
Sixteen minutes from time, Van Persie touched the ball back for Arteta to sweep home a third. Game, set and match.
3-0 and West Brom finally came alive, just like we did in this fixture last season, however they wouldn’t score today, despite a couple of half chances towards the end.
So, another three points chalked up, not the best display by the boys but who cares? It can’t all be fancy and perfect each game can it?
Now it’s the boring break again, the time I fear the most as our players head off to play in silly meaningless International fixtures and most I believe are friendly ones. Wenger has already said the Robin is running on empty and if he is, others must be too and injury is a worry.
The next two weeks are going to be awful……
Good morning guys and chicks.
Good post Rico.
Morning all, hi devil, thanks re the post, a quick dash of one today 😉
Morning people…great win huh? Still buzzing. Just can’t get enough of arteta’s goal. From the build up to the finish….CLASS. Great to be a gooner this morning.
Hi goonster, i think we still had a few gears to go too, we looked like we were in cruise control – maybe that was just the link 😉
morning
did anybody see match of the day last night.
they show the goals but did’nt comment on the game (if you blinked you would have missed them) if the score had been wba 3 arsenal 0 they would still be replaying the goals this morning.
Have you guys seen van basten’s comment on arsenal? Brought tears to my eyes. Good to see that we are loved even if not by the british press and populace. Come arsenal.
I hate international fotball…..it’s so pointless.
Morning all….
For those who did not see the game…….
http://arsenalist.com/video/?id=Ap4MkpPheucog6Fg&t=videa
ENJOY A SOLID PERFORMANCE
hi mog, same old same old Beeb then, idiots…
goonster, haven’t seen it, what he say??
You and me both TT, important ones are bad enough but friendly ones, just pointless! Morning to you too…
Hey Mog, Same here in Ireland, only goal highlights, no analysis.
Was solid alright, Koz and Verm where very solid at the back. Song does well when he realises that he isn’t an attacking midfielder. Still think we need two up front.
Still need some players in the Jan transfer window,
hi rico
like the bit about just a quick dash of a one today (post that is). it would take me a month of sundays to write something like that. i sore you ask for some help with the posts during international boardom if i start one now it’l be finished middle of next season if thats ok.
What was Van Basten’s comment ? I have always thought that he and Bergkamp could be lined up for Wenger’s replacements in a couple of years.
Morning mama bear…..he just kept heaping praise on us. From our kit to our beautiful stadium to our beautiful play. He got me to fall in love again. Oooohhhh to be a gooner.
Van Basten….
“Robin must not leave Arsenal. You can’t compare my situation at Ajax. The big difference is that Robin is already at a big club,” he said, according to The Sunday Mirror.
“Robin has been in London for six years . He can’t help it that Arsenal have won nothing in that time.
“So much has changed in those six years in the Premier League.
“Chelsea have become a big club and have massive financial resources.
“Manchester City have become a big force and are richer than any other club.
“Manchester United and Liverpool have American owners. The amount of money which is flowing to these clubs for transfers is unbelievable. Arsenal operate differently. I admire that.
“And I still think Arsenal are the most beautiful club in England. At Man City and Chelsea, they will never have that class and style.
“Arsenal have the most amazing stadium, they have a style of play, they have a beautiful shirt – in every way I consider Arsenal as the ultimate football club.
“It is the club where Robin belongs.”
Hi ESP – agree, two in Jan in the right areas would make a huge difference in the second half of the season…
🙂 mog, you get writing now then, ready for the summer…..
I found it goonster..
potter – ditto, would be something special if they did….
Said robin is at the right club. What a man!
Was good to see Arteta and TV score yesterday, we need more of that to take a bit of pressure off of robin….
Future manager that….
Does make you wonder, hopefully he’s in touch with Robin too and Dennis 😉
But I think Robin alreadys knows he is at the right club for him….
I love the bit about how when he said we have “class and style” unlike the chavs and and shitty. Made my day.
I would like to see Van Basten as future manager, DB as number two.
And Usmanov as supreme overlord….
Sorry typo error.
eastsidepaul at least there consistent, do you have to suffer that grinning, jug eared, bell end that sells crisps.
ESP you slimy bastard…..usmanov as overlord? Have you been watching star trek?
Thank god I don’t live in UK. If I had to pay licence fees and pay that kvunts wages it woul kill me…..
Great write, rico. 🙂 You’re getting better and better at this. And the House is not a long way off from 1.2 million hits! Wow. Imagine that. 🙂
Hello, all. Great results, and van Basten’s praise has made me go all warm and fuzzy inside. What’s not to love about our club? (Well, the board for one… 😉 )
Got to pop off for a bit… Laters…
Gr8 post,fo it 2 d best week d spuds need 2 lose.
Goonster – I meant to say supreme DARK overlord 😉
May he crush is enemies with no mercy 🙂
As I have said, I would love to see Usmanov send Kroenke packing, The man is a leech, and it looks like is unwilling to put a dime of his own money into the club. Arsenal is nothing but a money making venture, although results are going our way, we still need to show we are unhappy with Kroenke being at Arsenal.
If you look at United that staring price they seem to deal with it 15-18m. That would be a record breaker at Arsenal, we need to be able to take in world class players. And I think with Usmanov we could. 40m for Hazard? No problem. Gervinho was the cheaper option and he is no Eden Hazard.
rico think i might be able to do the post for the start of next season, if i pull my finger out.
i’ve already though of the title.
after wining the domestic treble and the cl final to a fab 4 own goal wot will the 2012 / 2013 season have in stall for us.
Hello agag, I see you are up early. Hmmmmmm does it have anything to do with “robin’s thighs’*winks
Or was that rico…..
ESP, you’ll bankrupt us. 😀 We’d be some team if we brought in Hazard/Gotze… van der Wiel. 😉
goonster, that was for rico. She likes everything about Robin. Cesc was my favorite. Of the young ‘uns, it is Rambo I like the best.
Morning all, nice one ricolicious.
Am still smileing.
Hey AGAG, I still expect us to live within our means! But with Usmanov there, those means would be somewhat more substantial! 🙂 And for me I think bringing in Cahill, Van der Wiel, Hazard, Gourcuff, M’vila, Afellay and Higuaín would be a fine summers business! Then we go to Barca, and take everything that isn’t nailed down! 🙂
Morning Agag Dont forget the bargain of the year Jenkinson
Morning, steve. I’m sure you had a good sleep. 🙂 🙂 I was so impressed by Jenkinson. If he maintains the form he showed last night, he would be some player!!
ESP, vdW and Affelay, now you’re talking. We need more of those Dutch treats, methinks. I doubt Higuain is going anywhere, but it is nice to dream. 🙂 I haven’t seen much of M’vila and I thought Gourcuff was pitiful at the last WC (when he was heavily linked to us).
or the bargain of last season kozzer! Morn steve…
I’ll second that Goonster turned out a good un i had my doubts you never did, good on ya
Thanks my man…..but we ve really missed verm. You could see the difference he’s made in a couple of games. The sliding tackle on tchoy was the icing on the cake. My captain any day.
AGAG Gourcuff wasn’t great last WC, but neither was any French player! He is quality though, trust me 🙂
Anything happens to Robin and i second that ,but at the mo robin has the team eating out of his hand , i must agree i like the captaincy in the back half of the team, but Verm is doing a great vice captains roll for the time being.
jobs to do catch you later
Afternoon Gooners.
Marco Van Basten. A man with great taste.
Loved him as a footballer.
Like him even more now after those kind words about our club.
Great post Rico….
As far as MotD is concerned.
At first i was annoyed.
They’d never do that to ManUre.
Then on reflection i thought, ‘so what’.
Do Lawrenson, Hansen and Lineker really have anything to say that i’m at all interested in hearing.
No!
Blimey Utrecht beat Ajax 6-4…..
What a game that must have been.
Hello Kev, you rambling to yourself again,
Still be nice to get a bit more than 5 minutes airtime though, some of us peasants don’t get to many games.
Hello Mick.
Yeah i was doing a StevieP and talking to myself.
Still couldn’t agree though…!
You haven’t got Sky then Mick….?
I got shot of them about 4 years ago.
The only thing i miss is the extended highlights.
Used to get SkySports News on Freeveiw, and that was good.
But those wankers took even that off.
Haha kev,
knocked sky sports on the head last season, prefer to go down the pub to watch the games, only problem is the best pub in town is also an official man united supporters club bar so I usually end in in the hotel just for peace of mind, they have a big screen so its just as enjoyable.
Having said that I’ll probably switch back to sky again in the near future, drinking laws have got much stricter over here in the last couple of weeks.
Afternoon guys and gals….
I like it rico, that’s magic.
Good on you mog, looking forward to 2012 😉
Who keeps mentioning Robin’s thighs 😮
Come on the Fulham 🙂
Oops
bollox…
1-0 to the scum
Rico, i think you should rename this blog to something like;
Robin’s Thighs…. 😉
Wow, Stoke RFU are imploding, 3-0 down at Bolton.
Fantastic…
Couldn’t happen to a better club.
😛 AK….
Hoooorah re Bolton, i really like Coyle
Now we need Fulham to get a goal or two, don’t know how they are 1-0 down….
Are you watching it on Sky, Rico..?
Yeah, likewise re; Coyle. He plays the game the right way.
Good afternoon!
They still winning… 🙁
I am AK, whilst doing what i so often do and that’s cook 😉
Hi JM, they are but I don’t know how….
And Van Basten didn’t speak about them:-)
I’m watching the game
Hahaha….. Bolton 4-0… Go on stick 6 past the rugby mugs.
Yeah Rico, i’m doing dinner as well,
roast chicken….. or
roast galinha…. just for you JM. 🙂
yes chicken=galinha 🙂
0-2 🙁
Get you AK – a roastie 😉
I’m bloody chuffed for Bolton, would hate to see them relegated…..
2-0 to the scum 🙁
Scummers are leading you guys…..
Fulham have had many chances, they need a goal scorer….
That the spuddies are leading is so eurgh. 😕
2:0 bummer!
Hi agag – indeed….
Oh and boo!
rico, if only for one game, I hope we could loan Fulham Robin; the scummers are soooo annoying. That vdV has a mouth on him. I want to punch it. Hard. 😉
bolton 5-0 final score
nice result bolton… 🙂
Nik agag, never robin … 🙂
Haha. I keep forgetting we should keep him wrapped in cottonwool. 🙂
As for Nik, it would be for the best if someone just bought him. 😉
Ha ha ha, Stoke RFU suffered a real ‘ Up and Under’.
5-0…..
Now if Fulham can only get their finger out….
Wow, that roast galinha was superb…..
Boo agag. It must be late in your part of the globe.
You are a night-owl…. 😉
Agag go to bed dammit. You ve got work tomorrow don’t ya?
Guys, what is the new celebration of goal scored all about, they look like they are doing the birdie song dance 😉
Gimnastic won 5-0.
Don’t know if our loanee Galindo played.
Lorient are 0-0. Joel Campbell is on the bench.
agag doesn’t sleep goonster, she works too hard 🙁
1-2 🙂
Tomorrow’s a non-working holiday, gents. Eid al-Adha, I think. I should research what that means. 🙂
Gimnastic AK, that must have been an entertaing game – flips, jumps and spring box for 90 mins 😉
Did they play on a mat 😉
Gimnastic is from whre? I know a few teams with that name
Spurs are tired…
Come on, Fulham. Come on. 🙂 rico, I get a lot of work done in between chatting. Multi-taskers, we are. The men would know nothing about that. Haha.
Rico…. 😆
JM, Spanish 2nd division
Gimnastic De Tarragona
What do ya mean agag.
Multi-task, huh.
Bet you can’t wire a plug…. :P:
Oyyyy AK,
You may wire a plug,
But you surely cant wire
the mouth of AGAG
Back from my first defeat of 2011. Lost 1-2. And since january that makes it P31 W18 D 12 L1. F 47 A 14. Not bad.
ok, allez. There are many teams Gymnastic in Argentina, Portugal, Spain,… special those founded in the end of the 19th century or in the begginning of the 20 th century.
multi task agag, men would not understand that saying 😉
come on Fulham, get a point…..
I can wire a plug AK 😉
A few chances for Fulham but they are also very tired
I dont care about fulham getting a point….its the scum loosing two points which I want.
A clear penalty for Fulham !
Opening a beer while operating the remote control at the same time, that’s proper multi-tasking.
The spurs result just confirms its gonna be a real scrap for a top four place this season, the cream always rises to the top.
1-3
Rico… you ol’ clever cloggs… 🙂
Bloody lucky scumbags. 🙁
Oi, Devilgunner! Easy. How are you?
There’s nothing I can’t do, AK. Or nothing that I can’t ask someone to. 😀
rico, Micko’s idea of multi-tasking is every man’s idea of multi-tasking. Ha.
JM, Galindo’s Gimnastic are in the Spanish Liga Adelante
JM, spot on – they could have had one earlier too i think….
Micko, there is also another saying about, turds, they never sink 🙁
Talk about lucky!!
Off for dinner, back in a bit….
Nice one Mick.
What about lifting your feet to allow the Mrs to vacuum by your chair whilst reading a newspaper and drinking a cuppa, isn’t that multi-tasking…? 8)
Tired Agag. A bit pissed off because I was hoping that my team will last for 5 more games so that I could end 2011 undefeated but that’s the way it goes. The last loss I had was on 20th dec 2010. But I am proud of my boys.
AK, tut tut. 😛 Exactly what I was saying.
Agag, is there no end to your talents… 😆
Do i watch Motd II tonight and see those lucky scummers or not?
Decisions decisions.
rico, sounds like a job for dyno-rod.
Awww. I hope you didn’t give them to rough a time. 😉 Tell them to do an Arsenal. To summon their “mental strength”, “play without the handbrake on”; maintain a “good spirit”. Haha, I’m channeling AW.
Hey DG, you’ve just gotta go again.
Don’t do an ‘Arsene Wenger’ and lose a couple more on the trot after seeing a winning run come to an end.
I saw the last 15 minutes AK and I ended up wondering what Fulham had to do to win. Even in the last 15 minutes they did enough to win. Statistics show that Fulham had 23 shots on goal. The Scum???? only 6. Lucky fuckers.
DG, did you give them the ‘Hairdryer’..?
The next 5 games are all winnable. But what counts is how many boys make it to the next level which counts. I am hoping for about 2 or 3 from this batch of kids. For me that would be great.
It won’t last folks, we all know the scummers.
There’s bound to be a lasagne moment waiting to kick them in the rollox…
I’m going to watching anothergame and working at the some time.
The scummers won’t last the distance. They’re just two injuries shy of reverting to… nothingness. 😀
See agag, JM can multi-task. 😀
No hairdryer from me. I am proud of this set of lads.
JM’s just pretending. He can’t do it. Hah, I am kidding JM. 😛
The last two games from the scummers have been a touch lucky for them. Get Bale and VDV out of the picture and their wheels will come off quicker than a formula one pitstop
Lasagne AL???? so can we call you GARFIELD????
I meant AK not AL!!!!
I’m always in a multi~tasking
Multi-tasking à la Micko/AK. Haha, JM. 😀
Garfield and lasagne. 😆 And Binky the psychotic clown. DG, I hope you unearth the next Messi, and dispatch him soonest to AFC. 🙂
There you are agag, JM is balancing half-a-dozen things whilst working.
Just like me…. :P:
I wish agag. our level here is far down the ladder than sending the next best thing to AFC. Still you never know. I have been coaching for 18 years now and still dream of seeing one of my players play abroad. Up till now….zilch. 🙁
DG, you can call me what you like as long as you don’t call me a scummer….
Okay, okay. I believe you gents…. Just as I believe the spuds will win the league. 😎
agag… i knew we’d convince you in the end.
Rico knows it’s true…. 😆
Kev, do you remember the chef appearing on the local news London Tonight at the time to deny he was a gooner, it was comedy gold, poor ole tottenham.
No Mick, i must have missed that mate.
Wonder if you can get it on You-Tube..?
I’ll have a look later.
But you just know that the scum are gonna mess up.
It’s in their DNA… 😉
DG, it will happen. Watch out for talented ones, with growth hormone deficiencies. 🙂 Very Messi-esque.
…ha ha ha ha ha ha
That’s hilarious stuff AK
Its in their DNA……..
lol
Where is rico, that’s some big dinner she must be having?!
Sleepy now! Have a lovely Sunday, everyone!
Goodnight agag.
Pleasant dreams, swipey dreams…. 🙂
I’m off now. See ya Gooners, take care.
Boo….
agag – i had to cook it first 😉
rest well and catch you soon….
Night AK, you have a restful evening too….
Good night AK. have a restful night. No brooms or cauldrons.
cu amigo
and a good night to everyone. Had a hectic day today and now I am knackered.
Off to pillowland
Well, it seems everyone is heading off out the house, night devil… have a good one…
Guess that means there is only one thing for me to do….
And that is to say nighty noght and cath you all tomorrow….
Be safe all…
Nighty….
Fabregas scores for Barcelona
Bilbau 1 Barcelona 1
Micko. This is just for you mate… 😀
New One up