Apparently the Chavs are having a clear out and will be looking to bring in new talent in January and Vargas, who has been linked with us recently is top of their shopping list. Well, I’m sure the striker from Chile will be watching on tonight because if the Chavs fail to win or get a 0-0 draw, they are out and I’m sure he’d like to be playing in the Champions League in the New year!
Still, if they get him, we have nothing to be afraid of, the 22-year-old has managed just 17 goals in 50 matches – we have that already in Chamakh…..
Ok, enough of the Chavs, let’s move on to our match tonight against Olympiakos, it’s almost like a meaningless rubber in tennis but we shouldn’t treat it that way.
It’s the 200th Champions League fixture for Arsene Wenger tonight so let’s hope the boys do him proud.
It’s another chance for the understudies/reserve players to wear the red and white shirts with pride, put in a great performance and come home having beaten a Champions League opposition.
Just imagine what confidence that would give them…
Chamakh and Park will no doubt lead from the front and if there are two players in our squad who need a great game with a few goals, it’s these two.
Frimpong and Coquelin will carry on from where they left off a week ago and they’ll probably have Yossi and Chamberlain alongside them…
Vermaelen has travelled with the squad but will he feature? Hope not, we can afford to play Djourou with Squillaci and give Yennaris an eye-opening experience.
Miquel, well if he can do a really good job against Adam Johnson, surely he deserves a second chance at left back tonight?
Part of me wants to finish off by saying how this side tonight need to give their all, play with passion and pride etc etc, but:
I don’t think they need to be reminded that anymore, I think it’s something that they all want to do together and maybe that’s because they want to be where they are and they are proud……
Whoever Arsene Wenger selects for tonight’s fixture will do the club proud…..
I think we can be sure of that…
Titbits
Arsene Wenger has admitted that if money was no object, he’d spend £40M on the young 19-year-old Brazilian Neymar.
If I had the money today, I’d put it on Neymar.
This youngster is tipped to become as good Pele, in fact Pele suggests he is so good he could become better. See him at the Etihad soon then. 😉
Our 20-year-old keeper James Shea has been recalled from his loan spell with Dagenham & Redbridge – wonder why?? He went there to get playing time so surely calling him back will delay his progress?
Unless of course we are selling all our keepers in the January sales….
Have a good day all, enjoy the match later…..
Good morning Guys and Chicks of the Gunner’s faith.
Morning Rico……good points to wet our appetite for this evening.
Have a good day and enjoy the game this evening.
And that makes me number 1. Goonie are you still asleep?? Still in hangover??
Morning DG and all…
I’m really looking forward to tonight, and tomorrow 🙂
Now about Neymar. I would have him in a flash. However if it means that we will be relying on him only like we did with the slimy toad then its better if we stay as we are and buy team players. Call me a pessimist however I would prefer us to win as a team and to loose as a team, than relying on some big headed toy throwing baby to score and make goals. If RVP has taught us anything is the importance of a captain who works for the team and not for himself.
Personally I would go with this formation
Fabianski
Yennaris, Djourou, Squillaci, Miguel
Oxo Frimpong Coquelin Yossi
Arshavin
Park.
If AA does not start today’s game then it will speak volumes about him since it is a dead rubber game. It means nothing. So if he remains on the subs bench then surely he is going out and someone is coming in. Chamack does need a game however I prefer Park to him.
But expect AW to start with PArk and Chamack.
Will you be seeing the game this evening Rico????
Who is the slimy toad DG 😉
Hey, that’s my starting eleven too 😉
I sure will DG, may have to flip over sides every now and again just to see how valencia are doing 😉
What about you?
Does anyone actually see any point in taking Vermaelen and Santos??
Steve – Wenger may just want a couple of the older heads around for the younger ones and maybe one of our captains needs to go …
I will be seeing the game Rico. I may just have the laptop near the TV so that I will get to know the Chavs’ margin of defeat.
The slimy toad is the that spanish creature who I used to like. However considering how slippery and slimy he has turned out to be and how the team has developed without him has made me look at him with disdain. MP used to say that Arsenal’s team was not fitting to deserve someone of slimy’s nature. However I can assure you that we really did not deserve to have him in our midst…I have a feeling that without him we could have done better.
Spaniard??? There are only two Spaniards who are fitting to be applauded. One is a fictional hero (Gladiator) the other is a humble person….Arteta. Wish we had him years ago.
Ah, I see – yes he has gone a tad slimy these days, once loved, now forgotten in my mind ……
Do you think the chavs will scrape through?
DG,I quit drinking a week back. Thought I told you guys. What have you been on? Anyway morning HH….yesterday its pato,today neymar? Who’s next?
morning goonster – we will find out tomorrow 😉
has to be done as we run up to the window opening, saves you guys and gals having to read the red tops for the gossip 😉
rico, the point is that taking 2 key first team players is an unnecessary risk in the circumstances. With Gibbs perennially injured and TV5 being probably the most important player after RVP out season could blow up if these 2 get injured.
For what?? A game nobody bar L’OM and Olympiacos give a toss about. It just seems senseless to even name them in the squad to me.
I don’t think either will play Steve, just think wenger wants them around the squad…
Goooonnnnniiiiieeeeeeeeeee. How are you OLD fella???? Pato yesterday Neymar today and I can assure you of the name of tomorrow……………Steve Gooninho. He is amazing with balls. Especially the soft fleshy ones.
Morning Rico…have a good feeling about this window. Don’t ask me why but I ve got a good feeling about it.
Can our result tonight affect who comes 2nd and 3rd??
Yes Rico. It can affect all the places bar the 1st. I hope that Olympiakos and Marseille finish 2nd and 3rd so that Borussia finish outof Europe and will have only the league to concentrate upon. It will also free up Gotze and Grosskreauts, whatever the newspapers and toilet sites say.
Seems is does,
Is there any penalty for fielding a ‘weakened’ side in the CL group stages? there shouldn’t be but we know how stupid the rules can get…
Hey DG is he any good? Steve gooninho,huh? Has a ring to it too. Hope we get him*winks*
So Gooninho what are you seeing so exquisitely delicious regarding the window?? Will you demand a large signing on fee or else you prefer to be given some brazilian boucing balls??
Personally I would like to get Cahill and Reus and Podolski. To hell with the rest….Hazard included.
I read that Goetze team mate said he is going nowhere….
DG – If Marseille and BD get knocked out of the group, will their players be cup tied if they move in Jan, something makes me think they will…
Rico ours is not a weakened side. I pointed out yesterday that we have international and CL experienced players in that team so no one can throw that at us.
And if there are penalties then we have the utmost faith in Flappy. He can simply save them. 😆
Yes they will be cuptied. However they can play in the league no??
back in 45 minutes time.
Arry is hoping to get Cahill in jan according to the paps, but chavs want him too….. 🙁
I still think we’ll get a short term fix in Jan, ie Anelka, then sort the striker situation in the summer, unless Chamakh is sold on in jan….
Here we go again! Rico enough with this cahill crap. Its not gonna happen. We don’t even need him. The prick got himself sent off over the weekend. We need a decent striker and a good creative player…..top class that is!
And the FA Cup 😉
No way, I wouldn’t touch anelka with a long stick. We need better.
Most of my chavs mates can’t even stand him…he’s erratic in possession and spurns chance after chance. I ll rather we play park instead.
i want arsene wenger to sign gortze podolski and nyemar on janauary transfer 2012
I know we do goonster but we are talking wenger here, he’d see him as the perfect player to join til the end of the season and cover for chamakh at the acon….
I would buy that German (Turkish) winger who plays for Hamburg SV name is Gokhan Tore. the kid is the next big thing “watch this space”!! incidently he was in Chelsea acadamy and sold last summer!!
I ll have Henry instead….there’s something about anelka I don’t like. Can’t put my finger on it now but……he looks creepy with that beard and bald head and besides he sulk all around the pitch. He ll ruin our newly acquired mental strength”…..anelka ll ruin our dressing room.
Welcome Victor and Rokabox, not heard of Tore…
goonster, but Henry will be going back to USA in Feb
Yeah but in february gervinho should be back from the ACON….rico we don’t need anelka. End of.
So you are saying we don’t need a striker?
We do but not the likes of anelka…..hey how about doyle? You ll like that won’t ya?
I’ll re-phrase that..
If it’s between Anelka or no-one in Jan, what is best for Arsenal?
Doyle or no-one, yes, in a flash as he’d score goals….
I’m talking five months goonster, that is all – players are over priced in jan and as much as i hope to be wrong, i can’t see wenger paying 20/30M just for one player…
That’s the kind of money he will have to spend in a silly jan window
Any half decent striker would convert some of the chances this team creates…what does that tell you of back-up strikers then?
Morning BTW!
For me Doyle would suit our style better than Anelka. He is used to hold up the ball, he would bring others into play, he will score goals and he is suited to the premier league.
Anyway I don’t think we ll be signing a striker on a short term. Not if we don’t offload chamakh and park.
Hmmm DG agreeing with me? Its a sign of the apocalypse. The end is here folks.
Morning Lee – exactly, even Anelka 😉
Guys – i don’t think Anelka is the answer to our long term plan but all i am trying to say, if it was between him and nothing in Jan, surely it has to be better for the run-in?
We can’t rely on Chamakh, who will be gone for the whole of Jan then no doubt need another 2/3 weeks rest – and even if he does play he can’t score for toffee and Park has been bought for one thing only imho….
And thats to sell merchandise…
Morning Gooners.
Morning Rico. Good post.
Morning Lee & DG.
Morning Staninho.
Got mixed feelings about Anelka.
Morning AK,
i can understand why after the way he left but, he has said he wished he’d never listened to his brother and should have stayed…..
Hi ya kev, anelka snubbed us for madrid. We don’t need him. I can’t stand players who think they are bigger than the club.
Staninho???? Buhahahahahahahahahahahaah.
That has cracked me up.
Morning AK.
Rico…tell him to shove it. He wanted to leave cause he felt he was bigger than us. I never saw him play for us but so glad I didn’t. At least I saw hleb and look at him now.
I suppose on a short trem deal until the end of the season Anelka could do a job.
But i’d worry about the effect he would have if he starts aggitating again.
Also i doubt if he’d join unless it was on a longer deal than 5 months
Anelka was awesome for us, he’s one of a few who i wish had stayed…
i’m not sure he would these days AK, he’s at the end of his career and would just be grateful to play for us i think…
he has said that he already knows where he will be playing on the 2nd jan, will be interesting, call me an old cynic about wenger, but you watch him go get him, alex and malouda 😆
Morning all,
Horsey face’s boat has long sailed, always wondered how good we would have been with him and thierry up front, didn’t like the way he left arsenal, said he was treated worse than a dog and that bergkamp and overmars wouldn’t pass the ball to him, his brothers were his agents at the time and were only interested in mind games and getting themselves a shed load of money with his move to real madrid.
As for doyle, we’re better than that, would like to see a bit of quality come in to support rvp this january, I don’t think that’s too much to ask for, we don’t need another average run of the mill striker, we have enough of them lining up around the block.
What? No way. Malou who? We don’t want ex chavs. No way. I ll lead a protest to the emirates if we sign the aforementioned players.
Not sure what the answer is tbh. A deal for Henry could be too complicated, even if we’d all love to see TH14 put in a farewell cameo for 6~8 weeks.
Not sure i’d like to see Wenger dive in for some ‘Big Time January Charlie’. Another expensive underachiver like Arshavin for example…
Wenger has to be carefull not to bring in some herbert who is gonna upset the dynamics of the dressing room.
At the moment, everything is going swimmingly.
It’s a tough call for Wenger.
Damned if he doesn’t.
Damned if he does!
Hi Micko
Looks like i’m alone then in my thoughts 😉
goonster – i know we fans don’t want them, but it’s wenger we are talking about…..
Spot on AK – and in Jan an extra 5M is added on if not more, to any class player – i honestly can’t see him buying in jan, unless as he said, one of our strikers gets injured…..
Is Chamkah playing tonight 😳 😳
Oh, by the way – fab result last night eh 😉
rico, you old cynic.
Kev, are you on a double shift, I thought you were the new night watchman.
Anelka’s sale to real madrid paid for terry henry’s transfer, the rest is history.
The Emirates Cup has been cancelled for next season… Bloomin World Cup…..
This will please you all 😛
Arsène Wenger does not think that Nicolas Anelka’s future lies in England.
The Chelsea striker, along with centre-back Alex, had a transfer request accepted by the Blues last week to all but seal their exits from Stamford Bridge.
Anelka played under Wenger for two years at Arsenal between 1997 and 1999, and his former manager believes his compatriot will leave the Premier League.
“You can expect a move but not within England from what I have heard,” said Wenger.
“I can’t reveal to you what I know because it is not 100 per cent guaranteed.”
Micko 😆
Yeah rico….I knew you watched that game with a huge grin on your face. Told my dipper mates about HH and how anti Liverpool you were.
oliver – if you are reading, i saw you comment yesterday, thanks for letting me know…
Thank God…..anelka malouda and alex in red and white? What is the world coming to?
Hiya Mick.
I love my job…………….
Kev, the only man who got all his work done by Friday was robinson crusoe.
Good article. I have a feeling that our very sudden, last minute, grab of Park away from Lille, may be a bargaining chip for Hazard later?
If AW is serious about Neymar then there is a very simple answer that could make it so ie; His buying pot is still probably £30 mill. He can easily add to that the sale of…Bentner, Arsharvin, Denilson, Almunia, Manone, Vela, Squillaci, Eastmond ,Galindo, Chamakh and Bortello…..This lot would fetch approx £40 mill and save a few million on wages. Soon I also expect Sagna to come back and not get into the team because Jenks is already a better player and we have great cover in Kossy. So add another £10 mill for him.
There you go….no problem …go and buy Neymar and Goetze too, and we will win the lot for years to come!
That puts to bed the Anelka rumour then.
Won’t stop those talentless scribblers in the Press dredging it up between now and Jan 31st though.
Wenger was in for Malouda in the summer. Wouldn’t suprise me if he didn’t enquire about him again next month. Another loan deal a la Benny prehaps?
Mick. Where can you get one of those?
Er, of the femail variety of course…
Kev would you stop putting ideas into his head. Malouda? No way.
Morning
today fixtures: BD for be second must win Marseille for 4-0 and wait Arsenal victory.
For be 3td must win and wait the score from Athens.
Marseille and Olympiakos depends on their performances for be second, third ou fourth. Don’t forget that the 3td place will be push to the Europe League. Fortunatelly we are safe and we are always the first.
devilgunner: in your line-up who is the captain for today? 🙂
I listen rumours that Cristiano Ronaldo wants play for Arsenal 😉
Hi pete, i thought we cheesed lille off too much to do any more deals with them…
Hi Jm
Got to pop off for a while…. Back in a bit….
this is what i would do to get neymar,
sell arsahvin (10m), sell nikki b , chamak, vela (25m)….
promote joel cambell our striker force:
robin, neymar, cambell and park.
now u compare which one is better:
Robin, chamak, nikki b, vela, park OR
Robin, neymar, cambell and park.
It’s wenger playing mind games Terry, no chance will he even try to buy Neymar…..!
WATH, you cynic you….he’s busy dusting down the AFC cheque book as we blog… 😉
or b)…. 😆
Would love to see Neymar playing for Arsenal, himself and RVP up front would be unstoppable.
Lee, We got more chance of the Kumar’s than Neymar….!
Boo!! rico, I still fancy us to win this one; why not when confidence is running high?
Who would not want Neymar? I still want Hazard though. I wish there were takers for our deadwood. 🙁
Boo agag.
Tea break but no rock cake……..
Wath, i make you right.
Wenger knows, that whoever he goes after, Mancini will try to gazzump him.
So, he bums up Neymar [not literally] in the hope that all the financially doped dopes go steaming in for him, namely the Spanish duo of bankrupt ‘giants’, PSG, Chavs & Shittie.
Therefore leaving Arsene to persue his intended targets in peace.
rico, I got this from foxsoccer (!); an explanation by the author some guy named Jamie Trecker re: which other team may advance in our group:
“Group F is the most complex. Arsenal’s already in, but their game against Olympiacos is a must-win-and-hope for the Greeks. The home team can advance if they beat the Gunners and if Borussia Dortmund can defeat Marseille. Marseille can advance with a win in Germany or a draw, as long as the Greeks do not win.
There are a couple other complex scenarios where the Greeks can draw and advance, and an even more far-fetched one where Dortmund can advance by outscoring Marseille by a minimum of four or five goals; as long as the Greeks do not win. A more thorough explanation will require the use of a slide rule. Do you have a slide rule?…”
Bonjour, Monsieur Allezkev! How goes city driving? Careful you don’t run anyone over. It might be your friend, Gary. 😀 I like your theory. 😉 The Chavs did it with Mata; Inter with Alvarez.
I’ve an abacus agag, will that do?
My mate Gary is ok.
He won’t join the scummers.
Maybe the Chavs?
Hope he goes abroad if he doesn’t join up with Jack.
Devil and goonster, you do make me 😆
Hello everyone else! 🙂
AK, your abacus may come handy to our jurassic Board; might help them compute what sum to pay for the Neymars, Hazards, Patos, and Gotzes of the world. 😀
So, agag, have you done all your Christmas shopping yet?
Although, from what Wath tells me, every day is Christmas in the agag household….. 🙂
More like the Denilsons and Chamakhs agag.
KT. Your view please?
Luuk de Jong. Any good or media crapola???
Pretty much done, AK. 😉 Just the most important ones to go, i.e.; those intended for myself. 😀 Decisions, decisions. And you? Hope you have them wrapped and ribboned!
Don’t listen to WATH. All that GG has him a little confused. 😛
Nothing yet agag. A last minute rush for me i’m afraid.
Although i might treat myself later this week.
Presents for yourself are always the most enjoyable.
I’m sure that ‘you’ would agree with me on that… 🙂
KT. Gourcuff on loan until the end of the season.
What do ya think on that?
Right, tea break over.
Rico… Are you trying to avoid me? 🙂
I think men are just hopelessly last-minute people when it comes to Christmas shopping, AK. You are not alone, I am sure of it. But the rule of thumb is that of generosity. Wink wink.
We are agreed on the presents to self bit. You can’t go wrong. And when in doubt… buy both. 😎
KT keeps on going MIA; shame, Euro footie is quite his expertise. I am sure JM could enlighten you though. I can barely keep up with the goings on in our club; I haven’t the energy for any other. 😉
hi ya AGAG, why are you still hung up on that no good belgian shit hazard….he ll do a “nasri” in two years. And enough of this “wonderkids” nonsense its beginning to stick in my craw. We don’t need kids. We ve got tons of them….we need MEN! End of. You re looking mighty pretty this afternoon AGAG if I may so myself…
I don’t celebrate christmas……am a LUNAR(more like looney) so no gifts for you guys. Sorry AK.
Afternoon fine people…..
Like my sunglasses, goonster/gooninho?? But what on earth is a Lunar? Is that the same as a “moonie”? I am intrigued.
And you and I well know Hazard is good and worth having.
Merse is up in court for drink driving after his crash last month –
oops….
I have a few buddies who met Merse in a bar in America about two years back, drinking it up! Wasn’t he meant to be sober?
Trying to get sky on the laptop sorted out before the match tonight, does anyone else use it?
Hi, rico. Busy day? Howdy? Hello, ESP, Rambo was great last Saturday, by the way. 😀 Just needs a bit more grrr in front of goal.
He wasn’t bad!! Still not convinced!
Just about to watch the City game from last week that I missed!
ESP, you’ll be converted yet. 🙂 Apart from the Aguero goal, that was the most ordinary performance you could possibly see from a team worth so many silly millions.
Sorry Esp, not good on sorting things like that, i’d just have to follow the sky link… but i’d still get in wrong …
I too thought Merse was off the pop, obvisouly not anymore..
Hi agag, just this afternoon, had a bit of a clearout and took some things off to the charity shops 🙂
That’s nice, rico. I cleared out some stuff last week too. Must do it again. Still loads to get rid of.
Think we’ll win tonight?
I’m not sure we will, they are still fighting for second place so we will have a battle on our hands….
Need to play like we did against Citeh but with better finishing…..
Blatter has confirmed that Goal-Line Technology should be in place for next season..
Nine systems are currently being tested and Blatter says at least two of them have proved to be fast and accurate enough to be implemented.
Did you see my 2:55? So glad we have qualified. I’d be happy to see the other English teams humbled.
I did agag, about AK running over his new best buddy 😉
I’d rather see them all battered…. Not keen on Spanish footie these days but wouldn’t mind seeing Valencia win later 😉
Yoann Gourcuff for 12m? Interested?!
Not for me Esp, where would he fit in??
He sure would, just just Ramsey the old boot, and away we go!
I had a feeling you would say that… Ramsey is going to world class imho 😉
Good evening HH ravers and revettes 🙂
Looking forward to seeing Arsenal reserves getting a run out tonight without the pressure.
My heart says I would love to see the manc’s and chav’s out of europe at this early stage but my head says its better they remain . All three teams in the latter stages of Europe may make it easier for us to grap a top 4 spot.
Evening smudge – won’t they just drop into the Europa cup though??
Yes rico your correct . That’s why I never listen to what my head says 🙂
😆 smudge – back in a bit, just going to have dinner….
I AAAAMMMMM HHHHHEEEEERRRRRREEEEEEEEE!!!! 😆 😆
I am with you Smudge. I would like them to go out. However if they remain they will surely have their hands occupied. But they are in the Europa league…..and that means they will still be playing. Better still they will be playing thursday and then maybe on saturday.
However just the fact that psychologically (for Goonie’s sake this means mental strength and emotional endurance. 😆 ) they will be out and maybe some turmoil happens at their club, and the fact that their darlings are out, can be more rewarding to our club.
Ravers and Revettes!!!! Goody for you Smudge. On par with my Guys and Chicks.
Smudge, I feel for ya, no-one likes a smart alex !
Hows it hanging Micko 🙂
Team in full: Fabianski, Djourou, Vermaelen, Squillaci, Santos, Frimpong, Coquelin, Benayoun, Arshavin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chamakh.
Substitutes: Mannone, Miquel, Yennaris, Eastmond, Ozyakup, Rosicky, Park.
There it is mates……4-4-1-1.
Hope AA has a good game today.
I would have preferred TV05 and AS11 not to play. Why not put Yennaris and Miguel as full backs???
Then again TV05 is a great leader to have. Hope he or Santos remain fit after this game.
Hello smudge, a little to the right otherwise it’s all good, i’m off down the bar shortly to watch the game, like you say it’s nice when the pressures off.
Yeah Mick, you hanging loose buddy? 🙂
Evening all.
Evening AK.
Devil, thanks for the line ups, its not true what kev says about you, have a good evening gooners, c’mon arsenal.
What did he say then?
All full up and ready for the footie 🙂
Fingers well and truly crossed for TV and Santos…..
rico no soaps tonight just good old football 🙂
Sky planner for them smudge 😉
Micko, my name is not Alex 😉 Enjoy and catch yo soon….
Evening AK and DG…
Hi All
Arsene says no January transfers. The more we win, the more this will ring true imho
The chavs are already 1-0 up. Meanwhile we are searching to find a way through and get a foothold.
Ouch that hurt. Papadopoulos has just chopped down Frimps. The ref gave him a yellow card and has just told Frimps that he did not give him a red simply for Frimps to get his revenge later on in the game.
AA has just pulled the trigger, but the keeper was equal to it.
And with their first shot we are 1-0 down. quite predictable.
The chavs are 2-0 up.
Bugger, that’s Flappy off the list for selling in Jan then 😉
Very predictable DG, we are all over the place…..
Hi alan, well this game might make him think different….
Flappy, Djourou and Squilli were all to blame in a comedy of errors Rico.
Coq looks really hurt…….
Totally agree DG…. We are fortunate to be just the one goal down….
Could see a red card or two the way this is going….
Arshavin was at fault for the goal imo
What a joke!!
Catch the bloody thing…..
I think there were a few that could have done a lot better smudge….
quite a few Rico 🙁
…that was a fucking awful goal. Mannone you are shit.
They have both proved they need to move on Dg….
JD is having a shocker too……
Vermaelen is obviously cheesed off, he’s turned CF 😉
TV05 will be a better forward than Arsh+Chamack+Park combined
what a disaster… we just have one goalkeeper!
Why didn’t Chamakh get on the end of that Santos cross, or shoot when he was through … he is shocking right now….
Hi JM, pray he doesn’t get injured eh…..
It’s all a cunning plan so we can buy Goetze in jan from BD as there out of the CL….. 😉
It’s clear they want this more, their closing down is good and they give us little space – poor old Ox has 3/4 players on him every time he gets the ball….
And Remy from OM….. 😆
I like that idea Lee 😛
Remy has got one back for marseille
That kind of team helps the youngsters how, fucking shambles but at least the 1st team are resting. keepers are having a blinder.
Marseille could still win that one Lee… its 2-1
Santos is injured…….
But it’s a dead rubber for us steve….
What buggers me is that Santos and TV played instead of Miguel and Yennaris, should have been them in a meaningless tie.
Nice………..
Agree Dg, they should never have started this game, travel yes to help the kids but play, no!
How did he miss that?
BENNNNYYYYYYYYYY
Miquel looks good
The cross by Miguel was a peach
Chamack made a contribution after a year in limbo and Benny scored a cracker
Good job, he’s our new LB…….
ooooyyyyyyy stop these howlers shit heads.
Chamakh was going for the penalty again though, didn’t he crumble to the floor…..
Thank goodness is was Yossi on the end of that chance and not chamakh….
AA this has got to be last game for us?
He gets caught possession and doesn’t give a fuck, just shrugs his shoulders and strolls about!!!! Wanker!!
I bloody hope so Lee, he brings nothing but negative body language to this side and we don’t need that…. Sell him to whoever wants him….
That is so so unlucky for Rosicky….
FFS what good move!!
Get AA in our goal, he’s good at keeping it out of the net 😉
this is a meaningless competition anyway
A good move even…..
Game you mean Alan?
two goals in ten mins for us then?? 😉
Only another 177 corners and we’re due a goal!!!
Hi Lee
No I mean the competition. This circus means nothing to me. Arsenal is an English club and all this shite does is injure players.
IEPL is our main concerns
Napoleon and Hitler were champions of Europe for a while. They can have it
Shocking play by AA after some really good work by Miquel….
What exactly IS the point of Djourou?
😆 Lee
alan, it’s a great competition….. without it we’d have little money to spend…
how the heck did they miss that one….
Sometimes i wonder R07, its not been his best night….
Hi Rico
But English clubs are 125 or so years old and survived without all this corporate nonsense, and that is what it is
None of us are members of this private profit making business, so the money is not our concern. It has no bearing
They buy shite players anyway
EPL for me
Evening Rocky, what’s the point of a few of em out there tonight?
How many were offside then??
EPL, FA Cup, CC and CL for me, and probably in that order alan…
Marseille are winning 3-2 …..
OM winning…. Oops!!
oops indeed……
fukitoll…..1-5 down, yes 1-5 down
Oh well, no Remy in Jan 😉
EPL CL FA CC me
Marseilles!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O93CoQ5Klt0
oops – i got CL and CC the wrong way around..
PL, FA Cup CL CC
That’s me done for the day guys and gals – i’ll bid you all nighty night…..
Catch up tomorrow…..
LOL yes I love that FA cup
By Rico
Night all, bring on the toffees!
rico, if i were able to do a match report tonight, i would probably headline it something like “shoulda known better…” as it is, i cannot, even at this late hour, as i juggle family and school committments…
i can, however, offer a few random thoughts. i hate it when our side loses, absolutely hate it. but in the grand scheme of things, this loss is probably not damaging as other recent ones. we are already through as group winners, and will play the second leg of the first knockout round at home. we once again got to rest most of our first team squad – although starting santos is a gamble that hugely backfired. now we are going to see natural center-backs in both full-back positions. i see this as an unnecessary and foolish risk on arsene’s part, and that is the one thing i will be critical of him for tonight…
this performance – if not the result – should give us a bit of food for thought regarding both our young and older fringe players. i was hugely impressed with how our makeshift side peformed against city in the carling cup – i fell into the trap that many of us do when our younger/reserve players peform well, believing they are (at this point) better than they are. we have some great prospects, but most them are still raw and have lots to learn. frim, for all his passion and energy, showed this vividly tonight. this is also a reminder that many of our reserve players are reserves because they have not played well enough to nail down starting spots. indeed, we fielded several players who have lost starting spots during the past 12 monhts. when you remember that this is a makeshift side – constructed as it it for the express purpose of resting first-teamers – up against a determined, experienced side, with everything to play for, then the result should not be that much of a surprise.
that is not to say, however, that we shouldn’t have expected better from our team. all three goals were frankly disasters., the defense was a mess from the opening whistle, the midfield never really asserted itself, and our forwards were rather anonymous. for the defence, i think fab was a bundle of nerves and that transmitted to the back four. squil and jd were particularly poor, but i think fab’s jitters contributed to that. and when mannone, who i don’t think has played a meaningful competitive match since he was on loan at hull, was thurst in and conceded the embarrassing second goal, we probably shouldn’t have been too surprised. as painful as it is for me to say this, tonight may turn out to be almunia’s ticket back into the first team squad. as poorly as our keepers did tonight, the almunia ship should have sailed long ago…
it was our senior players who let the side down, in my opinion. as said, squil and jd both had very, very poor games, reminiscent of when we struggled with a panicked, all-over-the-place defence last season. but i think the player who let us all down the most was a certain andrei arshavin. his peformance and effort were an insult to the shirt and club. he gave us nothing out there, watched events pass him by, and didn’t appear interested in what he was supposed to do. it was the kind of effort that would make me embarrassed to accept a transfer fee for him. it was also the kind of effort which should cost him his place in the first team squad. somehow, i don’t think it will…
as for chamakh, he certainly put in more effort than arsh, and his performance improved in the second half, but he still cannot score. he still seems reluctant to shoot on goal, he seems too hesitant and tentative when the ball reaches him in good positions. and just doesn’t seem to have the confidence to lead our line. he works hard, he holds the ball up well, but he is the player who is supposed to score goals in robin’s absence. he is just not doing that – we are now at 2 goals in 12 months. his production is absolutely nil – at what point is he removed from the squad because he is not getting the job done? like arsh, i don’t believe chamakh holds his squad place on merit any longer. like arsh, i have no confidence arsene will replace chamakh in the squad. i will suggest, however, that since chamakh will be leaving for the acn next month, isn’t it time that we find out what we have with ju? are we just going to leave him on the bench, and pray that robin can complete every minute of every game during the acn? or are we going start giving some – most – of chamakh’s minutes to ju, in order get him ready to serve as our second choice forward? who knows, perhaps he will start playing and start scoring. i can pretty much guarantee that he won’t give us much so long as he remains glued to our bench..
as for the youngsters, miquel did reasonably well as an emergency sub for santos, and oc was probably our best player on the night. but both players are still a bit raw and need more seasoning and experience. so this match will hopefully serve them in good stead. they just need to get back to work, apply themselves, and force themselves into the first team squad.
if tonight’s result will serve to put our young players feet firmly on the ground, show our reserves that they cannot half-ass it during their few starting opportunities, and mute some of the over-hype surrounding some of our young players, then more good than bad will have come out of it. at the moment, little was lost except our current starting left back, a meaningless three points and our unbeaten cl record for this season. the real effects won’t be seen for a few weeks yet. everyone will work harder and resolve to do more with the opportunities given.
AA MC SS are shit sell them asap!
Arsenal and Chelsea have botth 11 point at the end of theirs groups…
New Post up….