Nick Nicks It In The Nick Of Time
Mar 13th, 2010 by 'holic
The thing that makes football grab you, and not let you go, is the fact that that you can experience the full range of emotions. Not just over the course of the season, and not just over a given month or series of games. As today has shown you can experience everything from complete rage to unbridled ecstasy in just ninety-six minutes.
If the mark of a championship winning side is one that can dig out a result when not playing well then it is perhaps a good time to send Vic Akers down to Waitrose for some more silver polish.
For a variety of reasons this was the much-heralded ‘game of two halves’. From the kick-off there were few surprises. Arsenal quickly settled into a swift passing, attacking mode, and Hull, desperate for Premiership survival, provided the entirely expected battling response. Their fans would have been bitterly disappointed if they hadn’t, and we would have been astonished as well.
That meant constant whistling from Andre Marriner. His early failure to take action against serial offenders Fagan and Marney meant that there was no curbing of the rising tension that was creeping in. The hosts mood was not helped by conceding the opener to the impish Andrey Arshavin before a quarter of an hour had passed. The travelling Gooners roared their approval of ‘he’s five foot four‘.
Against the run of play Hull got on terms when Venegoor not Hasselbaink activated a cloaking device which prevented the myopic lino from seeing him a yard offside. The difficult-to-spot six feet three inch striker in the XXXL bright amber shirt was brought down by Sol Campbell, and the penalty award was inevitable. Bullard imagined the face of Barmby on the ball and put his foot right through it to give Manuel Almunia no chance.
Fired up by the equaliser, and the lack of action from Mr Marriner, the ‘tackles’ became more robust. Dawson must have breathed a sigh of relief that only a yellow card was shown for his agricultural challenge on Denilson, and at the same time Boateng decided Nicklas Bendtner could do without the use of his right eye and was also extremely fortunate to only see yellow.
If the overdue issue of cards was intended to act as a warning to the home side it was not entirely a success. Boateng launched an absurd assault on Bacary Sagna’s right knee, and the only injustice was the second yellow that was shown prior to the red which will reduce the punishment from a three game ban to just one. The challenge stirred unwanted memories of the Gunners last away game.
Half-time was spent seething, just as much at the hapless official as Hull, in all honesty. If he had taken action earlier then the unsavoury nature of the final fifteen minutes of the half could have been avoided. Nobody wants to see all physicality taken out of the game, but the officials do have a responsibility to take action against persistent foul play before it gets out of hand.
If the end of the first half left a sour taste then one has to give credit to the spirited and determined performance put up by the ten men after the break. Stripped of the brainless Boateng, his team mates worked overtime to make up for his absence.
That Arsenal could not break them down owed something to the fact that only Abou Diaby appeared to be on top of his game in the midfield, and even more to some wasteful finishing, particularly by the scorer of the first goal. Anger gave way to frustration as chances were intermittently created, then went begging.
There was a contentious moment when Sol Campbell, already booked, challenged Zayatte. Replays showed not only had Campbell taken the ball, but in fact Zayatte had gone over the top of the ball, yet the Hull man came off second best and was eventually substituted. The incident would provide a talking point for the beaten manager at the end of the game.
As the ninety minutes reached their conclusion, and Hull prepared to celebrate a hard-earned and battling point, we got the first hint that this might yet be our day. The fourth official raised the board to indicate six minutes of ‘Fergie’ time. Although it was correct, I’ll agree that was a little unexpected.
In the third of those minutes came the moment, the importance of which will become clearer in a couple of months. Denilson let fly from thirty yards out, Myhill could only parry the ball to the feet of Bendtner, and the big Dane found the finish to secure three precious points.
In September Phil Brown claimed to have prevented a woman from jumping off the Humber Bridge. The Hull Womens Institute have set up a rota over the weekend to return the compliment, if required, safe in the knowledge that the bridge has been pivotal in Hull’s season.
Arsenal meanwhile will be left to contemplate the possibility that fate has better things in store for them. Thirteen wins required from the last thirteen games has now become eight wins required from the last eight. As a top Arsenal podcast might say, ‘it’s up for grabs now’.
83 Responses to “Nick Nicks It In The Nick Of Time”
Brilliant, ‘Holic. What a game. Here’s how I saw it.
The twang of a born-again (yesterday) “soccer” expert crackled forth. “Gee, look at Arsenal’s EASY run-in to the finish” quoth Wilbur the sage, the seer, knower of nowt. The implication – Arsenal just has to turn up and await greatness.
On his voice, the swirling mist in the BtM crystal ball jarred, instantly, to a halt. It coughed, spluttered, grew black as the Earl of Hull’s waistcoat and fell heavily, with a sigh, to the bottom of the glass, in pools of tears.
The ball has been constant and consistent. “Remember”, it says, “there’s no such thing as an easy game in the final run-up. And by the way, expect banana skins at Hull, Birmingham and Spudland, in particular”.
So off we jolly well went to Hull, on step one of our ten-step-tango to the title. Hull, a quaint, aromatic fishing village in the temperate climes of the English Riviera. Such are the atmospherics, that the populace glows orange.
None of the locals has ever heard of Vidal Sassoon, never mind seen him in action. Having caught one glimpse of Andrei Arshavin’s balder, unanimously, with one voice, they hope he’ll NEVER open a salon in their neighbourhood.
Unabashed by his haircut, it took our midget Russian strike missile only ten minutes to nuke open Hull’s defense. Wilbur purred contentedly, sat back and poured another Corona. “What did I tell you? Easy!” No sooner had he squeezed in his lime than poof, Andrei turned from Cossack to Comic to Cock-up, rendering a Nicky B style master-class of turning gold into lead.
Just to add to the aroma, that was growing increasingly fishy, the ref gave Hull a free penalty when a Vinegoor chip, was followed by a dive into Sunshine Sol’s mid-rift. Minutes later, a karate chop to Nicky B’s throat brought no equivalent reward. Boateng was sent off for a magnificent Bruce Lee impersonation. And suddenly, it was one each, and we were in the 93rd minute!
Denilson didn’t listen. When I groaned “Don’t shoot from there!” – he did. He was right. I was wrong. Their keeper tipped it nicely forward for B52 to bomb his 4th in 5 days. “What did I tell you? Easy!” crackled Wilbur. And, only 9 more EASY games to go. Including those Brummie and Spuds visits. Time to keep the sphincter muscle in perfect order.
Was it brilliant Arsenal? – NO. Was it 3 points? Abso-bloody-lutely. And even better? The result was achieved without Cesc, Robin, Willie G, RvP, JD20 and Rambo. Are we still toothless and clueless? Or are we The Arsenal!
A red-hot five for me, barman. Straight up.
Great to have you back, BtM. Love it!
3rd!
Good report ‘holic.
Hope the Management is much better.
Cheers
Anti-football 1 Arsenal 2. A thoroughly frustrating day but ultimately joyous.
Tip o’ me hat to you, my dear ‘Holic. Do you have some Brugal per chance? Btw, how did Boateng become so brainless? He was quite the useful chap at Coventry, Villa and Boro (excuse me as I wash my mouth out with bleach after the triple slime)
Anti Football 1 Arsenal 2. Brilliant stuff you Gunners!
I was shaking for about ten minutes after the final whistle. Not a stunning performance, but a deserved, dramatic three points that keep the momentum of this weird, maybe wonderful season rolling on.
Quick word on Denilson: not a brilliant player, but nonetheless a pretty solid one who did a decent job today. He’ll always suffer in comparison with Song, but he’s underrated and takes a disproportionate amount of stick.
Agreed Holic. Great to have you back, BtM.
vital win today. i was just tallying up the goals we have scored this season and by my count, bendtner’s today seems to be the 100th in all comps [i could be wrong though] . and what a big one. it feels closer every week now.
what can i say?? last minute winner, super nick AGAIN showing why he is so confidant/arrogant (sometimes a good thing, remember cantona??).
does anyone else feel the love??
we have 8 games left, all able to be won, my hope is that s***s get through in fa cup and our game gets postponed until our penultimate game and we win the crown at the shithole…
and can i just say to all those “fans” from the begining and middle of our season who slated and insulted wenger in his decisions and choices, what are you saying now??
even without cesc and robin among others, we are sitting joint top against two teams who supposedly were the “only teams capable of winning the premiership” at the start of the season….so i repeat..what are you saying now???
just pull your fingers out, get behind the team, we have an excellent chance to bring the silver home and we should stop bitching and start singing…roll on May 2010, its the start of something magical for Arsenal F.C…
Concerned that my 9 year old loves the “he’s five foot four song…”
Oh and abis, its 97 goals in all comps…
I’m very sorry, dear gooners. I fall on my knees and repent before you for making the beautiful game so ugly and letting my team down. I saved that woman’s life, but now it’s my turn to go on that bridge. Love you all and see you in hell.
Great post! Your dead on about the ref letting the game get out of control. Somebody could’ve been badly injured from a few of Hull’s ugly tackles. I do have to say that other than his blast to set up the winner, I thought Denilson was pretty awful today. He gets knocked off the ball way too easily, and our center midfield looked weak most of the game because of it. But to win this game at the kc without Cesc, Song, or Gallas is Outstanding! We can take the League for sure. Keep The Faith!
Holic, your a friend of the Arseblogger, please have a quiet one with him about the state of the matchday Arses!
Unless we’re 5-0 up in the first 20 minutes its like a virtual hatchet job on every player in the side.
Just who the fuck do these people support anyway?
Much as I try to inject some positivity into the conversation, I always end up getting the complete hump and just turning the fuckers off.
It used to be a nice place to go for a little banter about the cunts we were playing and the state of any available grainy stream, now its rapidly become a bag of complete toss. Did’nt he used to mod it?
Not your concern, I know, but as a respected fellow blogger, I thought you might voice my concern and be better received than myself
Nice early write up this evening, by the way, always my first port of call online after a game, whether I went or not.
A Guinness, if you would please sir
No I am Phil Brown!
Thank f*** for that…imagine if our magic season was derailed by eleven shire horses.
Our team bears no resemblance to previous models…different hero every match…today’s hero – commitment…simple as that, we just don’t give up.
Keep the faith
A cold glass of orange squash please
Sofa King – You Prick!!!! Arseblog is one of the best blogs on the subject of The Arsenal! Anyway you aren’t forced to read it!
Could someone please enlighten me as to why Bendtner was booked for being poked in the eye while the culprit was also only booked, freeing him up to try to sever Sagna’s knee minutes later?
MOTDE of course prefereed to focus on the non-foul by Campbell and glossed over this. Quelle surprise….
justin i agree, arseblog is perhaps THE best blog, have read it and this one for over 5 years-ish now, i have read a few “blogs” about my beloved arsenal that talk utter shite, so frankly i can only suggest you find another arsenal site to read if it isnt to your liking….otherwise shut ur mouth and leave us “proper” gooners to support out beloved team in this new era, as believe me this is the start of something quite frankly, MAGICAL!!!
I DO NOT WASTE MY TIME WATCHING MOTD ANYMORE FULL OF OVER POMPOUS “PUNDITS” WHO SLATE LE PROF AND OUR LADS BECAUSE THEY ALL KNOW WE ARE ON THE VERGE OF NOT ONLY BECOMING THE BEST TEAM IN EUROPE ( WITHIN 3YRS MARK MY WORDS, WE WILL DOMINATE ALL) BUT THE BEST TEAM WHO PLAYS THE RIGHT WAY AND CAN SUSTAIN OUR CLUB, NOT BE IN DEBT OR OWNED BY A DODGY “SUGARDADDY”
Not a great game, but a really great win.
@ sofa-king: I think the best solution would be to produce daily posts on a blog of your own. 🙂 You can open up new spaces of thought, and mod it to your liking! I for one will be looking forward to your work, respected man 🙂
Justin, yellow card fella. SK was talking about the comments on matchdays, not the quality of the writing on Arseblog which sets the bar very high for all of us.
Please keep personal abuse out of the drinks. Thanks.
Pheeeewwwww. Boy was that game tense! I kept thinking how they managed to ward off Chelski and Merc Citeh during the whole game and that wasn’t too good for my ticker. And I felt really bad about telling zicoinexile not to worry about the result…
Anyway we made it and that game will be part of this legendary run.
And it’s very nice to be back to the double dose of game reports. Thanks guys!
@Sofa King: at the same time it’s fun to blast them…
a victory for football
well said, Lars! I was really excited to see Theo come into the mix – love the lad and want him to do great things for the arse, and it seemed like he was/is on the verge of kicking on… however some of his crosses seemed to go into a minefield of Hull defenders with nary a red shirt in sight. Does anybody have any observations of his time on the pitch today? Think I’ll bugger over to the guardian chalkboards and see exactly what he got up to.
Way to hang tough B52!!!
Dappa, if I’m not mistaken that’s 101 goals in all comps… 🙂
Cheers ‘Holic!!!
Wow, what a thrilling finish. I expect good things next week, as Blackburn away for Chelsea should be tough and so should Liverpool at home for United.
We should be seeing off West Ham.
Pint of Carling please.
I told u lot to stop chatting crap about me and keep the faith. As u can see, I have done it once again. haha. BUY MY SHIRT BUY MY SHIRT!
snir maybe they havent updated arsenal.com as thats where i added the totals from…either way still a decent return with 8 games to go lol….
never knew about this drinks thing
mines a Martell please, and the XO none of this fake VSOP shite lol
Top right up holic.
Funny how things change. Football is so much about confidence. A few months ago I would have been worried sick about the game today. I would have feared we would have crumbled under the pressure from those cheeky chappies up North. But not anymore. Even going beyond the 90th minute I just had this feeling that we would still win the game. I just felt that there was still something in this.
This team over the season has grown massive balls. We have all voiced our opinions about areas that we feel need adding to. I have voiced my own opinions and stick by them. But to win the league you do not just need a squad packed with quality players. You need a team. You need a spirit. You need a togetherness. Over the last 6 weeks I am really starting to see that.
Is Denilson the best midfield player in the league? No. Is having a 35 year old who started the season in league 2 and ideal choice at CR? No. Is it ideal having 8 first team players missing for 2 months or more ideal? No. But we have dealt with it. We are, I believe developing into a special unit.
I can’t add much to your write up holic. Theo came on and now makes an impact. Eddie, your turn next. Denison still does all of the scruffy stuff that is always vital to the team but for which he will never be credited. B52 battled manfully up front and got his reward. All in all, a great 3 points.
Now I don’t know about anyone else but this season seems to be taking a similar shape to the 97/98 season. My memories of that season are many. I remember being dead and buried at Christmas. Too many silly defeats and we would be lucky to make Europe. Then it all changed. We found and inner strength. We went up North with depleted squads and came away with the points. These were the days of Bergkamp, Wright and Anelka. But all had lengthy spells on the treatment table. We needed a run of 10 victories to have any chance. Step forward Christopher Wreh. Now Wreh was not a great player. Never has been and never will. But vital goals against Wimbledon, Wolves in the cup and a wonder hit against Bolton on a cold Northern night just seem to typify the attitude shown by this Arsenal team. When all that talent was missing we still have the spirit to defy adversity. Ring any bells people?????????
Once more unto the bridge dear friends…….
Keep the faith.
PS :
Knobheads in block 4 who sit a few rows behind me. Yes you. Do you get it yet? Do you ?????????
Super Nic etc etc.
Keep the faith.
Beer. God’s way of showing that he really loves us…….
Great write-up ‘holic.
All the best to The Management.
………..Top write up………. Not right up…. Oooopppps
Just about too close for comfort, but just what we needed. It took grit and determination to get the winning goal in the face of adversity. Hull’s penalty was the one that should not have been, and the assault on Bendtner’s a second later was the penalty that should have been. Had he not been grabbed around the neck he would have had Sagna’s great cross in the net, of that I was convinced at the time. No doubt we could have used Fabregas and Song today but coming out on top shows this squad is committed to do whatever it takes no matter the circumstances. Oh, and since nobody has remarked that I predicted the correct score and our goalscorers in the order they scored, you may review these facts in yesterday’s drinks. On to West Ham and a more comfortable margin of victory please! Bartender, please send over a supply of Kronenbourg to stabilize my shot nerves.
2 yrs ago many gooners were trashing Bendtner for supposedly being the one responsible for the dustup between him and Ade at the Spurs CC semifinal. A few of us didn’t, esp. since it was Ade who was forced by the club to issue a public apology on the official website, and not Bendnter. Subsequently all I’ve heard is how arrogant Bendtner is even tho I’ve never heard him trash talk about himself or the club or fans to the press, unlike Ade.
Confident, even arrogant he may be (hardly a unique thing, an arrogant footballer) but I have from the start believed that ultimately AW’s faith in him would be fulfilled, but that we just had to wait for it. Bendtner never hides, never refuses to pass to other teammates for his own personal glory, he never insults of picks fights with his teammates and always works hard. He also has the knack of coming up with game changing goals.
AW has handled him brilliantly (and his comments in today’s Mirror about how he handles Bendtner’s “confidence” were fascinating).
Much as I loved the Porto home game, it is games like this that I love to see, and we’ve had very few of them. Grinding out a win, digging deep even tho we’re playing poorly, coming up with a moment of inspiration — what an amazing moment. From the toothless, clueless team v. Chelsea (home and away) and Utd (home only), the Ramsey injury has made something snap in this team. (and yes, it is an undeniable fact that we were absolutely toothless and clueless in those games, nothing that has happened since changes that fact).
It is said that good things come from bad ones. What I see in this team now has lifted my spirits more than any other time since the Bolton away game in 2008. This game and the Stoke game were better indicators of this team’s seriousness. Even if we win nothing this season (and I think we will surprise everyone on that score), for me it is now obvious that AW’s project is definitely on the road to something great.
just to prove that hulls a bunch of cunts in this article on sky sports http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11670_6024146,00.html
phil brown talks about how sol should have been red carded, and I quote “I’m very proud of my players. 10 men have harried and chased one of the best footballing teams in the country, if not in Europe, if not in the world.” right… you harried and chased them but you failed to play football
define Harried: annoyed: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances.
I guess harried is a good description of how hull played afterall.
Steve , that was a brilliant write up.
just been watching the game on Arsenal.tv and the tackle by Solman on Zayette??? what the hell anyone else notice that he goes in studs up, sol goes in studs down, he comes off worse and all those c***s try to get Solman sent off!!!
fucking bastards, how many OTT challenges they comitted during the game, was abysmal that they never had more Yellows!! disgusting marshalling of the game, and as for the headlock on Sagna!!
video technology should be there for referees to check and deal with assaults at the time, not allow these thugs who clearly due to having no ability to play FOOTBALL, result to thuggery tactics to try and bully us out of the game!
but still we got the 3 points won, now only 8 games left,
COME ON YOU RIP ROARING GUNNERS DESTINY IS CALLING!!!
p.s. yes i am at work, have too much time as its a slooowww sunday morning, hence why all these posts…lol
@BtM: please have a look at Chris’s ratings for the game and tell me if you notice the improvement?
A tough game- we just about got through it. No game is going to be anything other than a war between now and the end of the season.
Next week will also be really tough-its do or die for West Ham and they may have a better team out than this week- we cannot afford to be as profligate as we were at times against Hull.
Even if we win every game- a huge ask-it still might not be enough- don’t underestimate United’s know how at this end of the season.
Goonerholic – Fair point. Apologies to you and your readers. Let’s get right behind this young team of ours and help them to bring home that league trophy!
phew!! In all honesty, I was resigned to 1-1 until the ball left Danny boys feet and Myhill fumbled. If that dosen’t up the arse, I don’t know what will.
C’mon the Arsenal!!!
WE ARE THE ARSENAL yesterday was effing brilliant
No ‘holic pound? I want my money back! 😉
Cheers for the report, I’ll have whatever the hangover cure is today.
Oh, and nice advert at the end 😀
6 more wins to stand a chance – and I hate to say it but next week has to be one of them.
Away form (for us Birmingham, Spurs, Wigan and Blackburn) will determine the title I think but only if we win all (or possibly all but one) of the home games.
Fingers crossed for Fulham, I guess.
Matt @ 25 – no need to feel bad mate – I was given text updates throughout the game by a good friend (although that itself was hell after they equalised) – needless to say my alcohol intake went up significantly when the text came through describing the 93rd minute 😉
Dutchgunner @ 37 – see my post from yesterday – Phil Brown is a cock. (But then we all know that).
‘holic, can I have a hair of the dog please?
Morning Holics, strong coffee please.
If my posts no longer apear here I have died from a heart attack watching my beloved Arsenal. Holics blog was spot on ! Every emotion I went through Holic put perfectly. I totally agree about the ref as well. How was Fagen still unbooked in the 1st half I counted 5 fouls of which 5 would warrant a yellow card. Dawsons challenge if it can be called that was replayed and if you see Brown in the back ground you can see him jump and turn his head as if to say “well hes off” but no a yellow card. Boatang was pulling B52 to the ground and Bendtner pull his arm away which in the world of Boatang means Im going to poke you in the eye. Serious foul play “RED” but no only a yellow and one for Bendtner for getting his eye in the way of Boatangs finger. You could be blind deaf and dumb and never heard of football before and still know Boatangs assult on Sagna was a striaght red as well. I really did fear the worse when I saw it, I thought he broke his leg.
Now onto the the penalty that never was, Q. How far off side do you have to be for it to be off side. A. 2 yards if you are the lines man at this game aparently.
Then after the game Brown says Sol should have been sent off for stopping a goal scoring oppurtunity, because Brown sees Venegoor in training every day and said he scores with his back at least 4 times in training. How the F**K was he in control of the ball. RETARD !
To walk away with 3 points in a game we didnt play very well makes me feel all warm inside, as this is the year I can feel it. Nasri,Arshavin,Bendtner and Denilson didnt bring their A game and yet 2 out of the four mentioned scored how fantastic is that. We will have Cesc and Song back for our next game so all the fuzzy feelings of Arsenal winning the league are really comming through.
Brilliant blog today Holic and Fantastic piece by BtM.
@ Goonerholic
Top post as always mate!
You won me some money once again thanks to your tip (I put £2 on Arsenal to beat Hull 2-1. 7-1 odds at Paddy Power).
If only I went your tips for the Burnley and Porto game.
I’ve got a funny feeling that this is going to be the year that Wenger’s strategic plan comes through.
@ 41 – Chris THA (The Hawking Arse)? He doesn’t let me on, Matt. Cuts me off faster than a fringe by Andrei’s barber’s scissors. If there has been movement, it can only have been in one direction from Ground Zero. Is he still praying for Denilson to be injured? Is Wenger still clueless – and WHY doesn’t he start Vela and Rambo in every game? etc etc. When there are fine establishments like this, where a different viewpoint is acceptable, why trouble with the thought police?
@36 – Still continuing your love affair with the big man I see, Marcus. I can tell you miss him really. But I think you’re going have to live with the fact that you’ll never see him wear Arsenal red ever again. Tough to take, I know. But there it is. Yes, I think we’d have been 5 up by half time yesterday if he’d been playing. League race would probably be over, I agree. But, we’ll just have to win it without him. Sad really, to be so toothless and pitiful without him.
‘Holic,
Another great report and a good description of the Campbell challenge on Zayatte. A lot of other reports have criticised Campbell and compared it to the Shawcross incident (inluding TangoMan who alluded to it in at least one of his post-match interviews). In my view, this was a perfect defender’s challenge and a video of this should be shown to Shawcross. Sol did not follow through to take the man if you watch the tackle, but was just aiming to get the ball.
I sure that a few Bendtner detractors would have been out in force if he had missed the chances that Arshavin fluffed yesterday. The pitch was a good excuse though.
What a match. Great stuff . When Denilson let fly that ball had no spin on it at all. Bendtner dealt with that tricky half volley very well. although Nasri was not as influential today, thought it was odd Arsene took him off as we lacked a creative influence in and around the box for awhile. but I am not a manager and arsene proved me wrong today. as he has proved wrong alot of gunners who wrongly called for his head earlier this season : )
One of the better write-ups on the Hull win.
Holic does it again!
Excellent overview of the game ‘holic.
Great result if not a little underwhelming a performance. NB52 delivers the killer blow again. Nice to see him beginning to repay Wengers faith.
Keep up the great writing and keep on believing.
A strong coffee for me please barman…..had a little too much of the sauce (family wedding) over the last 36 hours.
read this… and revel in the utter feelings of chardenfreude
Phil Brown (17/3/09) after the linesman failed to spot an offside in the buildup to a goal conceded against Arsenal. “We’ve not been beaten by Arsenal, we’ve been beaten by the referee and the linesman. The game was turned on its head when the referee succumbed to local pressure. You’d better ask Mike Riley how much that will cost us. I’m sure he wouldn’t have the faintest idea.”
Phil Brown (13/3/10) on Hull being awarded a penalty by the referee after the linesman failed to spot Vennegor of Hesselink in an offside position. “It may have been offside but as long as that linesman’s flag doesn’t go up then it’s not offside.”
KARMA KARMA KARMA 🙂
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA — total LOL at the loony idea that Ade would be winning us this league or any league!!!!!!!! Hey, BtM, just exactly WHICH trophy did Ade win for any team he’s ever played for? Which alternate universe do you live in, fella? How many trophies have you ever seen him win, I’d really love to know! He certainly couldn’t win anything for us when he had Europe’s best midfield serving him goals on a plate — he won’t ever get that quality midfield EVER in his entire career! Here’s a certainty for you BtM: Ade WILL NEVER WIN A TROHPY FOR ANY TEAM HE EVER PLAYS FOR.
YOU CAN PUT ALL YOUR SAVINGS ON IT.
And btw, BtM, since Arsene Wenger seems to be proving everyone wrong about Bendtner (a player I’ve defended since he returned to us from Birmingham) and Song, I think he knows better than you about Ade’s worth to Arsenal’s fight for trophies. He decided we would be better without him–I think his opinion is FAR FAR superior to yours on that score. You regularly trash gooners who criticize Wenger — yet you continue to do the same by trashing HIS decision to rid us of a poisonous player who refused to work hard for the team (and who is now on the receiving end of complaints from City fans for the same reasons — just check out the City blogs).
So YOUR beef is with Wenger, who you apparently believe knows less than you do about the worth of one of his players. As Ade himself has said over and over again, it was WENGER who wanted to get rid of him, even after Ade asked to come back. SO BLAME WENGER FOR GETTING RID OF YOUR BOYFRIEND.
Quote from Wenger after the Hull game: “Like some people before Christmas, I believed we were out of the title race but now I really believe we are back in the hunt,” conceded Wenger, as reported in NOTW.
So many of us were not alone in believing our title race was over after some poor results. Wenger felt the same way.
@ 60 marcus
But he didn’t SAY we were out of it in public. That’s the important difference.
Great write-up, btw, ‘holic. Very entertaining.
*raises a GWS glass to the management*
Thanks KT. Whisper it softly, we has had a good day, admittedly after a bad night. Fingers, and toes, crossed here…
I refuse to believe that Mr. Marcus. Saying that would imply he had lost belief in his team and I seriously doubt that Arsene would even flirt with that notion.
It’s a ridiculous quote and I haven’t seen it anywhere else…if this is actually true than we’re saying that Arsene was lying every time he said that the league is competitive and anyone can drop points, we’re still in it, we have the mental strength and commitment…etc etc. It’s a massive contradiction.
Are you suggesting, ivan, that an employee of the bastion of truth that is the NOTW would have just made that quote up entirely?
Whatever will they do next 😉
Why do people even read such utter shit like Lies of the World?
Breaking news,
The Orange man has been relieved of his position as Manager of Hull.
The official word is he has been sent on ‘ Gardening Leave’.
Couldn’t happen to to a nicer fella.!!!
The sun is shining,hip hip hip hooray.!!
Browny’s been tangoed!!!!!!!!!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/8567985.stm hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
So now he’s an unemployed cock.
Get it round you Orangina.
Altogether now…
Heh,
heh heh,
tee hee hee,
Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,
And Horton is in charge.
Waaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,
Stop it, it hurts 😉
hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Brown’s got the slap!
Briaaaaaaaan!!! Briaaaaaaaaaan!
The king of thugball finally gets his just deserts, how nice that it was the Arsenal game that swung it.
Na na na na, na na na na hey ay ay goodbye
So long Brown may you always find your true level in the conference
Ollie, he’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy!
O.K, I’m really starting to feel the with Rooney’s form they might win all of their games!!!
Then again, the clash will Chelsea and the City game for them could be tricky but that would mean we need to win ALL of our games and cannot slip at either City or Spurs.
What do you guys think?
Haha, yes, ‘holic!
@Snir
I think we have what it takes to win this league, we are doing the one thing we never used to be able to do, WIN when we play bad. How many times have we put teams to the sword and came away with nothing ? Away to Man U early in the season prime example. We killed them, played them off the field and got nothing. The games against Stoke and Hull in previous seasons we would have came away with a draw. There is a confidence in this team and a togetherness that wasnt there in the past. We can not be on our game and still win. That is the story of Man U the past 3 seasons. Yes they have been impressive but they can also win when they havent been at the races. We are showing all the signs of that and to win the best league in the world you have to be able to grind out results regardless of form and injuries. To win the PL 3 years running is quite a feat and Rooney is on electric form and has stayed relativly injury free. However I would have loved to see Van the man injury free this season and see where we would be and Cesc has had a string of niggles too.
To think Nasri,Denilson,Arshavin and Theo havent had the best of seasons. Recent form has help enormously in the last few games, but still we have got the results we deserve. Add to this the shockers our keepers have had and I just think the writing is on the wall for us this season.
Massive injuries and huge indervidual errors and we are still right in there. One slip by either Man U or Chelski and we go top, and they still have to face each other.
I dont buy into this “we have a easier run in” as this league has shown any team can be beaten by anyone home or away. But as long as we keep fighting to the end I believe Cesc will be lifting the PL trophy at the end of the season and what a fantastic sight that will be.
Arsenal til I die ! Come on you gooners !
P.S
Brown you MUG hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah !
Get the Holic pound on Sizing Europe to win the Arkle 😉
@ Arsenal 1971
Don’t get me wrong, I’m certain we can win the league and I’m certain we will.
But, as much as we have the “easier” run in we don’t have any margin of error at all due to Rooney’s form, for instance – United have 4 tough games, 3 of them at home, Chelsea have 4 games tough games, 3 of them away.
But I really do believe that with Rooney’s form I can’t see United losing points at a place like Blackburn away as opposed to Chelsea, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chelsea drop points on Sunday especially if they don’t advance in the CL.
I think it was to Steve T that I said I sincerely believe that our team is the best team in the EPL and that we will win the league (before those 4 games against the top) because of the reason that YOU WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS BY BEATING THE LOWER TEAMS and not the top 4, that is why I kept the faith after those horrible 4 points out of 12.
In your post you were saying that it’s an impressive feat and winning games when you’re not good is winning championships and I totally agree – games like Hull, Stoke, Burnley Etc…
But what I am saying is that now we don’t have any margin of error against Spurs or City and cannot drop points at ALL!
Shoulda known ‘Holic wouldn’t be tending the bar on St. Patrick’s Day.