London Tuesday Bayern Munich, Everybody Talk About, Pop Music
Feb 18th, 2013 by 'holic
Why not? With apologies to Robin Scott we need to listen to some cheesy seventies pop and take a chill pill. Bayern are a frightening prospect and we haven’t finished lashing out after the weekend yet.
I think we have done Saturday to death now, don’t you? I hope that isn’t taken as a ‘holic meltdown, but the time has come to focus on the next match, and with the obvious exception of Barca they don’t come any bigger than Bayern Munich. That doesn’t excuse anything that has happened in recent days, but extending the inquest will open up deeper divides and our immediate objective should be to put differences aside, if only temporarily, and unite behind the side.
On Tuesday night I am sure the support will stand firmly behind the Arsenal and I applaud the efforts of those attempting to whip up the atmosphere for the visit of top quality opposition in the only competition we still have a remote chance of winning. The eighteen who will pull the cannon over their chests tomorrow will respond to that support. We have seen them do so before in high profile contests, and although the outcome of this tie is entirely unpredictable I would not be surprised if we got a positive result to take to Munich in three weeks time.
There is a doubt about the fitness of Laurent Koscielny, and Nacho Monreal is ineligible to deputise for the injured Kieran Gibbs. If Kos doesn’t make it then it is likely that Bacary Sagna will switch to the centre of the defence alongside the BFG, with Carl Jenkinson and the skipper filling the full-back berths.
The interesting selection will be in midfield. Does Arsene go with Snow White’s preferred trio of Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere, and Santi Cazorla? I suspect he will although I would be sorely tempted to push Santi out wide and bring in Tomas Rosicky. Arsene doesn’t seem too enamoured with the Czech at present, and I really don’t know why. All I know is we have a better tempo to our attacking play when he is in.
I’m pretty confident that Arsene will go with Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, and Lukas Podolski up top. The wide players will have to be reminded about their responsibilities further back, but having said that the key to our chances may just be getting Theo running at defenders across the line unless we find one obvious weak link for him to concentrate on.
I could look at Bayern player for player and scare the living daylights out of us all, but would prefer to think back to their inability to beat another out of sorts English team last May, painful though it was at the time. They are not invincible, any more than we are incapable of beating anybody on our day. This is a cup competition, made slightly harder for the underdogs by being two-legged, but upsets happen as we know only too well.
The ‘holic pound is already on BtM’s favourite score, 2-1 to the Arsenal. The law of averages says I will land that punt sooner or later! I will get an abusive email from him the moment he reads this, but it won’t be as disrespectful as the crap thrown at Arsene Wenger in his pre-match presser. The content and standard of some of the questioning was quite incredible. There are some first-class journalists out there, don’t get me wrong, but sadly there are others who just beg the question, how on earth do they get paid gigs like that? Hopefully they have united a lot of people behind the manager, if only briefly. The time to assess him is not far distant, but it is not 24 hours before a huge game for us, and him.
Have a good one, ‘holics.
COME ON YOU RIPROARING GUNNERS!
338 Responses to “London Tuesday Bayern Munich, Everybody Talk About, Pop Music”
First!
Cheers ‘holic!
Heh, good read ‘holic and love the title (up there with KC and the Sunshine Banned)
3 changes in the back four?
Would be pretty scary.
Top 4’s a trophy you know.
Fine preview H.
Arteta Cazorla and Jack for me in the middle.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS INDEED!
Nice one ‘holic.
Believe it or not, I’m actually not that worried about tomorrows game. We usually step it up a gear when playing in these kind of ties. Top players will always try harder against quality opposition. I just wish we’d do it against the so called lesser teams.
I was glad to see AW get a bit angry, he needs to channel it through his players, get them rilled up and ready for the fight. It’s all up to them now to salvage something from this season. It won’t be easy, but then again nothing worth doing ever is.
COYG’s.
I seem to have a knack of missing the new posts these days.
So, to zico:
Ah right, I see. Tight schedule after the game then!
At least you get the meeting in before the drinking this time ๐
I think we’ll lose 3-0 tomorrow. Seriously ๐
One thing is sure though, now that I have seen the prediction: it won’t be 2-1 ๐
Although apparently Mo Farah said 2-1 too, maybe he’s more reliable than ‘holic :p
I disagree Holic, the questions he was asked today were nothing out of the ordinary, but Wenger went over the top because he wants to create a siege mentality. Although if he put as much effort into the tactics than just talking rubbish, Arsenal might stand a chance tomorrow night.
Bayern’s only weakness is 36 year old Van Buyten, so Arsenal need to soak up the pressure and counter on them with Walcott’s pace through he middle. If Arsenal just go for it I think they’ll get cut to ribbons.
‘ello my little chouxfleurs !
Well said Holic. I’m slowly losing the will to live with “should have done this, should have done that” discussions.
And the only thing in football I want to see branded is Sam Allardyce.
I’m going to better you by one and plump – well, I’ve had a week’s holiday – for a magnificent 3-1 to The Arsenal.
They are, after all, by far the greatest team, the world has ever seen! ๐
0-0 tomorrow. 2-2 in Bayern.
Auf Wiedersehen Bavarian boys.
Arteta Cazorla and Little Jack?
What’s not to like there then? ๐
Great post ‘holic.
Heh Ollie @ 7
It’s the meeting off the return plane I need to worry about ๐
Way too much being made of this Bayern side….. Course we can and will beat them.
Come on you Gunners! ๐
The media wont us to disintagrate of course and things arent as rosy as we’d like, but there are a shit load of teams who’d love to be in our position and the season isnt done yet.
All the acrimony and mud slinging and potential changes can wait till May for me.
Heh top man snowy @ 12
Oh to hell with this, it’s too F’in tiresome
I’m back. 8)
4 Nil to the Arsenal.
Dr F’s FF @ 15 – ๐
Zico @ 16 – spoilsport! But always good to see you back mate ๐
And what Norris said @ 14 too
Hey my dear fine folks..
first time visit to this fine bar (second i think) bringing along the finest nose from the french isles… loved the previous posts on last thread …helped with the post Saturday downer.. its Monday (aargh) here in LA and a heavy lunch doesn’t help with the sleep depreviation .. so thought of putting forth my two cents..
I loved some of the posts on squad rotation.. which i truly believe is one of the reasons for some disappointing performances ..there are three actually .. yes i can name them,…
1) Squad
2) injuries
3) Love (yes you read it right)
let me explain..
We have quite a lot of talented young players in our squad .. we have a fantastic first 11 in my opinion (a striker would help)..we have decent back up in some places.But i guess this is where the combination of the last two points come into picture.. we have a talented group of individuals who are super talented when fit.. but are not quite that fit all the time .. but wenger loves them.. wenger knows their potential and would hate to let them go.. maybe arsene is too fatherly. I guess this is where purple nose is different.. he is quick to cut his losses.Whereas wenger has a lot of faith. Consequently when these players are injured, the first eleven have to bore the brunt of the work. They then get injured.by this time the injured players are coming back in. have no match practice and are made to dive into the deep end.And they struggle. But, i hope a lot of those players will now be overcoming their injuries are coming into a period where their bodies are accustomed (like van pricey) did. so a better balance is expected.
Now onto why things will be better..
We have finally stated to see the fruits of the marketing teams efforts with new deals.We will be seeing an increased cash flow into the team.
And i fully expect the coming summer transfer window to be the biggest arsenal has spent. We cannot expect the board to declare they are going to spend big. It alerts the prospective sellers that arsenal is willing to spend has a lot of dough in the kitty. This weakens our bargaining power. So i think this silence from the board and wenger on a change will only be apparent in the summer where wenger will finally get to get what he deserves.i.e compete in the transfer market to get the players he wants.
That’s it for now..
Enjoy reading the posts.. this is one of the places where i get to read a balanced view from wonderful pple on a club i love.
Cheers..
before i forget ..
today (tomorrow for me ): 3-1 to the arsenal !!
Heh @ 18
It’s usually glad to see your back, mate ๐
Some serious alias action on here tonight. Come on you Gorams’, chuck your two pennorth in ๐
Fuck it.!!
I really thought we could still win 4,yes 4!! trophies this season.
Ladies Super League,Ladies FA and European Cups and the FA Youth Cup,but unfortunately the young ones just lost 4-2 at home against Everton.
Ah well,back to 3 then.
midfield trio of Jack, Arteta and TR with Santi out wide would do wonders for us I think. Diaby is usually played to bring “physical presence” in to our midfield but apart from game at Anfield (and dont get me wrong, there are not many players I would wish success more than to Abou) it did not work out quite as intended.
With Arteta covering Jacks and TRs purposeful forward drives and Santis trickery we could cause more than one problem to prolific Germans. Y
es..they do look scary and have awesome record so far this season, but what the hell, if we turn up we are more than good enough to beat them..just remember the Milan last year at home, should it not be for van Pigstys fancy attempted lob over the keeper we would tie the 0-4 deficit from first game against one of the biggest clubs in Europe. And honestly ..apart from mentioned Dutch wankblaster I think that this team is better than last year when it comes down to personell. So come on you Reds, show those Bavarians that they need to work bloody hard to fucking earn their freuleins and sauerkraut!
Fuck off, zico. ๐
The problem is not tomorrow’s game, we may even beat them, but Allianz hell is a whoooole different story… but what the hell – MARCH OR DIE!
Well Saturday will be fun, unless we extend our vocabulary ๐
I see what you did there, Clevor Trevor
Also, I swear he started it, Guv ๐
Can we have gunnersaurus trod on their players legs?? .. not as bad a digging up a side of the pitch is it.. ๐
Good evening everyone ! Oh Holic, Thank you for providing us this haven and your encouraging outlook on this historic, much anticipated event ๐ I do get the sense you are preparing your followers (as well as yourself) for transition mode, both in tone and content, if we fail ๐ But like you, many of us believe we will rise to the challenge. Would love to see Tomas out there, no explanation needed ๐ So C’mon Arsenal, we love you, you can do it!
Where the hell is Cognito anyway?
Well, it’s why they play the games, isn’t it?
Lets rise to it. 2-1 is good for me.
Really hope we give them a go tomorrow, what is there to lose? No one expects us to do anything against Bayern. Really want to see TR7 out there, he is my favorite, no sideways crap, he just gets the ball and goes forward. He also is combative which we need in the side.
Keep the faith fellow Gooners, let’s hope for a great result tomorrow.
And the title, if you read it out loud, it has rhythm !!! Yes, I’m sipping the brew, so what ๐ It’s catchy. Speaking of catching, Manuel has 2 of his fingers taped together, he’s already giving us the finger, feisty devil ๐
I fully expect to see Diaby in mid-field ahead of Arteta with Jack and Santi winging it … and any two of Poldi, OG and Theo up front.
1-1 and a heap more angst before we win the second leg.
Oskar
Of course I could just be saying that so I can be proven wrong…
Oskar
Splendid review ‘holic!
2-2 tomorrow and 2-3 back at their place!
The scum inevitably at it again! Well done Arsene for rippin’ right into ’em! Ashton is a humongous cunt; to name but one of ’em!
Victoria Concordia Crescit! Be the best you can be tomorrow lads and the tie’ll take care of its self! COYBG!
Arsene in top pugnacious form at his presser. I hope he fires up the team to the same degree so that we see as bellicose a band of Gunners on the field tomorrow night.
COYRs.
Stick it to them!
Note perfect post from ‘Holic. Love it.
Roll on tomorrow night. We’re massively the underdogs and we’ve nothing to lose.
Can’t see Santi playing on the left flank ahead of Vermaelen. No chance he’d track Lahm all night. I therefore think we’ll see JW, arteta and Cazorla in the middle, with the Little Mozart to feature late on.
Whoever wears the shirt i’m right behind them and bang up for this.
COYG
Where the hell is Cognito anyway?
As far as I know it’s in the skys.
Coat.
…and very fine post, Guvna! Tis time to move on….
Nice to see such a positive mood on here.
It is the only way to be before such a big test.
We need a side with the same positivity as the posters here.
The crowd have a big part to play tomorrow and whatever doubts we harbour (and todayAW didn’t strike me as pugnacios as much as bewildered) I hope we can make tomorrow the greatest night yet at the Emirates.
Lee Dixon said one day the emirates will smell of football like Highbury. Tomorrow would be a great time to see that beginning to happen
@ 41, Yes mate! Of the teams above us in the EPL, how many of them can you honestly say that you ENJOY their STYLE of play? Please holics, don’t let the quest for gold ruin your enjoyment of the game, itself. This should be FUN for us, something to look forward to. Not a chore! ๐
@42 totally agree ! its one of those great nights .. thats why i love the champions league.. reminds me of the victory over barca .. the emirates was rocking then.. lets make it it a night to remember .. all the lucky gooners who are goin to the ems.. keep it loud folks !!
COME ON YOU GUNNERS !!!!
tomorrow night may see the need for Milk and Alcohol. In large buckets.
…and over two hours later Crossy runs with Jenkinson may be right back against Bayern.
Where did that come from? ๐
@44
Are you suggesting our White Russian needs to play?
Onwards and upwards,over tomorrow night.Behind the team,loud and proud!! Remember Barca!!! OH TO,OH TO BE,OH TO BE A GOONER!!!!
GiroudsPointyNose, welcome to the bar – I like your thinking@28 ๐
I won’t be making any predictions other than that I will be at the pub for a few hours, have a few beers with a bunch of mates and then watch what will hopefully be a good game of football. And that ain’t half bad, as Norris says@14 there are a hell of a lot of teams who would give anything to be in our position.
Come on Arsenal!
Here, here Pointy Nose, I second your welcome. You spoke for me as well, and said it better than I ever could. Cheers ๐
@Lars .. thank you.
heres hoping that after the ze germans leave,we are have a bounce in our steps and everything is good in the world again ๐
cheers !
@ thanks abb !
off to the ride back home.. have a great time at the bar !
Good nite ‘pointy’ ๐
Welcome GPN ๐
“I have won four times the FA Cup, who has won it more? Give me one name”
Ok then.
Alex Ferguson has won it five times.
๐
No fucking idea but if we lose 3-0 blame the Belgian.
Just wanted to pop back in and say, with one notable exception, you lot are of the finest sort and I sincerely hope to sip a pint with any of you at the Tollie when I’m next in town for a match.
Echoing a popular sentiment, I’m not nervous about tomorrow’s match. And I have no doubt that the boys will leave it all out on the mat, win lose or draw.
Cheers all. Round on me.
Quite excellent, Holic. You’ll get no email from me. I’m on the Holic pound at 2-1 Arsenal. Kissimee golf club has Fox Soccer and I’ve booked my seat.
Lars, Ollie, we’ll need to shout out lungs out in the away game. I’ll be in Munich on Tuesday March 12. You? (Ollie, I have your cell number – but it didn’t work in Barcelona, think you might have had a couple of sherberts. Will it work in Munich?). Lars. please get my number from Holic. By the way, I still don’t have a ticket – but that’s no problem when you live on the sunny side. (Like TaBS) ๐
Only one Arsene Wenger. Superb press conference today, Sir! F*ck off all you doubters. Danish, are you listening, son? Do us all a favour and take an immediate dip in Copenhagen harbour. Lead weights around the ankles are for real men!
This quart bottle of yellow tail Shiraz is going down a treat. Luverly!
Get in there, Steve. Are you taking Ben and his sis to see this marvellous Arsene Wenger creation tomorrow night or does the 390 million quid ticket price put you off? Free seats for all Essex boys and girls, I say. Lets win but not compete.
Pisssed?
Yes and loving it. Sixty degrees after sundown. Embracing it and enjoying the golf brands to the full. Taylor, Titleist, Holic? Forget it, the product bears no relationship to the icing on the cake and life’s a big laugh! It is. Really.
glad you are having such a great week on the golf course BtM ๐ pissed already dear … Are you? Really.
I had a wild Saturday. Part of the reason I’m only posting now instead of in the last bar :p
I mean I was honest with people, got a sharp haircut (thanks Snowy ๐ ), had some Arsenal related banter, saw the Windberry break… Yet again ๐ , heard a ‘Wembley! Wembley!’ chant with no belief or hope in it, saw a person who started up chants, saw and heard the derision towards Gervinho with my own being, saw him cock-up a 1 on 1 chance with their keeper, heard Diaby compared to a Giraffe, began to suspect elements of Anti-France-ness in the Emirates (notso)faithful, saw TR7 get closer back to form and go closest for Arsenal (Eandy ๐ ), saw a triple substitution (don’t remember the last time Arsene made one), saw Jack show some desire, saw Mike Dean showing that he’s a ‘Catch U Next Tuesday’ against Arsenal with his refereeing decisions but I saw Arsenal ultimately lose. To a dodgy shot into the ground that went in off the post.
It was sad because my 100% win record viewing Arsenal games live was over (83% just doesn’t compare). In hindsight, I could blame the loss on my awesome haircut ๐ , I could blame my barber who asked me why I was wearing an Arsenal shirt on the day, I could blame it on the fact that I wore my Arsenal shirt as the most outwards top over everything else on the day, that my original Arsenal keychain broke off my keys weeks before and that I didn’t put it back on, that for the 1st time since I bought it on the day of the 125th Anniversary game, I didn’t wear my Arsenal scarf to a game (I forgot it before I left for the barbers and there wasn’t enough time for it to be brought to me or for me to go home and get it).
So many factors that could have influenced the game according to Chaos Theory/The Butterfly Effect (I’ll be testing the luck of the scarf later today) but after the game Ollie said in the beer garden “Well, it had to end sometime” and he was right, it was wishful thinking to think Arsenal will win everytime I attended, win lose or draw its all part of football, and you’ve just gotta deal.
If the Arsenal players just turn up and expect to win today or any other day, they most likely won’t win, it just won’t be enough. But if they turn up against Bayern with the determination to penetrate the space between the 2 banks of 4 (here’s looking at you Diaby), and the Emirates crowd are up for it (I want to lose my voice again in support of the lads ala NLD), then maybe, just maybe we’ll go to the Allanz Arena in 3 weeks with some confidence and a positive result.
I’ll see you later at the Tollie Snowy, hopefully I’ll catch Steve T for the 1st time ever (was a shame I couldn’t make the Tollie pre-match due to time constraints), Trev and True Storey will be around as far as I know, it should be a good night, come on Arsenal!!!
PS – Now I understand the true point of alcohol, you forget about the bad results (until you see an advert for an FA Cup game the next day on the TV in an awesome Che Guevara themed bar and you remember you’re not in that competition anymore ๐ ), wish tabs relented to me and Snowy & got us all those Jรคgerbombs though… 8)
Nice report, Wind. Enjoyed that. Yours must have been the single voice we heard on TV as the biggest crowd of the day in the FA Cup really got behind the team (raises eyebrows until they’re going right through the hair line).
Did Steve hide behind a brolly until you’d got your round in?
Another bottle of that Yellow Tail Shiraz please, barman. Just for me, everyone else is asleep.
Perfectly sober, HerNelliness. Hic. Honest ๐ as a judge.
Match day.
And 10 gazillion things to do before 19:45.
Starting with scraping the windscreen – remember real life, BtM? ๐
@54
Telling that none of the assembled hacks, who write about football for a living, could produce that fact on the spot.
Bunch of muppets.
Sure I will wake up at 3:45am (Hong Kong Time) to watch my beloved team.
2-0 to arsenal. Walcott and poldi score.
Played ‘h.
This sort of tension filled top-class tussle is exactly what the modern Arsenal, Arsene’s Arsenal, was built for – ohhhhh yeah! CoMonUReeeeeeeeeeeeeeedS!
Psed Zee – i do hope ‘scraping the windscreen’ is NOT a euphemism – it’s a big game day after all.
Too right, N7G @62.
Vermin.
Now let’s beat Bayern and sicken the vermin.
COYRs
Pls ignore nonsense above. Too much firewater.
Btm on the sauce and giving it large on the sunnyside. Buying a drink just for you???? Somethings don’t change do they? I hope you have the nurofen to hand. No kids tonight. The logistics of getting home and back just don’t work for evening games. My eldest will be my guest at the Villa game though.
A big game tonight. I just hope that the complacency of the weekend has well and truly been eradicated.
The tollie is a possibility. Will depend on timings.
Up the Gunners
I’ll repost my bit on branding that missed the cut off in the last set of drinks.
Hereโs my take on the Arsenal as a brand, particularly regarding posts made by BtM and snowy.
First of all letโs put this out of the way โ yes, the Arsenal Football Club is a brand. Then again, what isnโt a brand? The answer is any generic products/services/goods. So why is Arsenal a brand? Because we play under the name Arsenal, we are not a bunch of nameless players playing football for a randomly assembled team with no name. Therefore the Arsenal is a brand.
So what does the Arsenal brand constitute? This requires an understanding of branding as a concept. For any brand to exist, there must be a product/service/good thatโs in offer. And at the heart of it is whatโs called the core product. It is what essentially defines the brand. So for Arsenal, the core product is our football and how our players and manager do on the pitch. We are a football club after all.
Reaching away from the core product, we have what is called the extended/augmented product. This constitutes anything else that exemplifies a touchpoint between the brand and its consumers, besides the core product. It can be anything from this list: the experience of watching football at the Ems, the seats at the Ems, the toilet at the Ems, the food, the Arsenal website, the Arsenal merchandise store, the playersโ twitter accounts, Arsenalโs commercial agreements with third parties (eg. Citroen), the Arsenal jersey, how the players look and what they do off the pitch โ the list goes on and on.
So to finally touch on the point BtM made, that as long as the Arsenal brand continues to rack in revenues we are doing okay (not great), Iโd have to respectfully disagree. At the very heart of Arsenal FC, what we offer is the core product of our football. The players we have, the manager, and how they all perform on the pitch under the Arsenal brand. This is not to say that the augmented product is not important. It is vital for the success of the Club. One just has to look at Manure and how well their augmented product is helping the team stay competitive. But thatโs all there is to it. The augmented product is only there to augment and help support the core product, not in any way to replace it.
Herein lies the problem with our beloved Arsenal. When the Invincibles enjoyed their time in the sun, we were offering an unmatched core product that was very satisfying to consumers and fans. But the augmented product, namely the ability to generate commercial revenues from our footballing success, became detrimental for the Clubโs longterm sustainability and competitiveness. To put simply, our augmented product could not keep pace with the success of our core product.
Since then the Arsenal Board have put great importance in achieving commercial success and generating more revenues. Ticket prices have increased, yes โ but we are being offerred a different, and arguably better matchday experience at the Ems Stadium. Most recently we have also been trying hard to increase commercial deals, and leverage the Arsenal brand to global supporters in Africa and Asia. One would have to admit we did not do a good job in leveraging the success of the Invincibles outside the pitch and into these promising, global markets.
However, the concerning thing is that improvements to the augmented product of the Arsenal brand seemingly comes at the expense of our core product. There seems to be an under-investment in the team, and performances on the pitch have sufferred. Consumers and fans are therefore left unsatisfied.
This is not to say itโs all doom and gloom. Investment and success on the pitch will do wonders for customer satisfaction and the value of the Arsenal brand, which again depends largely on its core product. A continuous neglect for the core product, however, will see the Boardโs efforts at improving Arsenalโs augmented product prove fruitless.
Apple is a brand largely modeled for its success. And as much as people are lauding Apple for their marketing and branding strategies, we need to remember that at the heart of Apple products lie its Operating System. The Apple branding and marketing communication strategies are mere augmentations to help sell the product. If, for example, Apple sells products with rubbish OS that continues to fail, they might get people who buys because they are swayed by marketing. But these consumers wonโt be satisfied, and they might not stay as Apple customers for long. This is the fine line Arsenal is currently walking on.
Too much sun Steve, I reckon. Poor BtM needs to find a bit of shade. Either that or get the Factor 30 out! ๐
Fine report Wind. And no I’m not buying Jaegerbombs! ๐
Derrick – Fine post … (again!) ๐
Tabs,
As ever its always a pleasure.
โWinning is the meatโโฆ?
Not for me Tabs. If I may paraphrase Stillman again in one of his most elegant lines โthe players and the manager might be the paint on the canvas, but itโs the people you share that experience with that fleck it with colourโโฆ
And I feel thatโs the reason people like your goodself continue to attend games and renew season tickets over the past 8 years despite the fact that weโve won nothing..!
For me, itโs not about the winning โ it about the experience and the people I share that with. I feel the club and brand โ becomes part of your own sense of identity in a way. (And Iโm only a paddy sitting across the water and not someone who attends matches week in week out let alone one who has been fortunate enough to have that tradition passed down to me from my father before me like you!).
The point you make about the clubs history is of course seminal when compared to the nouveau riche clubs. Although one point of note for your perusal if I may, compare and contrast Liverpool v Arsenal for a moment. The pool eclipse us a little historically in terms of league titles and its fair to say their European history outweights us. Theyโve won more than we have in recent times (FA cup 2006, league cup last year). And yet their star has completely wilted and they find themselves in a very dark place. I feel they would swap places with us in a heartbeat! They had massive financial power behind their club and could easily have built a new stadium โ but they chose to spend foolishly rather than take the tough decisions and consolidate the future of the club. Similarly, they ignored the footballing values that for so long enshrined their club. Even under Rafa when they won the CL โ they were awful to watch and never provided entertainment or were true to the values of the teams of old.
Wenger was once asked what his legacy at the club would be and he said his โgreatest legacy at Arsenal would be the attacking football playedโ. Will you remember or could you possibly respect clubs like Chelsea winning the CL or Citeh winning the PL? For me โ its more than just winning, its about winning the right way and having the right values if that makes sense?
Heh AL @65
Really Really up for this. I, however think that we need a win at home to have a decent hope of qualifying.
I have been watching Budesliga for quite a bit and here’s a lowdown on our opponents
I think this will be their line up against us because this has been their first choice for most of this season
Neuer
Lahm Dante Van Buyten Alaba
Javi Martinez Schweinsteiger
Kroos
Muller Ribery
Mandzukic
Bayern:
1. They play a similar system to ours, so midfield is key
2. Kroos is a goal threat and has a very mean shot from outside the box
3. Muller and Ribery – Our full backs will need help when we don’t have the ball
4. Overall they like to keep the ball on the ground, just like us, so it should be a fascinating contest
5. Their left back Alaba is not that great, Theo should have the upper hand
6. Their defense is overrated IMO, but we’ll see. Van Buyten is 36
Us:
1. I want Ramsey to start this game. I know the downside to that is dropping Poldi or Giroud, but otherwise Jack will need to do a proper balancing act. Tough call
2. Jack is key to how we will play tonight.
3. Giroud HAS to take his chances
4. We NEED to score first, we will grow into the game if we do
5. Theo needs to help out Sagna when we don’t have the ball
6. Finally, DO NOT make stupid errors and give away the tie
I think we have a real chance, COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!
Excellent scouting Harsha. I agree that their defense is beatable and overrated.
Except for one thing. Alaba is not a weak link, in contrary, I fear that he is one of the better players in this Bayern side, both offensively and defensively. We need Theo on his best tonight- in defense particularly.
I very much agree that Van Buyten is the target man. However he and Dante may stop Giroud aerially (if he plays), but we can do some harm on the ground, with our potential fast-thinking fast-play with wing players drifting to the centre, presuming that we play 4-3-3 as usual. That of course is a danger tactics because of leaving our wings open, and our full backs exposed. So should our wings stay near the line protecting our fullbacks and leave Giroud on his own? Or not?
And this is the part when I have no idea what to do and Arsene’s annual salary comes to mind ๐
Let he who is without sin…
Chucklin’ at BtM ๐
Don’t think I would risk the wrath of Steve though ๐
Greetings
Quite excited about our prospects tonight. The Milan home game was a great night out at the Ems last season and followed the dire effort at the San Siro. A lot will depend on you and I tonight. The Bayern fans will make themselves well and truly heard and it’s up to us to raise the roof from the off.
Any positive result will do, preferably with a clean sheet. Let’s hope the starting 11 get started,otherwise we could be in for a humiliating evening.
Hope to get to the pub for a quick one.
As always COYRs
Oscar Pistorius ‘though he was firing at intruder’ reads a big headline on the BBC Website.
BBC in sub-editor strike shocker reads the headline in my mind.
Couldn’t agree more Joe.
The word “winning” was too stark. I’m afraid that when the subject is marketing, everybody is prone to exaggeration. It’s in the subject’s very DNA and I’m as guilty as everybody else. Perhaps “competing” would have been a better word to use. And by that, I don’t mean that we aren’t competing, just that we might be competing a little better than we are at present with the resources that we have at our disposal. We may yet win The Champions League. I certainly haven’t given it up, but as Arsene himself acknowledges, we also shouldn’t be 21 points off the pace in The Premiership at this stage of the season.
As I’ve said on here many times before, I’ll still be popping down The Arsenal even if it’s a mid table championship clash with Peterborough. You’re entirely right, Arsenal to me are the people I share the experience with, the history, the kit, my family and a whole host of other things that have nothing to do with whether we win lose or draw.
But then I didn’t come to the Club as a result of some marketing guff. I came to the Club because I was told as a five year old that if I didn’t choose Arsenal, I would have to go and live next door! ๐ That order from above was backed up with fortnightly visits to see them in the flesh. Plenty don’t have that luxury.
I don’t think Arsenal vs Peterborough is gonna cut it for the rest of the world if there’s tastier Premiership fare elsewhere. I am of course using an extreme example to make the point. For every one person that we attract because of our whatever, the Premiership Champions of the day will attract far more. Winning/competing will never be the meat for me or thousands or others, but it will be for the more homogenous crowd that the Club now seeks to attract through marketing .
I take on board your point about Liverpool. The purpose of my posts on this subject have not been to have a pop at where Arsenal are currently. I share some of the frustrations voiced on these pages, but overall I think the prognosis is good and the future looks healthy. I remain on the sunny side, despite BtM’s best marketing efforts to categorise me as elsewhere. I just prefer my sun to be the life-enhancing one of a pleasant summers day rather than the blinding one of the Sahara.
My purpose has really only ever been to say that the football should always come first, whatever the marketing gurus might tell you differently. Horse before cart. Because without that horse, or competitive product, or whatever you want to call it, the already wide gap in the marketing world between “the dream” and “the reality” becomes so wide that it cannot be sustained.
As regards your last sentence I couldn’t agree more.
Harsha, – Great stuff.
Holic – Plenty of sin here ‘H. Just some tongue in cheek fun. ๐
‘sup ‘holics.
Firstly welcome to our new member from the West Coast – GPN.
Nice post Derrick.
Joe, good stuff, I was about to pointb out what a thought to be a flaw in your premise, but luckily I hit F5 and tabs had already done it (phew, cheers. ๐ )
Harsha, good stuff. Although, to call a defence, that has only conceeded 7 goals in the league this season, over rated is a pretty bold statement. I wish our defence was that over rated.
Heh @ Ollie.
Harsha.
I too would like to see Ramsey start in midfield. We look more balanced with him next to Arteta and Jack as the most forward of the trio.
Drop OG to the bench and line up with Santi, Poldi and Feo up front, This is one where Walcott could shine through the middle, his pace may very well make the difference, but this may be a better ploy for the return leg.
Once again we’ll be employing a make shift defence which (for me anyway) reinforces the need to play Ramsey in front of them. I suppose it all depends on wheather or not Kos is fit which four we will see.
Kos is fit, good news.
So that would probably mean a back four of;
TV, BFG, Kos and Sagna.
Now….. Who to play in goal?? ๐
Fine post indeed Derrick (69). For me the fans are also part of the extended brand including blogs like Holic’s and podcasts like the Tuesday Club. Also chants like Freddie’s, PV4’s and now Giroud’s along with the football and the strategy of the club. It all comes in to the mix.
Top 85? Everything is rounding into shape then. ๐
Defence will be Vermaelen-Mertesacker-Sagna-Ramsey.
I think I’d get good odds on that, but it’s a likely as the ‘holic pound (I wish the pound went more extravagant, those 2-1 never happen! ๐ )
I have now see lurky’s 80. Mind you, may still break down in the warm-up, so that bet isn’t dead yet ๐
heh bt8
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21504112
It wasn’t me.
Shame.
50mill would have got you a pretty decent season ticket.
BtM @ 60 (don’t think I’ll be able to make it to the away game for the equivalent of a haddock ๐ ), tabs @ 70, thanks for the acknowledgement of my 59, maybe I should have posted it around this time for more ‘buzz’ :p
Joe @ 71, stellar post mate. The experience is bonded to the people you meet on a matchday, no doubt.
Delia @ 75, look out for a guy in a Navy/Obisidan Arsenal Track Jacket if you’re in the Tollie, it would be lovely to meet you ๐
tabs @ 77, well said ๐
In other news, Eurostar try to charge you club level for a folding seat….in the concourse.
They’d manage to make me believe Arsenal tickets are cheap, they truly are taking the piss.
I shall only be arriving at 1pm in the Tollie on Saturday, to travel in normal conditions.
heh H2H 88 ๐
Back in England. Au revoir Frenchies. Bring on the Germans.
Come on you Reds !!!
Standing by my 3-1. Can’t stop me dreaming. ๐
If it’s 1-1 or 0-0 I’ll be celebrating, but let’s be honest here chaps – we’re counting on some seriously good luck.
Who cares! We are the red and white and we can damage anyone!
Bring on the sausage munchers.
Ollie @ 87,
Wenger and Vermaelen putting summer plans in place? ๐
West coast ‘Holics are increasing in number. We are doing our share of marketing. ๐
I’ve got my lucky training jersey on under my scrubs. Lets hang tough. Hit them with pace.
Have fun at the game, so wish I could make it.
Cheers all.
I have a feeling about 2-1 to us tonight, last time the Navy/Obsidian Henry 12 Away Shirt was worn to the HoF (NorCal and his kids were in attendance ๐ ) we won by that score, it was a CL game as well… 8)
Not to be a stickler, but we won 2-0 that night ,Wind.
All the better!
heh Trev
I stick to my 0-3 prediction.
Massively hope to be proved wrong.
Ollie’s it
Tabs it?
West Coast holics must be smokin’ the right stuff??
Well in NorCal.
Luck will have little to do with it I’m afraid, Camยด.
Application, effort and good old fashioned grit will see us through.
Heh Norcal: neither. Well in!
Did we NorCal? Strange of me to get that scoreline mixed up, well in for the century and the tabs position ๐ I’ll happily take a 2-0 win for the Arsenal! ๐
H2H. Re: The Grit part:
http://www.ask.com/question/why-do-chickens-need-grit
Additional question:
Do chickens still need grit after their heads have been cut off. A visual aid could be needed to answer this one appropriately, so:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/46/MikeTheHeadlessChicken.jpg/220px-MikeTheHeadlessChicken.jpg
Would prefer to see Ribery running around with his head cut off, quite franckly.
Good double effort NorCal, but the ball crossed the line at the first attempt.
Anyway, I finished at work and I am kind of ready for tonight game. No special preparations, no jerseys, no Apache war colors, no superstition tools, balls, hats, and shoes, no prayers to all known Gods, avoiding match related shows and news, and last but not least- no alcohol, just me, a cup of hot beverage, and my team playing Champions League quarter final with Bayern Munich.
Enjoyment.
Yeah,
I like to just close my eyes when I shoot. At least that’s what my kids have taught me.
I can’t even catch the game live because of this stupid thing called a job. So those of you lucky enough to enjoy the game at the Em’s, do a little singing for me with an American accent; just a slight southern drawl. ๐
8ball. Different kind of grit, me ol’ china.
Lurky, I agreed with your pre match rituals untill the dreaded words no alcohol appeared. ๐
We’ll see NorCal ๐
Norcal. Currently daydreaming about the kind of job where they show the game on a big screen TV and provide friendly and speedy wait service. ๐
This exactly sums up how I think Arsenal will perform today, and the general joie de vivre that accompanies ties such as these.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKbADFJOCkU
COME ON YOU REDS.
Some shuttle runs to the shops and back, then a little light limbering up afore the K-off.
CoMOnUReDS!
Moonwalking, cdoyle? ๐
cdoyle. Do you and the Spinners share the same tailor? Drink to you. ๐
cdoyle:
Tell the truth – you live in Bali…..
Your on the beach……
and you just met this scottish guy smoking a bong………
and he’s just introduced you to the sunny side……right?
Work over (sorry NorCal…). Time to gird the loins and line the stomach with some fine fermented, carbonated cereal crops.
Come on you reds! Show ’em what you CAN do!!!
The hour is nearly upon us.
COME ON YOU RIP-ROARING, GOAL SCORING, TWINKLE-TOED BEAUTIES!
TIME TO LET THIS LOT KNOW THAT THEY’RE PLAYING THE FCUKING ARSENAL HERE.
See you all on the other side.
Time to head out.
Come on Arsenal!!!
Enjoy Wind.
Have fun, Wind.
I do, in fact, share a tailor with the Spinners. And the dance moves.
Got a feeling we may have a good night tonight whether its enough who knows (Why do i always do it to myself) ๐ !
Come On You Reds !
If Paddys still in the Building right about now id like him to stand up and sing it again ๐
Thanks NorCal & H2H.
cdoyle be deman. ๐
cdoyle and tailor.
You sure know how to pick your powder blue suits. ๐
Enjoy Hurricane!
An hour till the start. Are we gathering at the bar or what?
Right. Only just leaving work. That means a beer is very unlikely. Which makes me unhappy. The result is that the sausage suckers will get both barrels with a vengeance.
Come on you reds.
Ps: BTM not up yet??????
T minus 1 hour to kick off………..
Ramsey starts. No OG. Kos fit. Is Theo centre forward?!
The yellow tail Shiraz must have done a kangaroo kick on BtM’s noots.
Hope he revives for kickoff.
Ello Holics….
40 Min to go now, management is gone to Poland with the little one half term stuff and all that, house to my self I can shout as loud as I can tonight!
A bit nervous here but I really want the boy to do well tonight!
Arsenal…Arsenal….Arsenal….
Love the positive sentiment in here, it’s been quite a while. I need it and God knows we need it. I wish all Arsenal fans around the globe share the same sentiment and send positive vibes to the team tonight.
Come On You Reds!
boy=boys shyte that still doesn’t sound right…. oops
Yep. Looks like theo up top. Would like to see him and poldi switch a lot to give them fits on who is where. If Ramsey drops deeper to help cover the flanks then we have a 4-4-2.
Come on lads. Give it your best!!
Evening all,
We are THE ARSENAL.
That is all ๐
MC needed now me thinks ….
Just read few of those stupid media hyping shit on BBC and those even more idiotic comments Bayern has not conceded this year yet bla bla bla they fucking will tonight!
Come on Arsenal!
Evening Holic link working ok there? ๐
Hope they don’t figure out Podolski is left-footed.
Go On Primrose! Bob kicking S. Robson into touch on 5 Live. Goonahs looking up 4 it everywhere.
No Spinners, but is making pre match atmosphere for me and Mrs. Lurky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAsGFnLl2u0
THIS IS ARSENAL!
Good luck everyone. See you on t’other side.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS!
Evening Holics!
Line up as it is, The must not dissappear this game. Essential.
Up the Gunners!
Hullooo u lovely reds !
Sitting in the office,its 11.30 am here, i can hardly conceal my excitement here.Now on to put my oscar worthy performance..of an employee having severe nausea.. head home and an enjoy the match on the telly ..
COME ON YOU REDS !! SHOW them how its done !
Arsenal team: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Cazorla, Podolski, Walcott.
Woah, that’s the first time I’ve ever called a line up correctly.
GiroudsPointyNose true word my friend true words!
We love you Arsenal we do!
We love you Arsenal we do!
We love you Arsenal we do!
Ohh Arsenal we love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Holics! Gooner Terry, This one’s for you !
Decent stream?
Ok. Watching “blind” here in the bar. Lets get it on.
ARSENAL!
Lurky pick from these ๐ http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=189725&part=sports
http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=189725&part=sports
Theres quite a few here.
Heh, well in Eandy.
Thanks Eandy.
Commmooooon Arsenal!!!!
I’ll have some of that.
COME ON YOU REDS!
COME ON YOU REDDDSSSSSSS
Great start!
Great start ๐
good pressure early on!:)
Awesome header by Ramsey. Good run by Theo!
Woj the man!
OUCH.
SHIT!
Ok ok Regroup! We’ll see this out!
well..fuck
got to say..wonderful shot..difficult technique that
i finally find a stream, and we’re already down 1-0. ugh.
come on you REDS!
Morning all! Not the start we wanted. We look ok though
great upfield run with the ball by theo. too bad it came to naught.
hi. arthur, eandy, abb, h2h.
evening scruz’.
liking the pressure in midfield. are we playing 433 or 442?
Skipper on the left side looking out of depth …will be hard evening for him. COME ON!
crap.
Fuck, we’re getting cunted here.
Shambles!
every Bayern attack going through there…hold on guys
and all the streams i try to watch are cutting out. just enough to see the goal. oh, how i fear for today, at this point. COYR!
good first save by Woj ..fuck
Well this could be completely embarrassing
Well, that’s it. Shame
Sagna played the ball first ….well go for it guys. .its still early on!
call down guys- we don’t need a red card
The ref indeed is trigger happy cunt
Talk about German efficiency!
They didn’t even let us live long in hope the feckers.
Boys v men at the mo.
Did everyone leave?
NorCal, game too intense to comment much ๐
Need OG out there to help Theo!
agreed abb..we need an outlet to bring others in to attack..we have struggled to get hold of the game
We are still creating some chances. Could be we’ll get back in this
Come on Arsenal you shit cunts
Yes Eandy, when Theo makes a break with the ball, we’re so busy defending no one is there for theo to pass too!
haven’t left, but no streams…reliant on the kindness of the bar patrons.
arrrrrsenal, arrrrrrsenal FC, we’re by far the greatest team the world has ever seen….
Oh Scruz ๐
scruz try first row.eu
and it’s arrrrrsenal, arrrrrrsenal FC, weโre by far the greatest team the world has ever seenโฆ.arrrrrsenal, arrrrrrsenal FC, weโre by far the greatest team the world has ever seenโฆ.
cheers acg.
maybe it will be a game of two halves?
We are all over the place…free header like that for Mandzukic…unacceptable…
This game is begging for TR and OG to come on in 2nd half, please Arsene!
Giroud through the middle, chuck Theo wide.
Massive boos at HT – not good.
Ok serious team talk needed.
we look fucked
Not good.
I would say that the major problem here is that we are playing the second best team in Europe without a specialist left back, defensive midfielder or centre forward.
Got to get OG on and swing Theo back out to the right.
Stick at it and hope for a bit of luck. This lot are quality but they’re still only human.
COYG
@scruz: coolsportz.com or hahasport.com
TR in for Aaron, OG down the middle for Poldi, Theo out wide…turn up in second please. There is not lack of effort though but Bavarians are far superior in every aspect of the game so far.
Arsebeatbarca @200 let’s get TR on and have him and Wilshere running at their defence!
This is one tragedy there i no movement!
Well, that’s what I call a serious football team. Teenage optimism sometimes really amazes me.
It’s like our football…you know, for kids.
They are the better team, and whatever we do, they are stronger and faster. I don;t think that this formation with Theo and Podolski upfront works.
Save what you can save. The honor. Giroud upfront for Podolski, TR7 for Ramsey.
We’re being outclassed by a better team, no shame in that. Bayern are playing at the top of their game.
Their first goal was a great shot, not much to do about it. Their second however left me fuming (again). Who’s brilliant idea was this zonal marking bollox? The corner came in and we’re all just standing there marking space. Their player comes in, heads unchallenged and boom it’s a goal. Awful, awful, awful defending.
This games not over yet, but it would be a brave man to bet against Bayern now. Still we still got 45mins to salvage a bit of pride so with that in mind, I’ll give it a;
COME ON YOU GUNNERS.
cheers, amby.
Massive boos at half. Time? Got to love the BBB. Good game. I don’t think we’re out of it but Poldi in dreamland and Santi not ticking. Ramsey superb our best man. Bayed. Are a very good side though.
Sorry holics, but is anyone really suprised?
IF we keep them out our net, AND we score >4 goals, AND we get a result in Munich, maybe we’ll have a chance to go thru.
@ 207 Agree. Too much blitzkrieg by the Germans. Need the mildfield to break it up and feed it forward.
Their closing down is immaculate.
Our closing down is horrible. The gaps between the defense and midfield are huge.
We should be tight pressing their defenders on the ball. Panicked when we did that.
Not just the gaps between defence and midfield, but most of the time between midfield and the forward most player. Cazorla has tried to close down, as has Walcott, but the rest of them are just standing around, twenty yards off the ball.
Will we see any subs before 70 mins?
C’mon You Reds!
And we have three key players on yellows.
Are we really being beaten as badly as it looks??
Is it only me or are we really looking scared of them?..come on boys..they are just human!!
Much better from us!
we want goals and we want them now
POOOLLDDIII
PoldI, God Bless You!
Lukas yes
Get in!!!!!
Yes!!! Bad defence is contagious :p
Quality undeserved corner and a under served goal to complete it!! Woooohooo
We’re back in, in fact we’ve been a hell lot better this second half!
POLDIII
ITS ONNNNNN !!!
Time for change. Do it!
Fuck off Robben you cock headed cunt.
time for second song
all we are saying is another goal now
Trigger happy twat
arrrrrsenal, arrrrrrsenal FC, weโre by far the greatest team the world has ever seenโฆ.arrrrrsenal, arrrrrrsenal FC, weโre by far the greatest team the world has ever seenโฆ.arrrrrsenal, arrrrrrsenal FC, weโre by far the greatest team the world has ever seenโฆ.
These Germans are really Drama Queens ๐
Get Ramsey off, unleash TR7
The ref is starting to lose it..
HE and OG coming on
Brilliant, gutsy play by Jack Almighty!
TR I mean
70 minute.
Sub time?
It’s the sub we wanted. And bang on 70 mins
Finally
Like friggin’ clockwork. ๐
Sagna is freaking immense!
TR and OG …there you go!
ooooh, olivier.
OG great shot!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO … arrrgh
Fuck me, that was a great chance.
oh OG!
TR7 on for thirty seconds…..what a ball
diff technique but should have scored ..come on lads!!
Sure was Gedo!
Please Lads, another goal, NOW!
Shiezzer. ๐
crap. shambolic defending.
FUCK NOOO
Defensive coaching.
Shit! Game over .
abb @ 258, you should of been more specific. ๐
unlucky Jack
still working hard, great work for jack’s shot, straight at keeper.
I feel very bad about that ๐
Don’t be so hard on yourself Nursie. ๐
Wenger needs to go!
Hey H2H ๐
just fight to the whistle, just fight to it. get another goal, if you can, then we shut them out 2-0 in munchen.
ha ha ha what is nexty?
yeah, arthur, to munich. in a week or so.
really at 70 min.?
really, 20 mins against this BM team?
I’m sorry, AW has lost it.
cazorla shoulda came off at half. TR7 is twice the player he is.
I’d take him over cazorla any day of the week.
he and jack are the only players with any bottle.
bunch a fucking weaklings. makes me sick.
We play with no LB FFS
Does AW even prepare for the teams coming up? or is it always – play pretty triangles and express yourselves?
And where the hell is our defense? 3 goals against?…at home?
That is a shambles, Bould should be fired. Clean house in the summer.
Perhaps embarrassement is what is needed to get out the rot.
Take it easy Homer.
This is one of the best teams in Europe we’re now up against, we were always going to be the underdogs. We’ve been outplayed by a better team tonight. It happens, learn to deal with it mate.
Have a drink on me to ease the pain.
oh, well. i am sure homer’s right. wenger hasn’t even seen bayern play since the 70s.
cheers, everyone. in honor of our tr7, the anything coming out of the pilsner tap is on my tab.
arrrrrsenal, arrrrrrsenal FC, weโre by far the greatest team the world has ever seenโฆ.
Ever the optimist, hoping that the boys come alive and beat the odds.
Makes the 3-1 ass kicking at home that much worse.
Thanks H2H, i surely need one. A double!
Now I will shut my angry, embittered pie hole and calmly observe the craic in the after what has been effectively the week that ended the season. BTW – another loss in the prem and we’re well and truly fucked.
Well .. that didnt go as planned.But theres still another 90 mins to play for. Still feel we can get something. Oh the hope…. ๐
Sorry, one last post.
scruz – aye sir. Rosicky is the man. I’ll drink to him any day!!!
Oh well.. I cant question the effort …we were outplayed by better team..first goal ..could not really do anything about it…the second one is the one which makes me furious …completely avoidable.
I have said it here before the match that I would love to see midfield of jack, mikel and tr with santi out wide to make them run on them. Shame, should OG score that one it could turn out to be much better for us…you have to take chances like this against team like Bayern, we should test Neuer more ..he didnt look too concentrated t obe honest.
Anyways..roll on Villa..beat them to dust …aaand even though it would be very difficult to get through ..still anything can happen in Munich.
That was a bit shit. Headless performance by us
Anyway, I think Bayern deserve credit. Professional and efficient
3 goals in Bavaria is a huge ask against Bayern, they are too good for us. I said it on my blog and ill say it again. We should have put our energy into the fa cup, we know we had the best chance of silverware in that comp. 7 years and 8 months with no trophy. We should have focused on that one and brought a trophy back to the emeraites. Then finally we would have a platform to build from.
In a word, useless.
In two words, useless cunts.
A bit of pride salvaged in the second half, I’m glad we showed some fight, a lot of teams would of just rolled over.
ARSENAL BLOODY ARSENAL!!
No going forward fuck is shit!”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No issues about being dicked by a top top side it’s happened before and will happen again the depressing thing is to see how far we’ve fallen behind the top sides which is a country mile –
The more depressing thing tho is seeing Jack run himself into the ground game after game trying to lift those around him he will be fucked by the time he’s 26 if players of the same quality and leadership are not bought in to help him, Or worse he will be sold by the @&”” running the profiteering racket!
Painful, but not surprising. Frankly the only surprising thing was Poldi’s goal.
I hope Chezzny will recover from his slump.
5am in Indonesia…
Have a good night all.
I sense I’ll be in a minority but… no massive complaints from me.
They’re clearly a better team than us, and we knew it long before tonight.
Shipping one early gave us a mountain to climb. I thought we hung on by our fingernails in the first half (while getting a football lesson) and then worked our bollocks off for the first half hour of the second half and could easily have been level when we were finished off by the third goal.
Jack was immense again, but I also thought Ramsey worked his socks off and lifted the side + always showed for the ball.
Not much chance of progress, but then we were 4-0 down at this stage last year (albeit against a much worse team) and we nearly made it, so maybe it ain’t over til the fat lady sings.
With that, I’m off to the pub. Keep calm, try not to overreact and remember that tomorrow is another day.
COYG
Rosicky over cazolrla…. Thats funny ….. Lollity lolikins lolsworth, etc ๐
this unkind uselesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
If you wanted to know who is the most important player in our team, you got your answer today.
Kieran Gibbs.
Or any other competent attacking LB.
His absence disrupts the whole balance.
First off, TV is horrible at LB, especially isolated when the winger is late in tracking.
Secondly, and I’ve said it numerous times.
Poldi is a totally different player with Gibbs.
He cannot handle the flank on his own and you can sense TV’s apprehension to get the ball at LB.
Nice perspectivity N7 cheers mate…. I’ll have a schnaps dunka…
fuck talk to much but you lot are fuckkng WRONG!
I thought we would have nicked it!
That was horrible, just horrible. Bit of fight in the second half, but another sucker punch to take the wind out of our sails. A goal down going to Munich might have been salvagable but scoring three and keeping a clean sheet will be a big ask. Sad after Saturday. Now miserable again. We can match top sides when we try, but not for a full game anymore, it seems.
Agreed Snir ..abso-fucking-lutely spot on…every Bayerns attack ran through their right side. Identified our weakness with precision and exploited it to no end.
one thing Mr D Mr Z
It was supposed to be a draw game. For me, Bayern was not that impressive, maybe I’m the only person in this bar who think so. It was 2 soft goals, avoidable goals really or maybe I’m just drunk and can’t think…
Where are you now?
Hope you are right, N7.
Well we at least got that important away goal!
What? Oh ……. Shit shit shit
Defense has been pants all season. I’m not sure it’s the coaching. We just have no one that wants to clear the damn ball. OG is our best defender. Vermaelen is lost. And he has not scored this year to help make up for it. Time to buckle the fuck down and play with passion.
Today’s loss was not unexpected. Fair play to the Germans. I actually hope they win the CL. They “deserved” to win last year.
Well lets win the quad next year.
I’m gutted!
Well, we did better then Ollie thought we would.
The things Rosicky did during the short time he was on made me really sad he’s been off the team so often. He’s pure quality, the chances we got were through him and Jack. Loved how he dashed through 3 defenders, still looking young.
As many people said, not a surprising result at all. We got our asses handed to us by Schalke earlier this season and Bayern is twice their size.
Second half gave me some hope though. Shame on that last goal.
Oh, and hi!
Ambydex, unfortunately soft goals count the same as brilliant ones.
Ambydex
Thats how I saw it too…. We gifted them goals and were pretty inept and tentative…. The decision to not play the strongest side turned out to be a complete waste of time….. Pointless. We havent got it in us to beat top sides any more, that is worrying…..
The players need to get this game out of their systems and concentrate on the league, finish top 4 and hope the new manager wants to keep them on…. ๐
I love Arenal!
I wish the god had other ideas MR FUCKING ZZXZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Someone hand Arthur something from the CMC.
==
Hi Swedish.
The fight was there in the second half. Sadly, they are by far the better side and demonstrate modern direct no-complications football, the way we should play in the future.
As for the future, this is the first time I say, but it is maybe time for Arsene to change or to move on at the end of the year.
He had time to buy in January, opted not to. We loaned our second striker and bought no replacement.
This game cried for a classic muscle DM, but we have not got any in the whole squad. Arteta was all over the place, expected more from him.
We played 90 minutes without LB. Wasn’t better to put 3 players in defence, Sagna, Kos and Vermaelen, because this wasn’t a Mert. type of game.
Feel exhausted right now. Hoping for better as we all do.
@NBN : Sad but true, but the game was doable and winable, until we gave it away pretty cheaply.
@norris : what new manager? :p
Ambydex
A tad tongue in cheek, but I think its definitely maybe going to happen….
Before the game I expected worse really. Bayern, sadly, showed the chasm of class between them and us but there was still a tiny glimmer of hope until that horrible 3rd goal went in. Good to hear the crowd getting behind the team even at the end. Not sure what we pray for in Munich ๐ But, hey, you never know!
294Snir Geuli
If you wanted to know who is the most important player in our team, you got your answer today.
Kieran Gibbs.
Or any other competent attacking LB.
His absence disrupts the whole balance.
First off, TV is horrible at LB, especially isolated when the winger is late in tracking.
Secondly, and Iโve said it numerous times.
Poldi is a totally different player with Gibbs.
He cannot handle the flank on his own and you can sense TVโs apprehension to get the ball at LB.
You truly know nothing about football and shut up and relax
Might even be a (very slight, wapred) blessing indisguise as we play Everton and the spuds before the away leg. If we had won, or drawn the 1st leg, it could have distracted the team…. Now they can forget about progessing and concentrate on the league….
I do think that the Arsenal team that started the season, would have been a match for the germs, but that was such a long time ago and whatever good the coaches and Wenger were doing with them has long vanished….
Lots of Arsenal youngsters, especially Theo and Ramsey, should learn how to play attacking football form Rosicky, how to control the ball when in deeper positions, how to use the body to avoid challenges, how to react to passing challenges.
The image of Rosicky on the TV screen after the end of the match walking alone towards the dressing room was telling. Something odd has happened in recent times between him and Arsene/Club, but he is the type of player on whom Arsene’s early glorious years was based: fast, accurate, mobile, fearless, driving.
The shape of the team was all wrong to begin with: to expect that Bayern would not see through the two-penny trick of quick release to Walcott down the middle was naive. We needed a physical presence in the center, who can hold up and bring the midfield into play and can react to crosses and long balls. Giroud-Poldi-Theo also works better as a collective. Walcott is not a center forward to be played with a defense that has not conceded in any competition a single goal since the winter break.
Bayern punished all the well known fault-lines — the weak left side, the uncertainty in long balls, inability to find alternative if the channels down the middle are closed — with efficiency and precision. It was educational how someone like Robben — never known for being a great team player or one to share defensive duties — in this team was defending deep inside Bayern’s half.
I hope our players see this game later with an open mind and learns how to play a team sport, and how efficiency, organization and discipline (positional, tactical) are central to success.
Defensive organisation & concentration! Defensive organisation & concentration! Defensive organisation & concentration! That’s the problem with our side. In a nutshell, we do not have any of competence! When your opponents can take a throw-in and it lands at a striker’s feet just outside your 6-yard box, you know you have a problem with the basics of your side. Not only did it happen once but tonight but at least twice from what I saw in the flesh! Any side, nevermind one of the best in Europe, will have a field day against defensive organisation of that ilk! Who’s to blame for that?! I’ll leave it up to the bar to discuss overnight. I’m off to bed to plan some proper defensive organisation & concentration for tomorrow’s attacking vitriole from many quarters. I feel that the end of an era is now nigh on several possible fronts. Goodnight. COYBG!
@316 goonerinpain
We all saw that we played 90 minutes with no LB and all out attacks went trough Sagna. Vermaelen cannot time his runs. If that was not obvious I don know what is.
Unfortunately, as with several other players vermealen has lost all kinds of form and confidence with no sign of him recovering it…. Wenger’s inability to get players low on form and confidence roaring back has been extremely worrisome for a while now, for me, since the carling Cup final loss and the wretched form after….
Abit of frank Snir-ness and analysis wouldn’t be amiss from the usual optimistic prose. I prefer it whilst in-between cases in theatre. Victoria Concordia Crescit.
Doctor Faustus @ 318.
My thoughts exactly. Spot on.
Gonnerinpain – enlighten me then. What was the most glaring problem in tonight’s game?
Just be sure to reply before the next game, because I have a feeling you won’t be here if we beat Villa. Just a feeling.
As for other more regular visitors of the bar – Bayern’s closing down is so good that it forces their opposition to bypass their lines of defense using dribbling. We were more dangerous when we started doing that with TR, Jack, and Santi. Gibbs would have helped with that immensely.
He hasn’t been motivating the players for ages and they seem incapable of motivating themselves. Lots of talk about mental strength but it’s just not there.
I’m with SXnir on that.
We had no left side. TV is not the answer.
DanC – I shouldn’t be analyzing as I know truly nothing about football and should shut up and relax.
Yeah Snir. Shut da fuck up. ๐
C’mon holics.
Everyone is down after a crushing, but utterly foreseeable and predictable loss to a truly world class side with many world class players.
But this gooner on gooner arguing business is not the way to go.
I’m not lucky anymore ๐
# 294 Snir Geuli
Completely agree with you… We have a sense of momentum with KG (as with Sagna on the right) but because TV is playing out of position, he is so much more cautious and tends to play backwards. Its just unfortunate that our 1st choice LB is injured and our back-up is cup-tied (or vice versa). That’s our hard-luck and no complaints on that score with the Manager. However…
# 318 DF
Completely agree with you too… Rosicky is absolute class and we never fail to look anything but threatening when he plays. But why has he be so under-utilised over the last 4-6-weeks or so?
And I’m still hoping for 3rd place and 20 Ollie G goals this season as we’ve been promised! I’m a believer, but its going to be a nail-biting finish to the end of the season.
Because let’s be honest, who really thought we had a chance this season of anything better than 3rd place (at a push) or 4th, to the exclusion of all else? I hoped but it was always unlikely…
DanC @ 319: I think you are observation is spot on, but I think it in itself is the symptom of a deeper problem.
Wrong team composition.
I will say this again even though he has been successful overall in this unfamiliar position (a testament to his ability): it is madness to play Arteta in the defensive mid role in a team where much of the attacking thrust depends on the wing-backs to move forward.
Arteta is positionally disciplined, great passer, good tackler, all that. However he is instinctively an attack minded player. Playing him in this position does two things wrong: we lose out on his significant attacking abilities and there is no DM to speedily cover for LB/RB positions or provide a natural protection to the CBs.
Arsene would throw all sorts of statistics, compare him to Pirlo (false comparison as Pirlo’s best years in Milan came in front of a traditional enforcer in Gatusso), but that is a problem with this side that gets exposed against opposition that are ruthless and tactically smart in attack.
I know we are holding out for some financially great deal to sign a DM in summer, but letting go Song and not filling that position was wrong. Yes Song could be tactically indisciplined too against lesser oppositions (a plague that inflects this whole team, for years now), but in big matches he would put in a classic DM performance when needed. Check out last season’s Dortmund home match for example. We need someone who finds the DM position a natural fit for him and his playing style.
3rd/4th STILL eminently doable Matt…. 3 points Saturday and no Wenger out chants please….. ๐
I blame Santos ๐ If he was any good we wouldn’t have had an issue on the left ๐
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I meant ‘…the plague that infects…’ NOT inflects. @332
A plague inflection, whatever that is, is surely too devastating from a grammatical point of view. ๐
Giroud on the bench, Walcott up front, Santi wide?
Great lesson on how to lose the effectiveness of 3 players.
Still I had no expectations this evening so I’m not disappointed.
Apologies for my drunken shyte last night Holics I was way out of line!