Arsenal To Further Undermine Cottagers Foundations?
Jan 16th, 2014 by 'holic
A post is due, and the match with Fulham is less than two days away. Lets have an early preview so you can all go out and enjoy yourselves on Friday night (what do you mean, you were going to anyway?).
Arsene has kindly revealed the team news today thereby saving us a nervous wait for the Friday presser. With Thomas Vermaelen out and Nacho Monreal not surprisingly a huge doubt the back five really selects itself. Wojciech Szczesny surely starts behind Bacary Sagna, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, and Kieran Gibbs. In other words, our strongest back five.
The midfield options are similarly limited. With Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey ruled out again we can probably expect to see Mathieu Flamini riding shotgun both for and with Jack Wilshere at the base. It would be a surprise to see Tomas Rosicky risked with a double fracture of the nose, even in a mask. He may be on the bench as a last desperate resort. Mesut Ozil should remain the playmaker with Santi Cazorla or Lukas Podolski coming in from the left flank and either Serge Gnabry or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the opposite side.
No prizes will be awarded for tipping Olivier Giroud to lead the line after his goalscoring return to the team at Villa Park on Monday. Now watch us sign a world-class striker on Friday morning (I jest).
The visitors may arrive in rare good spirits after crushing Norwich 3-0 in the FA Cup in midweek. That was a meeting of two weakened sides and is not indicative of the shape Fulham arrive in if their league form is a guide, and it probably is. Since we won 3-1 on the bank of the Thames on the second Saturday of the season it is fair to say the Cottagers have enjoyed mixed fortunes. On the road they have won at Sunderland (0-1), Crystal Palace (1-4) and Norwich City (1-2). They have lost on their other seven journeys including thumpings at Liverpool (4-0), Everton (4-1), and Hull (6-0).
Last Saturday they shipped four goals to fellow strugglers Sunderland at home which left them perched precariously, just a point clear of the bottom three. They have a new manager, former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen, who briefly worked alongside and then replaced the hapless Martin Jol. He has struggled to restore confidence to an ageing side although it remains to be seen if the FA Cup triumph will give them a lift for Saturday. They have run us close at the Grove on more than one occasion, including a 3-3 draw last season, but this looks a tough ask for them.
I could copy and paste this for most of the previews this season, but the Arsenal midfield is so capable of unpicking the meanest defences right now. If Fulham haven’t patched up the holes that have appeared for most of the season then our intricate passing style should open them up on numerous occasions. The score could be anything. I’m aiming the ‘holic pound at 4-0 although the best offer I can find tonight, 12/1, looks far too skinny. I will keep my options open until Saturday morning if need be to grab an improvement on that.
To those that are going you know where I will be. To those of you hunting out grainy streams I wish you a great weekend and three more points from the lads. With Manchester City at home to Cardiff we will probably need them to stay top of the pile.
Have a good one, ‘holics.
398 Responses to “Arsenal To Further Undermine Cottagers Foundations?”
First?
Runner up?
3rd?
Great preview Holic … Thank you …. I might as well post this as the Ntep rumors heat up … http://youtu.be/8ef_PdkqTlo
Champions League…..just!
Ah jostled out to 5th….am I Tottnum in disguise?
Excellent preview H…..agree the scoreline could be any number. If we keep our foot on the pedal this time, we could beat the Holic pound prediction.
Co-ordinates set.
And there was me right in the middle of composing a preview of the preview Holic, you spoiled my fun. 😯
3 points on the horizon and a couple of shandies. Bliss.
Lucky break for US viewers that Arsenal is on NBC Saturday. Nice to be top as last season we always got shuffled off for United or City
With Manchester City at home to Cardiff we will probably need them to stay top of the pile.
Certainly so. Chelsea aren’t very likely to drop points v ManU at home either, and Liverpool will hammer Villa at home so nothing but three points will do.
But long as we have the right focus this will be three points, I would say. Fulham just aren’t very good, plain and simple.
Ageing Fulham side to be viewed on a grainy stream? Maybe we should leave it to Arsenal to provide a ray of sunshine and a youthful burst of energy then? COYRRG.
Rooney and RVC are both out. 3 points to Chelsea
Arsegonian. So much for the grainy stream then. Maybe we ARE ready for prime time????
There are times, I shudder to admit it, when I could almost wish for a real crisis to hit our beloved team.
All this sitting at the top of the table becomes a little unexciting after a while. Sure, the lads do their best to liven things up by losing focus, applying the handbrake or lumping balls aimlessly down the pitch (whatever this season’s criticism of choice may be) after they’ve gone into a good lead, but they’ve held out – with very little trouble – until the final whistle so often now that the wobbles are no longer doing it for me. Why, against T*ttenham they contrived to lose a player to injury after all three subs were on and still managed not to look in any trouble until full-time. Even the bar is reduced to second- and third-order debates about how to make this season even better.
A fine post, guv’nor. You have returned from your weekend off in tiptop form. Fingers crossed Kieran Gibbs can do the same. I hope the ‘Holic pound comes in this week.
I have literally nothing to add.
COYG
@12 … If a 7am telecast is prime time then yes we are ready … 🙂
Wish you had said z. I would have snatched your hand off. Not the writing one, obviously 😉
I’m running nigh on empty right now.
http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=540027
Scouting report on Vital Arsenal.
Give it a read if you are so inclined!
Galway Gooner
good afternoon, all.
do you think there’s any risk involved in playing flamster in front of the defense with santi and mesut ahead of him, podolski and gnabry on the wings with giroud up front? is fulham’s midfield/forward group good enough to unpick that back six?
thanks for the preview, ‘holic. hope those odds increase on 4-0, which seems a stretch to me.
Pangloss @13 😉
8ball@ 10, amen.
Uply @6, Heh.
Lars @9, I actually think Moisty Moyes and his Manure squad will leave the Bus-stop in Fulham with a point at least, Maureen didn’t get much joy from games against Moyes’ Everton.
Nice preview. I would expect nothing more than a sound thrashing for the cottagers. It will be interesting to see if Berbatov makes attempts to impress. I do hope that Saturday sees us test the keeper more, and I don’t mean Shezza.
Running on empty Holic????? Sounds like you need some Tolly Top Ups on Saturday then???
A mighty 7-0 to the Gunners. Bring it on.
@cent but Everton actually has good players hahahahahaha!!!!!
Good preview H.
I have an uneasy feeling that this might be a bit closer than 4-0 though i hope your prediction is fulfilled.
Fulham may be crap but they will be fired up by that ex-Manc to give our boys a bit of GBH.
Three points are essential.
We will need focus, hard work and determination.
Go win Gunners.
Arsegonian, that’s not fair on United – they’ve got Cleverley(better than Wilshere), Welbeck(England fans rejoiced when he chose them ahead of Ghana), Phil Jones(‘as good as Baresi, has potential to be better’), Evra(the man who enjoys playing against the Arsenal boys), , Januzaj(best thing to happen since slice bread) and most importantly Ashley Young who just won his fifth consecutive FIFA Fallen d’ Floor award.
Cent @22 🙂
Just a wee word on the Ntep rumours. Auxerre say they have heard nothing from Arsenal. So either they are lying or there is nothing in the rumours because I can’t imagine Arsenal for one moment negotiating with a player behind his club’s back.
Or am I very naïve?
It seems nobody has ever heard anything when it comes to Arsenal transfers. I think Arsene has everybody sign a confidentiality agreement.
Win the next match.
BMBD
British meedja creamin’ their pants week after week over the Man City “steamroller” is getting old, annoying and pathetic not to mention pitiful. Latest example is Lawrenson’s table of predicted results which has City sitting 9 points above Arsenal. Lawrenson on auto pilot to oblivion?
Thought the old mince pies were playing tricks.
But no, a Thursday night preview and a damn fine one it is.
A blockbusting 6-0 for me, with Poldi entering the fray and grabbing a second half brace. Sorry I can’t be more specific. 😉
Didn’t City just have to replay a championship side?
Lawrenson also has us five points behind Man United. Wacko.
I thought i had seen it all,but I was behind a bloke in the Supermarket yesterday,who was buying 2 Potatoes.
I nearly fell over when he paid by charge card.!!
2 fucking potatoes for christ sake.!!
On the subject of Supermarkets,the cash only payers are discriminated against as there is no designated checkout for those of us still paying for everything with the folding stuff.
I was called a Dinosaur the other day as everyone apparently apart from me,pay for everything with a Card.
I would be interested to know whether all the Holics use cards for payments,or whether any of them like me,still use the folding stuff.
For the record i have never every had a credit/charge card of any description.
cheers
The Sweeper
You aren’t alone sweeper. I take cash out of the ATM every week and use that for my day to day stuff. I have no concept of spending when I just start swiping away.
Clive,
Prepare to meet your match. I still pay for most things by cash. As I get paid a fair amount in cash, I use it !
I have a credit card, but no debit card, which I mostly use over the phone, and struggle to remember my PIN if it is ever required.
I have NEVER used a cash machine as I have never needed to – and couldn’t tell you how to.
Now, if you don’t mind, it’s getting dark in here and I have to go and get a new candle. 😉
Arse @ 32
what is an ATM ??
Trev @ 33
Nearly but no Cigar.!!
You have a credit card,you have crossed the Rubicon.!!
Clive,
I have got a Rubicon but I can’t do it. Never get more than one side right ! 😉
I never carry cash, sweeper. Filthy stuff, covered in germs. Why weigh down your pockets with coin when all you need is a slim card which only you will ever touch?
As for Fulham, if Hull can put six past them we should easily manage 10. But I have no confidence we won’t park the bus again after scoring a couple.
Öskar
Nice early post ‘Holic 🙂
Clive, I withdraw cash for food shopping generally, and also because I’ll need loose change for nights out, paying for printing, etc, but I’ll nearly just as easily whip out a debit card in the shops if I haven’t got any cash on me or can’t be bothered to go to a cashpoint. I tend to buy a fair amount of stuff online as well, so the debit cards and occasionally the credit card for relatively important purchases (e.g. train tickets home, a new labcoat for my course) are vital there of course. Also, how would I buy my tickets for Arsenal games without my debit card(s)? 😛
@31: Goonersince54, I also don’t own a credit card. I never needed one back in the day, and over here in Japan people pay cash for nearly everything. Hard for foreigners to even get credit cards without a rating apparently, or without being able to prove that you won’t buy all the sushi and abscond to Korea or something 😀
As for Fulham, it will be a tough game, no doubt about that. I don’t know if I see us racking up a high score but if we can it would be a huge boost to the goal difference so we should go for it! With Senderos playing, we surely have a chance or two I reckon. I can’t believe we used to call him Swiss Tone, strikers pass through him so easily these days, they should call him Swiss Cheese…
@37: Hey Wind, back to your bubbly self? Don’t give yourself an aneurysm over what may or may not happen bro. We can’t do anything to change it anyway so may as well go with the flow I say 😀
Zen Cör
Hilarious stuff, Clive. Unlike you luddites, I rarely use cash. Where would I be without my rewards points, loyalty points, and spending management reports?
Plus, whenever merchants like Target have their databases breached, I get free credit monitoring for a year…all risk free.
Get with the 21st century, ‘Holics… 😉
BMBD
I’m definitely 21st century when it comes to my phone. I have 80+ apps for every aspect of everything. 10 seconds before I wake up, I get a notification that I’m about to open my eyes. However, I still use cash as it’s way easier for me to look at my wallet and say I took out X, I’ve spent Y. When I use the debit, I always spend twice as much as usual.
Haven’t used cash since 2013.
CoR @ 38, back to my bubbly self? Well thanks man, and yeah I guess I am. I’ll try to resist being such a doomer on occasion, I succumbed to the dark side of the force during my moment of weakness but now I’m back in the light 🙂
Worrying about things that can go wrong doesn’t mean you’re being a “doomer” but stressing out too much can’t really help your enjoyment of the spectacle. You’ll be tense all the time!
I think if we’re good enough, we’ll win. If not, we won’t.
I just want to see the team bust their guts every weekend and so far they’re doing it so I’m pretty happy so far 😀
Cannöns “Simple” Rhetörik
I’m the same as @43 …. No trophies? So be it. Just show me you care
The Queen never carries cash, Clive.
bt8b: nor have I, but largely for the lack of it…
Fulham will surely try to park the bus. Given the likely results for the clubs at the sticky end of the table this weekend, a point would be one more than many of the others will get. If we score early, the ‘Holic pound may look a good bet, but otherwise it may be grinding 1-0 or 2-0.
I think we’ve only scored 4 once all season against Norwich ( 4-1 ) and that was close for a good while. So either we are due to run riot or we just aren’t that type of team right now. I’m with Ned …. Tighter match
You are right, Arsegonian. In the league we have scored four goals once, three goals six times, two goals seven times, one goal five times, and no goals twice.
Ned knows!!!!
The ever fallible monks at Castle Ned reckon that 2-0 is the most likely scoreline at a 10% chance, followed by 2-1, 1-1 and 1-0.
Good grief guys, we’re playing AT HOME in front of OUR FANS against a team whose goal difference is 46 (count ’em) 46 WORSE than ours, who have conceded 11 goals MORE than any club in the Premiership including 15 goals MORE than the BOTTOM club.
And some of you are thinking 1-0 to 2-0 would be good? It would be a disgrace, imo.
Öskar
Never said it would be ” good ” it’s just what I expect. I’ll take .5 – 0 if it gets us 3 points.
What you expect is not good, A, I’ll give you that! 🙂
Öskar
Oh, and to add to their problems I forgot to mention they played a mid-week game and we didn’t!
Öskar
Cheers Holic! Stick at it mate.
We aren’t blowing teams away, more like grinding them down. Probably our 2 best performances were Napoli at home, Dortmund away. 2 and 1 Nil. We’ve only conceded 1 goal our last eight home matches so I don’t expect Fulham to score. I’m going with 2-0 or 3-0 but you’ll have to check my blog in a few hours to see which I decide 😉
Morning all!
I would gladly bite off the arms of anybody who offers me a guaranteed good old 1-0 to the Arsenal for the Fulham game(and pretty much all our remaining games), like CoR and Arsegonian, so long as the boys are giving it their all I’m good. And if in the process of giving it their all they somehow manage to win all our remaining games for the rest of my life by the above scoreline I would be one happy Gooner making my way through heaven’s gate(s).
Can’t guarantee I’ll still be awake later, but if you go less than 4-0 I’ll be disappointed.
Öskar
Well I can’t plagiarize the Holic and take 4-0 so I’ll have to go 5. Where are you located Oskar?
Wellington, New Zealand. You?
It’s 20.00 o’clock here.
Öskar
5 is good, btw, and perfectly realistic.
Öskar
That’s awesome. I’m in Portland Oregon. I’d like to go to New Zealand
And I’d like to visit Oregon, I believe you have some beautiful parks and waterways. But right now I’m going to watch the cricket. England made a reasonable 301, but I expect Aussie to cruise to a win.
Cya laterz
Öskar
Clive, it’s okay that you don’t have a credit card, as long as Arsene has a fat checkbook.
Well Finch out already.
I understand absolutely nothing about cricket. Arsenal with a bit of horse racing for me.
Belatedly jumping on the Trev bandwagon regarding statistics, I note that the monks at Castle Ned reckon that the result be Fulham is likely to be none of 2-0, 2-1, 1-1 and 1-0.
Also, to chime in on the cash/credit card debate; We tend to use both – we withdraw fixed weekly amount from a hole in the wall, which is used for day-to-day spending, and make out-of-the-ordinary purchases on credit card. As noted above, it’s really easy to see how much cash you’ve got and the regular, fixed, withdrawals make budgeting easy.
What does the bar think about Direct Debits as opposed to Standing Orders? Me, I’m implacably opposed to Direct Debits and have as few as possible. Sadly, some service providers refuse to allow you to pay other than by Direct Debit – even providers of services that I find highly desirable, leading to feelings that I am being coerced into using them.
Hey ho, hey ho. Work calls. have a good ‘un fellow barflies.
COYG
I’m a card user, though when abroad it’s mostly cash as there is often a surcharge for using the card if it’s not connected to a domestic bank account. I have no problems keeping track of how much money I have left in the account as my bank has an app for my smartphone where I can instantly see how much money there is.
On the card/cash debate.
I like to pay for day-to-day stuff in cash and try to carry some specific amount on me all the time, without it I just dont feel comfortable. Its just bit like “what if” for some situations when you really need to pay for something and there is no way you can use your card for that.
Once I run out of cash, I withdraw again. I do not have credit card, only debit card connected to my bank account which I use for payments over the internet mostly and for more expensive purchases as contrary to my first paragraph..I dislike to carry waay too much cash on me.
Would never go for credit card myself, have deeply inserted fear of going overboard and getting into too much debt..and I hate owing someone pretty much anything.
I also like the cash for one specific reason, noone can track what I am buying for it and I would like to keep it that way since it appears to be one lf the last bastions of privacy we have in current world.
I have apps for all my cards etc. I guess I’m just old when it comes to money cause I’d rather look in my pocket then the apps. I do use the apps to give mrs. Arsegonian a hard time. I like to check the debit then send her a text like ” how was your coffee from Starbucks? ” That drives her nuts 🙂
Monks, statistics, tight game, park the bus ! ?!?
This is a bus being driven by dear old Phil Senderos – the only player I have seen stumble and fall over running out of the penalty are – without the ball !
Come on lads, take those boots and – fulham ! 😉
Arsegonian,
Better hope you don’t get a text back that says, ” how was your lingerie from H&M ?” 😉
Lmao Trev 🙂
My little brother is a massive basketball fan. Anyway he hooked me up with this link of our boys watching the NBA game in London yesterday …. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-2540912/Premier-League-stars-flock-watch-NBA-match-sold-O2-Arena-London.html
Great feedback on credit/debit cards/cash.
But what i find funny,is no one has commented on a bloke buying 2 potatoes with a charge card.!!
So a bloke bought 2 spuds with a charge card.
Spuds spent £27 million on a sack of potatoes (Soldildo). That’s much funnier.
Amateurs. We use debit cards generally, no credit cards. Have cash for the small stuff like the greengrocers and cafés. I have personal finance software on my pc and we keep a record of everything we spend. Reconcile all our bank statements regularly with our own records. That way I know very quickly if a mistake has been made and I can also tell you want I spent and where I spent it. Also means we never accidentally overdraw and incur extortionate interest charges.
It’s called financial planning and control.
But I’m still broke.
“want i spent” = “what i spent”
Fulham will offer a decent fight and in that ex spuds parker they have a hatchet man on jack/ozil. Taraabt will blow hot and cold but the man to watch maybe as an audition will be berbatov, remember the 3-3 game, the one in which Mikel missed a last minute penalty, berbatov was simply outstanding that day.
A must win as always and with the likelihood of chelshit dropping points sunday, we need to win this. A fairly regular 3-1 tomorrow?????
Hi all,
The boss has addressed our pursits for a striker this during this window this morning.
It sounds like something may happen, but we will not threat if we do not:
on being linked with Berbatov…
You should ask the question, do I rate Berbatov as player? Highly. Have we made any approach to sign Berbatov? No.
on whether he will sign Berbatov…
I don’t think so because we have Bendtner who is coming back, we have Yaya Sanogo who is making very good progress in training. Of course we have lost Theo Walcott and that for us was a big blow but hopefully we can compensate. We have not made any approach.
on Mertesacker being curious about the transfer window…
I am curious as well, of course I’m curious, it’s my nature. But the transfer period lasts until the 31st of January. Are we close to signing anybody? At the moment I would say no.
Oh and for N7:
on being close to a deal for Draxler…
No.
😉
on the rumour he (Count Drax) had a look around the training ground…
That’s like a non-identified flying object. Some see them everywhere.
hahah Goonertown, was just about to post that about Draxler, typical Arsene humour and fashion…and that cheeky grin, strong vibes in me that the young german is on his way 😀
He did exactly the same face when he said “we might have a surprise for you” before we signed Özil 😀
where is this Sanago? Boss said ready in January…half way through January already…is Sanago any good??
Peter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7TkvRdiSLM
Cheers ‘H for the preview. Shouldn’t be any problems. Hope we go at them from the off. Get an early goal and I think Fulham will give up the ghost and crumble. Start slowly, as we did against Cardiff, and risk giving them a foothold in the game, and it might be a long afternoon.
This Draxler thing is getting annoying, he comes he comes now or else lets stop this nonsense, he is injured, he is resting, bayern want him, he is the next RVC, whatever, if he is anything like that dutch twat, he better not come.
I know Norfolk is a backwater, loads of establishments don’t have card machines, eg. the Garden Centre, next door and my hairdressers. You can drive 40 miles in parts of the County and never come across an ATM. Cash is still king in my neck of the woods and although I have joined the internet age and carry cards, I would never leave the house without “beer money” in my purse.
I think it is about time our delightful midfield play lead to chances being turned into goals. Even when we completely outclassed Hull, we only put 2 of the countless chances away. This is not good enough and tomorrow would be the ideal game to put a few passed Fulham. The bench looks pretty threadbare for this and the Cup Tie, let’s hope the projected returnees for the Southampton game materialise. Here’s hoping Holic’s
4-0 is near the mark.
As always COYRs
Eandy:
I just so happen to know said grin you are refring to:
http://www1.skysports.com/news/12040/8828339/
Peter: Me gets feeling he’s one for the future.
Vinay
Patience is a virtue.
Take it that he is not coming. Then:
‘We may surprise you’
🙂
Eandy: Thank you!
Goonertown: I want Sanago NOW! not in the future…in the future I might be supporting Moaning Maureen…NOT! (though that Eden Hazard is definitely worth following…he’s got talent…)
To be fair, there’s nothing more the boss can say. We have a wad of cash burning a hole in our pockets and a sea of agents rubbing their hands together.
We have to shop wisely, taking all factors into account.
Peter: I do not think we were ever promised Sanogo now.
We got Ozil instead.
Goonertown: I must admit I love Ozil…and want him to really settle in here and develop his game…love the way he plays the ball…def think we’ll see more aggressive goal scoring from him in the future…
Someone told me that Boss had said that Sanago had been a gamble…inferring that he’s not sure if the gamble would pay off?
“To be fair, there’s nothing more the boss can say.” Goonertown@94
All readers: Please store this quote and remember it each time Wenger is criticised for saying “We have plenty of cash”, “We have no interest in <insert name of next great hope>”, “I did not see the incident”.
You’ll be amazed how hard it is to think of what else Le Boss could have said in many cases.
Fulham tomorrow. Three points, please. That is the absolute priority. Anything else on the wishlist, like a hatful of goals, is a “nice-to-have”. All we can do is win our remaining matches. Fortunately, that is more hthan enough.
COYG
Blaset! Failed to tuen off the bold . Sorry
A bold statement by Pangloss there 😉
Anyone hearing that we’re bringing in another untested striker called Ntep from Auxerre for 10m?
What the deuce!
And boom!
claims the original tabs spot
Thank you, C¨R. I’ll keep setting ’em up if you keep on tucking ’em away.
Well in tabs, and a classic tabsing from bath.
Wahay, that’s CöR with a silent ‘o’.
FAO ‘Holic – There’s a two page article on Joe Baker in the new Gooner, if you’re interested.
My pleasure Pangloss, and well in tabsie 🙂
The Dubious Goal Committee wishes to clarify what the “TaBS position” actually means. Knowingly posting @ 101 is NOT getting the TaBS position, the TaBS position means going for 100 A.K.A. Goal only to find out that someone else has gotten there before you. Just as the name implies; it is a position that was made famous back in the days by our very own Mr Take a Bow Son, who developed a penchant for unintentionally kicking the ball into the net a little while after a goal had been scored in a bid to score the aforementioned goal.
We will be glad if the above correction is put into effect with immediate effect. Thank you for understanding.
TDGC.
Haha cheers all and heh @The dubious goals committee 🙂
Cheers for the preview ‘holic. Plus, hope that you have a good one tomorrow, you sound like you need it, sir.
I get slightly nervous when many are predicting an easy victory with a large scoreline, pride before the fall and all that. That said, I still believe that this side will be too strong for Fulham.
@106 – who let in the pedants?
@43 – that should be Cannön’s Simple Canons of Rhetörik.
Oddly enough, I’m in the OtD camp regarding tomorrow to a certain extent. Whilst I’ll not be “disappointed” with a 2-nil victory, I do believe now is when we need to pick up the goal-scoring verve. If we can’t put 4 past a Cottagers unit who played in midweek that “employs” spuddie parkster (hat tip to dkgÖÖner @ 75, hilarious!), we should, maybe, be concerned.
Still, a victory will do for me.
BMBD
‘Holic, what H2H said.
What’s all this I hear about Vucinic and Us? He has never struck me as the kind of player/striker who will suit us and always looked wasteful everytime I’ve watched him.
Hear = Read.
Tabs and bath, the Bergkamp and Henry of the blogosphere.
Or maybe the Flanagan and Allen. 😉
Cheers Lonestar, I missed dkg’s @75. 🙂
Trev – haha 🙂 How’s the knee looking for tomorrow?
CoR @ 43, shouldn’t that be Cannons of Simple Rhetorik? Thank me later bro 😛
Pangloss @ 66, I’ve got direct debits for my Arsenal Red Membership, my sim contract bill and for my insurance policies. Only a problem when you haven’t got cash in the required account for whatever reason! 😉
The knee looks as attractive as possible in the circumstances, Tabs. 😉
I’m going to give it a go – see if I can get a cab to drop me at The Tollie around 1.30, and take your suggestion regards a pick-up around 5.45.
What can possibly go wrong ? 😉
Or you try and cancel one, Wind. 😉
Heh Trev 🙂
Good news. All will be fine … 😉
Hello hölix,
Good evening, been away since last year happy to be back home. Nice preview Guv’nor & great drinks in the bar.
With reference to all the topics raised, I make I inputs
1. I sincerely think we’ll sign a player but not in the position(s) we desire.
2. We’ll beat Fulham & keep a clean sheet once more, not disposed to predict the scoreline now.
3. re: cash/debit or credit cards – they mean different thing to diferent people. I go with both, as pointed out early, there are things we may need to buy without necessarily revealing our identity and there are situations where a card saves the day.
Now to guinness the evening with some fish. Anyone? 😉
Check out http://www.arsegonian.com for a bit more news on the match tomorrow and you can make a match prediction in the polling station as well at the bottom of the site.
Wind – The problem I see with DD comes when somene takes out more than they should. With Standing Order the situation is clear – the bank has exceeded my instruction to them, it’s up to them to sort it out. With DD, I fear an everlasting wrangle between the bank and the organisation to whom I have granted access to my account. That’s not a situation I look forward to with any relish.
Re: The Dubious Goals Committee. I humbly suggest that the intentionally attempted Tabs position drinks be referred for consideration to The Dubiously Attempted Goals Committee. The committee chair (Soldado) is a Spud but the jurisdiction is clear.
I don’t go the direct debit route myself. I log in and pay the various bills every month cause I might vary the amounts
Pangloss,
I bought so much of the stuff that Branston Pickles wanted me to pay them by Direct Debit.
That was not a situation that I looked forward to with any relish. 😉
Heh @ 106
Also Heh @ Trev @ 113 –
“Strolling, just strolling,
by the light of a silvery moon…..”
Hope your knee stands up to tomorrow and you get a helpful taxi driver each way, Trev.
No game on real birthday last weekend so official birthday is tomorrow. Hope Lars card is in the battle 😉
Did Lars really need to tell anyone I’m a card user?
Cheers bath, see you there ?
Arseblog’s Arsenal Gentleman’s Weekly Review is laugh out loud funny in several places, especially the description of Birmingham and decapitation in the 1930’s.
Trev @129 – probably briefly afterwards. If only to see your parrot 🙂 (sorry).
Bath, – Wolfie said the same thing about the parrot – or did he say a cock or two ? 😉
More Soldildo (©H2H) laughs here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Soldado
Look at the two pictures of him “playing” for Valencia and “in action” for Totts. You can see why they bought him.
A brief word for the Arsenal Gentleman – bravo!
Carry on…
BMBD
Trev@126 – Nice. I considered getting into a punfight with you to celebrate FFF but I don’t want to risk getting into a piccalilli.
So, Fulham eh?
On the day or night before a match, especially one that I know I will actually be at, I usually find any number of ways to get myself bent out of shape when my thoughts turn to the opposition.
I can usually be relied upon to cast up memories recalled from otherwise long-forgotten matches and/or seasons. Of abject refereeing performances which robbed us of victory. Points. Trophies. I recite lists of objectionable and odious cunts that either currently wear the opposition colours or have had reason to do so previously. When that fails, I can always find a link to some hapless twat of a manager who has been objectionable toward Arsene Wenger simply because (inevitably) we were too good for them. I guess, at a stretch, Martin Jol would have been guilty by association, but he’s toast. Similarly Mark Hughes has gone off to be a wanker elsewhere.
So, in the pantheon of evil, you would have to go fairly far down the line before someone from Craven Cottage would make an appearance, considering the competition. It’s not really surprising, since the club have never really mixed in the same exalted circles as Arsenal, have never won a major trophy and generally appear (to this outsider looking in) to be like the better-behaved cousin of the newly-rich Oiks from the same parish. With their quaint little house at the corner of the Stadium to the view of boaters down the Thames on the periphery, they appear to be, well, a bit nice. I struggle to get even remotely wound up about Fulham.
And then I remember the corresponding fixture last season.
Two nil up after 23 minutes and coasting.
Sound familiar?
Pegged back to two each by half time and then horror of horrors, going behind to the ghoulish Berbatov. Giroud righted that particular wrong but a game that had 3 points was offering one until a last minute penalty…..and Mikel just had to go and miss it! Funny, now I remember how I hated every one of them right at that moment – Sidwell was a dirty bastard, Hangelaand was a lanky circus freak, Riise was a has-been and Richardson was a Manc-never-was. Yes, I was totally off on one.
At the urging of Roxette, though, and this a new year, I am approaching tomorrow with a zen-like calm. No foul-mouthed invective, no questioning the officials parentage, no patronizing our visitors. I’m going to pretend to be like those nice people from down the river. I’m going to behave.
That’ll fool ’em, eh?
Heh, Dr. Z. You can put lipstick on a pig, but…
Have a lively old time.
BMBD
I’ve read two good Arsenal based articles today .
The first is in the new Gooner out today. It is by Jon Spurling and recalls the 2007/8 season and the missed opportunity to win the League. Jon writes a balanced column without histrionics and I agree with most of what he says
The second is an excellent piece on Ozil analysing his stats at Real and with us so far
http://goonersphere.com/team-lineup/lewsviews/5734-mesut-flopzil?
I agree with this one too. He underlines that so far Ozil’s stats are very good indeed and we all anticipate more to come.
Well worth a read.
2-0 tomorrow to the men in red I think.
Would have made a great preview z 😉
Zen-like here too.
Beforehand 😉
Nice one zico.
Heh, that was an abridged version of what I planned before your premature articulation yesterday, Holic!
Hope your less tipsy than the last birthday boy by the time I get there tomorrow. 🙂
Good article that, TTG.
There is some (unconfirmed) talk that Wilshere may be out for tomorrow and it seems that we might see Chambo alongside Flamini in the middle.
Nice vignette zico….mañana muchacho 🙂
See you tomorrow, Baff.
Briefly doesn’t cut it though….. 😉
Thanks Pangloss
Bad sign when Dr. Z starts being nice and courteous to the opposition.
Its on like Fat Pat’s thong.
Also do agree with TTG about Jon Spurling as being worth reading. Don’t touch The Gooner with a 14 foot barge pole these days, but I would certainly be interested in that article if it was reprinted elsewhere.
Esso
My article isn’t bad either! I do understand that the Gooner upsets a lot of people but a few of the pieces in there are quite good this month it’s interesting to sense a big change in attitudes to Wenger in there. Personally I suspect it will soon cease to exist as a paper magazine.
If Jack is out tomorrow it will be astonishing the rate at which we are sustaining injuries. I think Fulham have two injuries at present!
Trev @ 118, but how would I go on with my daily life?! 😉
Pangloss @ 122, fair enough, the closest I’ve come to that sort of DD problem is when Arsenal charged me the price of 2 Red Memberships in the summer of 2011 or 2012, they near immediately refunded me but I got two membership packs due to the error. All’s well… 🙂
TTG, sorry mate, sure your article is very erudite and worthy, but like I said aint bought the publication in over 10 years and the on-line version makes me spit blood. Literally.
In the meantime – Brimful of Asha on the 45!
A close reading of this article reveals that the only manager who, in Mourinho’s words, has a “fantastic” job is David Moyes. Also, Mourinho already has walked away from Chelsea one time, if memory serves.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25773875
Buffoon.
Or is that the Juve keeper? 😉
No you’re fucking spot on mate. Really disappointing thing is English media who obviously view him as some sort of second coming complete with knob that needs sucking 24/7.
Sickening.
Great stuff at 136 Zico
One block on here just managed to turn the topic of discussion from Fulham to debit and credit cards. Yeah, we gooners are that good.
ping
Nice one, zico.
Hope to see some of you in a while.
Enjoy, Holic. Sounds like you could do with a good day. 😉
Abb, if you’re in here later, hope you are ok 😉
Good stuff, Zico. Wish you all a good day ahead and hopefully our boys will get the points no matter who starts.
What Trev said @159
For anyone anticipating the 4-0 scoreline, I hope you are right and I wish you good luck on that or similar score.
I for one, can’t remember the last time we scored 4 or more goals. Arsenal tactic since the second Tots game last season is clear, stay focused and patient, keep it simple, don’t rush, score one goal, score the second one from the counter if you can and then defend with 10 man.
I still feel quite positive and confident we’ll win, but I just can’t see us scoring plenty and I expect a tough game.
Fulham will not come and surrender that easy. They may have the worst defense in the PL, but they welcome Hangeland in their squad today and Fulham defense with the big Norwegian in the squad is quite a different animal.
They have an experienced squad with plenty of players that know how to score and to play for a draw and we all need to remember that we haven’t beat them at home since 2010. Four years!
Not going to say that I am frightened, but since that 3-3 game last season, they scare me a lot, because I know what they are capable of.
I feel that this is the game when we will miss Arteta’s calmness, Ramsey’s engine and Theo speed the most.
I expect Gnabry to continue on the right side, knowing his ability to cover his fullback against Riise’s tendency to bomb forward on every occasion.
If the rumors about Wilshere are true then I think we will see Chambo along Flamini in the middle.
Giroud starting is a must, but I would like to see Rosicky too if available. Not sure about Poldi starting but I see him coming on at the hour mark.
The defense picks itself if anyone is fit.
Can’t wait for the game to start!
Excellent stuff Zico.
On the train, the Tolly is a calling.
Sweeper. Credit cards are amazing. You just pick up what you want, type in a 4 digit code and Robert’s your mothers brother. You don’t have to pay for it ever…… Sorry, what’s that you say??? I hope you are well dear chap. Any chance of you joining us in the Tolly one day?
Abb, love and hugs Nursie. I hope you are well and just about ready to cheer on the boys.
Good luck Trev. I would hate to think of you with crutch problems.
Still sticking with my 7 nil.
Up the Gunners.
What a goal by Rodriguez!
Would not mind to see him in Arsenal shirt, great player.
Enjoy the game fellow holics.
I’m afraid I’ll miss it, way too much to do.
Have set the HD Recorder and wil go into media lock down.
Laters all.
arseblog @arseblog 20s
Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Wilshere, Cazorla, Gnabry, Ozil, Giroud (via @arsenal
Arsenal FC @Arsenal 1m View translation
#Arsenal subs: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Rosicky, Podolski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ju-Young Park #AFCvFFC
Same team as started at Villa Park.
Poldi-watch: he’s on the bench.
Still think we should be using this run to play a few people into form.
N7 – I guess if we are two up at half time Le Boss will try to do just that. First-off I think he wants to sew up the poinrs with the in-form players we have, and that’s fine by me.
COYG
Win the next match
On the upside, that’s a very quick comeback from Nacho.
COYG
Pangloss – very true. Here’s hoping for an early goal or two.
Good to see Nacho starting again today, I’d love to see him get a bit of a long run in our starting XI.
Just reading the BBC article about the execrable Mourinho linked by 8ball@153 above. It includes a table of the Portuguese’s record against the top 5 and the Sp*ds. Whilst it came as no surprise that he had fewest defeats against Arsenal (0) I hadn’t realised that he also had the fewest wins (2) from 7 games. It’s strange the things we chose to focus on, isn’t it?
COYG
Haven’t you heard? Draws count as wins for Mourinho. That’s what the press say, anyway.
Ah, yes. That’ll be it, N7. Thanks 🙂
Looks like Southampton will be without Lovren and Ramirez when we play them. Both suffered serious injuries. Borus also looks like he might have injured himself earlier.
Poldi not starting is strange one..but can understand the logic.
Alas..streams for those in need
http://livetv.sx/en/eventinfo/209996_arsenal_fulham/
and
http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=236151&part=sports
🙂
Eandy, love the Russian streams, great quality, but they are couple of minutes late.
Lurky: see my @47 above. In the league this season, we have scored four goals once, three goals six times, two goals seven times, one goal five times, and no goals twice.
2-0 seems about right for today though I’d love to see Steve T’s 7-0 be on the money.
yeah Lurky..at least the ones from livetv usually are ..if russian sopcast shows up on wiziwig they are just few seconds off usually..acestream is wonky ..sometimes it runs great but sometimes it just keeps buffering over and over again -_- (and I do not have too shabby connection)
Come On You Gunners!
Come on lads!
Morning Holics!!!! COYR !!!!
NBN, I’ll take 2-0 too.
Lee Fucking Probert- behave yourself.
COYG!
oooo Mesut
Listenkng to the commentary on Radio 5Live as is my wont. Something of a jizzfest from the commentators about the City team. Comes as quite a surprise to recall that they aren’t 10 points clear at the top. A good quote from Arsène in the Grauniad today about how much less pressure there is being top this season compared with chasing fourth for the last couple of years.
And Cardiff equalise!!!
Cardiff equalized
Shame, Chitti get another. Meanwhkle, at Upton Park, Newcastle United get a second. Will this be curtains for Fat Sam? I do hope so.
COYG
Ooooh almost!
ouch Per down
Pretty tame first half, apart from early chance from Mesut and Bacarys rebound, we did not create anything.
We need to up our urgency and tempo in second half.
Are you all holding your breath so much that you’re all too tensed to say anything…
Or did you all fall asleep?
Fat Sam is like Herpes. He keeps reappearing
Intended to watch this game live, but life had other plans. I’m at the pediatrician’s office with two sick kids, while the Management is at the hairdresser’s.
How did this happen?
BMBD
I think a bunch of Holics are at the match
True, trye Arsegonian.
Ugh Lonestar …. Tell those youngsters to gut it out !!!! 🙂 Hope all is ok.
Well, I see most of the fans didn’t even find appropriate to come to the Ems. Lots of empty places because it’s only Fulham you know. We will win comfortably by 4-0. Meh, make it 7-0, it is only Fulham with the worst defense in the league.
It’s good that the players didn’t underestimated Fulham like lots of fans did.
Oh wait…
Instead of launching one he slides it into space for …
Fucking scores
Gooooaaallll
Fuck!!! Well in Lurky
Thanks 8ball.
Will Arsenal replicate that? Well in Lurky.
We only need one. I don’t think Fulham will score.
Podolski coming on at some point this half I expect.
Cheers Arsegonian.
Furious over here, expected a tough game, but this is not the Arsenal I like to see.
No pace, no pressing, misplaced paces, Wilshere on the floor every five minutes, Ozil slow, Gnabry needs to learn proper pressing, Giroud need to run little bit more down the channels with two slow CB
s on him.
We need a much better second half and we need to start creating something. Looks like they are don’t have any intentions of scoring an own goal.
Arsene bringing out the anti-lethargy device?
Hi everybody, not very convincing stuff we showed during first half. Hope we can find some higher gears now
First half a great advertisement for squad rotation.
Someone needs to pull the trigger.
We get dispossesed way to easy
Serge !!!!
Nice Serge, that looks better
Fuck me
Can’t believe that didn’t end in the net
BEAUTIFUL !!!!!
Yeeeeees
Get. In.
Oooooooh Santi Cazorla
FINALLY!
Another assist for Jack
Fuck yes. Get in!
Now finish them off! I don’t want to bite my nails again 😉
Beauty that one.
Fucking get in Santiiiiiii!!!!!
Wwwhooohoooo
SANTI !!!!! That second one was a Theo special
YES!!! Santiii!
That’s the way a ha a ha 🙂
What. A. Player.
Santi
dont they dare put that proverbial handbrake on now! one more please at least.
Classic quote on 5Live, “Man City dominating every competition they are in”. Maybe they are 10 points clear. Checks table… No. Still second.
And Santi gets another.
COYG
Bloody hell. Shows what I know: I’d have started Poldi on that flank today!
One Arsene Wenger.
Get in there Santi. Now clean sheet please.
C’mon Cardiff
Maybe time for Poldi now?
Giroud down. About the worst sight we can see
Giroud down -_-
Poldi undressing …aha!
PODOLSKIIIIII!!!!!!!
Poldi on for Serge
Ooooooooooooooo!
Come on LuPo!!!!
I do wish we’d try something other than near post on corners
Poldiiii, so close!
Podolski is lethal
Ooh Poldi, what a shot
wow he really has thors hammer in that foot O.O
Fuck City scored
What a rock Koscielny is. Intercept Master
“All conquering, free scoring Manchester City” – 5Live commentator, 16.30, Saturday 18 January 2014 as Touré scores their 3rd. Top? Nope, still second. Meanwhile, they notch a fourth, must be top now, surely?
COYG
As long as we keep winning, Shitty can score 10 a match and it won’t matter
Come on Ox
Chezzer … Boot it long please
Koscielny saved our blushes there
Moment of madness
Szczesny has had about one a match the last 3
For such a great team, city don’t half let a lot of goals in. Going to catch up with them at some point.
2-0 as predicted on http://www.arsegonian.com 😉
Ok, three more points added 🙂
Job done, professionally.
Yosh. Still top and a clean sheet.
Wasn’t as easy as some predicted but we got the job done like professionals.
Time for some celebratory sake 🙂
2-0 is new 1-0..job done, second half much better than first. Santi was immense and my word how good was Kos.
Morning all.
Nothing profound…… But WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE, say….
N7 knows@260
oops. 260 is the new 258
Would be even worse for City if refs didn’t disallow every third goal as a matter of policy.
I still make Chelsea the ones to watch, sad to say.
Haha. Yes N7. The refs are cities best defender. Their GD wouldn’t be near as good if all those goals counted against.
Like our steady defense better. They say defense wins titles. I sure hope so.
Forget about goal difference, guys. We aren’t going to win this title on GD. By great good luck – or is it great good play – we have more points than our closest competitor, despite all their goals, that’s why we are (all together now) TOP OF THE LEAGUE.
COYG
2014 Arsenal 51 points from 22 matches ( 2.31 per ) ….. Invincibles 90 from 38 ( 2.36 per )
Oh, dear, I think Garth Crooks just described Arsenal as “Champions elect”. I may finally be losing my grasp of reality.
COYG
I agree Panglossian GD is gone. City score too many and I just don’t see them losing any games by a large margin. We seem more concerned with winning games and controlling games. Without much of a counter- attacking threat with Theo out, we won’t rack up the big wins that we would need to catch up. Just have to win outright!
Keep composure.
Do we need another striker to win the league? I am beginning to think we don’t. We have players all over the midfield that can and are scoring. Ramsey, Wilshere, Santi, poldi (will), Özil. If Ox and Gnabry get a few each in the run in then we can get there without.
I’d still take a striker too. 😉
Since the 3-6 loss at Man City we have played seven games and allowed only two goals. Purposeful tightening up at the back, I would say.
Next two for Shitty, Spuds away, Chelsea home. For us, Southampton away, Palace home. Hopefully some breathing room coming
We aren’t sweeping forward for 90 minutes anymore. It’s defense, defense, a quick burst of attack then more defense. Perhaps not as fun to watch but I’ll take the results.
Nor Cal@273, we don’t need another Striker to win the League?
As it stands currently, we won’t win it unless there is an addition brought in, IMHO. Still Top of The League though. COYR’s.
Good win. Santi fantastic. Ozil needs a rest (no need for fans criticizing him though, as we are winning). Jack pretty good. Defense excellent. Poldi did enough to suggest he has a role to play in this season yet, just hope he gets his due. Top of the league. On to FA cup
Vinny@277 – “As it stands currently, we won’t win it unless there is an addition brought in“.
Explain, please?
Vinny,
I am not saying we will win the league without an addition. But this squad has scored enough to have the most points total over the last 1+ years. We play team defense and are winning. Name another midfield in the league that scores like ours. We are scoring by committee and then seeing games out. Can it be enough to win the league? We may just find out and I think it is possible. I do worry that we will miss what Theo contributes to the team but as a winger, not a striker.
Cheers
How far back do you have to go to find a pairing as good as Kos/Mert? I’ve always loved a solid back four and this is getting really special to watch, I thought Monreal was magnificent today too – and Szczesny is quietly becoming the best in the league.
I don’t know if we can do it this year but it’s going to be fun to watch.
Incidentally this is all because I moved back to California – 7 years total here…6 in the top 2, last season they hadn’t learned of my relocation.
COYG
(as a keeper)
Ozil just came back from 2 weeks out. He will get a rest for Coventry. Not convinced that if he doesn’t tear the league apart it’s because he’s exhausted. It’s safe to assume we might not see his absolute best for 2 seasons ( since he’ll get no rest or preseason this summer either )
Nor Cal@280. Fair comment. Like yourself, I feel we’ll miss Theo too.
Purely out of interest, can anyone name a January signing who has delivered his team the title?
I can’t think of one. I can think of Andy cole and Asprilla, but both buyers finished second.
Unconvinced about the capacity of January signings to decide a title race.
Ozil is going through a quiet spell, as is the team.
But we’re still winning.
Title races are not generally about who hands out the biggest spankings, or burns brightest in January. They’re about the ability of sides to ride out spells where they’re not playing so well, because every team will have such a period over the course of the season.
If we get through January in second gear with maximum points and then start to step it up in feb I’ll be delighted.
And Darren Bent will still be cack
Esso@287
🙂
Go on The Villa!
Villa are murdering Liverpool
N7 – Why all this talk of “stepping it up”? All it will take to delight me is for us to get through January, then do the same in February, then March, then April and then, if we haven’t yet won it, do the same in May.
it’s on.
COYG
Liverpool has just conceded after being under significant pressure for 25 minutes. Not a single shot either!
Haha, liverpool is in a mess
Who was it here that thinks we should sell Santi????????? Care to reevaluate???
Ha ha – true, Pangloss.
I suspect that we will need higher gears for some of the challenges ahead. Although I would take quiet 2-0s from here to May.
2-0 Villa
I wholeheartedly agree with 286,291. Does anybody think we’ve played our best football? I don’t. We have loads of potential to improve. With the exception of Ramsey’s earlier escapades, nobody has been in astonishing form. Hopefully Arsene gets them peaking right around the Bayern match. If we survive February and March, we have an easy run in for the title.
As for Özil, Last season we were 20 off the pace at this time. Now we are top with the same players. Give some credit to Flamini too, but there’s his impact.
Benteke just made it 2-0
Hopefully this result will fire Utd up for tomorrow
Suarez to put in transfer request in an hour
What are they smoking over there at Anfield? 🙂
The brilliant thing about this team is that whenever a player is below par another steps up to the plate! Can’t wait for all of them to be on form again!
And oh yes.. i credit us for Villa’s resurgence… we definitely contributed to their confidence last monday 🙂
Liverpool’s problem: Steven Gerrard.
Midfield getting walked through.
Tough decision ahead for Rodgers.
Steve T @ 293: That was Oskar, but he later clarified only if we are getting Mata. Still bizarre pronouncements IMHO.
N7@285: I would say Arshavin had helped us immensely to secure that CL spot when it was looking a bit dicey, but as you rightly said league title is entirely a different matter altogether.
You are right that titles are won on consistency, first and foremost. And people clamoring for more glamor should consider this hypothetical scenario: if we win rest of our games 2-0/2-1 and draw against ManCity and Chelsea we would still win the league no matter what. Obviously the games would not quite pan out that way, but winning consistently against most of the teams — albeit unspectacularly — would be enough as long as we manage to get some points from Chelsea, City, Pool, Everton and ManU matches. I guess the concern remains that whether we would turn up against Chelsea and City or whether sub-par performances in those matches would be punished badly to leave us with too much to do. I believe we will, and we will raise our games when needed.
I can hear Kolo Toure’s knees creaking whenever he turns to follow Weimann. And Villa are oleing now!
I wonder if Liverpool can turn this around? Would be hilarious if they can’t loooooooool
I spent a bit of time talking with a Villa blogger researching for my site. He was a decent fella so I’m pulling for them to do well.
Last season Villa won 3-1 at anfield….
Dr F @ 303
Not jan transfers that helped a team, jan transfers that won a title.
My working theory is that January transfers work great to pep up an under performing side, but you very rarely see them done, much less work out, for the clubs at the top. You’re better off trusting the players who got you there, and who presumably have pretty decent morale.
I mentioned – though I admit, not in the bar – that I thought it would do us no harm at all if Villa’s confidence had been boosted by Monday’s game.
COYG (and indeed COYV)
Arsegonian — Ozil across all competitions already has 5 goals and 9 (8?) assists already, and if ends up with roughly the double of that then 10 goals and 18 assists in first season would be actually quite fantastic.
I don’t think we will ever see him “impose” himself on matches the way some would expect, but he will determine more matches than not even in this first season.
N7 @ 307: As I said, agreed with you. I guess the counter-argument is can not signing one with suitable foresight hamper your chance to win the title? Did teams lose a title simply because lack of alternatives? A trickier question, but it may resonate with some Arsenal fans recalling the end days of 07/08 season (hindsight being 20/20).
I am not saying whether it does or does not, just pointing out why many Arsenal supporters would feel better with some additions. Not that that should sway Arsene’s thinking one way or another …
More than goals and assists, Özil brought attitude. He’s a very confident guy as evidenced by that Arsenal Player interview where he says ( paraphrase ) ” it’s obvious I’m gifted … ” We needed a huge dose of that.
I have NEVER read/listened to a presser where Arsene didn’t talk a lot of sense, this is no different: http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-on-cazorla-patience-and-the-win
Well if we are talking transfers, Real has decided to sell Morata evidently with the stipulation they can buy him back and put a €17 million price tag on him. Any takers? Obviously he’s young and talented.
Sorry Dr F – misread your previous post!
Agreed. I think it’s probably very hard to tell how much impact a player can make after arriving in Jan. I also think the desire from fans for a signing is more to do with emotional comfort than anything else.
That said, I would love a signing this month!
Dunno, Cent@312, I get a little worried when Arsène starts to praise the intelligence of Poldi’s left foot. Maybe a little bit a mis-translation somewhere there; English isn’t the boss’s first language, you know.
Another dive from the flopping Uruguayan!
Definitely a very soft penalty.
I agree. Dive by Suarez. I don’t understand why keepers even put themselves in that situation. Stay under control and Kepper your angles and Suarez ends up out of bounds. Dive at his feet and it’s possible he gets a penalty.
Too bad for villa.
BTW, that was a very neat sub appearance by Poldi. Looked fresh, fast and accurate as always. Some crisp passing as well.
Still hoping for a spectacular second half of the season from Poldi. 🙂
Pangloss, haha, even Arsene knows Poldi’s left foot is a beast on it’s own. An intelligent beast.
Interesting thing about the table at this point is Southampton are really the only mid-table club, sitting five points behind the 8th placed club and seven points above the 10th placed club. Everybody else seems to either a relegation candidate or in for the European places.
Re: Steve T @293. It wasn’t me. 😉
Just arrived back from the Emirates. A comfortable victory after a subdued first half. The game was however spoilt for me by an idiot in the row behind who was heckling Ozil throughout the match. His main gripe was that he was lazy! I find that incredible. I thought he had more touches in the first half today than I could remember and i thought he played as well as Jack and better than Santi in the first half. I do hope that this criticism of Ozil doesn’t spread. Frankly people who criticise his work rate do not understand football. I believe he can be much better but to berate a player of his calibre when we are on top of the league is very unfair.
Santi had an excellent and productive second half and took his goals very well.
I was also very impressed with Koscielny ,Flamini and Monreal and with Poldi’s excellent cameo.
My concern as ever is whether we have enough goal scoring threat and whether we are too reliant on Giroud. We really do need back- up and unfortunately on days like today Giroud doesn’t give us enough despite a wonderful work ethic.
Having seen Berbatov today he has sublime skill but I’m not sure he has the attitude we need. He gave Fulham very little when they were chasing the game today.
This I think is already the 10th clean sheet in PL this season from the mighty gunners, some kind of record is in the making I would guess…
Mertesacker-Koscielny, joint men of the season for us so far from my perspective.
SteveT@293, I hope he will forgive me if my memory has let me down, but I believe the first person to mention selling Santi was ttg.
He made the point that if we were going to bring in <insert name of Arsenal transfer target here> during the January window, we would have to sell Santi either to make space, or because we didn’t have as much money “lying around”[*] to meet the likely fee. On balance, I’m inclined to agree with him, which is one reason I’m in no hurry for us to bring in a marquee signing during January. Ttg certainly didn’t write anything resembling “Santi is garbage, we should sell him” – an opinion that I don’t hold, and one I have no reason to believe ttg does either.
COYG
[*]I find the idea that a well-run company like Arsenal FC would have tens of millions of pound “lying around” is “interesting” to say the least.
Ttg – you put in an appearance while I was typing up mine@325. Apologies if I have misrepresented you or denied you the chance to speak for yourself.
Spot on about Ozil, ttg. He does his work as much with his head as anything, and with his influence on the rest of the players. He is what has made the difference between this team being the top four side it has been for several seasons and potential title winners. Anyone who can’t see this doesn’t, as you say, understand football.
Thanks TTG for the first hand report
TTG @323: I cannot but just amaze at the sheer stupidity of an Arsenal supporter attending a game at Emirates heckling Ozil. It boggles one’s mind.
About goal scoring threats, though I would very much love to see another top quality forward — CF a la OG or goalscoring winer a la Theo — joining us in January, I don’t think we are over reliant on Giroud for scoring goals. We are over-reliant on him (Bendy being the only other option) to hold and link-up in attack but we have done very well spreading the goals actually. As much as Rambo and Jack have improved their finishing personally, the significant rise in their goal scoring form also has a lot to do with how we play with Giroud at the center and how he sets up so many goals, directly through assists or indirectly by dragging defenders around or by creating channels through interchanges.
If Poldi stays fit I foresee a good amount of goals from him from the left side. And I think Santi will find his last year’s form very soon. The question would bewhile resting Giroud or if gets injured in which formation we would turn up and whether we would be flexible enough to be adequately incisive with a different approach, especially against team parking the bus. I think Ox would have a key role to play in those matches.
Fully agree about Monreal, a very good allround performance and has just the extra bit of quality and experience in attack.
I meant goalscoring “winger” a la Theo @ 329. 🙂
Pangloss @325, if I recall correctly it was Oskar who first raised that idea, but with the caveat that if we are to get Mata…
I’ve delved through the archives, and I believe still that the first reference to selling Santi was by ttg on Monday, @65 in the Villa preview. Öskar made some remarks around that time, leading to H2H saying, @191 in the same post that he (Öskar) was entitled to his opinion. Confusingly, I can’t see exactly which of his many opinions H2H was referring to.
@190 in that post (navigate to it from H2H’s drink – I’m fed up with providing links) Arsegonian said “Santi has been shit. We should sell him”. I think he was just letting off steam and trying to generate hits to his new blog, and anyway it was after ttg’s drink, so I stand by my remark, and its interpretation.
Compulsive, moi?
COYG
Pangloss,
Your memory is accurate but the point I was making was what I thought might happen if Draxler is signed not what I want to happen. I love Cazorla and today when we get the end product we do he would be very hard to replace. I certainly don’t want to sell him . There are too few genuinely two- footed players and you can’t have too much talent. It’s just that if we sign someone of Draxler’s age to play on the left side of the attack or in the hole this wil impact on Ozil and Cazorla( and Podolski) and I suspected this would lead to Santi’s departure . I’d love us to retain the little Spaniard. My only criticism of him would be that he doesn’t impact on games for ninety minutes but when he does impact….!
ttg@332, that’s what I thought you meant and attempted to write above. I hope it read that way too. I’m also, still, inclined to agree with you.
Dr Faustus – shame, I rather like the idea of a goalscoring whiner. I assumed winer was the American spelling. How about a goalscoring weiner?
Pangloss, I believe it was Otd who mentioned it first although, as Dr F stated above, he later added getting Mata as the caveat, I also believe Arsegonian was paraphrasing Otd with the remarks you mentioned above.
Indeed, who can forget JFK’s heart-felt “come and get me plea” – Ich bin ein goal-scronges Berliner.
Cent, you realise you’re forcing me to go check the Peter Simpson post? Oh well…
Nope nothing from Otd on that post… back to the Sp*ds report…
Ah. In the Sp*ds report, zico states @461 that “Oskar has suggested that we should sell Cazorla”, and later, @557 Öskar says “I only suggested selling him if it meant we could get Mata who I think is a better player”, which I admit is pretty conclusive, but your reporter will continue to ferret through the archives to find Öskar’s original suggestion…
Pangloss- we are agreeing violently! I thought you made the point well.One big issue is where the Ox ultimately settles down. I think he has huge potential and I suspect he may play in midfield especially given Gnabry’s stratospheric rise. Again the age thing might count against Santi with Wenger the pragmatist looking at his sell on value as he ages. We are likely to retain Arteta but I would expect him to play less as time goes on.
On a different point I was speaking to someone today who has good knowledge of our youth set- up and he believes the story that Jonker ( not someone I must admit I know) is to take over from Brady as Head of the Academy in the summer. Interesting appointment as he has been assistant boss at Bayern and other large clubs. Probably the timing is wrong for him to be a potential Wenger replacement but it does suggest Dennis won’t be back at Arsenal in the near future – sadly .
OK folks, my quest for who first suggested we should sell Santi has taken me back as far as mid-December. Despite his claim in the Sp*ds report, having read all his contributions since Dec 15, I can’t find Öskar actually saying as much. He expressed a number of adverse opinions about Cazorla and Özil – opinions that the rules of the bar forbid me from describing – but at no point did he say “we should sell Santi”. (Disclaimer) I don’t remember checking through the Cardiff City report, but even I’m not compulsive enough to go seek it out and check.
Ttg – I think we are, indeed, agreeing violently. That’s what this bar needs – more agreement, more violence!
🙂
COY(table-topping)G
Credit to you, Pangloss, you’ve single-handedly done more research in the last 1 hour than all the mainstream sports journalists in England combined have done in the last five years.
Cent – heh
🙂
Just found out City’s goal difference is actually just 14 more than ours, it doesn’t look to me like something we can’t change in our favour by the end of the season.
Ah. It appears that even I underestimated my compulsiveness. From the Cardiff City report which I summoned the enthusiasm to seek out and check.
Öskar the dog @31: “No mention of Santi in the reports though, was he as poor as he’s been lately? Perhaps we should flick him in January and go for Mata who looked ropeable when subbed by Maureen”.
So, Ötd was indeed the first, and so far I believe, the only person, to suggest that we sell Cazorla as an objective, rather than consequence of other activity in the transfer market.
Once again, apologies Ttg.
Haha Pangloss at 331 …. I was doing my best Oksar imitation there. I recall him as the first to say it. If you regularly read my comments I’m one of the most positive Gooners around. Probably cause I don’t know any better as I’m a fairly new Gooner compared to most. Let’s put it this way, I even liked Denilson. 🙂
Also Pangloss, As for generating hits for my blog … In my first post I state how I’m a positive Gooner and love everyone in the shirt. I even link le grove to the post for any bitchers and moaners. Definitely wasn’t me. I’ve proved plenty of times sarcasm doesn’t always transfer to the web so you’re forgiven 🙂
Found the root of it …. Pangloss check out comments 31 & 32 of the New Year’s Day post. Sorry to be so militant but I refuse to take credit for that one
Did we note who was on the bench this afternoon. Yes it was our friend Park! I wonder when he last played and what his cost is per minute played or per goal! Is he untransferrable!
Arsegonian, would that be the post 31 I link to @345?
Ah, whoops, it’s the post I intended to link to @345. Thanks for the clarification Arsegonian.
Just home from the game.
We played with three handbrakes but were still too good for the Cottagers.
Good to see the usual subjects at the usual place. Happy official birthday, Holic. Good to see you in the flesh again tabs. Likewise Trev, zico, Lars, Steve T and Good Man Snowy.
Job done. On to Coventry.
Back from The Emirates and too knackered now to write much – Emirates to Finsbury Park on crutches IS a long way – but just had a skim through the drinks.
One comment –
I don’t expect people to agree with everything I say, and I am quite obviously not the blog censor but, please – can we leave the Ozil is / is not much good debate to the hard of thinking in other places.
It’s tedious to read and just plain daft.
I do not need to explain why to anyone who has ever had a pair of boots on and actually tried to play the game.
Cheers. 😉
TTG@349. Yes, he is untransferrable.
Trev knows @353.
WTF?
Yes ttg, as bath said, he is permanently parked here. 😉
How good is Gnabry?!
BMBD
Very, and he’s 18 and only 8 years from hitting his peak. 😉
LG@ 357 HIFG
Pangloss @ 334: A goalscoring vintner would be rather nice, I agree. He can then literally drink his own Champagne while lifting the trophies….
Oh, on a s(n)ide note…my English is as much (post-)colonial old-world as it is American rebellious or for that matter continental unprovocative … 🙂
TTG @ 349: If I recall correctly Park has been on the bench this season multiple times. He is always in the first team practice session photos. He can score goals (ha ha!), but lacks the athleticism and physicality needed in PL. He was not the worst signing that many made it out to be, but the manner of signing him wasn’t probably befitting of our lofty ethical standards.
Park has been on the bench the last 3 matches with no Bendtner
Dr F @ 360 – worst signing of ALL time – worse even than Clive Allen, Jimmy Carter and Franny Jeffers.
Sadly Steve Stammers who is one of the best placed hacks re Arsenal news( he used to write Wenger ‘s programme notes) suggests that Sagna is likely to leave in the summer and I would give this credence. Huge pity we can’t reach agreement I think he’s a terrific player.
Sad news that.
I read Galatasaray is offering Sagna €100,000 a season for 4 and we are offering £60,000 for 2
Gus Ceasar, Glenn Helder, Junichi Inamoto – we’ve had some crackers.
And Frimpong – who looked brilliant in the U18s but sadly is crackers. 😉
bath @ 362: Will bow to your greater experience then. 🙂 All I will say is that if you put him on a 1:1 position against the GK he will score. He has good international record, not only against Asian minnows but good teams especially in 2010 World Cup. Technically and tactically South Koreans are good footballers, it is just that physically they are not necessarily a good match for PL.
Watch how Ki who was released by Sunderland and has already signed for Dortmund for the next season.
Anyway, not much else to say in favor of an Arsenal ‘striker’ who has scored only one goal. 🙂
Dr F @367: He’s shit…..might not be the worst EVER signing but he is certainly in a prime position for that trophy.
Bath knows, Dr F
I’d sooner has Trev on crutches up front. He was definitely moving better on his way to the game this afternoon.
🙂
ALL the very best, mate.
Thanks, bath.
Trev/bath — All I said that he was not the WORST signing that many had made it out to be, and purely objectively speaking — because in our own universe we are all the experts, and older we get our faith in our wisdom ossifies into this unshakeable rock — he was not. He had a decent international record, and a decent goalscoring record in Ligue 1. I would leave it at that instead of getting all scatological on a current Arsenal player.
I mean he started may be 1 or 2 matches and had sub appearances in couple of others, and scored a goal in League Cup but against stronger opposition looked out of place. That is it. He hasn’t really done anything so offensive in Arsenal colors to earn that ire, it is not his fault that our super recruiting and assessment team made a mistake and handed him a contract. It is not like we are talking about Silvestre or some such has-been player who with a lovable combination of ineptitude and hubris cost us massive games and points. 🙂
The worst thing about Park’s signing was how surprisingly unethically — for once, I would say — Arsenal behaved. Just like the various nouveau riches clubs do. I guess the management did really go into panic mode and there is a level of panic beyond which even Arsenal can lose its cool. Everyone is fallible, but no one is shit. 🙂
Faustus,
Thank you for your analysis of the process by which I form my own opinions.
There is a reason why Park has started the number of matches that he has and that will have something to do with the opinions and observations made about him by his manager every day in training, and in the hopelessly small amount of time he has been trusted to take part on the pitch.
There is also a reason why nobody appears to be allowed to ever disagree with you without being confronted by endless replies until battered into submission.
As you enjoy analysing the motivation for everyone’s every thought, I wondered whether you had applied the same rigour to your own choice of moniker.
Doctor Faustus, of course, being someone who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. Mmmm …….
In the meantime I would still suggest that one start in three years and about five minutes as a substitute qualifies as a shit signing.
That, in itsself, does not merit the accusation of getting “all scatalogical” – an obsession with excrement – but I will forgive that on the basis that the nuance of an element of British football humour was lost on you.
Cheers.
…or Lupoli.
don’t hate on Park, might need him to do the thing with the bus one day
Trev @ 374: We all have our own ways of expressing our opinions. Mine, evidently, hasn’t met your approval. And moreover, the expression of such disapproval form you has easily moved into the territory of ad hominem comments for a while now, and it has not gone unnoticed, but as my two year old son says nowadays, “its okay”. 🙂
You give me too much credit with “analyze motivation for everyone’s every thought” … I make no such attempts at specificity. If my general observations — which, to be honest, written somewhat in jest — about human nature sometimes strike home, I offer my empathy for that burden of self-knowledge. None of us are that different from each other.
About Park’s signing, I just find it quite odd that we use the choicest invective for the player himself whereas the panic-stricken unethical behavior by the club doesn’t get mentioned. Or maybe I do miss the nuance of the British humor there, you actually are using Park as the stand-in for the entire fiasco. His name is merely the signifier. 🙂
Speaking of nuances, well you miss the one about my moniker entirely. All I would say is that the various dualistic superstitions that much of the modern world has inherited — due to some vagaries of military conquests and how that had shaped the world — I find rather funny. Not Evelyn Waugh, Kingsley Amis funny, but funny in a Zen Koan kind of way…illuminating and worth meditating on.
NorCal@318: I don’t think Suarez dived; there was contact. But he did what in the NBA is known as draw the foul.
The problem with me being the other side of the world is that my opinions can be analysed at length while I’m sleeping peacefully in my bed, and I have no opportunity to defend them … until I rise from my pit and, after other domestic matters attended to, get around to checking Goonerholic. By which time you lot (most of you) are long gone to your respective beds (or each others for all I know).
For the record, yes, I have been regularly critical of three current favourites, Mr Wilshere, Herr Özil and Senor Cazorla, but only because all have been performing too often under their abilities and no-one else seems to have noticed or be worried about it.
And, yes, I did suggest selling Santi, but only IF we could get Mata who was reported as disaffected at the time. I would probably also suggest selling Jack if it meant we could sign Messi, or Theo if we could sign Suarez. I want the best players at the Ems and I consider the latter better than the former.
In the real world of course not even Mata of these theoretical swaps is remotely likely, and the last thing I want is any of ours sold. I just want to see them performing their best more often than they do, not playing poorly or averagely when they are clearly ABOVE average players.
Interestingly, during commentary on the Fulham game today, Adrian Clarke had much the same criticism of Özil as I have had. He said (words to the effect) that he found Özil frustrating and would like to see him extend himself, score and assist more and become motm, instead of just cruising through games. ‘Cruising’ was the word he used.
Öskar
Seemed like a good idea at the time……to book an early flight out of Heathrow….. 🙁
Nice to catch up again with some top Holics yesterday, you know who you are.
And Trev @ 353 – spot on.
Let me be the first … okay, the last (given the downunder time-frame) to congratulate Santi on his motm performance today. His first half was nothing to write home about but he more than made up for it in part 2. Let’s hope it’s the first of many match-winning performances.
I would also congratulate the team for not switching off as they have in recent weeks, except I don’t remember them switching on in the first place. Just one long cruise rejecting the opportunity to boost our goal diff. This lack of killer instinct could well kill us long-term.
But we’re still top and they still have to catch us, so not all bad, aye.
Öskar
In light of the Trev/Faustus stoush in #375/8 … I’d like to add that if people took more notice of what I actually SAY, instead of extrapolating hidden meaning from it, things might be a lot clearer to them.
Öskar
By which I mean that if I’m critical of a player it doesn’t mean I think they’re rubbish … just that I’m disappointed when talented players don’t give their best.
Öskar
Oskar, how do you know what is a player’s best?
It’s all relative you know. How do you know if a team is performing at its best? We scored 2, but obviously we could have score more. Does that mean we were not at our best? I think that’s why we have a table – to somehow quantify which is the best team
I agree with the thought that we may not have the strongest squad among the three top teams, but I don’t agree that we are not giving our best
Cheers
Interesting stuff above, especially re Park. Is he the worst signing ever? Well he signed for us in August 2011 if my memory serves me right. He was instantly handed the converted number 9 shirt. Since that day he has managed to achieve exactly the same goal scoring record in the Premier League as me. As a middle aged fat bloke who made his name as a typical club left back then personally I would say that that record is nothing to write home about. The stories that did the rounds after Park signed were that Lille were mightily pissed off with us got the way we acted. So much so that any chance of a deal for Hazard was negated at this point. Is he untransferable???? We can’t give him away, how on earth can we expect anyone to pay for him????
Park. The worst signing ever???? By a country mile in my opinion.
For those who seem to continue to criticise players who aren’t always at the top of their game please remember this. Form is temporary, class is permanent. Personally I think that if we could add someone like Ya Ya Toure to our midfield then it would possibly be the strongest midfield in world football. When you consider that it makes it even more laughable that the likes of Park still manages to get a seat on the bench???
Just saying like.
Save travels Zico. Good as always to hook up with some top people pre match.
Trev, I hope you get the outcome you are hoping for this week.
FWIW if the title race comes down to goal difference between us and City, we ain’t winning it. Same goes for pretty much anyone else vs City.
I therefore don’t much care if we spank teams or not. I’ve also watched man Utd too often in recent seasons win the league by carefully parcelling out their deployment of energy: no need to go chasing after a 5-0 humping when you can just “cruise” at 2-0 and keep a bit of energy back for the next game.
It may not make us the darlings of the media, as Man City currently are, but it might just win us the title. What we’re doing at the moment almost feels like a little mid-season breather. So long as we keep winning, that’s fine by me; tougher challenges lie ahead.
Apologies all. It will be a very late one today.
Indeed, N7@387. I’d go further and say that one could argue that the measure of champions is their ability to beat the team in front of them. At present, the teams we are playing against don’t require us to change up to a gear higher than second. When we play better teams, we will need to find a higher gear.
There’s no way to predict whether or not we will be able to find that gear, and there are many, some here, some in the meejah who take our failure to play in a high gear against lesser teams as evidence that we won’t.
An alternative view is that if we played in a high gear against teams that don’t require it, would simply prove that we can get into a high gear against lesser teams. This is the view that I take.
When you sit down and think about it, the argument that “Arsenal play in a low gear against Cardiff, West Ham and Fulham, therefore they will be unable to play in a high gear against Man City, Chelsea and Bayern, and will be found out” is precisely the same as “Arsenal didn’t get within a sniff of winning the title in 2012-13 or 2011-12, and the last time they had any chance, they blew up; therefore Arsenal won’t win the title this season”. I think most agree that one of these arguments is bollocks – there seems still to be dispute about the other.
I think that what I’m saying is that there’s no real way to predict what’s going to happen over the rest of the season. That being the case, I suggest we fasten our seatbelts and enjoy the ride. I know I will.
It’s on.
COYG
Apologies required only because it means more people will see the nonsense I’ve been adding to the post.
Dr Feelgood back on The Happy Train below….
It is still, deathly quiet.
He rises, and leaves the warmth and compelling promise of another 3 hours sleep behind. He has an important engagement. He showers, shaves and quickly wrestles with some cereal. The dog looks up with an arched eyebrow, quickly decides that “this is crazy o’clock”, and with an abrupt snort, promptly goes back to sleep.
The cereal is purely functional, hardly tasted, far less enjoyed. He goes to the drawer, and the scarf, neatly folded, is sprung from captivity and knotted around the neck at just the right angle, protection against the nasty winter elements.
Membership card, check.
Train tickets, check.
Folding beer vouchers, check.
Out the door, he is on the move, back for another helping of Arsenal.
The British countryside flashes by but he doesn’t really pay attention, engrossed (again) in Arsenal Legends : Thierry Henry. His heartstrings are plucked by this clearly sensitive and sentimental footballer, their memories synchronised, however loosely, with the replay of events seen from their respective vantage points. He still cannot get enough of that swivel, swipe and shot past Barthez. By the end, he is wistfully hankering for his younger self – will we ever see his like again?
Kings Cross station – packed with scurrying travellers he is helpless to prevent a refrain of Waterloo Sunset, over and over, in his head. (His Geography was always poor but he knew how to find a great song). Today’s only major decision : Finsbury Park or Holloway Road? Picadilly Line it is, he descends to the tunnels. And then at the pub, he engages in a round of flesh pressing and sinks a primer of stout. He earnestly discusses form, formations and rumoured injuries (none of which amount to anything). So much for having “only a quick pint” – four have gone South before he strides down Hornsey Road in great company and is soon back in the warm embrace of The Clock End.
The first half is a very subdued affair. He wonders why the tempo often disappears in the “lesser” games, as if both crowd and team are waiting on each other to “do something”. Maybe it is because in their heart of hearts, they know that the opponent is hopeless, and it is just a matter of time. That said, Arsenal should still have gone ahead early when a lack of power from Ozil’s right foot allowed a goal line clearance instead of what looked certain to be the opener. At the other end, Szcesney had to be alert when Sidwell launched a shot from distance. With Koscielny in particular in imperious form, though, that was as close as they could get.
At half time, he went downstairs and exposed himself to the larceny of Arsenal catering. He’s still not sure what it is he ate. Worse was to come when it was washed down with some rancid, over-priced lager. Thankfully, when the team came back out, he forgot about his own appetite as the team went about showing more of their own. It took an early scare when the ball was pinging around the Arsenal box to really rouse them, but thereafter it was pretty much all in one direction.
At the final whistle, he reflects on a job well done, and wonders about the perceived lack of depth in the Arsenal squad. This was a victory achieved without Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey, Walcott and only a brief cameo from Podolski. He, like everyone else, would like another partner for Giroud, but even without one, he suspects this Arsenal vintage will find ways to win. He is now even more convinced that the sought-after partner should not be Berbatov, whose idleness without the ball was there for all to see. And to think there are some who claim Ozil doesn’t work hard enough (another myth).
Back at Brolly central, he has the luxury of lingering long enough to observe the change at the bar from six-deep and bedlam, to a smattering of hardcore Holics and only one or two others. A great day then gets better as Wolfgang Smallballs gives the self-proclaimed Voice of Arsenal, Mr Payton, an absolute roasting. Before that exchange, Tim tells those within earshot that Arsenal should be run better and proclaimed as his example : Norwich City. Go figure.
His day comes to an end at Jury’s inn – he does well to resist both the actual bar AND the minibar and simply lies down and closes his eyes.
Once again, it is still and deathly quiet.
Steve T @386 – 😆 😆
A post and a half, mate, and good to see you yesterday.
Zico, looks like your flight is probably over – hope it was a good one.
Good to see you too yesterday, and Holic, Tabs, top man snowy, Lars and Bath and his son on Hornsey Road !
I did look in on the Tollie garden after the game at around 5.40 – couldn’t see anyone immediately and didn’t fancy standing in the crush again, the taxis had all turned their lights off so I just “walked” back to Finsbury Park.
Knackering, but a good day and three points by way of a very good second half performance. My 6-0 proved miles off the mark but hey-ho, we won so who cares.
Another ripping yarn, zico. 😉
Seems we were cross posting.
Better than cross-dressing, Wolfie excepted! 😉
Sorry to have missed you afterwards, Trev – suspect we were inside laughing at the Mickey Mousers.
Just a quick one.
A lot have been knocking Giroud and it got me thinking.
I believe our style of play against the lesser teams that sit deep relies on him as he acts as a pivot/wall for flick ons for the midfield runners to run onto. That is crucial when playing against a low block as was shown against Cardiff at home.
A lot of people mock this stat but I think it’s extremely useful since without Giroud’s Pre-Assist to Jack we wouldn’t have scored the first goal. He drew the centre back with him which cleared enough space for both Jack and Santi to be in good position in the box.
1) Tomas Rosicky – 6 (Aston Villa, Tottenham, Norwich, Hull, Everton, Cardiff)
1) Aaron Ramsey – 6 (Fenerbahce, Dortmund, Marseilles, Cardiff, Man City, Man City)
2) Mesut Ozil – 5 (Sunderland, Dortmund, Man City, West Ham, Aston Villa)
3) Olivier Giroud – 4 (Napoli, West Bromwich Albion, Marseilles, Fulham)
3) Jack Wilshere – 4 (Fenerbahce, Sunderland, Marseilles, Swansea)
3) Kieran Gibbs – 4 (Sunderland, Norwich, Cardiff, West Ham)
4) Santi Cazorla – 2 (Fulham, Norwich)
4) Theo Walcott – 2 (Fulham, West Ham)
5) Mathieu Flamini – 1 (Marseilles)
5) Mikel Arteta – 1 (Liverpool)
5) Bacary Sagna – 1 (Tottenham)
*Goals that were one twos were not counted, as well as ball recoveries from a player being dispossessed like Ramsey’s vs Liverpool when the ball got to Ozil through Giroud being dispossessed. Goals from crosses were counted as long as the cross reached the initial target like Theo’s goal vs Marseilles was a cross that reached him despite the defender’s intervention while Cazorla’s 2nd vs Fulham was cleared towards him as he was not the target of the cross.
You can see Giroud’s involvement. 9 goals, 5 assists, and 3 pre-assists in the Prem.
Bollocks.
Stupid iPhone.
Holic, if you could please edit the last post to only one list that would be great. It pasted too many times :))
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>