Can’t Smile Without You
Mar 14th, 2014 by 'holic
The evolution of North London derby previews tells me a number of things about Arsenal and I over the last eight years. They have gone from utterly contemptuous and dismissive of the neighbours to a period of acknowledging the family links for those of us born in the vicinity, and on to today which should be “I haven’t got a bloody clue what will happen on Sunday”. No longer can we take for granted that we will come back from the swamp with a result, but this must be a great opportunity for us to do just that, despite our lengthy injury list.
The neighbours have had a week from hell, losing to Chelsea in the League and Benfica in the nobody gives a shit cup, shipping seven goals in the process. The dead man walking currently in charge has pissed off his players by shifting all of the blame onto them and is coming under serious fire from the hard of thinking that follow the champions of 53 years ago. We’re two out of two against them in League and FA Cup this season. They are not looking forward to Sunday.
Both teams have a number of injuries and doubts, although we can probably lay claim to the larger number of likely starters who will be absent on the day. Aaron Ramsey’s setback, plus the recent injuries to Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere, the long term absence of Theo Walcott, and the question mark about Kieran Gibbs are having an impact on our confidence and consistency. However, as listener’s to this weeks live Arsecast will have heard, that leaves us with a formidable midfield and a choice of where to start Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who really made an impact in Munich.
Tottenham’s injury list must be a mixed bag for them. Who out of Michael Dawson, Vlad Chiriches and Etienne Capoue is a real miss? According to the BBC the chuckle brothers that are Walker and Rose also lack match fitness. How could you tell with that pair? I’m having a little fun, ok, but the general point is fair, no?
Both teams are desperate for all three points on Sunday so I am expecting the game to open up even if the opening phase is cautious. Chelsea and City look to have winnable away games, but Liverpool may encounter some difficulty at Old Trafford. The ‘holic pound has to be punted on an away win in Middlesex. I can see us causing them problems on the break if we can get the Ox and others counter-attacking at pace after inviting them on. Similarly I can see them giving it a real go just because they have to, so a value high-scoring game is my pick. I am on 2-3 to the Arsenal at 33’s.
My thoughts are with the traveling Gooners who will hopefully witness another win in the marshlands. For once it has been a while coming but if we turn up and play as we did against Everton last week we will be fine. At very least matching Chelsea’s result is important given our visit to the bus stop in Fulham next Saturday. How can you not get up for these two games?
COME ON YOU RIPROARING!
245 Responses to “Can’t Smile Without You”
Get in there!
Well in frank.
Third – and I read the preview before posting!
Take ’em all.
Lovely preview Guv! Pretty confident that if we can avoid defending like we did last year we have a great chance. I’d put the Holic pound on at least one red card too but 3-2 in our favour looks about right
Hey ‘holic you rocked the Arsecast!!!
Let us hope that the “form goes out the window in derbies” cliche isn’t true this weekend. If so, we’ll win this one without the shadow of a doubt. However, this is their last chance to join the race for fourth so I expect Tottenham to be well fired up. But this could also play into our hands if we keep our heads cool and we are switched on from the first second. They will probably come storming ahead in the opening phase of the game which will inevitably, if we play our cards right, present us with counter-attacking opportunities. I think Arsene will play Sanogo up top for this exact reason, he will want as much pace as possible up top and Sanogo offers that more than Giroud does.
But whatever happens, let’s just bloody win this derby!
Cheers H2H.
Lars @7, indeed if we play to our sttengths we should be good for the 3 points on offer, given their current tumultuous state and lack of faith in their manager.
As one disenchanted spud put it “Right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the moss on the roof would be more inspirational, tactically astute and motivational than Sherwood”.
I hope form stays put in this derby!
Come on you Gunners.
Jack, Ozil, Rambo, Theo, Gibbo and Diaby are arguably 6 first team players. I feel, missing all of these players, against a team coached by Sherwood, is our way of giving the neighbours a pretty even chance and an opportunity to show us their wares after all their long summer spending.
I consider it our good deed for the year!
Holic,
You have mail.
It’s high time we raised the bar (so to speak) around here. Especially in terms of our performances compared to those of Chelsea’s, I mean. Last week it was Chelsea 4 Spurs 0. So enough of these unambitious predictions, ‘holic pounds and what have you. Spurs 0 Arsenal 5. That or bust.
Nice one guv.
It will be like a cup game this one, and as many, including myself have alluded to this week, form goes out the window, a week from hell could just as easily end on a defining, season changing moment for them, Ivery much hope not though.
Last seasons fixture, coincidently around this time, we lost, not so much to Tottenham as to a master 10 minute display by Gareth Bale, this heralded the infamous “downward spiral” according to Andre Village Idiot. A run of results that saw us fall to above the Swampies and into the CL qualification spot, neither of aforementioned are at SHL anymore. GB swapped Lily White for Lilly Blanco and AVB became Levy’s latest failed project, stability is obviously a dirty word, one seldom heard in the Spuds boardroom.
His replacement, Timmy the Gooner is doing a fine job maintaining the high standard of medriocricy that is expected up in Looting Town. Straight from the school of ‘ave a go ‘Arry, he’s a triffic lad, a salt of the earth type of chap, who’s not afraid to call a spade a spade, most probably due to a tiny vocabulary, a diamond geezer non the less and I hope he has as much success in the PL as his two/three dozen predecessors.
Back to Sunday’s encounter, no Mind The Gap T-shirts are on sale, but the chance of a collecters item DVD is always a slight possibility. We’ll have to gather the best of our unwounded troops, give them a tectnus shot and line them up to bring the game to the Tinys. Luckily the best CB pairing in the PL will start, Sagna on the right, with Monreal or Tommy V on the left, all in front of Woj. The midfield axis of Arteta and The Flam maybe prefered to keep things tight, Santi , Ox and Poldi ahead of them with the HFB leading the line.
Anyone still daft enough to be believing the utter tripe coming from certain sections of the meedja branding Our Ozil a flop, need look no futher then to the smelly end of the Sevensisters Rd to see the true meaning of the word “flop”. Top striker Sodildo’s scoring record is thinner then Arjan Robbens hairline, there has been more official sightings of the Loch Ness monster then there has been of their record signing Eric Lambada (whatever his name is). In fact, not one of their shiny new summer additions made it into the starting XI at the Bus Stop last week, money well spent indeed.
‘holic puts it perfectly…..
Can’t Smile Without You
Got your mail Joe. Will sort over the weekend. Looking forward to seeing you again. Top man.
These games
are so
unpredictable
so I won’t
try.
Good
night.
H2H. Eric Lambada is only slightly funnier than the real thing. 😀
A fine preview, Holic.
It will be a late viewing of a recording for me as my daughter is singing at the Albert Hall this Sunday which just can’t be missed, so I’ll be trying to avoid learning the score until we get home again.
2-3 to the good guys sounds fine to me, even without our new free kick specialist, Killer Kallstrom.
By the way – who the f*ck is Chadli ? 😉
All sorts of emotions run through the body when it comes to a game against the neighbours. I was reminded only yesterday when I was on my way home from winter cricket nets where the little man goes and I do some coaching. On arrival the radio had been on 5 live to catch the latest sport updates. The journey home started after 8. The first 2 minutes of car radio was the commentary on the spurs Benfica clash. As I drove along country lanes I hadn’t really twigged as I had not been paying attention. Ben then pipes up, “dad, do we have to listen to this? Even mummy’s rubbish music is better than listening to Tottenham.” I can also confirm that Mrs T’s general taste in music is not great either.
The form book can often be thrown away for these games. Neither side should struggle to get up for a game like this. I think this is a really good chance to put this shower in their place though. A win on Sunday puts us 9 points clear of them with a game in hand and a far superior goal difference. That would practically ensure a top 4 finish and send them seriously packing.
Like many I think that AOC has a massive part to play. He has looked fantastic and a real handful in recent weeks. Seeing the way the spuds fell apart on Thursday could be just made for him.
Regardless of star performers all I want is 3 points. 3 points and the bragging rites on Monday morning. A couple of early goals and the ground could be half empty at the interval. We can only hope.
Onwards and upwards dear Gooners.
Enjoyed the Arsecast hangout last night ‘holic. Can we ever expect to see you with a full Santa to match the other beardy boys?!
My last visit to the wrong end of the Seven Sisters Road was almost ten years ago when we won the league. And I was in the Paxton Road end with my Tottenham-supporting mate who’d very kindly got me a ticket, wearing my Arsenal shirt under another top. I had to sit on my hands and feign disappointment when our two first half goals went in right in front of me. Painful but life-savingly necessary.
Amazing to be there that day and I allowed myself a long, quiet smile as the boys celebrated in front of our fans at the end. Having witnessed some very nasty scenes outside the ground with young Arsenal-shirted fans being punched, kicked and spat on I then had to suffer an hour in a grim pub on the High Road full of miserable, angry Spurs fans trying to somehow claim a kind of moral victory in clawing us back to 2-2 and then finally, gloriously I headed back to Islington for a proper celebration with my Arsenal mates.
It really is a deeply unpleasant place and atmosphere on NLD day. The bitterness and rancour is tangible.
watchin
rio bravo
for
the
millionth
still
walterationiful
time
.
howdy fellas
police woman
yes
indeedy
‘holic
.
you don’t have mail from me
.
🙂
Anything can happen on Sunday, and nothing would surprise me. We have the capacity, even with a depleted squad, to stroll though this current WHL joke of a team. But we also have the capacity not to show up until the second half, or for Ox to do his knee again, or Kos give away yet another pen (with or without a red card), or simply to fall foul of a humiliated team determined to show what (they think) they’re made of who get lucky on the day.
If the spuds can’t get up for a NLD they must be truly pathetic, so let’s not take too much notice of recent form. Let’s just thrash them cos we’re by far the better side. A four-goal difference seems about right, but a single goal and all the angst that goes with it will do.
Öskar
Spudo delenda est. Tottenham must be destroyed.
Steve T: Your son is a good lad.
tom t blues
nope
not for me
never made through
histrionic fake tobacco pipes tripe
closing time
now
we*re talkin
a tunes a tune
and
he can write one
when he lost sight
of that
bla
nope
rather hear
grapefruit moon
just watched
the arsecast
jeez louise
cracker
cool men all
with
ultimate coolosity hoofed holicwise
the irish boy done good too
🙂
What’s the soup of the day? WHAT’S THE SOUP OF THE DAY??!!!!
BMBD
Soup of the day ?
At “The Lane” tomorrow it will be –
Ox Tale Soup ((c)Holic)
followed by
Manager’s Hash with roasted Spuds
followed by
Sour Grapes.
Coffee will be served in mugs as it proved impossible to find any cups.
😉
watery ?
oops
you schnuck in
trev
Thanks for the preview ‘H, and wise and withering words from H2H @12 🙂
Heh at Trev the Chef above 🙂
Gotta say I’m pretty confident which is always a bit of a worry. Save for that League Cup thumping a couple of years ago (and we needed ET to ram home our dominance) rarely have we gone to the Lane and converted our marked superiority into a stress-free victory. Better Arsenal sides than this one have failed against worse Tottenham sides than their present shambles to take all three points. Even the great Invincibles side managed to contrive to chuck away a couple of points,(cheers Jens), after handing out a footballing lesson for the best part of the game. On the one occasion when goals rained in from the Gunners, we somehow managed to let in 4 at the other end and were ultimately thankful to head back up the Seven Sisters Rd with a 5-4 win. Despite their recent travails my guess is that Tottenham will find a way to make it difficult.
There are however reasons to be cheerful. The ridiculous managerial merry-go-round that regularly grips the neighbours has left Dim Tim in the hotseat and he appears to have all the tactical nous of a punctured ping pong ball. Their two full backs are lampooned by the Tottenham faithful, and their transfer splurge last Summer and subsequent failure to integrate their new toys into a coherent whole serves as a salient reminder to the more hysterical that being ‘the best that you can be’ is not the same as ‘spend all the money’.
For our part, it is undoubtedly a blow to have been stripped of so much talent (one can’t help wondering what fun Theo in particular would have had up against Naughton/Rose), but we should still have more than enough as long as we turn up with the same intensity of performance that we displayed in Munich.
Notwithstanding TV’s fine performance in the week, I will be pleased to welcome one of Gibbs/Monreal back. Further forward, I’m with Lars. Hit em with pace and dominate from the off. I would love to see all of Gnabry, Ox and Sanogo start, the Ox as part of a midfield trio with Flamini and Cazorla with Poldi out wide left.
I doubt however that that would be Arsene’s preferred option and imagine that Ox will play wide right, Giroud up top and an Arteta/Flamini axis in midfield. In those circumstances the options would appear to be Santi in the whole with Poldi left, or Rosicky in the hole with Santi reverting to the flank. If this is the way AW is thinking then I hope he goes for the former. With all of Rosicky, Arteta and Flamini in the central area we can appear a bit one-paced.
Whatever. We’ll win cos we’re Arsenal! Have a good trip Snowy and any other travelling ‘Holics. Make sure you bring home the bacon and stay safe.
2-0 to The Arsenal.
Spot on Maestro.
COYG!!!
RED CARD KOMPANY!
Pun tastic Trev @ #27
Spit-roasted chicken if Giroud & Bendy get together after the game.
Anything but a win tomorrow is unthinkable because:
1. it is the NLD;
2. the league title, while a stretch, is not yet beyond reach;
3. it is the NLD.
A chuckle from our Clive, thank you 🙂 about a day, and I quote…
at a very prestigious Private Golf Club.
A good mate of mine runs Corporate Golf days,and this one was a Chemists Golf day,with the accent on Fancy dress.
I am reliably informed that 3 elderly lady Members all fainted at the 9th hole when they encountered the group of 4 Borats.!!
Things apparently got very messy at the After Event Dinner and Presentation,and the Golf Club Chairman ended up being tossed fully clothed into the Lake at the 7th hole.
Trev@27: Tasty.
Could have been worse, he could have been tossed in the hole at the seventh lake.
Holic@35: Wonderful.
Just thought I’d share this link, posted on the Guardian’s MBM for Hull vs City. Not because I necessarily agree with it but because it’s great writing. Old (2008) but still relevant.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2008/oct/02/referees.wells
Was Bendtner at that outing?
Spiffing stuff, Tabs @30.
And, indeed, wishing snowy a safe and threepointful day at the crumbling dump. 😉
@35 – marvellous. 🙂
Cheers Trev 🙂
And a big heh at Clive’s pic 🙂
Thought Hull might have got something out of City today. Oh well.
Heh@35!
Clive,
Looks like a normal day at the Office at D L Ltd 😉
Hull annoyingly inept against 10 man City, playing at home and with 80 minutes of the extra man advantage. Especially considering Kompany was the player City lost. If only Yaya Toure got a red card too. 🙁
I must agree with the article linked by dk where it says American football is “a sport that has been all but ruined as a spectacle by various attempts to purge all possibility of human error through the application of technology.” Hooray the refs. 🙂
Hats – or Caps – off to The Arsenal Gent again. 🙂
bt8b@45: Not sure I can join your jubiliation until after Sinday’s game, when we have Mike “Skippy” Reid.
Sinday’s? What would Sigmund make of that? 😀
Probably schadenFreude. 😉
48 &49…..unless he was feeling a bit Clement 😉
dkg 47 assume you mean the “yellow peril” Mike Dean? No one can be sure of a win with him in charge!
Villa 1 Specialists in Boredom 0
Lovely stuff tabs@ 30.;)
Villaaaaaaans!
3 off at Villa- haha Chelski.
If we can win our games in hand and get a result at the bus stop we are back in it. That’s as bad as our loss at Stoke
Chelsea will be without their best runners Willian and Ramirez next week. Both with red cards today.
Thank you Villa.
Still laughing at the Chelski result. The whole game had such comedic quality. Two nailed on red cards. Moureens “who me?” look as he was escorted from the field. JT’s ” we woz robbed” facial contorsions, The Phantom Of The Opera’s “I dont believe he sent me off for that!” shake of the head as the tunnel bekoned.
I had a really good time.
Thank you Chelsea.
Oh Maureen.
Cheered that Villa goal with about as much vigour as I did Mikel’s penalty last week.
Is it back on? 😯
The irony.
Maureen’s backfiring mind games. 🙂
Skippy to turn a new leaf with triple red cards for the Spuds? It seems the ideal weekend for it.
Now there’s a turn up … 🙂
Gotta love the sight of Maureen in meltdown.
Come on you beautiful Gunners!!
Cheers Ttg 😉
Ramires is a dirty cunt and a coward. He’s too scared to go into tackles in an honest way, and that red card should have been about his 100th in the last two seasons alone.
Very kind of Chelsea to not only lose the game but also even out our players missing through injury with a couple of sendings-off.
And who knows what may happen on Tuesday when Galatasaray come to town – hamstrings popping, groins straining, ankles spraining …. and that’s just JT.
Up@50. Yes, Mike Dean of course – I don’t why but I always call him Mike Reid – maybe because he’s such a bad joke.
He shoukd be racked until his joints pop Lars. Dreadful cunt.
Lars@62: Yes, not my words exactly, but I did think, “And about time too” when I read about the red card.
Moaninho’s red – does that mean he’s banned from the touchline for the next game?
Don’t think so, dk. At least not automatically, I think the ref has to report him and recommend it to the FA.
But if he is he will just make a song and dance about it. Don’t give him that opportunity!
Evening all. Fine result from the Villans. I look forward to Maureen’s interview tonight. Pity Hull proved so pathetic.
Am in the frozen north – or should I say, Proto-Salmondonia to return to my football roots and support Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup Final. I do hope that we have the game sewn up with 15 mins to go so that I can turn my attention to events at the wrong end of Seven Sisters Road.
THMBD
(AICT)
And final preview H with good supplements from Lars, H2H and tabs. Any kind of win will do for me.
COYG
– final
+ fine.
Tsk
Bloody iPhone
Bath: Proto-Salmondonia sounds like a disease you get from chickens.
Quite an appropriate perception really IMHO Dk.
Great prep post Holic!
We can definitely do em what else can be said really? Hull today I thought were total shambles for a Premier League team who should really use their home turf to a greater advantage, oh well they failed. Villa before this game was nothing but a mid table team but they woke up to life again and it makes it even more interesting for all the teams.
All we need to be is to win our games especially against those big two and that would send this league into a spiral and for us to take the crown would be truly like winning the lottery!
Few beers tonight but I love this team and this club what can you do?
We love you Arsenal WE DO!
Good luck to the team from the granite City Bath. Have a good one mate.
Typical Morewhineio, making a fuss blaming the ref to deflect from his team’s poor performance. Pity Hull couldn’t have preceded Villa’s example! Excellent Villa result for us though with both lost points and lost chavs. And well done Chris Foy who is now challenging Mike Dean who has red-carded more Chelski players than any other ref. Where’s the latter reffing again tomorrow?
Oh.
Öskar
Evening all,
Some stats for the Holics re the Derby.
We haven’t won at their joint since 2007.
Spuds are unbeaten in the league this season when they score first.
That’s in 16 of their 28 league games.
We have won only 2 of our last 6 away league games.
We have only 1 clean sheet in our previous 7 away league games.
Our last away league win was back back in early Jan against Villa.
That doesn’t make impressive reading from our point of view.
Our away form malaise corresponds almost perfectly with the loss of Rambo and Theo,and if you had said at the beginning of the season that those 2 players would be the most missed if injured,not many people would have agreed.
But a better motivational tool for the Players,could not be asked for,than the Russian mafia getting turned over at Villa today.
We could have been staring at a 10 point deficit,but instead it could be only 4 with a game in hand if we can knoock em over tomorrow.
I agree with all the pundits above,attack them from the off and keep them under pressure.
Don’t sit back like at Stoke and play, ‘ After you Claude’ football and let them get their confidence back.
Score early and shut the crowd up,play the football they showed against Everton and the Force for Good,should overcome our NL neighbours.
cheers
The Sweeper
Now I’m no Alain Pardieu fan – to say the least – but can someone tell me how the phoney Frenchie got a 7 match ban for his head butt (?) against a Hull player, but Joe Hart got 1 yellow card for just about the same action against the Hull player today ?
Final word to Kos: Do NOT touch a spud in the area unless we have at least a 3-goal advantage.
The penalty area that is.
Öskar
3 points tommorrow please COYG !!!!!!!!
Another stat to throw into your dismal litany, Clive. The Spuds have scored twice in four of our last five league meetings and at least two in all the four most recent league games at their place.
The NLD is the highest scoring series of matches in Premiership history, 125 goals in 43 matches to dat.
It is no coincidence that with the return of their posturing, snivelling little rat of a manager, Chelsea’s players reassume their own ugliest, most detestable mantle.
The feigned, open-armed innocence of the manager, mirrored by the pathetic pleading of Ivanovich at the inevitable and correct dismissal of his team mate plumbed new depths.
Don’t these spoilt twats realise that the rules also apply to them ?
Since Abramovich took ownership of his plaything, Chelsea have thumbed their noses at every level of authority, from their boardroom to their manager to their ignorant, racist captain to the groups of players that surround every referee at every decision that goes against them.
They have some hugely talented players in, for examole, Oscar and Hazard, but they will escape at least my admiration because I see that blue strip and I just cannot stand to watch them.
A horrible stain on a fantastic game that would be much better without them.
Night all.
Here’s a stat for you…..
Arsenal have won the league more times at Shite Fart Lane than Tottenham.
Now if anyone knows of a better stat than that then I would love to hear it.
Trev. I think you speak for us all.
Trev, hear hear. My hatred for Chelsea surpasses all other football hatreds, even Spurs, and it’s ramped up significantly since Mourinho came back. My middle fingers come out every time I see him on the screen. I was grinning all evening at ignoble manner of their humbling at Villa Park.
Good one, Steve T. Can’t wait to give them a right dick-stomping tomorrow.
Up at 6.30am after a heavy session anyone would think its NLD Day ! Come on you Reds smash these fuckers 🙂
Up The Arse,
Cheers Holic!
C’mon on you Arsenal. Not battering the Lily White Cunts is simply unthinkable.
The chelshit loss will only be substantiated if we win today, i do expect pool not to lose today though, we need to win and thats the minimum now.
Derby means everyone psyched up, expect a lot of drama as ever when we play against the spuds, usually reliable players tend to muck up and on the contrary some players tend to make their name in such games. The last few seasons specially has seen spuds having players like rose, walker, vandervaart etc use this game to make their spot in the headlines whereas we in the last few visits have seen a dip in performance and poor defending, I believe in the team as always but whenever we go into a must win game, i am not truly convinced we will. Time to turn it around my dear Arsenal,cant ask for a better game to do so.
flamini and arteta pivot again and as much as i dont like it, its the need of the hour. Ox will be crucial but more so will be Cazorla, he has had good games against the spuds and he needs to step up now big time.
2-1 seems to be a favored score at whl, i dont mind it being 1-2 today. Got your shooting boots poldi??????
Please, Arsenal – just win today.
Desperate for a win today… Poldi and Sanogo to start just to discombooberate Spurs defence http://gidigooner.blogspot.com/2014/03/match-preview-spurs-vs-arsenal-derby.html
Morning all,
Can’t believe how chilled I am for this. Off to a park in a minute to take in the spring flora and fauna. A little squirrel feeding is in order.
Never been like this on NLD day.
Not sure what to make of it 🙁
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HF2I7XFUoLc/SK-WKseCLQI/AAAAAAAAANg/mJBwdUxWrAw/s320/uncle.jpg
Sherwood after:
1) A walk in the park
2) After 10 hours of beauty sleep
3) After today’s game
Afternoon ‘holics.
Good stuff tabs, Trev and others. Cheers for the pic Clive.
Don’t worry boss, the ol’ feeling will kick in the closer we get to kick off. That’s if you’re anything like me.
Whoop whoop the day has arrived, the day when Spurs fans get to see what a North London football Club looks like when yo aren’t infiltrated from top to bottom by terrible cunts.
Come on you Gunners!
Mickey’s go one up against the absolutly woeful Mancs.
Can we play next season’s fixtures against Utd up front? 😀
Rooney at 300.000 a week, what a joke.
Small dose of justice that Stevie Me missed that last penalty. Horrible dive by Sturidge.
Getting really nauseous watching Manure and Pool. One, Manure are really dreadful. Two, Sturridge’s bloody dive to draw a third PK call. And third, and mostly, because Arsenal could only manage one point (a 0-0 draw at home!) against this lot.
On the other hand, manc fans finaly know what it means to be on the wrong end of shit decisions at the Old Toilet. #cosmickarma
Hello all, getting nervous as hell.
Here are the streams
http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=246459&part=sports
http://livetv.sx/en/eventinfo/219271_tottenham_arsenal/ for those in need.
the condition of our bench is worrying, not enough game changers there, still..lets beat that lot!
BAMMMMM
How this MU team took 4 points off us, I will never know. Absolutely rubbish team, unfreaking believable. Now we definitely have to beat the scums today, no excuses strictly 3 points is needed.
Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Arteta, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski, Cazorla, Giroud
Subs: Fabianski, Monreal, Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Flamini, Gnabry Sanogo
Didn’t expect Gibbsy to be back, pleasant suprise, but for the rest I called it (@12)
Scrap that (103), TR7 is in instead of the Flam. :blush:
Right, now it’s time for us!
Feeding the squirrel???? Is that a euphemism?????
hmm..where is Kallstrom? was not he supposed to be available today?..not even on the bench :S
Heh @ Steve T.
Why is Kaboul playing? I am missing something obviously, but wasn’t he banned for today?
Ahhh. Derby day.
Bring it on.
Come you Gunners!!!
The red card was rescinded.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/26523734
I had to look it up too.
good morning, holics!
hopefully this fine day will see 1 a return by nursie to this here bar, 2 adepaywhore finding him offside on every single attempt on goal he tries, and 3 3 points for the red side of London…
The Premier League seem to have done away with Respect in favor of a new slogan, Get on With the Game.
Why am I not surprised?
Mike Dean (aka Skippy) not looking too pleasant in the tunnel. Respecting him probably wouldn’t make much difference anyway.
Come on you Gunners.
I’m watching on a stream from the US – my God – I thought our adverts were moronic!
Let’s do those Lily White Cuntbuckets….
COME ON YOU REDSSSSSS
COME ON!!
Come on
Get in
ROSICCCCCKKKKYYYYY
roooooozzzzzzaaaaaAaaa
Rosicky beauty
ROSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
TOMAAAAAAASSSSSS!!!!!!!
yeeeeessssss! what a strike! tr7 you beauty.
BANG
I missed that … but YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vertonghen you twatspatular
FOCK OFF…that was ONSIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Biased linesman!
never an offside
oh, ox. :shakes his head:
oh come on Ox
They’re playing too high a line.. many goals in this game i says!
Sherwood clearly upset with the Ox there – knows he can do better
We need to hit em hard and fast on our counters!
Sagna lucky there.
oof
Unlucky Ox
too loose, arsenal.
Come on ref, Sandro should get a card too.
OOOooooooo Poldi
poldi, nearly. well done.
We’re not passing fluently enough.. lack a bit of sharpness.
What BB said…
COME ON YOU REDSSSS
Aptly named Rose, what a prick.
Whew. Half time, time to exhale and get ready for the second half
Must definitely substitute one between Gibbs and Sagna at this point.
What a screamer from Rosicky that was.
loose, too loose. ox greedy a couple times. most issues we brought on ourselves. we need a touch more patience when we firs have the ball, to get into position and make good passes. 1-0 is a beauty of a score line, nevertheless.
Lost count on number of duels Giroud lost. He needs to improve drastically in the second half.
Problem is that it seemed to me that Ox had allowed his head to go down somewhat by the end of the half. Hope he comes out refreshed.
We seem to have trouble playing out of the back on the left side…Santi….just hoof it out no turnovers.
Spurs are relying on the game continuing at the same frantic pace. We have to slow things down a bit and take a more measured approach, a comfy 2-0 win is there to be had.
I’d like to see an early second to really deflate Timmy’s troops.
Not sure what all the fuss is about (elsewhere).
The Tinys can have all the possession they want, they still haven’t had a shot on target. They are playing a kamikazi highline, let them come and hit them on the break, get out the buntings and get ready for an early St Totterings’ day.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
COME ON YOU REDS!
Wake up boys
Wake up Woj.
2 times in a minute.
Top work by Mertecielny
Sczcezeeesss definitely needs some competition for that no.1 spot!
ffs Woj! careful
I don’t like what I am seeing here. Chezza? sort it out.
wake the hell up boys!
Come on guys.. string a few passes together!!!!!!!!
Go down the wings!!!!!!!! Tear them apart there… they’re still pressing too high! COme ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!
Wake Up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TIme to pick it up a gear or two!
Come On!!!!!!!!!!!!
Flamster for TR7
OG is poor today…first time I am typing this in ages
Can someone send out a searchparty for the HFB.
Nacho for Poldi
Hey!! There was OG. 😉
oooh, so close per….arrrgh.
OOoooo Mert
ooo Mert
The obligatory Flm yellow.
KEEP THE FUCKING BALL
TV for Ox.
Full defencive mode.
well played, ox.
come ON!
why are we giving them the ball straight back every fucking time?
come ONNNNNarsenal!!!
Yes yes yes yes yes
done, done, done… oh yes.
Never in doubt…, 😆
Below par ..but will take the win 🙂
Yeeeeeeeeessssssss
fuck yes!
Tomas fooking rosicky.
Hells yea!!!!!!
rozza the legend today.
Briliant, fucking briliant, best defence in the PL, looooooooove it
then he builds on that legend by giving that guy in the wheelchair his shirt…a thing of beauty.
and heh, h2h…
Done!!!!! Win at the bus stop and we have the title.
A proper victory by a proper score. Smiling now.
How awesome was that result?
Tho i feel we sat back way too much, 3 points in bag. Title challenge full on. Spurs crushed.
A beautiful thing.
And how fantastic is tomas rosicky?
Against chelski next week will determine the top four position we fight for!
Bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
my god, how I love this team.
Well, it wasn’t pretty – thank God Rosicky caught that early one so sweetly otherwise that could have been 2 points dropped.
Didn’t like how we let them come at us so much after going ahead and Ox needs to stop giving the ball away so much, but that means 9 points ahead of the fifth placed club with a game in hand at home to Swansea.
Spurs fans can’t complain about their team’s effort today but our defence was rock solid, despite Chezza’s two brain farts (© H2H).
How Sweet It Is!
Plus that’s 3 games and 3 wins against Spuds this season.
Interviewer: TOmas what were you thinking when the ball went through?
Tomas: I just wanted to play chambo through, his technique was not the best as you can see….
Heheheh! 😀
After looking at the table, and shaking off my second-half anxiety, that is a massive, massive win which more or less guarantees CL football next season.
Shut up Paul Merson…what a bitter twat
Thank fuck for that. Great 3 points. Let the hilarity begin.
Love you Arsenal!
That wasn’t back-to-the-wall defending; it was just bloody good defending. Mertcielny looked awesome today.
Might not be a popular view………
But i thought that Mike Dean had a really good game.
God I fucking hate Merson. Would happily kick the fucking Chelsea supporting prick up and down the road, regardless of what small achievements he ever did in an Arsenal shirt. Would love to bump into the twat some day.
I can’t believe what I’ve just witnessed. A decent(ish) performance by Mike Dean! In an Arsenal match! Well I never.
Phew- Get in boys,now to celebrate and berate in equal exquisite measures I fucking love nothing more than beating them utter utter cunts !!
Up The Arse 🙂
Till the next time, you Hotfarts.
Dean did have a halfway decent game. Missed Kos being hauled down by Vertonghen, though.
agreed h2h and Ned.
Ned, the lino should of caught that.
I feel sorry for Merson, if he runs into our mate Esso. 😉
Good counter-attacking game plan, iffy execution especially in the second half when a bit more composure on the ball — especially from Santi and Ox — and we would have had a couple more. And in the first half Ox really should have scored or put Poldi in for that golden opportunity.
Great performance from the defense, especially the central duo. Did Per lose out in even a single aerial challenge? Imperious stuff.
Unbelievable team spirit and togetherness.
And we love you, super Tom Rosicky…what a goal, rolling back the years!
Per was magnificent today, Dr F., though to read the BBC coverage you would have thought Adebayor had knocked him into a cocked hat.
Game Feckin’ on!
Feck of you LWCs! Forever in our shadow !
Bring on the Chavs! Up the Arse! COYBG!
NBN@ 211: I have only one thing to say about BBC coverage and that is not really fit for this bar. Those are inaccurate in overall statistics more often than not, and the general descriptions are misleading.
When was the last time we beat the LWCs thrice a year without conceding a single goal?
Come on Doc you can say it….
They are a bunch of utter butt plungers.
See, easy. 😀
Luv it…
https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/1238835_10152104413712713_1400594649_n.jpg
La la la la Lukas Podolski, Tomas Rosicky and Santi Casorla!!!
(LuPo must stay)
H2H @ 214: 🙂
One concern I have from the match was Szcz’s two mistakes. Hopefully just one-off as this is not a time to lose form or confidence.
Brilliant brilliant three points. On to Chelsea now. Just wish we had a few more of our players fit for this one
But that’s for next week, for now we savour this ‘holics
Drinks all ’round
From the beeb;
The next fortnight will be key for deciding if Arsenal are still in contention for the title come the May shakedown.
Why?
Why do they think it’s necessary to question our title credentials at every turn?
The whole season, it’s been the same song; we can’t judge Arsenal until they have played …fill miscelanous name in…
Change the record *dj.
*dick jackers
Time to put this idiotic record against Moaninho to bed…
Great team spirit and attitude … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIrqd0vLSvc
Well now.
North London is red. As ever was.
Puck the fundents. Game on. All to play for.
And if anyone ever stops Livershitz diving then they have real problems. Odious team.
We are innit. Football … Bloody hell.
howdy ‘hol an all
well
yee haa
and
half
a roar
god bless all here
effin chuffed
happy tomorrows day
any that care
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL7jyXCQ2Zc
dr. faustus, great stuff, thanks…
Didn”t see the whole match so I may well be wrong but from the much I saw, Giroud won a few free kicks in the Spurs half to relieve pressure on our defence.
I think that was a cotribution as vital as scoring goals in the circumstances.
Phew! Was my reaction at the end although looking back we only came close to conceding a couple of themes. Clearly our two centre backs were quite wonderful and our full- backs solid but Risicky apart if I was marking the rest of the team out of 10 nobody would get as high as 7. Giroud was isolated but useless when he had the ball and Poldi was as much use as a chocolate fire guard. As for Ox if only he could finish. We needed Flamini on much earlier but not for Tommy who was terrific in the first half and our big attacking threat. I like resilient Arsenal teams, it is in our DNA but this lot today were disappointing in possession but defended like demons.
Spurs just couldn’t get through the centre and are very poor going forward except for Adebayor who had a terrific game. If we’d had him up front we would have had an out- ball. Interesting to realise why Giroud scores so seldom away from home. I heard last week that her indoors had given him an ultimatum about leaving London which has apparently been repeated in the tabloids. If true this won’t leave his head clear for footie. Pity that we have the Playboys of the Western World upfront. Please sort it soon Arsene.
Still there is much to play for this season and we have several top players to come back. If Theo ad been playing today we would have battered them
*contribution
TTG@225: With all due respect why pay attention to rumors and tabloid shit? Giroud’s personal problems are his own and why drag tha out ? Criticize him as much for his lack of pace etc. but all throughout the season he has put in a tremendous effort and lot of great goals have his involvement . Today I didn’t see any attitude or concentration problem, just examples of his well known technical limitations. But despite that he has been a key member of whatever moderate success we have enjoyed this season and let us support him as long as he plays for us and puts in the work.
frank.
As churlish as it may seem to criticize after a great derby win, i thought that Giroud was extreamly poor today, Pretty anonymous throughout and hi first touch let him down throughout.
Once we scored it was obvious that the gameplan was to sit back, absorb the pressure and hit them on the break, this tactic was nul and void due to OG’s (lack of) contribution. I love his effort, but on days like this it is crystal clear that he is (not yet/quite) the solution to our strikeforce problem.
again, it seems remiss of me to moan about anything after this glorious win….
I wonder if there will be a DVD release. 😉
H2H.
Do you think that the way forward may have been to buy another striker????
Just saying like.
😀
None of us have ever gone as far as saying that Steve……. 😉
Buy another striker.
Just noticed that Aberdeen triumphed in the SLC.
Conrats Bath.
Congrats even.
H2H, thanks for the heads up.
But I would think that we all know what Giroud’s limitations (and strengths) are, and that the way Arsenal played today was wont to expose the poor side of his game.
Our play this season has always been about collective efforts of every player and so far no one player can be said to have carried the whole team unlike the times of Fabregas, van Persie and even the later days of Henry.
A pacy and more clinical striker will improve our counter attacks but when playing against packed defences (which we face most of the times in the league) a combination player comes in handy.
My point is that Giroud is serving his purpose and an upgrade on him will be a striker that has his (Giroud’s) qualities + pace.
Indeed frank, OG has his moments and contributes well, at times.
Just watched the goal again and it was the HFB’s shoulder/chest block that started the move, so he played his part.
Who’s mounin’ and grounion’ now?
Dr. F I didn’t get the rumour from tabloid shit I got it from a friend at Cheltenham who works with several football agents. This has clearly done the rounds and is now appearing in the tabloids. In fact the Daily Mail the worst of our door stepping tabloids knew in advance that he was meeting an agent last week because of his situation and followed him apparently.
That aside I was amused to see that authority on football , Lord Sugar ( please don’t forget the title) describe Rosicky’s goal as a ‘hit and hope fluke. ‘ My respect for him which is already zero has dropped even further- is that possible? I think it was a superb strike and Rosicky can do that regularly.
Frank knows @234! Not that the rest of you gents don’t know your stuff, just that he expressed my opinion on Giroud and our striking conundrum well.
Did Sugar also think the game ended 1-1? 😀
Lord Windamere wins the gold Cup.
Ireland beat France in Paris to claim the championship.
Arsenal beat the spuds in as good a smash and grab as we’re ever likely to see with a wonder strike from TR7.
You’ll have to forgive this Irishman, for tomorrow is Paddies day, and it just doesn’t get any better than this.
I’m pouring another amber restorative while Tony sings:
“Some day, when I’m awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow…….”
Sláinte mhaith Joe.
Go raibh Mile Maith agat H2H / Duizendmaal Dank…..!
TTG @ 237: All I meant was let us not pay heed to rumors, or personal off-the-field gossips. As long as someone is playing with commitment and effort let us criticize him on his qualities (or lack thereof), on mistakes, on limitations.
Anyone doubting the intent behind TR7’s goal knows nothing about football, he used to score goals like those in his Dortmund days and he had one or two special ones in a World Cup as well. In last couple of years he has scored three great goals against the LWCs, each full of quality in their unique ways and demonstrating different facets of his game.
Just what a great little player.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Giroud – he needs players up with him to play off to and we were playing too deep today. He was isolated a lot of the time. He was also doing a lot of defensive work, tracking back and at set pieces, and must have covered as much ground as anyone on the pitch. No, not his best performance but special circumstances given that we let the Spuds have so much of the park. I wonder how we would have played if we hadn’t got that early goal – hopefully a little more offensively.
I think Alan Sugar’s comment is a bit sour grapes. OK, many shots from that distance and angle are not on target, but when a player hits one as perfectly as that, you’ve got to be a miserable old fuck (or a miserable old Spud – or both) to refuse to give him credit for it. Has to be a contender for goal of the season, especially given its significance.
But all said and done, we will have to play better than that to get 3 points at SB. And we need all 3 if we’re going to stay in this PL battle. Liverpool are really on a roll and Man City have those games in hand. We are certainly looking good at holding an advantage but I’d like to see a bit more adventure on Saturday. Fortunately we have 6 days to recover while Chelsea have a match to play midweek.