Seventeen And Counting
Aug 28th, 2014 by 'holic
If you want to read a conventional report on the game tonight can I recommend the Guardian. I haven’t seen what they have come up with yet, but among the mainstream media they and the Observer get it right more often than most. Actually, I just checked, and it is here.
For this blogger and, I suspect, most of you, it was a fraught evening. In the preview I probably gave away my expectation with a punt on 2-1, albeit supplemented with a lesser wager on 3-1. I suspected we were in for a tense night as a result of experience rather than intimate knowledge.
It was a game I thought long and hard about coming up for. It is always touch and go if I get home from midweek matches, and I could do without the worry that accompanies that. Most midweek games that I attend I make an early exit, if the situation permits. I have to say at 1-0 going into added time tonight I could not have done that.
The match was eminently watchable if you didn’t have an enormous emotional attachment. Arsenal must be the best team to see if you are a neutral, or supporter of another club not in direct competition with us. For example, Ludogorets or maybe Tottenham. No wait, well played Ludogorets tonight.
Not being a neutral, and of course neither are you, this was a night we have become accustomed to. With the half a spine of Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, and Olivier Giroud missing Arsene opted for what I would consider a plan B. My instinct was that he would start Sanogo as a target man, a la Giroud, but instead he opted for a more mobile front man in Alexis. The system changed somewhat, we also had an interesting blend of Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, and Mesut Ozil making shapes ahead of Mathieu Flamini, and alongside Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, often left lonely hugging the right touchline.
As things transpired Arsene nailed it, but by a whisker. Alexis will love the significance of his first competitive goal for Arsenal. Let us also acknowledge significant decsions by a poor referee that could have changed the outcome. I have no issue with Debuchy’s first half challenge in the area, but Jack was a lucky boy. Given what happened later I have to acknowledge we dodged one bullet, maybe.
That doesn’t excuse a card happy official from showing a second yellow, and red card, to Debuchy for a perfectly innocent challenge in which he wins the ball. Cue the ramp up in nervousness among the faithful.
The outcome was as precious a 1-0 as we have produced in recent years. The questions remain. I am loathe to spark the debate again about using the resources clearly available to strengthen the squad. It goes round and round and pits Gooner against Gooner. We know we are short, squad wise, of a quality centre back. We know another defensive midfielder, preferably a beast of a player, would be welcome, and who the hell couldn’t do without a goalscoring centre-forward?
That being said let’s just savour the evening, and a first goal of many for Alexis. Now, time to get some more ice. Long story…
478 Responses to “Seventeen And Counting”
Great stuff holic we rode our luck at times,but were there,happy days.next 6 days are crucial get it done arsene.
#FreeGustavo
A bit later in the game Jack was held back just outside the box, an offence much worse than the one that saw Ramsey red carded last week, and not even a foul let alone a card produced. I would even go as far as saying the Champions league officials give the EPL numpties a serious run for their money in the ineptitude stakes.
4th!
Nice on holic!
“We know we are short squad wise.” Indeed. Over to you arsene and BIG Ivan.
With money to spend and talent flying about at the moment it would be a huge leap of faith not to spend.
Southampton draw in the squad cup looks a fun home draw. Another side with good youth and some intent to play a bit of football. Loving these home draws as well 🙂
All in all I thought we were much the better team. And it was by far and away our best performance of the season.
Everyone dug in and provided some real quality. We’re not even close to our best but we did play quite nicely at times.
We have been extremely lucky so far , Palace,Everton,Besitkas , 2 wins 2 draws .
WE need a commanding defensive midfielder.
Perhaps the footballing gods will smile on Diaby this season.
Fantastic result won with a battling, organised performance.
Best advice of the day is not to bother with conventional news outlets. They’ll be full of nonsense sentiments like ‘Arsenal got away with it’, ‘should have been a penalty’ etc, totally ignoring how ineffectual Besiktas were in attack, and how poor and inconsistent the ref was – worst job I’ve seen in a while and judging by the routine tripe we have to swallow in the Prem that is saying something.
Transfer talk? Tedious tittle-tattle that erodes your being. We’ll get who we get!
Fully agree with you, Pontus.
tuesday and wednesday it is…not thursday..not tottenham…never ..ever!! 17 cannons and counting!! WE ARE THE ARSENAL!!!! BOOM BOOM!! sure feels good
Not at all sure we got lucky with the Jack incident, I don’t think he touched the Besiktas player at all. It is worth noting that even the player himself and Demba Ba made very half-hearted appeals for a pen so I think the ref got that right. But even if he got it wrong and Jack did indeed bring the Besiktas player down, we deserved every bit of that luck because if so that was one of very few calls we got over the 180 minutes. We got two jokes of red cards and Besiktas got away with a lot that we didn’t, like the elbow to the chest of Debuchy which surely should have been a yellow if Debuchy got one for an almost identical incident. That the ball was not in play when Debuchy got elbowed doesn’t matter, a yellow card offense is a yellow card offense regardless of the ball being in play or not. Also, the Besiktas player that kicked Cazorlas legs out from behind at about 85 or so minutes should have walked, that was a straight red for me. He didn’t go for the ball at all, it was pure frustration taken out on an opponent.
Anyway, really happy we got the job done in the end. We are moving in the right direction and if anyone had any doubts that Alexis was brought in to play centrally those doubts must now be completely gone. Also, he is gradually starting to form an understanding with the rest of the team and I for one don’t think he’ll have any trouble playing against parked buses because the goal we did score was certainly not against a drawn-out defense. His movement is very clever and he can go past people.
(disclaimer: this does not mean I wouldn’t welcome another striker, any player better than what we already have is always welcome in my book)
A word also for the inexplicably much-maligned Nacho Monreal. He played an absolutely flawless game last night, and but for the Ox missing a sitter would have had an assist for the second game running.
Another thing that struck me this morning is that in the four competitive games we’ve played so far, two of which at difficult away grounds, we have only conceded one goal from open play (I consider the first Everton goal a set piece goal) and that goal should have been ruled out for offside. We have not defended perfectly in any way, but let us not forget that we have had to chop and change in the back four and had very little time for the players to gel so maybe we aren’t as shaky at the back as general perception would have it.
Also, since that Everton loss in April we are on a run of eleven games (and if you want to be generous and include the Community Shield it’s twelve) without defeat in all competitions.
So, just add a bit more depth to the squad and we will be well positioned to take another step forward this season. Over to you, Arsene and Ivan!
‘Holic – for the mega-drinkoff? or for something damaged? If the latter hope it’s not too serious. Cheers for the post.
Yeah, cheers Holic for posting so promptly. I have vague ambitions to write my own stuff on Arsenal, but why bother when others can do it faster and better?
We have to wait till 7:25 am for a post and we wonder why.
And then he gives it away – more ice. So it was an all-night session. 😉
Glad you were sober enough for the wordpress upload, H. 🙂
So much fuss over one, note one, penalty decision not given.
Didn’t we go a whole season with NO penalties awarded? Or at least in home matches?
Ned, help!?
Morning ‘holic,
Tough match to watch, like you said, with much emotions invested. Especially at 2:45 am in the morning, sat beside one of the most nerve-wrecking inducer of a Gooner, Pete. (You know it’s true, Pete.)
At the end of it all, I’m bloody knackered at work, but am relieved to look forward to the draw and the eventual announcements on .con if there’s a CL home game to be watched when I’m over in London.
Oh yes, Ollie and BTM watch out, Steve-o is coming to town again.
My review:
What a game it was. I love football.
zico: I don’t think we’ve gone all season without a penalty at home, but last season we only got one which was against Southampton. We also got one in the cup v Everton (well, two if you count the re-take 🙂 ) and then two away from home, which were QPR and that game at Anfield that didn’t actually ever happen.
I wish Dr Z. Brain freeze from icewater bucket challenge in vain as camera crew had an epic fail 😉
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2375846/Gonzalo-Higuain-signs-Napoli-Real-Madrid-snubbing-Arsenal.html
never heard of him,what’s his name again?? ah..we have Aaaaaaaalexis!!
Well in last for Wilshere. Proved he can do a job when he raises his game. I was very proud of him last night.
Happy for Sanchez too. He looked so relieved to finally get on the score sheet. I see more great times ahead for him.
We are getting stronger with every game.
Now it’s off to Leicester, to teach them a little bit about how the beautiful footballers win games. Although, I would take an ugly win.
I watched in a crowded bar full of Besiktas supporters. My review of the match? Phew!
Two enthralling committed games of football that both referees failed to ruin despite the proliferation of yellow cards. Besiktas fans can be justly proud of their performance as I am that we managed to prevail. I gave my highly prized Arsenal-Besiktas scarf from the match last week to a very young, very disappointed Besiktas fan. I hope he grows up with a soft spot for Arsenal because I have definitely developed a soft spot for them. My god but we had to work hard for qualification this time round!
Wilshere did NOT make contact for that penalty call. He went for it, saw he couldnt make it and decided against the tackle. The Bekistas player went down anyways so it looked like a tackle from behind. The replays showed just as much.
That’s the way I saw it, Slim, but Wilshere said he made contact?
howdy ‘hol
love that write up
cheers big man
(sorry for the waffle last night)
(i’ll back drink in a few months)
drinkdrankdrunk
the shame
trying times
Interesting (and inevitable) to have seen the press move the goalposts as it were since our FA Cup win. Before that over the years there was repeated criticism of Wenger for seemingly prioritising a top four finish over the domestic cups. Then we win one of those cups (the one that’s not shit at that). Now we get endless articles like this which just gloss over ending that trophyless run people were banging on about ad nauseam:
http://www.football365.com/profile365/9443933/Profile365
Which ignore the presence of Chelsea and Man City, and the fact that competing against them in the league is like being an athlete in the 80s that wasn’t East German. Sure, Liverpool came close last year, but they still fell short even with few other distractions and going on a great winning streak throughout the spring. As for the CL, it’s very very very hard to win, and there’s only been one ‘new’ winner (Chelski, the jammiest CL winners in history) since Dortmund back in 1997. In short, we’d love to win the league or CL, but I get the feeling it’s getting harder than ever, whoever you buy.
Great Result, great write-up,
Thought LJW was very good. As we all know Alexis just needs game-time and will continue to improve match by match- thrilled about his first goal too. Debuchy was excellent and unlucky to be off.
The lads all worked their socks off and for a team of millionaires constantly characterised as greedy mercenaries (not necessarily in this bar) I thought they really put in a shift for the club and each other which was great to see.
Arsene was thrilled at the final whistle. I love watching that man celebrate- possibly because any time I do see him celebrating I’m doing the same…
Great write up Holic and ” just savouring the moment” indeed.
Every forward movement in the CL competition is enjoyable.
Oskar – can’t believe cba was not impressed by ” the voice”
Perhaps cba would prefer some pub rock “cold chisel” style 🙂
Just brilliant.
Forget the ‘My view’s better than you – you ‘tard’. All I see amongst the angst, the rights and wrongs, Cesc, Van Persie, the close calls , the despair, the wins, the poor decisions and whatever. I see a brilliant, truly international place to talk about how ace it is to be a gooner.
Carnage, most certainly, over the last few weeks. Yet, I sit here and watch while I have the privilege of reading sensational posts from around the world. You know who you are, far far too many to mention, all now a part of my life.
Just look at above – Lars, cab, kg, socm, bodrum, so, zico, ep, porco, garsguns, pontus and others. And not to forget the all the other regulars.
Forget the U.N. – just get ‘Holic involved.
Crap cab? cba.
Charlie, anything Nick Miller writes you can print out and keep in the khazi in case you run out of loo roll.
Lars knows. love reading his posts on the arsenal,I would not be nachos biggest fan but he did play well last night.
Football 365 is rather annoying me at the moment Lars, two articles basically berating us and now a mailbox today with Arsenal ‘fans’ slagging off Ozil
aussie
that mulleted twonk
with his karaoke warbling
is as far from good music
as his poodle haired fans
are from taste and decency
listen to a bitta Go betweens
swim out and over and
listen to some Chills
tunesmiths without lighters held aloft both
Excellent stuff, Holic and a stellar build by Lars @12. I watched the game in a bar near Lisbon and from the several replays of the Wilshere ‘penalty’ incident I saw, it looked to me that there was minimal contact if any after Jack slipped. A penalty would have been harsh and that was one call that the ref did get right.
Lots of positives in that game for me, not least Alexis’ goal. Pity we missed two great chances to make it 3-0 and tie things up. The nervy ending was exciting nevertheless.
I think we’ll see two new faces by closing time on Monday.
Look forward to catching up, Steve-O.
Fine analysis H and top post Lars @12.
It was indeed a nervy ending because of strange decision making by the ref on the second yellow for Debuchy and the yellow for Chambers but at least he got both pen decisions right. I’ll happily accept that distribution of erroneous decision making if he had to get two wrong.
I thought our whole defence was colossal, our midfield tireless and Alexis showed his Barca training in constant pressing of their defenders on the ball.
It was a well-deserved qualification. Not really very pretty but hard won…almost an echo of an earlier Arsenal tradition, though much prettier.
Now to get the pieces for the jigsaw that will take our challenge up a level.
COYGs
Great posts by Goonerham in the last drinks and Lars. I enjoy hearing how Gooners all over the world feel as they watch the match and had I time last night a celebration was in order!
Holic as ever catches the mood of celebration and tension very well and would definitely not have been able to leave early. I was astonished at how many did. It’s like leaving a murder mystery without finding whodunit!
A friend of mine watches Arsenal home and away and has done for forty years. He reckoned that the West Brom game a couple of seasons ago was the worst he had ever felt watching us.
Last night must have rivalled it.
One thing I think we. An say in praise of Wenger is that the three players we have bought are excellent and I expect Ospina to push Ches all the way when fit. But watching last night I can’t fathom how a club can leave their team building so late when they have to play a two leg tie with that much riding on it.
I anticipate a nice CL draw with Anderlecht , Ajax and Basle please
LHTG
14 across
crap cab cba?
gimme a minute
nope
another 200 quid pen not won from the sunday times
@12 Should’ve said Larst time but you ,sir, most definitely know.
After a seemingly endless summer the TW is nearly over. I am excited and nervous as the deadline looms. Sorry, Dr F, but I’m not making any predictions as to who we’ll sign as really they would simply be guesses. However, with my redpsecs on, I’ll have a go at how we’ll do.
Prem- 1st
FA cup- semis
Champs League- quarters
League Cup- quarters
But I still hope we win the lot…
Nice one Maestro.
I’m choosing to puff on my victory cigar today as I savour 17 years of consistent achievement.
It was nervy but overall last night was great fun.
The team performance was exceptional. Hard to pick a standout as all did their job but, of course, Alexis is the man of the moment.
The Emirates was LOUD and proud, as it should be.
The post match drink in the usual place was full of content Gooners.
UTA!
Lars @ #12
Great post. Every word mate.
I died a lot of times yesterday but then i am alive today to say we won we won we won.
17 consecutive qualifications to the champions league. How many have managed that?. Agreed, it does not mean we have won anything but the consistency and the financial implications and more so a legacy can never be undermined.
Besiktas were excellent, well organized and played to a plan. Pundits are the so called ones who feel Arsenal were lucky and we couldnt beat a Besiktas side, need to take a hike. No team come to roll over and they definitely dint do that.
Ox excellent, that kid will develop to a world class player if he stays of injuries.
Debuchy fantastic, early days but the man shows the attitude needed to play for us, The Arsenal.
Ozil, what do i say, he had his moments my magician and it was his delectable pass that set up jack/sanchez for the goal. Yet he seems strangely subdued and frustrated.
Santi and his work rate excellent. Kos had a terrific game.
Jack yet again showed what a talent he is. He knows deep down he needs to perform consistently but the man is a talent.
Sanchez, loved him, yes he wasnt great, yes he was not the conventional striker but boy what an attitude. Never, never gave up.
Overall a win, a group stage appearance and hopefully a kind draw.
I just feel this team will be good, very good if we just manage to limit the damage till sept.
Lars, as above. Good summary as always thanks mate.
Now anagram of: cba epic wordsmith amongst shitting cows.?
Aaaannd relax….
Vinay- in fact only one other club has ever qualified for more consecutive champions league tournaments than arsenal.
That team would be Real Madrid and they only have one more @ 18 !
Impressive effort from both clubs on the consistency front.
Cheers all!
Does anyone remember what round of drinks featured Trev’s ‘Ode to a Pissed Gooner’ (sorry, Trev, can’t remember if your CBA inspired lyricism had a name or not)???
I really need to re-read that tasty little effort…
Great post Holic! It was a very nervy encounter especially when we went down undeservedly to 10 men! Ref had a mare nothing to add here!
Hope the ice has melted and you’re keeping warm?
Lars spot on fella!
Wish we could sign at least two more players, well there goes my wishful thinking!
Chambers called up to England.. bit early for me liking but he’s clearly fast tracked through.
Just don’t pick up any injuries!!!
😀
Here you go, GSD, just for you –
So, cba lives on a farm
And twice a night
He’ll chance his arm,
To get to the pub
Through the piles of shit
Left in the fields
By the cows – so be it !
Filled full of ale
He’ll return in the night,
But the fields now are dark
And his sole source of light,
Is the moon overhead
Or his phone as a torch,
His target, his refuge
His nice dry front porch.
But the cows in the field
Have had other ideas,
They’ve watched this man’s night moves
For several years.
They know every step
That this ol’ drunk will take,
And they’ve planted the route
Full of juicy cow-cake.
“Shit! Bollix! Feck it!
Oh, sweet holy Jeez!
I can’t feckin’ believe it,
It’s up to me knees!”
So goes the cry
At the end of the day,
As the cow-cake from hell
Engulfs cba.
So learn from this folly –
Cow shit has no charm,
And don’t get pissed nightly
If you live on a farm.
😉
Thanks for clarifyingLars @ 19.
My point was, probably not obvious enough – think how many decisions have gone against us in penalties not awarded when they were clear to everyone but the officials.
Here’s a clue – FA Cup Final.
I hope you DID make contact Jack – dry your eyes you Turkeys! 😛
Zico@16: it was the 2011-12 season you must be thinking of when we got no penalties awarded for us at home in the league. Here is the record (Premiership games only)
Season
2013-14 For 3 Against 6
2012-13 For 5 Against 6
2011-12 For 3 Against 4 (none for at home)
2010-11 For 7 Against 9
2009-10 For 4 Against 6
2008-09 For 5 Against 5
2007-08 For 6 Against 3
2006-07 For 10 Against 2
2005-06 For 7 Against 0 (none for away)
2004-05 For 3 Against 3
2003-04 For 6 Against 4
2002-03 For 4 Against 2
Overall for the past 12 seasons
Penalties For 63 — 45 at home, 18 away
Scored 52 Saved 8 Shot wide 3
Penalties Against 50
By way of comparison:
Liverpool For 73 (H37-A36) Against 44
Chelsea For 71 (H45-A26) Against 31
Man Utd For 68 (H44-A24) Against 30
Man City For 60 (H46-A14) Against 43
If you look at the ratios of penalties awarded to penalties given away then Chelsea and Man U are easily at the head of the back, both being awarded more than twice as many penalties as they conceded.
Trev,
Thankyou very much. You are my hero.
And that is an absolute cracker of a poem.
One questionable little 50:50 penalty decision goes our way and there is so much focus on that.
We have gone through key matches in recent years with much more certain penalties not given against us. Quite a few ManU matches come to mind.
And if they had scored from such a penalty who was to say that we would not have reacted with more quality and commitment in our attacks!
Lars: excellent observation about Nacho. He is technically and tactically quite a good player and with protection from Santi — who had an absolutely brilliant all-round game — he looked so much at ease in defense as well.
Looks like Cost is injured too!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/11060418/Chelsea-injury-scare-as-Diego-Costa-suffers-hamstring-blow.html
Heh @ Trev 🙂
Keeping fingers crossed that we sign a defensive player before the window closes! xxxx
This season has a good feel to it! Started off by spanking the champs, hard fought last min win against Palace and standing firm against Everton. And a hard fought game against Besiktas which we prevailed by the barest of margins.
With every game we’re gaining strength and momentum!
If we can just keep our key personnel injury free crucial periods and have adequate deputies when they’re out methinks we’re in serious contention for a cup or two!
On the Besiktas game, when so many have differing views on who the MOTM should be, it’s clearly evident that the whole team played their heart out.
I for one, would be satisfied and happy should they be able to bring forth such commitment and spirit in all of their matches, regardless of the result!
Raise me glass to one and all in the bar, wonderful chaps and ladies all, many thanks to ‘holic too for allowing me to post me many whinings here!
Up The Arse!
😀
GSD @ 40: Thanks for playing the game. 🙂
Hope Eto’o grabs the winner for Everton against the Chavs.
He never did have any love for the dour one…!
😀
Lars@12: Spot on.
Ice bucket challenge, ‘Holic? Oh dearie, dearie, me. 🙂
Trev@51: as brilliant second time round as it was at first.
£400m is the cost of Man U’s squad… wow.. money does buy you success…oh wait!
And Rooney’s weekly wage cost more than all of MK Dons squad!!
Maybe there should be a cap of all these prices after all…
Cheers Ned.
Man Utd stats even more skewed if you take out Clattenburg and the Liverpool game last season from the totals!
UTA!
Favourite pic of the day : http://www.arsenal.com/assets/_files/scaled/1000×687/aug_14/zp_20_5397.jpg
Against the odds! 😀
Cheers all,
I am going to need some medication if this season is going to be anything like last nights game. I was sweating, panting and had an increased heart rate by the time the game was over, so much so that I thought I was playing myself.
The players also seemed wasted at the final whistle, Alexis falling down on his back and Carzola limping to the dressing rooms. Great effort even though the game should have been done and dusted way earlier.
A special shout out to the ref in last nights game. How can going onto the pitch when the 6th officials allows be a yellow card offence…. I mean… wow. I wouldn´t even let that ref control the remote.
Oh and by the way, I almost cried when Gibbs 😉 missed that chance to make it 2-0 after the ball from Monreal. It was basically a tap in.
Roy, please leave Chambers alone. Too early for my likening, don’t want him to get used to losing playing for England. And of course the dreaded International break injuries.
For gooners having colonoscopies: instead of having to ingest some glop as your “prep”, have the doc prescribe watching the last fifteen minutes of last night’s match. That would make things clear out real fast.
On new signings: am not too optimistic, as one thing Arsene enjoys more is his LANS, of which we have a boatload. Speaking of which, why the radio silence on Diaby? Does AW have him stashed in the witness protection program?
Seriously, any word on his status?
Glass half full@65, you mean The Ox right? Gibbs wasn’t playing yesterday.
Cheers Holic!
Eaterie fuck up beforehand (did n’t book in Amici, as last time it was empty, this time rammed so no chance of a pizza) meant a stressful pre-match routine, where quite simply not enough pintage occurred.
The game itself, tense as fuck. Highlights being; Alexis’ goal into our end; the support in the whole ground ramping up significantly on Debuchy’s sending off; watching a nearby steward’s disapproving look as 10 year progeny enthusiastically perfected the wanker sign in the direction of Besiktas fans; the blessed relief of the final whistle complete with big hugs all round with fellow gooners.
Post match went entirely to plan. Stroll back to The Eaglet coming down nicely. A few relaxing pints with Big Steve, then a #43 back to the crib.
Not sure when we’ll be back, but we will be. We most certainly will be.
@SanAntonioGooner —- I thought we had already established that they are the same person, thats the reason for the 😉 .
Glass Half Full – are you really Jamie Redknapp?
Who is Carzola? 😉 😉
Hoping the competitiveness of the Besiktas tie will hone our game for the long haul. Also hoping the relative slow start is the right pace to survive the long haul. Not certain if either one of these hopes will come to fruition but there is one undeniable piece of good news so far this season. OG will at last get some needed rest and relaxation. 😉
Debuchy and Alexis came of age as Arsenal players against Besiktas last night. Chambers was sent back to the toddlers room however by that execrable referee. 🙂
Jean @ 67: Rather mysteriously Diaby is present in most pre-match training session photos. No visible part of his body bandaged and from photos in various stages of movements.
I am guessing that he is being monitored by the new team of Shad & co. and they probably don’t feel comfortable enough yet to give the green signal.
Or they may have found some systemic issues with his movements and are in the process of rectifying it.
For zico and others who are trying to figure out the identity of this mythical Carzola, he has been spotted.
http://footballburp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/gianfranco-zola-car-640×372.jpg
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/aug/28/former-arsenal-goalkeeper-manuel-almunia-retire-heart-condition
Glad they caught it.
@48 and 51
So. I have had a friend come to stay with me for the last couple of days. I had not seen her for about four years and we have enjoyed catching up.
At some point during this visit I was posting on here when she asked me what I was doing. So I told her.
I told her about all these bonkers guys and gals of all creeds, colours and religions, from all over the world who meet online in this most wonderful of drinking holes to discuss all things Arsenal.
It so happened that a CBA post was on the screen. I proceeded to give her my take on his literary style and the rare form of insanity he is afflicted with/ relishing in (CBA- feel free to delete as applicable- we won’t hold you to your answer. wink)
She read his post and was, of course, smitten. I then told her of the recent triumph of Trev’s featuring CBA in a starring role. She had to read it.
Despite half an hour of backdrinking I was unable to find the glorious missive and, with the deadline for her exit fast approaching, I reached out to the bar to save my bacon…
Then I waited. And hit refresh more times than was probably necessary.
The time had arrived. We had to leave.
“I’ll just hit refresh one more time before we go,” I said, followed by a loud, drawn out cry of “Come On Big Money!”
The screen refreshed. The ‘Holic bar, this time in the guise of Trev, had come through for me. Sitting in front of me, in all its original splendour and then some, was the thing that in all the world I most wanted to read and share with my friend.
Thanks team. Well played all round. You made me and a good friend smile today- which is worth as much as anything else I’ve found.
Needless to say, she loved the poem…
Oh god, no…is it international time again?
And just to make matters worse, Chambers is off to ‘advance’ his career with the England squad, under the tutelage of the biggest waste of space in a three lions shirt, Rooney.
You bastards, just when our season was starting to shape up nicely.
Porco – AND in October and in November! Sorry, after the feast of the World Cup, it’s soon time for a three course meal of gruel.
I’m happy for Chambers though, I’m sure he is.
Basel, olympiakos, anderlecht please
I’d love for us to get my native Malmö FF. Arsenal visits Sweden way too seldom for a team that has had Ljungberg, Limpar, Larsson (and not to forget Shaaban and erhm… Källström) playing for it.
Zico
Carzola is Gnarby’s elder brother!:)
Toby, lots of us are hoping for Malmö FF in the draw, but knowing our luck we’ll get Monaco from that pot…
But if we do get MFF in our group, tickets won’t be easy to get due to their small stadium.
Heh, true enough Lars, but hey, I’ve got friends in Malmö that are proper Malmö-supporters. Wouldn’t mind visiting them around when the game is anyways. It’s not that long a trip. Or well, it is. But still. Actually, it’s almost easier to get to London…
Toby
I hope we get Basel for the same reasons 🙂
Would be great to go to a CL game invilving our team and not have to sit in a plane first.
“involving”
We’re in Group D
ATG,
Did we win?
😀
Here we go again
Hehe. Yup.
Dortmund again!
We just got Klopped.
dortmund again!!! how does that even happen!!!???
That is third time running we got Dortmund interesting that
This is getting ridiculous, dortmund again, Bayern and City again and Chelsea get only Schalke, wait where is pool, oh they have not yet been drawn, hahahha the system does not even recognize the name.
Group F is the evil group!
olympiacos in group a, another tough group.
Another damn trip to Turkey!
and Turkish side Gala
schalke and sporting for chelsea. how much money did roman pay?
gala!! phew!! back to turkey again…
Another trip to see the Turks!
We seem to have something to prove against the Turks!
😀
what do you bet chelsea gets that new team…
Stop this draw, this is sick, i mean Galatasary as well, what is the need to be seeded if we are going to get such a fuckall draw.
i think it’s a draw we can win. we’ve taken them on repeatedly, now, and have made it out of the group stages. nothing to suggest we can’t yet again.
Vinay – it’s not that bad a draw so far to be honest, if we can avoid Monaco and Roma I’ll be happy.
What are the odds we will draw any of those two only. I mean if we again qualify second, you know what it would mean, Bayern/barca or for a change maybe Real.
chelsea get roma, we get monaco. wow.
Would be really fun to see MFF get into Group F:
Proper Zlatan-group. He will have played in every single team in that group if Malmö enters it.
oops, misread. sorry to say. it should of said “watch”.
liverpool lucky with their group.
Pool should get out of their group…!
Avoided Monaco!
ffs!!
watch us get roma. ugh.
i have a bad feeling about this
Anderlecht – that’ll do
aaah, anderlecht.
all three teams with history.
that’s ok. now to win it!
We should top that group!
😀
the group reminds me a bit of the game last night. tough, engaging, and we ultimately prevail.
Chelsea’s group is embarrassing
chelsea with a skate. fucking hell.
and chelsea gets maribor…meh!
GROUP D
Arsenal(ENG)
Dortmund(GER)
Galatasaray(TUR)
Anderlecht(BEL)
The Chavs have obviously bought the CL franchise.
watch group E 🙂
Man City’s group on the other hand – ha!
Tough group. Fun group. Tense! Again, I fucking love football.
A trip to Belgium as well, wow i think ours is the toughest group. I mean how can this be so bloody cruel. Only bright thing is anyone can nick points of the other and hence if we do win our home games, we should qualify, maybe even first. Also no Lewandowski.
clearly abramovich has more money (or greased the better connections) than the qataris.
Vinay – are you serious? You have seen Group E right? We’ve got a decent group.
let’s hope that al-citeh trip to moscow is on the last week…
and that we get our trip to turkey in the first week.
Come on it’s not that bad of a group! Not the easiest but we are well in there with a chance to come top!
Decent group that, would have been horrible to get Roma from the fourth pot. (Shame it’s the end of the Reus dream.)
Time to start focussing on these dickheads from Leicester. Win there and we can really enjoy the interlull knowing we took care of business over these two weeks. Five games in 14 days was always going to be tough at this stage, especially with 3 away. Be lovely to look forward to the Shitty game with 7 points in the bag.
After the show Sanchez put on last night I reckon AW has it right about a striker, we can score goals with what we have. Lots of them. Would still love a couple of pieces at the base of the team though. Cover for the defence and some presence in midfield… Got to think BIG Ivan has been working on one last big signing 🙂
UTA
Of all the Cunting sides to get we get them knife wielding scumbags – Will be fun I’m sure !
Scruz
Basel loves playing English teams so I’m not so sure L-poo will get out of it. Wouldn’t actually be the first time if they get kicked out by the Swiss 🙂
true, dws. i thought about that after writing it, but figured poo might be able to return the favor this year.
chelsea, on the other hand. what an embarassment it would be to fall at the group stages. one can really only hope.
Ya Charlie even that is tough but then ours including the travel and knowing the scheduling luck we have, i am sure we are in a tough group.
Home games are must wins, we need 9 points no excuses, any away points will be crunch specially the Anderlecht game. Whoever wins there may just go through top for i expect them to beat atleast one of the 3 at home.
Didn’t Basel beat the Chavs or something like that?
Hmmm… thought pool might make it out, not so sure now.
😀
scruz
Schalke may be able to stand up to them but I can’t see the other two to get anything at the busstop
El Puno @137.
I think Reus will spend one more season in Dortmund, then perhaps next summer (when Cazorla may well return to Spain) there’s a decent chance we’ll get him. In the meantime, a good chance to have a look at him a close quarters once again. More prevalently, does it scupper any potential Papastathopoulos (nicely spelt!!) deal?…
Basel have beaten a number of English teams over the last few years (bar us)
BB
In recent history they won against L-poo, Chelski, and the Spurs! Like I said above, they love playing English teams
I think the Swans as well 🙂
@137 El P
Glad you’re viewing Alexis as a chance to be a striker now, he sure does look good up front, he may not have the height but he fights like mad and is tricky as hell and he shows up at the big games! He can only get better when the team gels!
Am in total agreement with you about another defensive player though! Just feel we might come up short there if we get another injury.
Rumour : Arsene Wenger is weighing up a £12million move for Borussia Dortmund’s Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
Don’t think they’ll see him now! 😀
@146 Datsyuk
Ah many thanks! That sure made this day a little better!
Basel does have a nice ring to it, come to think of it!
😀
Let’s do the Turkish trifecta! Fener and Besiktas down, Galata to go. Another Istanbul trip and match report for Bodrum? Magic carpet ride on the horizon.
Chelsea midfielder Andre Schurrle on Twitter: Tough group!
—————–
Proof that Chavs aren’t too bright!
😀
Hey everyone.
Holic, , My mind wandered a bit after reading the title… eyes welled up, images of players, no longer with us and those with us now. All jumbled up in my wee brain. Wish we could meet Arsene, shake his hand or just give him a hug. xx
,
Changing subject slightly – Michael Watson Ringside special must watch Top Fella and Top Gooner, Good to see him looking as well as can be expected.
I’ve got such a huge need to watch football.
Too bad no one at all is playing tonight.
Goonersaurus Stunt Double,
Glad I made it in time for you. Flattered and amazed by all those kind words. 😉
Cheers, NBN, ATG. 😉
Tough Group ? Good !
I’d much rather be going to a Champions League game full of tension and anticipation at playing a top European side than turning up for an expected regulation win against a bunch of also rans.
This is what we as fans and players want – the top table of European football. Maribor ? – pffttt.
Shame it had to be Galatasaray though, purely from the point of view of crowd trouble.
There was trouble and arrests being made when we walked over the south bridge and through the Besiktas fans last night. There also seemed to be some plotting going on as we walked back to Finsbury Park, by a group of local Turkish Sp*rs fans disguised in Besiktas colours. Galatasaray could be a whole lot worse.
Fear not, Toby, it’s Spursday Night tonight ! 😉
So, no football then Trev.
GSD – amazing drink; that’s the sort of thing that keeps me coming back to this bar time after time.
COYG
All things considered not a bad draw. We got Lewandoskied at home last year and they got Ramseyed at their place. Unfortunately though our record in Turkey is good and Gala got pulverised last year by Real Madrid Istanbul is a forbidding place to visit for football and we still have the 2000 UEFA Cup final to avenge ( on the pitch!)
Anderlecht will bring back happy memories to fans of a certain vintage but we should do them. We could top this group. Chelsea will obviously top theirs but Citeh and Liverpool have their work cut out.
In other news I read that we have decided against bidding for Cavani because we haven’t left ourselves time to do the deal. It’s hard to make up sometimes. Personally I think Cavani is hugely overrated but he has some fans based on his Napoli performances.
Falcao would be an awesome deal but he will go to Real. I suspect we may struggle to do more than add a defender at this rate. That is an absolute necessity.
For those that haven’t seen it defo watch it – Now that’s a sportsman for kids to look up to !
Whose palms did Abramovich grease to get such an easy draw? Atleti got off easy as well.
At this rate I’ll be moving to Istanbul! It’s very decent of Arsenal to play their matches out here for me though. Galatasaray? Do I really want to go there? I’m still traumatised after Copenhagen! Ah well! Some things have to be done much as I really don’t like them and their fans 😉
Zico@63: I for one would have no objection to Clattenburg being taken out.
Our CL group looks a three-way fight with two particularly tough-looking away games, but Dortmund and Galatasary must be saying the same thing. As we are going to win the CL this season, I guess will get through the group somehow.
Liverpool might have more trouble than it looks on the face of it. They will be in a three-way fight with Basel and Ludogorets Razgrad for second place behind Real. Basel seem to like causing CL upsets and Ludogorets are a decent side. Financially doped, they have won the Bulgarian league three years on the trot and made last 16 of the Europa Cup last season and
GSD: touching tale.
Pangloss caught my gist, but thanks for trying Trev. I love a tricky CL-draw, me. Makes you appreciate what you’ve got.
oops@163, and nothing. Just made last 16 of the Europa Cup last season.
Interesting sequence of fixtures:
Dortmund (A)
Galatasaray (H)
Anderlecht (A)
Anderlecht (H)
Dortmund (H)
Galatasaray (A)
Toughest games first and last! It goes without saying it wld be nice to have qualification (and ideally even the group’s top spot) sorted before the trip to Istanbul. I seem to remember Juve getting unstuck with a similar schedule last year. Avoid defeat against Dortmund first up, and you’d have to fancy us to get at least 10 points in the subsequent 4 games….
Heh @ 163 – and he’s not the worst!
Not the greatest of sequences for the group fixtures:
Dortmund (A)
Galatasaray (H)
Anderlecht (A)
Anderlecht (H)
Dortmund (H)
Galatasaray (A)
Let’s hope that Gala away fixture is a dead rubber….
No Debuchy for at least the first match, away at that madhouse; young Chambers will be tested.
Any word yet about whether Debuchy will be sitting out more fixtures due to his post match remonstrations with the official?
Toby, Spuds playing against AEL Limassol whose name sounds like a bathroom cleanser. As a matter of fact I would rather clean my bathroom than watch that game. 🙂
I got it Toby – just couldn’t resist. 😉
This will be the season of The Ox.
With Sanchez up front, near the box, AOC will have to be the one to offer pace and dribbling dynamism from midfield. As soon as he finds his shooting boots, usually so reliable but thus far absent, he will be unplayable.
The Ox coming of age, Wilshere returning to form, and Ramsey doing what he does. Weave this around Cazorla, Ozil, Rosicky and their immense class and we have ourselves quite the show. Sanchez, Giroud, The Panther, Poldi tapping them in… Whether we sign anyone or not, we are going all the way this season.
We were the best team last season at beating the teams we should. The professional attitude and thumping coconut bollocks we have shown already in two weeks of play suggest that we still get how to grind out results. I have no doubt that the big match results will come. Now we have AOC, Sanchez and soon Theo to set us up away form home on the counter it will be no problem. We didn’t lose a home game to any of the two manc or scouse teams last season. Not the chavs or scum either.
Pile on to the 19/2 on betfair for us to win the title. IT IS FREE FUCKING MONEY!!!!
UTA
bt8b – Unfortunately AEL Limassol is apparently not very good at cleaning toilet bowl stains.
Prince KING Chuba Akpom scored a hat trick tonight. More please.
#FreeAkpom
Miguel gone for £1.5mil apparently. In to replace him…
Trev, I knew you did, I just couldn’t resist either!
And, oh, actually bt8bb, I actually DID clean my bathroom tonight. Whilst drinking wine, but still.
Toby, the astringent qualities of red wine should provide an excellent bathroom cleanser. For greatest effect I would recommend cheap, particularly acidic red wine, of the variety drunk by many Tottenham supporters. 🙂
That’s Vimto, isn’t it, bt8b?
LMAO @ 171. Get in!
El Puno is in rare form tonight, baby! Lock up your womenfolk and children.
There we go. Puns ahead. Don’t forget to flush.
El Puno has certainly got a spare set to the medicine cabinet tonight but hey I don’t like to disagree with him in any way!
Bring it on!
Time to chill my eyes from those computer screens!
The Miquel transfer suggests we are certain to sign someone as we are down to the bard bones now
My random stat of the day, from the BBC’s story about Hockaday’s sacking as Leeds manager:
In 21 years in charge of Italian side Cagliari, [Leeds United owner, Massimo] Cellino sacked 35 managers.
ttg, I suspect that at least a couple of names were waiting on last night’s result before signing on the dotted line.
Down to the bard bones, you say, ttg. I hear on the QT that we are bringing in four new defenders, all typical AW under-the-radar signings: Keats from Exeter City, Burns from Barrow, Milton from Lossiemouth, and young Hardy from Man City’s U-18s.
abb, I did have the good fortune to shake Arsene’s hand after the last match at Highbury. I thanked him for everything he had done for our club at that time. His look was one of astonishment. So educated is he, I’m not sure he gets the unconditional devotion to the club from the support to this day. Pray his legacy lives long. Seventeen years, and nine of them after commiting to a huge capital outlay on a new home. One day he will get the credit he deserves.
It would be poetic justice if he did just that, NBN@185
There are more than just a few Wordsworth reading on here 😉
He already gets the credit he deserves from me, Holic.
Chavs, Mancs and Spuds I get to deal with (and inflict pain on !) every day and most like to have a little dig. Not for long though ! 😉
Literally, Ned ?
Didn’t realise you were so well versed in the workings of the transfer market.
I heard we were also bringing in Lear from Limerick.
And Toby is trying to flush out some bathroom cleaning puns, I see.
Ned,
Apparently those poets of yours have already passed their medicals. Seems their scans were very good.
Ned,
Shakespeare from Stratford was also on AW’s original list of targets, but it turns out he had a bit of a tempestuous career and is now just a
spent-amateur.
Trev – I heard that the reason the Shakespeare transfer fell through was because when BIG Ivan tried to get together with his mum, who is is agent, he failed to metre.
Oh dear, no way a lousy and not terribly funny pun is going to make it through a typo as well. Old Ma Shakespear “is his agent”.
trev @ 191, i think their scans were shunned by the buying team…
Quite honestly, I never saw anybody quite as perfect for the role of Sancho Panza as Santi Cazorla is. So far I haven’t decided who would be better for the role of Don Quixote though. Trying to decide between Per Mertesacker and Wojciech Szczesny at the moment.
Lumps ball aimlessly downfield before retiring to bed.
Night all.
Happy enough with the CL draw, at least we know every game will have to be taken seriously. Unlike Poo who look to have only Real to worry about, and could well trip up against the minnows. Games you expect to win comfortably in the CL often come back to haunt you.
Öskar
No doubt which was the better side yesterday. But defeat was still just a miskick away thanks to some chronic evening up by the ref. Yes, he gave yellow cards to seven Berserkers against just one of ours (I don’t count Sir Ches’s time-wasting or the daft one given to Chambers), but who gets a red?
The fickle finger of fate beckoned us again, but we middle-fingered it this time.
Pity we couldn’t have scored the second and third goals our play deserved, we could all have enjoyed the second half so much more. Do they practice shooting at London Colney? I sometimes wonder.
Öskar
Don Quixote, 8ball? Would have to be Peter Crouch.
Öskar
Oh, I didn’t notice the landmark. But you did have 4 minutes to get in, so tough!
Öskar
Or am I the only one awake here? 🙁
Öskar
8 ball @ 96: Per as Don with Flamini as Rocinante? Why not…
Forgot Sancho’s donkey’s name. Deceptive unmemorable donkey? Mourinho can beg for that role.
Anyone here went to see the reserves game at Emirates?
Chuba hattrick, Campbell full 90 minutes (wearing #10) , Diaby one half, Zelalem another, Bellerin full ninety minutes …
Oskar. Crouch is a good one despite him not being an Arsenal player. He has the advantages of wrinkles and a look of bewilderment on his face.
Sancho’s donkey? Xote perhaps? 😉
It isn’t named in the book, just described as dapple-coloured.
Öskar
Why would we want him to be an Arsenal player anyway? Tilting at windmills isn’t our style. Our guys are more like El Cid.
Quixote would be better played by a spud, surely? No end of ever optimistic failures down at the WHL Home for the Bewildered.
Öskar
Oskar you may be right about the tilting but on the day Almunia retires I can’t fail to include him in the Quixote candidates. Hope he and his heart are OK.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-daf1-Almunia-forced-to-retire-due-to-heart-condition?#.U__Q9kuJkRY
Yellow card, Oskar. You knew it was coming 😉
Oskar @ 207: You are right about us, but the spuds are not deserving of quixote even. Deluded and all he is still not entirely without charm.
Yahoos on the other hand are perfect depiction of the spuds: primitive, boorish, obsessed with foraging in the muds for pretty rocks …
Almunia giving his best “haunted” look:
http://footballspeak.com/image.axd?picture=2011%2F12%2Falmunia.jpg
8 ball @ 211: Best of luck to him and definitely better to have found the problem earlier.
Very good shot-stopper, and for a couple of years was overall consistent before the judgment of errors and the flighted-ball horrors started to creep in. Classy fellow though, never a bad word about the club or the fans, and I remember after the 2011 League Cup debacle how he was consoling and taking care of a shell-shocked and tearful Jack.
re almunia, then there was this.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1155361/Pretty-pink-Arsenal-star-Almunia-catches-eye-taking-dog-stroll.html
best of luck, and good health, Manuel.
Pangloss, Uply, Trev: 🙂 Epic.
How to win friends and influence people … NOT.
How Balotelli sees himself. In his own mind… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2736537/Liverpool-striker-Mario-Balotelli-posts-picture-four-Beatles-members.html
Not so much a Liverpudlian as a little puddle ‘un. A deeply shallow puddle at that.
Öskar
I have two season tickets in the Upper Tier, East Stand. Being abroad, I rarely get to go these days and generally sell on the Ticket Exchange. It seems as though you can now sell the tickets to ‘friends’ (presumably members I can add to my network) or ‘transfer’ (not sure what the latter entails). It would be lovely if ‘holics were able to take advantage of these tickets rather than just selling randomly on the TE. Is this of interest?
NBN
Great stuff my predictive text us a source of great frustration.
I hear we are bringing in Owen and a guy called Larkin from Hull!
BG @ 216
I am sure it will be of interest.
H can you pass on my contact details to Bodrum Gooneress?
Bodrum, any way of getting tickets is always interesting.
Leicester’s signing of Esteban Cambiasso is going to make an interesting match! Did not see their match against everton but they seem to be able to score goals, hope we’re not too tired from the very exhausting qualifiers!
Need to keep up the momentum, a win is expected but it will be tough!
Glad to see Diaby getting eased into games, we may need him yet!
If Alexis performs well as a striker, we may see Campbell coming in on the wings should the need arises.
Fingers still crossed for new recruit/s before the window closes. xxxx.
And to you, Ned, for kicking it off. 🙂
BG Definitely of interest indeed! 🙂
Holic same for contact details as Zico said 🙂
BB,
I would like to see Campbell get a run out at Leicester. Maybe last thirty minutes if the situation allows. We still haven’t seen enough to know where he’s at and does seem like a little bit the unknown quantity in our squad.
Rabiot looks a goer 🙂
Falcao maybe to, I’d guess just not at the prices the papers are quoting…
#FreeRabiot
http://www.beinsports.tv/news/title/adrien-rabiots-mother-complicating-matters-in-psg-transfer-saga/article/19nc6lcyc7jxc13c4qk66r8pq0
Thought I’d just pop by just to see if anyone else is happy to be a gooner.
…ah El, I’m not confident about Falcao, although the glove fits. Could be on Wenger’s hand trying to cover his fingerprints possibly?
3 more days =3 more points and possibly 3 more players??
I’m such a tease
Not for the faint hearted! 🙂
Retweeted by gunnerblog
Get French Football @GFN_France · 14m
BREAKING: AS Roma have agreed a €15m fee for the transfer of Adrien Rabiot from PSG, according to @BilelGhazi. More to follow. #ASR #PSG
@227 GT
I do hope you are right with the 3’s! 🙂 but I will settle with just 1, none and I’ll be worrying and drinking more than usual! 🙂
@228 Esso
That breaks my heart! 🙁
@DocFaust
Need to revise my selection again….. 🙂
27 – Hi GT, good to see you mate.
I thought Falcao was complete paper guff, but…
Shirley Monoco are only looking to shift because they can’t/won’t/FFP his wages. Take the paper figure of €300,000 a week, with no tax as it’s a sleazy tax haven robing mere mortals of social things like healthcare… 52 weeks in a year, we are talking €15mil plus walking around money. If they want shot of that commitment, no one will pay for him and pay that wage after tax anywhere else. Hence the loan. Only way to get him off the books… At current exchange, that’s £12mil for a years rental. They break even on for the next year on him… If we pay Monoco the money and they pay his wages, we get around the tax issue. Hire of an asset or summit. It’s not really so unbelievable then I don’t think.
(You’d be paying a fee plus, say, 130k a week for a player like that, but on a long term commitment. Cover his Monoco wages via a loan is 230k a week. However you rationalise that, 12mil adds up to the equivalent of 5mil fee and 130k a week for a year. Either way, we have need and funds and that is such a high upside option that I reckon it’s tough to turn down if available. Unless there is a hot young thing AW likes…)
Fingers crossed on Rabiot. If it is just a fee agreed, we can still match that.
Not like Monolas this I reckon. he had Kosc and BFG blocking his way. Can’t be a hard sell for game time opportunities with two thirty somethings on the last years of their deals ahead of Rabiot.
Falcao. Rabiot. The Beast of Bodmin Centre-Half Moor.
That is all please Arsene.
@224 GSD
Wholeheartedly agree, so long as, we’re not chasing the game! (How can one even contemplate this?! 🙂 ) and I do believe Campbell should get a full half if we look comfortable, as it stands I already foresee an over reliance on Alexis, he plays his heart out every game a bit too intensively if i may say so (good for us but bad for him long term?) He needs a well deserved rest after beating back the turkish hoards! (credit to them they played a tight game!)
If I were Arsene, maybe I’d even put Sanogo in at least for a half, after all he does say that he’s a credible option and what better time to give him a run out than against Leicester? (not saying they’re bad but it’s not the chavs or them oilers! )
Still hoping for a defensive signing and a loan striker deal! xxxx
😀
Why only recent acknowledgement for Monreal?
He may be marginally behind Gibbs as a defender, maybe, but is still more than capable defensively.
He is also currently a far superior attacking option. He doesn’t always turn back inside for a safe pass, he goes past people fairly easily and can put in a more than decent cross – witness both Everton and Besiktas.
Gibbs may well be an excellent long-term prospect, if he can stay off the treatment table, but Monreal is currently better suited to our needs.
(Prepares for backlash)
UTA.
234 – Monreal is ace 🙂
Tottenham have been drawn against Besiktas, Partizan Belgrade and Greek side Asteras Tripolis
Their trips to Besiktas, Partizan Belgrade and Asteras Tripolis will sum up to over 10,000 miles of travel.
————–
Spuds play Besiktas! Yay! 😀
BB, Leicester have always given us a bit of trouble at their place during the Premiership era. We’ve won on only three of our eight visits. Four draws and a loss. Even the Invincibles could only draw there. They did beat them 2-1 at home in the final league of that historic season, though not until after going behind to a Paul Dickov goal.
Italian press saying Falcao going to Real Madrid on loan.
http://www.calciomercato.it/news/292632/calciomercato-real-madrid-esclusivo-c-laccordo-per-falcao.html
So, the tiny Totts will be bottom feeding with the Greeks, Turks and Serbs having defeated the mighty Cypriots. When were they demoted to the Mediterranean League? As if the Uriney League weren’t low enough! 😉
El @ 230 – I have also heard that financially, Falcao would be better off!
Hot stuff!
Going to have the Sky go on the go wherever I go, until the window goes shuts! Then either way I’m going to go nuts! Particularly if we do not get da 3 points on offer! I see a tough game at Leicester capable of being won! Another draw just will not do.
BB – One signing a day I say, but IAWT
🙂
Breaking News!
The Mancs have been drawn in Group Lol:
Utd
Emmerdale
Eastenders
Coronation Street
May the best team win! 🙂
@ 237 NBN
Am hoping we’re not too tired to do a Shrewsbury Town on them! They are tough to break down (Besiktas?) like everton found out, but Campbell or Sanogo may just have something to prove! (Hopefully one of them start.)
Cambiasso will only make them all the tougher, but we should prevail.
🙂
“Loath” not “loathe”.
Typical Wenger. We have no depth at centre-half so instead of signing one he gets rid of two. What’s it all about, preparing our title bid for 2019, or a question of 2020 vision?
@ 240 GT
Beep says:
“Arsenal are in talks with Monaco striker Radamel Falcao’s agent over a possible loan move. The Gunners are also in the market for a defensive midfielder that can play centre-back too.”
——–
That’s the kind of optimism I’ll have to get behind! Striker, DM and a baby Messi!
😀
243 written in frustration and Miquel’s “move” to Norwich doesn’t seem to have actually been made so far at least. Signings, please, before many more hours slip away. Mertescielny is not any more superhuman than Giroud.
@242 Pedant
I loath to think of the loaf i loathe!
😀
Noosa Gooner,
I’ve made the same pount re Monreal/Gibbs a couple of times at least. It’s not a popular one though.
As a veteran of the Brady, Rix, O’Leary years, I love to see any young player make the grade at Arsenal, but while I’ve seen Gibbs have some very good games for us, in general he drives me a bit mad. His fitness is a real issue too.
Monreal deserves a lot of credit for what he has done as a bit part player.
Just looking over Galatasaray’s squad on the Wikipedia. The only players I recognize are Sneijder and Eboue. Can anyone who knows more than I do about the Turkish league (not much) tell me how stiff a test this will be? Besiktas certainly gave us a handful, but we were still far and away the better side and if we’d just put away our chances that could have been much more comfortable. I remember of course Galatasaray beating us a year ago in the Emirates Cup but that’s hardly a good barometer.
On first glance it looks like a marginally easier group than last year. After Dortmund, Napoli were probably tougher than Galatasaray will be, and Marseille maybe just a little tougher than Anderlecht. Is that a fair assessment?
Oh and Felipe Melo too. Was at Juve for a few years. Hardly a world-beater though I’d think…
Noosa/Trev: I find Nacho to be technically and tactically superior to Gibbo. Gibbs is more athletic and is better at running up and down the flanks — though not as indefatigable as his predecessor in that position — which does come in handy given the way we play, and is a good PL-suited last line defender in the box, but his technical abilities on the ball need to (and definitely would) improve.
Mix their better qualities in a single player and we have an exceptional LB. The PL has not seen an exceptional LB since the peak days of Cole. Baines for instance receives a lot of praise, and many of that are well-deserved, but I think there are holes in his game that do not get exploited that often in this league. It would be interesting to see how he performs in Europe this year.
GL: I would say Marseille away was a tougher affair than Aderlecht away would be. It is always very hard to play away their. And even though they — along with Bordeaux and Lyon — have been displaced from their prominence by the new money in Ligue 1 they are a committed, tricky and physical team to play against. I would say they are considerably tougher than Belgian champions.
Napoli as you said is a better team than Gala. Much better. When Gala won at the Emirates cup it was the old nemesis Drogba beating us again — I am sure he will play against us both times in PL, but this time Kos will have his number — and looking at their line-up they don’t have as much firepower as Napoli. If we can get to the last game already having secured the top position — three home wins, away win at Belgium and at least a draw at Dortmund will all but ensure that (I know easier said than done 🙂 ) — then that match becomes academic.
However, most likely we will go into the last match needing at least a point to top the group. And as long as we keep our nerves — something this team is getting better at — should not be a problem quality-wise.
@ 251: ‘…meant play away there …’ . 🙂
Love this http://wearethenorthbank.com/land-sea-leicester/
Just to be really pedantic I think it is ‘ loth’! As in I am loth to say pedants exist on this website
Sounds good Dr. F. As you say, much easier said than done, but I’d very much like to win the group this time through and avoid the possibility of meeting Bayern or some such again in the first knockout round. I love to play the big boys of course, but I’d rather play them a little deeper into the tournament. 🙂
Incredible the about-face we seem to have done re: Monreal. Just a few weeks ago some were calling for his head on a platter. Now he’s better than Gibbs? I know those are not necessarily the same folks, but still. Amazing what a few good games can do.
It’s difficult to be at your best when you’re not playing consistently. Every player goes through ruts of poor form. I remember some pretty bad times with Koscielny and with Mertesacker. Gibbo as well. Monreal has what it takes to be a very dependable deputy left back for us, and maybe, as we’re seeing now, to challenge for the first spot. I feel pretty good about our left back situation at the moment.
Now he’s done playing futevolei he’s on to poker. And here I thought football was the thing. 🙁
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28986965
Seeing that Arsene won last season’s pot in Poker, I’d wager our odds are better than even.
😀
On a completely different note, UTMB “Live” : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2491j4_utmb-live-2014-english_sport
😀
Thanks Cent, that one appealed to me too.
It somehow missed the disturbing fact that if we continue to lose ground on that mob from the wrong end of the Seven Sisters Rd at the current rate, we will end the season a whopping 38 points adrift of them. Shameful indeed!
COYG
GL @ 255: About Monreal, I have always maintained that he is better on the ball than Gibbo who is a better athlete and athleticism is key to a full-back’s success especially in a possession-and-attack minded team like ours. Gibbs has significant scopes for improvements in his technical ability.
When we had won the group last time we came across a decent AC Milan (but not great) side and then blew it all in the first leg (poor pitch and all). Would be good to top the group but you can top the group and still get drawn against PSG or Juve and you still have to be at your best to progress further.
I see at least a QF appearance for us this season. Maybe even further. 🙂
I sure hope so Dr. F. I think we do have our strongest squad in quite a few years. We will miss Giroud during the group stages, though, and I’m afraid to think how much of our success will depend on what business we can get done in the next few days.
You’re right of course that who we face in the round of 16 is always a crapshoot. The first thing is to qualify. And of course you can win your group and still find yourself up against a very good team in the next round. But you do improve your odds considerably if you win the group. All I’m saying.
I think that’s a great assessment of Gibbs and Monreal. Monreal more technical, Gibbs more naturally athletic, with room and time to develop the technical side of his game. And we’re seeing that development right before our eyes over the last year or two. I don’t think there can be much doubt that Gibbs is first choice, but Monreal isn’t at all a bad deputy.
The only real concern for Gibbs is his fitness. His early development was much hampered by niggling injuries. He had a good year last year though in that regard and we can all see the strides he’s taken. And his current injury is a short-term one. So let’s hope for the best.
BB. Seeing as the futevolei apparently won him Alexis and Ospina maybe the poker can do some good. Either that or an emergency trip to Rio before the Leicester game to reprise the futevolei demo. 😉
Monreal’s ball to the Ox (the one the Ox couldn’t finish off) in Wednesday’s game was an absolute peach. Worth another look. Bends it around several defenders and puts it right into the Ox’s stride. It was a sin that the Ox couldn’t finish it off.
So too was Monreal’s cross for Giroud’s equalizer vs. Everton. More of the same please, Nacho.
@262 bt8b
He’s definitely hard to read! Would not want to play poker with him!
The stakes this season are sky high with so many teams challenging and so few chips left, let’s hope when the window closes and the game ends, we’ll not have folded but have a full house!
😀
GL@ 263: Nacho himself has a bit to prove back to Del Bosque etc. to get back to the Spanish team. Moreno took his deputy LB place but the little I saw of him he is not necessarily a better player than Nacho.
Good to have these competitions.
Right. It’s friday. I’m getting drunk. Take care everyone!
BB et al., speaking about Poker, I am sure you have seen what the photoshop elves is arseblog are up to
http://news.arseblog.com/2014/08/wenger-gets-his-p-p-poker-face-on/
@267 DocFaust
LOL! That picture is just, for lack of a better word, Creepy!
Just leave all the chips on the table and walk out ..and hope It doesn’t follow!
😀
Well this is a load off all our minds, for sure.
http://www.joe.ie/football/football-news/pic-puma-launch-long-arsenal-puffa-jacket-with-a-special-zip-perfect-for-arsene-wenger/?
Just to chime in that Monreal had a (surprisingly) bad patch last year when he seemed to go down in a lot of people’s eyes but that before and since he has been the solid player described by everyone above. Agree with all who reckon the LB position is looking solidly stocked at the moment.
http://www.arsenal.com/match/report/1415/pre/first-team/leicester-city-v-arsenal-match-preview
” I had before a striker who I bought from Italy and every time he missed a chance in training, he was absolutely mad,” he said. “I said ‘calm down’ and he said that he had played for eight years in Italy and had one, maximum two chances per game, and that if he missed one, his game was over. ”
Speaking about Klinsmann in Monaco?
GSD @ 270: I think Nacho’s game fell off in the second half because of him playing through the winter which he has never done before. Ozil also didn’t fully recover from the winter schedules in the second half. Takes a season or two in PL to get used to that aspect.
Dr F.
Good call. Hopefully they will both be stronger/more ready this year.
Re: DF @271 Maybe Wenger bought Balotelli earlier in the week, had one day of training, got rid of him but didn’t tell anybody about it? 😉
Evening all,
Five pints in, introductions requested earlier have been effected.
Preview will follow tomorrow evening.
Cheers.
Right-o ‘holic but how many pints tomorrow evening? 😉
Dr. F @267
I wish I had not seen that picture.
My eyes still feel dirty…
Cent @253.
Cheers. Good link. Made me chuckle.
Heh @ 8 ball.
He will blame the ice….. 😉
Someone provided a list of all (?) the player we have been linked with,
Transfer Madness : http://www.fresharsenal.com/z-list-108-players-arsenal-linked-summer/
Anyone want to take a guess?
😀
5 pints + 5 pints = a score of Arsenal 10 Leicester 0
The odds on that could certainly be worth a punt. Especially if the bookmakers drank 5+5 too. 🙂
BB
Let me take a random guess—108??
88 million pound investment (50m transfer fee +38m for 2.5 years of wages) up in smoke.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/aug/29/chelsea-fernando-torres-milan-jose-mourinho
Wasn’t there a song about that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwDDswGsJ60
One of ours did the ice bucket challenge; I challenge you not to, at least, chuckle after 2 seconds http://youtu.be/dNPhKcdXJb8
Think I inflated Torres’ salary a bit there, not that he came close to earning his keep at Chelsea or even in his last season or so at Liverpool.
History lesson for anyone interested in this 200th anniversary of looting in a distant war. If it was part of the War of 1812, I want to know why it happened it 1814.
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28833238
To bring things more up to date, I suggest Arsenal operate under the Lieber Code this weekend at Leicester. 😉
Well, the weekend is upon us, finally. I´m really hoping for 3 points on Sunday, even though I think that there will be tired legs and believe that this might be the perfect opportunity to start Poldi, Joel and Sanogo.
I have always said that win or lose I´m happy if the team puts forth a 100% effort, you can´t fault that. On Wednesday I saw something new in this team. I thought the work rate of the team was fantastic and you could see that the players were all dead after the final whistle. More of that please.
Now – here is a question for the bar, a hypothetical.
Lets say that in the summer Wenger decided to buy a RB for Sagna in Debeucy and also a CB in Chambers. Now Joel Campell has a good WC and Wenger decides to call him back from loan to play for Arsenal.
Now – Giroud gets hurt in the second game of the season and fans are crying out for a striker to replace him and Wenger goes out and splashes the cash on a false 9 from Barcelona with the name Alexis Sanchez who had a brilliant World Cup and a good scoring record for Barca. 35 million pounds spent og the last day of the transfer window.
The question put forth is this…. We as fans wouldn´t we be so happy with this? Is it just because Alexis was bought in the beginning of summer that we now want more?
Er no, BB … ‘loath’ is an adjective not a verb. It means ‘unwilling’. Which means your #246 is missing the word ‘am’ before loath… “I AM loath to think of the loaf I loathe!”
Although I’m loath to believe you truly loathe bread, unless you suffer from sitiophobia perhaps?
Beware of pedants.
Öskar
GHF. You have it about right, at least in terms of the psychology of things. The effectiveness of any drug wanes after the first dose. Which is part of why fans are asking for another injection. Fact is though, we need a striker, center half and defensive midfielder so three more doses to sustain the title challenge. Being happy with our dealings is one thing, but thinking our dealings are sufficient to sustain a title challenge is not quite the same. Remember, Debuchy, Ospina and Chambers are replacements, albeit good ones and possibly upgrades, for Sagna, Fabianski and Jenkinson. Sanchez was signed too early to benefit this week’s feelgood factor but I’m sure we’ll feel better if he keeps it up like Wednesday. The Ozil-Sanchez chemistry hasn’t kicked in yet but they haven’t trained together very long. Now that Giroud is out for so long, adding another striker would certainly take the pressure off Sanchez too.
Oskar. Sitiophobia must be fear of bread-eating pedants? 😉
I’ve posted an advert for holics to sign up for the night shift. If you’re interested, it’s above the tip jar. Coffee is free. 🙂
Now someone sneaked in a full length poster of Nasri last night. Can’t imagine who would do such a thing… Sighs. Security cameras have been installed, to keep subversives, at bay 😉
Your papers have been graded. High marks all around. I suspect collusion, and will do my best to put an end to it xx
It’s a fear of food generally, 8ball. I don’t think there’s a word for the fear of bread specifically.
Interesting piece of social history, the Lieber Code. Not least because of where it originated, given recent activities of that nation’s military…
Not sure where you live, 8ball. I may have to temper my opinions on certain matters in future!
Öskar
Spot on with your #289, 8ball. Forgetting the replacement which cancel each other out, Alexis is our only addition, and now he is virtually cancelled out with the Giroud injury.
When you see Real with Ronaldo, Bale, James and now Falcao you really cannot have too many goal-scorers apparently. They’re even threatening to add Reus now, which would piss me off greatly.
Öskar
Oskar, I’m an American but try not to support our wars so you can criticize all you like as far as I go. The Lieber Code’s allowing Americans to loot but not foreigners to loot in wartime seems in retrospect quite typical of many of our more modern points of view.
Abb, I’ve been falling asleep too early to be a dependable night-time contributor so the Aussie-New Zealand team will need to do a combination daytime-nighttime job unless the California crew revives, or you find some Asian-Pacific recruits. 😉
I’ve never met an American I didn’t like 8ball (except G Gordon Liddy, possibly the most amoral person I’ve ever met). It’s always been great fun visiting, which I did many times while working for IBM. It’s your governments (all of them since WW2) I don’t trust, which I’m sure you’ve heard before.
Öskar
Are people asking for another striking signing only because Alexis was signed relatively long ago? I thought it was because of OG’s injury.
At any rate, I can’t see Wenger pulling a forward out of his sleeve this window. I read somewhere (Gunnerblog perhaps?) that playing Alexis thru the middle was possibly his plan anyway, which has had to simply be executed sooner.
There might be ENOUGH forwards to get us thru, but will they all be used? If he utilises Campbell, Sanogo, Podolski, Walcott when back, Ox (who looks like he could blossom this season), is that enough to rotate a bit and play a couple of different systems?
Mind you I don’t trust the Brit or Aussie governments much either, and the NZ government is too inconsequential to worry about.
Öskar
There are risks playing different systems, Porco. Ideally we should stick to what everyone knows, even when injuries demand changing individuals in the system – ie, playing Theo, Poldi or Alexis in OG’s position now.
Öskar
Not Theo in the above of course, he’s still out until the end of Sept.
Extraordinary number of injuries already this season … http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php … and Manure, Poo and the Geordies all have more than we do, while the chavs and $hitty have practically none.
Life wasn’t meant to be easy…
Öskar
Boom!!!
O-Dog, thanks for the assist.
The discussion on the striker issue has been interesting. When I look at the Arsenal team, there seems to be a lot of potential. Unfortunately, most of our potential either haven’t scored any Premier League goals (Alexis, Sanogo, or Campbell) or have only scored a nominal number of goals from the striker position (Poldi and Theo).
I think the challenge for anyone other than Giroud to be successful in the striker position is to move the ball more quickly from back to front. With Giroud, we can kick the ball around in the back then lump the ball up to him and he can bring the ball down and get the ball to our offensive players. With the others named above (who aren’t strong enough, tall enough, or skilled enough to emulate Giroud), I think we need to move the forward more quickly, not allow the opposing defense to drop back and get organized, and take advantage of the quickness and pace of the other players.
You’re welcome, ecg.
Actually I didn’t notice it AGAIN, and very nearly committed the yellow card sin of self-assisting – for the second time in this drinks round! iLonestar would have red-carded me for sure. 🙁
Öskar
Re: Abb @291. Collusion? 289 and this cartoon say about the same things but I plead not guilty to collusion on this particular charge. 😉
http://arsenalcartoons.com/rubbish.html
Ozil : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11065145/Mesut-Ozil-The-Arsenal-and-Germany-fans-believe-in-me.-That-is-what-really-matters.html
AW on Ozil : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11064914/Everything-Mesut-Ozil-does-for-Arsenal-is-absolutely-perfect-says-Arsene-Wenger.html
😀
No comment.
Öskar
BB
I hear baby Messi is not allowed to mention being transferred to Arsenal, because we’re just a British feeder club who cannot afford him. Otherwise he will get his knuckles wrapped by father Balague!!
Controversial!!
All kill the king
Treason I call it. Off with their heads
🙂
Think we piss on Leicester tomorrow. Days are long gone when teams who play long ball and rough house could cause us problems. Fully expect us to put on our first show of the season against a team of limited footballers. Sanchez found his feet. Dennis help any side that has to face a rested Ramsey chomping at the bit. Kosc BFG acid is back. It goes on and on. Reckon we score 3 and ride off into the crap international fare is style.
Trail has turned to tundra on the transfer front. Good. That is when we are at our most dangerous. Tattle men brutally exposed here. John Cross deserves everything he gets.
This summer and especially the last two weeks have proved again, for the umpteenth time, ARSENE KNOWS.
Poonward
El – I say we kick the shite out of Leicester tomorrow. We need the points!
UTA
309 – Aye GT, it is so. Not sure these cloggers can live with our technical ability. Different test to Chavski’s 9 foot tall umph-ball.
Team for tomorrow? I’d go:
Schez — Debuchy, Kosc, BFG, Monreal — Flamini, Rosicky — AOC, Ozil, Poldi — Sanchez
We really are lucky to have Ozil at our club. It’s a career that will look AMAZING in retrospect. He wins. Everywhere he goes. For anyone who puts that on the team, just remember, there is a reason he gets in the team.
His performance in the world cup final over 120 minutes will live long in the memory. One of the greats of his generation.
My brother chose Tottenham, and so we spent time alternating between the North Bank and the Shelf. The walk up the Seven Sisters was long and fraught, but I was there for my younger. Rarely enjoyable but why do I mention this?
I was privileged to see at first hand Liam Brady and then Glenn Hoddle. Gifted, both, in an era of earnest uncompromising toughness. Absolute class and unbelievable natural talent. Mud-clagged shite pitches, cloggers, all casually negotiated and negated. Hoddle, particularly, was never seen as having any value for the English team at the time.
Now, many years later, I continue to read that Ozil still fails to impress in the same vein. This is a super-talent that sits with Liam, Glenn and Dennis and the top table talents of the game. Subtlety, immense skill, and lightness. That will do me.
EL P – Arsene does know and he knows that ozil is worth every cent and is one of the worlds best players, a humble and decent fella also.
Any discussion on his value to our team is futile to say the least
Falcao to City it seems. Joel Campbell to Benfica.
It makes sense, City have only 4 world class strikers at the moment and are little bit short at that department at the moment. Oh wait, Negredo is injured, make that three world class strikes, so they need Falcao. It seems logical.
As for us, we have 5 strikers. Sanogo, Walcott, Chuba, Alexis and Campbell. Make that six with Giroud. he is injured but nevermind. So, we are loaded with strikers and we don’t need Falcao on loan.
In fact we are that loaded that we will get rid of one of them. This one seems logical too. Did I count Poldi there? No? One more then.
So, who needs a striker these days anyway? Great decision.
As for Rabiot, it looks like he chose Roma. He was the next Pogba? Don’t care I didn’t know the fella three days ago anyway.
Apparently we are after for some Chillean central midfielder, who is 171cm. Just what we needed. Tall, strong and combative player to solve our midfield problems.
Poker game? I really, really hope so.
LHTG,
Very much agreed.
Hoddle was not appreciated enough at the time – by me, purely because he played for Tottenham – but how England could do with his particular abilities now. His ability to pick a long pass was equalled, in his time, probably only by Günter Netzer of Germany – who I liked more, because he didn’t play for Tottenham!
Arsene Wenger showed with The Invincibles particularly, when he has the resources he is unsurpassed in his ability to piece together a team.
Ray Parlour playing in the same team as Dennis Bergkamp, Lauren and Robert Pires, very diverse elements adding up to an unbeatable whole. Even Eleven Thierry Henrys together could not win the league. Well, maybe they could actually !
As you say, we are lucky to have Özil. Super creative players do not spend their time on their arses winning crunching tackles and racing back behind full backs in defence. If that is what anyone expects of Özil, they should prepare to be disappointed.
Tim Vickery made a very good point about creative players a couple of days ago. Often their stats on pass completion are not the greatest because they are the players trying to create the best chances against well organised, packed defences. But they are always prepared to try and make the breakthrough, which often inevitably goes wrong.
Anyone who cannot recognise Özil’s ability and see what he brings to the team, is watching a different game to me. The England team has been proving for decades that eleven tough, passionate work-horses will win nothing at the highest level.
Özil may not possess Dennis Bergkamp’s toughness, but he is probably the closest thing we have had to the great man since he left.
And Oskar, before you scoff at that, don’t forget that Dennis had Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira around him.
Makes you weep, don’t it !
I hate transfer windows. Official.
Falcao to City ! Last night it was Falcao to Real Madrid !
One/two years ago ( who cares) it was disaster as Falcao went to Monaco for £65gazillion, and we didn’t get him !
So why are Monaco getting rid of him ?
Maybe he isn’t that good after all ?!
Campbell to Banfica ! Shit !!! How can we exist without him ?
Wait ! Maybe we are making room in the squad ! That’s it !
Falcao is coming to Arsenal ! Obvious innit ?!
What an absolute waste of time and energy.
Bollocks to all of it !
Ain’t that the truth, Trev@316. Speaking of transfer windows, can anyone remind me what the argument in their favour was?
Right now, it seems to me that they are not only irritating, existing only to allow football’s paymasters – Sky – the opportunity to go overboard about something peripheral at a time when news is famously thin on the ground, but they are also inherently unfair. A player in suffers a career-ending injury around August 20 – a club has the opportunity to bring in a replacement; a player suffers the same injury on September 10 – tough luck, struggle on for four months a player short.
#EndTheWindow
COYG
Trev you’ve about summed it up @316. Falcao to City rumors make me want to puke. Transfer windows, especially the last week or so, can go do one.
At least there’s actual football to distract us.
Nice to see the boss come out in strong support of Ozil. I’m excited to see Ozil prove everyone wrong this season. Though to be fair I’d rather not see much more of him out on the left. Get him in the middle where he’s the most dangerous.
Gonna settle down to watch Man Utd Burnley. If MK Dons can do it, so can these guys right?
3 cheers for Trev. Bravo sir! Summed up the relentless bullshit of the Window perfectly.
Can I add I also hate journalists? Unscrupulous, muck-slinging gobshites.
Seen a bit of both Leicester and Burnley already this season. Both look like very organized, fiery teams. Burnley giving as good as they get against a toothless ManU team right now.
Burnley home fans absolutely giving Man Utd hell. Wonderful to see.
gl
I agree and he has every right to defend the world champion Ozil is exquisite and will always be a different player from the others.
His touch always matters it may not be perfect but he does not make many mistakes apart form when he wants do it himself!
Still he shields the ball very well and helps is not always there for him!
Now come on Burnely
Funny hoe Polish commentators speak of Ferguson’s drinking issue!
hoe = heh 😀
Just came to me. A clue to number of pints to be consumed by ‘holic this evening during the composition of the match preview. See the title of the current post. 😉
8ball
Welcome back! 🙂 Missed ya
Can anyone please explain to why Rooney is the England Captain?
Fella is passed it! This is not Arsenal matter so I apologise for bringing it here but for crying out loud!
Hi footballers 😉
8ball @ 304 Hey! Sorta resembles my twitter mates (just a few).
Nice to see Ozil supporters, out in full force. We can see what he’s thinking, he’s that good.
.com’s answer to the transfer window is releasing a video of Woj and Martinez, show casing their striker skills 😉
He is not exactly a perfect example for the young ones!
Shit I hate Van Persie more every time I see him!
Ooooh, Winston Reid and Carvalho incoming. Tasty stuff.
Don’t know what Instagram is, but Arseblog says that it says that Poldi said he is in Germany today… Can only mean he is off, of true… Which can only mean we are getting another winger. Well stocked on the right, but the Poldi/Santi combo might be up for getting renovated 🙂
#FreeReus
Instagram is a picture store just like Dropbox so its open play
It’s an Arsenal dressing room I think so what do i know
Di Maria welcome to English footie haha
ATG. Good to see you!
The TV repairman coming this afternoon so everything SHOULD be alright for our game tomorrow. Crossing my fingers of course, but please explain your 322, what the match commentators said about Ferguson’s drinking issue.
Not that I would have had the Polish commentary on my TV anyway …
(Unless my Wisniowska tap had broken too!) 🙂
Well, despite Van Gaal and new look Man U with Di Maria, me still thinks that they will avoid relegation.. if only just 😀
8Ball
Where do you live? I can fix that!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Aaannnnnndddd DI Maria out???!
😛
BBC says WBA have signed 11 new players including an Argentine signed today. They also have a new manager. Relegation time?
Let the carry on!
ATG. I don’t really have an in-home Wisniowka tap but there’s a glass on the bar for you! 🙂
8ball
No need plenty in reserves! 😀
Rooney emulating his WC form 😀
Come on Burnley!
Haha 8ball
Polish commentators were saying that Van Gal will not shout instructions from his post he’s obviously enjoying the result so far!
Perhaps on moon it will be different!
If you were the sort of walloper who did thing like worry about Man Utd, you would really be worrying about them. Even if they steal an deserved 3 points here, it’s papering over the cracks. Playing with 5/6 attackers and still can’t score against dross. Then that back 3 will absolutely take one against anyone decent. Anyway, fuck them.
Matta injured !
El Puna
With all respect I like to watch footy and comment!
Apologies El Puno! 😀
I am sure Man U will gel, after six months or so….
😀
BB
I’m with you on that!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ……………`
And he wont even be bothered to stand up and shake hands!
Typical gentleman!
It was said that Burnley had the 3rd best defense in England, last season. Can see why.
Anyway lads over to you!
Well. Glad I watched that. Thoroughly enjoyable. The Burnley players were very committed and well worth their point. The atmosphere sounded really good.
Utd looked really toothless. Their best idea was to hoof it long for van Persie to knock down, or to try and get Valencia some space down the right.
Man Utd now in 13th position in the table but there are 6 other clubs with a game in hand and all of them could move above them before the weekend is out. Any rumblings out of Manchester yet for a new manager?
In other words: a couple of bottom feeders scrap for a precious point in the relegation battle. 😀
Another brilliant result ATG!
Man U is sure fun to watch this season! Di Maria does look a little on the thin side, am expecting some injuries to occur especially when they play the orcs or even fat sam’s team.
Now for Everton to beat Chelski!
😀
Apologies for any who is Dutch but he deserves every bit of it! I once was proud to have some like him in a club! I did think he was a leader like Berkamp! Obviously money took him over its a shame still! Same goes for Cesc even though he left for his DNA from his so called friends!
BB
Exactly, players who never played in the Premier League will always struggle and Arsene knows it! And it must be extra hard to find out which one will adapt
So I take it that Remy wasn’t a good enough back up striker for Giroud, But good enough to back up Costa. Oh well, what do I know.
And please, before folks start jumping on me, that’s my opinion. For 8million, that was a risk worth taking. We are the same team that had Chamakh leading our attack at one point. And I do believe that Remy is better than him. Still don’t know what went wrong with his health issues with Liverfool. I just don’t want us to run Alexi down the ground.
I seem to remember reading the Man Utd had a really easy start to the season …… ? 😉
Anyone knows what is up with Jenk at WHU? He has not even been on the bench. Injured?
I hope he doesn’t suffer the fate that quite a few of our loaned out players do, not getting anywhere close to enough time on the pitch in the new club and as a result regress.
Speaking of loans and our striker department: would it be better to loan out a more matured and experienced player in Campbell than someone like Sanogo who can really do with a full season of playing? I get that Campbell is not physical enough to play the Giroud understudy role but he can definitely play the Alexis understudy role if we are not to run Alexis to the ground. Also he offers more of an attacking variety with abilities on both flanks, especially with Gnabry suffering from a long term injury.
Of course Arsene knows much more than what we can conjecture looking from the outside, but if we are to loan one out to get one more attacker in I think Sanogo would be the player who can benefit most from a loan spell.
Oh, deprived of a pen, he scores! City 0 Stoke 1 🙂
Stoke playing football, real football!
The orcs are revolting! 😀
Jenks is still out injured at West Ham as far as i know.
Get in Stoke! 😀
But on the other hand, if we are to sell one then definitely Campbell (final year of his contract to begin with) or Poldi will get us much more value than an unproven Sanogo. Arsene also wants to ensure that a talented youngster gets enough of a game time, Campbell has moved beyond the promising stage to ‘should play regularly enough’ stage and both parties may come to a conclusion that staying at Arsenal may actually hinder his career growth.
Anyway, that is all from me about transfer shenanigans. From three days time we would either have a deeper squad, and/or a marginally better squad, or the squad we have now. That is that. Whatever happens my predictions for a domestic double stays. 🙂
For those who are interested in learning about new developments out of the metaphysical cup-de-sac of multiverse theories that Physics has found itself in, a good read:
http://www.simonsfoundation.org/quanta/20140818-at-multiverse-impasse-a-new-theory-of-scale/
Cracker of a game!
Turned on Stoke-Man City and I wasn’t even thinking about Sagna till I saw him out there. I know I know, but that visceral reaction to seeing the Bac in a light blue shirt. I’ve mostly made my peace with him leaving, and no real hard feelings, but it was still kind of a shock to see it for the first time.
and Touré booked for diving, good stuff 😀
Manchester could be a gloomy place tonight….actually it already is:)
“…and then later, when it gets dark, we go home…”
Mancs showing their true colours!
Newcastle and Palace looks to be a goal fest!
😀
Whew, enjoyed that fellas! Waves ~~
@ 374, saw your comment. Nicely done.
Have a good one, off to bed 🙁
Both clubs in Manchester have one answer. Throw more money against the wall. Not look in their huge squad for young talent that can bring solutions or freshen up their play. Who would want to be a youth player at Chelsea or Citeh?
C’mon Everton!
Can everton make it a perfect start to the weekend?
😀
Eto’o to win it for them!
Ah SSY, love that song. The perfect pop song as far as I’m concerned.
Ah hah hah! It’s been a great morning for the football. Come on Everton!
@DocFaust
Keep both Campbell and Sanogo, plenty of cup matches to give them a run out! Besides, why do I have the feeling that once Sanogo starts to net a goal or two, he’ll be a regular contributor?! 🙂
A little anxious for Campbell though, contract running out but he’s not got a chance yet, soon surely!
As to the transfers, am sure we’ll get what we need (even if it’s no one, if that’s what we need!)
😀
That ¢ity side are very talented, but can they do it on a warm Saturday afternoon against Stoke in August?
COYG
Chavs !!! Come on toffees get back in it!
Oh dear
too easy for those twats
Everton is at a stand still
should have been red for Howard!
Still cant belive the name of Fabregas in a Cheslki shirt!
It shows exactly what a cunt he is!
Come on Holics to a 400!
That was not in the script.
Who wrote this?
You, little fella, leave the set immediately.
384
Heh Pangloss @384!
They couldn’t do it on a warm Wembley afternoon either! Manchester may be the best place for them
I love Lukaku. I’ve watching him a lot over the last couple of years and I’ve seen nothing but positives from him (except that he was a Chelsea player, but he had the good sense to get out of there :)).
Team player, workhorse, and he’s going to be a leader as well. All the best to him.
I’ve watched* obviously. We need an “edit” option on these boards. Or I need to proofread my posts.
Delightful. 3 points tomorrow and then on to another 3 at home to those oil funded colostomy bags. Would love it like Kev Keegan loved it if we made it 2 defeats in 4 for those wankers.
#FreeCarvalho
Just hoe Fabianski can stop those twats!
Hope 🙂
no more fights with Steve T about Flappy 🙁
Bang
Bang
Everton please put a different face on that cunts face!
Young audience please do not read this!
Everton to come back from 2-0 down this week?
Everton will be a challenge for top 4 again!
Man U will get started too late (if they get started at all 🙂 )
Come on toffees get another!
😀
will Moreen have the same tactic as last season against the top clubs?
Everton have responded as well as you can after being two down inside three minutes. They’ve had most of the ball and have created some good chances. Chelsea look dangerous on the break but haven’t had much meaningful possession since those first few minutes.
In fairness Howard should be off for handling outside his area – any complaints Everton had for the second goal (Ivanovic was marginally offside) were offset by that decision. Same linesman both times.
We need to make a stand at That bus Stop in Fulham!
We certainly do Arthur. It’s long overdue. Not since a certain Dutch Skunk left a sprawling racist in his wake.
I fu….. hate Chelski!
Bath it was a high score 5:3 if I’m not mistaken
They came last year to the Ems and played fuck all
I would love to skin them sorry fellas!
that is not a murder case 😀 fuck them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The fixtures are against us again, tough match at home to Galatasaray and then on the weekend away at Chelski!
We’ll still stuff ’em though!
Maybe by that time Costa would already be on leave…!
😀
Haaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Eto to score a winner for Everton!
Get in. Come on you Toffees. Stuff these reptiles.
FFS
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
and FFS again.
come on you toffees get another
how lucky those cunts are?..two deflections -_-
FFS
utter cunts
OH DEAR!
Everton come on!!!!!!
Chelski very beatable.. press em!
What a game. Chelsea super lucky with a couple of their goals, but Everton have been pretty open defensively.
Deeeeeeeeeeeee fence from that twat!
This has to be the best game of the season so far.
You guys the new ball really does look like a watermelon. Once you see it, you can’t un-see it.
Ramires: still a cunt
Chelski and Pool look to have super fast counters!
We got to be tight at the back and we’ll beat them!
😀
Do we need a striker????
Watched every #YoutubeScout video of Carvalho and read every article I can find about the kid. A new age Manu Petit I reckon. Get it done arsene 🙂
Sharp finishing by Costa! They be very dangerous and fast going forward!
But their defence is suspect despite the departure of Luiz!
😀
oh dear!!!
any more games on tonight? I hate seeing Chelski win!
Yeah Chelsea and Man City are both doped-up superteams. It’s obscene how much talent they’ve stockpiled, and how much money they’ve spent to stockpile it. It isn’t easy to go to Goodison Park and score 6, but they did it and honestly they looked like they could’ve scored more.
Takes something out of it for me, having teams like this around.
SAG,
We’re not going to get anyone as crisp as Costa in this market methinks. However once Alexis comes good, expect him to be just as sharp!
😀
What an awful display by Lukaku.
Fabregas is well suited in Chelsea colors, along with Ramires, Terry and Costa. Still amazed what a big cunt that little boy became.
Lurky!
I will forget your post!
The second part that is 🙂
How come Ramires score that idiot of a man?
Lurky, I didn’t notice anything particularly cunty that Fabregas did in this game (besides wearing a Chelsea shirt obviously).
Well, we got to win tomorrow! No doubt about it, a draw and we’ll let the chavs run away from us! No way, we’ll start well and maintain it this season, mark my words!
Now how’s that hand of Poker coming along Arsene?!
😀
Barcelona DNA was a fucking flaw in him leaving us yes it still hurts a little bit, however when you see the cunt in that shirt it tells you the whole story!
WANKER!
Ominous game at Goodison. Chelsea are depressingly impressive, able to raise their game when they need to. Everton are an excellent side going forward but not very tight defensively. Distin and Jagielka are creaking. Eto’o looked excellent in his cameo. Lukaku isn’t fit but wouldn’t mind him at the Ems.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for the window
August 31 – First “must win” league match of the season. Is this a record?
For him especially is like that twat up north! MONEY!
TTG
Is it that obvious?
I can swear on my own soul we wont spend!!!!!!!!!
Anyway Holics have a nice weekend hats left of it anyway! Tomorrow is another day and btw fuck those Chelsea cunts!
ATG,
Calm down, we may yet get a defensive player that we need!
or even a striker on loan!
😀
I will be on here tomorrow I know some of you will cringe 😀
Chelsea are the team to beat this year ATG. They have a really good squad and cover on absolutely every position.
Their only weakness the way I see it, is Maureen. Not that he is not a good coach, but he has a stupid tendency to overuse tactics on many occasions instead of letting his players play the game. He is the total opposite of Arsene. Don’t let this result confuse anyone, Everton were seeking for a goals and were left to wide open on a counter.
I am not a manager nor have some experience but you just don’t do that with Maureen teams. Even if you are a goal behind, first rule is to give them the ball and not try no maintain possession. They will kill you on a counter with pace. Be direct as much as you can, go for safety passes, keep the ball on one side of the pitch, don’t try to cross sides ever, wait for a free kick or a corner, don’t try to be smart, keep as simple as you can. They are a nervous side with a nervous manager, they are vulnerable and beatable, you just need to be patient and don’t rush.
@441 GL.
Trust me he is a cunt.
Lurky
They also like to close down when not in possession.The only way to beat Chelski is to keep it very tight and do the same to them, if you know what I mean?
Do believe that if we can strengthen our defence, we should be able to effectively challenge this season, am not too concerned about the attack, we will come good soon enough!
Every match is a must win especially when our opponents are not dropping points!
Fabreags is cunt yes he failed Arsene and now he plays for an opposition team didn’t I hear from that twit if he was never and ever going to come back and play in England foe#r anirgwe team bla bla bla
Ha ha money grabbing cunts!
BB@436, I am with you in regards to getting someone like Costa. I think Alexi will come good as a CF, but my only fear is not getting someone to help him out. Arsene can say all he wants to, about us having guys that can play that position, we have tried a couple there and it didn’t work out. I just hope our MF players can help share the goals. Am still hoping for DM and hopefully a CB. Eto didn’t look bad at all.
OOOps
For another team that is
ATG – vodka and chelski cousin influencing you again?:P
Eandy
Nope I that cunt!
Man City lost at home to Stoke without scoring a goal! Surely that cannot be allowed to happen. Surely they would now feel the need to buy one more striker, two upgrades in the defense, another creative midfielder and a fast winger. 🙂
Lurky & ATG — Chelsea FC 2003 (TM Arsenal Gentleman in arseblog) is an abomination . Everyone who plays football for that club hence automatically becomes one. No exceptions. 🙂
Enjoy the Labor Day long weekend fellow US Gooners.
Just few beers and no Wisnioka in sight!
Coming back to Cesc he’s a proper cunt only thinking about money!
Back in the UK things will cost double where else to get it from?
DF
Love it my friend love it indeed !
Mannone, Fabianski, Szczesny — #1 goalkeepers at three different PL clubs the same season who all had their education at Arsenal. How often has this ever happened (for any club)?
Very happy for Vito and Fabianski. Well deserved.
As Steve T would say I thank Flappy for that CUP! 😀
I hope Almunia is ok ALL THE BEST FELLA!
@SAG
Yes most definitely agree, we have the quality but not the depth. Having said that, it’s out of our hands. Let’s hope Arsene gets dealt a good hand in Poker?!
😀
@ DocFaust
Curious to know who you’ll see our main challengers are this season. Rightly or wrongly, based on these first few matches, methinks our opponents in order of difficulty are :- Chelski and Liverpool followed by City.
They play good fast pace, high pressing and counter attacking game.
Hence I almost always prefer Gibbs to Monreal, but hey, that’s just me in the minority 🙂
And I am banking on defence that will pull us through!
😀
GL @ 441: Imagine you are the noble lord of your kingdom. You saved this wee little castaway from poverty and deprivation and made him your personal wine taster. Now he begs to leave to go back to his homeland to help his father with his vineyard. He leaves. And a few years later you see him from the tower of your castle at the front row of the viking herd that is coming to rape your women and kill your children.
Your first arrow should be aimed straight at him.
The Chavs have always been medieval… come to think of it.
😀
Are we doing the Haka ?! : http://www.arsenal.com/assets/_files/scaled/696×392/aug_14/gun__1409413066_Training1_711x400-2.jpg
😀
BB@467: Our main challengers? Chelsea and City. I think Liverpool will find it a tough problem to manage CL and PL together especially without the (disturbed and in need of help he might be) genius of Suarez.
We are all enjoying Man U’s start of the season. But they can really get crazy in the next few days and buy 3-4 more additions and simply chuck away their undesirables for free and van Baalls may yet get a squad that can play his 3-5-2 more comfortably. If that happens I would not entirely discount them yet.
And awful it may sound, I think Spurs would be a better team this year with Pochettino — in one of Arteta’s interview in Arsenal magazine our captain was full of praise for his ex-captain in PSG and said how not only he is tactically excellent but also is very good with other players, pity he landed at that toilet basin — at the helm. Spuds, Everton, Pool and ManU to fight for the 4th place.
Too right Faustus. Number 1 target for our new midfield destroyer. Leave him in a heap.
BB@ 470 : I think we should warm up that way. With Sanogo and Flamini crazy eyeing the opposition bench…
For those who needs a taste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eybwV2OFaWg
bath @ 472: Thanks a lot. Urm…well…I meant rather metaphorically. 🙂 But I am sure our midfield would leave a little reminder. Especially Flambo.
We need to beat Chelsea this season. Good for our morale. And good for the world order. Keeps children away from buying their shirts.
Ah.. Spuds, their good form I put it down to an anomaly in space time. Dimensional glitch in the matrix… only temporary until it be rectified.
They’ll have to travel 10K miles or so for their Europa matches too so don’t expect their form to continue.
Don’t know about Pool not being right up there, their counters look as good as the chavs! Hope you’re right about their timetable hampering them, they did buy 9 or 10 players if I am not mistaken so it’ll depend on how quickly they can become a cohesive unit.
As for Man U, well, I’ll start thinking about taking them seriously when they get a win! Not a credible challenge for a top 4 slot ..yet?!!
😀
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