Will We See A Pizza The Action?
Nov 21st, 2014 by 'holic
Remember when Arsenal v Manchester United fixtures were effectively title deciders? The intensity was all too evident. You could sense the atmosphere building for days beforehand. Vieira and Keane, Keown and van Nistelrooy, battles all over the park, and who can forget the Nevilles assault of Jose Antonio Reyes. They effectively kicked him all the way back to Spain.
It seems strange to be approaching this still huge fixture in the Premier League calendar more as an eliminator for a Champions League place as early as November. Such are the expectations at both clubs that it hurts both to watch Chelsea sailing away into the distance as points are carelessly discarded at the Grove and Old Trafford.
Both sides have a real attacking threat but are struggling defensively right now. Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny remain out with injuries which probably means an unchanged back four in front of Wojciech Szczesny. I know many would prefer to see Calum Chambers switched to the centre and Hector Bellerin promoted to right back but that would be a surprise to see Arsene opt for youth against such dangerous opponents.
Mikel Arteta is fit to return and could partner Aaron Ramsey at the base of the midfield, freeing Jack Wilshere to move into the hole behind whoever will be leading the line. With Danny Welbeck falling foul of a tight hamstring in Glasgow on Tuesday there is a chance of an immediate recall for Olivier Giroud, back in training after recovering from a leg break.
I will be in the family enclosure hoping that Alexis can keep his amazing goalscoring run going to secure three valuable points for the grand’holics to boast about at school on Monday. There are obvious threats to that from a team who have thrived against us in recent years playing a fast counter-attacking game. Good job we don’t commit so many players forward these days. What? Oh…
Mata, di Maria,and Rooney, all pose challenges for us to solve, but the one we most want to lock down is the misfiring Robin van Stapleton. He can expect another hostile reception which we must hope is not counter-productive. He has three strikes for his new employers against us. It would make for an ugly atmosphere were another strike by him be allied to a poor performance from us.
The ‘holic pound has to be pointed at a home win, however. I have had a good hunch all week about 2-1 and I won’t change my mind now. 17/2 is a decent price for that, and I’m on it. It would certainly ease the tension bubbling under the surface around the club right now.
With the grand’holics in town I shall be swapping pints of Guinness for a glass or two of vino with pizza. Yes, pizza, against Manchester United. What could possibly go wrong?
Have a great one, ‘holics.
255 Responses to “Will We See A Pizza The Action?”
Oh yes
Pizza. Excellent word. 🙂
Evening gents. Hope all is well.
Just wondering what are the odds of a positive outcome of another pizza throwing incident. Could it stir a few people out of their apparent lethargy or would they just get down on the ground to recover lost pepperoni?
5th?
You should still write that book I’m sure the talent is there!
Thank you for the preview Maestro!
I shall be hooking up with a friend from the US if he can make it on time from London!
As the story goes we need to win this one!
8ball pizza party it is! 🙂
As on so many occasions the above drinking is out of order on my part so back to the first order of the day.
Thanks Holic for an excellent and artful preview. 🙂
Pizza party Arthur?
Then make mine a Hawaiian with extra pineapple and lean ham slices.
I just hope one of the papparazi gets a good picture of the pineapple slice around Van Gaal’s nose if some irresponsible bystander gets ahold of one and give it a sling his way. 🙂
Cheers H!
And most seriously huge respect and thanks to ‘holic and the neighbour. Me and the boy will be in those seats tomorrow thanks to their generosity.
Gonna be real, gonna be MASSIVE!
Give a fuck what anyone says about The Arsenal negatively. Just know over the years (too many than I’d care to mention), I’ve met and then got to know some really genuinely lovely people and our only initial connection is;
“We all follow The Arsenal!”
8ball
You put it politely I should say! 😛
Re the last drinks, ‘Holic, it was only today that I twigged adblock was removing the Amazon ad, as all the other things in the sidebar show. Whenever you mentioned Amazon in the sidebar before, I just thought you’d had a senior moment and “forgotten” to put it in 😉
Great review Holic!
Pivotal match tomorrow (although I seem to be saying that every week as I wait for our season to kick-start)….
I think all 3 results are eminently possible. United in theory are there for the taking, especially at the Grove, but I’d be so much more confident if Kos and Debuchy were playing, and we weren’t relying on a best-case scenario with our present back 4. Also slightly concerned about Rooney looking like he’s returning to some kind of form (just in time for his favourite opponents) and let’s not even go there with RVP…
The pragmatist in me would probably plump for a score draw, but I’m banking on us outgunning them in a high-scoring affair (wld be amazed if this ended up 0-0). Looking forward to Alexis continuing his stellar form, and the Ox and Wilshere bringing some of their midweek buoyancy to domestic affairs. Win this one, and I see us going on a run and getting 10 points from our next 12, pushing us nicely into the top 3….That’s the incentive!
Nice preview, H.
I have absolutely no idea how this one will pan out because both teams have significant injury lists and major defensive deficits.
Here’s hoping that an on fire Alexis and a Danny Boy with a point to prove are the most significant contributors tomorrow evening and give us a result that we will be talking about in ten years.
Enjoy the pizza Holic.
Go win Arsenal.
Not sure I will be able to watch this one live but 5-1 to the Arsenal is what I see through my Red and White tinted glasses.
Cent@14, I will love to wear that red and white tinted glasses of yours too. 5-1 that would be some result.
guv, if you can hit van balls (or van stapleton in the van balls) with a pizza slice from the family compound, i suggest you show the grandholics just how it’s done. with discretion, of course.
nice pieces on the books. they’re on santa’s list for me, but i really rather hope i get coal in my stocking this year, so i can use it in my blacksmithing forge 🙂
let’s get a win with no further injuries. a goal for alexis and for giroud, if you please. clean sheet. horse placenta boy out for an extended period with an unresolved hangnail. that sort of thing.
hope everyone’s well!
3-1. Theo to get a double (if he gets on early enough), and Alexis his usual.
Öskar
Cheers Holic – it’s been a busy week for you ! 😉
Looks like we’ll miss you tomorrow but have a great day with the grand Holics. 🙂
Cheers scruz – and to you !
Top Review ‘h and 2 – 1, I’m all over that too like another rash Paul Scholes challenge!
Savour the Grand ‘holics pizza-fest!
COYBG!
Good to see football back but this fixture is tinged with regret against the backdrop of those epic battles of the past. They used to really set the pulse racing, now I approach them with a sense of ennui and a resigned feeling that a draw would be alright but hoping for a win? Not these days, too unlikely having seen the way Arsenal freeze against them, regardless of the quality of their squad.
We need to snap out of this mental weakness.
We are the Arsenal and we are on the way back.
Let’s thrash that second rate outfit.
COYRRRs
Haven’t got a clue about this one. Our defence looks awfully frail but so does theirs . 2-1 to the good guys would be excellent stuff.
Enjoy the game Holics !
Looks like another “sitting in the rain” evening. Just hope the atmosphere around me is up beat tonight, it was on the edge at the CL game and very unhealthy.
Why not play Jack along side Arteta in a defensive role. His lack of height is a disadvantage but he did do well for England and would be a better bet than Flamini.
Have no idea how this game will play out but we need 3 points and can only hope we don’t lose our heads and get caught out on the counter.
See you all at the Ems, fingers crossed.
COYRs
Oskar – Theo is injured and not available. Tight groin.
I hope we rest Alexis at least for 60mins AND still beat them!!!
UP THE ARSE!
😀
Cheers for the preview guv’.
Just win this friggin’ game please Arsenal. I detest Manure.
What H2H said.
Great first half of football in the Man City v Swansea match highlighted by Clichy wonder strike turned aside by Fabianski wonder save.
Very nice book reviews & preview ‘holic 🙂
I would be at this game but for the venture opportunistic nature of some on this Earth, so here’s hoping for a performance & a result that gets people wishing they were there in the flesh to witness both with their own eyes.
Come on Arsenal, let’s break whatever hold or psychological edge the Red Mancs have had over us these last few years!
Let our defence be like the window.. : http://i.imgur.com/TzpKd9t.gifv
😀
Arsenal: Szczesny, Chambers, Mertesacker, Monreal, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Alexis, Welbeck
Big question: can we defend for 90 minutes?
That midfield is piss weak and the defence looks dodgy as hell.
3-0 Arsenal then.
Cynic what happened to your cynicism with that prediction? Saving it for later? 😉
Honestly dont know what to expect here.
Need 3 points. Anyway. Anyhow.
Is it me or does the pitch look rough?
COME ON YOU REDS!!!
Wow.. we’re taking shots now.. confident aren’t we?!
😀
Alexis makes the chances..what a player!
COME ON !
SCORE ONE JACK OR WELBECK…. otherwise you know who will have to do it! 😀
Foul??
What??
Wasteful in the box.
Looks like im drinking alone!
They have Ashley Young defending… we have got to win this one…!
Oh dear, Wilshere. Not content with missing a sitter and having a generally ordinary game, he should have been sent off.
Yep, he was lucky there.
He couldn’t reach Felliani.. hahah!
COME ON!!!!
GIVE IT TO ALEXIS!
We have got about 6 players up and Ramsey skies it…
Come on Ramsey… you can do it.. patience!
We need to score with all this possession we have now.
That is exactly what am scared of.
Man U are utterly loss.. .best chance for us to capitalize on it!
COME ON!!!!!
*lost even
Control the midfield guys! Keep the concentration!
In a pub alone with pretty much only Utd-supporters. Can’t really tell who is the most nervous. We’ve got the game, but we’ve also got a certain track record.
There is no reason why we can’t beat this team. COYG!!!
Worst Manure team in years.
No excuses.
JUST WIN.
We need to win. Simple.
I’d say we were dominant, nearly. except for about 5 minutes towards the end of the half, and van cuntie was offside to help that. I’d dearly love to see an ox brace in the next 45 minutes.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Arsenal needs to finish!
Wellbeck should have passed it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ARGH!!!!
Wilshere should have passed long time ago, damn.
Injured!!
Jack’s too slow letting the ball go..!
fuck. broken leg?
Hugs the ball too damn much. Another fucking injury, come on.
Alexis ruffling through the bag … hahha!
no. whew.
Twisted ankle.. more like!
He can’t carry on, bring on Rosicky.
young mr. chambers is delightful today. and santi on for jack.
I feel for Wilshere, but he needs to release the ball quicker.
Rosicky, Campbell and Poldi seem to be out of favour with Arsene…!
Santi!!!!
buttofuoco.
Really?
Here we go again.
What utter bollocks! Some hoodoo they have over us it seems..
Ridiculous
We are truly fucked now. Keeper has a problem.
Fucking perfect.
Come on Martinez!
😀
Gibbs has a fairly routine header to take care of and the keeper decides to get involved. Fuck’s sake.
Both our keepers for the day made their PL-debute against Utd. Szcz in a 0-1 defeat. But if course that doesn’t mean anything. Right? Right?!
Sczesny got bored without having to stop anything and decided to come out, much to his detriment!
WE can still win this…COME ON!
good response to adversity. keep it up.
Mert the winger… COME ON!!!!
A little luck and we’ll get one back.. close ALEXIS!
sir chez is a clown
Losing to this crap utd side is a shamble.
Gibbs bumped into Woj and then put the ball in with his knee.
If we lose to this Manu side, I don’t want to hear any excuses. I knew we should have scored when we had all those possession.
Do we still have a team called Arsenal? Of late i have had this feeling i’m supporting the wrong team. This is not the team i fell in love with in ’95. Tired of this script….you all know what’s coming next..red card…meh! Off to bed.
we have chez, they have de gea.period.
COME ON ARSENAAAL
Subs?????????????
SUBS!
Why schz came out for that ball, I will never know.
All subs used.
Alexis or Giroud to score!
COme ON!!!!!!!
Bunch of wankers!
Useless.
And that’s that!
What a match! They score with their only shot on target 🙂
Looks like we are back to same old!
ah well, at it again next game :(. sick in the pit of my stomach.
BB sometimes I think that we’re cursed. United had nothing but a deflected shit. We couldn’t put it home after the first 30 minutes and we got punished.
Nothing changes!
Disgisting Display.
Again.
They hold on to the ball too much and their tippy tappy tika taka is very predictable.. so much so that this bloody mediocre Man U side can hold us off!
Sigh.. we need some new players.
Wtf … wtf …. what else is there to say
Am done wih all the excuses.
This makes it official. We are shit.
Get a new manager and players who want to wear the shirt with pride! This is fucking sick!
For an ostensibly smart man AW isnt very clever.
Dosnt do tactics. No discipline.
Get. Rid. Of. Him.
Don’t even know the names of the back three for this shitty ass Manu team.
I want to see which fan will make excuses for this team and Wenger today.
That injury to Wilshere changed the whole game. He could have passed that ball sooner.
@Lovegood
We seem to be so! At least when it comes to Man U! Bloody useless bums that they are..!
Alexis is the only one scoring for us at the moment but he’s had what? 3 games in a week? Always said welbeck needs to improve on his finishing and yes he will have competition definitely from Giroud and even Sanogo if he doesn’t improve. Ramsey still hasn’t found form and Arsene is so desperate that he had to throw in Giroud!
To win we have got to defend… build the team from the back! Period!
Sorry I have lost my patience with this dude! Love him to bits but he’s done enough!
BB
We cant even beat Swansea mate
Mercy. So we waited two weeks for what exactly?
That could have been 3!
WOw! Enough with the voodoo curses already!
Im sick to my bottom sick!!!!!
Should have been three! !!!!!!!!
GIROOOUD
@ATG
I hear you! The players seem to be demotivated easily apart from a few for whatever reason!
And ThAT is why i prefer Giroud to Welbeck ..period! He shall always be my first choice untill Welbeck proves otherwise with his finishing.
Welbeck should make a good winger though with his pace and strength there! Maybe he has a place there.
You are 8 years to late on your thoughts on Wenger.
Be careful what you wish for you may end up with a manger like wenger.
COME ON! Let’s score another!!!
BTW- For 60million Di Maria is a little overrated! 😀
FUCK FUCK FUCK
Am done with this coach. Will continue to support Arsenal.
@SAG
It may not only be down to the coach, the players too play a part don’t you think?
🙂
By the way, for all you Woj hating twathammers.
Fellani blatently pushes Gibbs into our keeper which is what caused the collision.
Not making excuses for this terible loss, but point the finger in the right direction please.
Wrong tactics yet again! !!!!!!!!!
Which tactics?
12games 18 points…at this rate we’l b lucky to hit 60 pts this ssn…considering 70 is the cut off point for cl…i suggest we all revise the targets..we not going anywhere fast..also rans
Can’t wait for Theo and Debuchy and Ozil to come back proper!
And Arsene should sell Campbell and Poldi if he’s not going to use them. Should be interesting to see who we bring in from the next window.
This team defends like schoolboys. It’s not good enough to blame the fact that we’re playing players out of position, you still can’t all fuck off up the field and leave Monreal on his own like we did at 1-0.
Shambolic stuff. I’ve honestly seen better defending in the local leagues at youth level. They may not be the best players in the world but they know the basics.
Headless chickens this team and I’m afraid it’s down to the coaching. To have a bloke like Steve Bould, who should know what he’s doing, producing a side that defends like this is beyond a joke. If he’s responsible he’s a rubbish coach.
It’s a big IF though.
We’ll finish in the top four again, but maybe that’s the problem.
Giroud demonstrates what we’ve been missing.
What a dreadful result….what next?
Proud of the way the lads played today. I know that hell will break lose now in the wake of the defeat but it’s football… Far more shittier things happen in life…. But as I said proud of the way the team played today… It’s not often you lose a game like that after dominating so much but then we are the Arsenal and we don’t like to do things the obvious way…
Can’t wait for the Dortmund game. Wish it was tomorrow. I am with the team and with the manager. That is my best foot forward at this juncture. Goodnight to the fantastic people in this bar…
@H2H
Hope you’re right there, it’s very early days yet but it’s the closest that I’ve got to a worry about that top 4 position.
Southampton do look good if they can sustain it and have not seen a reason why they should falter yet!
Positives : Giroud is back and he’s scored!
Michael fuckin owen says we are not good enough …. i am just depressed
BB @ 122: Yes, fifteen odd minutes, had a thumping header, a goal and linked up with running midfielders very well. Danny really needs to impose himself on the defenders much more, his natural tendency is often to drift away towards the flanks and not occupy the center. Giroud at this point of time is still a much better center forward.
I thought the team played rather well, main issue being not scoring the first goal. However after we had conceded we again gambled too much, we could have stayed a bit more defensively compact, and patient. We lost patience and threw everyone forward a little early.
We should have also used the flanks much much better. Especially against an inexperienced trio in 3-5-2… there were rarely any cutbacks or crosses. Even Gibbo started to go through the middle towards the end instead of staying wide.
Attacking wise that is the most weak aspect of this team, refusal to use the width.
Hope we rest Alexis now… he looks just a little off pace although he’s been giving it his all as usual. We can’t afford to break him now!
BB
I hope we chane the manager insread!
About our first goal: not blaming individuals but that kind of comical goals we concede way too often for a top side. Last year we had stemmed the tide but getting flustered with the odd cross and conceding ridiculous goals is back earning its Arsenal trademark.
BTW, Arteta had a very good match. So did Monreal and Chambers. Gibbo was a bit off. Jack and Rambo still way too inconsistent to control the center effectively.
Agree @137. We played good today. Our luck will change soon, it just has to.
I am with the team and the manager too. He did nothing wrong today.
Last years standout players like Ramsey and Mert are in awful form and things aren’t looking good for both of them.
@129 H2H
It was a push from Fellaini yes. But what the fuck was Woj thinking when he go for that ball. He has clear decision making problem and I am sorry but I don’t think it is fixable. Been saying this since the summer- we sold the better Pole.
@ DocFaust
Exactly my sentiments, we do not make space and instead make it difficult for the player who has the ball to find a pass. Our strategy is utterly predictable. Hope we’ll be allowed to play some variations when we get back our other players.
All in all we did not play too badly at all, just got outdone by the curse that apparently hasn’t lifted yet. Could have easily been a draw or a win for us.
😀
Add Ox to that list Dr. Faustus. He was a real menace today. Agree for the others. Arteta had the best game of the season and Monreal did nothing wrong. Chambers good game too.
@ATG
We all know that’s not going to happen.
I just wonder why most of our players aren’t as motivated as Alexis. They don’t have to be world class but they have to at least show some better positioning sense and keep the shape and chase down balls much better.
Anyway it’s just one of those days. Have to look forward to Dortmund now!
Lurky — Ox was terrific. I think if you pair him with Giroud and Alexis and Ozil (intelligent players who understand it is a team game) he would be frightening. It is worth noting how just being around Alexis he is quickly picking up so many good habits and techniques.
And this was an unbelievably unlucky game. That said, if the team is not changing its modes of fruitless attacking the onus is on the bench to stand up and convey the message to mix it around. More wing plays, more crosses, creating 2-v-1s etc.
I would say in that respect the “trust the players to figure out a solution” doesn’t always work and when it is not working the manager is supposed to intervene.
BB @ 148: I thought the team looked much motivated today. We defended very well as a collective — allowing only two shots on the goal — and won many of the 50-50s at midfield.
We also need to be more intelligent. The weird-haired asshole obviously had the directions to win Jack up and he fell for it and his decision making got worse. Rambo was looking for hollywood pass and a goal (there was a fantastic pass on for Gibbo) all throughout the match even though he stayed positionally disciplined most of the time, and Gibbo started to panic and cut inside, drawn to the goal, instead of using the flanks. ManU’s defending became more and more assured once they realized that we are not going to try to explore the holes in the 3 men back line.
BB, if it’s down to the players, then we are in bigger shit. He select the players, set the tactics and make changes when necessary. Who else is to blame? I blame Wenger simple as that.
@150, “…to wind Jack up…”
Dortmund will be nothing different…huff n puff…sideways passes with no purpose,someone in defence balls up ..drop points…and we’l b having this same conversation..amazing that we’ve lost more than won so far and chelsea hasnt dropped a game…fuck!
We’re desperately unlucky to go behind and a little naive going forward leaving our defence exposed after, but other than that we were the better team!
Giroud is back! Can’t wait for him to link up with Alexis and Theo too!
😀
@SAG
Exclusively blaming the manager is a bit off if you ask me. He can only select who he has available, we have players injured and some off form.
And we dominated the match, got undone by some bad bit of luck for the first and the naivete of the players for the second and nearly third.
@DocFaust
You’re right they were more motivated than at other matches.
But their positioning sense is lacking, and it is like you said, we should have used the wings more. Still i put positioning and movement down to motivation, when Alexis lost the ball he chased it down and almost got a goal from De Gea’s haphazard clearance. That’s what we should be doing, chasing down balls till the final whistle.
I’m torn between recognising that this was a real freak result, versus the fact that most of our draws/defeats this season have been from matches like this where we are achieving the minimum of our potential – and it’s too much of a coincidence to be continually written off as ‘bad luck’.
Conclusions to be drawn….
– Wilshere isn’t a #10. He’s a lovely, lovely footballer – and I think has nice balance and a good range of passing to be playing from deeper (alongside Arteta, instead of in-front of Arteta/Ramsey), but his goal/assist record for Arsenal and England is quite frankly appalling and not good enough for a big club’s attacking playmaker. He also gets too easily smothered out (or perhaps a better phrase is ‘sucked in’) near to the opposition ‘gain line’ and is far more effective from deep positions, receiving the ball from the defenders and releasing the ball much earlier than he currently does.
– We’re crying out for rotation up-front. Welbeck desperately needs a rest, and Giroud and Walcott’s full return can’t come quickly enough. Even Podolski wouldn’t be a bad bet from the left-side – at this stage we need a goal threat, not neutered craft…
– We were comfortable defensively the whole game, but the Szczesny/Gibbs collision betrayed an inherent doubt and panic in our defensive game. And why on earth are we playing kamikaze defensive formations with 25 minutes still left on the clock just b/c we’ve fallen behind?! That’s a fault we can level at Wenger, b/c the weak thing to do is panic when you’re losing a game you shouldn’t and throw all caution to the wind in a desperate manner, but the game (and point) were still there in my opinion after Utd took the lead, if we’d have kept our nerve and belief…
– Do Gibbs and Chambers by very harsh, top-level standards offer us enough going forward? Gibbs in particular needs to be bolder when in good positions, and throw of the shackles of cutting inside and deferring all the time to more hallowed attacking players.
– Any remaining, dim hope of challenging up at the top couple of league places is now gone. 4th place is the sum of our league hopes once again, and I’d probably bite your hand off for it at the moment!
And yet….I’m still keeping the faith. There are excellent players in that squad – 3 top-quality players still to come back from injury, and I think there’ll be better days to come this season (though that isn’t difficult)!
BTW, however unpalatable the recent turns of events might be, I think this might be what is happening in Arsene’s planning: he knew that it is well nigh impossible this season to win the league (comparing team’s strengths and looking at respective injury records) and was targeting for the 3rd position, and he knows the gaps in the squad, so the experiments and attempts to find a playing rhythm. Based on today’s performance we are getting closer, and now that the top 4 is a few point ahead of us, some players are returning, we will start playing more game-to-game focusing purely on points and by the turn of the year will be back in top four. Then onwards it will be a matter of maintaining league form and put together some cup runs.
Defense and DM positions — I am not sure Per should anymore be first choice if we are to win the league — will be bolstered in Jan and in Summer, and the PL maybe more of a likelihood next season.
It is worth noting that Arsene has never won the league after WC or Euro. Which actually means that the pre-season is very important for Arsenal, which actually means that Arsene is a rather good coach. He is very good in building teams, but not the best in tactically winning matches no matter how no matter what.
How did we lose that? We are cursed. There is no other explanation.
Gregoire @ 156: Jack Wilshere is not a number 10 for a top level team. Noe yet. His miss today demonstrated clearly what he lacks — game intelligence, awareness and most importantly a calm head. In a match of this importance that is a chance he must really score or tee off Alexis.
His assists numbers are really poor, it is because he doesn’t see things that extra split second early that all good number 10s must do. He has got tremendous skill on the ball, a very good passing range, and wears his Arsenal colors with passion; but forget Ozil I don’t think at this stage of his career he is as good a number 10 as even Santi or TR7.
We’re shite, NBN. That’s the other explanation.
Welbeck should be on the wings or on the bench if we’re playing with a lone striker. He could be a great striker one day but he’s clearly not there yet, does not impose himself on defenders like all good strikers do and he’s not scoring enough either.
Would love to see Sanogo compete with him for a start, we need to develop more clinical finishers for sure.
Alexis or Giroud clearly the better finishers for us, we’ll have plenty of options once we get everyone fit.
Messi.. 252.. and we nearly signed him too!
😀
BB @ 161: The problem with Welbeck is the same problem with Jack. They play superbly for England against ordinary oppositions in internationals where the talent alone makes the difference — but in “serious” football match they both lack the composure and the intelligence. They will both get there, but we all really need to recognize that they are not there yet.
People compare him to Henry — there is some similarity in pace and the finishing — but the thing that had set Henry apart (in addition to all the abilities) is his intelligence. His ability to learn from experience and learn quickly.
We need to sign a ‘vinnie jones’..very few of them these days…joey burton maybe?…scary but this tippy tappy tiki taka thing’s too old..too stale..predictable..boring.. boring
NBN @ 158: I agree if that defeat came amidst an excellent run, and even if against some other opposition, the purely comical-unbelievable aspects would have found more appreciation. But given the way we have been thrown away points, and given that it was an awful ManU side who played poorly, the result remains unpalatable.
Messi hat-trick.. Moyes can’t get a break! 😀
BB: Moyes manages Real Sociedad, not Sevilla!
@Gregoire
My mistake.. must be all this Man U madness going around!
Did i not also mention the decade long curse…
😀
@165: “we have been throwing away points” …
BB@166: Moyes did say that La Liga is the best league. Lionel is just happy to prove him right. Is Vela playing?
@169: Ignore my question, I thought Barca was playing Real Sociedad …
Thanks Gregoire. BB got me confused as well …
BB, are we really going to blame the injury problem on this game too. Guess what they have more injury than us.
Worst Man U defence in PL history and we missed sitters, shots hit straight at the keeper do not stunning saves make.
2nd goal the most laughable defending in PL history, as they broke Per was playing right wing. Of course the slowest player on the pitch should be a winger. WTF !!!!!
We have the 3rd best squad in the league and we cant beat anyone who is not in the bottom half of the table. “Not the managers fault you say” Then who`s fault is it ?
AW is NOT getting the best out of his team. “Not the managers fault you say”
Last gasp subs every game to try and fix tactical mistakes. “Not the managers fault you say”
Start the new season with 2 CB “Not the managers fault you say”
If we loose a game and learn from it I will be very happy. We learn nothing and make the same mistakes again and again. “Not the managers fault you say”
Worst Arsenal points tally for 32 years after 12 games. “Not the managers fault you say”
So its time to take off those rose tinted glass`s and except that AW is not the man to lead us to glory anymore. After today that is it ! mine are off.
Being bled dry for tickets etc. for the last 8 years with a FA cup to show and take 4th as a trophy. No I will not except being out of the PL title in November !!!!!!!
So before everyone jumps in with not AW fault please answer the above 5 points.
Really really pissed off Arsenal fan.
@DocFaust
He should be, his team’ll be on soon.
Mistaken Barca’s opponents for Moyes’ team.. a real Man U day it seems.
😀
SAG @ 172: Yes we lost the game. It was utterly frustrating and the second goal betrayed our naiveté as the first one betrayed our typical tendencies to comical defensive errors. However as a whole the performance showed improvements, and there were some sparking individual displays. We were not outplayed, out-managed or out-tacticed by ManU. We lost the game because partly luck and partly of some flaws that are hurting in a disproportionately high percentage this season. Leaves a horrible feeling but let us not give ManU ANY credit.
Firstly, because there are ManU.
Secondly, because they were shit. Actually one of the worst team we faced this season.
Arsene Wenger has the easiest job in world football!! No accountability whatsoever from those who pay his wages!!!
Doc Faustus, I can’t blame this game on some kind of luck. We had our chances in the first half and didn’t score. Then and there, I knew we were going to lose the match. You are right, Manu didn’t outplay us, but they won. These days we lose against any team, it doesn’t matter how good or bad we play. I didn’t see any improvement, we were playing the same tiki taka, and got the same end result. This was a Manu side there for the taking and we couldn’t even get a point at home. Only positive was Giroud’s goal.
Arsenal1971 @ 173: Three key mistakes by Arsene this season:
A. Tinkering too much with formations and strategies from what mostly worked last season, despite having a short pre-season and quite a few new signings. We should have tried to build on the good things from last season.
B. Not buying a genuine DM. Arteta was great today, but ManU’s very poor midfield may have made his job easier. However if Rambo et al. continue to give Arteta enough support we will get by this season. We will need a new one, absolutely.
c. Trying to shoe-horn Rambo and Jack in the same team when neither are in best form for Arsenal at the expense of first Ozil (shunted to left) and then TR7 who always gives structure to a side, and excellent at varying tempo. Two things we are lacking now.
The season hasn’t ended yet. Let us reserve the judgments until the end of the season. Last one was improvements from the season before.
@SAG
Injury problem happens, we deal with it best we can, but to blame the manager exclusively for this match is out the question.
Is Di Maria a bad player because he was unrecognizable on the field today and missed a clear one-on-one goal chance? Can we blame LVG for his performance today?!
I understand emotions run high but for Arsene we probably wouldn’t have got Ozil (some say this would be a good thing if we did not!) and definitely would not have gotten Alexis.
Not saying he is without blame.. am just saying if we are to blame anyone, is should be proportionate and evenly spread. See Team.
I for one blame the (clearly) existing curse!, for I still cannot believe how we can lose a match by conceding two goals when they only had a clear shot on target which they converted.
😀
SAG @ 177 — I am not blaming luck, but misfortune, in addition to the inept defending, did play a part for the first goal. You do concede goals that you don’t deserve to. That is football.
We didn’t particularly play tiki-taka, Ox made a series of fantastic direct runs through the middle and off the wings. Alexis threaded through many balls, we attacked the goal from corners. Yes we missed chances, we didn’t vary our attack enough, and we didn’t stay patient after going down.
We had 9 shots on target compared to their 2, and though we lacked ruthlessness and variation on our attempts it was a much better performance compared to the some of the haphazard displays we have seen lately.
I think the team will start to get better. We obviously had missed Giroud. We have also been missing Kos and Debuchy, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised come Jan 1 with the league standing.
Blackett and McNair.
Remember those names. You wont see them again, because both of them will play in League Two next year. If they are lucky.
Why Ramsey is still even selected ahead of Rosicky, I will never know.
Lurky, you even remembered their names, I didn’t.
@182 SAG
Why is Rosicky not playing is a mystery indeed. He doesn’t have to start all the games of course but he has to play more, especially when the things are not going well. We need to change something.
And Ramsey as a football player is even a bigger mystery to me to be honest. Is he a great footballer with couple of bad seasons, or is he an average footballer with one good season?
I have just arrived home and must admit that I’m not enjoying this season at all. The biggest reason is the thousands of plastic fans who poured out as Rooney scored and who have been spoilt by years of success and relative success.
‘ worst performance by an Arsenal side I’ve ever seen ‘ said one idiot.if he was paying attention at half time he would have seen Jimmy Magill who did play in a terrible Arsenal defence. Yes people go to see good football but there are no guarantees in supporting a team and you don’t always win.
Today Arsenal played well in some areas. Ox, Chambers and Arteta were very good and De Gea was the best player on he field.Wenger has made plenty of mistakes over the season and especially the close season but today we lost because of a very unfortunate first goal which was due to a foul anyway and the second goal was the sort of goal you concede when pressing for an equaliser.
The biggest problem was bad finishing and an out of form midfield where Ramsey is a pale shadow of last season’s model , Cazorla is jaded and Wilshere cannot finish simple chances. But given our injuries we put out the team we could and they outplayed United who were second best for most of the game.
Yes Wenger frustrates the hell out of many supporters but above all I go to support my team and if I continue to be surrounded by plastic idiots who have no concept of what supporting a great club means then I may no longer go to games. That would sadden me enormously but the atmosphere is becoming poisonous at the ground nowadays
Lurky @ 184: Quite sad really. I think it is because Arsene doesn’t see him here next season whereas he thinks Jack-Rambo will be the heart of Arsenal midfield in years to come. It is obvious the way their development/recapture of form gets precedence…this has been Arsene’s trademark style, and it pays off more often than not. This time I think we are now entering a danger zone where any further loss of points would make the climb up very difficult and we would now see more of TR7 as the steady head offering quality and consistency. You cannot have two inconsistent young turks at the heart of the midfield. Cesc’s youthfulness was an exception: when the team was being built around Cesc he used to offer a high degree of consistency in his performance, and a know-how much ahead of his years.
Not much fun that. We should have been ahead by half-time with those chances. I thought we played well first half. Flying from LA tonight, will catch the Dortmund game on Wedn. COYR’s.
Many will post Anti-Wenger sentiments on the interweb but they’re wasting their time. Let’s just watch and see what happens with the upcoming results. At some point, if things persist as they currently are, this season’s outcome will be determined a lot sooner than ever before. It’s just not good enough and I’m now totally fecked off with the cucumber-sandwich eating, Islington Semi-detached-owning brigade who continue to appease Arsene Wenger no matter what and have started hurling abuse at us who don’t agree. If this continues, forget about things getting physical in the stands away at places like Swansea, it’ll start at the Ashburton Grove! God help the true Arsenal supporters!
I’m really pissed off with the cover-up, fake, propaganda now coming up. I’ll state it now right here; we won’t beat any of the final top four teams this season and we won’t finish in the top four because we’re not tactically good enough defensively and do not work hard enough as a team. “Tactically clueless”!
Ttg, I really admire and appreciate fans like you that make it to the games, I someday hope to be there in flesh supporting the Arsenal. In this instance I have to play the devil’s advocate, I feel if this game was a one off people would have stayed behind, but I feel this is the effect of what has been happening all season. Folks are just tired and frustrated, with this team even when play ok we still lose regardless of the opponent. We might need to go turkey to get the 1pt needed for CL qualification. I don’t see us beating or drawing with Dortmund the way we are playing and conceding goals.
Ttg, nails it!
Get a grip people. This is shit arsenal side. You van do all the micro analysis and overanalysis and stati-sizing you sant. Arsenal are just poor. No plan. No team work. No finishing. Poor football. Plain and simple.
The worst untited team in decades – literally decades – just beat us at home. At HOME. Let that sink real good like.
This team is a total joke. The manager – i am sorry to say – is a total joke. No plan. No tactics. No ability to react.
The rot is in. Year after year of frustrstion. Where does it end?
I am almost certain it is a confidence related thing TTG.
We played really good football today. We played some really good football at Swansea too and we must not forget that we destroyed Anderlecht in the first 70 minutes.
We play good football this season. We maybe even play better than the last year.
What we need is to get our confidence back. The confidence that we can outrun our opponent. The confidence that we can outscore the opponent. The confidence that we are strong defensively. That we will not concede a stupid goal. That we are technically maybe the best squad in the country. Most importantly the confidence to believe the manager.
He made some harsh mistakes. The most important was made at September the first and it was a season defining mistake. Not signing a good central back.
Not the third or fourth choice, but the first choice CB, because Mert’s best years are gone (wondering how long it is going to take for Arsene to admit to himself that is the case, but he will rather sooner or later) and I can’t see him getting any better. And because Kos had an injury since the Community Shield game.
However, the damage is done, but if there is someone I trust to have required knowledge and experience to repair the damage in the middle of the season it is our current manager.
Ttg.
You are surely right and i defer to your measured and knowing perspective. But this spectacle is hard to watch.
The fact remains: this is joke of an arsenal side.
SAG
I appreciate your comments but some of these fans have no concept of what support means. They moan at every mistake and leave twenty minutes from the end. Arsenal have been in infinitely worse situations than this. That we would struggle was obvious on Transfer deadline day but having made our bed we have to lie on it not throw our toys out of the pram every time we lose.
Blimey they should go to a club with no history and no memories of success and no quality players. This squad is still strong enough to go for the Champions League. Sadly we never had a realistic tilt at the title with this squad
Lurky, I remember asking folks why they think we needed a 3rd or 4th choice CB. I told them we need 1st or 2nd choice CB, and don’t care who they displace either Mert or Kos. We should be looking for a 1st choice CB, not a 3rd/4th Choice.
SAG, exactly!
We should be looking for two first choice defenders. I personally believe that Kos is one of three best defenders in the League, but this injury of his reminds me of Vermaelen’s. And that is certainly not a good thing, considering our medics ability to solve that kind of a problem.
Arsenal have been in infinitely worse situations than this.
We have but this is our worst start in 32 years. I’m wondering how you think this squad is good enough to have a tilt at the Champions League but not the league title, unless you think we might fluke our way to it by not having to play Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea or Bayern Munich at any stage of the competition.
Lurky
I agree Re confidence and Mertesacker who is very dependent on Koscielny. Koscielny is the second best defender in the Premier League behind Kompany.
Part of the reason the team lacks confidence is that they play in front of so many insipid and critical fans but there is not the squad depth and it was a grievous mistake not to supply it.
Ttg @185,
I don’t agree or think that your comment about “plastic fans” is right or respectful! I can assure you that alot of those who left early are in no way “plastic” and work hard all week long as blue-collar people, earning far less money than probably most of us in this bar do, to be able to go to games both home and away out of total love and loyalty for something that defines their identity – Arsenal FC! Such a comment as “plastic” is out of order!
Boom!!!!
Shit!! Right at De Gea again!
Cynic
By Champions League I meant qualifying for it not the CL itself! We are nowhere near the quality to win it even though a very poor Chelsea side did three seasons ago
Dapper Dan
The fans near me are of no use to the club and I don’t give a fuck how hard they work they are not supporters of the club, they go to see Arsenal win. Big difference!
Far too many supporters now assume Arsenal will do well and won’t go if they slip next season . Those aren’t supporters so whether or not you think plastic is offensive I think it’s a very good description. I also know lots of blue collar supporters who cheer the team to the echo however they are doing.
And before i sign off – i think wilshere is over rated. Even when hes supposedly playing well hes not particulalry good at anything really. Unless losing the ball and losing his cool count.
Excellent question about ramsey above. And TR7.
Again – what in hell is AW doing? No one knows. And i dont think he knows.
I think the main reason I may never realise when/if Arsenal are really in crisis is because of people’s overreaction: everything get’s so blown out of proportion it becomes impossible to make sense of anything that actually happens/happened.
Ttg,
I go back to my posts pre the interlull – a time comes when a custodian’s time reaches an end and a dignified “moving-on”, or “moving upstairs” in Arsene’s case, is always best for such a long-serving “servant”; it’s happened to many a great before and it will again in the future. What I won’t accept any longer is this constant appeasement of a now clearly out-of-date footballing mantra driven by just one man! To keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results is the definition of madness! That’s precisely what Arsene Wenger keeps doing with our club both on the pitch in matches and in training. The statistics do not lie and the sample size is now clearly large enough for us to draw very valid and reliable conclusions!
This squad IS GOOD ENOUGH to win all matches it plays in but they are now being hindered by something more than the lack of a top-quality Goal Keeper, Central Defender and Deep-Lying/Defensive Central Midfielder. They are being tactically and strategically mis-managed. Money has been made very available to spend for Arsene to address these issues but he’s chosen to only pay top-dollar for upfront talent and build from the front to back (if he actually will) with world-class when he already had enough in the attacking department. I do not hold the Board responsible anymore for the out of date, inept and predictable football we now play; or the “bad luck” as some prefer to call it to make it sound better to themselves!
Cent @205,
You should have had nearly a decade to learn the lyrics to the song by now.
ttg – I was hard of understanding. Apologies.
Some fucking phish being spouted in here tonight. Still I suppose its going on everywhere.
Tara.
I respect Wenger a lot for all the success he has brought to this club. Great teams over the years, one of the best staduim in the country/Europe. I will never disrespect the man, but there comes a time when change is needed. I think the man is exhausted, and the players don’t seem to play for him anymore. To me, Wenger is like Moses from the Bible ( the Christians in this bar should know him) he took us from Egypt, on the cusp of the promise land. But I don’t think he can take us any further. We now need a Joshua, my choice (Guardiola), probably won’t happen. But the team needs something different, and Wenger am afraid might not be able to give us that. 4th place is not good enough, and to be out of the race this early is just plane horrendous. We have a coach that knows the PL in and out, but that seems to be working against us. Regardless of where we end up at the end of the season, I think the man should just bow out with his head held high and some dignity
Hope you had a blast regardless of the result, Esso.
This team has me absolutely dazed and confused at the moment, I’m completely numb I feel like just giving up on everything, i would love to manage this team I would beat the shit out of every player with a big stick until they beg for mercy, we don’t have one fucking man playing for us they’re all fucking women. There is not one fucking leader on that team to hold everyone accountable and as for the bench wenger is not a leader either, each week I keep giving him a pass but at some stage enough is enough and now my friends I think enough is enough he’s had enough chances I’m just sick to the pit of my stomach, I’ll take my chances with some years of mediocrity and a new manager, we have given wenger too much time and every week he keeps fucking up he doesn’t change it up he doesn’t give the other guys a chance he more or less plays the same starting eleven every week all ye guys see the same as what I see and feel the same way, defending corners passing side to side not clinical in front of goal, enough is enough I didn’t think I’d ever say this but wenger fucking out!!
Plain, sorry.
Esso @209,
Please expand on your current insight?
Mine from my season ticket seats along with my boy appear to be rather contradictory to brother…
Mine from my season ticket seats along with my boy appear to be rather contradictory to yours….
Was Wenger playing today? I only saw him kick the ball once, otherwise sitting uncomfortably on the bench most of the game. Definitely all his fault then.
It’s all been said by the time I get to add my two-penn’orth, so take it as read that Danny is a hopeless No9, that without OG and Theo we have only Alexis capable of getting a shot on target and without Kos to cover Per’s lumbering efforts we remain the second most vulnerable defence (after Manure’s). Oh yes, and the failure to sign a proper striker and a CD in the summer haunts us again again again…
For once the midfield weren’t major offenders. Apart from Rambo, who seems deeply frustrated but may be only one good performance away from returning to last year’s form, Ox was clearly our motm, Mikel had an excellent game, Alexis worked his sox off (if not to his usual extreme standard) and Jack (bar the woeful goal attempt) was always threatening until chopped down by a red card tackle that went unnoticed. A shame in a way that Jack himself wasn’t shown red after rising to the big Fella’s baiting. If he had he wouldn’t have got injured and would be fit to play on Wednesday. C’est la vie.
In fact we were the better side on the day, but only of two poor sides.
We can only get better. Wtf has happened to Theo now?
Finally, and I probably won’t be popular for saying it, I thought Rooney had a very mature performance today, as he did for England in midweek. The boy has grown up and deserves some respect. RvP was still shit though.
Öskar
Not the manager’s fault? Arsenal has not beaten Man U in 15 games. They have not beaten anyone in the top 6 all season.
A trend is emerging here. It is not a positive one. And one man is ultimately responsible.
No, malo, one man is ultimately answerable. There’s a difference.
Öskar
@ Oskar
Answerable/Responsible. Splitting hairs. Obfuscation.
One win in 15 against a supposedly close rival.
The buck stops with the manager. End of story. Sad but true.
If only it was that simple, malo. A run of poor results, sack the manager. Is that really the solution? Which alternative would you say would get better results? And if they don’t? What if we already have the best manager we could possibly have? Bearing in mind ALL the facts, not just the results? Why not spend a billion pounds on new players, wouldn’t that be a more guaranteed solution? Messi and Ronaldo up front perhaps?
In the meantime how about the players out there who failed to bother the keeper, or the defence which failed to defend? Aren’t they slightly more responsible than the poor guy who sent out the best available team and had to watch them stuff up?
Yeah, if only it was that simple…
Öskar
At least we can’t blame Mike Dean for a change…
Öskar
This ream is a bunch of weaklings. Arsene Wenger has lost the plot.
We are fooking lauging stock. Again.
No amount if supporter excuses, rationalizations or wishful thinking will cahnge the fact that this squad is a total joke. The players arent good enough. There is no discipline. No tactics. No desire. The club is a joke. The manager is a joke. This season is basically lost.
Fixing it – thats what needs to be considered. Top down change. Immediately. And I cannot listen to another BS wenger postmatch, shambolic performamce denial fest. Makes me fuxking sick to listen to that man.
Hmm. Didn’t we just win the cup in May…I guess not. Sack Wenger then. That SURELY is the answer.
BMBD
Yeah. It is the managers fault. We are headless chicken FC. No finishing. No defense. No tactics. No discipline. Every team in the league knows it.
AW. This is his fault. Plain and simple.
The worst maniou team in decades just beat us at home.
AT HOME! Jaysus. What will it take to wake people up?
Lonestar – you weren’t there. It was shameful… the worst United side in more than 20 years. Desperate. And nothing – Make the man a director of football or something, he cannot manage worth shit, he cannot set up a team to beat a United team that looked worse than Burnley. Oh, he won the double you say – well maybe with berkamp and henry… Sure he won the FA Cup – against Hull. Lucky we weren’t up against a top side – when was the last time he outmanaged, well, anyone. He’s an overly well-paid scout who meets what his bosses asks him to do. It’s embarrassing. Could Mourinho or Ferguson take this team to the title? Yes. If Wenger resigned tomorrow? Would you feel good? Who wouldn’t? Three more years of the exact same thing. Say what you want about Jose and Alex. They wouldn’t cash their fucking checques after this… they’d have resigned.
I have not read what was said about I went out to have some fun!
SADLY THIS IS RATHER SHIT!
None of you of you can convince me other wise!!!
THIS IS A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS!
Especially when it comes to excuses!
James @ 226: Have a go at Arsene as much as you want (and he has surely made some poor mistakes this season, though IMHO we are not as bad a team as it might appear now and Arsene has not suddenly become as poor a manager as some would like to believe), but please don’t trivialize last season’s FA Cup success. The final may have been against Hull but on to the road to the final we had defeated Spurs, Liverpool and Everton … the last two teams particularly high-flying. We played kamikaze football in league against a few top oppositions — and Arsene should assume all the responsibility for that — but we were one of the most consistent team last season.
Just last year (12-13) Arsene had “out managed” Bayern at their home, and last season even at home we started superbly and he had everything tactically spot on before penalty miss and red card decided the match.
As replacing Arsene mid-season would NOT get us any manager worth a try, I think it would be best for us Arsenal fans to not put unnecessary pressure on the manager and the team and support them, and if the season turns out to be an unacceptable failure time for a change!
Has any team ever won the league by changing managers in mid-season?
Funny enough deep down I knew it!
I was hoping for change!
I know I have used some strong words after the game which I would like to apologise about however |I couldn’t hold my breath any longer!
DF
Can please let me know what is good about this season apart from Alexis?
FA cup?
What the hell is FA Cup? After nine years? Is that the trophy we all long for?
DF dealing with Bayern is one thing winning a trophy like that is the latter for Arsenal!
DF
Nice try
Not good enough!
Anyway I have had enough drink in me by now!
Bunch of fucking overpaid divas! And a coach who keeps ojn tapping them on the back for loosing!!!
ARSENAL WAY!
Most teams in the Premiership haven’t won a sausage in decades, ATG. Check the Tottenham tribute in the sidebar and imagine being them!
Not that I’d want to be compared to the LWCs, or any other team lower than us in the league, but a bit of perspective ffs.
Öskar
I remember watching old FA cup clips, in black and white. Good stuff, because they would tell the history of the different teams, and what happened to them, after they won. Who went on to play for different teams and such. Some of those clubs been out of the elite loop for awhile now, but they still have their fans xx
Speaking of good stuff, Lurky, Cent, Dr Faustus, Ttg, Cent, Lonestar, BB, thank you! (post match comments from you gents).
And Oskar, take a bow son. Well done xx
The only thing I will add, is this. Kos is The Boss!!! And when he comes back, watch out because he is our glue ♥
Not much of a pizza the action then.
It’s hard to tell whether our cup is three-quarters empty or one-quarter full at the moment. 🙁
So I lied, one more tidbit.
Klopp putting feelers out, namely our club, while his is ranked 15th.
Very unsavory of him to do at this time.
Some might see it as him baling out of a difficult situation. I certainly do!
Is this the type of manager, you want for us? Is this what you want AW to do. Quit in midseason ?! 🙁
Oskar – not calling for him to be replaced midseason, since we know he will “honour” his new 3 year contract. Seems like a nice one to honour, by the way… I don’t want to question his loyalty to the club either, but he does take home a sizable pay packet, no? What is frustrating is watching the same thing, over and over and over. He has played Mourinho how many times, and never won? His record in the last 15 games against United is 1 win and 3 draws and … If not forced to make a substitution, it is always the 70th minute, why?? When is the last time Arsenal won a game against a big team, an unexpected win? Barca in 2011? Dr – it doesn’t count if the other side is up in the second leg by enough goals that they don’t even see the threat until late. Hard to see that one as outmanaging given that we went out as a result. Those FA Cup games last year at home were great, I paid 500 quid to go to the final ffs and I’m fucking happy we came back, it was wondrously stressful. But honestly, when is the team going to look like competing with a real team. When was the last time we stood up and were counted against the best? Are we incapable of it? Leicester scored 5 against these clowns. Paddy McNair and … Oh well. Respect for the old domination, but this is just so.
And fine, if your goal is to finish above Spurs every year (and 4th, which is clearly the new perverse successful normal), then job done. but surely that’s not the scope of the ambition. I just feel like Arsenal goes into seasons now playing for 4th. So that you can play Apoel or Olympiakos or Anderlecht … and then get pummelled by the real strong teams. For what? Ah.
Not even sure of the point of writing this. Could have written the same last year on numerous occasions of us getting blown away on the road, and could probably copy and paste it in April when we welcome Liverpool and Chelsea in. I just… Consistency against the shit teams is one thing. Not having the character to ever, ever win against the best in the league is something else. Respect to the efforts, but. C’mon man.
The only part of this loss that I am truly amazed at, is there are still Some arsenal fans trying to make up new excuses for our latest failure.
How you can rationally say we were pretty good or dominant in this game, yet we just let in two of the most comical goals ever seen on a football field by so-called professionals.
Isnt part of the game doing the basics for a full 90 mins ?
Or are we now only judging our performances on everyting excepting our mistakes or errors.
Why is it we are caught out with the same types of schoolboy and naieve mistakes and errors time and time again, yet we are still somehow unlucky?
Kets review the facts:
Poor keeping and wrong decision making from our keeper – tick
Jack getting baited in the midfield and retaliating stupidley – tick
Jack slow to release the ball and getting clattered, injured and leaving the field, injured again – tick
Poor defending by Per – tick
Poor defending by kieran gibbs our wonder kid – tick
Comical defending errors where our fullback and keeper clash- tick
Feel like you have seen it all before, well you have… Many times over
And yet, who do we blame for the worst arsenal start in 30 plus years.
Apparently marouane fellaini because he pushed one of our fullbacks and some decent arsenal fans who left after the rooney goal.
I truly dont know if the new batch of excuses for another big failure are comical or sad.
I think maybe a little bit of both.
Slept on it. Still fucked off.
Fucked off that we collapsed for the worst Utd team in 20 years.
Fucked off that we were clearly the better side and yet still couldn’t put them down. FWIW I agree with nearly everything Oskar says above.
Fucked off that we conspired to beat ourselves, yet again.
Fucked off that we couldn’t finish simple chances, and that our tactics went all to shit once we were behind.
Fucked off that the team remains less than the sum of its parts, and that we’re watching comfortably the worst start to the season of the manager’s tenure.
Fucked off that Monreal is currently the club’s most in form centre back.
Fucked off with those who left early (and – yes – “plastics” is right on the money).
Fucked off with those who clearly enjoy it when we lose, as it helps to drive their agenda. You never see all this “I told you so” bollocks when we win. Grow up.
Fucked off with people who try to collapse everything so that there’s no gap between “we’re the best team ever” and “everything is shit, we’ll finish tenth and the manager is a cunt who wants sacking”. Like Cent says, I can’t even tell myself how bad things are because of the constant bleating.
Fucked off with people who spent the whole of last season (when we were good) moaning, and are now moaning at exactly the same level: you’re clearly going to whinge no matter what happens on the pitch, so fucked if I’m taking anything you say seriously).
Fucked off that right now someone is reading this and thinking “he’s not criticising the manager enough, calling him a senile old twat or asking for him to be sacked” – fuck off you one-note cunt. I’ve already said he’s having his worst season ever with us – happy now?
Fucked off with Chelsea’s ability to exempt their players from international duty, FIFA in general and the bollockless, “me me me” attitude of everyone in the game, including a large number of “supporters”.
Fucked off that we lost to those utter, utter cunts, yet again.
Fucked off with football. But I’ll live.
See you all next Saturday.
How’s that for a sunny side?
COYG
I am all for slating the team and indeed the manager when we have been outplayed by the opposition or outthought by the tactics of the opposing manager. Yesterday was far from that. I will never criticise the team when they have literally outplayed the opposition. In life if you take care of the process the results take care of themselves most of the time but not every single time. Yesterday the team selection was spot on. Playing with pace on both flanks with the ox and sanchez was an aggressive move from the manager who usually goes for control in the big games with a midfielder in one of the wide positions. We should have scored in the first half and I truly believe that if we had we would have gone on to score two or three more. We couldn’t and…
They had the likes of Di Maria, Rooney and the Dutch skunk in their team and these players hardly had any presence right through the game. The rhythm, passing, pace and movement of our team was good to watch yesterday, especially up until the time Wilshere got injured. It was quite telling that the United bench was so anxious for the last three minutes after we had scored. Overall I the signs were very good yesterday. Arteta is the key for us until January atleast. He had a great game yesterday and whenever he plays we look like a much better team. If we play with the same rhythm that we did yesterday, we will win very soon(Dortmund!!) and with that the confidence will be back. The team is lacking a bit of confidence right now and the spectators at the ground will contribute greatly to that. So I am more hopefull than depressed after yesterday.
The simplistic logic that “we won the cup last year so we should win the league this year” astounds me. To those who believe in such over simplifying how about this – We should never win the league as long as City and Chelsea continue to flex their financial muscle. The best we should hope for is Third and realistically fourth if you consider what United have spent in the last couple of seasons. See, the simplistic counter argument doesn’t work either.
Our starting eleven this year is remarkably different from the one last year. The manager has for years said that too many changes over a transfer window hamper a team. Plus this is a world cup year and our teams have always played well after proper preseason, because of the way we play. We led the league for a long period last season and yet I like this team better than that one. This one had the potential to be lethal and beat anyone. I am confident that we will finish in the top four and hopefully have a decent cup run too. Arsene signed on for three years and I truly believe that next season will be the one where we will have a genuine title tilt and I also think that we have a nucleus in the team to be genuinely successful for 3 to 4 years. Instead of going after the manager and the team at this stage of the season, everyone needs to get behind them and root for them…
Nice one desi, excellent perspective.
Öskar
A lot of the phish spouted on here yesterday was utter phish.
N7, are you sure Wenger didn’t write that because that must been exactly what he was thinking last night!
Thanks to all of you (the few) who have offered reasoned perspective in the bar rather than trotting out the usual ‘lost the plot’ trite.
And, yes, TTG, ‘plastic fans’ is spot on. These poor fans who have to go hungry to afford a ticket and then consistently leave 20 mins before the end. It’s embarrassing to see. Whatever happened to ‘we’ll support you evermore’?
The bigger issue for me right now is that the atmosphere inside the ground is truly poisonous, it’s no longer a nice place to go.
Looks like they’ll be crowd trouble -between our own supporters! – after matches for a while yet.
Of course, how stupid of the rest of us to not recognise sooner,
it is not Wengers fault or his management of the team that he has hand assembled for our worst start in 30 plus years.
it is the Arsenal fans themselves who are the problem.
It all makes so much sense now.
Thanks N7@ 243. Pretty much covers my views too.
Atmosphere at the ground was truly poisonous yesterday. It’s no fun at the moment at all. I understand fan frustrations; I share them. I think the manager should have resigned on a high after the FA Cup victory. But what I can’t understand is the channelling of so much energy and passion into screaming abuse, bile and vitriol throughout games when we’d all be better placed getting behind the team. Sure, show your frustration at the half-time and full-time whistle. Vent via Twitter, blogs, protest marches or whatever your preferred mode of communication. But when the game’s in motion, just get behind the 11 men on the pitch in red and white. Not too much to ask is it?
Too bored with it all to post anything really. Predictable, poisonous, unsustainable. Onwards and downwards.
Holic –
hope you enjoyed your day with the kids yesterday despite it all. 😉
Oskar – good stuff above.
N7,
Thanks for that mega-post.
Exactly what I was thinking but had lost – for now – the motivation to write.
Now, I have recovery day today for Wednesday night. Cripes !! 😉
Ttg,
Sorry mate, forgot to praise your post last night.
Exceptional in the circumstances.
And to say that nobody got past my seat without a huge struggle after the Rooney goal. Couldn’t move my knee, could I ? 😉
Gents, I am of a mood to remove any posts that are not constructive and respectful. I have heard enough boorish behaviour for one weekend. Thank you. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Desi Gooner@244, I understand we can’t compete with Chelsea and Manc financially in terms of transfers. But having a manager that has been in this league for that long should help in that regards to some level. Wenger knows what it takes to win the PL, becos he has done it before so what’s the problem now. Don’t want him to quit mid season, he deserve our respect for al what he has done for us. He himself surely will know that his time is coming to an end, it’s only natural . I w ant him to leave with his head held high, don’t think we will ever get a manger like him again in the whole of Europe. He is a legend, but I believe the club needs a new direction, mandate and excitement. The board needs to figure it out and do their jobs for once.