Ancestral Vices
Sep 7th, 2015 by 'holic
A long weekend off. Alright then, a very long weekend off. I hope you are surviving the accursed international break. I have managed to avoid much of it, including England’s romp in San Marino. In fact I have only really seen Mesut Ozil lead Poland a merry dance. Do you still not get him?
For those who don’t know of my mongrel past, I am about to watch him again as the motherland hosts the greatgrandfatherland at Hampden Park. On paper this is a mismatch, but Scotland are fighting for their lives. With second place Poland at home to Gibraltar then they will be out if they lose to the table-topping Germans, themselves a win from clinching their place in the Finals next summer.
I might be firing up two screens as the Republic of Ireland, trailing the Poles by two points, are at home to Georgia seeking to extend their challenge to the penultimate qualifier at least. A Scotland win would give them reason to celebrate too, as long as they make the most of home advantage.
Arsenal news is a bit thin on the ground, although the award of the August player of the month to Francis Coquelin warrants mention. The young Frenchman has been a revelation since returning to the club from his loan spell at Charlton in January. He just pipped Petr Cech to the gong on Arsenal.com and the fact that they were first and second bears testimony to our mixed start to the season.
The last of the international players will return to training on Thursday, which won’t give Arsene much time to work with them ahead of this weekend’s visit of our old chums from Stoke. Theo’s brace against a pub side will have enhanced his chances of playing up front again. Olivier Giroud has the opportunity shortly against a rather better organised Serbian defence to score the goal or two that would boost his confidence and chance of a recall at club level.
And with that I have to fire up the magic box for Mesut watch. Have a good one, ‘holics.
89 Responses to “Ancestral Vices”
Drink!
By the way there’s no pubs in San Marino, but there’s some good bars and a top café that sells Bombelloni at 5 in the morning, when you’re feeling peckish after a night on the Trebbiano.
Haha, how did I know you’d know that Esso? 🙂
Not thrilled at Ozil playing inside-leftish with Alan Hutton at right-back.
Nice one Holic! Glad to see Le Coq get the Player of the Month award (how valuable these awards are considering they’re open votes on the Arsenal website is another matter though). Quite what Monreal has to do to get any recognition is beyond me though. He was probably our only truly consistent player in our first 4 league games, and though Cech was outstanding against Liverpool, and I’m sure he’ll compete for many other monthly awards through the course of the season, by his own high standards he should have done much better for the West Ham and Palace goals.
Like you I pray for a fit Ozil come the end of tonight’s match!
And I’d also like to make a partial concession to Steve T from our transfer window debate. Now knowing the extent of Welbeck’s injury (a player I rate highly), I feel we should have worked harder to get someone in – and while I uphold my assertion that this time last week based on the information we had, we only needed ‘top, top quality’, clearly we could have lowered the standard a touch to get another body in to back up Walcott, Giroud and Alexis. That said, the market as we know was bloody difficult irrespective of cash burning a hole in our pockets, and we know Wenger likes a gamble in terms of key players remaining injury free!!
Some game this. 2-2 at half-time. Brilliant entertainment.
Agree holic, and I would love for us to sign Thomas Müller..that guy is embodiment of all round striker everyone is crying for us to sign. But Bayern would have been mad to let him go.
Mesut Ozil
Shoots for Germany but not for Arsenal
Damn his Peter Lorres
Bombelloni please barman. Don’t know what it is but the name alone is enough to satisfy. 😉
Tighter second-half. Scots gave it a go but the Germans deserved the win.
Giroud booed off? :-/
His confidence is in the gutter. We know he can play up top. We hope Theo can, Cynic.
Of course Scotland still might make the play-offs, if the Republic make a mess of things. Long way from France yet, though.
Evening, Holic !
Sorry, just can’t muster any enthusiasm for these accursed, to use your own word, interruptions to what we all really want to see.
Every time the league season threatens to get into it’s stride we have to suffer another two weeks of mismatches and tedium. ( sounds like Scotland gave it a go for a while tonight).
By the way, I saw a piece earlier today detailing five or six signings of outfield players we made over the summer. All teenagers – including Reine-Adelaide – and some of the top young prospects from around Europe. I don’t have the names but they’re doubtless on dot com.
Looks like it’s going to have to be the way we do it, given that FFP is a virtual goner.
Some interesting stuff about our injury problems.
http://www.espnfc.co.uk/arsenal/story/2065310/arsenal-players-suffered-almost-900-injuries-in-12-years-study
http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/clubs/1/arsenal_injuries.html
Steve T,
Not a surprise unfortunately.
I’ve said before I think, at least in terms of the current squad, the problem is down to the age, playing style and physique of a lot of our players.
It’s no shock to see that some of the most frequently injured players are Walcott, Wilshere, Gibbs, (Diaby, now gone) and Ramsey has had a number of extended absences apart from the awful leg break.
Haven’t watched much football so far over the Interlull but saw Sangakarra get a wonderful century at the Oval today.
Agree with Gregoire about Monreal, I think he has been super. Frankly to give it to Cech after only one outstanding game would have made a joke if things.
To take up Trev’s point , from memory we gave signed young Dragomir a Romanian, Donyell Malen from Ajax, the French lad Bennacer who chose us in preference to Citeh and we signed another boy from Lens, Yassin Fortune who won us the ore- season tournament in South Afruca. Not all the boys are cleared to play yet by the international authorities but Reine Adelaide appears to be very advanced for a 17 year- old and is regularly playing for the u 21s.
We brought in another couple of lads as well from Greece and that exotic spot Reading , I believe there is an attempt to revamp the youth set-up quite extensively and it was much needed. Youth football development is dominated by Citeh and Chelsea but neither side ever play their youngsters. We genuinely give the boys a chance and as you say Trev we have to hope we unearth some gems although Maitland- Niles, Crowley and Zelalem are all doing extremely well on loan
I always get him at international level, ‘holic, as I have said many times. My plaint is that he rarely brings it to the weekly grind.
There have been signs lately that this might be changing, but more evidence required. Just don’t make him playmaker, he does his best work on the wing. A bit like Theo and his CF dream.
Öskar
Trev. I have always found your posts on our injury problems a really interesting read.
Reading Trev’s consistently informative posts I can’t help wishing he was on the medical roster at the club! That injury list is building up again and we have the usual suspects to start going down yet
Nice write-up Guvna. Sadly Scotland still have no-one of top quality and too little quality in general to prevail against a team like Germany though they made the traditional ‘brave effort’ and ‘gave everything’ they had to offer.
Strachan’s organisation has improved the spectacle enormously but Scotland must wait for the emergence of some real talent before they will get back qualifying for major tournaments again or get lucky in the draw both of which are long overdue.
Sadly the talent pool is shallow. As I have heard it said of the Labour leadership election, if the pool of talent was any shallower, it would simply be condensation.
Bath @ 20 heh!
If you compare last night’s Scotland team to the team that beat Engkand at Wembley in 1967 I’m not sure which team would win. But some of the old boys in the Scotland side are in their eighties!?
Koscielny has tweeted that he is not injured this morning. Quelle surprise as we Francophiles say!
TTG.
If only Giroud would tweet that he is not in a goal scoring drought, or sécheresse, as my Google translate seems to want to call it. 😉
sécheresse la goal, HFB
That’s Handsome French Bloke
Or Huge Fucking Bignose
Take your choice 😉
I wish that Trev was on the medical staff. At least we would know who to blame.
😉
I feel your pain Bath. The lack of talent North of the border is such a shame. So very unfortunate. There are many of us down South sobbing our hearts out.
That said, I bet Scotland have more chance of buying an outfield player than we do.
🙂
Nice write up guvna during this tedium of interlul. Just 1 more batch of matches tonight where the biggest interest is purely the well being of our players and hoping they all return injury free.
Trev, just going along with Steve T and others here – your comments on the medic side of things leave us much better informed than we would otherwise be. Many thanks.
Bath, if you took the “National” out of the SNP, you would have the best socialist party within these isles.
I’m sure that last week physioroom dot com listed 12th September as Jack Wilshere’s return date. Today it appears as 19th September with the comment, “Disappointment for Jack – a few weeks away yet”.
Here we go again then …………
Uply, you’re welcome, sir, for what use they are.
Stoke at home this week. Another potential 3 points under our belts.
Based upon our most recent form, there’s a potential 12 points up for grabs this month!
Bad news about Welbeck and Koscienly, although I am not too hung up about Gabriel covering, if he can keep up his heroics of recent times.
Cech is just warming up.
I am optimistic as always!
UTA!
Ancestral vices are about right for this riotous assembly, ‘Holic. A bar full of throwbacks, each a blot on the landscape and, no doubt, indulging in a little indecent exposure when they should be feasting on your vintage stuff.
The germans were way too quick for Scotland and it is no disgrace to the Scots for this german team is the best in the world.
Ozil was excellent in both the games. The thing is he has players making themselves available for him to pass, in our team there tends to be more of you do it yourself kind of a feeling. Not saying the team does not have cohesion, i feel players want him to do a bit more himself than look for others. Well he is that kind of player who thrives on creating space for others and involving them in everything, maybe he needs to be selfish.
Kos hopefully is fine for the fixtures are flying in thick and fast. Giroud forgot his shooting boots yesterday and it is not a good sign for us, forget france. Matuidi and Griezmann are two fantastic players and either one would have added substantial value to us. Never mind time to get behind the boys this saturday for the caveman who suddenly seem to want to play properly are going to be in town. 3 points please boys.
Nicely done, Ned. Barman! Pour de house Blue Nun for him.
*searches for coat*
No need to focus attention on the FA or anybody else although they should have spoken up in Carneiro’s defense. Mourinho is really the one to blame. What if the injuries had been worse? Would Mourinho really like to be responsible?
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34188138
Pangloss @34 – clever. 🙂
And Ned of course. 🙂
Three good puns and no sign of wilting under the pressure. 😉
King GT
I’m no mathematician , but there’s a potential 12 points ( at least) up for grabs each month. The problem is the opposition keep getting in the way.
I’ve seen two of our performances and I’ve no idea if we are in good form or not! I salute your optimism though. Trev’s comments re Jack just seem like a portent of doom . Maybe I need a drink? Yes that’s the solution ?
Pangloss, good to see Trev and you keeping sharpe.
Ned knows, and so too does Trev, it would appear. You must have both got a Porterhouse Blue. 🙂
That Ned is definitely the Throwback . I’d like to mount the Great Pursuit after more titles but the only one I can raise is the Wilt Alternative.
Puskas 84 goals in 89 internationals
Pele 77 in 92
Gerd Muller 68 in 62
Rooney 50 in 107
Not on the same planet. Just sayin’…
We did, Holic.
Pretty sharpe we are. 😉
Ned,
How dare you disrespect the great god Rooney.
A mere off target shot is enough to generate a terrifying scream of a squak from Drury, Tyldesly (?), Champion and Co.
Couldn’t lace Brian Moore’s shoes between the lit of ’em.
Lit = lot
Jimmy Greaves: 44 goals in 57 internationals, or 24 in 28 competitive matches (excluding ‘friendlies’). Easily our most efficient striker.
Of course he didn’t have a defensive bone in his body, so wouldn’t get a start today. 😀
Öskar
Trev….having their tongues cut out would count as an assist (and a blessing for our ears) 😉
Ned….thanks for your perspective – any idea of percentage for open play goal v penalties?
Too many sharpe aficionados in the house tonight, I’m Wilting under the literary pressure surrounding the bar. I may have to join Rumpole at Pomeroy’s for a glass of Chateau Thames Embankment.
Öskar
Oskar….apart from a short spell in Milan, Jimmy Greaves spent his career playing for Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham…..nuff said 😉
Oskar,
Nothing unusual about the personnel in the bar tonight – just the customary rioutous assembly.
Sorry, Ned, didn’t spot your ‘sharpe’ comment @38.
Was looking to point out to Oskar some references to Wilt on high up around 34-38. 😉
I was attempting to add to them, Trev, but managed to miss both Ned’s ‘sharpe’ and your own ‘wilting under the pressure’. Put it down to age, or back-reading too quickly. Or Alzheimers, whatever that is… 🙁
Öskar
Trev is Ozil of punsters, Otd: he makes the puns before others even see them…
Uply: the data is a bit thin going back that far, but best estimates are Puskas 11 penalties, Rooney 6 and Muller 5. Can’t find any yet by Pele in internationals though his 1,000th career goal was famously a penalty.
Morning!
Haha, TTG @ 37
We must focus solely on the league this season in order to win it. Each game must become a cup final. Thus 34 more cup finals to go! 🙂
That is as far as my optimism allows me at this moment in time! I will further assess the situation at the end of the month! 🙂
UTA! 🙂
Ned
Unlike Ozil Trev is universally appreciated in this bar?
The Hull he is, TTG. 😀
*waddles into the sunset*
a pun-off with trev ?
not on your nelly !
clearly all that there book-learnin’
and wintergreen fumes
has spawned a marvel
I’m glad ITV have lost the live Champions Lrague games ( although sadly they have gone to BT Sport ) . Tyldesley annoys me profusely. He is a Manchester United fan and his love for Rooney knows no bounds. I am sad that one of the greatest players we have ever produced, and a gentleman to boot, has lost a record he amassed playing in many more challenging internationals than Rooney has and from midfield ( in most of his games). To compare the two of them is to compare a Ford Mondeo with a Rolls Royce. And despite Greavesy having dubious playing connections he was a different class to Rooney too. In the days of Charlton and Greaves there were far fewer games against knock- off teams like San Marino and Azerbaijan and many more against Scotland and the big European nations. I’m very curmudgeonly about some aspects of modern football and this is one. So congratulations to the Granny shagger but muted ones
Ned the Ozil of monkish statisticians? He thinks of an odd curiosity before anyone else and files away the answer so nobody else can find it when they finally have the same question. 🙂
I mean now really, who knew Puskas scored 11 penalties, or who even estimates it these days? 🙂
Time flies fast, it has already been four years: http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150909/-i-ve-always-admired-arsenal-s-style- .
Might have been a last minute signing in that tumultuous 2011 summer … but one of Arsene’s best additions to the squad in recent years. Brought in a combination of class on and off the field, composure, humility and leadership that were missing for a long time. His — and also Per’s — contributions towards building the current character and camaraderie of the team have been invaluable.
Hope he stays on in some capacity or other after the season. And would so love for us to farewell him and TR7 (potential last season as players) with one or both of the big twos.
TTG & NBN: Even statistically speaking Rooney’s achievements don’t seem that impressive when you take into account that he has only 6 goals from six major international tournaments and just one goal across three different WC …whereas 30 goals in all qualifiers.
Echoed here Faustus @ 58.
I do think MA8 deserves a big trophy with the Arsenal. Top player.
With you too TTG@56. Baldy was more a Capri than a Roller imho though. You’d never have seen that comb-over on a classy motor.
Anyone give credence to the proposal of Alexis being played at centre forward as per Arsebloggers thinking these past few days…..??? Makes room for Oxlade on the wing, possibly Theo/Ozil on the other wing, Rambo goes back in the middle………………
I’ve been saying much the same for some time now.
Of course it would mean that we’d have to play a more possession based game which is fine with me (I have never been a fan of using Giroud as a target man. I don’t think it works at all)
TTG @53,
That’s very kind of you but I think you’d find a few who disagree. 😉
Don’t know to be honest, Joe.
Theo has the pace to make those runs in behind but needs to find his shooting boots pretty quickly. That would be my preference because I think Alexis gives far more from the wing than Theo does.
Arshavin was a tricky little dribbler, as Alexis is, although he lacked Alexis’ work rate and determination, but simply found himself crowded out by pairs of big Premier League central defenders when he tried to play through the middle.
Fair point Trev. For me though, Alexis always seems to cut inside and never really provides us with width on the wing whereas Theo is capable of that. I also feel that Alexis talent is more deserving of a centre role. I think Theo is a more suited to the wing. I can’t see him work in the centre if Im honest.
I think it’s worth a try. I don’t think Alexis regards himself as a CF (unlike Theo’s self assessment) and I’m not sure that he could play the traditional role but he certainly could be the furthest forward and most central of a diminutive but pacy front three (much like the SSS of the Dippers 3 seasons ago) and has the ball control to maintain possession for longer than Theo can in that crowded past of the pitch.
It’s certainly worth a try given the low productivity of our other options so far.
TTG, I should have added earlier, Greavsie despite his dubious links, was the Roller.
Am I misremembering, or did we give Alexis some games up the middle last year and regret it?
*sweeps the tumbleweed out of the bar*
*finds a pair of cba’s D&G shorts behind the Guinness tap*
It may pain some of you to admit it but with England Ronoey is one of the best forwards of this era, his 50 goals in 107 games (some of which he played in midfield) are on par with:
Lionel Messi: 49 in 105
Cristiano Ronaldo: 55 in 122
Thierry Henry: 51 in 123
We probably all agree these 3 are superior club players but none of them did better for their respective national team than Wayne Rooney…
Matt
They probably haven’t played that much against San Marino, Moldova, Azerbaijan etc. I see your point but he isn’t in their league as a player. Not remotely close
The main argument against Alexis at CF is one of height. At just 169cm (5’6” in old money) he’s two inches shorter than Michael Owen whom I always thought was a midget, and three inches shorter than Theo who towers over no one.
Öskar
I’ll say one thing for Wayne Rooney, no one takes a better penalty. Invariably hard into a top quarter. Unstoppable.
Öskar
OTD
Rooney has one of the lowest conversion rates from the spot of anyone who has taken more than twenty penalties in the Premier League- 18/26. I can’t recall him missing for England though. Interestingly only Michael Owen and Sheringham are lower. Owen was awful from the spot.
The litany of abuse I’ve been heaping on him might suggest I don’t rate him as a player. Actually I do but I don’t think he bears comparison with top quality players of old.
I’m surprised at that, Ttg. I have seen him miss, but most times he has just blasted it in, nothing fancy, just power, and that has impressed me. Guys who just roll pens into the corners or dink it straight down the middle always worry me.
So who is the best?
Öskar
No need to answer that, Matt Le Tissier 48 out of 49 it is/was. I bet that miss gave him sleepless nights!
Öskar
two against us, 2010 (Woj in goal) and 2012 (Don Vito in goal) plus Cech has saved one against him when at Chelsea (2011) and Stuart Taylor did so for Villa (2007), the first penalty Rooney took in the Premier League. He scored against Woj in 2011 (the 8-2 at OT) and against Almunia in 2009, the first penalty he scored in the Premier League. He has not missed a penalty in an international or CL game, missed two in the FA Cup and seven in the Premiership.
Or in full:
I count Rooney as missing nine out of the 39 penalties he has taken in all competitions, including two against us, 2010 (Woj in goal) and 2012 (Don Vito in goal) plus Cech has saved one against him when at Chelsea (2011) and Stuart Taylor did so for Villa (2007), the first penalty Rooney took in the Premier League. He scored against Woj in 2011 (the 8-2 at OT) and against Almunia in 2009, the first penalty he scored in the Premier League. He has not missed a penalty in an international or CL game, missed two in the FA Cup and seven in the Premiership.
Rooney has missed a lot of penalties from memory, Oskar. And I think he’s not just a smasher – for example, his pen v San Marino was rolled in from my memory.
As for the Alexis CF debate. I’m with Cynic/Oskar et al on this one. I think it would be negating his abilities by playing him up against 2 brutish CBs, with his back to goal, getting buffeted around a lot. I think Alexis suits a bit of flexibility by coming in from the left, and getting shots away on his lethal right boot (allows a clever LB like Monreal to overlap nicely too). It’s going to be Giroud up-front for the forseeable future, bar the odd away game where perhaps we can play Walcott with a team that may play with a high line.
Amid the gloom that surrounded the transfer window, I saw this, as I’m sure most of you guys have, but in case you haven’t, it’s hilarious when Gunnersaurus comes on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrnn4p3V94E
Have fun!
Wayne Rooney awful penalty miss against Arsenal. One of many apparently Oskar. 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imr7Nu4ZXrA
Rooney’s best penalty miss v Arsenal was the one where the ball ended up in Old Trafford Town Centre!
Think it was 2012!
😆
Talking of Gunnersaurus where is his much missed stunt double?
Interesting Wenger presser today where he denied misleading the fans on Welbeck by claiming he didn’t know how badly he was injured. Really? A week after he had surgery. It may transpire that the timings were different and I believe Wenger is very honest but it might suggest that communication from the medical team upwards could be much better.
To add to our joy as Trev pointed out a few days ago, Jack has had a setback.
I believe it’s this one:
http://youtu.be/iubwCckXBK4
So Arsene Wenger says that in the transfer window, you have to find the courage to say no.
Well, dear boy, in your case you have to find the courage to say yes.
As for him saying that he didn’t know about Welbeck and only found out just after his presser the other day, I don’t believe that. Sorry. This is the most hands on, in control, manager and yet we’re supposed to believe he truly thought Welbeck would be ready to return this week?
Pull the other one. It too has bollocks attached.
Jack suffers another set back!!!!!!!!!! oh come on now, this cant be serious. Why him of all people. He is the hope, he is the one who is supposed to be the missing cog.
Stoke will present a different challenge than normal this time but then which team does not? The away team will play it narrow and we need to use the width. Time for Theo to play on the right wing where he belongs and have Giroud play upfront.
Classy gesture from the club in terms of donating towards the syrian crisis. Well what else can we expect from a classy club i must say. Love The Arsenal.
” waaaaahhhhhh !
waaaaaaaahhhhhhhh !!!!!!!
look at me !
look at me !!!!!
why is nobody looking at me ?
waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh ”
.
.
.
from utv to uup
self serving half-baked-paxman twat
.
.
got what you want ?
did ye ?
.
s’all about you tv boy
but
nobody is looking at YOU sunshine !
and
nobody is looking to you
BIT PART ACTOR
feckin weasly shit starting shite
pleased with yourself ?
DICKHEAD !
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
sorry holic
delete as appropriate
not the place yer house
but this is serious
and playing politics
whipping up a storm
is the game of cunts
cunts who live on different streets
from the rest of us here
sorry
just had to write something down
and knew i wouldn’t explode here outta respect
apologies big man