Not Good Enough
Nov 20th, 2010 by 'holic
I promised myself I would not attempt to write anything tonight. The gut reaction to that second-half performance borders on the sort of stuff I urge people to refrain from voicing. Keeping a sense of perspective is admirable most of the time. But most of the time we don’t lose three home games out of five to second-rate opposition, and the last twice with almost our strongest team available.
What hurts even more is that those who called for the home support to get behind the team were not let down. The place was kicking. That is what makes the abject surrender of those who wore the red in the second half even more painful. Don’t tell me that Chelsea lost, so it doesn’t matter. It does matter. Every time we play that lot it matters, but you would never believe it from the gutless performance after the break.
Perspective? OK. Away from home we are probably the best team in the Premiership right now. At home it’s a different story. West Brom, yes West Brom, outplayed us. Newcastle were tactically smarter than us. Now the neighbours, battered and ripe for the taking in the first half, have snatched the points not by being the better side, but because they wanted it more. It can’t go on. It mustn’t go on.
It had started so well too. Samir continued his golden spell with the opener in under ten minutes, and when Chamakh feasted on Arshavin’s cross we were two up in under half an hour. Only one team was playing, but at half-time the conversations in the Clock End were far more realistic than whatever was being uttered in the dressing room. “This lot have at least two goals in them. We need one or two more yet.” The punters are smarter than some would give them credit for.
I cannot bring myself to comment on the main moments of the second-half, because none of them came from us. There were grown men near me who have never seen Tottenham win at our place. With a show of bravado I tried to lift them at the final whistle. “I’m 53 and I’ve only seen it three or four times”, I lied. It didn’t help. I’ve seen anger at North London derby matches before. It is par for the course. Normally, however, the anger is directed at the marshmen. Not today. Tottenham didn’t win today. We lost.
I hope on Monday that Arsene sits the lot of them in front of the hastily issued Tottenham dvd of that game. I hope he calls Charlie George in to address the squad at the end of it. Words to the effect that some of them may not have realised today how important that game is to the supporters who pay the bills. I know ‘holics will be upset with me for saying this, but I’m sorry. That second-half performance was completely and utterly spineless and unacceptable.
We can lose to West Brom and Newcastle, hold our hands up, and accept we lost to a better team on the day. Those who wore red today have no such excuse. They threw away a game that should have been won at half-time against second-rate opposition, but they relaxed, took it easy, and got mugged. They will pick up their tens of thousands in salary this week, so will find ways of excusing what happened this afternoon. It will possibly hurt for a day or two.
Those who have to face work on Monday morning with the gloating neighbours will not forget so easily.
Not good enough.
227 Responses to “Not Good Enough”
Embarrassing. Utter shite.
Shameful, shameful, and shameful. Ugh.
You couldn’t have expressed better what most of us are feeling tonight, ‘holic. The number of Sp*rs fans appearing out of the woodwork in my neck of the woods is depressing. 🙁
Top post holic. Too bad it needed to be written. Gutted that our club was so willing to let its supporters down. Tonight, I drink to forget. Triple bourbon neat for me
Ouch, H.
Why does my heart feel so bad go the lyrics never truer than today They should re name that lot that come out for the second half jellyfish fc as they were a fucking disgrace to the badge and what the club stands for and if that upsets some I couldn’t give a flying – Can the real A F C return as that second half was as bad as I’ve seen I said a few weeks back this team reminds me of the scum from a decade ago all pretty football but no bollocks and that stands.
To a man – fuck ’em all….well ’til Tuesday afternoon at least!
I hope their Sunday dinner tastes like shit.
*sigh*
However depressing today’s 2nd haf performance, and it was completely rubbish, I think we need to say “Thank you Arsene” for 13 years of unbroken invincibility in the league against Spurs. The Trots have been feeling as bad as we are today for well over a decade. That perspective needs to be kept as well.
“Tottenham didn’t win today. We lost.”
I think you find that Tottenham did win today you bitter little spoon. The funny is thing that when you lot beat us at WHL earlier this season in what was a glorified reserve match, you celebrated like you had won a trophy (funny thing is it was the 4th round of a competition you have repeatedly referred to as second rate).
Now you call spurs second rate opposition. Get over-yourself. You fcuked up a 2nil lead against a spurs side with 9 men out. If that’s not second rate, I don’t know what is.
Tottenham didn’t win today. We lost.
Utter bollocks.
AS gracious in defeat as ever I see. You should have been out of sight at halftime with a gift from Gomes and a 2nd when Hutton was out of it, but in typical Arsenal fashion of the past 5 yrs ye wanted to win playing fancy football. Glad ye got Arshavin , totally over-rated and ye still havent signed a good keeper, topped off with 2 very average centre halfs , although Vermallen is missed. We wanted it more , took our chances and Gallas was outstanding to top it off. Take it like men and look forward to the WHL encounter.
Holic the collapse is due to an Arsenal team that has no true understanding of what it means to lose to the spuds. The senior members have stopped passing the information on to the newer Arsenal players and the lines have broken.
Case in point from Lee Dixon yesterday in The Guardian
When I joined Arsenal in 1988, from day one it was made clear to me that the derby games with Tottenham were the most important of the season. I joined in the middle of the season, and the next game with Spurs was a few weeks off, but people were talking about it in training all the time.
For the north London lads like David Rocastle, Michael Thomas, Paul Davis and Tony Adams, beating Tottenham was almost the biggest priority of the season. When I played in my first derby I remember David Rocastle and Michael Thomas were literally getting me up against a radiator, threatening me – and that was my own players.
Full article here.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/lee-dixon-gallas-in-for-a-tough-afternoon-but-his-arsenal-return-gives-derby-an-added-edge-2138951.html?
I no longer hope for trophies. It hasn’t been realistic in the last 5 years as Arsenal’s ambitions are not beyond a CL spot. But watching the team lose at home 3 times in a row depresses me. It sickens me when the manager still talks about glory and titles. He must assume the fans are stupid.
John
I hear what you’re saying but I’m a spoilt child that could barely handle them winning at the Shit hole last season let alone following that up with another win at our place.
Those [13] years feel a tad hollow now and the adage “your only as good as your last game” will ring loud and often (certainly in my work place) in my ears this week….
For that, I blame 11 ‘professionals’ that have thoroughly ruined my weekend and work week…..once again, to a man, fuck em!!!!!
Hey SteveP, you and your club are second rate because you are a cock-wearing, spud-supporting, cyber-stalker. Do one you daft muppet. PS, have a look at the table.
Why is it that when we’re 2-0 up I still feel that’s not enough?
We are just too arrogant and just not good enough. The spine of this team is weak. Cesc’s mind is in Barca, our defensive play is shocking, our defensive midfield position is non- existent.
With Wenger in charge we won’t win any trophy.
Wenger said that this current side is his best. Well. bring this team from 1998-2005 anyday over this bunch of overpaid, spoilt brats.
Most of them don’t even know what does it mean to lose to spurs.
David Rocastle is turning in his grave.
I will be probably abused, because I’m not an Arsene Wenger believer, but it’s time to call a spade a spade.
We are just not good enough.
And by his love affairs Arsene is hurting us even mire. He was my role model.
Now, he is just a stubborn, past his best man.
Good night!
Watching at home on the TV I just managed to stop myself from throwing a beer can at the screen. I remember back in the 1960’s we used to lose as often as we won but at least the players gave it their best efforts. I’m VERY down tonight. As you say, the Chelsea loss doesn’t really make me feel any better. Sp**s wanted it more than our guys did. Also, why does AW always leave the substitutions so late? I can’t argue with the starting line-up apart from the fact that Djourou has been playing well so why drop him? Koscielny is beginning to become a bit of a liability. None of Chamakh, Koscielny or Squillaci has previously played at home against the marsh dwellers so did they really appreciate how important this game was? They weren’t up for it the way Gallas was. Wenger needs to borrow Fergie’s hair dryer.
Vaardo
I think you forgot to add “in-bred” within your description…..you’re welcome!!!
I see Bayern Munich are saying they would take £30mil for Bastian Schweinsteiger. Now he would have an immediate positive impact for Arsenal. Powerful intelligent footballer. At 26 he is worth it. But would Wenger get him?
Well I can dream cant it?
Where is Cesc’s I’m ashamed speech eh? He was quick to come out when Spain lost and tell us all how embarrassed he was, but not when we lose to our most bitter rivals. What does that tell you. So sad.
MistaKen
We’ve gotta do the Bendtner (+15m, a bit cheeky I know) – Bastien trade surely….please
Stonroy,
That would be because we are a fucking shambles defensively,Strangely that’s been the case for 3 years but our leader saw the problems and was intent on fixing them last summer! Good job Arsene.
The fact is that under Redknapp, Spurs *have* got better while we have, at best, stagnated. I hate to say it, they wanted it more and got what they deserved.
I don’t know if its the manager, the players or the coaching staff. I suspect that while Wenger has done great things for us, while I’m sure there are good coaches on the staff, and we do have some great players too… we need a shake up in all 3 areas.
@North Bank 1: Thanks mate. Cheers
A sad embarrasing day and I agree with you, we lost. The totts werent close to being as good as WBA or as solid as Newcasle yet they somehow managed to score 3 goals.
North Bank 1
I’d throw in Arshavin with Bendtner to sweeten the deal even more
Good post holic. Losing to the spuds has stuffed up my week. Still as true fans lets get back behind the team. As much as it hurts I can live with losing at home to them once every 17 years. First time my boy has seen it happen and he’s 17. He’s is still coming to terms with the shock.
Gooner64,
Haha that cheered me up 😉 Best get him down the doctors first thing Monday lol,
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MistaKen
Well said. Sure it’s much warmer in Munich than London anyway.
Dare i say it, but I was very impressed with Gourcuff during the friendly with England during midweek and he’s been very good for Bordeaux for the past few years although I think he signed for Lyon this season.
If someone fancies a little trip to Barcelona maybe this guy could be thought of as an adequate replacement.
Anyway, getting back to the point I’d be prepared to throw in Denilson on the sly, if we can get away with that (although that may actually hinder the deal…scratch that) actually
(Emerges from the bottle of JD)
Holic – you summed it up when you said they didn’t win, we lost!
(Sub-merges back in to the bottle of JD)
Perfectly said, Holic. The game should have been dead athalf time. Didn’t look any better on the slingbox on a beach in Bali, from where ” Greetings”.
As much as it hurts to lose to the little brother with inferiority complex, it is worrying that we have lost 3 home games. I don’t understand that part. WBA outplayed us and won. Newcastle packed their half, defended well with discipline and got one high ball one goal thing. This one, we completely played them off the park in the first half and completely surrendered in the second half. All they did was just change to 442, they started having a lot of spaces in the middle of the park. We had chances to kill the game, but didn’t take them. Losing at home should be addressed really soon. There is no relationship or trend the way we lost all those 3 games except all are home games. It’s really confusing. These are the same players who battled at away games and beat other teams silly at home. So, what the hell is it?
OK, SteveP, or Alan, or whatever you want to call yourself next cunto, your last post was deleted because picking on kids sums you Lilywhite cunts up. Now fuck off.
Well written sir. Gutless, spineless no backbone.
Is there a leader amongst them?
I think the AW master plan to turn youth in champions is failing bit by bit. Not since the CL final have we had a desire to compete to the end. What has transpired is sad to watch.
I said to a mate today watching this is like getting the come on from some tasty bird who gets you all hard and then gives you the KY and a mag to finish the business. Meaning we are left to our own devices to get an end product and left frustrated at the tasty bird who is now a cunt.
Bali?, Bali?
You are determined to finish my day completely, aren’t you BtM?
Hope all is well with you and her nellieness. I must go now, as I have been promised a consolation cuddle by the management.
Hey BG,
Slowly calming down. But for our gutless second-half capitulation we would have been top of the league now, so need to refrain from adding to the diatribe, but this was one frustrating day…
I’m a 100% wengerite. But today I feel worse than ever. Even worse than the Barca final or even the 94 cup winners cup.
And it’s because of hope. I’ve lost hope, for the future or even the now.
Laugh and gloat away you dirty spuds because i totally understand why you would.
What do we do now?
I want William Gallas’s picture pinned to our dressing room door for the rest of the season. I want the players to have to look at it every single match until they win a trophy.
And if that doesn’t work, I want them shot.
I like that, Hat 🙂
Cheers holic, pint of anaesthetic please
A word to our friends and neighbours. You are welcome to gloat here, unless you abuse individuals, or kids, or use the y word. If you must use an offensive word to describe yourselves then please accept the word ‘cunts’ with our blessing, for that is what you are.
Cheers.
I wish there was a “recommend” or “like” option on these comments, because I’d hit it on Magic Hat’s suggestion about forty times.
God, this phucking hurts! We will be back but damn.
Cheers, “The Arsenal”
I am so pissed off at the entire competitive face of the team – manager, players that are supposed to lead and players that are supposed to have the experience to correct mistakes before they punish us.
2-0 at home, the plot is to ensure we have 6 – 9 behind the ball and hit them on the break as they have to come out at us. 5 Minutes in, 68 inch tall Defoe wins the ball in the air and Van der Vaart can take the ball down nearly uncontested and slots the ball into the space that can be opened BEHIND US! And perhaps the fastest player in the EPL has a clear path to goal with no depth of support. Wenger’s fault – Song and Denilson (more on that pair later) should have been tethered to the back 4 for at least the first 25 minutes of the second half, getting out of defensive shape under threat of death.
Instead – yet again – the entire team thinks it’s game over, time to turn on the style and entertain the crowd instead of ensuring the points are well and truly safe.
Next, and I’ve said this before – the game is played between the 18 yard boxes and won or lost inside them. How many F*cking chances do our top tier professionals need 8 – 10 yards in front of goal to just hit the target! I can not stand to watch Cesc “drag his chance wide”, and Theo shoot over the bar again and Kos head over the bar again. But no consequences – ever. We’ll be blaming the keeper again instead of looking ourselves in the mirror and saying when the big moments are there to change the game with a goal, we fail and fail and fail. That will be this season’s undoing. If / when we are third or fifth, we need a “low lights video” of all the full chances that went begging – many without even hitting the frame and testing the keeper.
On the defensive side of the ball, there is just too much to say – we are bottom of the disciplinary table for a reason – defensively lazy players foul instead of playing good defense. Players that are forced to defend in isolation, without the hard working help of our teammates engaging in the defensive task, feel compelled to foul when turned or simply taunted with the ball – unable to regain possession through honest effort.
Individually I think Cesc failed miserably in his leadership role, Denilson defended like a 17 year old in a U-21 team and Song lost the plot in the second half as far as his defensive responsibilities go. Chamakh scored 1 and flubbed several – but who among us think that Spurs 3rd goal doesn’t get headed clear with Marouane offering his aerial work in our defensive third.
Wenger’s press conference – while I understand the need to continually “protect” his players’ fragile egos – was a case study in utter denial. Fatigue from midweek? Luck? You must be still under the influence of whatever was put in your water bottle before you slammed it down.
1st line out of his mouth – “We were too comfortable at 2-0, and didn’t show the commitment necessary to see our strong position of the first 45 minutes through to the end”. Next line “Several players lost their focus at key moments of the match and did not understand the necessary responsibilities as we entered the each stage of the second half against a dangerous opponent”. Final line “My instructions to the team were far too cavalier given the quality of the opponent and the recurring issue of many players to give less than full attention to the defensive side of play.”
embarrasing. i dont want to be a naysayer and only comment on losses as i havent been commenting on here consistently lately besides the win last week, but as i said last week, the non commitment of the utter lack of effort from Denilson tracking back and sprinting after Bale for his goal made me very angry. Nasri wasnt go full speed after him either mind you. and the commentator laughing at Gallas’s intentional assault on Nasri’s face was disgraceful
The away games don’t matter unless you win the ones at home too
Aaarrgghhh….I really feel like taking a switch to the backs of those silly,underperforming,overpaid ”Boys”…Beat some sense of responsibility into their thick ”up-in-the-air” heads…
Real men like Arsenal once had would never throw away a two lead to sp*rs AT HOME!!!
This current tepid,watered down version of Arsenal are an insult to the of the club…
Uttter Disappointment and this game probably sums up the character of the boys wearing the Arsenal Red, they dont know the Pride that comes with it! I had never felt my ears and my brain succumb the way it did to the commentary of the 2nd goal by Tottenham, my legs were shivering by what i had seen and i was falling to the ground! Tears would be the least suited word for what the team gave me last night, Damn we were all so phucking right when we didnt feel so comfortable about the 2-0 lead, and How Gallas had such a huge game is beyond me!
The Worst Day Ever In My Gunners’ Career!
For many years we have had the bragging rights, so eventually the tide had to turn.
But not like that.
Magic hat, I’ve put one in for you. A laughing gloating Gallas pic pinned onto the shiny woodwork of the players cubicle is the lesson to absorb.
The resolve of the AKB squad is again tested.
First half, classic. Second half, worst half of Arsenal football I’ve ever seen. Admittedly, I haven’t been rooting for this team for very long, but I’ve done the research, and can only come to the conclusion that Dreamwright is right. Would Vieira have accepted this? Adams? Keown? Storey? Oh hell now.
Look at it this way: Spurs still haven’t won the League in 50 years, or a major trophy in 20 years, they’ve still proven squat, and their fans still have to go back to Tottenham, which, as I understand it, makes Detroit look like Hampstead. They will forever be The Scum.
Hi Holic
Watching the game live at 2am here in New Zealand made for a quite surreal experience. Two up at half time and coasting I was stiffling my laughter so as not to wake the management. In the second half tears of mirth were replaced by tears of frustration and anger. “How many did you win by” she inquired as I slipped beheath the sheets. I declined to answer but lay stewing for a good hour. Fourteen thousand miles from Islington and still like an arrow through me. Frankly, I dont know where we go from here. The only consolation, and its a small one, is that Gareth Bale still looks like an extra from “Planet of The Apes”. Thank fuck I no longer have to walk the streets of London.I hope our players are suitably ashamed the pack of underachieving multi millionaire cunts. Gutted.
Would SAF had lost to Spu*s with the current Arsenal Squad?
Never, Never in a Million Years!
I never thought i would see this happening, especially this season, but i did. I took the WestBrom and Newcastle defeat with anger, but this was very unbearable. It’s the worst nightmare a fan can have. This was the same way Chelski started couple of years back now in the Champions’ League. Arsene needs to start controlling this team on the pitch rather than sit down and fold himself up. Why did he drop Djourou by the way? Koscielny should be loaned out in January as we need a World-class CB, and change our formation at home to 4-4-2 maybe… I just can’t wait long enough for next week to come.
WHAT A DISGRACE……. but this will be repeated more and more unless there is a radical overhaul of the team and money is spent by Wenger, or by someone else who doesn’t make excuse after excuse to cover up his own dwindling reputation!
OK so I come from the generation that can remember match’s back to the early 60’s and I can honestly say that I have never seen a worse performance againsp*rs than the 2nd half yesterday! But the most of the blame must fall on Wenger.
First can anyone explain to me why we have the sub standard Denilson selected ahead of JAck Wilshire a lad who knows the passion required for this match and he would have passed and defended far better than the one paced Brazilian? Next we have the odd decision to change the centre nack pairing that had played in the last 2 winning match’s? Djourou had arguably been the strongest and better of the 2 in both wins at Wolves and Everton, but for a bizarre reason Wenger drops him to bring in the sub standard Koscielny.
That brings me on to the fact that our team is was packed with cheap buys and pussys. Chamakh may have scored a goal, but he gave Gallas and Kaboul an easy ride, I don’t think he put in one gutsy challenge against these 2 to assert himself. Arshavin was once again a liability – yes I know he made the 2nd goal but he was shocking apart from this. Fab was hot and cold, some great passes coupled with some pretty ordinary stuff and looking nothing like the captain he was last year…. Then there is Song….. this guy will never be a top defensive midfielder, why – because he is so often out of position you just cannot understand how Wenger puts up with it, that coupled with the fact that his passing is irratic (to be kind) plus he is one paced and is easily left behind by anyone with any pace – the only way he covers this is by fouling!
The we come to the tactical ineptitude of Wenger. Redknap changes his formation at half time to put an extra forward on, Wenger does nothing for 20mins during which time Sp*rs score 2! he then for some inexplicable reason takes off our best player – Nasri, and brings on – wait for it – Walcott!! who has been crap for weeks now and who played crap for England 3 days before. Van Persie comes on and immediately makes 3 pretty heavy challenges on the 2 centre backs, Arshavin is replaced by Rosicky but still Denislon is left on an he becomes even more anonymous than before! But now the midfield is totally disjointed and we offer little or no hope of getting back into the game for a win – let alone a draw! a textbook copy of the last 15mins of the Newcastle game (a side that lost 5-1 to Bolton yesterday by the way!!)
Summary – either Wenger shapes up and changes things and brings in the players of the standard needed to win trophies or he moves on and we get a fresh face to sharpen things up again!!!
Am so APPALLED dont know where to start . . . .stuck here a million miles from london in nairobi my heart stuck into it with all my emotions i watched for the 1st time in my lifetime us lose to the spuds.I also guess an not the only 1 but doesnt that bale goal make u want to utilise a rope u have somewhere ? Wether on me or some so called professional i could not decide ! All i can say is it is the MOST DISGUSTING WE WILL EVER CONCEDE ! i for once would accept brumble scoring a hatrick against us any time ,but not concede in such amateur fashion.Do these players know how many lives they change with their stupendous recurrent anual schoolboy mistakes ? I guess not coz they dont deserve a great coach always being HUNG TO DRY ON THEIR BEHALFS .JUST LOCK EM IN THE DRESSING ROOM and show them what a good high powered horse pipe and ICE COLD WATER CAN BE UTILISED FOR – they have to know that this not a fword dream and they are messing with the lives of millions(am awake at 4 .am to have a rant) And THE TRADITION AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE BEST CLUB IN THE WORLD.WHICH THEY HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ALWAYS PROTECT !
It’s about time Arsen Wenger FC reverts back to Arsenal FC.
Change in the personnel is required and not necessarily in the playing staff. I think the club should thank Pat Rice for his loyal services and reward him with a valuable retirement package. New blood is needed and someone like Martin Keown fits the bill perfectly. He definitely can teach them a thing or two about defending and fighting until the end like a true warier. When necessary, he can kick assess as well.
Its becoming increasingly clear that the only reason we have won anything under Wenger is because he inherited a great defence. This Arsenal team does not possess the strength and positional awareness to defend consistently against skilled, committed opposition.
Arsenal have had the same defensive problems for the past 5 years- and they show no sign of being resolved despite changes in personnel.
Its not predominantly about individuals- though throughout the team Wenger has bought weak defenders. Defensive awareness is also about organisation and collective positional discipline – and it isnt there because we have a manager who almost bizarrely thinks its not necessary.
Going 2-0 up should have been enough. But it never will be if you can’t defend routine moves better than we do.
We have to stop deluding ourselves that we have a great team because we play pretty football going forward. Spurs have won the last 2 encounters that matter and the fact that they have been able to catch up and overtake us as a team tells its own story. Spurs have a better balanced side than us, a tougher, more experienced side a better goal keeper and defenders.
We as a club have become over-confident- we think we have a better manager and squad of players than we do have- we then get irate when we lose- when we’ve been losing key games in this way for 5 years. We think we don’t need to spend in order to buy players to address our defensive weaknesses-we think that making a profit on the sale of players each year is more important than a team which can deliver on the pitch.
Wenger and the Board are to blame for this – Wenger takes the plaudits for our attacking displays- why is he not equally accountable for our lamentable defending?
This team’s Achilles heel is that it starts to coast before it has games wrapped up, and often after it has missed a couple of chances to put the game beyond the reach of the opposition. A 2-0 lead is not unassailable in this league. Any team can get a goal out of nothing against the run of play. Then it just takes a dodgy penalty for it to be back to all square and game on again. The coasting means the little things get slack, like giving away unnecessary free kicks, such as the two that led to two goals today. Also, Cesc doesn’t look 100% fit. This was the second game in which he has been outrun on the outside tracking back a full-back on the break. Throughout the game he seemed to be being careful to avoid going at full clip.
Must admit I am not sure where to start. I think your write up says it all very well holic and eludes to several points I made on my way home in total disgust.
That 2nd half performance was shocking. Completely shocking. Wenger can’t explain it? I can. It is the same short comings that we have highlighted for the last 2 years. We lacked fight, spirit and were quite frankly fucking clueless.
I thought that all 5 goals came from poor defensive errors. The attitude we displayed when we came out for that 2nd half just beggars belief. Again it is down to lack of leaders. We have had very few true leaders in recent years. We do not have players that grab games by the scruff of the neck and dictate. The defensive fuck up for their first goal makes me feel sick just watching it again. How the fuck is Defoe allowed to win a header? The rest is a shambles. The Cesc handball??????? What was he thinking? Their third? Kos is rapidly earning a reputation for making rash and unnecessary challenges. Yet another one has proved costly today.
So how do we respond? Well, quite frankly we didn’t. Yet again we played too narrow. Tip tap through the middle and then lose the ball again. Arsene, buy a fucking quality wide player. Stop sticking central players out wide and expect them to do a job. And then, when all else failed what did we do? Hit long aimless balls and hope. Not good enough, not anywhere nearly good enough. Some of these overpaid show ponies need a large rocket up their arse. It was the same shite we have seen for sometime and the same reasons we get beat.
I am getting bored hearing the same old excuses. We need leaders, we need proven winners who have the ability to battle and fight. But all is not lost holics. We have apparently signed a 17 kid from Japan??????
A word on the crowd. I have been vocal in my opinions on here with those that seek to criticise those of us who attend games. Those who seem to think that it is our job to get the team going. Well lets put that shite to bed right now once and for all. The Grove rocked today. The place was alive and it made not a blind bit of difference. I pay a lot of money each season to watch my beloved team. I do not expect to win every game, but I do not expect to be served up pathetic shite like that. My job is not to try and energise show ponies who do not give a fuck. My job is very real. It involves me working all kinds of shifts. Holic, you said it would be difficult returning to work on Monday. I had to juggle shifts so that I could make the game today. My next days work after the game started at 6pm on Saturday evening. I remain on call until 4am. I am guessing that the vast majority, if not all of those that played today earn more in a week than I do in a year. Now, considering all of that did I see the likes of Arshavin and Fabregas waiting to cheer me in as I reached the front doors? Were any of the others there to give me a boost at around midnight when I was starting to flag? Were they fuck. They were all safely ticked up wondering what to spend their next 100k on. So please, no more bollocks about poor support.
Wenger needs to take a long hard look at this squad. I am sure many regulars will know my views on where I think we are short. You will also know my views on having millions in the bank doing nothing. I will pose the question I have posed several times on here. As a club, do we maximise our potential? My opinion, a big fat no.
Arsene? Sort it, because I never ever want to go through that again.
Wenger out!
Just kidding.
A good case for getting a couple of English hardmen, in the mould of those Arsene originally inherited.
But Wenger the economist should know that generally you get what you pay for in life, and these muppets we have for centre halves don’t cut it. Koz is collecting more cards than Hallmark. To say nothing of his profligacy around goal (today and at Chelsea)
“It’s difficult to understand how we lost” says the headline on Arsenal’s site. No it’s not, Arsene. Actually it’s been clear for several seasons.
Well said Holic!
This defeat has to be the most demoralising of the three at home this season and not just because it was to the deluded Spuds but because the match should’ve been long over before the end of the first half had we kept up our intensity!
The Emirates was really up for it today (even for a lunch-time kick-off). Arsene needs to start picking up on this problem and make the necessary pitch-side noises or substitutions to ensure it doesn’t happen – no team can keep up with our speed of play when we keep pushing forward but when we slow down and play in front of them, it becomes way too easy for them as we get bogged down (this then gives them lots more confidence and our lads begin to feel uncertain of what they are doing). The ease with which away teams are now able to defend against us for long periods of time at home when we’re chasing a result is extremely worrying and I don’t remember many teams being able to do that so easily before this season?! Away from home, we seem to have more cut and thrust and solidity, and had we played this game at Shite-Hart-Lane with the 2-0 lead, we wouldn’t have lost!
Tottenham didn’t factor in on losing two first half goals so why were we so potent in the first half and impotent in the second with only one shot on target? It’s got nothing to do with the tactical garbage being spouted by that used car salesman Redknapp, and the subsequent homo-erotic loving by all the footballing gurus! Our loss was all of our own making with once again mental fragility and indiscipline being to blame. What’s more, this all seems to be becoming far, far too regular an occurrence.
Other teams don’t really beat us at home but we just seem to be letting them win for no apparent reason that seems to fundamentally arise from a sense of complacency. In all professional sport, you have to earn the right to play at all times and we sadly haven’t always done that this season at home, and certainly not today in the second half or against West Brom and Newcastle, whilst away from home, the lads earn their right to play! Why do they have this Jekyll and Hyde persona? Could it be we don’t make enough noises of encouragement at home whilst away, the travelling fans make more? I’m struggling to understand!
With all this said, it’s certainly not all D&G, and with a bit more concentration, application and drive at home, I really believe that at least two trophies will be christening our new stadium this season!
Strength & Honour lads and laddetes!
As a Spurs fan, I honestly didn’t see that coming.
Both teams have similiarities; world class maestros (Fab and VDV), dodgy injured defences, ‘keepers that concede too regularly , two useless Russians, injured star strikers, a spattering of les blues and both have established/ experienced managers.
The only difference I could tell was hunger, which was odd when the prize for arsenal was top spot and ours was to reverse an embarrasing record at Emirates.
As much as it pains me, I still think Arsenal win the league, and I’ll settle for another CL spot.
Thankyou for allowing me on your fansite.
wenger is to blame. i have seen him get outsmarted by dutch managers, no surprise there. i have seen he get put under manners by fergie, no surprise or shame there. i have watched some portugal toilet cleaner done good come to london and wipe the floor with him for 3 years and again no surprise there. but to get outsmarted by a *ucking english man with a twitch is a shame that he will never live down. give up wenger, it’s over for you now.
all week wenger has been spouting on about how arsenal fans must show gallas some respect when he comes to the e word stadium full of olaying muppets who sit there clapping like preforming seals and contribute to the team’s complacency. i want to know what wenger is going to do to punish that prick for not shacking gallas’ hand? what did galas do to him that was so bad? did he screw his girlfriend? what excuse does he have for not following wenger’s orders? did you see how cecs could not wait to rip the captain’s armband off as soon as the whistle went?
and one more thing: that f@cking spud up there can go stick his limp cock eral up twitch’s arse because i or anybody else will get as angry about losing to the y… (oh i see i can’t use the correct word to describe those cunts) as i want. i’m off to slit my wrists… 😉
Do we now understand how frustrated Gallas felt when he was with arsenal?.Gallas came from business Chelsea,and wanted a job done and results had.He was not after pretty football.Does anyone remember what Gallas would have done if he were still an arsenal player,he would have forced a goal by turning himself to a striker.He works hard,he is now at a club where he is understood.
@anon…go fuck urself u piece of cunt….nasri has a right to choose who to shake hands with…and certainly not with that cunt gallas
@patrick #71 and thfcnick #72, what bussiness do u cunts have doing here on arsenal fun site!! FUCK BOTH OF U..and stay away from our business!!
We can only hope that we can get TV5 back as soon as possible, and please can we assign the armband to him! Cesc is a world class player, but let’s face it, he’s not the leader that this side needs. With Verminator as skipper, there’s at least 5 more points that we’d have in the back pocket (2 blown points against Sunderland, and the 3 today.)
Cesc is not a captaincy material. I don’t know about others but his perf on th pitch has not been great this season, too many careless errors. It just seems his mind is not on the game. It would have been good to sell him off.
Coming to AW, I’ve never rated him as a good tactical manager. But the one thing he should have done is to strengthen his defence. Clichy is crap defensively, beleive me. Why replace Djourou, he had looked good in the last 2 matches. What is Song doing? He should be told, he has no business bombing forward, protect the back four. Unless we sort out our defence and players show some steel we’re not going to be in Top 4 this season. Forget winning anything.
‘holic the redesigned clock is spiffy. At least somebody has been hard at work around here!
Thank God I worked a night shift but still got it from a spud I got my own back with a fa cup in 1991 FUCK RIGHT OFF. But your right it hurts bad and it will do for a few more days.
I just finished patching up a hole in a wall that I kicked in last night…….I feel like a complete twat now but it was good at the time!!
Wenger to go upstairs and dennis bergkamp for manager anyone?
I am similarly disgusted at the quite absurd capitulation of a team that CLEARLY has no real clue what this game, this club, its history and its supporters really mean although, as not one “local” began the match and only Theo made the pitch (using “local” VERY loosely there!), the question must be asked…How could they know?!
However, that is as far as the buck goes for me. Arsene is, as always, public enemy number one for the job that he did, whilst 11 grown men wallowed around in their own glory, forgetting to actually bother to win the game first.
Seriously though, two things REALLY piss me off and I just have to get them off my chest…
Firstly, the team that Wenger picked took a perfectly decent side to the cleaners for 45-50 minutes and, to be fair, looked like they could score at will if they could be bothered. This same team then fell apart and let the Spurs bastards not only back into the game, but back into OUR history books and for all the wrong reasons. Can we really single out Wenger when clearly his choice of players was working a treat until they starting wandering around dreaming of wrapping up the title by March?!
Secondly, and this may seem a little off topic but I am afraid that I have heard so many “fans” banging on about how Arsene Wenger has never built a decent defence and, even more incredibly, he only ever won trophies because he inherited George Graham’s defence…
UTTER BOLLOCKS!
To put the record straight once and for all…
Wenger inherited a bunch of lazy offside trap loving drunks and good time boys who, realistically, were all dangerously close to being past their prime. Remember how we were playing under Graham/Houston with that very defence in 1995? Finished 12th that year if I remember rightly and were not exactly in good shape when he left in February either before we all try to blame it on Houston!
So, after salvaging the careers of a few players, bringing in the likes of Henry, Petit, Ljunberg, Campbell, Lauren, Toure, Vieira, Pires and promoting that ungrateful little cunt Cole to the first team (who he signed from school too, so no claims of inheriting him either!), we went on to achieve the incredible “Invincible” season. Let’s not forget that we also went on a 49 game unbeaten run which would surely have lasted longer but for a decent bit of refereeing against a United side that simply kicked the living fuck out of us for 90 minutes and hardly gave away a free kick!
Now, the magical defence that he inherited…
These are the leaving/retirement dates of the “Famous 6”:
Adams – 2002
Dixon – 2002
Winterburn – 2000
Bould – 1999
Keown – 2004 (played in only 10 games in the “Invincible” season, many as a substitute)
Seaman – 2003
FACT: Lehmann, Lauren, Campbell, Toure and Cole made up the Arsenal defence for almost the entire Invincible season.
FACT: The starting XI for that season included only Bergkamp who was even at the club when Wenger took over.
FACT: We conceded 26 goals throughout the entire season. (Bobby scored 19 and Thierry scored 39, but if that does not put it into perspective for you, Edu and Freddy got 26 between them alone!)
FACT: The wonderful defence that Wenger inherited conceded the following number of goals in the 10 years prior to The Invicibles of 2003-4…
From 2002-3 backwards…
42, 36, 38, 43, 17, 33, 32, 32, 49 (!) and 28.
Just in case you were wondering, the year we conceded only 17 goals we finished 2nd, one point behind the United scum and the year we conceded 49 goals was with the Famous 5 intact and playing under George Graham for 7 of 10 months.
FACT: Wenger built the most succesful Arsenal team in the clubs history, in the history of most clubs in the world I might add and, to add insult to injury, he still gets loads of stick for breaking it up when clearly the squad he had was ageing, expensive and would not have even been CLOSE to being any use at all by now in the season where the “Home Grown” quotas have come into effect.
FACT: Wenger is the most succesful manager the club has ever had and has pretty much single handedly brought a quality of football and a home to play it in that AFC has simply never been seen before.
All of this said, I think that it may be time for him to wake up and realise that he has created a problem with his own success…There are a few players in the side that simply are not good enough to play his brand of football and there are a few players out there that are and should be getting seriously wooed as we speak.
We all know who these players are, they would do fine at most other EPL clubs, but they are not at most EPL clubs…
…THEY ARE AT ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB.
Come on Arsene…Do what is necessary and finish what you have started. 2 or 3 players will do the job.
And now…?
BRING ON BRAGA TO CHEER US ALL UP A BIT!!
COME ON YOU GOONERS!!!!!
I just watched some footage of Tony Adams…..why do I provoke myself so. We need him more than TH14 right now.
Keep the faith…I’m just about able to….we were decent for 45….
Walcott acquired for 14 million quid in 2005.
Van der Vaart acquired for 6 million in 2010.
I did’nt get to see the match yesterday. But the result hurts like mad. Really hard to keep my emotions in check. Anyway I think the mental makeup of this team needs a wholesale change. Wenger too should take time out of football for a week, to freshen things up. Some remote island trip would do. Two consecutive losses in the premier league derbies is too hard to take.
Regarding Cesc I think he has come to reconcile the fact that his transfer to Barcelona in the near future is a long shot. They don’t have the money.
If this result was destined to happen for the rejuvenation of the Arsenal into INVINCIBLES MARK II then I am willing to accept it wholeheartedly.
You know there is something really wrong with the alignment of stars when
. Gallas is the voice of sanity (re: Nasri handshake)
. Sp*rs being touted as title contenders by their manager
. Arsenal lose to the cunts down the lane
I’m in shock as my favorite bar feels like an annex of Le Grove tonight. Not that I’m surprised to see the usual Arsenal haters taking advantage of the opportunity to spew their bile as they’ve been frustrated for a while a but even some regulars won’t be proud of their comments once they sober up.
It’s not like our capitulation wasn’t enough already, it’s really a black Saturday.
“…. I know ‘holics will be upset with me for saying this, but I’m sorry. That second-half performance was completely and utterly spineless and unacceptable…..”
Last night cost me a TV remote, a night’s sleep and 2 bottles of vodka.
Not only it was spineless, bu it was unbelievably SHITTY.
Hi,
It was painful to watch.
I think all associated with Arsenal- players,manager, fans should just stop talking about the title. Set smaller goals like winning one game at a time, qualify for the champions league knockout stages as toppers..
We all know it’s a long way to go still…
Spurs were shit..but we were utter shit!!
It hurts..
Cheers
@BtM: Wish you the best in your Balinese endeavors. Definitely on my list of places to visit sooner than later. It’s an once-in-lifetime experience, hope you won’t let it be spoiled. Thinking about what I know of you I’m not worried in retrospect.
@ 84 Winstons Myth
I salute you sir.
@ 9 SteveP
FFFFFFF
UUUUUUUUUUUUUU
CCCCC
KKKKK
You, you 49 yrs, 6 months, 22 day, 18 hrs and still counting League trophy-less CUNT.
Indeed top post that is Winstons Smith. Thank you.
It’s interesting to see AW basically saying he’s as baffled as the rest of us, and at least he isn’t making the usual excuses.
However, what bothers me about this is that I don’t get paid to run the team, so if I’m baffled about what is wrong with the team, that’s ok.
What’s NOT ok is that AW IS paid to know how to sort this out.
It appears that he has no more idea of what or how to do that than any of the rest of us.
That is hugely worrying.
Quite frankly, this team have no fear of AW.
I don’t know whether he’s too soft in his old age, or whether he has lost their respect for one or other reason, or what the problem is.
Whatever it is , this team aren’t scared of him, and there are times that they should be.
They SHOULD shit themselves to have to go into the change room after a performance like that.
Say what you like about the drunken bum at manusa, but watch those players in a game where they are behind, by the end of the game they are desperate to score, and it shows.
Our bunch? Still dawdling on the ball, passing across and backwards, slowing the game down, standing still with the ball while time is running out.
No sense of urgency, no drive.
Why did Wenger waste his energy and that bottle of water throwing it at the ground? He should have saved it for one of those fvckers in the change room.
We used to score fantastic breakaway goals.
Today we had Chamakh clear on goal and he stopped to look for a team mate! TWICE!
We didn’t play badly for all of the second half, we switched off at a few critical moments, it was like someone flicked a switch at specific points in the game and we turned into robots that just stopped dead.
I don’t know what is required to fix that, but I do expect Wenger to know.
I’m seriously concerned that it appears he doesn’t.
[…] and certainly a great platform to go on and win the game. Instead we lost it and I’ll agree with the ‘holic on this one, we lost it more than Sp*rs won it. They brought on Defoe, a player who has been out with injury […]
Well met Sir if only briefly. First time I’ve had to suffer that in person since 1987, hence I did n’t hang around afterwards. And I could n’t agree more, they did n’t win, we lost.
I’m fairly new to football, my sixth season as a gooner, but I can’t comprehend why we must barrel down the pitch looking for goals no matter what the score. 2-0 at half, the match should be over. With the talent we have passing the ball, we should be able to keep possession at will and patiently wait for a mistake. If that isn’t an option, then we should have 9 or 10 behind the ball. The supporters might not like it but I’m quite certain they’d rather see a 2-0 win that way then a 2-3 defeat attacking like mad. Our pressing game also leaves alot to be desired. I can’t even remember how many times this season I’ve seen 3 players head toward the ball only to leave a man completely unmarked and clean through like Bale on the first goal. UGH! I love Arsene Wenger but he needs to get Mourinho in for a tutorial on how to kill off the match.
winstons myth
amazing facts that i bet not many people knew
thankyou
Lets stop moaning about the game, we are 2 points behind both United and Chelsea. Yeah, wth, we lost to Spuds for the first time since 1993, but we need to get on with the bigger picture, winning the freakin’ league!
I was asked by a plethora of manc, scouse and chelski fans about our problem seems to be at home this season. Why was it that The Arsenal are losing at home to teams who an away loss would seem impossible everyday of week?
My answer was COMPLACENCY! Pure, unadulterated COMPLACENCY!!!
But, I said, do not fret, our boys will be right up for this one come saturday lunchtime!!!
And so it was, they came out and absolutely destroyed those LWC’s! But for 45mins only! And that my friends is not a game of football!
After 45, we were coasting and the game seemingly won! So true to their spirit, this team allowed COMPLACENCY to set in!
They could rock up and just win the next 45mins, because they “big team” and it SHOULD just happen! No hard work required! ABSOLUTE FUCKING RUBBiSH!!!
It hurts all the way down here at the most southern tip of africa! After a weekend when I should rock up to work with a “we’re top of the table” smirk on my face, will now be a Monday filled with abuse and more hurt!
NoT GooD Enough!!!
I’m sorry, this is not about “moaning about the game”.
This is about a team who have not been able to learn the same “lesson” for several seasons now.
Wenger apparently doesn’t know what to do about it either, he basically just said pretty much that, and the history of this behaviour is indisputable.
So what should we do?
Shut up and accept a total shower of shit that just keeps on happening every few games in the vain hope we can win the title?
On this performance, and all the others where we “slip up” at the crucial moment there is absolutely fvcking ZERO chance of winning the league.
Personally, I think we need to truly insult the team and manager into looking in the mirror.
Give them 2 choices (I know there are more).
Ask them if they are the most stupid team in professional football in the UK, or whether they’re taking bribes.
They might just be insulted enough to think about it.
Heaven knows, fvckall else has worked.
Arsenal ans especially Wenger have delusions of granduer.
Thats why we lost being 2 goals up.
Winstons Myth
Positive post thank you, thinking about it you put a smile on my face when reading about the Invincible season etc… those were the days.
Arsene must address those issues in Jan if he has the money he can certainly do somethig and we are told the money is there. Leaders at the back is what we are missing look at your list those guys were leaders and it doesn’t help the others don’t help either, Song out of fucking position and too many misplaced passes and Arshavin he did make the goal but he needs to track back!
I like Clichy and as much as I like him I’m starting to feel sorry for him to be honest with you, I just don’t think he can get any better. The lad is quick and he has shown that hasn’t he? Why does he not use it to his own advantage I don’t know. He hardly goes forward and if you look at the game their right back was up and down on that right flank supporting the front line as well.
I know we bought Squillaci because he has experience but is he really the Premier League type? I have my doubts, on the other hand Koscielny makes me shiver when making challenges. He’s very card prone that lad and has concentration problems too I don’t think he should be first choice over Johan D. Johan has been at the club longer and started to show good improvment when on the pitch recently and had a miles better understanding with Squillaci.
He’s better in the air than Koscielny, can tackle and was a midfielder if I’m not mistaken so has good eye for a pass which has shown as well, reminds me of Gallas a little bit. Anyway this doesn’t stop here really does it now? Yesterday lunch time the whole team couldn’t give a flying toss in the second half and this hurts the most especially against those cunts up the road! Asrene needs to show some discipline here and start telling them the truth stop making out they will be great when clearly some wont!
This game also reminded me how we gave away a two nil lead at Wigan last season.
My words were: SHOCKING ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING…!!!
Work should be very pleasant tomorrow as well, if you know what mean, in the meantime I will continue to improve my mood and hopefully be a bit more upbeat before the Braga game!
Have a good Sunday Holics!
thank God for ALCOHOL..i think the manager is completely at fault. we need to be more clever,leading 2-nil, we should leave at least 4 players back when we go for freekicks or corners…u don’t treat the game same way as u will when its 0-0….the big decision, i think Djerou should play ahead of koscelny…Koscleny and sqchillachi played together in all 4games will lost already dis season, they just don’t work together.
Djeruo is the only defender that can attack long balls which we always seem to struggle with.
I would like to greet our spurs-supporting browsers with a warm “Happy 50th Anniversary”, and to remind them that for all their celebrations they sit behind Bolton in the league.
Enjoy your dvd today – I’ll wait for our end-of-season review.
Top post Holic and excellent dose of perspective Winstons Myth. Mine’s a glass of hemlock. The rot started in the last 10 of the first half when instead of going for the killer third, our heroes went for ole’s.
yesterday was nothing new and this vulnerability has been there for sometime … and until we win a title it will EXIST …with false dawns deceiving us on the way…
AND WHATS PATHETIC is Wenger, some of the players , blind bloggers & arsenal fans simply conclude everything as pink and rosy after we’ve won a tough match (blackburn, wolves, everton etc)
remember we could have messed up any of these matches…they were all the slimmest of margings…
instead of waiting to celebrate after we actually won something in silver – we just go overboard after one of these matches where we happen to win – and that plays in the minds of everybody including the manager – who IS WAITING FOR any kind of opportunity to show the world that he is the best performer in the job that he does – simply to buy time…
I would rather have Discontent fans, media who arent simply happy at the nonsense he says abt maturity – boys to men rubbish – even in the midst of a winning streak…Which could make him shut up and Talk after we have won something in silver and not simply a match…
The Arseblog – although lesser than most – isnt excluded here either for overstating victories and papering over the cracks…
AND I HAVE THIS FEELING – WE WILL WIN AT VILLA next week – AND I wonder how many would forget the spurs, newcastle, west brom matches and once again blindly say its all pink and rosy again…
I’d say most Arsenal fans won’t forget yesterday to easily even with a win at Villa, that performance yesterday will hang around for sometime.
I’m not sure I could say the same for the players mind,
@Matt 81. Are you genuinely in shock????? If yes then your holiday is long overdue. I wish that yesterday was a once in a life time experience that your intended trip trip to Bali will be. Sadly, watching the same lack lustre and lazy performance is far from a one off. You do not have to look at this season, remind yourself off the final games of last season.
Got a real dose of it to-day , that’s for sure. Excellent post and really everything I want to say has already been said on here. Some excellent comments.Hurting like hell . Still trying to come to terms with it. Disgracefull performance. Wenger should have them all in right now ripping new assholes for the twats , bunch of frigging Champagne Charlies – but he’s not , is he ? There lies a lot of the problem – no fear factor. That twat up in Manchester would have presented them all with nice shiny black eyes. Sort it Wenger ! Don’t give a shit anymore what you HAVE done – cupboard’s bare and it’s 2010 .
Steve T,
I seem to remember those were put down as end of season kick arounds so didn’t really matter well that excuse cannot be used for yesterday a game against our biggest rivals where we could go top absolutley gutted.
@a gunner – A CASE FOR DIRECT PLAY
Fuck off you twat, been plastering this over every blog this morning. You dont speak for everybody, only yourself, so belt up.
Hi, Spurs fan here, few unrequested opinions:
1. I thought Cesc was world class yesterday all game (not only first half) and his moment of madness is inexplicable. He created enough chances for Chamakh to win the game comfortably though.
2. Cesc was not the only Arse-player in the wall to raise an arm – this is very strange, it was not Kaboul hoofing the ball towards your face, but vdV curling one over your head… and even if it were to be a really strong shot to the face, surely a pro-player should take that for Arsenal (or Tottenham), people are not made of china.
3. It would have been nice to hear a curt “credit to them, they went for it” from Wenger – or above in the blog. Redknapp (the boor he is in many respects) always pays a little tribute to the opposition, even when being in a psychotic state of mind right after losing 4-f!cking-2 to Bolton. Wenger essentially says that we didn’t do jacksh%t all game and deserved nothing from it.
4. Koscielny is obvously not good enough, far out of his depth – Djourou 100-times better.
5. does Nasri respect Wenger? the manager asked everyone to respect Gallas on his return – naturally the fans don’t adhere to that and that would be the same for any other team’s supporters – but you would expect that his own players wouldn’t ignore their legendary manager’s call for respect above their personal childish grudges.
6. i sometimes read this blog and the arse-blog because both are ridiculously well-written and one can learn a lot about the passionately hated opposition – so i hope i don’t appear in the light of an obsessive Arse-hater.
7. looking forward to the return leg!
Morning ‘Holic & ‘Holics
What the f*uck was that all about? Some serious questions need to be asked and more importantly some tough decislons need to be taken to fix the problems. Easier said than done of course but so hard to defend performance like that when the stakes are so high and wages so stratospheric.
Winstons Myth: That was an incredible post. How long did it take you to research all that? I’m not sure the Arsenal team deserve fans like you at the moment.
‘Holic: A very restrained post, your tongue must still be bleeding from biting down so hard. Did you still manage to have that 50 year mediocrity party after the match? Must have been tough…. Avoiding friends/family/colleagues of the LWC persuasion is going to be a priority for the next few days.
Fellow ‘Holics: I would like to thank many of you have also showed restraint in the most difficult of circumstances. It might take a while but I’m sure that we’ll have something good to shout about again soon. I see some are already trying to lift the sprits, eh Arthur?
To the LWC visitors. #11 & #66 actually managed to speak a bit of sense, that’s about as rare as a Spuds win at Arsenal. To the rest of you, just jog on and F.R.O. Can’t wait for the opportunity to ease the pain back at WHL. I want to see the look on Twitchy’s face the next time we beat you.
My Younger Brother last night, who is a Manchester United fan last night before the Kick off said you guys always choke when there is hype around a game, there was hype about Chelsea Arsenal, You lost, there was hype about Andy Carroll and NU, You Lost, there was hype about Eduardo, You lost to Shakhtar Donetsk, there is going to be no hype about Braga and Aston Villa and you guys will win, and he also said Go Thank God for not playing ManU at the Emirates or else you would have bottled that one for sure as well.
The Point is when there is pressure and a performance of character is needed, we turn up in bits and pieces and PHUK IT! I DONT EVEN UNDERSTAND WHATS WRONG WITH OUR TEAM!
CHELSEA, ARSENAL & MANU, if any of these 3 win the title this season, it would be a disgrace to the TITLE, all 3 have been UTTER PURE COMPLETE SHIIT, and the others, well they have been just a little worse than that!
SHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT SEASON!
@ Winstons Myth,
Top post mate with all the facts that the D&G and AAA should know and remember in their tiny little brains! Sadly, some so “so called” fans don’t really care about the facts and live in some fantasy world! Arsene’s not far off creating the ultimate longterm set-up for a football club both on and off the pitch! Strength & Honour guys, voice your frustrations to keep them honest but keep the faith regarding the big picture!
… and #108…. sigh
Chippy,
I think we sing from the same song sheet. Those excuses for last season were not good enough. Certainly to the thousands who went to Wigan for a 5pm kick off on a bank holiday Monday. We were told in April by AW that he had identified the weaknesses of this team, he had identified his targets and had already spoken to them? But it is still the same old same old. The same weaknesses, the same frailities as before. What really frustrates me is that I really feel we are not that far away and we only need minor tinkering.
Yesterday was just so completely unacceptable for so many reasons that I am still struggling to come to terms with it. It was a new low for me. But again we get the same excuses. For me they just will not wash anymore.
@ All the Tott Fans!
We are not mad about the fact that you won, we are mad about the fact that we LOST! and how do you slip up from a 2-0 lead at home, with your strongest squad is beyond me!!
Why didnt Wenger take Arshavin off and bring on Wilshere and Rosicky for Nasri!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Edited – please cut the abuse)
THE points that we have lost at home to West Brom, Newcastle and Tottenham and the 2 points at Sunderland, we would have been sitting 9 points clear of Chelsea and ManU at the Top and going by their current form, they would never have been able to catch us from here!
Steve T, I’m with you dude. The fans in the stadium gave the support. The feeling wasn’t reflected on the pitch. How the diaspora can criticise the fans that have spent their hard earned in the stadium is beyond me.
Koscielny was poor. Defoe beat him to headers? Would Djourou have let that happen?
The buck stops with the man. The clock is ticking Wenger.
Well said, ‘holic. On the button.
I’ve been in too black a mood since 3:30pm yesterday to write anything coherent until now, and to be honest, despite the 100+ comments here, there’s not much much more to be said than you already have.
But of course, I shall try, if only to exorcise some of my own demons.
First, like many others here, I’m still 100% behind Wenger. But I would echo the Arseblogger when he says “it comes down to the manager. You can point all the fingers you want at individuals but this is a team game and yesterday our team didn’t perform anywhere near well enough in the second half. That comes down the manager.” (www.arseblog.com)
We don’t know what was said at half-time (I don’t think anyone foresaw the second-half debacle), but it clearly wasn’t what was required. Nor was anything done, when we all know how badly we react after an interlull. Even Arshavin himself knew he shouldn’t expect to be playing, and he should have been rested at half-time (why do we never get half-time substitutions?). Djourou, of course, should have been playing instead of Koscielny, especially in the NLD. Why change a half-back combination that seems to be working? It’s already been pointed out that since Vermaelen’s been out, we’ve lost 4 PL games with Koscielny and Squillaci together at the back. Koscielny’s going to be good, but he’s not yet ready to be a regular first choice (and I think JD probably is).
Second, I don’t agree that the answer is to say “sign this or that player.” I don’t believe there was anyone on the team or the bench yesterday who hasn’t proved he’s good enough to play for Arsenal. Like most of our defeats this season (since we got our new goalkeeper :-), this was down to a lack of hard work, a lack of desire, a lack of spirit and, dare I say it, a lack of leadership. Things like that are systemic, they’re nothing to do with skill, or even tactics. Despite what the manager says, the team hasn’t grown up yet, they still haven’t learned to do the hard grind, week in, week out. And that’s what we find hard to understand, and hard to forgive.
Woland, all reasonable points from your perspective, and made well.
I may not agree with you, but at least you can have a debate with someone who explains themselves well, unlike some of ours (yes, I do mean you a gunner).
I’ll say this much in defence of the no-credit business. If you check out the reports on our previous defeats you will see most blogs giving credit to West Brom and Newcastle, both of whom deserved their wins. I thought yesterday the first-half such a one-sided affair that it should have been over at half-time. We turned off completely and threw it away to the only three chances we gifted Spurs all day.
Hussain. If your auntie had bollocks she would be your uncle. Forget that if stuff.
3 words: Gary Cahill January/please (delete as appropriate)
Bloody hell, ‘holic.
Goonerboy you pretty much read my mind and I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks it.
AW inherited arguably the best defence in the league and added to it some phenomenal attackers. We had some great years and won a good few trophies. Unfortunately since those defenders moved on what had become frighteningly apparent is that – dare I say it – AW doesn’t have a skoobi do on defensive game play. Koscielny over Djourou???
One example is the long ineffective defensive midfielder Alex Song is a shadow of his predecessor, you know he reminds me of the kid at school who’s best in defence because he’s good for nowt else but insists he’s a striker.
One radical idea I read yesterday was bring GG in as defensive coach. Maybe GG wouldn’t be the answer but the idea is there. We need someone that’s going to put these underachieving slackers in their place because until they’ve realised that this isn’t good enough yesterday will happen again and again. I don’t know, I’m gutted…
totally devastated! what the fuck happened?? looked like the players were only there to do a job and cant even to that properly…….im so so angry at wenger and the fucking team……i was so humilated last night in fornt of 20 people……. im sorry but this is unacceptable….the players dont have a heart and no pride at all. RANT OVER!!!!!
so the question is: IS the winner dead in wenger and the team?
Firstly ‘holic thx for the intro excellent context setting for today’s total ‘holicism
Having just watched a recording of the match in ever increasing tension then horror I wish to refer to Winstons excellent fact sheet
Firstly the Invincibles had 4 people scoring regularly so it did not matter if the other side got 1 or 2 but this side lacks that -yes lots have scored, but not often enough. The clinical finish is missing – if we had been 5-0 at half time as we should/could …
Secondly there was a variety of play that we lack, so often against a packed defence we are like miners trying to dig through the centre rather than stretching them out and putting crosses away
Thirdly, there are 2 players that do not do their job
Cesc is no longer the player he was, passes are off, long vision is lacking, speed is no longer there, and he loses his cool often in the face of the ref. This last means that he will be booked for the increasing number of rash tackles he is making unnecessarily.
Song, as many of us have said, is no longer the DM he was. Why Why Why wont AW tell him to stay back
I’m in France so I cant get to matches often, but its clear that our crowd are behind the team (to at least the 88th minute of each match) so cant blame them so who else is ther
Once again, there is the problem of AW himself
‘He doesnt know what went wrong’ – where was he yesterday – (I have a private theory that he is not spending enough time with the team, as he comes over to France to comment for tv here – seems to be most weeks)
He does not have a plan B against good defences, he does not encourage the depth of vision necessary to spot forward players ready to run and split defences.
Time and again AA, MC, TW, even (I think) once yesterday RVP, were running the line waving hands, and what did they do – go mining through the middle. This is a training ground issue. Cesc used to have it, JW does have it and maybe its time for RVP , now he’s fit, to take the Bergkamp role of provider, now there’s a mouth-watering possibility
AA MC TW up front
RVP and JW with Song in support
KG JD/TV/SS BS
A n Other in goal who can keep us ahead as we score lots and lots and lots
Must have a bottle of Bordeaux after that , barman, it must get better
and HOLIC why the f isn’t anyone blaming cesc? that handball was fucking criminal! i would only expect that from a 4 year old…..if i was him i would *****************
A very difficult time to be a gunner. I am still very concerned that 3 of our four losses this season have been at the Emirates stadium and I cannot help but wonder why we cannot just simply make a fortress of OUR HOME GROUND or if there is something else going on here. May be something attitudinal about the players when the match is to be played at the Emirates.
As “good” a manager as Wenger is “aclaimed” to be, I really think his choices of when, where & which regarding substitutions is really faulty. It is just a very few times of note that AWs so called tactical changes have really altered or preserved the outcome of games. You look at his face sometimes and he really seems confused and out of ideas.
And to all the “Arsene knows best” fans, I hope I am wrong.
Typical Arsenal.
With all the love in my heart, I do consider what we have at our club to be less personal to what it once was. With the internationalization of football, clubs lose the personal factor which once ensured our team was up for the big game. We effectively have less than a quarter of our team English and with that comes a distanced relationship with our club. I realize that over time the sense of ownership and responsibility to the team develops but that sense of hatred and resentment towards rivals isn’t nearly felt as when you have English center halves pounding it into your skull day in and day out.
The Grove is as much an away game to our French players as our true away games are, in some respect. I believe our players respond well to the hostility of away games because they know they need to prove themselves. The comfort of home games’ atmospheres gives them a warm fuzzy feeling and this just can’t stand.
Here’s to winning 12/19 away games; we’ll need it!
79 points to secure top of the table! You heard it here first!
Goonerholic,
yeah, the first half was quite one-sided, but there were also costly individual mistakes from our players that contributed to this. Gomes gifted the first goal (take nothing away from the marvellous pass from Fabregas and the subsequent finish) and Hutton gave all the space and time of Stephen Hawking’s Universe to Arshavin before the second (the whole move started when Pavlyuchenko gifted the ball to Arse in your penalty area).
parallels can be drawn with the Arse-player losing a header to Defoe, Cesc losing his head and RvP losing Kaboul.
also, i would argue that, while the first half seems to have been all-Arsenal and the second all-Spurs, it was not so black and white. we had four efforts on target in the first half – nowhere near as big chances as Arsenal’s, but chances nonetheless, we also had 4 or 6 corners in the first 45 (can’t remember now) and a couple of situations that needed one Hutton/Koscielny-caliber mistake or one Nasri/Bale-caliber moment of brilliance to be turned into a massive chance. while Arsenal had plenty of opportunities to score the third in both halves. (But don’t forget about Modric’s shots – especially the one after our first goal that went inches high, with Fabianski seemingly stranded – or vdV’s chance on the 6-yard-line after Crouch’s knock-down, or the fast break that Bale messed up with a baaaaad pull-back.)
i think it was a classic derby game – if Arse came back to win 3-2 at the Lane in similar fashion you would be praising a heroic achievement and i would be trying to tune it down by insisting that we were the forgers of our own downfall. 🙂 a team that loses always beats itself to a certain extent – yesterday that certain extent was pretty extensive for Arsenal, i admit. and i am not expecting multiple lines of lavish praise from Arse-bloggers or Wenger – just a simple “they gave it a real go, credit to them.”
because any team that comes back to win after being 2-0 down at the home ground of a stronger team deserves and have earned the win. i think. and of course the team that loses at home after going 2-0 up, against a weaker team deserves to lose. i won’t argue against that.
all in all, i still have the uncomfortable feeling that Arse will do very well in the League this season… and i dread the thought that maybe Tottenham will have unwittingly sparked off a reactionary resurgence (led by Vermaelen’s return) by handing out a massive slap-in-the-face/kick-in-the-balls in the NLD. this could be beginning of a surge to the top – but i hope i am the falsest of false prophets. 🙂
Yes, we lost it but…gulp, Spuds showed they wanted it MORE. That is what is so worrying. Arsene’s team are the better side but what a calamitous bunch they made in the second half.
Arsene’s substitutions have often be awry. That 2006 Champions League Final saw Henry battle alone upfront for the entire game. Thrashing with rain and Thierry obviously tiring, our threat up front became weaker and weaker as the game progressed. No substitution offered. (Yes I know Pires was off but we had options to enliven the front runners and keep Barcelona with one eye on their own goal). Arsene didn’t use an attacking sub. We lost as the game came to it’s final throw and Barcelona could launch wave after wave of attack.
Yesterday, Rosicky for Nasri was an obvious choice with Samir having run his socks off for France on Wednesday but Walcott was brought on far too late. The horse was half way across the field with the stable door swinging in the breeze before Theo had his first touch…..
Haven’t been this pissed off since that 4-4 debacle a couple of years back. This really hurts for the obvious reason that it was against the LWC’s.
I don’t give a shit about the chelsea or united results, we shouldn’t have to be worried about them. Need to fix what’s wrong in our own backyard and then worry about anything else.
Final word on the Corporate freeloaders who come to our stadium every other week. Fuck off and take your ole’s with you. Ole’s are for when you’re 4 or 5 nil up with a few minutes to go! If any genuine fans were ole-ing just before half-time, then shame on you.
CoYRRR’s
What are you guys on about regarding Cesc? Yes, he made a stupid mistake, and no he’s not on form. But to question his captaincy so soon? I thought, we gooners had a deeper sense of loyalty and gratitude, and are not the ungrateful amnesiacs the mancs and chavs have proved to be time and again.
One thing we can agree on though, Cesc better get his act back together, and get back to his world-class status ASAP, because when he’s not, we suffer.
I’m still gutted.
I’m still pissed.
The only consolation would be to win the league or Champions league now, and seeing our weak mentality, neither is very likely to happen anytime soon.
I really do hope the deluded ‘Arsene knows best’ fans have fully awaken to the real world. Simply put, the decline started after the Unbeaten season. Replacing very good, skillful and technically gifted players with a bunch of ordinary players who tend to have a good game occasionally. These bunch of players have given a lot of the fans a reason to rightly question their quality, potential, mentality and attitude. It was never so with the likes of Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, Viera etc. I cant remember the fans ever being divided or ever questioning their quality or mentality.
Mr. Wenger replaced quality with potential which is still costing us till today. We all know that going for potential (Bentley, Amaury Bischoff,Lupoli etc – AW rated them all highly, where are they today? )is a lot of gamble and most of the time doesnt materialize.
I also think that team selection should be strictly performance and merit based (not based on AWs perception of the players potentials) and not that some would player would just glide back into the starting line up.
I still believe there is a fundamental flaw in the way Arsene prepares for matches. I remember reading this a while back by Cesc “Here they give us much more information than they do at Arsenal, definitely. At Arsenal we don’t really look at anything from the other team, we look for ourselves and that’s it. Here, maybe two three days before the game, we start looking at some videos, we know more or less the starting eleven that is going to play… we know nearly everything about them.”
http://wearearsenalblog.com/cesc-criticizes-arsenals-preperation/
‘Ole’ ing before half time?
Sometimes you reap what you sew
Sad to say but we are all deluded if we think this team will win anything and as soon as everybody wakes up to that the better. Even when we win it’s edge of the seat stuff. How can AW say this is the strongest squad ever? It’s an insult to Adams, Vieira, Bergkamp and others. This lot can’t hold a candle to the invincibles or to the 1998 squad. With a few notable exceptions this squad is distinctly average and defensively worse than average. Time to get real and start building a side that can defend and puts lesser teams away when it gets ahead. Time to be honest.
worst part is we’ll have to listen to 2-0 and you fucked it up for the next 50 years
I missed yesterday’s game (thank fuck) so I can’t really comment on it. But the fact is, I reckon if you sent Crawley Town out for 45 minutes against the spuds and told them that all they had to do was not concede two goals they’d have been able to do it. Any team worth their salt can hold onto a two goal lead. Players are on such hefty wage packets, goal bonuses and win bonuses that I reckon they should be deducted for capitulating shamefully like that. At a time when so many people are strapped for cash we still fill the Grove and pump money into their pockets. People who travel from abroad are sometimes putting a week or more’s wages into the trip. You can never be guaranteed a win at any match but for such significant sums of my money you should be guaranteed that the players give it their all. And they didn’t.
What is so annoying is the way we tossed it away. I expected us to come out with Arsene`s words eg. to keep it tight and be aware, don`t relax, and to pick up the pace; ringing in their ears. You would hope that, as we know exactly what went wrong, who the culprits were, and what they did or didn`t do, we ought to be able to sort the problem out, but I`m not holding my breath.
I meant come out for the second half. Should have read it through first. Comes from rushing to get to the pub!
When Wenger says that This is the strongest squad ever it speaks volumes – nay Screams volumes – about where our issues lay. While RVP may be as good technically as Henri or Bergkamp (doubtful, but let’;s go with that) and Cesc may be technically and tactically as good or better that Overmars or Dixon or… AW is missing one of the pillars of the phrase “strongest squad”… (with apologies to Mark Twain)
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight,
It’s the size of the fight in the dog.
Kolo on MCFC could as easily apply to us:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/9213885.stm
Steve T,
Without doubt we are, All I ask is the club does it’s best to improve itself and by that I don’t mean going on a suicidal spending spree but they could at least re invest what they bring in on the playing side, Im not sure how many times we need to see the same players making the same mistakes before action is taken and they are replaced, Anyways somehow we are still in the mix and if you’d have offered me two points of top going into December after our transfer business in the summer I’d have bitten your hands of- So come on lads reward Arsenes faith in you and go on a run !
Up The Arse.
“That second-half performance was completely and utterly spineless and unacceptable.”
Bang out of order ‘Holic. 😉
Make you right about the ole-ing, Jackster. Couldn’t believe my ears when we started that bollocks.
Ive said it before. Ill say it again. No-hopers. Losers. Not gonna win a thing in my lifetime.
Top post Winston, respect.
for the second goal denilson does NOT track back. he’s lazy on the recovery. for me the hobbit as we callhim in our household would have been there to get stuck in. why no wil from the shire? rrrrrrrr f##kin’ 2-3 to spuds……. reallly guys, really? saw a funny picture of ‘the wall’.. what a load of shite. cesc and chama and denilson all have arms up. nasri is protecting his package and stuart little i mean arshavin is looking on in belief. i think my u-12’s would stand their ground stronger than these ‘men’. #uck all i’m just still stewing and my head hurts fomr all the mourning sob shots of tequila. who can i blame for this?
It was about time and we will do you at the Lane TOO!
More then a day later and it still hurts. Alcohol, unfortunatly, can only numb the senses to a certain degree. Yet, in a fleeting moment of clarity I realised that this is what it must feel like to be a Spud most of the time and although this doesn’t make everything right and dandy, it does throw everything back into perspective.
Let’s allow our less fortunate neighbours their day in the sun, poor buggers must be as pale as a ghost the amount of time they have spent cowering in our shadows, to their decent fans who have chosen to patronise this bar since the game I offer my congratulations and indeed admit you won fair and square, in the second half you looked like you wanted it more then we did.
A lot has been written by the time I managed to get here and I agree and disagree in equal amounts to the above posts. I’d like to offer a drink tp Winston Myth for an excellent post and one to our resident Grove attendee Steve T, you’re right mate, the crowd were well behind our lads yesterday, on tv all you could hear were Arsenal songs eminating from the terraces and if that couldn’t shake our lads up then apart from a kick up the arse I don’t know what could.
A pitcher of lager and a quart of scotch please sir, it’s ok, I don’t need a glass.
Cheers.
Haha, Cus, I’ve been waiting for you.
We will turn it round at your place, but yesterday was your day. Make the most of it.
With thanks to http://twitter.com/GoonerFanzine
goodn evening everybody on the bar
I haven’t looked who is on the tables as yet to look who is in the bar, but dear ‘holics, since after the game yesterday I decided to sleep an have soomething to raise my spirit but none! 18 hrs later i decided to look if ‘holic had something, oh! “holic more miserable than my whole body! yesterday after final whistle,
I got a phone call from my Nigerian friend a true gooner, the mood very bad on both of us, we could not understand loosing to sp*s after 2-0 up can anybody explain what’s wrong with our Arsenal at home this season? soryy ‘holics for my negative nerve see you tommorrow!
But having said that I will ask all of us to have quiete drink on the corner away from this mystery and take positives out of our team keep faith may be all the mysteries will evaporate . Those of you who will be lucky enough to go to the nest games please have faith! rembember the eighties and early nineties? THERE IS NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN my dear ‘holics!
@HOLIC 150
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
That actually cheered me up HAHAHAHAHA.
If only Cesc had been able to motivate his troops as well as you are doing yours.
Maybe it was that I had my Dad there with me yesterday (86th Birthday), but I could not find myself getting angry – just wholly disappointed.
I though the first half was the best we played this year. Moving the ball back to front quickly and just wiping the floor with them. You cannot tell me that Arshavin was not trying, nor that Dennilson was a real plus with his pressing and excellent distribution.
The second half was not because we did not care. It was because we panicked and completely lost our shape. Add to that that Phil Dowd seemed intent on breaking up any momentum we created and the second half became frustratingly disjointed.
I snuck a Manchester United fan in yesterday and his observation was how quickly the crowd turned on the side once we let Bale in. (Hats off to his finish by the way). There are times when I think part of the problem is the weight of negativity that cascades down the stadium when we are not at our thrilling best.
I am not an AKB. I have often thought his stubbornness in the transfer market is our Achilles heel. But I have seen only one other club in Europe play the way we did in the first half yesterday – and Barcelona is our real benchmark these days – not that shower down the road.
They did not win it yesterday – we lost it. A handful of attempts against our constant pressure (until we bizarrely started launching it long in the last quarter of an hour). Holic I enjoy your commentary on Arsenal. Yours is the best Blog imo. But I think you were too critical yesterday. Against West Brom and Newcastle I felt cheated by a bunch of lazy overpaid egos. Yesterday we flew at them in the first half and were a gnats away from 3-0. Our problem was not a lack of caring. It was shit finishing and sheer panic.
I am going to get the best odds tomorrow on us winning the league this year. I believe we are good enough to do it now. I didn’t a week ago
Goonertown –
Holic – pure jokes
Winston – wicked post!
Every time I look at the league table I feel better!
But losing to the sp*rs…!
Like I said earlier, when we win the league cup it will prepare us for winning the league
Cu’mon yoooou Goooneeerrss!!!
I love that picture Holic certainly put a smile on my face perhaps I should be making another count up clock last time since they beat us at home ?
Anyone notice that Naughty November has stuck again?
3 losses in 5 games and 3 more fixtures to go!
Everything that has been said has been, so no need to dwell!
Wenger is past his sell by date,time to go mate,you used to be great but now you’ve gone stale,you’ll always be a legend here but all good things must come to an end.
definintion of goon from english dictionary
goon? ?/gun/ Show Spelled
[goon] Show IPA
–noun
1. Informal . a hired hoodlum or thug.
2. Slang .
a. a stupid, foolish, or awkward person.
b. a roughneck
says it all above
get used to it the power has shifted today and the fact that your manager has not had the money to pay up and pay 2m for a goalie or a decent centre back says it all
we have the best players now as proved in the last two matched against your foreign legion of imports.
get ready for real fun when you have to start fielding some home grown players and stop importing them on the cheap from africa via some backdoor belgium club
And the nationality of your three goalscorers yesterday was, fuckwit?
I never cease to be amazed by people that cram so much stupid into one head.
Foreign legion of imports?!??!
Brazilian
Scotsman, Frenchman, Frenchman, Frenchman
Englishman, Croatian, Englishman, Welshman
Dutchman, Russian
You would actually think that this was the Arsenal starting XI the ay you rambled on and yet, incredibly, it was YOUR STARTING XI!
2 Englishman out of 11?!
Really, you actually bothered to come all the way over here to look that big a twat?!
Well done, you succeeded in a way only a “Coq” can!
Now fuck off.
PS – Thanks for the nice comments guys, really appreciate it. In truth I thought that most would see the post and think “that is too long to bother” or just rant it down for being such. I guess I really need to spend more time in the drinks here and less time at other “Arsenal Fan Sites”!
PPS – Black stuff for me Holic, haven’t had a pint of heaven in years as I live in the arse end of nowhere and they haven’t even heard of it here!!!!!!!!!
baron von wenger
You are having a laugh who scored for you? What English talent you say? Where was Bentley? Ohh I forgot he’s getting swapped for Honda 🙂
The fact is you got lucky yesterday or shall I rephrase that we allowed you to win it with a very abysmall display and it was your day fair enough.
Come on 17 years it took ya and you can’t go arguing about that even that Dictionary aint gonna help unless when you’ll be in class tomorrow.
Silly Spud!
Welcome back WS. You made quite an impression. I serve a mean Guinness too 🙂
Arthur, good to see you back on form. Slowly getting back my mojo too. Was in a dark place last night and much of today, but some really great comments have been forthcoming, which surprises me a little, given my negativity last night.
When Adebayor, knocked Stalteri to the ground and you survived deseat. You must have thought the day will come soon when the neighbours will reclaim there rightful position. Well Goonerholic it has now happened, we could not have played worse in the first 25 minutes. But Gallas kept us in the game and the rest is history. Did we play well. NO! Did we win YES! Are wi going to win at the Lane bet your arses we will. Bale is only going to get better.
Well done Cusop! How does it feel to feel proud of your team?
Welcome to our world for the last 100+ years!
Lol at the spuds on here. I guess you deserve to talk today but your pathetic club is still in 6th. You’ve already proven time and again that you can’t handle the UCL and league so you’ll most likely get dumped by bremen. I wouldn’t be booking your 2011-12 UCL tickets if I were you. Oh btw you haven’t won the league in 50 seasons so fuck off you failures.
Whilst I’ve been encouraging the neighbours to enjoy their moment, I cannot help but feel that the Baron @ 158 has had a pint too many of stupid.
“we have the best players now as proved in the last two matches against your foreign legion of imports.”
(I’ve corrected your numbnuts spelling for you)
Pray tell me what was proved in the 1 – 4 loss you suffered at home two matches ago please?
Perhaps you can’t as you left early? (unlike true supporters as witnessed yesterday)
Treat cus with some respect guys please. He is a rarity, a half-decent marshman.
Mark, good point about not leaving early yesterday. Another surprise given the numbers who leave early when we are winning. Next to nobody went before the final whistle. Not in the Faux-Clock End where I was, anyway.
Duttlenheim
you are living up to your reputation
DEFINITION OF GOON
goon? ?/gun/ Show Spelled
[goon] Show IPA
–noun
1. Informal . a hired hoodlum or thug.
2. Slang .
a. a stupid, foolish, or awkward person.
b. a roughneck
Please baron, I really do hate engaging in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent…
baron bon wenger
Have you got your Dictionary all packed for school? Now there’s a good Spud! Hope you buy that DVD tomorrow hey it only happens every 17 years! FACT!
Thank you Holic next round is on me, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel myself too.
Cusop
Are we forgetting something here?
http://yfrog.com/0578332240j enjoy while it lasts …and guess what another DVD to your collection 🙂
I can’t add to or deny any of the feelings you describe during yesterday’s game ‘Holic, and I would agree that it was the most hurtful and depressing defeat for a long time.
With your preview comments about saying a few words on Bear roundabout before the game, and all those to whom this match is so important, I stood for a while on the concourse above the Armoury and watched the scene down on the streets below.
The best part of 60,000 Gooners arriving in high spirits after our two away wins of the previous week, was a fine sight indeed.
The stones laid in the pavement outside the Armoury, more testament to the class of which our club has so long been capable.
A look round at the sight of our fantastic stadium, decorated with a mural depicting BERGKAMP – WILSON – HAPGOOD – GEORGE. locked arm in arm high on the walls.
Further testament to decades of class and Arsenal tradition.
“we are going to do this lot today”, i thought to myself, “and stop all this crap about power-shifts and being as good as us, and winning the league”.
“and even if we don’t win”, i thought, “i will be just as proud of this great club, and just as glad i never became a Sp*rs fan”.
At half-time we had sung our heads off and leapt for joy as we played the Spuds off the park. We stood full of pride and marvelled at the football played by this team of Wenger artists.
At full-time we stood silent and stunned at how we could just throw away a match that mattered so much.
The realisation sank in that this would be another season of failure.
Every time this team has victory within it’s grasp, it collapses.
We can haul ourselves back into contention from seemingly hopeless positions in the league table, only to throw it all away again as soon as we have an advantage to press home.
We throw away leads in matches we are winning easily. We work hard and fight in some difficult games to get a lead, only to then relax and nearly throw it all away again ( Wolves – Everton last week).
‘Holic, I sit with you in the “Arsene Knows” corner of the bar, although some do keep trying to move my seat. I said after the Newcastle game though that I had the impression that something had to change.
These players have to find the desire to win something, or go.
The manager has to stop blaming bad luck and bemoaning the match statistics in his incredulity at losing again, while reassuring us all that the players possess great mental strength.
They do not.
I will always be grateful that i never became a Sp*rs fan.
I will always be proud of our great club.
But proud of this team ? At the moment, I’m struggling.
Thanks Holic….
Tastes…
Just…
Great…!
Lol, the last time they won it wasn’t a DVD, – it was a video! It also came in VHS and Betamax versions!! 🙂
To me, it still hasn’t sunk in and I think I’m in some sort of shock.
I’m not looking forward to the moment when it hits home and I realise that they threw this away.
How many more times will this happen? Whilst going up to Eastlands and winning three nil is admirable, the home form is fucking dire and is what could easily lose this championship.
Tom, the hard part I think is this team is good enough to win the championship and better performances are within our grasp. How we can play so much worse in the 2nd half after dominating the 1st half is no less than mystifying.
I might be repeating some points from all the drinks above but well, after a full day of trying to escape from the heart wrenching mess that was saturday (read: morning footy, won 4-2 thank God, lunch with the mates, afternoon beer with a pretty lass, best japanese food i can find here and then some comedic relief on the telly), It still fucking hurts.
After the no-handshake from Sammy, after Gallas’ swipe to his nose (albeit accidentally, maybe), after Sammy getting pissed off and squeezed off that opener, I was really just happy that we go up 2-0 against the old enemy, was already waiting to get home to rip some poor Spud fan/friend a new one with my laughter…
Maybe the players had the same problem during half time. Is it so hard to stay focused and not count the bloody chickens before they are hatched? The look on all the Gooners at my bar after the final whistle just summed it all up, we were dead in the eyes, absolutely gutted and simply refusing to believe that our team just threw away a very spiritedly worked 2 goal lead at half time.
I don’t think it’s much at this point of time but the only silver lining i can see out of this is that the Real Gooners are really really hurting from this, and i’m glad i’m surrounded by quite a few of them here.
And I hope, for the sake of The Arsenal, that the players are hurting and reeling from that display on saturday too.
Anyone thinks this team have the mental toughness and ruthlessness in them to win something?
@Sajit
No. Any long punts over our heads can decipate all our tippy tappy pretty efforts anyway.
Just ask Andy Carroll and fuckin Younes Kaboul.
Ok Im sayin that because Im spitefully pissed over our loss. To think our past season’s implosion versus Wigan was bad enough. We repeated the fiasco again versus our most hated neighbours. We could very well say “Lets take it like a man” in stride. But our past habits, of dis-respecting the opponents by collectively switching off all efforts to either hold on a lead, bad tactical substitutions and losing all sense of team discipline has come back to haunt us again and again. Its ridiculous and revolting.
I do not want us to be the “ALMOST” there club. But these lads seem to be content with just that.
1 nil vs barca for 70mins and we imploded. A goal up vs plenty of other teams and we imploded. Blame the refs. Blame individual players. We rant. But end of the day, its those losses to those long punting cloggers that hurt most when our tippy tappy goes to waste when the players dun shed blood for one another.
Prove us wrong we say. 5 seasons on, still waiting. Sigh.
Just coming out of a self ordained hibernation due to football overload or as the good lady put it “it’s me or Arsenal – you can’t have both!” and the three square meals a day, the freshly laundered clothes and the occasional show of affection won out – what can I say, so I’m weak like that heh!
So I walk into a shit-storm. But if this hibernation has taught me anything it is that we are all turning into Nick Hornby. Our whole life hangs on a thread – which way the wind blows at the Emirates. Got to get the balance right.
Still, the Spuds doing us like a kipper hurts muchos. It’s all been said in the posts above. But I woke up this morning kinda positive. Two points off the summit. Everyone is slipping up. We’ll do them at the lane – it’s away after all huh?
Whisper it quietly, but we can win the league.
Well-done H for actually writing a blog about that game in such an honest dignified way.
I would have just sworn through the blog and asked for all of them to be sacked and forced to play for Crawley Town (just like Pires) till they retire!
Morning All!
Holic: Thank you for the picture. Another snorted coffee through the nose moment. It really lifted the spirits this morning. Is it too early/late for a Guinness fuelled breakfast?
AFC 1974: Spot-on! Balance and perspective. It still hurst like hell but it’s not life or death. Everyone’s slipping-up. No matter how unlikely we may consider it to be right now, it’s still possible for us to win 4 pieces of silverware & for us to kick LWC butts @ WHL. Whisper it, perhaps we should try to enjoy the closest championship for many a year. Barman? Big drinks and respect for this man and other ‘Holics who are starting to take a more positive outlook.
Come on boys (& girls?), let’s man-up and put on a brave face through the pain. It’s part of being a true supporter. Every team in the league is going through these up and downs at the moment.
Bring on Braga and hopefully a strong reaction against the Villa on the weekend.
COYRRRs!
BBW,
Do you have enough pocket money left to buy the DVD this morning?
There is nothing as dangerous as having an entire club ethos built around a manager. He is in this ivory tower where nobody is applying the remotest bit of pressure on him. Players jockey for the position if they have competition (Clichy take note, when Gibbs comes back), but until Kroenke or Usmanov get their feet firmly under the table to remove the Hill-Woods once and for all be prepared for these outcomes season on season. Wengers selection & subs baffled & his post match comments bemused.
Wicked Arthur!
Mark the Spark I believe the video player was called Betamax!
Sorry Holic but Cus is a Spud, as half decent as he is! Lol!
Michael “it’s up for grabs”. I’m not sure about Usmanov!
If you want Usmanov or Kroenke completely in charge, you’re out of your mind.
If there’s one thing that would truly de-rail our season right now, it would be a change of management and/or ownership.
Sorry, that’s two things 🙂
TS – Good point! (See: Chelsea). Although theirs is a coaching
Thanks GT.
Maybe, come May, it’s time for the Arsenal collective to have a big sit down, a serious think and a re-structure. I’m a supporter so if it’s best for the club then it’s must also be good for all of us supporters.
No-one has a pre-ordained right to continue in any position ad infinitum and no one member of the club is bigger than the club, even Arsene.
BUT NOT NOW!!!!! (Kato)
Agreed TS, I would love to be a fly on the wall sometimes myself!
The ownership model is envied throughout football and is in no way responsible for whatever failings this group of players may or may not have. I’ll revisit this topic in what will be a wide-ranging Braga preview tonight.
Get some rest. It may be a long read 🙁
Hi,
It’s been two days. Still hurts.
But we have to look forward to the next game, time to look through the gloom. Give Van Persie a start I say. Wilshere should start too.
Holics, we all know that we will be back watching tomorrow night willing them to win. Come on Arsenal. We have had enough of these spineless debacles already. Show some strength!!!!
Another Excellent point from the chief of the Holic contingent!
You all know my views on the Gooner Model! Promoting saving and the youth in these times of recession! Genius! We are truly blessed!
Plus only two points from the top! Not bad considering!
Can’t wait for the post Holic! I would love to rest, but my employers would have something to say about that.
Harsha -See that’s the thing that we maybe over looked during this time of sorrow!
The fact that we still have a mouth watering prospect in terms of midweek rotation and a pick me up which is well needed in the CL!
I expect the lads to respond! Especially the those rested!
Arseblogger has saved me an hour tonight. Make sure you have read him first!
http://arseblog.com/2010/11/this-team-is-not-right-in-the-head/
‘Holic,
Look forward to the post later and to getting back on track with supporting The Arsenal. These are the types of times when a supporter can show their true mettle.
Would love to be resting now but just not possible….
However, would be happy to join you and fellow ‘Holics for a lunchtime swifty if time permits. Cheers 🙂
‘Holic again,
…. I did. Very sage and describing LWCs as “cock gobblers” was just as funny as your photo above.
Barman? Save a drink for The Arseblogger please.
Harsha
It’s going to hurt until we beat them @ WHL and it will still be a painful memory even then.
Did the team miss Diaby on Saturday? (I’m not expecting answers in the affirmative). If he had been in there though, I would expect the knives to be out for him in particular.
If (and it’s a big if, forgive me) any of you might need a little shot in the arm with regards to motivation as to why we must get back behind the team now and go back to asking questions a little later then read this….
http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/11/22/arsenal-2-spurs-3-just-funny/
*rinses mouth with soap and water*
‘Holic and ‘holics,
about 180 reasons above keep me off the internet following days like Saturday. I love my Arsenal too much to read anything irrationally abusive about my team, so excuse me for being too much a mother 😉
oh and bite me for being an optimist and a believer………
Sentimental you say? at least one of us has got to be 🙂
Holic and Holics…
Do we need a ruthless acquisition to the squad or a ruthless attitude?
This question has been asked since the disbandment of the Invisibles and cannot be ignored any longer!
I also read AB argument regarding the ruthlessness of AW, but as Winston pointed out, if he literally built the Invincible’s from scratch, then this may indicate a change in attitude regarding AW state of mind rather than an actual state of mind.
Since the youth policy I have noticed AW tries to be a little easier going with the youngster’s and the inexperienced. He tends to not want to knock their confidence (See: Fabianski).
So how about adding ruthlessness to the squad?
We have the pressing (Chamakh) the play making (Nasri Arsahvin etc), However the tricky thing could be where in the squad would this ruthless character play without displacing someone else, or stunting the development of another future star!
How about the attitude of the squad?
There is an argument that SAF doesn’t take gobshite off of his Manure’s young or old. So is it the players or the attitude of the players?
As stated, grinding out a result at Goodison and indeed against Man City would suggest the players can do the job, but their attitude has changed during certain games, namely home games.
So this season the question to address would be why the lacklustre attitude at home this season? Away from home in the PL there has been only two defeats, Shakhtar, their beautiful home record was at stacke in the CL, whereas, with Chelsea the players are now starting to believe that getting a result against Chelsea is far away and Chelsea must also think this about us too, hence the last few games. Although we all know Chelsea are not the same animal without their key players too! (See their last two PL games). A debatable issue for another time.
For sure Keowns point re: complacency is vital because until our players find a cure, their complacency disease will effect them for many games to come.
Sunday is supposed to be a blip by our standards and the attitude of the players should understand that but also act upon it, breath it and sleep it!
Holic,
Your post was spot on as usual! Bring Charlie George in this week and give them all a bollocking. I do not mind losing to a better side if the effort is there, but we looked like prima donnas out there 2nd half! Laissez Faire it is I am afraid! I often wonder what Arsene is like in the locker room at half time? Too often we come out flat, this has to change!
What is critical to appreciate is that Spurs have been in the back seat or left on the side of the road for a considerable amount of time. Enduring the sniggers and remarks for more years than we can count. But the pain you should feel is that you buckled and buckled under pretty week pressure. This is a new day for Spurs. The fact that we did not fear Inter and taught them a lesson has improved our confidence. Hearing the reawakened calls for a chopper for Wenger only serves as a nice desert for us loyal spurs fans. for us to be his undoing what could be sweeter. You need a keeper and if you get Schweitzer than you will reemerge as contenders. if you stick with the other 2 clowns then you will be open fodder for quite a few prem teams. The fear in frount of net of your own net is going to be your undoing.
1. Why cheat and use a hand to stop the ball.
2. Why ignore the fastest talent in the league having driven him inside
3. Why allow our CB a goal when no other team this season have allowed it. Your problems are fear. No one fears your defence! And you fear everyone elses forwards. There is no Adams and co to save you just a bunch of novices. PS Thanks for Gallas he is Knut, but he is our Knut! And we loves him, he is our precious! Frodo
‘This is a new day for Spurs’ – until your next drab defeat against some crap team you mean (so next week)? They make us look like the models of consistency!
Cus
Teach me please sir. How have you managed to deal with this pain for the past 17 years?
Easy true love! Ask any spurs fan! We live eat breath the football we love the game and style we play. We have been to the libary and imaginates and been better than you only to leave empty handed or you laughing at us for scoring 4 goals and getting a draw. “Look at them spuds they tie and its like they have won the league”. But Remember! Now we have popped over the road and out muscled you and stole 3 points. And Gallas was our best player. Gallas versus Sol C@#ntball. You can you not imagine how much that hurt every spurs fan, that Ar Sol leaving Spurs like that. I hope you all have nightmares about Gallas! I hope you all go into a melt down and sack Wenger. The guy who turned boring club your from the worst style of football to one of the most pleasing on the eye. Lovely Jubberly!! COYS
Getting through managers at the drop of a hat is more of a Spurs thing, we don’t want to be picking up habits of theirs you know.
Ette you most definately are not alone, been Reading drinks since Saturday night and while I can understand.negative attitude and understand the anger as well I think some people should get real. Sack the manager, really gaz, funny I saw that coming as soon as I clocked your name come up, nothing positive from you ever as far as I can see. Steve t well where do I begin with you? No-one to applaud you into work, same here, work shifts and weekends, same here so fucking what, I’m not looking for medal and I’m not looking for a public apology from the club when they lose either, I don’t consider it to be my job vocally support the team either I do it because I want to and I don’t really understand people who don’t and just sit and moan and wallow in self pity when things don’t pan out the way they want them to, it’s part of supporting a club, highs and lows, if you can’t accept them both you might as well give up. As for those that that go on about what they sacrifice, you don’t have to be there, when that whistle goes, what’s happening outside that ground doesn’t matter, win lose or draw I am exactly where I want to be.
@TS- I know.
@Goonertown-I am looking forward to a response indeed.
We have something to keep intact- our away form. May be the reason we are playing decently away from home is because we are not being complacent after taking the lead.
I think if we were 2-0 up at WHL we wouldn’t have been so fucking careless!!
I’m expecting(not hoping) that the real Fabregas turns up tomorrow because we need him to keep possession of the ball.Just keep possession, don’t go forward, just keep the ball after we take the lead. Which is essential to close out games.
For now, I ll have a pint of Beer please.
Sorry Cus but you will be enduring sniggers an remarks for many years to come too!
You didn’t win this game…We lost it!
Cus, try as you might it doesn’t wash, the reality is the league table, take a look, just to help you, find arsenal(3rd) scroll down a bit, not up mind, that would be the wrong way, when you get to 6th stop, there you are, about right I’d say. By the way if Sunderland win tonight you will need to go down to 7th to find yourselves tomorrow
Harsha- it appears to be part of our current character to comeback from set backs!
(He says)
Hi ‘Holic and ‘Holics,
I couldn’t read anything else related to Saturday until I came into work this morning. Reading some of the the more recent posts doesn’t fill me with confidence; so I’ll ask again:
Team and Manager have learned nothing.
Praytell, what have WE learned?
Hamy*d
I don’t understand the hostility from you!
What does one away win (which we handed to you) in 17 years against us really prove?
It proves we don’t mind giving away to charity every now and then just as we did by donating you a couple of cast offs to play against us, one of which you and your manager are all calling your best player!
Says it all!
This all reminds me of a famous exchange of Churchill’s, one evening where he’d had too much to drink. A woman said to him,
‘Mr. Churchill, you are drunk!’, to which he replied,
‘Yes madam, I am drunk. But you are ugly. And whereas tomorrow I shall be sober, you will always be ugly’.
The inference to everyone reading is this: yes, we lost on Saturday, and yes, it hurts. But remember that, after the pain has dimmed slightly, they are still Tottenham Hotspur, and nothing can change that.
League tables are very interesting and you lot have to start recognizing that we have been close for a number of years before .After at the Lasagna gate, you must have been all the more joy us when Scudmark stood on your turf and said the game must go ahead. Watching our pain. Its the drama of it all I love. Last year we hit 4th. This week have CL then Liverpool, the Chelsea. All games we can win. You have Braga an easy team to beat and you have all lost your confidence. Why did you let Gallas go he was the best defender you have. He certainly brings a lot to Spurs. I think we should take Walcott of your hands next. Because your making a mess of his career. How about a straight swoop. Bentley for Walcott. Walcott after all the lies about being a gooner turned out to be Mickey Mouser fan. Bentley loves your style of football. Go on get on the bell to Wenger! And if your do finally all fall from glory. We might buy your ground off you and you can all bugger off to Stratford LOL!
Cus
We agree at last! Gallas certainly does bring a lot to your team. Principally, he puts the C in LWC. Give it a while, you’ll understand soon enough….
Cus, I see the reality of league tables has got to you and reduced you, like the rest of your spud mates to talking gibberish. Arsenal still top dogs in north London as they have been for many, many years now, when you start finishing above us on a regular basis come back because then you will have a case to argue, until then it’s back to the twilight world of the deluded for you and your mates. Bye
To all LWC visitors at this bar:
Finish above us in the league for the next decade.
Qualify for the CL and get through to the knock-out stages for each of those 10 years (decade’s a big word isn’t it?).
Win the EPL at least once in that period.
Build and move to a stadium that can seat 60K people and fill it week in, week out.
When you’ve done all that, let’s sit down and have a sensible banter about the balance of power in North London and who’s the bigger club.
Until then, jog on and if you must visit us to embarrass yourselves, please leave your dog-shite covered shoes at the door because it bloody well stinks in here now.
Barman? Windows open and a bucket of Dettol please, thanks.
TS – Hahahahahahahaha!
I can’t believe the level of education of these LWC visitors!
We bring the pride to North London; gift them a win at our place and this is the thanks we get!
How ungrateful…
…we need to air this place out, it pongs!
Remember LWC’s stats do not lie!
LOL!!
I think it must be Chico time with all you load of sheep herders! Until the next installment I am off to just enjoy the DVD again and again and again!
Goonerholic keep drinking the beer and I might pop in if the Braga game goes south and as long as our little adventure goes according to plan and we can stop that pesky Bosno German from tearing us apart like in last encounter with WB.
Pus sac of Shighty Spurs (ok so I cheated a bit) True Storey says it rather beautifully in 221.
You may have won a battle, but let’s see if you LWC have the stomach for the war huh?
Lap it up son….
Get knotted Cusop…your deluded glory hunting is boring us now!
@ 221 True Storey
Unfortunately TS, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that we live in an era where memory, History and common sense are becoming extinct. i’m afraid if St Totteringham day doesn’t come this year (or any year for that matter) the sp*ds will proclaim eternal victory, and all the decades of indisputable superiority will go out the window. Such is their character, such is their frustration.
@221……….. your rant proves that Arsenal are the bigger club so i fully understand why you are so upset about the loss and it’s manner.
Hard cheese old son !!