RvP The Difference As Pilgrims Progress Is Halted
Jan 3rd, 2009 by 'holic
First things first. Fair play to Plymouth. The visitors arrived with a plan, managed to exert some pressure in both halves, and played on the fragility of confidence currently evident in the hosts.
Arsenal clearly resembled the famous ‘curate’s egg’. Parts were, I assure you, excellent. Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie, captain for the day, were prominent in most of the good things that happened. Emmanuel Eboue too had his moments that included going closest for the Gunners in a frustrating and goal-less opening half. Others were less accomplished.
Those who, like me, were unable to get to the Grove found streams at a premium. One good one was found, and in a seperate window I had a wonderful shot of some Spanish-speaking fella’s TV . He was about a minute ahead so I enjoyed his hilarious commentary.
He understood clearly the difficulties Arsenal currently face. ‘No speed, no fast, very very poor’ he stuttered, Manuel-like, toward the end of the first-half. At the start of the second he was to release the cry of ‘GOL’ that he had been saving when Robin van Persie headed home a Nasri corner.
Our Danish centre-forward was being berated by the stream-provider as ‘Bendy, the worst player in the world’, when the second goal arrived. Bendtner himself was taking the credit for the own goal by David Gray. This isn’t a season of comfortable victories though, and Duguid had Plymouth back in the contest within a minute. When Rory Fallon curled one just past the post I think many were starting to fear a sting in the tail.
To be fair though Arsenal too were contributing to an enthralling second-half, and Keiran Gibbs, substituting for the injured Silvestre, was involved in a couple of our best moments going forward. An introduction for Carlos Vela also helped. The third goal arrived when the two outstanding talents combined, with Nasri the provider for van Persie’s second.
At the end of the day you can only acknowledge the fact that we did what we needed to. Nobody will herald a hard-fought triumph over Championship opposition as a turning point in the season. At the same time those who had feared the worst should take some heart from the performance of most of those in red.
We can also be magnanimous and acknowledge the contribution of the visitors to the contest. I hope the 8500 travelling Green Army enjoyed their day out at the Grove. For a while in either half you were given some hope by your side. I hope you enjoyed the trip back to the West Country.
We can now look forward to a week off before entertaining Bolton, beaten today at Sunderland. Then it will be off to Hull who face a replay before hosting us on the 17th. Could our fortunes be on the turn? Let’s hope that’s the case. Make the most of the weekend, ‘holics. I have a selection of malts to taste. I have a feeling they will be a little more enjoyable this evening.
30 Responses to “RvP The Difference As Pilgrims Progress Is Halted”
Nice blog to follow a nice result. Cheers, ‘holic
Diaby was excellent for me. But I know many don’t like him so some won’t agree. That’s just my view.
‘Bendy’ certainly lived up to his reputation as the worst player in the world today.
Arsene moving him to play as a right winger baffles me.
Any of those malts for sharing, ‘holic?
That’s strange chozzer, I thought Bendtner was excellent today. He was involved in loads of good moves, although I will say there were one or two times when he slowed down the play.
Diaby and Nasri were superb too, but most of all I enjoyed watching Ramsey – he really looked the part today.
Weird first half, very nervy at times. But we played some lovely football in the sceond half. The kind of footy that reminds you why you love this team so much (unfortunately, there’s a little voice in my head reminding me it was only Plymouth).
Got to put in a word for Kieran Gibbs. He’s absolutely fearless. Having seen us suffer from a lack of width lately, I’d happily stick him on the left wing.
Oh, and I’d be happy to see Nasri playing more centrally.
Vela really opened things up when he came on and again. I really think he should get more chances on the wing in the absence of Wallcot. Ramsay really started to boss the midfield and pull the strings in the second half. Thought Gibbs did really well – willing to push forward but also quick to the ball and willing to tackle. Nasri good.
Unfortunately I thought Bendtner was too slow ad too lazy again. His unwillingness to fight for 50-50 balls is almost unforgivable.
i have to agree with you about rvp and nasri, i thought they both did well, and rvps persistence in his second, to chip the gk and round the defender behind him, it looked class even on the same streams as you mentioned earlier.
i spent ages last year researching the dreambox option cos i was sick of poor quality streams, and now its up and running, theyre hardly showing arsenal at all, most weekends i still have to find a stream.
i thought the young lads did ok today, but with our injury list, and poachers in the transfer window, i fear some of the draws we have coming up.
That Spanish guy was annoying as hell!! He kept brandishing puppets in front of the screen, and one of them was ET(lol). The things we go through to see our team play… hehe
Evening all. Agree with you LB, I thought Diaby was solid too.
Gerry, I like the idea of Nasri playing more centrally while Cesc is out, as long as we can find someone to fill the wide berths.
xyzzy and tufty, pull up a chair, grab a glass. These malts are smoking!
I was at the game today and I thought that Bendner and Eboue were terrible today and really are not good enough for us. Others see things differently,sometimes makes you wonder if we are watching the same players. Fair play to Plymouth and their marvellous support. Result was inevitable but another laboured and ponderous performance from us. Our inability to keep a clean sheet will no doubt come back to haunt us in the future, but at least we are in the hat and Wenger is taking this competition seriously for a change. Once again fair play to Plymouth
We did a professional job and you can’t ask for more than that. It’s funny re: Bendtner, because he’s the newly appointed whipping boy now and I thought he had a decent game. But because he’s the newly appointed whipping boy the criwd were on his back before he even tried to do anything, which doesn’t help. My enjoyment of home games is being ruined nowadays by these morons who just turn up determined to give as much shit as possible to the current anti flavour of the month. As soon as Bendtner got the ball today you could feel thousands of pairs of eyes on him willing him to fail so they could have a good moan. Arsenal fans make me really depressed nowadays and in truth, it’s getting that way at away games too. Adebayor was booed off at Stoke when he was taken off on a fricking stretcher for Christ’s sake.
I’ll have a Talisker please, ‘holic. I thought Diaby was great today and looked far more at home in the centre – he even showed a little Vieiraesque touch at one stage. Ramsey was also quite prolific and seemed very hungry, always looking for the ball, as was Gibbs when he came on.
We were up in the gods today, but level with the halfway line. One of the benefits of being in the middle of the back row is that you can stand for the whole match. One other thing, was that both Bendtner and Eboue got solid applause from our side (west stand) of the ground when they were subbed which was nice to see.
Anyway, enjoy your evening and your next visit to the Grove.
Cheers.
I agree with eie about both Eboue and Bendtner. I thought both were poor. Eboue was full of effort, but his touch and vision let him down so often. Bendtner frustrates me. At times he just does not seem interested. He appears lazy and I thing that is what annoys people.
Good luck to Plymouth. They played well and deserve credit for their performance. Nice to see a significant amount of us still there at the end to applaud them off.
Thought we had several plus points today. Ramsey looked shaky at the start but grew in confidence. Gibbs looked solid at the back and good going forward. I thought his reading of the game was also very good. The two stars have already been highlighted by others. RVP had a great game. Nasri was all over the pitch today. Almost everything we did in attack had his involvement somewhere in it.
One final word about Gallas. I think in the last few games he has looked to be edging back to his best. Almunia was quoted as saying that not being captain has been a release for him. I thought he put in another great performance today, and looks a threat whenever he burst forward.
Another home tie please……..
Why are so many Gooners berating Bendtner? I thought he’s decent, just outshone by RvP, Nasri and Diaby. Like you ‘Holic, I found a stream, but only around the 33rd minute. Didn’t get the whole game but did watch the most exciting bits.
Now I also have an interesting question: Nasri’s clearly brilliant in the middle. If we can bring in a winger, would it be him or Diaby or Denilson who replaces Cesc as CM in a 4-4-2 for now? Or would the 4-4-1-1 thing be worthconsidering, with either Nasri or Diaby in the hole, dropping one of the strikers, especially going away from home?
I’d also like to highlight that RvP – someone we’ve always seen as a 2nd striker in the Bergkamp mould, linkup man, etc. – has led the line well recently when we’re without Ade and when Bendtner’s out wide. Whether it’s Diaby or Nasri behind him, he can capitalise on the chances created.
If we keep building on this little resurgence, with these players’ versatility, Arsene could try different possibilities in training. That said though, we can’t use that as a reason for being frugal in the transfer window again.
Try to imagine this scenario next Saturday. Bolton spread 5 across the middle to swamp the midfield and stop us playing our passing game. (Not actually that hard to imagine, was it?)
If after an hour, we’re still struggling to break them down, that would be the time to move Nasri inside and bring on Vela or even Gibbs (he’d certainly run at them and stretch them).
Lou
I know how frustrating it is to miss half an hour trying to find a decent stream, but – trust me – you timed it perfectly.
Incidentally, did anyone have problems (more problems than usual)
getting away by tube?
Personally, I prefer to park a couple of miles away and walk, but near the end of the game, the stadium announcer said the Arsenal station was closed. People all around me groaned.
I walked down Gillespie Road, and found the station was open again, but a cop was advising people that there were long delays and they should go to Finsbury Park.
Strange advice. Don’t wait ages at this station. Go to the next one and wait ages there!
Just a coffee for me this morning, ‘holic. The head’s still a bit sore after all.
Malt head, Ollie?
Little Dutch, the only one who can make these players put in the effort and at least display the basics of the games is themselves. Bendner and Eboue are not good enough. The reason the crowd are on their backs is because they are not good enough. I nor would I imagine any arsenal fan wants them to put in consistently poor performances, we want them to do well. But when highly paid individuals cannot perform the basics then they will continue to cop it as players have done for decades. Ultimately it is wenger who keeps picking these players and this must be frustrating for the likes of Vela,simpson when they see these piss poor players continually picked ahead of them. Roll on Cardiff
eie, Bendtner’s pass completion rate yesterday was the third highest of anyone on our team, Eboue fifth. They were doing the basics absoluterly fine, Eboue was nstrumental in the second goal and created our best chance of the first half and had our second best chance. The fact is, people turn up with preconceived ideas about those players and love it when they fuck up, because it soothes people’s egos to be right about a player. Bendtner was hounded at 1 point in the second half because there was nothing on ahead of him so he sensibly kept the ball and moved it back to Gallas. Incidentally, Ramsey was statistically our most wasteful player yesterday and I didn’t hear anyone hounding him because he’s not one of the appointed whipping boys.
Little Dutch is right about Bendtner being the new whipping boy since the boo brigade even manged to embarrass themselves with their treatment of Eboue. I thought Bendtner had a variable game, some good bits, some poot control, some slowing-down of play, but also some good link play and one very brave diving header in the Plymouth penalty area. However, there was one incident which helps explain why the boo boys get on his back. In the second half an overhit ball was rolling towards the goal line near the corner flag. Bendtner was the closest Arsenal player and made no attempt to chase it down. Even if he thought it was only a 20% chance of getting there before the ball went out of play he should have gone for it. Instead he didn’t bother and, embarrassingly for him, the ball ran out of so much steam that it barely made it over the line. Chasing almost-lost causes is a symbol of teams and players who are 100% committed. It was noticeable yesterday that Ramsay, Gibbs and Wilshire chased everything, whereas the more established players were content not to if they looked unlikely to get there in time. Maybe it’s a Wenger instruction to save energy if you think it’s a lost cause, but chasing down these sort of balls is exactly the sort of thing that fires up the crowd and makes them love players. If I was Bendtner or Eboue right now I would run and commit for everything – it’s one sure way of winning our respect.
I agree with RockyLives above when he talks about Bendtner not chasing down. I do remember that incident and those around me were far from impressed. The game has changed somewhat in recent years. Money should not be an important factor but it is. Fans get very frustrated each week when the cost of living is soaring, and they then see Bendtner who is on God knows how many thou a week not seem interested. That is the real point. Certain players have no idea of how lucky they are. Fans who pay a lot of money are entitled to their say. I do not agree with booing your own players, but I do object to the way the game seems to be going in general. Loyalty is now a dirty word. Cue the Adebayor situation in the summer. No one will ever know for certain what went on there, but I for one have not read one convincing denial that no contact with other clubs took place.
Bendtner, Eboue and all of the rest of the squad for that matter need to work hard and show commitment. Respect is something that is earned.
You go around the Arsenal blogs and it’s disheartening the amount of them that just jump on the doom bandwagon and think it’s clever to write overly derisive comments, it’s as bad as the tabloids that play on the nervous tension that surrounds the club at this moment in time.
Some of this tension is probably down to the hype created by the media every time a club loses a game or two, also maybe for the reasons Steve T outlines above for critiques surrounding Bentdner.
While I wish I’d never bothered to actually start reading them in the first place, instead choosing to just be content to attend the games it’s crept into the match day experience and you can’t avoid the people who constantly witter on about how so and so doesn’t deserve to play for Arsenal littering obscenties throughout.
I’m just soo glad that there’s blogs like this one out there that recognise that while the team has problems, discuss them objectively and put them into focus alongside the positives, even if I don’t agree with points there doesn’t seem to be the propensity to exaggerate for some sort of agenda.
Rockylives – You have a point about Bendtner, but it seems to me he can’t win, I’m not sure when exactly that incident was but I remember it, I thought it was after we’d scored our second and while we would like 100% enthusiasm and effort for the full 90 minutes I see why you can’t chase down every seemed lost cause either.
If I’m right and we were no longer pressing the game or were in any real threat I can let it slide. Against Manchester United he ran himself into the ground, literally, to the point where in the last few minutes you could see that he didn’t have enough left in him to eek out a decent shot.
The next day despite a deserved win against United you still had people seething that he hadn’t performed better and his wayward shooting could have cost us in the end or that he looked non-plussed by it all.
I know we all like to think that we’d chase down every ball if we were so lucky as to be in their shoes, but try it out next time you play 5-a-side and see how long you last, some of us fitter ones may still be able to achieve it, but I bet not all of us.
I take your point Natural Mystic – in my 5-a-side days I was not exactly noted for effort! But I still think it’s reasonable to expect a professional player to be 100% committed 100% of the time. And in this Arsenal team, 2-0 up is hardly secure.
But I second your point about the negativity of most blogs. I’m sure it’s part of the reason that there’s so much booing at the Emirates. People read these rants and work themselves up into a lather based on the opinions of people who, I would guess, have no credentials other than being ‘fans’. Typically, they’ll have it in for players who do the less visible work (like tracking back, neutralising opposition players’ forward runs and so on) because they only seem to appreciate the ‘showbiz’ end of things – the fancy turns and mazy runs. Song, while far from perfect, has had a couple of decent games this season after which I have seen him crucifed on several of the tackier blogs by people who presumably just didn’t see all the opposition moves he snuffed out. Thank God for the few good blogs like this one.
I have another reason for some of Arsenals poor performances this season. I have another reason for some of the lacklustre performances of individual players.
Let me take you back to a classic 4-4 north london derby. It wasn’t that long ago. We were leading 4-2 with barely 5 minutes left to play and about 20,000 of those attending decided to leave. They chose not to stay and applaud what would have been a magnificent thrashing of our old rivals. They chose not to clap and cheer our boys off the field. They chose not to celebrate with the team.
No, they chose to beat the queues, beat the traffic and bugger off home early.
You are the ones who whinge, moan and berate the players while they play. You are the ones who boo players.
I blame you.
Its downright hypocritical to ask our players to give 100%, chasing every ball, making every tackle, right to the final whistle, if you can’t be bothered to stand there and watch them do it.
Just think for a moment (and I hope you already have) if you had stayed at 4-2 and sung your hearts out in celebration – would it have made a difference?
The players need our support. Its a fact. They need our support through thick and thin. Right now, they are not getting it from a large portion of the crowd and its starting to tell. Our job as ‘supporters’ is to ‘support the club’. You can’t do that from the stairwell or outside the ground. The congestion is now part of the matchday experience. Get used to it.
This weekend we have Bolton. It will be a difficult game. Arsenal will need your voice in the crowd. The congestion after the game will be the same as always. So please, I ask you, plan to stay in the ground and support them, until all our lads are off the field . What have you got to do that is so important at 5.30pm on a saturday that you have to abandon your team before the game has finished?
Sing up for the Arsenal or give your ticket to a fan.
Good point Frugal. I was there until the bitter (very bitter) end against the Spuds and it was striking how many home fans had left at 4-2. In fairness, the vast majority of the away fans had gone too, although that was perhaps more understandable given that they assumed they’d been well beaten.
Maybe what we’re really all doing here is recording a change in the DNA of the game we’ve followed for so long. Whether it’s mercenary players winding up fairweather supporters or vice versa, it does seem that something fundamental has changed in the traditional compact between players and fans. There are no one-club players any more and no matter how much the players kiss the badge you know that it won’t stop their agent talking to Real Madrid or Barcelona or Chelsea if there’s a sniff of a more lucrative offer. But by the same token the modern breed of fans don’t see themselves as ‘supporters’ who will back the team through thick and thin, good and bad – they see themselves as customers who have paid good money and reserve the right to complain (loudly) if they are unhappy with the product.
For me, it’s a sad change, a loss of something magical and authentic, replaced by something materialistic and transient – but then I’m just an old fart who would still rather be signing his heart out at Highbury..
There are some really good points being made here, by everybody. Thanks for that, and the compliments.
I will just say there are people out there who will often be critical, but explain themselves and argue their points well. I may not always agree with them, but I respect their views. The first page I look for in every new issue of the Gooner is the Highbury Spy. We don’t always sing from the same hymnsheet, but he doesn’t just rant for the sake of it, and he writes in a style I enjoy.
There are others, as some of you have noticed, who seem to have another agenda. Every piece is barbed, and not well explained. Arsenal supporters who disagree with their views are derided. These are who I mean when I refer to the vocal minority.
I’ll not pretend for a second to have never been negative about individuals. At the same time I would argue that I go out of my way to praise those same individuals when they do well. I feel I have a certain responsibility to do that or my writing would not be fair and balanced. I’m not alone in that either. The vast majority of Arsenal blogs out there are written from the heart, and very fair.
Anyway, thanks again for all of your contributions, positive or otherwise. You will have noticed there is no need for pre-moderation here, and I have only ever had to ban one individual.
NaturalMystic. I take your point about 5 a side. The same can also be said for my 11 a side days. The one point I would make is that I had often done a full days work before I played. And it cost me money for the privilege.
Frugal. I agree re people leaving early. Drives me nuts. There are people that sit near me who arrive 10 minutes late each week. Leave for half time with 5 to go. Arrive back 5 mins late and go with 10 to go. I mean, what is the point? That said that was in no way responsible for the Spuds result. Total unprofessionally was to blame. Nothing else.
The one club players are extremely rare these days. I do not have a problem with that. Why shouldn’t players be allowed to ply their trade at different clubs and experience different countries. All I ask is that when they are with us that they give 100%, 100% of the time. It may not always come off but we all have bad days at the office. But the game has moved on, dramatically. Players past had to worry about their futures. A few bad seasons and they were off. At present, players earn absolute fortunes for being average. There then becomes a problem of motivation. I will use Steve Sidwell as an example. He left us and went to Reading. Worked hard and built a good reputation. Now Sidwell is not a bad player. But then he goes to CSKA Fulham. Now he would have known that unless there were major injuries that his chances of getting games were slim at best. But for 50 grand a week who can blame him? Unless they are unbelievably foolish, no one in our first team squad will ever have to work again when they stop playing.
The one word we are all looking for is Pride. All we ask is that players show pride in wearing the shirt. Show the same passion that we do. It is then that as fans it is easier to be more forgiving and tolerant of their short comings. Mr Bendtner for one, may do well to grasp that fact.
Only Diabyand Ramsey covered more ground than Bendtner according to the prozone stats. Bendtner’s tracking back is exemplary when he plays wide. I’m not telling you he’s a great player or even a good one, it just seems people like an excuse to get on his back. Like I said, people turn up at games thinking subconsciously “the second this goes tits up, Bendtner/ Eboue is gonna get it from me. If I see RvP or Theo gove the ball away or not chase a lost cause I’ll let it slide.” Single players carry all of the whole flack for the entire team which is patently unfair. Bendtner’s ability as an Arsenal player is rightly under question, but I don’t think the air of anticipation, people willing him to mess up helps much either whilst the golden boys get away with it. For instance, I’m bored of hearing of people’s fabricated disgust at Eboue diving when nobody said a word last year at Goodison Park when Fabregas’ theatrics got Arteta sent off or when Toure tried to dive for a penalty at Old Trafford a couple of years back or when Bergkamp did it against United at Villa Park in 2004. The truth is, it’s not the diving people hate, that’s just an excuse because it’s Eboue they hate. We football fans are incredibly fickle and we’ll forgive a good player diving, but not an average player like Eboue diving. It shows it’s not the act we despise, though that fiction soothes our ego, it’s the player perpetrating it.
I do not think people actually hate the likes of Bendtner and Eboue. I would however accept that they may be less tolerant. That is because of past events. Neither is a superstar and neither are likely to be. But I for one do not get a feeling of pride from either Eboue or Bendtner.
I actually think Eboue was having a good run of form until he was injured.
I go back to what I said earlier about having pride. Fans are more forgiving when a player shows, or has a reputation for showing a bit of pride in wearing the shirt.