Arrivederci Roma
May 5th, 2009 by 'holic
I should wait, I can’t. I’ve got to get this jumbled mess of feelings out now so I have a reference point when the serious discussions start in the cold light of day.
Firstly, as a blogger rather than a serious journo, I don’t have to be objective, or magnanimous, in defeat. Therefore I really mean it it when I say we were beaten by the better side, and I hope that Barca progress tomorrow so we can witness a Final between the two best teams in Europe.
That’s enough praise for the winners. I suppose in fairness any criticism of the vanquished, however constructive, should be similarly brief. It should also take into account the enormous misfortune that befell Arsenal tonight.
A bright start teasingly hinted at what could be, but a huge bubble was burst when Kieran Gibbs, a stellar performer just a week ago, slipped on the recently saturated surface and the dreaded away goal was conceded. I hope you are in the squad when that holy grail is finally secured young man.
Manuel Almunia too was immense in the first leg, and has been a rock for us all season. Only he though will be able to explain how Ronaldo’s forty-yard free-kick ended up in the back of the net at his near post. Game over in eleven minutes.
Thereafter I am a mess of contradictions. Desperate to seek the positives I latch on to the performance of Samir Nasri, immense this evening. If only some of his taller colleagues ahead of him had his heart and attitude. I hope the booking, and suspension, he collected as the pain of defeat started to burn into him does not cost us in a potentially difficult qualifier come August.
The way that Nasri is now settling into the side raises questions about next season, and how he can be accomodated in a midfield with Fabregas and Arshavin. A way surely has to be found. If this conundrum can be resolved we should have much to look forward to.
I’ve hinted at where the biggest disappointment lay, for me at least. Against a side that would clearly work its socks off we really needed the front players to hold on to the ball far more than they achieved tonight. We needed them to be working positions for themselves in and around the box when others were finding it hard to live off scraps. It didn’t happen. Ivan Gazidis may be looking for the Milan yellow pages rather than waiting for the call.
So that’s it. Effectively the season is over. Just three, rather than four games remain. Much invective will be aired in the coming days, weeks, and months. The time to properly reflect is probably a few weeks away, but I will express a desire at this stage to see the level of experience topped up in the summer window. We are not too far short of where we need to be, but tonight, indeed the three semi-final matches of late, have shown us that short we most definitely are.
102 Responses to “Arrivederci Roma”
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it’s tough. but onwards and upwards.
Well worded ‘holic.
Especially the last sentence
It’s not letting me post…
‘holic? I may have made some multiple posts which are not getting through…
Bizarre…
I too vent my spleen in a rare posting tonight ‘holic. I’ll have a large glass of Jamesons please, followed swiftly by another.
Chin chin.
Worst part was we did’nt seem to have the mental strength to get back into the game after the 2 early goals
I hope today finally vindicates the opinion that Arsenal are average going forward. We have a solid central midfield, but without Arshavin, our wung play is poor. Walcott is not a winger, not even close.
Adebayor and van Persie can go as far as I am concerned. bendtner did more in 30 minutes than both of those put together.
Arsene needs to get rid of them, bring in at least one quality striker (Edin Dzeko seems entirely gettable) and one more winger/attacking midfielder brought in to fill in the wings whenever Nasri or Arshavin does not play, rather than the lump of ;ard that is Diaby.
The squad is not far off, but we have a few players who are not good enough being played in the team, especially the strikers (and I have thought this for a while, this is not an over-reaction to the result tonight)
Sell van Persie, Adebayor, Diaby and Silvestre
Buy Dzeko, Sakho, attacking midfielder/winger and another striker/move Theo up front
Positives this year:
Nasri has had a VG first season; Song has developed hugely (gotta admit I doubted it was possible until a couple of months ago); Arshavin.
Don’t think we have to accommodate Arshavin/NAsri/Fab in the same midfield: Arshavin should play in the half-striker role. Dump Adebayor and try to get Huntelaar.
I guess AW might go after the likes of Inler and Albiol, which would add quality, but how many will we lose?
The time to properly reflect is probably a few weeks away, but I will express a desire at this stage to see the level of experience topped up in the summer window.
Absolutely right.
Cheers blogs,
And apologies Snail. My spam filter is playing silly beggars. I’ve thrashed it within an inch of its life in typical Cleese-like fashion.
Fuck, tonight hurts š
Why would you want experience? What does that give you? You need quality. Arsenal have lacked quality. If a player is experienced, that is a bonus, but keeping somebody like Gilberto and even Pires would have done nothing for us this year.
But selling Adebayor and replacing him with a better 20 year old could have improved us. Or signing a 19 year old attacking midfielder to replace Diaby. Or a better defender than Silvestre who is merely 21.
Experience is overrated unless the player is quality.
And Arsenal do not have the funds or the trophy cabinet to keep players who are starting to lose their value and worth to the club.
Believe me, experience has not cost us, lack of ability and poor defensive coaching has.
Men against boys. No contest in both legs. Same against Chelsea in the FA Cup. Time to buy some grown ups Arsene.
The first goal killed it all… its always hard to come back from such a sucker punch and with the second all life was taken from the players.
Personally Song once again showed a lot of promise running, chasing and tackling till the bitter end. Nasri as you said. BUT I do think Cesc of all people disappointed me tonight… he may be a terriffic player however as a leader I see him not! Too often a dropped head, too little inspiration and guidance. What a shame! It really does seem our little maestro needs a big brother to really shine.
We’re with you ‘holic, in spirit at least.
*downs another shot*
Not a time for sweeping judgments but where we lack has been made plainly obvious over the tie as a whole. But before we get too carried away let us bring an air of perspective. Whatever we may think, the fact is that the Mancs are probably the best club side in Europe. We play in the best league in the world and have made it to a Champions League Semi Final. Who in Europe would we really not want to play if we drew them in this competition? Barca? The British sides? Who else? My point is quite simply this. In my opinion we are in the top 5 sides in Europe so whilst we are all hurting, things are not that bad.
We do need to add strength and above all else, leaders. I thought our so called bigger players were anonymous in the extreme tonight. 2 unfortunate moments for the first 2 goals and yes, the tie is dead. But what really disappointed me was that I wanted to see some heart. I wanted to see some fight and spirit. I agree with the Nasri comments, he worked tirelessly all night. Song has made great progress this year but looks a different player when the opposition is of that quality. The introduction of both Bendtner and Eboue at least injected some urgency into the play. Going down in a game I can accept. Going down without a fight is not something I will put up with.
Let us hope that CSKA Fulham get a right kicking tomorrow night. I got bored of those smug twats at Wembley. They will be intolerable on Sunday if they actually make it through.
Keep the faith Gooners. Do not desert no.
I am not going to post again because I do not want to bore you. But leaders would not make Adebayor a better footballer, nor would they teach Walcott how to dribble, rather than funning fast and falling into/over somebody.
Leaders are great when your team is skilled enough to complete the task, and also consistent enough through the course of the season.
AT LAST SOMEONE WHO KNOWS A BIT ABOUT FOOTBALL. TAKE A BOW TT. VAN PERCIE IS THE MOST OVERATED FOOTBALLER I HAVE EVER SEEN. WATCHIN HIM TONITE WAS EMBARRESSSING. EVERTHING HAS TO BE TRAILED BACK YO HIS LEFT FOOT WHICH WATCHIN SEEMS TO TAKE ABOUT HALF AN HOUR. BUT UR NOT ALOUD TO CRITISIZE SAINT PERCIE . THE 2 OF THEM WANKERS UP FRONT TFNITE WERE AN EMBARRESSMENT . GOOD ON U BENTNER COMIN ON ON AND SHOWIN THEM 2 GIRLS A LITTLE BIT OF HEART , SKILL AND PRIDE . LASTLY ON A NITE OF HELL THANK U SAMIR NASRI FOR NEVER GIVIN UP AND GIVING IT EVERTHING WHILE THE CUNTS AROUND U SURRENDERED AND FELT SORRY FOR THIER POOR LITTLE SELVES
HH, that is a decent post, but don’t type it in Caps Lock, it makes you look stupid.
We have to be the first, nay only, London club to land Big Ears. I really hope Barca win at the bus stop in Fulham tomorrow.
well said steve
keep the faith
HH, it’s Van Persie, btw. I would say he was hardly at his best, but he was a doubt for this game last week, so I think a little allowance is due.
TT, your point about experience not bringing anything and leaders not doing anything for players would suggest that we should roll out the youth team for results…. Maybe it is semantics on my part, but what would you do if you were in Arsene’s shoes and wanted to get results?
Hey Dubs, good to see you.
HH, cut the caps please, ta.
Yes, nice perspective Steve – not sure why I didn’t see your post – I’m obviously looking for a fight pint…
*looks at empty glass*
I am not arguing that experience has a positive impact, but some fans seem to think that an experienced player would solve our problems.
Guess what, it wouldnt.
We have been severely lacking in attacking quality all season. Arshavin has come in and proven that we needed more on the wings. His extra experience is a bonus.
If we signed a top quality 30 goal a season striker who does not score 6 against the bottom team and rely on 4 chances per goal, does it matter if he is 21 or 31?
Experience on the bench, experience in the dressing room and experience on the field can be vital at times, but they cannot improve average footballers liek Diaby and Adebayor.
+ /
The most disappointing aspect of the game tonight for me was that after conceding the 2nd goal, our captain gave up on the game completely. Sure we were never going to win, but we should always fight till the last kick.
I expect this kind of thing from others, although i will never accept it. but for Cesc to completely give up the way he did, lose interest in the game and not think that 60,000 people paid to watch the team and him perform, and he should at least give something back to the fans by playing hard, is inexplicable, and unacceptable. The captain of Arsenal football club was a responsibility to be more than that, and although i have never questioned his commitment and heart before, the sight of him jogging around, and playing stray ball after stray ball hurt me deeply. We love you not because you are a gifted footballer, we love you because you love arsenal, you care about the club, and we would never expect anything like that from someone like you.
It is disappointing and embarrassing, that the only players who worked hard all game were nasri, song, and bendtner when he came on at the end.
Nasri is in his first year at the club, and played with more heart than the players who were bought by the club at a young age, and “raised the Arsenal way”. If thats the arsenal way then we have a lot to worry about.
Song and Bendtner are both players who have received more stick than most by their own fans. Yet they both tried in the game, and in the end, that is all you can ask for from a player. If he is not good enough that is not his problem, its the manager’s problem for picking him, but playing hard comes from within, and there is no excuse for not doing so. Parlour was never the most gifted footballer in north london, but we loved him, because he cared, and thats what we want to see.
I hope this is only a one time thing, but for the sake of the fans, We need our captain to keep fighting till the very end, because if he stops, there is no hope for the others.
In a way, I’m glad we lost, because we were never going to win the CL this season. At least it sends a definitive message to Wenger that we NEED strengthening and that you cannot win with the squad that we possess.
There weren’t enough warriors on the field tonight.
I take your point TT, but 30 or even 20 goal a season strikers of any age are not that common these days and come at a huge price. David Villa has been touted previously and would probably be a nice addition, but which clubs are letting those types of players go?
Bendtner could come good with a decent run in the side and the backing of fans. He’s only 21…
š
Anyone be bothered if we sold both Adebayor and van Persie in the summer and replaced them with one striker?
Arshavin can play off Bendtner, as could Nasri. And you could easily start Bendtner with ANY of the other striekrs at the cub (Vela, Walcott, Eduardo or the guy who we would sign – we have been linked with that Dzekoguy and he has scored lots in Germany)
Arshavin and Nasri on the wings with Song and Fabregas in the middle is an awesome midfield.
And Nasri has proven over the last three months that we can handle it if Cesc leaves.
Goodbye HH.
We need more experience on the comments too. That’s the problem with kids. They don’t listen.
Meesh I completely second every one of your thoughts! At least I wasn’t the only one who saw Cesc’s game that way.
I don’t know if it’s just me but I would want a captain on my team to shout, run and tackle like a madman in such a situation and you saw once it affected Cesc it affected the morale of the others and it affected our game. Just as the Boss once said ‘you have to go to the root of the problem’ and for me tonight it was Fabregas’ broken spirit.
What’s that you say, ‘holic?
I really hope Rosicky is fit for next season, It will be a delight to see him and Arshavin on the wings with Nasri as a backup winger.
TT. I think you are missing the point a bit. I do not think anyone is saying that experience alone is what is needed. There has to be large amounts of quality too. But Meesh is right when he talks about Cesc’s head going down. That is when we need players with a bit more experience and leadership potential. We need players of quality who will want to roll up their sleeves and take the fight right back at them. That did not happen.
Our strength in the past has been our togetherness and everyone playing for the team. We all know that Adebayor, Cesc, RVP, Theo can play a lot better than that. We all know because we have seen it countless number of times. So I do not get the point about experience making them technically better. Players with that bit of experience and leadership can galvanize a side. That was something we lacked massively tonight.
We do need to strengthen, and in all areas. But I do not think there is massive changes needed.
One last point. We have scored over 100 goals this season. So despite all of our faults, it is not that bad.
I think there was a lot of broken spirit tonight. We were caught early by a sucker punch – and then another – if you couldn’t see the wind knocked out of all our players sails then you must have been smoking crack. We all flt it – Were we ever going to get 3 let alone 4 goals tonight? Highly unlikely. Cesc was 22 yesterday – I felt sorry for the poor sod.
Where is the empathy these days, eh?
-flt
+felt
Anyway, thanks for the reasoned opinions guys, the wounds are not healed, that will take a few days yet, but the hurt feels a bit less knowing we’re all in the same shitty boat. š
Pass me one of those weevil filled biscuits somebody. I cannot get enough of them.
Still weeping. Stops the self-centered stuff!
Sod it, we are the Arsenal. Time to regroup and return stronger.
Sod it, I am going on the sauce now……………….
Come on lads, the boys will bounce back and so will we.
Now let’s hope Henry takes heart from this and does us the favor of not having to witness Chavski vs. Udt once more!
“We all know that Adebayor, (removed Cesc) RVP, Theo can play a lot better than that. We all know because we have seen it countless number of times. So I do not get the point about experience making them technically better.”
But I am arguing that these players are not good enough. I do not think that Adebayor is good enoigh for us, somebody shouting at him will not have any effect (possibly a negative one to be fair) and I do not think that van Persie is a) consistent enough b) physically reliable c) good enough to lead the line for Arsenal Football Club
As for Walcott, the guy is an average winger at best. Pace and nothing else. Move him up front or on the bench and we could see the best of him.
My problem with experience is where you put it in the team.
Almunia – good enough, reliable
Sagna – sorted
Toure – not great, but good enough
Gallas – top player, but he could go (maybe sign a new player)
Clichy – no major problems
Nasri – good enough for me
Fabregas – sorted
Song – great DM for me
Arshavin – more than good enough
Adebayor – bye bye
van Persie – good player, inconsistent, injury prone and not likely to get you 25 goals
Where do you add this “experience” without taking the place of a perfectly capable player?
I see no need to sign a first choice midfiedler, but somebody like Seedorf would come in handy in the dressing room and on the bench. At the back I am fine with what we have, we just need defendsive coaching. Maybe a Lescott could come in, but a Vidic/Hangelaand would not fit in at the club.
Up front is a major area of weakness for me, but quality is needed, not experience.
Back up players are also thin on the ground.
If it is any consolation boys, even when you have reached a half century of supporting this fucking magnificent club, it is hard to remind yourself on nights like tonight that more glory is just a matter of time. It wasn’t our turn, but fuck, it hurts…
Wenger needs to realize that the youth policy put into place did not take into account the money coming in from abroad, to the likes of Man city for example. Now we have Villa and Everton breathing down our necks, not to mention our north London neighbors.
If villa add one or two players, and everton likewise, or if city keep buying the way the are at the moment, and we keep trotting out the same line up, i think we could be in serious jeopardy of losing our champions league status in a year or two or three.
Once that happens then attracting and retaining top players (who are after money and exposure, we must accept this) will cease at arsenal. If that happens and we are relegated to uefa cup football and top 7 finishes, then there is no way to justify the astronomical ticket prices for our debt laden stadium. if we keep prices high, people might not come, and if we lower them then we might have been better off just staying at highbury.
We have a world class stadium, sure we don’t want to be like leeds united and buy unjustifiably, but we cannot be too cautious and allow those ahead to become out of reach and those behind to gain on us.
What might of been if we hadn’t conceded the first goal so early! The crowd were up for it, and the players were up for it…. even Adebayor broke sweat in the first 7 minutes. Arsenal scoring the first goal would of set up an incredible game. But give credit to United, the better team won over the two legs!
If only we could create that sort of atmosphere (before the first goal) for every match at the Emirates…
very good post indeed. feel upset, i was not able to work 2 days ago because of the excitement of the semi’s. like u said, in all the 3 semis, we lacked the cutting edge: even fabregas looked jaded. probably its because he has been played out of position after his injury and he has not been able to recover his touch. poor gibbs, i hope that the media will not crucify him for his mistake, it was a slip and he was just plain unlucky. but our defense is still very suspect, we definitely a commanding centreback who will marshal our defence, just like adams used to do in the good old days (and later there was keown and campbell). probably we can get adams to be our defensive coach.
also, i have never seen a striker in a good team who first touch is as lousy as adebayor. i think that he should be sold in the summer, because he is not willing to work for the team. walcott too was very ineffective on the right but he did try but evra and rooney were too much for him.
I wonder if Gazidis got a good deal on those flags…
Conceding the first goal – against the run of play – was lethal. Really sporting of Almunia to drop to the ground so that the falling JS Park could net the shot.
Evidence:
http://www.arsenal.com/match-menu/3132703/first-team/arsenal-v-manchester-united?tab=report
Almunia was tremendous in the away leg. That does not give him a free pass on the Cuntnaldo free kick from roughly 40 yards away. Not good enough.
I’m hoping Barca stuffs the blue scum tomorrow.. and more importantly, we blitz them on Sunday. GFL!
ARG. not as painful as last year though.
worth a mention that the ref was shite and utd dived (ronaldo for his free kick)
in the first 7 mins i really thought we were gonna win this game, we were extremely unlucky.
i enjoyed Jens analysis about how these new balls go fast and was glad he didnt criticise almunia like i was expecting.
oh well
NEXT YEAR
Champion blog holic.Good to see not every gooner is a panicking disgrace to the club.Hate those smug as fuck cunts.
i really hope henry is fit tomorrow and does us a favor. TT and HH i dont think you’re getting the point.
most of the important games this season that did not go our way weren’t down to out goalscoring abilities or inabilities.
we scored 4 at liverpool, 4 against spurs, took the lead against chelski in the fa cup, led 2-0 at vill, led 1-0 against hull. In all these games, there wasnt anyone ala vieira marshalling the team, always talking to the younger ones, keeping them calm.
and tonight, gibbs was out of the game the moment the ball was in the net. rvp did talk to him but i dont think cesc did, or kolo. and no one took the responsibility to regroup the team. with the way we played the 1st 7 minutes , we would have been fine attacking wise.
if we did not crumble in these games, thats 7 extra points in the league alone. there is enough quality, just no leaders Yet.
it really does hurt ‘holic
IĀ“m going to go out on a limb here and say the better team won..
The simple fact is that Man U has been buying world class players every year for 5-6 years now and their players have more experience, they have a stronger defensive unit in every way and IĀ“ll even say that their players worked harder.
This doesnĀ“t diminish our teams achievement in reaching the semi-finals of the champions league and we should be proud of having a team with depleted numbers through injuries and full of young players reach the final four in the top competition in club football. The problem with being loyal to the young players is that their development doesnĀ“t happen at an even pace and some players stop developing after reaching a certain level so I donĀ“t think weĀ“re obligated to stick with some of these players forever, I think itĀ“s time to cut some of them loose..
I donĀ“t think itĀ“s fair to players to judge players on the back of a defeat like this one but IĀ“m fairly certain that when the summer comes and we start thinking about where our squad needs strengthening most of us will come to the conclusion that this squad lacks a world class goalscorer like Torres.
ThereĀ“s one thing that bothers me though, when Vieira, Keown, Adams etc. were in the side every top game was like war. I think our young players need to be a little bit meaner and more competitive. Nice guys donĀ“t win a lot of trophies I think
Vieira this Vieira that, MOVE ON!
We get new players and the players we have have to be themselves.
And we lost to Liverpool because we cannot defend and out attacking playw as soooo bad that we could not keep the ball.
Experience the problem? No. How would experience change that?
As for Hull. That is a prime example of a team that has woeful attacking players.
TT. So what you are saying is that you are happy with the side apart from the forward line. That is despite the fact that we have scored over 100 goals this season?????????
Do you think that the likes of Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Song Cesc have played wel this year then?
Adebayor has a poor attitude. I would not be sorry to see him go. He scored 30 odd goals for us last season, moaned like a drain, got his pay rise and has done very little to justify it. RVP, in my opinion is a world class player. How you keep him fit and healthy for a whole season is beyond me. However, if we can do it then we have a top player on our books.
I will be honest and say that I think Cesc, by his standards has been average at best this year. One of our problems is that with the lack of strength in depth, it means that he is never put under pressure for his place. Both Sagna and to a lesser extent Clichy have been poor by the standards they set last season. When did either full back decide to forgt how to cross a ball????
I look at their third goal tonight. I sit back and think, that was what we used to do. But the killer pass was not there. The spark was not there. The speed and fluency were not there.
Like vieira…. TT not vieira…as in having leadership qualities like him
United are top of the league and they won something like 13 games 1-0…why did they not concede….i bealieve its because they are disciplined as a whole unit at the back at important moments in games.
TT go on moaning as much as you want. good on you for having your opinion. at the end of the day its arsene who is going to decide weather he’s going to add that 30 goal man (who i might add arent guarantess nowdays, the german league isnt exactly setting the world on fire) the difference in pace, etc…………or weather he’s getting someone else
whatever it is i love this club and i think we should keep supporting them and not boo them. i must say the fans at the grove we awesome, the ones that stayed back and could still be heard over the mancs at the end
Just home from the game. The saddest thing of all is that it is the first time in a long time that we have looked clearly second best to Manure. The only player in our team who would have got into their team tonight was Nasri.
To be fair to RvP, he is coming back from injury but surely Adebayor could have held the ball better over the last two games. We have been so powder puff up front in these ties. As for Walcot, can anyone tell me what he offers apart from a burst of pace that might frighten the odd slow defender. His decision making and final ball make Ebouie look like Pele.
Major surgery required if we are to challenge next season. The last few years of minimal bargain basement purchasing is coming home to roost.
oh well there’s going to be alot of bickering for the next couple of days. the most important thing is we all support this team and we want the best for us, albeit thru different methods.
come on you gunners
Tell you what, Holic, the kicker was Ronaldo. It was an awesome kick. Don’t blame Almunia, credit Ronaldo.
We are not far from where we should be — and remember even older teams can be deflated as our kids were today.
“Kieran Gibbs … I hope you are in the squad when that holy grail is finally secured young man.”
Indeed. Gibbs has shown us so much good these past few weeks. We can only hope that he pushes onwards rather then being crushed by his slip.
I agree on the part of leadership and the fact that we need to be meaner in games.Maybe the early goals sucked all the will power from our players, even the ability to communicate and encourage each other.
Song and Nasri were a bright spark in a sinking ship!
I also agree that, Adebayor cant make things happen upfront unless it is agaisnt easy defenses or maybe when he is up for the fight ala Milan away last year. You need your leading man to be able to shoot on sight even outside the box, but sadly he doenst seem to possess these powers anymore. He also used to hold on to the ball well last year. Now, I dont remember any drible or even a descent hold from him. I categorically say that Bendtner is better at holding up the ball upfront or even dribbling at the moment.
Rvp is obvioulsy reliable when fit
My thoughts when i woke up this morning after the sapping loss were more or less reflected by your post and most of the saner comments made by Dublin Gooner and Steve T.
Cesc – Head dropped and the rest of the team dropped. Song and Nasri just kept going at their jobs and they gave me the reason to continue watching.
Experience/leadership – Yes spot on from some of you that we needed someone to regroup the players after a sucker punch. Not to say that we want the following players back but last season we had Flamini clapping, hooting and screaming at his team-mates during hard matches and thats why we got so far in the league till the “Eduardo incident”. And yes, i’m very sure the players and us fans would have taken alot of heart last night if someone had stepped up like Vieira and Adams to just kick some life back into the tie.
It used to take just one crunching tackle and a spirited howl to say “we’re not out of this yet. who the fuck are we? we are fucking ARSENAL” and you see dropped chins point up, tired legs pumped with an invisible energy and chasing every loose ball.
Maybe its just me but after the penalty i saw RVP picking up the ball from the net and proceeded to run back to the centre circle with it, took a look around him and saw absolutely no will to even try and salvage some pride. He threw the ball to the ground with a look that said it all.
Between Ade and RVP, i’d definitely want the latter to stay but recalling a few weeks back, the Dutchman effectively said “i want to see ambition”. It may be ambition to buy world class players like Arshavin…but ambition on the field was sorely lacking last night.
It hurts really bad because we got the team selection that we wanted last night, going by the various blogs i read since last wednesday. And Wenger is still going to be criticized (not on this blog yet but there’ll be twats calling for his head) no matter what.
We DID put out our supposed best 11 available to us but was it really the right move? We’ll never know now would we?
But yes…we are Gooners and we’ll always look forward and up. Just wish that we brought the fight back to them to the very end last night.
Yeah I thought that Walcott struggled too much in the first game against Evra. He did again. Massive shame. But I agree, I would be happy to see Ade’ go and thats not based on this performance, but most of the season. Gibbs will get our support Im sure. He was in serious pain after that slip, and he’ll bounce back.
Sagna needs to practice his crosses because I think they are getting worse. check my site for my thoughts on the game as a whole
http://gunningforit.wordpress.com/
The morning hasn’t made me feel any better – no hangover though, which considering the amount I drank is odd.
Now to avoid all the hyperbole in the media and tabloids for the day…
Keep the faith and remember, we are Gooners!
Why clammer about bringing in this player or that player, you know as well as I do there won’t be any big buys or big names for that matter, thats a fact jack! I’m not gonna say we don’t need some fresh blood in the team because we do, but I get tired I reading how we need David Villa, or this one or that one, thats not AW style like it or not. I watched the match on ESPN and I was in shock after 15 minutes, but as much I as I thought it’s over I couldn’t bring myself to accept it, but thats me for ‘ya….. Anyway whats done is done and now we must look forward towards summer and getting “Rosey the Riviter” back and kick butt!!!!
fair say f4phantophreak. some name you got there.
we can say what we want, but it probably wont happen. Unless he finds another decently priced player like Eduardo… Wenger has spent money in the past couple seasons, sort of mid-range buys you could say, in the 10-5 mill bracket. you can get some good players at those prices. A defender I think should be key though.
Hopefully Rosicky will come back in full force too. Either way we ain’t gonna stop supporting the Guns.
I think we really should accept that the League, atm, is divided into-
Relegation threatened teams
Mid table teams
Uefa Cup teams
Arsenal
CL teams
We just don’t know where we fit in. We’re better than Villa and Everton but not as good as the top three. I’m not all that disappointed with the result. We made it to the semis, and lost to (in all probability) the eventual champions.
For all those slating Arsene, what’s he supposed to do? He picked his best team, but they failed to perform. That’s it.
And Adebayor sickens me at the moment. Nick, when he came on, showed us what we were missing. Giving it 100%.
exactly what i said in my blog. There isn’t a top four, theres a top three and then Arsenal and then Everton and Villa
Its becoming harder and harder to stay in the top three. Hard to take especially when we were in the top two for so long.
Theres still belief in the squad though, and next year I think will be really interesting. Our team will be up for it especially in the league. Again without injuries we have a pretty good line up. Even though Sagna needs work on his crossing. Im going to keep at that till it happens.
Season over but at least the season is nearly over if you catch my drift. I’ve been quite surprised at Wengers comments after the game, I’ve not seen the comments on TV as by the time I’d smashed half a dozen pints after returning home I was ready for my pit.
Into my fourth decade of supporting this club and yeah last night hurts but Wenger sums it up well. We need to take some distance from this season and move on. I don’t want to end on a negative but I just hope his reflections lead him to the conclusion that he should take whatever Milan offer and move Adebeyor on. Not as a result of his abject performances over the two recent semi finals alone. I know the tie was over by the time Bendtner came on but Niks performances overall this season should make Ade hold his head in shame. He gives his lot and as a fan you cannot ask for more, his lack of pace should not detract from the fact that he is a technically superior player, I don’t buy into this often stated notion that he lacks in the technical areas of the game, absolutely not. Suggestions that Huntellar would be a good addition are in my opinion way off the mark. Has anyone seen him at Madrid this year? Nik is a better player now and has the potential to be exceptional.
I hope the remaining three games this year see Nik promoted to the starting line up. I know we were poor over the two legs and there were a number of under performers but it doesn’t take a genius to work out the fans have had it with the Togolese.
My faith in Wenger has never been in question over the years and remains as strong as ever. There won’t be a mass exodus this year, there will be one or two changes hopefully of the quality of Arshavin and if that is the case we will be challenging next year. It hurts to say but I’m a glass half full guy and last night may well be a blessing in disguise.
Nasri was our MOTM. I thought that Song and Toure did OK as did Bendtner and Eboue when they came on. Cesc needs to play deeper to get the best out of him.
As far as I am concerned the opposition were better in just about every position and the shape and balance of our team didn’t look right to me. If your front man lacks power, movement and the ability to retain the ball it is a waste of time playing only one up. He also has to have support from the midfield.
Defensively overall we were quite poor again – as we were in the previous leg and against Pompey at the weekend. If Pompey had taken their chances we would have lost that game.
We have lost a match we would like to have won and we were outplayed by a better team but it isn’t the end of the world and the team must put the disappointment behind them and look forward; there are other matches to be played and won and there will be other cup semis in the future. However I think the team does need strengthening at the back in the central defensive positions, we can’t afford to wait for the young players to come through and we need proven ability now – not just hope for the future. Wenger also has to find the right balance and shape for the team – which also might mean buying a player or two but we have Arshavin to come in and he will make a difference. We may need two holding midfielders for example and movement off the ball has to improve.
Don’t dispair we aren’t far away from being a very good side!
gunning, we get the message…
Morning ‘holic! Fresh orange juice for me please…I need to clear my head……as well as my thoughts!!
Yes, it was a very painful defeat! Humbling too, against a clearly better Manchester United I have to admit [although it hurts bad to do so!!!].
Underperforming players aside, I detected a look in Wengers eyes last night that I have seldom, if ever, seen before. One of abject fear. One of a morbid acceptance that everything he’d banked on had just blown up right in front of his eyes. His personal dream, his personal ambition of delivering the Champions League to Arsenal Football Club being left on the shelf for yet another year, at the very least.
He will continue his reign at Arsenal but will now be under pressure [to deliver] like he has never seen or felt before.
From today, we enter a new chapter at Arsenal Football Club.
UP THE GUNNERS!!!!!
The worst thing about last night was seeing Ferguson being genuinely sympathetic when he talked about the match and seeming quite pitying when he talked about what a blow the two early goals were to us. It reminded me very much of the way a manager might speak after his team have just knocked out a plucky little Rotherham side from the FA Cup.
Our goal needs to be to never have Ferguson feel sorry for us again.
That’s similar to a point I made elsewhere last night TAFKAEH. Old purple nose emerged with some credit, but why wouldn’t you when your team has controlled a tie like that. Be interesting to see his reaction next time we beat them
Keep the faith gooners.
We are almost there – three more players with the attitude of a Gibbs or a Nasri and we are there.
Just can’t wait to see Arsene smiling again. He deserves it , for all the faith he has invested in this squad.
Also, to the wonderful set of fans we have around the globe – from the US to India – our time will come.
Really sad news. A gooner from Kenya committed suicide after yesterday’s defeat.
RIP
http://www.footylatest.com/arsenal-fan-commits-suicide-after-man-utd-defeat/
Absolutely bang on with the write up ‘holic, well played
Lets just hope Thierry gets to lift the cup now
Always good to read you, ‘holic.
I’ll have whatever drink of your choice (some wine?) with my dinner tonight.
Cheers.
Evening boys. Blogs seems to have a pest infestation tonight š
The year before last it was ‘next year’.
Last year it was ‘next year’.
This year it’s ‘next year’.
Next year the mantra will probably still be ‘next year’.
We sound like Tottenham fans!
Coq au Whine?
Having slept on it and had a few more drinks, āNot too far shortā? Well maybe, but Iām not convinced.
Everyone keeps saying itās too early for a post mortem but, as the problems of this season have been ever present, how can it be too early?
The squad is simply not strong enough. On paper it looks pretty good but as we seem to run with at least 5 or 6 senior players absent at any given time we need more depth ā and of course experience.
We also need Arsene to make his mind up.
If the kids are the future then letās see them. Vela and Ramsey suddenly re-appeared on Saturday like toys heād suddenly discovered lost under his bed. Wilshere is presumably still stuck behind the wardrobe.
They donāt have to start but there have been opportunities for them to come on and get some experience; but they havenāt.
And he also needs to make his mind up re. team selection/tactics/substitutions. Basically pick the best team available and tell them to go out and play. That seemed to be the underlying philosophy of his most successful teams.
Ok, they were generally better, more experienced players but even they suffered when Arsene decided it was time to tinker ā the manc and chav cup ties in 2004 being a shining example: sound familiar?
In the FA Cup semi and the CL semi 1st leg he put out teams and formations that no one thought logical before the event and certainly had no reason to change their opinion afterwards.
Last night he just about got it right (although I donāt think Adebayor deserved his place over Bendtner) but circumstances conspired against him. I donāt blame Gibbs or Almunia. Shit happens; it just seems to happen to us a bit too often and too often itās self inflicted from the top on down.
To return to the ānot far shortā concept, you probably do have a point. Everyone has rightly said the mancs deserved to win, and they did, but I canāt help but feel that was largely of our own making.
To lose against a side that features such monumental ātalentā as OāShea, Fletcher, Park and the ever pedestrian Carrick is rather pathetic.
Yes, they did have more talent on the bench but almost all of them are forwards ā Berbatov, Giggs, Tevez. They are not a balanced side and when someone puts together a reconstruction of The Invincibles their reign will be over.
Arsene?
Don’t disagree with much of that G. My emphasis would be different, but on the whole I think you make some reasonable points. I think we are three players away from being competitive at the highest level, but we need these three plus replacements for whoever departs the current squad in the summer. Of course we cannot afford that, so a blend of new signings and promoted kids will be the answer. I just want the players we can afford to sign to have played at close to the highest level, and have a record of not being regularly injured. Like I say though, time for that discussion is sometime in the future.
iniesta made my day, and so did drogba.
no offence garrett, but id really like to have a player like park in our team. he gives 110% and has decent pace and skill aswell.
fergie started him for a reason.
The damage was done at Old Trafford. Once they has scored first yesterday we were done for. You can`t blame Gibbs for slipping, or Almunia for a rare mistake, although I expect a torrent of “we need a better goalkeeper” from those idiots who don`t know any better, we just have to accept that the mancs have a better team than us. If the shock of this defeat finally convinces AW that we need a bit more experience in the team, especially in defence where we desperately need top quality experience, if possible with greater height, then this defeat may ultimately come to be seen as a watershed. At least the manner of Barca`s superb victory softens the blow.
Its simple really. its not dat we really need players, we just need leaders. We need players who will drive the team on in moments of adversity. Yes the mancs are a better team, but faced with the same situation, they would not have given up like we did. Look at liverpool, even being 3-1 down against chelsea, they still gave it a good go- and without gerard! imagine what it would have been like without cesc?
oh and we do need a centre half- even if senderous! knowing wat u know now, would u pick silvestre and let senderous go on loan?
Buggered again!
Boys, I blame that Russian gazillionaire of ours! We’ll NEVER win the CL if he keeps chucking loadsamoney to managers from more countries than I’ve had hot dinners to buy “experience”. We need a youth policy and home grown talent. Gordon Dostoyevski! Will we never learn? Experience? We’ve got geriatrics united and a 500 million dollar debt for f**cks sake. Can’t we have some young talent for once?
And what’s all this with changing the manager every six months? I change my underpants less often. Madness. We need a stability in the manager’s office.
And what a team of turds we have. Think it’s time we sold the lot and started again. Out of the league (4th). Out of the CL. (To be) beaten on Saturday then in the FA Cup Final by the Tims of Toffee. we’ll NEVER catch up with the Mancs. We’ll waste in the wilderness for the next forty years. I feel like slashing my wrists.
A goalkeeper with a scrum cap and porous hands. What’s that about? Get rid of him. With 30 million pounds worth of dog meat a full back with Barsinger and Cashley. Sell them! And that Portugese nit wit alongside captain John. Sell him. He’s never going to be good enough for us. Whoever thought he would be.
And than German bloke Bollocks. He should pack up his sausages and bratwurst and go back to driving Panzers. Get rid of him. Now! Preferably before the FA Cup. NO mid-field apart from Fat Fwank. A Ghanian football player. A what? From where? Back to the dark continent for you, Essien my son.
And what about the millions of pounds of walking dead up front?? The Incredible Sulk and “I don’t give a dam and I’ve got a bad attitude and bad breath” Diddler Drogba and MadLouda? Sell all three for ten bob and buy Adebayor for 30 million! We’re Chelsea. We’ve got loadsamoney.
Well, at least we stayed in the ground to the end and took our beating like men. Not like some. OK, that was only because we thought we was gonna win, I know.
Wait a minute? Did you say GOONERholic? I thought this was CHAVERholic! Sorry, Gooners, please ignore the contents of this note.
We’ve got the best team in the world, we’ll thump you on Saturday AND “We’re the famous Chelsea and we’re of to Wemberley!” And you’re not!
You’ll ALL be out of the ground after 30 minutes on Saturday. Don’t bother buying any more flags. Save your money, Gooners! Stay home and take your beating on the telly, me old sons.
Yours very truely, Chelsea Bill.
Sorry about the delay there Bill. My ‘no history’ filter picked up on a keyword in your post and name.
Ade, totally agree. We need more leader type people on the pitch. Hopefully Fabregas turns out to be that leader when he gets more time on the pitch next season.
A belated return from Chicago and I know no one will read this, but what the hell, let’s get over the 90 mark.
– I got the team I hoped for. Injuries aside, the best we could field.
– I couldn’t have hoped for a weaker looking Manure.
– We started brilliantly. I thought we’d murder them.
– I was dreaming of Old Red Nose choked by his chewing gum.
– The 2 goals were a disaster and were avoidable…shit happens though.
– Game over right then, criticising anyone doesn’t make much sense.
– RvP looked like one who’d been out for 2 months. No contribution
– Cesc was way below par. In retrospect, wish Denilson had started.
Surreal experience. Was in an up-market bar with the local hoity-toity late lunch brigade. I was an oddity in my Cesc top and so the subject of their lunchtime idle chatter. They ooohed and aaahed as the Gooners waved their flags. They asked me “why are they all leaving?” after 60 minutes. Wasn’t in a mood for polite explanation.
Garret, my glass IS always only a poofteenth from full. For me, it’s been a great season. Despite a catalogue of injuries longer than the Forth Bridge, we’ve finished forth in Europe, been beaten in the semis by the FA Cup winners and we’ll be forth, maybe third in the league. Better than I’d hoped for. I saw some fantastic stuff and I really believe the youngsters learned, grew and after 21 games undefeated in the EPL, may finish 24 undefeated and READY for prime time ext year.
Would I have liked a trophy? Of-course. Is that al that matters to me as a Gooner? No way, Jose. Not on yer Nelly, Jimmy. The next decade is rich with promise. I hope to be around to enjoy every moment of it.
What is happening here, ‘Holic. Has your strainer caught the N2D2 manure virus or what? Or maybe nellydee is persona non-grata. (Management here will not be impressed if that’s the case)
Positive stuff, BtM. There, I read it.
Hey, BtM, my spam filter has swine flu. Can’t think of any other explanation. Will have to open the bonnet and have a twiddle over the weekend. Back later with a preview of the Champions League third/fourth place play-off.
Hello?
Hi Redders!
And a morning coffee please for me, ‘holic
For a moment this site was down too, but no keepy-uppies.
Rather hostile on the Gnus, I assume it will be more welcoming in ‘holic’s back room.
Ooooh… I didnt realise you had to refresh the Drinks. I’ve been spoilt by automagicalism!
Morning all,
Some classy people here this morning. Is top playing silly beggars still?
Morning ‘holic:
>>>>>>(elsewhere)
Not sure, Holic. But t’Arses are back up.
…and there they were, gone š
*tuts audibly*
You don’t mind people coming in to use the loo, but they should at least put 50p in the RNLI boat on the bar.
Still, it’s a Friday evening, so I’ll not complain at the extra elbow room on these bar stools.
*lies across four of them*
I’ll have a pint of Old Peculiar and a packet of dry roasted peanuts please, ‘holic.