More Of The Same Please, Arsenal
Jan 3rd, 2011 by 'holic
The 3-0 win at Eastlands back in October was hailed by some, me included, as proof that Arsenal had overcome their inability to beat their closest rivals. Not all agreed, but the fact that we go into the first home game of 2011 against the same opponents who are joint top, two points ahead of us, is further justification of that.
Samir Nasri scores at City. Image courtesy of Arsenal Football Club
Of course any argument was rendered pointless when Chelsea were thumped last week. This Arsenal side has what it takes to beat anybody on their day, but have yet to establish to anyone’s satisfaction that they can show the consistency of effort and application to land the Premier League title.
Another three points on Wednesday would put us back up to at least second place, as the two biggest threats to Manchester United meet again at the Grove. City would appear to have come on in leaps and bounds since a team that appeared to employ four holding midfielders, plus Bellamy sitting deep, turned up to bore their way to a 0-0 back in April.
Don’t rule that out again. Although they, like us, have won six on the road this season, the extra forwards that have given them an added threat are considered doubtful at this stage. David Silva and Mario Balotelli have both been employed to support Carlos Tevez, but both have knee knocks.
With an FA Cup tie against League One opposition following on Saturday I don’t think there will be too much ‘rotation’ in the Arsenal side, however. The victory at Birmingham on Saturday bore many resemblances to that at the City of Manchester Stadium, with the visitors dominating the second-half after earning the right to play in the first. Those with tickets for this game would do well to remember that and back the side through what will surely be a very tight affair.
I’m hoping the confidence we must have after the high-intensity performances against Chelsea and Brum will go a long way to carrying us to another significant victory in a wide-open season. The ‘holic pound has already been planted on a 2-0 win for the Gunners at 17/2, but don’t be surprised if the goals come in the second-half.
I will be away for probably the rest of the week, but hope to see at very least the highlights of the game, and hopefully will get something posted at some stage. Apologies if that proves difficult. In the meantime may I again thank you all for your kind thoughts, and let’s hope we get the result on Wednesday.
UP THE ARSENAL!
151 Responses to “More Of The Same Please, Arsenal”
I hope the home support is as strong as in the Chelsea game. It is likely as you suggest, ‘holic, to be a close and tense affair. I don’t think we should expect another sending off of a City player, so this might be a more even contest.
Our thoughts are with you and our prayers for ‘holic dad’s soul, may he rest in peace.
One pint of Guinness please.
And good luck in the West, take care.
Big game against citeh. Another one of those 3 points puts down a big marker games. Do the double over Citeh and we will be sat in a very healthy position. Cant wait for the game to be honest. Watching how sami and cesc now seem to have developed a kind of telepathy makes us a constant threat. Have we developed our own equivalent of xavi and iniesta? We can only hope.
Thoughts with you and the family holic.
Keep the faith
Love you writing. Thanks so much for your great blogging. Good luck coming days.
Cheers for posting mate, keep at it and see you on the 22nd. Just opened a Pedigree. Seems appropriate!
ST, Xavi and Iniesta minus 7 years each AND we’ve got Alex Song and Neutron Jack alongside them.
Gonners 4 life
This is going to sound really stupid, but if you have been having difficulty accessing the site since around 1030 CET yesterday, but can access via your mobile phone, could you drop me a line to gooner(at)goonerholic(dot)com, if possible giving me the ip address of the connection that is failing.
There is currently, it would appear, an issue with the server firewall, and I am in discussion with my hosting company about resolving it.
Thanks, and sorry for any inconvenience caused.
Evening sir. Hope all is well as it can be in the circumstances. All the best in the filling difficult days.
Ps I’m accessing the site via an Itouch without any issues.
PPS A pint o’ plain when you’re ready please.
Your blog was unreachable for a day and a half from my side of the pond but everything’s back up, just in time to present my respects for holicdad and let you know I’ll be there in case you need anything.
And yes, let’s make this a clear 2-horses race for the second half of the season. Plus for the holics in the US the good news is that the game is streamed live on ESPN3.
did anyone else see hleb’s interview?he’s probably cursing the day he left arsenal.
i hope rvp starts against city.chamakh is a good striker but he doesn’t react quickly in the box.silva’s injured it seems.tevez and swelled head will start up front.
Morning Holics
A friend and I were discussing the merits of comparing CF4/SN8 to Xavi/Iniesta! I do feel it is a legitimate one… We have never seen them play together while both of them were on top form and still havent!
BUT they are getting there! I think its safe to say that Samir is there, but it may take a game or two more to get Fab4 back to his best and when that happens I think the football world is in for a real treat.
Against Chelski and Brum we have seen glimpses and it excites me in a way that does not seem legal!
Importantly also I think their flourishing partnership will diminish the need for one Alex Song to take a stroll high up the pitch and just do what he does best… be a defensive midfielder and PROTECT the back four (and God knows they need protection)!
Should Arsene decide to start the same team (and I think he will) we should coast to the Holic pound premonition… 2 nil to the Arsenal!
Come On You Reds… Do it for Holic’s Dad!!!
Strong coffee to start the day please. Having a healthy (ish) month. Looking forward to the game, got a good feeling about it.
Steve T…. I was thinking exactly the same the other day. And to add to BTM’s Song and Jack, don’t forget the return of Rambo.
Let’s hope that Cesc has stepped back and seen where the future lies…
Hi holics,
City is a big game. Press them all over the pitch and we have the attacking talent to take this game away from them.
Looking forward to it.
One game at a time
Cheers
Heh, just about to write something that is quite the opposite of “one game at a time”, Harsha, I hope you will forgive me!
Just wanted to point out that if Man Utd are the team to beat, we have quite a nice advantage over them concerning the fixture list.
If we count games from the traditional big four (Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool), plus games from the “new” contenders (Man City, Spurs) and two of the teams that can always give you a game, whatever state they are in (Everton, Villa), we have just ONE away game left against any of that opposition. One. That is Spurs away. Then we’ve got five home games.
1 away, 5 home, no games left against Chelsea.
Manchester Utd on the other hand have four away games against that opposition left. And four home games. And they haven’t played Chelsea at all yet in the league.
4 away, 4 home, two games left against Chelsea.
Now, as we all know, no points are won before they are in the bag, and we haven’t been brilliant at home this season, but after that 3-1 over Chelsea and with a run-in that guarantees at the very least that Man U or Chelsea will drop points against each other twice, this does help that warm, fuzzy, hopeful feeling in my belly.
Interesting comment Toby – I knew about the Chelsea games but hadn’t looked into the others. Interesting indeed…
I have to say that the falling away of Chavski has been quite remarkable and I am so happy we had the opportunity to kick them when they are down. Fantastic.
On the City game, if the support can put in a shift like against the bustop then we will win no matter the City side that rock up.
Happy new year everyone.
My respects to holicdad and hope he rests in peace.
Onto Arsenal, I like the fact when red nose gets jittery about Wenger and Arsenal. Only shows that we are doing something right. It is now time for us to cement our place at the summit.
Nice write Holic and good to hear you sounding well.
I hope you’re wrong about another repeat of the 0-0 from last year as that will totally mess up my pound credentials. I do however hope you’re right about the 2-0 and especially in the second half as that will do my pockets nicely.
I predicted earlier in the season when we started to suffer home defeats and the GAO brigade started to crawl out of the woodworks, that the return of RVP was important to our title challenge. Ever since his return we have gone on a nice little run. Believe, family, this squad will cause the Barca XI problems. However there could be hints of the WCF over both legs. In that respect TV5’s return cannot not be understated. I just saw a vision that Manu (Eboue) was going to come good towards the second half of the season too!
I believe we should be too much for city to deal with tomorrow.
Another 3-1 thumping should do it Gunners
Let’s keep our heads and our form going. This should be our year!
Drinks all round please Barman!
PS: I hope everything goes well this week Holic!
Dr. C: The future does look bright, esp. so in midfield. It will take Rambo time before he’s back to where he was before being assaulted by Sh*wcr*ss. Could be March/April before he’s ready to be a nailed-on starter. Hope your new “healthy lifestyle” pays you dividends. I’m off the Lemsip Slammers until further notice đ
Skye: The support was magnificent vs Chelski (still haven’t got my voice back!). Spot on re: tomorrow night – another 12th man performance like that and we’ll win.
GT: Easy on the TLAs fella đ Took me ages to work out the meaning of GAO. RVP is working himself back to form, I predict another goal from him against Citeh.
It’s been said here already, we do seem to be peaking nicely and just when it matters. SAF is up to all his old tricks including serenading the poisonous dwarf from The Potteries. It’s a sure sign that he sees us as a major threat. Are Pubis and The Cavemen expected to roll-over to have their tummies tickled on request? They could do us a real favour (other than self-combusting) for a change tonight. We’ll see….
Have a great week ‘Holic & ‘Holics!
A key game Wednesday if you lose and we win. Much excitement will be generated in the true north london. Have great new year in your personal life. COYS
Cusop, what colour are the clouds in your deluded world?
Your mob are already out of the only competition that they could have conceivably won.
As for us, a repeat of the performances against the Chavs please.
Heh – nice one Zico! Pink and fluffy to answer your question. đ
Holic, I’m having one hell of a time getting in from home computer (mac) as is Her Nellieness (she’s NOT happy!) also mac. Seems like access from work (PC) isn’t a problem. Hence brief radio contact only from BtM network.
Please fix or send some tranquilising liquid to calm HN.
When we last heard from the Milk Shake of Abbly Dabbly, he was Sheiking All Over in barrels of woe. Shitty had just suffered a blow-out beyond petroleum as Arsenal drilled their way to a three-goal gusher and left Shitty with a Whole Lot oâ Sheiking Going On. The gazillions of petrodollars poured into the Gulf between Shitty and the Arsenal has gone up in a cloud of black smoke, thicker than the pea sized brain inside Wayne Scrooney.
It was a training session by the end as we sharpened up our passing game and the blue snow melted quickly, and quietly, from Eastlands to an echoing chorus from travelling Gooners of âWe were here when you were shitâ.
But since then, Broken Hart and the Blue Mooners have tried to rationalize the thumping. âWe was down to ten men, wasnât we!â they articulate lucidly. That much is true. They were, when inside five minutes, Chamakh locked on to a surgical through ball from Cesc and was about to burst the net when the scything leg of Ataboy Boyata hacked him to the floor. A red card followed faster than a camel on skis on the Dubai downhill slope and Ataboy departed for the stand-side oasis and a coconut sheik.
That Shitty have managed to belly dance their way up to second in the table is some kind of reward for the relentless outpourings from the Milk Shake Money-Go-Round, I suppose. Even with players stacked higher on the column than Horatio Nelson though, can they really look us in the London Eye and tell us they expect to maintain that position after Wednesday night? I donât think so.
Since the arrival of the Pink Panther, Shitty have begun to look a bit, well, less Shitty. Silva is a quality player, AW reject Toure Yaya is a big influence and Tevez and Johnston are a handful. They look fair going forward, but their rear-guard looks isnât spectacular, particularly when Lescott and the Kolo with the Holo are playing.
Gareth Barry and De Jong the studs merchant are no match for the fluid skill and liquid steel of any duo picked from Cesc, Nasri, Jack and Alex Song, who, between them, cost less than the smelly insert in Lescottâs left boot.
The BTM crystal ball is flashing HOME WIN quite furiously, always a very good sign. There are three red Stryker boots on the Arsenal side to one blue suede shoe on tâother. So, 3-1 to the Gunners it is. Not a clean sheet for the Polestar between the Poles, but three points is three points and where thereâs muck thereâs brass (how did Scrooney and Auld Slapper manage to make a re-appearance here?) and a black pudding is a black pudding.
A half empty glass of blue curacao chased down by a half full cherry red brandy, âHolic my man.
BtM,
Looks like pieces-of-Silva and Ballo-belly-dancer may both miss the game tomorrow. Tevez remains. Maybe the panto villain of the comedy hair-do might make a return for this match? Even he, with his brain not much bigger or less dense than Mr.Scrooney, must surley realise by now that he should never have left the home of football. His career now looks darker than the stuff that funds the blue-half of Manchester and twice as smelly.
3-1 to the better team sounds more than half-full to me, nice prediction. I’m happy to take the 3 points in any which way they come.
HOLIC and HOLICS
i would like to propose something. remember when ramsey got injured? and it was âdo it for aaron.â
well lets make it âDO IT FOR HOLICDADâ instead how about that?
TS –
Good to hear from you and greetings this side of 2011 big man.
Yeah sorry, it just my spin on the AKB thingy. To be honest I’m still unsuccessfully trying to work out what TLA means.
The truth is RVP has been one of our main leaders ever since assuming the role 2008/9. Moreover the stats also tell that part of the story.
By the way, I was on the Lemsip Max slammers throughout last week! At one point I actually felt a burn out! Then moving on to the Aniseedy Meltus subsequently helped to wind down!
SAF should worry about his unbeaten run coming to an end. Just one defeat could have a big impact on Manure! Any more than one will tell a highly different story to now! When that time does come, he’ll have to worry about his bunch who are hanging on to their lead by a thread and could easily become superseded by their sky blue neighbours!
Onwards and upwards for us I say!
By the way, to all the Gooners going down to become the 12th man tomorrow night, lets explain to the Oil riggers that they cannot buy quality when it comes to playing down at the grove!
Barman please, a bottle of your finest Victoria Concordia Creste, if thereâs any left in stock since v Chelski!
Cheers Holics!
Cusop –
Hello again!
If we lose and you win you will still be 4th!
I don’t understand your point!
Good to hear that Silva and Balotelli are out for this game – esp. Silva. He’s got good pace and bags of creativity.
Oh and here’s another nail in the coffin for that hate campaign against gooners like me who were very happy to see the cancer that is Adebayor leave us:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1344009/Kolo-Toure-Emmanuel-Adebayor-scrap-Manchester-City-training.html
He’s even managed to alienate the even-tempered Kolo Toure.
That’s what happens to every single team he plays for: hostility, animosity, division, and ultimately gotten rid of for the good of the team.
Thank you, Arsene.
Mr. ‘Holic,
I am so very saddened to read of your father’s passing. My sincere condolences to you and the rest of your family. If you are ever in Dallas, please call on me to render proper tribute to the ‘Holic-patriarch.
Take care my friend.
irish coffee, ‘holic, with black bush and yirgacheffe. one sugar. thanks.
good luck with the coming days, and here’s to an arsenal victory to help you and your family get through them.
thanks for writing one of the best blogs in arsenal-land!
Pint of whatever’s on please barkeep, is that London Pride I can see behind the tinsel? If it’s a big red badge, it’ll do for me. Better take those decorations down tomorrow… I’ll give you a hand after the game.
I can’t help feeling it’s a good thing to play another ‘big team’ in the wake of the Chelsea win, just to guard against complacency and Song drifting forward all the time. Then maybe, just maybe, we can turn these good performances into a habit. Here’s to 3-1 and a rousing sing-song at the end.
“I don’t care too much for oil, oil can’t win the league…”
@Toby.. Very nice post:) I am not looking that far ahead even though i m tempted to.. I must say
@BTM đ
Come on Arsenal..lets get a streak going..
RVP to score a couple?
I ll have rum and coke in anticipation
BtM, and anybody else who has a connection that will not display Goonerholic, please email me the ip address that is affected and I will have the hosts unblock you. Long story, but on Sunday morning CET the server firewall went gaga.
Its good to know we are finally going into a Big Game as favorites, isn’t it ? Haha, I am very optimistic about tomorrow’s game honestly for a few reasons!
One, I don’t think during the last two years we have lost much games when Cesc and RVP have started together, and the fact that Samir Nasri is in such a sublime form makes things alot easier for the aforementioned two!
Two, City are missing Silva and Balotelli and probably Adebayor as well from what i have been hearing! SO they will be lacking in the attacking half, Djorou told me he had gotten rid of Drogba from his pocket and felt its’ Tevez’s turn to be in that pocket now!
It seems 3-1 is turning into a preferred score-line for Arsenal, much of the same from that score line for tomorrow as well :)!
Nasri, Theo and Fabregas(P)
@ Harsha – I’ll propose a toast to that wininng streak. A nice l-o-n-g uniterrupted one would be a great way to go in to the new year together.
@Harsha
Heh, I’m usually like that myself. Hell, I’m like that now as well. But I wanted a nice little peak at what’s coming our way. But of course this counts for nothing if we do go on and lose the next game, and the one after that, and…
Here’s to winning the next game!
(ps. I’ve been sick since new years, but I’m trying my hardest to recuperate today with a bottle of rioja, a nice balti, and a huge peshwari nan. That plus a Stoke win in two hours time will go a long way towards me helping to cheer the lads tomorrow!)
Evening Holics! I’m sorry to hear about your loss, Mr. Holic. A drink in his memory…
In a much more benign note, I have to admit it was great to see ol’ Toure putting Ade in a headlock, followed by the usual I didn’t do anything! look from Ade. Some things never change…
Looks like Pubis & The Cavemen are doing ther roll over and tickle my tummy routine for SAF & Manure. Spineless gits, just wait till we get you back to The Emirates đ
See, you miss one day travelling back from Devon – The Land that Telecoms Forgot – and everyone else has already nicked your idea of Fab and Nasri becoming our very own Xavi and Iniesta.
They do really look the part together.
Would any Gooner still want to swap Xavi (forget he’s a complete arse, just for a moment) and Iniesta for CF4 and SN8 ?
This one certainly would not.
BtM – excellent preview, Sir, very clever.
Let’s get the Grove rocking again tomorrow lads. A strong referee (no don’t guffaw like that, please) should see us sprint to a 3 – 1 victory.
Some papers were reporting today that Man Ure have first refusal on Ryan Notthatkindofgit, should Pukis decide to sell. That seems to have kept him tame for the game tonight.
The red nosed one also praised the “wry humour” with which Pulis has dealt with his detractors – Wenger’s name being clearly visible between the printed lines.
Personally, I was more than happy to see the comments, as they confirm that Fergie is once again disturbed by the advance of the ever stronger Gunners.
Come on you RREEEDDDSSSSS !!!
Right, in Cornwall. Just been out to dinner with sis and hubby, and I have had the finest steak and kidney pudding ever created, and that is saying something. Rising Sun in some place I can’t remember near Boscastle, if you are ever down this way.
Cricket not streaming on broadband stick đ
Things happen at a gentle pace here, so still no closer to sorting out the next week. Fortunately good food and a bottle of Cooley has got me temporarily mellow.
Love to all ‘holics.
It is obvious I will not get a stream of the game, so will be relying on Match of the Day.
My view of the game may differ wildly from yours!
The difference between Fab/Nasri and Xavi/Iniesta is that in Spain Barca can get away with playing them both in midfield. I would love to see us do the same but I do not think it is posisble in this league. That being said Wilshere’s success this year suggests that another physically imposing midfielder next to Song is not necessarily needed.
I’m expecting a rather cagey affair tonight. ManCity have a definite tendency to play not to lose in games like this one, so I would not be surprised to see them play with effectively nine defenders and Carlos Tevez, hoping for a 0-0 at worst and to nick a goal on the counter-attack – especially now that they have Silva and Balotelli out. It’ll be up to us to up the tempo and break them down.
Feeling a bit tired so a large cup of tea with a shade of milk, please.
We are def wining this game, with silva and ballotelli (Whatever the spelling is like i care) out, Manicini is gonna setup with a way to draw the game, defend with 3 DM including toure, barry and de jong, and just look to hit arsenal on the counter, but i think we are gonna be too good for them, btw when after the 3rd goal did anyone see csec reaction forming a t as in ‘title’? if it was that i just have a feeling he is starting to believe now which can only be wonderful news for us, and btw quite frankly speaking CS4 and SM8 are far far far better than xavi and iniesta any day in my books.
Aman
My first thought with the “T” was that he has become hooked on the cricket and was requesting a review of the goal! Spanish getting cricket…not likely, I know.
Catalan: even I as a Swede understand cricket. It’s quite simple, really. What you do is you dress up like an OAP from the 1920’s and put on a wooly winter jumper even if it’s a hot summers’ day, stand about in a large grassy field and either try to hit or catch a heavy leather-clad wooden ball. You do this for a few days, interrupted only for having a cup of tea every now and then and, because all players are so afraid of wherewolves and vampires, you only ever play when the sun is shining. At the end of these few days, someone suddenly says something like “England won by two wickets” and since the game is so impossibly difficult to understand no-one really knows if that chap who calles himself “the umpire” actually kept some kind of score or exactly what a “wicket” is supposed to be.
So there, don’t think it’s just the British (and a few others) who can understand cricket!
(to tell you the truth, I have tried to learn the basic rules and I really would like to understand the game better because even from what little I know it makes it quite interesting to watch – guess I’ll have to go see a game some time and sit there for a few days and then maybe I can get a grip on things!)
may you live many years remembering him
keep up the good work
arsenal !
time out, guys. i have said before on this site that while we are all gooners, we must remain objective. does anyone SERIOUSLY think that cesc and samir are better than Xavi and Initesta ? please . please. pleaaase. a bot of realism. cesc would not get in that barca team as its stands and nasri wouldn’t even get signed by them. i am all for bigging up our players but we just look foolish with those claims.
here’s to a win tonight though. we need to keep in touch with united only us and possibly our neighbours look like taking their unbeaten record.
keep the faith !!
i don’t know anymore,
Most of us said Cesc\Nasri are our equivalent of Xavi\Iniesta..
You say Cesc and Nasri can’t make it to Barca squad.. Maybe but one thing I’m sure is Xavi and Iniesta wont survive or play in the EPL like Cesc and Nasri can..
indian gooner
not that old chestnut “would like to see messi at blackburn on a wet january night”. ? class is permanent. they would dominate any game they played in – they make so much time on the ball its unreal. they took apart a united midfield in 2009 that had in turn taken us apart a month earlier (and yes Samir and cesc played in that game). united were missing fletcher in final which many think made a big difference but you can only play what is on the pitch
and as for what people said, i come back to realism and objectivity. most of us didn’t say that at all which is why i made the point. Steve T did say what you said but is swamped by others on stronger meds. just simply hitting search shows
southafrican gooner
” friend and I were discussing the merits of comparing CF4/SN8 to Xavi/Iniesta! I do feel it is a legitimate one⌠”
Trev
“Would any Gooner still want to swap Xavi (forget heâs a complete arse, just for a moment) and Iniesta for CF4 and SN8 ?
This one certainly would not.”
MoMoney2
“the difference between Fab/Nasri and Xavi/Iniesta is that in Spain Barca can get away with playing them both in midfield”
Aman
“quite frankly speaking CS4 and SM8 are far far far better than xavi and iniesta any day in my books.”
Mog I like your points-
If Song can get forward, break the deadlock in an important game, which given a less astute ref, would have been more than necessary and still defend the way he did to contribute to the game which could become our seasons turning point, then all I can say is…
“we’ve only got one Song, we’ve only got one Song, We’ve only got one Song”
Lars
I think you have the cricket sussed – what more is there to learn? Now, pass the cucumber sandwiches and Pimms, there’s a good chap!
I don’t know…
Can’t speak for the others, but I was thinking more of the POTENTIAL that the two have, and just how good they could become. Xavi and Iniesta are the bench mark to which they should be compared.
Agree with Catalan..
Xavi\Iniesta weren’t as good as Cesc\Nasri when they at their age..
Catalan Gunner. that is a fair comment and they certainly are teh benchmark. personally i doubt they will be that good. i would like to see samir – who has been great for most of this season but v average to then and disappeared in glare of old trafford – do it for more than 15 or so games before i pass judgement. and don’t say he is young – iniesta is only 3 years older. lets just celebrate that we have and enjoy them while we have them. maybe not much longer unless we win something big this year. its a vicious game these days.
i don’t know anymore-
In my mind Fab and Nas will be as good if not better than Xavi and Iniesta one day.
Why?
When you compare styles obviously we mus agree that it is Fab=Xavi and Nas=Iniesta.
Now when you take everything in to account look at Cesc and Nas at their best and look at the league they play and their ages. I conclude that they will one day be as good if not better.
The condition is that they both play at their best and stay consistent
Elementary!
Good discussion on Cesc and Sammy. If I was setting up a team for the next decade, I would only select two of these four. Iniesta and Xavi will be in bathchairs while our two are commanding the European stage in their prime.
It isn’t really fair to compare two players who are (just passing) their peak, with two emerging talents. However, I’m persuaded that:
1. Xavi and Iniesta would not propsper in the Premier League in England – just look at Deco’s experience as a reference
2. In the World Cup, it was Cesc’s introduction that won the final for Spain. X and I were average at best in that game
The combination of Cesc, Nasri, Wilshere, Song, Ramsey and Frimpong is unmatched in terms of potential versus any other mid-field set in the world right now. A Fabregasm waiting to happen.
Arsenal’s challenge will be to maintain at least five of this set intact over the next five years and groom Lansbury to fill the void of any departee.
BTM –
Well said.
Just to add to your points, Fab contributed significantly to Spainâs Euro Victory only two years earlier aged 21!
I wish Bergkamp every success in his new role and hope he can one day return to the Grove and contribute again!
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/bergkamp-appointed-ajax-youth-team-manager
Such a shame that Frimpong was injured – I think he would have had quite a few games this season to allow Song to rest. Fingers crossed for next season.
The nice thing about all the young midfielders coming through is that they are all friends and have played together for years. Good unity…
Catalan –
Hopefully when Frimpong returns we will get out of him what we have out of Djourou so far, who was in the same situation this time last year ; – )
Heh, Fabregasm, like it đ
guys
there is so much waffle put about on this blog. while its entertaining, facts are in scarce supply
“Now when you take everything in to account look at Cesc and Nas at their best and look at the league they play and their ages. I conclude that they will one day be as good if not better.” what exactly does this mean ? they are younger and play in EPL. less technical but faster. not sure if thats a good thing or bad thing, depends which side you like your butter on. they are younger but it does not mean they will get better.
“1. Xavi and Iniesta would not prosper in the Premier League in England â just look at Decoâs experience as a reference”. i can guarantee is eitrher of these , espec iniesta (given age) came on market they would be most sought after of all current players. so what ? deco went to england at the end of his career – he is 3 years older than xavi and 7 years older than iniesta. while very good at porto was on way down by time he went to chelsea and was a whim of scolari’s having managed him in portugal.
“The combination of Cesc, Nasri, Wilshere, Song, Ramsey and Frimpong is unmatched in terms of potential versus any other mid-field set in the world right now”. apart from covering all of world football in just 26 words, the audacity is amazing. wilshere has promise. ramsey has had one good season, song, some good some ordinary, ramsey who knows. and frimpong ? frimpong has never played a senior competitive game. just think how many next big things that are out there that we never ever here of.
“2. In the World Cup, it was Cescâs introduction that won the final for Spain. X and I were average at best in that game” cesc came on when dutch were tiring and the passing game was gradually wearing them down. he did really well but it was set up for fresh legs. who was man of the match. iniesta as you say, average at best.
as for keeping five of the six together, well realistically cesc is gone. nasri will probably stay if we win something but otherwise not. the others are promise.
every club has promise. occasionally it turns into something real. when it doesn’t it end sup like the boy crying wolf.
here’s an example. in 2004 we played utd in 1/4 final carling cup. we had a team of potential stars and utd beat us one nil playing mostly seasoned if not first team pros. never mind we said, the future belongs to us
the team was
Almunia, Hoyte, Senderos, Djourou, Clichy (Karbassiyoon 81), Pennant, Flamini, Larsson (Cregg 72), Owusu-Abeyie, Lupoli (Smith 68), Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Simek, Wright.
flamini was good, should never have sold him but has done little since he left. clichy much questioned on these pages. rvp clearly excellent, the rest. one would need to google to remember who most of them were.
my point is that we have been here before and we are becoming ridiculed of always looking ahead . for me fergusons (catyches in throat) is the gold standard, he moves ahead while still winning and keeping a core. you look at the united team that we think isn’t very good (but still 5 ahead of us). i can assure you he has a room full of frimpongs waiting for scholes to go. in a year the average age of that team will be 24-25 and most of them have been successful for couple years already (rafael, smalling, fabio (maybe) anderson, rooney, nani, valencia, hernandez). if they find the right couple of buys this year, its between them and city for a while. pains me to say it but wood, trees.
Beginning to suspect we have a LWC in our midst folks đ
I dont know anymore – your point @ 66 is well argued.
But you shouldn’t get too wound up about Arsenal fans bigging up Arsenal players on an Arsenal blog. Just sayin….
zicoinexile.
thanks. i work in a very precise area where all that matters is facts and data. it sort of gets to me when wild statements are thrown about without support and (or) we don’ t learn from experience. those that fail to learn from history etc and so on … we all hope they will be the next big think but lets at least caveat it rather than proclaim them to be better than, say 2 of the best 3 players in the world. there are none so blind as those that will not see.
that’s enough quotes for now. good luck tonight !!!
i don’t know anymore:
“as for keeping five of the six together, well realistically cesc is gone. nasri will probably stay if we win something but otherwise not. the others are promise.”
…which is then followed up with this:
” i work in a very precise area where all that matters is facts and data. it sort of gets to me when wild statements are thrown about without support and (or) we donâ t learn from experience.”
You would do well to listen to your own advice đ Why is it any more certain that Cesc will leave next summer than it is that he will become (or even already is) a better player than Iniesta? Why is it a certainty that Nasri will leave? Shouldn’t experience and history teach us that Cesc has resisted repeated offers from Barcelona? And what experience has ever indicated that Nasri would leave on the basis of us not winning anything?
Lars is right – you seem to be claiming opinion as fact.
And we can do without claims that “Cesc is gone” in your post at 65 –
we have enough destabilising influences in the media both at home and abroad without Arsenal fans joining in.
So assuming you stick to facts and data we should all get along famously đ đ
i don’t know anymore@ 66
Let me explain
The EPL as you put it is the most competitive league in the world. So although X&I are arguably the most technically gifted Midfield pairing in the world right now, they do not have the pressure of the ELP in which to apply it. Besides, the X&I of 3 years ago were not the same animals of today. If you compare them to the C&N of today at over and above their current ages respectively and how they have improved to become the world renowned midfielders of today, there is clear evidence that C&N will improve (especially at Arsenal).
With that in mind, taking in to account the level C&N are now, their past achievements and the fact they perform week in week out in the best league in the world (the best league in the world -this was Cescâs words last week, amongst other football Professionals. See: post v Chelski match response live on Sky Sports). I again conclude that C&N will inevitably become as good or better than X&I. You should also take in to account my condition that C&N will have to play at their best and be consistent
Any evidence/facts required are easily obtainable on the Barca & Arsenal websites re honours and via video on Youtube of the respective players, to name a few sources, if necessary.
Oh no, its the feckin primate. Richard Keys suggests to me that Darwin got something wrong somewhere……
Haven’t been around for a bit apologies guys….
Happy New Year to all the Holics and to the man himself!
Now come on you Rip Roaring!
what are we playing at
stretch them wide and take advantage of the 2 men marking Theo
bring Sami into it more
Lost count of the shots on we’ve got this half
lets get scoring
why was theo taken off for arshavin??? it did’nt improve us one bit.
I think we all saw the death of football, tonight and they must be stopped. Hope they enjoy it.
Well I don’t think Citeh were expecting to be dominated that much which is why Mancini told them to revert to full-blown Catenaccio after 15 minutes.
Still we looked really good. The rest of the season will be a joy to follow if that display becomes the norm.
I might have taken the same decision Gaz, couldn’t put him on the left since Johnson was playing on that side, fresh, against Clichy. So thought being getting some more trickery on the field instead of a player that had run for miles already. Shava didn’t do anything except backheel the ball into Man C defenders. He had one of those days it looked. So with that in hindsight it was a bad decision.
Anyways, we had some sublime play at times, but got somewhat lulled into a lower tempo by a Man City side that was playing anti-football throughout.
Disappointed as fuck today, since even if we were a bit unlucky at times, and even if City played with 9 behind the ball, we should be able to sneak a 1-0 with our best attacking eleven fit.
Great day for United…
Having that said, well played all in all, boys in red, I’ll feel a tad better tomorrow, I know that. We might go seven behind United next round, but we’ve got them to play at home and they are meeting Chelsea twice. Persie is getting back to his best, had a few nice strikes today, Theo did well, Wilshere had a great match, well, most of our players did. 4 times out of 5 we win this game (I love made up statistics!) we just didn’t today.
Next up – Leeds! Get in there!
Mancini can take his anti football and shove it.
Thought we were rather clueless against the parked bus though – no width. (Where I have heard that before?)
A good set of results for the Glazers but another night of frustration for us.
Don’t suppose we will see the LWC Cusop any time soon?
Holy shit that was the most negative side I’ve ever witnessed and I’ve seen a few but Jesus 500 million and you don’t play in the opposition half at all Mancini should hang his head that was diabolical and a travesty to the beautiful game, Dont get my wrong I love a good defensive performance I grow up on them but at least try to score a goal I gueantee any neutral watching that would have been willing us to score. The only good thing is it dillutes Skys product đ
Thought the lads played well and song was immense in fact in the first ten mins we probably played to well as Mancini changed his system from 6-4-1 to 1-10 in fact at one point I’m sure I saw him motion to Djourou to play as Citys lone striker đ
@Zico
Usually agree with you, but I felt we did alright against the parked bus (the scoreline agrees more with you though!). Had some shots from range, mostly by Persie, forcing a save or two, got the ball behind their fullbacks quite a few times, and in the beginning of the game, when we had a high tempo, we even got a few short passes through their center backs. I agree we didn’t do enough, and we let off a bit towards the end.
I do not want to single out Shava at all, this is not against him, but had he gotten his act together a bit quicker (it is hard getting into a game at times!) and if the red cards hadn’t happened we might have upped the tempo and forced something in the end. As it turned out, the end was far too disjointed for us to go for that last push.
I could stretch myself to saying “a tad clueless at times” :p But for the most part, we tried different things, just didn’t come off.
Next time mate!
At least it was a clean sheet against a top two side?
Now, that was meant as a tension reliever, just there… Even if it is true!
Oh and I wonder how Dzeko felt watching that I’m pretty sure he didn’t think he’d be signing as a centre half đ
“Before the game we wanted to win, but sometimes it happens that the other team plays better than you. I prefer one point and being booed than zero points and being applauded off the pitch.”
– Mancini.
Well, at least he is honest about it!
HAH! Well played Chippy.
Now, I need to stop spamming the bar.
I’ll get some drinks all around! Not out of joy or sorrow, just because some alcohol always does you good.
Helping myself to the bar, ‘Holic. I’ll leave enough for you to get off your head as well when you get back.
Yes Toby, I am more frustrated than disappointed. We don’t have to play them again until next season though so that’s good – hopefully against the other half of Manchester they will take at least as many points off them (who knows with another striker they might even try and win).
Arshavin wasn’t particularly effective when he came on, I agree, but you could say that there were a number of players who were ineffective. Just one of those nights.
(As for Bacary’s sending off – what an idiot. Bet EE will be delighted with that đ )
So overall yeah, bring on Leeds!
Yeah, when I name Arshavin, it’s more due to the fact that things got a bit disjointed, same with Bendtner. Both might well have made something happening, had they gotten a few more minutes and no red card interruptions, but as it was now, it just slowed down the game. Not necessarily any of said players faults, just events that conspired.
Sagna is now red carded both by the UEFA and the FA, a tad silly I’d say. Sagna will serve his three match ban (I’m guessing, violent conduct, straight red?) against Leeds, Ipswitch and West Ham. We probably would have played Eboue in at least one of those games anyways and now he will get some game time he surely need to get up to speed before he takes on David Villa in a months time or so.
Bacary got stamped on and his achilles kicked by this thug called Bowyer but did not react, stood up and played on.
Something really bad must have happend tonight.
where did cusop go?
I miss cusop!
I’d love a beer ta đ Agree I’m not upset or dissapointed as I thought the lads done all they could to break them down and with a gnats cock size of luck would have won comfortably – Im one of the first to critisize when I think effort or passions missing but tonight they just got strangled to death or more to the point got sent to sleep đ We will be Uniteds nearest challengers whether we’ve got enough nous in midfield and at the back to go on a season winning run I’m not so sure but I’m sure I’d rather watch us than most and If we keep this squad together and add a few more here and there Silver pots will soon be heading to N5- And that’s just how I like it đ
Profligate finishing tonight meant it was two points lost rather than point gained.
ManU the only victor tonight (only). Still a long way to go.
MOTM for me..Clichy. The fella worked his socks off and deserves a mention. Respect to you sir!
Onwards we go.
A cool San Miguel for me please barmen….and anyone else thirsty đ
Last point…..the sending off of both players was completely unnecessary.
It was one of those days three posts speak for itself.
Not disappointed one bit, lads gave all they had, however I do think in certain situations we should have pulled the trigger rather than trying to walk it in.
I was shouting shoot shoot…and Song had a brilliant opportunity, sadly it went begging.
Still positive though. Chavs lost tonight at Wolves and they have a point to prove agaisnt Man U.
Feeling the Arsenal love Chippy!
Now you’ve got to keep spreading it here, since I’m going to bed. Loads to do tomorrow. Take care everyone!
What a disgrace, City. WHAT A FUCKING DISGRACE.
It appears after tonight’s games that Man Utd were the real winners with all other Top 5 teams dropping points. Interesting to see how the “Top 5” table is looking. 8 Games total are played against one another between all 5 teams. Currently:
Man Utd Played 3 / W 2 / D 1 = 7 pts
Man City Played 5 / W 1 / D 3 / L 1 = 6 pts
Arsenal Played 6 / W 2 / D 1 / L 3 = 7 pts
Spurs Played 4 / W 1 / D 2 / L 1 = 5 pts
Chelsea Played 4 / W 1 / D 1 / L 2 = 4 pts
Man Utd have 5 games to play against Top 5 teams, whereas we have only 2 games left v Top 5 opposition. Arsenal’s tally of 7 out of 18 points isn’t great but at least we know there’ll be lots of points dropped between now and May. Thought we played well tonight, just a little unlucky.
Condolences to you Holic.
Ye hah. Back in at last. On my phone at least. Citeh should be ashamed of themselves. A billion pounds the arabs have spent and they play like that? Embarrassing for me. Not one shot on target. Correct me if i an wrong but from memory they did not have a shot on target here last season? Shambles.
Song excellent. Unlucky with the woodwork. Good performances all round. Apart from flappy who can not really be judged as citeh did not bother to attack. Kos and jd grow as a partnership each game. 8 points from christmas is not the 10 i wanted but it could have been a lot worse. And on that note does anyone know anymore more smug than Ray Wilkins at this moment in time? He must be laughing his bollocks off.
sorry guys but I disagree totally with your views
Citeh did not play badly or negatively
we did not ALLOW them to play at all, and our possession and desire for the ball was incredible
what let us down for the umpteenth time was our work in the last third. As I have felt for a long time, our lack of vision of the other side of the field (which Cesc no longer has I feel and Jack only shows glimpses of), and no ability to stretch defences – unfortunately Theo was prepared to run only rarely, and AA at the end was dying for a long slant ball in his direction but was never seen because all the concentration was on the fast inter-passing which their defence was effectively ball watching and we never looking around for the fast cross ball
RVP is lots of things but did not get in the box for the few crosses we made ( which Chammy does well) but neither did anyone else
Why was Jack taken off for NB I dont know – and Theo was unhappy at being replaced by AA – he will have to learn
I felt that BS was elbowed before the head tapping but that is no excuse – he showed better control against Bowyer the other day
as I began so will I finish – we dominated them but very rarely looked like scoring 7 out of 10 and drinks for all the frustrated ‘holics round the world please barman
agree cognacgunner. beautiful football but little end product. having said that we are getting better. city weren’t as bad as others make out. yes they have spent a lot but are much better than a year ago and will likely get stronger. a long way to go – the table posted by bernard tells a sad tale.utd also have to go to anfield which is tougher for them than would otherwise be right now. how the mighty have gallen…
BS is a numpty – was the aggressor and thought the city guy was harshly treated
Lars “you would do well to listen to your own advice Why is it any more certain that Cesc will leave next summer than it is that he will become (or even already is) a better player than Iniesta? Why is it a certainty that Nasri will leave? Shouldnât experience and history teach us that Cesc has resisted repeated offers from Barcelona? And what experience has ever indicated that Nasri would leave on the basis of us not winning anything?”
hmm. there is no evidence he will become a better player than iniesta. he is great and may do so but he may not. not many do. anything more is supposition. on the other hand there is evidence he wants to go to barcelona and if stories are to be believed he will be allowed to go this season, possibly deal is is team hasn’t won (last chance saloon for arsene) qed
i didn’t say it was a certainty nasri will leave . please read before commenting. a said ihe probably would if success doesn’t come. there is an enormous difference between probably and certainty (that old facts thing again) history teaches us that young players don’t hang around indefinitely waiting for success that may never come. flamini for one. nasri doesn’t see arsene as a father figure and if he continues to play well will have many talking to his agent
This was the best game we have played for quite some time, City shall consider themselves very, very lucky to come away with one point. We played against not a midfield and a back four – we played against a back nine and Tevez as an attacking midfielder and absolutely no-one up front. I think Steve T is right, Man City have now not had one single shot on target in their last 180 minutes at the Emirates.
Song and Wilshere were immense today. And cognac, how you can say that Cesc lacks vision is beyond me. He was brilliant v Chelsea and he was not far worse today.
Mike Jones had an excellent game until he decided to take center stage. The red cards were absolutely ridiculous. Shouldn’t even have been yellows. Yes, Sagna should have just walked away but that does not change the fact that it was a ridiculous decision by the ref.
Pint of John Smiths, please.
I agree with the some of the comments above. We did seem to run out of ideas. A genuine lack of width leaves the middle very congested. But twice in 2 seasons the multi million pound superstars from middle eastlands have pitched up at The Grove and still have not managed a shot on target. And you dont think they were negative? I would be embarrassed if i were a citeh fan. But i do accept that we ran out of ideas. If we had had a bit more luck with one of the ones that hit the post it would have been interesting to see what would have happened then.
goonertown @72. so much to digest
“The EPL as you put it is the most competitive league in the world.”
so what. all effort and not much thought. actually hasn’t been that competitive for chelsea and utd for past 6 years.
” So although X&I are arguably the most technically gifted Midfield pairing in the world right now, they do not have the pressure of the ELP in which to apply it. ” they would have far less intelligent and gifted players to play against. people running around doesn’t bother them very much actually. besides isn’t the world cup competitive ?
“Besides, the X&I of 3 years ago were not the same animals of today. If you compare them to the C&N of today at over and above their current ages respectively and how they have improved to become the world renowned midfielders of today, there is clear evidence that C&N will improve (especially at Arsenal).” not sure there is clear evidence. likely yes although improvement is not unlimited and they may not improve to be better than I and X (a very high bar)
“With that in mind, taking in to account the level C&N are now, their past achievements and the fact they perform week in week out in the best league in the world (the best league in the world -this was Cescâs words last week, amongst other football Professionals. See: post v Chelski match response live on Sky Sports). I again conclude that C&N will inevitably become as good or better than X&I. You should also take in to account my condition that C&N will have to play at their best and be consistent. ” gosh. that is a leap. inevitably huh ? all epl players say it is the best league in world – what else would they say. so do la liga players about la liga, serie a about serie a and so on. it is in their interests to say that, they are not bright but also not stupid.
“Any evidence/facts required are easily obtainable on the Barca & Arsenal websites re honours and via video on Youtube of the respective players, to name a few sources, if necessary.” i hope you are not a lawyer because evidence means “all the means by which any alleged matter of fact whose truth is investigated at judicial trial is established or disproved”. wait, yes, it probably disproves it. but if you have a minute, can you direct us to what “Barca & Arsenal websites re honours and via video on Youtube of the respective players, to name a few sources, ” actually means.
i don’t know anymore:
Actually, I did read it all and you DID say that Nasri would leave if we don’t win anything. These are you exact words:
“nasri will probably stay if we win something but otherwise not.”
Maybe you did not mean it that way, but what you say is that he might stay if we win anything but if we don’t he’s gone.
And about Cesc: You say that there is evidence that he wants to go to Barcelona (what are those facts, by the way? Cesc has not once that I know of gone on record saying he wants to leave – all those stories are from bloggers and twitterers and whatnot who have claimed to have spoken to friends of Cesc), and then you follow it up with “if stories are to be believed” which is not the same as a fact. If stories were to be believed Patrick Vieira would have signed for Real Madrid years before he was eventually sold, and Cesc would have been back at Barca since years as well – etc etc etc.
I agree completely that we should try our best to stick to facts, but your claims that Cesc will go and Nasri might are still only what you believe. They are not facts – and that is a fact đ
ok. fair point. lets reconvene at end of season. if we don’t win the league (ok lets include ch league…) then i will vet you one of them will not be here next year.
I can’t seem to get in the bar from my laptop or phone. I’m in right now from a friend’s phone. Holic, how can this be fixed?
See ‘holic’s post number 8, Snir.
We must be doing something right, even Hansen is now saying that Arsenal are a decent team and apart from Man -Ure are the team most likely to win the PL. I hope this isn’t the kiss of death!
don’t know anymore@105 â
A lot to digest huh? Well youâd better take a laxative for this one Lol!
I thought you would have made points and backed them up.
“so what. all effort and not much thought. actually hasnât been that competitive for Chelsea and utd for past 6 years.”
Just because C&M have won the league (and so did we if you go back another year which you purposely did not so as to alienate us), that doesn’t mean that playing in the EPL was not more demanding than playing in the La Liga. In the last 6 years which you have focused on C,M and us have all reached Champions league finals. Add Liverpool to that and you actually have a Premiere league team reaching the final every year except last year for the last six years. Not to forget 2008 when we had an all English final. This actually corroborates my point that the EPL is the most competitive in the world. Making it the best league to play, for competition reasons Per sae!
âthey would have far less intelligent and gifted players to play against. people running around doesnât bother them very much actually. besides isnât the world cup competitive ?â
Hmmm? Iâm sure about this one mate. In La Liga there are only ever two teams who win the league. In the last 49 years the EPL have had almost 3 times more clubs actually win the league not to mention qualify for Europe. Like yourself I purposely only went back 49 years as opposed to 50 years so as to purposely eliminate those LWCâsumbags! Again making our league more competitive. Thus better on a competitive level.
To call the EPL which is littered with a far more diverse range of national players as âless intelligentâ sounds a little slanted. How do you then explain our the ELPâs dominance in the CL in over say (let me pick a number) the last 6 years, if we are less gifted and intelligent?
Okay moving along
Yes the WC is completive, if you recall, France won it with a squad which contained Viera and Petit in 98.Not to mention the Euro four years after with a squad which was predominantly Arsenal based, contests which also both featured Spain. We also had two players in the WC final 2010 one of which made the winning assist, which you already know. I also previously mention the Euro 2 years earlier. Both the current Spain and Dutch squads for that matter also contain a generous helping of past and present EPL players.
Next point:
Okay you agreed with me there
Next point:
Stupid or intelligent aside, unlike yourself I thought I would include authority to back up my statements. Something which you claimed before was lacking in this forum. An exhaustive list of quotes from across the world was not necessary for me to do so.
Your last point which was supposed to be the sucker punch was quite timid! I do not need to explain what go and look on the websites for evidence actually means. As for law it is not a subject you can define with one quote from a dictionary. In fact Law has itâs own dictionaries (a fact). So weâd better not start going up that road of no return!
I respect the fact you have an opinion which you believe in and want to stick to. That makes you a good arguer and an interesting person to speak to. However you sound as though in order to win the argument you are allowing your opinion to cloud your true judgement. Even when faced with the exact facts and evidence!
An Evian should do it please Barman!
goonertown
good debate indeed. let’s however not confuse competitive with quality or a a small number of strong teams. english league had a small number of string teams that made it through to ch league. not last year and lets see this year (after all its now we are talking about). i do not see any of them troubling barca or indeed madrid. while those two have a ridiculous domination due to distorted tv income other teams are still v good. not so long ago villareal got to semi and gave us a very good game of it (could have won had pen not been missed)- could you see villa say or everton doing that ? i would say teams 3-6 or 8 would beat their equivalents in england more often that not.
do english teams harrass more ? unquestionably. but the epl is shown up for what it is when you look at ay the best 30 (name a number 10, 20 ? don’t care) players in europe, how many are now in epl. at a pinch 5 although would struggle to get to that. put it this way if we or utd or chavs wanted to buy someone (leaving aside the fact they won’t sell to competitor) who would they want. well united would prob want fab and essien and that’s about it. we would want essien rooney, and some (maybe 4) defenders. all the names talked about for these teams are from other countries and often in teams we would not rate at all. so why is epl better. not sure what best league to play for competition reasons means. until this year, the sides below had as much chance of beating barca or real as they did of beating chelsea or utd (or us, our blowups aside). barca and even real are exceptionally strong right now but so were chelsea an utd 2 years ago. a better product to watch, yes. but tougher. me don’t think so
As an attacking force, Shitty were, well, SHITTY.
For their second successive visit, Broken Hart and the Blue Mooners came to the Emirates and set their stall out to hold out for a nil-nil draw. Petro-dollars a-plenty have been poured into a deep black well in the Mancunian sub-strata, without any evidence that one single dollar has been spent wisely. On tonightâs evidence, not one of their mega-gazillion purchases was worth a two lame-camel trade with a pinch of camel dung thrown in to sweeten the deal and improve the odour of silver buying stench.
Shitty were as attractive as Auld Slapper, as adventurous as Noddy and Big Ears on a damp night out at a sandwich party for LuluBell in Toytown; as inspired as Wayne Screwny on University Challenge; as entertaining as Carlo Ancelotti in stand-up comedy.
BUT â they were as happy as sand boys with spades and the whole of the Sahara desert to build sand castles in. âWoooHooooââŚ.whooped the Pink Panther. âWeâve won two points out of a possible six against the best young team in Europe!â What a happy bunch of Shitties they were.
Arsenal started brightly and Van Persie had a golden opportunity for 1-0 inside three minutes but just failed to connect. Shitty responded quickly but Milner, who was quite pathetic on the night, blazed wide – (and it was another 20 minutes before Fabi was required to touch the ball from open play). Alex Song, Cesc and Jack Wilshere bossed the mid-field with three inadequates in blue chasing their shadows and kicking them when they could.
Even with ten men behind the ball, City were unable to cope with Arsenalâs creativity. Incisive play created openings for Theo to shoot narrowly past, Jack to fire two left foot crackers at Hart, Robin then Cesc then Theo to hit the woodwork, all without any real reply from the gazillionaires. Three-nil at half time would not have been an unjust scoreline, such was the difference in skill level.
The second half followed a similar pattern. But in fairness, Shittyâs back division was more organized and fewer chances emerged. Toure YaYa emerged as a more significant entity (but not 28 million quids worth) and the introduction of Johnson for the anonymous Jo added a little extra interest (but not much).
It took a finger-tip save from Hart to deprive Van Persie from 25 yards in what turned out to be Arsenalâs closest thing to a goal on the night. Arsene introduced a new Russian hairstyle and Bendy for Walcott and Jack. While both were worth a try to change the flow, neither substitute moved the needle or managed any impact.
Close to the end Sagna and Zabaleta had a stupid outbreak of handbags. The three match ban that resulted will enable Sagna to rest his hard-worked legs and enable Eboue to have a run out in the only position he should be played in. Little damage done there.
Ian DâArc and the Scouse Waffler, MacManaman were commenting here. Both hailed the result as a great âdirtyâ result for Shitty, but an even better result for the Famous Red Grouse, old purple nose, and the deeply indebted Man IOU at Manure. They may have been right, but with both Spuds and Chelski losing, it was not a bad night for the Arsenal either. Weâre still right in the mix AND weâre an infinitely more talented operation than the blue-bottlers who turned up from the Eastlands wastelands tonight.
Four points off the lead on January 5 is an achievement Iâm very happy to raise my glass to. The Glenfiddich please, barman â with keys to âGoonerholicâ from my home computer so that I can post on time â PLEASE.
Very nice at 113 mr bergkamp. I would be most pleased if you could stop talking about russian people like comrade arshavin in terms of their haircut though. i like this term of yours – blue bottlers – seems to sum up this city team very well.
Cheer, BtM. I’ll have a Glenfiddich with you.
Paul Le Guen is a far more competent commentator than any of the UK cunts you can get.
i don’t know anymore@112 –
Agreed Barca have by far the strongest outfit this season. However lets not forget about what happened to them in the CL last season by a club considered to play for a far less superior league. On any given day any team can get beat, no matter who plays. After all we thrashed the oil riggers 3-0 two months ago but drew against them last night.
You’re right. Talking about now either way we look at it, Cesc is the best young creative midfielder in the world! This being the case, there is of an argument that he will be as good as Xavi if not better in 7 years time (when he becomes Xaviâs age). 7 years ago Xavi could not dream about Captaining any club much less Barca who them selves went trophy less for 5 years. This was 2 years after Xavi was Cescâs age. Thus Cesc still has another 2 years to win something to equal Xaviâs club record. Beside, Xavi cannot say he was a Euro or WC winner playing in both finals when he was 23.
Your point re; positions 3-6 is not true as evidenced in the last 6 years of the CL. But I would agree that places 5-8 you may have a point, especially seeing that Athletico beat Fulham last season, although it was close.
In your last paragraph you showed why I love football so much, because opinions and views range so vastly about the exact same topics. However we are also a species of herds. If one person has a view everyone else will follow. Your view is that the ELP is not that strong and it is well argued. However if my club manager, Captain and the manager who won the Champions league all say the EPL is the best league, I think Iâll follow them! Although itâs debateable whether or not the EPL is the best!
Another fact is that, if we wanted to spend the money we could have bought all the best players in the world by now. David Villa who is the best striker in the world, expressed a desire to join Arsenal only two years ago. If you add Cesc and Mascherano to that, Barcaâs current squad still have recent EPL links. Not to mention Madrid: Ronaldo, Alonso, Diara and both Spanish clubs desire to sign Torres.
Chelsea once bought the best players in the world and now itâs City and Madridâs turn. However Spain cannot yet claim to have the best league in the word only because they have the best club and players. These two clubs do not make a league.
If you compare the distance between the current top 3-8 Spanish clubs and the top 3-8 EPL clubs the distance in Spain is far greater to that of the UK at present. This is something only time will tell whether Spainâs league will reciprocate.
BTM @ 113,
Thanks for continuing to keep us so well entertained whilst ‘Holic attends to family matters.
Very frustrating game last night although I thought we put in a very good performance. The only key difference for me from the way that we approached Chelsea was that we hit woodwork vs netting. Shame, otherwise the end result would have been nigh-on identical.
Shitty defended well but were dull, dull, dull. If I were a Shitty fan, I’d be mightily p*ssed off that for all the massive investment made in my my team, they could only yield a highly unambitious performance against a title contender. Money buys you plenty in football but it does not buy you passion or a bunch of guys that play as a team who are hungry for victories. Not yet anyway… đ
A toast to our team and drinks for all who are in the bar this evening.
PS for Norfolk @110 – did Hansen really say that? I think I prefer it when he sticks to the snide comments.
Another PS from TS:
Where’s that LWC Cusop when you actually want him to be around? Not feeling so pleased today with ourseleves, our we?
You know where we get the LW from LWC don’t you mate? It’s because you lot are forever in our shadow. 50 years and counting boy…
Okay Holics I’m off home from work where I can access this site to where I cannot.
I will note my IP address and drop you a line tomorrow Holic!
PS: Nice one BTM
i donât know anymore – nice frank discussions!
Talk later!
PS: TS…50 years and counting mayne!
@ GT #120
Here’s to their next 50 years of mediocrity.
How many changes do we think that AW will make on Saturday then?
I hope we are taking the BIG cup seriously – a performance akin to the Wigan match just won’t do.
I also hope he sticks with the same central defence – we need to get these guys working toward a partnership – it looks like the news on Vermaelen may not be good (as per Arseblog).
Thoughts ‘Holics?
Zico, I think we’ll see changes as below. Context – FA Cup at home, Championship Team.
Sczezny (AW needs to keep him interested, bring him on)
Eboue (Rotated anyway but Sagna red card drives)
Squillaci (Resting Djourou after year out)
Koscielny (Needs the practice)
Gibbs (Needs game time)
Denilson (I hate to leave out Song, but the rhythm king is up for it)
Rosicky
Nasri (Cesc Role)
Walcott (Needs as many games as he can get)
Chamakh (Resting Robin)
Arshavin (A good game might spark a return to form)
The news on Vermaelen may just swing purchase of Cahill. He’s a keeper long term. Squillaci isn’t. Next year we’d have JD 20, Vermaelen, Cahill, Koscielny. Magic back four rotators.
What do you think?
BTM – I think you could be right but I think that is too many changes for what is still, in my eyes, a big prize.
It’s a difficult balancing act when we don’t have a true replacement for Song (still think that’s something that we should try and put right in this window) and I am not convinced that Denilson is that player. I like him, but don’t think he has quite enough “dig” which is something we may need in this game. I can hear your howls of outrage all the way back here in the Kingdom by the way…. đ
My biggest concern in your team is Squillaci – he does not fill me with any confidence at all. Don’t think AW would try and buy a player from another English club so not sure Cahill is our answer – they are way overpriced and usually overrated by some of our fans just because they are English.
I hope that whichever 11 players turn out though, they realise they are in for a scrap.
Can I tempt you with some Glenlivet, kept well hidden from my first footers?
Go on then, twist my arm on the Glenlivet.
You’re right, Leeds will see this as a real; giant killer opportunity and they have nothing at all to lose.
I think when AW bought Squillaci he did so as a replacement for Campbell/Silvestre back-up player. He isn’t good enough to be a regular first team pick. Not mobile enough, average in the air and very poor distribution from the back.
The good news is that JD 20 looks like a new man with world-beater potential.
Off home now. Speak ramorra.
Good arguments guys ( nicely done with respect). I agree with some things and not with others. Now then, a pint for the cricket? Here come the boys……
As for the team v Leeds, my guess is we’ll go with pretty much this team:
Szczesny
Eboue-Squillaci-Koscielny-Gibbs
Denilson
Ramsey-Rosicky
Bendtner-Chamakh-Arshavin
This is a team that should be good enough to beat Leeds comfortably.
Not sure if Gibbs is ready yet though and if not I’d expect someone from the youth team to play there, I don’t think Arsene will risk Clichy here. I am fairly certain that Ramsey will play – we are, after all, playing a Championship side and play Championship sides is what Ramsey has been doing for a few weeks. He played 90 minutes in his last game for Forest so he is obviously physically fit enough to start.
I actually think that for the first time in many years we will see a stronger team in the Carling Cup than in the FA Cup. I am expecting at least one of Cesc and Nasri or maybe even both to start at Ipswich.
True Storey – yes Hansen did say that on MOTD. I’m surprised he didn’t choke on his words.
Lars, will Ramsey start? I’m not sure he will, might get a run on late in the game if things are going well. I’m not sure how fit Gibbo is, but options are limited. Clichy has been playing very well of late (apart from an occasional, non fatal mistake) but he could do with a rest. Whatever team is picked Leeds will be no push-over and mustn’t be underestimated. A win is a must so we can get to the final and win a bit of silverware.
Lansbury is injured so has not been playing for Norwich City and I think his talent has been missed although City have had some good results and inevitably the jackals have come sniffing round after Paul Lambert; fuck-off Burnley!
Rumours are the Roy Keane’s getting the boot today.. Is that a good or bad thing? Will the Ipswich players raise there game against us? Will it matter
COYRRG!!!
norfolk, I agree completely that Leeds should not be underestimated but we are, after all, playing at home and the team I suggested above should beat them comfortably. And I really do think Ramsey will start because Arsene will most likely want to rest Wilshere and Song just as much as he will want to rest Cesc and Nasri. Wenger also has a history of not hesitating to let players make their comebacks as starters and since Aaron played 90 minutes for Forest the other day I don’t see why he should not be fit to start against a team from the same division in which he played those 90 minutes.
Cup of tea please.
nez, either way it shouldn’t have to matter. They are not a very good team so if we just keep our heads in the right place we should give them a beating on both legs.
TS@121 – Cheers!
Catalan,
Please say what you don’t agree with on my part and I will gladly elaberate with respect.
I have the utmost respect for Barca as a footballing side. I just feel that even if they are able to wipe the floor with most if not all EPL teams, as a league, the pace, schedule, technique ranges and finances to name a few factors makes the EPL a more competitive league. Hence there are 5 teams genuinely competing for the title this season.
Heh, I’m back. Thank’s ‘Holic.
Lars –
I totally agree. This team should comfortably beat Leeds who went on a 13 game unbeaten run in the Championship which started after a tie v Cardiff and ironically ended on Tuesday with another tie against v Cardiff!
If our second string cannot comprehensively beat this mob then we should all be entitled to our money back, because what our first string showed on Wednesday is that right now we are awesome!
What happened at Wigan the week before appeared to be a momentary blip!
We must soldier forward tomorrow despatching these spectators in front of our now pleased again home crowd!
Up the Gooners
Another green tea please Barman!
We could have get more points from the last games, We actually deserved more points from these games, when we are talking about one or two games. But the more important thing is to keep playing the way we did in the last games (chelsea, Birmigham and Man city) then we will be the champion at the end of the season, for sure. we will never hit the bar three times each game when we play the way we did against City.
Man United have played till now with their charachter and their solid defence, but they will not win enough games to win the league.
There is only one crucial factor which will decide our season, INJURY ⌠if we can only keep our first choice players fit for the rest of the season then we will be there. Vermalean is only first choice player we are missing now. We are attacking with Nasri, Fabrigas, Wallcot and van Persie .. with these players fit, I will be comfortable even when we play barca.
We are not afraid from anybody and it seems we can control the games a little bit better. Im very optmistic.
Ibrahim –
I don’t want to make excuses but did you see how wet the pitch was? Considering that we still moved the ball very well on Wednesday. Those chances may have been converted had the surface/ball been dryer.
I felt our game was a little exposed during that game. City were lucky that we slightly fatigued after the 50th minute too. It should be a little late in the season for copy cat teams to try and replicate our technique and may have to wait until next season (as per usual). But we may have to get our unlocking bus stop game packed in our locker again this season just in case, team try to replicate City instead! Saying that Citeh have a far better defensive record than their counter-parts around them.
Thereâs a few fixtures coming up where clubs in the relegation zone will try and play for a point.
PS: City do not deserve a shot at the title (Edin Dzeko or not), if they represent anti-football!
Cheers Holics
Thank you for the forum to air Holic and I hope all is bearing for you right now!
Welcome back BtM, it’s like you’ve never been away. đ
I’ll share a whisky with you then.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07012011/58/premier-league-city-win-zabaleta-appeal.html
The problem for me is that Sagna should also have his red card rescinded! I thought Zabaleta initiated the confrontation and Sagna over-reacted! But that does not mean his actions were not violent! I don’t feel he will be successful on appeal!
Goonertown – Sagna was daft. At a time when we were needing to push on and try and get a last-kick-off-the-ball winner, he should have been focused on that, irrespective of what was allegedly said etc.
I know he was frustrated, we all were, but if the roles had been reversed we would have wanted the red card to stand.
Best move on and take the ban in my humble op…..
what City do is up to them.
Zico –
Thanks for the honest response (as usual). As BTM said earlier, it’s not a great loss. ‘Mannu’ can now oil those cogs abit to get him ready for Barca!
Onwards and upwards!
Holic, Zico and other cricket lovers (Lars!)…. a little something to brighten your day;
A bloke walks into a brothel and says:
“I’m a bit kinky, how much for total humiliation?”
The madam replies $60.
“Wow, what do I get for that,” he says.
She says: “A baggy green cap and an Australian Cricket XI shirt.”
Goonertown
I was being flippant. Ignore me and keep on arguing – it’s all good stuff
Catalan –
Lol!
It’s all good!
I think it is rather strange that the card for Zabaletea was rescinded. Yes, Sagna was more aggressive but Zabaleta pushed Sagna very hard in the chest with his hands and did not exactly try to avoid the “clashing” of heads. Every time Arsenal have appealed red cards in later years it has been said that cards are only rescinded in case a blatant error (such as giving it to the wrong player or something) has been made and that is not the case here by any stretch of the imagination. The ref even consulted the lino, so there were two refs involved in the decision – how is that not undermining the ref as they usually claim to not want to do?
Anyway, whatever. No point in wasting any more energy on that. Sagnas card will stand and rightfully so, even if I think the ref should have applied common sense and just told them both to calm down but by the letter of the law he was right to show a red card to both players which makes rescinding Zabaleta’s card a bit peculiar.
Catalan: so, I take it England has walloped the Aussies then? đ
Lars… well and truly, sir! Of course that joke can easily be customised to offer a Sp%%s shirt for the same price…
Dr C
Excellent stuff. Got any other “comedy prescriptions” to brighten up a Friday evening?
Lars and all
A very crass decision indeed. For sure Sagna was in the wrong and he behaved inappropriately but it always takes two to tango and Zabaleta should (IMHO) be left in the dog-house with Bacary. Shame on the FA yet again, not that they care. As others have pointed out, we have bigger fish to fry.
Boddies or John Smiths this evening?
So ‘Holics, it appears that there is a good chance for Rambo to take to the pitch on Saturday at the home of football. What a wonderful piece of news to get the weekend off to a good start.
I’d like to propose a toast to Aaron and his future Arsenal career. Drinks all round for those in the bar please.
And there was me thinking I was going to stay sober tonight.
I’ll drink to that, TS.
Catalan @ 142 ,
the old ones are the best đ