Thank You Leeds, For A Confidence Booster And A Cracker
Jan 19th, 2011 by 'holic
Hard to know where to start. That was a proper old game of football. Two sides busting a gut in a one hundred mile an hour spectacular, and a lesson to some of the neanderthal managers in the Premiership that football can be played at that pace and intensity without leg-breaking challenges, and without two-footed lunges.Twenty-eight committed players produced an hour and a half of pure footballing theatre.
Unlike our most recent visits to Elland Road the home side did not crumble against technically superior opponents. They kept going, even when Arsenal built a 2-0 lead, that frankly could have been bigger, in just over half an hour. Samir Nasri, acting captain, showed the way in only five minutes with a sublime finish. He is just getting better and better with every passing month. Andrey Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner were not quite sharp enough to accept tap-in invitations. Marouane Chamakh saw his header miraculously saved by Schmeichel. Then Bacary Sagna became the most unlikely scorer with a rasping drive from the inside right channel.
It was as good as over, surely? Well it would have been but for a magnificent thump of Johnson’s left boot. The former Arsenal junior breathed life back into the home support, and prompted even more effort from those around him, as Leeds attempted to rescue the tie by summoning up lung-bursting industry in an attempt to nullify Arsenal effort and artistry. You couldn’t take your eyes off the contest as long as only one goal divided the combatants.
Off the field too a wonderful competition was unfolding as 3200 travelling Gooners attempted to outshout 35000. Both sets of supporters created an atmosphere that belonged to a bygone age. Listening to it unfold from the comfort of a leather armchair was frustrating. Because only one goal separated the sides until fourteen minutes from the end that atmosphere was maintained. We breathed in as Leeds attempted to apply pressure. They prayed hard every time we went forward. In truth a midfield stalemate was emerging, and broken only by the introduction of Fabregas for Arshavin.
A word for the little Russian. He is undeniably in the middle of a period of poor form. Nothing is coming off for him. In recent weeks he has been frustrating to watch because he has not provided the industry that would go some way to making up for the lack of form that affects all players at one stage or another. You could not level that accusation at him tonight. Out of touch he may be, but he worked his socks off for seventy-one minutes. That improvement in attitude will see a return to form soon for one of the most accomplished of footballers, I’m sure.
Finally the ‘holic pound was secured when Nicklas Bendtner, probably a frustrated right winger on the night, provided the perfect cross for Robin van Persie to head home. That, as they say, really was that.
Confession time. Delighted though I am to have a few bob in the pocket I doubted the wisdom of the punt when the team was announced and we had made six changes from the side that took West Ham apart. I thought that without Fabregas, Walcott, and van Persie in the starting line-up we may have lacked the personnel for a high tempo performance. Not for the first time today, I was wrong. To be fair I was not expecting Nasri to be included, and he definitely earned the man of the match bubbly.
Perhaps tonight we are closer to working out just how many players, and more importantly who, can be rotated without affecting the dynamic of the side. We owe a debt of thanks to Leeds for that. They provided a searching test of our credentials.
Cheers ‘holics.
155 Responses to “Thank You Leeds, For A Confidence Booster And A Cracker”
Arsenal News 24/7
Yes, I’ll second that. Well in on the prediction too, boss.
Cheers.
good to see the return of the ‘holic pound. Great win!
Yeah,and thank you for 2 great pay days.
All the best for the rest of the season.
Another brilliant performance all over the pitch, industry, skill & class.. Delighted… A warm afterglow
i doubt anyone could disagree with the fact that arshavin atleast worked hard for the team, that’s all everyone’s been asking for really.he’ll have better games ahead if he could just maintain this level of commitment…
Thanks Snail. Bit lucky in truth. I wouldn’t have picked that if I thought we were leaving out Fabregas, Walcott, and van Persie.
The key though was keeping half the team in , and obviously Koscielny, Song and Nasri were pivotal in that performance. Great work, Arsene.
Does anyone else wonder why we seem to concede wonder goal to players that will never come close to the feat again?
Johnson tonight. Rose for Spurs last season. Mellor for the Scallies a few seasons back.
The goal is usually followed by a period in the reserve side then a slow dribble down the Divisions.
As I’ve said elsewhere, the better side in both ties won, but as a Leeds fan I don’t feel we were shamed in any way by the comparison with one the the best teams in England, indeed, in Europe.
I think we made it a real contest, and put a great deal of effort into a competetion that, frankly, doesn’t even register on our priorites list for this year.
We didn’t need this replay any more than you did, but we put our best effort, both on, and off of the pitch, into it. I am a little disappointed that Arsenal’s fans can’t quite say the same, having been outsung at the Emirates, and returning 1,800 tickets for the replay. (although I say that as someone that wasn’ at Elland Road myself tonight… although I was that the Emirate, and I will be at Pompey on Saturday)
Well done Arsenal. Good luck in the competition. In fact, good luck in ALL of the competitions. I hope you do well, and I hope we meet again soon when there are actual ‘points’ at stake. …. and I hope we pick up three points on Saturday.
Great effort Leeds, over both games. And a good away win for our boys.
But I continue to struggle with Bendtner (perfect cross aside), Arshavin and Denilson. Bendtner looks even more out of tune with his colleagues than normal (if that were possible), playing on the wing. Arshavin plays as if he is just coming back from an 18 month injury, and Denilson same old sideways merchant, little threat, even less ambition. The limitations of these three are just shown up for what they are when the substitutions are made. All I can say is Arsene’s a very patient man …
But hey ho, a win’s a win and the draw’s been kind to us. Roll on Wigan, Ipswich and Huddersfield!
BTW, Pete the first,
Johnson scores that sort of goal a lot… seriously, a lot. Wonder strikes from 30 yards are run of the mill for him.
Along with hitting row Z from 30 yards….. which, to be fair, happens even more often, but if you don’t buy a ticket……..
I was delighted that the boys were up for it tonight – well done Arsene and the players for not repeating the “performance” at Portman Road and carrying on from Saturday at West Ham.
Loads of good performances tonight – a couple that were not quite good enough but I won’t taint what is a very good victory by picking faults.
I would have had 10 out of the 11 from Saturday playing – obviously Arsene Knows.
Now, I have a bone to pick with Mystic BtM and his crystal ball……
Guinness for me and a celebratory round for everyone else in the bar.
PS Armchair White @ 8 – good luck on Saturday I hope you get your 3 points – your team will make it back to the Prem some time soon I think.
A lot of credit must go to Leeds who made it a proper festival of football. Fast, frenetic end to end stuff. They did not hide. Well done Leeds, you did your best. Most teams in England and even in Europe will find Arsenal a massive headache at the moment. It is clear for all to see that they are functioning as a better unit than Man Utd and Man City at the moment. Leeds, you have literally played the best team (arguably) in the land and you did not hide. Well done.
I’m always a little happier with a win when RVP gets on the score sheet. Fantastic goal — as were our other two. Hell, Leeds’ also.
‘holic you are a gracious winner, and I agree Leeds would contribute a lot more interest to the Premier League than a number of clubs like Stoke, Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan (ahem I’d better not include them since they are probably about to take points off of us although hoping against hope…). But the Premier League could use more clubs from gritty industrial cities like Leeds, Sheffield, etc. where the crowds provide proper atmosphere like we don’t at home. Tonight’s game was the way it should be with plenty of drama and Arsenal winning, of course.
Powerful writing, Holic, for a powerful game. Wonderful to see the work rate and creativity unite for such a great performance and victory. Cheers Gooners!!!
Guinness, por favor!
There’s no shame in being beaten by the best footballing side, certainly, in England. Whoever you support to watch players like Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie, et al is a joy. But i’m proud of the way Leeds played – we really have been to hell – and we’ll improve the premiership on our return ( hopefully soon)
Good luck in the Fa Cup and finish above the scum will you!!
Happy days. Great to see our “second string” forward lineup play well.
Yes arsenal…please win the league…you guys play football the way it should be played..hope we meet again soon..in the prem.
Did anyone notice how much better Denilson was once Fabregas came on or was that just me?
Great game, you could see the desire was there, Leeds were well up for that, as were their fans, and we matched that and then some. High tempo football and ball winning from the forwards to the backs.
Kos was flawless, as he has been on numerous occasions away from home this season, just needs time to get the pace of the game in his head, where he has made one or two errors, but he is a natural defender. He’s being asked to move from the local town hall band to the London Symphony Orchestra, gonna take 12 months or so to ajust, for a 24 year old he looks a great prospect. Arsenal fans who have written him off are a joke.
Djourou was masterful again.
Congratulations on a very fine post ‘Holic and the return to pre-eminence of the Holic Pound. A thoroughly enjoyable game, played skillfully and fairly. I was surprised by the starting eleven. It wouldn’t have been my choice but that’s why AW has the job he has and I get to sit in the stand.
Good all round performance from Arsenal. I won’t add more on your words on AA, they’re fair but frankly a little more generous than I’d manage tonight. Of the rotators I thought that Gibbs and Denilson edged both Chamakh and Bendtner. In my opinion, both of the latter have gone backwards a little versus their peaks last season. More to come? I’d like to think so.
Increasingly, the “first team” is looking like the first team. Either because they’re just not as good or, because they lack the fluidity that regular games brings, the rotators are looking more and more like back-ups than starters. Hey, who even knows who Barca’s back-up players are? They start the same eleven every game – but then, they don’t have the intensity of the English game to manage.
Zico, you imply you followed the magical mystical magnetism of the crystal ball in preference to the (recently) notoriously unreliable Holic Pound. Wise man and normally, I’d congratulate you on your instincts (is there any Druid influence in your genetics?). We can discuss the merits of both when you buy me my pints in the Diggers at close of season.
My suspicion is that Le Boss is a Goonerholic reader. Why else would he introduce Cesc and Robin at 75 minutes when we’re comfortable, other than to pinch a third and secure his Holic Pound dividends?
Onward. I’ll be in Cupar for our Burns Supper on Jan 28 then first flight to Stansted for Huddersfield game on Saturday. See you at Turnhouse?
Great performance again tonight – let’s hope this is the new consistent Arsenal.
In the name of fairness after my recent negative comments on NB52, I thought he was again poor in the first half, better in the second half and put in an absolute beauty of a cross for RvP’s goal. He did start running harder to chase back now and then too.
True Storey and Catalan –
Sorry not to respond to your comments earlier, but I’ve been a bit pre-occupied with my daughter who has been quite ill since Sunday morning.
Catalan has already done a comprehensive job in describing the likely sources of TV5’s injury, so there is little point in repeating that.
I would stick my neck out though and take a guess at the specific culprit in this injury – can we ever find out the specifics ?
My guess is that the ‘little tendon next to the Achilles’ which is causing the pain is an inflamed Plantaris tendon/muscle.
This little chap runs the length of the sole of the foot paralell to the plantar ligament, through the medial/inside aspect of the heel, alongside the Achilles tendon into the medial side of the posterior calf, and crosses the calf nearer it’s upper half to attach to the femur above the knee.
It would be affected, as Catalan mentioned, by flat or over-pronating (rolling inwards) feet, or any misalignment of the ankle joint.
If I remember correctly, TV suffered a calf injury during the game vs Sp*rs at the end of last season – maybe the damage was done then.
Now we come to the normal puzzle with a medical team of Arsenal’s quality. Has this been missed, and, if so, how?
In crude terms, an inflamed Plantaris, which often presents as Achilles soreness, can fairly easily be identified by shoving a thumb into the sole of the foot around the area of the famous first meta-tarsal joint.
I don’t know if it’s possible, but I would love to find out eventually if this has been the problem.
The need for surgery would arise if the inflammation has started to calcify in the tendon sheath. Once removed, with proper rehab and strengthening, the problem should be gone, and TV5 should be well rested to win the title next year. No problem!
Sounds like you’re busy Catalan – a bit non-stop here, Still, people keep telling me that’s a good thing. All the best.
Felt like bygone days..the 3rd Armstrong swinging it over for Radford
We were asked after the West Ham victory for some positives for a pre Leeds post. My views were those below.
“Which ever 11 is selected they actually need to turn up. We know exactly what we will face. We need to be up for a battle, not just tippy tappy. If we are not motivated enough then we will really struggle. So time for those selected to roll their sleeves up and show that it means as much to them as it does to us.”
I think we got exactly that. The difference between the home tie and the Ipswich game for that matter was that we were actually up for the it. Right from the start it seemed to mean something, I do not know if the comments attributed to Denilson ruffled the feathers of the Peacock Suit (sorry BTM, You know I am a Weller fan) but those in yellow stepped up to the plate with aplomb.
I agree totally with the comments about those being out of form. AA and Nicky B have not had great runs, but both battled and fought for the cause. The ball from Bendtner for the third was sublime. A very professional performance.
With Flappy out for a few weeks then Chesney really has a chance to stake a claim. Decent results in coming weeks will make it difficult to leave him out. By default we may have selected a new number 1.
All in all a thoroughly professional performance in a pulsating cup tie for which our opponents deserve credit. I agree totally holic with your comments about a committed performance. I also agree that it goes a along way to dispel the pathetic myth perpetuated by those who think that the definition of “committed” means dangerous, reckless or two footed lunges. Many could learn quite a bit from Leeds and Simon Grayson’s approach. It is also been refreshing to read the majority of posts from those Leeds fans who have visited. All I can say is well played and I hope to see you back in the Premiership sooner rather than later. There are several that you could easily replace.
One point about the rotation policy. I am all for rotation. We need a big squad and we need to know that with absentees that we have suitable replacements. It is also obvious to all that that we can not play the same 11 week in week out. My problem with rotation is the quantity. At the likes of Wigan, Ipswich and Leeds at home, from memory we made about 9 changes. Tonight we made far less. I think that makes a difference. As I said, I do believe that rotating the squad is the way forward but would say that this should not be done at the expense of continuity.
Good win, good performance and a nice 4th round tie. A nice 3 points at the weekend to go with a couple of new signings and the Quadruple is well and truly on????????
Keep the faith.
One thing I forgot. Why on earth did we let Sanchez Watt play??? I know it had no affect on the outcome but how do we get anything out of him playing for Leeds against us??????
BTM, sorry, from your previous post the answer is yes. God willing I should be at all three.
Keep the faith.
The point of a loan is for players to get experience, what better games will there be for Watt this season than those two? What sort of negative thinking would cause Wenger to fear Watt playing? That he could knock Arsenal out, the club would really be in trouble if that was a concern of his. Every Leeds player at their very best, Watt included, should not be enough to beat an Arsenal side that actually wanted to win, and not the type of performance we saw at Portman Road.
Thankfully the lads clearly have the appetite from the response of the last two games.
P-McG,
The key word you use is “should.” We should not have lost at Ipswich. We should have beaten Leeds at home. We should not have lost to the likes of West Brom and Newcastle at home. We certainly should not have surrendered a lead at Sunderland. We should not have played weakened teams away in Europe, and we certainly should not have gifted 3 goals at home to the Spuds earlier on this season.
I hope that Watt has the ability to hurt us. If he does not have that quality and is not developing then why is he on the pay roll????
The way I see it is that any loan deal is done to benefit not just the player but for both clubs involved. It has to be at least a possibility that Watt could have done something to influence the game. I do not see that his appearance in either game helped Arsenal in anyway at all. How we allowed that to even be a possibility is beyond me.
P-McG – spot on, both comments.
I ‘think’, (although I am not sure) that because Sanchez Watt’s loan is to a team in a different division, and because the loan is for the entire season, that he is, in effect, our player for this year, and you are not actually allowed to dictate which games he may, or may not, play in.
But, no-one seems completely sure, so I wouldn’t bet a shilling on it.
Evening holic and holics, great win tonight, both teams deserve credit for a terrific game. I would just like to raise a point about NB52, has anyone else noticed that when he plays out wide the oppositions fullback on his side very rarely give us any problems, not sure why and others may disagree but I wonder if that’s why Arsene plays him wide so often.
In the previous drinks somebody reported that Gordon Strachan, commenting on the game, praised Song as the best defensive midfielder in the league. If so, all I can say is spot on Mr. Strachan.
Trev@22 : Wow! Had I known of your medical competence, I would have introduced you to Elouise from Copacabana on my last visit to Block 91. She was so frustrated to learn that The Sultan of Swing was on the bench that she kicked out and damaged something high in her inner thigh. She invited me to prod around up there, but I couldn’t fix it.
Maybe you could have pushed your thumb into the pad on her foot and cured the problem immediately? I shall check on my video recorder and see if I have some memoir of the event for your learned perusal.
Trev, I have a feeling you and Catalan had better stay away from BtM if you want to maintain your professional reputations. Straight and narrow, you know.
Just watched the goals again, and curiously, Kieran Gibbs was the first Arsenal player to congratulate the goalscorer in all three cases. Based on that evidence I don’t think anybody has anything on him for team spirit.
Super win and we’ll said, ‘holic.
However, I must agree with Arsenalandrew and others…actually very little meaningful industry from the diminutive Russian and NB52 seemed utterly hopeless other than the great cross to RvP.
Bushmill’s all around.
‘Holic,
Good call on the 3-1! Don’t spend the winnings in one shop mate.
Thanks for keeping the faith regarding the little Ruskie. He is just going through a spell of bad form. He’ll get his confidence back because the lad is quality and has lots of quality surrounding him.
A raised Guinness to all Gooners out there and a salute to the Gunners and Gunner Nation.
Hi holics,
Great win and a fantastic atmosphere it was!
We need to focus now on getting a streak together…and Arsene, please buy a CB
Cheers
SteveT@24, agree with every single word. Arshavin was absolutely pants, but he worked his socks off and that’s all I’m asking for from a player. Keep working like that and the magic will happen again!
Bendtner also worked hard. Apart from the cross he wasn’t particularly good, but it was still his best game for a long, long time and maybe he is about to find his feet again? That would be very welcome.
Leeds had a real go at it and wanted to play proper football and not have our players carried off on stretchers. All credit to them for that, if they keep playing like this they would be a very welcome addition to the Premier League. And I have to say that Kasper Schmeichel has improved a lot since he was at ManCity, he looks much more calm and composed now as opposed to the bundle of nerves he was back then.
Anyway, a good game all round and nice to see all of our boys play with dedication and desire. And starting with the game v Huddersfield, it’s now time to break my string of bad results while attending games and start a winning streak – hopefully, today I can sort out the final arrangements to travel over to see the games v Huddersfield, Everton and Newcastle. If we lose all three games, please don’t blame Arsene or the players – it will all be my fault for attenting them…
Cup of tea, please!
Excellent result and a good, solid performance.
I think it is worth mentioning that Arshavin is the Beckham of Russian football and I wonder whether the lack of adulation in England has something to do with his lack of form? Confidence is a fickle mistress, and it just could be that he is the type of player that needs to feel loved.
I know he is frustrating at the moment, but let’s have greater love for Arshavin!
I am still at a loss over Denilson and Bendtner. I have said elsewhere that I think Lansbury is as good as Denilson and should be given a chance. Perhaps they are both in their final season with us?
I thought Gradel played really well for Leeds, and I would certainly make him my Leeds MOTM. He has a style about him that could fit into our team and a good work rate. One match is never enough to judge a player, but he also played well at THOF. Thoughts?
Always great to win away from home and by a good scoreline too! Felt that Leeds gave us a fair game and threatened on occasion to turn the game around. Glad that we managed the 3rd goal to kill them off. Absolute inch perfect cross form Bendtner!
Pretty disappointed that the Chamakh-Bendtner-Arshavin pairing didn’t work again. The effort is there but maybe its just not clicking at the moment.
The set piece delivery into the box HAS to be improved though! We had 3 target men in Chamakh, Bendtner and Djourou to swing the ball at but sometimes the ball from the corner didn’t even make it past the near post! Chamakh had 1 header and he nearly made it 2-0 so I hope we learn from that and start pumping those high balls to the beanpoles! =)
BTM @ 21
You don’t half get around, you aren’t one of those Time Lords by any chance?
(Incidentally, I am going to the Diggers tomorrow night – happy to buy you some classic 80 shilling if you are around in the summer mate!).
Won’t make it to the Huddersfield game – if its any consolation (to any Gunners fans) Lars may be taking my place 😉
BtM commented above
Hey, who even knows who Barca’s back-up players are? They start the same eleven every game – but then, they don’t have the intensity of the English game to manage
As it happens after the Leeds game last night (which I watched on TV) I fliiped over to Sky where Barac were playing Real Betis, a team leading the equivalent of the championship in Spain. This was a Cup game – a two legged affair where Barca were 5-0 up after the first leg. They played a similar strength side to us last night – they kept in Messi, Xavi Piquet, and Masherano, but left out Puyol, Iniesta, Villa and Busquets (who came on as a sub). They lost 3-1 and the commentators were saying that the first Barca XI will beat anyone in the world, but get deeper into the bench and the telepathy that makes them so good isn’t there. Interesting comparison ….
I’ll see anyone who is going at the Ems on Saturday and next Tuesday against the Tractor boys (block 32) – let’s keep this strong run going guys ….
Denilson is not a bad player.
The problem is that we have an excess of the types of skills he offers. We all know that the idea he is an adequate back up to Song is disingenuous. Once Ramsey returns to full fitness together with the emergence of Wilshere his value in the squad will continue to drop. We need to get another defensive midfielder and Denilson is simply surplus to requirements.
He could play well in another team who lack the type of passing player in the midfield.
I thought that Gibbs and Denilson edged both Chamakh and Bendtner. In my opinion, both of the latter have gone backwards a little versus their peaks last season.
Didn’t realise you were a Bordeaux follower too, BtM 😉
Like the whole Bordeaux team though, the second half of last season wasn’t the best for him.
(but I know what you meant, in fact ;p)
Where’s your crystal ball, where’s your crystal ball?
Bushmills please, barman.
Have to be pleased with the win, though to win any competition you’re usually allowed justone get out of jail free card and we’ve already used ours for this year’s FA Cup now! Let’s aim to beat Wigan, Ipswich and Huddersfield now and go into February on a high.
A good result against a good Leeds team that played in the right spirit and never gave up. I wish them well.
I am at a loss to understand the criticism leveled at Denilson one slip and a couple of mistakes aside he had a very good game. His game is basically pass and move, which he did all night, he never stands still and is always available to receive the ball – give and go. He isn’t blessed with great pace, his game is largely unspectacular and he doesn’t charge about all over the place – perhaps this is what some fans don’t like – but his movement is continual and intelligent. He is a ‘sweeper-upper’, a ‘link-man’ and I think he has a valuable contribution to make to the team effort. He says he loves Arsenal and that he would like to stay here for the rest of his football career so I wish him well, only time will see how things pan out for him.
Kos and JD continue to improve and consolidate. There is no doubt that Kos is an excellent footballer and with a bit more improvement on some aspects of defending he could be world class – as could JD also.
Now, feet firmly on the ground for the week-end and provided we maintain the pace, passion and commitment of last night for the rest of the season we will be OK.
Great result, great prediction, great post. And a great day out awaits on Saturday!
Morning ‘Holic & ‘Holics
I’ll echo Esso. Great team performance, excellent result, high quality write-up (as usual) and some first-class posts to follow ‘Holics’ words including some very gracious and supportive Leeds fans *doffs cap*. All very much appreciated.
Trev @ #22, thank you for the brilliant and easy to understand prognosis. It sounds like a job awaits in the medical team at The Ems. I too believe that he won’t be back until next season’s campaign but we’ll see. Hope your daughter is on the road to recovery.
Cheers all!
PS form TS:
Like many here, my heart sank when the squad was announced pre-match but it appears that Le Boss played a bit of a master-stroke. AA worked his little socks off and I’m with ‘Holic in that a return to form for him can only be just around the corner.
Not so convinced by Bendy apart from that perfect cross to RVP for our third and Deni delighted and frustrated in equal measure – my biggest criticism of him is that it looks like he’s so easy to beat in a 50:50 challenge. Overall though, top marks and on we march!
Greay game, really enjoyed it. Bendtner, in particular, was the most impressive he’s been in months and didn’t look like he was just sulking out on the wing. Gibbs continues to look like he might well be a better option than Clichy once he can stay fit, and Nasri is really looking world class now. He’s been more important to us than Cesc this season.
I just found myself wishing that I’d followed the ‘Holic pound yesterday. Nevertheless, I ended up willing us not to score a fourth at the end. Hope it was a generous pound you put on!
Hollic
Been away and have missed your posts due to my smartphone being blocked, could you unblock it for me. The IP adress is no more! Thanks
Another one of your great lines:
“a lesson to some of the neanderthal managers in the Premiership that football can be played at that pace and intensity without leg-breaking challenges, and without two-footed lunges”
I reckon that after Leeds almost won the first tie @ the Grove, they believed they could win this one at Elland Road, so their belief and energy enabled them to play the game in a fearless manner! Good on them!
Holic I couldn’t agree more:
“Out of touch he may be, but he worked his socks off for seventy-one minutes. That improvement in attitude will see a return to form soon for one of the most accomplished of footballers”
Watching his industrious trackback on the opposite flank last night and eventually win the resulting tackle was breath taking for me and proves why some many supporters still advocate the belief in 5 foot 4!
But seeing it’s confession time, I was apprehensive to see us start with the “B” team, however there was a little reassurance for me that Bacary had a 3 game rest and that none of the squad made friends in the tunnel. Not that I condone hostility!
Evian would be nice!
I’d suggest not giving your IP address in a public place, GiE.
oops, how do i get rid ollie?!
I am encouraged to see so many punters above prepared to cut Andrei Arshavin some slack. He is having his own personal nightmare at the moment, and with the exception of the miss in the first half, he DID have a better game last night than of late.
To listen to some of the idiots in the Arsenal blogosphere you’d think this little guy played for the LWCs rather than us. Saddest thing about the Arsenal of this season is that Arshavin no longer plays with a smile on his face and it is obvious he is not enjoying his football.
I believe though that the old cliche form is temporary but class is permanent” will ring true and he will be back.
And once he starts scoring “impossible” goals people will forget all about the “lack of protection that he gives Clichy….”
That maverick winger NB52 on the other hand…… 😉 (Actually I thought even he improved in the second half although the Leeds guy nutmegging him near the touchline was embarrassing…)
Trev @ 22 – there is a vacancy at Arsenal for some competent medical staff – maybe you could job share with Catalan? 🙂 🙂
So, now it’s all done – the flights have been booked and hopefully I can also secure a ticket for the cup game which would mean attending three games in six days for me (and after that I need to be rotated back to Stockholm to avoid fatigue) which feels very good.
Storey: “Like many here, my heart sank when the squad was announced pre-match”
This may very well be the first time you and I aren’t totally in agreement 🙂 I became a lot calmer after seeing the starting eleven because we had a strong spine around which players like Bendtner and Arsjavin could work. We had the Djourou/Koscielny/Song/Nasri central line which was as close to a guarantee as you can get for dominating the central part of the pitch and in hindsight I also feel that our dominance there was what won us the game. Most of our attacks started with winning the ball centrally and then exploiting spaces out wide.
“but it appears that Le Boss played a bit of a master-stroke”
Ok, now we agree again 😀
I have your ip GiE, and will get the hosts to release the block tonight.
Afternoon ‘holics, great to see everyone in good spirits and singing from the same hymnsheet today.
Lars
Always a pleasure, whether we’re in agreement or disagreement 😉
I was very glad to be wrong about my initial thoughts on the squad pre-kickoff. Within 5 minutes I realised that I know nothing about team selection and should leave it to the experts like AW. I guess we’re all a bit guilty of that from time-to-time.
Really pleased to hear about your trip to our fine capital and your opportunity to watch 3 games at the home of football – I’m quite jealous. I also have a feeling that your run of bad luck at The Ems will end and that you’ll see plenty of Arsenal goals across those matches. Enjoy and shout yourself hoarse!
Lunchtime Boddies or John Smiths?
Hollic
Thanks.
Oh dear, Lars, THREE games? You going for the law of averages, then? 😉
Oh good grief (Charlie Brown)….
Well, according to all the b*ll*cks news feeds flying around today we’re about to lose RVP to Real, Bendy to Sunderland and Andrei to Zenit St. Pertersburg.
In the interests of equal accuracy and insider knowledge that these hacks clearly have I am reliably informed that Arsene has three contracts on his desk just waiting for his and Ivan’s signatures to complete the signings of Messi, Ronaldo and Puyol. We’re getting the lot for €50M spread over 5 years.
Any of the bullsh*t transfer websites and tabloids out there care to link to this post and claim an exclusive?
Storey, I’ll have a Boddies please!
zico: well, I guess you could see it as me counting on lightning not being able to strike three times in the same place 🙂
Lars we will win all three mate – enjoy. 🙂
TS – Lol!
Lars, will join you in a Boddies and toast Zico’s comments. I wonder what the ‘Holic pound would get for 3 straight wins????
Gt, occasionally it p*sses me off that these green eyed hacks are willing the break-up of a team that threatens to do great things. This is one of those occasions. Silly of me, I know.
TS- Couldn’t agree more!
Barman, please whatever my good friend TS is having please.
Gt, pint o’ cooking lager please!
U got it
I worry that if I stay in this bar too long with TS, I’ll end up like your average ‘holicustomer on a cancelled-game day 😉
Bolton have signed Wheater…. could that free up a move for Cahill…?
Zico…. re the Arsenal staff; they’d better throw in some plane tickets!
Someone at work reckons Cahill is valued at £20M
If this codswallop is true, this move could free up either Tottingham or Chavski to make a move. I know the Cavs can’t meet Benfica’s asking price of Luiz yet and they wanna spend around £20M on a CB!
Good luck to the lotta em!
Ollie,
I’m a good sort really. I blame my drinking on the influence of Dr. C and his failing new year’s resolutions 🙂
Dr. C,
The talk (yawn) is that Wheater is not a replacement for Cahill. However, the chance of AW spending £20M on an English CB is about the same as me being offered a position on AW’s medical staff 😉
Barman? More drinks for the regulars please and at least one for yourself.
Who writes this utter sh*t?
http://www.sportsvibe.co.uk/van-persie-to-decide-between-gunners-and-real-madrid/
Shame on me for clicking on it, I feel dirty now.
TS on the medical team, goes something like ….
“Injured again Robin? ”
“Here drink this”
“Better?”
“No?”
“Here then drink this”
“Better?”
“No? Well try this”
ad infinitum until their designated drivers take them home and Robin wakes up having dreamt of a horse’s placenta…..
TS, it’s good to know that my corruptive powers can spread so far and wide!
By all means put the blame on me, just get on the bus, forget…. no, no; going off on a tangent there.
My advice; use your digits for gripping the glass of life, not clicking on sites of tripe…
Heh, Zico!
Zico & Dr.C
Thanks to you both for brightening a rather stressful/rotten day.
Laughter is definitely the best medicine and the quality of your combined senses of humour is most welcome.
OK then, both hands are now firmly gripping the glass of life and and the image of RVP (and both his feet) hallucinating over a horse’s placenta is firmly embedded in my my brain.
Cheers guys and whatever you’re drinking and lots of it! 🙂
PS: The irony is not lost on me. More drinks? Anyone? You’ll all feel much beter soon… promise….
We’re having our best season in terms of injuries in a long long time. I can’t recall when most of our discussions were so focused on which players to select out of an almost full roster. Time will tell but it looks like the GPS boxes and everything else Arsenal put in place last summer is working.
If that’s confirmed the main issue will become to keep our best and most promising players. The lack of playing time (and/or playing out of position) for too long played a big part in Flamini’s decision to leave for example. For Arsene the headache of not having to deal with injuries has been replaced by the selection/rotation/ego management puzzle. And for fans the abundance of goods leads to many stiff upper lips…
I’ll have a shandy with TS, it’s only noon here after all.
BtM –
I have a rule, which is never to poke my thumb into an unfamiliar Brazilian.
However, Block 91 is my block too, and if the young lady would care to familiarise herself with me first . . . .
Drink ? Anything wet and warm please, Matron !
ooeerr Trev. Silly rule, by the way!
Matt, I believe in Flamini’s case money had more to do with it – he had just completed a season as first choice in his preferred position.
btw, Trev, I diagnosed plantaris in a young footballer today. What are the odds….!
A beer for the good man, please, and for the regulars. And for any new faces here. And for TS – he’s getting low on medication.
Nice write up Mr ‘Holic.
Hopefully getting down for the Huddersfield match, if you’re in attendence let me know and we’ll meet up for a glass of water or something.
I rate Cahill very highly and would take him tomorrow. Bolton’s reputed valuation is too high just like most players and then Citeh end up buying them
Judging the current market, I would say GC is worth around 16M.
After Citeh paid 20m for Lescott he has found it difficult to start ahead of a centre back pairing with a combined cost of 20m.
If TV cost 10M GC cannot be worth 20M
Or maybe I’ve got it wrong. Maybe TV was undervalued and should have cost 20M
What do I know?
A Berry Smoothie please Barman
Barman I’ll have one of those wet and warm thingypoos and another for Trev, CG, TS, and the other habitual lurkers. It looks like you all are on the verge of solving the world’s problems so it’s time to predict the Wigan, Ipswich and Huddersfield scores. Given enough effort I think we can make a cumulative 11-2 but enough of this overconfidence. Alternatively, give me three straight 1-0 to the Arsenals and I’ll consider nominating Djourou and Koscielny for footballers of the year. C’mon the Arse!
Oh Rocky, maestro.
I was only thinking the other day it has been too long since you and I shared a pint or several…
Can’t do Huddersfield, I’m afraid, as I am in Devon clearing ‘holicdad’s place. I will be at Wolves and Barca in Feb. Haven’t sorted March yet although West Brom away is quite appealing.
How is the gorgeous family?
I’m actually leaning more towards us not signing a new CB this January. Well, that’s not me saying I would mind one, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
As far as I understand the club feels quite certain that Vermaelens surger… procedure was successful, and with Wenger today clarifying that Vermy was awake during the whole thing, and that the six weeks out are not six weeks of rest but rather two weeks of not training and then four weeks to get his fitness up, it sounds like they believe he really will be back in two months or so.
That, plus Wenger saying that Squillaci is “a week away”, makes me think we won’t go for anyone.
We’ll see.
Sometimes he makes noises like that Toby, when we are in negotiations that look unlikely to succeed.
The wanted list is smaller than you might think.
@Catalan Gunner/82: Not saying money wasn’t a driving factor too but he complained openly and loudly for a full season before last and was only handed the DM position thanks to an injury to Gilberto at the beginning of Flamini’s last season for us. Not sure 3/4th of the last season were enough to have him forget the previous seasons of frustration.
True enough ‘Holic, and it is exactly the same things you would say if you were to buy. But still. If we get Squill back in week, and with Song an emergency-fourth, we might well be able to get by. It actually doesn’t matter much to me. I’m not for a stop gap signing that’s for sure. But if we can get proper quality in, that’s always interesting, in any department.
But I like the looks of most of the lads we’ve got and I think that if they play out of their skin from now till the end of the season we’ll be fine, and with silverware to prove it.
They’re very fine sir, very fine indeed!
The young un is coming along very nicely, doing well at school, and more importantly coming along well as a Gooner.
The wife was telling me yesterday that when I was at the Leeds match she let him stay up late to watch the first half, went in the kitchen to make a cuppa when she heard “YEEEESSSSSS!! GOAL!” She came back in the room and he’s stood there with his arms and legs spread out jumping up and down.
He’s still only 3 …. lol
Then yesterday we’re playing a bit of football in the front room, looks up at me and says “Daddy, I’m Robin van Persie!” …. one of the proudest moments of my life 🙂
The key word here is consistency..We haven’t really been able to find it this season. We have had highs followed immediately by abysmal lows.
We have a great chance to go on a run now with the fixture list being comparitively easier. Let’s take it.
Come on Arsenal!!
I’ll have whatever your drinking TS 🙂
With the next three games all being @ home I believe the crystal ball is predicting three victories and a trip to Wembley. Considering the competition, nothing less than three straight Ws will do. Otherwise, I’m relocating to a monastery (however, I reserve the right to make it a Belgian monastery with some nice Trappist ale).
Barman, a pint of the black liquid gold please.
Rocky 7 – great stuff! Personally, I have taught my 3 year old to taunt his grandfather with “we’ve got Cesc Fabregas”….petty, but satisfying.
My Barca ticket was confirmed yesterday – great stuff!
It’s Friday – great stuff!
Matt @90 – fair enough, but either way I bet he regrets it now!
Cognac – I hope that you and your son are talking again and harmony is restored?
Coffees all round…
By the way people, listen to the Arseblog arsecast today to hear a professional broadcaster at work, and a rambling old Guinness drinker on his fifth pint too 😉
And Harsha, spot on, consistency will bring us a sackful of silver this season.
Drink for Toby please Barman!
Barman some disinfectant for TS @ 74 please
Morning ‘Holic & ‘Holics!
Barman, hold the disinfectant please. I draw the line at drinking cleaning solutions. Sorry Gt, no offence 😉
But I will join in with the coffees, thanks Dr.C
‘Holic looking forward to listening to The Arsecast shortly – ish your shpeech shlightly shlurred by the black nectar? More importantly, do you know something about the CB shopping list???
Great to see so many cheerful Gooners in here this morning. We have a great opportunity to go on a long, winning run now…. or so it would seem 😉
Rocky @ #92,
Nice story. My little-un is 2 and a half. When he kicks a ball in my direction he generally shouts “One nil to The Arsenal!”. Indoctrination… it’s the only way 🙂
Dr. C @ #95,
Presume you’re going to the second leg at the Camp Nou? Good man. It should be a cracker. I think we’ve got a great chance of emerging as winners over the two legs. The coffee is great thanks.
PS for Dr.C,
Forgot to say that teaching you’re 3 year old to taunt his (presumably) Farca supporting grandfather is also a classic. Double heh!
Aaaah, good to have the ‘holic maestro and his mate ( 😉 ) on the arsecast, doubly looking forward to my train journey tomorrow.
Oops, better remember I’m travelling tonight though…
Cheers, mine’s a strong black coffee.
TS –
The disinfectant was not meant for you to consume orally. Otherwise you would need to consult Dr C
Hahahaha
Up the Goooooneeeers!
Drinks all around for the whole family please Barman!
Ollie, hope you get to see a thrashing of “dirty Wigan”. We owe them after that frustrating draw over Xmas.
COYRRRs
We do need to bash wigan up!
I’ve got a theory on AA!
He could rediscover his form if he plays alongside RVP!
Watch this space!
Cheers, TS. Hope so too!
I believe Lars will be our lucky charm anyway.
That’s it Ollie!
Theo, RVP, Nasri, Cesc & Sagna on the pitch.
You and Lars in the seats.
Wigan are f-f-f-*cked 😉
I sure will, Ollie!
Yesterday was a good day what with me sorting the travel and hotel arrangements for my visit to London and this day has also started in a rather pleasant way. Just now I managed to secure a ticket for the cup game via arsenal.com, if any of you on here are Red Members looking for tickets, head on over to arsenal.com where tickets are now on sale for Red Members and there seems to be some really good seats available. I got a seat in the West Stand lower tier block 30 – this will be the first time on the lower tier for me, I have only been on the Upper Tier and Club Level and only at the Clock End.
And having discovered, thanks to the Arsecast, that the Up For Grabs podcast is back under a new name (The Tuesday Club) put a nice big smile on my face. This Friday has started off really well!
Pint of John Smiths, please!
Don’t forget about the best DM in the Premiere League TS!
Thanks for the info Lars!
I’m saving for a new car now. I am pencilling in the Cup Final as my next game as an absolute must!
Gt, I didnt. It’s my protest to his golden beard and locks….
Lars,
Excellent news! You do realise that we’re all expecting 3 match reports now (all of them on good wins) to at least the standard of BtM’s, so please don’t forget to pack some form of MID with you. No pressure then….
I’ve been temporarily banned from offering drinks by my good friends Zico & Dr. C but one of the other regulars here will get you sorted 😉
TS – It’s the reincarnation of Djibril Cisse as a DM! Didn’t you know? ; -)
Mmmm…. I see the Chavs dumped us out of the FA Youth Cup, the b*stards. Bang goes the quintuple then.
Allow me Lars – have a good trip and make sure we get the right results! I hope Holic has cleared your path with the customs officials.
Storey: I appreciate that you don’t set the bar too high for me 🙂
Catalan: thanks! There is still a litte over a week to go, so I hope that my ban on entering the United Kingdom or wherever else Arsenal might be playing will have been lifted by then!
Barman, whatever Catalan wants!
“You need people like me!
Say good night to the bad guy!”
Loved the Arsecast this week 😉
Sky News stirring the cooking pot again!
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_6684057,00.html
Can’t get the Arsecast at work! : – (
‘Holic
Listened to the Arsecast, good performance. I thought Alan Davies was the one who sounded like he was on his 5th pint of Guiness 😉
Both interviewees, highly enjoyable though.
Still resisting the urge to offer drinks 🙁
TS – I’ll accpet if your offering my good friend! Vice Versa!
Go on, you know you want to, TS.
Must….. be…… strong……
Barman…
Right, I’m not doing a Lars as I’m only taking on two games at a time, but I shall bid you all ‘holics a good weekend and more.
TS – the ban is lifted – fill your boots 🙂
Barman? Yards of ale all round please and a magnum of single malt for yourself 😉
‘Holics,
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/-cahill-is-a-good-but-i-can-t-tell-you-more-
Seethe above from Pravda.com.
I’m fairly certain that there will be no new signings this month i.e. no new CB.
I can live comfortably with this but the thought of Song in as CB with Diably playing ahead of him? Mmmmm….
“Diably”, heh! A new nickname sorted by typo. Marvellous 🙂
‘Holics,
Isn’t today the day that the bids for the Olympic Stadium in Stratford are due in? Shall we get a supporting petition together to help the bid from the LWCs? We might even be able to get a bit of funding for promotion of the Clean Air Act for North London.
My dream last night was me sitting next to Arshavin telling him we still love him even though he is playing poorly. He thanked me and then proceeded challenge me to a swim race in a pool that was really too small for me. I lost.
Pint of Anchor Steam by my bed for when I wake up please.
In pub. Preview may be late and unintelligible 😉
Storey, I’m not so sure about no signings coming in. Look at this quote from Arsene from that link you posted:
“At the moment, I cannot come out with any name,” he said. “I think Gary Cahill is a very good player but I cannot tell you more.
Look at that last bit: “I cannot tell you more” – if there had been no interest from Wenger he would have said something like “but we are not looking at him” or something like that. This quote sounds quite a lot like something he said about Arshavin two years ago when he was asked about Shay Given and then Arshavin and he completely dismissed Given but said “there is no news there” or something similar about Arshavin. That one sailed right over the heads of all media representatives, but it was in fact the first public confirmation of Arsene actually trying to sign Arshavin. I am now almost 100% that Arsene is actively trying to buy Cahill – he might not succeed, but it appears he is trying.
As for the Olympic stadium, a decision is expected sometime next week as I understand it. But I have to say that the Spurs proposition sounds incredibly stupid, why would you knock down a brand new stadium that cost £500m of tax-payers’ money and build another stadium on the same site? Still, if Spurs want to pay for the existing stadium and then build a new one and put themselves £900m in debt they are most welcome to it…
Don’t click on the link that “rogerjohnson” posted. It’s got nothing to do with what he claims it has.
(Edit. Thanks Lars. Whatever it was I have binned it. Wasn’t malicious, was it?)
For the medically inclined, Arsenal.com are reporting that TV5’s injury is indeed the plantaris tendon, as I have to say I predicted on Wednesday night.
Shame we didn’t get the discussion going in September – someone may have read it and got the thing sorted 4 months ago. They are now suggesting 6 weeks to TV being back in competitive action. Let’s hope so, although JD and Kos have done a really good job this week.
Lars @ 138 – according to the Times today, Sp*rs will keep the shell of the stadium and bulldoze the pitch and surrounding area and do away with the athletics track. This will actually cost an estimated £250 million.
As a taxpayer I would hope that they will have to repay to the Government, any amount by which they benefit by having the foundations and shell of the structure already built.
Gooners, and all other football fans, not to mention the general public, would feel a bit pig-sick to think we had contributed to a shiny new stadium for Tottenham Hotspur – sorry, that should, of course, read “the Stratford Olympians”. Tee hee.
Trev, you and Catalan may talk a good game but at the end of the day you didn’t diagnose TV5’s injury any quicker than the Arsenal medical staff, did you? We’ve had enough of these mysterious injuries so maybe it’s time for the “shadow” medical staff to step up here.
Lars,
You’re a very brave man trying to second guess Arsene. If you’re right, guess what I’ll do? 😉 What’s the first match match in your trio BTW?
Trev,
Knowing what you know, do you think TV could be back in 6 weeks?
Cheers guys.
Fighting talk nasri 😉
Trev
Don’t know about you but I’ll offer to help them pack! I have a dodgy back so bagsey the trophy cabinet 🙂
“Fuck off to Stratford North London is ours” tum-tee-tum
‘holic and blogs were quite a dynamic duo on the Arsecast I must say!
Trev: OK, I got my information from reading a few articles in The Guardian, and I got the impression that they more or less wanted to tear the whole thing down and build a completely new stadium.
Storey: the first of my three games is Huddersfield. And I’m guessing you would… umm… buy me a pint? 🙂
Holics,
I’m sorry to interrupt the cosy convo about purchasing GC, but am I the only who knows Bolton’s valuation and our budget our miles apart?
nasri – but I made my diagnosis without even meeting TV5 !
TS – surgery can be unpredictable, but if they are just removing some calcified inflammation from the tendon, 6 weeks should be very do-able. (That could be another nickname btw.)
The Arsenal.com article on TV’s injury was very strange, with AW commenting that he had been told that the tendon was so small that some people don’t even have one ! No wonder we’re in trouble !!
Gt, cf my comments @ #133. Can’t see it happening but would love to be surprised.
Trev, isn’t that the new trend in medicine, virtual diagnosis?
TS – I’m only pulling your leg mate! Lol! What are you drinking?
I could do with an Innis & Gunn actually, GT.
It’s a tad too honey-ish to drink many of, but one or three is nice.
Have a great time in London, Lars, i’m going in a month or so.
You’ve got it Toby!
Good evening fellow Gooner bar flies!
Song is a brilliant holding midfielder but he has made an absolute meal of it with respect to his hair/beard. That choice of hair/beard colour is an absolute self-inflicted diabolical armegeddon of biblical proportions. With that look he reminds me of that Portuguese national team defender of about 10-15 years back. I think his name was Xavier. Unfortunately, it’s sad to say, but Song’s present look is that of a Sasquatch, or an oranged haired Yeti. Please, Alex, for everyone’s sake go back to the old look and stop being so conspicuous!
Barman, a pint of the fine black stuff from Dublin and a double Glenmorangie neat please.