Amazingly Spirited Gunners Pull Another Cup Win Out Of The Bag.
Oct 24th, 2019 by 'holic
A team of mixed levels of experience turned out for the Arsenal. A back four of Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding, and Kieran Tierney started. Lucas Torreira started in midfield and Alexandre Lacazette was up front. All of which suggests these players these players will not feature against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Oh dear. There was still promising youth in the shape of Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Emile Smith Rowe, and Gabriel Martinelli.
In the 4th minute Vitoria Guimaraes had the first shot on target which thankfully was straight at Emilano Martinez. Four minutes later they had the lead when Marcus Edwards, ironically a one-time Middlesex academy player, added insult to injury with a comfortable strike from pretty close range without one of the experienced Gunners defenders close enough to distract him or block the effort This wasn’t in the script, was it?.
As twenty minutes approached The Arsenal remembered that they have been playing well in the cup competitions with pretty much this team. Smith Rowe’s effort was blocked. Lacazette also had an effort blocked. All the time though the visitors, though less effective, were looking a threat.
Just past the half hour we were level, and who else but the astonishing Martinelli who got it with a smart header. Guess who provided the assist. Yes, Keiran Tierney with an inch-perfect cross from the left flank.1-1, we were on our way, weren’t we?
No. Nine minutes before the break Edwards hit the left hand post, Martinez was up quickly, but the ball fell to Duarte who powered a drive inside the near post of the motionless Martinez. Hang on a minute, what was going on here? 1-2 to Vitoria.
At half-time Unai Emery decided changes were in order. Off came Willock and Maitland-Niles to be replaced by Matteo Guendouzi and Dani Ceballos. Harsh on the youngsters? Time would tell.
The first chance of the half fell to Mustafi who climbed high enough to win a header from a set piece but directed his header wide of the mark. Another excellent cross from Tierney was deflected to Smith Rowe who unfortunately sliced the ball wide of the far post. Just before an hour had passed handbags broke out. Lacazette hit the deck knowing that Garcia had leaned towards him with the head and over came our new breed of feisty players to remonstrate. Garcia got a yellow card and on we went.
Sixteen minutes remains when Lacazette again went down claiming a foul just outside the area. Again he remonstrated with the referee as he had when Garcia unquestionably fouled him prior to the handbags incident. The referee had had enough of his histrionics and booked him. Within a minute he was hooked to make way for Nicolas Pepe. Four minutes later we had a glimpse of why Pepe was worth so much. His magnificent free-kick found the bottom corner of the net. We were level again,
We were alive agin, Martinelli’s left footed shot from the centre of the box brought a wonderful block by Vitoria’s goalkeeper, Mustafi again missed the target with a header. The hunger and spirit had returned. As we approached the last of three added minutes Guendouzi was fouled on the edge, Ceballos stood over the ball, but only one man was taking this kick. Pepe advanced and repeated his previous strike.
3-2 to the Arsenal. What an astonishing strike again!
134 Responses to “Amazingly Spirited Gunners Pull Another Cup Win Out Of The Bag.”
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Pepe!
Tip top report H
Classic case for me,of thinking we only had to turn up to win.
Vitoria played really well particularly in the first half,and we had to pull our socks up in the 2nd half,which to our boys credit,they did.
A thoroughly entertaining game from start to finish,unlike the rubbish we endured on Monday night.
If the Palace game on Sunday has anywhere near this entertainment level,i will be mightily surprised.
Gotta say, I’m well chuffed for Scruz. Get in!
Happy for Pepe 🙂
Fast and accurate Guvnor,
a good fight back when
things weren’t going well.
Scruz was a lucky omen!
Anyway, that should be the
end of the lacking confidence
thing for Pepe – two cracking
free kicks.
Unai has found his winning tactics: get someone chopped down just outside the box and let Pepe take the free kick.
now
i’m not known for my discontent detection
but
it seems to me
it’s an area i should work on
cos i only just got the measure
.
more importantly
i hope the ‘holic dollops
enjoyed the bizarre roary shouty end
Excellent and rapid report, Guvna.
Excellent result too. A win is a win. Yet this was a truly terrible performance for 80 minutes. There was a distinct lack of creativity only rectified in the last 10. There was a big hole in central midfield with and without the ball until Gwen came on. Polo mint formation?
However this game should do Pepe’s confidence the power of good. Onwards. Ned has also identified a tactic for Emery to add to the Kola cutback obsession: get Gwen to drive at the D, draw a foul and get Pepe to take it.
This was a delightful evening but for the first eighty minutes of football. Vitoria played very well ( much better than Liege) and were deservedly in the lead.
I was so hoping we would win for Scruz on his maiden visit to a match at the Grove . The estimable Countryman and I met him at the Tolly and I can confirm he is a delightful fella. I also have a South Bay Gooners scarf which I will treasure .
Fortunately Pepe had read the script and Scruz saw two terrific free kicks arc into the net . He is 1 for 1 at the Grove and will be welcome anytime .
Do you credit Emery with good substitutions or do you wonder how his chosen starting eleven were so awful ? AMN and Willock look shot to pieces and Torreira is playing way too far forward. Holding looks very rusty too as does Hector
Let’s hope this is the kick start that Pepe needed .
As for no Ozil on the bench words fail me
10 m’lud
chuffed that the MIGHTY scruz
had a proper ‘holic day
Good subs by the manager at HT.
AMN at fault for the 2nd goal – can’t blame Emery for that, though many on here would like to. As for Ozil, he’s not interested. Ship him out asap!
Our midfield after half time defied explanation. I would love to see a touch map of the three of them. Torreira played furthest forward (!!) and did very little to defend or track back, instead pulling away to right wing until that annoying Pepe came on and hogged the space over there. Ceballlos dropped so deep to get the ball he was playing it out from our box. Guendouzi covered as much space as possible, as usual. But they all wandered all over the pitch. I had no idea from one moment to the next who was playing where, or why. Or where any of them would pop up next.
It was like some sort of Avant Garde performance piece designed not to be an effective football strategy but rather to satirise the notion of structure that has become ingrained in the thinking of coaches worldwide. The whimsy with which they transcended all notions of form was like a mirror held up to the constrained offerings of other coaches whose thinking is limited by their understanding of tactics and their desire for a coherent unit which works together to manipulate a football into a goal. A calculated insult to from Emery to the entire coaching establishment that, whilst so subtle that most of those obtuse minds of course did not realise his point, could not have been more cutting in demonstrating his contempt for their blinkered trudge through the stadiums of world football.
Tonight was a breakthrough night for Emery, surely football’s most innovative and daring thinker, a true visionary, as he unleashed on the footballing world a taste of what life could be if we all opened our minds enough to see the possilities. It was not about closing down space, or occupying it strategically, a trap that other managers routinely fall into. Instead it was about opening up huge empty spaces in the midfield but making use of the mobility of the performers to ensure that the space they left shifted across the pitch randomly and inexplicably, like a gap in the clouds that lets the sun shine down illuminating us all. It was virtuoso in its conception and it demanded of us all that we let go of everything we thought that we knew about football to perceive its dazzling audacity, the pioneering nature of its brilliance.
With this kind of blue sky thinking we could solve world famine, end war and stabilise environmental decline. I have never seen a team so willing to rip up the rulebook, stick two fingers up at the recognised wisdom and forge their own unique path forwards. Trailblazers and heroes. So mind boggling was the scope of their ambition that it transcended football and I can honestly say that I was not able to comprehend what I saw tonight.
Galileo, Dante, Blake, Newton, Emery. This is the kind of company he has elevated himself to. A thinker so ahead of his times he should be glad witches don’t get burned any more.
Instead he’ll have a lot of sarcastic claptrap written about him online by smug gits. ?
Thanks for a top report H. And a speedy one. Especially good to see after your brief preview. I hope you’re doing well.
Also, big shout out to BTM for producing such an excellent preview on short notice.
GSD @13, masterful sir.
Be interesting to see how we
deal with Vitória away in a
couple of weeks.
I’m surprised they lost to
Liege, though it’s possible
our optional approach to
defending made them look
better.
I’ll happily take 3-2 wins all
season of course
15
typical scot
arse licking his long winded english overlords
and you wonder why
WHY !
i simply WON’T have shortbread in the house
well, that was a night.
before anything, thank you ttg for getting this set up. i so appreciate the time and effort you undertook to get me “my two minutes with the danish waitress”, as it were :). and thanks to you and countryman100 for opening lars’s wallet on my behalf. proper gooners, the both of you.
my day started in a pension in rome, and when all was said and done i made it to arsenal-land in time to walk up hornsey road (snaffling a spanish chorizo, as i’d had no supper, and an afc/vitória scarf) at a somewhat casual pace, gawking at the festivities like an iowan farmboy presented with a raft of lou reed’s finest… it was beautiful, and i was a bit overwhelmed, but i hurried along to the tolly.
just about when ttg and c100 got there i arrived. pints of the black stuff were had (my turn next time!), and stories were told. i mostly listened; both ttg and c100 have such great stories and memories from so far back, it was a bit like reading one of dave’s history posts about his dad going in 1933 or so.
ttg, i hope you wear that scarf in good health; whenever you come to san jose it’s a ticket to jack’s bar to watch the game with us at 6 am, breakfast guinnesses and all.
we three didn’t find ibtm or see gsd; another time, chaps!
i am going to slap the submit button and make hiatus. more tomorrow. that long way from rome to the grove to kensal green has me ragged… good night!
dunt get better than that
fuckin over the moon for ye fella
UP THE ARSENAL
Cheers Baff. I quite enjoyed writing that one, glad I amused someone apart from myself!
cba. ‘Long winded English overlord’. I’ve had worse reviews! Coming from you that might even be quite a compliment.
Scruz. Sorry to miss you but chuffed for you mate. Glad you saw Countryman and TTG. Two of our finest. And Pepe owes you a drink.
dino
you know that wasn’t about you
you are a fantastic talent
i was merely pointing out the inadequacies
of that workshy forty degrees cunt
will i save lives
or
completely forget about
the clearances
.
.
.
anyhoo
haven’t said it in a while
FUCK OFF YA ENGLISH BASTA
*does enormous squooshie face*
with all the authenticity
of a Carl Perkins hairline
.
.
honestly
you occupying forces
are SOOOOO demanding
.
lack of attention much ?
Hey cba
I’m an English basta
How come you never tell me to fuck off?
Blatant sectarianism
It appears that self pity has got the better of you
Buck your fucking ideas up ya good looking bastard
imp fail
why would i be rude to you ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0ZqNBd_orI
maybe ye’ve run off with arseblog
or
is that …….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4q3Cy8X6Mo
.
.
.
good luck to the two o yees
fucking low rent wogan free state fuck
pleased for both o ye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYeVL7K5mnA
any hoo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVNtokecAq4
never let anyone force you into the general right on
consensus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGXHyt38sj0
GSD@13: you soared, sir.
Oi, cba: that was pantheon class from GSD.
SCG: sounds as if you had a grand evening for your debut appearance, and TTG and C100 did you proud.
Pepe saved unai and auba will most likely do the same sunday, hallelujah.
Anyone who watched the game would most likely have been tempted to switch off the tv sets and say knew it all along with the same shit. Willock and amn were beyond words poor but then what were we expecting especially off Niles? it is the same sense of another Jenkinson all over again, all heart no substance. Willock will get better and so will smith Rowe but Niles won’t cut it here, no chance.
I won’t be speaking about Mesut, it makes no sense but playing torriera so high up, having Ceballos and guendouzi so deep is beyond logic. once again it makes me wonder what exactly is the thought process beyond all this.
Unai is not good with people management, it is apparent he has his favourites and thats it, rest can go to hell for he just doesn’t care. I won’t be surprised if he stays and sells torreira and lacazette as well, such is the despondency.
On to palace and we know the usual suspects to be back, our creative lead kolasinac will lead the offence and emery will go back to his seat and pray auba scores, wonderful.
There was much that wasn’t good about last night’s performance. Balls headed clear by the back four went into space and were collected easily by Vittoria. Ball’s passed out to midfielders in red were then mis-passed or lost in tackles. Absent any service the from three had to forage back deep into their own half in attempts to build moves.
The half-time subs were needed and very obvious. I was enthused by the prospect of seeing Torreira and Guendouzi pivot behind Ceballos but (as GSD describes masterfully above) we saw another experiment that didn’t work.
And then Pepe scored a couple of crackers, the crowd woke up for the last thirty seconds and roared ‘Who Are You?’, Arsenal didn’t have time to let Vittoria back into the game (Damn! No fun. Hate it when that happens), ‘Sweet Caroline’ rang out and the guys in front of me started waltzing.
Another bizarre night out in La La Lacazette Land. Onward to Sunday.
Apologies for my non-appearance at the Tolly. The Pizza was too big, the Italian beers too fluid and the replacement hips on my colleague too inadequate to meet the timeline required to get there. See you next time Scruz, glad you enjoyed the visit.
Interesting to reflect on last night’s football.
As a social occasion it was delightful but the quality of the fare was dubious to say the least . This is a sensible bar and the more histrionic fans tend to go elsewhere but it is interesting that very reasonable, knowledgeable fans who have commented proportionately and patiently for years are showing distinct signs of restiveness,
GSD in his excellent comments last night summed up perfectly tge sense of frustration @nd bewilderment I suffer when watching us at home.
This season at home we :
Beat Burnley after giving them an inordinate number of shots at goal
Drew with the Spuds after defending deplorably in the first half and giving a stupid penalty away
Came back from the dead to beat Villa with a late free kick goal to win 3-2 ( sound familiar?)
Scraped past Bournemouth after a good first half.
Our alternative eleven had thrashed Forest and Liege but last night was a wonky performance . Much is worrying but more than anything I worry about the development of young players under Emery’s coaching . AMN and Willock really struggled last night, Nelson is not the player he was under Wenger and although ESR played quite well will these players kick on? That is apparently why Freddie is there but the harum sacrum nature of the most disorganised midfield I’ve seen for some time, so well described by GSD , put me in mind if a schoolboy game when I played. Now schoolboy games are coached to the nth degree. Unfortunately Arsenal aren’t or so it appears
GSD’s account along with
Pepe’s goals make it sound
like a very Bohemian evening
at The Arsenal 🙂
We should be handing out
berets and gitanes at the
gate. Cracking stuff.
Not particularly disagreeing on
the coaching TTG but just to point
out….
AMN – probably hasn’t played in MF
for 8 or 9 months. I’d wait and see
on him this season.
ESR – coming back from a lengthy
spell of no competitive games. Too
early but looked better last night
Nelson – has looked hesitant in his
few starts this season but doesn’t
look out of place in PL to me
Joe – a mixed bag this season but
has stepped up under UE (Freddie?)
Martinelli – doing very well, there’s a
difference between the midweek
opposition and PL but he’s close and
he’s adapting well
Saka – made a breakthrough, a real
talent but it may be a year or two
before we see his best consistently
All of them are getting opportunities,
which is what most of us wanted I
think.
I didn’t want UE, don’t rate him and
don’t think he’s the right manager
for us but we’re doing well finally
with bringing young players through
and UE is doing well in managing
their opportunities. I simply don’t
know on the coaching but I can’t
see anything to worry about so far
as some below par games are to be
expected from young players.
CBA@17
Is it because shortbread is awful stuff, as dry as a nun’s fanny?
ned
now come on
you must realise by now
my nonsense comments are the equivalent
of pulling a girls pigtails in the playground
if i don’t like people
i ignore them
and
dorset M
ya dirty brute
such language and imagery
disgraceful behaviour altogether
that’s me thinking of ecclesiastical musty chuffs
all day now
(what’s new says you)
Congratulations Dave on a tip top review. Right back to your old form. GSD at 13 what a post! I really enjoyed that and many congratulations.
So I was keenly looking forward to meeting some fellow ‘holics pregame. TTG, Scruz and I set up a WhatsApp group to track our progress. About 11am came a plaintive note from Scruz asking what the weather was going to be like at the game (It was tipping down everywhere at the time). Turns out the weather in North London is different to Northern California. Who knew?
Anyway, to the Tolly and we all arrived at once. Pints of Guinness all round and there was ScruzGooner (pronounced Scrooz, not Scruz, my first faux pas) and the wonderful TTG, who has decided that I am estimable (should I be proud or offended?). The first action, initiated by Scruz was a solemn toast to the landlord who had brought us together. Dave, you were being thought of and honoured for this marvellous community which you have created. The second was Scruz telling us of his day, which had started in Rome, and ended (to that point) with a wander up past the Stadium to the Tolly. He proceeded to tell us that it made his nipples harden as he walked past the sights. At this point I’m sure that several groups of regulars shifted a couple of feet further away, but I may have imagined it. I say, these Californians!
There then followed a thoroughly enjoyable 45 minutes, and a second pint of the black stuff. Scruz is dapper, with a well groomed beard and, for someone who came late to the beautiful game, remarkably well informed about Arsenal players, games and history. He told us of the joys of watching games in California, including asking a mate back to his house to watch a game at 4.30 am. They ended up hugging each other on the sofa when we scored the winner. This understandably caused (as he explains it) a momentary frisson with his wife (half Italian, half British, perhaps that’s where the football love came from), who had wandered in from the bedroom to find out what all the noise was about! But truly, the dedication of those who watch from afar at unsociable hours is remarkable (hi there OM). We who can go to many games in the flesh often do not realise how lucky we are.
I have always admired TTG’s balanced, well informed posts here. So it was great to meet him and listen to his stories. He told us that not only was his Dad a Gooner, but also his Grandfather. In fact, Grandfather’s first game at Highbury was in 1924! Can anyone top that? Truly Gooner royalty and I bow the knee.
So we came to 7.30, and a third pint was foresworn to make sure that Scruz got a chance to drink in the sights (mine and TTG’s call, not his). So we wandered down Hornsey Road and into the North Bank where we parted to our seats. Thanks for the company chaps, you are a pair of scholars and gentlemen and I hope to see you again.
So to the game. Our midfield went missing in the first half and so Emery was right to hook AMN and Willock for Guendouzi and Ceballos. Guenda in particular made a huge difference with his insistent running at defenders. Another great first half cross from Tierney (start on Sunday please) and Bellerin (who was excellent last night) landed on Martinelli’s head and launched into the goal. That boy does love a header and has made a great start for the Arsenal. I have to say that for a team with no points, Vittoria played very well, with lively, attacking, technical football. They could have had five in the first half (sound familiar?).
So a better second half, and in particular last 30, when we really started to play. The full backs continued to be excellent (Tierney was a bit culpable in the first goal, when he bought a dummy big time) and both were bombing on right until the last minute. There was one beautiful piece of football when Mustafi (Mustafi? Shurely shome mishtake) played a fabulous Bergkamp-esque ball inside the fullback for Hector to bomb onto and cut back for Martinelli, who caught it really well and forced a good save from the keeper. Rob came very close with a header from a corner. Laca disgraced himself with some play acting right in front of us. Cut it out! You’re at The Arsenal now.
But of course the last 20 were all about Pepe. I thought he had a really good game on Sunday, apart from missing a tap in. Again he was very lively, running at people, beating men and generally making the defence shit itself. Now I think we all knew that he had a good record with free kicks at PSG. Vittoria were getting increasingly desperate with defending against our boys running at them and gave away free kicks just outside the box. The first flew in, perhaps helped by the keeper taking a step the wrong way initially (shades of Santi in the Cup semi final against Hull). But the second, in the final minute of injury time was an unsaveable Messi-esque worldie. The ball was twatted into the top corner of the North Bank net and everybody went ballistic.
There really is nothing like a last minute winner is there? Alan Sunderland against United, Danny Welbeck against Leicester and wasn’t there some game in Liverpool in 1989? Many others of course.
As I left the stadium, to the sounds of Sweet Caroline, everybody around me was smiling. The chilly October air tasted sweet. Maybe a flawed performance, but a last minute winner! What more can you ask for? Excited chatter filled my walk back to the car. Scruz you saw a good one.
Again there seems to have been a difference between those caught up with the excitement at the game (although TTG is characteristically and sensibly down to earth above). But the Arsenal fans phoning in to the radio, who almost to a man had watched on TV, on the drive home were downbeat, fed up and, almost to man, Emery out. When I got home, and caught up on Twitter it was the same.
You probably had to be there. Didn’t you Scruz?
Hope H and all those feeling under the weather in here can feel a bit better, thrive and prosper. However, I’m not enjoying the tone of some of the commentary from others at all. It’s now getting a bit aligned with other nasty, vitriolic Arsenal online offerings. The promised-for patience has evaporated after 13 or 14 months despite perfectly acceptable results stats for a transition phase. This season we’ve won 8, drawn 3, lost 2. The squad has been cleared out and replaced bar the retention of a bare handful. The players man up in a way we never saw during Wenger Act 2. The behind-the-scenes operators look cool and calculated at our club. Sure there are pangs as we grapple for a new style and consistency. Pep, Klopp..they’ve all been there, hovering around 4th to 6th in the Prem (yea, yea, I know more panache, style etc, grass is always greener, blah, blah !). Hypocrisy is rife. Witness how Bellerin, Tierney, Holding and Torreira were going to be transformative but no admission this morning that such optimism was way over the top. Two of them have had serious long term injuries, one a complete newcomer with a tricky summer of injuries so I say yes bring them back or in very gently indeed. Why not ? Elite sport is by definition a long term project where it’s all about process and ongoing management. Look at Tierney getting turned inside out by their right winger ? The lad needs time no ? He looks class tho I must say. Torreira looks better than Xhaka for sure, but my only thought is that Xhaka is seen as some kind of enforcer in the dressing room – a bit of Roy Keane or PV4 if you will – as he’s playing poorly and is hardly worth his place otherwise. But look what happens when you try AMN in there ? Emery has spoken at length about making us more competitive, ie, harder….that’s clearly communicated despite his English. Are the keyboarders giving enough credit for this clearly evident toughening up ?? And yes, Ozil situation is part of that strategy I’m certain, no more cruising and drawing the megabucks each week. That’s a disease and it can be slowly cut away. What is it anyway ? Two assists in 30 or 40 games. Come on ! On the captaincy, bear in mind also that Xhaka has been subbed a couple of times quite early by Emery and maybe if Bellerin can get established again, he could be onfield captain and Xhaka could be dispensed with, who knows ? Another thing, quite nasty how Emery’s linguistic ability is consistently targeted (though not so much in here in fairness, kudos to a better breed of posters). Have any of the accusers ever travelled abroad to work much, if ever ?? To Russia, to France and now to UK ? If you ask me his English has improved loads in 12 months. Let’s just hang on and see what happens. Surely Emery deserves as much support over a couple of years as Wenger seemed to get for much of his last 10 years when things were gradually going off the boil ? There’s a really new, really strong squad of 20 odd players and maybe they will click all by themselves, regardless of the manager. It’s not all about the manager you know and yes, of course, if we miss CL this year then let natural selection takes it’s course and the new regime will act, I have no doubt about that. I’m coming over from Ireland with my sons for the Wolves match and I’m very despondent to think the crowd may have turned already.. please say it isn’t so. COYG.
Excellent report, C100.
Excellent report, C100.
Interesting perspective on the game, too. For those of us far-flungs who have seen only the goals, it was a game of two bad moments and three good ones.
Your are right that nothing beats a last-minute winner.
Great thoughts scgooner.
That Wolves game is an old school rarity. 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.
Yes !! #41 has me considerably reassured for that tricky game on Nov 2nd !
New song evidently. You’ll know the tune
There’s a Starman
Playing on the right
His name is Nicholas Pepe
And he’s fucking dynamite
some nice reading up above
cheers fellas
In the handsomeness department, scruzgooner may be a contender for cba’s throne (based on firsthand witness reports, may I also point out).
Sorry, cba. 😉
Lovely account Countryman it was a true pleasure to meet you. One clarification. My Dad first went to Highbury in 1924! My Grandad watched Arsenal at Woolwich . The tradition truly is ingrained
Holy cow! I’ve been following the Arsenal for 55 years but I’m just a Johnny come lately!
That’s the equivalent of a communist party card in 1919 with a number in single figures!
So did your Dad prefer Chapman’s Arsenal or Wenger’s Arsenal?
49 8ball ?
the king is dead
long live the king
well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. bt8, cba, c100 asked me before we met if i understood british humour…clearly americans aren’t the only ones not to get it. let’s just say cba retains the crown, and leave it at that ?
the rest of c100’s post @41 covers the ground in his excellent, inimitable way. just a note on my 430am hug: it was with snir geuli, late of these provinces, and the first ‘holic i met. so my wife forgave me ?
all the rest has been said better by others: the walk to the stadium in the throng, the color of the grass under the lights, the swell of the crowd and going bonkers at each goal. and c100, you are right, you had to be there (apologies to the late, lamented chris and is 200” 3d tv). i can think it when i watch it on tv in my living room, but it was even better to say to ttg before pepe’s second “it has to be now, we won’t get another chance” then watch him lace it for the win. to feel the crowd’s mood through the game, to hear the thud of boots on leather, even vitória’s fans singing was a treat.
a couple of game items: neither tierney nor hector looked at the races the first half, t’s assist notwithstanding. they both played better with matteo and dani on, and the game shifted. amn and willock played like a couple of schoolboys, and gabby makes a great target man; esr was more than adequate and well worth emery keeping him on.
once pépé came on, though, the static front line had the movement lacking the first 75 minutes. we started putting balls between their lines for runners, and were able to keep (for the most part) them hemmed in the last quarter of an hour. about that static line: all three of laca, amn, and gabby were trying to break behind their high line but weren’t getting service, not least because we didn’t really control the midfield until about the hour mark.
torreira played waaaay too far forward. he doesn’t have the natural pace or movement required of a #10, and that seemed to be his remit. he sat in the space both matteo and dani could have used. please, unai, let him hold!
ttg and c100, thanks again. you’re both top chaps, and top gooners, and i look forward to further visits with one, the other, or both. victoria concordia crescit.
Top, top stuff scruzgooner. I’d say you are becoming fluent in that strange thing called British humour. I particularly liked the throwing in of the term bonkers. A fine, almost poetic, report sir. I hope when it’s kick off at daybreak and the sun is peeping into the Californian sky, you’ll remember an autumnal night in North London and your friends here.
Sc Gooner
I’m a bit conflicted on your observations. Firstly this is a very measured bar ( by and large) but that doesn’t preclude valid criticism when the team fall short . It’s worth remembering that Bruce Rioch was sacked after a year when he had improved both the quality of our football and the league position . His last league game saw us qualify for Europe .
Bruce is an honourable and nice man who won’t say a word against Arsenal publicly even though some players drove him to distraction. That’s for another time . The point is we decided a year was enough and very few would argue that to bring Wenger in was a great move.
Secondly please don’t conflate a couple of recoveries at home against limited opposition with the idea that this is a squad bristling with character. It’s not. The bravest , most dynamic player is one of the youngest . This team were by the admission of their captain ‘scared’ when 2-0 up at Watford. It’s a squad that has great potential but because of woeful personnel decisions punches below its weight .
Finally to mention Xhaka and Vieira in the same breath is utter heresy. Vieira was a titan . Xhaka is the sort of captain who apparently is great at remembering the lads’ birthdays and collecting fines. I’m sure he arranges for the club cat to be fed when the lady who looks after it in the office leaves early or finds a great restaurant for the meal out with the partners at Christmas. What he isn’t is a captain , nor is he a good midfield player and he should be nowhere near the first team.
I can absolutely accept the argument that we defer judgement on Emery until he has his best team available . He has and now he needs to pick it and it doesn’t include Xhaka, Kolasinac and Sokratis. Personally I find his treatment of Ozil demeaning and prattish in a team that lacks creativity to the degree we do. Last night we gave up 17 shots despite the fact that they only had 35% possession. Go figure- the midfield is unbalanced and the team is punching below its weight .
Patience is a virtue when it is justified. I’m prepared to indulge Emery a bit longer but that’s going against my intuition
i tell ye what
that’d bring a tear to a glass eye c100
the mighty ‘holic
has indeed collected a really decent bunch o cunts
and no mistake
god bless all here
god bless ‘holic
and
scruz ya fucker
too late
i’ve abdicated
the crown is in the post
use the throne wisely
with great power comes great etcs and what have ye s
C100
Great question. Dad worshipped Alex James , Bastin and Hapgood , immensely respected Mercer and Mclintock but was mightily taken with George Eastham and Liam Brady and when Dennis and Thierry came along he felt they played football beyond imagining . In Paris in 2006 I was praying we could hold on so he could see us win the ultimate prize.
He thought Wenger was a genius who was latterly a little too stubborn ….and Dad died in 2010! He would have been saddened by his end.
and
remember to flush
well the timing of that armitage shanks joke
went a bit wonky with thunder Ts post
i do apologise m’lud
What a truly privileged history TTG. Covered the 80 year golden era of the club. What memories. From James to Bergkamp …..
TTG@57
Not many posters ever mention George Eastham who I thought was a genius .
I was naturally right footed but because of him I practiced so much with my left foot it became my preferred foot to kick a ball with , he was so very underrated .
I believe only recently he was given a World Cup Winners medal for being a member of the 1966 squad
SV @61
He was indeed. I remember coming away from a game against United ( which we lost) in the sixties and Dad saying he thought George had played the greatest game he had ever seen in his life. He and Joe Baker carried an awful team . When Billy Wright transfer listed them both in 1966 I was devastated. Holic and I have shared memories of Joe before but Eastham was a wonderful player even with his spindly legs he didn’t look like it !
TTG
Remember getting into a game late against Liverpool and Joe Baker had chinned there centre half and was sent off and that was a rare occurrence .
In those days you had to remove an opponents leg just to get booked
Steve,
I was lucky enough to meet George Eastham in the Fulham players lounge at my first ever Arsenal match in 1966.
All I could say to him (I was eight years old) was that he was my second favourite player.
I don’t recall if he asked me who my favourite was, but it was Joe Baker at the time.
Steve that was Ron Yeats – ‘ The Colossus’. Joe was about six inches shorter !
I think my first game was against Leyton Orient late 50’s I was 7 and could never remember the score also at that time if the first team was away we’d watch the Combination side at Highbury , football every week and the BBC Sports Report on the radio at 5pm in the car one the way home to listen out for the other results then wait for the Evening News .
I’ll bore you now in 1963 we had a 4 all draw with our noisy neighbours which was an evening ko , 66.000 spectators there , I got split from my father and watch the game from just above where the players came out .
I had to be collected before the end of the game and when we left we were losing 4-2 , on the walk back to the car we heard 2 enormous roars , the problem then was we couldn’t find out the result till the next when the paper arrived
Dorset Mick how lucky were you to be in the players lounge dads connection ?
Zlatan Ibramovich signing off after his last game in MLS: “If I don’t stay, nobody will remember what MLS is.”
What. an. absolute. twat.
Wonderful erudite posts above,it’s a privilege to be a member of Holic’s bar.
And Scruz,you are a very lucky man indeed, to have the estimable TTG and Countryman,2 proper proper Gooners to have as your touch points for your first game at the Ems.
My Dad,for reasons i won’t go into here ,spent his childhood in a children’s home in Holloway in the late 20’s to early 40’s.
The local shops in the area,had an agreement with the local council that they would offer jobs to the kids when they reached the age of 16,to help them find their feet in the adult world.
There were also a lot of lodging houses in the area,that also had the same agreement to house said kids at a cheaper rate than normal,for the same reason.
When Dad came of age,he had a choice of several job offers,and ended up working for a local Butcher.
This where my unborn life as a football fan was decided,because to a man,everyone in the Butchers shop was a Gunner. !!
He watched his first game with his new found friends in the autumn of 1942,met my mum 4yrs later,and took me to my first game in ’54.
Just imagine if the Butcher’s crew were Spuds. !!
I didn’t just dodge a bullet there,i dodged the entire firing squad. !!
We think we’ve got troubles.
Saints nil Leicester 9. !!
I wonder how many games it has taken us to score our last nine goals away in the league. That’s one hell of a result for Leicester.
I went to Southampton away last year. We lost 3-2. Their supporters took the piss. Walking back to the car, over the bridge, the heavens opened. We got soaked. It took two hours to get out of Southampton (which is a shit hole).
I wish Leicester had got twelve.
But, like the Murphy’s, I’m not bitter.
Steve@67,
My father (sadly a spud, but a great man otherwise) and uncle (fortunately a gooner) ran a small engineering business. One of their long term employees was closely related to Bobby Robson who very kindly arranged special tickets from time to time.
I dodged the same bullet as Clive, as by good fortune my first game happened to involve the Arse, and not the swampdwellers!
Evening Mick
Hope you are well.
Trust the Dishlickers are still bringing you in some pocket money. ??
Not too much to cheer about on the Arse first team front,so hopefully the Bunny chasers are keeping you suitably distracted till our fortunes pick up on the pitch.
Leicester only playing so well because they foisted Harry Maguire to the “talent spotters“ at Manchester United
what a bloody brilliant run of posts up above
fuckin love the personal stories and the history
just fuckin brilliant
all hail the mighty ‘holic and his band of ‘holics
genuine honest to god proper Arsenal right here
.
.
for legal reasons i’m obligated to inform you
other online forums are available
(they’re pure tripe in comparison , mind)
GSD @ 71
To (kind of) answer your question, we’ve scored 12 away league goals in the whole of 2019. Three of those goals came in the same game – the dead rubber against Burnley of the final day of last season.
Lovely to soak up the anecdotes above. TTG at 55, don’t be conflicted, a tour of duty like your’s and your generations before gives you every right to cast a very critical eye on proceedings. I’m merely a first generation whipper snapper from ‘71. Eastham had long gone to Stoke, I’m THAT young ! But hopefully my lads (now in their 20s) will continue the line with their own mini gooners one day. My only hope for Nov 2nd is that I don’t have something like the tw*t behind me at last season’s sublime (and if I may say gritty) Arsenal 2 Chelsea 0. He shouted in my ear every 3-5 minutes (like clockwork) calling for Ozil’s introduction. You know what, the miserable git still looked disgruntled at the final whistle. I merely hope for good match day vibes for our highly talented, developing new squad. Finally TTG, perhaps in exchange for a nice sharp Saturday morning Bloody Mary (or such like) for your good self, I think you have to concede I still implied/said Xhaka was sh*te !! My point there, to stretch it out, was that you and I don’t actually know anything about the inner team dynamics and hierarchy. That day to day training environment. The mystique of a pro sports dressing room. We know nothing about that, nothing at all ; and it’s an especially important balance and factor with such a new squad and with many young players too. I still want rid….non-playing club captain would hardly be a surprise at the Arsenal. Keep the Faith. COYG.
Cheers Barack.
Blogs has clearly had enough of Emery. I am also very concerned but hope he does turn it round. We desperately need to start seeing improvement though. Unlike Blogs I am encouraged by David Luiz’s comments about our philosophy. We might not know what we are trying to do but if the players have a clear idea and are not executing yet that is much more encouraging than if they are as baffled as we are.
UTA
Clive@74,
Great to see you back in the bar, so glad that it has been a busy life that has kept you away, rather than anything else.
I’m ok at the moment thanks, with monthly blood tests to ensure meds are keeping things at arm’s length.
Main dishlicker is slowing down a bit, but a new one called June is due to start running shortly, and she might be good.
Countryman@72,
Tell me about it. I worked in a factory in that shithole for 32 years, surrounded by skates and scummers (Pompey and Saints fans for the uninitiated)!
Magnificent win by England over the All Blacks.
Absolutely Clive. Watching Arsenal has not been much fun lately. Watching England today was a joy. That is organisation, skill and hard work combined. If it hadn’t been for one duff lineout we could have nilled them.
Magnificent
Hear hear Clive and GSD. Absolutely thrilling performance. What time is kick off next week? If necessary I’l be late for the Wolves game!
I’ll answer my own question. 9am next Saturday.
World Cup Final, big breakfast, then off to The Arsenal.
That sounds like a Saturday!
Just a shame the 2 best sides had to meet in the semi rather than the Final.
Mick @80
Good to hear you are still fighting the good fight.
Hopefully June will turn out to be as good as you hope.
Some great posts and even better memories above.
George Eastham’s other great impact on the game was his legal fight to secure his move to us from Newcastle, which broke the back of the servile retain-and-transfer system.
we leave london for home tomorrow.
so i just spent three hours at the grove, most in the museum, and got my holding shirt at the armory. what a great museum, evidencing a brilliant club and history (see drinks above for more).
when i left, i made a wrong turn and had to go back to hornsey road. who’s heading to his next tour but charlie george. i shook his hand and told him how much my son and i enjoyed his tour in 2015, he was chuffed. such a nice guy!
then off to piebury corner for a pie and a pint as the rain started, had a good chat with paul the landlord, and got the tube back to kensal green. a fitting end to a magnificent few arsenal-infused days in london. again, thanks to ttg, and also c100, for making my time so special by sharing theirs!
Back in the bar for the first time for a week.
I am more than pleasantly surprised by the tone and content of almost all the drink above. (After one reading, I can’t think of any that I wouldn’t include in that bracket, but I like always to err on the side of caution.)
I was particularly happy to read the contribution of TTG@55, after one reading, I’m not sure how much of it I agree with but I can’t say how delighted I am, finally, to read your unvarnished opinion. I shall dissect it and respond properly in due course.
Scruz, I’m pleased to hear you enjoyed your trip to the Ems, but as to pronunciation, if you called yourself Santa Cruz Gooner, as I believe you used to, I wouldn’t dream of pronouncing it other than as “crooz”, but if you choose to abbreviate you must, I think, allow me to choose how to pronounce, so it’s a short ‘u’ from me.
I’ll be at the game tomorrow, courtesy once more of the sister-in-law. We were at the Palace game in April and managed not to go on the pre-match walk. We’ll be having another go tomorrow. I suspect that no-one else has any idea how The Arsenal will play tomorrow, like many others I am reduced to offering prayers that they’ve got the crappy performances out of their collective systems.
..and finally… cba, you can do one. I express myself at inordinate length. Get over it.
COYG
oh … behave !
ya oul tart
ps.
really chuffed for scruz
all that
then Charlie FUCKIN George !!!!!
the Dennis’s really smiled on you
Pangloss,
Can I say I find your post the most condescending I’ve ever read on Goonerholic and it doesn’t concern me a jot whether you approve of my views or not. To suggest I’ve not expressed my unvarnished opinion on here has frankly left me gobsmacked. I’ve rarely done anything else!
Do plot number 55 on your spreadsheet of past opinions and let me know where it lies. I’d be interested in your views on the football after the match tomorrow. It’s much more fun expressing views on football than being the thought police .
m’lud
d’ye think maybe pan G
was just pulling pigtails
i call everyone a cunt
but
you know i don’t think that
well
cept for you ?
ya lovely oul fucker
i hope i haven’t created a culture
of calling each other bastards
cos you cunts don’t deserve that
if i have
i apologize
to every single solitary one of you
and
stop being so cynical
i am not obsessed by reaching the ton
Good thing I say short, uncontroversial things on here.
?
moooooooooooooooooooooo 8ball
me oul darlin
CBA
I wish I had pigtails to pull!
And no I don’t think Pangloss is a pigtail puller. That might be mildly amusing .
By the way didn’t we show your boys how to play New Zealand ! ?
thunder T
don’t like to think of that attitude here
i know it might sound strange coming from me
(ya english bastard)
but
i hope people realize
for the second time
when i call them a cunt
i absolutely don’t think they are
.
.
.
i KNOW ye all are !
.
.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqrQ-ZI29Pk&app=desktop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqrQ-ZI29Pk&app=desktop
fuckin made a right nuisance
of meself
i nearly died this year
and by all accounts
i m gonna die next year
.
stuff etc bla whatever
.
.
.
bickering shouldn’t be allowed
here
full on battering the fuck outta one another
now that’s more like it
the safe money is on ned
dorset M next
old hands – bit tasty
obviously esso
would be doing the door
if ye don’t know
yer tunes
ye ain’t fuckin gettin in
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