Complacency, Or An Off-Day?
Mar 31st, 2012 by 'holic
If the Arsenal of the last five weeks turns up, then we can be confident… All of the right noises are coming out of the club, fully aware that the fragile ally that is confidence could be sucked out of the side if complacency is allowed to creep in.
I scare myself sometimes. The Arsenal of the last five weeks didn’t turn up, and that was the main reason for this first defeat in eight. Yes, Rangers were physical, but don’t tell me that wasn’t expected. They are fighting for their Premiership lives, and they showed a lot more attacking intent than many do against us. Fair play to them, they exploited the situation and earned (I choose that word carefully) the points.
It would be easy to be critical of the team selection. Ramsey for Gervinho meant we didn’t have the same threat from the left hand side, but it was a selection that did not cause us to leave any points at Goodison Park just ten days ago. The same eleven showed considerably more resilience that evening, but sadly too many endured an off-day at Loftus Road.
Most noticeable of course was Thomas Vermaelen, normally a giant who relishes the confrontation, but who came off second best in his individual battle with the under-rated Zamora, and who was culpable for both of Rangers goals. He’ll be the first to hold his hands up, I have no doubt, and he’ll come back stronger and more determined for the remaining seven games. However, if bloggers don’t mention his mistakes we are accused of witch-hunts against those who err more often.
The big moment of the match came just before the hour mark. Theo Walcott’s self-assisted first-half equaliser had put us in position to take advantage of surviving a difficult forty-five minutes. When Robin van Persie was put clear in a one on one with Paddy Kenny we expected to be celebrating. Had the ‘keeper not saved the skipper’s effort then the game may well have ended very differently. Save it he did. It wasn’t a good day for Robin.
Behind him too the confidence and tempo provided by Tomas Rosicky in recent weeks was missing. That isn’t intended as a criticism so much as pointing out that another vital component of those last seven consecutive wins was enduring the off-day that was afflicting the spine of the side it seemed. Was it just a bad day at the office, or did complacency creep in? Training this week may be concentrated as much on the mental as the physical.
So a whole series of circumstances came together to cause a result that will frustrate so many. Tottenham have an opportunity to get level on points tomorrow at home to Swansea, and should they do so then next week is set up nicely. The Easter break sees our neighbours travel to Sunderland, so close to a shock win at Middle Eastlands today, while we entertain Citeh themselves.
It really is going down to the wire, isn’t it? Keep calm, and drink up.
301 Responses to “Complacency, Or An Off-Day?”
first. sigh…
Nice post ‘Holic, Tomas did look tired or just lacking in swiftness. Song too I have to say lofted a number of balls to the front with more hope than accuracy. Still lots to play for lads.
Guinness, please.
Calm is needed certainly, we can’t panic, we’ve been here before so many times this season.
TV off day
But like Clive we’ll be back
UREDS!
5th – oh well
Am I the only who thinks the pitch size had a lot to do with the defeat. Theo was beaten on many occasion by the chalk like and Song’s Emirates measurements passes usual hit the crowd. it is not an excuse but a factor that was neglected from a tactical point view.
“Chalk line”
I dunno. Don’t want to show up after so long away and armchair critic the selection too much, but Arteta, Song, Ramsey, and Rosicky provided too much redundancy and clustering in the middle of the park- seemed an ideal game to start young Alex, pull some marking pressure off Robin and such. Ah well…
Agreed though, had RVP scored, day would have turned out different. I think we’d still be commenting on the lack of life in their game however. TABS, happy anniversary mate! Have a drink. Buy given the result, I bet you snuck in to have a peak today, didn’t you!? π
Ramsey start is a tactical mistake. we didn’t attack from the left until gervinho came on. it’s costly,in my opinion. Besides that,of course TV’s blunders contribute a lot. Individual error does happen,sometimes. But Ramsey on the left is the main problem. Why not Ox,or perhaps Benny.
Never really thougt Vermaelen was that great a defender, today he had all the physical presence of Lena Zavaroni.
Not a great performance all around really. A fatknacker like Paddy Kenny in goal and he was barely tested.
I know it’s one defeat in eight but there were a couple of worrying signs for me today, one of which was the lack of fight. I also thought Rosicky’s head went down too soon and there was too much asking the ref for favours.
Still, seven more wins and that’ll do.
It was obvious that a sub was needed but Wenger being Wenger just wouldn’t change it around. It’s his achilles heel. More pace on the left earlier and we might’ve taken it.
Just a swift half for me. I’m in the car.
There always has to be an off day & no one should write off any of the teams battling to avoid relegation. Ramsey starting & on the left of mid field
though is a strange choice when Ox has looked far more of a threat & has far more pace.
Thanks for the match report ‘Holic. Disappointing outcome but we have still come a long way since January and need to keep our nerve. Didn’t see it myself so cannot comment on the performance. Sounded like we had lots of possession on the Live Blog so may just be an off day. Love Ricey’s comparison of TV5 to Lena Zavarone. Where did that come from?
COYRs
I desperately wanted to keep myself calm and commend QPR for their victory but seeing Joey Barton and Mark Hughes faces on the screen made me lose my rag and shower them with a torrent of abuse. Sadly only I felt the pain and not them both. Hoping for better days.
I had a feeling we’d drop points today.
Thankfully, we’ve given ourselves a tiny bit of a cushion in the table, so the result isn’t disastrous.
The main thing is how we react. We have a nasty habit in recent years of stringing together bad results and that can’t be allowed to happen here.
City at home next week looks to me a huge match for our season. They’re shite away, we’re decent at home, they’re under even more pressure than we are.
It would be an absolute touch to take three points, slam the door on Chelsea and in doing so end City’s season.
Oh, and well played QPR – got to give them some credit for scrapping so hard, even if their manager and captain are both cunts.
Wow, A day of surprises. This has to be your quickest post match review in my memory. Agree with your observations. I’ve already had my say in the last set of drinks. I love you Arsenal, and always will.
Asking the team to keep coming back from one nil down and secure all 3 points is a big ask for any club. No need for panic at all today ‘holic as you say, if we looked at this fixture and the next beforehand and said 3 points you’d probably take it. For circumstances as wide as they are complex I think we’ll be better suited to beat City than a QPR side that really knew they had to get a result today. City need a win too after recent troubles but were they ever really favourites for the title? I think not…
as an aside….I think(?) Bendtner has said he doesn’t want to play for us again…but isn’t that up to Arsenal? I’d still have him in the squad based on his age and the potential still there, besides which he does have a rather decent strike rate.
Talk about overreaction, people claiming TV is overrated on twitter and that he’s average defensively.
No one taking into account the fact that he’s been immense at Newcastle, vs Liverpool at home and W.B.A at home. Those were the games he played at CB before this 7 game run! And he’s been brilliant in these 7 games.
Spot on, ‘Holic.
“Keep calm and drink up” is one for the ages. Perhaps one of the graphics whizzes in the bar can whip up the poster.
I hear ya, Snir. He had a tough one today, but let the man have an off day. We missed him dearly this season when he was out, in my opinion.
being honest i think wenger lost us this game.
first if all why start with no left winger ?
why change the way we have been playing and winning.
with ramsey there he is slow and always went inside
leving gibbs to play left back..and left winger.
and even when it was 1-1
we still wasnt doing well attacking
he should of taken of ramsey much earlier and give gervinjho or alex time to do something..not for the final 10 mins.
and vermilen wasnt that bad he just made one mesrtaks and the other was more back luck.
but even so we still 3rd
lets not all panic and call for wenger to be sacked.
Grim result today – nothing worse in football than watching that serial cheat Barton celebrate with Elsie Tanner Hughes .
To answer your question ‘Holic , I thought it was an off day rather than any complacency setting in . From where I was sitting (lower Tier , 5th Row , Away Juicer of choice ) , I didn’t detect any lack of effort .
For the off day , I have to say that Arsene must take some measure of responsibility . The decision to play Aaron on the laft looked a strange one at Everton , even though we got away with it on the night . To me it looks to have the double whammy of constricting our width without aiding our defensive stability .
I thought Arsene also erred in delaying the necessary substitutions for far too long . Subsequently , the double change of Chamakh and the Ox for Gibbs and Arteta smacked of desperation , and we struggled to win any ball in the last 10 .
Totally agree with you that the turning point was the miss of a strangely subdued RVP . Score then , and I think Rangers would have folded quicker than an overdone Omelette . As it was we gifted them a second goal , and you can’t keep expecting to overturn a deficit .
Thought Arteta and Kos both had good games , and that Song , despite being somewhat erratic in his passing , put a shift in . Tomas and RVP both had days where little came off whilst the Verminator had a day to forget . Theo looked to have the beating of his full back but I thought he was at times far too conservative in his choices .
Ah well , I think today was a reminder to all that there is still work to be done on this side , and that there will need to be some canny signings , as well as the usual pruning , in the summer .
As Holic has already said , fasten your seat-belts , its gonna be a bumpy ride . I , for one , am grateful , given the season we’ve had , that we are still able to look forward to the last 6 weeks with a degree of anticipation for the delights that might await .
Come on the Swans !!
Cheers PIK , good to see you back in here .
Hard to analyze this, there was plenty of effort, no inispiration.
We offered sweet FA down the left which was due to the selection, Ramsey never will be a left winger or give a decent impersonation of one. This enabled QPR to pack the areas of the field where we did try to break through.
TV struggled one on one against Zamora as he did when we played Fulham at home earlier in the season, but that doesn’t explain his 2 defensive lapses.
Fair play to QPR though, they deserved the win, and were positive throughout.
Hughes and Barton are still odious pricks though..
Great sides play well no matter what the surface (cabbage patch);perceived size of the pitch (very small); opposition hassling. (not bullying or fouling) and take their chances when offered. Today we just weren’t at the races. Maybe too late for this season but hopefully will have learned a lot in time for next season.
“He escapes very briefly from the eagle-eyed attentions of the management whilst on their 3-week vacation! With tweed and cravat on-board, he voices his observation of the end of winning streak….!”
Morning/evening holic and holics!
Nice summary of the match!
Agree that a large element of a lack of intensity (whether due to complacency of not I’m not too sure explains it entirely) was to blame for the scarcity of goal-scoring threat but the typical cuntish tactics by Hughes, Zamora and Barton were again to blame!
Two errors by Verm also difficult to explain and I’m sure he himself will be the first to chastise himself for those! Rosicky’s recent creative and intensity of forward play can now be seen as to how important they are for the whole team’s success – it was several levels below today!
Agree on others opinion on the size of the pitch restricting the likes of Theo but the overall flank play wasn’t great today – was far too easy to defend when only one wing was a worry for QPR!
Still 3 points ahead of the LWCs with goal difference but it’s going to come down to the wire! Merc City next week now takes on even more significance whilst the LWCs have arguable easier fixtures remaining!
Plenty of back drinking to be undertaken upon my return but happy birthday to all those who have attained another milestone! π Salut! COYBG!
Just back from Loftus Rd, a shit performance from everyone, but Ramsey inclusion lost us the game, not only total madness, meant we had no threat till 8 minutes to go when it was too late but Ramsey was utter shite, he is a poor dm ffs! qpr are rubbish if we would have attacked em from the start we would have smashed em, arsene really was horrible today, we have to beat city now which will be much harder
SG @ 20 — Ignore those comments about TV5 not being a good defender. Well, may be true…because he is a great defender. But today Zamora did ruffle him a bit, and not for the first time. He is one of the finest center backs in PL, in my humble opinion.
I thought the entire defense lacked cohesiveness and organization, tentative in possession. And that I think that was partly because the players up front didn’t defend well and lost most 50-50 challenges.
PIK, buddy! Its been too long π
Nice write-up ‘Holic, this one and the one previous, but sadly, the loft was too full π I was holding out for a 3-2 win, then a 2-2 draw, I mean if the ball doesn’t go in ie Robin’s chance @ 1-1, what can you do? Vermaelen hasn’t had that poor a game since Milan away in my opinion, Ramsey has the look and feel of someone who’s still slighted fatigued, and I’m not sure if Chamakh will ever come good for us again.
But still, the game is done, and we must look forward to next week’s home game vs the Oily Mercenaries, Na$ri and Clichy will surely start against their combined will, we need to start thinking ahead to exploiting theirs and City’s weaknesses so we can bank third place or potentially steal a march on 2nd…
It was too good to last wasn’t it! Not only do we have to bear watching the Manchester clubs compete the Premiership title between themselves, Spurs have hope of finishing above us. Oh and we’ve got Man City next….
The 7 wins existed because of Everton’s disallowed on-side goal and Totts and Chelski poor form made run look even better. Complacency and tactical errors caused loss. AW football socialism means he plays stalling Ramilson against his better will as he played Almunia, Squillaci, Denilson, Arshavin. 9th loss of the season for a third placed team is weak by history, talk about title challenge next season a pipe dream. This result is a sad, self inflicted wake up call.
tabs @ 24 — About the substitutions, I think these are the types of games where Chamakh, as vilified as he is, can still provide some useful alternatives. He may be low in confidence and all that, but when nothing is going our way — RVP is being dispossessed off the ball by Anton Ferdinand (!!) — and we are losing using him as a target man for 25 odd minutes can work in multiple ways. Forget the bright start in last season, even in this season in that away game against Blackburn he scored a goal and had almost a couple more from decent crosses. He has also always been very good at earning penalties.
Hello Doc @34 – totally agree with you as to Chamakh’s usefulness . It wasn’t the decision to bring him on per se that I disagreed with , it was the timings of the subs as a whole that I disagreed with .
Aaron ain’t a wide player and I felt he could have been subbed on 55 for one of the wide merchants .As it was it was left to the 70 minute mark , which I felt was the time to have made more substitutions if the initial change for Ramsey hadn’t worked . As it was , Chamakh came on for the left back , destroying any real shape we had , such that we struggled to get the ball in the last 10 .
Cheers, TABS. He’ya Wind.
Hard to make sense of that one, especially with a crap feed. I just can’t help but imagine what would have been if Ox (or Gervinho) had been attacking the left from the start- widening the game, opening up space for Theo and Robin, etc. Our play was missing a dimension, and that might have added it.
Anyways, I hope the boys rest up and move on. No way we were cruising to the end of the season with a loss- so time to buck up and have it again next week.
Let’s pack a little peace pipe and move it around, soothe the nerves ’round here. Ha, maybe even Catalan and Behind the 8 Ball will be enticed to wake up and say hello!
Come on SWANS!!!!
with= without. Not to get too philosophical…
Wenger picks his team not because of form, he does it considering the overall growth of the players. That is why he insists on Ramsey playing. Earlier he played for Rosicky, but now since the Czech midfielder is back in form and has been vital for our revival he canβt drop him. Either Arsene has to stop playing Ramsey who is 21 or 22 and needs game time more than anything for his development or Ramsey has got to step it up a notch. I was always told to judge a player after one full season so in my opinion it has to be now or never for Ramsey because not a lotta games left
Excellent assessment of the situation, ‘holic. Drinking up is what I plan to do, forthwith. On to Citeh and may we have a better day upon that occasion.
*Bangs the war drum*
Alex Song is a liability a few good assists this year seems to have masked how much song is a massive problem for arsenal and does not suit the style of play we need to play to compete.
Today we needed to close down quickly win the ball back quicker and distribute sharply to the wide men as qpr were always gunna flood the middle of the park playing extremely narrow.
Song does not close down defends like its a chore and not his job the way he has to touch the ball at least 4-5 times before he passed and those stupid f@$f@#king through balls he tries playing to the stranded and overmarked RVP instead of moving the ball wide to the more talented quicker playmakers thus stretching the defense which makes spaces for RVP to exploit
He needs to go get m’vila and use Coquline
Yikes. Hate is so much easier to come by then respect, it seems. Well, I agree with Holic and TABS, given our start to the season, I’m glad to be in 3rd and fighting to keep everyone else out. The team is great- some rotation would do and some spirit.
Arsene Wenger’s RED ARMY!
Some of the over the top negative comments tonight aimed at individual players… wind yourselves in lads.
I can only thank my personal God (Dennis) that our players and management are not as bollockless as some of the so called fans who pollute the blogosphere and are only too willing to run up the white flag every time there’s a bump in the road.
If you’re seriously having a big moan after one defeat in eight then i suggest you cock off and follow Barca – all the upsides of being a football fan with far less risk of Mummy’s little soldier being disappointed on a Saturday night.
Me, i’m going to focus on roaring the lads on to a third place finish we could only have dreamed about back in September. Particularly the lads who have shown pride in the shirt throughout most of the season and dragged us back into top four contention.
Well said N7 – Perfect .
I see Song’s balls are coming in for some stick . We didn’t read that kind of comment after Liverpool , the LWC’s or Villa . Funny that . Jamed , please grow a pair of your own before you start taking a completely ridiculous pop at somebody elses balls .
Archimedes – can you explain to me how 7 wins out of seven can be made to look better by somebody elses failings ? Seven wins is the maximum one can achieve from seven games . Mathematics clearly not your strong point old son , which is a surprise given your chosen moniker .
Iβll take a stab at the reason why Arsene mightβve played Ramsey. Whenever we play away , we canβt afford to be gung ho and go all guns blazing against the opposition. If you remember AOC at HOME against Newcastle and AWAY at Sunderland didnβt really do much and these are big physical teams . Any team under Hughes is exactly the same . So Wenger probably thought it made sense to focus on ball retention more and Ramsey would also help a bit defensively . With Gibbs as LB one does need to cover his position once he goes on the attack. Tbh I doubt AW expected him to be anything like OX/Gervinho. Sometimes these tactics pay off,sometimes they donβt. What was concerning was the whole team as unit defended badly and did seem a bit complacent.
All good things come to an end and it has been a great run,I think the size and state of the pitch didn’t suit us but if we have ideas of a run at the league next season we have to grind out wins on bad pitches.well done to park rangers on there win.credit were it’s due the swines:(
Game was not aired where I live, so I had to settle for a nervy 90 minutes looking at Arse’s liveblog. While it seems that people have been critical of Wenger’s choice to start Ramsey and our overall lack of speed in build up plays, at least we are sitting in the table with space still to be perceptive.
Ramsey starting may well have slowed and narrowed down our game, but it would not be the worse thing in the world for AW and us all to realize just how vital speed and creativity is on the left for us. Yes we lost 3 points, but the team will definitely go home, digest this loss, and come back stronger for the final stretch.
I just hope Wenger also realizes that Chamakh is not, or at least no longer a goalscorer. You don’t score goals with your back constantly facing the goal. I would much prefer to see Park from what little footage I saw of him in the Reserves.
Finally on the flipside, I also think Bendtner is a player who can be useful for us next season. I said before in this blog that NB scored 45 goals in 79 starts for us, and I think his overconfidence might not be such a bad thing to have in our squad.
Much like our loss at San Siro and Sunderland were before the Spu*s game, I expect today to be a wake up slap in the face for our players, ensuring they will be all awake and raring to go against Richie Rich in
blue. COYG
From a fellow Gooner in Indonesia~
No offence someone has there head jammed up there ass if they think song is a liability,personally vp kos then song for me our best players this season.
Holic, please don’t erase the previous comment.
I want to ask him a serious question.
Are you Jewish?
Do you know what the word Yid means?
Do you understand the implications of the word you and fellow Spurs fans decided to make a nickname of?
Shit, was too late.
Holic quick on the trigger lol π
One version of the Keep Calm poster:
http://www.posterrevolution.com/poster.cfm/arsenal-fc-keep-calm-im-a-gooner-sports-poster-print-24×36
Snir, our window-licking friend from Belfast is gone. I think you can tell from the level of intelligence in his posting that he was not gifted in the cerebral department, hence why he professes affection for the LWC’s, FIOS.
Bogie was here? π
Heh!
Someone who made him look like Einstein, R π
I think we all agree Arsene’s team selection made a small pitch even smaller, but we need to be able to grind out results in all conditions.
Arsene must be the only manager who would select a side with 3, arguably 4 midfield playmakers and it left the team lacking balance.
Aaron Ramsey seems to be the current target of some fans harsh criticism. A few weeks ago it was Theo; Song got loads of flak when he was starting out; Arshavin isn’t here to take any flak. He lost a full season to a horrendous injury and has had to play in Cesc’s position when the club were in chaos.
Bobby Zamora always seems to have good games against us, but I thought TV5 was trying too hard to win the physical battle with him and could have been a bit cuter in his approach to marking him.
Again, we got much worse when Chamakh came on. Now Fabrice Muamba has started to recover, perhaps we should be praying for Chamakh’s moribund Arsenal career to be resuscitated.
The hardest part is waiting another 7 days, fer f*ks sake…
Another Guinness, please, barman.
Maybe we’ll win 3rd spot on the last day like this:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/video/09032012/58/amazing-double-overhead-kick-goal.html
(for insane enjoyment, look at the clock, and the coach’s look…)
A lot of comments about the width of the pitch but for me it was the quality of the pitch that impeded the team today. Not an excuse as I think it has been pointed out many time already if you want to succeed in the league you have to be able to win in all conditions. A bobbly pitch like that will always hinder Arsenal’s game as they try to move the ball around quickly on the ground and if your first touch to bring the ball in is just a little off it negates the ability to move it along to the next player quickly. On the other hand the pitch has no affect on a team like QPR as their main attack approach is to hoof it up to Zamora and other attackers and hope they is able to muscle the CB’s into a few mistakes and slips. That tactic worked perfectly today.
N7G@42: spot on. Some players didn’t have their best of days, and mistakes were made, true, but no one wasn’t trying to put in a shift. Ramsey, Song and TV5 don’t suddenly stop being Premiership quality and start being Sunday league players because TV commentators and blog comment posters of small brain say so.
Welcome back various doom merchants, naysayers, and veritable moaners. After winning seven straight, I had begun to miss ye…
I won’t reference the wind-up fans anymore – for the reasonable supporters, this was an unfortunate, but anticipated one-off let down. True, we just have to find ways to win these kind of games, but today just wasn’t our day.
No cause to slam the players – I’m sure none of us perform to peak performance day-in and day-out at work.
I am a bit concerned that competitive exertion every 6 to 7 days might adversely affect our sharpness. We will need to guard against that.
BMBD.
Oh and spot on N7 @42. Let’s send those oily c***s and their chinless lesbian leader slipping down the table next weekend.
Hey Lonestar, just for the record I think I’ve been gone MUCH longer than 7, but it is true that I tend to miss the good times around here. Misery loves company and all. π
Just kidding. Today wasn’t miserable, but a bit of a let down. At least Wenger (per post match comments) agrees with me!
Anyways, keep it goonerish. The true misery will pervail if that sneakpeaked striped sleeve jersey is truly our 2012-13 homewear… ouch.:0
The pitch was awful like San siro, but we had all the ball, maybe as much as 70%, we just played sideways again, horrible
A bit of a lackluster display, I wouldn’t call it an off-day. Looked like we played like 3rd was in the bag and we were playing-out the string. Credit to QPR, they pressed us in midfield and our center backs had a tough time with Zamora, he played really well.
Ramsey is a good player, I can certainly appreciate Wenger’s faith in him but there were clearly two better options on the bench w/Ox and Gerv. Some have thought he was on for ball retention and to control possession to avoid us getting caught up the pitch. He did do that, but he made several bad passes and the one’s that were successful were sideways or backwards….feeding into their ability to press us in the midfield.
Song didn’t have the best of games but he is the only midfielder that has been successful with the “killer” ball in recent games and did put RVP through but he couldn’t convert. Some his “killer” balls just didn’t connect today.
Get back to training, work hard during the week and be ready for Oil City. COYR!
http://arsenalist.com/video/?id=xptdkd
If you pause at 00.46 you would see one of our players jogging did not even bother to track Diakitie. at that stage Diakite was not even on scene yet. That is not acceptable at all. If I was Wenger I would give that player a rollocking
Been otherwise engaged all evening and I am far too tired to back-drink now but I want to say that the Holic match report is spot on. Vermaelen had a real stinker but shit happens and the whole team has to take responsibility.
Off to bed now, see you tomorrow!
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4230747/Arsenal-target-Lukas-Podolski-runs-a-9th-tier-football-club.html
No wonder we signed.
His class has Arsenal written all over it.
Despite the fact that it’s April Fool’s it looks genuine, with the sign and all…
http://fcbergheim2000.de/seite.php?name=Geschichte&header=Klub
It’s true.
He’s class π
I thought it was a wind-up as well Snir, but I like Podolski already π It remains to be seen if he has ‘back of the shirt’ quality, only 2 I’m considering are Van Persie #10 and Henry #12, Lukas might become as big as those two for us but it remains to be seen π
I do hope the Podolski signing is true. He will bring in more quality up front to complement the class we have and allow us to shed the dross. No names, you all know the names in each list.
Ahem, Re: 69. Snir, I believe that is in another language. How can it be official if it is another language. Another language?? How can you even understand it??
π
shoulda been 68. Sorry, Wind. Didn’t mean to alarm you or anything. π
Yo 8 ball, You’re kidding right. Just hit the translate button. Smiling.
Nurse abb. Over here on the left side of the Atlantic we have some people who are quite suspicious of languages other than the mother tongue. Present company aside, of course. π
OK. Nurse abb’s suggestion having been taken, it looks like Google translate confirms that Podolski is involved in running a 9th or 10th tier German club, just as Snir had said. But not having read Snir’s post completely the first time around, I was thinking the article was going to confirm Podolski’s transfer to Arsenal, which I can confirm (according to Google translate, again) IT DOES NOT!!!!!!
8 ball, I was just having a ‘gooner Terry’ moment. Speaking of which, where is the Rhodes Scholar.
8ball – The signing is gonna happen.
Confirmation is a matter of days.
Have a look at the piece @66.
Snir, I tried that link you posted of your trip, but it didn’t work for me. Was really looking forward to seeing your pics.
Are you on FB?
No, So that’s the prob!
Yeah…
If only I’d know how to create an album somewhere else… *thinking smiley*
Oh Snir, I just knew you were trying. Big silly grin on my face!
Random thoughts from the peanut gallery. Great links from NBN and pires is king. Watched Wolves v Bolton game. Some heated exchanges between Hennessey and cap Roger Johnson in the 1st half. Not in a million years would Woj carry on that way.
abb – http://www.flickr.com/photos/78565425@N03/?saved=1
Snir, Thanks so much! Looking at them now.
Those are fun Snir, just checked ’em out. I friended you on Flickr, FYI. I can’t wait for SZCZ to get the number 1- that’ll change everything and we’ll be back to Champions in no time!!! π
Snir, Too much to comment on, felt like I was taking that tour of the Ems myself. Your family is beautiful. Lucky charm lass is a keeper, methinks!!!
Snir, Having checked out your trip photos, I have a sneaking suspicion that you could be a Real Madrid fan. Several people have gotten major guff on here for being Barcelona fans, but personally speaking I can’t see that being a Real Madrid fan is any more a forgivable offence. So, are you attending Real Madrid matches for the “management training experience” or for some other darker reason??
I think the TV slip is fair it happens,for me the worst on the day was AW,we have had a great run and all credit this same 11 earnt us the points at everton,but at everton we held our shape not to be too critical of Rambo but he was every where but wide on the left it took away that whole option,i didnt really understand him playing there against everton but we won,i will always prefer to see players in there natural possitions especially when two sitting out on there day are exceptional , even if Rambo had played well would he be as good as either of the other two natural wide players,All to play for next week.
Done some quick scanning of the drinks now and let me just say it’s good to see that some of the people we haven’t heard from in the past two months are still alive and… err, I was going to say “well”, but I think it’ll have to be “miserable” instead.
Important note: pires is king is not included in the list of the miserables! Welcome back, mate!
Look, it wasn’t a good game by any measurment but it was far from as bad as some seem to think. Vermaelen played what quite possibly may be his worst game ever for us but such things happen. Take away the goals that he gifted QPR and they didn’t have a single proper chance that I can remember. I do have to wonder a bit about the constant slipping (from all players) though, didn’t they bring spare shoes with longer studs?
Fair play to QPR, they were gifted two chances and took them both.
Now let’s move on to focusing on beating the Manchester Mercenaries.
Morning Holics
My stream petted out after 30mins so had to rely on the Player until Sky’s highlights. I think we lost this game before the teams took the field. Hughes had his side really fired-up and we started where we left off last week against Villa, thinking we could pass the ball around without the bite and dynamic play of the previous 6 weeks! QPR were a different proposition!
Zamora set the tone with his aggressive forward play, unsettling our centre backs ,from which Vermaelen didn’t recover. Playing Rambo out wide might have been a good idea ,in theory, to bolster the middle but in practice we were unbalanced on the left and gave Gibbs too much to do.
The pace of our game was too slow and the size of the pitch did inhibit Theo’s ability to stretch the full back, he just ran out of room. TR7 was not at the level of previous weeks and Sagna had one of his less effective combinations with Theo. Too many players seemed not to be functioning at their maximum capability.
Tommy V will want to forget this game and his two errors. It will hurt his pride that he was responsible for the mistakes that ultimately lost us the game. He together with RVP and Kos have been our players of the season and I expect him to come back and give his all for the cause in our remaining games.
The crowd were a real 12th man for Rangers, being so close to the pitch was an intimidating factor . There are few grounds these days which provide fans with such an opportunity to influence the game as Ranger’s fans did yesterday.
I would have liked to have seen the Ox on earlier and hope we put out a more attacking line-up against City.
I had a great afternoon with Charlie at the Ems on Friday. There was a good crowd and Charlie was in fine form, happy to chat and was only too pleased to sign my book.
As always COYRs
lars- good point you made about the slipping. I thought the pitch was a huge factor in the loss. even one of the QPR players admit on an interview that ARsenal would have won that game if the pitch was bigger. he was just highlinting how difficult it is to play at loftus road. But you still have to adjust tactically to win. different teams different grounds need diffrent tactics. I hought Vermalen wasn’t himself right from the start, he just did not look confortable at all. Lets hope its a one off.
As I see it this is a massive fuck-up in the same ballpark than the loss to Milan but on even more levels.
There are the must-win games, the ones against top-teams for example. This was a should-win game. QPR are a good championship side while we stand third in the top league after a streak of good results against much better opposition. United, the Chelsky wining side or the Invincibles would have at least got a point from this game. That’s the difference between the top teams and the others. We just went from almost there to not there yet, still unable to secure the should-win games.
We’ve lost more than this game too. Had we won we would have matched the longest winning sequence since the Invincibles, a victory over City away to set a record since whenever, a morale booster at the time we need it the most. Playing Citeh after 8 wins or after losing to QPR is a radically different game.
Now we’re facing the possibility of 2 losses in a row with no margin left, spurs having an easier run-in than ours. Being out of the CL would be a disaster, finishing third over fourth would make our transfer activity and the start of our next season so much easier.
We’re facing the most defining period of our season. We’ve faltered at this time of the year with alarming regularity and we can’t take for granted that this is past us. One can argue this or that could have been done but anyway you look at it the team on the pitch should have done better. Arsene’s face was telling, (lack of) commitment was properly diagnosed. How we react can lead to diametrically opposed conclusions.
Great work Delia, even you didn’t watch the whole game, your thoughts sums up wat happened.
As I often say, defeats just like wins do not come for just one reason. There are knot, complex of reasons for every defeat and win also.
This time, it was a little bit of this stuff, and every single one of them played a part in our defeat, but not one of them is not and should not be an excuse
1. the pitch- too short and damaged
2. the crowd- they were amazing for the home team
3. the ref- he allowed maybe too physical game for our standards
4. the tactics- diamond or whatever it was yesterday, was unbalanced and too predictable… again
5. the home team- they wanted the win more then us, utilized our weaknesses every time, made advantage of their strenghts (direct, physical, duel game)
6. their coach- as always he seems to know how to play against us.
7. ramsey… dispossessed 4 times?! 0 dribles?! 0 key passes?! 0 tackles?! 70 minutes?!?!?!?!
Morning holics see nasri wasn’t in the city squad yesterday after his goal scoring performance last week,also Gael did not get a run yesterday,kolarov scored there equaliser so we might not see either of them next week,just a question to anyone who cares to answer it would ye take nasri back next season???
bt8b @ 72, no worries, the only thing that alarmed me today was… My Alarm.
Lars & Delia @ 90/91, good summaries and I’m happy you enjoyed your Friday Tour @ the Ems with Charlie π
Fuck no Garsguns, he can piss off to PSG for all I care, along with Hazard to boot!
Morning all.
Before we start saying who would and wouldn’t have done what to whom yesterday, let’s remember Rangers also beat Liverpool and Chelsea at home this season.
Agree with the point about us not coping with the small pitch, but isn’t it ironic that we had a small pitch at Highbury but have lost the ability to adapt to one now?
I think that its games like that where someone like Jack makes the vital difference, I like Ramsey and you can’t judge him too harshly as its his first full season back since his injury at the hands of that cunt Shawcross but with our best available squad he’d be coming off the bench more times than he starts.
Morning All
From my dodgy stream it was simply a bad day at the office. Sh*t happens. Some of us, as supporters, need to learn how to deal with that in a better and more thoughtful manner.
I thought The-o was excellent, Arteta also, Kos was solid again and should have scored and poor old Tommy V, our very own Verminator, just had a day to forget.
Captain Vantastic was a little off but it could also have been down in part to the service he was or wasn’t getting. I joked to my neighbour at The Ems last week that he was ‘on his holidays’ and letting others score. Well… we need you back in scoring mode now Robin, pretty please, with a huge cherry on top.
PIK – GREAT to see you back in the bar. Edwin is keen to re-engage and secure a regular supply of California’s finest.
Delia @ #91 – Nice report (again). Glad you had a good time with Charlie on Friday.
lo @ #94 – Re: your point #2. There were ~18K people at The Loft yesterday. ~15K of them and ~3K of the good folk from TTF. Our boys and girls are always immense on the road and deserve props too. Plus it was bleedin’ taters yesterday afternoon. Just sayin…
Lars @ #90 – With you all the way.
I hate losing to that huge c*nt Davies and I’m betting that will hurt Le Boss too. Zamora and Barton seem to bogie men for us this season as well. I hope that serves to fire-up the team to give 110% next Sunday.
Looking forward to welcoming The Vulgarians to The HoF. It will be good to say ‘hello’ Mr.Na$ri and wish him well in his quest for silverware, the c*nt.
Have a great Sunday all! π
PiK: 101 seems appropriate to salute an old California boy. Cheers!
Well in for the ton TS π
Some of Wengers tactics continue to bemuse me though. To me, there wasn’t a balance to the side, and the earlier injection of pace from either the Ox or Gerv on the left would have corrected it.
Probably.
Wenger out? Nah… don’t think so π
Fantastic first couple of comments, N7 Gooner (I’m sure the others are great too, but I haven’t read them yet!)
Agree with this particularly, goonerholic:
“So a whole series of circumstances came together to cause a result that will frustrate so many.”
It’s one loss in eight games, when all’s said and done. Most important thing is to win our next game.
“The hardest part is waiting another 7 days, fer f*ks sake⦔
Agree 100%, pik!
And please keep scoring, Robin. I would hate for that nasty Manc to overtake you as top scorer.
Chance for Swansea to pass Liverpool in the table today? The table says it’s possible.
Newcastle 2-0 up v Liverpool, so that’s one more team chasing us with only five points top catch up and the heat is well and truly on – but I am starting to think that where we finish in the league might not have that big an impact after all. Newcastle is a great example of what can still be done on a budget and regardless of wether we finish third, fourth or fifth we will still be in a position where if Real, Barca, ManC or ManU want a player then we will pretty much be out of the race for said player. Newcastle have found a couple of proper gems in players like Ameobi, Krul and Ba so why should it be impossible for us? It will of course be more difficult to keep players if we are out of the CL, but if we show intent at an early stage then that will be made easier. And if we don’t it will probably be just as hard to keep RvP and Song regardless of our finishing position.
…oh, and Reina just sent off after a Busquetsesque dive from Perch. A ridiculous red card.
One thing about the pitch size yesterday: I have often wondered why the pitch size still isn’t more tighly regulated. It is for European games where the gap between minimun and maximum is much smaller, but Premiership pitches are still allowed to range from huge to tiny. That is a bit strange, though of course not the cause of our loss yesterday (better add that before anyone thinks I am saying it was). It is just a bit peculiar.
Man 35 million doesn’t buy what it used to.
From the look of the drinks above it appears that I made the right decision yesterday evening to take the girls & their little friends to a screening of Hunger Games. I had a great evening out in the company of a few delightful teenagers that lifted my spirits – which is more than I would have had reading the dammed Jammed and his ink..
Afternoon all – Commonyerswans…
Afternoon lads, shame about yesterdays result, but I think I can shed some light on where it all went wrong.
It wasn’t Ramsey’s or TV’s fault, RvP’s miss had nothing to do with it, le boss did not get his selection or tactics wrong, we can’t fault the man of questionable parentage with the whistle or even the pair of Long John Silver style swashbuckling aficionados, Bartscum and Hughes.
No, no, no, no, no. I’m afraid the blame lies fully at my doorstep. I wasn’t here in the bar yesterday during the game, I was so busy here I didn’t even have time to glimpse at the first half, I didn’t see a thing until the early hours of this morning, so with the deepest humility I offer my heart felt apologies to all. (unless Tim left the state of California, in which case it’s all HIS fault. ;))
I offer a consilation round to all while I catch up with the previous drinks.
Wecome back PiK and happy anniversasry tabs, a year already, wow, time really does fly, it’s been an honour and a plesure reading your contributions.
24 Tabs.
Pretty much the game I saw.
=============
Now, I don’t really like to criticise fellow gooners and I’m of the belief that everyone has the right to an opinion, but these following posts make me seriously want to consider starting a campaign to rescind the right to freedom of speech;
33Archimedes
“The 7 wins existed because of Evertonβs disallowed on-side goal and Totts and Chelski poor form made run look even better.”
40jamed
“Alex Song is a liability a few good assists this year seems to have masked how much song is a massive problem for arsenal and does not suit the style of play we need to play to compete.”
Now, I’ve read some stupid shit in my life, but those two are up there with the best/worst of them.
Barman, no drinks for them, their sippy cups will leak in their prams.
Back to the drinks……………
Sunday fun: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Glazer-family-planning-to-move-Manchester-United-to-New-York-article885127.html
Glazer family planning to move United to New York – City owner will probably offer to pay their travel expenses…come to think of it I am good for a few Bob as well (0;
H2H I can’t allow you to take the brunt of the blame for yesterday. I broke my own rule because after after I signed off yesterday I saw that the triple-century was possible so I came back. Mistake!
That and Gibbs going AWOL for both goals leaving TV exposed when he was having a bad hair day. Also we mustn’t be ungracious and not congratulate QPR on their excellent tactics! They played us perfectly.
What we needed to do was sit back more. Become more compact. Draw them out of their half and try to hit them on the counter. We had no cutting edge because we had too much of the ball and didn’t move it quickly enough. QPR could have held us off for days the way we were playing….just my opinion of course…(0;
Re: H2H @110. Thank you for that. π
Stop fecking about Swansea!
N7 #42
Indeed.
Snir #66
Nice.
8Ball #71
Who’s Gloria? And does she know you’re gunning for her?
Snir #84
Great pics
TS #100
Davies?
Lars #107.
Are you saying Reina got sent off for knocking a guy off his Perch? π
Nah, I saw it, Oscar winning performance from the Barcode player, Simpson blatently handling the ball off the line was good too.
Two incidents that Suarez would of been proud of. Karma’s a bitch, eh?
GT #113.
Sharing the blame with your fellow ‘olloway ‘omie. Class move sir. π
8Ball #114.
Cheers mate, and I see the glory is back.
Snir@84 great pictures hope u didn’t mind me having a nose can put a face to the name now.come on u swans soften the blow please!
H2H: heh! Without even realising it, I did π
OK SWANSEAAAA.
Get in
Fuck yea Swans 1-1!
Swans score ! 1-1.
Hey Guys!
Afternoon ABB, all is well, I hope?
Yeah GT, I’m ok. How was the movie?
Darn it, the traitor scores. H2H, this is all your fault!
Shit..still time Swans..
Movie was great Nurse. Allegory on corporate greed in America.
It’s ok, I have broad shoulders, well a big belly, is that the same?
OH H2H, why are Arsenal men all so charming!
Re: H2H: Gloria is my fantasy lady from the Romulan neutral zone. I didn’t think you would ask, actually. Not many have seen her but she is the subject of song. π
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPifW_fIih0
Can you believe it! What a way to ruin a Sunday.
Ah well that’s it then. Cunts won..
And Harry cheering on QPR yesterday, attended the game for godsake.
Still third – UREDS!
Well, after more or less two months of great results for us, a bad weekend was almost bound to happen. Now it’s up to us to make sure that there are still enough good results to keep us in third when the season is over.
& H2H @ 110 – Harsh but, fair enough
Oh! Just clocked GT @ 113 – overall p’raps a bit of complacency has just crept in – after all. seems we may need to remain fully focused till the end of the season – Pride please barman!
H2H @ #116 – Spotters badge for you. Meant Hughes of course π³
home made pizza in the oven
home made cider in my belly
i care not a jot for fubble at the minute
life is good
(its 9.1% , ‘holic – the boy done good)
π
H2H @ 110, it may well be my own fault, I was lazy with washing this season’s Home Shirt as I have for the previous 7 days before our last 7 games, I didn’t do it yesterday as I thought it was, ‘clean enough’. How I was wrong… π
Hurricane: Clean enough? Heh (0;
Same goes for GT @ 113.
GT @ 142, π Dirty… π
Thanks for sharing the blame lads, feel better already.
It was obvious that the LWC’s would get their moment in the sun, what did we expect on April Fools Day?
8ball – not a Real Madrid fan, my brother is (that huge ass antenna is my 16 yo brother).
My other brother is a Milan fan and my dad an Arsenal fan (apart from Maccabi of course).
Each one of us got a home game π
H2H: We win together – we lose together right?
fair point @ 145 H2H
Wind – you an’ all?!?!? It’s got to be basics for the next game gentlemen…
pardon – “back to” basics
I see that some posters identified Song as a problem for yesterday’s loss — that is just beyond ridiculous! His contract expires at 2014 and I think most Arsenal fans would have him signed now for an extension. In terms of player development (and not just talent spotting), I will put Song down as one of Arsene’s finest achievement.
Watching the game again, I realized it was not that disorganized a performance as it felt like immediately after the loss. Coming back to Ramsey, he really had a poor game not only in terms of on the ball contribution but general positional play (I think lack of spatial awareness is a major problem for him) , and in hindsight maybe Benayoun would have suited us better (as he did against spurs) for this more conservative strategy Arsene had chosen. But otherwise QPR didn’t have that much of a joy and if we could have held on to 1-1 going in the last ten odd minutes a late-stage winner was very much on the cards. Arsene and the team may have been thinking along those lines as well, given our recent history, and that would have been a great tactical win on a poor performance day.
Well, we couldn’t expect to win fifteen games in a row with our current team, a loss was bound to happen. Now for one more seven game winning streak.
Ignore those assholes Dr Faustus – like all the other assholes they are only capable of talking shit – when they are not farting that is (0;
Alrighty gents, the run in is all set to go- one goal difference lead and the pretenders up next. This is going to be excellent, a time when the real Arsenal stand up and the rest wilt away in our glory. I’m truly looking forward to the next few weeks, mates. Come on Arsenal!
147 Indeed we do, Tel.
148 AL, next games on Easter Sunday at 5o clock (local time) pretty busy for me, I’ll have to find a way to be in the drinks by hook or by crook.
150 Doc F. I wouldn’t worry too much about those that slate Song, they’re obviously hard of thinking.
I do agree that QPR didn’t really bother us that much, we were, unfortunatly, the masters of our own downfall. Ramsey didn’t have his best game, the wide role doesn’t seem to suit his game as far as I can see, but as Arseblog so poinently wrote this morning, it wasn’t his fault that he was playing there. If I can criticise AW for one thing then it would be for his tendancy to sometimes play players outside their comfort zones. I believe he does it to adapt the players to fit in more then one roll, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It just seems (in hindsight ofcourse) that putting Ramsey there yesterday was a gamble that didn’t pay off.
We want a Milan-second-leg-at-the-Emirates type performance from the boys next weekend..
Before I forget.
Yesterday our game was down the pecking order on my sports channel, so that meant it was with English commentary….
Fuck me what a pair of cock knockers they were. Total bollox was being spouted over the airwaves, fifteen minutes to go I just couldn’t stand it anymore, I had to mute it.
I really hope you guys don’t have to suffer those twats every week, it’s an insult to your intellegence and an assalt on your sanity.
Speaking of insanity…been trying to invite City fans to the bar for a friendly chat leading up to the big game. They could complain about United and we could have a go at spurs. Problem is none of their fan sites are goonerholic type format. Just message boards and twitter. Very frustrating, how do their fans just talk, like we can do here.
H2H @ #145 – ‘Triffic’ saahn! π
abb @156 – most of them can’t abb π
Evening all,
just back from a weekend in Birmingham – soap please – and noted that the last time I left home was for Catalunya, when we lost to Milan and Sunderland. Confining to Herts must be the solution !
Have back-drunk as much as possible and seen pathetic “highlights” on MoTD. Sounds as though this again comes down to not having the mental toughness to capitalise on an opportunity, after already having done all the hard work.
*Wind, please note the grammar in that last clause !*
That makes it extremely frustrating in my book, but I haven’t really seen enough to make a fair judgement.
However, had we been offered *Wind!* 21 points before the commencement of our last 8 games, I doubt there would have been *Wind!* a single refusal.
Sorry about the *Wind* but someone has to try to instill some good habits in the lad π
So, it seems the Swans ducked out of their duties today and were sent on a wild goose chase by those chickens sitting on netballs.
“Butwegotthethreepointsandthatisthemostimpotantting” said Adebarndoor afterwards in his best pigeon English.
No need to crow lad . . . π
For Trev;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184
Hollowat2Holland
” Ramsey didnβt have his best game, the wide role doesnβt seem to suit his game”
Ramsey need to be loaned out 6 months ago .
Basically , this is the same Arsenal , unreliable .
Cheers H2H – painfully close to the truth, some would say!
AL @ 148/149, soundly agree.
PiK @ 152, its gonna be one hell of a ride π
Trev @ 158, bit excessive π All I do occasionally is get my “a”‘s and my “an”‘s mixed up π I blame my first English Teach Ms Khan, she was merciless, and the entire school system! One could argue that ‘English’ isn’t taught anymore, only how to interpret poems and glean from tabloid/broadsheet stories… So if I’m grammatically ‘off’, go write to OFSTED about my bad habits, as they encourage them π
(PS – What’s a clause? π³ )
Wind – there are various types of clause but the most imporatant ones for you to be aware of are –
i – the subordinate clause
ii – the insubordinate clause – they’re the rude ones
iii – the sanity clause – he comes at Christmas
always glad to help, young man π
Trev@158: house arrest for you ’till the end of the season, my lad.
DrF@150: QPR are one of the most resilient sides in the league late in games. They give away very few goals after the 80th minute. If you beat them you beat them early.
H2H: I watched your Family Guy clip but I didn’t get it! Should I be on some kind of mind-altering substance? If so, state which substance, and more importantly, precisely how much of it should I imbibe..
Speaking of Family Guy – this is more to my understanding: http://youtu.be/qKS-ngwU0jA
Trev: Nice try with the Hurricane. But it runs deeper than confusion with the odd subordinate clause. He is not the only one of course. Whisper it but H2H is also guilty at times but at least coming from ‘olloway and now residing in Holland, English is not his first language ;0)
Personally, I was both complacent and I had an off-day today. Not too different from the normal day, actually. π
Re: Snir @146. In that case you need to tell your brother to get a life. π
Interesting read about the situation at Man City.
http://www.itsroundanditswhite.co.uk/2012/04/01/why-roberto-mancini-wont-be-back-next-season-as-manchester-city-manager/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-roberto-mancini-wont-be-back-next-season-as-manchester-city-manager
But I’m not sure it’s all as dire as the press so capably makes it out to be.
8ball – No offence, but that is one piece of lazy journalism.
Snir: What exactly was wrong with that post? It was a blog and as blogs go it was quite entertaining – what’s up, don’t you like reading about the misery of the filthy rich citizens?
Factoid: According Desi Gunner Arsenal are the only Premier League side to have won eight in a row this season. In fact we among only two teams to have done so did in the whole of Europe so far this season.
I don’t know GT, it was too much a case of stating the bleeding obvious for me.
I have to agree with Ricey above. TV5 is a good defender but not a great one, yet. He has to iron out his mistakes, especially in away games where defending takes more importance.
Also, on Ramsey being stuck out wide. I don’t agree with it. But I can see where Arsene is coming from. He is reluctant to start Gervinho after African cup of nations and the Ox due to his inexperience. Ox still does not have the same positional sense as Ramsey.
Having said that, Gervinho is pretty good at tracking back/covering for the full back etc. He should start instead of Ramsey for me
And RVP is past his prime, sell him π
Back to the grinding stone and feeling glum today, despite the weather.
Bah.
I hate mondays, Garfield-style, today.
The point for Ramsey is well put by MeanLean on ArsenalVision, with reference to the Everton away game.
I have just seen the Carroll dive, heh, what was he thinking?:s
Have you got a link for it Ollie?
I couldn’t find it on youtube today…
http://www.101greatgoals.com/goals/england/newcastle-take-the-pa-piss-out-of-liverpool/
Click on the ‘MOTD highlights’ link. The dedicated link to Andy Carroll doesn’t seem to work, for me at least.
I still don’t know why French football indulge their European clubs so much.
Apparently the Marseille vs Montpellier game scheduled last weekend was postponed simply on account of the CL return leg being played on tuesday. I don’t think other countries do that, and it’s not like it’s ever helped French clubs go further in the competition.
Ollie
Great stuff. Got to say that if John Motson calls Carrol shameful for diving (true) then a little inconsistent to call Reina shameful too when Perch was the one acting.
Still…. all very amusing from the the joke club that used to be important. π
I did laugh at the ‘Liverpool, The Benchmark’ banner. Heh.
Stoke
In homage to Stoke’s boring, lifeless football, here’s a set of stats thrown at you:
*Stoke’s goal difference is minus 14 – double the negative total of the teams either side of them in the league.
*They have scored a joint-worst (with Wigan) 29 goals this season.
*They are bottom of the league in terms of possession.
*They are bottom in terms of pass completion.
*They have the lowest number of shots per game.
Why would anyone want to watch this team?
Does anyone know if JoΓ«l Campbell is injured? I don’t find any trace of this, but if he can’t even command a place on the bench for a team that’s on a downward spiral like Lorient, it’s kind of worrying…
Hellollie,
If you don’t know what has happened to him, then we are in trouble π
Hellolic,
I do remember a few months ago Gourcuff mentioning that he had some attitude problems (i.e. big head and not putting in enough effort).
In other news, Saturday was one of these countless ‘great day out, shame about the football’ event. Much vodka was consumed in the Bush, and I still went for a pint with Adam in the Tollie, having parted ways with Drunkenmouse at Shepherd’s Bush tube station…
Sounds like a proper day out. Wish I had been there.
Apart from the bit between 3 and 4.50, obviously π
Ollie- I had the same weekend!
Great apart from the result!!
Consumed a bit too much Alcohol though.
*smiley filled with regret*
Happy Monday to y’all.
montreal gooner #161
Hollowat2Holland
Who?
========
GT #167
Check out Trev’s post (159) which contains; Swans, ducked, goose, chickens, pigeon and crow.
Now rewatch the link.
Bit of a fowl attempt at humour, I agree.
========
GT #168
True that.
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8ball. #171
I believe that it actually is as bad as the press make out. Did you see their game against Sunderland? The players were fighting amongst themselves over a free kick, never a good sign. Mancini looked disinterested at times and resigned to the fact that he was managing a bunch of cunts at others, it was almost as sad as it was hilarious. He may well get the heave ho if they fail to win the title which will be a shame because it will probably mean we’ll have to put up with that uber fuck stick Maureen and if he brings them the success that the over investment merits then the whole PL will be engulfed by an inconcivable cloud of smug, the likes of which could end life as we know it.
========
Ollie #179
He’s obviously spending way too much time with that buck toothed play acting git Suarez. They don’t even call their practise sessions training anymore, they call it rehearsals. π
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Ollie #186
They’re also a bunch of bottom feeders
Re: H2H, Snir and Man City. Yeah, I think you both may be right all around. Cataloging the bad stuff that’s going on up there could be a long and thankless job.
15 year old dog has passed on. He has now boarded the canine happy train, destination the big dog house in the sky. Keep on the straight and narrow, old boy. π π
Long may the bad stuff continue at Middle Eastlands.
Afternoon All ,
H2H @111 – Cheers for the very kind words . Have a large shot on me .
And @110 . I definitely did my bit by staying away from Loftus Rd , so I’m certainly blaming H2H for not getting in front of a TV in time , GT for returning to the Bar too early , Wind for not washing his shirt , and Trev for not being in Herts .
Gentlemen , get your collective acts together , and sharpish ! π
H2H @155 Heh at “cock knockers” , not sure what it means , but it cracked me up all the same π
Trev , trust you to take a flight of fancy with the birds π
Sorry about your Dog 8Ball . All the Best .
Pushes the ball out to the wing and ambles forwards…
Sorry to hear about your dog, bt8.
*kicks ball*
Ball in…
Sorry about your dog 8ball.
Puts Speedoes on , takes a running jump from the upper tier , and swallow dives into the area , and heads the ball goalwards …
8ball – sorry to hear about the pooch; sure he has found a lamp post in the sky. Sad day for you though.
Ollie – I too had an excellent weekend. However I am unable to say I was “drinking vodka in the bush”. Will have to earn a few more Senora Catalan credits before that is allowed.
Tikkabooson
How uncharacteristic of you tabs π Well in mate.
Two assists in 2 days π
Heh !
Removes Speedoes and does a celebratory streak around the perimeter of the pitch , showing his class , but unfortunately scaring off all his team mates .
Nice assist Wind π
Mr C @201 , heh π , one in the Bush is worth two in the hand I believe !
TABS – spectacular and well timed…
Veering towards Clive conversation….
TaBS @205 – there’s another joke there, but I’m going to avoid it! π
Cheers West Upper , and Mr C , I fear you maybe right π
oops . may be = maybe
8ball, So sorry to hear about your dog passing. I bet he was your ‘shadow’, always at your side. They don’t ask for much, just plenty of love and a bit of kibble. But boy what they give us in return, is priceless. Take care.
Condolances for the canine situation 8Ball.
===
Your welcome Tabs and well in at 200, but removing your swimwear would mean you were showing much more then your class. π
Cock knocker (funny, innit) was a charachter played by Mark Hamill, of Luke Skywalker fame, in a Jay and Silent Bob Movie;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_7HVcYjM3Y
The explaination of the word here sums up those two commentators from Saturdays game perfectly;
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cockknocker
tabs, what a goal!
201, heh. Although I did indeed, suspect someone would come up with double entendre interpretation.
At least it wasn’t a Shepherd’s Bush. That really doesn’t appeal.
Cheers for the explanation H2H . “Cock Knocker” definitely going in the memory bank for use at the next opportune moment . π
Cheers Ollie , and thanks for the Heads up to Arsenal Vision . Thought it was a good article and agreed with Mean Lean’s reasons for including Ramsey , but I’m still to be convinced that it achieves what it sets out to do .
I thought the comparison with Benny was a pertinent one . Even though he’s not a winger , Yossi maintains a wide position , (as seen against Sp*rs) , whereas Aaron’s first instinct is always to come inside , thereby making us far too narrow and predictable .
Heh @214 π
Interesting tactical analysis of the QPR game on Zonal Marking, http://bit.ly/HHweYp. Makes starting Ramsey rather than an out and out winger like Gervais or the Ox seem more understandable than many in the bar thought (I hold my hand up, too, in that regard. AKB :)). It also seems mostly to have worked in solving a particular problem, in as much as Mackie and Zamora didn’t win the tactical battle against TV5, even if Zamora often won the physical ones and TV5 was not having his best of days, including the fateful slip.
Thanks to all for the dog-related condolescences. I offer this in his honor, as he was a native son of New Orleans and marched in more than one Barkus, the pre-Mardi Gras parade for dogs and their owners.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZXGF-v3x8Q
I’was watching a replay of the Newcastle v Liverpool game to check out Andy Carrolls dive.
If you watch it from this angle I’m sure you will agree that he actually tripped over the ball;
http://www.lolwtfcomics.com/upload/uploads/oie_919311U8j4padS.gif
Brilliant H2H π π
Another one waiting for you on the Bar for that little gem !
Hahahaha, H2H, splendid.
What tabs said, have another one.
On Lars’ tab, naturally.
Evening all,
You may or may not be delighted to know that there will be no post tonight. There is a bit of a server move going on in the background.
Worried? Me? Nah!
However, if it all goes wrong and I am wiped off the blogosphere I would just like to thank you all for putting up with me for five and a half years :-S
Evening Holic ,
Sounds a bit serious . Shall I give Carlos a call up ? π
I may have a job for him later π
It’s been nice knowing you, ‘holic.
Ollie, my tab has been far to under-used lately so have another one as well!
8ball, sorry to hear about the dog.
H2H@219: heh!
Ned@217: what, Arsene knowing something us armchair managers don’t? Nah, that can’t be true… π
Holic, don’t you dare disappear on us!
Oh, and if you hurry, ‘holic, you could join an embryonic punfest on the arses π
Cheers, Lars.
Are you around next sunday? (I seem too recall there’s another ‘holics gathering, albeit maybe smaller than for Villa)
Thanks Ollie, but it’s Gunner Rob night.
So sorry about the dog bt8b. Never a pleasant experience. Thinking of you.
Thankss lads.
A couple of shots just went down like Suarez and Carroll.
Cheers.
Thanks Ollie. First time I have seen the real Carroll dive. Jebus, that should have been a red! π
H2H @ 219, your link’s left me incapable of laughing physically, all I can do in silently laugh in tears π
Evening all. Tabs, that style of your golaso is etched in my mind, unfortunately! Looks like Carroll brought out the old Ruud act, eh? It was fun hating the horse, is he still playing in Spain?
Ah, and the usual pint please. Gracias.
Lars@227: I’m astounded, too.
Tabs200: Truly spectacular. Well in. Hope nothing went amiss in the slipstream.
‘Holic: I’ve seen servers go down less easily than Carroll….
Nice try, btw. But you can’t get rid of us that easily…
Damnit H2H. Never good to laugh out loud that hard at work.
And 8ball, sorry to hear of your loss. That’s a mighty long time to be companions.
H2H – @191, and the “Carroll dive” clip – a rich vein of form indeed.
Tabs –
think I forgot to congratulate you on your posting anniversary. Consistently great stuff and “Behind The Arse” in the first year. Holy shit! (No, not wholly shit!) π
‘Holic – farewell mate. Just have to make do with actual reality meet-ups in future then π
Congratulations Tabs on your Wind-assisted ‘200’.
Although I’m sure it is all done subconsciously, it is a little disturbing that the words ‘Speedoes’, ‘jump’, ‘swallow’ and ‘ball’ all appear in your one sentence.
Could be time to make an appointment . . . π
H2H funny ;0)
Trev@241: not to mention “head”.
Consider me pissed off : Snow? I had shorts on last week.
I blame Gazidis……
Zico
Pissing down here too (rain not snow). Was on the beach at the weekend.
Spring. heh.
Still beautifull sunny here, Drs C&Z
Morning lads and thanx for the kind words.
It’s pretty crappy weatherwise here too, but I’m not that bothered as I,ll be spending the morning at an expo for alcoholic beverages.
This could get messy…….
I wish this weather would make it’s bloody minds up.
Expo for alcohol…. shouldn’t this be a designated HT day trip???
Afternoon All ,
PIK (apologies for the nightmarish visions ) , and Ned , Cheers for the goal acknowledgement . Gotta milk it you know , they don’t come along too often !
Trev @240 – Cheers Sir and heh at the holy/wholly ! And @241 , and Ned @243 , heh , the subconscious is a terrible thing . Will always find one out in the end ! π
H2H , now that sounds like a day out ! Do you need a Barman ? I am available , on the proviso that I am also allowed out on the day trips . Other pluses are that I am prepared to sample all stock , and look bloody good in a pinny !
Very quiet in Arse Land this week .
Quietly acknowledges the polite applause from the pavilion by stroking his helmet .
First game of football since the 5s.
Interception skills great, but passing abysmal today.
The spelling at 248 suggests to me that it is Andy Goram#3 or below π
Congratulations, Tabs, on the great goal, as well as the extended milking and stroking later on. π
Hey 8ball, What’s the weather like in your neck of the woods? Muggy and in the mid 80’s here.
Not quite as hot, abb. Yesterday it was dry and in the low 70s. Perfect bicycling weather, which my daughter and I took advantage of. π
Ok, 8ball, rub it in, why don’t ya!
abb, Are you in the Big Apple? If so, it is bound to cool down soon. I used to live there and never saw extended mugginess in April. This week is my daughter’s Spring break so I’ll be with her most of the week, so fingers crossed the bicycling weather and her inclination to bike (rather than watch silly movies) continues.
No 8ball, From NY, but live in Florida. You know, where folks don’t know how to vote or drive. Keeping my fingers crossed and enjoy mate.
abb, When we used to live in New Orleans we would say, upon hitting an April hot streak, “The only place where it is hotter is in Florida.” π
You are so right 8ball and the bloody humidity makes it all the worse. At least New Orleans has all that cool jazz, to keep everyone from wilting.
So, as I understand it, Chamakh has found the keys to the CMC and arrived accompanied with his own pipe?
Wouldn’t have happened on my watch, no sir. 8)
Have you seen the size of his pipe Dr F ? Very impressive . Why haven’t The Executive of DLL been provided with pies that size ?
All very disappointing .
Bring back Feelgood !!!
pies = pipes π³
So, should I watch Ibracunt dive all over the pitch against the midgets?
This may sound strange, but for a very specific reason I hope Barca beat Milan tonight. Why? Because that means Chelsea (I assume they will go through) will play Barca on the 18th and the 24th of April – and sandwiched in between is, of course, our game against them at the Emirates on the 21st. Barca are much more likely to run Chelsea ragged than Milan are, and I hope Chelsea are completely knackered when they visit our place.
Not sure what to make of a question like….
Have you seen the size of his pipe, Dr F?
Today , I decided to get my locks shorn .
The downside of that decision is manifold .
The first humiliation is not long in coming – “What exactly are you hoping to achieve Sir ?”
The second takes a little longer – “Would you like your ears done Sir ” ? I didn’t even know I had any bloody ear hair !
The Barber’s “creation” , conceived entirely whilst he was bumbling on about the greatness of the LWC’s , left the top of my bonce looking like a slightly bewildered hedgehog .
The upside however of any visit to the Barbers is a squeaky glimpse at everybody’s favourite rag , The Currant Bun .
In amongst the plethora of Breasts and Celebrity scandals , my eye was drawn inexorably to a story that Ruth Langsford (wife of tubby funster Eamonn Holmes) , prefers not to have sex in the Dark !
Why did I find this funny ? I have no idea really , but I thought it deserved sharing .
I can only think that Ruthie is getting her kicks away from the marital bedstead . The thought of self-professed “No.1 Manure fan” Eamonn bellowing “Ooh Ah Cantona” just at the moment of release is surely enough to have anyone reaching for the light switch .
Right , can’t face more Barca , so off for a few Beers .
Home, Munich and BarΓ§a both 1-0, that’s good.
Lars, I agree with you though I would add one even more important reason IMHO.
Chelsea are much more likely to beat Milan than Barça, tired or not.
And Chelsea in a final is far far far too dangerous.
2-0 Munich but fuckfuckfuck 1-1 in Barcelona
Ollie@270: too right, I forgot to add that bit. I don’t want Chelsea in the final.
Barca have actually been rather wasteful. They should have put the game beyond Milan in the first 25 minutes but now they actually look a bit nervous.
I actually used the word “actually” a bit too often in that post.
Oh, another penalty, actually, for Barca. A correct decision, actually.
And Messi actually scores.
Barca need penalties to score goals π
There are 5 reasons why I don’t want Chelsea in the CL Final –
i – Terry
ii – Cashley
iii – Lampard
iv – Drogba
v – Gary Cahill – in a CL Final. Seriously ?
So it’s 2-1 now, actually, Lars? π
Wasn’t PV4 talking about big stadiums and the impact on referees?? The second penalty although correct would never have been given in the first leg me thinks.
Even if chelsea reach the final (big if), i dont think there would be much to worry about, Real Madrid with Mourinho will ensure that.
And BTW. screw UEFA. Barca kowtowing bastards.
That would be a nightmare final, so please no.
Uefa have got be a bit less obvious in trying to stage a Real – Barca final.
I mean, c’mon… Don’t be so obvious.
Two penalties from the ref’s imagination.
Add that to Busaka sending RvP off to ensure Real and Barca meet in the Semis…
This is absolutely outrageous.
Sorry, but I hate Barca too much to want them to qualify.
Even if it means Chelsea will be in the final, cause I’m willing to bet my entire life on the opponent (whether it’d be Bayern or Real) against Chelsea.
They’d get absolutely shattered.
Trev, that fifth point on your list is a very good one. Cahill in a CL final would be a joke.
3-1 Iniesta.
I hope Bayern win the CL.
It’s unlikely.
Failing that, I hope Barça win it.
Yeah, I know, Snir π
heh at your new name, Lars.
And well, Djimi TraorΓ© has a CL Winners’ medal….
He’s also on the bench for Marseille tonight.
Ollie, I agree with you in hoping that Bayern win the whole thing.
I hope anyone but Barca.
Cesc is a jinx.
Those fucking cunts.
Another shocking decision, to give a handball for the most overrated player in Europe, Robinho.
It’s unbelievable just how much I hate them.
Ollie, but Djimi TraorΓ© didn’t play very much (if at all), did he? Gary Cahill is an integral part of the Chelsea defence…
Is he, FLAG? I have honestly no idea who regularly plays for the Chavs in defence these days.
Marseille sub: Brandao off, Gignac on.
Bayern sub: Olic (2 goals tonight) off, Gomez on.
heh
Well, he’s played every game for them lately, hasn’t he?
What they doing out there it’s a disgrace! Falling all over the pitch like a pack of cards!
Snir I agree anyone but Barca even Cesc has become a play act!
Bale, Suarez and Carroll would fit right in then? π
Ollie.
John Terry’s lawyer isthe busiest man for the Chelsea defence.
Hic, I drunk I think too much.
Heh, iH2H.
Bye-bye Marseille. You didn’t deserve to be here anyway.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I don’t really have too much to say in this post, I just wanted to use a movie reference that wasn’t a (Dr) feelgood film…
I really should go to bed now, I suppose π
I never find myself in the opponents area….shall I pass it or shoot?
Goal in the 98th minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well in 8th Ball. Well done Tim. Whatever you smoking Lars I want some! (0;