999 And Counting
Mar 19th, 2014 by 'holic
Midweek. Worse than that, a midweek without a game. Fortunately the afterglow of winning at the Lane remains to keep the spirits somewhere north of the equator.
Much of the talk has turned to our second consecutive trip in the capital when we visit Chelsea on Saturday, and the fact that it will be Arsene Wenger’s one thousandth competitive fixture in charge of the club. I believe I may have read that somewhere today anyway.
The subject of his best and worst composite elevens has been well covered, and I see no benefit in adding my view because a) we have seen how difficult it is to pick between Lauren and Lee Dixon, and b) nobody gives a toss about what I think. Quite right too. To be fair to the piece that started the discussion I don’t think Amy Lawrence got a lot wrong.
I did like our very own zicoinexile’s questions in the drinks however, and have considered them longer and in more depth than was perhaps good for me. For those that have yet to see them the good Doctor asked of the last 999 matches what was…
(a) The best result in terms of achievement versus expectation
(b) The best ever performance (assuming (a) does not equal (b) )
Now there have been some fine cases already made for both. Amazing Champions League nights such as the 5-1 in the San Siro, beating Real Madrid in their pomp at the Bernabeu, and of course Barcelona at The Grove. Then in the Premier League scoring five at the bus stop in Fulham (more of the same on Saturday please boys), the five goal recovery from two down against Tottenham, and winning the League at Old Trafford. Maybe Thierry almost single-handedly saving the invincibles against Liverpool at Highbury?
I would like to throw another one into the mix. Rewind to 1997-98, Arsene’s first full season. In the previous campaign we had lost the big matches against Liverpool and Manchester United as early season promise evaporated. When Manchester United arrived at Highbury in November we were missing Dennis Bergkamp and Emmanuel Petit through suspension, and Martin Keown was injured. Gilles Grimandi, David Platt, and a young Nicolas Anelka came in.
Not many of our number were confident, but astonishingly we were two up inside half an hour, thanks to Anelka and Patrick Vieira. Could we keep it up? Of course not. Old foe Teddy (the Berkeley hunt) Sheringham scored twice before the half-time whistle and to make matters worse Vieira was injured and replaced by Stevie Bould. We were ripe for the taking, or so the pundits thought. They reckoned without Arsenal’s new found steel, and an unlikely flying header from David Platt seven minutes from time. The form demonstrated by that first win against title rivals was franked the following May with the club’s second double.
That match would probably be the answer to (a) for me. and I will accept any of the others as the second answer. I’ll also thank Ray for giving me something to blog about on this strange Wednesday.
Finally a word too for our Trev, who some of you have seen in various degrees of pain in recent weeks, held up only by crutches and a steely determination. It’s a new knee for him on Friday. Good luck my friend, and break a leg, er, or rather don’t.
Cheers ‘holics.
172 Responses to “999 And Counting”
Drink!
Good stuff ‘H.
Top notch ‘Holic – I would even add the stormer that nearly brought us back against Milan after the first leg suicide
What a first half, what a night
Hope you’re doin’ well ‘Holic!
I’m gonna answer a and b from just since I began watching in 2006. The answer for A is beating Barcelona. That performance, all over the pitch was just such a show of solidarity and belief in what the manager wanted from them. Koscielny was incredible. Wilshere had a masterclass. And is there anything better than asking perhaps the best club team ever assembled WHO ARE YA? We were leading the tie before the ref got involved.
As far as B goes, the same result might be the answer for me, but just because it holds a special place in my heart I’m going to say the second 5-2 thrashing of Spuds. 🙂 Naaaa na na nananana, nananana five twooo
Not the 5-7 at the Madejski when you nearly launched me into an early grave James?
(Hoping that is the correct James, obviously!) 😉
Mehn that Reading game was smefin eh?. It wasn’t smefin good for the hearts. Everybody has got a legendary moment, I think Marouanne got his that night… I started watching in ’99 but I think I’ve not missed a match since ’05 tho. Not till the Stoke game anyways. Answer to (a) would be the Barca game. Got my arm broke that night cos of the pile atop me. Answer to (b) would be
3-1 trashing of spuds. Meeehn I stil remember the commentator screamimg ” FABREGAAAAS!!!!? DYNAMITE!!! ABSOLUTE DYNAMITE!!!”… *orgasms*
Great great post ‘holic and that match against United reverberated in so many ways…we were now at a new level and didn’t it show.
a/ I’d have to say that the result at home versus Barcelona was the most recent time where it felt we are able to perhaps fight a top European side on nearly level pegging. It seemed unbelievable at the time and that was an amazing Spanish side.
b/ In 2001 we went to Villa and were 2-0 down (effing Merson got one of them for the home side) and suddenly realised there was work to be done, capped by a Henry winner in added time. I think we were only 2nd at that time but after a stop-start first 15 matches it showed that the team were never out of the match. Can’t recall the other goalscorers and it was the last time I saw the team play away during a trip back to England having moved overseas the SAME MONTH that Wenger arrived. Timing eh? Runner up was another Villa game when Cesc came on as sub, half-knacked and won us the match…can’t recall when that was.
It’s the one and the same James, hahah. That match will always have a special place in my heart as well, but it’d be disingenuous of me to say that it was a good performance. That was probably the worst half of football I’ve ever seen us play, conversely.
Holy fuck I just realized I saw Chamakh score for us live.
@ 7 Tim, I remember that second Villa match you’re talking about. I think it was a Boxing Day match, dunno what year exactly. 09 maybe? 10? Anyway, he came on and scored an awesome freekick and then ran the length of the pitch with Theo to score the second before going off injured again. 20 devastating minutes. What I wouldn’t give to have him back with us.
Great stuff as always holic. As a new gooner 2-1 over Barca stands out for me even if the goals were scored by a cunt and laziest player in the past 8 years. 🙂
Honourable mentions (a) beating AC @ the san siro. Fabregas running to hug Wenger after that thunderbolt. Epic father-son moment (b) beating madrid at the bernabeu altho I found that match a tad boring (c) that match against FC Porto where Nasri scored that beauty. My mum has not forgotten his face since that day. That should make him proud (d) carling cup match against Sheffield Utd. Ramsey, wilshere, vela, bendtner were magic that night. (e) still to happen: Beating Mourinho in a UCL cup final.
@james…it was 26minutes. Never forget that! Never ever. Pure Magic.
Nice one ‘holic.
Fabregas running and hugging Wenger after the thunderbolt against Milan is another incredible moment. I still can’t believe that one went in. It took me a minute to realize it had.
Interesting choice, Holic, and many thanks for the good wishes. Hope to be back under the Tollie brollie soon.
We have been treated to so many fantastic individual and team performances during Arsene Wenger’s reign, I find it i possible to choose one from the list mentioned in all the previous drinks.
Two good questions though, zico.
Just to pinch and extend the idea though, what if we said same questions without any time constraints.
In terms of absolute raw emotion, I think I would go for –
a) achievement versus expectation – Liverpool (a) May 1989
b) best ever performance – Anderlecht (h) 1970
Ask me in 5 minutes and I might well have changed my mind though.
James@13
I remember watching that game during night shift in my previous work and I had the exact same feeling..how the hell it went in.
I think their goalkeeper was Kalac on that night (strange name for Australian fella if I remember right) and when that one went in I was thinking “well..I suppose he is their second keeper just for the sole reason of being as high as Dida”
@15 Eandy
Yeah it was some really really tall guy, they talked about it on the announce team. I remember watching it after getting home from work, and I have a pal who is a big Italian football fan and kept telling me Milan were gonna crucify us in the San Siro.
Quite the opposite happened, we were all over them. Deserved to be 2-0 up at least by the time Cesc’s goal went in. Shame about what happened that year against Liverpool because that team was damn well good enough to win the champions league.
oh and to answer the question
a) it has to be that Barca game for me, I remember watching it with my brother who was one of those who rooted for Barca in those days just for the pure fact that their football was amazing (he is lifelong Juve fan otherwise).
When Arshavin scored the second I remember the sheer joy of me and disbelief on his face. On that night, after Skunk scored the equaliser, you just could feel the second goal coming and the atmosphere in the Emirates was as fantastic as it gets…only matched by atmosphere during ….
b) first 5-2 against Spuds…since Bacarys “fuck that shit” header we were irresistible and tore them apart at will. The players were clearly elated by the support and it was just question of how many..and not if we win the game. The look on ‘Arrys look when Tomas scored the goal for 3-2 was just so freaking priceless.
Memories on this game are bit bittersweet tho, since Dutchman scored an amazing equalizer and reminds me how well he played for us in that season.
Yeah James, penalty for that Babel dive was one of the biggest robberies in football I have experienced, along with van Persies sending off at Nou Camp for kicking the ball away.
That Theos solo to set up Adepaymemore was something else.
Yeah we always seem up against it in Europe of late. 4 of the last 5 years we’ve ran up against the best team in the whole competition. Dunno what happened against AC Milan, that team were not better than us at all. Fingers crossed Wenger signs up and goes on to win that trophy because it’s one he deserves in my book. Heart still aching about Paris.
Crap….nauseating result at the toilet, as there’ll be endless press drivel about United’s courage, van Pussy’s hat trick, Giggs’ bravery, theater of dreams magic….barf! The bastards were lucky to hang on, and if the keeper doesn’t make two worldy saves, they’re out.
From the previous drinks, mentioned that now all it takes for Manure is three wins and two draws in CL and they can worm their way into next year’s CL. Actually worse than that….four draws (provided you score more goals in the away fixture than the home matches) and a win in the final. And knocks out fourth place side.
Fucking Greek surrender monkeys.
Were they this abject when the Trojans were struttin’ their stuff?
At least it keeps D Moyes, resident alien in work for a bit longer…..
Take the test;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/10705233/Arsene-Wenger-David-Brent-or-Friedrich-Nietzsche-who-said-it-Take-the-test.html
Olympicos were the worst team in the last 16 and Manure struggled against them so I wouldn’t worry too much about that Bay’.
Like zico says, it keeps Dave in the job a for at least a little bit longer, so there’s your bright side.
There are soo many as mentioned above,just have to throw in Arsenal v Juve at Highbury,Pires robbing PV4,Cesc and TTs goals and going mental on the North Bank!! What a night.
That Theo solo run for an assist begs the question,”has he lost his pace?”…he doesn’t seem to do that much anymore cos I remember that was his trademark for a good number of games.
Not worried about United winning anything. They’re garbage and when up against a proper side in the last 8 they will get done. And don’t forget, Van Judas got stretchered off so he may be out for some time. What a shame, aye?
Talking about pace… Roberto Carlos’ run to chase Pires’ long shot at an empty net after Casillas comes out for a corner. Funny memories too. #OnlyOneWenger
El Magnifico
I was recalling that moment at the end of that game today when Casillas came up for a corner and Bobby Pires shot from about 70 yards- an amazing end to the game.
Taking up Trev’s challenge the best moment has to be Mickey Thomas in 1989 but very close to it was Alan Sunderland in 1979 and Ray Kennedy and Charlie George in 1979.
The best I have ever seen us play? It has to be judged in the context of the opposition. My Portsmouth supporting friend claims no one has ever played better than we did in the Cup in 2004 but it was only Portsmouth. I think we were superb in the San Siro in 2003 against Inter . The win against Anderlecht was wonderful but we played better against Ajax in the semi. . We were outstanding against Leverkusen as Tabs says but the win against Everton to clinch the title was a very special game and the only time we have secured the title by winning at home. I will pick that.
Great result at OT, plenty of reasons.
Dave keeps his job.
United are going to be humiliated in the quarter finals or in the semis, whenever they play one of Barca/Real/Bayern.
Improves the English coefficient.
The most important is that it prevents Chelsea to play Olympiacos in quarter final.
I should add that I was pleased seeing RvP in high spirits because of beating the Greeks. Trashing Olympiacos at home after comfortably losing the first leg. What an achievement it is.
But, that is his level at the moment, he can’t change that and that makes me trully and deeply jovial.
Kneedless to say, but good luck on the surgery Trev. Hope you won’t be kneeding too much recovery time. Will the surgery improve your bread making skills?
Nice post Holic.
To answer the question, for me a) would be 0-1 vs Real Madrid in the Bernabeu as no one gave us a chance in hell against that team if I recall correctly and b) would be 2-1 vs B*rcelona at the Ems. I won’t forget the latter performance till the day I die, even if I wasn’t there live. We were transcendent in the 2nd half.
Good luck with tomorrow’s surgery Trev. I trust your punnery won’t be affected? 😉 All the best mate.
Very topical and appropiate piece Guv’nor.
Excellent posing Zico ( your questions of course .;-) Agree with Trev at 14 (assuming we can stretch the idea), most enjoyable are Anderlecht at Highbury to win the Fairs Cup in 1970 and Anfield in May 89 to win the First Division title. Bollox, cannot ignore the game at WHL in 1971 when a young Ray Kennedy scored the only goal for us to win the First Division title.
Best wishes for the op Trev – all will go well unless it’s being done by the Arsenal medical team.
Well done on passing the exams Wind….won’t be long before you are passing out 😉
If you don’t follow me on Twitter this was the match in question. Mahoosive. Arsene’s first against title rivals. They didn’t even know we were until this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p7jAO-Wpfk
The only shortcomings of our Stamford Bridge dismantling of Chelsea were that 1) the game did not turn out to be part of a title winning campaign; and 2) Mourinho was not Chelsea manager at the time. We have the opportunity to correct both factors with a similar dismantling in a few days. CMBD.
Always nice to reflect on Arsenal Memories. Love hearing the answers. Each of is have Moments that stick with us. My moments may be a little biased as I have only seen us play live and in person on 4 occasions. Each of those games holds a place high in my mind, even if one if them was a rainy 0-0 at Villa.
Trev, all the best in your bionic Knee. I’m sure you will do well.
Re: Lurky @29. Good points all. It all seems to be slipping away from them. Even when they win. 🙂
Great post Holic. Fantastic memories @35. Great days. Bags of pace, lots of width, a midfield general, strikers??????? I knew I hadn’t been dreaming.
If only. 😀
Thanks all – yet again. A special crowd in here.
Nice cartoon in the previous drinks, Ned. 😉
Congrats on the exams, Wind.
Best match eh, for me it has to be the 0:2 away win in the FA cup 5th round against ManUre. Team announced without Henry and Jeffers and Wiltord up front. Give it to Giggsy!!! best miss I have ever seen and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer bloke! An it was all topped of with old red nose kicking a boot in temper that gave Becks a nasty cut. A v. pleasant trip back down the M6 that day.
Great post H.
Orrabest Trev.
Thanks, bath.
I hope you’re right about the humiliation to come for Manure in the CL, Lurky. I have this continuing nightmare of them winning the whole thing and us losing out on CL next year after finishing 4th! In fact the further they progress the more tense the premiership race will become…
Never mind Trev breaking a leg, ‘holic, have a word with RvP instead.
Öskar
IUFGN, if I remember correctly that was the first time I heard the chant “We’re gonna beat you back to London, beat you back to London! We’re gonna beat you back to London!” That chant was audible from the tv in a San Francisco pub I was watching, and left me in stitches. Fantastic memories and jealous you were there.
My vote for our most memorable Wenger era game goes to the 2006 CL final … ten men for three-quarters of the match and leading most of the way.
And the best team from the era? I gave up after seeing Bergkamp and Henry up front in Amy Lawrence’s pick. They make the other nine virtually irrelevant. None of today’s team in her elect, but imagine where we’d be with that strike-force…
Öskar
Uply @ 33, Trev @ 39, thank you 🙂
Sorry Trev, I meant Friday, not today (Thursday) @ my 32) 😳
Cheers, Trev@39. Mend a knee.
Otd@40: if Manure’s fortunes turn on a 40-year-old playing then the future at OT wouldn’t seem to be looking in the right direction.
It will be more interesting next year, Ned. If Manure spends a couple of hundred million on new players, as rumoured, and perhaps a new manager, they’ll be back in business and there could be five serious contenders for four CL spots. Plus, to a lesser extent, the spuds, toffees and whoever else might have a good 2014-15.
I wouldn’t want AW to decide to move on at the end of the season, it could be as disastrous for us as Fergie leaving was for Manure.
Öskar
Morning all.
The Amy Lawrence team would put a smile on anyone’s face. I think that only one of the current squad making the bench tells you as much about the quality of a few years ago as it does about the quality of the current squad?
Good luck tomorrow Trev. Not that you’re gonna kneed it.
🙂
Manure don’t have a couple hundred million to spend. The Glazers aren’t sugar daddies.
Just got to work. My arsenal colleague and I reminiscing about a particular Wigan. I can’t remember which season but Wenger brought in Rosicky and Walcott. We became virtually unplayable + they both created 2 goals between them to win us the match. I think that’s arguably Wenger’s all time best sub move (only competing with bringing on Arshavin and Bendtner against Barcelona). Ooooh Lord I’m getting tipsy here… #OneArseneWenger #GOAT
@Oskar Calm down brother. We’re waiting for Pep in 2016. You heard it from me first…
I think for me the most memorable one had to be the 1-0 win at OT which won us the league, i mean that had to be the moment, beating them and the look on fergie’s face, epic and the celebrations at the end by the team and a shy wenger coming and joining them, shit how i wish we win the league this time, the great man deserves one last hurrah please.
The other one would be i think the UCL 06 run, juve, real and then that semi final against Villareal, penalty save in the end and that to of riquelme, lord that was a run and a half, 10 clean sheets and had the likes of senderos in that run playing out of this world, amazing and yet the final, the off side, henrik larrson and the tears in the end, what scenes, never forgotten ever.
Final note to the great man- Thank you Sir Arsene Wenger, you have made this club better and for me thats the greatest achievement anyone can do, improve someone or something.
Lee Dixon just said on twitter that the double winning 1998 Arsenal team could’ve beaten the Invincibles of 2003-04. He’s getting lambasted! What do you guys think? Agree? Or is he going the way of Mad Tony?
good one ‘holic.
I remember watching the 1997 hame against utd in a bar in salford during my student days. was near empty. and I was the only Arsenal fan there.
could barely conceal my joy when that header went flying in from platt.
New definition of “unrealistic”:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/mar/20/manchester-united-david-moyes-champions-league
It was clear from last night’s game that the Greek league is no better than our Championship. Olympiakos were way off the pace up until 3-0 when United sat back a bit and could have been punished. Very poor quality team, yet they lead the Greek league by 18 points with 5 games to play.
I’ll be very surprised if Joel Campbell ever does anything of note in an Arsenal shirt. To start with, when he comes back, he’s going to need training up in the same way we’ve done with Sanogo; even then he looks a bit lightweight. One good run to set up a team mate who fluffed it – apart from that, pretty anonymous. We must surely have better players in the Academy.
Trev, surely there must be a celebratory knees-up after the knees-op? 🙂
Good try, Lars, but you’ll never replace Trev
Best result for pure achievement vs expectation? I’m going with this Saturday’s game! Imagine everyone’s faces when we walk off with 3 points.
Best ever performance I think was the first 5-2 with the comeback that started with Sagna’s “dunno about you lot, but I’m not taking this shit” header.
Well in Lars.
*racks brains for knee-related pun*
Best wishes, Trev.
BMBD
One punning Trev, there’s only one punning Trev!
(Step off Lars 😉 )
Trev,
best of luck.
Remember The Feelgood Foundation’s first rule of physiotherapy
You shall only sign up for physiotherapy if the physician is 30 years your junior. And female. And fit.
😎
Dr. Z,
There ARE no therapists that fit that descrip…oh, right. I see what you did there.
BMBD
Lonestar – Are you saying I’ll have to deal with these pyschoses all on my own?
Very touched and appreciative of all the good wishes.
Heh, zico ! 🙂
Apparently I’m in hydrotherapy on Saturday morning – no messing about with this one.
The morphine pump will be on overdrive Saturday lunchtime – likely to be the ‘Player’ commentary for me as it’s unlikely that BT Sport will be on in my hospital room.
A nice little 2-1 to the Rip-Roaring would be a good tonic thanks lads. 😉
Enjoy and keep safe, anyone who is going.
Morphine!
Only the top shelf stuff for our Trev. 🙂
Free morphine?
*takes hammer to knee and books himself in for emergency op*
Sherwood now using the excuse of “Well, they are not my players.”
To quote him exactly.
Trev you probably know this but go lightly on the opiates at the risk of painful constipation. A wise breadmaking doctor once said “Only take the ones you kneed.” 🙂
Single malt an often overlooked alternative remedy in these cases doncha know.
Just read in The Standard that Arsene has said that Fabianski will play in the semi?????????? Why ????? What is the point of that???? Shezza is the number 1. Flappy is the number 2 and is leaving in a few months. What possible logical reason is there at this stage of the season to not play our strongest side???
Tickets bought this morning I’m pleased to say.
I must say, if that happens then I really do not see get it.
Steve – I think it’s something to do with showing loyalty to players, probably in the found hope that it will result in players showing loyalty to the manager. I might be wrong, of course.
He had already said that he would stick with Fabianski in one of his first interviews after the Everton game.
Woj should be goalkeeper for semi, I reckon.
I dont blame Fabianski for wanting away for first team football but our loyalty should be to players who have committed to the club.
And he’s not as good.
For the record, I’d always start Woj too.
Only problem is…
Wenger breaks his word to Fabianski and plays Woj in the semi.
Woj gets injured/suspended.
Fabianski is demotivated because he feels let down by Wenger and underperforms in vital Premier League matches (they’re all vital), and/or Cup Final.
Me, I’d rather we go with what’s expected by us, the meejah, SteveT and, most relevently, Fabianski and play him in the semi.
He’s not all that much worse.
But Shezza is our number one and it’s a cup semi final at wembley. A route to the final. What is possibly the point in playing a weakened team by not playing your first choice keeper???? It’s a no win situation and completely ridiculous if you ask me. I don’t think it achieves anything at all. It’s a ridiculous decision regardless of how he plays.
I agree Steve.
It’s almost like we don’t want to win a trophy. 😉
Happy New Knee’s Eve, Trev
Best of luck
.
D”you get to bring
the old one
home
in a jam jar
for the mantelpiece?
I suspect Arsene intends to play Fabianski in the final too if we get past Wigan. It is not a decision I agree with, but then again who we play in goal should not really matter.
trev, as all have said (and i have, check yer fb), best of luck in the morning. you’ll kneed to come by the bar during the game, though, i’m sure your comments would be way more trenchant than usual, and i’d bet you’d come up with puns from the furthest reaches of humor. and if you get in trouble with the physio, have her pa tell her that though you have a tendoncy to bite, it’s just collateral damage.
and the gift of the neighbors to the north just keeps on giving in portugal.
Home at last to a long weekend. 2013 holiday to use up.
Here’s to you Trev, a gentleman, and a gentle man. Not many of us left 😉
sandro’s a clown. thank god.
oh, and a, the 5-1 inter turnover. never have i been screaming so hard.
b is everton-arsenal, august 16, 2003. the first game i ever watched with my son (then 5). cemented his understanding of the word “telepathic” watching pires and henry play…
a close second to this is the valencia game in the cl when jens saved riquelme’s penalty. the heating installer under the house thought i was being attacked, from all the ruckus.
Do you mean the Villarreal game?
yes. i meant villareal. see, that’s how crazy i went. the yellows were submarined.
Lars. I hope so much that you are wrong, I really do.
Lars,
So if we get to the final we piss off the keeper who is going to be our main man for the next x years as opposed to one who is about to walk off into the sunset?
Madness.
Fabianski is contracted to the club until the end of the season.
Wenger has made a commitment to play him in the FA cup because he hasn’t been played in any other games this season really. As good as Woj has been, Fabianski has been superb every time he’s played. Does the manager now renege on the player he’s made a commitment to, just because he might leave at the end of the season, and because we now have a chance of winning silverware? How fair is that to Fabianski, who has played every game so far in the cup, has been in wonderful form and is one of the reasons we’ve got so far in the competition?
The easy decision is to play Schesny. But it would be a pretty spineless thing to do to Fabianski and it wouldn’t go unnoticed with other players. The right and fair decision would be to stand by the player who has served us so well all the way in the cup to date. Fabianski plays for me.
Very best wishes Trev. Let’s hope the lads take away all your pain and discomfort on Saturday . I bet you will be fit before Ramsey.
We often say it but this is a haven of common sense and decency within the Gooner universe. I say this because having written what I thought was a balanced and appropriate piece for the Online Gooner to celebrate Arsene’s 1000 the detritus that clearly hate Wenger are deep in conflict with the loyal souls who are of similar views and character to those who inhabit this site.
I would consider myself slightly to the left of centre in appraising Wenger but aside from being accused of working for Arsenal I hate the tone that so many of the increasingly critical Arsene haters use about a man whose contribution to our club has been absolutely massive. That some Arsenal fans would prefer Mourinho as an Arsenal manager is incomprehensible and actually fairly hurtful to me. Do they not understand what our club stands for? Would they win at any cost even being driven by a tripe hound whose contribution to developing new talent in umpteen clubs is precisely nil.We all have our Wenger grievances but no- one could have discharged his duty to this club with more honour and more respect for what the club stands for. He just doesn’t deserve the vilification that a few worthless twats give him
To hell with fair.
Play our best team.
What zico said.
GK for FA Cup: It’s a difficult one but on balance I’m with Joe@92. Wenger is an honourable man and will most likely keep his word, regardless of Fabianski’s intentions at the end of the season. It’s an easy one to explain to Woj and, if he’s on the bench, he’ll still get a medal. Not the same as playing, I know, but if he’s planning to stay with us all his career, he’ll get another opportunity.
Maybe so Z,
But the best team is severely influenced by the dynamic that exists between the players. And that dynamic has to be based on respect, trust and fairness.
I could be wrong, but I think Wenger will stand by Fabianski and play him. In the form he’s been in, I don’t think there’s much to separate the two poles. In fact, Wenger obviously thinks so high of Fabianski that he’s offered him another contract. And as for Schesny, I don’t think he’ll be put out by seeing Fabianski play. If anything, I think he’ll be happy for him. He’ll understand and respect the situation.
Joe.
I missed your post and I kinda agree with many points, but Fabby will be off on a free at the end of the season, and I wish him all the best, but I still feel we should always play the strongest team, especialy when the stakes are so high, that means Woj is number one.
@92 Joe.
Spot on. Fabianski did nothing wrong this season. He could play for Tots the next season and I could not care less. At the moment he plays for Arsenal. End off.
I support our manager decision.
Good luck with the Op Trev.
A good mate of mine who had dodgy knees for several years,legacy of many years of playing soccer,has had both done,and it has taken years off him.
Gone is the grimacing/pain racked face of yore,to be replaced by a new born again,smiling happy man.
You wouldn’t know it was the same bloke.
Same happened to a mate who had bad hips.
Had them both replaced,same result.
Amazing what they can do these days.
Hopefully you get the same relief after your Op.
Unfortunately i cannot see the Arse giving your spirits a lift on Saturday post Op.
cheers
The Sweeper
On the Goalkeeping discussion.
I’m afraid there is absolutely no room for sentiment in sport.
Whether we have waited 8 yrs for a Trophy,or whether we had won the Cup 5 yrs in a row,semi finals are no place for not fielding the very best side available ALL over the pitch.
If the Chavs were in the semi would they be playing Schwarzer in goal,would City play Pantaloon,or Liverpool play Jones.??
Not on your Nellie.!!
I must admit to being very surprised it is even up for discussion.
i have same answer to a) that others have.
being that i’m stateside, and the game was during working hours, i resigned myself to a draw at best and decided not to leave my desk. i watched the espn live game updates come in and saw us go down. i must admit writing us off, not because we were as weak as we became in subsequent seasons but because barca were the best team on the planet by some margin. so i KNEW we didn’t have a shot. but never did i expect kos, wilshire, walcott, arshavin, song, djourou, nasri, cesc, and rvp to play like titans that day.
i couldn’t work any longer and with no expectations other than that of commiserating with a few fellow gooners, i literally sprinted across two city streets, through two bank buildings and a mall arcade to see the last 20 minutes of the game. and it was a game, make no mistake. yes, we were sitting back, absorbing pressure, being careful, but we had our chances. this was no mourinho performance. jack had been put in on goal as i’d see in the replays later. rvp had his chances. cesc had a near-perfect chip across the box to someone, can’t remember who, but it was just tipped away by the barcelona defense.
fingernail-biting for 8 minutes, i saw kos and the back four mop up as barcelona turned the screw. bendtner and arshavin on. clichy with the ball and a deft chip to rvp on a fabulous run, almost to the touchline.
“cut it back!” the bar was screaming.
some chelsea fans were cheering us.
“robin, what are you doing?!”
a silent thought: “please, don’t shoot from there. side netting.”
robin doesn’t listen very well. victor valdes slid a little left, anticipating the cut back. impossible angle.
“don’t shoot”
robin smashes the ball in. it can’t be. he’s running to the corner flag biting his finger. even he can’t believe what he’s done, but he meant to do it and he wants you to know it was a beauty.
the stadium is deafening from 3000 miles away. and i can’t hear myself think.
“there aren’t many barcelona fans in this pub,” i think. the place is rocking. there is beer eight feet in the air as people crash into each other in hysterics.
arsenal will not be denied.
can it be? the comeback of comebacks. the best club team possibly to walk the earth – ever, and we could. could we? we could beat them. or maybe we could just hang on for 10 minutes and hope for penalties.
1-1
more pressure from messi and xavi, et. al.
“let’s just hang on,” it’s greedy to hope for more. how can we expect to get by this team?
messi dribbles into the box, and the attack is snuffed out yet again by kos. has there ever been a better center back? the ball careens around the back of the arsenal defense as bendtner picks it up, seemingly playing right fullback, and takes a dribble.
it’s lightning. to wilshire. cesc. a spin. nasri in full stride with the most perfect pass from the barcelona grad that could ever have been, and we’re off like the old days.
nasri into the box.
“samir nasri. he’s got support.”
robin runs in. he’s pulling the defense, and there’s a window between defenders, now a small red and white figure flying into the bottom corner of each of the three giant tvs on the wall.
“ARSHAVIN!”
the ball skitters at dizzying speed on a slight parabola across the box, slid through.
the tiniest russian (where’d he come from?), turns his foot and almost nonchalantly launches a curving rocket into the far side of the goal from sixteen. valdes sits down.
“a dream goal! a barcelona goal! beautifully constructed. devastating finish.”
the announcer couldn’t have been more wrong. it was an arsenal goal, almost as if the memories of pires and henry had wondered onto that slab of striped green wonderland.
it didn’t matter.
pandemonium.
“i can get used to this.”
oh yeah, i’m watching the youtube video again.
matt an excellent account and a brilliant memory.
On the goalkeeper debate I do support whoever is selected but my inclination is for Woj if for nothing else than to help erase the memory of that fiasco of a league cup final.
I don’t believe anyone is saying that they wouldn’t support Fab, just that the strongest team should be played.
Steve/zico: just to be clear, I said it is not a decision I agree with. I would play Woj from now on, although I still maintain that playing Fabianski does not weaken us signficantly. What Woj would think of it is another matter altogether, maybe it has been clear from the start that Fab will play every FA Cup game even if we go all the way and if so I don’t think it would upset Woj in the slightest.
But like I said, I would play the best possible team against Wigan and of course also in the final should we make it there. And that means Woj in goal.
I agree totally with Clive H2H and especially Zico @ 94. It’s unbelievably simple, you play your best team available.
I don’t buy this loyalty or promise stuff. At the end of the day both Shezza and Flappy are employees of Arsenal Football Club. They are rewarded handsomely for their talents and commitment to the club. Quite frankly when it comes to team selection they do what the manager tells them. Why we would even contemplate playing an FA Cup semi final and not play our strongest team is beyond me. Again, this is no criticism of either keeper but only one can play so you play the best one.
Clive,
I take the point. But I think Wenger will play Fabianski. Lets see what happens.
Anyway,
On another point that Zico raised earlier in week that made so much sense for me, was the contention that if we managed to take 4 points from the City and Chelski Fixtures, we could be real contenders much more than people realise.
Our remaining 9 league fixtures are:
Chelsea
Swansea
Citeh
Everton
West Ham
Hull
Newcastle
WBA
Norwich
We have 5/6 first team players out with Rambo, Jack, Ozil, Gibbo and possibly even Diaby (!!) back in the fray in the near future.
If we manage to get 4 points from the Chelsea and City fixtures – we could cultivate some real momentum for the run in. Its not inconceivable that we could get maximum points in the other fixtures. No disrespect, but beating the lessor teams is something we’ve managed to do well this season.
I’m quietly optimistic!
I am fine either Fabianski in goal, there’s really not that much gap btw both keeper really. I don’t want scz having any brain fart.
Amen Steve, amen.
If Pool can take points off both Chelski and City at Anfield, and if Manure can do City in their derby, then anyone could end up winning the title. Lot of IFs there, though. City may have games in hand but all their hardest fixtures are away from home. Pool are favourites, imo. But we can still sneak it, so long as it doesn’t come down to goal diff.
As for the Cup semi … there’s precious little between Sir Ches and Flappy, and either could have a good one or a bad one on the day. But if it comes down to that deciding the game then we won’t deserve to win anyway. Play to our potential and Wigan will be chasing the game all day.
Öskar
Bitter soup on the menu for the moaner on Saturday?
Late evening back drinking. Not sure if I have this in the correct order:
Barca
Every time we beat that crap up the street
And, I had a a brilliant and insightful comment to post but apparently my fore drinking is ahead of my back drinking so it will have to wait until tomorrow. Unless I do not recall…
Good luck to Trev today, hope everything goes well for you mate.
As regards Fab V Sir Chez. Lot of people getting their knickers in a twist over fuck all methinks. I’ll back the boss’ selection. Its not as though he’s bringing in a 1 armed midget; he’s selecting, on current form, the best back up keeper in the division. Managing professional footballers is not as straight forward as managing a team of piecework road diggers, otherwise there’d be a load more Irish managers in the Top Division. There may be many reasons behind Wenger’s selections to which we are not privy. Plus the fact till the team sheet is actually published no one knows. Also if you lot have jinxed it and put the kybosh on our possible progress to the final, by getting all high and mighty about it before we’ve even got there, I’m gonna be right pissed off.
A bit overcome with all your very kind words.
Just spoken to the surgeon – seems my old bone graft is being chiselled out in order to get the new knee in, and the patella tendon will have to be wired back into the insertion.
Other than that ‘little’ complication, we’re set to go.
My older daughter left in tears and the younger one said, “Ok, see you tomorrow”.
Kids. Marvellous. 😉
Just a quick one, when people are talking about big clubs like Arsenal taking on teams lower down the table, why is it now fashionable to preface comments with “no disrespect to them, but…” It’s something I’ve seen and heard a lot (on MOTD for e.g.), and it just looks a little bit like false modesty, or looked at another way, like a fear of saying a club like Arsenal have always finished above Fulham so they must be better.
Could it be seen as arrogance, and if so, by who and more importantly, why? Isn’t it just a fact that they really should (but not a foregone conclusion)? If you’re talking about Arsenal taking on Norwich, they must be expected to win and it doesn’t seem disrespectful at all to just say that.
That’s my Friday morning tuppence worth anyway!
Buzzing for tomorrow’s match and would love a win against that specialist in c**t more than anything, but I really think a draw would do. 3 points against City at home a must, but we can take 1 on Saturday. Would hate to see us go too hung-ho and throw it away, like against Dortmund, when there is no need. UTA.
Good Morning all.
Really hope all goes well for you today Trev.
Not bricking it for tomorrow.
I’m BREEZE BLOCKING it.
Can’t believe Maureen hasn’t lost at the Bridge, it just beggars belief! But hey, these records are just crying out to be broken, right?
Just like Inter Milan hadn’t lost to an English team at the San Siro (correct me if I’m wrong) when we went there needing a win, it’s time we ended that ridiculous run.
This is why I stick to my earlier assertion that the best result in the face of adverse expectations in the Wenger era hasn’t been seen yet (even if I did watch the highlights of beating Barcelona and have to stay sitting at my desk for the next 10 mins).
It will be tomorrow.
I’m not nervous at all about tomorrow. I don’t feel we have that much to lose, and hopefully that can help us play with some degree of freedom. I must also say I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see it finish 0-0, both teams tend to defend quite well and struggle a bit going forward at times.
PR –
They haven’t been all wins at the bridge. Besides, there’s always a first time.
I would take a draw tomorrow, as long as we beat the Citizens at home next week.
Lars, I’m nervous because I want a win but your prediction is pretty well in line with what the little voice at the back of my mind is saying.
Nothing wrong with dreaming of nicking it though… 😀
GT I know but I would love it, love it if we got one over on that twat…for the first time ever.
I’m backing you on that one PR 😉
Champions League draw about to start if anyone is interested, live stream on uefa.com.
Barca-Atletico Madrid
Real-Dortmund
PSG-Chelsea
Bayern-ManU
@126 “Bayern-ManU”
Oh dear me.
The only match out of four that you could predict with near-certainty.
Well, reasonably Bayern should be dicking ManU all over the place. Let us hope they don’t switch off and fuck this up. I know ManU need shitloads of luck to win the CL but so did Chelsea and they got it.
Knowing Mourinho he’ll have PSG up in arms. But Bayern have to do the right thing and deny Manure any op for a trophy and CL qualification this season.
Manure supporters are the most deserving of a crash back down to earth!
Yes, I said it! loool!
Man U v Bayern.
Ashley Young and Arjan Robben will battle it out for the coveted Fallon d’floor award and the right to be called Europe’s Designated Diver.
Seeing as Levy did spend that 100 million on “talent”; fire AVB; and hire “TS”, all with the goal of reaching Lisbon, how fulfilling for him yo have achieved that lofty goal yesterday. 😉
H2H – heh!
So Man U vs Bayern. Ze Germans wouldn’t cock this up, would they? Would they? Surely they’d have to play like, well, like Olympiacos did the other night.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he “admires” Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger’s achievement in reaching 1,000 games in charge of the Gunners ahead of their meeting at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
“I admire him and admire Arsenal,” adds Mourinho. “Because it is not possible to have 1,000 matches unless the club is also a fantastic club in the way they support their manager, specially in the bad moments and especially when the bad moments were quite a lot.
————————-
Be prepared to get stuffed tomorrow Jose!
This: Ashley Young and Arjan Robben will battle it out for the coveted Fallon d’floor award …”
Drink of your choice on the bar, H2H.
Afternoon all,
First of all good luck again for today Trev. All the best and save some morphine for me!
Must admit that though I think the Mancs have zero, nada nil chance of winning the thing, I did get the slight collywobbles when Lars told me yesterday that if they did 4th place wouldn’t qualify. Consider those faint stirrings of doubt officially over. Looking forward to seeing them getting absolutely dicked by Bayern. As for Chelsea , just want PSG to kick two shades of the brown stuff out of them.
Good to see the Totts crash out. The last 15 mins where hope sprang eternal just made the whole thing funnier. Please don’t sack Sherwood Totts. His sitting in the stands and using his press con to further berate the Benfica manager was comedy of the highest order. Well played Tim, and keep em coming.
As for the Keeper discussion, full square behind what Esso Joe and Oskar have said.
– Not much to choose between them. A ricket could just as easily be made by whoever plays, and if the game turns on a ricket then we won’t have deserved to go through anyway.
– who knows what was said to Fabianski to get him to commit to another year. If the price was that he gets all the cup games then it was a decision that has paid off. He has played very well.
– Save for a stellar performance from Fab vs Liverpool, we wouldn’t have made the quarters, much less the semis. He deserves the chance.
Loads of fantastic tributes to Arsene all around the net today. What a guy!
H2H 🙂
BB.
I saw that, even when giving a compliment he can’t but help being a cunt.
Even SAF, Arsene’s greatest nemesis did the right thing;
“His undoubted love of the game was always apparent but his abundant energy and desire over all of those years has allowed him to survive in such an intense profession.
“Of course, his ability as a coach, manager and teacher have brought huge successes to Arsenal. However, it is his convictions, beliefs and philosophies that will always remind me that he is a special person. Someone who set out his way at a great football club and produced some wonderful players and teams.”
Yeah Trev – good luck!
A good piece on the beeb, don’t miss it;
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/26641963
Interesting to see how many managers there have been in the PL since Arsene took over, also that Arsene actualy has a higher win % over 1000 games then SAF.
Hi All
So ManU are out of the CL, if you listen really hard you can most proberly hear Bayern still laughing from the draw. Moyes has been onto Fergie and Fergie informed him that he has more chance finding hen`s teeth than getting through to the next round. Chelski done it playing THE most awlful football known to man but ManU cant defend so not happening again.
Mourwingoooooo can now talk about how the universe has alined against him and his team that they didnt get Brentford FC in the draw even thou they have never been in the CL, or some similar crap that he normally comes out with.
I want us to score in the 1st minute and then park the bus and see if he complains about that as its only allowed if his team dose it. That man gets under my skin, he is a DICK HEAD of the highest degree. It would be just glorious karma.
Cheers
You’re right!
Jose is the cuntiest cunt of cuntdom! A right practitioner of cuntology if ever there was one. He can take his cuntglomery and the cuntglomerate with him when he gets a proper stuffing tomorrow!
Am so looking forward to the game.
Apologies for the correct and proper use of the language.
Poetry BB
H2H@139: Inspired by the comparison between AW’s winning %centage compared to Fergie’s in that piece, the monks at Castle Ned have being doing some sums. If the team had won on average just three to four more games every season, they find, we would have won the league title in every one of his first 16 seasons. That is another way of looking at the consistently high level of performance that AW has brought to the club.
Also, to BB’s point, I thought that Mourinho’s comments about AW in that BBC piece were not just singularly ungracious but gratuitously offensive.
I just have a feeling that karma will make Arsene get one over the “Very Special Cunt” tomorrow and thus, break that home record. That specialist in failure comment will come back to bite the Special Cunt in his arse on Arsene’s special day.
He is BB, that and more, the c word just doesn’t do him justice, so, if you’ve got a moment….
He’s a Ginourmous Gash, a Horrid Hippo Yawn, a Nauceating Stentch Trench who has a Phd in Snatchology and a Masters in Muffonomics, who gratuated top of his class (cum louder).
Suffice it to say he is the biggest Cock Socket to walk the earth since the Vaginasaurus-Rex……..
And on top of that he is a bit of a knob too, which also kinda makes him a hermaphrodite.
A Special One indeed.
Good calculating Ned, here’s one for you and your good monk folk, if there’s time at the castle. I’d like to know how many managers there have been in the football league since Arsene’s reign began.
If you go back to last year, the total stood at a staggering 838 managers on the 22nd of May.
Mourwhingooo is a jumped up ! spunked up ! never come down cunt !
FACT
Hehs at all the Maureen abuse.
Top marks for ‘hippo yawn’ 🙂 🙂
Good luck today Trev, will have my fingers crossed for you.
Maureen’s body language and comments when asked about Arsene’s 1000th game in charge reflect extremely badly on him.
His response demonstrates conclusively that behind his offensive and tasteless bluster there is an extremely insecure small man consumed by jealousy of his rivals and demented by overweening ambition.
He deserves a good hiding. I sincerely hope that it happens tomorrow.
Tracheotomy for Mourinho?
It sounds like three weeks for RVP to me…
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/26686933
Well said Bath.
Don’t think any result (including last week’s) would give me more pleasure than getting one over that oleaginous, preening, self-regarding disingenuous egotistical thundercunt.
bath@ 150: Among all the accolades coming Arsene’s way from non-Arsenal people — very deservedly — I thought Ferguson’s tribute was very graceful, appreciative and friendly. Despite all the obvious differences in characters and all the conflicts over the years, they have grown a mutual respect based on recognition of each other’s commitments to the game and abilities.
Jose’s bravados on the other hand were always transparent enough to expose the insecurities of his character. Really a distasteful personality.
Why should we not play fabianski in the semis? if he has managed so well till now, he should be given the chance to last the distance, why spoil a winning combination.
Manu bayern, yeahhhhhhhhhh, beat them please bayern, beat them bad.
1000th game for the great man, hope its a win for he deserves it, here in India we get a program called football today every day and we had Ray Parlor and Alan Curbishley talking about Wenger yesterday and it was a joy to watch the program, we had so many ex players and present ones talking about him and the one thing that strikes you is how much they admire him as a person, they say he takes care of them quite literally and what a fantastic human being he is more than just being a great manager, that for me defines Arsene Wenger, i dont care about stats and all that crap, for me he made our club better and i am forever indebted to him.
if bayern don’t absolutely go bukkake all over man u in the cl i am going to scream. i want to see a double-figure aggregate hiding, a mauling of epic, if not record-breaking proportions. i want them to make the dutch cunt’s little boy cry like a whipped cur. i want them to make moyes hair go from what’s left of its red to shocking white between the start of the first game and the end of the second game, and make his face grey like a rotting haggis. and now, even better, now it looks like they will be without the chocolate, or any other, leg of the dutch cunt, let’s hope he’s out for longer than 3 weeks…
in other news, moaninho is just playing to form. his soul was sold years ago, and the screaming, skinless baby that inhabits its place is in for a shower of lemon juice…hopefully starting this saturday lunchtime.
Bukkake MU xD 😀
Hahahhahahahahah!
scruz now they have edited the same beeb article to say 4 to 6 weeks which is to say at least it’s movin in the right direction. aka soon to need horse placenta treatment.
bt8b, excellent. hopefully the horse placenta will dissolve his chocolate leg and make his little boy feel as though his hamster died.
dkgooner at 134.
Well done!
tabs
apart from the fact that united just cant win the cup with big ears we aren’t going to finish fourth anyway,
Champions go in automatically!
Ohh. sorry. Props to H2H.
Back drinking, in slow-mo.
Good point Ttg! 😉
Hi holics,
All the best Trev with the knee
I agree with Esso and tabs on the keeper situation, and hope to fuck that no one talks about the finals before we get there. It brings a strange anxiety in me 🙂
Also fantastic tributes to Arsene everywhere. What a classy man!
Song for the Invincibles. In other words, you, me and Gilberto. 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-7jIX6WE7k
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26680514
Thank your Lars for that great article. I think it is indeed fair to say we won’t see a manager to match Wenger in our lifetimes. Not to slight the other managers.
One thing to add:
I would like to slight one other manager, whose initials are JM.
The special cunt.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“I wake up thinking about my condition and go to sleep thinking about it. I think about it a thousand times a day.” – Jose M.
In its simplest definition, arsenismus is an involuntary and uncontrolled fear of penile penetration resulting in an inability to have pain free intercourse. The fear is so great that it is usually accompanied by severe anxiety, often to any form of penetration, be it tampon, “Q-tip”, finger, dilator, GYN exam or intercourse. For many Chelsea managers intercourse is impossible.
Oh, I don’t think so.
Bend over Moroninho.
We’ll be gentle.
“Gentle Gooners”.
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