The final home game in what has been an ultimately disappointing season, and a chance to almost cement 3rd place.
It hurt watching the Manchester clubs yesterday. Manchester City won the FA Cup and congratulations to the knuckle dragging, bog dwelling mingers upon winning the Title.
I can write in two words why we didn’t win the PL in a year when we were surely the best football team – Home Form. Hardly rocket science but nonetheless had we been able to establish Fortress Emirates we would without question have won the title. United have won 6 (yes – 6!) more home games than us and Chelsea 3. Furthermore, MU drew one to our 4. That adds up to 26 more home points than we gained – yes – 26!! Yet should we win today we will be just 7 points behind them.
There has been much written on AA as to why this is so, much of which AW will have read and considered. In my opinion we have become constrained by our football ethic and opposition managers have an easy tactic to deal with it – defend in depth on the 18 yard line and wait for a set piece to attack. Any team who has attacked us from the opening whistle (apart from WBA) has been beaten.
Today’s opponents have had a far worse season than us. Their fans must be reeling from witnessing a club with such resources (fanbase, players, coaching staff and financial backing) wallowing close to relegation; there is still a chance they could go down if results go against them. A team with the talents of Young, Agbonlahor, Downing, Freidland, Dunne etc are surely too good to be in their current position. And then there is AV’s record signing, the big AFC fan, Darren Bent. Should we have signed him? His goal scoring record is excellent. I can only imagine it was his very high transfer fee which caused AW to demur.
Statistically, we should win. Villa have won just once in 24 visits to AFC, though they have only lost one of the last 4. However, our home form is so inconsistent and a draw would confirm AV’s premiership status.
Today’s highlights have to be the return of two Arsenal favourites – TV and the great Robert Pires. Vermælen’s absence has been enormously costly as Mr Wenger struggled to establish a consistent CB pairing (thanks to injury and poor form). The Belgian is our best defender; strong, a fine tactician, a potent attacking weapon, and a born fighter – he has been sorely missed. Expecting him to return in top form may be unrealistic but his return is very, very welcome.
This is likely to be Bobby’s final appearance at THOF. He has graced the shirt and will be remembered as one of the finest players to have ever played for Arsenal. The fact that he has bought a flat at Highbury is evidence of his love for the club. Who can forget the adulation he received from the 2002 side when he limped up to raise the trophy. Let us hope he gets a few minutes pitch time in a 4-0 Villa loss!!
However, it would be no surprise to see Bendtner or Chamakh get a start as the team above is seriously lacking in inches.
Villa are blessed with 2 giants of the Heavy Metal world as fans: Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler, both ex- members of the Black Sabbath. Nigel Kennedy and Amy Winehouse are also big fans. Anyone who has been to Villa Park (scene of the awful FAC semi-final when DB10 missed that penalty) knows how charming the area of Aston Villa is.
Please Arsenal, give the fans who spend so much money, time and emotion attending the Grove a pleasant end to our home season – smash the Villains!!!
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Please excuse the very poor presentation of the final few paragraph’s. ……. blame WordPress!!
Morning Raddy, I did a bit of editing of your 2nd paragraph – if that wasn’t what you meant please go ahead and amend it
What are you saying Raddy that WordPress is already on end of season holiday too?
Nice prematch and I hope we get a big response from the players today, we need signs that they know how much it means to us by demonstrating what it means to them.
I wonder whether there will be a lap of appreciation, and if there is will there be anyone to watch it.
I’ll be incognito for next few hours trying to preserve battery life on phone.
Catch sone of you at the Tavern, and the rest of you later on here, hopefully with three points and glorious Wengerball to cheer us all up.
Galling to think that draws at home cost us the title. Manu’s away form has been rubbish compared to ours – and yet again outplayed yesterday and still got their point! Not that I think we deserved the league – we threw it away via poor defending and yet again the lack of signings. When will we learn?
GIE. I fear an exodus prior to the lap of appreciation (not honour). Perhaps the players should run around before the kick-off 🙂
Great pre-match Raddy. As someone who goes to every home game it is hard to swallow that games at the Emirates this season have been so hit and miss. The team lifting the crowd v the crowd lifting the team has been debated at great length on here. I don’t know the answer.
I do know that I don’t feel the kind of love for many of our current players that I felt for teams in the past. I’ve thought about why this is and dismissed the fact that most of them are young enough to be my sons in favour of feeling closer to a player that wants to come and play for The Arsenal rather than having been home-grown.
I’m not sure I’ve expressed that properly but the thought of seeing Bobby on the pitch has made me watery-eyed and the knowledge that had we signed Darren Bent he would be dreaming before every game of scoring for us because he’s a gooner is also important.
Nice one Raddy, and well done for underlining the significance of our poor home form. Incredibly, we’ve scored more goals in away games this year than at home (though our defence has also been much poorer on the road).
Wenger has been saying he can’t fault the players’ attitude this season, even that that has been one of the big pluses. It could just be the usual “protect the players” stuff, but I really don’t understand those comments, the defining feature of the season for me has been the way the players have let the manager, the club and the fans down. Like Raddy, I fear that plenty of fans will be long gone before the players’ end of season “lap of honour” (ha ha!) is done.
Not that the fans have been up to much – and again, Wenger has been lauding them. I guess that’s just good PR at a time when the anti-Wengerites are growing in numbers and confidence, and when fans have even been fighting amongst each other. All the same, I find it difficult to accept Pravda-style comments saying the fans have been supportive when the truth is so far from that.
As for the match today, we need to finish on a mini-high and also get that third place sorted (third place? Bloody hell, I cannot believe we’re now struggling to nail that down). But Villa have just one of the best records at Ashburton – first team to score a competitive goal there, have a record of won 1, drawn 2 and lost 1 at our new ground, etc. With them technically not out of the relegation fight, and with the quality players they have, they will be mustard keen to turn us over today, we won’t have an easy ride.
Will be great to see Bobby though. And of course to see a bunch of AAers pre-summer.
Just a quick hello before I make the long trip from the shires to the Grove.
Flawless presentation of the preview there Radders and a shame you, and others, cannot be there this afternoon.
BTW – I thought the title was a little homage to Richard Keys…. 🙂
Anyone else slightly worried about Pat Rice’s contract being renewed? Is that a sign of what is to come this summer, i.e. more of the same?
That is a worrying possibility 2^3×2 +10; I sincerely hope there will be changes where needed.
OK, see you at the Tavern, I should be there 2.30ish.
Toodle pip.
Morning, great PM Raddy,
We need to win for a myriad of reasons. Our end of season slump started earlier this year at the beginning of March. In the last 9 games we have won 2, lost 2 and drawn 5 – that is 11 points out of a possible 27…. not good enough!
I see the extension of PR’s contract as a negatve. He’s a great guy, but surely with Stan taking over, we should be heralding a new era not clinging on to the old one.
Well said 26. I share your concerns about Rice. There is no question that he has been a wonderful servant to the club but we are clearly in need of new input in the coaching area.
And more importantly we need to prepare for the end of Wenger. To have an assistant coach steeped in Wengerball will be essential to the new manager when he arrives. Keeping another OAP helps no-one IMO
Nice Raddy,
Honestly thought you might squeeze in a cheeky end of the season 3-5-2!
As for Darren Bent. Well, he’s a Gooner so would be honoured to play for us, and he is better than our second choice striker (dunno).
Big Raddy – great pre-match, thank you. I haven’t realised that Villa are so low in the table! Dear, dear, that’s shocking considering they were doing extremely well a couple of seasons ago; did we beat them to 4th place recently? I cannot remember
Super Rob – oooooh, what a guy! I think he was sold much too early, should have stayed at least a couple more seasons.
I find it difficult to be enthusiastic about today’s game, there is so little to play for. I have been to last home games over the years and they are usually disappointing to say the least. Let’s hope the players will repay the fans with some brilliance today.
To all those going to the game today -enjoy!!
Radders, great pre-match…..
As for the lap of honour, even pre-match the ground is still half empty……
I doubt he’ll field a weak team, but Miquel and henderson are on the bench…..
Rice staying is a hard one for so many reasons, it does leave you feeling here we go again, without belittling his achievements….
Anyway, need to get ready, those going see you in the tavern, those not, i’ll have a peroni for you and cheer extra loud!!
Oh and my little boy, Reece, has won a competition to play and then camp on the emirates picth next saturday night!!! He is well chuffed, I am just Jealous!!!
It will be good to see the Verminator back, just rubs in what could have been though….
Super Bobby will be met with applause, true legend, who should have never left….
Pat Rice is staying 😦
Oh dear gm, lets try and find a positive for this decision. Maybe he makes good tea 🙂
wow, now its Pat Rice’s fault.
I think we love those invincible guys because they won. Turns out that that matters especially with the current mood of the arsenal fan.
I really hope we win today as well. I need a pick me up.
I hate turning the retention of a die-hard and local Arsenal guy into a negative, but as a sign of what this means for our ambitions and appetite for radical change, it ain’t a good one. When Rice retires though, I will happily applaud him, he’s been a true servant to the club.
I’ve got nothing against him Peaches. I just thought a change might do us good. Have a great day today.
I didn’t blame him for anything. please don’t twist my words.
Missed an earlier comment there (don’t know how to do the embarrassed smiley)
: oops : 😳
😳
Thanks Peaches
Morning everyone,
I know this isn’t really the place, but it would really help me out. Did anyone here or anyone you guys know happen to buy The Guardian newspaper yesterday? Lady Gaga was on the cover of the magazine and I really want that interview, does any happen to have a copy they are throwing out and will pass on to me?
I oddly and in a change of stance think that Pat Rice staying is a good thing, maybe its them both saying “We have unfinished business.”
Maybe Irish. Hope so.
Its my optimistic outlook on events again, but maybe just maybe that is what it is.
Its not Pat Rice’s fault.It is Wenger and Rice’s fault they are a management team.The failings of the team are at the door of those two.
Paul that isn’t the point, which is about a change of chemistry. No-one is questioning PR or AW, just the need for something to change.
What would you do?
Irish, is this what you’re after: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/may/14/lady-gaga-interview
FIRST!!!! in tavern anyway 🙂
I would like to see Rice stay, purely from an Arsenal continuity perspective, I would also like to see Bould promoted to reserves, Banfield in Bradys position and Brady moved further upstairs or in purely honorary position.
Then I’d like another Arsenal legend to fill Boulds shoes, Bergkamp, Keown, Adams?
Happy last home game of the season everyone. Here’s to a fine win to lift the crowd.
Nice pre-match BR. My youngest (he’s 8) has acquired a big fondness for Black Sabbath. Should I be worried?
Pat Rice? Great servant to the club. The fact that he’s staying does not preclude us getting in a new face in the coaching line-up (for example a specialist defence coach). Perhaps AW even wants to have a new coach work alongside Pat for a year to imbibe the traditions of the club.
I tried to say my youngest was eight, but I turned him into a smiley face instead – but he’s also that, so that’s OK.
Are you still alone GiE? I’ll share a Peroni with you (in spirit).
You are the uncrowned king of the pre-match BR, another superb read.
Should be interesting who Wenger picks to play alongside Vermaelen.
As to the Pat Rice debate, I wouldn’t try and change the view of you guys there is a lot of merit in your argument……but, I do not 100% share it.
The idea that Bould isn’t already involved in the defensive training just doesn’t add up.
As to moving Brady up to an honorary position, surely he already there giving his overview as to whether a twelve year old has what is likely to be needed to succeed at Arsenal.
Good points London and RL.
Rice staying doesn’t preclude an additional coach.
RL. There are cause for concern re your son’s admiration however a love of music, any type of music, is proof of an artistic soul
Szczesny, Sagna, Vermaelen, Squillaci, Gibbs, Song, Wilshere, Walcott, Ramsey, Arshavin, Van Persie
Well a few big names missing but i would like to thank Raddy for a season of pre match posts .
A BR post.
Fantastic stuff.
I see you went with the 4-4-2.
Not sure AW shares your sentiments as regards to tactics but i think Walcott might be too quick to pair with RVP.
What we’ve learned from the UTD game is that RVP can infact play in the advanced Cesc role.
No JD or Clichy but a decent side nonetheless.
COYRRG
GF. Our graphic doesn’t allow me to set out the team in our 4-3-3 or if it does I don’t know how, do I Peaches 😉
What a dreadful first 15 minutes.
I would like to give Squillaci the benefit of the doubt but really …..
WTF???????????
Two – NIL??????????????
I dont have TV to se but it seems like we are pure crap from the BBC text.
That was the most penaltyish penalty (on Ramsey) I’ve ever seen (and a definite sending off). Ref waves play on.
How do Man Utd get so many dodgy pens while we fail to get so many bang-on ones?
Neamann
Started watching when we were 2-0 down, but we’ve been all over them, denied a 1000% penalty, RvP hit inside of post…
I guess we really need a defensive coach..
True
Oh well, at least the good guys won up north.. some minimal compensation.
Terrible first 25 mins but we would be level had it not been for an awful referee. A stone wall penalty (did the ref think that Dunne got the ball – if so he was wrong) and RvP penalised for nothing, halting a walk in goal for Ramsey. Add to that a clear foul by Dunne on RvP as he raced into the box, plus benefitting AV with a very questionable second goal (offside) and one can certainly say Oliver has had a stinker.
That said …. what on earth were we doing in the first 20 mins? Squillaci was awful, Sagna was out of position, TV was too slow, Gibbs is not doing his England chances any favours. But by far our worst player has been Arshavin. Contributed less than nothing and looks totally lacking in confidence. For 90k a week, I expect better.
Three things, 1 we aint lost yet, 2 AA has to go his heart is not in it.3 the youngest ref in the league aka his inexperience shows Dunn Conned him twice.
How does booing off the team help? Some of our fans are bloody hopeless. When things go wrong on the pitch they expect the team to dig in and double their efforts. So what do our “great fans” do? They give up and boo the team. How is that meant to inspire a second half revival? Poor team, shit fans.
Squillaci off. No surprise there!
Were shit .arsenal are getting worse every season .we won’t get in to Europe next season.the futures looking bleak.
Once again poor refereeing. Petrov should be off. A clearer 2nd yellow you will rarely see.
At least we are having a go ….
Dunne having a blinder – but shouldn’t be on the pitch.
What a terrible ref- I hate him
I missed the first 15 when they scored their goals, but after that we were really pretty good and were undone by some atrocious reffing (the first half pen and Chamakh’s second half goal disallowed).
Wonderful finish from Bent for the first, and we did give a decent display in the second half in terms of effort.
One could say the referee won the game for AV. It may be churlish but that is the case. AV could easily have had two players sent off, Chamakh’s header was a fair goal and we had two hard to miss chances refused.
Could be worse – we could be Hammers ….” just like my dreams, they fade and die”
26th May – Yup that is the one I’m looking for, but I want to try and get the actual physical magazine, I collect magazine with Gaga on the cover when they are worth getting, i.e. I like the cover and I love that picture on the magazine.
Anyways, I was travelling so will have to catch highlights on RTE at 8, what happened? Were we bad, or just unlucky? How did the crowd react at the end?
Poor fans, poor players. Sat right next to Red Action and the most noise they could get going was “6% you’re having a laugh”
At half time me and about 7 lads sang around one of the kiosks, what did our fellow boomers do? Smile!
If I was a prospective signing and I had a choice between City, Liverpool or Arsenal where would I choose to play my football? Unfortunately I don’t think I’d choose the Emirates….I know you can’t blame the fans, but if the fans can’t show their support I wonder why they expect players to get up for the game.
Had a perfect view of the goals conceded all I can say if you play two centre backs who have not had game time that’s the kind of defending you can expect, not at the races.
Fans were pacified by players shooting from distance in the second half, strange as they carried no threat.
True Raddy true. Although I fear we’re going to tale a few more backward steps before we go forward again.
Fellow boomers = fellow Gooners
I’m hoarse and i’m pissed off.
I am glad to see that the lap of appreciation was well attended after the game………every single Villa fan stayed behind to applaud our preformance.
That was surprisingly funny from you London 😉
GIE, Actually the gave it a go. Was difficult with that ref. They say luck evens itself out, if it does we will have a mega season next year. Our glass is at least half full.
No question that we haven’t had the rub of the green with the refs this season and I still think chamakh’s goal looked perfectly good to me as did the penalty that wasn’t given by the tackle of dunne on Ramsey, however (not for the first time) we stumbled out of the blocks and literally gifted Villa two goals in the first 15 minutes. United do not do that.
We can’t keep looking for excuses with 11 out of a possible 30 points in our last 10 games.
The plus side was RVP and Wilshere.Chamakh looked lively as a sub .Song had a mare as did Arshavin and Squillacci is err Squillacci.
The game I saw – (ie after we were already 2-0 down) – we were pretty good. Certainly a big improvement on the Stoke performance.
We were working hard, playing well, making numerous opportunities. Robbed on at least three occasions by a very poor ref. On another day that performance would have brought 3 points but… we can’t keep giving teams goals when they only have two or three chances in a match.
A typical Arsenal game is: Arsenal have 15 chances and score 1 or 2.
Opposition have 3 chances and score 1 or 2.
ref was shit so were we
gm
I know it’s another depressing result, but while we may have been shit for the first 15, we weren’t shit after that.
Wenger has confirmed that cesc won’t play our last game at fulham and nasri is a doubt.I smell a rat.Read into that whatever you will.
agreed RL we weren’t shit after the first 15 minutes but as a team performance it wasn’t great as we were chasing a game that we should never have had to.if it had stayed 0-0 for a while longer it could have been a different game and a different result.
Not seen the game yet as I was at a footie tourney with my son, and my plans to watch it ‘as-live’ were scuppered by my Sky+ box playing up.
On the Fabregas thing, I ordinarily do not believe that he is definitely off, but like you Kelsey, this ‘injury’ looks a bit iffy to me.
Oops – evening all…but not really stopping.
Kelsey. Agree. The game was lost very early. Credit where credit is due, both their poals came from superb passes and clinical finishing.
I fear Cesc is an ex-Gunner, which makes the signing of Nasri’s contract vitally important
Cesc didn’t wave he applauded…..clinging to faint hope
NikB threw his shirt in the crowd…..straw clutching?
One thing about PR today think he might have been a little annoyed with first half performance, he stood at edge of technical area for most of first half.
Clearly a different game on TV to in ground, altho London, Peaches and other may disagree, I just didn’t feel like we carried much threat at all.
Too many blind alleys, too many off game in my view. Theo went and hid too much.
Pluses were RvP in hole, Cham workrate and eagerness to get goalwards. Gibbs effort and a much better second half (just needs to work on crossing), NikB effort, Song can cover at CB and maybe just maybe that could be his position alongside TV.
Cesc was applauding and looking awfully sad 😦 I caught sight of him biting his lip too 😦 😦 😦
Pat Rice was like a man possessed today in the technical area.
Whoever brought Chamakh back today I do wish they’d have done so a few weeks ago – he was a different player. I don’t know what happened to him but if he plays like that he can stay – unless he was just showing off for someone else 😦
How good is Darren Bent 😳
GIE. There were other plusses.
TV. Aggressive and committed. He slipped for their first but apart from that was solid throughout.
Chesney. Made a super save from Downing and had no chance with the other two.
Squillaci. Showed AW that he wasn’t good enough for the PL and will surely be sold which must be a positive!
Plan B. We had one – didn’t work but at least we tried to lump it.
Negatives. Many …..
I’ve yet to subject to myself to watching the match on TV (I wish my Sky+ were playing up like Sharkey’s). But right now, based purely on what I saw in the ground, I have to agree with Exile, over the 90 minutes we just didn’t cut it today. Plenty of possession (as usual) but precious little real threat until the last 15/20 minutes. Friedel had little to do till then.
It did all look significantly better once Chamakh and Bendtner were on the pitch, but the player we really could have done with was Darren Bent. I’ve not rated him that highly in the past but watching him today, he really is the type of player we need.
The stadium announcer told us there were 60,000 plus a few – how stupid does that make them look? Why can’t they not announce the capacity on days when it’s obvioulsy embarrassing????????
26. Had RvP been given the space and time that Bent was on both goals, he would have scored as well. That said, I have stated in the post that AW should have signed Bent. Would Chamakh have scored in a similar situation? I am afraid we all know the answer .
What does it say about AA when we look better with Nik B playing left wing???
Peaches. Season Tickets …..
Once again, the percepton of those watching on TV is markedly different to those at the game. I agree with GiE and 26m, we looked pretty toothless in attack until the last quarter of the game.
The side we started with lacked balance. RvP is not a number 9, he is a number 10 – in fact he’s a brilliant No. 10. I have been Chamakh’s harshest critic, but today when he came on he was excellent and allowed RvP to play deeper where he can be more influential. Bendy also looked hungry when he came on. Squillaci is, I know, 4h choice CB, but he is not good enough.
Cesc’s body language confirms what I said a week ago, I doubt we will see him in an Arsenal shirt again.
I reluctantly agree with Raddy, AA should move on 😦
One real plus for me today was seeing us play much better in a 442/4411 in the second half.
Perhaps we should just ditch the pure DM position, and build a team around Ramsey, Wilshere and van Persie.
For those who weren’t able to attend today here are a couple of facts: there was a protest before the game; it consisted of 100 people (no more) singing in front of the Diamond Suite entrance, only one was wearing a black scarf. They were chanting against the 6% rise as well as “we want our Arsenal back” and surprisingly “There is only one David Dein”
There was collective chants in the second half complaining about the 6% ticket increase ; I thought this was understandable
But…….I was very shocked, in the first half, at the en mass, very loud chanting of “You don’t know what you’re doing” I am not sure Wenger deserved that!
Hi 26
I totally agree, the change in formation was the one bright spot.
London 😀
Hi London,
I don’t know about you, but we stayed behind for the ‘lap of appreciation’. I felt very sorry for the players, it was more a lap of humiliation. Maybe 15% of supporters stayed and they were drowned out by the jubilant Villa fans. The demeanour of many of the players (including the manager) was a mixture of embarrassment and futility. RvP seemed happiest and paraded proudly with his two young children.
Hi Rasp
Was there really somone at the game who thought we looked anything but toothless in attack before the last fifteen minutes?
I see that AA is catching all the flack again, not that I entirely disagree but if some one could explain to me what more Walcott did I would like to know.
Thanks BR
I thought for a moment that one was going to be wasted.
ive just bought some champions league cowboy boots…..no spurs though
I’ve just bought a Premier League toolbox. It has no Hammers in
Good ol RVP, it has to be said he does love Arsenal.
Another positive
We’ll make £3m form the home leg alone playimg racing dubrovnic in the CL qualifier 🙂
I hear Racing Dubrovic are a good team. Lol
Or maybe RVP was so happy becasue he has been the one to have already secured a tranfer……hhhmmmmmm.
I’m off
aorry I meant sparta vilnuus
I stuck around to applaud and there was some singing to them. But obviously I was at the opposite end to the Villa fans today, who as ever were very loud in the Emirates, couldn’t really heat most of it but could work out the “sh*t support”.
So my question today is there were a lot of empty seats in the Emirates, why the fans get so annoyed at the attendance announcement is bizarre as it has always been so (even at Highbury) they have to include tickets sold whether there or not.
Im not that bothered if season ticket holders don’t want to go because it means I can pick their tickets up off the Exchange, what annoys me is when we start winning trophies they’ll be back to going every week and I’ll be back to sitting at home unless I can get a Silver membership..
I’d guess most of the Black Scarf demonstrators were amongst Red Action given the songs emanating…..worrying as we needed that element to lift the atmosphere in the ground.
Just had a theory!!!!!
Wenger is back playing mindgames, but he is doing it to the board and SK.
SK Buys club and told AW no increased transfer budget, it’s £30 m go work your magic, for every game since then he has been telling the players to be poor in the hope that someone on the board will realise its more than £30m that is necessary…..
Arsene’s such a clever man…..it’s the only answer.
GIE, get some sleep, you sound as though you need it 🙂
Gnite
GIE. You can’t even convince yourself!
It get’s more and more depressing
We had the title in our own hands now we don’t even have third place.
It’s been a long emotional day DanDan my train is just pulling back into Norwich…..time to cheer up for the wife, she won’t let me go again if my mood is too adversely affected! 🙂
Tomorrow is another day,you sound as though you have a good wife,go enjoy….. sod the Arsenal they will cheer you and depress you for another 40 years my friend. don’t let it get to you and yours.
Hi London,
I agree, I thought Walcott’s performance was very immature. He still stays down like a spoilt child when he thinks he’s been fouled. Today at one point, he went racing in the opposite direction to the ball to complain to the ref whilst we were struggling to counteract a Villa attack instead of doing his utmost to help us regain possession. Despite indications to the contrary early in the season, Walcott remains a one-dimensional player.
GiE – I love that theory 🙂
I just want Arsene to make it better 😦
We’re suffering from a collective melancholy: the fans, the players, the manager etc. I just cannot believe today’s result. Why are we not able to get ourselves together, deliver a great performance and win a game again? The only thing I can think of, is the players have lost believe in the future, and that worries me. It is one thing to be down, after another season that looks so promising, faltering at the latter stages, but to not pick ourselves up and give a great performance today and win a game, is very worrying. To me it looks like the players know something we do not, and it is not good.
Your thoughts echo mine Total. I have a real concern that some of these players are, probably subconsciously, no longer trying for this manager. We’re starting to look like Liverpool in the latter Benitez years, and that is a worry.
That’s a worrying reference/prospect 26 (Liverpool – Benitez). It just doesn’t make sense to me the way we started the game: the Arsenal that we know and love would have come out with an attitude, as COYRRG puts it, to smash the Villains. I thought the 2nd half was encouraging and we deserved more from this game, but that’s not the point. It’s the way we approached the game from the start which I don’t understand.
Evening all, Just summoned the energy to read and write my views on the debacle that was today…
Not that I have much to say…..
1. Was that booing at half time for the officials or the team? cant make my mind up……
2. Cannot make my mind up just how much officials have ruined our season against just how hard we have contrived to throw it away?
3. Some of our fans just dont deserve to be arsenal fans…..Bloke behind me in row 17, blk 120 M, is a prime example…..
4. The lap of much depression was awkard…Cesc look bemused as did many others……
5. Cesc is in the new kit in the programme stating “Next season we……” All i want is a decision made early with a statement of intent of either stay or go..
6. For all those that mocked bendtner as he came on, shame on them…..He did well and at least tried….
7. Just glad we cant drop past 4th, because I am sure we would have a good go at trying to…..
8. London is right walcott did little more than AA, to defend both, we do not play to their strengths at all…
9. One game left to endure……
End on positive?
10. Great to see some AAers at the Tavern beforehand….
Off to hide under my quilt for a few days…God I hate losing……
Having now watched the game again, the only thing I’d add is that, despite agreeing with Rasp on pretty much everything else, I’d stand up for Walcott a bit. No, he wasn’t great, but pretty much the only meaningful crosses all afternoon (including a peach for the Chamakh goal that should have stood) came from Theo. He didn’t make himself felt in any other way though.
And a gloomy thought to end with: maybe the best thing for us will be to get knocked out in the CL pre-qualifier so that we can concentrate on what looks like being a really tough battle to stay in the top four next year, while we rebuild the team and start a new phase of the AW project.
New Season.. a new Arsenal. hope springs eternal!!
Well said Neamann
Neamma. Doesn’t feel like it this morning.
Morning Big Raddy,
Less points than last season and in my opinion about to lose player(s) before their prime. I do not feel well about this.
Morning all.
26m, re your @ 12:21. Admittedly Theo put in a great cross for Chamakh’s goal, but he doesn’t look determined, he doesn’t track back enough, and he feels sorry for himself when he’s tackled. Bendy at least played with some purpose when he came on.
At times, we just stroll around the pitch whether we are in possession or under pressure in defence. In parts of the first half, no-one wanted to show to receive a throw in, we had 5 or 6 ball watchers and only a notable few who were actually trying to push our play.
micky:
played 37
won 19
drawn 10
lost 8
67 points out of 111
That was worrying Rasp and actually has been occurring more and more, players not wanting the ball. Something you can’t say about RvP, NikB, or TV yesterday.
This group need a big break, cheer up and move onwards.
On booing in ground yesterday the most pointless/ridiculous (IMO) was at the badge for next year on the big screen, they might not like it but to boo it?
Agreed Rasp. That failure to show for throw ins happened several times and was one mark of a poor performance and mentality.
As I consider the run-in and yesterday’s performance, I end up shaking my head time and again. The word that keeps coming to me is “pathetic”. They’ve transformed so completely from their flawed but talented incarnation that threatened finally to achieve, to one that is repellently devoid of belief and determination. We’ve had failed run-ins before, and we can accept failure, but this?
One thing I see as a positive is that, perversely, the team’s utterly lame performances are actually bringing Arsenal fans together. At least for now. In the doom and gloom of Ashburton Grove yesterday, there was no sense of division amongst the fans; more just a shared dejection and despondency.
These players can and will remember how to play well again, but they’ve now put enormous pressure on Wenger to make big changes and quickly.
All true. The task of achieving top four next season will be much harder with Liverpool resurgent, City no doubt will attract big names over the summer and totnum are also expected to strengthen.
Make no mistake, we are not talking about minor tweaks any more, we need fairly major surgery if we are to compete at the top next season.
Morning GIE
I missed that: what is this about a new badge, big screen and booing?
Here’s an interesting stat.
After Sagna,(32)Jack and kos have played the most PL games (30)
no one is more positive than dandan on here and I am sure he will put a different spin to what amounts to our side imploding.
Last 6 Pl games we currently stand 18th.
I’m in two minds this morning …..
Should we be pleased that the teams around us have dropped significant points because the league is more competetive and we’re lucky to be in the top four ….
or
Should we be gutted that our team have shown that they are just not good enough …………
Morning kelsey,
Jack tried very hard yesterday as he always does, but he looked knackered. I’m wondering just how ‘injured’ Nasri, Clichy and Cesc really are?
Hi 26
Shared despondency, sad but oh so true. At two down we would normally expect outrage in the ground but as you say the only crumb of comfort was that we could share the feeling of mutual dejection.
You won’t get major surgery Rasp, these players can perform on their day.Definitely reduce the number of squad players and it would be nice for cesc to actually say one way or another if he is staying or going.
I think there is more to it than we all know.I believe there is friction amongst too many overpaid players but above all there has been no consistency all season.
is it the defence as half the goals we concede are from set pieces or is it the attack which is misfiring or is it not tracking back or are the attacking midfield players not as quyick as earlier on this season.
So many questions yet not a conclusive answer.
New Post
26,
“These players can and will remember how to play well again, but they’ve now put enormous pressure on Wenger to make big changes and quickly.”
For me, that is the real positive.
hi kelsey – can you put your 9.30 comment on the new post pls xx
Ah, I have just managed to think of a possitive from yesterday’s game…….after three pathetic corners taken by Arshavin, Ramsey stepped up for the next and put it in an area that gave one of our players a chance and that is exactly what happened…Vermaelen came very close with a header that just went over the bar.
Morning all,
With regards to the summer transfer round-a-bout. As amazing as the likes of Nasri, Cesc and Clichy can be, we’ve moved on great players before and still been successful, I’d always prefer to see someone playing with heart than for a paycheck.
Did you see Gibbo’s face when he fluffed that chance? That was real anguish. I’d rather him than Clichy who’s been poor this season.
WG
Hi, thanks for this comment 🙂