Two weeks ago we were entrenched in a skirmish for fourth place with Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool. Things were looking rough, and it looked as though it would be a tussle across the finish line. The players would need to dig deep, and show some testicular fortitude and spirit, something that has often deserted us in moment’s gone by. Our back was up against the wall and we responded in a big way. Last week Arsenal all but ended Liverpool’s chances of grabbing that coveted Champion’s League spot, and tonight we have the chance to slam the door on Newcastle’s opportunity, leaving them behind for good.
Countless feel Newcastle have punched above their weight this season, after all they only finished 7 points off of relegation last season. Regardless of what you think of the man, Alan Pardew has assembled a rather impressive squad of fighters. After being relegated and trimming away some troublesome characters (Dyer, Carroll, Barton, Nolan), and with the additions of Cabaye, Ba, Cisse, Tiote, and Santon, Newcastle has really galvanised as a unit, creating a rather formidable squad that can trouble any team. However, they are showing signs of weakening having drawn their last two matches against Sunderland and Wolves, and losing 5-0 to Tottenham.
We have not beaten Newcastle since 2009, which would lead anyone to think they have had the wood over the Mighty Arsenal, but as you all know these results have been largely impacted by the following:
- An abysmal refereeing job by Phil Dowd – please direct any emails to http://www.phildowdisawanker.com
- Everybody’s favourite thug Joey Barton – a player who has managed to wrangle the ref into giving Diaby and Gervinho a red card, and get Song suspended because he stepped on Barton while he was underneath him. Unfortunately for us the stamp wasn’t to his groin region, because for the benefit of mankind Joey Barton should not be permitted to breed. Please send any hateful words to (@Joey7Barton) on Twitter. I’m looking at you GM 😉
- An Andy Carroll header – has he done anything since?
Nevertheless, this is a different Arsenal! Players have returned, careers have been reborn and third spot is ours for the taking! Tonight we look to continue our current winning streak of four Premier League victories (which includes the mauling of Twitchy’s Tottenham).
Arsenal’s Line-up:
Andre Santos has returned to full training but bearing in mind he hasn’t played in four months it is likely he will be coming on with a few minutes left (when we have control of the match). Arteta returns from a heavy concussion and it should see him slot in alongside Song in central midfield. Ramsey is back from an ankle injury but with Rosicky’s scintillating form he won’t make the starting line-up. Benayoun could return from the virus that ruled him out of the squad for the Champion’s League match. Still in the treatment room are the BFG (ankle), Coquelin (hamstring), Diaby (Hamstring), Frimpong (knee), Squillanci (groin), and Wilshere (ankle). For me the starting line-up is as follows:
Newcastle’s Line-up: With a potential Champions League spot on offering they will come to THOF looking for a huge scalp. Therefore they are likely to employ a 4-4-2 formation of:
Krul
Simpson Coloccini Williamson Santon
R.Taylor Tiote Cabaye Gutierrez
Ba Cisse
If they fall behind they are likely to bring on the powerhouse Shola Ameobi, and the dangerous Ben Arfa. It is imperative that we do not give away any free-kicks around the box since Cabaye and Taylor are very dangerous when it comes to set-pieces. Newcastle likes to do a lot of their attacking play down the wings through Gutierrez because of his dribbling skills and knack for creating space. Although he often plays in the Argentine Squad he will not be a problem because his non-existent pace means Sagna will control him rather effortlessly. Coloccini is a dependable defender who will mark RVP very closely trying to nullify our best attacking threat; conversely Williamson is a lower tier defender and should be exploited. Santon, an Italian international likes to bomb forward so look for Walcott to try and slip out the back door. He and Simpson are fast full-backs so if they are disciplined we might have trouble making room for Gervinho and Walcott. Santon and Gutierrez are rather predictable down the left side because they always look to cut in on their favoured right foot, while Simpson likes to send in dreadful cross after dreadful cross. If the game is open and they are attacking we will rip them apart on the counter, let’s see how brave Pardew’s Newcastle really is!
This brings us to the Key-matchup for the game. Newcastle will have to get the better of our Centre Backs for Newcastle to even stand a chance in this match.
Vermaelen + Koscielny vs Cisse + Ba
The Senegalese striker Ba has been a revelation for Newcastle this season. He scored 7 goals in 11 games for West Ham before he arrived at Newcastle on a free transfer, what a deal that has become. Ba is robust in the air, has a good poacher’s instinct, swift on the turn and has a high work rate that has brought about 16 goals in 23 matches this season. Arriving in the January transfer window, Cisse has shown a keen eye for goal with 2 goals in four matches, and scoring 9 goals in 17 matches while playing in the Bundesliga. Both possess predatory instincts close to goal so it is imperative that we give them no room inside the box or they could make us pay. Their poaching ability can be seen in the picture below which highlights a large portion of their goals coming very close to goal, whereas our goals are spread around the area and further from goal. It also shows Newcastle like to have shots from outside the area, while we do not.
Arsenal goals
Toon goals
Going up against them will be our combative duo Kozza and the Verminator. A lot of debate has gone into who our best centre half pairing is, but in my opinion these two are our best. Similar types you say? Isn’t that a good thing because both have little to no weaknesses, they are both fast, exceptional tacklers, agile, and good in the air. Regrettably they haven’t had a comprehensive run in the team together, thanks largely to the injuries to Vermaelen, followed by the injuries to both Gibbs and Santos. If they play together for a season or two they WILL be the best Centre Back pairing in Europe!
Can Arsène break the Pardew Curse that has seen him win only once in their last six encounters?
Can Arsenal put to rest this recent bad run of games against Newcastle?
The Answer is yes we can, we should despatch a Newcastle team that appears to be running out of puff as the season heads into its final stretch. I see nothing but a strong win by the Mighty Gunners, with a resounding 3-0 victory.
This week’s famous Arsenal fan goes to John Lydon A.K.A Johnny Rotten from the punk rock band The Sex Pistols.
In the mid to late 70’s The Sex Pistols along with The Clash revolutionised music, with politically charged lyrics with a fast paced sound. Bill Wyman (former bass player of the Rolling Stones) said Rotten knew most of The Sex Pistols fans personally, being a loyal Arsenal fan and veteran of a few terrace scraps himself.
Written by ozgunner
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
An impressive and comprehensive pre-match, Oz, which does you credit! 🙂
There is something I do not like about Pardew, which is frankly an irrational gut feeling admittedly, as I have never met the man.
There is something about the way he goaded and provoked Arsene some time back, and the similar crazy behaviour he showed to Martin O’Neil more recently, reminds me of a feral polecat. Sneaky, sly, cunning and vicious, altho the polecat is not too bad, by comparison! 🙂
Not generally very superstitious but I tend to get that way when we are talked up too much as I think can come back and bite you on the you know where. It’s a bit like when a commentator says that a certain team hasn’t scored first at the emirates in 10 seasons. You just know they will score in the next 5 minutes. This article comes across as tonight being almost a foregone conclusion. I hope you haven’t cursed us now ozgunner
Wow Oz, what a fantastic and comprehensive PM report. I am sure the master himself, BR, would approve of it! 🙂
Your analysis of the opponent is superb and I cannot argue much with your line-up. I wonder whether we see Song and Ramsey as the ‘DM’s’ and Rosicky in front of them. What about the Ox: is he fit again?
I am apprehensive about this game. Arsenal will need to be fully focussed from start to finish, as I expect NU to fancy themselves tonight. A win would be a massive statement to our competitors that this Arsenal has finally arrived where it belongs. This is a massive test for our team and I expect it to be tight.
cheers RA, hopefully i didn’t do a disservice to the typically cracking BR pre-match (they are after all big shoes to fill).
I agree, he comes across as a rather unlikable character. I also have never met him but who said i can’t judge him and call him obscene words from a far?! haha
Tiote for them is a beast in the middle of the pitch (kind of like an advanced Frimpong in an experience sense). He has tamed down his anger this season (only received 6 yellow cards as opposed to 13/14 last season), but if he gets cautioned early look for him to disappear out of the game kind of like Parker did when we played them a couple of weeks back!
The usual bit of whining I see. Referees ? Arse have had more FOR them than against. We at Newcastle on the other hand would need about 10 seasons of 100% decisions in our favour to balance things up ! You people were screaming the place down about referees when Graham Poll gave a pen against Sol Campbell for taking Robert’s legs from him IN THE PENALTY AREA FROM THE BACK. The press, being the anti-NUFC scum they are, tried to make a case for it not being a pen and couldn’t.
But you still whined about it for seasons.The worst refereeing I have ever seen in any game anywhere was an Arsenal v Newcastle match. Graham Ashby and his personal war against David Ginola. He was kicked from pillar to post, hauled down from the back in the penalty area – and WAS BOOKED for it !!!! Even Arsenal fans were in hysterics from what they got away with. Dixon even feigned being elbowed in the face (elboweed in face, but no blood, not even a red mark ? Jesus effing wept….) and got him sent off for the final insult.
Ginola was never the same again for Newcastle, and that game saw the turn around for us, and the main reason why we lost the title that year to Man U – and the press never let us forget – they constantly gloat that we threw away a 12 point lead.But never mention ARSENAL pulled back a THIRTEEN point lead on their darling Man U…..ah, but – the whole point of the exercise is to constantly (and I MEAN constantly) attack Newcastle team, esp the fans for reasons best known to themselves, and even the bloody CITY FFS.
Sorry. Got a bit carried away.
But the point being – yes, the refereeing in the 4-4 could have been better, but that applies to all games. You people have got the breaks as well as against you. And Barton got an Arsenal player sent off ? No more blatant or unfairly than Dixon did with Ginola. A lot LESS actually. The clear guilt of the players in question doesn’t seem to enter your head. Persie scored at the end ? Yes, after the whistle had gone, and Newcastle players stopped – why not mention that ? We also had a perfecftly good goal chalked off and Arsenal players HADN’T stopped playing or the whistle went.
Of course natural partisan mentality is at the heart of all fan sites, and long may it continue – Arsenal’s sites are far fairer than most, actually.
But get a little perspective on Arsenal’s misfortune re:referees eh ? You’re all beginning to sound like Arsene !!!.
Morning oz, a fine pre-match worthy of the mighty Raddy himself.
Sorry I couldn’t use all your graphics but the resolution was too low.
Any kind of victory will do this evening. With the chavs playing city and the totts next two games a victory could have us in 3rd place and 6 points ahead of chelski – but I agree with the don’t count your chickens merchants, complacency has been our downfall in the past.
Nice write up. Expecting at least a two-goal margin
Not superstitious in the slightest GoonerB, ‘Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect’ but by all means IF (big IF because we will not!)we lose then feel free to hang me out to dry! Last season we belted them 4-0 in the Carling Cup, and that’s what happens in even games that see us finish with 11 men against Newcastle.
Cheers TA for the kind words. As far as i know the Ox is available, and i do like the idea of ramsey playing as it makes us more attacking in home games.
@ Phil K
Notice how i only mentioned the 4-4 game (you yourself agree it was abysmal) not the complete history of toon vs arsenal. I understand your anger because i too feel we get wrong decisions regularly (suarez and bale dives for instance). Cheers for dropping in, here’s to a fair match decided by quality and skill rather than a refereeing decision. Goodluck
morning Rasp, that’s my fault so no need to apologise. Cheers for trusting me enough to write on this great site, it’s an honour.
I understand that but this bunch is made of sterner stuff, plus confidence is too high at the moment
Hi Phil K,
Thanks for the courteous nature of your comment. As you say, we supporters we all assess our club’s fortunes from a position of extreme bias.
For me the refereeing decisions in the 4:4 draw were the worst I have witnessed.
I have always liked Newcastle because of their history and their fans. I was shocked when Hughton was dumped for the charisma-less Pardew. I lost any respect for Mike Ashley when he came to the Emirates and openly swilled beer amongst the away supporters against club rules and resplendent in his beer gut supporting over tight Newcastle shirt.
@ Rasp
and thank you for the compliment
Rasper, 🙂
You are the Wordsworth of AA, I love your potted synopsis of current Newcastle management!
–“I was shocked when Hughton was dumped for the charisma-less Pardew and I lost any respect for Mike Ashley when he came to the Emirates and openly swilled beer in amongst the away fans against club rules and resplendent in his beer gut supporting over-tight Newcastle shirt.”
Excellent dude!! 🙂
Excellent right up, Arsenal must be fully committed, show full concentration from start to the bitter end. Pardew is very cunning, should he find we are controlling the ball, he would not hesitate to resort to the nasty. Such as dirty fowls to get one of our players to over-react and be sent off. We must be alert and watch each other’s back.
@ Phil K
You really seems to me to be a fair realistic fan, which is okay anyway. But looking deeply into the issue of referring, one might do well to answer the questions, ‘would the outcome of matches being any better with fair refereeing? does the fate of a club at the end of the season has any bearing with refereeing decisions even at the slightest fraction?
No worries oz and thanks for keeping up the tradition with your musical reference…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP9xMobANJM
Morning RA, I can only tell it like it is 😛
I forgot to say, Oz, that I particularly liked your match up of the two teams.
NU have shrewdly brought in some good new recruits and dumped some of their deadwood. As you said, Cabaye, Ba, Cisse, and Tiote have particularly caught the eye, so we need to be on guard.
no matter what arsenal will do sone thing.
Newcastle will make it tough for the gunners.They could be dooged and determined chasing the gunners all over the pitch. The thing is whether they can keep up the high intensity work rate.Similarly the gunners fizzled out in the 2nd half against Milan.
Arsenal must not lose focus when attacking. This is where NU could be dangerous when the gunner attack breaks down.If you have watched the Sunderland Pool game you will know what I mean.
The gunners could be facing a ten men wall.That’s wher Wenger has to have plan b instead of passing all over the place.
The gunners must grab the chance to close the gap on Spurs with both hands.On acount of the chances created I expect the gunner to win provided they don’t squander them as in other games.
Cracking post Oz very good analysis.
Phil K. O how well I remember all the time I spent working in Toontown, the most partisan crowd I have ever met, Even pensioners swanning around the Metro Centre in Toon tops and trainers for Christ sake, Used to stay at the the Marriot for all the Arse games when we played you,as I had a table in the Magpie room, almost always guaranteed to meet Gazza poor man, nice bloke with a problem.
Do you rememember when Dixon scored the first goal early on, I do had a tenner on him at 11 to 1, We had a player sent off. then as Adams was also of the field being treated, we were playing with nine men but we still sent Wrighty up field to knock another one in. Oh how we enjoyed singing “We all agree Wrighty’s better than Shearer” the marketing lady from Toon who was sitting next to me got up and walked out, Happy days.
Dont worry Phil ref or not we will turn you over tonight, please just dont chuck the cat at the telly it aint her fault 🙂
cheers Timmy and Bearman.
@ Bearman
i think Newcastle are a fairer bunch these days having got rid of barton, being without smith, taylor, nolan, carroll and butt. Coloccini is as honest as the day is long and the influx of ball players like Cabaye, Gutiuerrez and Santon means they don’t have that mean streak they once had.
Superb, oz.
I, like you, am done with all that superstitious/jinx/curse nonsense.
Phil K,
Much as I enjoyed your comment, it’s funny you should mention a game where it was the referee’s decisions that beat Arsenal, not the Toon.
Parlour sent off before half time for nothing and such a ridiculous penalty when the ball was won by Sol!
I believe that was the game when the song, “Oh Graham Poll, you’re a f*cking arsehole” first rang round the terraces.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/3018963/Drama-as-Newcastle-soar-to-dizzy-peak.html
Thanks Dandan always good to get praise from such an esteemed supporter like yourself. great comment too.
@ RA
it much sting liverpool a touch knowing that with the Carroll money Newcastle have all that and more. I know which lot i’d choose.
@ All
thank you for taking the time to read the post, the pleasure is mine honestly. I shall be back later. Enjoy your day
thanks chas
Morning all, you gave that report some welly, eh OzG ?
Love it and if I had my way I’d wish Wenger/Rice would pay heed to the danger men for the bar codes who you have singled out.
Slightly apprehensive as we need to take advantage of the Spuds slip up – I implore everyone who is going to the match to whistle and jeer the bar codes whenever they have the ball and to abuse that dancing fool Pardew for his classless behaviour to us in the past.
Wasnt Alan Price a Geordie Chary, perhaps his famous dancing bear was the young Pardew, what do you think 🙂
Great write up oz. I liked Phil k’s comment. Shame he’s gone it’s always nice to have a non abusive rival fan on. I’v always had a soft spot for the geordies. I used to have some shares in them. I hate barton and they’ve done well to get rid of that ppiece of shit. I don’t follow him on twitter as he’s such a dickhead.
MMmmmm? Chamakh out, Belhanda in …. not a bad swap…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh162CToxsA
We are 7 points off what we were this time last season. From this point last season we only won 2 games so I really expect us to do better than last term. I wonder how all the Wenger out people will feel then. arry for England what a joke. I think Pardew would do a better job
Lol DanD, I can imagine Pardew as a dancing bear, the blithering idiot that he is. 🙂
Like GM, I have a soft spot for Geordies, from watching Spender in the early ’90s and dating a geordie red head.
I may not have understood all that she said but hearing her luscious accent was quite aggreeable.
So TR7 has signed a new contract with the club(as confirmed by Arse.com); the cynics will suggest his form will now drop off(or he will get “injured”) as he’s secured another contract.
TR7 has signed?
The best news I’ve had this season!
http://soccerlens.com/why-vermaelen-is-central-to-arsenals-chances-of-overtaking-tottenham/91120/?
I’m glad TR has signed. Robin next 🙂
Someone on Twiter says TR’s contract is 80k a week.
Ok, off now, see (some of) you good people at the Tavern this evening.
UTA !
Commenting on his new deal, Tomas said: “It’s a great honour to sign a new deal with Arsenal, I love the Club and am proud to wear the Arsenal shirt. It’s felt like home since I arrived six years ago and I couldn’t be happier to commit my future to the team.
“The manager, my team-mates, the staff and the supporters – everyone plays their part in making this a great Club, and I feel privileged to be a part of it. I believe we have a really talented group of players and, together with the manager, the future looks bright. It’s always been my goal to win trophies here at Arsenal, and I will fight hard to achieve my dreams here.”
puts you into perspective on how much really the homesick spaniard ‘love’ Arsenal..
Should this be called Twitcher? and the monkey man LOL
http://youtu.be/ReQsRgQXgQY
Cheers for the write-up Oz. I didn’t realise Lydon is a Gooner, good news that.
Tonight’s game is (like every game these days) a big one. The Geordies have got real balance to the side and however obnoxious and chippie his touchline behaviour, the fact is Pardew has got them playing some very decent football. That said, sacking Hughton was wrong.
Tiote is a great signing, and Cabaye and Ba tip-top too. I don’t really understand why Ben Arfa is always a sub, but am happy to see him off the pitch so won’t argue. And Krul is a top, top keeper, he must have been worth more than a few points this season. So there’s plenty for us to worry about.
Their defence isn’t the strongest though, and I’d like to think we’ll be able to capitalise on our revival to give them a really tough evening’s work.
My prediction: a 2-1 win.
Well done to Phil K for popping by. I don’t remember the Ginola/Dixon incident but what he says has the ring of truth about it. And I’m sure the refs and the pundits have been just as bad for the Toon down the years as they have been for us, but Phil Dowd in that 4-4 was truly shocking. I actually think he’s a pretty good ref but that day he was appalling on virtually every decision. That said, we were bloody 4-0 up, the points were ours, however rank Dowd was.
I don’t know if Lydon still thinks like this, but he wasn’t impressed with the new stadium in 2008!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrz92Z0SsDI
https://twitter.com/#!/itsWillyFerrell/status/178532364186693634
Hi chas,
I heard an interview with Lydon not so long ago and he was slagging off the Stadium – mainly due to the lack of atmosphere.
It does seem that the atmosphere is improving fuelled by the belief that we could achieve something quite remarkable this season taking into account we had 7 points after 7 games at the start of the season and were languishing in 15th.
Atmosphere should be good tonight, Rasp, even if it goes a bit quiet in Micky’s section when we get a corner!
😆 chas, I’m gonna get Micky fired up over a pre-match kebab before the game so he can be heard in every corner of the stadium.
@ chas
thanks for the clip. It appears ole johnny rotten is confused in regards to what a wasteland is. Haha ‘playground where we used to play with broken bits. This new stadium is a wasteland’
@ 26
thank you.i too agree Krul is a great keeper, like our number 1 he threatened to leave if he wasn’t given game time (was still very young and raw at the time though). Then again wouldn’t you if the person ahead of you was Steve ‘chipped from halfway by alonso and backup to shearer for 12 years’ Harper.
*sorry was meant to be given not shearer
thanks chary and GM
@ GM
i don’t blame anyone if they blocked off Bartons twitter account. I just used you as an example because no one can rip a person down to shreads quite like you can.
@ Chary
extra effort was needed because an old mate of mine (big toon supporter) has been going on for years and years about how shearer and given were better than dennis/henry and seaman). It was when Dennis scored the best goal ever against them though, bragging rights for a while
Rasp,
Make sure you have a Ldl carrier bag handy if you are going to have a kebab before the game.You brave soul.Last time i had a kebab before clubbing i ended up throwing the contects of my bowl to a young lady i had pulled that evening.Not surprised she didnt call me back.
😆 Danny, this is no ordinary kebab shop. I don’t want to alert everyone to the venue, but we have found an excellent turkish restaurant not too far from the ground and the food is exceptional. Micky is a food connoisseur and he loves the place.
I wouldn’t dream of eating the sweatmeat that is your average ‘after-the-pub’ doner believe me.
Rasp,
That sounds like a decent place for a kebab unlike the ones next to pubs.I have always questioned the meat they use for the kebab.I watched a documentary regarding kebab meat and its put me off eating them for good.Enjoy yours tonight though.
I agree Danny, if you have a shish kebab there’s not much bad stuff they can taint it with whereas the big lump of rotating arterial sclerosis they carve lumps off is packed with pork fat just to guarantee a premature coronary 😦
On hols skiing this week so can’t stay long.
Just wanted to say what a fine write-up Oz. BR will be proud of you and I can’t think of higher praise.
I particularly liked your analysis of Toon’s strengths and weaknesses.
This could be a tough game tonight. The biggest thing in our favour will be the team’s new found confidence.
A study was done re doner kababs and 60% of halal kebabs contained pork. My first done kebab was an a small Greek resturant on the corner of George street and Orchard/Baker street. It was nothing like the stuff they sell now. I go to yasars at Blackhorse road now. Sometimes it’s full of tottnumb fans.
Glic,
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
Look, I am writing a joke just for you — to cheer you up, then you can come on and cheer me up!!! Deal?? 🙂
Robert Whiting, a frail, elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in France at Charles de Gaulle airport.
At the French passport control he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on holdall.
“You have been to France before, monsieur?” the customs officer asked him sarcastically.
Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.
“Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.”
The Englishman said, “The last time I was here, I didn’t have to show it.”
“Oh, that’s impossible. You English always have to show your passports when you arrive in la belle France !”
The old boy gave the Frenchman a long hard look.
Then he leant forward and quietly said, “It’s a funny thing, but when I came ashore at Gold Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.”
Don’t mess with the Brits, eh? 🙂
Magnificent, Wizard of Oz.
Whilst making Love listening to the Sex Pistols she groaned, ” Is that Johnny Rotten ? “, ” No babe, It`s a fresh one just out of the foil ! “.
Blimey, that was quick, Glic! 🙂
I quite like Quick Glic!! Now we have to say “shazam”! and get MerryT on and all is well!! 🙂
Redders , 🙂
To many naked bodies walking about at this secret location, It`s been ” Hard” !, so I thought I`d have a peek on AA to take my mind off It !.
With the amount of Shaven haven lessers around here, I think Quick Glic is an apropriate name !.
😆 glic – back to your witty best I see
oops , lost another blogger !. I`ll return back to camp, the King is needed as some of the girls are being naughty and I need to hand out the equivilent of an ASBO`s, It`s a LESBO ! (Lesbian Enforcement Social Behaviour Order )
Oz…..chapeau.
What a cracking pre match and you are right to point out the Toons threats to us.
They don’t get to 6th/7th without being a good side, better than Dippers? Well they can score goals so yes they are, five goals worse than Spuds I can only think Toon had an off day.
I doubt Pardew is under obligation or expected to achieve CL do he may consider a point tonight a good step to achieving Europa League, which given where they were three seasons ago can be seen as a big achievement. For all the criticism of Ashley and Pardew it is hard to argue with current on field results.
We need a noisy crowd and a big performance tonight from the team. COYRRG.
Time to work on the new pre match anthem I have been penning.
You be careful who you are calling a blogger, Quick Glic!! 😦
No, wait a mo, “blogger” is OK — just getting the Northern “booger” mixed up with the Southern “bugger” – but definitely it’s not “blogger”.
Sheesh — I need someone with a handy telescope to help me out!! 🙂
Teeeeerrrryyyy — where the foooook are yooooooo????
Whereabouts in Oz are you Oz..?? I’ve gota travel agent holidng on the otehr line. I’ve to et to you, shake your hand, buy you aoint and get back to London in time for kick off.
I don’t know if that ‘sad face’ inspired you but what a monumental pre match. Comprehensive, informative, and funny.
There was enough ‘meat’ in there for a pre match and two other regular posts !
Sterling work. How long ago was it that you were a little nervous about writing your maiden post*….lol
* Memory says it was a match report, but I do have Alzheimers..at least I think I do..
Glossary for my last post:
*got to get to you*
*pint*
GLIC and TMHT – Never ever change. You two bounce off each other so well, and its a source of constant joy to all of us.
That ‘commentary’ on the ressies match at Norwich was comedy gold.
Oh and GM if you’re also ‘reviewing the suitability of your work’ – DON’T !!!
Reflecting on a recent run which has put Arsenal within touching distance of neighbours Spurs, Van Persie told the matchday programme of his pride at the burgeoning rapport between those in the stands.
“During that period, our fans have been incredible. I really mean that – the atmosphere in the stadium has reached unbelievable levels and that makes me feel very proud. I sometimes hear people saying that Emirates Stadium can be quiet, but I’m completely certain that those people will adjust their opinions now.
“Our bond with the supporters is special and has been there for a long time, but in the last few games I feel it’s reached a new level. As I’ve said before, it’s down to us to give them that energy, to show them that we are ready for the fight, and then they will respond.
“That’s what has happened recently – the fans and the players have worked together and made a really good team!”
-Beware, maybe the only thing that will stands in his way to sign the paper is the fans…
Anyone else having problems with connectivity?
Silly question really — if you are, you would not know what I was asking, and if you are not, I will have disappeared again before you can answer.
Sodski.
Now that reminds me of Neil Armstrongs’s words when he blasted off from the moon. He said “that’s for you Grolski”.
He refused to say what he meant for the best part of 50 years, and everyone assumed he was talking obliquely to a Russian cosmonaut or technician.
Finally, all those years later, he said the person concerned was dead, and he could now explain that as a kid of 5 or 6 he was well known to be nuts about space travel. One day, recovering his baseball from a neighbour’s back lot, he heard thru an open window a Mrs Grolski yelling “SEX — you want SEX? Well you can have it when that kid walks on the f**king moon!”
True story!! 🙂
Sharkey, I think Oz is getting some kip before the K Off tonight.
Why don’t you just grab tickets to Brisbane and then get opensky Oz tickets to travel the country with Mrs Sharkey, the sharklets and, of course, FIL. 🙂
Well worth it!! 🙂
My Mother in Law is en route to the airport to fly down under, do you think OzG will take her as a replacement for Sharkey?
Excellent pre-match Oz and some top comments up there by you, I particularly liked your 10.33.
Before the game has even started we will get a rare glimpse into the future.
Most assume that Wenger will go with Gervinho, but my money is on The Ox……and the die will be cast.
On the train, has anyone put their name up for the match report
Thanks OZ, ime going to the game tonight and your article has pushed my excitment levels to extreme frenzy, great stuff.
We should do it tonight. The danger man will be the ref. Like Chas i was at the Poll game, and saw the 4-4 on some dodgy albanian satelite. Absolutly disgraceful reffing on both occasions, of which the only cure is 2 chairs, some rope, and myself armed with a rather long and moderatly hot needle.
3-1 Arsenal, RVP 2, Theo , and the ref with a consolation for them.
High tempo from the start.
COYG.
War & Peace & Football
Posted on February 28, 2012 by bookselector
It was a large weekend in football. I was in Shepherd’s Bush for the big London derby between local rivals QPR and Fulham. The following day up North there was another derby featuring Arsenal and Spurs while later the same afternoon the Carling Cup final took place at Wembley where Liverpool took on Championship side Cardiff City. Whilst travelling to the match I continued to read War and Peace. The final 25% or so of the novel contains a great deal of philosophical musings on a number of subjects, amongst them the writing of History and the leadership of great men.
Tolstoy asserts that the so called great men who populate history books are nothing of the kind. Rather than being in possession of some kind of genius that enables them to predict the future course of events so that they can plan accordingly he suggests they are, if anything, even more at the mercy of events than the rest of us. My theory is that the same goes for football managers. The games this weekend were full of managerial malarky.
Martin Jol’s Fulham side rocked up to the Bush seeking to prove how wrong Mark Hughes was to cite “lack of ambition” as a reason for leaving the sweet Thames-side turf of Craven Cottage for the ruff n tuff grime of a roundabout in West London. It didn’t really matter how much QPR trained or what the tactical plan was as they had a man sent off in the first half for the second time in as many home games. You can’t really plan for that. After the match Hughes tried to blame himself suggesting that Samba Diakite was new to the Premier league and shouldn’t have been introduced to the blood and thunder quite so soon. But you just knew that if he hadn’t played Samba Diakite and QPR had lost he would have been questioned for leaving a new signing on the bench when he appeared to be just what was needed on the pitch.
The North London derby featured two managers with wildly contrasting recent fortunes. Arsene Wenger’s side had just been thrashed 4 – 0 in the Champions League by Inter Milan, pretty much ensuring their exit from the lucrative competition. The radio waves had been jammed for a week with irate fans demanding the head of perhaps their most successful manager ever on a plate. Wenger’s Arsenal faced Harry Redknapp’s Spurs who are flying in the league and look set to finish higher than their rivals for the first time in years. Open any paper and Redknapp was being spoken of as the finest English manager for a generation, a sure thing to be next England manager where his undoubted tactical genius/motivational skills were sure to result in a bulging trophy cabinet at Wembley after many years of national pain. After half an hour or so Spurs were 2 – 0 up and the hacks were salivating about the demise of Wenger. By full time Arsenal had spanked Spurs 5-2 and Wenger was a genius again. Redknapp meanwhile was already said to be suffering from the curse of the England manager. To cap it all Theo Walcott, a player many Arsenal fans had been desperate to see dropped and humiliated, scored twice!
Finally we come to the Carling Cup final where Liverpool took on Cardiff City. Received wisdom said that the Premier League side were sure to win so there were a few surprised faces when Cardiff took the lead. Similarly the extra time goal from Dirk Kuyt should have been game over for Cardiff but whaddayouknow? The plucky underdogs equalised to take the game to penalties. Throughout all of this the managers yelled and gesticulated to minimal effect.
So where does Tolstoy fit in? I have substituted commander in chief for football manager in the following passage from War and Peace.
“The football manager is always in the midst of a series of shifting events and so he never can at any moment consider the whole import of an event that is occurring. Moment by moment the event is imperceptibly shaping itself, and at every moment of this continuous, uninterrupted shaping of events the football manager is in the midst of a most complex play of intrigues, worries, contingencies, authorities, projects, counsels, threats, and deceptions and is continuously obliged to reply to innumerable questions addressed to him, which constantly conflict with one another.”
In the next passage I have used the word match instead of battle.
“A countless number of free forces (for nowhere is man freer than during a match, where it is a question of life and death) influence the course taken by the fight, and that course never can be known in advance and never coincides with the direction of any one force.”
A manager can prepare his team as much as he likes, can drill them for hours and watch videos until his eyes are popping but he will never never never be able to control what happens once the game begins. To be frank, it’s chaos out there. The variables are limitless and impossible to factor into any game plan.
To my mind it is Roy Hodgson, that most literary of managers, who seems most in synch with Tolstoy on this issue. When he was Fulham manager his style took a little getting used to. He seemed to quickly decide on his best team and then stuck them out there game after game, only making changes as men dropped out injured. During matches he seemed reluctant to make changes hardly ever making any substitutions unless players appeared to be tired in the last fifteen minutes or so. Why make changes? His best team were out there. They were prepared, drilled and knew their jobs. There was nothing more he could do. He represents general Kutuzov from War and Peace in my mind. As Napoleon retreats from Russia the Emperor and many of the other generals are keen to wipe out the French in a devastating attack. Kutuzov resists with all his power since he appreciates the French are already beaten. Their army is disintegrating as it retreats with men dropping by the road, frozen and starved. Why waste Russian lives in an attack when victory is certain and the aim of driving the French from Russian soil is being achieved? The way Kutuzov perceives things battle plans and strategy are not what wins you wars. What wins wars (and football matches, which are, let’s face it, small “civilised” wars) is the spirit of the troops on the ground. You can have the best plan in the world but if the men trusted to carry it out are not motivated to win then there is nothing you can do.
The moment the French lose their war against Russia comes during the battle of Borodino. Though the French destroy 50% of the Russian army who retreat from the field leaving Moscow at the mercy of the French they still lose. Why? Tolstoy again:
“…he(Kutuzov) knew that the result of a battle is decided not by the orders of a commander in chief, nor the place where the troops are stationed, nor by the number of cannon or of slaughtered men, but by that intangible force called the spirit of the army, and he watched this force and guided it in as far as that was in his power.”
Such patient wisdom in a leader is often misunderstood. Look at poor old Roy’s time at Liverpool. The team that that represent perhaps the most emotional city in Europe were never going to be led by a quiet, unassuming personality such as Roy’s. No, they need Messiahs and “big men” such as Kenny Dalgleish – the least valuable personalities for leadership according to Tolstoy. Personally I think this aspect of Roy Hodgson was summed up by our final 11th May match against Portsmouth in the 2008 season. Danny Murphy had just scored the goal that would keep us in the Premier League. Roy strolled across the pitch towards the delirious away support. He raised a hand in salute and mouthed “Have a good holiday!” as if our summer break away was on any of our alcohol and endorphine affected minds.
The mysterious chemistry of winning in any group situation be it a sports team or a military force is impossible to pin down. We might look to our leaders, military or managerial, for guidance but the fact of the matter is that what counts is spirit and the will to win. As supporters of any relatively small club know, just as those among a population who support guerilla fighters in their struggle know, if you have the spirit you can never be beaten. A defeat becomes nothing more than a lost battle in a war that can be sustained for as long as the desire to fight it is there.
So next time you sit down with a pint or two in the pub and start slagging off your team’s manager think of Tolstoy, general Kutuzov and this blog post and have a nice game of darts instead…
Hated Gary Neville at right back for ManUre, but have to say he is a good pundit.
IMHO VCC he is the best.
Dandan, he appears to be impartial. I like that in a pundit.
Also knowledgable and able to articulate
thanks for the kind words LB, GiE, TMHT, the great Sharkespeare, GLIC, and Rocky. Much appreciated!
Come on Arsenal!
thanks for the article Dandan good read.
great cross from walcott
Dammit he wasn’t supposed to be starting! shouldn’t get beaten at the near post like that!
what a response, good to see RVP hanging off williamson. he is their weakest link
well done webb. how is rosicky’s a foul, yet Ba gets nothing for his???
Bet Rasp nearly had a heart attack, when those two goals went in. 🙂
Right then Newcastle get their goal and sat back….we equalised yet they still sit back!
I know they want to hit us on the counter but come on….and one thing that drives me insane keepers wasting time in the 1st half, and refs doing nothing about it. I know the ball is in play but its hardly in the spirit of the game is it?
Bit more pace in the game needed,midfield three need to establish their roles a bit more…Ox and Theo need to take up central positions to occupy defenders/midfielders and make holes for others. As a team we are not letting the ball do the work, a few too many dribbles and we look a little sluggish when we hold on to it too long.
Think ox looks a little lost out there today, would swap him for the gerv on the hour if he doesnt perk up.
Theo playing well so far
Sagna and Rosicky (ooh everyone loves him now 😆 ) playing well as well.
Robin van Persie, he scores when he wants.
Rosicky has been immense! COYRRG!
Rosicky did all the hard work, shame he couldn’t convert! he’s had a great game though
NOOO! i think finesse was the right option there, rather than power
oz, agreed. great pre match by the way.
cheers RuVP
GERV! why???
TV you are a star
im fucking crying…friggin pure joy!!
Look out you spuds we are down your neck 🙂
GET IN!!!!!
Love RvP telling Krul to take some more time after we scored….hahahahah 😀
Love it love it love it!!!
Another cracking performance, second half we were great, every single player played his part again.
And watching Santos and TR7 go mad on the bench tells us what we need to know about this group, they’ve found something, the fans have found something, even before we scored “By Far the Greatest Team” could be heard.
Great great great..,….
I’m happy (just in case you hadn’t guessed)
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Nothing like the last minute winner
Top, Top result. I couldn’t be happier.
GET IN!!
WG
” Jamie Sanderson @YoungGunsBlog Reply Retweeted Favorite · Open
Krul and van Persie row in tunnel. RVP accused Krul of time wasting in 1st half, then said ‘time waste now’ after Vermaelen winner. Naughty.”
https://twitter.com/jackwilshere/status/179326084590997504
Nice retaliation Jack 😀
https://twitter.com/jackwilshere/status/179327065961660417
Wow
Better not have been an AAer 😀
Superb win! We fought for every inch of the pitch against a well-organised but negative NU. A total team-effort where everybody worked their socks off and we so deserved the three points in the end. RvP looked tense throughout the game as if he felt more than anybody else that this was a crucial game to win tonight. How many of these games have we drawn or even lost in the last few years. Not this time, because this Arsenal team has backbone, spirit, togetherness and quality. This was not one of the most beautiful games we ever played, but one of the most important ones for definite.
I could not select a MotM tonight. They were all phenomenal. Theo proved tonight he can play fantastically when there is no space given to him. What a performance. Rosicky and Arteta were so classy – worked their socks and kept passing great balls till the last minute. Song could have held back a Tsunami tonight – what a beast! Vermaelen, Koz, Sagna, and Gibbsy top performances as well – they have it all: power, technical mastery, energy and never-say-die attitude. RvP led from the front and gave absolutely everything tonight – there was nothing more left in him.
Tonight, this new Arsenal team came collectively off age.
Ooh to, oh to be, oh to be a Gooner!
A woman at work is engaged to a Newcastle fan – he just tried to get pissed off at me on facebook (obviously not her typing cos she hasn’t a club on football) I owned him with a comment and he has deleted the ones he made 😆
Such bad losers, ahhhh life is krul 😆
Theo showed yet again what having a real fullback behind you can do for a player. Sagna and he understand each other and does’nt it show
*a clue on football
Irish please a lady should be a good winner. 🙂
What a good feeling that is.
Get in you mighty Arsenal.
Right Peaches just text she said the first person to comment after 10:25 gets the match report…..well done Irish you won 😀
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMXpkZHw9XM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrGZOqpE92g&feature=related
By the way Neville plus another ten points for being the best pundit on sky.
“that’s what you want to see from your skipper”
Problem is one wonders whether they’ll like him on Sky as he won’t play up the non controversy. Robin like most of the regulars at THOF are sick and tired of ambitionless teams wasting time and taking an eternity over goal kicks etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiboYY_r1Ew
GiE 🙂 we have not had a MR from you for ages! And, as Bruce Forsyth, would say, you are my favourite Match Reporter on AA 😉
Theo was very, very good tonight, it’s so true that when Sagna is in the team Theo’s close control is so much better.
And on the subject of Sagna, he would be my pick as MOTM
Irish where you gone?
Oh ok I’ll do it if no one else will.
Dandan – No fun in that 😆
GIE – It was easy ha ha that’s what they get for having a keeper called Krul 😆
TA flattery even fake flattery has worked.
Hard fought.
Hard won.
Character and commitment.
This Arsenal team has the beginnings of greatness.
YES FACE – GIE you said you’d do it now 😆
I know we don’t do the swearing on here but that was fucking great!
Can’t work this team out. Plenty more big games to go.
As you all know I hate the mancs. I hated neville the most. He’s the best thing to happen to sky ever. What a fantastic pundit. Why do the bbc waste our money on shit like hanson, shearer and the other bindipper? Robin was acting like a fan with the “waste time now” comments. I’m 90% sure he’ll stay unless the board are total wankers.
GiE, I meant it: you and Harry write fantastic MR’s and are my favourites! Something to look forward to tomorrow!
OK, OK, I admit it, we were down in our own corner, thewy had the ball and, time was running out, my heart was sinking – choked we were not going to get what we deserved ———–.
Then,,,,,,,,,,,,,we attacked, everyone flooded forward, Theo had the ball in space — heartbeat increased, hope resurgent — get a good cross in Theo — oh goooood cross, but bugger — it flicks off Van the ……………………..goal!!!!!!!!!!! — heart leaping, me leaping ‘ouch’ stop leaping, TV you beaut ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, goal, goaaaaaal —————- now I will be awake all night rewatching the game at least a couple of times!!!!!!!
Football, eh? Don’t know what you guys see in it!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Where are the “black scarf brigade”, “we want our Arsenal back” and “Wenger out” twats now?
See the ref gave you a bit more time than justified, just to help you out…..nasty biased refs, eh ? Well maybe not when they help YOU eh ?
Phil
Your goalie was wasting a lot of time. The ref doesn’t decide the added on time the 4th official does. webb is still a manc loving fergies rent boy though.
Going to bed happy happy – just gotta see the Chavs knocked out of Europe n Wednesday and it’ll be a good week
bit more time than justified? come on dude, at least come up with a decent argument..
Even Pardew admitted that the goalie was the cause of the time added on
RA, it will be a lot easier on the heart to watch it a second time tonight! The tension just kept building and building, but it was all worth it in the end 🙂
GM, you forgot the ‘I will give Arsene at least one more year’ brigade..
Rob
I’m afraid I’ve been one of those. I’ve also be an “I’d sell Walcott tommorrow ” as well. So glad I’m being proved wrong.
https://twitter.com/#!/PunksNotDad/status/179335163501748224
I just love being an Arsenal fan !
Some points.
1) We are better balanced with Sagna, Gibbs and Vermealen in there rightful places.
2) Sagna makes run and space for Walcott.
3) Theo gets better passes with Sagna and Rosicky in the side.
4) Vermaelen staying fit is as important to us as Van Persie to me. Just watching them walk off together, they run this team.
5) Rosicky was great, he gives our passing a maturity.
6) Koscielny and Vermealen allow us to push up and press high. So we can play our game.
Just pinched this from the BBC page
LAST-GASP GUNNERS WINNERS
11 February: 2-1 Sunderland (A)
Thierry Henry (90th minute)
3 March: 2-1 Liverpool (A)
Robin van Persie (93rd minute)
12 March: 2-1 Newcastle (H)
Thomas Vermaelen (95th minute)
Top 7 teams points in the last 6 games.
Man U——16 = 88.9%
Arsenal—–16 = 88.9%
Man C——12 = 66.7%
Chelsea—–8 = 44.4%
Newcastle- 8 = 44.4%
Spurs——–7 = 38.9^%
Liverpool —5 = 27.8%
I’m quite looking forward to everton going above the bindippers tomorrow
Just got back, very happy and very knackered. Would like to make one point before retiring to my coco, slippers, and Arsenal pyjamas.
We had six great players involved tonight that are no were near there peak years. Theo, Ox, Kos, Chesney, Gibbs, and Ramsey. We also know that there is Jack, Coq and others waiting to come back. There is no doubt about it, we are at the beggining of our best side since the 1930’s.
Goodnight and sweet dreams.
Another good stat – in the event of us being tied with Spurs on both points and goal difference is that we have scored 5 more goals………… could be very important.
Night Terry. Sweet dreams 🙂
gunnern5
we also begin with A and they begin with S
IMLTHO the biggest surprise during our resurgence has been the outstanding form of Theo he has shown us the type of form that we had always hoped that he possessed – simply outstanding.
The link up between him and our most VP (Very important Person) is simply exceptional.
Just about to settle down to rewatch the game – before I do so, I just wanted to say that was another fan-bloody-tastic game to be at. For the result, the performance, the drama and the intense atmosphere. Just excellent.
Phil K turned out to be a disappointment; lots of positive responses to him at the top, but just a bitter and unjustified little jibe afterwards.
Wow, four comebacks on the trot, a new record.
I bet Micky’s father-in-law enjoyed losing his emirates virginity. 🙂
Phil K,
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah………… all that time wasted by your keeper and you have the cheek to say it was unjustified.
“Go on waste some time now”.
To see him scurrying to take that last free kick……….. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Robin as feisty as fuck. Love it.
MIND THE GAP!!!
Gap? What Gap? Is it hiding?
Oz,
I had the huge pleasure of not getting to read your post until I got to the ground, and that really was the perfect mood setter
I thought Theo used the oceans of space he was given in the first and the last quarter really well last night.
GiE,
Loved the Jim Munro comment. Leaving early ha ha
Sitting here in my hotel, an hour before a massive meeting, and I’ve hardly got a voice left!!!!
Great to see Chas, Rasp, Peaches, Carlito and Chary.
What a brilliant night. Superb atmosphere.
Chas,
Father in law was completely blown away.
Some really good points up there Jamie, I agree with them all.
LB,
Very true about Theo and Sagna.I felt very sorry for Ox. Everything first half came down Theo’s side.
Morning Micky
The left wasn’t really happening in the first half at all, it got slightly better in the second but it could be so easily improved by adding Santos. Not sure how Wenger is going to play that one.
Bring back Santos 🙂
Micky
Did you see Santos give Wenger a big hug when Vermaelen scored? Wenger looked very uncomfortable, he is not really a hugger is he?
The perfect reflection of the two cultures: the warm friendly Brazilians and the stand offish French.
LB,
I couldn’t, what with silly people all getting over excited and jumping up and down 🙂
Plus, I was 4th row upper west, and you need to lean forwards to see the bench. On top of that we had the mountain of players piling on top of each other right below us.
Great night.
Right, off to make sign language at someone.
Back home tonight. Enjoy your gloating everyone.
I am a bit surprised Kelsey’s mini-match report isn’t up yet, I look forward to those, come on Kelsey, hurry up I have to go out soon.
LB I saw it, did you also see TR7 come running to the touch line from the back row of the bench, no heart or desire that guy.
Morning all, less we forget.
Tottenham went 13 points clear of Arsenal on January 31, after they beat Wigan Athletic 3-1, and would have restored that advantage had they beaten their North London rivals on February 26.
Typed at 5 to
Morning GIE
Rosicky was great last night, back to his absolute best; he is surely the reason why we have redescovered the ability to break at speed.
The maturity of Arteta and Rosicky really shows, love it.
Typed at 5 to…………..lol
Morning Dandan.
Unbelievable result. Toon got what they deserved. Theo, Rosicky and Arteta were my joint MotM’s.
Gervinho still has some way to go to get back to the player he was for us a couple of months ago.
Watch Gervinho’s movement or lack of it when Vermaelen busts a gut to get in the right place at the right time to score. Agreed the gerv (small g) has got a lot more work to do.
“I think you’re asking the wrong man”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj3WfbtfkV0
morning all. what a bloody finish to that game, well worth rocking up to work late for. It takes some sort of character to be battered all game by a bigger striker, stepped on by ben arfa, run your guts out, and still run all that way to get onto that theo cross! amazing!!!
Seeing RVP getting all fired up was a joy to watch. Going to make for some interesting moments come international duty.
I wonder if there’s any truth to what the commentators said about Santon. Apparently he asked to come off at half time because he couldn’t hang with theo
@ Micky
cheers, much appreciated. Glad you and your father in law enjoyed the game.
@ LB
saw the rosicky and santos celebration, the look on Arsene’s face was hilarious. Great to see how much it means to the team!
I share your excitement in regards to the GiE match report TA. It’s been too long
Santos hug and Rosicky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyNWv1by9iI
cheers for the video chas. Who knew such a wanker of a player would turn into such a great commentator. Very well said, gracious pfft i love the spirit and fight. Have a beer and joke about it after the game if you want, but on the field it should be all business!
you are correct,what was gerv doing? i’m going to go with:
he was saving his energy some that he could will the ball over the line.its criminal not to attack the ball with that long left
This is what it’s like if you leave the game early.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Qe9DR0AQM
Morning oz,
Vermaelen’s last gasp winner did your match preview justice. 🙂
I think Gerv heard Tommy’s hooves thundering down the pitch behind him and didn’t want to get run over by a Flanders express train. 🙂
morning chas. I was thinking the same, i thought ‘how many people are going to come on and say i jinxed it’ haha
haha true if gerv got in the way i think verm would have booted him over the line along with the ball. He is a juggernaut, once he gets a head of steam going there is no stopping him
Guess who?
Do you think someone is p*ssed off they missed another brilliant match at the Emirates?!!!!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
“Anyone else think Gervinho is a waste of money? And given next season is another ACN anyone think buying him was another false economy?”
“…..it’s great coming back and setting an EPL record for most come backs, but we shouldn’t have been down in the first place should we, or is that me?Isn’t that like getting a prize for being dumped 4 times by girls but still getting another?”
“And that’s what Wenger does, he wins fuck all but somehow makes the fans feel they owe him for his greatness. And qualifying for a tournament that adds to his salary.I would be impressed if he donated his salary to charity for winning fuck all.”
Peaches/Rasp its in drafts.
Pedro’s brilliant video just before the final whistle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZKl7LRLOAQ
Morning all
There’s a New Post ……………..
wow chas that video gave me goosebumps. Being in the middle of that would be something else!
Otto’s Music Metal 24 7…
[…]Baby, I’m Gunner leave you : Match Preview « Arsenal Arsenal[…]…
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