Only three weeks ago after the FA Cup exit away to Sunderland and the disaster in the San Siro even the most positive of Arsenal fans was starting to doubt that this team had the necessary cojones to get us back in to the Champions League qualification places. Two morale boosting wins in the Premier League against much feted domestic opposition and the demolition of the Italian Champions elect at The Home of Football and all of a sudden the despair and gloom around the club has gone, players returning from injury, the media saying nice things about the boss, and the players, life was okay again.
In truth in those three games we were the underdogs, written off at home against the cretins from N17, no chance of overcoming the deficit against Milan, and surely we couldn’t beat the Carling Cup holders at their place. Last night we were favourites again, some will tell you that we don’t do being favourites, too often have we have seen us close wide open doors on ourselves when presented with the chance to catch up or to extend our points advantage. But somewhere between two nil down at home to the Lilylivers and beating Milan 3-0 the Emirates became a fortress, it became a mass of positivity, restored faith, vocal support, proper support. And the players they became warriors.
This is Arsenal
With two minutes to go pegged back in our own corner to defend a throw in the game looked up, the critics were sharpening their knives ready to rehash bottling stories. This squad decided they didn’t want to read that tomorrow, they scrapped for the ball from the throw in, first Gibbs, then Ramsey, then Arteta, the ball finally breaking to Song who moved it quickly to Van Persie, trying to take on three striped shirts whilst support arrived, there was Song again who moved it out wide to Theo. Theo took his time as red and white shirts filled the box and delivered an inviting chipped cross, neither Van Persie or Ramsey could make a decisive touch, and as it bounced down Vermaelen arrived to smash it home past the onrushing Krul. And then everything went a bit mental.
Bundle
This team with no heart no passion no desire, well they showed they had to all in spades, Vermaelen epitomised this spirit, after having his knee accidentally stamped on he had limped around for ten minutes of the second half while he ran it off, and somehow he found the energy to sprint the length of the pitch to be on the end of that cross and bravely finish taking another clout from Krul. The mass bundle proof if you needed any that this group of players cares, and they care as much as us about finishing above the shower down the road. Whilst Wenger is playing down the chase for the Spuds the players are mentioning it in every post match, maybe Pat Rice has had a quiet word in their ear. “Listen lads, we don’t finish below them, it doesn’t happen, go get ’em”.
Before that thirty seconds of brilliance there had been another ninety minutes of a football match, well 70 minutes of football and 20 spent waiting for Krul to put the ball back in play. Newcastle came with a game plan, flood the midfield, don’t over commit, nick a goal if possible and then soak up everything Arsenal could throw at them. For the opening ten minutes the game was scrappy, if anything we were over eager to retrieve the ball sometimes getting in each others way or the ball bouncing away and back to an enthusiastic Newcastle midfield. Tiote is perfect fit for the way Pardew wanted to play past night, chasing and breaking up play, and able to give it to those more gifted than him.
The first chance fell to Robin, a good leap from Sagna flicked the ball on for Theo to chase, no player has personified our turn around in fortunes as much as our young marmite winger, he burst into the open space and delivered a fizzing cross along the ground to the back post where a despairing slide from Van Persie failed to connect. Clearly Robin didn’t want to yet.
Around the 15 minute mark Arteta intercepted a Tiote pass, Vermaelen couldn’t do much more than push the ball back out and Tiote picked it up again played it to Ba, Cabaye joined in and pushed it to Ben Arfa, Gibbs chasing back was easily wrong footed as the skilful Frenchman put in on his left foot and produced a very good finish to beat Szczesny at his near post. I have watched it a few times and have decided that he could not have done much about it, it was a very good finish. Gibbs had been caught out of position but only because he was trying to win back possession from Ba.
Maybe the payers had heard that no team had ever won 4 consecutive games from behind in the Premier League, and as we haven’t set any records for a while they decided they would like to have a crack at that one. Within 30 seconds of the restart we were level, good work again from Theo, Sagna and Rosicky, set Theo free down the wing, he delivered another first time cross which found the Boy Wonder, this time he decided he did want to, his first touch was sublime taking the defender out of the game the second touch put the ball onto the trusted left foot and his third touch was despatch past Krul.
The rest of the half was a bit scrappy, Newcastle didn’t seem to know what to do next, the plan had been defend, nick one, defend, well they didn’t appear to plan for what happened if we equalised. They didn’t commit, and they started to time waste, I know teams need to regather their shape, but this is an opponent that before last night still had a chance of Champions League football, they are not going to get relegated, they had already scored once, where is the sense in defending and being satisfied with a point? Robin had words with Krul, Krul had a few back.
As the half played out Robin had another chance but his strike found the Emirates crowd, a free kick into the hands of Krul and Theo had a scrappy chance off balance from a corner. Whilst we had been good down the right, we were a bit lop sided, Oxlade Chamberlain rarely getting into the game, and Gibbs not advancing as much as normal due to the attacking threat of Ben Arfa.
From the restart of the second half Arsenal dominated possession, territory and Newcastle, they had occasional forays into our half, mainly from a long ball to Ba, but the two of Koscielny and Vermaelen dealt comfortably with everything thrown at them, both picking up knocks and injuries as they refused to retreat.
Rosicky was everywhere for Arsenal, a diving header from another Theo cross which Krul saved, some great footwork, a spin and a reverse pass into Van Persie which the latter could only fire at Kruls feet. Another chance fell to Rosicky but his tiring legs could not muster the necessary power after Theo pulled it back for him and the ball went disappointingly out for a throw in.
Arteta and Song picked up loose balls, we harried in numbers and won the ball back in advanced positions. Ox started to come into the game as the Newcastle defence and midfield tired and was unlucky with a volley from outside the box and later opened up some space for himself in the penalty area before shooting wide.
Gervinho replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Ramsey came on for the tiring Rosicky. Neither took anything away from the team thanks to the volume of players returning from injuries our bench now has some quality on it. The two subs combined to produce a cross which no one could reach, but good pressure high up on their goal line by Gibbs regained possession, he fed Van Persie, but again he could not find the finish, or just didn’t want to.
The best chance of the half probably fell to Gervinho, an Arteta cross travelled across the box and found him unmarked at the far post, he couldn’t sort his feet out in time and it drifted agonisingly wide. Arsenal were now camping in Newcastles half, Song produced a wonderful cross which Vermaelen met well only to see Krul tip over. Theo was next to be denied by good defensive work by Collocini. It just looked like it was going to be one of those nights where we couldn’t force it home.
And then Vermaelen thought “if Robin doesn’t want to tonight, I sure as hell do.”
I Want To
All that was left for Robin to ask Tim how much time he wanted to waste now. A bit of a melee ensued and Robin was held back by several team mates, actually I need to commend Arteta here as he intercepted Krul as he ran out of his box to confront Robin, although the Boy Wonder seemed in control he as certainly enjoying the bit of gamesmanship. Do I want my skipper to behave like that? Well actually I don’t mind if he does from time to time.
Take Your Time Tim
Ratings:
Szczesney – 7 Didn’t really have a lot to do, but dealt with most things comfortably and very good distribution last night.
Sagna – 8 Tireless support of Theo, and solid defensively
Koscielny – 8 Fearless in tackle, fast across ground, and a good reader of the game
Vermaelen – 9 Warrior
Gibbs – 7 Starting to show why Wenger has faith in him, good going forward, disciplined defensively. Tidy on the ball.
Song – 8 The kind of game we love to see from him, everywhere needed to fight fires and good use of the ball. No lazy fouls, no lazy touches, no hanging on to the ball.
Arteta 7 – struggled first half to find players and get a foot on the ball, finds a teammate more often than not.
Rosicky – 8 A good performance by the newly re signed Czech, he actually is “Like a New Signing”.
Walcott – 9 Constant threat to Newcastle in behind, good runs, and good delivery.
Oxlade – Chamberlain – 7 struggled to get into game first half, found the ball more in the second and gave flashes of what he is good at.
The Boy Wonder – 9 Another world class performance from our leader, the first goal was evidence of his form right now and why he got the 8, the extra point was for his winding up of Krul, he would have had a ten if it weren’t for some off shooting second half.
Subs:
Gervinho 7 – some good touches and passes, made threatening runs.
Ramsey 7 – found the pace of the game immediately, found some good passes, was in the melee that led to the goal.
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
I apologise for the typos galore in the post bit of a rush job this morning
GIE,
You can’t apologise for doing a magnificent match justice in your excellent match report.
I loved the van Persie v Krul bit at the end. It seemed to make the goal celebration last for ever.
Great photos, too.
That last one, Robin seems to be saying 5 minutes your time wasting gave us. Just enough, as it happens, because Tommy wanted to. 🙂
great read GiE, very thorough and took me back to the game. Always love your view of the game.
Terrific match report GiE. A fantastic fighting team performance once again spurred on by dubious tactics (timewasting as opposed to diving on this occasion) by the opposition.
Importantly another special night at the Emirates.
The stadium is beginning to create its own history – “do you remember that game at the Emirates when…..” can be heard amongst supporters. It was always going to take time to become the home fortress we all crave, but yesterday showed that it is well on the way and the supporters and the team are building a stadium atmosphere deserving of the club.
I think other sides wishing to build a 60,000 seat stadium should realise that it not only takes time to repay the cost, but time to create the atmosphere. Games like last night are the building blocks of that process.
loved the ‘he didn’t want to’ haha. My English is that good i didn’t even notice any typos
Koscielny.
Life can be Krul.
That’s two footed, Alex.
The Lion of Flanders.
GiE, thanks for a truly fantastic MR. 🙂
You write with a lovely pace. It flows very well and is reminiscent to the match itself, which was simply pulsating. I love your detailed description of the build up of the Vermaelen goal especially.
I thought Gervinho gave us back our shape again, as soon as he came on. We became, as you called it, less lop-sided. He is still rusty, but the difference between the second half in this game with the one against Milan was our ability to bring on two quality players in Ramsey and the Gerve, who gave us back our shape and brought new energy and impetus. You were right to point out that the partnership between Gibbs and The Ox/Gervinho is not yet working as well as the one between Theo/Sagna.
Theo was amazing. Yes he utilised the available space well, but for a big part of the game there was no space at all, and boy did he work the narrow space well togehter with Sagna, Rosicky and RvP. Yesterday’s game was his best 95 minutes of football for us and I loved Wenger adding his typical ‘people forget, he is only 23 you know’ after the match!
Fine report on fine match GiE,
Rasp Glad to see you made it through the tension,I had my doubts you would. 🙂
No doubt you will be pleased to hear that Arshavin has left his children at school here and has only gone to get game time and his form back, says he has every intention of returning to the club he loves?
Loved Rvp agression last night Amy Lawrence said it reminded here of PV4; for us older ones Frank (i got him by the throat) MClintoch comes to mind and look where those two led us.
Finally Theo is loving Sagna behind him the understanding between them and RVP is a joy to behold. Amazingly even the looneys over at LG who were saying we needed 5 new players a week or so ago are conceeding that perhaps they got it wrong, did they ever 🙂
Looking forward to my mate Kelsey eating his humble Theo pie by season end :-).
Great, great pictures Chas. I love the one with the leeuw van Vlaanderen. Did you see Sagna kicking the air with excitement?
TA, I thought Bacary was kicking the ball at Krul. 🙂
Morning dandan,
It was certainly an emotional rollercoaster last night and you’re right, the tension was almost unbearable. A team’s fortunes across a season are often decided by a few milliseconds that have a profound effect on our mindset. That last minute will live long in the memory.
Rasp I am in the doghouse madam was in bed and I screamed Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssss as the second goal went in, woke her, she thought there was trouble, now i am in it, got to take her shopping.
and i bet you’d do it 100 times over Dandan, very worth it
Aha dandan, retail therapy, a cure-all for the fairer sex 😛
All the writers on this site suck each other off in the comments of every post! This really was a great write up though. Fitting for such a great football game. What a rollercoaster of a season! Just the way I like it as long as it finishes on a high. This is deffinity my favorite Arsenal blog!
classy and mature comment Gus.
It’s almost becoming boring saying how good the post is every day but they are all so well written. Just before we scored I was thinking a point wouldn’t be the end of the world. What a finish and what a reminder of why yopu shouldn’t leave until the fat lady is singing.
Aren’t we supposed to have pictures for the musical references?
Like the photo, GM.
Got any udders?
Gus LOL
chas
I’ve just had to explain to my 16 year old assistant why I was googling “britney spears nipples” 🙂
She didn’t beleive me
Is it to late to pull back a 15 point lead?
And Rasp. very true about the stadium building its own history now. We’ve had the barca game, this season’s north London derby, the Leeds game with Henry’s return the list goes on. This, along with the arsenalisation project, makes it feel more like home now. This is our 5th season here. Perhaps a trophy is the final thing needed. But I’m willing to wait. The atmosphere is really improving. At big games, it is world class. We need to improve it at small matches. This will all come in time.
If i did last night i would have died a very happy man but glad i didnt lol. I just want to know how those people who left the ground early are feeling now? They missed every excitement there was last night. Thank you Arsenal and this lovely writer for such an amazing post. I have to bookmark it now. LOVE YOU ALL
Thanks Gus, I was lucky enough to be at the 2:1 against Barca, the Henry goal against Leeds and last night. I only missed the 5:2 so 3 out of 4 is not bad, and as you say, those are the games that are creating the legacy.
Nostalgic as we are over Highbury, the 38,000 then compared to 60,000 in the Emirates for the game last night is really no comparison.
Well not wanting to appear a ‘sucker’ and upsetting Gus, I will content myself by agreeing with all the comments above, and just say that your Post is a tremendously well written, truly first class write up, GIE!! 🙂
Excellent, mon ami!! 🙂
As regards the earlier comment re: sucking up to each other, I prefer to view it as demonstrating the same level of support for one another as we do for the team.
Just imagine if we responded to a post in the way some supporters treat the players……. OK Rocky, your article was alright for about 50 words but the rest of the time you were lazy with your prose, didn’t track back to check your facts, your clever puns never really came off, and all in all I think you should consider writing for LG 😆
😆
testing 😛
💡
Are you having some kind of keyboard spasm gm?
You may find this site useful..
http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/emoticons.html
I’m on one already rasp.
Did anyone find it funny that Arteta put the ball a foot out of the quadrant for every corner?
:-d~
This team is unrecognisable from the 2011 Arsenal XI.
They are the only team in positions 3-7 that are united as a team.
They are the only team in positions 3-7 that are carrying no passengers.
Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle are all in the position we were in last year when our wheels came off.
Last year Cesc, Nasri, Clichy, Bendtner, didn’t try a leg after february because their agents where organising pre pre contracts and DNA tests.
They had nothing to play for they all wanted bigger and better things (or more money for the two manc bounders, Xavi saliva for DNA boy and not to be the worst striker at the club for bendy).
Bale, modric, Ba, Suarez, Drogba, Matouda, cabaye, tiote – they are all thinking that their ability to shine in slightly above midtale epl teams earns them spots on the Barca, Manure, Meelan and Real rosters…
or maybe Chinese/Russian fluff projects for dishonest oil thieves
Now this Arsenal team hae comeout of their shell – they are playing for new contracts, they are playing for each other – they are playing to keep each other interested – Walcott is playing to keep RVP and vice versa.
Its a stunning transformation.
I said it before inn article here – if Wenger gets this team into the top 4 after the position he found himself in August 30th then he has eclipsed nearly all his other achievements
In may be clichéd, I don’t care because to me that is a superb match report, top drawer GIE
Spot on D98, we’ve found what we’ve been missing. I’m sure it will last to the end of the season, lets hope the Euro’s and summer disruptions do not diminish ‘it’
Likewise, top match report, and frankly if Gus don’t like me saying that, I don’t give a toss. I always like Exile’s perspective – the fact he played amateur football at a higher standard than most (certainly much higher than me) means he always brings insights that others don’t.
All of that said, I do have very minor quibbles on the ratings. I don’t usually comment on them, as they are by their nature very personal assessments, but I don’t see how Rosicky gets anything less than a share of MOTM with Walcott, the Little Mozart was just fantastic last night, I was sure he’d been at the amphetamines. I also think Arteta had a better game than Song and van Persie’s misses meant his performance was merely superb, not quite at the top of his game.
I told you I was quibbling….
Just another epic night last night, was a fantastic game to be at. Like others, I loved the Dutch battle between Krul and RvP. Total will correct me, but I think our captain was showing that he’s capable of being a right klootzak when he wants to. That sort of intense competitiveness, stopping just short of going too far, really is fantastic – Gary Neville said it, fans just love to see the players show the same levels of passion that we have. I also think we saw something very telling in terms of van Persie’s mindset going into his contract negotiations. There’s no guarantee he’ll stay but he is no Nasri, switching off for the second half of the season, once the decision to move has been made.
The connections between the fans and players have developed in the most satisfying way in the last few weeks, in a way we’ve just not seen before; and I include the one-off wins at the Ems against Barca, Spurs, United and the Chavs. Finally, what is on the field and in the stands is in synch, virtually making the pseudo-ideological debate around Wenger irrelevant. And that’s healthy, we shouldn’t be obsessing about the manager.
The result last night is great in terms of chasing down Spurs, but it is probably more valuabale in keeping us ahead of the Chavs. The five consecutive wins have earned us a right to talk about third place but have also put us in a great position at least to get fourth. The battle between the three London clubs is going to be very intense. And our players and fans currently look the most up for it.
Back in the saddle …..
Firstly, may I compliment Oz on a superb pre-match. It may not be time for BR to hang up his keyboard but Oz is a superb sub. It was a brilliant call about Williamson being suspect as RvP showed.
GIE. I got home in time for the final 30 mins and having read that fine MR do not feel the need to watch a recording of the full 95!
I thought we were fantastic in those last 30 mins. In normal circumstances we would have scored at least 3 from all the chances created. Gerv may have livened us up but his miss was shocking.
Hi 26m, I agree. I said earlier that I thought MotM was shared equally between Theo, Arteta and Rosicky. Someone put up Arteta’s pass statistics last night …. 88 passes, 110 touches, 4 key passes, 6 long balls, with 100% accuracy
Gus. Write a post and see how difficult it is. A post like the one above takes at least an hour, more when having to edit pics.
Being respectful to the author is the least we can do to say thank you. And I note you did the same 🙂
Right finally a chance to down tools have a fag and thank everyone for the kind comments.
So many good comments since too.
For me the big positive is the unity, not just on the pitch, in the dug out and in the boxes and seats where the reserves and injured sit, but also between the support and the teams. Something is stirring and it’s great.
26 I agree, I found it difficult to do the ratings as in reality I wanted to give everyone 11.
Wonderful, wonderful match report GiE – sorry Gus 🙂 – and well worth the nagging to get you to volunteer …… wasn’t hard though was it 😀
I really felt we would score and when 5 minutes of extra time was announced I was sure we would. How many chances did we have in those last five minutes? I was gutted when the Toons suddenly had possession and was sure they would take it to the corner and then all of a sudden we had the ball again and uproar!!!!!!! My voice was long gone before that and I knew my scream was silent but it felt good anyway.
Brilliant night at the Emirates and where have all those singing, standing supporters been hiding????? Loved Robin conducting the singing at the end.
Nice read,
We may not be winning a trophy this season but we have a bloody fantastic team. Love every one of them.
Look away now Gus…
Excellent report GIE.
For me the big change this season is having a real captain. Sorry Cesc, you were a great player for us, but never a captain.
Robin has galvanized this team and the collective belief is there for all to see.
Rasp
Loved your comment about the stadium.
I was out of this world when the Verminator scored the goal.I was cuddling my three month old daughter and nearly dropped her when we scored.No doubt social services would have flexed thier muscles on me.All the same massive win last night.
Raspers hope you treated yourself to a kebab after the game.
Hi Rocky, I hope you didn’t take my @ 11:22 literally 🙂
Rasp
Well, maybe I’ll do a little more proof reading in future 🙂
Hi Danny, I had a nice healthy lamb shish with rice and salad before the game in the excellent company of peaches, MickyDidIt + father in law and Carlito 11 ……. delicious meal, followed by a slightly over-generous helping of Peroni in the company of chas and chary in the Tavern and topped with a spicy garnish of last minute winner at the Ems 😆
Dannyboy
I’m glad the spirit of ‘Safe Hands’ kept your little ‘un intact 🙂
Can understand your excitement though.
…and what a spicy garnish it was.
Afternoon, feeling a tad delicate today after last nights exertions, both in the Tavern(yeah, I know what you’re thinking – an amateur drinker, thanks for the drinks Mdi89, also I’ll bet your father in law had an unforgettable night) and in the stands.
So I’m hung over and have shouted myself hoarse, what with booing/jeering Krul and singing for the team and Robin.
A very slick and clinically accurate view of the game there GiE but with the important human element of the crowd-player unity given it’s correct emphasis.
wow Rasp very salivating indeed lucky for some.While you were enjoying the occasion i was changing nappies and swinging back and forth with the baby in hand.The misus invested in some fisherprice gizmo which she said helps the baby to sleep.Unfortunately my little one prefers daddy’s cuddly hands and i can see the gizmo being a white elephant.
GIE,
We both agreed, sometime ago, that the view a Gooner fan gets from watching the game on the TV can change the perspective of play when compared to the wider view of a fan actually in the stadium.
It is great credit indeed to you that all those AAers who went to the Ems did not disagree with any part of your report.
Impressive! 🙂
Sadly there is a fly in the ointment now that our resident lawyer has quibbled with your player ratings, because on balance I have to admit — I agree with him!! 🙂
Fortunately, you have already had the good grace to admit ratings are capable of change, and your earlier instinct to award everyone an 11 is one I also share. Fickle me!! 🙂
Another very enjoyable read with some good humour to boot and also some of the replies as per normal.
Another good atmosphere last night and it looks as though we are starting to get many of the ‘early leavers’ to stay until the bitter end. 🙂
Another game where the team intent on time wasting and particularly their keeper, get their just desserts at the end, which always makes the victory even more sweet. Lets keep it going now and put the Spuds in their place for crowing so loudly earlier in the season. What was it they kept saying “Mind the Gap!” 😉
While I am still rejoicing from the result of a brilliant game, that awful little man, Dalgleish, has introduced a sour note, by trying to ape a Ferguson technique and deflect the ire of the ‘Pool fans with their team’s poor results, by lambasting AW for calling that diving cheat Suarez — a diving cheat!!
How pathetic Dalgleish is in thinking (does he think?) that after his appallingly inept and shoddy behaviour by ‘supporting’ Suarez both before and after he was found guilty of racism, he should think anyone is fooled by his latest puerile attempt to justify the indefensible by blaming AW for criticizing the diving of the self same Suarez.
Dear oh dear!!
Going to need posts now until next Wednesday which is the Everton away fixture ……….. all offers gratefully received 🙂
With my most sincere apolgies to Gus….
Cracking write up GiE. It’s was a bit like Reservoir Dogs with the end at the beginning if you know what I mean.
I absolutely love Tommy V’s rating.
Rasper 11.22. Brilliant. That really tickled me…very clever stuff.
Gus,
Your opening statement really couldn’t have been more crass, but you then went on to make some good points like a rational human being. Whilst you’ve left me a little confused, I am hopeful that how you finished earlier, is how you’ll continue if/when you return
I also hope you can take a joke….cos I get the impression that your moniker wil be featuring quite heavily in ‘our daily thanksgivings’ from here on in.
The FBI had an opening for an assassin.
After all the background checks, interviews and testing were done, there were 3 finalists; two men and a woman.
For the final test, the FBI agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun.
“We must know that you will follow your instructions no matter what the circumstances. Inside the room you will find your wife sitting in a chair . . . Kill her!!”
The man said, “You can’t be serious. I could never shoot my wife.”
The agent said, “Then you’re not the right man for this job. Take your wife and go home.”
The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about 5 minutes. The man came out with tears in his eyes, “I tried, but I can’t kill my wife.” The agent said, “You don’t have what it takes. Take your wife and go home.”
Finally, it was the woman’s turn. She was given the same instructions, to kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the walls.. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood
the woman, wiping the sweat from her brow.
“This gun is loaded with blanks” she said. “I had to beat him to death with the chair.”
MORAL: Don’t mess with WOMEN!
If anyone’s interested my match report is over here:
http://www.7amkickoff.com/2012/man-at-the-match-chary-kruls-karma-comeback/ complete with grainy pictures 🙂
A comment that my friend made after the game:
” If Arsenal are a one man team and that one man team demolishes your team, then how shite can your team be??!! ” 😀 😀
St. Totteringham Day is not far guys, Ohh to be a GOoner…loving it 🙂
I enjoyed your match report, chary.
Completely agree about H’ard Webb.
Narcissistic wanker who loves being the centre of attention. The complete opposite of what a good ref should be.
His pumped up chest nauseates me to the same degree as Phil Dowd’s beer gut.
Your view sounds as though you were stood on the North Bank at Highbury. Not seeing either goal and peeking in between other people’s heads reminded me of being stood on the terraces.
Thanks Chas – I’ve noticed how there is a lot more standing at matches nowadays, perhaps there’s an edict from on high for stewards to ease off on the “Sit down” policy ?
I think refereeing the World Cup final gave Webb delusions of granduer.
Still, he was Fergie’s best business in last years summer transfer window.
chas, do you have the video when Szczesney kick the ball from the center spot to the corner flag?
Walcott wide awake as Arsenal ascend
March 12, 2012
By Kevin Palmer, ESPN @ Emirates Stadium
Having crashed through the swinging doors of the last-chance saloon with his fate as a flop apparently sealed, Theo Walcott suddenly seems intent on salvaging his Arsenal career.
Those of us who were present inside Emirates Stadium for the north London derby against Tottenham just two weeks ago will confirm that Walcott was being singled out as the fall guy for the Gunners’ imminent failure, the symbol of false promise in a season that was apparently set to confirm their demise.
An increasing majority of the fans who had grown frustrated with Walcott’s consistent inconsistency decided the moment had come to abandon their patience and give up on Walcott once Spurs moved into a 2-0 lead in a game Arsenal dare not lose. At that moment, it seemed as if the one-time ‘next big thing’ in English football was about to drown in his own mediocrity.
Manager Arsene Wenger admitted he contemplated “removing Walcott from the firing line” as the supporters turned against him, yet that Spurs game proved to be the afternoon when the kid who has long promised so much finally awoke from his slumber.
Two superb second-half goals against the old enemy meant those same Arsenal fans who were goading Walcott at will were quick to hail him as their darling once again and while his displays since that memorable Sunday afternoon have hardly been a revelation, it seems as if something has clicked in Walcott’s fragile mind.
The emergence of a young man signed from the same south coast club he was recruited from may well have sparked Walcott into life, as just when it seemed as if his fellow Southampton academy graduate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was about to steal the crown previously reserved for him, the original boy wonder has shot to the forefront once again.
Creator-in-chief as a Van Persie strike and dramatic late Thomas Vermaelen winner sealed a vital win against battling Newcastle, the player vilified as one of the architects of Arsenal’s demise is now leading their improbable end-of-season revival.
Walcott looked capable of ruffling Newcastle’s feathers throughout this game and while the visitors’ eagerness to unsettle their opponents by wasting time at every opportunity nearly paid off, a winning goal was always likely to stem from the Arsenal No.14. And so it proved.
His threat throughout this game rarely waned. Midway through the first half, Walcott so nearly swung the game in his side’s favour with a burst of his trademark pace. A perfectly-weighted ball invited Tomas Rosicky to convert from close range, only for the in-form Czech to screw his effort wide.
The removal of Oxlade-Chamberlain moments later sparked a heated debate among the Arsenal fans sitting around the press box, many of whom would have preferred to see Walcott removed. That would have been a harsh sentence for the winger, though, whose willingness to make himself available and improved desire earned him the right to remain.
Walcott so nearly snatched the winning goal as his shot was blocked by the back of talismanic Newcastle skipper Fabrico Coloccini in the final seconds of normal time, yet the winger who has flattered to deceive so often was not ready to give up on his mission to win this game.
The 95th minute began with Walcott offering a final burst of pace down the flank and as the ball fell fortuitously for the onrushing Vermaelen in the box, the big defender gleefully tapped home a winner that sparked a stunning roar from fans who believe in their team all over again.
“Tottenham have got to be watching over their shoulders now,” boasted a delighted Walcott afterwards. “It has been an up and down season, but it is how you finish that matters. I put the ball into a decent area in the end and we had someone who could tuck it again. It’s a big win for us, but we have to crack on from here.”
Wenger was equally bullish as he was quick to hail the performance of his previously-maligned winger. “Walcott produced an exceptional performance in this game as we proved once more how incredible the spirit is in this team,” said Wenger. “We look like we are refusing to give up at the moment and that has led to us getting last-minute winners against Sunderland, Liverpool and now Newcastle.
“Despite this, we have to keep our feet on the ground. We are giving everything right now and we now find ourselves in a much better position that we were a few weeks ago, but there are still ten games to play and nothing is decided yet.”
Arsenal’s late winner was harsh on a Newcastle side who had given their all to the cause, with boss Alan Pardew admitting fatigue cost his side in the end. “When the board went up with five minutes added time, I looked at the bodies I had out on the pitch and realised we would do well to get through it,” he conceded.
“We had given everything and while I felt we had just about done enough to see it through, it was not to be in the end. What we cannot do is allow this disappointment to deflate us unduly as there is still a real chance for us to challenge for a Europa League place this season.”
Fittingly, Walcott was the last Arsenal player to leave the field, with cries of ‘Theo, Theo, Theo’ heralding his exit. What a difference two weeks can make.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Theo Walcott. With two assists and an energetic display down the flank, Walcott has gone from zero to hero in double-quick time at Arsenal. Now he needs to maintain this improved form.
LATE DRAMA: Arsenal skipper Van Persie was at the centre of a scuffle with compatriot Tim Krul after the Gunners snatched their late goal. Clearly annoyed by the time wasting efforts of the big goalkeeper, the feud continued down the tunnel.
NEWCASTLE VERDICT: For all their hard work and effort, Newcastle left Emirates Stadium empty handed. There was much for boss Pardew to take from his side’s display, but the point he craved was snatched from his grasp at the last.
ARSENAL VERDICT: Momentum is a vital commodity in any sport and Arsenal have it in abundance all of a sudden. Having come from behind four times in succession to win in the Premier League, they are now firm favourites to claim third sport after a revival not even their most blinkered of followers saw coming.
GN5 just looked back to your post before the Spuds game.
We have out performed your first three games prediction by 4 points, if the rest of your results come to bear we will be 77 points which will be 9 points above what we achieved last season.
Bring it on.
Rasp our widgets haven’t updated yet, i keep having to go to the BBC website to smile at the table 😀
Kevin Palmer
You may well have been at the Emirates for the spud game but so was I and quite a few people on this site each of whom I trust far more than you. And to a man (and woman) not one of them heard this nonsense you talk about that Walcott was singled out as the fall guy. The only reason you wrote that was because it suits your story. The reality was that we were two down against our North London neighbours and yes there were some groans but no more than the score warranted and certainly not aimed at any one player.
In short, stop these infuriating lies.
Thanks for posting that G5
Although I think its a load of bullshit, there were a number of us on here who believed that Wolcott was suffering from an absence of full backs, the return of Sagna has liberated Theo and given him an out option when he is double marked as he constantly is. His give and goes with Sagna along with his understanding with RVP have been instumental in the revival.
It amazes me that so called football journo’s didnt understand just how damaging the loss of all our fullbacks was to our style of play, note how many times Chesney played the ball to the centre backs because the f/backs had pushed up, the C/ backs were then able to push forward before finding an outlet out wide and releasing an attack down the wing.
If the Gerv can come to an understanding with Gibbs on the other side we will be a nightmare to defend against.
It may be that our Brazillian F/B will find it easier to form that understanding which would be a shame, England need some younger F/Backs
It seems as though Walcott’s champions: TA and Dandan have got the bit between their teeth and I am left being the miserable sod but miserable sod I remain.
There is no doubt that the return of the full backs has helped Walcott, the fact is their return has helped the whole team.
It was so predictable that there would be space for Walcott last night, so, so predictable and yes he used it well.
But, let’s look down the remaining games and see what we have? I would say Villa, City and Chelsea are all games in which space will be at a premium.
So, I say this to you both TA and Dandan: if Walcott can prove himself in those tight games; that’s to say, he can show enough close control to create space for himself rather than, like last night, have Sagna play it ahead of him into wide open fields of green (that space will not be there in the three games mentioned) If Walcott can create space and influence the outcome of those games I will be convinced but right now I remain sceptical.
LB I have no doubt you will see the error of your ways, but Theo and I forgive you 🙂
I hope you are right Dandan
GiE,
I will be reading that one again, as I simply cannot get enough of last night. Brings it all back wonderfully.
I’ve only had time to skim through the excellent comments. All great stuff, especially about the atmosphere growing in the stadium. So true and really fantastic to witness it.
I think Everton have two games before we meet them next wednesday. Pool game tonight should take something out of them, then they play over the weekend. Very good. Things are really falling into place nicely for us.
Who are the Spuds losing to this weekend?
GiE,
If we carry on out performing the GN5 predictions at the same rate, we’ll be champions 🙂
Hi Micky
What a great game for your father-in-law to be at for his first visit to the Emirates!!!!
Spuds have Bolton at home in the FA cup this weekend – come on Ryo, your chance to be a gooner hero awaits 🙂
GiE – did I tell you how wonderful your match report was 🙂
back in a few mins Peaches
Top report GiE, I`d have given the whole Stadium and Team 10/10, I`d even their Goalie 10/10 for the extra time he gave us to score the winner !.
I`m amazed that no one else noticed we won 3-1, whilst most players were celebrating ” Verms” winner, Bacary let loose with a screamer for the third, as shown by the chas`s pic` @ 10:15am.
Gus,
Your first comment. Rather you than me, If I would have said that, It would have been a third Red card, resulting In a slow torture, slower than a Tim Krul Goal kick !.
In my isolation with the “Female lady likers ” or as I call them ” Skirt Lifters “, I have had plenty of time to read my favourite, ” the current bun “, a couple of stories caught my eye ,1) whats all this crap about stopping “wolf whistling”, when I`m doing some building work outside and the young girls go past on their Horses, I love It when they give me a whistle, who can blame them It`s an “award winning ” body !. 2) Ground to Air missiles at the Olympics ?, No chance of any Muslim ( the naughty one`s ) Medals in the Pole Vault then !.
Call this an uncanny sixth sense I have, but “Team al-Qaeda”, there`s something I cant quite put my finger on !, Why have all their Athletes got Starter pistol`s ?, the shot put, javelin and hammer, why the fuse hanging out ? and the 4 x 100, 4 x 400 relay teams, why the stick of dynamite instead of a baton ?, Syncronised backpack, whats that all about ?. somethings not right !.
I`ve been to the Hospital today ( day pass from the skirt lifters ) with mrs glic to check her aches and pains ( yes I know, divorce me and she`ll be free of It all ). I noticed something I hadn`t noticed before, The Doctors, Nurses, Specialists, Orderlies, Porters etc, most look like they need to see someone, not exactly a healthy looking lot, I suppose It`s lucky they work in a Hospital !.
How Is It, Mrs glic has “Tennis elbow” in one arm and ” Golfing elbow In the other when she`s never done a days exercise In her Life,Just housework exercise ?. Then there`s me, all the exercise under the Sun. Saying that, I went for a run earlier, well ok I was being chased by the “wolf whistling skirt lifters ” and I injured myself, aparrantly I`ve got a ” frying pan ” calf and a ” washing machine” ankle !.
Back to my “Hard” life, Muffin on the Menu.
Hi LBBBLB, oh let me take that bit out of my mouth 🙂
Theo played well for the whole 90 minutes yesterday, whether there was green space in front of him or not. Everything he did was effective, but it is fair to say he got some very good service as well yesterday. Your man of the match helped him very well and together they can be lethal. In some games things will not work out for Theo and in others it will, and to be fair, most wingers suffer the same fate. Only the very best wingers play one after the other good games. The best winger in the PL is probably Bellamy, but he never stays anywhere long enough to prove it, although his stats are fantastic and almost on a par with the very best ‘pure’ wingers in Europe. Yesterday it was Theo who did well, next game it will the Gerve or the Ox. I don’t care as long as it leads to winning performances! I am sure you’ll agree! 🙂
A man walks into Ann Summers to purchase some see-through lingerie for his wife.
He is shown several possibilities that range from £50 to £150 in price, the more see-through, the higher the price
He opts for the sheerest item, pays the £150 and takes the lingerie home.
He presents it to his wife and asks her to go upstairs put it on and model it for him
Upstairs the wife thinks ‘I have an idea.
It’s so see-through that it might as well be nothing.
I won’t put it on – do the modelling naked, return it tomorrow and get a £150 refund and keep the money for myself’.
So she appears naked at the top of the stairs and strikes a pose.
The husband says ‘Stone me, it wasn’t that creased in the shop’.
His funeral is this Thursday.
Sorry Peaches,
I’ve only been home a while, but have been told by my wife that he’s texted absolutely everyone he knows.
He was completely bowled over by the AA community, and commented to me what a great bunch of people he met. Chas, John, Chary, Carlito, yourself and Rasp.
That is great credit to you and Rasp.
Really must go and do children things.
Nite all.
Evening all.
Have to mention I still agree with Neville’s comments on RVP – I’m coming round to the fact I’m agreeing with it so much. Good to see a guy who was such a prick on the field be such a good pundit, good objectivity from him.
” Prick on the field “, That reminds me, Tonight the “Skirt Lifters have decided to have a Relay Race in the dark, they have no Baton and they want a “Hard” stick. Oh well no rest for the wicked !.
last night’s atmosphere…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=BZKl7LRLOAQ
An interesting stat.
Most wins in the EPL after the 90th minute.
1st. Liverpool 23
2nd. Arsenal 19
5th. Man U 12.
Rob,
I have seen the Szczesny ball moving incident on tape.
It must have been on the SKY re-run last night.
Arsenal player hasn’t got it.
I presume you’ve seen this, Irish?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gYBLOrHtUE
Tekkers from Jack junior…
http://www.twitvid.com/KSW6H
Thanks Chas – I never bore of watching TR7, on the pitch, off the pitch, just standing there 🙂
Micky,
You father-in-law is a top bloke.
He’s huge and must have been the inspiration for your Viking extravaganza on Saturday. 🙂
Oscar is going to be so tall, lucky lad.
Mario Gomez has scored 72 goals in 72 games for Bayern and has 11 hat-tricks in 17 games – that’s impressive
Thanks chas.
anyway, if you can find it I hope you can post it here as fast as you can..:-)
I’m still buzzing from last night…what a performance.
Our best two CBs are whoever I’ve just watched play there, at least thats how it seems to me now.
Bottom line is that I’m just not too bothered which two out of the main three play together anymore.
We still have Wilshere (and Diaby?*) to come back into this side.
* I throw in Diaby because he’s simply unplayable when he’s in the mood. He just needs to borrow a tub of ‘Injury away’ cream from the skipper and he’s all set for the Ballon D’or
” I love It when they give me a whistle” 🙂
Legends night at the armoury 23rd March, free.
Ray Parlour, Nigel Winterburn and Sammy Nelson. followed by a Q&A session with Bob Wilson.
What a bummer I am working.
VCC.
And the solution is —————— Don`t work……
GiE @ 6:18 ….. all the widgets now up-to-date
Hi GunnerN5. If only. Still got another 3 years to go.
When I do finally retire, I want to try and see some away games, something I never done much in my youth. Health and wealth permitting.
Thanks Rasp its so enjoyable just looking at the table 😀
New day. Still feeling gooood.
No Kelsey? No evonne?
What has happened to the early morning crew? Even Didit is getting up late. Could it be the awakening of Spring sap, ……
Aah, Didit.!
Hope you hard a warm homecoming welcome and your meeting in London went as you hoped.
Mmmm. Looks like Didit’s sap has risen and he has gone off for some canoodling 🙂
Morning Raddy – evonne is away without Internet.
Where did your magical mystery tour take you?
Ah ha, Raddy,
Spot on, the sap was indeed slow to rise this morning and although I’m about to clear off on the school run, I have every intention of putting in a solid days’ blogging.
Good question about Evonne and Kelsey.
Didit, 🙂
I don’t think you should let Big Randy call you a sap!! 🙂
I’ll hold your coat!
According to Sky Sports, the Pod is having (or has had) a medical at the Ems!
Curiouser and curiouser!! 🙂
RA. Having met Micky, I know it would be an uneven contest. By the time he took his coat off I would be in another county!
Peaches. We were taken to a private country estate outside Hungerford. Weather was fantastic and my very whim was indulged
Raddy – how lovely, see it’s worth having a big birthday 🙂
An Arsenal news blackout might be the way forward. Why would the Pod be having a medical now? Three months before we see him in an Arsenal shirt, yeah right …………….
We have a post for today and another in drafts but we are going to need more for the coming days …………….
Morning sap-risers,
Do you think Cesc is missing us?
It’s really weird it all went very quiet yesterday, either we are all recovering from a heady few weeks, run out of superlatives or frankly there’s less to discuss when things are going well.
Altho I hope Wenger and co are not taking that attitude, a good coach once imparted wisdom to me when I was telling him we should be working on x y z. He said “its much easier to change things and improve when you’re winning”. Based on the healthy morale that winning imparts players are more responsive and less likely to view suggestions to improve as criticisms.
Not judging by a recent interview he gave at a Puma press launch. Interesting it wasn’t picke up on, if he had given it at when we lost to Swansea and Fulham we would have heard a lot more about it. Could be a good basis for a post for crotics of Wengers coaching methods. I viewed it as a fault on his part, but I would. 🙂
GIE,
Transcendence after the high of Monday night, I think.
“La petite morte………it can refer to the spiritual release that comes with orgasm or to a short period of melancholy or transcendence as a result of the expenditure of the “life force”.”
I saw LG using the Cesc interview to have a dig, so I didn’t even bother to read it. I’ll have to have a look now.
Photographic evidence……look at Song in the foreground! 🙂
http://twitpic.com/8w3pe1/full
Hahaha definitely ecstasy, Arteta couldn’t stop hugging anyone he could find on the floor, he was definitely swinging 😀
morning fellow AA’ers
welcome back Randy, cheers for the kind words, was a pleasure filling in, glad to hear you won’t be hanging up the keyboard anytime soon.
@ chas
that pic of song is hilarious! ‘so who wants to hug me?’
chas. La petite morte … in a nutshell. Superb work.
Morning all,
Someone told me yesterday that Cesc had sneaked in to watch the toon game.
I am one who holds no bad feelings towards him for leaving, but I have a sneaking feeling that the yearning and nostalgia that he held for Barca whilst with us has been replaced with an even stronger emotional tie to the Arsenal.
Cesc is a very decent guy. The superficially plastic way everything at Barca is handled and together with the onfield play acting and bully boy tactics when trying to prise players from other clubs must make him see Arsenal as a far more honourable club.
Oz. For a young chap who lives in a land of RL and cricket, and has yet to enjoy the THOF experience, you write with knowledge and foresight. Chapeau.
Wishful thinking Rasp!
Probably in UK to visit his mates and finish clearing out his locker. But like you I hold no bad feelings towards him, quite the opposite.
I’m not saying he’s thinking about coming back Raddy, just that he must see that the team that he led is on the verge of achieving something remarkable and that didn’t happen in his time at the club, perhaps if he had held on he could have been a part of something very special – its all too easy at Barca.
Morning all, as you may all know I am in the GM camp when it comes to the homesick spaniard – up till the time he left I thought he was doing the right thing.
When he left after a season of being a sicknote and not really wanting to play for us but pocketing the loyatly bonus we gave him, I feel he was nothing but a coward and a turncoat for leaving us when we needed him the most.
The fact that he has yet to miss any games fpor the Barca diving front bottoms through injury showing a lazarus like ability to remain injury free that makes his last few months with us feel like a betrayal in the making.
If I had my way I’d ban him(& Vieira) from Ashburton Grove, but then I’m a bit extreme when it comes to traitors.
woah woah woah BR don’t go throwing that Rugby word around to a west aussie, it’s all Aussie Rules done here. Thank you much appreciated.
@ Rasp
i wouldn’t welcome him back with open arms, i’d hurl abuse at the tube until he threads a couple of through balls to RVP, then all is forgiven!!! Until then i hate him!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/mar/09/cesc-fabregas-wenger-arsenal-barcelona
good points chary, reminding me of that makes me hate him even more. Also the sick note thing screwed us over in the pricing stakes too.
May be we are doing better now because we don’t have a player who goes where he thinks is best for the team but more like Barca we have everyone doing their jobs? Maybe it’s evidence of why you don’t have one player on massively bigger wages to the rest of the team.
Morning all, in an interview in the Guardian on Saturday Cesc said he still watches about 90% of our games, only missing a game now and again because he has to play himself.
Chary, Cesc has always given his all for the team and that was one of the reasons he did his hamstring so many times. You call him Lazaruys as much as you like, but sometimes we just have to be big and accept that Barcelona was were we took him from and that is were he went back to. My feeling is he will be back at Arsenal again when he is 28/29.
I will always have fond memeories of Cesc. I saw his first ever appearance for us against Barnet and sporting a dodgy barnet and he was classy even then.
I’m not making the piont that we should want him back, but the point thta he may be more appreciative of the Arsenal now he is back at Barca as they IMHO are a bunch of mullet headed scumbags (with the exception of Messi)
That’s the one GiE! 🙂
New Post …………….