Some time ago I made a decision to stop belittling our opponents. This was due to a rash of defeats to lesser team following an abusive prematch (yes, I have that much power). But sometimes needs must, plus I have to be realistic and accept my posts have no impact whatsoever of the result of the game.
So let’s get down to business.
Stoke: If there is a more miserable, wearisome, beetle-headed bunch of bum-baileys walking the planet then my name is Luther Blisset. Managed by a man who in the words of Oscar Wilde “has no enemies but is intensely disliked by his friends.” Stoke are the reason why the PL has slipped behind La Liga and the Bundesliga in world football. You do not find teams in La Liga who cannot play the ball on the ground or rely on set pieces in order to score.
Orcs in their natural habitat
Then there are their fans. Amplified to make the armchair viewer believe they can create an atmosphere, they reflect their team. Aggressive and hard to like. And, they hate us. Pulis thinks Wenger is impolite (!), their fans think Gooners are soft southern pansies and delight in calling our team wimps and cheats. We are the positive to their negative.
But can we beat them in what is an important game for us? One thing is certain, Stoke will give 100% and we will have to be at the top of our game to win. I think patience will be vital. Add in the Ramsey/Shawcross factor and there will be some genuine needle at the Britannia. We cannot respond to Stoke’s provocation – the early season stupidity of Gervinho and Song will cost us dear if they retaliate in what is sure to be a physical game; the Orcs (Huth, Whelan ,Whitehead, Shawcross + +) will ensure it. A strong referee is essential because it isn’t the stupid rash tackle that Stoke employ, it is the constant physical battle.
Crouch has scored his wonder goal for the season (and a brilliant goal it was), he has a good record against us as have Stoke. They have won 3 out of our previous 4 visits to the Britannia. Pulis believes he knows how to beat Wenger and our games are never less than highly competitive. Should we win, it will not be an easy ride – it never is up there.
My Team:
You may look at my team and say “Chamakh? You’re having a Turkish” but I think we have to try something different. I would play RvP behind Chamakh, give Bennie the run of the left wing and swamp the midfield. The defence picks itself, as does the midfield (in light of the fragility of Diaby), though Coquelin is likely to get some pitch-time, if fit.
The obvious solution is to play O-C or Gervinho on the wing but given the loss of our speedster and Arteta, we could start the above team which would allow some flexibility. That said, we are most likely to start with a forward line of O-C, RvP and Bennie.
Stoke Inventor? There are a few as you would expect in any industrial area. Oliver Lodge invented the wireless telegraph, the electric spark plug and moving coil loudspeakers (according to Wiki). Whether he did or not is lost in the mists of time.
Surely, we have more than the long throw in?
Against opposition whose main ethic is unrelenting industry and teamwork, Arsenal have to respond in kind. We have yet to win in the PL without Arteta and today is the day to remedy this. Arsenal can win but it will be through endeavor, inspiration, unity and harmony.
COYRRG
Written by Big Raddy
Arsenal News 24/7
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[…] If the Kid’s are United: Stoke Preview […]
Sham 69
HA Rasp
Raddy.
Must go, so no time to to talk postage.
But no way must we try and out stoke stoke. As I said, we’ll go under them not over them.
Micky. Pace hasn’t worked before at their place, so why not start with Plan B and revert to Plan A and Gervinho if we are struggling? Particularly as the pitch will be heavy.
Just for a change and in the hope Chamakh can come good, score and increase his sales value in summer.
Loved the Post Big Randy! 🙂
Among the delightful prose, you have cautioned our team not to become involved with the Orc physicality.
I think you have made a strong case for NOT including Rambo today.
Human nature being what it is the impulse to administer some vengeful retribution will lurk under the surface and may prove too difficult for Ramsey to control, with unfortunate consequences.
I hate Stoke, I hate Pulis. But we shouldn’t be blaming him, we should be blaming Fergie, October 2004. That was the day he showed the rest how best to play Arsenal and win, it involved kicking the living daylights out of the best players on the pitch. Whilst Fergie has improved (slightly) since then, the rest of the PL Managers who worship the ground he walks on follow the Fergie master plan to achieve success when you have less skilled players on the pitch.
Top pre match Raddy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31esOvVNnQU.
Big Raddy. I’m with you today.
As I said earlier, the conditions will be heavy today (just up the orcs street).
Let’s use plan “B” today and pack the mid field, contain them for sixty minutes then unleash the OX.
COYG
Rasp. I have hated Sham 69 since I went to their gig in Cheltenham which ended in a room full of smashed furniture and faces. The violence was horrific.
But the song titled fitted ….
Thanks Raddy:
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
All but one of the last five league and cup meetings between these sides have ended 3-1.
Arsenal have lost three of their last four games at the Britannia Stadium in all competitions.
Stoke
The Potters have won one of their last seven games (W1, D3, L3). However, they are unbeaten in their last four home matches, winning three and drawing with Manchester City.
If games finished at half-time, Stoke would be second bottom.
Stoke’s tally of 32 league goals is the lowest in the four divisions of English football, albeit clubs outside the top flight play more matches.
Opta statistics show the Potters have scored the highest proportion of goals from set-pieces in this season’s Premier League (63%), while Arsenal have netted the lowest (13%).
Arsenal
The Gunners have recouped 19 points from losing positions this term, the best record in the top flight.
They have conceded 29 goals away from home this season, the worst record of any top-half side. The two Manchester clubs have conceded a combined tally of just 30 away goals.
Robin van Persie has failed to score from open play in his last seven games. Defender Thomas Vermaelen has scored three times since van Persie’s last goal from open play, which came against Newcastle on 12 March.
Van Persie has registered 63 shots on target from inside the penalty area in this season’s Premier League, two more than th
If results go the wrong way this weekend we really have a fight on our hands.i have changed my mind about a draw, it is a must win game,no other result will do.
We need Szcesny, TV5 and Koz to be on their A game from set pieces today, hopefully we’ve spent all week with a catapult around the Colney training ground.
Chas take care, by the sound of things on Twitter police are taking precautions around the ground and bussing AFC fans in from the train station to avoid trouble…..oh how 1980’s just like the teams style of play.
Have I mentioned I hate Stoke?
As the time goes by I am getting nervous about this game.
GiE – yes you have, i put my dog to sleep ranting about Pulis 🙂
Great pre match as always Raddy. I can’t see Chamakh starting though. I saw sham 69 at the rainbow supporting the Clash. Absolute garbage.
Raddy – excellent post. I didn’t know this particular Oscar Wilde quote, love it, thank you!
The picture is disgusting, put me off my breakfast, grrrhhh….ugly things. Personally i find it hard to dislike a ‘lesser’ team, except for Spurs of course. Stoke are the exception, I don’t think the memory of Aaron’s leg hanging by the skin only will ever leave me. And for the fans to boo Ramsey is reason enough for me to loathe them more than I loathe na$ri, much more. They play ugly football, but fairly successful, when was the last time they were in a relegation zone? At look at Wigan, hanging there by the skin of their teeth. Sadly that’s football for you, not always the best team wins.
Let’s hope that today the beautiful game and its artisans triumph at the Britannia
GiE – YOU put my dog to sleep ranting about Pulis, stupid typo 🙂
now I put everybody else to sleep, sorry 😦
bbc have already started pairing Pep with Chavs
Morning all
Pretty fed up gardener here 😦 😦 I’m going to have to check my ‘rain spell’ as this is definitely not what I asked for.
I hate Stoke too, I can’t believe they can stay in the Prem year after year and would love us to give them a good thrashing today with our style and proper footballing skills.
Ooooh Raddy, starting a game with plan B, controversial – can’t see our favourite frog doing a ‘U’ turn so late in his career although maybe talk of Peps lack of plan B against the chavs will have given him food for thought.
Nah, on second thoughts ……. The Ox, RvP and Gerv are far more likely 😉
Peaches – do you like my avatar?
Where are you watching the game?
“If there is a more miserable, wearisome, beetle-headed bunch of bum-baileys walking the planet then my name is Luther Blisset.” Brilliant BR 😀
Don’t worry folks. A win for the force of light today. No problem. Robin to get two.
Wonder how cesc feels now. No trophies and pep going to the chavs.
GM – pleeeeease…..
G’day kids..How are we all? 🙂
I’ve been quietly confident all week until today, with all the emphasis on the rain, a heavy pitch and a few of Kelseys match facts stats..
Thank you Raddy and thanks Kelsey..
im a little anxious about the game but if i can find one definate positive its that we play at the same time as Pardews hypocritical foreign toon side and we play before terrys’ boring butchers and twitchys triffic mash..That will at least keep us focused on the job at hand..
I agree with Kelsey, tonight is a must win, i just think its gonna get ugly, the closer we get to the finish line..we must be switched on and i think our desire and mental strength will be key..
I also agree with Peaches with the Ox and Gerv starting but maybe i would prefer it that way
On an ugly day away to an ugly side in Stoke i also pray that the ref has a decent, fair game with all our players getting through unscathed because in the end it will be our Squad that gets us over the line in 3RD….
COYRRG
Yossi wants 3points:
Santos starting? LB or LW would give us the solid middle
https://twitter.com/andre_santos27/status/196205847095934977
GM – actually, you are more obsessed with Cesc than I am, get a life Michael, he’s gone, forget him 🙂
great tweets
Our Comms Director is there early and says everything fine, tractors obviously haven’t arrived yet Pulis will be fuming!
i love the idea of all you guys putting your faces on your gravatars..no more keyboard heroes 🙂
i would do it as well but im afraid i’ll blind you
im a pretty ugly bloke 🙂
RurP I think thats why Chas decreed we must be wearing sunglasses. Its all in tribute to Kelsey 😀
Robbin – only Kelsey has his real picture 🙂 no idea who’s that bloke in pink
Closer we get to the game the more nervous I am. My fear is that we have been playing poorly for a few weeks now. As I stated before the Wigan game, we are disjointed and right-side dependent.
Without Theo as the outball and with RvP off-form someone else will have to step up. Or better yet, we play as a team …..
All for One, One for All
I don’t Belive we can win today. Performances against Wigan and Chelsea are those of a team that are playing with holidays in mind.
Our best hope is that stoke had a big old school northern night out and a dirty kebab last night.
This isn’t our kind of game and I would predict 3-1 stoke.
But then I’m a grumpy sod.
RuRP. Kelsey and the sunshine band. Do you wanna be in his gang?
GiE, Evonne,:-)
i always had this vision where id casually rock up to this ‘tavern’ (after tracking down that kebab place first) wearing a specially made ‘Arsenal Arsenal’ shirt and carrying a tray of peronis….maybe id wear a name tag for decoration…NoW, that would be my entrance!!
And its all possible with your ‘mugs’ on the world wide web 🙂 🙂
As for Kelsey, how hard would it be to stroll the beaches of spain..
Id just look for the ‘Adonis’ with wavy locks and all the chicks hanging around him.. 🙂
Guys im a little worried bout the game, how bad is the rain? 😦
Actually, there is a really bad song by a 2 man, twin boy band named “milli vanilli” who won awards in America and they had a song called “Blame it on the rain”…They later got busted for miming the songs with playback at their concerts…where is Redders? I heard they were his favourite band 🙂 🙂
Evonne, cute puppie 🙂
We have a job to do today, after qpr and wigan, there will be no excuses. Other teams take care of business vs stoke, and we are fighting for something!
— and GIE great post yesterday about the media and rumours. Why do they always seem to be anti arsenal?
VCC 🙂
Im already in a gang….its called the MIGHTY ARSENAL
COYRRG
Teams in
Congrats to Southhampton, massive climb and its taken a while and having sold all their top talent with the exception of CHIMPan’Z boy.. 4-0 Welcome back to the best league in the world
by the way are Southampton our enemy in any way? dont want to embarass myself..haha
What happens to the Hammers, do they have to play-off?
jnyc – no one likes us…we don’t care. Heres a vid from a while back that you may or may not have seen, which is George Graham explaining to the players that the media don’t like us because nothing leaks from us.
Cracking pre match….Stoke really are a horrible horrible bunch of right classless oiks
C’mon you gunners
Like the team
Hope Gerv does something to justify his start today. Can’t help thinking Le Coq should be in the 11 somewhere…he’s got real fight in him.
RurP only reason Southampton can be considered an enemy is because of whatever Cockerill said to Paul Davis that made him smash his jaw into pieces with one punch.
Can’t find a vid of the actual push 😦 It was a cracker and was only punished because of TV evidence
GiE,
so the ref didnt see it? wouldnt that sort of violent behaviour set a precedent for the likes of Balotelli…
i hate Fat Sam Allydarce..he looks like a pregnant pig
BR:
All I can hope is that Aaron makes a fool of me and has a spectular game. But I have severe doubts.
I read that in his last game he had a 97% pass success rate but only one pass created a chance!
I feel frustratred already……
RurP he was the first to be tried by video evidence I believe it was cleverly off the ball. 🙂
He wasn’t that sort of player at all Cockerill was Southamptons hard man and had been giving verbals all match.
robbin – thank you, he is absolutely gorgeous. If he wasn’t farting he’d be perfect
Polish TV called this game the biggest of this season
ramsey and Gervinhov??
i love BOSScielny !!
4-5-1 Micky??
Re – Davis and Cockrill.
It went back to the previous year i think. Cockerill injured Davis in the previous game which had been tasty aswell.
HuGE day for a 21yr old kid…Ramsey! behind you all the way..
Made it. That was close.
Come on you Gunnnnners
good on RvP, not going to take any shit from the Orcs
god i hate stoke!
WTF. Stupid defending from Sagna. Backs to the wall now.
cheers for the pre-match big daddy, reminds me just how must i hate the orcs!
Poor from sagna, and very unusual for verm to get out jumped, normally he doesn’t give crouch one header
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
YeaH BABY!!!
rosicky what a superstar! well played by yossi and rosicky and RVP’s positioning is back baby!
he scores when he wants!
Brilliant from Bennie and Mozart. Get in ….
you can see who the footballing side is.
is it 4-5-1 ? looks like that to me
Come on Wigan !!
well played ramsey, takes a lot of guts to go into a 50/50 like that especially against this team
oz x
wigan winning by 2 goals already
Cmon Gerv you had it on a plate, you wont get many chances like that… 😦
when you get paid that much money surely you ca put your body on the line for the team, gerv should have done a lot better there!
wasn’t gevninho off side?
afternoon evonne, you must be devastated…no delap!!!
gerv chickened out of that. we need a second before half time
nah, delap’s history. plus if it was going to win us the game, I’d personally cut his big ears off
only if the linesman puts his flag up, and most refs go out drunk these days.. 🙂 how are ya OZ ?
that’s right your a verm groupie now!
we so need a fox in the box,could have had 3
kelsey – yes, orcs scored most goals in 2nd half this season
good RuVP, busy as buggery, disappointed the EPL is coming to a close, but i’ve still got my AFL to tide me over. How about yourself?
same as yourself mate both with work and AFL…id do almost anything for 3 points tonight!
why is Per not playing? he could take care of Crouch
Oz – Europa Cup in Poland in June/July
wigan are 3 up. We’ll get third
gm – of course, even without Cesc 🙂
who are our subs,please
evonne
Who’s cesc?
super, feisty pre-match report BR. Much better than the rubbish in the Guardian today. Really enjoyed reading it.
Arsenal are playing well and deserve to be in front. More of this in the second half and we win 3-1 – 14/1 odds by the way 😉
Gervinhio needs to get the crap over the Africa Cup of Nations final defeat!Yes he missed the penalty which should won the game but come on he gets paid backet loads of money and should be over that by now!
We are doing ok. Nothing great, nothing bad. Really could go either way. I’d get Ox on for Gerv to add some quality!
xy. Agreed.
Good to see us physically compete. We made it clear from kick-off that we were not going to be phased. FairPlay to Stoke.apart from the terrible early tackle by some beetle browed numbskull which resulted in a yellow, they have been disciplined.
We keep playing this way, we will get at least a point but with Newcastle in deep trouble we do not need to throw caution to the wind.
Well pleased with the aggression and fight shown by our boys today.
This stoke side is not so formidable, I agree Micky Gerv off or benny after an hour.I don’t wnt 80% possession and then we concede a stupid goal. Ramsey is playing well but should stick to the simple things first. We really should win this.If the other results stay this way a win really nearly cements third,the players must know that.
god wigan what on earth. toon, arsenal and manure in a month, would like to have seen the odds on that.
@ xycube
you are right, gerv seems to have all the moves but without the finish
@ Evonne
are you going?
internationals aren’t my cup of tea
Gervs forehead is long…maybe we should squash it so it protrudes a bit 🙂
That said was happy with the fight we carried that half.
The Irish pundit on the stream im on just said “Ramsey bossing midfield passing”. Theres a large pipe for a few people to smoke on 🙂
TR7 and Yossi linking up well, Gerv started brightly too. Stoke are playing for free kicks as soon as they enter our half we must learn to be smarter in trying to win back possession there.
Following on from Kelsey’s football comment, the FX mic picked up Pulis after a free kick awarded on half way line and Crouch looked to take early:
“Leave it leave it, set it up get in the box.”
Pennant approaches the ball
“Leave it leave it…..Ryaaaan, Ryan….edge of the box”
Sam Allardyce school of restarts……what a front bottom.
Must win this game, don’t want any draw nonsense, Rasp is going to be impossible to talk to if we don’t win.
Gerv needs to grow some, that was a bit of a half-hearted fairy jump to meet Sagnas excellent cross in the first half.
…… and Yossi, you have to love him don’t you ….. I do 😆
Subs: Fabianski, Squillaci, Chamakh, Oxo, Santos, Diaby, Le Coq
Listening on Radio Stoke and the commentator has just said “they´ve watered the Arsenal half of the pitch at half time , not the Stoke half”. WTF!!! Is that sort of thing allowed ?
oz – i’ll be in poland in july, but not going to games, couldn’t get any tickets. Plus, i don’t do internationals, both Poland and England never get far enough
agreed big daddy, he really is a pimple!
micky – wenger warned the orcs before the game, that we are going better equipped 🙂
bringing on upson this is a joke
Bendtner just got one for Sunderland ?!!
spanish – yes, press are allowed to tell porkies
kozzer is a soldier, i swear every game he cops a knock to the head
nick got 2 for sunderland
Time to take off Gervinho
Arsene please sub Gervinhio
tough call on the sub, gerv is obvious but benny and song on yellows,… i think it might be a double in the 75th with ox and diaby unless a goal drops earlier…this game is on a knifes edge 😦
come on make a change!
vermaelen free kick please or robin please please get in
vermalen hit shawcross, lovely, not hard enough
well done Rambo
if verm was shooting and i was in front of it i’d dive out of the way, he has an absolute cannon. come on it was a handball!
handball!
i was just about to say what good job the ref is doing today
Ref had Midori for breakfast
come on ref!
no, wasn’t a penalty
thank goodness it’s not k.jones!!!
RoryD, feck
Oh great Gervinho off and Chamakh on …… we’re still going to be playing with 10 men 😦
someone call an ambulance for me
Dick heads
We really need a second striker
Arsenal 18 shots, Stoke 4 – says it all. We need a player who can put away chances
we did ok, hard game, hostile atmosphere, the usual shit from the orcs, one point is ok.
Haven’t been able to watch, but with Toon getting thrashed at Wigan a point for us at the Orcs is fine.
Point OK but we should have had it well won in the first half – same old !! Only the Wigan result makes the point OK
Agreed Rasp. it could have been worse though…lucky toon lost and we didnt…
Everyone said we wouldn’t have a late season collapse again. It all comes dwn to fatigue, the loss of important players to injury and the mindset of the players – not good enough
You’re forgetting totnum Rocky. We won’t get 6 points out of our next 2 games so we have to rely on the spuds dropping points.
We need a creative midfielder badly and a proper striker = the opposite of Chamakh
Chamakh did just fine in the time he was on. RVP was simply not holding the ball up for us….Cham came on and allowed us to really push them back again.
I’ll happily take that point…especially after that late scare which Sagna cleared ….
I would love to see the freekick awarded against diaby again, to me he brought the ball down equisitly.
Did we look tired ? I don’t think so. We need a second goal poacher.
What does Chamakh do?
Diaby was limping at the end 😦
It’s a good point at Stoke, I’d have settled for that before ko
So predictable – pathetic to concede that goal to Crouch. Did we even prepare or practise to defend against Stoke’s tactics?
I agree Rasp. Not good enough. OK but we should be out of sight by now.
Why bring on Chamakh and not put in a cross? He is never going to score on the ground.
Oh well I’d have taken a point at 3pm, Stoke limited us to chances from outside the box second half and we didn’t get the rub of the green (well at least no lucky deflections).
Anyway as I said would have taken a point at 3pm, 8 points ahead of Chavs (2 games in hand) 7 points ahead of Spuds (2games in hand) 4 points ahead of Toon (1 game in hand).
So by my maths we still need 2 wins but it depends on other results.
I wouldn’t settle for it, it just proves that in some areas we haven’t progressed at all.
Robin seemed to be struggling today, his hold up play was rather hit or miss.
Rasp – Chamakh did seem to be good at holding up the ball but his passing is so weak – pathetic even 😦
I think we need 4 points. The home game v Norwich is vital
That’s because he is weak and pathetic, he’s supposed to create goalscoring chances isn’t he? Well we all know he won’t even try to score unless it’s with his head. Send him back to France and cut our losses, he’s a waste of a squad number.
As i posted this morning- – no excuses. This is a bad result,i will watch the match after work, but no matter what happened, these recent results are more than disappointing, and even if we get third, it will be harder to convince robin to stay. And harder to bring in quality players then.
Also, as usual the ref allowed a team to be really dirty in their play towards us. How was the push on Yossi not a pen, he was in control of the ball until he was felled from behind??????
So sad for Diaby. He just cannot get a run of games without injury. I would sell him if poss as we must find space for O-C and JW.
Shame because he is a super player when fit.
Cast your minds back to last season, our team went there and collapsed 3-1. I remember Carliots match report headline “This is My Arsenal and That wasn’t good Enough”.
Well would anyone be as damning today seriously?
Rasp they out how many crosses into our box today? We conceded 1 goal, my guess is yes we did practice, because Szczesny was coming out for everything he could and claimed really well, and we only conceded 1 from about 20 odd crosses and limited them to as you say 4 shots….thats good defending.
As for up front, what else would anyone else have done given whats available, as Sharkey says RvP was finding it hard to hold play up on his own, so Cham was out on to occupy a second defender, which then meant RvP found some space to operate and again as Sharkey said we started to pressure again.
Take the point get the hell out of dodge, and seriously just try not to get so down on the team.
JT was red-carded for that and the player didn’t even have the ball!!!!!!
We did not miss Arteta though! 😆
Peaches. Love your avatar – a perfect likeness!
😆 Raddy, I thought so …………………
There is no way either Chavs or Spuds will win all those games in hand, so in that respect I suppose a point looks ok.
On the other hand, I cannot wait until next season and having to watch us in that away strip.
Subbed Gerv way way too late.
Rasp,
A creative midfielder I agree, but boy do we need more goals from wide left as well as the AM.
Is it ok to laugh at the Stoke Fans mimmicking Arsene. I did.
Raddy – still no tickets, even I haven’t got one atm 😦
Appalling behaviour Micky – I hope they’ll be really embarrassed when they see themselves – no class
Rasp. why wont we get 6 points from Norwich and WBA, Newcastle with Chelsea, Everton and City to play are out of it so its all down spuds winning all their games and hoping we dont. It wont happen.
GIE. YOu know both Rasp and I are very positive about our team and it’s prospects BUT, apart from the goal what did we really create? A couple of RvP headers.
Peaches/Daddy,
Exchange for Norwich opens Monday I think and I will hopefully get two tickets. Not entirely sure at this stage whether I can go or not, so if successful and cannot make it, I’ll let you both know.
We won’t get 6 points out of the next 2 games because we are Arsenal and we crumble under pressure from teams we consider ourselves to be superior to. Its because we write their game plan for them and then play our part by playing exactly how they expect us to. The only way we’ll get 3rd is by the other teams dropping points.
Micky – don’t forget I’ve still got your tickets. How do you know it opens on Monday?
We haven’t played well for the last 5 games and we still haven’t won a prem game without Arteta.
Peaches 🙂 🙂 you have new shades!
Peaches,
Did you ever watch Baddiel and Skinner. They used to show fans in Spain charging up and down following a linesman and mimmicking his every move.
I loved Baddiel and Skinner, always wanted to invite them round for a drink – they were a real hoot ……. don’t remember that though …..
Peaches,
Forgot about that. I have the membership numbers though. Hold onto them, you may be using them!
“Big Raddy says:
April 28, 2012 at 5:12 pm (Edit)
GIE. YOu know both Rasp and I are very positive about our team”
Erm…..
“Rasp says:
April 28, 2012 at 5:16 pm (Edit)
We won’t get 6 points out of the next 2 games because we are Arsenal and we crumble under pressure from teams we consider ourselves to be superior to.”
😀
I agree we didn’t create much but I’m willing to admit Stoke defended well and marshalled RvP out of the game second half. That’s why the shot stat above annoys me because it’s not like we created gilt edged chances to say we are desperately in need of a second striker. We were shooting from outside the box, which is the other complaint normally levelled.
I cannot question the players attitude today they fought Stoke for possession and were too often pulled up for non fouls by the easily home influenced Foy who we all know is a useless ref. We were winning second balls.
But we all see different games so that’s my opinion. But we will hear from Chas as to the feeling inside the ground, but my guess would be they would be happy to take the point. I know I would and am.
Rasp – do you think we crumbled pressure today…??
It is true, Robin was usually surrounded by a minimum of five orcs when he received the ball in the area. I know I should whisper this but if you’re the attacking team and you can see your target man has four/five defenders around him shouldn’t that leave a lot of space elsewhere to play into??? Runs away and hides behind BB’s sunglasses 😳
AW thought it was a penalty too 😦
Very good point Peaches. What were the others doing with all that extra space?
Shouting for a second striker is utterly pointless with the system we play. Demanding more goals from the wide boys and AM, on the other hand, is not.
Good point today
Anyone venture to guess why The Ox didn’t come on …….
Peaches,
Just been on exchange and not open yet.
Because Chamakh is better 😦
Rasp Bolton will put you out of your misery, spuds won’t beat them.
And no Raddy I don’t think Rasp is Positive, Much as I think he would like to be. We didn’t play that badly today and yes we do need a second striker, but we knew that before they kicked off and if rumour is to be believed the Pod will do that job.
Stoke score 65% of their goals from the Air so why the surprise that one of their Army of Stretched lumps got his head on one. Although we didn’t really look in trouble for the vast majority of the game.
We were denied a penalty perhaps. Had that gone in no doubt people would be happy.
The two games to come will be played on the ground at speed and for that reason I believe we will prevail
Micky, you make it sound as though players stick to their positions whatever the pattern of play. Wide players do not score goals from wide positions, they cut in if they want to create a shooting oppoortunity for themselves. What we continually fail to do is to get enough bodies into the box. Often its pointless putting the ball out wide because we do not have anyone charging into the box to get on the end of crosses. There are two reasons, we do not train them to do it and we keep recruiting players for whom it is not thier natural game.
The chavs and both mancs drew at stoke and spuds and bindippers lost there this season why would anyone expect anything but a very difficult game?
You are deluding yourself dandan. Both Swansea and W Brom play really good passing football – just like Swansea and Wigan …. do you really think we’ll get 6 points from those games? With Arteta on the pitch we may have had a chance.
Robin had a header clawed away at base of post, Gerv shoud have been braver…..we did enough to win I think.
I also noticed Diaby limping at the end…shocking how he simply cannot play 20mins without causing himself a problem. Its just mad.
Well said DanDan
Micky – I just looked at the Exchange and there was one ticket so I snapped it up. I think it has been open all week. They’ve changed the system and the look of the page. When you log in now you get the map of the stadium and if there are any tickets available they show up as little dots within the block – there have only been a handfull of tickets all week.
Stoke’s home stats all competitions:
P 21 W 10 D 7 L 4 GF 32 GA 20
Premier League
P 17 W 7 D 6 L 4 GF 22 GA 17
Some of the teams they have held or beaten at Britannia:
Man United 1-1
Liverpool 1-0
Spuds 2-1
Man City 1-1
Chelsea 0-0
Valencia 1-1
and now us (included in the above)
Their Premier League defeats were to Newcastle, QPR, WBA and Sunderland.
GM – exactly. I am not sure why others are so disappointed with a draw. I was dreading the worse and it almost happened. Like them or hate them, Stoke are a force to be reconed with
But Rasp,
I completely agree. We play a front three. That’s one striker, so I agree Gerv should be cutting in to shoot. He doesn’t. The midfield should shoot. They don’t. How many goals did Cesc get in a season?
One striker does not mean nobody else gets into the box or scores. In this side, it does. That’s the problem.
OK Micky, I’m in complete agreement with that, what a shame our training staff haven’t twigged
Some perspective here: Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Spuds (among others) all failed to win at the Stadium of Orcs this season.
We don’t have a God given right to win all our games and sometimes a hard fought draw away from home is a perfectly respectable result.
That’s not to say we can’t do better, but talk of a collapse seems a little overheated to me.
In addition our front three do change sides and positions so it would not be ridiculous to assume that they all should be able to unleash a shot ……….. 😦
The goal doesn’t move, and neither do defenders in a team like Stoke, they fill the box with defenders for a reason, as GG said on TalkShite last year, ten dustbins standing still in a box are hard to score past, let alone when the dustbins have legs. If RvP has three or four men around him he cannot receive the ball, let alone find a pass to another man, other men might be in space but guess what the space isn’t in the danger area because there are four men marking that space not RvP himself.
Put more players into the box and hope to meet a header is one option, thats what Stoke do, second option is to move the defenders about by clever runs and passing, shooting from distance and crossing from varied positrons, the last thing is the one thing we don’t do well enough or often enough, but then if we did it would just be met by a groan of “why do we bother no-one will ever win that against their defence.”
Peaches,
Well done. Hope its a good expensive one!
Rocky, take a look at the seasons compared widget at the top right of the page – we’ve taken 2 points out of the last 9
GiE,
I wouldn’t mind betting that when you play in goal, you move the sodding thing about a bit as and when it suits you 🙂
Right i’m out of here because it appears there is no reasoning…….
I’ll leave you with words from the BBC match report:
“The aesthetic football of Arsenal has regularly struggled to flourish at the Britannia Stadium with the Gunners having lost three of their last four games against the muscle of Stoke going into the match.
This time around, Arsenal displayed plenty of intent and industry as they combined the style of their football with the substance they are often criticised for lacking.”
“The Potters had quickly started to employ the tactics that have proved successful in the past as they pressed Arsenal and tested the resolve of the Gunners defence with some searching aerial balls.
The visitors seemed ready for the challenge though and Arsenal carved out two early chances”
Micky I used to hand from the cross bar at every opportunity to make it a bit lower 😉
Rasp,
I think the end of season collapse last season was an attitude problem. I don’t think that’s the case now.
Rasp. You are saying we don’t have a chance to win our next 2 games
Hang with one arm, smoke with the other. Good look 🙂
Rasp
Another way of looking at it is that we drew with a team who are now in with a chance of being champions of Europe and we toughed out a draw at a ground where our recent record has been terrible. And that’s with some injuries to key players.
I’m watching it now ( delayed) and we’re playing really well (25 mins in).
Oh don’t cop a strop GiE, its all friendly and reasonable. Rasp is a bit miserable, that’s all.
In fact, I’d say it is our attitude that will see us over the line and in third.
Micky @6.06
Exactly.
Watching this game feels very different to the lame efforts at the end of last season.
GiE
I thought Szczesny seemed a bit flat footed for the Crouch goal. Am I being harsh?
GIE. OK, I was wrong about Rasp, but BR is positive about the team 😀
The question is “Am I happy with a point at the Britannia?” and the answer is that I am satisfied but not happy.
RL. Later in the broadcast you will see the goal from another angle and see it was unstoppable given Chesney’s starting position. It was a good goal.
Arsenal fans sound great.
Well done Chas!
I’m off to a classical piano concert tonight. How rock’n’roll is that
One reason I’m feeling like this is that since little has changed, I’m preparing myself for the usual summer transfer debacle.
I enjoyed the game. I thought Stoke played well, better than their usual, a bit like football used to be, physical yes, but well organised and disciplined. Fast and furious, just the way I like footy
Nearly half time now (for me). Really good half for us – in addition to the goal we’ve had three or four really good chances (particularly Benny, Gerv and another great RvP effort). We could easily be 2 or 3 up.
Rasp
For me, a LOT has changed. We still have failings, but watching this game is nothing like watching the fragile, characterless defeat-junkies of last year.
Right lads. Mozart, Ravel, Schubert and Fauré for me. All better than Sham 69!!!
Rocky – second half is even better, Robin scores twice
Micky, you Philistine 🙂
Hi Rocky, surely you are suffering from deja vu with phrases like “we’ve had three or four really good chances . We could easily be 2 or 3 up.”
We are still 2-3 players short of a team that will compete with the best. It is quite possible that one or 2 of our existing emerging players will be part of that 2-3, – but what if RvP and Song leave?
What is the world ends tomorrow Rasp. 🙂 If song leaves we’ll get mvilla if robin leaves then we’re a bit cattle trucked. See you all later
No Rasp
This time last year I wasn’t bemoaning missed chances. It was our lack of bottle that was upsetting me then.
What if we sign Podolski and M’Vila? And keep RvP and Song?
I just don’t see this as ‘groundhog day’ – but you clearly do.
I guess that’s the joy of watching football. We all see it differently.
gm, we won’t pay upwards of £20m for M’Vila unfortunately.
how about Llorente, bargain at £30m
Have just seen the Benny penalty appeal.
Probably not a pen, although there was a shove in the back.
However, I can safely say it was much more of a pen than any of Ashley Young’s recent ones.
Hi Evonne, Llorente was amazing in the EL semi and is a bargain at £30m, but not for us.
hiya Rasp 🙂 why not for us, except the price tag of course
OK – seen the whole game now.
We did pretty well and I just can’t feel as negatively about the performance as you do Rasp. I even thought Chamakh looked OK (although Diaby was really rusty and also looked like he pulled up injured right at the end).
If we don’t beat Norwich maybe I’ll join you in the doldrums, but if we do beat them, will you join me in being optimistic again? 🙂
I can understand Rasps frustration. What was needed was a 23 old Ramsey, Chamberlin, or Wilshere to create or score a goal. We all realise we are not were we want to be but it will come and we as fans have to show more paitence. That been said, we competed very well today, and with a bit more effeciency would have scored a couple of more goals in the first half.
In conclusion then, we are making progress, and our time is just round the corner. We have the talent, but many of those exceptionaly talented individuals are yet to reach maturity. When they do we will thrash the likes of stoke, and Tony Pullis will end up having a punch up with one of his players over a towel flicking incident gone wrong. Great times ahead.
So I am Delusional EH. OK, maybe that’s why I don’t get angry over football, or could it be, that I feel life’s just too short for all that Anger?
As for this summer it will bring what it brings, good or bad, no doubt it will fuel the blog with endless discussions and at the end of it, come hell or high water, we will still all follow the Arsenal into a new season, with the same hopes and in my case delusions. Happy I guess that I am lucky enough to be an Arsenal fan.
So disappointed with the second half. Crazy not bringing the Ox on.
Diaby and Chamahk have to go, I’m fed up of both of them.
Rasp – I get very sad and hurt when we lose, but I cannot get angry with my team, especially when they played well. Ok, they didn’t win, but they played well. I’d critisise them if they threw the game, but they didn’t
Great write up by the way “Pre match King”.
rocky – you missed the vital points in the game
dandan, lets get one thing straight. If there is one person on here that is not delusional its you.
Lets get third spot, and march on next season. Ime very excited.
evonne
eh?
you were blogging and watching. no man can do multitasking, not even you 🙂
🙂
evonne
I am that advanced mutation of the human species that has learnt how to use a pause button…
Terry
I think I manlove you 🙂
A point away at Stoke with an apparently tired team missing a couple of key midfielders is a decent result. It’s not great and it’s certainly not rubbish.
Spurs and Chelsea show no signs of winning all their remaining games, and Newcastle definitely won’t based on their run-in and today’s “performance”. A win at home to Norwich next week and I think 3rd is pretty much secured.
It’s pretty obvious we need a few players, today’s game hasn’t shown us anything we don’t already know about the squad. A creative midfielder and a striker are a must, then see what happens after that. Speaking of creative midfielders, what a beautiful cross that was from Rosicky for the goal. World class.
3 tasks at the same time! No way 🙂
Guys, I can see Rasp’s point of view, I’m half with him.
The two guys who came on (Diaby and Chamahk) are just not good enough, just imagine if we had two class layers to come on, we would be in a different position. Wenger seems to hang on to guys that are not good enough far too long.
Even try some fringe players, they would not do any worse, surely.
you caught me out evonne 😦
(how did you know about the third thing I was doing….?)
oohhh!! you!!! All right, you win
Slim
TR7 had an excellent game today. Our MoTM I thought.
VCC
Chamakh did Ok in the short space of time he had (and we haven’t exactly held on for him for too long – he’s only been here a season and a half). As for Diaby – he’s had about an hour of football in months. Of course he’s not going to look great.
Rocky… Exactly……why not play Coquelin instead of Diaby (Wengers new love child) .
As for Chamahk, that shows how short we are for players up front?
It really worries me if Wenger see’s it like
you, that Chamahk is the answer up front.
I’m sorry, I have seen enough of him to judge he is not good enough for the mighty Arsenal, IMO.
Not seen any of the game today, but just want to make a point about Chamakh.
He has never, and will never be, an impact player capable of turning games from the bench. All his stats show that when starting games he has a decent record, but from the subs bench, he’s dreadful. That’s why we need a replacement for him who can have an impact as a sub. Also, we can’t expect to have 3 or 4 world class players in every position, especially with our financial restrictions. Djourou, for example, is not a favourite at the club, but there aren’t many better 4th choice CB’s around.
VCC
I’m not sure I said I see Cham as the answer up front. But in the circumstances, against a tall team and with time running out, I don’t think it was the worst decision in the world.
I agree with you that he’s probably not good enough for us (or at least, his style of play is not suited to us) and I have a feeling he’ll go back to France in the summer.
I also agree that Coq might have been a better option than Diaby – but I suspect AW went for Diaby because of his height and also because he carries more of goal threat.
Peaches and Rasp,
Report sent to Arsenal nuts.
I haven’t really had a go at player ratings, so if anyone else wants to send some in?
GM,
Is that you at 6:35? Hahahahahahahahaha, brilliant.
Well done Chas – could hear you lot loud and clear all through the game!
chas, did you enjoy the game? I could hear you here, well done
evonne 😀
great minds 🙂
Not my favourite game of the season, Evonne and Rocky.
But at least I got out alive. 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0qU-vjIr_k
Thanks chas, you’re a star 😉
Lovely goal.
The Orcs probably didn’t recognise you because of your sunglasses Chas 🙂
chas – can you be an angel and send the photos again separately please xx
One thing Chamakh is good at, is heading.His goals before he joined us was pretty good, but a striker he ain’t.invariably he has his back to goal and passes sideways or backwards as if he is afraid of the ball. A bad bit of free business.
Gerviho is another who reminds me of Walcott. in a way.Plenty of speed, but gets his feet mixed up and has a lame shot.
I thought schnitzel had a good game today my man of the match.
We dis well to get a point, could have won it,but many thought beforehand we would lose.We are getting there.
Have i started a fashion ;).
that young black girl on the Voice, Ruth brown has some lungs on her.
Sign her up for your band Kelsey.
Done, oh Raven-Haired one.
GIE,
Billy Bragg?!!!!!!
Cheeky fecker.
Kelsey u went all street there for a second….must be the glasses..
“We dis well” 8)
Maybe Diaby is getting game time because Wenger wants to make a decision….that said its a free transfer only I fear given his injury record.
I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to fix my Sky box..well I’ve successfully disconnected the HDD which now means it can at least do the primary function of watching TV.
Now to somehow format a new HDD to make it work with sky box.
I always wanted to have long blond hair and now my wish has come true but come midnight I shall be returned to old raven haired chocolate legs …….. thank you kelsey 😀
dandan & GiE, once again you have been the voice of sanity. I can understand Rasp’s frustration and I think we all share some of it at least, but that was not a bad performance at all. We are missing a bit of class and sparkle at the moment, but which team is not at the moment?
I am very pleased with the way we battled today and we did really boss the midfield, which was crucial. To come back from an early goal was also no mean feat: we needed to keep cool and focussed and not try to force it, and so we did. The goal was pure class too.
To be fair on the Orcs – for once they played fair and did not try to wind our players up, but I am looking forward to Chas’ report on his ‘live’ experiences! 🙂
To criticise Chamakh for his performance at the game is simply ridiculous. I agree with most on here that it is time for him to go, but he did nothing wrong in those 8 minutes or so he was on the pitch. In fact, I thought he helped us regain some shape and momentum, and he put in a bit of a shift, and he should have come on at least 15 minutes earlier. But if it makes the likes of Rasp and VCC feel a bit better to have somebody to aim their disappointment at, then I am all for it! 🙂
Peaches, I love your avatar – you are the embodiment of sunshine on AA 🙂 I also like the ‘real deal’ pictures of Evonne, GiE, Oz, VCC and Chas 😀
Nice total, thanks
By the way I never answered Rocky earlier….yes Szczesny was flat footed for the goal, thankfully the lad is made of stern stuff and whilst he could have beat himself up for not coming out for it (it should have been his ball because of the trajectory) he came for everything else ultra positively, even flooring Kozzerat one point, which some will think is bad co-ordination but which I think is just good strong keeping. Every centre back should get clouted by his keeper once in a while if the keeper is doing his job properly anyway.
well said GiE, i don’t care if the queen is under it you should come out and take no prisoners. There is no time to look who is under it. A little bit of friendly fire doesn’t hurt anyone.
As for diaby…surely enough is enough! Give lansbury his squad number!
Stoke defended well, so i’d have taken a draw after we conceded. We definitely lack goal threat which is what disappoints me about Gervinho, he offers none! We will still take third though.
As for players coming in, it was reported that grimandi was at a game scouting giroud (french league leading scorer). He is an amazing striker and a future french international star. Although rvp, pod and he look unlikely. But who knows if we get rid of cham and park
Apologies Rasp, I should have phrased my penultimate paragraph differently.
Has anyone seen MotD by all accounts Lineker decided to join in with the Stoke fans. Nice independence there. Reckon he’ll do the same to Fergie at any time? No neither do I.
Lineker is a word that is banned on AA but can be found hiding in the fine North Lincolnshire town of Scunthorpe.
Our time is coming. Dont lose faith my friends, glory is round the corner. Who knows this? Inteligent football men Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson.Man Utd have a great team in the making but we will chalange them, that is certain. Who will come out on top? only the Gods know, but lets enjoy and relish what is to come. A battle for suprecemy awaits and its going to bolt us 1000 feet in the air, bring it on.
Hello chums, and greetings from Singapore. Long time no blogging for 26, usual excuse, muchos work.
After finishing work yesterday eve (yup, on Saturday) I managed to get to a bar to see the second half of the game. As Evonne says, Stoke played well. The element of intrinsic violence was kept below the surface and they were just intense in closing us down across the pitch, a tactic which (if the players are fit and smart enough, works well against us). We didn’t really open them up in that second half, but for me we should have had two penalties. Not the clearest calls but the foul on Benny would have been given outside the box, so should’ve been given inside. And the handball from TV’s shot was definitely a foul, only question was whether it was on the line (in which case penalty) or just outside the box. Referee’s answer: neither.
But truth be told a draw looked right. It’s disappointing to have picked up 2 points from 9 but draws in the toughest games in our run in (Chavs and Orcs) is acceptable. It’s just that defeat to Wigan that causes the frayed nerves. Great news re Newcastle but we definitely need to see Chelsea and Spurs drop points immediately. And we need to lift ourselves for the last two games, we need all six points.
Rosicky, Kos, Sz, Ramsey, Gibbs and TV all looked good. Van Persie was a shade better but still off form. Song continues to frustrate me. But it’s Gervinho that I feel most disappointed by. He really isn’t progressing, he’s going backwards. Is he another Chamakh?
I hate Stoke. Not original I know, but I like saying it. My reasons are mostly obvious (though there is the matter of my wife’s tool of a former boyfriend being from tere and being an Orcs fan). My enmity is reserved much more for Pulis and their fans than it is for the players, many of whom I respect (can’t say I actually like any of them, perhaps except Begovic), even if they are the ugliest team allaying the ugliest football. One thing I don’t really get is how they’ve not been criticised for their failures this year. Yes, they’ve lifted themselves for the bigger teams and had a Europa run but they were one of last summer’s biggest spenders. Even with the Euro games they should be aiming much higher than they are, safe but just above the relegation zone. They should be called out as failures while the likes of Wigan, WBA, Newcastle, Swansea Fulham and Everton have all done well. But it seems Pulis gets an easy ride from pundits.
As for the fans, they just revel in their uber-utilitarian image. Pathetic bunch. But then if we had to wake up every morning in that woe begotten part of the world, we might behave the same way. Tossers.
Ok, over and out, will catch up with you lot when I get back to blighty.
Sorry, meant to say: top prematch Raddy, loved it.
And apols for the errors in my post, I’m blaming this iPhone and it’s eccentric spellchecker, not my shaky grasp of rules of grammar….
Rl @ 1.39 . Beautiful – and so true .
Could anyone tell me what it is that WordPress did a few weeks ago that has in any way improved things?
I’d like it to refresh to the bottom of the page and I’d like my pink panther back. Can’t even join in the fun by adding a “ooo, look how gorgeous I am” pic.
Micky. I don’t understand how the changes improve WordPress. I lose comments, have to repeatedly log-in and it is slower.
No idea why my gravatar works – it seems random.
At least you have an F5 button to refresh, I have to press two keys simultaneously or play mouse. (oh, the problems of modern life!)
Great to see 26 back. Must be lovely and warm in Singapore. We are considering building an ark here. If the price of wood was cheaper I would be out in the yard with a rusty hammer and saw.
Morning Raddy,
If Spurs lose today, then we have St Totteringham’s at home to Norwich. There’s a nice thought.
I think. Also, if Chavs lose, they cannot catch us. I think.
Its Ark conditions here too Raddy.
Raddy,
Am I right in thinking you are still after two tickets, and can I assume they need to be together, or does that not matter?
Having had a night to reflect upon yesterday, it must be said that Stoke played well to restrict us. It is becoming boring seeing teams play such a narrow game against us.
I know the opposition rightly believe that if they pack the area with 10 men within 20 yds of the goal we will struggle, but it makes for a dull game. It is amazing Stoke get the number of fans they do watching the style of shit football week in week out.
Strangely, the teams that play expansively tend to beat us. Wigan, Swansea, MU, Fulham, QPR all attacked us and won.
Micky. Maybe. Could one be available?
Is my panther back?
I’m back.
So what you are saying then is that if they pack men behind the ball, we struggle, and if they play expansively, we struggle also!
Bit harsh 🙂
Another thing.
I was as angry as AW close to the end of the game.
If you recall, we were on the attack, Stoke broke and then with Sagna breathing down his neck , the Stoke player dived to the ground close to the halfway line. The ref gave a free kick and AW went mental. The crowd behind him became abusive (as expected).
What infuriated me was …. Don’t referee’s watch football? It was a clear dive. The Stoke player should have been booked and we should have had a free kick. Instead Stoke gain an advantage and have the opportunity to attack.
I accept that at the end of a game a referee must be tired and can make mistakes but where was the linesman.
😀 Been that type of morning!
Raddy,
I have two red memberships. I won’t know until monday afternoon whether I’m coming and also whether that will be on my own or with Oscar. If with O, then I’ll need two together.
Peaches is now sorted. I will try and get two together whatever I’m doing. I might be able to find a single one elsewhere, so possibly you could have the two together (if available on exchange).
I know I got a telling off from Peaches yesterday, and of course I’mm always against any form of personal verbal abuse, but I still find the mimmicking of AW’s arm waving funny.
Am I right about the maths of Chavs or Spuds losing today?
Micky 7:40. WordPress have done us all a favour, keeping your face off the site. We would all have night mares. he he.
Morning all
I just watched highlights of the Swansea v Wolves game. How the feck we didn’t take full 12 points of them, I cannot understand.
sorry to someone, cannto remember who – Bendtner scored only one goal yesterday, I thought he scored both. But it was a beuaty.
See, we have another striker, bring NicB back! Vela is back already.
Micky – I am sorry you are having problems with your ‘look how beautiful I am’ picture. However, I suspect it’s nothing to do with WordPress 🙂
Just look at my pug, he looks gorgeous wordpress or not 🙂
As for Meireles – someone said he is so ugly. He is/was beautiful, his self-mutilation is disturbing, take a look, perfect face
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=football+meireles&hl=en&sa=X&rlz=1T4ADFA_enGB464GB465&biw=718&bih=409&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=9H1teAiMOyWrrM:&imgrefurl=http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11669/7150415/Meireles-I-am-no-Judas&docid=ooF2q4Zm256I0M&imgurl=http://img.skysports.com/11/08/660×350/Meireles_2642882.jpg&w=660&h=350&ei=RwGcT5TPCouR0QXv0r2KDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=15&vpy=121&dur=1220&hovh=163&hovw=308&tx=245&ty=148&sig=115420237661511379599&page=4&tbnh=112&tbnw=157&start=35&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:35,i:161
Look how beautiful I am.
chas. I bow to your georgeousness
that’s that disgusting chicken balti pie picture, not your best 🙂
VCC,
Fair comment, I could definately be improved upon 🙂
Morning all
My new garden is completely water-logged this morning, good job it’s not finished – I might need a dinghy to get to my greenhouse!!!!!!
Nice to see your pinkness back Micky 😉
I don’t have any problems with wordpress but I’m logged in all the time although I don’t know if that makes a difference.
Tickets – Micky if you look on the exchange right now this very minute there are two – not together but you’ll see how the system has changed. I’ll keep an eye out for both you and Raddy because I have another 2 tickets I can use. Rasp is playing cricket so his ticket is available.
Micky. If I KNOW I have a ticket I would love to come over for Norwich. It was to be 2 tickets now it would be just moi. I need to be sure of a ticket before buying flight and of course the closer to Saturday we are, the more expensive it becomes.
chas – you win 😉
That’s a good ‘un Chas. I still like GiE’s the best. To me it says: ” So I sit in a field and read a book sometimes. What of it?”
Guys, just off the track, sorry. You are all sporty types, so might know what happened to my knee – it’s killing me. No idea why. Not swallen, not bruised. Cannot staighten it and it hurst badly all the time, almost impossible to walk.
Meireles – what on earth happened to him!!!!!!!!!!
Peaches,
My problem is that without two together, I can’t bring Oscar, so I’m waiting until monday evening. Then I get whatever I can and if they are two singles, then I’ll have one spare anyway, maybe two.
Peaches – self-abuse. Wasn’t he a beautiful boy? Perfect features
evonne – does it feel like it’s filled with concrete or like there’s a brick attached to the back of it? Any unusual swelling on the knee-cap?
Evonne,
Could be a meniscal cartilage tear. Either that or gangrene.
Micky – I understand you need two together, I’ve just texted Holly and Carlito to see if they have spares in their group.
Peaches – bit of both, brick and concrete. No swelling. But when I bent it side of the knee cap hurts sooo much 😦 how will i walk the dogs 😦
Gangrene?? I could lose my leg?? off to check meniscal cartilage, thanks xx
Morning Peeps, 🙂
Just read yesterdays comments and being objective about them I have come to a startlingly obvious conclusion!
You are ALL right in what you say, no matter the apparent contradiction.
How so? [A layman’s observations! 🙂 ]
Well, we all have different ways of dealing with disappointment.
Some express themselves in a manner that sounds negative at first read, but is just a rationalisation of the team ‘only’ drawing by picking up on the instances where a mistake(s) was made, because disappointment clouds the ‘good’ play.
Others rationalise by being determinedly positive, knowing from experience that life and football goes on, and anyway no game is so predictable that the result can be guaranteed, otherwise who would want to watch football?
So you see — you are all right — just ways of dealing with disappointment – and delight.
Just what was the Rudyard Kipling poem “IF” was trying to tell us! 🙂
Very true, RA.
There’s no so thing as reality, only how you choose to perceive events.
Chas,
We won yesterday 🙂
Micky,
Compared to Newcastle, I’d say, yes I agree with you.
Stoke are a Pikey club: Pikey ground, Pikey supporters, Pikey manager, Pikey players best illustrated by Jermaine Pennant and the tattoo on his neck. Tattoo on the neck = Pikey, Meireles = Pikey, David Becham = rich Pikey.
A point against that bunch of Pikeys is not so bad. With a Bean pole like Crouch any team can get caught out so in my view it would be harsh to blame the defence including the goalie for letting that one in.
But, on the up side it should be recognised that Arsenal came back with a look of calculated determination and we got our just reward. Newcastle loosing obviously helped as would any points dropped by spuds and chavs.
I know RvP only scores when he wants but we do need him to want it a little bit more in these last few games.
Morning.
Morning all.
I have my own views about this season and what will happen in the Summer regardless if we qualify for CL or not.
evonne, Vela is back ? Back where,may I ask.
Jump.
http://thedailybubbletea.com/2012/04/27/the-jump-project-one-through-thirty/
Re the abuse shouted at Wenger yesterday and Ramsey.
It has nothing to do with the leg break suffered by Ramsey, or with Wenger.I am being imparial here as I don’t want to bring up the feeling by many Arsenal supporters about Shawcross.
There is history between the two clbs since Arsenal beat Stoke in two consecutive FA Cup semi finals in 1971 and 1972 to deprive Stoke a chance of a first ever Cup win.This has been passed down to further generations of Stoke fans.
On the game, a fair result and nothing too physical by either side.
How’s this for DidIt Family logic. It’s raining. I just said to MrsD, sod it, let’s get waterproofed up and go to the Atlantic Cliffs. She says that’s only fun when there’s a Force 7/8 wind minimum. In other words, we’re not going for a walk because the weather is not bad enough!
Morning Micky
Surely it is a Force 7 up there?
LB,
Firstly, its down here. Second, no its a pathetic 4 according to MrsDidIt 🙂
kelsey,
From what I saw yesterday it was exclusively to do with Arsene Wenger and the Ramsey/Shawcross incident.
Kelsey 9:07. How do you explain the boos being loudest when Ramsey was in possession.
Micky. Women, eh !
VCC. The explanation is that they are Orcs and Orcs can only be Orcs
Raddy,
Even my children agree the weather is not bad enough to bother going out!
Right, off to make 8 boiled eggs and eight rounds of marmite toast. Soldiered of course.
“Down there”…….lol
Force 4?……………Tee shirt weather.
micky – a dog is your answer. I am in pain, wind, rain, i have to go to the woods. Get them a dog
BR …im going on a Stoke site and venting my anger. Ive never done this before, but they are a bunch of A— H—-.
I simply hate any thing to do with ManUre, but I would never stoop so low and boo a player who had a horrendous leg break.
Tony Pulis is quoted in the papers “The police must act” ????????? What about him in his programme notes. Why doesn’t he try and tell them to behave and act civilised.
Lets have a New Post ……………..
New Post ………………..
I don’t disagree with that chas, I just said their was history between the two clubs.
Morning all.
Come on Blackburn!
Chavs, Spuds and Toon will all be equal games played by the time we take on Norwich next Saturday so we will see where we need to be.
Spuds have kindest run in altho all teams chasing only have to drop
2 points to leave us needing 3 to secure 3rd. It’s good we will know where the catch up games have left everyone by Saturday next week.
Spuds
Blackburn (h)
Bolton (a)
Villa (a)
Fulham (h)
Chavs
QPR (h)
Toon (h)
Liverpool (a)
Blackburn (h)
Toon
Chavs (a)
ManC (h)
Everton (a)
mua ban oto cu…
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