Let me start by reiterating where I stand re Aaron Ramsey, or for that matter, on any young Gunner who wears the shirt with pride and gives their all for the team: I support them unreservedly.
For me, they are not machines from which we can pull the plug if we don’t like what we are seeing.
Anybody under the age of 23 at Arsenal is still growing into a mature, top-Gunner. Some will make it and some don’t, but just like potted flowers need to be watered regularly, our young talent need to be showered with encouragement and support as much as we can. We, as supporters, need to help our (young) players to reach their potential, because they are part of us, and by investing our energy in supporting them, on and off the field, we will be richly rewarded eventually.
That’s how the likes of RvP, Theo, Song and Koz have become such important players for us now: ‘we’, especially Arsene Wenger and his coaching staff, made them believe in themselves and finally they are starting to deliver for us.
Although the above sounds utterly logical – well, at least it does to me – a large number of fans seem to do the absolute opposite. Aaron Ramsey has recently become the favourite scapegoat for all that is perceived to be wrong at Arsenal, and he is suffering from it.
I could, now, go down the path of the hardship Aaron has had to endure over the last two years. How many times will he have woken up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat, worrying he might never play footie, or anywhere near to his full potential, again? It’s likely that the suicide of Gary Speed, his former national manager and hero, also has had a profound impact on him during the last six months.
Anybody who possesses a healthy dose of empathy and compassion should therefore take it easy on him at the moment – this is only his first full season for Arsenal, after all.
But, I don’t want to pity him too much. This post is about fighting back for Aaron from a pure footballing point-of-view.
As with any up and coming young player, it takes a while before we decide whether we believe he is good enough to make it at Arsenal. But I never doubted Aaron would make it at Arsenal before he broke his leg, and a number of fine performances at the start of the season – notably in Europe – have reconfirmed to me that he still has what it takes to become one of our future legends.
This season, he has been finding his feet, sometimes literally, but only now does he play in the best position for him: the one next to the DM – the link-up, box-to-box midfielder.
Ramsey is no Arteta, but then Arteta had effectively become our ‘first’ DM, and our more obvious choice of DM, Song, became our main link-up midfielder, although these roles were interchanged regularly during matches. Song and Arteta established a fine partnership this year and the latter has been duly missed since his recent injury.
Since Arteta’s season-ending injury, the defensive duties of our midfield have been a shambles. Song has not reverted back to the more traditional holding DM role and Ramsey cannot fill the gaps that are left behind in the way Arteta did. On top of that, and just as worrying, Song and Ramsey are not playing closely together and don’t form a strong partnership at the moment. There is no shape to our midfield as all players – including our most advanced AM, Rosicky – seem to be moving all over the place without much cohesion. Add to that the recent tendency of our CB’s to go bombing forward, running or passing straight through our midfield, and it becomes clear why our midfield has been struggling so much with being the absolute centre of our team.
In the game against Norwich, Ramsey had the highest pass accuracy of all 28 players on the pitch. See match statistics as per link below (posted by Gooner in Exile on Monday):
Yet, he only had 51 touches in 63 minutes of football, and that for an Arsenal – Wenger era – midfield link-up player! I watched the game again (Sky extended highlights) and I got tired from counting the number of times the ball should have been played to Ramsey, who was working his socks off to move into space to receive it. So, he received/touched the ball less than once a minute on Saturday: an absolute crime for such a pivotal position, and the main culprits were Vermaelen and Song. And there have been more games recently in which exactly the same has happened. The only time Ramsey seems to receive the ball is when his colleagues really have no other options, and that is simply not acceptable.
On the extended highlights, Ramsey’s passes were not only accurate but also very effective, moving the game on with precision and momentum. But the game needs to go through a player in his position constantly, and together with Song, Ramsey should be the fulcrum of the team: both the wall in midfield that shields our defence and the instigator for clever and effective attacks. On top of that, they should ensure the shape of our formation is kept in place and guard our style of play. The midfield also needs to bring composure and calm at times, and if this sometimes means that the game is slowed down, so be it. None of this is happening at the moment and Wenger needs to sort it out as soon as possible.
I am no expert, just a passionate life-long footie fan, as all of you are, and for the sake of blogging I am going to share with you what I believe needs to happen for the game against West Brom, if Arsenal wants to get a result there on Sunday:
First, the team need to be told by Wenger that Aaron is pivotal to our team and the ball needs to be played to him, whenever he is in a position to receive it. He should be the first on the team-sheet, so everybody knows how important he/that position is to the team. He needs a strong vote of confidence by the Boss.
Secondly, Aaron needs to be told to stand up for himself and be more demanding. He needs to remain focussed and make the game look simple, moving the ball on constantly and effectively, without feeling he needs to make a killer-pass every two minutes. He can do this.
Thirdly, Song and Aaron need to be working as a close partnership, bringing shape to the midfield, and therefore to the team, once more.
Fourthly, Song needs to sit back as a disciplined DM and shield the defence in our last game. Whether this is the best position for him long-term remains to be seen, but it is absolutely crucial that he is our traditional DM in this last and pivotal game of the season. He can do this.
Fifthly, the CB’s and the rest of the defence need to be more disciplined in holding their shape and keep their composure. Although it is great that both Koz and especially TV like to bomb forward, this needs to be carefully timed and executed. Both CB’s need to be told to play it simple most of the times, which means passing it to either Song or Ramsey, so they –especially Ramsey – can set up the next attack whilst keeping our team-shape intact. With our FB’s already going forward at the first opportunity, I see a lot more risks than benefits in our CBs also leaving their defensive positions constantly. Yet, in recent games our midfield has often been skipped by our CBs with no need to do so, leaving enormous gaps behind them (see also Rocky Lives’ great post on Monday).
Sixthly, Rosicky needs to play closer to both Ramsey and RvP, and not constantly chase the ball all over the pitch. He needs to position himself in the area in front of the opposition’s ‘D’ as much as he can. He needs to help Ramsey in setting up attacks and RvP and the wingers in finishing off chances. Rosicky and the wingers need to make each other constantly available by clever movement, so Ramsey or Song can move the game forward quickly.
But the most important thing is not to give up on Ramsey now. With the above mentioned adjustments we can get the very best out of him again and the team will fully benefit. At pivotal moments like this, we all should hold together and help a player reach another level: this is when we make them rather than break them. Victoria Concordia Crescit are not just three beautiful words: it is what makes Arsenal such a special football club, and why we are fully entitled to associate ourselves with the classification of ‘permanent class’.
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[…] Why Ramsey should be the first name on the team-sheet this Sunday […]
agreed agreed agreed. brilliant article!
Ar u ramsey’s blood broda? U dnt knw futbal.ramsey is nt a gud player anymor.he ramsey cnt trap a ball,cant win a ball,cant pass a ball,can create a chance and cant even score.
Your deluded mate!!! wake up!!
I thought I was the only Arsenal fan that felt this way. We have a fine player on our hands we need to support him especially now when he seems to be struggling.
Gives their all for the team?He’s one of a host of players who don’t chase the ball back with any amount of vigour.Watch the Norwich goals from the weekend and you’ll see Aaron Ramsey along with Thomas Rosicky and Alex song all jogging back without a care in the world as norwich counter attack with speed.Arsenal want to play like Barcelona, at times they attack with the same speed and intelligence but they very rarely defend with the same pace and tact.
all this suggestion on Aaron Ramsey will not prevent him from been accused of upsetting us.He is the only stupit player in our darling club.i dnt know whether he is a bastard son of arsene wenger,i dnt know why he play him after he is killing us.He lacks everything,wenger wants to make him happy and frustrate us.wenger should be sack.
deluded writer
Ramsey doesn’t give his all, he doesn’t track back at all and doesn’t put hardly any tackles in, if he did bother to defend we wouldn’t have conceeded one of the goals at the weekend. If he gave his all and ran his socks off for the team then he would deserve to play, but he doesn’t and should be dropped for someone with more quality or more determination
U said it all. We need 2 believe in ramsy comfidence is just what he need
most of u people who are knocking ramsey is either over weight, got two left feet or never kick a ball in all ure useless life.get up of the sofa. wot did u achive at 22,23 years?
Totally agree with wat u saying,after all that Ramsey has been thru,u cant help but feel for him,remembr how he was performing well at the begining of the season but len got injured,keep the crap to yourself if u a negative fan
Selfish, apartheid and racists i will say you people are. You can make senseless case for Ramsey why not make case for Song and Charmak? Yet an article listed them to be sold and here you are defending Ramsey that is crab.
How many matches did Charmak start since Vanpersie started being on fire?
Sell Ramsey he is an average player who doesn’t understand his role. Our last match he followed an opponent until he scores without sense of urgency. he cant hold the midfield. He always love passing backward. he doesn’t pass on time. Who is his mentor?
This is mid-table club mentality and the result of successful brain-washing and selling of the future by Wenger. Being a top world-class club or rather, AIMING to be a top world-class club, you do not play potential all the time.
We have all came subconsciously to stupidly accept the fact that we can only reply on our youngsters and potential from now on when we have 2 billionaries sitting in the board room not forking a pittance to buy proven world-class players LIKE we should. Granted, proven world class players may not win us trophies but I KNOW what I will choose between them and youngsters/potential. So, Poldoski is probably considered as one after like, 7 barren years? Please…..
I’m sorry but Arsenal shouldn’t even be a club to test out youngsters at the expense of results and precious points at this time and age. It’s not like we are an innovation company where we can fail at many products and hopefully get the big one like an iPhone to make it big. We are in a point system based competition where the stakes are freaking high and little or no tolerance should be allowed to POTENTIALLY throw away points.
You can say Manure does their testing as well, I’ll say you look at the table and tell me if we can afford to CONTINUE testing. There’s only 1 man on this earth that can those at the same time and he is so good that he be the main reason we have hated Manure all this time. Funny now actually, where’s the hatred now after all these while, sadly realising Arsenal has dropped out of the league like a dead homer on the street.
TA.. I disagree with you..
Ramsey is a AM not DM.. eventhough not so good also as AM..
But the problem is.. this time we don’t have any choice..
Can we trust AOC for that position..?? Surely not..
Eventhough I think he play better than Ramsey last week..
But Wenger must had learn from lastweek mistakes..
And If our defenders do their work.. than we will win..
Next season we bring some qualified DM and AM..
And wait for Arteta and Wilshere back..
Go Gunners..
He does have potential but starting him in a season defining match is just ludicrous. We cannot afford to miss out on champions league just to blood one horribly out of form player. He can regain his form in pre-season or even go out on loan. The first team in not a training camp, we need to win matches.
you are right
song has got a bit hollywood with, lets face it, simple lobs over the defence. hes a good player but he needs to make sure he does his primary job first. i like song as a holding player but he seems to have other ideas.it is a team after all.
ramesy is trying to ‘killer pass’ too much but at least the lad never hides!!! his attitude is what we need, his running power is first class and when you have knobs at the games booing him it makes me puke..
blood broda, i cnt b,leaf u…. ee is ah gud player and ur a pants judge n should grow the fook up…
Thank you for a great post. I am really relieved to hear that there are still supporters like yourself. People slating Ramsey are just following a few idiotic leaders and it has snowballed, just like in the past with many players, even van Persie whom these twats wanted sold at one stage. Keep it up.
Just, nobody on ArsenalArsenal is racist – that is a very stupid comment to make. I am a big fan of Song and have defended even Chamakh over the last twelve months, but this article is about Ramsey.
wow…who wrote dat article…this is the most STUPID thing i have read in a very long time and i am a literature teacher….some people just dont know when to stop…
the bigest problem at afc is the negative so call fan. u r slowing the development of the youngsters.a little support does wonders when one is strugling.
Gordon, thanks for your comment. You are making some valid points. I don’t agree with your view that we are relying on youth too much. This policy was changed this season with the purchase of Mertesacker, Arteta, Santos and, now, Podolski, and the loan-deal for Benayoun. There is nothing wrong with adding young talent to those experienced players.
In my post I am saying that Ramsey should be the centre of our midfield and treated as such by his fellow players: he should be used properly. Only then will we see how good he is. If you have the time, just watch the Chelsea game again and see how much better Ramsey became when Diaby came on for Rosicky as he was able to play his role properly.
F22 – what an immature comment for a literature teacher. At least elaborate a bit, if you are able to, that is.
yes, and all that what they have to do can’t be done within last game that is deciding champions league. Ramsey first on the team sheet – YES. But on the bench !!
This writer does not know what he is talking about , once Ramsey pass a ball , he does not know what to do NEXT , he is always confused if he shoulod move forward or backwards , he is not as moblle as Arteta or Wilshere who is MILES ahead of him in development . Just try and watch all his game , Once Jack comes , Ramsey will sit on the bench
TA,
Your support for Ramsey is impressive, especially with all these haters around, but the fact is that he is a player hopelessly out of form. This is a massive game for this club that will not only decide wether we get CL football, but it could also massively impact our future transfers and maybe more importantly, the way the fans act toward the club next season.
Ramsey will have a full pre season to get his form back, and if the likes of Wilshire and M’vila come in to the squad then I think a loan is a good option for his future. Maybe that is what he needs to prove he can become a regular in thisArsenal team.
HenryC, thanks for your comment. Agreed Ramsey is not a DM but an AM, and he would function at his best in a 4-4-2 system next to an unorthodox DM. In our system he can function very well as a box-to-box, link-up midfielder, but we are not using him properly – as I have explained in the post.
You are entitled to give up on him and wish for additional signings in midfield. I would not say no to additional signing(s) but I believe strongly Ramsey will be a top-Gunner.
Abdul M Tahir (10:17)do you really have to use such language for our player? You should be ashamed of yourself.
Just Says(10:25), so defending Ramsey equates to racism!!! And is “crab” or lobster or prawns….( Sigh, where do I start)
i don’t think so .. that he is DM = Defensive Midfield .. The Earlier time of his first carrer is DM .. now wenger changed his position and destroyed his master piece places .. (shot the ball with highest power kick ) that is his former playing style .. now he is playing like what ? or he don’t know himself that he is playmaker or DM . or wing ..
TA,
In your post you said that used players like Song, Theo, RvP and Koz as examples of players who had been nurtured. These players were all getting the same amount of grief that Ramsey is getting at the moment, but what they all did is go away and work hard on their games. Kozzer was slated last season as a poor signing, but he’s obviously gone away in pre-season and worked on his game and has been our 2nd best player this year.
Ramsey needs to have a strong pre season, get his sharpness back which will still be 80% due to the leg break, and prove he is Arsenal class. Talent will get him so far, but hard work will take him further.
Slim, I think he is hopelessly underused rather than hopelessly out of form, but the former is having an adverse effect on the latter. That’s why I believe he needs to become central again in our tactics.
A brilliant Post, TA, and you are to be commended. 🙂
You would have been aware that you would attract a lot of half-wits more intent on verbally abusing not just Rambo, but you too. 😦
It is soul destroying trying to reason with such people, and how sadly moronic was that F22 guy who claims to be a literature teacher, unable to string a proper, coherent sentence together, or spell correctly. Shameful!
This is great Total,
Just what the doctor ordered during this painful week. Cats and Pigeons everywhere. Love it.
As for my opinion. I think the man may well turn out to be an Arsenal great. Right now, he is very much work in progress, and far from the finished article. As for WBA, there is no chance I’d start him. He is simply not as good a defensive midfielder as Coquelin, which is what we need alongside Song. On top of which, he is not as good offensively as Rosicky.
What formation AW ends up using in the years to come, and where AR will fit in, I don’t know. However, I firmly believe he has a great future, but sunday is very much a game for the “now”.
Hi an thanks RA 🙂 Other than you and Slim all the other regular AA-ers are still behind LB’s monstrous sofa!
F22’s comment really made me laugh, RA – that’s why I challenged him to elaborate… 🙂
Ranks @ 10:23,
Anyone who knocks Ramsey is overweight 🙂
I love this comment.
Wow, a lot of positive and negative comments to a stunning article, well thought out and well presented. Great job TA.
I personally completely agree with you. Rambo has great potential and I think he is an important player for us. He has had a decent season, a lot of expectation and pressure has been put on the lad and this year has seen him rise to be Captain of his country and been given more first-team responsibilities.
He is still a young player whose development has been immense since his return from that shocking injury. Don’t forget, he has lost a considerable amount of time in his career and it takes time to come back from that.
He was overplayed in my opinion at the start of the season and he looks tired, but even so he is still performing well considering his age and experience.
I think people expect far too much from him. I think they expect him to be a player like Cesc, or Jack. He isn’t either of them. He is more like Cahill of Everton, or Kevin Nolan of West Ham. He is a box-to-box midfielder who has a shot on him. He isn’t the creative fulcrum, that needs to be a collective effort.
All of you people who say Rambo isn’t good enough need to have a serious think. Much like we rely too much upon Robin for his goals, you would have Rambo responsible for our entire creative performances.
You can’t have it both ways. We don’t have anyone else to play that position due to injuries and he is certainly good enough for Arsenal.
Getting on his back won’t help him perform any better and it won’t magically bring back Cesc, or Jack, or Arteta
Arsene should put Rosicky back in the middle in front of Rambo and tell Rambo to sit deep and create and keep his running in the centre.
WG
Coquelin should start ahead of him in sunday game,to make up the midfield 3 of rosicky song andcoquelin, simply because coq has the discipline & energy to track back and those last ditch tackles which are quickly becoming his trade mark and the cross field passes and, is decisive but ramsey everything bad is happening to him.whenever is in possession is not in control of his body balance always about to fall,and of him playing box to box,he can’t hold the ball,he can’t dribble past opponets,is indecisive,can’t pass and lacks pace to move past 30yr olds .box to box players like yaya, bastian , tony kross and diaby have those in common,i think ramsey can only make it as agoal scoring midfielder.as of sunday’s game he should not start if we want CL nxt season,and by the way coq should be moved into arteta’s position and jenkinson in RB and results are guranteed come sunday.
Ok Micky, you have said before you would prefer Coquelin against WB. I like him a lot, but I prefer Song to be a proper DM for once and let Rambo do the link-up stuff, and become the proper channel through which we set up our attacks. The combination of Song and Coquelin is untried and I think it would be too risky for Sunday. I would be very surprised if Wenger would go for it.
Hi Total,
I kind of agree, but my real problem in picking Ramsey is Song!
I know that sounds weird, but I simply don’t trust Song’s discipline to stay put.
I have long thought of AR best suited to a 4-4-2 in the box to box role.
@Ignatzuk
We all come here to talk and discuss things. Thats what these comments are for.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, I’m glad you are so tolerant of others, it will serve you well in life.
WG
WG,
I have removed the commernt from Ignatzuk, and others that appear with the same tone, will be dealt with likewise.
Please, friends in the house, how long does it take a good coach to know the player to substitute? Does Wenger have covenant with 65 minutes before substitute? Lets start Ramsey from the bench in this last match if we want to win. I know it is going to be 1-4 in favour of Arsenal if we do things well. Gibb must rest while Santos takes his position. OX should start from the midfield.
@Kelsey
Great idea, I was considering it myself, but I thought I’d try and educate the chap.
WG
Thanks WG, always good to hear from you! 🙂
So you would rather see him back behind RvP and Rosicky as the link-up player position? It could work on Sunday as Tomas has better defensive qualities… one to think about.
The key issue for me is that we have not been using him properly – he simply is not played the ball enough by his fellow players at the moment.
Kelsey,
If you are not around and things turn ugly, I cannot edit as I dont have access to the site control centre, but I’ll call the offenders “overweight” if that helps.
Just doing my bit 🙂
@TA
I think Rambo and Rosicky should both play through the centre with Song as the capstan which they both rotate around. They can both be devastatingly creative and I think they are intelligent enough to work together.
We cannot be afraid of West Brom, we need to attack them like we went at Norwich in the 2nd half.
WG
Ignatzuk, except for the first line of your now disappeared comment, I agree with you. The thing is though, sometimes we need to address issues full on, and if that means we get abused or have to listen to raw stupidity, then so be it. Rather me than young Ramsey!
This is the only way to influence opinions, so please take the stupidity for what it is and keep blogging here with your sensible comments.
OK Micky.
I shall speak to She who must be Obeyed to get you on the system.
Mate I don’t know what games you’ve been watching but ramsey has been DREADFULL! By far our worst player in the last 10 games. I’ve been watching him closley and wow. I’m not 1 of those saying he is utterly useless as he clearly has potential and showed glimpses of a real player at times in the past. BUT I haven’t seen anything positive from ramsey in a game for months. He passes sideways or backwards and loses the ball sooo often! First name on the team sheet for our last and MUST WIN game??? Based on what!? You must be smoking drugs, I’d sooner start coquelin who for me hasn’t had a bad minute in an arsenal shirt. Ramsey needs a month or so away from football, clear his head, have a good preseason and start from scratch fit and healthy for next season.
Just read the post and as I did so I was wondering how to respond. After reading all the comments I find myself being happily steered by Micky who describes it as a “cats and pigeons post”…….and I would add that it is a fine one at that.
I do however (unsurprisingly I suspect) disagree with much of it. I have never seen Ramsey play one game next to Song that has given me the slightest reason to believe that he has the skill set to make that position his own.
Unreserved support for players under 23 is admirable but by default it criticises those who are concerned about his progress. And I am one of them.
Ramsey has no instinct for defending, Wilshere has it in spades.
That said, I am not one of those people who have mentally written him off, I remain convinced that his best position is the one currently being occupied by Rosicky.
As to should he play on Sunday? I feel certain he will but he would not be my first name on the team sheet.
Agreeing with LB is boring 🙂
Kelsey,
Noooo, you misunderstood, I do not want the controls, just permission to insult people.
Ramsey is only 21, captain of Wales and if you look at his facial expressions he gives 100% when attacking.Maybe he is trying too hard. I am not sure what his rightful position should be, and if it weren’t for injuries to Jack and even Diaby he might not be playing so often.
Where i agree with LB is that he is often caught out by not getting back to defend but that could be said of others as well.
Back to work.
RAMSEY on the pitch again!!!
i dont think u really know what u are talking about,u are being sentimental in ur reasoning…infact,u are a disgrace just like ramsey.IDIOT
Hi TA thanks for a cage rattling post 😉
Thanks also to those who have removed the distasteful stuff that does our club and support no service at all. Ramsey is an Arsenal player and should have our unconditional suppoprt if he is selected – which I believe he will.
I find myself largely in agreement with LB.
I have faith that Ramsey can be an important player for us in the future but this game is too important to put player before team. £30m and the aspirations of all the Arsenal players and millions of supporters rest on this – the biggest game of the season.
Ramsey has been off form, Coquelin however just looks taylor made for our game.
If Jenkinson is fit, he’d be my RB and the midfield 5 would be Theo, Coquelin, Song, Rosicky and Gervinho/Benayoun, with the Ox to come on for either flank if they tire and Chamakh possibly if we are deserate for a goal and flinging everything at WB
Ricky, thanks for your comment.
If you can watch some games again, you will see how many times the ball is not played to him when we should have. A footballer needs the ball in order to do something. Nothing wrong with passing sideways or backwards if that is the best option at the time. In reality though, he moves on the ball quickly and accurately whenever he gets it. He dallies sometimes which he needs to work on, but it would also help if players would make themselves more available for him.
If we stick to the six steps I described in the post, I believe Ramsey will play a blinder on Sunday. 🙂
how i wish AW loans or sells ramsey-d crap…he brings setback to the squad’s tempo-USELESS BOY
TA,
I don’t think Ramsey is underused, in fact, I would say due to injuries its been the complete opposite. Earlier in the season I think he performed admirably for one so young who was coming back from a long term lay off. However, it still doesn’t take away from the fact right now that he is playing poorly. Wether that’s due to positional problems or something else like fatigue is impossible to judge, but what I do know is that during a long, hard season all of our players have had good spells and bad spells, and Ramsey is no different from anyone else. The question I would ask is wether you think he has had any worse treatment from the home fans than that of Walcott, Kozzer (last season), Mertersacker?
Excellent post TA, very well argued and supported.
Like others, I wouldn’t be upset if Ramsey didn’t start on Sunday, simply because he’s in a horrible vein of form. That said, he was a long way from being the worst Arsenal player on the pitch against Norwish (step forward Alexander Song and Woijciech Szczesny for joint winners of that award).
But the future for Ramsey is bright. He’s a very talented player who will rise to the top, and will be the fulcrum of future Arsenal sides, assuming the haters don’t drive him out.
The trouble is (and I know I’ve used this patronising generalisation on here before) there are a lot of people who don’t really understand football sufficiently well to appreciate anyone other than a striker who scores goals, a defender who puts in meaty challenges or a keeper who makes fingertip saves. The work of a midfielder is often too subtle to appreciate, which is one of the reasons I think some people (not all) find it difficult to appreciate a player like Ramsey. As I say, it’s patronising to say it, but that is my view of some of those who slag off Ramsey and some others.
Hi LB/Rasp, no surprise there indeed! 🙂
I agree with you that Ramsey has no instinct for defending. As I said in the post, he is no Arteta, but he does not need to be. If Song sits back as DM and the CB’s have a bit more defensive discipline than Ramsey is allowed to do what he is good at and what the team has been missing so desperately: link-up play and setting up attacks – the conductor.
We can only judge how good he is in his current role by involving/using him properly. At the moment this is absolutely not the case.
Micky, I see your point about Song. I really think Arsene does instruct him to sit back and to help out creatively whenever he can. If he was asked to just sit in front of the defence, he will do it, as he did against the Chavs recently.
I could live with the following starting 11 for Sunday if Song does not ‘want’ to play in classic DM role:
Sz
Jenks – Koz – TV – Santos
———-Le Coq————
—–Song———-Rambo
Gervinho————Rosicky
—————-RvP————
Slim, good point. What I meant is, he is being underused during the games. He simply runs his socks of to make himself available – leading to him being the best one to play the ball to – only to be ignored/blanked. 51 touches in 63 minutes says it all.
Cheers 26, I think his form would change instantly if my proposed steps would be implemented – I hope that does not sound too pompous! 🙂 Rambo is our turbo-engine but is starved by a lack of input.
I agree, support Ramsey and every other player we have, if you support the team why wouldn’t you? HOWEVER.. he certainly shouldn’t be the first player on the team sheet on the basis he is out of form and lacking confidence. That’s nothing to do with Rambo or his age, this is a must win game and there isn’t the luxury of time for him or any other player to get back into their stride in this last game. He has been giving the ball away far too much and this dents the confidence of the whole team. Other players stop passing to him instinctively because of this and we lose momentum. Don’t get me started on his flicks. He just needs to start doing the basic things well again, like Arteta does. He can practice that pre season, not in our most important match.
We had seen many back passes from Ramsey, a bit slow to help the defence but he is yet to mature. We need to give him maximum support, incouragement and motivation. Am sure by next season he will be matured like the rest.Wishing best of luck to gunners last match of the season. Also to all supporters to the much you have contributed to make our team in top three and making our management aquare new players. Lets take care of Odomwinge!
MOmbasa, Kenya.
Brave post TA
What’s interesting is how it had drawn out a lot of pro-Ramsey fans as well as the predictable insult brigade (aka the Overweighties).
I agree with everything you say about Aaron and how he is used and I agree that he is going to be a Gunner great.
Yet… I think I would be tempted to start Coq on Sunday for his defensive discipline and have Ramsey to come off the bench. A MF of TR7, Song and Coq feels that bit more secure.
He aint gonna make it believe me…u cant make the useless look good by force Ramsey is not up for the job if he knows whats good for him and us as well he should ask wenger for an loan….i wonder whats up with u people are u some bunch of Ramsey fan club girls or just stupidly blind
I want and expect Ramsey to come good eventually. Currently he isn’t and shouldn’t be the first player on the team sheet though. He doesn’t influence the game so much for all the work he puts in, im backing him to change that though. Alot of fans and football fans in general at the start of last season didn’t see Rosicky and van Persie lasting much longer at the club. Yet if it wasn’t for them our season would have been over a while back most likely.
Mel Wmx (does that last bit stand for large woman?!), your last line was not necessary. If you bother to read the comments you can see there is a mix of views here re Aaron.
Mark, thanks for your balanced comment. He is our best/fittest link-up, box-to-box midfielder we have at the moment, but he is not given the ball anywhere near enough. His high pass accuracy indicates that he does not give the ball away as much as many believe. That’s why he should play on Sunday, after the team has had a good talking to.
Cheers and welcome Abu, what is the support for Arsenal like in Kenya? 🙂
Cheers Rocky 🙂
I can see where you and others are coming from. I rather make tweaks to the formation and focus on the tactics, discipline and role responsibilities than now trying out a new midfield duo of Song and le Coq.
Junior, welcome and thanks for your comment 🙂
Hi TA, regarding Ramsey not being given the ball enough ….. the problem is that he holds onto it for too long when in possession.
Against Norwich there were countless times when he got the ball and shunned the obvious pass quick simple pass, he would twist and turn and often end up making the same pass but by this time the recipient had been closed down and any forward momentum was lost.
One of the reasons Arteta gets so many touches is because he passes and goes. After having released the ball, Arteta instinctively moves into space to offer an outlet if required, Ramsey just hasn’t been doing that recently – he did when he was confident and in form.
As I have said before, Ramsey needs to keep it simple and forget about finding the kliller pass but just keep the ball moving and to keep moving himself.
I’m afraid I have to agree that he and Song were guilty of failing to make every effort to get back and defend at times when we lost possession and when the fullbacks were too advanced..
Various people have said much of his before, but I will put in my two-pennyworth anyway.
Sunday’s game is THE most important one of the entire season. A win is absolutely vital as we cannot rely on Newcastle and the Spuds to drop points.
It is not the sort of game in which a player can be nursed into feeling good about himself. Ramsey has been poor in many of his recent appearances and does not deserve to start in such a season defining game.
The mid-field three must be picked on their current form not sentiment.
Cheers NG – we have to agree to disagree on this one. It is not sentiment that makes me believe he needs to play on Sunday, but full usage of Aaron’s skills and the role that he is in. The team have failed him a lot more than he has failed the team.
26
Interesting comment at 12:30 on being patronising and not understanding the game: continuing on that subject, how do you justify putting Song ahead of Vermaelen on your blame list for the Norwich debarcle?
hahahaha, the guy comes back from a traumatic injury, is young and inexperienced, consistently tops the running stats in our team, and has tremondous ability and yet some people want to write him off. These are the same people who wrote of Tony Adams for been shit and RVP for been to injury prone, to left footed and possesing of a bad attitude. No problem with expressing doubts, or even reasoning that one way or the other the kid will not make it at Arsenal, but for those who spot bile and come over as fuck wit know it alls who thinks every one else is an idiot i have one message for you…………and the message is nothing, your not worth it.
Great post TA.
Hi Rasp 🙂
I disagree with you that he shunned the simple pass a lot and tried too many killer passes. He made himself constantly available, before and after each pass. What we need is composure and a bit of structure to our team at times and Ramsey has a natural ability to bring this to our team. We have been playing without a central frame in recent games and Ramsey is the best answer to it – together with a disciplined and cooperative Song and Rosicky. He only needs to be given the ball more. So we have to agree to disagree on this one, I am afraid.
That does not mean he is perfect, and yes he was ALSO guilty of not tracking back enough.
Nice one Terry 🙂
Right, am all blogged-out now. Back in the evening. 🙂
TA thanks for a fine well-reasoned post.
But guys I find myself in a quandary, I am as it happens a proper fat git, but think Rambo has the makings off a fine player and would undoubtedly pick him this weekend, How do I square this Circle gentlemen. 🙂
Thanks TA, I was at the game and that was what I saw – and I commented as such at the time. Norwich attacked much more swiftly than us because they got the ball out to the wings swiftly and whilst our midfield was struggling to get back.
I’m happy to agree to differ 😛 , its not as if I’m anti Ramsey in any way, just that he’s being asked to do a job that does not suit his game at this stage and sunday’s game is too important to focus on the development of any particular player.
Fine post TA. I have to disagree on this occasion. Sundays game is a must win situation, which is why I would not play Ramsey as I feel he is out of form and in need of a rest to gain his confidence again.
I do agree that he has a future at Arsenal. He can recouperate during the close season.
My line up for Sunday would be
SZ
Jenkinson (if fit). Koz……TV……Santos
Coq
Song. Ox
Theo (if fit). Rosicky
RVP.
“The team have failed him a lot more than he has failed the team.”
Really Total? i cant believe you stand by that comment
Right now i am in shock!!!
dandan, no worries, some of my best friends are fat gits hahahaha.
I commited a cardinal sin the other day. Mrs Terry has piled on a few pounds and asked me if she should join the local fat club. Without thinking, my instantanious response was would it do any good, since with that amount of weight wouldnt it be better to employ a personal trainer instead. Lets just say, its no hot dinners for me at the moment.
Your my favourite writer on this site, but in regards to Ramsey i think its best i go fishing or something…
Just remember Total how much you slated AA23 for not tracking back and supposedly not caring for our club and then look at Ramsey in his care free jogging skills when Norwich were away..and you wanted Arshavin out…
bit hypocritical dont you think? and all this whilst playing in what you say is his bestest position= the ‘Arteta’ role…
Easy, Robin, 🙂
TA is not a hypocrite, and was merely expressing an opinion, and explaining his reasons, whether others agree or disagree.
My own view is that I think Rambo will mature nicely.
That said, for the past few matches he has not played well in the position AW has asked him to fill.
Normally I would encourage Arsene to stick with him, but the final game is so important, and there is so much hostility towards Ramsey that for his own good as well as that of the team I would ‘rest’ him.
But that’s just an opinion – not gospel! 🙂
hey Redders, how are you?
um, i distinctly remember Total having a go at AA23 for his efforts or lack there of and i just gave him an example of Ramseys fantastic tracking back at Norwich.. i would say that is a touch hypocritical…
DD,
If I understand your problem, you are currently more of a ball bearing shape, and want to become more like an oxo cube shape?
Have you thought of buying a large cardboard box and cutting holes, in the appropriate places, for your head, arms and legs.
Draping pieces of red and white cloth around it would serve the function of declaring your support, and giving the impression of being square, while hiding your manly curves!! 🙂
That will be £400, please! 🙂
Cheers TA. The one point I would make, and I didn’t put this over correctly in the first place, is to look at the loss of possession stat rather than pass completion (which is very good). They are 2 different things we’re talking about. With lack of confidence, he is dwelling on the ball too often, in dangerous areas when dropping deeper. I like the guy and think he is/will be a very good player, I also agree with your points… in the longer term but for this game, I would go with form.
LB: Fair question; all I can say is TV ran the other two a very close third.
Hi Robin,
Not too good at the mo’ but reading AA is diverting! 🙂
I don’t recall TA saying that about AA23, altho’ I accept your word on it.
Thankfully, I have said, many times, that my opinions are like my principles. If someone doesn’t like them I can always come up with others! 🙂
Joking aside, opinions are largely just passing emotions, just that, and I have often given an opinion on something and changed my mind at a later stage, and then back again.
I’m basically an opinion tart! 🙂 That’s not to say TA is tho’!! 🙂
You would have a great career in the Diplomatic Corp, 26!! 🙂
Now is not the time. Fair or unfair, Ramsey has not been in good form. This is our last and most important game of the year. There will be plenty of time to rebuild Ramsey’s confidence in the off season and next year. But for this weekend, no.
opinion tart 🙂
blog fart 🙂
pro-art 🙂
where else but ‘Arsenal Arsenal’ ?
Redders,
whenever i get the chance to have a silent word with the ‘big boy’ upstairs (not DB10-the other guy) , i never fail to mention my mates..in saying that, i hope you dont mind me considering you a mate..Head Up Champ 🙂
Total,
regardless of what opinions we may or may not have on certain players at ‘our’ club i would still like to say thank you for taking the time to write up a headline post..
Your contribution to this great site is much appreciated and always recognised ..just sorry my thank you for the post wasnt the first comment i typed
Mark
Very good points. Even though Aaron had the best passing accuracy of any player on Saturday, in the first half against Norwich he was dispossessed three times by opposition players catching him from behind while he was dwelling on the ball.
I haven’t seen that happen to him too much in previous games (although I agree with Rasp that he has tended to delay too long before releasing the ball at times). I’m sure he will learn from the Norwich experience.
Robin
I think you’re being a bit harsh to accuse TA of hypocrisy. He has set out – in very great detail – his theory of why Aaron is not functioning as well as he could in the current set-up (including highlighting the general uncertainty there seems to be between our MFs as to what exactly their duties are). In short, he feels it’s not all Aaron’s fault. It is quite reasonable for TA to come a different conclusion about Arshavin.
The funny thing is, even most of Ramsey’s critics have never accused him of being lazy or of not trying. If anything, his critics have levelled quite the opposite charge – that he runs around too much to no great effect.
That one incident against Norwich – where he appeared to be jogging back – seems to be the sum total of evidence against him that he is “lazy/can’t be bothered defending”. None of us knows why he didn’t get back faster (although at least one other player – I can’t remember whether it was Song or TR7 – was jogging back at the same pace as Aaron). Maybe there was something optically deceptive about the situation and they both thought the defender was going to get there first? Who knows. The point is, it’s hardly a regular facet of AR’s game, whereas can’t-be-arsedness did seem to be a regular aspect of Arshavin’s.
Robin
Well said (@2.56)
The feeling is mutual, Robin! 🙂
I think hes a stamina player Rocky, as opposed to short bursts of lightning sped. When he gets caught out positionaly he struggles to recover. The positional thing will come from experience, and then hopefuly we will have a great player on our hands
After the Norwich game i realy wanted to know what the running stas were for the first half. Took me about 5 days but finaly got there. Out of the first seven players to cover the most ground in the first half six were Norwich players and the only Gunner was Ramsey. Sums up the first half realy, but what does that tell us about Ramsey? Not lazy, thats for sure.
Rocky,
cheers, it all comes down to positioning..Ramsey is still an apprentice and learning the trade in that dept. but Song or TR7 have no excuses on that front..that said, the Norwich player was a metre in front of him before Ramsey gave up (ive never ever seen Ramsey give up like that)
re AA23, he got slaughtered for the 2nd goal against Manure..was that great for his confidence when people lashed on him..in fact we shipped the poor bloke out…the reason why-would only be speculation
Liked the idea of the cardboard box Redders, definately worth £400. Got any ideas for the face?, and no, a tesco carrier bag with slits for eyes and mouth wont do. hahahaha
robbin, i reckonn AA23 lacked stamina for the role Arsene was asking him to play. I personaly always liked the little russian, great ability, but by the end he started to look in need of one of Redders cardboard boxes.
TA (sorry for the late replies!)
Could it not be argued though that it might be Ramsey’s own fault that he is not seeing enough of the ball, rather than the formation/teammates? I have watched him on numerous occasions this season and sometimes find that he moves for the sake of moving, when staying put can often be the way to find space. This may look like he’s giving 100%, but actually he is hiding during the game. Fabregas was excellent at finding ‘pockets’ during a game, I don’t feel Ramsey has mastered this…YET.
26
I take it you were not at the Norwich game.
Merry Terry,
i agree but as fans we did nothing for his (AA23’s) confidence either..
and i bet le Coq might get down in the dumps as well, how must he feel when he sees an out of form player starting ahead of him week in week out..i thought it was all about competition for places..i think the last time le Coq had a bad game was that dismal result against manUre
Hey TA, i agree alot. i think u know i have been defending rambo in my comments for a while. Also saying he should give a rest to arteta, because hes overworked, and aaron has shown hes not really an am, but i love his effort and energy, and like him as a late sub for this too. –
————–unfortunately. As much as i pushed for it, i havent been thrilled with his performances lately, almost getting the feeling that he doesnt like playing further
back. That, plus the poor treatment by many fans could be a problem. I also havent noticed him helping as much on defense as i expected.
i definitely support him, and think he CAN be great in this role, i have said a scott parker type with more
forward potential. But right now, im not as sure hes
ready to help in this new position. I think it will take
more playing time there to know. you see from some of the comments here, the negativity he is dealing with, and with all he has been through. Despite any faults, you can see that wenger is a good person trying to protect him. Loyal and supportive.
i would do anything…..anything, to see us get through our next game with a victory… im a 3-point junkie 🙂
Hi Terry, 🙂
You seem to have fallen into the classic man trap when answering your Mrs’s question.
My own experience when dealing with girls friends, and from speaking to married guys, the best advice when you do not know how to proceed, is to look thoughtful – but say nothing!
For example, “Does my bum look big in this?” [you – thoughtfully silent] then she will say a hurt, “you do don’t you?” [immediate thoughtful response] – “no, my love, you look fine, as always”, on NO ACOUNT say, “yes, I like fat arsed women, sweetheart”!!!
So —
— Mrs T:- – “Terry, darling, do you think I should join the local fitness club to shed a few pounds?” [bet she did not say ‘the local fat club’!]
— You:- [thoughtful, silence]
— Mrs T:- “You do, don’t you, you bastard!”,
— You:- [look her in the eye, if she has one?] and say, “Yes, my loveliness” [and as she looks like thunder] “it would be great to show the fatsos down there what a real woman should look like!”
You might have to run to the dunny to upchuck afterwards, but you will win huge Kudos, a hot dinner and a bit of slap ad tickle!! 🙂
That’ll be £600, thank you.
HAPPY WIFE = HAPPY LIFE
Coquavin and rosisky to start pls. Ramsey on the bench. (he has sometimes done well as super sub!) The Ox shd feature strongly too.
We need to win this match and for whatever reasons ramsey is not ready for a crucial role. Lend him out, let him prove himself.
Never boo our boys.. counter productive, self defeating and gives comfort to th enemy!
HARPY WIFE = LIFE OF STRIFE
robbin, theres no doubt Ramsey has struggled this season and i agree with your comments about AA23 and Le Coq. If there was still plenty of games to go i would have liked Arsene to leave Ramsey out and attempt different solutions. but there is one game to go, and to be honest i havent got a clue what to do.
However, even if Arsene called me up to play instead of Ramsey we would still win. Were gonna blow them away.
Very true, gooner_girl, and Hi! :-)l
🙂 🙂 🙂
you meant ‘HARPy’ didnt you Redders? LMAO
Robin,
Sssh!! (I thought I might get away with that)
A harpy = a grasping, unscrupulous woman. (Not to be confused with Terry’s Mrs – obviously!! 🙂
Altho’ from what TerryM has told us about the Mrs, she might be like that harpy in Ulyses, who was a rapacious monster with a woman’s head and body, but if he gets a bit of the other he won’t care!! 🙂
Terry,
She’ll be right, in these sought of games its all about who wants it more rather than talent on the pitch…
worst case scenario- i invest in some valium from my doctor.. who just so happens to practise from the back of that truck thats driving away….wAIT, WAIT 🙂
Afternoon all. TA a heartfelt post much of which I agree with.
As others have mentioned whilst his pass completion stats are good the dispossession/turnover stats are also high. 2.7 per game (only beaten by the twat Nasri) closest players are RvP, Theo and Walcott (you would expect this of players higher up the pitch).
The best thing about Arteta is his turnovers are less than 1 per game, Song is 1.6 a game he recovers many positions with his upper body strength but invites the tackle to readily on occasion by suffering the same problem of holding onto the ball too long.
I would also counter your suggestion that Song and Arteta have formed a good partnership, I personally think Arteta is constantly covering for others, wide players, midfield partners. He has been a revolution in that position for our team this year as he takes responsibility.
People criticise Rambos tracking back he does not have the pace of some others but also how many times have you seen Arteta need to track back, it’s his reading of the game.
The main point I agree with tho TA is the age at which some people are willing to decide that our young players are judged as a finished article. There has been criticism of Szczesny too, and look at the stick NikB took. Some have said we should not be blooding youngsters in our team, I would expect those same people to be jumping up and down if we put Ox on loan in January or decided Jack should have spent last season on loan at Bolton.
Do they know that Thomas, Rocastle, Adams, O’Leary, Davis, Cole, Brady, Rice, Parlour, Merson etc etc were all blooded in the same way.
Adams had played 71 league games by 21, Merson 59, Parlour 54, Rocastle 92.
Unfortunately what these youngsters have needed are senior pros to help them out, that’s why the additions of Mert, Arteta and Yosdi into the squad have helped these youngsters.
TA. Thanks for an interesting post . I do not agree with Ramsey being played on Sunday – there will other less important games in which to bolster his confidence.
But best of all has been today’s comments. Absolutely hilarious. I loved the literature teacher who couldn’t spell (though to be fair he could be a teacher of non-English Lit).
The overweight one was superb. And the ones in textspeak are cryptic!
Hi GiE, that’s a brilliant comment. Your assessment of Arteta’s contribution was much more technically accurate than anything I could come up with. With me its more of a gut feeling. I also agree with everyone who sees Ramsey as a work in progress with great potential once he/we discover his best role, and the players amongst whom he would function best.
I’m sure you didn’t mean to dodge the question – but would you start with Ramsey on Sunday? 😕
GIE the point you make about maturity is very valid.
My thought for today.
If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills,
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can overlook when people take things out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can do all these things,
Then you are probably the family dog.
Rasp. Stop it he will get big headed and turn into Jack the Peanut
Dandan, 🙂
Brilliant !
Haha Raddy, in martial arts there is a saying that a strike should like an iron fist hidden in a cotton wool glove – I was just softening GiE up for 64,000 dollar dollar question 😆
There are many truisms in life, but a couple of them might be;
1) They win together – they lose together.
It is easy to lampoon an individual, such as Ramsey, for losing a game, but it is even easier to forget that he plays in a team, which is defined as — [a group of players with complementary skills who set out together to complete a task (win a game).]
2) Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
The less you see of someone the more you miss them, or the longer a player is absent thru injury the greater his reputation becomes.
Or put more succinctly, a player’s attributes increase in inverse proportion to his lack of availability.[Arteta]
At this rate, by the time Arteta starts the pre-season friendlies he will be seven foot tall, with legs like tree trunks, can run like Usain Bolt, defend like a colossus, score goals with his arse, and is also a brilliant GK!!
I’m beginning to like him, already! 🙂
Hi TA, a very interesting and well written post in support of Ramsey.
Although, I sit on the other side of the fence to you, I feel some of the abuse you have had to endure is totally unfair and only depreciates the quality of this forum.
I often wonder if some players are responsible for their own demise. For instance, when I was playing football in my youth, insults from the side lines, either from opposition or even my own team supporters, only made me more determined to improve. Admittedly, there wasn’t 60,000 crowd baying for my blood week in and week out, but the principal is the same…. inner strength. I wonder if Ramsey is not mentally strong enough at this present moment to deal with his demons and therefore should not really be selected for the team at this present time.
Redders,
i remember a while back you posting the story/joke about the 100 dollars that went around a village (with no money), between the butcher and so on..if you can remember what im talking can you please tell me where i could find it, or re-post it if indeed it was a brilliant original? 🙂
Point of order Mr Chairman!
Some people seem to think that TA is advocating that we play Ramsey on Sunday to help bolster his confidence.
Au contraire, I believe TA was making a case that playing Aaron against WBA is the right thing to do for purely footballing reasons (but that the other players need to do some things differently to get the best out of him).
Thankyou.
As you were.
If the majority of the other players won’t pass to him, It makes you wonder what is wrong with Ramsey?
RL. Point taken.
Robin,
I will let you have the $100 joke later or tomorrow, but just to be getting on with;
A Little Old Lady Has Her Day In Court:
Defence Attorney:
Will you please state your age?
Old Lady:
I am 94 years old.
Defence Attorney:
Will you tell us, in your own words, what happened the night of April 1st?
Old Lady:
There I was, sitting there in my swing on my front porch on a warm spring evening, when a young man comes creeping up on the porch and sat down beside me.
Defence Attorney:
Did you know him?
Old Lady:
No, but he sure was friendly.
Defence Attorney:
What happened after he sat down?
Old Lady:
He started to rub my thigh.
Defence Attorney:
Did you stop him?
Old Lady:
No, I didn’t stop him.
Defence Attorney:
Why not?
Little Old Lady:
It felt good. Nobody had done that since my Albert died some 45 years ago.
Defence Attorney:
What happened next?
Old Lady:
He began to rub all over my body.
Defence Attorney:
Did you stop him then?
Old Lady:
No, I did not stop him.
Defence Attorney:
Why not?
Old Lady:
His rubbing made me feel all alive and I haven’t felt that good in years!
Defence Attorney:
What happened next?
Old Lady:
Well, by then, I was feeling so good that I just laid down and told him, ‘Take me, young man. Take me now!’
Defence Attorney:
Did he take you?
Old Lady:
Hell, no! He just yelled, ‘April Fool!’ And that’s when I shot him, the little bastard!!
Redders, thank god for that. Until the last bit i thought i had been found out. hahahaha
Excuse me interupting Britain’s Got talent 🙂
Sunday is our biggest game of the season as we all know, so the manager has to pick the best team he thinks can win the game and if any player isn’t motivated, shoot him.
Hmmmnnnn I think it’s a big/huge/nay ginormous wish that the other players will do things differently on Sunday whether to help Ramsey or themselves to get the three points.
I’m willing to bet that with all our imploring that Song just does the simple job of protecting the back four that he won’t, sadly.
Don’t get me wrong, I think we’re going to win because probability is on our side and we haven’t won a game for weeks but I’m pretty sure that if the team were going to perform differently they would have done it against Norwich.
I asked the question earlier in the week whether anyone thought that our creativity is hampered by concentrating on defending better, part of me wants better defending as a given and not at the expense of attacking.
TA – my pure football brain agrees with you that Ramsey can’t help the team if he doesn’t get the ball. But I have watched him dilly and dally in possession and either lose the ball or not push the play forward. If his lack of confidence is hampering the team at the moment then IMHO he should not start.
Sunday is a humongosaur of a game – even bigger than any cup final, the ramifications of us not winning are too awful to consider. If AW can make them do the right things in this game I’ll forgive him for not pushing them to do them right before – but under my breath he’ll get a bloody good tongue lashing.
It’s scary how important this game is …………
Redders 🙂 Clever
Peaches- “Sunday is a humongosaur of a game – even bigger than any cup final”…. so very true
Humongosaur…i like that word
Me too, I just found it when checking the spelling of humongous – seemed rather apt 😉
kelsey, kelsey – I’m having a Dental Implant tomorrow 😦 😦 😦
Peaches,
You are only doing that tomorrow to take your mind off sunday. What do you have planned for saturday?
Is that in your mouth,peaches 🙂
Micky – hopefully playing in the promised sunshine on Saturday 🙂 But I might just be a jibbering wreck, I’ve just read the notes that came from the dentist – I’m not up for this at all now 😦
Supporting Arsenal one either loses ones hair or ones teeth. 🙂
“Humongosaur” 🙂
It would suffice to simply say that I totally disagree with the notion of Ramsey being 1st on the team sheet – but I cannot stop at that.
Sunday is one of the most important games we have played in several years, at stake if we do not qualify are:
1. Either a firm place in the CL or at least a tenuous qualification place.
2. Some some 30/40 million pounds in 2012/13 revenue.
3. The added risk of losing VP and not attracting top quality new signings.
I am neither a fan nor or a foe of Ramsey but I have been very critical of his recent performances – culminating in his most woeful display of the season against Norwich. His subsequent substitution was one of the earliest that AW has made and it had the immeadiate effect of energizing the team, our movement was quicker, our passing was crisper and our goal scoring chances increased.
We suddenly looked like a winning team vs a team that lacked interest.
It’s obvious to anybody that has managed or coached a team that his team mates are not happy with him and look for other passing outlets – which, of course, slows the game down and gives the opposition the chance to re-group.
To have him as 1st name on the teamsheet is a recipe for disaster, we need to select a team that has 100% confidence in each other and that would not be the case with his inclusion.
Neither in your case oh Kelsey of the flowing grey locks and shiny hamptons… 😀
Dental kesley!!!!! I made sure I was specific. How’s things in your house?
A Bridge over Troubled Waters, eh peaches 🙂
Don’t ask, it will depress you even more.
RL,
It’s all cosmetic. 🙂
Very good job then Kelsey 🙂
Expensive would be more apt, RL 🙂
nothing worse than a metal drill in your mouth, with saliva sprinkling on your nose, say the sucker drying up any spit that you need to swallow and a patronising dentist saying “this will just feel like a lil pinch” 🙂
going to the dentist is like going to a Kenny.G concert = absolute torture
What do you think kelsey? I think Song’s play is key on Sunday, if he’s not interested then we’re buggered – can he return to good old Alex Dependable Song? I love his magical assists but …………..
Joking aside,
I had two implants and it really didn’t hurt,but one didn’t take, so had to be done again and it only took 18 months to fix.
I think he will play out of his skin for his last game at Arsenal,peaches.
Robbin – everyone tells me that this procedure is a walk in the park but I’m so queamish that I probably won’t sleep and that means I’ll be thinking about what AW should be saying to the players and whether any of it will sink in ………………
Rocky,
They’re falsies that Kelsey sports!
Let’s face it, its a straight choice between Coquelin and Ramsey.
What is Fulham’s current form like?
Just looked it up. Mixed bag, but then again, they’ve only got Totnum 🙂
Coquelin is assured on the ball and reads the game very well – he gets my vote.
Micky, they are at the back, the front are real, and i am talking about teeth.
Dentists are like lawyers to me- i just dont trust em..(sorry 26M) 🙂
Peaches, its almost 4 in the morning here in Sydney and ive been trying to fall asleep since 10pm last night..(thanks Arsene)
Arsenal has made me many things, and now ive got ‘INSOMNIAC’ under my belt…
GrreaT
They took 4 points off us,but their away record isn’t that good.if ever i wanted dempsey to score at least a brace (as we are on a dental theme) it will be on Sunday
Kelsey 🙂
there seems to be a ‘purpose’ about le Coqs game..like he knows what he wants and how to achieve it before he gets involved in the play…i like his composure and its eXactly what we need
robbin said:
Arsenal has made me many things, and now ive got ‘INSOMNIAC’ under my belt…
Interesting, but I won’t ask any embarrasing questions.
Robbin – that was me last night …… go to sleep 😉
Ok I avoided the question long enough (well in truth I was driving and my missus let me go to the Supermarket….more fool her a diet of cake for next few days 🙂 ). Anyway back to the question….what was it?
Oh Rambo, will he start…yes….should he start…on current form no, especially as asking Song to hold is like asking Arshavin to track back, or TV to stay in his own half for 90 minutes.
This is one game where I would like the team to do their own jobs first before they think about doing anything else.
Ramsay and Song doesn’t work if they play alongside each other. The only time I see Song kerb his natural instinct to foray forward is when TV or Koz bring the ball past him. But if my choice is between Song and Ramsay its Song, on current form.
Robbin – great comment about Coquelin, exactly as I see it, he knows whats going on around him all the time too.
I have a solution. Play Song as the lone DM with two AM’s. Here’s the clever bit, we need to anchor Song. We fit the poor lad with a GPS tracking device, in conjunction with one of those dog training electric shock collars. The silly sod wanders more than one inch from a pre-programmed 10m circle and zap.
Oh, and if you don’t agree with me, then you’re “overweight” 🙂
kelsey,
Shoot..you know you want to! 🙂 (dont forget the peaches mum test)
speaking of the word ’embarrased’…thats one thing that Arsenal has not made me
Brilliant idea Micky 😀
Robin,
I cannot remember the $100 joke. I have never had or written an original thought in my life, so I am an NOT the originator, sadly. 🙂
Anyway, here’s a version of the same joke which may or not be the one you were asking me about.
The streets are quiet in Smalltown, USA, where times are tough and everyone is in debt. A tourist stops at the motel, lays a $100 bill on the counter, and proceeds to inspect the rooms upstairs to pick one for the night.
With cash in hand the hotel owner runs to pay his $100 bill debt to the butcher.
The butcher immediately pays his $100 debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer pays his $100 debt to the feed supplier.
The feed supplier pays his $100 debt to the town hooker.
She then quickly pays the hotel owner her $100 room debt.
Promptly, the hotel owner returns the $100 bill to the counter so the tourist will not suspect anything, and moments later the tourist returns stating that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the $100 bill and leaves.
No one produced anything, no one earned anything, but the whole town is now out of debt and looking to the future with a lot more optimism.
……..and that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a “stimulus package” can improve the economy.
Come on Cameron, you know it works!! 🙂
From Arsenal.com
………………………………………………………………………….
Arsène Wenger has revealed the latest team news ahead of Sunday’s trip to West Bromwich Albion.
on Theo Walcott…
He will have a test [on his hamstring]. I don’t know yet if he will be included in the squad or not. It is possible.
on other team news for Sunday…
We have little doubts about Park, Squillaci and Santos but they should all be ready.
on Bacary Sagna…
He will have surgery tonight. It is a straight broken fibula. We expect him to be out for a few months but let’s see how surgery goes tonight.
Peaches,
I know 🙂
thats the one Redders..thanks mate
GN5,
Park may be fit. Great news!!
Micky 🙂 🙂 🙂
MD89;
Yea that’s great news for our bench……………
For those of you that don’t read Arsenal.com
………………………………………………………………………………………
Gunners unite to pay tribute to Pat Rice
It was announced on Thursday morning that Pat Rice would be leaving the Club at the end of the season following 44 years of loyal service.
A host of current and former Arsenal team-mates, managers and players have paid tribute to Rice, and you can scroll down to read what they said.
Pat, unfortunately you are going and we will not see each other anymore on a daily basis. It is very sad, but I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for having been a competent, loyal partner and a great fighter. We have done great things together, but I know that without you we would not have done them. Forever in my heart you will always be one of the great guys I have met in my life. Football allows that and hopefully you can come to Arsenal again and we will maybe share, not a great game, but a great glass of wine together. Have a good time.
Arsène Wenger
Pat, I am sorry to hear you are leaving. I am really happy I met you at this Club, I learnt a lot from you, especially with you being a defender who played for Arsenal as well. I learnt a lot of defensive skills from you, and I know that was really important. I’m very happy you were here as the assistant manager, and I wish you well for the future.
Thomas Vermaelen
There are certain people who embody the club so perfectly that it’s impossible to know if the Club created them or if they created the Club. The moment I met him, I knew that Pat Rice was Arsenal and Arsenal was Pat Rice. In my mind, there is no higher compliment.
Ivan Gazidis
Pat, I wish you all the very best and thank you for everything you have done for this amazing Club. I will take you right back to when I was an amateur school teacher and you were there as this not-too-clever full back. We used to train on a Thursday evening and Charlie George was there and I don’t think you and I ever thought we would reach the heights we reached. We spent so much time on and off the field together, as well as with your lovely family. It has been a fantastic journey for you and for me and we all definitely owe it to Arsenal. I know you feel as much about this Club as I do. All the best to you and to Betty.
Bob Wilson
Hi Pat, I am very sad to see you go. Every morning I will miss that 10 minutes before training starts when you come into the dressing room and shout at us! I enjoyed working with you for all the time I have been here and the whole team will miss you. Thank you, and all the best.
Tomas Rosicky
Pat, it’s been a long time since I was at the Club but when I was you were a youth-team coach but you have put in the miles, put in the hours and I wish you a very happy retirement. All the very best.
Alan Smith
Pat, it only seems like yesterday when we had to search around the old Highbury at the end of a working day to make sure you weren’t training, having sneaked in from down the road! From that day forth I could never get rid of you, because I had you in the Northern Ireland team and here at Arsenal as well. They were wonderful days and you are a magnificent servant to the Club and a true skipper in my time, for which I thank you for all of your efforts. Well done, Pat, enjoy.
Terry Neill
Pat, I just want to thank you for what you have done in my career so far. I have had such a great time here working with you and I wish you all the best for the future. It will definitely be a bit quieter around the training ground without you, but once again thanks very much for all you have done. Remember, can’t ask, can’t play!
Aaron Ramsey
Pat, I just think it is absolutely amazing the service you have given this fantastic Club. Well done, enjoy your retirement and I’m sure you and Betty will have a super time – enjoy the south of Spain! From an Arsenal man, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the service that you have given this Club. Well done, and God bless.
Tony Adams
Pat, it is a real pity you are retiring because you mean a lot to the Club. You have been a fantastic player there, a fantastic coach and assistant. It was a pleasure to work with you. Sometimes I gave you a bad time, but I hope you were okay with that! I found it fantastic to work with you and I wish you well for the rest of your life. Good luck with everything you do, thanks again.
Dennis Bergkamp
Electric shock football.
fjortoft,
That is very very funny 🙂
Excellent post TA – loved how you put so much effort into the post and watched Ramsey so closely.
Two things – Happy Birthday to the Legend and finest player I’ve ever seen in an Arsenal shirt, Dennis Bergkamp.
Also, I love saying “I told you so” 😆 so who was it that said Steve Bould would be next Arsenal manager? ME! Who has just been promoted to Wenger’s assistant?! Yeah, ye guys just wait and see…
Gn5
Thanks for that. Some great comments about Pat from some great Arsenal names.
hey Irish,
any predictions on players joining us in the transfer window? and NOoo, Falcao is way too expensive 🙂 🙂
Ok some say he knows naff all about football but he knows his club:
“There are certain people who embody the club so perfectly that it’s impossible to know if the Club created them or if they created the Club. The moment I met him, I knew that Pat Rice was Arsenal and Arsenal was Pat Rice. In my mind, there is no higher compliment.”
Ivan Gazidis
RUP;
It all depends on Sunday’s result.
RurP – ha ha not a clue. I do think RvP will stay though. I see Podolski’s signing as a statement of our intent to him. Arshavin, Benayoun, Chamakh, Bendtner, Vela, Denilson are all gone in my view.
Irish,
I agree with your list, although I would like (an on form) AA to stay and for Benny to be on loan for another season, but AW is on record as being very supportive of Chamakh and we could not offload Bendtner, Vela or Denilson at the end of last season so we may well be stuck with them.
GiE,
That was a very classy compliment by Mr G.. took my eye as well..did our captain forward a tribute? … going to check
Admittedly rURp it could have been written by the PR department and rewritten ten times before they were happy. But it sounds more heartfelt than that.
I wonder what Ramsey’s “can’t ask, can’t play” means was he too quiet do you think, is he still quiet? My guess is yes.
Gn5 – I’d love to see Benayoun stay as well, always liked him as a player and he puts in a good shift of work. I do believe that Arsenal will take smaller transfer fees for Bendtner, Vela and Denilson so clubs will meet their wages. I can see Bendtner doing quite well for himself in Germany, seems made for their league. He could be a half decent player if he copped himself on.
What about this Joel Campbell? Will he come to us next season, he seems to have a bit about him from what I’ve being reading on the internet.
Irish,
are there any photos of our supposed 2012/13 away kit on twitter?
some say it looks like freddy kreugers jumper
RA….Cameron hasn’t got the brains of a hooker, we would never get our $100 back!
GiE,
Fully agree with you..
interesting though, i was looking on youtube for Ramsey interviews because i remember him saying that Arsene wanted him to find his feet and fill in the gaps in midfield, but couldnt find it..instead came across a interview when he went to a boxing match and he came across very timid and unsure of himself, but thats how i saw it…dont know when it was either
Martin Jol will not let his team roll over on Sunday. Spurs will have to fight for a result.
This is the one rumoured:
http://twitpic.com/9j3hwg
Irish,.
I hope the kit goes and the player stays………….
Hmmm, is that official? im undecided, do you like it?
we might need a third kit without the red
Agreed GN5
We had a European away lit like that a few years back
Can’t understand how that plus the blue gives us a 3rd option.
It conjures up a picture of Eduardo in my mind ……………..
Gn5 – ha ha ha I agree with the player, although I’ll stay mum on the kit, I hated this season’s away kit when I saw it first – ended up buying it 😆 Oddly, I still don’t like us playing in it but it looks really nice over jeans
Robin.
I saw a photo on an American site today and it showed a third kit.
Replace the red with fluorescent green/yellow.
Not sure weather it was true, but RvP was modelling it.
Hi Peaches, I have responded to the comments made since I stopped blogging in the afternoon, but for some reason it is ‘awaiting moderation’. It is rather long, so maybe that’s the reason 🙂
I’ll have a look, don’t worry x
Hi VCC, DD, thanks for your comments. Quite like that line-up VCC 🙂
Hi Rasp@1.57 – I also watched the Arsenal – Chavs game again to make sure it was not a one-off, and also then was Rambo left a spectator too many times. I think during the entire 90 minutes Song did not pass the ball to Ramsey more than three times, and not much better with Vermaelen.
Hi Robin, go to bed mate and start counting Bergkamp goals 🙂 Ramsey did not track back enough and I have said in one of the comments today that it was not good enough. I have a view why he did not make the last few metres to help out the defence, and that is that they don’t want him to get involved, but I could be wrong.
Hi Terry: you are one funny guy – enjoy your carrot salad tonight 🙂 Re Ramsey’s running; spot on! He makes himself constantly available but gets overlooked/blanked too many times. At times against Norwich and Chelsea he might as well not be there.
Hi Mark@2.32 – fine comment. Ramsey has been prone to losing the ball and sometimes it is because he does not see/pick a pass quickly enough. He needs to improve on this. Often people go on about Song losing a few balls in every game, but I personally don’t mind. I rather they take a bit of risk and make things happen then play it safe all the time, without taking responsibility.
Hi Slim@3.17 – interesting point of view, but I don’t think he is hiding. I will have another look though.
Hi JNYC@3.33 – another fine comment today.
Hi GiE@3.59, are those dispossession stats for the whole season? If so, then they are quite ok, as you would expect him to lose a ball every 30 minutes of the game in the advanced AM role. He has lost a few balls unnecessarily though recently. But for me, this is not a disaster and something he’ll work on.
I don’t understand why you think Song and Arteta have not formed a great partnership from what you are saying.
Hi BR, as Rocky has explained for me rather well, I don’t want to use this game as an opportunity for Ramsey to gain back his confidence. I would like to see Wenger making sure that Ramsey will become the fulcrum again and for other players to realise that they have to play through him as much as possible. Only then will we find our shape again, especially in conjunction with the other measures I have set out in the post.
Hi DanDan@4.12 I think you are our blog dog 🙂
Hi Reddawn – thanks for a very good comment. I know from previous comments what you think of Ramsey’s recent performances, so I appreciate your comment. For sure, it cannot be easy for him to deal with the pressure and he needs to find a way out of it. The manager will help him as nobody else can, but I do feel a few players will need to support him more on the pitch at the moment. I am pretty sure Wenger will not drop him on Sunday, but I understand why so many supporters want that to happen at the moment.
Hi Peaches – another fine comment – I say let’s go with your football brain. 🙂 Good luck at the dentist tomorrow! 😦
Hi GN5: thanks for the comment, I appreciate it. It will come as no surprise that I do not agree with you on most of it. I do agree that his team mates appear to be not happy with him, and if I was in charge I would kick the hell out of them, rather than taking him off the team. But that just is a difference of opinion. What do you think Wenger will do/has done this week to sort things out?
Cheers Irish – I just want to do him justice. 🙂
I found it TA and fiddled the time 🙂
I don’t get the anger towards Ramsey, I agree he hasn’t been at his best, but he always puts in a good amount of work. It just seems a bit mad. There was one away game in particular (can’t for the life of me remember which one) and the team as a whole were piss poor, yet Ramsey seemed to get the blame for everything.
He has been poor at times and hasn’t shone but I’d hardly call him a passenger. He has been over played as well given the injuries we’ve had.
Oh Alex 😆
HELLO O_O 😀
fecking hell Irish!! oh my god, they are just……………….
TA – i didn’t read you post yet, saving it for tomorrow night, Friday night special.
Wow, know what you mean Irish,,,,,,,,Alex Song looks incredible hehehe
TA;
The last thing I think he will have done is to lecture his team on fitting in a misfit, you see it makes no sense to me to ask the team to make changes when it’s an individual that is the problem.
I hope that he has spent his time on defensive damage control and a concerted video review of the Norwich game and the vast improvement in our performance after he subbed Ramsey – because it’s as plain as the nose on our faces.
Ramsey may, eventually come good but right now he’s a total liability.
Evening Evonne – how is life treating you atm?
Nice to see the boys dressing up, and Vermaelen behind Ramsey… 🙂
Big charity dinner tonight for the Arse boys.
What is Song wearing on his feet?
Gn5 – that is where we won’t agree and what is the fundamental point of my post today: Ramsey is not the misfit or the total liability at the moment. The game did also not drastically change when he was substituted in my view.
Let’s see what happens on Sunday. I think Ramsey will play, Song will be sitting back a lot more and the CB’s will hold their position better. Song and Ramsey will be working a lot more in partnership and Rosicky will work the line between Ramsey and RvP with a lot more discipline. It is what I think Arsene will do, judging from past experiences.
One thing I think I know about you though is that you will celebrate as much as anybody else if Ramsey has a brilliant game on Sunday. I respect your views, we just could not be further apart at the moment.
I know Evonne 😀
Song is priceless guys, for the picture they had for Pat Rice last night he’s looking all swag and ………… eating a chicken wing
“eating a chicken wing”, hahahaha
TA;
We could not be further apart in our views.
The very last thing we should do in such a vital game is “Wish and Hope” that Ramsey comes good because he has done nothing to even deserve the opportunity.
If Song left it would be a terrible blow. The club needs characters on and off the pitch
Total!! You have good memory 🙂 Yes, Tommy looks better without the suit 🙂 Dirty old woman is having a bit of fun 🙂
Not doing too well Total, thanks for asking. Bees are struggling, fruits are dismal this year and we have a game on Sunday. And I should be looking forward to the game, but I am nervous and I’m already dreading the summer speculations, which unnerve me at the best of times.
But I had a cheerful thought – why would WBA try very hard to give RH good send off? I wouldn’t break my neck if my boss was leaving, unless I wanted to be in the English team. No, they won’t be trying too hard. Does it matter to them if they finish 10th or 11th? Nay, don’t think so. Let’s just hope that Wenger manages to get throught to our Einsteins that THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT GAME, got it lads?
Ramsey should be rested!!! Until nxt season he is worn out being his first full season,,but if wilshere comes back i pity him he wont get a chance to prove himself…
Gn5, I don’t think Wenger does ‘wish and hope’, but rather ‘trust and deliver’.
TA, I didn’t really finish that comment. My point was that Arteta would make a him and Rambo partnership work or a him and Jack, it’s more to do with Arteta realising what he needs to do to help the team more than a partnership in the truest sense with Song.
I think it’s that magic ingredient we are missing – responsibility
TA;
I was not referring to AW as I trust that he will do what is necessary to achieve a victory.
TA, in my opinion you have just summed up perfectly Arsene Wengers attitude to his players. It is one of the big reasons that in the long run we will win the big prizes again.
And yes, the carrots were delicious. hahahaha
Evonne 🙂 That is a sad story (bees on their knees and juiceless fruit and all that!). As soon as the weather changes we’ll all get a lift. November weather in April and May is not good for the soul.
Just imagine: nice weather, Arsenal have finished third, Wenger has completed all but one transfers, all the good guys have signed a new contract, start of the European Championships, beers and wine in the garden etc, etc.
Ok Gn5, in that case I am not wishing and hoping either 🙂
Terry 🙂 Did you follow up Redders crafty advice?
I thought I was the only one seeing that the other players have lost trust in Aaron Ramsey and aren’t playing the ball to him as much as they should be!!! Losing trust in him means they have also, indirectly, lost trust in Arsene Wenger when it comes to this particular issue. I find that inexcusable!!! I agree with your article 100 percent!!!
Cheers Milo! That is indeed inexcusable.
GiE, I agree. The way Arteta has put himself at the disposal of the team has been fantastic. I still think though that the partnership had become special and if we had had a first class AM in the hole this season, i.e. we still had Fabregas or a fit JW in that position, it all could have been very different now.
I like bees but i dont like there ugly cousins wasps. Had a nest of the buggers in between mine and my neighbours roof and it was a nightmare. They would fly in and for some strange reason land on the floor or on the walls and crawl around everywere. Anyway, i got stung about 50 times, usualy treading on them in the morning.My worst experience came early one morning when i felt a sharp pain around the groin area whilst lying in bed. At first i thought it was Mrs Terry been a bit over zealous, but through the breaking dawn i could see she was still asleep. Another pain followed, even more excruciating than the other, at this stage i jumped out of bed like a lunatic, Mrs Terry dazed and confused yelling at me. I was now hopping around like fire as more and more sharp pains followed. I finaly got a grip of myself and yanked off my Arsenal pyjamas upon were two wasps flew out of them at incredible speed. Suffice to say, that when ever i see a wasp now my instant reaction to cusp my nether regions and run as fast as i can.
Its hard to follow Redders advice TA, when your banished to the settee with only carrots to look forwrad to. On the bright side i havent seen a wasp for ages. yeeehaaa.
Terry 😆
Just like Evonne, you are also in need of a healthy dose of vitamin D by the sounds of it. What’s a Greek god without regular sunshine? It gets you in all sorts of trouble and you end with slicing and crunching carrots all evening 😦
I shall bid you good night TA, and will enjoy discussing our champions league exploits with you next season after we smash West Brom and secure 3rd spot.
Galli Nikter
An insight into Frimpong’s personal life on live TV…
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-bould-knows-our-football-philosophy
Galli Nikter Terry 🙂
Thanks for link RobL
It shouldn’t shock me but it does. Steve Bould is 49!?
Steve Bould Steve Bould Stevie Stevie Bould
He’s got no hair but we don’t care
Stevie Stevie Bould.
I am really pleased with Bould getting the role. I think they make a good partnership.
Btw GiE, every time I see your avatar, I imagine you lifting up an arm and screaming loudly ‘Red Army’!
😀 TA.
I think Bouldy was the obvious choice, as Arsene says he has been part of the coaching setup there for a few years, secondly he has coached the youngsters who will now come through from the youth ranks and some like Jack who have already progressed.
It says that other back room changes will be announced shortly….TA6 for the youths?
GiE, TA6 is a possibility – I really like Dixon but I don’t know whether he wants to leave the TV-stuff behind.
I know its late, but i couldnt let that loser have the last comment. Lets end this on a good note: TA, thoughtful article,and great responses from rasp peaches irish n5, and especially GIE! ! Not an easy subject nail down. Good night from nyc. 🙂
oh well, just another of the so-called fans…they enjoy putting down our own players, — guys, there is plenty of room on the Man city bandwagon— well, i forgot to say- nice comments from red arse earlier also 😉
Don’t waste your time with them jnyc. If they can’t manage a basic standard of literacy it’s unlikely they’ll have sufficient reasoning powers to do other than follow the moronic herd.
Gali maira. Terry.
They have been trashed. ….a couple of keyboard warriors who are blogging after school.
Apologies.
Gali maira. Total
God Morgen til dig VCC
Guten morgen, dobro jutro, good morning…
“blogging after school” hahaha..if only they had been to school Raddy..
VCC,
any chance you can find a pic of that 3rd kit with the mellow yellow stripes? there is absolutely zip on news now
VCC,
your gravatar pic reminds me of this T-shirt they got on sale with a print of ‘Gollums’ face…underneath it reads “Got any meth?” haha
Royston Drenthe has come out and said that Lionel Messi had racially taunted him on several occassions in the past, calling him a “negro” in a negative tone over several matches..
the Question i ask is WHY NOW?
Where is everybody?
I’ve had a shower……..i swear!
t-55:04 hrs
Robin…. I,ll try and find it and send you the link. I’m sorry I’m crap at sending pic, via anything.
I quite like it. I think Celtic used it a couple of years ago.
It would be nice to add to my collection and wear it while on holiday, it will make me stand out more. Lol.
Morning All
RurP with his contract and whilst playing there it is unlikely he would want to upset the apple cart. Perhaps he commented that there was an inherent problem in Spanish football, we know it exists in the fans still. His contract at Madrid is up so maybe he can now speak up. I think FIFA and UEFA need to do a lot more to remove racism from the game completely.
VCC, no matter what the design-every Arsenal kit stands out
Morning Micky, counting down the minutes already are we?
Morning GiE (leader of the red army),
i didnt see it that way. I mean, i didnt realise that he was only on loan..But i do agree that the authorities need to crack down..
Next season’s kit has to be of the very best quality and design – after all, it will be on posters for posterity when RvP lifts the PL, CL and FA Cups
Robin…Sorry I have looked through my history of yesterday, cannot find it. If I come across it later I will endeavour to put it up here.
In the meantime , how about this one? hhttp://arsenalnyc.bigcartel.com/product/save-london-kill-spursow
Im hopeless at this. DOH.
Try this one
http://arsenalnyc.bigcartel.com/product/save-london-kill-spurs
LOL, my Christmas present will be coming early 🙂
Where is our darling Evonne? Off with the birds and her Beez maybe
I am here 🙂 Hello Robbin! It is the first sunny morning in UK for several weeks, so I got up early to sort out the cat, the dogs, bees and garden. Have to do it all before sunday kick off. What’s the weather like in Oz?
Raddy at 8:11 !! ABSOLUTELY !!
morning Evonne 🙂
its starting to get colder..and darker, earlier in the evening 😦
I hate the cold, means my fishing adventures are limited..Are you going to have company watching the game, or are you by yourself behind the sofa?
By colder RurP give us a temperature read. We are in Spring and we’ve only had one week above 15c
Peaches, THE DENTIST IS WAITING
Morning all
New Post …………
Ha ha robbin 🙂
GiE, still getting early 20c during the day and then come 5-6pm it gets dark and drops to 14-16c..until early early morning when it drops to 10-12c..really really cold..lol
i cant handle our cold but if i got the chance, id watch our boys play in the snow…
stop laughing at me, im sure if you visited Aust. you would be sweating on an average day 🙂