A trip to Anfield is always full of trepidation, despite Liverpool’s recent decline, they are still a team that hold many dangers. If the Kop are allowed to get into the game they can be a telling 12th man roaring their team on. With this in mind Arsène Wenger and his newly arranged squad deserve a large amount of credit for making the game a very relaxed enjoyable affair for us fans.
Photo courtesy of chas – our man at the match
Quite simply we looked comfortable from the 1st minute, even when passes from the back went astray the team had retained its shape and there was no sudden chase to catch opposition forwards with the defence and midfield looking all at sea.
Liverpool tried to press as Swansea did last season but the lads in the main looked calm and collected as they moved the ball in neat triangles around the red shirts, most importantly they moved themselves as well to a position where they could receive the ball again, too often last season we saw an Arsenal player pass the ball and stand still or move as if pre programmed not reacting to what was happening around him. At our worst last season the man in possession was lucky to have one man available when faced with the press, yesterday he was unlucky if he only had two options.
The first twenty five minutes saw the two teams sizing each other up, apart from Mertesacker pulling down Suarez after letting Suarez drift off and spin him quickly and a couple of dodgy cross field passes by Jenkinson there was not too much goalmouth incident at either end, a couple of speculative efforts from either side and nothing more.
Any foray into our half by Liverpool was dealt with comfortably, any foray into Liverpool’s half by us resulted in an overhit cross or a missed pass.
On the half hour mark With Liverpool pushing forward again and committing men forward Gerard played a pass which Vermaelen read and dealt with quickly, the ball played straight to Podolski who turned and found Cazorla, for the first time in the match he was in space between the midfield and defence, Cazorla drove at the heart of the defence, Giroud pulled right and Podolski was busting a gut to join in on the left of Cazorla.
Cazorla delayed until he had the attention of the four men in front of him and as they started to think about closing a potential shot down he played a pass into the path of Podolski, one touch to set and the second touch sent the ball low and hard past Reina. One nil to the good guys, a good pacy counter attack. Perhaps the best thing about this goal was not even the goal itself, it was evidence that lessons have been learned, look behind the front three and not one other Arsenal player had left our half.
Amongst all the action something exciting was happening in the middle of the park, we were seeing the player we have been dreaming of since about 2005 when Vieira left for Juve, we were seeing Diaby stamp his authority on a football match.
Arteta was quietly and effectively mopping up the pieces in front of the back four, Cazorla was pushing and probing in the final third, and in between the two Diaby was doing whatever he wanted. Throwing dummies, back heels, twists and turns, running with the ball at pace, pressing opponents and tackling. In short the lad was class and reminded all of us just how good he can be, and precisely why Wenger has persisted with him.
Before the half ended Diaby drove with the ball through the Liverpool lines and picked out Giroud’s run, unfortunately our new front man couldn’t quite get his leg round the shot and it went harmlessly wide. To be fair to Giroud he had spent most of the first half watching crosses from Gibbs sail over his head, this was his first real chance of the game.
The second half started in the same way as the first half ended, Liverpool had possession, but they didn’t threaten sufficiently to cause the nerves to start jangling. Gone from our performance in the second half were the half hit misplaced passes, everything was being done efficiently and the team was moving up and down the pitch as a cohesive unit.
Mertesacker took our lives (and his place on the park) in his hands when he tickled Suarez under the arm which I can only imagine sent the Uruguayan weak at the knees and he couldn’t help but fall to the ground. I think this decision was probably the hardest for Webb all match, he knows he is not supposed to help Arsenal but he is definitely never allowed to help Liverpool under the terms of his contract with ManUre.
As the Arsenal midfield started to control the game more pressure was put on the Liverpool area, Gibbs was released into the 18 yard box by Podolski, his cross come shot was well saved by Reina. Cazorla going across the box let fly with his left foot to see his effort go just wide of the right post.
Finally the second goal cushion was achieved, a classic Arsenal goal, a swift one two between Cazorla and Podolski released Cazorla into the box, he drove his shot low and hard, and Reina could only parry it into the net. Two nil and cruising.
The last twenty minutes was a case of getting the job done, this is where we would really see if things have changed in the team this season, and on the evidence of this final twenty minutes the answer is a resounding yes. We were not committing six or seven men forward when in possession, when players were in possession and isolated they waited for support or the foul to come, to use a US sports phrase, we ran the clock down. Not by walking the ball across the 6 yard box every goal kick, but by keeping the ball, and supporting each other around the park.
Liverpool’s best chance came on 87 minutes and it fell to Shelvey who drove low and hard, Mannone was equal to the shot, and Vermaelen was first to the bouncing rebound to clear the lines.
The final whistle brought a few boos from the Anfield crowd, well except that corner which was full of Arsenal fans who had been magnificent (as always) for the ninety minutes. Although i would ask them to drop the “She Said No” it does us as fans no favours.
Okay so having read all of that you must be thinking everything’s rosy and we’re on the march for the league, well I wish i could agree, a good manager I played under always said the time to put things right and focus on the negatives of a performance is after a win, that way you are not further demoralising the players and they are more receptive to the ideas.
Areas for improvement:
1) Row Z is never the wrong option for a defender, sometimes it is just needed, the defence need to understand this and not be afraid to hoof it into touch to relieve pressure rather than trying to find a difficult pass with opposition shirts close.
2) Supporting the front man, occasionally we went longer to Giroud, this is a good thing as long as it doesn’t become the only ball, occasionally when Giroud did manage to get the ball ahead of Skrtel and Agger he wasn’t getting enough support, or there was breakdown in communication between him and the player coming to support, resulting in losing possession when the chance to break was on.
3) Attacking set pieces still need more work (not that we had many).
And finally the ratings, always difficult for me as its all very subjective but I will start with giving my basis for scoring. Each player starts with a 7, that 7 is based upon what i know of them as a player not how they performed compared to others on the pitch, for example Sagna might have got a 7 for the performance Jenkinson put in, but Jenkinson will get an 8 because I don’t expect him to be at that level yet….make sense?…no? …..good you can’t complain about them then:
Mannone – 8 Solid performance from our oft criticised 3rd choice, he almost made me forget that horror goal in the CL last season
Jenkinson – 8 Despite a couple of dodgy passes he just never gives up, stuck to his task of dealing with the highly spoken of Sterling very well he didn’t get a sniff.
Mertesacker – 7 Exactly what we have come to expect from the BFG, calm and assured, puts himself in the right positions most of the times, how many centre backs in the PL would stay on the park after picking up a booking in 5 minutes against the likes of Suarez at Anfield?
Vermaelen – 8 Solid display from the skipper, strong in the air when needed, good on the ground, and a couple of well timed clearances.
Gibbs – 7 Defensively solid although Borini posed nowhere near the threat that Jenkinson had to contend with, supported the attack well but must improve final ball.
Arteta – 8 His normal influential self, disciplined to play the holding role, eager to break up opposition attacks, read the game brilliantly.
Diaby – 9 – MOTM Probably his best match for the club, simply magnificent in the centre of midfield drew opposition shirts too him and then fed the ball to the free men, he helped set the tempo of the game with Arteta and Cazorla
Cazorla – 8 An assist and a well taken goal, welcome to Arsenal Santi, head up football the whole time, good runs with the ball, two footed in possession, makes the game look too easy.
Podolski – 8 Strong performance, put in a decent shift up and down the left flank, also made the pitch narrower to help out on defence, superb finish, good assist.
Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6 This to some will be abit harsh, but i don’t think Ox got into the game, he was easily marshaled at the moment by more experienced players, he will learn a lot from his new teammates, and i expect huge development this year.
Giroud – 7 Worked hard for his team, in a thankless task, didn’t stop running for 90 minutes and looked dead on his feet at the end, will need to relax to score his first goal.
by Gooner in Exile
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Bang on the money – very little difference in how I’d score the game, although thought the Ox had a good first half I’d agree with your score on the basis that he faded badly in the second.
Good read capturing the many positives from a great performance.
2 questions: is anyone going to Everton U21 game tonight? And does anyone know when the Coventry COC game is (Arsenal website not updated)?
…would also add that Wenger got his substitution bang on the money yesterday…
Taking off the Ox for Ramsey took us 4411/442, made us harder to break down yet kept, as we saw a few times, the pace to break on the counter.
Excellent write up, GIE 🙂
A really good game of football and thoroughly enjoyed, and your view shows why.
There is no point in being picky, for the sake of it, but my only real concern in an otherwise good performance by Mannone was that when we came under pressure, late on in the 2nd half, he tried to catch the ball rather than punch it. There were one or two heart fluttering moments when he failed to do either.
He played very well otherwise, but your views as a GK would be appreciated.
Well i was looking forward to your report today Richard and you didn’t disappoint.
We were great yesterday, defended well, hunted in packs, kept the ball for long periods, all we were shouting for last season – fantastic.
Spot on with all your ratings.
I’ve put a link on twitter.
Aw…we made the Liverpool owner feel sad.
Open letter from John W Henry to Liverpool fans defending the fact that they’re still a very average side…
Morning Red, Manonne had me fluttering too, though he did one good punch that i remember.
But agree when that cheating moron suarez is about he should punch it every time preferrably with a piece of the uraguayans jaw
the post is spot on!
Hi Jonners, 🙂
Love the “preferrably with a piece of the uraguayans jaw” sentiment! 🙂
If, yesterday, Mannone had been playing his first game for Arsenal I think we would all be raving about him. It is only his history at the Gunners that makes us so nervous when his name appears on the team sheet. He looked calm, assured and happy to be in the team. Let’s not forget that was Anfield supposedly one of the most intimidating venues in the country. Well done Vito!
Good report, Exile, but that’s what we expect from you: so you get a 7!
Re Mannone, he may not have done a marvellous job with Liverpool’s five-minute aerial siege, but he is our third choice keeper. By definition, a third choice keeper isn’t going to be the best. I know there are plenty who say we’re weak in the GK unit; I don’t agree, I think we have one of the strongest groups of keepers in the PL. Do a compare and contrast across all the teams and you may agree.
Yesterday was very, very satisfying, and was just what the doctor ordered. I was becoming very worried that the Friday night/Saturday morning hysteria about transfers would overwhelm the positivity many of us felt after the performance (though not the scoreline) vs Stoke. A comprehensive, solid victory at the home of a major rival was perfect, and should keep things in perspective very nicely.
Am now itching for the game vs Southampton, which will be my first game of the season. United made them look potent in attack yesterday but I think we’ll demolish them, and show some that United’s struggle to overcome them (even with the glory of a BSR hat-trick) marks them as the more flawed proposition than us in chasing City.
Terrific match report GiE.
I loved this game for so many reasons:
Diaby was MotM, who needs Song?
Mannone should be our No.2 keeper
Cazorla is as good as Cesc (if not better due to attitude)
The pod and Giroud work so hard (and they’re very good)
Steve Bould is a giant in terms of his presnce on the bench and I presume in training
Theo should sign a new contract or he can expect more time on the bench
…. I could go on and on , but let’s not get carried away – the players aren’t, they’re grounded and patient. Their discipline, composure and work rate has been missing from the side since 2007, these guys have all the attributes to make a great team.
Just for the record (I don’t think it shows Mannone to be either brilliant or terrible), his stats for us are: Played 13, Won 8, Drawn 4, Lost 1, Goals conceded 12, Clean sheets 6.
Fantastic squad. Abou didn’t disappoint either. God knows where Sahin would’ve played had he made the ‘wrong choice’
Rasp – Bouldy certainly is a giant, could you imagine Pat Rice holding Song by the throat LOL.
Another positive is that LuLu and Santi have already developed an understanding.
I had to laugh, a pool fan on talksport this morning criticised the owner for failing to invest in the side – had he forgotten the mere £100m that was wasted on substandard players last season?
Hi Jonathan, I particularly liked it that Bouldy didn’t go mad and celebrate the goals, he knows the players need to concentrate – how many times in recent years have we conceded soon after scoring?
I have hated it in past seasons when the players would look to the bench and just see PR and AW with tension and angst written all over their faces, Bouldy just sits there with his chiseled jaw and steely stare giving out the message – you’d better not let me down!
Cannot agree with the fans of Mannone.
He got away with two errors, the second of which he inexplicably found humourous. Laughing, to save face, made himself look plain foolish. Hull City is actually his standard.
It often takes only one goalkeeping mistake to undo a team’s good work over 90 mins. Reina?
For views of Reina, and FAR, FAR more from Liverpool fans check out “Arsenal defeat adds to off field worries – BBC Sport Mon 03 Sept 00.30.
It’s good reading, believe me. They are not happy bunnies.
GiE, thanks for a fantastic match report, with an in-depth analysis of the game. Top, top stuff! 🙂
I totally agree with you re there being more options for players to pass the ball to this season. The triangles worked really well yesterday and there was always a way out. On top of that, we saw how our players are more comfortable on the ball than Pool, and can work themselves out of tight situations. Diaby gave a first-class performance of how this should be done and it reminded me of Cesc and, especially, young JW. Our midfield play was absolutely phenomenal yesterday, and I totally agree with your assessments of our French and Spanish beasts.
I really loved the way you analysed our first goal. What Cazorla did in terms of timing and decision making, and drawing attention to him before releasing the ball – inch-perfect, both in terms of speed and accuracy – to the Pod is what great football is all about. Pod’s first touch was sublime and the finish pure, simple quality. It was also good to see you gave Giroud some credit for that goal (as did TT late last night in a comment).
I think you are a little harsh on Mertesacker in terms of a lower score than TV. As a tandem they are almost perfect and Mertesacker’s intelligent reading of the game, calmness and organisational skills work very well with TV natural instincts and warrior-like qualities. But that is just a minor disagreement as other than that I agree with everything you said – including your ‘areas of improvement’.
Although it feels we made significant progress compared to last season, we have to wait and see whether we are ready to compete for the top prices this season. Key will be whether we can break through the walls of those teams who are happy to permanently park the bus against us. By the looks of it Southampton are not such a team and neither are Citeh when they play at home, but the Chavs might well revert to that sort of play against us when they come to the home of football at the end of the month.
Brilliant write up GiE…..
2*13 – “Good report, Exile, but that’s what we expect from you: so you get a 7!” – LOL
i wonder if players have twigged onto reinas’ inability to get to ground fast enough due to his age.
not saying i want theo gone but i love that wenger isnt playing him and if the little boy inside of him is screaming pool, 5-10mil and raheem will do.
Picking up on Total’s theme, I loved this line in Exile’s report: “At our worst last season the man in possession was lucky to have one man available when faced with the press, yesterday he was unlucky if he only had two options.”
I’m sure most of you knew about this already, but I only just realised yesterday that the FourFourTwo website includes access to Opta stats, including as a free app. Was very useful I thought. See: http://fourfourtwo.com/statszone/
Super report, GIE.
Gibbs was one of many highlights for me, so I’d give him a higher rating.
Here’s that Diaby video illustrating his MOM performance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH2qswi63R0
So the phony season ends, the mystics, stato’s and fortune tellers have put away their abacuses and recycled their glass balls, sanity returns until January. Apart of course from in the media who’s delight in swinging from “we are in crisis as our whole team has been sold and the desperately needed, season defining midfielder has not been coerced by AW and his pocketful of horded selling club shekels” to “Arsenal are the team to watch, the only one of the 92 league clubs not to concede a goal yet this season. Oh and this bloke Diaby is gonna be the player of the year and the next target for Barca or City”
How great then to find an article like todays considered masterpiece from our own Gooner In Exile, fair, reasoned and a pleasure to read. Yes things have improved but hard days lie ahead, lady luck will have her say and Jack’s return has to coincide with Diaby staying fit, whilst our new players learn to interact with our young genius on his return.
Diaby, regular readers will know has long been no 1 on my wish list, having decided and I hate to admit this, that prior to that broken ankle he was the new Vieira I so wanted in our midfield. Well he is back and showed yesterday just what he is capable of, long may it continue.
So thanks GIE I can come back to the blog confident that the majority of input will be based on fact and realism and the “days of future past”, and all its hogwash, can be safely forgotten. 🙂
Great write up.
I would’ve given Diaby a 10, firstly because he has been injured on and off for a long time and I wasn’t expecting such a fantastic performance, and secondly because I don’t think we will see many better all round midfield performances this season.
As regards Mannone, his shot stopping and distribution was good yesterday, but his handling of high balls was poor. He is an adequate 2nd choice, but not much more than that. I dont think he deserves any praise or grief for his performance yesterday. He was good enough, which is good enough for me!
thanks GiE for the report, very accurate and entertaining, and indeed as good as the game itself.
I needed your reassurance that we had a very good game. All those around me yesterday, Pool fans were saying what a shite game it was, both teams were rubbish, but Pool even worse than Arsenal. I did try to say that we made Liverpool look poor pointing out to them that our new defence took Suarez out of the game but believe it or not I was told that women should not even bother going to games. Well, that shut me up for a couple of minutes 🙂
Re Harold Webb – do you think that maybe when Fergie phoned Arsene he offered Webb in exchange for the dutch front bottom?
Excellent GIE, my only disagreement as you alluded to, was Ox’s mark a tad harsh I thought bearing in mind the fantastic defensive work he did and the fact that he was doubled up upon at almost every occasion. And not once did he miscontrol, run past the ball or be muscled off it. As I said a week ago i’ m quietly confident, let’s get to 6 then 10 games and see where we are
Good result for gunners but still a lot to do cos Giroud we dnt know what’s wrong with him
Calm down SAB, OG is doing fine, getting in good positions, the goals will come, did you write of Bergkamp and Henry so quickly? 🙂
What a monday I am having.
Just watched the game.
Then a GiE match report that eloquently pointed things as I saw them, with humour like: “I think this decision was probably the hardest for Webb all match, he knows he is not supposed to help Arsenal but he is definitely never allowed to help Liverpool under the terms of his contract with ManUre” 🙂
It was so nice to really struggle to pick out a Man of the Match. Verm, Arteta, Pod, Santi and Diaby were all worthy candidates in my book. A very happy situation.
One of my personal highlights was a Stevie No-Hair moment at 8 mins 20 secs, when a Pool through ball to an offside player was met by a straight line back four with arms aloft. Happy memories 🙂
Thanks GiE (and Chas for pic).
Thanks for the report GIE.
Just finished watching on Bin Dipper TV, I turned the sound off and just read the sub titles, who ever produces their package are not very professional as they put Giroud as the second scorer and Jon Jo Shelvey as an Arenal player when he was booked, what should I expect of Council estate producers though !.
Great allround TEAM performance . Mert gave the ball away cheaply as many times as Jenk`s, but all of the back 4 were outstanding defensively. I did not feel comfortable at all with Mannone, wasn`t commanding enough later on for my liking, the only one I felt uneasy with .
Giroud ?…….just needs a bit more time and a goal, I`m sure it will come !.
Brilliant Micky
i noted that too (the arms aloft), the Bould affect, its obvious, its kind of reassuring if you know what i mean
Also anyone notice Gibbs bollock Giroud for not passing.
Theres 1 confident young number 1 fullback.
rhyle
The Coventry game will be sandwiched inbetween the ManCity and Chav League games.
Howard Webb was a great bit of business in the TW as on any other occasion the Dippers might have had two dodgy penalties !.
That ” Dives when he wants to ” Suarez is dispicable !
Sassfrassarassa, hehehehehehe 🙂
It was a great away performance & I would agree with most of your scores apart from Mannone because I thought he was very dodgy with crosses & really think we need a better 2nd GK at the club than what we have. Also thought Mert was worth an 8 & how that prat Webb booked him when that cheating Saurez dived I will never know.
Wow what a performance from Diaby, he was outstanding, hopefully he can stay fit all season & really show us what a great player he is.
Just ashame we have the poxy international break, I hate these every season when a couple of games into season, the timing is awful.
Lastly RVP is a fantastic player & I have never agreed with the one season brigade & he has proved he will do the buisiness at the Mancs, just hope he gets injured 😉
Jonathan
Always reminds me of the Fever Pitch training moment/scene 🙂
HI all thanks for the kind comments, to be fair it was one of the easier match reports to write, strange to look for negatives from a good performance rather than positives from a terrible one. This time last year after the third game i was writing about a very different result.
Glic,
Mert did give the ball straight back to Pool on a few occasions. Then I had a brilliant epiphany. He was bored and simply having a giggle.
“You won’t beat me like that. You’re rubbish. Here, have another go. See, told you. Rolf”.
GiE,
Has to be said that with Sagna, Kos, Sz and Jack hovering in the wings, we are looking very strong.
Also, the overall team effort and commitment was very apparent.
Right, better tend to less important matters, like work.
sorry to spoil your fun guys, but does anybody know when is Diaby’s contract up for renewal? Please don’t tell me it is next summer
Well said bruv, well said
evonne, i think its 2015, not positive but i think he signed a new 5 yr deal in 2010
evonne
http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/abou-diaby/profil/spieler_26763.html
I love this subtle dig by Wonderman.
Re The Ox
“not once did he miscontrol or run past the ball”
And who do we know ho does that?
Nice one GIE
Much appreciated.
What a tremendous result, with more to look forward to!
These results without Schezzer, Jack, or my favorite Koscielny, certainly give some reason for optimism.
I believe many may have been disappointed with the end to the transfer season, now we can focus on supporting our team where it truly counts: on the pitch.
One sour point. I followed the commentary on the match on a certain blog. A more foul-mouthed, ugly, bigoted, uninspiring rant I could not imagine, from people who picture themselves as Arsenal supporters.
Completely at odds with what I saw on the pitch, totally without empathy for the players, and with no apparent joy in the spectacle. What exactly do they get out of the experience?
Hi dandan, fully agreed. Just look at the top articles on Newsnow Arsenal at the moment: they are actually all talking about football for once. Hallelujah!
Hi Bryan, fully agreed on the international break. I wrote a post about it last year. The league season should be left uninterrupted and international football, whether qualifiers or tournaments, should be played in the early summer months, at the end of the season. Fingers crossed nobody gets injured! 😦
Hi Another – nice to see you back here. There are a lot of idiotic Gooners who are even hoping we finish outside the top-four so Kroenke and/or Wenger get into trouble and will leave. As if that is going to happen (the latter as well as the former)! 🙂
Hi Jonathan: I noticed Gibbs’ bollocking Giroud as well and I am happy and unhappy about it. It shows Gibbs is growing in confidence, but I also thought that Giroud could have done without it. As a striker he was entitled to take that one on and he hardly runs around the pitch looking very pleased with himself. But Gibbs really is taking his opportunity now to claim the LB position which is a very good thing.
Big Al, Koh Samui, Thailand says:
September 3, 2012 at 10:25 am (Edit)
“Cannot agree with the fans of Mannone.
He got away with two errors, the second of which he inexplicably found humourous. Laughing, to save face, made himself look plain foolish. Hull City is actually his standard.”
I could be mistaken but I think he was smiling at Howard Webb and asking why he hadn’t got the same decision that Reina had got earlier bringing the ball down on Vermaelens head.
Brilliant match report GIE, and I like your ratings system. I also like the fact that you chose to look at some of the negatives, or things we can do better, because of course there is a long way to go. I am sure Wenger, Bould, and some of the players themselves will be stressing the same.
I would like to mention how fine the margins are between what seems like a brilliant performance (and it was), and what people would classify as a terrible display. If Howard Webb had given a penalty to Liverpool for the Mertesacker tackle, and given Per what would have been his second yellow, we would most likely be a goal and a man down, and would have struggled to cope. We’d then be ruing over how it was a poor piece of defending that cost us the game again. My point? The margins are very small, and referees have had a much bigger impact on our results the past few seasons than is generally acknowledged. Not that we haven’t had issues with the team.
JW apparently back in one month – effectively two football weeks. Please let it be so! 🙂
Hi LB, lol it had to be done! 🙂 I think we are witnessing the creation of a proper squad, where they all realise defending is a team responsibility and goal threat can come from unpredictable areas
Hi Total
1 pointless international 3 days before the start of the season & qualifiers 3 games into season, FIFA are a total bunch of arsewipes!
I find International football a complete pain in the ass to be honest,
the only time I am ever interested in it is the World cup & Euro finals, its a shame about all the boring qualifiers & friendlies.
Thanks Total, good to be back.
I also followed the commentary on Arseblog, couldn’t stop laughing, so all was not so bad.
What a headache in the midfield choice, someone I would like to see more of is Coquelin. To be honest, I thought he would be promoted to Song’s place more or less immediately. The combination of Arteta & Diaby(!) has thrown me delightfully off-kilter.
We certainly have more rotational ability this year, bring it on!
Afternoon all,
Total, i think you have forgotten to add the odd month on top of the actual date given on Jacks return by Arsenal 😉
Top report GiE, i take it your parents will be going to the Soton game…you know…to keep our form going 😉
I do agree with Shards’ point regarding the margins between a brilliant display and what one could classify as a disaster being very fine..Not to take anything away from our mature display, but i do think that pool were poor, and any of those misplaced passes early in the first half could quite easily seen us on the back foot..As we all know, a goal down would have changed the complextion of the game and wed be in a position of having to chase the game..
Lucky it was pool, as im worried that there are teams in the EPL who can and will punish mistakes like that..Still, as you said, we quickly found our shape and focus and got on with the business..
For the record, regardless of how good or poor the dippers are in any given season, id take a point away from Anfield any day of the year….but 3 points is absolute bliss..
And i said it before and ill say it again…This Arsenal team still has a few gears left in her, wait till the machine really starts purring
Wenger is bringing sexy back!! 🙂
Thanks GiE, i was nervous as hell watching that yesterday. I knew before the game we would be the better side but am realy desperate for points. I realy do think we have a chance of nicking the title and dont want to fall to far behind. If we are in the chasing pack around March we will win this league. The main reasons are that of all the potential chalangers i see us as the one who will improve the greatest by virtue of the fact that we have many players that need further experience, 3 new buys, and guys that have only just started there second seasons.
By the time we come to the crunch, its logical to assume our effeciency will go up another 20% and at that point we will be very hard to stop.
Anyone else having problems posting comments? I’ve got a slice of brilliance ( 🙂 ) hiding in the ether, with WordPress telling me it’s been posted. Oh well, perhaps it’ll turn up at some point.
Terry, your positivity is infectious! i love it..
I agree and cant wait on that extra 20% which will come, now that most of the cancer has been cut out of our club.
By the way, hows the stretching going? 🙂
Oh by the way, i took 12-1 with the bookie before the season that we would win the league, but before Sundays game we had odds of 20-1 so i took that too. We are now back down to 12’s. If we pull it off i promise to meet all tabs and treat all AA’ers to liquid refershment in the Tavern.
GIE,
A memory refreshing and honest report.
During the game I posted that I hoped AW would sub Jenkinson at half time, but I now realize that my concern was misplaced as his second half performance was a vast improvement. It was his errant cross field passing that I was concerned about and we were lucky to got away with it, mind you Mertesacker was also guilty of several iffy give aways.
Overall a very solid performance where we showed a level of grit and determination that has been sadly missing from our game, it looks as though Steve Bould is having an influential effect on our overall defensive coordination.
Sitting out both Walcott and Gervinho was a surprise as I thought we could have used their speed to good effect – but then again they both seem to suffer from BAS = “blind alley syndrome”
The player rating system is always both subjective and debatable.
My personal preference is a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being a “MOM” performance and 1 being a performance we hope to never see again.
Within a 1 to 10 scale rating of 1 to 4 would be below average, 5 & 6 would be average and 7 to 10 above average.
Terry, you could even pay for two flights from Australia with 20-1, dont worry ill get the drinks 😉
Oz, pack your bags…
hahaha thanks Prince. The stretching is going great. I intend to set up a website were all fellow stretchers can meet up for a good stretch and perhaps even have competitions to see who can stretch the furtherst. I also checked the Gunisse book of world records and there is no entry for the biggest stretcher so there could be a bit of fame in it for somebody who can stretch to the limit. hahaha
Closet stretchers..haha
Chas,
Have you any videos from the Anfield experience?
I was sent this today thought it might amuse
Installing an Electric Fence
Thought y’all should read this in case you’re thinking of installing an Electric fence! We have the standard 6ft. Fence in the backyard, and a few months ago, I heard about burglaries increasing dramatically in the entire city. To make sure this never happened to me, I got an electric fence and ran a Single wire along the top of the fence. Actually, I got the biggest Cattle charger Tractor Supply had, made for 26 miles of fence. I then used an 8 ft. Long ground rod, drove 7.5 feet into the ground. The Ground rod is the key, with the more you have in the ground, the Better the fence works.
One day I’m mowing the back yard with my cheapo Walmart 6hp bigwheel Push mower. The hot wire is broken and laying out in the yard. I knew For a fact that I unplugged the charger. I pushed the mower around the wire and Reached down to grab it, to throw it out of the way. It seems as though I Hadn’t remembered to unplug it after all. Now I’m standing there, I’ve got the running lawnmower in my right hand And the 1.7 gigavolt fencewire in the other hand. Keep in mind the Charger is about the size of a marine battery and has a picture of an upside down Cow on fire on the cover. Time stood still. The first thing I notice is my balls Trying to climb up the front side of my body. My ears curled Downwards and I could feel the lawnmower ignition firing in the backside of my brain.. Every time that Briggs & Stratton rolled over, I could feel the spark in my Head. I was literally at one with the engine. It seems as though the fence charger and the POS lawnmower were Fighting over who would control my electrical impulses. Science says you cannot crap, pee, and come at the same time. I beg to Differ. Not only did I do all three at once, but my bowels emptied 3 Different times in less than half of a second. It was a Matrix kind of bowel Movement, where time is creeping along and you’re all leaned back and BAM BAM BAM you just crap your pants 3 times. It seemed like there were minutes in Between but in reality it was so close together it was like exhaust pulses From a big block Chevy turning 8 grand. At this point I’m about 30 minutes (maybe 2 seconds) into holding onto the Fence wire. My hand is wrapped around the wire palm down so I can’t let Go. I grew up on a farm so I know all about electric fences… But Dad always had those POS chargers made by International or whoever that were like 9 volts and just kinda tickled. This I could not let go of. The 8 foot long Ground rod is now accepting signals from me through the permadamp Ark-La-Tex River bottom soil. At this point I’m thinking I’m going to have to just man up and Take it, until the lawnmower runs out of gas. ‘Damn!,’ I think, as I remember I just filled the tank! Now the lawnmower is starting to run rough. It has settled into a Loping run pattern as if it had some kind of big lawnmower race cam in it. Covered in poop, pee, jizz, and with my balls on my chest I think ‘Oh God, please Die… Pleeeeze die’. But nooooo, it settles into the rough lumpy cam Idle nicely and remains there, like a big bore roller cam EFI motor Waiting for the go command from its owner’s right foot. So here I am in the middle of July, 104 degrees, 80% humidity, Standing in my own backyard, begging God to kill me. God did not take me that Day… He left me there covered in my own fluids to writhe in the misery my own Stupidity had created…
I honestly don’t know how I got loose from the wire…. I woke up Laying on the ground hours later. The lawnmower was beside me, out of gas. It was Later on in the day and I was sunburned. There were two large dead Grass spots where I had been standing, and then another long skinny dead spot were The wire had layed while I was on the ground still holding on to it. I assume I Finally had a seizure and in the resulting thrashing had somehow let Go of the wire. Upon waking from my electrically induced sleep I realized a Few things.
1- Three of my teeth seem to have melted.
2- I now have cramps in the bottoms of my feet and my right butt cheek (not the left, just the right).
3- Poop, pee, and semen when all mixed together, do not smell as bad As you might think.
4- My left eye will not open.
5- My right eye will not close.
6- The lawnmower runs like a sumnabitch now. Seriously! I think our little session cleared out some carbon fouling or something, because it was better than new after that.
7- My balls are still smaller than average yet they are almost a foot long
8- I can turn on the TV in the gameroom by farting while thinking of the number 4 (still don’t understand this?)
That day changed my life. I now have a newfound respect for things. I appreciate the little things more, and now I always triple check to make sure the fence is unplugged before I mow.
The good news, is that if a burglar does try to come over the fence, I can clearly visualize what my security system will do to him, and THAT gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling all over, which also reminds me to triple check before I mow.
Like ·
great match report GiE, thank you for stepping in for Evonne. Still buzzing from the win! I’m trying to keep it all bottled up but I just can’t help it…THE LEAGUE IS OURS!
@ TMHT
could also have:
most stretches in a day
stories of stretching injuries (everyone loves a good stretch but I’m sure some get too carried away)
stretching hints and tips from Terry Stretch!
@ PPP
they’re packed! I’ll have to leave the state if we lose this weekend
Oz,
I hear Darwin is good at this time of year..Even Adelaide has nice weather next wk onwards 🙂
A “celebrity stretch watch” could see alot of traffic
@ PPP
too close, my eagles obsessed family would track me down and rub it in. I’ll move to Mt Everest until the dust settles. I’ll be that creepy blue bloke with missing digits and nose at the Arsenal celebration parade
Fantastic report GiE
Your comment about players making themselves available for the pass much more than last year was very perceptive.
I’d be interested in your (goalkeeper’s) take on Mannone and high balls. I thought he had a good game, his shot stopping was good and his kicking is way better than Szcz’z. But on two occasions there was an up-and-under in the middle of the box and you’re expecting the GK to just clear everyone out of his way and claim the ball. Both times Vito let it drop and let the attacker contest it with one of our defenders – even though the ball was around the six yard box.
This worried me as it could easily have led to a goal from the second ball.
@Oz,
hahaha.. on second thoughts im just hoping i wont be eating humiliation pie…. its so SO even this year, and with injuries playing a part you just cant pick a stand out team (maybe the brown n yellow stripes…by a nose)
Oz – what do you mean stepping in for Evonne??
I did the match report this morning at 8:30, psssshhhh…. 🙂
Rocky,
Interesting point..it wasnt just Mannone who let the ball bounce, our defenders seemed flat footed as well and seemed to wait on each other to make a move.
Maybe they did/or didnt get the call but i would like to see a little bit of hunger in clearing our lines
Jenks made two howlers in the space of about two minutes (one attempted hoof of a clearance that sliced out for a corner and one suicidal cross field ball that went straight to a Scouser).
I feared for his confidence after that, but the fact that his performance was even better thereafter is testament to the lad’s strength of character.
Also, once Bouldy has sat down and watched that attempted cross-field pass with him a few times, you can guarantee that we’ll never see one of these by Jenks again 🙂
If he carries on doing the simple things he can be an excellent deputy for Sagna.
Is there any news on Vermaelen? Hope hes pulled up alright..
It’s interesting that a lot of the media coverage is about how poor Liverpool are/were.
I watched their game against Man City last week and they outplayed the Oilers comprehensively and should have taken all three points except for a suicide back pass moment from Skrtel.
Liverpool are a slow motion train wreck at the moment. I have travelled annually [or more] to Asia for over 20 years. When I started they had a huge following.. and they still are huge in SE Asia, but the supporters are older ..ones who grew up on the magnificent team of the Paisley/Dalgliesh eras. Younger fans are looking at MU, Chelsea , MC and us.. as well as Barca and Real.
We were much bigger 3-4 years ago but 7 years of no trophies have lowered our appeal. The positive is though we have bit the bullet and built the stadium. We know that financially we can compete. Liverpool are in debt, have yet to build a stadium. My feeling is, barring an oil shiek rescue, they are not going to come back..and in 10 years we will look at them as we now look at other once big clubs..Everton, Villa and spurs. I bear Liverpool no grudge and feel sorry for the club as it sinks into mediocraty.
Purrfect,
I’ve been keeping an eye out.
This one gives a flavour though the chap with the camera is a tad annoying. Shame he didn’t take more during the game!
Rocky,
That’s exactly what I said about us not letting them play as they did against the camel-shaggeurs.
Arsenal tika-taka with the infamous Stewart Robson making a pillock of himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifn9scxJ08A
Chas. Thanks mate
hahah..im still LoL
48sec into the clip, the guy with the camera is singing “you’ll never walk alone” (quite badly) and we come across a guy on crutches..
Haha.
This is what made Evonne cry.
We couldn’t hear it under the stand. All we could hear was “Sign on, Sign on, With a pen in your hand and You’ll never get a job, You’ll ne-ver get a job.”
Evidently Suarez won’t be recalled to Uruguay’s paralympic 10 meter platform side during football’s international break, as several wheelchair-bound teammates are in form, with more convincing dives….
Lay off Giroud, please. The goals will come, but as long as he makes intelligent runs off the ball, and keeps occupying CBs while getting shawcrossed, huthed and skrtled, all will be just fine. By the way, wouldn’t Shkrtl the Skinhead fit in perfectly at Millwall….in the stands?
Looking forward to the first three CL matches, as the Arsenal will Bould-ly go forth with AW looking on from the expensive seats. As a fellow aging hairless, I’ll be rooting for his continuing positive influence and success.
Girly screaming should definitely be banned at football matches.
Stuart Robson is like one of those Arsenal supporters who is happiest when Arsenal are not doing so well as it gives him more to talk/moan about.
Conclusion…….tosser.
lol @ chas..
Robson is just priceless. Speaking of idiot commentators, 49 secs into the Southampton – ManU match, and the commentator praised ManU for ‘dominating the early possession’.
BJ,
Who are you asking to lay off Giroud?
Thats funny..
Evonne shouldnt cry though, there is plenty of jobs out there for people who want to work 😉
Right, thats me..Nite all
Dont forget that the Russian transfer window is still open. Michael Owen and Emil Heskey still have a chance. hahaha …………already got my coat
Chas
I just got round to watching that Diaby vid from yesterday’s game that you posted above.
Wow! He was immense. I know everybody hates the comparison, but I swear if you put a No 4 on his back and the name Vieira it would not have looked the tiniest bit out of place yesterday.
While watching live I made a point of keeping an eye on him because there had been some comments after the first two games that he was dwelling on the ball too long.
I only spotted one moment where he got dispossessed carelessly (Suarez nicked it off his toe from behind). The only other time he got dispossessed was when he had three men on him.
And, interestingly, he moved it on really quickly on almost every occasion, except for when he went on his own runs – which were just too much for the ‘Pool defence to cope with.
I’m honest enough to admit I have had doubts about Diaby in the past (not just about his fitness) but what he showed yesterday – apart from skill, pace and power – was real football intelligence.
After the stop-start career the lad has had so far he really deserves a few injury-free seasons – and if he gets them he could become a legend here.
As to Giroud…
If anyone had any doubt about how effective he’s going to be for us, just watch his running and movement in the moment that led up to his best chance of the game (where he was fed through by Diaby but shot wide). It’s included in the Diaby compilation posted by Chas earlier.
Absolutely top class striker movement, pulling the defenders all over the place to create the opportunity. Dare I say it, it reminded me of BSR’s movement in and around the box.
I have zero worries about Giroud – he’s going to become very important to this team.
@ Evonne
“I was told that women should not even bother going to games…
… dutch front bottom… ?”
I think women should not bother posting blogs if they use language like that.” Disgraceful.
@ Gooner In Exile – at 1:24 pm
Thanks for reply,; if you’re right I’ll apologise now in advance to the man in question, should he read this. Sorry (perhaps, Vito.
The match is being shown in 5 minutes time, in it’s entirety (10.30pm Thai time)… I’ll give the incident my full attention. Thanks for pointing it out, buddy.
Good post by the way.
E va va vonne and chas, tell me, what was it like being among the suspects in Merseyside Police`s biggest Identification parade yesterday ?.
Big Al,
You forgot to put a smiley face after “Disgraceful”.
Suspects for what, glic?
Techno chas, next time I see you at the Tavern remind me to talk to you about a funny idea I have, I cant print it, as it will spoil it, I think your expertise could do it and it`s not rude either. !. 🙂
Regarding the Diaby video, I love how at 1:23, he doesn’t pull out of what promised to be a hefty tackle on him. In Serge Gnabry’s interview at the camp in Germany, he pinpoints Diaby as the most technically adept player there, and on yesterday’s evidence, you can see why.
Sorry chas
Was just stereotyping scousers ! 🙂
Ahh, I see, glic. I’m intrigued by your idea. Are you at Southampton?
I feared for Diaby after that Skrtel reducer. Lucky he didn’t catch his standing foot. Could have been another bad one.
Only one more sleep before we find out the big news from Stoke. 🙂
I just edited the Stewart Robson Wiki page.
It used to say,
“He summarises for Arsenal TV and sometimes on TalkSPORT’s evening Kick Off Show during the week”.
It now says,
“He no longer summarises for Arsenal TV but sometimes tries to on TalkSPORT’s evening Kick Off Show during the week”
Still beaming from the win yesterday, my mates who supported liverpool were devastated as they thought they would easily give us a run for our money based on their performance against Man City 🙂
One thing thats pissing me off really badly though is how Man Utd fans are now calling RVP the new Man Utd legend, Van Perfect etc when just last season and all the seasons before that Van Pu$$y was just one of the many interesting nicknames they gave him.
No not at Soton game, but hope to find it easier to get tickets ( 2 seats together ) at the Coventry game, should be a lot easier ( famous last words 🙂 ) !.
TMHT 2:02. I had the same bet, I’ll buy the peanuts.
I think Pulis got caught walking into Stoke`s U16`s shower room naked, with towels in each hand and ring donuts on display trying to entice them into a towel flicking session, he`s now asking for politcal assylum in John Terry`s house !. All this after his attempt to make the potteries own version of TOWIE ( The Only Way Is Essex ), called TOWEL ( Tony`s Outrageous W**K Enrages Locals ) !.
Big Al – I would normally say c**t, but chose ‘front bottom’ in case Peaches’ mother is reading 🙂
Chas – girly screams 🙂 🙂 lovely. But I must admit, the away fans were truly impressive. How many of you? A couple of thousands? The noise was terrific, fair play to you all!
Some 20mins before the end hundreds of Pool fans were leaving in protest. Now that was disgraceful, something I hate seeing at games
I just went to watch the whole game on Arsenal Player. The commentary made me switch it off after less than five minutes.
I just wondered what others thought?
I sent the following email to Arsenal,
I love the quality of the picture I get from Arsenal Player.
However, could you please give us the option of watching the game without the commentary or at the very least turn it down so that a person watching can get an idea of the atmosphere at the game?
I went to Anfield yesterday and was really looking forward to hearing what the away support was like as it sounded loud and proud at the game. I was so disappointed when I put the 1st half on Arsenal Player and all I could hear was a lot of chat from the co-commentators. This leaves me with two options, either turn the sound off altogether or listen to the annoying commentary.
Getting rid of Stewart Robson was a step in the right direction. If you could give us the match without commentary, thousands of Arsenal supporters would be even more impressed with the service they receive from Arsenal Player.
Thank you for reading this,
Regards
chas
The games on Bin Dipper TV ( Ch429 ) again @ 9pm.
You lot sounded quite loud, especially when the scousers started leaving early for their appointments with their Probation Officers !.
Chas – excellent letter! I didn’t watch it again, but if one could not hear the away fans then the truth was distorted, that’s for sure. As I have already said – it was fecking great 🙂
Bryan, all agreed! My suggestion was to have mini-qualification tournaments to determine who goes through to the Euros or WC, in the odd-numbered summers.
Another SG, I am also a fan of Coquelin and, as you know, he can bemore than just a classical DM. Arteta and Diaby look great at the moment, and why change a winning formula now that the boys are not playing too many games, but I can also imagine Coquelin to play instead of Arteta, or to be effective alongside JW or even Rosicky in the two deeper laying midfielder positions.
Are you still running a pub over in die Schweiz?
monster – sent you a nice picture from outside the stadium of little Pool fans, those were the guys I felt sorry for
Hi Evonne 🙂
Forgot to say thanks for the eye-witness reports earlier today. Top stuff. I have been at Anfield when we won and lost and you are very lucky to have witnessed not just a win, but what could be a season-kick-starting-win.
I can well imagine you felt emotional when you heard NWA – it is without any doubt the best pre-match warming song in the world.
TA – absolutely, guy next to me was handicapped, yet he stood up with his scarf, held it up with shacking hands and sang….immense
Unfortunately he wanted to chat during the game dissing our team. I told him I don’t understand football, just a visitor. Not far from truth, but even I could tell our team took a corner, sharp right towards the victory 🙂
Had to ROLF a bit when Bouldie stood next to Cazorla
Any of you frequent that Goonersworld forum? Must say I am surprised with the amount of anti-wenger and pro usmanov posts and forumers there. Nothing wrong with that or expressing their thoughts, just surprised at the stark contrast of opinions here and here.
Ahhh, sweet lickle scouse girls.
First class on the train, too. Nice.
very observant of you monster 🙂 it was least I could do for the poor bastard, some birthday present, ha?
Adrian, by the sounds of it, I’d be about as welcome at Goonersworld as Nick Griffin at the Notting Hill Carnival…..
Hi Rasp,
Regarding your procedure to update the “seasons compared” widget. I think if you save the image as “PNG” rather than “JPG”, the text in the widget would look much sharper.
Also, for this purpose, the “Paint” application in Accessories might serve just as well as PhotoShop, although you did mention the need to “manipulate the image”, which might necessitate the need for PhotoShop? Paint might work just as well, though?
Super post GIE. As 26 says, I give you a 7.
With the MF working so well, how do you think we will fit in Wilshere? As far as I can see we can’t unless injuries force a change.
The height of Diaby is important to the team as is the defensive excellence of Arteta. Santi is undroppable so where does JW play?
I don’t believe in rotation except for the CC (if it is still called the CC), IMO it disrupts the flow and competence of the team.
Yet, should (and it must be said it is a big should) JW return to the level of brilliance he showed before injury, he has to be found a starting spot.
Pleased it is AW’s problem and not mine
Evonnesque – if he was unappreciative of our team than he is the one who knows noting about football. You on the other are the opposite if Nik Bendtner: far too modest (about your knowledge of football). The recent posts you wrote were final evidence to me that you know your stuff, and I am looking forward to another one of you! 🙂
Re your home country: it looks like your government are shrewd movers. Apparently, they are happy to join the Euro, but only……..once the rest of Europe have sorted out their mess. As Poland is one of the economically better performing European countries at the moment, nobody wants to fall out with them right now. How things have changed since the Lech Walesa era! 🙂
Chas: there’s a good bit of slag towards Giroud in the blogosphere. A rating for him elsewhere on yesterday’s match:
“GIROUD: Very disappointing. Missed three very good chances; one from a Diaby break, another from a corner, and a late one-v-one from a long ball. Movement and effort was commendable but that isn’t enough.”
And the solution proposed by the yahoos who point to the lack of goals is to “work harder”. Work harder? Telling a hard banging striker to work harder is to make him work tighter, and that’s the worst suggestion. Per GiE, he just needs to relax, and the goals will be there.
Strikers are always going to be ground zero for the extremes of excoriating criticism and over-the-top praise from the fickle fandom. For example, a former Arsenal striker was called among other things “RVPonce” by Manure fans for blowing an absolute sitter against ManU at the Emirates last season. And when Manure’s new striker chipped a weak penalty yesterday, Manure fans were braying about how SAF could waste all that money an on aging injury prone stiff with two chocolate legs? Luckily the newest Manure legend bailed them out…
Bayonne. As I am sure you know Arsenal have a history of brilliant strikers who took time to get off the mark – not all of them can be like Ian Wright Wright Wright.
These “Gunners” have no knowledge of our history. Thank goodness they weren’t around for DB10’s arrival.
Like most on AA, I believe IG has all it takes to succeed at AFC
I think the Wilshere question has become much easier to answer: he simply alternates with Arteta, but to be clear, I don’t mean rotation.
Arteta cannot go the whole season playing at that intensity; he will need help.
Wilshere will need time to reintegrate himself in the team. This will probably come initially through the CC, FA Cup and hopefully last leg of the CL.
Eventually, Arteta will hand the reins over to Jack.
Jeanny
If you want to know the general feeling of the people on this site about OG go and look yesterday’s comments relating to him after the game. I think you will find a glowing collection, all emphasising his work load, the thankless task he had playing the loan striker etc
Chazzer, 🙂
If you were female I might make an honest woman of you.
I have said on several previous occasions that you are a genUine geniUs with your wonderful vids, and laconic humor!
But you are male, and Evonne is in love with you ————– so forget it!! 🙂 🙂
Total, @6:24
Dirty devil. 🙂
BR, 🙂
Your 6:19, I think you have touched on a problem AW is probably quite happy with. Who does he put in or leave out in midfield, is a NICE problem.
Not wanting to say I said so, but……………. before the end of the Transfer Window, I advanced that ‘problem’ as a major reason why AW did not buy another MF or to sign Sahin on loan.
JW will be back, maybe slowly at first, but someone will be upset at whatever choices AW makes.
He must say to himself, “hmmmm, Jack, Diaby, Arteta? God no, it’s got to be Diaby, Cazzor, Arteta. No, no, no —– it;s got to be Diaby, Jack, Cazzor. Oh, screw it — let’s go with Diaby, Rambo, Ox ————– no, maybe Ox, Coq, Theo. Bollix, let the fans choose.”
And the doomers said we don’t have enough cover in midfield!!!
Redders
You’re absolutely right. The only way Sahin would have got many games is if either Jack, Diaby or Arteta have bad injury problems. In a fully fit squad – no chance.
(Let’s hope that the Gods of Injury look favourably on us this season for a change).
RA – you don’t need a wooden spoon, do you 🙂 But it is true, I love Chas, he’s so cute
TA – thank you. I don’t pretend to know much about football, but I love it and that’s enough for me.
Polish like to live dangerously TA. I don’t believe the economy is doing as well as they claima, the unemployment, poverty and homelessnessare at the all times high. They love a bit of a conflict (yes, me too) and tend to upset the wrong people (yes, me too) like Russia and Germany, their nearest neighbours. But we shall see, let’s hope you are right
RA,
I have no disagreement with what you are saying and I didn’t advocate for more mid fielders, but I do think that we have a mid field that is fragile. Arteta, Wilshere, Diaby, Rosciky, Coquelin, and Frimpong have all suffered long(ish) term injuries and if they have recurrences we would be in deep kaka.
I’m still a tad upset that we did not take advantage of our strong early trading by adding say – GK and RB cover.
However, suffice to say, the early signs are very encouraging.
Total
Yep still working at our little corner of England, deep in the heart of Switzerland.
Glad you feel the same way about Le Coq, I really rate him. I’m sure he’ll get his chance to shine.
On another note, do you think the decision to not get another striker this window means Theo gets his chance to shine as well?
GN5,
Got to say, I was honestly not thinking of you when I wrote that.
The injury aspect you raise is, rightly, a concern.
Fingers crossed, Diaby will not suffer a relapse, and Jack will actually come back ‘fixed’ after 14 months out, and Le Coq, Rosicky and PingPong are back soon too, (not that I included those 3 in my earlier comment), otherwise my rather smug juggling of midfield ‘balls’ will look a little silly! 🙂
And there lies the problem…………The Gods of Injury.
My work for the Arsenal goes unnoticed, a thankless task and unrewarded ( because I have failed miserably ). I hunt high and low in this county for non inbred Cornish Virgins to sacrifice with not ( non actually ) much luck !. A true Gooner `till the end, the non inbred virgin crusade goes on.
Yours truly
Indiana glic
RockyDiddlyDooDahDay, 🙂
Noting your quiet assertion that you are hoping to get over here about 18th September, I went out for a walk around a nearby lake, in the hope I can get fit enough to go to one of the games when you are over.
Sadly, after about 100 meters, I had to stop and go back to the car park. I was not sure I was going to make it, but as my companion is quite petite I do not think she would have been able to shovel me back.
Of course, Peaches, on the other hand, being an expert in earth moving …………………………….. 🙂
Glicster,
You are such a crusading ‘good guy’, prepared to put all your efforts into helping the cause!! 🙂
Evonne,
I don’t know why I like Chazzer so much, given I am very jealous of his extraordinary attractiveness to women like you!! 🙂
Got to go …………………… Nitey Nite!! 🙂
Our injury record certainly speaks for itself! I’ll leave that for the gods to determine.
I will say that it’s impossible to prepare for every eventuality, the 25 man squad rule puts paid to that!
I think we’ve had more than our share of bad luck, time for some good luck to flow our way!
“The non inbred virgin crusade goes on”
Tough work GLIC but somebody has to do it.
PS
Incase your wondering, there`s no inbred one`s either and the Gods wouldn`t want them minging one`s anyway !.
RA,
I never thought you meant me, I was just clarifying my thoughts.
I really hope your health improves, it does not sound too good.
Nite Redders
One day we can resume our friendship, so wonderfully begun in those salad days in New York…
LB
Tough work ! you have no idea, cant find any of the non bleeders !. More chance of getting John Terry putting money in an honesty box !.
Anybody know anything about the cost of decking and fitting of decking!? My back yard is around 60m2. I can’t decide between decking and a patio but I’m trying to keep costs to a minimum so assume decking will be much cheaper. Any help would be greatly received!
Shit !
Fans Forum on Arsenal Player, It`s like AA with sound !. Laters
Slim imo
Pave it or Shingle it, cheaper and less maintenance ( if a flat area )!. peaches is your man…….sorry women for advise ! 😆
Hi LB, JW can play anywhere in midfield, but ultimately he will end up, as his new shirt-number is also suggesting, in the advanced midfield position. He will conduct the music rather than being a master at playing the bass or the first violin. 🙂
RA 🙂 Dirty Devil? Moi?
Evonne 🙂 You love a bit of conflict do you? Never noticed, hahaha! 😆
Another SG: could well be. Maybe we will start seeing Theo as our central striker in CC & FA cup games this season. On the other hand, as we already have 3 central strikers in Giroud, Pod, and Chamakh, who can we buy that wants to join us on the basis and is an improvement on Chamakh? Nobody we would get very excited about, I reckon.
Would you like to see Theo play centrally?
If Giroud scores against Southampton he will stepping the footsteps of the ‘King’ and ‘God’.
and I believe he will..
RA and Evonne,
Wind-up merchants extraordinaire.
I ain’t falling for that.
Total
If you say he can play anywhere in the midfield then you must be right.
Silly me what was I thinking.
Chas, you simply is a babe magnet extraordinaire!
I remember having this kind of discussion about Ramsey
Ees yung and ee can play anyware.
Er, no he can’t.
TA,
Babe was an Australian pig.
Evening all, good debate today.
To answer a couple of queries put to me:
Rocky…Mannone kept coming, that is always a good sign for a keeper, far worse when they start doubting their decision to come and end up in no mans land (see Schwarzer on the weekend) this also helps the defence if they know he is coming they can start to cover…if he shouts then stops we are in for almighty problems as defence will also be unsure. I also think he deserved at least one free kick.
Raddy…like you I’m glad it’s not my decision, but having watched Pod play narrow yesterday and Ramsey on the pitch out on the right but popping up in the middle and left wing my guess is our midfield/attack will be slightly less rigid, perhaps Arteta and Giroud the only players with definitive positions. Unlike you and some others I believe in rotating the squad, as injuries will have far less impact if we are dropping players in and out.
Nick Griffin at the Notting Hill Carnival. 🙂
glic,
Goonersworld sounds like a good place to continue your search for inbred virgins.
GIE,
Micky is not going to be happy if you’re advocating total football again.
Yes chas. No one can fully understand what the likes of you and i have to go through with our devilish good looks and charasmatic personality. I am often asked how i deal with it and just shrug and say someone has to bear the cross of splendidness. hahahaha.
How can anyone have a pop at Giroud. The geezer has only had 2 starts and has done ok. I predict a great future for the man at the mighty Arsenal, plenty of goals and plenty of trophies
Terry,
There’s a reason I’m single and it’s not because I like it up the gary glitter.
It’s called chronic flatulence. When I was on holiday in Thailand I was called ‘the man with the singing bottom’.
AA is blessed to have such handsome bastards as chas, stretch and myself. Only today I was asked why I`m so handsome, I said to this geezer, ” See that ugly bastard in the mirror talking to the handsome bastard, thats you, ask him ” !.
Chas 😀
I think we need to bottle the spirit of today and break it out when things get a bit low in the bleak midwinter.
Bloody hell chas, your arse must be on fire, being arse raped by a gay snowman is your only cure !.
hahahahahaha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0ooO855EY0
LB, apologies if I have, inadvertently, insulted your intelligence.
Pat Holland and Steve Gatting in charge of the u18s. Two blasts from the past.
I was wondering what you’d do if you had brave sir robin on your shirt. I’m getting a fair idea.
TA, many years ago at work we were told we had to take this apptitude/inteligence test. The night before the big day, i wore my gloves and donned tights over my face and broke into the office and nicked the test paper. I still ony got average marks. hahahaha
Chim-chimeney, chim-chimeney, chim chim charoo, who needs Van Persie when we’ve got Giroud? What’s the chances of hearing that one bellowing out a few times this season?
I dont know chas. having a go at a players looks usualy works a treat. I remember a few years ago giving Matt Letisser some terrible stick “hes got a f*****g big nose, big nose, hes got a fucking big nose”, he played crap after that and i swear at one point he was crying
“Robin you resemble Sigourny Weaver, you resmeble Sigourny Weaver”………..errr, might not work that one. hahaha
GIE, agree with almist every rating, especially thw last two, ox was not a factor, but did help on defense i noticed. Giroud looked tired around 70 mins to me. I said here that arsene left him in for a chance to get his first goal for confidence. He does have to practice a bit with his right foot option, he missed agood opportunity late because he didnt want to use his right.—–
the players should be feeling good, but we cant fall into the trap of starting slow against a weaker team thats desperate for points. Southhampton has been close in their matches. Lets hit them hard and early. Cant wait!
HHest@ 6:08,
Thanks for the advice on graphics, I’m just an enthusiastic amateur.
I’m not happy with the calrity of the text but i don’t think Photobucket recognises PNG files – but I’ll give it a go
HHest, just tried your suggestion and it works a treat – thanks very much, are you a professional in graphics etc?
Has anyone read JohnHenrys open letter to the fans of Liverpool?
Interesting stuff….http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19462018
Looks like they were deeply unimpressed by money spent by Dalglish, it is clear that most clubs even “big” ones like Liverpool will point to Arsene Wenger when the manager comes knocking for stupid money to invest on players.
Fantastic match report GIE.
Thanks for the link GiE. When spurs and liverpool sacked there managers this summer and appointed AVB and Rodgers i was quite ammused at some peoples reactions. The truth is that both Liverpool and Totnumb realise that to be able to compete they must do so within. Young managers with the vision to create teams within the confines of FFP and self sustaining models is the only option.
Infact, the only club near the top to completely buck the trend was chelsea but even there spending is designed to comply. Each club has to work within its own cycle but FFP is the new reality that will shape all football clubs strategies.
The most entertaining clown was Roberto Mancini. His whining over lack of funds obviously led to a showdown were he was told that unless he shut his big mouth he would be sacked. Hes gone very quiet hasnt he? In fact looking at some of citys buys e.g. Rodwell, certain desicions are no longer his.
Yet despite all the evidence for FFP some people still cant see it. We are only at the beggining of its impact. the whole thing was designed as a phasing process. Contemplate what it will be like next year for City and Chelsea if they need to buy.
The biggest mockery that can be bestowed upon the moaners is when they deride our self sustaining model. They are equivilent to a thirsty man bemoaning there lot but standing on an oasis.
Yes weve had to endure at times. Watching as Abramovichs money turned chelsea into a success has been particulaly painful, but the tide is slowly but surely turning. Arsenal is not a self sustaing club, in the real world it is a self sustaining beast. Due to the fortitude and courage of our past owners we are ahead of the game and fantasticly poised for a new era of success. Stadium move, sticking with the manager, keeping to our principles has all required bravery.
Now the time is coming to reap the benefits. The gap is closing fast and will come quicker than a lot of people think.
TMHT unfortunately reasoning like that does not seem to enter the heads of most journalists let alone the fans.
Several articles (Des Kelly and Paddy Barclays) are starting to explore the option that perhaps the board at Arsenal might be right.
@ GLIC 8.25
a throw back to the story of chasing yourself around the house until you got cornered…
I’m still laughing
@ RA
I hope you’re sprinting laps around that lake soon.
Hey Total
Re Theo: I think the same attributes which make him so useful as a winger will make him shine as a CF. Unfortunately, the traits that frustrate will also shine through. We’ve seen that teams that sit deep tend to stymie Theo’s pace,don’t see that changing whether he’s on the wing or in the center.
Perhaps, however, there’s a difference between having to pick out the final pass and finding the net. Looking to receive that final pass will maybe mean he has to keep his head up longer, and be that little more aware of his surroundings.
What I saw of Giroud, always looking to either occupy opposing defenders or looking to put himself in good positions to score, has been very encouraging so far, and his timing of his runs has been superb. If Theo can do the same he’ll be very dangerous.
Arsene on his ideal midfield…
[quote]Look at our midfield; you have Arteta, Cazorla, Diaby, Wilshere, Coquelin, Rosicky, Ramsey. There is a fight for places and there is quality.[/quote]
Indirectly naming his midfield starters, with Wilshere as 4th choice and so on.
@ Swiss
I’m worried it’ll just turn out like AA when he had to play as our striker (blocked and muscled off the ball). You would think if he was destined to be a striker at Arsenal we would have seen it by now (cups, friendlies, ect). Not to mention when teams sit back deep and defend
Stoke Revelation Tuesday.
Ahoy Kelsey. Emerge from the sea mist.
Yeah Kelsey…we’re ready!
Oz
I’d say that’s a fair statement, can’t help thinking he’ll get more chances anyway this year. There has to be some reason why he’s here this year after all that contract BS. Wenger must have something in mind.
C’mon kelsey…..
@ Swiss
That’s how I see the situation too but with Walcott giving the ultimatum to Arsene, in regards to more central time. A complete an utter guess obviously, but that’s how I see it.
I just don’t think he has the tools to do it to be honest. The dribbling ability is lacking, his shooting (whilst sometimes great, especially across goal) seems to lack accuracy and power. I don’t know I just keep comparing him to Henry in that situation (very very unfair to do), and how he was one on one with the keeper last year and for some reason he tried to shoot from distance.
I hope to be pleasantly surprised!
AA must be appalled Zenith didn’t want him and must know he is unlikely to get pitch time. Arsenal must be unhappy too but off-loading players on such high wages is difficult.
A positive is that the World Cup is in Russia and as Captain he will surely be playing for a russian team. I expect him to leave in January.
@ Evonne – apologies for this long delay, I’m six hours ahead of UK.
Sorry, I ‘forgot’ the smiley face, as Chas pointed out.
Truth is, I don’t know how to do it (yes, dinosaur!).
@ GIE – re Mannone laughing: I watched the game again and can’t be sure, but I suspect you’re correct that it was directed at the ref.
So, sorry Vito!
Morning Guys, 🙂
I have a few friends coming around for Kelsey’s pronouncement. Tea and biscuits. Very English.
Does anyone know when kelsey will be doing it? We will all be watching AA anxiously in the meantime!! 🙂
RA. The city have put on a big event in the Radhusplads in anticipation of kelsey’s announcement. Smørrebrod and Carlsberg Classic with Aquavit chasers for these hardy Danes!
There are thousands of us here.
There were three Tottnumb points in the Gap,
And the boys from The Arsenal knocked one down,
……….
Tottnumb, Tottnumb, Mind the Gap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u21hw381KlI
Terry
If you read this, can you take down your 12.26 am, it is too good and should be used as a headline. You are so ahead of the curve on this subject, your views need to be better understood by some and savoured by others.
I obviously mean this very respectfully.
Or Rasp, if you are reading you might want to do this.
I love that mind the gap song Chas
Look here.
If you lot, and you know who you are, had not been so bloody immature the other day when Kelsey announced his announcement, he may be here now.
Juvenile and insensitive behaviour.
🙂
Oz
From that point of view, it’s now pretty hard to see Theo’s place in the team at all, except perhaps as an all- round impact sub? Probably not how he saw his career developing.
RA,
We’ll excuse your Royal Foreigness. Tea and Biscuits….oh dear. Cucumber sanwiches my dear boy.
d
Micky 7.58 Couldn’t agree more. Precise, witty and directly to the point. Chapeau
Oh ….. I get it now ….. Doh
Theo would have done well on the weekend, we must surely assume the reason he didn’t take any part was due to the tiring effect of the negotiations he had been involved in all last week.
I expect him to start this weekend.
For England
Hi Rasp. Glad it worked. You might use the same trick for the authors list. PNG is good for text and for pictures with few colors. JPG is good for photos. That’s all I know. Not a pro 🙂
I also wonder if the WordPress widget can load files directly from your computer? Most apps can do this. That would save you the step of uploading to photobucket. The procedure you described sounds like an ordeal, which makes me appreciate all the more the effort you and others put into AA. Thank you.
Morning HH,
Thanks again, I’ll experiment as you suggest.
The truth is that we started the site not expecting it to develop into such a unique meeting place for great arsenal supporters. We are still misunderstood by many casual visitors, but those who persist soon become our blog friends and we don’t feel we can let them down now.
At the local park…all waiting for Kelsey:
Morning all, we’re going to need loads of new posts to see us through international week (yawn).
We’ve been joined by some super new bloggers recently so anyone who wants to write for the first time would be most welcome 🙂
I wonder if Kelsey’s revelation has anything to do with a certain Michael Owen?
Rasp – and I wonder if Kelsey is having a big ROLF 🙂 I heard you loved Bambi (not the right place for personnal messages, but I could not resist it), gorgeous, isn’t he?
…….or Christiano Ronaldo?
LB – he was running up and down on the side warming up for best part of the game. I hope he does that regularly
Big Al it’s hard to judge either way but respect to you for revisiting and giving Vito the benefit of the doubt.
Rasp if Stoke are signing someone expect it to be Heskey or shock…..surely not The Drog?
Meireles moved to Turkey yesterday, the transfer window there is open til Wednesday….what are the chances of AA23 or Cham moving there?
Finally this might be one for a post, and I have to admit I’m not 100% sure on early kick off ceremonies, but Diaby was awarded MotM by Smith but post match there was no handing over of the obligatory bottle of champers, I wondered whether this was because Abou is practising muslim? If so they need another prize for our Islamic players, or maybe the bubbly should go full stop?
from http://sportwitness.ning.com/
Cesc Fabregas misses being the big fish in the Arsenal pond as he struggles at Barcelona.
Cesc Fabregas is in a unfortunate situation at the moment. Cristiano Ronaldo’s comments at the weekend have led to the Catalan press indulging in a carnival of mockery and accusations at the expense of Real Madrid and their star player. Any excuse Sport.es and Mundo Deportivo need to have front pages damaging to Real Madrid will be taken with great enthusiasm.
That, inevitably, leads to Real Madrid friendly press taking pops back at Barcelona, even if they are criticising Ronaldo themselves. Football fans in England often accuse certain newspapers of being biased to certain clubs and it’s usually from a basis of paranoia, but in Spain it’s not denied and all out press warfare happens several times an season.
With Ronaldo the obvious target at Real Madrid right now, there needs to be one at Barcelona and Cesc Fabregas is that man. Fabregas hasn’t been having a great season and Tito Villanova has stated that he’s finding it hard to fit the Spanish international into a role where he can play his best football.
He was brought off after an hour against Valencia and failed to get off the bench for the second leg of the Super Cup against Real Madrid, the first game he got on with 8 minutes to go. The last match he started and finished for Barcelona was against Malaga on May 5th, one of only 5 league games in 2012 where he’s played the entire 90 minutes.
From being the big fish in Arsenal’s pond, with the play tailored to bringing the best out of him, he’s now surrounded by players of an equal or higher calibre and has to fit in with a system which simply doesn’t suit him. Add that to a subsequent loss of form, and he’s just not enjoying his football like he once did. Barcelona will understandably play the way which fits Messi best and that leaves Fabregas as a second fiddle and not able to have as much freedom as he did under Arsene Wenger.
AS say that the crowd was beginning to turn against him before he was taken off against Valencia, and that it’s not the first time Barcelona fans have been frustrated with him. Marca go further and say that sections of the home crowd whistled him and his performance and that the decision to bring him off was applauded.
It’s an odd situation for Fabregas, he was the main man at Arsenal and the captain of the side. Other players looked up to him which is a stark contrast to Barcelona where the more senior stars are having to support him in the press.
Some mischievous reports last week said that the midfielder could be heading back to Arsenal but that is an unlikely transfer right now, Fabregas himself wouldn’t want to be seen as a failure and the London club would probably struggle to get together a transfer fee.
However, if the situation carries on like this or even takes a turn for the worse then it starts to become less wild to ask questions about his future. Cesc Fabregas may have Barcelona DNA but it could be nurture at Arsenal rather than Catalan nature which brought out the best in him.
and Hulk to Zenith, what happened Micky?
Can anybody tell me what is the bloody point of England playing Moldova or Germany v Faroe Islands???
Micky,
Thanks for the tip off, I have just been down to the grocers and bought a dozen cucumbers.
Phew, imagine the social disaster if you had not apprised me of the niceties. So, one cucumber for each of my friends, with an individual salsa dip and buttered bread.
Kelsey had better come up with something good after that.
None of his, “Did you know, Pulis suffers from chronic flatulence, just like Chas?”!!
Rob – very sad for my Cesc, but he cannot say that we didn’t tell him. Just as we told the dutch front bottom, he’ll regret it yet.
Sadly, with the team centered around Cesc, we didn’t progress very far. The team is more fluid and stronger now, so even if he would want to come back, we might not be interested. How quickly things can change in football?
GIE,
Your 8:56 on Mannone has miffed me.
I was just penning a major Post on the meaning, interpretation and significance of Mannone’s smiles, and giggles.
I have almost completed the descriptive smiling section on coquettish, flirtatious, knowing, seductive etc etc and now I have to delete it all.
Do you have no respect for a fellow accountant?
Evonne,
Do listen. Hulk was not my man. As to your other question…absolutely no idea. I do, on this occasion, hope Theo is selected in front of Ox 🙂
Glad you had such a great first visit to Anfield.
RA,
Oh, I despair. Salsa Dip!!!!!
This is the last time I try and help you. Cucumber and Marmite sarnies, on white, crusts off.
Micky – yes, I did,thank you and I think I’ll be going to more away games. Sorry, I thought you were banging on about Hulk 🙂
Morning all ……..
…… New post …….
RA – come over, I grew tonns of cucumbers, tomatoes, raspberries and onions 🙂 And collected 20lb of honey, hurray!!
Evonne, if he’s available for 5mil I would love him to be a backup for Cazorla.. 🙂
@Evonne & Micky,
England vs Moldova & Germany vs Faroe Islands this weekend and coming mid-week -> start of qualifying games in Europe for WC2014(Brazil).
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