Chickens ….. Count.
Arsenal did last time we played Watford at home and crashed out a Cup we could and should have won. We had the chance to take a Wembley revenge on WHU for the Trevor Brooking Never Scores With His Head moment which would have been satisfying, especially to those who attended 😦
Many blamed Mr Wenger for the home loss but given the last 15 minutes showed how much better we were than Watford I think the blame lies firmly at the feet of the players.
I am not going to write about Watford, three times a season for them is excessive.
Interlull will affect the selection – Alexis played twice and had to fly back from Venezuela where he assisted two of the 4 goals Chile scored. Some of the other chaps had midweek flights. Mr. Wenger will assess who has been affected by both the games and the travel.
I would like to see this team start:
Cech/Ospina
Bellerin BFG Koscielny Monreal
Elneny Coquelin
Ozil Iwobi
Walcott Welbeck
This team is selected with one aim – pace. Though I cannot see AW being so gung-ho my section should please the Purists.
Walcott should benefit from the tactical discipline of Elneny and concentrate purely on attack. Why make the man run back to defend – he cannot tackle, jockey or make a defensive header so why make him use his energy in our half?
Iwobi? He has been playing so well but is another who has travelled far, having made a sub appearance against Elneny’s Egypt midweek, nonetheless he makes my team.
To have a chance of the title Arsenal have to win all their remaining games, it can be done, we have done it before. The run starts this afternoon.
COYRRG
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Chas, Good Morning, and you too Anticus. 😀
Good decision not to give us another full Watford pre-Match. Radster, I for one have had enough of them for one season.
Your team suggestion is good in my opinion.
Bring on the empty beer cans — cannot wait for things to get back to normal – so bring on the Arsenal Knights of the Road – or train. 😀
Thank you Raddy. I’m very excited to be going to football today 😃 the sun is shining 😃😃 and there are friends to meet for beer 😃😃😃
The only downside is that it’s the same bloomin’ opposition that were there the last time I had an outing to football, but hey ho always look on the bright side.
I’m looking forward to singing Danny’s name a couple of times at least. Need to give them a thrashing – upstarts
Hi RA.
We have the usual liquid and solid delicatessen today
Tis raining in Nottingham
Cheers, BR.
Totally agree about Theo. He should always be on the halfway line or further forward.
Pointless further back
Dennis! Come back with me apple pie!
The whole Arsenal blogosphere wants Danny, Alex and Alexis to play.
Guaranteed that Giroud will start. 🙂
https://twitter.com/fumbunker/status/716199974611066880
Nice to see the FP wowing the Parisienne faithful last week.. Due a hatrick today
https://twitter.com/wotamoron/status/715636176888209408
https://twitter.com/carraa23/status/711126655264296960
https://twitter.com/sportswankers/status/714904462624690176
Nice post BR
Where’s Micky and the Polish she devil?
Cech
Bellerin Gabriel Kos Gibbs
Coquelin Elneny
Sanchez Özil Iwobi
Welbeck
No need to put Walcott in to have pace, we have players in far better form who can also run fast. If Sanchez needs resting then put Campbell in or play Giroud with Welbeck wide. Don’t really want to see Walcott near the team at the moment as he’s in terrible form.
Walcott looked good when he came on for England… Just shows the lower quality footie for internationals
Chas is not 5′ 7″
For everyone who doesn’t like 2 pishheads on a train, we get in to St P at 12.14, so you’ll be able to come on and comment on Raddy’s post then. 🙂
Cheers
Peaches
You must be meeting some nice friends for beer. Can we come?
Thanks Raddy for the post, I like your team suggestion. I also liked FGG’s until he let himself down and wrote what he wrote in the paragraph after 🙂
Ant, you have gone all Holliy in Red Dwarf at 10.36. I quite like that name for you, what do you think? 🙂
Chas are you serenading Peaches to meet up with 2 pisheads who were on a train but have left the train and are now in a pub? 🙂
I actually love your empty beer bottles. It helps me to plan the rest of my Saturday 🙂
https://twitter.com/fumbunker/status/716216500588249088
Gorgeous day down south.
I’m not sure that Holly really would suit me as a name?
Nah, GoonerB
Peaches said there were friends to meet for beer in her comment at 10.25.
I was just wondering who they were.
And “Holly in red dwarf” sounds like an arrestable offence!
Nah,no Theo please,no need for experiments. We need to be complete for this match
Compete?
37 comments not too bad
38 comments now, Ant, and remind Chas that Peaches said there are friends to meet for beer, and when the Chasser asked if ‘we’ could join them – she did not reply – so no gate-crashing!! 😀
I think Ant should take up toothpaste adverts,he has the mouth for it.;)
Watford mind the Gap. Who would have thought that the mighty Watford will cast a shadow of doubt over the result this afternoon.
Excuses before we start, jet leg, international break not mentally there but despite all that we really should win because if we don’t re really face the same scenario as many times before, fighting for forth.
Walcott wouldn’t be in my team.Give me three good reasons why he should start.
Those going enjoy yourself in the sun.
Why do you need so many reasons?
Thank you Ant and Dec for the pre-match entertainment.
kelsey.:
1. Pace
2. Walcott is our 3rd highest goalscorer despite playing fewer games. With Sanchez out he is the best replacement
3. Shop window.
Starting line-up:
Ospina, Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin, Elneny, Iwobi, Ozil, Alexis, Welbeck
Bench:
Cech, Gibbs, Mertesacker, Chambers, Campbell, Walcott, Giroud
LB. I have been thinking about your Spurs comment of yesterday.
If L’pool win I agree with you.
If Liverpool lose I do not agree with you.
Anything else is unthinkable
JM. Thanks.
Obviously Mr Wenger thinks Sanchez is fit enough to start.
IMO this is our best team from those available.
COYRRG
ha ha ha ha. Nice curtain raiser, Raddy. 🙂
so glad the interlull is over. COYG. 🙂 🙂 🙂
nice Ant n’ Duck show! 🙂
did any Arsenal player score any goal in the otherwise useless friendlies? 😛
Just home
Thanks Erik
Love the team
4-0
At least
Come on you Gunnnnnners
yessssssssssssss
4-0??? Nah, more 🙂
Iwooooobi
Love him 🙂
Fantastic. Great half
Hat doffed to Arsene for Elneny and Iwobi
Great half. with some of the best football we have played this season. Should have been 3 up in 10 minutes!
As you say Micky – Iwobi, Elneny. Excellent.
Walcotts having a great game 😉 Anpther 130K this week sitting on the bench,nice work if you can get it.
good good. some catch up on GD will be good! 🙂
yes yes yes
This is great, Arsenal. Lets play great football, score goals and enjoy the rest of the season.
@Big Raddy (2:19 pm)
It (The starting line-up) is all or nothing for the team fortunes.
100% commitment to an efficient and effective attacking combination play (Ozil + Iwobi + Welbeck + Alexis). Assists = Goals.
Iwobi (assist) to Alexis (goal No.1)
Alexis (assist) to Iwobi (goal No.2)
*Alexis already more involved in team build-up at RW/RF.
Also, a more focused and disciplined positional play by the defending back-line (GK & DFs) and engine room duo.
===
1 more goal from Bellerin at the start of 2nd half. 3-0.
This is very enjoyable!
I am listening to some bell-end co-commentator on Setanta Ireland who is saying that even if AFC had their full squad available all season we would not win the league because we lack a class CB.
This is the same bloke who in the first half said that Koscielny was the best CB in the PL!
He also said that Ozil should expects to be kicked because he plays too many flicks and blind passes which confuse the opposition.
What a complete and utter tool (whoever he is)
ha ha ha ha. Theo
Theoooo 🙂
Iwobi MOTM superb
good impact sub! 😛
Brilliant. Loved it.
Terrific goal to finish.
Watford’s heaviest defeat of the season and our biggest.
Deep Joy.
Fantastic fun here at the Emirates. I’m hoping LB might want to pen something in his best purring prose.
Never letting up … Ozil(pre-assist) to Campbell (assist) to Walcott (goal). 4-0. Relentless.
Defence held firm all the while as well.
A Liverpool win would be very gratefully appreciated
A very nice and entertaining display.Well played as a unit.
Is Iwobi the player we thought Gnabry, The Ox and Walcott was going to be 😉
How were we? Stats and write up suggest we were scintillating! 😄 Look forward to extended highlights later.
Now hope that Liverpool and Saints can do is a favour. I still believe!!!
Side note: I need 4 or more goals in this Spuds game for £145! Come on you strikers! 😂
kelsey. That is a good spot – well, at least about Gnabry 🙂
Even Kelsey is happy tonight..alleluia
ha ha ha. JC!!!!!
Spuds only drew..fantastic stuff
Good result at Anfield! Shame about my bet 😩
Never mind FGG, a spud draw is fantastic
Great to see Peaches and Rasp as usual in the Kings Arms terrace
That was some good football to savour. But are we flying now because the pressure is off? Why didn’t we play like this in February and March? What’s different now? I still want to cling on to the vaporising hope that we could still win the league. However, Arsene must be ruthless next season for us to stand a good chance of winning the league. We definitely need a more clinical CF than the current ones in our ranks to compete effectively. I don’t believe in having to buy every player in sight to make us competitive but there’s certainly need some more players to better what we already have now. If we could get Huguain and Griezmann(I know I am daydreaming) but we have the means and so should do so. We should make the best use of the openings in the midfield that the departure of Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky will create. We should also try to move Theo Walcott on but I guess his wages will be a huge stumbling block. Though many differ but Theo isn’t going to get better than what we’ve been served this season. I am also glad that Elneny is now with us, he didn’t cost an arm and leg like many always crave but he’s quality. It’s now left for Wilshere to come and displace him if he can. Like Ramsey, he has a great engine but he sticks to the basics and so he is getting ahead. Ramsey needs to step up if he is to justify his place in the first team. I work could not play too many minutes for Nigeria in the qualifiers but the 20 mind or thereabouts that he came on in Egypt were Nigeria’s best. Before his introduction, Nigeria looked dead and buried but everything changed within seconds he came on the pitch. He’s got an eye for the splitting pass. I just hope that he reaches the same level with the mercurial Austin Okocha his uncle. I hope he won’t be stuck like others before him.
We aren’t too far behind the topmost sides in the EPL at the moment and bringing in the right quality players would put us at par with some of the best not only in England but in Europe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7LqzVEnRZk&ebc=ANyPxKokIkOkufwPf_hzVykwB06QYufnZ4FBNJZfLnkMwn6J48JhE638iOjMfxxbqsP-iRxoeEAcYbT7WDnNvbmdigN7KspaOw
I love the spanish commentary
Well it was in spanish when I copied it from you tube
Well it’s fair to say I’m in love with our new Scottish midfield partnership of Cockeny! The new guy is exactly what we need in the middle of the pitch. Nobody is going to give us the technical ability of Cazorla, so the next best thing is someone who will keep things simple and release the ball early, and Elneny does exactly that. What a player he could be. With Coquelin backing him up its a perfect partnership 😍
Morning all, haven’t been around much work getting in the way and now weather good kids want to be out and about. Can’t blame them.
Watched extended highlights, we looked good.
I guess the main difference is the midfield, I was really interested by our shape, very rarely were the two deep midfield players getting as far forward as the opposition 18 yard box, which gave us more space to play in even against a parked bus, it’s the biggest weakness that the move from Santi to Rambo in the middle made during our poor run, Ramsey was too often too far toward and getting in the way.
Iwobi continues to shine and you see the benefit of being at the club from young when compared to players that arrive at 16-21. They fit into the style because they’ve played the style all their life.
I missed Theo’s goal!! Was it awesome/
How did we ever lose to them in the Cup. It would have been nice to see a a very winable semi at Wembley.
Tap in Eddie…..after fine work by JC and Ollie making lots of room by attracting the centre backs away from the goal.
In seriousness because of the way we attack the box one striker pulling deep for cut back if we score that way early (Iwobi) then it distracts the centre backs for the rest of the game and allows for more dangerous 6 yard box crosses.
aha, thanks GiE. on this occasion Theo didn’t miss a sitter 🙂
Spuds must be having kittens 🙂 not only they are not going to win the league, but will most probably end up in our shadow. Again.
Morning All,
Bit early to talk football but Theo’s goal may have ended with a tap in but it was a thing of beauty.
Fantastic pass from Mesut to Joel, a lovely shimmy to beat the full back followed by an excellent cross to the feet of Theo who had sprinted from the halfway line to get into position to score..
It was our best goal
Agreed Raddy but watch Giroud he didn’t react as Theo did and was lrft wanting,that’s why he is distintively average. 😉
kelsey. You have a handy knack of finding a dark cloud on a sunny day 🙂
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/156892_1626166646564_2884914_n.jpg?oh=6e13099310cfcec4dfbe72d7acdb30b9&oe=577240A4
It takes years of practise Raddy. If only Sanogo was as sharp as Theo, Giroud could take up male modelling 😉
Eddie
You’re right about the Spuds
I cannot wait to see the camera zooming in on blubbing dads, sons, excuses for women, the old, the tattooed, anyone 51 yrs plus 🙂
Damn it’s going to be great 🙂
Micky. 😀 But once again – chickens …. count.
kelsey. 9.26 Who is that fine looking trio?
As if you didn’t know ;
Erik
What chickens? You know, I know, the world knows they’ll blow it. It’s what they do
I have everything crossed. May Kane, Eriksen, Loris and Ali get a nasty dose of beri-beri
Kelsey. Where is The Hairy One? Taking the pic?
Morning all
Does anyone want to write something for a post for today?
peaches – how about taking up GiE’s and Raddy’s polars apart comments about Theo’s goal and ask others to vote for the best goal yesterday?
ha ha ha 🙂 I see that my suggestion proved to be very popular 🙂
Afternoon all….everyone depressed because the Foxes won today? Or just out enjoying the early summer sun like we were today, trip to barbers for both boys the out on bikes this afternoon.
If it’s not us I have wanted it to be Leicester for a while. Win the game in hand we are 1 point behind Spuds…..they will start looking down rather than up 🙂
GiE – we’ve won, was is there to talk about?
Had we lost there would have been a match report and 500 comments, and that’s from me alone
Very pleased Leicester won but not so happy with MU and definitely not with the England loss in a very exciting T20 final.
Still – it was a sunny spring day in Cph.
Ain’t that the truth Eddie
I’ve had a lovely day basking in both the weather and the warm glow of a brilliant day out collecting three points yesterday.
🙂
For some reason the T20 last over reminded me of this.
GiE – it is indeed my son 🙂 The doomers, gloomers and monsters creep out of the woodwork as soon as the final whistle blows away our hopes of winning
I’m disappointed. 🙂
FA Cup
League
hi
Hi
Think I’ve missed the gig
Eddie and Exile
That win no comments thing is just not true. Just looked it up.
Sure we doom when we lose, and we’re happy when we win.
That’s it though
In fact, take Crystals. He dooms when we win 🙂
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