The season is getting exciting, which is not what I expected. I thought we were strolling to a Top 4 position, probably 2nd or 3rd but instead the Manchester clubs are finding some form, progressing to semi-finals and steadily picking up points.
Which makes this afternoon an important fixture. Under normal circumstances I would welcome Palace and wish them well, after all we usually beat them (don’t we?), instead I want them to get at least two players sent off and succumb pre-match to a series of nasty , short-term, debilitating disease.
We need a win.
One would have thought that to go to WHU and return with a point would be heralded with joy, but instead it felt like a defeat. With hindsight, Getting out of Upton (could be a title for an album), where WHU have been in superb form was a decent performance with many positives. Means nothing today though …
One reason we need to beat CP is Alan Pardew. Being a hippy I don’t hate anyone (apart from the obvious) but I have an active dislike of Pardew. He is one of those blokes who hides his vicious personality behind an expensive haircut and clothes. How anyone can employ him given his CV is surprising and once again Pardew’s team is falling down the league after a decent start.
Another reason to beat CP is the return of that oddity Adebayor. Rarely has a man been blessed with so much talent and yet been hated at every club he has joined. I don’t care how many he scored for us I can never forgive him for the run towards the away fans at the Emptihad. Hope he gets Coquelinned.
An absolute must for today … Cech has to start. I like Ospina but IMO Cech would have won us another 2 points at the Boleyn. If he is fit enough for the bench then he is fit enough to play.
It will be interesting to see whether Mr Wenger picks Ramsey and if he does who gets dropped. The two possibilities are Iwobi and Elneny, who are just bedding into the team. Unfortunately for Ramsey they have been our standout players in recent weeks. Thankfully, this is not my problem.
Whomever plays, they have to give 100%. Pardew has stated that anyone who shirks will not be playing at Wembley in their upcoming FAC semi-final (It should have been Us – another song title?), we should expect the same endeavour from our chaps..
We have to win. Let it be so.
COYRRG
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Cheers, BR.
That’s a pretty good pre-match considering you lacked inspiration.
Team selection is the most interesting thing for us.
Last week we all thought we’d cracked it cruising at 2-0 with the same team that had performed so well against Watford and Everton. Then Andy flippin donkey Carroll pulled the rug out from under us.
I think I saw Santi in some training pictures this week and Jack and Super Tom are back up to speed. Too early for all three, I’d imagine, but, as you say, Rambo is a conundrum.
RA
No Ant and Duck nonsense today, Ant’s driving.
We are on the train on Thursday for the visit of the Baggies, though, so if you want to put that in your diary. 🙂
BR
I took the liberty of a small edit about Adebayor’s run. Hope that was ok. I’ll change it back if not.
Thanks chas 😀
Thanks Erik
Cannot wait for the game, so thanks for the tickler
Adebeyor. Forgotten about him, and then they have Chamakh as well. I believe
Is Ramsey fully match fit?
He was on the bench against the Hammers and played 30 minutes.
Pick up in 5.
Up The Arse.
thanks Raddinksi 🙂
A very big week for us with nine points up for grabs in seven days. A win today would be a fine start but it will not be easy as the home crowd might get restless, or even hostile, if we don’t start well and control the game from start to finish. So I hope Wenger will make a few adjustments to strengthen the defence and control the game better. Key for me is the collaboration between the FBs and the Midwingers today, both in terms of not allowing Palace space to pump in crosses to Adebarndoor and Wickham willy-nilly, and provide extra width and penetration from the flanks in attack.
I dont expect Rambo to start as, like you said, Elneny and IwobI have been brilliant for us recently.
Let’s keep looking up and not down: we are the Arsenal.
Easy to see why Micky spends so much time on the beach
Radster,
You must have sussed it out by now – that pic of the Belle on the Beach is the one and only ‘Dudette from Deb’n’ – the out of the closet Mickish! 😀
Unlike Chas, by the way, BR, I thought that was an inspired pre-match Post, with the names of the opposition and their manager – and everything!
I liked it! 😀
Thanx, Chas – Thursday it is, and duly noted – tell the good looking one that I await his rapier sharp wit and empty beer bottles with unbridled anticipation. 😀
Leicester are not very entertaining are they? Remind me of late GG teams.
Afternoon all….I’ve been scarifying and aerating the pitch for lawn tennis…..unfortunately even without topspin the surface can provide a varying bounce 🙂
Leicester 1-0 up when I last checked all good…
Ooo, what a very pleasant half time scoreline
Do I drag myself indoors off my deck chair in the sun to watch the second half?
You can pop up to Scotland now on sky 2 for a penalty shoot out
Celtic Rangers
Love pens me
Zalalem scores
Rangers win
Ok, sun gone, I’m in
Vardy off. Even having seen the incident a few times I cannot say it was a dive, so not a sending-off offence in my opinion. Will be seriously p’ed off if Leicester pay with points
Oh bugger
Meanwhile:
Arsenal starting XI: Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin, Elneny, Iwobi, Ozil, Alexis, Welbeck
Arsenal substitutes: Ospina, Mertesacker, Chambers, Ramsey, Walcott, Campbell, Giroud
yes
Well done, Leics, it takes guts to go behind late in the game with so much riding on it, and drag their way back to a draw.
Dreadful referee – Moss.
BR, my first instincts were a brazen dive by Vardy, but head on he did have a pull on his shoulder, and then his foot was trodden on – but he did lean on the defender and then instantly launch himself into the air.
The tug on his shoulder came first, but the ref could not see it, and then Vardy launched himself into the air (cheating) so in a way he left the ref with the choice to make – and Moss loves the limelight, so no surprise to me that he gave a penalty.
The shirt pulling in that game was atrocious.
Now for the main event
Moss ruined that game and could hand the title to those muppets down the lane.
I should send him a letter
Be firm and frank, Erik
Morning Rocky 🙂
oh for gods sake shooooot 🙂
hello ra
hello hello hello
Eddie here, watching footy, bliss!
come on you Gunners!!!
Edddddieeeeeeee hooray
HI Eddie 😄
Bit too much tippy tippy up to now
hello guys, missed you too
I sleep with my dogs on the floor, no internet, united nations finishing the house, Armageddon. lots of stories to tell eventually
yep, nothing much happening at the Ems
Time to go two at the back, surely 🙄
Why do we need two?
🙂
First person to say we should bring on a Big ‘Un gets sent to Coventry
We have yet to win a single header – why keep sending over crosses?
Why not try shooting once in a while?
Afternoon all 🙂 , what’s our urgency level?
I can’t watch the game as at work.
Urgency level 7/10
Tactics. 6/10
Potently 2/10
Training ground soporific, Rasp.
Can’t head the ball, eh? Better get out our big ‘uns. 😀
We’ve got bloody dribblers like Sanchez, Iwobi and Mesut, so ffs dribble and shooooot
Hmmm, as I feared. The style of play once again 😦
yesssssssssss
😆 never fails 🙂
superb ball and header
Make potency 1/10 as Ozil tries to flick the ball past the GK.
love it when we score late, and the fatties have missed the goal
he he he
Can I change my last comment ?😳😳
A fine headed micky by Sanchez, from a delightful lob by Danny, 😉
Err, when I typed ‘goal’ my auto-correct substituted ‘micky’.
Sabotage, I tell you!
I know it is heresy, blah, blah — but I was bored with that.
Perhaps CP will stop PTB and make a more exciting game in the second half.
Then we can see our attack use the space
RA. Me too. We have seen it so often.
Got a lucky charm behind me today, the gentleman has brought his daughter. He was just telling everyone how she’s the lucky charm when Alexis scored 😃😃😃 Better than when he brings his young son who spends 90 minutes kicking the back of my chair.
I couldn’t see where the goal was going to come from – should have waited for the bit of magic 🙂
Thank you for the pre-match Raddy, I’ll have to read it later.
The atmosphere is a tad grumpy here today, a few more goals should cheer us up.
Amen to that Raddy 🙂
Just read back through the comments……..so it’s not just us at the ground falling asleep 😉
Lets stick 11 behind the ball and see how they like it
We need another or this could get tense
Giro and Rambo to the rescue??? OMG
It is so noticeable that all the wrestling and shirt pulling that goes on in the penalty area when we have a corner stops our chances but goes unpunished.
When Palace have a corner our defence stands like the Brigade of Guards never touching their players and making it easy for them.
Bollocks to Zonal Marking – or punish the sh*tty Palace shirt grabbers.
Oh dear…….
How predictable, miss too many chances and eventually you will get punished
Bum. So bloody stupid and somewhat inevitable.
Come on boys. This next 10 mins are really important.
Just score
Don’t think we’ve actually created many clear cut Rasp…..bloody poor by Petr too….
Feels like the team is a bit segregated at the moment.
I remember thinking when Arteta and BFG arrived that we started to look like a team again, players working for each other, and getting along.
There’s a gulf between defence and attack, and whilst people will always point to the weak defending as being culpable they will avoid the fact that we have spent 70-80% of the time in their half and created zilch.
come on lads
lets nick this in the 92nd
Hi GiE, I was just going by the stats that say we’ve had 19 shots but only four on target. I agree with all you say, particularly that it is the midfield that is failing to connect the defence with the strikers and also slow to cover the defence when needed
why would you leave now!!!!
As it stands, we are most likely to finish fourth, and that won’t necessarily guarantee us a champions league place – and I’m not sure we deserve we’ve been so poor at times 😦
Horrible result.
Rasp
I’d definitely take 4th right now. For sure.
😦
Thank you Raddy. sorry knot ear
boring boring Arsenal. Not because we restrict teams and win 1-0, but because we are boringly predictable. Just watched a whole 90 minutes with very little emotion going through my veins, what a shame.
Fourth will only not guarantee a CL place if City don’t finish 4th and win CL.
Europa League Winners place is freebie (not from the guaranteed spots for the league).
Continuing inconsistent form that has been the failure of our season, and it’s getting to look more like players than anything else.
I’m not sure of its midfield failing to link and protect I think it’s a bit of scapegoating going on in the dressing room.
My problem is this……
Attack requires defenders to join in near enough all game, meaning full backs are covering ridiculous distances normally full speed, it’s no coincidence that towards end of games their wingers get more joy as our full backs tire.
If I was the full back I think I would start looking at the wingers and saying “f*** you” if you need my help all game how about you start working back when I have to too?
How about attackers do their jobs, defenders do theirs and midfielders theirs, I reckon if our defenders just had to defend for 90 minutes and not worry about providing outlets for the attack then we’d finish more games 0-0.
Problem being that without full backs our attack can’t stretch the opposition more.
The only way we will be able to stop teams parking the bus and playing on counter is to stop over committing to attacks. Which will mean a spate of boring 0-0’s or the odd 1-0.
We started last season like that and were out of the title race come October, not really sure how we change anything for teams to play against us differently.
Hi FGG, we’ve become completely stale. We have a magnificent stadium, yet one that is oddly tame in its atmosphere, and similarly a team that often lacks passion, urgency and directness when required.
Contrast that game with the way Liverpool performed and ask yourself what the difference is?
Typical game this year. Tons of beautiful passing and score a goal, come close a few times, and then concede. Gabriel has to take out abe on his run. Take the card, stall, get your guys back and finish our the gd game!!! grrr.
Do not know how Arsenal will finish 4th and manure keeps grinding out 1-0 victories….
CL is fine. But St Totts day is now gone. Sad. 😦
I think Cech should have done better. He has to be able to cover that post.
I say be careful what you wish for when you want our best keeper replaced by an ex Chelsea clown.
Disappointing but answer this …
Would you have started with the 11 AW chose?
I think everyone would say, Yes. We dominated the game and should have won by at least 3.
We are missing a striker. We need goals and I do not want to start next season without a very, very expensive leader of the line. I like all our attackers but we need better.
Lukaku, Morata, Higuian etc etc I don’t care. Just sign one
We have another season of this to sit through! Yawn.
What pleasure to see you again Sniffer. Must be a happy day for you.
Totally agree Erik. Just like we said this time last year. My hopes are not high, so chins up and upper lips stiff.
FGG
True. so ditto on the expensive striker re the lips and chins.
The starting 11 is not the problem, the style of play is the problem and the failure to create a cohesive team from some very talented players. It’s stale. We are predictable and pedestrian.
This has been by far my most disappointing season under AW. I dread having to go through a repeat of this next season.
Walcotts contribution gave me a laugh if nothing else!
The tragedy is, Sniffer’s contribution gives me a laugh also
However, on Theo, I have a plan.
China
Rasp. How would you have us play against a team who PTB?
Micky. Cunning plan. I like it.
Sniffer was on recently complaining that Ospina started ahead of Cech (probably).
After that, what cheeses me off the most is that Erik has the full Night Manager to tuck into, starting tonight, while we have nothing but doom.
Hi Raddy, if parking the bus was such an effective tactic then why don’t those teams win the league? Teams only PTB against us because they can be absolutely certain that their defenders can outmuscle us and we will play clever possession football outside their box with limited incisive play. They know sooner or later we will over commit or just be poor defensively and they will always get a chance to score against us,
Its not about the PTB teams, it’s Arsenal’s obvious and unchanging weaknesses that are highlighted by this game and the wham game.
Rasp. I disagree but there is a post in this so we can take the discussion at another time.
Micky. Is it that good? I am in the middle of cooking ( a sunday night chicken risotto) and it starts in 25 mins.
Rasp,
As site leader, and with a really gloomy period in Arsenals history upon us, can we have permission to be ever so slightly more “flexible” with the motning’s content. 🙂
You know, brighten the darkness and all that 🙂
stale is the word i would use.
our play used to be exciting at least, but thats not the case anymore. the system doesnt work and it it wont be Wenger who changes it, so someone else needs to.
Thanks Raddy, I am reminded of what brought me to blogging in the first place – it was frustration!
The very first post I wrote for AA in February 2010 was called ‘A Manager of Two Halves’ and expressed my frustration at the previous 5 years contrasting to the first 9 of Arsene’s tenure. In it I said we must give him at least one more Summer to put things right ….. and I’ve been saying that ever since.
I can’t think of anyone I know, in any walk of life who has repeated the same mistake over and over again without even trying something different
Hi Micky, my apologies, absolutely the antidote for us has to be to lift one another – ignore me 🙂
I’ve had a dreadful week. It started with an allergic reaction that sparked an asthma attack which reduced my lung capacity to 25%, followed by chest infection, fungal infection, back problem and culminating in a heavy cold …. so all in all, I shouldn’t be too upset by today’s game 🙂
Jeepers Rasp, and I thought shit waves were bad news. Poor you. Are you mending?
Hey Chas
See what Rasp just said “absolutely the antidote for us has to be to lift one another ”
Sounds like the green light for rack-of-the-day to me 🙂
Thanks Micky, I’m slowly getting better. I didn’t eat for 2 days – lost half a stone! I need to get myself fit as I’m of to Copenhagen for a few days at the end of the week. Unfortunately I won’t be hooking up with Erik because he’s heading in the opposite direction 😆
Oh, he’s off to Zermatt or Capri is he. Typical leftie hippy 🙂
Yep, stale, predictable and pedestrian, can’t argue with that.
Sorry to hear about your poor health Rasp.
Not for me to say Micky, somewhere to go in ‘pairs’ I think!
Hi LB, thanks
OK – can we agree that our midfield and Gabs and our FB were poor today and that we do need proper FW to play alongside Sanchez and Ozil
We really need to invest in a new CB and a LB. We also have issues at DM (we knew that) and we would need two players up front. A FW that can play on either wing and a striker.
Cech – Bellerin, RECRUIT, Kos, RECRUIT – Ramsey, RECRUIT – Ozil – RECRUIT, RECRUIT, Sanchez
We do not have enough flow in our movement and enough threats in our play…
Let us sell Giroud in the end 😦 and let us get Lukaku
Let us sell Walcott and get Willian
Let us sell Flamini, Rosicky, Arteta and get Naiggolan
Let us sell Jenkison, Debuchy and get Coleman
Let us sell Monreal and get ?
Let us sell Metersacker and get Stones or Marquinhos
Cech – Bellerin, Stones, Marquinhos, ? – Ramsey, Naiggolan – Ozil – Willian, Lukaku, Sanchez
Ospina – Coleman, Chambers, Gabs, Gibbs – El Neny, Coquelin, Wilshere – Ox, Wellbeck, Iwobi
With this squad, we may land a cup and challenge for the EPL…
So frustrating…now Top 3 is a dream 😦
Rasp. 7.18 Big smiley.
Cheers Raddy
Upon leaving the ground an awful realisation dawned on me. We are not going to win the league and Alan Titchmarsh has a more illustrious career and money than me
Why Titchmarsh? I once saw him down the south bank and asked if he could help me with a weed problem. I told him this little weed who had just moved next door was baiting me with the size of his Crocus Reticulatus, so needed advice on how I could murder him with the old bill finding out and the best way to nurture my fig tree.
He told me to eff off. Another celebrity who pretends to be a good guy by smiling and looking unfit in wellies, but in real life is a right bastard.
Seriously upset with our performance today. Same old mistakes repeated.
I have to find myself a new hobby? Perhaps a Gardening television presenter who secretly hates plants.
Hope your on the road to full recovery Rasp. I usually feign illness in hope I might achieve sex, but yours sounds bad. I wish you well.
Hi RC78,
its great improving the squad, but if we buy 6 new players in Lukaku, Willian, Naingollan, Coleman, Stones and a LB (£200m+) and all that gives us is a team that ‘may win a cup and challenge for title’ then it’s no wonder the club chooses to keep Wenger and settle for top 4!
For once I’m not sure it’s the players that are the biggest problem. We had more than enough talent to win the PL this year but are nowhere near. That tells me there are other problems. We need fresh ideas.
Oh Dear God, he’s taking Mrs E to Paris for romance in the springtime. The mind boggles.
Transplant
Something else 🙂 🙂
Quick question: If Walcott and Iwobi made the exact same mistake in a game, would the fan reaction be the same?
I think it would differ massively and Walcott would get grief whereas Iwobi would be told he was unlucky, and I believe we are in the same position with Wenger. It’s got to the point where any mistake is now booed and seen as a failure, whereas a new manager would be given more slack and time to get things right.
I think the time has come for some fresh ideas and for someone to come in to improve the morale and atmosphere within the club.
Rasp wishing you a speedy recovery.
Back to the football I don’t see how a half team rebuild is going to help with cohesion.
I can only comment on what I see and what I saw was a tota lack of urgency from the players at the top end of pitch, we had to concede before they started playing with pace again.
If we are going to try and preserve 1-0’s then just pass the ball round the midfield and let them come out to us, we had the lead there was no need to push for a second and keep committing men.
Post in drafts for morning
speedy recovery, Rasp.
@ Big Radish
I agree. We are lacking a clinical finisher. I like Welbeck – he runs his guts out and has pace. I like Giroud – he tries his hardest and holds the ball well. But…
I can’t help but think we need a Eduardo da Silva type. I know they don’t grow on trees but find me one Grimandi!!!
How about during the EU build up we have our own Arsenal Referendum: AW In or Out? We could do a week of posts with arguments from both sides and then a poll at the end. I don’t mean stuff like ‘he’s an old French prick’ or ‘he built a stadium’, I mean actual constructive arguments about what he offers/doesn’t offer going forward.
Just an idea!
ArsOut or ArsIn
https://twitter.com/MC_of_A/status/721744388553117697
FGG
I’d rather have an actual IN OUT debate 🙂
In a blind poll here Arsene OUT would win by a landslide
In an open and fully disclosed one, Out by a narrow margin
Thing is, he’s our manager for another season, so that’s that. We pray for smut and beer.
heat map?
Talking of full disclosure. Where’s Eddie 🙂
Just one of her stories would help
I’d like to see our xG maps for the whole season and work out how many points we threw away in games we should’ve won. Our finishing is the sole reason we have failed this season. You can say what you want about injuries, tactics, defending etc but ultimately we have created enough chances in enough games to be top of the league and we’ve failed to convert.
Giroud and Walcott off in the summer I think.
This’ll be us after another few years of this. Ver ver drunk
Keep
Cech
Ospina
Martinez
Bellerin
Jenkinson
Monreal
Gibbs
Mertersacker
Koscielny
Gabriel
Coquelin
Elneny
Cazorla
Wilshere
Ramsey
Iwobi
Sanchez
Özil
Welbeck
Campbell
JRA
Akpom
Sell
Szscesny
Flamini
Rosicky
Arteta
Walcott
Giroud
Loan
Chambers
Ox
Buy
CB
DM
RW
ST
ha ha ha I had to do a double take as I thought the list of sell and keeps was Chas’ 🙂
Kroenke and Wenger!
motning all
how many games have we conceded a goal this season? rubbish defence? hmmm. 🙂
The biggest problem Arnie (hello Arnie) is that we’re boring
What’s green and smells of pork?
Kermit’s fingers! 😂
That’s the spirit FGG 🙂
Morning All,
Does anyone know what § means on the keyboard?
All Greek to me Raddy…..badamtish
It means Walcott’s earrings have fallen out.
That’s the Arsenal spirit, when all goes TU, it’s joke time 🙂
ha ha ha ha ha. good fun! joke time indeed. 🙂
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