It is difficult to emphasise how important this afternoon is, for the club and the fans.
For the players, it is just another game and should they lose this and all the games to season’s end, they will still be millionaires and be in demand throughout the world. There is the rub.
In my youth Man City were my second team, Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee, Franny Lee etc were exciting to watch and won the title; the current MC team remind me of that fine team. Capable of wonderful flowing football but also able to grind out a result. And like that old team they have a colourful manager, though Malcolm Allison was more of a nutter than Guardiola!
Would you say that City are doing worse than us this season? I think so. They have spent hundreds of millions and brought in the most lauded manager in world football. Have they more chance of winning the title or the CL than us? Massive under-achievement for the investment.
Player for player I would say that we are not far apart. I wish we had bought De Bruyne but understand why we didn’t, given his absence this afternoon the player we have to marshal is the wonderful David Silva. I love the way this man plays. Close him out and we will win (make that Silva, Sterling and Aguero!)
Who would you prefer leading the line for Arsenal, Sanchez or Aguero? Both marvellously talented, hard workers. When I was young the idea that players of this standard would play in England was mind-boggling. Imagine Pele or Maradonna playing in the PL. Today we accept it as normal.
Arsenal: Where to start? We were just rubbish at WBA, yet are likely to start almost the same team. Hopefully Sanchez will play through the middle and change position with Welbeck. Our problems at set pieces are alarming but fairly easily solved (practice, concentration and application), and the defence will prefer the pace of MC’s attack.
Our Team:
Ospina
Bellerin Mustafi Koscielny Monreal
Ox Xhaka Coquelin
Walcott Sanchez Welbeck
Ramsey or Coquelin? Sorry Aaron, you have struggled this season and we need the security of Coquelin with the threat of Silva.
The fans? It is so important they back the side even if they struggle, it will be horrible to hear (or not) the Emirates return to the vitriol of recent times.
If we can score early I think we can win.
Can our boys halt the downward spiral of recent weeks? Let us hope so.
COYRRG
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Morning, and good stuff, BR, thank you for the pre-Match. 🙂
[Would you excuse me for a moment, if I add my EEEEEDDiiiiiiiiiieieeiiieiii to those of yours and Mickish’s?]
The team you suggest, based on the available squad, which Arsene has admitted needs strengthening in the summer, is pretty good — and at least it should be a good game to watch.
This chap got a pound because I wanted to take a photo.
https://twitter.com/fumbunker/status/848463969761333249
Great pre-match, BR.
Talking about old style Man City reminded me of that Japanese player they had in that era. Lee Pen was his name. 😮
Franny was the first player I can remember who dived for a living.
Is that a viola Micky?
Hi Zed, we’re at home so we are there as always. Jon is back from his travels so three Vines bros today. Chas and I on train so plenty of beer time..
Edddiieeeee!
Supporting Spuds yet?
https://twitter.com/fumbunker/status/848466080158937088
Thanks BR. My beer line up is good today.
What’s in the flask today?
https://www.twitter.com/philharvey65/status/848470183635177472
Like your team BR but I would have Rambo rather than the Ox..in a team picking way.
Blimey, at least babies get up early. Teenagers..pah
Great line up Erik, hope that’s an 11/11 Thanks for post. Times have certainly changed on anf off the pitch.
Violin Ant. Still a fine pic
Back for KO. Have great days all
Oh, Ant, you are incorrigible — what a wonderful collection of beverages!!!
You are all way out of my league — I would be pee-ing all morning! 🙂
That tank tops and those flares.incredible
Thanks Zed..I’ll be peeing all afternoon
https://www.twitter.com/AlsBoy/status/848473214888144896
Ant,
I am truly hopeless at recognising players from old ‘photos – as Have only seen them from other old ‘photos – so don’t laugh at my guesses at your 10:48;
Ray Kennedy and George Armstrong?????
Yes I think so Zed what about 10.52?
Ant,
That photo at 10:52 looks really ‘modern’, 🙂 but was that Peter Marinello and Bob McNab? probably not – and I have no idea who the cool dude in the middle is.
Morning all, the guy playing the violin looks just like Ant with a suntan ….
Rasp, I though that was Ant – just did not recognise the other guy!! 😀
A most unfortunate surname..
Thanks for the PM Raddy, you’ve said everything there is to say, I have nothing to add.
I wish I was going today, I expect the crowd to rally behind the players … bunker mentality and all that.
Its pointless trying to predict how the game will go, let’s hope we can enjoy the quality of the football 🙂
Guess the celebrity above.
Is it Marty Feldman?
Wonderful to be on the journey with our travelling pissheads.
What is in the flask?
I will have a guess at the players during the afternoon
Tom Hanks? Lana Turner? Jimmy Saville?
Your 11:13 celebrity, does not fool me, Chas — that is Eeeeddiiee with one of her dawgs sitting on her head!! 😀
? Simon Cowell
Will miss seeing Raper at the pub..
Rasper
Mick Hucknall?
He dresses like a joke..
Rasp
Mick Hucknall is correct. Amazing. 😮
Rasp. Brilliant!
🙂 🙂
Did you like Rimmer BR?
Don’t forget this email also a preview of FA cup semis
Rimmer sounds even worse when you put ‘Jimmy’ in front of it for some reason 😕
Eeeeddddiiieeeeee
Shard where are thee?
In
In
Fred, my favourite blogger.. how are you pal?
Fred, have you got a photo of you?
… and GiE?
Morning all.
Two wonderful AA staples that never change on match day, A Big Raddy pre match post and the unique Chas and Ant Arsenal travel – log.
My son is working today so I’ll be watching the game alone, it’s a 11:00am kick off here so the wine will be cracked open a little earlier than normal.
I’m looking for the team to kick into high gear today, lets all hope that the crowd are behind them and that the nutters leave their signs at home.
Part on an AW quote on BBC sports…………
“Of course I’m as hungry,” he said. “I carry a bit more pressure on my shoulders than 20 years ago – but the hunger is exactly the same.
“When you see what the club was and what it is today – when I arrived we were seven people [members of staff], we are 700 today.”
He added: “I hate defeat. I can understand the fans that are unhappy with every defeat but the only way to have victory is to stick together with the fans and give absolutely everything until the end of the season, that’s all we can do.”
GN5
Good morning.
Did you see I put your Clock End photo up on yesterday’s post?
Fred- come back with your venomous wit
https://www.twitter.com/EmrgencyKittens/status/848491719750561793
cheers folk.. nearly at the Smoke .. have fun.. later
Appo logies for polluting the airwaves.
Just pulling into St P.
So, see you all later.
Afternoon all
Lovely day for a football match 🙂 Thank you Raddy, as ever, for a mouthwatering introduction to today’s event. I shall be there and I’m really looking forward to it although it’s possible the sun will stop me seeing much of what goes down on the pitch 😦 Still you can’t have everything and I hate going to football in the rain 🙂
Just checked Chas, thank you.
The picture was taken in 1956 and I will be in there somewhere close to the centre along with about twenty members of my family, we never missed home games.
Jack Crayston was the manger and he was followed by George Swindin and Billy Wright (all winless) and we were in the midst of a terrible seventeen year trophy less period – but just look at the size of the crowd.
GN5, its a 1am kick-off here.
I’m off to sleep on the couch as I have to get up at 4am for work but need the tv on for the game.
You’re an early starter VP just like me, I’m usually up and about by 4:30/5:00am. I love the mornings fresh, quiet and peaceful.
Our weather will start to get better next week and then we can start using our deck again.
Gorgeous day in London. Installed in FFB garden waiting for Jon and Peaches.
https://www.twitter.com/fumbunker/status/848510616553881600
Brilliant PM, Raddy.
Life moving from one exceedingly expensive hotel to another sucks. All the more since all have excruciatingly and painfully slow internet.
Anyways, COYG.
Great Ant n’ Duck show. In fact, great show all round.
EEddiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Arnie is our hero …..la la la
Red Arnie
Expensive hotels are a necessary evil for some one rich and famous.
Ask Micky.
Fred – say hello
Micky’s rich but no way is he famous?
Micky is a well-entrenched member of the great-and-the-good club! 🙂
OK, I give up on the internet. off to find a decent sportsbar. COYG. 🙂
Lol
Surfside, Sliema, Malta seems adequate for the moment 😊
Xhaka and Coquelin 🙂
Ozil 🙂 🙂
Come on Mesut, maybe you remember how to do it 😉
COYG
Micky is too — rich and famous and can’t ride a bike! 🙂
Rich men stay in hotels overlooking Platform 2, Prince Regent stop on DLR. Yip, only very rich men do that 🙂
Okedoke, WHAT a team
Fantastic line up
Lol am fine hopefully better with a win today
Arnie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalithic_Temples_of_Malta
Come on you Gunnnnners
Yea have a photo not sure how to make it show on forum
No that no me
The perfect time to concede
Let’s get ’em now
Eddddiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
if we can get the next goal, this could be an absolute stonker of a game
Just you and me then Fred
The weak have cracked 🙂
Just got to the sofa, COME on you Gunners.
I’m working Micky … and suffering the BBC text coverage 😦
Poor decision. Homer
Lovely bit of cheating from Otamendi to get Xhaka booked.
The strong are back 🙂
Come on Arsenal. We could get one back before oranges
theooooooooooooooooooooooo
Oh Theo … I like that
Ospina got in the way, Bel had it all day.
Theo!
massive shitballs
WTF was Ozil doing?
Ospina get beat far post on out swinging ball??? Not possible…
More goals to come you’d imagine
Hope we get two more than them
40 minutes of the half were decent. All the other bits we are a shambles! Our final pass is nowhere to be seen and we fall to pieces when the ball goes near our goal! Other than that…..
I only watched the last 15 minutes of the half nd we played well.
Stupid play from Ozil meant that instead of breaking on the counter we were found lacking at the back. Unlucky in a way but decent finish from Aguero – could Cech have saved it?
We are not finished but need Welbeck to get involved. As I wrote in the post, I would push him wide on the left and get Sanchez in the middle.
p.s. Our defence needs much work. Gone are the days of One-Nil to the AFC
Anyone notice the total lack of celebration when we scored?
Hearing a lot of groans when we pass backwards.
Get In!
yesssssssssssssssss
Get Innnnnnn We scored from a corner!!!
The stonker is on 🙂
We at so frantic. Its not Cazorla’s ability we miss, it’s just his cool head and the way he can slow the game down when needed.
OG warming up
Good time to bring him on
I’ve watched 21 minutes of the second half and it feels like 21 hours! The fans make the players anxious, the players make the fans nervous, and we could all just do with a player calming it down and keeping the ball for 5 minutes.
Bellerin needs a good talking to
FGG. The calm head is what we expect from Ozil, sadly he is out of form
Com on boys, get hold of the effing ball
We created nothing in the second half which is very worrying. Given the quality of our attackers there should have been at least one save by the MC keeper.
Welbeck was anonymous and I would rest him vs WHU. Iwobi brought some urgency and has to start again.
Monreal was IMO our best player and Bellerin our worst.
Disappointing last 20 minutes No fizz
Full credit for a massive effort from the players. We lacked the confidence and ability to go on and win it, but coming back twice takes real guts and effort. It also takes players willing to fight for the side and they did that.
There are 2 things that we are concerning at the moment. One is we don’t build pressure. Our attacks often fizzle out through poor passes, offsides, bad decisions and silly fouls. We are not recycling possession or getting corners and throws, we are just gifting the ball to the opposition. The other thing is we invite too much pressure around our box. We don’t clear our lines correctly and give sloppy passes away. This result was a step in the direction though and if we can pick up a couple of wins then suddenly those sloppy passes can come off and our attack will become more fluent. A draw isn’t what we needed, but considering recent results and the atmosphere at the club it’s a great effort.
Good comments Erik and FGG
The key issue of the day for me was whether the players turned up and as FGG says, they did
While there is effort, there is hope.
We may have taken a point but there is clearly something wrong with this team’s attitiude.
We should discuss this over the next few days.
I really want us to win the next game against MC.
I agree BR it would be great to have an FA Cup final to look forward to.
BR,
Did you have an issue with attitude today? Or do you mean the effort put in today makes you question attitude in previous weeks?
I don’t know why I was so excited about Ozil starting he thinks he’s just the bloody whipped cream, only there for decoration. I wish he’d bust a gut sometimes!!!!
FGG. Gary Neville has just brought up my concerns:
Walcott wandering off when subbed and he is playing poorly.
Ozil playing like a drain.
Bellerin’s worrying loss of form and application
Not celebrating a goal etc etc etc.
We have schisms but I will write about it pre-WHU.
Enjoyed the game. No shame in a 2-2 draw, but we could have won if we did not concede so early, if Ozil would not make that mistake, or if the ref would not have bottled it on the Alexis penalty claim. I thought it would have been given against us, but maybe I am wrong, because no one else mentioned it.
Season has long been gone, but we are playing for some pride. That is all one can hope for at this stage, I guess. 😦
Yes indeed Micky 😊 tomorrow’s plan is Ggantija
Interesting view, Chas. Maybe I saw it wrong, but I can only say how I saw the incident. Not much of a replay as well. 🙂
No-one answered the question in the post headline, so I will …
Aguero.
No, Sanchez. Always a Gooner. 🙂
Agree Sanchez
Can’t make the fox work. Bad start to the day.
Aye, and maarn’in to you to Chas
Actually, what the heck is the difference between a fox and a dog anyway?
Edddieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
The main difference between a fox and a dog is that the dog can whiff quite a bit if not washed occasionally — foxes on the other hand – can smell really evil all the time.
Morning Micky, and all. 🙂
Eeeeeddddddiiiiiiieeeeee where is yer?
Morning All,
Looks more like a dog to me. The main difference is in the spelling – one has a D and a G in it and the other one doesn’t.
It could be a dog fox .. the female is a vixen 🙂
😀
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