Howay The Lads

April 15, 2018

Mid-table, virtually meaningless clash? Exciting PL game between two highly experienced, quality managers? The chance to see world class footballers giving their best? Or a mix or all three?

IMO any Arsenal game is anticipated with bated breath, I love to watch my team; sadly, in recent time the excitement has dissipated after 30 mins as we muck about with hardly a shot on target; hopefully the new attack can change this.

PEA can be the answer.

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We are on our best winning run of the season, admittedly we have played some very average teams, most of whom are relegation threatened. Newcastle are also on a fine run and are now safe.  Will both teams give it the full beans? I doubt it.

We haven’t lost to Newcastle since 2010 but we have yet to win an away PL fixture in 2018. One of these runs will continue. Apparently we have not lost 5 away games in a row since 1925!

My Team:

Cech

Chambers    Mustafi     Holding

Bellerin      Xhaka    Elneny    Iwobi

Ozil

PEA    Welbeck

A few second string players, maybe Nelson or Maitland- Niles will get a kick. Ramsey, who suffered a very nasty cut midweek, Kos, Nacho, should be rested. Maybe Ozil benched for Nelson with Iwobi “in the hole”.

Early kick-off following a heavy Sunday lunch. Hope I can stay awake for the second half.

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

Semi-Final beckons. Can we? Will we?

April 12, 2018

4-1 up, it can’t go wrong, can it? Given the results over the past two days anything can happen and with Mustafi in his current form we have to be concerned.

It may be unfair to spotlight one player in what has been an awful season for us at the back (43 PL goals conceded so far) but Mustafi’s inconsistencies are hardly of benefit to the confidence of the others. Take the S’ton game, both goals came directly from his shilly-shallying (now there’s a word!).

So what should we do? Drop him for Chambers? Probably not. Should AW select a team to PTB or play a normal attacking game? Will he include Elneny as an extra defender in place of the attacking Miki or give Iwobi a run? My guess is he will err on the side of caution.

We saw that CSKA Moskva are limited in their defensive abilities themselves with us carving out chance after chance at the Emirates. I expect us to score and then the tie is done but what if we don’t? Can the team keep a pacy Russian attack at bay? It is questionable.

My Team:

Cech

Koscielny   Mustafi    Monreal

Bellerin   Ramsey    Elneny    Kolasinac

Ozil      Welbeck

Lacazette

Jack has to be benched in a match of importance and with his form at such a low ebb. Kolasinac is the better defender and more likely to add some steel.

The first half of the home tie (which thanks to Chas and Peaches I was able to attend), was the best we have played in many a moon, the ingenuity, pace and sheer verve of the performance gave rise to hopes that next season could be so much better.

I expect CSKA to be very aggressive in an attempt to unseat our brave boys; they will have to start fast and stop our passing through midfield. Ramsey etc will need shin and calf and ankle pads. A strong, unbiased referee, please.

Concede early and the nerves will kick in, score early and the tie is over. I know what we all want.

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

Guardiola is right to be unhappy & Sorry Spurs

April 11, 2018

Elneny’s red card has been rescinded. His sending off could have been costly, the completely useless Andy Marriner clearly lost the plot when the game got heated (as it should be) Has Marriner been punished  with a suspension or demotion? No, he hasn’t Should he be?

The referee and two linesmen wrongly decided Sane was offside when scoring for MC last night possibly costing MC the victory and with it many millions of pounds. Were the referee and linesmen questioned about their mistake? Has there been any fuss apart from Guardiola being sent to the stands for stating a truth?

This post could go the VAR route but we have covered the subject in depth, instead I am questioning the punishment of referees who make blatant errors.

Chas mentioned Graham Poll yesterday, my example would also be against Newcastle when Phil Dowd gave the worst example of refereeing in my footballing experience in a 4-4 draw at St James in 2011. Dowd escaped with an unblemished record having given Diaby a red card, awarded two highly dubious penalties to the Magpies and allowed Barton, Tiote and others to repeatedly kick our boys.

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Yes, I know the argument about referees only being human and mistakes can be made but the general standard is poor. And of course, all referees are wa**ers, They have to be to pick up the whistle.

On another subject …

Did you know that since Spurs last won a major trophy (i.e. not the Carabootee Cup) in 1991, Arsenal have won the same number of trophies as Spurs have in their entire history!!

Ooh to be, Ooh to be, Ooh to be a Gooner

written by BR

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Posted by Erik the Red

Stoke Thrashed. Player Ratings

April 2, 2018

They came, we conquered.

All this nonsense about a penalty which upon first sight was nailed on and only on slo-mo was perhaps wrongly given. By this time Stoke were blowing and an Arsenal victory assured,  just check the stats – we had 24 shots! Were Stoke unlucky to lose by 3 goals? Of course not, they were lucky not to lose by more.

That said, the first half was simply awful; full of wayward passes, backward movement, silly defending and hardly a shot on target.

Ospina:  Kicking a bit wayward. Didn’t concede. Stoke hit the post from a corner which he should have caught.  I don’t trust him.   6

Chambers: Some of his passing was dreadful and put us onto the back foot when we should have been launching attacks. His tackling was good as was his work at set pieces. Should/Could have scored.    4

Mustafi: A strange game. Some of his interventions were excellent though I worry when as the last defender he goes to ground to block the attacker. Needs to play the simple ball out of defence.   7

Monreal: Not his best game. Not secure at the back nor contributing much to attack. Had one very good shot saved by Butland.   5

Ramsey: IMO our best player. Always in place for a pass, working hard to supplement the attack. Like others his passing in the first half was below par  8

Wilshire: Didn’t really influence the game. I want more from him.  Worked very hard and improved 2nd half   6

Elneny: We saw his limitaions in what was probably his worst game in the shirt. The difference when Xhaka replaced him was massive, though it must be said that Stoke were tiring at this point. His passing was awful in the first half.   4

Welbeck:  Worked ahrd as always. Contributed little missing a good chance. Again, we saw the difference when Miki came on.   5

Ozil: Not at his influential best but lovely to watch.   7

PEA:  Scored twice. Missed a one on one though Butland did well to stop him. Lovely finish for his second and generous in giving Laca the second penalty.  6 games, 5 goals. Gave a good post-match interview in excellent English (did you listen Sanchez?)  7

As ever ratings are subjective and on a day when few are blogging, does it matter if you disagree? 😀

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Free Falling

April 1, 2018

Before I lay into Stoke can I bring your attention to a peculiar decision by another relegation threatened side? Southampton. I like the Saints; proper club, good history,  some wonderful ex-players (Le Tis, Channon, Shearer, Theo, Ox, Lallana, Monkey-Boy Bale etc etc) and generally well run. But who in their right mind looks at the league table and then appoints a manager who has taken a relegation rival into the mire? S’ton deserve to be relegated for making the deeply repugnant Hughes their manager.

But more deserving of the Drop of Shame are today’s opponents. A bigger shower of shite does not exist outside of Tottenham.

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Pulis, Hughes, Lambert – has there ever been a worse trio of anti-football coaches in any club’s history? Apparently, Hughes wanted to improve the standard of football played by The Orcs which resulted in his sacking. Says it all.

Horrible club, horrible fans, horrible city and horrible football team.

And then there are their players. Huth, Shawcross, Adam, Ireland. Thugs. It must be said that intermingled with these hatchet men are some quality players, Shaqiri, Affelay, Zouma, Bruno Martins and Butland (why didn’t we sign him?).

Tactics? Crouch.

It is no surprise that in a league where the skill levels have risen over the past few seasons that Stoke’s reliance on fighting football has resulted in possible relegation. Stole’s main hope for salvation will be that there are some equally poor teams around them.

We, however, are on a run :-). Unbeaten in 3. 8 goals scored, one against.

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Does Mr Wenger rest players ahead of the Europa game on Thursday? Is it more important for the players to be amtch fit and confident, assuming we win and no-one gets hurt, or give Ozil, Ramsey etc more rest?

I would play our strongest team but rest Koscielny, giving both Wilshire and Lacazette 30 minutes as sub.

My Team:

Cech

Chambers    Mustafi    Monreal

Bellerin    Ramsey    Xhaka    Kolasinac

Ozil  Miki

PEA

Perhaps Iwobi for Kolasinac but I think we need some muscle in midfield and Alex played for Nigeria in the Interlull. PEA will be looking to add to his already decent scoring record.

We got stuffed by a referee at Stoke, Lacazette was not offside and perhaps his season and ours would have panned out very differently if that goal had stood.

Just 2 points ahead of Burnley in 7th (really hurts to write that!). A win is important.

Let it be So

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

Interlull Injuries

March 23, 2018

Not only is a 3 week lay-off mid-season inordinately dull, it is also costly to the Arsenal squad.

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Both Wilshire and Koscielny have been withdrawn from their respective squads for games this weekend.

Fortunately both injuries appear to be wear and tear and not something as devastating as JW’s ankle knack when playing another meaningless game for England.

How does this help the club which pays their wages?

There isn’t an answer. If I were a player my ambition would always be to represent my country and friendlies, as crap as they are, are still a cap.

Let us hope nothing untoward happens to our Internationals before we play Stoke at home

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

What’s Going On?

March 21, 2018

I am going back to having a musical theme in my headlines (competition for chas’s excellent literary work).

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There has been an absence, neigh a void, of proper football since we smashed AC Milan, just some inconsequential FA Cup games and Liverpool steamrollering poor opposition at home.

But what of The Arsenal?

The Youth team drew 2-2 way to Blackpool in the FA Youth Cup Semi-Final. Goals from John-Jules and Amaechi (a 17 y.o. Nigerian-born English winger who has been earning rave reviews).

5 Arsenal players have been called up to Young England squads – Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Willock and DaSilva

Then there are the players out with their respective national teams: 10 of them. Mustafi has been dropped by Germany which must be a concern ahead of the summer World Cup.

Mo Elneny rejoins his Egytian team-mates. If there is one question I would ask of the dread-locked midfielder it would be “why the hell didn’t you persuade Mo Salah to join Arsenal instead of the Dippers?” Both Mo’s, both shaggy headed, both Egyptian, both liking a red shirt – it was an obvious signing for Arsenal, especially with the departure of Theo.

Not much else. Unless you know better …

Big Raddy

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

A Sinking Ship? Player Ratings

February 26, 2018

Are we a sinking ship or just a side in transition which is completely out of form?

Yesterday’s trouncing hurt. I don’t agree that there was  lack of effort or fight, in my opinion (and I know it is not some of yours) it was a lack of quality. We simply got outplayed and out-thought. Both the players and the management.

Not one AA’er thought we would win, some may have hoped but none honestly believed we would leave with the Cup. What we all hoped for was that Arsenal would compete and for much of the first half we did, in fact had PEA not missed a sitter (or was it a superb tackle) we could have been even at 45 mins. What happened next was a shock. What changed? We just couldn’t get the ball, our passes when we had the ball were wayward, our attackers had no chances. Ozil and PEA were passengers. Was it AFC who got worse or City who put on a masterclass of movement and possession football?

Whatever it was, we were embarrassing for 30 minutes, especially after the second goal. We rallied towards the end but created only a single opportunity (PEA for Iwobi)

Player Ratings:

Ospina. Second time in 4 days he was beaten by a cross shot.  5

Chambers. Battled hard  5

Mustafi  Terrible for the first goal. A flaky defender who needs to find consistency  3

Koscielny. Had a decent game. My MotM   6

Bellerin.  Managed to keep Sane relatively quiet but could not get forward   5

Ramsey. Clearly unfit.  4

Wilshere. Plenty of drive and action, not enough creativity.   5

Xhaka. Poor performance. Worked hard but simply not good enough   3

Monreal/Kolasinac. Thank goodness Sterling was injured.    4

Ozil. Anonymous. 3

PEA. Tried hard but got no service. Missed our only real chance.  4

Wenger. Looks lost and must be sitting at home dazed. We got tonked and it seems as though his final season (hopefully) will be his worst.   4 (one extra for looking so smart at kick-off)

Looking at the above, I am surprised that I gave the defence higher marks, but it was not their fault there was a tidal wave of City attacks., for the most part they defended well, though Mustafi’s weakness for the first was very poor.

Still … onwards and upwards. Let’s beat them on Thursday.

wriiten by BR

 

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners

February 25, 2018

4th Wembley Final in 5 years. It is a home game and we must approach it as a though we own the ground.

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My first attendance at a League Cup Final was as a youngster and I am still scarred by the event. Don Rogers scoring in the mud as lowly Swindon beat my heroes in a David and Goliath victory. The year before I watched the highlights of Dirty Leeds in black and white – I should point out that this was 7 years after Spurs last won the League 🙂

Today: Our away form is so disastrous that if Mr Wenger sets up his team to be conservative we are bolloxed; quite frankly this Arsenal defence is not good enough to halt the City attack. So, the answer is to be on the front foot from kick-off.

Sadly, we have a history of starting games slowly, feeling our way into the match, assessing the opposition and then trying to step up a gear. I expect the same today.

We have a plethora of attacking talent, if they fire as a unit, we could be kushtie. Ozil and PEA will cause any team problems … IF.

And what of Manchester City? From top down the Northern Oilers have created a powerful organisation. The inevitable, financially driven, ascendancy took time but today MC are clearly a cut above the opposition on a season long basis, same as PSG and BM (and the Chavs , until the Russian lost interest). But on a one-off game they can be beaten, Wigan did it.

Evidence of the financial doping? Mr Weger has spent￡349m in his 21 years as AC manager. Guardiola has spent ￡371m in his 21 months at MCFC. This sums up all we need to know about why AFC are not competeing for the title.

How can we win? A couple of sending-offs would help –  preferably Sterling and Stones. A lucky goal or two from Hector and Nacho. A few thrilling saves from Ospina and defensive meltdown by the City defence. It is possible..

My Team:

Ospina

Koscielny    Mustafi   Monreal

Bellerin  Ramsey   Xhaka   Elneny

Wilshire   Ozil

PEA

The above team has little potency and it will require a goal or two from midfield.

The Number 5.

We have lost more League/EFL/Rumbelows Finals than any other team, 5

We have only scored 5 goals on the way to the final.

There will be 5 goals in the final, let’s hope they are in our favour.

COYRRG

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

Up for the Cup?

February 24, 2018

Excited about tomorrow? I mean really excited? You know – butterflies, dreams, stomach-clenching anticipation?

I can’t speak for you but I feel none of the above. Looking forward to it? Certainly. Aquiver? No.

We are about to play a Wembley Final against a wonderful team and potential Champions. Surely this is enough to get the blood coursing?

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Why am I not exhilarated?

Could be any of the following or most probably a blend of all:-

  1. It’s not a proper Cup. Can you name who won it two seasons ago? I think MU won it last year. Apparently Spurs won it 10 years ago and even they don’t mention it as sliverware. On the other hand, it would look fine in the trophy cabinet.
  2. The continual change of name. This year it is the Carabao (ridiculous). It was the League Cup when it meant something. Littlewoods, Milk, Carling , Rumbelows, Coca Cola, Capital One, Worthington etc etc. takes some of the shine off.
  3. Wembley has lost it’s sparkle. Started with the FAC semi-finals being played there. Now it is The Miscreants home ground. The great stadium has sold it’s soul.
  4. The PL clubs play their reserves until the semi-finals which gives an indication as to how highly even Stoke value it.
  5. This is The Big One for me. The final is too early in the season. Finals are for sunny, warm days not a ball-shrivelling February Sunday afternoon. It is not May.

Come kick-off time BR will have his loins girded (writing the PM will help),  be totally involved and I guess, so will you.

written by BR

46 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Erik the Red

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