Newcastle: Pardew’s Return

April 28, 2014

Thanks to an unusually efficient Everton defensive display leading to a Southampton victory, if we win the next two home games the tricky trip to Norwich becomes irrelevant – what more could one want from an exciting weekends football?

Our season has been interesting from start to finish and with some good fortune, decent refereeing and the lads not titting about it can end on a high. Three wins and my summer holiday will be even better.

It starts tonight.

Newcastle have been “on the beach” since Xmas. – fans of the  Magpies must be fuming. They have lost their last 5 games and taken just 13 points from a possible 51. Mr Wenger’s nemesis has once again shown himself to be a total knob of a manager having flattered to deceive early in the season. Given the array of talent at his disposal even Tim but Dim Sherwood could have done better – even I could.

Just look at their squad – Cisse, Remy, Debuchy and Ben Arfa would probably get a place at THOF.  Sissoko is quality as are Gouffran and Collocini and then there is Tiote – Newcastle’s Flamini. Ameobi is better than Sanogo and Bendtner and  Krul is a fine keeper, plus they have some good youngsters coming through – so why are they struggling and unlikely to finish in the top 10?

Because Newcastle have an awful manager whose main ability is to look good in a suit (oh, and he does have good hair!). Can you imagine the media response to Mr Wenger head butting a player? The owner’s decision to grant Pardew an 8 year contract (until 2020) has proven to be a costly mistake. They just cannot afford to get rid of him.

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Another tonight please OG

Add into the mix an owner who is “unpredictable” and the brilliant Newcastle fans are getting poor return for their ticket price.

It is a shame because if Mr Wenger had Pardew’s squad I think they would be challenging for 5/6th with MU, Everton and the Neanderthals – instead they are 23 points behind Everton.

I like Newcastle. The Toon Army are passionate fans who love their football; they have a rich history and it is awful to see their club ruined by Johnny-Come-Lately’s. But tonight I fervently wish them to go home with further reason to detest the management.

Arsenal. We have a strong squad of players to choose from – just Gibbs and the long-term injured are unavailable. The return of Ozil and Ramsey is a massive boost for the run in and I believe they will push us into the CL spot.

Mr Wenger’s unusual problem is selection. Poldi or Santi, Arteta or Flamini etc?

My Team:

a v n

Might be a little light in defence but we are at home and really need to win, so I would attack from the first minute, retain possession and be very attentive of the counter attack. Newcastle have pace and power upfront and will be confident that Arsenal will push too many men forward. Plus potential summer target, Remy will be making a huge effort to show he is the man we need.

We have finally got a decent subs bench  (still lacking a game changer). If Ox is fit, I would love to see him get 30 minutes against a tiring Newcastle defence.

Newcastle Upon Tyne was first settled by the Romans in 2 century  A.D. Named Pons Aelius after the family name of Emperor Hadrian (the chap who built the wall). When the Romans left in 410 it became an Anglo-Saxon town and was called Monkchester. Then came those pesky Vikings who smashed the town and not long after a castle was built (around 1088) which became known as Novum Castellum or New Castle.  Throughout the Middle Ages this fortress was England’s northern border against raids from the Scots.

There is little doubt that with Pardew back on the touchline Newcastle will be looking to end their awful run of form, as such, this will be another tough and nervy evening. Or … we could score early, get another before half time and then coast the second half.

Which would you prefer?

 written by Big Raddy

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

We MUST buy a lethal striker?

April 23, 2014

Heard that before? I think we all agree there is a need but this post will investigate a little deeper.

Let’s look at the problem. We have been over-reliant on Giroud, little argument there but why have we been so reliant upon the Frenchman? Because our other strikers have been not performed this season?

Podolski: This is a chap who was a regular scorer in the Bundesliga and for his country; at Kõln his scoring rate was almost a goal ever other game (86 in 181 games), and for his country is the same (48 in 112). What is his rate at Arsenal? 28 goals in 65 appearances . Pretty consistent. What does this tell us about Lucas? In my opinion it says that he is under-rated as a goalscorer – not by Mr Wenger but by the fans. Plus Podolski has been constantly injured starting only 17 PL games this season.

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Walcott: Our top scorer last season and developing into a lethal striker. 21 goals from 43 games  in 2012/13 tells it’s own story, as does 5 in 13 this. In my opinion Walcott could become one of the best forwards in Europe. He has the intelligence and the pace but most importantly he has developed grace under pressure; his finishes are no longer a foot-through- the-ball thrash, they are curlers into the far corner, awesome volleys or dinks over an onrushing keeper – he is the read deal. BUT the man is blighted by injury and not just a single re-occurring problem, shoulder, thigh, knee, foot – he has had them all. Is he unlucky or fragile? Can Arsenal rely upon his fitness when looking at the goal scoring situation?

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Giroud: Not everyone’s favourite but our top cannon. His record in France was 39 goals in 85. First season for AFC, 17 in 47, this season 20 in 45. Pretty consistent and improving.At the moment he is the 7th highest scorer in the PL ahead of Dzeko, RvP, Eto’o, Lukaku, Bony and just one behind Aguero. Crap season? A cart-horse (Clydesdale of course)? Add in 10th in the PL assists and I think OG can be pleased with his work.

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Sanogo: Before coming to Arsenal he had scored at almost 1 every two games  (26 from 55). He was France’s centre forward  and top scorer in their U-20 WC winning team. He has yet to score from 10 appearances for AFC. It is too early to judge but he could be the type of player who once he starts to score cannot stop. The strength, pace, energy and determination are all evident. He just needs to calm down a bit. The jury is out

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Bendtner: What can one say? Best leave it 😀

 

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Attackers out on Loan: Joel Campbell has already shown he can score at the highest level, 21 y.o 8 goals in 21 for Olympiakos and 9 in 31 for Costa Rica is impressive. 20 y.o. Chuks Aneke has a done well at Crewe scoring 16 in 40 – could they step up?

So, given what we have at the club, what do we need? A lethal finisher. But here-in lie problems. Who, how much, where does he play but most problematic of all is that most other teams are looking for the same player.

Chelsea will surely buy a frontman or two or three, Man Utd have serious problems as Welbeck is not consistent enough and RvP is 31, injury prone and unhappy. Man City will sell Dzeko, have wasted millions on Jovetic and are reliant upon Aguero – they will be in the market. So will many of the Oiler clubs around Europe as they look to attract new fans to their “brand”.

Where and how will these teams look to sign their striker? – easy -they look at the top scorers in leagues around Europe – just like we did when we bought Giroud and Podolski (and Sanogo).

As it is certain we will be outbid, both in transfer fee and wages, for the best strikers we have to look elsewhere. Young players with potential to become the next Suarez or Ronaldo, but these players are also in huge demand. Just look at the Draxler situation: The lad is just 20 and yet it seems half of Europe are trying to sígn him. It may well be that Arsenal are in the box seat but if you were him (or his agent) wouldn’t you look at the money? What about the football I hear you say – do Bayern or PSG or City play worse football than us?

What about a British striker? Who? Wellbeck? Sturridge? Lambert? There isn’t one. We just have to look at how toothless the England team is to know the cupboard is bare.

So what is the solution? In my opinion we spend the whole summer looking for the elusive striker – perhaps one will magically appear and at the same time, buy a proper young defensive midfielder who can allow our attacking MF’s to get forward and score. Had Ramsey stayed fit he would have scored as many as Toure.

In my opinion we have the goalscorers already at the club. Our problem has been keeping the guys who supply the ammunition fit. With no Ozil, Wilshere, Walcott and Ramsey, OG was left to fight a lone battle. With no proper DM, Podolski is forced to play deep in his own half – we have seen in recent games how lethal he can be when playing further forward.

If possible add one more, give Sanogo some time and perhaps we will be fine.

Perhaps.

written by Big Raddy

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

The Arsenal “Rockets”?

April 20, 2014

If only …. If only we hadn’t lost at Stoke, had taken more risks against United, been braver at home to Chelsea, been luckier with the bounce of the ball home to City, not hit the woodwork vs Everton etc etc it would be us as Champions elect.  Instead it is Liverpool who watch their challengers fall away.

Mourinho blames the referees association for his clubs inability to win the title, could there be any truth in his childish peeve? Synchronicity, coming as it did on the same day Arnie wrote a post about anti-Arsenal bias!

Sunderland’s superb week highlights the uncertainty I love about football. No-one, not even the most rabid Sunderland fan (and many are rabid) could have predicted their results.

My problem is that I love it when teams given little chance to win do so against very strong opposition – except – when they win against us 😀 Which, in a very roundabout way, brings us to this afternoon; I would not be surprised to see Hull scramble their way to an undeserved 3 points against The Arsenal, the team who represent all that is good and just in the world.

Oh, shape up Raddy – there is nothing to fear but fear itself (unless you are facing an angry grisly bear).

Hull are a mediocre side who have had an outstanding season punching well above their weight. Arsenal are the team who can ruin all their fine work. Two victories over Hull are essential to bring our season to a successful conclusion.

 

 Unknown-1 Enjoying the Fish Suppers at Hull

One has to be impressed with Steve Bruce’s work so far. Taking them up from the Championship and then establishing Hull as a PL side is fine work. And acting as mediator when the club has an “unusual” owner. How would you like it if Usmanov took over and wanted to re-name us The Arsenal Rockets”?

No need to write about the Hull team – 2 reasons – firstly, it is all in the media and secondly, I only know about a few of their players! The import of Jelavic and Long was inspired but once again raises the question about loan signings (more on that another day).

Are there any positive portents ahead of this game?

Well, the return of Ozil is huge. The return of Ramsey even bigger. The return of Flamini less so.  Podolski’s two goals on Tuesday should guarantee him a start but who gets dropped for Ozil and will Ramsey be allowed to play again so soon after a long term injury?

My team:

hull v arse

I know – no Ozil, but I would prefer to ease him back and give the young chap 30 minutes to bamboozle a tired Hull defence.

Kelsey has asked whether Cazorla and Ozil can play in the same team; I have similar concerns. And where can we fit Rosicky into this team? Or Jack and Theo?

I expect a difficult game but one which we can win. With Everton playing at home to a United team fighting for a Euro Cup place we have the chance to gain a significant advantage.

Let it be So.

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Why Always Arsenal?

April 19, 2014
These are some random barmy ramblings constructed in a hurry. I know that you journos, the ignorant, useless and even sinister lot, deserve a firmer and more careful bo**ocking, but that has to wait for another day. Beware!! We have taken this too long, we Arsenal fans are very hurt and feel deeply betrayed.
It has come to our notice that recently Daily Mail has snared a supposed Arsenal fan Pete from Le Grove with substantial benefits, in cash or kind. In turn, Pete has allegedly pocketed the tosh and spewed some bile against our beloved club on to the back pages of the said shite roll.But such bile spewing useless pieces of uninspired journoulism, on newspapers, television and radio, is nothing new. We Arsenal fans have got so used to it that it does not even tickle our senses any more. Let alone any sense of hurt that has been cast aside at least a decade back. But the question we want to ask is, why? Why would journos and useluss pundits be so keen to damn Arsenal? Is this a new development, or was this always the case? If there is anything new, what is it? Partial explantions were suggested on the sidelines of GN5’s fantastic post on the 1936 FA Cup triumph yesterday.
Boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, and honourable members of alternate sexuality, I want to bring this to your notice.The scene is 1936. Arsenal has won the FA Cup final against Sheffield United. The opening excerpt from the Daily Telegraph match report, quoted in GunnerN5’s post, reads:”Arsenal are Cup holders again for the second time in six years. As expected, they beat Sheffield United in Wembley’s fourteenth Final Tie, but not as comfortably as 2-to-1-on favourites are supposed to win .

“The honours of a match which rarely produced a high standard of play should go to Sheffield United, whose defence held out for an hour and a quarter and who twice narrowly missed taking the lead before Drake scored.”

How typical? Where have we heard such disdainful disregard earlier, for a team that has fought its way to a trophy? Or even to fighting hard for a trophy? Plenty of times, yes, and always against Arsenal. That is not the surprise, at least to me. It is that such rubbish was also spewed way back in the mid 1930s.

What about the also rans, Manchester United, Liverpool, and now the oiled up knobbly joints Manchester City and Chelsea? Never. But why?

TERRY MANCINI HAIR TRANSPLANT provids a partial answer (April 18, 2014 at 10:55 am): “One thing that strikes me about your [GunnerN5’s] articles is how rarely you see a southern based club in the mix. Is that why Arsenal are the greatest club in the world? because we were the only team south of the M25 worth bothering about?”

Now that is some food for thought. Maybe the journo bias is largely a reflection of a north-south divide. The blog then generated the following discussion.

Arnie suggests (April 18, 2014 at 2:17 pm): “what also struck me as interesting was the whinging journos. This combined with Terry’s observation of Arsenal being the only club south of the M25 with both history and style. Maybe, this is still one reason why we are hated by journos such a lot. 😦 ”

GunnerN5 (April 18, 2014 at 2:41 pm): “Being one of the few Southern teams and then having the audacity to be successful was certainly our downfall among the predominately Northern journalists.”

arnie (April 18, 2014 at 8:54 pm): “The mystery is, why are the northern journos not so bile spewing towards the Chavs? Or, are they?”

Big Raddy (April 18, 2014 at 9:33 pm): “Because no-one cares about Chelsea. They do not excite or entertain and apart from the manager and the criminal behaviour of the Club Captain nothing about them is interesting.”

GunnerN5 (April 18, 2014 at 9:34 pm): “Maybe Roman Abramovich has them scared off?”

Arnie (April 18, 2014 at 9:56 pm): “Raddy: boring boring Chavs? 🙂 Yes, they play a boring brand of football, but have been reasonably successful in buying success. GunnerN5: scared by Abramovitch, or perhaps bought off?”

I believe money certainly plays a role, but there is another issue as well.

Chelsea, or if you prefer Abramovitch, was the first to experiment with just buying expensive players and finding out whether one can build a team out of these disparate players.

When Chelsea started doing this, this was not the dominant religion, or the leading mainstream idea. Real Madrid and Barca at least tried to build teams rather than put together big players and somehow organise them into a squad. Likewise Manchester United and Liverpool in England, Bayern in Germany and the leading clubs in Italy. Quickly this became the dominant religion of a society that firmly believes in the dictum that success and brilliance can be bought.

This belief appears to have been reinforced by the relative success of Chelsea and Manchester City, and by the millions that have passed the doors of many other clubs, most notably PSG. These days, most journos, indeed most football fans and clubs are followers of this religion. Alas!

Arsenal dares to be different and is therefore hated even more. It is the convenient punching bag, and target of cliches like “spend money Arsenal and Arsene”, “you cannot win anything with kids” and most foolishly “sack Arsene”.

Well, this new found momentum in the spend money rather than build team idea, together with the northern bias, has led us to a situation that anything Arsenal related that you can find on the backpages, Beebs Shite of the Day or TalkShite is plain and unadulterated bile. 😦

Do we care a flying fig? No we dont. But it is still important to know where this bile come from, and to defend ourselves from its smelly and slimy influence.

However, the above is only one opinion. Maybe even a loony barmy view. The jury is still out. Chums, what do you think?

written by arnie

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Posted by Erik the Red

Time to Man Up

April 15, 2014

If there is a team we do not want to play after a 120+ minute bruising game at Wembley it is any side managed by Allardyce. If there is one player we do not want to see it is Andy Carroll. Sometimes the  football Gods kick us in the goolies.

Can our battered and injury strewn team gain a vital victory in their quest towards another season of the Champions League? We shall find out tonight.

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Allardyce has stated that WHU are not safe yet which is true but I would be hugely surprised if they are relegated – there are some awful teams in the drop-zone and WHU  are not one of them. West Ham, as any Fat Sam team is, are well organised, battle for 90+ minutes and play dull, dull, football which sadly gets enough results to avoid Sam getting gardening leave. This season we have seen managers with attacking instincts being replaced by those with a more pragmatic view, perhaps clubs look at the survival expertise of Allardyce and think “sod pretty football, keep us in the PL” – an understandable viewpoint.

What do you think Sam will be telling his players to do tonight?  Do you think he will be saying, “let’s retain possession and pass it through their midfield”? Nope – IMO he will be saying “8 men behind the ball, look for the wingers and then lump it into the middle for the Big Man,” “if one of their Fancy Dans gets past you kick him hard”, and “look to get set pieces as often as possible”. Arsenal have to fight and stand up to the physical battle.

Would you like to see Andy Carroll at Arsenal? No, really – joking aside when fit he is a major handful, a proper old fashioned centre forward. If (huge IF) we had a player able to feed off knock downs he could do a job for us. Surely a better sub than Sanogo but a far more expensive one. Mr Wenger has identified stopping crosses into Carroll as being vital “Yes [we must take special care with him] because once the ball is up there, you do not find many people who can compete with him and win the challenge” – which means BFG is in for a tough night.

As to our team, I would like to see our Scandi Supersub get a start. He looks as though he can handle himself and deserves a reward for his excellent weekend penalty. Given that Flamina is still suspended and Arteta is knacked Kallstrom appears to be an inspired signing !

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SuperSub

Or could we see Vermaelen given the DM berth many have proposed for him? To play a back line of Sagna, BFG,  Kos, TV and Gibbs would allow Gibbs to act sit a little further forward. TV could help nullify the threat of Carroll and it gives us a chance to play 3 at the back. What do you think?

Upfront, we have to start with Giroud. We remain a blunt instrument but he is our sharpest blade. Sanogo or Podolski? Given the need to stop the supply of crosses, Podolski. But and this is a huge BUT, there is a chance that Ozil will return which would be brilliant for both us and OG.

Playing Fat Sam teams is never easy especially given the negative physical effect of an injury blighted season and the draining weekend but 3 points are very, very important.

written by Big Raddy

This is arnie’s suggested line up

001wh

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

We Are Family

April 12, 2014

I am not a fan of the term “must win game” which we have heard so often (including tomorrow’s “title decider” -as if!) but today really is a must win. No excuses, no silly mistakes, nothing but victory is acceptable.

We need silverware to bring the club back to the fans. The bitching from the Me Generation who have grown up with the ludicrous premise that “second is losing” demand a Cup and Arsenal have an excellent chance to keep them quiet for a while.

I know Wigan have done wonders recently and that they are New Wembley winners far more times than us (have we won there?), but they sit a division below us. There will be no excuses for a loss.

I have to say I am nervous, Arsenal, of late, have a habit of falling over in sight of the winning post, the Koscielny/Szczesny comedy routine remains fresh in the memory, so I do not take anything for granted.

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Brilliant but Once is Enough

Wigan are nailed on to reach the play-offs. They are a good side playing attacking, pressing football so well that their victory at Maine Rd was well deserved – it was no fluke victory, they took on an over-confident City and beat them fair and square. They have been resting their players ahead of today’s match.

Managed by Uwe Rusler who appears to be a fine successor to Martinez, a good organiser and a man who may have a fine future as a manager. He has beaten lung cancer which shows he is a fighter. Rusler managed 3 teams in Norway before joining Brentford, before taking over from Owen Coyle at Wigan. Under Rusler’s management Wigan have only lost 5 of 29 games.

One fact to settle the nerves. In 20 matches between the clubs, Wigan have won 3.

Arsenal continue to struggle with both form and injuries.  Writing on Friday, we are missing Gibbs, Koscielny, Ox, Wilshere, Ozil, Walcott, Myachi, Gnabry, Flamini (banned) and most recently Rosicky. 10 players plus Diaby – it is amazing we have a team to put out!! However, we are still able to send out 10 Internationals (Arteta) and they should be good enough to beat Wigan – maybe not a rampant Everton but …..

My Team – (prior to final fitness tests and assuming none pass)

fa cup semi

Hopefully we will have some bodies back – if not Steve Bould will have to be on the bench!

The fans will be really up for it today, well over half the ground will be Arsenal, and it will be a sea of red. Anything which brings the fans together can only help the players perform. We are the 12th man.

I am so envious of this going today. There is nothing like walking down Olympic Way  in the sun surrounded by thousands of fellow Gooners all excited and half-cut with the awful smell of dodgy burgers in the air.  The memories of those afternoons will be with me always and when I am stuck in a dentist’s chair or sitting disconsolate having missed a plane I have them to fall back upon. That is the wonder of fandom – those weirdo’s who look askance at us when we say we love football don’t have that, do they?

Will we win? Who knows? It all depends upon which Arsenal turn up today. In my opinion, if we revert to sitting deep early doors and getting to half-time at 0-0, which is a tactic Mr Wenger has employed each game following a nasty defeat, then we will not be the Arsenal I know and love. I want us to go at Wigan from the first whistle, pin them back, pepper their goal with shots from all angles, bemuse their defenders with our sumptuous passing game and score at least 3 by half-time. Wouldn’t that be great?

I will be wearing red today, I suggest you do the same – after all as the mighty Sister Sledge/Chic say “We are Family”

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

End of the Difficult Games

April 6, 2014

Another must win game? Of course not, we can afford to lose and still get a top 4 spot. Yes, I know that mathematically Everton would be favourites if they win today but they have some difficult games ahead and will certainly drop points – if they don’t and win what will be 12 games in a row then they deserve to be in the CL, plus if any team is to take our 4th place then I would like it to be Everton.

Phew, that was a long sentence!!

This is the 3rd game of the season vs Everton, we have won one, drawn one and perhaps will lose one. Will we? Who knows – the form book would certainly favour the Toffees  and they have been better than us for parts of both previous games.

That is enough negativity. Draw or win today and we are almost guaranteed CL football next season, and I see no reason why we cannot get a result.

Everton: Lovely old-fashioned ground which is a euphemism for a ground in desperate need of a rebuild, but Goodison Park is still one of the PL’s most atmospheric grounds.

As to the team, they are strong all over the pitch. Loan players have hugely added to their performance this season and if one took away their loanees Everton would have been 11th instead of 5th at the turn of the year. We have discussed this at length and no doubt will do again, but Mr Wenger agrees with me – players should only be loaned out of their club’s division. Lukaku remains their strongest attacking force, a lethal striker with a shot accuracy rating of  64%  (Giroud’s is 40% 😦  ). Barry is Everton’s most active player who has most passes, tackles and influential contributions. Both loan players.

My hope is that Mr Wenger spends much of his transfer budget upon Ross Barkley, this kid looks superb and has all the physical attributes. Imagine him alongside Rambo, Ox and Jack in years to come. All British as well. But we know he won’t – Barkley will end up in Manchester, probably at the end of next season.

UnknownFuture Team-mates?

Much has been made of Arsenal’s injury list especially when compared with Everton’s who have only one player with a soft tissue injury. Some have pointed at the manager’s training regimes to account for this. Reasonable??

Martinez is much lauded and rightly so. If Mr Wenger signs his new contract , probably a two year term, will Martinez still be at Everton and available to come to THOF? He appears to be a natural fit for us – intelligent, multi-lingual, attack-minded but with a knowledge that a strong defence is essential and an organiser. The coming man.

Arsenal: We come to the end of Death Cluster 2 and will have some vital players back for the run-in. It is my opinion that Theo and Aaron would have added another 6-8 points to our tally and as such their injuries have cost us the title – not the first time this has happened. (I know I am biased!)

Sadly, none are available today and our poor exhausted troops must soldier on, though a weeks break must help. My main concern is the link up play between our Midfield and Giroud, too often he is isolated, especially against a team which closes us down in our own half – a team like Everton.

This is another twist or stick game, by that I mean do we keep the same side which drew so admirably against City or give the fit again Rosicky a start?

My team:

dc2

Podolski had a fine game last saturday but Rosicky brings more pace to the side- perhaps not through his running but with his speed of pass, and he always brings the ball forward. I do not understand why Gnabry has seen so little pitch time, he has a wonderful future and needs to be blooded in big games – hopefully he will get a subs appearance this afternoon.

As I wrote earlier, I do not believe this is a winner takes it all game (Mrs Raddy has been listening to Abba)  but a win would be just brilliant, in fact like last week I would be happy with a draw.

The two games against the Toffees this season have been great entertainment with the two teams bringing the best out of each other. Let us hope for the same today.

Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Play Safe or Attack?

March 29, 2014

There are 3 ugly blots on this season’s landscape (4 if you count a ref-assisted loss at The Orcs). Things didn’t go according to plan, some may say there wasn’t a plan. In each game our full backs went on the attack from the kick-off – over-confidence, planning or plain stupidity?

Let’s start by looking at the players. Sagna is perhaps the most experienced right back in the PL, despite two broken legs he has played approaching 300 games for Arsenal. Gibbs has been at Arsenal since he was 14  (he is 24) and despite losing almost a season to injury has already played almost 150 first team games. It is inconceivable that their attacking actions were not tactical, as such it must be under Mr Wenger’s instruction.

Why would he go to Liverpool, City and Chelsea intending to attack from the first whistle? It is all supposition but this smacks of Didit’s famous reverse psychology – let’s attack from kick-off, score early and then settle into the game.  Or could it be that he feared the wing play of the opposition and wanted them to concentrate on their own defensive duties? I have no idea but I sincerely hope he continues his policy today.

Some believe we should get to 15 minutes at 0-0 and then become more expansive. I don’t agree but then I am a shit or bust type of man. Better to fight fire with fire and go down in flames or in the words of the great Neil Young, “it’s better to burn out than it is to rust.”

Over the season almost every blogger on AA has called for the team to come out the starting blocks fast and we are delighted (and surprised) when we score early. Should we tailor our tactics to the opposition and defend from the off against high quality teams?

What do you think?

I like Man City, they have been my second team since the days of Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee but seeing Arteta score at the Emirates in 2012 was a highlight of that season. Wouldn’t it be great to see him do the same today?

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Thinking of which – do we play the Flamini/Arteta or will our new Swede get a start? My hope is that if he does, we will continue to play The Ox and not play 3 over 30 midfielders.

Oh, here’s an unexpected stat – our below par centre forward has scored 5 times in his last 3 home games. Two more today please OG.

My team:

arse v city

There is little chance Mr Wenger will opt for my attacking line-up, he is more likely to drop Podolski and play Flamini – as would most of you 😀

Manchester: The name derives from a combination of Roman “mammanian” meaning  fort or breast shaped hill (mamma = breast) (easy, Cockle) added to Ceaster from the Old English for town. There was an early Celtic settlement on the hill where Manchester cathedral now stands which was taken by the Roman’s in the 1st C. It has been settled ever since

Unknown-1

It would take a minor miracle for us to win the title but we can certainly affect the result, a win for Arsenal today would bring joy to Scousers and a supercilious smile to the face of Mourinho which is such an appalling idea it makes me almost wish for an Arsenal loss, but that would force me to change the habits of a lifetime ……

I would be happy with a draw.

Big Raddy

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

Is it legal to kill a Swan?

March 25, 2014

Given our home form we should and probably will beat Swansea. Does this make us “flat-track bullies” (where the hell did that ridiculous expression come from)? Who cares? Whether we lose to Stoke or Chelsea it is still 3 points lost, same goes for when we win.

We beat Swansea away thanks to goals from Ramsey and Gnabry. Would that Aaron was fit tonight, but Serge is and I would love to see him start the game.

Unknown

Pace & Power

Swansea:  Small but fine club who are holding their own in the PL by playing attractive passing football. The Laudrup dismissal was odd but I have a sneaky feeling that Mr Laudrup is a difficult man to work with, like many Danes (by that I mean all) he is wilful and values his own opinion above that of anyone else; his sacking was inevitable as it would be if he ever got the job at AFC.

Gary Monk seems to be doing a good job continuing  to play the Laudrup way but they have won just once under his management. Michu is fit, Bony is a handful. Swansea press hard all over the pitch and when in possession are comfortable on the ball.  The Swans were unlucky not to win at Everton and with a record of not having won away for 9 games will look to improve tonight, given that they beat us at THOF last season we must be alert BUT they are 15th in the PL and 33 points below us – we should win.

Arsenal: No need to re-hash the last few days, the only recompense the players can give to the fans has to be on the pitch. There is a rumour that Szczesny could be dropped; now I know Fabianski has done extremely well in his few games but blaming TPIG for the awful defending in from of him seems harsh. OG needs a rest – he has been carrying the attack and yet has hardly created a chance for himself. give him 30 minutes at the end,

My team:

a v sw

Would you trust a front line of Gnabry and Sanogo? Seems foolhardy but why not? Then it comes down to whether we use Podolski or Cazorla and I love Cazorla! The bench still shows the effect of our horrible injury list. It is here that the injuries have hurt us so badly, we do not have to opportunity to rotate the injury free players with players of similar quality.

Swansea: The town’s origins date back to the Vikings when it was known as Swein’s Ø (meaning Swein’s Island), this probably refers to the Viking King Swein Forkbeard who was the father of King Canute, of whom I could write a lot more but you would get bored!  It became a borough in 1158. For 200 years (1700-1900) the town was the centre of the copper industry.

Mr Wenger must approach this game with trepidation – a defeat and the fine atmosphere which has built throughout the season at The Emirates will return to the bile and spite of 2012. Draw at half-time and the boys will be booed off the pitch so it is imperative for the players to be alert from the kick-off and show that they hurt as much as the fans. And if you are going – for goodness sake get behind your club and make some noise.

We have to win and win well.

COYRRG

Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

A Good Man in Charge

March 22, 2014

Mr Wenger’s 1000th game in charge – may there be many more.

How do Chelsea and their manager celebrate this astonishing feat? By a typically snide remark which tells the whole story of our two clubs and why Chelsea, however many trophies they buy, will always be the 2nd club in London.

Rarely do two managers so precisely mirror the ethics of their clubs. Mr Wenger is a Gentleman – honest, intelligent, well-mannered,  believes in tradition and winning the right way. Me-rinho is a Snake Oil salesman – a man without honour – concrete evidence being the “eye-gouge”. His attitude is to win at all costs as long as He is the centre of attraction. If his team bore, foul or cheat so what – winning is all and it is the High Priest of the Me Generation who will take the plaudits..

And that is why if Arsenal win, lose or draw today Arsene Wenger walks away from Stamford Bridge a winner.

Given the choice of taking 3 points from an away tie against Chelsea or Spurs which would you choose? Yes, I know the answer is both but as pleasant as mashing the Spuds is, it has become an every season event whereas beating Chelsea is proving to be a stumbling block. So, BR’s choice is to win at Stamford Bridge.

Trouble is we haven’t won there since The Ox was in primary school. Can we break the hoodoo? Can Mr Wenger finally get a victory over Me-rinho? Will Arsenal break The Smug One’s incredible home record? Let’s be honest – it would be a shock.

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I don’t like Chelsea, I don’t like the way they have changed football hugely for the worse. I don’t like that they win thanks to financial doping (© AW). I don’t like John Terry. Nor do I like the diving antics of Oscar, Hazard, Torres, et al.

I may not like them but I do have respect for them. Me-rinho is unquestionably a superb manager and he has created an efficient winning side. He knows how to get the best out of his players even the decrepit Terry.

The loss at Aston Villa has opened up the title race with 4 teams having a realistic chance of being crowned Champions. Win today and Arsenal are sitting pretty, especially if we can get something from the Man City home game. Trouble is our record at the Bridge in recent years is poor, make that very poor.

I won’t bore you with tactics that I know nothing about nor stats that will depress you. So …. onto our team selection:

Back 5 pick themselves. And so do the rest of the team – especially if Rosicky is out.

chavs v arse

The bench looks light and we really would be in trouble were we to lose another midfielder or, heaven forbid, OG. Nonetheless we can count on Vermaelen, Monreal, Fabianski, Gnabry etc

Chelsea: The name originates (apparently) form the ancient English for “place on the river to land limestone or chalk”. Seems a bit dubious to me.  A church synod (meeting of church leaders) was held at Chelsea in 787 AD. The Manor of Chelsea appears in the Domesday book.

King Henry VIII bought Chelsea Manor and both Catherine Parr and Anne of Cleeves lived there – Anne was divorced after just 6 months of marriage and Catherine outlived him. Kings Road (Kelsey’s old haunt) was built in the 1690’s for King Charles II  and was his private road from St. James to his palace at Fulham. Charles also ordered the building of the Chelsea Royal Hospital at the suggestion of his mistresss, Nell Gwynn.

Enough of that and back to the game ….

We have been stuttering of late, good at home and not so good away. We defended magnificently at Spurs but Lady Luck was with us, so too at Bayern. If we play with so little possession and so close to our own goal we will lose this afternoon.

A last word about Mr Wenger: Whatever his skills as a football manager his greatest talent is that he is a thoroughly decent man.

COYRRG

Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

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