Going Underground? Match preview

October 23, 2011

The arrival of the beetle-headed dung-munching orcs from Stoke will be the first real test of our newly found confidence. Can Arsenal overcome these mutants and gain 3 points without a slew of injuries? Furthermore, can Arsenal get through 90+ minutes of  battle with 11 players on the field – another red card for the good guys would not be a huge surprise.

Shawcross, Delap and Hoof go forward for a corner

Stoke are a different team this season having spent heavily in summer on another bunch of giants. With an average height of 1.83 they are the tallest team in the PL, and it is working for them, they lie in 7th, 2 points ahead of us. Stoke have also cleaned up their act (or more probably have become cleverer at rotational fouling) – they have yet to receive a red card and have only 16 yellows in 8 PL games; we have received 3 reds and 19 yellows.

Tactics are normal Pulis – long ball,  focus on set plays, Delap’s throw-ins and a solid defence allied to the pace and power of Kenwyn Jones who really should be in better company. The signing of Crouch says it all, with his thrust Stoke have managed to score just 6 goals in 8 games. Walters is a Pulis favourite and we can expect him to cause his usual problems. Pennant has been injured but could be back to test our full backs.

A depressing stat is that since we last beat Stoke 1-0 at the Emirates we have not won 2 PL games in succession (according to OPTA), a better one is that Stoke have not beaten us at home since 1981.

Which brings us to Arsenal’s team. Let us start with a positive, Thomas Vermaelen is back and available for selection; I do not expect him to start but perhaps he will get some minutes later in the game. Problems abound at right back with both our squad RB’s injured, as such we will see Djourou continue, I wish him well. At left back Gibbs is out for a minimum 2 weeks with a stomach strain, so Santos gets the shirt. Santos has been both superb and a liability in his short AFC career, he has pace, good control, can cross and has already scored, but he was lucky to stay on the pitch in Marseilles, has been prone to pass to the opposition and his positioning has been suspect, that said, he is learning the Arsenal way and IMO will prove to be a fine signing.

We looked better at Marseilles when Ramsey came on and despite Rosicky’s good form I would start the Welshman in a game which will have strong resonance for him. To make Shawcross look even more stupid will complete Aaron’s recovery. He will score if selected.

My team:

Despite Mr Wenger’s statements, Arshavin’s recent performances have been, what’s the word?  OK …. crap. A 10 minute cameo aside, AA has  been our most frustrating player. I would not even put him on the bench and allow him some time to recover his vim and vigour, because I can only assume his focus has been upon getting Russia into the Euro’s.

RvP or Chamakh? Sure Robin needs a rest, but now is not the time. We need pace to break down Stoke because we will not out-muscle them, however, Stoke have a poor record when returning from Europa Cup duty so we can hope they will tire.

An inventor from Stoke? Not many but stand up Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge. Involved in the development of wireless telegraphy, he also invented electric spark ignition for combustion engines.  Had a fine beard as well ….

This is a winnable game against a team who in recent years have become possibly more disliked than any team outside of Manchester and N.17. Despite being unconvincing we have been getting back on track, let us continue today.

Don’t forget the Victoria line is not working today. Stay and watch the Under-18’s strut their stuff ….

COYRRG

Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Pick up the Pieces

October 16, 2011

At last the chance to write about something other than rumour, tittle tattle and economics. And what a game we have today, none of that nerve wrenching, gut mangling, behind the sofa stuff of our last match against the lowlife bottom feeders – today we welcome those fine upstanding men from the frozen wasteland of Sunderland, who will be looking to gift us 3 points in their push for relegation. A day for Arsenal to get back on track and pick up the pieces.

Sunderland are owned by an American, Ellis Short, who has recently become chairman succeeding the excellent Niall Quinn. Will this isolate Steve Bruce and lead to his replacement, or will it have no effect upon the on-pitch affairs? More to the point, do we really give a damn?

There are lots of interesting stats about today’s game, my favourite being that Sunderland have not won at Arsenal since 1983. There have been 3 90th minute goals in our last 6 meetings, and whoever scores first wins – usually us.

No Bendtner today which is a shame. I watched him in Denmark’s excellent victory over the slimy Portugese (any team with Ronaldo , Mereilles and Nani is slimy and deserving of a good beating!). Nik played centrally and was, I can find no other word, poor. He finished off a fine move for his goal but even Clichy could have scored it. Nik’s absence could give Connor Wickham his first PL start, an interesting player as he showed against us last season at Ipswich.

We are just one point and one place ahead of Sunderland …  bizarre. You all know the problems, we have discussed them endlessly, unfortunately no-one has come up with reasonable solutions other than buying better players. Mr. Wenger believes he has the squad to challenge and one can certainly find reasons (not excuses) for our poor start. Injuries to key players and a rash of red cards have hindered our progress.

It will be interesting to see how Mr. Wenger solves the right back problem. Can he rely upon a very inexperienced 19 year old Carl Jenkinson to be an adequate understudy to Sagna? Or does he play Koscielny or Djourou at RB?  Another possibility is Coquelin. If there are to be brickbats (whatever they are) to be thrown at AW, it is selling Eboue without buying an experienced stand-in RB.

Upfront, RvP is in the form of his life, can he continue and get a brace today? Why not?

With Rosicky regaining fitness , will AW continue with Ramsey? Despite his critics I believe Ramsey is a fine player and should get the shirt with TR substituting late in the game

Is there any possibility of Arshavin getting the central attacking midfield role? Not in my opinion, in fact I doubt whether AA will even start.

My team:

 

 

I am hoping we will really attack Sunderland who are likely to play long ball and  look for set piece opportunities, hence the choice of Santos over Gibbs.

The Americans will not appreciate my choice of inventor born in Sunderland. Contrary to popular belief the electric light bulb was invented by Sir Joseph Swan and not by Thomas Edison.  The electric lightbulb was first patented by Swan in 1878 and his house was the first in the world to be lit by light bulbs.  He received a knighthood and the French Legion d’Honneur in honour of his invention. Top bloke, top beard.

BigRaddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

The Road to Hell.

October 2, 2011

In my youth Highbury was a less than salubrious place (sorry to those who grew up there!). Coming from a leafier part of North London the journey on the 210 bus seemed like entering a foreign land. How things have changed. Today the squares of Highbury and Islington are seriously des. res.. Sadly but unsurprisingly  the reverse has happened to Tottenham which has been directly reflected in the success of our football teams.

Despite last season’s loss at home, the first since the Blitz, we have a fantastic record against the blue-bellies. Recent history has seen Arsenal gift big leads and collapse under pressure – the 4-4 still hurts. We have already seen some the same from our team this season and as such the fans are fearful.

Can we beat the beetle-headed miscreants that slither out of the tunnel at  N17?

For the first time in many  seasons we go into the game as underdogs. Hard to believe but true. Redknapp has assembled a fine squad of players (OK Kelsey) who are in very good form.  There is hardly an area of the pitch that Spurs are weak – perhaps they lack a decent left back plus their GK is old enough to be Szczesny’s father. The loan signing of the comedy villain was a superb piece of business by Harry which, at least temporarily, will solve his goal scoring problems. If one were to take a straw poll of Arsenal supporters prior to the game asking the question “Do you expect Adebayor to score?”, there would be a 90% Yes vote which indicates the fear factor.

Thankfully we have a few players returning from injury – Gervinho, Benayoun and Walcott, but crucially not Koscielny. The BFG + Song CB combo worked well but we needed Song in midfield, sadly that seems unlikely as Miguel  and Squillaci are injured. We are now likely to see a midfield of Ramsey Frimpong, Arteta and Benayoun. Spurs midfield is strong and enhanced by the signing of Parker – were his wages the stumbling block to our signing him?

Santos or Gibbs? Gibbs was rested on Weds which indicates that will start. Not my choice but I have no access to the training ground. I like the promise of Santos – he looks hard.

Arshavin or Benayoun or Gervinho? Arshavin played midweek but following his less than explosive display he must be raring to go today. Does Mr. Wenger gamble with the more attacking Gervinho? Your guess is as good as mine. Does he play a traditional 4-3-3 or  a more secure defensive 4-4-2?

The defence. We all know the problems. The introduction of zonal marking, the loss of TV, the lack of communication, the loss of form and confidence. I believe we are learning and are on the way to having a better defence based around a superb keeper. There is no question today will be a hard test; in Bale, VDV, Ade, Defoe/Lennon and Modric Spurs have formidable weapons, but our boys have to show they can defend against the best otherwise we must accept we need further strengthening.

My team:

Yes I know – it is not really a 4-3-3 but I believe we should pack our midfield  reducing the potency of their pace and rely upon Theo to take advantage of the space created further forward. Plus it would be good to start Benayoun at what should be his home ground 😉   We can bring on Gervinho in the unlikely event of our being behind in the final 20 minutes.

There are not too many inventors who have crawled out of the cesspit, but Rowland HIll who established the Penny Post and introduced the postage stamp was born in Tottenham and went to Bruce Castle School, unsurprisingly he died in his home in Hampstead.

In answer to my earlier question of  “Can we beat the milk-livered fops?”, well of course we can. RvP is on fire, Theo has found some strength, we are due a goal from Ramsey, Song has rediscovered his shooting boots and we can score from set pieces. Plus we have the confidence garnered from a 3 game winning run.

I cycled home last night thinking about how many people could get behind London’s sofa  – it will be that kind of game.

COYRRG

BigRaddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

A Taste of Honey.

September 28, 2011

A hot sunny Athens morning, greek yoghurt, fresh fruit, and some Greek honey. Lovely.

Olympiacos (we use a K, they use the C) come to town as Greek Champions , further than that I have little to tell you about them. They have over 80,000 members, the 9th highest in European football. They have a superb stadium, noisy, fanatical fans and a good home record. It is said they do not travel well, oh, and their Swedish player Olaf Mellberg scored the first PL goal at the Emirates (for AV)

The first round win by Marseilles  in Athens was a poor result for 4 reasons:

1. Marseilles are French.

2. Olympiacos are a tough proposition in Athens and thus Marseilles are well placed in the group,

3. Marseilles are French

4. Marseilles are French

With little insight into the Greek team I will concentrate upon the Mighty Arsenal. Needless to say we go into the game reduced by injuries. To add to the long term absentees we now have Gervinho, Walcott, Bennie, Miquel, Djourou and more importantly Koscielny injured.

Wenger appears to be forced into playing Song alongside the BFG (Mertesacker) but by doing so we lose our best midfielder.

I would like to see Santos get another game tonight, he must be raring to get his AFC career started and despite having played well recently Gibbs, as we all know, is made of glass.

Up front we have options for the first time in ages. Should we play 4-3-3 expect to see the Ox to get his first start and how exciting will that be? Arshavin or Ryo on the left? AA for me, we need to be on the front foot for this game.

My Team:

I have concerns about the number of games being played by Ramsey especially in light of the upcoming trip to WHL. Perhaps AW will give him a rest and play  Coquelin and Frimpong  in midfield, as it is I expect Frimpong to start.  This is a game made for our friend Abou Diaby, he is sorely missed (IMO).

The same could be said of Van Persie but he has become so important to the team that he must start, hopefully we will be a coasting on the hour and Chamakh can continue to get some pitch time.

Athens has been continuously inhabited for more than 7000 years (London has a measly 2000 year history). Athenians and ancient Greeks have gifted the world many wonders, among them – democracy, astrology, biology, mathematics, physics and the theatre, but for all their marvels they didn’t invent football, did they?

This is a tie we are expected to win and is probably our easiest fixture in the CL, anything less than 3 points will be costly,

Champions League campaigns may come and go but Arsenal are Forever and Ever 🙂

COYRRG

Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Time for a change of fortune. Bolton preview

September 24, 2011

It is highly likely that the media focus on this game will centre upon Gary Cahill. No doubt he is a good player (though he was crap against MU) but the interest has little to do with his playing ability and more to do with the conflict between the clubs off pitch. Should we be surprised that Gartside decided to go public with the transfer negotiation and made a prat of himself? No, because this is a man who brought Fat Sam to Bolton. Perhaps Gartside thought he could entice a higher Spurs bid by highlighting how cheap their North London neighbours are. Unfortunately for Gartside his shenanigans are likely to cost Bolton a few million when Cahill moves for less money in January or for nothing in summer, ….. Good.

On pitch Bolton are a different team to the one we detested under the Walrus. With Owen Coyle at the head they have found a way to play attractive football. Bolton still have two of the dirtiest players in the PL, players who are very different from each other apart from their disciplinary record. Kevin Davies is the pantomine villain, a proper English Centre Forward and the last of his breed – I really like the man, however Bolton also include the repulsive Paul Robinson, all I need to tell you is that he was signed by Gary Megson!  At 32 y.o and definitely slowing his only hope against Theo is to do what he does best – kick two colours out of him.

The news of Wilshere’s surgery is a hard blow but the return of Ramsey and Rosicky is good news as is the knowledge that Sagna has recovered from his knock, he is such an important player in this team.

My team:

 

 

As a sentimentalist I would like to see Oxlade Chamberlain get at least 15 minutes as a reward for his fine performance midweek. We well know that our defence has been porous, in fact by far the worst in the PL which could (in part) be due to our move to zonal marking at set pieces. Thankfully, Bolton have problems upfront, I hope to see us keep a clean sheet.

Two interesting inventors were born in Bolton. John Harwood who invented the self-winding wristwatch, one of which I wear today, and  Robert Whitehead. Whitehead has a special place in history, he invented the self-propelling torpedo but more significantly he was grandfather to the Von Trapps, without whom the hills would not be alive.

Much is being made of the “crisis” at Arsenal; apart from the destruction of the reserves at OT we have suffered from indiscipline and bad luck. Today I will be going down to the crossroads to see if I can make a deal which will change our fortunes. Wish me a successful negotiation.

Relegation 6 pointer – don’t be silly

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

Shrewsbury, Carling Cup and Evolutionary Synthesis at the Grove

September 20, 2011

What could be better than a chance to see our new players added to a sprinkling of youth play a decent footballing side from a lower division in a Cup game? Ok, you are right, lots of things ….. but such a spectacle is interesting, isn’t it? I know that if I had the opportunity I would be meeting up with the splendid AA possee prior to cheering my team to victory. And yet, I expect a low attendance, possibly the lowest ever at the Grove; after all, the vibe around the club is very negative, the season ticket holders have to buy their tickets, and some fans think paying to see the B team is unacceptable (however cheap the seats).

I expect a very entertaining game. There is the opportunity to see the first appearance at the Grove of Park Young and the Ox and  Ryo, the chance to see some goals, and  hopefully the wonder of our other Pole in Goal.

You will not be surprised to read that I know next to nothing about Shrewsbury. They play in Div 2, they have won 6 out of their last 8 games, they will be without their CB pairing and possibly their captain, Ian Sharps, and “Marvellous” Marvin Morgan is the main striker. They are managed by Graham Turner and their home ground used to be Gay Meadows (titter you not) but is now Greenhous Meadow.

Our team:

Fabianski

Jenkinson   Mertesacker  Koscielny   Santos

Frimpong  Coquelin   Benayoun

Ox  Chamakh  Park

I would not be surprised to see Park play out left and Chamakh start upfront, he needs games and this could be ideal for him, in which case, Ryo will come on at 60 mins. I would like to see the CB’s who played at Ewood get another game – they really need as much playing time as possible what with the loss of TV for a couple of months.

Shrewsbury is the birthplace of Charles Darwin (1809-1882),  author of  Origin of the Species in which he espoused the then revolutionary theory of  natural selection, an ideology he later applied to human evolution. Such theory is fitting to the development of this Arsenal team (I think)

For many seasons the CC was a fun diversion from the serious business of the PL and CL and I look forward to a return to this attitude tonight.  Like many I maintain the debacle of losing to relegation fodder at Wembley had a hugely damaging effect upon the remainder of our campaigns, I know others disagree but in my opinion the CC is best left to our reserves –  thankfully our reserves are very good.

COYRRG

Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Hopefully the final trip to Blackburn – preview.

September 17, 2011

Let me start by stating the views held below are entirely my own and in no way represent the views of the site.

Anyone who has read my pre-matches over the seasons will know that I am not a huge fan of Blackburn, I will go further and say that for many seasons they have represented all that is reprehensible in football – from top to bottom.

Let’s look at their recent record:

Managers: Graham Souness, Paul Ince, Fat Sam, Mark Hughes, Steve Kean.  Only Dalglish brought some respectability to this awful club and he was sacked (by mutual consent).  The last 3 seasons have seen them reach their nadir – from the non-football of the Walrus through to Kean’s  commitment to the “big man.”

Ownership.: Jack Walker (the first man to buy the PL), the Chicken chaps – the chicanery of the promotion of Kean by the Venky’s, whom it is said had no conception there was relegation in football and the PL was based upon the franchise system as in the NFL!

Players: El Hadj Diouf, Robbie Savage, David Bentley, Craig Bellamy (both players of the season!) –  they are united in their awulness.

If you enjoy utilitarian football allied to workmanlike players who are encouraged to “get in their faces,” then Blackburn is the club for you. The management are at best pragmatic.  There is a reason Blackburn are most peoples favourites for relegation.

Detail of Steve Kean’s tactics

What should we expect from a team based around the physical presence of Yakubu, Samba, Jason Roberts? Tactically, I guess they will be very energetic, pack the midfield, look to stifle our creative players, defend in depth to stop the pace merchants,  hit a number of long balls to the isolated front man and look to score from set pieces. They do have quality, Givet and Samba are two fine players, Dunn has been,  and in Hoilett they have the makings of a top player.

To turn to the men in the white hats, we celebrate the return of the violent miscreants: Song, Gervinho and Jenkison, two of whom I expect to play today. Song was outstanding in Germany and I look forward to a more mature performance from him than the idiocy with Barton.

My team:

Gibbs has played twice in a week and being fragile could use the rest, furthermore I would like to see Santos play – he is supposedly a fine attacking LB and despite Holliet being a right winger, should have plenty of opportunities to get forward. Should Benayoun start ahead of Arshavin? In a game which is likely to get physical – yes.

Today’s referee is Andy Marriner (I think). Let us hope he gets early control and that our team can keep 11 players on the pitch.

Blackburn as everyone knows has 400o holes in it  (Lennon was referring to the appalling state of the local roads). What is less known is that Mitchell and Kenyon who were pioneers in the development of cinematography  lived in Blackburn until 1901.

A tough away  game with Blackburn looking to dig themselves out of a hole (sic) having won just one point so far this season but one that Arsenal have reason to be positive about.

N.B. Don’t forget the 12.45 kick-off!

COYRRG

Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Sit down and shut up ……

September 16, 2011

The game is underway, the action has reached a point of let’s be honest, boredom. The Emirates crowd is hushed awaiting some excitement, it doesn’t come, a player makes a mistake, groans cascade down towards the pitch, a young man stands up and with arms aloft sings “Arsenal, Arsenal Arsenal” at the top of his voice. What is the usual response? Shut up and sit down”. and then a steward will arrive and threaten him with expulsion.

You may say this is a worst case scenario but we have all seen it –  show some passion and unless it is a big, big game (Barca), few will join in. Why have the grounds (not just the Grove) become so sterile?

Primarily, I blame the seats. Anyone who saw the tragic results of overcrowding, poor policing and violence which led to the need for the Taylor report understands the need for better stewarding and control., but in my opinion the decision to turn grounds all-seater has been a two edged sword; Yes, the days of violence and fear on the terraces have disappeared; Yes, the chance of someone urinating on your leg have been reduced and Yes, it is easier to get back to your mates after a half-time pie, but at what cost? Seating dampens  physical, emotional expression.

Football has always been a sport for all ages and in the past as one got older one moved to the East or West Stands, there was seating aplenty but the passionate singing remained on the terraces.

An example from elsewhere. Go to a rock concert, feel the difference in emotion between sitting and standing – and it is not just about dancing.  For the performer it is the same, try sitting and singing on stage – almost impossible. Standing makes the expression of an emotion simpler.

Whilst accepting that something had to be done to prevent the violence on the terraces, the solutions found in the ’80’s should not be rigidly enforced today. Apart from the usual miscreants (Leeds, Cardiff, Millwall etc) football fans do not fight each other. Those that do, do so away from the ground which has nothing to do with football.

If clubs want atmosphere at the grounds then there has to be a standing section behind the goals. With the advent of CCTV and better stewarding, the grounds will remain safe.

A direct result of seating was an increase in the cost of attending a match, which has led to change in the social demographics . No longer can a family man on a less than average income take his children to all the matches. The game has become a wealthier man’s sport. And along with that comes different behavioural patterns, amongst which are  a heightened sense of individualism and a reluctance to enter into “mob” behaviour i.e. rather than joining in the lad standing singing, he is told to “sit down and shut up”.

A few other causes …

1. The Bloody DJ. Where did the idea come from that we need a DJ’s inanities to create an atmosphere? Do I need to hear Status bloody Quo singing Rocking all over the World after a victory to be able to celebrate?

2. Mobile phones. All grounds should be phone free. I am sick of hearing the man sitting next to me discussing work issues/women problems/ what is for dinner during a game. I am also sick of people on the bloody phone looking askant when someone tries to start a chant, as if to say “Can’t you see I am making an important phone call?”

3. The inabilty of friends to sit/stand together.

4. The loss of connection between the players and the fans. Can you remember those halcyon Highbury days when during warm up we sang all the players names and they all responded? What happened?  Today there is absolutely no contact apart from when a sub warms up and he may clap his hands above his head. All clubs should enforce their players to go to all sides of the ground and wave to the fans prior to or/& post the game, especially at away fixtures.

5. Allow alcohol onto the terraces (contentious I know). It is possible at all other sporting events, why not football?. Are football fans to be treated like children because of a few lads who cannot handle their booze?

6. Find a better transport solution. Perhaps then fans would stay to the end of the 90 minutes  – it shames me to see a half empty stadium at the final whistle.

Rant over.

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

You’ll Never Walk Alone

September 13, 2011

You’ll never Walk Alone has always been my favourite football anthem, it reminds me of the wonderful Liverpool teams of the 60’s/70’s and Bill Shankly and the Kop and black and white TV and my first visit to Anfield. It is THE football anthem. Why am I writing about YNWA?  Well, because it is Borussia Dortmund’s anthem, and I have a feeling that with 80,000 Germans singing and cheering on their young and extremely talented side our boys in Red are going to be feeling very alone. Alone but hopefully not afraid.

Like most fans I was hoping that we would not draw BD in the final group of the CL draw, and  am sure I was not alone in using a 4 letter word when we drew them. Borussia are  a top, top team and despite losing Sahin to Real Madrid (he was voted Bundesliga player of the Year) they have (unlike us) retained their squad, even rebuffing a reported €40m bid from Arsenal the 19.y.o Mario Gotze.

Gotze is just one of the exciting talents in this Dortmund team, but let us focus upon him for a moment. Just 19, already touted as the future of German football and hailed by German Football Association’s technical director Matthias Sammer who called him “one of the best talents that we’ve ever had” –  high praise indeed. Remind you of anyone in our squad?  How we miss our Little Jack.

Barrios, a Paraguayan, plays upfront for BD and last season was top scorer in the Bundesliga in 2010 and scored heavily last season. Kagawa an attacking MF is one of Japans most talked about young talents, at 22 he already has 25 International caps. Subotic is a monster Serbian CB whom Chelsea  (and supposedly AFC) tried to sign in summer,  just 22 and a class player. I could continue but you will just get as depressed and anxious as I am.

BD’s stadium holds 81,000 fans and is the largest in Germany, they have an average attendance of  over 77k a game, the highest in Europe. Interestingly, BD are quoted on the German Stock Exchange – the only publicly owned club in the Bundesliga

Arsenal go into this difficult game missing Wilshere, Ramsey, Rosicky and Diaby in midfield. We have an untried defensive unit and are missing our best defender (apart from Chesney). And yet, we have cause for optimism: We have a terrific frontline, we have a midfield with PL experience  (if not CL), a defence that has a good mix of pace and height, and we are at our best playing away in Europe (OK – that might be an exaggeration)

My team:

World’s No.1.

Sagna Mertesacker  Koscielny  Gibbs

Song  Arteta  Frimpong

Walcott  Van Persie  Gervinho

Tough call on whom to play alongside Song and Arteta in midfield, but Frimpong adds some defensive steel and energy which will hopefully allow Song to get forward and be creative.  The front three have pace aplenty which will be important in what is sure to be an open, attacking game.

Most pundits have written off our chances of getting even a point from tonight. They cite our current lack of form and Dortmund’s undoubted home strengths (their loss this weekend was the first in over a year), but these pundits are always writing us off. We have reason to be confident, Dortmund have only 7 points from 15 this season, they are stuttering upfront and have an ageing defence. Their team has little Champions League experience and winning the Bundesliga is nowhere near the achievement it once was, I firmly believe Arsenal would win it with our current squad.

A win is a tough ask, but why not?

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Mr. Wenger says the season starts here…..

September 10, 2011

The season starts here. The Boss said so?  No, the season started at Newcastle and we have one point out of nine, that’s right, one out of nine. Our worst start since Alex James took a drag from his Woodbine prior to walking onto the Highbury turf (perhaps).

Thankfully much has changed since OT and quite frankly it needed to. Lack of composure, lack of fit players, lack of tactics, lack of intelligence, lack of discipline and lack of creativity all added up to a team in excrement alley wearing open toed sandals. Arsenal’s response has been unprecedented in Wenger’s reign –  just look at the players in box on the right.

The International break reminded us of how good our players really are. Loads of goals, a number of MoM’s, and to a man they performed well. Even Theo!

Hopefully the dent to the confidence arising from the debacle at OT, has all but disappeared, which bodes ill for Swansea. This is Swansea’s first trip to The Emirates, and their first game against AFC since 1983. They play possession football and keep the ball on the ground – they should be the perfect opponents for the new style Gunners. Furthermore, Swansea have yet to score a Premiership goal.

My guess at the team:

This seems to be a conservative selection, however, when the suspensions are over and the new players have received their visas we will see some exciting teams. Our midfield and attack have so many options and I hope to see a return to the superfast football one associated with the Invincibles. The midfield pairing of Frimpong and Ramsey is likely to be the fulcrum of the team in the years to come (should Frimpong continue his development) however, they will be dependent upon Arteta to be not only creative but also authoratative. I am very excited to see our new Spaniard, and believe much of the season’s success will rest upon his slight shoulders. The arrival of our giant German is also very exciting, he is just what we have been asking for since Kolo left and I cannot understand the criticism from some sectors of the fans – if his name was shorter I would have it on the back of my new shirt (you know, the one which has been a Jonah so far this season and which will be binned if we lose today).

I would love to see The Ox come on for Theo at 60 mins and Park get 10 minutes towards the end. More likely will be Benayoun for Arshavin as the Russian tires (is it true he is the most substituted player in the PL?)  I expect the adrenalin of the Welshmen’s first visit to the THOF will wear off at 75 minutes and we will dominate the last quarter, particularly if the speedster  Chamberlain comes off the bench.

At present we hold the PL record for players sent off in consecutive games, can we add to our record and make it 4? Don’t bet against it, the referee is Andre Marriner, whose last visit to THOF was in the infamous 101 minute long game v Liverpool.

Ed “Taffy” Bowen who invented the hugely influential Radar, was born in Swansea. So was Dylan Thomas, who as everyone knows was a lifelong Gooner and had a season ticket in the East Lower.

This is not a game for fancy football, it is a game where the 3 points are essential for the well-being of us supporters, anything less and we face another week of ridicule and shame.

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

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