And February made me Shiver: Match preview

February 4, 2012

It is said that revenge is a dish best served cold.  If temperature is a guide to the revenge due then Blackburn are going to get roasted.

Our game at Ewood was a seriously depressing affair and one of the low points of this (and any) season. To concede 4 goals from 3 Blackburn shots and to lose from being 2 up after 20 mins was desperate for fans just recovering from the MU mauling. They were the worst of times.

Today we hope to continue our long unbeaten run since the last defeat (thanks RL), and I see no reason whatsoever to think A Change is Going to Come. Can we do it ? Yes We Can. In fact, I Had a Dream we would win in style (stop these American pre-Superbowl quotes immediately BR before you lose your audience)

With better luck we would have left the Reebock with 3 points , being only the woodwork away from a comfortable win; We were able to get good Yardage but the Completion Rate wan’t good enough. Walcott, who came in for much criticism, piled up lots of Rushing Yards but was unable to Convert his Air Yards. The use of Ramsey as the Ball Carrier was not working as Bolton’s Defensive Ends kept Blocking him.resulting in too many Incomplete Passes and Interceptions This could be put down to our Offensive line having problems escaping their markers. Despite the negativity, it was highly encouraging to see our Defensive Line cope so well now our Full Back has Returned, and is able to help in Defensive Co-ordination. (Enough BR!!)

What do Blackburn bring?  Well, a poor defence whose last away clean sheet was last season at the Emirates. The Yak is suspended, Samba is out of favour and will not be picked. Steve Kean has been given the vote of Confidence by the Venky’s. Rovers were extraordinarily unlucky to lose to Newcastle mid-week having 30 shots on goal with no result. Blackburn are 18th in the PL, closer in points to us than we are to MU.

Mr. Wenger has stated he will rotate today, by that I believe he will rest O-C and perhaps Ramsey. Though Van Persie needs some R & R he is unlikely to get it as Park is clearly not to be trusted ; if we are frustrated, imagine how Park must feel – excited beyond belief at his signing and then left bereft on the bench, which must be hugely dispiriting given his hero status in Korea.

My Team:

Rosicky remains one of my favorite Arsenal player, it is tragic his injuries have resulted in our not seeing his best form, but every time he plays he gives his all and deserves more pitch time. Whether AW would drop Ramsey who appears to be an automatic starter is a moot point, but if it were my call, the Welshman would get a rest.

Today’s Gooner: I used to walk my dog (Eddie RIP) in Highgate Woods. As often happens when dog walking one makes friends with fellow walkers. Usually we have no idea of each others names and refer to each other as “Rufus’s Dad” or “Snowy’s Mum” etc. I became friendly with a big man walking his Staffordshire, he always wore a hat low over his brow and I thought nothing of it. We often talked football and one day he said he played regularly for Arsenal Celebrities. Curiosity got the better of me and I asked him his name, to which he replied Tony Hadley, the lead singer of Spandau Ballet. Being a top class bullshitter I managed to extricate myself from an embarrassing situation by telling him he looked much older and fatter on television.

AW’s next Transfer Target.

Tony will almost certainly be at The Emirates today cheering on his team. Top bloke, big Gooner, fine singer. dodgy pooch.

See you all the The Line of Scrimmage …..

Go Giants

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Arsenal’s Hopeless Players

February 3, 2012

A dictionary definition of “hope” is: “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.”

In recent games there have been certain Arsenal players who, when they receive the ball, induce in me the opposite of hope.

What I mean by this is the very personal effect they have on me when watching the game. It’s not scientific. It’s not based on statistics or chalk boards. It’s just my gut feeling.

But if you knew me and my gut, you would know that that’s quite a big feeling.

Here’s how it works.

The opposition (it could be Bolton Wanderers, it could be Manchester United) have been attacking. The attack fails, we win back the ball and start a counter-attack.

As we surge forward I have feelings of great hope or great hopelessness depending on which players the ball goes to.

If it goes to Prince Robin I feel hopeful that we might fashion a goal. If it goes to Ramsey or Oxlade-Chamberlain or Gervinho I feel hopeful we might make a half chance that will lead to a goal.

But there are certain players, and it pains me to say this, who, when they receive the ball, fill me with a feeling of hopelessness.

And I mean literal hopelessness: I stop hoping that we will score a goal during the current move.

Chief among the culprits are Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh.

When I’m watching a game and the ball goes to one of them, I stop paying full attention. Maybe it’s time to get another drink or go for a pee. It’s certainly not a time to feel excited.

The predictability of the ways in which Theo or Arshavin wll screw up a promising move is really quite depressing.

It goes like this:

Theo will get a through ball inviting him to run at the opposition defence. He will charge forward, but if any defender gets even the slightest challenge he will be muscled off the ball and will go to ground looking for a free kick that will never come. His physical frailty is really quite shocking.

Walcott: 30 passes:  73% successful: 27% forwards

If, by chance, he avoids the physical contact he will run in a bad line towards the corner flag or the penalty area and deliver a pass to the opposition defence or will fire a shot well wide.

With Arshavin it’s even more straightforward. He will pick up the ball and run in a straight line from our left wing to the opposition penalty area until the two or three defenders who have tracked him  dispossess him. As the opposition break away to attack us, he will stand with his hands on his hips looking disgruntled.

Arshavin: 36 passes: 71% successful: 50% forwards

As for Chamakh, do I even need to explain why his contributions leave me devoid of hope?

Chamakh: 27 passes: 70% successful: 26% forwards

Obviously all these culprit players have their moments when they do something good, but the point is, when they get the ball I (and most Arsenal fans watching, I suspect)  know that our attacking move is probably at an end.

So what do we do about this?

One answer is brutal: we get rid of Walcott, Arshavin and  Chamakh and we replace them with players who  carry end product in their game.

Another answer is that we keep working with them to get them to rediscover their form. All three have had purple patches in their Arsenal careers and the fact they are doing so badly now must say something about their confidence or the way they are coached or even the way the rest of the team is playing.

I would say that Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey and Gervinho all offer end product. There’s no way of knowing about Park given that we never play him (although that may be enough of a clue to his abilities). But we need to focus on players who can make a real difference between now and the end of the season.

That means (sadly) less Theo and Arshavin and more Oxo and Gervinho.

There are no new signings coming in, so we need to make the most of the squad we have – and that means AW recognising who are the hopeful players and who are the hopeless ones.

He will need to be courageous – but circumstances may soon force Arsene to show more courage than he has done in many a year.

RockyLives

* The chalkbooards used in this post are from random games and are only used to illustrate the areas of the pitch in which the players operate.

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Posted by RockyLives

One point from twelve!!!!!!

February 2, 2012

Down to 7th in the Premier League

We’ve fired a blank against the worst defence in the league.

And our great hope Wilshire is injured again.

Is this the lowest we have been as Arsenal fans in the last 7 years?

No, is the answer. The lowest was 6 months ago when we had just lost arguably our 2 best players in their prime, had been stuffed 8-2 at Old Trafford, and we’re struggling to stay in the Champions League. We were a shell of our former selves. Lacking confidence, energy and most importantly, world class players.

But haven’t things changed for the better since then? The fact we are pretty pissed off with the result yesterday goes some way to show that things have improved. Just 6 months ago we would’ve expected a terrible, toothless performance against Bolton. We would’ve gone into the game feeling sorry for ourselves, praying that the home side take it easy on us.

I’m not saying things are rosey, I’m not saying that we will finish top 4, and I’m not saying we should all be happy.

But the fact is we got through those harder times in August, and if we stick together, we can get through these hard times now.

There’s no match report or ratings on yesterday’s game. Just a rallying cry from a fellow blogger asking you to keep your heads, keep together, and most importantly, keep the faith.

At least until the end of the season!

Slimgingergooner

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Winter Winds: Match Preview

February 1, 2012

Still warm and cuddly after Sunday but a midweek trip to a freezing Lancashire is not what was wanted, particularly to a Lancashire team who are in the process of turning their season around.

The recent beatings of both Liverpool teams is evidence of Bolton’s turnaround. Add in the Cup win over Swansea and we can see tonight’s game will be a challenge. Coyle is always heralded as the “coming” man and a manager who can make a team punch above it’s weight. If he keeps Bolton up he will have done a superb job. Kevin Davies always enjoys playing us and like many I hate to see him on the pitch (though I like him very much when playing anyone else!). We lost 1-2 at the Reebock last season, Bolton scoring in the 90th minute after Chesney had saved a Davies penalty.

After the brouhaha of the Cahill affair in summer (if it was true), relations between our two clubs have improved to the extent that we have loaned out Ryo to gain the same education received by Wilshire. Let us hope for the same results.

Arsenal’s form is difficult to assess, we have played superbly in patches over the last 2 games yet have conceded 4 times with the defence looking naive. I thought the overall performance on Sunday was very good with Ramsey running the show but two silly goals were conceded, and it could easily have been worse when AV missed an open goal header from a corner – Fabianski could and should have assisted his defence.

We will not see Fabianski tonight but we will see a return from two players who have been terribly missed: Arteta and Sagna. In a very short time, Arteta has become an integral part of the team, the loss of the Spaniard has been a major factor in our poor run (though he did play in the loss to Fulham).

A Vital Cog

Sagna has been a huge miss. It was no surprise that Theo played better having Coquelin play behind him instead of JD, and with Sagna he will improve further. Losing the best right back in the PL was always going to have an effect, missing Bacary’s defensive ability, particularly in the air has been immensely damaging to our season – perhaps more than any other player. It will be wonderful to see his lung busting runs in support of the attack.

TV is a fine back up LB, (though he was found wanting a couple of times on Sunday),  we are finally close to having a first choice defence and midfield (bar Jack & Santos).

I expect Ivory Coast to get to the Final of the ACN; as such we will not be seeing the return of Gervinho until the end of Feb, so who plays on the left? Oxlade-Chamberlain was very good in patches on Sunday but 3 games in 10 days is a lot to ask of the lad. I expect to see Arshavin or Benayoun start – though it would be interesting to see Park – with O-C coming on at 60+ mins if needed. Another TH cameo goal would be good.

My Team:

With Chamakh returning next week it beggars the question  ……………. Why was Park signed? It is highly unlikely  our scouts just took a punt on him – it is not the Arsenal way. French football is not so different from ours, so the acclimatization must surely have taken place  …. so why? Play the lad, I say, he cannot be worse than the Moroccan.

Which brings us to the inventor from Bolton – being the centre of the cotton industry which brought such wealth to Victorian England, it is no surprise that Bolton was home to Samuel Crompton, inventor of the Spinning Mule, but there has been an embarrassing lack of facial hair in recent weeks and for that reason we are going slightly off subject and  I bring you one of Bolton’s finest –  an Industrialist – William Lever, later to become Viscount Leverholme who founded the company Unilever.

Starting with Sunlight soap, he went on to manufacture both Lux and Lifebouy. Through a mixture of business acumen and worker’s exploitation (he used slave labour in Africa) Lever Bros became one of the biggest businesses in the UK and is now the 18th largest company quoted on the FTSE, employing 160,000+ people. However, both Crompton and Lever were clean shaven….

So here is a bloke who once visited Bolton …..

Bolton’s Winter Home Kit

If you are lucky enough to be going – Dress up Warm.

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Alex McLeish: Man Or Muppet?

January 31, 2012

One of the least edifying spectacles in modern football is that of managers attempting to deflect criticism for a defeat by making spurious attacks on the opponents who beat them.

 

I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of this phenomenon, having watched our own otherwise distinguished coach, a certain Mr Arsène Wenger, pull the very same trick on numerous occasions.

But even Arsène’s excuses (which have ranged from the opposition being too tackly to having the wrong sort of leaves on the line) have seldom been as crass as those trotted out by the Ginger Whinger following our last couple of meetings with his team.

Remember when we played Villa at their place back in December? We won 2-1 and the Villans’ thuggish fullback, Alan Hutton, was sent off. According to Alex McLeish he was “conned” by van Persie.

How was he conned? Well, the first of the ex-Spud’s two yellow cards came after he squared up to our captain after fouling him. The booking was totally correct. Being fouled by an opponent does not constitute “conning” him, nor does standing your ground when he shoves his snarling, bestial face into yours.

Then, within two minutes of Benayoun scoring our winner, Hutton (who was clearly fuming and out of control) charged into a violent, dangerous tackle on Thomas Vermaelen. The ref brandished the second yellow and the rabid Glaswegian was sent on the walk of shame.

The second booking could have been a straight red. In fact a better manager than McLeish would have spotted that his pit bull had lost his head and would have pulled him off. But I guess it’s too much to expect one pit bull to find fault with the slavering aggression of another.

Now we move forward in time to last Sunday.

Of course McLeish must have been gutted at throwing away a 2-0 lead in the FA Cup – but why not take the defeat like a man?

It’s not as if Arsenal did not deserve to win. We had been the better team in the first half despite conceding two goals. And in the second half we stepped up a gear and completely dominated.

But instead of praising his own team for making a game of it and complimenting Arsenal on a hard fought win, the Taggart look-alike made not one, not two, but THREE ridiculous claims of injustice.

Claim Number One: Theo’s ingenious goal (Arsenal’s second) was handball.

According to McPitbull, the spectacular score in which Walcott played an out-of-this-world one-two off the hapless Hutton to put us level in the match should have been disallowed. Quite apart from the fact that, from every angle I have seen, the ball appeared to strike Theo on the chest or ribs, Hutton blasted the ball at him from about a yard away. Theo’s reactions would have had to be faster than Concorde to have avoided the ball.

Claim Number Two: Darren Bent’s foul for our second penalty was “harsh”.

Sorry Alex. Bent’s was a typical forward’s challenge. He almost certainly did catch Koscielny before the ball, but even if (as has been claimed) he got a tiny touch on the ball first, he had overcommitted himself and failed to move the ball any significant distance, so Kozzer would have been able to continue with the move if he hadn’t been brought down. Penalty, any day of the week.

Claim Number Three: Robin van Persie should be punished by the FA for an “elbow” on Carlos Cuellar.

The trouble is GrumpyGingerJock, the replays show that Robin was watching the ball all the way and that his arm movement was entirely for balance and body readjustment. Maybe there was a shade of trying to hold off the inevitable clattering challenge that Robin must have known was coming, but he can hardly have expected Cuellar’s head to be lunging in at waist level. Robin was on the ground and Cuellar’s head was at midriff height. It really was a case of head to elbow and not the other way round, as the FA seem to have recognised when confirming yesterday that they would not be taking any action against our Captain. Perhaps they should consider censuring McWhinger instead.

So, three spurious claims.

The last of them was a particularly vindictive one, aimed at trying to harm a great player in a way that can bring no benefit to Aston Villa.

The actions of a man?

Or the actions of a frothing latex puppet with a giant hand shoved up his jacksey?

I think we all know the answer: Alex McLeish, you are, indeed, a Muppet. And you probably use Preparation H.

The serious point in all this is that the sort of garbage that McMuppet comes out with gives fuel to the more sensational elements in the media who prefer nothing more than to focus on a “scandal” rather than on a great game of football.

And where Arsenal is concerned, they will latch onto anything negative if it means they don’t have to write about how well our team did to pull themselves round from a 0-2 deficit to force their way into the Fifth Round of the Cup.

Stirring fight backs don’t fit their preconceived agenda of Arsenal as a team in terminal decline. It’s just one more reason why we owe it to the world to win something this year.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Why crawl when you can walk?

January 30, 2012

Written by fatgingergooner

With 3 defeats in the last 4 games and an unconvincing win against Leeds in the last round of the FA Cup, Arsenal fans were feeling far from optimistic ahead of this 4th round clash against Aston Villa.

Rumour had it that the Gunners injury list was starting to ease, and so it proved with Sagna, Henry and Arteta all named on the bench and also the young Frenchman Coquelin was deputising at right back. It was also good to see the Ox given another start after his fine 65 minutes against Man United last week.

On to the game and Arsenal started the first half reasonably well, stroking the ball around and finding space in the midfield. Within 2 minutes of the kick off, Ramsey had already registered a shot on target, but if truth be told it was more like a pass back as Given collected easily. The same cannot be said of the next shot from distance as Vermaelen received a short free kick from RvP before firing an absolute thunderbolt from all of 35 yards which Given did well to save to his left. Brilliant effort, great save.

Arsenal continued to dominate the ball, but with Fabianski back between the posts, you could feel the tension in the air whenever the ball was near the home sides box. The young Pole did well with his first piece of action though, clearing a free kick away with a commanding punch, but he soon reminded us why he is now second choice. Firstly, he wanted too long to make a simple clearance and was lucky to see his blocked kick go for a throw. Then he rolled a terrible pass into the feet of Song who could only return it to sender, thankfully though, this time, the young keeper managed to clear his lines before the block came in.

At the other end, dogged work from Rosicky saw a pass slid into the feet of Walcott who was away behind the Villa defence. Initially, Theo did well to evade a lunging tackle from Cuellar, but his lack of composure reared it’s ugly head again as he thrashed a shot wide instead of steadying himself and picking out one of his colleagues in the box. A waste.

The first 20 minutes had flown by with Ramsey and Rosicky getting the better of the midfield battle, and it was an excellent Ramsey tackle that created the next opportunity. The young Welshman did brilliantly to rob Clark before showing bravery to nick the ball wide to Theo who had space to run into. This time Walcott did get his head up and fired a great low cross towards RvP but the dutchman just failed to find the telling touch.

Arsenal had let Villa off the hook and nearly paid the ultimate price at the other end as the ball ricocheted in behind the static defence and towards the head of Darren Bent. Fortunately for the home side though, the sight of an onrushing Polish keeper was enough for Bent to pull out of the header.Thank god he wasn’t braver!

The game was definitely starting to open up and the Ox showed a great turn of pace to gallop down the left wing before cutting inside and pulling his shot wide of the near post. Good play by the promising youngster.

Arsenal were knocking on the door but just couldn’t find the killer pass to unlock the away teams defence. Walcott, espescially, was guilty of wasting a couple of good crossing chances as the half wore on. His lack of confidence was showing as he refused to attack the full back and instead fired aimless balls across the box. Not what you expect from an attacking wide player.

Thirty minutes had passed without too much to worry about, but a moments lapse of concentration can be deadly  at this level, and so it proved. Arsenal switched off at a corner and Ramsey was caught 2 against 1 at the edge of the area. Keane had ages to pick out a cross and his dinked effort was perfectly weighted for Dunne to climb highest and nod in at the back stick. 0-1 Arsenal again undone by a set piece.

To the home sides credit they were straight down the other end trying to get an equaliser, but Dunne was on fine form, twice clearing dangerous looking crosses. The home fans were starting to get restless as Arsenal camped in the Villa half in search of an equaliser. First Ramsey showed quick feet before firing straight at Given from a tight angle, and then the Ox hit a rocket from 25 yards which got away from Given but just didn’t bounce for an Arsenal player. Was our luck deserting us again?

On the stroke of half time we got the answer, and it wasn’t a good one! Villa broke from another Arsenal attack and Bent was played in down the right hand channel. His powerful shot was well saved by Fabianski at his near post, but as it is with the Gunners at the moment, the ball fell perfectly back to Bent who slotted in well from a tight angle. 0-2 oh dear.

Half time and the boos rang out around the Emirates. To be fair to the home side, they had made all the running and should not have been 2 behind, but the same old story of poor finishing and defensive mistakes meant that Villa’s 2 shots on goal had resulted in a 2 goal deficit. New manager? New players? New tactics? If you’d have asked at half time I think many would’ve said yes please!

But with football being a game of 2 halves, the Gunners still had 45 minutes to turn their season on its head.

Surprisingly, there were no changes at half time. Even with the boos still ringing in his ears, and with Craig Burley’s bullshit whafting under his nose, Arsene had stayed cool and kept faith in his charges.

Arsenal came out fighting, and it wasn’t long before they carved out an opportunity. This time it was a set piece of their own as Mertersacker rose highest at a corner only to see his header cleared off the line. So close!

Arsenal had started the second half brightly and moments later Walcott was almost on the end of a Ramsey back heel, but a fantastic Petrov tackle thwarted him at the last.

The pressure was really building and a flowing move then saw Ramsey with a shooting opportunity on the edge of the box, but with the ball stuck between his feet, he could only manage a weak right footed strike when he might have been better going with his left.

If fans thought Ramsey was at fault for that finish, then he certainly made up for it 2 minutes later as he burst into the box from a Song pass and just managed to toe the ball away from a lunging Dunne. Stonewall penalty and should’ve been a 2nd yellow for Dunne. How he stayed on I will never know! With the pressure on, RvP stepped up to send Given the wrong way and get Arsenal back in the game. 1-2

The tails were up and Ramsey was starting to control the game. Two minutes after the penalty he slid Walcott in down the line. This time Theo ran straight at the full back before squeezing a shot towards the near post. Given did well to get a hand to it but the ball fell to Hutton who somehow managed to smash the ball straight at Theo and into the back of the net! Barely 10 minutes gone in the second half and 2-2! Could it get any better!?

Unbelievably, Yes!

On the hour mark Koscielny collected the ball in defence and marched past the half way line before exchanging a slick 1-2 with Song. With Bent tugging at his shirt, Kozzer stayed strong and charged into the Villa box before Bent, in typical centre forward style, hacked him down with a badly timed/advised lunge. Another penalty to Arsenal and another goal to Arsenal as RvP sent Given the other way this time to put a resurgent Arsenal into the lead.

It was quite telling the way Robin and his teammates galloped over to Henry to celebrate. Maybe Wenger wasn’t the only person who had given out a bollocking in the changing room!?

The comeback was complete and the stuffing had well and truly been knocked out of Villa. Rosicky was dominating midfield, Ramsey was dominating the match, and Walcott was dominating his demons.

It was a joy to watch the young winger suddenly burst into life as he collected a long ball before driving at his full back and fizzing a shot at Given. Could this be the lift Theo needed?

After a brief penalty scare on 70 minutes, Arsene brought Arteta on for Rosicky to sure up the midfield, and it worked perfectly. The last 20 minutes saw very few chances at either end with a right footed RvP effort and a Clarke header straight at Fabianski the most the teams could muster between them. The highlight of the last 20 came on 88 minutes when Sagna returned to first team action for the first time since breaking his leg 4 months ago. Fantastic news.

It was also good to see the Ox and Theo both given standing ovations as they were replaced by Henry and Sagna respectively.

It was a tough 90 minutes to be an Arsenal fan that ultimately ended in elation as the boys turned into men in the space of 45 minutes. Ramsey showed just how to grab a match by the scruff of the neck, controlling the midfield for large chunks of the game, and especially in the key 15 minutes after half time. He was aided brilliantly by the energetic Rosicky who put in a sparkling performance to show that there’s life in some of the ‘deadwood’ yet!

It was a fantastic result for Arsenal, not because of the scoreline, but because of the way the team came back from 2-0 down. The second half performance was a joy to behold from every single player. People have questioned the manager’s and the player’s desire in the last few weeks, but no-one can say they don’t care, and they proved that in the second half.

At the end of the game I saw a banner about DB that read :
‘why fly, when you can walk on water’

We are nowhere near his high standards yet, but one small step at a time. If the first half was a crawl, then by the end of the second we were definitely up on our feet.

‘why crawl, when you can walk’

Ratings:

Fabianski-couple of shakey moments early on and may get blamed, unfairly, for parrying Bents shot back to him. Was solid in the air though and did little wrong 7

Coquelin-offered little going forward first half and was undone a couple of times by Agbonlahor. Kept everyone onside on build up to 1st goal. This shouldnt detract from his overall game though which was very good 7

Vermaelen-Much better in supporting Ox going forward and unlucky with a great strike early on. Caught out of position for second goal. 7

Koscielny-quiet first half but mainly because he makes defending look so easy. Came to life with run for 3rd goal and solid as a rock. 2nd best PL defender behind Kompany. 8

Mertersacker-great in the air at both ends and nearly scored. Maybe should have been talking to Coquelin in build up for first goal but very solid nonetheless. 7.5

Song-quiet game again but much better than recent games. Good second half and had a hand in winning both penalties. 7

Rosicky-drove forward whenever he could and worked hard. Gave Ramsey the platform to dictate the play. Looking back to something like his best 8

Ramsey-outstanding performance. If you think this kid is on par with Denilson then you are having a laugh! Controlled the game 9 MOTM

Ox-a solid display and showed maturity beyond his years. A natural footballer who looks dangerous whenever he has the ball and so composed for one so young 7.5

Walcott-Jekyl and Hyde. Had a poor first half as he failed on numerous occasions to get at Warnock when one on one. A different player second half and looked like he had his confidence back. Just wish he would attack the byeline more as he is so much more dangerous when he does it. 7.5

RvP-2 good penalties and linked up play with his usual mixture of strength and guile. Difficult day against a tough competitor in Dunne but eventually came out on top. Got ESPN Motm. 8

Arteta-6
Sagna-6
Henry-6

Arsène Wenger-maybe a slight risk starting with Coquelin but the young Frenchman was excellent. Brought Arteta on after 70 minutes to shore up the side and it worked well. Good substitutions, but earned his money in the half time interval. Many managers would’ve panicked and made changes, but Wenger’s faith was repaid by his players and he has to take a lot of credit for the half time turnaround as the players came out pumped up for the second half. 8

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Park Life: AV prematch

January 29, 2012

Remember our last FA Cup game? One of the great moments in the history of the Emirates. An average performance completely dismissed by 5 seconds of theatre. Today I would love to see a 90 minute performance which will raise the despair around the ground following 3 defeats.

We have to accept that we are not going to be Champions this year – yes, even you Peaches. With the loss to MC in the Carling, just the FA Cup and the Champions League remain to make this a winning season and although I am convinced we will get to Munich the FAC is the easier target.

The first 35 mins of the  second half of the MU game was our best since Xmas, the aggression, application and potency was back. We can and have discussed why we lost momentum and without opening the subject again we must hope lessons have been learned.

However, Mr Wenger can be a curmudgeonly chap when his decisions are questioned and it would be no surprise to see Oxlade Chamberlain start from the bench despite his fine performance a week ago.

There is a question mark over how seriously Mr Wenger will take the FA Cup but my hope is that he takes it very seriously; whether Van Persie starts will indicate just how he prioritizes the Cup. With Bolton on Wednesday – only a 3 day break – will he play our star man twice? My guess is No. I think he will play Park and bring on RvP only if needed,

My Team

I would like to see Park, he looked better in his brief cameo on Sunday and at some point he has to sink or swim. Having already scored a beauty in the CC, let’s see him get another or ship him out a.s.a.p. along with Chamakh.

More of the same, please

Hopefully, Arteta is back to fitness which will allow Rosicky to continue and Ramsey to have a break – he needs one. The back 5 pick themselves though I worry for Djourou who if un-injured must be reeling after his humiliation on Sunday; to be subbed at half-time (a rarity for AW) for a lad barely out of Youth football must be a humbling experience for a full International, even if he is playing out of position

A little about Villa. Nice team, no-one I know dislikes them, offensive manager who is struggling in the wake of O’Neill’s (relative) success. They are getting back into form and have a potent, pacy attack.

We will concede so it is imperative our strikers are efficient. As senior attacker (in my team) it is important Theo steps up and takes responsibility. Versus MU he was poor and gave little offensively or defensively – we need more from him and at a time when his contract comes up for negotiation Theo has to give reason for a wage hike. Right now, most fans would recommend a long rest in the sun (preferably a few seasons!).

Today’s Gooner:  This week’s topic of hilarity has rightly been the High Court trial of  Harry “Del Boy” Redknapp. The rabble down the road are very proud of their man and it is a source of pride that one of their own has made it to the High Court rather than the youth offenders prison. But once again our neighbours have been trumped – we have a celebrity Gooner with a far more impressive history of blagging: Mr Ronnie Biggs.  Biggs is a huge Arsenal fan as can be seen from the pic. I cannot say I have any liking for him and certainly no respect for a man with a history of violent crime but he is a Gooner and our tribe encompasses all types.

“‘Arry – ‘ee’s 2 Bob……”

Arsenal need to win today. The schisms which were so damaging prior to the good run have re-opened and the malcontents are getting vocal. I trust the players understand those booing are a tiny minority of the Arsenal fan base, but I doubt they do. We need to get behind the team, to give vocal support when things go wrong, criticism has it’s place but not within the Emirates. This is Our House.

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Let’s Boo ‘aving ya

January 28, 2012

I have spent the last season and a half bemoaning the boo boys, this week I was not alone as Arsenal fans rallied round our beleaguered manager and club in an attempt to rid us of the discontented.

But today as we prepare ourselves for our pilgrimage to the red half of North London it is time to consolidate, stand side by side and live alongside each other in harmony. So i have an olive branch for our disenchanted.

We need your boos, things need to change at the Emirates and you are the boys who can make it happen.

As well as spending the last six months bemoaning the negativity I have also been trying to encourage people to tear off the shackles of the new stadium and start creating some noise.

On Sunday I realised I’ve been guilty of cloudy thinking, the answer has been staring me in the face for months and I’ve ignored it.

Boos resonate within the ground, there is a theory that songs get carried out of time with the distance they travel round the ground, this is not true of the simple boo. You can pick it up at any point and you can even add some variation throwing in a whistle or two and some hissing, or some added variation of a few swear words. There is no requirement to know words, no embarrassment from singing on your own, or out of tune, and you can do it sitting down.

There is the added bonus of always being picked up by TV and Radio mics (some would suspect that they actually turn up the volume on the B of boo).

So far so simple, however here is the tricky bit, the animosity needs to be directed at the opposition…….I’ll just let that sink in…….I realise this is a revolutionary thought for you boo boys, but please bear with me.

Every time the opposition touch the ball we boo, if it helps just imagine that the opposition is ten Fat Bench Warmers, Almunia in goal, and Eboue set to come on as sub, that should help you reach your goal. The other tricky bit is to stop booing when we have the ball, you may even decide to cheer, but as your noise making potential appears to peak at the monodrone maybe you should leave the cheering to others in the crowd and save your voice for the next spell of opposition possession.

No more will we hear about the Library. We will create an atmosphere in which the opposition won’t think straight when in possession, it will also drown out any positive cheers and songs of encouragement from the away end.

So come on boo boys this is your opportunity to put your skills to work for the good of the team, and to change my perception of you.

Written by Gooner in Exile

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Posted by Gööner In Exile

Arsenal Supporters – disillusioned or pathetic?

January 27, 2012

Witch hunts, apathy, delusion and greed, all pathetically wrapped up in an unshakable belief in a divine right to win. Recognise it? Of course you do. Unfortunately it describes many so-called Arsenal supporters, who today stand supreme amongst football folk in their ability irrespective of the injury situation and short of any real knowledge of the internal politics or financial situation facing the club, to defame our great clubs name just by confessing their poisonous support.

They twitter and blog in expletive enhanced anonymity, hiding behind a nom de plume often itself of a sarcastic nature, whilst venting their vile ranting’s. Should you bother to look behind the façade of these ne’er-do-well’s then you will often find the courage of their conviction is underwritten by an email address as ‘Mickey Mouse’ as the support and comments they dispense.

Of course all is not well with the club and anyone who denies that has his head in the sand, but how is it helped by Boo boys and derision.

A gaggle of players are approaching fitness again too late probably to rescue our season. So for once, perhaps, we will have to live with finishing behind the spuds and out of the top four. Big deal, if it happens we will take some stick, a mere smattering I guess compared to that we have inflicted over other supporters over the years. Let’s at least accept our fall from grace should it happen with equanimity, calm and a touch of class, secure in the knowledge that we will be back to full strength by season end, when in every likelihood there will be a clear-out, with new faces joining the first team squad.

Do I think AW will have walked away? No! I dont for a moment believe he will and nor should he. The man’s record is phenomenal and no-doubt will continue to grow in years to come, much to the chagrin of the Tony Cascarino’s and Brian Woolnough’s of this world, and the anti-brigade who follow  them. He could of course walk to a better paid job of his chosing anywhere in Europe, and given the dogs abuse he is receiving at present who could blame him. The French national team or indeed our own would be his for the asking should he wish it.  No doubt SparkyHughes or  Sam the Hammer would love the chance to take over at the THOF, much to the relief of the respective fans who have to watch their efforts at present.

Season ticket holders, many of them of long-standing are unhappy. A season ticket is a major investment in households where for many, disposable income has substantially diminished in recent years and this season’s price increase has just exacerbated the problem, leaving difficult choices to be made. No doubt for many, guilt at such expenditure creeps into the equation and when faced by lack lustre displays, perceived lack of ambition, underlined by the supposed reluctance of  the club itself, it would seem, to make reciprocal investment it is not surprising that resentment leads to a wider discontentment.

But does that give genuine supporters Carte Blanche to act in a manner that if it were directed at them or their families would undoubtedly escalate into something more serious. Or should we as Arsenal fans uphold the traditions of our great club, display a little class, weather the storm with dignity and await the cyclical turn around that is surely not far away?

Written by dandan

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Posted by dandan

Bloody Arsenal – Do We Even Care Anymore?

January 26, 2012

Do you suffer from any pre-existing conditions?

Ah, that old question on the health insurance form. The one if you answer falsely you’re fooked if they find out and you need to claim, and the one if you answer truthfully are fooked anyway because it’ll make it harder to claim.

Oh, the health form?! It seems I’m now at the age (ripe old age of 26 and 2 weeks) where I should have my own private health insurance. You know, “just in case” as my mother likes to put it. So I’ve been perusing the forms from various insurers to see who will give me the most cover for the least amount of money and that same question comes up every time. Help me out fellow AAers, do I answer the question truthfully and say “Yes” and follow it up with “Arsenal fan of 18 years” ?

And if they need to know the ailments this “pre-existing condition” threatens to bring up at any time, do I list the highs that no drug could possibly ever take you on and the lows that feel like several daggers to your heart? Do I mention the one time love you feel for a young man who is the heartbeat of your midfield and the disdain you now feel as you think he left like a coward?  Or how about the possible physical danger as the nearest object goes flying across the room as the Russian doesn’t seem to want to run anymore? The possible heart attacks? The mood swings? Oh, and the very possible possibility I might not be able to meet my monthly payments, because, well, the Ryanair flights were so cheap and the ticket fairy has come good again?!

So, would just saying “NO” be easier?! A little lie?!

Like that little lie I often try and tell myself. That there is more important things in life than football, than Arsenal. And trust me, I know there are, but it bloody won’t go away. The heartbreak when cheating, diving Shrek is on the winning team again and Robin’s magic left foot isn’t enough. The prancing around for days after we beat mighty “can’t pay people to come to our games” Wigan.

What is it about football that does this to us?! A bunch of men running around after a round, synthetic object trying to put it into a net held up by two posts! It sounds so silly, but say that to my face and risk my wrath. I don’t need to tell you guys that because ye all feel the same way. But it is impossible to explain to those who don’t get it. The constant annoyance when people say it’s silly (the same people that’ll all be on the Ireland bandwagon during the Euros “for the craic*”) or when they don’t get how an Irish person can have such an allegiance to an English team. Although these same people are very nice in giving me a large berth when we lose:

“What’s with Mary? Moody all morning.”

“Arsenal lost, don’t mention it, Manchester United.”

An actual conversation between an English woman and Polish woman who wouldn’t know a football from a handbag, but the Polish woman nodded at the English woman’s explanation as if the realms of supporting a football team came second nature to her. Thinking about it, probably should have put the Arsenal fan syndrome on the job application form as well … ah well, they know now don’t they?!

So over the last few weeks, I have read and listened with anger and a little pity as “Gooners” – some of them allegedly lifelong – said they could no longer bear to watch Arsenal anymore. They’ve gone beyond caring because “Wenger is ruining the club”… HOW CAN YOU NOT CARE? What happened to the “through the good and the bad times.” And are they really bad times? I’ve been an Arsenal fan for 18 years (long time for me, short time for some of ye) and I reckon I’ve been spoiled – Premier League, FA Cups, Doubles, Unbeaten season, Henry, Bergkamp, van Persie, Wengerball, Champions League Final, new stadium – am I missing out on the bad parts? Ok, am, well, the finishing ONLY in the top four every season is pretty rough (apart from my first season when we finished 12th), and the always challenging but never actually winning a trophy for 6 years has been tough but hardly enough to warrant a mention on my health form.

It could be better, of course it could. But its not that bad. Social networks, the pubs, the Emirates, the radio phone-ins have all become a playground for Arsenal fans to fight in. What has happened to Victory Through Harmony? What happened to the “us against world” spirit we had when everyone despised us because they weren’t us? I know we all care, I bloody well do. Just a pity more places couldn’t be like this little blog – where tempers are kept in check and the direction for our club are discussed and not argued. Then again, we only fight because we care!

Bloody Arsenal – bad for heart and good for it all at once. Might just leave it off the health insurance form for now though, hope they don’t need a medical report … doctor might see that cannon tattoo I’ve plastered on my back, give the game away. Funny thing tattoos, they’re permanent – guess this condition is forever.

*craic = Irish for “fun”

Written by Irishgunner

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Posted by criochnaithe

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