Roadhouse Blues?

January 18, 2015

Feeling confident? No? Neither am I.

I am always interested in the media narrative for the Arsenal and today’s will undoubtedly be our record against the Big Boys. No need to tell you … it is pants, make that worse than pants, it is double pants.

And yet there are reasons to be positive – nearly all of them wrapped up in a 5’6″ Chilean. He scored a cracker against City at the Emirates in a game which we dominated for 75 minutes. We were the better team that day which augurs well for today. And we have many of the injured returning for selection. Mesut, Theo, Aaron, and Matthieu are all available for selection.

Unknown

Worryingly Gibbs may be missing and with Chambers likely to play RB Pellegrini is sure to attack down the flanks. Monreal had a nightmare against Navas in the 6-3 at The Etihad and Chambers for all his quality is no speedster, expect much of the same today. Perhaps Mr Wenger will surprise us and play Bellerin who is improving game by game.

We have seen Arsenal go away to big clubs and allow them to dominate possession, perhaps this is as a result of going to MC and Chelsea with very attacking tactics and getting hammered. Does pragmatism work? I prefer us to play to our strengths and not the opposition but AW may well play with two defensive shields in from to the back five i.e. both Flamini and Coquelin …. I hope I am wrong.

We have signed a new Pole! Happy Days! A white Vieira? Let’s hope so. As to the other Pole – it appears he is still on the naughty step. Ospina has done enough to keep his place and expect him to get a good run of games should he maintain his performance level.

Given Coquelin’s recent work he deserves to keep his place ahead of the more experienced Flamini.

Unknown

To Theo or not? To Ozil or not? To Ramsey or not? What do you think? I would like to see us play exactly the same team that did so well against Stoke. The midfield of Santi playing deeper with Ox and Alexis in front worked very well. With MC sans Yaya (but with the very strong Fernand**  chaps) we can play through them.

At last we have formidable attacking options on the bench; men who can turn a game in 15 minutes. When was the last time we could say that?

I don’t want to spotlight the attacking power of City. To win today our defence will have to concentrate from kick-off to the final whistle with no lapses and as always we have to defend as a team.

The media are setting this game up as Aguero vs Alexis. In my opinion it is a question of which team defends best. And of course, how well Mike Dean performs, we all know the man is an anti-Arsenal imbecile but perhaps  – just for once – he will have a good game. How exciting.

COYRRG

written by Big Raddy

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

Are the Arsenal injury problems beyond conventional remedies?

January 17, 2015

Much, indeed too much, has been written about Arsenal’s persistent injury situation. Despite the millions spent by the club in building a state of the art medical facility we still seem to be unable to keep enough players sufficiently fit to make a sustained challenge for major honours.

As a consequence of the injury list each transfer window becomes almost a crisis, a scramble to sign players to fill the gaps in the ranks left by the sick, the lame and the lazy,well perhaps not the latter.

The current window is no exception, Arteta and Debuchy are both out for three months, so that probably means they are unlikely to be match fit before the end of the season. Wilshere is not yet back in training, Ramsey, Walcott and Gibbs are not match fit nor is Welbeck, While Gnabry and Diaby have just about fallen off the radar and Koscielny remains at risk of a breakdown.

Arsène Wenger is working day and night to bring in the replacements needed, he has a list of positions to fill and a list of targets to fill them and, for once, the dosh to make it happen.

His priorities are acknowledged to be a holding-midfielder and a centre-back, ideally one who can cover at left-back if necessary.

Given the state of health of the squad and the almost rotational nature of the injuries perhaps he should alter his priorities and give up on signing players in favour of the recruitment of an exorcist.

Written by Norfolk Gooner

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Should we remove penalties from the game?

January 16, 2015

“What they should do is to get rid of penalties altogether?”

A friend made this suggestion to me the other day and once I started thinking about it, it seemed to make a fair bit of sense. So here goes.

Recent discussions on AA have focused on referees and how difficult it is for them to sort the wheat from the chaff when player behaviour is designed to deceive. Diving to win penalties by conning the officials seemed to be the start of it, so I wondered if removing unjustified penalties from the game may have a beneficial effect.

Discussing it with my brother, we tried to estimate how many penalties were proper reward for the rule infraction. In other words, how many had stopped genuine goal attempts. We set the bar at about 3 out of every ten, though thought it may be even lower.

Think of game situations where a penalty is awarded but doesn’t justify a free shot from 12 yards……….

Defenders having to stand with their hands behind their backs on the edge of their area, worried that the ball might be blasted against their arms. Wingers getting a toe to a ball which is heading off the pitch and waiting for “contact” from a full back making a genuine attempt at a tackle. Forwards making no attempt to stay on their feet when a much bigger reward ensues from going to ground easily.

There must be plenty if the 3 in ten assessment is anywhere near correct.

Conversely, referees rarely give penalties when there is shirt tugging and holding at free-kicks and corners. This is because the reward far outweighs the crime.

What could be done to resolve this perceived imbalance between infringement and reward?

Why not make all non-goal threatening incidents in the penalty area a direct free kick from where the incident took place rather than a penalty? Personally I love it when indirect free-kicks are awarded close to the goal and mayhem follows with 8 man walls and the attacking side having to use ingenuity to breach the barrier.

The existing penalty could be reserved for handballs on the line, last defenders hacking down a player as they are about to shoot and any other instance where it looks like a goal would have been scored.

Surely the reward for many incidents in the box far outweighs the actual crime? What do you think?

Written by chas

Footnote ….

Apparently Arsenal are very good at conceding penalties 🙂 Chas’ question of the day has also been touched on in an  article in the Independent ….

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/laurent-koscielny-jokes-there-is-no-place-in-the-guinness-book-of-records-for-conceding-penalties-9782354.html

 

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Posted by Rasp

Transfer window thoughts

January 15, 2015

How boring is this Transfer window? I’m really hoping for another defender (imperative now that Debuchy is out for three months) and a big strong fast nimble-footed clever midfielder with scary eyes and penchant for shoulder barging the opposition to protect our back four from attack and our front four from being bullied.

No-one seems to be getting what they want though. Spuds and Manks needed additions to their defence too so where are all the defenders? Maybe that’s why Arsene hardly bothers to look for those type of players as they are in very short supply.

My feeling has always been that Arsène’s ideology of ‘we’re gonna score more than you’ has made him a little blinkered when thinking about adding defenders to the squad. It’s much more exciting to be adding an Alexis or an Ozil, one can indulge in a certain amount of purring and know that supporters and media alike are going to be looking forward to watching them.

Can a centre-back ever instill the same kind of emotions? Koscielny has been a favourite of mine for sometime now and I’ve defended Mertesacker’s right to be our BFG in many an argument with other gooners. In truth I’ve always had a soft spot for defenders, it’s their strength and reliability that does it for me.

Maybe the injuries to several of our defenders will force Arsène’s hand and he’ll unearth a couple of gems under the radar. That would be good wouldn’t it, to sneak in a diamond or two. At least we’re not crying out for a striker now that would be really serious 😉

Written by peachesgooner 

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

All the Kings horses and all the Kings men….

January 14, 2015

 

Abou Diaby

 

Abou Diaby, the glass man who cannot be put back together again. Every time he seems to get fit to play, we hear that he is injured again. There are those who are romantics and think the club are doing the honourable thing by keeping him on the books, paying his wage and hoping that one day he will play again. Alternatively, there are those who believe he should be sold and a place will be made for a new player to come in.

It is a tragic case I know, none of us want to be seen as heartless, but the reality is that he is taking up valuable space in the team. It has come to the point where questions have to be asked about the feasibility of his tenure at the club and the financial consequences.

Should we keep him or should he be sold?

What, in the best interests of the player and the club, is the answer?

Written by northbank69

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

How poor is the officiating in the Premier League?

January 13, 2015

Hardly a week goes by without us reading complaints about the standard of refereeing in the Premier League. The complaints are not isolated to just our team, unfortunately they have become common place. Hardly a week goes by without a manager being fined, sent to the stands or suspended.

13th jan

My ten questions are simple –

  1. Are we being fair to the officials?
  2. Has the standard really dropped?
  3. Were there as many complaints back in the day?
  4. Do the referees favour particular teams?
  5. Has technology altered our opinion of officiating?
  6. Should instant replays be allowed on the ground’s big screens?
  7. Should the number of game officials be increased?
  8. Should the officials be given more tools/help?
  9. Are the rules too complex?
  10. Should managers be able to challenge decisions?

…………………………………………………………………………

In your opinion what needs to be done to correct the impression/reality of poor officiating.

GunnerN5

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Posted by Rasp

Thug Tactics

January 12, 2015

After yesterdays game, and also from our last game against Stoke, it’s got me thinking about the dynamics of certain types of tactics. Intimidation and violent play now seem to be a part of the English game. We all talk about the English game being a physical one, but there is physical and there is violent. There is a distinction. Arnautovics push on Debuchy yesterday was violent, Charlie Adams strangle hold on Sanchez in our last meeting with Stoke was violent. Crouch uses his elbow as an offensive weapon against players when jumping for a ball. This is not physical play, but acts of violence.

This is how the BBC described the push against Debushy:

“The Frenchman, 29, landed heavily after colliding with Stoke’s Marko Arnautovic and was replaced by Hector Bellerin in the 13th minute at Emirates Stadium.”

After colliding, ffs, are they blind? The referees have to take some blame as well, they clearly failed to act on a couple of violent fouls yesterday and in our previous game against Stoke. So who is to blame? Does the manager instil a Thug mentality into his players during training and the pre match team talk? Or is it already a part of the players mentality? There are players who have that type of DNA, Joey Barton springs to mind, Shawcross as well. I can imagine managers like Mark Hughes capitalising on the aggressive nature of some players, telling them to target certain players, but do they actually incite violent play in their team? This is my question?

written by Northbank 1969

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Posted by Erik the Red

Redemption Song

January 11, 2015

6/12/14. The Potteries: The first half on the slime covered fields of Middle Earth was embarrassing. Three down to base level tactics, which must have been discussed endlessly during the week prior to the game, the players shamed their fans and their manager. Second half we were by far the better team and had we not been chopped by a homer referee we may well have won.

What infuriates more – their gigantic violent defence or their gigantic violent attack? Crouch should have been sent off for continual use of the elbow, Adams should have been imprisoned for GBH on Alexis. Anthony Taylor (the idiot ref) must be enjoying his new gold Rolex.

images

Anthony Taylor’s Nice Little Earner

11/1/15. A chance for the team to make reparations to both the fans and the manager.

Let’s start with the man who could be at the centre of the game, the referee, Jonathan Moss. In 17 games this season he has given out (why is a card always brandished?)  58 yellow and 7 red cards including sending off the miscreat Puncheon at The Emirates in August.

Stoke: On an unbeaten run which includes both us and MU. They cannot be under-estimated. But …. they are Orcs and have an odious manager. If the world was a fair and reasonable place, they would both be languishing in the lower regions of the Northern Premier League but it isn’t and Stoke continue to assault all who play them, aided and abetted by The Chief Orc, Sparky Hughes.

I don’t want to write about their players, they are all shitehawks apart from the diamond in the rough, Bojan – what is this superb, gifted player doing in Orc central? From the Nou Camp to the Britannia – the mind boggles and one can only hope he finds redemption come seasons end.

It has been raw weather this weekend which may prevent Stoke from playing hoofball but I doubt it. A couple of weeks ago West Ham sent in almost 60 long balls into our penalty area. That is one every 90 seconds!! Expect much of the same today.

Arsenal: The 7th cavalry are on the horizon as Ozil, Ramsey, Flamini etc return from injury. Walcott has had a run about and Giroud is off the naughty step. We have our first choice back five playing together for the second time this season. It augurs well

images-1

Proof Ozil exists

I wouldn’t start Ozil, Ramsey or even Theo; this is a game for fighters and men who are 100% fit. Why risk the returnees?

My team:

TPIG

Debuchy     BFG     Koscielny    Gibbs

Ox    Flamini    Rosicky    Cazorla

Alexis   Giroud

Not much height or heft but much pace and ingenuity. If Santi and Alexis can continue their wonderful form the Orcs will be bamboozled. With Theo to fly past Bardsley for the final 20 minutes and Ozil to get perhaps 15, we should be set up for the trip  to the Champions next weekend.

Given Szczesny’s excellent judgement of the high ball at WHU he must start today; the aberrations of his Southampton performance should be forgotten and forgiven and  having Ospina on the bench will energise him.

A first league win in 2015 would be a boost especially given the Hapless Hotspurs loss and the disturbing improvement of Liverpool.

The first half at Stoke was our worst performance for many a season, this afternoon the team have a chance for redemption. Let it be so.

COYRRG

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Is the Arsenal Youth Academy value for money?

January 8, 2015

The other day Arnie put up a picture of an Arsenal Youth Cup squad and Exile listed their current whereabouts. Only three of the players shown are still at Arsenal, Wilshere, Gibbs and Coquelin.

This led me to ponder on the value of our Academy, I’ve been unable to find out just how much is spent annually on it but mention was made some weeks ago about a plan to upgrade the facilities at a cost of several million pounds. I understand that it is already reckoned to be among the best in the country

Despite the money spent and the best efforts of the coaching staff the output, as far as future first team players for Arsenal is concerned, is pretty minimal

Indeed we are continuing to hunt the globe for promising youngsters at other clubs academies. It looks likely that Wenger is planning to sign a young full-back from Ipswich Town, while during our recent defender crisis it was not considered feasible to play any of our home-grown talent either at centre-back or left-back.

You have only to look at some of the incoming youngsters to see what can be done at other academies, a certain Spanish mid-fielder, Walcott (a terrific player but injury prone), Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Chambers.

I know that it is the socially correct thing to give local youngsters the opportunity to make a career in football, but is hoovering up the young talent from around the globe the right thing to do. Particularly when so many are discarded after a year or two.

Is the Arsenal Youth Academy a worthwhile project, or should it be scrapped and the money saved put into the kitty to buy established players?

Written by Norfolk Gooner

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Posted by Rasp

Arsenal’s Goalkeeper – Stick, Twist or Bust?

January 7, 2015

Our beloved club has struggled to find a suitable replacement for David Seaman as a GK. Some may argue that Lehmann was that man, but I believe that except for one season, Lehmann was erratic and unreliable and did not offer enough guarantees. We had placed high hopes in Fabianski but they faded quickly. We then placed our faith in the Sczecesny, also know as the Pole in Goal (PiG) and despite some improvements, he still fails to reassure us and this season he has been quite horrific (check link: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/15118/9634573/premier-league-arsenals-wojciech-szczesny-is-struggling-for-form-but-will-arsene-wenger-wield-the-axe ).

Should we continue with PiG as our Nr. 1 GK for this season or shall we test Ospina who is a fine Colombian international over the next few games? Also, would you consider selling PiG this summer and if so, would you like our club to purchase if Ospina does not offer enough reliability as Nr. 1 GK?

Written by RC78

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Posted by Rasp

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