What a wonderful weekend for Arsenal.
A 1-0 victory over Everton, made possible by a wonder-goal from our club captain; losses to league leaders Manchester City and those lads at Tottenham; and the unveiling of three glorious statues outside Emirates Stadium marked the 125th anniversary for the club that we all love.
All the good vibes prompted me to make four conclusions on a variety of topics that surrounded the anniversary celebrations.
Robin van Persie has enjoyed the year of his career
It is no surprise but it bears repeating: Robin van Persie has had the standout year of his footballing career. 33 goals in the Premier League in 2011, one more than Thierry Henry ever managed, and he is just three away from Alan Shearer’s all-time record of 36.
But amazingly for a player like van Persie it has not been about the goals. It has never been about the goals. His transformation from an experienced, talented but oft-unavailable player to the figure-head of this Arsenal squad has been remarkable. He has taken on the captaincy with determination and fostered a team spirit that values grit and heart as much as it does fluid football.
In every possible footballing aspect that you can consider he has been exemplary. To mark our 125th anniversary with a goal of such superb technical quality as to honour Arsene Wenger’s philosophy, to secure a 1-0 win that winks knowingly at the teams of the past, from the man who now holds the mantle as club captain, was absolutely sensational.
Lack of recent success has changed the attitude of incoming players
It occurred to me recently that our recent lack of success — in trophy form, of course — may well be responsible for a positive change in attitude of the players who have broken into the team over the past seasons. A few years ago Arsenal was a place constantly on the brink of winning trophies — an atmosphere that perhaps attracted the Samir Nasris and Emmanuel Adebayors of the world — players who expect success but perhaps do not possess the character to do the hard yards to make it happen.
As things currently stand Arsenal are not a club a prospective player would look at as likely to dominate the European footballing scene, we simply do not have the money-power. So when new players arrive — I’m thinking the Koscielnys, Mertesackers and Artetas — they know Arsenal’s current standing in the game and what it will take to achieve success. They’re also not disheartened by the apparent downward fall we have taken over the past six years, but looking up at where this club could be in the next three years.
This subtle change in attitude, combined with the English core of young players that are emerging, could see us develop into a far more mentally-strong team than we have previously been perceived.
Playing four centre-backs gave us surprising balance
While it should be mentioned Everton showed very little attacking intent the fact is that they were afforded very little opportunity by a back four that featured no full-backs. Koscielny and Mertesacker played through the middle, meaning Thomas Vermaelen shuffled to the left and Johan Djourou playing on the right. With injuries to Gibbs, Sagna, Jenkinson and Santos’ long-term absence confirmed — he’ll be missing for three months with ankle ligament damage — it is a line-up we will need to get used to.
Surprisingly though, it gave the side a lot of balance as Gervinho and Theo Walcott were able to bomb forward at will knowing they would always be covered in the event of a mistake. Vermaelen used the extra space afforded to him to hurt Everton with some raking cross-field passes while Djourou’s understandable lack of ambition was taken advantage of by Alex Song, who scuttled forward late on to set up van Persie with a brilliant pass for the winning goal.
Nine points is not a chasm
After having dug ourselves out of a massive early-season hole and still only sitting fifth on the table, two points behind Spurs, any Arsenal supporter could be forgiven for settling for a place in the top four come the end of the season. But with the top five now crowding into a tighter space and results between the five sides proving to be as unpredictable as Gervinho’s dribbling, is it unrealistic not to hold some hope that our team could finish top of the pile at the end of the season?
A top four place is still no certainty, make no mistake about it, but a win over Manchester City next weekend would make things delightfully poised. We probably do not have the experience within this group of players to win the league but as our improvement clearly indicates, we are a team on the up that has the potential to be better.
Thierry Henry as our next manager would be sensational
I have been of the opinion for perhaps two or three years that the man who will succeed Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager will be Thierry Henry. I don’t really know why this is the case, it’s probably a combination of what he has done for our club, the esteem with which he is held by the Arsenal faithful and the comment that Wenger once made that ‘nobody knows more about football than Thierry’. And now he has been immortalised alongside Herbert Chapman and Tony Adams as one of the three statues to be put up outside Emirates Stadium.
He lives and breathes football, he is an intelligent, charismatic man who understands the game, knows our philosophy inside and out and understands our club’s history. Not to mention the fact that he could bring in the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires and form a management team that would get every Arsenal fan quivering with excitement.
It might be a little idealistic but I’d love to see Henry as our next manager.
Happy 125th anniversary celebrations to all. Let me know what you thought of it all by leaving a comment.
I was thinking the same thing about Henry as I was watching him speak at the statue unveiling – he just looks right in manager’s garb. That’s meaningless, obviously, but it was something I hadn’t thought of until that moment, and when you add in the actual data (namely, the things you mentioned) it makes a lot of sense.
I’ll be amazing having henry succeed wenger cos he (henry) has being the fans favorite for as long as he lives, his love for arsenal and the lads is also great, so it would be extremely good for a player who understands arsenal as henry and tony adams does, to succeed arsene wenger. TH14 am in support.
I feel pretty comfy putting my trust in van Persie, Vermaelen and Koscielny..I reckon we are digging our way out, slowly but surely..
Nice article again Andrew. Henry as future manager – I think it’s a nice dream.
Be interesting to see what impact the Chelski-$ity result will have on Sunday. Will it galvanise the Mancs and make them return to their early season form? Or will it dent their confidence and make them vulnerable?
Either way, this will be a real test for how far we have come since those dark days in August. Can’t help but be a bit worried about our fullbacks (or lack of them). Not an ideal state to be in against the league leaders. This morning’s game showed they can be rattled though and if we are at the top of our game I don’t see why we can’t get a result. Now wouldn’t that be a nice early Christmas prezzie?!
I will be worried if we try and play too high a defensive line – Aguero and Balotelli on the end of Silva’s magic will cause us problems. But it will be a great match. Can’t wait!
It would truly round off all the celebrations if the gunners could win at least
a trophy,probably the FA cup.I feel the gunners are off the pace in the league ,what with Gervino jetting off in Jan.As for the cl ,it pains me to state the gunners defence could be unhinged by pace and players dribbling past the German.
Btw,I am overjoyed MC were beaten.With the gunners playing them on Sunday,let me state the Blues will be all out to win .RVP could be a heavily marked man and don’t be surprised he will be injured by the tough tackles which are sure to come.
This is where the match offcials come in.There have too many inconsistent
performances from these guys in recent games.That is why the FA must take immediate and decisive action against blundering guys.If the FA can punish the ref who wrongly NU apenalty,surely it can raise the ant by publicly saying blundering mos will not be tolerated.
While I would love nothing more than for Titi to be our next long-term manager, I do see two big problems with that idea as things currently stand: (1) Henry has no management experience right now. We love him to death, and as a footballer he is a legend, but the Man U alumni have shown that does not always translate to being able to manage a football club. Even one of our own, the great Tony Adams, has not had it all his way as a manager. I think Thierry would need to get some experience before he took the reigns of the all-inclusive manager position (Arsene does virtually everything) at Arsenal. (2) Thierry has come out on multiple occasions and said that though he dreams of being a part of Arsenal again, he does not think he wants to be a manager. He says that he does not think he would be able to handle the time commitment (basically your entire life) it would take, and he would be happier as an assistance coach or something of the like.
That said, nothing would make me happier than to see Henry back with the Arsenal in one capacity or another. To see him roaming the touchline during matches would be amazing.
Just read that Foy,the blundering ref at the Stoke vs Spurs game,has been spared the axe.It really puzzles me.Here we have a ref who refused two clear cut penalties is retained and astonishingly disallowed a legitimate Spurs goal. The rf who gave a penalty to NU vs MU is axed.To add insult to injury,the pmgo have lent their support to Foy.This aint surprising.
Btw I aint a Spurs supporter.What happened to the Spuds could happen to Arsenal.From the two games ,the red faced would be much happier.I am afarid the gunners could be playing against twelve on the pitch.You never know especially with a ref who is about to retire.Why not sabotage the gunners and stop them in their track.
The FA have gone after the wrong guy.They should have reprimande Foy to lend credibilty otherwise they could be the laughing stock by letting the guys in black decide the outcome of games.
Is amazing,having the likes of thiery henry,adams to succeed the current manager at emirate stadium.looking at the contribution they made and are still making for the achievement of the club.
In a MEANINGLESS match, a stupid manager plays his regular left-back and now loses him for matches he would have been needed and takes away his most important/valuable defender to fill the role……….why didnt he rest the whole starting 11?
This is the lot of a catastrophic WENGER
hmmmmmmmmmm
Anyone know why its Gervinho and Chamakh going to the Africa Cup of Nations and not Song?
Did Cameroon not qualify? If so, sorry for them but I’m happy we keep alex
Andrew, I think Henry’s record is 34 goals in a calendar year. So RVP is still 1 behind him. I’m not sure if it’s the lack of success or it’s just that the players we’ve brought in, for one reason or another really want to be here. For some it’s a step up. Others have a last chance at glory at a big club. Some of course are gooners. All of that helps, as does their age I suppose. But there is a togetherness and a doggedness about this side which bodes well.
I disagree about Henry being the next manager. He still has a lot to prove there. But of course, which Gooner wouldn’t love it to happen someday.
I totally agree with you about 9 points being a gap that isn’t insurmountable. But we still need to take it a game at a time. We face the “new Invincibles” (Haha) ManCity next week. A win there puts us within 6 or 7 of the top. Who would have thought that in August?
@GunnerBoss
Give it a rest man. Calling the manager names, especially when the team is doing so well is churlish. I too felt Santos should not have played, but there can be reasons for why he did. In any case, that sort of injury can happen in ANY game. I don’t see why frustration at a player’s injury has to result in name calling.
Ooh2BeAGooner
Yes, Cameroon had a fairly disastrous qualifying campaign, and so we get to keep our one Song through the month of Jan. I am concerned about losing Gervinho, especially with Arshavin in the funk he is in. But let’s see how it goes. It’s a long hard season, but it’s been anything but boring so far.
I’m a huge optimist, but am concerned about the loss of santos. OK every tackle he makes is do or die, but he has added the element of a marauding wing back. Its been a while since we had a player of his type and i think his enthusiasm haas been a big part of the revival. Good defenders others may be, but none of them provide agressive attacking play.
We also need some cover for RVP urgently. If we lost him we’d be in big trouble. sorry but the rest of the strike force just wont contribute enough goals
Good posting Andrew,
Robin is having a wonderful run of games and that last volley versus Everton was really sublime. Shard is right though he is one strike behind and not ahead of Henry.
@o2B,
Cameroon did not qualify for the African Cup of Nations and considering Chamahk’s present form Gervinho will be the real loss up front.
What about Frimpong? Will he be going?
Le Boss is hinting he will buy in the next transfer window. Who will it be?
With Song,Arteta and Ramsey doing such a solid job Benayoun,Rosicky,Frimpong and Coquelin as backups it will most likely be a striker or defender. We could use some cover at goalkeeper though.
Oh well, I can’t even guess. Can we get a point off Man $ity?
I think he wanted to play Santos to boost his match fitness. Vermeulen can fill in until Gibbs is back. City have no left backs either so I hope Gerv and Theo can give them a fright.
@Terry
City have Zabaleta who can play there, plus they do have their star left back Wayne Bridge somewhere…I think…
I don’t think we’ll be buying a full back in the transfer window. That’s January. Gibbs is expected to return sometime around mid-Jan I think. As is Jenkinson. While that is a risk, I don’t see how we’ll buy a full back when we already have Santos, Gibbs, Sagna and Jenkinson there, plus we have players like Vermaelen, Koscielny, Djourou, and even Miquel who can fill in there. It won’t happen, unless we can find a loan deal or something.
I really hope we buy a striker though, and preferably one who can play left wing as well, since Gervinho will be missing for about 4-6 weeks. I’ve heard Podolski mentioned but I have no idea how he’s been playing of late. Haven’t seen much at all of the Bundesliga this season. On the face of it, Podolski would be a good signing though.
its a relief to have song staying at the club,but disaster having gervinho leave
frimpong did give his intention of playing for ghana, has he been pick? i have no idea, but with the injuries occuring every game even he would state he not willing to stay bench again while playing for ghana .LEFTCOASTGOONER,did you have a look at the kolo toure statement about clubs discrimnating players leaving for afcon? The reason is becoz the afcon is held for every two years is for the host country to make money, well staying in sa its nothing but a dull uninteresting, rather boring, unorganised tournament sight having to watch which is more for money just been taken by the fatcats of football, if kolo toure is not happy then leave and go back home, clubs pays there salaries not there egos especially since he wanted more money and now on the wrong side of the football pitch.
Hola Dutch,
How goes it with the coming of summer down there?
Here it’s all rain and temperatures around 4-7c.
I don’t know what Kolo’s complaint is really. I have been a big fan of his a long time and have always respected the heart that he played for us with.
But time and circumstance changes people and I think Kolo is begining to see the end. This is very hard to deal with for many players and for such a proud,strong man. Still, it’s something that happens to all of us and Kolo will have to find the grace to deal with it.
We definitely need to look for another forward in the transfer window but quality is always hard to find and I’d rather stay pat than risk upsetting the current chemistry by taking on somebody’s problem child.
Gervinho will be a loss for sure in January but I’m looking forward to seeing what Oxlaide-Chamberlain can do for us with the first team.
Can’t wait for the game this Sunday as I think we’ve got a good chance of taking a point or maybe all three.
COYG
I just left Die Zeit website. Felix Magath, Wolfsburg’s manager is making inquiries as to the availabilty of Thomas Rosicky in this January’s transfer window.
Welcome back!
I might disagree with you that the team lacks the experience to win the league. Maybe I am a tad too optimistic, but I believe we do. This team has defied all odds and all the “crisis” talkers from early in the season.
P.S.@gunnerboss- You apparently know more than the “stupid manager” who played his lb in a”meaningless match”. I wonder how many games you have managed at the top level; how much time you have spent at Colney with the team; etc.This is getting tiring.
The champion league matches has been confirmed with arsenal taking on acmilan,Iam not sure what to make of it, but there are positives such as arsenal beating ac and inter at san siro and italians are not so diffcult as some years back.
Arsenal should still be at their best and out play the rossaneri’s,lets remember the ac front three are incredibly lazy like couch potato that why rumors are spreading of tevez going there, all we need is hard work and ability to score. If i had to choose between napoli and ac i would still prefer ac as we dont know napoli that well,LEFTCOASTGOONER- in auckland its mostly rainy then shiny then back to rainy something i am use to in port elizabeth, but crap 4-7 no way! i would be wearing soccer sock just about very day -it talk that all, but rosicky as been in good form for a while,if he was to leave it should happen at the end of the season.
I think Cech has been having lunch in Almunia’s house.
my conclusion on this weekend: great great match 😎
Citeh are the deserved champions as they were very good on all occasions.Its unfortunte that we didnt have any recognised full backs in that game and i hope come January most of the players are back otherwise we are not going to beat Totenham for the top four position.On the all we didnt disappoint but why did Wenger have to leave on Song all that long as we survived a clear cut red. Frimpong could have come in at the second half as he has already played better against them and was up for that game.
This is why Byo is a MAD man.
Chamakh is the best thing to have happened to us according to Byo.
Wenger was right to have played his only left back in a COMPLETELY useless match and now loosing to CITY mainly because of that same left back position makes who look foolish?
Howdy all,
Still licking my wounds and sulking after this weekend’s loss to $ity.
Billi, it was a really good match but for me great means we win.
Oh well, time to quit moping and get ready for Villa on weds.
@BYO and Gunner boss. Both you guys make some valid points though you obviously don’t always agree. Being a good gooner doesn’t mean always agreeing or being un-critical. But try to stay fair and respectful. I think we all want the same thing in the end…success.
COYG!!!!
GunnerBoss change the record. The problem was at right back – the goal was a direct result of Kos being awol when our attack broke down. And he was there because our fill in right back Djorou got injured. You are welcome to your views but at least think before you air them.
I thought we put in one of our better displays and were worth a point in a game that could have gone either way. How Dowd didn’t see a clear penalty for handball is beyond me.
Had Phil Dowd actuaully seen the penalty and called it THAT would have been beyond me. He has two modes one is detrimental and the other like last sunday is utterly useless.
@leftcoastgooner: of course, but I refuse to feel any frustration after such a game, it’s about enjoying football and feeling positive
Howdy all,
Looks like Frimpong and Coquelin for Song and Sagna(or Jenkinson) respectively. Hopefully it will work out well we’ll have no injuries and get the win.
@Billi I know exactly what you mean, it’s a good attitude to have but since we started our run in 17th position my eye is always on the points. A bit myopic perhaps. Anyway,
COYG!!!!!
Can we see the Ox today against Villa instead of Arshavin??
Usually I defend Andrei but on the weekend he looked like he’d never played the game before. I haven’t hated a russian this much since the first time I saw Rocky IV.
Yossi Benayoun with a goal on the first day of Hanukkah.
How appropriate, and a christmas gift to the rest of us gentile types!
Thank you Yossi!
Great win.
Thank you guys.
I am very happy.
In Arsene I truly trust.
Again, in Arsene I truly trust.
We got out of gaol with that one. Thought Villa were a tad unlucky and we were below par. Song was a big miss and Coquelin does not look a safe bet at fullback. Ramsay was guilty of conceding possession too easily and Gervinho disappeared altogether. Arteta was our best player in my opinion and Kos and Szcszscny also outstanding again. still after the City game when I thought we deserved at least a draw I’ll take an ‘ugly’ win! Can RVP break the record against Wolves on Boxing Day?
I have no idea why Ramsey plays in that team. He is as useful only as Bendtner! I laugh in my native language.
Well Im still happy out at this point in time…wer way better off than anyone thought wed be three months ago and weve yet to field our best side….the players have restored the pride of the club and fans..Coquelin and Frimpong are serious prospects alongside the Ox and Ryu ‘hy-yu-gaet’ Myaichi, the manager seems revitalised and his bouts of sideline anxiety attacks seem to have subsided.
The only thing that could make me happier is a january clearance sale of some of the deadest wood in the english PL…you know who you are Arshavin and Chamakh…neither of you would sweat in a sauna.
disagree with Opus. I think Ramsay has been steadliy improving all season, but he looked like he could do with a rest in the Villa game. To compare him to Bendnter is a joke right? And to come back like he has after the injury he suffered speaks a lot about the lad. He and Wilshire are the bedrock for us in midfield for the next few years. For the Wolves game I expect Wenger to rest him and play Arteta, Song and Rosicky. Also would like to see Benayoun get a run over Gervinho who was anonymous the other night.
Cheski/Spuds drew which was another bit of good news. I just hope they both got a few key players injured along the way!
Merry Christmas to all Gooners.
Good win and the draw for the Spuds did us wonders. I
Good win and the draw for the Spuds did us wonders. Top four for Chelsea is not guaranteed as many of us think.Ox deserves more games .
Point noted Terry, but if we didnt have trouble at left back, we wouldn’t even be playing Djourou there in the first place. Kos would’ve started there instead.
The second half reshuffling caused the goal. Did you see Ignasi Miguel was completely lost when they scored? He let someone in behind him because he does not have experience in this NEW position.
Q.E.D.
Gibbs out for another month I just read: if ever there was a time to tap into the january sales for cover at full back is now! How can you manage with all four FBs crocked? Baines from Everton woud be good, and then we can let Gibbs go – the guy is always injured sorry to say. Knowing our club’s record with transfers we will be linked with a number of players and instead of wrapping the deals up in the first week it will midnight on the 31st…
from the flyingdutchmen protestant, wishing all the gooners on the blog and arsenal cast a happy christmas and new year, leftcoastgooner with been in 17th place just a while back we certainly put on a show keeping in striking distance of the leading pack, looking for us to certainly bags all 6 points at end of the year and rvp to break alan shearer record, becoz records are meant to be broken.nz time
Howdy Dutch, howdy all.
Watching the Champions league replay of Basel FC versus ManU.
It’s sweeter than Christmas pudding. Thinking of which Merry Christmas, Froliche Wiehnachten,Noel and/or Feliz Natal to you Dutch and to all.
(Even you S***s fans) 🙂
hi, leftcoastgooner dont count all your eggs before they hatch, since the swiss in manu group put in players incorrectly they might be disqualified come 14 january, which will open the door for manu to play in the champion league, sad but read it up i might be wrong,merry christmas once again.
A home draw against 10 man wolves is not sufficient.
Hi Buggered by the Queen,
I’m not surprised by the result. Can you honestly, see Arsenal winning any silverware this season.
This was my pick at the beginning of the season and I’m sticking to it.
1) Manchester United
2) Manchester City
3) Arsenal or Liverpool
4) Arsenal or Liverpool
5) Chelsea
6) Tottenham Hotspurs
Feel free to disagree.
The Football Association is to appoint a new woman board member.
Here is the link = http://www.footballsecretsociety.com
This is the very reason for my name calling….
How and why on earth does a very experienced Premier League manager use his only available left back in a COMPLETELY USELESS/MEANINGLESS match?
What kills me is.. he also played Vermaelen in that game….. Did he want them to get injured? That match was like a carling cup match, it was just a warm up (reserves) game for us.
We NEEDED Santos for this wolves match, Djourou was completely fucked and Kos would’ve done a much much better job. We WILL always miss Santos….fuck you Byo…
Hola Dutch, Howdy all,
Wow, was not expecting that. I knew Wolves would park the bus but I figured we would find away especially after the nice first goal by Gervinho. But we took our foot off the gas and couldn’t get the job done. Too, too bad. With the Chav’s drawing the extra 2 points would have put us alone in fourth and in striking distance of S***s. Now, back to the drawing board.
@Michael, I HOPE you’re calculations are right. That last Chapmions League slot is vital.
@GunnerBoss I agree in principle with you and yeah, we definately could have used Andre’s skill and attacking prowess down the left. I also feel that loss keenly but try to have a little respect for those who have a different point of view. BYO is one of us too. It’s important to remember that because there is a LOT of football left to play and who knows but there may be other dissapointments along the way so try to stay civil.
@Dutch, what think thee now?
@Leftcoast – Nothing vexes me more than people completely thrashing your views as if you never analysed the situation properly before airing them in the first place.
When they do that, they try to make you look ignorant. We had this issue about Chamakh with Byo and some other idiots and they made me look hopeless. The fact that the guy was scoring then did not mean he was good enough for us and I mentioned this as well.
I would never believe that even when we knew so well that we needed a striker so badly, we would go on to get Chamakh. I was pleased when I heard we signed him, but I later on found out he lacked SPEED and SHOOTING(?) abilities. When was the last time you heard Arsenal had a slow striker? WHEN? The slowest for me is Bergkamp, but defenders PANIC at his sight, cos he will SHOOT and score even half chances.
Now, why does Byo not respect my superior views or analysis? He could have said “you maybe correct about the Santos situation, but stop calling the manager names”.
@Leftcoastgooner
Apparently Kenny Dalglish believes lack of confidence in the Liverpool squad is the reason as to why Liverpool does so poorly.
I hope that Arsene Wenger doesn’t bring a cup drought to the club and the same decline that happened at Liverpool happens at our club.
Here is the link – http://footballsecretsociety.com
The only thing worse thing than watching that Wolves game was having to get up at 2am to watch it. Fuck that was frustrating. The funny thing is we didn’t play badly, just our finishing was woeful. Mightily pissed off as it was a golden opportunity to draw closer to the Spuds.
@GunnerBoss – completely see where you are coming from with Chamakh. Makes you wonder what Wenger ever saw in him. And why did he not bring on OxC when we needed some width and pace? But, as for the Santos thing, can you please drop it. You’ve made your point and there isn’t anyone on this blog who would not like to have one of our regular fullbacks back but that ex-horse has been flogged enough methinks.
Anyone got any January transfer predictions? Is the other Terry Henry about to make a comeback? Will Wenger look at our fullback situation and then pluck an 18 year old attacking midfielder from some Ligue 2 team…?
I am also interested to hear what people’s thoughts on Gervinho are. He took his goal well last night but he does have his worrying habit of going down cul de sacs or miscontrolling just when you think he is about to do something amazing. In fact he and Walcott are quite similar in that regard. Drives me crazy but I really like the effort he puts in. Puts Arshavin to shame.
And finally where is Andy?!
The fact is that Arsenal is an Average Team. That is just how it is.
Thierry Henry’s Arsenal stint was sensational, for me he was the most complete forward in the prem, BUT that was then, i had the privilege of seeing a lot of him at the RED BULLS and for sure he is totally not the same player, don’t get me wrong he shouldn’t be at this age BUT for sure at this moment not what we need. I have some concerns about this interview with stewart Robinson
http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/1410/51/exclusive-robson-insists-henrys-return-arsenal-would-be-mistake
If this is true then i say NO WAY
Even if they decide to sign him he should be a bonus signing and not the natural replacement he is way way way past it. If podolski is available then go get him he may provide us with the cutting edge we need AND he can play wide. Our top four status depends on this JAN window. In the past we have made a mess of the transfer windows moreso the summer (makes me sick)
I just hope we don’t fool around and loose out on our top targets
Very frustrating game.Hope we do better the next game. I thought Chamakh wasn’t that bad and we should have used two strikers as early as we could before it was too late. Am a hater of Chamak but can’t fault him for this game. Truth is Persie wasn’t at his sharpest and it is games like this that injure him. We needed two strikers on the pitch in the last 30 minutes.
Very correct Delano, i completely agree…..Coach was too safety first CONSCIOUS. We couldve done a 3-3-4 and won the game……they had only one striker and they had only TEN men.
We played the stupidest game again this season and conspired to loose again.We need on more striker and a defender. Is there any truth in Podolski saga?
Does Wenger Train our Boys to Manage Emotions?
Does Wenger Train our Boys to Manage a Red Card?
The game against Newcastle last season Arsenal was leading by 4-0 but when the red card was given to Abou Diaby the game ended 4-4, The game against Fulham yesterday Arsenal was leading by 1-0 but when Johan Djourou was red carded, Fulham went ahead and beat us by two goals to one.
What happens when one of the boys is red carded in a game? is it that the emotions don’t sink quickly and those left continue feeling they have been judged unfairly to an extend of loosing concentration. The same can be said when the referee is giving out a free kick that he has already decided and no amount of arguing will make him reside his decision and that you need to cover your goalkeeper as fast as possible lest your opponets take the advantage and take the free kick on an empty goal.
please please please we don’t want to continue witnessing those kind of loses where you already have three points only to be snatched from you in the last five minutes.
The moment other teams realise that if they desorient Arsenal in the last ten minutes Arsenal will lose the grip then we are doomed.
warned of the dangers to America’s ancient overloaded power grid. Being without power for a few months, in the developed world
is a lot more serious than most people realise.
Tiger gave Stuart Appleby the gift that keeps giving. For the second year in a row, the world’s top player opted out of competing in this week’s season-opening Mercedes Championship.