For some time now, I have visited websites of the Arsenal rivals prior to a tie just to see the perspective of the woeful on the goalful. For the most part, the writing and images are honest, mostly journalistic in nature and on occasion, fan driven and supportive. As a fiercely loyal Jersey Gooner who often travels over an hour just to watch them at the Darkhorse Pub in Philadelphia, I get a slight rush of satisfaction when I see our club regarded in the same light as either monsters or gods, with the final summation being that the Arsenal are a dominate force to be reckoned with and never to be taken lightly.
Today, I checked out the online home of Chelsea’s “Rubles” and linked onto their version of the match report. What I saw was something I don’t think I would ever see at Arsenal.com, or any of the other supporter’s sites including this one. Accompanying the article, which was almost flattering to us (especially in respect to Jose’s first rocket of a shot) and full of great stuff about how the players had basically conceded defeat after Jose’s game winner, they had pictures that can only be described as agony and despair in blue.
I liked them.
I encourage my fellow gooners to check them out, if for no other reason, to feel the complete victory. It remains to be seen if Roman’s beaten side will take Sunday’s gloomy tie as incentive to play well, or to simply provide more depressing pictures.
Six days time will tell. And you can bet I’ll be checking back to chelseafc.com.
7 Responses to “How To Kill Time Until Saturday”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
February 17th, 2004 at 2:10 pm
Wooow!!!!!
I always see this guy as another Arsenal fan but I might be wrong. You are not just a Gunner but also a Football fan. Glad to hear someone with a broad information about football not just Arsenal and maybe say it as it is. There are just a few here and nice to see someone is talking good.
Yes I said it, there is nothing wrong about talking about how good Arsenal is and what they have achieved so far but sometimes wow!!! Others make a lot of nothing. Of course, you might have fan driven and supportive reports at times i.e. Against Spurz, which we all know why but against, teams like the Mancs, the kops or Blues is all about a good game and good competition.
NB: Ash Cole, Please I want to see a good game against the Portuguese Mancs “Ranaldo” but Sol nice try and hope you fit for Saturday but this is really a case of revenge for scandalous treatment by the FA that ended your season last year which also may have cost Arsenal the championship.
Hope all the guys come back fit and have some good games this wednesday
February 17th, 2004 at 5:47 pm
mazza
sorry to go on about this but i think discussion on the one dodgy part of our team is should continue and continue.
every man and his dog knows gilberto is a defensive midfielder and it really is very annoying and patronising when someone crticises gilberto and the reply is: “but he’s a defensive midfielder, he shields the back four, he is the invisible wall’.
everyone knows thats his job but it is patently obvious that his contribution in this area does not warrant a first team place. as martin tyler of sky sports said against bolton last year. “gilberto is known as the invisible wall,but in the last few weeks he has been invisible.” i highly value tyler’s opinion.
alot of his supporters point to the fact that because we are top his performances do not matter. well let me remind you if it wasn’t for the briliance of henry and pires, and most recently reyes, then his contribution, or lack of it, would be talked about even more than it is now. just because we have world class players saving our bacon doesn’t mean suddenly gilberto is immune to criticism.
ive watched most arsenal games and study gilberto more than most players, and objectively speaking, repeat, objectively, he simply not good enough. you wouldn’t get so many people saying he is crap if there wasn’t a grain truth to it.
February 17th, 2004 at 6:11 pm
Well I see this whole debate as a good thing and Rick is doing a good job to bring in more fans but none of the fans have come out with any good reason apart from a few.
Here is what I think.
Here are two different guys. Gilberto is a defensive midfielder and play behind PV4 whiles the much improve Edu is an attacking midfielder. Period. At the moment Edu is playing better than Berto because he fits in well to our style of play. You don?t need to be a footballer to know this. Edu change the whole game on Sunday and unless you were sitting in white Hart lane you might think otherwise.
The question is he’s not as strong as Gilberto is in the tackle nor does he have his stamina, but his passing is streets ahead and he seems to know where the goal is. Should play even more now we’ve lost Parlour from midfield.
February 17th, 2004 at 6:13 pm
Well most of us watch footabll and not just Arsenal.
By the way after your comments on Gilberto am about to worried a bit..
shape up
February 17th, 2004 at 8:18 pm
Have to say I wholeheartedly agree with the last comment concerning Gilberto. I don’t think I have seen a less talented and less skilfull Brazilian in my life!
Let me ask anyone this: If his name was Dave Jones and he was born in Rochdale instead of Rio De Janeiro and had exactly the same amount of talent- would he be playing for Arsenal? Answers not required on a postcard please.
Edu should be starting every game- he seems to be an incredibly lucky charm for us- with his various deflected goals and assists to own goals (Hypia @ Anfield this season). I think he is a far more accomplished footballer than Dave, err I mean Gilberto.
Perhaps also it is no coincidence that a ceratin other left sided partner in the midfield brought out the very best in Patrick Viera a few years ago?
February 18th, 2004 at 7:38 am
lets not get big headed now
February 19th, 2004 at 1:55 pm
my 90 year-old granny is tougher in the tackle than gilberto is. thats one of my seemingly endless gripes with gilberto, his non-tackling! his poke tackles are very risky and when he loses them (50% of the time) it puts us at great risk. if you had saw edu against boro in carling cup first leg at highbury you would see he is very strong, almost too strong, in the tackle.
i agree however with your view that gilberto probably has better stamina than edu.