Recent Results, history:
1st place Arsenal take on 16th place Birmingham on Saturday. Since the Blues promotion to the Premier League in the 2002/03 season, Arsenal have won 6 meetings, drawing and losing one game each in their 8 matches. In Arsenal’s wins, they have outscored Birmingham 15-0. The only goals that the Blues have scored against Arsenal came in their 2-1 home win (courtesy of a last minute marker by Heskey) in the 2004/05 season. Arsenal can be forgiven for their 0-0 tie at Highbury against the Blues as the game came after the Gunner’s had clinched the title in that memorable unbeaten season.
In the all time league stats, Arsenal have won 54, drawn 30 and lost 34 times to Birmingham. The first time these two teams played each other was in the F.A Cup all the way back on Jan 16, 1892 when the Blues thrashed Arsenal 5-1. Their first league games took place in the 1893/94 season when the Gunners lost both fixtures by a 4-1 margin. The Blues had a good run in the late 50’s and early 60’s when they became the first English team to take part in an European competition (Fair’s Cup in 1956), were F.A Cup Runners also in 1956, Fairs Cup runners up in 1960 & 1961 and won the League Cup in 1963.
Current Season:
Arsenal (50 points) are 31 points ahead of Birmingham (19). The Gunner’s home record is still impressive with 10 league wins and one draw, scoring 25 goals along the way and letting in just 7. Arsenal are joint top scorers in the league with 42 goals whereas the Blues’ 22 goals puts them ahead of Derby (10 goals), Boro (18), Sunderland (20), Wigan (21) as the teams with the lowest goals tally. Incidentally, Fulham, Arsenal’s next opponents (Jan 19) also have only 22 goals to their name.
Out of the Blues’ 19 points this season, 12 came at home. They only have 2 wins away from home, with one of them being that 3-2 victory over Spurs, courtesy of ex-Gunner, Larsson. Birmingham’s top scorers this season are Oliver Kapo and Jerome with 5 goals each.
Saturday — The Missing vs the Returning:
This Saturday’s game will be the first time this season Arsenal take to the field in a league game without Kolo Toure; Eboue and Song will also be away on African Cup duty. But after a week of Cup games, it will be a refreshing change to see a lot of first team regulars. One player who will be eager to pull on that Arsenal jersey again would be Adebayor. The 10 day lay-off must have felt a long time for him especially in a week when Arsenal’s other two strikers grabbed the headlines. Eduardo and Bendtner each got a goal and Edu set up two goals with his fine slide rule passes in the two cup games. Even the normally quiet Kolo was full of praise for Eduardo just before he took off for Ghana. So it will be interesting to see how fired up Ade would be. Also, Robin Van Persie got a 45 minute run against Spurs, so he should also be eager to regain his first team place.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:18 am
That 2-1 defeat to Birmingham came on the last day of the 04-05 season when second place was already secure. Wenger played Campbell and Senderos together (for the first time?) to assess Campbell and decided to stick with Senderos for the FA Cup final, which we won on penalties.
RvP’s injury gives Eduardo a chance to continue his great run. Someone had mentioned that Eduardo never scores when playing with Ade (it happened vs West Ham). But they should start together.
In defence, who plays next to Gallas? That is the big question. Can we keep clean sheets without Toure? If we can, it should be a straight forward 2-0 kind of win. If not, it will be the more tense 2-1 kind of result.
January 11th, 2008 at 10:06 am
This is crunch time now. ACN is here and now some injuries to stretch the squad.We have had a great run till now but the next month is crucial.Last year I would fancy us struggling in a game like this given our selection scenario but now I feel we have what it takes to get all 3 points. Manure are strong in their squad, Chelski have Le Sulk so we cannot afford slip up s against lower opposition. The draw in the week despite playing poorly showed resolve throughout the squad.I would like to see the free flowing football we played in August and September and a comfortable win rather than another grind it out 1-0, 2-1 that has been of late. Time for Cesc to get back on the scoresheet and recapture some of his earlier form. Whats the feeling at the back, Gilberto back there or Hoyte.I still think we have enough and will be very dissapointed if we drop points.
January 11th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I agree Bert needs to step back if Sendy is even at 95%. We can’t slip up now. He did well when he had to fill in that CB position. Also agree with the Ade-Eduardo combo to start. 3-0 to the Gunners!
January 11th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Call me crazy, but I think Hoyte might be a decent alternative at CB. He played solidly when he slid over there v. Spurs. Getting him action there next to Gallas while playing against a team we should beat would be a way to keep him motivated, since he isn’t going to get any playing time at RB while Sagna is healthy.
January 11th, 2008 at 11:22 am
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=507599&in_page_id=1779&ct=5
Ex-Gunner admits he wasnt good enough!
All of that [Arsenal success] is down to one person, according to Larsson - Wenger. From the bizarre shadow football that bemuses new arrivals, the strict food regimes and the meticulous planning, Larsson’s five years of experience taught him that the Frenchman will never compromise his principles.
“What’s his secret? He has got the way he wants to play football and he will not change. It does not matter what happens. He clones people for all positions and everything is repeated over and over until everyone has it right,” added Larsson.
January 11th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I am curious to see, if Redknapp goes to Newcastle, whether or not Tony will become the head coach at Portsmouth. If he sticks around in coaching long enough, he will always be considered as one of the possible successors to Wenger. I would love to see how he performs at the Premiership level.
January 11th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Tony’s spell at Wycombe was a little shaky so hopefully under ‘Arry’s tutorledge he may have picked up some pointers, I think he is along way off from Arsenal see the above with all the regimens Wenger brought in.Would be nice to see what he is capable of although I think championship level would be better,like Keane at Sunderland.Do not want him to be a Sammy Lee or Gareth Southgate.
January 11th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Agreed, I don’t think he is ready now. But it would be nice to see him get a chance.
January 11th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Thnx SachinG…I was feeling full after dinner and waddled up to the comp thinking of writing a preview
… Anyway though I think we’ll beat Birmingham even though they’ve got Muamba and Larsson who’d be very keen to do well. Great quotes there by Seb…I wonder why so many others are in denial when they leave?? While some blue eyed boys moan even when at the club…and want 90K a week??? Sheesh.
Cameron Jerome is lightning quick..though how good he is after being put through I’m not sure. He did score in that away win against Spurs…but well…does that count?
Olivier Kapo is the other striker they have and he scored a great goal in some game I saw long back. Overall I think we’ll enough to beat em.
Here’s the team Arsene will put out:
Almunia
Sagna Gallas Senderos Clichy
Hleb Cesc Flamini Rosicky
Adebayor Eduardo
Subs: Fabianski Diaby Bendtner Theo Hoyte
p.s… Am I the only one who isn’t sad that Diarra may be going??
January 11th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Oh and BTW…since I’ve never played professional football at all and never will sadly
can someone explain what “wrong side” means in central defense?? As in Kolo always plays right CB and Gallas left CB. I can understand full backs needing to be left sided and right sided but how does it really make too much difference in the middle? I mean — there never seems to be a problem with two left footed or two right footed strikers ..does it?? So why is it a problem with two left footed centre backs or two right footed centre backs?? Anyone?
p.s… Yep Andez in teh previous thread…our wavelengths do match a lot…apart from the fact that you were watching Arsenal football early in the 1990’s when I was in school
January 11th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Good riddance to Lasagna Diarrhea. ” My heads not in it’ ….has he been to the Sol Campbell school of pissing off the fanbase. Give me a midfield of Flaminis anyday. I hope we sign him up longterm. I love the way he literally rolls up his sleeves and gets stuck in
January 11th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
LDE/9…Now Wenger is saying Jens will be on the bench tomorrow.
The only thing that scares me about Diarra leaving is the next six week period and AW saying, with a straight face, that Gilberto can play “…very well…” at CB “…even if he does not enjoy it…”
January 11th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Thanks Nipuna. I completely forgot when that 2-1 defeat happenned.
No problems, LDE.
Anelka has officially moved to Chelsea. I wonder how long he will last there? Currently Chelsea need him because they are short of strikers right now (Pizarro being the only one). But what will happen when Drogba returns? Anelka will be ahead of Kalou and Pizarro but will he be placed ahead of Sheva? Chances are he will want a move away in summer. Regardless, I am glad he scored that goal to beat ManU.
January 11th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077681/posters
http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_product.asp?master_movie_id=6278&movie_nss=&MGAID=Q8A81053
Follow either of these links to see Sendy’s long lost brother.
January 11th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Talk Sport in UK now reporting Alan Shearer will not turn job down if offered. Arry still has not committed. What a joke Newcastle really are
January 11th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Nipuna that is an interesting question who plays alongside Gallas. Unfortunately Senderos will play there if he is fit and more unfortunately he is probably the best we have to put in that position without Toure (excluding Sagna possibly).
Gilberto or Hoyte at centre back, that may well be the question. As much as Hoyte can be like Senderos i.e prone to nervous errors now and then (Senderos more frequent) I would rather him there ahead of Gilberto but I trust Arsene knows better as he sees them everyday in training. However I would feel a lot more comfortable if Sagna went to centre back and and Hoyte to right back. But I don’t think that will happen.
Brendan@ 6 I doubt Harry is foolish enough to put neck on the chopping block that Newcastle has now become. The pressure is too much their and Harry is doing so well at Pompy and is appreciated. He may well end up making as big a mistake as Big Sam (in retrospect.) As for Tony Adams I love him but I do not think he will make a good manager imagine being sacked by Wycombe Wonderers. OK he may improve but I think a good manager in the long term will show some potential in his first job, ala Roy Keane or Paul Ince. I honestly think if Tony were to take over at Arsenal at anytime in the near to distant future we would end up being a middle of the table club once again floundering below Spuds, God forbid.
January 11th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/01/11/Prem-League-Freeman-set-for-Arsenal-move/
Looks like we got an Englishman!
Hope this kid will turn out to be the real deal.
January 11th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
macmac123 @14 that’s hilarious!
Don’t you think that our Cesc looks like Sylar from Heroes?
January 11th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I think Hoyte offers a good bit that you don’t get from Senderos. Hoyte has great pace that will allow him to make up for some of the situational awareness that he will lack initially. While not as tall or physical a presence as Senderos, he would seem less likely to lumber in to one of the rash tackles that cost a penalty or earn a red card. I’m not saying he will replace Toure, but he might help out until everyone else is healthy and/or back from the African Nations Cup.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Why not put sagna in the middle and hoyte on the right?
January 11th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Sagna is a more consistent performer going forward than Hoyte. Hoyte is also a bit taller than Sagna.
January 11th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
But Sagna is more physical and has more experience. Not better suited for the middle of defense in this case?
With a 5 man midfield, Hoyte can sit back and defend letting the midfield create scoring opportunities.
January 11th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
@Brendan, i’d love to see Tony Adams makes a good managerial career out of himself too. but i don’t think he will ever be the Arsenal manager.
Tony is very “English”. And he does not accept the changes very well. When he was partnering David O’Leary at the back, when GG bought Steve Bould, he didn’t exactly welcome Bouldy with an open arm. And after he became a pal with Bouldy, when GG bought Andy Linigan, Tony also took a while to accept him.
Same when AW first arrived, Tony had doubt as well. And over the years he been a bit criticial of AW’s non-English policy.
When he was at Wycombe, he signed Scott Marshall, a former Arsenal trainee who played a few games alongside Tony during the late 90s. someone he’s familiar with. but didn’t make any impact at all.
So i can only imagine should Tony be the Arsenal boss one day, he will be buying more Alan Smith, Joey Barton, all heart no game type of English bulldogs. And may not be too open-minded towards the foreign imports.
January 11th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
exactly andez…..tony adams or any of our past english players must NOT manage arsenal. if they want to help out as our defense coach fine…but not as manager. they have too much of an english mentality.
before you know it the next fabregas will have to give way to a jermain jenas just because he is english LOL. no adams please.
pat rice will suit me just fine though, he seems like a clone of wenger. but he is the same age as wenger so he will probably retire at about the same time.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:47 am
Lehmann’s Dortmund move breaks down…well its ok I guess. I’d rather him stay on than Diarra tbf.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:13 am
Andez @ 23 you hit he nail on the head. Tony God bless him is a stubborn so and so, did you notice he also retired from International football as soon as Sven became manager. He had quite a tense relationship with Martin Keown as well.
Sounds like you got a really good knowledge of the game. Who could successfully succeed Wenger, that is an extremely big question, but I hope that we will not need to consider for another twenty years at least!
January 12th, 2008 at 10:12 am
thks arthur, I love the game that’s all. I think Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger must be the most difficult managers to replace in the modern game, cos not only they are successful, they both stay with their clubs for a long period of time. Whoever being their successors, not only the expectation will be great, inevitably fans will be comparing them to Ferguson (Man U fans) and Wenger (Gooners).
Ferguson himself was lucky enough that when he took over United, United been constantly underachieved for a long period of time, that probably bought him a bit of time to build his team. In the end it still took him six seasons to win his first trophy. Can anypne imagine his successor will have the same luxury? Most likely scenrio is one or two seasons without a trophy, he’s out of the door.
Wenger probably will be even more difficult to replace than Ferguson, as not only he produced winning football, his team play some amazing Wengerball as well. when fans got used to watching the attractive passing football for over a decade, chance is that they will find it difficult to settle for anything less. We have read it time and time again how ppl complained of Arsenal’s “performance” this season despite we won. So it’s not hard to imagine what an impossible mission the next Arsenal boss will be facing.
January 12th, 2008 at 11:30 am
If the Gunners do not dominate final possession at something like 70%, I will be surprised. They are far superior to Birmingham City.
This commercial for PennyTalk kills me. As much as I like the English girl (yeow!), she in no way prepares me for the shrill slag that follows.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8vimF_Hi8v0
January 12th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I hereby retract that first paragraph. What the…?
January 12th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
turning point from where we are NOT going to recover
January 12th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
all the concern of ANC previously was our defence, but this game it’s our attack that let us down.
and i m still not convinced by Almunia, despite his another highlight reel save. cos when comes to corner/set pieces, he just never came out.
one thing about defending corner is, if ur keeper never come out and atttack the cross, which means it all relies on ur defenders to head the ball away. yet chance is that there is a 50/50 chance whether our markers or the opponent get to the ball first. and if the opponent do, and he’s in the six yard box, it’s as good as game over.
Almunia so far has got away with so many basic stuffs like that and never got exposed. i m not sure how long it will last.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
say goodbye to the title
January 12th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
just look at M.Taylor. first half he didn’t come out much neither. and Birmingham looked very shaky defending our corners. but when he started to do so the 2nd half, he basically collected all the cross from our corners.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Arsenal 1 - 1 Birmingham
Looks like it’s gonna be all square at the top of the table.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
The season is NOT OVER for pete’s sake. It’s a bad result without a doubt, but we WILL RECOVER.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
what on earth are u guys talking about? i thought we did play quite well. and i dont really see what else we could have done to win this game. we were simply unlucky. plain fact.
wenger made timely substitutions and for the last 10 minutes we had 3 strikers supported by 5 (including clichy) in midfield. i just dont see anything else we could have done. after they got their fluky goal, they just “packed the bus” understadably and we didnt get the luck of the bounce.
unlike the pompey, newcastle draws, this was just plain unlucky.
i am very sure Man U will suffer such disluck as well - though chelsea seem to be winning every single game in quite a while.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I couldn’t care less about the title. We were never going to win it anyway. However, I do want second place. Chelsea look set to take that as well. Third would be anti-climactic after a goof first half of the season.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
It was way too far for him to come out, blame the marking.
It was the usual problem, playing too narrow, and when Arsenal do get crosses in they’re hit and hope. Arsenal simply aren’t playing anywhere near their best, and haven’t done for a long time now. The pass and move isn’t happening, the sharpness is not there. They know they probably won’t win the league, and I’m afraid to say a few more performances like this and they’ll be finishing third.
No chance of beating AC Milan next month unless they improve rapidly.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
what are u lot talking about? good bye to the title???? fair weather plastics!!
an unlucky draw and you are talking the crap. its not like we were garbage in the match like at pompey or boro.
grow up! we cant win EVERY match. jesus!
January 12th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
reminded me a lot of last year. lots of cute play, especially in the first half, precious little by way of goals. and let’s face it, that penalty was bullshit. i agree with mazza as far as recognizing that they did play well for long stretches, but when he says he “can’t care less” about the title and is mainly interested in preserving second place, i wonder why. what’s the difference, after all, between coming in second and coming in fourth? nothing, except for a few easy champions league qualifying fixtures.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Adebayor was a cunt for their goal. Stupid idiot just bent over and let the ball go over him to O’Connor. However it was Cesc playing on tranquilizers that gave them the iniative to get the corner in the first place.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
It’s not goodbye to anything, but they need to improve fast. The away form is a bigger problem, if we fail to win at Fulham or Man City then I would concede the title.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Van Persie’s absence is starting to hurt us in my opinion.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
One draw…. so it’s goodbye to the title?…. and we r going to drop to third?
I suppose another draw, we r going to drop out of CL places.
Another defeat, 12 place here we come.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Fact is we cannot cope with having any sort of injury in the midfield. Especially to someone like Rosicky; when the replacement is another shit youngster in Walcott(at this point he’s shit). We got by earlier in the season because everyone was bang up for the season and mentally fresh. We’re going through a mentally flat period and the lack of quality is showing.
Props to Senderos and Clichy. Brilliant performances. Everyone else was poor in my book.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Is RvP made of glass? He’d be in traction if he played rugby.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
agree about senderos and clichy. hleb had some brilliancies, but quite a few giveaways as well. bendtner looked good late.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
a lot of people are ridiculous really. calm down. if this game was reiterated 100 times i am sure we would have won 98 of them and maybe drawn 2. i just dont see what we would have done different. we did NOT play any different than how we have been playing ALL season.
i agree that RvP is needed right now. but even then i dont think we would have won this game except from an header like bendter vs. spurs.
walcott should not be starting though. he is the most vastly overrated youngster we have.
people batter denilson on this page all the time, but he is the same age as walcott and plays in a position 3 times as difficult as walcott. if walcott wasnt english there is no way he would be at arsenal right now.
almunia too, must start coming out for crosses, the header was close enough for him to come out.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
i was in a pessimistic mood right after the game and i agree this draw does not mean the end of our title hopes, but at this point they do look slim considering our current form and ANC. Cesc had a very bad game by his standards. It seemed like every other pass he tried to thread through ended at the feet of a Birmingham player.
With ManU poised to take number 1 spot today and Chelsea’s recent form, we will really need some good fortune / mistakes on their parts to win the title. Dont think we can do it on our own accord.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
@ mazza: please cut the crap about how rosicky would have “saved” us. rosicky has started and finished EVERY single one of our draws and losses this season.
granted walcott is whack, rosicky isnt the answer to anything.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Walcott was desperately poor. I know he is only 18 but he played like a frenzied gerbil.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Denilson and Walcott are both crap. Diaby’s goal against Derby and Blackburn is starting to wear thin. At this point, none of those three players just be near our squad. I can just about accept Diaby but not the other two.
Fred, we played like crap in the second half and barely created a chance of note for the whole second half. The draw is not the end of the world but we played play well and it wasn’t just one of those days. Poor attitude at the start of the second half and when we had to up the tempo, Cesc and Hleb did very little apart from give the ball away.
.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
If Newcastle can draw against Man U then we should be fine.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Fred, you must be blind not to see the disparity in class between Rosicky and Walcott. If Rosicky was playing today we still may have drawn, but the performance would have alot better than it was considering we had a headless chicken taking his spot in the team.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Sorry, I’m typing like spaz. We didn’t play well, and it wasn’t just one of those days. It’s not like we had bundles of chances.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
yes, we did play a bit lazily for some spells, but the truth is this is how we have played ALL season. for a while there they probably tried to “slow” the game down and not waste too much energy on such “inferior” opposition and paid for that. however the way we played today was at least 10 times better than how we played at boro or pompey.
i have said it since august that all we need right now is a leftwinger (or we recall vela). let diaby backup hleb and let the new guy compete with rosicky for the left.
walcott should ONLY play up front or be sold off.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
The goal in the 2nd half came about as a result of the corner conceded when Walcott lost the ball for yet another time. It need not have to be. In the first half, Walcott was losing possession almost all the time when he received the ball. Whether it was with his back to the opponent or trying to outrun B’ham’s defenders. He clearly was not ready to start today. Wenger should have replaced him at halftime.We should have killed the game in the first half with all that possession and B’ham players allowing Arsenal to play. Adebayor was really poor today. Other than chasing back for balls, he was dominated by B’ham’s defenders and did not have a single clear chance. He also tend to chicken out of 50-50 challenges. Eduardo fared much better and should have scored from that header. Helb was not at his usual best losing the ball frequently. Sendoros played well making a number of timely challenges.
This is a very poor result for Arsenal especially with most of the players coming back from a long rest. ManUre is expected to thrash managerless Newcastle (ManUre beat Chel$ki immediately after Moanrinho got fired) and go back to top of the table. Arsenal have themselves to blame for not keeping the pressure on them.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
There’s no doubt Arsenal have to be winning these games comfortably if they want to win the title. Was it one of those days or a symptom of a team that was
The away form is more serious, if we don’t win at least one of the Fulham or Man City games then I can see everything slipping away, and confidence will be damaged too much to salvage a realistic title challenge in the face of the quality that Man Utd and Chelsea have. Chelsea have done well to hang on in there and you have to take them seriously now.
A win at Fulham is crucial, although I suppose every match is right now, but more so the performance - we have to start performing a lot more convincingly. Today was not just an off day, as I said, it’s part of a string of average performances.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
@ mazza: please read, i lambasted walcott …so where are u getting the whole walcott rosicky argument from???
walcott is vastly overhyped, i have said that since august. and sadly rosicky is not the answer to anything. diaby should have started. denilson is also very decent on the right.
just please stop jumping on the rosicky bandwagon. and if you dont wanna…then at least read what i write.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I felt the starting line-up was ok, more than good enough to win the game. Walcott does have huge potential, and you might as well play him because sitting on the bench is no good for him. Wenger could afford to play him in a game like today and he wasn’t the reason we drew, he came off with 30 minutes to spare anyway.
I agree he looks better through the middle and is probably better off starting up front in future rather than on the wing, where the pressure to get involved in build-up play and being “England’s next great hope” is is undoubtedly getting on top of him.
At the moment, Walcott is a player who would flourish if the team was on a high. But when the team is struggling it’s unfair to expect too much from an 18 year old.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Well, Fred it is bit hard not to make the connection between Rosicky and Walcott because one replaced the other today. Your basically denying that Rosicky would have improved us more than Walcott, which is total bollocks. Have you been a cave for the last month? Against Portsmouth he was the only one trying to make a difference, and against West Ham when we were up he was the one keeping the tempo high and spinning off players when everyone else in the team was going through the “lazy spells”.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
yeah the away games are crucial for stability and confidence. they will be difficult, but now hopefully fabregas and hleb wake up and smell the coffee a bit.
at least fabregas has been racking up the assists….hleb hasnt done anything of note for 2months now.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Arsenal need the one thing Wenger cannot buy in the transfer window - KILLER INSTINCT!
2 points thrown away by being cocky. Disgrace!
I’m disgusted…
January 12th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
mazza: soooo??? at his age and experience considering he has been a regular starter since age 18, that is par for the course. he is still not the answer to anything. so his ability to “spin” off players and “up” the tempo is all he is good for
at age 27? consider me underwhelmed thank you.
walcott playing was NOT the reason we drew today. infact i understand why wenger will play him against this opposition at home.
the only answer is to bring in someone new to provide an alternative creative source to the fabregas/hleb axis. rosicky can then become a solid impact player from the bench.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
irakli, since u are THAT disgusted because we cant win every match, why not stop watching? just an idea to consider.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I am not disgusted that we cant win every match. I am disgusted that we were so nonchalant about the game today. We did not push on in the first half as hard as the last 15 minutes.
To me, it felt like everyone expected a win and we paid for it dearly.
I watch every game in the season and I am sure my disgust is felt by the players after today’s result. Just look at Fabregas’, Wenger, etc. expression as they walked of the pitch.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
What do you mean the answer to anything? Who are you looking for, Diego Maradona? We’re top of the league. and that is due to playmaking abilities of our Hleb, Rosicky, and Fabregas. Without them, Adebayor scores no goals, nor does Bendtner, nor does anyone. You should look more at what he does than he doesn’t do, and not get so wrapped in stupid statistics.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
2nd if todays Manure result stands at 2-0.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Frenzied Gerbils ATTACK!!! lol. Great comparison DannyT.
Only got to watch the last 30- will watch it complete later. Yes, Senderos looked much better today though I admit I had a moment of panic when they was a diagonal ball from the right to center and the camera made it look like he was last man- could this guy beat or match anyone for pace?!
I agree it appeared we were a bit unfortunate. A couple touches a shade too heavy in the final third was the difference IMO. Width was definitely a problem, 90% of the time our players cut in to the center!
I’m a big fan of van Persie but dunno what we can count on him for anymore- his last minor knock ruled him out for Dec 22 leading to a return Jan. 9- almost 3 weeks!, how long for this one?
A full week before another game! It will be agonizing especially with Man U up 2-nil (as I predicted in IKTS)- so even on points, 2nd with GD, and Chelsea not dropping the points they “should” given the absences from the squad. Down to those three for the title and hell yes I want us to get the title this year. No repeat, no return (Chelsea), only Arsenal! Forever Arsenal!!!
January 12th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Your right though, we need someone else- more direct but unlike, someone with a brain- to rotate with Rosicky and Hleb. Hleb today in the second half was far too deep and bottled out of getting in the box, bar the pull back late on.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Meanwhile ManUre piles on the goals and Tevez celebrates a goal with his dummy/pacifier/soother. Not a good day.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
6-0 Manure…. still not disgusted Fred?
January 12th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
mazza, please stop mentioning rosicky in the same breadth with fabregas or hleb. rosicky is in the second tier along with diaby.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
We Fucking Blew today - looked good at the start and just faded away.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
am not disgusted arsenal am disgusted at newcastle. feel free to stop watching arsenal though.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Utd have improved their goal difference quite a bit today. 6-0 for them. Birmingham will surely lose next week to Chelsea as well, but today they managed to get something. Frustrating. Hope Arsenal is sharper with that final ball next week.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I thought we were going to walk all over them the way we started off. In the second half we still dominated play, just can’t finish. How can we do this at home to a team that is going down at the end of the season or probably will.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
In the same group as Diaby? Lets see, one is the Czech captain and the other is lazy, unproven, one-dimensional under 21 French international. Yes, I can see why you would put them on the same level.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
so the only thing you can say for rosicky is that he is the Czech captain????? at age 27 and after 10 years of regular first team action, that is all you can think up in his defense? try again mazza, i’m waiting.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I am gutted. Not because we did not win necessarily but because we SHOULD have one. We played pretty football in the first half but we lacked one thing.. that killer instict. Just not clinical enough. We needed to punish them in the first half and kill off the game but as usual we just huffed and puffed with nothing to show for at except a lucky penalty. Where the $%#@ was the hunger to MAKE SURE we put the game beyond Birminghams reach. That I think is the difference between the current United and Arsenal sides. We seem to get complacent and comfortable and seem to play based on how we perceive the opponent. United on the other hand are effective and will punish any tentative display by opposition. I think again this is the sort of game that a fit RVP could have made the difference. I am probably not making much sense now. Thats because I am just venting here…. At the end of the day though its not all lost. Too much football still to be played this season. Guaranteed we will have better days and United will also have downers. Without days like this the good days would not be as sweet. We are still in it Gunners. Believe!
January 12th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I have to hold my hand up, Sendy played well today - some crunching tackles, a header on target. No howlers. (Gallas was culprit for their lone shot on target in the first half.) I need to restudy the corner for their goal, but it seemed like a collective failure of focus.
We were all worried about our defence during the ANC, but today it was our attack that was mostly unconvincing, not creating nearly as many chances as usual. We didn’t get rattled (except for Hleb’s outburst), but likewise we didn’t seize the moment when we went ahead.
I’m no pessimist, but in this current run of form, I just knew we weren’t going to win it after 15 mins. Our rhythm still isn’t flowing. Our key creatives are still not back up to speed. Yes, we can switch to the odd long ball (totally ineffective today though), but at home against a parked bus, we needed to rapidly counterattack when they did push out, and also to stretch and punish them on the wings.
Who do we have who get get to the byline and send in a cross? It’s usually the fullbacks, but they don’t usually risk it when the game’s all square. So it was down to Theo today, but he looked a bit headless.
In a way, a draw like this is what the team needs to shake itself up and get some dynamism and hunger back if we are to come back fighting for the home stretch. ManUre are now an ominously well-oiled machine (even without Rooney getting on the score sheet), while stealthy styleless Chelsea just keep grinding out the victories.
After surviving tough away games, mixing in the long ball and physical play, after winning games when we play badly, we have now officially entered this team’s Next Big Test. Can we stop the slide back to the past two seasons: namely failing to kill off lesser teams.
I think we need to create a sense of urgency to our play earlier in the game, rather than wait for the last 15 mins? This team had a point to prove at the start of the season - the fought back from every setback. But since they went top and were told how wonderful they were, that underdog spirit has waned a bit.
I prepared for us to slip behind Chelsea over the next month or so, and then to come roaring back. But waiting and hoping for ManUre or Chelsea to drop more points is a bit optimistic. L’pool obviously is another matter - all they do is puncture their own momentum.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
infact at this stage i will go ahead and say flamini is more important than rosicky this season.
though why you have to make this thread all about rosicky i will never know. i just want ppl to stop putting him in the same sentence when they mention fabregas and hleb.
our current team cannot pummel any opposition no matter how inferior because that is not how we are set up. i have mentioned this time and time again….we are reliant on creative players who do things by inspiration rather than routine.
having 3 “inspiration” players in midfield is a waste.
wenger needs to bring in just one “routine” player. somebody a bit like reyes without but a bit smarter. reyes had far more goals, far more assists, made far more tackles in both big and small games than either hleb or rosicky.
rosicky is definitely the weakest of the trio. hence my refusal to see why you are all amped up about mentioning his name as a reason why we couldnt beat b’ham at home.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Well, I thought you needed a bit of perspective regarding their careers considering you obviously cannot grasp the difference between their playing ability.
There is not much point in arguing with you. You obviously don’t understand football. Ball retention and giving players angles is a concept you cannot grasp. Which is surprising consiering your an Arsenal fan.
I also remember you saying the exact same things about Hleb last season. Look how that turned out.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
mazza: congrats, finally you have given me something to argue with you about
1) your argument: “rosicky is more talented than diaby”.
i say: obviously, that was never in doubt. however it is ALL about the ability to impact the final scoreline! the ability to ensure HIS team wins a particular match. as an attacking midfielder that is ALL it is about. flamini is not near the best DM…but he does the vital parts of his job well, he makes the IMPACT.
rosicky plays as much impact in determining if we win a game as diaby. ie. not much.
2) you say: “There is not much point in arguing with you. You obviously don’t understand football. Ball retention and giving players angles is a concept you cannot grasp.”
i say: ofcourse, i know nothing about football and you know it all. dont let me remind you of the all the embarrassing comments you have posted on this site since the summer.
3) you say: “I also remember you saying the exact same things about Hleb last season. Look how that turned out.”
i say: if you can honestly say hleb played well last season then you are the most blinkered fool i know of.
this season he has improved big time and the only thing i have against him is his lack of killer instinct - something which was again obvious today.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
you have a strong love for ball retention and “angles” dont you?
that is the sort of basics that we should be beating the youngsters for. let me remind you for the umpteempth time that rosicky has been playing REGULAR first team football since age 18. ball retention and “angles” at this age is underwhelming crap!
January 12th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
by the way diaby is NOT any more one-dimesional than ljunberg was.
infact he looks like the kind of player who given regular playing time, will find a ROUTINE way to score.
his negatives:
- obviously his laziness, and keeping the ball way too long.
his positives:
- only arsenal player that can “ride” a tackle.
- he always “wants” the ball and has the confidence to carry it. he doesnt lay it off with one touch like rosicky always does.
- he is possibly a goalscoring “baptista-type” midfielder type.
- he WONT pass to his side if he is one on one with the keeper.
- most importantly, he is the only midfielder right now that might form a ROUTINE set of runs that might culminate in a goal. routine, that is all winning the league is all about.
all in all, ronaldo played regular football for THREE good seasons before bursting into the scene last year. ronaldo makes the same angled runs, the same tricks. the same routine every single game. he had 3 seasons to improve this routine.
diaby has NEVER played regular first team football before. not at auxerre. not at arsenal.
yet he has as much impact on the FINAL SCORELINE as rosicky. doesnt say a lot for rosicky now does it.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Today’s game reminds me of those games of 1 to 2 seasons ago when we had all the possession with no result and obstinately try to pass our way thru the opponent’s central defence. It should not have been a penalty so I guess Arsenal were lucky to get a draw. Like him or hate him, we do miss Eboue’s speed down the right midfield. He is able to get out of tight marking with his trickery - something which Walcott is not able to do. I bet Wenger must be feeling frustrated with Walcott. So much raw material to work with - speed, responsible lifestyle, level headedness, good work ethics. But somehow, he is lacking the football brain and instinct. He was poor against Spud as well though he scored a fortuitous goal. Many Arsenals fans are saying that his strength is playing in the middle rather than on the wings but from what I have seen of Walcott for the past 2 years, I am not convinced he has what it takes to make it into Arsenal’s first team. And I think it is a case of the brain (I call it football smarts) rather than physical ability.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Hleb was missing a bit of devil from his game last season, but numerous goals and plays were prompted by his twinkle toes in midfield. Anyone with an ounce of knowledge could see he was a player with special talent, yet you wanted him out on his ear. To be replaced by Stewart Downing I suppose, a nice direct player who crosses with his eyes closes and hopes for the best.
There is also alot more to winning games than just a player scoring a goal or making a direct assist. This is the area where you really let yourself down. It comes down to ball retention and keeping the flow of our game going. This is especially important in Arsenal’s case. If Arsenal have the ball, the other team cannot score. Rosicky is brilliant at keeping the ball and receiving and giving the ball in tight situations. Most teams do not have players who can do this well. Hence why these teams concede goals after cheaply giving the ball away in midfield, and hence why they languishing mid-table doing feck all in the league. When Diaby plays he gives the ball away, hence we are more likely to concede a goal and be under pressure. The team also has to keep back-tracking and concede ground. It undermines the whole team dynamic. Surely this cannot be too hard to understand?
Also, what embarassing comments did I make in the summer? I said Arsenal would finish sixth if Hleb and Rosicky got injured for a long period of time but could finish 2nd if they didn’t get injured. Well, we would finish around sixth if they were injured, considering we are complete shite without them. I also said Diaby and Denilson were crap and wouldn’t make it Arsenal. Erm, right again.
January 12th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
denilson is so so…diaby is NOT crap.
last season i wanted hleb to BUCKLE up or be benched. he buckled up….so what is your argument there? ps: i hate downing.
again, for the very last time i will tell you this….ball retention and angles is underwhelming duty for your top players. that just not cut it.
you are always quick to slag off every single one of our younger players who NEVER play week in week out……but you will defend hleb and rosicky no matter what they do.
brainless.
ps: dont change your predictions from the summer. no need to LIE. the comments havent been deleted u know!
January 12th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
and since there is nothing better to argue about:
your mentioning downing just confirms you are at a loss of how else to defend your beloved. in the summer, i was hoping that we get somebody who could be more like ronaldo but still integrate into our team.
the players i mentioned if you could be bothered where: ryan babel, van der vaart and yoann gouffran (from Caen).
January 12th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
the funniest thing about this all is: whenever we lose or draw a match you are always the first to say we have no killer instinct…..yet your very favorite players (hleb and rosicky) are the ones who will lose playing time if we do buy players with killer instincts.
you pummel the team every single week because we fanny about too much and are not like Man U in ruthlessness? yet its YOUR favorite players that orchestrate that fannying about.
yet every week since the summer you come on here telling us all how much you know about football……and how danny murphy is the better than quite a number in our team
:-D 
:-D 
yessir, you do know your stuff.
January 12th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Well, I thought I would check the archives for a little dabble. I couldn’t find the sixth position bit but here’s what I wrote on July 13th:
“I wouldn’t be averse to Vela coming back either.
Just saying that most of these youngster are rank average and I’m including the likes of Flamini, Denilson, Song and Senderos. I believe we should get rid of all that mediocrity and try and bring in some genuine talent. I would rather have quality than quantity.
Our style of play is heavily reliant on Hleb, Rosicky, and Fabregas. If any one of those three are missing we stutter, if any two of those are missing we are a complete shambles and we have to change our style of play and be more direct. This requires experience and intelligence. Neither Walcott or Diaby provide that at this point. Ljungberg used to provide that but not anymore.”
Okay, I got Flamini wrong but apart from that, pretty spot on.
January 12th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Ryan Babel? Ha, Ha. That clown. He’s been roaring success hasn’t he? Like a big elephant trodging around the pitch. Just typical that you would prefer him to Rosicky. By the way, how many goals did he score for Ajax, 15 out of 80 games?
Also, how has Diaby shown any sort of routine to his goals? One was twenty-five yarder against Derby, and others were…different. Rosicky is more likely to achieve routine goals. His goals against Bolton last season and this season were very similar, and so was his goal against Man City. Ghosting in on the far post.
Diaby and Denilson don’t play week in week out because they haven’t shown Wenger that they have the ability to command a regular place. Duh! And the difference was that Ljungberg was actually good at his one-dimensional trick(off the ball runs and finish). Diaby isn’t.
January 12th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Walcott was shit today, no doubt. However, I think its a bit naive to expect too much from an 18 yr old. Throughout history, only a handful of players at his age had made more than a perfunctory difference to their teams - TH at Monaco, Ronaldo at PSV, Dennis Bergkamp at Ajax, comes to mind. The thing with Walcott is that we drank the cool aid and believed the hype. He may turn out to be a decent or even great player later in life, but at this point he is nothing like the aforementioned players, and should not be starting games, particularly, when a player like Diaby is on the bench. If anything he should be used as an impact sub. I still think he is 3 to 4 yrs away from realizing his potential.
January 12th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
diaby hasnt shown because any because he hasnt played regularly.
diaby hasnt been played more because wenger sticks to seniority. that is a fact. he does not rotate. if a “senior” player loses his place it is often permanent.
ryan babel is the livewire for liverpool. please do NOT talk about him if you havent watched him at least 5 times for a whole game this season. i am sure you havent.
ofcourse you are into slating denilson, who has started ONLY 5 games (all in the cup) this season.
song has done VERY WELL for himself this season. but ofcourse you will never rate him because he doesnt do enough “angles” for you. LOL.
ljunberg played week in week out for years, diaby has never done that in his whole career, due to a late start to football and 2 MAJOR injuries that has taken 2 years of his short career.
once again, at rosickys age and vast experience i am very underwhelmed.
he is will need to do much more than “angles” to be a vital cog that is for sure.
January 12th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Uh, could you guys get a chat room? Hash it out there…
I like Diaby to a point- his is still young and has definite up-side. He can dribble thru 2 defenders but is just a likely to lose possession at this stage of his development. Ultimately I think Wenger hopes for him to supplant Rosicky.
Rosicky overall is a bit better but not by much- at least for our team. I don’t think Diaby has done enough to supplant him in the starting XI.
Isn’t this why so many others plead for a LM/LW? People are getting nostalgic for Reyes!! That is telling IMO as he was better up front from the games I saw..
Liverpool way overpaid for Babel but he is talented.
I saw this on a CNET blog and had to mention it. I keep remembering a comment by a co-worker who lived through the Cosmos years and this soccer is not here to stay. So many things point to it being otherwise.The blog is called “The Open Road” and it is clearly off-topic for an Open Source themed blog but it demonstrates the penetration of soccer here and Arsenal! Take a look if you wish. http://blogs.cnet.com/8300-13505_1-16.html?tag=bc
January 12th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
So, if a plays like ‘underwhelms’ over and over again, like Diaby does, Wenger should just keep playing him and playing him waiting for something to happen for him to magically turn into a decent player?
The idea Fred is that a young player like Diaby comes in eager to impress, and plays with intensity for the full 90 mins to ram home his claims for a spot. I haven’t ever seen Diaby do this. He comes in and strolls around, doesn’t make a single tackle, and dribbles into players time after time. He’ll have to do alot more to even stand a remote chance of usurping Rosicky, a player who kicks his arse in every aspect of the game. He is even a better dribbler because he actually has a plan. He doesn’t run into players blind.
January 12th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
in the end, i just want a new player to come in and move rosicky to the bench. in the summer i wanted reyes to stay …but now, i will take anybody wenger brings in….whether vela, gouffran or somebody unknown like that bulgarian dude.
rosicky is not the answer to anything.
end of argument on my part.
January 12th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Well, i’m up for more players to replace Denilson, Diaby, and Walcott. Maybe Walcott comes good. I personally think none of them will be at Arsenal in their peak careers.
What I don’t want is for some striker/winger to come in (Vela) and replace Rosicky and then spend the whole game running down blind alleys like Reyes and people cutting him slack because’s he adding this mythical width to our team.
January 12th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Fred and Mazza both of you make good points, in fact somehow you are both right! Fred I like you as you were the only person to say something positive after our disappointing draw besides Andez, unlike Mazza who is hoping we get 2nd place LOL. However you are really wrong about Rosicky. Rosicky is an excellent player when he is on song and at the moment more dependable than Diaby.
I rate Diaby highly but as you said he does need more playing time I don’t think he is in his natural position on the wing though, I think he is better playing from the centre. Mazza you are very wrong about Babbel he would have been a good addition to our squad and Wenger would have him if he wasn’t over priced.
I also believe Walcott is over-hyped and has got away with underachieving for so long with little criticism well spotted Fred. He lacks more than instinct, he needs strength as he is far to easily bullied of the ball and he needs some aggression to progress.
As for replacing Denilson, Diaby and Walcott all of whom will get better, who are you going to replace them with Mazza, how much would you have to pay for these replacements and would you place these (I presume expensive) replacements on the bench or replace your (and my) beloved Hleb and Rosicky?
January 12th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
This is a bit of topic, but check out this feature from premierleague.com:
http://www.premierleague.com/page/Magazinedettail/0,,12306~1195275,00.html
It’s about the North London Derby and is pretty interesting.
January 13th, 2008 at 4:15 am
is anyone else getting really annoyed by all this talk from almunia about wanting to play for england?
shouldnt he just shut up and concentrate on his arsenal career first? u know like learning how to come out for crosses and how not to concede from the near post. he is a very average player - he should look to improve himself before talking crap.
January 13th, 2008 at 4:26 am
interesting article on arsenal.com
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=486271&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Freeman+signing+would+lead+English+revival
wenger actually says gibbs and lansbury will be in the first team squad next season.
these two are already technically in the first team squad so it must mean they will get promoted to regular carling cup action (ie. the walcott level) by next season.
i knew wenger was planning something like this…..he wont buy anybody at all this january and in the summer…..he’ll just recall vela, and promote a few reserves and maybe add one or two triallist.
it will be interesting to see how it all turns out.
January 13th, 2008 at 4:32 am
i know this is all conjecture at this point…but hey, what else is there to do
but our squad next season could look something similar to this.
i assume, diarra, gilberto, djorou, eboue (i hope!), lehmann, will all be gone.
so we have a squad of:
GK: almunia, fabianski, new keeper.
LB: clichy, traore,
CB: toure, gallas, senderos (he is going nowhere), song, gavin hoyte
RB: sagna, j. hoyte
LM: rosicky, vela, gibbs
CM: fabregas, flamini, song, denilson, lansbury
RM: hleb, diaby, randall
ST: RvP, Adebayor, Eduardo, Bendtner, Walcott
January 13th, 2008 at 4:36 am
Game of frustration today.
Very reminiscent of last year - work, work, work, but little to show for it. Just lacked that magic down the stretch that pulled us from death many times this year.
Unlucky from one perspective, but we also looked frantic - no sense of a relaxed agggression.
Birmingham has to be given credit, though - in the middle part of the game they really busted our midfielders.
We’re going to drop points once in a while at home, but it feels worse when Man U follows with an utter thrashing of their opponent.
January 13th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Almunia for England? Forget it, he is just about average, he needs to be below average for England!
January 13th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Wenger is NOT going to replace Denilson, Diaby or Walcott. I would be surprised if he buys more than 1 player in the summer. Wenger is thinking long-term. I doubt he expected Arsenal to be doing as well as they are this season, and next season the team could easily take another big stride forward.
It’s foolish not to believe in Wenger’s squad, it is performing miles better than last season and will only get better. By playing together consistently and training together consistently these players will grow an almost telepathic understanding of where each other are on the pitch, and that is priceless.
January 13th, 2008 at 10:47 am
It’s not foolish not to believe in Wenger’s squad. Instead of using dreamy rhetoric, I like to base my judgements on what I’ve seen. I can 100 % guarantee that those three players will never ever make it at Arsenal. So, I want them gone now, or at least jettisoned to the reserves or on loan for about three years. It’s not that big a deal, Ferguson does it all the time. He brought in Anderson in the summer and that left Fletcher in the shade. I don’t see the United vibe and spirit suffering as a result of that. It’s a fact of football. If we don’t buy in this transfer window, third is the best we can hope for.
arthur3sheds, I haven’t got specific names as of yet, although if I thought about it for long enough I could easily come up with a few. I would have them on the bench and rotate them with Rosicky, Hleb, Fabregas positions. It’s not as if those three aren’t rested enough as it is. With zero reward for Wenger going by the performances of two of them yesterday.
January 13th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
In reading some of the above comments, it is simply amazing to me how some folks are haranguing and berating these 18 and 20 year olds who are playing against men (and doing a fine job at that)……need to chill a bit and not axe Diaby, Denilson and walcott just yet….
The game yesterday was pathetic as a whole. We expected to saunter to three points and got a dose of reality: that every game in the Prem is tough and it if you don’t concentrate & kill off the game you will pay. Our level of play as a whole was weak and once it became 1-1 you could tell we were trying to force the issue without creating any clear cur chances.
These are two very unnecessary dropped points. It may come back to haunt us.
January 13th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Biggun, just because I don’t think they’re good enough it doesn’t mean I blame them. It’s not their fault Wenger has bought them and put them in the first team squad.
January 13th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Mr. “I know everything”…… would ya cut the crap, and give us a f**ing break?
January 13th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Mazza, obviously Wenger sees something in them to have bought them, and aside from a couple of blunders in buying, Wenger has been magnificent. So all I am saying is that they’re very young and we should cut them some slack. They are not going to perform perfectly every week.
January 13th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Well, Supertwat, you may find my repetition rather tedious, but for me there’s nothing more tedious than someone coming out of the woodwork and adding nothing to the topic. It’s happened quite a few times in a thread where I post alot and so therefore if you have nothing add to the subject just stay away. No one wants to read immature tit for tat on an Arsenal forum. You can either stop reading my comments or it’s a case ‘doth protest too much’ ie. you love it really.
January 13th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
@ mazza: talking your hot plate of bullshit all over again yeah??
“I can 100 % guarantee that those three players will never ever make it at Arsenal.”.
I bet your smarty pants would have predicted that flamini and almunia will never make it into the first team here???
if u understand a single thing about football you will know that people of hleb’s and rosicky’s age cant improve much but people of denilson/walcott/song/diaby’s age can improve TWICE over in just a season or two.
ofcourse since you talk like an arrogant dunce, you wouldnt let common sense cloud your judgement.
January 13th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
“If we don’t buy in this transfer window, third is the best we can hope for.”
hahahahhahaha! OK then! this is a gem. u predicted we will finish 6th place at the beginning of the season, and then you spent the first 4 months predicting a loss for every match. hahahah!
we bow before you, mazza, oh fountain of knowledge!
January 13th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Fred, your a bit thick aren’t you? I remember saying if Hleb and Rosicky stayed fit we could finish 2nd but if they didn’t we would finish sixth. From what i’ve seen this season that looks spot on. But no, like most people, your eyes glaze over when you see the 2nd bit, and you decide to zoom in on the sixth prediction.
Hleb and Rosicky showed great talent at 18 at Borisov and Prague. It was about ironing out the chinks. Denilson, Diaby, Walcott haven’t shown great talent, only fleeting glimpses of potential quality. Going buy your retarded logic, would Milan fans prefer to get rid of Seedorf and promote the underwhelming Gourcuff? I don’t think so.
January 13th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Mazza: “No one wants to read immature tit for tat on an Arsenal forum.”
Isn’t that what you’ve been doing for 2 days? I thought I was bad sometimes, but this is ridiculous.
January 13th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
mazza, do not lie. man, u are very aware that your comments on the “official” prediction thread are not editable right??? LOL
also u did NOT know hleb or rosicky at age 18, neither did you watch them. so dont lie again on that count.
how does gourcuff or seedorf concern arsenal fans or wenger faith in HIS youngsters??? the youngsters wenger buys, especially the midfield and attacking ones have the full faith of wenger.
and even if we are to go into the retarded argument of talking about OTHER TEAM’s players…..seedorf delivers on the big nights…..rosicky shits in his pants on the big nights even on a lot of small nights against boro. they are not in the same class.
as for gourcuff….you have NOT watched him play have you?? because he has started only one game all season due to multiple injuries and elderly players who havent exactly shone as milan are in 12th! LOL.
and just incase you dont know, there is a difference btw the gouffran (SM Caen) i mentioned in one of my comments above and gourcuff (Milan). gouffran is the one i wanted at arsenal. both are talented but quite different in playing style. i am sure you have not watched any of them either. u just wanted a tangent to shoot off on.
hleb, rosicky and cesc played in our early matches this season….yet you still predicted losses in all of them…before the game and DURING the game. LOL!
your knowledge of stuff is impressive. and your mentality that everybody else has no clue while you have all the answers is also impressive. i hail thee!
January 13th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
danny, you are right….this whole argument is ridiculous.
difference in opinion is always OK, but mazza always riles me with some “extremist” comments (like our friend stag, always used to make). that backed up by the “i am right while everybody else including wenger is wrong about these players”. LOL.
a gem from mazza is that we should sell off our reserves (the one that got into the carling cup semis) and bring in “better” backups………people who will happily sit on the bench….like diarra