Sachin’s a bit busy with the newest addition to his family, so LDE’s flying solo today:
The Milan game’s taken a lot out of me along with my beloved Gunners. So much so that I don’t quite feel up to writing a preview. But anyway here goes.
Its a trip to the Midlands and an early kickoff which I might miss. Having come through dirty December and an injury laden ANC without a problem and top of the table 5 points clear, the guys will kick themselves if they don’t build on this. Somehow we need to still be 5 points clear before we face Pool, ManU and Chelsea. Then it’ll become a bit clearer and we can breathe a bit easier…maybe.
Birmingham are a decent team and I have a soft spot for them, especially since old boys Seb and Fabrice are still with them and Bendtner having played a season there as well. Theoretically Forsell, Kapo, Jerome and McFadden isn’t the worst strikeforce in the world but they are sitting in 17th place. Seb Larsson has been the only player who has humbly come out and said..”I wasn’t good enough for Arsenal” .. At Birmingham though he’s a really key player. They also have a few Premiership old boys in Frank Quedrue, Stuart Parnaby, Radhi Jaidi so I’m not sure why they are struggling so much. There are teams worse than them IMO.
As for us I hope we get the 3 points somehow and get no further injuries. The Gallas-Senderos partnership has been quite excellent and I’m really happy for Big Phil who has got unanimous praise from all quarters..well most quarters considering that some people still predetermine he’s an idiot and pounce on a misplaced pass in the opposition half as an opportunity to gloat. Lehmann or Almunia??? I’d say Lehmann…by the same principles that the Prof has been following all along. Then again…who knows what he’s thinking. Hleb cannot get injured and Cesc who had a brilliant game cannot get injured either because we need both of them for Milan big time. I’d love to see RVP get 10 minutes if he’s fit but I’m not sure it’ll happen. If he doesn’t play today or at Villa he won’t play at AC Milan for sure. Gattuso and Pirlo were invisible thanks to Flamini and Cesc … what a partnership they have turned out to be!! Did Pirlo even touch the ball apart from those 2 horrible free kicks?? Eboue’s banned and I’m not sad because I’m pretty fed up about his playacting; but I keep hoping he’ll clean his act up. I don’t know how much longer AW will tolerate it. That means almost certainly that Theo will play and that Denilson will come on for Cesc or Hleb if we’re comfortable sometime. Dudu needs a goal IMO; he laboured hard midweek without any luck..sometimes I hope that Ade goes off instead of Dudu everytime because he and Nick work much better than Ade and Nick. Then again maybe AW : The development coach ..does it purposely.
Enough is enough. I think Ade will take his frustrations out on Birmingham which will be another sign that he’s matured. I think we’ll win in a tight cagey encounter at St.Andrews:
Birmingham 0 - Arsenal 2
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:55 am
We have to guard against complacency. After ManU and Milan, it’s Birmingham. Okay, we didn’t show up at OT but we gave our all against Milan. There is bound sense of - ah, it’s only Birmingham. It’s up to Wenger and the players to stay focussed.
Another point is that we have failed to score in two consecutive games. The longer it stays goalless the more the players (and fans) will get nervous. An early goal will set us on our way, otherwise it could be a tight game.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
B-ham 1 Arsenal 3.
i want to see:
lehmann
sagna - gallas - senderos - clichy
denilson - fabregas - flamini - hleb
adebayor - eduardo
bench of: almunia, song, hoyte, walcott, bendtner
NO 4-5-1 PLEASE!
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Dudu needs a goal….at the Emirates. He’s barely scored any there.
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Fred, you always drop Gilberto, even on the bench. You know that is never going to happen.
By the way, isn’t Song injured?
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Unfortunately, this is at St. Andrews…
I think there won’t be a lot of goals in the game. I like the choice of Denilson on the right- don’t push Fabregas out right to play Gilberto please..
I wrote last week I wanted Bendtner in this game and I still do. He’s familiar with the pitch from his year-long loan.
Fred, I’d like to see Song in the line-up too but if he’s fit why wasn’t he around for CL?
Struggle to pick between Hoyte and Gilberto for the bench. Diarra, why did you leave?! Wasn’t as big a fan as others here but great for options at RB, CM to challenge the starters or give them a breather. ’nuff said.
my selections-
same as Fred with strong consideration for a Bendtner start. Ade comes on at 65 minutes if needed. Wouldn’t be shocked to see Walcott on the right though judging from Wenger’s previous squad selections.
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
@GunningSteve: Thats a good point about the pitch and NB being familiar with it. He might well start. Theo will start alright..specially since Eboue isn’t playing. AW always follows a system and his pecking order. Hleb is first choice right wing..if Mozart’s injured then Hleb moves across and Eboue starts. If Eboue’s injured and Theo’s fit he will start. Denilson might come on late for Theo but thats about it.
Someday I’ll write a biography for Fred: “Why 4-5-1 sucks”
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I hope the hangover from Milan doesn’t materialize, as we can not afford to slip up against Birmingham, and still win the league.
Gotta get 3 points… by whatever means necessary! (in honor of Black History Month!)
I like us 2-0.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
What’s everyone’s thinking on the goalie sitch? Have we been over this ad nauseam already? I’ve been impressed by the “new” Lehmann, and would feel slightly more comfortable with him in goal down the stretch. People have mentioned his supposedly poor kicking, but it has to be said that his throws are excellent, occasionally creating fast breaks out of thin air.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
When I was a young lad of Walcott’s years, I worked on a farm picking tobacco. Yes, it was real old school tobacco picking, back when the earth was still cooling and people still smoked. Now that the earth is heating up people are starting to butt out, a lot has changed.
Back then I met my first dyed in the wool British soccer fan and thuggy. Several British lads all from Birmingham came to work on the farm as migrant workers, you could make a lot of money in a short period. Early on, I noticed one of them had a red and blue scarf, red and blue shirt and yes red and blue underwear. Then as an art student, I couldn’t help myself to ask him why the colour coordinated outfit. I had never seen someone dressed in the same colours, right down to his or her skivvies. His answer was Aston Villa FC.
So tomorrow, I’ll be sitting on my sofa in front of the TV wearing my red and whites right down to the panties http://www.goonergirl.com/
Why? These next matches are pivotal to Arsenal, as the League title will be decided over the next 12 games. Simply put, they have to win over these lower and mid-table teams to win the title this year. Last year they beat all the top table teams but where wanting against lower table teams. This year that has changed and as a result they’re number 1. Sure The CL title would be cool but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, Arsenal can win the League. I’m hoping the lads stayed focused and don’t get too uptight.
So lads if your reading this, just think that somewhere in this world there’s young woman everywhere who just want you to play hard and come in first place.
Here’s a picture of one http://www.onlinegooner.com/gallery/image.php?pic=40&set=honeys&num=47
Do it for the gunner gurls!
Go you red and white!
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I think Almunia will be reinstated. Which will surely lead to another Lehmann media outburst along the lines of slamming Wenger for using different criteria to judge both keepers etc. I personally can’t find fault with either keeper.
Looking forward to next season, it would make further sense to reinstate Almunia because Lehmann will be off in the summer anyway. You want Almunia to really get his feet under the table for a full season to know where he really stands. Either way, I don’t think the goalkeeping situation will make or break our season.
As for tomorrow, Hleb is playing I believe, so 2-1 to Arsenal.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Hey, SEH: How ’bout a heads up next time you post topless links for those of us at work?!
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
nicosian, all of you - truly sorry about that.
What can I say, a brain fart on my part. I assure you it won’t happen again! In the future it will have a NSFW attached. Please accept my apology.
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
nicosian. Why I don’t normally follow links..
Today I did, from my home computer… nice @@
Adv. of working from home today with multiple screens…
nicosian@8. I wrote in previous threads- that Wenger has a pretty easy out with Almunia in that Lehmann is done end of year. The key really should be who he has greatest faith in. Almunia has done a fine job but I give Lehmann a slight edge. We had some critisizing Lehmann’s slow distribution @OT but I saw him trying to get it out early but finding no outlet. Other’s have identified how a GK handles crosses as the differentiator to becoming a top class GK- if so Lehmann also gets the nod. I’m just glad Lehmann is still an option this year.
If we win 2-0 i suspect it will be b/c B’ham go for the equalizer late in the 2nd half but I’d gladly be surprised by a more dominating result!
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I really hope the team is up for this game as the next few prem games are a great opportunity to get back to scoring goals and winning games to give the team a boost before facing Milan again and the games against ManU, Chelsea and Liverpool…
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Regardless of how bad we played against Birm City at the Emirates, the blues defended very well and obviously were a cohesive unit - pretty good coach they have.
So, I fear this match as a very low scoring affair as well, and I fear a draw but hope for a 1-0 win to put pressure on ManUre up at Geordietown.
I think a bit of a CL hangover is to be expected - I have’nt gotten over mine.
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
yeah, i guess bendtner should start since he was here last year. wenger needs to at least feed him some games like this so that he will stay for next season at least.
as for denilson i think he will be excellent at RM. his tackling and marking isnt good enough for the center but his passing is very good and he has considerable vision.
let diaby and song be backup for the central spots.
i would be happy not to see gilberto again.
when is djorou coming back by the way?
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
This game won’t be easy after that tough match at AC Milan, we’ll really need to be up for it from the start. If we drop points this whole thing could start falling apart.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 pm
The CL game against Milan brought back somber memories of last season when we outplayed just about all opponents yet failed to score. Hopefully this was just a one time performance and we will resort to our form of this year by putting the ball in the back of the net against a good and dangerous Birmingham squad who has been playing way below their talent level the past six games.
Aw will have to motivate them for this one in order to avoid the type of letdown which can come by playing a “mediocre” team after the likes of Manu and Milan. Remember, they took a point at the Emirates from us this year.
Arsene will probably not tamper with the team too much and will probably only see Walcott replacing the suspended Eboue on the right wing and if Almunia is fully fit he will be back defending the sticks once again.
Just a word of wisdom to all the Bendtner mania fans who would like to see him start. You may get your wish but with much remorse and regret at game end. Bendtner is a decent player, but will never be a star of a top team like Arsenal. He is a straight up front man, good technique, good header, good eye for the pass, but lacks pace, not a clinical finisher, does not have the work rate of Ade, Drogba and the rest of top flight strikers and his best performances have all come off the bench. At best he will be a good squad player at Arsenal, having to compete with the likes of RVP, Ade, Edu, Vela (who plays left wing but also plays striker for Mexico) and a host of young talent like Barazite and company coming through the ranks.
His arrogance in his own talent will see him become just another in a long string of ex Gunners like Sidwell, Aliadiare, Upson, Harper, Jermaine Pennant, Voltz, Bentley, Larsson, Muamba and Stokes, and like Bentley he will probably ask for a transfer by the end of next season.
Anyway, Let’s hope Arsene gets it right tomorrow and I will be relaxing at the bar with a few celebratory drinks.
Score 2-1 to Arsenal.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
We all need to remember that it was only one game that they played poorly recently and that was at ManUre. The AC Milan game was a great game of soccer they just didn’t score - there is hope there.
They haven’t played like last year all this season and that’s why their in first place. I don’t think they’ll start falling apart DannyT #17 and I’m confident they won’t BOTTLE this season.
Be confident, look at the Gooner Gurls #9 to distract you in the wait for the game.
Remember somewhere out there is someone is saying,
“I LOVE THE SCENT OF CORDITE IN YOUR HAIR”.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:09 am
I don’t think you have to worry about us playing a 4-5-1 against the Brum!
The question is will Ade play tomorrow?
Will be BIG if we can get the 3 points, and be up 8 points on ManU before they get to kick the ball off at the Newcy Brown Ales!
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:51 am
Better not start with Bendtner. He is better coming off the bench. Start with the best eleven and get early goals. That gives you the luxury to change stuff later. Start with changes and not score leaves everyone nervous at the end.
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:18 am
I can see that a lot of folks don’t rate Bendtner. I think he has good talent and a lot of potential, but he needs to improve on his temperament and work rate. What he needs, like any youngster, is a regular run of games. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. Ade is undroppable and we are in the business end of the season.
Unlike Walcott, Bendtner has both confidence and ambition. It would not surprise me if he did a Bentley in the summer. I just hope he can keep his mouth shut unlike the Englishman.
February 23rd, 2008 at 4:22 am
C’mon Nicosian! You know you kept clicking on those links anyway. It’s cool. You don’t need to fake the indignation here.
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:21 am
The other night Fabregas played his best game since his injury (except for his finishing). We’ll see if his form has really returned after today.
We’ll miss Kolo today as Jerome is faster than both our CBs. I’ve always rated Forsell as well so here’s hoping he doesn’t have a good game.
I don’t think there will be a let down because it’s Birmingham. We scored very early in the last game against Birmingham at the Emirates and got complacent. That complacency allowed them an equalizer and cost us two points. Surely, Wenger won’t let them forget about that.
I’m expecting us to hand Birmingham a clinical beating today. However, we may be a bit tense as the pressure is on Arsenal to win for the rest of the season. Right now, the title is ours to lose. We’ll see how the boys cope with this pressure.
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:17 am
Of course Ade is the preferred striker option. Is no one else a bit concerned with the turnaround of a Weds. 8 pm match to a Sat. 1 pm one? 3 nights and 2 days of recovery will be a challenge. I agree with the workrate concern on Bendtner but he has v. good touch for a big man. Also, some players destroy inferior opposition while disappearing against the top-top teams- at this stage of his development I view Bendtner there.
If the Ade, Flamini, and Clichy knocks weren’t true last Sat. I say play them all- otherwise rest Ade for part of the game- really a bit of a gamble either way.
Announce lineups anyone?
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:21 am
Arsenal
* 24 Almunia
* 03 Sagna
* 10 Gallas
* 06 Senderos
* 22 Clichy
* 32 Walcott
* 04 Fabregas
* 16 Flamini
* 13 Hleb
* 09 Eduardo
* 25 Adebayor
Good call LDE on Walcott. Almunia a bit of a surprise for me.
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:38 am
Beware Kapo’s left foot. Don’t allow him a free shot at goal.
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:43 am
what the hell.. what has adebayor done to his hair
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Birmingham have good players on the bench, to include Nafti, Jerome, and this Argentine kid. I watched that kid play a few weeks back and he looked Birmingham’s best player. We should still be able to cope but we need to end the game early.
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:52 am
Fuck!
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:53 am
Eduardo has broken his leg and its bad, real real bad.
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
Am about to explode..
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:58 am
F*K that Taylor. He should be in jail.
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:58 am
Looks like Eduardo will be out for a long time.
ESPN refused to show replays of the incident claiming that it was so horrific. Our best wishes with Dudu for a speedy recovery.
This should give Bendtner a run of games and I hope he can take it. What a coincidence when I just mentioned in the morning that he needs game time.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:00 am
this is just the kind of shit i hate. what the f-ck!!!
this is the ONLY thing this NO NAME C-NTISH ENGLISH players are good for!
eduardo’s season is clearly over.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:02 am
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:03 am
They won’t show a replay so it’s hard to see how deliberate it was. This injury isn’t season threatening, it’s career threatening.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:08 am
Yeah. I am hoping he’s ok and can play football again. He’s a nice lad and all. Wow….
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:09 am
I hope that fucking taylor is banned for the rest of the season. The PL and FA needs to draft a new rule that the red carded player must be suspended as long as the play they injured is out. Fuck that sissy 3 or 4 game suspension.
This is my wrost fear comming true. At this stage of the season, we need squad depth to help us thru the remaining 12 games to win the league and advance in the CL. We now only have 2 fit strikers with Van Persie recovering still.
It’s like Sunderland all over again (Diaby injury 2006), we play a fucking shit relegation bound team and one of their shite players injured our star.
I hope Dudu recovers to play football again, nevermind speedy. He’ll be likely out till mid of next season!
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
yeah, it does seem career threatening cos all the players looked really distraught. and they wont show replays or close ups because it was “too graphic” according to commentators.
so yeah, this is the PERFECT advert for players to come to the PL. if you are talented come and watch some NOBODY ENGLISH player hack you career away.
perfect advert.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:17 am
Not only he should be ban, dudu should sue the f**cking guy.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:17 am
Damn Gallas. Why did he let the ball fall at McFadden’s feet which led to the free kick? Would Lehmann have saved that?
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 am
Best wishes to Eduardo for a recovery..
Bendtner, games, not this way…
Croatia’s the worst off.
Walcott is a striker too. 4-5-1 with Hleb, Rosicky, Diaby tucked behind the striker too as options.
Could’ve gone with Denilson and moved Walcott up as the substitution.
B’ham will go for a draw now.
I agree that a 3/4 game suspension doesn’t cut it. It is like have the player injured for a shorter bit of time. Have ‘em play with 10 men for the 3-4 games perhaps more fitting. Need to penalize player and team…
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 am
That was unlucky. Almunia got a hand to it.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 am
Taken from the GU Football
21 min: Apologies for not watching the football for a couple of minutes - it’s basically a training session anyway - but I’ve just seen a picture of Taylor’s challenge, and it is completely and utterly disgraceful. Flying through the air studs up, he lunges in halfway up the shin of Eduardo’s standing leg. The striker’s leg clean snaps at a right angle; no wonder Fabregas was holding his head in his hands the minute he saw it. It’s going to be an ethical dilemma for sports editors across the country, this picture.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:22 am
No, that was bad goal keeping. He should have gone with his LEFT hand on the LEFT post. That only makes sense.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:31 am
only thing walcott is good at is giving the ball away
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:33 am
I understand Adebayor’s good in the air but our game is becoming utterly predictable. We need to re-focus on playing good football again and maybe we can ge a result.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:36 am
Am not liking this referee. Apart from the red, he’s getting most wrong
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 am
Muamba certainly needs a booking. He’s getting too excited
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:40 am
Good job Sendy
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
I think the entire Arsenal squad is now thinking “i don’t want to end up like Dudu” rather than playing football.
Where’s our “mental toughness”?
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 am
Losing 1-0 at half time. The players have lost their heads a bit. First due to Dudu’s injury and then due to their goal. We are pumping too many balls in the air due to Ade and Bendtner. Hleb and Cesc are not able to pass through a crowded defence. We don’t have anyone who can shoot from midfield. Not on target, at least. And yeah, Gallas has been very poor.
We need to calm down and pass around. Have they forgotten that Birmingham are down to 10 men? I shudder to think what will happen if we draw, let alone lose. Come on, it’s time to get together and show our strength and character.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 am
We can do this.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:50 am
Wow, That break was gross. I hit rewind, and slow on the tivo…….. OOOF!
Someone needs to step up and take this game!
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:50 am
I think Lehmann would have saved that. Anyway, need to focus now. If we can’t win over 10 men, what more is there to say?
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
Ade has missed a few half chances. Maybe he is affected by Dudu. I do feel he will get one but we need someone else to step. Can’t expect him to do it all the time. Remember, we don’t have any options on the bench. It is down to this eleven.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:54 am
Almunia messed it up. McFadden is left-footed, there was only one place that free kick was going, so why was Almunia so far over to the right?
Arsenal are clearly affected by Eduardo’s injury, which is understandble but if they don’t get it out of their minds this game is lost. They have to start playing football not lumping the ball up to Adebayor all the time. They say we were over-reliant on Henry, but at the moment they are even more reliant on Adebayor - no-one else is getting a look in.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 am
lets get this straight - 10 men are NOT easier to beat.
next almunia is a clown.
lastly, we have never been known to have any “mental toughness” in the wenger years anyway, so if we could get a draw right now, that would be GREAT.
at least we will be 3 points ahead of Man U.
lets just get a goal and get the hell out of this dreadful place.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
I’ve said it before, the difference between Lehmann’s errors and Almunia’s is Lehmann’s errors were true mistakes and Almunia’s are down to bad goal keeping. There’s no way he should have gone for that with his right hand.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
I wish someone would take an f…….ing shot. Finally a corner.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 am
Nice job Theo!
Nice job Ade!
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:06 am
Just when I thought that their GK was going to have a blinder of a game, Ade climbs high over him. What a time for Walcott to score his first goal.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:06 am
LET’S DO IT, GUYS!!!
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 am
walcott!!!!!!!! finally a prem goal!!!!!
Now let’s win this for dudu!!!
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 am
Unlucky for Cesc.
Pressure looks good.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
Walcott - isn’t confidence a marvellous thing !!
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
Has Theo broken the code????
Like Eduardo opened his account at Everton with two, Theo is doing it today. Anybody for a 4-1 result? Let’s keep our heads now.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
THEO is on FIRE!!!!
Good for him. He deserves it..
Theo for two.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
no way….i guess i walcott scores too
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 am
Thats how they score goals… Show them THEOOOOOOOO
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 am
THEO! THEO! THEO!
Oh what a time for the young man to show up
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:12 am
The investment in Theo is finally paying dividends.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:12 am
Looking forward to the replays now..
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:13 am
Theo what??? hahahaha
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:14 am
What a time for our 4th choice striker to step up! Theo theo theo!
Com’on son, let’s get you a HAT TRICK!!!!!
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:23 am
Can we stop giving away stupid free kicks? The only way Birmingham are getting back is via set play.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:24 am
This game isn’t over and we’re playing like we’re 4-0 up.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:32 am
Damn Ade, why didn’t you pass to Bendtner???
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:34 am
All I can say is, if you wanna be selfish, we gotta to score.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:37 am
We need a little more Hleb in Ade, and a little more Ade in Hleb
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:38 am
What the hell are we doing? We are just inviting them to attack and score.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:49 am
I talked about the complacency. There it is.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
this is ridiculous
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
We’ve blown it.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 am
fucking prick clichy, he shout be fined a month’s wages!!!
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 am
hleb had 2 chances to shoot from 10 yards but passed.
adebayor had a simple chance to get bendter clean but decided to shoot.
and then clichy has ANOTHER blackout.
this is just a fcking bad luck day all around.
lets just get out of there and not bother over-analyzing this sht.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 am
#81 put it so eloquently.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 am
What a shame.. Can’t even blame Clichy. That was a unified team effort. And what was up with taking off both wingers. We were always going to exposed on the flanks
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:56 am
Almunia, Ade and Clichy all contributed to the defeat.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:56 am
i’m devastated
…Eduardo’s injury was bad enough….but that last minute penalty is the absolute pits ….Gallas looked absolutely upset..don’t know if he should have been doing that when there was a chance that the penalty would have been saved …
I know that we can still be 3 points up…but after the last minute incident…My first reaction…Season Over
….Hope Eduardo gets well soon 
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
Arsenal are going to fuck this whole season up. I know it now.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 am
The commentators mentioned that in Arsenal, only Gallas and Clichy have previously experienced a title run-in. Pity one of them makes a colossal mistake. We’ll need a herculean effort to get back now that Dudu is out along with RvP and Rosicky.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 am
I also said in the preview that the title is our to give away. Well, guess what we’re doing?
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 am
Poor Dudu - let’s think about him and remember it’s a game, otherwise we will all go mad.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:59 am
1) Someone tell Hleb he needs to SHOOT for FUCKS SAKE. Can’t FUCKING pass the ball all the time in the 6 yard box
2) Wenger needs to have Bentdner and Ade sorted out. It’s quite obvious Ade should have passed to the open Bentdner for that 3rd goal. Now that they will be the striking pair up front, we need them to play with each other.
3) What the FUCK was clichy doing? kick the FUCKING ball out - you dont’ FUCKING take a run up to clear the ball in your own penalty box. Even a FUCKING 5 year old knows that.
4) How I pray for Newcastle to draw with Man U now.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:59 am
Season over???
Holy crap.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:03 am
I believe we have learned a few things today:
(1) Almunia is simply not good enough. He’s foundamentally not good enough to be a championship-winning goalkeeper. Period.
(2) Hleb - His unselfishness probably cost us the game as much as Clichy’s horrible mistake did.
And lastly, I wish Eduardo well. It’s confirmed he has broken his leg, and will miss Euro 2008 as well.
From now on, we are going to face the greatest test of this campaign - how to lift ourselves up after blowing it this way? It’s something, frankly, I never seen in an Arsenal game before in 20 years being an Arsenal supporter. Not in as important a game.
Forget about the oppositions, our biggest opponents from now on make no mistake will be ourselves.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:04 am
to be fair to Clichy. He did get a touch on the ball. Like I said before. The referee was poor
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:04 am
clichy had a blackout. unfortunately u can legislate for such moronic behavior at the back.
BUT. i would put the blame mainly on adebayor then slightly on hleb for those 2 or 3 times he was running into the box but decided to pass to MARKED players instead.
this is just bloody typical.
clichy has now cost us FAR more than senderos ever has.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:05 am
Our thoughts should be with Eduardo.
Gallas was spot-on with his reaction. Clichy deserves a baseball bat on his head after that, as the signs of him fucking up were shown only minutes before, but then so does Hleb and Adebayor for such wasteful cunts.
As I said after Villla away, this team are a bunch of bottlers and will never win anything. Sad but true. If we were like that at Brum, how will we be in the San Siro?
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Season over?
what are folks on about?
We still control our own destiny… just have to do things the hard way. Nobody thought we’d really walk the title race in, did you?!
The injury and giving away two points, makes this one horrible day for the club. When you don’t put a game away… when you don’t convert opportunities to score over and over… something crazy often happens at the other end. It did today, and we paid for it dearly. I imagine United will run rampant today on Newcastle… but I hope they somehow draw.
A few more “goats” today. Ade, pass the feckin’ pumpkin… please. Too many missed chances. Makes a perfectly good Saturday… awful.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
I pray for Dudu. Hope he returns. Even if it is year, I want to see him back in Arsenal shirt. My thoughts and wishes are with him.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:09 am
Can we have Lehmann back please? And a new GK next season?
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:10 am
Adebayor was looking at the post-war record 9 goals in 9 consecutive league games. He was selfish. But then how many times do we tell Hleb to shoot instead of taking one more pass. Adebayor probably would have overhit the pass anyway, and the way Bendtner played probably would have missed.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:10 am
Same feeling here …i missed the first 50 minutes of the match..rushed back home to watch the remainder..was happy to see Arsenal 2-1 up…then the commentator said something about Eduardo being out of the equation…logged in immediately here to see what was it about….after reading about the injury on AA…watched the remainder of the game with a sick feeling in my stomach…and then we blow it right at the end :(( ..too much to take.
But as someone said….more than the loss…i’m upset for Eduardo….really really rated him…..hope he gets back to playing regularly next season….:(
If this is career ending…I would definetly like to see some action against Taylor….we had the same situation with Diaby..and now this one.
Wayne
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:11 am
Gallas’ reaction was totally over the top. Of course, everybody is pissed that we conceded late. But as captain, you CANNOT behave like that. You can do something in the dressing room. But not on the pitch. And Gallas is no saint. He was directly responsible for the first goal. Like Josh pointed out earlier, he let the ball fall nicely to McFadden without any challenge. WTF???
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:12 am
and guys please dont even bother hoping or praying for a Man U draw at newcastle today. Man U will bash them at least by 4 or 5 goals. at least we will still be 3 points clear.
clichy actually DID get a touch on the ball first. BUT it was always going to be a penalty for an home side….and with such a ref.
adebayor, clichy, almunia, hleb - hang your heads in shame.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:12 am
My first reaction is that it wasn’t an over the top tackle, more clumsy than malicious.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:12 am
This is brilliant stuff.
We’re “bottlers” now… never win anything.
Let’s hang Clichy, because he hasn’t been anything short of excellent for most of the season, right?
Fine him a month’s wages!!!! Because he made a mistake at the end.
So how much do we fine Adebayor for not scoring against AC Milan, and then not passing to Bendtner today… and Hleb?
Yes… that makes great sense.
Its a 2-2 draw. We didn’t lose the title yet. And if you don’t think the players were effected by the injury in some way, you’re not human. The fact that they came out and got the lead, is pretty good stuff.
Oh, yes… and on the bright side… yall that said Theo sucks and he’ll never amount to a hill of beans… feck off… he’s a kid. He can still become a very good player.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:13 am
yeah, really hope eduardo is ok. i hope its just a year or less out.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:14 am
#102… well put. We were going to drop points at some point anyway. And it happened to be today. Things just went sour today.
Even United will drop points. My money is on Newcastle getting a result today. I actually predicted a draw in that game.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 am
The player’s psychology in the second half was poor - after going 2-1 up they dropped the pace, looked nervous and made amateur errors. They could have easily won 4-0 had they put the effort in. I’m afraid to say they bottled it and paid for that. Some of the performances were immature, and the team is young and don’t know how to win a title, that showed today without a doubt. We’re going to have to accept that this immaturity could lose us the title.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
imo, it all comes down to confidence, lack thereof or too much of it.
almunia: first game back, no confidence, should have done better with the two goals, definitely the first. dived correctly on the penalty but dived too much.
ade: too much confidence, our game has essentially become a pass-it-to-ade game, and that is not good. in such a rich vein of form until this past week, he should have passed to nick, no doubt.
hleb: is he afraid to score effin goals???? such a brilliant player, needs to develop a killer instinct, but i guess it’s not an instinct if it can be developed!
clichy: wtf mate! had a relatively good game until his overconfidence took over, thinking the game was over, essentially running away from a ball in the penalty area.
this was a horrible, horrible day. even after we scored 2 goals in 5 minutes, i felt we would drop points if we didnt kill off the game, and this happened. still, the good thing about having a 5 point lead is that you can drop points and still have a lead. we need to re-focus and keep our togetherness!!!!! is not the end of the season lads!
clichy:
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
ok…i did’nt think we’d be in the position we are this season,but if we want to stay there we have to do better than that,with a 2-1 lead they was passing the ball about like they’ed already won the premiership,the game ends when the ref decides,not when you take the lead.
lets hope the Geordies can do us a favour later today.
also my thoughts are with eduardo lets hope its not career threatening,
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 am
Stag, Theo did suck except for the two goals.
Of course, goals are vital and we can hope he will score more, now that Dudu is out. It’s up to Bendtner and Walcott. They have a great chance to shine.
I have always being saying that lack of goals from midfield could hurt us. Of course, nobody thought that two of our top three strikers would be out. But we need midfield goals more than ever now. But apart from Cesc, there is not even any hope.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:22 am
Hleb is not going to develop a killer instinct suddenly. To quote someone, I wouldn’t go to war with Hleb, I’d rather take Rosicky half injured. I said after the Fulham game, that Rosicky is a fighter. The way he threw himself to score a third goal said it all. Pity he is made of glass.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 am
Yeah folks…the next match against Aston Vills is going to be all important now ….the way we respond there is the key..This can either galvanize the whole squad…or shatter the confidence in such a way that there’s no way back this season…especially when Man Utd and Chelsea games come up
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:26 am
We need a serious re-grouping after this game. We need to sort out a few things.
1. No more player unrest. Ade is going to play with Bendtner and Gallas is going to BEHAVE.
2. NEVER underestimate the opposition. If score is 2-1, the game is not over.
3. Game plan without Dudu, RvP and Rosicky. This is really tough and Wenger needs to earn his salary here.
4. Pray that we don’t get anymore injuries.
It’s not over yet, but we dug ourselves a big hole today.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:27 am
Boro are leading Liverpool, but I don’t expect any miracles at St James.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:33 am
liverpool 2 boro 1………..well at least torres scorced twice,he’s in my dream team
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
two start opposites:
walcott: plays poorly, scores the CRUCIAL goals.
hleb: plays very well, but REFUSES to even consider shooting.
and guys, like i have said before Man U is going to batter newcastle.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 am
Almunia (5) Messed up on the free kick. I don’t think he’s a title winning keeper and would like him to be dropped.
Sagna (8) Good game, put some quality crosses in
Gallas (7) Usually solidity. Looked a jerk on the end sitting on the pitch, maybe he wanted to cool down rather than go in and throw a wobbly
Senderos (7) Did well
Clichy (5) Horrendous fuck up at the end, his crossing was terrible too. 50/50 penalty but he shouldn’t have concentrated. He is losing the plot and there’s no-one to replace him.
Walcott (7) Didn’t actually play that well but scored two goals, and that’s better than a kick up the arse.
Fabregas (8) Some super passing in the second half, first half his performance was visibly affected by Eduardo’s injury.
Flamini (7) Played well but a bit clumsy in the tackle, lost his head a bit at times.
Hleb (4) I despair at this player. He has gone back to the Hleb of old, infuriatingly inconsistent. There’s just no end product, either finishing or final ball.
Adebayor (6) Annoyed that he didn’t square for Bendtner, was selfish. But the strike was on target and well saved. Needs a word in his ear though.
Bendtner (5) Quite poor. I think he will leave eventually. Could be a very good player for a lower Premiership team. But his lack of pace and work ethic stands out for me.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
by the way, Gallas is the most childish captain in the history of football.
yes, walking over to the other side of the pitch is what WE as fans would have done……but COME ON !!! you are the bloody captain and you are a defender!!!
our team is filled with mentally weak players.
we can still win the title though - mainly because we wont make this mistake again.
lets just accept that birmingham are an extremely unlucky team for us this season.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:41 am
We need all kinds of players in the team. We need Hleb but at the same time, we need a goal scoring midfielder too. When Cesc was banging them in early in the season, we were on song. Now we are still doing the great moves, but sadly no goals. Since the ManU game, Cesc has score one league goal, the third against Newcastle. Rosicky has scored four times, Flamini thrice and Hleb once. Our strikers have been literally carrying us. If our midfielders can somehow find their scoring touch, we can still do it.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:48 am
To be honest, if we had drawn 1-1, i would have accepted it.
we have the look of bottlers admittedly, hleb, adebayor, clichy, almunia would all get a public rollicking from a manager like ferguson.
However we are STILL 3 points in front. and i think we can still win the league.
Man U will definitely lose points. That is a guarantee.
We wont make this mistake anytime soon either.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:53 am
What was the game that Clichy made another horrendous mistake in at the Emirates? I wouldn’t bank on it not happening again to be honest.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:54 am
Saw a pic of the Eduardo injury…horrendous
After looking at that….i’m thankful we came away with a draw and a point…if that had happened during a game I was involved in….it would have been difficult to continue playing in..leave alone concentrating ..these guys are footballing superstars but they are still human.
Having said that…about Adebayor..to be fair to him..i don’t think he saw Bendtner coming in for that chance……during the past 2-3 games…some of his antics have been bordering on overconfidence….probably a result of being praised to the skies by the media and players….well he should know that …a barren run of games and it will be the same media that will get on his back.
And the worst thing the team can do now is to over rely on him..just when we have sold Henry and developing into a unit…Arsenal are a team that will play well when there are no superstars and ego’s in the team…..hope Wenger spots this tendency and nips it in the bud.
Wayne
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:54 am
@127 man city game….we didnt loose so that mistake didn’t cost us more than the goal diff
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:57 am
I’ve just seen images of the Eduardo tackle - it’s absolutely horrific. His foot is nearly hanging off. I am really praying that the boy will be able to play football again - it’s extremely distressing.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:58 am
Ade had enough time on the ball to notice Bendtner coming. I think he was dreaming of the goals record.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 am
That is why I have this tone of anger and bitterness in my posts the last few months. Okay, I talk alot of smack at times and write players off too quickly, but pyschology-wise, what I saw at Villa convinced me would not win the league or any major trophy for a while at least. And frankly, it grated on me, I could see it coming. And that bottle-mentality manifested itself in Gael Clichy today.
Gallas may have been a jerk but these players need a huge kick up the arse. I can totally understand where is coming from with that reaction. He probably saw it too, from his centre back vantage point. Bottle-jobs going on all over the pitch.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
no, not individual errors. those will always happen.
but having adebayor and especially HLEB close out a game. i think they both have brains in their heads and they will realize they played a major, major part in us not taking 3 points today.
the funniest thing is that if hleb was in walcott’s shoes for our second goal, he would have PASSED rather than shoot. just think of the sheer number of goals hleb has missed scoring just because he passed instead.
adebayor on the other hand is on the other end of the spectrum.
does wenger ever talk to his players??
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:01 pm
But again, Eduardo’s career is more important than anything at this time.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Granted Clichy bottled it although he did get a big chunk of the ball. Going by the same logic, Ade bottled it vs Milan. Why do defenders get more stick than forwards? Both mistakes snatched a draw from the jaws of victory. After all, strikers get paid more than defenders. And who builds the pressure on the defense? It’s the midfield and attack who relaxed after 2-1.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I don’t think Taylor’s tackle was malicious, but that doesn’t matter. The license that referees provide in England just invites defenders to go in for tackles like that. All in the name of getting in your opponents face. There might be a lot of diving and soft penalties in Spain, but I sometimes feel that the strict refereeing on tackles there is a better. At least, people don’t end up maimed.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Quote
Of Eduardo’s injury, Wenger added on Sky Sports News: “His injury is very, very bad.
“More than the season is over.”
Unquote
Wayne
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I hope RVP comes back soon. Nik was not showing any promise for me today.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Saw the pics of Eduardo’s injury - check the links on goonernews.com … makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. No excuses … the tackle is horrendous. I hope Eduardo makes a comeback …
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:34 pm
From Arsenal.com ….sums up what i have been feeling perfectly
“It was heartbreaking for Arsenal after they had done all the hard work.
But Eduardo’s pain was much greater than his teams.
The thoughts of everyone associated with Arsenal Football Club are with him.”
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
yeah, very, very, bad! the fact that it was his standing leg made it even more brutal. i cant even begin to imagine the pain.
this is not an ankle or joint break, this is a clean break in the middle of the leg.
i am no doctor but i really cant see how his career is not over.
extremely sad!
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
What an absolute tragedy. The important thing for Eduardo is to get healed and walking again. Forget about football for now. Such a shame.
To drop points in the manner the Gunners did today heaped more misery on the whole day. Sure it is behind all of us, but the reality is only beginning for Eduardo.
Hard to say much more about this one. Prayers to Eduardo.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Think i’m posting too many times today…but just can’t help it…i’m so upset over that injury
And just realized that it was Eduardo’s birthday day after
Taking a break from posting now…will be back when i’m in a better frame of mind
Wayne
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Ah, maybe we can learn a little from Liverpool. They score a third goal, so that a late one from Boro doesn’t mean that an easy victory ends up in a draw.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I can’t stop writing either. Maybe because my first thoughts after the game was the 2-2 draw at Bolton which led to our losing the title in 02-03.
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I am seriously sick to my stomach…….didn’t watch the game. Was going to catch it later today but now don’t think I will…..
Unfortunately, this may have serious consequences to our season as a whole and beyond, given the role that Eduardo has in our team and his potential for the future. I am afraid our season may fall apart now because of our psyche…….I am truly disgusted.
Our season aside, the most serious consequence obviously is Eduardo’s health, well being and career. I hope he will be Okay……
I am so pissed right now…….The boys really need to rally now for the next 3 months
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
to be honest, i think the first half, Arsenal players couldn’t really get into the right frame of mind. Neither did I. I didn’t see the picture of Eduardo’s injury (where did u guys see it?)… but the fact that the TV did not even show the replay, and watching Cesc, Ade the likes’ facial expression, which had indicated there must be something very serious.
from what u guys described (those who have seen his injury), there is a concern if he’s career will be able to continue. Even if he can, will he be back to his same level before the injury?
i don’t know how M.Taylor would be feeling? there is a chance he has just ended a fellow pro’s football career. He himself must have awared of the fact that how difficult it is for a footballer to make it to the top….
don’t know what to say… just hope Eduardo will be alright.
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
A dark day! A shite day! A depressing outcome.
I was lamenting on my sofa when I looked up and saw Gallas doing the same on the sideline. I don’t know about all this British tight upper lip stuff but like Gallas I’m only human. I commend him on his humanity, he did and showed what I think what every Gunner around the world was doing. A mix of anger and sadness. Clichy foul is completely debatable.
A dark day! A shite day! A depressing day.
Thankfully not the last day.
___________________________________
I think some of you are being way to harsh on the team and I find it offensive to read some of the vitriol being directed at members of good service in this Arsenal squad. Shame on you!!!
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
With that sort of injury, vains, ligaments, everything swiped off, amputations have been an end result on occasion. Hopefully the medical team will be able to perform miracles.
We may never see Eduardo play for us again. How sad. Seems such a genuine bloke to, no ego.
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I am amazed at the reaction by some on this site. The guys on the pitch saw one of their mates horrifically injured and his career possibly over. Imagine being an engineer on a construction site and seeing a mate suffering an injury in front of you. Would you be able to concentrate properly? Not me anyway.
You cannot say that we bottled it today or that we showed weakness. Continuing to play showed strength.
My thoughts are with Eduardo. I will think about the Premiership and the Champions league another time.
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I hope the FA wakes up to this incident and directs referees to be stricter on the so called British way of tackling and defending. Something needs to be done. We are seeing too many peoples’ careers being ruined. Arsenal fans have seen Diaby and Eduardo. I am sure there are many more.