Arsenal Football Club - The Gunner's Thread 2
- Thread starter Adam Goi
- Start date
Anyway I won't be surprised if we can beat beat Liverpool this weekend; we've beaten Man U and Chelsea along the way. However what's the point if we gain points against the big teams (which are fewer in number) and draw or lose to the so-call lesser teams, which are more?
Sheesh ... I'm beginning to sound more and more like a pessimist ...
Sheesh ... I'm beginning to sound more and more like a pessimist ...
FooFighter
New Member
Don't worry, you are not the only one that is pessimistic here.
I was totally switched off on Arsenal for the pass two weeks. The team is not performing and is going backwards.
Smart gooners have been staying away from the games because they dont think this year's vintage have it in them to win anything. Worse yet, there is only talk, no bite in the team.
Very sian to keep reading news reports quoting AW, ex-players, Clichy, Silvest etc all saying we are still in the race! What a big joke! :angry:
I will tell them to wake up their f***ing ideas and put more effort in the field instead.
For January, I really hope AW surprises us all and buy a midfield enforcer from other EPL teams and help Cesc. Not some 14/15/16/ year old 'the next Zidane, Vieria' etc.
From other EPL teams so he can hit the ground running!!!
If AW wants to salvage the season, buy experienced players, win the FA cup (realistic) and dare I hope, CL???
Just my honest opinion on where we are today. December 2008. :thumbsd:
I was totally switched off on Arsenal for the pass two weeks. The team is not performing and is going backwards.
Smart gooners have been staying away from the games because they dont think this year's vintage have it in them to win anything. Worse yet, there is only talk, no bite in the team.
Very sian to keep reading news reports quoting AW, ex-players, Clichy, Silvest etc all saying we are still in the race! What a big joke! :angry:
I will tell them to wake up their f***ing ideas and put more effort in the field instead.
For January, I really hope AW surprises us all and buy a midfield enforcer from other EPL teams and help Cesc. Not some 14/15/16/ year old 'the next Zidane, Vieria' etc.
From other EPL teams so he can hit the ground running!!!
If AW wants to salvage the season, buy experienced players, win the FA cup (realistic) and dare I hope, CL???
Just my honest opinion on where we are today. December 2008. :thumbsd:
I gave up on Gunners when Henry, Vieira and Pires left.:cry:
FooFighter
New Member
Of the 3, I like Vieria best. TH was an @$$ for his last 2 seasons and Bob... yeah I like him more than TH.
The article below sums up what I feel now...
====================
Wenger must spend money to save his career By Myles Palmer
We often watch two games in a day on TV.
But it's more fun if the second game is better than the first. That's how it was on Saturday.
The Arsenal game was something I was building down to, while the Barcelona game was one I was building up to.
With Arsenal, I've lowered my expectations. I can't be disappointed now because I only believe in two of the eleven players. I've stopped previewing games because Arsenal is nowhere near as interesting as it used to be. I used to write three previews of some games, sometimes two on the day of the game.
At the Riverside, we saw Adebayor head a Fabregas corner when the ball came dipping down to where he was standing. Ade jumped up to make the chance harder, then headed in. With a start like that, against a team who had won only one of their last six home games, Arsenal should have flying, should have been able to control the game.
But Middlesbrough seemed to realise, as Fulham and Hull did, that the best way to beat Arsenal is to press their back four and kill their rhythm. Once Arsenal get their rhythm working, they can often pass round you and through you, at least in two-thirds of the pitch. But when they lose their rhythm, they often lose the game.
So when Clichy whacked the ball clear 12 minutes later, Johnson and McMahon both tried to charge it down and the ball broke infield to Tuncay. He knocked it forward and his second touch was a whipped cross that flew across the penalty area ten yards from goal. Tuncay hit the cross as hard as he would hit a shot. Hes a sparky player, a reflex player who smashed the ball into a dangerous area - and it went to Aliadiere, who got in front of Gallas and glanced a terrific header across Almunia for 1-1.
Good goal. No blame should attach to Gallas for that one. Aliadiere must have anticipated that Tuncay would do what he did and he was on his toes, so when the ball came in at high speed he just threw himself forward and headed home from ten yards.
In 35, Clichy flicked out his left foot and tripped Adam Johnson, who had swerved inside him and got just inside the penalty area. It was a nailed-on penalty, especially in an away game. But referee Peter Walton didn't give it.
Luckily Arsenal, Liverpool went 2-0 down to Hull at Anfield before Stevie G rescued a draw, Man United only drew 0-0 at Spurs, and Chelsea were held 1-1 by Franco Zola's West Ham. Zola didn't celebrate Craig Bellamy's very sharp shot flashed past Petr Cech at the near post.
In my view, Arsenal were playing for fourth place long before Aston Villa stuffed Bolton 4-2 and went a point above them. Can Villa keep their nerve? If they dont earn Champions League football this time, Gareth Barry, Ashley Young or Agbonlahor might leave.
Saturday night was Barcelona v Real Madrid at the Nou Camp. New coach Juande Ramos's second game after being hired on a six-month contract. ( Foofighter: I still cannot believe he is RM coach!!)
A pulsating, thrilling contest played in monsoon conditions, this game had a bit of everything, including an calculated campaign of assault on Lionel Messi.
Salgado felled Henry in 20 seconds, left back Ramos whacked Messi mercilessly in 69 seconds, Marques made a fantastic tackle on Raul, Messi was cruelly clattered by Sneijder, Dani Alves made a tremendous tackle on Drenthe in the box, then Gago kicked Messi near the halfway line, then left back Abidal burst into the box and Metzelder blocked his shot, Drenthe cut back a nice ball to Wesley Sneijder, whose fierce drive was tipped over the bar by Valdes, then Drenthe has a breakaway one-on-one with Valdes, who came out and saved very well.
As the game went on we hardly saw Samuel Eto'o but I still fancied him to score because he hates Madrid. However, I didnt think we would see him until he scored.
This game, El Gran Clasico, had passion, guts, sadism, flair, fiery skills, great defending, fierce competition, end-to-end action. When Salgado shoved sub Busquets in the box, Etoo took the penalty against his former club. It was a tame effort and Casillas read it well and saved. Then Casillas parried an Etoo shot and recovered well to reach the rebound as Messi raced in.
The action continued till 83 minutes when Xavi hit a corner from the right, the lion-hearted Puyol climbed, nodded down, and Eto'o nudged the ball just over the line with his thigh, it was cleared....and I thought Medina wasnt gonna give it. I shouted, IT WAS IN ! Replays showed the ball was over the line. And the goal was given.
At last it was 1-0 and if Barcelona won they were 12 points ahead of Real Madrid in fifth place. So Real threw everything at them to get a goal back and in 91 Henry broke away and flew down the right, picked out Messi on the left, and he clipped the ball up sharply through the arms of Casillas as the covering Cannavaro collided with the post.
YES! YES ! YES!
Good guys 2, rich guys 0.
Football? I love it when the right team wins.
Am I biased? Of course.
Barcelona? 12 points clear of Madrid with a goal difference of 30 !
Arsenal? Uninspiring outfit who have been playing for fourth place all season.
Will Wenger buy experience in January? Sell Gallas to his old boss Ranieri and buy Chiellini from Juventus? I doubt that scenario. If he sells Gallas to improve harmony in the dressing room, he won't finish in the top four. Why would Chiellini join Arsenal? Is he tough enough to play against Heskey and Rooney and Kevin Davies every week? When has Wenger ever signed an Italian player?
But is he finally going to own up that kids cant learn from kids? Is he finally going to admit that he needs experience, size, muscle, steel, proper men ? That this lot cant finish fourth? That he needs spinal players, a strong stopper, a ball-winning midfielder who wont spend months on the treatment table. Nasri has had five injuries in five months. Toure hasnt been fit since he had malaria because its an utterly ghastly disease for a professional athlete. It keeps coming back, so you never regain 100% fitness.
Cesc Fabregas needs a combative partner who can win the ball and pass well. Somebody in the Xabi Alonso class. To ask Fabregas to play with the clueless Song is an insult to Arsenal's captain and best player. Why should a great footballer play in a flawed team?
This transfer window is a big one for Wenger. The situation is very serious. He needs to save his career. If he carries on doing what he's doing, he'll wreck his legacy. He needs to save his career. He needs to sign proper players in this transfer window AND the next. He's losing the fans and needs to win them back. He won't do that by complaining that Middlesbrough were guilty of time-wasting.
He has to buy significant talents, players with experience. Above all, he has to stop worrying about the reaction his players might have to a strong new personality who comes straight into the team. He has tiptoed round his precious millionaires for far too long.
That approach is not working. He has to get a grip. If Van Persie is upset by a new player coming in, sell him. If anybody sulks, sell him. What's the problem? That a French dressing room will only accept French or African players? Or that Wenger only wants French or African players?
He has to arrest the decline. Arsenal can't limp through the season like this. Yes, their decline is disguised by the fact that, in an unusually tight league, no club is dominating, and no club, or pair of clubs, has broken away from the others yet.
The fans are loyal but they are not blind or stupid. They can see that the midfield is far weaker than four years ago. And they can also see that, given the skill and athletic ability of the team that appeared at the Riverside, the overall performance was only 65% of what it could be and should be, given the talents of the players involved.
So I'm saying two different things. They're only giving 65% of what they've got. And what they've got isn't enough anyway. That's what I'm saying today.
Decisions have to be made and serious money spent.
Dec 15, 2008
The article below sums up what I feel now...
====================
Wenger must spend money to save his career By Myles Palmer
We often watch two games in a day on TV.
But it's more fun if the second game is better than the first. That's how it was on Saturday.
The Arsenal game was something I was building down to, while the Barcelona game was one I was building up to.
With Arsenal, I've lowered my expectations. I can't be disappointed now because I only believe in two of the eleven players. I've stopped previewing games because Arsenal is nowhere near as interesting as it used to be. I used to write three previews of some games, sometimes two on the day of the game.
At the Riverside, we saw Adebayor head a Fabregas corner when the ball came dipping down to where he was standing. Ade jumped up to make the chance harder, then headed in. With a start like that, against a team who had won only one of their last six home games, Arsenal should have flying, should have been able to control the game.
But Middlesbrough seemed to realise, as Fulham and Hull did, that the best way to beat Arsenal is to press their back four and kill their rhythm. Once Arsenal get their rhythm working, they can often pass round you and through you, at least in two-thirds of the pitch. But when they lose their rhythm, they often lose the game.
So when Clichy whacked the ball clear 12 minutes later, Johnson and McMahon both tried to charge it down and the ball broke infield to Tuncay. He knocked it forward and his second touch was a whipped cross that flew across the penalty area ten yards from goal. Tuncay hit the cross as hard as he would hit a shot. Hes a sparky player, a reflex player who smashed the ball into a dangerous area - and it went to Aliadiere, who got in front of Gallas and glanced a terrific header across Almunia for 1-1.
Good goal. No blame should attach to Gallas for that one. Aliadiere must have anticipated that Tuncay would do what he did and he was on his toes, so when the ball came in at high speed he just threw himself forward and headed home from ten yards.
In 35, Clichy flicked out his left foot and tripped Adam Johnson, who had swerved inside him and got just inside the penalty area. It was a nailed-on penalty, especially in an away game. But referee Peter Walton didn't give it.
Luckily Arsenal, Liverpool went 2-0 down to Hull at Anfield before Stevie G rescued a draw, Man United only drew 0-0 at Spurs, and Chelsea were held 1-1 by Franco Zola's West Ham. Zola didn't celebrate Craig Bellamy's very sharp shot flashed past Petr Cech at the near post.
In my view, Arsenal were playing for fourth place long before Aston Villa stuffed Bolton 4-2 and went a point above them. Can Villa keep their nerve? If they dont earn Champions League football this time, Gareth Barry, Ashley Young or Agbonlahor might leave.
Saturday night was Barcelona v Real Madrid at the Nou Camp. New coach Juande Ramos's second game after being hired on a six-month contract. ( Foofighter: I still cannot believe he is RM coach!!)
A pulsating, thrilling contest played in monsoon conditions, this game had a bit of everything, including an calculated campaign of assault on Lionel Messi.
Salgado felled Henry in 20 seconds, left back Ramos whacked Messi mercilessly in 69 seconds, Marques made a fantastic tackle on Raul, Messi was cruelly clattered by Sneijder, Dani Alves made a tremendous tackle on Drenthe in the box, then Gago kicked Messi near the halfway line, then left back Abidal burst into the box and Metzelder blocked his shot, Drenthe cut back a nice ball to Wesley Sneijder, whose fierce drive was tipped over the bar by Valdes, then Drenthe has a breakaway one-on-one with Valdes, who came out and saved very well.
As the game went on we hardly saw Samuel Eto'o but I still fancied him to score because he hates Madrid. However, I didnt think we would see him until he scored.
This game, El Gran Clasico, had passion, guts, sadism, flair, fiery skills, great defending, fierce competition, end-to-end action. When Salgado shoved sub Busquets in the box, Etoo took the penalty against his former club. It was a tame effort and Casillas read it well and saved. Then Casillas parried an Etoo shot and recovered well to reach the rebound as Messi raced in.
The action continued till 83 minutes when Xavi hit a corner from the right, the lion-hearted Puyol climbed, nodded down, and Eto'o nudged the ball just over the line with his thigh, it was cleared....and I thought Medina wasnt gonna give it. I shouted, IT WAS IN ! Replays showed the ball was over the line. And the goal was given.
At last it was 1-0 and if Barcelona won they were 12 points ahead of Real Madrid in fifth place. So Real threw everything at them to get a goal back and in 91 Henry broke away and flew down the right, picked out Messi on the left, and he clipped the ball up sharply through the arms of Casillas as the covering Cannavaro collided with the post.
YES! YES ! YES!
Good guys 2, rich guys 0.
Football? I love it when the right team wins.
Am I biased? Of course.
Barcelona? 12 points clear of Madrid with a goal difference of 30 !
Arsenal? Uninspiring outfit who have been playing for fourth place all season.
Will Wenger buy experience in January? Sell Gallas to his old boss Ranieri and buy Chiellini from Juventus? I doubt that scenario. If he sells Gallas to improve harmony in the dressing room, he won't finish in the top four. Why would Chiellini join Arsenal? Is he tough enough to play against Heskey and Rooney and Kevin Davies every week? When has Wenger ever signed an Italian player?
But is he finally going to own up that kids cant learn from kids? Is he finally going to admit that he needs experience, size, muscle, steel, proper men ? That this lot cant finish fourth? That he needs spinal players, a strong stopper, a ball-winning midfielder who wont spend months on the treatment table. Nasri has had five injuries in five months. Toure hasnt been fit since he had malaria because its an utterly ghastly disease for a professional athlete. It keeps coming back, so you never regain 100% fitness.
Cesc Fabregas needs a combative partner who can win the ball and pass well. Somebody in the Xabi Alonso class. To ask Fabregas to play with the clueless Song is an insult to Arsenal's captain and best player. Why should a great footballer play in a flawed team?
This transfer window is a big one for Wenger. The situation is very serious. He needs to save his career. If he carries on doing what he's doing, he'll wreck his legacy. He needs to save his career. He needs to sign proper players in this transfer window AND the next. He's losing the fans and needs to win them back. He won't do that by complaining that Middlesbrough were guilty of time-wasting.
He has to buy significant talents, players with experience. Above all, he has to stop worrying about the reaction his players might have to a strong new personality who comes straight into the team. He has tiptoed round his precious millionaires for far too long.
That approach is not working. He has to get a grip. If Van Persie is upset by a new player coming in, sell him. If anybody sulks, sell him. What's the problem? That a French dressing room will only accept French or African players? Or that Wenger only wants French or African players?
He has to arrest the decline. Arsenal can't limp through the season like this. Yes, their decline is disguised by the fact that, in an unusually tight league, no club is dominating, and no club, or pair of clubs, has broken away from the others yet.
The fans are loyal but they are not blind or stupid. They can see that the midfield is far weaker than four years ago. And they can also see that, given the skill and athletic ability of the team that appeared at the Riverside, the overall performance was only 65% of what it could be and should be, given the talents of the players involved.
So I'm saying two different things. They're only giving 65% of what they've got. And what they've got isn't enough anyway. That's what I'm saying today.
Decisions have to be made and serious money spent.
Dec 15, 2008
zac08
Senior Member
You're not a TRUE FAN then....
Gunners will keep it up no matter wat, even when the chips are down again...
It'll take time for them to gel properly for the new team to work efficiently. And we as fans have to let them do this job. But I hope that they can really get it up and work consistently. :sweat:
ahbian
Senior Member
Yeah, support the club, not the players. Thats my (naive) approach. Love the club long before AW was around, will continue to support it even after he goes.
Hey ... that's an interesting perspective; so simple yet profound! Go Gunners! :thumbsup:
We'll be welcoming Liverpool @ Emirates Stadium early tomorrow morning.
With all the rumours hanging in the air (a possible take over by the Russians or even the Arabs, possible shock bid for Arshavin and Tevez and Real Madrid's plan to lure AW to the Bernabeu), I only hope a good game.
Both Arsenal and Liverpool have coincidentally beaten Chelsea and Man U. Who will claim to be the victor of the part I against the Big 4, we'll find out later in the morning.
I just hope the name begins with A ...
Go Gunners!
With all the rumours hanging in the air (a possible take over by the Russians or even the Arabs, possible shock bid for Arshavin and Tevez and Real Madrid's plan to lure AW to the Bernabeu), I only hope a good game.
Both Arsenal and Liverpool have coincidentally beaten Chelsea and Man U. Who will claim to be the victor of the part I against the Big 4, we'll find out later in the morning.
I just hope the name begins with A ...
Go Gunners!
sbs99
Senior Member
His goal was a well taken one...the defenders were caught off guard/sleeping i guess. :nono:
we will win against aston Villa!!!
oh no not villa again...they are very consistent this season and is a shame that arsenal is behind them in the league.
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