Another dodgy ‘stream’ at the Emirates yesterday.
Blackburn’s Pedantic George grapples with the ‘internot’ and ‘iffy’ commentators as Villa fail to make themselves at home at the Emirates
Well, that was like getting teeth pulled.
I was watching on a very dodgy stream that kept freezing.
We started sharply and scored early. We thought the flood gates would open and all the frustrations of the last week would come gushing out; we were going to smash them.
However, as I was watching a never-ending series of freeze frames on my screen, I had to rely on the unbroken commentary from what sounded like a Brummie abroad. That was a mistake.
From the little I could see – but mainly from what I heard – Aston Villa were killing us on the break. Our defence was dire and our midfield had failed to migrate from the dressing room. Jack kept losing the ball. Diaby was slow and Mikel was playing for line-outs by constantly passing straight into touch.
Brilliant, I thought.
The second half, apparently, was us pressing but creating nothing. Then they scored. A fantastic breakaway goal – and they were more than good value for it. We made some changes, and got a bit of a break when Nacho cut a hopeful ball back into the path of Cazorla who drilled it home. Robbing the visitors of a well-deserved point, apparently.
Meanwhile, nothing I was seeing on Twitter led me to think all was not as described above; people there were saying we were clinging on against one of the worst teams in the league.
The thing is, I have now had the chance to actually see the game and I don’t recognise ANY of the above.
Without ever reaching our free flowing best, we were pretty bloody good. There was loads of one touch football. Players overlapping, neat triangles and plenty of threatening possession.
Giroud worked his socks off.
Santi was magnificent.
Jack dynamic.
Mikel safe and solid.
Nacho super efficient.
Diaby was elegant and treasured the ball.
I felt Theo had a poor game – not his best, but not a stinker either.
We played some really good stuff and easily deserved to take the points. Was the handbrake on? Yes, it was a bit. But after the last week that was always likely to be the case.
Aaron Ramsey replaced Diaby and was excellent in midfield. When Lukas came on for Jenkinson, Aaron dropped into the left-back spot and was faultless. When Theo left the field late on Ramsey then moved seamlessly to the forward-right position. The boy is the ultimate ‘utility’ player.
Three points won and a good display. Everton drop points and Positively Arsenal remains unbeaten in the League. Excellent stuff.
So all in all, a good day.
The run in should be great fun.
Positively Arsenal 
Damn right George. As you know I usually try to find a decent foreign language stream to avoid the lying bias of the commentators but couldn’t get one to work so was stuck with the same prat you had. However an interesting thing happened yesterday. After the Villa fan (because he obviously was) had said that they deserved their goal, and let’s be fair you’d be hard pushed to imagine a goal more against the run of play nor less deserved, he went very quiet for a quite a long time.
I think somebody took him to one side and had a word because when he came back on air he made some mealy mouthed excuse like a little boy caught out peeing in his sister’s wardrobe again. He mumbled something like “Well you have to give Villa credit because Arsenal have loads of great players and so ought to be the better team and if poor little Villa manage to anything it is loads better because they’re shit” I’m paraphrasing but you get the gist.
I’m convinced he was told because he phrased it as a defence of his previous statement that Villa deserved their goal when no one had contradicted him – at least not on air.
Thanks for that George. Unbeaten in the league indeed.
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With just over quarter of the season, 11 games left, 12 for some others, and 2 points between places 3 to 5, there is quite literally nothing in it. Think of 800 metre runners just coming off the bottom straight and into the last bend, barely a metre or two between this chasing group. But, hold on, one of them, oh no, could it be, is, oh gosh, seems to be, looks like it, yes must be, in some sort of a trouble, looks like …. a “crisis” … despite having caught the chasing pack on the back straight. Lawdy, football commentators are mindless idiots. Many years ago, as a 800 metre specialist of sorts, I learned as all the runners did, that last bend is the decisive one; takes nerves of steel, legs failing, oxygen pumping, running at a slight angle, that bend is where it happens, where you catch them, or they you; and you can’t quite see where you are until you come off that bend.
And then into the final straight and all that’s left is in the mind, the body is exhausted.
So come on Arsenal. Man it’s getting exciting.
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ZP – great sporting metaphor. I used to play squash and had an opponent I just could not beat. Weird thing was I could take him to within a point or two of victory so obviously was capable of matching him but the last vital points just would not come. It had to be a mental block.
This is where Arsene’s experience will tell.
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The standard of commentary, on the whole, is abysmal.
I’m sure years ago commentators took pride in conveying what was happening on the pitch and relatively little else. These days the man behind the mic comes ‘equipped’ with a stale agenda and surprisingly little else. Unless Arsenal are actually playing I can very easily make do with watching a game on mute and have something more interesting on the radio instead. There has even been the odd game involving Arsenal where this has happened and I can’t recall the last time I ‘listened’ to an England friendly.
To coin a phrase – dear oh dear …
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Stew .I notice the revision he had as well.After insisting “Villa are more than good value for a goal” he seemed to have a quick rethink.
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Thanks again Andrew
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goodmrining pA! YES the commentator was hoping for a villa equaliser – “arsenal looking to get the three points UNLESS VILLA CAUSES AN UPSET” ..piss off you tw@t, seriously.
this commentator has just seen arsenal creating chance after chance, shots, headers, corners, pressure, we got them in their own half/box, so when arsenal got their goal youd expect something like “well deserved” instead of ” relief for wenger but can they keep it?” , “will villa equalise in the end”, “villa on the break!!! what if..”
it goes beyond sympathy for the underdog…i dont remember such sympathy when arsenal was the underdog against bayern…
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And don’t forget boys and girls if the keeper saves it or the ball spins past the goal by the fraction of a millimetre it is always a “disappointing” finish from Giroud, never ever a fine save or an unlucky miss.
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ZP great metaphor, but are we really at the final bend already? (2 months to go).
George, I was listening to the Arsenal stream (no pics). Adrian Clarke and somebody else. No doubt that we should have won it, but they were critical of our lack of intensity after the 1st goal and the gap between midfield and back 4 (inevitable when you are pressing methinks). They also praised the ‘young’ Villa defence. On the whole, though I’m not sure it’s better than listenening to your commentators as they tend to build expectations which can then be let down (as opposed to shitting on Arsenal which then pleasantly surprises you!).
One thing they mentioned a lot was that Jenks had a great game. Certainly made up for his mistakes at Sunderland.
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I have a poor short-term memory (it’s a function of age), but the names Lowton, Baker and Bennett I can still remember 18 hours later. Their defenders played well and contributed to our ‘bad luck’. Also Agbonlahor created problems on the break. In general, though, they join the ranks of bus parkers for me. Hopefully, spuds will play a more open game and allow us to show the quality of ours.
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Watch your stream, listen to ArsenalPlayer commentary, is the answer to that. It can be difficult to sync them up, though.
@ Arsenal Andrew at 9:26 am
So right. My guess is that the reason for it is that nowadays they are trying, through the commentary, to generate reactions and controversy for their accompanying blogs, Twitter accounts or the phone-in show later.
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oh yeah. and Weiman. Talented. But I won’t be at all surprised if they go down. I might put some money on Aston Villa, Reading and QPR to go down.
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And may I say once again what a pleasure it is to have this blog to come to.
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There were some wonderful moves, but the nerves in front of goal were still there. That said, when we absolutely had to score, we did. I thought our defensive shape was good as well.
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Top drawer George.
It’s difficult, but the only way to keep my blood pressure at an even keel these days is to watch MOTD and/or Sly Sports with the volume turned down. Against my better judgement I turned the volume up last night on the former, Alan Hansen displayed his usual mastery of bias and bitter drivel before Alan Shearer started with “if Arsenal don’t make the top four they won’t attract the top top players. Why aye, Bonny lad”. Something along those lines. They make Gary Neville look like the poet laureate of pundits.
We thoroughly deserved the win yesterday, and we got we deserved. So they can all go f*ck themselves (pardon my French). Onward!
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The commentator you are talking about is one ‘Dean Constantine Sturridge’
Birmingham born & breed.
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When a reporter on a commercial station is baised it’s irritating but I can ignore it. Far more difficult to ignore however is the BBC, they should be neutral but are not not only biased regularly but often also uninformed and downright stupid. MOTD is just watching some overpaid lazy clowns churning out cliches and half truths. 5 live isn’t any better, Alan Green must have some dirt on one of the BBC bosses and wtf is that Savage moron doing on the radio. I/we pay them!!
Moan over, great win and now stuff Tottenham next week, if all goes our way we’ll be 3rd in two weeks time.
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I can assure Mr Hansen, Shearer and the dear dear Lawro that they are heading toward relegation in the punditry league, soon to join Saint and Greavsie in the “Wonder what happened to them” category and the rubber chicken speaking circuit – they are truly shite
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As for Match of the Day. It is a tired show with an ex spud a biased Geordie & a sweaty sock still hurting from 1989. Wankers all.
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Oh and I forget the alcoholic Lawro
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There are few things that unite all PL football supporters in a single agreed position – Bale looking like a monkey, Blatter being a corrupt bastard, and Hansen, Lawro and Shearer being the worst three clowns ever to share a sofa and a cardigan
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Streams are funny animals. I got lucky yesterday and picked up an almost perfect stream. Not the same as being their though. Amazing how two different people view a game differerently. The only thing those dodgy commentators did say that made sense was that Villa were at there most dangerous when our lads had a corner!
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Anicoll5. Will just add that Mike Dean should never ref an Arsenal game again to your list
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The BBC reporting on Arsenal continues to be a travesty.Yesterday they had Ars – Villa 52% vs 48% possession! Yet Opta, a reputable service which all the clubs depend, report 64% vs 36% How the hell is the BBC allowed to get away with such misleading nonsense? Not to mention their game report which gives the impression we barely edged plucky Villa. 22 v 8 chances created is a clear indicator of why the Villa defenders often had their names being yelled in the various brodcasts; they were busy making desperate clearances. Over to the related Comments section where the Anti Arsene brigade together with various opponents of the club had a field day based on the the Beeb’s biased reporting. Is this what Britons license fee is paying for?
Dean Sturridge may be the “expert” many of you heard lauding Villa’s breakaways and criticizing Arsenal’s defenders. Halfway into the 2nd half the producers must have told him to tone it down as it became clearer Arsenal was the only team pressing forward and Villa was desperately hoping for a breakaway.
We needed a 2nd goal to put the game to bed but we were nervous and lacked composure in the final 3rd. Theo has gone 3 games without a goal and you can see he trying too hard. His crossing in particular was poor. He needs a reminder: If you are not scoring, an assist is just as good, multiple assists is even better.
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I’ve heard Dean Sturridge before,he joins an ever growing list of sub-standard commentators, pundits and journos, it’s actually easier to pick out the good ones (their so rare) John Murray on 5 live, Sam Matterface on talkshite and Martin Tyler on sky are pretty good and Arsenal actually have a pundit on the premises that’s as good as Gary Neville in Adrian Clarke, I’ve always liked Ray Houghton as well,mainly because he never hides his contempt for the likes of that scumbag Adrian Durham.
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Harry and Anicoll – You guys have the patience of Job; the drivel you put up with and not just the BBC mind you.
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OK guys please note:
they’re = they are
their = of them (denotes belonging)
there = a place
Mind you, so far have the BBC’s standards slipped that they often don’t even get those right.
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Best (likely-ish) case scenario in my view is City beat Chelsea and Hammers hold Totts, so both those are 2 points to the good, and we are a game away from overhauling either. Of course best, best case scenario might be Chelsea/City draw and Hammers bt Totts, so the door remains a little ajar for a runners up miracle, something I feel would be so joyous, and still realistic if we have a mighty run in. How I would love Wenger to be able to say, 4, then 3, then 2, I think you can see which direction we are headed. I don’t know if it is a crisis in your opinion, but if so perhaps your crisis is our progress.
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Well said, George.
I couldn’t believe the complaining at half time. We were easily the better team and well deserving of three points. We were a bit susceptible on the break, to be fair to the whingers, but we were pretty damn good with the ball.
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Well, yes Mr. Red Roo, the league is soon coming off the bottom straight, 20 metres (2 matches) to go, and then we are into that bend. Great if we can be ahead of Totts before the bend; that needs them to lose or draw today. We must beat them next week. I sense a bit of an epic.
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Well said, George.
I couldn’t believe the complaining at half time. We were easily the better team and well deserving of three points. We were a bit susceptible on the break, to be fair to the whingers, but we were pretty damn good with the ball.
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looks like chelsea gonna drop 3 today, so well in our sights by the day’s end.
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aa, to be honest i dont recognise either of the versions. like the nearly post of yesterday said we were good in places and threatened to break free from our shackles all game but just couldnt open the wretched grasp of the one-nil lead. no player was outstanding and although most worked hard alot of what they tried just didnt come of it was one of those days when a more basic and pragmatic approach would have done the job quicker and easier but i guess that just isnt ARSENAL .it was nice to see ramsey again having a good game in both the positions he played and slowly but surely RAMING THE CRAP DOWN THE THROATS OF THE CRETINS DOUBTING HIM, sorry but its nice to have a rant now and again.
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@ arse_or_brain
I agree with that assessment. And at this stage, it’s all about the points.
Regarding Ramsey, I always felt he had a core of steel but the way he has come through the bitching and scapegoating has impressed me.
Only two points between us and Chelsea! Now let’s all hope for a West Ham win tomorrow to finish off a fine weekend.
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Ramsey is a Gladiator. He’s fast becoming my favorite Arsenal player ever after Eboue.
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I’m still dranked from last night.
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yeah if the ammers get anything against the spuds, it should take the pressure of us ,a draw at shl would give us the momentum for the remaining ten games I believe.Once again we could do with the crowd behind the team in the run in
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A timely reminder of why I avoid watching football on TV and especially avoid MOTD. Those dinosaurs on the couch are so out of touch with modern football it’s not even funny.
Great tune Gains – it got me dancing round the living room!
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I listen to it because it has great cow bell, Pass.
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Hahaha
JOONY COLON
that’s perfect. Was that combia??
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No. Salsa. Nuyorican salsa to be exact.
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Its a quiet old PA these last few days
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George – Quiet is better than endless drivel elsewhere. Twitter in particular. Quality over quantity I say. Be a good gatekeeper.
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I have had to go arguing about Martial Arts instead.
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Been busy. Sorry.
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NLD – conserving my energy
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west ham to kick start the move for change of position on the table with a win 2morrow… even a draw will do it when we win the NLD next weekend
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Working today, alas, but agree with Mr Shottagunna; quality over quantity any day of the week.
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Excellent win yesterday We did ease off a bit and let Villa in after the goal but simply dominated the 2nd half.
Wojo looked a bit apprehensive on their goal. Whatever the issue was he will become a better goalie for it.
Monreal impressed the heck out of me, he looks like he has been around for a a while and it’s been only his third match.
OG is coming along but i feel he is still putting too much pressure on himself and over thinks in certain situations. Give him time and he seems to think too much but pulls of some stunning moves when he has to react quickly.
Ramsey is an excellent player, simple. Nuff people eating humble pie.
Watch this team next season. I think we are going to win the league, the delusional person that I am. I agree with Arsene that we are close to Bayern.
Arsenal
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