The Referee increased Everton’s chances markedly in the first ten minutes.
Fellaini should have had two yellows in that time.By not giving the cards when they were deserved he gave Everton license to make the game physical and disjointed.That was exactly what they did.
Fellaini was strong ,uncompromising and generally cuntish all night.He also dived to win free kicks at every opportunity.I don’t know about you but I call that cheating.
Now how Gibson escaped a second yellow is beyond me and any right thinking person.It was a total bottle job from the man in black.Gibson seemed to understand he had been lucky and never made another tackle all night.
Now we must give credit to our lads for matching them physically and not either losing their heads or wilting under the injustice and pressure.
For me there was little between the two teams in the first half.
The second half was all us.
I don’t intend to tell you all how things panned out ,you likely saw it yourselves.
Again the substitutes seemed to add momentum ,but sadly we could not make it pay.
Some of our player were immense.
Aaron was MOTM for me.
Laurent,Gibbs and Per,also had stand out games.Santi also in the second half.
Some were their usual high standard.Like Mikel and Bac.
Sadly.some were off colour.Theo,Giroud and Jack all failed to impress.Without any of them being particularly bad.Although Jack tried his hardest to get into the bad category.The only good think he did all night was get into a scuffle going down the tunnel at half time.
On twitter Giroud was being thrashed to within on inch of his on-line life.Personally I did not see anything to get that upset about.Yes .he perhaps should had scored from Ramsey’s wonderful cross,but it was anything other than a sitter.
I can only think that Arsene did not want to risk Tomas ,because he is miles ahead of Jack.The team needed exactly what he brings to the table.Better though not to lose him for the rest of the season.However in his absence the Wengerball has gone.For now at least.
All in all it was a game that we matched them ,then pressured them .They were hanging on for dear life in the second half .
It is also a game that we could have ,and in the past may well have ,lost.
This team is on the up.No question.
The fixtures are still in our favour,
Five more Cup finals to go.
Lets just get behind the club and support them to the end .That should not even be optional
Positively Arsenal 
“many agreed that giroud is hardworking , many agree that he can get involve in biuld up play. his record suggest he can score goals and assist and we all know that he gets involve in defensive duties. but because he doesnt play the easy on the eye football, he is not arsenal quality.”
Layksite, I would argue that he is exactly Arsenal quality – his link up play for those who bother to pay attention is outstanding. He is one of my current faves because he works his socks off for the team and contributes to our all round game. He is not strolling around thinking that he is better than everyone else and that people should play for him. For a player adjusting to a new Country, team, league, higher quality and intensity he is doing a great job. Missing a couple of half-chances with defenders breathing down his neck does not make him a shit player.
I agree that there is no evidence that Poldi could do a better job there at the moment. He was tried there earlier this season and he just does not have some of the qualities that Olivier has. Arsene is working on that so these armchair managers should perhaps accept that the person who sees him everyday in training would have a better idea of if and when he is ready for that role.
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Shotta, fully agree and your last sentence…yep!
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spot on passenal. even in matches when we struggle for possession, you will still see giroud running around to get the ball. i know many so called world class players who will just wait for their team mates to get the ball to them.
ronaldo de lima was once quoted to have told his fellow galaticos that his job is not to win the ball but to put it into the net. my confidence in giroud is high because he is ready to improve his game. and being humble, the sky will be his limit.
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I hope Olivier is not reading his facebook comments because I cannot believe that Arsenal ‘supporters’ think that going on there to tell him how shit he is will really boost his confidence and enable him to score next time! They really need to look up the meaning of the word in a dictionary.
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It’s especially disgraceful because Olivier is the kind of person that tries and seems to take it to heart whenever things don’t go this way. Just look at his reactions whenever he misses a decent chance. He’s not the “smile and hope better for the next time” kind of player, you can see in his body language, his facial expressions and his gestures how disgusted he is in such moments. I really fear that starting to get abused on a regular basis might hurt his confidence. Why is it so difficult for some of our supporters to just get behind the team?
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So one thing is clear.
Giroud is not yet world class – he will turn into one?
Isn’t that what you are saying Shotta sir.
The reason why I am asking that is I want to know if its too much to expect Arsenal to have a world class striker in their ranks consistently.
As for me, I support anyone who plays for arsenal as long he shows his love playing for arsenal. We can speculate all we want as to what the player truly feels inside, but to show one’s love for arsenal while playing for this club is a must for me. All our players do that.
A certain bendtner and a certain denilson misspoke about arsenal a number of times and I’ll never care to support them ever. (unless the situation changes drastically – what drastically means is left to my subjectivity).
I think we should try to sign a better striker than giroud..saying this does not mean I don’t want giroud at arsenal.
IMO, We already have a world class midfield and a world class defence and as you say we will have a world class striker next season. Why not get one more goal scorer? 😀
No matter what our summer signings are, this team has evolved and can fancy their chances at PL next season. This is not my opinion but the truth.
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How has Denilson misspoken about the club? I know that he was very critical of Fabregas, saying that we don’t have a leader in the team and… well… he was right, wasn’t he? I don’ think he should have made those comments, but one can’t deny that what said about Fabregas (and you have to consider those two are close friends!) was spot on. Don’t think he has ever said a negative thing about the club, but if you know of one such instance, please point me to it.
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I don’t blame the Management completely for not making sure that we have a 30 goal season striker in our team this year.
I can’t fully blame them because I understand what the economic situation in football is these days.
But I cannot stop myself from expecting a world class striker playing for arsenal and I have to hold somebody responsible for not making it happen.
Its a complicated thing. 🙂
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EVIL, let me try finding that article for you. But I am positive he has said things he shouldn’t have.
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As for world class strikers: Chelsea don’t have one, Manchester City don’t have one (though they have several very good ones), our neighbours most certainly don’t have one. Having a striker of such quality certainly helps, but look at us with Henry when Chelsea emerged. Back then, Drogba was hardly free scoring and Thierry was banging in 30 a season and we still couldn’t win the league while their best player, Lampard, barely scored 15.
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say what you want.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1388961/Arsenal-midfielder-Denilson-demands-worst-season-career.html
I don’t buy the pseudo respect crap he is trying to pull here. What I perceived his statements to mean then haven’t changed till today.
We can differ.
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The Daily Mail ?
Do fuck off
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No Arshavin23, you are thinking of Cesc who said things about the team while he was still captain yet everyone would have him back in a heartbeat. Him and the skunk developed a serious attitude problem, forgetting all the sacrifices AW made to give them a platform to develop their games, yet they were demanding world class players as team mates as their existing team mates were suddenly not good enough for them? Well the skunk is part of a team of journeymen who squeak through games thanks to their manager intimidating referees and the other one is now a very small fish in a stagnant pond.
As for your comments about Giroud, I think they are really uncalled for. He came here as a support striker to play with the skunk who we spent 8 years developing into the player he was for us for 1 year until he ran off to lick the spittle off the drunkard’s chin. Apart from him, name 1 world class striker who moved anywhere last summer? How many times do you have to be told that we did not have the money for the kind of player you are talking about. We all know the talk about David Villa in January, who would have been the closest we could get. But if his club didn’t want to sell what can you do?
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I don’t buy this pseudo respect “we support our players through thick and thin” fairy tale then fjnd you trawling the Internet until I can find something that I can pour shite on them with – from the DAILY MAIL of all publications
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Well, Denilson wanted to play regularly, he wanted to win things, he dropped a couple of notches down and achieved both in Brazil. I don’t see any disrespect towards the club in those comments.
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I believe OG has the potential to become world class. I believe he will be even better next season as will the whole team.
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Who is this mythical 30 goal striker people talk about?
Who is a World class striker ?
RVP perhaps? A man who has gone 12 games without a goal in open play!
3
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Arshavin23, what strikers were world class when they first came to Arsenal?
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exactly, George.
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Fulham, isn’t doing us any favors tonight.
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Who are 30 goal a year strikers in the premiership?
TH14 is the only one since Shearer was in his pomp.Others are only one offs.
20 goals should be the mark.In the league that is.
Giroud will only get half was there perhaps.
I am confusing myself now.
I want more from him goals wise ,but am entirely happy with his all round game and effort.
I would stick with him as No1 next year.Good player he is.
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Spot on Evil – the young man did his job from day one, worked hard and when things turned against him did not moan. He gave it his best shot – he moved on. Good luck to him.
As for the Daily Stormtrooper the alleged quotes may or may not be in some order that questions were or may have been put. Do we know the questions that drew these alleged answers ? Do we hell
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“Fulham, isn’t doing us any favors tonight.”
And then come Saturday, they’ll suddenly be up for a fight! It’s amazing how much teams raise their game when Arsenal come to town.
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Passenal, I know it!
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On the other hand Wigan seem to be back to their usual end of season form. We still have to play them, right? Might be a tougher game than we would like…
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I see the Lino at Upton Park has wilted under the abuse his compatriot suffered at the weekend and kept his flag down to allow the little Dutch boy to score – no more than a yard offside I’d say
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@anicoll
Did he jump into his daddy’s arms again?
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Anicoll, if it wasn’t for weak/corrupt officials manure would not be half as successful. It will be interesting to see how they do without fergie to intimidate people.
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Tongues Evil
Yeuuuchh
I expect we will hear all the experts going on and on about the linos wrong decision
My arse we will
With Rafael on the pitch though Spam still in with a chance
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An easier win than I expected for Chels in Putney – could it go down to goal difference or even if points and GD are equal down to goals scored !
Excruciating
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It’ll certainly keep things interesting anicoll – no time to slack off now!
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EVIL and others. Let me clarify a few things.
1. No striker was world class when they came to arsenal. true except for Bergkamp.
2. When was the last time our only hope was in the hands of a first seasoner striker?
3. Did I ever say I had a problem with Giroud? I don’t. I quite like the fellow. It was just too much to ask a first seasoner in PL. He should never have been put in this position of being made a scapegoat out of. He does not deserve that.
4. 30 goal a season != 30 goals in PL.
5. I cannot fully accept the powerlessness you seem to project/ accept to project on the management for letting go of players. We are a soft club in that regard. AW invested too much time in RVP to let go that easily. RVP should never have gone..but he went and its ok.
6. All I said was we should try to sign a better striker than giroud..why is that construed as a comment against giroud? really?. Should giroud be called the best striker in the world just because he is playing for Arsenal? What is uncalled for in my comments?
7. And regarding the comment by Evil, April 17, 2013 at 8:42 pm
You are isolating each season unto itself. Henry won PL’s with us didn’t he.
Chelsea won the leagues not because of their attack but based on defence and they had many goal scorers. Gudjohnsen scored plenty, Crespo scored plenty and Lampard scored more than plenty. They had scorers everywhere (Robben, Duff). It was a freak show. No team has ever had the plentitude of riches they had.
All premier league team winning teams always had free scoring goal scorers.
If Arsene decides to stick with Giroud next season, so be it. I think we will still be challenging but trying to sign another striker when we can well afford one is always welcome isn’t it?
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Now back to the discussion about Denilson. I don’t want to argue furthermore on him after this post as he is irrelevant now will continue to remain irrelevant.
Anicol.
How does it matter which newspaper it comes from. They were quoting him and its the same quotes in a dozen newspapers.
If they were twisting the order as it is quite possible, again how does it matter. My problem was never with his exact words there. There was so many other things.
You should remember the context when he said those things. The seasons before he had played 37 and 20 PL games respectively, he was starting to become a good mf but he got injured at a crucial point in the season and he played less and less thereafter when his cribbing began. He saw that Jack was always going to be preferred. He only chose to speak of all things he disagreed upon then. He was clearly making a point. He was trying to get away from the club. He never had the spine or skill to fight for his place.
Conveniently forgetting all the game time invested in him he packed off didn’t he? and for what? Got in a fight with coach when the fans demanded he never play for their club again.
Arsene will never bring him back irrespective of whatever he does/doesn’t do at Sao Paolo.
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Fuck this shit. This is a site for the positive minded and I definitely am one.
I’ll stop posting from now on.
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Arshavin23, I agree it was a big ask but only because of who left. OG did not come to Arsenal as a dud, he was top scorer in his own league and helped his team lift the title and that was huge.
I think you should be a little more patient with him. It is his first season and he could well become a top top striker. It is a team game and the whole team is in transition.
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Ah sry. This is my last post. Really.
Paul-N
Never disagreed with a word you said mate. I am patient. Hell a lot more patient than most.
But to express an opinion of mine that we should get one more striker isn’t a sin is it?
I am not looking to antagonise anyone here nor am I desperately trying to disagree with anyone.
W.R.T what I said about Denilson, none of it matters really now. Although it is true that he forced his way out when it was the easier for him to do so. He never seemed to me as fighting type. He never seemed to me as one who gave it his all. He was always the mooching type.
And those thinking Giroud came to Arsenal thinking RVP would never leave. You obviously got all your facts wrong. No argument there.
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Arshavin23, your opinion is not a sin. Given the circumstances, I think we should wait and not make such comments. The fact is OG could well and tear up the PL next season. Given he has done so well this season, I fully expect it.
Would you take Sergio Aguero over OG? I am sure most would…he only has 10 goals in the PL.
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@Arshavin
I was only concerned with your original point, that Denilson was disrespectful towards the club on which I was disagreeing. For the rest, I am clearly not in the position to judge if he is a “fighter” and similar aspects of his personality, but considering how hostile the fans were towards him — the scapegoating going on with Giroud now and Ramsey/Gervinho before that is little compared to the abuse Denilson had to endure, even when he was playing perfectly fine — I can understand that he didn’t really enjoy it with us towards the end of his career.
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Arshavin .There is no need to stop posting .You are entitled to think as you wish.I dont doubt Giroud will serve us well.But you are entitled to.
If you are positive about Arsenal Then you are one of us,
Its as simple as that.
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The dismissive tone of your posts A23, writing off OG in his first season, does not sound much like a supporter to me. Also, the way I read your hatchet job on Denilson’s character based on half truths and sketchy sources, does not sit well with me either.
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And fully agree with George and Paul. I don’t think anyone on here minds some discussion, it’s all about if you are positive about the club and want us to succeed.
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1)‘a cultured le groan’..LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL.
2)and this : “Well the skunk is part of a team of journeymen who squeak through games thanks to their manager intimidating referees and the other one is now a very small fish in a stagnant pond.”
3)george the phone is ringing…
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Passenal.He was not alone in seeing Denilson as letting us down and forcing his way out.
Personally I dont know enough to either hail him or condemn him
Did he write Giroud off? Or just ask for a striker who in his opinion is better.?
I would not say no to a better player in any position.And I would not be quiet about asking either if I thought I was right.
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Gotta say that that post was very, positive…
Really enjoyed it…
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No, no Arshavin23. You disappoint me. You dissed OG and we refuted your world class striker meme pointing out the history of Wenger making not buying world class players among other points. You dissed Denilson using the notorious Daily Mail as your source and you were given an alternate narrative. Because we disagree you pick up your marbles and run. Thought you were made of sterner stuff.
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He can post what he likes George, it’s not my blog, but equally I can express my opinion too. There is no evidence that Denilson forced his way out of the club. He lost his way after a serious back injury and lost his place in the team. Arsene was happy enough to let him go. It’s not like he was a key player or captain of the team who stood by while his mates publicly tapped him up, or issued a disrespectful ‘statement’ on his personal website. But let’s search the Internet to find ‘evidence’ to slag off a player for no reason. He was not liked because he was seen as a threat to one of their favourites. Well he’s gone now, so just why not leave well enough alone?
As for the OG issue, if he actually watched Arsenal or listened to the manager he would know that the plan is not to rely on one 30 goal a season player – we had that last season and were accused of being a one man team. When he wasn’t scoring no one else was. This season we have shared the goals around while trying to incorporate 3 new players. OG was involved in all 3 goals on Saturday, but because he missed a couple of half chances last night, I find myself having to defend an Arsenal player in the last place I expected to. Maybe I need to take a break as well.
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arshavin, a better player than giroud? i dont know any until they play alongside giroud. players like giroud trive on competition. that is why he agreed to join arsenal. to compete with rvp and not to replace him. remember he was not the first choice ealier in the season but he forght for his spot in the team. next season i want arsenal to buy ‘world class’ striker. i assure you that giroud will displace them before the season ends because he is a fighter. cavani, falcao, lewandoski these are the 3 that i know for now. he is already beaten benzema to it in france.
he is like drogba. you can count how many world class players that were brought to replace him. he always displace them because he always want to fight. what you need is world class effort not skill. and giroud has it in aboundance.
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what if instead of this jovetic lad we went for another serie a player … a real midfield general… a world cup winner….danielle de rossi or as i like to call him..the boss.
the boss and the kozz
as for the giroud ..i like the giroud…..he might not be as naturally talented as the dutch bastard traitor but then again the dbt aint as naturally talented as say aguero. still though each striker should be marked on the times where he was at his peak of his game. giroud has just arrived and his type is more about being a target man than getting into runs after through balls like robin was. with robin the team had to play for him while giroud plays for the team. different approach. depends what type of football you want to play really. each has his traits..robin is at a level where his traits show more ..giroud can also achieve perfection in his type of target-man game under wenger guidance. one thing we all need to recognise though is that giroud plays with a smile on his face, and his mind body and spirit are devoted to the cause for every second he represents us. sure part of that is to repay wenger but i respect him a lot for his work ethic and his never stop attitude and for being first to run to teammates when we score…he goes nuts when we score..he luvs it!
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I agree Passenal.There is no evidence against Denilson that I would call strong enough to condemn him on.
And I think Giroud is a top player .
But I also can understand how some people look at a different type of player when they look for what they want.
But he did not say he did not support him or that he was a bad player.
I just think we were a bit harsh on him for expressing his opinion in a way that seemed quite fair to me.
Although I disagree with him on both Denilson and Giroud.
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all our players have been devoted ..its the expectations and fans/media pressure that messed with many of them and it shouldnt surprise us ..most of them are young and also foreign in a foreign land trying to make their living and getting booed by the the people who are supposed to support them…lol… it is a bit of a shock to be 20, 21 22 and 23 and being booed or abused cause you cant beat czech drogba essien ronaldo tevez and van de sar for the title….
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