Well we lost.
We did not play well,but not so bad either.
I am going to write it off as being down to injuries and having other priorities.
There you go,sort it our among yourselves in the comments section.
54 comments on “Oh Well,Thats That then”
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Positively Arsenal 
Not the worst match to lose. Much better to lose in the league cup than in the league. I have to admit I was relieved to be out of the league cup as it saves the team to focus on the league and CL.
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Ray Wilkins saw Chelski ‘wipe the floor’ with us. He seemed gleeful. Even David O’Leary saw no positives for Arsenal in that game. These rose tinted glasses are becoming a problem……
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the good thing is that both home defeats havent cost much plus we cant lose third time in a row at home .. 😉 …i imagine carl breaking things at home till 04:00 in the morning….
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All the game did was remind us of areas that we know need strengthening. This squad is a work in progress: we might have lost a battle but the war is far from over. Plenty of positives and to my eyes you don’t have to look far to find them.
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konscielny owned eto
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but bertrand owned ryo….. i thought nick was majestic chewing his gum and ramsey is a phenomenon.. at some point i thoughthe was going to win it on his own….dowd is a massive cunt we all know that…essien and mikel never won any ball legitimately..
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Thats all, George? Where is the dooming and glooming? The gloating that it is another autumn slump? Where is that slippery, sitting on the fence support which is high on the hog when things are going well but quick to venom and and nastiness with a loss?
Come on George, are you telling me you and Positive Arsenal are different
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it is wrong for people saying we were punished on the break when our players tackled ball at midfield and it fell on some chelsea player again fucking carabolas plus jenks …..what contra attack? ..deflections and mistakes brought their first goal..not some undefendable counter attacking move…
also i hate the commentators saying how villa came and stunned us in first epl game..no acknowledgement of ref robbing us of a home win …..
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Revisionism must be made into a capital crime. Prior to the game the accepted wisdom by the pundits in the media and elsewhere was Wenger should play his second string with a smattering of 1st teamers vs a Chelsea much richer in terms of talent sitting on the bench. By that logic one would expect that we would have been overwhelmed. Were we? Given the number of games that they have played, their overall talent and experience levels recently could we expect Ryo, Jenkinson and Bendtner to wipe the floor with Eto, Bertrand, Willian, David Luis and Mata?
This circular thinking simply makes my head spin.
As George said a good performance mixed with the not so good in which the Chavs took advantage of an error in judgment by Jenkinson and, lets admit it, a damn good strike by Mata. As a result the sky is falling in.
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M’lud, Ray Wilkins is a smug Uncle Fester in disguise and I rest my case .
I enjoyed that George. Kind of thing i would have written:
We lost. Too many injuries at the moment. A few silly mistakes leading to goals. They have the luxury of playing someone like Mata in the tin cup. Therein lies the crucial difference between the clubs. Chelsea under Maureen will always bore a glass eye to sleep. Maureen is a tit.
Fight amongst yourselves.
Anyway. We need to get players back from injury asap. I don’t see it as a major disaster, or indeed, any kind of disaster at all. It hurts losing to him/them in such a predictable fashion, that’s all, Arsene tried to mix up with his choices, but obviously had to save players with Saturday looming. Maureen’s age old tactics worked a dream…aided by an easy goal (feel sorry for Jenks though), By the time Ozil and Giroud came on, it was an uphill struggle to break ’em down.
The real big game is on Saturday, and they need be switched on for that. Beat Liverpool and this will be quickly forgotten
Onward. Arse.
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no i dont see any skies falling …it was more annoying to listen to them cunts singing the name of their leader cunt inside our home and our stands not replying than the actual loss..for me at least…….
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Meh, only regrettable thing with this game is that Ramsey didn’t get more rest.
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I don’t think there’s a lot more to say than that, George. And regarding what some say the pundits are saying, the narrative is that we are shown up against big teams, so if we lose such matches they will stick to that story, come what may.
The result was annoying and frustrating, but no more than that for me. In hindsight, our hopes pretty much died when Gnabry picked up his injury because he was the only remaining fit attacking player who could get in behind them. But it was always going to be a really tough game – not only is Chelsea’s squad a bit deeper than ours to start with, but we had 6 players out injured (five of them attackers) and they had one. The back five and frontman from last night with Walcott, Podolski, Diaby, AOC, Flamini added to the squad would have been a totally different proposition. The back four would have had better protection (although they seemed to me to do fine, Jenkinson’s nerves apart, of course) and Bendtner would have had better service and an easier time linking up with midfielders.
Somebody, please take that injury goblin and stuff it head first down a well. I am sick of the cackling, gurning little toerag.
Fabianski
Jenks Kos TV Monreal
Flamini Diaby
Walcott Cazorla Podolski
Bendtner
And that’s not including AOC and Gnabry in the starting line-up. Fantasy, I know, but a girl can dream.
@ foreverheady
I think the only area where we are genuinely short numerically and in quality is RB/CB. Jenkinson is a little short of where he’d want to be and given that Sagna covers CB, we’re half a player – a talented youth or reliable oldster – short. But this is what we’ve got, and round about the international break we should have Walcott and Podolski back at least. It’s just about making it through until then. Did Cazorla and Wilshere seem to be getting back into form?
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I saw a lot of good football last night from us, especially in the middle of the park. At the back I thought we did well although Mata is a real thorn in the flesh. Not sharp enough up front but that is the real work in progress i think and very much dependent ion who is available.
But Ray Wilkins – now as I have said previously you would have to stagger along many a gutter and frequent some low down bars until you met a drunk like me.
Trust me Wilkins was pissed last night, late to arrive on the programme, shhhlurring his words from the off, a slightly glazed expression and a body posture towards 10pm that suggested ‘over-relaxed’. Oh we know Ray, we know.
Now some will say that any man who is tested X4 over the legal driving limit needs to take a long hard look at himself, preferably from the inside of a cell
But not me
I say lets stand up as the great football community and #SaveRayWilkins
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I enjoyed the review and comments, including after the game last night.
My only disappointment was with not seeing Akpom and some others in the diddly cup but then against an Oiler/Gas Club that wasn’t really possible. At the back good performances for Monreal and Tommy V, poor old Jenks will have to wait a bit before he gets the chance to get that one out of his system (to play again). First goal against a strong opponent was always going to be massive with the heavy artillery on the bench or rested.
–
Kozza also added Ba (along with Eto) to his growing Panini collection of strikers.
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That’s slanderous ‘Coll. I expect if he reads that he’d be on the phone to his lawyers. If he didn’t have such a blinding hangover.
Let’s face it, most plundits could stroll on half-cut and we’d probably struggle to notice. Slump in the chair and regurgitate the usual cliches. Most of us be non the wiser
Thank god for Gary Neville. And those are four words I never thought I’d utter.
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Five words even. I should cut down on the sauce before lunch. #hic#
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I don’t think Wenger will have any reservations about putting Jenks in if required Finsbury
Part of the problem is that he has not had enough game time this season so that inevitably when he gets first team action he is not up to the sped of the game
Admittedly we have many supporters who imagine that a player can sit on his arse on the bench week after week and not get a game, then when the call finally comes perform faultlessly every time – the same goes for players who are injured and who take time to get back into the groove
Trouble is many of our supporters have far too much imagination
None of them appear to remember the games it took Sagna to get his form back after his long injury lay off last season as a example of needing a bit of time to get back up to speed
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Harry, I shall be passing round the hat on Saturday for Ray’s treatment at the Betty Ford – I expect a small donation but of course welcome donation from all Positivistas to aid the man on his long hard road
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On that theme do you remember the BBC punditry during the World Cup Final in Paris? As some pundits would say it is always instructive to dredge through past games (why, I seem to recall just such a thing on MotD on Saturday) so if anyone can find video footage of the Paris game you will find it wonderfully instructive – and will certainly see why the substitution was made.
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I thought Jack was more to blame than Carl for the first goal.
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anicoll @ 12.36
Agreed, if we are one up with two minutes to go on the weekend i can see Jenkinson and Monreal coming on again. I just meant that he’ll have to be patient whilst waiting for that run of games, and to be fair he has said the same himself. Doesn’t help when you have some, um, imaginative and expert home supporters. I didn’t take my nephew last night because I left it too late to get tickets in the enclosure area (props to all involved including Mel of course for getting those low tickets. I don’t think the AST were involved, I’d like to imagine that they were but I doubt it) and I just didn’t want him to see the inspiring spectacle of arsenal fans abusing their own players. I’m not the only one who made that call.
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PG @ 12.59
Whisper it! No doubt he was, but unfortunately Jenks will feel worse as it was his header. However, I don’t expect the self declared realists and expert fans out there to point out that St.Jack should’ve given it some welly.
If Flamini would’ve been there not only would he have cleared it but he’d have turned his hoof into a match winning assist.
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So what should Pellegrini do with Kolarov and Hart? Can any of our great tacticians offer some advice to Senghor Manuel?
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“There you go,sort it our among yourselves”.
What kind of attitude is that?
The thing that really annoys me is the commentators above me have made all the points I wanted to make (you b*stards).
Georgaki-pyrovolitis
I think you’ll find D O Leary did give us a positive – almost under his breath I swear he said ‘we have no injuries’.
Shotta @ 9.50
I wanted to say that. Sod you. (Mine wouldn’t be so spot-on, but still….)
Harry @ 10.25
Exactly.
anicoll5 @ 12.36
Agree entirely. First games back for most players are rarely great. I had to point that out to a friend last night. Whilst Sagna was out I saw Jenks getting better and better. So much so that ‘x’ amount of people were saying Sagna should go, blah blah. TR7 and SC19 can both play better but they’ve gotta get some more games under their belts. Simple. (And they’re still playing marvellously – just the few misplaced passes or decisions. I can take it).
Damn, at the time of writing, I’m loving the comments here, but that’s but one of the beauties of this site – you’ll not let the negavistas blurt out their shit, which in turn means I and others can express ourselves and learn/enjoy whatever’s happening.
I watched the match with a smile on my face. I knew I’d be OK with us not going through. I knew Phat Phil would allow Chelsea much more latitude. I didn’t know 5 or 6 chelski players would lie down and wipe the floor with cramps/injuries/fake cramps/lower-team time wasting. I knew Essien would do his best to injure our influential players, cos that’s what he’s there for. That’s his pattern. I haven’t forgiven him for smashing Diaby’s ankle 2 or 3 seasons back. Unsurprisingly that assault went unpunished and I was unable to have sympathy for his subsequent injury. Ramires – so talented, but a little bit cheating git. Karma’s out to get you.
How many of you could be walking the streets having been done for drinking and driving – whilst being banned for same? Never mind walking the streets, how about keeping your job and continuing to be pissed whilst doing it? Sorry, but Wilkins doesn’t need rehab. He certainly doesn’t think so. He certainly doesn’t think. To have him continuing spouting the narrative says lots about Sky Sports. (Just listen to their ‘commentary’ during that game, any game).
I’m content. I hope we can beat scousers on Saturday. That would be superb.
Come on Arsenal.
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Georgaki-pyrovolitis @ 2.06
Is this any help?
http://footballisfixed.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/joe-hart-joke-head-coke-head-or-crooked.html
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The drama queens will over react and the pragmatists will see this result for what it is. Good football in patches. A bad mistake led to their opener. We chased the game for the remainder of the ninety minutes. And Mata closed it with a stunning strike. The end. Now bring on Liverpool.
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@ rantetta at 2:24 pm
What an interesting read. In fact I read some of his other stuff. Very good stuff, thanks!
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It’s never nice to lose. I hate losing. We all do. But we do, and shock-horror, so will every close competitor. It’s the aggregate that counts, in EPL anyway; and across, its the key battles that count, and that includes the CL, and to a less degree FA Cup. Wenger knows very well, and said recently, form goes in cycles, and that is for every team, and we’ve seen that countless times so it’s not as though we don’t know it. Our overall form has dipped every so slightly, but then margins at this level are ever so slight; this is offset or explained by a few key injuries, thankfully temporary. So, if we were to take a knock, better this knock, better now. I love Arsenal being the slight underdog, the whipping boy, and going forward for a while that is where we will be. Knowing the tremendous spirit in this team, which casual commentators do not know, or forget, we are stronger than we look in intangible ways. That is an advantage.
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Rantetta 2:24
That white stuff on his jacket is dandruff…….hehe.
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When did Alan Smith become such an Anti-Arsenal gloater?
His commentary on our games on skysports is never fair or balanced.
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Good news everyone!
Plodders is back in training.
Saturday might be too much to expect, but I bet he would love to be on the bench for Dortmund.
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Santi is getting back to his best, game by game.
Nacho could deserve a place at left wing in any game, Jenks tried and tried hard all night – the back header (as PG said) was more Jack’s fault than his.
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“Admittedly we have many supporters who imagine that a player can sit on his arse on the bench week after week and not get a game, then when the call finally comes perform faultlessly every time – the same goes for players who are injured and who take time to get back into the groove”
True dat! Last night the boo boys decided Bendtner is crap again, not taking into account that he has barely played for 2 seasons due to injury and he was not exactly getting stellar service from his team mates. Santi is obviously not firing on all cylinders at the moment and it will be the same for Poldi and Walcott when they return, but I doubt that the impatient will be ready to take that into account while yelling at the players for not immediately picking up where they left off.
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down in shite hart lane tonight.
1-1 so far, extra time coming up (and another east european haul next week).
BBC twitter reactions:
GET INVOLVED
reecesanford: Gareth Bale 2-0 and this mickey mouse Spurs team can’t score two against a rugby team.
Khalid: Boring, boring Tottenham Hotspur. What is going on? 100m spent and we can’t thrash Hull at home. Oh wait, it’s probably the fans.
reecesanford: Does AVB actually have a plan B. Or is plan B now playing for Madrid?
🙂
Arsenal don’t have all the fickle fans.
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Passeral, dont you know? thats how it works on FIFA13 on playstation
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Passeral,
there was nothing wrong with Bendy’s pass back to Ramsey for a shot.
If Bendy was the TGSTEL cliché, he would have made a shot himself.
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To be honest I felt that Bendtner’s decision to lay it off for Ramsey was the right one. The way he was positioned, he would have had to take at least one more touch to be even able to try and get a shot on goal with a defender close-by, passing it to Ramsey seemed like the wiser option. Unfortunately it seemed that him and Aaron weren’t on the same wave length, because if he had struck it first time, it would’ve surely troubled the keeper.
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The difficulty that Nick B faces now is that we have become too used to a central striker spending 90 minutes locked on unarmed combat with the defenders, a style that OG has mastered. If the centre back and Olly are not wrestling each other to the ground as the ball comes towards them then someone is not paying attention.
Nick’s more languid non wrestling style does not sit well on the eye after Olly’s more muscular style
Best thing he could have done on Tuesday was kick Luiz eight feet into the air after three minutes
The crowd would have gone bananas
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I was reading with interest this week the Black Scarf’s Movement Masterplan this week “to get our Arsenal back” by all congregating in the lower tiers blocks next to the Chelsea fans on Tuesday and giving loud voice and creating ‘atmosphere’
Fair enough I say – no harm in that – good on them in fact – much better than their pathetic marches and protests and letters to the board etc
Unfortunately it was all a bit of a farce – not many turned up and the few who did, according to the BSM online participants, made very little noise
The Black Scarfistas say that failure on their part to “get our Arsenal back” was all the fault of the AFC stewards, the police, of other Arsenal fans, of tourists, not to mention those 9,000 Chelsea fans
No doubt Stan’s inbox will be getting a battering
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“No doubt Stan’s inbox will be getting a battering”
Is that euphemism ‘Coll? (Oooh no missus, titter ye not, etc etc)
Sorry.
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Every time I hear the words “Black Scarf Movement”, I can’t help but think of Wodehouse’s Black Shorts movement in Jeeves and Wooster, and any gravitas they may have been reaching for with that name instantly crumbles. Shame. Silly buggers.
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As the BSM keep telling me, the Arsenal board are the worst in football…:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/30/tottenham-hotspur-stadium-traders-oppose-haringey
I compared the unrestrained corporatism of the Tottenham project with what happened in N5 earlier on. There is no comparison. Tottenham: yuck.
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I shall sidle up to Tim Spode and whisper ‘Eulalie’ in his ear Harry (winks knowingly)
One of my faves too
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Tim Spode? Do you mean Roderick Payton?
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i didnt really mind rodgers..but now after all he has said about arsenal-suarez i want us to hurt him and humiliate him.
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Totally in agreement with that. Suddenly fed up with always being the gentleman.
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Arsene purposely lost the match to keep the doomers interested and nic was under the same instructions.
some of the comments during and since the game have been so infuriating there almost funny. some numnut behind me shouted chop him down when the chelski player was in the area. At another point nic controlled the ball, with his back towards goal and defenders up his arse, laid it back for someone to have a shot and the crowd went wild with derision and then mezut come on received the ball and fell over obviously he was duly clapped.
a fellow im debating with on twitter honestly believes weve won nothing for ten years, he says hes been following AFC for 56 years but with maths like that maybe he means 5 to 6 years. he also believes the longer you have been following AFC the more right it makes you about them. he systematically come out with the same old myths one after another I could have written them for him.
I think Fungunner was right with her point about injuries the squads would look a lot closer if everyone was fit. we may even have showed more cohesion if we were able to field more of the youth players who play together each week but they too have many injuries at present.
it is a shame we cant turn up to important games with Arsene’s preferred 16 but that has been our lot for the last however many seasons now. i’m sure we will and then will really tank one of the big sides.
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hehe so the issue of “support” has come to question huh?……….. flares drums flags bring it on !! fuck the stewards!!!!
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Personally I think the little Russian is right our HOME support is shit,not every game but more than not.many do treat it like going to the theatre and others think their duty is just to moan. How many songs do we sing now and the few we have are mundane the wit has gone. I love ARSENAL and hate stoke but for home support they are a league above us. There can’t be many clubs that have more fans organizations designed to criticize the club rather than support it.
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