Ozil to Ramsey, Ozil to Flamini and the Theo/Aaron axis brought about the goals – Three fine goals, I might add.
There is no doubt that Ozil has made a difference to our fortunes. His composed passing in the final third is always going to lead to chances. The latest step in Ramsey’s development is obviously a huge factor too. Goals win games and Ramsey scores goals. These are huge factors.
Yesterday, however, we saw a clear example what I believe to be the biggest factor of all. At 1-0, Cardiff were mounting a fight-back, and why wouldn’t they. Last week they kept the current champions within sight and earned themselves a draw – why not do the same to the future champions?
We know our team is good enough to create chances but I can’t recall any team in all my years of watching football who are good enough to not concede chances. Every great football team needs a great goalkeeper to bail them out from time to time.
When a cross came in from the Cardiff left and found their striker’s head just a couple of yards from goal, the game was set to go level.
When I used to collect the World Cup ring-binder things, they would always have an illustration of a save by England’s Gordon Banks. The ball was all but in when suddenly Banks was on the deck scooping the ball over the bar. Well, Szczesny didn’t get the ball over the bar but the Cardiff header was all but in and the save had this Gooner on his feet.
If Cardiff got back to 1-1, the whole thing would have been different. Perhaps we would have won but it would have been against a side with something for which to fight. It would have been against a stadium of Welsh fans who were no longer full of respect for their former player. At 1-1, they would have tasted our blood and wanted more.
From that moment, it looked like Cardiff realised that it wasn’t to be. Our boys battled to regain supremacy and the familiar pattern resumed. We were back in control.
So, I say that many of these wins –particularly yesterday’s— have been hugely down to Wojciech Szczesny. The guy is truly one of the top players in his position.
Thank you and keep going Chezzer!
Thanks for reading,
Up the Arsenal!
Positively Arsenal 
They’ve got under your skin. Job done in their eyes.
true but hwo is that allowed in todays society? this is the mentality of savages unfortunately, certainly not 21st century
cannibalism …only done with pens and keyboards
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Yes its all a bit hard to follow the ‘Arsene has changed’ debate Harry
I think almost certainly Arsene has changed his approach and precisely how he does things – e is a bright, energetic professional man who constantly reviews what he does, how he goes about his work, to eliminate error and tries to devise better ways to secure the results he wants to achieve.
And I am sure he has dome that every day of the time he has managed a football club, and is doing so today, and will be at it tomorrow too.
If he did not constantly change, adapt, improve, discard, test this approach and that, then he would not be the exceptionally good manager he undoubtedly is.
The notion however that he underwent some form of Damascene revelation and ‘changed’ at some point in the past few months is however a theory too far – imo
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Cannibalism ?!
You go first with Martin Samuel Hunter – my appetite would not stretch that far
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“do you mean the costa rican who plays for a bunch of cheats and crooks in piraeus?”
Hunter are you being racist again? Leave those Greeks alone!
Yup that was who I meant. Campbell.
There are a few that can give Perez a run for his money/bank loan. The chap up the road at the other Madrid has a reputation.
Gains, do you know if Campbell is a leftie?
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harry: “Personally I like that about him, although I think you are correct Hunter, and would welcome a more aggressive stance from the club, though perhaps that would just work against us.”
not if all clubs unite and say ” listen you fucking mugs, we indirectly also put food on your families tables because of our investments in the game/industry…so you better show some respect and courtesy and to fuck with your newspaper sales you sensationalist shitters, now behave please”
i understand the not acknowledging them AT ALL, it is the best form of irritating them..ignore them completely but when they become as offensive and dismissive as of lately then surely there shoudl be a limit instead of allowing these arseholes to hide behind the freedom of expression/opinion excuse. (?)
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“do you mean the costa rican who plays for a bunch of cheats and crooks in piraeus?”
Hunter are you being racist again? Leave those Greeks alone!
ahhhhhhhhhahaahahahahah yes yes i am racist towards all humans…its called being a misanthropist…we are so behind in evolution its embarassing..we still seperate into categories …tesla had found ways to provide the whole world with free energy ( gaia energy) and we are still pay for petrol and still hold talks abotu energy prices …lol….. however having said that …they are still cunts in piraeus…cheats crooks and gay sailors …horrible horrible place should be bombed to the ground…..flooded…erased from the map.
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He has changed though for I think that the constant haemorrhaging of top players, and the constant rebuilding began to wear him down. He looked as if his heart wasn’t quite in it, as if he didn’t quite believe any more. But something wonderful happened: the current group of players stood by him, and started to bleed for him – and that put the spring back in his step, for it had been a long time since players showed him real loyalty, but they needed to, for he had stood by them. The team he is building now will play the best football the League has ever seen – and they will play it for some years to come. We have got our Arsene back.
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He looked as if his heart wasn’t quite in it, as if he didn’t quite believe any more
no i cant say i have seen that. cant use a strong word as “changed” ….more like being depressed having to think of new ways to rebuild arsenal after cesc fucked off rather than not having the heart for it knowing that the fans can not wait or hold a perspective. and of course being disappointed that the people he has done all this for were booing him in the house he built for them. that the country he has honoured with his presence and football saw it fit to unleash criminals on and off the pitch to either break his players legs or their mentality. agree with the last sentence though 100%
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True again ‘Coll, I would imagine it’s a constant process of change in a way, continually adapting and refining your approach. You don’t stay at the top that long, certainly not if you are the stubborn intransigent (insert expletive) some of the dimmer detractors labelled him. This idea of a big sea change in his way of thinking, well I think that’s rather tenuous..but we really don’t know of course..
The spring is back in his step Foreverheady, and that’s great to see, he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world at times, especially the last couple seasons, he did indeed look worn down with the constant uphill struggle at times, and I wouldn’t have blamed if he was running on empty. It was vitally important to get that CL spot last season, now the jigsaw pieces seems to be falling into place (and how). some of that weight has lifted.
Hark at me. What a load of wiffly-waffly shite 🙂
Toodlepip.
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‘Wenger’s changed” is a very convenient way for those who endlessly criticised him to now give him his due praise without admitting they were wrong in everything they said about him – “he’s stubborn”, “he wants to win with his ‘project youth'”, “he will never spend £30m on a player, it’s not his way”, “he doesn’t care about the defensive side of the game”, yadda yadda yadda.
“Oh I didn’t get it wrong. Arsene’s CHANGED, you see. Yes, that’s it, I can definitely save face with that one.”
He has changed just as much as he “has listened to the fans”. I love that one. If he had listened to the fans he would have either sold off Ramsey, Mertesacker, Rosicky, Szczesny and a few others to buy Begovic, Samba, Cahill, Parker and Diame and play 4-4-2 with Walcott through the middle, or “fucked off back to France” as some so eloquently put it. Listened to them my arse. He has done it his way, all the way.
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hohoho !!!!! leoS !! epic reply… like a boss !!! love this!!
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Wenger “changed”! What a load of crap. He, and Arsenal the club has been and remain a model of consistency. In that respect, as far as always going for maximum results, trophies, and accolades, it was Wenger who began and managed a massive transition at the club more than a year before blog-idiots screamed for “change” and “end of era”. An unprecedented number of players were moved on, and brought in. It was a planned transition, faultlessly executed and not once did we blink and lose of top four and CL record. Youth development remains at the core of Arsenal. It is a matter of public record that Wenger has repeatedly said he is not averse to high transfer fees, although it worries him for the future of football in reference to financial fair play regulations and Arsenal will not spend more than its retained revenue and has not done so; he is averse to transfer costs that are not justified by the quality and attributes of a player. Who are the top players at Arsenal, what did we pay for them and what are they worth now: Gibbs, Theo, Ramsey, Jack, Mikel, Kos, Chewie, Giroud, Santi, Lukas, Flamini. That little lot alone would set any club back a Chelskian amount of dosh right now. We either developed them or purchased them at fair price and allowed them to flourish at Arsenal!! Now we are reaping the rewards of the man’s planning and wisdom.
Wenger changed is one of the biggest insults to the man, and there have been many.
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Would the fans who have seen fit to criticise Arsene over the years presume to do the same thing to a surgeon who was about to operate on them?
Of course not.
None of them would say to the medical professional ‘make sure you cauterise the knives before making the incision on my scrotum, and I want you to make the cut vertical and not diagonal because I find that works better on my Sunday roast. Just do what I say doc and you won’t go wrong like that pillock Wenger.’
Did I tell you Arsene that I once managed the U 10s at the local junior school. If only you would listen to me you would learn a lot from a man of my experience.
🙂
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A good point Forever Arsene has had more resources to make his plans work including signing a v expensive player, retaining a number of youngsters on long contracts and perhaps as important our squad has not been as battered by injury as in years gone by.
I was interested to hear Muamba last night talking about the importance that Steve Bould gave to heading practice when he was youth coach and how every training session would end with a hard session of heading in the box
If that is right then I can understand why we are so much better in defending corners and dead ball kicks in the box than we were two seasons ago
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Fin: “Don’t usually listen to this podcast but the Paul Davies interview looked tempting, worth a go.”
I’m listening to it now. Dan Baldwin is a clueless twat who thinks Flamini’s yelling is the sole reason the team is playing so well. I could listen to Paul Davis talk about Arsenal all day long.
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I touched a very hot plate a few weeks ago and burnt my fingers because I had not checked the hot plate was off.
I will make sure I will not do that again, not because someone told me not to, but because I learned and changed my habits.
Change is what intelligent people do — not because others make them,
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Pulis v Fat Sam Allardyce
For the football purist a dilemma of who to get behind in the anticipated cornucopia of creative and high quality skillfest
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leoS ..en core sil vous plait…!!!
zimpaul : In that respect, as far as always going for maximum results, trophies, and accolades,
this has been one of the most difficult concepts to explain to detractors…for years ive been trying to make them see that even though wenger knew full well the limitations of his young squads and players he couldnt exactly come out and say to the fans ” dont expect much for the next decade”. it would send the wrong signal to his players first of all and then to the fans who lets face it HAVE to pay for the stadium, it was built for them after all. if they dont chip in , who will? its the way it goes…
the accusation thrown to wenger and board that they werent honest, that they werent 100% transparent to the fan is an insult because at the end of the day all wenger did was show strength and faith to his players and be careful and sensible with the club’s money. these were his “crimes” apparently. yet even this correct and responsible approach was twisted into “he lied to us, we should have stayed at highbury whats the point of moving if we cant compete”…
especially the “whats the point of moving since we aint competing at the top” drove me nuts. it came from people who had issues with the clubs ambitions and here they were suggesting we should have never left from a limited and old 38k seater…….carazzzy and also suggesting we should have kept the world class winners who at that stage were looking at a minimum of 100k each, just like united need…only united was bought with a loan for which the clubs assets were given as collateral…..really fiucking thick the arsenal fan…a waste of iq and oxygen.
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Change is what intelligent people do — not because others make them,
you change when you re doing something wrong or harmful …what was wenger doing wrong?
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Fins@ 3:07
Thanks.
Ta also to all of you for your perspectives on “Wenger has changed”, eloquently.
I’ve listened to the Arsenal podcast. I enjoyed it very much. I’m very glad to hear from Fabrice.
Haha: “anticipated cornucopia of creative and high quality skillfest”.
How about another PA pod, please? (“get your finger out”, I think some say).
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That may not have been football as we know it Jim but I enjoyed that
Well done Marouane – your tidy finish was the difference on the night
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“Gains, do you know if Campbell is a leftie?”
Not that you asked me Fins, but I believe he is. Arsene is making quite the collection of lefties at the moment!
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Looks like AW felt the same way as me (and others) regarding Alan hansen’s ridiculous, desperate and spiteful criticisms of Arsenal’s defence when we played Palace.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenals-arsene-wenger-hits-back-2879324
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and all these stories about rotation i dont buy them…chelsa and city play away against teams that want points tomorrow…hull just beat liverpool and i hope will be like cardiff and it goes the same way 3 goals 3 points and a ..7 point gap before we have to play on the sunday and they make to back to four behind us instead of rotating half the squad ..drawing or worse , then possibly playing everton with chelsea and city one point behind us.
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“The only thing that is changing is not our mind, it’s your mind,” said Wenger.
oh dexter what have you found…..
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Dam you Dexter
But I’ll paste as well.
From Wengers presser today, via john Cross in the Mirror.
In reference to Journalists
“The only thing that is changing is not our mind, it’s your mind,” said Wenger. “Because until now you never ask me about the pressure, because you always thought it was an accident that we are there (top) and it won’t last.
“Now that it’s lasting a bit longer, you start to think, ‘We have to consider them a bit more seriously.’ You start to think, ‘Is it a pressure for you?’
“No. We just continue to play well and that’s the pressure we have – the desire to play well.”
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Passeral
“Gains, do you know if Campbell is a leftie?”
Not that you asked me Fins, but I believe he is. Arsene is making quite the collection of lefties at the moment!
thats the socialist pay structure for you!!
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Campbell Is very lefty
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Folks,that’s not Dermot on the Footballistically podcast it’s a guy called Ben Winston (son of Lord Proffesor Robert Winston-the clever so&so off the telly!),like us lot he’s Wenger till the end,I even gave him a mention on a blog I did on here about Imposter fans once-he absolutely slaughtered a fella on there who wanted Arsenal to lose games so AW would get the sack,to be fair the rest of them on there are dreadful,the Paul Davis interview was good,although not asking him about his coaching exit or the Punch was poor form.
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