Another disappointing night.
There were of course some positives. The defence and Mikel looked very solid.
Rosicky was the best player on the field.
Ok, now I’m struggling.
Chelsea set up to stifle us and nick a goal. We knew that was what they would do and it was up to us to produce an answer. We didn’t.
We should have had a penalty when Theo was taken down in the box with Mike Dean 5 yards away with an unobstructed view. It was a shocking decision. The incident should not have taken place however, because the game should have been stopped while John Obi Mikel was sent off for a horror tackle on Mikel Arteta. He never even got a yellow, another shocking decision.
Giroud had two good chances to score in the final 5 minutes but failed to convert. Neither were easy, but that was our chance to win.
Anyway, a point leaves us on level points with Liverpool and second only on goal difference. This time last year, we were 4th and 13 points away from league leaders Man United. That’s a hell of a step forward, and I predict if we win our next 2 games at West Ham and Newcastle, we’ll be leaders at the halfway point.
Its a great position to be in with Podolski ,Santi and Theo all fit and fresh, thats a lot of goals and assists to come back in.
Lets see if Santa brings us a player in January.
We would have taken this position all day back in August.
Up the Arse.
Positively Arsenal 
Szczesny had a very good game too. Terrible night for a keeper but he was rock solid throughout. Didn’t think either side deserved to win or lose, to be honest, so I’m delighted with the point. That the Chelsea manager showed us such respect with the way he set his team is surely proof that within the game we are seen as genuine contenders. That the top of the league is so congested is also proof that fourth place is not a given for anyone this year. Let’s hope we finish 2013 brightly, even though we face two tricky away fixtures.
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@aob from yesterday
I had on guy on Twitter (“Arsenal fan” nonetheless!) claim that Dean got both the Mikel incident and the Walcott penalty call spot on. So apparently there are Gooners out there who think assaulting one of our players by going into his shin studs showing (and snapping his shin pad in the process, that’s how much force was applied!) is fair game and not a foul. Delusional.
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Evil @ 9:35 am
I am sure that guy on Twitter justifying Dean’s incompetence and bias is disappointed we didn’t walk all over Chelsea and win all 3 points.
I happen to be in the camp that this was a point gained rather than 2 points dropped. When one of the most celebrated coaches in the world come to the Emirates with one of the most expensively assembled teams and play a low block with 10 men behind the ball with the sole intention of trying to nick a goal on the break, it speaks a lot for our team that, unlike the past, we played football without conceding.
The armchair generals will have fun second guessing Arsene and the team. Ask City and Pellegrini how sick it was conceding to this shower of shite.
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How fickle are certain football fans. How pathetic are certain football fans.
Some of the Arsenal blogs are calling for Wenger’s head, calling for Ramsey, Ozil and Walcott to be dropped and yet we are second only on gol difference!!!
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“Georgaki-pyrovolitis 5m
How fickle are certain football fans. How pathetic are certain football fans.
Some of the Arsenal blogs are calling for Wenger’s head, calling for Ramsey, Ozil and Walcott to be dropped and yet we are second only on gol difference!!”
Its a new day Georgaki,do keep up.
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It must suck to be an attacking player at Chelsea. Last night Mourinho let Mata, Scurrle, and Oscar know that he has zero confidence in them. Funny enough, however, he let ours know they are so good that a manager of his stature sees them as a huge threat. Perhaps we only won a point last night, but what our players gained in confidence is priceless.
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Oh ,I see you did.
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The main positive is that we didn’t lose. Oh, and that by some Christmas miracle Mikel can still do the hokey cokey without crutches.
Maureen did what Maureen always does (against Arsenal). Enormous horrible thunderc**t that he is. I can’t imagine anyone was in the least bit surprised. Factor in tricky conditions, Mike Dean…..I’m actually reasonably happy we came away with a point.
There’s some silly folk out there Georgaki. They need to calm down and have a cup of tea, maybe go and pull a cracker or two.
“We would have taken this position all day back in August.”
Exactly. Not too shabby, not too shabby at all really. I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised to see a new addition (maybe even two) to the squad in January, to freshen things up if nothing else, but that’s just my worthless opinion.
Have a good Christmas Posidivas.
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I love some of the lines I hear on the TV:
“It’s about as much use as a rubber nose woodpecker in a petrified forest”, a term I would apply to some Arsenal fans.
“Posidiva”? I’m not sure about that one Harry. Have a good Christmas too my friend.
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An excellent post-match review Mike Dean’s refereeing:
http://blog.emiratesstadium.info/archives/33269
It is timely we give props to Walter and the crew at Untold Arsenal for predicting and highlighting the totally biased and incompetent performance by Mike Dean. Years ago, when they had the temerity to speak the truth, they were dismissed by fellow-supporters especially the usual expert bloggers as conspiracy theorists and whiny sore losers. It has taken some years but even the mainstream media is wisening up to the blatant bias:
http://blog.emiratesstadium.info/archives/33275
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It’s said with the greatest possible respect GP. I love me a bit of positive. You have to admit though, Hunter can be a bit of a diva (happy Christmas Hunter! if you’re reading).
Ta ta.
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The worst thing about that first OG chance is that from where I was sitting in clock end upper we thought it went in and were celebrating for a full 30 seconds!! I think another player coming in for January would be a massive lift for everyone and just the tonic,as for Mike Dean pfffttttt!
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If any of you want to watch some scintillating Wengerball, watch he U-18s recent game against Norwich.
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It’s fine, we will take the three points at their home instead. Doubt bourinho will deploy this tactic at home with the Russian mobster watching from his box. And in an open game we will win.
Merry Christmas all, we are in a good position for a happy new year.
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As for mike dean the FA needs to apply a rule similar to the American jury system as we know it from john Grisham. Each side gets to vote off a jury member for no other reason than the very obvious, he’s biased. That or somebody need to re-enact parts of the movie pulp fiction on him.
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Admittedly it was not the most enthralling game of football I’ve ever seen but that fact that we are a touch disappointed with a draw and our opponents delighted with that same result has to say something.
The current situation finds us second on goal difference on Christmas day, we have played all but two of the other teams in the division (as has everyone else I believe) and those two are West Ham and Newcastle – a brace of games one might comfortably expect us to come through with an abolute minimum of three points, an ‘acceptable-ish’ 4 points and a perhaps most likely 6 points which would, in all probability, find us top having played half of the seasons matches before we entertain Cardiff next year to start the second half of the season.
Mel @12:37 lol, for what it’s worth, from where I sit – behind the Arsenal bench 16 rows back – it was clearly a missed effort and we noticed, and indeed commented to each other, that the clock end clearly thought it had gone in…so your shame is complete, you didn’t get away with it :smileywinkeyface:
.
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I was convinced that when the Sagna came forward for that corner that he was going to score…after all he’s inspired Arsenal to beat Dean before.
One thing we know about this squad: They wanted to, in Arteta’s words, be in a good position at this stage of the season, a change for the likes of the BFG and MA who came to the club during the ‘storm of change’. And we know that in spite of the Micky D’s of this world that they’ll keep fighting till the last day of the season for a 4th spot. Considering where they are in the table I like to think they will put in even more effort and focus into their game then last year as the months go past.
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Hahaha. Pulp fiction. One of my all time favorites. Excellent idea. We shall be ready next time around. Now someone go get the gimp and we are all set.
I think HARRY had himself a Freudian slip moment. lol
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Perfect candidate. Sammy Allerdyce. You think he will take the gig?? Hehe. In a heart beat.
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Only thing that surprises me about Mike Dean is that he’s called Dean and not Hunt. Probably got a brother called Eric too.
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Happy Christmas to all positive gooners
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Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year to all Gooners
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Apart from digging a trench, putting up barbed wire, installing machine guns and what the hell even throwing in poison gas, Moe’s mercenaries couldn’t have been set up more defensively.
He came to the Ems desperate to not loose. Dein seemed to have come to the Ems desperate for Arsenal not to win.
I’m happy and relieved with the point, Chelsea may miss the 3 points more than us in the long run. Pity those chances didn’t work out for Giroud, but we will get plenty more.
Giroud got a 3 game ban for far less of a tackle than Mikel did to Arteta. Dein let them have a few free ones before that incident so they knew they could get away with it.
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I really feel for OG cos he has had a few critical chances in the last few games that could have made a difference in the results so it must really hurt him… I trust he will bounce back and get back to scoring ways ASAP.
I cant pity a team managed by Sam A so West Ham will bear the brunt of us improving our goal diff
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Well at least by the spud’s logic:
Arsenal are still ‘joint’ top at Christmas. Haha.
There are a few teams coming up who I hope to see bearing the brunt of our teams recent frustrations.
Let’s get it on, Gooners!
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Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year to all Gooners especially the Positivas!
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Merry Xmas to all who visit this site.Thanks for your continued support.
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And you too George, and merry Christmas to all the merry crew here.
Posidiva’s indeed, ahem.
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A very merry Christmas & happy new year to all at PA.
Here’s to loads of lovely points over the holidays
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Letters to Santa sent up the chimney and children in bed (but probably won’t be sleeping for long). Chelsea got their early present when Azpithingy clattered into Ramsey after about five minutes and found the ref smilingly quieting the protest with a dismissive stop your yapping gesture. Open season after that and the die was cast – but great to see us carry on regardless. (As a side note, the Arsenal Player’s Highlights always make us look decidedly average, as does the Live Match Day Commentary – this seems strangely unpositive to me.)
Enjoy whatever you are all up to until Upton Park, which I hope to see “as live” once various aging relatives are delivered back to whence they came.
So to one and all, a Mesut Christmas and a Theo New Year.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgfDHbSNpYU
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News on Pat
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Happy Xmas from Sydney mates! Off to eat alot. Catch you later.
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A very merry Christmas to all you lovely lot!
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DUPS….. your the best
thanks for that update on PAT RICE. god willing he will pull through. Our prayers for his health and our thoughts with him and his family. ….
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Puts all things in proper perspective.
GET WELL SOON PAT.
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Merry Christmas everyone.
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Greetings all positive gooners – Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Thankfully, only one more day until the next game. Perhaps OG will start a little run of goal scoring by getting one against West Ham as he did last season.
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Merry Christmas all. Have a good one. Hope your lunch is as tasty as mine.
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Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year – 2014 to you all..
Arsenal to go back top tomorrow… Draw for all our Nearest rivals won for us!
OG for the golden boot… common you have to start scoring man! I still have 5-0 in my head, maybe its for this game then
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Happy Christmas to all you positive gooners and thanks for helping me enjoy supporting ARSENAL again, excellent news that pats out of intensive care lets hope he goes from strength to strength anyway got to get back to cooking the dinner
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Right, it’s Boxing Day now.
Back to work for Arsenal.
3 games up to the new year, time to get some more points and clock up a better goal difference.
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Merry Christmas folks!
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Happy Xmas to everyone, looking forward to today’s games. Aside from AFC, game of the day looks like Citeh-Liverpool clash, presumably billed as a big test for the scousers and a must win for city, who knows.
Me, I find it difficult to discuss our games in the aftermath of the kind of refereeing ‘performance’ given to us by Mike Dean. Losing to a better side has never bothered me unduly, it is what it is, but when games are horribly distorted as they were against Chelsea, City and Villa, then it seems to make sensible discussion of the game largely pointless. Dean’s latest horror show was all the worst for his being perfectly placed to make the correct decision and yet he confounded everyone, time and again.
And there appears to be zero come back. Yet one error from, say Corporal Jenkinson and we don’t hear the last of it, maybe for weeks after.
The fundamental problem with this mass tolerance of bizarre refereeing is that it makes corruption of the officials that much easier and that much more likely. Against Chelsea, Dean seemed for all the world to be playing for the draw …
Of course, the official line is it can’t happen here but we are vulnerable to a rude awakening, maybe sooner rather than later.
In the meantime we are obliged to get back to following the team and hoping for the best. My waking dread, however, is for AFC to need a win or draw to win the league and for Dean to be appointed ref for that last game. We’ve won something like 7% of our games mis-governed by him since 2010; what then the reponse to yet another shocker from him that might be described as beyond awful?
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No Andrew.
They will send in Anthony Taylor to preform the coup de grace to our title hopes.
I expect him to turn up when we play City and Manure at home, despite the fact that he’s a manc himself.
I ask you, if everyone knows Dean is not even bothering to hide his dislike of Arsenal – did you notice how he talked to our players? – why no one higher up in the PL or FA cares? Those organisations are full to the brim with manure fans.
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Hi DC
SOMETHING’S not right, whatever it is.
If the equivalent was happening in cycling or athletics there would be global outrage.
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Merry Xmas!
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I agree with AA. And DC. There are more then the two wrong ‘uns mentioned above out there.
There has been very little comment by those who follow the Word of Sky on the loud boos at HT & FT directed towards the officials. Just sayin’. Though I heard the Sky match plundit said the official had a good game. Which is interesting. Or revealing. Something like that.
–
UTA
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The sequence involving the tackle and penalty: No need for a debate. No need for a consideration of incompetence. It is what it is.
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Yes the match commentators were adamant that Dean was having a good game and was controlling everything really well. It was weird, like trying to claim black is in fact white, night is day etc.
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