Today’s post is by ZimPaul
Well we already knew the football was out of this world …
I like a little 22 game mid-season snapshot sometimes.
It doesn’t actually get better, not much anyway, adventures in the life and times of Arsenal. Sitting top. Knife edge battles to come against the two arch-enemies of any semblance of remaining football equity, against the two most financially stupefied until their eyeballs pop, full of strut and sweating arrogance. We are the sole representative right at the top of something approximating any sense financial fair play.
We are rotating week in and out the best, most attractive, most intelligent and sublime midfield in the league playing in front of the tightest defense. We have a great goal scoring record too, and most goals coming through the midfielder machine. We are producing exquisite football moments, and have put another sweet little run together, WWWWW, most recently a football-spirited game against a respected second tier side playing some decent stuff.
We have the mouth watering prospect of Bayern to come. We are into the 5th round of the FA Cup. And best of all, we are a team’s team that stands by each other. No mega-star studded team of pin-up divas this. Just very, very good players enjoying playing Wenger-ball, several of whom are implausibly young like Gnabry and Gedi, Aaron and Jack, Jenks, Ox and even Chewie. Lukas in particular is sounding and looking hungry, I like that. Just the right time too. A team that believes in itself, because it fought and won battles before this. Amongst the more mature, the reals gems, as determined as they are assured, Per, Ozil and Tomas and Santi, Mikel and Flamini.
Do we have a chance in hell?
Ask Giroud. That epitome of the team’s team player, outrageous confidence without the swank, superb work-rate, sublime skills, the unselfish provider of so much to others.
We better start believing, really believing.
Because the players and manager do.
Positively Arsenal 
2-1 Santi !!!!!!!
LikeLike
Fuck sake. No one picked up Lallana. 2-2
That said we are really playing now!
LikeLike
What’s up folks!?
LikeLike
well hope the saint go on and beat our rivals now… hear they went on a slum after they lost to u earlier in the season…
LikeLike
@ Paul Arsenal are still up… Nice of Man c and chelsea to draw or lose tomorrow to maintain status quo
LikeLike
Yes TS, we are still top. Unfortunately we started a bit slow today. You cannot win them all though.
Is Rosicky still out?
LikeLike
I’ll take the points. St. Mary’s isn’t an easy place to get a win, let alone down to ten men. Had Flamini not farted with his brain, they could have clinched it at the death. Everyone fought until the end and I’m happy to see that.
As much shit as we give the refs, we also have to praise them when they have a good game. Lee Mason had a damn good game today. Long may it continue.
LikeLike
City away to Spuds tomorrow.
LikeLike
What’s up, Paul? Everything good?
LikeLike
Southampton were the better team on the night to be honest, credit to them.
LikeLike
Gains, I’m good bro! Yourself?
LikeLike
yeah… even the invincibles were win some, draw some… if you don’t win, don’t lose!
LikeLike
I don’t know GAINS. I thought so-ha played well for the most part. Showed a lot of heart and energy. If only they hadn’t been sent out to foul to stop momentum. I counted six or seven professional fouls that we suffered that hindered our ability to get into our rhythm. And the constant holding of our outlet players just when they were turning to make their run. That said I think we gave away a very cheep second goal after going ahead based on our hard work. You allready know how I feel regarding their first goal.NAcho was claimed on and pushed to the ground. Otherwise a very even game in hard driven rain.
LikeLike
Great post Paul – deserved top billing today and congratulations all on the 1 year anniversary of Positively Arsenal.
I didn’t see the game, but reading the match report on Arsenal.com, it sounds like we could have gone on to win had we not lost Flamini. But, you can’t always win and I think Arsene was right to hold on to the point rather than risk losing it all. I don’t expect the financially doped teams to drop points tomorrow, so we will have to accept the little step back. I expect the doomers will be out in force now. Even I was a little angry when I saw the score – it feels like such a long time since we’ve lost, I’ve forgotten how to deal with it! Thankfully being a balanced person on the whole, I soon came to my senses! Hopefully this little set back will galvanise the players for the last part of the season. Our destiny is still in our hands.
LikeLike
Hay PAUL. lucky for you Florida is joining the party. (0(
LikeLike
Agree with all of your comments. It’s the first time I’ve been stressed watching game for quite a while though.
LikeLike
anicoll5 January 28, 2014 at 5:16 pm
haha i love your style !! always!! but you fucking know , even if we know they are shit, that the mind of the organisers was all about a fixture that can be termed as “tricky: for reasons we both understand why….to sell possible doom.
what do we think of shit? …exactly….
as for tonight…i have to admit..its been a long tme since ive seen arsenal on the t.v…you understand more from the telly…and what i understood from tonight is that arteta and flamini should never play together. one or the other. particularly for premiership fixtures…
we hate totenham we hate totenham ……….
the gunners!!
LikeLike
Lee Mason had a damn good game today. Long may it continue.
i could argue that tehir first goal was a foul on monreal but considering how below par we were in first half…………….mmmmm …meh….still a oful though…that was climbing..
LikeLike
jeez c/..christ so drunk..whats the time?. what day is it ? is it tomorrow ???.
we hate totenham we hate totenham
i think thats alright
LikeLike
id say that flamini is more practical and that mikel is more of a philosopher. when they are both on the first 11 there is a stall/hesitation in who is boss and who guides the rest of team. but maybe im drunk have i mentioned that> ? ….dot.
at the 75-80th minute i expected podolski in for gnabry and a switch between cazorla and plodi……or at worst ..arteta out for podolski ….. i insist im no manager
woijech…. number one.
koncielny ……….. love this guy…ninja
LikeLike
we hate totenham..we hate tot…
LikeLike
all together now
nah nah nah nah nah naaaaaaaaaaaaaa
mahieu fla-mi-ni,
fla-mi-ni
MATHIEU FLAMINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
nah nah nah nah nahn ahnnnnannaa
LikeLike
my temper is down a bit. maybe i can say something resaonable.
arteta and flamini are too similar, just as kos and vermaelen, jack and ramsey, giroud and bendtner, ozil and cazorla. one plays BETTER without the other. cazorla for instance played his better games this season when ozil was injured. but last night, there was nothing arsene could have done about flamini and arteta in the midfield except to play ox, who in my opinion didnt perform better in the position against league one side on friday.
ramsey, jack, diaby and rosicky are the guys for the position and all four were unavailable. jack should be back for next game and hopefully rosicky as well.
we have been on top until now, if chelsea or city will take the spot just for a week before they play each other, it is not the end of the world.
how far is abou diaby?
LikeLike
the was a report of arsenal coach being held in traffic hold up on their way to the game lasy night. it was reported that they will arrive the stadium behind late. could that have affected them in the first half? in a top flight games small things like that can affect performance.
LikeLike
Nail on the head there Layksite: too similar indeed and well spotted. All sorts of things can conspire to make a team play less than its best and in the end I suspect a point was a good return on a nasty, rainy night.
LikeLike
Arteta was slow.
Gnarby was slow.
Monreal allowed himself to be bullied.
1st S’ton goal came from a non-existent free kick given to them by Mason.
City got 1 pint down in St. Mary’s too. It could have been worse.
LikeLike
lol so many overreactions…first substandard display since …i cant remember ..and people are out lynching The Arsenal…
LikeLike
six weeks for aaron? and already out a month now….all this time out just cause of a thigh strain? how can this be?
LikeLike
The entirely predictable hysteria from the usual quarters to our draw at St Marys and a lacklustre first half. No doubt some march is underway by the perpetually disgruntled.
Time to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get ready to erase the evening by delivering a battering to Pulis’ Palace on Sunday, a game I shall be attending with No 1 son.
Palace performed well against us at Selhurst Park at a time when they we at rock bottom so it will be no picnic. It is however a good opportunity to regain the initiative with Citeh and Chels facing each other the following evening.
LikeLike
Setbacks are part of life and football. You get back up. Many an Arsenal run began with a loss; this time a draw, so I’m not worried. I missed the match but it seems from reports Soha played well, and we were off the pace, so well done to them I say, and keep it up.
We are short again with the injury situation, not for long I suspect although missing Aaron is not good, and Flamini out is also not the best. One of those weeks.
Still top although a little symbolic, it’s that close, top spot will most likely change hands several times. A decent point earned I say, no excuses, and let’s see if this is not shown as the season pans out.
LikeLike
Unbelievable! One year of Positively Arsenal. Congratulations George and all the pioneers who established and sustained this blog. Take a bow Adi, Arsenal Andrew, Frank and Steww. You were the midwifes to this baby. Thanks to you we have a haven of support for the manager and a squad who compete against mighty odds; oil-funded clubs with the backing of a Arab Emirate and a Russian oligarch as well a climate of negativity and hostility because the club has taken the more difficult route of self-sustainability. Despite all the apparent difficulties and challenges, it seems support for the blog is growing suggesting we are doing something right.
LikeLike
Setbacks are part of life and football.
how dare you? have you no feeling for the poor arsenal fan who has been waiting to gloat to others about trophies……. the pain he is going through ? setbacks are not allowed !!!
🙂
last night i watched the game at the gunners pub and five mins after kick off two of these weird people walked in. them guys with the curly sideburns and black hats with beards and glasses. every 5 seconds they were going idiot this and idiot that ….non stop….constantly moaning and calling our players idiots followed by incomprehensible words like frachts fruchts harkums hrakahrak…i turned around at about the 37th minute and asked them politely to stop calling our players idiots….they left at half time…
some ‘arsenal’ fans heh…… fucking clowns….
LikeLike
funny thing is …you could easily tell these chubby 40 something spec wearing curly sideburn arsewipes had never kicked a football or been part of a team in any sport …EVER ……
yet they had such high opinions….LOL..
they walked inside a pub for only one half and did not even buy a drink..
the pub is showing you the game, you walk in …and you dont even spend say 4 quid for a pint you cheap rotten bastards, even as a gesture of thank you for showing us the game…something …yet they wanted to call our players idiots and moan like 6 yearolds
LikeLike
I was worried they’d lack a little zip in the middle without Rosicky, Wilshere and Ramsey.
But Özil in that second half is worth watching for those who missed it. If his shot had taken a deflection into the net instead of clipping the bar Southampton could not have complained.
The little football manager inside me thought he overcooked a couple of those runs, but he just kept on going! My lungs hurt just thinking about it.
Arsenal could have sneaked a winner with the ten men, which is encouraging. I guess those who moan that Plodders can occasionally plod about are moaning about him not coming on, but given the state of the game it was most probably the right call (I don’t know!).
LikeLike
Maybe the greatest player that never was! This brought a tear to my eye. It brought to mind that we perhaps have been deprived of a truly magnificent player. I sincerely hope not. I also succumb to quite a bit of anger when I hear disparaging remarks about a young man who may have had a glorious career stolen from him by a milkman somewhere on Tee side. This video doesn’t even begin with that per-meditated act of violence which started all Diaby’s injury woes….
LikeLike
< Podolski coming on earlier in the game
LikeLike
now imagine what goes on the internet when every arsewipe with a keyboard and a connection wants to offer ‘opinion’ ……i laugh.
LikeLike
In my opinion…
Don’t have a go at 40’something’s either. I like to go and watch the match for free in my cunning disguise of curly sideburns, false beard, pork-pie hat and Groucho Marx glasses. Chubby? Cheeky f*cker. Pure muscle.
LikeLike
What ZimPaul said.
LikeLike
lol harry …they were utterly useless…you could tell their favourite ‘sport’ was eating candies sitting on the sofa…. cant stand them …like me commenting on boxing …i have no clue about boxing nor can i ever grasp the training and sacrifices they make in order to succeed for me to judge them or their performances….
LikeLike
Maybe they were spuds in disguise. Takes a lot of disguise to, er, disguise a spud.
Big shouty blokes have always known more about football than anyone else. The bigger the waistline, the greater the knowledge. S’true is that.
LikeLike
I’m so angry this morning because SOME Arsenal fans have lost their sanity. I can’t believe a draw away from home against a team like S’oton is considered the end of the league for us! It goes beyond belief.
I guess fans needs to look @ their individual lives and stop transferring the failures in their respective lives to this gr8 football club and players.
LikeLike
We have just got a point at a side going for Europe,who have taken points from other top sides, on a very difficult night ,without four very influencial midfielders and were disappointed. I think that shows just how far this team has one that we expect to win every game.
LikeLike
indeed perhaps they were !!
they called cazorla shit …… cazorla?!
LikeLike
I guess fans needs to look @ their individual lives and stop transferring the failures in their respective lives to this gr8 football club and players.
ohhh too late for that ….. most of these failures are running blogs now and critisising…..they form part of the media now..quoted in news sites etc etc…..
LikeLike
Quality post, ZP. Im in full agreement.
Happy Birthday to Positively Arsenal and a big thanks to PG and this magnificent group of rag tag bloggers that have refused to swallow the medias line of hatred and scorn. Big ups and respect.
LikeLike
Rag tag bloggers, I like it. That we are, sir, that we are.
LikeLike
Finsbury.
That was a big mistake – right there – being honest enough to admit you do not know something as @ 12:02, means the other stupid fcukers who really don’t know anything can claim superior knowledge.
Actually, it would be a pyrrhic victory for them, as we would all laugh at their inane ramblings.
Anyhoo, I hope we will all keep positive on here! 🙂
LikeLike
It would seem (I’m only going on what I read here, I barely read other blogs) that some Arsenal fans have either lost something important, or have something already that they fear losing. They seem disturbed by this. PosA seems a group with nothing to lose, because the important stuff is so solid it cannot be lost, its ours, so we only have everything to win. I always liked the statement “our stadium is our trophy, beat that”. It’s symbolic, stadium a metaphor for football and everything (including stadium).
LikeLike
How dare you Zim!!
Agreeing that we are rag tag bloggers, as in disorganized, disorderly and incongruous in our outlook???? Oh, hang on a minute — umm, I think you could be right. 🙂
LikeLike