A very hard game today, but win, lose or draw, this is our club, team and manager. All we have to do is support them. It really is that simple.
Now here are some words from Zim Paul on The Boss ”
Interesting match coming up. Should Arsenal be nervous with so many out for “the big one’? No, not at all. We’re on a decent run importantly against top opposition, the momentum so far good, Flamini/Arteta axis looks sorted and quietly effective, Ox and Tomas are in tremendous attacking form, Lukas and Gnabs in contention too, the defense is as solid as can be, the keeper too, and Santi is a match winner. Chelsea are just slightly weakened with Ramirez out, the key player for them in an Arsenal type match and a thorn in our side; the other Brazil fella not so much, useful, but we could contain him anyway. Eto’o, now there’s one we need to keep an eye on. He can’t sustain it anymore, but still has that eye for goal from any angle, and will shoot.
Many decent and mostly fair comments on the millennium, the best of which simply says only two managers of this generation have actually left a legacy, Rednose and Arsene, which I think is a fair decent summary from a neutral’s perspective. The full story of Arsene Arsenal is far from told, but tellingly Wenger intimates the gong drought years are his most important accomplishment, including the Invincibles. Well, that’s been our narrative for some time, only Wenger told it better, simpler. As the money got siphoned to the stadium over 7 years (and Arsene is too polite to say it but we can, in the same period Chelsea and later City, and in their lesser way Yoo and even Pool, would contort the entire fabric of EPL football with tycoon wealth and juggernaut buying), the single critical factor was to stay in CL, year after year, for financial reasons. Failure to do so would have placed the everything in jeopardy, threatening the club.
One day people will ask the sensible question, it’ll take time but it will be asked because its the only question. How the hell did you manage to do it Wenger, it has never and had never been done in this context? In fact, there is no parallel whatsoever, it is a singular story. Wenger had so much against him, the pressure must have been immense, especially every last 3 or so months of every season (which Arsene mentions)? Because I had to will be his answer, because we had to. And that courage, humility and intellect (that threesome so often in tandem) will become obvious to all.
And players who themselves knew only part will want to say, “I was part of the amazing story”. And some will because they truly were, and some won’t or will say something forgettable because they deserted, ducked or deflated – in the selfish way of foolish young footballers and their agents – Arsenal’s great quest for something called legacy.
The legacy will outlive every other memory, failure or victory on the field or trophy quests. It will outlive us all, and all the players too. In time it will simply be a chapter in the entire history of football in England, and so will outgrow even Arsenal itself.”
That my friends is why this blog exists. So we can thoughts lie that.
Positively Arsenal 
An outstanding post about an outstanding man.
LikeLike
Come on Arsenal!
LikeLike
Very attacking team.Come on boys.
LikeLike
excellent post COME ON YOU RIP ROARING REDS
LikeLike
Excellent, ZimPaul. What a star you are.
LikeLike
I can always depend on ZimPaul to articulate some of the random thoughts that pervade my consciousness which I am either too tired or too lazy to articulate. His reflections on the legacy and significance of Arsene Wenger has my total endorsement. As Fins said in the comments section of the previous blog we are all indebted to George for providing a space where such mature positive sentiments can be expressed free of the childish, immature babbling.
(One last tip of the hat to my brother Zim P. As one of my compatriots famously sang “Knot it up inna Zimbabwe.”)
So it is the same team that played against the Scum last Sunday. Not surprising to me. Given our current resources this is the most balance XI available. Good mix of experienced and young players on the bench. In contrast Mourinho’s selection of d Luis in midfield tells us he is prepared for a 90 minute war of attrition in midfield with every intention of hitting us on the break. Cautiously optimistic.
PS: Good job Muppet. Been under the gun so I had no time to comment.
LikeLike
Tremendous writing, ZP. You have gone right to the heart of the matter. Again.
LikeLike
Top, quality post….read just before kick off…..thanks ZP and PG….
LikeLike
Anyone watching?
LikeLike
fuck this shit.
LikeLike
Not watching, but what in the world is going on?
LikeLike
I am only reading but did Gibbs handle the ball intentionally?
LikeLike
we are terrible giving them the ball and they are raping us …
LikeLike
I’m afraid to watch. I am shocked.
LikeLike
Gibbs didn’t handle AT ALL. It was Oxo, really obviously, and the worst of it is that the ball was going out anyway. The referee sent off the wrong player despite Oxo owning up and the Arsenal players telling him.
LikeLike
yes but they have scored two easy goals before that….
LikeLike
Thanks FunGun.
The question is why have we started so poorly?
LikeLike
Don’t know, Paul_N – we seemed quite sharp for the first few minutes. Passing was crisp and quick.
LikeLike
OX is playing in the middle?
LikeLike
Paul_N
We had a good chance just before their first goal, but OG scuffed it. Nearly went in even so.
LikeLike
I have to watch it then FunGun. I can’t believe we gifted them two goals so quickly. Puzzled!
LikeLike
Yes, OXO and Arteta in the middle.
LikeLike
Thanks Fun.
LikeLike
I get the feeling that Rosicky should be in the middle and the OX on the wings.
Crap!
LikeLike
That’s 4.
LikeLike
What a horrible game. We need to pick ourselves up.
LikeLike
Oh boy
LikeLike
Another good chance for us – side netting.
LikeLike
Good shot from Tomas but too close to Cech.
LikeLike
It really makes you wonder whether there’s any justice in the real world. 1000th game. Thank you universe. Don’t even know what went wrong. My brain switched off after 1 down.
LikeLike
Dearie me. What a horrible game….and I have to watch it with the sound off because of that squeaky, cringing little bastard Owen. One more long shot of that sulky Maureen with his nasty attitude and I will put my foot through the telly.
We looked very sluggish almost doped before the hand ball incident. Ah well we can only play for pride now, try to nick a goal or two. You never know Mariner may try to make amends.
For another day I presume that Oxo cannot retrospectively be red carded and that KG’s card will be rescinded..
LikeLike
Bad, bad result so far guys. Giving the ball away in midfield to a good team and we are paying a very high price.
LikeLike
Mariner and his assistant could end up on a racism charge if they are not careful
LikeLike
flamini arteta rosicky perhaps should have been the midfield and cazorla ox flanks giroud top, podolski to come in later when ivanovic tired. nevermind, we need to show some character now, maybe grab a consolation or two and forget this quickly. cruel for arsene, so cruel. god knows what he is telling them h/time, ha..
LikeLike
I thinknk we should have used the same line up we did against Munich.
LikeLike
Even on our better days our best midfielders can be sloppy especially when under a high press. I hate us going 2 defensive midfielders as we generally play on the backfoot and seldom create but ….
LikeLike
Hahahahahaha! But Ox is like twice as wide as Gibbs, Frank.
LikeLike
What hurts the most is they were there for the taking.
LikeLike
Whatever the line-up, if you give the ball away and play with low energy, you’ll be in trouble.
The worst bit is that we will never be allowed to forget this because it is the milestone game and against the evil chav.
Worried that Kos is off, hope it’s a tactical substitution.
LikeLike
Gains: Flamini and Arteta after 5 minutes and we have to sit even deeper than with the Ox with whom we had some attacking intent but of course we kept losing the ball. This is simply damage control.
LikeLike
Lack of concentration and focus has been a feature of our game several times this season…I wonder what is behind it all? .
LikeLike
I was thinking the same thing Frank. I think that is down to preparation. AW along with the team leaders have to fix this. We have suffered one too many of these types of losses. Painful!
LikeLike
Still have to win our 10 games.
LikeLike
Confidence will be the thing, FunGun.
LikeLike
still got a chance but we have to win our last nine and then hopefully 10 games, is what I mean.
LikeLike
Confidence is everything, Paul. And ours is shot in this game. I’m not sure you can learn much from it after about the first 15 minutes. Study what we could have done to keep it from going to shit at that point, and then the rest is just what happens when the snowball gets away from you.
LikeLike
@ Paul_N
Yeah. but you never know. A player coming back from injury unexpectedly early, a poor result from another rival…anything like that would give us a lift.
LikeLike
We needed your boy and Walcott in this game, alabamagooner
LikeLike
The important thing today is despite the margin of our defeat, even down to 10 men, we continued to play our way. Even with Flamini as another DM we are connecting with our passes and trying to create chances. It will be completely overlooked by the pundits and the majority of our fans who will emphasize how many goals we concede. But it is a significant statement of our belief in our style of play. Make the mental and tactical adjustments and with 8 games to go you never know.
Difficult as it is to swallow, 6-0 is only 3 points.
LikeLike
Yes, Alabama. I guess my problem is that when we have to find a way to shovel the snow out of the way before it gets this bad. We don’t seem to be able to recover from early goals against the better clubs this season. Not moaning, just dealing with what had happened on 3 occasions.
FunGun, I agree, and I am backing the team to get angry and get it done. No other way to support in my opinion.
LikeLike