A guest post by Double Canister (stolen from the comments section)
All I heard last night from leaving the stadium to the pubs was whispers and guesses slowly becoming cast iron established facts as the pints went down and the tweets and blogs self referenced each other. ‘ 1-4,1-4 formation ain’t work in’ ‘Alexis should have come on’ xxxx player is shit for arsenal’ . I hardly heard a word about Arsenal’s attacking play constantly ripping apart the spuds, nor anything about the effectively Josesque game plan from the spuds. Nobody gave Arsenal any credit for having to change the whole game plan when our two leading midfielders were forced out of the game so early on.
Anyone who thinks or says that the game wasn’t a complete rout for the Arsenal is talking bollix. The goals didn’t go in, that’s the only thing, and a keystone kops episode at the back cost us all the points. Szez needs to wake up, a terrible pass out to a man in danger, who then passes it to the next player – also covered by a tottenham player. There is no point going overboard about this yet, there is a myth doing the rounds that Arsenal have one of the weakest defences in the league – in truth it’s far from it. We have conceded 7 goals in six games which is not ideal but a look at the table shows that City, Tottenham and Chelsea have also let in 7 with Liverpool and Man Utd. Have shipped 9 each. Early days of course, but it is only Arsenal’s title credentials that as are being written off.
Arsenal’s only real ‘problem’ at the moment is in goal scoring, we have yet to find the most effective way of combining our new attackers with the usual direct drive-on play from our midfielders. This I’m sure will come together soon. We had 16 shots on target most of which were snatched at, weakly scuffed or straight into Lloris’s hands. I’m also beginning to think defending teams against us deliberately kick the ball out for corners when under pressure; such is the poor quality of execution from Arsenal, and never mind the usually inevitable sprint counterattack. The Spuds conceded 15 corners and had 30% of possession, most of which was from very slow kick outs and restarts.They had 6 yellows and only the ref can explain why he didn’t hand out a red. It a frustrating to drop points and especially so when your neighbourly team’s only intention was to limit the damage to themselves.
If Giroud was playing instead of Welbeck, we would have destroyed Tottenham. No offence to Danny but he doesn’t do the same runs to the near post our attack system needs.
Watching Adebayor last night shows that the spuds are going to be in real trouble, what a lazy overpaid disloyal (to his current employers) nicking a living useless shitehawke that he is.
Positively Arsenal 
Two big games coming up, but feeling strangely optimistic. Flamini still has it in him to play well (and has done so this season already) and is probably better when he starts these days. Wilshere, Ozil, Cazorla, Sanchez and Oxlade all decent players and will help tide us over while Ramsey recovers. Two matches to go before a bit of a break due to Internationals. But most of all I really do feel it is starting to happen for the team.
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I’m with Gains on the fixtures.
Easier on paper, but we need a team available who will beat these teams.
Gazprom are away at Sporting on Tuesday., shame it’s not a Wednesday game.
After the home draw with Shalke 04, they can’t afford to be complacent so they will play a full strength team or else risk dropping points and coming 2nd in the group (a piss easy group too) and we all know the consequences of a 2nd place position for the round of 16.
There in an International break coming up next week, It can’t come soon enough for our players to gain some recovery time. If Roy Hodgeson want’s to call up any of our players, he should be pointed in Jenks direction only.
It’s now Diaby’s big chance to show he has recovered; If he is still the player he was, we have nothing to worry about., He was able to hand Schniederlin and Waneyama last week.
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as for the fuss over £3M going to one of Stan’s companies, it seems even those shouting the loudest about it, have actually no idea if there is anything dodgy about it or not, some even admit they don’t know if AFC actually got services from them that actually made us a much larger amount than the £3M, some even admit that they have no idea what so ever about the deal, yet it does not stop them coming up with all sorts of negative stuff to try and back up their anti Kroenke views. Even usually good journos like Amy Lawerence writes a piece full of conjecture, slanted with 3 year old quotes from Stan, of course the quotes are put in the article in such a way that they seem to be new quotes, fully backing up the negative slant aimed for in the article. Yet Gooners all over the place fell for it, and I admit at first so did I, till I actually took the time to carefully look at the articles in the media and of course the ones on Arsenal blogs.
All soundbites and slanted views, with no actual substance, only actual info contained in said articles and blogs was that AFC paid £3M to one of stan’s companies. Everything else complete and utter conjecture. Yet Gooners fall for it hook line and sinker.
Pity none of those in the media and in Arsenal blog world who have made such a fuss about the £3M, have not actually done something about finding out what the £3M was for, what was the services rendered, what if anything did AFC make from it, will AFC be paying for these services again, or is it a once off, that AFC will make profit from in either the short term or long term.
No they would all rather have a rant about it, never mind the lack of facts they have in relation to it, after all its just another reason to gain hits from the large negative base that is out there.
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On the basis that I never ever talk about the accounts Eduardo the point arises that if the payment to the Stan owned US business by Stan’s uk business was not for strategic advice/services but a ploy to illegitimacy enrich the hairless Man from Denver HMRC would be snap it up.
The proposition of one part of a corporate entity billing another seems beyond the ken of some folk. Presumably uber blogging is less financially sophisticated than I thought.
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but that is the point anico, the accounts seem to say it was for strategic advice or services, those saying otherwise have only a theory based on no evidence at all, that it is something else, that is my whole point. Yes if it turns out it is a stroke of some kind then there should be a fuss make, but until then it is just uber bloggers looking for hits, and promoting their agenda.
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Looking at Newcastle United tonight, anticipating the sacking of yet another manager by a club whose last significant trophy was earned before I was born……
How many times have I seen the Geordie nation United in X out and Sack Y ?
I wonder whether the insanity can ever be erased once it has infected the club.
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I was with you eduardo until you said this “Even usually good journos like Amy Lawerence”. That woman is not to be trusted – she makes out she is a supporter, but has been sh*t stirring for some time and is worse than the hackiest hack out there. Instead of doing a bit of research like the rest of the hounds she scents blood and goes for the jugular. If these uber fans were half the fans they claim to be, or had a bigger memory span than a goldfish, they might recall the Arsenal Chairman stating at the time of the Kronke takeover that one of the aspects AFC would benefit from is his experience in the sports business especially the broadband side. Clearly we have used that expertise to increase our sports sponsorship and set ourselves up for the modern sports business and now we are paying for the services rendered. As Arsene said when asked about it AFC only do what is legal and if people want to know more, perhaps they should ask the Board about it rather than speculate?
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Kroenke Sports Enterprises LLC, founded in 1999), is now Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, certainly from 30th September 2013.
Now read this, Mr Bruce Glazer is Chief Financial Officer for KS&E based at 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver.
Dear Passa, skip it!
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I expect Rosicky and Santi to step up while Ramsey is out.
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Kroenke is worth about $5.5 billion. The idea that he would take such a huge risk for about $5 million is absurd to me.
Whats happening at Newcastle really bothers me. I have no particular affinity for Pardew but that has to be really tough. I hope it doesn’t encourage certain Arsenal “supporters” into making themselves look even worse turning up the heat on Wenger so to speak. It would never catch on of course but it would make my stomach turn if people started showing up to matches with anti Wenger signs. I hope Ashley doesn’t give in to the pressure myself.
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My Twitter line yesterday:
“It’s criminal we only have 6 defenders: crisis waiting to happen. We have too many midfielders: some of them are stealing a living. We need another striker: what if Welbeck gets injured? Can’t believe we’ve given Giroud an extension to his contract.
And what about those injuries? Poor training regime. Negligence!”
And all the time opposing mangers know that referees continue to give the green light to kick the shit out of any Arsenal players still left on the field until they too join the ranks of the departed.
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Notoverthehill (9.05 pm) – “Dear Pass – skip it”.
What does that mean exactly?
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The twitterati are comprised of excellent, good, bad and sad. We react to the usual bunch of ill informed, willfully ignorant, arrogant and cowardly. Does it really translate to the terraces? Perhaps. We can only try and counter them with evidence-based, reasoned argument….
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We need a new post.
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DC
In the previous press conference AW said that Diaby was not ready. He may come on in the odd substitute appearance over the next period. My best guess at the moment is that if he’s going to be given any starts that they might come in one or two of the midweek CL games over the next few weeks or later on during the Xmas crunch when AFC often get scheduled to play twice in 48 hours.
Be interesting to see the midfield tomorrow. Flamini was very good against Besiktas, shame about the two errors in his recent games. Chambo, Rosicky and Cazrola are all possibilities in CM, as well as others. You all know I’d be happy to see Hayden, Bellerin and *coughs* Akpom get some or any minutes, very exciting talents. And Gnabbers is on the mend too, but I think it’ll be about a month before he and Theo are ready to join up with the heavy paced artillery.
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If the groaning Groaners were not committed to running down the club because they are bitter plums they would have been able to reflect upon how quickly Debuchy settled in as an instant senior player, primarily through the way he was playing on the pitch and his ability to mix the game up. A very very good signing, and a big loss after just a handful of games. Arteta was looking good on Saturday before he came off, controlling the game like all good CMs.
Chambers and Chambo worked well down the right, their familiarity could’ve been a factor in that selection on Saturday. With Theo and Gnabry and Chamberlain all out for so long the team did not often have the option of knocking the ball into the spaces behind the opposing FBs, which is handy when you have such weapons against Uber, or Genge-pressing teams (that have already forfeited the league to Munchen and gone and emptied the tank for the next few weeks in the first seventy minutes of that game!). Things that’ll help in the variations and everything else (you can tell I’m an expert!) in the team’s play. There were promising signs from the two Southampton graduates. What was so exciting about Theo’s performance in that january cup game was the ease with which the team switched styles from one that suited Giroud to one that suited Theo. I just think it’s a little harder to be so smooth with shiny new players. Theo had played there before with his teammates, and remember that he was up against the comical Dawson – Troll Durham’s nomination for the England squad- see Hull’s new defensive record! And these bloody injuries and disruptions won’t help. We’ve already missed the Big Lump/Plan B option in Dortmund and at other moments, even the reserve Lump is out, but we also understand that this season for Sanogo is also about further work on regaining that top level conditioning, stamina and consequently technique. There will be niggles. So, that means there is still hope for me that Akpom will get some minutes in the first team, at least before Gnabry and Theo recover. Maybe. It could happen!
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some people already per-disposed to moan and so they need little or nothing to serve as ammunition
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We still have a very good team to put out against Galatasaray.
If Diaby was in the starting XI it would be even stronger.
Luckily there in an international break, and the only Arsenal player I want to see called up in Cprl Jenkinson.
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TS
After the online groaning witnessed after the last 5-2 it’s fair and reasonable to conclude that some are trapped in what AVB might call a spiral of negativity.
What they really want is the club to be like Gazprom, so that they can then relive themselves to the thought of the club chairman inviting Master Mendes onto his yacht for some fishing, pardon my French.
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It seems that Jose Morinho knows every nuance of the Nani deal from Man U to Sporting, of course he does as Jorge Mendes would have spilled the beans to him.
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Ha ha, that would make a good post title Fins:
The Never-Ending Spiral of Negativity and the Double-Pivot of Doom.
(just need an article to go with it now).
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Arsenalandrew
Dear Passenal, detests the financials. SO, Pass-by, Passenal!
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What did I tell you about Maribor, Fins? If Chelsea concede, their group goes tits up and Mourinho has to focus more resources on the CL.
Is anyone watching the Roma v City game? Gervinho has been crap, but Garcia is giving a lesson on how to pass it around Pellegrini’s side.
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Cor Roma play good football – Citeh are about to be shafted here I think
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Is anyone watching Sporting v Chelsea? Is Carvalho any good ?
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Gervinho had a brilliant run and needed a sharp save from Hart near the end of the half. Totti with a fantastic finish to equalize. Go Roma! Milner coming on and first thing is he is shouting blood and thunder. No wonder the pundits love him–English bulldog spirit, exhibit A! I think it is a good move though. Milner can help in the midfield which Roma seems to be controlling better.
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Citeh raised their game in the 2nd half and Roma settled for a valuable point
That Pjanic is a fine player – best man on the pitch tonight
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David Luiz was majestic today, just goes to show u can’t right anyone off, He was clearly the leader in todays display, I think Hunter was right.
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Swing, even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Luiz is not a good CB.
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Same arguments used to describe luiz as a bad cb can and were used to describe koscielny as well as mertesacker as well as vermalaen as bad centre backs. professional managers really do know more than us in this area and they choose David Luiz and judging by this performance for the type of football that arsenal as well as psg play david luiz would be a better fit than djourou.
I’m not saying djorou is a bad defender I think he was quite good, injuries and our style of play hampered his progress infact I think he would have been better served playing in a more english defensive setup such as chelsea than a more attacking setup like arsenal or barcelona with very little midfield cover.
Another question is how do u think he would perform with mertesacker as his partner. Or another question would be which current arsenal defender would be able to perform well with john terry as their partner. As a central defender the wrong combination can make players look bad.
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To take another example using john terry. During villas boas and di matteo’s spell as manager when chelsea were trying an attacking game, john terry was horrendous and then all of a sudden when they play defensive counter attacking football with benitez and mourinho he is suited to that better so he becomes better. I’m just saying combinations and style of play matters a lot and to dismiss david luiz as a crap defender is not taking into account that he was wholly unsuited to chelsea’s style of play and to a combination with john terry that is just never going to work. .
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Swing
Didn’t work for Brasil either
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Where’s the link for previous comments?
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dfb
little arrow at bottom by ‘Leave a reply’
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No, it is at bottom blue button with arrow saying “older comments”.
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Good website.I just wondered what you guys think of Le Grove? I also wondered what you think of Untold Arsenal, and have you thought about joining forces with them, they run a similar positive site.
Keep up the good work!
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The website goes down at 10.00 for tickets for the Burnley game. The sale of tickets to Red Members at that time and on this date had only been in place since 19th June. Clearly it took the club by surprise.
However every cloud has a silver lining ……………………….
My strategic advice is that Arsenal football club sort out their substandard and frequently defective online ticketing system in order to maximise revenue and enhance the “fan experience”.
(I shall send a fee note to Arsenal Holdings PLC for my £3,000,000 presently)
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Come on George…. put up a Turkish preview!
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Where’s that button again?
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Anicoll
D**M Watch:
I couldn’t bring myself to watch Sporting Mendes vs Gazprom upon Fulham in the Mendes Derby/Testimonial game. Sorry.
Looking at the match stats William nominated himself for an early yellow against his future club (I was going to write employer, but that would be inaccurate!) and Gazprom had an awfully large number of shots on target away from home etc.
Conclusion: Meh
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“The Never-Ending Spiral of Negativity and the Double-Pivot of Doom”
Definitely an article in there. For someone. Preferably someone who can write. Like AA!
I would humbly request that the author makes a refererence to the groaning from the groaning idiots that we used to see when Diaby and Song would line up in midfield. You couldn’t make it up! Except, they do…
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Gains, I hope Maribor get results in those games!
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Anyone seen George?
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I suspect he has been arrested for online stalking and harassment of the Groaners AA !
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Northbank – the ‘blue button’ isn’t actually blue on some devices – just a tiny arrow on a pc, something else on my Windows phone, ipad etc. But on all devices they are at the top and bottom of the comments section.
Very kind Fins. Actually, there is an article (of sorts) waiting to go up but I can’t find George anywhere …
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I was only jesting AA…. but thanks for the accurate description. (banned thingy)
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I’m here
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Tell us you’ve been busy preparing the pre-match George?
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Evening George.
New post is up!
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