A view from the ground from @foreverheady
I enjoyed the game and thought we were properly in charge throughout. The defence looked organised and apart from a spell in the second half when we seemed happy to concede possession, we always seemed in control of the game. I was very impressed with Campbell and felt he made a big impact: the ball seems to find him, and he was often involved. He provided excellent support defensively and his energy level seemed high – Monreal must have thought he was in heaven. Given that it was effectively his first proper match for Arsenal I thought he did well, and I would love to see him play again. There have been better players than him who have been one-footed and as the Tony Adams quote on the wall of the stadium says, “play to your strengths”. He seemed to give us a very different balance and it will be interesting to see how he is used. There is a line of thought that says that that left wing spot has been the hardest to fill effectively: Podolski, Ozil, Cazorla and Wilshere have all played there with varying degrees of success, and not all have embraced the defensive aspect of the role wholeheartedly, so it was good to see him trying so hard: he deservedly got an ovation when he left the pitch. Given the doubts over the fitness of our midfielders I wouldn’t be rushing to send him out on loan, although playing a dozen or so Premier League games for Palace, QPR or WBA would do him no harm at all I guess.
It was a good natured crowd, with a lot of youngsters there, and also a lot of empty seats, although I suspect that the official attendance was high as no doubt it was largely season ticket holders who were absent. Not many Club Level members seemed to have made it, and I can only guess that most were still on the ski slopes or wherever it is they head to over the Christmas holiday. Nice work if you can get it as they say.
And now we enter a period of brief normality with only a game a week for a while which will be very welcome for the players and rather dull for us. But thanks to our warriors yesterday we have the excitement of the Fourth Round draw to look forward to, and that is something to be more than happy about. I rather fancy an away tie at Old Trafford.
Positively Arsenal 
italy team spirit, if i’m right. you barely hear of him this days as much as you hear of gervinho.
LikeLike
if the report about szczesny is true then wenger must be in a dilema whether to start him against stoke city. stoke have many tall players in their rank and ospina is a shot goalkeeper. ordinarily if we are playing any other club but stoke, i would be happy to see ospina given a start even without the smoking incident. we seem to be able to keep clean sheet whenever woj is not playing.
LikeLike
@ Layksite – Szczesny walks a fine line between being arrogant/confident/egotistical and to be honest you need to have a strong character to play for a top side. Almunia and Fabinaski struggled to overcome criticism at times and it affected their performances in games.That said, to me Woj is a good keeper, but not a great one at the moment.
Arsenal in the past have had great top class keepers in the mould of Wilson, Jennings and Seaman. As well as Lehmann, who all often put in man of the displays (or at least were in contention for it) and in my opinion the last recent memorable GK MotM performance was by Fabinaski against Wigan. Though Martinez has risen to the challenge this season, handled the pressure really well and I’ve been impressed with his growth.
In my opinion, Arsenal have in Ospina a GK I am personally excited about as if we are going to win the league or Champions League he is a guy that will help us do it. He reminds me of David Seaman and I reckon he could do some of the crucial one handed special blocks I haven’t seen in years!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Isaac Hayden – I have never seen the lad in action.
Jeorge Bird, not much help. A scout review by Calvin Gomez dateline 14th September 2014, was a lot more helpful. Very much a work-in-progress.
It seems the lad was injured, and NOT stage-fright! I never dismiss an Arsenal player. For starters, did he sleep well and was he “smoking” during the night? Loonies will criticise any player, without considering the reasons for a below par performance.
Finsbury, never waste time on an argument, point to the known facts and leave!
I seem to have missed your dispute with Hunter. Hunter seems to have gone AWOL?
LikeLike
poldi just came on for inter
LikeLike
goona, szczesny was great last season but has been just average this season. it seems to me that he is capable of being great and average as he chooses. i must admit that our best between the post this term has been matinez in my opinion.
well poldi is having a good game. seems very eager to prove a point.
LikeLike
Poor game at Goodison with two minutes left. Carl has played well but Everton have been desperate. Many more performances and results like this and Roberto Martinez
LikeLike
….will be in big trouble.
LikeLike
Lukaku hits an equalizer in the 91st – the noose is slackened.
LikeLike
Roberto Mancin goes and plays Podolski on the left wing, you’d think he would not make the same mistake as no mark managers like Jogi Löw and Arsène Wenger
LikeLiked by 1 person
WS1 showed against west ham a glimpse of what he was capable of – then reversed it against sotton… its that consistency of good performances that we have just not had this season… after that neat game versus hull, i hope we pick it from there with some notable players coming back too.. A team is due a serious 8-0 like bashing… none better than stoke for that role!
LikeLike
I love Isaac Hayden he has a touch of the Tony Adams about him, a very confident young lad and captainof the U21s. He has played for the U21s in virtually every position so is very versatile. He is primarly a CB although can play DCM which is where he he made his first team debut. He was out for over six weeks earlier in the season which, I believe, is only reason we havnt seen him make his PL debut. I think his dad was a proffesional and keeps him very grounded abit like the OX.
LikeLike
the strange thing is i actually think Szczesny’s handling from corners has been better this season however some of his decision making has let him down. i still dont blame him for the first goal against the saints that was down to Kos and then Per in my book.
LikeLike
Our friends at Untold Arsenal are getting support for their assessment of poor refereeing standards in the Premier League from a surprising source:
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30704681
LikeLike
Obviously Hackett was not watching the exceptional refereeing performance from Robert Madeley on Sunday DC (banned winkie thing)
All very quiet this week from the club, no obvious signings in the offing, various loans discussed but little solid other than social media froth. Apparently good news on players returning to training in the form of Ozil and Ramsey but we shall see on Sunday.
I was musing about our midfield riches and what would happen if, one day, we had a full complement of fit players – Ozil, Ramsey, Santi, Diaby, Jack, Ox, Flamini, Arteta, Coq, Tomas even Diaby maybe ?
Admittedly some are getting on and Diaby cannot unfortunately be regarded as a part of the squad for now. Even so it is a lot of players.
LikeLike
chavs want messi. i advise moreen to sell club and the stadium, thats the worth of messi.
LikeLike
Who is assigning the point? Where did they get the all time high accuracy rating from? i hear their accuracy have gone up to 95%, are the GMOL rating themselves then? it won’t be surprising if that is the case or else i am baffled that every one says the standard has gene down, people like untold even present empirical data and yet the response it that it is on an all time high?
LikeLike
if they write an exam and mark mark it. i dont expect them to fail. until match official are made to face the press like the managers do after every game, this above the law attitude will continue.
LikeLike
I thought the retired Webb was supposed to be the front man for referees this season -appearing in front of the cameras to answer questions from the media.
What happened to that idea which sounded not a bad idea at all ?
If referees were interviewed post match I reckon I’d watch it – I expect they would make the same tits of themselves as managers in the immediate aftermath of the game Layks.
Not sure how it would work though – would the referee be required to watch the controversial incidents from half a dozen camera angles before answering a question or after ?
Tricky
LikeLike
Thanks for that link double canister, it’s amazing that PGMOL can brief the press with a straight face that they disagree with criticism because they rate themselves very highly!
In 2009 when the refs helped Man U to the title through systematic sending off’s, penalties and targeted yellow & red cards, their assessment of themselves was brilliant too. I think they scored themselves something like 99% correct calls that year. Human error and bias do not affect premiership refs at all apparently.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Mike Riley has enjoyed the protection of Man U, David Gill(at FA) & sir fungus for years but times are changing – that empire is history. Rooney was sent off this season, Arsenal are getting some penalties rightly awarded and we were give a competent ref against Hull. If Mike Dean doesn’t get our big games like the Spuds, Man C or Man U game and Martin Atkinson doesn’t get the Chelsea game then I will say things are actually improving for Arsenal.
LikeLiked by 3 people
They could ask referees about the game itself too, their opinion on strikers missing open goals, goalkeeping howlers and whether the respective managers played their substitutions correctly, even the state of the pitch and what they thought of the crowd.
Could be illuminating if they were honest
LikeLike
Szczesny’s father has done an interview with a Polish newspaper, the players father says the smoking saga was invented by the British media. Szczesny’s father says he isn’t happy with Wojciech’s form and Arsenal’s coaching staff are partly to blame for it.
I was told that when Szczesny was dropped at the time of the Bayern Munich game it was because he had voiced concerns to Wenger over the coaching he was getting and he asked for different coaching, something brought on by Fabianski’s improvement under Tony Roberts and more so by advice from Jens Lehmann who had been at Arsenal as part of his coaching badges told WS that he could be World Class, but needed a change in coaching and that it was madness that our keepers all done the same coaching sessions and not individually tailored programmes.
Gerry Payton is our goalie coach and is not a patch on Tony Roberts the youth teams goalie coach, when Payton was away from the role for a few months due to health issues(think it was a hip replacement op) the goalies had Roberts as their coach and they felt he improved them, it was thought that Roberts would be promoted but this was not done. Roberts designs individual programmes for each keeper, of course their is joint work they all do, but alterations for each keeper, so as to improve different areas for each as the need may be.
LikeLike
Krystian Bielik: “I’ve made a decision [to join Arsenal] and I’m not going to change it. It will happen soon”
LikeLike
In field hockey, the sport which had a big influence on Dutch football coaches back in the day, the officials were miked up to the broadcasts, so you’d hear their discussion and conclusion during a video replay appeal during the 2012 London Olympics, for example. They didn’t often lose an appeal to a challenge, and their conversations (between fourth officals and on field referees) were often quite funny and interesting. But that is all a discussion for Untold IMO.
–
Not sure I’d care if the smoking stories were true or not, and the question is why is this even a story? On the wireless I’ve just heard a confession from Kevin Phillips that not only did players occasionally urinate in the showers after a game but on occasion he’d been pissed upon by teammate. And yes, it’s not really too hard to imagine the kind of thing that happens in a kids dressing room, let alone an adults.
Not sure the coaches are to blame for Schezzers once a game ricket/drag back. He was going to get caught out eventually and it has happened. Let’s hope he learns from it.
His dad has poor form previously with his comments, as many will recall. I think it’d be better for the player if his Pa kept his gob shut. Schezzer Snr.? Meh.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lets be fair to Szczesney (jn), he was horribly exposed by his defence for both errors against Southampton, and remember he was exceptionally good against West Ham only 2 days earlier.
A reminder – look at Fabianski’s howler for Swansea.
Chelsea trying to sell Petr Cech can go fuck right off.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It seems Arsenal have cooled their interest in Loic Perrin.
Odd, I thought would have been ideal as a back-up defender, assuming there was nothing better available in January, perhaps now Arsenal have word that there is something better available.
LikeLike
DC I have to agree that Szczesny is getting a raw deal from many fans, a lot of whom have been against him from the start cos they wanted a new keeper, not one promoted, and just like with Ramsey the boo boys are out to get him. WS was outstanding v West Ham, and he was only partly to blame for both goals, Kos, and Mert awful on both goals and Debuchy poor on the second one, but the “I want a new keeper” crew are out in force to blame Szczesny.
As for his dad’s comments, he says the coaching is partly to blame, he also puts blame on his son, but that has been overlooked as it don’t make for such a good gripe at WS
LikeLiked by 2 people
Superb stuff as always, PA. Thanks.
Just can’t get PG to produce podcasts, lazy g*t. So here’s summat to listen to – Danny K, Ars-scout, talks about Gedion Zelalem. Start listening at 22 mins:
http://m.mlssoccer.com/extratime?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=Podcast&utm_campaign=Unpaid
LikeLiked by 1 person
PG.
Hope you remember my name calling of you only happens cos I figure you won’t come all the way down here just to kick me in the nuts.
But make an effing podcast. You and your mates’ otherly accents and incitefullnes/humour is missed.
Let’s be ‘avin you
http://m.youtube.com/results?q=delia%20lets%20be%20havin%20you&sm=1
LikeLiked by 3 people
I see Andy Townsend has not been offered a contract by ITV for next season – apparently there were death threats
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Get in…”
LikeLike
Of course his dad is going to blame the coaching staff Eduardo – they are an easy target as they can’t respond publicly. They are hardly responsible for his arrogance though. But given the father you can see where that trait did come from.
LikeLike
szczesny has all the qualities and talent to become a great goalkeeper. but his arrogance is starting to get the better of him. if he doesnt make it here he wont make it anywhere. no one supports a player like arsene. not having the oppurtunity is quite different from having it and wasting it. his father cant tell arsenal how to coach or manage his son. he cant be treated differently to other goalkeepers. wenger will never do that because he has never done so.
as per the goals conceded against saints, i blame him entirely for the first goal but not at all for the second. granted that kos has been beaten into the box by mane but he was going away from goal and was still being shadowed by kos when szcz rushed out of his goal.
LikeLike
passanel as I pointed out his dad also put blame on Woj too, I even pointed out many were ignoring this and you seem to have too. Do you know him personally, if not you are only assuming he is arrogant, any player who does not have self confidence is not going to make it at Arsenal or any other big club, but it seems Arsenal fans don’t want certain members of our playing staff to have self confidence, only the ones the like it seems can show it.
LikeLike
layksite the fact Wenger does not have different training for each of our keepers is a major fault, as I stated earlier Jens Lehmann told our keepers it was holding them back. Fabianski’s big improvement came when he got to work with Tony Roberts when LF was coming back from his injury, and TR designed a personalized training routine for him and also TR works on decision making too. Our keepers all improved when Roberts was training them when Gerry Payton was away with health issues, its time things like that are noticed and acted upon by Arsene Wenger and not just keep the same coach cos he is there.
Wenger admits he would not have made any coaching changes to the first team set up but for coaches retiring or leaving of their own choice. That is a flaw.
Also Layksite on the first goal, Mane was only going away from goal cos Szczesny had closed him down, the mistake of Szczesny was not the closing down of Mane, but in not sticking with him, it was the coming back and giving him space that was Szczesny’s only mistake on that goal.
LikeLike
Bob Wilson’s view of Szczesny
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/wojciech-szczesny-still-has-arsenal-future-despite-southampton-gaffes-says-bob-wilson-9964250.html
LikeLike
Eduardo, there’s self-confidence and then there is over confidence and lack of humility. My perception and I admit it’s just that is that Szczseny sometimes veers towards the latter. I’ve seen him many times take unnecessary risks when he is showing off. I understand it’s his son and he’s trying to protect him from the criticism, but it’s not the first time his father has put his nose into the club’s business and he’s got no place in it. As for your comments about the coaching, unless you work at London Colney and have first hand knowledge of what goes on there, you are just repeating unsubstantiated rumour.
LikeLike
I am with passenal, Fins & layksite – Woj is the one responsible for his own performances. Blaming the coaching staff, kitman, chef or tea lady for that matter just doesn’t cut it. How do you know what the GK coaches work on? And who told you the reason Woj was dropped for the Bayern game? How do you know that the GK coaches don’t work as a team? A lot of your comments are conjecture, which is fine as long as you don’t purport them as fact.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/martinez-peyton-has-helped-me-so-much
Of all the recent Arsenal GK’s – Woj has actually had the most fan support, endearing himself through a number of cheeky antics. I respect Woj for coming back as strongly as he did from the league cup debacle a few years ago and as well his sub par performance in the last Euro’s with Poland and our Champions League games. Our other goalkeepers sadly would of been taken to pieces. I don’t know many fans that have wanted Woj out from the start either, he has a lot of support.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Also it’s becoming a feature with Woj that whenever he is disciplined or dropped there are leaks of some kind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
” As for your comments about the coaching, unless you work at London Colney and have first hand knowledge of what goes on there, you are just repeating unsubstantiated rumour.”
And there you have it. It happens with alarming regularity. Rumour and fantasy , get repeated as fact.
It pisses me off no end.
LikeLiked by 2 people
how does it work? do we have coaches for the keepers, the defenders, the midfilders, the wingers and the strikers? if they dont train them together how will they blend and play as a team. if we have a different coach for szcz, a different one for ospina and yet a different one for martinez, how does that work in a training session?.do we also get a coach for sanogo different from the one we get for giroud. what if sanchez then ask for his own if the goals dont come in as regularly as he wants. i believe szczesny senoir is just making excuses for his underperforming son.
as for the goal, watch it again and see where mane was when szcz boast out of his goaline. kps was not far behind and its not as if mane is a messi. there is a reason we seem to keep clean sheet this season when szcz is not in goal. even martinez kept two in a row despite playing behind same defence, something we havnt been able to do this season. those who keep the stats have shown that our defenders have allowed considerably less shots on goal this season than they allowed last season. we may not have same players in defence always this season but all thay have to do is to stop shot getting to their goal and they have done so this season better than last season. so if we concede more than the last season the answer cant be for lack of cover. maybe szcz was too good last year of that he has dropped in form this season.
like i said before, he has the talent and the qualities. infact i like the fact that he is tall ( i hate short goalkeepers ) and ironically, that he gets off his lines early, but he has to begin to time his runs very well. he can become the next neuer if becomes perfect.
LikeLike
Hilarious story in the morning’s Times, in fact the main back page story penned by a journalist by the name of Matt Hughes ‘Deputy Football Correspondent’ of the paper.
Seemingly Mr Hughes has been let in on the secret that any Arsenal player – repeat- ANY ARSENAL player found smoking will be sent to train with the reserves for the remainder of the PL season.
I appreciate the transfer window is dead and the best nonsense the meeja have to work with this week at AFC is the Szcz smoking ‘crisis’ but this fantasy scrapes a new low in the barrel of fantasy.
Light anyone ?
LikeLiked by 1 person
poldi’s comment on wenger ill advised. thats if he has one. as far as i know he is still an arsenal player.
LikeLike
I see Wenger says we are not close to signing Bielik, and he seemed to know nothing about Dennis Wise’s son Harry joining our Academy, but then why would he, a 15 year old joining the Academy is the responsibility of Jonker, not Wenger.
LikeLike
Good news on the injury front:
Flamini, Ramsey & Ozil are back in the squad.
Welbeck is a week away, it seems Gnabry started training last week.
Arteta can’t be long left in treatment.
Jack is due back at end of Februray.
And then there is poor Abu Diaby left. – calf this time.
LikeLike
it is sad that its looking like Diaby is not going to recover fitness. and so he will almost certainly leave Arsenal in the summer. A career ruined by injury.
LikeLike
I have seen just about all ARSENAL keepers in recent years including those at hale end and the fact is they all improve. Some of them don’t improve enough to make it at the top level but that’s the same for all positions. Our main keepers have all improved including Fab. This coaching accusation is the equivalent of saying Liam Brady failed many youngsters at our club over the years and quite frankly I don’t buy it.
The fact we are arguing over the first goal suggest it was shared responsibility, however the initial mistake was definitely Kos. The reaction of Szcz and Per after that is a matter for debate.
Szcz’s handling during the game was good the back fours performance generally was not. As everybody knows if the media will jump on anything they can to make it seem like there is a crisis.
The reality is it was one bad defensive performance end of
LikeLiked by 2 people
Bob wilson has backed Szczesny, and says he was not at fault at all for the second goal, and only partly to blame on the first, and says the ball over the top took a strange bounce, without which the ball would have ran to Szczesny,
LikeLike
3 weeks left and I see today we’re going to sign:
Gundogan; Lacazette; Bielik; Brozovic; Isco; Schneiderlin; Karius; Cavani; Suarez, M.
News to keep you smiling. Some of those names you may have heard of before.
Whatever – someone must have left a whole load of moolah in Arsène’s Christmas stocking.
A belated Happy New Year all.
Good to see a couple of crocks about to return (like new signings) – whether or not the WOB will be willing to give them time to get up to full speed remains to be seen.
COYG
LikeLiked by 1 person