Evening Positive heads and a late epistle before settling down to an evening of midweek football. How unlucky that the new TV deal was not signed that would have allowed me to watch the two masters of the long ball in action at the Britannia tonight ! I shall hide my disappointment.
I presume we all saw last night’s game and not much new I can think to say. A good first half, two up and a game we appeared to be cruising to an easy victory, though Leicester were not lying down. Followed by a second half in which we lost our momentum and saw out the game amid much relief. No real explanation for it. The passing game fell apart. The required three points banked but disappointing injuries to Alexis and Aaron. Is it a curse ? Sometimes it feels like it. I have to admit the sense of second half unease has led to a day of inward reflection on the season. My mood, like the sky, has been a little chilled and grey.
Anyway I did not come on to navel gaze but to highlight our next three games, Boro on Sunday, Palace on the following Saturday and Monaco on the 25th February.
Three games that will, to whip out the well used epithet, “define our season” or DOS as I often refer to in the saloon bar of the Truss and Trumpet.
Three games against sides who we are better at football than. Almost no travelling required. Although the Leicester game came swiftly after the pain at the Lane I can’t see fatigue is likely to play much of a part over the next two weeks. We have added to our injury list but Jack is due back, Gabriel yet to play, Callum has had his feet up for a few weeks, as has Kieran and where is he boy Bielik ? No idea why Giroud was rested last night. We are not short of players.
Two domestic opponents who in Boro and Palace, on the times I have watched them, at least try to try to play football. That should suit us, especially Boro at home on a good surface and a late afternoon kick off. I fancy goals, and a hatful.
Palace will be more of a battle but the last time they beat us in a league game at Selhurst Park was on the 10th November 1979, or 35 years ago. And I am sorry Mr Pardew, but I do not believe that the weight of history is likely to turn over the course of the next few weeks. It does us no harm that Palace seem to have cemented PL survival just about. If they can turn over the Scousers on Saturday in the 5th round they may have the scent of Wembley in their nostrils by the time of our visit. I see a One-nil for the visitors.
Monaco provides the third hill to clamber over and probably, in terms of quality of the opposition, travel schedule, style of play, the hardest.
They sit 5th on the French League, and have put a fairly disastrous start to the league season behind them.
However looking at their results since the Christmas break they have patchy form, some wins, draws and a recent loss to Guingamp for the first time ever. Still a long way off a CL place. On the positive side the Monagasque have a solid defence, just 19 goal conceded in 24 games but are the lowest scorers among the top eight clubs, with just 25 goals. And just 4 goals in six CL ties compared to our 15. ( and yet they won their group ! ) Berbatov may still have a lovely touch but the Bulgarian is now past his 34th birthday and his body no longer as agile as his mind.
Two legs and another narrow victory. It has to be a win at the Ems though, no errors, no feeble effort.
No doubt the goddess of football will derail my carefully dreamed mosaic and impose her own demonic outcome, abetted by her crew of evil dwarves equipped with whistles.
Right, musing done and off to tonight’s footballing feast.
Positively Arsenal 
Jolly good Andrew. 3 good wins would perk us all up no end.
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Ooooooooooooooospina
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Three wins, three amigos, three stooges, Father, Son and Holy Spirit….
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that ref on tuesday…. sack him..sack them all…rosicky sees yellow for that? disgrace 34 year old professional and the ref has no respect for Amadeus… i demand ivan picks up his rifle ..we are The Arsenal and we should be shooting those f.a cunts down.
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I still can’t get over just how bad the ref was last night and how little his performance is deemed to have affected our performance by so many.
Wenger is getting blamed for Alexis getting injured, funny that Upson gets none for his kick, Jones gets no blame for not punishing the kick, or any of the other kicks on Alexis. some complain that Ozil “faded” in the second half, but no mention of the numerous kicks he got, without even a freekick for the most part, in fact on what should have been a red for denying a goal scoring chance, a goal kick was given, Simpson got away with it and decided that this meant he had free reign to do it again, and in the space of a couple of minutes he had done it twice more, Simpson should have had a Red, a yellow, a yellow meaning a Red, so he got away with Two Red Cards last night, but no Ozil faded.
With all this kicking going on Walcott is getting loads of stick for not getting his fare share of kicks, he is rivaling Ramsey as the main target for the idiot boo boy gooners, his long stint out injured is only mentioned when the AAA want to use his injury as an excuse not to give him a new contract, and of course his 3 goals in 3 starts and an assist, since his return to action, is ignored, I see some even gave him the lowest rating of all our players last night, even Flamini was given higher mark, despite Theo scoring what turned out to be the winner. I see the Chris Waddle soundbite “Theo Walcott has no football brain”, is trotted out by the AAA ad hoc, when in fact any one who used this line are the ones with no brain, never mind football brain.
Arsenal are the most fouled team in the league, but have the least opponents booked against us, and we receive the most bookings per foul in the league, something just does not add up, the performance of the refs mean Arsenal players can not even fight fire with fire, as we are far more likely to end up having players sent off. Crazy that no one in the media ever highlights any of this, and how (probably cos they get their views from the redtops), so many gooners claim refs have no influence on results or our performances.
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where sthis stick coming from eddie?
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Eddy, are you copying my twitter feed?
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anicoll,
I enjoyed your Post and its light touch on the tiller.
By that I mean that you did not dwell too much on last night’s game – it’s history, we won, who cares how?
In the past we have played brilliantly, but because of the whims or vagaries of fickle fate we lost – and frankly, not that I am shallow or anything, (well maybe I am) I would rather play badly, according to the blogging cognoscenti and the journalistic pundits, and walk away with 3 points, thank you very much, rather than play wonderfully well and get sod all.
The next three games in front of us may indeed ‘define our season’, as you say, altho I think there are many keystone games throughout the season where that could also have been said, but, for me, my own cliché calls for the team to take each game as it comes, and not to look too far ahead for fear of tripping over those great big feet right under their noses. lol
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cannon you will find theo getting stick on several Arsenal blogs today and in fact since he came back, a couple of them even had articles since he came back suggesting we should not renew his contract and in fact sell him
PG I did notice you used that info, but it is something I have seen a few places mention this season, and in fact last season too, its not a new thing for the refs to treat AFC completely differently
I stated last week that Arsenal must have been seen as a threat again cos of the way the media had upped its anti Arsenal agenda, the wilshere smoking saga, then Ozil smoking thing, just two examples of the nonsense they were at, but I’m not sure if I mentioned that once we are seen as a threat again, the refs would up their anti Arsenal agenda, we had 5 booked v tottnum, and last night leicester kicked lumps out of us and only had two booked, the same number as AFC had, crazy stuff, but totally predictable, it happens every time we are on the up.
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Gareth Barry helpfully picks up his 10th yellow card of the season and will not be troubling us when Everton visit.
Thank you Gareth.
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according to reports Paul Lambert is no longer manager at Aston Villa
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God I hate Hazard
But like Robben he is always involved, always busy – a right bloody pest to his opponents
The bastard
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Sanogo gone off for Palace with a hamstring injury
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Two Arsenal shares traded today for £15900 – highest price since November 2013
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I don’t like these future gazing articles as a rule as what is on paper, does not always translate to what’s on the pitch, e.g. last night should have been a comfortable home win, but between our players and the referee, it was anything but. I admit that for the first time in a long while I am worried about our ability to get one of those champions league spots and the consequent impact on our ambitions for next season. I just hope this is not what is inhibiting our players from doing the necessary. I’m even worried about our ability to get past Middlesborough on Sunday!
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Blimey Pass !
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sell wallcott? but why? …. we still have not seen theo sanchez on either flanks causing mayhem…..the walchez ..supported not by one..but three!!! tens yes sir…amadeus santi and ozil…all three. we have no fixed positions…freedom. yesterday i saw ac milans 4132 .gatuso the one or ambrosini…pirlo kaka seedorf…sheva und filipoff side..heh
we have coqlin as gatuso, rosicky as pirlo, ozil as kaka and santi als clarenssh zeydurff..the snachez to be the bull a la shevas regal and theo the lurking tap in boxfox or if you like the roadrunner astronaut who opens up…space…
hallo george, andrew pass, georgaki. how are you people? eating ? drinkjing? enjoying?
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cannon13
February 11, 2015 at 10:11 pm
sell wallcott? but why?
they say sell theo cos they are idiots who just have to have at least a couple of our players to target, regardless of how they perform
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and the special bully is at it again
Rob Harris @RobHarris · 11m 11 minutes ago
Mourinho asked about Ivanovic incident: “I am concerned with my reaction because one more question (about Ivanovic) and I leave”
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Cannons 13 – first half there were really promising signs with our front 3 who were interchanging at will and really causing problems for the opposition. It was undone by the knock to Alexis and Theo still finding his way back to full functioning, but I was quite excited by some of the movement and passing early on. If we could only get the right combination of players fit at the same time, I remain hopeful of our chances. I just hope it is sooner rather than later!
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yeah well…they exist too…some were telling us once to get moyes…and oneil..hah..clyve owen
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pass, yes that was an awful tackle from upson,,very vicioous..i am just in awe of that lad wearing the number 7 mister tomas rosicky ..amadeus…peter pan…however they call him these days…ill share a secret .i have not got a clue how wenger will fit all those players and in what formations…sorry but i cant follow it any more ..at one point i see sanchez as last player…then i see ozil as last player and sanchez on the left. the theo and sanchez playing both at the edge of the box and then i see santi and rosicky doing frenetic zigzags from D to D.quite exhausting. who do you play? welbeck for his power and explosion in first 3 yards who lives people for dead? giroud for his composed link up/hold up qualities ?ozil? sanchez? theo? rosicky? santi ? chamberlain? ramsey? .. ill just watch
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Thanks Andrew for a fresh post.
Chelsea’s result was sickeningly predictable.
Man Utd have been getting away with playing shite for weeks, but the fixtures will soon find them out.
Southampton have Liverpool next, the Spuds have West Ham – all the more reason that getting 3 more points at Sekhurst Park is vital for Arsenal.
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Aha Cannons13,
I am reading a familiar voice.
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Another hammy for Aguero tonight.
Of course it’s Wenger’s fault.
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you watch chavs games? waow…i cant put myself through that…
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Hunter!
Mourinho is an absolute disgrace. Classless behavior abound at Chelski? What a shocker
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Loomer@12:46
Hunter? Which Hunter? Is he back? Has PG let him back in?
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Another top article from Andy Nic and top comments all round. There is something about Cannon’s style that seems familiar….top comments. I am afraid I share Passenal’s pessimism. I haven’t lost faith in this squad, far from it, but I just sense an all out assault from the officials this season. I fear that from now on our games will see our players booked early while free rein allowed to the opposition to inflict whatever thuggery they choose.
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FH
How can you say that about the officials when the lovely mr MooK Dean is handling our Sunday FA 5th round game vs Middlesboro?
It seems an oddly low category game for him to visit us over.
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It must be very tiring being Jose Mourinho.
No sooner has he ended his refusal to attend press conferences or speak to the press or media after games, than he throws another strop and storms off refusing to speak to anyone again.
There are those who will tell you this is all part of a cunning plan, designed for final and subtle purposes that us simple fans are unable to comprehend, the media his plaything.
Others will tell you Jose is a twat.
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So its Michael Leslie Dean you say DC for Sunday !!
A man to be cautious with but in his two outings with the whistle so far this season he has not done too bad, for a referee . Against the Mancs he could have been a bit harsher and swifter with the cards, but against Citeh he played a blinder.
#TeamMike
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heh georgaki….one strike and out from now on so ill endeavour for best behaviour ….
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bloody hamstrings…heh…they dont warm up properly heh…like lukas…
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d-c you have the nostrils of a bloodhound. The Hunter is back. Hopefully wiser and more tolerant.
Damn good observations AndrewNic. This is a strnge season. Nobody in the traditional top 4 or 5 is playing to their full potential, especially the Arsenal. Chelsea may be the one exception because they are as negative as ever but none of the real footballing teams are really able to put their stamp on the league. I wonder why.
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its ok shotta…..jose does well the second year im told ..the third year though…he gets sacked leaving burnt land behind him …
minus the visual suffering of the chavs winning it with our lost son…what else can we do?
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cannon13: I think many of us underestimate the debilitating effect of the world cup last summer on the big teams with the top internationals as well as the truncated pre-season limiting the managers’ ability to integrate new players and transition to a new way of playing.
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If I was a bookmaker at the races I would be happier for my punters to bet on handicaps than stakes races. If all runners carry level weights then more often than not class will prevail. If I am betting on Arsenal versus Leicester at home (for hypothetical argument’s sake) then I know that although many punters will be tempted to buy money, not many will have the funds to get heavily involved at long odds on – and I can always refuse to lay 70,000 to win 20,000 should I not fancy it. I’ll probably take plenty of 70 to win 20 though, and one or two bets in the hundreds. But where I will do business is in the goal markets. Let me get a few pundits to talk the match up beforehand on national radio, and suggest a comfortable home win. Let them suggest at least 4 goals. Let me offer tempting odds for total match goals and even more shiny prices for exact scorelines, and I know that many punters will be encouraged to play.
And if I was then able to find a way of suggesting to referees that strong-arm tactics should be encouraged (because that is the way we play in England and that is why the Premier League is such an attractive product) then I would know that the teams are no longer playing at level weights. The billions that Sky and BT have to find to secure these matches will not come from subscriptions alone: it is the advertising that lays the golden goose, and it is the bookies who do much of the advertising. But they would not do so if they knew that most games were going to go according to form.
Go figure.
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Conspiracies everywhere I see.
Who killed JFK?
Did Apollo really land on the moon or were they just on a campsite in Arizona?
I think we should be told.
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shottagunna
February 12, 2015 at 12:31 pm
thast all nice and understandable ..to a certain point……do you blame the world cup for the liverpool draw or the spurs first goal? i blame our players for being far too casual… and bould who does absolutely nothing…… bring back pat!
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Hey, The Hunter is BACK!!!!!!!
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yuvarlakia gallore!
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To all deluded Positivistas….
Sam Allardyce as good “if not better” than Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, says Phil Brown
(http://is.gd/Wh7JNi)
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foreverheady
February 12, 2015 at 12:52 pm
before wenger this league was for lumberjacks …wenger professionalised it and made it more attractive with his arsenal brand of football and for finally putting up a competition to those bastards up north…….. everyone else saw the potential…mainly zahavi murdock etc .. then rich folks were invited to ‘invest’ /launder….. and then it became a cartel….a cartel in which you must play as per their rules. when they have a 5 billion product to sell they will give priority to their venue’s highest spenders..certainly not that french scrooge who aims to take money out of this nice system we have set up to pay for his bloody stadium. we cant have him running away with the top prizes and it dont matter his teams play the best football ….. we will kick them if they look like embarassing us and then manipulate their dumbarsed fans and watch them fight eachother…hehe…
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Georgaki-pyrovolitis
February 12, 2015 at 1:23 pm
heh … its like having people from the football powerhouse of madagascar claiming that john k. biribob is better than zidanne ….
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Ageuro and Stevie G both pulled hamstrings last night
It’s Wenger’s influence _ I tell ye!
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SUNDAY 16:00….is this like when last year you went and got charged the price of the ticket game at next seasons renewal?
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A cold night in february?
I blame Vengarrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not only can he mind control the wallets of the meek minded billionaires on the Arsenal Board but he can dictate the weather too. The bastard.
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hello Hunter!
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choices for the weekend in Midfield
Coq, Santi, Ozil, Rosicky
Also available
Flamini, Jack;
Gnarbry Zeleman or Beilik(unlikely),
I’ve never really understood the hating on Flamini.
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