Greetings on this fine early Autumn morning to you all, and above an excellent snap from the Mirror this morning that captures the moment the battle turned decisively last night.
A little more chipper in my mood this morning and I suspect I am not the only Arsenal fan with a little skip in their step, a gleam in his or her eye. If I were a squirrel I would have risen especially early to grab some extra winter store.
And the spring for this more joyous demeanor we all know. Well who would have thought it? The man they could not hang – or allegedly Arsenal football club could not give away in the Summer – Mathieu Flamini. Deadwood to destroyer of worlds in the space of 90 busy minutes at the Lane! Well, well, well.
The game itself was what I expected. Plenty of scurrying after the ball, both sides a mix of experience and squad players. Having sat largely un-played on the bench since August these players were not going to pass up the chance to impress the crowd in the stadium or the legions at home. Fewer youngsters than I expected in red shirts, perhaps a firm indication of how much stronger our squad is these days.
Our players?
Per and Chambers I thought were excellent at the back, with Callum showing none of the nerves that characterized his start against Liverpool. He is growing into the role literally and metaphorically. Huge bad luck to net an own goal but after a brief shake of the head there was no evidence of him letting it prey on his mind and he played as well as before the accident to the final whistle.
Ramsey did his box-2-box thing which he does so well. The Ox worked hard and was unlucky not to get on the score sheet. Olly worked his arse off again and will earn his just rewards soon.
Debuchy was picking up some stick but given his lack of match time so far this season it seemed a bit unfair. Whisper it quietly to the Scarfers that Danny Rose – yes him – was actually having what is known as a “good game” and flying past Debuchy and Joel. It happens sometimes – opposition players play well; in Rose’s case unexpectedly well. Gibbs’ header off the line at 1-1 was another crucial roll of the dice. Thank Gawd for goal line technology or that would have brought the game to a standstill.
I did not see anyone in red fail to put in a decent effort. I suspect Campbell is disappointed that he did not make a bigger splash but he was eager with some good touches, more chances will come his way.
And the opposition?
It seemed Spuds had decided to go rather more youth/experimental than us but I thought they put up a decent performance that on another night, and we have had a few, might have earned them at worst extra time and possibly more. Very much in the balance at 1-1. Eriksen is a top quality footballer, Townsend did well and, as I mentioned above, Rose nearly cracked us open. Fazio looks like an accident in a constant process of happening – with a face like his surely a career in gangster movies beckons if he does not master this football lark.
So onward to the KingPowerWalkersCrispsDrome on Saturday for what will be probably a good physical working over from the Foxes and our old friend Claudio Ranieri. Am I worried? No I think we have our mojo retrieved and shining brightly.
Bring on the next one.
Enjoy your Wednesday.
Positively Arsenal 
Not the best quality match, but a great game to watch.
I especially liked the way we turned it around when Alexis entered the arena.
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What a difference a day makes
Twenty-four little hours.
Chelsea? Huh
Diego Costa? Huh
We beat the Spuds at the Lane.
Yes, I know it was mostly reserves out there, but it’s still sweet. And gets the spirits back up again. Let’s hope it infects the first team.
Agree with all of the above, by the way.
Good to see the BFG back again too. Imperious.
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I feel good….. so banned smiley
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Only downer about last night was the pictures of those morons vandalising the stadium. No excuses.
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They say people begin to look like their dogs nb1969. The resemblance is striking.
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My immediate apologies – as I haven’t seen the match properly/haven’t read this article fully/didn’t answer the last article sufficiently, despite the maximum pleasure derived.
I’m compelled to proffer my absolute fave Unclassic Commentary video. It includes video of Flamini getting booked for fouling Rose, which happened again last night.
This is somewhat Karmic as it was Rose who finished off Theo in the FA cup. And it’s the spuds left backs that cause most damage to our team. (Remember asshole Ekota breaking Sagna’s leg by charging him in the air. No foul – Mike Dean. Ho ho).
I’ll pop back later with summat more sensible, maybe, but this video always fills me with joy:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5YU1Q-LnvqY
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Thanks Rantetta – great stuff.
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Enjoyable read anicoll5. It’s good you’re not a squirrel though. Early rising might explain why you’ve set me a day back… I believe we trumped the Spuds on Wednesday and as such I did enjoy Wednesday, but except daylight savings time is in effect, I do believe today’s Thursday. I do hope to enjoy it – Thursday, that is (thanks to your article and my feeling chuffed after last night, I already am enjoying it)
*banned smileys everywhere
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One minor gripe in wonderland – what has happened to our corners and free kicks again ? – Last night and at the Bridge our centre backs rolled forward and Giroud tussled with the opposition, only for the corner to either not get past the front post or to be banged so far beyond the far post as to be irretrievable.
I thought we had sorted this out !!
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Ozil, Cazorla, Sanchez and whisper it Walcott seem to be the most consistent free kick/corner takers ATM? Not forgetting Wilshere. None were in the starting eleven.
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I’m glad you all seem to have watched the same game as I did last night, a hard working and well deserved victory, and not the “third shite performance in a row”, or even “a victory that stopped it being 3 embarrassing losses in a row”, yeah I know, it now seems 9 men losing to 12 is “embarrassing”,
I am that you all seen an outstanding performance from chambers, and have not fallen into the trap of that the idiots have of basing his entire performance on an unfortunate own goal – Ospina should have called for him to leave it – if any of you watch the game again, keep an eye out for the number of times one team mate or another high-fived with him, after excellent defending from the latest Arsenal player to be targeted by the AAA/WOB, these high-fives more than anything else show me what his team mates thought of this outstanding performance, and unlike the idiots who now see nothing good the lad does just cos the had a shaky first 45 v LFC,
I am cheered that you all seen another one of the boo boy targets, Aaron Ramsey have a commanding performance in his preferred central midfield role. What I find most funny about the continued targeting of Ramsey by the boo boys, is that as part of this targeting is how they totally go over the top in their praise of Oxlade-Chamberlain, he was anything from “outstanding” to “clearly our man of the match” and even “our only player to turn up”, – sadly for me he was the biggest let down, yes he performed better than others on the night, but when I say let down, I mean as has become the norm from him, he done some magic stuff, beat two, three and four men, then completely mess up the simple pass or cross, in fact he was our Danny Rose, give the defenders a chasing only to have no end product at all.
Debuchy had a tough game, but I would say that for me he got no help from Campbell, and that his game improved when Campbell was taken off, he looked ring rusty, but still won his fair share of tackles, so far this season though his every performance has made Carl Jenkinson a better player game by game.
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I have to agree with anicoll, our corners and freekicks this season has been sub par, and its very much back to why even bother getting a corner. For such skilled footballers to be so poor at picking out a team mate from a dead ball is a modern day Arsenal Stadium Mystery.
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Giroud scored from a corner v Stoke.
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Gibbs sure kept us in the game last night by clearing off the line.If that would have sneaked in the Chickens might have been having a big Chas and Dave retro 81 knees up at the Coop.
Its silent over at the Coop today, only a whimpering country pullet cheeping in a dark corner.
Jokes aside, great to win.
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has anyone else noticed that none of the AAA/WOB seem to be aware of Sir Alex’s views that the manager should be better paid than any of the players, and how he had his own contract changed when Wayne Rooney got that massive pay rise in 2010. It might stop all their “£8M for what” soundbite bullshit they are so found of if they were to know about this, but I do find it odd that they have not seen it, as many of them have been quoting stuff from this new Sir Alex book in their whinging about Wenger.
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it was a Santi free kick against the Orcs but your right – it shows they can manage it !!
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no George he did not, it was from a free kick that he headed in.
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Thanks Andrew for banging out another timely, positive piece. Unlike most of our peers in social media, this blog can truly rejoice in us turning over the Spuds at their own gaff and in the magnificent contribution of Mathieu Flamini. While it is not unusual, it never ceases to amaze me how the very people who all summer (into the close of the transfer window) cursed Flamini as being useless and only deserving of a one-way ticket out of the town, can now sing his praises. Up to last Saturday when Coquelin had his knee injury, these very people declared we were totally screwed because we had no back-ups as Befensive Midfielders. Wenger was deluded and negligent for not signing an outfield player, for not chucking money at strengthening areas of glaring weakness. (By implication there were more wise and knowledgeable managers like Rodgers who threw money at their problem to only manage a draw with the mighty Carlisle.) In a matter of months Flamini (and Arteta for that matter) had become invisible men, devoid of any redeeming quality. This morning twitter and blogs are awash with gushing praise.
It reminds of something I read earlier this week on another football blog commenting on how the media bend and skew their headline based on short-term results, i.e. “outcome bias”:
The outcome bias is an error made in evaluating the quality of a decision when the outcome of that decision is already known. Specifically, the outcome effect occurs when the same “behavior produce[s] more ethical condemnation when it happen[s] to produce bad rather than good outcome, even if the outcome is determined by chance.
People are making judgments on the basis of one or two games or even one season. Easiest example to my mind is Chelsea and City chuck a lot of money on getting a title and the media concludes this is the wisest route forgetting the scores of other clubs who fail miserable in a similar pursuit. Liverpool I am looking at you. They easily dismiss the consistency of Arsenal’s performance in relation to dollars/pounds spent. Hence Flamini is dismissed because he is a free signing even though he is merely an older version of Matic.
There is a lesson there for all of us. Rather than fall into a funk after one game, remain supportive because the long term trends are firmly in our favor and we have a manager and squad of players who have shown a capacity to consistently perform at the highest level. Yesterday Mathieu was our hero but as the season ebb and flows there will be more to come.
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One commendable feature I failed to mention in my piece was the good sense and discipline shown by both Mattys and Mikel having picked up early yellow cards.
It would have been all too easy to be sucked into the derby atmosphere and lunged in at a Spuds player with the inevitable result. It takes a bit of sense to play with control and one eye on Marriner’s pocket.
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It was a free kick against Stoke there’d be a close chance earlier in the game from similar.
The mythical training ground “drills” were in evidence as Giroud and Koscielny dovetailed and dummied the Stoke defenders. watching it you though the defenders would cope with whatever it was that they were trying, but in the end the timing of Cazorla’s delivery was perfect. Not all tricks at free kicks are startingly obvious, but they’d worked at that one. When you think back to that quick corner and volley that Cazorla and Giroud combined from last year it’s not the first time they’ve been cheeky and it won’t be the last.
Cazorla takes a mean free kick from that range he’s one of the best in the league at those free kicks. City Giroud header etc.
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the conspiracy against Chelsea continues unabated, now the mean old dubious goals panel has awarded their second goal v Arsenal as an own goal by Chambers, in by so doing they have denied Hazard his 50th CFC goal
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Three consecutive games and three own goals, two for Chambo and one for the OX
Anyone ever remember a sequence like that ?
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Don’t know why but I’m relieved that Hazard wasn’t awarded the goal. Small mercies.
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How about that raking pass from Chambers which was almost inch perfect for Sanchez?
That’s what I’m talking about!
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Thank you Andrew for a chipper and cheery review. Perfect antidote to the misery and gloom of yesterday’s preview.
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Not true,yesterdays preview was excellent.
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Very good Andrew and agree, I was expecting more from Spurs, though not sure exactly what! It just felt an unlikely win for us after the mixed (but largely frustrated) emotions of the last couple of games.
So that’s Spurs’ season pretty much done and dusted – and it’s not even October. Fans of Arsenal understandably show disappointment in those seasons when our effective competitive participation concludes around February/March. But just imagine it all ending in September?!
Meanwhile, up in Liverpool, the talk isn’t about how well their season may yet progress but who is likely to become their next manager. And with £300 million spent in vain three largely unproductive years, Rodgers appears close now to paying the ultimate price.
Over in Chelsea, Mourinho’s principal success to date has been to bring much of the club itself into disrepute. The appalling self-evident truth of the way he has set up an otherwise under-performing Costa is likely to prove as ruinous to what remains of his ‘reputation’ as his treatment of the good Doctor Eva. How much more of this Roman will tolerate may be swayed by some of the alternative and, one imagines, more palatable managerial alternatives that are currently out there.
It’s true, Arsenal, with much help from Owngoalski, poor refereeing and mixed player form, haven’t had a 100% successful start to the season.
But compared to just these three clubs, we are positively flying.
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Right, I’ve now watched the match. I have to say, I enjoyed what I saw from Arsenal. Our good ref Marriner was true to himself. He done the usual thing of letting lots of spuds fouls go as though they hadn’t happened. One hilarious incident was when Campbell was in spuds pen area. Rose (who else?) kicked his foot into Campbell’s face area, unbalancing him and dumping him into the press pit. Flamini fouls Rose and so gets a yellow card. (No penalty for Ars then).
Indeed, Rose went down at every opportunity. He along with other players, like Trippier, were at it all night, cos Andre allowed it. Marriner didn’t book a spud till some youngster came on and caught Mert late. I’ll repeat that for my own benefit – No totty player was booked until the youngster, late in the game. Andre has a way of looking jet-lagged, like in the game 2 seasons ago at Fulham-ski. (Look again at that whole match and you’ll see some interesting stuff). This jet-lag look applies when Ars’s opponents are kicking them.
This is a team that’s barely played, if at all, with each other (to clarify, on the pitch). Chambers looked better than when he played pre-season or since. (Mert gave him a pat after the OG. Calum got back to his good-young self). Campbell was constantly fouled by Rose but done well. You can see how he will progress with a run of games, as is the case with all of our players.
They looked like Arsenal to me
Now then, Steww, don’t give me this bolux about boring preview. I’m not having it.
I’m as pissed off as I’m elated at your ability to articulate my feelings. (Who let you into my head?)
“All we’ve wanted to do, you and I, is push all thoughts of the once beautiful game from our minds and try to find solace in other more tranquil, distracting pursuits. I’ve been indulging in an orgy of regression”.
You tiefed dat from my brain.
You wrote of the tragedies of stadium disasters and put the “must win bollocks” into fine perspective.
Bolero at the bridge/Cesc against Rotherham/Baptista at Anfield/Vela’s chips –
****ing brilliant. They’re never too long, you previews, and certainly not boring.
You’ll not worm your way out of writing the PA previews!
Get to bloody work. There’s a match coming at the weekend.
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A5, I remember a game against Middlesbrough at Highbury when two of our Brazilians scored own goals in the same game I think it was Juan and Silvinio
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it was edu and silvinho
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WENGER ON FLAMINI’S BRACE AND THE WIN
Arsène Wenger addressed the media after his side beat Tottenham 2-0 on Wednesday evening.
Read on for a transcript of what the Arsenal manager said.
on Flamini…
You do not expect Mathieu Flamini to score two goals. He was certainly frustrated for a long time and he went for it. He scored two good goals, especially the second one. I think on the second one he made an early decision to go for it and just focused and finished with a great goal. Overall I must say we responded well mentally and physically to the challenge we faced tonight and it was a convincing performance. We were unlucky to concede an own goal and we found the resources to score a second. Tottenham gave absolutely everything but [after] around 70 minutes we could take advantage. They dropped a little bit with their intensity and we found a little bit more space to play just at the moment when Alexis came on. We found we could create dangerous situations.
on why he selected Flamini…
First of all I wanted to rotate the team a little bit and he had worked very [hard] recently. I saw in training he was focused and had come back to a good level and I also thought I wanted to strengthen a bit the midfield with Arteta who
had not played in a long time. I wanted a second player to strengthen a bit defensively and that meant Flamini and Arteta together gave some defensive guarantees.
on if Flamini had a point to prove…
He is a fighter and he is a winner as well. I told him at the start of the season it might be difficult for him to be a starter but he decided to stay and he did fight.
on if Flamini was going to leave…
I fought to keep him but he is at an age where you always consider what it is important at that age, which is to keep focused and stay in the team. If they do not manage to do that it is better you let them go, but he wanted to stay.
on Gabriel’s red card being overturned…
That just shows that they decided after the game what should have been decided during the game and they repair five per cent of the damage that has been done to us. Instead of us playing 11 against 10, we played 10 against 11.
on Arsenal’s resilience…
That was the most pleasing [aspect]. Suddenly when it was 1-1 you could expect Tottenham to find a second goal but suddenly it looked like it was us who were more likely to score a second goal.
on the FA’s decision having any effect on Arsenal…
Not to us. It does not help us too much. On the day I watched the game again. It is better I don’t talk too much because it was really surprising in this game that some incidents were handled very lightly and not seriously and it is better I don’t talk too much as I’m still angry about it. One or two situations in the game are difficult to understand when you watch it again.
on if he will point that out to the FA…
No, I think I’m in a job where I have to swallow things that are not right but I have just got to focus on the next game.
on the charge tomorrow…
I said after the game he should not have responded at all and I maintain that. I told him that but when I saw it again he had not done a lot, but you want them to have a fair judgement and we will accept what they decide. That is part of it.
on if he thinks the FA will take into account the Chelsea result…
No I don’t think they will. They will judge that situation and it is right. You cannot consider the whole context of the game, you want them to judge and decide and we will accept the decision.
on if he is surprised Costa got a ban…
No.
Arsenal.com is the only place to follow live coverage of Saturday’s Premier League game at Leicester City. Our show starts at 2.30pm (UK time).
Copyright 2015 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the sourc
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150923/-wenger-on-the-result-at-white-hart-lane#JSI5vrJuFaswkAwS.99
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Perfect stuff from one and all. Thanks to The Flame and thanks to all you epic crew for getting it just right. Chambers was magnificent I thought. Onwards and upwards.
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I’m sorry, but Rose didn’t injure Theo. Theo went to make a tackle and his boot got stuck on the turf.
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Ed, I remember it was Juan’s debut and thought he got one of the own goals. We lost 3-1 if I remember correctly.
Last night I thought we played well and not just when Alexis came on. I thought Arteta started badly but grew into the game although he still hasn’t regained his former sharpness and in alot of incidents he seems to be getting there a fraction late.
Debuchy was the player who surprised me most, defensively he never got to grips with Rose, Clinton etc all game. I was surprised Hector wasn’t brought on to replace him or to sit in front of him for protection.
I’ve no doubt both players will improve but at the moment they both worry me.
Not for the first time last night proved players who are deemed to be deadwood can make a significant contribution to our season.
Lastly I am happy at beating the spuds but even more happy to imagine Steww skipping with great joy through corn fields little house on the prarie style in marked contrast to his previous mood. Football can break your heart but Shit it can make you feel good.
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Andrew, read the The Anatomy of…the Cross!
Copyright 2015 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/20150610/the-anatomy-of…-the-cross#kFQ6Eq7ErzIQXjmU.99
YOU will all like …. Alan Smith wasn’t that mobile….per Anders Limpar,, who should know.
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a_o_b it was certainly Edu and Silvinho, and you will find Juan never actually played a BPL game for us, he made his debut in the league cup v Grimbsy and he played is other game in the FA Cup, I think it was against Gillingham.
report of the 0-3 v Middlesborough
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/1274584.stm
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odd that there is no word yet from the Gabriel misconduct hearing, surely he should know by now if he is available for selection on Saturday, or not.
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I won’t go on about defending all of the many mistakes and false dawns that Brenda and Livepool have had for the last three years, but as Arsenal supporters who are well aware of the unmitigated sequence of misfortunate maladies that have beset Arsene’s attempts to assemble his best 11 on a regular basis, we should have a smidgen of sympathy for his current circumstances.
His best available midfielder, Wilshere lite (Henderson) is out, his best striker has been out so long even Diaby would feel sorry for him and there are no kids in the academy, Flanagan has disappeared from history he has no quality in the squad depth and of course the American owners expect the club to be self financing and fund their own long overdue Stadium redevelopment, all this in the face of the rampant over self entitlement of fans who can’t get over the fact that the club’s glory days are something they will only be able to tell the grandchildren about, and add in too many know it all former players working for the media. (however due to Liverpool’s club ethos, the former players loyalty to the Koppites means Brenda has got an easier ride that he might otherwise have got).
Much of the above sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Brenda is guilty of enough mistakes to get fired:
Not spending the downfall money well enough.
Affecting delusions of grandure and having a nauseating faux gravitas while pretending to reference himself to the club’s historic great managers.
And finally not really knowing what to do with the players he’s got.
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http://arseblog.com/2015/09/spurs-away/
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A very nice piece about last night’s 2 goal hero from the guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/sep/24/arsenals-mathieu-flamini-proved-point-in-fans-biggest-fixture-of-all
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Eddy, that piece by Tim is so vivid I could actually feel that hair-raising, spine-tingling effect as though I was making the trip myself. I’m only beginning to appreciate what it takes to attend these derbies that I watch so comfortably from my couch.
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Thanks for the reference NOTH and i will fix the link later. The flying Swede was, as he says, an out and out winger. Interesting his view on how much more disciplined wing players are now.
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Unfortunately the link resolutely refuses to be fixed – it is an article on Arsenal.com titled “THE ANATOMY OF… THE CROSS” from June this year
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http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/20150610/the-anatomy-of…-the-cross
Walcott’s worked out how to cross for various strikers. OG (first season) and Judas loved it. Which is impressive. Hope yet remains for players out there without a “football brain”?
It’s why some think he’s one of the best RF/RW in the game. More end product then Navas, More goals & assists then Pedro.
But hat record also helps explain why he might get some games at CF!
Judas had more injuries then Wally holding him back but when he finally made the switch to CF he was a year or two older then Theo is now *rubs one or two football brain cells together in the hope of achieving a spark*
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http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/20150610/the-anatomy-of
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Nope! search engine is your best bet
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Another meltdown from Maureen.
Very strange comments, considering the whole world just saw his team scrape through against nine with thirteen men. Almost as if he’s been reading/writing a certain blog.
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Ta Fins
Video
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/10005401/jose-mourinho-says-arsene-wenger-only-manager-not-under-pressure
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1 match ban for Gabriel
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/10005702/arsenals-gabriel-banned-after-admitting-fa-improper-conduct-charge
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Work continues ridiculously and I find myself in Hong Kong. Does anyone know if I am likely to find the Leicester game live anywhere. Would be about 10pm here when it is on.
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