The sad thing is I’d been having a nice Christmas up until then. Shan’t be sending Mr Moss a card next year that’s for sure. Some people have tried to claim that as he missed a couple of other offences we shouldn’t be cross with him for gifting Southampton the game. Fascinating logic. That’s as polite as I can be on that particular theory.
The great thing about Saturday night is that I got to spend some quality time with Liz. After turning off the match and thereby saving myself the sting of the final goal and not having to see the faces of my sporting heroes in their degradation I wandered into her majesty’s throne room and watched the TV instead. Had I been at the game I’d have stayed and sung to the last of course, but having the luxury of watching from my Parker Knoll Albany Manual I was able to switch off the computer and walk away without the least stain on my character.
Public shows of solidarity are one thing, blatant masochism is another entirely. All that might have improved matters is if we’d watched something better than the frankly disappointing second episode of Luther. I wanted True Detective but was out voted. In fact, where my marriage is concerned I’m not entirely sure I have a vote. Or if I do I suspect my wife has the power of veto and can, like certain countries at the United Nations, ensure the will of the powerful prevails at all times.
Enough of my domestic cold war. On into Sunday and that strange disconnected feeling I always get when Arsenal lose a game. It comes, I suppose, from the effort of trying to whistle through the day with my hat at a jaunty angle all the time knowing that no matter how much I might convince the neighbours, their cats and the milkman I cannot entirely fool myself. There were some high points, moments where the wound felt less keen. My mountain biking took my mind of the football for a few wet and gloriously muddy hours, but in general there was a constant undercurrent not unlike a hangover dragging my day into deep and unpleasant waters.
When taken in the context of this crazy season, the result was actually perfectly in keeping in many ways.
Unexpected? Check.
Opponents in poor form? Check.
Opportunity to overtake nearest rivals? Check.
Top of the table unaltered? Check.
Still in contention despite crushing disappointment? Check.
There is definitely a pattern here and while I fully understand the frustration of not taking the chance to leapfrog the Foxes I am consoled by the fact that whenever we fuck up we seem somehow to remain in a strong position.The trick is of course not to fuck up again.
My concern is that while anyone with the power of sight knows full well that Jon Moss was the single biggest factor in the result at St Mary’s there were other ingredients in our humble pie. Chief among these was what looked from the outside like mental tiredness. It may have been physical – who knows? May have been the debilitating effect of too much pud. I doubt that in the modern age of highly tuned athletes but I know we’ve had to flog this same horse a little too often for comfort lately and I fear for their ability to find the strength to return to the fray so soon.
Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the quick turn around is just what they need. Perhaps they weren’t tired at all just overwhelmed by the circumstances and the impossibility of beating a side allowed, if not actively encouraged, to play by different rules. Oh and while we’re at it spare me the guff about ‘did the ref stop us scoring?’. This is Flying Spaghetti Monster stuff. We can all write a fantasy list of things the ref didn’t do. The only relevant thing is that which he did do and that was to gift the home side the game. Highly laudable and festive of him perhaps but an unwelcome example of seasonal altruism if you happen to be on the side of the good guys.
I’m really glad I don’t make predictions in these pre match meanderings. I shy away from them not just because they’re so tedious nor because they’re such an utter waste of everybody’s time. I can’t be arsed making up the future where my own life is concerned never mind trying to see into the tea leaves when I have no control over the outcome. In this season of bizarre results and ever changing fortunes the task of the football oracle becomes even more difficult. Did anyone think Chelsea would be lucky to snatch a draw at home to Watford now the Classless One has gone? Who of you saw Palace and Leicester doing so well for so long? Did any of us honestly imagine Mark Hughes and Stoke City would be playing with the artistry of Barcelona? How, if Van Gaal is so awful and Man United in such a mess are they only three points off the top four? Just what the hell is happening in the Premier League this season? I’ve put five quid on the game being stopped because of an Aardvark on the pitch later. Why not? It seems anything can happen right now.
The whole improbable mess is providing wonderful entertainment, I’ll say that for it. Anyone, it seems, can beat anyone, and everyone can beat Villa. The entertainment stops when it is us being drubbed by an out of sorts Southampton of course but we cannot expect our side to be exempt from the curious magical miasma which has descended over top flight football this season. The simple fact is we have to believe the boys can rise from the ashes, overcome their understandable disappointment and turn on the style against Bournemouth tonight.
Should I even bother looking at the form of our visitors? Given the utter unpredictability of the Prem at the moment I wonder. Taken over their previous six results they are doing better than us. In fact they are third in the form table right now behind only Leicester and Watford. Unbeaten in their last three away games they’ve won the last two on the road beating mid table West Brom and lowly strugglers Chelsea. Not happy reading for Arsenal fans right now and you can bet the boys from the south coast will be well up for it this evening. I just hope the complexity and speed of our passing will be beyond them and we can score early enough to hit the cruise control switch and see out the game without too much charging about.
Looking on the bright side we could go top tonight and Leicester and Man City cannot both win tomorrow. Watford are more than capable of shoving Spurs back down where they belong and Palace ought to be able to take advantage of this and ease them out of the top four. This time tomorrow everything might look a little rosier, so chin up Positivistas we live to fight another day and whatever happens there will, I suspect, be many a slip twixt cup and lip for all the teams chasing glory this season. As I’ve said many times it’s just a ride, and the ride sometimes goes down as well as up. Just hang on, smile for the cameras and try to look as if you’re enjoying it.
Positively Arsenal 
Guten Morgan! Thanks Steww for a highly entertaining write up. I wondered where you went towards the end of the game and missed your on-line comments, probably was better to stop watching the game!
Well, heres to the Gunners waking up and smashing five beautiful goals past Bournemouth today!
Thanks again.
COYG!!
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Mills – I was already feeling bad for spending most of the day in front of the footy. A marriage is like a venus fly trap – you need to feed it some flies every now and then
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A fine start to my day. Thanks.
Today is, for a half dozen or so of us, who sit near each other at the stadium, a prearranged end of year ‘kitty spend’. Each home game we put a tenner or twenty each into the pot for drinks and today we don’t.
Here’s to the Blog being the start of something excellent! UTA
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Fair enough Steww! Looking forward to later…
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Marriage is like a Venus fly trap. In a sort of little shop of horrors way you mean? Top work as ever Stew and glad to see the ref under scrutiny. It’s not just the goals. It’s the physical stopping of the way we play that’s the problem. Let’s hope for a proper game today.
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Morning Stew – I have a shilling on the aardvark to score a hat-trick as well so fingers crossed. Watford and Leicester are abberations, gravity will intervene. Palace I think are a developing club and where they should be. And Stoke, now there is a puzzle.
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Morning Steww. I woke up early over here to see what you would deliver and hell you just took me through my 7 stages of grieving:
Gutted to lose on Saturday.
Pretending to be Happy.
Finding Solace with Family .
Turning to PA to make sense of the game (A-5’s review).
Wanting to punch Moss in his fat gut.
Empathizing with the boys knowing how tough its been.
Finding reasons for hope and salvation on Monday.
I am cautiously optimistic given that Bournemouth had such a tough game vs Palace on Saturday but hell I am nervous. UTA.
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Hats off to both Andy Nic and Steww for posting two fine blogs in the wake of possibly the most disappointing result of the season – at least given the potentially high flying nature of a win and the near-universal expectations of a winning outcome for the visitors. It is a comparatively straightforward business to write a one-off piece for PA from time-to-time and a decent number of us do it. But to deliver balance, perspective and wisdom in an entertainingly nutritious fashion as Andy and Steww routinely do is taking writing and blog contribution to a whole new level and I (I’m sure it’s ‘we’) applaud you both for exceptional performances under considerable supporting duress. I know not everyone agreed with Andy’s main thrust yesterday but the point was it gave us the basis for a moderately sensible dissection of the game and I suspect most of us felt a little better for all that. Very well played, both of you, if I may?
As I wrote here a few days ago, the levelling process now underway in the PL thanks to the new money will only accelerate the pattern of what would previously be regarded as freakish results. So I wholeheartedly agree with Steww’s points about everyone beating everyone else. Which by definition means we need to appreciate every single victory and learn to cope better, as fans, at least, with the setbacks as they arrive. Leave the throwing out of expensive babies in their bath water to the other clubs; I’d suggest that mentally, Arsenal, out of all the ‘top’ clubs are uniquely well prepared for dealing with the ups and downs of outrageous fortune. The managerial merry-go-round besetting Liverpool, Chelsea and Manure is evidence alone of that point. Who expects Pellegrini to survive another ‘barren’ season?
And what of Arsene Wenger – would/could he survive a season with zero cups and a fifth place conclusion? I think he himself would relinquish the reins in those seemingly unlikely circumstances. I’m also convinced he’d sign up for another four years if things continue to develop well. I wouldn’t suggest his future is on a knife edge but the injury problems besetting us can only be circumvented for so long. Buying in January wouldn’t necessarily ‘save’ our season as the majority of new players take time to bed in to the Arsene Way of playing.
So, potentially, we have some very difficult weeks ahead of us as the imminence of the return of Wilshere, Welbeck etc seems somewhat in doubt.
It could be that the eventual outcome of our season rests on the shoulders of one man in particular – Alexis Sanchez. To my uneducated eye, Alexis, Mesut and Aaron hold the key to our attack.
If we can get Le Coq back at some point (late Feb?) to protect the back four, and Santi (March?) things start to feel a little more certain. And in a season of uncertainty, that would be a mighty handy thing to have. It is the length of key absences that is clearly most concerning. In the meantime, we can but hope our potentially blistering attack carries the day to mitigate our player losses in the other areas of the park.
Our rivals will likely continue to drop points but the fact is, there is a Championship awaiting any team capable of putting a decent Arsenal-esque run together.
Some interesting, nail-biting times ahead of us, for sure.
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Too true Stew. This season has been one topsy turvy emotional roller-coaster for all of the PL top team, some more so than others. For anyone to demand that Arsenal need to be exempt from that is just mental. And to be Gooner one should expect the loud-mouths to know that by now. But they don’t, and it’s difficult getting away from them too.
I’m fully expecting the boys doing their best to show a positive response following the result at St Mary’s. Bournemouth has run on adrenalin this December so hopefully we’ll stop them.
So here’s me hoping for a win, and since being 2nd on the log is not good enough anymore half way through the season I do hope we go top 1 so everybody can at least find peace when visiting twatter.
Up the Arsenal.
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Just hope today, we get a ref that applies the laws of the game in an even handed manner.
Refs seem to be letting a lot go this season, maybe they are told from on high ….or on Sky to preserve the traditional British game….who knows. Notice big injury lists are starting to creep in with all the big teams, though of course Europe and Internationals will not help on that front.
But we do seem susceptible to the tactics Southampton were allowed, especially when we are without certain players, west Brom, Norwich and for some of the game , Spurs employed similar tactics, all almost completely unpunished . Compare and contrast the media reaction when Coq made what was perceived a foul or two against Palace.
Still, despite refs and injuries, Wenger seems genuinely bullish on our chances this season, critics will say that is spin or blind optimism, but let’s hope he is onto something, after all, he does know a thing or two about the game.
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What Arsenal Andrew said-Stew & Andy are part of my matchday & post match routine now,how lucky are we to have them? We’ll win today,we always do after a comedy result,can’t see much rotation though,although I’m worried about Ozil,personally I’d give him a breather until Liverpool away,keep him on the bench just in case?
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As I have said before AA it is a pleasure to write for this audience, and if I was unable to string a sentence or two together about our excellent football team I would be a sad fan.
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Great previews and reviews, thanks.
–
We knew that the squad is or would be stretched over the Crunch period with all the others out.
Playing after illness against City must’ve emptied Özil’s (reserve) tank but he won’t be rested or resting.
Further opportunity for those who’ve been waiting for the chance to play, Chambo Mk I and II, at some point too.
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Thanks for the kind words and I can only echo what Andy Nic said above. I make a pantomime out of how difficult finding the words can be sometimes but it’s all for show. It’s actually a bit of an honour to be invited to contribute here.
While you’re all dishing out the compliments don’t forget the other writers who I enjoy reading every bit as much as you guys do. Like the sport we love this place is a team game.
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Yes Steww, agree – and incredibly, come 28th January the PA team game will have been played for three years exactly!
All thanks to one man.
Old whatshisname.
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Any news of Famini, I read that he took a wack on the ankle v Saton? All the best to the OX if he steps up, could do with him on top form. Also wondered if Mesut is still carrying the bug he had against the sweaty Citizens.
COYG!
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After worrying about finding words that was brilliant Steww. it has been a strange season however soon a side will kick in and find consistency. At the moment (i hate to say) the most consistent side is the spuds but the side with the most potential is city. if we can get the balence between the two we could win it but we need a large improvement.
sorry George i couldnt resist it
COYG
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Where the hell is George?
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Well all I know about this January’s transfer window is that Arsenal just have to, I tell they have to sign Javier Hernández, the former Man Utd striker, he will win us the league, now I know this cos so many experts have said its true, now as of yet none of them have explained how or why he would win us the title this season, other than the lad is on a scoring hot streak at the moment, but seeing as under FIFA rules, even if we signed him on January 1st, he can not play for us in any competition till next season, as he has already played for the permitted two clubs this season, and AFC would be a third club, so he could not play for us. But we just have to sign him. It would be confirmation of the start of the silly season.
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one interesting bit of transfer gossip from Germany is that Arsenal will bid for Monchengladbach’s Havard Nordtveit. Some of you will remember the lad, he was a reserve player for Arsenal for a couple of years, he left in 2010. He is a DM, who can also play CB and even RB, very good passer, especially long range, not the quickest, good reader of the game,
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I’m here in the shadows Stew.
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well steww as for where is george, all I can say is there are no excuses for his absence, but george would say any one saying there are “no excuses” have a total lack of understanding about Blogging, Football and indeed life.
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Ha – George is moonlighting as Hank Marvin’s double.
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George is QUIETLY observing. That my friends is a major achievement. He should be pleased as punch though for this blog is his baby and in three years it has grown into such a fearless, independent healthy adult. He should be honoured this New Year from Pedantic to Proud-Papa George.
Spoken very unbiasedly.
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On reflection, what separates PA from most other pro-Arsenal blogs is while we are unashamedly in support of the manager and the ethos of the club the contributions here are usually mature and measured.
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PG and Stew, reading the Christmas cracker jokes?
An excellent article by Stew, so no need for any karate kicks from George.
Light, computer, ACTION!
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Wow – rotation fans will be delighted with that line up!
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Gabby,Gibbs, Calum and Ox all starting.
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Very interesting post this morning Arsenal Andrew, yes, we do have some potentially difficult weeks ahead. I have also wondered what Wenger would do should the team finish the season below the bare minimum. Only my opinion, but I think many misunderstand wengers relative reluctance to add players at a whim, especially now things are less tight. This summer, Wenger was criticised for making news of Danny and jacks injuries available after closing of the transfer window. Critics said he did this to reduce pressure to buy….to an extent, they may possibly have been right, but not because he is scared to spend, but because he is fiercely loyal to players he rates…..he may just have been giving them hope, leaving a space open for such players as Danny, Jack. This of course is a gamble, a critic would say an irresponsible gamble, leading to a smaller squad, more vulnerability to the inevitable injuries if the healthy are overplayed. Not all managers would show such loyalty to injured players, Wengers principles, and clear desire,to put things back into the game may help in the long term with player recruitment and retention….who knows. So yes, a fan of Wenger might say this loyalty pays dividends in the long term, even if we have to put up with some pretty unpleasant injury crisis, and at times, not so much action on incoming transfers to help out.
But having made such a gamble, calculated risk or whatever it may be called, what would Wenger do if things went horribly wrong? I also wonder if he might call it a day. But let’s hope we never find out, agree with you, should things go well, maybe he will extend and have more time to groom a successor…..who knows , possibly from within. Know which scenario I would prefer, so good luck to the boys today!
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Gosh. I do wish people wouldn’t mention Arsene leaving. Horrible thought. If we must contemplate such awful inevitabilities I just hope and pray we don’t end up like other clubs pulling names from the back pages of the papers and changing manager every time success doesn’t come instantly. Let’s allow another long term leader to build their own legacy.
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Arsenal starting XI: Cech, Bellerin, Gabriel, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Chambers, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Walcott, Giroud
Arsenal substitutes: Ospina, Debuchy, Koscielny, Monreal, Iwobi, Reine-Adelaide, Campbell
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20151228/team-news-chambers-starts-in-midfield#u6CH0KQgB2qCT3H6.99
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before their match this evening, Chelsea are 16th, on 19 pts, equal with Swansea but with a better goal difference of 2, and only 2 pts off relegation place. A Man Utd win would be ok with me, and its not often I say that. By the way utd are 6th, and a win will no get them into top 4
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man utd fans are buying half and half scarves outside old toilet this evening, with man utd on one half and Mourinho on the other, talk about plastic fans.
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COYG!
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Found a perfect quality Spanish Sopcast feed. Hope it lasts the night. Hope I do too for that matter.
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Wrighty @_Wrighty7 2h2 hours ago
Some time in the game between Man Utd v Chelsea both sets of fans will sing “Jose Mourinho” at the same time & show what wankers they are.
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Only problem is I’m about three minutes behind the time so could you all count slowly to 180 before posting anything?
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evening Gents!
COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Evening Millsey. Expect a few crossed wires with so many changes but the higher energy levels should be compensation.
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Im interested to see how Chambers gets on tonight. Good to see Gabriel and the Ox playing.
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we’ve got a cunt of a ref again tonight
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The refs cards must be clued in his pocket.
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The ref’s apologists will point to him not booking Calum either. Like that somehow absolves him.
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COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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not bad there Calum.
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The Cherries arent scared thats for sure.
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ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.great ball from Mesut.
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get faaaaaaaaaaaacccckin in thhhhhhhheeerrreeee!!! AND STAY IN THERE!!!!!
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Do corners count as assists?
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Gabriel with his first arsenal goal
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