Weeimba gilee Positivistas,
A memorable game yesterday at the Ems against a Norwich side who showed great endeavour and considerable footballing talent over the full 94 minutes. Credit to both teams.
Unlike those of you lucky enough to see the game on the TV I had the interesting experience of watching from a seat high up above the Norwich fans and under one of the large replay screens. As a result I had an excellent view of all goings-on in the ground, of which much has been spoken, but never saw one replay or reviewed one incident during the game. By the time I got home I was too drunk tired to watch the match again. That is a task for later today however as the family assure me I have a ‘doppelganger’, a perfect facial and body facsimile elsewhere in the Emirates. I await sight of my reflection with narcissistic enthusiasm. My recollection of footballing events is therefore based on “one take”!
As is our usual style we dominated possession first half but with limited threat to the Norwich goal. When we got toward the visitors’ box we could not slot through the next ball to split the defence, with a Norwich boot or head intercepting. Olivier worked hard against their two centre backs but to no result. There was a lot of sideways Arsenal movement from Mesut, Alexis and especially Alex Iwobi (who was in front of me). The ball moved mostly East to West as the stadium lies, rather than North to South. Now lateral movement can be a great means of testing defences, or identifying and prying open that weak spot in an opponent. In itself though, and with no direct thrust to accompany the sideways movement of players and ball, it achieves little. While the memory is a little fuzzy I think the only chance we had throughout the first 45 that caused a gasp was a Kosc header on half time? Correct me if I am wrong.
For their part Norwich managed to gain control of the ball and on at least one occasion Cech was required to turn away what could very much have been the opener during what for him was an under-employed first half.
After half time I thought we set off at a brisker pace but still the Canaries managed to hold us off, although they began to sweat a little harder. Per departed with a hamstring problem, the first of the afternoon’s substitutions and soon after Danny Welbeck replaced young Iwobi. Thereafter Gabriel was very good yesterday, just the right combination of speed and steel. The latter change was greeted with some consternation but the manager’s reasoning was clear to me. Danny brought that direct “run-towards-the-goal-and-take-on-defenders” that our offensive probing had lacked for an hour.
Norwich were not really ready for that sudden adoption of the North to South movement and within a couple of minutes their defence cracked open and we took what was a deserved lead.
Thereafter the game was exciting. We had chances to increase out lead, a great shot on target from Mo, and two moves in which we opened the Norwich defence only for weak finishing or the offside flag to intervene. Norwich brought on a second striker as well as the most devious of footballers in Naismith (Boo). They huffed and they puffed but we were never ragged and the bit of luck that Palace had with their long range shot never came the Canaries way.
Referee Jones peeped his final contribution and off I went into the very pleasant North London spring evening. I read on here last night that Norwich were rough but I did not notice them being any more physical with us than we were with them. Naismith will certainly still have a bruise on his head.
I hope to see something of Jack and Santi before season end. If not then we have more than enough players to collect the points we need to ensure third place, or even better if Tottingham slip at the Bridge.
Two snaps today – the top one is the Clock End on 78 minutes. It is not a matter of what you can see, but what you cannot see.
And below we have three people who went to the game, met up with their friends, and had a good afternoon watching Arsenal Football Club, their team.
And ‘that’ is what it is all about.
Enjoy your day !!
Positively Arsenal 
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Wouldn’t mind watching that team play some footy
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@PG just thought there was nothing much in the tackle compared to the assaults of yesterday!
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal 1m1 minute ago
HALF-TIME: @Arsenal Under-21s 0-0 Blackburn Under-21s #AFCU21
it seems like Arsenal U21’s have dominated the game, had a goal ruled out for off side, a penalty appeal turned down, and the Blackburn keeper has had an outstanding game so far
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal 3m3 minutes ago
Plenty of support watching from the stands tonight… #AFCU21
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so a typical arsenal performance then… LOL
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal 2m2 minutes ago
GOAL FOR @ARSENAL! Willock is the scorer! Willock does well to make room for himself in the box, before firing low into the bottom corner 1-0 (49) #AFCU21
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I hope Mike gets to see tonights game on ARSENAL player with Santi playing.
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal 23s23 seconds ago
.@Arsenal Under-21s make their first change as @19SCazorla is replaced by Crowley 1-0 (62) #AFCU21
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal 45s46 seconds ago
Goal for Blackburn. Rankin-Costello is the scorer 1-1, The midfielder is first to react to a loose ball in the box and volleys into the bottom corner 1-1 (64) #AFCU21
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal 37s37 seconds ago
We are into the final 15 minutes of this clash. If it stays level, the game will go to extra time and then penalties… 1-1 (77) #AFCU21
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal 52s53 seconds ago
GOAL FOR @ARSENAL! Willock is the scorer again! 2-1 Willock cuts inside from the left flank, before firing an unstoppable drive into the far corner. Get in! 2-1 (80) #AFCU21
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Arsenal FC @Arsenal 24s25 seconds ago
FULL-TIME: @Arsenal Under-21s 2-1 Blackburn Rovers Under-21s #AFCU21
will now play aston villa in the promotion play off final
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congrats to young lads anda great return from Santi
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happy 4 Santi and Rosicky… they have ben missed!
pls is a goal not counted as a shot on target? saw this on the BBC live text
Bayern Munich 1-1 Atletico Madrid (Agg: 1-2)
Posted at
63 mins
Atletico Madrid have still not had a touch of the ball in the Bayern area and they have only had one shot on target all night.
But they are 25 minutes away from the Champions League final. Unless Bayern can score twice more.
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doubly happy that Bayern are out… now for man city to qualify and lose to athleti yet how i wish Pellegrini would win it for his personal achievement except it earns per a champions league spot!
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http://www.arsenal.com/match/report/1516/post/under-21/u-21s-arsenal-2-1-blackburn-report
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would rather have seen Bayern make the final than Atletico any day, can’t stand their negative cheating time wasting, diving, cunty football. Don’t get me wrong, Bayern have their fair share of cheats and cunts too, but at least they try to play attacking football.
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Team Spirit: “doubly happy that Bayern are out… now for man city to qualify and lose to athleti yet how i wish Pellegrini would win it for his personal achievement except it earns per a champions league spot!”
Stand up if you wanted Pep to beat City in the final.
Was it me or did Simeone slap the shit out of the fifth ref around the eighty eighth minute?
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Addy @Addyylaide 3h3 hours ago
“Then the whole stadium started chanting ‘One Arsene Wenger’ ”
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i didnt watch
just not happy with pep and man city for the disrespect to pelegrini…. certainly was not happy bayern are out for the love of athletico LOL
WHATS THE NEED TO TELL US IN JANAUARY that he was moving to man city? arrogance!
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Team spirit – there was no need and no gain to be had. If anything, the price paid was a full-on tilt at the Championship. Which means the new guy has to win it twice (at least) in order to justify the shenanigans, in my view.
Of course, no-one can expect him to do it in his first full year; takes some kind of genius for that sort of thing.
#1AW
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FK² @fkhanage 52m52 minutes ago
Apparently, N’Golo Kanté has a €25m release clause. Wondering how much those who bashed our bid for Suarez would bid; €35m? €45m?
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I wonder how come no one is saying Bayern need a world class centre forward after last night’s performance.
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@ Chkmiaot
seeing as we are 3rd, all the teams after us, in fact need a world class forward and who knows.. although Kane is top scorer, if we end up 2nd you would expect that they also need one too.
but alas, that phrase along with the right to win the EPL SINCE ALL OTHER BIG TEMAS FUMBLED is reserved only for Arsenal…. SMH!
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Elneny has won the Arsenal player of the month award for the second month in a row.
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http://goonersphere.com/youwrite/6501-wenger-should-never-leave
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Lucas Navarrete @LucasNavarreteM 7h7 hours ago
Atletico Madrid spent €122m last summer, €27m more than Real. Don’t let public perception of them being a poor, humble club fool you.
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http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/highlyrated-youngster-jon-toral-hoping-for-arsenal-opportunity-in-preseason-after-impressive-a3240171.html
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Kompany due to lack of quality cover has been overplayed. When the option is Mangahahaha or no promising aporentice like a Chambo type in the squad why would they insist on playing a slowing veteran Sagna at RB though he’s probably better suited to CB at this time of his career? Certainly from what we’ve seen Sagna is the second best CB in that squad.
Kompany after being asked to return too early on almost every occasion from his sequence of injuries looks like he’s entered the same territory that Tommy V found himself after his second serious knack/surgery. The kind of people who wouldn’t understand that are the sort that would ignore Welbeck’s own words after the last match on his fitness so that they can heckle the Arsenal manager on their podcasts…shame they can’t keep their eyes on the sport (the football). That’s why they were surprised by the selection and we here expected it and predicted it (because football is…wait for it…it is a sport? Where people run around a bit?).
One reason Pellegrini rotated so heavily last weekend was because he was planning to play his key players in two games this week not three, which is perfectly reasonable and understandable behaviour at this stage of the season in the modern game: some of our friends here forgot to consider the upcoming Arsenal fixture when trying to understand MP’s selections! And Kompany will be out for the Arsenal game for starters.
It was a victorious Super Cup debut against a slightly undercooked City where we first saw Chambers jaw dropping potential. What they’d give to have him on their books (HG) right now.
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Celtic have confirmed they will convert a section of Parkhead to safe standing for next season
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Liam Brady – Man city and Chelsea are everything that is wrong with the modern game. No ethos, just throw money at it, don’t bring through young players, despite spending fortunes on their academies, all about big fees and big names, change managers and start again.
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having seen all four games of the CL semi finals this season, I must say there was such a marked difference in the noise levels and atmosphere between the game at Man City and all of the other three games. The amount of noise and support from the home fans in spain and germany put the English fans to shame. Very similar to how teams from up north put the likes of Arsenal home fans to shame.
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Eduardo: social anthropologists would have a field day with all that lies behind noisy and passionate support, although the socio-economically aware might simply point to the price of beer.
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FK² @fkhanage 2h2 hours ago
There will be a safe-standing area at Celtic Park from next season for 2,600 of their fans. Hope to see this in the Premier League soon.
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Hopefully it will be the first step to returning the choice to fans of whether to sit or stand.
I’d be interested to know if it will be any cheaper to stand than sit at Parkhead.
No doubt if Arsenal announced an experiment in introducing standing areas at the Ems tomorrow within 15 minutes there would be protests from the Scarfists that it was the “wrong type” of standing room.
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Well of course it would be the wrong type as it wouldn’t be Highbury circa the 1970s and 80s.
And the wrong type of fan would be there too.
And the team would be playing the wrong sort of football.
And as for the manager…..
The beer doesn’t taste as it used to, and the music’s rubbish (Although in fairness you have to hand it to The Clash).
And the fights just aren’t the same
And why do the pretty girls no longer look at me as they used to?
I want my Arsenal back.
Or is it just my youth?
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I find it interesting the contrast to the attitudes of ex Arsenal pundits, and ex liverool pundits, when talking about their old clubs. By and large ex liverpool pundits will defend LFC to the hilt, no matter how flawed their argument is, while so many ex Arsenal seem only too keen to put the knife in.
today ex liverpool pundit Ronnie Whelan was on Irish radio and he said that Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs, West Ham and Everton should all be ashamed of themselves for letting LCFC win the league, but that Liverpool were exempt cos they do not have a good team/squad, and also that LFC will win the Europa League so they will have a good season. It is amazing that he has the bare face cheek to come out with such bull, but putting Everton in there really takes the biscuit.
Now I don’t want ex Arsenal pundits to take their defense of AFC to the stupid heights that Whelan done today for LFC, but I really would like if they as a whole took a step closer to the ex liverpool pundits stance in defending their club. I can only assume that LFC must leave a much greater impact on their old players, than AFC does with our.
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Ronnie Whelan is jumping the gun a bit, Liverpool are facing a handy team in the final.
Think it is a rule of punditry, don’t be positive about Arsenal. And the likes of Liverpool, and for that matter, Spurs are far better represented in the media than Arsenal…..in fact, even Aston Villa……and possibly, Fred and Rose West may well get more positive media than our boys.
But no excuse for certain ex players to prostitute themselves in the way they do…..even if they do happen to support Chelsea, even if Wenger did happen to end their Arsenal careers, or refuse to pay nearly twenty million for one of their sons….who wasn’t actually that good….
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Positivistas: I am happy to report that George and I finally made contact with each other. Spent over one hour on the phone nattering away like we have known each other for eons. Much respect to the boss and to this little community of bloggers.
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http://arseblog.com/2016/05/bonfire-of-the-sanities/
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It was 1 hour and 52 minutes of pure pleasure Shotta my friend.
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George – I thought it was 2 hours but I didn’t want the world world to know we chatted shit for that long. And you had to tell me it was getting late. At least 10 years of memories.
What a journey!
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SG: No you put the phone down.
PG: No you.
SG: Okay at the same time.
PG: 1. 2. 3….. you didn’t put the phone down
SG: Neither did you.
Lovely stuff chaps.
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Eduardo: really good point about ex-pundits. I think that Merson is a big old bag of dicks. Also there’s got to be something about getting on-board with the Arsenal hate. You never see Carragher under pressure to rip into Liverpool when there were actual articles published that Henry wasn’t being even in his post Arsenal comments. Next thing you know there’s a shit storm with him laying into poor Oli G. And we all know that he’s a pretty sensitive guy.
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I didn’t recognise you there for a while Els.
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WATCH UNDER-21S LIVE ON ARSENAL.COM
Watch Arsenal take Aston Villa in the Under-21 Premier League Division Two play-off final, LIVE on Arsenal.com this Tuesday, May 10.
Steve Gatting’s have been in fine form this season, with Chris Willock scoring twice as the under-21s beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in last Monday’s semi-final at Emirates Stadium.
A win against the Villains would secure promotion from Division Two, joining sides such as Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United in the top tier.
Our live video stream of the game is free to view for all Arsenal Members. Click here to register for FREE Digital Membership.
The show starts at 6.40pm (UK time) with Nigel Mitchell and David Hillier presenting from pitchside at the Emirates. Russell Hargreaves and Max Jones are on commentary from 7pm.
Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160506/watch-under-21s-live-on-arsenal.com#8uJJUuKmyW1zAoIK.99
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there are reports in France that Arsenal are to sign 22 year old forward Anthony Koura from Ligue 2 club Nimes, on a Bosman, and then loan him to Reading for a season.
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