I don’t know about you but Christmas has always been a time out of time for me. Even the days of the week cease to follow their usual pattern. We abstain from the conventions of Monday to Sunday, preferring instead Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. These will bleed seamlessly into The Day After Boxing Day followed in this instance by Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and New Year’s Eve.
It’s the only time of year that does this and I love it. A little holiday from humdrum reality and other than when we change the clocks is probably the only chance we have to allow ourselves to toy so fancifully with such rigidly imposed temporal norms.
Apart from not actually knowing that yesterday was a Sunday (until I resorted to inspecting a calendar) other significant facts my mind glossed over in its Yuletide reverie were that I had a blog to write and Arsenal had a match to play.
I don’t think anyone here will mind therefore that I have nothing prepared for you today. I’m sure you all had far more important things to do than give even a fleeting momentary thought to such distractions as football yourselves. Don’t panic, there was no danger of me actually forgetting the match entirely. You may recall a few weeks back when we played Tottenham that my nephew came and watched the match with me, he having, at the age of nine, decided that the mighty Arsenal was the team for him.
Well we’ve already been given notice that he’s coming again today, resplendent in his most prized Christmas gift of the year, his Arsenal first team kit. He has been an ever present with me, for day time kick offs at least, and it’s been a fascinating change to my routine.
Apart from when Kelly and Mike visited us earlier in the year I haven’t watched a match with anyone else in the room since the League Cup final against Birmingham, preferring to sit alone in a state of tense, twitching anxiety for the duration of the game. However seeing the whole thing through the eyes of a child has been a tonic for me.
If I allowed my perception of football to be dominated by the pathetic online squabbling and faux expertise of the so called adult population I seriously think I would give up on the sport altogether. The warm, funny, insightful community I joined all those years ago has disintegrated and is now almost entirely monopolised by point scoring demi trolls on either side of the debate who have lost any obvious love of the simple thrill of following their favourite team.
The young man who will sidle in next to me at three o’clock today knows none of this. He also struggles with the offside rule, why everyone doesn’t get booked for kicking the ball over the sideline as Francis Coquelin did, and why, if he can see a bad decision on the screen, can’t the people in charge of the game see it also. He cheers and whoops with delight when we score, and purses his lips and just stares at me for guidance when we concede.
It is fair to say I’ve learned a hell of a lot more from him in the last six weeks than I have from Twitter in the last several years.
Unfortunately for me he missed the City game and came round the next day to watch the replay with me forcing me to do that which I never do – watch a defeat all over again. Once more it was a salutary lesson. I survived the ordeal, no one died as a result of it and surprise surprise neither our tactics nor the individual performances of our players were remotely as bad as the internet had led me to believe. I put the highlights of our six nil thrashing of Ludogorets on when the game finished and the boy went home happy.
So as you lot all wind each other up with talk of ‘must win’ games and dark tales of Pulis and his sinister past my nephew and I will balance our lucky soccer cards on the keyboard of my computer and compare his new Arsenal shirt with my old style one. We’ll yell encouragement at the deaf, uncomprehending screen as our boys go forward and sigh and shake our heads at any setback. And I’ll bet I enjoy the whole experience a thousand times more for taking it so much less seriously than any of the games I used to watch with only the internet for company.
I predict a thumping win today with goals galore and end to end action all cheered on with gusto by those lucky enough to get their hands on a ticket. If not I predict a kick about in the back garden under the lights and something fizzy to drink. Smashing.
Positively Arsenal 
It’s a sense of relief. Listening to the game on Arsenal Player is cruel. Anyway, it’s what we deserved.
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I missed it, apart from checking score a few times. Much less stressful- though maybe the flood of victory joy is behind all the good feeling right now.
When checking scores I did notice foul count was 9-3 etc, against us. So hard to believe that reflects reality of the game. Sure, West Brom, Tony Pulis’s West Brom, were camped in their half playing clean as a whistle football, while we were trying to break them down and fouling far more frequently. Sure.
Anyway, for today, who cares. Much needed win, good defeated evil. Fuck yeah.
Also, maybe give Punch Drunk Love a chance if you haven’t already. Watched it this afternoon while first half was on, and bloody loved it. Only watch if you’re in the right mood though, whatever the hell that is (full concentration, not stressed). Magic
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As George just said on twitter we could have won by 3 or 4 clear goals based on the performance. Our dominance just not reflected in the scoreline.
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The narrative by the mainstream media takes another beating:
Positively Arsenal @Blackburngeorge 3m3 minutes ago
Every pundit in the world is gutted that WBA couldn’t stop us playing for the full 90.
Some of our fans to I suspect?
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Dezil Dez @DezilDezz 28m28 minutes ago
Imagine criticizing that performance. We had 76% possession, 26 shots, 11 on target, only conceded 3 shots and just 1 on target. Dominant.
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They(The pundits) are so desperate for Mr Wenger to go , then they will all line up to pay him glowing insincere platitudes.
COYG
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my favorite line from the idiotic malcontents today is that “today proves Wenger is out dated”
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WhenWeWereBoring: If I was the PL I would be shitting myself if Wenger goes. He is one of the few idealists left in the game with the cojones to set up his team to play attractive football no matter what. These teams with 10 behind the ball hoping to never lose the game and maybe nick a goal to win are killing football. How long will fans put up with anti-football football as played by Pulis and WBA today?
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Doug Nichols @TheTXI 1h1 hour ago
“FFS Giroud™” – ArsenalFanTV now having to rewrite the whole show
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well shotta I think it was posted earlier by AA, the question as to why viewing figures are falling for sky and bt, and for me it is down to the amount of clubs who are playing a sterile game, going with tactics of two banks of 5, and hoping to nick a goal. Its the cowards way, for all the money that BPL clubs now have, the lack of ability to build and play attacking football is amazing. Of course the success the likes of Jose attained with those same tactics is partly to blame, but Pulis, big Sam, Moyes, etc etc, were here before jose, and negative football is their stock.
The problem is, refs play their part in it, today it took over 80 minutes for the ref to take action on WBA time wasting, and it was on full display from minute one. Other side partake in rotational fouling, again this goes unpunished. Leaving the foot in, also allowed. English football in general, and the England national team, are being done a disservice by the complicity of the PGMOL crew. Till skilled expansive football, and in turn the skilled players, are fully protected and encouraged by the Refs, then we will continue to see Pulis, big Sam, Moyes, and a new breed of similar, such as that guy at Burnley, destroy the game and bore us to death. And we will see England fail at International level, cos of the league does all it can to kick the talent out of the players with the refs turning a blind eye to gold old northern get in their faces football, you know, real mens football. Who wants goals and excitement when you can watch the life being kicked out of a talented player instead, and listen to pundits, commentators and journos, pass it off as the skilled player being soft, or lazy, or even stealing a living.
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Ed Aarons
@ed_aarons
Wenger says Theo Walcott has a ‘small calf problem’ but should be fit for next match
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Thought the Xhaka – Ramsey midfield two, looked promising, Rambo offers us so much more against the parked bus teams than Coquelin ever can.
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our next manager has to have a surname starting with N, only then will the WOB really get the credit they deserve, when they turn on him.
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A lovely touch from the big lump to the arcing cross-pass to beat the ever excellent Foster who earned the ridicule (literally whilst working for Pulis) thrown his way for the cheating predictably indulged by the pgMOB cheat.
how many of these special clipped and lofted assists, sometimes as crosses, have we now seen from Ozil and Sanchez, their trademark?
Arsenal out-Pulis Tony Pulis, it’s obvious the allegedly sterile and stubborn Venga has no plan B. If I close my eyes and ignore the football…
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Steww,
My nephew found the experience of watching the arcing high passes, or just a goal kick, to be very entertaining. But of course the goal was the highlight! Can’t beat a late winner. Add some floodlights, it’s always a magical experience.
Especially when it results in the monkey Pulis going ape-shit at the fourth official for only four added minutes, when his team were time wasting from throw ins from the beginning of the match! That was my personal highlight, and well worth the one goal margin though as George observed it could’ve been more. Still chuckling.
And many also enjoyed the moment as the whole stadium purred following that simple yet lovely bit of skill from Ozil in the first half to win a corner. These are the moments that almost all football fans love.
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Laurent Koscielny’s game by numbers vs. West Brom:
100% tackles won
90% pass accuracy
5 interceptions
5 clearances
Add Salmon Rondon to his bulging pocket.
Majestic!
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finsbury “Especially when it results in the monkey Pulis going ape-shit at the fourth official for only four added minutes, when his team were time wasting from throw ins from the beginning of the match! That was my personal highlight, and well worth the one goal margin though as George observed it could’ve been more. Still chuckling”
hoisted on his own petard, lovely stuff
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WENGER AND GIROUD’S HONEST RELATIONSHIP
Olivier Giroud has scored seven goals in his last five starts in all competitions.
That’s decent by anyone’s standards, and yet the France striker faces a big battle to keep his place in the team.
Giroud was the main topic of conversation at Arsène Wenger’s post-match press conference and here’s what the boss said:
on a good game for Olivier to be involved in…
He makes always a point when he comes on because he’s scored many times when he’s come on. He has qualities in our squad that are needed and that the other players have not. And he is a fighter as well, Olivier. He has a fantastic mentality.
on Giroud and how frustrating this season may have been for him…
It has been very frustrating for him because he didn’t always play and when he played well I didn’t always play him in the next game. But I think we have an honest relationship. I have a big respect for him and he knows that. He was not always playing and despite that, he kept a strong motivation level. Our job, when you’re a football player, you have to be always ready. That’s part of the job. When you’re selected, it’s fantastic. When you’re not selected, you have to be ready. And the players who are always ready when they get their chance, they are there. And the players who feel sorry for themselves, they get their chance and they give you one more reason to justify why you didn’t select them. The fighters are always ready.
on what Giroud needs to do to keep his place…
We are not in an administration here. We are in a competition. You do not have ‘your place’, like a seat that you buy with a season ticket. We are competing and I think if I have only one striker, everybody says ‘What are you doing, you have only one striker?!’ So you need two or three strikers and we have Welbeck coming back so most of the time I will have to make the decision considering the opponent we play. Like today, I knew it would be deep and that in the air could be a solution. So I have to make the right decisions.
‘IT’S A BIG FINISH, AN AMAZING FEELING’
Olivier Giroud held off Gareth McAuley, directed his header past Ben Foster… and we had a happy ending on Boxing Day.
The France striker spoke shortly after his vital intervention against West Bromwich Albion. This is what he said:
on how good it was to get the winner…
It has been a big relief. We pushed and pushed towards the end, and we kept believing in our game. It’s a big finish, an amazing feeling. It’s nice for us because we always try to find a good solution and we’ve been a bit unlucky recently. Thank God we succeeded.
on how he beat Ben Foster…
Foster played very well today. He made a good save from my first effort and I was a bit lucky because I was able to put it above him. I thought it was a very good cross from Mesut and I just tried to finish off the job. I would like to say that we were very strong as a team, with a good, strong mentality and it was very important to win. We have shown a big mental strength once again.
on whether there were question marks after back-to-back defeats…
At home you have to win, even more after two disappointing results. It was a very important game for us and we really wanted, we really needed, the three points. It’s job done today but it was very hard. We were playing against six at the back, three in midfield and then one up top, but we never gave up. It was a great feeling to score and a big relief too.
Copyright 2016 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/news-archive/20161226/wenger-and-giroud-s-honest-relationship#dOwR1aBFe5j2sfXO.99
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the downside to today’s victory was the injury to Gibbs, he took a whack on his knee, and will be assessed in the coming days. Hopefully it is nothing serious.
Walcott missed the game with a calf problem, which wenger described as “a very small” problem.
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#LeagueChampions2017@JC_1886
Massive fan of the guy shouting ‘DT YOU’RE A CUNT’ at AFTV just now.
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Granit Xhaka today
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OptaJoe @OptaJoe 1h1 hour ago
300 – Arsenal today became the second club to reach 300 home wins in the @premierleague (after Manchester United). Landmark.
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afcstuff @afcstuff 2h2 hours ago
Mesut Özil vs. West Brom:
123 passes
88% pass accuracy
7 chances created
1 assist
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Is it little bit odd posting links to your own tweets ?
I don’t know
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Boy, am very glad we ground out that win. Giroud header, while being fouled from an on the money pass from Ozil was perfection.
Smart subs from the boss.
There should have been a penalty call for the holding down of Oliver, but the ref had some odd opinions about the laws of the game today, we got 3 yellows to WBA’s one despite having 80% possession and creating 26 chances.? Odd that, very odd.
Oh, and Tony Pulis is still a cunt.
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yeah steww, the foul called against Giroud right at start of the second half, when the wba player barged into him to stop Giroud’s run to the wba player with the ball, was as bizzare as it comes, if anything it could well have been a red for the wba player, deliberate foul, with no attempt to play the ball(well how could he, Giroud did not have it), now where was that rule book moss used against xhaka.
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seemingly Tony Pulis said after the game that Arsenal a better team than Chelsea and will come back on them in the title race.
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If we get 40 points after the 19th game, I’ll be very happy.
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http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/GOAL_INTERNATIONAL/18/a2/100-pl-appearances-assists_13f9qzvqgtya9147hyc0bl3puc.png?t=1015081665
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it seems Gabriel and Lucas had a little bit of a barney right at the end of the game, Gabriel not happy with Lucas for not tracking back. Reports suggest they continued to argue in the tunnel. Wenger said of the argument, “they are great friends, and all is forgotten now”
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next game in 6 days, then 3 games in 6 days. fixture madness
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some funny comments on today’s game
papering over the cracks
a better team would have beaten us
wenger out dated
coquelin is pointless
ramsey is shite
team always better without walcott
awful performance
and the one I liked the most – Xhaka should shoot more often.
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serious question, what is the record of teams managed by Tony Pulis, in games at Highbury/Emirates. Has he ever won a game away to Wenger’s team.
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Ben Foster: “It is disappointing to lose any game, but to keep Arsenal at bay for so long and then lose with a few mins left is horrible.”
only thing that would have made that comment even better would have been a whinge about their only being 4 minutes added time,
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razmo@razmo123
@Stillberto I find it strange with so many ‘celebrity’ refs, that one of them hasnt seen an opportunity for two yellows for time wasting GK
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loved how Trevor Sinclair stuck to the pre-game script right to the end of final score today, – the ozil is off form script that is – he dismissed Ozil’s fine assist as “it wasn’t a great cross, he just lumped it in, a bit hit and hope really”
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Arsenal v west brom is the 5th game on MOTD tonight.
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JB™ @gunnerpunner 34m34 minutes ago
When we lose it’s because we only know how to play one way, yet when we win ugly suddenly the way we play matters
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West Brom completed 166 passes in the 90+6 minutes played today – that is less than 2 per minute, I suppose taking a couple of minutes on every goal kick, or free kick, cut down the time they had to up that stat.
Arsenal completed 728
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Ozil 97+3 BPL games, 20 goals and 33 assists
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the next 3 rounds of the BPL sees
liverpool v man city
spurs v chelsea
man utd v liverpool
so if Arsenal can win all 3 of our games, we will be certain to have gained points on some, if not all, of our rivals.
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Mkhitaryan scored what is likely to be goal of the season today, but the main thing it highlighted is the inept standard of match officials, he was a good three or four feet offside. but as we know its one rule for everyone else, and a different one when it comes to Arsenal.
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I read this article before going off to do the days tasks. I’ve now watched the game ‘as live’.
I want to say Thanks to Steww for a typically wonderful article, but also early comments from AA (put a 10th “Like” on that one please), and Edu, who is among the few who actually see what a ref does in most games. Giroud is constantly fouled with no punishment for the offenders, (but I mustn’t say that, innit?). How about Rondon-condom doing all he can to crock our Kos?
Rest assured, this wasn’t the result “them” wanted. Today’s ref tried desperately to be seen in a even better light by his employers. I think Mr Wenger’s ref “outburst” post Everton made no difference to neither narrative nor tilting.
I’d like to sit down and watch match replays with anyone who declares ‘refs have nowt to do with Arsenal’s performances’. I’d rewind every incident and show you how it affects the game.
Never mind Emotions or Data – Have you not seen the Patterns?
Ah, never mind. At least I spared you the run down of what really happened at Everton and Man C.
Well done Steww, PA, and of course, Arsenal. (Always playing against the handicap).
COYG
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according to pulis that is giroud fouling mccauley
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The Block4 massive @MikesignsMike 8m8 minutes ago
@Blackburngeorge it’s Arsenals fault not being forward thinking &getting an oilrich investor or oligarch. the ‘forward’ has stood still
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what a pity the Arsenal game is on so late on MOTD, as it might be tomorrow before AFTV find out Arsenal actually won
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Major security alert at the Emirates Stadium tonight, alarms sounding, flashing lights, major panic, suspected intruder, turns out it was a false alarm, it was only Ben Foster taking a goal kick.
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just after watching the match highlights on arsenal player and one thing i noticed that I had missed live, was the amount of empty seats by the time Giroud scored the 86yh minute winner, and how many more empty seats there was before the 90th minute mark. For me those people do not deserve a ticket, they are a bloody disgrace.
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we are one game away from the half way stage of the league, and our captain, Mertesacker, has not played at all, nor has Wellbeck, last season’s top scorer, Giroud, has started 1 game, our top performer at the Euros, Ramsey, has started 2 games, one of our big money signings, Lucas, has started 1 game, and lets not forget that Cazorla has started only 7 games.
You know what, for me that shows the strength of our squad this season, and with virtually everyone bar Cazorla, now in full training, or very close to it, we might very well improve in the second half of the season.
I await to see what the state of Gibbs injury is, hopefully it will be very minor and he will be ok for our next game. Ox and Theo are expected back next week, and Mustafi early January. Per and Danny are back in full training, as is Chuba, but all 3 will need some reserve games to get up to speed, it might be very wishful thinking that any of them might make the squad for the PNE game in the FAC. Talking of which, their striker Jermaine Beckford got sent off for violent conduct today, a couple of minutes into his comeback, after serving a 3 game ban for violent conduct. Think that means he is ruled out of the cup game.
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