I can only apologize to those calling in to taste Stew’s normal breakfast feast. He has been tied up with real life stuff and you are stuck with me.
It’s a tea-time game in the land of the Orcs. A fixture that we normally come away from battered, bruised and short of points. They really don’t like us up there, ever since Aaron Ramsey made Shawcross cry and his Mum had to pick him up from the ground, so upset was he with Ramsey who broke his own leg and blamed poor little Ryan.
I have no doubt that the usual roughhouse tactics will be rolled out by their very unlikeable manager, Mark Hughes.
We will have to be physically and mentally strong because you know if we go in with similar tactics we will soon find ourselves a man or two short.
This being our 3rd game in quick succession and a 4th coming on Tuesday I have no idea what team Arsene will put out. But regardless of the personnel, we have no option but try to win. A win will put pressure on Liverpool and it really is the last chance saloon.
I’m sure it will be 3 at the back, but which 3? No idea.
So all in all I’m not much help really. I just hope the game is fair and free from controversy.If we can’t win, let it be because we didn’t play well enough.
I have to say, despite everything, I’m quietly confident.
Enjoy the game and keep the faith.
Positively Arsenal 
As it was Dean I thought it was not a bad performance AoB – even handed in his approach. Bit unlucky for Shaquiri to get a kicking but I was delighted to see Aurnautovic’s face contorted in agony. Pity it was not a break or a shoulder dislocation but justice’s scale is not always perfectly weighted.
LikeLiked by 3 people
reports in Germany tonight that Sead Kolašinac, has signed a five-year deal with Arsenal. A Bosman free transfer.
LikeLike
‘We were intelligent and stuck together’
Arsène Wenger discusses the victory against Stoke City and how our top-four hopes look after the result
Four goals, three points and one big monkey off our backs. It was a very satisfactory day’s work at Stoke City on Saturday.
Arsène Wenger was delighted with the character his side showed as they sealed their third successive victory – and just their second in nine Premier League matches at the Potteries.
The Arsenal manager faced the media after the game, and this is what he said:
on the win…
I’m pleased with the result of course, but I think we were a team who were dominant, had a good structure in the game, who were patient, intelligent and stuck together in a moment where Stoke tried to make it rough for us. There was a patch in the second half where we had to stick together on a few corners.
on whether it was unfairly rough…
I don’t say that. I think in the first half we were dominant throughout the game but in the second half they made it a bit more physical. We had to find some resources and keep our nerves to continue with the desire to play. We did that well.
on how the top-four hopes look now…
I don’t know. We have 69 points, so let’s focus on making that 72 on Tuesday night. After that we’ll see. I feel that the team looks strong and solid at the moment. Let’s just focus on the quality of our team and continue to develop what we do.
on whether he’s a West Ham fan over next 24 hours…
Yes. One of the qualities of the Premier League, which you have seen again today, is that historically there is a pride in every team to give their best until the end of the season. I’ve seen West Ham do that against Tottenham, and Stoke did that against us here. We expect the teams to play with full power and if the other teams are better, then they are better.
on reports suggesting he has agreed a one-year deal…
There is no information about that. Nothing.
on the planes…
When you say ‘the fans’, who do you mean by that?
on whether his team are answering his critics…
I’m paid to do my job for a club I love. I will do that will full commitment for as long as I’m here. I’m not influenced by that at all. All I can do is do my best. We have 69 points today, so let’s make it 72 on Tuesday. After that, I will give my best for the values of the club and the club as long as I am here.
on whether flying a plane over grounds reflects the values of the club…
I want to focus on football. All the rest is less important for me. I’m not in politics, I’m in sport. I love sport, I give 24 hours a day for what I love. I’m also in a public job where some people agree with me and some people don’t. I have no special opinion on that.
Copyright 2017 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/20170513/-we-were-intelligent-and-stuck-together-#oEelbMlOlL60VrH7.99
LikeLiked by 1 person
Arsène Wenger discussed the Chile international after the game, and also his view of Crouch’s controversial goal.
on whether he was planning on taking Alexis off before his goal…
I didn’t plan to take him off, he asked to come off. First, I thought he had done a stomach muscle, so I thought that it would maybe go away again. I left him on for a little bit to see how he responded. After that, he stayed on and scored another goal. That’s Alexis, he’s a fighter who always finds resources. He delivered the third goal which made the difference.
on Alexis and Ozil adapting to the new formation well…
They enjoy it. At the moment we are efficient in doing that, so overall it works.
on Alexis’ injury…
It’s a kick on the thigh.
on whether he counts Peter Crouch’s goal…
What do you think?
on whether he had a good view of it…
No, but I was suspicious about the noise of the ball. I went to the fourth official because it had been confirmed. I was surprised that he got to the ball when I saw his position. People told me it was handball.
Copyright 2017 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/20170513/-alexis-always-finds-more-resources-#6UcErXftRzWVimbk.99
LikeLike
LikeLiked by 2 people
Torino president on Joe Hart: “We probably didn’t expect so many mistakes from an England international… but he did some good things, too.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
“He’s clever, Crouchy. That’s his experience”
remember earlier in the season the uproar at an alexis goal being allowed when the ball was kicked off his hand from a foot away and went in.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Raphael Wiesweg @RaphaelWiesweg 1h1 hour ago
Der Abgang von @seadk6 ist fix. Sead #Kolasinac hat bei @Arsenal einen 5-Jahres-Vertrag unterschrieben. #S04 #Schalke
Translated from German by Bing
The departure of @seadk6 is fixed. Sead #Kolasinac has signed a 5-year contract with @Arsenal. #S04 #Schalke
24 replies 248 retweets 110 likes
LikeLike
Akhìl Mòhàn @AkhilAFC
Commentators cried for video replay and pleaded fourth official to overturn Holding Yellow to Red.
Hand of Crouch is no offence, Crouch two footed challenge on Xhaka no offence. But Yeah! Holding foul is serious offence and straight Red.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pretty good day. Excellent performance at a place where we struggle, and I think we can welcome Kolasinac at this stage?
Over to you …West Ham
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sam WallaceVerified account @SamWallaceTel 5h5 hours ago
Q: Did you see fans’ plane banner?
Wenger: ‘When you say fans, who do you mean by that?’
Q: Those with pilot licenses?
W: ‘The rich ones!’
LikeLiked by 2 people
on the planes…
When you say ‘the fans’, who do you mean by that?
That..sums it all up (to borrow a phrase, because I can’t make a point as wonderfully as Arsene)
LikeLiked by 3 people
Who was it that said Coquelin can’t pass? He had some really good passes yesterday. Xhaka, as usual, was excellent. Without Santi, I think we struggle when we are pressed, but with opponents sitting deep that is not a problem.
Alexis, Ozil and Giroud all looked good and I thought connected well with each other. Monreal was brilliant, and he’s usually consistently good. I like him, and his attitude. With him and Bellerin providing the width, Giroud as a presence in the middle, and Ozil and Alexis supplying the passes, we looked dangerous. Wengerball. I especially loved how Arsene Wenger jumped up and down excitedly when Ozil scored.
On the negative side. Mike Dean. Not calling that foul on Bellerin led to a bizarre sequence where it seemed that the rules had been abandoned and no holds were barred, and it culminated in an illegal goal. It also gave Stoke hope and license for further roughhouse tactics, until Alexis, injury and all, took the wind out of their sails. But Crouch still had time to go two footed over the ball into Xhaka, and receive only a yellow for it. Top refereeing that. (By the way, I think Xhaka intimidates the opposition)
But we held firm, stayed focused, and Holding even had the cheek to pay Stoke back in kind, which they, bullies that they are, didn’t like at all. I loved it. (Yes, me applauding foul play. Such is life)
Now can West Ham please win today. I feel like it may not happen, simply because good things very rarely happen to us. But maybe this time it’ll be Liverpool who have some bad sauerkraut or something.
LikeLiked by 3 people
New post up
LikeLike