Good morning my positive friends.
Now, where to start? Perhaps we should start by crying about how good a team the UAE F.C. have bought themselves up in Manchester? Or maybe wallow in pity about Spurs managing to beat a Real Madrid team that find themselves in the middle of a doldrums rarely ever seen? No? Oh ok then. Lets do what most of our fan-base seen unable to do, and focus on the team we support, THE mighty ARSENAL !
I think we are going for our 14 consecutive home win? So I can well understand why the natives are restless. I mean the best they can hope for these days is a quick “boo” at halftime, or perhaps the odd misplaced pass to jeer at?
I suspect we will see a team very similar to the one that started the away leg. More match practice for our senior players returning to fitness or simply waiting their chance to get into our PL team and experience for our hugely talented youngsters.
I am especially excited to see Jack again, the boss says he has been at full fitness for some three weeks now and he will be keen to show he is ready for the PL team and exactly what England will be missing if they don’t see sense. Jack Wilshere my not be Arsenal’s best midfielder, but he is certainly England’s best.
Now then, as some of you will know I’ve somehow managed to get my @Blackburngeorge account suspended (you can now get me on @Arseblagger) so it will be up to the rest of you to promote the site on twitter for me,and I thank you in anticipation.
Enjoy your day and especially the match.
Positively Arsenal 
Morning George,
No reason to change the winning formula that has carried us to maximum points so far in the Europa. Oli will be straining at his leash this morning to get at the Serbs.
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I hope its difficult enough a game that it brings out the best in most of our young guns> Eddie already flashed his wares. I’m looking forward to Nelson, AMN, and hopefully Chuba expressing more of themselves in this game.
Jack should be up for it after all the love AW’s blown in his direction leading up to this game.
No more injuries please.
Best of luck to our boys.
COYG!!!
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For all the gnashing of teeth at certain times during these Europa games, the last stretch before the final whistle are played with more often with relatively ease than not.
Besides Jack, Debuchy, Ollie amongst others, I’m excited to see see young Eddie again. Need to keep the spotlight on him.
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Can’t keep the Meerkat down. I love when he kicks the WOBs in the nuts. Yes, indeed. Follow the @arseblagger
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I would love to know why they suspended your account PG. If it was due to pressure from a whole host of WoBs then that would be very worrying.
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Think likely it’ll be exact same side as in Caraboa last week. Lot of it picks itself -Debuchy, Holding, Elneny, Jack, Theo, Coq, Iwobi, Giroud- all pretty much guaranteed their starts; Maitland-Niles and Nelson only marginally less so.
A fit Chambers would change the equation but, a little worryingly, don’t think he trained, so perhaps another setback for him.
We’ve deserved our wins every game so far, which is impressive given how new a lot of the partnerships are and how new, literally, a few of the lads are to first team. Still, don’t think tonight is a gimme by any means. Opposition are good enough to hurt us if we’re a bit off or lucks with them.
Hopefully not. Guessing win would seal qualification. That’d do very nicely and let us approach last two from position of unusual comfort (play all the youngsters one game please, Arsene!).
Also, and I know many of you feel the fault is with anyone who can’t ignore media and own fan crap, but i could do without the shite that would fly about if it doesn’t go well tonight.
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COYG!
It’s true that a former chief whipper at the bbc came out as a Harry Kane FC fanboy some time ago. Perhaps they’d been sharing needles when making miraculous recoveries from hamstring strains?
I digress. We know who it that has been carrying the flag for English football even if the best English footballer has received the inverse opposite protection that has been provided to diving cloggers like Alli by the pgMOB.
Which is why this match is the perfect appetiser for the upcoming contest between Young Pep and his favourite Old Gaffer. The two greatest managers in Europe of you like watching the Football and not supporting Special Agencies. After accepting a few odd calls last winter whilst sarcastically dismantling the plundits and hacks Young Pep is now burning his billion dollar tribute towards the football the AW has been, slowly and successfully been infusing into the English game in spite of the PGMOBs best / welcoming efforts at protecting their Variable Ruggering Code also known as pgMOB Rules Football (ok?). AW doesn’t play the long ball game, he just plays the long game. With a little help from his bling disciples.
Not sure if AW has an Away victory against his biggest fanboy? it’ll be a tough ask in their current form. Some injuries for Arsenal, the brute from Bosnia hasn’t trained so won’t be his sharpest if starting. Ignoring what Keys and Grey say about off field matters, can Ramsey play his own tribute to that amazing CM display from Cazorla at City?
How will AFC approach and start the match? Similar to the away match at Chelsea and the FA cup final or similar to the match against Swansea (will any of the arseblaggers ever be capable of mentioning what these are without any carrots thrown their way? I think we know the answer. Unfortunately.).
First things first.
“Eddie, Eddie, Eddie…
…His blood ain’t spinning it’s steady…”
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Good un George,
Should be a good game tonight and good chance to see the youngsters again.
I’m also looking forward to see if Debuchy can maintain his impressive form.
I seem to remember ARSENAL beating that small Spanish team in a later round in the CL but I’m sure some people will forget that
COYG
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The arsenal beat them away. After locking them out of an Away goal during the first Home leg. Against a team that had Zidane, Carlos etc.
But AW don’t do deeeeefence. Innit. It’s not a part of his “values” eh?
*reaches for the vomit bucket*
Tbf I’m happy for my Tottenham supporting friends. It’s their biggest night since Paul Gasgoine and El Tel Venebles were still at the club.
I’m still recovering from that afternoon in May, when AFC dismantled the champions before they’d sold off half their title winning midfield, so, you know, it’d be poor form to deny them such small pleasures.
I’m guessing the “arsenal fans” who couldn’t and still can’t celebrate the biggest cup final victory for AFC since the 70’s are celebrating Tottenham’s three points in a group stage match with more joy then AFCs record breaking cup victory. Each to their own…
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I don’t have a problem with doffing my cap to the Totties although the media adulation is a bit nauseating. Hoddle is clearly nuts ( and perhaps always has been ) Clearly if I am mistaken and they are rubbish then flattening them ten days hence is merely a formality.
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ICYMI
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Let’s count how many English lads play tonight,
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7 starting
13 in the squad
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Is the game on the telly?
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Macey having a bit to do and he is doing it very well so far, some fine saves
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End to end to end first half – fun to watch
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HT: Arsenal 0-0 Red Star
Red Star been closer to scoring, Wilshere not making the impact that we hoped for, Coquelin and Willcok finding it tough too
Giroud lively
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we are getting closer
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Willock off, Nketiah on
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Come on lads I need a goal, or two….
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Jack’s meeeeeeejal ligament gets a tweak
I love Hartson
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Good run out for the boys – very impressed with Jack 2nd half – very encouraging that he is getting to where he should be on a football pitch
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Played well. Should have won. One area we have to improve is our crossing/lobbed balls into the box. Seriously terrible especially with a player like Giroud in there.
Great game by Macey. He is huge. Probably why Boyake missed those 2 sitters.
Could have had a couple of penalties on another day.
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Nelson was good too. Coq too. Great ball winning and driving forward by Willock. Needs to release the ball a little quicker though.
Thought we didn’t get Jack on the ball enough in the first half. He was too wide on the wing. Second half was great. Total domination.
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FT: 0-0
Much better second half from AFC, Wilshere much more involved, probably should have had a penalty.
Macey very good.
Debuchy also very good.
Coquelin and Willock lacked creativity, Giroud worked very hard, Theo not in the game enough, the tempo of our play was a little too slow.
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Evra getting a bit of stick tonight for kicking a Marseilles fan in the head – I wonder what caused that ?
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we really do have some stupid fucking idiot fans, imagine booing the team at the end of the game, after they have qualified for the last 32, and this a completely second string team, with several youths playing. fucking knobheads
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Answering my own question from the other week I think Red Star’s quality is currently below Norwich’s.
The fans of the former European Champions were not singing “we want our red star back” but we’re having quite a good time bybthe looks of it.
City had seven/eight possibly more first XI starters play in a high intensity game last night.
Some Red Star fans thought we’d changed only seven tonight and not eleven. Iwobi not even on the bench!
–
Enjoyed the combos between AMN and EN towards the end and you can see Nelson growing in confidence with each game. Every time AMN stepped inside you could see his quality as a CM, not surprising the gaffer has said he’s close to the first XI (not at wingback, which is a role that’s keeping him sharp amongst other things – we’ve seen technically good young players asked to play wide for spells and when AMN finding more confidence with his left to set up that Giroud chance in the first half: safe to say the football lovers out there can understand why the manager will ask it of them at this moment, not forgetting the huge show of faith to play AMN at LWB, there is obviously a reason to do so when he could easily ask Coquelin to fill in there as he has done it well in the past (on both sides), but of course that reason will be ignored by the funting Experts.
So the Groaners from the Gooner and their hack dwarf pals will continue to ask for a more direct game as they’ve been doing since 1999, without having the footballs to spell out there demands clearly and obviously, only on the snide. Unfortunately for them AW’s been playing the long game quite well. And we can see, as anticipated, that Chamberlian’s departure is a massive opportunity for Nelson and others, not forgetting Nigerian WC hero Iwobi!
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The problem I have with understanding the Groaners’ insistence for more direct football is that Arsenal’s trademark one two touch footy is quite direct as evidenced by some of the direct moves the kids pulled off especially in the second half.
…
Some will say that was a poor performance. To which I’ve replied that getting knocked out of this tournament by Ghent (Genk???), by an own goal from your own world class striker, that would be a poor performance.
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Happy with that. Partly the result. Partly because it represented nice test for me.
No one can dispute football will sometimes produce games which aren’t brilliant, perhaps even aren’t particularly good, but which are not bad either. Games which might not give you the things you want most but aren’t shit either. An ok performance but a good result. A ropey performance but a good result. A mixed bag, etc. A defeat when you have played decently!!!!!!!
No one will dispute it. Yet for years now It’s seemed clear that large, and growing, numbers of people merely claim to agree with that, but in practice experience things differently…ie they find it very hard to ever ‘see’ a good draw, let alone a defeat which isn’t a horror show.
It’s berserk in a way. Those things- ok draws, lucky wins, unlucky defeats,etc- are an absolute guarantee in football over a longish period of time- and all can cooly accept that in principle, yet so many can’t in reality.
I can understand a lot of it pretty well as I’m an absolute bastard for wanting not just a win each time but a brilliant win- more! more!- but to me that is a kind of challenge I have to wrestle with, my unreasonable demands.
Anyway, i passed the test, my emotions match my reasoning et al. I’m happy with it, as I should be. Won’t be getting carried away though, as it was only a draw, after all. Being ok with a loss is still far beyond me I reckon.
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< even playing Elneny in the middle of the three can be understood in developmental terms: Eleney Could improve or gain confidence in his tackling/challenging technique and alongside his blocking of crosses tonight he was quite good there – therefore improving his game at CM.
Same with Debuchy at this stage of his career who like Montreal appears to enjoy playing on one side of the back three.
Agree with the comment above on Willock. Excelled at his challenging and tackling tonight and running with the ball, bit less composure with his passing range from c.circle when compared to AMN and alsonwith the final ball, one amazing run in the first half just to light with the final pass: encouraging.
This team selection is setting it up for the second half of the season to my eyes and any potential injuries to the first eleven.
Andynic. Don't worry, if Walcott doesn't snag 19 goals this season Nelson and others will have him worryied about his place in the squad.
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A roundhouse from Evra not a flying kick.
Guess he didn’t react well to one of his own fans groaning at him. This negative encouragement malarkey might not be all it’s cracked up to be…
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Have to say from the cameos against Koln, Norwich and now today that the rookie EK looks ready to start one of these matches. I’m not going to get all excited just because he’s a quick striker (how could i not be!), nope this is even more exciting.
Holding a little nervous tonight? I thought so. Be interesting to see which side he plays when Chambers is back.
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That was a disappointingly low quality game. I struggled to find any positives. All I could come up with was that we didn’t lose and the first team got a rest. I suppose I have to say well done to Red Star who got the point they came for. I don’t think there was one of their players who didn’t spend some time rolling around on the floor feigning injury. They were fortunate to find a weak referee who fell for their nonsense and opposition who could not make them pay on the night.
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any mechanics on here, I had my car in for some work, – broken spring, new brake line and few other minor things, got it back from garage just before closing, drove it a short distance before I noticed a whooshing sound and lack of acceleration, went back to20ge but it was shut. Drove the car about 20 miles, and will driving it back another 20 miles ot the garage tomorrow, the car drove fine apart from lack of quick acceleration and the whooshing sound every time I put the foot down. The lack of acceleration and whooshing sound was worse at low speed (1st & 2nd gear)
anyone got any ideas as what might be the problem, a mate suggested it might be a major problem with turbocharger or just a split hose or egr valve
any thoughts guys.
also how do I stand in regards to how much the garage is responsible for putting it right, although they did not work on turbocharge(if that is the problem).
Could they have disturbed something to do with the turbocharger while replacing a spring and putting in a new brake line or would it be nowhere near it.
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Jeorge Bird @jeorgebird 13h13 hours ago
Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah in the England U19 squad.
First U17 call-ups for Vontae Daley-Campbell and Arthur Okonkwo
Josh Dasilva and Stephy Mavididi in the England U20 squad
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part of the above front page article has this quote from Cazorla
“the doctor said that if I could go back to walk the yard with my kid again I should be satisfied”
are we ever going to see him play again
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Matt Macey kept a clean sheet as he made his European debut on Thursday night, and the boss was full of praise for the six ft seven goalkeeper.
Arsène Wenger faced the media after the game, and had this to say about the 23 year old.
on Matt Macey’s performance…
I think he took his chance very well, he is huge, he is quick and you do not often find combinations of that size and that speed, he is very agile as well for a guy who is tall like that. He came late to us considering normally goalkeepers come at the age of 16, he came at 20, but he is intelligent and very focused. That’s why I was pleased to give him a chance tonight and I think he took it already against Norwich and as well tonight he played very well.
on boos at the final whistle…
No, no, no I think people supported the team in the end we didn’t see goals of course, they are not used to not seeing goals at the Emirates. So for us it’s frustrating that we don’t score, but overall we are understanding as well that there are many young players in the team. That’s part of a learning process for them to play these kind of games.
on Francis Coquelin appearing to argue with supporters at the end…
No I didn’t see that, I went in straight away.
on how Alexis will be focussed against Manchester City on Sunday…
I don’t see a problem. I don’t see why against Manchester City it would be different than against another team. Alexis is a winner when he walks on the football pitch he wants to win.
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 https://www.arsenal.com/news/wenger-he-huge#sh0CgRGxDPtg4bYU.99
Read more at https://www.arsenal.com/news/wenger-he-huge#oFiJS9OR1oqBVcjw.99
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That is tragic eduardo. I can’t believe 2 Arsenal players have had such terrible injury records. But the hope is that Rosicky came back to play at a good level from a 2 year injury hiatus, so perhaps Cazorla could do the same?
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seemingly Wenger is still optimistic that Cazorla will be back playing in January
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I saw Coquelin exchanging words with Arsenal ‘supporters’ at the end of the game. No doubt we’ll get to hear at least one side of the story before the week is out. I know he is a favourite scapegoat of the twitter crowd, but he was by no means the worst performer tonight.
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coq is clearly the target for the boos boys on twitter and on blog world tonight, closely followed by theo
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After the clocks moving back to GMT, it means the games are one hour later here. So I was mostly nodding off while watching the game. However, I saw enough to think that this might not be the most high quality game, but it seems like an enjoyable high intensity game nonetheless, and that it’ll do our youngsters and second string good to have to deal with that. Maybe much more than steamrolling the opposition. You know anyway had they done that it would be dismissed as playing against a pub team or something.
So these high and mighty Arsenal fans booed the team off? Really? It shouldn’t surprise me anymore, but it does. How stupid, low, and disloyal can you be? Glad Coquelin had a word with them, though it is like mud wrestling a pig, and in this case the pig has a halo on his head and an abnormally large mouth.
Meanwhile, let’s congratulate Spurs on doing what Arsenal have done many times only to be deemed a total failure. Yeah, I love Arsenal, I really do. Boooo.
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#ReleaseTheMeerkatyouAtRepressiveTwitterOrg#Whatabout theTrumps’sPostsYouHippocrates???
#Lovedalltheposts sinceTHESUSPENSIONWTF?
Not using this particular social medium I’m unsure of the correct vernacular so apologies to those offended by the content or grammer.
Is that Santi’s lower limb? What date is the photograph? There’s some bruising, no inflamation, and stitches. Either a rotational flap (using the blood vessels), or a more likely a free-flap (given the partial tattoo) – reconnecting blood vessels – much riskier and prone to failure. This demonstrates that there was a post-operative wound breakdown (dehiscence) and infection. The tissues look fine but given the poor perfusion (blood supply) around tendons it’s not a great thing. Unlucky result of routine surgery and always possible.
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New post up
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