@LaboGoon times his visit to Brighton for an early Sunday lunch
Good morning one and all.
Arsenal travel to the city of Brighton this afternoon to play their pride at the Amex. I can tell you one thing ….. for everyone’s sanity this is a game each of our players and the boss want to win at all cost.
Brighton has come a long way since we last played them. Currently they are playing like a team belonging in the Premier League, and not exactly with a style that one would describe as “attractive”, but what they had produced over the last few weeks is their own brand of cold, hard steel. They are in the midst of a purple patch too; unbeaten in their last 6, including 2 wins in their last 2 home fixtures and they have also scored 8 goals in their last 3 PL games. So with that bit of caution… what a time for a us to visit them eh, especially with our away form?
That said, I think the one and only thing of importance for us today is that we respond well after recent results, to get back on the proverbial bike. We need that to soften the tone of the baying mob.
Fixtures are coming thick and fast and judging from the boss’ comments winning this game is more important than getting ahead of ourselves. We need something to kick on from and a win here today would do just that. We all know the quality of our players, all they need is just something to get out of this funk and get the confidence going again on the field, especially our new boys who are still settling in to a new environment.
Team news: besides Monreal and Lacazette no new injuries, though Danny is a concern, but with Jack back I’d say we can expect a strong line-up from the available players, because now is not the time to be taking anything for granted.
Good luck to the boss and the players for today. Fingers crossed that our travelling fans have a lot to cheer about at the final whistle because boy do they need it… [whispers softly] which means all of us.
Positively Arsenal 
foreverheady
March 4, 2018 at 9:46 am Edit
Forgive me for this, but just in case it is of interest. I was asked to give a talk to a group of youngsters about a sporting memory, and as we travel to Brighton today I thought I would share it with you. It might help with perspective if things don’t turn out well this afternoon!
Saturday, 18th August, 1979. A day I remember well for all sorts of reasons, some of them happy, some of them sad. It seems strange to think it now, but in those days I was a professional cricketer: a wicket-keeper by trade, but I also batted a bit and was pleased as you like to be living my schoolboy dream, playing for my County club, good old Sussex by the sea. That Saturday we were playing Yorkshire in the County Championship: a three-day home fixture with the added bonus of a separate 40 over game on the Sunday. We won the toss and batted, but after a promising morning quickly subsided to 180 for 7, losing three quick wickets after lunch. I walked out to bat – conscious of the crowd expressing doubt and disappointment, to join another young player, A. C. S. (Lester) Pigott, an old Harrovian, but we won’t hold that against him, at the crease. Lester and I had worked our way through the Sussex ranks: junior schoolboy stuff, Under 19s, 2nd XI and now the full county first team and we believed in each other, even if nobody else gave us much of a prayer with the Yorkshire bowlers rampant – tails up and sensing blood.
Slowly but surely we steadied the ship, and all through that late August afternoon batted as if everything depended on it, gradually gaining the upper hand, and finally making hay while the sun shone. It was fun, and what made it somehow even better was the fact that that day marked the start of the Premier League Football season, and that Brighton and Hove Albion, having been promoted the previous season, were playing their first ever match in the top flight, against Arsenal, the pride of North London, no less. In those days the cricket and football grounds were only a mile apart, and as Lester and I put our cricketing crowd back on their feet, we could hear the chants, cheers and groans from the football as Arsenal asserted their authority and handed out a 4-0 drubbing to the Seagulls.
But I can remember very clearly the feeling of somehow being at the centre of the sporting world that afternoon, of having finally made it, and also, I am ashamed to admit, rather enjoying the adulation of the crowd. As Wordsworth wrote about the French Revolution: “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive – but to be young was very heaven.”
Pride comes before the inevitable fall, of course, and after enjoying what proved to be a match-winning partnership of 70, downright cockiness saw me advance down the track, miss the ball by miles and lose my wicket, stumped by the Yorkshire keeper, David Bairstow. Bairstow was a real character, well known in the game for his dynamic approach: he’d spent the afternoon gently, and not so gently, sledging me, as befits the big, bluff Yorkshireman he was, and I’d looked up to him for several years, so despite my disappointment at getting out, I almost felt quite proud that it was at his hands. And as any of you who follow cricket would know, he is also the father of our current England wicketkeeper, Jonny Bairstow, so I know that as I follow and watch the Ashes this winter, I will be reminded of that moment all over again.
But here’s the thing: a few years after David Bairstow eventually retired it came as a shock to discover that he had spent many years battling depression, a fight I’m sad to say he wasn’t able to win: he took his own life while still in his 40s. And it wasn’t long before I stopped being a promising young cricketer and had to realise I wasn’t after all going to go on and play for England, and that it was time to hang up my gloves and find new ways of spending my days.
So when I remember that afternoon, as I do whenever Arsenal play Brighton, or hear Jonny Baristow’s name on the radio, or just take a trip down memory lane, I’m reminded of a whole heap of things. That no matter how big, brave and successful someone might seem they may be hurting inside, and that we all need to have a better understanding of mental health. That it’s good to have a dream, and good to be able to look back and know that you properly followed that dream and worked to make it happen, at least for a little while. That golden afternoons in the sun don’t last for ever – but it’s nice and right to enjoy them while you can. That the career you may initially set your heart on isn’t necessarily the one that ends up defining your life, and that if we could see all, all might seem good.
And perhaps, most of all, that it is never a good idea to try and hit an off-spinner through Square Cover.
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Shard
March 4, 2018 at 8:30 am Edit
The Guardian story is probably true. I doubt they’d make that up out of thin air. How they heard of it will be an inquest in the dressing room no doubt.
However, I would like to say that just because the conversation happened as described doesn’t mean the image portrayed is real.
You know we are told players don’t care. And one player got so emotional while making a speech to his teammates that he got choked up. So do they care? And now it’s a bad thing?
One player said we need more help from the coaches. So either Wenger doesn’t give them enough coaching, or they want more coaching for certain things. I remember a story many years ago where Arteta and the rest of the players apparently demanded more focus on set pieces. There was a period where we were terrible at them, so it might be true. Now Ozil says that he has never seen anyone more obsessed with set piece training. I don’t think Wenger is aloof to players’ demands. He may not agree with them all the time, but I think he certainly welcomes feedback.
Back to the current story. Apparently one player responded to the demand that coaches help by saying, that’s not going to happen, we have to do it ourselves. Again, is the import that our coaches are useless and won’t help, or that don’t blame the coaches and let’s look at ourselves?
In the heat of the moment we can say things we don’t mean, or go overboard with stuff we do mean. It’s not necessarily an accurate representation of what is thought and felt.
I’ll say again that if the players have lost faith in the management, there is only one winner. But that IF remains, and I think the rest of the season will be a better guide than any more leaks as to how the players really feel about the situation, the manager, and themselves.
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Morning Gooners – interesting week, 165 hours from kick off at Wembley last Sunday, to kick off at the Amex this lunchtime.
A week in which we have gone from a decent chance to win one domestic trophy and pursue our Europa League ambitions, with a good squad of players, to being not just the worse football club in the English game at the present time but the Worst Football CLUB ever, anywhere!
The last time I watched Brighton on the TV was as I was awaiting to see us thrash Everton. In that game the Seagull’s got battered 4-0 by Chelsea who, in their turn, had just crashed out of the Carabo semi final.
For all the extraordinary quantity of self indulgent woe-is-me bullshit among our fanbase, and the perpetual negative spin in the media, the only ones who can put this temporary setback right are the players, so let us, in our digital way, get behind them. AND GET THE BALL IN THE NET.
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anicoll
The first post is from ForeverHeady, is it?
I’m not a cricket person, oh no, but I enjoyed it a lot.
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Good luck to them today, whatever has or hasn’t been said where and when, whatever the future maybe , let’s hope they can put it out of their minds and start a revival, in time for Milan.
A big big ask, but if we can win the Europa and finish strongly in the league, the landscape might end up looking very different
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Great read Foreverheady, very thought provoking
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COYG
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Fantastic post Tim, If it’s ok with you I will return to it on another day as the eature blog?
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Of course George. Now, to more important matters. Thanks Labo for a great appetizer to what I hope will be a feast this afternoon. No snoeks or bunny chows today?
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I enjoyed that post from Heady too. You got quite a few to get back to PG… Sammy wrote a peach the other day.
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Lol… I had a bunny chow Friday night. So think one is due within the next few days.
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Tim and I hit the send button at exactly 9.46?so I thought his and Shard’s work deserved a proper audience this morning.
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You thought right Andy.
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COYG
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Struggling to find a screen to watch the game. I’ve been booted off the telly as some others are having great fun watching cartoons about cars…
…Vengarggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!
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there is a bit of bite about the team today
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Found one!
Good start so far.
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Dammit! Jinxed it.
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FFS, Cech comes for the corner and fails to get there and its 1-0 to Brighton
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and we are wobbling big time
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Missed opening and now my dig box is playing up.
One of big centre backs or Murray from corner was it?
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completely pointless passing back to cech, he just hoofs it up field for Brighton to regain possession
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That tackle on Chambers the type Spurs and co aim for and often win penalties from
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really need to up the tempo, so damn slow in the build up, yet everytime we add some speed to our play we are causing them problems.
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iwobi fucking about and loses the ball and brighton get in with a good chance, cech saves
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Brighton getting to every corner kick first
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we’ve just passed the ball back to cech from the half way line.
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Damn. Nightmare at moment. Nothing functioning right
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By looks of it this ref intent on making it even harder. Giving everything their way.
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ffs, kos misplaces a pass, brighton put it out wide, its crossed in and is headed home at cech’s feet, 2-0 to brighton.
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kolasinac looks like he hasn’t a clue about where a left back should be covering
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have we won a high ball into our area yet.
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wilshere booked for an awful tackle
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we just got lucky at a freekick, attacker ran free from our entire team, and put his shot wide, linesman wrongly had his offside flag up
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Nice goal. Iwobi, Xhaka and Aubameyang all did well there
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aubameyang had his back to goal, slightly sideways on, when the ball came to him, and he flicked the ball up just enough to prevent the keeper saving it
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if not mistaken that was our first shot on target
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Holy actual feckity feck.
68% possession, but we’ve been shite.
Can we save this game?
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oh so close, Koscielny hits the post with a header, Brighton have been wobbling since we scored
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HT: Brighton 2-1 Arsenal
loads of possession for AFC, double that of Brighton, but so sterile, far too slow in our passing, need to raise the tempo big time in the second half.
we are losing out on every high ball, in both areas, kolasinac out of position so much of the time, midfield and forwards in far too much of a safety first approach, its all sideways and backways, we have even passed back to cech from the half way line.
cech awful on first goal, and not great on their second either
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Cor that was quite a hard watch – still in it and I anticipate a better second half – couple of changes at HT perhaps with Hector on ?
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still giving it back to cech to hoof it back to Brighton
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looks like we have switched Iwobi to wide left
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we really do have a one eyed ref again today
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xhaka booked now too
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Ozil with a powerful shot from edge of the area, keeper makes a good save to put it out for a corner
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was that a dive by xhaka or was he clipped
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Arsenal haven’t been at their best but it would be deeply unfortunate if that meant people were incapable of acknowledging the high number of erroneous calls that have been relieving he pressure at times on the home team. It is what it is. Same as we’ve been witnessing since the Stoke away fixture
Other teams would’ve got that foul on Miki. It was bazillion times easier call then Bellerin on Hazard. People can choose to ignore the variation but there it is. Repetitively so.
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Would’ve been nice for Koscielny to get that equaliser after the Brighton second, hard to see such a great servant struggle on one ankle.
COYG!
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stephens of brighton booked
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