Good afternoon Positive Arsenal fans,
Top performance and a 5-1 result that accurately reflected our dominance in the midday match. It barely seems credible to me that a few months ago the prospect of a game ‘on the road’ even against clubs around the bottom of the PL seemed to fill the players, the fans ( and me) with the jitters. From the start there was a disciplined approach from our lads, with concentration good and the ball rarely squandered. Our performance today was by no means faultless but we did far more well and right, with the error(s) few and far between. Toward the end I thought there was a brio in our play, a sense that every time we moved over the half way line a goal was 50/50, that I have has seen for a while.
Goals win matches and all five of our strikes were at least good, and with one in the good going on exceptional bracket. Ramsey’s goal was a thing of clockwork precision and, as it brought us a two goal cushion over the home side, decisive. Hector’s back heel flick was sublime, Aaron’s clever diversion into the corner of the net quite beautiful. To that point, 67 minutes gone, our opponents were still in the match. Afterward it was a matter of how many we would win by.
Laca and then Auba’s movement was too sharp for Fulham all afternoon. Allow either to take a position on the 6 yard line with the ball at his feet and his back to goal and you, my defensive friend, have trouble. Alex Iwobi put in another creative performance, the main spring of our left sided raiders. He improves week to week in picking the right pass in and around the opposition box. Nacho, despite his culpability for the Fulham equaliser, put in a fine attacking display all afternoon. I thought Holding and Shkodran held the line well against a Fulham side who do indeed look like “they have goals in them” to quote the excruciating Robbie Savage.
My man of the match though ? Well he comes from Uruguay, and he’s only five foot five. Competent, combative and Torreira seemed to be running as hard in the 93rd minute as he was in the 3rd minute.
The home side ? They have a bit of football quality about them in midfield and up front. Schurrle, Seri, Sessegnon all possess a good touch and, particularly the German, a football brain. FFC are better than the Cardiff and Toon sides we beat. At the back though ……..If they don’t learn how to lock the back door then it will be a brief return to he top flight.
Finally peruse the Premier League table with me. We sit, briefly though it may be, in third spot;
I think I would have probably settled for that, if anyone had asked me in August.
Anyway, roller skates on. It is all kicking off at St Mary’s.
Positively Arsenal 
Arsenal FC
Verified account @Arsenal
23m23 minutes ago
Arsenal and adidas have agreed a new kit partnership, effective from July 1, 2019
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media reporting that the adidas kit deal will see Arsenal double the current £30M we get from Puma, to a third best in the world £60M a season for five years.
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One from the Times this morning for the statto’s among us;
“In August, Arsenal became the 332nd top-flight team to lose their opening two matches of a season (all competitions) — but they are the first of those 332 to follow it up with nine consecutive wins. The past six of those victories have come by at least a two-goal margin, their joint best such run since 1932.”
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Meanwhile on Saturday, Manchester United had to get the usual assistance from their chums in the PGMOL to overcome a 2-goal disadvantage versus Newcastle. I deconstruct Anthony Taylor’s performance my latest piece at: http://uniteforvar.com/?p=1324
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What is it, hair aside, about Guendouzi that is so eye-catching?
Really enjoyed his contribution yesterday but not sure I can describe exactly what ‘it’ is that he has.
Unusual boldness and confidence for someone so early in their career, so I suppose it’s mostly that and something about his passing ability.
We’ve had plenty of good passers over the years, and now, but his style seems different, and doesn’t really remind me of anyone. Crisp, clever, good variety. Any advances on that, or anyone he is similar to?
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Great piece shots at 12:46
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Mandy
We generally start losing points during November/December when winters takes it toll in shape of injuries and fatigue etc and the Pigmob show there colors as well.
I don’t know how UE will prepare for the above handicaps.
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He has a lot of swagger for a 19 year old Rich, pretty strong and tall for a teenager. Not sure who his best comparator in an Arsenal shirt is looking back over the years ? The Frenchness though, and the mop of curly ringlets it has to be Michel Platini
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he reminds me of petit, something about the way he runs and his passing range too
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He is a bit of an Edu/Petit cross maybe – very upright like the Brazilian with long legs
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With the long slightly gangly legs more Emu than Edu maybe.
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I just like the sheer enthusiasm and exuberance that he plays with. He just seems to be a bubbly bundle of joy and you could you see the sheer delight when he scored his first goal.
And he also has a natural talent as opposed to Michael Owen type talent who looks like he was taught football from a text book and essays. Guendozi plays with natural ability that is akin to street footballers
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Rosicky, remains to be seen. Injuries have been a problem, but hopefully all the high tech training equipment, and new staff, such as Burgess working alongside Shad Forsyth and others will pay dividends.
As for the PGMOL, as someone who believed that for whatever reason, Wenger got a very raw deal, just waiting to see how we fare under Emery, not reached any firm conclusions as yet. If Emery is not getting a level playing field,.I would expect our Director of Football Relations and acting joint CEO to have a word with a few of his mates, who certainly outrank Mike Riley in the game.
Being an optimist, hoping neither of your concerns come to fruition this season, but we shall see.
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Interesting Shotta, the ref didnt have his best game.
Was reading this below recently
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36075347
If you scroll down the article, he says a ref from say Sheffield wouldnt be expected to take charge of a game with either of that citys teams.
Then, there was Mike Dean being removed from Liverpool and Everton games after the 2006 FA Cup final. (thought he was a Tottenham fan anyway!)
The cynic in me looked at that list noted how few EPL refs support EPL teams, but thats a different matter!
So if this is general policy, why on earth is Anthony Taylor,a ref from Greater Manchester even doing Utd games,not saying he is in anyway biased toward Utd,indeed some people from that city hate them, just doesnt do anyone any favours and highlights a pool of elite refs that just seems too small.
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Like those answers folks. 6 foot 1, isn’t he. Lot of my favourite passers tend to be on smaller side, so maybe that’s part of why he looks different to me.
Still a bit of Je ne Sais Quoi in there even with all the good answers though.
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Coincidence Mandy the Mirror did an up to date “Referees – where are they from and who do they support last week”;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-referee-appointments-support-13026745
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Although I can see the Emmanuel in Matteo he reminds me of Graham Rix even though they play completely different positions. I could see Matteo running socks down alar Rixy and putting a pinpoint cross field ball straight to someone’s feet.
On the Black November issue didn’t one of Shotta pieces shoot that down when considered type of fixture and points per game.
Although looking at this November there bad again but I think there’s a possible 9 December fixtures so how cope with them could make a massive difference.
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I left out a WE
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Paul Merson now saying we are due a damned good thrashing
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Merson and Arsenal ? It is like having a be-smocked half wit you once bought a drink for on New Years Eve 1997 following you round the village ever-after. Let us be generous though. If Merse did not have his TV punditry gig it is inconceivable that he could earn a living in any other walk of life. Enjoy it while you can Paul. It probably wont last much longer.
Talking of the bizarre world of football I see Jardim is almost gone, and Thierry Henry is tipped by the Engmedia to be next Monaco boss – I thought Villa were clearly missing a sandwich in even looking at him but Monaco must be off their heads.
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merse is all round family entertainment, he makes me laugh every week. The trick is not to take anything he says seriously.
They should have a highlights package of his sayings and predictions it’s hilarious, hes from SW London and even thinks he’s a cockney.. …beans on toast my arse
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I used to think Merson was a half wit, but over the last year I’ve come to the conclusion that he is in fact a very smart guy, he knows exactly what his pay masters want him to say, not only any of the written media or his usual gigs with sky sports, but his skybet gig is a masterclass of saying and doing what makes his bosses money. His act is no different than talksports daily arsenal.
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No, he’s a fucking half wit Eddy.
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leno called up to the German squad
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george I think you are mistaking cunt with half wit
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If that is right then I take my hat off to Merson. Week after week, month after month and season after season, coming out with inane drivel that a chimpanzee football fan would regard as a bit simple – but it is a ruse !!!
He took me in hook, line and sinker – respect.
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he is smart enough to know to say what his bosses want him to say, make the tips that will make skybet more money, and not only that, but get very well paid for it. Boris Johnson has forged a major political career by spouting soundbites and bullshit, and playing the jester.
I’ve seen Merson talk about other clubs without the jester’s hat on, and he is no less a pundit than any of them, but when it comes to AFC he dons the jester hat and plays the clown.
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I’ve never seen Merse talk about anything without coming across as an idiot, an amazing act he puts on as it has me totally taken in. It must have taken a very subtle mind to decide he was the perfect man to put the “message” across.
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not the perfect man at all, but just another one of many, its much harder to find the pundits that are articulate and intelligent, harder still to find those without bias. Very little difference in Merson and any number of other pundits, they say what their pay masters want to hear, Savage, Sutton, Robson, Mustoe, Gale, Clarrige, Burley, Beglin, Wright, Shearer, Crooks, Murphy, Houghton, Whelan, Andrews, etc etc etc
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It’s time to put on make up, it’s time to light the lights……. Actually that is an insult to the Muppets comparing them with that lot
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Ironically, the one half decent pundit is an ex Spurs player…Jenas… and Alan Green (is he an ex player?) does a good commentary.
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Jenas?
Heard his comments on Aaron Ramsey the best british midfielder not being missed by the arsenal if e leaves (yes, he is even better then the player who retired from eEngland after being ignored like Carrick for being the best performing English midfielder of recent seasons: James Milner).
As transparent as you can get. Is he emplyed by the same sporting agency as his old team mate Bleeding Ears Murphy?
One would find more useful plunditry on the footy stuck in Alan Partdrige’s U-Bend.
Bouef. eat my goal is the only plunditry I’ve heard that can match the quality of Ramsey’s goal on Sunday, though technically the original cmmentary would’ve been defined as: Satire.
Amazing to think that after twenty years that the plunidts arre even worse then they were. PR or Sports Communications consultants sitting on the MOTD couch hawking their cleints?
It ain’t Saint & Greavsie. Not by half.
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I say this often, but everyone should follow the former Boca player Diego Latorre, and just use the translate button if Spanish is a problem. He’s a student of the beautiful game, has lots of interesting insights and refers to Arsenal as “us”. https://twitter.com/dflatorre
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Yep. Those themes in the Damned Utd were very interesting to me. A real work of love for the beautiful game. Highly recommended.
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Oh, just saw that Emery follows him, so make of that what you will.
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Thanks for that link BK.
I was just closing off my own ramble above with a reference for the Damed Utd and how plundits like Jenas and Bleeding Ears Murphy are such lame transparent agent monkeys, and worth no one’s time whatsoever.
Tom Cruise was more entertaining and enlightening in Jerry Maguire then the aforementioned Sports Communications consultants on MOTD etc.
And then you show us the kind the plundit that our very own football manager is following. Quie a contrast with the likes of Phil Neville and Joey Barton who were doing the rounds with the broadcasters.
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No problem, FP.
One thing I like about people like Latorre is that there’s never been a better time for a South American football aesthete to follow the Premier League. Now that, more than ever before (though arguably not enough), violent fouls are punished here like they are abroad, it’s much more interesting to hear from people who take these new rules as a given and not former PL pros who have to adapt.
Latorre and Jorge Valdano (of “shit on a stick” fame, and who wrote some great pieces in the Guardian in the summer) also reject notions like pragmatism and huevos “balls/grit” and they’re not afraid to be a bit pretentious, which we abhor over here. So Latorre grasps what someone like Ozil brings to the team in the way that I dunno, Shearer never could.
My least favourite pundit by far is Shearer, but Paul Scholes and Henry were crushing disappointments because I thought they might offer something original. Not being funny, but Stewart Robson is pretty astute when he’s not talking about Arsenal – i think it got personal!
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Lots of arrests for match fixing & fraud in Belgium, including agent, refs, a lawyer, accountant, jeweller & journalist; but no players, pundits or Alan Partridge obsessives mentioned yet.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/10/belgian-football-clubs-raided-fraud-match-fixing-inquiry
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The difference bewteen the meaning of the words Amusement and Obsession tell us more about your mind then they do about the quaity of work from a satirist twenty years ago that is still, comically, relevant.
Enjoy Jenas & Chums.
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I don’t actually listen to commentary and follow up analysis- I find it a total waste of time. Most of it is inane dull no meaningful analysis partisan and the usual they don’t like it up em bullshit.
The only podcast I gravitate is the guardian football weekly they do have their share of blinkered journos but they do balance it with some pretty sharp and savy commentators. The French bloke on the show is very intelligent and the host is quite good. Sid from la Liga is also pretty good. I don’t much to Ralph or Barry glendening but they are mostly compelling to listen to
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Martin O’Neill, after Alan Shearer criticised Cyrus Christie’s performance for Fulham against Arsenal at the weekend: “I don’t think the severe criticism was warranted. Maybe that’s why he only managed eight games”
O’Neill also questioned if Shearer even considered that Christie may have been under instruction from his manager to play high up the pitch. He also said it was criticism and not analysis.
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The Times reports that Amazon will give viewers the option of listening to male or female commentators in TV broadcasts. This is a good move and may please many women but from what I’ve heard in England’s women’s matches they will be no better or worse (or to put it another way, just as bad as) than their male counterparts, as they also talk absolute nonsense. Best to go back to the single commenter system we had when broadcasts first started.
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there is one woman reporter on the BBC, sorry don’t know her name, but she always sounds so fake in her commentary and reporting, with what sounds like a very forced level of excitement, as for the female pundits, a couple of them are very good, not least Alex Scott. Kelly Smith as of yet still seems very unsure of herself and comes across as nervous.
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You might be thinking of Jacqui Oatley who’s commentaries go a bit ‘excited school boy’ or Sue Smith of the bizarre hairstyles fame. Jacqui has been rewarded by the Beeb for her pioneering work with anchor roles and chairing pundit sessions to which she’s far more suited. Eni Aluko (who was a far better striker than her brother) also makes an excellent pundit. Love Alex too.
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Actually, when I think more on it, Oatley might be on ITV for punditry. Not that it makes any difference to her match commentaries.
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I still quite like Gary Neville who at least tries to bring a bit of analysis/insight into his review. I used to like Souness but over the last 2-3 years I think he is showing his lack of recent day to day experience of players and the PL. His comments are increasingly ranty and negative. Pity really because he seems a cut above most in terms of intelligence and he is articulate.
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Souness 3 years ago “people have to accept that Ramsey is the best CM in the league and gives a 8/10 performance most weeks”
Souness now ” What does Ramsey do, 10 years at Arsenal and he is a nothing player”
He’s a twat.
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Smith-Row, john-Jules, Ballard, Willock and, of course, Eddie all with goals for International youth teams tonight.
Ballard got crucial late winner for N Ire and also cleared one off line. Think it gives them a chance to qualify for u21 Euro’s or something and completes a mad first couple of games for Ballard after promotion from u19’s. Historic away win in Spain last time out. Anyway, I’m imagining him being central to their good results as he’s someone I’d love to see keep progressing with us.
Plenty of other good youngsters not on score sheet so far or not involved tonight, few through injuries.
Seems a really positive time for youth teams/players.
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Can’t read too much into it- Andorra- but Nelson just put in outstanding 20 min cameo on u21 debut.
Couple of assists; ridiculously cheeky goal; post after a very good run. Looked extra confident after his good start to life in Germany
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