Good afternoon Positives,
Two points less than I was hoping for but on the balance of play between the teams a fair result. I had been hoping for a sharp start from us but it was Palace who came at us in the opening stages and but for some good defending from Shkodran and wayward finishing by Tottie reject Townsend we might have been behind. I thought we resisted well but were far below the required standard once we got the ball over the half way line in the first 45. We could not string two passes together. I think Hector had one shot that was blocked, after which he was hobbling, but Hennessy had a v quiet half.
The first penalty ? We were almost at the half time whistle and our concentration dropped. Panic in the box from a corner for the first and only time all afternoon. Clumsy from Mustafi as he clattered into Coyote but not much he could do about it as the ball was bouncing free.
And then, dear reader, as happens game after game and week after week, we sprung into life after the break and hit then with the old 1-2. If I had any idea why we play football this way and the first and second halves don’t fit I would write it down. I expect Unai would say the same. For the only time n the afternoon we took control of the game for 10 minutes.
Lovely strike from Xhaka then our turn to cause panic in the Palace box before PEA slipped in the second goal from a loose, spinning ball. The Man from Gabon thought a split second faster than his marker and that difference meant his foot go to the ball first. Nine millimetres over the line ? Fine margins but top, top quality finishing.
I expected ghat, having got in front and being in control at the time, we would carry on and get a third but Palace refused to follow the script. The home side surged forward and while Bernd did not have a serious save to make the ball was pinging around the Arsenal penalty box erratically. It was not smooth from us at all. When we did break with the ball and cross the half way line our close control and choice of passes was wayward. At no time did we ever look like adding to our goal tally, which in the end did for us.
Fair play to Hodgson – Palace have one player capable of turning a game on his own and that is Zaha who had given first Hector then Stephan a difficult time, “Get the ball to Willfweed’s feet lads” Woy yelled and lo and behold he did the proverbial trick. Couple of stepovers, Granit backed into the box, slightest of touches and over he goes. Cheating, cheating, cheating bastard. But hey ho. They probably deserved a point. We have sustained a mild setback, nothing more. Re-group, learn, move on.
My Man of the Match is Granit. At times I could see him looking over at Emery during the first half and mouthing silently “OI – BOSS – I – AM – NOT- A – LEFT- BACK”. Despite the Swiss’s obvious discomfort he did a good job on Townsend and, even with Zaha’s theatrics, had a good afternoon in a position that he clearly is not comfortable in. Add to that a superb free kick for the equalizing goal and this week the laurel wreath is yours.
Blackpool midweek and a really attractive contest between Klopp’s men and our lads to kick off next Saturday late afternoon. We shall need all our energy and guile to earn the victory.
Enjoy what is left of Sunday.
Positively Arsenal 
Some bloke got carded for what was called a bad foul. Maybe on Sheaf. Probably should have been red. Some bloke called Thomas for them has commited about 6 fouls already and no card. Same old same old
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Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
4m4 minutes ago
GOOOOALLL! 🙌
John-Jules races through on goal and rounds Flinders, before slotting the ball into an empty net. That’s better, lads 💪
🔴 2-1 🔵 (34)
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Interesting Eduardo 7.05pm. If true, The Tottenham Stadium Mystery continues to give. That’s rather a lot of money just as an unexpected little add on, roughly half the cost of the Emirates stadium? That takes that project I would imagine to over a billion. The stadium might be impressive, but is it really worth that?
i would imagine the likes of Real, Bayern and Utd will be watching with interest, if they can reconcile the fact that Poch hasn’t won trophies.
Still, at least Spurs have signed up their diver in chief for a few more years, Troopz will be delighted to continue his love in there.
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mandy it was reported on Irish radio today, and said spurs are issuing a bond to try and cover some of the cos. Spurs have gone from no debt at all, and with cash in the bank, to being either the club with most debt, or second most debt, not sure if its them or manu but utd yearly revenue is massive
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Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
43s43 seconds ago
Half-time: @CTFCofficial 2-1 #AFCU21
Despite a slow start and going down to 10 men, we finished the half as the stronger of the two sides. John-Jules is the name on the scoresheet
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237 million, that is some critical safety systems failure. Have seen reports, and posts with rumours of project management shambles, contractors not been paid causing a lack of will amongst other contractors to get involved, cables not set up properly and buried under concrete. With that amount of money, perhaps they forgot to put foundations in!
They have two or three players who might fetch a bit, but even so.
Bet they are hoping for a sugar daddy , or some tyrant who needs good press
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Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
21m21 minutes ago
Goal for @CTFCofficial. Maddox finds space behind our defence and slots the ball under Iliev.
🔴 3-1 🔵 (48)
Goal for @CTFCofficial. Maddox grabs his second of the afternoon with a powerful header into the top left corner. 🔴 4-1 🔵 (51)
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Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
6m6 minutes ago
Our second change of the evening…
⬅️ Bola
➡️ Zelalem
🔴 4-1 🔵 (63)
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Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
3m3 minutes ago
GOAL FOR #AFCU21 👊
John-Jules was taken down inside the box – and Gilmour made no mistake from 12 yards 🎯
🔴 4-2 🔵 (66)
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Ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup game against Blackpool, here’s the latest update from our medical team.
Nacho Monreal
Minor right hamstring. Being assessed ahead of Blackpool (h) on Wednesday, October 31.
Sead Kolasinac
Minor right hamstring. Being assessed ahead of Blackpool on Wednesday, October 31.
Hector Bellerin
Right thigh. Misses Blackpool (h), being assessed ahead of Liverpool (h) on Saturday, November 3.
Mo Elneny
Right thigh. Expected to return to full training in two weeks.
Laurent Koscielny
Right Achilles tendon repair. Currently being integrated back into full training.
Dinos Mavropanos
Groin injury. Expected to return to full training in November.
Copyright 2018 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.
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Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
50s50 seconds ago
Goal for @CTFCofficial. Broom delivers a powerful effort into the top left corner.
🔴 6-2 🔵 (90)
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Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
3m3 minutes ago
Full-time: @CTFCofficial 6-2 #AFCU21
John-Jules and Gilmour find the back of the net for Ljungberg’s side on a difficult night in the @CheckatradeTrpy
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If anyone wants to hear a bias free appraisal of Tottenham you can hear it fro Guardiola, great interview after the Monday game IMO. As with our own gaffers I like these attacking football managers.
And unlike the Mike’s of this world I am able to admit my obvious bias, as it’s not my job to be unbiased. I am in fact proud of it.
COYG.
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Morning All
Just back from an extended stay over in Lisbon, But I don’t like to brag.
That’s looking like a full-on CRISIS on the defensive front.
Who’ll play at the back tonight?
The Corporal
Mo
Per
?
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Supposing Tottenham owe £600m overall for the stadium, (they had bugger-all in savings beforehand).
Payback over 20 years at 5% p.a. would cost them £48m a year.
I know the current LIBOR market rate is actually under 1%, but there is no way in hell any bank would be giving that to Levi, mortgage rates are at about 3.5% in the UK, Banks would want better than that for a Bond from a PLC as dodgy as Spurs. Brexit is coming, after all.
That is more than twice what Arsenal have to pay per year, and our Club got stiffed on a much higher %% rate just after the financial crash. I think AFC have about 12 more years of payments to go, and it is going down a bit every year.
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They have the fall back of Joe Lewis if he should feel like putting his hand in his very deep pockets. He’s been very quiet over this whole stadium saga.
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DC , Jail?
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So, Arsene back into management next season… lower league project? Bloody big club? Top flight mid table sort of thing?
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“Have Tottenham closed the gap on Arsenal? Last time I checked, they were still 4 miles and 11 titles away.” – Arsene Wenger
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Hi PG
No
Massive problems with Access via my phone is what’s all.
Am getting an upgrade on Friday.
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Oh good, we don’t want to see an @Mrs DC7 account popping up.
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Fair’s fair- ref had no choice, by rules, but to send Burton off last night. Him and maybe keeper cocked up pretty good for 1st playing out.
Third when we’d got back into it was another big error passing from back.
Valuable lessons hopefully.
Highlights on .com
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BREAKING NEWS
Aaron Ramsey will leave Arsenal for free at the end of the season after the club finally told him in person why he will not be offered a new contract, Sky Sports News understands.
The Wales midfielder was understood to have been unhappy that nobody from the club had directly explained their reasons for withdrawing the offer of a new long-term deal following months of talks.
Ramsey had found out via his agent before speaking out publicly on the issue last week, telling a newspaper that he was hoping “somebody will come up and tell me why” the option to stay was taken off the table.
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Nice of sky to drop that a couple of hours before a game.
Not sure where Ramsey stands at minute but may well be playing tonight.
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Pleguezuelo makes his first team debut and Jenkinson makes his return to the first team after a break of 701 days
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I hope Jenks does well tonight, of course Pleg and all the lads! COYG!
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Jenkinson is at left back
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Guendouzi booked
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Lichtsteinerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 1-0, Gundouzi ball in is met by our right back who sticks out a leg to reach the ball and divert it past the keeper
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HT: Arsenal 1-0 Blackpool
Lichtsteiner with our goal. AFC on top for the most part even if we have not opened them up much. Gundouzi controlling the midfield. Pleggy having a good debut, nice to see AMN back.
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other half times
chelsea 3-2 derby
west ham 0-1 spurs
37 minutes in middlesboro and palace are 0-0
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Smith-Roweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 2-0 a Jenkinson cross shot is palmed out by the keeper and EMS fires it into the roof of the net
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blackpool hit the bar with a header, cech came for the cross but got no where near and we get it away
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Mustafi header just wide
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Guendouzi sent off
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This bullshit gets tiresome ey. Could see they were targeting Guendouzi. Unfortunately he gave them and ref a tiny opportunity and there you go
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it was a second yellow for MG
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Is this same country Spurs get away with an incredible amount every game? Yep, it is.
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60 minuets gone, Torreira on for Maitland-Niles
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Guendo out of Liverpool so should prob think about bringing Ramsey off before end, especially if any chance Xhaka continuing at left back for it
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blackpool back in it, score from a free header six yards out at a corner, 2-1
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blackpool have goal ruled out rightly for offside but cech really fucked up there was damn lucky its not 2-2, awful control of the ball from him
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72 minutes – Iwobi on for Smith-Rowe
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Aubameyang on for Welbeck
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looked like much more of a booking for Torreira handball. pretty sure he let him off though.
Maybe because not already on one and hadn’t moaned at him profusely earlier (over a corner he didn’t get)
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blackpool’s o’connor sent off for a scissors tackle on PEA
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six minutes of stoppage time to be played
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Through is main thing…and at least we got some tension till end!
Some pluses on night but bit of a shame with the red, as felt we could have been on for a goal feast, with Nketiah and maybe Willock getting some good minutes as well.
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Full time: Arsenal 2-1
Lichtsteiner and Smith-Rowe with our goals, now through to the quarter finals.
Guendouzi was our best player till his silly red card. Both his bookings needless.
Pleggy on his debut was very good, and Jenkinson on his return to first team action also impressed in the unusual position of Left Back.
Lots of below par performances but our only real sticky patch was for about ten minutes after Guendouzi was sent off.
spurs and chelsea also won tonight. Middlesboro currently lead palace
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think the draw for the QF is later tonight.
Arsenal
Chelsea
Spurs
Bournemouth
Burton Albion
Middlesboro
Man City or Fulham
Leicester City or Southampton
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