Good day one and all…
As festive fixtures continue to pile up Arsenal will be hosting their Premier League cousins Huddersfield Town at the Emirates this afternoon.
Following the last inter-break we had to navigate our way through some tricky fixtures, but with a more favourable run of six fixtures, bar Liverpool on the 29th, till New Years Day against teams at the bottom half of the PL table one feels we have a good chance to cash in – starting with the Terriers.
These two teams couldn’t have more contrasting fortunes; while Unai Emery’s side are looking to maintain their strong position in the race for top-four and bettered by only Manchester City on the goal-scoring charts, David Wagner’s Terriers look toothless having scored the least number of goals and their only hope is to be spared falling through the relegation trapdoor.
We had little trouble dispatching them 5-0 in this fixture last season and it doesn’t look like they have improved much since. They are amongst the league’s worst travellers having failed to win 17 of their last 19 and conceded 16 goals in their last 7 away games.
With the hosts in good goal scoring nick one can’t help but feel the visitors may be in for a long afternoon, which of course wouldn’t cause them much concern. With injury concerns and their next two fixtures at home to Newcastle and Southampton… it would be a matter of knowing which battles to fight. Who want to be a Terriers supporter eh?
Rob Holding out for the rest of the season has left us a bit short at the back at the moment, which could see us going back to the more conventional back four. The extra attacking player being add may be Alexandre Lacazette as one sense Unai want him and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to build a partnership upfront as they are both key to our season. Auba of course is the PL’s leading goalscorer and the French striker has been impressive off the bench recently. With Granit Xhaka back from suspension to continue building on an already imposing partnership with Lucas Torreira in central midfield, Arsenal wouldn’t be short of quality.
With the Terriers’ lack of attacking impetus its really hard seeing them coming to the Emirates to outscore a free scoring Gunners side, so this may turn out to be a straightforward game for the hosts.
@LaboGoon
Positively Arsenal 
We do indeed go again Labo and another confident scene-setter, many thanks for that, good stuff.
These are, of course, the ‘banana-skin’ type fixtures that sometimes concern me the most.
Human nature would dictate player excitement for the Spurs/Manure fixtures but little old Huddersfield, with their weak stats etc? Of course, guess who IS up for a cup final-stylee encounter this afternoon?
Very sorry to see Holding out for the season but even more intensely irritated to hear the media bang on about Klopp’s injured player on every news bulletin under the sun (out for 6 weeks?) and not a word on poor old Rob.
There’s your media bias, right there.
So, talking of irritations, City are now averaging 3 goals a game. If I have to sit through another broadcast proclaiming how marvellous they are, and how, by extension, poor all their opponents are, I will start to grimace for England. Never once is reference made to how they are buying their success, just how marvellous their over-privileged manager is.
Sickening stuff.
Obviously if we start to average 3 goals a game I’ll be pleased as punch. But that kind of success on a relative shoestring would be little short of a miracle, which kind of proves the point really; City may be ‘successful’, but it’s hardly for footballing reasons.
Let’s hope City start to find some banana skins of their own!
Enjoy the day and COYG’s.
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City have lapped the field. The PL is dead as a contest until they decide to stop using it as a propaganda tool for Abu Dhabi
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Huddersfield have a pretty poor away record but almost always manage to score a goal. Given our coach’s comments about defensive improvement what I’d really like to see today is the ‘clean sheet’.
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Issue for me today is to rest or not to rest.
I’d guess not, but after two extraordinarily demanding, in their own way, games it’s definitely my preference.
Reckon we’ll go with the thinking we need these points and they can rest in midweek, but it looked red zone city all over the shop at Old Trafford, and my man Torreira, who is involved in a battle, collisions aplenty, and expends phenomenal energy every game, is one who looked most at risk.
Also it’s not just about having them in hopefully ok nick for next weekend’s game but the gruelling schedule from now to early Jan.
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George
Think you’ve got my email on admin list or whatever. Any chance you can send me yours so I can submit something for you to look at and maybe put up.
Cheers
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I’ve sent it to the Mail you registered on here, let me know if you received it Rich.
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Rich it hasn’t sent I’ll send it in a DM on twitter.
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No, can’t do that either as we don’t follow each other.
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Nowt through yet George.
Just to check is it to email ending with 70@ntlworld.com
I’ve set up couple of others over years, but barely used them far as i can remember, and always return to old faithful, despite it being a bit ancient and troublesome, as it’s only one I remember and we’ve been together donkey’s years now.
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I’ll follow you on twitter George- used to anyway but then you were turfed off for some reason.
Don’t laugh but not sure I know how to use DM feature. nope, the ladies haven’t exactly been bombarding me with messages in my time there.
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Sunday and Wednesday saw two right old physical battles for the first teamers, and although they were understandably out on their legs by the end I think the prospect of a few days break (no need for any of them to play midweek) should see them perky enough for this afternoon. It will be as good a measure as any for UE’s motivational skills if he can get them purrng nicely from the start today. The pitch should be perfect and the weather just fine for December so with a bit of luck (ie a ref who knows and applies the rules) and application (our boys need to turn up properly) all might be well. Let’s hope the boys give us a proper afternoon, but one more full of London Pride than Hippy Crack, although I remember that was very popular in the 60s.
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Ok, what Twitter @
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Done it on there- it’s @Whatsinaname81
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So you’re not Delusional Rich on Twitter (shakes head) ??
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Not officially or with a capital D, anicoll!
No, just the one account. Bit self-conscious of my more reactionary past in game tweets now though. Mocking Mkhi this weekend by saying we should shout offside when he shoots, for instance
I like to think of this place where I show my slightly better more considered self; twitter where I unleash my animal howls into the void. I actually moan more about refs there!!
No more cake and eating it.
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I’m actually laughing here… I too thought Rich was the delusion one who had a bit of a go at me and ‘Bama few weeks back re Ramsey’s situation.
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D Rich had a verbal joust with me as well. He didn’t take it well.Cuffed his virtual ear.
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Not guilty.
‘What’s in a name’ was my slightly naff and pretentious nod to the Bard
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
I always thought unspoken bit of that is that shit is still shit even if dressed up or called something else by however many people. Think it was meant to be a comment on internet anonymity and essential character- ‘am I actually a shit, or a…fricking rose (?!) or something?’- as well.
I should probably have gone with ‘gooner-something’ if followers are the aim.
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Not feeling strong enough just now to have a look at Delusional Rich- if they’re an absolute tool that could be awkward for me!!
If they don’t moan about pgmol and media you should have twigged it wasn’t me.
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our U23’s are away to Liverpool U23’s today, kick off is at 3pm too, and they have a suspension and injury crisis at the back too, Ballard and Osei-Tutu suspended, Pleggy injured, one of Koscislney and medley if not both, could be needed for first team today
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Just our luck that Calum Wilson is out of the Liverpool clash. Bournemouth give teams a right go and Liverpool get a bit in their shell against attacking teams this season.
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Afternoon Positive Goonerai’s! Many thanks to LG for the intro as always.
Have a good one!
COYG!
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Shame about Wilson. Spurs played Palace sans Zaha other day as well.
Not really related but I’ll mention anyway how often teams wheel out their injured or absent most physical/ dirty players against us.
Remember it with Cattermole a couple of times. Reading played that Dutch lump who promptly injured Perez, having never played before, and never did again. Sunderland infamously gave Smith his first and only minutes against us, before promptly releasing him to his place in non-league and beyond.
Rojo the latest- 69 league games in five years but plenty vs us- in what must be a long line. Bailly finally recalled as well but think he behaved.
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Bailly commited a WWF move on Laca when he scored. no attempt to play the ball. Yellow at least
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liverpool getting a helping hand from the pgmol game managers to make a title race out of it, who would have thought.
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Koscielny is a sub today
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Lichtsteiner at CB, and Monreal is in the subs too
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No Mesut again. Long time out, sad to see.
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Cant agree this will be easy or our next few games will be easy either. After two hard games and many injuries its always difficult to matain the flow and momentum can easerly be disrupted.
Strange at home still going with a back three and also it looks like Xhaka may play furthest forward out of the midfield three which many think is his best position. Matteo can play that position as well and both Miki and Alex like it there from the bench as well.
Nice to see our number one strike force in action today and Eddie may even get a run out to get him warmed up for Thursday COYG.
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Gone strong. Can’t recall a team like that before though where there’s no attacking mid/ wide man link type player at all. Auba, of course, but I think of him as striker operating from wide.
Can’t have been many teams in league last few years with none of Ramsey, Ozil, Mkhi or Iwobi starting
Hopefully enough for the day, maybe by a lot, but not sure something that would work well longer term- blocks: defence, mid, attack, with massive reliance on wing backs for width, runs and thrust.
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Thanks Labo. Normally I would say this will be a game where an early goal or two , perhaps from our strike twins will serve us well to negate bus parking and time wasting that will surely come our way.
However, I am extremely concerned about this game after learning that our first teamers spend most of their spare time injecting crack in the company of hippies.
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Sheaf back from injury for the U23’s
Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
20m20 minutes ago
📝 Here’s how #AFCU23 line up against @LFC in the #PL2 this afternoon…
Starting XI: Iliev, Olayinka, Medley, Sheaf, Omole, Bramall, Gilmour, Willock, Coyle, Saka, John-Jules
Subs: Okonkwo, Olowu, Thompson, Zelalem, Balogun
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Just noticed no Ainsley. Gotta hope no knock with a chance coming up on Wednesday. Same with Smith-Rowe who I’m looking forward to seeing again
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Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
2m2 minutes ago
Goal for @LFC. Markovic converts from a tight angle.
🔴 1-0 🔵 (9)
#AFCU23
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Arsenal Academy
@ArsenalAcademy
2m2 minutes ago
Instant response 🔥
@tyreecejj9 races forward and finishes from close range 👏
🔴 1-1 🔵 (10)
#AFCU23
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what the fuck did xhaka get booked for there, he was the one fouled
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PEA with a poor miss, he only had to have it on target to score, he was six yards out and free, but he puts it wide
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another big chance goes a begging, lacazette slips and falls when he looked set to score ten yards out
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FFS we have one of our…. special refs…. by the looks of things, we could do without strikers missing sitters
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its this ref’s first game at the Emirates and he has clearly got the memo from the PGMOL, he is a disgrace
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this ref needs to red one of their players to stop this rotational fouling
Good old fashioned British anti football
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Time for Huddersfield to bugger off into the championship and hang around with Stoke,talk about kick and run…
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we have a real pgmol game manager here, lacca has goal ruled out for offside, we will have to beat the 12 today
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disgrace again from the ref
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Mustafi misses next game. A joke of a ref, thats a pen.
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sokratis and mustafi both booked so miss the southampton game,
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FFS where do they get these refs from?
This ref wants an Arsenal red
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oh brother, fucking tedious reffing. Im off for a cuppa.
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Sounds like Emery will have to put real work in half time to calm players and try not to give ref any opportunity to do what he’s angling for- red, pen, etc.
Shouldn’t judge without watching, but here and twitter near unanimous, including few who don’t often go there, he is working a pgmol special.
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Half Time: Arsenal 0-0 Huddersfield
we should be at least three up, if not more, goal wrongly ruled out for offside, two sitters missed and keeper brought a top save from the one effort we had on target,
ref has been nothing short of a disgrace
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