Arsenal FC v Nottingham Forest FC
Hello, how are you?
Well, its dang good to be back and away from the interlull, a lull that witnessed, political and religious changes and scandal, managerial and player transfer speculation, half-baked jingoism, Trossard limping off, snows (of various forms) in November and the usual Victorian-styled propriety being shouted at us by various media outlets in reaction to that. However, much more important is that the Mighty Cannon is back in action, and on Saturday the 23rd of November take up positions at Ashburton Grove as they face up to Nottingham Forest at 3.00pm (western European time).
Our win prediction is 69.9%% and Forest 10.9%, that seems a bit wayward considering all things, but I can’t verify such figures. Only a few weeks ago this wouldn’t have been cast as a ‘top of the table clash’ but now it is. Fings aint wot they used to be! And with four teams (Chelsea, Brighton, Forest and the Mighty Cannon) all on the same stats except for goal difference, and scrapping it out for third place, Forest won’t come down to the Emirates to make up the numbers, and I’m sure they have some self-belief going into the game what with a wins against Liverpool and Newcastle this season.
It might not be tolerated too much but somehow, perhaps for some absurd idea of continuity, I am actually quite pleased to see the Forest revival. Obviously I wasn’t keen we lost in the FAC wearing the curséd white kit, but something has seemed lacking in the PL when Forest lurked outside of it, I feel the same for Villa.
“damn you and your ludicrous continuity!” said General Picton.
A friend of our family was a committed Forest fan and told us an amusing story years ago. He was at the City Ground watching Forest and close to him stood an irate Forest supporter , as the home side started to attack the oppositions goal, was overcome by the self-righteous belief that his sideline insight was necessary for them to score and started repeatedly screaming out instructions: “give it to O’Neill, give it to O’Neill!”
Eventually the ball was passed to Martin O’Neill, who then made a totally hash of the pass, and the supporter then screamed out: ” why the fk did you give it to O’Neill?”
Of course these days this is a very different Forest much revived from their initial re-entry to the PL where they’ve flirted with relegation but avoided her advances(only just). Nuno has done a great job just as he initially did at Wolves, injecting some espirito into the club, question is can he take Forest further than he did at Wolves?
Even though we came away feeling disappointed that we didn’t win against Chelsea, hopefully how we played might have restored a bit of much needed confidence? A win would sure put us back on track, a loss will mean life jackets all round to save us from drowning in the angry spittle of reactionary disappointment, and a draw will just create more frustration? I suppose much depends on whose injured and who isn’t? All of us in the Goonerverse are hoping for some champagne football and a hefty batch of goals. None of us are sure its going to happen, oh, the tyranny of hope!
Well that’s it, lots of bits and pieces that I’m sure have made you feel like going off and sitting on the kasi while you suss out the moon to escape its tediousness.
Even so, here’s to a great game for us and lucky horses!
COYG and keep on keepin’ on!
Mill
Positively Arsenal 
It’s good to be back.
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This used to be a top clash so maybe fings are what they used to be. Although with chelsea and city up there maybe there not. Again I’ve lost an argument with myself.
Our home form is usually good and with the old notion that Forrest luck and form has to break sometime.
They are another side who love to counter fast so it might be our injuries at the back that we need to be worried about.
I’m fully expecting Saka, Rice, Odegaard, Martinelli and Havertz all to be fit so we should outscore them anyway.
No matter how much we want performance it’s 3 points we need and that’s what I expect from the lads COYG.
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This used to be a top clash so maybe fings are what they used to be. Although with chelsea and city up there maybe there not. Again I’ve lost an argument with myself.
Our home form is usually good and with the old notion that Forrest luck and form has to break sometime.
They are another side who love to counter fast so it might be our injuries at the back that we need to be worried about.
I’m fully expecting Saka, Rice, Odegaard, Martinelli and Havertz all to be fit so we should outscore them anyway.
No matter how much we want performance it’s 3 points we need and that’s what I expect from the lads COYG.
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Thank you Millsy,
Wonder filled, light and positive. Exactly what this blog is supposed to be.
I have no idea why the season is so stop start, were there always so many endless breaks for pointless international matches? It feels like they come around every other week and last forever.
I shall catch up tomorrow as I have two gigs today so I’ll be on the road for much of it.
The wheel is due a turn in our favour, let’s see if it happens today.
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testing
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Well I’ve spent the last fortnight moaning and groaning about international breaks and of course now it’s over instead of feeling pleased and excited I’m full of dread and anxiety.
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Sorry about the mistake in writing that Forest had beaten Newcastle, I’ve no idea where I got that one from.
Nice result yesterday. Hopefully we can keep it going for Sporting CP.
COYG!
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3 high quality goals yesterday, delighted to see Nwaneri score his first EPL goal
I do find it funny seeing so many Arsenal fans write off Man City’s title chances, and bigging up Arsenal’s, with City ahead of us in the table despite their poor run of form.
CL game up next for AFC, will Havertz and Martinelli return to the starting 11 for that
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Reports that Kieran Tierney is included in the squad for tomorrows game
The only 2 senior players not in training today were Ben White and Tomiyasu
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just seen that Ethan Nwaneri’s younger brother Emerson Nwaneri is in the Arsenal academy at hale end, and has been called up to the England U15 development squad
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George, Ive sent the preview over to you. COYG!
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COYG.
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THIS SPORTING LIFE!
Sporting CP v Arsenal FC
Hello and how are you? Tuesday 26th of November at 8.00pm (western European time) will see the Mighty Cannon hauling its mighty Arsenal over to Portugal for a show-down with Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League at the 50,000 seater Estádio de José Alvalade.
I only watched the first half of the Forest game and the highlights of the second half but certainly there were some encouraging moments, some nice one touch football? I still felt we missed a few chances that could have sealed the game well before HT and I also expected a bit more from Nuno’s Forest? Perhaps the ridiculous stop-start that mucks up the flow of the season due to international calling works well for some clubs and others not? Personally I’d rather see all the international games played before the start of the season, and the League of Nations or whatever it is, which seems a poor and ersatz competition, gotten rid of? But I’m sure some get a big kick out of it (and money) and that fair enough, but its a pain when our players also get a kick out of it and come back with a two month injury. Grrr! Kane argues club before country but from a certain perspective, clubs are the country? How did you feel we played against Forest?
November always seems such a drag of a month, with its seemingly endless grey and then the incessant and overwhelming push of Christmas capitalism to part with our money in order to have a ‘perfect time’, and sometimes this gloom seems to cast itself over games like these? I’m not sure how enthusiastic everyone feels, but it doesn’t feel like a glamourous game?
Yet this is no middle of the table match-up, Sporting are currently 2nd to Liverpool in this first stage of the CL, with victories over Graz, City (an impressive 4-1 win), Lille and a draw with Eindhoven. The Mighty cannon rests in 12th place but on the same points as seven other clubs (including City and Celtic), so a win would really booster our confidence and get us up higher in the league and automatic qualification.
After the Inter game I think we were all left with a bitter taste and would have liked to have come away with more and perhaps in this rendezvous with the Lions of Sporting CP we can accomplish that? The Sporting manager João Pereira has only recently taken over from the freshly departed Ruben Amorim, who defected to our old chums ManUre, but still won his first game 6-0.Sporting are currently top of the league above the other Portuguese giants Porto and Benfica. They’ve won all their games and not drawn any either and have scored 39 and let in 5.
Despite Sporting being so good this year in all competitions, Arsenal are tipped at 41.3% to win and Sporting only at 39.9%, so perhaps we should go into this not as some third-rate snaffling underdog? Its going to take a big effort but on our day we can get this one done. COYG!
Well that’s it, lots of bits and pieces that I’m sure have made you feel like going off and searching for the answer to life instead of reading this tediousness.
Even so, here’s to a great game for us and lucky horses!
COYG and keep on keepin’ on!
Mills
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Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz.
Subs: Neto, Setford, Tierney, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Jorginho, Sterling, Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus.
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The 6-0 was against a fourth tier Portuguese side however I think we’ve only won once on Portuguese soil that was in the Fairs cup 1970.
Also Sporting’s home record against anyone is pretty awesome.
When we want to be, we are a different animal so there is no reason to hope for a decent result COYG.
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Top work Mills and thanks. I like November as it happens: the start of proper winter, though the experts would have it as late Autumn apparently. Clocks back, fireworks, daughter’s birthday and the sense of Christmas coming. I’ve taught at secondary school most of my life and even the sulkiest teenager kind of gets excited as the sleeps tick down. And no more wretched international breaks for the foreseeable, and when the next one comes I’ll almost be wishing for Spring anyhow. Rhythms are important to me I suppose.
Still, enough of all that nonsense, there’s a match to watch even though the dog’s giving me evils and begging for something more light entertainment on the TV so he won’t get banished for trying to round up the ball.
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Martinelli makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal, fires home for a few yards out from a fine timber low cross
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Havertz makes it 2-0 to the Arsenal, tapping home from a yard out after saka had put the ball through the keepers legs
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So sorry folk, I’ve been missing in action today and missed posting Mill’s wonderful preview. Sorry all and especially sorry to Mills.
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Gabriel made it 3-0 to the Arsenal with a towering header from a corner just before half time, total domination
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Arsenal dominant here tonight, making a good team look ordinary so far at least.
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Not at all George, just glad youre ok, that’s much more important! COYG!
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I thought Ozil was the best footballer I’ve ever seen ‘live’ but I’m beginning to wonder if Odegaard isn’t even better.
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not even close
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Saka penalty makes it 4-1 to the Arsenal, and should put any thoughts of a sporting comeback out of their minds
Trossard and Merino on for Martinelli and Rice
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Zinchenko and Nwaneri on for Callafiori and Odegaard
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Trossard makes it 5-1 to Arsenal, heading home form a few yards out after the keeper parried a merino shot
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Kiwior on for Gabriel
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Unbelievable performance after a very decent one against Forest, the sound of an ARSENAL crisis seems to be drifting off.
Everyone will this say this was amorinless sporting in a vacuum, in reality it was just a near perfect away performance.
The one touch, aggressive, quick football was a pure joy to watch going forward and the organisational, aggressive, well timed defense was great for the purest.
All in all an absolutely brilliant night.
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man city end their run of defeats with a 3-3 draw at home to the mighty Feyenoord
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just seen man city were 3-0 up with 15 minutes to go and it ended 3-3
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Ed,
73 minutes was the latest a team has lead 3-0 and not gone on to win in Champions League history, another record for city.
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Mathis Eboue the 15 year old son of former Arsenal player Emmanuel Eboue is set to sign for Chelsea from Watford
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That’s a real shame Ed, it always upsets me when the offspring of our former players go to other academies.
This is even more annoying when chelskis academy has a history of not putting youngsters into the first team no matter how well they have done.
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New post is up
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