Hello all.
Tonight we take a trip up to the extremity of our homeland , St. James Park, trying to turn a 2 goal deficit into a win, in order to progress to the final of the League Cup. A daunting task if I do say.
I thought we were very unluck to lose the first leg at home, especially by 2 goals, but what can you do? We are where we are and we have to make the best of it. So with the Dubai break coming up, we can play our strongest team. With the sudden rise of our 2 youngsters, I’m not sure what our strongest team is anymore. But I’m confident Mikel does know, and that’s all that matters.
We certainly won’t be seeing any of our new signings, given we didn’t make any. There has been quite a meltdown on social media about this, but that’s another think that is what it is, Many times Arsene would refuse to sign a body just for the sake of it, and I always backed him, so I refuse to be a hypocrite and give Mikel a kicking for doing the very same thing. Mistakes might have been made last summer, but we can’t fix them by making panic buys in January. We previously were very vulnerable to and injury to Odegaard, because we had no cover for him, and it came to pass, and we struggled. Well now a injury to Havertz would be catosropic. We just have to hope for the best.
Having dispatched the oil barons from Manchester, 5-1, I must admit that it gave me instantly more hope for us going up to the Northeast oil barons and coming away with a spot in the final.
Hope springs eternal.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
Thanks George. COYG!
LikeLike
the first goal could be vital, we get it they will be on the back foot, they get it and its probably game over
LikeLike
Yep we need the first goal especially as we tend to concede in most games.
Looking at both teams I don’t make us favourites for a penalty victory either although that is difficult to predict.
On the window I don’t think worrying about the lack of business is particularly hypocritical. Arsene pulled some of the greatest PL transfers out of the bag so trust in him was justified. The modern day transfer policy has been Old Pros, then young potential scatter gun approach, then big money safe signings.
Anyway back to tonight obviously we are capable of a victory by three goals or more and although the northerners have a good record in the league cup their regular defeats when it matters will hang over the team and the crowd. If we score first they will be shitting themselves.
If they score first they will sit back and try and catch on the counter as they did in the first leg. Either way I think that’s how they will start. Allowing us possession and then trying to hurt us in patches.
If we do go a goal down all is not lost cup games like this can be absolutely crazy. After the weekend there should be optimism, they may not play as open as city but if we are clinical then we know we can upset anyone COYG.
LikeLike
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Gabriel, Rice, Odegaard, Trossard, Martinelli, Havertz.
Subs: Setford, Calafiori, Zinchenko, Tierney, Kiwior, Jorginho, Merino, Nwaneri, Sterling.
Newcastle: Dubravka, Trippier, Burn, Botman, Schar, Hall, Tonali, Guimaraes, Murphy, Gordon, Isak.
Subs: Pope, Livramento, Targett, Krafth, Longstaff, Willock, Miley, Wilson, Osula.
LikeLike
Ian the worry on transfers is that the latest news is that both this window and the summer one Arteta had his way on who we signed, seemingly many players proposed to him when first choice targets could not be signed, but he was happier to leave the squad short rather than sign players who were not his main targets. And when you consider that Vieira, Lokonga, and Tavares were big key Arteta driven signings and none of them are wanted so shortly after getting them, same goes for Zinchenko and Jesus, should we really be letting Arteta have final say on signings.
by the way its not that long ago the club said they would never let themselves get into the situation where the manager would have this control, in fact they even said we would not have first team manager again after Wenger, that it would be Head Coach, with the Director of Football having final say on all transfers etc, but they have gone back on all that for Arteta. Isn’t it odd and even laughable that so many of the bloggers and big online accounts who were so anti the manager having massive power on decisions, now so pro Arteta having all this power. Its almost as if they have always been a shower of cunts with no true values.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Isak goal ruled out for offside, thank fuck cos that was close after poor defending
LikeLike
Phew! COYG, learn from that…
LikeLike
we are not handling the occasion well
LikeLike
well that’s that then, isak shot hits the post, murphy fires home, 3-0 on agg now. We had just had two good chances but odegaard missed both and now it looks over
LikeLike
Bugger. Still in it though. By the skin of our teeth. COYG!
LikeLike
Martinelli off with a hamstring injury Nwaneri on
thank God Arsenal were so very disciplined in the january transfer window and this injury won’t leave us short up front
LikeLike
Havertz and Saliba booked
LikeLike
HT: Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal – agg 3-0
odegaard missed a gilt edged chance seconds before newcastle took the lead, he had also missed a good chance a few moments earlier, Havertz missed a good chance later in the half, but Newcastle are causing our defense a lot of problems with their speed, Howe does seem to have found a method to cause Arteta football big problems
LikeLike
oh and god only knows how many weeks Martinelli will be out now, but we have four left backs to cover for him
LikeLike
arsenal have not handled the occasion in either of the legs of this semi final, which does not bode well for our CL chances to come
LikeLike
i can go to bed now and have a good sleep, if its good enough for our team to sleep on the job, then its good enough for me to sleep while the crash and burn, 4-0 on agg and we are all over the place,
goodnight
LikeLike
Goodnight moon.Goodnight Arsenal. Goodbye Wembley. Grrr!
LikeLike
Night Ed. Shame really.
LikeLike
Sometimes I don’t think its losing that’s so bad, but the bigger problem is the tyrannical nature of hope that leads you into games like this believing that an incredible victory might happen?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah yes, Mills – it’s the hope that gets you, as John Cleese pointed out in Clockwork. Always felt that yesterday was a game to nothing, given the way we left ourselves after the first leg. Could have been a triumph, always more likely to be just as it was. Suspect that the break will do them good, and then the Prem run-in and the Champions League will see us get in a good and promising position, but not quite convert the opportunity. As the saying goes, we are very nearly very good, but lack the cutting edge to be champions. We wouldn’t be the first ‘nearly’ team, and suspect some pretty searching questions need to be asked, answered and acted on.
LikeLike
Well that was disappointing, the charge never came. Yes we had a couple of opportunities in the first half but the charge never came.
Tactically the set up was naive, to sit on the half way line against the speed of their front three was criminal.
Yes we needed to score two but in the most famous 0-2 victory in our history we were patient and GG was actually planning to get to half time 0-0.
To let Isak sit on our last man was asking for trouble and we were never going to get through the match without him having success.
Howes tactics were exactly the same, high press on the keeper and then low block and fast breaks.
LikeLike
If it true, as sky reports, that Villa came to us with the Watkins deal and we countered with a bid £20 million lower then it would suggest the money has dried up and our wasted cash early in the Edu/Mikel era is coming back to bite us on the arse.
LikeLike
Ian ( or anyone else) what do you think of Watkins? Do you think he might have been ok? Personally Im not sure, could have worked out either way ( delivery or no delivery); maybe better than Stirling? Is he the sort of striker that can carry a team to victory through a whole season?
Were they (those that buy) also just focussing on the summer transfers?
Odd that Kyogo went for 10 mill and might have been an option, except he needed a lot of service. Obviously the stat-heads didn’t rate him, but watching him at Celtics been a treat these last years.
Makes you wonder why the Spuds weren’t in for him, maybe because Ange’s is going to get the boot?
You’re right about the charge, not coming, it even seemed after the first five we weren’t in it or even looking to charge, and looked intimidated and nervy? What you said about ’89 was spot on and how GG and the lads played it very different from last night?
Thinking of the blue skies and warm sun of Dubai?
Oddball Arsenal? Scrape a 1-0 against Ipswich, beat Man City 5-1, cant get control of a semi-final against a very beatable team? Sure seems like a pick n mix season?
Weird thing is we are a good side that can’t get in the flow or any kind of sustained unity, the kind that wins things? Did we look beter last season. Of course we don’t know how its going to play out but looks like its going to be a season of missing out when it could have been one that was a success in some ways?
Dang we miss Saka and White, even Tomi when hes at his best? I suppose it will be a lot of changes this summer and we will see plenty of leavers again and some new hopefuls arriving.
Anyone got any thoughts on the impact Merino has made? Can he do better and be more influential next season?
But at least we can still grapple with hope in the PL and the CL? We would all be laughing endlessly if we won the CL. See, hope rises up again taking me up the garden path! Oh brother!
Anyway, fork it! On we go on the good ship Arsenal.
COYG!
LikeLike
quote — ianspace2014February 6, 2025 at 11:33 am
Well that was disappointing, the charge never came.
jayus Ian when does the charge ever come under Arteta when we are losing, did anything change in our approach when we went 1-0 down, did it change when we went 2-0 down, if history is anything to go by, we probably accepted the 2-0 and made sure not to get a spanking chasing the game, Arteta doesn’t allow risks that might see a hammering.
LikeLike
well Mills my view on Watkins is that he is not the sort of striker to be the main man in a title winning team, but neither is Havertz, but we certainly would be better having both of them. I am not surprised to hear that it was Villa who contacted Arsenal about Watkins, and not the other way round as I don’t see Watkins as an Arteta type player, he is too individual and too focused on scoring and not the sort to put the system first like Havertz does. Its also why I don’t see us signing Isak, that Sesko guy is more the sort to be an Arteta signing, a young player who can be made to put the system first.
as for Merino, he has been average, bang average at best this season, and I don’t see him improving much if at all next season. Normally a player who kicks on in their second season will have shown flashes of whatever quality they have in their first season, but truly has anyone on here seen Merino do something this season where it made you say “oh that is what he bring to the table”
and on to our CL chances, I really do fear that if it looks like we are going to win it then that is when we will have another one of our off games. Ever since Arteta got his players in, got his tactics inbedded, got the system over instinct, we throw in these off games, done it in the EL, done it in the CL last season, done it in all the domestic cups, we’ve been knocked out of cup comtetitions 13 times since we last won a cup, and throw in the off games the last two league seasons when we had the title in our own hands, think Aston Villa in the run in last season, we were on an outstanding run, looked like title was there for the taking, totally failed to turn up v Aston Villa, and once title was then no longer in our own hands we were outstanding again. Nothing different that how we threw away CL qualification 3 seasons ago, the league the last two seasons, and I will not be the least bit surprised that if LFC do have a stinker of a run we will as soon as we look like winning the title have one of those off games.
For me the CC was a massive chance to win the minor cup that would help convince the players they can win trophies. The only player at the club who played in our last cup final winning team is Tierney who is leaving on a Bosman in the summer, and has not been wanted by Arteta for years. Saka was an unused sub in the final. These guys do not fully believe they can win trophies. Its a barrier that needs to be overcome.
LikeLike
Thanks Ed. I agree/ very interesting thoughts you’ve written. Makes you wonder if we don’t pick up any silver this year that next season might be Artetas last. But who would come in?
LikeLiked by 1 person
well Mills I wouldn’t worry about who would replace him, its Arsenal FC, not some small club, there will never be a shortage of good coaches to choose from. Too many give way too much credit to Arteta for in reality has been very little.
as Winston would have said Never in the field of football conflict was so much credited by so many for so little’
LikeLike
LOL!
Arsenal women v Man City semi- final live on YT at this moment, the Gunners are 1-0 down.
LikeLike
poor first half from the arsenal women, but it was a rocket of a shot city scored from
LikeLike
the Arsenal women hit with a sucker punch in the last seconds of the game, 2-1 to city
LikeLike
that was as poor as Ive seen the arsenal women play all season, definitely since Sleggers has been manager
LikeLike
My views on Watkins are much the same. Had we brought him two seasons ago maybe but to buy an average striker of his age for £60 million would of been an overpriced gamble.
I know Mikel has been backed financially way more than any manager in our history and for that you would want a decent trophy return. However it is a very competitive field we are racing in.
I think Mikel’s biggest asset has been squad togetherness. He is though, as we see often, a pre – game tactician and cannot change things off the hoof.
Arsene would train his players to develop ways to deal with the unexpected on the field but Mikel cannot even do this himself.
I think Mikel has done well but as I said a few seasons ago 2nd is his level.
LikeLike
When it comes to a replacement I’m not sure. Yes we are the ARSENAL and there will never be short of applicants at the door but someone who could do better than second I’m not sure.
Is there anyone who could guarantee success who would apply and we could afford in our current financial state I doubt it. Would a new manager be able to keep the team spirit as the current players definitely want to play for Mikel
I wouldn’t like to get like the spuds or manure who continually gamble on different managers and fail every couple of seasons and loose money paying them off.
When I said Mikel’s level was second I meant in the league so I do think he is worth a cup or two.
He probably needs a good experienced number two to help him with in game management. Without that I am afraid we will continue to be frustrated with his cautiousness, one for one replacements and subs coming on in the 103rd minute.
LikeLike
What do you guys think of Slegers? Was the Jonas side more exciting to watch? How do you see the future of the squad, as it is aging, and now Kühl was dropped then sold, Wienroither at City.
Players who could sit back and enjoy their positions and expand as players are now on the bench, does the side have a less organic and unified feel and more a “consumer” feel?
How will it look with Chloe coming in and Russo and Blackstenius tried out in different positions that seem a bit less effective? Do you think Chloe might push them out altogether?
LikeLike
ian I don’t think any number 2 will help change Arteta’s in game management, cos for me its not that he can’t see things are not working, its that he has not only a belief that his game plan is 100% correct, it is also that he will not change it to chase a game cos fundamentally one of its key components, if not the most important key component is that the game plan is designed to not chase games, cos chasing games leaves us open to a hammering. Wednesday was the 13th time we’ve been knocked out of a cup competition since we last one a cup, and I’d confidently say in not one of those 13 losses have we chased the game. Not in the CL, not in the EL, not in the domestic cups.
LikeLike
Mills all the reports are that the womens squad and management are way more together than they were with Jonas, and are happier, whatever that means. That performance yesterday was well below recent levels, maybe the loss to CFC has hit confidence. Stina misses too many good chances, for me Russo is a better finisher but does not make the runs Stina does, and I think Chole will be wide left, she might push McCabe out of the team, or back to left back
LikeLike
in Arteta’s time at Arsenal he has signed 27 players, on permanent deals, 4 of that 27 were signed on loan first before completing permanent deals(Odegaard, Mari, Cedric and Raya), we also had Matt Ryan on loan but did not sign him, and we currently have Sterling and Neto on loan with neither expected to sign full time.
11 of the 27 permanent signings are not part of the AFC first team squad this season, with Vieira, Tavares and Lokonga out on loan, I think 2 of them have purchase options or obligations, and Ramsdale, Turner, Runnarsson, Mari, Marquinhos, Cedric, Willian and Trusty all having left permanently already
Reports claims two more of his signings Jorginho and Partey are leaving on Bosman’s this summer as no new contracts offered.
Transfer rumors suggest that come summer Arsenal are willing to sell Zinchenko and Kiwior, and only his injury might prevent Jesus being sold too.
So just to sum that up a little bit, if as expected these guys leave this summer more than half of the PERMANENT signings made by Arteta so far will have already left Arsenal, this is the guy that some like to pretend has world class player ID. I wouldn’t let him have final say on signings.
LikeLiked by 1 person
reports tonight suggest Martinelli will miss a month or so with his hamstring injury,
Arsenal fixtures Gabriel Martinelli is expected to miss through injury: Leicester City (a)
West Ham (h)
Nottingham Forest (a)
Champions League Ro16 first-leg (tbc)
Manchester United (a)
Champions League Ro16 second-leg (tbc)
LikeLike
some suggesting Martinelli will not be back till after the Chelsea game
LikeLike
Arsenal U21’s are currently playing West Ham U21’s
Arsenal U21 team v West Ham: Nygaard, Clarke, Monlouis, Sweet, Washington, Gower, Salah-Eddine, I. Oulad M’hand, Ferdinand, Edwards, Kamara.
Subs: Ranson, C. Ismail, Copley, Ibrahim, Harriman-Annous
the interesting name there is Marcel Washington, who is a trialist, he was actually named in the Chelsea EPL squad lists today. It seems AFC are trying to bring in a left back for the U21’s as we recently had Wolves left back Lennon Patterson play for our U21’s too.
LikeLike
u21’s currently losing 1-0
LikeLike
Great goal by the O’s today ( yes, technically an o.g) shame they didn’t have enough to do the biz though, must have been one heck of a moment for their fans?
COYG!
LikeLike
i see Cardiff defeated Stoke away in the FAC on penalties, 3 former arsenal players played for Cardiff, Aaron Ramsey and Chris Willock started the game, Willock scored one of the penalties as did sub Callum Chambers
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know we probably need a left back at that level but it’s sounds funny when the first team has 74 left backs
LikeLike
Joe scoring as well today, the Willock brothers are on form.
LikeLike
Twice
LikeLike
Now that that the years are slipping away since the big Wengs departure, the more we start to see how great he was, not just the obvious; constant top flight exciting, fluid football in Europa, and domestically too, silverware, and season after season in the mix but something that struck me tonight with Ed mentioning the ex- Guns playing at Cardiff and beating Stoke, and that was the nurturing affect Weng had on players.
Soaking up the pressure and slander and protecting the players, installing self -belief and confidence, sowing seeds that could bloom in a billion different outcomes on the pitch, working with two -way trust, always behaving with a dignified attitude when his players left to go onto other climes when staying might have been more productive and rewarding for them (and the Arsenal) and yet also showing them what loyalty meant to the club?
Also his ability to suss out potentials, I know this didn’t always work out, but it seems it did much more than it didn’t. Yes, we bought some stars in, but also how many grew to become legends, some legends in life stay burnt in the collective consciousness and others seem more shadowy and more forgotten, but those legends pushed into the shadows were such good players, looking back at older Wenger- tenure games is still really exciting, even when we lost. Ok one or two games Im not watching as its too painful.
He may not have been a champion of Europe, but in a way he was more than that. A champion of humanity, the friend every player wanted, someone who looked beyond boundaries, prejudices and broke limiting traditions, who could point the way for good player to become a blinding star that made you feel excited to watch football. The Wenger years were a cosmos of ever changing star- patterns.
Fk me it was exciting, and we might not see it again in our lives.
He seemed to understand potential and possibility, key parts to the game. His head was called for too early by the myopic but perhaps he really was a once in a lifetime manager, and that seems sad. How would Kai and co have been under Wengs wing?
In our inhibited and limiting world I suppose what Ive written is greasy and irritating and scribbled through rose- tinted glasses,with no glass in them (fk u world!), but dang I miss that guy and the feeing of going into most games thinking we are probably going to win.
Orson Welles: ” Arsène Wenger, probably the best manager in the world”
COYG!
LikeLiked by 2 people
well said Mills
I do laugh when fans who hounded out Wenger now complain that their messiah teflon arteta hasn’t been supported enough in the transfer market by the board, oh the irony. Wenger was let down for ten years by the board, not only did they not fund signings, they demanded sale after sale after sale.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Goodnight Liverpool.
LikeLike
just a thought today, when out walking my dogs, on this summers transfer window. Arsenal left themselves 3 players short last summer, so lets assume we fill all 25 senior spots this time around, yeah I know but we can dream. That will be 3 new players needed, then we have Sterling and Neto on loan, and they will be leaving so thats up to five, then we know Tierney is off to Celtic and neither Partey nor Jorginho have so far been offered new deals, or at the very least they have not agreed any, so that makes it 7, and surely one or more of Zinchenko, Tomiyasu, Kiwior and Trossard will leave, Jesus being injured will likely mean he stays, so 8 to 11 players needed in. Hein might come back as back up keeper, but with all the reports that we will sign Garcia that is unlikely.
Now lets be conservative and say 7 or 8 players needed, some starters some squad, it does beg the question as to where the money will come for all that, after all we wouldn’t go the £20M extra to get Watkins in January, keeping our powder dry for a big money striker in the summer was the gist of it, so is that £150M for an Isak(very much doubt it), or an £80+ for a Sesko. We’ve been heavily linked with a deal for Zumbimendi for over £50M, so that’s £130M to £200M for just 2 of the 8 we will need. Again where will the funds come for the other 6. We can assume we’d get fees for Zinchenko and Kiwior, but that would be extra replacements to pay for too.
We’ll probably sell Saliba or Saka to bring in big funds. Or has anyone else thought of a way we will stay within the rules and actually fill the squad for once.
LikeLike