Hello and how are you? Sunday the 22nd of February sees the Mighty Cannon go east and up the Seven Sisters road for a clash with our favourite best friends, Tottenham Hotspur FC. KO at the Lane is at 4.30pm local time. Expected weather is partly cloudy, temps at 13° (feels like 12° ) and between 1 and 6% chance of rain.
I have nothing to add to this one, especially after the interesting posts on the blog this week, we all know what’s played out and what’s forming before us. Aspects of the media are setting us up for a fall, but I’m sure Arteta and Co have other ideas.
Missing for the Arsenal are: looks everyone’s potentially available, except long termer Merino.
Missing for the Spuds are: Wilson Odobert (ALC) Pedro Porro (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (ACL), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Kevin Danso (ankle), Destiny Udogie (thigh), Lucas Bergvall (ankle), Ben Davies (ankle) and Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Cristian Romero (suspended). Doubtful is Richarlison and Solanke, but I think the latter will be back for this one.
The lads at Statto HQ were on their way to a large comic con and were attired in various styles of cosplay but still handed over the predictions: Tottenham Hotspur FC, Middlesex, 16.2 % chance of winning. Arsenal FC, North London, 60.9% chance of winning. Next up a holiday for the lads in Dubai and then Chelsea at ours. So COYG!
Mills
Our assault on the league seems to have gone from a Blitzkrieg to a Rorke’s Drift since Christmas. Kicking the proverbial out of Arteta and some of the new scapegoat players will do nothing to help our cause, but insisting the Sun is out when we are getting soaked to the bone, doesn’t seem too smart either. If anything good came from the fans and media murdering Wengerball on a budget, it’s that the horrible pain of defeat has, for me, been relegated to a dull ache. We used to play in a way that made me proud of Arsenal, win lose or draw. I know that often we were poor, but we always tried to me entertaining , brave and good. We had players that I adored, Arshavin, Cesc, Rosicky, Santi, Jack, Aaron etc. But those days are now just a beautiful memory and all the longing wont bring it, or anything approaching it back.
All we can do is support what we have, in whatever way we as individuals choose, and make the most of it. We might enjoy it less, but somehow we should at very least, try to get some joy from our hobby. If we can’t do that, perhaps it’s time of a new hobby, Knitting perhaps?
Games don’t get much bigger than this in my opinion, so enjoy what you can my friends. The run in will tell us as much about US, as it will about the team and our dear leader.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
from the 70th minute when Chelsea were put down to ten men Arsenal completed only 55 passes, while chelsea completed 114, and astonishingly from the 85th minute to the end Arsenal completed only 7 passes to Chelsea’s 55.
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We used to complain about how early lockdown would come in games where we were ahead but now the attempt at lockdown is coming but the reality is we are conceding possession, chances and ultimately goals after going ahead.
Even against the worst spud team in PL history we weren’t tight. Against a chelsea side a goal and a man down we stopped the press on the keeper who had been struggling all game. This allowed Chelsea play out from the back or play long to their forwards. Even though we were a player up our back line still pushed up meaning there was three two v two’s after they had a player sent off.
Game management and fast breaks have been two area’s we have been poor for a long time but recently it seems to be getting worse.
It is rare that Rice, Zubamendi and Trossard all play badly (by their own standards) in the same game but that’s what happened here. Hincapie struggled but he wasn’t helped by those around him.
Having said that the squad the new blue ownership have amassed at huge expense is very good and so is their new manager. I believe they will be genuine title contenders next season.
With nine games to go not only will we have to find ways to go ahead but our game management will have to massively improve or we will be caught out and ultimately lose the league.
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To Hove and back,
Mills, I hope you are feeling better.
As we set up for the midweek game at brighton I thought I would tell you about one of my abiding memories of playing on the coast.
The game was on a freezing cold January day in 1988 when we played them in the F.A. cup. Sansom was still at left back so Winterburn, the most one footed leftie ever, was playing at right back. Stevie hard man Williams was on midfield and Rix was at the end of his ARSENAL career. Kevin Richardson and Perry Groves scored in a two-one win to put us through to the next round.
It was after the game that made the day memorable firstly because news filtered through of the spuds being knocked out by Port Vale (if Robbie Williams would have been born he would be chuffed). The chant went up about when ARSENAL win and tottenham lose to you’ve got me singing the blues (words different and hopefully never sung again)
The away fans allocation was massive because it was the cup and many said there were over 10,000 ARSENAL fans there and that obviously didn’t include all the thugs beating everyone up in the home end. I know this because their number included lots of lads from my home town.
Although the police held us in you could hear the sound of seagulls coming from just outside (that was their fans and not the birds) When we were let out it all kicked off and somehow Hove station got set alight.
The police charged us with horses and dogs (football fans were one of the groups to which this was socially acceptable at the time) and I remember one of my mates having his arse eaten by an Alsatian. In his efforts to get away he jumped over what he thought was a small garden wall, however it was one of those houses with stairs going down to a deep basement and he fell about eight feet. I’m sure I heard the dog snigger like Mutley.
We managed to find a pub to hide out until all the shit subsided and the we caught a train back to kings cross where we had several more bevys to keep the happiness going. By the time we got back to my home time there was only two of us left and being really drunk we proceeded to vandalise a building site where they were putting up a new shopping centre.
By the time I got home it was the early hours of the morning and as I tried miserably to get my key in the door I could hear growling from the other side. As I didn’t have a dog at the time I knew it was my Mrs. “Where the FUCK have you been” she said, and “salutations to you I replied” ” shut up you cheeky cunt I’ve been worried sick”. I tried to explain about the fire at the station and how it had been closed down and how I dutifully waited and got the first available train back. “Really” she said “Brians wife rang about six o’clock saying he’d just got in and I’d left him in the melly.
Now Brian wasn’t his real name I changed it for litigation purposes. Brian was the type of bloke that everything happened to, a real Joahna. He got his bollocks split when a dog bit him and was choked by inhaling smoke from the company van. My wife was friends with his and so I used to take him to football. He once tripped me up as we running to get into a game at Highbury and I fell on the high kerbs around the stadium and I was winded for ages. At the Mercantile credit final at Villa park where we beat manure 2-1, all the fans were fighting outside and he panicked so I had to hide him behind a tree so I could concentrate on punching the utd fans running towards me.
Anyway I was in the doghouse for ages after that but what a day absolutely brilliant.
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I still in the thick of it, but thats kind of you to ask. Thanks Ian. Maybe George could use it as part of the preview, I dont think I can do one tonight? But what you wrote cracked me up and I needed that.I can imagine you have hundreds of stories from over the Arsenal years.
Thanks mate!
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with the over the top media attention on our corners v chelsea and the comments from the brighton manager about the amount of time it takes us to take corners I fully expect we get a penalty given against us tomorrow for holding at a corner, and to get a player booked for time wasting at a corner
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FT: Wolves 2-1 Liverpool
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Game 30 and obviously another must win. The last six games have given us a difficult fixture list and we have struggled in some games.
It’s a shame we are not visiting the seagulls in December because that is their bogey month, brighton’s last six home games read won two, drawn three, lost one, our last six away games read won three, drawn three.
As we are top in the away league and they are tenth in the home league, so you would think we should fancy our chances but seeing this is the run in and we have to win escaping the chances of a draw will be difficult.
Although the media are saying brighton are not as football based as they were, they still love possession. So after all the low block, quick break teams we’ve played over this season we now play the second possession based side on the trot.
In the past teams who like to play football struggle against us but the seagulls are strong defensively and organised at set plays.
This is another hard game and probably the hardest game bar city in the run in. The prize tonight is the feel good factor of another win and a bit of a break for a while.
Again bar city this is the last game outside London. If we are on form tonight and play as we know we can we can bring home the necessary points COYG.
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Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice, Eze; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli
Arrizabalaga, Jesus, Norgaard, Trossard, Madueke, Havertz, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman
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off topic, the usa/israel illegal attack on Iran has had the usual effect or should i say consequence for the ordinary people in this part of the world, namely price gouging by big corporations and companies. One example is heating oil. I myself had a bit of luck when it came to buying heating oil, I thankfully ordered 500l of kerosene last Thursday, and it was delivered on Monday, it cost me €503.48, so yesterday I checked what the price would have been and it was €702.17, and I checked again just now and its a mind blowing €878.66. This is disgraceful price gouging, its a fucking robbery, and I bet most of these people would think of themselves as good Christians or good people.
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Saka will tonight play his 300th game for Arsenal, and David Raya will play in his 100th EPL game for us.
Saliba misses out due to an ankle sprain
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HT: Brighton 0-1 Arsenal
Saka with the goal from our only shot of the half
we’ve been second best, and Arteta needs to take off Mosquera at half time as he is on a booking and Chris Kavanagh will be itching to send him off
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Gyokeres and Martinelli off
Havertz and Trossard on
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Mosquera off
Calafiori on
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Zubimendi off
Norgaard on
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7 minutes of stoppage time to be played
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FT: Brighton and Hove Albion 0-1 Arsenal
Saka with the winner on his 300th game for Arsenal.
A horrible watch once again, but a win is a win is a win.
Man City 2-2 Nottingham Forest means Arsenal now have a 7 point lead at the top of the table with a game extra played.
So no matter how horrible it was a win is a win is a win and could be vital in the end.
8 games to go, city have 9, so we have 4 points to play with, so 20 points from a possible 24 is the maximum we need to win the title
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after tonights EPL results spurs are 1 point above the relegation zone with a home game v Crystal Palace tomorrow
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our remaining EPL fixtures
Everton – Home
Bournemouth – Home
Man City – Away
Newcastle – Home
Fulham – Home
West Ham – Away
Burnley – Home
Crystal Palace – Away
only game outside of London is Man City away.
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last attack of the game Forest clear it off the line to keep it 2-2,
https://x.com/i/status/2029308757516185817
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I have complained for a hell of a lot of this season that our football in the EPL is boring as fuck, cowardly, way too negative and for the most part forgettable, but I’ve made peace with it, I could care less if our next 8 EPL games are all 1-0 wins ground out like never before, at this stage all that matters is we get the 20 more points that we need to win the league. I don’t care how, i don’t care if I will not remember the football fondly, I only care that we win the damn thing.
We can keep the thrilling football for winning the other 3 cups too.
Come on you Gooners.
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newcastle 2-1 man utd
newcastle went down to ten men just before half time when the score was 0-0.
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Wow what a massive win, for the first time in a long time the subs came early enough to change the game.
Brighton were the only team in it after the break and it is credit to Mikel he only took ten minutes to change things up.
I couldn’t believe how our young CB got booked for basically stepping on someone’s foot and Brighton were doing all sorts of shithouserey and not getting booked at all.
A goal from open play, a clean sheet, beating a cheating fucking manager and beating PIGMOL all in one night and city dropping points, absolutely fantastic everything else we can forget.
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its laughable how much of a hypocrite the Brighton manager is, he had a hell of a lot to say about Arsenal time wasting and claiming he would never have his team do such a thing, but the stats are out there and in 3 or 4 of his teams WINS this season his team took longer on restarts than AFC did last night. Also over all games his team is one of the lowest for time with ball in play, while Arsenal is one of the highest.
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last night in a penalty shoot out Ethan Nwaneri hit his penalty over the bar and Toulouse eliminate Marseille from the Coupe de France
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HT: Spurs 1-3 Crystal Palace
spurs took the lead, had van de ven sent off, and conceded two goals in first half stoppage time to go in two goals down.
if spurs lose this game they will be 1 point above the relegation spots with 9 games to play.
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ft: spurs 1-3 palace
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the u21 game is live on Arsenal.com at 7
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Setford, Dixon, Salmon, Dowman and Harriman-Annous all missing for the U21s which suggests that some if not all will be in our first team squad for the Mansfield game tomorrow
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Arsenal U21 team v Norwich: Porter; Hamill, Clarke, Ogunnaike, Washington; Ibrahim, Agustien, Julienne; O’Neill, Mooney, Bailey-Joseph.
Subs: Mitchell, Owusu-Gyasi, Ferdinand, Marciniak, Stevens
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Real shame Myles is suspended for this one but we should absolutely play all the rest of the young lads.
Rice and Zubamendi have looked knackered in the last couple of games and have fallen way beneath their usual standards as a result they should be tucked up in bed tomorrow and not allowed anywhere near Mansfield.
Obviously there are many other players who should be eating their lunch in London when we kick off tomorrow Raya, Gabriel, Saka, Trossard etc.
This season, because of the position we find ourselves in other competitions the F.A. is of little importance so if the worst happened and we got knocked out it wouldn’t be a disaster.
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u21 game ended 2-2, O’Neill and Ferdinand had given Arsenal the lead twice but Norwich hit back both times, they got their second 3 minutes into stoppage time.
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ian if our squad can’t beat Mansfield then we haven’t got a good a squad as we think.
we can rest all 3 who started up front and bring in any 3 or even 4 of Madueke, Havertz, Jesus, Trossard, Martinelli (who hasn’t played much lately). In midfield we have Norgaard who surely must start, and Eze hasn’t played much so he should stay in the team. at the back Mosquera and Califiori are almost certain to start, Kepa will surely start in goal.
Kepa, Mosquera, Califiori, Eze, Norgaard, Havertz, Madueke, Jesus, Trossard, Martinelli.
We then have Salmon and Dowman who can get game time. Then there is Setford for back up keeper, Dixon and Harriman-Annous that can be subs. with a few of the midweek starers filling out the bench, Gyokeres, Hinicapie.
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Trossard is another one who has looked fatigued recently. I think he should be a sub.
Kai and Ricci won’t make the whole game and so will need to be replaced after about an hour.
Minutes really have to be managed in the run in.
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ian I don’t know if its true or not but I’ve seen a few people claim that Trossard and his wife split up and that it the cause of his slump in form.
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Todays opponents sit near the bottom of the third tier after a poor recent run of form in 2026.
They have however a good keeper and organised back four who have one of the best defensive records in the division and especially from dead ball situations.
The pitch is also notoriously crap and the ref is not experienced and will be a homer I would imagine. There is VAR in this game.
Lots of teams are good at dead ball situations but find out not against ARSENAL and with the pitch being poor it’s probably a good way to go.
We certainly have enough talent in our squad and youth to win this comfortably but this is the F.A. cup so the effort has to be there COYG.
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Kepa; Salmon, Norgaard, Mosquera, Calafiori; Havertz, Dowman, Trossard; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli
Subs: Setford, Hincapie, Saka, Eze, Timber, Gyokeres, Dixon, Harriman-Annous, Ibrahim
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Arsenal U18’s losing 2-0 at home to Brighton at half time.
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Hincapie on for the injured Trossard
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Madueke makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal
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HT: Mansfield 0-1 Arsenal
Madueke with the goal in a less than inspiring performance. A few missed chances, Dowman who became our youngest ever FA Cup starter has had some very good moments. Mansfield are still in the game
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That goal by Madueke means Arsenal are the first Premier League team to reach 100 goals in all competitions this season
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Arsenal are the first EPL team to start two 16 year olds in the same team in any competition, Dowman and Salmon.
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our U18’s now losing 3-0
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https://x.com/i/status/2030269687817552123
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1-1, a bit of a disaster
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Salmon and Haverts off
Timber and Eze on
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Eze makes it 2-1 to the Arsenal with a banger
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Calafiori injured again, he really is a sick note, is off
Jaden Dixon(19) our January signing from Stoke makes his first team debut
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Saka also came on with Dowman going off
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our u18’s lost 3-0 at home to brighton, they are having a very poor season
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