Hello and how are you? Saturday 25th of April sees the Mighty Cannon host our old chums from Tyneside for a crucial top of the table clash. KO is at 5.30pm Uk time.
So here we go, another massive game ( has there been anything else all season?), let’s face it lose this and most of the hope that we are still clinging to will run out, like the dregs of sand in an egg timer.
Win this and its advantage Arsenal. Newcastle have had a poor run of form (two wins in nine), so I expect them to do well against us, turning up the heat and giving us no room or chance to shoot or score, as, like half the PL they aim for some kind of Euro-spot. Ker-ching!
I’m sure like the rest of the world they would rather City win the league than nasty old Arsenal. How nice it is to be back in 1980-87 and hated by all the other teams and fans…something that wasn’t the case in the Wenger years. I wonder why? Answers on a post card to…
Strange that before big or important games the press is flooded with transfer talk about key players leaving? The most bizarre fiction I read was something about Bernie Silva coming to us next year now his time at City is done. And that sums it up.
Plus, I’m sure Mr Howe doesn’t want more pressure on his position. Talking of our Eddie, he says that Gordon and Liveramento are AWOL for the Geordies.
Theres all sorts rumours running around about whose back and who isn’t for Arsenal but Mickey Arteta keeps that sort of info close to his chest. Merino’s on training lite, some say Saksa back, some say, you don’t say. Timber! Could be back and Calafury too. But in the end, me no know.
I can imagine after the last run out, where the Gun pretended to be a Chicken and ran around in a lost psychological wilderness, they will be keen to get the faithful, who perhaps are less faithful after recent results, back on their side?
If we lose ( or draw), I wouldn’t expect anyone to still have faith, also we have the Champions league semi coming up, something years ago we would have been desperate for, but now doesn’t really seem to be cooking up too much excitement?
Maybe bashing Newcastle might do the job?
The freaks at Statto HQ got on the telex and sent stats that reckoned up the Arsenal at 63.8% and Newcastle United at 16%.
Next up CL semi-final against Atlético Madrid, at their casa. SO COYG!
Mills
When we lost at the weekend, I immediately turned over and watched the snooker, never giving Arsenal another thought. On Sunday a friend asked me how I felt after the defeat, I honestly said, “Oh, was that yesterday? I’m not bothered, my interest is dead”. That’s were I am friends.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
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Well things keep getting thrown at Mills and he keeps knocking them out of the park, well done again Mills.
George, you may have fell in love with Arsene’s ARSENAL but unfortunately you are hooked for life as every fan of every club is.
Football hast to break your heart it is one of the guarantees of being a fan. As much as you don’t like this version of the red and white at the moment, it will still be in you forever and it will sneak up on you when you least expect it.
Today we play the magpies and a group of magpies are called a mischief and that’s exactly what we don’t want at the moment.
Our opposition are going through a rough patch at the moment. Historically all newcastle they don’t like visiting London and they especially don’t like playing us. They also have some of their best players missing today. So all of the signs suggest an easy victory today but we all know this is football and it doesn’t work that way.
Having said that the team have had a rest and a response to all the negative press is expected. The pressure should be off tonight as not so much is expected and frankly newcastle seem like a team who are depressed. They are the third quickest team on the break in the league but we have coped with better and I think today’s game will be all about us.
I am actually looking forward to this one and our performance COYG.
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Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard, Madueke, Eze, Havertz.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Lewis-Skelly, Mosquera, Saka, Martinelli, Trossard, Dowman, Gyokeres, Jesus.
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Ezeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal, his 10th goal of the season
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the Eze goal
https://x.com/i/status/2048081762899685465
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the Eberechi Eze goal was Arsenal’s 17th goal of the season from a corner in the Premier League – a new record
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Havertz off injured
Gyokeres on
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1-0 up losing the midfield at the moment, need to step it up
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HT: Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle United
Eze with our goal, Havertz off injured.
We are winning but it aint pretty or indeed easy
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Arsenal U21 team v Man. City U21 : Setford, Nichols, Salmon, Ogunnaike, Washington, Ibrahim, O’Neill, Dudziak, Bailey-Joseph, Mooney, Harriman-Annous.
Subs: Porter, Hamill, Julienne, Agustien, Ferdinand. Stachow
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Newcastle have had 9 shots to Arsenal’s 3, watching this you wouldn’t think Arsenal were the team going for a league title.
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Man City Women lost 3-2 away to Brighton Women today, meaning they remain 11 points clear of Arsenal with city having 2 games left to play, but Arsenal have 5 games to play so still the slightest of chance of a league title for our Women, they play their CL semi final first leg v Lyon women tomorrow.
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We are very slow asking Saliba and Gabriel to do a lot of the creative work. Two and three touch football whereas the opposition are playing one touch quick football and are slicing through the press easily.
Were also kicking the ball long against a big defence as well.
We know the barcodes have a great midfield but at the moment we are nowhere.
This has all the making of a 1-1 after they scored in the 88th minute.
You would think that the manager completely changed it up second half but Mikel is normally a grinder not a slasher.
This is going to be another nervy second half
COYG.
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Eze off injured
Martinelli on
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its like watching paint dry
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our players are afraid to shoot
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the blue monster goes ahead
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crazy if Pope isn’t sent off here, he takes Gyokeres out and only gets a yellow
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Zubimendi and Madueke off
Lewis-Skelly and Saka on
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7 minutes of stoppage time to be played
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well that was horrible, but we won!
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FT: Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle
Eze with the goal, but oh my how poor a performance was that. There is no sign that Arteta or the players are handling the pressure of a title run in, that was a performance devoid of ideas, devoid of attacking intent, its shameful.
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Another terrible performance.
A novis would not only think Newcastle were the team going for the title but the home team as well.
I have seen ARSENAL lose games for decades but rarely do we get dominated by the opposition.
To rely on counter attacks when that is a weak area of our game seemed crazy. Game management has not got any better either from the manager or the players.
Having seen early on that we were getting dominated in midfield we needed a different set up but even late on their was no change. Mikel doesn’t trust any of his back up midfielders at all. I thought I saw Christian in the training pics but he wasn’t even on the bench.
It looked like we didn’t want to win the league because we weren’t going forward and our slow backwards play was getting us in trouble. We were dropping so deep but it wasn’t a rearguard action because Newcastle were finding it easy to get through us and create lots of chances.
Against city there were fine margins that fell their way and on another day we would of won the game but today the better team lost which I find really difficult to say.
For all those who were clamering for Declan to be Captain they can forget it after that ridiculous cross with 30 seconds to go offering Newcastle another chance, absolutely crazy from an experienced player.
We are top of the league with four games to go and favourites in the semi final of the champions League but it is really difficult to see how any logically thinking of person can be majorly optimistic about either.
I can’t believe what I have just written but unfortunately it’s true.
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Amazingly the fixtures are still working out in our favour. After the away game in madrid (our last game in April) May brings us just five games before the end of the PL season.
We have madrid, fulham, madrid all separated by three days then a five day gap before the west ham game and then a full week before both burnley and palace.
If palace get to the conference final our game will be just three days before it and you would imagine they would rest some players.
After getting to the final of the F.A.cup city’s game with Bournemouth has yet to be arranged and their game with Palace has been arranged for Friday the 22nd of May just two days before their last game of the season against Villa.
That means they have six big games between Monday the 4th of May and the final game just twenty days later on the 24th of May.
As bad as we are playing we still might be in with a chance. It’s the hope that kills you.
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Arsenal Women 1-0 down. COYG!
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a good comeback win for the Arsenal Women, 2-1, it could have been more had a penalty overturned by VAR and a goal too. We messed up many good attacking positions too. But avoid defeat in the second leg and a second CL in a row for the women could be on the cards. It was nice that Olivia Smith got the winner after all the late challenges they put in on her.
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Some rumors that Havertz may not be as badly injured as first feared and might not miss too many games.
Eze said after the game he came off as a precaution and is alright, but then he said the same thing the last time he came off injured and was out for a number of weeks.
Some reports say Martinelli has a hamstring injury and will miss the midweek game.
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by this time this day four weeks the EPL season will be over and done with, will we have won it for the first time in 21 years or will we set the record for finishing in the top 2 for 4 years in a row without winning the title.
the dream season outcome is still on Arsenal win the EPL and the CL and spurs get relegated, but the horror season outcome is also possible, no trophies for Arsenal, spurs stay up, and CFC win the FA Cup.
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reports that Xavi Simons will be out for 7 months with an ACL injury, he went off in spurs match away to wolves yesterday
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in this clip is arteta really telling Gyokeres to take it to the corner
https://x.com/i/status/2048109906901782552
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The lyon keeper looks extremely dodgy and bending crosses behind their back line caused her all sorts of problems.
The second half especially, ARSENAL really went for it until the last five minutes when we sat further back and invited the opposition on.
I really don’t understand the modern thinking of hoofing the ball back to the opposition and giving them possession and a chance to create. An old manager of mine said the best form of defence is attack and at the high stakes end of season that seems to be the case.
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with man city making it to the FA Cup final they will have to now arrange two midweek games before end of the season, their game with Bournemouth will have to go midweek. Not sure if their game v Crystal Palace has been arranged, there was some talk that it would be on Thursday the 21st or Friday the 22nd, with final round of EPL games on Sunday 24th
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looking at fixtures it does seem the Man City v Crystal Palace game in on Friday the 22nd, with us playing Palace on Sunday 24th. If Palace reach the conference final its on Wednesday 27th.
man city will likely have to play bournemouth the midweek before the FA Cup final
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Brighton have announced the official plans for a purpose built Women’s stadium, the first in Europe.
It will have a minimum capacity of 10,000 and all changing rooms and recovery rooms will be specifically designed for women.
The stadium will also be designed for a diverse crowd in mind. The local council have already given the government ahead in fact agreeing the plans in 2023.
This development is a major step forward for Woman’s football, basically world changing differences.
In a world where mens football is becoming increasingly dark, anti football style, anti fans this is a real beacon of light.
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Sky have done their best to help city in the run in by covering their rearranged fixtures and spacing the Palace and Bournemouth games on the 13th and 19th the latter a full five days before the last game of the season.
All of our games have been rearranged with fulham already at 17:30 on Saturday, and now west ham Sunday 16:30, burnley Monday 20:00 and palace and all the final games 16:00 on the Sunday.
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Obviously we have to win our games but I think now we have to support Forrest against villa.
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Arteta says Eze, Calafiori and Saka are available and in the squad for tomorrow. Timber and Havertz are out
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Arsenal U18’s lost 3-2 to Crystal Palace U18’s today, despite taking the lead twice our U18’s continued a poor season with another defeat.
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Steph Catley has signed a new contract with Arsenal women, some reports suggest its a two year extension.
Lots of rumors that Beth Mead and Katie McCabe will be joining Man City Women this summer. Not sure what the situation is with them now but when Viv Midema was at Arsenal her and Beth were in a relationship and there was rumors that after Viv was let leave that Beth agitated against Jonas, her performances were certainly well below par.
Would be sorry to see Katie McCabe leave.
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in the u18 game today sub goalie Jack Talbot came on as an outfield player. Its only a few weeks ago one of our outfield players had to go in goals for the U18’s
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I far as I was aware Beth and Viv are still together, the media certainly made a big thing about it the last time we played city.
Beth is certainly not the player she once was, although still very good, but Katie would be a big loss especially to city.
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Having watched the excellent advert for football tonight between PSG and Bayern it is obvious that it should of been the final.
The first leg ending 5-4 and between them having over 70 touches in the opposition area. The second leg should be magic as well.
This game will certainly keep all football supporters talking for a long while, unfortunately ARSENAL and athletico are already getting pelters for being boring off the back off this feast of entertainment.
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George, sent over a mini preview. COYG!
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