Howdy partners and how y’all doing? After the decent display in Madrid, the Mighty Cannon shakes off its midweek barrel-fever to face up to a 5.30pm KO and gun fight with the London in-laws from the OK Cottage Corral, as the wild westerners of Fulham come riding into town.
“Down south , down west. Movin all-around in string vest , tumbleweed blowin’ in yer hair, tumble weed blowing everywhere!”
I say, I say, he we go for another grinding hoedown in them thar Premier League hills as Arsenal continue their search for Eurkea! ( no gosh darn, I washed this mornin) in the goldrush of 2026.
Fulham’s season isn’t over, and they aint no acorn-calf and they will also be desperate for three golden panned nuggets as they try to reach a hallowed Europa spot (they are two points from sixth place). The Ashburton Grove Saloon was once the Badlands for all clubs but now we are a jumpy as a Mexican jumping bean and teams aren’t frightened to go for the old Prairie oysters?
I utterly dread (like you) the idea of watching another 1-0 shuffle and scrape long-horn loggerhead kind of game, but I suppose we should expect it and it’s enough to put the fear into any critter on that thar Arsenal Prairie? Plus, there’s plenty of ex- hole in the wall gang members who run for Fulham and would love to see the Arsenal go a- sinking in the kackle-berry stinkin’ swamp.
Missing for the Gunners be Sherrif Merino (my word how we’ve missed that guy?), Timber! And that bad-un, Kai the Kid. For the West Londoners; Kevin, old friend Iwobi and Sessegnon are in the injury jailhouse now.
The boss Hoggs at Statto HQ were dreaming of Daisy Duke but gave me a declaration of independence that said the Arsenal have a 64.5% chance of victory, whilst Fulham FC have a 14.5% probability.
Next up, another evening with Atlético in part two of the Champions league semi-final, at our Ace in the hole.
SO COY dagnabbit G’s!
Mills
Expect more of the same folks, horse shoe attrition football that inspires absolutely no one. But fear not, the end is coming soon.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
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Do you thi`nk it looked offside
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Excellent preview again lads, but surely it’s a rush for silver because only the Invincibles can give you a Gold one.
After months of being told to not be nervous and everyone and their Mrs all being exactly that it will be interesting to see how the team and the crowd react today.
The April shit showers have gone and I think everyone is bored of being nervous and can think more about enjoying football again. We are no longer favourites, the amazing pep and his god like players cannot fail according to the media so let’s just enjoy the bits we can enjoy.
Myles is in the middle today but that’s alright because Mikel has given him plenty of minutes there all season so he should be ready.
The cottagers like to play it out from the back, through the midfield in quick five yard passes, although one of their defenders has played the second most long balls in the division so they obviously like to switch it quickly as well.
Stats show anomalies with their play as they press high but don’t get many shots from it and pass it out from the back and give away lots of high turnovers.
Defensively they haven’t conceded in the first fifteen minutes of any game so we will have to be patient today, hypocritically I’m going to suggest we’re not to patient either so to carry the crowd with us.
Looking at the team the neutral would say we are resting players for the CL but actually we have many that are just knackered. It still looks a very good side on paper and if we are aggressive with the ball and play at speed then we can do the job and bring home the necessary three points.
Don’t worry be HAPPY and COYG.
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Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Eze, Trossard, Saka, Gyokeres
Subs: Kepa, Mosquera, Hincapie, Jesus, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Zubimendi, Dowman
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just like in the first leg of the womens CL semi final our women got screwed over by the officials, very one eyed reffing and gave the benefit of the doubt to the Lyon women everytime.
one bit of good news for our women today, man utd women drew 1-1 with brighton women so are a point behind us with them having played 3 games more. So a CL qualifying spot is almost certain at the very least for our women, the title is still an outside chance.
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Jack Wilshere’s Luton team came up just short of a league one playoff spot.
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Arsenal U18’s drew 1-1 with leicester city u18’s this morning, Harriman-Annous with our goal. A poor season continues for our youths.
Talking of youths, Per Mertesacker was presented to the Emirates crowd before this evenings game, as he is set to depart from his role as head of our academy. Several players have come through to the first team in his time in charge, but overall our u18’s, U19’s, U21’s are not and have not been competitive, and we have not been getting good fees for those players not deemed ready for our first team, our loaning out of players has been poor too, and several very good prospects have refused to stay at Arsenal, also there has been a failure to lure the talented players from other academies who have been leaving other clubs to come to Arsenal, with many players we went in for choosing Man City, Man utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, even spurs over us.
it remains to be seen who takes over from Per, as there has been silence on that front, not even a rumor.
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Gyokeressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal, his 20th of the season.
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the opening goal
https://x.com/i/status/2050617226227573035
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Calafiori goal rule out for offside
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dang! COYG!
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Sakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa makes it 2-0 to the Arsenal
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nice! when was the last time we scored more than one? COYG!
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so a goal and an assist each for both Gyokeres and Saka so far this game
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Mills it was March 17th, a run of 8 games since where we scored one or none before today
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our second goal
https://x.com/i/status/2050624806970667078
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Gyokeresssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss makes it 3-0 to the Arsenal just before half time, his 21st goal of the season.
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HT: Arsenal 3-0 Fulham
Gyokeres x2, and Saka with our goals, we have played front foot attacking football all game, having MLS in midfield gives us a player who looks to go forward with his passing and general play all the time and it makes a huge difference, it was madness that this is his first ever game in midfield for our first team.
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we are actually playing to Gyokeres strength today, giving him balls to run onto, and giving him runners around him, quick ball.
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we need to pile it on in the second half, we need goals to big up our goal difference and goals scored to put pressure on city
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our third goal
https://x.com/i/status/2050628592594244060
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Viktor Gyokeres became the first Arsenal player to score 20+ goals in all competitions in their first season at the club since Alexis Sanchez in 2014-15
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Thanks Ed! I knew it had a been long time.
Did you think it was a convincing offisde v Lyon ( the Jule Brand goal?).
Hope the Red Max flys in for an apperance toda and grabs a goal. COYG!
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Madueke is on for Saka for the second half
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I believe the lyon winner was offside.
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I though the same Ed, I wasnt convinced by the graphic they showed later.
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Rice and Gyokeres off
Zubimendi and Jesus on
we have not been as potent this half
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come on Arsenal lets have another goal!
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Eze off
Dowman on
about 15 minutes left to play
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White off
Mosquera on
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FT: Arsenal 3-0 Fulham
outstanding first half with goals from Gyokeres x2 and Saka, the second half was of lower quality, but if we win the next 5 games 3-0 we will win the league and CL this season.
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much much better, but still wished we could have grabbed a couple in the second. ATM on Tues…COYG!
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Madueke and Jesus coming on seen our level dop a lot, a hell of a lot.
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If you had said before the game we would win three nil then everyone would have taken it but the second half was very frustrating.
Camping in our own half and letting Fulham have the ball and waiting to counter was the wrong tactic. Looking ahead at Tuesday that game plan made us do more running invited a toothless opponent to have some shots and chances.
In the first half we gained lots of possession in their defensive third, something Fulham have been poor at all season. Surely We could still rest players and our squad players are still good enough to play the way we did in the first half.
When you think we are such a poor counter attacking side the second half policy was even more strange. If all we had to do was win our remaining games I could maybe understand it, but because of the goal difference and goals scored elements then it seems the wrong way to go.
Six- one would be much better than 3-0 at this stage of the season as it is goals and not clean sheets that matter.
Having said all that I have no idea about modern football. It continues to baffle me and the basics as I learnt them are regularly ignored nowadays. The position we are in Mikel must be doing something right.
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west ham away next week with them fighting tooth and nail to avoid relegation could be a very tricky game for us.
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our win today means we will finish in the top two again this season
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My earlier comment makes me sound a right miserable barstard. Although I think we missed an opportunity, I was absolutely thrilled with the result and was jumping around the room and shouting with joy. It was great to watch a game with pressure after the second goal went in and tbh even before that.
I said before the game the pressure was off us a little and that’s how it felt.
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Have to say even apart from his goals and assist Gyorkares had a fantastic game. I think his been good all season but with modern fans and modern media hacks unless you score you’ve had a shit game.
Myles was excellent and you have to wonder where we would be if him and Christian would have been given more minutes earlier in the season. You can’t help but think they would be in a better place to help the team and Zubamendi and Rice would be in better condition.
I really hope we don’t try and cash in on Myles this summer but the last young man who was a midfielder from the academy who was introduced to the team as a full back and then gave a man of the match performance towards the end of season in midfield and also had a double barrelled name was promptly sold and that was
Maitland-Nyles.
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Poor ol’ hammers not only did they enough bad luck for one season in the game against Brentford, hitting the woodwork three times, having two penalty appeals turned down and conceding a goal which possibly could of been a foul as well, now Villa have made seven changes against the spuds as they look to preserve players for their second leg game against Forest.
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ian did you see match of the day, the presenter tried to do a hatchet job on Gyokeres but Wayne Rooney was having none of it. Rooney has been saying all season that Gyokeres was playing well and that he was doing very well for the team even in games he didn’t score in.
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bloody Spuds, two now.
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Aston Villa resting a whole host of players today v Spurs with their semi final second leg v forest in mind, and spurs are 2-0 up after half an hour, which would take them out of the relegation spots and put west ham in it.
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which also means the Irons will be tougher to beat on the 10th.
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maybe mills or maybe not, it could mean that they have to come out to play, cos a draw would not be worth a whole lot to them, of course them coming at us could work either way, probably all depend on who gets the first goal.
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The hammers game is obviously the most difficult of the three on paper if palace get to the final.
They were starting to believe they were invincible so at least their confidence will be knocked a bit but as I said earlier they could have quite easily won that Brentford game.
We do have five days to get ready after the madrid game and eight after the hammers game so we should be ready and will not be forced to rest anyone.
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well ian the pity is that its likely that arteta will decide to rest MLS once again, in all remaining games.
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I think your right Ed, when they were interviewing Myles after the game they suggested to him he had played his way in to further games and Myles was very quick to play it down. He knows he is nowhere near the team in Mikels eyes yet.
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