A fantastic result last night and a good performance to boot. The United and Rennes results have given us the platform for and end of season run that could be real fun.

Now I’ve been critical of Emery , at some points this season the football was dire and our best two players were nowhere to be seen, but it would be mean spirited of me not to congratulate our head coach for recent results. What seemed obvious to me, that Ozil and Ramsey should start together where possible, now seems obvious to most others, including Unai.

Our playing style has changed, we have gone from artistery to endevour, but recent results, and the way the players appear to be onboard with it, suggests that it’s a good thing. Ok, it’s not as easy on the eye, but if results are better, then that change is justified. It’s not as if it’s ugly football.

The problem many of us have is that there are people that can’t let Arsene go. Credit can’t be given to Emery without they disparage Arsene in doing so. We are told that a mess was left, but we then see our best team is made up of entirely Arsene Wenger signings. Then a defence of Arsene is seen to be an attack on Emery. Our respect and admiration for Arsene, Aaron and Mesut is formed from years of evidence, yet we are expected to turn on them and show equal respect and admiration for complete strangers. Well that’s not how it works for me. The new players and coach will get it over a period, if they earn it. It’s not something that comes with a contract of employment.

It would be great, if as a fanbase, we could all move on and get behind the new head coach and players but the same poisonous halfwits that went out of their way to make it almost impossible for Wenger and his players to progress, are now making it impossible for there to be any real unity moving forward.

The run in could and should be exciting and enjoyable, but unless we leave the past behind, both the good times and the not so good, it will just be a bunch of fans sniping at one and other from long dug trenches, that should have been vacated by now.

Emery and the players need support and we must give it. They are doing well now, any perceived mistakes should be put down to adapting and learning. We are definitely on the up. We can’t go back so arguing about the past is fruitless and disruptive.

So let’s just hope our best players play their best football for what remains of the season.

See you again soon.

A few days ago a chap calling himself  @arseblagger posted this:-

Now I have to say this fine fellow is easily the smartest and most entertaining of tweeters, so it’s no surprise that once again he has been proven right.  I recommend that we all stop following everyone but him, he’s pure genius.

Anyway, as he predicted, after Thursday night we could be looking at a sea change in our spirits and prospects for the rest of the season.

The display at the weekend and our home form in general gives us a good chance of going through despite the two goal disadvantage from the first leg.

There was great news on Tuesday when we learned that Lacazette had had is ban reduced to two games and is eligible to play. Also Mkhitaryan could be fit to play, although Papa will miss out following his red card at Rennes.

Predicting who and how Emery will line up is a pointless endeavour, so we’ll just have to wait and see. Torreira is available so whether we will see both, or even one, of Ozil and Ramsey is unsure. Personally I would find a place for both of our best players but I’m not the head coach.

It should be a great night as we will have to go for it.  I, for one, am looking forward to the game.

Being an Arsenal fan is a bit like being a surfer, one moment you are riding on the crest of a wave and the next you are flapping about struggling for breath. It’s a weird old season.

Ok, that’s it, I’m off to twitter to read the musings of the wonderful @arseblagger .

I think today we got a glimpse of pure Emeryball, effort and commitment first, artistry and style second,or even third. We will have to get used to it and in fairness, if we get three points, that won’t be a chore. For those that think winning is everything, Yipee, we one. Now you can stop reading.

Emery had a clear game plan, the players executed it and we got all three point. That in itself is great. We started well and United started very sluggishly. However, we could have been one down very early if Lukaku had not done an Ozil bounce ,onto the bar, when he should have been sliding it home.

We then got a gift when David de Gea stood and watched Xhaka’s strike go in the middle of the goal. It may have looked like a terrible error from the United stopper but in fairness to him I think it was just a freak shot. Xhaka struck the ball well from about 35  yards, The ball was flying straight ,and him being a left footer,  de Gea would have expected any swerve to go to his left. However, Granit had struck across the ball and it veered violently to his right at the death, leaving the keeper flat footed and looking rather silly. Unlucky for him, but great for us. As in some 80% of PL games, the first goal defines the outcome and this proved to be the case.

For the last hour of the game it was and even game but with United having most of the big chances, fortunately , they missed them. After halftime I thought we were organized and solid and Emery had great tactics in that he left 3 up front, which kept them honest and left us with a threat. Our manager has to be complimented for this as it would have been easy to introduce a defensive minded midfielder and try to shut the game down. But he didn’t and it was a brave for the second time today, the first time being when he started both Ozil and Ramsey. They both had very good games by the way.

Now, for the penalty. Many say it was soft,but given how Lacazette does everything to stay on his feet, even when he should go down, I’m in no doubt it was a penalty. Lacazette won the penalty and was down to take penalties, but he gave it to his friend and strike partner , Aubameyang, who dispatched it. A great bit of class from Lacazette but I’m not sure how well it would have gone down if Aubameyang had missed.

This was a fine result and sets up up well for the run in. But it was hardly us battering them. We could just of easily have lost, given the chances both team created. It was workman like with fine individual performances from many players,Xhaka, Ramsey, Ozil and Lacazette all did very well. Oh , and Leno, he had a stormer.

Perhaps United were a bit off their game? Or perhaps we were good enough to knock them off their game? It’s always a good idea to look at the overall performance and seperate it from the score.

All that said, Emery got just about everything right today and we got 3 points against the runaway train.

Enjoy the win and the rest of the week.

*People of a sensitive nature should look away now as this blog may contain scenes of graphic violence and bad language *

Good evening positive people! Well I say good evening, but it’s hardly that. That my good friends was a poor result.

It all started so swimmingly well with Iwobi crossing in a ball to Aubameyang, who was some 5 yards out from goal, that was so far away from him it when in the far corner. Happy days. For the next 30 minutes or so we looked in complete control. Ozil playing some cute ball, one of which put Aubameyang clean through for a one on one, only for him to be wrongly flagged offside. It looked like it would be an easy night with a comfortable result, and then……………………….

Papa , with two yellow cards in seven minutes was given his marching orders. Personally I think the second card was a rank bad decision, he looked to have been fouled rather than committed a foul. Regardless, we were down to ten men and under pressure because form the resulting free kick they scored when the ball rebounded off the wall and was smashed home. We were under pressure from then until half time, a chance for us to regroup and make necessary changes.

Then the oddness started. We made no changes and Mikhitaryan continued at right back. The switch of play to that side was causing us all sorts of problems.

When the change came it was more oddness. Iwobi, who had been having a good game , was replaced by Guendouzi, who proceeded to be rather poor. He was being pulled out of position, bypassed, giving the ball away and jogging back into position. Poor.

Then Ozil, another of our better performers was replaced by Ramsey. A like for like that did nothing to fix the obvious problems on the falk, particularly the right side. Mesut was still creating and also helping out tracking back.

Now, it gets even odder , the next change is to take off Aubameyang and replace him with Sead. Immediately meaning we had no threat in behind or on the break.

I thought Mikhtaryan and Aubameyang were poor all evening and as I’ve said, young Matteo had a stinker. The defending was poor and our shape was weird. The two more goals they scored after the break were the least they could have expected.

Not one of Emery’s best nights, for me he got it all wrong after the sending off.

So we go into the home leg two goals behind. A big ask but not by any means an impossible task. However, we will have to be much much better.

Hello again you positive Gooners.

From what I can gather there is a collective cloud of gloom hovering over the Arsenal fanbase today. It has nothing to do with the team or the club but the results in the Champions League, by Spurs and United, have not done the mood much good at all. Now we will have to console ourselves with a game in the second tier of European football, away at Rennes.

My in depth knowledge of French football leaves my not knowing a damned thing about them or any of their players. So if you want to know anything about them I suggest you read a blog written by someone who is prepared to pretend to have some knowledge of such things.

Given we have a “must win” game coming up against United on Sunday the team selection will be interesting . We will see just how important this competition is to Mr. Emery.

Looks like everyone that would be expected to be fit is indeed fit. So no worries on the front.

Lets hope we can carry on with our recent upturn in performances and come away with some sort of lead , making the home tie a comfortable affair

Enjoy the game.

Hello positives, talk about mixed emotions?

I’m pleased for Emery, he had a plan and the players bought into it and he got what, before the game, would have been considered a good result. Whatever your long standing feeling about Spurs are, they’re a decent outfit and have been consistently good for a few years now, so a draw at their rented home, is a good point. Of course it’s great to win but if we drew with all our top 6 rivals, away from home we would be in great shape.Our head coach has come in for some criticism of late (not least from yours truly) but I think his team selection and tactics were vindified, so credit where it’s due.

That said, personally I don’t likes to accept being second best and setting up expecting  to be dominated, but that’s his style and I, like everyone else, will have to get used to it and try to enjoy it as best we can. I felt they were woefully short of confidence and it was an opportunity to go at the all guns blazing, In other words play Ozil and Ramsey, but I can’t even play Football Manager, let alone pick a real team. But I digress.

I’m very happy for Ramsey, that in his last NLD, he scored a goal that will remain in our memories for life, as he will, or at least as he should. What a great player and pro. he has been for us.

I’m glad that the awful officiating didn’t get to us as it sometimes seemed to do in the past. There was real fight and togetherness right through the team.

There is no need for me to describe the action that everyone has seen, all I will say is I thought it was a decent performance, not classic by any means, but that will do away from home for the time being.

I’m disappointed that Mustafi had a brain fart (he didn’t know Kane should have been flagged off side), the action itself was a foul and a penalty.

Final emotion is that off annoyance that Aubameyang squandered the chance to bag all three points with what can only be described as a pathetic spot kick.

So there you have it – mixed emotions.

Arsenal’s best chance for an away win in a big ‘un – writes @LaboGoon

If we thought last weekend was eventful in English football, midweek said ‘hold my beer’.

It was happy hour at the Emirates (of course), ‘out with the (not so) old in with the new’ for a few managers and for one manager the Premier League title chase came to an abrupt end (don’t laugh) … and here we go again.

Good day one and all.

Of the fixtures to look out for on the football calendar it always includes the North London Derbies; and as we make the short trip to Wembley to face Tottenham Hotspurs, it’s Arsenal who will want to build on the gains of these last two weeks.

Following two league defeats in five days the home side (read: squatters) will be licking their wounds, both mentally and physically.  Now there’s a few pundits who will dress this up as “it’s the best thing that could of happened to them”, because, you know, it keeps their egos in check.  Well Saint Pochettino, life came at him fast as he was ready to punch somebody’s lights out.

There they were leisurely cruising along to at least a 3rd place finish and boom, they now find themselves looking over their shoulder with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea closing in, and, should they lose today, the stakes will be raised even further as the battle for top-four will be one of the major talking points in the run-in.

The Gunners go in to this game on the back of three wins on the bounce (all competitions) but here’s the rub … that was at the Emirates where we do well regardless and this season we have not travelled well against top-six opposition (D1, L3).

Hell, who am I kidding, we don’t travel well period.

We won just one of our last seven away league games (D2, L4) so the challenge will now be to see if we can keep our tails up, because with Pochettino having a few concerns there is the hope that we have caught them at the most opportune time.

Now there’s an argument that in derbies, form, or lack thereof, goes out the window and that one Harry Kane usually enjoy this ‘home’ fixture, but one also can’t ignore that he doesn’t seem to have brought his talents back with him from injury.

In no way am I implying this is our match to lose. In most, if not all, big games of this nature the home side usually has the edge though it is hard to ignore Spurs not looking so smooth at present.

Three wins on the bounce is nothing to scoff at, no matter the quality of the opposition, and we’ve done that using some mesmerizing creative passing missing from our game in weeks prior.  If Unai Emery wants to maintain that consistency and familiarity with the hopes of a strong end to this campaign, it will be interesting to see if he fields an attacking lineup that includes our two most creative players, Özil and Mkhitaryan.

Both are both in good nick, in a game that could be pivotal to our season.

This is a big ‘un folks and of importance to both teams, so we can expect Arsenal fighting just as hard to get one over their local rivals as Spurs will to get back to winning ways.

COYG

Today ,because I’m not sure I will be able to post the preview,we revisit a classic tale where the much missed Frank looked back, more in sorrow than in anger, to re-tell a chilling tale of a long-lost summer of love, terrible betrayal and lots of super furry animals. 

Today’s page turner …

I was mugged in Seven Sisters.

To be accurate I was attacked in Seven Sisters since nothing was stolen.

Cold bloodedly gratuitously attacked.  A summer afternoon several decades ago spent with a friend and I was heading home to Tufnell Park.  It was an early evening in July but I could hardly see as I turned into the tunnel heading for the tube, eating sausage and chips.  Out of nowhere something hit me on the back of the head and just as I turned, a fist hit me in the mouth.  I fell to the ground in a daze and the protagonists proceeded to kick the living shit out of me.

There was a lot a ‘fackin’ this’ and ‘kantin that’ as the boots went in and afterwards just the sound of nasal snickering.  Before I passed out I caught a glimpse of two of them.  One in white trousers and a bowler hat with ‘Tottenham Droogies’ written across the back.  The other had calf-length faded jeans, docs, white tee shirt, braces …. and a tattoo on his forearm.

A tattoo of a cock and ball.

I must have been out for a while because when I woke up, the ends of the tunnel were dark.  The reek of urine and unwashed bodies was only just bearable.  I was surrounded by squashed chips and, nestling in the gutter by the wall with not a bite out of it, was my sausage.  My head hurt like hell, split lip, bumps and bruises all over but I seemed to be OK.

I’d got away with it.

Could have been killed.  Could have been maimed or paralyzed for life.  Thankfully I had done what most blokes who are being kicked in the head do, I protected my privates.  Death is preferable to castration.

I had survived.

Slowly I got up.  I just wanted to get home.  Brushed off the fag ends, chewing gum, dog shit.  Stretched out my arms and then my legs, moved my head from side to side.  Tested my aching bones.  Nothing broken.  Lets go home, Frank.  Then someone behind me coughed.

I spun round afraid that they had come back to finish me off.

But there standing in front of me was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.  She had on an ankle length yellow dress and sandals.  She had long, long tresses of red hair and her smile was extraordinary; it could fill a room, or, in this case, a tunnel.  Her smell was intoxicating and as she touched my face with her hand I just knew that she was an angel.

I was dead and on my way to heaven.

She asked me if I was okay.  She asked me if I was in pain.  She asked if there was anything she could do for me … and before I could answer she passed me her guinea pig and started mopping my brow.

Guinea pig?

What the feck?

She gave me a guinea pig?  Well yes she did.  She handed me her guinea pig.  Cleaned me up.  Took her guinea pig back.  Held my hand and took me to Tufnell Park.

That is how I met Maude.

Oh Maude, Maude, Maude – you were perfect.  She took me home to my apartment and stayed for three weeks.  What a three weeks!

Idyllic.

Walking on the Heath.  Drinking in The Flask in Highgate.  Strolling through Waterlow Park.  Saying “hello” to Karl Marx.  Wearing each others’ clothes.

Actually she wore mine, I didn’t wear hers, I really didn’t.  Getting drunk together on Grand Marnier and sick together afterwards.  Listening to a friend play folk songs outside the Admiral Mann.  I even started to read poetry, although it didn’t last.  Mostly though, we just made love.  Anywhere and everywhere.

In that time I was treated to a parade of animals.

Guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, geckos, turtles, tortoises, parrots, budgies, kittens, puppies, fish, snakes, you name it.

Every day she would disappear for a few hours and return with different animals.  Only on Sundays would she return without an animal and on Sunday evenings she was always very tired.  The explanation turned out to be a bit crazy but I could deal with it.  She let on that she was into animal liberation and spent much of her time nicking animals from pet shops and domestic animal stockists.

Her aim in life was to free them all.

Create an animal utopia where they could all live free from human bondage.  How she managed to get plastic bags of tropical fish and a twelve foot python out of a shop without anyone noticing I have no idea.  But she did it.  Insane of course, and I loved her all the more for it.  We were madly, stupidly, giddily happy.

Until that fateful day in early August.

So far we had lived in my flat.  It was OK.  But I was getting more and more curious.  Where did she live?  How long?  What was it like?  Was she sure that she was not using the animals as a cover for her sneaking back to a long time live-in partner or husband?

Joke, sort of.  What was she hiding?

After much cajoling on my part she finally agreed that we could stay at her place.  She lived in a flat on the first floor of a Victorian house on the A10 near to the junction with Clapton Common.  She had been on her way home when she found me in the tunnel.

So off we went.

We spent a pleasant few hours in the Spaniards’ Inn and went to a party with friends in Stoke Newington.  Caught a taxi to hers.  Let ourselves in.

Her living room was full of no-longer-soon-to-be-pets.

It was smelly and it was noisy, but she cleared a space  and we sat and drank tea and chatted amongst the boxes, cages, baskets and tanks.  Finally we fell into bed exhausted.  The following day was Monday and neither of us needed to get up early.  We were very soon fast asleep in each others arms.

We awoke on Monday morning refreshed.  She made cups of tea and brought them back to bed.  Gradually we began to get interested, the way you do.

We kissed and cuddled …

Then Maude whispered that she would like to make love in daylight amongst the trees and birdsong.  Her garden was beautiful at this time of year, she said.  She asked me to open the curtains and open the window.

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes.

About as excited as I have ever been in my life I leapt out of bed, hopped to the almost full-length sash window and threw open the red velvet curtains to let the sun in …

The No 149 bus route has been transporting the residents of that area to the City for many years and I believe that it still does to this day.

In the days of the old Routemasters, in the rush hour the bottom deck was crammed full of people, many standing and some dangling from the platform at the back.  Upstairs was calmer and those fortunate enough to get a seat were able to read the paper or a book, do the crossword, do the Pools, knit, or in most cases just sit and watch the world go by.  There are a number of points on that journey where the bus comes to a standstill for quite a while as the traffic gets well and truly jammed.

One particular point is just outside Maude’s flat.

The floor of the top deck on those buses is roughly about the level of the first floor of that particular block of houses, and the windows of the bus are about six feet from the residents’ windows.  You can see awful lot from the top of that bus and on that day passengers had a real treat.

As the curtains opened they were greeted with … think of Leonardo’s Study of Human Proportions according to Vitruvius. 

But weedier and in a state of arousal.

For my own part I just remember seeing an endless stream of tickets coming out of the Clippie’s machine and thinking thank goodness they can’t see my feet because I’ve still got my socks on.  I turned to shout at Maude for setting me up, and as I did so I noticed something.  Something very serious indeed.  Something which caused me to shut out the embarrassment of the last few seconds completely.  I couldn’t believe it.  I froze.  The blood drained from my face and obviously from other places.

The bottom fell completely out of my world.

In the lower right hand corner of the window was a sticker.  Not a very big one, about the size of a bob-a-job sticker.  But this particular sticker had a motif on it.  A dreadful symbol.

A cock and ball.

We just hadn’t discussed football.  People had the summer off in those days.  No transfer activity.  I turned to her and just shouted “TOTTENHAM” at her at the top of my voice.  At first she completely misunderstood and she laughed and shouted:  “YES. YOU TOO …?”.

But before she could finish, she realised.

It was probably me screaming “YOU ARE A FARKING SPUD” that gave it away.  Her beautiful face contorted into an ugly grimace and in a vicious whisper she spat “Arsenal.  You are a fecking Gunner?  You bastard”.

I couldn’t stay.

I needed air.  I grabbed my clothes, putting them on as I scrambled through the menagerie in the living room.  I got to the front door and slammed it to, shutting out the cacophony behind me.  I headed for a café on the corner of the block, ordered coffee and just sat in a window seat sipping and smoking.  I half expected her to follow and to be honest I half hoped that she would.

But I realised it was over.

I could take the pet rustling and I could even take being humiliated in front of a bus full of people but I could not take the fact that she was a SPUD.  That could never work.

But that was not quite the end of it.

As I sipped my third coffee, having smoked half a pack of cigarettes, two panda cars and a police van arrived at her flat.  Maude was led out in handcuffs and for the next hour policemen loaded the back of the van with her contraband, Noah’s Ark fashion.  I felt bad about that at the time as I watched her driven away in the back of the police car it seemed unjust that she should go down for stealing animals when she had such good if not misguided intentions.  It turned out in court about six weeks later though, that every Sunday she ran a pet stall on Club Row.

She had been nicking pets and flogging them on.  She also stole them to order.

I will always remember Maude though and if I ever meet her again, which is very unlikely, I know exactly what I will say to her……………

“CARMON ARSENAL CARMON ARSENAL CARMON ARSENAL

ARSENAL, ARSENAL, ARSENAL….ARSENAL, ARSENAL, ARSENAAAAL…ARSENAL, ARSENAL, ARSENAL….ARSENAL….ARSENAL”

Good morning my positive friends.

Well that was lovely, wasn’t it?

Emery made six changes and we scored five goals. No one can complain about that.

We started with two creative players in mkhitaryan and Ozil and low and behold, we created tings. Things like goals and stuff. Hennrikh with a goal and two assists and Mesut with a goal and an assist. Both played well and as a result, the team played well. I would have prefered to see us with four at the back from the off, but the result justifies the selection, I suppose.

People were baming young Matteo for the goal we let in  but I felt he was clearly fouled and the goal should never have stood. After that he was targeted and I felt he stood up to it well.

We have to remember that Bournemouth have lost 8 away games on the trot and shipped a load of goals in the process, but still, we comprehensively beat what was in front os us, so well done Emery and the lads.

Some of our attacking play was glorious, with Mesut being the orchestra leader, he really is a joy to watch.

We go into the NLD on Saturday lunch time only four points behind them and them struggling for form. I expect Ramsey and Xhaka to come in and that could mean Musut is back on the bench. Personally I think that would be madness, but we shall see.

This was a game where our performance matched the result. Lovely stuff.