Funny how a loss changes things. Seven wins in a row and we were looking up. Now we're peering down at 5th. Before the game Arsene was asked about the possibility of catching City in second, after it was dropping below Chelsea. It was a game that we should be winning, 18th in the league and fighting for survival.
But it was typical Arsenal. In recent seasons we've struggled against smaller sides, maybe getting over-confident and yesterday we just couldn't break them down. There was no-one in the team capable of unlocking a defence. Ramsey started on the left wing, it worked at Everton, it didn't work here. He drifted inside the whole game which only contributed in clogging up the midfield meaning there was no space for Arteta, Song or Rosicky. I would've gone for the Ox because he's probably the most capable of making something happen. Clearly it wasn't working and whilst it was a mistake to start Ramsey it was another mistake to leave him on for the second-half.
Our midfield were pressed hard, leaving space for our centre-backs to roam forward but Arteta continuously dropped deep, making it easy for QPR to press higher and higher. Errors from Vermaelen let them in for both goals but the collective defending was much worse than what we've seen recently. Neither Arteta or Song got back to mark Diakite and there was not enough cover for their first as well as a lack of midfield pressure.
The defeat leaves us looking back over our heads and will surely cast some doubt in the players minds. We're now right back in the fight for fourth, with the game against Chelsea now taking on some extra relevance. They now sit five points behind. A decent amount which we all would have taken a few months ago but the situation is precarious none the less, with City coming to the Emirates next week. Sp*rs could go level on points with us today if they can better Swansea but I think its more important to focus on ourselves rather than on anyone else. Only we can pick oursleves up and if we keep looking at others to falter, we'll falter ourselves.
The obvious lack of options from the bench was apparent once again. Park was no-where to be seen and introducing Chamakh in the 82nd minute isn't something which would bring fear to the opponent. Obvious changes need to be made in the summer but the only way in which we can make them as best we can is to qualify for the Champions League. Players looking towards the summer and a way out of the club are not in a good enough state of mind to be playing for us. The summer is still a long way away and what we do then will be dictated by what we do now.
Robin Van Persie failed to get fully into the game, partially down to the lack of chances created but probably also down to the amount of games he's played this year. Never in an Arsenal shirt has he played this much per season and he looks like he needs a rest. The problem with that is if he has a rest then we basically surender our strike force if we start Chamakh. Its a tough situation and a hard decision for Arsene as we have some hard games remaining. Either Wolves or Wigan look the obvious choices, but today its been shown that even the weaker sides can take points if we switch off.
A case of poor tactics against good tactics played a part today. QPR were set up well, inviting some pressure but not letting us be at all dangerous for most of the game. One good save and our goal were the only real chances we had, just showing the lack of creativity and movement. Let's hope this was just a blip in a strong end to the season.
Yesterday was the 11th anniversary of the death of David "Rocky" Rocastle. It was a shame we couldn't win for him but his name was sang by the away fans during the match. An Arsenal man through and through who will be missed by all those who saw him play.
Thanks for Reading
@Arse_Licker
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Sit back Song
The wonders of Alex Song have exploded onto the scene this season. Currently he plays in a deep role, behind the more attacking duo of Rosicky and, although also playing fairly deep, Mikel Arteta. However Song's game does not halt at defensive duties, according to ESPN he has eight Premier League assists and more successful through-balls than David Silva, Luka Modric and Juan Mata. He has been given the nick-name "Songinho" by fans with the example of his assist against Dortmund providing evidence that he has some Brazilian-like magic in his game. Yet some fans are calling for a new defensive midfielder like Yann M'Vila, often arguing that Song should be pushed into a more attacking role. I don't think this would help Song or the team for a number of reasons.
One particular element of Song's game has come to light this season. His magnificent balls over the top of defenses have created winner's this season on two occasions against Everton and Liverpool. In both of these goals, he picked the ball up from deep as you can see in the pictures.
One particular element of Song's game has come to light this season. His magnificent balls over the top of defenses have created winner's this season on two occasions against Everton and Liverpool. In both of these goals, he picked the ball up from deep as you can see in the pictures.
For even more evidence look at Song's recent assist against Villa. In all of these he picked the ball up in his favourite position, in defensive midfield. Look at the position of the other, more advanced midfielder and notice the pressure these two players are under, yet Song is free to play any ball he wants. If he were to move further forward he would no longer be able to pick out the strikers over the top of the defence, and would find it much harder to receive the space to be at his creative best. Imagine it was Yann M'Vila in his place, who doesn't have the passing abilities Song possesses. The ball would have gone wide and a chance missed with Song missing out entirely as he'd be crowded out by defenders. This new-found skill has won us two games this season gaining us six points. Why would we then take this element of his game away from him?
Song naturally tends to sit in front of the defence, meaning that if he were told to play further forward he may drop deeper looking for influence in the game. Not only would this clog up the areas where Song used to operate as there would be a new defensive midfielder but it would force us to sit much deeper on the pitch as the lack of attackers would mean opposition defences could sit higher. Furthermore, the higher defence of the opposition would mean it would be far more easy for defenders to pick up Song.
We would also miss Song's tackling if he were to move forward. He currently serves as a rock between the back four and the two other midfielders. The skills required to fulfill this roll include his physicality and tackling, attributes that would be used far less if he were to play further forward. Song's willingness to go in hard and break up attacks means moving him forward could cost us dearly, losing the midfield balance we currently maintain. His tackling stats have commonly been the best in the Arsenal midfield. In 2008/09 he boasted 76% tackling success (2nd in the whole squad) and this season he has 73 tackles the most in the midfield, more than Thomas Vermaelen and equal with Laurent Koscielny.
One thing we would see more of is his shooting. Now of course he doesn't get too many opportunities given his current position but he does already find the time to get forward now and then. He has a not particularly outstanding one goal this season compared to Mikel Arteta's five and even Tomas Rosicky, who is famously goal-shy, has more. His shot stats don't help him either with his shooting accuracy being lowest of our midfielders both in 2008/09 with 41% and in 2009/10.
At the moment our midfield, particularly Song and Arteta, switch positions throughout a game. Arteta fills in when Songinho comes to town, meaning that we are hardly ever caught out on the break as we used to be so often. We currently have seven straight wins in a row, the form of those playing in the middle forming no small part in that awsome run of form. So why change something that isn't broken?
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Arsenal 2-1 Newcaslte: Its a Krul World
We sit here today just one point behind sp*rs, ten points above Liverpool and three above Chelsea. If you consider the start we had, at one point sitting over ten points off them down the lane, you realise the character that we have in this team. The mood in the dressing room seems to be better than in previous seasons and its games like those played on Wednesday that highlight the "mental strength", to use Arsene's words, that this team really does have. We played a fantastic game, yet if there was one less minute of injury time we would be sitting here cursing our missed chances. That's just how it goes in football but it would have been nice to have a bit of a cusion of a goal or two rather than relying on a adrenaline-fuelled mad run from our centre-back in the last minute of injury time.
Van Persie, Rosicky and Gervinho all missed fabulous chances. Gervinho in particular, who just seems to panic when the ball is less than a meter away from him in the penalty area. Maybe he just wants to score too much, but in the end its cost the team numerous times this season has so far shown little signs of improvements. Its the kind of thing that can only really be improved through playing and having those chances. He may be a better finisher than RVP in training but unless he shows that in a game then its next to useless.
Other than his miss, Tomas Rosicky had another splendid game. He got back, made tackles, gave one stunning through ball to RVP and kept the the ball moving for the entirity of his time on the pitch. His resurgence has timed perfectly with his signing of a new contract, and I have to say I'm all for it. Yes maybe in the past he hasn't quite shown his best but if he's showing it now, why let him go?
Once again our midfield completely ran the game. Arteta, Song and Rosicky interchanged positions throughout. All have an eye for a good ball and all can tackle, a skill which one Cesc Fabregas didn't have in abundance. Maybe before we were too reliant on Cesc. He is a marvellous player and certainly I would take him back in an instant such is every Arsenal fan's affection for him, but he said himself he was given a free role at Arsenal. He moved where he wanted, he tackled when he wanted. Our midfield, and whole team was based around him, whereas there are now three players who can do hard work, getting back and stopping the other team play. That can only be a good thing.
Theo Walcott was a revalation against Newcastle. He is often critisized for his final ball and to use the words of that smug biased c*nt Alan Hansen, he lacks a "footballing brain". On Monday his final ball was perfect, our wing play was outstanding, throwing cross after cross in the box, a vast change from what we usually see when chasing a game. Take the Wolves game for example. We needed a goal but the ball went round and round in circles, not really posing any threat. Walcott was responsible for a fair share of these crosses and, as we critisize him when he spends a whole game doing the square foot of f*ck all, he has to be praised when he does well. Theo's stats do tell us a lot about him, he's a dangerous player no doubt and not someone who a full-back wants to mark, but he can be frustrating at times, his usual crossing into row Z playing no small part in that.
The back-four seem to be gelling and are relatively injury-free (just watch how we get a season-ender now). The four that played against Newcaslte are probably our first choice and for the most part, we looked solid. Vermaelen made a bit of a mess of his clearence for the first but we looked strong as a unit and tidied each other up well. This defensive solidity feels new and strange. Long may it continue.
Up the Arsenal.
Thanks for reading.
@Arse_Licker
Van Persie, Rosicky and Gervinho all missed fabulous chances. Gervinho in particular, who just seems to panic when the ball is less than a meter away from him in the penalty area. Maybe he just wants to score too much, but in the end its cost the team numerous times this season has so far shown little signs of improvements. Its the kind of thing that can only really be improved through playing and having those chances. He may be a better finisher than RVP in training but unless he shows that in a game then its next to useless.
Other than his miss, Tomas Rosicky had another splendid game. He got back, made tackles, gave one stunning through ball to RVP and kept the the ball moving for the entirity of his time on the pitch. His resurgence has timed perfectly with his signing of a new contract, and I have to say I'm all for it. Yes maybe in the past he hasn't quite shown his best but if he's showing it now, why let him go?
Once again our midfield completely ran the game. Arteta, Song and Rosicky interchanged positions throughout. All have an eye for a good ball and all can tackle, a skill which one Cesc Fabregas didn't have in abundance. Maybe before we were too reliant on Cesc. He is a marvellous player and certainly I would take him back in an instant such is every Arsenal fan's affection for him, but he said himself he was given a free role at Arsenal. He moved where he wanted, he tackled when he wanted. Our midfield, and whole team was based around him, whereas there are now three players who can do hard work, getting back and stopping the other team play. That can only be a good thing.
Theo Walcott was a revalation against Newcastle. He is often critisized for his final ball and to use the words of that smug biased c*nt Alan Hansen, he lacks a "footballing brain". On Monday his final ball was perfect, our wing play was outstanding, throwing cross after cross in the box, a vast change from what we usually see when chasing a game. Take the Wolves game for example. We needed a goal but the ball went round and round in circles, not really posing any threat. Walcott was responsible for a fair share of these crosses and, as we critisize him when he spends a whole game doing the square foot of f*ck all, he has to be praised when he does well. Theo's stats do tell us a lot about him, he's a dangerous player no doubt and not someone who a full-back wants to mark, but he can be frustrating at times, his usual crossing into row Z playing no small part in that.
The back-four seem to be gelling and are relatively injury-free (just watch how we get a season-ender now). The four that played against Newcaslte are probably our first choice and for the most part, we looked solid. Vermaelen made a bit of a mess of his clearence for the first but we looked strong as a unit and tidied each other up well. This defensive solidity feels new and strange. Long may it continue.
Up the Arsenal.
Thanks for reading.
@Arse_Licker
Friday, 9 March 2012
Arsenal 3-0 AC Milan: Die Fighting
We're out but we're out on a high. When Van Persie's pen flew in before half-time I thought it was on, I'm sure many did but we sit here today out of the Champions League. Nobody was expecting us to turn it around and the spirit and the fight we displayed on Tuesday night were exceptional. So I think we can only be happy with what we got, obviously its a disappointment to be out but we were never going to win the trophy anyway and this will give us a chance to focus on qualifying for next season.
I think we just ran out of steam. Right from the first whistle we pressed extremely hard and Milan panicked. After half-time things were different, they had more of the ball, we calmer and were allowed to have more space. Our chances were very much more limited after the break but Robin Van Persie in particular missed a fabulous chance. He went for a chip, for some reason, and Abbiati got a hand to it.
Maybe it set the tone for the rest of the game, we couldn't break through and if it weren't for WS maybe the tie would have been over. You have to look at the positives of the game rather than the disappointments and lets hope this gives the players a boost instead of bringing them down. The way we fought back was magnificent but to just miss out was obviously heart-breaking for players and fans.
Arguably the most disappointed looked Thomas Rosicky. He has, in recent weeks, come to life. He missed out on the Player of the month only to RVP and was instrumental in games against sp*rs and Milan. The way he keeps the ball moving makes the injury to Arteta much less painful. In midfield its vital to have a player who just hardly gives the ball away, who keeps it moving and provides the link between attack and defence. Rosicky has begun showing these skills in abundance as well as snatching a couple of goals. Praise has to go to him because many wrote of his Arsenal career, yet now he is in the process of signing a new contract.
There's fifteen minutes to go. We need a goal. We bring on Maroune Chamakh and Ju-Young Park. They've scored a grand total of two goals between them and, Park especially, were no great help against Milan. Park came on, lost the ball, gave away a foul, and went off. I think its unfair to critisize him too much because at the moment he's being outcasted and surely there is no way back for him. Maybe its something in training, maybe he's just not very good but it was the club's decision to sign him and that's where the blame should go.
One quick word for the atmosphere on Tuesday night and on Sunday against sp*rs. In both of those games the fans were outstanding, two of the best games, atmosphere wise and football wise Ive seen at the Emirates. Sometimes we get critisized for our atmoshpere but when its good, its very good so its only fair that fans get credit for this when we get slagged off when its crap.
Reports in recent days have linked us to Lukas Podolski, in a deal worth around 10 million. I have to say, unlike many, I'm not completely sold by him. Ive watched him a few times this season and, whilst his goal scoring record is very good, you have to look at his stint at Bayern and wonder if he can produce under that kind of pressure. Don't get me wrong he is a very good player but I would worry about his ability to play under huge expectation every week. Still I suppose all he has to be better than is Chamakh and Park so it'l be money well spent whatever happens.
Newcastle await next and the games got the Monday night slot. We always seem to play better when we play first but lets hope we can carry on this momentum. The good news is there's almost a full week of rest between Milan and then so hopefully we'll get some of the injured back. The Ox and Theo both had problems against Milan and its important we have as many fit as possible. Newcastle's a big game but I don't think, at the moment, its any bigger than another Premier League game. We just need points on the board and every game needs to be a fight. Till then.
Thanks for Reading.
@Arse_Licker
I think we just ran out of steam. Right from the first whistle we pressed extremely hard and Milan panicked. After half-time things were different, they had more of the ball, we calmer and were allowed to have more space. Our chances were very much more limited after the break but Robin Van Persie in particular missed a fabulous chance. He went for a chip, for some reason, and Abbiati got a hand to it.
Maybe it set the tone for the rest of the game, we couldn't break through and if it weren't for WS maybe the tie would have been over. You have to look at the positives of the game rather than the disappointments and lets hope this gives the players a boost instead of bringing them down. The way we fought back was magnificent but to just miss out was obviously heart-breaking for players and fans.
Arguably the most disappointed looked Thomas Rosicky. He has, in recent weeks, come to life. He missed out on the Player of the month only to RVP and was instrumental in games against sp*rs and Milan. The way he keeps the ball moving makes the injury to Arteta much less painful. In midfield its vital to have a player who just hardly gives the ball away, who keeps it moving and provides the link between attack and defence. Rosicky has begun showing these skills in abundance as well as snatching a couple of goals. Praise has to go to him because many wrote of his Arsenal career, yet now he is in the process of signing a new contract.
There's fifteen minutes to go. We need a goal. We bring on Maroune Chamakh and Ju-Young Park. They've scored a grand total of two goals between them and, Park especially, were no great help against Milan. Park came on, lost the ball, gave away a foul, and went off. I think its unfair to critisize him too much because at the moment he's being outcasted and surely there is no way back for him. Maybe its something in training, maybe he's just not very good but it was the club's decision to sign him and that's where the blame should go.
One quick word for the atmosphere on Tuesday night and on Sunday against sp*rs. In both of those games the fans were outstanding, two of the best games, atmosphere wise and football wise Ive seen at the Emirates. Sometimes we get critisized for our atmoshpere but when its good, its very good so its only fair that fans get credit for this when we get slagged off when its crap.
Reports in recent days have linked us to Lukas Podolski, in a deal worth around 10 million. I have to say, unlike many, I'm not completely sold by him. Ive watched him a few times this season and, whilst his goal scoring record is very good, you have to look at his stint at Bayern and wonder if he can produce under that kind of pressure. Don't get me wrong he is a very good player but I would worry about his ability to play under huge expectation every week. Still I suppose all he has to be better than is Chamakh and Park so it'l be money well spent whatever happens.
Newcastle await next and the games got the Monday night slot. We always seem to play better when we play first but lets hope we can carry on this momentum. The good news is there's almost a full week of rest between Milan and then so hopefully we'll get some of the injured back. The Ox and Theo both had problems against Milan and its important we have as many fit as possible. Newcastle's a big game but I don't think, at the moment, its any bigger than another Premier League game. We just need points on the board and every game needs to be a fight. Till then.
Thanks for Reading.
@Arse_Licker
Monday, 27 February 2012
Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham: The Dream Derby
Absolutely magnificent. This season of all seasons, our worst under Wenger, Tottenhams best since 1961 and we smashed them 5-2. Every player had a good game and the spirit cannot be faulted. To turn a 2-0 loss into a 5-2 win after the week we've had shows the 'mental strength' really is there, we just need to show it more often. Its been a tough season and this was for me anyway, the certain highlight. The Chelsea win would certainly be up there but I think this pips it purely because we were playing against the spuds. Timing could not have been better. We needed a lift, a big one at that. AC Milan 4-0 Arsenal, Sunderland 2-0 Arsenal, Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham. Those are some strange results and the Liverpool game will show a lot about this team. Beating sp*rs is all very well but we need to make this game count in the long run, starting at Anfield.
The team news was slightly shocking, and in some ways annoyed me a bit. Benayoun and Walcott over Gervinho and the Ox was baffling but it turned out a master-stroke. Benayoun put in his best performance in an Arsenal shirt. He was bright throughout, moved the ball quickly and made tricky runs on the wings. I've never really seen him as a winger but he proved me wrong yesterday. Walcott was slightly, well a lot less convincing. His first half pretty much summed up most of his season, his touch was poor and he repeatedly chose the wrong decision. I now find myself, when he's about to make a cross, looking at the far post to see if there's anyone to gather when he overhits it. His goals were well-taken though, the first had a hint of luck in it as his poor touch took him away from goal allowing for a delicate dink over the keeper. The second was a good finish into the far corner after a good break-away. Credit has to be payed where its due to Arsene, the decisions may have looked confusing but they payed dividends. There was booing after the Ox's substitution against united so praise must be given when the correct option was taken.
The man of the match was yet again, the stunning Robin Van Persie. His goal had a Bergkamp-esque quality to it, the highest possible form of praise and he was the catalyst of an inspired fight-back. However I think the more impressivly surprising performance was that of Thomas Rosisky. He was always a good player but he never really did much of note. He commanded our midfield yesterday better than Ramsey has all season and kept the ball ticking against a certainly very good anchor man in Scott Parker. He deserved his goal one hundred percent and, before the game, if I could have chosen one player I wanted to score it would have been Rosisky. Maybe his injury problems took it out of him a bit, but recently he's looked a different player and i'm sure he enjoyed his first premiership goal in about two years.
Its always about the next game and the next game just so happens to be at Anfield. We currently perch seven points clear of 'Pool but they'll be on a high after their (somewhat fortunate) Carling Cup win. The game is just as, if not more important that yesterdays. Giving Liverpool a way back into the Champions League race is the last thing needed, especially after we've started dragging sp*rs back down. Suddenly Gooners are looking up, seven points behind is a decent amount but, if we can play close to the way we played yesterday all season then we'll catch it easily.
I would mention the defending for the first goal and the fact that Gareth Bale is a diving, cheating piece of scum but I think after that result, its better to just focus on the positives.
North London is red.
Thanks for Reading.
@Arse_Licker
The team news was slightly shocking, and in some ways annoyed me a bit. Benayoun and Walcott over Gervinho and the Ox was baffling but it turned out a master-stroke. Benayoun put in his best performance in an Arsenal shirt. He was bright throughout, moved the ball quickly and made tricky runs on the wings. I've never really seen him as a winger but he proved me wrong yesterday. Walcott was slightly, well a lot less convincing. His first half pretty much summed up most of his season, his touch was poor and he repeatedly chose the wrong decision. I now find myself, when he's about to make a cross, looking at the far post to see if there's anyone to gather when he overhits it. His goals were well-taken though, the first had a hint of luck in it as his poor touch took him away from goal allowing for a delicate dink over the keeper. The second was a good finish into the far corner after a good break-away. Credit has to be payed where its due to Arsene, the decisions may have looked confusing but they payed dividends. There was booing after the Ox's substitution against united so praise must be given when the correct option was taken.
The man of the match was yet again, the stunning Robin Van Persie. His goal had a Bergkamp-esque quality to it, the highest possible form of praise and he was the catalyst of an inspired fight-back. However I think the more impressivly surprising performance was that of Thomas Rosisky. He was always a good player but he never really did much of note. He commanded our midfield yesterday better than Ramsey has all season and kept the ball ticking against a certainly very good anchor man in Scott Parker. He deserved his goal one hundred percent and, before the game, if I could have chosen one player I wanted to score it would have been Rosisky. Maybe his injury problems took it out of him a bit, but recently he's looked a different player and i'm sure he enjoyed his first premiership goal in about two years.
Its always about the next game and the next game just so happens to be at Anfield. We currently perch seven points clear of 'Pool but they'll be on a high after their (somewhat fortunate) Carling Cup win. The game is just as, if not more important that yesterdays. Giving Liverpool a way back into the Champions League race is the last thing needed, especially after we've started dragging sp*rs back down. Suddenly Gooners are looking up, seven points behind is a decent amount but, if we can play close to the way we played yesterday all season then we'll catch it easily.
I would mention the defending for the first goal and the fact that Gareth Bale is a diving, cheating piece of scum but I think after that result, its better to just focus on the positives.
North London is red.
Thanks for Reading.
@Arse_Licker
Monday, 20 February 2012
Sunderland 2-0 Arsenal: Another Game, Another Year, Another Trophy
So it hasn’t been the best week for the Arsenal has it. Another two trophies have (practically) disappeared from our sights. The Sunderland gam, to be honest, didn’t even surprise me –our morale is clearly at an all-time low and it was always going to be tough to pick ourselves up from the Milan game. I think the next few league games will decide our season. People say that Chelsea at home is vital but it’s only vital if we're challenging for a top four position by game 35. Those next three games are - Spuds (H) Liverpool (A) and Newcastle (H). If we lose two of these three we could find ourselves six points adrift of Chelsea and would face an upward struggle for Champions League. These games will also be a huge test for the manager. If he can't pick the team up after disappointments like this then it says a lot about the squads’ willingness to play under him. These fixtures are certainly not easy ones but we've put ourselves in a position where we can't afford to lose many times anymore.
Next week Arsenal shall release the financial results for the 6 months to November 30, 2011. Huge profits are expected, close to fifty million to be precise which can only be a good thing. The questions lie, however, on where that money is going. Is it disappearing into the back pockets of the board? Or is it being invested into the team? A huge summer lies ahead for AFC, as this could be our best chance to get ourselves back on track. There are reports that Arsene will have a 55 million pound “war chest” to spend on new toys. Most things the papers say cannot and must not be believed. Last summer we were led to believe we had another “war chest”, did that get spent, if it was even there? I think sometimes people see 50M WAR CHESTand think of players they would sign for fifty million. They think, ok I'd snap up Gotze for 30 million then I'd have another 25 million to spend on Soldado. In reality it won’t be fifty million. Our transfer budgets have to also include wages, signing on fees etc. So say you’re going to pay Gotze 80k per week on a four year contract, that contract alone would take 15 million out of the budget so in reality the signing of someone like Gotze would take 45 million alone. Then there’s also the factor of renewing contracts,and I’m not saying here that he'll sign, but any RVP contract could take over 15 million out as well.
There are many people who blame Wenger. There are some who blame the board. The truth there are very few people, Wenger being one of them, who knows the reason for our problems at the moment. Arsene isn’t spending money but how do we know he’s been given money to spend? Wenger, you cannot deny, is a very clever man. Would he let his team get into this state purely because of his stubbornness in the transfer market? I doubt it. Arsenal look bad at the moment, very bad,which reflects on Wenger one hundred percent. He's a professional, so what happens behind the scenes he would not and will not discuss in public, unlike the twitchy one that is ‘Arry. This means that, whilst the current board and Wenger are in place,we will never know what's really going on behind the scenes. The club needs more transparency,as the fans know very little about what's going on inside the club which makes it very hard for anyone to pinpoint the reasons for the slumps in form.
There was a report in the Daily Mail that Arsene was set to move upstairs to the boardroom, being replaced by Pep Guardiola. This too is probably just paper crap but, personally I don't think it would work. Any new manager brings in new ideas, new philosophies and new tactics and whilst Wenger is still working in a regular basis with the club I think his influence on the new manager would be too strong. It would also put added pressure on whoever came in, when your predecessor, who has been so successful with the club, is on the board. Now, I’m not saying that Wenger couldn't remain linked with the club in some way but I also think it couldn't be a large role or something that would impact the manager in any way.
That's enough for now.
Thanks for Reading.
Lick my Arse.
@Arse_Licker
Next week Arsenal shall release the financial results for the 6 months to November 30, 2011. Huge profits are expected, close to fifty million to be precise which can only be a good thing. The questions lie, however, on where that money is going. Is it disappearing into the back pockets of the board? Or is it being invested into the team? A huge summer lies ahead for AFC, as this could be our best chance to get ourselves back on track. There are reports that Arsene will have a 55 million pound “war chest” to spend on new toys. Most things the papers say cannot and must not be believed. Last summer we were led to believe we had another “war chest”, did that get spent, if it was even there? I think sometimes people see 50M WAR CHESTand think of players they would sign for fifty million. They think, ok I'd snap up Gotze for 30 million then I'd have another 25 million to spend on Soldado. In reality it won’t be fifty million. Our transfer budgets have to also include wages, signing on fees etc. So say you’re going to pay Gotze 80k per week on a four year contract, that contract alone would take 15 million out of the budget so in reality the signing of someone like Gotze would take 45 million alone. Then there’s also the factor of renewing contracts,and I’m not saying here that he'll sign, but any RVP contract could take over 15 million out as well.
There are many people who blame Wenger. There are some who blame the board. The truth there are very few people, Wenger being one of them, who knows the reason for our problems at the moment. Arsene isn’t spending money but how do we know he’s been given money to spend? Wenger, you cannot deny, is a very clever man. Would he let his team get into this state purely because of his stubbornness in the transfer market? I doubt it. Arsenal look bad at the moment, very bad,which reflects on Wenger one hundred percent. He's a professional, so what happens behind the scenes he would not and will not discuss in public, unlike the twitchy one that is ‘Arry. This means that, whilst the current board and Wenger are in place,we will never know what's really going on behind the scenes. The club needs more transparency,as the fans know very little about what's going on inside the club which makes it very hard for anyone to pinpoint the reasons for the slumps in form.
There was a report in the Daily Mail that Arsene was set to move upstairs to the boardroom, being replaced by Pep Guardiola. This too is probably just paper crap but, personally I don't think it would work. Any new manager brings in new ideas, new philosophies and new tactics and whilst Wenger is still working in a regular basis with the club I think his influence on the new manager would be too strong. It would also put added pressure on whoever came in, when your predecessor, who has been so successful with the club, is on the board. Now, I’m not saying that Wenger couldn't remain linked with the club in some way but I also think it couldn't be a large role or something that would impact the manager in any way.
That's enough for now.
Thanks for Reading.
Lick my Arse.
@Arse_Licker
Thursday, 16 February 2012
AC Milan 4-0 Arsenal: Thierry Eyed
Firstly just a heads up on the title. Its Thierry-teary. In case you didnt get that. Anyway onto the shambles. I honestly don't know where to start. We just didn't turn up, not a single player in a yellow shirt played to their best, we looked depressed for the ninety minutes which leads me to think that something went on behind the scenes. Why on earth would our team come out looking devoid of any confidence, on the back of a 7-1 victory and a late Henry winner? Basic stuff we were getting wrong, and this was more or less our first choice team with the exceptions of Gerv and Jack. The defense especially was completely full-strength, and for the first time in a while we can have absolutely no excuses there. People were excited to Vermacielny finally get a chance yet they looked out of their depth from the first minute. Yes they are very similar players and I think that'll highlight the importance of the BFG. We now have no presence in defense and just rolled over last night.
There were errors for all their goals and indeed throughout the game. Our midfield was completely overrun by a midfield with Van Bommel and Seedorf, who aren't exactly spring chickens yet for me the worst part is we made absolutely no effort to improve things. We lacked desire and if you have no desire you never deserve anything from the game. This was Thierry's big send off and he didn't deserve to leave like this. Hopefully one day he'll be back be it a player or coach. True Arsenal legend and a brilliant guy.
Personally, I think this felt worse than the Man Utd game. I know it was 8-2 but there were excuses to be made then, and we still had new players coming in. This time it just feels like this was IT. This was our best team and we crumbled. The Utd game was like kicking a wounded soldier, we had just lost to Liverpool and we were down but this result comes straight after two good performances. The worry for me isn't getting knocked out, I don't mind about that, if we fight and give Milan, or anyone else in the Champions League, a good game then that's fine, but we didn't look like we cared.
As I said getting knocked out the Champions League isn't the disaster, we've gone out at this stage before. The problem for me is the repercussions from this loss. The morale will be at an all-time low. How we are going to pick ourselves up in time for a vital trip up to Sunderland I have no idea. If you look at things as a whole, ignoring performances, we aren't in an awful position. 4th in the League, still in, and have a decent chance at, the FA cup. I'd be delighted if we finished 4th but the consequences of this may just be too shattering for us to carry on our charge. Arsene has an important job to do now, he has to reinstill belief into this team because there is no time for us to have a break while we find ourselves again. Getting knocked out the Champions League may even be a bonus, but only if we sort ourselves out, and fast.
There are clearly problems with the squad as a whole. Last time we faced Milan at the San Siro our team was this - Almunia, Clichy, Senderos, Gallas, Sagna, Diaby, Fabregas, Flamini, Eboue (Walcott 71), Hleb (Silva 89), Adebayor.
I think the key lies in the midfield, Arteta has been brilliant for us this season but last night he had no control. Fabregas that night was dominant, he ran the show and ultimately won us the game. The rest of that team looks fairly average. Player by player I'd say our defense is better now yet then we kept a clean sheet and this time conceeded four. I think that just highlights the importance of having an organisational character who commanded the defense, Gallas did it back then and, until now, that was the BFG's job.
The problems do not lie with Wenger, if he's not accountable for all the good that's happened for us in the last fifteen years then he's not accountable for all the bad. He was not happy after the game and he had clearly been let down by some of the experianced players. Maybe he needs a summer to sort things out. This season was always going to be a tough one and I'm sure Arsene knew that. We hope its all part of some master plan to spend big this summer and challenge for the title again but even if that is the plan, the only way that would be able to happen is finishing fourth.
Arsene has clearly made some huge mistakes in the last few years and this summer was handled awfully but its foolish to judge him on that when we have no idea whats going on behind the scenes. People say sack the board and maybe it would help, they're definately going at one point in the fairly near future as Kroenke brings his own people in but lets just see if that makes any difference.
Thats enough from me.
Better go back to bed and cry myself to sleep.
Thanks for Reading.
Lick my Arse.
There were errors for all their goals and indeed throughout the game. Our midfield was completely overrun by a midfield with Van Bommel and Seedorf, who aren't exactly spring chickens yet for me the worst part is we made absolutely no effort to improve things. We lacked desire and if you have no desire you never deserve anything from the game. This was Thierry's big send off and he didn't deserve to leave like this. Hopefully one day he'll be back be it a player or coach. True Arsenal legend and a brilliant guy.
Personally, I think this felt worse than the Man Utd game. I know it was 8-2 but there were excuses to be made then, and we still had new players coming in. This time it just feels like this was IT. This was our best team and we crumbled. The Utd game was like kicking a wounded soldier, we had just lost to Liverpool and we were down but this result comes straight after two good performances. The worry for me isn't getting knocked out, I don't mind about that, if we fight and give Milan, or anyone else in the Champions League, a good game then that's fine, but we didn't look like we cared.
As I said getting knocked out the Champions League isn't the disaster, we've gone out at this stage before. The problem for me is the repercussions from this loss. The morale will be at an all-time low. How we are going to pick ourselves up in time for a vital trip up to Sunderland I have no idea. If you look at things as a whole, ignoring performances, we aren't in an awful position. 4th in the League, still in, and have a decent chance at, the FA cup. I'd be delighted if we finished 4th but the consequences of this may just be too shattering for us to carry on our charge. Arsene has an important job to do now, he has to reinstill belief into this team because there is no time for us to have a break while we find ourselves again. Getting knocked out the Champions League may even be a bonus, but only if we sort ourselves out, and fast.
There are clearly problems with the squad as a whole. Last time we faced Milan at the San Siro our team was this - Almunia, Clichy, Senderos, Gallas, Sagna, Diaby, Fabregas, Flamini, Eboue (Walcott 71), Hleb (Silva 89), Adebayor.
I think the key lies in the midfield, Arteta has been brilliant for us this season but last night he had no control. Fabregas that night was dominant, he ran the show and ultimately won us the game. The rest of that team looks fairly average. Player by player I'd say our defense is better now yet then we kept a clean sheet and this time conceeded four. I think that just highlights the importance of having an organisational character who commanded the defense, Gallas did it back then and, until now, that was the BFG's job.
The problems do not lie with Wenger, if he's not accountable for all the good that's happened for us in the last fifteen years then he's not accountable for all the bad. He was not happy after the game and he had clearly been let down by some of the experianced players. Maybe he needs a summer to sort things out. This season was always going to be a tough one and I'm sure Arsene knew that. We hope its all part of some master plan to spend big this summer and challenge for the title again but even if that is the plan, the only way that would be able to happen is finishing fourth.
Arsene has clearly made some huge mistakes in the last few years and this summer was handled awfully but its foolish to judge him on that when we have no idea whats going on behind the scenes. People say sack the board and maybe it would help, they're definately going at one point in the fairly near future as Kroenke brings his own people in but lets just see if that makes any difference.
Thats enough from me.
Better go back to bed and cry myself to sleep.
Thanks for Reading.
Lick my Arse.
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