Official Gooners Thread - A New Hope

[ONeill]

Arsenal simply had to leave Highbury. Every supporter I knew wanted it too. The old stadium  was heading towards dilapidation and couldn't be built upon due to the residential area. It was quite a unique experience walking towards the old Highbury, like walking along a row of terraced housing and the middle section being the ground.

But Arsenal's continued success in term of Champions League football qualification meant that demand left season ticket waiting lists at 8-10 yrs. 38'000 has turned into 60'000 with a slight reduction in the waiting list.

It was a pity to leave Highbury for sentimental reasons but the club and its support had long outgrown the bricks and mortar from 1913.

[ross4life]

just watching back the highlights from yesterdays game Lukasz Fabianski has to be the worst goalkeeper in the premier league since Massimo Taibi

[Eastern_Pride]

just watching back the highlights from yesterdays game Lukasz Fabianski has to be the worst goalkeeper in the premier league since Massimo Taibi

Is there no case for Mannone anymore?

[stew]

3 goals conceeded in 11 minutes at the business end of the game with a two nil lead against a perennial premiership struggler, how low can it go for thei Arsenal squad?

First the spuds take them, fair enough they are a quality team and one that is playing lights out at the moment, but then an unbelievable loss to lowly wigan with a two goal lead tells me that Arsenal are brittle at the minute, they now have nothing to play for except trying to hold on to their third place position in the premiership and even that is not a given anymore.

Wegner needs to add a bit of steel to their game, all the pretty football is great to watch but it is not worth a damn if you cannot win games when you absolutely have to have it a la United V City this year. (twice)

[ONeill]

The feel-good factor is gone

Tuesday, 20 April 10

I'll admit this morning that at no stage this season did I ever believe Arsenal would win the league or the Champions League.

Even when we'd clawed back the points having been so far behind at the end of January I thought it was too much to expect. Similarly when we saw the side of the draw we were in for the Champions League. If we'd managed to beat Barcelona it would have been Inter Milan in the next round. Perhaps, with all our players fit and healthy and at the top of their games, we might have given it a good go but even still I think we'd have fallen short.

Of course the idea that we might have all our best players fit and healthy is one which would be almost unbelievable fiction. The injuries suffered by van Persie, Cesc, Arshavin, Gallas, Walcott, Clichy, Bendtner and Nasri, all of whom missed significant chunks of the season, have certainly had an impact. I'm not blaming them or making excuses but that's the reality.

Anyway, my point is that my expectation level wasn't so high as to view not landing a trophy as a failure. I was looking for progress and until the Wigan game I was relatively assured that it had been achieved. More or less nailed on for third in the league, with second still to fight for and the outside chance of first if all the stars lined up in the right way, I couldn't really complain.

We'd shown great character at times this season. I go back to the game against Standard Liege away and how we were 2-0 down very early on. It had been so long since I'd seen an Arsenal team win a game from that position and I remember saying at the time it'd be a brilliant thing for this team to do. It would instill in them a belief that they could do it in subsequent games, that they could move on from the mindset which told them that even going one down was more or less game over. The comeback that night was fantastic and I'm quite sure it laid the foundation for some of the results this season, the late winners and so on.

I saw a team go to Fulham, the rookie keeper have the game of his life and a moment of quality from Robin van Persie in the game for us. We spanked 6 past Blackburn to add to the 6 we stuck past Everton on the opening day of the season. A north London derby triumph. A backs to wall win against Liverpool away. Cesc's remarkable cameo against Villa. And while the United and Chelsea games hurt, because the two best teams in the country exposed our weaknesses mercilessly, that we got ourselves back into things was a credit to the players and the manager.

Individuals who had been on the periphery had, it appeared, matured somewhat and responded to the manager's continued belief in them. Diaby had a spell when he looked like the energetic, dynamic powerhouse we all hoped he might be. Denilson has his critics but 6 goals from midfield was no bad return at all. Clichy looked to be finding some form again. Alex Song's emergence as an important first team player continued. Cesc had the best season of his Arsenal career so far, not just because he's a great player and the new formation suited him, but because he had decent support from his midfield partners who allowed him to play so well. Nicklas Bendtner scored 3 goals when playing in the wide right position. When he returned from injury and took up the central striking position he got 9 goals in 12 games. I know he doesn't convince everyone but he's the only player in our team who could have scored the goal against Stoke away, the Hull goal, the Wolves goal, scrappy, poachers goals. Strikers goals.

As for the flaws they've been apparent all season but not difficult to fix. As I pointed out many of the goals we concede come from individual errors. Improve concentration and defensive discipline and they don't happen. Invest in a decent goalkeeper and they don't happen. While some of us would have liked to see him go out and spend money in January to find a new number 1 I think the majority realised that summer is the best time for that and we'd muddle on until then.

Despite that though the season felt better, more positive, the atmosphere around the ground and even online, for what it's worth, was better. It reached a low point last season with players openly barracked from the stands as fans frustration with the manager was projected onto players who weren't performing, for one reason or another. They were the easy targets. This season was different. Had Nicklas Bendtner's incredible sequence of misses against Burnley happened last season he would not have been applauded off the pitch. The fans would not have acknowledged the fact that the player had worked hard, got in all the right positions and just had one of those days (and I don't think I've ever seen a striker have a game like before, I don't expect to again). The applause helped and in the next game Bendtner scored a hat-trick in the Champions League.

And this is because fans could see the progress and take the positives. Now though it's like the feel-good factor is well and truly gone. The Wigan game was as poor a defeat as any Arsene Wenger Arsenal team has suffered. I fully understand why people are so upset about it because it's like the last eight months has been pissed away by a bunch of carefree slackers. Where was the fight against Wigan? Where was the energy, commitment and will to win? Why did an Arsenal team who still had a chance, albeit very small, of winning the title play like that and capitulate like that?

We've all seen Arsenal suffer defeat in the past, we've seen Arsenal lose to teams they shouldn't, lose games they shouldn't, but I've been racking my brains to try and remember the last time a title chasing Arsenal side threw away a 2-0 lead with 10 minutes to go against a relegation zone team and ended up losing the game. I can't remember it ever happening before and it has damaged our season in a big, big way.

Those of us who looked at this campaign and saw more positives than negatives are having to think again. I'm not saying it has undone everything that came before it. I spent some time yesterday watching goal clips from earlier games and the excitement and the enjoyment is palpable. Yet the Wigan game has opened up old wounds, if you will. Doubts about certain players in terms of attitude and ability have come to the fore. It's all well and good performing and winning when things are going well but when it comes to the crunch do you have what it takes? It reminds me a bit of William Gallas's captaincy. I said at the time it's a fairly easy job to captain a side which is playing well, winning games and is top of the league. But you earn your stripes is when things go wrong, when your team needs leadership, when things aren't easy - and when that happened Gallas was found wanting.

The same goes - in the big games this season too many of these players didn't perform. And you can say what you want about Chelsea or Man United or even Barcelona, but Wigan away was a big game. Not because the opposition was glamorous and played beautiful football but because of what was at stake. My conclusion is that the manager needs to get ruthless, accept that there's a problem within his team, weed out the flat track bullies, and put things right for next season. Perhaps others came to that conclusion long before I did, good for them, but I prefer to look at what's in front of me before I make my mind up.

However, for all the concerns we might have about the team and the way they let us down when push came to shove, we've got three games left to go this season. On Saturday Man City visit the Grove. I don't know about you but the contempt I hold for what Man City have become far outweighs the issues I have with our own team. The extent to which I want Adebayor to suffer makes the fact that I want to grab Diaby and slap his face and say 'What the f**k is wrong with you? You have the chance of a lifetime at this club and you can't be arsed, you lazy twat', irrelevant. I want his every touch to be met with a chorus of Arsenal boos and if Paddy gets on I want to cheer and make Adebayor realise that for all the goals he scored he's viewed as nothing more than a greedy, troublemaking mercenary.

I want this team to go to Blackburn and stand up to the physical onslaught the Walrus's team will inflict on us. I want a repeat of that game when we were 4-0 up at half time there. I want us to go through the second half looking at a broken Blackburn side and a puce Walrus whose veins throb on his neck as every 'Olé' rings out from the away end. And on the final day of the season I want this Arsenal side to win against Fulham to finish off the season.

My point is that while the fans have a role to play it is entirely down to the players and the manager to put things right. They've let us down this week. A defeat to Sp*rs and a defeat in those circumstances to Wigan is about as trying as it gets. It's down to them to restore the feel-good factor. It's down to them to work harder than the opposition, it's down to them to want to win more than they do, it's down to them to make amends.

I'll be over for the City game and, depending how many kids are around me, I'll call Adebayor a **** at the top of my voice. But I want it to be a gloaty, 'look at the score you ****!', ****. Not the 'Why did nobody mark that ****?', ****. Three games to go, nine points up for grabs, achieving that won't make everything rosy in the garden again, but it'd be a decent start.

http://www.oleole.com/blogs/arseblog/posts/the-feel-good-factor-is-gone

[DennistheMenace]

Chelsea will beat spuds at at least 3-0 on Saturday

Good shout..

Wenger has to be coming under pressure to deliver a trophy like Rafa, it's been 5 years now without silveware which shouldn't be acceptable to a supposed top club.

[ross4life]

Chelsea will beat spuds at at least 3-0 on Saturday

Good shout..

Yes it was a weird set of Results last weekend that even i got wrong, i was only expecting at best a Draw for united also
As fergie would say "football bloody hell"

[ONeill]

Awful game.

Arsene will explain:

On the 0-0 draw...
"It was an afternoon I am not used to because we created very few chances and Man City didn't create anything. They were highly focussed on defending well. They didn't give us any space and we could not find the opener. For as long as we couldn't do that it was a locked game basically. There were very few chances. It was two teams who played well defensively, had very good discipline but created very few chances."

On if he was surprised that City weren't more attacking...
"They think if they can get a point here and beat Tottenham at home then they will get above them."

On if Arsenal are assured of a top-three finish...
"Ninety per cent, not 100. We are nearly there."

On who will finish fourth...
"That is very difficult to predict. You would expect the two teams to win their next games and then it will be Man City v Tottenham that will be the decider. Man City has a little home advantage but it will be interesting until the end. It is difficult to predict."

On Emmanuel Adebayor's substitute appearance...
"He made it a bit livelier because our supporters suddenly got lively and he was focussed and motivated and sharp and he wants some longer balls and that is why suddenly it was a bit livelier. But even then they didn't create a lot. They played a lot on the counter attack and when you could break the counter attacks we weren't a lot in trouble."

On if recent defeats had an impact on the game...
"You could see that it was in our heads, yes. We didn't follow everything forward blindly, that is for sure, because we knew we couldn't afford to lose the game today. On top of that Man City made it difficult for us."

On if Inter Milan have shown Arsenal how they should have played against Barcelona...
"Barcelona played at a different pace collectively. The regret we have against Barcelona is the way we gave the goals away. In the second game I believe there was room to beat then."

On Robin Van Persie's performance...
"He was sharp for 60 minutes, 70 minutes. After he dropped physically, I left him on because I thought we can only win on set pieces today and that he could score a free kick or give a corner that could allow us to score. But overall he was very sharp, in the first half especially. But for having been out for such a long time it is quite positive."

On Sol Campbell's performance...
"Maybe you should take him to South Africa."

On if Campbell will be an Arsenal player next season...
"I don't know yet. I said yesterday I have to sit down with him and see. Since he has been in the team he has been outstanding. I never expected that from him and that is great credit to him. You can compare him with any centre-back in the League. He has been very, very good."

On Lukasz Fabianski...
"I believe it was important that he can play a game without having a lack of concentration. Today he was spot on from the first to the last minute. He read all the situations very well and that is what you want from him. I always said he is one of the most talented goalkeepers and when he gets the concentration right he will get there."

[orangeman]

On MOTD Arsenal fans had a poster showing ex Arsenal player Adebayor in an Arsenal jeresy kissing the Arsenal jersey and then Adebayor in a Man City jersey - the poster declared " Apparently you CAN put a price on love !!! ".

Class.

[ONeill]

Celtic, Lyon and Milan at the Emirates Cup on 31st July and 1st Aug.

[ONeill]

Andrey Arshavin: I Will Leave Arsenal For Barcelona In The Summer

Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin has claimed that he is set to sensationally depart the Emirates in the summer and join Barcelona.

The Russian recently claimed that it would be the pinnacle of any player's career to feature for the Catalan giants, prompting his manager Arsene Wenger to express disappointment that the player seemed to want to move.

And Arshavin also claims that Gael Clichy will be joining him in swapping London for Catalonia.

"I am going to Barcelona in the summer," said the Russian, according to The People.

"I have always dreamed about going to Spain and playing for the best team in the world.

''They were unsure about me when I was playing in Russia but I have shown them that I'm the real deal and I know they are ready to talk to me.

"I want to play for the top team and be trying to win every competition, I don't think you can rate one better than the other, it is all about winning. I want to play for them and that is never going to change.

"I know Gael Clichy would love to play out there as well, and he would work well in their team."

Arshavin is also unfazed by the competition for places he would face at Camp Nou.

"It would be tough trying to compete with Xavi and Iniesta but that is the competition I want, I don't want to walk into a team," he added.

[ONeill]

So close to St Totteringham's Day. A point tonight moreorless guarantees it, a win mathematically does. Still an outside chance of the title if the top two are deducted points for something.

[ross4life]

So another defeat for the Gooners today just noticed Wenger stormed off at the final whistle with no hand shakes for big Sam, if Fulham beat ye & spurs win there remaining games they finish 3rd right?

[STREET FIGHTER]

So another defeat for the Gooners today just noticed Wenger stormed off at the final whistle with no hand shakes for big Sam, if Fulham beat ye & spurs win there remaining games they finish 3rd right?

Do you already know the answer to this question?

[stew]

So another defeat for the Gooners today just noticed Wenger stormed off at the final whistle with no hand shakes for big Sam, if Fulham beat ye & spurs win there remaining games they finish 3rd right?
[/quote

The professor is making a mistake acting like that, he might not Big Sam but he cant fall out with everybody and he cant shake no ones hand after a defeat, he lets the club down when he acts like this, not to mention himself.

If the arse get bate in their last game and the spuds win out which is a big ask the two teams would flip flop in the league standings.

Arsenail could be in bother with the wee ruskie sayin he is going to Espania along with a colleague, it appears the professor has lost the respect of his team members, I wonder why that is.