Official Gooners Thread - A New Hope

[stew]

Bad feeling about this.

Worst case - Utd hammer Arsenal a la CL SF last year. 0-2 or 0-3. League season over.

Arsenal scrape 1-1 or 0-0. Chelsea stride ahead.

I just can't see Arsenal winning. Rooney is the most fanstatic talent and is finally getting the delivery he needs. Fabregas is ploughing a lonely one.

Do you ever write what you actually mean or are you always full of shite?


The Arse do tend to lose to United when they absolutely have to get a result, that hopefully will continue.

[ONeill]

Bad feeling about this.

Worst case - Utd hammer Arsenal a la CL SF last year. 0-2 or 0-3. League season over.

Arsenal scrape 1-1 or 0-0. Chelsea stride ahead.

I just can't see Arsenal winning. Rooney is the most fanstatic talent and is finally getting the delivery he needs. Fabregas is ploughing a lonely one.

Do you ever write what you actually mean or are you always full of shite?


The Arse do tend to lose to United when they absolutely have to get a result, that hopefully will continue.

What's shite about that? I'm not blinkered.

[hassletravel]

Arsenal have a lot of players coming back, two one to arsenal

[ONeill]

Angry Martin O'Neill tells Arsène Wenger to keep opinions to himself



Martin O'Neill last night delivered a withering attack on Arsène Wenger, accusing the Arsenal manager of being obsessed with his own importance and describing him as someone who has an opinion on every subject in the world. The Aston Villa manager, who remains furious with Wenger's jibe after Wednesday's goalless draw that his side "play a very long-ball game", also suggested the Frenchman was deluded to believe his own team set the standard and claimed that he might "learn something" from watching Barcelona.

O'Neill revealed how he felt compelled to confront Wenger after Wednesday's match to tell the Arsenal manager just how unhappy he was with his comments. Almost 48 hours later and there was no evidence that the Northern Irishman's mood had mellowed as he strongly defended his methods and tore into Wenger again, including accusing him of using Arsenal's style of play as a convenient excuse for their failure to compete with Chelsea and Manchester United.

"[Wenger's remarks] have actually caused a bit of amusement within the camp [among people] like James Milner, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing," O'Neill said. "Long ball suggests that you are in there all day battling for things. But it is interesting, in the last 20 minutes of the game, I didn't count them, but he did actually bring on a 6ft 3in centre-forward [Nicklas Bendtner], and hit him about six times in the game from [Gaël] Clichy and his people. So it is a nonsense.

"It is interesting, the point he makes, that nobody can play football in the manner that they do. If he believes that, good luck to him," said O'Neill. "He might want to take a wee look at Barcelona: he might learn something, as we all could. Anybody worth their salt would want to aspire to playing like Barcelona, it is a wonderful thing. You have to have really, really gifted players.

"What we are doing here, and I don't care what anybody says, we have flair players picking the ball up, attacking. I thought Ashley Young was fantastic on Wednesday night. We have been more creative now than at any time in the three and a half years that I have been here, primarily because we have more creative players on the field at the same time."

O'Neill acknowledged Wenger is a "top-quality manager" but, echoing the thoughts of José Mourinho when he was in charge at Chelsea, believes the Frenchman is too quick to wade into territory that has nothing to do with him. The Villa manager claimed that at times Wenger is saying things for "effect" and suggested that, on other occasions, in particular when the subject matter concerns Arsenal and his own players, he would benefit from being more honest.

"He has an opinion on everything," O'Neill said. "There is not a subject in this world at this minute, political, religious, anything, that he does not have an opinion on. I really don't mind, I just don't want it shoved down my throat. If I totally and utterly disagree with his opinion, I will say so. I'm not the only one to disagree with him. He does say things for effect. When he talks about this particular Arsenal side, and teams going out deliberately to kick them, nobody does that. Manchester United wouldn't do that."

He added: "You can get carried away with your own importance, you really can. Sometimes he does. He has made a great contribution to the game here, but he is not on a different planet. He is a very skilful manager – well done him, but he has another record, like he has had something like 99 sendings-off this year, and 98 of them weren't his fault. That is the problem."

"There are things that happen in the game that you cannot always be fantastically proud of your team," said O'Neill. claimed that Wenger had "conveniently forgotten" how his Arsenal teams from yesteryear were also capable of "dishing it out" at times, saying: "There can be some nasty challenges made by Arsenal players. You cannot condone everything. If what you say stands up, and people can see it, people will accept it. But I don't think there is any acceptance with his [latest] comments. We will continue to play in the manner in which we play until we drop."

The Villa manager believes Wenger's outspoken remarks and reactions to decisions are often "deliberate ploys", aimed to deflect attention from Arsenal's shortcomings and, in some cases, influence referees: "What he wants to do is try and point out to everyone who is under his spell that Arsenal are the only delightful team around. When you are looking for that, you can spot a weakness. You are trying to get an excuse ready if you cannot compete with Manchester United and Chelsea. That is the point. The fact is they probably are able to compete, because they have enough physical players in their side to cope."

"He is trying to influence things. He knows the game inside out. Does this mean that an Arsenal player does not make a tackle? Richard Dunne was actually fouled going through in the last minute of the game [on Wednesday], a clear foul. They do actually foul players. [But] there is a plan throughout. If he puts his hands in the air enough times, they will probably accept the fact that he can see it from that distance, that Sol Campbell hadn't fouled Richard Dunne, and the referee obviously agrees with him."

O'Neill did, however, reflect that Wenger's comments had "brought a bit of merriment" to Villa's training ground this weekand joked his players are going to "blitz" Fulham with their long-ball game at Craven Cottage today. He also suggested the fallout from a particular Champions League tie this year would be interesting. "We should hold opinions until Arsenal play Barcelona," added O'Neill. ". And if they lose to Barcelona, Barcelona will be considered a long-ball team."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/30/martin-oneill-arsene-wenger

[Dinny Breen]

The Villa manager believes Wenger's outspoken remarks and reactions to decisions are often "deliberate ploys", aimed to deflect attention from Arsenal's shortcomings

Ah delicious irony, wonder what team is now having their now traditional post-Christmas choke/slump.

Wenger must have touched a nerve anyway, Martin O'Neill has there ever been a more over-rated manager?

[ONeill]

He really has touched a nerve. The thing about it all is that Wenger's comment wasn't a criticism. He was commenting on how difficult Villa were to play against. The reporter was being a bit mischievous and took that sentence and put it to O'Neill.

You'll miss that when Wenger goes. He's good value for the post-match comments especially if they have lost or drawn.

[ONeill]

Get wired in.

I'd say Clichy - Gallas - Campbell - Sagna
Arshavin - Rosicky - Fabregas - Song - Nasri
Bender

[centre 3/4s]

That cnut almunia again

[Dinny Breen]

Almunia I give up on and that Denilson could have cleared the 2nd if had half the desire of Rooney, two awful goals to give away meanwhile the Arse waste chance after chance...

[Farrandeelin]

I was been sarcastic about my prediction the other day! Just all the Gooners saying Rooney only scores against Hull and all those crap teams.

[gerry]

On  way home from work. Anybody  good links save me looking.

[Dakota]

On  way good from work. Anybody  good links save me looking.

Hope you didn't drive home seeing as you are obviously drunk

[Dinny Breen]

Just all the Gooners saying Rooney only scores against Hull and all those crap teams.

You can add Arsenal to that list of crap teams

[From the Bunker]

GONE!

[ross4life]

Just all the Gooners saying Rooney only scores against Hull and all those crap teams.

You can add Arsenal to that list of crap teams

Arsenal are not Crap! just the 3rd best team in England