Arsenal Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2011/2012

jonneymendoza

Please villa

dvemail

This is a very long 6 minutes!

jonneymendoza

full time yet?

Redzer7

Come on the fúcking fúck!!!!!!!!!

Win against WBA and we finish 3rd!!

jonneymendoza

YESS GET IN VILLA

HazDanz

Final score 1-1. Super Sunday indeed!!

It's back in our hands again.

Phew!

dvemail

jonneymendoza wrote: »

full time yet?

Yep all done now:D 1-1

thank god for that.

Sergio

must win against WBA next week lads!

Hyzepher

get the f**k in - a total reprieve. Now get the job done!!

Soups123

Great set of results, typical of football ur most enjoyable day is the day we don't play.

Atleast we've a cup final to look forward to next week

gnfnrhead

I hate how quick people are to overreact in here. Draw yesterday = doomed! We're going to finish fifth!

Fast forward 24hrs and it's still in our own hands. A win next week guarantees 3rd place. We could still finish 3rd even if we lose although hopefully that doesn't happen.

cson

Point gets us 4th.

Let off the hook altogether though, next week is our cup final, simple as.

keano_afc

ImpossibleDuck wrote: »

Jesus Christ, this is ridiculously cynical!
We've been handed another chance after our season looked dead in the water yesterday and you're saying that.

Another chance, exactly. We've screwed all the previous ones up, and this team has shown for the last 5 years that it cant handle pressure and finish a season off. We've blown home games against Norwich and Wigan and played for a draw at Stoke. For crying out loud, give me one good reason why we should in any way be optimistic about next week? Its not cynicism, its reality. I would dearly love to be proved wrong but cant find a reason to have much hope.

Mickeroo

Talk about a get out of jail free card. If the team mess up against West Brom next week then they don't really deserve to be there anyway, they should have had it wrapped up by now.

jonneymendoza

cson wrote: »

Point gets us 4th.

Let off the hook altogether though, next week is our cup final, simple as.

agreed

HazDanz

keano_afc wrote: »

Another chance, exactly. We've screwed all the previous ones up, and this team has shown for the last 5 years that it cant handle pressure and finish a season off. We've blown home games against Norwich and Wigan and played for a draw at Stoke. For crying out loud, give me one good reason why we should in any way be optimistic about next week? Its not cynicism, its reality. I would dearly love to be proved wrong but cant find a reason to have much hope.

Spurs are just as bad as us though for bottling matches, that must fill you with hope!

Frisbee

Now that the game next week actually matters we will most definitely bottle it. Not once in the last 5 years have we shown an ability to end a season the way we need to, so I'm not getting my hopes up we'll do it this year.

A pedestrian 1-1 with West Brom next week is my guess.

cson

Hawthorns is not a happy hunting ground for us either; beaten 3-2 there last year and 1-0 the season before iirc.

Ugh, next week is going to be torture.

ImpossibleDuck

Faith: Probably the main aspect of being a football fan.

Fúcking hell, this place makes me want to top myself. Lighten the fúck up!

gosplan

we're just out of form at the moment

HazDanz

gosplan wrote: »

we're just out of form at the moment

The injuries have crippled us again as well. Not a coincidence our form dipping with the injuries we've had.

gnfnrhead

Read the relegation thread lads, it could be much worse than being third with one game to go!

greendom

Changes have to be made for next week. Ramsey will come good but he's letting the team down at the moment. I'd start Ox or even Coq in his place next week.

tayto lover

gnfnrhead wrote: »

I hate how quick people are to overreact in here. Draw yesterday = doomed! We're going to finish fifth!

Fast forward 24hrs and it's still in our own hands. A win next week guarantees 3rd place. We could still finish 3rd even if we lose although hopefully that doesn't happen.

I don't think its overreaction at all. We had the lead TWICE yesterday and couldn't hold on. We are a poor outfit and it would be foolish to expect a win against W. Brom away with this team. We simply have no leaders and lack guts whenever it matters in an away fixture. But lets hope we can win next week as we are due one and a bit of luck. Also you have to consider the lack of decisions we get from referees. No penalty given to us in an entire season away.

Redzer7

All out attack! We need a performance like the one at home to Milan!

cson

Newky have Everton away, Spurs have Fulham at home and we have WBA away.

Tbh I'd take our game over any of theirs.

We can do it!

Who'll fill in for Sagna though? We've missed the outlet himself and Theo offered; will Walcott be back?

As has been said; we just need to blitz them to ****.

Frisbee

greendom wrote: »

Changes have to be made for next week. Ramsey will come good but he's letting the team down at the moment. I'd start Ox or even Coq in his place next week.

Coquelin needs to start at RB next week imo.

cson

---

Szczsney

---

Coquelin - Koscielny - Vermaelen - Gibbs

---

Song

---

Rosicky

---

Benayoun

---

Ramsey

---

Gervinho

---

RVP

---

Is how we'll line up if Walcott isn't fit imo.

I just hope that if the game hits 60mins and we still haven't scored that AW will thrown on Chamakh (who did quite well vs Norwich imo) and Chamberlain.

The poison directed at Ramsey by some fans bewilders me tbh. The kid is having a tough time, get behind him. He took up some wonderful positions on Sunday.

ImpossibleDuck

cson wrote: »

The poison directed at Ramsey by some fans bewilders me tbh. The kid is having a tough time, get behind him. He took up some wonderful positions on Sunday.

When a player gets into a bad run of form, criticism can always seem harsh to people.

But what he showed yesterday didn't show a player in bad form, it showed a player that didn't care.

cson

Ramsey did fine yesterday, he was one of the best players on the park against Stoke. He's just an easy target for people tbh.

keano_afc

Whatever team he goes with he simply has to drill it in to the midfielders to track back. It was embarrassing how often Norwich went through us so easily yesterday. Song needs to sit and hold for once. Fair enough he plays the Hollywood passes but we need to make sure we're solid at the back and then worry about winning the game. The chances will come, but the comedy defending needs to be addressed.

Well I for one, will be investing in adult diapers next Sunday. What a way to end the season!

Dercola

greendom wrote: »

Changes have to be made for next week. Ramsey will come good but he's letting the team down at the moment. I'd start Ox or even Coq in his place next week.

Was thinking that myself today. I genuinely didn't even realize that Ramsey was playing yesterday, until he gave the ball away just before half time.. The Ox needs to start next week, because at the very least he adds a sense of urgency to the team.

Not only did we dodge a bullet this weekend, but we dodged a f'kn cruise missile. The only saving grace is the spuds seem to be as bad as us atm, and I fancy Fulham to sneak a point next week. Newcastle are a worry alright tho. Keep the faith lads..:p

emergingstar

If we want all out attack start ox if ya want the midfielders to track back then we can't start the ox

Im going hiding away next Sunday if someone could txt me to let me no if we done it would be much appreciated

gosplan

tayto lover wrote: »

I don't think its overreaction at all. We had the lead TWICE yesterday and couldn't hold on. We are a poor outfit and it would be foolish to expect a win against W. Brom away with this team. We simply have no leaders and lack guts whenever it matters in an away fixture. But lets hope we can win next week as we are due one and a bit of luck. Also you have to consider the lack of decisions we get from referees. No penalty given to us in an entire season away.

We are a poor outfit with no leaders??

Really?

batistuta9

gosplan wrote: »

We are a poor outfit with no leaders??

Really?

a bit like everything related to football, nothing is actually as good or bad is it's made out by the fans, media or whoever



chelsea aren't out of the running yet either

tayto lover

gosplan wrote: »

We are a poor outfit with no leaders??

Really?

Yes.
We have a soft centre and we cant seem to hold onto a lead. We took the lead with 5 mins remaining and there was nobody to put their foot on the ball and keep possession. That has happened numerous times to us in the past. We should be beating the likes of Norwich in such an important game and not throwing away the lead twice at home. It was nearly as bad as when we were 4 up against Newcastle last year and struggled to draw. Not good enough to be honest.

EuropeanSon

tayto lover wrote: »

Yes.
We have a soft centre and we cant seem to hold onto a lead. We took the lead with 5 mins remaining and there was nobody to put their foot on the ball and keep possession. That has happened numerous times to us in the past. We should be beating the likes of Norwich in such an important game and not throwing away the lead twice at home. It was nearly as bad as when we were 4 up against Newcastle last year and struggled to draw. Not good enough to be honest.

Yeah, that soft centre really got found out against Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool (to name a few) this season. No fight, no heart, etc., etc.... :rolleyes:

It seems to me to be more a case of our players taking things for granted. Eejits. They should really have learned by now that they've got to focus on every minute of every match.

batistuta9

tayto lover wrote: »

Yes.
We have a soft centre and we cant seem to hold onto a lead. We took the lead with 5 mins remaining and there was nobody to put their foot on the ball and keep possession. That has happened numerous times to us in the past. We should be beating the likes of Norwich in such an important game and not throwing away the lead twice at home. It was nearly as bad as when we were 4 up against Newcastle last year and struggled to draw. Not good enough to be honest.

There's a serious need for a proper DM in the team, yet a lot of people don't see this or think one is needed. Too many times arsenal be caught with far too many players up the pitch or teams go through them like a hot knife

Your a little harsh on them though I'm nearly sure arsenal have gained the post points in the PL from losing positions - so there's some fight there

but 3 points from the last 12 is a poor return, especially since 3 matches were at home

tayto lover

EuropeanSon wrote: »

Yeah, that soft centre really got found out against Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool (to name a few) this season. No fight, no heart, etc., etc.... :rolleyes:

It seems to me to be more a case of our players taking things for granted. Eejits. They should really have learned by now that they've got to focus on every minute of every match.

Is it a case of being up for the big names but expecting to win against the so-called minnows then ? If it is then it is high time the players and management started to learn because its happening far too often. Schoolboy defending again yesterday.

gosplan

tayto lover wrote: »

gosplan wrote: »

We are a poor outfit with no leaders??

Really?

Yes.
We have a soft centre and we cant seem to hold onto a lead. We took the lead with 5 mins remaining and there was nobody to put their foot on the ball and keep possession. That has happened numerous times to us in the past. We should be beating the likes of Norwich in such an important game and not throwing away the lead twice at home. It was nearly as bad as when we were 4 up against Newcastle last year and struggled to draw. Not good enough to be honest.

At any point have you ever noted how improved we are at closing out games compared to last season? Are you drawing a straight line from yesterday to fulham away in November and then back to last year's examples of throwing away points late on without acknowledging the matches that have come in between.?

Is every club no from Manchester 'poor'?

tayto lover

batistuta9 wrote: »

There's a serious need for a proper DM in the team, yet a lot of people don't see this or think one is needed. Too many times arsenal be caught with far too many players up the pitch or teams go through them like a hot knife

Your a little harsh on them though I'm nearly sure arsenal have gained the post points in the PL from losing positions - so there's some fight there

but 3 points from the last 12 is a poor return, especially since 3 matches were at home

Maybe I am a wee bit harsh but that performance yesterday with the winning line in sight was not good enough. I was very angry afterwards. With today's results we should have had third place wrapped up and been in a position to enjoy the last day and the Champions League Final.

tayto lover

gosplan wrote: »

At any point have you ever noted how improved we are at closing out games compared to last season? Are you drawing a straight line from yesterday to fulham away in November and then back to last year's examples of throwing away points late on without acknowledging the matches that have come in between.?

Is every club no from Manchester 'poor'?

Maybe I just don't see it so can you tell me who the leaders were yesterday on the field ? If you take RVP out of that team then what have we ?

gosplan

tayto lover wrote: »

Maybe I just don't see it so can you tell me who the leaders were yesterday on the field ? If you take RVP out of that team then what have we ?

The leader thing is overdone.

What you're looking for is consistancy and a team performance - not just one player to step up and make easy commentary for the match of the day team.

Leaders aren't defined by moments where they take the game by the scruff of the neck or something like that, it's not all about snapshots like a captain's goal when you're two nil down - there're leaders because they put in consistant performances and always take care of their end of things. They function at a high level all the time.

They're basically immune to 'form' - and judging by this season i'd say there's like 4/5 of them in the premiership - Kompany, Yaya, Scholes, Rooney, RVP maybe throw in a couple of people like Tiote and Arteta as well.

But they're few and far between. Everyone else is affected by form and you can see it this year especially - City go from being unbeatable to not being able to win to being unbeatable again - Man U go from being super consistant to throwing the league away - and Arsenal and Tottenham go from sublime to complacent and back again a couple of times.

Right now were in a funk - we're missing our most effective midfielder and our most creative winger. We have leaders on the pitch but they're basically our better players and they're not immune to a bad game or two. They're the same leaders who were in place when we went on our run of wins that put us where we are now.

Getting aside from the leader thing, I think it's becoming more clear all the time how important Arteta is to us.

tayto lover

gosplan wrote: »

The leader thing is overdone.

What you're looking for is consistancy and a team performance - not just one player to step up and make easy commentary for the match of the day team.

Leaders aren't defined by moments where they take the game by the scruff of the neck or something like that, it's not all about snapshots like a captain's goal when you're two nil down - there're leaders because they put in consistant performances and always take care of their end of things. They function at a high level all the time.

They're basically immune to 'form' - and judging by this season i'd say there's like 4/5 of them in the premiership - Kompany, Yaya, Scholes, Rooney, RVP maybe throw in a couple of people like Tiote and Arteta as well.

But they're few and far between. Everyone else is affected by form and you can see it this year especially - City go from being unbeatable to not being able to win to being unbeatable again - Man U go from being super consistant to throwing the league away - and Arsenal and Tottenham go from sublime to complacent and back again a couple of times.

Right now were in a funk - we're missing our most effective midfielder and our most creative winger. We have leaders on the pitch but they're basically our better players and they're not immune to a bad game or two. They're the same leaders who were in place when we went on our run of wins that put us where we are now.

Getting aside from the leader thing, I think it's becoming more clear all the time how important Arteta is to us.

I agree with you to a point BUT who was doing the shouting yesterday when players were not tracking back ? Who was reminding them of their job ? Who was shouting at them to get the blocks in and close down ? Some of them looked like they were in the park for a kick about. I watched it again today and couldn't believe how poor Gibbs was at left back. Song (who I have defended on occasions) and Ramsey standing in midfield looking back as Norwich attacked in droves. Rosicky trotting back as if he expected the danger to be stopped by someone else. That is not the first time we played so poorly in the last few weeks either and you're right we really miss Arteta and haven't won without him. I am fearful about next Sunday too.

tsoparno

Had a load of points to make but I think we've covered them all in the last few posts.

It's scary to think yesterdays starting back-line was our first preference, I know Sagna went off injuried, but the crux of the problem and its been that way from the start of the season is the tracking back or lack of! Watch the utd mauling if you can stomach it, it's actually shocking to see the players looking on as the opposition stroll past them.

Arteta is being badly missed, and Ramsey should be dropped to the bench, these aren't Carling cup games to build his confidence again.

One things for sure I'll be ****ting a brick for the last game.

Galvasean

Well, despite ourselves we remain third. Amazing really.

Sergio

tayto lover wrote: »

I agree with you to a point BUT who was doing the shouting yesterday when players were not tracking back ? Who was reminding them of their job ? Who was shouting at them to get the blocks in and close down ? Some of them looked like they were in the park for a kick about. I watched it again today and couldn't believe how poor Gibbs was at left back. Song (who I have defended on occasions) and Ramsey standing in midfield looking back as Norwich attacked in droves. Rosicky trotting back as if he expected the danger to be stopped by someone else. That is not the first time we played so poorly in the last few weeks either and you're right we really miss Arteta and haven't won without him. I am fearful about next Sunday too.

Couldn't agree with you more .I was watching the sunday supplement programme on sky sports this morning which is on every sunday and has a panel of the top footballer journalists from all the major newspapers in the uk. They were making your exact point about players getting caught out of position and not tracking back quick enough. I think our back 4 and GK take an awful lot of criticism when we leak goals like norwich's equalizer yesterday but i think our midfielders in particular need to get back quicker and protect the back 4 more.Even the mighty RVP could chip in more with the defensive side of the game.I would like to see another strong midfielder come in but i think if we defended better as a team then we wouldnt give away as many stupid goals like yesterday!

Noo

Galvasean wrote: »

Well, despite ourselves we remain third. Amazing really.

The mind...it boggles.