Arsenal Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2016/2017

gosplan

You can imagine the original conversation between Wenger and Ozil.

'I'm really good on the ball and super calm under pressure - so I'm especially good at setting people up'

'Why don't you just score the goals yourself?'

smilerf

For me it's Elneny over Xhaka all day
Great to have options though

gosplan

I haven't seen any analysis but I think the biggest change in the team from last year to this is our conversion rate.

We're taking the same number of shots this year (15.2) to last year (15.1) but we're scoring way more goals.

I'm not sure if the type of shots we're taking is different and the whole team setup with Sanchez up front is resulting in easier chances or if we're just being more clinical.

I know though that last night's game was not a win last year and that the main difference was that after conceding 2 goals we wouldn't have scored like 3 out of 4/5 chances.

Being clinical is making all the difference.

CatInABox

Deleted User wrote: »

This is why there should be a separate Arsenal forum because threads dedicated to this valuable information is well needed.

Might do up a better version of it later, kind of a one day guide to getting to the Emirates and back, with some details on nice restaurants in and around north London, if anyone is interested? Maybe a few touristy things for those around for another day?

5star02707

CatInABox wrote: »

Might do up a better version of it later, kind of a one day guide to getting to the Emirates and back, with some details on nice restaurants in and around north London, if anyone is interested? Maybe a few touristy things for those around for another day?

yes please really interested on this as I always knew the Stansted way but didn't know about the Gatwick 1 day pass

gosplan

smilerf wrote: »

For me it's Elneny over Xhaka all day
Great to have options though

At the moment yeah but Xhaka's future looks bright.

Elneny this year is much better than Elneny of last year, though he was always a calming influence.

But Wenger's on the record as saying it takes 6 months or so to bed in.

This applies to Mustafi too. Kos was said (by many on here) to be not good enough when he joined. Though my all time favourite stat was his 100% tackle success rate over his last entire season in France.

Mustafi's going through the same issues now as regards timing and decision making that Kos went through then.

This applies to other teams too - people saying Pogba's a waste or Zlatan won't cut it are basically lining up for egg on their faces.

Though in Zlatan's case, age is against him.

domrush

CatInABox wrote: »

Might do up a better version of it later, kind of a one day guide to getting to the Emirates and back, with some details on nice restaurants in and around north London, if anyone is interested? Maybe a few touristy things for those around for another day?

Be very interested in this CatInABox

Gringo180

CatInABox wrote: »

Might do up a better version of it later, kind of a one day guide to getting to the Emirates and back, with some details on nice restaurants in and around north London, if anyone is interested? Maybe a few touristy things for those around for another day?

Great stuff. Due our first child in April but this will definitely come in handy when I go back over next season. Love London one of the best cities ive ever been to.

Gringo180

Gringo180 wrote: »

Great stuff. Due our first child in April but this will definitely come in handy when I go back over next season. Love London one of the best cities ive ever been to.

I suggest getting over as much as you can, asap. Your life ends in April :pac:

Ken Shamrock

Gringo180 wrote: »

Great stuff. Due our first child in April but this will definitely come in handy when I go back over next season. Love London one of the best cities ive ever been to.

You need to visit more cities :pac:

Congrats on the kid man

Gringo180

Hahaha cheers lads

CatInABox

Okay, seeing as there is demand, here's my guide to getting to the emirates and back from the various airports, and some of the cheaper ways of doing so.

Heathrow
It's pretty simple, if a little boring, actually. Get the underground to Arsenal station. That's it. It's a grand airport, just very far out. It's about an 60/70 minutes on the train.

Stansted
As has been said, get the Stansted express to Tottenham Hale, change to the Victoria line to Finsbury Park, then change to the Piccadilly line to either Arsenal or Holloway road. I utterly hate this airport, as it's a hellhole in every way. Not sure how long it takes actually, it's been a while.

Gatwick
Platform 3 train to Bedford, get off at St Pancras, cross over to Kings Cross, get the Piccadilly Line to Arsenal. (Holloway Road station is closed to eastbound trains on match day) Very nice airport, staff are friendly, and the trains are pretty regular as well. Takes about an 60/70 in total.

London City
Get the DLR to Stratford, then the overground to Highbury and Islington. A great little airport, not wheelchair/buggy friendly though. This is where I'd try to fly to, as it's all business people, so there's no fuss.

Luton
Get the train to Brighton, get off at St Pancras, cross over to Kings Cross, get the Piccadilly Line to Arsenal. (Holloway Road station is closed to eastbound trains on match day) A nice enough airport, and it's convenient as well.

The 1 Day Travel Card
When you get to the airport, at the train ticket desk, ask for the 1 Day Off Peak travel card with return journey to the airport. The off peak just means that you can only use it after 09:30 in the morning, and it will cover zones 1 to 6, which is essentially all of London. This card is the cheapest option if you are flying into Luton, Gatwick or Stansted.

That also means that if you got cheap flights into Gatwick, then you could get a cheap flight back from Heathrow, or London City, you just won't be using the return part of the trip.

The return journey can be used from and then back to Stansted, Luton, or Gatwick, but not on the express trains (I'm pretty sure anyway).

Oyster Visitor cards
These are essentially just regular oyster cards, just designed for tourists. A pay as you go contactless card, they are useful, but only for certain airports. These cards actually have a daily cap that is less than the cost of a travelcard, but it doesn't include the journeys to and from airports like Luton, Stansted, and Gatwick. It also means that you may have to top up by more than the daily cap. The cap is £11.80 per day, a whole £0.30 cheaper, so you may find it easier just to get the travel card.

If you're flying into and out of Heathrow or London City, this is the cheapest option, but not necessarily the best option.

Taxis
Taxis can be expensive, but they can also make the most sense at times. They're most cost effective with more people, and the Black Cab drivers have to have "The Knowledge", basically a three year course on London streets.

Escalators
Seriously, stand on the right. They'll run you down if you don't!


Children on Transport
Children 11 and under go free on all forms of transport with a paying adult.

Food and Drink on the day
Holloway and the area immediately surrounding the Emirates is hit and miss at best. Piebury Corner is good, and very Arsenal, but very small. Other than that, there's nothing I could really recommend. Maybe a Dirty Chicken. They're both on Holloway road. The pubs in the area are also very Arsenal, which can be both a good and bad thing.

If you head down Holloway Road, you'll hit Upper St, it's about 20-30 minutes walk, where the quality and options shoot through the roof. There's all the high end fast foods, like Five Guys, Byron, several others. The pubs are also great along here. If you're staying the night, From Angel up to Highbury corner are great places to stay near.

If you're getting the train from Luton or Gatwick, then I'd suggest getting pre-match food in the Kings Cross area, it's certainly changed in the last few years, very up and coming now. There's a Five Guys if you want good fast food, and plenty of restaurants in the local area.

Dishoom is a brilliant Indian restaurant, but you'd really need to book in advance. They do take walk-ins, but after 5 o'clock, the queue to get in is usually an hour long(or longer). Plenty of others that are as good in the area, like Caravan or Vinotech.

Second day Tourist Stuff
If you've got an extra day, then I'd suggest going to the Skygarden in the Walkie-Talkie. In my opinion, its got a better view than the Shard, because it's closer to all the stuff that you'd actually want to see. You also get to say that you were in a building that literally melted a car with nothing but sunlight. You need to book in advance, but it's free to go up.

Covent Garden is always good for food and drink, I love a Pizza place called Franca Manca which is near there.

Almost all the museums are free, unless you go into an exhibition, the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square has some amazing old school art, as does the Tate Britain. The British Museum contains loads of stuff that the British looted from around their Empire, including stuff like the Rosetta stone. It's a bit further out though.

For Kids, the science museum is great, it has a huge play area downstairs, and loads of rockets and planes suspend in the air on the ground floor.

_____________________________________

That's all I can think of now, but if anyone lets me know if I got something wrong, or a better/cheaper way of doing things, then I'll edit the post.

FixitFelix

I find the easiest way for me is Stanstead airport, get the express to London Liverpool Street station, jump a taxi for £10-£12 to the 12 pins pub and you're only a few mins walk to the stadium

Not into all the changing trains and getting the tube

Alfred Borden

CatInABox wrote: »

Ok, I have to admit, I find Alfreds scorer update posts great, but any chance we could lash them into a table instead? I've even gone and done the first one, with sortable columns and everything. Just click the header and it'll sort by it.

Great idea man. Looks much neater. Thanks :pac:

CatInABox

FixitFelix wrote: »

I find the easiest way for me is Stanstead airport, get the express to London Liverpool Street station, jump a taxi for £10-£12 to the 12 pins pub and you're only a few mins walk to the stadium

Not into all the changing trains and getting the tube

Added a bit on taxis in, thanks.

SkySter

A good place for a pre or post match drink is The Rocket on Holloway Road run by Arsenal Red Action Supporters club.

http://www.redaction.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=37

CatInABox wrote: »

Okay, seeing as there is demand, here's my guide to getting to the emirates and back from the various airports, and some of the cheaper ways of doing so.

Heathrow
It's pretty simple, if a little boring, actually. Get the underground to Arsenal station. That's it. It's a grand airport, just very far out. It's about an 60/70 minutes on the train.

Stansted
As has been said, get the Stansted express to Tottenham Hale, change to the Victoria line to Finsbury Park, then change to the Piccadilly line to either Arsenal or Holloway road. I utterly hate this airport, as it's a hellhole in every way. Not sure how long it takes actually, it's been a while.

Gatwick
Platform 3 train to Bedford, get off at St Pancras, cross over to Kings Cross, get the Piccadilly Line to Arsenal. (Holloway Road station is closed to eastbound trains on match day) Very nice airport, staff are friendly, and the trains are pretty regular as well. Takes about an 60/70 in total.

London City
Get the DLR to Stratford, then the overground to Highbury and Islington. A great little airport, not wheelchair/buggy friendly though. This is where I'd try to fly to, as it's all business people, so there's no fuss.

Luton
Get the train to Brighton, get off at St Pancras, cross over to Kings Cross, get the Piccadilly Line to Arsenal. (Holloway Road station is closed to eastbound trains on match day) A nice enough airport, and it's convenient as well.

The 1 Day Travel Card
When you get to the airport, at the train ticket desk, ask for the 1 Day Off Peak travel card with return journey to the airport. The off peak just means that you can only use it after 09:30 in the morning, and it will cover zones 1 to 6, which is essentially all of London. This card is the cheapest option if you are flying into Luton, Gatwick or Stansted.

That also means that if you got cheap flights into Gatwick, then you could get a cheap flight back from Heathrow, or London City, you just won't be using the return part of the trip.

The return journey can be used from and then back to Stansted, Luton, or Gatwick, but not on the express trains (I'm pretty sure anyway).

Oyster Visitor cards
These are essentially just regular oyster cards, just designed for tourists. A pay as you go contactless card, they are useful, but only for certain airports. These cards actually have a daily cap that is less than the cost of a travelcard, but it doesn't include the journeys to and from airports like Luton, Stansted, and Gatwick. It also means that you may have to top up by more than the daily cap. The cap is £11.80 per day, a whole £0.30 cheaper, so you may find it easier just to get the travel card.

If you're flying into and out of Heathrow or London City, this is the cheapest option, but not necessarily the best option.

Taxis
Taxis can be expensive, but they can also make the most sense at times. They're most cost effective with more people, and the Black Cab drivers have to have "The Knowledge", basically a three year course on London streets.

Escalators
Seriously, stand on the right. They'll run you down if you don't!


Children on Transport
Children 11 and under go free on all forms of transport with a paying adult.

Food and Drink on the day
Holloway and the area immediately surrounding the Emirates is hit and miss at best. Piebury Corner is good, and very Arsenal, but very small. Other than that, there's nothing I could really recommend. Maybe a Dirty Chicken. They're both on Holloway road. The pubs in the area are also very Arsenal, which can be both a good and bad thing.

If you head down Holloway Road, you'll hit Upper St, it's about 20-30 minutes walk, where the quality and options shoot through the roof. There's all the high end fast foods, like Five Guys, Byron, several others. The pubs are also great along here. If you're staying the night, From Angel up to Highbury corner are great places to stay near.

If you're getting the train from Luton or Gatwick, then I'd suggest getting pre-match food in the Kings Cross area, it's certainly changed in the last few years, very up and coming now. There's a Five Guys if you want good fast food, and plenty of restaurants in the local area.

Dishoom is a brilliant Indian restaurant, but you'd really need to book in advance. They do take walk-ins, but after 5 o'clock, the queue to get in is usually an hour long(or longer). Plenty of others that are as good in the area, like Caravan or Vinotech.

Second day Tourist Stuff
If you've got an extra day, then I'd suggest going to the Skygarden in the Walkie-Talkie. In my opinion, its got a better view than the Shard, because it's closer to all the stuff that you'd actually want to see. You also get to say that you were in a building that literally melted a car with nothing but sunlight. You need to book in advance, but it's free to go up.

Covent Garden is always good for food and drink, I love a Pizza place called Franca Manca which is near there.

Almost all the museums are free, unless you go into an exhibition, the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square has some amazing old school art, as does the Tate Britain. The British Museum contains loads of stuff that the British looted from around their Empire, including stuff like the Rosetta stone. It's a bit further out though.

For Kids, the science museum is great, it has a huge play area downstairs, and loads of rockets and planes suspend in the air on the ground floor.

_____________________________________

That's all I can think of now, but if anyone lets me know if I got something wrong, or a better/cheaper way of doing things, then I'll edit the post.

tayto lover

Bergkamp - Football's Greatest -- just starting on SS5 now. It's great.

mansize

Might be going to PSG game! Booked €10 flight to GATWICK!!!

(flying back via STN)

mansize

Ken Shamrock wrote: »

You need to visit more cities :pac:

Congrats on the kid man

London is a great City! in my Top 3

FixitFelix

mansize wrote: »

Might be going to PSG game! Booked €10 flight to GATWICK!!!

(flying back via STN)

Tickets are dirt cheap got mine €26 return

mansize

FixitFelix wrote: »

Tickets are dirt cheap got mine €26 return

Yeah, they were €2 last week...

I paid €22 €10 & £10 plus about €1 charges

mansize

Might pick up a new MacBook on my way back

shano_88

Spurs look very average tonight so far. Cary very little goal threat without Kane, hopefully hes not ready for the game on Sunday.

We really should be winning it.

mansize

Leverkusen scored!

Kevin Campbell lolz

extra gravy

shano_88 wrote: »

Spurs look very average tonight so far. Cary very little goal threat without Kane, hopefully hes not ready for the game on Sunday.

We really should be winning it.

Their defence looks a mess without Alderweireld too.

extra gravy

https://twitter.com/SoccerSt_/status/793585661043470336

Must have watched it 50 times by now

Lads. We're gonna top the group and get Real, aren't we?

Ken Shamrock

Deleted User wrote: »

Lads. We're gonna top the group and get Real, aren't we?

We'll swiftly dispatch of them beat Athletico in the quarters piss all over Bayern in the semi's and finally get revenge on Barca in the final.

mansize

Deleted User wrote: »

Lads. We're gonna top the group and get Real, aren't we?

That's what I thought

DvB

Deleted User wrote: »

Lads. We're gonna top the group and get Real, aren't we?

Or our old foes Bayern Munich... its written in the stars!;)

5star02707

haha what are the chances we get someone from Group D or F :L :L :L

Pepe LeFrits

As long as we don't get fecking Bayern or Barca AGAIN.

emmetlego

Santi back for NLD apparently.

emmetlego

emmetlego wrote: »

Santi back for NLD apparently.

Would be good. He's still listed as having a late fitness test, but Theo, Monreal and Bellerin are no longer listed as being injured.

JustTheOne

Gibbs out for it so hopefully Monreal is back.

jester77

Spurs are on a bit of a bad run, haven't won in 6, haven't scored from play in over 5 games. We should be putting them away with ease based on that form. A good start is vital to not give them any confidence. I'm more confident about winning this one than in some of the previous seasons.

jester77

jester77 wrote: »

Spurs are on a bit of a bad run, haven't won in 6, haven't scored from play in over 5 games. We should be putting them away with ease based on that form. A good start is vital to not give them any confidence. I'm more confident about winning this one than in some of the previous seasons.

They've only conceded 5 goals all season, so an early goal would definitely be good.

JustTheOne

Monreal also doubt now?

Who else can play left back?

Ken Shamrock

JustTheOne wrote: »

Monreal also doubt now?

Who else can play left back?

Nobody can naturally play there, Flamini would normally fill in, possibly Debuchy/Bell/Coq will be used to cover if needed

smilerf

JustTheOne wrote: »

Monreal also doubt now?

Who else can play left back?

think Jenko did before

JustTheOne

Ken Shamrock wrote: »

Nobody can naturally play there, Flamini would normally fill in, possibly Debuchy/Bell/Coq will be used to cover if needed

Ugh that's depressing.

tayto lover

smilerf wrote: »

think Jenko did before

Ah no thanks. He's still a rough diamond.
Can Gabriel not play LB? I think he can.

CatInABox

tayto lover wrote: »

Ah no thanks. He's still a rough diamond.
Can Gabriel not play LB? I think he can.

The only people left are rough diamonds, tbh.

DeclanRe

Paulista has deffo played LB back before - not for us. But has for Villareal

greendom

Sounds like panic may be over. Apparently Monreal, Bellerin (and Walcott) all were fully involved in 1st team training today

gosplan

I'd be going

Cech
Bellerin - Mustafi - Kos - Monreal
Coq - Elneny
Walcott - Ozil - Iwobi
Sanchez


What a problem to have. Not many would have had Coq or Elneny in our starting midfield at the beginning of the year.

Now it's hard to justify dropping either of them.

Pepe LeFrits

That's probably my team also. Nice bench options to change it up if necessary too.

Quazzie

If Cazorla's fit, he plays in my team.

gosplan

Quazzie wrote: »

If Cazorla's fit, he plays in my team.

I get ya but Spurs can't buy a goal st the moment.

I'd focus on being really solid in the middle rather than creative and rely on Ozil, Sanchez and Wally to get a goal or two from somewhere.

I'd nearly drop Iwobi if there was a better defensive option for that wing position.


It's crucial the way Spurs are defending that we don't concede.

Quazzie

gosplan wrote: »

I get ya but Spurs can't buy a goal st the moment.

I'd focus on being really solid in the middle rather than creative and rely on Ozil, Sanchez and Wally to get a goal or two from somewhere.

I'd nearly drop Iwobi if there was a better defensive option for that wing position.


It's crucial the way Spurs are defending that we don't concede.

So Spurs are poor offensively and that means you want us to shore up our defense? Am I reading that wrong?