Arsenal 2-2 Fulham Player ratings and Match reaction

[HCZ_Reborn]

you miss my point about the Ashburton lot - i don't a bunch of losers to tell me what to sing or when - i can decide that myself thanks - all this BS with anthems and 'ultras' and loud music just takes it away from the actual fans to create an atmosphere - i get your point about the changing fan base but how is a bunch of losers plus a cheesy anthem supposed to present an image of a club that means business?

all this stuff with pre-match huddles etc is BS too - personally i think the players should walk on in silence, don't say a word to each other, take up their positions and stare at the opposition - that's how to get the opposition unnerved

I think you misunderstand me, I think all of the above equates to what Battery Sgt Major Williams would have called “blatant poofery”. Bollocks to the anthem, bollocks to certain singing areas, bollocks to this Mes Que un club Fabricated Barcelona bollocks.
If it were me I’d ban children from the ground (to be honest if I could get away with it, would ban women as well). No North London forever, just a loud wall of noise from inadequate sweary blokes…chucking vitriol at the opposition, making a racquet every time the referee gives a decision to the opposition.

We aren’t New Zealand so bollocks to any haka ritual, but no handshakes, no spirit of a nice and friendly game and instruct the defenders to kick the centre forwards at the earliest opportunity.

[Mac76]

I think you misunderstand me, I think all of the above equates to what Battery Sgt Major Williams would have called “blatant poofery”. Bollocks to the anthem, bollocks to certain singing areas, bollocks to this Mes Que un club Fabricated Barcelona bollocks.
If it were me I’d ban children from the ground (to be honest if I could get away with it, would ban women as well). No North London forever, just a loud wall of noise from inadequate sweary blokes…chucking vitriol at the opposition, making a racquet every time the referee gives a decision to the opposition.

We aren’t New Zealand so bollocks to any haka ritual, but no handshakes, no spirit of a nice and friendly game and instruct the defenders to kick the centre forwards at the earliest opportunity.

pretty much, except every time one of our defenders goes within a metre of an opposition player they're likely to get a booking, it's the refs' code when in charge of an Arsenal game

[Letters]

Which is why i found it so disappointing - we had to win those first three games ot then be in the right place to take on Utd etc - but now Utd will come to the Emirates knowing we can't even hold onto a lead when we hve a man advantage

If I’ve learned one thing about football it’s that every game is different. I don’t think throwing 2 points away on Saturday is any indication of how we will do in the next game. But it’s certainly true that teams will come to the Emirates knowing they can get goals, we have to do better with home clean sheets.

[Mac76]

If I’ve learned one thing about football it’s that every game is different. I don’t think throwing 2 points away on Saturday is any indication of how we will do in the next game. But it’s certainly true that teams will come to the Emirates knowing they can get goals, we have to do better with home clean sheets.

Let's not go round in circles, but there are underlying trends which, yes, are observable after three games and which can indicate the likelihood of our doing well going forward - and the underlying trend is that Arteta is picking the wrong lineup and in Havertz has signed a flop who we know he will have to keep playing becasue he splashed out so much on him

that's why I'm not at all confident about how well we will do against Man Ure next Sunday

[HCZ_Reborn]

If I’ve learned one thing about football it’s that every game is different. I don’t think throwing 2 points away on Saturday is any indication of how we will do in the next game. But it’s certainly true that teams will come to the Emirates knowing they can get goals, we have to do better with home clean sheets.

Lack of clean sheets is baked in to how we play at home. There’s no coincidence to six clean sheets in last thirty home league games.

We push up more in order to score more goals and we are giving up a load of space on the counter, that’s why it happens

[mandela8]

If I’ve learned one thing about football it’s that every game is different. I don’t think throwing 2 points away on Saturday is any indication of how we will do in the next game. But it’s certainly true that teams will come to the Emirates knowing they can get goals, we have to do better with home clean sheets.

Well, that's the thing...good managers do tend to lose games for different reasons, as teams try different things against them.

Weak managers tend to lose games for the same reasons, as they're too arrogant/ignorant/stubborn to change.

[Letters]

Well, that's the thing...good managers do tend to lose games for different reasons, as teams try different things against them.

Weak managers tend to lose games for the same reasons, as they're too arrogant/ignorant/stubborn to change.

I’m confused about your stance.
You are saying that Arteta is a net negative for us, right?
But we got was it our second or third highest PL points total last season.
We missed out on the title only to a side who basically won every game from the World Cup onwards.
Are you suggesting that our team was actually better than City’s and without Arteta we’d have won the PL? Given pre-season expectations that seems pretty unlikely to me.

I’m sure some of your criticisms of Arteta are valid. I’d also suggest that repeating mistakes is a pretty common mistake. God knows Wenger did.

TL;DR, Arteta has his flaws as do all managers. But last season has bought him some good will, despite the disappointing end we massively exceeded expectations. But given last season and the summer spending he’s going to have to deliver this year. I’m concerned about some of the things I’m seeing and hearing about, but ultimately he’s judged on results and so far they’ve been ok. Saturday was an obvious disappointment but 3 games is a bit early to be panicking. I don’t know what Arteta is doing changing our system when last year’s was working pretty well. But on his head be it I guess.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I’m confused about your stance.
You are saying that Arteta is a net negative for us, right?
But we got was it our second or third highest PL points total last season.
We missed out on the title only to a side who basically won every game from the World Cup onwards.
Are you suggesting that our team was actually better than City’s and without Arteta we’d have won the PL? Given pre-season expectations that seems pretty unlikely to me.

I’m sure some of your criticisms of Arteta are valid. I’d also suggest that repeating mistakes is a pretty common mistake. God knows Wenger did.

TL;DR, Arteta has his flaws as do all managers. But last season has bought him some good will, despite the disappointing end we massively exceeded expectations. But given last season and the summer spending he’s going to have to deliver this year. I’m concerned about some of the things I’m seeing and hearing about, but ultimately he’s judged on results and so far they’ve been ok. Saturday was an obvious disappointment but 3 games is a bit early to be panicking. I don’t know what Arteta is doing changing our system when last year’s was working pretty well. But on his head be it I guess.

The thing is Letters, even when we had the results earlier this season, everyone was complaining. Its been so different to last season when we started off with the results and the universal praise on the obvious progress made.

Anyway I really hope we get the result against Man U, which can only be a win now, but even then, if we notice the team still remains unbalanced, you're likely to see more complaints.

Its just a shame because this didn't need to be, in fact we still have our destiny in our own hands (as I keep repeating) seeing as we still have all the players that made us tick, so its just insane we find ourselves in this poorly scripted melodrama.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I’m confused about your stance.
You are saying that Arteta is a net negative for us, right?
But we got was it our second or third highest PL points total last season.
We missed out on the title only to a side who basically won every game from the World Cup onwards.
Are you suggesting that our team was actually better than City’s and without Arteta we’d have won the PL? Given pre-season expectations that seems pretty unlikely to me.

I’m sure some of your criticisms of Arteta are valid. I’d also suggest that repeating mistakes is a pretty common mistake. God knows Wenger did.

TL;DR, Arteta has his flaws as do all managers. But last season has bought him some good will, despite the disappointing end we massively exceeded expectations. But given last season and the summer spending he’s going to have to deliver this year. I’m concerned about some of the things I’m seeing and hearing about, but ultimately he’s judged on results and so far they’ve been ok. Saturday was an obvious disappointment but 3 games is a bit early to be panicking. I don’t know what Arteta is doing changing our system when last year’s was working pretty well. But on his head be it I guess.

The problem is you’re starting from a flawed assumption. Why should last season have bought him a measure of goodwill. It’s not like we won anything, The points total means nothing. Brendan Rodgers finished 2nd with a high points total for Liverpool but the following season he was nowhere. And it took him being sacked and another four-five years before Liverpool challenged again.

We’ve got to stop thinking of last season as some great achievement, it was bought off the back of a lot of spending and whilst it exceeded what most of us expected from Arteta that’s got more to do with the fact that few of us rate him that highly.

But we and the club owe him nothing, as you know id happily sack him now but that’s more based on what I can see happening rather than what has happened (I still think he should have been sacked less than a year into the job)


I’m fairly confident, that this time next year he won’t be here but ultimately we will see how much of a mess there is to clean up. I’m hoping he gets given his p45 before it gets too bad

[Letters]

Why should last season have bought him a measure of goodwill.

Because of the clear improvement from the previous season. The previous season we'd thrown away a Top 4 finish. Last season for me it was Top 4 or bust. I didn't expect a title challenge, nor did you, nor did anyone.

It’s not like we won anything

That is a not the only measure of a successful season. I mean, ultimately we want to be winning trophies, obviously. But you also want to be seeing a clear direction of travel in terms of improvement.
If we'd won the league cup and finished mid-table no-one would have attended the open top bus parade.

The points total means nothing.

Well of course it does. It's a pretty good metric of where you are as a team.

Brendan Rodgers finished 2nd with a high points total for Liverpool but the following season he was nowhere. And it took him being sacked and another four-five years before Liverpool challenged again.

Well sure, and if we tank under Arteta this season then he should be sacked. I just think it's a bit early to be calling it yet, although I agree with some of your concerns.
I think a difference between us is you think he should be sacked because of the mess that you believe will unfold this season, I think we should at least wait to see as 3 games isn't really sufficient to know.
The board have backed him, he has to deliver. I hope you're wrong about how this season will go. I guess you hope you're wrong too?