Match Reaction vs 'Ammers (away).

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Fat Sam. :haha:

Well dug out. Again.

[Marc Overmars]

Top 4 trophy coming home.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Hard fought win....up the Arse!

Need to be better at killing games off though.

[Newguy]

By a thread we got the 3 points... It's all that matters really!!! I just don't understand why it needs to be so hard. Sanchez being run into the ground while Theo is rested on the bench... Someone explain... It's almost as is Wenger just does this to try and create a story for the players. It's like the single player campaign or something... I dunno... I'm off.

[gunnerrrrr]

By a thread we got the 3 points... It's all that matters really!!! I just don't understand why it needs to be so hard. Sanchez being run into the ground while Theo is rested on the bench... Someone explain... It's almost as is Wenger just does this to try and create a story for the players. It's like the single player campaign or something... I dunno... I'm off.

Its completely bonkers isn't?

Surely playing another game in such a short time means giving players like Pokolski and Theo a chance, its complete idiocy on Wengers part. Sanchez is going to burn out..

[AFC Leveller]

you can see that as soon as the opposition get a goal back we start to panick and go defensivle, and it stems from the manager who doesnt look like he trusts his players.


Kos gives us a much neded calmness and assuarnce at the back and we have missed him.

all in all we deserved the win and should have been out of sight early on.

[Master Splinter]

Fully deserved win and an excellent 3 points.

Should have won by at least 1-4 in the end but Adrian played well and Welbz and Oxlade made some poor decisions in the final third.

Arsenal :bow:.

Tony Gale :haha: :haha:.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's a good job we have winners like Alexis and Ox on this team, because we also have the biggest loser in football managing us. This is the guy who never, ever learns from watching the same mistakes over and over again. Players dragged it out despite the manager. Alexis, Welbeck, Ox and Santi all decent up front, Kos and Monreal just about held things together at the back despite a shocker from Debuchy and a hot and cold performance from Merts. Coquelin played quite well in the middle but in general the middle was weak again.

What's the story with Walcott and the bench? What's the point of him being in the squad if all he does is warm the bench? What goes on in Wenger's mind when he has tired players doing what they can up front to keep possession and just keeps Walcott sat on the bench? What the fuck is wrong with the guy? He'll justify his lunacy by pointing at 6 points over the period but it could easily have been just the 2 points thanks to his stupid decision making.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

We've run out of treatment tables so we're using the subs bench now.

[RomfordPele]

It's a good job we have winners like Alexis and Ox on this team, because we also have the biggest loser in football managing us. This is the guy who never, ever learns from watching the same mistakes over and over again. Players dragged it out despite the manager. Alexis, Welbeck, Ox and Santi all decent up front, Kos and Monreal just about held things together at the back despite a shocker from Debuchy and a hot and cold performance from Merts. Coquelin played quite well in the middle but in general the middle was weak again.

What's the story with Walcott and the bench? What's the point of him being in the squad if all he does is warm the bench? What goes on in Wenger's mind when he has tired players doing what they can up front to keep possession and just keeps Walcott sat on the bench? What the fuck is wrong with the guy? He'll justify his lunacy by pointing at 6 points over the period but it could easily have been just the 2 points thanks to his stupid decision making.

Utterly, utterly mental. Painful to watch.

And when Sanchez picks up an ACL injury in a few weeks he'll blame our season falling apart on bad luck with injuries.

[cheesy bites]

Every team in the top 7 dropped points today.

Except for us.

[adzzzbatch]

Wenger nearly through it away but we were able to hang on in the end!

[GP]

Great win

[Munchies]

3 off 'title contenders' United now :coffee:

[Ernesto]

I think Wenger's intention is to rest Alexis and Welbz and Cazorla for the cup game against Hull.

This could backfire on us dramatically. We could, understandably, put in a very tired performance against Southampton on Thursday given the lack of substitutions made today. A tired display against Southampton may well result in a humbling defeat.

Furthermore, if we are to field a weakened team against Hull next Sunday, we're not actually that good or that trustworthy to get a victory (as proven by our league cup defeat against Southampton).

In any event, we could end up blowing our greatest chance of a trophy next Sunday if Wenger fields asilly first XI.

[Alpha]

A win after the QPR win with 10 men , the boys deserve some plaudits . West Ham away is not that easy as some want to make it look like .
So criticism here is pointless and you wonder is some people are not there to criticise just for the sake of it . I can't see any player nor the manager to be blamed today . Especially as no point was dropped .

[selassie]

I was convinced we were going to lose today so fair play to the boys for bringing home the 3 points. Upwards and onwards :)

[Alpha]

I was convinced we were going to lose today so fair play to the boys for bringing home the 3 points. Upwards and onwards :)

Respect Selassie . That is the way to be . Criticise when things go wrong and praise when things go right . and more importantly acknowledge when proven wrong .
:gp::gp:

[Letters]

I certainly didn't think we'd win this one. We wobbled a bit but got there in the end. Great result today.
It is a bit depressing that these days we're not confident of beating West Ham but, to be fair, they've been pretty decent so far this season. They lost their first two home games but since then they've not lost at home, till today. And they've beaten Liverpool and Man City at home on the way.

One hand on the fourth place trophy :dance:

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Watching Sky match of the day.....about 10 mins in and already Gale is doing my head in....could we have a more anti Arsenal used to play for the opponent pundit?

[AFC Leveller]

I would have liked to come back, but they didn't want me,' Song, who faces his old club for the first time as a West Ham player on Sunday, told L'Equipe. 'That's life. I'm not mad at them.
'Cesc also wanted to come back to Arsenal, who did not want activate their buy-back clause. It was surprising. When I see what he is doing at Chelsea. He is even better than before!'

[Japan Shaking All Over]

Move on everyone......

[Coney]

3 off 'title contenders' United now :coffee:

Only 13 points off the top now. The treble is on. :trophy::trophy::trophy:

[Munchies]

Only 13 points off the top now. The treble is on. :trophy::trophy::trophy:

Well with Ozil, Sanchez, Theo and Ramsey on full form , with a fully fit defence and a CDM not named Flamini, we'd be very capable of having a good go at it.

But that'd never happen :lol:

[Özim]

Top 4 trophy coming home.

:goodpost:

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Think we cry for the moon with our ex players

A fully fit Ozil would be just as good if not better than Fabregas playing for Chelsea, we know its about the manager not getting the best out of many of his players

Fabregas was pretty average by his standards at Barcelona but as much as I hate to say it's Mourinho is getting the best out of him.

[Dein-machine]

Think we cry for the moon with our ex players

A fully fit Ozil would be just as good if not better than Fabregas playing for Chelsea, we know its about the manager not getting the best out of many of his players

Fabregas was pretty average by his standards at Barcelona but as much as I hate to say it's Mourinho is getting the best out of him.

Where do you get that from? - we've had a fully fit Ozil & he produces nowhere near the consistency that you get with Fabs.
Not taking him back was another ridiculous Wenger decision - it's ridiculousness only hidden by the fact that he is making so many of them

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

My point is that had we signed Fabregas (clearly not the kind of player we've been lacking this season) I don't think he'd have shown for us anywhere near the type of form he's shown for Chelsea.

[Power n Glory]

My point is that had we signed Fabregas (clearly not the kind of player we've been lacking this season) I don't think he'd have shown for us anywhere near the type of form he's shown for Chelsea.

Why?

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Wengeritis that plus he's been utilised in a more direct style of football that we don't play

[Power n Glory]

Our style of play wasn't a problem when we were playing an even more exaggerated form of tippy tappy to what we're playing now and he still managed to rack up assists and goals for us.



A fully fit Ozil would be just as good if not better than Fabregas playing for Chelsea, we know its about the manager not getting the best out of many of his players

When talking about players struggling with a style, hasn't that been demonstrated more so with Ozil compared to Cesc? Ozil came from a Mourinho team and is really struggling with our style. Or maybe it has nothing to do with style and it's more to do with the player being really off form? He's just as anonymous for Germany.

[Gooner23]

Just watched this as live.

Really good result against a typically direct Fat Sam team. His bleating about the off-side goal decision making it even more enjoyable.

I really do worry about Alexis picking up an injury. Just can't understand not giving Theo a run-out. But a decent enough performance. Santi is a delight to watch when on his game.

Lastly, fuck off Fat Sam :pal:

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Our style of play wasn't a problem when we were playing an even more exaggerated form of tippy tappy to what we're playing now and he still managed to rack up assists and goals for us.



When talking about players struggling with a style, hasn't that been demonstrated more so with Ozil compared to Cesc? Ozil came from a Mourinho team and is really struggling with our style. Or maybe it has nothing to do with style and it's more to do with the player being really off form? He's just as anonymous for Germany.

And since when has Ozil started to struggle with Germany?

The two-three touch pass for the sake of passing football was made to suit Fabregas, personally I'd rather get away from that style. Plus really as I posited earlier is he really the kind of player we've been missing this season, it's not like we were finishing higher than third and winning trophies in abundance when he was with us.

For me the only reason for us to have brought Fabregas back was to stop him from going to Chelsea and we aren't a club with the finances to bring in players for that reason.

We should have brought a proper holding or box to box midfielder who could break up play and dictate the pace in the middle of the park like a Vieira, and then a cheaper player who could sit in front of the defence like a Gilberto. The Ramseys, Wilsheres and Fabregas' of this world are all very well but add very little to us unless played behind the striker.

[Power n Glory]

And since when has Ozil started to struggle with Germany?

The two-three touch pass for the sake of passing football was made to suit Fabregas, personally I'd rather get away from that style. Plus really as I posited earlier is he really the kind of player we've been missing this season, it's not like we were finishing higher than third and winning trophies in abundance when he was with us.

For me the only reason for us to have brought Fabregas back was to stop him from going to Chelsea and we aren't a club with the finances to bring in players for that reason.

We should have brought a proper holding or box to box midfielder who could break up play and dictate the pace in the middle of the park like a Vieira, and then a cheaper player who could sit in front of the defence like a Gilberto. The Ramseys, Wilsheres and Fabregas' of this world are all very well but add very little to us unless played behind the striker.

Wilshere shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Cesc. As for Ramsey, time will tell if that season he had last year was a one off.

I'm not saying Cesc would have solved our problems, just saying you should rethink what your saying regarding Ozil doing better than Cesc. It doesn't make any sense.

[Alpha]

It seems that every one is living on a moon , in a mountain of illusions .
The form or performance of a player has nothing to do with the manager . Unless it is another way of having a go at Wenger . Buying a new player is just a gamble . Some will adapt and perform well , some will not , whatever manager they play for .
Schneider , Robben , Van de var ... are top players but did not preform well under Mourinho at Real Madrid .

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Wilshere shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Cesc. As for Ramsey, time will tell if that season he had last year was a one off.

I'm not saying Cesc would have solved our problems, just saying you should rethink what your saying regarding Ozil doing better than Cesc. It doesn't make any sense.

Why not I think Ozils game is even more suited to Chelsea than Fabregas, statistically his ball retention, range of passing etc would be incredibly conducive to Chelsea's style of play. Mourinho rates Ozil incredibly highly and I think he'd have bought him to Chelsea had he been available earlier in the summer of 2013.

[Power n Glory]

Why not I think Ozils game is even more suited to Chelsea than Fabregas, statistically his ball retention, range of passing etc would be incredibly conducive to Chelsea's style of play. Mourinho rates Ozil incredibly highly and I think he'd have bought him to Chelsea had he been available earlier in the summer of 2013.

Ah ok. A misunderstanding on my part. Ozil could probably play better at Chelsea but then again, this is England and I also think he has a problem with the pace and physical side of the game. Cesc has the advantage in that area. I suspect Ozil is afraid of dribbling with the ball over compared to La Liga where it's not as brutal.

But I still don't understand why Cesc wouldn't show the type of form he's showing for Chelsea when he's done it for us before and with lesser players.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I've never quite clearly understood the repeated idea that our entire way of playing was manufactured precisely for the sake of Cesc's game.

I think Cesc as the best and most influential player naturally had a part in the use of a 433 but in our actual style of play I don't believe that was wholly as a result of 1 player.

I've also always believed Cesc was superior to Ozil but I do understand part of the reasoning for not buying him and don't believe he was anything like a flop at Barcelona. It's just annoying that we didn't actually sign a player in the primary position we actually needed one in.

Wenger has form in buying a player in positions we don't suspect when everyone is crying out for somebody somewhere else so now that the fans are doing a similar thing with a genuinely world class player in Cesc when we need a TOP DCM...it almost seems poetic.

[Marc Overmars]

Schneider , Robben , Van de var ... are top players but did not preform well under Mourinho at Real Madrid .

I'm sure they were sold long before Mourinho turned up.

[fakeyank]

It seems that every one is living on a moon , in a mountain of illusions .
The form or performance of a player has nothing to do with the manager . Unless it is another way of having a go at Wenger . Buying a new player is just a gamble . Some will adapt and perform well , some will not , whatever manager they play for .
Schneider , Robben , Van de var ... are top players but did not preform well under Mourinho at Real Madrid .

Your post is seriously delusional. You cannot be serious when you say that the form or performance of a player has nothing to do with the manager!!! Take Henry for example.. not such a great player at Juventus but was turned into a great player at Arsenal due to the manager. You can apply the same chain of thought for players who didnt perform. And in recent years, we havent really set the world on fire, have we? Someone gets paid 8 million quid to do a job...

[Power n Glory]

I've never quite clearly understood the repeated idea that our entire way of playing was manufactured precisely for the sake of Cesc's game.

I think Cesc as the best and most influential player naturally had a part in the use of a 433 but in our actual style of play I don't believe that was wholly as a result of 1 player.

I've also always believed Cesc was superior to Ozil but I do understand part of the reasoning for not buying him and don't believe he was anything like a flop at Barcelona. It's just annoying that we didn't actually sign a player in the primary position we actually needed one in.

Wenger has form in buying a player in positions we don't suspect when everyone is crying out for somebody somewhere else so now that the fans are doing a similar thing with a genuinely world class player in Cesc when we need a TOP DCM...it almost seems poetic.

I don't agree with that either. It took a while for Wenger to switch to a 4-3-3 formation. We played 4-4-2 with Gilberto and Cesc in the middle when teams were already adopting the 4-3-3 approach Chelsea were dominating with. We also played with a 4-5-1 formation after having some success in the Champs League. 2007-2008 was the first time we used a 4-3-3 and I think that was down to Wenger trying to add more strikers to the front because we just bought Eduardo but still had RVP and Ade, plus Theo.

Wenger always encouraged a short passing game and keeping the ball on the deck. The philosophy didn't change overnight with the arrival of Cesc. The Invincible team would talk about unselfish play and how everyone could score or set up a goal. If a player took the selfish option and didn't pass to make that perfect goal, Wenger wouldn't be happy. He enjoys a good assist just as much as the goal which is why our teams tend to overplay. Check the comments on Henry after a game.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/2281443/wenger-praises-unselfish-henry

Teams are more tactically aware now which is why we can look some labored on attacks. But put us up against a naive team like what we saw against Galatasaray or last season against Napoli, we'll attack with pace and overwhelm a team. Times have changed and what worked before won't always work in this era.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Your post is seriously delusional. You cannot be serious when you say that the form or performance of a player has nothing to do with the manager!!! Take Henry for example.. not such a great player at Juventus but was turned into a great player at Arsenal due to the manager. You can apply the same chain of thought for players who didnt perform. And in recent years, we havent really set the world on fire, have we? Someone gets paid 8 million quid to do a job...
You could improve the productivity of your posting by 2℅ if you included details of Wenger's salary as part of your signature.

[fakeyank]

You could improve the productivity of your posting by 2℅ if you included details of Wenger's salary as part of your signature.

Done! :)

That was a brilliant suggestion btw. I would give you half of my 8 million quid (if I had that salary) for that suggestion. There is someone who gets it though... You can see my signature for more information on that!

PS: Hopefully no mods change or remove the signature :rolleyes:

[Letters]

You could improve the productivity of your posting by 2℅ if you included details of Wenger's salary as part of your signature.

:haha: