Match Reaction - Newcastle and all remaining games.

[Niall_Quinn]

OUT!

[Niall_Quinn]

Xhaka's either in the worst form of his career, or he's just a terrible player. To still be making those incredibly stupid mistakes, game after game. Crazy.

[Xhaka Can’t]

One moment of brilliance by Ozil providing the most fleeting of glimpses of what we used to take for granted.

[dostoy]

Truly pathetic performance.

Literally one second of brilliance by Ozil was the ONLY difference between Arsenal and Newcastle.

I saw quite a bit of it and Arsenal were very ordinary indeed.

On this showing, Arsenal are a mid table team.

[Penguin]

Xhaka's either in the worst form of his career, or he's just a terrible player. To still be making those incredibly stupid mistakes, game after game. Crazy.

Any other manager would have dropped him a long time ago. Wenger probably gives him a pat on the back and blames the Arsenal fans for his misplaced passes.

[Letters]

On this showing, Arsenal are a mid table team.
What are you talking about? We leap-frogged Burnley :trophy:

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Happy to get the win....even if it is in the underwhelming chase for top 4. We actually had a reasonable amount of chances to win comfortably.

We are being consistently hampered by Bellerin's issue with overlapping and crossing now. This has become surreal. The other consistent failure is the putrid lack of ability of any of them to strike a ball convincingly on your weaker foot.

Seriously.....what is the point of being in a professional academy of one of the biggest clubs on earth for half of your lifetime if you can't convincingly kick a ball with both feet!?

Iwobi can't strike a ball convincingly with any part of his anatomy foot.

[Letters]

anatomy foot.
:pal:

But yeah, basically agree. Never understand how professional footballers are so...well, rubbish at football a lot of the time.

[Marc Overmars]

Sounded thrilling

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

3 goals in the last 4 games from 30 shots on target

[Chippy]

3 goals in the last 4 games from 30 shots on target

We have hit a new low of shitness. (Is shitness a word?)

[Cripps]

Done a Letters today so didn't watch, although not out of choice. From the comments I take it we were the usual? And by the usual I mean horrifically average :(

[Power n Glory]

Done a Letters today so didn't watch, although not out of choice. From the comments I take it we were the usual? And by the usual I mean horrifically average :(

If you were doing a 'Letters' you'd avoid watching the match and then try to debate with anyone who says we're 'horrifically average'. :lol:

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Played better than we did our two previous league games (although that wouldn’t be hard)

Why on earth though did we start standing off Newcastle when they came forward

[Letters]

If you were doing a 'Letters' you'd avoid watching the match and then try to debate with anyone who says we're 'horrifically average'. :lol:

I don't have to watch the games, I just have to look at our league position and understand what the word average means.

[Cripps]

:rose:

[Cripps]

Just watched MOTD

Newcastle midfield running rings around grandshit :lol:

Maitland niles doing quite well at the moment, in his honeymoon period at Arsenal. He has about 6 months left before he turns shit as the norm so I'd look for a summer move if I was him.

[Niall_Quinn]

MOTD sooooooooo shit. Ozil's goal mentioned in passing. If Wrighty hadn't forced in a quick comment it might have gone unmentioned entirely. Entire focus was on Wilshere.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Maitland-Niles was the standout today for me and Koscielny was much better.

I said a year or two ago that we didn't need a back up right back as a matter of urgency because Maitland-Niles could play there. That doesn't seem as daft as it once did, though admittedly his best position is midfield.

If Wilshere could kick with his right he would have won us the game against Southampton and scored again today and I think his progression has been rightfully praised.....though I zidn't zeeee, match of the day, or care too much what they said.

[AFC Leveller]

Minutes played by Lacazette in each start for Arsenal:

65, 90, 74, 65, 82, 70, 67, 76, 80, 72, 78, 90, 45, 71, 72..

[Niall_Quinn]

Minutes played by Lacazette in each start for Arsenal:

65, 90, 74, 65, 82, 70, 67, 76, 80, 72, 78, 90, 45, 71, 72..

It just shows how mechanical and out of ideas Wenger is. When his tippety tap isn't working, replace like for like and try some more tippety tap.

Or if we've come up against some idiot manager who can't even get the better of Wenger (fewer and fewer such managers exist);
And if our players have enough time and space so their ultra intricate nonsense can actually work;
And if we can actually find the net, let alone get the ball into it;
Bring Coquelin on to shore things up (which is code for "disrupt the advantage we have")

Then the multi-tasking genius of Wenger - make sure it's the 50 mill striker being pulled so we don't have to fork out extra fees for full games played.

[Cripps]

Gotta feel for Lacuntzette

Was one of the hottest talents in Europe and he's stuck in an awful team with an awful manager.

He'll soon regret the decision he's made. That's if he doesn't already.

:rose:

[Niall_Quinn]

A stat worth noting: Ozil has now been involved in six goals in his last five Premier League games at The Emirates — two goals and four assists.

Who would have stepped in and done the same had Ozil not been available? We've been dire in the last few weeks but it could have been even worse. It seems the plan is to rely on Jack Wilshere once Ozil is gone. Jack's a decent player. Who will soon be injured again. Is it really so hard to predict that? And is this what we're basing next season on, Wilshere's ability to stay fit? This will be Wenger's greatest act of negligence yet, won't it? We are going to be soooooooooo fucked next season under this incompetent and selfish man's endless reign of mediocrity and rot. And don't forget, he's also working hard to ruin Lacazette's morale and effectiveness. He's setting us up for the worst season yet come 2018.

[Niall_Quinn]

Gotta feel for Lacuntzette

One of the hottest talents in Europe and he's stuck in an awful team with an awful manager.

He'll soon regret the decision he's made. That's if he doesn't already.

:rose:

Laca looks like he has a bit of character about him. Obviously he already hates Wenger - you could see that as he left the pitch yesterday. But he was very purposeful in applauding the fans as he left the pitch. He knows the score and I think he'd rapidly become an asset if somehow the fool Wenger could be forced out. Gazidis might not be the kind of hero figure you'd hope and pray for but he's all we've got. The only glimmer of hope. Unless Obi Wan Kenobi is still knocking around somewhere.

[Xhaka Can’t]

Been to one game, saw Ozil score 1 and set up another 2. He was far and away our best player. He can do it all and we will really see what he is capable of and what we didn’t exploit from next season or possibly sooner.

[Niall_Quinn]

The new hires have their work cut out for them once Ozil and Alexis leave. The damage done by Wenger to the prestige and reputation of this club will only be realised once the last of our genuinely world class players leaves and we enter the market for replacements - if we even do that. If Wenger can't persuade Ozil to stay, even with a 300k per week contract on the table, the best we can hope for is to become a stepping stone club, where players come here short term just so they can get the move they really want. Alexis is gone. But if somehow we could convince Ozil to stay - and the only way to do that is to convince him Wenger is becoming redundant and there are real moves to rebuild the team - and then immediately add two more world class talents as a statement of intent, maybe we have a chance at pulling out of this dive.

Instead I expect Ozil to depart to a major rival, rip the league apart next season, and our new staff to be sidelined by the old goat so he can carry on with his insanity. We'll probably put in lowball bids for players that aren't available and then blow the whole budget on a stopgap like Jony Evans.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Whilst I think it’s embarrassing and a sign of how an arrogant, foolish and prevaricating old man assumes too much responsibility at the club, I don’t think in of itself apart from getting nothing for them that the departures themselves are too damaging as long as Wenger goes out the door with them in the summer. Along with a few other players.

We would require root and branch change of the squad regardless of the situation of those two. I’m still minded to try and keep faith with the likes of Wilshere, Bellerin, Mustafi, Kolasinac and even Iwobi. Lacazette goes without saying, but other than that it would be a case of the manager deciding who is salvageable and who isn’t.
I have no doubt to a man that almost every single player at the club would perform better under a new regime, but for some obviously there is just no rehabilitation and they will have to go.

[Power n Glory]

Doesn't take a genius to work out why we're seeing such form from Ozil considering the morale and managerial direction are as muddled and confused as it's ever been. I can't respect it. Been saying for ages that he's capable of so much more despite people constantly arguing otherwise as if he's not that sort of player.

[Niall_Quinn]

Do we need him, was the original question.

Which now becomes the new question, what sort of team are we without him? The answer is obvious. If Wenger has completely lost the plot, rather than being in an accelerating process of losing it - if he's hit rock bottom, then he'll let both Ozil and Alexis leave next month. The shop window reasoning you are now applying as the latest argument doesn't seem to be going so well for Alexis. We all know what a great player he is when he's on form. Right now his head is not in the game. He's the most likely to leave next month. There seems no hope of retaining him and Wenger and the leech squad will want at least some cash. The fact they passed up 50 mill in the summer shows how incompetent they are so you never know, but perhaps even they can make a rational call given a second chance. So if Ozil is staying until the summer he still has plenty of time to set up his shop window. The fact is, he's doing the business now. He was doing it before, but because he couldn't pull this team up single-handedly he's been scapegoated. He's come through all that nonsense, shrugged it off and continues to be a vital component that provides much needed quality to a team sorely lacking in other areas. It will be a massive hit to lose him that could only be compensated by a genuinely world class replacement signing. And that's where the new backroom team come in. If they get the authority to act we might be okay. If they are hobbled by the incompetent and selfish git who has diligently created this shitshow then we are in real trouble.

[Power n Glory]

You can't be that naive, NQ. It's a game full of mercenaries. Scapegoated because he can't do it on his own but in a season where we're out our lowest, people are now saying he's performing better than ever? Why? It's not a mystery.

[Niall_Quinn]

You can't be that naive, NQ. It's a game full of mercenaries. Scapegoated because he can't do it on his own but in a season where we're out our lowest, people are now saying he's performing better than ever? Why? It's not a mystery.

No, the people who scapegoated him are saying he's performing better than ever. There's a difference. He was never as poor as those people make out. But when he smacks it into the net then suddenly he's performing well. It's a failure to appreciate his whole game and a desire to dwell on highlights, that's how some people judge performances. Even with Alexis, he's giving the ball away a lot so people are saying he's no use and should be dropped. Well maybe. But who are you going to replace him with? Who is going to make the runs he does? Who is going to be able to retain possession on the flanks and try (whether he succeeds or not) to get the ball into the danger zone as opposed to tamely tap it backwards? Ozil is the same. At least when he gets the ball there's some hope it might go forward. There's a hope he might try to make something happen, rather than panic. These accomplished players are vital to use, whether on form or off it, because they are a level above the rest of the team. Do we need them? Of course we bloody do, and more like them. It's amusing watching the praise being heaped on Wilshere - and good luck too him, it's good he's back and he remains one of our better players. But all he's doing is what Ozil and Alexis have been doing all along. Adding positive play and direction to what otherwise would be a total washout. Now if only Jack could to less of the diving in and harebraining around the place and focus more on his passing and movement, like Ozil does, he'd be a bigger asset.

It's this league that has led some many down the garden path on judging players. Sterling, for example. Believe it or not he's supposedly a great player. In that case, sure, Ozil doesn't charge all over the place and randomly thrash his boot at the ball. Alli, another worldbeater. I guess Ozil doesn't go in two footed enough? Or elbow enough opponents. Or dive enough.

Cut away all the hype and nonsense and Ozil is one of the few players holding this otherwise very average team together. It's his calmness and composure we need more than ever, but that's what he's getting slaughtered for. Not enough PL huffing and puffing and way too much culture. It's silly.

[Power n Glory]

No, the people who scapegoated him are saying he's performing better than ever. There's a difference. He was never as poor as those people make out. But when he smacks it into the net then suddenly he's performing well. It's a failure to appreciate his whole game and a desire to dwell on highlights, that's how some people judge performances. Even with Alexis, he's giving the ball away a lot so people are saying he's no use and should be dropped. Well maybe. But who are you going to replace him with? Who is going to make the runs he does? Who is going to be able to retain possession on the flanks and try (whether he succeeds or not) to get the ball into the danger zone as opposed to tamely tap it backwards? Ozil is the same. At least when he gets the ball there's some hope it might go forward. There's a hope he might try to make something happen, rather than panic. These accomplished players are vital to use, whether on form or off it, because they are a level above the rest of the team. Do we need them? Of course we bloody do, and more like them. It's amusing watching the praise being heaped on Wilshere - and good luck too him, it's good he's back and he remains one of our better players. But all he's doing is what Ozil and Alexis have been doing all along. Adding positive play and direction to what otherwise would be a total washout. Now if only Jack could to less of the diving in and harebraining around the place and focus more on his passing and movement, like Ozil does, he'd be a bigger asset.

It's this league that has led some many down the garden path on judging players. Sterling, for example. Believe it or not he's supposedly a great player. In that case, sure, Ozil doesn't charge all over the place and randomly thrash his boot at the ball. Alli, another worldbeater. I guess Ozil doesn't go in two footed enough? Or elbow enough opponents. Or dive enough.

Cut away all the hype and nonsense and Ozil is one of the few players holding this otherwise very average team together. It's his calmness and composure we need more than ever, but that's what he's getting slaughtered for. Not enough PL huffing and puffing and way too much culture. It's silly.

I don't care about replacing players at this point. Losing Ozil looks bad because he's a huge signing and it represents a step backwards for us. But unless the manager goes, the replacements won't matter.

As for the rest...I won't start with the whole back and forth thing with Ozil. It's all been said before.

[Niall_Quinn]

I don't care about replacing players at this point. Losing Ozil looks bad because he's a huge signing and it represents a step backwards for us. But unless the manager goes, the replacements won't matter.

As for the rest...I won't start with the whole back and forth thing with Ozil. It's all been said before.

They won't matter in terms of us mounting a real challenge. But they'll matter in terms of us collapsing into a deeper pit, both in terms of the reputation of the club and what we can produce on the pitch.

I agree, the round and around is pointless while this manager is here. Everything has been said and the remedy is so obvious there's no point saying Wenger Out anymore. Of course he should be out. Now. Today. It's a sick joke. Nothing can happen, nothing means anything, everything is a big fat nothing while that guy hangs on.

[Özim]

A narrow win against a side struggling for points, whoopedeedoo. If this is the best we can muster, we're in trouble.

and we thought last season was bad, the decline from top dogs and being the amongst the best around continues, we're not even the best of the rest anymore.

Wenger :bow:

Wish all jobs paid as well for such mediocre performance, if they did everyone would be driving around in sports cars and going to work on yachts.

[Letters]

Wenger :bow:
:gp:

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

A narrow win against a side struggling for points, whoopedeedoo. If this is the best we can muster, we're in trouble.

and we thought last season was bad, the decline from top dogs and being the amonst the best around continues, we're not even the best of the rest anymore.

Wenger :bow:

Wish all jobs paid as well for such mediocre performance, if they did everyone would be driving around in sports cars and going to work on yachts.

Or more practically everyone at the club is on performance related pay

Wenger would have to file for bankruptcy :haha:

[selassie]

Or more practically everyone at the club is on performance related pay

Wenger would have to file for bankruptcy :haha:

:lol:

[Cripps]

A narrow win against a side struggling for points, whoopedeedoo. If this is the best we can muster, we're in trouble.

and we thought last season was bad, the decline from top dogs and being the amongst the best around continues, we're not even the best of the rest anymore.

Wenger :bow:

Wish all jobs paid as well for such mediocre performance, if they did everyone would be driving around in sports cars and going to work on yachts.

Not declining :sulk:

Slow rot :trophy:

[selassie]

Whilst I think it’s embarrassing and a sign of how an arrogant, foolish and prevaricating old man assumes too much responsibility at the club, I don’t think in of itself apart from getting nothing for them that the departures themselves are too damaging as long as Wenger goes out the door with them in the summer. Along with a few other players.

We would require root and branch change of the squad regardless of the situation of those two. I’m still minded to try and keep faith with the likes of Wilshere, Bellerin, Mustafi, Kolasinac and even Iwobi. Lacazette goes without saying, but other than that it would be a case of the manager deciding who is salvageable and who isn’t.
I have no doubt to a man that almost every single player at the club would perform better under a new regime, but for some obviously there is just no rehabilitation and they will have to go.

I think there is going to be a shake up of the squad this summer regardless of whether Wenger stays or goes and it won't be because Wenger wants it but more a case of because many players are simply fed up.

We know that Ozil and Sanchez are 100% gone, the likes of Bellerin, Giroud, Walcott and Mustafi will most likely follow them out the door this summer.

Under a competent manager who has a plan I would be worried about the above but would have trust in him to at least go someway towards building a new team/squad, with Wenger in charge I am absolutely dreading this summer, if we think the past 10 years have been bad then this summer is going to be a trainwreck, it will be absolutely horrible watching our stars and a couple of useful first team/squad players leave only for them to be replaced internally or with totally unsuitable players, this is 100% what will happen with Wenger in charge, if anything he should be fired before any of these decisions are made because the long-term damage could be catastrophic.

[Letters]

and we thought last season was bad, the decline from top dogs and being the amongst the best around continues, we're not even the best of the rest anymore.
Actually... Our points, position and points off the top over the last 10 years has been:

2017 33 5th 19
2016 37 4th 9
2015 36 2nd 2
2014 30 6th 15
2013 39 1st 0
2012 30 4th 13
2011 33 5th 12
2010 35 2nd 3
2009 38 3rd 4 (but we had a game in hand that year)
2008 31 5th 8

Our average points at this stage over the last 10 years is 34.2, we are under than by 1.2 points but over 18 games it's not significant.
And while we have fewer points than we had at this stage for the last 2 years it's more than we had 3 years ago.
The only significant difference is the points off the top and I'd suggest that is more about City going mental than anything else.
In 2011 we had the same points, were in the same position and were 12 points off the top.

As I said previously, the real decline was a sharp one between 2004 and 2006, since then we've pretty much bumbled around going nowhere.
There really is no clear trend over the last 10 years apart from maybe enjoyability of the football.

It's certainly possible that we are in another period of decline now but it's not possible to say that for certain right now.

[Niall_Quinn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWa0dZMHYeE

[fakeyank]

:haha:

[Letters]

Yeah. Facts are over-rated, aren't they?

[Cripps]

Started off at 2005, then 2006, and now 2008 :haha:

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Jesus Letters have a day off

[Letters]

Honestly. Are none of you actually able to look at facts and debate them?
What do you want this board to be?

Wenger's a ****
I agree, he's a ****
What a ****

Seriously? Is that all what this board is now?


Debate :rose:
GW :rose:

[Cripps]

There's no point debating with an absolute weapon like you :lol:

In the words of PnG we might as well just sit back and laugh :console:

[Letters]

Well, you are clearly not intelligent enough to actually debate anything and Zim is too entrenched to but there are some grown ups on here. Aren't there?
It's disappointing to present facts and argument and be met with WUMming and smilies.
Oh well...

GW :rose:

[Letters]

Seriously. I know there isn't much to debate about Arsenal right now but honestly, you lot are pathetic.
It's no wonder more serious posters who actually liked to debate stuff didn't hang around.
If you can't be arsed to actually engage with a debate which is backed up by facts then just don't bother replying.

[GP]

Letters :doh:

[GP]

Letters :doh:

I used an emoji, that means I won the debate.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Well, you are clearly not intelligent enough to actually debate anything and Zim is too entrenched to but there are some grown ups on here. Aren't there?
It's disappointing to present facts and argument and be met with WUMming and smilies.
Oh well...

GW :rose:

I’m sorry to break this to you, but this place in its apathy reflects the mood amongst fans

Until Wenger goes, it’s not going to pick up. Seriously what’s to debate apart from whether we plummeted or slowly descended its still the same downward direction. How much enthusiasm can one muster for it.

I get that you don’t want to dislike the guy, but when he’s the only single factor in holding up the show for us when we change players and formation but the same kind of performances and results occur. Yet he hangs on for grim life, can you really be that saddened when people call the guy a cunt?.

What does it matter anyway if it’s stagnation or decline. Neither are good things.

There are a hell of a lot of negative patterns that surround this guy’s stewardship. And people are sick to death of it

[Cripps]

Awww Wwwwwetters :console:

You're clinging onto this one shred of evidence you seem to have found to back up your silly argument and now you won't let it go :console: Don't blame you tbh, you've been demolished left right and centre on here over the past few weeks :(

If I really wanted to I could pick your argument apart but as PnG says, there's no point :lol: you'll move onto another silly point and argue that to death :console:

[Marc Overmars]

All true Arsenal fans are negative and think Wenger is a cunt. If you don't want to indulge in that you're clearly on the wind up tbh.

[Globalgunner]

But Wenger truly loves the club. Where will we find someone who loves us like he does?:(

[GP]

But Wenger truly loves the club. Where will we find someone who loves us like he does?:(

The only thing Wenger loves is young boys.

[Özim]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWa0dZMHYeE

:lol:

[Özim]

Seriously. I know there isn't much to debate about Arsenal right now but honestly, you lot are pathetic.
It's no wonder more serious posters who actually liked to debate stuff didn't hang around.
If you can't be arsed to actually engage with a debate which is backed up by facts then just don't bother replying.

By serious posters do you mean posters who were part of the Wenger love in and praised worshipped his every move? :lol:

Not convinced there's much difference now to before, the only difference is people don't hail the almighty Wenger and says rubbish like "In Wenger we trust" and "Wenger knows" and "WengerIsTheBestThingWe'veEverSeenAndWeMustPraiseWe ngerTheMessiahTheSuperiorBeingForHisEveryActionAnd PointOutAllTheProblemsAreSomeoneElsesFault"

What's clear is that you were only happy with the debate when people were falling over themselves to praise Wenger and could join in and ridicule those who didn't agree, now they don't it's rubbish.

[Cripps]

But Wenger truly loves the club. Where will we find someone who loves us like he does?:(

MK Dons?