Arsenal v Southampton, 18:00 GMT (16/12, Amazon Prime)

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I know football for some reason doesn't work like this but, we only scraped a draw in the last minute here last season.

They're much better and we're much worse. How do we win? :lol:

[Xhaka Can’t]

If we can throw a few more crosses in, we should manage a draw.

[Mac76]

0-3 Ings hatter

[Marc Overmars]

I think if we play all the usual favourites they will prove us all wrong here at the 679th time of asking.

[dazthegooner]

I think if we play all the usual favourites they will prove us all wrong here at the 679th time of asking.

But on the plus side no Zhaka or Bellerin :)

[Letters]

I have Amazon Prime.


:ilt:

[dazthegooner]

So do I but they do have a few good films to watch.

[GP]

3-0

If Willian plays I'll punch Letters.

[Letters]

:(

[dazthegooner]

Just seen on the Skysports website that Arteta is backing Zhaka so it looks like we're stuck with him https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/12162154/mikel-arteta-accepts-he-must-take-the-bullets-for-arsenals-poor-form

[Mac76]

Just seen on the Skysports website that Arteta is backing Zhaka so it looks like we're stuck with him https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/12162154/mikel-arteta-accepts-he-must-take-the-bullets-for-arsenals-poor-form

This is it: "For sure Granit is one of them for the way that he approaches every training session, the way he wants to do everything the right way and the professional that he is."

that's the proof of what i;ve said all along - Xhaka gets picked every week for being a teacher's pet - now that he's losing people like Luiz, Arteta can't afford to criticise him or lose his support

how many players must be pissed off with Arteta now? Ozil, Nelson, Pepe, Saliba, other young players who can't get a game even though Xhaka and WIllian stink out the pitch week after week

[dazthegooner]

So basically Zhake can do anything he wants apart from killing someone (and he would probably try and pass that one off as well).

[Mac76]

So basically Zhake can do anything he wants apart from killing someone (and he would probably try and pass that one off as well).

yeah i'm sure if he killed someone he'd do it professionally and in the 'right way'... :rolleyes:

[dazthegooner]

yeah i'm sure if he killed someone he'd do it professionally and in the 'right way'... :rolleyes:

:gp:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Arsenal: Leno, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, Maitland-Niles, Ceballos, Elneny Saka, Pepe, Nketiah, Aubameyang.
Subs: Runarsson, Cedric, David Luiz, Mustafi, Willock, Willian, Lacazette.

[Marc Overmars]

No Willian or Lacashite :faint:

[Mac76]

I'd rather Balogun than Eddie but apart from that it's not bad

[Globalgunner]

What happened to Bellend or did he make foul throws in training too?

Ok. Suspended I hear. Hopefully from the top of the Shard, upside down

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Here we go. :rose:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Tyldesley and Townsend commentating. :lol:

I'm a little bit nostalgic.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Saka is dead. FFS.

[Mac76]

Saka is dead. FFS.

he was stretching there tbf, always dangerous

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Saka is back from the dead. :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Leno beats it out.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Nketiah shot, weak as piss.

[Letters]

Theo :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

0-1 Theo, Oh dear. :lol:

[Mac76]

so predictable

[Niall_Quinn]

Too easy. Acres of space for Walnut. Elneny diving in with a stupid challenge set it up.

[Globalgunner]

Now these jokers need to score 2 times to win. How is that possible?

[Mac76]

terrible ball from Holding there

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Bednarek booked, awful challenge.

[Mac76]

the good news is, Saints go above spuds if they win - maybe that's what we're trying to achieve...

[Mac76]

Bednarek booked, awful challenge.

Auba would have seen red if he'd done that

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Pepe shot blocked.

[Letters]

Well. Bit more promise in the last couple of minutes

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Why did Nketiah lay it off? :lol:

Turn and shoot you berk.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

the good news is, Saints go above spuds if they win - maybe that's what we're trying to achieve...

Mourinho voodoo will work for every other team except us. :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

We seem to play football on the assumption we have the world's best players.

Edu shaking his head. :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Pel surely?

[Letters]

Bit better last few minutes

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Bednarek tried putting it in for us, still didn't work.

[Niall_Quinn]

So what's the rule again? Is it ANY contact for a pen, you know, all the "slight touch", "just nicked him", "there's contact", bullshit, or is it ENOUGH contact. In which case, when did that new rule come in and does it also apply to other teams in the league?

[Letters]

Back pass from Pepe.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Good pass Ceballos, Pepe shot, easily saved.

[Niall_Quinn]

Petty reaction by Ceballos, even more petty yellow from the ref.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Theo shot, easy for Leno.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Ings combs it, over.

[Mac76]

Gabriel :rolleyes:

[Marc Overmars]

At least they’re training really well!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

0-1 HT. :rose:

[Letters]

Few moments of promise but so often we just aren’t doing basic things right.
Some of the passing is embarrassingly poor.

[Mac76]

HT - same old same old

[AFC Leveller]

Aubameyang is a disgraceful captain. Weak and no personality whatsoever.
I called 0-3 with Walcott scoring before the game. Absolutely nothing surprises me with these wankers anymore. We are weak, second best to everything.

[Mac76]

it's our 13th PL game of the season and we still have not developed any cohesion, the players look like they don't know each other very well and every other team plays with real organisation and are just more effective

[Niall_Quinn]

Elneny is a passenger. He's being bypassed so easily.

[Gooner23]

This is bad

[Niall_Quinn]

2 shots on target from 5 attempts though. Which is a stellar first half haul by usual standards.

[hobson's choice]

I dont think this manager actual watches any of the game tape at all.

Why is Cellabos starting, and not AMN in the middle and Cedric at RB. And Eddie in the number 10

I swear

[Globalgunner]

Aubameyang is a disgraceful captain. Weak and no personality whatsoever.
I called 0-3 with Walcott scoring before the game. Absolutely nothing surprises me with these wankers anymore. We are weak, second best to everything.

We should never have submitted to his pathetic demands. He wont save this team. Alexis Sanchez was twice the player and we dumped him sharpish. He may look good in the championship next season. Maybe

[Gooner23]

I thought he'd have til the end of the season but this can't continue.

[Mac76]

turning on auba is ridiculous, we'd have been relegated twice over last season if it wasn't for him

and he's being asked to play alongside rubbish like Willian, Nketiah and Laca

[Marc Overmars]

it's our 13th PL game of the season and we still have not developed any cohesion, the players look like they don't know each other very well and every other team plays with real organisation and are just more effective

I don’t believe Arteta has ever known their strengths. He has his way of setting up and expects them to slot in seamlessly. Shit coaching if you ask me.

At least Wenger bought players to play his way. It wasn’t successful in his latter years but there was always an identity.

[Mac76]

btw we've no chance of changing things in this game if that starting 11 can't do it - we've a load of absolute shite on the bench

[Letters]

turning on auba is ridiculous, we'd have been relegated twice over last season if it wasn't for him

and he's being asked to play alongside rubbish like Willian, Nketiah and Laca

:gp:

He’s a good player in a poor team.
I actually think we’ve got a pretty decent squad of players but they’re not a team.
Few moments of quality in that half but so much of it is mediocre.
When’s the last time we swept forward and really looked scary.
We are so easy to stop and while we don’t leak goals like we used to, the occasional mistake really hurts us when we just can’t score goals.
I wonder when the last time we went this long in the league without a goal from open play.
Has to be way before Wenger. Not even sure Graham managed a run quite this bad.

[Xhaka Can’t]

The best change that could be made at HT is a managerial change.

[Marc Overmars]

Right, second half.

I feel this is going to be the turning point in our season. Why? Because they’re really good in training.

[Mac76]

pepe puts it out of play - good start

[Slacker]

Agree with pretty much everything people are saying. TBF I've never rated this manager ager. Don't get why he plays people who have failed yet refuses to try youngsters. He's farmed off decent players like Martinez, the young Greek CB and won't try Ozil or Saliba, but persists with the likes of Xhaka, Kolasinac and other tried and tested failures. He is a piss poor manager and Citeh must be pissing themselves.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

We're on again, although I don't really see the point.

[Mac76]

Looks like Willian's getting ready to come on - that'll improve things

[Xhaka Can’t]

This team with this Manager is getting relegated.

[Letters]

AUBA!!

Good goal.
Great work from Saka.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

AUBAMEYANG!!! He's back!!!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Great from Saka again. :bow:

I like to think taking Auba out of my Fantasy team is the reason for this. :bow:

[Mac76]

great goal, really good work from saka

[Mac76]

I like to think taking Auba out of my Fantasy team is the reason for this. :bow:

maccy :clap: :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Auba lifts it in to, nobody.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Gabriel booked.

[Letters]

Saka :doh:

Great ball to him but weak shot.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Saka shot, McCarthy saves.

Saka. :bow:

[Letters]

Gabriel sent off :doh:

[Mac76]

another crap corner from Pepe

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Gabriel sent off. Oh FFS.

[Niall_Quinn]

Theo fouled him first, but it will never be reviewed.

[Mac76]

Gabriel sent off :doh:

:ilt:

[RomfordPele]

Ref did his job well. Soft first booking and finished emphatically. Back of the net.

Gabriel stupid but he hasn’t learnt the Arsenal tax yet. How many reds is that since Arteta took over?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Nketiah off, David Luiz on.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Ceballos off, Willock on.

[Niall_Quinn]

Really poor subs.

[Marc Overmars]

This would be a huge point in our fight for survival.

Gabriel. :doh:

[RomfordPele]

Theo fouled him first, but it will never be reviewed.

I knew the ref was going to get involved in this game now we’d got back in it. Definitely something suspect going on here.

[Globalgunner]

I knew the ref was going to get involved in this game now we’d got back in it. Definitely something suspect going on here.

Maybe the refs want to see Arteta sacked?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Redmond hits the woodwork!

[Letters]

Redmond smacks the bar :sick:

[Marc Overmars]

Redmond hits the post :lol:

It’s coming

[Niall_Quinn]

Last ditch clearance by Redmond or we were going behind.

[Globalgunner]

What a let off

[Mac76]

redmond :lol:

[Marc Overmars]

Only hope is for Saka to do something that hasn’t been coached into him again.

[Mac76]

AMN must really regret not going to Wolves

[RomfordPele]

Maybe the refs want to see Arteta sacked?

I think it may be absence of crowds you know. No personal consequence for making bad decisions against us. They know the media will back them and nobody in the stadium will complain. So why not?

Let’s face it big problems anyway but playing 60 mins with 10 men in last 2 games when we were in the ascendancy doesn’t help.

[Niall_Quinn]

Elneny is a complete waste of space.

[Letters]

We’re the Clock End
We’re the Clock End
We’re the Clock End
Visit Rwanda
:unsure:

[Marc Overmars]

They cut as apart there.

That pound shop Mane should have done so much better.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Ings booked.

[RomfordPele]

Ref covering his arse now by booking a Southampton player.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Pepe. :lol:

What was that?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Pepe off, Cedric on.

[Letters]

Pepe ambitious effort, not close.
And now hauled off. Cedric on.

[Mac76]

Pepe :rolleyes:

[Mac76]

tbf at least Pepe's put some energy in even if he's not been brilliant

[Letters]

Shouldn’t Southampton have had a pel then?!

[Mac76]

Shouldn’t Southampton have had a pel then?!

shhhsh ;)

[RomfordPele]

Let’s see them conjure up 4 or 5 mins of injury time from somewhere just to prove they’re bent.

Not a single stoppage this half

[Niall_Quinn]

What a surprise, the commentators thought that one was a pen.

[Letters]

Piss. Holding hits the woodwork

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Holding hits the bar!

[Marc Overmars]

Nearly pubbed ourselves 3 points

Great effort from Holding

[Niall_Quinn]

Decent enough effort by Holding. Unlucky.

[Mac76]

so close...

[Mac76]

great FK from Saka

[Letters]

What a surprise, the commentators thought that one was a pen.

Wasn’t it? :shrug:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

1-1 FT. Yay.

[Niall_Quinn]

Marching on towards the 40 points.

[Marc Overmars]

A step closer to 40. Great point.

[Mac76]

well, we didn't lose anyway ...

[RomfordPele]

Robbed of another 3 points by a card happy ref. Bye Mikel.

[Letters]

We scored a goal AND got a point.
We are BACK! :cool: