Match Reaction v Bayern

[Özim]

Kind of - but to play Devil's advocate it could also be that the EPL is becoming more competitive throughout. I know that Manure are running away with the title - but they are managed by possibly the best manager in history.

I'm in the camp that says that as far as this season's CL is concerned, its something of an aberration - a couple more years of non-CL quarter final participation is required before judgments can be made. Yes the Bundesliga is becoming better - and the Germans have deliberately planned for this, but with the money in our league, let's wait for a little longer before passing judgment.

I am inclined to ignore Wenger's transparent attempt to put us on a par with our more illustrious EPL rivals - as I ignore everything he says these days. He is nothing but a politicking weasel with his constant PR speak - and I'm bored with it. He shouldn't lament the falling standard of our league when he has done more or less everything he could deliberately to weaken his own side.

A few more points.

Re Wednesday's game - I can understand totally those who are completely ambivalent about the result - and agree that in the context of our general decline and the unlikelihood that it will change anything going forwards it means nothing. Personally, I drew satisfaction from the fact that we weren't made to look like chumps as I had predicted, (and I'm with Terry in this regard) but its really sad that the way in which our club has been run and managed for years has resulted in many Gooners being unable even to enjoy what was a good one off result.

I disagree that Bayern handed the win to us, for the reasons that have been given, but also because football doesn't work like that. If one team is under-cooked, or has the wrong mental approach (which BTW I do not accept Bayern were) then that's all part and parcel of losing a game - as much as being bested in pure playing terms. We won the game because we scored 2 more goals than them, and kept a clean sheet. Again, its sad that our disgust with our team generally now prevents us even from praising a performance - it has to be because the other team threw the game. Do people think Bayern fans felt the same way after the first leg? Do people think that Blackburn fans felt that way after their FA Cup win against us? Of course not. They would have taken pride in their team's performance. Oh - and if we had played a game with as many shots as Bayern had on target and not scored, but they had scored with 2 out of 4 attempts on goal, we'd be slagging off our team - not praising the efficiency of the competition.

I am far from happy with what is happening at AFC - but the carping can go too far sometimes.

If I was a Bayern fan, after Wednesday's shocking performance I'd be seriously annoyed at the lack of professionalism to allow a weaker team a sniff of going through and I'd be worried about my teams chances.

Let's not beat around the bush, Bayern were awful and lacked motivation, they thought the tie was won and all they had to do was turn up. The difference with the victory in the 1st leg was that it wasn't unpexpected, we're a fairly average team with a real lack of quality (it shouldn't be the case but is) and it would have been no surprise to see a team like Bayern win at a canter with the players they have.

It's is a surprise to see us win without really going for it however, as they're a far superior team. It was a timid affair where one team defended and the other team was disinterested, we didn't really go all out snap at their heels and unsettle them, we just defended and because they lacked motivation we snatched a couple of goals from rare attacks and won....it wasn't really a heroic gunghoe effort.

[Özim]

Point taken in that respect because I can’t imagine the Prem suffering a serious decline in the same way Italian football was struck unless the big clubs ran into serious money problems. At the moment they have can just continue to build and build until they get better. If the money were to get cut and owners ran into money problems, then we can talk seriously about the English league dying. As said before, I think most teams are in state of transition.

Yeah I agree with this, some teams (like Chelsea) are going through change but the very best will continue to challenge because they still have the quality of players to mix it with the best teams in Europe, we could as well of course, if we really wanted to.

[selassie]

Kind of - but to play Devil's advocate it could also be that the EPL is becoming more competitive throughout. I know that Manure are running away with the title - but they are managed by possibly the best manager in history.

I'm in the camp that says that as far as this season's CL is concerned, its something of an aberration - a couple more years of non-CL quarter final participation is required before judgments can be made. Yes the Bundesliga is becoming better - and the Germans have deliberately planned for this, but with the money in our league, let's wait for a little longer before passing judgment.

I am inclined to ignore Wenger's transparent attempt to put us on a par with our more illustrious EPL rivals - as I ignore everything he says these days. He is nothing but a politicking weasel with his constant PR speak - and I'm bored with it. He shouldn't lament the falling standard of our league when he has done more or less everything he could deliberately to weaken his own side.

A few more points.

Re Wednesday's game - I can understand totally those who are completely ambivalent about the result - and agree that in the context of our general decline and the unlikelihood that it will change anything going forwards it means nothing. Personally, I drew satisfaction from the fact that we weren't made to look like chumps as I had predicted, (and I'm with Terry in this regard) but its really sad that the way in which our club has been run and managed for years has resulted in many Gooners being unable even to enjoy what was a good one off result.

I disagree that Bayern handed the win to us, for the reasons that have been given, but also because football doesn't work like that. If one team is under-cooked, or has the wrong mental approach (which BTW I do not accept Bayern were) then that's all part and parcel of losing a game - as much as being bested in pure playing terms. We won the game because we scored 2 more goals than them, and kept a clean sheet. Again, its sad that our disgust with our team generally now prevents us even from praising a performance - it has to be because the other team threw the game. Do people think Bayern fans felt the same way after the first leg? Do people think that Blackburn fans felt that way after their FA Cup win against us? Of course not. They would have taken pride in their team's performance. Oh - and if we had played a game with as many shots as Bayern had on target and not scored, but they had scored with 2 out of 4 attempts on goal, we'd be slagging off our team - not praising the efficiency of the competition.

I am far from happy with what is happening at AFC - but the carping can go too far sometimes.

Agree with all with all of it.

[LDG]

The result or the way we played has nothing to do with the ambivalence I have.

It just feels like we've been here before all too often. Praising the team for doing too little, too late, whether we played well, average, against a coasting team, or against fucking anyone.

Point is, we're still out. We're still not good enough. We didn't play that well. And we've it all to do over the next ten games.

Does it mean I'm not a true supporter? Fuck off. I was gutted at going out the other night, because I fear we won't be back, and I know that the team is suffering.

I don't "hate" the players of the manager (as some other true gooners seem too) either.

But I'm getting right fucking narky with seeing us flounder, for no other reason, than sloppy play, poor management, profit before football, and players who don't care about the club.

When I'm at the game, I will support them. But that doesn't mean they get my praise afterwards based on one reasonable showing. I feel as though I've been stung too many times, and there have been too many false dawns.

They can wait for my praise, when they've put a run together worthy of it. that goes for players, manager and club as a whole.

[Kano]

I'll enjoy a victory for my own sanity, if not for anything else. without that release occasionally i'd go mad just be depressed and gloomy about everything to do with the club. i have to maintain some reason to keep watching my club. hope is a big part of that.

[Xhaka Can’t]

I've lost pretty much any hope I had. How many times have we heard in the face of a totally predictable setback that this may serve as a blessing in disguise?

Some are holding out hope that failure to finish in the top four will be one of those 'blessings' and act as a wake up call.

Well it won't. All I expect to happen is that the Manager and the Board will look at the cost base and adjust it accordingly so that profitability is maintained.

[Özim]

[LDG]

Zimm disease

[Niall_Quinn]

Typical Arsenal isn't it? Throwing in a result when it doesn't matter. Let's see them win when it does matter, whenever they've tried to do that over the last 8 years they've fucked it up. I weight 8 years of these fuck-ups against a few pointless results in Europe. Big wow. Just proves the team can't do it when they sniff a hope of success. Their mentality sucks. Even when we went 2-0 they didn't press on. There's a lack of professionalism and belief right through the team. Arteta's performance in the last 10 minutes was beyond a disgrace. There's no glory or honour attached to being also-rans and that's what we are, second best in every situation that counts. The players don't believe, the fans don't believe, the board has virtually nothing to do with either and the manager is delusional, yeah he believes and believe me that's a very bad sign in his case.Board out, manager out, most of the players out and start again. Won't happen so there's only one word to sum this club up. Losers. Done with them, grand prix season starting, woo hoo!

[Özim]

Typical Arsenal isn't it? Throwing in a result when it doesn't matter. Let's see them win when it does matter, whenever they've tried to do that over the last 8 years they've fucked it up. I weight 8 years of these fuck-ups against a few pointless results in Europe. Big wow. Just proves the team can't do it when they sniff a hope of success. Their mentality sucks. Even when we went 2-0 they didn't press on. There's a lack of professionalism and belief right through the team. Arteta's performance in the last 10 minutes was beyond a disgrace. There's no glory or honour attached to being also-rans and that's what we are, second best in every situation that counts. The players don't believe, the fans don't believe, the board has virtually nothing to do with either and the manager is delusional, yeah he believes and believe me that's a very bad sign in his case.Board out, manager out, most of the players out and start again. Won't happen so there's only one word to sum this club up. Losers. Done with them, grand prix season starting, woo hoo!

Pretty much a totally pointless result that doesn't matter that's the only thing we do well, when it really does matter we collapse quicker than a house of cards in a hurricane!