Match Reaction - Farmer Giles and the Gang 1-1 Arsenal

[Bumble]

That was really disappointing.
I thought we were pretty good in the first half, the equalizer was a pretty decent goal but there was so little reaction.
We had a load of possession but did so little with it, only once or twice did we break with any real pace.

The one saving grace is no-one else is much good this year either, no-one is really taking the league by the scruff of the neck so we're still in the race. Cannot balls up the next 2 before the City game. Win those and we'd be able to leapfrog City when we play them, possibly to go top.

I was thinking this on the way in, is it really a case of no team being that good. People have described the league as mediocre but surely mediocre is the German/Spanish or French league where one or two teams totally dominate. Is it not more of the case that our league is competitive all the way down and if we stay in touch that could give us an outside change knowing teams around us could lose to any of the other sides in the league.

[AFC Leveller]

I think this season in particular has been very unpredictable. Average teams like West Ham, Leicester, Palace and even the Spuds have stepped up a level and looked very good at times. This has made things more interesting IMO and the league is more open like that. In the past, Chelsea V Palace would have been a straight forward home win, ditto for Leicester V Man u (away win) but teams have caught up (and the top teams have gone down a level) and it makes for a much more interesting league.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

The moment Bennett should have been sent off after a violent foul on Alexis. He wasn't even booked. As further reward the Daily Mail had him as their man of the match. Good honest English football at its finest. That's what makes this league the best in the world, at least in the minds of people who don't get out much.

Definite straight red for assault with intent to harm. Maybe not as serious as Gabriel flicking his heel at Costa, that was life threatening whereas as this incident might have resulted in serious long term injury at worst.

Chris Sutton said his momentum took him in to Alexis, nothing to see here and he (Sutton) was more worried about that cameraman.

[Letters]

Dont know if Zimm is stubborn, but he sure has been right more than any other on here.

That is all.

[Power n Glory]

Bet Giroud didn't feature in them. In fact, unusually, in 6 pages of match reaction i don't think he's been mentioned once, suspect not many of you realised he was playing. I've stuck up for him in the past but he was seriously bad today. Unless of course he was trying to impersonate a sack of shit in which case he was exceptional

I’ve said many times he’s a hindrance to our play. Since coming back into our team the performances have gotten worse and worse.

[Globalgunner]

I’ve said many times he’s a hindrance to our play. Since coming back into our team the performances have gotten worse and worse.

Problem is he is better than any of our other options up front. Pls dont mention Theo again. 1 he is near invisible, 2. He is not a striker.

Giroud is the 3rd tier of striker and the best we have got. Says all you need to hear about this current arsenal squad. Chock full of averageness

[Niall_Quinn]

Apart from Campbell, all 23 Arsenal players have been injured in 2015.

It's a bit unfair to single him out as he's spent most of his time at other clubs so didn't have as many opportunities to be injured.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Dont know if Zimm is stubborn, but he sure has been right more than any other on here. He had called the dinosaurs decline 6 or 7 years before most on here.

Falcao.

He's having a stormer of a season.

[Letters]

It's a bit unfair to single him out as he's spent most of his time at other clubs so didn't have as many opportunities to be injured.

[Letters]

I was thinking this on the way in, is it really a case of no team being that good. People have described the league as mediocre but surely mediocre is the German/Spanish or French league where one or two teams totally dominate. Is it not more of the case that our league is competitive all the way down and if we stay in touch that could give us an outside change knowing teams around us could lose to any of the other sides in the league.

There are no standout teams - we don't have a Barca or a Bayern in the English league. We should have with the money City and Chelsea can throw around but our best teams are nowhere near as good as the best teams in Germany and Spain. But we do have more depth in England which potentially makes the league more interesting.
Either way, somehow we're still in the mix. We made a hash of the last 2 league games, we can't keep doing that but win the next 2 and we'll face City with the chance to leapfrog them. If we win the next 3 then things will look a lot rosier.