Stoke v Arsenal Match Reaction

[Munchies]

Fucking cunts!

Pissed off he didn't score a goal to kill them off

[Marc Overmars]

I read a comment earlier from an Orc fan claiming that Ramsey had already broken his leg by planting it and the impact of Shawcross' challenge was minimal.

They are a genuinely weird and twisted fanbase.

[Munchies]

I read a comment earlier from an Orc fan claiming that Ramsey had already broken his leg by planting it and the impact of Shawcross' challenge was minimal.

They are a genuinely weird and twisted fanbase.

Will admit that Hughes has got them playing some great footy, but fuck them as a club

Hope they get into administration

[hobson's choice]

Ox should not be anywhere near the first team. He can't even do the basics. Dwells on the ball too much, can't pick out a decent pass, gives the ball away too many times and looks lost in the middle of the park.

Theo wasn't too bright either but with him you know how can score goals and his runs are always a threat.

All in all a decent point and we are back top.

You just desribe Ramsey there too as CM

[Power n Glory]

I think the less said about the Ox the better and Ramsey seems to take far too long to get the ball under control when receiving it in midfield which makes his subsequent actions look cumbersome.

The midfield completely either ignored or did not see the early ball over the top from our front line and Cech didn't seem to trust the team to win the game evidenced by the time he was taking towards the end.

The ref seemed to be just asleep and the otherwise handy Campbell should have got the winner near the end. We're still top but we do need to win games even When we've barely deserved to.

By the time Ramsey has the ball under control the opportunity to play the ball has gone. I noticed that as well. We really need to invest in some real midfield talent. If Cazorla doesn't come back 100% we only have Ozil as a real playmaker and that's a worry. Ramsey and Ox don't have it in them to create chances. A very average squad. Also, I think Theo needs to step his wing game up or pack his bags. Iwobi was miles better. Showed up a few players in fact. Just looked sharper on the ball with his touch and dribbling.

[AFC Leveller]

The chants directed at Ramsey were horrible, just goes to show what kind of people support Stoke.

[Niall_Quinn]

By the time Ramsey has the ball under control the opportunity to play the ball has gone. I noticed that as well. We really need to invest in some real midfield talent. If Cazorla doesn't come back 100% we only have Ozil as a real playmaker and that's a worry. Ramsey and Ox don't have it in them to create chances. A very average squad. Also, I think Theo needs to step his wing game up or pack his bags. Iwobi was miles better. Showed up a few players in fact. Just looked sharper on the ball with his touch and dribbling.

Theo USED to have that fluidity to his game. Ox USED to have that fluidity to his game. Ramsey USED to have that fluidity to his game. That's why we got all excited about their potential. Wenger will coach it out of Iwobi too. Can it really be that all these players just aren't up to scratch? The Arshavins, Velas, Podolskis, Afobes, Gnabrys, Akpoms. The Wilsheres. Yeah, the majority won't make the top level but who has Wenger really made? Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, Ozil? These are self made players. Alexis is another one. The old back four, George Graham's. Campbell? Coquelin? Wenger wanted rid. Chambers was on fire when he first arrived, now he's burnt to a crisp. I hear Monsieur is thinking about signing back a Turkish kid he got rid of who, lo and behold, has suddenly found his feet in spectacular fashion - at another club. I believed Ox was going to be the next big thing in football when I first saw him play. Now look at him. Well on the way to becoming the next Theo Walcott.

One common factor.

We know these players can pass, move, perform at pace. We've seen them score and participate in some of the best goals you'll ever see. The talent is there. But look at Ox, is he a winger or a central midfielder? Ramsey, same question. Walcott, same question. I'm shocked Wenger didn't start Cech on the wing when he first arrived. Wenger is all about slamming square pegs in round holes. Playing tactics that disadvantage us and favour the opposition. Playing systems that isolate and put our players under pressure. We put in a decent performance, what, about 1 in 8 games now? That's because Wenger's one-trick pony is bound to find suitable opposition every once in a while.

We played right into Stoke's hands yesterday. Of course. Never once utilised the advantages we had over them. Played that ponderous crappy style that Wenger loves so much. We lost the key player who can make Wenger's tippy tappy flow with a purpose. What we really saw yesterday was another example of the players not being able to make Wenger's crackpot system work. But I bet they'd be twice as effective under a manager who could knit them into a team rather than leave them isolated as individuals. Great spirit, Wenger said. Well great passing, great movement, great purpose, those would be useful too.

This season he's being propped up by the general decline in standards across the league and the fallout from the mercenary cultures at chavland and gypoland. People are confusing this with Wenger being a decent manager. He's not. Hasn't been for a long time.

Decent bloke, of course. Decent manager? Watch us play and decide.

[I am invisible]

I was listening to some of their fans calling into 606 yesterday, and it's amazing how to this day they still seem determined to miss the point. It was never a question of whether Shawcross intended to break Ramsey's leg or not, as most of them seem to think - whilst I have no doubt that he meant to go in heavy and hard, I don't think for one second that he actually wanted to break anyone's leg. No, the issue was, and still is, that it was the inevitable outcome of a situation that had been allowed to develop in this country, where it had become acceptable practice (not to mention highly amusing) to kick the crap out of our players every week, and watch the 'Arsenal cry-babies' whine about it. How many times over the years did we hear phrases like "We know how you've got to play against Arsenal..." and "Arsenal don't like it wen you kick them..." etc? How many times did we have to sit through the sneering old-boys club on MOTD laughing about it, and spouting tired, antiquated lines from 30 years ago about how it's a man's game? Once it had become that socially acceptable, is it any wonder that refs started turning a blind eye to it?

For Stoke and their fans, I can understand that they maybe see it as a one-off freak incident - one of those unfortunate things that just happen. For us though, it was 38 games a season, every season, that we had to put up with that kind of assault, and it was quite literally a matter of when, not if, it happened again. After watching it happy to Diaby, and then Eduardo, and then Ramsey in consecutive seasons, I can totally understand why Wenger was so angry about it, and why he wouldn't accept any apologies - too little, far, far, far too late. Perhaps Stoke and their fans can count themselves unlucky in that it was them who broke the camel's back, and not one of the other 18 teams in the league who regularly riled their players up to go out and play the same way, but there you go... it was them, and they need to take responsibility for it, instead of blaming everyone under the sun except themselves, including the victim! Seriously, anyone who genuinely believes that Ramsey broke his own leg on a blade of grass, and that poor, emotionally-fragile Ryan Shawcross is the real victim because he had his feelings hurt, really needs to have a word with themselves...

[Letters]

I was listening to some of their fans calling into 606 yesterday, and it's amazing how to this day they still seem determined to miss the point. It was never a question of whether Shawcross intended to break Ramsey's leg or not, as most of them seem to think - whilst I have no doubt that he meant to go in heavy and hard, I don't think for one second that he actually wanted to break anyone's leg. No, the issue was, and still is, that it was the inevitable outcome of a situation that had been allowed to develop in this country, where it had become acceptable practice (not to mention highly amusing) to kick the crap out of our players every week, and watch the 'Arsenal cry-babies' whine about it. How many times over the years did we hear phrases like "We know how you've got to play against Arsenal..." and "Arsenal don't like it wen you kick them..." etc? How many times did we have to sit through the sneering old-boys club on MOTD laughing about, and spouting tired, antiquated lines from 30 years ago about how it's a man's game? Once it had become that socially acceptable, is it any wonder that refs started turning a blind eye to it?

For Stoke and their fans, I can understand that they maybe see it as a one-off freak incident - one of those unfortunate things that just happen. For us though, it was 38 games a season, every season, that we had to put up with that kind of assault, and it was quite literally a matter of when, not if, it happened. Again. After watching it happy to Diaby, and then Eduardo, and then Ramsey in consecutive seasons, then I can totally understand why Wenger was so angry about it, and why he wouldn't accept any apologies - too little far, far, far too late. Perhaps Stoke and their fans can count themselves unlucky in that it was them who broke the camel's back, and not one of the other 18 teams in the league who regularly riled their players up to go out and play the same way, but there you go... it was them, and they need to take responsibility for it, instead of blaming everyone under the sun accept themselves, including the victim! Seriously, anyone who genuinely believes that Ramsey broke his own leg on a blade of grass, and that poor, emotionally-fragile Ryan Shawcross is the real victim because he had his feelings hurt, really needs to have a word with themselves...

And spare me all this guff about "he's not that kind of player". He was and is EXACTLY that kind of player, it was only a matter of time before he did something like that.

[selassie]

It wasn't a bad game and considering the line-up we had out there it was a point gained IMO.

We're definitely starting to stutter but with the likes of Ozil and Sanchez due back this weekend and Coq, Wilshere & Welbeck not far off I think our performances will greatly improve.

Onto yesterdays game, I thought Cech was superb, pretty much saved us towards the end, also thought the defence and Flamini played quite well.

Offensively we didn't do a lot, we lacked creativity and weren't very decisive in our build up play.

Chelsea game on Sunday is now massive and it's a must win as we really can't afford to drop anymore points.