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In Summary...
Arsene always knew. The Ox is the new Henry. What crisis? RVP will never leave us. Yada yada yada. etc etc.
Seriously, it's getting tedious.
Sam, LFC, somewhere in the Caribbean
Looking On The Bright Side At Arsenal
Although we shouldn't use our one-off result against Blackburn as proof that everything is fine now, there are a lot of positives at Arsenal football club right now. The fact that we are almost debt-free is one that has been mentioned previously but I also think we have the basis of what could be a title-challenging team. Let's have a look at some of these players...
World Class - RVP
Top quality PL players that would get in most teams - Arteta, Song, Vermaelen, Sagna, Koscielny, Wilshere.
Young players with the potential to be top quality - The Ox, Szczesny, Ramsay, Cocquelin, Gibbs, and possibly Frimpong.
Players that could go either way - Walcott, Gervinho, Mertesacker.
If you picked a team of the best 11 players from that lot, they could challenge any team in the league. There are however four main problems.
1. Injuries. We have to accept that we will always have them. History has proven that. So we need to have better quality in the cover positions. Especially up front.
2. Mentality. We are still very frail when we are leading by a single goal. The team reverts to defending which it can't really do instead of continuing to attack which is what got us that lead in the first place. Not sure what the answer is here but perhaps a bit more experience in the squad.
3. Keeping our best players. We have been joked about as a feeder club (quite rightly) in recent years and if we carry on not winning trophies, all our best players will keep leaving to better teams. Maybe if Wenger put all his eggs in the FA Cup basket this year, it would help. If we managed to win it, RVP might be persuaded to stay and the above point might also be addressed with the confidence that a trophy would bring.
4. Having said that, if we don't come in the top four, we won't be able to attract any top players. So I guess we need to do that too.
So in summary, come fourth and win the FA Cup. Easier said than done but our future as a club in the top echelons of English football probably depends on it - more this season than the last few. This is the time for Arsene to show us he has what it takes. If we can do it then we have a chance to keep RVP. Especially if we invest well in the summer. Oh, and sell the dross - we have plenty of it. Then after that you never know, in the words of Liverpool fans everywhere, next year might be our year!
Adonis (Almost had a heart attack when RVP went down from Givet's challenge) Stevenson, AFC
Not Looking On The Bright Side. And Definitely Not Sarcastic
Sickened by what I saw at the Emirates today.
Wenger surely has to go. Oxlade-Chamberlain cost what, £15 million? Disgraceful, her barely gets a touch of the ball and just looks afraid to run at people. Walcott only got three assists, he clearly has no football brain. Szczesney is just another Arsenal goalkeeper who can't stop ANYTHING, the free-kick was hit straight at him!
Don't let the fact this was the biggest win at the Emirates fool anyone into thinking we aren't in serious trouble.
Blackburn had their first corner in the 91st minute. Simply not good enough, Barcelona and Real Madrid can go through whole games without giving away any corners.
We only had 60% possesion, which at this level just isn't good enough. This game really showed how much of a one-man team we've become as well. If Robin van Persie's scuffed shot (which can look like a pass if you play it in slow motion) went in instead of going to Henry, he would have scored over half our goals today!
Wenger out.
Luca James Sparks
(Theo 'no final ball' Walcott now on 7 PL assists. Same as Juan Mata, Gareth Bale, Samir Nasri and Nani.)
Past, Present, Future At Arsenal
The Past: Thierry Henry (Legend)
The Present: Robin Van Persie (Top three players in the world)
The Future: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Will be one of the best players in the world)
John AFC (For someone who has 'no final ball', Walcott gained three assists v Blackburn) north London
Where Did You Expect Arsenal To Finish?
I know some Arsenal fans are currently unhappy about the present lack of form, but hopefully the 7-1 thrashing of Blackburn has cheered some of you up. I would like to ask those unhappy fans a question though. Did you expect Arsenal to win the league? Or was a top-four finish always going to be enough for you? I suspect that the majority of people with more than a few active brain cells realise that Arsenals expected position at the start of the season was probably fifth.
You would expect Manchester United to finish above them of course, and I would imagine most sensible people thought that City and Chelsea would finish above them as well, simply because they have better players and more money. You then have to consider that Arsenal lost Nasri and Fabregas, and then essentially lost Wilshere as well. Added to that, Liverpool and Spurs both got stronger, and Arsenal's replacements were not as good as the players they lost. I suspect that people who really understand football, knew all along that this may be the year that Arsenal drop out of the top four.
However, all that being said, things are not as bleak as they seem, for one thing, Chelsea and Liverpool have performed below expectations, and that has helped keep Arsenal in touch with the top four. A second point that should be made, is that Arsenal has had some horrendous injury problems, which has of course affected their results. Slowly, but surely, the injury problems seem to be improving somewhat, and if the squad can stay relatively fit for the rest of the season, then fourth place is a realistic possibility.
And IF Arsenal were to finish in the top four, I would consider that, yet another example of Arsene Wenger exceeding expectations. If next season they can acquire another creative midfielder, get Wilshere fit, and keep RVP, there is a lot of potential in that team, especially if you consider that Ox-Chamberlin looks like he's going to be a superstar. At the end of the day, Arsenal cannot compete with the spending power of Man City, Chelsea or Utd. The fact that they are expected to compete at all is entirely down to Wenger himself, anyone who thinks a change of manager will enable Arsenal to win trophies again is dreaming. Without money, you cannot win the Premier League. While it is true to say that Arsenal has some money, it is important to say that it's not the same sort of money that the other three have, United may not have a rich benefactor, but their marketing, merchandising and attendance money, far outstrips Arsenals.
So I guess what I'm saying, is that fans need some perspective, right now, football is not a level playing field, so I think it would be wise to adjust your expectations accordingly, and besides, Arsenal are playing the long game, if the fair play rules are strictly enforced over the next few years, Arsenal will be in a very strong position. I think if people could choose a way to run a football club and win trophies, they wouldn't choose the Manchester City model, there's no merit in it. The Arsenal model, however, is far more rewarding in my opinion.
DirtyBlonde
Yellow Balls Difficult To See On The Telly
Dear editor, I do understand the yellow coloured ball is used in the winter months but it's damn hard to see on the telly. I am watching the Stoke v Sunderland game for my sins (to be honest I am waiting for the egg chasing to begin and am filling in time) and bloody hell it's difficult to see the ball against the white pitch. Has anyone tried using a darker coloured ball? Say like black - as it is after all the opposite of white. Why not use a colour Like the old brown leather kind? Not only could you see them in a complete white out but the made a great sound when you kicked them. However, it was ill-advised activity to try a full volley when said ball was soaking wet for fear of a broken ankle.
Back to the game - just thought it was a goal but actually it was a throw-in...
Trickster BA
Musings On Match Of The Day
Just wanted to say how utterly disillusioned I've become with football coverage and Match of the Day. In particular that everything is about incidents rather than about football.
To give an example, I'll use the QPR-Wolves game from yesterday. QPR took the lead with a beautiful team goal crafted by a delicious ball with the outside of his foot from Adel Tarrabt. Wolves then bossed the game and scored two reasonable goals before Tarrabt's genius with a little stepover and chip nearly levelled the game at the end. So what did MOTD focus on? Cisse's sending-off. Yes, it was the turning point of the game. Do I want to see it over and over? No, I'd rather they show two of the best bits of skills the Premier League will have this season more than once. Perhaps there were others that they missed too.
My point is that whilst it's important to report the incidents that affect the result, I can't be the only one who appreciates a bit of good football, can I? If I want to see some pathetic throat-grabbing ten times then I'll tune in to WWE wrestling.
This was then compounded by Lineker, who used to be my hero when he was a player, amusingly' confessing that he had no idea what it meant that Swansea played lots of long balls within their own half. I'm not sure if this was made better or worse by the graphic that counted the Swansea passes for those that are still limited by their ten fingers...
Rob, Spurs fan, Cirencester
PS. My wife, bless her, was a bit perplexed by the Saturday afternoon football scores. After the 0:0s and 1:0s was Man City 17:30 Fulham. High-scoring game that last one!
...A simple question. Were a trained journalist allowed anywhere near the MOTD studio, would (s)he have:
a) asked Alan Shearer to clarify exactly what he meant by saying Adam Johnson 'made it a penalty'...perhaps going on to discuss the implications for the current game, and even inviting the thoughts of the European Cup winning defender sitting a yard away
b) ignored any given answer in eager desperation to compare Golden Boot prizes, before disparagingly linking to the final game.
We deserve so much better.
Simon, Paisley
...These pesky foreigners and their diving antics are disgraceful! I mean look at Adam Johnson against Fulham. The defender clearly pulls his leg out of the way to avoid contact, but Johnson makes sure he kicks it as he goes down like he was shot! Absolutely disgraceful! Oh wait...what's this? He is English? Really? Cue Alan Shearer and his pathetic, "it was a penalty" analysis on MOTD! Shame on you!
Patrick Keary
