Article: Arsenal vs Swansea City Match Preview & Thread | Football, Arsenal, Swansea

[rannaramshere]

Only just got round to watching that, and fair play, he was good! Looking better and better all the time too, which is encouraging.

As one fan of a club that plays attractive football to another, never let the media interfere with your own deductions. A year ago we were being told to buy a new goalkeeper. Anybody who so much as took a brief look at our youth team would have seen Szczesny. So the media shouts "RELIANCE ON YOUTH NOT GOOD ENOUGH". In truth, we have put too much into certain young players, such Denilson when we could have splashed out for Xabi Alonso but at the same time...Fabregas, Song, Wilshere, Szczesny, Van Persie. Bought at 16, 17, 9, 15 and 17 years of age. We should have also had Frimpong last season too, but he had a season long injury just before the season started.

And while Arsenal is being told to abandon its youth structure, that will give us 1 or 2 extremely useful players a season, there will come a time when the pundits will tell Swansea to get nasty. That you are not good enough to pull it off and you should buy a big, strong CF. I pray that you ignore them because teams like you, Blackpool, West Brom and even Bolton make this league worth watching. A few seasons ago, the league was inflicted with Hull, Stoke and it seemed that a physical style was the way forward to some.
You'll also become an attractive target for teams to loan young players to. While West Brom still had an attacking flair, quashed by Hodgson, we were happy to loan them Vela, who they completely mistreated because of the change in manager, who has the makings of a great little player. When Owen Coyle cleaned up Bolton's style, we sent them Wilshere. You could even get youth players from Barcelona, who are perhaps perfect technically, but need to learn how to be physical. I'm of the opinion that Fabregas is the best midfielder in the world, and he will show it this season. He knows Barcelona's style inside out, but carves out more chances than anyone else in Europe because he knows the English game. The pace of it. When European teams realise this, they might decide to send their players to England to pick some of this up. Make sure you're an attractive prospect.

I sound very patronising, I don't mean to. I want Swansea to stay up, the right way.

 

[Scottswan]

You don't sound patronising at all, and that's perhaps the soundest affirmation of our faith in our system we've seen in a while.

We've already had the "Buy a big lump up front" thing since we started to play this system under Martinez. People have constantly sniped at the sidelines, waiting for us to fail and revert back to lumping it into appropriate areas, but we won't, because we are now pretty much without a player who knows how to do it, and long may it stay that way!

One point about the Blackpool comparisons (maybe this is only me) but it's starting to grate a little seeing as Holloway openly admitted that he wanted to "do what Swansea are doing", adopted a system similar to ours and brought in lots of loan players. One cannot dispute that he gained success quicker than us (with one of our players on loan, no less!), but another thing which is undisputable is Holloway's history of playing physical football, he clearly got the idea somewhere, and it was us! We've had a lot more practice, and a lot more time to become accustomed to, playing (and watching) this kind of football, so don't expect us to change any time soon.

Completely agree about the loan thing, and to be honest I was incredulous when JET went on loan to Cardiff last year. It would have made so much more sense for us to have him, but that's life!

 

[Hit The Road]

Agree with the JET point. Most Blueturds didn't even know who he was!

Sadly, I have been predicting a backlash from the Gunners since the Man U game and I'm sticking with that so we will probably lose on Saturday. That said, if we can keep it to nil nil at half time and the home fans get arsey then who knows?

 

[goonercymraeg]

I think one of the major factors in Saturday's game will be if Arsenal's new signings hit the ground running.There is the possibility of 5 new players on the pitch who because of the international break would have spent very little time together on the training pitch.
**** it,i'm looking for excuses already

 

[Scottswan]

I'd be lying if I said I was hoping you're not going to need them

 

[Killa_Kam]

I got apes and hounds, he just pace around
And I'll lace you down, but I'm lookin for
A Manahttan ho or a Brooklyn whore
A Bronx biatch that'll let me look and explore
Up front but beat around the bush for sure
'Til the tush is sore, hit it doggy style
Get it doggy style, you know you doin your style
I'ma mack or more and it's smash or more
A VIP up between the bathroom stalls

 

[Topgun]

2 more sleeps...

You might not be able to sleep after the game cos of the nightmares!

 

[Scottswan]

Which would make my post quite apt, thinking about it!

 

[Topgun]

Which would make my post quite apt, thinking about it!

I dont mean this post to sound disrespectful to Swansea, but after that fearful thrashing United gave our reserves last week, I couldn't have picked a more ideal fixture than this one at the Emirates.

I suspect our first team and new boys will be raring to go.

By the way respect to Swansea for continuing to try and play football in the premier league, I hate rugby teams like Stoke.

 

[Scottswan]

It's either that or Arsenal continue to capitulate really isn't it? I don't see this one being 0-0, put it that way. You'd fancy Arsenal to turn things around at the Emirates, but you never know!

Either way, the first 20 minutes are going to be crucial, and an early goal for either team could set us up for a cracker.

 

[Leeeeon]

Hopefully, no-one else has posted this on here. Too lazy to check, but it's a good read.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/stevewilson/2011/09/can_swansea_pass_the_premier_l.html

 

[geesy]

is there any news on a minute silence for the Wales fan who past at Wembley. Think it would be a great display of respect and integrity.

 

[Scottswan]

Agreed, I'm sure it's something that's been suggested. I think because it was at Wembley, if they do it at one ground they might do it at all of them?

 

[rannaramshere]

You don't sound patronising at all, and that's perhaps the soundest affirmation of our faith in our system we've seen in a while.

We've already had the "Buy a big lump up front" thing since we started to play this system under Martinez. People have constantly sniped at the sidelines, waiting for us to fail and revert back to lumping it into appropriate areas, but we won't, because we are now pretty much without a player who knows how to do it, and long may it stay that way!

One point about the Blackpool comparisons (maybe this is only me) but it's starting to grate a little seeing as Holloway openly admitted that he wanted to "do what Swansea are doing", adopted a system similar to ours and brought in lots of loan players. One cannot dispute that he gained success quicker than us (with one of our players on loan, no less!), but another thing which is undisputable is Holloway's history of playing physical football, he clearly got the idea somewhere, and it was us! We've had a lot more practice, and a lot more time to become accustomed to, playing (and watching) this kind of football, so don't expect us to change any time soon.

Completely agree about the loan thing, and to be honest I was incredulous when JET went on loan to Cardiff last year. It would have made so much more sense for us to have him, but that's life!

I only brought up Blackpool because they were a new team in the PL who played good football...In fact I hope you don't copy them because they went down. I think Holloway's best aspect is his way to bring a team together, regardless of the style of play.

 

[Scottswan]

I wasn't getting defensive or anything (maybe I was, if I did I didn't mean to!), it's just lots of people in the press have decided we're "Blackpool MKII" which is pretty far from the truth. We play a much more controlled game than Blackpool's.

 

[goonercymraeg]

I wasn't getting defensive or anything (maybe I was, if I did I didn't mean to!), it's just lots of people in the press have decided we're "Blackpool MKII" which is pretty far from the truth. We play a much more controlled game than Blackpool's.

and your manager isn't a prick like Holloway

 

[Scottswan]

Haha, I don't know... I quite like Olly! You know what you're getting at least...

(generally quality post match interviews, if nothing else!)

 

[Scottswan]

Haha, I don't know... I quite like Olly! You know what you're getting at least...

(generally quality post match interviews, if nothing else!)

 

[goonercymraeg]

Haha, I don't know... I quite like Olly! You know what you're getting at least...

(generally quality post match interviews, if nothing else!)

I just think he's another one of Sky's rent a quote managers just like Fat Sam,Pulis,'arry, etc.etc.

 

[SupaMcGooner]

and your manager isn't a prick like Holloway

I like Holloway