Rival watch
- Thread starter Spurlock
- Start date
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1-1, Arsenal couldn't keep missing chances. Hopefully Swansea will hold on to the draw and Arsenal get an extra game 
1-1, Arsenal couldn't keep missing chances. Hopefully Swansea will hold on to the draw and Arsenal get an extra game
Exactly. A draw is the best result for us.
Well Swansea deserve to lose this.
You can't switch off after 75 mins like Swansea have done today.
You can't switch off after 75 mins like Swansea have done today.
I wouldn't have mentioned it if Arsenal fans weren't creaming their pants about having the best defence in the league at the start of the season.It's just mad to think that playing no defensive midfielders with attacking fullbacks and wingers/forwards who don't like tracking back isn't going to **** you up when you're playing away or against a good side(with 11 men before Piskie starts). I think the trouble for Arsenal is that Wenger doesn't think that picking just 2 attack minded midfielders is enough and to be fair he's not wrong, even with 3 they struggled to create anything until they went behind.
It's just mad to think that playing no defensive midfielders with attacking fullbacks and wingers/forwards who don't like tracking back isn't going to **** you up when you're playing away or against a good side(with 11 men before Piskie starts). I think the trouble for Arsenal is that Wenger doesn't think that picking just 2 attack minded midfielders is enough and to be fair he's not wrong, they struggled to create anything until they went behind.
The Steve Bould effect.
The problem with Arsenal is what I've said for years and something Robert Pires eluded to when he was at Villa, Wenger puts no emphasis on the defensive side of the game when coaching. I honestly believe they could buy the two best CB's in the world but still leak goals left, right and centre. If you don't work on shape, set pieces and other stuff off the ball you will always leak goals. Wenger inherited a solid defence from Graham so never had to do work. Even when they had the Incincibles that team was never renowned for its defence, it simply overpowered and out scored all opposition.
Good points. It's no wonder we're all happy that there are fans like Piskie to want Wenger to stay, it's the same situation in January every year. They might improve and be able to eek out a top 4 spot but they're certainly not improving or going anywhere fast and the same old problems are there.
Most I know are split. Had the conversation with a load of my cousins that support them and the ones that were fans before Wenger was there want him gone and the ones that became fans under his tenure want him to stay. Same in general with Arsenal mates.
City and Chelsea's spending has given Wenger a free ride and acted as a scapegoat for underperformance. Whilst it can be acknowledge City, Chelsea and United have a significant financial advantage over the rest nobody can argue that from 2005-2011 Arsenal had the squad to win the league but Wenger wasted 2-3 seasons misplacing his faith in hopeless goalkeepers whilst Chelsea and United had stalwarts in goal like Cech and Van De Sar.
Wengers coaching is another thing that puzzles me. Since he converted Henry to a CF there has been an obsession with playing players out of position which has led to lower confidence and therefore poorer results.
We laugh and joke at Arsenal's squad but have a look:
Arshavin: Arguably best player at Euro 2008 and the most highly sought after player
Koscielny: Considered onenofnthe best defenders in Ligue 1 the previous season
Chamakh: One of the best predatory strikers for Bordeaux and in Ligue 1. His free signing was seen as robbery in France.
Giroud: Top scorer in France the previous season with Montpellier
Denilson and Bendtner: Seen as two of the most promising young players of their generation
Walcott: Was dubbed the new Michael Owen and was rated more highly than even Bale when at Southampton
Podolski: German International, Cologne Legend
Mertesacker: German International
The list is endless, the problem with Wenger's socialist policy and wage structure is that the top players aren't rewarded and there is no pressure on squad players to push themselves and try to improve so all the best players will leave and all the average/squad players will stay on their good wage packages.
It's all well and good idiots like Piers Morgan castigating RVP and branding him a mercenary but if you are RVP - carrying an average Arsenal team, at your peak but with no chance of ending your career with silverware - but earning less/ same as Arshavin who contributes nothing why wouldn't you leave to join a club like Man Utd that can win things, treble your wages and makes you feel as though you are wanted. It beggars belief how myopic some Arsenal fans are.
Bale for instance was a top performer at Spurs, he was rewarded with a newer contract and is a top earner, that gives him a sense of self worth as well as incentive for other players to improve. That's how a club should be. If/when Bale does eventually leave Spurs there will be no hard feelings unlike at Arsenal when their players leave.
Ashley Cole was castigated in the media for the same thing but he was a first choice left back, Arsenal academy player and boyhood fan but found himself earning less than Pascal Cygan, Oleg Luzhny and squad members that contribute little, not even earning half as much as the top earners.
As good a manager as Wenger was/is for me he should have left after the 08/09 season when Arsenal took a step backwards having sold off 2/4 of their best players the previous season.
S
Spur of the Moment
Guest
Just listened to Wenger talking about the penalty incident. Think he was wearing the same goggles as DL, as he thinks there was a definite trip and Ramsey didn't trip himself 
.....And they call the Mousers deluded!!
Good result for us however.
.....And they call the Mousers deluded!!Good result for us however.
Nice of the officials to put the Scousers through:
Little **** kissing the offending arm after he scores and the officials still don't get it.
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Little **** kissing the offending arm after he scores and the officials still don't get it.
He always does that celebration, to be fair. For some reason Savage thinks that Suarez didn't mean to handle the ball despite him clearly moving his hand into it.
Didn't realise that. Fair enough.
You can tell that he did it deliberately from his reaction. He boots the ball in frustration and then expects it to get chalked off.
I didn't actually see the goal at the time but I assume he did his usual wrist kissing?
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