Rival watch

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Wenger and LVG are the last of the dinosaurs.

What we are witnessing is the extinction event for LVGasaurus, and the last clarion cry of the mighty Wenger Rex.

For a time, they ruled the football world, but that was, now, a long time ago. History will show that their time was very, very short.
 
SpursDisciple said:
That's the way to encourage sensible Gooners on to our board!
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It's just banter, SD! No need to fear it, my friend.

Anyway, BrunelGooner is definitely one of the more sensible Gooners on this site, and he'll understand that I'm joshing with him. He won't react in the psychotic paranoid fashion that a certain other Gooner poster always does!
 
littleDinosaurLuke said:
I'm waiting for a sensible Gooner to admit that Mertesacker is a liability - for would be title contenders at least
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Certainly for such a side playing a high-line and without a mobile holding player.
Costa's hardly a speed merchant, yet he was worried enough about him getting in behind to do that to him.
 
littleDinosaurLuke said:
I'm waiting for a sensible Gooner to admit that Mertesacker is a liability - for would be title contenders at least
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And yet - Arsenal have the 3rd best defensive record in the league...they must be doing something right! It helps that they have exceptionally rapid full backs who do slot in to cover centrally regularly in order to compensate for lack of pace at the back.

I think PNP is spot on; Leicester have made Wes Morgan and Robert 'wasn't good enough for Stoke' Huth look like world beaters simply by utilising them effectively. They are 32 and 31 y.o respectively and 2 of the slowest players I've ever seen, so Ranieri simply plays them on the 18 yard line and tells them to never forage forward beyond the edge of the center circle. Same goes for us - we've gone from laughable to best in the league at the back because we made 2 changes that were crucial in making the system overall work; signing a tremendous athlete in Toby and using Dier as a DM who drops back to CB when our pacy FB's push upfield, thereby compensating for Vertonghen's relative lack of pace. Not many strikers will beat Dier in a footrace and it was a masterstroke to A) envision using the DM in an unusual way, and B) perceiving that Dier would be the man for the job.
 
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littleDinosaurLuke said:
I'm waiting for a sensible Gooner to admit that Mertesacker is a liability - for would be title contenders at least
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Plenty of Arsenal fans on the Arsenal board think Mertesacker is a liability, so you're either not reading comments properly or you're just assuming things. Which is totally unlike you of course...

Nevertheless, as has already been stated, the system we play is a huge factor. It was unclear as to what Wenger wanted the team to do. Did he want us to play high up the pitch, squeeze the midfield and monopolise possession or did he want us to sit back, soak up the pressure and then hit Chelsea on the break? As it turned out, we did neither and got punished for it.

If we want to sit back and let teams have a go at us, Mertesacker is fine to start because that would suit him better. If we are going to play a high defensive line, playing Mertesacker is football suicide. Until Wenger decides what he actually wants the team to do, we will continue to have this problem.

Personally, I don't want Mertesacker to start for us throughout the rest of the season because I'm still livid with how naive and plain stupid that tackle was on Costa. Not something you want to see from a vice-captain of your club.
 
Usually when somebody on here says Mertesacker's a liability they draw the ire of somebody deciding to pay us a visit. Aren't they aware we can compare notes, given the reasons Mertesacker can be a liability for Arsenal is the same reason Fazio would be a liability for us if he played?
 
The Fail are claiming that Adebayor has joined Palace.
I think he'll do well for them for the rest of this season.
 
He's good in little bursts...as we all know.

Think he will bag them a few goals because he is working for another contract.
 
humanbeingincroydon said:
More importantly, we've already played them twice in the league. Best cheer on Stoke in the FA Cup to be sure, though...
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I'm not sure that's entirely coincidental. Palace were making a lot of noise about him before we played them.
It wouldn't surprise me if it was somehow dragged out past our game for some contractual reason.
 
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It's official on the Palace website too

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While I'm a fan of Palace and Pardew generally can't say I'll be wishing him any success.
 
I'm waiting for Pixie to come along with some bollocks about us subsidizing his contract with Palace, even though Adebayor was no longer our player.
<doh>

There's gullible, downright fcukwitted, and then there's Pixie!
 
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