Arsenal Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Pepe LeFrits · 17-09-2008 11:58AM

I loved Runtley up until the Chelsea-hotel-gate.

I've never come across any Gooner who wasn't in the same boat. As a home-growner he had a special place in the fan's hearts. Shame he had to go and wipe his arse with it.

yahoo_moe · 17-09-2008 12:33PM

Frisbee wrote: »

Taken from the Arsenal website:

"There is only one change from the squad that travelled to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, with Carlos Vela coming in for Kieran Gibbs."

Gibbs is a talented youngster but does he deserve to be in the Squad ahead of someone like Vela? Somehow I dont think so.
He said he didnt want to burn Vela out between club and international duties but he hasnt played an international in over two weeks now.
Surely Wenger has to give him a chance evantually?
I thought against Fulham he'd start or at least sub.
Maybe the Hull match...

Vela played two internationals in the last week and a half, same days as the England matches but much further afield. Plus he's the one coming into the squad now that he's rested, not the other way around.

Evil_Clown · 17-09-2008 12:53PM

http://www.onlinegooner.com/exclusive/index.php?id=749

AnCapaillMor · 17-09-2008 01:30PM

No fish Lasagne on the menu?

Galvasean · 17-09-2008 03:06PM

I started hating Ashley when he started dating Cheryl Tweedy. (Yeah, Im a jealous bugger)
More specifically that vomit inducing photo-shoot. You know the one im talking about...

AnCapaillMor · 17-09-2008 03:38PM

Pimp daddy cole now that was embarassing.

Joeyjoejoe43 · 17-09-2008 04:01PM

leninbenjamin wrote: »

yes, there was a reckless lunge by Warnock who never had any chance of getting the ball. the penalty should have been given for intent alone.

and despite what you think, yes there was actually contact. one of the side shots showed it, Warnock raises his leg and catches Eboue's trailing leg with his shin. even though contact was slight, he was more than entitled to go down looking for the penalty.

For me, this was 100% a dive, the contact came after Eboue decided to dive. And I hate to say it, but I reckon he feigned injury too. Hate to be pickin on the lad, but i seriously think there was sweet f*** all wrong wit him..

Great win though, great to see the goals flowing, long may it continue

Joeyjoejoe43 · 17-09-2008 04:03PM

What channel is the champ league game on tonight?

leninbenjamin · 17-09-2008 04:04PM

Joeyjoejoe43 wrote: »

What channel is the champ league game on tonight?

Sky Sports 3

Frisbee · 17-09-2008 05:04PM

Setanta Sports also

Joeyjoejoe43 · 17-09-2008 06:31PM

sound lads....

Quazzie · 17-09-2008 08:15PM

Missed chances! Indiscipline! Lazy Players! Trying to walk the ball into the net! Unable to keep their shape! Unable to control a very average striker! Poorly organized!

Anyone else think of another way to describe Arsenal's performance tonight?

Roddy23 · 17-09-2008 08:18PM

Its not over yet, but take this to the match thread. Still 15mins left.

Pepe LeFrits · 17-09-2008 08:21PM

Quazzie2002 wrote: »

Missed chances! Indiscipline! Lazy Players! Trying to walk the ball into the net! Unable to keep their shape! Unable to control a very average striker! Poorly organized!

Anyone else think of another way to describe Arsenal's performance tonight?

Yeah, pretty much any way other than you've described, apart from the missing chances part.

DenMan · 17-09-2008 08:40PM

Get in Will. Great man. 1-1. Posting as I read it from the bbc website, grrrr. Brilliant stuff. A point away from home is still a point gained (especially in Kiev) Villareal will be very pleased with their 0-0 at Old Trafford tonight.

Quazzie · 17-09-2008 08:50PM

Some honest and decent words from Gallas on SS3 there. First real sign of off-field captaincy I can honestly say I've seen from him. Another positive to be taken from tonight?

OPENROAD · 17-09-2008 08:54PM

Tough match and long flight back to London tonight, will be tough away to Bolton at the weekend.

L'prof · 17-09-2008 09:17PM

Quazzie2002 wrote: »

Missed chances! Indiscipline! Lazy Players! Trying to walk the ball into the net! Unable to keep their shape! Unable to control a very average striker! Poorly organized!

Anyone else think of another way to describe Arsenal's performance tonight?

You pretty much got it in one, that game (like so many others) was there for the taking, but we didn't do it...again!!! It all feels so familiar!

Frisbee · 17-09-2008 09:30PM

Good point I would take away from the game would be that Song played very well.
Really broke down the play. We looked a lot more vulnerable when he came off (obviously :pac:)

Adebayor would drive you insane the way he can go from being a star player in a game to being completely non-existent in the next one.

gosplan · 17-09-2008 10:06PM

jasonorr wrote: »

You pretty much got it in one, that game (like so many others) was there for the taking, but we didn't do it...again!!! It all feels so familiar!

I agree but they don't call them 'tough away games' for nothing. Obviously it'd be great if we could play our A game every night but no-one does. If we start playing the same to Bolton, West Ham and others like that, then I'll begin to worry.

L'prof · 17-09-2008 10:14PM

gosplan wrote: »

I agree but they don't call them 'tough away games' for nothing.

I'm afraid this game didn't really live up to that billing, we just made it very, very though for ourselves!

Frisbee · 17-09-2008 10:31PM

gosplan wrote: »

I agree but they don't call them 'tough away games' for nothing.

True, but we have two much tougher away games coming up now having to travel to Porto and Fenerbache.

Pepe LeFrits · 18-09-2008 08:01AM

I’ve been reading a few Arsenal forums this morning and some of the hysterical comments about last night’s game are very amusing. Reminds me why I stopped posting on them.

It is a little disappointing to only come away with a draw, but it is not a particularly bad result either. Kyiv are a better side than last season and will take other points in this group. They were missing Artem Milevskiy who is a much better striker than that moany clown Bangoura.

Our first half performance wasn’t bad at all. Defensively we were very well organised and disciplined, and we could have been 3 or 4 nil up by half time. Our second half performance was obviously disappointing, but we still matched them and created as many, if not more chances. It was a positive that we were able to come back after their bogus penalty (which completely undid our gameplan). We were badly stretched as we searched for an equaliser, which was due to a) Song going off (he performed the holding role excellently) and our wide men not tracking back. I can forgive Theo for that as he has played a lot of football lately, especially for a 19 year old. I can forgive Robin for it too as his fitness is obviously not 100%, but I am worried as to whether it will ever be 100%. He looks very sluggish. Fortunately we have a natural replacement waiting in the wings, Carlos Vela.

Perhaps our formation showed Kyiv too much respect but regardless of what anyone says, trips to eastern Europe can be tricky, as is demonstrated by this being only our 2nd point from 7 trips there. I do think that we lacked the optimum personnel for the formation. Our central midfield trio in a 4-5-1 needs to be setup like this – DM, CM, AM. Last night we had a natural DM in Song in the DM role which was fine, and a natural CM in the CM role in Denilson, but Fabregas is a CM too and he is wasted in the AM role. When Cesc dropped deep to where he could contribute, Adebayor was left isolated. We would be a lot better if we had Nasri or Rosicky playing where Cesc was last night, and Cesc where Denilson was. It highlighted why I wanted another attacking midfielder brought in, because Nasri will miss games, and Rosicky can’t be relied upon.

Mr Alan · 18-09-2008 08:31AM

an away draw is always (well, nearly always) a decent result in the Champions League.

Indie18 · 18-09-2008 09:07AM

i have no major wories about the draw last nightas long as arsenal get 9 points from the games at home they will be fine and maybe an away win or two more draws i wouldn't worrie about it. what i would be worried about is that the team are going to be going into the away bolton game after only being back in the country for one full day but i would still expect a result on saturday.

Pighead · 18-09-2008 10:37AM

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

I’ve been reading a few Arsenal forums this morning and some of the hysterical comments about last night’s game are very amusing. Reminds me why I stopped posting on them.

It is a little disappointing to only come away with a draw, but it is not a particularly bad result either. Kyiv are a better side than last season and will take other points in this group. They were missing Artem Milevskiy who is a much better striker than that moany clown Bangoura.

Our first half performance wasn’t bad at all. Defensively we were very well organised and disciplined, and we could have been 3 or 4 nil up by half time. Our second half performance was obviously disappointing, but we still matched them and created as many, if not more chances. It was a positive that we were able to come back after their bogus penalty (which completely undid our gameplan). We were badly stretched as we searched for an equaliser, which was due to a) Song going off (he performed the holding role excellently) and our wide men not tracking back. I can forgive Theo for that as he has played a lot of football lately, especially for a 19 year old. I can forgive Robin for it too as his fitness is obviously not 100%, but I am worried as to whether it will ever be 100%. He looks very sluggish. Fortunately we have a natural replacement waiting in the wings, Carlos Vela.

Perhaps our formation showed Kyiv too much respect but regardless of what anyone says, trips to eastern Europe can be tricky, as is demonstrated by this being only our 2nd point from 7 trips there. I do think that we lacked the optimum personnel for the formation. Our central midfield trio in a 4-5-1 needs to be setup like this – DM, CM, AM. Last night we had a natural DM in Song in the DM role which was fine, and a natural CM in the CM role in Denilson, but Fabregas is a CM too and he is wasted in the AM role. When Cesc dropped deep to where he could contribute, Adebayor was left isolated. We would be a lot better if we had Nasri or Rosicky playing where Cesc was last night, and Cesc where Denilson was. It highlighted why I wanted another attacking midfielder brought in, because Nasri will miss games, and Rosicky can’t be relied upon.

Surely though the result is a bit disappointing in the context of Kievs last four home Champions League results:

Kiev 1 Sporting Lisbon 2
Kiev 2 Man Utd 4
Kiev 1 Roma 4
Kiev 2 Drogheda 2

Frisbee · 18-09-2008 10:41AM

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

We were badly stretched as we searched for an equaliser, which was due to a) Song going off (he performed the holding role excellently)

Agreed, I thought he looked very comfortable in the holding roll, really breaking down the play and knew when to, if necessary, commit a minor foul when we could be caught (some may class this as unsportsmanlike but most good DM ala Makelele, Gattuso etc make great use of this

)

Much more confident in him than I was before last nights match...

Pepe LeFrits · 18-09-2008 10:54AM

Pighead wrote: »

Surely though the result is a bit disappointing in the context of Kievs last four home Champions League results:

Kiev 1 Sporting Lisbon 2
Kiev 2 Man Utd 4
Kiev 1 Roma 4
Kiev 2 Drogheda 2

You left out their 4-1 win over Spartak Moscow.

As I said, they are a better team than they were last season, when they went through 3 managers in one season.

Pighead · 18-09-2008 11:02AM

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

You left out their 4-1 win over Spartak Moscow.

As I said, they are a better team than they were last season, when they went through 3 managers in one season.

Oops so I did. My mistake. It's probably a bit early to be saying that they area better team than last season though. Their league has only just started as well in fairness.

Galvasean · 18-09-2008 04:07PM

Probably should have won but a point away in Eastern Europe (where we never seem to excel) isn't bad. We have arguably the toughest game of the group out of the way. personally I think if we won our 3 home games and drew the two away games we would be doing quite well for ourselves.

Arsenal Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

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