Well gee whizz… that was long overdue! I’d imagine the satisfaction I am feeling this morning is similar to that of a hitch hiker whose been waiting for a ride… for a month and a half.
I feel good… so good, I’ve forgotten all the bad stuff that happened in the first half…
Shall we have a post where all I do is skim over the bad stuff? Ok… it’s a deal guys.
Bad stuff:
Selection: Very disappointed to see Song and Eboue start. I understand the logic in putting Arshavin up front… he isn’t fit enough to play in midfield at the moment… but I don’t understand why Carlos had to be dropped and I don’t understand why Song had to be included?
Eboue: Jumped out the way for a freekick, mostly did bugger all.
Song: Terrible in the first half.
JD: Terrible in the first half.
Good stuff:
Goals: Yes… we hit the back of the net from something other than a penalty.
Nik Bendtner: I’ve been backing him to come good all season. He had a Christmas time blip… his effort rate dropped a bit… but since then he’s worked his pink boots off, become more of a team player and has been desperately unlucky.
Tonight that all changed. Pretty much the first thing he did was charge into the box after receiving a pass from Denilson, jink inside his marker and roll the ball into the bottom corner.
His second goal came after Kolo hoofed a ball over the top, Nik latched onto it and fired across the hapless Scott Carson. Two great goals meant confidence was sky high. He grew as the game went on and went close again after some great work… only to be denied by the post.
I am hoping tonight is the tipping point in his season. He’s been getting into the right positions for a while… now he has a couple of finishes under his belt I expect him to be dropped to kick on and prove all the doubters wrong.
Denilson: Another player who I am starting to take a shine to… I’ve got the appreciation Society forms sitting on my desk… and there is every chance I could be filling them in and sending them back. Denilson rarely wastes a ball… most of his passes find their man and as a holding player, he reminds me a little of Gilberto. Considering he barely had 20 starts before this season, I think he’s done ok. Recent form has led me to believe he will become a good player.
Arshavin: Our little Russian maestro is running on fumes at the moment… but you can see he oozes class. His deft touches, his ability to craft a shot out of nothing… those quick feet. He is going to explode when he hits form/full fitness and I’ll tell you one thing for sure… that man will have his own song (A fan song… I’m not talking a chart single here…).
Arsene Wenger should take note of the impact this guy is having on the fans and the team. We love him already… and pretty soon, I think he’ll be worth the extortionate Emirates entrance fee. A player of his quality should be purchased every summer… I demand it… !
Oh and he made the important second goal.
The Fans: Well, there were good things about both sets of fans tonight. Firstly our lot… great voices up there tonight… nice to hear you all chanting Niks name… you know that will mean a lot to the young striker. It will also show the rest of the team that you can turn things around… all we demand is hard work and that players to try their best.
Now onto the WBA fans. I just want to thank them for proving that it doesn’t matter which club you support… if your team serve up crap every week, people don’t want to sing and people don’t want to stay till the end. It was reassuring to know that our crowd problems aren’t Arsenal specific. Couple that with the Villa fans booing their team off… and it appears the problem runs a little deeper than just ‘spoilt fans’.
Player Ratings:
Almunia: I think he’ll be disappointed to have conceded the goal… but he wasn’t at fault. He commanded his area well, made a couple of really handy saves and kicked well. 7.5
Clichy: Another quiet game from our young Frenchman. He did whip in a superb cross that Nik B only missed out on because someone called Dork fouled him. 7
Toure: I’ve been saying it all season… Kolo is the answer to our lack of goals. Finally he landed his chance to shine today. He scored from an Arshavin freekick, beating off his man to head low and hard. Moments later he played a tasty 40 yard ball into the path of Nik B who buried it. He went off at half time… lets hope it wasn’t serious… otherwise I fear more bore draws. 8
JD: I thought he was the worst player in the first half. He made numerous needless fouls in the danger areas and the one he made for the freekick was particularly silly. He improved in the second half, but that wasn’t hard… WBA didn’t offer much. 6
Sagna: I thought he defended well. I thought he attacked poorly. Rating Sagna is becoming a cut and paste job these days… 7
Nasri: I thought he put in a busy performance. He binds the midfield well, but I can’t remember him having a shot or playing any decisive balls? 7
Song: Awful, woeful… dreadfully slow. That was the first half. Second half, he looked a little bit better… he’d been asked to step in for Kolo… and he did ok. Song is like one of those people who can’t multi-task… if he worked in an office… he would be in charge of photocopying… at the moment, he is playing in centre mid… which would be like asking Song to run the pay roll and restructure the I.T department… it’s too much for him. At centre back… all he has to worry about is what is ahead of him… it suits him better… just like photocopying would. 6
Eboue: I know he has his own fan club… but I can’t understand his constant inclusion in the side. He offers nothing in midfield… he loses the ball, I think it’s a myth that he tracks back and his powers of pace and strength are useless, he doesn’t know how to use them. 5
Denilson: I’m a convert, move over Gilberto… you’re ugly mug isn’t fit to grace my bedroom wall anymore… it’s all about Denilson. I thought he played very well tonight, happily mopping up mess like that crazy woman who wipes tables in every McDonalds you ever go in. I know he is a bit of a crab, but he is an efficient crab… at least his passes find peoples feet. He’s not there to be Cesc Fabregas, he is there to feed our star players McCrab passes all day long. 8
Nikki B: I’ve already written a big chunk of ‘I told you so’ praise above…. I’m only joking, but I really do believe he will be an asset for us. Next on his list of ‘to do’s'… consistency. Wouldn’t we all love it if his performances kept Ade out the team and perhaps forced him to move in the summer? Think of it that way if you don’t like our young Dane. 9
Arshavin: A quiet performance from our most expensive signing… however, when he did pipe up, he looked good. He took a freekick off Nasri or did Nasri ask him to take it? and played a superb cross into the middle of the box. I wonder if we’ve got a new set piece king in the making… at least he can hit it past the first man! 7
Subs:
Diaby: I thought he played much better than he did against Fulham. He ran at players and made a few tackles. Does anyone else think he has been damaged by that tackle from a few years ago? He would rather pass than ride out a tackle… 7
Merida: A surprise sub, but a welcome one. He is a stocky boy, but good on the ball and like Denilson… he doesn’t seem to waste many passes. I look forward to seeing him a few more times this year. 6.5
Rambo: Made a ridiculous back pass when he came on that nearly cost a goal… and our keeper his leg. Luckily he was let off. He made a few tidy passes… one particularly nice one when he laid a ball in for Sagna to sky 50 yards over the bar. 6
Conclusion:
What started out as a bit of a nightmare… ended up a dream.
Yes… 3 goals… that’s the extent of my Arsenal dreams these days! My next dream… 4th place and Hull in the Cup.
It was refreshing to see some creative substitutes today… some quick passing and listen to some happy fans sing their hearts out!
Bravo I say… bring on Burnley… I smell blood…
Apparently Fergie is doing his nut at Newcastle, as Taylor has cuffed Ronaldo around the head.
A bit of selective vision there, I know you protect your players, but it is hard to defend a player that repeatidely does it to others without any disciplinary action
Joaquin… I think you just assume Nik is this arrogant asshole…
I don’t see this arrogance everyone talks about… I see a young player trying to find his feet… He looks quite humbled by his experience this season.
i dont see the arrogance either pedro. The media created this caricature of a pantomime villain type character for bendtner twisting his words and making up bollocks about him to make him sound like the most arrogant fucker in the world, when it was all bollocks, and people just hear that and accept it.
Even when its shown to be bollocks people just assume that it’s exagerated rather than bollocks, and that theres no smoke without fire etc etc, and interpret things he does to fit that caricature.
It’s the boots.
ITE LADS!!!
THIS IS THE STREAM: http://www.atdhe.net/live-tv-4313.html
GIVE IT 7-8 MINS BEFORE 2nd HALF
LET THE NIK THING GO, I HAVE MY RESERVATIONS TOO
JUST ENJOY THAT WE COULD CLOSE IN ON VILLA!!!
On that stream the 2nd half has just started
come on Citeh
http://www.asiaplatetv.com/iraqgoals_2.htm
working but shite in full screen
De Jong OFF ——–> Gelson Fernandes ON
You are so right A.
Every time a false news story is planted about him… he comes out and denies it immediately… and for me, an arrogant young player wouldn’t be as team orientated as Nik is. I think he is the most unselfish striker at the club at the moment.
Chozzer, he sacked those ages ago… and by all accounts, I think he was pretty embarrassed about that whole thing…
Are we still talking about Niklaus???
A marvelous game from the big Dane….but he always has them against poor teams….Which suggests to me that Arsene should play our young stars against poor teams…seems they have more belief in themselves.
I quite liked the lime-green ones he scored 2 goals with last night!
Elano is Class.
pedro, all good strikers have some of that arrogance.
Henry, Drogba, Etoo, even ronaldo that cunt, you need that confidence in your abilities to do the audacious. the shit that they have pulled in their brilliance could only be achieved with that faith in oneself. I think nik will come good, I would just be afraid of alienating fans by wearing pink boots and shit like that prior to really proving that you are the man.
city havent been as good as in the 1st half
fucking berbatov…
Citeh have no outlet, theyre just waiting to concede.
getting a bit worried by Villa here, they are starting to boss the game
Joaquin… he is young… young people make mistakes.
At least his mistake wasn’t drink driving and pretending to be Ashley Cole…
don’t suppose anyone else is watching the sampa inter milan game?? what happened to balotelli?!
don’t worry, I have faith. Others just don’t seem to share my optimism about him. Hopefully this performance can help right his profligacy in front of goal.
Does Nik have anywhere near the skill of:
Henry?
Eto’o?
Drogba?
Ronaldo?
Even RVP or Eddie or even Vela???
even rvp?! rvp is more skillfull than all of them, even ronaldo though he doesn’t practice skills like ronaldo
and no, he’s a very different player, though drogba doesnt have any skill
my city stream has gone, anyone got same problem or got anything else??!!
Yeah I lost the Stream as well
Rob is Nik able to write a play like Billy Shakespeare or dance like Nureyev?
No?
Pah then what use is he?
no Rob he doesnt. That doesnt mean he cant become a great goal scorer. compare to Ruud vN, Huntelaar, Heskey, etc.
Nik B can’t even castrate a dog as well as my local vet.
Rob, queen makes a good point.
Can any of those above mentioned players match Nik for age?
Any and Dec are both funnier than Nik B. And they aren’t even very funny.
Nik B is good for nothing.
How many minutes were left on the Villa game ? I don’t want to wait for the muppet Cottee to cream himself when Villa score.
I think ballotelli smashed into the post when going up for a header but i missed whatever happened before that
Huh Pedro? Oh yeah.. i was er.. making a point.
That’s right…making a point.
what a save from friedel, best footballer to come out of my country. How he has never been a mainstay at a bigger club baffles me
there is no reason Nik cant be a 20 goal a season striker. Hell if we can make ade a 30 goal striker of course we can
Were Eto’o and Drogba world beaters at 21?
Come on City … 10 mins
yeah i saw the replay metronome, at first i assumed he hit his head so collapsed with concussion, but replay showed no contact with his head, just appeared to go into the post pretty firmly family jewels-first, but then he got up absolutely fine and seemed couple minutes later just collapsed with noone round him?
i’ve got commentary don’t understand so no idea what they were saying?!
Villa goal is definately coming, they are creating loads
pattheGooner – Where you watching it ?!
Are you still preggers QoS?
Joaquin… awesome keeper..
ive got it on tvu, channel 73130
Joaquin .. where in the US area you?
on a Sopcast link Keyser.
dunno i was looking a MBM on goal.com and i think balotelli had been getting kicked in by the Samp defenders for most of the match but it still doesnt explain the 3 minute delay
*are
ive met him here in los angeles. My good friend went to a few camps with him a few years back when we were in high school. Good guy. Although i don’t know about a yank starting to acquire a british accent. He didnt have that 8 years ago when i met him.
Hold on Mancity, almost there
come on Citeh
this is what it is about
Villa, have not won in 6 now.
3 points in it, and we have better goal difference.
3rd place anyone?
lol nevermind .. CA.. I’ve been to San Francisco a few times but never LA
LA trinidad
What a fucking game, this match, anything could happen
pattheGooner – The Livesport one ? Me being an idiot I closed it at half time.
A. thanks, got the game on there now, I think it’s a bit behind though.
Mark C, you better not have just jinxed it
right on, so you in trinidad?
No it is on Fox Soccer (English Commentary)
Nik’s ability to take defenders on last night was really impressive… didn’t realise that was a part of his game.
He seemed so much better with the ball at his feet going forward. Must have been nice for him to have the 6th best player in the world as his foil as well!
No, i’m on the East Coast … DC
FUCKING EXCELLENT!
Yeah if Villa win, Mark C is to blame, he must be found.
2-0 Villa!!!!!
oh – evening all!
Hollywood… top name! haha!
fuck ya
2-0 Man City, game over.
How the fuck did they do that ? Wtf ? Mark C fair play you get all the credit now.
Everyone thank Mark C..
That was a good goal aswell, well worked.
yaaassssssss
hey hotsizzle, you out here in la?
great goal from city, swp man of the match by some distance, much better player than ashley young imo
gracias señor por qué Pedro…..
2133: GOAL Man City 2-0 Aston Villa
A- at the moment yes, but look at the age discrepancy, Young much better than swp was at his age
nah South London lol
Get In
Well Done Mark C. I would not have posted that, I would definately have jinxed it and Villa would have won 2-1
This now means that in the next round of fixtures we play Blackburn 24 hours before Villa host the Spuds. We could go 4th for at least 24 hours….
You have to love football. Sunday afternoon, we were 90 seconds away from being 8 points behind them, and now it is down to 3.
not sure i agree with that joaquin, swp at the age young is now was incredible at city which is why chelsea forked out so much for him. Would’ve said swp then was as good as he is now, he’s only gotten back to that level after leving chelsea.
So what result do we want for Villa-Spuds? 0-0 with some red cards and injuries?
So what result do we want for Villa-Spurs? 0-0 with some red cards and injuries?
nah i would go for a spuds win personally i reckon their not gonna go doan and villa losing is more important
I want the Spuds to win it…..
We need to pull away, we have difficult games towards the end and I really dont want it to go to the last game.
Don’t know about anyone else; but I am so doing a very strange dance in my lounge; subject to (more than one) glass of Rose wine…… coooome ooooon Man City. I am very very happy now, and will sleep very soundly.
*down
Reality currently slapping Villa fans over at bbc 606,
“looks like the villa’s season’s over. regret the lacklustre uefa cup team, we’ve ruined our season in 2 pathetic weeks”
ta ta ta ta ta I’m lovin it
As long as its not Bentley who scores
As they say in Hollywood, Villa’s season has been a great rags to riches story with a predictable ending….
haha, I’m going to enjoy this… I reckon they’ll pick up some injuries now!
My comment from earlier:
tonyadamsisgod Says:
March 4, 2009 at 12:21 pm
I hope Martin O’neil doesn’t forget this fateful comment he has just made:
“We intend to give everything possible in our bid to remain in the leading group. Where you finish after 38 games is where you deserve to finish.”
HA ha, what a fantastic two days for us, just 3 points is the gap, lets rein in the villians and take back our top 4 spot. C’mon you gunners!
Gareth Southgate doesn’t ooze managerial qualities does he?
Bumbling PE teacher springs to mind.
We’re back and if we hold our nerve we could finish second!
What’s the deal with Villa’s card situation?
Does anyone have to sit after those yellows today or are they fine for the next game?
Thats the spirit Geoff
I am not getting too excited yet. I will be a lot happier if we can win two league games on the bounce.
I can’t believe I will be supporting the Spuds though, WTF is all that about. At least they are fighting to try and get 7th for a Uefa Cup place (If CL qualifier wins FA Cup) so hopefully they should test Villa.
Get in!!! Villa lose and Everton draw
shame bout the spuds tho 
Pat we’ll finish in the places if Wenger plays the right team.
If we don’t, we’ll know who to blame.
Have a great night, I’m off.
pedro
Considering he barely had 20 starts before this season, I think he’s done ok. Recent form has led me to believe he will become a good player.
hmmm didnt someone say pre season the lad had skills ?
nik also!!! more so than ade .. what a waste of 110k a week , he also didnt come out and dispute the 110 k head lines either , .. how stupid is wenger for paying that sort of cash
on a 1 season pony who clearly was made BIG by the midfield behind him !
anyway good post only just read it and your days almost over , and im already into tomorrow .
PS : you can all sleep in nothing interesting happens
Can’t believe i’m going to say this but all we need now is for united to beat liverpool next weekend and Geoff could well be right, well at least for the top 3. Having seen Hiddink manage Australia first hand i think it would be a miracle to get close to them. But Liverpool is definately a possibilty with the games left.
geoff
love the enthusiasm but i predicted everyone would blow there bolts over beating WBA , they are a shit team , not average shit , i mean really shit .. devoid of any talent .. carson is the most well known player in the bunch i think .
the thai national team could beat them plonkers .
in fact on the day a thai pub team could beat them … it really proves nothing , i said it prior to the game .. getting 3 points was expected , like us beating Cardiff was , and likewise Burnley. all it proves to me is we can beat a championship team .. not a regular EPL one !
PS pedro .. you need to change the fixture dates in your widget ,
hmmmm sounds painful
Ethan, we were expected to beat Fulham, Sunderland and West Ham as well…did we?? We’re now within touching distance of 4th spot, and goal difference is in our favour aswell, Villa are in shitty form, and we have key players almost ready to return to the 1st team ( Theo, Cesc Eduardo).
having said that , denilson and nik still shouldn’t be played , not when playing the top half of the EPL , and definitely not in the C.L at all …
its a sign of the times that we are understaffed
and a team like us shouldn’t be !
gallas and toure are aging and the way wenger is with replacing players he needs to get 1 or 2 CD’s in .SHORTLY . or gallas will simply go , and toure will get old and useless too, then we will have problems in the 2010/11 season and the transition will just never end ..
i think the midfield is stocked with potential.
but right now
we need DAVID VILLA!
1 or 2 CD’s of around 21 -22
and a REAL GOAL KEEPER ..
even a 23 year old class DM wouldnt go astray .
sell the rubbish and buy 4 good players , that would see this team turn the corner ..
until then we cant challenge man U ….
benno
Ethan, we were expected to beat Fulham, Sunderland and West Ham as well…did we?? SURE
but retaining 4th spot is hardly winning the champions league now is it ..
there is no doubt that we should be in 4th spot with the games we’ve dropped , yet should have won.
But also take fixtures into account!, we have a tough end to the season , and villa’s run isnt as hard as ours ..
its all very relevant , and ill believe rosicky – cesc – theo are ready when i see them on the pitch .. ive heard wenger waffle on too long to know he is full of piss and wind when it comes to predicting when players will return ..
and what state will they be in when they finally make it onto the pitch …
i dont want to sound negative , but i am
ive seen our history this season .. and nothing
looks like changing too quickly .. if you ask me .. id rather side with reality until i see definite signs of life ..
According to Daily Mail, we have opened contract talks with Eboue over a new deal! ..
out of the games left ethan i’d back up to drop much less points than villa.
villa havn’t won in 6 in all competitions, spurs could well get a result from them at villa park, and then they’ve got liverpool at anfield, utd at old trafford, and then everton at home. after that they’ve got a lot of games that aren’t against top opposition, but you’ve got to remember they aren’t actually very good, they don’t have the class that means they expect to beat most teams outside the top 4.
They’re a mid table team who had an absolute miracle wonder first half to the season, whilst every team around them imploded. Their bubble has been burst now and they’re on their way back to where they belong. They have much less ability and class than teams like city, and even everton. I expect them to finish 6th behind everton.
we do have some tough games at the very end of the season, but hopefully we’ll be flying by then, and have a big enough lead anyways
As per usual we are last pick on MOTD, I swear it’s that jug-eared crisp-selling perma-tanned twat of a presenter who makes sure we go bottom of the bill.
Also a special mention for the BBC commentator on our highlights who managed to refer to Cliché, Almuniay, and (repeatedly) Nicklas Bednar! Good job Roman Bendtner wasn’t playing for the opposition…
Villa’s next game is against the spuds…!!
I am going for a 0-0 draw – both drop two points….
A
out of the games left ethan i’d back up to drop much less points than villa.
well thats what it needs in order for us to pull ahead . i hope your right ,but we have dropped the ball at key parts of the season so far ..
and history (last season ) has proved we really fall away in the final stages .. that’s a worry for me , maybe im over analyzing everything but im sure if most of us were honest as against hopeful, we would see things are going to require some real teamwork and effort to stay top 4 this season.
one thing is for sure , we are not out of it ..
but but ahead is a road not to be take lightly.
And wenger IMO has made some real blinders this season, mistake wise .
only last season proves that ethan, and this season i’d expect to be a mirror of last season. Last year we started strongly with a fully fit squad, and fell away when vp, rosicky, and finally eduardo got injured.
This season we’re coming into the end of the season getting stronger and stronger in terms of players available.
i’ve not been worried once about the top 4 thing rather than villa, and i’m still not! i expected us to be on par with villa after their games against utd, liverpool, and everton, but they’ve collapsed soooner than i anticipated, and we should be a fair bit ahead of them before our tough games. Provided we beat blackburn at home next week i think it’ll be pretty comfortable. I just hope liverpool collapse too so we can challenge for 3rd
This season we’re coming into the end of the season getting stronger and stronger in terms of players available.
Well so far ive seen little proof of getting stronger and stronger .. in fact after 4 draws on the trot to beatable teams id say we are pretty much on par to repeat the performance ..
really ethan?
in terms of our performances, things started to click again against cardiff, and likewise against sunderland, roma, fulham, and west brom.
since cardiff the flowing football has returned, and we’ve created enough clear cut chances to get a cricket score in every one of those games, the only thing that’s been missing is the finishing.
the results havn’t improved, but the performances are completely different, and a massive improvement, we weren’t creating chances before, and now we’re creating as many as we do at our very very best, the finishing is the only thing that’s been lacking and hopefully after west brom that fear in front of goal will have gone and we’ll remember how to tap the ball into an empty net.
Van persie hopefully will get a goal or two against burnley and roma and that’ll get his confidence back, not to mention eduardo, theo, ade about to return, and bendtner having gotten a brace to get his confidence back, and it’s only a matter of time until arshavin gets his first goal.
In terms of the league, we’ve shown a massive improvement ever since arshavin came into the team, and as he gets fitter his influence will get greater, and along with the others coming back i expect us to be absolutely fine.
not to mention that in terms of us getting stronger and stronger with players coming back – none of the players are actually back yet, we’ll get much stronger as they do come back
by the way all of that is in my opinion obviously, not factual
Walcott is Fit now isnt he???
I think he’ll be ready for Burnley…it would be wonderful to have him back…Arsene is going to have a headache who to pick now
Actually with Walcott back now i think we’ve seen the last of Eboue!!!
wwooooooooooooooooooooooooooohoooooo
great i’ve just read premier league roundup at sky.com……………and it happened what ALL of US wanted so much……………..yesterday celeberation continues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
plus their next game is against sp*rs….so hope those bastards can do us a favor as well…(wished both could lose at the same time
I wouldn’t risk Theo against Burnley, mebe a 10 min cameo at the end so its justified having him on the bench for Roma. Don’t want some crap/average lower league defender cleaning him up in his 1st game back so he’s injured again. Arshavin should start either up top with Bendtner or just behind Bendtner, rest RVP for the Roma game as Arshavin can’t play. Also wouldn’t risk Toure or Gallas before playing Roma ifd they’re struggling with niggles.
Prefered Burnley line up:
Fabianski
Eboue Song Djourou Gibbs
Bischoff Ramsey Diaby Vela
Arshavin
NPB
i daresay AW will play the usual suspects though…
By that i mean Eboue and Song in midfield.
denilson, rvp, sagna, clichy, toure and gallas should be rest for roma…..
Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill remains confident of a top four finish, despite last night’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City.
The 2-0 reverse means Villa have gone six games without a win, and while three of those were cup matches, their once strong position in the top four is suddenly under attack from Arsenal, who are just three points adrift.
Yet O’Neill insists his team are not getting nervous – and he has vowed the struggle will continue through the final 10 games of an arduous campaign.
“We are not nervous – we are excited,” he said.
“Really, if you are not excited by the position we are in, you shouldn’t be playing.
“We are in this position because we deserve to be. It would be a shame to throw it up now without a fight – but I don’t think we will.”
O’Neill intends to take his players on a short break to Dubai, which he feels will get them ready for the challenge that lies ahead.
“We will come back and really stick at it,” he said.
“Maybe we are being a bit naive thinking we can challenge those top four sides, who have been up there so consistently over the last few years, but whatever happens, we should relish the challenge.”
GP, i have all of them rested
A
dont you think we look a better side because the opposition is crap ? well not crap just a low standard … roma have a poor record in the UK
and i expect them to hit back hard in rome ..
i think the reason weve looked ok , is because we are competing against lesser sides IMO.
well time will tell but i cant see anything improve really , and not finishing our chances and killing these easy beat teams off is really disheartening ..
Also i bet you the key injured players will not come back when stated last week ..
lets see how much we see of theo !
and if dudu can return on schedule ..
also rosicky !
i think we are in with a chance once these players return , cesc included .. i think it might be a case of too little too late for Arsenal ..
lets hope im wrong ..
“We are not nervous – we are excited,” he said.
“Really, if you are not excited by the position we are in, you shouldn’t be playing.
“We are in this position because we deserve to be. It would be a shame to throw it up now without a fight – but I don’t think we will.”
O’Neill ( WENGER …) intends to take his players on a short break to Dubai, which he feels will get them ready for the challenge that lies ahead.
“We will come back and really stick at it,” he said.
WITH THE TRIP TO DUBAI AND BACK THEY WILL LOSE ALL THEIR MATCHES AND WE WILL CRUISE THRU…
I DOUBT IF WENGER CAN DECIDE TO TAKE THE TEAM ANYWHERE AT THIS CRUCIAL TIME….
ASTON VILLA ARE DREAMING AND THEY WILL NEVER EVER EVER BE IN THE TOP FOUR….I SAID IT EARLER SOME MONTHS AGO…AND IT IS NOW DAWNING ON THEM.
Pedro,
I rate Denilson – think he is already an excellent player – very accurate and very hard working (I could wear his number) I don’t understand the Denilson & Song pairing. It is so urm nothing. Just doesn’t cut it. I remember PV and Edu, PV and Sexy (Petit) and even Platt. There is no attacking edge (no goals) in Denilson and Song
I also think Song could be a pretty decent player – as a foil for a more attacking Cesc set him free as Flamster did.
Bendtner is a Championship player. He will do well against weak teams but not against good quality players. However he is young and I hope to eat my words.
Agreed on Eboue really is beyond comprehension. Almost cruel to the boy – he will do himself a favour to go play in France or a mid-level Spanish side
Actually I rate Bendtner as the 21st best centre forward in the Premier league
benno missed one name…prince nasri..add tht too
eboue, gibbs, dj (who pair him dont know), rambo, bishcof (sorry if spell wrong), vela will fill the gap….
but we know song will sneak in somewhere there
Denilson is one of the few players in the side, with consistently good first touch.
Passing although far too square for a midfielder, is accurate most of the times.
With a bit of beefing up and a strong defense which would relax the burden on him of defending, he can be a good player.
Nothing suggests that we have a superstar in him tho.
Arshavin looks class. I dont think he will ever be fit enough to play the full 90 minutes though. But he can have a match winning impact whatever minutes he plays.
Fellas…. we are on our way.
GP, Song shud play Cb with Djourou
I think we have seen the last of song in the midfield position.
didn’t Wenger say last season and at the beginning of this season that he see’s him as a CB rather than a CM? Doesn’t explain why he’s been playing him CM all year tho…
Would still only be 4th choice CB tho, probably 5th choice when Senderos comes back from on loan if he stays with us. D
Song would be handy at CB position only when we are defending a 1-0 lead with a low backline and midfield, with 10 mins or so remaining.
Ikon I bet we haven’t he will play him there at every opportunity, there is something not quite right about it.
When is his contract up?
we are (well media is saying) realistic silverware is fa, (i think CL can do as well once we past roma)
n e ways then in fa we should play string eleven???
cant see too many absentees
GP, with Roma so soon after he won’t risk players, especially those carrying niggles such as Gallas and Toure imo, and have Denilson and Nasri had a rest since October/November?
just saw the city-villa game ..wow city play like the arsenal of old ..quick counter attacking brilliance and deft, swift touches at the edge of the box and beautiful one-twos ..they’ll be a serious force to reckon with next season ..and they have 2 excellent DMs in De Jong and Kompany!
Everton drew and Villa lost.
We can even finish in second position if we win all our remaining games ..
UP THE GUNNERS!!!!
2 excellent DMs that we could have had!!!!!!!!
Aston Villa v Stoke, 15:00 – D
Man City v Aston Villa, 19:45 – L
Aston Villa v Tottenham, 16:00 – D
Liverpool v Aston Villa, 16:00 – L
Man Utd v Aston Villa, 16:00 – L
Aston Villa v Everton, 13:30 – D
Aston Villa v West Ham, 15:00 – W
Bolton v Aston Villa, 15:00 – D
Aston Villa v Hull, 15:00 – W
Fulham v Aston Villa, 15:00 – D
Middlesbrough v Aston Villa, 15:00 – D
Aston Villa v Newcastle, 16:00 – W
15 points
Arsenal:
West Brom v Arsenal, 19:45 – W
Arsenal v Blackburn, 15:00 – W
Newcastle v Arsenal, 17:30 – D
Arsenal v Man City, 15:00 – W
Wigan v Arsenal, 15:00 – W
Liverpool v Arsenal, 16:00 – D
Arsenal v Middlesbrough, 13:30 – W
Portsmouth v Arsenal, 15:00 – W
Arsenal v Chelsea, 15:00 – D
Man Utd v Arsenal, 15:00 – D
Arsenal v Stoke, 16:00 – W
25 points
With room to spare.
kompany was such a steal at under 10 mill!!!
Yup. Sigh. Think Melo is his next target.
who is Melo? pardon my ignorance..
i agree Geoff
and for that reason how can anyone be optimistic about getting back our top 4 spot ?
Wenger has been screwing the pooch all season long making hideous choices with team selections
why would it change any time soon ?
He picks his team on seniority as against the most talented 11 on the pitch ! its a self admission that older players have more experience therefore he will play them accordingly ..
that is not necessarily the right choice as we have already seen many times this season .especially in songs and eboue’s case .
It’s Billy Ray Cyrus’s daughter, indian_gooner.
Felipe Melo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felipe_Melo_de_Carvalho
we all know jack ,vela and ramsey will eventually be starters or 1st team choices ,THEY ARE FAR MORE TALENTED !!!
so why stunt them and play bums in place of bring up talent ..
the very thing wenger is supposed to be famous for
Ethan funny enough I talk about that in todays post.
He’s not playing Jack because JW’s had a dip in form and he’s asked Banfield to look after him in the reserves for the rest of the season.
Wenger was concerned sat on the bench doesn’t do Jack any good.
Vela got a start last week but with Eddie and Ade coming back he’s likely to only get the odd game and ramsey in my opinion showed his inexperience the other day and probably needs to be nursed rather than dropped in at the deep end. Just my opinion though. I think all 3 will be great.
there is a reason for using the most used para-phrase of the 08-09 EPL year as far as Arsenal is concerned ..
WENGER HAS LOST THE PLOT ..
give me a dollar for every time some fan has said that is season! ..
he did the same with Jeremie ,hoyte , senderos and some other rejects prior to letting them go also … song – eboue even diaby are on trial and some will fail whilst others like eboue hang on by the skin of there teeth ..
all the time the team gets no where fast and wenger is blooding players only to have them move on …
a vicious circle i fear that will never end ..
(unless someone beats some sense in to him )
The problem with their form QOS is they don’t play reserve team football, so they don’t play, when they come on, they aren’t match fit, but Song and Eboue are always playing so they get match fit, if he gave Vela and Ramsey the same playing time, they would be awesome.
Ethan – Too True. Surely that is the point of having a reserve team right? If they make the cut you push them up to the first team. If you leave them sitting on the bench its because you are worried they are not good enough so you shouldn’t have called them up in the first place!! Its rediculous!!
Prime example are Ramsey, Wilshere and Vela. These lads have sat on the bench far too often? Are they in some sort of Wenger limbo? Too good for the reserves but not good enough for the first team? Crazy…..
i agree wholeheartedly geoff. Start Vela every match out wide and ramsey every game in the middle of the park we would see drastic improvement. And the upside is so much better with these players, much higher ceilings
id feel the same way if i was jack , watching song and co . out on the pitch every week whilst i get splinters , they can tart it up every week and jack never gets a run to prove otherwise .
as for vela and ramsey , id rather see them fuck up every week instead of eboue and song ..
its the same old argument have against ade , why persist with a dead rubber .. nik might as well get all the time on the pitch he can ..
bring him up to speed and the job is done !
nik and ade are on par for me this season and nik shows signs of improvement . he has age on his side plus the ambition ..
none are ideal or arsenal quality currently but some have promise and some will never ever make it .
Man City want Wenger! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Dont they realise he wouldnt spend a penny of their millions! Can you imagine it! Here’s £200m Arsene, go out and buy me my winning team! No need Mr Sheik, I have just signed Song & Eboue from Arsenal!!
Morning, but the thing is you see how many people have been hating on Nikki this season? The same would happen to Vela, Ramsey, JW, Coq and them lot, they are 2 young to play week-in-week-out and would make mistakes.
But don’t get me wrong it is not an excusse to play Song and Eboue, we should just buy better players for those positions.