You can analyse incidents in isolated moments or you can spread them across time to paint a clearer picture of what’s going on
Granit Xhaka; jeered and booed by his own fans, on the face of it looks like a horrifying moment. I don’t like it when we boo our own, I found it disgusting when folk in my stand used to do it to Theo Walcott, I find it embarrassing when they do it now.
However, it’d be unwise to cast this as a ‘bad fans / sad indictment of the social media generation’ type of incident.
Simply put, Granit Xhaka has been one of the worst signings of the past decade. He has never been well-liked by the fans and for good reason. He’s not built for the league, he has consistently been one of the most error-prone players in the squad, and he’s not a leader.
Unai Emery was so petrified of his decision to award a bang average player the armband, he waited until September, then leaked a sham captains election to solidify his skinny case for the defence.
Xhaka is a tactical liability for Arsenal. Not only that, he’s also demonstrated a real lack of leadership this season. This was him after his embarrassing Spurs mistake.
“We had a lot of chances, but this is football, nobody speaks about the chances, about how many we missed, always they speak about mistakes. That’s a part of football.”
This is our captain after the Watford game.
‘“We were scared in the second half. We knew they would come at us and push us hard but we have to show more character and not be scared.’
Scared? Can you imagine Tony Adams going on the record with such a stark admittance?
This is Xhaka after being jeered, presumably for slow-walking when we’re chasing 3 points at home to Crystal Palace.
He appeared to mouth ‘fuck off’ twice to the fans. Say what you will about how it must feel to be booed, that sort of response is not cool. You represent the badge and the fans are all that matters to your standing. He could have turned that moment on its head if he’d been smart, but instead, he played into the circus, now he’s on the backfoot.
He can’t even fall back on the decision being a poor one.
60 minutes of Xhaka on the pitch, Palace completed 219 passes, had 4 shots on target. Arsenal had 7 attempts, 3 on target (2 from corners).
30 minutes of Xhaka off the pitch, Palace completed 39 passes. Had 0 shots o target off 2 attempts. Arsenal had 8 attempts, 3 on target. We also had a fair goal disallowed.
It is not in debate whether he is good for the team. We are better with Xhaka on the bench. Baffling that Emery is only just realising this, but he is. He took his captain off on 69 minutes against Sheffield United, then removed the Swiss on 60 minutes today… which is a real fuck-you-very-much move.
Now the manager has a really tough decision to deal with. He has Mesut Ozil sitting in the stands for reasons he can’t disclose, but he did give us this.
“Here we have one agreed strategy as a club and a team. Because the most important thing is the club, the team and finding a performance.”
I am completely game for brutal decision making in the world of elite-level sport, you just have to be consistent. The manager made Mesut Ozil one his five captains in September, then he bombed him into exile, apparently because he’s poor in training. If it’s performance, I can get onboard with that, but you have to be consistent. Granit Xhaka almost never gives us a performance, fans were complaining that he was a 6 out of 10 today because that’s a good day in the office. If poor performances are an issue, why does Granit seem to be immune to the bench? There has to be consistency. Additionally, telling the fans to fuck off is presumably not a good look for Emery or exec leadership?
I also think we need to talk about the manager’s general performance. Palace completed more passes than Arsenal up until 55 minutes. A team that treats ball like an ebola grenade, completing more passes than us, in our backyard? It’s abhorrent to think that our game has sunk to those depths. Emery is destroying our identity on the pitch, he chips away a little of our pride in every outing, and we don’t even have results to show for it.
We have very little squad stability. The Mesut story is totally out of control, now we have a captain that just pushed the nuclear button on live TV, and we’re floundering in the league. Things are so bad, no one is paying attention to the fact our two star strikers are heading into the ‘we have to sell’ moment in their deals. Auba is final year next summer, Lacazette is at the point where he’d be sold if we take Raul at his word.
This situation we’re in is going to get worse. We haven’t hit the bottom yet, but believe me, we’re going to find it. Our plan is Champions League football. We seem to be betting on a manager with no vision to deliver that. We’re in ‘get it over the line’ mode. That’s not a real plan. We should be investing in a footballing philosophy we can build around. Emeryball is not that. His style of football a dog with wheels for back legs trying to climb the stairs. One step forward, 3 back.
The club needed to invest in a vision. We should have done that when we replaced Arsene Wenger. Find a young coach with an attachment to the fans. Map the coach to the vision of football you want to see. Build the backroom team around that. Sign players that fit the mold for the style you want. That coach could have been Freddie, Paddy, or Arteta. The plan Chelsea are activating is what a lot of us wanted when we replaced Wenger. They’ve set the bar low, told the fans this season is about the kids, and they’ve hired someone exicting they already love. Chelsea might not make the top 4 this season, but Frank Lampard is a young coach with an attachment to locals, one they’ll give time to, and one that believes in good football. He already has his kids playing better than Arsenal.
If we’d take that approach, could it really have been any worse than a sauceless manager that shipped out Ramsey, binned Mesut Ozil after making him captain, made Granit Xhaka captain, and gave us anti-football? It’s so sad, fans are clamouring for Jose Mourinho. Think about that.
So a point against Palace. We’re tanking our easy games. If you’re honest, we were lucky against Burnley and Villa. Not a single good performance this season. It’s bad. It’s only the beginning. Wait until December. Emery is an out and out disaster.
See you in the comments.
Lacazette and Aubameyang liking Instagram messages/tweets
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Auba too?
I am seeing people here citing xhaka walking off the pitch slowly as a reason he gets booed yesterday by the same fans who were singing ozil’s name…a guy who always walks off the pitch at shocking pace…look no further than the Europa league final when he was subbed. Our fans are embarrassing, threatening his pregnant wife,throwing coins at his car and saying they wish his unborn child has cancer really?Look,am not a fan of granite myself but let’s just be honest with ourselves here,there aren’t much leaders in this team and he is the closest we have to one(there’s… Read more »
Valentin
I’m not sure that there is a way back for Xhaka. If he manages it it will certainly be an achievement.
Something that the fans who booed him would respect actually.
Don – Point is Eboue had slipped into clown mode well before that ill-fated cameo.
Wenger deserves blame as well though because he stupidly started playing him as a wide forward, and it was becoming increasingly clear Eboue wasn’t up to it in the year or so leading up to that game.
Jordan Henderson literally sprints out most games when he’s subbed but for some reason our club captain decides to take a long stroll on the pitch after his number comes up and he subsequent gets booed quite correctly in my opinion too
Receding “He has fulfilled that and well within his rights to ask you to fcuk off if you boo him” Don’t be ridiculous. As a player let alone captain you should conduct yourself on a higher level than the rabble. Some fans speaking yesterday have links and talk to former players. One of these former players said he used to drink in the same public house as fans as after a bad performance used to get dogs abuse to his face. He didn’t react. He listened and then went away wanting to prove then wrong. Next week in the same… Read more »
Again, getting booed is not the reason he is paid 60k a week, he gets paid that to turn up for training and on match days. He has fulfilled that and well within his rights to ask you to fcuk off if you boo him Rh I make you right in some aspect. I don’t agree with the booing or lynching of players. Seems to be a very arsenal sickness That said it’s bit befitting of a captain to throw his shirt in the floor and tell the fans to fuck off. It would be one thing if it’s just… Read more »
Bamford10 February 11, 2019 09:48:10 “Nah, we’re not going to finish fourth. Europa is our ticket.” Bamford10 February 11, 2019 10:33:03 “Pierre Those are all positive signs, and I agree that getting Mkhitaryan back helps, but I still don’t see us catching United. I would love it if we did, but I just don’t see it happening.” Bamford10 October 28, 2019 10:57:04 “TR7 Excellent. Good luck to you; I would prefer to see Arsenal finish above United, but United have the better players and the better manager, so I’m pretty sure I will win the wager. Cheers.” @Bamford Last season, you… Read more »
Also think the whole captaincy thing was utterly stupid from the start, talking of having a vote e.t.c. like we’d just won the treble rather than the manager appointing his manager and being done with it
Paulinho
“Wenger deserves blame as well though because he stupidly started playing him as a wide forward, and it was becoming increasingly clear Eboue wasn’t up to it in the year or so leading up to that game.”
This was one of the main reasons.
It was embarrasing watching him in some games trying to be an offensive player further up.
“Again, getting booed is not the reason he is paid 60k a week, he gets paid that to turn up for training and on match days. He has fulfilled that and well within his rights to ask you to fcuk off if you boo him”
—————————————————————
Lol.
You can tell some of these dumbfvcks haven’t worked a single day in a serious job.
You’re constantly shit at your job but you ‘give it back’ to the pesky client or manager who questions the quality of your work. Bravo.
“Secondly second premier league game in a row you are hauled off after the hour mark, why are you the only one sacrificed for a more attacking approach?” Maybe because he is the only one who is not a pure attacking midfielder nor a pure defending midfielder. Who else in midfield could be sacrificed? Guendouzi – the only one who was running and making thing happen in midfield. Torreira – the only one who can put a tackle when the team is on the counter-attack. Ceballos – he was already playing further up than Xhaka, replacing a CAM by another… Read more »
Good of Bamford to keep up with his new found ability to troll the blog….Only explanation for some of the stuff he’s come up with recently
Marc – Xhaka was 100% wrong with his reaction. A prompt apology to the fans and to his team mates should already have been released. He was petulant and childlike but fuck he’s still a man, and it looks like he’d just had enough.
I agree though he’s not been good enough and it would best if his agent was working on a move in a couple months.
Much like the Eboue booing was an early Wenger protest, this was just a reaction to the shit that emery is putting out at the moment.
look no further than the Europa league final when he was subbed. Our fans are embarrassing, threatening his pregnant wife,throwing coins at his car and saying they wish his unborn child has cancer really?L
Danialtos
No way!! Fucking animals. They want a kick in the fucking mouth for that shit. What is wrong with people man.
Again, getting booed is not the reason he is paid 60k a week, he gets paid that to turn up for training and on match days. He has fulfilled that and well within his rights to ask you to fcuk off if you boo him”
This comment is just not accurate, even in amateur sport, athletes are booed all the time, Rashford was booed not so long ago by United fans and same with Ashley young last season… Khalid Bhoularuz was almost always booed by Chelsea fans back in the day…..
“I’m not shy you’re just irrelevant you also have a tendency to lie. Remember when you claimed to have a season ticket and then spent most of the next match posting on here?“
Right, because having a season ticket and posting on a blog is an either/or scenario.
Stop being a weasel and explain your statement that I’m not relevant to Arsenal.
Be a good learning curve for all on here to have their relevance assessed by an expert such as yourself. So have at it..
Lolz i mean even the great Cristiano Ronaldo was booed countless times by Madrid fans so why is Granit Xhaka suddenly above being booed off the pitch?
Hard to take Bamford seriously, has the feel of a Russian bot living in Siberia speaking ITK about all matters Arsenal in between checking the nets for salmon.
“By the looks of our performances, I’d still still very much Arsene Wenger”
Classic
The earlier we are shot with Unai Emery though, the better for everyone really…. You can point to gaps in quality in certain positions in our squad that need to be upgraded but hard to not have any kind of improvements after almost 2 years in charge
Batistuta no one says you cannot boo him, throw tomatoes if you like
Just don’t lecture him on how to respond when booed
If we could get Mourinho in short term, I’d not complain, same with Benitez too but please no “interim” solution please… We absolutely have to make top4 this season
Receeding
He won’t be the first to be booed and I’m sure it won’t be the last….His reaction was poor form especially for a club captain, could have run straight down the tunnel once his number came up but to take a casual stroll and then everything afterwards was just wrong, very wrong…. Dozens of footballers have been riled up by their own fans before but don’t react that way.
“he gets paid that to turn up for training and on match days”
But not to deliver on the pitch, apparently.
Booing is and always will be a part of the game.
In fact, people boo when they go to all sporting events.
Showing your disapproval at a player who is clearly disrespecting the fans by walking off slowly/ making stupid pre and post match comments/ making poor and persistent matchday decisions that are detrimental to the team, what the fudge do you expect?
Too right he deserves to be booed.
Rambo No you miss my pov. I don’t agree with the principle because I don’t think it’s helpful or productive, and when I say consider the decision-makers it’s because this situation is avoided when they’re all accountable and competent. If the manager was commendable the grumble about selection, tactics, vision, philosophy et al would be addressed. We wouldn’t see factions, we wouldn’t see embarrassing standoffs with players, we wouldn’t see public handoffs of responsibility when selecting a captain. The atmospheric bubble simply wouldn’t build as it has done. So you reserve your right to targeting a player, and I’ll be… Read more »
I for one have no problem in how Xhaka reacted.
In fact, I’m really fvcking glad the dumbass reacted in the most Xhaka way imaginable.
Because his reaction isn’t acceptable at professional standard and this is for any profession. None of us here made these unspoken, millennial ethical standards. And this breach would help us get that much closer to oust him from the team.
The one thing that I think is much better now compared with the old days is I think when we have differing opinions it’s far less militant because o think 80+% if people agree on the bigger picture like unai not being good enough, but the general direction of the club being positive and it’s more the specifics people disagree on
I prefer this to the old days when the fans were threatening violence towards one another lol
With such a multi cultural fan base you are going
to get fans who react to different players styles and faults
in different ways.
We surely have the the most multi cultural fan base of any
of the Premier sides.?
The day’s of a Pie and Pint type supporter went a long time ago.
As Hackney said Arsenals biggest mistake ever moving from
Highbury.?
And my opinion there is not one player in the squad who
Captain material.
RR
Unfortunately, you are correct.
Xhaka’s true personality was there for all to see, unlike Emmanuel Eboue in 2008 who was such a nice lad.
At the time he was nowhere near 100% fit and was hung out to dry by Wenger.
If you remember Eboue left the field graciously.
Not our Granit though.
James yeah all true
I think we have a few who could be deputy captains but no one who you’d say yeah he should be the one compared with our captains of old
I looked back through a list of our old captains (and some deputy captains) before and it was generally a who’s who of brilliant players and brilliant leaders. Then RVP left and the whole thing never was serious again
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11847538/ref-watch-no-foul-in-disallowed-arsenal-goal
No shit, Sherlock ??
Actually I liked vermaelen a lot. It’s a shame he got injury prone as if we’d put an elite partner with him he’d have been next level
Apparently Josh Kroenke was at the match yesterday
——————————
I hope the cunt enjoyed eating shit.
The next level… lol
Is the next level
That article about var seems to imply that they reviewed some old decisions they think they got wrong from months ago and now are trying to go in the other direction and give more penalties or something
How about rather than following trends, var should be used to just try and give the correct decision…?
Novel dreams I know
Ah just chilling watching blood diamond
Some film this.
There are tons and tons of films that are hugely better than this one.
Unai – Leo at his best, and Djimon Hounsou was superb!
Time for a laugh at VAR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYw4rn_6Rzs
lol…
China
Enough of that type of thinking thank you.
Rafa or Jose next in charge is a no brainer…………Rafa all the way!
Mourinho is done as a man manager which was always one of his strengths.
Man Jennifer Connelly was one beautiful women
This is VAR at his best!!
I’ve got to be honest I have no idea on what the laws of the game say about that!
Candidates for captain.
Auba
Lacazette
Holding
Bellerin
Adams(Oops sorry, habit)
Digital
Leo is always at his best
HL
There are. But I’m watching this one now and very much enjoying it
Nothing like a bit of day time movie watching
Rafa ahead of Jose, all day long.
Come on Josh, give Freddie a chance though.
HighburyLegendOctober 28, 2019 14:09:03
There are tons and tons of films that are hugely better than this one.
HL
Leave titanic and the notebook aside.
I have never booed my own players. I do have some sympathy for Xhaka, he gets picked, he tries his best, is no doubt aware that he’s not a popular player despite being popular with his own teammates and his substitution gets a massive cheer of approval. He can’ t be happy about the state of the game but his pride is telling him not to run off but to try and show that he’s not affected by it. When he gets to the side of the pitch, he no doubt heard some serious negativity. Be honest, how would you… Read more »
Koscielney, Mertesacker and Vermaelen were all worthy choices as captains.
Fuck anyone who says otherwise
Holding will prove to be a worthy captain one day too. When emery has long gone
Un na naai
October 28, 2019 14:06:18
“Ah just chilling watching blood diamond
Some film this.”
Leornado and Djimon were fantastic. Utterly believable performances from both of them. Enjoy.
“he tries his best”
Congrats Bob, you made my day!!
What do you guys think -will the booing episode have a bearing on whether Xhaka gets picked up in starting 11 ?
Sport is reactionary.
Why save your booing?
60000 fans, you’ll get several hundred who will naturally boo. Thousands will follow.
Arsenal fans have had enough. Let them boo.
By booing, Emery will be gone sooner.
Isn’t that what we all want?
Valentin
Whats going on at Monaco? They seem to have picked up some form and Ben yedder is knocking the in for fun at the moment
Bob
I get where you’re coming from but, come on, haven’t you had enough of all of this?
If Emery was gone tomorrow, wouldn’t you be relieved?
Over here in Italy, the referee goes to the screen and rewatches whatever incident that has been called to his attention… It’s not perfect but it’s been very effective thus far over here…..I don’t get why it’s not same in England as even in Germany and Spain, it’s same with the refs going over to have a second look….. Why is the premier league using VAR differently from other leagues? Is the system that corrupt? Are these games being gambled on? Has to be some sort of reason why
“Arsenal have let a 2-goal lead slip twice this season in 10 PL games.
More than in the previous 6 seasons combined.”
There’s that improvement Banford was on about again.
Batistuta,
Since the beginning of the season, Monaco have been good going forward. But they keep conceding daft goals. Worst defense in Ligue 1 saved being Second best attack.
Their new goalkeeper has been atrocious and their defense is a bag of nerves. Added that they have been on the receiving end of some truly shocking referring decision.
They seem to have stabilised things in the last few games with some good victory, but until they have a consistently competent defense they will be way behind where they should be.
The main thing escaping this whole Xhaka scenario is Unai Emery’s mismanagement of the highest order. It was his decision to captain Xhaka , Xhaka did not pick himself . Agreed that he did not do himself favours with that attitude but Emery threw him under the bus. I’m sorry but Pedro you’ve been 100% right about Emery this whole time . As Arsenal fans we should’ve been united behind our team , not divided . This shit is all on Emery.
Still debating whether it’s okay to boo a sportsperson. Ummm…yes, yes it is. We critique movies, music, restaurants, opera, books, cars…Jesus, just about anything is fair game to be ridiculed, jeered and judged. Sportspeople have a responsibility to perform for us, the paying public. If their performances do not match their salaries or perceived effort levels, we have a right to boo them. Xhaka is captain (day that without laughing, I dare you) of a club that’s over a 100 years old and one of the most successful in the English league. He represents that club and his performances both… Read more »
Batistuta,
“Why is the premier league using VAR differently from other leagues? Is the system that corrupt? Are these games being gambled on? Has to be some sort of reason why”
Asking these questions is already knowing the answer.
There is absolutely no LEGITIMATE reason to have an invisible external referee overruling the one in the middle without explaining the reasoning of his decision.
The same obfuscation applies to the selection of those invisible referees. What are their qualifications and how are they selected? Is there a review of their performance?
Kevin Campbell On Xhaka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah24dnfjazg
Graham, I will be very happy when Emery gets replaced.
I blame him for the Xhaka situation yesterday as by continuing to pick him, he’s become the focus of the fans dissatisfaction. Can’t really expect Xhaka to go up to Emery and say ‘drop me boss’.
GOH
I’m with you on this.
What this incident also shows is that Granit Xhaka is oblivious to the clubs recent history and the underlying anger and frustrations of its fanbase.
I’m talking about the past decade here, not just the last 18 months.
People are missing the point here ..I actually don’t think xhaka was reacting to the booing …it was more of all the abuse he has been receiving of late coming to a boiling point yesterday and him having enough…personally if someone wished my pregnant wife and unborn kid cancer and issued death threats to me,I would absolutely break his teeth.I am with xhaka on this one,f*ck them all lol 😂
I also absolve Adebayor of any blame for that celebration…our fanbase is a joke
TR7
Xhaka shouldn’t be starting again for a while because the fans clearly don’t want him, he hasn’t been good for us and isnt really impacting our games, he has been substituted two games in a row now so I think Emery is starting to see what the fans do.
But it won’t surprise me if Emery continues to start him.
Danialtos
The blame is squarely on Emery for making Xhaka captain despite how the fans feel about him. He also starts him in every PL game like his last name is Messi.
Why are people booing GX?
Several reasons.
1. He is not very good.
2. He makes loads of mistakes and is a liability.
3. He’s not Captains material.
4.He’s rhetoric is ignorant and disrespectful to the fanbase.
5. They are taking their anger and frustrations out on him because they are fed up with Emery.
6. When they see him, they see Emery.
7. They want our owners to act, which of course they have to.
Based on all of this, why shouldn’t fans boo?
Dani
Why? Because his dad washes elephants?
Ah yes, Mr Emmanuel Adenoughchances!
What a legend.😄
Xhaka needs to just go to Italy already. He shouldn’t even be starting for Everton yet he’s Arsenal captain.
It beggars believe that Xhaka is even in the team? That’s down to Emery, a bang average manager. How he cannot see that Xhaka has no positional sense, is slow, can’t tackle and is prone to conceding possession….
Apart for the odd shot on goal and the occasional ‘Hollywood’ pass he’s a f**king liability. Xhaka and Emery should be shown the door sharpish
Crazy to think Xhaka was being compared to Xabi Alonso not too long ago. Then again maybe that’s the problem because Xabi Alonso wasn’t as good in the Premier league like he was in Spain and Germany.
Valentin
It’s been an absolute borrow show so far in the premier league…Even the South American leagues have on-field screens where the referee goes to re-watch incidents to be sure he’s got it right but somehow the biggest league in the world with all that money flying around can’t implement the VAR properly, it’s absolute madness…..
The day the league is properly investigated for corruption like was done over here years back, we’ll all be shocked the level of crime that’s been committed in the league
PierreOctober 28, 2019 10:47:10 RH “Funny no one else has mentioned this Lacazette offside Pierre keeps talking about” I said he was offside without seeing any replays and thos link proves I’m right … 1.13 on the link, Chambers toe pokes the ball and Lacazette comes back from an offside position to challenge for the ball Look and learn though I dont expect you to agree despite the evidence. https://streamable.com/sg3t2 >>>>>> First of all the goal wasn’t ruled out for offside, the ruling was a push by Chambers but he was actually pushed in the back first. Secondly Lacazette was… Read more »
Blood diamond
Wow!! Forgot how fantastic that film is.
The PGMOL are deliberately undermining the use of VAR so it would be scrapped and they get back to their usual corrupted methods. I asked this before, how Mike the cunt Dean is allowed to officiate arsenal games after it was proved beyond doubt his hatred towards the club affected decisions and results ? AW called him dishonest and incompetent.. of course he got charged and fined by the FA.. Alex Furgeson bullied a referee to retire from the game because he was simply doing his job and didnt give united any favours.. red nose didn’t like it and called… Read more »
Benny “First of all the goal wasn’t ruled out for offside, the ruling was a push by Chambers but he was actually pushed in the back first.” I’ve noticed that you are trying really hard to discredit me . .I have news for you, it wont work . Its obviously getting up your nose that I called it right on Ozil and Emery (amongst other things ) and you are becoming desperate to find something that sticks. We all know now why the goal was disallowed , at the time there was a confusion as to why it was disallowed… Read more »
Un na naai
After watching all the terrible movies Netflix and Hollywood has to offer these days, any old(er) movies would seem like a classic.
*In comparison.
Pierre,
You’re always on here trying to be clever and my last response was because you were trying to be clever to another poster, it’s what you do, you live for it. You’re cons pushing falsehoods and your opinions as fact, you call everyone else Ozil obsessives when you are the biggest Ozil obsessive of all and you’re constantly referencing people as know nothings when again you are the king of that title.
Why don’t you post that Karl Pilkington clip of yours again? Now that’s really clever.
“Ozil has behaved impeccably and has shown tremendous strength of character by refusing to be pushed out of the club he loves.”
Nothing to do with the £350k a week the club is contractually obliged to pay the bug eyed cunt then ?
Little p you are an utter village idiot.