Here we are people, match day, a later Saturday kickoff, Arsenal playing Bournemouth.
We’re down at their place, so there’s always going to be a little bit of edge in a small ground with atmosphere, but the mission is clear: exit with a win
Bournemouth were pretty decent against Villa in the first game of the season, dropping an impressive win and running Stevie G ragged. Though our benchmark is a little higher, we need to pick them apart in the same way Manchester City did.
Arsenal were very good at beating weaker teams last year, but what we rarely offered up was something resembling a rampage.
This season we have the tools in the locker to do it. Loads of young players with explosive pace, two strikers that can do serious damage, and a vibe around the club that something special is underway.
It might be a little too early in the season to talk about rotating players, but this is the sort of game where you can bring new options into the starting 11 and get people feeling motivated around the idea they will be included this season.
I want to see bang-bang football out there today, I need it, I had to spend 90 minutes watching a dreadfully one-dimensional Spurs beat Wolves. It is so amusing to me that the media is DESPERATE for this Spurs thing to work because they have Anotonio Conte. They are still the same as they have been for the last decade… and Harry Kane and Son injury away from a real big mess. Also, quite amusing that ‘WORK THEM SO HARD THEY DO A VOMIT’ conditioning approach already has Christian Romero out for 6 weeks.
Transfer goss? Dave Ornstein confirmed what I’ve been writing all week: The winger is the priority.
That said… Youri Tielemans is on the bench today because his head ain’t right. So who knows.
Winger wise, I have no idea what we’re going to do, but it does seem every more likely that Nico Pepe is going to move to Nice, so that’ll free up some wages.
Short post today, see you in the comments!
We will be LIVE On The Whistle after the game today.
LS – agreed. Ode with courage in front of goal will be a serious step up for him and us and I hope today we see the real start of it. I hope MA had a hat with him after the Palace game to ram this home.
Ode is an incredible player but that final penalty box behaviour was the missing link. Maybe with Vieira signed and ESR back to fitness that will help focus him on becoming the complete CAM
I noticed on Sky Sports it’s not MOTM now it’s player of the match. Is this because they’re falling over themselves trying not to upset people who are confused about gender?
It is MENS football, so if the ‘player of the match’ isn’t a men they shouldn’t be on the fucking pitch
Good job we stuck with Arteta. Brilliant coach who has transformed the club from an ageing mess of disruptive players. We’re unrecognisable now. It’s pretty obvious how important he was in getting Zinchenko and Jesus to sign fir us too. Had to laugh when Rednapp called the silly fees, mates rates!! Our owners are so much smarter than the Man Utd ones who keep recycling managers hoping one of them has the magic beans. I was never a fan of KSE but I am now. Lovely the sun at the team is evolving. Thought everyone played really well today, Odegaatd… Read more »
China1
“It is MENS football, so if the ‘player of the match’ isn’t a men they shouldn’t be on the fucking pitch.”
Ha ha. 100%. Sky have sold out to the woke brigade. They even forced Souness to apologise for calling the Chelsea v Soud game ‘a proper man’s game’. Considering it was two mens teams in a male Premier League, that was really bizarre. Eni Aluko proved some of these women players are getting way above themselves when she complained.. They can’t even fill amateur grounds for their league games ffs.
I think, I hope that Artetas stint will go down as THE way to transform a club.
Looking at Utd, Spurs and others, Arteta, well, he has needed a bot of time, but he seems light years ahead of some.
My only worry, City are being very extra nice to him, suspect that when Pep leaves them, we will find out why. Really makes you wonder why Wenger refused Arteta a proper coaching role , I read that the club wanted Wenger to set up a succession plan, though with Wengers ego, maybe the answer is obvious.
Fantastic win today!
What a difference a year makes.
Are you not entertained?
AFC I’m not even right wing or anything. I’m a total centrist.
But this woke bs is absolutely nonsense and belongs straight in the bin.
Worried at the international school I send my 5 year old to here they’re going to start confusing him with the BS. School should be for learning subjects not for giving small children an existential crisis about their gender and the like
Mark down October 20th as an absolutely epic date. Man City at home.
Zinchenko and Jesus against their old club. Saliba vs Haaland. Saka vs Cancelo. Quite possibly a battle of 1st vs 2nd in the table.
It won’t matter that we’ll be underdogs. It will matter that truly big game football is back at the Emirates.
China1
Have to admit to being more woke than most but player of the match is an odd one. Nothing wrong hsving a Man of the Match for men’s games and Woman of the Match for women’s games.
Having said that, Sky branded the old first division out of existence so in a couple of years we’ll all be writing ‘player of the match’ without thinking about it for a second.
What a Salibanger of a goal!
Player of the match man of the match who actually gives a shit it’s not important. If something like that bothers you that’s more a you thing than anything else
China1,
I don’t particularly care if they use “man” or “player”, but weren’t you just telling people they shouldn’t get upset over every little thing? Seems like this should qualify.
Northbanker,
I’m sure there was a chat, judging by how many times Ode popped up in the box today. He usually just holds his position a few yards outside.
Love fair point But I don’t believe wokism is a little thing. I think it’s a creeping menace that’s damaging western society. It just mostly manifests in the form of small, seemingly incision if any compromises on language here and there which collectively are a creating a situation where people are so worried about offending anyone that they’re constantly self censoring and virtue signaling And before anyone calls me a hypocrite for being in China and talking about self censorship as a bad thing, I’m not because not having to do that shit in England is part of what makes… Read more »
Small seemingly insignificant compromises***
Finally point on this from me, watch the documentary ‘what is a woman?’
It’s absolutely frightening how far this has come where so many people are pretending they can’t even define what a woman is for fear of upsetting a tiny minority of people who want to be treated as special
it’s a creeping menace that’s damaging western society.
You know what you’re right first it’s starts off with player of the match and the next thing you know the hordes will be at our doorsteps and there’ll be no milk left in the fridge.
Won’t somebody please think of the children
Marko bringing the heat….
China sounds like you need to stop watching Ben Shapiro get off the internet for a bit and have a nice relaxing walk. It’s not that important it’s only a word being replaced. Are we sure it wasn’t even a typo
Also if you think about it technically speaking player of the match is far more apt than man of the match given the profession and it’s a sport whereas man of the match could mean anything. I mean does he have the biggest balls the biggest dick or maybe he lifted the most… it’s all a bit vague man of the match
I don’t like Ben Shapiro because like most conservative commentators he tends to be a massive apologist for trump, gender and wokism is the only aspect I do agree with him
The problem with being a centrist is I disagree with most people on most issues lol
But for real watch the documentary ‘what is a woman?’ And tell me this shit isn’t insane. That’s a genuine challenge!
I do need a walk tho, dog needs walking!
We’ve used man of the match for probably best part of a century and it’s been well understood
Fairly certain any sudden confusion from Sky about what this means is aptly timed with corporations virtue signaling not to offend anyone
Let’s be real mate lol
Nah I’d rather not watch it China if it got you this worked up over the term player of the match.
FYI for me player of the match was Gabriel Jesus but man of the match has got to be Gabriel Magalhes. It takes a real man to embrace going bald and saying fuck it I’m bald to the world.
There’s only one way to solve this mens vs womens football debate.. a match! 😉
They clearly offended you china. You think when they were making the decision to change it that it never occurred to them that the one people it offended wasn’t actually the players themselves but the fans watching from the comfort of their own home? I’d say that’s a major hiccup from them.
There’s only one way to solve this mens vs womens football debate.. a match!
Is that what’s being debated? I thought we were talking about the manliest man during 90mins of today’s match.
Anyway off to bed but I’ll say this I always love the irony of these people who complain about woke this and woke that but then get absolutely tied into knots over a word or a phrase changed.
“FYI for me player of the match was Gabriel Jesus but man of the match has got to be Gabriel Magalhes. It takes a real man to embrace going bald and saying fuck it I’m bald to the world”
Hahahaha yes.
China you’re a funny fucker. Soooo many triggers in the modern world.
I’m just going to be offended that I’m left out and haven’t been offended today
Also men’s vs women’s, Aus women’s world cup team lost to under 15s boys in a friendly before the world cup.
And I don’t even think that boys team was the Aussie team, just a decent club side.
Still absolutely cheering we have started the season so damn well. Starkest of contrasts to last season.
Du Du Du Du Du SALIBA.
So good what a day out that must of been.
Best signal today is Arteta saying we’re not done in the market still need more firepower, man on a mission.
Most optimistic i’ve been since peak Cesc days, maybe 2008, looking like we’e got it all in this side. This window delivering more than any I can think of, nailed it.
Fair enough avoid it because it will shine a light on some uncomfortable truths about how far this has come and the damage it’s doing.
Senior members of the US Senate claim to be ‘unable’ to define what a woman is. Saying comical stuff like ‘I’m not a biologist so I can’t define that. University professors teaching gender studies also can’t answer the question. People on the street dancing in circles saying silly
Player of the match doesn’t offend me, it irritates me because it’s silly virtue signaling as part of this whole movement
Another win. Get in!! Also just started watching all or nothing. Totally different vibe from the players to this season.
Getting rid of auba and laca was the best thing the club did.
Goober
Would like to see Serena against a male counterpart. Think it might be worth a watch.
China1,
I understand your point but I think it’s worth differentiating between changes in language (languages have developed over millennia) and social repercussions for people who refuse to go along with the changes.
While some of the repercussions are both unfair and over the top, they tend to be limited to certain areas. No one’s getting cancelled because they prefer to say “Man of the match” so I’m not getting too excited by the change.
Anyway whatever back to the football. I have my opinion and I’m venting
Re the football, I had to miss the second half was it was too late but loved the first half.
Really, very very good.
China
Kentaji brown Jackson, a US Supreme Court Justice was asked to define a woman. She couldn’t define it. So there you go.
Naija,
I totally agree there. Would be an epic match.
Also the Aussie women didn’t just lose, but got spanked like 5-0
China,
I’ll look for the documentary you recommend.
I’m a very socially open minded individual but J.K. Rowlings treatment is an example of great people being canceled for questioning the new orthodoxy.
Media leads the way, and SKY was bought by Comcast (MSNBC).
Culture will always slowly evolve, it’s inevitable, but the way the media is forcing the issue is unhealthy for society.
I get where China is coming from. These little changes seem harmless and insignificant at first, then 6 years later you wake up and it feels like you ve arisen in a new era. And suddenly you are the weirdo who talks funny. Or the homophobic.
Naija Can you “define” what a woman is? That was a BS question to begin with, the typical nonsensical stuff American politicians come up with the grab the film reels. Is it the extra X chromosome?, the embryonic urogenital system devolving to female genitalia or the the post pubertal endocrinological changes etc. It’s a question for academic to argue about I had a senior in Uni,who was phenotypically female and grew up female, dated and ,met a dude to spend the rest of her life with. It was only after years of infertility that prompted a full futility analysis that… Read more »
Mitrovic reminds me of Diego Costa. If he continues his form, and Chelsea are still needing a striker, I see him ending up at Stamford Bridge. .
So glad we don’t have that problem anymore though.
Mitrovic vs Saliba next game would be interesting.
And for the record as much as I probably seem like a massive transphobe, I’m not. I support the right to change and anyone who I believe is really desperately unhappy with their gender I respect and sympathize and would call them the opposite pronoun as a sign of respect. I support trans marriages (no idea how that works legally but I support gay marriage and straight marriage so all good to me). I support trans people to be able to adopt etc etc. I don’t support trans competing in women’s sports because of huge biological advantages but that’s the… Read more »
Naija
If you think a change of wording from Man to Player is something that will somehow become significantly harmful six years from now, not sure if I’d be casting stones at the “woke” crowd for being too sensitive.
Well said there diss.
NEW POST I DROPPED BY ACCIDENT.
please, please, please leave the trans conversation here.
Plenty to talk about with regards to Arsenal.
Dissenter i don’t disagree with you as I also think it was a BS question, and an unnecessary distraction. However your response proves my point even further I think. Defining what a woman is shouldn’t be so vague. You know a woman, I know a woman yet somehow we are not able to define what she is? Ask yourself this, what if the question had been what is a man ?
There was a time when it was culturally appropriately to “negroes” in official government documentation and pretend there was evidence to back up anti-miscegenation laws that barred people of different races from marrying.. After the US Supreme Court passed the law that made anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional., there was an outcry similar to to silly anger about swapping ‘man of match’ for ‘person of the match”. Public opinion immediately after that ruling was very negative- they though the SCOTUS was wrong.. Asking for a slight adjustment in terminology to give an award because female football has established itself as a viable… Read more »
Luteo
No I don’t think a changing of a word from man to player would be harmful 6 years from now. Far from what point I was sending.
My post was mostly tongue in cheek. You didn’t really get its intention.
Naija
Also the stupid pompous senator that asked the question of the super court nominee was male
Can you imagine?… a man asking a woman to define what a female is?
Saliba is going to tear Mitrovic a new one