We’re hurtling towards the return of Arsenal, and I can’t wait.
Chelsea away.
Sevilla away.
Sheffield United at home.
Those are three great games that bleed into the darkest of Arsenal months… November. Remember those months under Wenger? Always torrid for no reason. Red cards, injuries, SHOCKING results. Hopefully, this is a season we move well and truly beyond crap traditions.
First up…
Chelsea has been in a severe state of uncertainty for quite a while now. They spent 1 billion on a ‘trust the process’ squad and we’re still not sure who is going to work for them. One thing is clear, they do have a lot of talent, so they are NOT to be underestimated. But I think it’s fair to say if we show up, we’ll likely be a little too much for them.
Sevilla away in the Europa Champions League shouldn’t be a consequential game… but we tanked against RC Lens in our second game. A win isn’t imperative, but it would make everyone feel a little less queasy about qualifying. You simply cannot finish outside the top 1 in a Europa League group that somehow managed to make it into the Champions League. It’s quite weird to me that Arteta doesn’t seem to do too well in Europe; he’s a bit like early Wenger in that respect. But, he is only a youngster; plenty of time to learn.
Sheffield United will be an interesting game. I don’t want to say it, you don’t want me to say it, but god damn it I’m gonna say it: We need this game to pump out goal difference.
I am a disgrace, and I know I’ve disrespected the game – but I mean it. Can’t be scraping a 1-1 to a team that took a beastly pasting by Newcastle.
Phase three of the season is a weird chunk – it’s 4 Premier League games and 3 Cup games. 9 points would be ideal. 10 would be great. 12 would set us up a DREAM for the toughest run of the season: The Phase 4 Christmas run.
The big conundrum we have is the League Cup. What to do? We play West Ham. The competition has very little value in 2023, but this season, it does offer a way for our young and fringe players to get valuable minutes they might not get in the Champions League. West Ham are also in Europe, so it’s not a given they’ll go all out in this one… the question is whether Arteta will want to do a Jose Mourinho and get the League Cup win in nice and early.
The last time we won the league cup it was called the Coca Cola Cup – an outrageously elite name. That was one of my first cup finals. My dad took me to see that AND WWF in the same weekend. Sadly, that was the moment I found out the fighting wasn’t real. Sad times. But we won a cup and that made me happy. Wenger never won it. Emery didn’t do well in it. It’s time we defeated the cup.
I’m putting my chips in… this could be our first trophy of the season. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll know what a Carabou is by the end of the season.
Finally, before I go. It’s been wild to watch the growth of the women’s game. The attendances at The Emirates have been outrageous. Arsenal has been trailblazers on this front, they deserve so much credit for pumping ticket promotions and getting fans into the stadium. Obviously, the product has been so good for so many years, and that’s a huge help. What has been a good/bad thing… the popularity of the Women’s Arsenal has grown to the point where it’s adopted the toxicity of the men’s game. I couldn’t believe the rhetoric this week when Arsenal went down to Aston Villa. It was a bit embarrassing but utterly hilarious when Arsenal turned it around and people had to start deleting tweets. It’s a bit sad that a sign of success is when people like the work soooooo much they add poison to the system, but here we are. Congrats to the team for the win.
One business aspect of the Women’s game I find interesting is the relative youthfulness of the crowds that show up. The football is good, the tickets are cheap, it’s an opportunity for parents in a cash-strapped society to give their offspring a nice day out at a great stadium for less money. In the long term, the Women’s game getting kids into their games will be a boon. Those kids will go when they are adults, they’ll watch the games on TV, by the Women’s merch, and eventually take their own kids. I’m not sure the Premier League for Men is doing anywhere near the job with young people. Average age of a season ticket holder is 43; it’s unaffordable to get kids into the ground, longterm, that’s a problem. A whole generation of kids that love football and DON’T go. That’s why getting a bigger supporter section should be imperative. If young people don’t get the live sports bug, they’ll not attend when they are 45 and can afford it. One to watch.
Ok, relatively short one. If you want to read a really great post today, get this one from Arseblog in ur veins.
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I don’t think it’s necessarily a look at the table argument.. But a bit tone deaf calling for Arteta out…when we are well in it which is what MG42 was/is doing by predicting doom every week . and mocking Arteta. . Just makes you look like a complete cunt to be honest.
Maybe the cunt look is “”in” these days…. I don’t know.
I have better news, the finals will be All blacks vs Springboks
I fit boilers! Ha ha ha. Nice one Karsa.
I’d be rolling in it. The actual gas engineer I do know has about four cars, two trucks and 3 ATVS.
Bob
You are like a wet noodle that will blow in a direction to wherever the popular opinion blows from.
Man up and stick to your expressed opinions and not act like a chameleon changing to whatever is popular and correct for the time being.
Best news, Giorgia Meloni is now single.
Ireland and France wouldn’t have looked out of place in the final – both are excellent teams. Of course AB and SA deserve to be playing it.
England regained a lot of pride so that’s good news isn’t it Sid, you being a closet anglophile?
Marymark
Glad you brought up belonging to a mob and as such displaying a mob mentality adopting the behaviors and actions of the posters around them evidenced by disregarding risks and realities.
1st prediction in one of my earlier post is coming true Villa 4 WHam 1. Villa being 2 points behind us. Monday evening Sp*ds (cough, cough) will top the table and us 2 points behind them.
“To put in perspective how players develop over time …”
raptora – youth development in football is appalling, I can’t believe how haphazard it is once youth sign their first pro contracts. Youth development here in North America continues until players in mid 20s, many players come good when they 22/23 who were not highly thought of when they were nineteen.
While football has no proper path to continue their development, u18/21 not really taken seriously, best players often sent out on loans and end up sat on bench … I would make league for 18-23 and have teams take it seriously, best youth players should be playing against each other couple times a week.
Sid, ‘Giorgia Meloni is now single’
Fancy your chances or just happy she has less chance of reproducing?
Nice one Sid.. Didn’t really take you for an Italian Prime minister type.
jwl – if more of the top clubs had feeder club connections or were allowed to field a “B’ team in the lower leagues like in Spain, it might make player development in their early 20s more productive.
MG42
‘You are like a wet noodle that will blow in a direction to wherever the popular opinion blows from.’
I have strong opinions but they don’t happen to be fixed as yours appear to be.
‘Man up’ laughable!
Bob N16, be nice
Considering Meloni dumped her boyfriend over stupid sexist comments, I’d say Sid’s chances with her aren’t great.
Especially when she finds out he’s a closeted homosexual who fantasizes about smacking dudes’ faces with his dick.
To you Sid? If you mean with MG42, why don’t you address him too?
Tom ‘Be nice’ hahaha!
@Tom is naive. Italian men talk to much, men from my part of the world let the longstuff do the talking.
Just like P Viera.
So Emery took over a relegation bound Villa last season and has them two points off the top and on some crazy home turf winning streak, apparently.
It would be interesting to find out from our process experts what phase or stage of the process they’re in.
Tom
If Emery would have got rid of ozil… Auba…lava… Guezz…
He was harshly treated
Tom
Emery is one of the most successful managers of a generation… It just doesn’t fit the narrative that some have painted.
Promoted with Lorca, at the first time of asking, for the first time in their history, and came within a whisker of back to back promotions.
Got Almeria promoted to La Liga at first time of asking, for the first time in their history, then delivered an 8th placed finish.
Went to Valencia and delivered a 6th place finish, followed by 3 successive 3rd placed finishes…. In spite of crippling debts, selling off the Crown Jewels every summer, and delivering healthy profits.
Won 3 Europa Leagues in 3 seasons at Sevilla.
Won 7 trophies in 2 seasons in Paris… Some might point to missing out on the title to Monaco….
But Monaco secured 95 points, and PSG 87… Nobody has topped 95 point since.
5th and a Europa League final, was nowhere near the disaster some made it out to be, we were 8th… 4 points off 5th when we sacked Emery, and we were still 8th 18 months later.
Emery didn’t fail Arsenal, Arsenal failed Emery… The idea Emery was the extend of our issues in 2019… Was a complete fallacy.
He won the Europa League with Villarreal, the first trophy in their history, beating both Arsenal + United on route, in spite of his vastly inferior resources.
Took over the Villa when they were in the shit, delivered a 7th placed finish and European football.
Emery might have been the wrong guy, at the wrong place, at the wrong time…. But the idea he’s some type of bum, stands up to no real type of scrutiny.
Most impressively he’s won trophies and delivered success at clubs without big money + resources.
Good stuff from Conteta, Un, Rich. Perspective.
You dont tear everything down when fighting for the league, and it’s not doom time at all.
We played poorly 1st half, got no help from the refs.. everyone in other places like Twitter and pods rightly mention the way the game was called by the refs…. but on legrove its doom and our players and manager are terrible.
Villa should be winning that Conference League with relative ease.
A good outside bet for top 5 too. Emery has done a smashing job so far to be fair.
Refs not an excuse… but if the game was called evenly like a corner where Tomi was pulled down by the shirt, and Jesus got clattered… or Palmer raking Jesus… maybe instead of a draw we get 3 points. Just maybe. Still a point away at Chelsea with no luck at all on a fluke from Murdick …is not a reason to scream doom.
We’re still well in the race with a long way to go.
Nigel
“We played poorly 1st half,”
We played poor for 77 minutes when the Rice goal was our 1st shot on target. Not doom or gloom just a piss poor job of playing a team that needed to prove they are still relevant.
Let’s see where we are regarding a CL place next season as there are 5 now for the EPL if we play this right: Arsenal, BHA, City, Man Utd., New Castle, Pool, Sp*ds, Villa.
Three of them will not make it, what is your prediction for those 3?
Spuds Villa Man U.
Rich,,,,
Round of applause fella…
Very true.
Mudryk goal celebration reminiscent of the Gheorghe Hagi’s 1994 WC goal celebration vs Colombia, except one was a complete fluke by a start up, while the other was a moment of pure genius by a football legend.
If Mudryk had any self awareness he would celebrate that type of goal like Kingsley Coman did vs Freiburg a week ago, with a bit of a smirk and embarrassment for missing his intended target by a distance.
The referees and VAR have made so many mistakes that there’s fatigue at this point.
The Chelsea goal keeper did an Onana on Tomiyasu yesterday and it never got called.
Pom pom wavers are out I see. Listen idiots no one’s calling for the managers head that’s stupid but the football is worse and he needs to get better with his in-game management. It’s hardly shocking to criticize yesterday’s performance it was god awful
“Won 7 trophies in 2 seasons in Paris… Some might point to missing out on the title to Monaco….But Monaco secured 95 points, and PSG 87… Nobody has topped 95 point since.”
Rich,
Rarely if ever a team comes together like that Monaco side did that year on the back of good scouting and coaching, and not by spending a fortune over a period of few years.
The fact they got picked apart to the tune of almost half a billion € by Europe’s richest clubs the following seasons says it all.
Focusing on PSG’s failure to win the league that year instead of celebrating that Monaco side was agenda driven.
Is this website being phased out? It’s become more of a live comments board/chat room.
I guess the real dollar is over on Patreon or something?
Shame.
What Unai Emery is doing at Villa is amazing in spite of all the critical injuries. Big Props to Don Emery.
Well played SENOR
Marko
“he needs to get better with his in-game management.”
There is an argument for saying that Arteta’s in game management yesterday worked pretty well .
Took off jorginho and put Rice in a deeper position..
Took off Martinelli and brought on Trossard
Took off the disappointing Odegaard and brought on smith rowe
Jesus for Eddie, brought Havertz on and played the ball longer.
Not too much to complain about there when it comes to Arteta’s in game management.
WTF is Arteta being paid millions for? In game management is a fraction of that. Foremost, a successful game plan, training and preparation for the opposition. A productive and imposing starting XI, developing an Arsenal that is being feared not one that teams feel they can get points off.
The starting XI was totally wrong. Why did he not get it that Zinni was the wrong LB and Tomi would be better when LG got it? That is what is expected from someone that manages the Arsenal.
Some of those subs should have happened earlier and Saka was pretty awful and lasted 90 minutes. Point still stands he’s still gotta get a lot better with his in-game management
Mudryk dont seem to smart IMO
Didn’t Saka provide the assist worth a point?
I’m as far from the ref conspiracy as one can get, but Saka was manhandled by Cucurella for most of the match.
Cucurella is very clever in his man marking, always near or on the ball with his challenges even when going through Saka’s legs.
Home crowd always plays a role in this , not to mention Chelsea players hounding the ref.
Saka, for the English international that he is, gets very little protection from refs.
It seems the away fans were chanting for Ramsdale at the bridge
Our away fans are the most vociferous in showing loyalty but somehow they broke out in chants against Raya.
Not sure I like that but it didn’t happen
The Away’s are not wrong.
Blowing a bit of a hole in the shiny PR campaign for Raya.
Hopefully when Arteta realises his golden prize is about to go up in smoke due the guy acting like a startled rabbit. He’ll get sent packing. Next step is to look at Cana and send him packing as well .
Double post due to my browser crashing half way
“The Away’s are not wrong’
Pretty fucking dumb if you ask me, chanting against your own while you’re still in the game.
Just want to say this coming from gd4 “that they don’t know when to STFU, but keep digging deeper into that hole their stupidity has created for them.” Is the height of irony.
Take a break from your absolutely appalling shit talk mate.
330 am game it was for me. I struggled through that first half that’s for sure. Didnt mean to doze off at half time but woke up to the crowd noise for Chelsea’s second. That anger kept me up for the rest of the game and I’m seriously stoked we could make something from nothing there.
I’ll take that draw any day of the week considering how shit we played for 70 odd minutes.
I am really impressed with how are subs are impacting games of late. Our squad is right on the precipice of being truly elite.
Let’s bounce back properly against Seville. This will be a proper test for tets yet again. Let’s see what he’s learned from previous European away games
Goobergooner
Love everything about Australia… Apart from kick off times.
Gd4/mg42 relapsing as he always does.
Soon to go off the rails.
The doom and gloom after a draw or loss here is nauseating.
Go to AFTV – they predict a win during every review show, then whine and bleat when the team falls short – no matter the reason. If it was so easy to win every game, wouldn’t Manchester City have been Invincibles for the last four to five years?
No team wins every game. The assumption by some people that Arsenal will simply show up away and spank Chelsea 3-1 was just plain laughable.
Let’s not press the panic button yet – we are not in danger of being relegated.
We’re still on Wednesday round up I see
I didn’t see the game but if peeps take a step back 2-2 at the Bridge is always a decent result
When I get back to England I will watch the game but if the Ramsdale over Raya chants are true then that’s hugely disappointing from the fans. Never ever diss your own in game time
We will be fighting for the league all season against ManCity and Liverpool.
If anyone thinks that spurs and Aston Villa are in the conversation for a title, then they’re a clown.
Top 5 is their best case scenario.
Rich yep the kick off times aren’t easy. Though it was definitely easier when I was younger and living with mates who apart from being pool fans (and a random toffee) loved the nights on the sauce finishing up with some PL football.
Also top take on Emery there.
Goober – true dedication to the cause – 3.30 am ko is a huge ask so congrats buddy on a noble cause. Adrenaline is your only hope but luckily the way we play there will never be any shortage of that!
But yeah we all know poch isn’t a pushover. He will get that Chelsea team player better given some time.
We just didn’t get into that first half at all. So many loose passes, not up for the 50/50s and didn’t have any creative impetus to actually get into dangerous areas let alone having a shot on target.
But at 2-0 down at the bridge, to see this young group dig deep and claw their way back is a brilliant sign of the drive and commitment from these players.
No chance I’m throwing in the towel after that, especially as it’s still so early in the season.
One game at a time. We can only play better than that surely
Playing*
Haha Northbanker thanks mate.
Yeah it’s that always on edge feeling. Love to hate it haha. But it just makes every kick interesting and of course the emotions run riot during a game. All part of the fan experience, wouldn’t be so enjoyable without it
Always strange being on the other side of the world as I can now see live the conversations of the Night Watch
Also going back to study and not having the regular 9-5 makes it less taxing being up all night haha.
What are you studying Goober?
Haha the night watch that is funny.
Contrary to the popular opinion on here it was fun getting to know the night crew including Tony. Seemed to get a little more personal haha. Though who knows how much truth there is to all the back stories after some of the shenanigans we have seen on here.
NB I’m doing electrical engineering.
How long are you in Argentina for? (That was you right?)
And Nigel, you always seem to be up late, you’re in UK aren’t you?
Same as Rich.
Where’s China when you need him
Also I probably need to change my moniker, though it cracks me up every time someone refers to it
I loved Tony’s contributions and so sad he has pulled out. Biggest sense of sadness is you don’t know what happens to people who pull out. Yes I have a huge set of friends I know the ins and outs of but this is the main place I get my Arsenal fix and somewhat sad I don’t really know the reasonable people on here personally.
I know some say that’s the point but it strikes me at some point I will not post here and just disappear
Sorry for the spamming also
And where is peds?!?!
He’s got with tech maybe he can get like a transcript of the on the whistle going even just to fill in the gaps for the blog
He’s good*
Yes Goober it was me and now back in Buenos Aires. My Greek buddy just left for the airport so just enjoying a last glass of Malbec in a restaurant..
Flying back tomorrow and will be in London Tuesday morning
Yeah NB so true.
This blog despite the shite is a great place to talk Arsenal, and for me personally as an international fan it’s really great to hear from the match going fans as well as the other internationals.
The funniest thing is everyone has nearly had an occasion where they have lost their shit but all is mostly forgiven. Some don’t come back from those, or do under different monikers.
Some like you say just don’t return and I agree over all the years I’ve been reading it is sad to have seen some good posters just disappear.
Good taste!
How’s your time been? And long as trip home. Do you have a stopover you can take advantage of? At least of the airport bars? Haha
No it’s a direct flight (thank God)
Far too short so on the cards is a big return to South America with my wife
Luckily I have a bottle of Malbec I snuggled in from my trip to a Gaucho ranch I went to yesterday at the hotel
Final toast to Argentina
Highlight of today was a tour I did to the Tigre delta where we went past an outside air museum . The fighter jets were used in the Malvinas conflict (their words)The guide said look at the equipment closely and you can see they were a hunk of shit and why they lost!!
Hahaha that is brilliant.
The dang shame about any time away is its always too short. But yeah taking the wife over will be great.
Glad you had a good time though.
You were there for work?
Mostly yes
Well sweet! I hope those drinks were all on the company card haha
Good win for Villa. I am finding it hard to say but Arsenal are not an attractive side to watch in the league after all. It’s pains but Brighton, Pool, New Castle and even Villa seems more attractive to watch.
“ Good win for Villa. I am finding it hard to say but Arsenal are not an attractive side to watch in the league after all. It’s pains but Brighton, Pool, New Castle and even Villa seems more attractive to watch.”
You’re nailing exactly why many are disgruntled and irritated about our season. You’ve put the nail on the head. We are not an attractive watch unlike last season.
It seems we’ve spent a couple of hundred million to look worse.
Crazy!
But rather than address the points being raised … it’s mindless shouts like “look at the table” or “we beat city”.
GD yeah we bet city and instead of pressing advantage we drew to a Chelsea side that is in stage 0 of Phase 0
Evening.
Long time reader and occasional poster.
Maybe the away boys were singing for Ramsdale because he’d become a father, maybe they were singing in support because he wasn’t in the squad and they didn’t know why, maybe they were singing because they perceive he has been treated unfairly
From my point of view, let the best player win. If one gives a shaky display then play the other.
Mattack.precisely may the better man win but for that to happen Rams should be given equal chances. He did well in carabao after that Raya has been ok made his mistakes but that didn’t deter Arteta from not picking.him. even in Chelsea match after the goal there was a chat between Raya and Arteta. Read what you will from that but Rams should be given equal chances to prove which in the last set of games hasn’t been provided that.
There are inconsistent selections across the pitch which doesn’t make sense. It’s all pure leaks and.inunedoes in the media which puts question marks about ESR etc.
Everyone else discussing this… but nothing but moaning about our own players and manager on legrove.
It’s the Grove narrative, but not from Pedro.
https://twitter.com/OliPriceBates/status/1715983975422755123?t=vE-6IbAthdtICrhUWHCJwg&s=19
Madhu
I agree. I have no coaching badges but to my eye Raya seemed shaky versus the Chavs so Rams should come in.
If Arteta wants him to play higher to almost create an extra outfield player to beat the press then it is up to Ramsdale to do so.
Nigel
Some of the decisions on Saturday night were disgusting.
PGMOL is shocking. However, fans are tribal and while we laugh at the scousers or other teams’ misfortune and they laugh at ours, the PGMOL clowns will keep getting away with it. They are ruining football both in person and via VAR…
90+% of refs from the North West of England and not one Man U, Liverpool or City fan among them Who knew Tranmere, Altrincham, Stockport and Wigan had so many fans….
No new post yet, I see. Is LG an after thought for Pedro now? I understand he is on a busy and LG generates very little to no money, so there should be other priorities but it would be nice to get a guest post at least. Once or twice a week seems enough because the post are not the main focus of the blog but rather the people commenting and chatting below.
Unless of course Pedro is sick. Hope he is well.
More pro-Arsenal content.
https://twitter.com/Arsenalnewschan/status/1716122666149552471?s=19
Nigel iam sorry but the Arsenal Football club doesn’t do anything about this and hence no discussion. At least the pool made PR statements and threatened action..we just take it without any noise then why are you imploring the fans to talk about that.
If we are serious about refrees then we should make Rice captain. I have been saying this numerous times it’s not like old Arsenal we have enough English players now, make them captian and then see the refree decisions. Did Ode go and speak to ref when this happened. One of the main jobs of Trippier is to always be in the ears of ref. To be honest someone needs to tell Jesus to stop hisan C antics as for such things we don’t get decisions in our favour. When he was at City it was different, with Arsenal he would be booked for diving. We need to be self aware of some facts. That we are not.
Good point Nigel regarding Sanchez foul, I didn’t see Match of the Day so I wasn’t aware of Alan Shearers comments and of course Gary ‘the rat’ Neville just brushed it aside as it didn’t suit his ‘Arsenal in crisis’ narrative.
Unbeaten, top of the league alongside City and it’s all doom.
If we lose a couple it’ll be suicide watch on here…
By all accounts and in my feed the commentator called the hand ball penalty very harsh but what is AFC doing about it. If we don’t help ourselves nobody will. We have to make enough noises otherwise these will continue.
Var and pgmol is an absolute disgrace. Surely fans of all clubs would get behind a petition to get them to clean their act up aka start from fresh these bunch of clowns have no idea
The entrance of Arsene Wenger into the EPL brought out the worst in the xenophobic dinosaurs of my great country.
Wenger, and by extension, Arsenal football club, were seen as “foreign, arrogant, soft, and something detrimental” to the rough and tumble, good ole kick it long and chase Johnny PE teacher football that the league was used to.
This anti-foreign/Arsenal attitude seeped into the broadcasters, the match officials and the FA …
Nothing has changed much since Wenger’s ouster.
Hell, even among our ranks here, you can see the Native Xenophobia in full effect. I’ve never looked at an Arsenal player and cared what color, religion or nationality he was. All I cared about was the canon on his chest
I think the penalty was given fairly, I would be fuming if the show was on the other foot and we were not given it