Arsenals 3rd FA Cup trophy is still a target

Arsenal progress to the last sixteen after narrowly beating a good Burnley side. Goals from Chambers and Sanchez booked our place in the next round but despite dominating the game, it was a nervy last 20 minutes as the Clarets pushed for an equalizer.

A typical Cup tie, the game was contested at a frantic pace. Our second goal was one of beauty as we broke out of defence and with a quick passing (seven passes) counter attack the ball eventually arrived at the feet of Sanchez who calmly scored. It could have finished 3-1 when Burnley were in full attack mode near the end of the game and a break sent Walcott bombing forward with just the Burnley keeper to beat, but he fluffed his lines.

Wenger had made several changes to the side which lost to the Chavs, and Ozil and Ramsey were conspicuous by their absence. However, Coquelin, Chambers, Gibbs, Iwobi and the new boy, Elneny, all had good games, with special mention to Iwobi and the Egyptian. Iwobi was assured in midfield and his passing was accurate and precise. He really would be a better option than Walcott at the moment.

The Egyptian covered a lot of turf during the game, he seemed to be everywhere and showed that his fitness is similar to Sanchez. He tried a bit too hard at times but that’s understandable, he obviously wanted to make an impression on his debut and nearly did on a couple of occasions with shots from outside the box.

Elneny looks as if he will be a good addition to the team, in fact he looked as if he was made to wear the red and white, he definitely looked the part. The stats say he had the most touches of the ball than any other player (100), and had a 96% completion rate, which shows how he got involved in the game.

It was good to see Le Coq back in the side, in the first half he was clearly getting acclimatised to his first full match after a period injured, but in the second half his confidence became more assured and he had a good game.

So we go into the pot this evening for the last sixteen draw. There are still a few premiership sides which it would be good to avoid, the two Manchester clubs, Crystal Palace, Liverpool or West Ham, Watford, WBA, Everton and Chelsea if they both win today and of course, the wankers from N17.

We are number 3 in the draw…… and games to be played the weekend 19-22 February. Here is the full list for the last sixteen:

1 West Bromwich Albion or Peterborough United
2 Leeds United
3 Arsenal
4 Manchester United
5 Reading
6 Liverpool or West Ham United
7 Manchester City
8 Shrewsbury Town
9 Watford
10 Carlisle United or Everton
11 Crystal Palace
12 Blackburn Rovers
13 AFC Bournemouth
14 Tottenham Hotspur
15 Hull City
16 MK Dons or Chelsea

Just before I conclude todays report, another Arsenal player on loan, Akpom scored a hat-trick for Hull yesterday. Well done Chuba.

 

 

The Burnley witch hunt… let’s hang the bastards.

 

FA Cup day…. and we’ve got something to defend and a chance to make history. Just as they made history in Pendle, near Burnley, in 1612. One of the most famous witch trials in English History. Twelve were accused of murdering ten people by witchcraft, of the eleven who went to trial, nine women and two men (one had already died in prison), ten were found guilty and executed by hanging, one was found not guilty. Can’t explain why one was found not guilty, not in those days, everyone was found fucking guilty.

What else is interesting about Burnley, well it’s in Lancashire, so Lancashire hotpot is famous…..

and rightly so, it’s bloody yummy

Lancashire women are hearty and welcoming, they like to cuddle you and surround you with their large ample breasts and warm bodies and feed you their Lancashire Hot Pot…… bloody yummy.

 

Bury Black Pudding, created when you had to use up every single part of a pig, so the blood was cooked as well….. Bloody yummy.

And then there are Eccles cakes, full of currents and baked with puff pastry…… bloody yummy.

So what about our opponents, Burnley FC, nicknamed the ‘Clarets’, perhaps after the Black Pudding. Founded in 1882 and one of the founder members of the Football league in 1888, their home ground has been Turf Moor since 1883. They’ve been League Champions twice, way back in the dark ages and won the FA Cup in 1914 when every other player was off at the Front fighting for King and Country.

They did however, reach the quarter finals of the European Cup in 1961. They were quite famous in the 50’s and 60’s for being dead ball specialists and developing the unknown concept of ‘Total Football, which made them one of the more attacking sides during that period.

And don’t forget all the inbreeding that went on up there in Lancashire, here’s an example from 1905, a photo of two Burnley supporting brothers….. their father was their uncle and their mother was their sister and it’s recorded that she was their aunt too.

Furthermore, it still goes on, as this headline from the Burnley Daily Herald proves:

CCTV APPEAL: Man seen touching himself and making kissing noises at young girls in Burnley town centre.

But where are Burnley FC now? They’re in the Championship, somewhere near the top and doing well, in fact, they could even be promotion candidates. Last week they thrashed Derby 4-1 and are on a good run of form.

Do we have to be careful today? They are quite capable of causing a Cup upset, Wenger needs to field a strong side if we are to continue our march towards a third FA Cup trophy in a row and make history.

Who do we have available? Sanchez and Özil are fit, it looks as if Le Big Coq will be fit, I hope Cech plays but there are rumours that Ospina will be in the team and I’m sure our new chap from Morocco will get a try out today as well. The BFG won’t play because of his red card so Paul Easter will be included next to Kosser, Gibbs may come in for Monreal but Bellerin has to play because we don’t have anyone at the moment to deputize for him.

Up front, your guess is as good as mine, take Giroud, Walcott, the Ox, Campbell and Iwobi, put their names in a hat and pull out two.

So what are our chances? I don’t fucking know, I’m not a football bollocks expert! I prefer to post black and white photos of naked women, get drunk and have a fucking laugh.

I’m 100% sure that there will be a result though.

It could end up two ways, we thrash them and go through easy peesy, or they cause a cup upset and my dream of us making history goes down the drain just like the blood of the witches in Pendle in 1612. Let’s just hope they haven’t put a spell on the referee or offered him a free lifetime supply of Black pudding and ample bodied Lancashire women.

Come on you fucking Gunners.

The Sore Arse Soapbox

Carl Jenkinson gets returned….. crocked

I’ve read in the news that young Carl has been injured and will be out for the rest of the season. Apparently he has been returned to us for his rehabilitation and joins the already crowded treatment room at London Colney.

So he’s had half a season with the Hammers, he’s scored a couple of goals, got a few yellow cards and one red and I think he conceded a couple of penalties and got one own goal. He’s played 1228 minutes in total in the Premier League and has been a useful player for West Ham helping them to maintain a position just out of the CL places.

With Debuchy probably going before the end of January Jenkinson was always an option to recall to act as cover at RB, but now he’s not available for the rest of the season. What happens, do the Arsenal get compensation? Do West Ham contribute to rehabilitation costs?

No matter what the financial implications, we end up with a squad player out injured and if Debuchy goes we will be without adequate cover for Bellerin, so I hope Wenger gets someone in before the transfer window closes on Monday. I would be surprised if the French FB doesn’t go, it’s mean mentioned several times that he wants 1st team football and he isn’t getting it at Arsenal.

I’m not sure why, but this situation with Carl has really annoyed me, he would have been adequate cover for RB so the urgency to find a replacement for Debuchy wouldn’t have been an issue, but West Ham have benefitted and we then get him back injured. Now we have to find a suitable replacement if the Frenchman leaves.

It highlights the inadequacies in our recruitment of new players, it’s happened this season with Welbeck unavailable and having just Giroud, Walcott and Campbell as our front three choices and Sanchez has shown that he is not ‘unbreakable’. Now we’ll be left with just Chambers as our RB cover.

It’s not good enough…… Wenger should be planning in advance, he should have done all this in the summer but now there is probably a panic as the TW comes to an end and we are short of two crucial players.

 

Ranieri to replace Wenger…

 

Would this be a good replacement for our best ever manager in the history of the Arsenal?

When you think about it, Ranieri has taken a mediocre team with just two exceptional players to the top of the Premier League, (just like Wenger) and they are now being deemed possible champions. He’s a likeable bloke, he’s good with the media and he seems to be able to get a fairly average team working well together, just like Wenger does with Arsenal. He also buys the team pizza if they win…. so frugal as well.

He could be the perfect fit for the Gunners, he deploys attacking tactics, doesn’t go berserk with buying overpriced players, seems to be level headed and sensible, and furthermore, he is a couple of years younger than Wenger and would maybe like the stability offered by a top PL team, although if you think about it, at the moment he manages a top PL team!

Just some thoughts on who would be a possible successor to the great Arsène Wenger.

What do other Sore Arses think? Am I going along the right route or am I totally mad?

GunnersoreArse…… resurrected!

Welcome to the GunnersoreArse blog… being blogged 918.74 kms (in a straight line) from the Emirates Stadium.

Well here we are then, smooth as ever!

When I decided to stop doing this blog a couple of months ago it wasn’t because I’d given up, it was purely based on the fact I had a shit internet connection and wasn’t able to maintain a connection long enough to write a 800-1000 word article. However, I now have a decent network wi-fi connection and have decided to bring the Weekly Smut infested Arsenal Tabloid back to life. I sincerely hope that the few faithful followers and commentators who contributed before, return to enliven the blog with their humour, intellect and photos of naked women bearing their breasts.

So the new season will be upon us in three weeks time, but before the home game against West Ham we have the small matter of the Emirates Cup and then the Community Shield game against the Chavs.  Will this be the opportunity to break the Maureen hoodoo? With the talk currently emanating from the mouths of some of our players, the title could be ours this season, which would mean we have to beat the Chavs, City and United along the way. Old Petra, 33 in years and 33 on his back is being highlighted as one reason for such optimism, could one player make such a difference? Could he instil more confidence in the defence and the team in general? could he possibly keep more clean sheets than TPIG and Ospina?

All speculation but enjoyable none the less. Will be strange however, to see that helmet in the Arse!

We have lifted our first piece of silverware in the last few days, the Asia Cup is now in the trophy room alongside our two recent FA Cups. Only friendlies of course but the game against Everton was more of a premier League game than just a friendly and we put in a good shift, with the pundits being surprised at how well prepared we looked.

So what other speculation and rumour is doing the rounds in the gossip mags and on the blogs. Too many to even contemplate on here, though the need for backup to Le Coq au Vin is high on the list of priorities and the need for another striker who could bag us 25-30 goals in a season is not far behind on that list. Personally I’d like to see Lacazette come to the Emirates, not a glamorous £60m curly haired male model type player, but instinctive in front of goal, has a lethal right foot and is not afraid to take a punt from 30 yards. I like him!

You can keep your Cavanis, Foulcows, Benzemas and Higuans, all over-priced and over-rated….. but give me Alexandre Lacazette and I would be a happy bunny, 27 goals in 33 league games in Ligue 1 is not to be sniffed at that’s for sure. He reminds me of Thierry and I’m sure he has watched loads of videos of our Arsenal legend to improve his attacking play. And speaking of Thierry, he got some press time this week saying.

“I still think they (Arsenal) need four players to get closer to Chelsea.”

What four players he didn’t elaborate, nor did he mention in what positions we needed these four players! So read nothing into it, just the media having a laugh.

Onto other teams news, Liverpool have got rid of Sterling for…… £49m, just couldn’t believe that. City has bought a dud me thinks, another Andy Carrol maybe? Makes me wonder how much our Theo would be worth in today’s market?

Loo is Van Girl apparently has £300m plus burning a hole in his trousers pocket, to spend on idiotic purchases and I sincerely think that he will blow it all on rubbish. Sniddyland and Schwienkopf have already been purchased, one is past it and the other really hasn’t proved much at Southampton, wasted money I think.

Stoke are aiming high in the transfer window and they have a mission statement, ‘Europe or bust’. Ha ha ha, best joke I’ve heard this year. Chavs seem to be fairly quiet on the transfer front, Foulcow on loan and possibly Bergovic to replace Petra, but nothing else seems to be happening in the wastelands of SW6.

And lets just take a look into the deep shadows of N17, a new stadium planned, or should I say toilet! And because it will apparently hold a few hundred more fans than the Emirates they are spouting that it is bigger… bloody twats. My advice is don’t hold your breath and if it does finally get built, look on the bright side, just remember how our trophy winning days were put on hold after the expense of building the Emirates, which probably means that when the new Shite Hart Lane construction is complete, the Spuds will probably be relegated. There were reports yesterday that the Spuds request to use Wembley during the construction of their new toilet had been turned down and now there could be a possibility of them sharing our hallowed ground in N5. I sincerely hope this is a joke rumour, no way do we want them anywhere near the Ems, let them play in Milton Keynes or share the Olympic stadium with West Ham, much more appropriate.

Back to more interesting stuff… The Gunners. It would seem from all reports that our best signing this year has not been a player, but a Paddy physio. Some are suggesting that he will be able to perform miracles and keep all our players fit, all of the time and all together. The last time I read about someone like that it was in the Bible. Well if he could win ze World Cup for ze Germans perhaps he can win the CL for us!

So three weeks to go, a period where we are all full of hope and optimism (well most of us anyway), a new season and a renewed push for honours. Although I would love to see us win the Champions League, as much for Monsieur Vengers sake as much as for my own desires, I still think that that will be a bridge too far with our current players. However, and I seriously mean this, I can envisage us doing the League and Cup double, and in the process making history with a third FA Cup in a row….. now wouldn’t that get up the noses of Van Pervy, Nasri and co.

Meanwhile, over in Russia… our Frimpong has been sanctioned for giving the finger to fans who were shouting racist abuse at him.

Ufa general director Shamil Gazizov said his club would not be calling for Spartak to be punished, describing it as an “unfortunate incident”.

“There were people who could have shouted things. These are emotions which go away after the game. We are partners with the red and whites and are on good terms,” he said.

“What Frimpong did was wrong. Sometimes you even have to hold back the tears and just put up with it.”

But in March former head of Russian football Vyacheslav Koloskov said too much is made of racism in the country and has also questioned why monkey chants are assumed to be racist. Do these people live in a bubble?

This is where quite a few black players will be playing in the 2018 World Cup! No wonder they are thinking of boycotting it.

Final business of the day: The blog is as before, everything is acceptable unless the Editorial team or one of the contributors/commentators says differently. Smut is allowed but keep it within reason (you wankers out there know who you are). No close up photos of Labia or crutch parts! The blog will continue to be published as before, every Sunday morning at or around 9am BST (Illness, natural disasters, civil unrest, world war, alcohol abuse, police arrest or imprisonment permitting). Come back guys and girls, to the warm glow of a Gunners Sore Arse, contribute and make your Arsenal life more interesting, you know it makes sense.

Language problems could cause Arsenal FA Cup exit.

Four candles? Nah, Fork Handles…… Handles for Forks!

Welcome to the GunnersoreArse blog. Being blogged 918.74 kilometers (in a straight line) from the Emirates Stadium.

Why does Wenger have to be so honest? Why does he have to tell the media all his intimate thoughts? Why did he feel a need to tell the press that Paulista Gabriel could be a problem in our defence because he doesn’t understand a word of English?

If he plays in the back four today, surely Middlesborough will target an area where they know communication between our players could be a problem. Koscielny shouts to Gabriel (in his French broken English) “hey Gabby, get over to the left and take their centre forward”, and Gabriel moves backwards putting the whole ‘Boro forward line onside to score their first goal. Monreal shouts in his shaky English accent tinged with Spanish, ” Gabby, cover me, I’m going forward”, and Gabriel moves towards the right back instead and the left side is left uncovered and ‘Boro score their 2nd goal. The big Coq says to Gabriel in his Cockney French accent, “Gabby, stay back I’ll go up for the corner,  cover for me”, but instead Gabriel goes up for the corner as well, leaving the defence lacking in players when ‘Boro storm forward on the counter and score their 3rd goal. And so, Arsenal, the FA Cup holders go out of the cup because one player cannot understand a word of English.

If the FA Cup back line today is Chambers, Koscielny, Gabriel and Monreal, poor old Paulista will have to comprehend English spoken by an Englishman, a Frenchman and a Spaniard. I suppose Nacho could speak spanish to the Brazilian, or do they speak Portuguese in Brazil? And if at some point if the Big Fucking German has to come on and play alongside the Brazilian………Chaos and confusion!

Wenger has said that Gabriel’s poor English could cost his side goals.

“When you don’t speak English and you don’t understand ‘Come out, come back, right, left’, it is a problem for a defender,” Wenger said.

“You need to know the key words. Offside. Referee. Foul.” and he said further, “If you mix ‘going forwards’ with ‘going backwards’, it can cost you.”

Language barriers can be a source of confusion. Take it from me, having lived in another country with a different language for over fifteen years. Some embarrassing and awkward situations can arise, I’ve experienced it. However, could it cause problems in our defence? Furthermore, if the manager thinks it’s a problem and doesn’t put Gabriel in the side, how long will that be for? How long will it take the Brazilian to learn enough English to enable him to play without a communication breakdown?

Middlesborough are not going to be a push over. They are riding high in the Championship and are likely candidates to move into the Premiership next season. Do we really want to introduce a non- English speaking centre back into such an important game? A game that if we win propels us towards the final and retaining the FA Cup.

I wonder at what level he is currently? I assume he can say “yes” and “no”, and probably “Thank You” and “Please”. He may even have got to the serious level of, “I like you” and ” What’s your name?”. I’m sure Coq au Vin has taught him how to say, “Shut the fuck up”. And perhaps Giroud has taught him to roll on the floor with his arm in the air, shouting ” Ref… foul”. However, will he understand something shouted at him in the heat of the moment, in a period of sustained pressure and confusion?

“Paul Easter, get back you fucking idiot” (put in there French, German, Spanish, Chilean or English accent as appropriate) and barely audible with the Emirates crowd making a hell of a noise. He’ll have no chance.

I jest of course, I don’t think it will be problem at all. He’s a professional, he’s played at the highest level and he knows how to play at Centre Back.

What do you think? Should he play despite lacking the fundamentals of the English language? Is it a risk worth taking? Or am I just falando besteira?

OK , le temps pour un verre de vin et certains chorizo ​​épicé, j’espère que vous avez apprécié votre visite … jusqu’à la prochaine fois .

à bientôt

GunnersoreArse, an Arsenal Sunday supplement to out do all Sunday supplements. Struggling for readers and comments but never forgetting it’s obligations to keep Gooners informed and amused. In other words you bastards, I’m fucking trying.

The Hating Game…….

Welcome to the GunnersoreArse blog. Being blogged 918.74 kilometers (in a straight line) from the Emirates Stadium.

Today we have a guest post from Eddie. 

Who are the most hated teams in the English Premier League?

I would like to invite all football fans to vote for the most hated team in the English Premier League. Although the invitation is open to all I would like to point out that this is an Arsenal blog and we would like the visitors from N17 to behave with respect and those from SW6 to refrain from violence.

I read several articles on this subject and checked some polls and votes. Needless to say that the press is full of editorial errors placing Arsenal even above Tottenham in the Hate Tables, but we know we are and always will be the most loved club in the world. Those who don’t love us are of the jealous disposition.

The ‘hate’ results are predictably inconclusive and inconsistent.  Surprisingly though the top spots are not always occupied by one of the Top Four teams, ie Manchesters, Chelsea or Liverpool.  There are those who still hate Leeds and Portsmouth the most, strange if you ask me. So why do we hate some clubs more than others? Is it all about success, or a manager or proximity of the stadium? Manchester City are currently probably the best club in this country, yet nobody but the red Mancs hate them, why?

Maurinho has been mouthing again claiming that Chelsea are the new United and everybody loves to hate them. He is obnoxious enough to pass some of the hatred towards him, Jose Maurinho onto the whole club. Some pundits say that Jose is the next Ferguson, a genius amongst ordinary managers. I fail to understand what they are saying, but English is not my first language, so I suspect something is missing in translation.  It is true that I used to hate ManU and Fergie, especially when they were at their best, but that was sheer tribal rivalry. Today I hate Chelsea more than any other club, mainly because of Maurinho,  but John Terry, Abramovitch’s impact on the English League, Cole’s saga and Cech’s headgear do nothing to endear them to me.

I do not expect a reasonable and equitable response, but please try to justify your choice.

Thank you Eddie, something to get the ol’ vitriol flowing. Tin hats are available upon entry to the blog, not obligatory but highly recommended.

GunnersoreArse, publishing articles which other blogs refuse. The Charlie Hebdo of the Arsenal bloggosphere. JE SUIS GUNNERSOREARSE! Right, let’s get out of here sharpish and have a glass of wine. Where’s me tin hat 🙂

 

January sales and keeping our hands on the FA Cup.

Welcome to the GunnersoreArse blog. Being blogged 918.74 kilometers (in a straight line) from the Emirates Stadium.

Transfer porn month.

Well, back to normal after the festivities, which for me means carry on as normal. I’ve never been one for waiting till a particular moment in a year to celebrate as if there is no tomorrow. Why wait until a birthday or New Years Eve to get bolloxed and out of your fucking head when you have 365 days in the year to do the same. Plain stupidity is how I see it, and is influenced by big business and corporations who think only of profit. A retail shop or supermarket can earn 50% of its annual turn-over during the short Christmas and New Year period. Fucking madness but the world joins in regardless.

Which leads us nicely into the transfer window, one month for managers to rush around like headless chickens, trying to find the new expensive toy which will keep the children (fans) happy. Arsène Wenger is in his normal January position, injuries and a suspension forcing him into the market place where he could be at risk of buying a dummy like Kaelstrom. From the statistics I’ve just looked at we have Welbeck, Flamini, Ramsey, Ozil, Wilshere, Arteta, Bellerin, Gnabry and of course the glass man, Diaby all on the treatment table, having their egos massaged along with their thighs, calves and other muscles or tendons. Add to that list Giroud who is suspended and Podolski, who is injured but also abroad talking with another club, then we can imagine our French manager is already in the queue outside either Harrods or the Poundshop, depending on your viewpoint.

What is on the shelf in the shop then, something tasty and long-lasting or a short-term sweetener to keep the taste buds initially happy but ultimately, leaving you wanting more.

In the press and on the blogs there are the usual suspects being chucked around like the proverbial confetti, Edinson Cavani, William Carvalho and………. Winston Reid…. the list goes on. Will we get a player on short-term loan, or go for the longer stability of the team? Where are the most urgent needs in the team? And do we really need any new players? Wenger has to weigh all these things up before he commits to splashing the cash, which from some sources apparently, we have plenty to splash.

Add into the mix the other big clubs who will be in the queue as well, with their chequebooks open and negotiators on hand ready to beat us to the deal, then the whole process is a nightmare which will last a month, not just for our manager but for us as well, the fans. Oh what joy, all the usual blog shit and guesswork will rear its ugly head in a four week orgy of transfer porn and speculation. Enjoy.

Can we keep our grubby hands on the FA Cup?

Today it starts all over again for the Gunners, FA Cup 3rd round tie against the team we beat in last seasons final. Wenger said this week:

“We want another cup run and we want to, if possible, keep the trophy. We have won it five times in my period in charge, so that means we know the importance that it has,”

He also went on to say:

“What is for sure is that we have room for improvement and we have to manage to do that quickly.”

As we  found out at Wembley in May, Hull City are no push over. They will come to the Emirates with a plan and with the intention of leaving with a result. I’m not as confident as some, the Tigers beat Everton last week quite convincingly, whereby at Southampton we showed our defensive frailties once again. However, goalkeepers will probably be changed for the game against Hull, with Ospina coming in for Chezzers and hopefully, Theo will be ready for a full 90 minutes. But as with the defensive weaknesses last week, our forwards and midfield need to improve from that performance as well. Our shortcomings, excuse the pun, in attack was clearly evident against Southampton and how did we play, high balls into the opponents penalty area, where we had two 5’6″ players up against defenders all over 6′, it was painful to watch. Our passing fell to pieces and for a team that prides itself on its passing game, that is unforgivable. So as Mr Wenger says, “What is for sure is that we have room for improvement and we have to do that quickly.”

Understatement of the year after last weeks match and if those improvements aren’t made this week then I can see our grip on the FA Cup being grappled from our hands rather quickly. Enjoy the match where ever you may be watching, lets hope for a win but prepare for a defeat.

Right, time to continue with my New Year celebrations, still 362 days left, so a glass of wine and some spicy chorizo. Hope you enjoyed your visit…… until the next time.

à bientôt

The GunnersoreArse Sunday supplement, a haven of calm and tranquility and pictures of tits and arse, for those who like it that way. 

 

There’s only one Arsene Wenger……

Welcome to the GunnersoreArse blog. Being blogged 918.74 kilometers (in a straight line) from the Emirates Stadium.

What a topsy-turvy week it has been for Arsène. Last weekend, booed by a group of dickheads when he was boarding the train at Stoke, then yesterday, the supporters getting behind him and singing his name. The fickle nature of the football fan, eh! But what I think happened at the Newcastle game was a response to the numpties, they must have hated to hear that song being sung. Here’s Monsieur Wenger talking to the BBC post match:

“Our job is to win football games and when we don’t do it I understand when they’re not happy,” said Wenger.

“We lost, unfortunately, at Stoke and we feel guilty for that,” Wenger added. “But 99.9% it is people with full respect even when they’re not happy.

“I can take the 0.1%. Yes, of course, I’m thankful for the fans singing my name at the end of the match. It’s very nice to get support from the crowd.

“But the most important for me is to win football games and the best way to make our fans happy is to do that.”

Wenger clearly stating there that he thinks the boo boys are just 0.1% of the fan base. Which is probably close, but even with such a minority of shitbags, they are having a divisive effect. But the chanting of Wengers name sent a clear message and I was pleased to hear the verbal support for the manager.

It was a very satisfying win yesterday, Giroud and Santi back to goalscoring ways, the Ox having a great game in central midfield. Welbeck getting close on a couple of occasions and a disallowed goal which seemed legitimate to me and some of his movement off the ball was excellent. A makeshift defence which showed Debuchy as a very competent centre-back. Wenger has stated this week that if the whole team were fit, then there is no need to delve into the January transfer window. However, he balanced that by saying the Koscielny situation may mean he has to get someone in to cover. We can only wait to see what happens.

Two results this week which have gone some way to counter the negativity which arose after the Stoke game. Two games which have also shown how the team are starting to combine together and become the force which has been promised but as yet, not been achieved. Injuries have been our achilles heel but somehow, the manager has been able to juggle things around to keep us ticking over. I foresee a big shift over the next few games, moving up a gear and proving the detractors wrong. Liverpool away next week will be tough but a win at Anfield is not impossible if the boys can avoid the inconsistency shown against Stoke. Then QPR at home and a trip to Upton Park over the Christmas period, all are winnable.

So there we have it, my positive take on the current situation and recent results. All we can do is support the team and manager. And as Wenger states, he will make every effort to win games to keep us happy. What more should we expect?

Right, time for a glass of wine and some cheese, chorizo and baguette. Hope you enjoyed your visit…. till the next time.

à bientôt

GunnersoreArse, everything from football to floosies. The sanctuary for all sane Arsenal fans. Every Sunday morning at 9am GMT. Rated 18+.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animals versus Angels: Match Report

Welcome to the GunnersoreArse blog. Being blogged 918.74 kilometers (in a straight line) from the Emirates Stadium.

What did we expect? It’s always the same at the home of the Orcs, intimidation, rotational fouling and rugby tackles. Ryan Shawcross had already set the scene when the Sun published his comments about “You are Gunner Get it”, so there we are then, we got it. Did the Stoke horror tactics influence the result? I don’t think so, not in the first half anyway, we were very poor, not just in defence but all over the field. In the second half we came back, but some poor referee decisions did influence the match. I’m not normally one to blame the refs, I generally take the stand that they even themselves out. But yesterday, some of the officials decisions were baffling. At this point I’ll just let some photos do the talking…………………

 

Charlie Adam grapples Sanchez to the ground

Former England striker Alan Shearer on MOTD: “If you go to Stoke you are going to have to roll your sleeves up, fight, scrap and battle. Arsenal did not do that. It was a shambles, embarrassing… whatever words you want to use. It was laughable. They’re are 3-0 down, it really was shambolic. Until Arsene improves Arsenal defensively they have no chance of winning the league. Having said that, I still think they will finish in the top four because that is what they do.

Peter Crouch did this on several occasions and went unpunished

Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole on Final Score: “To get 3-0 up at home against any team is good, but to do it against a top team like Arsenal? Stoke harassed them, they got stuck in. It should take more than that to knock a team off their stride at this level, but for some reason Arsenal cannot get over the problems they have at Stoke.”

Shearer and Cole are fucking idiots to think that how Stoke played was just ‘harassment’ or that a team has to, “fight, scrap and battle” against them and that is acceptable. I’m sure that if either Cole or Shearer were fouled and rugby tackled like that they would be the first complaining to the referee.

This next video really makes me fucking angry, is this an attempt to get the ball? Is it even what we class as football? No it isn’t, and how the officials didn’t punish Adam with a red card just beggars belief. If the FA don’t investigate the officials from yesterdays match then our beloved game is in a poor state.

In the end, I actually thoroughly enjoyed the game, but only the second half. It was thrilling and I really started to think that we could come back and win 4-3. But it wasn’t to be. Stoke broke up our play with there rotational fouling and time wasting, Chambers was unfairly punished with two very soft yellows and Crouch, Adam and Shawcross were not punished for a lot worse. Yesterday when the game finished I was on a high, excited by the ‘nearly’ comeback. We actually finished the last 4 or 5 minutes with just Mertesacker as our only defender on the pitch. However, today I am angry, angry at the officials, angry at the Stoke players for their bully tactics and angry at the FA for not doing more to stamp out the type of play we saw from Stoke yesterday.

Right, time for a glass of wine and some spicy chorizo. I need the hair of the dog because I went out after the game and got totally rat arsed. Suffering a bit this morning so apologise for a short post and probably some spelling and grammatical  errors. Until the next time

à bientôt

GunnersoreArse, even when pissed and hungover, the Sunday supplement is still published by the deadline. Every Sunday morming at 9am GMT.