As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
Another result and performance to add to this clowns growing littany of shite!
Cant blame squad quality for this one!
He’s a fucking numpty and getting worse as the season goes on!
Anyone that honestly thinks this buffoon is the real deal is fucking deluded!
They’ll score in the return leg and I can see this being a close call! either way it matters not a fucking jot as the first decent team we play will turn us over
Emery Out.
He can't be defended tonight Sid, and I'm not going to attempt to. I've posted my thoughts on the match thread and I hold him solely responsible for that shambles tonight. If we fail to overturn a 1-0 deficit against that lot even with 11 stiffs it would be shameful
Not going to resort to calling him a numpty and a buffoon as he has done little in my mind to warrant that. However, five of his picks tonight were unforgiveable. Wenger made mistakes in his early days too - if you win more than you lose and learn from them, we will always forgive that. If he does a Wenger and does the same thing repeatedly then I'll be the first to say you were right, but would prefer to give him this season and next to find out. Wenger was a fucktard for a decade and left us right in the shit - surely someone deserves a bit longer to turn that round?
I’d love to have the faith to get behind him but he’s not learning from his mistakes, so to my mind he hasn’t earned “time to turn it around” we’re going round and round in circles and I don’t think he’s worth taking a risk on for another season.
Our performances are deteriorating and his decision making is as baffling as it was at the start of the season.
It’s perfectly understandable for me to be accused of judging him too early, but I honestly think he’s way out of his depth in the premier league and that our points tally etc at the end of the season will back that up.
Tonight was abysmal and he got it all wrong. Mkhitaryan is beyond useless. Xhaka was completely anonymous other than his standard brainless yellow. Iwobi utter joke of a top-level footballer, bar probably two decent passes. Cech had nothing to do and still tried his best to gift them a goal.
To be honest the rest were garbage too but Emery has got to stop picking them. I refuse to believe tha our other options could possibly be any worse. Those players are consistently dreadful and have been throughout their careers with us, unwaveringly.
Emery got things wrong. I still think that he has got more right than wrong in a really tough long-term job, but it’s a concern that he can’t seem to get us to start at anything other than a snail’s pace except in big games at home when suddenly we start at 100mph. But his team selection with those lot is a joke.
He also got subs wrong. Waited far too long given that we were doing nothing, and then ended up with no shape or tempo. Stuart Robson is a shit pundit but even he could see that having Aubameyang and Lacazette on the pitch but nowhere near the box was senseless.
That really was a complete shower of shit, and not only our worst performance under Emery but also as bad as the worst limp-dicked performances against poor opposition under Wenger.
I honestly thought that the players that Emery has were better than they appear to be now. It looks like I am quite wrong, but I also am starting to have doubts about his judgement especially after seeing Dennis Suarez. I will give him more time, but it looks to me like the guy is probably not going to track back either, so why drop Ozil for what is the same thing? Maybe that is too simplistic, but he looks like a number 10 thrust out to the flanks and isn't going to beat a man on the dribble.
The team at the moment look completely disfunctional and that is on the manager. Arsenal are a shambles going forward and defending. Hopefully, Emery can turn it around and we will have a clearer vision going forward, but this past month was as bad as I have seen in a bit and that includes last season, so I am having a few doubts.
I’m starting to become seriously concerned about Emery now. The 22 game unbeaten run at the beginning of the season masked over a lot of the cracks. We weren’t playing well but we were winning games and people were willing to let the fact that we were playing poorly slide because we were nicking results and picking up points.
Nobody is under any illusion about the size of the job any new manager would have to do after the shit show left behind by Wenger but what’s gone on over the past few months has been unacceptable.
It all started with Liverpool away which was an absolute fucking debacle, a shameful performance from a team who looked lost. Away at Southampton was again pathetic as was the shambles at West Ham.
We were outplayed by both Huddersfield away and Cardiff at home recently and despite getting the win in both games you were left with the nagging feeling that against better opposition we’d have been dispatched with ease.
I don’t know what style of football he’s trying to get us to play, I don’t see a plan, I’m seeing zero improvement, if anything we’re getting worse, and he seems completely incapable of doing anything to rectify it.
Every game now, no matter the opposition, is a struggle. We are incapable of keeping a clean sheet against anybody and I think it could be a long, bumpy road between now and the end of the season. If he can’t get things to pick up (and I’d be amazed if he can based on what I’ve seen) then do we really want him spending 100 odd million quid in the summer? Whatever currency he had in the bank with the support who were perfectly aware of the mess Wenger left him is depleting quickly and tonight’s farce was a watershed moment for many.
Our away form is absolutely horrendous and next up on the road - the scum at Wembley. If we turn up there and produce the sort of fucking insipid drivel we’ve been seeing for the past few months then things could get ugly in a hurry and he’ll come under massive pressure.
For the most part he had a free pass this season, especially against the big boys, but the fact we’re now getting the runaround from everyone we meet, be it the might of City or dross like BATE, is completely unacceptable.
Wenger’s teams used to go into flat track bully mode and rack up comprehensive victories against the shit sides, I honestly cannot see this side beating anyone comfortably, every game is a struggle.
The jury is well and truly out for me with Emery, worrying times.
I have defended Emery against the backdrop of what he inherited not just with players but maybe more worryingly with culture.
However team selection is something he can do something about. Maybe he felt that any eleven Arsenal put out should beat a Belarusian team in pre seadon training. Well the answer is they couldn't because they were uninspired, causaul and ill prepared. Regardless of the previous culture any manager should be able to pick and motivate an Arsenal team to beat an opposition like Bate.
His selection last night (or any night) of Cech is baffling. The man is a goal against waiting to happen. Leno isn't world class but surely with 14 league ganes left he should start in the only competition we have a hope of doing anything in and our only hope of Champions League football and some sort of cash injection. .
I would give Emery until the end of the Summer transfer window . I am as keen to see what he moves out of the club as much as what he brings in.
I would give Emery until the end of the Summer transfer window . I am as keen to see what he moves out of the club as much as what he brings in.
Now that we farcically have no head recruitment again and judging by the type of players we tried to sign in January who all had a sniff of Emery off them (not to mention the dud we ended up with - thank fuck he’s just on loan, no wonder Barca were so desperate to make the purchase mandatory) then I’d be extremely worried about handing over any transfer budget to Emery.
Insane to think that after all the shit we suffered through with Wenger we’ve given total control on transfers to the very next manager in the door.
we have clearly had major injury problems recently, especially in defence.
the problem appears to be in midfield. Ramsey has been let go on a free - unforgivable
the Ozil situation is ridiculous - I know Emery inherited the problem but his handling of it seems to get worse by the week.
all this leaves Iwobi as our main creative threat
if over 2 legs we get knocked out by this lot then big questions will have to be asked of Emery, although the main problem is Kroenke I'm afraid. basically we are not going to get a better manager than Emery so we might as well stick with him.
People have said Emery should have picked the strongest team, for me that's just an excuse. Even if we put out a team of kids against BATE we should have won.
There was more than enough talent on the pitch to get the job done. The problem once again lies with the defence, we don't have the ability to keep a clean sheet against any team. The jittery defence puts more pressure on the midfield and the attack, then there are the likes of Xhaka who has never been good enough to wear an Arsenal shirt. Yet AFTV cream themselves over him.
I am still behind Emery, with Holding and Sokratis fit and Zech Medley fulfilling his potential there is hope. Mustafi can just fuck off this summer.
It has to be said that any manager is entitled to be given a couple of years to sort out major weaknesses he has inherited - in our case, the defence
(exhibit A: Jurgen Klopp). It also has to be said that Wenger was never the only problem. My view is that he was the key symptom of the problem: getting rid of him was absolutely necessary, but it was never going to be remotely sufficient. While we have an foreign owner who is not willing to fund us so that we can compete with the best in Europe, it doesn't matter who the manager is. In fact, the question is academic as we won't attract the type of manager capable of enabling us to compete in the modern era.
Having said all of that, Emery is not impressing. The Ozil situation is frankly ridiculous. It isn't Dick's fault that he was put on such an obscene contract by the previous regime, but if he quickly decided Ozil wasn't going to do the job he needed he should have shipped him out in January, perhaps initially on loan, to get him off our wage bill. His early signings - with the exception of Torreira - have not inspired confidence: Lichtensteiner, Leno, Gendouzi, Dennis Suarez. None of them would feature as more than occasional or back-up players in squads with genuine ambition. He needs to sign A-listers.
He has to be given until the end of this season, but the jury is out on whether he should stay longer. The question is, of course, whether we could attract a replacement who has what it takes to put us back at the very top table while Kronke is at the helm. My first choice, by a country mile, remains Diego Simeone: an absolute fit for the Arsenal tradition in terms of prioritising a rock-solid defence.
it is all right saying that we should be signing A Listers but who realistically would a) want to come to Arsenal right now and b) could we actually afford ?
It is much easier these days to strengthen whilst in the Champions League.
Wenger had TWENTY years in it, and yet look at the state of the squad he left behind
This combined with Kroenke not being bothered means that this club is going nowhere fast, potentially for years and years.
People have said Emery should have picked the strongest team, for me that's just an excuse. Even if we put out a team of kids against BATE we should have won.
There was more than enough talent on the pitch to get the job done. The problem once again lies with the defence, we don't have the ability to keep a clean sheet against any team. The jittery defence puts more pressure on the midfield and the attack, then there are the likes of Xhaka who has never been good enough to wear an Arsenal shirt. Yet AFTV cream themselves over him.
I am still behind Emery, with Holding and Sokratis fit and Zech Medley fulfilling his potential there is hope. Mustafi can just fuck off this summer.
The defence is garbage and not keeping a clean sheet is disappointing, but ultimately we conceded one goal from (generously) two or three chances.
The bigger issue yesterday was that we managed to register three shots on target and looked completely unable to trouble their defence in the last half hour.
I’m starting to become seriously concerned about Emery now. The 22 game unbeaten run at the beginning of the season masked over a lot of the cracks. We weren’t playing well but we were winning games and people were willing to let the fact that we were playing poorly slide because we were nicking results and picking up points.
Nobody is under any illusion about the size of the job any new manager would have to do after the shit show left behind by Wenger but what’s gone on over the past few months has been unacceptable.
I don’t know what style of football he’s trying to get us to play, I don’t see a plan, I’m seeing zero improvement, if anything we’re getting worse, and he seems completely incapable of doing anything to rectify it.
The jury is well and truly out for me with Emery, worrying times.
This 100%. I said during 'the run' that our football was frequently dubious and that the infamous high press was virtually non existent but as you say results and a shite media masked the truth. You'd have to be blind to think that a lot of the crap being written about us was true.
Don't get me wrong, the task facing Emery is huge and I'm not sure which of the big name managers could do much better with the shit situation he took on so maybe we are just going to have to face up to the fact that this is the sort of future we can expect under a wiggy Arsenal. I am split between wanting / expecting to see a sustainable improvement under Dick however look at some of the dross he has inherited from TOF and wonder wtf he is supposed to do in under a season with them.
The thing with Dick that still worries me is that statement that he'd rather win 4 - 3 than 1 - 0........sorry but I don't think winning 1 - 0 is within his capability. Also the fact that he is so reluctant to play any of the kids coming through raises the question of whether they are actually up to it or has he decided to stick with some of the wenker players to make a point. The usual injuries haven't helped either. Interesting times ahead.
The thing is Jock, people (for the most part) are willing to let the defeats against the big boys slide at the moment, City x2, Chavs, Victims and United in the Cup. We don't like it but we understand the scale of the job he has and are prepared to write off most of those games - at least for the time being.
However the manager isn't going to be afforded that same luxury when it comes to the horror shows we've seen at West Ham, Southampton and BATE. He rightly should take pelters for those performances because they were completely unacceptable. Even in the victories against Cardiff and Huddersfield of late we were absolutely abysmal, dire turgid football and were bossed in both games by relegation fodder.
Nobody expected us to be challenging the big guns for the league this season but nobody expected us to be getting the run-around from the dross either. We have no playing style, no identity, aren't improving and showing no signs of learning from past mistakes. Will things get any better?
The thing is Jock, people (for the most part) are willing to let the defeats against the big boys slide at the moment, City x2, Chavs, Victims and United in the Cup. We don't like it but we understand the scale of the job he has and are prepared to write off most of those games - at least for the time being.
However the manager isn't going to be afforded that same luxury when it comes to the horror shows we've seen at West Ham, Southampton and BATE. He rightly should take pelters for those performances because they were completely unacceptable. Even in the victories against Cardiff and Huddersfield of late we were absolutely abysmal, dire turgid football and were bossed in both games by relegation fodder.
Nobody expected us to be challenging the big guns for the league this season but nobody expected us to be getting the run-around from the dross either. We have no playing style, no identity, aren't improving and showing no signs of learning from past mistakes. Will things get any better?
I agree that the lack of identity under Dick is disappointing and would like to have seen something develop that we could point to. I remember when he was appointed, somebody (Gazidis?) said that they were impressed with Dick's knowledge of the squad / set up. Really?? I don't think Dick had a clue what he was getting himself into with the shitfest left behind by TOF.
I do think it is a nigh on impossible job and now that we are seeing the money position crystalise under wiggy there is no danger of an Allegri status manager getting involved with us given the financial constraints they would have to work under. That means unless you want a foreign no mark or an Eddie Howe coming in as manager we are going to stick with Dick(!) for a bit longer. As I just said on a different thread the 2 year opt out clause may yet come into play if things don't start to improve by then but will wiggy give two shits if we finish 6th anyway.
Sorry mate I can't answer your last question as I really don't know. #stickwithdick / #stuckwithdick
Simply put i'm struggling to see improvement anywhere, at least for the last 4-6 weeks, we seem to be regressing.
All i wanted was to see stability and an improved defence, neither of which have happened. I know he's had to chop and change at the back due to injury but look at the number of changes he's made this season, i'm sure its something like 28 changes in the league alone.... that does not provide stability, it doesn't allow players to gain confidence or understanding of each other in match situations.
SteveO made the point that numerically in terms of points we're better off this season which is a fair point but our goals conceded is woeful for a team which supposedly strengthened its spine, the other issue with looking purely at points is that both Chelsea and Man U have had their own issues this season, Moanhinio and Sarri were/are cutting of their noses to spite their faces at times, so we've benefitted from poor performances from those teams to keep us in a position to challenge for 'magical' 4th spot, i'm not sure if either of those teams was playing consistently since the start of the season we'd still be in touching distance of 4th.
Just on the goals point we've actually only scored 6 less than the Victims and 1 less than the Spuds, but we've conceded 22 more than the Victims and 12 more than those Middlesex wankers just in the league, that's fucking shocking
