Aston Villa Vulvas Sat 6th Feb KO 1230

[SteveO 35]

Well that’s the weekend well and truly fucked then isn’t it. My advice? Have a go on the cans and then have a go on the missus.

18th Feb Rodders - put the weekends aside mate, and look forward to some cup football to break the gloom!

Only 12 days mate......only 12 days

[goonersid]

The days of my whole weekend being ruined by an Arsenal loss are gone Rodders.

Same here Northbank, my missus would come back from town on Saturday and know by my mood if we'd won or lost, stopped feeling like that years ago, she couldnt even tell now if we'd been playing.
Probably the Birmingham game when Eduardo had his leg injury, was last time I can remember feeling like that.
Now, Monday mornings in work are great, laughing at whoever lost at the weekend, lads huffing like children, (gooners included), whilst I couldn't give a fuck.
I still want us to win, the mousers and sperz to lose, but it matters even less now with empty stadia, and tbh? it's a much healthier way to be.

[TeeCee]

My preferred team with everyone fit would be

............................Leno
Cedric......Gabriel.......Mari........Tierney
...........................Partey...........................
...........ESR..............Odegaard.............Saka
.....................Martinelli........PEA


I know that’s attacking but it would put the opposition under a massive threat. Against the top teams I’d drop Odegaard or ESR for another negative shit midfielder like Elnanny for more protection.
Fuck this ‘playing with two wingers’ bollox that Arteta does every single game, predictable and it does not work. We need more presence up front.

[John F]

Saliba is Nice player of the month.

Gooner even if Tierney had played which would have definitely improved us i'm not sure that gives us a blanced team, we still have Bellerin, Xhaka and Pepe with their obvious deficiencies, Partey who blows hot and cold and Holding and Gabriel at CB who are inconsistent. There is currently no obvious replacement for Xhaka in the role he plays, Pepe could be replaced by Martinelli or Auba and Bellerin by Cedric but i am not sure he is an upgrade but even then you are looking at serious problems with who you put on the bench as potential game changers or players you trust to see the game out. Our squad is short on good solid replacements and there is no quality in specific positions in the first place

That's exactly as I see it mate. Tierney improves us by a long way but it doesn't correct any of those other deficiencies that you've highlighted. We haven't had a decent right back since Sagna left. Bellerin is a converted winger that pre-injury had bags of pace to get him out of trouble, That long since disappeared and has never been put right by any of the last three permanent managers. Everyone's gone nuts about Gabriel but its early days and I don't think he's looked the same since COVID - understandably so. Even if he does make a full recover, who is the natural partner? Luiz? Holding? Neither are good enough for me.

Partey still has to prove it and we all hope (and think) that he will, but none of the three to partner him are good enough.

Up front I still think Lacazette blows hot and cold - he's almost like Giroud in that he has a run of games where he looks like he's turned the corner, but can have a dozen games where he looks woeful. Something has gone off in Auba's head and Nketiah will never be good enough

When you look at it that way, I think there's at least four positions 'missing' that mean even with everyone fit, its not a balanced team

Maybe Saliba for the back line if he was trusted by Arteta .He has just won the player of the month at Nice.

[SteveO 35]

Saliba is Nice player of the month.

Gooner even if Tierney had played which would have definitely improved us i'm not sure that gives us a blanced team, we still have Bellerin, Xhaka and Pepe with their obvious deficiencies, Partey who blows hot and cold and Holding and Gabriel at CB who are inconsistent. There is currently no obvious replacement for Xhaka in the role he plays, Pepe could be replaced by Martinelli or Auba and Bellerin by Cedric but i am not sure he is an upgrade but even then you are looking at serious problems with who you put on the bench as potential game changers or players you trust to see the game out. Our squad is short on good solid replacements and there is no quality in specific positions in the first place

That's exactly as I see it mate. Tierney improves us by a long way but it doesn't correct any of those other deficiencies that you've highlighted. We haven't had a decent right back since Sagna left. Bellerin is a converted winger that pre-injury had bags of pace to get him out of trouble, That long since disappeared and has never been put right by any of the last three permanent managers. Everyone's gone nuts about Gabriel but its early days and I don't think he's looked the same since COVID - understandably so. Even if he does make a full recover, who is the natural partner? Luiz? Holding? Neither are good enough for me.

Partey still has to prove it and we all hope (and think) that he will, but none of the three to partner him are good enough.

Up front I still think Lacazette blows hot and cold - he's almost like Giroud in that he has a run of games where he looks like he's turned the corner, but can have a dozen games where he looks woeful. Something has gone off in Auba's head and Nketiah will never be good enough

When you look at it that way, I think there's at least four positions 'missing' that mean even with everyone fit, its not a balanced team

Maybe Saliba for the back line if he was trusted by Arteta .He has just won the player of the month at Nice.

Yeah I saw that. Best not say anything though......there's a few sensitive souls round these parts who took great delight in him having a poor first 17 minutes of his debut!

[GoonerMuzz]

Thats an interesting line up TeeCee but the problem still remains cover in crucial positions or game changers from the bench, and that is why i have maintained we are weak as a squad. When we get injuries or even knocks during games my heart sinks when i look at the bench, add in Arteta's woeful in game management and against teams like Villa who are actually pretty average and then the better teams if the starters cant do it it is unlikely the bench can

Just one quick addition to that, when we are putting a loanee who has barely played yet in our starting line and talking about someone, Saliba, who we have not even seen yet in a competitive match, potentially in the team that really proves the point about how weak we are as a squad.

[rodders999]

Well that’s the weekend well and truly fucked then isn’t it. My advice? Have a go on the cans and then have a go on the missus.

18th Feb Rodders - put the weekends aside mate, and look forward to some cup football to break the gloom!

Only 12 days mate......only 12 days

Ha ha great minds and all that. I was watching the first half of the rugger there (don’t judge ) and in desperately trying to console myself my mind turned to the Benfica game.

Genuinely excited for that one although the prospect of getting fingered as soon as we face anyone half decent is slightly taking the gloss of it for me.

[SteveO 35]

Well that’s the weekend well and truly fucked then isn’t it. My advice? Have a go on the cans and then have a go on the missus.

18th Feb Rodders - put the weekends aside mate, and look forward to some cup football to break the gloom!

Only 12 days mate......only 12 days

Ha ha great minds and all that. I was watching the first half of the rugger there (don’t judge ) and in desperately trying to console myself my mind turned to the Benfica game.

Genuinely excited for that one although the prospect of getting fingered as soon as we face anyone half decent is slightly taking the gloss of it for me.

Well, I hope that those teams left in it who have a chance of qualifying for the CL through their respective leagues continue to treat it with a bit of disdain and rest players. I doubt Man Ure will go full tilt at it, nor Leicester. The vermin? Fuck them - they're shite anyway.

If you then look at the only teams that can win it (and they can only be found in Spain, Germany or Italy) then Sociedad play Man Ure, so one of them get fucked off next up. Wolfsberg play the vermin - ditto. Leverkusen are top 4 in Germany so may rotate, Milan are 2nd in Italy, Roma 4th, Napoli 5th with games in hand

I won't go in to detail about Villareal

I think teams will continue to show it a lack of respect until the QF, maybe even the SF stage, if their league campaigns are going well. We on the other hand should go at it full tilt

Maybe, just maybe, he can rekindle the FA Cup form of last season when it matters most. There's a chance - unlike the league which is fucked. We won't go down, we won't finish top 7.......so its all on this now

[rodders999]

Fucking hell don’t even go there man, if we get knocked out by Villarreal Host Gator will feast on this forum’s arsehole for a month

[SteveO 35]

Fucking hell don’t even go there man, if we get knocked out by Villarreal Host Gator will feast on this forum’s arsehole for a month

I promise I won't say anything

[Midz]

There's only one Host Gator!!

[rodders999]

Fucking hell don’t even go there man, if we get knocked out by Villarreal Host Gator will feast on this forum’s arsehole for a month

I promise I won't say anything

I won’t be fucking here to find out

[Redarmy]

Arteta talking after todays game........

“Really strong performance again today we completely dominated the game, we dominated every department and we should have won the game"

[Herd]

I'm beginning to think that Arsene Wenger is a shape shifter and has kidnapped Mikel Arteta, and has made a clone of his body and is back to haunt us ,watch him closely in case the mask slips !

[OneBardGooner]

I'm beginning to think that Arsene Wenger is a shape shifter and has kidnapped Mikel Arteta, and has made a clone of his body and is back to haunt us ,watch him closely in case the mask slips !

You might be right Herd mate, Arteta's face hardly moves....

SPOOOOOKEY!!!!