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.
In fairness to Sokratis apart from getting overlapped a couple of times he did ok there and offered more fight and grit than any RB since Dicko.
Tbh it looked to me like he was playing a flexible back 3 that could shift one player over to become a 4 with cover for the backs depending on which side we were attacking or defending. Kind of a little bit like the flexibility GG used to do where Bouldy or TA6 and the other full back would all move over one place to help out Dicko or Nutty as required.
Also not having the work rate of Torreira in front of the defence would dictate how they position themselves.
That's harsh on Lauren
Honestly after I posted it I meant to go back in and name check Ralph. I expected augie to pull me up on that one tbh as I seem to recall he is/was a fan of Ralphs?
But yeah good call. Ralph was quality for a good while and hard as nails too.
Absolutely love his face when he pushed that donkeyfaced *word censored* at old Trafford
We have some real mong JCL fans that still complain about being embarrassed by our players actions that day. I was fucking proud of them and overjoyed and actually enjoyed the jostle at the end more than the match!
I have a framed high definition photo of Keown in the air over VanLongFace on my office wall at home. Arms outstretched like wings he looks like a particularly ugly evil vampire swooping. That was a team that could play and could fight for the right to play too.
I miss those days badly. I was so proud of the team that day with the way they fought for each other and took no shit.
I fondly tell my 15 year old nephew about that day on many an occasion.
I'd imagine something popped up in training that made him decide to change it slightly to accomodate the players that he would be starting with. For me (if that is what happened) that's a huge positive. Wenger and Dick (to a lesser extent) were obsessed with wedging players into a system that many of the players were not suited to. A pragmatic manager looks at the players he has and picks the system / formation to get the best he can out of the players rather than rigidly sticking to a system and forcing players into it regardless of their ability to play in that system.
Like sticking Sokratis at right back for example.
I’m not sure there was any change in our formation/system tbh
In fairness to Sokratis apart from getting overlapped a couple of times he did ok there and offered more fight and grit than any RB since Dicko.
Tbh it looked to me like he was playing a flexible back 3 that could shift one player over to become a 4 with cover for the backs depending on which side we were attacking or defending. Kind of a little bit like the flexibility GG used to do where Bouldy or TA6 and the other full back would all move over one place to help out Dicko or Nutty as required.
Also not having the work rate of Torreira in front of the defence would dictate how they position themselves.
That's harsh on Lauren
Honestly after I posted it I meant to go back in and name check Ralph. I expected augie to pull me up on that one tbh as I seem to recall he is/was a fan of Ralphs?
But yeah good call. Ralph was quality for a good while and hard as nails too.
Indeed , you didn't mess with Ralph and if it kicked off you could be sure he would be straight in there.
In fairness to Sokratis apart from getting overlapped a couple of times he did ok there and offered more fight and grit than any RB since Dicko.
Tbh it looked to me like he was playing a flexible back 3 that could shift one player over to become a 4 with cover for the backs depending on which side we were attacking or defending. Kind of a little bit like the flexibility GG used to do where Bouldy or TA6 and the other full back would all move over one place to help out Dicko or Nutty as required.
Also not having the work rate of Torreira in front of the defence would dictate how they position themselves.
That's harsh on Lauren
Honestly after I posted it I meant to go back in and name check Ralph. I expected augie to pull me up on that one tbh as I seem to recall he is/was a fan of Ralphs?
But yeah good call. Ralph was quality for a good while and hard as nails too.
Absolutely love his face when he pushed that donkeyfaced *word censored* at old Trafford
We have some real mong JCL fans that still complain about being embarrassed by our players actions that day. I was fucking proud of them and overjoyed and actually enjoyed the jostle at the end more than the match!
I have a framed high definition photo of Keown in the air over VanLongFace on my office wall at home. Arms outstretched like wings he looks like a particularly ugly evil vampire swooping. That was a team that could play and could fight for the right to play too.
You’ve always loved a good “jostle” haven’t you
I assumed it was only Rodders who posted about enjoying the jostle at the end more than the match.
Well I really wanted Ancelotti to be honest, but I am very happy to be proven wrong by Mikel. So far the team has looked good, or at least as good as it did under Wenger, with one key difference - PRESSING!
And he's so pleased with himself.....pissed a lot of fans off is what he's done. What is it with these managers and this awful, awful player??? I never saw the Leeds game but I was told even the commentary team were calling him out. Well done Mikel, don't expect any thanks from us......how long before you give him the captains armband back????
And he's so pleased with himself.....pissed a lot of fans off is what he's done. What is it with these managers and this awful, awful player??? I never saw the Leeds game but I was told even the commentary team were calling him out. Well done Mikel, don't expect any thanks from us......how long before you give him the captains armband back????
Jesus. I just don't get it. And it's true the commentators were (rightly) slating his stupidity and ineptness continually during the Leeds game. What the hell have these managers seen that literally no one else in the game can see?
I go with my Theory B: he can suck start a jumbo jet through a hundred yards of garden hose.
Honestly after I posted it I meant to go back in and name check Ralph. I expected augie to pull me up on that one tbh as I seem to recall he is/was a fan of Ralphs?
But yeah good call. Ralph was quality for a good while and hard as nails too.
Absolutely love his face when he pushed that donkeyfaced *word censored* at old Trafford
We have some real mong JCL fans that still complain about being embarrassed by our players actions that day. I was fucking proud of them and overjoyed and actually enjoyed the jostle at the end more than the match!
I have a framed high definition photo of Keown in the air over VanLongFace on my office wall at home. Arms outstretched like wings he looks like a particularly ugly evil vampire swooping. That was a team that could play and could fight for the right to play too.
You’ve always loved a good “jostle” haven’t you
I assumed it was only Rodders who posted about enjoying the jostle at the end more than the match.
And he's so pleased with himself.....pissed a lot of fans off is what he's done. What is it with these managers and this awful, awful player??? I never saw the Leeds game but I was told even the commentary team were calling him out. Well done Mikel, don't expect any thanks from us......how long before you give him the captains armband back????
And the arrogant cock is proudly boasting that it was he that convinced xhaka to stay If that is the way he wants to go, then he should remember that the backlash from his shit performances will also come his way, and that will be the rock upon which he will perish.
I read an awful lot of bollox on here that suggested that arteta would automatically bring pep's skills with him after working under him for a few seasons, well he certainly hasn't brought the ruthless ba.stard skills with him All I am reading is all this "i put my arm around him" bollox - he is an experienced 27 year old who is captain of his country, and this arrogant cock is going all touchy feely with him
I said all along that I would give arteta a chance to prove himself but there were a few points that were non-negotiable for me, and getting that useless swiss/albanian c.unt out the door was one of those points
In fairness to Sokratis apart from getting overlapped a couple of times he did ok there and offered more fight and grit than any RB since Dicko.
Tbh it looked to me like he was playing a flexible back 3 that could shift one player over to become a 4 with cover for the backs depending on which side we were attacking or defending. Kind of a little bit like the flexibility GG used to do where Bouldy or TA6 and the other full back would all move over one place to help out Dicko or Nutty as required.
Also not having the work rate of Torreira in front of the defence would dictate how they position themselves.
That's harsh on Lauren
Honestly after I posted it I meant to go back in and name check Ralph. I expected augie to pull me up on that one tbh as I seem to recall he is/was a fan of Ralphs?
But yeah good call. Ralph was quality for a good while and hard as nails too.
Absolutely love his face when he pushed that donkeyfaced *word censored* at old Trafford
We have some real mong JCL fans that still complain about being embarrassed by our players actions that day. I was fucking proud of them and overjoyed and actually enjoyed the jostle at the end more than the match!
I have a framed high definition photo of Keown in the air over VanLongFace on my office wall at home. Arms outstretched like wings he looks like a particularly ugly evil vampire swooping. That was a team that could play and could fight for the right to play too.
My cousin also had a massive framed photo of that. Tremendous. Keown at his highest point peering over the cheat whilst he snivelled and shit himself.
And he's so pleased with himself.....pissed a lot of fans off is what he's done. What is it with these managers and this awful, awful player??? I never saw the Leeds game but I was told even the commentary team were calling him out. Well done Mikel, don't expect any thanks from us......how long before you give him the captains armband back????
I wouldn't lose my shit about Xhaka not been binned off in January, however if he's still here after the summer by all means go off on one (I most certainly will).
As I said before what I think has happened is the transfer to Berlin was all but done and the only bit of business we planned to do in January was buy a central midfielder to replace him.
Chambers going down has scuppered all that and now the priority is a center back (especially as Holding also looks like he's still well off the pace). I suspect Arteta has spoken with Xhaka and persuaded him to stay for the rest of the season and that he can then leave in the summer with the club's blessing.
Of course the reason that we can't do both bits of business in this window is two fold - 1. it's harder to attract the players you want in January and 2 - the most important reason - we spunked most of this year's transfer budget up against the wall last summer and have only had a catastrophic season to show for it.
I wouldn't lose my shit about Xhaka not been binned off in January, however if he's still here after the summer by all means go off on one (I most certainly will).
As I said before what I think has happened is the transfer to Berlin was all but done and the only bit of business we planned to do in January was buy a central midfielder to replace him.
Chambers going down has scuppered all that and now the priority is a center back (especially as Holding also looks like he's still well off the pace). I suspect Arteta has spoken with Xhaka and persuaded him to stay for the rest of the season and that he can then leave in the summer with the club's blessing.
Of course the reason that we can't do both bits of business in this window is two fold - 1. it's harder to attract the players you want in January and 2 - the most important reason - we spunked most of this year's transfer budget up against the wall last summer and have only had a catastrophic season to show for it.
I dunno about that.....if he really wants to leave and somebody came in for him, he would have gone. Why do Xhaka, and the club for that matter, think anybody is going to come back for him in the summer?? No one was queuing up for Ozil and we got stuck with him and no one is going to be queuing up for Xhaka. In fact the more he plays the more his stock will drop.
What annoys me about Arteta is that he is so pleased with himself, like he's pulled off a great rescue act and that the fans are going to be thrilled......whereas the general feeling is incredulous disbelief.
Why do Xhaka, and the club for that matter, think anybody is going to come back for him in the summer??
Just my opinion mind, but I reckon the Hertha Berlin transfer which was mooted for January has now already been agreed for the summer. I can't really see another explanation for such a turnaround and the Chambers injury is the reason why.
Why do Xhaka, and the club for that matter, think anybody is going to come back for him in the summer??
Just my opinion mind, but I reckon the Hertha Berlin transfer which was mooted for January has now already been agreed for the summer. I can't really see another explanation for such a turnaround and the Chambers injury is the reason why.
I think you may well be onto something there Rodders ole Chap.