QPR

[Clash]

I keep hearing that winning was all that mattered yesterday. That we were desperate for the 3 points.

Arseblogger posed the question: Can this Arsenal team scrap out a win when they really need one? ‘’And yes, yes they did’’, he said triumphantly!

The question I would pose is: Why was that a win we REALLY needed?

Those 3 points are 3 points towards what exactly?

We’re not gonna win the title or even compete for the title. So what’s the importance of the 3 points?

The only possible answer is so we get top 4.

Having seen for several years now that getting top 4 doesn’t result in any progress being made, that is doesn’t result in us keeping our best players, or that it doesn’t help us to attract top players ... I can no longer see any reason to be desperate for this to continue.

All getting top 4 results in is the club patting itself on the back for their ‘’remarkable overachievement compared to how much they spend’’ and the odious Wenger smugly proclaiming it as winning a trophy.

And then the repetitive and pointless cycle begins all over again for another season!

Saying we were desperate for 3 points is delusional in my opinion because it is trying to give our games some importance where they don’t have any.

In fact our whole existence as a football club has been rendered virtually meaningless by this current regime. It will stay that way while they remain in charge.

After well over 30 years of supporting Arsenal I hate saying that. And I resent and detest every one of those bastards at the club for making me think like that. But I no longer see any point denying it.

[mcdowell42]

Spot on clash,when i heard him say the other day tht top 4 was a trophy i nearly got sick and for him to say that the priority is the PL then the CL that made me laugh,we are never going to win either of those while hes in charge so therefore every season our main target is the money created BY being in the CL =top 4.Ive said it b4 and ill keep on saying it 15/16 years in the CL and the best we have done is 1 final and 1 semi-final an absoulute disgraceful record,but some on here think this is acceptable.I know it wont be long b4 the wenger apologists on here,come out with the usual bullshit about how other clubs would like to be in our position

[SteveO 35]

I keep hearing that winning was all that mattered yesterday. That we were desperate for the 3 points.

To a small degree I know what they mean - lets be honest winning is pretty much all that matters. We've been quick to praise winning football played by Mourinho and others when the style of victory has been dour, and I would rather win an ugly 1-0 than have some patronising *word censored* tell me what good football we've played when we've been beaten 3-2

But you're right about the 'desperate for the 3 points' bit. Any remote hope of winning the title disappeared when the Chavs beat us at the Bowl for another year. 10 points might as well be 20 points because we have no hope of catching them with this squad. So, yes, the 'desperate' bit can only be in pursuit of Wenger's virtual 4th placed trophy which gains us entry into a competition we haven't a prayer of winning for another season.

When we scraped into 4th place on the last ever day at Highbury I celebrated like mad because we still had some fantastic players in the squad and couldn't imagine life without CL football. After all, we got to the final that year and then faced the prospect of missing out altogether the following year. Now I just feel like its an excuse for the club to pocket another £25m the following year and keep raising ticket prices. We all know that just qualifying for the bloody thing isn't enough to keep your best players otherwise Nasri, Fabregas, RvP and countless others would still be here. Unless you're a) either a tiny club like APOEL who qualify for it once in a blue moon and make a life changing amount of money from it or b) genuinely interested in winning the thing, it just doesn't serve any purpose, and yet we're still expected to knock ourselves bandy when we scrape into the thing

[Clash]

Spot on clash,when i heard him say the other day tht top 4 was a trophy i nearly got sick and for him to say that the priority is the PL then the CL that made me laugh,we are never going to win either of those while hes in charge so therefore every season our main target is the money created BY being in the CL =top 4.Ive said it b4 and ill keep on saying it 15/16 years in the CL and the best we have done is 1 final and 1 semi-final an absoulute disgraceful record,but some on here think this is acceptable.I know it wont be long b4 the wenger apologists on here,come out with the usual bullshit about how other clubs would like to be in our position

Totally agree with that mate. Qualiying for the CL is only half the story. The half we dont hear enough about is Wengers abject failure in the competition.

As you say, it is a disgraceful record. Especially when you consider the quality he had at his disposal in the first few years he was in it.

[burg hohenzollern]

Completely agree with the remark by Clash about the whole cycle being a total exercise in futility. Unfortunately, for the smarmy Kroenke and the equally Odious Gazidis, the greed of the extra income is the driving force. I am not sure that NOT qualifiyng for the CL next year would be a bad thing. It may be just the kick up the a**e the whole disgusting lot of them need.

[UTU The Arsenal]

Watched the game on Online, we really struggled against a poor side. 3 Points get us above sp*rs

I agree with Clash and the others, The Arsenal are not serious about winning the Champion Leauge or any other trophies.

The Arsenal are no longer a Top Club and won't be untill 'Regime Change' takes place and the players will still recieve their Fat Salaries regardless of what happens on the pitch, why should they be motivated

I was with the BSM protesting at the AGM. Hill Wood's distain for the Shareholders and Fans,along with Wenger's comments about 4th place being a trophy sums up the current regime, they see our Football club as a means of extracting wealth from the club's supporters and then thanking 'US' for taking an interest in their affairs

[mcdowell42]

Spot on clash,when i heard him say the other day tht top 4 was a trophy i nearly got sick and for him to say that the priority is the PL then the CL that made me laugh,we are never going to win either of those while hes in charge so therefore every season our main target is the money created BY being in the CL =top 4.Ive said it b4 and ill keep on saying it 15/16 years in the CL and the best we have done is 1 final and 1 semi-final an absoulute disgraceful record,but some on here think this is acceptable.I know it wont be long b4 the wenger apologists on here,come out with the usual bullshit about how other clubs would like to be in our position

Totally agree with that mate. Qualiying for the CL is only half the story. The half we dont hear enough about is Wengers abject failure in the competition.

As you say, it is a disgraceful record. Especially when you consider the quality he had at his disposal in the first few years he was in it.

I thought we had a great chance in 2004( i think the year porto won it ) but we fucked up against chelsea at highbury when wayne bridge scored for them,who then went on to lose to monaco in the semi final.

[augie]

Dire performance, actually thought Jack's inclusion made it worse, seemed to unbalance the whole midfield and we only posed a threat when he was subbed.

I was totally shocked how much of a media boost Jack has got this morning (guess I shouldn't be, he is English...)
I can't wait for a fully fit Wilshere back in the team, Santi/Jack/Tets will be an awesome midfield 3,
but unsurprisingly, returning after over a year, Wilshere couldn't really get into the game.
He was constantly unavailable and seemed on a different wavelength to his team-mates.
He retained the ball well but in that role - between the other two midfielders - he has to always be an outball for either of the others.

I'm really glad he was back, delighted he didn't get injured, and feel he might be right to keep him passing selection pretty conservative. I'm also confident his movement will improve exponentially as he gets used to playing between Arteta and Cazorla instead of Song and Fabregas.

Worth mentioning we had a total absence of pace in behind till Walcott arrived - refinding the balance was IMO Theo arriving as much as Jack leaving.

Wont deny that he put in a couple of good crosses when brought on yesterday but watch the game again and notice that he done fcuk all else So many times we attacked down the right and he was nowhere to be found cos he had fcuked off into the middle - is he purposely going into the middle cos he wants to play there and to stick two fingers up at wenger ? Certainly he wasnt wide enough when needed and that doesnt bring balance to the side but he again gets the whole adulation bullshit like he is pele What I will also add though is that yesterday he brought pace into a team that had absolutely no pace - I have long advocated signing a striker like darren bent who would bring pace to the side and knows how to play the strikers position (as opposed to a guy that wants to play there but has never shown anything to suggest that he can do the job )

[Leyton Gooner]

I keep hearing that winning was all that mattered yesterday. That we were desperate for the 3 points.

Arseblogger posed the question: Can this Arsenal team scrap out a win when they really need one? ‘’And yes, yes they did’’, he said triumphantly!

The question I would pose is: Why was that a win we REALLY needed?

Those 3 points are 3 points towards what exactly?

We’re not gonna win the title or even compete for the title. So what’s the importance of the 3 points?

The only possible answer is so we get top 4.

Having seen for several years now that getting top 4 doesn’t result in any progress being made, that is doesn’t result in us keeping our best players, or that it doesn’t help us to attract top players ... I can no longer see any reason to be desperate for this to continue.

All getting top 4 results in is the club patting itself on the back for their ‘’remarkable overachievement compared to how much they spend’’ and the odious Wenger smugly proclaiming it as winning a trophy.

And then the repetitive and pointless cycle begins all over again for another season!

Saying we were desperate for 3 points is delusional in my opinion because it is trying to give our games some importance where they don’t have any.

In fact our whole existence as a football club has been rendered virtually meaningless by this current regime. It will stay that way while they remain in charge.

After well over 30 years of supporting Arsenal I hate saying that. And I resent and detest every one of those bastards at the club for making me think like that. But I no longer see any point denying it.

Nail on head for me. Which is why I can't get excited about any Arsenal game anymore. Even the wins against the chavs and the scum last year were tinged by the fact that they only went towards securing the mythical fourth place trophy.

[Eboue-Why?]

Dire performance, actually thought Jack's inclusion made it worse, seemed to unbalance the whole midfield and we only posed a threat when he was subbed.

I was totally shocked how much of a media boost Jack has got this morning (guess I shouldn't be, he is English...)
I can't wait for a fully fit Wilshere back in the team, Santi/Jack/Tets will be an awesome midfield 3,
but unsurprisingly, returning after over a year, Wilshere couldn't really get into the game.
He was constantly unavailable and seemed on a different wavelength to his team-mates.
He retained the ball well but in that role - between the other two midfielders - he has to always be an outball for either of the others.

I'm really glad he was back, delighted he didn't get injured, and feel he might be right to keep him passing selection pretty conservative. I'm also confident his movement will improve exponentially as he gets used to playing between Arteta and Cazorla instead of Song and Fabregas.

Worth mentioning we had a total absence of pace in behind till Walcott arrived - refinding the balance was IMO Theo arriving as much as Jack leaving.

Wont deny that he put in a couple of good crosses when brought on yesterday but watch the game again and notice that he done fcuk all else So many times we attacked down the right and he was nowhere to be found cos he had fcuked off into the middle - is he purposely going into the middle cos he wants to play there and to stick two fingers up at wenger ? Certainly he wasnt wide enough when needed and that doesnt bring balance to the side but he again gets the whole adulation bullshit like he is pele What I will also add though is that yesterday he brought pace into a team that had absolutely no pace - I have long advocated signing a striker like darren bent who would bring pace to the side and knows how to play the strikers position (as opposed to a guy that wants to play there but has never shown anything to suggest that he can do the job )

My ST is at the back in the corner of the North Bank so when Walcott plays I get a good view of his movement. All I would say in his defence is that he does make runs along the back line behind the fullback looking for the ball to be put through between the centre half and full back. It surprises me how often this isn't picked up by our midfield.
I'm still a firm believer that yesterday's game was a perfect example of when Wenger needs, for once, to try something different. Giroud wasn't having any real impact (header for the goal accepted!) so why not put Walcott down the middle? His crossing has improved but he is as much a natural winger as Santos is a full back. Knowing smug Wenger, I bet he'll refuse to ever try him there in case it works out and so his 'I've been in football 30 years and know more about it than you do' is firmly rammed back down his throat.

[highburyJD]

every team needs a win after 2 defeats whether you're top, mid or bottom of the table
we, just about, got it
not disagreeing with you about Walcott augie (some good crosses, not a lot else)
but just his pacey presence changes the game.
Yes, a quick striker would put the same doubt in defenders minds.

Always disagree with the, CL is pointless, argument.
Porto fluked it past ManUre (who had a good goal disallowed for offside, not quite the same without Riley and Webb)
and beat who else?
Lyon, Depor and Monaco... they were good sides then
but with the right draw anyone can win a cup

[mcdowell42]

every team needs a win after 2 defeats whether you're top, mid or bottom of the table
we, just about, got it
not disagreeing with you about Walcott augie (some good crosses, not a lot else)
but just his pacey presence changes the game.
Yes, a quick striker would put the same doubt in defenders minds.

Always disagree with the, CL is pointless, argument.
Porto fluked it past ManUre (who had a good goal disallowed for offside, not quite the same without Riley and Webb)
and beat who else?
Lyon, Depor and Monaco... they were good sides then
but with the right draw anyone can win a cup

We have to be the unluckiest team ever then in the CL

[highburyJD]

very unlucky v Liverpool and one of the Valencia defeats
apart from that think we basically got what we deserved

one point about QPR, we were shite - this is not an excuse for that
but HOW weak was the ref vis a vis 10 yards? Never seen anything like it.
Time after time he pace them out, QPR met him half way, he tried to usher them back
and when they ignored them he gave up?
Unbelievably bad reffing.

[hugh jardon]

I went yesterday, another frustrating performance - playing with only one up front (Giroud) at home against bottom of the league relegation fodder was infuriating and it was only when the fresh legs of Walcott and Arshavin were on the wings that we finally looked like scoring.

Another underpar performance so similar to many games last season where RVP was bailing us out, unfortunately someone else needs to step up to the goalscoring plate but nobody really seems capable.

Santos is the only full-back I have ever seen who hardly ever attacks the space on the touchline, everytime he gets the ball he looks to play a pass into the middle or run the ball back into the centre. Wide players (especially full-backs) have the opportunity to exploit the space on the wing but he continually played the ball back into the already clustered midfield! The one time he actually went down the outside led to the goal!

When Gervinho came on and was one on one with QPR right back Ferreira he too seemed reluctant to take him on and decided to pass the ball backwards or back into the middle. It's QPR for fuck's sake! He got injured and his replacement Arshavin did endeavour to get down the wing and put in a lovely cross for Giroud that lead to the goal.

One plus was the return of Jack, and he was our MOTM in my opinion. Also Sagna coming back is great news, although Jenkinson did nothing wrong in his absence, Sagna offers so much more.

A win is a win is a win... but the same old problems remain

[MutleyGooner]

I went yesterday. Train to Victoria was on time and a pleasant journey, well as pleasant as one can expect. Got to the underground only to find that my Oyster card top up had failed, looked at the queue and it was a mle long, ok not a mile but at least a hundred people. Walked outside and hailed a cab, £30 later I'm on the HR Few beers in Phibbers and then time to head to the stadium via the offey, sadly queued up to be told that they coudnt sell me a bottle of Brandy as it came in a glass bottle No worries, the shop under the arches would sort me and they did, thank fuck some people In this country seize the opportunity. Into the ground, cup of coffee quickly loaded with the afore mentioned contraband and all was right with the world. Block 30 wasn't the liveliest but I have sat in worse, thanks to the tourist that asked me to take his picture, I'm sure he has a new view on life, that's assuming his eyesight has come back. Thanks to the steward for turning a blind eye to me drinking contraband. I had a good day but the football was shit, Arsenal didn't let me down.