Man City Away

[1989]

All I wanna say is that Per Mertesacker is a fucking legend and should be our captain.

Good night.

[SteveO 35]

Nice to see all the turncoats retreating back into their shells. So it was a quirk of the fixture list overall then......what a shock

[dPmunky]

All I wanna say is that Per Mertesacker is a fucking legend and should be our captain.

Good night.

we need that kind of leadership in the locker room, i hope there is video somewhere

[TeeCee]

I don't think we've played that well recently at all. Is it a coincidence that Ramsey goes off the boil and our results suffer a bit? Are we where we are primarily because rambo had such an amazing start to the season? Wilshere looks a shadow of the player we know he can be, Ozil looks like he's up for some games and not others and Arteta just isn't good enough full stop. We're still in the same position as ever IMO, three world class players away from being genuine challengers. But of course Wonga has made his one big signing of this decade so don't get your hopes up of any more.
At least we'll have NoGo in the squad for a game in February sometime.......

[northbank123]

I re-watched that second half and at 3-1 down we had 2 clear chances to score and a clear penalty opportunity before Theo scored a fantastic second. Include giroud scuffed cross to theo who wouldve had a tap in, and his offside goal, in that 15 minute period when we dominated we should have been at least 4-3 up before their 5th goal. Everyone looks at the defence but poor finishing and general attacking play by giroud cost us a win. Bendtner scored a good goal, clearly level and onside. City were dynamic but had we had a world class striker we would've done them.

Wenger's frustration at giroud was visible and if he wants to land this title he needs to land a world class striker of which, in my book there are only two that are available to play in the champions league as well...Suarez and Radamal Falcao.

As soon as we scored the 2nd to get us back into the game we sat back and waited for them to come onto us and inevitably score quickly. The same would have happened had we scored the first chance at 3-1 and regardless of who we had playing.

Fuck we could have got back into the game 7 times and they'd have scored 10, the way we played and reacted to goals we could never have won that game.

[Henry Norris 1913]

All I wanna say is that Per Mertesacker is a fucking legend and should be our captain.

Good night.

but koscielny is the best defender in the league

[northbank123]

The moment that summed up our approach to these sorts of matches for me was in the first half when Kompany didn't even hesitate to push forward and intercept a pass to our centre-forward 15 yards inside our half before taking the ball past one of our players. What does it say about the threat we posed that their centre-half had no worries about what would happen if he failed to make the interception or lost the ball that high up the pitch?

Don't worry though because we played well for 10 minutes when we were 2 goals down (until we got back in the game and then had to make sure we were back out of it as quickly as possible).

[augie]

That ozil incident at the end of the game is really winding me up as is henry's reaction to it last night. If henry doesnt want to lambast ozil publicly then thats fine but there is more than one way to do it and all he had to do was say something along the lines of how "ozil should have gone to the fans but was disappointed and acted in an unusual way for him and he has already apologised for it" - to say that it was a nothing incident winds me right up and is disrespectful to the fans who supported the team for 90+ minutes and deserved better

I know that some on here are pointing to the subbing of flamoney as pivotal as it left our back 4 totally exposed but do these fans realise that we had already conceded 4 of the 6 goals by that time ? Where was the protection when he was on the pitch ? It is laughable that several on this thread have pointed to the fact that, in their opinion, arteta is not good enough.......he never even played in this game I will put my life on it that had he of being playing yesterday he would have sat in front of the back 4 instead of making hollywood runs up the pitch like our supposed DM

The substitutions yesterday, had another manager have made them, would have been totally baffling but because it was wenker it was par for the course If taking off flamoney was a signal that we were going all out then why didnt he bring on bendtner to play alongside giroud and go 2 up top ? Is ozil above being subbed ? A player playing badly is acceptable but a player hiding and not bothering is totally unacceptable imo. I have argued that ozil and cazorla cannot play together and I still believe that, but yesterday, as early as half time, wenker should have subbed ozil for cazorla and let the little spaniard show his magic - what must santi being thinking right now cos he didnt even get a game in our biggest game of the season, even though his replacement was diabolical

Am really really concerned that yesterdays result will lead to a catastrophic decision this week......wenker will sign his new deal In my opinion the people running our club are so out of touch with reality that they will really believe that announcing a deal next week will lift the spirits after yesterday and that the fans will view it as an early xmas present

[northbank123]

Ozil does a lot of subtle but important work that benefits the team in attack - how often does he pick up the ball in a seemingly shit position, somehow make ten yards and drag in two defenders before laying an inch-perfect pass infield to a team-mate in space? And how many players yesterday would have just mindlessly fired the ball across the box for our first goal and pray a team-mate poked it in? He is more than capable of grabbing the game by the hair and fucking it roughly from behind, but he can still make a massive contribution if he doesn't.

But he should have come off yesterday, the game was ridiculously open second half and he just wasn't having much of an impact.

Also not many players came out with much credit but am I alone in thinking Monreal in particular looked not only poor but well out of his depth?

[LDB]

Ozil does a lot of subtle but important work that benefits the team in attack - how often does he pick up the ball in a seemingly shit position, somehow make ten yards and drag in two defenders before laying an inch-perfect pass infield to a team-mate in space? And how many players yesterday would have just mindlessly fired the ball across the box for our first goal and pray a team-mate poked it in? He is more than capable of grabbing the game by the hair and fucking it roughly from behind, but he can still make a massive contribution if he doesn't.

But he should have come off yesterday, the game was ridiculously open second half and he just wasn't having much of an impact.

Also not many players came out with much credit but am I alone in thinking Monreal in particular looked not only poor but well out of his depth?

Thought Monreal and Wilshere were our worst performers but you have to feel sympathy for Nacho making one of his first league starts in a while in the toughest away game of the season

[armchair]

Its absolute nuts to come on and pick on Flamini to suggest he was more culpable than any other player over yesterdays defeat. Very few came out of that game with any credit. All it does is highlight your own prejudices against him and really does make what you say look bitter and just plain wrong.

I wanted Arteta and Flamini to start yesterday.
The fact that Ozil just did not turn up and that Jack looked like he was playing for City by the amount of times he gave the ball away was what fucked us up. That and that Monreal was awful too. That left Flamini in a hopeless position. We are supposed to defend as a team but if Jack keeps running up blind alleys and Ozil is invisible then this is what will happen.

Its disgusting that Flamini keeps getting shoehorned into posts every time to try to find some fault when IMO he didnt do very much wrong under very difficult circumstances.

Again Wenger has fucked us up. A striker who isnt quality enough for a prem winning team and an idiot for back-up. Thats not how you win anything.

[SteveO 35]

Ozil's attitude was appalling yesterday......and if that's how he reacts to a defeat when we're still top it doesn't bode well for when he starts getting used to regular drubbings at the hands of the Big 3. Someone needs to tell Mesut that he should be damned grateful competing for the Virtual Trophy every year.....after all we're all impatient morons when we crave more than that

[armchair]

Ozil's attitude was appalling yesterday......and if that's how he reacts to a defeat when we're still top it doesn't bode well for when he starts getting used to regular drubbings at the hands of the Big 3. Someone needs to tell Mesut that he should be damned grateful competing for the Virtual Trophy every year.....after all we're all impatient morons when we crave more than that

I didnt notic the Mert Ozil thing.
Maybe Ozil was really embarrassed and pissed off at himself for having such an awful game? Anyway if he was told to go aknowlege the fans then thats what he should have done.

[northbank123]

Its absolute nuts to come on and pick on Flamini to suggest he was more culpable than any other player over yesterdays defeat. Very few came out of that game with any credit. All it does is highlight your own prejudices against him and really does make what you say look bitter and just plain wrong.

I wanted Arteta and Flamini to start yesterday.
The fact that Ozil just did not turn up and that Jack looked like he was playing for City by the amount of times he gave the ball away was what fucked us up. That and that Monreal was awful too. That left Flamini in a hopeless position. We are supposed to defend as a team but if Jack keeps running up blind alleys and Ozil is invisible then this is what will happen.

Its disgusting that Flamini keeps getting shoehorned into posts every time to try to find some fault when IMO he didnt do very much wrong under very difficult circumstances.

Again Wenger has fucked us up. A striker who isnt quality enough for a prem winning team and an idiot for back-up. Thats not how you win anything.

I agree that he wasn't particularly responsible for the defeat as it wasn't down to any one player - although he was one of the poorer players and he was partly to blame for the 3rd.

But for weeks and weeks a lot of people have talked up how great he is and how much we miss him defensively, so don't get pissy when it's pointed out that his presence coincided with by far the biggest defensive shambles of the season. Literally every game we have you (amongst others) coming on here saying how fucking wonderful he was yet when he has a stinker and we ship in 6 nobody's allowed to point it out?

And don't pretend like he's the only one who's copped any stick on here. Ozil, Giroud and Wilshere have all been completely taken apart on this thread, a few people have commented that Ramsey has gone off the boil a bit and was quiet yesterday and Monreal's shit performance has also been questioned so he's not been picked on in the grand scheme of things. You're banging on about other people's obsessions with him but yet again you're the one kicking up a fuss about him.

[armchair]

Its absolute nuts to come on and pick on Flamini to suggest he was more culpable than any other player over yesterdays defeat. Very few came out of that game with any credit. All it does is highlight your own prejudices against him and really does make what you say look bitter and just plain wrong.

I wanted Arteta and Flamini to start yesterday.
The fact that Ozil just did not turn up and that Jack looked like he was playing for City by the amount of times he gave the ball away was what fucked us up. That and that Monreal was awful too. That left Flamini in a hopeless position. We are supposed to defend as a team but if Jack keeps running up blind alleys and Ozil is invisible then this is what will happen.

Its disgusting that Flamini keeps getting shoehorned into posts every time to try to find some fault when IMO he didnt do very much wrong under very difficult circumstances.

Again Wenger has fucked us up. A striker who isnt quality enough for a prem winning team and an idiot for back-up. Thats not how you win anything.

I agree that he wasn't particularly responsible for the defeat as it wasn't down to any one player - although he was one of the poorer players and he was partly to blame for the 3rd.

But for weeks and weeks a lot of people have talked up how great he is and how much we miss him defensively, so don't get pissy when it's pointed out that his presence coincided with by far the biggest defensive shambles of the season. Literally every game we have you (amongst others) coming on here saying how fucking wonderful he was yet when he has a stinker and we ship in 6 nobody's allowed to point it out?

And don't pretend like he's the only one who's copped any stick on here. Ozil, Giroud and Wilshere have all been completely taken apart on this thread, a few people have commented that Ramsey has gone off the boil a bit and was quiet yesterday and Monreal's shit performance has also been questioned so he's not been picked on in the grand scheme of things. You're banging on about other people's obsessions with him but yet again you're the one kicking up a fuss about him.

Didnt think I was being pissy?
I rate him highly and believe hes what weve been missing for seasons (among others). And I dont think he had "a stinker" either particularly. He was left in an impossible position by Jack and Ozil. And to an extent Ramsey didn't help him much either.We didnt defend as a team.

I criticise players as I see it and if you read my post Giroud, Ozil, Jack an Monreal were singled out by me for yesterday. For me Flamini was not one of our worst yesterday.

What I was criticising is how before Flamini had even kicked a ball he was being lambasted on here. Being called "The Marseille Mercenery" etc. Talking about him sitting on the bench etc. Talk of him putting Arteta on the scrapheap. Before hed even played a game ffs. Didnt see you jumping in then to say much?

And yes posters on here continually shoehorn Flamini for criticism. If its not him it'll be Walcott.
I wasn't banging on. And Im afraid your the one "kicking up a fuss" Not me.