Besiktas away

[clockender1]

Besiktas are ranked 59th in Europe. they made it past the Group stage once - in 1994.

AW " we want to fight with the best"......

[GranadaJoe]

Santi out wide never works and is especially problematic away from home. The Ox has looked in top form and should start and Rosicky always has energy, controls the ball well and should replace Jack.

Then we just need somebody to replace Giroud and Arteta.

[Brady's left peg]

Well that was painful watching... Rambo's second yellow total stupidity, and he seems to have started trying too hard again. I don't think it helps with Wilshere in the team as they are too similar and it is no surprise that he seems to play better without Jack in the team.
I expected us to play counter-attacking football but by Wenger playing Cazorla and Giroud it slowed us down and negated any attacking intent. The Ox showed what damage can be done when you run directly at the opposition. Both the Ox and Campbell alongside Sanchez would of terrified the Besiktas defence, add Rosicky to the mix and I believe we would of walked away with a win.
Chambers was a big positive as was Debuchy and I thought Monreal had a reasonable game too.
Flamini is a sending off waiting to happen.
Once again Wenger has shown how he doesn't do tactics but we knew that anyway, if we don't up our game against the Toffees I fear we will be coming away empty handed at the weekend.
Oh and can somebody remind Wenger we need a centre back and a fucking striker before the window shuts... TA.

[g88ner]

Besiktas are ranked 59th in Europe. they made it past the Group stage once - in 1994.

AW " we want to fight with the best"......

eh?

He wasn't talking about Besiktas. He was talking about qualifying for the CL.

0-0 isn't a bad result. Not great, but not awful. These away games can be tricky, but I'd fancy us to turn them over at home.

[officepest]

I struggle to see the point of Walcott and Sanchez on the wings if Giroud is the outlet ball. How difficult would it be for Wenger to sign a good striker?

does it matter if that striker plays up front alone and is marked by 4 in the box whilst the pedestrian midfield sits 40yards out ?

thats the issue, not what % of chances Giroud misses - Gerv couldn't do, Chamakh coundn't either, nor Sanogo or Giroud.

there have been very very few strikers that could play that lone role well - off the top of my head, wrighty, Jean Pierre Papin, Klinsmann and a couple of italians.

its wengers system thats the problem NOT the strikers - TH14 couldn't do it no way. 99% strikers need space and support.

wengers an idiot.

I don't disagree with your post but Wenger is going nowhere and our system isn't changing, ergo our only hope is Wenger can find a striker to fit.

Giroud, while game, isn't good enough.

[augie]

Didn't see much of the game tonight (and what I did see was on a grainy Internet tv connection from the back of an Irish bar in salou) but it does seem that I didn't miss much

I did see Ramsey's first yellow and it was totally justified and stupid of ramsey

From the bits I did see it looked like demba ba caused us some trouble and had a few chances (1 of which he should def have scored) but yet you guys reckon our centre backs done well

Anyway when you read the comments on here during and after a game, and you realise that they rarely change from game to game and it makes me wonder why we bother watching the games at all These problems (4-5-1, no quality striker, too much tippy tappy etc) are all long term problems that appear no nearer to being fixed. A few of us said weeks ago that buying Sanchez would not change things cos he wasnt fixing a need in our team, plus it doesn't really matter who we buy if the gameplan/tactics remain unchanged, and that certainly still seems to be the case. The euphoria over the good early signings has certainly dropped off as the realisation that nothing much has changed - in some respects I think it might be better to lose a few early games as we adapt to a new system/formation, rather than scrap victories in a pre-existing system that has failed in the past and will continue to fail in the future

Anyway all that being said, you would expect us to qualify now although if the Turks score at the grove it could make it a tricky night - I think we will beat them 2-1

[donaldo71]

0-0 isn't a bad result. Not great, but not awful. These away games can be tricky, but I'd fancy us to turn them over at home.

Tricky.We have a 12-0 record in CL qualifers.Besiktas are a damn awful side yet we couldnt have complained if we had lost by a couple of goals.

Our front 3 are Giroud Sanogoal and Campbell eat your heart out Chelsea City and Liverpool

[WE8SPURS]

Besiktas are ranked 59th in Europe. they made it past the Group stage once - in 1994.

AW " we want to fight with the best"......

eh?

He wasn't talking about Besiktas. He was talking about qualifying for the CL.

0-0 isn't a bad result. Not great, but not awful. These away games can be tricky, but I'd fancy us to turn them over at home.

I don't think it's the result that worries people, it's the performance. It's all good and well saying it's the top teams who get results when not playing well but even with a couple of decent additions the football looks every bit the same as last season.

I too fancy us to get past them at home but pointless again to qualify when going forward we have no chance of getting anywhere in the competition. Were like an ugly bird at singles night, nice to be there but no chance of getting anything worth having. Get your fat arse down the gym, sort ya wig and make up out and buy some decent clobber, then go to the next one with higher expectations

[Brady's left peg]

0-0 isn't a bad result. Not great, but not awful. These away games can be tricky, but I'd fancy us to turn them over at home.

Tricky.We have a 12-0 record in CL qualifers.Besiktas are a damn awful side yet we couldnt have complained if we had lost by a couple of goals.

Our front 3 are Giroud Sanogoal and Campbell eat your heart out Chelsea City and Liverpool

I think your being a bit harsh on Campbell there donaldo... lumping him in with the 2 donkeys.
He may well turn out to be another waste of space but until such time that our clueless manager has given him a chance, I will reserve judgement.

[g88ner]

0-0 isn't a bad result. Not great, but not awful. These away games can be tricky, but I'd fancy us to turn them over at home.

Tricky.We have a 12-0 record in CL qualifers.Besiktas are a damn awful side yet we couldnt have complained if we had lost by a couple of goals.

Our front 3 are Giroud Sanogoal and Campbell eat your heart out Chelsea City and Liverpool

Hang on, you seem to pull me up on saying it's "tricky" based on past results, yet admit we could have lost.

Surely, if we could have lost but didn't, tricky is a reasonable comment?

Anyway, as you say... they're damn awful, so I expect us to beat them at home. So in the context of a 2 legged tie (in which we could have lost) the result isn't awful at all.

[donaldo71]

From the bits I did see it looked like demba ba caused us some trouble and had a few chances (1 of which he should def have scored) but yet you guys reckon our centre backs done well

I was thinking the same augie.Besiktas could easily scored 4.The back 4 was shaky all night against one of Europes minnows.Our best player was Szczesny.Tells you all you need to know

[Bradywasking]

Awful game on an awful pitch..thought we deserved a draw but no more. Chambers and Debuchy were the positives...Giroud was laboured throughout and even when he did manage to touch the ball he was ponderous and wasteful.. I have no issue with either of Ramsey's yellow cards and subsequent red, except with the man himself. Stupid fouls in stupid areas. On the better pitch at the grove we should be ok, but wouldn't take it for granted.

[Brady's left peg]

From the bits I did see it looked like demba ba caused us some trouble and had a few chances (1 of which he should def have scored) but yet you guys reckon our centre backs done well

I was thinking the same augie.Besiktas could easily scored 4.The back 4 was shaky all night against one of Europes minnows.Our best player was Szczesny.Tells you all you need to know

Chambers made one mistake but Kos did get caught on the wrong side a couple of times... But I thought our midfields inability to win the ball back and put any concerted pressure on the ball was more to blame for the chances we presented them with. We really are lacking augie's fabled DM

[1989]

What a steaming pile of stinking dogshit Giroud is.

[Brady's left peg]

What a steaming pile of stinking dogshit Giroud is.

Don't hold back there 1989... you say it as it is