he's a closet gooner and posts far superior observations about Arsaenal than most of usdonaldo wrote:Why does a guy who supports Sunderland keep coming on an Arsenal forum????????????
MACKEMS NEXT SAT
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norfbankN16
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Thx Safc! It's always good to have the opposite side point of view. Some very valid points here, but I must disagree on a few.safcftm wrote:Well, I have finally managed to clear my headache so might as well give my thoughts on the game. Sorry for the long post, feel free to ignore it entirely
First twenty minutes were pretty equal, Arsenal carving out the most clear cut chances but we managed to get spells in possession and sometimes looked threatening without much end product. I thought after that point, up until half time Arsenal dominated it. Again, not many chances, but the passing is immense. When most clubs get the ball against us I'm not overly worried as, if they cant get a direct through ball, there is eventually a poor touch or an awful pass. With Arsenal, crossing aside, they never look like giving the ball back, great technique. Like I say, crossing is a different matter and yesterday there wasnt really any cutting edge to them but still, if that was an awful performance then it bodes well for the season
The second half was fairly nondescript to begin with- the usual good possession from Arsenal without the cutting edge, before we got the ball and either gave it straight back or got it to Benty, only for him to find that the midfield was nowhere to be seen. The goal when it came was scrappy, and a bit fortunate, but I was glad to see the lads get their reward for their hard work and effort. One goal this season may have been scored by a beachball but that is still 9 goals for Bent, including strikes against all of the "big 4". The way the media are writing his england chances off is a disgrace considering he had no decent balls played to him against Brazil and keeps on banging them in for us, even in his "poor" spell at spurs he finished as their top scorer but still.
After the goal obviously we had to withstand pressure and Arsenal looked threatening, the final ball generally again being the thing that let them down. I am no fan of Bendtner (to be honest I wouldnt have him in our starting line up, although im sure many on here would disagree with that opinion), but he was a miss yesterday, at times Arsenal really needed a physical striker and a target for the wingers when they got into good positions.
Obviously Arsenal felt they were denied a penalty, for me it was one of those where I thought it was and it wasn't. Outside the area I reckon you'd get a free kick for it, but inside the box I would be surprised to see it given, wasnt much in it and the Arsenal player clutching his knee as if he was badly injured didnt help his case imo. Like I say, if it had been given we couldnt have really complained, but it certainly wasnt a clear cut penalty, could go either way and thankfully for us it went our way this time
I have decided to give marks out of ten for both teams below:
SAFC:
Fulop- Didn't have too much to do in all honesty, but he made a vital, early stop which helped keep us in the match. As always looked a bit suspect on crosses. 7
Bardsley- The usual from Bardsley, 100% effort and commitment but limited going forwards. Still, this time we needed the hard work and he played a good part for us. 8
McCartney- An average game from McCartney. Did fairly well defensively but didnt manage to get forwards as often as I'd have liked. 7
Da Silva- Quality performance from a lad still getting used to the league. Recently he did very well against Messi for Paraguay and he seems to have the composure and intelligence to deal with the smaller, more mobile attackers. Thankfully Arsenal didnt have a Bendtner type to bring on to test him physically. 8.5
Mensah- Along with Da Silva he had a great game at the back and stopped Arsenal getting many clear chances. Seemed a bit nervy to begin with but he grew into the game and after the first ten minutes or so looked class, we had better make his loan move permanent. 8
Reid- An average game from Reid in my opinion. Went close with a free kick but Almunia always had it covered, and a decent ball in from the corner that we scored from but on occasion he was wasteful in possession and gave the ball back to the Arsenal. 6
Malbranque- Decent from Steed, some nice touches and he kept the ball well for us but wasted two presentable opportunities when left unmarked. 6
Cana (C)- As always, top class. This lad is a real player, a defensive midfielder who can also play a bit is always handy. Never knocked off the ball, fought for everything and stopped Arsenal being able to play through the middle a lot of the time, forcing them to look wide where delivery was generally poor. We love this bloke! 9
Henderson- Full of energy, hassled the Arsenal players and made a couple of nice passes. Didn't do anything outstanding but certainly held his own against some very good players. 7
Richardson- Another one who worked his socks off but didn't create too much. Kept possession for us well and at least always looked to create. A decent game for Kieran. 7
Bent- Worked tremendously hard as always, often with very little or no support. This is the side of his game that I don't think he gets anywhere near enough credit for. Did his best on his own and reacted quickly to grab his goal, which was great to see after the disappointment of his England game. 8.5
Ferdinand- Not really on long enough to get a mark tbh
Campbell- Looked full of energy when he came on and tried to be positive. 6.5
Zenden- Did okay, had a chance to seal the game and was a good player to have on the bench as he has the experience we needed at the time. 7
Arsenal
Almunia- Bit harsh on the lad giving him a low mark since the reason he didnt make any outstanding saves was because we never hit the bloody thing on target, but still. 6
Sagna- Full of energy and always looked to get forwards in support where he was relatively dangerous. Never got particularly exposed defensively and looked composed throughout. 8
Fabregas (C)- Not his best game, partly because he had Cana on him at every opportunity but still very rarely wasted possession and was always looking to create. 8
Vermaelen- Didn't have too much to do to be honest, didn't make any dreadful mistakes but wasn't really tested. 6
Rosicky- I might be alone in this one since I havent really seen his name mentioned here, but for me he was the Arsenal's best player. Looked very dangerous when he picked the ball up on the left, particularly first half, and was the most likely to make things happen. Hardly wasted a ball all afternoon. 8.5
Nasri- Neat and tidy in possession but didn't really impose himself on the game as much as I thought he would which would be disappointing from an Arsenal point of view. 6
Eduardo- A fairly quiet game, mainly thanks to the centre backs who watched him well all match. When Song nearly scored Eduardo had been involved well in the move but he must have lost his footing because I don't know why a finisher as good as him would be looking to pick his man out when the shot was on. 6.5
Gallas- Pretty much see Vermaelen, wasn't particularly tested as we generally failed to whip good balls into the middle and Bent on his own wasn't able to get at him much. 6
Ramsey- Looks a good prospect certainly. Neat and tidy in possession like most of the Arsenal players and seemed to keep a high work rate up throughout his time on the pitch. For me he was unlucky to be brought off as he was having a decent game. 7
Song- A decent game but was outshone by Cana who seemed more capable of playing a bit when in possession. Nearly grabbed a goal right enough but he didnt particularly impose himself on our central midfielders as much as I thought he would as he has generally impressed me this season. 6
Traore- Did quite well, apart from an awful tackle, and looked to get forwards when possible, not to as good effect as Sagna though. 7
Vela- Lively when he came on without actually troubling us too much, really needed a physical player up front with him imo as Mensah and Da Silva were generally able to deal with him quite easily and the kind of ball in behind that he would relish wasnt possible with us sitting so deep defending the lead. 6
Walcott- Definitely the most disappointing player on the Arsenal side. He troubled us with his pace but half the time he seemed to be troubling himself with his pace just as much as I kept expecting him to trip over the ball. Graceful isnt the word I'd use to describe his performance and some pretty wasteful deliveries summed it up for him to be honest. Obviously still young, and still learning, but he really can go from ridiculously good one week to pretty awful the next and this was nearer to the latter. For me he is still more of a striker than a winger. 5
Arshavin- Dangerous when he came on. Seemed to provide a bit of a spark and had some nice touches, and nearly scored. I was very surprised that he didn't start tbh and he will definitely be in the starting eleven next week. If he'd been on longer, or from the start, the result might have been different. 7.5
So, an enjoyable (if very tense) day, good turnout from the Gooners who were relatively noisy throughout and, whilst not a classic, a very welcome 3 points to keep us in the top half of the table. Having now seen us against all of the big 4 I would say they are in the following order:
Chelsea
Arsenal
Man Utd
Liverpool (although to be fair I did see Liverpool without Gerrard or Torres, they cant always be that shite)
Obviously a disappointing result for the Arsenal but they certainly looked neat in possession and will trouble any team they play against. This time a mixture of hard work from the opposition, and a lack of cutting edge and a physical striker cost them the game, but if Arshavin starts I reckon that'll solve the cutting edge problem, and Bendtner can help the physical side of it so I don't think there is any need to panic at all, Arsenal will be there or there abouts come the end of the season. For me, whether they can win the league depends on whether Wenger can bring in one more top class player to help take the weight off Arshavin's shoulders
First, I think you're being a bit harsh on your team there. We are indeed very strong technicaly, but thez sunderland players gave in a good performance. They showed a good work rate. Cana was indeed impressive. But as I saw him play quite a few times already for Marseille, I knew you were making a good buy this summer when you caught him. I would've taken him anytime if I was Wenger. This lad has a great fighting spirit, and he's a true warrior on field, giving his best all the time.
Rosicky maybe had a good first half, but he DID lose an incerdible amount of balls in the whole game, by his standards. Ramsey was fairly anonymous, but as it was one of the first times I saw him in the starting XI in PL, I'll lay off him. Sagna looks like he's been practising centers his whole life, but each time without any opposition! It's starting to annoy me to each time see him being so predictable. SOng was for me one of the best performers on the pitch. He was still in there when things started to look ugly for us, in second half.
If only Arshavin had been there from the start, I think things wouldn't have been the same. It's the kind of game he could unlock with some magic.
Fair play to you though, you won it fair and square. I don't mention the penalty because I don't see any penalty. Maybe it could've been, but it wasn't and anyway, with all due respect, I don't expect us to rely on a dodgy penalty to scrap a draw against sunderland...
Errr...
Still any dodgy penalty would do against the Chavs! I don't mind stealing those c*nts if we can!
donaldo wrote:Why does a guy who supports Sunderland keep coming on an Arsenal forum????????????
Have to say donaldo that his posts are a lot more sensible that a lot of guys on here (and you know who I am talking about
). Anyway he posts on here with no hint of pisstaking and is complimentary to The Arsenal and sometimes it is good to hear how we are viewed by fans of other clubs 
Anyway his long posts make mine look like one liners -
DB10GOONER
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Agreed. A welcome guest.augie wrote:donaldo wrote:Why does a guy who supports Sunderland keep coming on an Arsenal forum????????????
Have to say donaldo that his posts are a lot more sensible that a lot of guys on here (and you know who I am talking about
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DB10GOONER
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Just read ALL OF THAT (safcftm wrote:Well, I have finally managed to clear my headache so might as well give my thoughts on the game. Sorry for the long post, feel free to ignore it entirely
First twenty minutes were pretty equal, Arsenal carving out the most clear cut chances but we managed to get spells in possession and sometimes looked threatening without much end product. I thought after that point, up until half time Arsenal dominated it. Again, not many chances, but the passing is immense. When most clubs get the ball against us I'm not overly worried as, if they cant get a direct through ball, there is eventually a poor touch or an awful pass. With Arsenal, crossing aside, they never look like giving the ball back, great technique. Like I say, crossing is a different matter and yesterday there wasnt really any cutting edge to them but still, if that was an awful performance then it bodes well for the season
The second half was fairly nondescript to begin with- the usual good possession from Arsenal without the cutting edge, before we got the ball and either gave it straight back or got it to Benty, only for him to find that the midfield was nowhere to be seen. The goal when it came was scrappy, and a bit fortunate, but I was glad to see the lads get their reward for their hard work and effort. One goal this season may have been scored by a beachball but that is still 9 goals for Bent, including strikes against all of the "big 4". The way the media are writing his england chances off is a disgrace considering he had no decent balls played to him against Brazil and keeps on banging them in for us, even in his "poor" spell at spurs he finished as their top scorer but still.
After the goal obviously we had to withstand pressure and Arsenal looked threatening, the final ball generally again being the thing that let them down. I am no fan of Bendtner (to be honest I wouldnt have him in our starting line up, although im sure many on here would disagree with that opinion), but he was a miss yesterday, at times Arsenal really needed a physical striker and a target for the wingers when they got into good positions.
Obviously Arsenal felt they were denied a penalty, for me it was one of those where I thought it was and it wasn't. Outside the area I reckon you'd get a free kick for it, but inside the box I would be surprised to see it given, wasnt much in it and the Arsenal player clutching his knee as if he was badly injured didnt help his case imo. Like I say, if it had been given we couldnt have really complained, but it certainly wasnt a clear cut penalty, could go either way and thankfully for us it went our way this time
I have decided to give marks out of ten for both teams below:
SAFC:
Fulop- Didn't have too much to do in all honesty, but he made a vital, early stop which helped keep us in the match. As always looked a bit suspect on crosses. 7
Bardsley- The usual from Bardsley, 100% effort and commitment but limited going forwards. Still, this time we needed the hard work and he played a good part for us. 8
McCartney- An average game from McCartney. Did fairly well defensively but didnt manage to get forwards as often as I'd have liked. 7
Da Silva- Quality performance from a lad still getting used to the league. Recently he did very well against Messi for Paraguay and he seems to have the composure and intelligence to deal with the smaller, more mobile attackers. Thankfully Arsenal didnt have a Bendtner type to bring on to test him physically. 8.5
Mensah- Along with Da Silva he had a great game at the back and stopped Arsenal getting many clear chances. Seemed a bit nervy to begin with but he grew into the game and after the first ten minutes or so looked class, we had better make his loan move permanent. 8
Reid- An average game from Reid in my opinion. Went close with a free kick but Almunia always had it covered, and a decent ball in from the corner that we scored from but on occasion he was wasteful in possession and gave the ball back to the Arsenal. 6
Malbranque- Decent from Steed, some nice touches and he kept the ball well for us but wasted two presentable opportunities when left unmarked. 6
Cana (C)- As always, top class. This lad is a real player, a defensive midfielder who can also play a bit is always handy. Never knocked off the ball, fought for everything and stopped Arsenal being able to play through the middle a lot of the time, forcing them to look wide where delivery was generally poor. We love this bloke! 9
Henderson- Full of energy, hassled the Arsenal players and made a couple of nice passes. Didn't do anything outstanding but certainly held his own against some very good players. 7
Richardson- Another one who worked his socks off but didn't create too much. Kept possession for us well and at least always looked to create. A decent game for Kieran. 7
Bent- Worked tremendously hard as always, often with very little or no support. This is the side of his game that I don't think he gets anywhere near enough credit for. Did his best on his own and reacted quickly to grab his goal, which was great to see after the disappointment of his England game. 8.5
Ferdinand- Not really on long enough to get a mark tbh
Campbell- Looked full of energy when he came on and tried to be positive. 6.5
Zenden- Did okay, had a chance to seal the game and was a good player to have on the bench as he has the experience we needed at the time. 7
Arsenal
Almunia- Bit harsh on the lad giving him a low mark since the reason he didnt make any outstanding saves was because we never hit the bloody thing on target, but still. 6
Sagna- Full of energy and always looked to get forwards in support where he was relatively dangerous. Never got particularly exposed defensively and looked composed throughout. 8
Fabregas (C)- Not his best game, partly because he had Cana on him at every opportunity but still very rarely wasted possession and was always looking to create. 8
Vermaelen- Didn't have too much to do to be honest, didn't make any dreadful mistakes but wasn't really tested. 6
Rosicky- I might be alone in this one since I havent really seen his name mentioned here, but for me he was the Arsenal's best player. Looked very dangerous when he picked the ball up on the left, particularly first half, and was the most likely to make things happen. Hardly wasted a ball all afternoon. 8.5
Nasri- Neat and tidy in possession but didn't really impose himself on the game as much as I thought he would which would be disappointing from an Arsenal point of view. 6
Eduardo- A fairly quiet game, mainly thanks to the centre backs who watched him well all match. When Song nearly scored Eduardo had been involved well in the move but he must have lost his footing because I don't know why a finisher as good as him would be looking to pick his man out when the shot was on. 6.5
Gallas- Pretty much see Vermaelen, wasn't particularly tested as we generally failed to whip good balls into the middle and Bent on his own wasn't able to get at him much. 6
Ramsey- Looks a good prospect certainly. Neat and tidy in possession like most of the Arsenal players and seemed to keep a high work rate up throughout his time on the pitch. For me he was unlucky to be brought off as he was having a decent game. 7
Song- A decent game but was outshone by Cana who seemed more capable of playing a bit when in possession. Nearly grabbed a goal right enough but he didnt particularly impose himself on our central midfielders as much as I thought he would as he has generally impressed me this season. 6
Traore- Did quite well, apart from an awful tackle, and looked to get forwards when possible, not to as good effect as Sagna though. 7
Vela- Lively when he came on without actually troubling us too much, really needed a physical player up front with him imo as Mensah and Da Silva were generally able to deal with him quite easily and the kind of ball in behind that he would relish wasnt possible with us sitting so deep defending the lead. 6
Walcott- Definitely the most disappointing player on the Arsenal side. He troubled us with his pace but half the time he seemed to be troubling himself with his pace just as much as I kept expecting him to trip over the ball. Graceful isnt the word I'd use to describe his performance and some pretty wasteful deliveries summed it up for him to be honest. Obviously still young, and still learning, but he really can go from ridiculously good one week to pretty awful the next and this was nearer to the latter. For me he is still more of a striker than a winger. 5
Arshavin- Dangerous when he came on. Seemed to provide a bit of a spark and had some nice touches, and nearly scored. I was very surprised that he didn't start tbh and he will definitely be in the starting eleven next week. If he'd been on longer, or from the start, the result might have been different. 7.5
So, an enjoyable (if very tense) day, good turnout from the Gooners who were relatively noisy throughout and, whilst not a classic, a very welcome 3 points to keep us in the top half of the table. Having now seen us against all of the big 4 I would say they are in the following order:
Chelsea
Arsenal
Man Utd
Liverpool (although to be fair I did see Liverpool without Gerrard or Torres, they cant always be that shite)
Obviously a disappointing result for the Arsenal but they certainly looked neat in possession and will trouble any team they play against. This time a mixture of hard work from the opposition, and a lack of cutting edge and a physical striker cost them the game, but if Arshavin starts I reckon that'll solve the cutting edge problem, and Bendtner can help the physical side of it so I don't think there is any need to panic at all, Arsenal will be there or there abouts come the end of the season. For me, whether they can win the league depends on whether Wenger can bring in one more top class player to help take the weight off Arshavin's shoulders
) and in fairness, mate, you know more about our current team than alot of our regular posters on here!! 
A fair summary of the game I thought.
