Arsenal v Sunderland match thread

[clockender1]

Anyone else think that both full-backs made really bad decisions today? I felt at times they held on to the ball too long when there was a good opportunity to put it in the box, and the times they should have held onto the ball, they crossed it?

yeah, as i said above , the crossing was woeful.

with santos and sagna back we would have kept the pressure on more.

b

[Revgoon89]

Utterly dire game, one I wish I hadn't paid the fuel and season ticket for. While we looked more assured at the back after half time, that was because Sunderland just sat back and played for the draw. I was wondering where Bouldy's defensive coaching was supposed to be.

I still don't get why we emphasize wide play when our wingers and full backs are so horrible at crossing, especially when players get crowded out and we can only pass. Walcott and Gervinho were shite, the latter especially, just hung about on the edge far too often, at least the Russian ran about a bit. As a result Podolski wasn't getting any service to make use of. The lack of any defensive midfielder really showed, Diaby didn't look assured and they ran behind us a fair bit, I was surprised we didn't play Coquelin when he has shown a desire to run his socks off and try hard no matter where he plays.

Carzola however did look promising, was unlucky not to score a couple of times and he wasn't afraid to have a go. Arteta as well was once again superb at trying to build up some attacks despite how ineffectual they turned out to be. Verminator as captain is a splendid choice, lets hope he isn't thinking about leaving in a years time.Giroud also seemed willing to have a go but missed the once chance we should have taken above all others. I still wish I knew why we sell players right before a season starts, we seem to be happy to do transfers early, so can we just sell those who want/need to go and spend more time getting a new team together as a unit. Because today we look badly in need of behaving as a unit. No plan b and no sharpness up front.

The highlight for me, some blond idiot with stupid hair in front of me stood up during the game while on the phone to help his mate find him, sat down when me and a few others complained, only for some genius behind me to yell "Sit down floppy hair!" which had him scowling and looking pissed off for the rest of the game Kinda sad that proved the best bit in a frustrating 90 minutes of football, no passion, heart or desire, despite what Kim Il-Weng might say...

[highburyJD]

mostly agree (damn that game was dull) but totally different opinion on Gervinho
for me was one of his better games in the shirt - normally he heads down cul-de-sacs or runs into defenders
I thought his movement was good, he was direct and dangerous
most unGervinholike...

[North-Bank-1987]

Just got home, the trains were absolutely fucked coming back to Cambridge, suicide near Alexandra palace apparently? A piss poor game to be honest, Gervinho and Walcott were awful today, I did get rather smashed though, had to get away from the turnstiles pretty quickly, upon entry to the ground my stomach turned!

[franksav63]

What can you say about this total load of shit... Gervinho was absolutely garbage, yes, he asked for the ball alot, but didn't do fuck all with it, his first touch was non existent, a total waste of space who should be put down.

Diaby, another total disaster, he even miss hit and under hit a one yard pass to our players, really, what is the point of this dopey looking fucker, I hate him with a passion, he's on 70 grand a week just to potter around, get the ball, turn around 20 times and give the ball away. I really hope he gets an injury that will finally make him retire.

Cazorla was quality, and that's about, if we had played a quality side we would have lost.

Glad to see that Bould's influence on the defence is paying dividends... (yes, this is tongue in cheek, we may was well bring back the Elton John lookalikey, because nothing has changed on this score, well apart from players coming out with the usual shit about how it has changed..... total spin, total bollocks...)

How the team wasn't booed off at the final whistle is beyond me.. drawing 0-0 against a shit team like Sunderland just isn't good enough.

[greengooner]

And of course what does Match of the day focus on, the f**king pitiful "in Arsene we trust banner" banner on display by some bunch of retards, I have to get some insurance for my tv if this shit is going to continue because I am going to send my remote through the screen in the near future

[highburyJD]

What can you say about this total load of shit... Gervinho was absolutely garbage, yes, he asked for the ball alot, but didn't do fuck all with it, his first touch was non existent, a total waste of space who should be put down.

Diaby, another total disaster, he even miss hit and under hit a one yard pass to our players, really, what is the point of this dopey looking fucker, I hate him with a passion, he's on 70 grand a week just to potter around, get the ball, turn around 20 times and give the ball away. I really hope he gets an injury that will finally make him retire.

Cazorla was quality, and that's about, if we had played a quality side we would have lost.

Glad to see that Bould's influence on the defence is paying dividends... (yes, this is tongue in cheek, we may was well bring back the Elton John lookalikey, because nothing has changed on this score, well apart from players coming out with the usual shit about how it has changed..... total spin, total bollocks...)

How the team wasn't booed off at the final whistle is beyond me.. drawing 0-0 against a shit team like Sunderland just isn't good enough.

bit harsh on Uncle Bouldy - we kept a cleansheet ffs,
Gervinho was 100% better than Walcott

[Old Oak Gooner]

Mmmmm yesterdays hits; Arteta looked good, as did Cazorla (really good) and also felt Diaby was good, Pod got in some good positions, Tommy V was solid.


Crap; Walcott, Gervinho beats players for fun then....................... no end product as in nought, and Arshavin- just go mate.

[Old Oak Gooner]

Oh, just a further thought some of the previous posts caneing big Ollie ( and he is a lump),he got in to some good positions, which l think is a start, bad miss though l must agree, but lets give him a chance.

[BournemouthRED]

Oh, just a further thought some of the previous posts caneing big Ollie ( and he is a lump),he got in to some good positions, which l think is a start, bad miss though l must agree, but lets give him a chance.

Here here

[officepest]

I think we lacked a little bit of quality.

I think we showed great mental strength.

I think we played with a little bit of the handbrake on.

Didn't hear post-match comments, were any of the above wheeled out?

[augie]

I think we lacked a little bit of quality.

I think we showed great mental strength.

I think we played with a little bit of the handbrake on.

Didn't hear post-match comments, were any of the above wheeled out?

I think the "lacking a bit of sharpness" line was used

[Revgoon89]

I think we lacked a little bit of quality.

I think we showed great mental strength.

I think we played with a little bit of the handbrake on.

Didn't hear post-match comments, were any of the above wheeled out?

We showed great spirit though!

[safcftm]

Just got meself back after staying in London last night. As has been mentioned it looked very much like the same old problem for Arsenal, a lot of passing but lacking the cutting edge to finish a game off. I was delighted to get a point but tbh it is a bit shit watching your team just park the bus, the first half was decentish but the second half we might as well have not bothered with a striker, made the game an awful spectacle. Still when you go to Arsenal a point is always good however its won.

Surprised to see Diaby getting criticised mind, me and a good number of lads around me were pleased to see him get substituted, I thought he was having a very good game and was controlling the middle of the pitch. Cazorla looks a cracking little player and was probably the man of the match, Gervinho actually looked dangerous as well (although I can imagine him being a frustrating player to have in your team, does so well at times and looks capable of beating his full back but for some reason there's rarely any end product). If Cazorla stays fit you should have a good chance of rivaling Chelsea for third and I'd definitely expect you to get top 4, just need Giroud to get some sharpness and see if he can provide the goals to get you pushing higher. Good day out anyway, especially with the weather making the beer garden seem like a sensible choice!

[DB10GOONER]

I'm not gonna get too negative, one game in. Yeah, it was dull and the players didn't look preppared fully for it strangely... but Carzola looked VERY promising. He has an eye for a nice tight pass to feet and he moves well, looking for space (even whilst man marked) and he isn't shy about having a shot. Time will tell, but I am quietly confident about him.