West Brom Away

[bang goes the 0-0 draw]

I know we are desperate for a goal but for the away fans to be chanting "super super nic" is almost laughable

Why is that laughable? they're just trying to encourage an Arsenal player... that's kind of our role on a match day, surely?

No point holding grudges and being miserable. Time to move on.

Absolutely...we may all hate the fat tub of danish lard but once he don's the Red & White or Yellow & Blue and steps on the pitch we get behind him.

The problem I have with singing for him is that we don't sing for Chez, Kos, Gibbs, Jenks etc etc etc. So why sing for "Super Nic". Have we even a song for Ozil yet

This was being sung during the game: http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/new-a ... ham-video/

[topgoon]

Not a bad point but some worrying signs that we're lapsing back into our old ways. We're going to have to find a way of creating chances when we come up against a team that plays like this otherwise we'll drop points by the truckload. Should have been buried by Anelka really.

The away support sounded superb (bar massaging Bendtner's ego).

the normal way is to vary the play, lob high balls in, balls over the top until you win free kicks and corners - and practice those, until their back four makes a mistake, as well as playing through them and taking the last defender on.

we gave them far too much time to organise and cover, we didn't play with pace or tempo - the inclusion of jack and arteta killed that. both who are players i like but are not suited to that type of game.

two points dropped imho.

With what was on the pitch, with yet again a below par performance from Jack, think we did alright to get something from that game. They were well organised, coupled with our passing be a bit more wayward today, I think we did better than we could have expected. There was no pace to the team whatsoever and Tomas actually made a huge difference. Not sure the long ball would have worked because Lee Mason would probably have given the defender the benefit of the doubt, which he seemed to keep doing against both teams.

I'm not ecstatic with a point but I'm satisfied that a below standard performance wasn't punished with a defeat. WBA are no longer mugs so don't be too surprised if they take points off the rest of the usual top 6 suspects.

[g88ner]

I know we are desperate for a goal but for the away fans to be chanting "super super nic" is almost laughable

Why is that laughable? they're just trying to encourage an Arsenal player... that's kind of our role on a match day, surely?

No point holding grudges and being miserable. Time to move on.

Absolutely...we may all hate the fat tub of danish lard but once he don's the Red & White or Yellow & Blue and steps on the pitch we get behind him.

The guy gets paid 52k per week, and thought it would be more professional to go on the piss in the off season that to stay in shape. I would never boo any of our players, but Bendtner has a long way to go for me before I feel he is due any respect. He needs to put in 120% effort, get in the shape if his life and to stop being such a knob (sorry safcftm) and then I'll be willing to change my mind, but looking pleased when we score while warming the bench is not enough to make up for the last few years of shitness/wankery.
People have a problem with Flamini for something that happened years ago, my problem with Bendtner is from the much more recent past.

Exactly my point - for some around here it seems that everything should be polar opposites as in totally hating a player or totally supporting him and that doesnt work all the time for me. I feel that signing that fat fcukers name when he came on as a sub today was way OTT but that doesnt mean that I wanted the guy booed either. At times it really winds me up that we are supposed to unreservedly support a player when he wears our shirt regardless of how he behaves/treats the club and fans - to the outside world I would expect that show of unity but on here, amongst other Gooners, I would expect that fans would see the bigger picture and be allowed criticise without being slated for not supporting said player

I agree with that bit - criticise the lad on here all you want, but to the team and outside world there should be a show of unity... and you criticised the away fans for supporting him at the stadium, and I don't think that's right, mate.

[Yankee_Gooner_Dandee]

A point was deserved.

Thought Jenko sucked. Arteta useless. Jack really bad first half, better in the 2nd. Ozil was meh. Flamini did great again as did Kos and Mert.

I felt like Wenger cost us 3 points though with his team selection. Why on Earth would you put the player in form, Ramsey, out on the right, away from where he has been amazing this season? Arteta is a good player but offers nothing that Ramsey cant do better right now. Arteta slows the game down more than Ramsey and it showed today. Ramsey and Flamini should have started CM, with Rosicky and Gnabry on the flanks. Wilshire and Arteta honestly do not deserve starting positions currently (especially when Cazorla comes back). Others are playing better than them, and please stop trying Wilshire out wide left just to get him on the pitch because it makes us way too narrow, which is the only reason I'd start Rosicky instead. He's slightly better out wide.

[augie]

I criticised them for showing a reaction that was, in my opinion at least, way OTT - the guy has done nothing for us in years and certainly doesn't deserve fans singing his name just cos he was brought on FFS, even though he has done nothing in the football world for years, he is still an arrogant cock and our fans singing about him being "super nic" will ensure that his status in his mythical world will continue on Clap him onto the pitch if you want but any extra attention or praise has to be merited in my book

[g88ner]

I criticised them for showing a reaction that was, in my opinion at least, way OTT - the guy has done nothing for us in years and certainly doesn't deserve fans singing his name just cos he was brought on FFS, even though he has done nothing in the football world for years, he is still an arrogant cock and our fans singing about him being "super nic" will ensure that his status in his mythical world will continue on Clap him onto the pitch if you want but any extra attention or praise has to be merited in my book

Maybe so, but surely the only important thing here is the fans do their best to encourage and support the team? - put selfish desires and prejudices to one side and just support Arsenal. I don't think it's fair to criticise the fans for that, even if you don't agree with it.

[hut160]

just back from the game
WBA were good , strong and solid in defence.
ref was very poor in my opinion - didnt give us much and very inconsistent,looked like a penalty from where I was watching , will need to see it on MOTD
Jack was poor in the first half and went down a few times lying in the foetal position holding ankle. he stayed like that for several minutes the play went on WBA didnt kick the ball out (unlke us when their player wen down) and we had to play for about 5 minutes with 10 men. He does this too often the magic sponge came out and the physios did their thing and on he trotted, I suppose my point is he needs to get up and play on ,I honestly think Lee Mason didnt pander to his antics and maybe thats why he didnt get the pen decision??- just a thought.Second half I thought he upped his game alot and of course scored a great goal.
Great new song re Ozil - Spurs sold Bale and we bought Mesut Ozil , Mesut ozil , etc. not sure exactly how the song went as couldnt pick up all of it as I am going deaf but a great chorus and a great beat to it , can anyone at the match fill me in on how it goes
Anyway a good point in my opinion and we are still top of the league

[northbank123]

As for Bendtner, if fans want to sing the name of one of our players then that's absolutely fine by me but there's no way you'd hear me chanting for that useless sack of shit who has taken a number of swipes at the club over the past few years, happily refused to move so that he could continue to receive money from us yet then has the temerity to turn round and complain because we won't sell him.

And before somebody points out that he was entitled to see out his contract (as if I didn't know) that doesn't remotely wash if he's then going out on the piss pre-season and still isn't in any sort of fit state for a PL footballer.

[hut160]

I was surprised bendtner came on Olivier was having a good game.why take him off when we need a goal and leave him on when we were up at swansea and he was out on his legs?
AW must have put him on for a reason perhaps hes sees something in him, a hunger perhaps
agree we need to support all of our players and encourage them , not go as far as to sing super Nik though! not until he starts doing something super

[topgoon]

I was surprised bendtner came on Olivier was having a good game.why take him off when we need a goal and leave him on when we were up at swansea and he was out on his legs?
AW must have put him on for a reason perhaps hes sees something in him, a hunger perhaps
agree we need to support all of our players and encourage them , not go as far as to sing super Nik though! not until he starts doing something super

Yeah for a big mac....I haven't seen anything in Barry to make me think he's anything more than another lazy footballer happy to collect a cheque for doing nowt

[hut160]

like it!
thought Ozil had a good game.
whenever he gets the ball the way he pushes forward the pitch just opens up for him- great to watch , we needed width today and thought we missed Theo big time
looking forward to Santi, Ox, Poldi and Theo coming back- will give us many more options. Lest hope no injuries over the international break

[QuartzGooner]

A point was deserved.

I felt like Wenger cost us 3 points though with his team selection. Why on Earth would you put the player in form, Ramsey, out on the right, away from where he has been amazing this season?
Arteta slows the game down more than Ramsey and it showed today. Ramsey and Flamini should have started CM, with Rosicky and Gnabry on the flanks.

I agree with this view.

I texted a few mates and said we lacked width and pace.
A Liverpool friend of mine who follows us closely too, said he was baffled with our midfield starting line up.

There is an old adage "If it ain't broke don't fix it".

I think we should whenever possible, keep the successful Flamini - Ramsey partnership in central midfield.
It allows Ramsey to play to a strength of his, which is running from deep and scoring.

With the players available today I would have gone for:

Ozil wide left - pace and passing.

Rosicky central - very creative.

Gnabry wide right - pace and power.

I think that if we only have one of Ozil, Cazorla or Rosicky starting, then at least one of the other two attacking midfielders should be someone with pace. Today we did not have that.

Other Options:


1.) Wilshere and Flamini central midfield.

Plays to Wilshere's strengths of mid and long range passing.

Rosicky central, Ozil left and Ramsey wide right.

Does compromise Ramsey to an extent.



2.) Ramsey and Wilshere central midfield, (if Flamini is out).

A fit and confident Wilshere might be able to add more positional sense to his tough tackling?
Very attack minded, consider the plethora of talent that would be available for the front three.
The big question is if it would have enough positional stability and defensive screening qualities in central midfield?
At present I doubt this.

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Another thought from my Liverpool friend is that if we buy a new striker, we should buy one with pace.

From what I have seen of Ozil so far, he passes the ball very quickly after receiving it.
We need to take advantage of this, and it is why I think Theo will benefit a lot from Ozil's purchase, and vice-versa.

[Herd]

Hate to say it but it looked like the shape of things to come ,West Brom arent that good but we made them looked better than they are,what they did well was to just shut us down and hit us on the break as we were too lazy to backtrack.The amount of ball we gave them after trying to play tip tap without pace was alarming .
Good teams will do what they did to us and score more so we need to tighten up .
Wilshere was awful and should have been subbed at half time,and Ramsey wasnt fully fit which is now a huge worry.
Giroud didnt get much service but couldnt finish when he got a sniff.
Jenkinson tries hard by why are we trying to play him in as a winger when he has no pace ?
Defence looked shaky all day long and if anelka could have seen through his beard we might have got
punished severely.
All in all very few good points apart from Ozil who is a class above.

[Henry Norris 1913]

I criticised them for showing a reaction that was, in my opinion at least, way OTT - the guy has done nothing for us in years and certainly doesn't deserve fans singing his name just cos he was brought on FFS, even though he has done nothing in the football world for years, he is still an arrogant cock and our fans singing about him being "super nic" will ensure that his status in his mythical world will continue on Clap him onto the pitch if you want but any extra attention or praise has to be merited in my book

maybe you should have attended and told our away following off mate. christ who cares

[augie]

A point was deserved.

I felt like Wenger cost us 3 points though with his team selection. Why on Earth would you put the player in form, Ramsey, out on the right, away from where he has been amazing this season?
Arteta slows the game down more than Ramsey and it showed today. Ramsey and Flamini should have started CM, with Rosicky and Gnabry on the flanks.

I agree with this view.

I texted a few mates and said we lacked width and pace.
A Liverpool friend of mine who follows us closely too, said he was baffled with our midfield starting line up.

There is an old adage "If it ain't broke don't fix it".

I think we should whenever possible, keep the successful Flamini - Ramsey partnership in central midfield.
It allows Ramsey to play to a strength of his, which is running from deep and scoring.

With the players available today I would have gone for:

Ozil wide left - pace and passing.

Rosicky central - very creative.

Gnabry wide right - pace and power.

I think that if we only have one of Ozil, Cazorla or Rosicky starting, then at least one of the other two attacking midfielders should be someone with pace. Today we did not have that.

Other Options:


1.) Wilshere and Flamini central midfield.

Plays to Wilshere's strengths of mid and long range passing.

Rosicky central, Ozil left and Ramsey wide right.

Does compromise Ramsey to an extent.



2.) Ramsey and Wilshere central midfield, (if Flamini is out).

A fit and confident Wilshere might be able to add more positional sense to his tough tackling?
Very attack minded, consider the plethora of talent that would be available for the front three.
The big question is if it would have enough positional stability and defensive screening qualities in central midfield?
At present I doubt this.

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[b]Another thought from my Liverpool friend is that if we buy a new striker, we should buy one with pace.[/b]

From what I have seen of Ozil so far, he passes the ball very quickly after receiving it.
We need to take advantage of this, and it is why I think Theo will benefit a lot from Ozil's purchase, and vice-versa.

I have argued that bit on here for years - I suggested buying darren bent or remy to much derision on here but the simple fact is that they would bring some much needed pace and striking experience to what is a barren cupboard right now . In my opinion we wouldnt need either to be a 20 goal a season striker as long as they forced the opposition defences to drop off a bit more in a bid to nullify that threat in behind them - if you give me a choice between taking away the space in behind for wally to run into or force opposition defences deeper to open up more space between our midfield and their defence then I would choose the latter every single time. In my opinion we have players like ozil, wilshere and ramsey who can take advantage of that space but as things stand we dont have a striker to stretch those defences