Reading Away Thread

[Robin_L]

Can't argue with 5-2 really, it's the fact we conceded those two and how likely we are to do so that will keep us out of the top 4 if we aren't careful.

[brazilianGOONER]

great goals, shit defending but who cares. thank you for today Gooners!

[flash gunner]

Augie, Flash, DB10, your confidence surrounding this game astounds me. Firstly Reading despite being shite, have shown that they can score goals, and even given their position in the league table, I still think we are under more pressure going into this game than they are.
Our shower of bottlers and halfwit senile manager have shown time and time again that pressure is something they don't handle well.
I will stick my neck out here and say categorically that we won't win this game, Wigan will then be even tougher and we will lose that one.

I'm with you Sid. Go back to the start of the Bradford thread and there were many 4 or 5 goal trouncing predictions. I'll also stick my neck out and say that this Arsenal side won't score more than 3 goals in any game between now and the end of the season. There isn't 4 goals in this side. Yes there was a freak 7-5 between two sets of reserves and six against a League One team and a Southampton side finding their feet. But now everyone is scrapping for survival we won't score 4 against anyone. Having no strikers surprisingly is proving a hinderance - who would have thought that eh?

[donaldo]

Can't argue with 5-2 really, it's the fact we conceded those two and how likely we are to do so that will keep us out of the top 4 if we aren't careful.

Yes you can argue about it.Because it was vitually bar Arteta and Walcott the same team that got humiliated by Bradford.They turn it on when they want to and other games cant give a fuck.Thats why we will never win anything again under Wenger

[DB10GOONER]

I actually enjoyed that game last night. First one I've actually proper enjoyed watching in I don't know how many months... Cazorla showed how much he has to offer - his passing, vision, finishing and intelligence were fantastic. We scored some really good goals, we passed it around and our movement on and off the ball was great. Wilshere showed again how much we have missed him and Arteta is just class, just does the vital things intelligently and without histrionics or stupid risks - after 58 years of watching Song fuck that role up it is a real pleasure to watch Arteta!

BUT it has to be put in context. It was Reading FFS. They gave us so much space and time it was like watching a pub team try to defend. We have to be pragmatic about this - Cazorla will not get that much time and space in between most teams' back 4 and midfield. Norwich showed everyone how to compress that area and basically nullify him. We need a manager that can work out a Plan B to utilise him against teams that do that. Wenger will never provide that and a great player like Cazorla will never fulfill his massive potential while Wenger is in charge. How fucking shameful would it be if he becomes the next Arshavin...?

Apart from our fucking proper shit defending at times (especially the now almost hilarious Zonal Chaos) the biggest irritation of the night was the SlySports match commentators. Arseholes. They gave me the absolute fucking shits with comments like "Last week is now all forgotten about" and "Be careful what you wish for" and Quinn's classic "How can any real Arsenal fan now question Arsene?". Condecending, ill-informed fucking idiots both.

On a side note I hope Arteta is not starting to get tired because Coquelin will fuck that role up big time. He has not got the discipline or subtlety to play in there (not yet anyway). He lunges into the tackle too often and is often caught trying to be too clever. I think he has talent but is still too raw to play such a vital role. FrimpSong would be an absolute disaster in there and probably the worst option at this stage. With our shit Zonal Chaos approach to defending do we really want players at DM giving away silly ego-driven free kicks 20 - 30 yards out...?

[OneBardGooner]

I actually enjoyed that game last night. First one I've actually proper enjoyed watching in I don't know how many months... Cazorla showed how much he has to offer - his passing, vision, finishing and intelligence were fantastic. We scored some really good goals, we passed it around and our movement on and off the ball was great. Wilshere showed again how much we have missed him and Arteta is just class, just does the vital things intelligently and without histrionics or stupid risks - after 58 years of watching Song fuck that role up it is a real pleasure to watch Arteta!

BUT it has to be put in context. It was Reading FFS. They gave us so much space and time it was like watching a pub team try to defend. We have to be pragmatic about this - Cazorla will not get that much time and space in between most teams' back 4 and midfield. Norwich showed everyone how to compress that area and basically nullify him. We need a manager that can work out a Plan B to utilise him against teams that do that. Wenger will never provide that and a great player like Cazorla will never fulfill his massive potential while Wenger is in charge. How fucking shameful would it be if he becomes the next Arshavin...?

Apart from our fucking proper shit defending at times (especially the now almost hilarious Zonal Chaos) the biggest irritation of the night was the SlySports match commentators. Arseholes. They gave me the absolute fucking shits with comments like "Last week is now all forgotten about" and "Be careful what you wish for" and Quinn's classic "How can any real Arsenal fan now question Arsene?". Condecending, ill-informed fucking idiots both.

On a side note I hope Arteta is not starting to get tired because Coquelin will fuck that role up big time. He has not got the discipline or subtlety to play in there (not yet anyway). He lunges into the tackle too often and is often caught trying to be too clever. I think he has talent but is still too raw to play such a vital role. FrimpSong would be an absolute disaster in there and probably the worst option at this stage. With our shit Zonal Chaos approach to defending do we really want players at DM giving away silly ego-driven free kicks 20 - 30 yards out...?

^^^These^^^ well said Mate....

[MK Gould]

Delighted that we won of course, but I still found myself so angry for the two goals we conceded.... I'd have taken 5-2 before the game, but we should have comfortably see it out 7 or 8-0 & if we were in a similar position against even wigan then at 2-4 it would have been game on!

[SteveO 35]

Augie, Flash, DB10, your confidence surrounding this game astounds me. Firstly Reading despite being shite, have shown that they can score goals, and even given their position in the league table, I still think we are under more pressure going into this game than they are.
Our shower of bottlers and halfwit senile manager have shown time and time again that pressure is something they don't handle well.
I will stick my neck out here and say categorically that we won't win this game, Wigan will then be even tougher and we will lose that one.

I'm with you Sid. Go back to the start of the Bradford thread and there were many 4 or 5 goal trouncing predictions. I'll also stick my neck out and say that this Arsenal side won't score more than 3 goals in any game between now and the end of the season. There isn't 4 goals in this side. Yes there was a freak 7-5 between two sets of reserves and six against a League One team and a Southampton side finding their feet. But now everyone is scrapping for survival we won't score 4 against anyone. Having no strikers surprisingly is proving a hinderance - who would have thought that eh?

Guilty as charged !

Anyway Flash - I don't have to sit here and defend myself to you. I've been making result predictions for 30 years

[flash gunner]

Augie, Flash, DB10, your confidence surrounding this game astounds me. Firstly Reading despite being shite, have shown that they can score goals, and even given their position in the league table, I still think we are under more pressure going into this game than they are.
Our shower of bottlers and halfwit senile manager have shown time and time again that pressure is something they don't handle well.
I will stick my neck out here and say categorically that we won't win this game, Wigan will then be even tougher and we will lose that one.

I'm with you Sid. Go back to the start of the Bradford thread and there were many 4 or 5 goal trouncing predictions. I'll also stick my neck out and say that this Arsenal side won't score more than 3 goals in any game between now and the end of the season. There isn't 4 goals in this side. Yes there was a freak 7-5 between two sets of reserves and six against a League One team and a Southampton side finding their feet. But now everyone is scrapping for survival we won't score 4 against anyone. Having no strikers surprisingly is proving a hinderance - who would have thought that eh?

Guilty as charged !

Anyway Flash - I don't have to sit here and defend myself to you. I've been making result predictions for 30 years

Let this be a lesson to Babatunde . . . . erm i mean N1goon - Hold your hands up when you get it wrong

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Enjoyed the game last night although did have a few choice words for the team at 4-2

Now I know everyone on here is gonna disagree but I don't blame our defence for the first goal, if you look at their build up it is Arteta that let's the man cut inside him and makes no effort to put a tackle in and just lamely follows him, but like song used to

Arteta isn't the answer as a DM, he is a good player but not a DM.

Anyhow another 5-2 so chuffed this morning

[northbank123]

Nice to give somebody a pasting.

Ridiculous that even at 4-0 up having pissed all over by far the worst team in the league we still somehow get into a nervy position by letting them score twice. How can anybody think we can win trophies under Wenger when we completely lose focus and lack bottle like that? A top manager would give his teams a bollocking for letting Reading score 7 goals against them in 2 games, I bet Wenger let it slide and just focused on what a wonderful display it was.

Anyway, how can we be so ludicrous as to demand change now the gap on an average Spurs team is only 2 points and we've bridged the gap on United to just 15 points?

[I Hate Hleb]

Good article and analogy in this analysis...

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/616247959?-19387:844

[augie]

Enjoyed the game last night although did have a few choice words for the team at 4-2

Now I know everyone on here is gonna disagree but I don't blame our defence for the first goal, if you look at their build up it is Arteta that let's the man cut inside him and makes no effort to put a tackle in and just lamely follows him, but like song used to

Arteta isn't the answer as a DM, he is a good player but not a DM.

Anyhow another 5-2 so chuffed this morning

I stand to be corrected on this of course but I think that 3 of our goals conceded this season have been from situations where our backline has stepped up to play offside but gibbs has stayed in and played the opposition onside just as he did last night. If my memory is correct on this then it needs to be sorted and fast - clichy used to get slated for being a great full back going forward but defensively reckless but gibb's playing opposition players onside is surely no less of a crime than clichy going awol is it ?

[northbank123]

Enjoyed the game last night although did have a few choice words for the team at 4-2

Now I know everyone on here is gonna disagree but I don't blame our defence for the first goal, if you look at their build up it is Arteta that let's the man cut inside him and makes no effort to put a tackle in and just lamely follows him, but like song used to

Arteta isn't the answer as a DM, he is a good player but not a DM.

Anyhow another 5-2 so chuffed this morning

I stand to be corrected on this of course but I think that 3 of our goals conceded this season have been from situations where our backline has stepped up to play offside but gibbs has stayed in and played the opposition onside just as he did last night. If my memory is correct on this then it needs to be sorted and fast - clichy used to get slated for being a great full back going forward but defensively reckless but gibb's playing opposition players onside is surely no less of a crime than clichy going awol is it ?

I've never seen a full-back play strikers onside as often as Clichy did. Criminal.

Gibbs' positionally used to worry me the most, he would constantly get dragged to within 5 yards of his centre-half, leaving the wide man with acres of space to receive the ball and pick out a man or drive into the box. He looked a far more solid and assured defender in the first few games especially when we didn't defend like idiots (as did everybody), maybe his old habits are creeping back in as we painfully regress defensively.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Enjoyed the game last night although did have a few choice words for the team at 4-2

Now I know everyone on here is gonna disagree but I don't blame our defence for the first goal, if you look at their build up it is Arteta that let's the man cut inside him and makes no effort to put a tackle in and just lamely follows him, but like song used to

Arteta isn't the answer as a DM, he is a good player but not a DM.

Anyhow another 5-2 so chuffed this morning

I stand to be corrected on this of course but I think that 3 of our goals conceded this season have been from situations where our backline has stepped up to play offside but gibbs has stayed in and played the opposition onside just as he did last night. If my memory is correct on this then it needs to be sorted and fast - clichy used to get slated for being a great full back going forward but defensively reckless but gibb's playing opposition players onside is surely no less of a crime than clichy going awol is it ?

Don't really know about gibbs playing everyone onside but Defence starts from the front of the team NOT the back, anyhow my point was Arteta should have cut this out at source but ambled and passed the buck just like cazorla did when reading first got in behind us.

So I stand by my point, I don't blame our defenders for all our defensive frailties and certainly not the first goal last night.