Orcs Away - March 1st.

[northbank123]

A few observations after returning from that horrid shit-hole...

1) Was AW selecting Podolski in a match that wasn't suited to his style (we needed ball carriers and pace on the flanks) a massive told you so to the fans?

2) TV5 is the club captain regardless of his selection but surely having him spend all of half time out on the pitch is hugely detrimental to the team and embarrassing for him. He surely now has no authority if Wenger doesn't require him in the changing rooms for the ht talk?

3) Belief. The majority of fans, in our heart of hearts, don't believe we can win the league. Yes we're only 4 points off top but we''ve seen us fade away in many seasons past. The players played like they knew the challenge was beyond them. There was a sense of resignation and inevitability about the result. Surely AW should be inspiring confidence and belief in the players?

The FA Cup is now our season and if AW plays a weakened side ahead of Munich then the little good will that is left after another appalling transfer window will surely disappear. Wouldn't surprise me if this season is his last hurrah.

Dissidence = sacked.

[scotgooner]

Wilshere was my favourite player a few years ago,

Now I cannot fucking stand him, he has not became the player he should have been.

Very sad.

Chalk that up to another player ruined under Wenger? Along with Arshavin, Podolski, Chamberlain, maybe Ozil...

Looks like it bud,

All of those above would most likely thrive under a Klopp, Guardialo, Mourinho etc...

[clockender1]

You guys are a bit harsh - we lost to stoke because of the stadium we built 8 years ago. How can we compete with the Britannia FFS ????

[g88ner]

You guys are a bit harsh - we lost to stoke because of the stadium we built 8 years ago. How can we compete with the Britannia FFS ????

In fairness, we aren't the only big team this season who struggled at the Britannia in the league...

Stoke 1-0 Arsenal
Stoke 2-1 Man Utd
Stoke 3-2 Chelsea
Stoke 0-0 Citeh
Stoke 1-1 Everton

Quite a record

We were shite and rightly get criticised, but this bollocks tongue-in-cheek dig about not being able to compete with Stoke is equally valid (if not more so) for Citeh, United and chavs. On money alone, we should all be beating them... but none of the above did.

We've actually done well this season against teams we should beat. It's the big teams we've struggled against (and how! )

[clockender1]

Fair point. I'm just very frustrated.

But we know the chavs and city are inconsistent away from home - which is why we've kept pace with them IMHO.

It just feels worse than 3 points lost. Much worse. City and Chelsea at least can feel that they had a go and were denied by the 'anti-football' but can we ?

Plus our manager has had years and years to come up with a plan - it yet again feels like a failure to learn or evolve to me.

[clockender1]

By the way - how did Liverpool do up there ?

Won didn't they ?

[g88ner]

By the way - how did Liverpool do up there ?

Won didn't they ?

Yes, won 5-3. Sp*rs won as well.

Still can't believe Sp*rs have the best away record in the league.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Watched it till about 75 mins and then went to the gym because we could have been there till Christmas and still wouldn't have scored.

We know stoke defend well but its the bottling out of the 50/50 challenges that winds me up, we have become such a soft team these last few years, what makes this more astounding is wenger had his success with tough teams, teams that were never bullied in games and gave as good as they got.

I think I said 7 points in the thread about the next 4 games (including this one), I am going to change that to 3.

The strikers I've seen at this great club in my time supporting them have never been so poor, mid table players at best and now earning a kings ransom at The Arsenal, its fuckin depressing.

[worthing_gooner]

What an absolute fucking shit pit that place is. Left the south coast at 7.30am with 200 beers between us, by the time we got to Stoke at about 2 we had 60 odd left. Tried to find parking but it was pretty non existant and the police directed us down to official parking with the coaches outside the away end. Pulled in and the plid were all over us, pulled all the beer out, not allowed any of it within two hours of the stadium - a law passed in 1995 apparently!! In all my years travelling to away games, never once have we had a problem like that. The plod said there were 139 beers and they'd have confiscated the vehicle if there were 150 - lying wanker.

Ironically, once the scumbags had confiscated the beer, I went into the ground and bought a pint! The copper wanted to throw the book at our driver, fine, summons to court, the works. Absolute jobsworth . Football fan = guilty immediately. Standard behaviour from the day glo Nazis.

As for the match itself, we were absolute shite. There was no pace whatsoever. I like Arteta as a player, but if you press him he's fucked. Too easy to play against. Wenger should've started Flamini, our toughest player at a tough ground. Podolski was terrible, offered absolutely nothing except blazing one of our best chances a mile over the bar. Ox should've come on a lot earlier - he got in behind three or four times in the last ten minutes, more than our entire team in the previous 80. Big mistake from Wenger.

I didn't see the Charlie Adam incident but it doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I've seen it since and it's a red card all day long. Doubt the FA will see it and I'm not surprised Mark Hughes saw nothing wrong. Finally, after the penalty the TV screens focussed on Wenger and then the Arsenal fans - regardless of what you think of Wenger it just typifies what a classless bunch of arseholes they are.

As for Giroud? Don't get me started. Fucking useless, rolling around on the floor, offered nothing upfront, was overpowered by their defenders all game. Not good enough.

At FT did anyone see Shawcross give it the bigun by our travelling fans? Absolute . The stewarding was similarly awful and I saw someone have a right go at one at FT. Not sure what that was about but I'm not surprised, as the Stoke fans were lining up by the concourse entrance giving it. For some reason this is Stoke's cup final, but then I guess that's a sign of the small time shit club mentality.

We ended up in a police escort up the road and back on to the motorway - their fans lining the motorway bridges trying to look intimidating. Absolute bunch of wankers. Honestly would love it if they went down but unfortunately can't see it. The result puts us well and truly out of the title race and if we lose to the scum in a couple of weeks we could be staring down the barrell of a 5th place finish with the fixtures we have coming up. Might not be the worst thing that ever happened.

[SteveO 35]

Two goals (both scored by 'the little boy inside') in our last 4 visits to the Britannia and no wins

"You have to give Stoke credit, they defended very well" (x4)

Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome

Fair play to our heroic centre forward.......I swear at one point I almost saw him prepared to mess his hair up in pursuit of glory yesterday

[northbank123]

Two goals (both scored by 'the little boy inside') in our last 4 visits to the Britannia and no wins

"You have to give Stoke credit, they defended very well" (x4)

Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome

Fair play to our heroic centre forward.......I swear at one point I almost saw him prepared to mess his hair up in pursuit of glory yesterday

Wenger does not believe that his approach needs to be changed whatsoever. He thinks it's just a case of tinkering with personnel and he will do the same every summer.

As I said it's strange how regularly these two-bob teams regularly manage to lift their game and put in super-human defensive performances against us - seems to happen to us every season?

Yesterday we set up like relegation scrappers desperate to get a point. Giroud was absolutely isolated up front and we were playing tippy-tappy football in the wrong areas. We had so few men getting forward and Giroud's movement was so poor that Stoke were able to press us high up the pitch because it wasn't actually a huge threat if we got in behind. And Wenger couldn't see that, just making personnel changes. Even briefly going 2 up front did not change how we were playing.

[Robin_L]

At FT did anyone see Shawcross give it the bigun by our travelling fans? Absolute . The stewarding was similarly awful and I saw someone have a right go at one at FT. Not sure what that was about but I'm not surprised, as the Stoke fans were lining up by the concourse entrance giving it. For some reason this is Stoke's cup final, but then I guess that's a sign of the small time shit club mentality.

I was in row 3 and watched as he walked across to the tunnel. He was smiling and looking up at our support, but hardly did anything provocative imo.

[BFG4]

You guys are a bit harsh - we lost to stoke because of the stadium we built 8 years ago. How can we compete with the Britannia FFS ????

In fairness, we aren't the only big team this season who struggled at the Britannia in the league...

Stoke 1-0 Arsenal
Stoke 2-1 Man Utd
Stoke 3-2 Chelsea
Stoke 0-0 Citeh
Stoke 1-1 Everton

Quite a record

We were shite and rightly get criticised, but this bollocks tongue-in-cheek dig about not being able to compete with Stoke is equally valid (if not more so) for Citeh, United and chavs. On money alone, we should all be beating them... but none of the above did.

We've actually done well this season against teams we should beat. It's the big teams we've struggled against (and how! )

In fairness, your only telling half the story. Including yesterday, we have won 1 in our last 7 games away at Stoke, so it isn't just about yesterday, we have been shit against them, ever since they came into the league, and this, despite the fact their tactics are so basic, and easy to get the better of, unless your a muppet, who continuously goes there, and plays a 4-5-1 formation, that plays into their hands.

[robbo10]

Wilshere was my favourite player a few years ago,

Now I cannot fucking stand him, he has not became the player he should have been.

Very sad.

Chalk that up to another player ruined under Wenger? Along with Arshavin, Podolski, Chamberlain, maybe Ozil...

Looks like it bud,

All of those above would most likely thrive under a Klopp, Guardialo, Mourinho etc...

I've always thought Walcott would have blossomed under a decent manager too,a player will perform better if he fears a bollocking from his manager,I cant imagine Arsene could discipline a fucking 4 year old child.

[armchair]

Although he did say we just werent good enough on SSN Wenger blamed the ref for giving the pen and he blamede our players for shooting instead of passing.

I know hed never say it but we got nothing from that game Arsene because of YOU!
Your team selection, lack of tactics, lack of motivation. But most of all your wilfull neglect of not buying a top striker in the summer or January.

More points thrown away by Wenger. Its impossible to calculate I know but how many points/trophys has Wenger thrown away due to his project, penny-pinching and absolute failure to strengthen where needed? Instead his ego will not allow him to do the right thing. Just persist with inferiority year after year hoping that it'll come good and he'll be proclaimed as a genius once again.

That ship has sailed Arsene.