As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
I know you claim to be a realist, but we strolled this tonight. We looked like we might be under pressure for 2 minutes out of 94. Yes we should have scored more, but the guys enjoyed themselves and we even got the result of a 5th yellow for Cesc. neither Cesc nor Aw could keep a straight face when asked about their diappointment on the yellow card.
Ade was not brilliant but he never is. Yet he still scored 2 great goals (1 disallowed).
Augie if we win the treble will you be saying we should have won the Carling cup as well?
As usual I can kinda se where Augie is coming from!
Let's face it Reading were fucking woeful and let us pass the ball around infront of them as all they did was string nine players across the penalty box. It may have looked very pretty at times and we had the usual "Ole, Ole" nonsense but it was all a bit sterile!
The disaappointment for me was the way we failed as usual to put away gilt edged chances! We really should have won that by six and made a statement! Yep we won away and happy days but with a bit more ruthlessness we could have demolished Reading!
gus ceasar is a legend wrote:As usual I can kinda se where Augie is coming from!
Let's face it Reading were fucking woeful and let us pass the ball around infront of them as all they did was string nine players across the penalty box. It may have looked very pretty at times and we had the usual "Ole, Ole" nonsense but it was all a bit sterile!
The disaappointment for me was the way we failed as usual to put away gilt edged chances! We really should have won that by six and made a statement! Yep we won away and happy days but with a bit more ruthlessness we could have demolished Reading!
Arsenal passed them to death, barely breaking into a sweat in doing so. It was a "job done" performance. After the intensity of the Liverpool and United games, and the crapness of the Slavia game, that looked about right to me. Christ, Flamini even scored, what more you could you want??
augie wrote:In truth I felt we were poor 2nite with our passing and 1st touch especially bad. I know he scored a goal and had another (wrongly) ruled out for offside but jesus ade was f*cking woeful. His touch was dire and if you look at the replay of the goal he nearly lost possesion earlier in the move cos of his lack of ball control. I feel that making 8 changes in the last game and re-instating those 8 again tonight probable affected our rythem as well and to amke it worse we are now interupted again cos of f*cking internationals. All in all we have to be satisfied that we have got the 3 pts and are back on top after a below par performance
jesus f**king chriist augie, what the fuck is wrong with ya?
They parked a double fuking decker bus in front of our goal for the ENTIRE 90 minutes and we won 3-1. Oim fuuckin pissed but give it a f**king rest. Ade deserves credit for putting his shit play out of his mind and scoring a superb goal.
I SAID PREVIOUSLY I WOULDN'T GET INVOLVED IN THE ADEBAYOR DEBATE AGAIN BUT I CAN'T RESIST. NOW I REALISE HE IS MUCH LIKE MARMITE, IN THAT YOU EITHER LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM - ALTHOUGH IRONICALLY, I LOVE ADE BUT HATE MARMITE!! - BUT I DO NEED TO SAY THIS:
IT'S TRUE THAT ADE DIDN'T HAVE THE GREATEST OF FIRST HALF'S BUT HE SET UP OUR OPENER WITH A FANTASTIC PASS; HIT THE POST; SCORED THE SECOND - A CRACKING EFFORT - AND HAD AN EVEN BETTER GOAL DISALLOWED.
ADD THAT TO THE USUAL HARD WORK HE PUTS IN UP FRONT - AND AGAIN HE WAS THE LONE FORWARD HAVING TO BATTLE AGAINST TWO AND SOMETIMES THREE DEFENDERS - AND THE WAY HE ALLOWS THE MIDFIELDERS TO GET FORWARD IN SUPPORT, AND I THINK ADE IS MORE THAN WORTHY OF HIS PLACE IN THE SIDE.
HE'S NO IAN WRIGHT AS A FINISHER - AND REMEMBER, NEITHER WAS THIERRY - BUT HE DOES GIVE US SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST GOALS AND IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO HOW THIS TEAM PLAYS. ALSO, I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE THAT 7 GOALS IN 10 LEAGUE APPEARANCES IS A MORE THAN ADEQUATE RETURN FOR A STRIKER.
SO A MESSAGE TO ALL YOU HATERS OUT THERE: YOU CAN SLAG OFF BIG PHIL AND ALEX SONG BUT PLEASE LEAVE MY ADE ALONE!!
We won 3-1 away, and we played only one up front, you really can't ask for more than that. We're back on top and still have a game in hand, no need to get greedy.
I Hate Hleb wrote:I SAID PREVIOUSLY I WOULDN'T GET INVOLVED IN THE ADEBAYOR DEBATE AGAIN BUT I CAN'T RESIST. NOW I REALISE HE IS MUCH LIKE MARMITE, IN THAT YOU EITHER LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM - ALTHOUGH IRONICALLY, I LOVE ADE BUT HATE MARMITE!! - BUT I DO NEED TO SAY THIS:
IT'S TRUE THAT ADE DIDN'T HAVE THE GREATEST OF FIRST HALF'S BUT HE SET UP OUR OPENER WITH A FANTASTIC PASS; HIT THE POST; SCORED THE SECOND - A CRACKING EFFORT - AND HAD AN EVEN BETTER GOAL DISALLOWED.
ADD THAT TO THE USUAL HARD WORK HE PUTS IN UP FRONT - AND AGAIN HE WAS THE LONE FORWARD HAVING TO BATTLE AGAINST TWO AND SOMETIMES THREE DEFENDERS - AND THE WAY HE ALLOWS THE MIDFIELDERS TO GET FORWARD IN SUPPORT, AND I THINK ADE IS MORE THAN WORTHY OF HIS PLACE IN THE SIDE.
HE'S NO IAN WRIGHT AS A FINISHER - AND REMEMBER, NEITHER WAS THIERRY - BUT HE DOES GIVE US SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST GOALS AND IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO HOW THIS TEAM PLAYS. ALSO, I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE THAT 7 GOALS IN 10 LEAGUE APPEARANCES IS A MORE THAN ADEQUATE RETURN FOR A STRIKER.
SO A MESSAGE TO ALL YOU HATERS OUT THERE: YOU CAN SLAG OFF BIG PHIL AND ALEX SONG BUT PLEASE LEAVE MY ADE ALONE!!
Well put IHH - Better than the shit that I wrote a few posts earlier
No apologies necessary Galasso - havent I always said that I enjoy a healthy debate
Anyway the point I was trying to make was that if our passing and 1st touch was better we would have torn them apart and made it easier a lot earlier. I agree that the parked the boss in front of the goals but in the recent past we have broken down teams by quick interpassing(a la ade's 2nd goal) but the integral ingrediant of that is better ball control. A couple of weeks ago when we won 7-0 in the champs lge I was really impressed at the fact that, like a shark, when we seen blood we went for the kill and that is not a trait that I am used to seeing in Arsenal teams. Yes we could have won by more and made a statement but I am more concerned that we look very sluggish after our chosen rest and now we have another rest due to internationals and wenger has always pointed to games after the breaks as crucial ones.
Maybe I am being harsh as I am looking for evidence that we are ready for a title challenge that other fans clearly see but I have yet to believe. I do however believe 100% in the importance of regaining top spot both from the teams confidence but also to send a message to our rivals. That we did all that after not playing to our potential is in some way pleasing I suppose but the report card for this game would say "must do better".
neither Cesc nor Aw could keep a straight face when asked about their diappointment on the yellow card.
