Filthy lot from down the road N Thurs 31st July KO 1230pm

[Midz]

One of the main ideas of a transfer window is to strengthen your team / squad.

it doesn't look like we've done this to any degree other than replace what we already had.

Shame.

[the playing mantis]

I think we should stop wetting ourselves over this TBF. Yes the concerns remain and the milksop is out biggest issue bar none well apart from klive if he plays as he's utter turd as well.

Nwaneri started last 2 and was clearly given a rest here.

Martinellis the monty panesar of football. He hasn't played 50 test matches he's played the the same one 50 times. Not improved and if anything regressed and ain't good enough as a starter for us. Yes I think coaching is contribute but you cannot coach head down not looking up

[A11M11]

Lot of truth in that . We played exactly the same way as before .We have new faces but no change in style . The build up is way too slow and even in the last 20 with a striker on the pitch we created nothing .
Losing to that lot even in a friendly is bad enough , but the ankle tap on Skelly leading to their goal should have been seen but making the pass to him with two players around should be a hanging offence.

[TeeCee]

We played differently in the first half, going long a lot of the time.

We still only have one creative outlet in the center with Odegaard and we rely on Saka, because we don't have one player on the left who is reliable so we often avoid it

With Martinelli and Trossard, you never know whether you're getting sugar or shite and it's mostly a degree of shite.

Zubimendi will hopefully provide more through the middle once he's settled and hopefully Nwaneri will get serious minutes through the middle but that means dropping Havertz and that won't happen so fuck knows where we are
We definitely need a creative player and not another bloody winger. Eze is the one but I just don't know if we'll pay the money

[SteveO 35]

I can be as miserable as the next man, but does anyone give a fuck about this pre-season shite ffs. Its never been a good yardstick and its being played in this surreal environment, miles from home. Yeah its Tottnum and if they want to brag about some pre-season win let them do it. They've been bragging about the Carabao Cup of Europe all summer so let them extend their little period of bragging rights if that's how they see it. Think we lost to Peterborough in the build up to the Invincibles season! Not saying we'll go the year unbeaten but one of the problems is going to be integrating new players and bringing back a good few who were out injured for months

I'm no more alarmed about this than I will be delighted if we win the two friendlies that are left at home

Hate pre-season ffs - just a total bore

[SteveO 35]

One observation is that we need to trust Nwaneri and Dowman this season - fully fledged squad members not just the odd back up appearance. Odegaard was dross for pretty much the entire season last year and we had no real back up plan. When Nwaneri played he was mostly good, with the odd stinker as one would expect for one so young. Occasionally a player comes along at 15/16 with the physical attrbutes, ability and confidence rolled into one. Everyone remembers what the granny shagger did to us when he was 16. He was built like a beast and ragdolled some of the top defenders in the country and put himself about - no respect for reputation. I see young Max the same way - no bullshit about breaking him in gently its very clear this boy has what it takes physically, confidence wise and technically. As has been said above - do we want to see Martinelli repeating the same pattern 50 times, or Odegaard never being dropped despite stinking the gaff out. Get these boys in - they are both ready. Protecting them comes when the inevitable dip in form happens, not by holding them back

Eze? Seems like in 12 months he's reached Maradona like status in the eyes of the many. He's decent but think I'd rather go all out for a second striker and trust what we've got just behind him, including the two young uns!

[Retro Gunner]

Haven't seen any of these friendlies and won't be watching the highlights of this one ffs.

Not encouraging given the comments on here, but as we knew, if we retained Odegaard as our playmaker, then fuck all would change. We also have a manager that adheres strictly to his style of play....a slow, predictable, ineffective, Poundland version of tikka takka, that everyone has worked out.

Seems that Havertz was his usual self and as I've said countless times on here, that signing alone should have got Lego Head the sack. It will be interesting to see how often he plays now we have Big Vik, but knowing how devoted Arteta is to his favourites (especially the crap ones that his ego won't allow him to admit are crap), it would never surprise me to see Havertz and Vik rotated pretty equally. Mind you, I think even the fan boys might be tested by that decision.

Didn't see anyone mention Rice. How did he play and in what position...holding or further forward?

Not sure how I feel about the coming season, but not as confident as I should be after the number of signings. Ultimately, if the manager is sub optimal, then progress is limited. Given the amount spent under his stewardship, if we end up trophyless again, surely he'll get the bullet??

[augie]

I can be as miserable as the next man, but does anyone give a fuck about this pre-season shite ffs. Its never been a good yardstick and its being played in this surreal environment, miles from home. Yeah its Tottnum and if they want to brag about some pre-season win let them do it. They've been bragging about the Carabao Cup of Europe all summer so let them extend their little period of bragging rights if that's how they see it. Think we lost to Peterborough in the build up to the Invincibles season! Not saying we'll go the year unbeaten but one of the problems is going to be integrating new players and bringing back a good few who were out injured for months

I'm no more alarmed about this than I will be delighted if we win the two friendlies that are left at home

Hate pre-season ffs - just a total bore

I said in an earlier post that I dont give a flying fcuk whether we won or lost today too Steve O, but here is the issue - what I want to see in pre-season is improvements in areas that needed to be improved on from the previous season, and maybe different tactical options from previous season, but what I seen was the following -

1. Havitz in the last two games missed two or three chances very similar to the misses he had in the cup game we lost to the worst manure team for 50 years. That is not a guy that has improved from last season. If wrighty missed a sitter in pre season you wouldnt bat an eyelid cos you know once the proper games start he is banging them in the net most of the time, but this german dud is not a natural goalscorer and never will be and is a dead weight imo

2. Raya still thinks he is a platini style playmaker with gloves on his hands Yes maybe lewis-skelly should have done better and yes maybe he was fouled, but who the fcuk gives a pass to a player when he has two or three opposition players ready to pounce on him like that, and especially when it leaves you stranded 40 fcuking yards from goals. Fcuk this shit where this c.unt thinks he is a creative playmaker - this shit went on last season and nothing has been learned. I will also add that he was bullied on 3 of their corners in first half and was like a pussy

3. Ohdeargod STILL cannot release the ball early. He still hangs out on left wing most of the time. He is still pushed off the ball like a little bitch anytime there is physical contact on him. Again these are issues that needed fixing but show no signs of being recognised much less corrected. I said all summer that replacing him would be MY number 1 priority, but it seems to the cone boy he is irreplaceable and that tells me we is fcuked

Re your point on not buying a central attacker and trusting the two young lads, can I just point out that Dowman cannot play first team football until he turns 18 in December (half the season gone by then), and secondly if the cone boy trusted nwanieri he wouldnt have bought the chav reject, and maybe would have brought him on against psg when we needed goals instead of bringing on defenders. Some will say that I am jumping the gun here, but imo Nwanieri has no future here as long as the cone boy remains

[the playing mantis]

I'm no arteta fan but F me Augie you said the same about sailiba!!! And martinellinontj no who's he's over loyal to if anything! No future with arteta in charge.

He's supposedly just signed a 5 year deal, started last 2 games and is only 17 bit of a jump to say he has no future!

[augie]

I'm no arteta fan but F me Augie you said the same about sailiba!!! And martinellinontj no who's he's over loyal to if anything! No future with arteta in charge.

He's supposedly just signed a 5 year deal, started last 2 games and is only 17 bit of a jump to say he has no future!

I cant win here sometimes - when I defend players I am wrong and when I slate them I am wrong

The point I am making mantis is that it confuses the shit out of me when some Gooners defend the lack of game time Nwanieri got last season and point to his age, and yet in a different conversation they will praise the performances of yamal at barca and he is the same age, or will hark back to the performances of shrek when he broke through at everton and he was younger I'm not saying that nwanieri is at their level right now, but he could be that is for sure. If Nwanieri was trying to get game time in the 2004 season then of course you can make a defence for him not getting enough game time cos they were top players at the top of their game - this is not the 2004 team and last season ohdeargod was shit throughout, and there were games (like the psg game) where we needed goals and brought on defenders, and nothing will dishearten a young player more than being treated and disrespected like that. If you are nwanieri and you look at the ages of the players he is competing with last season and the ages of the players bought this summer, and with the exception of trossard they could all be here for years yet, so how does he get any confidence looking at his situation as his manager buys a 23 year old right winger from the chavs ??

You and me and thousands of Gooners around the world can look at Nwanieri and label him a generational talent if we want, but when I am speculating on his future I am only doing so based on the decisions and actions that his manager is making

[A11M11]

98 minutes , 1 shot on target 15 off . Until that gets sorted nothing much else matters.

[SteveO 35]

Lets face it Havertz is going to be second fiddle to Gyokeres.

I think Augie is wrong on the Dowman age thing - Nwaneri played for us when he was 15. I thought as long they turned 16 during the season it was ok, but maybe that has changed in which case I stand corrected

Odegaard, I can't disagree. If Dowman and Nwaneri are both available that guy either steps up to the plate or those wonderkids get blooded in a big way

Save the money on Eze and go get another striker. A proper striker. Watkins from the bench is proven high impact. He and Gyokeres competing is way better than Havertz and Gyokeres

I didn't watch the game today because I'd rather stick cocktail sticks in my bulbeye than watch any pre season football. The cricket's going well though !

Football starts in mid August. This tourist happy clapping Asia we love you shite is worse than the Lionesses!

[the playing mantis]

I'm no arteta fan but F me Augie you said the same about sailiba!!! And martinellinontj no who's he's over loyal to if anything! No future with arteta in charge.

He's supposedly just signed a 5 year deal, started last 2 games and is only 17 bit of a jump to say he has no future!

I don't think nwaneri is competing with madueke I think we need him central to ultimately usurp captain coward. Artetas said he sees him centrally so let's hope it happens and he eventually consigns the milksop to the scrapheap.

On madueke the only positive that may be is if he is an explosive beat your man player who gets it fwd fast, as we are fckd against a low block with odeagrrd dictating the (lack of) pace.




I cant win here sometimes - when I defend players I am wrong and when I slate them I am wrong

The point I am making mantis is that it confuses the shit out of me when some Gooners defend the lack of game time Nwanieri got last season and point to his age, and yet in a different conversation they will praise the performances of yamal at barca and he is the same age, or will hark back to the performances of shrek when he broke through at everton and he was younger I'm not saying that nwanieri is at their level right now, but he could be that is for sure. If Nwanieri was trying to get game time in the 2004 season then of course you can make a defence for him not getting enough game time cos they were top players at the top of their game - this is not the 2004 team and last season ohdeargod was shit throughout, and there were games (like the psg game) where we needed goals and brought on defenders, and nothing will dishearten a young player more than being treated and disrespected like that. If you are nwanieri and you look at the ages of the players he is competing with last season and the ages of the players bought this summer, and with the exception of trossard they could all be here for years yet, so how does he get any confidence looking at his situation as his manager buys a 23 year old right winger from the chavs ??

You and me and thousands of Gooners around the world can look at Nwanieri and label him a generational talent if we want, but when I am speculating on his future I am only doing so based on the decisions and actions that his manager is making

[the playing mantis]

Well ini fckd that quote up!

Can't edit as on phone!

[Ray C]

MLS not a full back.

WTF are you on about mate?

He can't tackle. Kudas stuffed him in the first half. OK going forward though !.