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 I said it in the match thread already but having watched the highlights again just now it’s worth saying again that the atmosphere was absolutely superb yet again last night.
All season it’s been excellent, there’s been a massive change this year and for the better, not sure what’s behind it but the fans in the ground are 100% behind this side. I think the fact that a lot of the divisive, disruptive and dislikeable players have been binned and what we’re left with is a squad of players who regardless of what you think of their quality all seem to give it all for the cause.
Lets be honest - much of the disruption in the stadium came in the late Wenger years.....the AKBs versus the Wenger Out brigade. When he left there was a brief period under Dick when the atmosphere was restored - the 4-2 win over the vermin in the midst of the airbrushed 22 game unbeaten run and quite a few others. The apathy soon set in though when everyone realised the expectation was to get CL football with a budget of a few conkers and tuppence ha'penny, and although the manager had changed it was clear the ambition of the club hadn't. Add to that the mercenaries, never will be's and hangers on that Shit for Brains had left us with and it just meant the average fan, me included, couldn't give a fucking toss.
Now, like you say, we've finally rid of most of the deadwood.....some 3 years on from the start of the clear out, and for the first time in living memory the manager was actually given some reasonable funds in the Summer to bring in some players that the fans really relate to. A bit like the early GG days we're also finally blessed with some great kids coming through, and its been a generation or so since we could celebrate players of the calibre of ESR, Saka and Martinelli.
I just hope this manager is the one to get the best out of it all - I have my serious doubts about that, but last night in fairness he got the team pumped for the second half and his changes 100% paid off
Heading to Tenerife for a week this morning for our first family holiday with our little 7 month old lad and what a buzz this result has given me to kick start the holiday
Thought regardless of going a goal down to a silly mistake that we played pretty well. Thought Thomas Partey was worth a mention. On his day he is a very effective player for getting the ball moving forward quicker, he just really needs to stop shooting or get some serious practice in. Fuck me he is wild with his efforts on goal
My favourite thing about last night was the desire until the death to get the winner. Days gone by too often we would have got level and accepted the draw but we were pushing for the win until the end. Love that.
We go on now to next Sunday giving us a good rest and maybe a chance for ESR and Tommy to be back in the squad.
Was also very refreshing for our subs to make such a big impact, Pepe and Nkeitah were excellent when they came on
This is exactly what I thought - papers today were giving credit to odeargod, but I thought that he was anonymous up until the last 20 mins, but delivered a lovely ball for nketieh's run for first goal. No doubt pepe and nketieh were excellent when they came in Other than those 3 I felt that the rest of the players varied from average to poor - Gabriel who I like, is beginning to look like an accident waiting to happen every time the ball is at his feet, and he seems to shitting himself when it comes his way
I know I said it in the match thread already but having watched the highlights again just now it’s worth saying again that the atmosphere was absolutely superb yet again last night.
All season it’s been excellent, there’s been a massive change this year and for the better, not sure what’s behind it but the fans in the ground are 100% behind this side. I think the fact that a lot of the divisive, disruptive and dislikeable players have been binned and what we’re left with is a squad of players who regardless of what you think of their quality all seem to give it all for the cause.
It was noticeable that in added time the ground was still full, in years gone by even when we were playing well and 3 goals up or whatever people would be leaving with 10 mins to go.
I hope it means that most of the tourists and photo taking assholes there for the day out have fucked off elsewhere.
He has some mesmerising skills which can bamboozle defenders but ends up often overdoing it, when a simple pass was on.
Needs to learn when to release it.
One v one I’d back him to beat most defenders, but then he wants to beat them again., nutmeg them and looses the opportunity
Atmosphere has been much better this year. Certainly in the lower tier at least. Upper tier looks pretty sparse at times. We have players we believe in. Much of the dross has been fucked off. What’s not to like?!
I know I said it in the match thread already but having watched the highlights again just now it’s worth saying again that the atmosphere was absolutely superb yet again last night.
All season it’s been excellent, there’s been a massive change this year and for the better, not sure what’s behind it but the fans in the ground are 100% behind this side. I think the fact that a lot of the divisive, disruptive and dislikeable players have been binned and what we’re left with is a squad of players who regardless of what you think of their quality all seem to give it all for the cause.
With covid , season ticket breaks and our lower position a lot of tourists and wengerites have disappeared. More general sale tickets allowing younger fresher fans in has helped , a new breed plus I genuinely think people are seeing a new generation of players coming through and galvanising the fans. It remi ds me when I first started going back end of 86 and George's young guns coming through in 88 .
I know I said it in the match thread already but having watched the highlights again just now it’s worth saying again that the atmosphere was absolutely superb yet again last night.
All season it’s been excellent, there’s been a massive change this year and for the better, not sure what’s behind it but the fans in the ground are 100% behind this side. I think the fact that a lot of the divisive, disruptive and dislikeable players have been binned and what we’re left with is a squad of players who regardless of what you think of their quality all seem to give it all for the cause.
With covid , season ticket breaks and our lower position a lot of tourists and wengerites have disappeared. More general sale tickets allowing younger fresher fans in has helped , a new breed plus I genuinely think people are seeing a new generation of players coming through and galvanising the fans. It remi ds me when I first started going back end of 86 and George's young guns coming through in 88 .
There are comparisons for sure, albeit a bad run of results would test that theory. I was at the second leg of the League Cup semi against Liverpool and after the Mickeys scored you could hear a pin drop (well actually you could hear the same moans and groans).
I was 16 when we won the league at Anfield and was definitely hooked on the fact that a talented group of kids like Rocastle, Thomas, Adams etc were really emerging and the journeymen pros and never will be's were being swept out of the door. That era definitely provided a much tighter bond with the fans IMO than what went before with Mariner, Woodcock, Rix, Sansom, Nicholas etc. One hopes that the same spirit can be rekindled and players like Ramsdale have been taken to the fans hearts and he's shown more passion for the club than the likes of Ozil did in a lifetime. My eldest boy is 21 and this season him and a big group of mates of roughly the same age have been travelling everywhere and he regularly tells me how much better the away support is and how much more unified. The senile old c.unt Wenger caused a huge rift by outstaying his welcome with regular fights between Gooners......whilst many of my generation just became completely bored and almost apathetic given the total lack of investment from the owners and rewarding mediocrity on the field
Wilson and stevo aka Phil collins and cozy Powell cos you both bang tge sane drums no matter what the result
Anyhoo I literally walked out of my TV room and got some more wine and put music on with about 10 mins of normal time remaining cos I just couldn't see us scoring.
So 30 or so minutes later I looked on the match thread expecting to see a lot of miserable bastards posting about how we can't break teams down etc etc.
The first post I saw was rodders talking about welbeck and Henry getting winners down that end in extra time.
Haha so I went back to prime TV pressed resume play and literally 10 seconds later we scored, needless to say the wine flowed, the music was ramped up, the dancing commenced, work never happened
Just watching highlights, how the fuck was that not a penalty on Martinelli, the two commentators are trying their best to make it look like the the defender got the ball but he was miles away from it, other way round and the cunnts would still be looking at it, VAR would have given it, our defender sent off, Arsenal banned from Europe for five years and gunasaurus hung drawn and quartered.
This commentator on prime is a prime cunnt too, another idiot thar thinks he has to scream "AND WOLVER ARE AHEAD!!!!!" twat.
Other than those 3 I felt that the rest of the players varied from average to poor - Gabriel who I like, is beginning to look like an accident waiting to happen every time the ball is at his feet, and he seems to shitting himself when it comes his way 
