Mar23

There’s nothing like a 6:0 tonking is there?!

by WiganGooner on March 23, 2014 at 2:48 pm
Posted In: Arsenal

..It galvanises the support for Arsene’s dismissal and leaves those who try to be a bit more positive feeling alienated, feeling like a voice alone in the wilderness.

Be alone no more.

Yesterday was pathetic – as woeful a performance that I have ever seen, worse perhaps than any of our other capitulations because it was filled with such sentiment. 1000 games for the club for the man who ushered in a whole new era at Arsenal and the players gave him nothing to celebrate.

Individual errors from players were the catalyst for what has become a terrible day. I have no desire to name and shame because noone was blameless yesterday. There should be an inquest by the players into what happened yesterday and why. Arsene took the blame, but top players can’t put in performances like that. It was abject, terrible and the should be serious questions asked about the performances of players who know they just didn’t turn up.

I cannot defend the result and I refuse to do so. I think there is still hope for the FA Cup and a healthy position in the league but there can be no more thought of a title challenge. Arsene’s insistence that it’s not over is obvious, albeit a dismal attempt at saving grace and the players cannot take any solace from that.

We were naive yesterday, we didn’t do anything to try and limit the damage and we showed such a lack of focus it was almost unreal.

I’m shocked beyond belief that we have allowed this to happen again. God help us in the FA Cup.

Positively, we do have good players, but too many of them just didn’t perform yesterday. I do feel we are still good for a top 3 spot and are assured of a Champions League spot once again but all that is pointless if we cannot fix this attitude issue in the big games.

WG

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Mar16

Opportunity knocks for the brave

by WiganGooner on March 16, 2014 at 9:58 am
Posted In: Arsenal

It’s been a while hasn’t it? Well I’m back and I’m going to try to be better than before, which is important.

So Arsenal have come a long way in the last 6 months or so. We’ve made quality additions in the form of Flamini, Ozil and Kallstrom. Whatever your opinion is or isn’t about the way the Kallstrom transfer came about, he has real European and International pedigree. Is he what we need? Looking at Jack’s recent injury and the current long term injury to Rambo then yes, he was exactly the type of player we needed on a short-term deal.

Super Mesut World

Super Mesut World

We all knew what we would get with Flamini, he’s a real blood and guts midfielder who has learnt more of the tactical side of the game and he announced his return to Arsenal with a flying challenge in the last NLD. I’m glad he’s back. He gives me a feeling that there is steel once again in our midfield, not every game can be won with classy football and beautiful movement, sometimes a great challenge can kick-start a game. Flamini gives his all, he’s not Vieira, but who is? There hasn’t been a midfielder since him that has been able to affect both sides of the game in equal measure.

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Aug26

Positive noises, Fenerbache preview, Champions League sealed?

by WiganGooner on August 26, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Posted In: Arsenal

It’s not rocket science, the best players want to play in the Champions League, so don’t expect big signings until that is secured. I expect Flamini to sign on before Sept 2nd. Arsene loves a freebie and he is proven, we know what we will get and he will be a good backup to Rambo/Arteta. He isn’t a glamorous signing so Arsenal can’t announce it until we sign someone big otherwise the fan fallout will be immense. We have money to spend so spend it.

Angel-Di-Maria

 
To that end, there are positive noises leaking out of the club. Arsene has said that he intends to take a full-force side to the game against Fenerbache and there is no clearer intent of ensuring progression into the Champions League Group Stages than that. We are carrying a good lead into the tie, but we will need to take it seriously to progress.

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Aug25

Back with a Bang – WiganGooner and Arsenal FC

by WiganGooner on August 25, 2013 at 10:41 am
Posted In: Arsenal

Well it seems like an appropriate time to end my summer hiatus. I feel refreshed and ready to discuss all things Arsenal whilst swerving any transfer guff with the determination of my new Puppy and his never ending enthusiasm to get up on the bed in the morning.

So where is Arsenal 2013-14?

Well, it seems we have a new focussed Arsenal back room – we have got rid of the obvious dead-wood where possible and we have stripped the cupboard bare of the non-essential items. We are on a diet of huge talent and experience and anything that seems overly-calorific or just plain crap has been sent away to be big rubbish bin of European football.

530573-arsenal-lukas-podolski-olivier-giroud

We are now a lean, mean, footballing machine and pre-season went beyond expectations with confident performances and the continuing emergence of Ramsey in the Arsenal midfield. His confidence and ability is finally beginning to match up with excellent performances and it is about time he is getting the credit he richly deserves.

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May30

Vermaelen could be off – Miquel the replacement

by WiganGooner on May 30, 2013 at 8:04 am
Posted In: Arsenal

Thomas Vermaelen has looked a disconsolate figure at times this season, clearly the Captains Armband weighs heavy on him and he can only be guilty of trying a bit too hard as his quality is difficult to contest. I think back to the Spuds game, the ManYoo and the Chelski games and I see a player trying to do a bit too much of everything rather than concentrating on his role and communicating to his team.

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Vermaelen has acted swiftly to discuss his frustration at being out of the side, but he has said in a frank interview on Arsenal.com that he has under-performed at times this season and his form hasn’t been good enough. Taking that aside, if he looked at the performances from Koscielny and Mertesacker together it is clear that they work far better as a partnership and they communicate better.

So what can Vermaelen do to remedy the situation? I would suggest he puts this season behind him, has a great holiday somewhere in the sun and then comes back for pre-season ready to fight. Can he dislodge Koscielny and Mertesacker? He can if either of them get injured or suffer a lack of form in the same regard as Vermaelen himself. What he needs to do is analyse why Mertesacker and Koscielny work better together and see if he can learn from that.

Vermaelen himself said “I’m happy at Arsenal. I didn’t play much and that was frustrating, but things can turn around quickly,”

“I was on the bench, but I could just as quickly be playing again. I’m working hard to make that happen.”

“These are things that happen in professional football. Arsenal are a great club where there is a lot of competition.”

If he chooses pastures new then I will be gutted, whilst he isn’t seen as a crucial player right now by the Arsenal faithful, he is a stonkingly good defender when playing to his potential and we shouldn’t be letting players like this leave. We need more than two first-team ready centre-backs and with the departures of Squillaci and the possible transfer of Djourou we are light in this area already. Ignasi Miquel is hotly tipped around London Colney to move up the defensive food chain this pre-season in a make-or-break season for the young Spaniard. I think he has a lot to offer and could benefit from a season-long loan, but if Vermaelen goes then his ascension into the first team would be accelerated.

Teams linked to our Captain include Barcelona, but I suspect that after their successful yet expensive raid for Alex Song last season they might be reticent to try and prize another asset from Arsenal – especially one that has had questionable form over the last two years.

I don’t want Vermaelen to go. We need to strengthen, not weaken ourselves and Vermaelen adds that little bit of stability, he’s been here for a few years now and to let him go would only upset the apple cart. We don’t need to sell, so don’t.

Also, we need to buy some players…get on it Arsene, I want to see signings as soon as the window opens. Joking aside of course, we need to be pro-active again this season and get our players in early, we reaped the rewards last season as both Cazorla and Podolski bedded in well straight away, with Giroud having a more protracted introduction due to his commitments for France. Firm lesson learnt, get them in early and then we have them ready for the first game of the season – not the first game of September.

WG

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