Arsenal

[Jonathan_Kerr]

Why all the hate on gunnerblog? I like him -- he's a reasonable voice when everyone else is baying for blood.

Someone said earlier Cech was shite and let in howlers? By my count he's only really done it twice this year (opening day and last week). I genuinely believe he has saved us 12 - 15 points this year.

Our fault lies with the strikers who can't find the net. 

[Rev]

So...What happens if we don't win tonight? We've got, on the face of it, a very friendly run-in, except City away. Being professional we should really be looking at 12/15, but with Sunderland and Norwich both fighting for survival they feel like matches that Arsenal could Arsenal up.

 

I've wholly given up predicting results, but from a quick shot at it I give Arsenal 7, Man Utd 8 and Man City 8. That leaves the same positions the table is in now, but relying on Arsenal's better goal difference against Man Utd. It's very close. Fixtures:

 

Arsenal vs West Brom

Sunderland vs Arsenal

Arsenal vs Norwich City

Man. City vs Arsenal

Arsenal vs Aston Villa

 

Man United vs Leicester City

Norwich City vs Man United

West Ham vs Man United

Man United vs Bournemouth

 

Man. City vs Stoke City

Southampton vs Man. City

Man. City vs Arsenal

Swansea City vs Man. City

[suzzopher]

Would it be so bad if Arsenal failed to secure fourth place? Surely that would be the time to really take stock of the club and look at why they are regressing rather than progressing.

[Shook]

6 minutes ago, suzzopher said:

Would it be so bad if Arsenal failed to secure fourth place? Surely that would be the time to really take stock of the club and look at why they are regressing rather than progressing.

 

This. 

 

Wenger safe again if he gets top four. 

 

Wenger less safe if he doesn't. 

 

Not that I have a clear idea of who Arsenal would target as his successor. 

 

Edit: someone that realises money has to be spent though. 

 

 

[Pavey]

I think i would even take Mourinho at this moment in time, just for a change in direction for us.

[Rev]

After Kroenke's "we don't want to win trophies" speech, I think it's a bit futile to be honest. Let Wenger have his final year and then hope someone wants to buy Kroenke out when there's change happening.

[Shook]

It's stale. Everything gets stale eventually. I read yesterday that the average tenure of managers in the premiership is under two years  now (not sure how much back-dating that includes) so huge respect to Wenger, but it's time for a change surely. It's not even a put-down on the man, things always reach their natural conclusion. I have second thoughts when I consider what happened to Man Utd but on balance I think the risk is one I'd take. 

[Rocafella]

Wenger is staying for the final year of his contract, whether we finish in the top four or not.

 

More importantly, we need to finish in the top four because otherwise, Sanchez and Ozil are straight out of the door, which we can't afford to happen.

 

Pulis has played us away in seven matches and we've won all seven, so we should be capable of beating an average West Brom team at home this evening, regardless of the recent negativity.

[SeanR]

And there's the kiss of death...

 

[Rev]

This year people don't give a fuck and that's clearly stopping the squad from doing their pressure-raised-win-everything routine. It's genuinely more concerning than it has been at other points. Normally it's "out of cup, out of cup, win everything" but now it's "out of cup, out of cup, we're losing to fucking Leicester what is the fucking point?".

[Silent Runner]

Lucky enough with that one coming back off the bar. Pretty solid stuff otherwise. 

[Shoes]

Giroud is pissing me off. 

[KRP]

He's just a fat lump these days

[Gotters]

Last night managed to be an irritating 2-0 home win - as soon as the early goal went in we went into our usual showboating mode trying to score the perfect or beautiful goal - I don't think that was what the game called for, WBA were there primed for a good smacking, I want to see us efficiently stick 4 or 5 past them when they turn up like that, but instead our inbred wasteful showboating ways meant it ended up at only 2.

 

I know this seems like whining or first world problems but even in victory we demonstrate clearly our massive shortcomings.

 

I've been thinking about who should replace Wenger when he eventually leaves, I had a checklist of respected at the highest levels of the game, experienced coach, personal experience of champions league, tactically sound etc. I think Ronald Koeman fits the bill quite nicely.

[TehStu]

Is Dennis available?

[The Fox]

Same team as the last game. Is Wenger finally consigning Frankie 'Le Coq' Coquers to the bin where he belongs?

[wev]

Not sure this team even want 4th this year

[angel]

We'd take 4th no probs.

 

Oh you mean arsenal?

[SeanR]

Sake...

 

[Rev]

Wow I really didn't see us failing to win against Allardyce's relegation fighting Sunderland! This is a complete surprise!

[wev]

Arsene Wengers Nursery Rhymes, including favourites such as:

 

The Wheels on the Bus (have come right off)

Laurent Koscielny (cant set up a wall)

Hickory Dickheadory Coq

 

...

 

Wengers trying to blame scheduling,

 

 "I think our first half was very good. The second half is always more difficult when you play Sunday-Thursday-Sunday. We created less but could still have scored. We should have been in front in the first half.

"It leaves us having to win the next game as always. We fight against teams who fight not to go down so we prepare to fight again next Saturday."

 

Cant see how its any different to when we're in the Champions League and he chose to field exactly the same side.

[Rev]

If we don't get 4th because of one Thursday-Sunday we're going to get relegated next season.

[Space Renegade Ulala]

In the bin, in the bin, in the bin

Get the fuck in the bin, in the bin-in

 

Gutless frickin' garbage men.

 

Ugh.

[The Fox]

Players and fans look extremely bored.

 

All we've got to cling onto is the hope a leopard can change his spots I guess, starting in the summer. Won't be holding my breath though. I'm sure we'll be hearing all about now hard it is to make transfers with the Euros on in the summer.

[hauk]

and I sure we won't be buying players until after the Champions League playoff.

[Rev]

Wilshere's back! He's like a new signing.

[Gotters]

Wilshire is like a new signing is guaranteed.

 

'Why sign players that are no better than the youngsters I have coming through'

 

'Everybody has money and is after the same players'

 

'you can sign as many players as you want but can only play 11'

 

and then whenever a huge £40m+ signing is announced by City, Chelsea, Barca etc 'he was offered to us 2y ago for £500k'

[Rev]

If we do get a full bingo card in the transfer window we're fucked. There's no way the traditional top three are going to have a season like this, Liverpool are clearly going in the right direction and the current top two clearly aren't going to slide into mid-table mediocrity, even whilst Leicester cope with Europe too.

 

Even during peak-Squillaci era I don't think I worried if we'd be good enough to finish in the top 6, but I definitely feel like that for next season. 

[Rev]

On 12/03/2016 at 3:48 PM, Rev said:

It's terrifying to think we could lose him. I think people forget how young he is too, he's easily got another 5 years, but you'd expect him to have another 7 or 8 at the top level if he drops a bit deeper. I would assume the Bayern would quite like a big signing to welcome Ancelotti and he seems a good choice. The only chance of getting away with that is that they didn't seem to see eye to eye when he left Real.

 

Bayern do want a big new signing to welcome Ancelotti, they're just going with Sanchez instead. I was so close.

 

But it's OK, we're going to sign Ibrahimovic because reasons. Being an Arsenal fan is so much fun.

[hauk]

Ozil and Sanchez are both negotiating new contracts so I expect this talk of them leaving may be related to that. I would hope with our current income levels we are not going to return to the days of losing our best players every year!