Arsenal

[BlinkyBear]

Christ, what fantastic news!

I really hope Sagna recovers in time for Saturday otherwise we're going to have one hell of a rag tag back four.

Drogba is going to be filling his cheating fucking boots at this rate. Eboue, Sylvester, Song and probably Stevie Bould is not going to suffice.

Having said that, I will be wearing my lucky away shirt. So called because we haven't lost a game in which I've watched wearing it. This streak goes back to February. It stinks.

[Lucky]

[tyler]

Chelsea today, Liverpool Tuesday and United a week on Wednesday with 'Boro thrown in on the weekend. It's looking like a big 11 days for Arsenal.

[mop]

It really is. A crazy number of big games coming up - real make or break stuff.

As for today - how's everyone feeling about the game?

I'm scared. But a kind of good scared.

[BlinkyBear]

It really is. A crazy number of big games coming up - real make or break stuff.

As for today - how's everyone feeling about the game?

I'm scared. But a kind of good scared.

I'm really nervous as I have a driving lesson at half 3. I'll be nervous for the footy so long as I don't crash.

But I'm fairly confident about the game today but it's all about whether Drogba turns up because if he does we're fucked.

[Silent Runner]

It really is. A crazy number of big games coming up - real make or break stuff.

As for today - how's everyone feeling about the game?

I'm scared. But a kind of good scared.

The bad kind of scared. It's extra time and penalties today, if needed, right? I reckon it could go to 120 minutes. Arsenal to win it in a shoot out.

[BlinkyBear]

Where's everyone watching the game?

Quite pumped for it.. Where's the team announcement?

At home. With my lucky, smelly away kit on.

I was planning on going to the game until we got shafted with Wembley ticket allocations. Quelle suprise.

Teams won't be formally announced until 5, but I think we've got a rough idea of who is playing.

[Cosmic_Guru]

Very lucky to have been sorted out a ticket for this by an old Highbury days mate who also has a Wembley S/T. First (and no doubt last) live Arsenal game of the season and first trip to the new Wembley. Sure beats watching Sutton Utd. Just killing the last ten minutes before getting the train up.

COME ON YOU REDS

Let's hear it loud and proud all afternoon, whatever happens on the pitch.

[BlinkyBear]

Very lucky to have been sorted out a ticket for this by an old Highbury days mate who also has a Wembley S/T. First (and no doubt last) live Arsenal game of the season and first trip to the new Wembley. Sure beats watching Sutton Utd. Just killing the last ten minutes before getting the train up.

COME ON YOU REDS

Let's hear it loud and proud all afternoon, whatever happens on the pitch.

Make sure you're wearing Red eh?

[Dude Ranch]

Setanta appears to be working right now, do they scramble just before KO?

[Guest]

Saw this the other week. I thought some of you guys would appreciate it.

The bookies never lose...

[mop]

SUPER THEO!!!

[Dude Ranch]

Diaby's having a shocker. We're sloppy all over the pitch. The strikers are getting no second ball, I'm not sure if it's the way it goes sometimes or they're lazy cunts. Denilson has done well, as has Gibbs. The goal was well avoidable.

Starting line up is bizarre to say the least.

Saw this the other week. I thought some of you guys would appreciate it.

Fucking WHY?

[carlito]

Denilson has done well

untrue in the extreme.

[mop]

I think he's been shit. Really shit. He's also lucky he didn't get sent off there for pushing the ref there.

[mop]

Fabianski you fucking retard...

[ckny]

Fabianski, wtf?! There goes the United-Arsenal Best of Four series.

[Dude Ranch]

untrue in the extreme.

I think he's been shit. Really shit. He's also lucky he didn't get sent off there for pushing the ref there.

What, next to who? Fabregas? Never seen him give it away so much. Diaby? Denilson at least looked fucking interested.

Was Arshavin unfit? Unbelievable.

[mop]

The lad was caught in possesion so many times it was unfucking true. Once Chelsea scored everyone turned to shit. Fab was forced to play to far foward and why Arshavin didn't start is a fucking mystery.

I'm really pissed off with that performance to be honest. The FA cup was our only real chance of winning something this season, I think.

[BlinkyBear]

Denilson played shit, anyone who thinks otherwise is mental.

Only Theo turned up today. The team's celebration suggested that they were all desperate for the win, so maybe it was just the occasion that got to them.

C'est la vie.

[sith]

I think Wenger got his team selection wrong heck even his use of subs was terrible today.

Despite that you have gone out because you're keeper had a bad day.

[mop]

I think Wenger got his team selection

Bingo.

Fabianski had a great game in the champions league where he acted like a sweeper when needed to great effect. I think he tried to do that again today and it really didn't work out.

Because it was retarded.

[BlinkyBear]

Bingo.

Fabianski had a great game in the champions league where he acted like a sweeper when needed to great effect. I think he tried to do that again today and it really didn't work out.

Because it was retarded.

That's how he plays though. I've seem him a few times in the last couple of years and he's constantly charging out of his goal/box but clearly you can't do it when someone is running at pace at you.

Did I mention that Drogba is a cunt?

[mop]

Well, the kid is young I guess. He's got a lot of time to get his decision making sorted out.

I kind of fear the rest of our season could free fall now. I'm not saying that WILL happen but I think there's a good chance of it. Let's see how we fair against Liverpool midweek I guess.

[carlito]

The thing that I can't get it is presumably Wenger chose Diaby over Arshavin/Nasri to add a bit of bite to the midfield thereby giving a bit more protection to the weakened defence, but if he made that decision, why the fuck would he choose Denilson over Song. Perhaps at the start of the season you might say that Denilson would look for a forward ball more often than Song, but recently Song has really added to that side of his game, both with his passing and making the odd run.

Denilson can't tackle, he just kind of harries players which rarely even breaks up the play let alone getting us ball, he's got no presence in the air and, most unforgivably for a player in his position gives the ball away in the most fucking insane areas.

PS Silvestre is utterly shit. He was shit against Wigan, and he was shit today.

[Steve007]

Well I've just got home after a thoroughly shitty afternoon.

Wenger's team selection was a disgrace. And why play 4-5-1 when it just doesn't work? I am too angry to write any more.

Highlight of the day was watching some poor sod hop over a security fence and lose his finger. He ran over to the coppers and all you could here was "medic!", "medic!".

Anyway, today Wenger is a twat.

[Silent Runner]

^ Agreed.

A throughly depressing afternoon. If that team/selection turns up against Utd we're going to get battered home and away.

(Arshavin on the bench.FFS)

[SeanR]

I don't want to talk about it.

[Lucas]

Adebayor was terrible today.

But why the fuck was Arshavin on the bench? We'd lost before the game even kicked off. But without Gallas and a neither of our first choice full backs we were always in trouble.

On the BBC live feed some plank wrote it was ok we lost because we had other trophies to prioritise. LOL.

[Cosmic_Guru]

Depressing or what? Couln't be bothered to watch the highlights last night so only got what I saw to go on (high up in block 505 approx above a corner flag).

Players who start to look half decent one game and then lose it big time. I lost track of the number of unforced errors, lazy passes to the opposition, dwelling on the ball and running into opposition ................and that was just the midfield. Adebayor and Fabianski pathetic. The only players who can look back on that performance with any satisfaction are Walcott and Gibbs. Just when I was thinking in the second half that Chelsea were not offering much of a threat, the usual happened.

Really disappointed not to see Arshavin play too.

Decent enough trip otherwise, 10 years or so since the last trip to the place, especially the build up (see the corner outside the ground with the Bear / Herd flag?) and despite the best efforts of LU not a bad journey back (not I realise an important issue overall but always a potential hazard down here in Chelscum land - it's a bit ironic that seggregation is self enforced all the way out of the stadium down Wembley Way into the station and then its every man for him/herself). In fact I ended up on a train with some lads who had been following Sutton Utd down in Margate and were wondering how to round off their 12 hour drinking session (for your information SU lost that game and have to beat Hornchurch next week in the last game of the season to regain a playoff place).

But seriously, its difficult to be optimistic about Arsenal at present, when you see this sort of performance (and that is from someone who tries to look at the glass half full). It looks as if fourth place is secure unless the self destruct button is even more firmly pushed than at present because the cushion of points should suffice, but this team really needs to get into a cup final. win something and progress from there. A bit of weeding out would also not go amiss.