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The 2017-2018 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
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It's West Ham we're talking about? I suspect a 3 nil beating today. We never lose by the odd goal!
I'd settle for the draw. But just don't fancy us today.
Actually, for once, I doubt it.
No, I think emotion in the wake of Mr Wenger announcing his incipient departure (and I suspect that if he had not chosen to jump, he may well have been pushed at the end of the season, and that this information had been relayed to him - Arsene Wenger is not a contract breaker) and the need to prove themselves will motivate Arsenal to one of those madly brilliant displays they occasionally turn in.
Actually Arsenal have dropped 5 players due to the upcoming EUROPA match.
Hope that helps!
But from what I can see online, and in the Guardian/Observer, people are wearing t-shirts saying "there is only one Arsene Wenger"; that is a lot better than either empty seats, of whinging Gooners demanding that he leave - the old "Wenger Out" banners that used to be so disgracefully familiar this season and last.
I think that the crowd will get behind them today. And - hopefully - that (along with the reported emotion when he broke the news to the assembled players on Friday) should serve to motivate the team to actually play with drive and conviction and passion.
The crowd are behind them, but still not a full house. I'd have thought it would have been for a London derby.
Hm.
To the Arsenal mind (some of whom - I suspect - see themselves as aristocrats after all), what is deemed "a London derby" is defined as matches against Spurs, or Chelsea; preferably Spurs, though the tables on that particular encounter have turned in the past two years and do not reflect well on Arsenal.
(Hard to think that as recently as two years ago we finished second; granted, many others slipped and tripped over the course of that season, but - you take your chances where you find them).
Well, an enthusiastic crowd is a welcome change in The Emirates. (I was about to write that I miss Highbury, but that would mark me down as an incurable romantic).
Well I miss Upton Park too! But we have to move on. I'd say West Ham is as much a London derby as those others. After all we've done quite well against you in them over the years.
Yes, we can bond over such matters, as I can well understand that you might; I think that what looked like a bargain has turned out to be a somewhat poisoned chalice.
Spurs are doing it right; building the new while preserving the atmosphere, location and spirit of the old.
I suspect so yes. I don't think either of us had the option to develop our existing stadiums. To be honest our problems aren't to do with the stadium.
I doubt there is a team who have had more players in the treatment room over the last few years.
And the players that come in as replacements are pretty mediocre. I don't think we have played the same centre half pairing for more than two games in a row.
Well, Arsenal aren't exactly setting the world alight this afternoon; I had hoped for some spark, some fire, some verve today.
I have a huge admiration and respect for Mr Wenger - as you know from my posts here over the years - but, unfortunately, I do think think that this is the right time to go.
As you say, neither of us were in position to develop our existing stadiums; but, dammit - they were atmospheric and rooted in their respective communities, not soulless (if stylish) generators of revenue.
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Agreed. Hopefully he can win the Europa cup final as a fitting final trophy.
[doublepost=1524405528][/doublepost]A goal a piece so far.
A result that flatters tbh. But as I said earlier, we never lose by one goal!
Oh, agreed.
We made heavy weather of it, to be honest, probably deserving to win by 2-1, maybe 3-1 at most. Rice should be shot, because - by all accounts, Hart actually had a good day.
That tendency of Arsenal's to coast when they are on top, as confidence is restored really annoys me; I'd rather they fought more when things look as though they are going against them.
But Rice is 19. How many other premiership teams rely on teenagers? And that's the issue. Too many injuries not enough strength in depth.
Yes, but ducking and assuming the goalie was telepathic......this was ludicrous.
Hart was expecting him to clear that shot - and it would have been easy for him to do so. Hart gets enough criticism as it is, and his confidence is sometimes a bit brittle, but - in fairness - today, he actually had a very good game and should not have exposed by such a crass error by a member of his own defence.
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Agree. Colin's is the natural leader in our defence, but he wasn't available today (for a change!).
Wenger shaped the premier league more than any other manager, including Ferguson. In many ways he was the man who modernized football in England.
His departure is a seismic shift. Everyone has caught up with his methods by now, so to some he seems old fashioned, but that doesn't diminish his legacy. I would also argue that he might be the greatest manager Arsenal have ever had, Herbert Chapman included.
He is also the last long-term club manager we will ever see in the Premier League.
His departure is a seismic shift. Everyone has caught up with his methods by now, so to some he seems old fashioned, but that doesn't diminish his legacy. I would also argue that he might be the greatest manager Arsenal have ever had, Herbert Chapman included.
He is also the last long-term club manager we will ever see in the Premier League.
Very true.
Reading the articles about how odd his ideas on diet, and stretching, were thought to have been in the mid 90s, when he first arrived, only to be embraced within a short period of time, reminds you just how much has changed since then, and he was the man who brought it about.
Remember, he was the first foreign manager to win the Premiership, and opened the way for others to follow, and for the idea of foreign managers - because they could win things - to take root.
Agreed.
I agree with you, - his achievements eclipse those of Chapman - whose achievements were extraordinarily impressive.
Even some of those disgruntled fans might come around to that position in time.
You are very possibly right; the sort of manager who towered like a titan - defining his club by his character and ability - being the quintessence of what the club was supposed to represent - people such as Shankly, and Ferguson, Busby, and now, Wenger - could only manage to do that over a long period of time.
I'm not sure we'll see a manager reach a decade in charge again, let alone two.
Roma have Liverpool right where they want them for the second leg. I've never been more pessimistic about a 5-2 win in my life.
Harsh penalty, I really hope that does not become a talking point after the end of the second leg.
Klopp was 100% justified subbing out Salah, regardless of what the press will say. But it may have disprupted Liverpool's flow just enough to cause trouble. My head says 5-2 is still a big advantage. My gut says "we're screwed".
Harsh penalty, I really hope that does not become a talking point after the end of the second leg.
Klopp was 100% justified subbing out Salah, regardless of what the press will say. But it may have disprupted Liverpool's flow just enough to cause trouble. My head says 5-2 is still a big advantage. My gut says "we're screwed".
Sounds like an entertaining game. Probably be a boring 0-0 in the second leg!
Mind you I'm sure you'd settle for that!
Ox stretchered off isn't great news though. How bad is it?
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