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Gunners' Defence Still Dodgy
It was a good result for the Gunners last night, and a good response to the disappointment at the weekend. But I hope all our fans (and players) don't get carried away. One swallow a summer doesn't make. Our defence still looks shoddy, and if Porto had scored their chances it could have been a very different game. Lets maintain some perspective Gooners.
John 'glad he can read the match reports again' Matrix
...I was watching the Arsenal game last night, nearly c*ming in my pants several times and still felt a bit frustrated at the end as a). our defending on set-pieces and high balls is absolutely shambolic b) how many sitters did we miss? I know 4-0 is comprehensive but there was the distinct possibility of another 2-3 goals. How different things could have been if Clichy didn't clear off the goal-line. I think Arsenal fans have a frustrating season ahead. We won't draw many game, it will be either sublime or sublimely pants.
That got me to thinking (and I'm not dissing Arsene, he truly is an Arsenal great), that one of the reasons we haven't won anything in three seasons is because our defending is crap. No s**t Sherlock I hear you all say. But since the Invincibles have been disbanded, we've had a team that was purely built by Wenger and I do think defending is a weak link for him.
The first double season we had the legendary back four, a product of George Graham, the second one we still had the likes on big Tony, Keown etc and in the unbeaten season we had Keown and Sol Campbell. Yes, Wenger brought in Campbell but he was already the finished product when we got him from Spu*s. Our back four since Adams and Keown retired and Campbell left has been poor. Toure is quality but needs a big man beside him which has been well documented. Look at some of the defensive signings Wenger has made....Steponovs, Cygan etc - hardly inspiring stuff. Gallas...I'm trying really hard to like him but he always has a clanger in him on the high ball. He pops up and scores vital goals which masks over his defensive shortcomings a little but I'd rather see him do his job at the back and leave the goals to the forwards.
I really think Arsene has a weakness when it comes to centre-halves and defending. We have potential and I think we can do a lot worse than trying to bring Tony Adams back from Pompey and pay him a shed load of cash as an assistant/defensive coach. Maybe he can set Djourou and Big Phil if he comes back on the right road. Part of me thinks, even though he's an injury-prone c**t, Woodgate would have been a great signing last January.
Anyway, that's my rant for the day.
I thank you.
Hans (Irish Gooner in Cape Town)
It's All About Eboue...
Isn't it amazing what happens to Arsenal when Eboue gets relegated to the bench?
Joe (please take notice Arsene), Washington DC
Gunners: Letting Us All Down
What is the point of playing like Brazil as Arsenal did yesterday if they are not going to be consistent? It happens every year with them. As a supporter of a team outside the 'big four', it would make the competition more interesting and fun to follow if they could challenge Chelsea and Man U for the duration of the season, but one always gets the feeling they will have a bad month and be out of contention.
I get the feeling Wenger would be more suited to managing a national team, where his team only needs to perform well for about six or seven matches rather then the 38 (for the league) or 13 (for Champions League). I know people will point to Arsenal's unbeaten run in 2003/04, but in the words of Janet Jackson, 'What have you done for me lately?'.
Ciao and many thanks;
Kiran Shukla, WHUFC, Sydney
Is It Like Conkers?
After last night, are Hull now officially a better team than Porto?
Stewie Griffin (confused but still laughing at the £7mil we got for Bentley)
...Hull City must be wondering how they would have done in the Champions League this season.
Andrew Vince
(Queensland Roar F.C. and Arsenal) (Both equally frustrating)
Growing To Like Berbatov
I spend 50 minutes cursing the lazy Bulgarian wondering why he doesn't put as much effort into chasing back as he does keeping the hair out of his eyes and then he spends the next 40 minutes taking the absolute proverbial. Rooney proved once again that if played in the right position he will, as he so rightly stated himself last week, be the best player on the pitch. Our coltish Brazilian right-back Rafael looked very impressive all night. I reckon the Neviller was pulling his lip hair out. Credit also to Giggsy who showed why he's still on the Man United payroll. Any other night United would have scored six. At one stage it resembled a fusillade.
John O Shea was still s**t though. And don't get me started on Nani.
Robert Melia
Presumably He's Now Stood Outside Berba's House...
As a Spurs fan. Last night was that same feeling your get, when you split up with a really fit girl and you see her out on the town a few weeks later, on the dance floor with a new bloke.
Riccardo (it's not you, it's me), Kingston
Agger-Do
Now while almost everything seems to be going right at Liverpool these days I hate to rain on the parade, or be the turd in the punch bowl. However, I feel compelled to write in concerning Daniel Agger. Regardless of whether there is any truth to him being displeased with Rafa or vice versa, this should still be addressed. While Jamie Carragher and Skrtel have been spectacular in the middle of defense for Liverpool it is only a matter of time until Carragher is incapable of being as good a center-back as he has been, since he is 30 after all. Agger and Skrtel are going to be a great defensive partnership in the future it appears. It would be a shame if Rafa Benitez were to f*ck it all up. So Rafa, if you are reading this - which he surely isn't - make sure you keep Agger around.
Joe Amsterdam, LFC, NJ USA
Sol Chants: What's All The Fuss?
I read on your site the words of the now infamous Spurs Sol chant and wonder what all the fuss is about.
Campbell is not being picked on because he plays for Pompey. He is not being picked on because he is a good defender. He is being picked on because of the way he left Spurs for their arch rivals Arsenal. Doesn't every club have a player like that?
Take West Ham as an example. Ince is hated not for managing Blackburn or playing for Man United but for being pictured in a Man United shirt before there was even a rumour of his transfer. Ince being a local boy had claimed to be a true Hammer and then appears in a newspaper wearing another team's kit??!!??
Frank Lampard and Joe Cole both left Upton Park for Chelsea. Lampard is despised but Cole isn't. The reason for this is that on returning to the Boleyn ground with their new team they both scored. One celebrated with dignity realising he had scored against his boyhood club while the other ran past the home fans kissing his badge.
These figures have always been in football. Barmby, when he moved from Everton to Liverpool was subjected to a chant of 'Die, die Nicky, Nicky die'! Again this was not for the move, as there have been plenty of players who have made the trip across Stanley Park, but for the manner of the move and the comments made by 'Judas' at the time.
If Campbell didn't want the attention of the visiting Spurs fans then he shouldn't have left for Arsenal the way that he did. I will accept that these things shouldn't matter but they do! Pat Jennings was not treated to the same level of abuse for moving in the same direction and is treated as a hero in both clubs!
It is true that alot of what is chanted at football games has no place in a decent society but on this occassion I can understand it. Did Defoe receive the same level of abuse during the game? Did Defoe behave with dignity and respect when he scored?
Enda 'We know where you live, we know where you live, Nicky Barmby, Nicky Barmby, we know where you live!!!' Nagle
The Kids Are Still Alright
Chris Chateris puts forward the idea that Arsenal's team of 'wonder kids' (them what beat Sheffield United) were thumped 4-1 by Aston Villa's reserves on Monday night.
Chris concedes that 'first-team squad players' Bendtner, Vela and Fabianski did not play against the Villa reserves.
In fact, only Gavin Hoyte, Mark Randall and Jack Wilshere started both games. Randall scored Arsenal's only goal and Wilshere only played an hour. From the team that won against Sheffield United, Fabianski, Song, Djourou, Gibbs, Merida, Ramsey, Vela, Bendtner, Coquelin and Simpson were unavailable for the Villa match.
That's not to say that Villa's young reserve team wasn't impressive, but let's not start kicking the 'wonder kids' yet...
Ian, non-hysterical gooner
One Of Many Mails For McDevitt
Paul McDevitt is right in some respects, however he is painfully wrong in most of the rubbish he's written.
'Alan Critchley hit the nail on the head. Some great managers who have had great pasts and very respectable results as Newcastle manager are sent packing. Why? Because each time they take the club one rung higher, expectations were for something more, so they must go'.
Okay, so since Newcastle hit the big time in 1993, how many managers have the fans actually called for the heads of? I count one, Graeme Souness, he spent £50 million and turned Newcastle from a top-five club to one hanging above relegation. He's certainly the only manager I've ever wanted rid of in his reign. Gullit seemed to be losing it when he dropped Shearer and Ferguson for the sunderland game in 1999, but the fans still stuck by him, he did get us to the FA Cup Final. However the board never stood by him.
Dalglish? Not once did the Newcastle fans call for his head. When Keegan left he guided us to second place and into the Champions League, he however dismantled the squad into a bunch of has-beens, but still he got us to our first FA cup final in 24 years. The Newcastle fans stood by him, but the board didn't.
And this rumour about Newcastle fans wanting rid of Robson, is absolute sh**e. Why the hell would we want rid of a man that got us from bottom of the league to playing in the second round of the Champions League. You may point to the fact when half the stadium left before the lap of honour after the Wolves game which Newcastle had to win to have any chance of 4th place, which we drew 1-1. This was disappointing, but the fans never called for the manager to be sacked..
The board got rid of Roeder because of fans shouting 'Sack the board', not 'Roeder out'. Every manager, apart from Souness has been sacked because the board is getting a bit of stick. This is always translated in the media by fans power to get rid of the maneger.
And yes I would be happy with a 10th place finish NOW, but you didnt read my earlier post properly which says at the start of the season I would have settled for 10th place. All we Newcastle fans want is a bit of stability, and a sign that we are slowly moving in the right direction. Under Keegan I think we were slowly moving in the right direction. To be honest I think we were under Allardyce as well.
You seem to be just another fan who deems Newcastle fans to be like the ones on Sky Sports News or the stereotypical ones some ponce from the Daily Mail writes about.
Coz
These Are Hard Times Indeed...
You know things are going wrong when the government outlaws the mailbox to boost worker productivity, pointing unproductive office workers towards a dull and austere teamtalk.com site instead. F365 is back now, but is it here to stay? What's next, growing our own mailboxes in some internet allotment?
Rob, Vienna
