The worst game I've seen him have in an Arsenal shirt and I normally stick up for him because he's the best player we have by a country mile.

I think he is a very talented player. They are not machines, they have their ups and downs. If he went on the market there would be no lack of takers.

Again, he is clearly a huge talent and to be fair never hides away when things get tough. It is not easy to break down an eleven man defence, which is what Southampton adopted for most of the second half. Today Alexis often ran into that defence but he still kept going to provide a stunningly accurate cross for our goal.

For me Özil was a cut above everybody else on a day of moderate fare.

I've heard three schools of thought on how to build a team from the ground up. Back to front, front to back and the spine.
I've heard back to front the most, spine second most and front to back the least. For a guy who is the newest on the forum to football (with possibly one or two exceptions maybe) if we count years watching the sport, what is the best one?
I ask because of what I've seen from Wenger for over 20 years (has it really been that long? I ask myself).

Currently watching the Liverpool v Everton match and I must say that as much as football brings out a certain amount of derision in America, I can't think of any sport we have where we play in shorts while is snowing. Iv'e played plenty of American football in snow but you are shielded from the cold with all the padding. But this? No, you wouldn't get too many Americans who would do it (playing in the snow with shorts).

Someone needs to explain to me what exactly Xhaka brings to the team that Jack can't provide.

Is it though? Off hand I can't think of any, let alone many, examples of a free kick or penalty being awarded for an incident that clearly occurred after the ball went out of play.

Stoke 0-1
Liverpool 0-4
Chelsea 0-0
Watford 1-2
Everton 5-2
Man City 1-3
Burnley 1-0
Southampton 1-1

8 points from 24,

How come he's not getting called out about this dire mediocrity.

Has everybody literally given up now. It feels like it

Wenger today...

I felt that the Manchester United game played a bit of a part in the head of our defenders," he said.

"They were a bit apprehensive to start well again and that's why it is sometimes not good to talk about the problem because you create a bigger one."




*%^@*** HELL MATE, sort yourself out your supposed to be in charge of professionals earning over one hundred grand a week. Were they feeling a bit fragile ? Jesus Christ

About 20 more games a season?

Depends if you count Xhaka standing around on the pitch doing nothing a game.

So do you think Xhaka is good enough for the Arsenal midfield Hoy?

I understand your point Bernard as I know these decisions don’t get given as pens for any team. However, if there was an instance of the ball bouncing close to the touch line, two players coming in for it in a 60/40 challenge, as soon as the ball is touched it is out of play for a throw in and just afterwards the second player is dreadfully late on the tackle and wipes out the first it would be a free kick.
The only thing I can think of the yoshida tackle is that it was quite tame when he ended up upending Lacazette that no one thought anything of it.
I have seen countless examples of players being fouled a split second after shooting when the ball has either been saved or hit the woodwork as well. It’s just one of those you never get in football

From f365
n attack that looks clumsy and is too easily held at arm’s length. A central midfield that is sluggish and lacks protection. A defence that is making far too many individual mistakes and is organised in a shape that fails to get the best out of the team. A manager that still refuses to react quickly enough to issues. Apart from that, everything is going swimmingly when Arsenal play away.

I must confess to being a little uncertain about the news articles claiming we gave Man Utd a battering whilst losing 1-3.

However, I will eat that humble pie and glad that the last performance was backed up with a ruthless display against Southampton.

Please Wenger, for the love of god, just *%^@ off.

That was a pretty good result. Any point away from home now is a bonus. If we keep coming up against teams that have all this financial clout what do you expect will happen. Stoke Southampton Watford- we can’t compete.

The team is soft because Wenger is full of excuses and sh##. His bollocks is getting worse and worse. He has painted himself into a corner of the corner he painted himself into earlier.

I watched the game today and struggled to stay awake -but then the match did start at 6am my time. It was boring and sadly predictable - the team strolled around like bloody
sleep walkers. It was as bad an Arsenal performance as I've seen, thank gawd for Giroud! Let's hope he doesn't get sold in January, though as were expecting to lose our two "best" players at that time maybe he'll get a reprieve.
We could have had a penalty but it would be hard to say we really deserved anything more than a draw. I still hope for the beat but I suspect things will only get worse before they better.

That line was far more entertaining that an Arsene media conference. LOL

A colonoscopy is at the same level as a Wenger press conference.

I don't think I can let this rest from here on.
'Arsene picked up his latte and took a sip before starting the dvd of the Southampton game. Rather than risking a stain on his handmade coffee table he placed the cup on an unopened book. He had no functional use for a book called 'Trainers Guide to Defending', a book written by a world cup winning defender but someone who had never managed the same club for twenty years.'

Nobody cares much any more. Nobody really feels the defeats or the repetition now. When the protests against Wenger met the rock of indifference from the club and the new contract was signed it led - like many failed endeavours - to cynicism and indifference from the fans towards the club. This is really quite dangerous for an organisation although they affect to dismiss its importance because the PL is run for a globalised fan base now. They only care insofar as it affects their brand image which it does do so they are still being entirely foolish.

It is utterly pointless Hoy kvetching about our ingratitude or immaturity in not accepting that it is time for a manager to go - a manager I should add who has been in post for 20 years and is not so much stale as growing a forest of mould around him.

Blaming fickle fans for this state of affairs brings to mind Brecht's famous line about dissolving the people and electing another - a point I would have thought given his populist leanings Hoy might have some grasp on.

I wanted us to lose yesterday and I wanted us to lose because I want the club and Wenger punished for their selfishness and short-sightedness and utter folly in clinging to a model that has committed the worst error a football club can - dismissing its fans and their concerns. Not just failing to listen to them but making it abundantly clear that they find them a bloody nuisance. I want them to fail in that endeavour because they deserve to fail. Their path is especially egregious because Arsenal is a club that has always existed because of a singular passion from its fans. Hoy claims to still have this and that's good for him but many - certainly most fans I know - don't. The club don't care, they don't try and address it, and Wenger certainly couldn't give a *%^@, he cares more about making his point to the fourth official than connecting with the supporters and their concerns. That's fine, Arsene, you remain in an elitist bubble protected by the ridiculous myths you have created around your intelligence or the way you have revolutionised football. But then don't feel entitled to call on a loyalty you have shown you absolutely don't deserve. Not only have you never bitten the hand that feeds you, you have not given it the tiniest of nibbles, you would always prefer the approbation of the owner to that of the supporters. Only the most deluded cargo cultists believe in you now or your capacity to return with new wonders.

"It's not too good to talk about a problem because you create even a bigger one".

Just ask any ostrich.

A colonoscopy is useful.

True

When he is at his most tenacious and his long passing game is on song he is decent enough, but no world beater. Like most of the central midfielders we have had since Paddy and Gilberto. When fit Jack is very good, and it would be great to see him become the player we all hoped he would be. Özil is by far our most creative player.

You and James Lee Burke, eh?

He says, and follows up with 400+ words demonstrating exactly the opposite! I get it that you hated Giroud's magnificent equaliser. For me, and millions of Arsenal fans, it was *%^@*** handsome. Get in there!

I care about the disgraceful way in which the club is run and the stupid selfish old *%^@ who "manages" us and who is so imaginatively bereft that he not only can't organise the *%^@*** basics of defence but can't think of anything to do in his retirement. So he hangs around like the last guest at a dinner party who insists on opening another bottle when everybody else is desperate to just go to bed.

I actively wanted us to lose so in that sense you are right that I did care a little about the result. Didn't see the equaliser as I had taken the dog for a walk while listening to the lovely new Bella Hardy album and hoping that it would remain 1-0.

Very disappointing when the notification came in on my phone.

By the way I notice that you and your Huckleberry have both referenced the bad weather.

Might I suggest this is not a good look for elite sportsmen earning millions of pounds, you pair of ponces!

The conditions did play a part in that match. As with The Emirates the perfect Southampton pitch normally helps teams who are quick in their passing, and The Saints, like us, can be lightning on the counter-attack. Early on they showed that, but increasingly there was enough water about to slow the ball down and to make twisting and turning more difficult for all the players. Apart from his one powerful run Kolasinac looked especially uncomfortable going forward. The weather was not decisive but it played its part. Neither side was as free-flowing as they can be, but I thought both did well to keep going, especially The Gunners, who were behind for so long, but scored a wonderful, and deserved, equaliser.

That quote is Wengers worst ever as far as I'm concerned and was why I posted it.

That beats "retirement is dying" or any other one I can recall. I challenge anyone on the forum to find a worse one he's come out with?

Do you think George Graham would have not talked about the problem of bad defending in case it created a bigger one. It's just absolute batshit nonsense he's not in charge of ballerinas

And how exactly did the weather affect Mertesacker's rubbish defending?

I don;'t disagree that the weather affects the flow of a game up to a point but variations in the weather are a given for every team and when you start trotting it out as an excuse rather than, say, trying to deal with the problems every man and his dog can see but you would rather not talk about in case it upsets the delicate sensibilities of your little hothouse flowers I do start to question the worth of all those millions of pounds Arsene is trousering.

Let's not talk about the fact that England's batsmen were pisspoor in The Ashes in case it upsets them.

Let's just wait until the 5-0 whitewash makes the point for us.

Btw My son is currently suspended from school for allegedly spraying graffiti penises on all his 27 teachers cars in the school car park.
However do I intend on speaking to him to tell him to cut it out? DONT BE RIDICULOUS! That would create an even bigger problem.

People have stopped caring about the current regime and the current team, not the club. Two very different things. If Wenger left this summer, we got a new manager in and a couple of new players for a completely fresh start, I think you'd find that a lot of disgruntled fans would come back into the fold. But the club has to give people something to care about.

All 27? There's something to be said about deciding to do something and then following through. Some people are all talk.

Correct - rocket science etc.

I would genuinely accept a decline in results if I could just feel some kind of bond with the team and manager as I do with Brentford who sit mid-table in a lower league but over whose results I still bite my nails, I want them to do well so much. I feel such contempt for both the club ownership and Wenger in particular (who I almost consider to be part of the ownership structure now) that I want him to lose and if that means the club I have supported for so many years losing then so be it.

And Hazuki has always been one of the most positive and least moany on here.

As long as I’m here; my controversial Christmas bet is that United will end up fourth at best. I went in pretty hard on them before the season, so I might as well take a leaf out of Top Gun Juniors book and go all the way with it. Such a mediocre football team. Great defensive organization, like any Mourinho side, but they’ve got nothing beyond that.

They had an easy schedule to start the season which gave them confidence and allowed them to pad their stats by scoring against weaker teams, but when they’re up against good sides they’ve got nothing. As bad as we often are, at least we can outplay top teams on occasion. Sadly I think Chelsea and Liverpool are going to be the ones ahead of them at the end of the season, but we really should be as well.