Perhaps but personally I'm not convinced about him, each to there own opinion though, regardless of this he should not be 2nd choice in the RB position.

We do have a lot of other worries though which we can agree on (sadly!).

Man Utd had a string of results off mediocre competition. We will likely manage to eke out a top 4 place. Tottenham will likely end up above us for the first time since Wenger has been manager. Hard to tell, the table is so tight but they do seem the most consistent among clubs around them and lower than them in the table.

Remains to be seen. The loss pretty much ended my interest in this season. Maybe a cup run or a CL win over BM may ignite something but I may not be religiously watching matches the rest of the season as I've done before.

When are we going to hear the final word about Wenger's contract?

My guess is, he will be off to the continent

Ramsey is poor in defensive plays. With him in the team, I believe opposing managers play the "hoof the ball" strategy, and Ramsey will be many steps behind. It does not help that he saunters back to defend, or remain static in place. Le Coq was surprisingly apprehensive in his tackling against Watford. The 2nd goal resulted from a throw in, which Ramsey couldn't get to because he stupidly took his eyes off the incoming ball. It did not help that he didn't bust his gut to stop the opposing player either. That is the casualness in his style of play which infuriates. Even the commentator mentioned his casualness. I bet Alexis feels likewise (but not Wenger )

Did you not notice that Spurs drew with Sunderland the day we lost to Watford. Please please take a year off from the forum for the sake of our sanity.

Not at all. They were frighteningly good up front and Aguero was sitting on the bench watching them.

With Kompany back they are a different team. Please don't tell the idiot or he'll be telling us next that they will finish second.

There’s an argument to be made that Tottenham have been more consistent in producing quality performances this season, even though they haven’t got more points than us. Nothing remotely controversial about that view even if you don’t agree with it. Daz was right, your obsession with AG just comes across as nasty at this point. And boring.

I acknowledged the rank bad defending, but when the shot comes of Čech’s heel (as much as he could be expected in a 1 on 1) there are 4 arsenal defenders in the box and deeney, the rebound off Čech bisects all the arsenal defenders and falls perfectly at the feet of deeney. We deserve absolutely no luck considering the way we defended the goal but for a random rebound to fall in the only place where the striker can score has an element of luck. I’m sure we’ve had similar goals scored for us this season; I’m not saying everything is rosy and it is all down to bad luck I’m just pointing out that both Watford goals had a slice of luck.

Similar to last year where Spurs were the better team, we've been relying on late goals and dodgy performances for a few weeks and it was going to catch up with us sooner or later. Without doubt Spurs have produced greater consistency and a greater number of really good performances than us this season

Same applies to all the top teams, Chelsea aside, anybody can finish anywhere.

That's the point I keep making.

Met somebody from Leicester yesterday about something far removed from football, but with the difference between last season and this for them, the discussion eventually got round to football. He thinks it's a massive shame Vardy didn't join Arsenal last summer, not just because he's gone so far backwards that it would have been good for Leicester to get rid of him for a decent transfer fee, but because it would have been good for the player and Arsenal - not that the latter was important to the Leicester fan. He thinks Vardy needed a new challenge, and a move to Arsenal would have given him that. Therefore, his form would have been much better, which would obviously good for both Vardy the player and Arsenal the club, as well as Leicester City also benefiting from the move in getting rid of him for a good fee. He's certain Vardy must now regret his decision to turn down the move.

Pain in the arse time for a football match but it could be worse. Could be Blyth Spartans or St Ives.

Sweating on tickets. Full house on away credits for PL fixtures in the last 3 years but only 2 away credits for CL and none for League Cup.

Fingers crossed.

My radio alarm went off this morning at 6:45 playing ‘I Got You Babe’. I immediately thought ‘Groundhog Day’.

And so it is. Punxsutawney Phil does his thing later today.

Been Groundhog Day for a while around here but at least today, it’s official.

edit

..and this is where the little chap lives - see above:

Those groundhogs look dangerous. When I went camping as a kid for a couple weeks out in the woods of Pennsylvania, used to see them and think 'No effing way I'd pick up one of those things to figure out if spring is coming'. The ones they pick up must be tame to a certain extent or slightly sedated.

Hard to argue with the old bung heap.

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footbal ... 56301.html

Afternoon socrates. Although I think he's better than you do, I realise you're not totally convinced by Mustafi. But as you say, he is aggressive and at least tries to organise things at the back. He also tries to drive the team forward when we're in desperate need of a late goal. It's those qualities that makes me believe, out of the players currently in the squad, that after Mertesacker he's the nearest thing we have to a leader on the pitch. For me that makes him worthy of serious consideration when a new club captain, post-Mertesacker, is selected.

Thing is thofman, the world and his wife keep telling us what an intelligent man Wenger is. Well if he is that clever presumably he must realise that spouting post Watford match garbage like "players weren't mentally ready" totally contradicts his repeated statements about the "mental strength" of his squad, and it is also an indictment on his competence as manager. If the players aren't properly prepared when they cross the white line, whose fault is that?

He's full of it.

Indeed. Well fingers crossed he'll be out the door come the summer.

According to trusted sources, Wenger's been offered a new contract. If he ends up signing it, I'll see it as pure selfishness. He has very little in his life outside football and he needs his job to fill his life - hence my selfishness theory.

Wenger speaks to his players through his press statements. He can't very well say they lack it. He could but it would do more harm than good.

As for the match. I'm actually looking forward to it. Its one of those matches we all expect a loss and its these types of games that Arsenal sometimes win. Against the run of form and we give false hope (i.e. City win last season). I told a Tottenham coworker I think we would win 1-2 and he looked at me like I had a crack pipe...haha...(assuming trolls will quote that last statement )

I think we will make top 4. Its just the Arsenal thing to do.

Arsenal did the double on the eventual champions last year. Isn't there a trophy for that in Wenger's universe? If they pull it off again, he'll never leave.

That's the Catch 22 of being an Arsenal fan who wants Wenger to leave with whats left of his dignity. We win matches like the upcoming one, it gives him cover to stay and you don't want to admit but deep down almost want a bad result if it means he goes.

If Wenger can beat Chelsea and Liverpool and go unbeaten till the end of the season, not only would I give him another season, I'd make him Club President for life.

How anyone could think it would be better for us to lose any game let alone against Chelsea, is beyond me.

Your right You can't

Interesting that he says

" Arsene talks about them being unlucky or that some of them are tired and the players believe it too easily"

Which was exactly the point I and others were making about the run up to the Bournemouth game, which others dismissed too easily

I think a manager of redknapp's experience - whether we like him or not- knows a bit about how the managers message affects the players

I think last season may well have been a freak for Vardy and he has now returned to his usual level.

As it happens, I think the first half against Watford is on the players.They were dire. They also knew full well that they had an opportunity to gain points on rivals so should have been in the correct frame of mind even if Wenger said absolutely nothing to them before the game.

When push comes to shove - in the game itself - we're behind them , but to be honest a win will be a 'hollow' one at best as we're not going to catch Chelsea ( not least of all because we're likely to bottle it against someone we underestimate somewhere) , and it's likely to get the akb's hailing their lord and master for 3 months irrespective. So if defeat in both these games increases the chances of him going at the seasons end then I can see the advantage most definitely


If that makes me disloyal tough! , we're in unchartered territory with the life cycle of most managers and have been for years , and having supported the club for the number of years I have, I've earned the right

Well Bernard we have to hope that Kevin w's source is right when he says that the story of the new contract is Just that a story

Time will tell, I agree with what you say though

Wasn't it the way the team was set up that screwed us? They were passing back to the halfway line throughout the game, there was no putting pressure on Watford at all. If Ramsey had to play it should never have been as a DM. I can't remember a single game where he was playing DM that he or the team played well. Maitland Niles could have done the job, Perez could have played and he could have risked Theo from the start There was plenty of cover if he had another setback and this was a must win game. Even Sanchez playing up front would have been better than imo another non performance game on the wing. Yes he played his socks off but we needed him in the box not back in defence.

The rest is now history but I hope AW takes risks and we play our last games like we did against Saints.

I can't see a defeat away to Chelsea being a decisive factor in Wenger's future. Anyone who thinks a win for us changes anything is wildly optimistic too. Unless things totally fall apart, Wenger will be offered a new deal. It's up to him as to whether he wants to continue.

I hope they beat Chelsea and go on a fantastic run. I don't believe for a second that we will though. We are too flawed. The central midfield is dysfunctional. There is no leader or organiser in the middle of the park. Xhaka might be the one if he wasnt such a clown. There is nobody else in there though and even if we beat Chelsea, that lack of leadership will continue to hurt us.

As I said , if he does leave this is exactly how it will be spun , that the contract offer was on the table

I don't think team set-up was a factor at all. There was no tactical issue. That starting line-up was more than capable of beating Watford. There's nothing new in Coq playing ahead of Ramsey. Coq has been employed high up the pitch all season to press the opposition in their own half. His distribution is weak also, so Wenger prefers to put a more creative player closer to the centre backs. As it happens he was right where a DM should be for Watford's second goal but defended like an Özil.

Is it spin? I think it is very likely that he will be offered a new contract unless things go totally pear-shaped.

Chuba coming on for his Brighton debut. The boys need him they are three-one down to Huddersfield at the moment and getting well gubbed

Go on chuba do your stuff

Who knows? I'm only saying what Kevin whitcher told me after the Norwich home game at the back end of last season ( and he has repeated on the online gooner since) what a "well connected" source told him was going to happen , Kevin is not the sort of guy to go ott, but then again it could change

One thing, the dissent inside the stadium will increase if we're out of everything bar top 4 by April , and I think a lot of fans sat on their hands out of loyalty last season, with the contract ending I'm not sure those in the middle ground will feel the same if he re-signs before the end of the season.

Tell you one thing if Huddersfield dont make it up via the play offs a prem club will snap klopp's mate Wagner up, his team is very impressive and it's so nice to watch tactical coaching during a game even if it is against the team I'm rooting for tonight

I've said it a thousand times ... so why not again .

Firstly for all his intelligence he doesn't speak English that well .
He has a gobbledegook way of speaking . adverbs , pronouns whatever in the wrong place so I doubt he can really deliver a blistering harangue .

Secondly everything is so f**&&%^%$# positive in his world .

Sam Allardyce came out and blamed James Collins for a c*ckup which lost West Ham a game , that is never going to happen with Arsene , he may mumble about defensive naivety but that's blanket criticism which does nothing to motivate players .

He's petrified of upsetting his charges not realising that a bazooka up the arse of Ramsay , Walcott . Oxo to name a few would make them improve or hand in a transfer request ... either way that's a win .

You may well say it 5000, but that's not the point I made , I was clearly talking about saying the players are tired they start believing they are

The most worrying thing is not if he accepts the offer but that the offer was made in the first place, it just shows that the board is either lacking ambition and/or knowledge of football for not seing that Wenger's way is no longer moving the club forward, I have to admit I think it is probably both, I can't understand why more fans aren't getting on the board's back rather than Wenger, I think they are missing the point.

This is why I am reaching the end of my tether now, I just don't see how the club has a bright future under these muppets in charge, I already have visions 10 years down the line of a half empty Emirates, 7th place and Spurs lording it over us, it's bad enough playing second fiddle to Chelsea but if that happens it will be a serious dereliction of duty, we had everything in place to be the biggest club in London and are in danger of becoming the 3rd biggest, sick of the excuses about Abramovich now, our board chose not to put any money in and rely on Wenger to run the club single handedly, Ivan Gazidis can f**k right off with his self-sustaining bs propaganda while he gets paid £3m a year to do bugger all.