Binged on COBRA over the last couple of evenings. That's a television production Kiwi, not Indian booze.

Bloody good series. I'd watched a few (thoroughly enjoyable) episodes before I spotted the author.

Rest assured that I'm not going "all binary", whatever that means. I'm very relaxed about it all. All I want is for Arteta to keep us out of bother this season (thanks to the shitshow that preceded him we are only 7 points off the bottom three), gradually sort out the wheat from the chaff, and hopefully come back next season with a team that is more his than his predecessors. Then we can see what Arteta is made of and whether he is the right man for the job.

With the dross that he inherited there is bound to be odd bad performance. We're not a very good team.

Shows everyone has their own tastes. I’ve not watched a single second of it myself but I know two different people who have. One thought it was average, the other called it crap (the exact word used).

I'm at the point I am equally as concerned about Liverpool's results as I am ours. I like Liverpool actually except for Michael Owen (both for the 2001 cup final and his personality). Always had a soft spot for them (and Palace for a couple of personal reasons) and I liked that 'scouse' tag due to its poor / working class associations. As well as one or two things in their history. But I don't want to see anyone equal our record and when the big money came into the league starting with Roman, I knew our unbeaten streak was going to be threatened by the sheer weight of the amount of money thrown at teams by their owners.

To be fair, Liverpool did it the 'right' way through canny buying and not from billionaires flooding them with cash to buy anything under the sun. My anxiety driven fears each season have possibly come to fruition. They could have done it last season. City are fully capable of it. And didn't Mourinho only lose one game one season for Chelsea?

This is a depressing season. Losing consistently to Chelsea, Tottenham and Man Utd for a time was grueling as well. With the odd blow out from either of them.

In America we start an impeachment trial that is going in this order. 1. Innocent. 2. A trial 3. Using the exoneration to say 'see, we were right'. The irony is that if there was a secret vote Trump would be convicted. He operates by fear in his own party.

America has no reliable allies. None. We have alienated EVERY ally. Possibly Israel but its a transactional relationship right now. They are well aware of his antisemitism despite having a Jewish son in law and a converted daughter. They are fully aware that the supremacists who were chanting "Jews will not replace us' as they marched in Virginia were called "decent people' by Trump. They are getting what they want (US Embassy in Jerusalem, possible war with Iran and full support against the Palestinians) because Trump has traded zealot evangelical support for their wanting to play out book of Revelations apocalyptic prophesies to speed up a return of the Messiah. (yeah, its that crazy).

Anyway, the 'special relationship' with the UK is in tatters. Europe rightfully sees him as a dangerous buffoon. What has not been discussed within America because we like to see ourselves as the Romans viewed themselves is that we are a broken country. If 4 years later, Trump, with all the insanity, still has a core 40% give or take, support, it means the American people are a broken people. There are simply not enough 'good' people to counter the ones that reinforce every negative American stereotype.

The first thing I am asked in cabs abroad is my opinion of Trump and the person judges you based solely on that answer. I am not offended. When you have someone in charge of nukes and over a quarter of the world's GNP who is clearly off his rocker, its disconcerting.

I think Bernie Sanders can get the nomination and win but the damage has already been done. We're reminiscent of the last days of the Roman Empire, debased currency, living on past glories, endemically corrupt and morally broken. I would wonder how the Germans could let the Nazis get so much power and it was hard to comprehend...until now. It's surreal.

Do you know what.
Even if we get hammered 3 0 tonight I'm still going to be right behind Mikel.
Throughout the rest of this season through the summer and into next season.
He is the man I wanted and unlike some Arsenal fans who change their opinion based on the result from one game to the next I'm sticking by him.
There is something fresh about Mikel.
Something that says he is in control and 'knows' where he is going and where he wants to take us.
I love the way he communicates and sees his job as a privilege.
Him all day along over people like Allegri and Mourinho.
We needed a massive reset and to start from scratch and from basics.
Glad to see the hierarchy agreed and went for him.
He needs time and patience and a few windows. I really hope some of the fan base don't turn with a few bad results.
Would love to win today but would take a draw.
Not the end of the world.
We are a few steps down a long pathway with Mikel. I have faith.

Gosh ...when you are not rambling on about the " Ipcress File " you can be quite emotional .

furthering your education FINIS is not mispelt Finish .... it is Latin for The End

NZ 9 Germany 0

I feel exactly the same Dave . The attitude of the team , style of play , personel has been all wrong under the last three managers [ if you count Ljungberg's short disastrous tenure ]

Old habits die hard , when you see the spurt of activity after Sheffield equalised then they lapsed back into that ineffectual cross field going nowhere rubbish that has hamstrung Arsenal for the last six years .

This isn't going to be remedied 'overnight '.

The channel the match is on has a show going on now called 'Soccerbox' with Gerrard and Neville and they play games they were in and its great hearing the back stories of games, players, environment.

I would love to see a show (if there is, I don't know) where they would do that with other players who were on rival sides. There was a show with Vieira and Keane that I liked.

I'd like to see a show with Sherringham and maybe big Tone or whomever. I hate Sherringham. Hate him with a passion. But would love to hear him talk about the rivalry when he was with both Tottenham and Man Utd. I'd like to see the same with the Northeast derby as well. And a twist, the fans/firms of Millwall and West Ham as swell as the players.

As far as the game, obviously I'd love a win but a draw may be the only thing we are capable of right now. I feel HOW we play is the most important thing. When we lost 2-1 to them, I left the game thinking we looked great in the first half and even though it was only for a half, we usually didn't turn up much against the rival sides.

Thanks for that DH ...saves me racing into all the liquor outlets breathlessy gasping " Have you got any Cobra "

Not so sure the " author " would be thanking you for broadcasting that ...... I'd say he values his anonymity .

Well thanks for that Bern. You don’t sound too cheerful.

I’m sure he’ll learn to live with such fame KP. And grow. Or maybe just leave the country and sue.

Personally, I’m still licking my wounds from your last and most vicious attack, you nasty old noswoc. Just as well you lost yer ‘ampsteads years ago. All those years of chewing solder. Talk about being savaged by a dead sheep.

I see Bellerin has some dangling cross earrings on in warm up. I'm hoping he takes them off for the game.

If AMN isn't injured I find the Bellerin inclusion baffling. He hasn't looked the same player since his comeback from injury and how can he possibly be ready for a game of this magnitude.

It's not like AMN has been playing poorly either.

Hmm. Flame machines on the pitch before the game.

We’ve come a long way from the days of the Metropolitan Police Band.

We are just dreadful.

No passing

No combination football

No one twos

Just awful

Game over.

Oh well.

Wtf!!!

Mustafi is a complete joke.

And Chelsea are a horrible shower of *****.

Classic Mustafi and it’s all over again

We are appalling. The crisis continues

What is the *%^@*** point.

Dreadful pass from Mustafi but good grief we have been dismal.

We need a back line and this just illustrates the need. We may end up losing this one by 3 or 4 goals. Lampard chose a side with pace all over the pitch. Very smart move.

*%^@*** Mustafi

I thought if you gave away a penalty for denying a goal scoring opportunity then you don’t get a red card. The point being that you haven’t stopped the clear goal scoring opportunity! They have the penalty! I thought the rule changed so it’s a red outside the box but a yellow inside the box

We have Holding. Why start Mustafi when you aren't forced to?

I wish Mustafi was our for the season. I hate the useless *%^@*** idiot. Abysmal excuse for a footballer. And Luiz is a clown.

Wasn't that a similar case to the CL final against Barca?

You can not play Mustafi in a team that you are getting pressed from the back. The commentator said a few minutes before Chelsea should close down every player except Mustafi because he seems nervous each touch.

They just made that exact point on Sky.

Well the rules were different back then, the ref in the CL final had two choices he could send Lehmann off or play the advantage and give the goal.
I thought the rule had changed to avoid the double punishment of red card AND penalty because the reason the red card is given is denying the goal, but all you’re doing is delaying the goal as the penalty is such a gift wrapped opportunity

No, it’s still a red for deliberate fouls. They relaxed the rule for accidental fouls, whatever they are

Ok, just read that if it is considered an attempt to play the ball it is no red card, as Luiz just shoves him so not considered an attempt for the ball it can still be a red card apparently

Mustafi is a joke of a footballer.

But this situation will tell us a lot about the motivation of this set of players.

Let’s see how they respond

It is Mustafis fault and god knows he’s hopeless but our defence is always under constant pressure because we as a team are unable to move the ball up the pitch or retain possession. It doesn’t help.

This is a full blown crisis again. We’ll be 12th and a couple of wins off relegation again with Luiz serving a 3 match ban.

It’s going to be Pépé isn’t it

Luiz 3 match ban is a blessing. A useless member of them at CB.

This may actually be a good time to turn to Sky to see what COBRA is all about.