Wasn’t it was to celebrate LTG’s hundredth birthday and telegram from the queen (or was it a king in 1927), not his retirement?

Now now Bernard, there's no need to take the mickey.

Yes absolutely slow clap and circle jerk for mustafi folks for not screwing up further after another match affecting balls up.

Someone needs to sit him down with a nice cuppa tea and a biscuit.

Maybe he needs a pet ? Maybe a nice cuddly puppy

Yes absolutely, this is the main problem. You won’t convince me Lacazette and Pépé are bad players. In his last year in France only Mbappe scored more goals. He can’t really be that bad.

Also it’s worth pointing out the same issues those 2 players are experiencing also affect Martinelli. He didn’t use a Jedi mind trick to make Kante slip and aside from the impressive goal his performance was similar to Pépé without the expectation because of the fee.

These guys are just getting zero service right now. Midfield is non existent

Why bother replying in a snide sarcastic tone. Mustafi played well after the mistake. He is not actually a bad player. I think someone said he was the worst player ever in an Arsenal shirt. That is simply nonsense.

Yes he *%^@*** well is thanks.

Wasn't it Cardew Robinson?

When Henry came back!

We’re being linked with Shakhtar Donetsk centre-back Mykola Matviyenko. I’ll be impressed if anyone knows anything about him without googling it!

Back to Martinelli’s goal. How fantastic to have a player who can run faster with the ball than most defenders when they’re just sprinting.

Dribbling a ball 70 yards without much of a challenge and then slotting it past the GK was made to look ridiculously easy by Martinelli last night. It definitely isn’t

As you know I have a spreadsheeet of all the top centre backs in the world.

Edu has earned his wages purely on finding Martinelli alone. Pépé is on the cusp of big things if we can coach him properly on his decision making. And the proper set up for his success. He'll take on 3 players, which obviously means space elsewhere and our players don't make runs or get into left open spaces to receive a pass. Lots of standing around watching him dribble.

A couple takeaways from the match.
Martinelli is a star in the making. I'm not saying he will be another Henry, but he can invoke memories of the great one. Work rate is superb. Has a natural feel for making the right run at the right time. Özil could be the perfect foil for him and release him (as well as Pépé). Possibly what Arteta is thinking but so far has not come off.
We scored 2 goals with ten men at Stamford Bridge. That can not be over emphasized enough. Giving up 2 goals at the Bridge with ten men is not an eye raiser, coming back is huge. It's also huge for our confidence. More than a month ago we would have lost the will to fight back. And we did it without Aubameyang.
Pépé has reversed his form and is game by game improving.
Saka's flexibility is an asset. He may have earned his being considered as a stop gap for a couple different positions.
The club should have got rid of Mustafi ages ago and my guess is not that they can't sell him, they are more concerned at taking the financial loss. In all businesses, you cut some losses right away than make it worse by hanging on.
It would have been suicide to consider selling Aubameyang now we should think about cashing in and using that money for players in positions we desperately need. We have enough in the attack to score without him. Yes, we are not nearly as good in attack without him but we have the means to score without him.
The road back is not as far as we think it may be. We get the central defense sorted and a quality box to box Kante type center mid and we are a very decent side.
Finally, I may end up owing Mikel an apology.

So all Mustafi needs to do is make an horrendous cock up every match and after that he'll put in a Man of the Match performance .

"Not actually a bad player " he is worse .

Swivel ; off balance to try a back pass ; just too stupid for words .

He just doesn't know the basics of centre half play .
Every game he is guaranteed to present the opposition with a couple of goal scoring opportunities .

He looked better for the rest of the match because .... [a] the cock up strengthened his resolve
[b] having the man sent off the whole team compressed which suited because he didn't have the space present another gilt edged opportunity .

Many of the lesser players from the mists of time get reeled out as rubbish players Caesar , Selley , Morrow , McGoldrick , Groves , Hartson but I reckon included in this current mob they would look quite competent .

Everytime Martinelli , Saka , Willock , Nelson get the ball I think Whooppee ..... these kids are going to try and attack .

Saka ..... love the kid's , application , style , drive , skill .

That is simply stupid whingeing. J watched those players and even those from an earlier vintage. Mustafi is not top drawer but he is no poor defender.

No poor defender ? He’s abysmal, how many dropped points is he responsible for over the last few years. I can’t recall any other defender for a long time capable of such monumental screw ups. Even Cygan.

Nobody is whingeing but being surprised at the output of sympathy following his millionth cock up is hysterical

It's icing on the cake seeing Man Utd losing at OT.

How much longer can OGS last?

What a bunch of dicks

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51211078

Blimey. "Not poor"! I've my go at defending some players in the past but how many mistakes and crap passes straight to the opposition does he have to make to be considered poor/bad/rubbish?

Did Sol Campbell come back on loan? If so that definitely worked. I recall DHD saying he was still the best c ntral defender at the club when he retuned, and DHD was right.

As well as Henry and Campbell I see Benayoum as doing enough to count him as a successful loan signing.

He came back to train with us as a free agent in 2010 and subsequently signed on again; as such, he wasn't technically a loan, Bern. And he was still an excellent defender - quick, commanding and decisive even at 36. Apart from his athleticism though, it was his sheer bulk that always impressed me. Huge arse. He blotted out a lot of sky and it took a serious detour just to get around him. He wasted a few of his latter years chasing big paydays with clubs like Portsmouth and (bizarrely) Notts County when he could still have been dominating for us. But then Sol's issues were usually psychological rather than physical. He was and still is a complicated man but he's one of the best defenders I've ever seen.

A couple of pictures I took of the old place today in 2005.

Please Wolves, please!! Invoke the ghosts of the 1950s. Something, anything.

Between Lampard and OGS, it's gotta be OGS next to go. The job is way too big for him at this stage. He is not only manager but also help with transfers, etc. They are throwing a junior executive in a CEOs job if we want to use a company analogy. No skin off my teeth. I hope he fails miserably. Same with Lamps although it seems Chelsea are aware of the issues he inherited such as being banned from a transfer window. He will get a bit of time to get players and the youth movement they have going on will get him even more time.

If Aubameyang goes, and i'm not opposed to it IF we get a good price.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football ... r-21329327

OGS gets the dreaded support of the board. He may not make it the rest of the season.

OGS a mishap of problems. Explains why MU are going back in for Carlos Tevez. On loan at 35.

That didn't take long.

Yes great idea. Let’s sell him

The only player who can put the ball in the net right now

Well actually I am with AG on this. I think we could get a big price in this window. But what that takes is faith that Arteta will keep us up & the team are heading in the right direction. Without him it will look pretty tight. But the future is not with him & I would rather we start moving now than wreck next year when he is gone. This year is dead - don’t make the mistake of killing off next year after he goes at the end of the season.
See if any of the young ones will step up. Martinelli already looks a solid prospect. Are Eddie or others good enough.

It would free up say 60 mil for the next window. I think my sell price is 70mil for right now.

Arsenal have rejected Brentford’s bid of £5m plus add ins for Balogan. Lots of people saying if Brentford are after your young player you’re doing something right.
Nketiah, John-jules, Balogan - will be interesting to see what Arsenal does with all 3 next season. Especially with the uncertain futures of Aubameyang and lacazette

If Aubameyang has no intention of signing a longer deal then we must must must sell him in the summer.
1 more year of Aubameyang and £0 or,
Lose the year but have £60-70m to buy a long term replacement and reshape the team.
One of the worst things we did in recent years was not take the £60m City offered for Sanchez when he had 6 months left on his deal - how on earth do you even begin to justify that?

The same goes for every single other player unless they are dead-ending their contract to retirement or their £ value is so low that having them for another year makes more sense than bagging under £5m

A remarkable and heartwarming quote from Santi Cazorla :

"I don't know if it's possible or not, but I want to play one more game for Arsenal before I retire. It was a deep regret that I could never have a proper goodbye. Arsenal was the biggest club I ever played for. I'm proud that I was an Arsenal player."

What a wonderful player.

Hmm...I still have a little bit of pace left. Maybe I can be there winger.
https://theathletic.com/1553072/2020/01 ... enix-club/
Exclusive: Disgruntled Arsenal fans to launch breakaway phoenix club based in Surrey – Dial Square FC

You and Gaz are both right in my view. I just don’t get Top Gun’s attitude on this issue. Aubameyang has halted negotiations over a contract extension so if we don’t sell him this January or in the summer, we’re massively likely to lose him for nothing in the summer of 2021. Or at best relative peanuts in January next year. But arguably more likely a big fat zero in the summer of 2021. No pounds, no pennies, no euros, no nothing. That would be utter madness.

Flog him (the slang term for selling, not whipping) quick. If not now then in the summer. Had Emery or Ljungberg stayed in post I’d have seen relegation as unlikely but still very possible. With Arteta in post there’s no chance of us going down even though I think it’s as yet too early to decide on whether he’ll be a great appointment or not. That makes losing Aubameyang for nothing even less excusable as selling him would, or should, give us the money to strengthen the side for next season.

Will Wenger be able to get a job in a top club? Or will he have to "settle" for a 2nd tier club below the top clubs? He's been out the game a little while now.

By all means sell him in the summer but not now as was being advocated in the article and by the Barcelona manager

Relegation is unlikely but we are only 7 points above the relegation zone and struggling to get wins with Aubameyang in the side who is our only player who can actually score.

If HBO sacked James Gandolfini after season 1 of the sopranos you’d have a bunch of old guys taking *%^@ in a pork store and nothing else

Donny Howe today in 1984.