You may have to translate that for pommies and others.

I’ve googled ‘chook raffle’ and ‘RSL club’. Amusing image.

Some of the teams would probably be happier winning the chicken or having a pint at the RSL than what they just got served.

Sorry, are you describing the F1 or when you watch us play a top 4 club ?

Unlike you LTG I didn’t bother looking those words up. But I’ve no idea what they mean.

For those that go to the games what is the general fan reaction when we pass it around at the back, particularly when the opposition look close to winning it from us?
I think it probably varies depending on the score, but it can’t help the players if the crowd are on edge or taking the less cultured ‘just get rid of it’ approach.
For what it’s worth I think Ramsdale has pretty good judgement of when to play and when to hoof it.

It may be me but where I sit but I don’t feel the crowd are on edge at all or maybe I don’t notice it. There may have been some unease when we first started playing out honestly some of my most favourite moments now are when we are transitioning the play from the back and Rambo is doing his cocky little showboating moments.

I’m not joking Ramsdale could easily walk into the midfield of one of our sides from the mid 90s the way he passes.

On Saturday I thought the first 15 minutes were ridiculous and we simply couldn’t get the ball forward to our offensive players however I don’t really believe that was a problem with playing out just that we were playing really stupidly. Needed an older head like an Adams or vieira to tell the younger players to get a grip and calm down.

A favourite method of raising funds for good causes is to raffle off either frozen chickens which can later be cooked or a fried chicken. A chicken is a chook. Sell say 40 tickets for a dollar each and then you do a draw. Then repeat the process. RSL club is returned serviceman league. They often run these raffles on weekends. When I lived in Longreach. 20 raffles on a Saturday morning. Process is pretty simple sell tickets with one to the buyer and other copy retained. Put the retained copies in a hat and draw the winner. If UEFA organised it - anything could happen.

Regardless of the tattoo suggestion he breached clubs rules and actually as pointed out government advice too apparently.

No matter how you travel, or how much you are worth, or how important you (think you) are, you have to quarantine on your return to the UK until you take and pass a PCR test. Therefore it’s not just Arsenal it’s acting on the advice the government are providing. Not sure what Arteta is supposed to do to affect the government instruction but there you go.

I agree with Top Gun here. There’s next to no unease of the type Rich presumably feels himself. There are times when I think the ball is given to a player that can put him in a difficult position. But I don’t notice anything that suggests it consistently causes widespread panic amongst the fans at games.

From where I sit the crowd have been supportive. Naturally you hear a few moans when it doesn't come off but generally I think the crowd can see it works more often than not and the team have improved in this area. As you mentioned, Ramsdale's ability to mix it up has also helped.

Also let’s be honest here the personnel changes have massively helped our playing out from the back. Swap out Ramsdale, white and Tomiyasu for Leno, sokratis and Mustafi and without dissing those players I think you would have a less confident crowd.

See that’s a good example of how better players can help the overall side rather than believing we have some master supreme being that controls our fate like Moses that’s letting us down.

Aubameyang ditched as club captain and won’t be in the squad for tomorrow

That Amazon documentary is going to win an Oscar.

Not sure where you from here really. They should probably try and loan him out because if his confidence was destroyed before this stuff what now.

Who is the new captain. Lacazette ? He’s walking out the door

Next captain? MA just might pick Xhaka. No guarantee, just saying.

Nobody is saying we don't need better players - that's why pretty much everyone here who has been critical of Arteta also wants to see him backed in the transfer market to get more of his type of players in. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Seems like our big shift is continuing, because it's hard to see Aubameyang being here next season. Lacazette is almost guaranteed to be gone too, Xhaka was on his way out this summer already. We really have a completely different dressing room compared to only two years ago, and it's probably a good thing considering how lacklustre our performances has been for the last five years or so.

Our recent additions all look like really good players, and more importantly good characters to build around. There might be room to add a veteran or two to the squad in the summer. Players like Milner and Henderson haven't been the biggest on-pitch contributors to Liverpool's recent success, but Klopp won't stop praising them becasue of the intangibles they bring to the squad.

Tierney.

Xhaka is no doubt a serious candidate but in line with OMOH’s last post, I imagine Tierney is favourite. Gabriel could also be in with a chance. Ramsdale too. If he wasn’t a goalkeeper he’d probably get my vote. But I’m never sure about keepers being captains. Being stuck in goal must make it more difficult to offer leadership to players up the other end of the pitch.

For me 100%.

However I’m expecting the manager to kick the can down the road for a bit with different captains for each game until the summer.

I am not sure Tierney has been here long enough to garner the respect of the changing room that rises to captain. In time, I'm 100 percent sure, but my guess and its only a guess he still sees himself as the new boy. Or the end stages of being the new boy.

I prefer my captains, outbound players and in the central defense. This is going to sound crazy to some, but I like Ramsdale. There I said it. Crucify me.

Ben White hasn't been here long enough but he has all the makings of captain. For the here and now, Xhaka again, for no other reason that he seems to be highly respected. If not him, Lacazette, although I don't like strikers as captains generally.

I believe there is more than just missing training in this one. The whole story will unfold when Aubameyang is no longer with Arsenal.

Tierney is my choice for Captain

What a sad fall from grace for Aubamyang. After all the high hopes of 18 months ago, cup winner and a megabucks statement contract renewal by a world class, goalscoring captain in his prime. It's been downhill ever since. Nobody to blame but himself, not the manager, not Kroenke, not referees, not opposing defenders... Hard to see him thrive in an Arsenal shirt ever again. Pierre, where did it all go wrong?

Step up, Kieran.

The choices are there but a few haven't been around long enough. Lacazette could be temporarily as he's most likely contemplating a move away. Tierney is a good choice, injuries aside though. Gabriel or Ramsdale possibly. MA will no doubt already have someone in mind. He has to choose soon and make announcement prior to Weds. game.

Not going to rush to make the appointment.

https://www.skysports.com/share/12495522

Makes sense really.

Tierney for Captain. Some people suggesting Odegard as he's the captain of his country. I'd go with Tierney.

PEA should be loaned out or sold in January. I get the impression there is more going on here than meets the eye.

Yes with aubameyang I’d guess it’s more than we are aware of.

There must be this subliminal thing that the club and arteta must hate. The guy turned up late to a north London derby and missed the coach in his shiny golden supercar. What kind of example does that set for the younger players and how long can you let that go on.

A terrific servant to the club almost 100 goals but really never a captain and I think the comments from Arteta today on the leadership group are utterly absurd.

Leadership group = 1 player who told our fans to *%^@ off, another who missed a derby and a contract rebel. It’s a joke.

You can’t delay the decision for something like this you have to be decisive. It’s Tierney, done move on.

Hi both, I posed the question not because I feel uneasy, I can see the risk/reward of playing out from the back and feel generally comfortable with the players we now have to execute it well. I was posing it because I read a lot of reports from journalists and arsenal blogs where they talk of heart in mouth or unease of the crowd so wanted to gauge whether that was actually true in the stadium - it appears not, and rightly so as we’ve probably got one of the most technically able and 2 footed back 5 we’ve had for a long time.

I’ve got a feeling they might make Lacazette the captain until the end of the season as an ‘interim captain’ and review it again in the summer.

Amazon have struck gold quite a few times.

They got City when they won the title with the 100 point season
The got spurs with Mourinho!
Now they have Arsenal with everything that’s gone on for us this season, no need to create narratives, the stories are handed to them on a plate.

It is going to be fascinating viewing for all football fans, we’ll take some stick from other fans but my gut feeling based on absolutely nothing is it will help get the fans behind the ‘project’ we’re undertaking - although a lot of that will depend on how successful we are this season

An absolute masterclass by Serge Gnabry this evening. Two footed and so deadly.

Every time that I see him I find myself daydreaming about him in an Arsenal shirt.

Do you think that Arteta may look at City without a CF and try and replicate them. I am just not sure what type of CF will fit our team.

In stripping Aubameyang of the captaincy and ridding him from the first team, Arteta might have finally eliminated the key factor for his inability to fully control the dressing room. It will be interesting to see which players start to exhibit indifference towards the manager. Lacazette, being a very close friend to Aubameyang, is most definitely one of them. That and his contract ending should mean that he should not be made captain of the team.

Given Aubameyang's antics and non-performance on field, I fully applaud Arteta on his tough decision.

He is definitely going to sign a striker in fact he’s going to need to sign 2 now.

All 3 of our strikers look certain to leave this summer which removes around 500 k a week from the wage bill. So he’ll need one for now and another to add another option and cover for injuries.

It’s a really big decision and if they get this one wrong it Could mean the end of the manager. Just a guess but I imagine the type or striker they would go for will be more of a firmino than a aubameyang ie someone who can drop deep and contribute to the build up or the attack with hold up play rather than playing on the shoulder of a defence

I've heard the stories of how we really couldn't have kept him but I don't believe that it was as foregone of a conclusion.

Had we knew how special he was earlier...well, this, that or the other. Not sure we could have kept him long term anyway but we'd have had some special moments.

Were I Vieira, I'd offer Fabregas a contract. Yes, he's 34 but still better than most. I think his contract is up next year.

I've said from the beginning, I can't wait to see it. There are so many stories already I want to get more info on and the season isn't even halfway over yet.

Well here we go ; as promised I read your three political posts AG ...... and surprise surprise I found them very good and agree with probably 98 % of the content .
The problem in life I've found ... in the workplace , an office , politics etc if you get a weak inept person at the top they tend to fill the staff positions below them with equally inept doodles because they don't want to be challenged .

Biden a total dithering bed wetting cretin then below Harris ... a giggling buffoon , Buttergeig , Milley , Austin ,,, two military half wits [ thank God they weren't in charge at Normandy ]
..... Blinken , Nulon , Garland , Yellen , Grandholm all totally incompetent .

I agree America is going to have a catastrophic meltdown I'm not so sure China is going down with them . Both China and Russia are divesting themselves of their US dollar reserves and buying gold .
China's Belt and Road is seeing them open up lots of new markets to lessen their dependence on the US .
As you said Eisenhower warned against the military complex ... how prophetic those words .

After the catastrophic pull out of Afghanistan I said to a mate over a couple of beers " watch out ....... be it Ukraine , Iran , Taiwan , North Korea , Yemen , Sudan ....... America will promote a new conflict somewhere ; create chaos so they can sell more arms .

America has a bloated military , bloated intelligence community , bloated political system .... all drones producing nothing .

eg ....Recent Glasgow climate summit Biden had a motorcade of 98 vehicles .... Jesus wept why so many ?


Your political system is so fractured these days the President is not really in charge Trump wanted to pull out of Syria , Secretary of Defence Bolton said no ... Pompeo was keen on war , Milley was undermining him

Now we have Biden having a stuttering summit with Putin agrees to do certain things regarding Ukraine next day Victoria Nulin , Tony Blinken are busy organising the total opposite .
Ted Cruz wants to stop Nord Stream 2 , Senator Wicker from Mississipi WANTS TO NUKE RUSSIA .

Does he not realise a couple of missiles might come back the other way ....such irresponsible language .

Britain is almost as stupid , they seem to think it's 1921 not 2021 ... a destroyer sailing around the Black Sea , their new Aircraft carrier and a couple of patrol boats in the South China Sea ....some sort of gunboat diplomacy where they could sail up the Yangste and intimidate the "natives "
Talk of going into Afghanistan to fill the US vacuum .

When you decide to opt out ; come to NZ I'll shout you a couple of beers .

I hope he isn't tempted to try that. It seems like a system that is very difficult to get right and requires exceptional players.

With regard to your second point: that is the going to be very critical. Let's see.
Someone who is going to replace Aubameyang's goals
AND who has a bit of aerial presence,
AND who is not going to detract from our general play, whether quick breaks and turnovers or more patient buildups.

In short, we need to be looking to the top draw on this one, at least in terms of potential.