An away ticket to Bournemouth is one of the most eagerly sought amongst the Arsenal away going fans. Why? Because there are so few of them. The tiny Vitality stadium only has a capacity of 11,300. So for a standard Premier League game we get 5%, or just under 600. There are 1000 fans on the away scheme. So they rarely go to anyone not in the away scheme (which has been closed to new entrants for about a decade) and there are very few if any tickets left. The Boxing day game sold out at 65 credits (the max anyone could have at this time of the year is about 67 and that means you’ve been to every away game for three years). In the FA Cup we get 15%, or 1700 tix. This game still sold out at 50 credits, way above my current 24. However I was lucky enough to be offered a spare by a North Bank buddy and so as I made the journey south I was quite excited to be making my first visit to AFC Bournemouth.
170 mile drive through pouring rain and so to my parking spot. I get my parking spaces on other folk’s drives via the JustPark App (others are available) and this was a honey. Mostly when people say it’s 10 minutes walk to the ground, you can guarantee that it’s 15. Well the owner of this spot also exaggerated, but the other way! You could see the floodlights from her house. She said 5 minutes to the ground but it was more like 90 seconds. Into the area around the ground and a very civilised looking eating area. Not for the likes of me though – Home fans only! I was directed round the back of the stands to a very sorry looking tea stand, where Bovril and a pie were consumed. It’s not always the best curry house in Leicester.
Into the stand. With our increased allocation we got the whole of the Ted McDougal stand. Good views (I was in row 5 behind the goal) and a crinkly tin roof which always aids the singing (think Craven Cottage). The team comes up on the BBC site and Arteta has picked a strong, but young team. Nobody making a debut but lots of up and comings. Eddie Nketiah started for the first time since coming back from Leeds. Strong bench including Laca and Ozil. Auba and Luiz suspended. Arteta loves this competition. He won it twice with us and knows what it means. He picked a team to win this game.
I was in early enough to watch the warm up. This was interesting. I’ve seen it at home in recent games as well. Instead of circular games of one touch football, not taken at all seriously by the players, we had several players, usually Eddie, Martinelli and Willock, exchanging passes from the half way line, then putting in a ball “behind the fullback” to Saka and continuing their run into the box. Saka picked the ball up and fired in crosses. Eddie managed to miss at least four from six yards (perhaps, like Gary Lineker, he doesn’t like to waste goals in warm ups). But this training ground practice was to pay dividends shortly.
So to kick off, but first a word about the away support. Magnificent. We started singing before the teams came out and sang continuously for the whole game. It made for a great atmosphere and this is why I love away game. We started at 100mph. Bournemouth sat off us and we filled the space with pace, skill and verve. After 5 minutes we were ahead with a lovely goal. Willock rolled Gosling just in their half and drove forward, Thomas Rosicky like, into their box. He slipped it to Martinelli, who rolled the ball beautifully into the path of Saka who absolutely blasted it in at the near post. Van Persie or Poldoski in their prime could not have hit it better with their sweet left feet.
5 mins. Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal
There was only one team in it as we continued to play fluent passing football, with Saka and Martinelli down our left flank combining really well and Willock driving into space in midfield. After another 20 minutes we scored another great goal. This time Joe Willock flung it out wide to Saka on the left wing who made some ground before playing that ball from the warm up towards the penalty spot. Martinelli took the defence away with his fine run, leaving space which Eddie ghosted into for an emphatic left footed tap in. For some obscure reason there was a long VAR delay but eventually the goal was given.
26 mins. Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal
This was definitely Bukayo Saka’s break through game. Already a goal and an assist. He is 18 years old, English from the leafy suburb of Ealing, London W5, and a winger by trade playing at left back. On the club website he is not even listed as a first team player, but is on the Academy list. What a prospect.
Bournemouth came back into the game in the last 15 minutes of the half. Martinez had to make a good save from Gosling. We started to give the ball away. Xhaka (who otherwise had a good game) played a trademark cross field pass in our half straight to an opposition player. Wilson was booked for foul on Eddie. The game got scrappier, with Guendouzi doing most of the scrapping.
This continued in the second half, which was riddled by players going down for injuries and the physios saw lots of action. Martinez collided with Mustafi who fell heavily clutching his ankle and had to be stretchered off. He got a sympathy song and had, in all fairness, had a good first half. Rob Holding came on the a loud chorus of
Rob Holding
y’know
he’s better than Cannavaro!
Great to see Rob back. Brilliant in the Cup Final against Chelsea, barely played since due to injury. But if Mustafi’s injury is serious we have a centreback crisis that needs resolving somehow.
Bournemouth were much better in the second half and we made little progress going forward. They looked dangerous from set pieces and Martinez flapped at bit at crosses, creating opportunity for them. Dani Ceballos (drinks Estrella, eats paella) came on for Pepe who had been bright, lively (he even crossed a ball with his right foot) but with no end product again. Hector went down winded from a great aerial interception. Saka went down, Gosling and Sokratis clashed heads and went down. All these injuries made for a very disjointed game. Xhaka got booked for time wasting. 8 minutes injury time went up on the board.
Finally our defence was breached. An innocuous looking ball into the box eluded everybody and fell to sub Surridge who slipped it into our goal in the 4th minute of injury time.
94 mins. Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal
In the end 11 minutes of injury time were played but we held on. Job done and onto Fratton Park, Portsmouth in the next round. I thought our stand out players were many: Saka; Willock; Martinelli; Eddie; Guendouzi; Bellerin; Sokratis and Xhaka.
Back into the car. Home about 1am thanks to empty motorways. A thoroughly enjoyable away day.
Cheers Countryman. Top report as ever.
Nice to hear about the warm up and how we scored from the same move and it’s always a pleasure to hear what our fans were singing as it’s not always picked up by the TV mics.
It’s always good when the list of top performers includes most of the team!
I like Holding a lot but never thought to compare him to Cannavaro. Sounds like the away day Gooners were in an expansive mood. Come on the young guns, they and Arteta are transforming the entire mood around Arsenal. Thanks C100 you achieved your usual high standard.
Excellent report Countryman100. Sounds like a fun, if long, evening.
COYG
Testing whether links via the Website box work
Thanks CM100, a great read
as always.
Great that Joe and Guen are giving
MA some good selection headaches.
We are slowly looking a tighter group
that plays for each other – onwards
to Burnley with renewed optimism
that we remember how to win.
On the CB front I see we are now
being linked with Mitviyenko again.
Don’t know the first thing about him
other than he’s a left sided CB from
Ukraine. Looks a slightly bigger
gamble than Mari on paper.
And a thoroughly enjoyable report to match, C100.
OM, Some place I read the Ukrainians are the tallest people on Earth, so if this Mitviyenko fellow were mobile and close to average Ukrainian height he might be able to shore up our defensive line. But his Wikipedia page makes out his height at only 1.82m (6’0”) and says he can play anywhere in the centre or left side of defence. As a Shakhtar Donetsk player he has huge incentive I would think to escape the chaotic situation there. Also from Wikipedia:
”In 2014, due to the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, the club was forced to move to Lviv, and has since early 2017 played in the city of Kharkiv (at the stadium “Metalist”) whilst having its office headquarters and training facilities in Kyiv.”
bt8. The Holding song is old, certainly going back to the 2016 Cup Final, when he and Mertesacker kept the dreaded Diego Costa firmly in their pocket.
The Gaby Martinelli song, first heard at Goodison Park this season, is now a firm favourite and was given numerous outings last night.
To the tune of Sugar Sugar, by the Archies
Gaby ((do do do do do do)
Oh Martinelli (do do do do do do)
He is from Sao Paolo!
And he plays for Arsenal !
One, two, three, four
And repeat
We really did go through the repertoire last night.
As well as all the usual songs, including the ones for Pepe, Ceballos, Bellerin, Laca et al we had yellow ribbon (of course), Rocky Rocastle, Good old Arsenal and several renditions of that old favourite So Paddy Got up!
A great night and a great atmosphere. I love it when we have the whole away end behind the goal. Proper old school.
Lovely report C100. You have a wonderful gift of recounting events so clearly and atmospherically that it is easy to pick up the feeling of the match which isn’t always conveyed on TV.
I saw very much the same game but you were nearer and I was warmer! I am worried about Holding who seems to have lost confidence and mobility . The Ukrainian is a much more stylish player than Mari but as our vulnerability to crosses showed ( not helped by Emi’s flaps) we do need a brick outhouse to win high balls and dominate aerially .
Loved Guendouzi last night. That boy gets a lot of stick but he works like a navvy and has a real touch of class .
Roll on Burnley!
Thanks TTG. Truly appreciated.
Countryman, the Gaby song sounds like a smash hit. Even I could catch the rhythm of that one. More generally I think the atmosphere you describe is what drew me to English football in the first place, many years ago.
bt8 I don’t think there any equivalent to football chants in US sports. I’ve been to top level baseball, basketball and ice hockey games and, while they have their own special atmosphere, which can be incredible, it’s definitely different.
It’s noticeable how staid old cricket, thanks to the barmy army, now has it’s own songs and player chants. The players seem to love it.
Sean Douche underrated? Kevin Trippier seems to think so in this BBC interview:
“Obviously you’ve got some good managers: Klopp, Guardiola… Sean Dyche! You’ve got quality managers out there but he’s certainly up there for sure.
“Sean Dyche is a brilliant manager. From the first day he walked in [Trippier played for Burnley from 2011-2015, initially on loan] he sorted my career out basically.
“From when I was young, stupid and going out, he just sat me down and said ‘no more’. Unbelievable manager and I loved playing for him and, who knows, one day I might get the opportunity to play for him again.”
“The Ukrainians are the tallest
people on Earth”
It’s always a good day when you
learn something new👍
I get the sense that Arteta is not 100% sure about Holding. I have no evidence for that view. It is just a gut feel.
What Matviyenko (or should it be spelled in the less Russian more Ukrainian Matviienko? He comes from a town in annexed Crimea but his ethnicity is unclear) lacks in height (some sources put him at only 1.80m, less than 6 foot), he would seem to make up for with speed and telescopic legs. Highlight reels are highlight reels, but he looks to make a lot of clean tackles. He doesn’t pick up many yellow cards. He has 26 Ukrainian caps, and played the full 90 mins in all their Euro qualifying games, so he can not be too shabby. If Sabila stays fit and comes good, he will provide the height. He is 1.93m.
C100, You are right about US crowds. Most people stay more private, even when surrounded by thousands of people. MLS is trying to follow the European model with “supporter sections” where the price of admission is lower, chanting is encouraged and/or choreographed, etc. It may get better over time, but as of now it still lacks most of the organic feel you have over there, due I imagine to cultural differences and to longstanding traditions. When Aston Villa came over here last year the away fans showed the relatively silent locals how it is done.
bt8b@14: Dyche to be next manager of Atletico Madrid then. 🙂
Also the distances involved mean that the tradition of travelling away fans never evolved in US pro sports the way it did in geographically more compact European countries, while the franchise system to give teams single city monopolies stunted the growth even of local derbies.
Maybe so, Ned. 🙂
Actually, in the lead-up to talking about Dyche he did praise Fiego Simeone as the best manager in the world so despite initial appearances Trippier may not be attempting a palace coup at Atlético.
Quite right @19, Ned. Minneapolis/St. Paul is a perfect example of a metropolitan area that ought to have a local derby. I don’t know this for certain but the name, “Minnesota United” could have been chosen partly to fend off any thought of placing a club, or franchise as you say, in both cities.
But there are others that are quite drivable
Miami/Tampa/Orlando
Chicago/Indianapolis
New York/Boston/Philadelphia
LA/San Francisco/San Diego
All come to mind immediately. I’ve driven between most of those cities.
c100, sf to la is 350 miles, and with traffic more than 7 hours’ drive. a bit like london-glasgow by car, with no viable train option.
C100, yes there is something of the feel of a local rivalry in the cases you listed but the rivalry (and proximity) of New York/Philadelphia/Boston is definitely the strongest of the four. Los Angeles and San Francisco have a strong natural rivalry because they are contenders for the most important city in California. And in baseball the Dodgers and Giants are continuing their rivalry from the pre-1960 days when they were both located in NYC. When I was growing up in California in the late 60s and 70s, their games often got quite heated.
Scruz. I regularly drive to Newcastle and Sunderland, both 200 mile each way journeys from Cambridge. If you come from London that’s 270 miles. If you come from Bournemouth or Brighton that’s 350 miles. It can be done, and is. I admit our train system helps considerably.
Orlando to Tampa is just over the hour. NY to Philadelphia is two hours tops. Chicago to Indy is 3.5 hours, about what I drove last night Cambridge to Bournemouth.
It’s not the travel. It’s a cultural thing. NYC used to have three baseball teams. They still have two a subway ride apart. There are Arsenal songs going back to the 20s and 30s. We just like community singing in the way you chaps don’t!
bt8 our posts crossed. I think we’re agreeing!
this is true, bt8; however, due to how people move around the country (especially within state) traveling to games isn’t often necessary to fill up an away section; there are always a few thousand dodger fans at at&t park that are from the bay area.
Fiego should have been Diego a few drinks back. Just wanted to clarify in case anyone thought Luis Figo had been amalgamated to Simeone
Scruz, those Dodgers fans at Giants games could many of them people who moved north for tech-related jobs?
bt8: Shakhtar Donetsk don’t play out if Donetsk anymore, or anywhere in Donbas, but out of Kharkiv. They had originally moved further westward to Lviv but then to Kharkiv, which is rather peaceful.
Great report countryman! The away fans’ passion and constant singing came through in the TV.
Willock’s first half performance was eye-catching. If he had chosen to fall under the shirt pull in the penalty area could have had a penalty as well. Liked the honesty though.
Great second half by Guendouzi. Maybe I am in the minority but I wouldn’t change his thorny character on the pitch. We need one of those as well. He will get more clever about how to use it better but skill and enthusiasm mixed with a bit of that nuisance factor is very handy.
Saka + Martinelli looked like they have been playing together for year.
Excellent report C100. You definitely provide a sense of the away day experience as well as a feel of key moments in the game. This exhausted survivor of a sudden alpine blizzard appreciated it as I didn’t see the game apart from microscopic goal clips on my iPhone. A certain Norn Irn cow connoisseur would have loved it, I’m sure!
Does that Bournemouth Stadium visit complete your set of away day destinations for the current PL opposition?
oh, and c100, wonderful stuff. i do love me some cherry pie. and thanks for the song lyrics, it’s tough to learn them in situ over here; the accent and the fact there’s 1000 people singing make it tough to get all the words. 🙂
i am so glad to see saka, willock, and eddie coming through the ranks. with martinelli, torreira, holding, hector, and pepe we have some younger lads that can grow together.
bt8@29. very possibly. the biggest difference i see is there’s no organized away section for any american sporting event, excepting nascent sections in MLS. the ultras in san jose are ok, they make a lot of noise, but have no history. they’re building it, i guess. i don’t know about their away-day travels, though.
best fan experience i’ve heard on tv is the portland-seattle derby, the stadia are madhouses, fans of both teams going bonkers.
Hi Bath. Warming up with a hot toddy I hope!
No I’m far from a Premier league full list. London games are difficult because everyone can make them. I cut my own throat a bit because I always try and go on my own tickets to build up credits rather than looking for tickets elsewhere. Of the current premier league I haven’t been to these grounds
Chelsea (since the 80s)
Spurs (since the 80s)
Palace (ever)
West Ham (the London Stadium)
Watford (ever)
Brighton (current ground)
Sheffield Utd (ever)
Burnley (ever)
So lots to still go for. But I do make an extra effort for the Cup (bigger allocations helps) and have enjoyed the games at Forest, Preston, Blackpool and Wigan in recent seasons.
c100@25, of course it is. hell, i drive nearly an hour each way just to watch the game at my supporter’s club bar. my point is that those distances are difficult for the average fan here who hasn’t *any* other way to get to the game, excepting expensive (train, plane) options. and there’s neither a history of that kind of travel (perhaps maybe among the richer of us, i don’t know), nor the dedicated away sections, as i said to bt8 above. lacking those spending the money becomes a different calculus.
sf to la, or reverse, is 7 hours at best these days. traffic will kill you at either end, and can make it 10 or 12 hours. london to newecastle is 5 hours give or take, bournemouth 6. that’s gotta be the outside of a day of footie, in terms of not staying the night, which i have to believe isn’t a common thing for away games. i’d travel four or five hours for a game if i had the option to go to something like that regularly, but beyond that it’s just a drag to go further, at least here in hahafornia.
of course, you’re also an away-day legend. 🙂
Thanks Scruz but I very much am not. I am surrounded on the North Bank by people who go to almost every game. Our very own Victoria is in the away scheme. I love my away days and would like to go to a few more, but compared to these stalwarts I am nothing. The commitment is incredible from these folks.
c100@36, incredible indeed. i’m always amazed by it, and am proud to hear the chants and singing even if i can’t suss what’s up…
So far this season I’ve been to the following away games
Newcastle
Leicester
Everton
Bournemouth
Hopefully I’ll get in another three or four before the end of the season.
huh. christian eriksen moved to inter. i wondered why i kept hearing laughter…58 years, 9 months, and counting.
C100
I am given two tickets for Palace at Selhurst each season by my old school mate. ( this is in return for taking him to the Test at the Oval!) Please be my guest next season ( not that I will have to pay! ) if both sides are in the Premier League then 😃
I’d love to TTG! Thank you!
In other guess who’s coming home news, a certain Mr A.Sanchez, lately of this parish, will be returning to Old Trafford from Inter Milan according to Ole this morning.
Laugh? I nearly bought a round!
Good news about Mustafi.
He has only a sprained ankle.
Funny how perspective changes your views on players. After Stamford Bridge I would have not been perturbed at all had he been out for weeks. But he did very well last night . There is a player there but he has massive lapses in concentration
Thanks for an excellent match report C100. You, along with all the away supporters were in terrific voice, no doubt assisted by the team performing so well in front of you. It was another game of 2 halves, we won the first half convincingly and the Cherries the second half marginally. Both goals were very well crafted & executed. It was a terrific performance by the whole team – no one had a poor game. Yes, even the unfortunate Mustafi included.
The intensity & focus from all the players is apparent. Mikel has come in and changed the mindset that was prevailing in the last few weeks of the Emery era. I guess we could say that the mindset had completely evaporated during that awful period.
A tactical scheme is now becoming apparent with Saka regularly using his attacking flair linking up seamlessly with Martinelli and Xhaka covering the space behind. This is proving to be very successful manoeuvre.
Looking forward to the team continuing to progress under the auspice of MA8 and of course your next away report as & when.
Both of the midfielders on show at Villa Park tonight are players I would love in the Arsenal team.
James Maddison and Jack Grealish.
Grealish outplayed everyone on the pitch when Villa were here last year, and is clearly a leader type.
But Maddison is outstanding and totally ran the game against us at the King Power.
I’d love either but if given a choice I’d take Maddison.
Cheers Countryman!
Hi Esso! Great to see you here!
Hello Esso.
I have been thoroughly enjoying the drinks maturing into the real thing here. *Puts feet on table and winks at the barman.*
This place has the comfortable feel of a fine old place that I loved deeply.
*Toasts the Guvna of the old bar.* Here’s to you Dave 🥃 You’ll be long remembered Guvna!
*Toasts the future of this new establishment and the Holics who have helped create it.* 🥂🍾 Well done chaps. Here’s tae us! Wha’s like us? …
it’s funny how we fall into the old patterns. and with more of us as the site goes live, it will continue.
dave never populated the drinks *that* much, so his influence was more to keep us from wrecking the bar than to start tossing them back with us (excepting real life, more to my regret that i never got the chance). but his sanity, his mettle, and his wonderful prose kept providing us with examples to live up to, both in that bar and in life. i’d like to think we can live up to those examples here.
bath, you, ttg, c1000, and arthur have been the prime movers in this being created. thank you so much, all four of you. while it is going to be hard to move on from dave’s site (long may it be preserved), what we’ve created due to your collective impetus will carry the torch into a future that is red, red, red…north london red.
here’s to you, and all of us. and, always, dave.
Oh, rats. I found another list of the world’s tallest nationalities and Ukraine only comes in at #19, with the Netherlands taking first. It could be an indication that this defender has less of an inferiority complex than previously surmised. Sign him up!!
I think the Guvna would approve and enjoy this site. It has the same feel and ethos as the site it originated from.I join Bath in toasting it’s creation.
The Ukrainians have shrunk?
😱
What Scruz & Bath a said – a 🥃
is raised to the movers and shakers
who’ve got us this far
– though not at 10.00 in the morning
obviously, it’ll have to be coffee.
Honestly doctor it will.
When I was 18 I went to see my
GP about some stomach pains.
He told me to stop drinking.
37 years later I’m still mulling
over his advice.
Though I did stop going to see
GPs since then.
Nothing to do with football but
the memory always makes me
smile – never underestimate the
wilful stupidity of patients:)
C100,
I haven’t been to Chelsea since
the 80s either – wasn’t a nice trip
even though short. Kept back for
ages after the game.
Watford I enjoyed but mainly
because it was a sunny day, we
won a cracking game and
Charlie Nic slammed in a couple.
Hope you’ll enjoy Palace next
season.
I was wondering if we might
persuade Victoria to do an away
report one day – could be a
pictorial report if she prefers.
An away experience in images
would be fun.
Just an idle thought
Nice news for Mus on his ankle
but shouldn’t stop us getting
another CB I think.
A short Ukrainian or a tall
Brazilian? That is the question.
Papa and Luiz are short term
solutions. Rob, Calum, Saliba
and even Mavro may be longer
but question marks over all of
them. Given the size and styles
that make up the long term
possibles I’d probably go with
Mari at the moment.
Spuds are weakened by losing
Eriksen and Manure are not
strengthened by the return of
an ailing Alexis. Win win.
I noticed Flamingo spent 15m
on a forward from Inter.
Perhaps they’ll want to get some
cash back from Mari now.
In other news it seems TGSTEL
is going to do a reality show on
Danish TV.
Odd that as TGSTEL and reality
are not 2 words I’ve ever considered
compatible.
The team is off to Dubai again in
the winter break. Didn’t seem to
work well last time. Still, got to
better than a cup replay against
a South coast team eh Maureen?
All waffled out at the 2/3rds of
a century mark. An enjoyable
wander around the Arsenal
world (for me that is 😉).
om’s on a roll…spicy maguro hand roll, that is.
And the cba memorial night owl award for January goes to….
Osaka Matt.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Happily accepted Bath.
I’d like to thank my family and
friends but most of all I owe it
to Mr Time Difference
Pablo Mari deal back on according to the Evening Standard
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-transfer-news-pablo-mari-flamengo-a4347601.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1580296352
What Scruz said @52 and others echoed. A glass raised to the Guv’nor, to the old bar and the new.
It’s official https://www.arsenal.com/news/pablo-mari-join-club-loan
Welcome to Pablo Mari.
Best of luck to him.
That is one great picture.
I understand he’s 6’5”.
Have we got ourselves a big fucking Spaniard?
Too right C100 😀
Savagely ferocious picture there. C100 on the websites I looked he was listed at 193cm which converts to just a tick under 6’4””
But that still qualifies him as a BFS!
Well he’s a BFS compared to
Santo or even Nacho.
I hope I miss him like them
one day come to think of it.
Wow – very neat effect there!
Great link Esso. Stillman knows his Brazilian football.
Thanks Esso.
Good read – seems he’ll be behind
Luiz in the pecking order. More a
challenge for Rob it seems than
Calum or Papa.
He certainly seems more ‘interesting’ than I perhaps gave him credit for. I was bit caught up in the ‘super agents stick together’ theory and generally felt underwhelmed. But reading the Stillman article gives me some hope there is a half decent player there. Like Stillman says he won’t be slotting straight into a stong, division dominating defence like he did over there. Lets see how he works out.
“He won’t be slotting straight into a strong dominating defence”
Ain’t that the truth!
interesting player. made the team of the year there, along with the rest of flamengo’s defense. so he can’t be *that* bad. i’ll be curious to see how he plays for us. i’ve seen comparisons with jan vertonghen, so he may just work out…and NOT be a spud.
apparently arteta worked with him at al-citeh, so he has priors. if he can bring out of him in defense what he helped bring out in sterling on offense, we might have a diamond in the rough on our hands.
Ornstein says we’re going to loan/buy right back Cedric Soanes from Southampton for £5m. Idea is to move AMN into midfield when Ceballos goes back to Real Madrid
Very interesting, and I think astute move, the Cedric Soares / AMN move you mention, C100. I hope AMN gets a run of games to prove himself in midfield. Cedric has looked like a good player for Southampton. He has apparently been on loan at Inter Milan but only played four times. I think he can deputize effectively for Hector though.
Check out Pablo Mari’s ‘showreel’ on YouTube. Obviously it features his best moments, but he looks very good nevertheless. In particular, his long cross field balls stroked with his left foot and a good performance against Liverpool in the World Club Cup are worthy of note. Promising.
I never expected , but dearly hoped Arsenal would one day have a Cedric in their team and Mikel has brought it to fruition. I can’t get too excited by either deal but Mari is a big bastard and I always prefer those sort of characters in defence…especially if they can defend . I hear Giroud might end up at S***s
Big fucking Spaniard!
We’ve got a big fucking Spaniard
Big fucking Spaniard
We’ve got a big fucking Spaniard!
Come on you Gunners!
Ollie G at spr*z would be an abomination.
What Esso said @92. Inconceivable. Go to Italy you twit.
In the immortal words of little Jacky Wilshere
My old man, said be a Tottenham fan ..
I think you know the rest ….
C100 IIRC, Ollie was forced out to part fund the arrival of PEA. With his family very settled in London he didn’t want to move abroad, despite much interest. I therefore gave him a pass with the move to Chelski under the circumstances. However a move to the marsh dwellers is a different story….he can politely do one 🖕.
Can’t see Chavski letting HFB
go to Spuds as there doesn’t
seem to be anything in it for
them. Hope not anyway.
Ah! Matt’s woken up! Can we hope for another cba like stream of post midnight U.K. consciousness?
Can I hope for an assist to the century?
Maybe he’s gone for another green tea. In which case
In for my first ton of the new blog!
Cedric on loan would be ok
though, good solid defensive
back up for Hector as bt8 said.
And free at the end of the
season if we like his jib.
Damn!! Caught ball watching
while I mulled over Cedric’s
value.
Well in CM100 – living up to the
name 🙂
Cheers Matt. Leaving the night shift to you in Japan and our colleagues in the USA.
Well in for the century Countryman
Now that Cedric’s cost me the
self-awarded glory of the ton
I’ve changed my mind on the move.
Soares Out! (er… Soares Not In!)
Well in for the ton, C100, although a threefer self-assist might attract the attention of the Dubious Tons Committee.
I hope we will give AMN at least
a chance in a DM/CM role. From
a certain point of view you could
say we’ve really fucked about
with his career over the last 2
seasons to meet our short-term
needs. I understand the team
is first and it’s an increasingly
harsh business these days but
I hope we remember he’s been
a good soldier the last 2 years.
Dubious tons committee? Sounds like fun, a lots of potential for filthy lucre. 😉
lots of potential, bt8? tons and tons…
Potential that weighs heavy on C100?
Huh??
Countryman, What’s encouraging about your match report is where you list our stand put players and there are eight of them, not just two or three who are carrying the team on their shoulders. That sounds like a team that has wins in it.
stand put should have said stand out
Bt8b, you make a good point. In good teams, no one seems to play badly, partly because, a priori, that is what makes them good teams but also because the expectations change. Players do not want to let down teammates and teammates won’t accept any slacking. It seems Arteta is tapping into that virtuous circle whereas Emery could get no where near it.
I’m finding it impossible to access this site on my iPhone .
I get taken to a site Apache friends ( most of my Native American friends are Sioux or Comanche although I’m not against a chummy Huron )
Has anyone else had a similar problem?
Palace have done a very good deal IMO for the Hull striker Jarrod Bowen. He is a very natural goalscorer. For fans who have had to put up with watching Benteke and Wickham this will be manna from heaven .
He’s one I hoped we might nab in the summer when one or mor3 of our strikers move on.
No problem accessing from my
iphone TTG.
It works for me TTG on my iPhone 6S. I just click on the link at the top of the WhatsApp group and it comes right here.
Decisions also seem to have something to do with it according to Arteta, who used the word three times in two paragraphs in the BBC match report.
Finally in a triple salvo of irrelevant posts, I note that our next three league matches are against teams who, like us, currently have 30 points . Ned isn’t the only stats genius around here……well actually he is but I’m trying
Will try that C 100 , many thanks
“In the first half we were really, really good. They executed everything we planned in a really good way and showed he courage to make big decisions.
“We played with that accountability, making decisions and I really liked it. They were terrific with their work-rate, showed courage to make those big decisions and not to play safe.
“That is the difference.”
TTG@121: 🙂
bt8b@123: I am undecided about that…
Ned, To paraphrase (I think) with a few additions:
In a game of innumerable split-second decisions the players must be confident enough to make a decision, carry through, and immediately make a correction if their initial decision turns out to have been wrong. Winning teams make the most correct decisions but losing teams can suffer paralysis and make no decision at all.
Winning teams, coincidentally, have better players. Both elements are critical over a long season.
5 uses of decision in one paragraph.
I must be approaching paralysis…
You could have chosen differently.
If I were capable of that I’d be a manager. 🤣🤣
👍
Guillem Balague, the BBC’s European soccer columnist, is emphatic in his belief that Auba won’t be going to Barca.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51318987
He also has heartening words about Mari.
The most dispiriting line in the Q&A is where he says Real Madrid cannot compete financially with Man City and PSG. If Real cannot…
I’m jumping the gun by an hour or so but wanted to make sure I had time for this –
If they are looking in, I just wanted to wish Dave’s nearest and dearest the very best day they could hope for in such sad circumstances.
I hope they will see this site as the continuing, heartfelt tribute it is intended to be to a truly gentle man who enhanced the experience of supporting The Arsenal for so many people.
He is, and will continue to be, greatly missed by all his friends, real and virtual, from around the world.
I would like to echo Trev’s sentiments.
I hope tomorrow can be a celebration of a very special life that touched many people and created huge warmth and affection. In their sadness I hope Dave’s family are comforted by these thoughts .
RIP Guvna
Trev and TTG said more than I could, but his humor shone through on the page, and he could capture the imagination of his readers. He will always be a wonderful inspiration and memory, and be missed by people in the most unlikely places.
What Trev said so eloquently @131. The Guv’nor was special. And with a simple tool, a blog, created something unique that touched so many for the better because it was infused with his wonderful personality. RIP.
I’ve been asked by Layth Yousif to record some words of appreciation for Dave on Monday for Gooner Fanzine TV .( the respectable face of Arsenal TV) . I will try to do him justice
What Trev said so eloquently and all subsequent comments by those above.
Rest easy Dave. You were the best of men and a shining example for others.
I really feel that it’s too late to wish Dave well, although I do.
Today my heart goes out to his family and loved ones along with my hope that they can find some consolation for their loss – perhaps in the knowledge of this community that Dave did so much to bring together.
RIP Guvna.
I’m just about to head down to Salzburg airport so I don’t have much time to explore this new site location’s effects but this is in the nature of a test post. TESTING TESTING TESTING
We have signed Cedric. I hope he is a Soaresaway success
https://www.arsenal.com/news/cedric-soares-join-us-loan
How are we pronouncing Soares? I’ve heard some versions that make it sound like a variant spelling of Suarez. Is that our new January tradition?
Loan a Suarez January.
Anyway, welcome fella.
I hope you play well for us and get your hands on some silverware in a cup. Or two cups.
GSD: The advice of Portuguese-speaking monks is that Cedric should sound like Cedric, as in English, and Soares should sound a bit like ‘Swarsh’ as if you were saying the Spanish Suarez in one syllable, Suar’z.
I am betting his shirt will, thankfully, say Cedric.
Is Cedric or Hector our first choice right back?
Welcome to Cédric.
Please head straight for the
treatment room. You’ll find
some other members of the
full backs union have already
nabbed the best tables.
It would appear that Reiss Nelson’s injury in training was much less severe than first anticipated. He’s going to be assessed ahead of Burnley.
Pepe, Nelson, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Nketiah, Martinelli, Saka. That’s an inspiring group and, arguably, as strong an attacking pool as we’ve had for a long time.
Btm
I didn’t realise he was in contention .
I think we will go upfront with Pepe- Aubameyang-Martinelli . I’m not sure I’d give Mesut my vote away at Burnley though
pepe, nelson, auba, laca, eddie, gabigol, and saka. great set of players.
mesut, xhaka, amn, lt11, willock, guendo. good set of players, with some possible stars.
hector, cedric, kola, kieran, rob, calum, luiz, papa, mus, mari. not very good, perhaps passable. once injuries stop destroying the defense, maybe we will see them be better than the sum of their parts.
for burnley:
jay
hec papa luiz saka
lt11 xhaka willock
pepe auba gabigol
laca, mesut, rob, pablo, emi on the bench.
Scruz,
I think Tierney is potentially very good and I think Luiz and Hector ( when fully fit ) are very decent players . Tierney has had awful bad luck with injuries but there comes a point with players where you begin to realise they are physically unable to play at the top level on a sustained basis . Often it can be after a very serious injury like Diaby or Debuchy which creates other issues. Ramsey did extremely well to recover from his grievous injury Of your list I remain to be convinced ( yet) that AMN and Willock have what it takes to get to the very top and Nelson is certainly not there yet , nor is Nketiah . I would elevate Torreira but I fear Mesut’s best days are behind him .
I think our top current players are Auba, Leno , Torreira , Saka and Martinelli .
I like your suggested team for Burnley but don’t think he will put Mari on the bench yet , he will let him relish the joy of a winter afternoon at Turf Moor from the bench !
Isn’t Mari coming in off the close
season in Brazil? I think he’ll need
a couple of weeks to get up to
speed.
ttg, i’d agree with most of what you say. saka and martinelli are pulling ahead of eddie and nelson, for sure. i think if willock gets a run he’s going to show as much as saka and martinelli, in mesut’s position. i also think guendo will come good in xhaka’s position, giving us something completely different to xhaka; HOWEVER he has to learn to tuck in to the left back position when saka bombs forward.
will he or won’t he have mari available? you may be right, since xhaka can slot in the center of defense too. then have eddie on the bench to come in against a tiring burnley.
matt, you’re right, i think. i hadn’t thought about that.
Testing 1 – 2 – 3
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jan/31/tony-adams-alcohol-gave-me-good-hiding-i-needed-pain-sporting-chance-arsenal
A reflective interview with Tony.
Scuz@149: Of your lists, like TTG, I would promote Torriera a level and put Nketieh in a great-but-not-yet-proven category, along, possible with Pepe. I’d also put Leno in the top category.
AMN and Willock need a run of games in their best position to establish their credentials, but both have the potential for long Arsenal careers. Ditto Holding, who needs a run of games to establish his recovery from injury and Arteta’s confidence in him, which I sense is lacking. Calum will need the same once he returns.
Bellerin, too, has to show that he is still the very good full-back he was before he ruptured his cruciate ligament, and particularly whether he still has his speed. Tierney looks to have the talent but, again TTG has beaten me to it, does he have the body to take the pounding of Premier League football?
As for Mari and Cedric, we have yet to see them in the Red and in the raw.
Quite enjoyable 2nd half in
Leicester vs Chavski game.
I was going to say something
nice about Jonny Evans as I’ve
been harsh on him in the past
but then he missed a free header
from 6 yards out. Useless
It’s a good game. Either could steal this. I’m hoping both will ultimately collapse but anything bar a Chelsea win is a good outcome for us.
I’ve always wanted to do this:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>