{"id":6497,"date":"2022-08-19T15:55:40","date_gmt":"2022-08-19T14:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=6497"},"modified":"2022-08-20T22:03:24","modified_gmt":"2022-08-20T21:03:24","slug":"can-we-put-the-cherries-in-the-pits-yes-we-can","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=6497","title":{"rendered":"Can we put the Cherries in the pits? Yes, we can!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This view of Bournemouth was provided courtesy of the Bournemouth tourist board. The slogan was provided by someone who has not visited LA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Pre-ramble<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello Gladness, my old friend<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This weekend sees The Arsenal taking a short trip to the Dorset coast to face Bournemouth in the hope of not only maintaining our 100% start to the season, but also delivering our first three-game winning run at the start of a season since the 2004\/5 campaign. Optimism, both guarded and unbridled, has abounded in the Goonerverse this week as the good news has just kept on coming since the frustrating end to last season. Our new signings are prospering, our failed signings are leaving, our injured are returning, and most importantly our team is winning. Though experience tells us that guarded is the wiser course at this stage, I must admit to a high bar in terms of expectations this season and an almost unseemly yen toward the unbridled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And why not really? I believe that many of us, blessed with a certain hard-earned skepticism, are fully aware that Football, being a fickle beast, rarely, but not always, fails to joyfully puncture early season balloons; on the other hand there is certainly a line of thought that hope is there to be enjoyed, not feared as though a slavering politician; therefore, for the fullness of the time allotted, I will continue to savor our early season delights in gleefully raucous \u201cwe\u2019re gonna win the league\u201d mode until the inevitable POP heralds the return of those sturdy but tiresome bores Ma and Pa Reality.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will that pop come at Bournemouth? Well, anything is possible of course but I very much doubt it for reasons I will explore in more detail later. However, for the moment let\u2019s focus on The Arsenal.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Starting XI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello Goalness, a welcome trend  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To date, we have ground out a win at Palace and delivered a lesson in attacking to Leicester. Six goals in two games are indeed welcome, nicely on track for the 80-90 goals Mikel requires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Jesus and Martinelli have hit the net running, and even Xhaka is looking dangerous in the good, positive, warm feeling sort of way. Long may it continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have seen the latest injury news update straight from the horse\u2019s mouth as it were, and it was those exceedingly rare but heart-fillingly sweet three little words\u2026.. Everybody is ok. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would be surprised to see a starting XI any different to the one that has won the first two matches in such contrastingly pleasing styles. Vieira had a run out for the U21s this week, as did ESR, and I assume both will be on the bench this weekend. I did notice that Tomi did not play in that U21 game, though whether that is a sign he will start this week I have no idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decisions will come left, right and centre for MA as the season goes on \u2013 we already have 9 games scheduled for October \u2013 but I think that just at this moment he will not change the team. Therefore, at this stage, and entirely predictably, I believe it will be the below XI\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Ramsdale<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benjy WS Gabriel Zin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Party Xhaka<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Saka Ode Gabi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

         Jesus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subs: Turner, Tomi, KT, Rob, Sambi, Mo, ESR, Vieira, Eddie<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the subs my guess is that no place for Pepe, but it may be that MA will want the extra right-wing option for as long as he\u2019s here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Opposition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello Bournemouth, yet goodbye again<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bournemouth were relegated at the end of the 19\/20 season after a 5-season stay in the Premier League. Eddie Howe, once touted as a possible manager of The Arsenal, departed, eventually rolling up in colder climes and the usual large-scale turnaround of players began. We got the best of them as you know. A fairly mediocre season in the championship followed despite the benefit of the parachute payment system (who says the PL owners don\u2019t care about the little clubs?), but a better effort last year saw them win automatic promotion back to the Promised Land<\/s> Premier League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They made a good start to the season with a 2-0 home victory over a poorly-managed, under-performing Villa before getting a fairly comprehensive drubbing against a well-managed, corruptly-funded Man City. The new cast of Bournemouth in the Premier League: The Return<\/em> is, like most sequels, just a shade or two lower in quality than the original and certainly shares the danger of being largely forgotten by all but the most diehard fans. The cast is led by Scott Parker, who I quite liked as a player though he was vastly over-rated. He ran around tackling, was often a bit fouly, and scored the occasional goal (31 in 486 league games), a step or three below top-class he was it seems, unsurprisingly, well-liked at the neighbours as well as at Fulham and West Ham \u2013 both of whom he ruthlessly dumped upon their relegation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This current Bournemouth side is more or less fashioned in Parker\u2019s own image and, therefore, will I expect be relegated come May, whereupon Scott will, most likely, be off free. Anyway, enough of him, what of the journeyman support cast? Well, they still have a smattering of their previous PL squad. The likes of Kelly, Lerma, Stanislas, Billing and their main attacking threat Solanke remain, but others like Calum Wilson, Harry Wilson, Ake, Fraser, King and the one and only Aaron Ramsdale are gone. Solanke is a fitness doubt, the old \u201cwe\u2019ll see how he is on the day routine\u201d, that generally means he will play but regardless this is a team weaker in Goal, Defence and Attack than two years ago.  Perhaps that isn\u2019t a bad thing in some ways as the previous lot got relegated without much of a fight, but, in all honesty, I would be surprised if they are not down by April. Having divested themselves willingly or unwillingly of many PL quality players, Bournemouth have invested little in the replacements they now need and the life of a yo-yo club beckons, pockets too packed with parachute payments to stay down long, but too greedy or incompetent to risk the necessary investments required to stay up. Harsh you may feel, but my sympathies lie with the fans of such clubs, and there are several of them. They do not deserve such leadership. As you may have guessed by now, I am not a fan of the parachute payment, it is unfair to other Championship clubs and encourages a lack of ambition in its recipients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holic Pound<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello luckness, be for our men<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have played Bournemouth 12 times since our first meeting, losing one, drawing two, and winning the other nine.  I am sure after reading this review you are not expecting me to suggest anything other than a decent win for The Arsenal this time around too, and you are quite correct. 3-0 to The Arsenal seems a touch conservative but perhaps about right, though the odds are only 8-1 or so.  For the first goal-scorer, I would have gone with Gabriel Jesus, who did in fact score the winner for Man City when he last played against Bournemouth, but I have a feeling it is time for Bukayo Saka to find the net and he so rarely disappoints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or if you feel this new-look Xhaka is here to stay then he is 16-1 for the first goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, that is about it for this preview and it remains only for me to wish one and all a safe and happy trip to the ground, their local bar or their favourite rocking-chair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pre-ramble Hello Gladness, my old friend This weekend sees The Arsenal taking a short trip to the Dorset coast to face Bournemouth in the hope of not only maintaining our 100% start to the season, but also delivering our first three-game winning run at the start of a season since the 2004\/5 campaign. Optimism, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6497"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6497"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6510,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6497\/revisions\/6510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}