by GF60
How I loathe the the silly season. Even with the World Cup, the thought that the only sides I’m interested in at are those with Gooners playing (preferably they all get minor injuries whilst training and miss out) and the locals, is insufficient to stir the enthusiasm.
So a tendency to look back at the season just gone occurs about this time every year.
Analysing our performance every which way (just in order to prove that we deserved to win the league) I came to a temporary halt when looking at my personal bete noir, our unwillingness to shoot from outside the area.
Goals scored from outside the area last season? Source Opta:
1. Arsenal (20)
2. Man City (10)
3. Chelsea, Fulham, Man Utd (9)
6. Aston Villa, Birmingham, Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham (8)
11. Hul City (7)
12. Blackburn, West Ham (6)
14. Wigan (5)
15. Bolton, Burnley, Sunderland
18. Portsmouth, Wolves
20. Stoke (2)
So much for that theory. But there’s always another theory…our keeper dropped too many crosses/corners?
Nope. Brad Friedel was the best followed by Brian Jensen and Joe Hart. And the worst….? Shay Given, Pepe Reina and Paul Robinson. Surprised me as well.
Oh well. Obviously our 3rd place was all down to injuries.
What else to keep the footballing thoughts going?
Admit to the fact that there players around (say it very soto voce) playing against us? Players I far prefer to watch playing against sides other than Arsenal? They exist I fear…but I do admire them.
Not necessarily Gooner squad candidates but having several qualities that appeal.
Here are mine.
- Shay Given,
- Richard Dunne,Ledley King, Patrice Evra,
- Lee Bowyer, Scott Parker, Florent Malouda, Marouane Fellaini, Steven Pienaar, Yossi Benayoun,Tom Huddlestone, James Milner, Charles N’Zogbia, Martin Petrov, Ryan Giggs,Craig Bellamy,
- Wayne Rooney, Fernando Torres, Frederic Piquionne
Bit light on defence but defenders who appeal are few and far between!
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ay, is that true about goals from outside the 18 yard box? its actually a cazy sounding number, especially coz we doubled up on the next best team
Lee bowyer! Really??????
This is gonna b the best world cup to date.im south african and there is so much enthusiasm and excitement,so I cant c how u can say its gonna b boring.
given, reina? no way.
Amazing! I must find a way to forward this info to some people!
DOES THAT MEAN ALMUNIA IS BETTER THAN GIVEN AND REINA? LOL
NOPE!!! WE STILL NEED A KEEPER.
THOSE STATS ARE CORRECT AND ONCE AGAIN PROVES WE CAN ATTACK FROM ANYWHERE BUT THE PROBLEM IS OUR DEFENCE!!!!!
WE CONCEDE TOO MANY TO BE CHAMPIONS.
Nice thoughts GF60,
Last season I once tried to count the goals we scored from outside the area with a few games to go – don’t know excactly when – and at that time I came up with 18 goals. So I think the 20 in total will be the correct number. Maybe we should shoot more from inside the area .. 😉
Apart from Rooney and Drogba I also hate it when SAF pulls out this Park guy out of his sleeve. I don’t know what it is with him but he rarely plays but SAF almost always puts him up against us and he mostly plays a great game. Well that’s what I think of it. And I must say I shiver when I see his name against us.
Do I take it, GF60, that you’d prefer that the World Cup as a tournament ceased to exist?
Perhaps in the meanwhile you could clear up the apparent mystery about Carlos the Mexican?
That luminary Arsenal fan Myles Palmer says he’s turned down DLC, ‘preferring his money in the creche’.
Cursory web searches find other sources quoting his agent saying ‘we appreciate the interest from DLC and other clubs, but Arsenal made it quite clear that he is not for sale’.
So something to clear up there, any road.
MP seems to be on a rant, making snide allusions to Walcott in 2006 before saying he won’t talk about Joe Cole unless Wenger signs him.
He fancies himself as better than Capello too. Picking the England squad. Then the England team.
I suspect myself he’s more interested in the gambling aspects of the World Cup. Particularly if any upsets are on the cards.
But what would I know, eh?
Apart from the fact that he got mighty annoyed me sending him a message after Arsenal won 6-1 at Goodison which was as follows:
‘Myles Palmer, Myles Palmer: can you hear me Myles Palmer?? Arsenal gave your pre-season punditry one hell of a beating….’
[For those not old enough to remember, seek out the post-match rant of Norway 2 England 1 to understand the comment……..]
What a lot of questions :o)
Skawm. Not my data but Opta’s who get paid a pp full of money to do these sort of stats. Martin Tyler picked up on them as well.
Jamecg. Bowyer’s one of those that always worries you, never gives up and for too many years has been a good pro..on the field if not always off it.
Goonerfan. I didn’t say it would be boring…indeed given that the editor of Gooner and another mate will be staying with me for a few nights (and he’s more of a D&G whilst I’m an AW is next to God) it will be far from boring, especially after a few toots. BUT, it fails to fill me with enthusiasm. As a Johnny on the spot living near Durban, where “FIFA” has become the new 4 letter F word, I see the tax payer’s money (mine) disappearing too fast. I think we’ll still be paying this lot off for the next 40 years. A bit like ManU if you like!
AK47 and Mo. It didn’t say anything about shot stopping…just cross dropping. I agree with you Mo but have marvelled too many times at Given to concede he’s not as good as Reina.
Walter. Yes Park and for that matter Fletcher, seem to pull out the stops against us.
Rhys. If the other teams’ players get injured, then I’m all for it! Any of ours, then it’s almost repeat almost as bad as international friendlies.
And as far as Piles Malmer is concerned, he went to the dark side, maybe even the darker side of Fulhamograd, a long time ago. Wanker of the first water.
Goonerfan. I just read the main headline. Let’s just say my response “I didn’t say it would be boring” was 100% correct. Sub-editors!
Lanz – if only there was some kind of way forward a link to the site to people. Some of magic electronic mail system.
Nope?
Carrier pigeon it is then…
;0)
Only Jensen of Burnley would i say was a worse keeper than either Almunia and Fabianski.
If Almunia was any good dont you think he would have won at least one international cap seeing as he plays for one of the top eight teams in Europe
@tt boy are you suggesting Reina is shit then? As hes not playing many WC matches is he?
I dont think the world cup can compare with club football but its a nice summer distraction…
the world cup can be big for a players confidence, so i would like to see all of our players (except maybe cesc) have a good world cup.
Rvp: was out for alot of the season, he could use some games, and if he stays fit then he should still be fresh for the season as hes not played much. a golden boot would be great as well, people would start talking of him like drogba, torres and rooney. thats beneficial to a player, and our team.
Diaby & Vela: These two i would really like to see have a great world cup! they both have the potential to do it, and could both be playing important roles for their countries. it would be a huge boost for both, and improve them for next season more than a summer break would.
for both players next season is going to be make or break in terms of their arsenal careers. i think a good WC will help push them towards a long run in the first team which both need!
diaby and vela need a confidence boost. i feel they have the ability to succeed but have been dragged down by the media and negative supporters. the WC could be just the thing they need to step up and full fill their potential.
Agree with you John L. I really hope those 3 have a great world cup. It could give them the confidence to build on in next season. I really like Diaby and Vela and hope they come great players in the next season.
I’m not mad on the World Cup in its 2010 incarnation either but even I can see that 9 or 10 teams have a reasonable chance of winning it (not including hapless England).
This time last year I’d have told you that either Chelsea or Man. U. would win the Premiership…..as will be the case in 2010-2011.
We have some keepers would have dropped more than any other team thankfuly they were not on the field long enough to do so.
If you done those stats over on flapianski per game or mins on the pitch against freedle I think it would work out different.
Thats not knocking him just saying.
The injury bit really doesnt work either for many reasons you have to look at dept of the squads and the experience of those filling in to see how we would compair.