By Bulldog Drummond
Thus, and therefore, it starts again, with nothing changed in the mind of the robots who write most of the football columns these days, although sadly, as we shall see Amy Lawrence, a highly respected and normally excellent writer has joined the majority in making assertions about Arsenal by utilising a wholly misleading assertion without citing the evidence (which if cited would lead to exactly the opposite conclusion).
But before that, let me backtrack a little.
Givemesport set the tone last week with “Fifteen players to miss Arsenal’s opening Premier League fixture against Liverpool!” going on to add ‘Injury crisis’ is a phrase synonymous with Arsenal Football Club.
“The Gunners have a woeful record when it comes to the treatment table and that very same curse has struck once again ahead of the new Premier League season.”
And the evidence presented considering how Arsenal compare with other clubs? Zero. But never mind. Let’s try it another way – this is what “Who scored” have to say at the moment…
“Arsenal already have an injury crisis and the season hasn’t even started.”
A little later on the same page they say of Liverpool! “Loris Karius has been ruled out for up to two months with a broken hand, James Milner has returned to training after suffering an injury against Barcelona in pre-season but remains a doubt. Mamadou Sakho and Joel Matip are not yet fully fit and aren’t likely to feature unless injuries force Jurgen Klopp’s hand. Daniel Sturridge is struggling with a hip injury, while Joe Gomez, Marko Grujic, Lucas and Sheyi Ojo are all doubts.” That sounds like more of an injury crisis than Arsenal – but we’ll check the figures in a moment.
And anyway these are diddy sites, so let’s turn to some proper commentary like Amy Lawrence in the Guardian. I know the Guardian is a proper newspaper because it tells me it is quality. Various messages come along daily asking me to subscribe. Indeed when I go onto their website at the moment they tell me “If you use it, if you like it, why not pay for it. It’s only fair.” And you know I would if their football pages were not so endlessly anti-Arsenal.
Let me give an example from Ms Lawrence in her article today. She is after all a fine and insightful journalist. Today she says of Mr Wenger, “He has talked to his team about being more clinical. Only Giroud (16) and Sánchez (13) managed double figures in the Premier League last season.”
That sounds truly shocking. We can imagine players of other teams zooming in front with three, four or five players in double figures – that is certainly the implication of that statement. One may wonder why the article didn’t mention exactly how many players had double figures for other clubs, given that Arsenal only had two such but perhaps by then she was feeling sorry for Mr Wenger.
Now we know that Arsenal scored three fewer goals than Leicester last season, and six fewer than Man City, the top scoring club. So already we might feel a little suspicious about this “double figure” lark, but still it is true, if only Arsenal had knocked in seven more chances from more clinical finishers we would have been top scorers.
So how many double figure scorers did other teams get – that is what we need to know to justify the knocking word “only”. Here’s the list
- Southampton 3 (Mané, Pellè, Long)
- Leicester City 2 (Vardy Mahrez)
- Watford 2 (Ighalo, Deeny)
- Swansea 2 (Avew, Sigurðsson)
These figures of course include penalties and both Watford and Swansea would have lost one of their players in the double figures list if penalties had been excluded or if by chance those players had not taken the penalties. And lest we think that Southampton were the super team of the season, their players crept in with 11, 11, and 10 goals and overall the club scored six fewer than Arsenal.
So the “only” is utterly misleading. Arsenal in fact were one of “only” five clubs with two or three players in double figures.
This is an alarming piece of writing because it comes from an established journalist, in the summer when football commentary has been awash with the use of “only” type sentences. The summer of screaming about Arsenal’s injury crisis, without noting the number of injured players there are in other clubs. Of Arsenal’s lack of goals without noting we only got three fewer than Leicester. Surely, surely, at this moment, the Guardian would take the trouble to give us some backup for the use of the word “only” in the sentence “Only Giroud (16) and Sánchez (13) managed double figures in the Premier League last season.”
But no, the opportunity to knock Arsenal, while deliberately missing out the comparisons so that we can judge for ourselves, is overwhelming football, deliberately making it hard for readers to understand the reality of the situation.
However, lets move on. With such a sentence appearing without any back up figures to justify “only” (which in reality is unjustifiable given that 75% of Premier League teams had “only” one player scoring double figures) maybe Whoscored and Give me sprouts should be left alone to rot in a little graveyard (actually a rather big graveyard) reserved for sites that quote numbers out of all context and opinion without evidence.
But no, Untold is known not just for its childish humour (as we have been told this week vis a vis our regularly changing West Ham United into State Aid United playing at the Tax Payers Stadium) but also its investigation into statements that are made without backup. So we press on asking next what Who scored, and Give me Sprouts at rabbiting on about. And well you might wonder. Because far from being synonymous with injury crisis, Arsenal were neither at nor close to the top of the injury league last season either if measured in terms of actual injuries, or player days missed. We’ve published those figures both from the BBC and Physioroom so often that it would be boring to do it again, so let’s now ask about injuries now. Surely we have lots and injuries now? Well…
| # | TEAM | TOTAL INJURIES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Aid United | 9 |
| 2 | Liverpool! | 8 |
| 3 | Everton | 6 |
| 4 | Stoke Violence | 6 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 6 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 5 |
| 7 | Hull City | 5 |
| 8 | Bournemouth | 4 |
| 9 | £Chelsea | 3 |
| 10 | Manchester Airport | 3 |
| 11 | Southampton | 3 |
| 12 | Sunderland | 3 |
| 13 | Watford | 3 |
| 14 | Tiny Totts | 2 |
| 15 | Manchester United | 2 |
| 16 | Burnley | 2 |
| 17 | West Bromwich Albion | 1 |
| 18 | Middlesbrough | 1 |
| 19 | Swansea City | 1 |
| 20 | Leicester City | 1 |
What is also interesting here is that one of our injuries is Carl Jenkinson, a player who was injured while (perhaps ill advisedly) playing for State Aid – who not through coincidence – have the most injured players. If we actually calculated the injuries in terms of which team the player was playing for at the time of injury, we’d have four and State Aid would be even further ahead of the field.
Jack is still out, although in the category described by Mr Wenger as “a little short”. I wonder if he ever said that about Santi Cazorla? (Ho ho).
Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud will miss out because of the demands of their countries at the Euros and the insanity of Uefa.
As for Jürgen Klopp he knows that to emulate Wenger he has to win the double in his first full season. He might, given that Liverpool! yet again have the benefit of not competing in the Europe. In the past seven seasons Liverpool! have been in the group stages of the Champions League just twice. It certainly makes life easier for them.
And this could be a good game today because Arsenal have scored at least two goals in eight of their last 10 matches against Liverpool! And less you forget amongst all the negativity Arsenal are undefeated in 19 of their last 20 home matches against Liverpool!! (That’s one ! for the name of the club and one because that stat is quite remarkable).
We also ended last season with three games without conceding (the sheets not needing washing because they were clean, if you take my meaning), and we were undefeated in the last 10 PL matches.
Oh yes and we scored two or more in eight of the last ten against Liverpool. Just for the hell of it of course. Actually these days perhaps I should write “Arsenal scored two or more in only eight of the last ten games against Liverpool.”
And for all those people who leave early, Premier League matches between Arsenal and Liverpool! have produced 16 goals in the 90th minute or later. Liverpool! have scored nine of those, with seven goals for Arsenal.
But of course there are always negatives, and it is true we have lost two of the last three home games on the opening weekend. I know about it, I was there each time.
As for the opposition, they have finished outside the top five in six of the last seven seasons although you wouldn’t know it from the way the media talk them up. With the awfully nice Jurgen Klopp in charge they have averaged 1.6 points per game. In the first eight matches of the season before his appointment it was a hugely inferior 1.5 points per game. You can see why it was so important to change managers.
The BBC’s computer thing predicts 1-0 to the Arsenal. So to the teams. The issue for me is who to play alongside Xhaka. A case can be made for Santi to push us forwards, but also a case for Coquelin to make it harder for Liverpool! to get through to the defence. As we said in the summer Xhaka himself can push forward. Or we could compromise and put Elneny there as he was in such excellent form in the latter part of the season.
Also we have the issue of Walcott or Iwobi. I am not sure which way that call will go So here’s my wild guess…
Alexis
Ox Ramsey Walcott
Xhaka Santi Cazorla
Gibbs Monreal Holding Bellerin
Cech
Beached: Akpom, Ospina, Debuchy, Coquelin, Elneny, Iwobi, Campbell. (And while we are in Guardian knocking move I think they have Gnabry listed as a possible beach boy, but he is actually currently playing for Germany in the Olympics). (Mind you they also list Sanogo as a possible sub).
Resting: Ozil, Koscielny, Giroud.
All being well Walter’s up next with the match report about three minutes after the final whistle.
- The cult of the manager: thoughts as the season begins.
- Premier League 2 – Arsenal v Reading – The Match Report
- Arsenal v Liverpool Sunday 14 August – The Match Officials. Prepare for bias.
- The predictions for this coming season: and rather cheery ones they are too.
Today’s chosen anniversary
14 August 1996. The first Arsène Wenger signings, Remi Garde (on a free transfer) and Patrick Vieira (£3.5m) joined Arsenal. Wenger was still in Japan ending his contract and both players arrived carrying injuries.
The full list of anniversaries are on the home page.
Untold Arsenal has published five books on Arsenal – all are available as paperback and three are now available on Kindle. The books are
- The Arsenal Yankee by Danny Karbassiyoon with a foreword by Arsene Wenger.
- Arsenal: the long sleep 1953 – 1970; a view from the terrace. By John Sowman with an introduction by Bob Wilson.
- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football. By Tony Attwood, Andy Kelly and Mark Andrews.
- Making the Arsenal: a novel by Tony Attwood.
- The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal by Mark Andrews.
You can find details of all five on our new Arsenal Books page
Thanks for that, Tony, especially the close analysis of the assertions about goal scorers and injuries. A good thing for the rest of us that you have these figures to hand! Journalism relies on people not knowing very much.
I hear we will start the game with only 11 players on the pitch. It is our only first game of the season. I think we should all start singing to Ms Lawrence ” I’m on another planet with you” by The only ones. I am sure she only makes mistakes because she is only a journalist. Seriously, this non evidence based stuff does belong on another planet, so if Ms Lawrence would be so good Mars I hear is only 8 months away, so she might make it there before the season ends. Might be only a few games left by then.
Keep up the good work untold, these sly biased comments need to be addressed. One might hope that a newspaper proclaiming its own quality would assume more than fishbowl mentality from its readers.
Results of getting players back early?
Lloris went out injured yesterday. Hamstring. But yes, you can always blame Mr Wenger for resting his outfield players enough….
Nice one. We move forward. I think its would be demoralizing for chambers if @ this time, monreal gets the nod ahead of him. He shld be played. Give him a chance to show what he is worth.if he fails, he wont blame anyone. If he excels,then AW really needs to ponder about bringing in another defender.
Arsenal will take ONLY three points, in front of ONLY 60,000 fans.
But then, it’s ONLY Liverpool!
Great, simple article.
Indefatigable work to point out the inaccuracies of so much football journalism…
Two minor comments:
1. “[with] Jurgen Klopp in charge they have averaged 1.6 points per game. In the first eight matches of the season before his appointment it was a hugely inferior 1.5 points per game. You can see why it was so important to change managers.”
It’s quite unfair to measure Klopp’s first season, deploying the squad he inherited, with Rodgers’ results.
Let’s see how Klopp does this season when he has a) been able to purchase a couple of players suitable to his
system, b) had more time to drill the team to perform according to his system/strategy.
2.Rob Holding to start?
He might turn out to be an excellent player but to catapult him into the starting formation against Liverpool
after just having joined Arsenal from a lower-division club – that would be the epitome of taking an unnecessary risk, it seems to me. Chambers would be better.
Arsenal line up: Cech, bellerin, holding, chambers, monreal, coq, Xhaka, iwobi, Alexis, Ramsey, chamberlain
I don’t understand your criticism of Amy’s article which I thought was fair, and you didn’t mention that she reported in the same article (which included many Wenger quotes} that we were denied 25 penalties last season or did that one slip past you.
Thanks Tony, I think the problem with the press and their stupidity is that they claim to know what Arsenal is doing, will do and how it will end for us, I like this press future-telling as its shows the shit they are.
Irrespective of today’s result against L’pool, they will drag their negativity to it. To all my brothers of gunners family… happy Sunday and let’s support the team. For me, am ready to see their headlines morrow after today’s match (victory to Arsenal). Thanks.
Rob
holding didnt win player of the season at bolton, the lad himself asserted on the importance of testing himself against top-class strikers, what other incentive do we need to believe in a self-confident individual, actually he’s the only reason why i’m 50-50 on signing mustafi,(i’m half-way for it because i’m still not bought on gabriel). i think john stones was a similar age when he began making the starting eleven for everton albeit just being promoted from the under 21’s (though you might argue that his first game was’nt against liverpool. actually, it was against stoke a season and half after he joined). i hope holding starts today, but it’s still the manager’s call to make
of course! holding won player of the season at bolton, am i sleep-typing?
Lawrence poses herself as an Arsenal supporting journalist largely as a result of the fact that she grew up in Islington. However year after year she gives little or no actual insight, in common with every other journalist writing on football and is quite happy not to stand up against the obvious media agenda. I gave up paying her any attention long ago. I know a number of contributors have a soft spot for the Guardian but Lawrence is no better and on the basis of her disingenuousness actually rather worse than the rest.
Careful bulldog it’s not the first time that AL has been called out for her snarky gibberish it appears as if such expert critics do not like to be criticised. Parasites is what they are.
I agree with clockennrider well said that Gooner!
It’s not Tony it’s Bulldog . Or is it ?
You rightly call out journalists for biased writing using flawed facts but then do exactly the same about klopp and the points per game achieved with Rodgers team. The facts that the irony is completely lost on you is highly amusing. You call Any Lawrence for everything and in the same breath do exactly as she has.
Away from the amusing irony of this blog, I think Arsenal will win comfortably today.
Never forget…The Guardian newspaper stabbed Julian Assange in the back.
I do think the point about mentioning the “only” comment is a valid one. I don’t really think it is acceptable to excuse such a comment which deliberately misleads by saying that elsewhere the comments included some positive bits about Arsenal.
In my personal view (just before I set off south, so I’ll shut up after this) journalists should strive for accuracy in all things and not include any nuanced words like “only” which serve to give a false impression.
Irony, please could you give your source for that information. Quite how you know that the irony of Untold publishing an error is lost on the writer is quite beyond me, but perhaps you have superlative telepathic powers.
I think Amy Lawrence has said she is an Arsenal supporter and I believe her. She wouldn’t have said so if she is not one of us. But are the current injuries to players at Arsenal at crisis level, with only their defense-line having only 2 regular defenders out of action on long and short term on the treatment table, and Jack Wilshere is the only midfielder who is temporarily unavailable for today’s match against Liverpool? I don’t think Arsenal are in a state of injury crisis now. But have unfortunately lost 3 players to injuries who will certainly comeback to action soon and latter in the season.
I believe the Gunners will make Liverpool pay for the debts of bad comments Juggen Klopp owed the Boss when he accused him of using the Gunners to play long balls against his Reds side. The Gunners should this afternoon use that same long balls and even the short ones as the case maybe into the Liverpool box and convert 4 of those long and short ballings into goals to undisputedly beat Liverpool by 4 goals to nil at full-time.
My own starts:
Cech.
Bellerin Holding Chambers Monreal.
Coquelin Xhaka.
Walcott Ramsey Iwobi.
Sanchez
My bench:
OspinaDebuchyBielikGibbsCarzolaElnenyAkpom.
Let’s see what the Boss’ 18 man match day selection will look like. I might have gotten his starts and bench accurately or just missed his starts by 2. But overall, I think my 18 match day selection should tally with that of his own.
Whatever happens today, Liverpool will still be amazing and Arsenal will be a club in crisis because the media will tell us so.
I’ve always considered Amy Lawrence to be an excellent football journalist who owes Arsenal nothing.
It would probably have been prudent of her not to have mentioned her support of the club, then she wouldn’t be sneered at by supporters demanding only pro Arsenal articles. She’s not a blogger, journalism is how she earns her living.
Tony has been more than a bit selective with his criticism of today’s Guardian article and if anyone here could be bothered to actually read it they’ll see that it’s fair and quite complimentary to Wenger.
But that wouldn’t suit the acolytes & suck ups would it!
Well said, Leon! Lawrence’s article is good, and contains some interesting facts about the early Wenger years.
“she’s not a blogger, journalism is how she earns her living.” You heard it right here folks; she’s a journalist, so of course nothing that she says will be bias and have a agenda! Absolutely genius!
Asked if he would sign another striker – as he has been for numerous seasons – to support Olivier Giroud, Wenger said: “We have [Alexis] Sanchez, we have [Theo] Walcott.”
He added: “We were the highest team in expected chances created. We were the highest team in quality of chances created in the final third.
“And we were not at our level in the finishing qualities and I think that’s where we want to improve.”
I think Le Prof is confirming what some of us have been saying all along.
Although we scored only 3 or 6 goals less than Leicester and Man City, we have been weak in our finishing because we created very many high quality chances but we didn’t score.
Our great manager has correctly identified the best judgement for our strikers is not comparing them with the Leicester strikers’ goals scored but by the number of goals scored versus good or great chances created.
Some of us think Giroud is a good player but a club of Arsenal’s stature needs another top top level striker to supplement or substitute with Giroud.
I’m no manager, I’m no coach, I’m just an Arsenal fan and supporter who thinks Theo is a brilliant winger but an average striker. And the few times that I’ve seen Sanchez playing in the middle has proved to me that he is better on the wing than as a central striker …. maybe explains why both Barcelona and Arsene Wenger have nearly always played him as a winger rather than as a striker.
Good luck to Arsenal today.
I really hope we win against the Poo today.
I just don’t want those WOB’s to begin their nasty campaign that makes Arsenal fans look silly. The press and pundits always use the WOB’s banners as evidence of Arsenal being a club in crisis where fans are “fighting” each other or fighting with their club.
Good luck Arsene. Good luck Arsenal.
Gunner for life!
I have just come from reading the article referred to here.
My take is that the writer is trying to say that when Arsene arrived he splashed the cash and bought many players which is exactly what he condemns and refuses to do now.
There is no attempt at explaining how this has happened.
As has been said it is disingenuous not to provide all the facts.
Yes he did buy a number of players but as happens now they were not ‘marquee players’ ‘the cash was not splashed’
He needed players to play his style of football these for the most part were very different to the ones he inherited. Therefore he needed to bring in players that could play as he wanted them to play.
To day he has those players. To day he only needs to buy either a better player than the one he has or extra to provide cover. He no longer needs to buy wholesale.
Back then Arsene bought bargains and as in the case of Anelka when the player wanted out Arsene took the cash lots of it. With it he bought Henry and built the training ground.
As for only 2 players scoring double figures so what.I think her point is not clear or even worse muddled.
According to her it was Arsene that pointed out that 11 of Leicester’s goals came from penalties. Why couldn’t she tell us this herself, after all she is claiming to write with authority of one who ‘knows’ and is therefore correct and to be believed and respected
She surely doesn’t expect the intelligent readers of the Guardian to believe an argument so full of holes it could be understood as an Ad for Swiss cheese
Let the Fun begin now please all you Untolders lighten up enjoy , It’s only a game get a cold beer and chill
Shoot prediction we will walk it 3-1 to us
Fellow Gunners, sorry I forgot to give credit to http://www.goal.com for that post which includes the Wenger quote regarding our strikers.
Sorry … It wasn’t intended to be plagiarism.
I just thought the words from Arsene Wenger were interesting for us on Untold to know (and discuss).
On another (off-topic) note, let’s all wish good luck to Bournemouth. Maureen-o and Man Utd should be given another football lesson by Bournemouth as was the case last season.
I wouldn’t attempt to guess our starting eleven, but will say that even before Gabriel got himself injured we were light in central defence because he wasn’t all that good in the first place.
Worst case scenario: very close match which we lose in the last few minutes due not to a mistake by our makeshift central defensive pair, but a disastrous error by one or even both of our star defensive mids because Coutinho & Lallana will be driving straight at them.
Truth be told I think we’ll at least draw a very close game.
Arsenal, we’re in for it this season.
The “prodigal son” has returned and for sure Manu has them all gushing and drooling at the mouth to dwell in the light of Manu.
The comments in the Bou – Man game are dripping with bias and so wrong. Ugh.
One hour to go.
Well, Arsenal.com has switched into game mode. It appears the commentary is an image, so you can’t cut and paste (easily) from it.
I don’t see subs (yet), but the starting XI is:
Cech
Bellerin Chambers Holding Monreal
Coquelin Elneny Ramsey Iwobi
Alexis Walcott
And the subs bench popped up:
Oooooospina, Gibbs, Cazorla, Wilshere, Xhaka, Akpom and the Ox.
COYG!
Interesting lineup from Wenger.
No Xhaka.
Sanchez as the striker.
I hope this team is good enough to beat Liverpoo.
Why has those 4 thumbed me down? They must be Reds fans, aren’t they? I have tried as I only missed the Boss’ starts and bench by one & two. He has Elneny with Coquelin at the Gunners’ base instead of my own pair of Coquelin and Xhaka at the base. And he has Wilshere and Oxchambo on his bench whereas I didn’t have them on mine. Debuchy and Bielik have been dropped from my own bench to accommodate Oxchambo and surprisingly Wilshere. I think I’ll score myself 80℅ in getting the Boss’ starts and bench correct in today’s match against Liverpool. Right?
My match report only 3 minutes after the final whistle… Tony you are putting the bar rather high.. 😉
To be honest… as I have to dash out after the match to have a meal with my wife and children to celebrate us being married for 32 years I hope I can make it that fast. Otherwise my wife will not be happy…
The being married is with my wife of course… but I think you would have figured that out yourselves… 🙂
Awaiting the Chelsea result on Monday night, if Arsenal beat Liverpool by my own forecast of 4 goals to nil today at the Ems, or even by 3 nil. They will top the table as Man Utd can only beat Bournemouth by 1-3 in the early kick-off match today. And Arsenal topping the table from day one of the new season is what I am looking forward to see. I hope it’ll be so.
I was kind of hoping you might have the match report done already Walter. 🙂
I hope you, wife and children have a good 32nd anniversary dinner.
Liverpool going to attack hard and fast, if we could hold the onslaught for say 40 minutes we can win as Liverpool will tire out. Come on Arsenal let win this.
Maybe both sleep-typing and sleep-thinking 😉 I seriously dont think crucial PL games is the place to “test” new players with zero PL experience. Too much is at stake – we want to win the league, dont we?
Much better to loan this kind of players out to gain experience that way.
It’s one thing for holding to excel in the championship. Quite another to measure up to Zlatan, aguero, hazard, Harry kane-dele alli. Holding has NEVER been close to confronting that kind of top top quality.
I hope i’ll be proven wrong, naturally.
gettttttttttt in theeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrreeee!!!!! Nice work Theeeeeeooooooo!!!!!!!!
Theooo!!!! Goal!!!!!
Unbelievable
We get a penalty at the Emirates….at first game of season..
More surprising a yellow against Henderson…
Is this some daydream ?!?!
Or is the ref going to be banned to Championship after this game?!?!
Feel there are moments, Pool!! don’t know what to do such is pressure and control they are facing.
COYG
Guardian just accused Iwobi of diving.
It figures, satellite here in Canuckleheadland had the Man Chest Hair game, but instead of also having Arsenal, they go to Olymp-sh*t coverage. Another game to read by. 🙂
Excellent goal by coutinho but seriously a free kick for that?
well forget my remark abour the ref….. visible just went back to usual behaviour.
At least the way I can see it on the replay.
Apart from that the freekick is amazing.
Well, just hope we keep the pedal to the metal and get a few more goals in.
Moreno just seems unable to handle Theo, so there is a real soft spot on our right side to take advantage of
Where is the usual activity during a game?
I find it odd that Sky aren’t showing any of the replays, whenever a Arsenal player “fouls” a Liverpool player.. More specifically, the freekick right by the corner flag, the Coquelin yellow card and the freekick which led to their goal. The 3 most dodgy freekicks in the game and they didn’t show a reply for even one of them..
We are playing really well, unfortunately there is no justice in football and we are unlucky to be going in at 1-1. Chambers and Holding look solid. We can go on and win this.
The referee has done well so far. We have been controlling the game but we gave away a very soft foul at the end for Coutinho’s equalizer.
Still 45 minutes to go and a lot of power and fire-power on the bench (Xhaka, Cazorla, Ox, Akpom).
COYG!
got to wake up now. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
COME ON ARSENAL!!!! Time for a sub…
It is the 60th minute. Arsenal dominated the first half but it was 1-1 at halftime.
Arsenal seems to be playing without a striker. We seem to have just midfielders upfront.
The score is looking bad. We are 1-3 down.
Does anyone still think we don’t need a striker to “assist” the efforts of Giroud?
pretty dire
nice one the OX!!!! give some more mate!!!!!
Fuck sake. Awful.
COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now it’s 2-4. Look at what Mane has done for the Poo’s 4th goal. That’s what a good striker does.
Let’s try to salvage a draw now. Game in 65th minute.
C O Y G!
Welcome to Groundhog Day 2016.
Wenger couldn’t prepare his own lunch let alone a team. This is the stark reality of an eternal optimist who simply cannot anticipate set-backs. Its why he’s never won a major european competition and never will.
@Frankantz…wrong website
No excuses now, depressing, the worst teams won today.
@Frankantz : If Wenger can’t prepare a team, how do yo explain then the fact that for 45 minutes, Arsenal despite missing half of its first 11, totally outplayed Liverpool.
Now the interesting questing would be : why so often on matches when Arsenal are in total control, the referee bring the opponent team back into it, like did Oliver today, giving an absolute joke of a freekick (not a soft one, an inexistent one, last time I checked football was a contact sport, and when a player goes to the ground under a contact that wouldn’t even unbalance a kid, well that’s exactly like a dive)
what a game!!!
not the strongest arsenal side against pretty solid liv
i think it will be interesting season for arsenal with all the guns on board
ref was ok too
Difference is free kick from dubious foul.
Fantastic game, we lost, so what, well done Liverpool.
They had a purple patch when everything went right for them and our boys tried their hardest to get back but just fell short.
If anyone moans about this then they are not football supporters.
By the way, am I the only one thinking that Lovren should have had a second yellow at 2/1, when he stopped a counter-attack with a blatant foul on Alexis (foul that Oliver didn’t even give…)
Frankantz and your kind, bugger off to Le Grove where you can celebrate with all the other w*****s.
@Vince – Honestly if all you can do is blame the ref for that defensive catastrophe then you are more blind than Wenger. Good luck totting up the ref bias stats for the rest of the season. I’m sure it will console you through the rest of the season.
@GGG – yes I know. Blind optimism reigns supreme here. I’m interested in what it will take before people start asking the real questions. Even more interested when this specialist in failure eventually leaves the club, as he will finally do after this season.
@Mick – charming. Good day to you too, Sir.
@Frankantz : Because you think that if City or United were without their first 3 DC, they would have a rock-solid defense?
And if you can’t see that a goal (especially at this moment just before halftime) totally change the complexity of the match, and played a big part of what we saw second half, well you are even blinder then me…
Well said Andrew what a nightmare for the ref offside goals fouls galore are Pgmo in league with Thrush Spectre or KGB . Uphill game we never had a chance I think I’m going to get properly pissed . Slightly more worrying everyone around me in Club (Prawn sandwich ) were new faces absolute mass exodus ( bloody lightweights )
Anyway on to the next game come on you Gunners !
Frankantz
‘I’m interested in what it will take before people start asking the real questions.’
If that is what you are interested in then do as I and GGG suggested and bugger off to Le Grove where you will find plenty of like minded w*****s with whom to air your grievances.
@Vince – the defensive crisis is totally of Wenger’s own making. We have Kos putting his feet up because our manager thinks he needs it after his summer exertions while City are happy to play Sagna. Per has been injured for what? Two months already? No, let’s throw in some total PL rookie. Please stop making excuses for this man.
As for the timing of the equaliser, what has that got to do with the price of eggs? Are you saying teams who concede before half time usually let in another 3 in the second half?
Media hard on, the Ol wankers from merseyside just can’t believe it, the sky panel are loving every minute.
Best AFC performance for a long time fight cohesion in abundance , subs were on time and delivered . The future is bright in fact it’s Red
Looking back at the game, I would say I’m quite optermistic, once our boys return.
Even the Guardian?! Well I never.
We have a complete imbicile as a manager
Wenger: “The Champions also lost”. Well that explains it ALL!
Dan – you are totally deluded
Mick @5.58
reading through all the rubbish above,the only sensible opinion of the match. No excuses, we were beaten by a better side.
In my opinion team selection cost us this game, but returning players may make a difference in coming matches.
Thank God nobody is blaming the ref.
Shoot – I can only assume that you work for the club.
As a supposed supporter you are an absolute disgrace
Top Guns – yes I’m deluded, our back consisted of youngsters, Lfc were near full strength, yet in the 1st half we produced some magical football (notice how quiet the sky pundits were), yes we were 4-1 down, but, they hung on our youngsters fought back.
“Yes we were 4-1 down”
You complete and utter idiot.
And who’s fault was it that we were 4-1 down????
We have had ALL summer to improve the defence.
U armchair manager, please forward you list to the club, I’m sure your team picking knowledge is next to none.
We were 1-4 down. The first goal they scored was a gift from Oliver. The two following goals were just not defended well enough. Oliver has a knack of allowing fouls to go unpunished when they are against Arsenal but finds pseudo fouls to break up our rhythm.
Poor result considering we were better than Liverpool but not better than their 12th man. The time wasting was dire as was the initial crowding the PGMO prat following the penalty decision. There was no PGMO ‘new implementation’ of Laws.
Menace – you can’t blame the referree.
He awarded us a penalty
Go back to school
Mental strength
Meanace has set his plan out for the season once again.
What a complete Cnut!
Top guns I work for no one I’m on the dole , remember this is Untold we never let the truth stand in the way of a good story . God Blesss
I think considering everything that happened in the game Wenger will be reasonably happy
Shoot – sorry to hear of your situation.
I hope you are able to find employment soon.
Please tell me why conceding 4 goals in our first home game is a reason for Wenger to be happy though?
Shame I missed of most of there goals ( in toilet or wrong end of the pitch )
Wenger I think use to losing opening games ( last two seasons ) but some better performances from certain players , Chamberlain in particular
I think he was prepared for defeat but at 1-4 he must of panicked .
So 3-4 was best nightmare outcome scenario
The fact that an ostrich sticks its head into the sand while danger is around does not protect it. Buying players does not guarantee success but not buying? almost guarantees stagnation. Tony & Walter can dig up all the stats in the world but the truth is we don’t have the players atm that it takes to mount a serious campaign. For those already blowing the ref bias horn. For Gods sake, give it a rest. We got a penalty! Score that and the complexion of that game would have changed.another interesting thing is our early substitutions were forced by injuries, not a tactical move. Typical Wenger waits for 70 mins before making his subs. *sigh* you know what? Lets just follow the season. Thankfully Wenger has placed his future in the hands of these players. With what am seeing, this season will be his last.
I am now feeling sorry for Wenger, he clearly is not up to it anymore and it is sad to see.