- Arsenal v Forest: tackles, fouls and yellow cards
- Arsenal v Nottingham Forest: Can we actually get into the ground?
The last six games of last season were not a particularly happy time, and that can be emphasised by the fact that measured by the last six games alone, Nottingham Forest were actually above Arsenal in the table.
Now we know, because the media focussed on it, that Arsenal had a slump last season near the end. But it is worth singling out a few teams to see just how odd things became at the end of the season. Below is the table based on those last six games, showing selected teams.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Nott’m Forest | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 11 |
| 10 | Newcastle United | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 9 |
| 11 | Arsenal | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 9 |
| 15 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 7 |
| 20 | Chelsea | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 5 |
Yes indeed: a number of teams that were talked up through the season actually had a very poor end of the campaign, while Forest who struggled like mad, were eighth over the last six games. Clearly, Arsenal will be working on getting the season end sorted, and the expansion of the squad that we have been seeing through the transfer window activities must be part of that.
The table for the last 10 games of last season – which is in fact just over a quarter of the season, showed that Arsenal’s drop was not just at the very end, but over that last quarter. Again here are a few teams selected for comparison.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Arsenal | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 15 |
| 17 | Nott’m Forest | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 11 |
| 18 | Tottenham | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 23 | -5 | 11 |
| 19 | Everton | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 17 | -5 | 10 |
| 20 | Chelsea | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 6 |
There is a lot of talking up of the fact that Chelsea this season won’t be anything like last season, and that might be true. But it is worth remembering that their dire form did indeed carry on right to the last moment, and over the last quarter of the season they were by far the worst team in the league.
But less we get too fearful, we can return to the last six home games for Arsenal against the last six away games for Forest and the difference between the clubs is still there.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Arsenal home | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 13 |
| 19 | Nott’m Forest away | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 2 |
Arsenal have not played Forest very many times this century, but here are the games that have been played… showing three Arsenal wins and three Forest wins – which is perhaps a bit of a surprise. (Data from 11v11)
| Date | Game | Res | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Sep 2016 | Nottingham Forest v Arsenal | W | 0-4 | League Cup |
| 07 Jan 2018 | Nottingham Forest v Arsenal | L | 4-2 | FA Cup |
| 24 Sep 2019 | Arsenal v Nottingham Forest | W | 5-0 | League Cup |
| 09 Jan 2022 | Nottingham Forest v Arsenal | L | 1-0 | FA Cup |
| 30 Oct 2022 | Arsenal v Nottingham Forest | W | 5-0 | Premier League |
| 20 May 2023 | Nottingham Forest v Arsenal | L | 1-0 | Premier League |
On the other hand Arsenal have beaten Forest 52 times in competitive matches 22 have been drawn and 29 won by Forest. So over 50% of the matches have been won by Arsenal. And quite a bit of that percentage came in the run between March 1992 and January 1999. The clubs played each other 13 times in league and cups and Arsenal won eight, four were drawn and just one victory went to Forest.
Getting a ticket
There has also been a new balloting system for silver members to buy tickets. Everyone who wants a ticket has to apply during the time the window is open – and when one applies during that window doesn’t matter. Members can apply individually or as a group.
That sounds very fair, until one thinks of the dedication of the fans. It was obvious from the start of last season that with Arsenal winning consistently and being at the top of the table there would be a demand for tickets. And the system used then was one of phoning in to buy the ticket. The problem was that the phone lines were jammed and by the time many fans got through all the tickets had gone.
So the new system came along, but the problem now is that people who have attended games and who gave their continuing support through the five seasons when Arsenal failed to make it to the Champions League, finishing, as you will recall, eighth on two occasions, are now not rewarded for that dedication and support.
Instead, those utterly dedicated fans, turning up no matter what the score, are considered equal to those who refused to attend during the lean years. That really doesn’t seem right.
Here’s something that definitely doesn’t seem right. We all know our club do their utmost to cater for specific areas of the fanbase : be that Gay Gooners, disabled fans, or other minority groups. What they don’t seem to care about are those of us who choose not to own a smart phone.
I turned up to the club yesterday to pick up my red membership card for the new season. Because I don’t own a smart phone I can’t download the app for digital entry. Already I was being penalised for this, by having to trek across London ( I live in W4) to pick up the card between 4 and 7 yesterday, as the club now refuse to send out membership cards in the post. When I got there to the pick up point at 4.10 – the South West collection point opposite Turnstile A – there were already about 40 people in front of me………and ONE window open to deal with everyone. One hour later (!) – and finally with three windows now open – I got attended to. At 63, I would say I was at the younger end of the scale of the people queuing, and most were in that queue for that period of time.
Dare I accuse the club of being ageist ? They certainly seem to be uncaring in terms of people who no longer fit their prescribed criteria of fandom. There is another period between 10.00 and 12.30 tomorrow, when the collection point is open again for members to pick up their physical memberships: let’s hope the club puts more resources into that exercise, or they may well be some frayed tempers before a ball has been kicked !!
Don’t like to say I told you so…….but I told you so. Untold need to investigate this farce, before somebody gets hurt !!
Looks like it’s gone pear shaped , It’s an English trait . making changes before the infrastructure is in place and tested .
porter
My take on this, and it’s from somebody who hasn’t got a clue really, just my instinct, is that they:
Outsource all this stuff to an ‘IT’ company.
The company promise they can do x y an z for ££££?
Arsenal say. How’s it going?
They say yeah great, because they are under pressure to deliver on their promises, promises that won them the contract.
They know it’s all under rehearsed, under developed and wont work but they dare not fess up.
They just bury their heads in the sand and hope for the best.
When it all goes belly up Arsenal say, ‘Sorry, but it was issues with our IT company’. In other words, not our fault.
The IT firm will blame someone else.
When I had problems with the 4 game pre season match pass, that was so obviously a problem their end, they said it was a problem my end. Have I tried this, that and the other, half of which I didn’t have a clue what they meant.
I gave up.
But basically it was MY FAULT, nothing to do with them.
I love Arsenal, but I’m sorry this is just not good enough.
£105 Million on a player. £50 on customer care.