By Walter Broeckx
As this game was not live on my sports channel I had to open my computer to see the game. I thought why not write down my thoughts as they happened during the game? A new Untold way of covering all that involves Arsenal.
4 mins: Giroud header too straight and too difficult. Tactics are clear already: park the bus and hope for a counter against our normal tactics of attacking play. No time for fancy footwork or back heels please when we could start a counter.
7 mins: the Emirates erupt in remembrance of Rocky. Great to hear.
10 mins: Gervinho in space, to Giroud who tries to shoot but gets blocked, ball goes to Cazorla who puts it in front of goal and Gervinho puts it in the net. 1-0 to the Arsenal! Was he level or just offside? Replay is not conclusive, let’s keep this for the ref review then.
14 : Reading give the ball away, Cazorla shoots but blocked. A bit later nice cross from Sagna after a nice move but Gervinho heads it wide. Use that forehead my friend! Free kick for Reading then and Fabianksi claims comfortably. Streams jams a bit. Come stream use your bandwith.
18: Giroud on his own on the keeper, Giroud first on the ball, keeper brings him down and ref gives no penalty??? That is a penalty ref. How on earth can you not give this? And a yellow for the keeper. Bimey.
20: corners to Arsenal. Stream jams. Just back to see Gervinho break with no other option but to shoot but wide. Good pressure from the Arsenal midfield on the Reading players. Another possibility but Reading clear for a corner. Some appeals for handball from a Reading player but nothing given.
26: lovely work down the middle between Giroud and Cazorla and at the moment of the shot I lost connection. Still 1-0 when I get it back. Lost the sound though. Break from Reading but Fabianski claims the cross. Half an hour gone and Arsenal lead 1-0.
32: yellow card against Guthrie for bringing down Rosicky. Come on Gunners time to score a second one. Shot from Gervinho but blocked and then a foul on Gervinho. Santi maybe? Going for the cross and comes to nothing. Tempo is dropping a bit for the moment from Arsenal. Foul on Ramsey the from Leitgerwood ref stops play but no card? Surely that was a card ref.
37: Rosicky to Ramsey but his shot is blocked in to a corner. Stream jams. Another attack Gervinho to Giroud back to Gervinho, shot blocked comes to Cazorla who just shoots wide. Still only 1-0. Then a Dino adverts pops up so I can only see us half missing another chance. FFS score that second goal! Possession of last 5 mins pops up 95% to Arsenal.
Another chance this time for Gervinho who shoots over the cross bar. Ref refuses to give a foul against Reading on the edge of the penalty area. 1-0 at half time and that is a poor representation of what could be seen on the field.
Half time scores Southampton-Chelsea 2-1. And Swansea – totts 0-2. As I said before the Carling cup curse is hitting Swansea hard.
Second half: we’re playing in Tony his seat now. Come on show him some goals!
48: ok here we go. OOOOh Santi Cazorla. I don’t know what, when, why or how as my laptop overheated and went down. And before I could start up my backup we were 2-0 up.
Pressure and more pressure from Arsenal and Gervinho just can’t reach a cross. A few good moves from Arsenal but just nog good enough.
58: Reading with a not given offside chance but Koscielny to the rescue and clears in a corner. Ball bounces around after that not correct corner but Fabiansky claims the shot well.
62 cross from Sagna but the header from Gervinho goes wide. Foy then tries to spoil the Arsenal fun by inventing a foul. It is starting to rain om my screen but also some sunshine out there.
65: nice attack down the left but the pull back from Gervinho is intercepted. Reading counter and big Per with a great block. Corner to Reading, Arsenal win it back, Gervinho counters waits for support and then spreads it to Giroud who scores with a low shot. 3-0 to the Arsenal!!!! That is more like it and already a better indication on how this game has been played.
68: Oh well we don’t need to fall asleep don’t we? Cross to the second post fro Reading and Robson-Kanu scores a goal for Reading. Monreal is down injured. He slid against the goal post it seems. 3-1
Podolski, Gibbs and Oxlade are preparing themselves to come on it seems. Gibbs comes on as a first sub in the place of Monreal.
73: corner to Arsenal just headed wide by a Reading defender in to another corner. Gervinho goes off for Oxlade and Podolski comes on for Giroud after 75 minutes.
76: Oxlade-Chamberlain with his first run and brought down in the penalty area, this time the ref gives it. Arteta behind the ball and GOOOAAALLLLLL. 4-1 to the Arsenal. What a great run from The Ox that was. Replay showed it might have been just outside or on the line. Oh well that was for the not given one in the first half.
80: some great ticitaca from Arsenal but Arteta was just offside. What a one touch football that was. Rosicky is surely enjoying himself out there.
82: what was that? Are we feeling sorry for Reading? First a great shot from Ramsey and a great save by Taylor and then Rosicky wasting a golden chance.
The players who came on did very well and Arsenal stay well well on top. Sagna with a little bit of pain but he can play on but not really comfortable.
It is more keeping the ball with some tempo changing for Arsenal. 3 minutes of extra time. Per with a great sprint back after a corner when nothing was one. Responsible!
Chance for Gibbs in extra time but he was offside it seems.
Oh well it doesn’t matter anymore. We win 4-1. The totts also win 1-2 at Swansea but the big shock comes from Southampton that beat Chelsea with 2-1.
Untold Arsenal the fastest way to find the first article about the game.
Just seen the Cazorla goal. Only one thing to say: ooooooohhhhhh Santi Cazorlaaaaaaaa 🙂
pretty good day. we were expected to win but agood result, well played the team. and well done Gervinho – goal plus 2 assists. shame the Spuds won, but there is time to reel them in. serious pressure on Chelsea now, a dead man walking manager will not help their cause. Hope Nacho is ok
Get in there Arsenal! 🙂
Great win & a convincing performance. Happy for Gervinho & the rest of the lads to have played so well. Think the amount of goals we’ve scored against Reading this season are in double figures now!
COYG!
Fourth time this year with this ref and yet again we win despite his best efforts. Clear penalty in the first half and I think you were being generous in giving a yellow card. We’re it an Arsenal keeper it would have been a red, I’m sure.
Off topic, how did Judas escape a red card in the Manure game. Foot looked chin high making contact with a Sunderland player – incredible!
What happened to Atkinson? Wasnt he supposed to ref his fave team? No wonder they lost
Hilarious, two hours after the completion of the game and the guardian still hasn’t posted a review…ah well would probably just slate us anyway.
From the Arsenal.com news conference on Nacho Monreal:
> It’s not bad, two or three days. He hit the post. It’s bruised on the hip I think.
Press comment will mostly be about how crap Reading were today. (unlike Sunderland, of course).
Anybody who’s any good would beat Reading by a much bigger score, (although MU didn’t).
Arsenal performance completely overshadowed by the brilliant way Spurs hung on to scrape a 2-1 win at Swansea, who are impregnable at home (except when Arsenal beat them, but that doesn’t count).
On Arsenal.com
Wenger Said:
on if Arsenal should have had a penalty when Giroud went down…
I thought it was a penalty but the referee said it was not. And I have learned from my long experience that the referee is always right.
What does he mean here?
I wonder, or shall I not?
I think we know exactly what he is saying Yassin and very true John, notice nobody has done a league table for Spurs without Bales goals…as they did with us last year.
Anyone else noticeing how good Ramsey is getting? The role he plays for us demands huge reserves of stamina, technical and tactical ability. He has been used in a few positions, but sometimes plays the pivot role, that takes a while to master, some never do. I have on many occasions bemoaned the loss of Song – there are times when I still do, but Rambo , though a very different player, is these days at least, emerging very nicely, maybe the much quoted gamble on not replacing Song for Diaby was one of Wengers little ruses?
Walter,
Great effort. AN untold ‘live’ blog of sorts. That Rosicky chance that you mention was a big loss, because the football that led up to it is worth watching again and again. As was the piece of play where Arteta was caught offside. Ramsey had a very good game. Rosicky played 90 mins for the first time this season I think. And just before kickoff, I had such a strong feeling that Gervinho would score that were it legal in my country, I would have placed a bet on it. 🙂
Happy with our performance. All we can do is win our games. Despite numbskull refs.
i do wonder when are we going to see Dean again. He is being reserved for a special occassion me thinks
like stopping our momentum if we go on a little run of form…
Mahdain,
Yes very very very strange thing with Atkinson and Southampton-Chelsea game.
it should have been Atkinson to do that game. And then it was suddenly changed to Moss who would have been 4th ref at the Everton game.
Could have been an injury of course. Chelsea will regret his injury….
Nice to see four different names on the scoresheet.
Mahdain, Webb, who officiated the Wigan game today is fairly pro Wigan, My own opinion is that PGMOL is saving Dean for our Wigan game as he is blatantly pro Wigan, West Brom had Dean recently so I don’t think he will get our game with them. A lot of people reckon we will have him for the Man U game. Dean cannot do Everton games so that’s a no. Fulham haven’t had Dean for awhile so that game is a possibility, QPR have never won when Dean is in charge, so if we have him for that game I’d put money on a draw. Finally I cannot see PGMOL giving Dean our game against Norwich as it would mean Norwich picking up points and I believe they want a third southern club to go down, and Norwich seem singled out for that.
Anyone notice Dean hasn’t got a game this week?
Watch Wigan pick up points. QPR Vs Wigan next week, lets all hope Dean gets that game.
Thanks Walter. It was a good day at the Ems. The feeling in the ground – at least the four of us – was that although Reading are not a quality team, the quality of Arsenal’s play was much better than that which we have seen for some time.
Of course it is hard to judge on just a few games, but I think there is a real step forward in the quality of our play of late.
In a sense this is not surprising, for we have players maturing and players who have joined us from another league this year, and it takes a while to settle down. But it was good to see it all coming together
Sorry off topic just heard Martin o Neil sacked. Think he has been at
various stages the darling of the aaa. That Chelsea ref thing sounds a bit odd?
This was a good win today and a valuable 3 points, despite some strange ref decisions. And how well we played.
I was also pleased to note the Arsenal players showed support for the injured Diaby – a nice touch – in contrast to that fool ‘Doublegooner’ who made the following comment on a UA thread on the 29 March: –
“Doublegooner
March 29, 2013 at 12:31 am
Diaby should be fit just in time for his testimonial.”
This is such a sick comment that I cannot understand the mentality – I can’t see how he can be even half a gooner, never mind a double gooner.
I have seen many insensitive things said about Diaby since the announcement of his latest injury. The lad doesn’t get injured on purpose, he is an amazing talent when fully fit and he seems to have the reserves of resources to try to battle back. Most importantly he is a player in our shirt. He deserves the full measure of our support. If he is willing to battle back then all the best to him, we will cheer him on. If he hangs them up I for one won’t fault him.
Adam,
I must correct you on QPR and Dean. QPr has won 1 (one – un – einz – één – uno – une – ran out of languages now) game under Dean. Oh what a surprise … it was last season… against yep Arsenal.
@Walter, at least we know who he hates more.
Yes an what a remarkable “coincidence” that the only win for QPR is in a game against Arsenal.
And yet the PGMOL keeps sending him over and over and over and over…The evidence against his bias is that immense big and still…
Or are the PGMOL reading our reports and is that the reason they decided to take Atkinson away from the Chelsea game today????
BTW Adam I still need to thank you for your contribution to the articles series.. By this: A big big thank you!!!
Good win for gunners. Ref Foy was very poor. He missed lots of fouls from reading players against the gunners. I thought that Ramsey played very well and it was nice to see Rossicky get a game. I think he may be important for us at this point in the season.
I didn’t do much, but you are most welcome. There is definitely something going on with the refs. The North-South divide is evident.
One thing I would like to mention is; Keep an eye on the fourth officials and those refs from the national list taking the smaller premiership games. It’s a giveaway as to who will be promoted, and where they come from.
Most refs don’t officiate teams from their area but Manchester officials seem not to adhere to this rule?
I will be keeping a close eye on the relegation battles and the officials designated to the games. Too many Southern clubs in the premiership for the Northern boys.
Adam think you may well be onto something with the north south divide, could Everton get a few timely boosts?
bjt:
You seem to be a very sensitive chap (I’m assuming you a male).
Diaby’s been with us now for over 7 years, together with Djourou is our longest ‘serving’ player.
In 2010 the club announced he’d signed a ‘long term contract’. I assume that may be about 5 years. That takes him to beginning of 2015. If he’s fit by early next year and is offered another 1 year extension, that would take him to 10 years.
Due to his terrible injury record (extending back to Auxerre) but with continued backing by the manager it wouldn’t be beyond the realms he could still be here 10 years.
Please tell me what is sick about my comment ?
@Doublegooner (or perhaps less than half a gooner)
If you don’t realise how sick and snide your comment was then there is no point in anyone explaining it to you – I assume you are put out as your normal associates at Le Groan probably thought your comment was funny.
bjtgooner,
what’s ‘sick’ about your comment is that you have to ask:
it’s called pouring salt in the wounds, kicking someone when they’re down, pulling the wings off a fly, etc. in other words, whatever your analysis may be, there’s a TIMING in life that shows empathy, decency or just plain restraint. why not save your shite for another day. but to go in studs up when this man goes down is rotten to the core. your style fits the coarsening of the age. perhaps you should audition for a job cutting the budgets for the disabled. i’m sure you’d be most welcome there (and you can still moonlight for Le Grovel)
bjtgooner,
I’m so sorry! the above dagger is meant solely for doublegooner!
acccccch! 🙂 all my apologies!
@bob
No problem, thanks for the support.
Adam, Mandy,
Surely the North-South divide is not only a north-south divide in the geographical sense. That is, regionally it is about who owes who for the job, and whenever they’re summoned or more than willing to repay the favor of the appointment. And, further, that what’s behind the divide is the background influence of the international monied interests behind those northern teams (obviously Manchester) who couldn’t care less about where a referee is from as long as the PGMOL can deliver their goods at the business end. Surely there are nuances and refinements, but would you generally agree with this direction?
Mahdain,
Perhaps, once the errand boy known as The Dean is summoned forth to do The Job (on Arsenal), we can advocate that fans show up at the Emirates with signage that they raise in unison each time he dares to ruin us with the customary call or non-call that he’s been so skilled at delivering.
Adam,
If I were a betting man, I’d suggest that the best Sky TV (and the mega-cottage industry) could offer in this runaway season is the chance for RVP to win the sacred chalice for Don Fergus at the Emirates. Oh what a dagger and spectacle that would be. Oh the agony! Oh the ecstasy! Oh the irony! Come one, come all and see RVP finally get his just dessert; even as the lost-the-plot Frenchman must bear witness to the moment. What theatre! (What better is left for the EPL, from a business perspective, than to screen-capture the TV audience with this melodrama?
bob, I think we will beat Man U at the Ems. Plus I hear Martin Keown is in the starting lineup for RVP’s last ever appearance. I still reckon he was willing to go down the webster route.
If Fergie really wants to piss Arsenal off then try and win it at our place. Maybe that’s where Mike Dean’s been recently, training with Manchester United.
You could make a case for Arsenal being a sleeping giant, if Fergie wants to rattle his sabre in our faces, so be it.
As for the north south divide. I could be more specific and state Yorkshire is a problem, so is the Wirral, Greater Manchester. The concentration of officials from these areas is criminal. Nearly half the clubs in the prem are from the south and we only have 2 refs from the south and one of those is now based in Manchester and the other one is more West country.
What you refer to is a concerted effort to promote certain clubs via biased officiating.
No Comment.
@bob i really feel thats the scenario being set in motion i.e for Fergie to get his holy grail at emirates. What a drama that would make huh? And thats i have no doubts whatsoever that Dean will ref that one unless ofcourse Riley decides to come out of retirement and ref it.
@bob
I don’t think fergie will want to wait that long for the title. He is too much angry about last season and will be desperate to do a league double over man c. A win next weekend and their higher gd might see the job through 2 weeks before playing us.
Arun,
Arun, yes, that does make more sense: the double v City, as in humiliate those who dared take his toys away at the last second last season.
Mahdain,
Yes, that would be Amazing! Micky R, the queen bee, leaves the hive for one last go-round — to ensure the Rednose XX at the Ems! First he ends our undefeated run, then the historic XXth in our face.
Adam,
The above said, I hope we humiliate his side at the Ems and present the defeat to RVP as a well-deserved parting gesture.
“I could be more specific and state Yorkshire is a problem, so is the Wirral, Greater Manchester. The concentration of officials from these areas is criminal.”
Adam,
precisely. so, perhaps its favors given, favors owed, favors called in, and entire families live and eat off a very trustworthy, neighborly, and technically reliable set of yeomen. keep the watch, mate.