The right match, previewed in the right place. Amazing. Palace away

Posted on by Tony Attwood

By Bulldog Drummond.

In a rather revolutionary move Untold Arsenal today publishes the right review of the right match more or less at the right time.  A bit left field I know but well, at Untold, we like to do things differently.

And to begin with an anniversary…

21 February 1998: Arsenal 1 Crystal Palace 0, making it seven consecutive games undefeated.  Arsenal were then nine points behind Man U with two games in hand after the 26th league game of the 2nd Double season.   The second double: part 1, part 2, part 3.

According to those with what Billy the Dog McGraw once described to me as “repetitive negative personality disorder” Arsenal are already out of the FA Cup.  Our form is so bad that Monaco will also beat us 6-0 and well, midtable is the best we can hope for.

I am not quite sure that is right although the press is now back to bashing us.  “They have done little out of the ordinary,” is the verdict in the Independent today.  Like managing to battle on with much of the entire defence and the back ups injured.

But if we are worn out, we can give players a rest as the destruction of our men by unchecked rampaging vandals seems to have died down a bit now.  Just look at who we can play in the front line.   Alexis, Theo, Giroud, Danny, Santi C, Ozil….

And speaking of Santi, guess what, Mr Wenger announced that he has not said he wants to leave, A Madrid have not submitted a bid, and the boss has no desire to sell him.  Oh, well.  How extraordinary.  The media got it wrong.  Again.

Back to reality there is a balance in this team and the defence looks good with Gabriel after just one match looking a beneficial addition.  In midfield we now have Jack back, but I think he will be on special duties today nobbling the opposition bench.

But all this is not enough for the press.   Now it seems we have too many forward line options and the chopping and changing is not doing us any good.  Winning teams are settled teams etc.  What a load of balderdash.

Behind the scenes our Thierry is doing some coaching, which can only add to the sense of well-being at the club.  Also it must have a bit of an impact if you are a 14 year old forward working hard at Arsenal and suddenly you find Thierry telling you what to do.

So back from the future the point is that we have Monaco this week, and so we need not just a team for today but also for Wednesday.

And what have we got in terms of our form?  Four wins in the last five.  13 goals in the last five, five let in.  For Palace it is two wins in the last five, two defeats and a draw.  Scored six let in six.

In fact we have lost three in the last 18 matches.  In the all-London games (you can hardly call Palace a derby – last time I did the journey from Islington to Norwood it took about a week) we have won three out of six.  

But the Palace record might not be as bad as it sounds – they have just one defeat in the last seven league games.

So what have we got…

 

Ooooooooooospina

Bellerin     “The BFG ”   “He wants his own song”    Monreal

“No one saw that coming, oh yes we did”

Cazorla    Ozil

Superman    Giroud   Welbeck

or in English

Ooooooooooospina

Bellerin     Mert   Kos    Monreal

Coquelin

Cazorla    Ozil

Alexis    Giroud   Welbeck

Hector Bellerin, will undergo a fitness test before the game.  Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is available but given the range of resources I expect him to be held back for Monaco.

Which puts on the beach some or any of these

Szczesny, Akpom, Chambers, Gibbs, Gabriel, Flamini, Rosicky, Zelalem, Walcott, Wilshere

Crystal Palace could have Mile Jedinak and James McArthur back.   Yaya Sanogo is both injured and not available to play against us.

Palace meanwhile are still living on the “Pardew Factor” uplift thing, except that they haven’t won any of their last three games in the depths 0f Southern London.

But Palace is also always an implosion waiting to happen. Remember the end of last season when they had Butcher Pulis in charge – all talk of challenging for a Euro spot etc, and then he left, then they hit the bottom now they are invincible except they are not.  You just never know when the next Big Bang is going to happen.

[The Big Bang happened 13 billion years ago and today’s weather forcast for South London did not include a mention of another coming along this afternoon – unless I missed it.  Tony.]

Anyway we haven’t lost in Norwood since 1979 – which is 11 trips down south.  Overall since 1979 the results between Palace and us chez them is played 17, we’ve won nine, they’ve won one.

But it is in the goal scoring department that things are settled.  We have as much fire power as you can imagine, and Palace have scored 10 in their last 13 Premier League games, winning three of the last 14 Prem games at their place.

I’ll go for the classic Arsenal score.  1-2 to us.

Untold-Arsenal

Other anniversaries of the day…

  • 21 February 1995: George Graham was relieved of his duties having been found guilty of accepting an illegal payment in relation to transfer activities.
  • 21 February 1995: Stewart Houston became caretaker manager for the first time.  He remains the only man in Arsenal’s history to manage the club on two separate occasions

 

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76 Replies to “The right match, previewed in the right place. Amazing. Palace away”

  1. Would it be tempting fate to start feeling our sick list is steadily shortening, with Wilshire and Ramsey in particular nearing full fitness and the Ox not far behind.

  2. Alan Pardew is definitely classier than Tony Pulis but Palace is battling for relegation so I’m expecting a physical contest as usual. If the play was like first half Boro, then there’s a good chance. It’s a super attacking lineup though above. Hope the team intrigates well with perfect balance. I think this is the best eleven AW will put in many years.

  3. Think they will use physical tactics and unpunished niggly rotational fouling,,and time wasting should they be in a suitable position to do so. They might play for a draw?. I would expect them,to be very tight for the first half hour, wonder if we will really go for it early, or weather a storm with a couple physical forwards and bring on the likes of theo as they tire?

  4. Am hoping a very controlled performance from us and a clean sheet and 2 goals to the good. Up the Gunners !

  5. This feels like the most important league game (probably any game) of the season to date.

    None of Utd, Spurs or Liverpool seem likely to go through an awful spell between now and the end, and Saints can’t be discounted from being able to maintain their form, meaning a fairly small margin for error from hereon in.

    There seem to have been three or four occasions in recent months where we’ve had a chance to establish a platform which would allow us to feel justified confidence we can, with a few wins, get and stay just above a messy desperate struggle for CL spots. We’ve been unable to do it those times, but have quickly recovered and managed to set up the next chance.

    Today feels huge because time is now starting to run out. Obviously we can still get in the top four if we lose and even, with a long spell of immaculate form, do so with a little to spare, but I’m more desperate than usual for a win in this one.

    The logic goes that the chance of a coin landing on heads is still 50-50 even if the previous five or however many have done so, but nonetheless, if for no other reason than or referee friends, it seems imperative to avoid champ league qualification going to the wire this time. It hasn’t been as the result of a coin toss or similar chance events that has seen us make it in previous years, but it has certainly felt similarly precarious.

    Phhh- we need to win today. Welbeck all the way for me (would be Ox if he were match fit). Palace might not line up all that differently to Middlesbrough, but they’ll be much more physical, are more potent on the counter, and can probably rely on the ref to let a lot go. Big chance to see if Ozil can prosper in the middle in a tough away game with two or three deep-lying midfielders around him. Big hope is that threat of Sanchez will provide necessary danger to split their attentions. With Santi having some freedom if both are being tightly marked. Definitely not one for Walcott to start.

  6. Eagle Morouane Chamakh must be policed by the Gunners. The Gunners mustn’t underestimate the heights the Eagles might be flying to. I suspect they will fly to a high altitude>(park the bus) and suddenly descend low to strike on the Gunners>(counter attack). So, the Gunners must be very alertful as they hunt the Eagles to down them>(score them). To be warned is to be forearmed. The Gunners must start their hunting the Eagles with their 4 Long Range Tracking System Missile Batteries>(Giroud,Sanchez,WalcottandOzil) at Selhurst Park where they will be hunting the Eagles who will first fly to a high altitude on sighting the Gunners and sensing their aims to shoot them. The Gunners should use their Tracking System Long Range Missile Batteries to track the Eagles>(pull off the parked bus) and downs 3 Eagles including Eagle Chamakh>(score them 3 goals). At the end of this hunting, I saw the Gunners came back and handed over 3 hunted Eagles they have downed at Selhurst Park to the Emirates stadium chef to prepare a good dinner for them. CPFC 0-3 AFC. FT 90” +.

  7. Eagle Morouane Chamakh must be policed by the Gunners. The Gunners mustn’t underestimate the heights the Eagles might fly to. I suspect they will fly to a high altitude>(park the bus) and suddenly descend low to strike on the Gunners>(counter attack). So, the Gunners must be very alertful as they hunt the Eagles to down them>(score them). To be warned is to be forearmed. The Gunners must start their hunting the Eagles with their 4 Long Range Tracking System Missile Batteries>(Giroud,Sanchez,WalcottandOzil) at Selhurst Park where they will be hunting the Eagles who will first fly to high altitude on sighting the Gunners and sensing their aims. The Gunners should use their Tracking System Long Range Missile Batteries to track the Eagles>(pull off the parked bus) and downs 3 Eagles including Eagle Chamakh>(score them 3 goals). At the end of this hunting, I saw the Gunners came bark and handing over 3 hunted Eagles they have downed at Selhurst Park to the Emirates stadium chef to prepare a good dinner for them. CPFC 0-3 AFC. FT 90” +.

  10. The team

    Ospina, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Welbeck, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud

    Welbeck Giroud up front

    Ozil and Coz playing in midfield in front of Coquelin.

  13. Will,

    Try to maintain that positivity for the whole match. Maybe spend your time enjoying the game and not posting panicky comments for every misplaced pass.

    The best of luck to our beloved gunners!

  19. I noticed the slipping as well. Is it just me or is it just the Arsenal players slipping? Leads me to think there has been some pitch doctoring.

  20. Not sure who else is watching from the U.S., but Ray Houghton is commentating on the game, and I’m surprisingly pretty impressed so far. He’s been calling out the ref errors for both sides throughout the first half so far. It’s actually pretty refreshing.

  21. Let’s be honest here, we are not in this at the moment. Not sure what’s happening but we are not keeping the ball well and we are again, slow in movement and passing.

  23. Coq is not himself, he is treading on dangerous ground, and there he just got yellow that he should have got earlier.

    Come on lads, sharpen up, else you will get a surprise from CP.

  24. @Will,

    yeah, but honestly, I haven’t disagreed with a lot of the points he’s made against Arsenal. His partner however, I feel has been completely Crystal Palace. It’s nice to actually get almost equal balance. Most of the times, I want to shut off the commentators.

  25. Be-careful Para or you’ll have the anti-AAA boys after you.

    Agreed Jerry, the other guy has mentioned the derby 3 or 4 times.

  30. Got out of jail there. We have been second best all half but that is the proof of the very best teams. Play badly and get the win (hopefully)

  31. @Will
    Truth has no fear of recriminations. He did make a silly challenge and seems agitated to me.

    Aha, 2nd goal, giroud. Stay focused lads.

  32. 2 more to 50..

    Giroud get 2 more. Yyyeeeeaaahhhhh…..

    50th ARSENAL goal of the season was it??…

    From, ARSENALs twitter feed.

  34. Will,

    How can I stop commenting on your comments when you will not stop spreading negativity while the team that I (and you claim to) love fight to win games?

    Is it too much for you to just shut the fuck up for 90 minutes? The team leads 2-0 but from your comments, one would think that we are trailing. Just calm down and post your negative opinion after the game.

  35. Is it too much for you to just shut the fuck up for 90 minutes? The team leads 2-0 but from your comments, one would think that we are trailing. Just calm down and post your negative opinion after the game.

    Bet you are the kind of person who hands out medals for taking part and tells everyone they are all winners.

    Stop commenting on my posts, you are starting to make me believe you fancy me.

  39. I don’t know what was more beautiful thing to see: Santi Cazorla sending another brilliant pass before our second goal or Mesut Özil shepherding the ball out.

    Boys are up to this one. Battling spirit on the highest level.

  41. Just because we are 2 up does not mean game over. One silly mistake, one sending off, and we’re under pressure, we saw it before.

    Keep focused and keep them away from our goal, plz.

  42. Para, something needs to change. At the moment it is wave after wave of Palace attacks with the odd Arsenal break.

    Again, we have been sluggish in a lot of our play and we are a LOT better than that. I honestly believe, we we play fast, one/two touch football, there are very few teams in WORLD football who can live with us.

  43. Buahahahaha, Jonjo Shelvey scored for Swansea. We are one point ahead of Manure at the moment. 😀

  44. On the motorway going somewhere, and don’t know what station it was but had to switch the radio off, I couldn’t stand the Arsenal bashing any more. I come here for updates and people are whining ceaselessly. And to think we’re winning 2 nil!?

  46. No one is whining.

    People, for the love of God, you are allowed to call a spade a spade. We are not playing very well, it is a fact, no hiding from it. Fuck sake. Let’s blame the PGMOL for this as well, they have got to our players brains, yes, that’s it.

  47. @Will, I don’t run away from criticizing players when they deserve it. The thing is, we have a solid lead, we are close to get three points at the stadium where Spuds lost a few weeks ago and at this moment we are third in the league. Not to mention that our away record – that has been pretty dreadful for our standards – will get better after this one.

    Let’s not forget we have two very difficult matches next week so some energy has to be spared for those matches as well.

  48. Let’s blame the PGMO? If that sarcasm isn’t negative and intended as a snide remark, then I don’t know what is…

    It didn’t help your argument.

  49. Blah blah blah blah……but guess what.

    Crystal palaces first shot on target came in some 80th minute!!!….

    Make a shit pitch to nullify our game. Sucker punch….

  50. Next two games in the league mean nothing today, just this game and we have to win it.

    We have been slow and sluggish, no hiding it and that is not whining or whatever you want to call it, it is a cold hard fact and sadly, there have been a few of these performances lately.

    The defence has been solid is not brilliant, to many sloppy passes out and a few too many players trying to dribble out of players on our 18 yard box. Sometimes, you need to hood the ball 60 yards in the air and 60 yards down the pitch and clear your lines.

    If we win this, it will be a great win as it means we can win when playing poorly but, we have played poorly.

  51. Dave C
    February 21, 2015 at 4:45 pm
    Let’s blame the PGMO? If that sarcasm isn’t negative and intended as a snide remark, then I don’t know what is…

    It didn’t help your argument.

    It’s hard to debate./argue with people with absolutely no grasp on reality.

    Saying I am negative is A) A lie and B) Stupid unless the players read this blog while playing and that goes a long way to explaining why we are so slugging today as they are all too busy on their smartphones.

  54. @will therz a reason for our poor show.

    If the pitch was even 1% better than what it is now. We would’ve been untouchable.

    Something should be done about this. Millions out of the TV money. Will anyone spend. a few on the playing surface???..

  60. Why so argumentative?

    Because people on here have got me that way, I am one of the biggest Arsenal and Wenger supporters on the planet but I am also old and mature enough to say, we played poorly without always having to look for an excuse.

    Today was one of those days and again, we had to hang on at the end of the game for the points.

    This is a team with Ozil, Sanchez, Theo, Giroud et al hanging on far too many weeks. We should be bossing teams but I don’t know if fatigue has set in but this year, we have been far to slugging in far too many games for my liking. I will back anyone playing in the famous red and white until I die but I will also call a spade a spade.

  61. yeah, that was close but glad we got the 3 points. Chelsea and United did not which makes today’s result a lot better. Good to be back in the Top 4, now let’s continue to get points. Winning ugly is a character of a championship teams is what everyone says (usually unless it’s Arsenal). Now just have to move on to the next game against Monaco.

  62. Will,

    What a self righteous cry baby you are! Who ever put you in charge of handling out medals? You are the kind who scream st your kids at games like a maniac forcibly trying to re-live an abject live through them.

    You love dishing it out but can’t take it. You abuse and call our players stupid names like the “wimpiest in the league” but you are the one always bitching and whining while these “wimpy” lot battle hard to win games. You are a man child who will struggle to live with a woman because frankly, you are a bigger nag than most women I know.

    Talking about anyone fancying you…..sorry but you need to stop making jokes. Your sense of humour, like everything about, sucks!

    FYI, every time you bitch about our players, I will always call you out, you pathetic no-talent bore.

  63. Will,

    What a loser!

    I am sure that you are the type who scream at their children at games while trying to re-live your accomplishment-free life through them. Stop bitching about our players, especially during games, and you will no longer hear from me.

  64. If your able to call a spade a spade, then admit you have some serious anger issues or in the least, negative.

    Let’s see… Chelsea drew to the 19th placed club. Man u lost, but you complain.

    Man up and call a spade a spade.

  65. para,

    How is your whining on Untold going to have any effect on the players at Selhurst park? HOW?

    You and will need to watch the game and lay off your keyboards. I don’t even know how you can enjoy the game when all you are doing is looking for things to bitch about. Watch the game and complain later. It is not too hard.

    Oh, BTW and despite all your pant crapping, Palace’s 1st shot on goal came in the 83rd minute! Their only goal was scrappy and lucky in the 94th minute. Show your team some respect and stop maligning them while they are fighting hard to win games.

  66. Will

    I’ve not been on here all day.

    I come to see what everyone’s been saying, and have to say, and as usual you do nothing but moan moan moan moan.

    That’s why you get on peoples tit’s, including mine.

    I know you are a passionate Arsenal fan but for your own sanity and everyone else’s

    LIGHTEN UP !!!!

    We won FFS

  67. Oh come on we all know he just wants to argue, why give it to him? Bootoomee, just dont reas his comments (they are the same boring old ones).

    The pitch was shit, our players couldnt play there games, so the genuis tactician Wenger made his team get back and defend (thus helping Monreal who struggled with Zaha). This made them hit the target at 83rd min.

    The only downside was the last minute we got tired (see how the last attack, which hit the post did happen? Only cazorla went to help chambers) but up until then we were better.
    If we kept on opening our defences at 2-0 and then they scored everyone would get mental like the Anderlecht game. What do you want? This was a great defensive display (specially when Ozil defended the ball which went to Goal kick to us, sweat)

  68. Dave C,

    Will is a pathetic loser trying to re-live his abject life through our players. You have to wonder why he watches Arsenal play: is for the love of the team and the game or to just to whine about the players?

  69. Yep, a severe test of the nerves at the end and scary to think how crap I’d be feeling if that went in, but it didn’t, and I’m pretty damn happy.

    Prem is a different ball game these days. It’s relatively rare to be able to have real control and comfort away against tricky opponents. You probably need a 3-goal cushion to have that. 2 and, as we just saw, it can become 1 and then become incredibly hairy.

    Result really was what mattered today, but, as it happens, performance was ok and substitutions seemed sound to me.

    Yes!!!!

  70. WOO HOO , HOO ! 3 hard earned points . Close but that ”ll do for me ! Up the Gunners !

  71. Bootoome,

    I was just having a little fun. When he dropped the calling a spade a spade line, I had to point out his hypocrisy. He’ll call a spade a spade as long as it’s not him. Has he responded yet?

  72. Yassin- superb (bringing Anderlecht up was a masterstroke of salience). It’s punishingly obvious by now that those who go berserk when substitutions are made and things go awry on the pitch are either none-too-bright and/or have no interest in fair-minded analysis.

    Defensive substitutions are wrong when they’re made and we don’t get the desired result; not making them is wrong when we don’t get the desired result : it’s a fundamental misreading of reality and the absence of certainty within it (especially in a bleeding football match.

    Can’t have your cake and eat it? you can as a modern football fan with a connection to the internet.

    Talking of control- city can spank newcastle here and enjoy real control, and so can we at home against many opponents with an early lead.

  73. I am of the old school, All I want is 3 points when the final whistle blows. You don’t get any extra for played pretty and stylish football. I want to see us play with style, But that ain’t always possible. Give me 38 ugly Premiership wins and I will be as happy as a pig in mud. The fucking media always lauded teams like Man. Utd and Chelsea for playing ugly and getting the victory. A vic is a vic, No asterisk.

  74. BILL FROM MANHATTEN

    It’s ‘as happy as a pig in SHIT’ not ‘mud’

    Never thought I’d be guiding you as to the proper use of profanities !!

    Nice to hear from you again my friend 🙂

  76. A third grade teacher is out supervising her class out playing in the school yard one afternoon. Adjacent to the school yard is a construction site with two men in a ditch shoveling it out.

    Later that afternoon the construction superintendant hears on knock on his trailer door and in walks a lady identifiying herself as the 3rd grade teacher next door.

    She says, “I want to complain about the two worker in the ditch. They are using very foul language in the presence of those young impressionable children.”

    The super apologizes for the men and says, “Ma’m, you have to understand that these men are not well educated and can be a bit crude and often call a “spade” a “spade.”

    The teacher replied, “No they don’t, they call it a f*****g shovel.”

    —

    Q: What sports fad was invented by a pig?

    A: Mud wrestling.

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