By Tony Attwood
A Prize to the Football Forecast website for noticing that if BATE actually beat Arsenal and Red Star and Cologne draw, then BATE could qualify for the knock outs. Here’s the table to prove it
Group H
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | Red Star | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | Cologne | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | BATE | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 5 |
And that is really the one big piece of news there is.
Our position in the injury table is still fairly pathetic, just one from bottom when everyone knows we should be top…
| Pos | Club | Men down | Last man out | What went wrong |
| 15 | Arsenal | 2 | S Mustafi | Thigh Muscle Strain |
| 16 | Leicester City | 2 | R Huth | Foot |
| 17 | Bournemouth | 2 | B Smith | Hip Injury |
| 18 | Southampton | 2 | S Long | Calf Injury |
| 19 | Swansea City | 1 | K Bartley | MCL Knee Ligament Injury |
| 20 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 1 | S Sidwell | Back Injury |
Those two are Mustafi and Santi Cazorla. You will have heard that Santi has had yet another operation and so has to start his rehab all over again. That will take him out for the rest of this season and so he really can’t be counted.
Mind you there are two other injuries that never get mentioned: Zelalem and Le Jeff, both of whom are now on the recovery trail I am told. They’ve missed their big chance in the Europa and the early rounds of the League Cup but let’s hope they can get back to some form with the under 23s and then try again next season.
According to one of the bloggettas “Wilshere, Walcott and Giroud have all spoken about their frustration at a lack of game time in the Premier League”. I must have missed that one, although I did see a piece about Jack Wilshere ice skating and Mr Wenger not really liking that.
Of course Mr Wenger was having none of the attempts by international managers to get their men playing more games. “They have to make their decisions, I have to make mine,” he said of the men best characterised as car thieves who steal your car, wreck it, and hand it back demanding you get it ready in time to be wrecked in the next game.
He went on, “I cannot consider too much the interest of the national team, even if I support France. I can only play with 11 players and the players have to deal with that and so do I. Overall I try to give them competition, which is what they have had until now. But these are discussions I have had with the players. It’s part of it.”
Personally I think the two team approach has been brilliant – a superb way of bringing the youngsters through and keeping players who are not being picked for the first XI getting regular games.
So what else are the little web sites saying?
“Inconsistent Arsenal Must Target Europa League Glory” (That is just a fantasy tale from
“Arsene Wenger names which Arsenal player’s behaviour he isn’t happy” comes from
“Arsene Wenger reveals setback for forgotten Arsenal man” is from
Here’s the Standard’s prediction for the team
Ospina;
Debuchy, Chambers, Holding;
Nelson, Maitland-Niles,
Elneny, Willock,
Walcott, Giroud, Wilshere
Which is fair enough. Let’s hope at least for a bit of fun and sparkle. The BATE team are, after all, on holiday now.
- What is the benefit of football pundits and journalists insulting their audience? We should be told!
- The real January transfer news and the signing of a new centre back
- The curious case of Clattenburg and the laws
I can just see the headline -Arsenal master Bate!
Official line up
Ospina
Debuchy, Holding, Chambers, Maitland-Niles
Coquelin, Elneny, Wilshere
Walcott, Giroud, Wellbeck
Bench
Macey, Reine-Adelaide, Sheaf, Willock, Akpom, Nelson, Nketiah
Looks like a 4-3-3
Experience in the starting 11, plenty of youthful enthusiasm on the bench.
Improving match fitness without stress.
Great to see Reine Adelaide back after so long out. Hope he manages to get some time on the pitch.
Menace: “Improving match fitness without stress”.
You should write a paper on that and present it at gatherings of elite footballers and their managers.
Who’s the captain?
Eddie, if you get on, we would like at least a hat trick. 🙂
COYG!
Now that Everton is out of the competition, they win a game. Away form home. Oh well, …..
As far as I know, the only commentary of usefulness for this game, is from UEFA. In any event, LiveScore does have a commentary going. They are describing this game as crucial.
No matter what happens, Arsenal finish in first. How is this game crucial?
I suppose it is crucial that Eddie Nketiah get a hat trick, eh?
COYG!
Nice try Elneny! (Catching the outside of the post apparently.)
COYG!
Debuchy scores? Okay. 🙂
Debuchy scores!
COYG!
How to go Theo!
COYG!
Okay, now we’ve got Jack’s name on the score sheet!
COYG!
Nice first half, good to see those names on the score sheet. I would like to see Danny bang a couple in tonight to get him going again.
Statistics:
Okay, we had 1 minute of time added on for stoppages.
Shots attempted _13:1
_wide/high _ _ _ _3:1
_on target _ _ _ _7:0
_blocked _ _ _ _ _3:0
_woodwork _ _ _ _ 1:0
Corners _ _ _ _ _ 5:0
Offsides _ _ _ _ _1:3
Possession _ _ _ 73:27
Passes _ _ _ _ _423:137
_Completed _ _ _364:76
Balls recovered _18:19
_blocks _ _ _ _ _ 0:3
Yellow _ _ _ _ _ _0:1
Fouls _ _ _ _ _ _ 4:3
COYG!
There you have it Tony 1st half – improved match fitness no stress!
Nice cross Theo to get that own goal!
I don’t see any half time substitutions.
COYG!
We are given a penalty? Are there pigs flying through London?
And Giroud converts!
COYG!
On the substitution of Walcott by the scoring machine Nketiah, we learn that Walcott had the captain’s armband and that Wilshere now has it.
COYG!
I believe Elneny started the shooting tonight. He has now scored with an assist to Wilshere!
COYG!
Oops, the was Reiss Nelson subbing for Walcott. We now see Willock replacing Elneny and Nketiah replacing Welbeck. So, we haven’t got that duck off Welbeck yet.
COYG!
Red Star leading 1-0 in the other group game.
UEFA super-dork Daniel Thacker has run out of nonsense to write I guess.
Can someone expand on this duck business? I think it is something from cricket, but around here ducks are something you hunt.
COYG!
match report is on line
Statistics:
Okay, we had 1 minute of time added on for stoppages in the first half. 2 minutes in the second half (with 5 substitutions taking place).
Shots attempted _13:1 _ _21:12
_wide/high _ _ _ _3:1 _ _ 5:7
_on target _ _ _ _7:0 _ _10:2
_blocked _ _ _ _ _3:0 _ _ 6:3
_woodwork _ _ _ _ 1:0 _ _ 1:0
Corners _ _ _ _ _ 5:0 _ _ 7:2
Offsides _ _ _ _ _1:3 _ _ 2:4
Possession _ _ _ 73:27 _ 66:34
Passes _ _ _ _ _423:137 741:341
_Completed _ _ _364:76 _621:221
Balls recovered _18:19 _ 41:44
_blocks _ _ _ _ _ 0:3 _ _ 3:6
Yellow _ _ _ _ _ _0:1 _ _ 0:1
Fouls _ _ _ _ _ _ 4:3 _ _ 8:9
A duck is when you make no score (in cricket)
WTF is wrong with this blog! I find that I can get on at any time with any name at will. Some security! Is it any wonder that it get hacked!
Amy Lawrence forever?
Hi Leon,
Good to have you back ?
Just a little curios as to what you’re implying in your 10:07 post.
How did cricket come to associate the term “duck” with no score?
Duck egg same as zero. So duck is the short form.
I know that as goose egg, not duck egg. 🙂
Al
Attwood (justifiably) banned me after I questioned his ethics over his continued harassing of Amy Lawrence. It’s his blog after all, so he can say what he likes, even though much of it is lies.
So how come I can just post comments here as & when I wish?
Maybe I only got a yellow card.
You’re right about me being multiples, but not all of those names you said. Definitely NOT Rupert.?
Al
See Jax and Leon
Jax
Wow! You know when I made that post the other day I really was convinced Jax was Leon! 🙂 Thanks for admitting to multiple identities though, will continue trying to work out who Rupert is in the meantime 🙂
p/s can you try and maintain one identity in future though, don’t think the points you make necessarily get more amplified.. 🙂