By Bulldog Drummond
Flipping through the tittle tattle this morning, one of my favourite lines comes from “101 Great Goals” which tells us
With less than a month to go until the January transfer window opens, it’s no real surprise to see rumours in the tabloids.
Given that the tabloids, the bloggettas that they now all seem to own, and the broadsheets, have been running rumours since the window creaked closed (I prefer that to slammed shut) way, way, way back in sunnier times, it would be a bloody big surprise if there were no rumours. In fact it would put a couple of dozen over excitable heavy drinkers out of a job.
Anyway, what’s got them so excited is that…
“On Sunday the Express recycle Everton’s links to Giroud, adding that Southampton are now trying to sign the Les Bleus striker as well. Readers are told:
“Despite hands off warnings from Arsene Wenger Saints are understood to be prepared to break the club record £18million fee they paid Juventus for Mario Lemina to take the striker to St Mary’s in January.”
“Les Bleus” incidentally is bloggetta speak for “Look I know some foreign words”. But anyway now we know that the recycling machine is fully operational, and Olivier is going to go in January, either to the grim north or the panicking south (panicking as in, “how are we going to build a complete set of 400 customs sheds and 50 car parks the size of Grimsby and then find 10,000 UK nationals to man them when we leave the EU?”)
But that is for the future, and future planning isn’t really on the agenda today. Instead, assuming the south coast doesn’t have the sort of deep snow that is now lying where I live, this is going to kick off at high noon. (In the Midlands the white stuff is deep and settled and it is still snowing. The roads out of the village are completely impassable. Corporal Jones is outside shouting “Don’t Panic!”).
Away from the weather one interesting (well for me at least) statistic that emerged from looking at this game today turned up with the yellow cards. Southampton have the least yellow cards of any team in the League… 13, three fewer than any other club. Their nearest rivals in lowness is … Stoke City with 16! There is something odd going on.
Arsenal are 11th in the yellow league with 22 and top of the tree are of course West Ham with 38. So we go from playing seemingly the fairest team today to the dirtiest team in the near future.
To complete the disciplinary picture, neither Arsenal nor Southampton have had a red this season (Chelsea are top of that league with 3).
Another little interesting snip from the PL team stats is that Southampton have thus far touched the ball more than Man U this season: 10,537 to Southampton, to 10,363 to Man U. We’re on 11,996.
Southampton are mid-league for shots with 201 against Arsenal’s 270 (we are second in the shooting league, six behind Tottenham). The St Mary’s top scorer is Charlie Austin with four (we have Lacazette with eight), and Southampton don’t have a player in the top 20 assist league table put out by the League, while we have three: Ramsey with six, Ozil with five a Kolasinac with four.
All of which seems to point our way – with only our modest away form pulling us down a bit.
My guess is that if there is going to be a movement to take a few players from the Arsenal II team and play them in a League game it won’t come today (what with Arsenal II having played on Thursday) but will come this week with the game at that Tax Payers Stadium. So the team will be pretty easy to pick.
Cech
Koscielny Mertesacker Monreal
Ramsey Xhaka
Bellerin Kolasinac
Ozil Lacazette Alexis
On the beach (which as I recall from previous visits to that part of the south coast is just plain mud) we could see any of these without thinking “he’s put the youngsters there just so they can feel part of the first team”…
Ospina, Chambers, Debuchy, Holding, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Elneny, Wilshere, Walcott, Iwobi, Giroud, Welbeck
That is 12 players and yes I have got the hang of the fact that we can only have seven, but I list them all to make the point, not for the first time, that we have one hell of a backup squad this season. And let us not forget that last summer the story was that Arsenal were in a squad crisis. Indeed even the injury to Mustafi this week created more crisis talk.
Of course having this list of players does not remove the fact that we are a long way off the top of the league, but it suggests to me that the depth of the squad is better than it has been for a long time.
Anyway, reducing that long list of subs to the permitted level I would go for
Ospina, Holding, Elneny, Wilshere, Giroud, Welbeck, Iwobi
Now the only other way I can see this playing out is with a sudden return to a back four
Cech
Bellerin Koscielny Monreal Kolasinac
Ramsey Xhaka Wilshere
Ozil Lacazette Alexis
Or maybe not. We shall see, if the white stuff doesn’t stop us. Apparently it has got as far south as Swindon.
Southampton v Arsenal
The white stuff has certainly got further south than Swindon. South London has a wet layer, currently sleeting.
Stopped reading at the Brexit slur.
Well it looks like the lads will be playing to a half full stadium, that is, if the game is played at all.
Whatever be the high level of snow falls and unbearable freezing weather condition that might be prevailing in the South Coast today and posing a threat to this game, If my Arsenal believe which is ingrained in me is anything to go by, I am of the strong believe the Gunners will this afternoon at St Mary’s beat the Saints by 0-3 away win in the Premier League encounter match between Southampton and Arsenal if weather condition allowed the match to be played.
The Gunners are owing us the Gooners a big debt after their loss to Man Utd last weekend which they have to pay us today with a good win over the Saints.
Back three with two wing backs selected for the game. Mert comes in as suggested in the article, otherwise no change from the last league game.
Well thats a start.
1-0 C Austin 2.00mins
Talk about shooting ourselves in the head. Learn from our defence.
I cant see what we are doing, except letting Sou play.
We are an absolute shambles ..
We need to increase the pace of this game. We are playing in the hand of Southampton
I honestly dont think we do any sort of defensive work in training.We could be 3 goals down already against southampton.My mum is quicker than Mertesacker..
This xahka is a liability
Cue Walter Menace broexx to blame it all on the referees again..
Time for a cull on here
But theres not a manager in world football we could employ that is as good as Wenger LOL..
You Marky probably believe that everything is fine and dandy at the club and want Wenger to sign another 2 years extension with a payrise..Open your eyes you bafoon.
Arsenal training and strategies are somewhat suspect, we’ve seen this over the years, there is something lacking that stops a great team from being a magnificent team.
What’s the score?
We are playing like cold oil in an engine.
There needs,to be a serious arse kicking now. Why is that every ball is through the middle? Can’t we,play around the back? It’s so easy for them
Bafoon, I rest my case.
lewis – only shambles is you and Weymouth.
There are far too many fouls some not recognised & most without proper penalty. The foul on Lacazette was a penalty in any match possibly with a red card. The tackle was late & dangerous.
Menace whats your opinion on the way we are playing and how weve defended again at the start of the game??Probably not got one unless its to blame refereeing decisions for our performance.
R V going to wait for the 70th min for a change?
I just can’t believe how often Sanchez has been giving away the ball this season.
lewis – You’re an idiot. You’d be better off posting on LeGrove instead, where you will be surrounded by fellow like-minded idiots.
SOU game plan almost perfect, closing down in 2s and 3s, blocking Arsenal from doing anything.
Can anyone help this team please?
Danny coming on soon, lets hope he can ignite Arsenal to work as hard as he does.
Got to say that Southampton are playing well.
we’ll be very very lucky to get a draw here.
Well i did predict we would lose, should have put £20 on a bet.
Yes, Giroud
1-1 giroud
How to go Giroud! Nice assist Alexis!
COYG!
Or maybe not Para
Our players and manager are both mentally weak.
You’re only talking about yourself Lewis.
horrible piece of refereeing. We broke from the corner, the defender pulls down the Arsenal attacker…no yellow. prevents quick kick
let kid (lewis) cry…
that is his thing (or “i’m too smart” as he call it)
Final statistics only
% Cumulative Arsenal Possession
_5 56
10 71
15 74
20 72
25 73
30 70
35 67
40 69
45 65
45+2 64
50 64
55 67
60 67
65 67
70 66
75 66
80 67
85 67
90 67
90+5 67
Shots on target _3:6
_off target _ _ _2:3
Corners _ _ _ _ _4:5
Offsides _ _ _ _ 4:1
goal kicks _ _ _ 4:4
Fouls _ _ _ _ _ 12:10
yellow _ _ _ _ _ 2:2
Southampton played well. We gave up the ball very easily on the attack and seemed to be a bit off but fair play to them, 1-1 was about right. I liked that the boys never gave up and kept at it right to the end. Onwards.
Well, we were lucky there, did not deserve that at all, but glad anyway.
The frailties of Arsenal are coming(have they ever been away?) to the fore again.
Any team that presses us will get something from the match.
There was no doubt about the slope on the pitch. It was visible with the yellow cards. A pull back by Bellerin gets a card whilst a pull back by a Saint gets a blessing….well I suppose we are heading for Christmas. There is no doubt about the PGMOL agenda against Wenger.
lewis does not have a set of balls to play with (high pitched troll) so he gets on here.
Some of the most blatantly anti-Arsenal commentating that I have ever heard (BienSports).
Near the start when Xhaka fouled someone with a slightly raised boot, the commentator said that if that was an Arsenal player, they would have been rolling around the floor in a “comical” fashion and all of the Arsenal players would be complaining and surrounding the referee. He added “it’s as if they are shocked that the opposition would dare tackle them”.
Later on, the camera switches to Wenger talking to the fourth official. A couple minutes later a Southampton player is booked for time-wasting, which the commentator completely blames Wenger for. Saying that if he wasn’t “moaning” to the fourth official, then the player would have never been booked. He then elaborates “He should be moaning to his players, not moaning to the officials. Specially when he is moaning about time-wasting, when his players can’t even make a decent pass in the last third”.
Lastly, Monreal is hit with a flailing arm and slightly overacts by scrunching his face up. The commentator says “This is what really annoys me; this part of Arsenals game”.
Would love to know who this absolute dickhead was.
‘A thoroughly entertaining game comes to an end at St Mary’s, and Arsenal have Olivier Giroud to thank for his later equaliser. For so long it appeared Charlie Austin’s third-minute strike would be enough, but alas, the Gunners come away with a point’
From Sky Sports commentary. Unbiased my arse. Wankers
The match report is online by the way
I wonder when Lewis will pull the “foreigners” card?
Schocking comment indeed Markyb….But there is no bias in the media. And there is no bias with the referees. Speaking in general as I think the ref today had a rather good match.
Only after you lay all blame at the hands of the referees..You walter are as predictable as your pal menace..Bet you even watched it together on your dodgy foreign stream..
Well it didn’t take him long to show his real face.
Do people know by now that this IS a pro AW/ Arsenal site?
Some are truly ‘slow’ !
Lewis old chap, it doesn’t have to be this way, you do not have to suffer. There are resources available free of charge on the NHS where you can get specialist treatment for your sort of mental problems. Do yourself (and us) a favour, get down to your GP tomorrow and ask for the appropriate psychiatric help before your condition gets beyond cure.
Jammy
10/12/2017 at 2:03 pm
The dickhead was anti Arsenal all game. His employers are more than happy with his bile.
We need a CB, we need a RB to cover Hector before we Jack, Santi, Sagan, Aaron, I forget the striker we got cricked and then he left, him!
We need a DM 3421 isn’t working for us!
We need a RW I Reid intelligence to stop the focus on 2 key men stopping them creating freely and finding space! We need to offload Danny, because he’s not playing enough, and injured when required!
We not to stop bottling it, Chelsea lose, Liverpool draw and the Manchester 2 play one another so we fettle at S’hampton it’s pudding me off, grow some mettle, I know the whole world isn’t against us, but get over yourselves!
The benefit can only come if united win, and with Dky assisting Jose with influencing referees, well looks possible!
If people say we don’t need players they vindicate the board, which are saboutaging the club and Wenger has put them in a position with the scuppernong of Lenard, fake asset value, and the now need for the other 2!
I get you now gaffer, I did but I had doubts, now I have faith! But you need to ship Danny and this was a game for Iwobi, Jack, Theo and a 4-4-2 using both strikers and leaving the Ozil and Alexis benched to rest and influence the game as they tired! Alexis in snow., you already lose 10% effectivity!
COYG! That was under par for the hole, let’s do better for the course!
Let’s not talk titles yet! Liverpool are using a quartet and it works! City also with a stable midfield! United are rotating and using subs and Chelsea are using two very good intelligent players and grinding the games!
We on the other hand look lost, the formation isn’t helping and the managers weaknesses are coming to the fore! Get them back to what they know with a 4-4-2 and then switch back to 4-3-3!
I am tired of dreading weekends and midweek, as must the players right now! Someone needs to take the team by the scruff of the next and give them a little Redmond Pep talk already! They are much better than this, I don’t know what defeat is, even when beaten, the next guy isn’t getting it and the next!
Bring the fringe players out for xmas in the league, yes they have earned it! Not debouchy or Callum or holding, but holding would have been the better choice in this game! He’s picking wrong 33% of the time and the shape is wrong!
I love you Arsene and accept its the players fault, but shift things to accommodate!
I believe
On the upside let them incriminate themselves trying so hard to cover their tracks in a frenzied poorly thought out fashion! The game is corrupted just like brexit and makes too much money to restructure, nobody notices how one of the largest industry to be affected by brexshit hasn’t said a word! Hmm… 😉
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/dec/09/rupert-murdoch-fox-disney-deal?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+main+NEW+H+categories&utm_term=255998&subid=22032797&CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2 Amber are you part of a major cover up, much! At least it’s movement, Disney cannot be linked to the sort of thing that is prevalent in football, sell sell sell!
The guardian are being used because they are selling out due to their dwindling readership! Oh I get it more now!