By Tony Attwood, Block 99
You remember that old thing: Arsenal are useless because they have no plan B. Well you can forget all that – because we now have not only a plan B but also a Plan C. Given the way our Lord Wenger is working we probably have a Plan D E F G H and I as well.
The old Plan A was easy to get: 4-4-2. Everyone played it. They even named a magazine after it. Flexible, definitive, how could we ever have thought of doing anything else.
Then along came Plan B: 4-3-3. Until we were cut to death with injuries and had no centre forwards left in the club it worked a treat and a half. We launched it on an unsuspecting EPL and went and beat Everton 6-1 away in the first match.
Now here is plan C: 4-2-4.
Almunia
Sagna Song Vermaelen Clichy
Wilshere Diaby (Fábregas)
Rosicky Walcott (Vela ) Chamakh Arshavin (Van Persie )
What a line up, and what wonderful use it made of Wilshere. I thought he would still be getting the odd game until the injuries really set in, but no, he’s there and he looks like he is set to stay.
Of course I am not saying we are going to play 4-2-4 against the KGB in Fulham but as a waiting of taking on lower clubs who have the openness, and willingness to leave the team coach in the car park, it is a great way to play.
So we won by 24 shots to 3, and around 12 of our 24 were on target. Everyone is raving about young Theo – and that’s right, they should, but we should also say thank you to Mr Cappuccino for deliberately ignoring our kiddie over the summer, (Walter was so keen on this point being made he texted me from Belgium at half time to make sure I remembered). Just a word Mr Walcott – the old monster known as the FA will come stalking you over and over again. Always take a witch doctor with you when you play for them. You can’t be too careful.
And Tomas Rosicky, oh I hope he’s happy. After that dreadful year plus of injury, and the slowness of getting back to form, the guy is now at last, the Little Mozart we were promised. God knows where Nasri fits into this when he is back, but Tomas, have fun my old mate. Just do it like that, and we’ll be with you forever.
If you weren’t there, and have just seen it on TV, you may not have got the notion that I had (it always looks different in the ground) but pause for a moment and think of Henry and Pires when they were just working out how to play the game together. Now for Henry think Theo, and for Pires think Rosicky.
Is that too much of a comparison after one game? Yes of course, but football is about imagination as well as fact, and here in middle England it is a bright sunny day for once, and we had a lovely day out yesterday, so why not?
Of course one game doesn’t an epoch make but still, you never know.
We also had the renaming of the ground sections, and there is a lot of the new naming inside the stadium too (all the stairs down my end carry the slogan, “The North Bank Arsenal”). Unfortunately for the club and the sponsors the singing is “We’re the North Bank Highbury”, but there was hardly a peep out of the Clock End. Don’t know what they were doing. Mucking about probably.
So there we are: the Creature from the Black Lagoon (take a look at the new Humour Index that has just started if you missed Billy’s piece) was slain, we all had a very jolly time, and we did it all for most or all of the game without
- Cesc
- Van Persie
- Nasri
- Eboue
- Koscielny
- Ramsey
- Djourou
- Bendtner
- Denilson
which is not a bad selection for when the going gets a trifle tougher and more injuries come along.
Oh yes, and Torquay United are top of League Two. Which may seem irrelevant to you, but means a lot to me.
Untold is an index upon life. It is all there. You just have to poke your nose in a bit.
And when you have you should read the book. It is rather fun.
Tottenham are brilliant at stealing our history and re-writing it. We’re taking it back.
great post i thought chamackh yesterday was great and did the hold up play we needed. Did anayone see MOTD last night? how harsh was that tool hansen if that was torres or ngog he would have drooled over this hat trick for the rest of the season omg
A silent Clock End? Just wait till we come around. 😉
Oh and how Hansen was making a fool of himself in MOTD yesterday evening. The man who couldn’t give a decent ball in the box and who in his whole career has scored less goals than Theo did yesterday (well this maybe is a bit over the line but who cares) had to have a go on Theo.
Yes he had found prove that Theo messed up at times. He had blasted a shot over and he had missed a cross. And this was the prove of Theo having no football brain. Where were you mr. Hansen with you non existing footbal brains when Thomas scored in 89. So you better shut it up when it comes to football brains. Does it still hurts? It does, doesn’t it.
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at Hansen. What a pathetic attempt to diminish a young player’s brilliant performance, you could taste the spite and bitterness. Theo was the best player in the EPL this weekend by a country mile, and if Chamakh had been a bit more composed Theo would have claimed a hat-trick of assists to go with his goals.
I just wish Gibbs gets a sniff into the team, it would really be nice. Clichy knows he could be dropped so he’s playing out of his skin. Also I would like Jack Wilshire to continue at Blackburn, if only to feel part of the first team. You know him and Gibbs are the only truly home grown in the first team at the moment.
I agree with your comment about Tomas. He pulled the string in our midfield yesterday. His passing, movement with and without ball, vision for killer pass, etc. Cannot image how we are going to play when we have Cesc, AA, Tomas, Theo, and Robin in our attack. Remember in 2008 when we still had Hleb, Tomas, and Cesc. The midfield was so fluid. Unfortunately we lost Tomas in the last stage of the season.
Hopefully our main player can be injury free until the end of this season. At least one cup would be possible.
I was quite angry at Hansen, and he made himself look a chump. Chelsea get six and he’s brown nosing about their ability, Arsenal get six and it’s because the opposition are bad (despite the fact that Blackpool put four past Chelsea’s opponents last week). Picking out Walcott’s few wasted opportunities when he played myriads of great passes/assists and a hat trick of goals… that was plain nasty. It’s getting to the point that he’s slagged us off so much that he’s backed himself into a corner. Even if we won the treble he wouldn’t admit that it was because we deserved it and would be looking for excuses like injuries to our competitors. Let’s put it this way… I hope the BBC let him leave and join Cable TV on a Bosman, because as a pundit, the guy is way over the hill.
In the summer all over interweb world so called Arsenal fans screamed “Rosicky is not good enough for Arsenal”and similar nonsense.Will the AAA lot ever learn that they are always shown to be wrong in the end?
Your tottally right Rosicky is BAck and with a bang. He is a class player, but I think he would be more of our Lujunburg to Nasri as Pires.
Nasri was also playing realy well before the injury.
Now that Theo knows he can score and occasionally get good crosses in at the same game, hopefully it will give him the confidence to keep on doing it. I’ll reserve judgement for the moment…when he’s doing it regularly against proper PL full backs, Evra and the ex Mr Tweedy will do for starters, I’ll get my hat ready for eating.
Thought Tomas was superb yesterday.
Hansen went further down my estimation of idiotic commentators and to think my TV tax helps keep him in a job makes it even harder to swallow or stomach!
We should all now (as Arsenal fans that is), start thinking on the lines of clamouring for his removal from the BBC as he never puts in a fair comment when it involves Arsenal!
After watching yesterday’s match i had this feeling of seeing Pires in Rosicky. And today you speak it aloud.
I wish that we never Tomas and others were never injured. We missed lots from them and there is no better sign than seeing Walcott prospering and proving his detractors wrong. The first goal reminded me of the gr8 gola score by Argentina against Serbia & Mont. Total football and passing was exquisite. And is there a magic in jersey no 14. Baby Walcott can dure turn it on. His turn was amazing and the way he created space for himself was fantastic. The time has come for him to be tried as center forward. He is ready to take up Henry’s role. Watsay guys???
[a correction]I wish that we never had Tomas and others injured.
I believe that after 3 or 4 games like yesterday many fans will turn their jacket, so at least we will have a laugh a them while they can’t take us to misery as whatever happen, we are arsenal
i’m scared to know where our younger midfielders like frimpong, eastmond, lansbury, etc will fit after seeing how many midfielders we have. Hope we dont lose more of them. We have already lost Fran Merida who i think was excellent.
Funny you should indicate the Clock End was quiet, we could not hear the North Bank from the Clock End…
Fantastic post, expressed my own thoughts, just articulated it better, good day, to think people were saying to get rid of Rosisky, Theo and Diaby and Chamakh was a “shit” signing, so of these people have no forsight or rationality… they complain we lack depth then want us to sell Nasri and all these other players… it will be a long season, we need as many good players as possible.
LOL at Walter’s rant at Hansen, don’t forget Hansen is the one who said England had a real chance to go all the way just a few weeks ago during the World Cup. Must say, it would be funny to see Walter reminding the idiot about Thomas’ goal on match of the day …. it would be nice to see Dixon remind Hansen too – instead of being forever a MOTD arse licker – particularly since he played a crucial part in the build up play of Michael Thomas’ goal, huh huh.
Arun
August 22nd, 2010 at 3:08 pm
After watching yesterday’s match i had this feeling of seeing Pires in Rosicky. And today you speak it aloud.
^^ This, it was the way he took the ball foward and retained it till the right time, we need some more of that, sometimes we rush too much…. felt the same about Henry in Walcott too, that was a very Henry like performance, I have thought for a long time Theo’s potential is immense.
And regarding Hansen, he is typical of the type of person who has been too harsh on Theo, Theo is not perfect but he had a WHOLE season previously where he was very good, people need to not forget that, the injuries hampered him but he’s proven he can offer us something and he is a unique player due to his speed, he can be hugely dangerous and it’s ridiculous to say he can only do it against weak teams when he has scored against Chelsea & Barcelona and also did the amazing run against Liverpool, ANYONE would struggle against Theo on top form in an open game.
I wish all you folk who criticize Hansen would wake up to the obvious.
His snide comments on teams and individual players are deliberate attempts to stir up controversy. The BBC programme makers must be delighted over how his contrbution is being received.
Its true what you guys say about Hansen but I’d prefere him to the likes of Shearer on MOTD: geeez that guy does my nut! sitting the there with that shinny forehead of his and a hairline that goes back further than woolwich arsenal. Just let it go Al, that small patch of hair on your head looks like a quaver.
awwh com’on, my post wasn’t harsh was it? I was only making a funny, its sunday man!
Look all, Hansen was part of a beastly plot to unsettle Theo to try and get someone to walk with him in the park at all times.
Thing was, he didn’t fancy it. And Arsene told them to go sing some songs……..
I’m sure Mr Cappuccino texted Arsene in outrage for injuring Frimpong on the colney training groud for 6 months…..and I’m sure season ticket holders are wondering why they paid so much money for Arsene to injure 8 players before kick-off, most of whom did it on the training pitch too…..some highly qualified medics I know reckon it’s shit physios…….so do shut up as a non-season ticket holder and think of those who shell out more than you do Walter – your interminable rants make me wish I had a picture of you so I could put you up on the wall as a dart board……
I hope we don’t have to use all those plans (but some of them based on who we play against).
I completely believe that Tomas will show this season for all those “non-believers” who he really is. Ieven stopped going to some websites after I got sick of others putting Tomas down. He had serious injury (that they didn’t found out for few months). And now he finally is back (He was great in both matches). Theo was great too.
I can’t see MOTD here so I can’t comment on those.
What is it with fandom these days. Either people think Arsenal and Arsene are shit or people think Walcott is the next Henry? Come on guys, hyperbole much? It was 10 man Blackpool. Rosicky continued to look great, Walcott looked superb but he was given so much space on that goal where he turned and shot (that won’t happen against better teams), the defence looked shaky the first 15-20 minutes and only looked comfortable after Blackpool went down a man, Arshavin is still M.I.A., and Chamakh had poor touch after poor shot after poor pass (and then he’s the second-coming because he scored a goal, he is great in the AIR no doubt about it).
We’ve had flattering scorelines in both games and we were against 10 man teams in both games. Personally, I think we were more impressive our first 2 games of last season.
Dear Rhys.
No-one is interested in your (one sided) disagreement with Walter… In fact speaking for myself I think walter is a highly skilled and perceptive writer, and you are a prat, so do us all a favour and keep quiet until you have something intelligent to say.
Yours
Jimmy (and probably everyone else who reads this website)
Just to stop this North Bank/Clock end rivalry, I sit in Block 32 (behind the opposition dug out)in the West Stand and I couldn’t hear any chant of North Bank/Clock End from either End. So you’re not singing loud enough!
Great day out and a great performance yesterday. Now onto the Orcs mark 2 and Walrus face!
According to Sevilla we have our new centre half – medical at Colney tomorrow for Squilacci.
Yes countryman on the Sevilla website it is said like that. Maybe this was what Wenger was talking about that an important step was taken: So I think they agreed the transfer fee and now wait the medical.
Gooner Vance.
To answer your question, I think it might be worth looking at what I actually said in my article
To quote on the topic of comparing Theo with Henry I said…
“Is that too much of a comparison after one game? Yes of course, but football is about imagination as well as fact, and here in middle England it is a bright sunny day for once, and we had a lovely day out yesterday, so why not?”
Great article and its even got me thinking isn’t this team like a throwback to the invincibles its weird how many of our current players are in the mould of that legendary team for henry see walcott, bergkamp see van persie, viera see diaby, pires see rosicky, gilberto see song, lauren see sagna, cashley see clichy hopefully they can emulate some of the successes of that team all we need is a crazy german in goal and we’re set! go on wenger sign a keeper and lets be invincible again!
Ages ago, I once saw Alan Hansen score a goal. It was at Elland Road. The Leeds supporters were terrifying.
(A few years ago, I nearly got caught up in the riot against Millwall outside the Leeds Hilton. Leeds fans: still terrifying.)
But really I dropped by to say: Squillaci (Latin for “defensive wall not easily broached” btw).
I think it is going to be a bit of a challenge finding a song for him (no luck on the Vermaelen musical interlude as yet either), but I’m glad he’s here.
Squillaci!
Arsenal are a
Arsenal are reportedly about to double their offer for shwarzer.
Oh I do hope the leprechauns had a part in this headline!
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premiership/theo-walcott-stars-as-arsenal-give-blackburn-six-of-the-best-14920692.html
Great post, great match, actually could’ve been 9-0 but who cares. I think Chamakh will get used to the physical nature of the PL in a few matches, but right now he looks a bit out of place. Lets just all keep our fingers superglued crossed for no more injuries … it looks good !
Bring on B-burn …
Good performance on Saturday despite the hoplessness of the opposition and let’s hope we keep our feet on the ground for sterner tests like the Fat Walrus’s thugs next week. I’m sure the referee will no doubt let them do what they want, even if it is illegal. If this happens, we’ll get retards like Hansen and Shearer saying it’s a man’s game, we shouldn’t outlaw tackling. Funny how they were all up in arms with Holland’s performance against everyone’s darlings, Spain, but when Blackburn, Bolton,Stoke do the same “It’s good old British grit”. Finally, montiler, after your embarrassing number of recent messages, are you not ashamed to admit you didn’t watch the game yet spout on about it? “Eboue showed his stamina and eagerness to create chances!” (yesterday at 8.06pm) Which season and which game was that then?
It’s hard to know what to feel after Saturdays game. The play was as ever easy on the eye,Rosicky,Walcott and Wilshire looked assured and Chamakh looks like he will be a useful member of the squad once he has settled.However there are still more questions than answers.It’s one thing hammering 10 man Blackpool,quite another thing when we go to OT and the bridge and get spanked.We still have two dodgy keepers.We still have no adequate cover in DM,a new CB (and another on the way, apparently)who remain an unknown quantity.We just dont know how they will cope with the likes of Drogba,Davis, or any other of the big lads in the prem. Remember what happened to Senderos?Drogba ruined him.How much will we get out of RVP this season?My fear is this season will be no different to the last 5.When it matters,when we are up against it the squad is found out.But if you shop in Poundland,the wheels are bound to fall off your lorry sooner or later. Chelsea came and did a double manure as well he saw the footage moved on, finished the season and the same mistake is not rectified so far why? Why is wenger soo stubborn and not letting victory to take precedence for once? The praise for wenger is running high lets see when the big bad men play the boys from North London?
And your point? Jeery
I presume you are trying to say we have not spent enough.
please correct me if I’m wrong
I think he wants us to invest in some nice English shit-kickers (who aren’t that type of player) who can ‘handle’ the rough stuff… trouble is though – when they are wearing an Arsenal shirt they will get carded out of the game asap by the Arsenal hating officials and taken out of the tackle (which therefore renders them playing interception football and therefore utterly useless on the field of play).
Good plan guys!
The trouble is with the arm chair dwelling self harming Arsenal fans who hate themselves [because they support a team they hate] whilst nodding along to Richard Keys is that:
a) They hark back to the ‘glory days’ when we was ‘always cheating’ and kicking lumps out of other teams (you know the English game with proper mans tackles for men and the like) and had the political muscle in the FA of Dein to ensure a blind eye.
b) The don’t realise that the pitch was tilted in the first place (i.e. assume that referees have no agenda going into matches) and is now tilted against us; and project blame on the team/manager for trying to play proper football in the face of the corrupt little shit-pit that is the EPL…
This is maybe a valid point if tin cups are all you crave – maybe we should sign up a few refs and we can win things like Chelsea eh?
In my opinion Wenger has got it spot on and history will prove this 100%.
I thought Walcott was exceptional and Rosicky is starting to get the fitness and timing back- lovely comparison with Pires. Of course it remains to be seen how long TR7 will last fitness wise- it might just be next week considering who we are playing. Song transforms this side- wherever he plays- and Wilshere is 18- one of the greatest 18 year old midfielders I have seen.
No one is getting carried away-but a fully fit team is formidable.
Dlaminedave,
Jeeryy just wants to keep us rooted on the ground by reminding us that its early days yet. However, we all know that.
Also, in light of his views, expressed many times and in long pieces in this blog, he is loath to admit that we have something to celebrate and so quickly too…which is just a shame.
Senderos is no longer with us; the “evil day” of visiting OT or seeing a Drogba match up with the new boys in our defense is still far away. RvP got up and finished the game. We whacked Blackpool for six and Jeeryy said “…it is hard to know what to feel about Saturday’s game….”
I mean, had it ended 3-2 in our favor, I am sure he would have known what to feel and would not have been shy to give it to us in a truckload.
That is where being a fan, Jeeryy style could end you; you may just lose the feeling of laughing out loud and celebrating a great victory by your team with the other fans of your club even when the future may carry its challenges – as it always does.
I think the 4-2-4 was one of the most interesting things to come out of the game on Saturday. When we saw Wilshire/Rosicky/Diaby in midfield I think most of us assumed that Diaby was holding and that Rosicky, if anyone, would be the box-to-box midfielder allowing Wilshire to scheme. However from the first five minutes it became obvious, as Tony points out, that Wilshire and Diaby had equal responsibility in midfield and Rosicky was largely free to support Chamakh up front. Imagine that system with Song and Cesc in midfield and Nasri supporting RvP up front!!!!!!!! I actually could see us taking that type of formation to OT and Stamford Bridge. It is largely what the Invincibles played with Bergkamp being the schemer in front of midfield.
One thing is for sure, after two games is there any doubt whatsoever that Wilshire is a tremendous talent? The kid is 18 and handling himself with aplomb at the highest level. He makes mistakes, especially trying too many dummies and feints in his own half, but he has impressed me enormously in the center of midfield. I thought he would largely be a wide attacking player this season but he is so much stronger and fitter now. Let’s all say a big “THANK YOU” to Owen Coyle and Bolton.
against Blackpool ,i feel we use more the 0-0-10 tactic .Some of our defense player where more in Blackpool side than ours.Almunia should have been substitute with another striker.
Yes ,great game to get our goal difference a good start but we will know about this team when we get a team who play the parking the bus tactic like (the infamous 9-0-1)m than an average team like Blackpool who play hara-kiri football and would get spank quiet a few time this year if they not change their way of playing against the best team in EPL (ask west-brom 2 year ago).