So it is all to happen in the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium,in Kadıköy district, Istanbul. A stadium that was built in 1908 (so it is even two years older than Very Old Trafford) and holds 50,500.
We shouldn’t really be there, since the UEFA Emergency Panel has already decided once to replace Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü with Trabzonspor AŞ after the Turkish FA turned Fenerbahçe away from the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League.
They were then given a two-year ban from European competition in June over match-fixing allegations but were reinstated pending an appeal. Details of the past are on Untold here.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has said it will issue its decision on Wednesday, 28 August – the morning after the second leg at the Emirates Stadium. What I guess they would like is for Arsenal to win anyway, so the result is irrelevant for this season in terms of the Champs. Presumably they would be kicked out of the Europa League too.
As for tonight…
Oxlade-Chamberlain is out for a bit with a knee problem. Most of the others look ok and seemingly Monreal is going to travel too.
Szczesny
Sagna Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs
Ramsey Cazorla Wilshere
Walcott Giroud Podolski
So that’s the line up I get, but I wonder if Frimpong is really back, fully fit and able to play in the midfield defence. And does he have his head screwed on the right way?
He apparently scares the hell out of the rest of Arsenal so maybe he could do something to Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü – be a nice thought.
Had a really nice call from a guy at Sky Sports doing research for the Arsenal Tottenham game… nice to know our fame is spreading and we are being used as a source of research. Have no fear, I might have got onto a two hour late night Talk Sport programme discussing Arsenal, but Sky Sports aren’t going to risk anything, so I was just clearing up a few points of detail.
But it is good to know that people are aware. He’d read “Woolwich Arsenal the club that changed football” too, which is nice.
Hey ho, off to the dentist.
Tony
Correct.
Fenerbahçe are not going through to the group stages. One way or another.
Sky sports? Be careful. Don’t sell your souls.
Doubt we’ll play 3 strikers. Arsene doesn’t do that anymore, especially on away games. Its suicide for an Arsenal team that’s especially lacking in confidence. I’d swap Podolski for Rosicky in the hole with Santi on the left.
Now let’s go kick the Kulubu out of their firecracking asses!! COYG!!!
@Lobster,
Who said the team is lacking in confidence.
One blip result helped by an inept referee doesn’t affect the modern-day professional.
I rather think the guys await new signings with excitement.
Tony,
“Timeo danaos et dona ferentis”.
I wouldn’t trust anyone from Sky Sports to sit the right way on a toilet.
Keep up the good work.
Did you hear the commentator?
“just that incident when Szczesny got himself hurt” (GOT HIMSELF HURT????).
Get in Ramsey – where are he haters?
Well done gunners! Strong display.
Well we won 0-3. Glad for the lads.
But please work on not making those silly passes. For example, one passes ball to you you pass it straight back to him even though there are others completely unmarked. Most of the time the opposition then gets the ball and cause you problems. I would say that about 60% of the other team scoring is usually Arsenal’s fault. Tighten up lads.
Good win.
Well done the team – especially at a difficult venue and also after all the anti Arsenal media hype we have heard this week – and including crap written by some opportunistic AAA tossers who chose to pollute this site from time to time.
@bjtgooner
I 100% agree.
Well Done boyz.
THATS MORE LIKE IT!!!!
fantastic performance!
that’s the team Wenger wants to make: loyal warriors and team workers!
A first match review is already on the site.
I know we spoil you 🙂
COYG! I watched the game close to a group of Fener fans…poor blokes were really gutted at 3-0.All banter ended at that point!
Shame Jenks didnt grab one at the end!
COYG!
Ramsey Motm for me. A great pass for the opener, and good decision to shoot rather than pass for his goal.
I hope Koscielny is ok. That was terrible. Should have been a red card for the Fener player (Wobe? Wome?) But apart from that, I think the ref did a good job keeping the game flowing by giving yellow cards when required to stop any excessive physicality.
We need to defend better though. If fenerbahce had been a little better in their finishing, we wouldn’t be sitting comfortably on a 3-0 lead.
What I hope the 3-0 lead also does is give us a better bargaining position with any potential targets to join us even before we play the second leg next week.
Well done Arsenal. Oh and Rosicky looked a proper leader today.
Amazing what this team can do when on a level playing field and up against 11.
If people can’t see the potential and quality of these players and that we were utterly robbed against Villa, they know absolutely nothing about football.
Where the haters? Quick enough to come on here spewing their bile after a defeat, where they at now after a great performance and win? And all those who boo’d Aaron Ramsey, fuck you.
it seems that Wenger is really trying to invent another type of game play without any CDM specialist player
Stevie E,
You are 100% right.
After that performance, I guess the main stream media are going to be having a late night re-writing their pre-written reports.
Do you guys notice how almost all the media headlines and articles are focusing on how poor Fenerbache was and how easy this win was for Arsenal ? Isnt that typical…
@ Edda, no, I was too busy wetting myself at the Lambert hard done by sob story!
Edda,
True. On Saturday, when we scored, the commentator harped on about how a Villa defender gifted us the goal. We never score because we are good, it’s always because the opposition sucks.
I just say fuck all the pundits and commentators.
robl,
You are mean 🙁
If he was a more mature manager he’d chill out a little more as it all evens out in the end!