God's Chessboard (2017/2018 Arsenal FC Thread) **Boom XhakaLaca**


God's Chessboard (2017/2018 Arsenal FC Thread) **Boom XhakaLaca**

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Gooner4life_8
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Having calmed down since last night, I think I've reached that point in every season where I go, 'fuck it, let's finish above Tottenham and win the League Cup!' :lol: Who am I kidding, that's what I think at the start of every season. We'll Have a crack at the FA Cup as always and hey, how about we just say fuck the Champions League, we're never gonna win it! Let's finish third and go on a Europa adventure!

Of course come March it'll be, 'ah well, let's just finish above Tottenham' as usual.

Edited by gooner4life_8: 11/11/2012 09:30:49 AM
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9 Years Ago by Gooner4life_8
KenGooner_GCU
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We all feel like that mate.

Join the cynics Sydcro... You know it to be true.

Hello

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9 Years Ago by KenGooner_GCU
sydneycroatia58
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Hard to be frustrated at the same shit that's been happening for years. I'm just over it, it's not even worth getting angry about anymore, just a waste of energy.

The fact that Vermaelen will probably still be in the Starting XI even after Gibbs is back tells you all that is wrong with this team.

Edited by sydneycroatia58: 11/11/2012 04:11:50 AM
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9 Years Ago by sydneycroatia58
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Very frustrating. I think it's time to think about rotating the squad, some of these players have played nearly every game this season and it's showing (E.g. Santi, Arteta, Verm, Poldi...)

Giroud's best game in an Arsenal shirt, we're starting to make a real effort to get the ball into the box.

Hello

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9 Years Ago by KenGooner_GCU
Gooner4life_8
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sydneycroatia58 wrote:
Kinda meh about that result really.


Don't know how you can feel that way, we were 2-nil up and we had a chance to win it with a penalty right at the end. I haven't been this frustrated with Arsenal in a long time.
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9 Years Ago by Gooner4life_8
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Kinda meh about that result really. Draw probably a fair result, but thought we might have done enough in that 2nd half with us completely dominant.

Still don't know how Aaron Ramsey is making it onto the pitch at the moment. Absolutely horrible.
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9 Years Ago by sydneycroatia58
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Line-up is as expected. Only change is Coquelin coming in for Jack due to Jack's 1 game suspension

Mannone, Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Coquelin, Arteta, Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski, Giroud.

The susprises are on the bench where Ox and Szczesny both make their returns to the squad

Szczesny, Jenkinson, Santos, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arshavin, Chamakh.

Edited by sydneycroatia58: 11/11/2012 01:11:30 AM
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9 Years Ago by sydneycroatia58
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Szczesny playing for the U21's tonight.
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9 Years Ago by sydneycroatia58
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KenGooner_GCU wrote:
You're probably right but you can't deny that things are going downhill, progress isn't happening and something has to give. I hope it's the board and not Wenger.


I agree with Ken in that we are not progressing - or atleast if we are we are not doing so at the rate of our main rivals therefore falling further behind. I have no doubt that we'll get out of our group, though probably as runners up, we'll get at very least to a semi in the League Cup (without even really trying) and we may even have a good FA Cup run but the league is the best indicator of a clubs progress and we are not even looking close to being a genuine contender... is Arsene the problem or not? Frankly I don't care but there is a problem here and it seems to be getting worse before it's getting better.
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9 Years Ago by quichefc
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Have done this blog piece on Arsenal's lack of defensive structure. The last few games it has really started to show, and it is quite frustrating as they are quite basic defensive errors. It is able to be fixed, but just needs to be worked on at training.

http://jakecohen92.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/arsenals-defensive-structure-is-worrying/
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9 Years Ago by jake_cohen
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KenGooner_GCU wrote:
Urgh. Agree that TV5 needs a day off, he's had a shocking week or two.


Tbf he's been shocking all season. Would much rather see Koscielny next to Per.
Edited
9 Years Ago by sydneycroatia58
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Urgh. Agree that TV5 needs a day off, he's had a shocking week or two.

Hello

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9 Years Ago by KenGooner_GCU
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Tv5 seriously needs to be dropped for the boss, great player and all but he has his moments . Also gives him A break , plus having both tv5 and kos ends up having one of them red carded as they egg each other on to explode .
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9 Years Ago by MvFCArsenal16.8
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Dissapointing to give up a 2 goal lead, but I would've taken a draw before the game so can't be to upset. Theo should've won it right at the end.

Happy with the performance, especially after some of the shit we've served up lately. Although I would really like to know just how many monumental fuckups Vermaelen has to commit before he is dropped.
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9 Years Ago by sydneycroatia58
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Looks like Santos will be dropped against Schalke with Vermalen playing at left back and Kocielny to partner merterseker. I would have liked to see Miquel play left back to see how he goes with a experienced starting 11.
Gibbs also should be back for the game against Fulham which is good news.
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9 Years Ago by robstazzz
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Man, I watched the 09-10 season review today. Fucking torture. What a team we had. Cesc, Nasri, Arshavin and (even) Denilson scoring piles of goals from midfield. RVP scoring for fun before he was injured on international duty and Bendtner stepped up and scored 10 in 12. We are a long way off.
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9 Years Ago by Hinderz
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Neanderthal wrote:
imnofreak wrote:
We're paying Joe Cole 90k a week. Don't complain :P

That made me feel alot better :lol:
In fact whenever I'm feeling down about Arsenals recent underachievements I just think about how luck I am not to be a Liverpool supporter :d

I think Liverpool and Tottenham just go out of their way to be worse than us. Thanks gents.

Hello

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9 Years Ago by KenGooner_GCU
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imnofreak wrote:
We're paying Joe Cole 90k a week. Don't complain :P

That made me feel alot better :lol:
In fact whenever I'm feeling down about Arsenals recent underachievements I just think about how luck I am not to be a Liverpool supporter :d
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9 Years Ago by Neanderthal
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We're paying Joe Cole 90k a week. Don't complain :P
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9 Years Ago by imnofreak
KenGooner_GCU
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We know for a fact that many player are getting paid far too much for doing fuck all.
Fucking sort it out Wenger!

Hello

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9 Years Ago by KenGooner_GCU
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Yeah I was a bit dubious of some of them. I wasnt sure about Rosicky, didnt he just re-sign?

http://arsenaltruth.squarespace.com/arsenal-truth/2012/11/4/arsenals-1434m-wage-bill-exposed.html

Its based on estimations (which is ironic for a site called Arsenaltruth) and makes no provisions for bonuses, but it does seem to vaguely line up with other such reports

Edited by hinderz: 5/11/2012 03:31:59 PM
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9 Years Ago by Hinderz
sydneycroatia58
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Yeah the Podolski one is way off, as is the Rosicky one I'm pretty sure.
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9 Years Ago by sydneycroatia58
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Podolski is on 107?

Agree that some of the wages are rediculous. If you could magically cut all those in bold we wouldn't be weakened much at all. Then we'de be able to sign some very top class elite talent at no financial loss.
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9 Years Ago by Neanderthal
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I dont know about the validity of the numbers but $588,000 a week not playing through persistent injury or lack of form is crazy.

[size=6]FIRST TEAM      WAGE (pwk)[/size]
Lukas Podolski      £107,000
Tomas Rosicky      £80,000
Per Mertesacker      £80,000
Andrey Arshavin      £78,000
Santi Carzorla      £70,000
Mikel Arteta      £70,000
Thomas Vermaelen      £70,000
Theo Walcott      £60,000
Olivier Giroud      £60,000
Gervinho      £60,000
Bacary Sagna      £60,000
Marouane Chamakh      £60,000
Andre Santos      £60,000
Jack Wilshere      £60,000
Abou Diaby      £60,000
Denilson      £60,000

Laurent Koscielny      £60,000
Johan Djourou      £50,000
Kieran Gibbs      £50,000
Nicklas Bendtner      £50,000
Sebastien Squillaci      £50,000

Aaron Ramsey      £50,000
Wojciech Szczesny      £50,000
Lukasz Fabianski      £50,000
Ju Young Park      £50,000

Vito Mannone      £25,000
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain      £25,000
Carl Jenkinson      £25,000
Emmanuel Frimpong      £25,000
Francis Coquelin      £25,000
Ryo Miyaichi      £12,000
Ignasi Miquel      £10,000
Joel Campbell      £10,000

Edited
9 Years Ago by Hinderz
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:lol: There's a few things you can be sure of in this world, the sun will set in the west and rise in the east, Sp*rs will always choke and Arsenal will always be linked with Yoann Gourcuff :lol:
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9 Years Ago by sydneycroatia58
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Wenger gets alot of plaudits as the economist of football (like there is nobody else in the game who understands business and economics) but it shouldn't be hard for an economist to see the Pareto principle in the success of champion sides; with the top 20% of a team's players responsible for 80% of success (like barca would be worth mentioning without Messi Xavi and Iniesta) We could use a bit of Rank and Yank leadership, not this socialised squad which rewards mediocrity, but rather than cutting the bottom 10% and rewarding the top 20%l we do virtually the opposite, selling from the top and reward unproven players.

Quote:
Andy Dunn's Big Match Verdict: Why Arsenal's star struck response to RVP reveals the club they have become
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/andy-dunns-big-match-verdict-1415442

Seeing as though so many people now park civilised behaviour at the front door of a football stadium, Robin van Persie might have been excused a one-fingered ¬salute. If 2,000 blokes – I assume blokes – had spent half an hour calling me a “c***”, I suspect my celebrations would have been more vociferous than Van Persie’s calming double-handed gesture. I’m no prude, but surely those Arsenal supporters could have found a more socially acceptable way of communicating their anger.
There was another chant which made you wonder how a game of football, or a footballer changing employers, can warp a mind. Considering the abuse their manager has had to endure over the years, you might have thought they would know better. Van Persie did not bite – but his ­response could not have been more biting. It was not that he scored. That was inevitable. It was not that he gave Andre Santos his shirt as the teams broke after 45 ­minutes. It was that he did not bother asking for ­Santos’s jersey in return. And in that one humiliating cameo, this Arsenal team – this pale, limp, weak, ­ineffective shadow of the Vieira/Adams/Petit/Dixon sides who once strode ­barrel-chested into this ­stadium – was defined.
There are simply too many players, with Santos as their standard-bearer, who feel lucky to be at this elite level. Can you imagine Vieira’s response if one of his Invincibles had asked for a United shirt at half-time? At ANY time, come to think of it. Van Persie saw the malaise taking a grip, saw a collection of players for whom winning nothing was fine, saw the mediocrity of new recruits, saw a manager accepting it all. And he wanted no more of it. He wanted what Arsene Wenger and Arsenal once symbolised – that relentless drive for excellence and achievement. He knew he could find it at Old Trafford. The damning indictment was that United barely shed a bead of perspiration in ­victory.
United were sloppy, casual. Yet Wenger’s team never looked likely to capitalise. Highlighting the abysmal performance from Santos is just puppy-kicking. Too easy. And the defensive rick that led to Van Persie’s goal – this time from Thomas Vermaelen – is a weekly feature of Arsenal life. Mikel Arteta’s best form is a dot on the ­horizon.But more alarming were the contributions of those players who were meant to compensate for the loss of Van Persie. Maybe you can give Santi Cazorla an off-day (his late strike was irrelevant).But Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski were ­shockingly ponderous. That only highlighted the appalling decision to start Theo Walcott on the bench. With 10 men including Theo, Arsenal looked a more dangerous side than with 11 men ­without him. It was a selection that smacked of pig-­headedness.
And when Wenger is ­getting things horribly wrong, that is when Arsenal supporters should really worry. According to those ­supporters, Van Persie is a so-and-so. Well, if that is the case, he is a clever one. He saw this coming. Meanwhile, Arsenal fans charted 'Wenger, Wenger, sort it out' after the manager's worst start to the season for 16 years.


Edited by Hinderz: 5/11/2012 12:51:39 AM
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9 Years Ago by Hinderz
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sydneycroatia58 wrote:
Main thing is, right now, Wenger is the best man for the job and getting rid of him now or at the end of the season would probably do more harm than good. Like he said at the AGM, we all complain when we come 3rd and qualify for the Champions League, but he won't be
here if we finish 15th one day

As for Robson, he's been peddling that shit about a rift between Arsene and Steve for months :lol: Cunt has been extra bitter since he lost his job with the club

Edited by sydneycroatia58: 4/11/2012 03:35:01 PM

You're probably right but you can't deny that things are going downhill, progress isn't happening and something has to give. I hope it's the board and not Wenger.

The rift was reported about a week ago and despite opinions on him, you have to say that he might be right at the moment.

Hello

Edited
9 Years Ago by KenGooner_GCU
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Main thing is, right now, Wenger is the best man for the job and getting rid of him now or at the end of the season would probably do more harm than good. Like he said at the AGM, we all complain when we come 3rd and qualify for the Champions League, but he won't be
here if we finish 15th one day

As for Robson, he's been peddling that shit about a rift between Arsene and Steve for months :lol: Cunt has been extra bitter since he lost his job with the club

Edited by sydneycroatia58: 4/11/2012 03:35:01 PM
Edited
9 Years Ago by sydneycroatia58
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sydneycroatia58 wrote:
KenGooner_GCU wrote:
sydneycroatia58 wrote:
benelsmore wrote:
I don't watch too many Arsenal games but:-

- Surely someone is better than Santos? Valencia and Rafael had far too many runs along the line unchecked.

- Arteta in Song's position? Surely he is better off somewhere else because since Song's departure it seems that Arteta has't been as influential?


Completely agree on Santos. The sooner Gibbs is back the better.

As for Arteta, apart from the the last 2 games he has been an immense upgrade on Song. He actually gives us some sort of solidity in the middle that we never had with Song in there.

Disagree with Arteta, I've very respect for him but he's not a destroyer. Arteta has been caught out a few times for pace and has been forced into a foul, he doesn't have the required phyiscal presence to perform the Song role. With big Diaby out (usually), you have to say that we look physically weak there. Having said that, Arteta is doing well as a deep lying playmaker but I don't think he's solid enough as a holding midfielder.


Arteta's not a destroyer, but neither was Song, or at least he didn't play like one. Arteta is much more solid than Song because he's much more disciplined, he's willing to actually protect the back 4 and not maraud forward every 2nd possession like Song would. Arteta is much much better at the role than Song was and much better than Diaby would be.

Arteta is a better tackler, completing 3.8 tackles this season compared to Song's 2.9 last season. He also gives away less fouls, giving away 2.5 a game to Song's 2.9 last season. He's streets ahead as a passer with his 93.2% pass completion to Song's 84.3%. He makes more interceptions with 2.4 a game compared to Song's 1.9.

So yeah easy to sit there and say Arteta can't play that role like Song, when he actually plays it better than Song.

Edited by sydneycroatia58: 4/11/2012 09:42:25 AM

Don't read too much into the statistics, Arteta is still being drawn into fouls by physically stronger and faster opponents. There's a case for arguing that his "tackle rate" (wow that sounds weird) is higher because he's been forced to make those challenges because he knows he doesn't have the physical presence. Regardless, there is no reason why he cannot perform a similar role with Song playing alongside him. Despite the statistics showing otherwise, Arteta plays a simple game and while he does play in an astonishing pass every now and then, Song played more than his fair share of important passes.

I do find it strange how Alex Song was supposed to be a great player last season and was a "really key member" of the team and now his sale has resulted in "an immense upgrade".

Hinderz, you are exactly right. We cannot, as a football club, sit on our laurels expecting the club to turn it around however it expects to do so. Seven years and absolutely nothing has happened. Sydcro, I agree with you in one respect, it's easy to say who has to go but a whole lot harder to say who should succeed. Despite this, the man in charge must be held accountable for seven years of failure. We are suffering from a lack of progress and a lack of ambition.

It's akin, as a BBC blogger (who I think is a twat) said today, Dell Boy's famous saying: "this time next year, we'll be millionaires."

I also think that Stewart Robson's claims bout a rift between Wenger and Bould have certainly been validated in recent weeks. Something isn't quite right at the back and we can't blame Andre Santos for it all.

Hello

Edited
9 Years Ago by KenGooner_GCU
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Its all ifs and buts depending on who came in and the circumstances under which they'd have to work. As it stands, its hard to see whether its the board or Wenger or a combination of both at the root of our problems, but I don't think its unfair to say that as a club we arent progressing, which ultimately is the problem.

There are so many aspects of our club that we get right, but so many others we get wrong and it seems like we rest on our laurels and dont tackle the problems, or have no idea how to tackle them; which is where this lack of progress/ambition idea comes in.
Edited
9 Years Ago by Hinderz
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