Blackburn Vs Arsenal | Premiership 17/09/11

[friedslice]

If you look at our team from a non-bias perspective, you would say we no longer are a title contender side, are in direct competition with Liverpool and Spurs for Fourth, and have fallen off completely of our early 2000's glory. As a fan I'd like to be a little more opptomistic than that and will give the players time, but damn, results like this are really making me believe we are just above average.

Our first XI could finish 4th - if we're lucky (we're not even in the same sentence as united, chelsea and citeh now).
But given we have the worst track record of injuries in the league since Wenger built this bulser wood midget-ball team we will never at one point in the season play our first 8, let alone get all 11 on the pitch.
Our back up is that of a midtable team, the more our back up play the lower we'll finish.
Then add to it our defence is that of a League Two side and will cost us 20 goals from set pieces and cock ups we'll be lucky to finish 6th, even if we manage to keep players fit.

Nothing will change until we sort out the defence, and given wengers refused to do that season after season for so long now I can't see it every happening.
he's neglected a major part of his job, anyone else would be sacked.

The last 30 games in charge have been a f***ing joke, it's been relegation form, he needs to go..NOW.

[Gunner Down Under]

If you look at our team from a non-bias perspective, you would say we no longer are a title contender side, are in direct competition with Liverpool and Spurs for Fourth, and have fallen off completely of our early 2000's glory. As a fan I'd like to be a little more opptomistic than that and will give the players time, but damn, results like this are really making me believe we are just above average.

Our first XI could finish 4th - if we're lucky (we're not even in the same sentence as united, chelsea and citeh now).
But given we have the worst track record of injuries in the league since Wenger built this bulser wood midget-ball team we will never at one point in the season play our first 8, let alone get all 11 on the pitch.
Our back up is that of a midtable team, the more our back up play the lower we'll finish.
Then add to it our defence is that of a League Two side and will cost us 20 goals from set pieces and cock ups we'll be lucky to finish 6th, even if we manage to keep players fit.

Nothing will change until we sort out the defence, and given wengers refused to do that season after season for so long now I can't see it every happening.
he's neglected a major part of his job, anyone else would be sacked.

The last 30 games in charge have been a f***ing joke, it's been relegation form, he needs to go..NOW.

4th??

Oh please. With our horribly inconsistent defence we'll be lucky to be in European contention, or even mid table.

Our failure to win the Emirates Cup was just a pre season show of what we are doing.

[Arsenal~Fanatic]

Koscielny didn't score on purpose,he just had a brain fart in the wrong place at the wrong time

Which has become a norm . Koscielny simply cannot concentrate for full 90 minutes . This is the nth time i am
screaming from the top of my voice that Kos simply refuses to do the basics right , tries to be too cute in
dangerous areas and fu*cks the team over in a mega fashion .

[Gooner Girl]

Still reeling from it. What the heck happened yesterday? What is wrong with us at the moment? Crappy players? Wenger losing the plot? Loss of confidence? Other teams stepping it up? All 4? not a happy gooner...

[VCC]

Still reeling from it. What the heck happened yesterday? What is wrong with us at the moment? Crappy players? Wenger losing the plot? Loss of confidence? Other teams stepping it up? All 4? not a happy gooner...

Agree we are god awfull i are considering leaving my sky off so i dont have to torture myself,if you take the swansea game we were even lucky to win that,is going to be a long season and a rollercoaster ride i am not getting my hopes up for any european football that way come the end of the season i wont be too angry

[lucifer82]

I've just woken up. I couldn't come on here and give my opinion after the game cos it would be irrational.

I know folk are gonna blame Wenger and want him an all that caper. But we don't concede goals so easily because of Arsene Wenger. Our formation isn't that ludicrous that it guarentess goals conceded. We don't have guarenteed liabilities in our squad. Some are bordeline, but we got rid of the likes of Eboue, for Gawd's sake.

Them own goals yesterday were ludicrous. Surely as a footballer, even if you're facin your own goal when the ball comes in, if you any idea of how to protect your goal, then you make a better effort than those two sods did. But then for me, and I've been sayin it for ages, I may have said it on here, but our squad is RIDDLED WITH FEAR. When we're attackin, it's alright. What's the worse that can go wrong? We miss the target? "So, what? We'll have another go." But in defence, you can see it, from every aspect, from the front, to the midfield, to the defence, we're like a rabbit in headlights.

If we're gonna play the way we do, then we have to have some fuckin assurity. Song is not a DM. He doesn't even want to be. When do you see Busquests, playin 1-2's wiv Messi or Pedro. Can I blame Song? I dunno, but the manager seems to be allowin it. Ramsey seems off pace. He doesn't track runs, the battle doesn't seem to be his cuppa tea. I have to say, for Gawd knows how long now, I shake when we haven't got the ball. We get CUT THROUGH so easily. It's all very well sayin "Get Keown in". I don't think it's even about that. I think we'ere so disjointed at the end of one of our attacks, players are all over the shop that when it inevitably breaks down either cos of lack of movement or a shit pass, nobody knows what the f**k they're doin or who they should be runnin towards.

We can blame the manager all we want and I'm certainly not sayin he's unfallable. But those players, to a man, could make a whole lot more effort when it comes to stoppin a team from havin possession. We seem to think it's fine to let em have it and only think we need to start to defendin when it's in our final 3rd.

Most of all, what that bunch of molly coddled, rich bastards need to realise is that when we play the Blackburn's, the Wolves' etc is that they play that game against us like a Cup Final. We're hated and the the thing goin round now is that you can get at Arsenal. Look at Bolton last year at the Reebok, they beat us and run their socks. They lost every game after that, I think.

Our squad doesnt have that drive, the killer instict, that feelin where they should be sayin "I wanna go out there with my team and make the opposition look fuckin silly. I wanna annilihate them, run them in to the fuckin ground, piss on em and take the 3 points"

[lucifer82]

I've just woken up. I couldn't come on here and give my opinion after the game cos it would be irrational.

I know folk are gonna blame Wenger and want him an all that caper. But we don't concede goals so easily because of Arsene Wenger. Our formation isn't that ludicrous that it guarentess goals conceded. We don't have guarenteed liabilities in our squad. Some are bordeline, but we got rid of the likes of Eboue, for Gawd's sake.

Them own goals yesterday were ludicrous. Surely as a footballer, even if you're facin your own goal when the ball comes in, if you any idea of how to protect your goal, then you make a better effort than those two sods did. But then for me, and I've been sayin it for ages, I may have said it on here, but our squad is RIDDLED WITH FEAR. When we're attackin, it's alright. What's the worse that can go wrong? We miss the target? "So, what? We'll have another go." But in defence, you can see it, from every aspect, from the front, to the midfield, to the defence, we're like a rabbit in headlights.

If we're gonna play the way we do, then we have to have some fuckin assurity. Song is not a DM. He doesn't even want to be. When do you see Busquests, playin 1-2's wiv Messi or Pedro. Can I blame Song? I dunno, but the manager seems to be allowin it. Ramsey seems off pace. He doesn't track runs, the battle doesn't seem to be his cuppa tea. I have to say, for Gawd knows how long now, I shake when we haven't got the ball. We get CUT THROUGH so easily. It's all very well sayin "Get Keown in". I don't think it's even about that. I think we'ere so disjointed at the end of one of our attacks, players are all over the shop that when it inevitably breaks down either cos of lack of movement or a shit pass, nobody knows what the f**k they're doin or who they should be runnin towards.

We can blame the manager all we want and I'm certainly not sayin he's unfallable. But those players, to a man, could make a whole lot more effort when it comes to stoppin a team from havin possession. We seem to think it's fine to let em have it and only think we need to start to defendin when it's in our final 3rd.

Most of all, what that bunch of molly coddled, rich bastards need to realise is that when we play the Blackburn's, the Wolves' etc is that they play that game against us like a Cup Final. We're hated and the the thing goin round now is that you can get at Arsenal. Look at Bolton last year at the Reebok, they beat us and run their socks off. They lost every game after that, I think.

Our squad doesnt have that drive, the killer instict, that feelin where they should be sayin "I wanna go out there with my team and make the opposition look fuckin silly. I wanna annilihate them, run them in to the fuckin ground, piss on em and take the 3 points"

[Arsenal Tone]

I think what you are describing Lucifer is what I call the Enya factor. That stems from Wenger. The apathetic approach to games, the lack of any urgency both with and without the ball, the lack of any sort of game plan. All of these are down to Wenger's calm approach.

There have been rumours that after big defeats Wenger says nothing in the changing room. That he prefers the silent treatment to the hairdryer treatment. The old Wimbledon crazy gang used to have a ghetto blaster in the changing room before games to get them psyched up. It feels like Wenger plays Enya to our squad - that might explain the apathetic approach to games!!!

[Bristol_Gunner]

I think what you are describing Lucifer is what I call the Enya factor. That stems from Wenger. The apathetic approach to games, the lack of any urgency both with and without the ball, the lack of any sort of game plan. All of these are down to Wenger's calm approach.

There have been rumours that after big defeats Wenger says nothing in the changing room. That he prefers the silent treatment to the hairdryer treatment. The old Wimbledon crazy gang used to have a ghetto blaster in the changing room before games to get them psyched up. It feels like Wenger plays Enya to our squad - that might explain the apathetic approach to games!!!

Their is a serious motivation problem in the squad. I just find myself getting annoyed at what is happening. What was the point in our pre season. I wanted Wenger gone at the end of last season but that wasn't going to happen so i gave him the summer. But in every pre season game we still had the same problems defensively. I really thing it is time for a change because Wenger clearly has not sorted out the major issues within out squad.

Ye blame has to be put on players but it always leads back to the manager. Who we buy, how we set up who he picks.

[TheLittleMozart]

I missed the game yesterday(thankfully) however I watched the highlight and all I have to say is ...f**k ME WE ARE SHITE!!!!

To conceed four goals against Blackburn is an absolute shambles, I mean c'mon its Blackburn FFS!
It worrys me that we can easily conceed 4 goals against an average Blackburn side, who knows how many we'll conceed against better sides throughout this season.

IMO our fans need to make a stand against Wenger; much like what the Blackurn fans were going to do for Kean. That way Wenger atleast realises that hes under some sort f f***ing pressure to deliver becuase the guy clearly thinks hes untouchable at Arsenal (which he is) and no matter how bad things get, he'll have time to fix things.


The man is a complete and utter prick who seems like confused an old man, stuck in his ways who doesn't know how to adapt.

[Always_a_gooner]

I missed the game yesterday(thankfully) however I watched the highlight and all I have to say is ...f**k ME WE ARE SHITE!!!!

To conceed four goals against Blackburn is an absolute shambles, I mean c'mon its Blackburn FFS!
It worrys me that we can easily conceed 4 goals against an average Blackburn side, who knows how many we'll conceed against better sides throughout this season.

IMO our fans need to make a stand against Wenger; much like what the Blackurn fans were going to do for Kean. That way Wenger atleast realises that hes under some sort f f***ing pressure to deliver becuase the guy clearly thinks hes untouchable at Arsenal (which he is) and no matter how bad things get, he'll have time to fix things.


The man is a complete and utter prick who seems like confused an old man, stuck in his ways who doesn't know how to adapt.

I definetely feel that some some sort of stand or protest needs to happen..Theres only so much we can blame the players for and after all AW is the one that brought in these mediocre players so what do we expect from them.
Where bloody silent stan aswell? probably just watching over his american footbal teams while arsenal diminish slowly by slowly. I just think the whole of arsenal needs a shake up and unfortunately it has to start with the manager...Whereas a few months ago i think alot of people would be angry if AW left or got scaked, i dont believe that true anymore. I think that the majority of people honestly want him gone now.

[friedslice]

If you look at our team from a non-bias perspective, you would say we no longer are a title contender side, are in direct competition with Liverpool and Spurs for Fourth, and have fallen off completely of our early 2000's glory. As a fan I'd like to be a little more opptomistic than that and will give the players time, but damn, results like this are really making me believe we are just above average.

Our first XI could finish 4th - if we're lucky (we're not even in the same sentence as united, chelsea and citeh now).
But given we have the worst track record of injuries in the league since Wenger built this bulser wood midget-ball team we will never at one point in the season play our first 8, let alone get all 11 on the pitch.
Our back up is that of a midtable team, the more our back up play the lower we'll finish.
Then add to it our defence is that of a League Two side and will cost us 20 goals from set pieces and cock ups we'll be lucky to finish 6th, even if we manage to keep players fit.

Nothing will change until we sort out the defence, and given wengers refused to do that season after season for so long now I can't see it every happening.
he's neglected a major part of his job, anyone else would be sacked.

The last 30 games in charge have been a f***ing joke, it's been relegation form, he needs to go..NOW.

4th??

Oh please. With our horribly inconsistent defence we'll be lucky to be in European contention, or even mid table.

Our failure to win the Emirates Cup was just a pre season show of what we are doing.

Ahem, if you care to read my entire post and not the first line you'll see I said it won't happen because of the defence and we'll end up 8th unless it's sorted.
If the defence is sorted our first XI is good enough to win the league (PROVIDING WE CAN DEFEND)

chesney, sagna, mertesacker, vermaelen, gibbs, gervinho, wilshere, arteta, song, arshavin, van persie

that team could finish 4th.

But we won't, because we won't learn to defend and we won't keep our players fit (nor will we make any signings).

[friedslice]

Still reeling from it. What the heck happened yesterday? What is wrong with us at the moment? Crappy players? Wenger losing the plot? Loss of confidence? Other teams stepping it up? All 4? not a happy gooner...

I think it's that obvious that the two young gooners in your photo could see it.

WE CANNOT DEFEND

Simples.

It has nothing to do with any other factor other than the fact we're the worst defensive unit I have ever witnessed in 25 years being a Gooner - and I include opposition defences in that list.
A set piece against us is like getting a penalty against anyone else.

Oh yeah, and we should have signed Samba.

[natalie]

I wanted Samba too

[meetreks]

My view is pretty simple.

We were not rugged enough to grind out a result. The turning point was just before halftime. Gerviniho had all the time in the world to tap in a pass to RVP. He didn't. What was to become 3-1, stayed 2-1 and that gave Blackburn relief.

The second half was, were its Arsenal who believed that they could easily defend the lead. They got found out. The result is know for all so not stating the obvious here.

So what worked well??

It was finally nice to see that Arsenal could score any time. This was not the case against BvB & Swansea. Theo and Gerviniho made so much space for the mid field, and I think it this was united Blackburn would have got a cricket score.

So what didn't work well??

The collective responsibility to defend. Yesterday was sharp contrast to what we saw in Germany. Every other person left it to his teammate and as a result we were punished. The problem we have is, we play a high tempo game, we know that we are going to be counter attacked and even then leave the likes of Johan and Sang to cover the opposition's speed merchants. The difference with other teams like the 2 in Manchester is, they loose the ball and you always see the likes of Park, Valencia, Nani and Young cover their full backs. In addition to that Rooney tracks back well and that leaves ManU very difficult to break. Same with City. You have the attacking wingers covering the defence plus when you have the athletic Yaya Toure, it becomes very difficult to break them.

What can be the solution?

Unless we defend and hunt in packs to win the ball back this 4-3-3 is useless. I am fully aware of its strengths (i.e) we can score goals at will, but when your midfield is flaky its time to ditch that formation.

GO for 4-4-2 with Gerviniho and Theo as wingers, Chamakh and RVP as Strikers and Arteta and Song as Deep lying midfields. In this formation, we have Plan-A and Plan-B plus a Defence plan as well.
Plan A is let the wingers join the attackers and we already look fluid in that formation. Plan-B is send diagonal balls to Theo and Gerviniho and also make sure Chamakh is there it knock back the ball into their path.
When we loose the ball, Our wingers either step infield or stay with their fullbacks so denying the opposition to bring them to play. In they stay infield this will congest the midfield and the only route for the opposition is to play wide.
Allow Chamakh to track back and when he is tired, get the lung buster Park in and all he heeds to do is track back, close down and not let the opposition pass.