West Brom V Arsenal | Premier League 06/04/2013

[Aussie Expat Gunner in US]

Recorded game and just able to watch: white-knuckle stuff. Rosicky great, Gerv good for a half, Giroud continuing to show he is a (slow) one effort player who cannot follow up and maintain attack on ball once he is beaten - that puts great pressure on mid-field as the ball rebounds quickly. Cannot believe when we were under pressure in the final 15 min that Giroud was not subbed for Pods: he would have been able to compete and hold ball in front half better than the French draft horse. Kos OK, Merts was a real mixed bag. Can make some great defensive plays but He just does not fit into the tica-taca style we play. Clear penalty but thought it could have been yellow not red. In fact you could make a case that Arteta's foul near the end was more of a red. Fabianski was very good and kept his cool and Howard Webb believes that to be good ref you need to be the centre of attention: deals more cards than a Las Vegas croupier.

A great win under difficulty. The season will be a great success if we qualify for CL, the Spuds finish 5th and the Stoke Neanderthals get relegated - oh happy day. And one other thing: over the off-season get a true CB to lead the defense and either use Pods up front or get a true MOBILE striker.

[ThereIsBearCüm]

What did he do poorly on, apart from the time he came out and didn't collect the cross early? If you want to say he should have saved the penalty, fine, that's your prerogative... I'll never hold it against a keeper not saving a penalty though.

He was very solid, and made a couple big save.

That performance was still well above the bog standard average performance Sczcesny has been putting out.

He looked dodgy every time the ball went high into the box. Generally I don't hold it against a keeper for not saving a penalty, but when it's straight at him...

This performance was well below the average level Sneezy has been putting in this season. If Sneezy had a game like this, you would be crucifying him.

No I wouldn't have crucified Sczcesny. When was the last time I've said anything about him at all, let alone about his sub-standard performance? And lord knows I have had reasons I could have.

Was that the most amazing performance I've ever seen from a keeper? No. It was solid though. He made 1 mistake in my eyes, being too timid when he came out for that cross early. Flappy has been dependable and more or less major mistake free since taking over for Szczesny. Nothing amazing, nothing that fills me with overwhelming excitement, but he's been a much better keeper.

He also made an excellent save on the low shot under the wall and held it cleanly, which makes it even that much more impressive.

You clearly have some sort of unwarranted appeal towards Szczesny that is based on something other than his keeping ability, because he hasn't been playing as well as the last few games Flappy put in for a long time now.

I'm sure you're thinking I'm madly in love with Flappy now, so let me clear that up. I don't think he's the standard Arsenal requires either. He is better than Szczesny right now though, by a clear margin as well.

Solid? He's had nothing of any note to do. Nothing. Not one save he's made has been anything even above average. Either Sneezy or Mannone would have conceded as many or perhaps even less than Flappy.

Nothing to do with any "unwarranted appeal", he's just a much better keeper than Flappy.

If you think Flappy is a currently a clear margin better than Sneezy, you're either not watching our games or you're delusional.

[Zinc]

Either Sneezy or Mannone would have conceded as many or perhaps even less than Flappy.
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Since getting a clean sheet away at Bayern Fabianski has conceded 2 goals in 4 games, one was Monreals fault (who has generally been very good), the other was a penalty which he was unlucky to miss.

[Leody]

Well I'm pretty confident in my ability to evaluate keepers, and Eric Wynalda who's a former international, also agrees with me that Fabianski has been much better and was saying as much after the match today.

You can disagree, call me delusional, say I haven't been watching the games or whatever else you want. I know what I've seen, and I know who's been better. No sweat off my back.

[Goonerfromafrica]

Per looked so sad after being red carded today. Like a sad puppy who did something wrong really.

[ThereIsBearCüm]

Either Sneezy or Mannone would have conceded as many or perhaps even less than Flappy.
.

Since getting a clean sheet away at Bayern Fabianski has conceded 2 goals in 4 games, one was Monreals fault (who has generally been very good), the other was a penalty which he was unlucky to miss.

Yeah, and look at the saves he's made. All of them were comfortable and would have been absolute howlers if he hadn't made them. If someone hits a penalty down the middle and you get something on it, it's not bad luck if it goes in, it's just not very good keeping. Flappy still looks terrified every time a ball comes into the area that he has to deal with, and while he hasn't conceded from one yet, I have no doubt he will if he stays in goals.

[Zedie]

Per looked so sad after being red carded today. Like a sad puppy who did something wrong really.

He needs a whack from a news paper on his nose.

Bad Per, bad!

[Zinc]

I disagree, I think over the 4 games he's made many important saves and think it's rich of you to criticise others for not watching closely and then making that statement. I also disagree on the penalty, 99% of the time a keeper will commit to a direction which is why we see so many go in when sent down the middle. I'm not saying Fabianski was phenomenal for the penalty but absolutely won't hold it against him, he managed to get a boot to it and was unlucky it sliced off him in the end.

I agree that he's not great in the air and I don't view him as a long term option, he's out of contract in the summer and will probably leave, if so hopefully we'll bring in a proper quality keeper to mentor Szczesny.

[ThereIsBearCüm]

Well I'm pretty confident in my ability to evaluate keepers, and Eric Wynalda who's a former international, also agrees with me that Fabianski has been much better and was saying as much after the match today.

You can disagree, call me delusional, say I haven't been watching the games or whatever else you want. I know what I've seen, and I know who's been better. No sweat off my back.

Cool. Oliver Kahn agrees with me that Sneezy is better than Fabianski... Eric who?

Ditto. However, I do have trouble believing that it's no sweat off your back when you make a point to reply to me every time I mention our keepers. But hey, if you say so.

[Leody]

Mate, I haven't replied to a single post of yours for months. I know I haven't, because I haven't read them.

And your obstinance like this is why. It doesn't matter how glaring the evidence that anybody is better than Szczesny, you'll never see it.

[ThereIsBearCüm]

Mate, I haven't replied to a single post of yours for months. I know I haven't, because I haven't read them.

And your obstinance like this is why. It doesn't matter how glaring the evidence that anybody is better than Szczesny, you'll never see it.

Yet every time our keepers come up, you magically appear! Coincidence?

I think loads of keepers are better than Sneezy, they're just not at our club.

[Apollo]

To be fair Fabianski has been well playing and deserves to hold the number one Jersey at present.

But it is true that if Szez had been in goals for the past 4 games he wouldn't have been praised for his performance, just getting on with his job, and maybe even criticized for how he fares aerially.

[Goonerfromafrica]

Per looked so sad after being red carded today. Like a sad puppy who did something wrong really.

He needs a whack from a news paper on his nose.

Bad Per, bad!

Just imagine Wenger doing that to him in the changeroom,

[Trequartista]

Chalkboard of Arsenal's passes following Mertesacker's sending off. We quite clearly shat ourselves and lost all composure. I've we'd kept possession better, which we should be able to do even with 10 men given the way we play, we wouldn't have invited nearly the same amount of pressure on ourselves.

http://tf-chalkboards.s3-website-eu-wes ... /0jtFY.png

[Leody]

To be fair Fabianski has been well playing and deserves to hold the number one Jersey at present.

But it is true that if Szez had been in goals for the past 4 games he wouldn't have been praised for his performance, just getting on with his job, and maybe even criticized for how he fares aerially.

That's true, but Fabianski has come in and done the expected on the tail end of Szczesny no doing it. So that's why he get more praise than Szczesny would have.