Barclays Premier League

[Martyn]

I think Arsenal are struggling a lot more this season due to the loss of Flamini. He is a great player who complimented Fabregas very well in the middle of the park. I think everyone could see his potential, and he was raved over at Marseille, and once Wenger realised that Flamini was not infact a right back he shone at Arsenal.

On their day Arsenal can run rings around almost any team in the world. The problem is though, more and more people know how to counter Arsenal; kick the **** out of them and win the second ball, when that happens their heads dip and they are there for the taking.

I would much rather my team be a successful ruthless killing machine than knock it around in silly triangles frustrating the hell out of me. When you win, by any means, you are more than likely going to be entertaining. A goal is a goal, and the exhilaration that comes with it at a match is always the same no matter how it comes.

The media wanking over Arsenal ****es me off to no end. He is a good manager, but has not won anything for a while, and infact the club has gone backwards over the past few years. They have had a young team for a good few years now, you can only be young and inexperienced for so long. Similarly, the fact that Wenger is seen as some kind of youth God annoys me as well, Nasri was hardly an unknown player when he came to Arsenal, but sadly in a few years when he matures into the player he should be...all that will be forgotten.

It would wreck my head being an Arsenal fan, and I am so glad that clown is not in charge of my team. Seriously though, doesn't it **** all you Arsenal fans off that your manager refuses to spend any money?

I just don't think in modern day football you cannot afford to play like Arsenal do, you just get found out so easily.

Oh, and Farsight...you missed out Javier Mascherano, the best central defensive midfielder in the world and Diego Maradona's favourite player ;)

[Kralik]

Ars?ne Wenger insists that Arsenal's lack of consistency is not linked to a lack of experience in his squad.

A week after extolling the virtues of his team in the wake of a fine win over Manchester United, Wenger had to address their faults as Aston Villa inflicted a fourth Premier League defeat of the campaign.

The Frenchman admits that Arsenal have struggled to maintain their usual high standards this season but defended his decision not to bring in another experienced player during the summer.

"Not really, we had no player we really wanted and for now we have no regrets," said Wenger

"You cannot explain the own goal of Gael Clichy by the fact we haven?t got an experienced player in midfield.

"I think we were not, as a team, sharp enough to dictate the pace and be dominant in the fight [against Aston Villa]."

Comments reserve:blink:nk::wacko:ko::| :|

[FaRSightxc2]

Yeah very true, Denilson is one of the best midfielders technically but him and Fabregas just don't work together in the middle of the park against physical teams, he's a creative player so he takes many touches on the ball and creates space for himself and others, however defensive wise he is useless. The teams mentality is also an issue.

However, like I've said many times to Arsenal fans: We will win the title this year, there's no doubt about it. And I say that with no hint of sarcasm.

Fellow gooners don't let your heads drop!

Want to put some money on that?

<snip>

Oh, and Farsight...you missed out Javier Mascherano, the best central defensive midfielder in the world and Diego Maradona's favourite player ;)

Ha ha, whoops.

But in fairness, I was trying to imply that there were a lot of big players in that mould, which includes Mascherano. For some reason he didn't spring to mind instantly as I kept thinking of Alonso when picturing Liverpools MF :laugh:

I really rate him though, excellent player and a great example of what the Arsenal are missing (Y)

Comments reserved :blink: :wacko: :|

This is what I meant about being worried about Wenger's overall philosophy. He will lose the senior players he does have very quickly (VP, Adebyor, Toure) if Arsenal aren't sucessful soon, and if he doesn't have his eye on sureing things up, things are only going to get worse.

[fatboyuk]

C'mon the Pool.

Hopefully this year will bring back the memories of the mighty 1980s when no one could touch us, ah how I remember the days.

Lets make Bob Paisley proud :)

When yooooooooooou waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalk through a stoooooooooooooooooooorm hold your heead up hiiiiiiiiiigh :D

[Martyn]

C'mon the Pool.

Hopefully this year will bring back the memories of the mighty 1980s when no one could touch us, ah how I remember the days.

Lets make Bob Paisley proud :)

When yooooooooooou waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalk through a stoooooooooooooooooooorm hold your heead up hiiiiiiiiiigh :D

YNWA :D

[fatboyuk]

YNWA :D

Amen brother!!

[FaRSightxc2]

YNWA :D

Was a few fans at spurs singing that to Keane a few weeks ago 'You'll never score a goal' lmao

[NightCrawler.]

Liverpool fans, don't shoot the messenger but I have been informed by the all-knowing that the form will end soon.

:p

[Martyn]

Liverpool fans, don't shoot the messenger but I have been informed by the all-knowing that the form will end soon.

:p

Shouldn't you be worrying about your own team?

[fatboyuk]

Liverpool fans, don't shoot the messenger but I have been informed by the all-knowing that the form will end soon.

:p

Is that in late night email exchanges with Mr Ferguson?? :D :D

[FaRSightxc2]

SSN just reported Gallas has had a paddy saying fights occured in the goons dressing room against spurs.

From the horses mouth:

Arsenal captain William Gallas has called for the team's coveted young stars to toughen up and accept that having the stomach for a fight is just as important as silky skill if they want to win the Premier League title.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Gallas raised concerns that Arsenal's highly rated youngsters may not always have shown the necessary bite when it mattered this season. He also revealed there have been recent arguments among team members on and off the pitch.

"We have to understand that to be champions, you have to play big matches every weekend and fight," Gallas told the AP. "We are coming up against teams who are not scared to play football against us, who are not scared to take us on at our place, and this is becoming dangerous for Arsenal."

Arsenal lost its fourth game of the season ? and its second at home after being unbeaten at the Emirates last season ? 2-0 to Aston Villa last weekend, putting the Gunners already nine points behind Chelsea and Liverpool in the title race.

"We are not brave enough in battle. I think we need to be soldiers. We have to be warriors," Gallas said. "There are teams who can do it well against us, and we have to be able to face up to these attacks.

"That is how they will forge their character, and how they will get experience. Even though they've played a certain number of matches, they're still young and still learning," Gallas added.

Friction is creeping into the squad and Gallas says he sometimes feels out of touch.

Revealing for the first time how he broke up an argument when Arsenal drew 4-4 with bitter rival Tottenham, Gallas also said some Arsenal players were insulted by their own teammate during another match.

Gallas said he is speaking out because "there are things that can't be said and can't be tolerated" and because he is fed up with taking the majority of criticism because he wears the captain's armband.

Gallas was criticized for a show of petulance last season when Arsenal conceded a late penalty against Birmingham. He feels it was justified at the time, but that the criticism has unfairly carried over into this season.

One incident this season greatly upset the France defender.

"When, as captain, some players come up to you and talk to you about a player ... complaining about him ... and then during the match you speak to this player and the player in question insults us," Gallas said. "There comes a time where we can no longer comprehend how this can happen."

Gallas would not reveal the player's name, although he said the incident occurred during an attacking phase of play.

"I am trying to defend myself a bit without giving names. Otherwise I'm taking it all (the blame). It's very frustrating," he said. "I'm 31, the player is six years younger than me."

Gallas also broke up an argument in the Arsenal changing rooms during the halftime interval against Spurs. Arsenal went on to throw away victory after leading 4-2 with just minutes remaining.

"There was a problem at halftime," Gallas said. "The only thing that I could say at halftime was 'Guys, we resolve these problems after the match, not at halftime.'"

Gallas says Arsenal's young stars are not guaranteed to emulate Manchester United's golden generation ? when David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville all broke through from the youth ranks ? just on talent alone.

"They can have (the same success). The problem is that the Manchester youngsters have been through something, they have won something," Gallas said. "

Big contracts ? which Arsenal's teenage players have now, and United's starlets waited years for ? may be a factor. "That makes the difference, perhaps. You can rest on your laurels, that's for sure," Gallas said, adding that eulogies over the team's future potential masks the fact that Arsenal are not winning anything.

Having won two league titles with Chelsea, Gallas is desperate for a trophy.

"I have to win something this year. I have to win something, Arsenal has to win something," Gallas said. "It's four or five years since Arsenal won anything ? 2004 (the league title). That's nearly five years, and that's not good."

Another season without silverware, Gallas said, "would be a kind of failure."

Asked if he would leave the club if Arsenal does not win the title, Gallas kept his options open.

"We will have to see. We don't know what will happen between here and then," he said. "For me the title is not over, it's true that we are nine points behind Chelsea, but you have to be optimistic and you can't give up.

"(Four defeats is) a lot, but it's a long season. I think it will be very tight this year and we will have to hope that Chelsea draw a few games and have a few defeats."

Arsenal travels to play Manchester City on Saturday, and then takes on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge the following week.

Two weeks ago, Arsenal silenced the critics with a 2-1 home win over European champion Manchester United that earned coach Ars?ne Wenger's team rave reviews, but Gallas was horrified to see the performance slip against Villa just one week later.

Wenger has stuck by his policy of nurturing young players despite criticism that he has not spent enough in the transfer market.

"If he's worried, he hides it well," Gallas said of Wenger.

Gallas, however, openly questioned the level of commitment shown against Villa.

"Maybe, against Manchester, it was the whole team that fought for victory," Gallas said. "But when you stop fighting together, there comes a time when the midfield will sink, the defenders, unfortunately, can also sink. That's what happened against Villa."

Arsenal lost the spine of its midfield ? Gilberto Silva (32), Mathieu Flamini (24), Alexander Hleb (27) ? at the end of last season, and a lack of maturity was clinically exposed by Villa.

The north London team took on Villa with Cesc Fabregas (21), Denilson (20), Abou Diaby (22) and Samir Nasri (21) in midfield.

Just goes to show its not just those outside arsenal that are picking up on their lack of fight and physicality.

Unfortunately for Arse, Gallas tends to do as much harm as good by coming out with stuff like this. Talk about a way to unsettle things even more!!

[Crazysah]

What Gallas said is really big. He revealed a lot and he may lost his captaincy with this. He is also planning to leave the club come January. Plus, why the hell would he say it at this time?

[Rappy Veteran]

He's lost the captains armband so he wont be long for Arsenal.

[L3thal Veteran]

What Gallas said is really big. He revealed a lot and he may lost his captaincy with this. He is also planning to leave the club come January. Plus, why the hell would he say it at this time?

Probably because it is real bad and/or because he wants to call out the whole team in public so they can get their act together. Sometimes, you need to call out the whole team indirectly in public to smack some sense into them instead of keeping everything internal.

[Rappy Veteran]

Weird day in the EPL today :laugh:

[ViZioN]

Weird day in the EPL today :laugh:

You got that right!

[FaRSightxc2]

Massive game for UTD kicking off now then. If they win they are still 6 behind Chelsea, but with a game in hand. If they fail to win they are well off the pace.

Perhaps more interesting, if Villa win they will leapfrog over both UTD and Arsenal.

I would love Villa to gain a CL place this year - would blow the 'top four' monopoly out of the water, and make for a much more interesting future in the Pl. O'Neil is an excellent manager, and is really showing his tactical and managerial ability at Villa.

Edited November 22, 2008 by FaRSightxc2

[Rappy Veteran]

Good wins for Spurs and West Ham today (Y)

[Crazysah]

Damn! Arsenal got kicked by City 3-0. Awesome chip goal by Robinho. Hopefully we can bounce back and win our UCL match and gain the momentum needed.

[FaRSightxc2]

Out of the bottom three at last!

Come on you spurs!

[Kralik]

Schuster is hanging by a thread at the Bernabeu as his side continue to stutter in the Primera Division, which once more appears to be under the rule of an electric Barcelona outfit.

Last night's narrow win over Recreativo de Huelva keeps los Merengues within striking distance of their Catalan rivals, if only temporarily, and may well see their German coach live to fight another day.

Any further hiccoughs from here on in could see Schuster ousted, as it is believed the Real board are thought to have revived their interest in a long-term target.

Benitez has been on his former employers' radar ever since leading Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005 - perhaps even earlier, as he led Valencia to a pair of La Liga crowns prior to his England switch.

The Spaniard has rebuffed the Blancos' advances thus far as he is determined to see out his vision at Anfield, which encompasses a complete overhaul of the youth and reserves teams.

And with the Reds currently flying higher than they have ever flown during the last decade in the Premier League, it would be a huge shock if Benitez jumped ship to rejoin Real.

Rafa to Madrid?? Can it happen? I think not.. it will be a grave mistake on his end if he goes forward with this.. Madrid board is really sh***y.. even a winning manager like Capello is not safe!!

In other news..

"I wouldn’t prioritise the Champions League because we are not in December yet and that is only half way through,” Wenger said speaking before the weekend game. “It is still a very long way to go but we know that we have to beat the big teams to stay in the race no matter what happens.

“At the moment you could say yes [Champions League suits us more] but I refuse to believe that overall. I think a good team is a team that has an answer for everything they face.

“We are very young in midfield and upfront but we can learn very quickly. And there is not much time to learn, that is for sure.

“However I must say in the Premier League we face different opposition. When you play a team in the Champions League they are often dominating their championship so they are used to playing. When we face some of the opponents in England their first thought is ‘how can we defend against Arsenal?’ Then, if they have an opportunity, they will hit us hard.

“In the Champions League they are used to attacking other teams. In their Leagues they face the problems we face too. They have to take the game to the opponents too.”

Not so alarming yet.. this news. REASON: it looks we are more or less through to second round.. but if he says the same come Feb and next round.. that would be insane.. aaah.. lets see.. we MUST buy..

btw the last quote.. (“In the Champions League they are used to attacking other teams. In their Leagues they face the problems we face too. They have to take the game to the opponents too.”)

exactly why Arsenal can do well in UCL.. our counter attack is lethal.

But no team has won the trophy with a defence in tatters like ours at the moment.. sadly..

that is why we must get in experience.. in midfield and in defence.. I would even like us to get rid of Almunia and get a top class goalie..

Edited November 24, 2008 by Kralik

[rajputwarrior]

thank god chelsea tied too....

edit: arsenal kind of reminds me of liverpool when we won the CL, so anything can happen. We died in the premiership too that year but managed to win it.

Edited November 24, 2008 by rajputwarrior

[Kralik]

Cesc named new captain!!! :D :happy:

Great news.. I never liked Gallas.. he was an outsider and is a cry baby..

Lost all respect after Birmingham last year.. in many fans eyes and I wouldn't be surprised within the team as well.

Cesc is a winner.. wants to be a champion and gives energy to players around him.. great choice AW!

Now on to the noble task of selling Gallas!!! :p

and going for some silverware..

"It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world,” said Fabregas. “It is a proud moment. I know it's a big responsibility but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential."

[Kralik]

thank god chelsea tied too....

edit: arsenal kind of reminds me of liverpool when we won the CL, so anything can happen. We died in the premiership too that year but managed to win it.

But rajpoot you guys had GREAT defence that year.. it didnt matter much in the final.. but experience did..

I rem my cousin and I were watching that game at his place and he went to bed after first half thinking its over for 'Pool but I stayed up and watched an amazing comeback.. makes you proud to support the best league in the world.. EPL :p

And if we are to emulate any of the teams who won UCL.. we must get experience and defence.

[rajputwarrior]

^ i love how you refuse to spell my name right lol.

you guys will be okay. You have a very young team who are still earning (which is clear to see). I use to be a big arsenal fan when henry (and the rest of the french national side) was there and deep down i always hope its them two battle for top spot (screw chelsea and man u).

good for fabergas though, too bad for gallas, fav arsenal player :(

oh yeah, i missed it. I can't rafa going anywhere, he has said time and time again that he loves in in liverpool and he is finally doing good, even though i am not his biggest fan.