Arsenal fans

[dww]

To be honest I couldn't believe the commentary yesterday and the blatant Arse-licking.

They crumbled yet again and their defending for both goals was atrocious. You know if this had been us, Gray and the rest of the gibbons would've stuck the boot in. But for Arsenal? No chance. "They've played so well, what a testament to their fantastic character!"

What the ****?

They did okay to a point but seldom looked like scoring. These cunts are on a mission to protect Wenger, to protect Arsenal. Their gash defending was briefly touched upon and quickly forgotten. It's unbelievable.

For a different perspective to some other commentators, Lee Dixon has written an article on the BBC site:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8503280.stm

I think that Wenger has done a great PR job talking to people in the press and being very open with them and along with the fact that he plays the sort of football that is easy on the eye keeps him very safe.

I've said before that I think both Wenger and Rafa are doing pretty much as well as could be expected of managers asked to compete on many fronts with less resources than the top teams in the league. Both teams probably need an injection of at least a couple of top, experienced players to be favourites to win the league or CL. It doesn't look like it will be happening for either so to compete seriously for top honours is to some degree an over achievement. It is notable that both clubs hierarchies are using similar terms in interviews about the way the clubs are structured - talking about player accounts that are separate from other finances, managers not spending everything available to them etc.

That's not to say that either manager should be free of criticism. I think both have made mistakes but it is rare that I see anyone come up with genuine well thought out critiques of any insight let alone anything more constructive.

[MrsB]

From Phil McNulty's blog:

… Wenger's assessment of Terry was one of his better moments in an after-match briefing that was at best wildly optimistic and at worst delusional. Amid damning this vastly-superior Chelsea side with churlish faint praise - "we didn't get a demonstration of football but they were efficient" - Wenger somehow reached the conclusion that Arsenal were actually the better team.

Not quite sure what the French for "poppycock" is, but Wenger is in serious denial if he believes this to be the case. He quoted statistics about possession and about how Chelsea's greater experience allows them to know where and when to commit fouls. Like his Arsenal team, Wenger will have to do much better than that.

Wenger's flawed analysis was surgically dissected by Ancelotti. "Maybe they did have more possession, but football is about attack, defence, keeping possession when you need to - and results," he responded. "You can't just speak about possession. You have attack, defence, counter attack and keeping results. That is football." Touché.

And here is one statistic Ancelotti will be happy to offer up as evidence that Chelsea's way is preferable to Arsenal's - namely the aggregate score of 5-0 in the two meetings between the teams this season.

Wenger's apparent satisfaction at Arsenal's performance was betrayed somewhat by his heated touchline behaviour. He was ticking from the opening seconds, responding to the offer of a coat from a member of his backroom team by throwing it on the floor and later kicking it in a moment of fury, barely letting up for the whole afternoon. Wenger was as energetic as any of his players.

For all his sugar-coated offerings, such as "our spirit was great and our performance was great" (not really Arsene), Wenger is kidding only himself. There was barely a moment when Chelsea were not in total control of the game, either in defence or attack.

And coming on the back of Arsenal's dismantling by Manchester United at the Emirates, this latest defeat completed a chastening seven days for Wenger, who has seen all his words of optimism put in context by two of the clubs he hopes to overhaul this season.

If a moment summed up the gulf between the sides, it came in the closing moments when Drogba tumbled in a tussle with Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard held his outstretched hand high and low towards referee Mike Dean in an attempt to illustrate how it was physically impossible for him to bring the striker to the floor, such is the differing statures.

Fabregas could have been offering a commentary on the game. It was almost an unwitting admission that this was men against boys. If Arsenal summoned up all their collective strength to land a punch on Chelsea, it is hard to see them even forcing a blink.

Chelsea may not have won many marks from Wenger for artistic impression, but their brand of powerful play and attacking variety stands more chance of success than the current Arsenal template, built around wispy, lightweight artists.

Drogba and Chelsea prefer the direct route to goal, whereas you get the impression that it does not actually enter the heads of some Arsenal players to take a shot at goal when they can make another pretty, but utterly pointless, pass.

Wenger will cling to the belief that Arsenal can somehow make up the nine-point gap between themselves and the top of the table, starting against Liverpool this week, but it is a diminishing prospect.

And amid the general gloom, of wider concern for Arsenal and England was the non-event that was Theo Walcott's performance. It was no surprise when he was substituted after 63 minutes, looking light years away from the player who terrorised Croatia with a hat-trick in Zagreb in England's World Cup qualifying campaign. …

[RedReet]

Thought the same thing, it's unreal. Literally everything he hits against us flies in.

6 shots, 5 goals apparently.

[Chrono]

From Phil McNulty's blog:

Ouch!

[wiw]

They said on the Guardian footie podcast Arsenal's record against Utd and Chelsea in the last 9 is

W 0 D 1 L 8

Scored something like 9 and conceded something like 23. Crazy

[Exiled_red]

To be honest I couldn't believe the commentary yesterday and the blatant Arse-licking.

They crumbled yet again and their defending for both goals was atrocious. You know if this had been us, Gray and the rest of the gibbons would've stuck the boot in. But for Arsenal? No chance. "They've played so well, what a testament to their fantastic character!"

What the ****?

They did okay to a point but seldom looked like scoring. These cunts are on a mission to protect Wenger, to protect Arsenal. Their gash defending was briefly touched upon and quickly forgotten. It's unbelievable.

But they play attractive football so none of that matters