Arsenal Post Match Thread

[murder_inc]

I was suggesting that we were selling club not long time ago.

We can say anything we want about our new owners but imo they did superb job since they took over.

Weird isnt it. What a difference a year can make.
I thought Arsenal were pretty well off though so thats a strange one with them selling some of there top players and not bringing in replacements.
Surely something is wrong there.

[Craig_H]

It's just Wenger's philosophies and stubborness. They have the cash. He just chooses to spend it on 17 year old unproven wingers, rather than what they actually need.

Brilliant, isnt it?

Wenger must stay!!!

[murder_inc]

To be fair to him, I think at times he makes some reasonable comments, but when his hormones are out of kilter he makes some daft comments and mindlessly tries to justify them.

****ing teenage girls hey.

[murder_inc]

It's just Wenger's philosophies and stubborness. They have the cash. He just chooses to spend it on 17 year old unproven wingers, rather than what they actually need.

Brilliant, isnt it?

Wenger must stay!!!

Ive always had a grudging respect for them though since they pipped us to the title in 89 and they were the filths main rivals for 10 years too so I always rooted for them but now city are in the mix, **** Arsenal and **** Wenger. Hope they get 5th and we nick there spot. Think 3 places are gonna be taken up with the filth, chavs and city filth so its dog eat dog for that 4th place.

[Mostar]

Weird isnt it. What a difference a year can make.
I thought Arsenal were pretty well off though so thats a strange one with them selling some of there top players and not bringing in replacements.
Surely something is wrong there.

I think Craig is correct that lot of this has to do with Wenger and his unequivocal and stubborn approach of trying to win the league with young talented players only.

I also do think that some of the money from sale of players will be earmarked to be used to pay down the stadium debt but most of funds should be available to Arsene if he wants to.

[Craig_H]

Yep, it's us, Arsenal and maybe Spurs, all fighting it out for 4th.

Just noted as well, along with yesterday and back in February, we've had more possession than Arsenal for both of our last 2 trips to the Emirates - how many teams can say that?

King Kenny

[dww]

I think poor is extremely harsh. It certainly wasn’t one of his best games, and he definitely looks a bit leg weary but overall I thought he done ok. He let Nasri get by him to easily a few times and was unable to keep up with him, but as I said I don’t think he is 100% yet. I’d need to watch the game again and for some reason it didn’t record again on LFC TV this morning, but I do remember him making 4 or 5 good tackles earlier in the game that went completely unnoticed. That’s always been a problem with fans perception of Lucas, they overlook the good far too often and focus purely on the bad. He won ten tackles during the game, 1 less than Ramsey, Nasri and Frimpong combined and formed part of a defensive unit that barely gave Arsenal a sniff. Bar them couple of times when he couldn’t keep up with the runner from midfield, I can’t remember him doing much else wrong.

I think Lucas is an excellent player and should be judged by those standards. Given how good he is I think it is fair to say it was a poor performance. I take your point though that he was still better than many other players. I think you are being over defensive of him.

I also think it’s a bit of an insult to Kenny and the players to say it wasn’t a good performance. Obviously I wasn’t in the dressing room to hear Kenny’s words but I imagine the players gave him pretty much what he asked for. I fully expect that he didn’t tell the players to go out gung-ho and take the game to Arsenal but to keep things tight, keep Arsenal quiet and try to nick a goal. I also think we fully deserved the win and were good value for the 3 points, so can’t accept that an away win in a ground we’ve never won at is anything but a good performance.

I think before the sending off the games was drifting towards a draw. I don't think 11 vs 11 we deserved to win even if I'd accept the argument that we had been the better side. It wasn't a bad performance but we will have to be better than that regularly to get a top 4 position. Arsenal are a decent team but it was one of the weaker one we will have faced there in the last decade and the injuries during the game didn't help them either.

I'm not quite sure how mild criticism is insulting to be honest.

[Craig_H]

It's not insulting mate, not to me anyway or [royhodgson]any fair-minded person[/royhodgson].

I think, if anyone deserved to win (even prior to the red card), it was us - Pepe had one real save to make, whereas we actually forced their keeper into making about 5 or 6 saves, from genuine chances - as well as the two which actually went in (granted the first wasnt really entirely of our own making)

But to go away to Arsenal, under any circumstances, and force their keeper to make as many saves as he had to make, while Pepe only had to make one, is impressive IMO. Nobody's really going to go there and just dominate them - but we controlled it IMO and were always looking the more likely to score.

[murder_inc]

It's not insulting mate, not to me anyway or [royhodgson]any fair-minded person[/royhodgson].

I think, if anyone deserved to win (even prior to the red card), it was us - Pepe had one real save to make, whereas we actually forced their keeper into making about 5 or 6 saves, from genuine chances - as well as the two which actually went in (granted the first wasnt really entirely of our own making)

But to go away to Arsenal, under any circumstances, and force their keeper to make as many saves as he had to make, while Pepe only had to make one, is impressive IMO. Nobody's really going to go there and just dominate them - but we controlled it IMO and were always looking the more likely to score.

Are you talking about the shot that was going wide anyway craig or the shot that should never have been after the blatant foul on Agger?

I completely agree though, we controlled them and I also think maybe wenger was right not signing a keeper. I never saw the Newcastle game so I dont know how Szczesny got on, but I seen most of the Udinese game and obviously yesterday. I think they have a cracking keeper there if he can keep his form. I know its took him a while but he is starting to look like a decent keeper and he's only 21 so he's got years left in him.

[RedReet]

I think Lucas is an excellent player and should be judged by those standards. Given how good he is I think it is fair to say it was a poor performance. I take your point though that he was still better than many other players. I think you are being over defensive of him.

I don’t see how me pointing out the positive influence he had on the game is any different from you and others pointing out the mistakes he made, bar the fact that I feel the good heavily outweighs the bad.

I think before the sending off the games was drifting towards a draw. I don't think 11 vs 11 we deserved to win even if I'd accept the argument that we had been the better side. It wasn't a bad performance but we will have to be better than that regularly to get a top 4 position. Arsenal are a decent team but it was one of the weaker one we will have faced there in the last decade and the injuries during the game didn't help them either.

I'm not quite sure how mild criticism is insulting to be honest.

With or without the sending off, Suarez coming on was always going to make a difference. I said before the game that I expect us to keep it tight for about 60 minutes, then bring Suarez on and hope to nick a goal. Many people said when they seen the team sheet that we were set up not to lose, and we never did look like losing, so in my eyes it’s job done. Even if we hadn’t have scored I’d still have seen it as a decent performance and I’m sure Kenny would have taken a draw before the game. Bar maybe Kuyt, I haven’t seen a solid case for any of our players not playing well, so if they all played well individually and we got a great result, I fail to see how it was a poor performance (albeit they weren't your words ).

[Craig_H]

Are you talking about the shot that was going wide anyway craig or the shot that should never have been after the blatant foul on Agger?

I completely agree though, we controlled them and I also think maybe wenger was right not signing a keeper. I never saw the Newcastle game so I dont know how Szczesny got on, but I seen most of the Udinese game and obviously yesterday. I think they have a cracking keeper there if he can keep his form. I know its took him a while but he is starting to look like a decent keeper and he's only 21 so he's got years left in him.

Yeah, the one which was a clear foul but Atkinson didnt give it and Pepe got his foot to RvP's shot, to divert it wide.

The Pingpong shot was going wide i think, but Pepe saved it - so ok, Arsenal forced 2 saves out of him

Szczesny is good but he is a kid and no team in my memory has made a serious title challenge without a good, experienced top drawer keeper - Szczesny isnt that yet.

[Daniel 7]

Which is why it seems so strange the De Gea signing. I know Mr Ferguson said he was taking a chance after deciding against Cech years ago, but Man Utd have a habit of breaking goalkeepers. Remember poor old Jim Leighton.

[RichC]

Interesting point about the keepers, you do wonder if De Gae might cost them a few points this season, having a seasoned keeper is a big piece of a championship winning side - be interesting to see how it pans out for him there.

[RedReet]

Yeah, the one which was a clear foul but Atkinson didnt give it and Pepe got his foot to RvP's shot, to divert it wide.

The Pingpong shot was going wide i think, but Pepe saved it - so ok, Arsenal forced 2 saves out of him

Szczesny is good but he is a kid and no team in my memory has made a serious title challenge without a good, experienced top drawer keeper - Szczesny isnt that yet.

Cech was only 22 when signed and Chelsea won back-to-back titles in his first two years. Casillas only 19 I think when he won La Liga and Valdes was still pretty young when winning his first title.

[Craig_H]

Clearly my memory is ****ter than i though

They are obviously rare exceptions to the rule though, generally it's not a common occurance