Right, we are out of Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but not everything is lost. We are 11 points clear of Man City in Premier League and we can take that lead to 12 points if we beat Bournemouth today. City do have 2 games in hand, but if they win both, we will still have a 6 point lead with only 6 games left for the season. In Champions League, we have a 1-0 advantage against Sporting and the second leg is at home. If we managed to get at least a draw, we will be playing Atletico (most likely) in the semi finals. I would rather play Atletico than Flick’s Barcelona.
The chance of lifting a trophy is still a possibility. And a win today will improve that possibility even more. Bournemouth are sitting in the bottom half of the table, and I hope we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot today.
Playing XI is out and I still don’t understand what has gotten into Arteta’s mind.
Why is Martinelli in the playing XI when you have Hincapie available. It’s not the time to be concerned about the injuries, because a loss in any of the games could mean a title. I’m OK with rest of the selection, Eze could have played ahead of Havertz but I’m not sure how much of his fitness is back.
I don’t understand the fact that we spend more than 250m on midfielders (Rice, Zubimendi, Norgaard, Havertz, Odegaard) and yet, we always have 2 DM-profile players and an option to choose from a non-performing Odegaard with a out-of-form Havertz. Anyway, that shouldn’t be a problem for a team sitting on 1st, playing against a bottom half team I suppose.
We need to win today. Man City has to visit Chelsea tomorrow and though I don’t have much confidence in Chelsea beating them, anything can happen. In last 3 seasons, we have always been the favorites going into last 7-8 games but have given it away. There are 7 games left, and 7 test of whether we have learned something over the years.
Right, game starts in an hour. See ya.
I sometimes lose sight of the fact that LiR is a stimulating forum in which to hone our collective creative writing skills (well, let me qualify that by saying say perhaps 80 % of us; the remainder being proponents of media generated truisms and dull lacklustre prose).
Despite football supposedly being a strictly non-fiction forum, we’re most privileged to read each other’s oeuvre on Arsenal with whom we all have long and largely different relationships, albeit with the club as the common strand.
Aitcho – do you play cricket? I’m still trying to and it’s fucking brilliant. I’m in and out of a team in west Wales but am always there ready and/or helping out. We have women players and lads from other countries plus a group of ex players, kids and family members who commune every Saturday afternoon for up to 80 overs worth of laughs, drinks, togetherness and life enrichment. Cricket is less frenetic, less cold and less shouty/sweaty than footie and therefore a welcome antidote. I think your kids are younger than mine and you’re still working but give it a go. Important to find a club with like minded people and the type of social group that suits (the banter, for want of a much better word, is positively crackling at the club with some textbook piss taking) . 4 Gooners in our team which is rare for somewhere so far west, no spuds, and a former professional footballer who’s a great character. There’s even a duck suit for the highest batter that gets out scoreless. No over estimation to say it’s made a vast improvement in life quality.
KP – Cricket is a great game but you need plenty of time on your hands. As you hail from Gillingham you may remember a local player when you were young. My uncle Tom was a Kent second 11 player (he could have been a first eleven if my aunt had allowed him to – in those days they needed to find work as there were no full time contracted players – not even Deadly Derek and Knotty). Tom would often make the sports page of the Kent Messenger with headlines such as ‘Robson stars again’. He was a Botham type of player – fast bowler and batted and No.3.
I was useless with a bat but could spin a ball.
Nice one NORG. The Kent side in the late 60s/early 70s was pretty strong iirc. Knott the Wicket keeper, spinner Derek Underwood and Luckhurst the batter. Always up there is thereabouts.
Agree fully that cricket needs time but some of these geezers I play with are really rather good and very watchable. 2 maximum points wins out of 2 so far
My peripatetic career meant I only played in the rarest of places. Ethiopia against some rastas, Argentina in a league and Mexico of all places. One of my regrets in life is not having been able to play more.
Any thoughts about the WH game on Sunday? It’s all about ‘ze mental strength’ for me as old chihuahua head used to say.
AF—he’s little more than a trolling cunt who couldn’t drum up any interest on a like-minded blog so he went to the one place that he felt he couldn’t be ignored…this wannabe fuck would rather take a hundred cuts of a knife than have to hear that pin drop again whenver he would post his usual self-serving tripe…now I’m off to Budapest to meet with the King…thankfully my pal Musk has graciously allowed me to use his time machine on occasion
KP – a couple of guys who used to work for me are season ticket holders at the London Stadium. They believe they are for the drop this season based on the play till now. They are predicting a 3-0 drubbing and muttered under their breath that we should be Champions. WHU fans all hate Spurs more than they hate us. Even if we step off the gas (not that we have been setting the world alight this season) their prediction seems achievable – but one never knows.
TRVL
These KSE slags have infiltrated, they want total and absolute control.
Control of the game, the tickets, merchandise, burgeoning womens game, MSM, blogs, tv rights and the most important of all the narrative and thats why these slags/plants persist with their toxic positivity and utter bollocks.
KSE want no dissent, no protests, no criticism of the moronic cunt , they just want the sheep to keep shelling out buying the tat and tickets.
And I am not wrong to call the cunt a moronic cunt , because he is a 100% one and should have never been given the cunting job.
Before these KSE cunts came along, anyone and everyone could buy a share , buy a load of them and hold these cunts to account at the AGM.
Not now, they own the fucking lot.
And they dont want to share, they want the fuckin lot, all of our booty all for themselves.
Its fuckin immoral and they need people to call the greedy no good cunts out.
NORG
West Ham need to play like Everton this week and not Fulham.
They need to rattle Rice and go for red cards and pens.
Our cunts deserve fuck all. Bunch of cunts
And they owe one us after what the late great big Willie Young did to Paul Allen
RIP Willie.
Willie Young was never our best CB but he had a cult following. The worst CB that I can remember is Ian Ure.
It is a wonder we still have our two main CB as El B wanted to get rid of both. Gabriel was an Edu signing from Lille and Saliba had been on our radar for sometime. Not El B’s signings so he didnt want them – luckily Josh backed Edu.
NORG
Didn’t know that about Gabriel
Not surprised.
But, I do know this moronic cunt treated Saliba like you treat shit on your shoe.
These 2 slags/KSE
plants will of course fuckin lie and deny it and say it was part of some sort of master plan.
What was it, trust the fucking process?
Fuck off, I trust my eyes and instincts.
Willie was a genuine competitor, not quite Bobby Moore or Colin Todd but a better player than Pablo Mari even at 70, who this cunt preferred over Saliba.
He loved the Arsenal depsite coming from Spurs.
My reading of the saliba situation is that Arteta first got it wrong and 2nd got very lucky.
The first time I saw Saliba play I likened him to Rio Ferdinand , though his heading was a little suspect.
I was amazed that Arteta let him go on loan to Marseille for 2 seasons, especially as he was far and away our best centre back at the time.
Arteta then got lucky as on Saliba’s return, Ben White who was playing centre back at the time picked up an injury in pre season and this opened the door for Saliba to come in and he never looked back.
Arteta should take no credit for saliba being such a success , if Ben White hadn’t picked up an injury I doubt we would have seen Saliba make the breakthrough.
The numpties on here are of the impression that I think the sun shines out of Arteta’s arse which couldn’t be further from the truth.
There have been a number of occasions when I have voiced my displeasure at Arteta’s treatment of certain players , talking about martinez, ozil , smith Rowe, Aubamayang and a few others .
At present I didn’t agree with Nwaneri going out on loan and again he may have got lucky with Skelly as Zubimendi’s drop off allowed Skelly the chance to play in midfield and that one decision has turned our season around.
Of course me being a balanced supporter I totally recognise how Arteta has elevated the Arsenal to a top 4 club in Europe and trophies will come as it a natural progression as we are now the most profitable club in the country , meaning we can attract the best players , plus the players we sell will be sold in the main at a profit so the club has a fantastic opportunity to dominate domestic football if we get over the line this season..
Ufraud
“Willie young not quite a Bobby Moore or Colin todd”
Do me a favour , Willie young wasn’t fit to lace Bobby Moore’s boots, he was more Terry Mancini’s level though Gus Caesar was probably the worst cb I’ve seen in an Arsenal shirt…Peter Simpson is the most underrated
Both Gabriel and Saliba seem content with their lot at Arsenal. You’re just making things up because you’re happier being angry at Tets for making you look like mugs.
Why not try to enjoy the wins like these cheerful ladies? This is what proper supporters look like, nit angry old Farts.
https://youtube.com/shorts/wYJe1mK1l2A?si=qL6d6rtb7cEN-ETc
Achoo is a fraud
Half pint Vera is a role player supporter with no charisma and no Arsenal friends..
If I had a Japanese reggae sound system, I’d also name it after a cool.football club. Big ups to Arsenal Japan. I bet they enjoyed Tuesday night
https://youtu.be/V7WnuoHy6tM?si=jWREQHEwbv0LXiBf
Wicksy, nobody thinks the sun shines out of Arteta’s arse.
It’s a lazy trope the Anti-Tets nutters need to.fuel their rage. Those clown wouldn’t even concede that Arteta has progressed the club and is in fact quite good at his job
They just think Tets is a cunt and that’s the end of it. Almost Cult like.
If De Zerbi hadn’t been sacked, Nwaneri’s loan could have continued the way it started. It’s been unfortunate.
Of the players you mentioned Auba and Ozil, and I loved Ozil, deserved to the boot. They wouldn’t have taken the piss at Manu or Manc, Wenger was way too indulgent
Emi, I’m on the fence but he couldn’t get guarantees and it was for him personally, it didn’t seem like a personality issue.
While ESR hasn’t pulled up any trees since he left, he didn’t seem to get a fair crack with us either unless it was in some hairbrained set up when Tets was still trying to be too clever.
While crediting him with saving Tets job as I’ve seen from time to time, may be a little dramaticz there’s no doubt his purple patch was one of the few bright spots in those dreary times. He also proved a bit of a secret weapon for me in FF.
He was also part of us getting back to inventive songs. It felt like we didn’t have any original songs for ages, Saka and Emile Smith Rowe was the vibe at the time.
Ian Ure built a terrible reputation at Arsenal in a very short space of time. But…what about these more recent signings in the same Bailliewick as Gus Caesar.
Michael Sylvester
Igors Stepanovs
Sebastian Squillaci
Rob Holding
David Luiz
Phillipe Senderos
Jeff Blockley from the 70s.
With Andre Silva and Oleg Luzhny as full backs
nobody thinks the sun shines out of Arteta’s arse
Aitcho, there’s hope for you yet mate. 😆
We all watch Arsenal avidly and tomorrow will be no exception. More than ever, the team he picks needs to be laser focussed on winning right from the off. Mixing up the play, getting Gyokeres up against their back 4 with supporting runners and physicality. The players have the natural ability, fitness and confidence to beat the aging and demoralised Hammers who aren’t suited to that massive pitch of their’s. Our squad is far superior. They need to take players on, and gamble on moving into space. Some new things up their sleeves at corners and set pieces. Show that extra bit of poise when scoring opportunities crop up.
You soppy KSE cocksucking slag who cant even get a ticket.
He has done actually fuck all of note. Nothing that any other competent coach elsewhere could have done.
Remember Willian, and I am going to win the Champions League in 3 fucking seasons.
He has been there six fucking years , been given a billion to spend, mostly on Chelsea cack and we still play fuckin dismal football.
I would say Frank Lampard taking a club like Coventry City in his first full season to the first Division Championship is a far greater achievement than if this cunt wins the league after 6 years and a billion
Or McInnes at Hearts in Scotland
This moronic cunt only got the job because of KSE
No KSE = no cunt
Now fuck off all out of here and buy some more tat and make them billionaire cunts even richer and yourself poorer.
KSE plant.
Rot.
KP
Some list – I had forgotten how bad we were at purchasing CB’s. We did have a period when our back 4 + Keown were the best ever as a unit.
Aitchoo – dig deeper and you will find the truth. Perhaps you could take a trip to Columbus – Stans annual BBQ is just around the corner.