A very happy new year to you and your family. Hope the year brings a trophy or two for us Arsenal fans. Also, I am at my hometown and the cold win is reminding me of those London days. I can’t get away from it, can I.
We are half way through the season with 45 points, sitting at the top in Premier League. Man City were closing up but Sunderland, led by the mighty Granit Xhaka, decided to help us a bit by restricting Pep’s side to a goalless draw.
Chelsea fans were pretty excited, claiming they would win this season with Enzo Maresca, but the club has sacked him already. Maresca’s most cherishing moment of the season would be a 1-1 draw against Arsenal with 10 men, lol. Liverpool are 12 points behind, so they aren’t catching up anytime soon and Aston Villa will do a ‘Emery’ eventually, probably already started with the 4-1 loss to us. Injuries aren’t helping them though.
So, yeah, the second half of the season is a race between Arsenal and Man City. With our involvements in Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA cup, and the injury list growing, Mikel has some tough days ahead but he has spent about a billion GBP to build up two 2 playing XIs with enough back ups / rotation options in each place. We have preferred players in the name of versatility and it will be tested.
We start the year with a game against Bournemouth today away from home. Last season, they beat us both home and away, denied us of 6 important points, started our downfall from the top spot. We shouldn’t forget that, and we I hope the players have some anger about it in them. 5-0 minimum can fix it.
In the team news, both Calafiori and Mosquera are still not available. Rice will be checked before the game. Gabriel is back, MLS can cover the LB position and we have Zubimendi doing the dirty work in midfield these days. We have 5 days before the next game against Liverpool, so we should be okay and can risk everyone available.
See you during the game.
Griffin Park. A pub on every corner of the ground (all owned by nearby Fuller’s brewery?). I once went there for a pre season game against Colchester. A mate had an idea that it would be fun to see a certain Gus Caesar playing for CUFC. It was not, he was as terrible as he was in that Luton final (in 88?). Still, the pubs helped lessen the blow.
Hi Vieira
Reading some of the Spud fan comments, you’d think they turned from zeroes to heroes after yesterday’s second half for doing basic things like trying to fight to overturn a 2 nil HT deficit . All will be well again they insisted. Fuck, what a terrible club. It seemed properly nasty towards the end which was hugely enjoyable. Chalk shit on the Villa off as another club that hates our neighbours. Down and out in N17.
I want to see us take control early today and have an incident/injury free afternoon against a Pompey team with loads of players missing and on a terrible run of form. I expect some serious bus parking before the inevitable happens. Gyok should play and be instructed to be as selfish a bastard as possible. It’ll remind him of his Coventry days. Let Eze run riot too.
KP
El B is frightened of failure – allowing the players to let their hair down isnt in his book. Pompy did come back against Charlton recently but playing Arsenal Ladies would be a chore.
What El B should be saying to the team is ‘I want 11 goals scored today and none in our net’.
Baptism by Bishop , no less
0-1
Nwaneri getting a rare start today. Coupled with Eze they could be a handful.
Ooops
But there is a big gulf between Arsenal and Portsmouth players ,so guess
1-1
normal service resumed
Fuckin OG loving slags
Come on Pompey
A proper club, proper football fans.
Skelly’s form is really worrying. He’s being skinned all the time by some really ordinary players.
the fact that whenever our one-tricker chooses a path he never veers, regardless of the opponent or who’s on the pitch, means that the beautiful game is dead and buried in North London for the foreseeable future…I can just imagine a home alone MA donning a nun’s habit and singing about his favourite things, set pieces and own goals
Kroenkephobe
The cunt can’t coach and improve players. That’s why he is a fraud,
he can spend money though. buying players.
Pompey have the better coach on todays first 45 mins
Watched Villa last night, they are well coached.
Love the way Emery went straight down the tunnel last night after the win , none of this going on the pitch and shaking every cunts hand and waving to everyone in the ground.
Kroenkephobe
The cunt can’t coach and improve players. That’s why he is a fraud,
he can spend money though. buying players.
Pompey have the better coach on todays first 45 mins
Watched Villa last night, they are well coached.
Love the way Emery went straight down the tunnel last night after the win , none of this going on the pitch and shaking every cunts hand and waving to everyone in the ground.
Madueke is a dud . Only good for drawing fouls. Guess the Chelski outcast was got to replace the Giraffe capabilities
the long awaited return of the flopping German is upon us…looks as if he cutback on the juice during his latest injury spell…god fucking help us
it’s only a matter of time before MA figures out a way to have Havertz, Jesus, Merino, Zubi and Rice on the pitch at the same time
Marts has figured it out…the only way he’s going to see the PL pitch from the opening whistle is if he can pot some set piece goals
now that we’ve scored a 4th it’s time for MA to do his charity work with the younger folk
there’s nothing quite like the FA in these 3rd and 4th rounds when there’s still some relative minnows playing PL sides, but this match might be the reason why Portsmouth get relegated come season’s end, as their injury toll might do them in
always good to see us move on to the next round, if for no other reason than it means we get to see all the players in MA’s doghouse…this one was never really in doubt, even when they scored first, because they’re not a good side…that said, I applaud them for their efforts
Being thankful for small mercies…
We won a 3rd round game
We played in red
Martinelli’s hat trick.
Good to see Fratton Park bouncing. Agree with you Art that it’s a proper club with history. They were untouchable in the late 40s when Ingerland needed a post war fillip.