Football

Well played Liverpool. Hard done by on the first goal, offside and a horrific OG. But down to 10 men and then trying to get the goal back, we were wide open, and Suarez is a hard man to keep out.

Stupid from Manny.

Tom was the best player on the pitch, Carrol looked poor the whole game (touch, out muscled, out jumped) Suarez looks much more threatening. Enrique bossed Theo, was very impressed with him, looks to be good business.

Pole in the goal, I think looks like a real deal, and we could finally have a keeper to contend with the best (Reina, Cech etc).

3 players sent off in 2 games is madness, coupled with our injuries, I think most squads would be stretched at this point. Andrei couldn't get involved, and RVP was easy pickings for Carra and Agger.

I still think we are 4-5 players short.

in fairness my Nan could boss Theo, and RVP had no service. Liverpool looked better than last season and only won because we didn't get men forward but i was happy with that. the atmosphere good - the boo boys going on about Wenger spending money got shut up by the real fans and we saw a glimpse of some real quality. Frimpong has enough to keep Song out the first 11 - give him a season, Jenkinson was sharp and good going forward and Miguel is a class act, unlucky with the OG but it wasn't his fault.

I would have been happy with a draw, but Ramsey struggled to get a foot on it, Arshavin and Walcott were pointless, if those three had better days we would have taken 3 points today.

We are in a bad way for Utd but this is a team that needs to bed down before we can start making the chances we used to, we are going to start bad and get worse before it picks up and we need luck with injuries but if we end the season with 4 or 5 star players from the youth set up as first names on the team sheet we are actually doing what Wenger set out to do and building a squad of quality players. 6 years gone what harm is one or two more if the end result is a core of great players - england players - that want to play for the club and want to play for each other.. Pisti will have closed the thread a good few times by then but i'll open a new one just to gloat

chelsea look dull. but we've just spent 20 mins giving the ball away. come on lads pass it properly and this lot are for the taking

they are dull...

Sorry Pip, but you're living in cloud cuckoo land if you think this current Arsenal team is anything but average.

Wenger's youth experiment has failed and he's not the type of person to admit failure. The board need to force his hand, and ensure he buys the 3 or 4 experienced players the team desperately needs by the end of the month or they show him the door.

P4 W4

12 points closer to safety.

day-moe, whats the points target for Derby to ensure championship football next season?
Just so I know when you get there, and you turn and start looking to the playoff's or god forbid, automatic promotion..

50 points is fairly safe in the championship

wenger seems to be too big at Arsenal. You've let your manager become some sort of Guru who all but cntrols everything in the club. All very well when they win things but pretty bad situation to be in when you aren't competing. From what I can tell, pro Wenger Arsenal fans have 2 basic arguments 1) He was good and he made arsenal into a good team in the past, look what he did for us (all past tense) 2) Show him some respect he has been here for a long time.
Neither of those are a case against dismissal. Wenger did make you into a great team but he has also singlehandedly overseen your change from being the club that could win the domestic double and potential champions league winners to possible top 4 candidates. You have gone from sacrificing trophies as long as you play a stylish game, to playing stylish every now and then. As a club that is your choice but don't blame players for leaving if they actually want to win things.
Wenger has also spent 15 years being the biggest loser and cry baby whinging moaning twat which has lost him all sympathy from the rest of the footballing public. He has always been the one top manager that fergie, Mourinho et al could easily out psyche and wind up. If Arsenal can't see it is time for him to go then that's just good news for the rest of us.

That was appalling. Totally lackluster. Referee was poor as well.

36 games to go. We had better start playing soon.

Arsenal hahaha. Liverpool were crap too. Everton hahaha.

Why didn't we turn the screw and beat you? we were appalling after the first 30 mins. kept giving you the ball, inviting you onto us and the inevitable happened. I can't believe how many long balls we pumped up to the front two. Hodgson is really starting to get on my tits again with this 442 formation nonsense.

Shane Long, looked really good, surprised more premiership teams didn't make a bid for him.

Seems strikers from the championship are viewed as dodgy goods, until a smaller league takes a punt on them, they prove they can score goals in premiership, better funded premiership squad pays bigger money to buy them..

wouldn't it just be more effective to take the punt yourself, rather than buy striker from foreign lands who may/may not adjust to the premiership, or be good enough..

Would like more teams to take a punt on championship strikers.

Clint, when you get Odemwingie and Long up front you'll score against most teams in the premiership..

The answer to your question, as always, is David Nugent.

what Jaw said

yep, but for every Nugent, there's a Kevin Doyle or a Shane Long, or a Tim Cahill (know he's not a striker, but he is a championship player whose come good in the Prem).

The answer to your question, as always, is David Nugent.

Nugent was never exactly prolific in the Championship though.

Shane Long was a bit of a weird one too as prior to last season he'd never really done much. Looks like he's going to be a good signing for the Baggies though.

In other news, we're still shit.

Oh Christ. FatSam's starting with Championship Cole and 5 midfielders.

Regardless of current league position (which I know is no indicator at this stage of proceedings) Leeds worry me.

Right, that's it - I'm going to criticise Cole every time he's mentioned on the team sheet!

Sorry Pip, but you're living in cloud cuckoo land if you think this current Arsenal team is anything but average.

Wenger's youth experiment has failed and he's not the type of person to admit failure. The board need to force his hand, and ensure he buys the 3 or 4 experienced players the team desperately needs by the end of the month or they show him the door.

With the exception of Utd who have brought through some great young players, Arsenals youth system has been fantastic, his biggest downfall was not holding on to players like Edu, Gilberto, Pires, Flamini and Hleb for just that extra season. his routine stripping of the maturity in the squad leaves our youth exposed, Utds aren't so and come through without the pain.

Gibbs, Lansbury, Wilshire, Oxy-Chambermaid, Walcott (sadly), Eastmond, Frimpong and Bartley are all great young british players - and future core of our team and most likely the england team (when we last great it was the French team), I'd be very surprised if Wilshire was not England captain in 5-6 years, but bear in mind it took 9 years to get Wilshire through the ranks to his current place in the team.

Those that have risen above us have blown transfer budgets and wage structures to get there, what ever new manager comes in wont be given carte blanche to do the same to Arsenal and the fact is the board love Wenger as much as they love their bottom line, so he wont be going anywhere.

We do need a seasoned player but Wengers mastery of the transfer market has been understood and adopted by bigger spenders leaving him missing out on deal after deal. now he has gone like my Dad and is obsessed with getting something better for cheaper.

I want to see Rice out and a bad ass coach in to drive some backbone into the kids, then spend money on Baines, Vertonghen, Hazard and Doyle. we desperately need a goal scorer but putting Theo as an out and out striker and bringing Afobe in would solve that imo

Very happy with yesterdays result :)
Didn't watch the game as we were visiting friends on the coast. Going to watch the hilights now if I can find them. I heard both goals were offside and the red was never a booking

We've apparently failed with a €20million bid for M'Villa.

We don't have the money, and Wenger consistently gets Champions League football, which is what the board are interested in. This is why he doesn't leave, much less to do with sentiment, he is also on a contract that extends for another 2 seasons, and a pay off is too expensive. Not that I want him to leave.

I don't believe Hazard will be available, we've missed out on Mata, Valbuena, Gonzalez, Jones, Herrera, Jadson, M'Villa. Seems its a case of not striking early enough/not having the available funds.

To quote MrO "Dirty Leeds."

Anybody got a sopcast link for the City game?

My usual one is dead

Bit late, but: sop://broker.sopcast.com:3912/106723 - Sky Sports 1 in 1480 Kbps

spotted.. both running in Battersea Park

Cornelius Blackfoot and Roberto di Matteo (not together)

DO A RUN!

With the exception of Utd who have brought through some great young players, Arsenals youth system has been fantastic, his biggest downfall was not holding on to players like Edu, Gilberto, Pires, Flamini and Hleb for just that extra season. his routine stripping of the maturity in the squad leaves our youth exposed, Utds aren't so and come through without the pain.

Gibbs, Lansbury, Wilshire, Oxy-Chambermaid, Walcott (sadly), Eastmond, Frimpong and Bartley are all great young british players - and future core of our team and most likely the england team (when we last great it was the French team), I'd be very surprised if Wilshire was not England captain in 5-6 years, but bear in mind it took 9 years to get Wilshire through the ranks to his current place in the team.

Those that have risen above us have blown transfer budgets and wage structures to get there, what ever new manager comes in wont be given carte blanche to do the same to Arsenal and the fact is the board love Wenger as much as they love their bottom line, so he wont be going anywhere.

We do need a seasoned player but Wengers mastery of the transfer market has been understood and adopted by bigger spenders leaving him missing out on deal after deal. now he has gone like my Dad and is obsessed with getting something better for cheaper.

I want to see Rice out and a bad ass coach in to drive some backbone into the kids, then spend money on Baines, Vertonghen, Hazard and Doyle. we desperately need a goal scorer but putting Theo as an out and out striker and bringing Afobe in would solve that imo

We've apparently failed with a €20million bid for M'Villa.

We don't have the money, and Wenger consistently gets Champions League football, which is what the board are interested in. This is why he doesn't leave, much less to do with sentiment, he is also on a contract that extends for another 2 seasons, and a pay off is too expensive. Not that I want him to leave.

I don't believe Hazard will be available, we've missed out on Mata, Valbuena, Gonzalez, Jones, Herrera, Jadson, M'Villa. Seems its a case of not striking early enough/not having the available funds.

Wenger's youth experiment has had 6 years to produce end results. How many academy members have become first team regulars at the club? Two? (Wilshere and Scezseny). The rest are sold or loaned out (which isn't a bad policy) but don't win trophies.

It's a lot easier to blood youngsters when there are a spine of seasoned players in the team and you aren't relying on them to perform week in, week out. Fabregas was a phenomenal talent but the amount of pressure put on him was ridiculous for a player of his age and can lead to burn out.

Wenger is 62 soon and you cannot expect all managers to be like Ferguson and keep going on and on, producing winning teams, so the Arsenal board have to have a succession plan in place and must be ready to execute on it. If Udinese win on Wednesday night, and they'll fancy their chances, then the board must act decisively and get rid of Wenger and bring someone new in who can address the glaring faults in the team (that lack of experienced spinal players with a winner's attitude). Wenger's complete failure to address this for the third summer in succession cannot be tolerated.

Why didn't we turn the screw and beat you? we were appalling after the first 30 mins. kept giving you the ball, inviting you onto us and the inevitable happened. I can't believe how many long balls we pumped up to the front two. Hodgson is really starting to get on my tits again with this 442 formation nonsense.

I did say, didn't I

Did Torres score at the weekend?