CC Final * Arsenal - Birmingham City * Sun 27 Feb 4:00pm-SS1

[fabo]

We still should be beating an average side like Birmingham containing a log of s**t up front on his own, and 5 midfielders with no wingers or goal threats.

Jury, the point about stoppage time is just something I've noticed in various games where we've slipped. The urgency doesn't increase even at the death, we go down so tamely.

The response will be interesting - not just vs Orient and Sunderland(we'll win both), but the following week at Barca and United. We could go from 3 trophies to 1 in the space of a few days. And these 'season-defining' weeks tend to end badly for us(Chelsea/United in 04, Liverpool/United in 08). I fear the worst.

 

[AnthonyG]

We still should be beating an average side like Birmingham containing a log of s**t up front on his own, and 5 midfielders with no wingers or goal threats.

That's all well and good, but it doesn't mean you to have lie/grossly exaggerate.

 

[Jasard]

I feel for Jack, he really gave it his all

 

[Invincible]

Having had some time to cool down, im still disappointed, but not surprised. I saw Rosicky's name on the team sheet and was instantly deflated. He offers nothing.

As is so often the case, we play down to our competition. We can get up for the big games, but against weaker teams, we seem to coast along, and it takes a calamity to get us into the game. We concede today, then immediately pick up the pace and equalize, then fall asleep for an hour. Then another calamity, this time it happens and we don't have time to pick up the pieces.

The team is beyond blaming one person or one event at this point. There is zero leadership, from the front line to the back.

The last time we got humiliated (Newcastle) we rebounded nicely. What choice do we have now? It can only go up from here. Its time for Wenger to stop babying this group of players though. Drop the hammer.

This. There is absolutely no leadership in this team. I'm not having anyone telling me leadership is over rated because that is utter bollocks. If we had someone like Roger Johnson at the back today, the cup would be ours.

Not even our captain is a real leader and with him out it makes the situation worse. Why is it beyond Wenger's ability to sign a couple of players with real spine and backbone who can lead the team over the finishing line. There's no shame in signing Vidic, Johnson, Hangeland, Terry types just because they're not graceful to watch.

It's no coincidence that since Campbell's departure, we haven't won any trophies. He was a leader at the back and had that presence I'm talking about.

Every successful team needs a real leader and that's a proven fact.

 

[MDGoonah41]

I think Vermaelen is going to be the next captain of the team, to be honest.

And frankly, with him in there in place of Kos, I think its a different result today, and we'd have seen a number of different results earlier this season.

He cant come back soon enough.

 

[Invincible]

I hear you. I think Vermaelen is a great player and can be a leader, but for me he's not dominant enough and is not much of a talker.

We need a no nonsense CB who can lead the team and protect the flair players. A modern day Tony Adams if you like.

You look at every top team in Europe and each one has that kind of defender.

 

[MDGoonah41]

I think he showed flashes of being willing to take charge last season, but he may have been hesitant because it was his first season in the team. We'll see next season.

 

[Shue]

Created **** all apart from the 12 chances on target and 8 off target.

:roll:

It's like some people don't even watch the games, just wait for opportunities to be smug.

 

[1macca1]

The lack of urgency is what I found most frustrating. With ten minutes to go we looked like we were just waiting for extra time, some could argue that we shouldn't go all out for it as it would expose ourselves for the counter. For me though, it's a cup final and you should be trying everything to win the match.

Really couldn't believe it when I saw Rosicky named to start, then everytime he got the ball (despite not really doing things badly) I was like "Why are you on the pitch???" Just doesn't offer anything.

I really want our squad players to just have 100% effort and determination more than anything else and so I'm desperate to see the back of Rosicky and Denilson and welcome back Lansbury and Ramsey.

 

[fabo]

What chances did we create though?

Plenty of speculative efforts from distance but wasn't too impressed with Foster's saves or the quality of chances we created. Very disappointing considering the level of opposition and the type of football we supposedly pride ourselves on. But Stoke second half was a sign of things to come even though it was swept under the carpet by many because we scraped the result.

Yet we gift them clear openings...Bowyer in one-v-one which should have been a pen and red, Zigic one-v-one at 1-0, and two gaffes for the goals.

Tragic stuff from us. This will haunt me for a long time.

 

[Kain]

Vermaelen captains his national team & was captain of Ajax before his arrival at Arsenal. We still don't know how well he will play with the new defensive partners Djourou/Koscielny (as last season was Gallas-Vermaelen) let alone how quickly he'll recover from such an extensive time on the side-lines with zero football.

Let’s face it talking about lack of leaders is only revisiting territory we’ve been a thousand times, you could have Maldini or Adams in there, but even they can’t polish turds. We were on an amazing run of form since Xmas racking up the victories, but once again, when it comes to the crunch, we just don’t have enough bite.

It was simple mistakes that cost us, a wayward pass & a lack of communication between two players who have been in excellent form, it’s always the simple aspects of the game that destroy us, lack of concentration when it counts. You could almost forgive the past teams since the invincible for such lapses even the most stalwart haters of Wenger’s youth projects could do so, the teams that really did have a lack of maturity and were by and large a team of youngsters but not the team we put out today. Not a team that was a Vermaelen & Fabregas away from the best we could field.

How many times did we have to see Carr burn it down our left flank, how many times do we stand off and give them time to pick out and place long ball/passes aimed at Koscielny not Zigic they actually put them on Koscielnys head as they knew he’d never win the battle.

We really killed our own game-plan today, not Birmingham, thankfully they are mostly mistakes that can be rectified in training, unfortunately cup finals only come along three times a season.

 

[AnthonyG]

What chances did we create though?

Similar to what Shue said above. I'm sure it will vary a little from outlet to outlet, but we had 20 shots (12 on target), they had 11 (7). We had twice as many corners too 6 (3).

Don't why you need to keep being so dense about this, it's not like anyone is claiming we were robbed. And, if you can't recognise that Foster was their MotM or thereabouts, then there is no hope.

 

[squallkid]

It was so weird, it was a game of basically chance after chance and it looked like a goal was on the cards every time a team went forward, an attacking cup final instead of the usual cagey stuff and I don't think any gunner can begrudge Birmingham their win it's just that this hurts so much because we've been down this street before and don't look like turning the corner.

Do we need to buy some winners though? Should we have brought back Vieira and Pires, not to really play but just to be there in the dressing room and give the younger boys some advice on cup finals like this.

They all looked at each other today but nobody had the answer, Jack and Robin tried to find it but were let down and the real test of this squad comes now, it will be our reaction to this and if we do our usual bottling job or if we rise from the ashes.

The measure of a man is not his successes but how he reacts to his defeats.

 

[Jury]

Not even our captain is a real leader and with him out it makes the situation worse. Why is it beyond Wenger's ability to sign a couple of players with real spine and backbone who can lead the team over the finishing line. There's no shame in signing Vidic, Johnson, Hangeland, Terry types just because they're not graceful to watch.

It's no coincidence that since Campbell's departure, we haven't won any trophies. He was a leader at the back and had that presence I'm talking about.

Every successful team needs a real leader and that's a proven fact.

Thomas Vermaelen fits the bill, but he's still out.

 

[celestis]

What chances did we create though?

Plenty of speculative efforts from distance but wasn't too impressed with Foster's saves or the quality of chances we created. Very disappointing considering the level of opposition and the type of football we supposedly pride ourselves on. But Stoke second half was a sign of things to come even though it was swept under the carpet by many because we scraped the result.

Yet we gift them clear openings...Bowyer in one-v-one which should have been a pen and red, Zigic one-v-one at 1-0, and two gaffes for the goals.

Tragic stuff from us. This will haunt me for a long time.

We created heaps mate , Arsavin , Rosicky , Nasri all had great chances to put the game to bed .

 

[Rahul]

I have just woken up with the sickest feeling ever.

faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrk.

I am absolutely bricking it on RVP's injury.Hope its nothing serious.Have a bad feeling though.Just ****ing typical innit?

 

[Shadow Moses]

You can go **** yourself too. If you don't like what you read don't ******* read it.

Year after year after inept performances Wenger comes out with the same excuses. The same lines run through a thesaurus. It's about time he stopped the silly excuses and admit he was wrong.

You really are a miserable **** aren't ya

We've lost the game so bloody what!!! Same excuses?? How is "We have to bounce from this and show we're mentally strong" an excuse?? Learn the definition of the word you miserable inbred.

Shadow don't bother posting on here - you are a troll who loves to see us fail time and again. Do as all a favour and seriously **** off. Had enough of **** from so-called fans like yourself.

You truly are despicable. You feel like you are above anyone that was upset after such an inept performace yesterday. We've lost a final and as a fan I have every right to be upset and I can vent my frustration anyway I please. Like I previously mentioned if you don't want to read my posts you have a perfectly good option to ignore me.

You come here posting idiotic replies such as me being a troll who loves to see the team fail. 1988 right? I've probably been going to matches while you were still crawling on all 4s. I'm going to move on now and ignore you because frankly you're an idiot who feels he has a self enforced duty to speak out against anyone who shows any emotion after a very hurtful loss. For some of us it takes a lot more than 5secs and a thought of 'we lost so what' to get over matches like yesterdays.

 

[General]

We still should be beating an average side like Birmingham containing a log of s**t up front on his own, and 5 midfielders with no wingers or goal threats.

That's all well and good, but it doesn't mean you to have lie/grossly exaggerate.

He's not lying though is he Tony?

Foster made routine saves look spectular and to be honest most of them were speculative efforts often hit at a confortable height and distance. We didn't dislodge Brum's defence enough and when we did the move collapsed from stupid flicks or over elaboration, allowing them to re-group.

Agree with fabo tbh. No matter how you look at our performance, it was a monumental fukup all round against an average team. We are a sitting duck against any team with a strong desire to win/not lose and it's largely because of the composition of our team. On a different note very disappointing to see that it took an injury to Robin for Wenger to realise he had to change things. I know we had limited options on the bench but I'm once again reminded it is Birmingham we are talking about. Even our favourite Brazilian jogger would've made a difference against this shower of sh1t.

 

[ArsenalDNA]

One thing is for sure...Vermalen would've kicked that fckn ball out of the stadium had he been in Koscielny's position.

 

[AnthonyG]

He's not lying though is he Tony?

Foster made routine saves look spectular and to be honest most of them were speculative efforts often hit at a confortable height and distance. We didn't dislodge Brum's defence enough and when we did the move collapsed from stupid flicks or over elaboration, allowing them to re-group.

We created plenty of chances. Wrap it up how you wish.