PL: Everton v Arsenal | Saturday, December 19 | KO: 17:30 GMT | Sky Sports

[GoonerJeeves]

Strangely enough, I can't wait for this, nor can I wait for the Christmas period of football. Games every day, disappointments and elations.

(disclaimer: significant others might object to the above message).

 

[krengon]

Bought Mari for U-23 team. Good business.

Soares and Mari. Two most pointless signings ever.

I'm actually shocked, he can't even make the bench when Gabriel is suspended? This is a pisstake, people defend this signing you know..

 

[Gooner1988TK]

I'm actually shocked, he can't even make the bench when Gabriel is suspended? This is a pisstake, people defend this signing you know..

Money laundering by Raul at its finest!

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

@Riou
this match made me genuinely believe that was a title winning one

We used to be so good when down to 10. Proper football. I suppose Arteta will approve a red card for an elbow to the face

 

[akhil]

"Nostalgia is truly one of the great human weaknesses. Second only to the neck.” - Dwight Schrute - Heskey

Truth be told, Walcott had his moments where he was looking like he'd take the world by storm. He was looking really good prior to his Cruciate Ligament Rupture in 13/14, but never quite looked the same after that. He was 5g/5a in 11games that season before it and we were sitting in first...

Gotta love Wrighty and Keane here.
But sadly Walcott just never really recovered from it, and when he was finally looking good again in one of the later seasons another injury completely stopped him in his tracks and that was truly it. But honestly, he was a great player, and he could've been much more for us. Hadn't we lost him that season...

Those figures are damning...

"But I hope the day doesn't come when we're pining for Willian on the wing and Xhaka in midfield. That's when you know we've sunk low."
Agreed...

If I remember right, Özil and Ramsey suffered big injuries then as well. Ramsey especially was in the form of his life. It was the start of his hamstring issues at that time.

 

[Heskey]

I really despair at many of the posts I read on here. But you always back up your opinions with hard facts. I love it. Maybe we can form a breakaway forum called Arsenal Truths. Anybody who posts stuff like, ‘Anybody could see we were in decline’, without showing a metric, or worse, ‘Even if the fans hadn’t shat all over the manager and team, we still would have dropped out of the top 4’, gets banned immediately. I’m sure @albakos can set it up.

Cheers man! "Arsenal Truths" though? Sounds like the name of a tabloid YouTube channels that spout utter nonsense about exactly the comments you would ban for

 

[Heskey]

Cheers for that vid

Good post. Yeah, I am not going to pretend Walcott was underrated but he was under appreciated for sure. His injuries we're a shame as they robbed us, I think people forget that bit. Ditto Ramsey.

I love every part of it

It definitely seems like people forget it. We football fans often have a poor memory - at least in the short term.
I agree with you that perhaps not underrated, but underappreciated for what he gave us. He was a lethal weapon at his best, and teams had to respect him on that right flank. His pace, and a shot that could definitely fool keepers. And it provided something completely different to our other players. Our more elegant players would create while Walcott would be the hot knife through butter.
Ramsey definitely a victim of his own success too I feel - sort of like Wenger. That "Purple Patch" season changed the perception of Ramsey for better or worse. Those who rated him already thought he was even greater, those who didn't like him suddenly had a "one-season-wonder" argument against his case. I'd wish for a player like him in our midfield nowadays...

 

[Heskey]

With Wenger it's more than nostalgia.

The Great Man oozed class, is a fantastic human being, we were privileged to have him here. So the sentence from the journo after Keane, was very apt


These posts of yours with plenty of stats to back up your message are a real mic-drop

Aye, very true!

What's the journo actually saying? Sounds to me like he's saying, "football fans can be idiots - I'm just not having that one Roy, y-y-you can't be true.."

 

[Heskey]

Just put @Riou in the mud with that quote mate.

Sorry, @Riou!

 

[Heskey]

If I remember right, Özil and Ramsey suffered big injuries then as well. Ramsey especially was in the form of his life. It was the start of his hamstring issues at that time.

Honeslty not just them - but you're also right about Ramsey and Özil...

Spoiler: Ramsey

Spoiler: Özil

Spoiler: Wilshere

Spoiler: Oxlade

Spoiler: Diaby :(

Spoiler: Podolski

Spoiler: Vermaelen

Spoiler: Monreal

I'm fairly certain he was injured in those latter stages of the season as both he and Gibbs were "not in squad" for a few of the same games where I can't imagine we'd leave both out of the squad if they were healthy..

Spoiler: Gibbs

Same situation as Monreal re. late in the league campaign.

¨

We had a few players we could lean on, but heavy rotations on so many other positions in a relatively thin squad.

And I'll stop going further before it goes too far off-topic..

 

[Heskey]

Regarding the Everton game I'm not too confident - would be fairly odd to be confident under these circumstances anyway.

Despite their injuries I really don't feel comfortable. Calvert-Lewin can definitely do some harm to us, we all know Iwobi will score, Richarlison will probably pull a red on Luiz.

Of course the hope is that Arteta releases the hounds and we come out flying and score a goal early and pile on the pressure..

 

[Rex Stone]

Strangely enough, I can't wait for this, nor can I wait for the Christmas period of football. Games every day, disappointments and elations.

(disclaimer: significant others might object to the above message).

I’m excited for it as well, so many games on TV and there’s not like we’ll have anything else to do.

In two weeks the picture could be much better.

 

[Stinga]

This place is so negative. We may be 5 points from relegation but we're 9 points from 5th. 3 wins = 9 points. Some perspective for you guys.

 

[Macho]

This place is so negative. We may be 5 points from relegation but we're 9 points from 5th. 3 wins = 9 points. Some perspective for you guys.

Dear God more staff from The Athletic.

 

[Tourbillion]

This place is so negative. We may be 5 points from relegation but we're 9 points from 5th. 3 wins = 9 points. Some perspective for you guys.

But we're 5 points from relegation.

 

[Riou]

Lets do this today, COYG!

Just one more though...

 

[Dregen57]

But we're 5 points from relegation.

True. But still some games to play

 

[Macho]

Lets do this today, COYG!

Just one more though...

Some one touch, first time passes in there, forgotten what that looks like.

The joke is some of the guys still playing this season are doing it too and clearly more than capable, you wonder where that’s all gone.

 

[2Smokeyy]

Can see Big Mik getting finished off here. DCL hattrick to send him packing.

 

[Riou]

Some one touch, first time passes in there, forgotten what that looks like.

The joke is some of the guys still playing this season are doing it too and clearly more than capable, you wonder where that’s all gone.

One touch football is NOT a non-negotiable...