Stoke vs Arsenal 8/5/2011, 14:05GMT

[redwhiteAustrian]

@Y va

Just to clarify:
For once, I thought a rant was warranted and therefore simply had to say what I said.
It's usually against my principles, though.

 

[spartandre217]

They aren't being made not just because Wenger doesn't want to but possibly because he can't

 

[Shue]

Not a case of blaming either Wenger or the players, we need to blame them both. It's his job to issue the instructions and their job to carry them out. It's quite obvious that neither were adequate today.

 

[spartandre217]

Not a case of blaming either Wenger or the players, we need to blame them both. It's his job to issue the instructions and their job to carry them out. It's quite obvious that neither were adequate today.

To that there can be no disagreement

 

[celestis]

@Y va

Just to clarify:
For once, I thought a rant was warranted and therefore simply had to say what I said.
It's usually against my principles, though.

I thought it was totally appropriate.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

well this is the same midfield who beat manure and now losing with stoke something wrong god really something wrong with this team and i dont know what is it

 

[progman07]

Anyone fancy a rational discussion?

We were in comfortable and barely threatened by Stoke before they scored. Trouble is, they didn't need to play well to do so whereas we needed passing of surgical precision. We've conceded the least number of goals from open play and scored the highest number of goals from open play this season. Conversely we've scored the least number of goals from set pieces and conceded the most.

Those picking on individuals need to take a step back and see the obvious. We need to re-balance our team dynamic by tweaking one or two positions to give us better aerial prowess. Beyond that, we have a pretty damn good team. The strengths and weaknesses of our game are a little too easily projected to opponents like Stoke who happen to be very good at what we are very bad at. Let's not distort reality to suit our agenda against a few players who we don't like, even if we know they aren't perfect every week.

We would have lost 2-1, if only the open goal play have counted. Apart from Robin, none of our players look genuinly like scoring, which is not connected to the set pieces really - if it wasn't for Robin, we would have really suffered to score goals since January.

 

[spartandre217]

Anyone fancy a rational discussion?

We were in comfortable and barely threatened by Stoke before they scored. Trouble is, they didn't need to play well to do so whereas we needed passing of surgical precision. We've conceded the least number of goals from open play and scored the highest number of goals from open play this season. Conversely we've scored the least number of goals from set pieces and conceded the most.

Those picking on individuals need to take a step back and see the obvious. We need to re-balance our team dynamic by tweaking one or two positions to give us better aerial prowess. Beyond that, we have a pretty damn good team. The strengths and weaknesses of our game are a little too easily projected to opponents like Stoke who happen to be very good at what we are very bad at. Let's not distort reality to suit our agenda against a few players who we don't like, even if we know they aren't perfect every week.

We would have lost 2-1, if only the open goal play have counted. Apart from Robin, none of our players look genuinly like scoring, which is not connected to the set pieces really - if it wasn't for Robin, we would have really suffered to score goals since January.

Robin's success is only due to the fact that he's unorthodox and he has damn good movement and touch, all the time. Noone else in the squad comes even close in that regard.

 

[Herbas]

Saw Wenger interview and he briefly and plainly described his team game as unacceptable and poor.
Hopefully it is just a step no.1 and the step no.2 will be some actual changes in our team.

 

[spartandre217]

Saw Wenger interview and he briefly and plainly described his team game as unacceptable and poor.
Hopefully it is just a step no.1 and the step no.2 will be some actual changes in our team.

Don't get your hopes up.

If we don't spend a minimum of 20m net after clearing out a ton of dross then I expect us to make little headway.

 

[MDGoonah41]

Anyone fancy a rational discussion?

We were in comfortable and barely threatened by Stoke before they scored. Trouble is, they didn't need to play well to do so whereas we needed passing of surgical precision. We've conceded the least number of goals from open play and scored the highest number of goals from open play this season. Conversely we've scored the least number of goals from set pieces and conceded the most.

Those picking on individuals need to take a step back and see the obvious. We need to re-balance our team dynamic by tweaking one or two positions to give us better aerial prowess. Beyond that, we have a pretty damn good team. The strengths and weaknesses of our game are a little too easily projected to opponents like Stoke who happen to be very good at what we are very bad at. Let's not distort reality to suit our agenda against a few players who we don't like, even if we know they aren't perfect every week.

I agree with this. From an organizational standpoint, we were 2nd best today, and we've been second best on a number of occasions this season. Our attack is slow, plodding and methodical and requires threading the eye of the needle. Our defense is unorganized and looks as sturdy as a wet piece of bread.

The team lacks a leader and organizer on the pitch, a refined plan A and any kind of plan B. It goes way beyond one player at this point, and individual blame is fruitless.

 

[flobaba]

Not a case of blaming either Wenger or the players, we need to blame them both. It's his job to issue the instructions and their job to carry them out. It's quite obvious that neither were adequate today.

You coming around Shuey, You coming round.. :wink:

 

[Y va marquer]

@Y va

Just to clarify:
For once, I thought a rant was warranted and therefore simply had to say what I said.
It's usually against my principles, though.

No worries RW, I wasn't speaking about your post
Angry rants don't bother me apart from very occasionally when they are directed at people who were not involved in, and are not responsible for, our performances.

 

[tactica442]

The display from the midfield today makes me more and more suspicious the rumoured done-deal about Cesc. During a few periods Song didn't look bother and Jack lost his game reading, too.

And Johan Djourou becomes our new Pascal Cygan. At least when Sol and Keown were fit, Cygan seldom saw a chance to play. Now... Djourou can easily start a league.

How can a teak with this level of set-piece defending to win a single trophy, let alone the league. A joke.

Arsène walked very quietly on the sideline 5 mins before Robin scored. He didn't look like a manager still hoping to close the gap as he previously clamined. And he stuck his bottom deeper into the seat and moaning with Pat Rice. F*ck me, is this the same Arsène Wenger who successfully built two title winning teams?

This bad patch (albert with the win over ManU) is the same dejavu we saw near the end of last season. Wenger simply has little control over his players' mental state.

Watching the team is like listening a cheap dubstep bassline. All you can hear is wobble, minus the artistic ingridient. Wom-wom-wom-wowowowo sort of sh*t.

Six years of a grande and failed project. Plenty of in-and-out over the yeas. A few iconic and traumatic scenes. A lot with a few highly talented players mixed with mediocre squad members. A big stadium and money churning machine looking to be acquired by an American, yet the mortgage hasn't been fully cleared. A great manager steadily dig deeper into his new trough. And he can't raise his arse out of his seat. Because he now fully taste of his over-cooked over-reliant over-indulged brainchild team. S-A-D.

 

[spartandre217]

someone's def having a go at the team, the manager and the situation.

What makes you think Fab is really on the outs?? You think Barca have ANY money at all?

 

[mo50]

That was some dreadful stuff, and Stoke handled us with ease. No decisiveness, no sharpness and all this shows how important Cesc Fabregas is to us.

Credit to Bendtner though, I thought he had a very good cameo. He came on and tried different things, and it helped him being on the left instead of the right where he could cut in.

I've had enough of Arshavin. What a liability this guy has become. Whatever his stats may be, he's been outright abysmal this year, and we could safely say he's been a flop. All he manages to do nowadays is pass the ball with this sliding technique every single time. He just doesn't seem to care. Walcott too played like he used to at 17.

The backline was a shambles. We've got Gibbs who looks like he's never seen a football, Djourou who was clueless and Koscielny who was trying to do all their jobs. I thought Kos had a decent game but if we are ever going to win the PL we need an absolutely top class CB and a LB that can accomplish what we need.

 

[tactica442]

My usual remedy after fully experienced a bad result on a flickering p2p streamcast with a few cans of beers.

I sould've posted my sunny bright side of thought after watching the ManU game last week.

Bear with my disproprotional of my emotional expression.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

Arsène walked very quietly on the sideline 5 mins before Robin scored. He didn't look like a manager still hoping to close the gap as he previously clamined. And he stuck his bottom deeper into the seat and moaning with Pat Rice. F*ck me, is this the same Arsène Wenger who successfully built two title winning teams?

So you're blaming Arsène for not going bonkers out there, and acting like he did at WHL or the Reebok couple of weeks ago, or did I get that wrong?

I prefer him staying calm on the sidelines, because it's as well not a good sign towards the team, if you can't keep a cool head as a manager.
And the Arsène Wenger who built two successive teams, did exactly behave like that.

 

[tactica442]

@redwhiteAustrian
I prefer either Arsène or one of his assistants to give instructions at critical moment. Afterall this is the manager who belived the team still have a mathematical chance to catch up ManU.

He can stay cool after the final whistle and not forget shaking hands with his opposite number. And he can stay cool before the game and instill plenty of preparation to his team.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

I get where you're coming from, and I've often wanted Arsène to make more instructions from the sidelines either during games, but that's another aspect I've rarely seen from him, even pre 2006.

From time to time he does it, but either not consistently enough, or not good enough (in terms of being able to explain his players what he wants them to do).
Rice does it as well, but the same basically applies to him.