Premier League 7th and 8th November

1-1, cant see who scored though, there was a poppy in the way.

Fey wrote:

You wish you had a player who was MotM against Sunderland these days!!

No one could have topped Robert Madley that day.

It says a damn lot about the progress we are making under Pochettino that I'm PISSED that we ONLY got a draw at the Emirates.


@ Coops

Alli's passing is OK normally, got some lovely feints and touches allied to his physical gifts.

Pardew  

Deluded F*ck wrote:It says a damn lot about the progress we are making under Pochettino that I'm PISSED that we ONLY got a draw at the Emirates.

True. This was the match which you should potentially win. And in the end you barely took a draw...

Didn't watch enough replays, but does anyone know where Vertonghen and Alderweireld were when Gibbs scored? Arsenal had 3 on 2 inside the box and Walker had to step up to position himself closer to Giroud.

stinger wrote:Good result for you Debbie for sure.

I really hope Garde will keep you guys... somehow.

I think we've changed things early enough that can still turn things around. Not like we're 10 points adrift with 8 games to go or something. Got some decent players and maybe now a decent manager who puts them on the pitch together in an organised manner and that should be enough to get a few results. Confidence has been a problem but a point today is a good start.

Biggest question mark is whether we've got enough goals in the team - I'd guess we'll invest in a striker in Jan unless one of the current ones starts scoring regularly between now and then. Gestede is alright but only really effective if you're putting in lots of crosses, Ayew looks like he's got some talent but not sure he's one to rely on for goals and Gabby is Gabby.

christmasborocooper wrote:What's  Ali passing  normally like? He seems to be smashing every one he hits today.. No sense of weight.. Is he more about running?

He's Jermaine Jenas_2.0.

Deluded F*ck™ wrote:It says a damn lot about the progress we are making under Pochettino that I'm PISSED that we ONLY got a draw at the Emirates.


@ Coops

Alli's passing is OK normally, got some lovely feints and touches allied to his physical gifts.

Fair enough, he was good otherwise. Just seemed to over hit everything.

debaser wrote:

christmasborocooper wrote:What's  Ali passing  normally like? He seems to be smashing every one he hits today.. No sense of weight.. Is he more about running?

He's Jermaine Jenas_2.0.

I think he's got more nastiness and aggression than Jenas, he wants it more IMO.

Jordan Henderson is a better comparable.

Klopp saving Pards from one of his infamous bad runs.

Kimbo wrote:Klopp saving Pards from one of his infamous bad runs.

debaser wrote:

christmasborocooper wrote:What's  Ali passing  normally like? He seems to be smashing every one he hits today.. No sense of weight.. Is he more about running?

He's Jermaine Jenas_2.0.

um yeah, I don't think that'll prove to be the case. Has a much higher ceiling that Jenas did, he is still raw and given his passing is clearly instructed to be forward (and therefore higher risk than players who tend to pass it sideways for ball retention purposes) he loses the ball a lot. But fundamentally though he impacts games proactively and Ive lost count the number of games where he has dictated midfield battles through a blend of his physical and technical attributes, which is mental for someone who is just 19. The way he and Dier with the help of Dembele dominated Arsenal's midfield until he came off was bloody marvelous to watch.

A superb performance today across the board from the team, the high pressing in particular was brilliant. Still frailties though at set pieces and killing games, Arsenal know they were lucky to get out of that game with a point in the end, but perhaps that's part of the continual issue with this particular rivalry - we play well and yet still didn't beat them as expected on their home patch. Assuming this is just a snapshot towards an upward curved progression then it's very satisfying, but I doubt it'll be as simple as that. Just hoping we can maintain this consistency through these tough next 2 games against West Ham and Chelsea.

Let's not be too harsh on Jenas. At a similar age he looked like he could go on to big things. He just turned into the definition of average.

Missed far too many players through injuries though I don't think Wenger has got to grips with Spurs since Pochettino took over. Should've been out of it but then could've won it if L'Oreal knew where the net was.

Hopefully get a Ramsey, Bellerin and Ox back after the Internationals. It's Theo we need back though. Alexis hates playing with L'Oreal. Those two aren't compatible.

Ozil

christmasborocooper wrote:Let's not be too harsh on Jenas. At a similar age he looked like he could go on to big things. He just turned into the definition of average.

Also, I think Rodwell looked a bigger (or at least on level) talent than Ali to be honest, but for the latter sake I just hope his hamstrings are not made of glass. He also seems to be more competetive from what I watched him which is his advantage.

https://twitter.com/LionelPayet


I don't really mind, but would like to get 15m pounds we wasted on him before he will get executed

It was very poor tackle, should be definitely sent off for that.

Payet out 3 months because of that awful tackle. Well, there goes our season.

Ugggh my ears are still buzzing from the noise yesterday at the emirates, wish more clubs in London had such an amazing fanbase as Arsenal.

Fey wrote:Ugggh my ears are still buzzing from the noise yesterday at the emirates, wish more clubs in London had such an amazing fanbase as Arsenal.

Tottenham star Christian Eriksen tells Arsenal: Our fans sing louder than yours

“Our fans were behind us for the whole game,” Eriksen said. “Arsenal’s supporters got some confidence after they scored, but we could hear our fans non-stop the whole time.

“We could hear them singing and that helped us on the pitch, as we showed that we’re capable of playing at a high level.”

It seems to me that everybody in England is always berating other fans for being bad or overrated. Are there any fan group where there is a consensus of them being bad or being good? I know most don't seem to rate Chelsea's fans but can't think of others.

Currently only Crystal Palace in my opinion are a consensus pick for a solid group home or away.

Even Stoke fans are these days refuting claims about Britannia Stadium being a fortress or having a rowdy atmosphere comparing to a few years ago.

Some away groups are considered solid. Despite Old Trafford being dead (and it's not only because of van Gaal football) away United fans for example seem to have a decent reputation.

But is away support the best gauge of fan support? Shouldn't it primarily be the home support that is the measure?

It should be. But in case of big teams like United or Arsenal I guess it's aften that away groups are better representation. Too many non-fans visiting home grounds these days, but when going for away match it's mostly more hardcore supporters.

stinger wrote:It should be. But in case of big teams like United or Arsenal I guess it's aften that away groups are better representation. Too many non-fans visiting home grounds these days, but when going for away match it's mostly more hardcore supporters.

THIS really. Speaking from an Arsenal POV, there's a marked difference in the personnel you'd see at an away game compared to a home one. I'd wager that isn't just exclusive to us though.

That's true, the few times that I've been wit the away fans are always more enjoyable/hyped.

Away fans are always the best and most noisy. They're generally the hardcore. Plus it's all confined into one little area so the odds are everyone's there to enjoy it and sing. Whereas at home the singers and mad men are spread. There is usually the main standoff noise but the day trippers who won't sing in other areas tend to mean very few others sing in those areas too. Probably too self conscious. Whereas if you're surrounded by about 5k of others who are for it, everyone joins in.

Sure but do you measure fans by the most excited minority or by the general fans you see in home games?

Super Progress wrote:Sure but do you measure fans by the most excited minority or by the general fans you see in home games?

Agreed about the away support, that's generally the same across all clubs.

Aside from 'noise' factor, you can also get some gauge through the variety of songs sung by certain supporters. Although this probably proves to be rather more subjective.

For example, aside from having a reputation for being fairly quiet / demanding, Arsenal (home) fans also have a reputation for a pretty narrow range of chants. You'll hear that one about them being by far the greatest team the world has ever seen ad nauseum throughout the same game. Whereas despite their glory hunting reputation, United fans for example seem a little more creative in contrast - songs about going on the piss with George Best, songs about City, Liverpool, the '99 treble, Giggs tearing you apart, attacking, Park Ji Sung eating dogs etc.

As I said, it's subjective. Arsenal fans and Fey will probably claim nobody is impressed with our songs mostly being rip offs from Southampton. Each to their own I guess.

Super Progress wrote:Sure but do you measure fans by the most excited minority or by the general fans you see in home games?

So using this criteria Crystal Palace fans seem to be clear #1 at the moment. Leicester City are probably second, but they are using illegal requisites to make extra noise so they don't count among more hardcore fans

In general atmosphere on Premier League grounds seems to be getting worse every season. I mentioned Stoke City as a good example of it (it was a really hostile place to go after they were promoted to Premier League), but for example Goodison Park also on average is significantly quieter these days as well.

And probably at least dozen other places too.

We have a plethora of songs. At home the general ones like Arsenal (repeat) or we're the world's greatest teams get sung but nearly all the player have individual songs too.

RE how you measure them, it's open to interpretation. The match day fans have generally changed since I started attending games in the mid 90s. Away from home is what I guess most of the hardcore fans will prefer, myself included.

Generally speaking the atmosphere in most grounds are diluted. Most sing similar songs. And at the top clubs, atmospheres are pretty turd unless it's a big game. Comes with the expectation but also the rising of ticketing which means more working class fans have been priced out.