Comments on: Ten reasons for Arsenal fans to be cheerful today

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:05:42 +0000

Amen to all of that.

Now do us a favour, and go and hammer Chelsea in the semis, okay? :)

By: Tone

Tone — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:33:08 +0000

Fair comment, although the majority of your fellow fans haven’t been as reasonable.

Arsenal have got lots to be positive about!

A nice new stadium, a strong squad of youngsters that are improving every game and a mananger that is among the top 5 tacticians in the game. Chalk this season down to experience and learn from it. That’s the only way to become better.

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:55:13 +0000

I’m not slaughtering Liverpool, they have accepted that the win was somewhat fortuitous and that is no criticism of them.

But had the penalty decisions been reversed, you can be sure Benitez would’ve have something to say.

It happens in football, I accept that. This piece was actually a reason for us fans to be positive, rather than anything else.

By: Tone

Tone — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:03:57 +0000

I was talking about the defining leg, I would have expected Arsenal to dominate possession at home.

I don’t accept that Babel dived, at all. He was clearly impeded by Fabregas just outside the area, then Toure in it. He was going for a shot, not trying to go to ground as Hleb did in the first leg.

I respect Arsenal as a team but all the complaining has really undermined their quality in the two games. What it boils down to is you were beaten, accept it gracefully and stop slaughtering the Reds at every opportunity, as it demeans us both.

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:27:39 +0000

Tone, the Opta stats for the two matches show that Arsenal had 65.3% possession in the first leg: First Leg and 49% in the second: Second Leg So overall, Arsenal had FAR more possession. Babel was more impressive than Theo? Really? Babel dived by cutting across Toure and going down with no contact (the only possible foul was Cesc's outside the box). I'll grant you that his run and finish for the fourth were excellent, but if you want to compare that to Theo's, fine - Babel had one exhausted player to beat, Walcott had five. It wasn't about guts. Both sides had plenty of that.

By: Tone

Tone — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:16:08 +0000

Some good points but some totally deluded ones as well.

Out of the two youngsters on the pitch in the final game at Anfield, Babel was clearly the more gifted and got his rewards. Theo, while a good player, was able to flounce up and put the ball in because the entire Liverpool team were too scared of bringing him down.

As for Arsenal ‘dominating’ the games with Liverpool, you must have been watching different matches. Liverpool had statistically more posession and emerged the victors! Stop all the whining about Ref’s and luck; you didn’t have the guts when it counted. And yes, Hleb going down was a penalty, but no more so than Toure and Fabregas taking chunks of Babel at Anfield.

I reckon if Hleb had gone down like the strapping six-footer that he is, rather than a small girl after being mauled by a panda he would have got something, but the Ref wasn’t in the mood for simulation whether it be total or exagerrated.

By: Alan

Alan — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:58:30 +0000

Jim.
If you can prove you knew of Arsenal’s interest in Eduardo before Wenger bought him you’re a big man.
If not you’re just another wanker.

By: paul walsh

paul walsh — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:44:37 +0000

20 reasons for next season and more
almunia
clichy gallas toure sagna

vela fabregas flamini walcott

rvp adebeyour

eduardo
hleb
merida
diaby
new defender
denilson

oh yeah adios to lehmann eboue senderos hoyte

and whatever coos wenger pulls out of his hat

By: Pete

Pete — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:54:02 +0000

jim, very few fans in England HAD heard of Eduardo a year ago – check out any of the Arsenal blogs at the time he was signed, everyone was rushing to find out who he was.

Of course scouts knew of him, but that wasn’t my point.

Care to back up what you say a little more?

By: che grimandi

che grimandi — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:38:39 +0000

excellent article. we’re all pissed off about the way we’ve capitulated in the last 6 weeks, but we an ever improving side, so long as wenger can keep 99% of the squad together.
these idiots calling for wholesale changes forget that before last season, Man Utd went 3 season without winning fuck all…yet nobody was calling for fergies head on a plate.
i’m not one of these mugs that says “Arsene Knows” in every situation, as i have disagreeed with a large number of his decisions this season, (for instance, we shouldn’t have got rid of diarra. i don’t give a fuck if he was unhappy, he could cover the centre mid positon better than gilberto, the right mid position better than that clown eboue, and also covered the right back berth in sagna’s absence better than kolo! then we should ahve sold him at the end of this season) however he does know what he’s doing, and next season we will be chalenging and winning trophies.

criticise whenn it’s due, but keep the faith brothers.