Arsenal

[carmine]

Why worry people being able to make it too the ground, i mean it's not like they make a lot of noise when they are there

No its not as if theres any atmosphere to be affected but they need their prawn sandwich sales remember.

Edited December 27, 2012 by carmine

[SantiSuk]

yawn.

[carmine]

yawn.

OK onto more important matters.....what was wrong with your wigan pie?

[SantiSuk]

Don't get me started Carmine! Supposedly meat & potato but it was just mush. The pastry was ok mind you and it was perfectly baked.

I hate it that Carling, Heineken and their ilk seem to have such a stranglehold over sports venue alcoholic beverages. This country brews some such wonderful beers nowadays and there is a first class local independent brewer who Wigan should have been promoting. It would have saved me the unpleasant Bovril throw-back experience.

Shame that sporting businesses seem to assume that their fans are peasant,s who have lowest common denominator tastes in food and drink. I'm sure they could make good money by selling some tasty Lancashire hot pot and a pint of Allgates All Black Mild.

[carmine]

Don't get me started Carmine! Supposedly meat & potato but it was just mush. The pastry was ok mind you and it was perfectly baked.

I hate it that Carling, Heineken and their ilk seem to have such a stranglehold over sports venue alcoholic beverages. This country brews some such wonderful beers nowadays and there is a first class local independent brewer who Wigan should have been promoting. It would have saved me the unpleasant Bovril throw-back experience.

Shame that sporting businesses seem to assume that their fans are peasant,s who have lowest common denominator tastes in food and drink. I'm sure they could make good money by selling some tasty Lancashire hot pot and a pint of Allgates All Black Mild.

I blame Sepp Blatter

[Chicog]

I'm surprised Wigan don't have a black pudding and ferret pie or something.

[sotsira]

No excuse, should have still made them play,

unfair advantage for them to have a weeks rest while everyone else

has to play.

They will have three games in a week when the others have only two, so it evens itself out. Arsenal didn't cancel the game, and it does them no favours because they might have players missing when it is replayed. So stop your moaning.

Fair point Chicog,

but why weren't the other two London home games also cancelled at Craven Cottage and Loftus Rd?

Tube strike affects all of London not just Hornsey/ Holloway Rd area.

I reckon it must have been down to Wenger having a moan!

[smokie36]

Merry Christmas to all you mugs!

[MiG16]

Merry Christmas to all you mugs!

Merry Christmas indeed Smokie

In fact a very happy 7:3 new year to you too

[2unique]

Well that's my Crimbo pantomime watched!

I think someone actually shouted out, he's behind you for the 2nd Newcastle goal

Sent from Android please allow errors in type or judgment.

[smokie36]

Let in another three at home...tsk tsk.

[SantiSuk]

OK - I'll fall for another piece of wind up material from the master

It's Goal Difference that counts and Spuds GD is way off the pace in the top 5 (as well you know Smokie) .

[SantiSuk]

I was travelling back to Thailand when the Arsenal game was playing. Bleeding Etihad didn't tell me at Manchester that the connecting flight from Abu Dhabi was already known to be on a long delay - they just printed me off a boarding pass that I didn't read til I hit Arabia. Nearly didn't make it back to share New Year's Eve with the family.

Anyway be that as it may, I think I need to eat humble pie re Walcott - that performance certainly showed he could play as a striker in some kind of flexible and rotational system. 'Sign him up, sign him up, sign him up.

Maybe Wenger can also make me eat more of the same in 2013 and show me he is not the most over-rated manager in the EPL? Nah - don't think so, but I hope so!

[SantiSuk]

Southampton played well and we returned to our dreadful norm. No way top 4 this season, so where do we go from here, given that management change seems out of the question in the face of the delusional living-in-the-past element at the Emirates.

[carmine]

Southampton played well and we returned to our dreadful norm. No way top 4 this season, so where do we go from here, given that management change seems out of the question in the face of the delusional living-in-the-past element at the Emirates.

Why not top four? You are playing relatively poorly by your own admission yet you are still right in contention. I'd have thought that was reason to be positive!

[smokie36]

Yes carmine....they were lucky to get a point.

[SantiSuk]

Too many games when our lot are just not at the races. Something missing on the motivational front and the manager seems flumoxed. Third/fourth spot is looking like a crowded venue and I dont see anything special in the team, like vanP last year, to give us an edge.

I haven't done the maths but I get the impression we have had an easier first half of fixtures than second. We could be looking mid table by the season's end.

Thank goodness Wenger is avoiding the Henri disrraction this year.

A couple of January signings could change things but you have to look back over a decade ago to spot any Wenger success at that time of year

[smokie36]

You need to get back on the plane Santi old son!

Seasonally affected disorder is rapidly setting in.

[SantiSuk]

You need to get back on the plane Santi old son!

Seasonally affected disorder is rapidly setting in.

Nah - Ive been back for 3 days already mate, basking in the glorious Issaan sunshine (man was the UK the pits for weather).

Not that much different from views I've expressed many times before. We've been unnecessarily trying to make do and mend for 2 years now. If a Cheap Charlie like me with a chartered accounting qualification (we FCAs are well known for our prudence) can see that no risks have been taken and cash has been accumulated there's gotta be something wrong. What particularly annoys me is that in October/November the Board realeased the fact that 30 million of cash would be available for transfers - based on the accounts to 31 May 2012 published a month previous. Any accountant will tell you that by 31 May the Board would have known what the financial position was (most likely significantly earlier than that). The board chose to sit on that cash in the Summer Window and are now reaping the disadvantages from not paying for game-changing players.

Cool analysis, not one driven of despair. If things get really bad in the second half then market forces will take over anyway, I'm sure we will be a great club again within a few years (by which I mean top 5 Europe, not just the club that strives to make money from the best trophy every year and counts its future development prospects rather than acheivments).

Hoping for a vanPersie like miracle in the second half, nonetheless.

[Exsexyman]

Too many games when our lot are just not at the races. Something missing on the motivational front and the manager seems flumoxed. Third/fourth spot is looking like a crowded venue and I dont see anything special in the team, like vanP last year, to give us an edge.

I haven't done the maths but I get the impression we have had an easier first half of fixtures than second. We could be looking mid table by the season's end.

Thank goodness Wenger is avoiding the Henri disrraction this year.

A couple of January signings could change things but you have to look back over a decade ago to spot any Wenger success at that time of year

Hands off Luke Shaw!

[MiG16]

Well happy new year boys and girls!

Ok ok maybe just girl

So santi it's new year....some new enthusiasm for the team please

Yes yes a dismal game against Southampton. But that's all the more reason for us fans to be more supportive

[uptheos]

Arsenal appear to be among the clubs interested in Holtby’s services after Wenger admitted he is a possible option.

The Frenchman said: “We have looked at him, yes,” but would not be drawn further on the midfielder. Holtby has previously spoken of his admiration for the Gunners when he said: "I've always loved Arsenal for their style."

http://www.sport360.com/article/arsenal-looking-holtby-spurs-remain-favourites?

[carmine]

Arsenal appear to be among the clubs interested in Holtby’s services after Wenger admitted he is a possible option.

The Frenchman said: “We have looked at him, yes,” but would not be drawn further on the midfielder. Holtby has previously spoken of his admiration for the Gunners when he said: "I've always loved Arsenal for their style."

http://www.sport360....ain-favourites?

And then he went to Spurs!!

[tigerfish]

Well happy new year boys and girls!

Ok ok maybe just girl

So santi it's new year....some new enthusiasm for the team please

Yes yes a dismal game against Southampton. But that's all the more reason for us fans to be more supportive

have to disagree there Migsy !

this should be exactly the time the real fans take the opportunity to drive home the general felling of discontent that has been around for ages amongst the hardcore followers.

for far to long the board have been getting away with fobbing off long term season ticket holders that pay out hard earnt cash and nonchalantly saying that if they don't want to fork out, there are plenty of the fare weather prawn sandwich eating brigade waiting to take their place.

this aint the NFL and most recent the club being run like a franchise just to make the rich even richer.

the promise was when the Arsenal left Highbury and moved to the Emirates that we would compete at the highest level, but look what's happened.

do you know that a large majority of the board don't even attend home games let alone away fixtures and those that do usually up sticks half way through the 2nd half.

its rumoured that the big Russian only needs a few more shares and then he can push for a take over bid and the better news is there seems to be more and more big playing share holders that have had enough and are willing to let him have their piece of pie for the good of the club.

i live in hope, but as for this seasons campaign i feel it has already gone down the pan.

<deleted> ! even the spuds are going to finish above us in a CL spot. believe me it pains me to say it, but its a nailed on reality.

Edited January 6, 2013 by tigerfish

[SantiSuk]

Welcome back Tigerfish.

Oh bugger - Michu just scored! Just as we were looking well-placed. If we are out of the Fa Cup and CL by the end of this month I suspect that the pack of cards will fall over.

Edited January 6, 2013 by SantiSuk

[SantiSuk]

Good game of football and good to see much more passion from the Arseanl squad in the second half.

Not sure why we never see Rosicky, who was our 2nd/3rd best player last season. Scezsznzezy demonstrated why another good goolkeeper is needed in the squad. Still not convinced that hanging onto Walcott is the right answer, but obviously Wenger has to maintain credibility

[SantiSuk]

Arsenal reportedly close to signing striker, Loic Remy from Marseilles. Typical Wenger signing (that has got us nowhere in the last two years): French and £10 million ish.

Diaby close to full team come-back. Played 60 minutes in reserve team fixture recently. Here's hoping for an RvP-esque injury-free period. He was immense for the first few games of the season.

Manny Frimpong returned from Charlton loan and played the same reserves fixture. Sent off for two yellow cards! We need him back for the B team (if there will be any B team fixtures left this season).

Man City returned 900 tickets for todays fixture, rebelling at the £62 ticket price. Hell that's less than half what the Arsenal fans are paying for A fixtures (soon to be restricted to those monied prawn sandwich wallahs who clap politely). Wenger and Gazidis seem to be writing themselves large as hate targets among a section of the true Arsenal fan base - of which a prawn sandwich wallah like me cannot be part. High ticket prices will be justified when and if we become a top 5 European side. For now they are ludicrous and empty seats are probably only adding to the dispirited air at home games.

Walcott signing drags on. Beeb quotes Wenger as saying it has never been about the striker/winger issue, which means it is only about money. Wenger reveals eslewhere the grip he has on Arsenal pay policy and his socialist leanings in wanting to pay players roughly the same. The man's insane - no wonder we have to loan highly paid plonkers like Chamakh and Djouro out (probably still bearing part of their wages as well) instead of selling them outright. When was the last time we got more than three bob for a player we wanted to offload.

Wenger (and Gazidis) out, but COYG today. I have a sneaking feeling we can get 3 points (only because Sergio is injured).

[MiG16]

Santi you are so cute

[Chicog]

Man City returned 900 tickets for todays fixture, rebelling at the £62 ticket price. Hell that's less than half what the Arsenal fans are paying for A fixtures (soon to be restricted to those monied prawn sandwich wallahs who clap politely). Wenger and Gazidis seem to be writing themselves large as hate targets among a section of the true Arsenal fan base - of which a prawn sandwich wallah like me cannot be part. High ticket prices will be justified when and if we become a top 5 European side. For now they are ludicrous and empty seats are probably only adding to the dispirited air at home games.

You seem to be falling for the same <deleted> the Citeh fans have. They charge us 57 quid to watch their megasquad, 62 quid in London is nothing but comparable.

Our cheapest tickets are 25 quid, the club isn't a farking charity so if people want to pay 126 quid to drink warm budweiser free at half time and watch Tottenham getting spanked, that's their prerogative.

And let's not forget it's c**ts like Chelsea and Citeh pushing wages through the roof that has created the problem in the first place.

[mrbojangles]

And let's not forget it's c**ts like Chelsea and Citeh pushing wages through the roof that has created the problem in the first place.

Biggest load of nonsense I have heard on here. How can it be City's fault that your place charges so much when actually, City is still pretty cheap to go and watch. We had something on here not long ago about ticket prices and City's season tickets are still one of the cheapest in the prem. So go and look elsewhere for an excuse as to why your owners rip you off and stop putting the blame at someone elses doorstep.