The Football Blog
Cups (and only one of them is golden!)
It's been a week or so since my last post, and there's quite bit to cover. Most of it is good, with one gigantic exception; that of the embarrassing Europa League exit at the hands of Olympiacos. I'll cover that first.
Moving on ...
Well, that was nerve-wracking ... a hard-fought win over an Everton side that is improving at the same rate as Arsenal are.
Sweet Caroline!
I’m on holiday (bad timing, some may say, with two home Premier League games in a week), but hey; I’m sitting in a beach front cafe in the West Indies and you’re not!
There are draws, and then there are draws ...
N'Golo Kante did a very good impersonation of John Terry's slip against RvP when Martinelli raced past him for Arsenal's first equaliser last night. Or, come to that, Steven Gerrard's considerably more famous slip against Chelsea. This was one of the very few highlights of the away draw at Stamford Bridge; although the way the game finished and the effort on show makes one wonder if this was a watershed for the side? - that remains to be seen.
When it ain't going for you...
Another Premier League draw for Arsenal, and another game they should probably have won. It's probably my imagination, but do Arsenal get punished more for individual mistakes than most other teams?
Oh Mikel Arteta!
It has been another interesting week for Arsenal Football Club and its supporters. And for the first time in many months I can report on it optimistically. Not that I'm going to get too carried away by two decent performances and one good result; but this does feel different.
A new era, a clean sheet and AFTV backlash
It has been quite a week for Arsenal. Although I'd actually go so far as to say that the least interesting part of it was the Everton game - a bore draw that was absolutely excruciating to watch. Just one shot on target the entire game (perhaps Aubameyang could have done better with it?), but there were nonetheless a few positives that can be taken from it.
We won the argument...
So, in much the same way that the Labour Party 'won the argument' - according to its auspicious leader - at the General Election, Arsenal 'won the argument' at home to Manchester City. In other words, they got stuffed out of sight.
A Game Of Three Thirds
Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be able to report on an Arsenal victory! Yes, the mighty West Ham United were put to the sword on their home ground by a rampant Arsenal on a cold and blustery East London evening. Well, if only that were true ...
Thank you. Next...
I went to the theatre last night. It was months in the planning. I'd reasoned with impeccable logic that there was no way that Arsenal were going to have a match on this particular Thursday evening; Thanks, Amazon Prime...
New manager, same problems
New manager, new start; one might have hoped for. But whilst one could detect some improvement in the way the team was asked to play it is clear that there is no quick fix; and certainly not one that a couple of training sessions could sort out.
We love you, Freddie!
And so the axe has finally fallen. And not before time! Hallellujah! The performance and result - and possibly the size of the crowd - were the final straws for Arsenal's owner and Board. The fans had, of course, had enough long before now.
They call it 'noise'?
So, as anticipated, Arsenal slumped to defeat at Leicester City over the weekend. There's plenty to analyse, and lots of fallout since then.
I've seen more than enough now
Post Wolves: I've been sitting at my keyboard for the best part of five minutes now, not really knowing where to start without finding myself repeating myself yet again. But in summary ... I think that Arsenal are in a negative spiral that is going to need drastic action to avert a very disappointing season. I have not had a 'good ebening'.
Gotta love Twitter...
So, Arsenal got back on the winning track in the Premier League with a laboured 1-0 victory at home to Bournemouth on Sunday. But the most important thing is that victory was secured in a weekend when traditional top four rivals Spurs (oh dear!), Manchester United (they're in disarray) and Manchester City (wow - what a shocker!) lost, along with this season's hopefuls Leicester City and West Ham United.
Hornets horror show
Final score: Watford 2 Arsenal 2. I was angry at the end of the game, but I try not to hit the keyboard immediately as it often helps to simmer down a bit. But ... if anything, time has given me a worse perspective on the game than the one I had at 90 minutes. So what have we got?
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