Wenger’s legacy is fundamental. Free flowing, attacking football by a club with integrity and class.

Arsenal Losing: A Chance To Have A Moan?

Jut Having a Moan (Courtesy Wikipedia)

It is a very unusual situation when the majority of Arsenal fans see a loss as a good thing. The fans who are increasingly soured on Emery see the loss as a vindication of their stance and the fans who are now reluctant to turn against the benevolent Kroenkes see it as a fantastic opportunity to mouth off about wrong tactics and wrong team selection.  

 First off, the best tactics is the one that wins a match. If you lose, your tactics were rubbish. Similarly with the best team selection. We live in a world where there are no halfway houses. You lose, you are shit. You win, it is great. Except when you don’t like Emery so that every win is a lucky break and not down to the manager and every loss is proof of the manager’s ineptness. Tiring. 

Yes, you have either watched the match or you have read reports or tweets, comments etc. about the Liverpool v Arsenal match. You have read how Aubameyang and Pepe had sure banker chances and then some more to put Arsenal ahead but they fluffed their lines and we end up losing 3:1.  These chances have long been condemned to that part of the brain where the need to moan is more dominant. 

 By the way, guess who gets the blame for Pepe, PEA & David Luiz not doing the jobs they get paid trillions to do? You guessed right, Emery. 

In my world, I will continue to maintain that you can be sour on a manager and still maintain your balance in realizing when things are not his doing. Yes he is ultimately responsible but his job is not to sort out Pepe’s feet. 

 Team Selection 

There are wild claims Emery got the selection wrong yesterday. I struggle to follow this line of thought. Many claim Lacazette should have started. Did they miss his injury in our final game of pre – season and did they also miss the bit where he sat out the first match of the season and was used for only 70 minutes in the second match? Please go back and read about the club’s apprehension regarding his injury in July. You don’t have to allow facts get in the way of your desire to moan eh? 

Torreira – did the moaners miss the bit where Lucas only returned to the club after Copa America duties and holiday on 31stJuly 2019. By comparison, the bulk of his teammates started pre season almost four weeks before him. So it is unlikely he is as match fit as his other teammates. Again, why should those moaning allow their lack of key information on player fitness and readiness get in the way of their wet blanket behavior. 

Kolasinac v Monreal is not a debate that any true Arsenal fan should be genuinely having. Monreal is the better defender although you can make a case for Kolasinac supporting the attack better. Again if you wanted Kolasinac to start, would this be the same Sead that vile robbers wanted to knife recently and have threatened his family to the extent that his wife has temporarily had to leave the UK for Germany? Did you factor that into your Emery got his selection wrong absurdity? 

Were you expecting Mkhitaryan or Reiss Nelson to start ahead of PEA & Pepe? Please talk now so we can access the grade of your tomfoolery? 

With hindsight, you could perhaps make a case for Calum Chambers starting ahead of David Luiz but it wasn’t a case anybody in their right senses could have made before this match with the performance of the Brazilian in his first two Arsenal matches. There was also nothing in Luiz’s last season’s encounter with Liverpool to suggest he shouldn’t have been selected to play against Mo Salah et al. 

 Tactics

 I am sorry I will be the first person to tell you I don’t know a lot about tactics. Sadly, the same can be said about those shouting themselves hoarse about Emery’s tactics. Remember that the only good tactics is the one that wins. So where are these moaners’ tactics? In their closet? In their email draft? In the cloud (cuckoo land)?  Remember if your tactics hasn’t been tested in a match yet, it is more rubbish than Emery’s tactics. 

 There was nothing wrong with playing narrow and somewhat defensively yesterday and then trying to hit the opponent on the break. The system broke down with Sokratis focusing all his energy on Van Dijk while nobody tracked or out jumped Matip. No matter how fantastic your tactics are if you don’t out jump your opponents at corners, clear your lines or not tug at said opponents’ shirt, you will come up short. ZERO TO DO WITH EMERY’s TACTICS if you still don’t get it. 

 Lots of things to Worry About 

 Arsenal fans continue to major on minors. Xhaka was one of the notable scapegoats from yesterday. He didn’t do much wrong in my opinion. His key moment if memory serves me right was providing the assist Pepe should have put away 

 If Luiz wasn’t already on a yellow, perhaps he could have bulldozed Salah for Liverpool’s 3rdbut he couldn’t risk a red. So maybe he should have kept his powder dry for the 3rdgoal. Monreal should have made a recovery tackle to save Luiz’s blushes for that 3rdgoal but it looks like it is time for the club to upgrade on Nacho despite the fact we all love him. 

 Someone needs to call young Willock to the side. He is in the side ahead of some big names and he should be busting two guts. There was a lot wrong with his overall game yesterday. However expressing frustration at a mislaid pass instead of chasing after the ball got me riled. 

Hopefully Ceballos learnt a lot about the Premier League from yesterday’s match. Nobody allows you time on the ball and there is more physicality. 

 The PEA & Pepe link up requires time to gel. They were both on different wavelengths yesterday. There were numerous occasions when one should have passed to the other a lot sooner than they eventually did or not do and by then, Arsenal had missed a better chance on goal. 

 I hope Pepe’s price tag is not a burden on the young man. At minute 21 yesterday, I was genuinely worried that he doesn’t end up as the next Gervinho. He looked slightly awkward. 

 Next Weekend

 Time for another game next weekend. It is a MUST WIN only to the extent it is the shysters. The season is still young and a disappointing loss against Liverpool can easily be overturned as the season progresses however the season is never too young to defeat Tottenham. 

 

27 Comments

  1. A coherent well thought out perspective Baba. But I happen to be one of the moaners who after 14 months am now firmly of the view that Emery is ill-suited for Arsenal. Yesterday Emery chose a 4-4-2 diamond which is nominally a counter-attacking set-up but was in practice 2 banks of 4 camped out on the edge of our penalty area. Apart from playing this formation for the first time, he was relying on young Pepe, new to the squad and new to English football, to be one of two goal-scoring threats. In my recent blog analyzing the Arsenal’s transfer activity, I questioned the immediate value of the new players given their newness to the PL which is a much tougher proposition to the leagues they came from. It should be no surprise to anyone, least of all the coach, that he and Ceballos were like Bambi on ice when up against the physicality of Liverpool. More importantly, after 14 months, unlike coaches like Pep, Klopp and Pochetinno, I have absolutely idea of how Emery wants us to play. Cutback FC, with 5 at the back, was his preferred strategy for most of last year but it is now apparent he wants to move away from that system. During pre-season it seemed he had adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation and I for one would expect him to tinker around tactically. But resorting to 4-4-2 diamond, on the fly, demonstrated he is a coach without conviction in the way he wants Arsenal to play. Some may say it was a sign of tactical flexibility but I regard it as tactical confusion. No wonder he didn’t make a tactical change until the 80th minute.

    Finally, am well aware that my public declaration of being Emery-Out will be regard by many Arsenal fans as undermining the manager and the team in the middle of a campaign but ultimately denying the plain truth, the brutal reality, will only do the club more harm than good. I am convinced the football will not get better, only worse. There is a track record to back me up on this. I cannot speak for the Kroenke apologists, who are only giving Josh and Raul props because they were active in the transfer market. Once they recognize Emery is a problem they will hound him out pretending they weren’t happy with his appointment in the first place. Then they will swing behind some big name coach, like Mourinho, who will do even worse, as is the experience of Manchester United. For their to be real change, honest men and women must stand-up make their voices heard; Arsenal deserve a better manager.

    Reply
    • Shotts what about the VAR bias in favour of Liverpool so far?

      Funnily enough the Mikes haste to cook up a penalty in the first half led to the Gunners best chance!
      The VAR check for the non-foul on Salah led to a break in play and a break in Liverpool’s adrenaline and momentum and that drop off led to their drop in momentum and from the delayed restart Arsenal broke with Pepe.

      like how the Gunners would peg most opponents at home and they’d time waste from the tenth minute in order to break up the play (of course with the aid of the Mikes and other clowns in refs uniforms).

      Now in our Brave New World the lower league opponents don’t want to break up the play when visiting as that would get in the way of them outshooting the home team? Let’s hope not!
      At least Tottenham should be less ambitious then your average visitor under their much admired coach (who bores the crap out of me!), so unlike Burnley I’m expecting less shots for glory glory Tottenham MikeSpurs, and I’ll be hoping for a good performance from the players, but:

      In the absence of Rambo on the pitch, with Ozil still targeted, with Kozza gone, who will lead the players alongside Xhaka as the (Midfield) generals?
      ‘Cos it ‘ain’t gonna be the coach! Or the kids running around in circles.

      Reply
      • Rosicky@ArsenalAugust 27, 2019 at 5:18 am

        Shotta at 659
        Atleast I am with you on the Emery out band wagon Arsenal are in a constant decline since Wenger left. We are weaker than last year after Cech kos and Ramsey left and mustafi monreal fates hanging in the balance. With Ozil sidelined and Xhaka being on the hititlist of the boo boys we will struggle this season surely .Let’s see when the Wobs take thier knives out on Luiz Cebalos and Pepe as well or they will be pardoned being non Wenger signing.

        Reply
        • Rosicky, yourself, like others may not like Emery, and I can get that, but by what objective metric are we in constant decline since Wenger left?
          You mention some very good players, but we have always had to deal with losing good players, they come and they go.
          Finishing one place above wengers final season, and reaching a euro final, no matter how bad we played does not represent a constant decline?
          If things go horrible wrong this season, your observation about being weaker than last year becomes more valid , but way too early to speculate on that, but let’s hope that doesn’t happen, we all want Arsenal to win, no matter who the manager or CEO is, right?
          If Emery fails, or is perceived to fail this season, events will take care of themselves, Edu will most likely make a statement and land someone billed as his choice, but any harm in supporting emery while he is in the job, just as we always did with Wenger?

          Reply
  2. Really good article and some nice perspective.
    Had forgotten Luiz was on a yellow, it would be more in character for him to take Salah out.
    Also, Liverpool are a very settled side, far less injuries, new players and novices than we paraded yesterday. On another day, Pépé and Auba could have scored, totally different game, but not to be
    As for emery, I back him as I back any Arsenal manager,.
    I read some comments elsewhere saying he should have attacked Liverpool, a more wengerball like approach. I remember a game at Anfield in aug 2017, we didn’t sell an unhappy Sanchez for whatever reason, didn’t bring in a replacement, Wenger played Ox in this game just before he signed for Liverpool, Ox had a stinker, we lost 4-0. Arsenal looked , not for the first time seasons start, undercooked, not prepared, I firmly believe that start to the season and issues around it allowed those in the club , including perhaps the CEO at the time, and maybe owners son, who wanted Wenger removed, to strike later that very season. If so, I am sure emery, in nowhere near as stable a position as his predecessor merited ,will also be aware of the effects of a complete thrashing at Liverpool or elsewhere, in potentially the final year of his contract.
    Some say emery is negative, yet only Liverpool and city scored more that is last season.
    Some say emery is too defensive, well, if so, he is not very good at being defensive! He has taken over where Wenger left off in terms of the defending, or lack of it at times. 51 conceded on the last two seasons.
    I have no idea whether emery will prove the right man, but I do know that if far better informed people than us, edu for starters think he is not, emery will be gone seasons end, or sooner.
    In the meantime, I hope emery succeeds as I want the team to win. This Liverpool result was annoying, but hopefully, unlike the result in aug 2017, it will not have such ramifications for our season. We can improve on other battlegrounds . We have ample time to overturn this Liverpool game, starting with Spurs, who did even worse than we did this weekend!

    Reply
  3. How many strawmen can you fit into one article? No, it is not all great and all forgiven if we win, and it is not all horrible if we lose. It’s horrible because we play horrible football under Emery. If Pepe had scored or Auba had scored, that simple fact would’t change. In fact that sort of thinking is what has kept Emery in the job till now.

    You say his job isn’t to sort Pepe’s feet. Right. But his job is to ensure that Pepe gets plenty opportunities to do what he is paid to do, because that increases the chances of him succeeding. Similarly, his job is to ensure that our defense doesn’t have to face relentless pressure, because that increases the likelihood of them making mistakes.

    This wasn’t a case of players failing to execute. It was them not being set up for success and hoping that their talent could be enough. Emery has no plan, no vision, and plays with fear. Defend Emery on his own merits if you must, not imagined motivations of those that are unhappy with him.

    Reply
  4. “If Luiz wasn’t already on a yellow, perhaps he could have bulldozed Salah for Liverpool’s 3rdbut he couldn’t risk a red. So maybe he should have kept his powder dry for the 3rdgoal. Monreal should have made a recovery tackle to save Luiz’s blushes for that 3rdgoal but it looks like it is time for the club to upgrade on Nacho despite the fact we all love him. ”

    Luiz had other options, he still had the chance to neither bulldoze or tug. That final option, just to hassle and push Salah out wide meant Leno might have had a chance? Plus the potential of two (plus Luiz) defenders if that would have happened.

    Monreals fault- if there was any was that he was pressing too high, but he ran back really quick trying to cover , but got on the wrong side.Or Salah was a clever guy and knew Mon was going to have him and cut in left. Hes a smart player. If Monreals at fault then so was Sok for not assisting, but then that would have left two on one in the centre.
    But who lost the ball close to the centre circle? It wasnt Mon is was Luiz. Once he had lost the duel with Mo, Luiz gives up and doesnt run back at any real speed. If Monreal had done that then what?

    No, not looking for a scapegoat, just the facts.

    Also check out Luiz and his position for the first goal. Van D fouled Guen and really Leno could have done a tad better?

    Odd how Mustafi gets all the poop…

    Reply
  5. Hmmm. How to honestly express main feelings at moment without getting into sort of online arguments I’d rather avoid? Not sure I can.

    In short, feel the equivalent of politically homeless right now, but with Arsenal blogs.

    It’s firmly established here and my original haunt on Positively that Emery isn’t the one and the new men upstairs are rotters, and, as it seems with most matters with football fans, once it’s decided, that’s that- minimal room for debate, aspersions cast on whether those with alternate views really mean what they say, etc, etc.

    That’s fine, in so far as it’s probably what people do with heated disagreement in all spheres that matter to them, but it’s a drag for me as I visit the sites so often, and follow number of regulars on twitter…it just isn’t for me though. I feel differently enough that there’s no real way to engage with it that wouldn’t involve acrimony.

    Be bloody hard for me to stop using sites entirely, so I probably won’t go cold turkey, but for now intend to go pretty quiet and just do my own thing. No hard feelings. It looks the way it looks to each of us and we behave accordingly.

    Reply
    • Hey Rich: I’d much rather have an informed debate about Arsenal here at Uncensored and at PosArse (see permalink on the sidebar) than elsewhere. Feel free to express your opinions without engaging in self-censorship.

      Reply
  6. “I feel differently enough that there’s no real way to engage with it that wouldn’t involve acrimony.”

    Do it anyway Rich, everyone I know likes what you write and have to say. Isnt that really what forums are about? We arent going to get much harmony while in dualities for sure, but people can only come out of them at their own speeds. Thats why its important to have your say.
    It all ends up dust and forgotten anyway, except on a personal experience level. To me yure a important voice on PA and here—as all the regs are, I stay to read all your thoughts.
    Silence aint always golden…(said in a nice way)

    Reply
  7. Know where you are coming from StillRich. Lots of opinions out there, and valid ones at that, but as much as I respect Wenger, I cannot get on board with all being perfect under Wenger, and bad under Raul , Emery and co. Things are more complicated than that. Emery gets slaughtered for things that Wenger was forgiven in some quarters rank bad defending for starters. Yes Wenger played great football although that tailed off in some of the away performances in his final couple of years.
    I miss Wenger, but am thankful he went when he did,another poor year and he really would have been slaughtered to exponential levels, which would be bad for him and bad for the club and players left behind.
    Emery does not have the level of owner protection Wenger enjoyed until the very end, he is trying to move on in his tasks, under serious pressure for his job, especially this season, he will live or die by a position in the ECL next year, not exclusively by playing fine football. The easiest way to get into the ECL , surely his objective number 1 , and then build on, is to get a reliable system where he usually wins at home, and makes the team much more solid and likely to win points away to the Brit Stone Age teams that have cost us so dearly, and went some way to costing Wenger his job.
    It could be suicidal for a manager to come in and try to play pure Wengerball, very special players, completely attuned to a stable team are needed to complement that risky philosophy,teams learned how to break that down. To me, Wengerball died a little bit when the likes of Rosicky, Cazorla were unable to play, Ozil cannot do it on his own against better teams or in hostile environments away., especially when the PGMOL interfere.
    I have no idea if emery is the man to take us forward, gut feeling says he might not be, but I still back him, as I will those who come after him.. There are some who knock Wenger to this day, others emery, entitled to opinions and produces interesting debate, but I will be joining either camp, I just want Arsenal to win and emery is the man in charge of that for now.
    What goes on upstairs might all seem very interesting,but can stay there as far as I am concerned, we have no control of all that, and very, very little knowledge, Raul is clearly an operator of sorts, but many will argue he has shown himself more effective than the more political Ivan Gazidis, who knows, but I cannot believe the likes of edu, or for that matter,Josh Kroenke are not doing what they consider the best for the club, from far more informed positions.

    Reply
    • Mandy who is asking you to get on board with anything?

      What does this projection of the infallible Wenger binary construct have to do with the opinion that for example an attacking coach like Pellegrini was and is a far better choice for the Gunners then Emery?

      Liverpool fans got bored of Hodgson for his boring football.
      West Ham fans got bored of Big Sam for his boring football.
      Madrid fans didn’t hate Mourinho but I think they’ve enjoyed Zidane more…

      We can see that Football fans get bored of coaches who play boring Football. (Unless they follow a shit club with no history!).

      This kind of chatter is all fairly normal in football.

      And is to be expected when you had a coach who last year couldn’t use the best midfielder in the league and who famously threw on three subs chasing a goal against Brighton none of them goal scorers, whilst leaving a natural born goalscorer on the bench.

      We can also now refer to the late late introduction of the extra missing attacker against Liverpool as the coaches first priority was to keep the Liverpool score down!

      Reply
      • I don’t see any argument.

        Maybe I’m wrong.

        But it’s not up to me to decide to renew on Emery’s contract at Xmas time.

        Oh it’ll be fun for the Blaggers if the team aren’t secure in third or fourth place, but I’m not looking to make money out of the clicks so don’t worry I won’t be reeling them in if results don’t go our way, if the players can’t pull off great goals every game.

        I would like to see the best midfielders at the club play in midfield. Based upon our experiences last year the bizarre mindless over use of Guendouzi this is a reasonable sentence!

        Firminio started and played in the copa final I think. Torreira didn’t look to happy with his late sub and that was after his goal! I can’t lip read in Spanish but an accurate translation is not necessary.

        AW didn’t have the support from the club at the end (sorry Mandy but that’s the fact!).

        I’m not looking to confirm a bias, I’m watching the football and the worry for me is:

        How long before Emery loses the dressing room this time round?

        Reply
    • Hey Mandy.

      “Emery does not have the level of owner protection Wenger enjoyed until the very end” – Wenger earned that in his 1st yr reaching Europe and next yr doing the double. Emery needs to win or show some improvement to get anywhere near this protection.

      What would have happened if Wenger did not achieve in his 1st 18months?

      ” Emery gets slaughtered for things that Wenger was forgiven in some quarters rank bad defending for starters” – Wenger bought a lot of that good grace by achieving esp in 1st 18 months.

      “The easiest way to get into the ECL , surely his objective number 1 , and then build on, is to get a reliable system where he usually wins at home, and makes the team much more solid and likely to win points away to the Brit Stone Age teams that have cost us so dearly, and went some way to costing Wenger his job.” – You better achieve your stated goals quickly as know one likes shite football.

      “It could be suicidal for a manager to come in and try to play pure Wengerball,” – Not sure. it would give fans something to take pride in. We didn’t win anything under the Fabregas era but that period is remembered fondly because of the football we played and the fact we took it to every team and even though we fell short we can pride in the effort and the marvel at the football. When all you have is effort then….these are the characteristics of a SMALL team.

      “To me, Wengerball died a little bit when the likes of Rosicky, Cazorla ” – agreed and VAR would have helped that team.

      “I have no idea if emery is the man to take us forward, gut feeling says he might not be, but I still back him, as I will those who come after him.. ” – Just asking cause I cant see anything that makes me want to give him more time but why do you? (not trying to argue, genuinely want to know your thoughts).

      Reply
  8. Thing is: is this website the same as PA etc? lets face it, most people who are posting so far have been on Untold, PA and here, we are on the same side even of theres a slight difference in opinion, opinions that are in flux. We’ve know each other for years, but still feel uncomfortable with posting, lest it causes a major over heat. The internet is full f this at the moment and its a shitty place to be most of the time, will perhaps if youre gen X or older. Do older people use it?
    PA had a tight door policy in that it had to, those AW years werent funny. Its been interesting to see the different view points, some I agree with and some not, tis life.
    As long as we approach life with an attitude of debate rather than discussion we’re forked. Who knows enough to cover every aspect?
    Thing is if its safe, its great to kick ideas and experiments around ( what else can life be except an experiment in perspective?), lets stay safe?

    Reply
    • Millsy nailed it. We need more, not less forums like PosArse and Untold, where those of us who believe in Arsenal playing positive attractive football can discuss our ideas freely and without fear.

      Btw, there are different flavors of blaggers and podcasters, many of whom converge in one forum when they feel there is a need. #wecaredoyou is a perfect example. For years they undermined Arsene Wenger despite him consistently making top-four and winning seven FA cups including three in his last four years. IMO they did it primarily for the clicks with little or no care for Wenger’s desire to play positive, attractive football or that he was hamstrung by the Kroenke’s reluctance to spend to the benefit Usmanov (Josh just admitted that fact) and a refereeing and football establishment that was hostile to the Frenchman because he was the antithesis of their values.

      Wenger is gone and I for one would not welcome him back to the current toxic environment within the club and the fanbase. But there is currently a struggle for the footballing soul of the club in which Unai Emery is pivotal. Can he take the club to a higher level football-wise than Wenger or take it down? I have struggled with this question for months knowing full well I have a pro-Wenger bias. But after 14 months of watching how we play and his prior history (BTW in this day and age everything about a top coach is transparent compared to the pre-internet era) I have concluded he is too conservative, too defensive and too reactive to be our footballing leader.

      Reply
  9. “I would like to see the best midfielders at the club play in midfield. Based upon our experiences last year the bizarre mindless over use of Guendouzi this is a reasonable sentence! ”

    This sure has been a key point fins.

    Seems odd to that Mustafi gets it all the time, despite the stats but Luiz hasnt had a decent start. He wasnt on a yellow either before the pen. Which makes the tug of the shirt as insane as the OX’s goalkeeping dive all those years ago against Chelsea.

    Thing is could Emery even play Wengerball? So far it doesnt look like it. I just dont feel convinced by the Raul Montana/ Josh gang, they seem like the Boris axis, out for themselves…

    Reply
  10. No he wasnt on a yellow before the pen Mills, Baba meant for goal three. You want to learn to read son.

    Thanks Mills, youre right. Still it was kacki defending yellow or not.

    Youre right Mills.But still you need to learn to read properly.

    Night Mills.

    Goodnight Mills.

    Reply
  11. Emery isn’t doing a good job because he’s under pressure to do a good job, has to be the weirdest and yet among the truest takes.

    Emery is a political creature. His statements on Ramsey, Miki, Wenger and even the lack of money WHILE LOANING SUAREZ proved it. As does the manner of his appointment actually. It’s true. He’s under pressure. Which manager at the top level isn’t? The idea that Wenger wasn’t is ridiculous. He needed to perform each and every season. He just carried that burden with a lot more class and with a lot more talent and ability, despite a lot more obstacles in his way. Emery and Wenger is simply no comparison.

    I don’t think anyone is asking Emery to be Wenger. Now that would be foolish. At the same time, I don’t like that he’s so focused on keeping his job rather than doing his job that he’d throw everything good about Wenger’s Arsenal out, make us worse, and still have the audacity to demand more time.

    All this philosophising about Emery is ultimately useless. 60 plus games in, 15 months in, if this were ManU, or even Everton, we’d all be laughing at their coach and expecting them to get fired. But Raul’s media connections keep such noise out. Keep milking that Wenger hate, while pushing a false narrative of an erstwhile poor squad, disloyal players, and a great transfer window (shiny new toys are easy to sell)

    Emery is a terrible coach for Arsenal. He’s cost us money through missing out on CL, losing money on Ramsey, losing money on Ozil, I’m guessing losing money on TV appearances too because which neutral will want to watch this? He’s been a disaster, and if we keep playing this unsustainable football hoping for players to bail him out, we’ll miss out on CL again, making it even tougher to get back in.

    But I’m sure Raul will win the transfer market again. That’s what really counts.

    Reply
    • Bruh, you went all the way in on this comment! Talk about not pulling any punches! Whew!!!

      I’m with you all the way though!

      Reply
  12. Shard, please tell us how you really feel! Not a big Emery fan either, weird formations, team selections and politics are undermining the team but I think we have good players and could get good results….

    Reply
    • Hehe. I agree with you.

      If I thought Emery was just about par, I’d predict us to finish 3rd and win the EL. Now? I don’t know. We still might do it. We have a talented squad. Though it is getting thinner the way we keep selling players (Iwobi and Monreal) But we won’t look good or have fun getting there.

      Reply
  13. It seems to me that the clamour about getting into Cl is not about improvng the team and the way it plays, from defence to attack.

    It is only about money.To be spent on what?

    We al know that were we to qualify to the Cl, we would, more than likely get through the group stages and then sooner or later come across one of the better teams, of which there are many, not only Barca and BM and be knocked out.So the Cl adventure cannot be about success on the pitch, but simply about the more money to earn.

    At least with the EL, we have a chance of winning it.

    Liverpool and Man$ity spent a lot of money, because they had it, the former because they sold 2 players for ridiculous amounts, and by a process of ilimination found the rght combination of players and also managed to steer clear of injuries.

    If all the UE is looking to do is qualify for the CL, then I believe he is wasting his time and our support.

    I for one have made no secret for a long time, ad nausium, that his appointment was a mistake and that becomes clearer after every game.

    I do not blame him for not being good enough.

    I blame him and the people who chose him for his having misled them with his dosiers of the players, and for them for deciding that he represented the best alternative for the club.

    If he succeeds, wonderful, but at what cost in playing style and fan satisfaction.

    The truth is that teams that do not play attarctive football,do not usually win trophies.

    Reply
  14. By the way, I am jjgsol, not jjgaol.

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  15. Sorry but kinda respectfully disagree with your main post.

    Yes we are all doing the same thing i.e (moaning)but just because a group appear to be doing the same thing, the reason and intentions behind what they are doing can differentiate and show differences between the groups. Its like saying all forms of protests are the same and in general they are just people making noise and being disruptive.

    People protest for different reasons, using different means (silent, violent, hunger, strip naked etc) and are not just being disruptive and making noise.

    Yes we are all moaning or some of us are, and using different means but you can not just generalise and say we are all making noise.

    Reply
  16. “Some say emery is negative, yet only Liverpool and city scored more that is last season.
    Some say emery is too defensive, well, if so, he is not very good at being defensive! He has taken over where Wenger left off in terms of the defending, or lack of it at times.”

    Well to tell the truth we have always been high scorers in the top 3/5 positions of top goal scorers in the league so the stats are actually the same or slightly worse and conceding goals has always been our strong point and there he has actually made us better. So in essence in 1 calendar year he has made our attack slightly worse and we concede more goals. He said in his dossier he had a clear plan to improve us.

    The Author has said that everyone is quick to moan, well what about those that are falling over themselves to give this guy time?
    To me, he has shown me nothing in his tactics, man management and philosophy for me to think it will get better( the unbeaten streak had an element of luck to it, we didn’t play the football to say we deserved it, and he unsettled players in the squad while he was achieving this (dropping Ramsey cause he didn’t fit his system and isolating Ozil).

    I am just hoping that it will get better but I see nothing that convinces me that it will.

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  17. I was even disappointed when we won last season. The style of football is wack! Winning games by the skin of our teeth against teams we ought to batter. Not to mention being out possessed and out shot.

    If Emery continues like this I will not support him, even if he was my dad. I will not get a hash tag going but I will continue to want him out. Felt this way since about half way last season.

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